Maamawi Park Phase 2 got a huge boost when the list of projects approved under the Building Sustainable Communities (BSC) program was released, last week.

The toboggan hill/recreational park development planned for the local Dauphin Recreation Services grounds received $300,000 as part of the $25 million set aside to to support 428 community development projects throughout the province.

“Locally developed projects are, by design, tailored to address their community’s specific, unique needs and opportunities,” said Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith. “Our government is pleased to continue supporting community-based projects that foster thriving, sustainable neighbourhoods and improve residents’ quality of life.”

The province’s 2023 budget maintained funding support to the Building Sustainable Communities Program for a total commitment of up to $25 million. This investment was doubled last year to increase support for community projects.

This investment included over $12 million for 368 local and regional initiatives and nearly $13 million for 60 larger-scale capital projects.

“The Building Sustainable Communities Grant has been integral to our process as they committed $300,000 to phase one of the project, which is the hill itself and now has just recently again committed $300,000 to phase two of the project, which will involve pathways, proper lighting and we’re looking at extending a beautiful grand entranceway,” said Stacey Penner, one of the driving forces behind the Maamawi Park project.

“So we’re very lucky that the Manitoba government has put forward this opportunity and we wouldn’t be as near as where we are without this granting opportunity.”

Penner said the funding has increased the options for the planning committee as what exactly is included as part of phase 2 will depend on available funds.

“Phase two right now is a little bit negotiable, like what we want to include. There will be a phase three and potentially a phase four. We have some other big granting opportunities out right now that we have our fingers crossed on, so there is no firm end of phase two and beginning of phase three,” Penner said. “Funds will continue to roll in and we will continue to plan accordingly.”

Other Dauphin projects receiving grants include:
• City of Dauphin - $25,000 for Watson Arts Centre repairs.
• Dauphin and District Snowmobile Club Inc. - $67,987 for construction of a storage facility.
• Dauphin and District Handivan Inc. - $71,394 for the purchase of a new handivan.
• Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation - $75,000 for Community Resource Center upgrades.
• Dauphin Recreation Services - $74,750 for iceplant upgrades.
• Dauphin’s Countryfest Inc. - $9,476 for upgrades at the Selo Ukraina festival site.

The BSC program was launched in 2019 to offer municipalities and non-profit organizations a new program that streamlined administrative processes and reduced red tape, the minister noted, adding that the program replaced seven programs that were restrictive, operated in silos and were administratively burdensome. Since 2019, the BSC program has committed over $82 million to support 1,745 community projects throughout Manitoba and leveraged $185 million in other funding sources.

The grant program supports planning activities, organizational capacity building projects, equipment costs, capital infrastructure and other local or regional initiatives that enhance the sustainability of communities.

Other area projects included in the announcement include:
• Gilbert Plains Country Club Inc. - $75,000 for golf course upgrades.
• Gilbert Plains Municipality - $176,200 for Gilbert Plains Recreation Complex upgrades.
• Grandview Kinsmen Club Inc. - $58,921 for Wilson Park upgrades.
• The Grandview Senior Drop In Centre - $25,756 for facility upgrades.
• Mallard Community Council - $5,593 for community hall upgrades.
• McCreary Golf and Country Club - $10,584 for clubhouse upgrades.
• Municipality of Lakeshore - $71,325 for Ochre River Hall upgrade.
• Municipality of McCreary - $15,143 for facilities renovations.
• Municipality of Mossey River - $43,754 for Winnipegosis Beach area renewal.
• Municipality of Mossey River - $44,814 for Winnipegosis Arena and Curling Rink upgrades.
• Ste. Rose Recreation Commission - $83,250 for phase two of the Turtle River Trail.

BSC projects can receive up to 50 per cent toward eligible costs. The maximum grant for projects in the regular stream is $75,000, while larger-scale capital projects can receive up to $300,000. Approved projects, with the exception of planning activities, are required to have a minimum of 10 per cent of funding from non-government sources.

