Not surprisingly, Dauphin residents can expect to see a slight increase in their property tax bills for 2026.

At a special meeting last night, council began the process of adopting the financial plan, which includes a five per cent increase over last year.

The 2026 mill rate of 19.021 is expected to raise just over $8.1 million compared to 2025 when 18.196 raised slightly more than $7.6 million.

When other sources of revenue are added in, the balance sheet for 2026 sets income and expenditures at $23,377,468.

Some of the other revenue sources include taxes added of $50,000; municipal service fees of $12,500, Accommodation Tax income of $440,000; business licenses of $87,500; fines totalling $100,000; sales of goods and services totalling just over $1.8 million; a provincial municipal operating grant  of $1,133,307; a provincial public safety grant of $1,228,312.

“I think the budget reflects investments in our community,” mayor David Bosiak said, adding it reflects council’s commitment to moving the community forward “one step after another.”

“That’s what I like to believe and that’s what we’ve heard from the public. We’re not spending money crazily and we’re not spending money on ourselves in the sense that this is for the community. This is stuff that some people in the community would say, ‘Hey, I wanted that sooner,’ or ‘I wanted more.’ And that’s where we say ‘well, we can only do so much, but we’re doing something.’ So, here it is.

“Council was, I would say, unanimously in agreement to what we came up with in the budget.”

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

The Swan Valley Sport Fish Enhancement Inc. held their 39th Annual Fish Fry and Banquet this past Saturday (May 2), at the Swan River Community Centre. The sold out event showcased many games of chance, various auction tables and amazing food.  Here, Mayor Lance Jacobson (right), and wife Coralie Gaudet-Jacobson (middle), sample various appetizers set out for all to enjoy.  

With the weather finally warming up enough to let the meltwater loose, the Swan Lake watershed has been saturated and the river systems have been flooding their banks. While some houses in the area packed some precautionary sandbag walls, there have been no reports of major housing damage as of yet. Pictured here, Dvorak Park on Duncan Crescent is inaccessible to those without tall galoshes or hip waders as the Swan River flows faster and higher than normal.

Chris Radford will return to the Municipality of Russell Binscarth council table after being voted in by a large
margin at last week’s municipal by election.
Chris Radford 299 votes
Leanne Bily 142 votes
Dale Sawchuk 124 votes
Nick Foisy 42 votes
This by election however brought out a dismal 30 percent voter turnout where only 608 people bothered to vote.

Over 60 charges have been laid, and five people have been arrested—including the rapper Decepti Kon and his girlfriend Kristen Frankow—after a massive drug trafficking investigation in Yorkton, Bredenbury, Bangor, and the RM of Orkney.
On April 24, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Yorkton Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team executed search warrants at four residential properties in Yorkton, Bredenbury, Bangor, and the RM of Orkney, and were conducted as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.
During the searches of the properties, officers located a number of illicit substances and weapons. The illicit substances seized by officers included approximately:
-340 grams of cocaine;
-1,035 grams of methamphetamine;
-251 grams of psilocybin;
-49 grams of heroin;
-25 LSD blotters;
-2,282 pharmaceutical-style opioid pills;
-23 grams of dimethyltryptamine;
-1.1 kgs of illicit cannabis;
-5000 illicit cigarettes; and
-5000 pharmaceutical-style Xanax pills.

Turn to page 3 in this weeks Russell Banner  for the full story.

