Calls for the resignation of a Mountain View School Division trustee are mounting.

People around the province are reacting to a 30-minute presentation made by trustee Paul Coffey at the board’s regular meeting, Apr. 22, which many are calling hateful and ignorant.

Coffey’s presentation - Racism/Anti Racism Nice Until is Isn’t - called into question the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and provided his alternative views on residential school history in Canada.

“Residential schools . . . they were good,” Coffey said in his presentation which was streamed live.

Read the full story in this week's Dauphin Herald. 

Dauphin MLA and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn rose to deliver a member’s statement in the Legislature, Apr. 16.

The statement was dedicated to recognizing the invaluable contributions to Michief language revitalization by Grace Ledoux Zoldy.

Check out the full statement and more in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The City of Dauphin is well into the process of setting its 2024 financial plan, but it is still too early to say what that might look like in the end.

Mayor David Bosiak said there are many factors to consider. With major infrastructure projects such as the Main Street South reconstruction and the Buckwold Bridge rehabilitation underway and the lagoon expansion on tap, there are a lot of moving pieces to consider. Add to that continuously increasing costs, new union agreements and more upcoming negotiations, and it becomes quite a juggling act.

“When we talk about the overall process, we are looking for every possible opportunity to either reduce costs without reducing service,” Bosiak said.

On the positive, the City has an extremely good relationship with the new provincial government, having had several meetings with the premier and cabinet ministers with more coming up.

“There’s a window of opportunity there, possibly. We’re sort of reading the tea leaves about the positive relationship that the current provincial government has with the federal government and the, I would say, tremendously positive relationship that our municipal government has with our provincial government. The support we’ve received from our MLA and the premier himself and other ministers, I think, is all positive for us as a community.”

This budget provides an opportunity for the current council to begin putting its mark on the future of the community as its previous focus was more managing and completing initiatives put in place by the previous council.

“Now as a new council we have a three-year window to present our projects and have them included in budget discussions so that we can move on some of those that seem realistic or reasonable or fit with what we want to do as a municipality,” Bosiak said, adding just last week the City was advised by the province that it’s new Plan Dauphin was approved.

“So we will now, as a council, look very strategically at the items that the last council and our current council included in that, those things that were important to us as a community moving forward. And I would suspect that we will have some movement on some of those initiatives.”

Any movement, Bosiak stressed, will take place responsibly, with the benefit to the community weighed against the cost.

And while the news has been filled with reports of increases in the mill rates of other urban centres around the province, Bosiak said that will not necessarily be the case in Dauphin.

“One thing I will tell you is that this council has basically stated we will not hold taxes if that means a reduction in services to our residents,” Bosiak said. “We all appreciate that inflation is still running at over three per cent, that there are still some supply chain and other issues from post COVID still affecting supply and distribution of materials and other things. We’ve seen that in the projects that we’ve tendered in this last year, they’ve all come in higher than budgeted. So we understand that and as we go through this process we will certainly inform the public on where we’re at. But I can’t say that a tax increase is off the table and I can’t say right now how big it might be if there is one.”

Bosiak added Dauphin residents can rest assured that everyone involved in the budgetting process will do what is best for the community.

“We really trust our administration and I get the sense that administration really trusts our council and I doubt that we’ll be suggesting any kind of crazy projects that are going to significantly increase taxes,” he said. “We’re getting tremendously good advice from our administration on what is possible. We, like everyone else has, have challenges with costs and we’ll do the best we can to handle them. I trust the council and I trust the administration that they will do the right thing.”

A local dentists has been chosen to lead Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) for 2024-2025 as it’s 100th president

Last month, Dr. Daron Baxter was elected by the the association’s board of directors as its ninth female president.

“Dr. Baxter is a well-respected general practice dentist who grew up in Winnipeg but chose to build her career in Manitoba’s Parkland region. Her experience in the public access to oral health care in both larger city and smaller community settings will help guide the board to continuing its advocacy for accessibility in dental treatment,” said MDA chief executive, Rafi Mohammed.

Check out the full in depth story in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The 35th year of the Dauphin Hospital Foundation drew to a close in 2023, and it had the organization taking stock of the past and looking ahead to the future.

Looking back at accomplishments and highlights during 2023, the foundation was again touched by the many significant contributions made throughout the year.

“We continued to receive great support from the community and Parkland area,” board chair Greg Thompson said. “Individuals, businesses and organizations found ways to contribute to the Dauphin Hospital Foundation despite 2023 being another difficult economic year. We can’t say thank you enough for all the heartfelt contributions we received last year, and we certainly acknowledge that we are putting those contributions to good use.”

One of the key equipment purchases in 2023 was a specialized operating table for the Dauphin Regional Health Centre’s (DRHC) surgical suite for $59,000.

“We had a $10,000 contribution from the RBC Foundation that was placed within the Delha Cort Educational Fund to upgrade nurses’ skills. There were also significant contributions from the Dauphin Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Dauphin Memorial Ride and the Under 18 AAA Parkland Rangers – Hockey Fights Cancer Night,” Thompson said.

