About 120 students - mainly from grades 5 - 9 from Inglis, Major Pratt, Binscarth School, Ecole St Lazare and Birtle gathered at the Geo. P. Buleziuk Centre as Gambler First Nation hosted an event focusing on the meaning and importance of Reconciliation Day in Canada. Although it wasn’t requested, many area students showed up in orange shirts. Pizzas from Twin Valley Coop in Russell and the delicious cinnamon mini donuts made by cuisinA of Russell along with fruit and muffins were provided for the students and staff in attendance - thanks to the hard working ladies at the Health Centre in Gambler First Nation.

Read all about it in the October 7th, 2025 edition of the Russell Banner.

A bronze plaque honouring an Indigenous trapper and community leader from northern Manitoba was unveiled on Monday, September 30, 2025, by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), its conservation partners, family and friends.
William ‘Lupoo’ Cook was a resident of Opaskwayak Cree Nation until his passing in the early 2000s. Cook fished, hunted and trapped in the sprawling Saskatchewan River Delta, north of The Pas and became an active voice for conservation and local hunters.
“Billy cared about nature and his trapping heritage,” recalls Chris Smith, DUC's retired Head of Conservation Programming for Boreal, who first met Cook in the early 1980s when he was president of the local trappers’ association. “Billy became a key contact for us with guidance on what was important for the First Nations people.”

Concerned citizens gathered for the Swan River Crime Meeting facilitated by the Town of Swan River on Wednesday, October 1, at the Veterans Hall. The meeting had many in attendance, both in-person and virtually, with the recording of the meeting gaining around 1,715 views in less than 24 hours.
Roger Bouvier was the moderator for the evening and this time the focus of the meeting was to answer questions from the public. In attendance to answer questions were: RCMP West District Staff Sergeant Scott Linklater; Swan River RCMP Corporal Cole Plaetinck; James Wigley, Stacy Grindle and Jakki Lumax for Canadian Mental Health; Andrew Minor, Executive Director of Manitoba Police Commission and Senior Advisor, Public Safety Division; Mark Lafreniere, Director of Manitoba Prosecution Services; Dr. Erin Knight, Health Sciences Centre; Lanna Many Grey Horses, Assistant Deputy Minister for Homelessness for the Manitoba Department of Housing, Homelessness and Addictions; Owen Fergusson, Assistant Deputy Minister for Manitoba Justice.
The following organizations were invited but declined: Shannon Isley, Director for Manitoba Harm Reduction; Treena Slate, CEO for Prairie Mountain Health; Province of Manitoba Department of Health and Office of the Chief Provincial Public Health Office.
There were some discussions regarding police staffing levels. Out of 22 regular members, there are 12 who are active for duty. The Swan River RCMP detachment is expecting three more members coming in around November. The GIS Unit positions are new ones, with the majority of the positions yet to be filled, except for the Corporal position, which has been given to a member who is on maternity leave currently. Staff Sergeant Linklater indicated that they are holding off on the constable positions because there has been some interest shown within the detachment for these positions. They don’t want to take members away from the regular detachment to fill the GIS Unit, so as the detachment numbers go back up, those positions will be filled.
“From July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, there have been 124 serious violent crime occurrences,” said Staff Sergeant Linklater. “That ranks amongst the top three detachments in the Manitoba West District and 14th in the division of 70 detachments.”