Join your neighbors and be part of the team your community can count on when disaster strikes.
Our Russell Binscarth Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a volunteer group of trained residents who help during community events, emergencies and crises. Members learn basic medical aid, fire safety, light search and rescue, and how to organize as a team alongside local responders. CERT volunteers provide immediate assistance, support recovery efforts, and help residents who need extra support—so professional responders can focus on the most urgent tasks.
If you want to make a real difference close to home, join our Community Emergency Response Team and help our community in times of disaster or crisis.
What CERT Volunteers Actually Do
CERT members turn training into action by:
• Training the public to prepare for impactful emergencies and household readiness.
• Providing immediate, basic life-saving aid at disaster scenes until professional help arrives.
• Supporting community recovery efforts after emergencies and disruptive events.
• Sharing clear, coordinated public information with residents when rumors and confusion spread.
• Identifying and assisting residents who need extra help during emergencies.
• Assisting with practical tasks such as distributing emergency supplies, food and beverages, sandbagging operations, debris management, disaster scene support, and offering Psychological First Aid.
• Offering first aid services and support to local community events.
Join us today!
We meet one Wednesday per month starting this May for team training!
Contact: Wes Anderson or Pat MacIsaac at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“Our family has endured a lot, but it never defines who we are. We continue to move through life with unwavering faith, genuine smiles, and an abundance of love to share with others.” -
Elizabeth Fingas
In February of 2021 the area was shocked at the sudden passing of Karen Fingas, a mother of four young children and much loved LPN at the Russell Personal Care Home, just eight days after her diagnosis of stomach cancer.
Now, after hearing Terry Fox’s older brother Fred talk at Major Pratt, earlier this month, Craig and Karen Fingas’ eldest daughter Elizabeth, is organizing and hosting ‘A Run For You’ in her honor and in aid of the Cancer Care Unit in Russell.
“Our family has endured a lot, but it never defines who we are,” Elizabeth said.
“We continue to move through life with unwavering faith, genuine smiles, and an abundance of love to share with others.”
These traits and values, Elizabeth said, have been passed down through generations.
“It started with listening to stories from our great grandparents (Ann and Ray Davidson, and Alice and Paul Fingas) when we would visit for juice and dainties, sitting on their laps as they spoke.”
“Then to our grandparents (Gayle and Randy Fingas, Shirley Driedger and the late Mike Petryk) who provide us guidance when we feel lost, to our parents (Craig and the late Karen Fingas) who created the beautiful people we have and will become.”
Now, she says, it has come down to Craig and Karen’s children - Elizabeth, Jamie, Kennedy and Brodie Fingas.

Read the full story on pages 1 and 2 in this week's Russell Banner.

A Dauphin man out on bail awaiting trial in the United States connected to the theft of a handgun is facing additional charges following a search of his residence by RCMP.

Wilfred Kachurowski, 73, has been charged with seven firearms and gun smuggling related offences, including weapons trafficking, importing weapons knowing they are unauthorized, possession of a firearm when knowing possession is unauthorized, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a restricted firearm, and unsafe storage of firearms.

On March 23, Manitoba RCMP were notified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that firearms charges had been laid in Minnesota against Kachurowski after a handgun was stolen during a gun show two days earlier in Newfolden, Minn.

Kachurowski was arrested at the scene and a handgun was recovered from his bag by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. He was subsequently charged with felony theft, released on bail and returned to Canada, Mar. 28.

Officers from the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team (MILET) and the RCMP National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) began investigating after learning additional stolen weapons may be located at Kachurowski’s residence, in the RM of Dauphin.

On April 15, MILET West officers - assisted by NWEST, the RCMP West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team and Dauphin RCMP - executed a search warrant at the address.

Six handguns were recovered, at least two of which were identified as being stolen from the United States.

None of the firearms were stored in compliance with regulations and several firearms were loaded.

Kachurowski was remanded in custody.

The investigation continues.

Every year, students across Manitoba have the opportunity to demonstrate employability-related skills in a competition, with the winners in each category advancing to compete on a national level. This year, a group of Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute (MBCI) students participated in the Skills Manitoba Competition.
“This year, the Skills Manitoba Competition was held in Winnipeg on April 9, 2026,” said MBCI Instructor Lisa Gibb.

With winter behind us, it’s time to start thinking about warmer temperatures and what that all brings. Wildfires have become a constant concern for the north and the tri-community has been diligent about doing what it can to prevent another summer like the last one. Wildfires can start due to several factors, both weather-related and human-related.
“In the Gateway to the North, our landscape is a beautiful but volatile mix of boreal forest and muskeg, and understanding what sparks a wildfire in our backyard is the first step toward community safety,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “Generally, we see two primary drivers: natural lightning strikes and human-caused ignitions.