“We’ve had a couple of recent donations of shares from individuals in 2023, which were new to us. We plan to promote further opportunities like that and other estate and legacy information in the new year. These are all significant ways to leave lasting legacies through the foundation as we look forward to our next 35 years.”

Anyone interested in making legacy bequests or estate contributions can talk to their lawyer or investment advisor or contact the foundation through the hospital at 204-638-3010 or online at www.dghf.ca.

The foundation has added some background information and an online application form to its website for the Delha Cort Educational Trust Fund. Hospital employees can request access to enhance their education and skill set. DRHC staff should contact their supervisor to see how the fund can fit with their future professional development or career plans.

Foundation Public Relations director Blaine Kraushaar says a one-day workshop was held this past June, and centred around the foundation’s goals, objectives and opportunities for improvement.

“The organizational workshop, facilitated by Maggie Campbell, helped us streamline our vision and mission and put us on a solid path forward,” he said. “We reworked some policies and plan to be more visible in the community. There is an exciting event planned for mid-2024 that we will partner on that will bring a smile to people’s faces. More information on the initiative will be forthcoming in the next few months.”

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) recently welcomed four more new Filipino health-care workers, some with family members, who were recruited earlier as part of Manitoba’s Philippines Recruitment Initiative earlier this year.

The new arrivals landed at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, Nov. 28. They were understandably tired but excited for the next steps in their journey. Here’s some additional background on Prairie Mountain Health region’s newest residents.

Jay-ar Felipe is an internationally-educated nurse who will be working at Dauphin Regional Health Centre as an Undergraduate Nurse Employee – Internationally Educated Nurse until such time gap training is complete as full licensure as a Registered Nurse is obtained.

Check this week's Herald for the full story!

Three Parkland businesses figured prominently as Fusion Credit Union held the finals for its 2023 Community Infusion program, last week.

The Bloom n’ Bean in Dauphin finished the competition in second place, receiving $4,000 to support its plan for a space that welcomes customers with the inviting aromas of premium floral arrangements and specialty coffee while fostering a sense of community and warmth.

Dauphin’s Grow Media Group and Total Equipment Care Service each placed in the top five earning $2,000 each to progress their businesses.

Grow Media Group is a social media marketing agency, working with businesses and organizations across the country through social media management, video production and photography services.

Total Equipment Care Service exists in the realm of sports and PPE cleaning, offering eco-friendly cleaning and maintenance solutions that not only prioritize safety, but also save on wear and tear, ensuring that equipment is always game-ready while extending its lifespan, reducing environmental impacts and saving money.

The big winner in the evening was Danielle’s Studio 12, earning $20,000 in grant funding.

Danielle’s Studio Twelve is the building blocks for the start of a non-profit organization that will provide support to women suffering from infertility/loss/postpartum depression in southwestern Manitoba.

For the past three years, Community Infusion, a business idea competition that infuses economic growth and prosperity into communities served by the credit union, has supported entrepreneurs with either a new business idea, or existing business they are looking to grow or purchase.

The City of Dauphin us waiting to hear if its application to the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) has been accepted.

The HAF, a partnership between the federal government and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC), provides incentive funding to local governments encouraging initiatives aimed at increasing the housing supply and promoting the development of affordable, inclusive, and diverse communities that are low-carbon and climate resilient.

Working with consultants from Urban Systems the City submitted a grant application seeking a total of $2.2 million to support several projects.

The application included:
• community housing strategy sessions;
•infill and mixed-use area planning supported by resilient storm water infrastructure;
• zoning bylaw update;
• climate action plan;
• infrastructure incentive support; and
• active transportation network planning and design.

As required under the program criteria, the projects are anticipated to increase the city’s projected average annual housing supply growth rate by at least 1.1 per cent and its annual growth rate percentage of change by at least 10 per cent over what would be expected without the projects.

The calculations were made through a formula provided by CMHC.

As part of its regular meeting Sept. 25 city council passed a resolution authorizing the initiatives and the application as required by the program.

Manitobans still have one big bill to reconcile in relation to the previous provincial government.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released its calculations of estimated severance payouts for politicians who lost their seats or retired in the election.

In the last election, 25 MLAs lost their seats or did not seek re-election. They are eligible for severance payments ranging from $25,749 to $102,998. In total, former MLAs are eligible to receive $1.84 million in severance with an average payout of $32,800.

The CTF is calling on the Manitoba government to end the costly transition allowances for former Members of the Legislative Assembly.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be padding the wallets of MLAs who are headed for the exits,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF prairie director. “Ordinary Manitobans don’t get a golden parachute when they leave their jobs and they shouldn’t be forced to fund one for politicians.”

The payout is based on the number of years the MLA has been in office. An MLA can receive one month’s pay for each year they were in office, from a minimum of three months pay to a maximum of 12.

Former Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski who was in office for 7.42 years and retired prior to the Oct. 3 election is in line for a transition allowance of $63,658.

MLA’s are paid about $102,998 per year. The average Manitoban earns about $57,000.

“Former politicians shouldn’t keep fleecing taxpayers when they aren’t even in office anymore,” Haubrich said. “Premier-designate Wab Kinew needs to cancel this taxpayer-funded handout before the next election.”

The transition allowance calculations can be found at taxpayer.com.