“The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) greatly appreciates the collaborative partnership between our organization and the Manitoba government in assessing municipal project applications under the Building Sustainable Communities program,” said Kam Blight, AMM president. “Municipalities have identified numerous projects and initiatives that benefit local communities and contribute towards building a stronger Manitoba. Thus, this funding announcement is certainly timely and will help grow our province.”

The minister noted the BSC program intake includes valued feedback from AMM to ensure local and district priorities are addressed.

“The BSC program is making a remarkable difference in communities provincewide,” said Smith.

“From installing play structures to creating outdoor recreation spaces to renovating community centres, these projects make communities healthier, stronger and more competitive.”

The 2023-24 BSC program intake period closed on Jan. 23 with 655 applications received. The list of the 428 approved projects is posted at gov.mb.ca/mr/bldgcomm/index.html.

For many, being snarky or witty seems to be an art form that is most commonly spotted in memes on the Internet. A meme can be described as an amusing or interesting item that consists of a captioned picture with a witty or crude saying that is spread widely online especially through social media.
The Pas resident, Emma Halpin, has taken a twist and created a new art form in which she takes old decorative ceramic plates that have photos on them and creates snarky captions to put on them. This created a new venture for her, which she calls SnarkArt Ceramix.
“SnarkArt Ceramix was born after my mother was given a decorative ceramic plate with white beads on it at a craft swap in November 2022,”said SnarkArt Ceramix Creator Emma Halpin. “She gave it to me and I thought I could totally do this.”

June is Pride month and the Tri-Community Pride group is getting ready for some events and celebrations during that timeframe. To start things off, there will be a Tri-Community Pride Drag Show on June 6 featuring drag performers Shonali, Mia Beretta, Karma K, Roxie, Stony Mac, Ivana Beer and Iphelia Payne.
“We’ve been working on this for quite awhile and I reached out to multiple performers,” said Tri-Community Pride Vice President Derrick Sanderson. “I got in contact with Shonali and she does YXE content on Instagram. I’ve been working back and forth with a group of individuals who are very popular in Saskatoon in terms of drag performers.

On Monday April 24th all branches of Girl Guides including Sparks, Embers (formally known as Brownies), Guides, Pathfinders and their Guiders came together to celebrate Earth day and tidy up our community.
Girls gave up their weekly meeting time, gathered in pairs and set out to pick up trash.
Before heading outdoors girls had a brief safety discussion and were geared up with gloves, garbage bags and t-shirts thanks to Tim Hortons.
A total of 30 Girl Guides and 11 Guiders left from the Anglican Church heading towards Devon Park and the walking path collecting anything that didn’t belong to Mother Earth.

The tri-community area held a few different events to commemorate National Red Dress Day. KB Memorial, in partnership with MKO MMIWG Liaison Unit, hosted a Celebrate and Commemorate Vigil to remember the murdered and missing Indigenous people (MMIP) from the area.
Friends and families of MMIP gathered around a sacred fire to celebrate the lives, share stories and memories of their loved ones.
“The event went so much better than I personally could have expected,” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “I went in with no expectations and it was so beautiful to hear the different stories from impacted families, and have that sense of community at the vigil. Seeing everyone with lit candles around the sacred fire, the sun setting at the perfect time, it was just a beautiful evening overall. There was about a dozen MMIP being represented and remembered at the vigil.”

It’s one of the nicest, best kept secrets of our area. Parkland Linc Inc has been around for decades. For just about twenty years, their office has been located at 20 William Place. And even that isn’t well known.

It’s tucked into the south corner of what used to be the Peace Park - now the location of the new Twin Valley Co-op food store.

While there’s so much more to the entire Parkland Linc Inc program - they employ 16 people in their independent living program – the building at 20 William is home to their day program and a commercial kitchen.

Simply - and officially put - Parkland Linc Inc delivers otherwise unavailable services to intellectually challenged individuals in our region with services that provide individuals with the opportunity to live, work and develop to their fullest potential in their home communities.