The stats presented indicated that property crime in the Swan Valley is trending below the five-year average in the most recent quarter. Within the same timeframe, there were 676 property crime occurrences that took place. This also placed Swan River in the top three detachments and sixth in the division for property crimes.
Shoplifting in Swan River is also trending below the five-year average, according to stats presented. The worst year for shoplifting occurrences in Swan River was in 2023, with 353 occurrences reported. This year, to date, there have been 56 shoplifting occurrences reported.
When it comes to repeat offenders, ten repeat offenders have caused 89 property crime occurrences, 43 person crime occurrences, 33 CDSA occurrences; 170 total occurrences under the criminal code in one calendar year. These repeat offenders have committed crimes not only in the Valley, but in Winnipegosis, Dauphin and Ste. Rose.
A question was asked about why there were so many repeat offenders. It was explained that there are a lot of proposed changes being made to the federal government about holding repeat offenders. Much of this is related to the Criminal Code, which is handled by the federal government, not the provincial government.
In Manitoba, specially tasked units have been created to focus on repeat offenders. An ankle monitoring program has also been established to help keep track of those who are out on bail or probation who have repeat offences in their criminal record.
Comments from attendees were that the data was cherry-picked, that bureaucrats are talking in circles and that a lot of people have given up on reporting the crime. Community member and lawyer, David Gray, pointed out that there were some issues with the meeting and that an agenda is not simply a list of speakers and the need for direct answers.
Some questions were asked about CMHA’s activities and why the building was put on Main Street. James Wigley took the time to explain to people about harm reduction. He explained that although CMHA does do harm reduction methods, they do not hand out sharps or do any medical type of harm reduction. CMHA focuses on housing, employment, education, life-skill training, rehabilitation and peer support as harm reduction methods. Health organizations and regions are the ones that handle the medical supplies for harm reduction.
Wigley did note that there has been tremendous success and progress in helping people; however, the need is so great that the general public is only seeing what is not working rather than what has worked.
Another question was asked about whether or not any of the municipalities had a say on whether or not harm reduction services would be offered in the community. Presenters stood by their stance that harm reduction saves lives, from naloxone to new needle distribution and is evidence-based. The same person talked about how the discarded needles are scattered all over public places, such as playgrounds, parks, and how there is now an HIV outbreak. They asked if this was not enabling the problem. The Assistant Deputy Minister for Homelessness did note that the province provided $45,000 for needle clean-up.
Questions stemmed around how to get rid of harm reduction supplies and the risk it has put people in the community at with all the discarded sharps. A direct question was asked on how to get harm reduction out of the community. No one on the panel was able to answer that question. Citizens asked Mayor Jacobson to ask this of the province and PMH, and to look how to get rid of handing out sharps in the Valley.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was held last Tuesday (Sept. 30) at the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre, in honour of Residential School survivors, and those who did not return home. The event presented speeches from survivors Fred Stevens and Dennis Chartrand who told of their experience at residential schools, followed by a walk down Main Street. Pictured here, Amber Stevens (left) and Josh Tripp (right) walk ahead of the group holding the “Every Child Matters” flag.

