Not only is January one of the coldest months but it’s also known to be the bluest month of the year. Blue Monday is coming up and many people are facing challenges with mental health, depression, or just a hard time in general.
“Blue Monday is a term applied to the third Monday of January, which is January 20 this year, and has been labelled as the most depressing day of the year,” said Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Swan Valley Branch Peer Support and Public Education Coordinator Rod Seib. “The original idea was conceived by a travel company in the UK in the early 2000s. A psychologist was commissioned to generate a formula that would provide the basis for promoting this day as the most depressing time of the year.

A provincial annual hands-on environmental education competition for high school students is returning to The Pas this year. The Manitoba Envirothon will host one of its five regional events in The Pas as part of the northern district in April 2025.
“The Manitoba Envirothon is an annual hands-on environmental education competition for high schools from across the province, designed to encourage teamwork, problem-solving skills, and public speaking skills while fostering an appreciation for current environmental issues,” said Manitoba Association of Watersheds Community Engagement Coordinator Kathryn Gibb. “The program helps students develop skills necessary to address environmental issues, such as collaboration, critical thinking, and public debate.

The Pas Fire Department is looking to grow its firefighting team by recruiting paid on-call firefighters to join their ranks. The department is not fully staffed and hopes this can help attract some new members.
“According to our by-law, we are allowed to have a maximum of 30 firefighters,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “We are currently sitting at 20, so in the best-case scenario, we would like to recruit 10.
“The candidates would start by coming out to our weekly training to see if they enjoy it. If they do, we will then host a recruit training weekend where they will learn all the skills needed to become a defensive firefighter and once completed, they will then receive a pager.

Michael Mason Campbell, 27, is wanted by Moose Lake RCMP for Assault x2, along with a number of weapons charges.
Campbell is 5’6” tall, 145lbs and travels frequently between Moose Lake and The Pas. He is considered armed and dangerous, and if seen, do not approach.
Please call Moose Lake RCMP at 204-678-2399 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Grandparents are also the biggest fans when it comes to watching a student compete in a high school sport. Murray and Sheila Mullin were a couple of the proudest grandparents ever when they went down to Texas to watch their granddaughters, Scarlett and Lily Nichol, compete in the Texas State National Cheer Championships.
Scarlett and Lily are the daughters of Tanya Nichol, Murray and Sheila’s daughter. Scarlett is in Grade 8 and Lily is in Grade 10.
“This was our first time watching our granddaughters in competition,” said Murray Mullin. “During the year they cheer at their high school’s football and basketball games.
“We’ve watched them at regular games, but not at a competition,” said Sheila Mullin. “The Texas State National Cheer Championships were held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. It was a huge event that started at 8 a.m. All through the day, there were competitions and I would say the crowd ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 people at certain points.”
Not only was it a big event for both Scarlett and Lily, but for Murray and Shiela as well as they awaited the final results.
“It was quite good and there was lots of excitement and cheering; it was quite the experience,” said Murray. “When they announce the finalists, they start by announcing the placements in reverse order. For example, if they have 12 teams, they announce the twelfth-place team and so on until they announce the championship team.
“For Scarlett, her team finished in third place in their division. With Lily, they kept announcing the placements until they got down to the final three. I was sitting there with my head in my hands, and when they called out the second place and it wasn’t her team, we knew they were the championship team.
“Just watching the team hugging each other and their excitement over winning the Texas State Championship brought tears to my eyes,” said Murray. “They work so hard at this because they started before the beginning of the school year. In July, there is a camp they attend and throughout their summer holidays, they are practicing. Then every day at school, each student is required to participate in sports. Lily practices every day and then after school, they are there until 5:30 p.m. practising. They are very dedicated and to be on the team, they must maintain an 80 percent average in their school work.
“It was amazing because as a grandparent, it’s an honour to watch grandchildren participate in their chosen sport or activity,” said Sheila. “Then when they excel, and the dedication and determination come to fruition, and the result is being a state champion, it’s beyond thrilling.
“Lily’s team performed flawlessly and hit zero. When a team hits zero means they have no deductions, which is ultimately what these teams strive for in competition.”
The Mullins also go to see their grandchildren perform their best under some adversity and pressure, as they had to bounce back from some obstacles that were in the way.
“Scarlett is one of the flyers that are at the top,” said Murray. “When one of her teammates was dismounting the formation, she put her hand down to stabilize and they received a deduction for that, which was one of the factors that led them to place third.”
“Saturday was the competition day, so on Friday Lily’s team was going through their last preparations for their performance and one teammate fell and was injured. They had to change their performance last minute because they were missing a flyer. They went in Saturday afternoon and practiced for three to four hours, changed their routine and when they performed it, they got a perfect score. That alone was pretty exciting to know they achieved that under those circumstances.”
Scarlett and Lily Nichol have been immersed in the world of cheerleading since they settled in Texas and started school there.
“I always saw my sister doing cheer when I was in sixth grade and she was in eighth grade, and I thought it would be fun,” said Scarlett. “I saw some tumblers on the team and thought it would be cool to learn. In seventh grade, I tried out and made the team.
“The first time I went to a State Championship, it was very nerve-wracking. I was really scared, but my coaches were good at talking to us and making sure we were ok. Once we got out there, it was really fun.
“This time, it was less nerve-wracking and more team bonding, because I’m in eighth grade this year, I had to help the ones in seventh grade prepare for this. I was providing more support for them, but I still was nervous during parts of it.
“It was fun for my grandparents to see us compete in a State Championship,” said Scarlett. “I felt like they thought we did really good.”
Lily has had a remarkable year in cheerleading this year, for she is co-captain of the team and this has been hailed as a rare opportunity for someone of her age.
“This is my third time going to State Championships and placing at them,” said Lily. “I started in my eighth grade year when we moved down here. My Spanish teacher was the coach and I heard her talking about tryouts and asking people if they were interested. I took home a flyer and talked to my mom about it, and things just went from there. I wasn’t in any other sports or clubs at the time. I figured I would try out and see where it took me. I fell in love with the sport and now am a State Champion.