The day program is an important part of their operation. During the week, clients can attend to this program that encourages daily life skills. “The people who are in residence tend to have less dexterity, they may be aged or have a lower cognative scoring,” Parkland Linc Inc’s Executive Director Roberta Senek explained. “ And our mandate is to encourage daily living,” The daily living can take on many forms, whether it be cooking and cleaning or planting and nursing seeds to be transplated into the raised garden beds at the centre.

Check out the full story in this week's Banner!

SVRSS theatre students, SVSD staff, SVRSS alumni, and other community members collaborated for the musical production of Mamma Mia!, presented for four performances at the SVRSS from May 18-21. The Broadway hit set in a remote Greek island and filled with the timeless tunes of Swedish sensation ABBA tells the story of a 20-year-old woman looking to learn who her father is the week before her wedding, with three suspected gentlemen arriving to recomplicate the love life of her mother...

Members of the public gathered outside of the Town of Swan River Office to express their support for the North-West Regional Library (NWRL) on Thursday (May 11), which they felt may have recently been put in jeopardy...

Brittney Stratuliak and Payton Dudar played badminton together for the first time in Grade 6 at Ethelbert School.

Due to the pandemic, they did not get the chance to play together again until Grade 9. They worked hard to hone their skills and keep each other positive when they went up against difficult teams.

Last year, their hard work paid off and Stratuliak and Dudar were given the opportunity to travel to Winnipeg for the provincial championships, where they battled hard and ended up securing a fourth place finish.

This year, Stratuliak and Dudar set an even higher goal, top two. They challenged themselves throughout the competitive season in various competitions where they played up in the senior category. When they qualified for provincials, they were excited that they were given the opportunity to reach their goal. They were on their way back to Winnipeg, May 4 to 6, and they knew they were going to be up against some tough teams. Being an A school, at times it was daunting being matched up against AA, AAA and AAAA teams, but they kept their heads held high, finishing second in their pool after the round-robin.

Entering playoffs, Stratuliak and Dudar were determined to try their best and enjoy the experience.

The final game against Reston was a true battle for first. Losing the first set, Stratuliak and Dudar were determined to give them a tough game and worked hard to win the second set. By the third set, both teams could see that first-place finish.

The girls from Ethelbert played hard and secured silver, the first provincial finalists for Ethelbert badminton since 1978.

The Dauphin and District Community Foundation (DDCF) announced 13 grant recipients at the State of the City address, hosted by the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, May 9.

DDCF’s spring intake allowed them to hand out $73,738 in grants to 13 groups and organizations.

Here is a list of the grant recipients.

• Almost New Store - $15,000 for front door repair, including replacing cement footing;
• City of Dauphin -$2,500 for a digital kiosk to provide customers with accessible and low barrier tools;
• Dauphin and District Handivan - $7,500 to assist with the conversion costs of a van to accommodate a ramp allowing larger wheelchairs;
• Dauphin Church of Christ - $6,687 for the Whitmore School food program for the weeks before and after the Food for Thought program is running;
• Dauphin junior recreation hockey - $2,116 for goalie equipment;
• Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal - $10,000 toward the repair of the DNRC auditorium roof;
• Dauphin Pickle Ball Club - $1,500 toward the purchase of nets, equipment and school rental;
• Dauphin Pottery and Ceramics Club - $4,083 to replace two 50-year-old potter’s wheels;
• Loray Manor (Parkland assisted living) - $7,000 for security panel repair;
• Mackenzie Middle School - $4,352 to replace disposable dishes and cutlery with sustainable products;
• Mountain View School Division - $3,000 toward rent for the alternative education program;
• Maamawii Park - $5,000 part of DDCF’s $30,000 commitment over three years; and
• South Parkland Healthy Child Coalition - $5,000 to establish an indoor playground and family room at Parkland Crossing for child programs, family resources and parent education.

For more info, check this week's Herald!