The City and the RM of Dauphin have struck a deal when it comes to funding recreation in the community in the future.

The agreement in principle arrived at last week will see the RM provide $419,000 in recreation funding next year followed by per capita contributions in 2027 and 2028 with a cost of living cap on any annual increases. As well, the RM will contribute $50,000 per year for capital requirements over and above its operating contributions.

A new board structure will also be developed to guide Dauphin Recreation Services going forward, although details are yet to be worked out.

Pleased to have arrived at an agreement, Mayor David Bosiak said work is now underway to  complete the paperwork and get the deal signed.

“We basically said we would leave it up to the senior administrators to come up with the proposals and we’ll sign it. Charlotte (city manager Griffiths) and Grady (RM CAO Stephenson) are working on it,” he said.

Referencing a past deal on the issue he thought was completed, which later fell through, Reeve Ernie Sirski is not ready to comment on the current plan.

“Until this deal is signed, sealed and delivered, I’m not making any comment,” Sirski said.

“We’ll have a signing ceremony and we’ll invite the press, but until that time, I’m not making any comment.”

The North-West Regional Library’s Swan River Branch just recently finished showcasing a new art display done by local artist Gus Martin. Martin’s love of art, drawing and painting was fostered at a very early age, continued throughout his school years and onto a career he loved.
“I started with art right off the bat as a young child,” said Martin. “I was constantly drawing and even received awards for my artwork when I was younger. In grade 5, I had a teacher who was very into art and she noticed I put more effort into what I was drawing. She worked really hard to help me. She even approached artist, A.Y. Jackson of the Group of Seven, to come to our school and I had the opportunity to hear how he paints. I think that may have helped direct me in terms of the way I wanted to go with my art.
“This teacher put in a lot of effort to help me attend an art high school known as Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. It was a bit out of our neighbourhood and required me to take a bus there. It was there that I learned about graphic arts and other styles of art.
“After that, I went to Ontario College of Art and then I went on to work in an advertising agency where I was a graphic designer, illustrator, visualizer, and then later on an art director,” said Martin. “I did that in Holland, Europe, and because I had dual nationality, I did that for about 15 years. I met my wife in Canada, but she was also from Holland.
“We moved back to Canada to Muskoka, Huntsville, Ontario. There, I started up a sign shop where I did some really off-the-wall signage that was handcrafted. It became very popular in town and created a look for most of the stores there. I did that for 25 years and it was a very successful business.
“Our daughter was very musical and she went to university to study piano,” said Martin. “She was looking for jobs and got one in Swan River. Her husband also got a job in Swan River, both as teachers. They had children and all of a sudden, life got hectic. We had retired and in 2021, decided to move to Swan River so we could help out with the grandchildren.”
Martin has adapted to life in the Valley and puts a lot of focus into painting. He finds beauty in the natural surroundings and puts it on canvas. Martin has also showcased some of his work in other art galleries.
“In the last six years, I’ve been doing what I really want to do, and that is painting,” said Martin. “I started doing that in the cold winters and built my studio. I started painting quite a few paintings over the winter and it’s built up.
I’ve put paintings up at the library and at the North West Round Up and Exhibition. I’ve had an exhibition in Wasagaming, which went very well. I received a good response and sold some of my work.
“My daughter is very active with the library and they asked if I would be interested in displaying my work there,” said Martin. “This is the second time that I’ve done this. There is a wide variety of people who go to the library, so I tried to choose a diverse collection of paintings to show something for everyone who goes there.
“The paintings I do are mostly of this area and consist of the river, farm animals, landscapes and other things. It’s very intense and detailed work that I do. Generally, a painting can take anywhere from a week to three weeks to finish. I do all acrylic painting and it’s something that I enjoy working with. I started with watercolours just to get the feel for mixing colours, then I switched over to acrylic. I love working with acrylic paint because it’s very forgiving and if I want to change something, it’s easier to do.
“It allows you to do a lot of detail,” said Martin. “It compares to oil-based paintings, but acrylic paint dries much quicker. When I’m painting, I like to keep going and not have to wait for things to dry. I usually paint for four to five hours a day.
“I like to use a photograph when I am painting. I walk my dog every day, and when I see something, I take a photo for reference. When I’m painting it, I make it look the way I want it to or my interpretation of it. “
Martin has really found something he is passionate about when it comes to painting. He plans to continue with it and just go wherever it takes him.
“I still want to keep painting and doing it for my own satisfaction,” said Martin. “If it goes anywhere, it doesn’t matter because I really enjoy doing it. I have sold some paintings and at times it almost feels like giving a child away, because so much work went into them. I would like to go to Winnipeg and do something, but the distance is just too far.
“I did showcase and sell my work in Wasagaming, which wasn’t too far. There is a really nice gallery there. I know there is one in Yorkton and I’ve been debating whether or not to try there. I’m not sure where this will go, but I’m just enjoying it for now.
“With all the jobs I had before, there were a lot of pressures with timelines to turn things over quickly,” said Martin. “Now with this, I can take my time and I enjoy what I’m doing. I had the benefit of knowing what I wanted to do back when I was a kid. I loved art and got into my own world at that time. Throughout my whole life, I was fortunate to do what I loved.
“I wish I could go back and find that Grade 5 teacher and tell her what a difference she made in my life. It’s very special to have had a public school teacher put a person on the career path they loved for most of their life.”

