Dauphin is claiming a share of $1.3 million earmarked to help communities identify priority areas, develop safety and wellbeing plans and implement trhos strategies.

The province announced the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Planning Pilot Project, which will be run in 12 Manitoba communities, late last week.

Dauphin mayor Christian Laughland said the program is still in the early stages, making it difficult to say exactly how it will roll out.

“Any time you can get a significant amount of money towards a pilot project like this from the province it is obviously a good thing and this is something that we have been building towards for the last couple of years, so it is exciting from that perspective,” he said. “We are looking forward to being able to do it and make our community safer because of it.”

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After two years of consecutive decreases Dauphin ratepayers will see a modest increase in the mill rate charged against their properties this year as city council approved its 2022 budget Monday evening.

As it did last year, council used the funds remaining from a federal restart grant received in 2020 to lower the amount raised by taxation by $200,000. That amount still represents a 1.6 per cent increase over last year’s numbers.

In the end the increase in the mill rate from 18.039 in 2021 to 18.332 in 2022 will raise $6,382,457. That increase means a residential property will pay $9.58 more per $100,000 of assessed value while commercial properties will pay $6.99 more per $100,000 of assessed value.

When income from other sources such transfers from reserves. taxes added, business licenses, the provincial municipal operating grant, provincial public safety grant and other federal and provincial grants are factored in, the City will have just under $12.5 million to support its operations this year.

In presenting the financial plan, city manager Sharla Griffths said the budget supports a continued level of spending on municipal infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, and water distribution and no program cuts.

“This year’s budget was very tough to set, as council’s directive was to hold the line at the 2020 tax level and then reduce it by $200,000 and take that money from reserves that we got from the federal government. However, there are many expenditures in 2022 that were unforeseen and unavoidable. Some of them are higher than anticipated RCMP retro pay and wages. very high snowfall in 2022 already and we don’t know what is coming in the fall. There is a reduction in our taxes added in 2022 due to a slowdown in development. There is an increase in the requirement for airport funding this year and, as everybody is feeling, there is a significant increase in the cost of fuel and natural gas,” Griffiths said. “We are very fortunate that council’s directive could be met by drawing from our reserve funds. That being said, council is drawing wisely and responsibly from the reserves to ensure financial stability and security into the future.”

In the general fund most budget areas will see increases, Griffiths said.

General Government Services has been set at $1,426,030, an increase of 7.5 per cent, while Protective Services is set at $3,564,549, an increase of 14 per cent and Transportation Services is set at $1,865,058, an increase of 5.51 per cent. Environmental Health has a budget of $1,013,638, an increase of 0.25 per cent, Environmental Development Services is set at $293,981, an increase of 32.61 per cent, Recreation Cultural Services increases 1.1 per cent to $2,005,800 and Public Health and Welfare Services remains unchanged at $33,749.

Economic Development Services – was the one budget area to decrease, dropping 19.07 per cent to $413,192.

Planned General Fund capital expenditures and reserve transfers $4,478,506, an almost $1 million increase in capital projects and reserve transfers over 2021.

In the Utility Fund water revenue has been budgeted at $2,383,737 and wastewater revenue is estimated at $647,608.

Operating expenditures on the water side has been set at $2,025,101, an increase of 8.45 per cent. The increase is due mainly to due to wage increases, routine water system assessment report, work on the agreement with RMNP with regards to the Edwards Lake water source, and water main breaks.

Operating expenditures on the wastewater side have been set at $398,675, a decrease of 4.46 per cent due to less required maintenance this year.

Planned capital expenditures in the Utility Fund total just over $2.3 million.

More information on the budget can be found in next week’s Dauphin Herald.

Representatives of the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund and the Armstrong Family stop for a picture after discussing the Armstrong’s donation to the fund-raising drive to relocate families from war-torn Ukraine to the Parkland.

For those arriving in Winnipeg from Ukraine, the Armstrongs will provide lodging at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Headingly and following the trip to Dauphin will provide lodging at the local Super 8 Hotel.

“When they get to Winnipeg it shows them that somebody cares and when they get here it shows them that somebody cares here, too.

It was just the right thing to do,” Harvey Armstrong said. As well, through their Dauphin Decorating business, the family is providing materials for renovations and upgrades to the homes in which the relocated families will be living.

Pictured, from left, are Don Tarrant and Larry Hyrtsay from the Parkland Ukrainian Familty Fund, Laurie Armstrong, Harvey Armstrong, Christine Armstrong, Cory Armstrong, Hayden Armstrong and fund representative Jim Perchaluk.

Dauphin Fire Department is hosting an open house in the hopes of bolstering its ranks.

“We are currently recruiting new members for Dauphin Fire Department and we plan on having an open house on Wednesday, May 4, which also happens to be International Firefighters Day,” Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey said, adding the department is down six members from a full complement and has just recently lost three firefighters, two of whom left the community and one who decided firefighting was not a good fit for them.

“So we are doing a big push to try and get some new members on board.”

