As has been the tradition for many years, Pink Shirt Day was held across the nation on the last Wednesday of February (Feb. 26), with people wearing pink shirts in support of anti-bullying initiatives. The original event was held in 2007 when a high school student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. Pink Shirt Day has since served as an awareness campaign against bullying.

As winter begins giving way to spring, the focus of city officials turns to budgetting.

And, while the process began late last year with meetings to identify priorities and explore opportunities, now is the time to work on the finishing touches.

“We’ve got some direction for 2025 that we’re working on costing and looking at the logistics of how to make that work,” City manager Sharla Griffiths said.

Mayor David Bosiak added more information is needed before numbers can be finalized.

“We’re still waiting on a couple of responses from the other levels of government on some applications we’ve made, which will basically determine the scale and scope of some of the work that we want to do,” he said.

“We think we’re on target. We haven’t yet gotten into the nuts and bolts of final costing for of some of the things, because as projects are still developing you get estimated costs. Then when you go to tender then you get the actual cost. So we’re still fine-tuning a few of those things and I know senior managers are still working on a couple of the finer details.”

Three key priority projects have been identified by council for this year. 2025 will see continued development of the Craft District on Second Avenue Northwest, growing the development Reserve Fund created through a bylaw passed at council’s last regular meeting and expanding the active transportation network to tie in the west end of the city.

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

The Swan Valley Stampeders Junior A Hockey Club held a special fundraising evening for Amara’s Amigos on Feb. 14 during their home game against the visiting Niverville Nighthawks.
While the Stampeders didn’t come away with a win on the scoresheet that evening, the fundraiser was overall a success with local businesses and individuals showing their support for the Amara’s Amigos cause, which was started by Blaine and Lee-Anne Campbell in support of their teenage daughter Amara, who passed away from cancer in 2020. The Amara’s Amigos fundraiser also serves as a memorial for their teenage son Joel, who passed away from a snowmobile accident that same year.
The evening fundraising activities included a shootout auction, Amara’s Amigos merchandise sales, as well as raffles and cookie sales. Overall, the Swan Valley Stampeders and their Hockey Fights Cancer night was able to bring in $11,678.11 for Amara’s Amigos, which will be donated to CancerCare Manitoba, and more specifically to the PROFYLE program, or the PRecision Oncology For Young PeopLE, which Amara was a patient in while she was fighting her cancer.
“We appreciate the ongoing support from the Stampeders group and the community at large, as well as all the businesses and donations,” said Lee-Anne Campbell. “This is part of our mission to supporting other children and families who may have the same devastating diagnoses. We continue to pay it forward.
“It’s great to partner up with them to remember our children’s names,” said Blaine Campbell.
The special game-worn jerseys were also auctioned off, and that brought in an additional $6,400, which the Campbells decided to split evenly between the Amara’s Amigos and the Swan Valley Stampeders. Campbells also intend on putting up more money next year to purchase another set of jerseys and continue the partnership for a third year.

The break in the cold weather has been welcome for many, making things like a walk in Swan River Legion Park feel a bit more like a walk in the park. Pictured here, Bryce Atkinson takes his dog out for some noon hour exercise.

Funding for Manitoba schools will increase by $67 million for the 2025-26 school year.

Background information concerning the announcement, made last week by Manitoba’s new education minister Tracy Schmidt, shows increases will vary between one per cent and almost 10 per cent for individual divisions, with the inclusion of federal nutrition funding.

For Mountain View School Division (MVSD) that means a 6.5 per cent bump to $28.1 million in provincial operating support for the coming year.

MVSD secretary-treasurer Lori Slepicka said while the announcement did not include major changes to the way support is calculated, the division did receive a much needed increase in provincial funding.

“They did continue with some of their what they call one-time funding amounts,” Slepicka said.

“So probably our biggest increase within that area were under a line that they call wage and enrollment growth redistribution. We haven’t seen a huge amount of enrolment growth so that’s just kind of a catch line for all the school divisions. So it definitely helps with the salary increases, with the contractual obligations, for sure. We also got a small amount of an increase for the nutrition program funding.”

Slepicka added while this year’s announcement does not provide all of the predicability and stability school divisions have been asking for, there were some positive steps towards that goal.

“We’re on the formula guarantee now, as well, so what that means is that your formula support won’t decrease from the prior year,” Slepicka said.

“So we have that amount which when your enrollment fluctuates or decreases a little bit, unless it takes you out of that formula guarantee, it really doesn’t really affect your formula support.”

The province says “incremental” changes to the funding formula for school divisions are being made.

“This includes calculating funding based on the best of the last three years of enrollment,” Schmidt said.