Shubh Navratri Dandiya Nights was celebrated at the Swan River Veterans Hall this past weekend (Sept. 26 and 27). The event is a Hindu festival observed in honour of the Goddess Durga and her victory over the demon Mahishasura, in portrait to the ultimate victor in good versus evil. 

A former Dauphin resident has been tasked with a unique challenge - White House news editor.

Roberta Rampton has been National Public Radio’s (NPR) White House editor, overseeing a team of journalists covering the Trump and Biden administrations for NPR’s radio programs, podcasts, website and newscasts for the past six years.

But, starting Oct. 1, Rampton will join the Associated Press (AP) as their new White House news editor.

And she got her start in journalism right here in Dauphin as a summer intern at the Dauphin Herald in 1989.

“It was my very first real reporting job,” she said, adding her internship began after her first year at university.

“It was really, really fun and people were so kind to me. I’m sure I was very annoying and I had no idea what I was doing. But people were very nice. The people at the paper were very nice and the people in the community were nice.”

After graduating from the DRCSS in 1988, Rampton attended Carleton University for four years. Her first job after university was with the Western Producer newspaper, where she worked for six or seven years.

“That was another really great job. I loved it. I got to travel around and meet all kinds of farmers around Manitoba And I learned a lot,” she said, adding she grew up on a farm and got a lot of tips from her grandfather and uncle about the technical aspects of farming.

“They really helped me out and I learned a lot.”

Rampton’s work with the Western Producer was where she learned everything she knows about listening to people, writing a feature and doing an interview.

From there, Rampton joined the Reuters news agency.

At the time, Rampton said, Reuters had one reporter for the Canadian prairies based in Winnipeg.

“The job was basically to write about agriculture ,primarily. Things that were happening that people from other parts of the world needed to know,” she said, adding that was how she got into wire service reporting.

The biggest story Rampton covered was the mad cow disease outbreak in 2003.

“That was the first massive news story that I covered. Because everyone around was interested in that and it was a really big deal,” she said.

Rampton made the move to Washington, D.C., in 2008 to cover agricultural trade for Reuters. She had applied for the job because of her experience of reporting in the agriculture industry.

Rampton ended up covering a few different beats in Washington, eventually becoming a White House correspondent in 2012.

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald.