The cold temperatures didn’t turn away the skiers and snowboarders too much as the Thunderhill Ski Area was still populated on the weekend, with people coming out during the day on Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 11 and 12) as well as Friday evening (Jan. 10).

Local residents are getting a real opportunity next week to learn about reconciliation at a unique workshop thanks to the Mountain View School Division.
The division’s Indigenous Education department is bringing its popular Umbay Nagamon Community Reconciliation Workshop to the Life & Art Centre on Jan. 23.
Read all about it in this week’s Review

Every year, the Swan Valley Fire Department selects amongst their ranks a firefighter who they feel worthy of being awarded the Firefighter of the Year. This year’s recipient is one who has grown up watching the commitment and dedication it takes to be a local firefighter and found the calling for it at an early age.
“I joined the fire department in 2013,” said Swan Valley Firefighter Brendan Fedorchuk. “My dad was on the Swan River Fire Department as a firefighter during my youth and then later the Fire Chief. Growing up and seeing the passion he has for the department, being a firefighter, and helping people led me to begin to come to fire training.
“While attending the training, I enjoyed the comradery, learning new skills, and the physical aspect of the job, so I decided to apply.
Fedorchuk has found the position of firefighter to be a very rewarding one. He attributes a big portion of that to the relationship and bond between the members of the department.
“The most rewarding components of the job are helping people in their time of need as well as the comradery amongst the other firefighters, Lieutenants, Captains, and the Fire Chief,” said Fedorchuk. “It takes a great amount of trust and teamwork amongst fellow firefighters and leadership in order to perform the demanding tasks that the situations require.”
Fedorchuk feels that during his time as a firefighter, he has grown on a couple of different levels.
“I feel that during my time as a firefighter, I have grown both personally and professionally due to the incredible leadership core we have and had in the department,” said Fedorchuk. “Our Lieutenants, Captains, and Fire Chief are outstanding role models in our community both in their professional and personal lives. Over the years, I have learned a great deal from our leadership core and I would like to thank them for helping shape who I am today.”
The Swan Valley Fire Department has had another solid year and puts a lot of focus into the community it serves, whether it be through events or by developing its accreditations to enhance its service to the community.
“This year, our department has hosted several well-attended public education nights and participated in Emergency Services Day,” said Fedorchuk. “We have an average of 100 calls per year and our average response time from the time of the page until we leave the hall is six minutes. Also, we have hosted a Vehicle Extrication Course, a Traffic Control Course, and we currently have three firefighters training to obtain their Level 1 Firefighting Certification.”
Fedorchuk is honoured to be presented with this award but feels that he is among many top-notch community firefighters in the Valley who give their time and dedication to service. He also accredits the community for their support in the work that the local fire department does.
“It was an honour to receive the award,” said Fedorchuk. “Although my name is on the award this year, every one of our 27 members goes above and beyond in their own way, as well as working within the team as a cohesive unit to provide an exemplary service for the community. I would like to thank our families, workplaces, and the community for their continued support and for allowing us to attend calls at a moment’s notice, even when it creates an inconvenience. I am proud to be part of such a great group of firefighters and the department.”