“In addition, we will be reconstituting the stakeholder advisory committee on school funding to identify further opportunities to improve the way education is funded in our province going forward.”

A complete overhaul of the funding model was announced by the former Progressive Conservative government, but was not pursued by the current administration, at least when it comes to this year’s announcement.

Schmidt vowed, however, to continue dialogue with school divisions, staff, and families to “provide stable and predictable funding” for schools. The system as it exists, with a reliance on property taxes, can make it harder for divisions in poorer areas to raise adequate funding, she said.

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

Connor Gottfried of Calgary, Alta., formerly of the Swan Valley, is flexing his creativity and trying his hand at creating contemporary art, art that has grown from an experimental hobby to finding a footing with an international audience.
Gottfried has taken to making interactive sculptures that is inspired by video games and culture of the 1980s and ‘90s, putting playable screens inside replicas of video game boxes as well as incorporating other technology and creating modified icons of the era.
“I’ve always been inspired by contemporary art, especially street art from my years skateboarding and snowboarding, and around 2016, I decided to buy some canvases and try to create some large artworks,” he said.
“I started with paint scraping and soon realized that I could print sheets of paper from my computer and glue them to the canvases to add digital realism in spots. Then, in 2019, I had an idea to put a small screen into a canvas that could play video games on it. Something clicked and it just resonated with me to explore the intersection of art and technology.
“I started building pieces with larger screens and these started doing well on the internet, with lots of people connecting with me on Instagram and a feature in an online magazine,” Gottfried continued. “Seeing how much joy these were bringing people really inspired me to create more.”
The first two pieces Gottfried made were intended to be prizes for the local-to-him University of Calgary campus radio station CJSW, to benefit annual fundraiser.
“Initially, I was just exploring an idea that I thought might be a cool prize for someone who donated to the station,” he said. “When that piece was featured on a popular American blog, it made me realize that it was connecting with something larger.”
The pieces are comprised of two categories of components: the electronics; and the sculptural aspects. In general, Gottfried buys the electronic components from Amazon since the small pieces are difficult to find in brick-and-mortar stores. Some items he’s also been able to source directly from China to lower costs.
“For the sculptural elements, I design the piece in Photoshop using layers and then these layers are printed onto an Aluminum Composite Panel, or ACP, at a print shop in Calgary,” said Gottfried. “ACP is a material commonly used in signage which has a layer of aluminum on either side of a plastic core. It’s both strong and lightweight so it’s perfect for these.
“I provide the print shop with the images and the tracing paths, and they use the tracing paths to cut out the parts for me using either a laser or a CNC router. This way, I can get 100 percent accurate pieces to assemble.”
Tinkering with computers and technology has been a lifelong passion for Gottfried, with his parents bringing home an Apple II computer when he was only five years old. In the 1990s, Gottfried was also involved with the local AccessTV committee, what is now known as a WCGtv Community Media Committee that produces local content for WCG cable, as well as being a major part of bringing internet connectivity to the Swan Valley. Today, Gottfried remains a leader in his company Leara eLearning, which provides a software e-learning and training product.
“When I was young, I was really blown away by the concept of an interactive game, how you could control the character in a virtual world, a world that you could create through programming,” said Gottfried. “Seeing this evolve over my lifetime into what it is now has been fascinating. I think it’s interesting how, in a sense, we shared a childhood with technology itself. We played together with the technology and, as we matured, so did the technology.
“Now, technology has matured into things like AI, which is highly complex. There will never be another generation who will experience the innocent relationship to technology that we had in our youth.”
Many of Gottfried’s pieces feature Nintendo properties such as the Super Mario Bros., Pokemon and the Legend of Zelda, as well as other video game icons – such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Tetris – and wider pop culture staples such as the Golden Girls, the Simpsons, Mr. T, Spongebob Squarepants, and more.
Gottfried’s collection has connected with an audience enough to soon find its way into a contemporary art gallery in Taipei, Taiwan, where he will display 65 pieces in the Dopeness Art Lab beginning on April 12.
His first piece went viral on Instagram in December 2021, and he has also had a solo exhibition at the S16 Gallery in Montreal, as well as contributed pieces in group shows held in Toronto, New York City, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
“I definitely have a personal love for video games of that era,” said Gottfried. “I’ve also chosen games that I think will help the audience feel nostalgia for themselves, so I often create pieces for games that I’ve never played. The underlying connection with all these pieces is the concept of play, which is why I’ve called my collection ‘Play’. Play is where we take risks, problem-solve, and explore curiosity and our imaginations. It’s an integral part of human development, but we often stop playing as adults for a variety of personal and social reasons.
“One of the things that I find interesting is that in this early era of video games, not only were the players playing, but the game designers and hardware designers were playing as well. They were taking risks, experimenting and problem-solving in playful ways, and so the whole industry was in a state of play at that time. With this exhibition, I’m inviting the audience to re-engage with that sense of wonder and to both physically play with the art while also considering how they play – or don’t play – in their daily lives.”
Gottfried also feels like having a solo display at the Dopeness Art Lab is very significant for him as an artist.
“The Dopeness Art Lab is the most visited gallery in Taiwan.” he said. “They have a beautiful gallery space, so it will be really cool to see all of the pieces together in that environment. It’s also significant for me to exhibit in Asia, since this is the birthplace of the video game industry and many of the game characters that we cherish in North America. I’m excited to see how they respond to this exhibition.”
Gottfried added that the Canadian, American and European art scenes have so far been welcoming to him. He has sold pieces in Canada, the US and Europe and would love to do a solo exhibition in the US or Europe in the coming years. In general, his local art community in Calgary is more focused on a different style of art, leaning towards “western” art, so he’s had to reach out to other locations to connect with artists and curators who are interested in exploring technology-related art.
Gottfried’s pieces sell for between $2,000 and $6,500 USD, with all sales now going through Dopeness Art Lab. While he has previously done one-of-a-kind pieces, he now typically will produce five of each kind, allowing more than one person to collect a piece.
Gottfried concluded that even he is now connecting with a global audience with his work, his art and his passion, he doesn’t forget that it was cultivated in the Swan River Valley.
“When I was growing up in Swan River, I was exposed to skateboarding and snowboarding at an early age. At that time, both of these sports were considered outsider activities and were frowned upon by many people in Swan River,” he said. “The sports, however, had a vibrant culture of art and music that was disseminated through videos, clothing and skateboard graphics and this enriched our lives as youth in the Valley.
“This connection to a global culture of visual design, punk music, freedom of expression and joy changed the course of my life and I see this as the root of my artist practice.”
Gottfried also sent a special shoutout to the old Short Stuff store that used to sell and rent video games – video games whose packaging tapped into his wonder with design – as well as his former art teacher Paul Freed, who taught him freedom of expression at an important time in his life.