Residents of Benito and the surrounding area have been waiting in great anticipation for the newest addition to the community, the splash park. From conception, this project hasn’t taken very long to get off the ground. In a short time, the splash park committee has been able to draft up plans, raise funds, break ground, and install water features.
“Fall 2023, the idea came forth that we should build a splash park,” said Benito Splash Park Committee Member Holly Kushniryk. “At first, it kind of came off like a joke for little old Benito, but then, after thinking about it, we thought, why not? What is stopping us? So the research began. Who knew there was so much to know about a splash park?
“We had to choose what company was best suited for our needs, wants and price point. In January 2024, we had our first in-person meeting with PlayQuest, and the fundraising and grant applications started. We worked with PlayQuest until June of this year to build the perfect park, picking the features, where we wanted them placed, everything down to the colours.
“On June 25, we broke ground,” said Kushniryk. “According to PlayQuest, it was the fastest they have ever seen a splash park go from planning stages to being built; most take three to five years, so we are feeling pretty accomplished. The water features were delivered on July 29, and cement was poured on August 22 after a long wait due to weather delays.
“Finally, on September 4, the water features were set up. As of September 16, the long-awaited hydro hookup took place. Technically, right now, it’s not quite operational yet. We have not had any water run through the whole thing as a finished project. Optimistically, if all goes well and the weather cooperates, we may be able to run it for a couple of days this fall yet, with a grand opening planned for this coming spring.
“We were trying so hard to have it up and running for early August, but unfortunately, there were just too many setbacks,” said Kushniryk. “Now it’s something fun to look forward to, to get us through a long, cold winter.
“Currently, it’s the smaller finishing touches needed to complete the project. The PlayQuest team has to come out and train our people in programming the computer aspect of the park, along with the seasonal maintenance. We need to tackle the landscaping, smoothing and levelling the ground, planting grass seed in the black dirt that surrounds the park before the snow falls, so come spring, everything should grow fresh and green.
“We plan to add some benches, picnic tables and garbage cans,” said Kushniryk. “And of course, we will be designing a sign this winter to showcase everyone who so graciously supported us in this huge project.”
The splash park has many fascinating and fun water features that are sure to be a splash with participants of all ages and abilities.
“This splash park is going to be so much fun,” said Kushniryk. “It has 11 main water features with 15 ground fountains and jets. Some highlights include the Dump Bucket, which has splash park users anticipating the bucket to fill while standing beneath and becoming soaked when it finally tips. The Water Fight tubes are sure to be a hit, for who doesn’t like spraying their friends? In Benito, there is somewhat of a rivalry between the Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Saskatchewan Roughrider fans, so you’ll note one water fight tube is blue and the other green just to have a little fun.
“The Cascade River will bring out the imagination of all ages with hands-on water exploration and interactive waves and orbs. And for those who don’t want the full water experience and just a quick cool off, we have a Mister, located on the edge of the park for easy access. As for the rest, you will just have to come out and have a look for yourself. Each water feature has its own interactive uniqueness that is sure to bring a smile and giggle.”
The splash park committee is still raising funds for the final stages of the project. Ideally, they would like to have some in reserves for maintenance and upkeep of the splash park going forward.
“Donations and fundraising have been going great,” said Kushniryk. “We haven’t quite reached our goal yet, so if you want to donate or have an amazing fundraising idea, feel free to reach out. Tax receipts are available.
“To date, we have raised just over $425,000. We are working on getting another $75,000. The park itself came in just under $460,000, but we wouldn’t mind doing some extra landscaping, purchasing some tables, benches, and, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a (reserve) fund for future expenses. Nothing lasts forever, we all know that, so having a head start will be very beneficial. We already have ideas for the next projects, so the fundraising never stops.
“Naming rights have not yet been purchased,” said Kushniryk. “We are looking for $50,000 to secure naming rights indefinitely. So, if you want a permanent advertisement location on Hwy. No. 83 for your business or perhaps honour a loved one’s memory in a unique way, please think of the Benito Splash Park.”
The response to the splash park in Benito has been overwhelming, with more support for the project than objections.
“With the amount of phone calls and messages I have been receiving asking if the park is open yet, I would say the feedback is nothing short of amazing,” said Kushniryk. “People want a place to take their kids and grandkids to play that is safe, clean and fun. That is exactly why we built this splash park.
“The community of Benito has been totally supportive and asks daily when they can put their Speedos and bikinis on, so please don’t hit the ditch watching the show as you drive through town.
“There are still a lot of questions and a tiny bit of skepticism from a few surrounding this project, in which I am more than happy to answer or discuss,” said Kushniryk. “Please don’t hesitate to track me down. I truly believe this will be a great place for families and friends to come and spend quality time together, get outside away from the never-ending screens, and have some good old-fashioned fun in the sun.”

The Swan Valley Fire Department (SVFD), along with Swan River RCMP and Shared Health Emergency Medical Services, were dispatched to a Vehicle Collision in front of Giant Tiger on Friday (Sept. 19) at 4:27 p.m.. Crews arrived on scene to find one vehicle that collided into a tree and light post with a lone occupant inside. SVFD crews disconnected the battery to the vehicle and put water under the engine compartment to ensure no fire started. Another vehicle was damaged and no occupants were in that vehicle. One patient was transported to hospital. The SVFD was back in service at 5:30 p.m.. Pictured here, first responders work together to extricate the lone occupant of the vehicle. (INSET) Another vehicle part of the emergency scene sustained damage to the drivers’ side, albeit much less damage than the other vehicle being attended to.