With a staffing shortage, extra pressure is put on existing firefighters, from covering for those exhibiting  symptoms from illness to making sure the community is protected year round.

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As if the 18 inches or more of snow which fell in the Dauphin Valley during the latest incident involving a Colorado Low, was not enough, Mother Nature decided to add in a little mayhem and destruction this past weekend.

This car on Seventh Street Southeast was clobbered by just one of the hundreds of trees around the community which dropped large branches or fell over completely under the weight of the heavy snow.

Thousands of Manitoba Hydro customers were without power Saturday evening and throughout the day Sunday with many having to wait until Monday to have their service restored.

Temperatures are expected to improve throughout the week, in time for another Colorado Low expected to hit on the weekend.

This one, hopefully, will just be a rain event.

The City of Dauphin will have up to an extra $75,000 to spend on active transportation infrastructure this year thanks to a Trails Manitoba grant.

Director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said the grant, secured through the rural stream of the program, is a two-to-one cost share agreement.

“So we would have to spend $150,000,” he said, adding the money will be allocated to projects planned for this year including expanding the trail system to include Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Parkland Campus “To provide access for them to a safe multi-use trail system.”

Plans are also in place to extend the First Avenue South trail to Second Street Southwest, VanAlstyne added.

The Trails Grant for Manitoba is an annual grant intended for trail associations, municipalities, or other not-for-profit groups, that have the means to provide continued stewardship of trails. The aim of the program is to provide new recreational trail opportunities which includes extending or improving existing trails, developing new trails, and addressing trail gaps and barriers. It also aims to improve the quality of an existing recreational trail network or the user’s experience including safety improvements, signage, way finding, and barriers to access. Funds can also be used for maintenance of a recreational trail network, including pruning, repairing holes, trail beautification, normal erosion/drainage repairs, clean-up, usual repairs to signage, barriers, fencing, surfacing and other maintenance tasks that are undertaken for upkeep of a trail.

Given those parameters, VanAlstyne expects the City will utilize the entire $75,000.

“We’re going to be close with our current plans. The trail will include some signage and some furnishings such as benches and maybe some planters along the way,” he said. “As well, the ACC trail will include some solar lighting and pathway lighting, because it is off the roadway, just to make it safer and more visible. It definitely allows us to add some more features.”

City council authorized the signing of the grant agreement at its Apr. 11 regular meeting.

As he drills down on the specifics, Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski is convinced last week’s budget tabled by the Stefanson government is just what the doctor ordered as the province moves out of the shadow of the COVID pandemic.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to get right into the nuts and bolts of the budget yet. What was presented was a high altitude overview and generalization of what we’re emphasizing,” Michaleski said. “I think it was a reasonable budget. It was a steady budget. We’re focusing more money on health care. I mean probably the key word is that it’s just a steady, steady budget for this time. We’re coming out of COVID, we’re starting to open things up. So there’s nothing overly surprising and that’s probably, I think, a really good tone for this budget.”

The document, Michaleski said, focuses the province’s investments in “all the right places.”

“I think we’re still on course for health care transformation. And there’s a more significant influence on indigenous and reconciliation efforts and that sounds really good. But again it’s steady as it goes and under the circumstance that’s most likely the best at this stage of the game,” he said.

The venture capital fund announced highlight the government’s efforts to rebuild the economy, he said, adding while cuts to the education property tax were not as robust as expected, they show the government’s commitment to making life more affordable for Manitobans.

“But you know it’s still a move in the right direction and, under the circumstances, that’s probably a cautious and smart approach. But we’re still going in that direction and all these things generally in the budget make Manitoba look very attractive for the next stage post-COVID,” Michaleski said. “There’s a lot of things that are changing in the world right now and we’ve really been in line with trying to make Manitoba attractive. (The budget is) still building on this, creating this positive environment for investment.”

In particular, Michaleski would like to see that investment come into the Parkland as growing and developing the area has been his focus during his time in government.

“Not only just in economic development, but in social development and aspects of that. When you start talking about family issues, education issues, K-12, all those things are a big part of the economic environment,” he said. “Of course, I’d like to see that grow in Manitoba, and in particular I’d like to see that focused energy on the Parkland region. I’m optimistic that the government is focusing on pretty broad growth strategies and I’m quite optimistic that Dauphin and the Parkland is in that scope.”

Mountain View School Division is still not sure what its share of $7 million in recently announced funding for students with special needs will be. But whatever the division gets it will make use of, said superintendent/CEO Dan Ward.

“We’re anticipating a letter that will hopefully arrive in the next week or so that will outline our amount,” Ward said. “We are anticipating that it will likely be a sufficient amount where we can increase staffing in the area of student services.”

Ward has had conversations with the division’s student services co-ordinator about potential proposals which could be brought to the board of trustees for discussions on how it might fit into recently passed 2022-23 budget.

Ward said the funding, announced by Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko last week, is directly tied to the division’s Level 2 and Level 3 funding, which would directly support students with student-specific plans around issues such as learning challenges, learning disabilities, mental health supports or behaviour plans.

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