The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Citizen and Business of the Year Awards on ?
The 2026 Business of the Year was awarded to Tim Hortons, who received two nominations. Berscheid Meats came in second and the Wanless General Store in third. Kathryn and Derrick Sanderson were present to accept the award.
“We’ve been involved in running Tim Hortons since 2019, just before the pandemic,” said Kathryn. “We were working under Derrick’s parents, as they were still involved, but we officially took over the franchise in 2024.
“I think for us, being a respectful workplace is number one and key priority over anything else,” said Tim Hortons Franchise Co-Owner Kathryn Sanderson. “Also, I am a teacher by background, so it’s important to me to give everyone a chance, no matter what that looks like. It’s about trying to include as many people who want to work as we can, but also we are a fast-paced, high-volume place, and we have to meet those standards. We expect our staff to be friendly with customers and make good role models for Tim Hortons

After a challenging campaign, Steve Sobering is looking forward to setting the City of Dauphin on a course for four more years of progress and prosperity as its new mayor.
Sobering earned the top council job in the Oct. 28 municipal election with 1,136 votes, or 57.4 per cent of votes cast, ahead of challengers Keith Durston with 752 votes and Carter Taylor-Luke with 91 votes.
“We have a great community. We have businesses relocating here. We have population growth. We have people moving here,” Sobering said
“So I think there’s always those things that every community would like to improve, but we’re definitely in a great position in the City of Dauphin.”
With some new faces around the table, Sobering is looking forward to sitting down with his council to reaffirm priorities and discuss issues which he heard a lot about while campaigning.
Sobering heard from a lot of people leading up to election day and they were very clear about the issues they felt were important.
Crime, safety, homelessness and addiction and affordable housing were always a main topic, he said, and the City will continue to make those issues a focus of their operations.
“Every conversation always ended with that,” Sobering said.
“But there were also a lot of people who were just really excited to see some of the hopeful projects that are moving forward.”
A lot of that hope centres on building the tourism industry in the community and the area through partnerships with groups like Northgate Trails and businesses in the Second Avenue Northwest Craft District.
“There’s always room for improvement in everything we do,” Sobering said, adding he is excited for the City to get started on the Craft District project
“I’m looking forward to seeing us break ground on that. And then on to the next project. We have lots of potential here.
“I’ve also been talking to the organizers about getting a tour of the development at Northgate. Sounds like a lot of work has been done in carving out the trail network, and I want to make sure we do a good job of taking advantage of that project, tying it into our tourism, and just our overall making Dauphin a great choice for livability.”
When it comes to the Craft District, Sobering is a little confused about the strong opposition to the project among some groups.
Boiled down, he said, the concept is basically a sidewalk renewal, which would cost the City about $400,000 for a simple remove and replace. The budget for the project was set at $700,000, he said, with a contingency of $200,000, so if cost overruns materialized there would not have to be another round of council approvals stalling work.
People took that “possible” $900,000 budget, rounded it up and used the $1 million figure to fuel their opposition.
“But in reality it’s a $200,000 to $300,000 add-on to probably a $400,000 spend, which we would spend anyways if we’re doing curbs and sidewalks,” he said, adding the scope of the project pales in comparison to the Justice Centre, the Prairie Park Place Early Learning Centre or the Northgate development.
“Yet it’s probably going to have one of the biggest impacts, the best bang for our buck, out of all of those projects as far as the city is concerned.”
It’s all part of making Dauphin the best community it can be, full of opportunities and proud residents.
“My dream, if I looked at Dauphin 10 years from now, what I’d love to see is, when you drive in from the south, all the buildings are full on Main Street. We have a prosperous commercial district. All the buildings are in good shape and look attractive and inviting,” he said.
“There’s a multi-use path system that connects everywhere. So if you’re just a mom pushing a stroller for a newborn, or an elderly person zipping around on your mobility scooter, or just somebody out there enjoying a beautiful sunny day, you can get to wherever you want in the city safely and in a way you can enjoy. You’re going to find an attractive little tourist hub of our downtown. It won’t be a scary place to go, it’ll be an exciting place to explore.
“You’re going to have recreation. Whatever it is that means to you, you’re going to have it.”
Such lofty goals cannot be realized by one person, or seven around the council table, Sobering said. It will take the effort of the entire community pulling together so Dauphin can realize its potential.
“I would really encourage people, now that the election is over, people that were making posts on Facebook and really engaged in stating their opinion, positive or negative, just to get out there. If there’s something they’d like to see in Dauphin or something they don’t like in Dauphin, get involved and help out,” he said.
“There’s always groups looking for people to contribute. The food bank could always use more volunteers, more donations, more help filling those shelves. We have groups that are trying to do what they can for the people that don’t have homes and need care. We always have projects on the go, like Maamawi Park, they’re doing a next phase that you could get involved in. Northgate’s always taking on volunteers to help trail build. There’s so many things. Whatever it is that people are excited about, just go out there and contribute.”

