The Manitoba Chapter of the Markland Vikings set up an authentic Viking-era camp in Vermillion Park, Sunday.

Markland is the area Leif Erickson discovered when he reached what is now North America, while Claimhte Solais is borrowed from Celtic mythology and translates as Swords of Light.

The historical re-enactment group portrayed life in the Viking age from Scandinavia, Denmark and the British Isles in the period from 793 to 1066.

Dressed in period clothing, the group displayed what life would have been like in a Viking village from recreational pursuits to crafting, weapons practising and food preparation.

Here a participant, set up at what would have been a typical hunter’s camp, explains the duel purpose of the tools/weapons which would have been used as part of daily activities.

The City of Dauphin has added a new position to address areas of need.

City manager Sharla Griffiths said Dauphin’s new safety manager will be responsible for fire inspections, workplace safety and health and municipal emergency measures.

The position came about as a result of Randy Daley, who served as municipal emergency co-ordinator on a contract basis, being elected to council and having to resign the position.

“When he ran for councillor, I gave him a leave of absence and because he won, then he had to resign,” Griffiths said. “So we looked at our organization and said ‘what are some of the things that we could perhaps combine to form a new full-time position?’ Workplace safety and health was getting done, but it was getting done maybe in a more disjointed way and we wanted to have a better process or better handle on that. And the fire chief has been expressing a need for some help with inspecting and other administrative functions at the fire department, so we saw this as an opportunity to combine those three roles into one position.”

Bylaw enforcement officer Conrad Demeria has been awarded the safety manager position, meaning a new bylaw enforcement officer will need to be hired, Griffiths said, adding interviews have been completed and she expects the job will be filled in the near future.

“I think it’s probably still a month away or so, and until then Conrad is providing us some basic services,” Griffiths said, adding Demeria started his new duties, Sept. 11, and like Daley, will provide emergency co-ordinator service for the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. “Right now we have a joint municipal emergency plan. It’s one plan for both municipalities.”

Griffiths added the new position was not created as part of the much-anticipated Community Safety and Well-being Plan, currently in development.

“If there is something in our community that first responders are overwhelmed with and we have to create a municipal response, then that’s where that municipal emergency co-ordinator kicks in. And then workplace safety and health is internal and fire inspections and administrative work is internal, as well,” she said. “So I actually do not see a big role for this position with (the Community Safety and Well-being Plan).”

A kickoff to Dauphin’s Culture Days took place last week, with Meet the Makers Under the Stars, Sept. 22,  from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., outside Fusion Credit Union on Main Street North.

The evening gave those interested a chance to browse through some unique items made in the Parkland, along with opportunity to talk to the artists about their craft.

The event was also an opportunity to learn about The Creative Common, a unique and collaborative makers’ space under development in the community.

Gerdeep Pandher brought his nationwide Joy, Hope and Positivity Tour to CN Park in Dauphin, last week, promoting that message by teaching those in attendance Bhangra, a traditional dance of Punjab which celebrates food-growing, harvesting and a relationship to the land. Pandher gained social media fame during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is best known for promoting motivation and optimism throughout the pandemic during which, in an effort to spread awareness about vaccinations, Pandher made a Bhangra dance video on a frozen lake in Yukon, which was watched by millions across the globe. “Joy is more than having fun. Joy means your nerves are calm, your anxieties are elsewhere. Your heart (not just lips) is smiling; your breathing is soothing like a breeze; your world is perfect in the mess of imperfections around you.

Joy could be an ideal meditation. If all emotions are valuable, then even tears of joy can make us get up and dance. One thing more about joy; we need it, just like we need food to survive. Go find your joy. Start by searching within yourself or going out in nature,” Pandher says.

Good weather, for the most part, has producers in the northwest region over the hump when it comes to getting the 2023 crop in the bin.