The New Year has arrived, with the early days of 2025 welcoming the Swan River Valley with one of winter’s cold snaps. Temperatures reached their coldest this year on Jan. 4 with a reported -38.7C low. Forecasts indicate temperatures to return to single digits this week. Pictured here, the Swan River swan can’t help but be frozen stiff as it’s only blanket to keep warm is snow.

The end of any year is a time for celebration and reflection. It is also a time to cast thoughts towards the future to wish and to plan.

With 2024 coming to a close, Dauphin’s elected officials at all three levels of government did just that.

Here are their hopes for 2025.

Dauphin-Swan River- Neepawa

For Dan Mazier, MP for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, the goals for the coming year focus on building on his work completed throughout his time as MP for the riding.

As a member of the opposition, Mazier keeps hearing people are ready for an election, due mainly to the policies of the current Liberal government.

Affordability, he said, is the number one issue that he keeps hearing about, along with other issues such as a housing shortage, inflation and crime.

Last year, Mazier spearheaded a private members bill C-299 for connectivity and internet service providers.

Looking ahead, Mazier said the focus will shift to cell phones.

“With my bill, they have to be a lot more transparent in what kind of service they’re selling you. That is going to, hopefully go over to cell phone service,” he said.

During his travels throughout the constituency, Mazier has noticed there are holes in cell phone service.

“There’s something going on in our cell phone service area and I know why it is. It’s because they’re going up in spectrum and they need to install more infrastructure, but they’re just not in rural Canada,” he said, adding that is something he plans on addressing to hold service providers more accountable.

Mazier hosted passport clinics throughout the riding in the summer, which proved to be popular, with more than 400 people taking part.

“So we plan on, again, providing that service that government just doesn’t provide in rural areas,” he said.

The primary focus in the new year, Mazier said, will be to hold the government to account until such time as an election is called.

“That’s our job. Bottom line, that’s our job,” he said.

“My number one focus is representing the Parkland and the riding in Ottawa on your behalf. It’s an honour every day to do it. And I have to honestly say, it’s been an honour of my lifetime to be doing this. I do do it with great enthusiasm and vigour on behalf of all the people in the constituency.”

Dauphin constituency

For Manitoba Agriculture minister and Dauphin MLA Ron Kostyshyn, his hopes for the constituency centre on the successes his NDP government has enjoyed over the past year.

“It’s great to be working with a government that’s been proactive in the last year,” he said.

“We’ve got some challenges ahead of us, but we’ve made some progress.”

Looking at the big picture, Kostyshyn is proud of the progress that has been made across the province in the areas of health care, education and making life affordable for Manitobans.

If he had his way, that progress would continue in the coming year.

“Not only in the Dauphin constituency, but all through Manitoba,” Kostyshyn said.

“If I had a big wish, and if I could make that happen, that’s probably going to be my number one opportunity.”

Focussing a little closer to home, Kostyshyn said the constituency has realized some major accomplishments over the last year.

Pointing to the success of the Manitoba Summer Games and the facility legacy left by that event. He also pointed to the redevelopment of Main Street South in Dauphin and the scheduled construction of Prairie Park Place, a new day care facility, and the growth and potential of the Northgate Trails system as examples of why 2024 was such a good year in Dauphin Valley.

“Also the financial support towards the Gilbert Plains golf course. You know, there are so many things,” he said.

“We can go back on a number of other things from the ground up”

And while some might be inclined to sit back and revel in those triumphs, now is not the time to rest on our laurels, he said.

“Specifically being my backyard, me being the MLA for Dauphin, we need to make things progress, and I think we’ve made some major inroads this year,” Kostyshyn said.

“I think we’re going to continue to grow the opportunity in the Dauphin constituency and the surrounding area.”

As a producer and minister of agriculture, Kostyshyn knows the importance of agriculture across the Dauphin constiuency. Celebrating some of the successes that have been realized, particularly in the area of  Crown land leases.

Looking forward, he hopes the conditions are right to continue along the path to prosperity for everyone through further successes in agricuture.

“We look forward to, hopefully, a profitable year for all agriculture producers and in the industries directly or indirectly associated with agriculture,” he said.

And while success is never a guarantee, Kostyshyn added he will be doing his part to make sure every opportunity is seized on behalf of Dauphin area residents and Manitobans as a whole.

“Our government, we are going to be proactive trying to make life affordable for everybody. one of (the steps) being we’re going to freeze Hydro rates as a beginning to the New Year,” he said, adding he will be doing his part to make 2025 as successful and positive as it can be.

“As the MLA for Dauphin, I will be talking to the Health minister, be talking to the Education minister, be talking to the Finance minister. We’re talking about economic growth in the province of Manitoba and throughout the Dauphin constituency.”

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.