Area renal patients are once again able to access treatment in Dauphin thanks to the opening of a temporary hemodialysis unit in the Community Health Building in Dauphin.
The unit began serving patients yesterday (Nov. 2).
“We are so happy to welcome the patients back to Dauphin and staff back to Dauphin. We are optimistic that both will appreciate the new space, or the temporary space, where the dialysis unit will be housed,” said Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate, adding the unit will boast six stations, the same number as the regular service prior flooding in June, which forced the closure of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
While she has not yet received feedback from patients as of yet, Slate said staff are “very happy to be home.”
With winter approaching, Slate said it was important to have dialysis services available in the region once again.
“We don’t want people driving more than they need to, and it was my goal right from the beginning of this to get dialysis back there as soon as we could. So, really happy for this, and I would expect that patients and staff will be as well,” she said.
“It’s such a tremendous pull on your life to be on dialysis, three or four times a week, and having to commit to that. And then to add excessive travel onto that is . . . I can’t even imagine the impact that had on people. So I’m really happy that we’re able to have this back in Dauphin.”
In terms of the big picture, cleanup restoration work is continuing, Slate said, adding that during a recent tour of the DRHC’s lower level she was encouraged to see new hoses and cable hanging, capped off and waiting to receive new pieces of mechanical and electrical infrastructure when they become available.
“They’re having to do abatement in part of the basement still, so that work is continuing. But excellent progress has been made,” she said, adding that although there is no firm timeline in place, she expects things to progress quickly once equipment starts to arrive.
“Once the pieces start arriving, we can get systems back online. Then I’m hoping that getting the air-handling units in place, and enough airflow in the building, and heating, and the medical gases.
“I think we’ll start to see things open up in quick fashion.”
As for what services might be next to come online, clinical teams are providing input on “ what is dependent on what.”
Diagnostic services have expanded recently with the return of stress testing and ultrasound is back in its usual location.
“It would be nice to get our usual CT scanner room back up and running, just so that we can make some space for some of the other trailers that have to arrive,” Slate said.
“And we’ll see what else is possible in the coming months around some of the other services on that main floor, like endoscopy, and maybe moving cancer care back to Dauphin sooner rather than later.”
Ultimately, Slate will be pleased with the addition of any services back to the DRHC.
“Having any more beds open would be great, but we know that we need other things in place before all of that can happen,” she said.
“So we’re trying to be patient. I think we are. But it is very exciting when we tour to see the advancements that they’ve made. It’s just tremendous.”

A long time Parkland resident was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, last week.
Diane Hrychuk, who moved from Fork River to Winnipeg in July, was one of six inductees this year after a long career as an athlete and a builder.
Hrychuk learned a few months ago that she would be inducted.
“My sister had nominated me. And it’s quite a process, I guess, that the committee goes through. It’s quite a few months ago. I’m going to say January or February,” she said.
“I was grateful. It’s unbelievable that I would be chosen as an inductee, because there’s lots of people who do wonderful things in sport. So I was thrilled.”
According to the bio in the press release announcing the induction, Hrychuk lost her left leg at the hip to cancer and was introduced to wheelchair sports three years later.
Hrychuk enjoyed competing in sports before losing her leg and assumed she would no longer be able to compete.
“I had not heard of wheelchair sports. Maybe at that time. wheelchair sports were just beginning, I guess. So when I had an opportunity to get back into sports, I thought this was just fantastic,” she said.
Hrychuk has competed in a number of sports, including basketball, volleyball, table tennis, javelin, discus, shot put, track, and curling, and amassed 134 medals at national and international events.
“I had a wonderful career,” she said.
Highlights included being Team Canada’s flag bearer at the 1986 PanAm Games and her induction into the Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.
Hrychuk lists discus as her favourite individual event with javelin not far behind. As for team sports, she loved basketball.
“When I got married and moved out to Fork River, there was no coaching available. Everything takes a lot of time, too,” she said.
After her playing career was over, Hrychuk turned to working behind the scenes with the Parkland Sports Council and other organizations.
“I spent quite a few years with the Parkland Sports Council in Dauphin and the Parkland. And then I sat on the Manitoba Games Council, where I did some mission staff work with the younger people. That was very rewarding and enjoyable,” she said.
Hrychuk retired in 2008 after more then 40 years of being involved in sports.
“It was time. I started in 1968. Thirty years later I retired from sports and spent the next 10 years on the national body, the Wheelchair Basketball Association, participating in meetings in Ottawa and across the country for the development of basketball,” she said.
The induction ceremony took place in Winnipeg, Thursday.
It was an overwhelming experience for Hrychuk.
“I’m still recovering,” she said, Friday afternoon.
“It’s going to take me a few days, because it is so overwhelming. It went so long that I was a nervous wreck. And then the evening was happening quickly. There’s so many people. People came and talked to me that I did not know. Some people that I hadn’t seen in many years and didn’t recognize.
“Lots of family members were there. It was so excited and completely overwhelming.”
Inductees were invited Friday morning to the Sport Manitoba Hall of Fame Museum where they autographed the wall.
“It’s so wonderful, but it’s overwhelming. Just so much excitement in a short time that it’s fantastic,” Hrychuk said.
Hrychuk appreciates having the opportunity to compete in sports and do as well as she did.
“I appreciate the support my family provided and the wonderful coaches I met along the way. And the lifelong friends that I’ve made. I’m slowly losing some of them, but that’s the circle of life, I guess,” she said.
“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful life and God was kind to me and I’m very, very fortunate, for sure.”