Although most of the region has received frost - with some damage evident in corn and soybean crops, depending on the stage of crops and degree of frost - daytime temperatures regularly rose to mid-to-high 20Cs meaning continued good harvest conditions.

The spring wheat harvest in most areas is approximately 95 per cent to 97 per cent done, with the northern part of the region slightly behind that at approximately 70 per cent complete.

Yields have been ranging from 50 bushels per acre to 90 bushels per acre, varying widely dependent on early season rains.

Initial reports of quality have been good, however, there are some reports of lower protein.

The canola harvest is in full swing and is approximately 40 per cent to 45 per cent complete with desiccation and swathing taking place as crops reach appropriate stages.

Yield reports have averaged from 40 bushels per acre to 55 bushels per acre, while some fields have yielded below 40 bushels per acre and some above 55 bushels per acre.

The field pea harvest is complete in the region and yields were variable due mostly to precipitation received through the growing season.

Fields with little precipitation ranged from 40 bushels per acre to 45 bushels per acre, while better fields came off at 60 bushels per acre to 70 bushels per acre.

Baling of pea straw is occurring and some post-harvest field work has been done.

Soybeans throughout the region are now mostly in the R8 stage and are moving towards maturity.

There has been a small start to the harvest in the Dauphin area and, while some crops may have been touched by frost, it is unknown at this time if any damage has occurred.

Seeding of fall crops started last week across the region.

Provincial picture

Harvest progress sits at about 64 per cent complete across the province, which is ahead of the five-year average of 54 per cent. Harvest continues in spring cereal crops, with barley at 95 per cent complete, oats at 95 per cent complete and spring wheat at 93 per cent complete. Overall, cereal crops remain in fair to mostly good condition. Many corn fields have achieved growth stage R6 and are drying down. The canola harvest continues with approximately 55 per cent of acres harvested. Soybean fields are mostly in the R7 to R8 growth stages with harvest progress at 21 per cent provincially.

Cereals

Spring wheat yields range from 35 bushels per acre to 70 bushels per acre, with highs of 90 bushels and a low of 16 bushels per acre in the driest regions. Across the province, the spring wheat quality is rated mostly fair to good. Protein levels range from 13.5 per cent and higher and grading No. 1 or No. 2 Canada. Oats have been yielding 90 bushels per acre to 130 bushels per acre with highs of 170 bushels per acre and some in the driest areas as low as 60 bushels per acre. Barley yields are between 70 bushels per acre and 100 bushels per acre.

Oilseeds

While the canola harvest sits at 55 per cent complete provincially, approximately 75 per cent of the crop has been taken off in the Central region. Overall crop condition reports have ranged from fair to mostly good. Sunflower fields are transitioning from the R9 growth stage with bracts becoming yellow and brown. The crop remains in good to excellent condition. The flax crop growth stages range from late stage 11 to stage 12 with lots of variability across individual fields being reported. The flax harvest in the Central region continues with approximately 40 per cent of acres in the bin. Reports put the crop in fair to mostly good condition.

Pulses and beans

Soybean fields continue to be harvested in most areas of the province with variable yields dependent upon summer rainfall. Yield ranges from 20 bushels per acre to 30 bushels per acre on the earliest harvested fields to 30 bushels per acre to 40 bushels per acre plus in recently harvested crops. Overall crop condition remains good. The dry bean harvest is approximately 72 per cent complete with yield ranging from 1,200 pounds per acre to 2,500 pounds per acre.

Forages and livestock

Corn silage harvest is well underway. There is a big push to get dryer fields chopped and into piles before rain hits. Beef producers continue to chip away at a second cut from fields that are predominantly grass and are baling straw for bedding and feed as it becomes available. Some producers are considering taking second cut on alfalfa fields that are in full bloom as the alfalfa’s root reserves should be well charged, and minimal regrowth is expected. Forage growth on hay and pasture land is mostly finished due to dry conditions. Light frost in parts of the Northwest region have producers concerned over nitrates in their annual crop silage and greenfeed still standing, and are advised to feed test prior to feeding. Some producers are supplementing hay on pasture to ensure nutrient requirements of cattle are being met and to take pressure off the grass. A handful of producers are beginning to move cattle onto fenced hayfields or harvested cropland to graze available regrowth and stubble. Water levels in dugouts are low, particularly in areas that have consistently missed out on rain. Some producers are hauling cows home and taking calves to auction marts.

Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (DNRC) made it official with the unveiling of its new logo and facility during an open house, last Thursday.

The grand opening of the facility located at the former Dauphin First United Church was postponed earlier this summer following the bus crash at Carberry, June 15.

The building, previously known as Under One Roof, will now go by the moniker Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation Community Centre or DNRC Community Centre.

The grand opening included tours of the facility, speeches by local dignitaries, a ribbon cutting and a hotdog barbecue hosted by the HERO Club, a tenant at the facility.

The DNRC operates as a not-for-profit entity in the geographical area defined by the City of Dauphin boundaries concentrating on pockets of need.

DNRC’s mandate is to empower the neighbourhood through collaboration and leadership to build a healthy community.

As the strike by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) employees stretches into its third week, the Manitoba Government Employees Union (MGEU) is asking for a conciliator to be brought in to end the job action.

At a news conference last week MGEU president Kyle Ross indicated a conciliator was instrumental in ending the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries strike last month and he is hopeful the same could be achieved for the 1,700 MPI employees currently on the picket lines.

“The conciliator is just an opportunity to bring in someone to facilitate conversation, and we know at MBLL, once that conversation started, we were able to resolve this very quickly,” Ross said. “We’re hopeful that this will bring up those discussions at the table, and we can get these members a fair offer to vote on and put an end to this strike.”

The main roadblock in the negotiations is wages for workers.

Calling the union’s approach “disappointing”, MPI board chair Ward Keith said the MGEU, from the beginning, has rejected an enhanced four-year collective agreement worth 17 per cent in total monetary value, as well as an offer to avoid strike action by going directly to voluntary arbitration.

The union, he added, is demanding almost double the settlement pattern established across the provincial sector.

“Conciliation is not required to end this strike – that could happen tomorrow without any risk to our employees,” Keith said in a statement. “But we’re still open to exploring conciliation with MGEU if we’re on the same page. Obviously, we won’t resolve the impasse over general wage increases, but a conciliator can help us streamline the arbitration on that issue, and we can discuss other issues to narrow the overall dispute.”

From the union’s perspective, arbitration takes away it members’ “democratic rights” and Ross would rather hammer out a deal at the negotiating table.

“Arbitration is an imposed deal, and we would rather have an opportunity for our members to vote on a deal,” he said.

Striking employees include estimators, adjusters, call centre workers and service centre representatives.

“No one wants the strike to end more than MPI,” Keith said. “We continue to seek the quickest and most responsible approach to resolution, so our dedicated 1,700 employees can return to their important work of delivering services that Manitobans rely on every day.”

Mike VanAlstyne, Dauphin’s director of Public Works and Operations, right, checks out the progress of crews from Maple Leaf Construction as they put new curbs and gutters in place on First Avenue Northeast.

Getting that infrastructure reconstructed is the first step towards a new sidewalk and reopening the street to foot traffic looking to access businesses along the block.

Maple Leaf Construction also ran their curb and gutter machine along reconstructed blocks on Ninth Avenue Southeast, Fourth Avenue Northeast and Aster Bay.

Public Works crews work at ripping up the sidewalk, curb and gutter along a block of First Avenue Northeast in anticipation of Maple Leaf Construction arriving in town with its curb and gutter machine.

The construction company will add the work to its list, which includes new curb and gutters on sections of 10th Avenue Southeast, Fourth Avenue Northeast and Aster Bay.

City officials say utilizing the curb and gutter machine on the First Avenue project will shorten the disruption for businesses on the block.