Two power-play goals early in the third period helped the Steinbach Pistons to a 4-1 win over the Dauphin Kings, Friday in Dauphin.
The first of the two goals with the man advantage came on a goalmouth scramble when Steinbach’s Lyndon Lamb kicked the puck in, giving the Pistons a 3-1 lead.
Kings head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm said he will take a look at the video to see what happened.
“I didn’t get a clean look at some of those calls, so I’ve just got to check those out and have a fair assessment. Obviously, it’s tough right now in the moment to try and go back,” he said.
The Kings played well throughout the contest, outshooting their opponents, 36-23.
“We did a lot of good things. It’s just that’s the game of hockey where sometimes you do a lot of good things well, but don’t get rewarded,” Kromm said.
The Kings have had trouble scoring at Credit Union Place, recording just 13 goals in six games. Take away a 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Blues, Oct. 2, and the Kings have scored just eight goals in five games.
The Kings had chances Friday night, but couldn’t score.
“I honestly thought we did enough to get some chances there, but obviously, it just didn’t go our way tonight,” Kromm said.
The Kings will look to correct things ahead of their next game Friday night, when they host the Winkler Flyers.
“We’ll just keep working, keep sticking to it. That’s going to be the message, that we did a lot of good things. We’ve just got to build off it,” Kromm said, adding the confidence should be fairly high in the dressing room.
“When you’re going through tough stretches, it’s tough to stay up, but that’s the challenge and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a journey and we’ve just got to stay up whether it’s up or down,” he said.
The Kings will end their four-game home stand, Sunday against the Portage Terriers at 4 p.m.
Kings court: Friday was Ladies Night, sponsored by ARC Skin Laser Veins Clinic, with vendors offering their goods to people of all ages.

Children young and old got decked out in their best alternate aliases on Saturday (Oct. 31), with a mission to fill up their buckets and bags with trick-or-treat candy being handed around their neighbourhood, dodging cute and/or spooky ghouls and goblins along the way. Pictured here, a Super Mario and Spider-Gwen are dressed to impress to collect trick-or-treat candy...

The sense of community pride was palpable as residents of Inglis and the area turned out in full force Oct. 23 to celebrate the grand opening of the new Friendly’s Grocery Store.
And to chow down on free burgers, hot dogs, and some very tasty mini doughnuts.
The grand opening of the store – located in the community’s vacant curling rink which was completely remodelled and renovated – was the culmination of two years of fundraising and effort by volunteers.
“On behalf of the RM we just want to congratulate the group that did this... Peter and Carmen and their whole team, Glenda, Barry, everybody else that worked on this did an excellent job,” said Riding Mountain West Reeve Grant Boryskavich in his remarks.
“People in this area have to be very, very proud of the people that live here, the people that support this place, and the people that take on projects like this. This is a very instrumental project, and I just can’t say enough of trying to help them. The RM helped them, and they did it all themselves, so they deserve a big round of applause. You guys should give them that. And don’t be afraid to tell your friends who worked on this project to come to us and support the grocery store and everything that we have going on in our RM.
“You guys are great, great people, and you should be proud of where you live. And having people like this is absolutely amazing. And like I said, you guys are great.”

Get friendly with the rest of the story on page 2 of this week's, Russell Banner.

Senior hockey is back in town. And hopefully with a vengeance.
The Roblin Northstars, after a hiatus of more than a decade, are set to begin their 2026-27 Sask East Hockey League regular season this Friday with a road game against their old NCHL rivals.
Check out their schedule and find out who’s on the team in this issue.

The community is mourning the passing of a well known and respected philanthropist, volunteer, advocate and lawyer after Doug Deans died at his home, Oct. 20.
Born and raised in Dauphin, Deans completed a law degree at the University of Manitoba. He returned to the community in 1974 to article with Johnston and Company Law Office. After being called to the bar in 1975, Deans practiced at the firm until his retirement in 2024, earning a reputation as an extremely caring and dedicated advocate for his clients.
That reputation was recognized through a Queen’s Counsel appointment in 2020.
Outside of his professional life, Deans was an avid outdoorsman enjoying hunting and fishing, golf, cycling, travel, and quiet time with family and friends.
Deans’ support of the community and numerous community activities was unparalled with him often taking a leadership within the organization he joined, such as the Dauphin Public Library and Parkland Regional Library, where, as chair, he presided over the purchase of a $100,000 bookmobile.
Deans also introduced the first Writer-In-Residence program in rural Manitoba and participated in developing the first on-line public access catalogue in public libraries in the province. He also co-chaired the building committee, which saw the $700,000 construction of the library branch in Dauphin.
Health care was another cause close to his heart, with Deans serving as chair of the Dauphin Regional Hospital board and later as president of the Dauphin Hospital Foundation for more than 15 years before retiring in late 2020.
With the foundation, his accomplishemnts were many, including spearheading a drive to bring the MRI machine to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre. In the role, Deans led the Palliative Care Redevelopment Project, endorsed the purchase of a $50,000 patient manikin to support medical teaching in the facility, and provided leadership in a major capital contribution toward construction of the Dauphin Community Health Services Building.
Perhaps closest to his heart was Duck’s Unlimited, an important conservation organization to which he dedicated more than 45 years.
That contribution was recognized earlier this year with a viewing bench installed in his honour along the Dead River in Vermillion Park.
Doug was predeceased by his parents Keith and Isabel Deans. He is survived by his wife of 51 years Lorrie (nee Moline), sister Marilyn (Ron) Lamoureux, son Greg (London), and daughter Heather (Jeff), as well as his nieces and nephew and their children.

With the voting in Manitoba’s municipal election looming, Dauphin’s outgoing mayor is worried some Dauphin residents may be considering casting their vote based on misinformation about the City’s Craft District vision for Second Avenue.
“I’m worried that it has become a wedge issue,” mayor David Bosiak said, referring to recent social media posts being shared claiming malfeasance on the part of members of council and City staff throughout the process.
“At no point in the planning or approval process was coercion, improper influence, or any attempt to circumvent policy or established municipal procedures involved. All decisions were made through the City’s required public processes, with council exercising its authority independently. I can state unequivocally that neither councillor Steve Sobering nor Economic Development manager Martijn van Luijn exerted any undue influence over the development or approval of the plan. Any claims otherwise are simply false.”
The concept of a Craft District emerged through community consultations undertaken in 2022 and 2023 as part of the development of the City Plan, a process which involved not only the current council, but also its predecessors, with the assistance of consultants from Urban Systems. The resulting City Plan was unanimously approved by council.
As a result of that work, Dauphin’s Economic Development Committee - which Bosiak chaired - recommended the development of a downtown revitalization plan, an initiative which received unanimous support from council, Bosiak said.
Urban Systems was once again contracted to lead the process following a request for proposals issued by the City.
The consultants undertook a planning process, which ran for more than a year and a half, Bosiak said, and included consultations with council, city administration, businesses, and the public at large, along with considering best practices and approaches taken in other Manitoba and Western Canadian communities.
As a result of that process, Urban Systems presented council with the Craft District concept, which was unanimously approved.
“Funding associated with the initiative was included in two municipal budgets, both of which were subject to the City’s public budget process,” Bosiak said.
“While there were questions, there was no indication of public disapproval at that time.”
The idea of a craft district is related to a broader vision of tourism, he added, and offers an important opportunity for promotion of the community. When coupled with other attractions, such as the Northgate Trail System, could mean big things for the local economy.
“A whole bunch of people are coming to Clear Lake already. How do we get them up to Dauphin and Northgate for a day or for a day and a half? What do we need to have besides a bike trail system? Maybe a funky little bakery, an artisan meat shop, a brew pub, a couple of neat restaurants, maybe a couple little stores on Main Street,” Bosiak said.
“Dauphin has that and it’s attractive to tourists.”
It is also attractive to people looking relocate to Dauphin permanently, he added.
“To young professionals like lawyers, doctors, nurses, lab techs and other people that we need here. People that want to work in the justice center, people that want to work in the treatment center. They can fill their weekends right here,” Bosiak said, adding he has heard feedback to that effect from young RCMP officers, who have recently come to work in the city because of what it has to offer and because of its potential.
“Dauphin right now is top of the list in Manitoba of where young officers want to go.
“Our issues are very similar to other municipal issues in Manitoba and across the country, but our opportunities are very unique. We need to act on them.”