The Swan Valley Health Centre was home to students from the Rural Interest Group, learning from physicians and paramedics directly for their schooling...

City council held a pair of public hearings related to the lagoon project set to kick off this spring to open its regular meeting, Feb. 3.

The hearings centred on Bylaw 02/2025 and Bylaw 03/2025, which allow for financing $9.1 million of the City’s portion of the $20 million project.

Bylaw 02/2025 authorizes the expenditure and borrowing of $4,692,500 as a local improvement to be paid through taxation, while Bylaw 03/2025 allows for a further $4,692,500 to be paid back by way of a utility surcharge.

Additionally, the City’s portion will be topped up with $58,000 from the Gas Tax Reserve Fund and $971,000 from the Water and Sewer Reserve. The remainder of the funding comes by way of a $9,135,000 grant through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Added to taxes

Councillors opted to add to receivable accounts to the tax rolls in the amount of $469.18. That total is comprised of $201.07 owing at 38 7th Ave. SE for weed control costs and $268.11 outstanding at 108 3rd Ave. NE, also for weed control costs.

Recreation

In her report to council, city manager Sharla Griffiths updated on the efforts of senior administration pertaining to recreation. Hours of discussion have resulted in some direction for Dauphin Recreation Services to consider in both the long term and short term. The City remains committed to working collaboratively with the RM of Dauphin to establish a fair and sustainable recreation agreement that ensures the long-term success of local recreation programs and facilities, given that both councils recognize the vital role that recreation plays in enhancing the quality of life for residents and the importance of ensuring that facilities remain accessible, well-maintained and financially supported.

Performance management

Griffiths informed councillors administrators have been working on a performance management policy and review forms to better deal with employee performance in a fair and consistent manner. Performance management, she said, is a tool to measure an employee’s performance and to track their progress throughout their time with the City.

Radon plan

Deputy city manager Lisa Gaudet updated councillors on the radon file. Utilizing a $15,000 grant through Health Canada’s Radon Outreach Contribution Program, Gaudet has raised awareness about the dangers of radon in the community and has developed a draft of a City of Dauphin Radon Action Plan, to guide a  radon education and action campaign in the future. Gaudet hopes the plan serves as a model for other municipalities to  follow, igniting further action at the provincial and federal levels to support radon action.

The plan will be presented for council’s approval at its next regular meeting, Feb. 24.

Accounts approved

Council authorized the issuance of 26 cheques totalling $287,007.82 to cover outstanding accounts. Three electronic payments were also approved, totalling $17,320.23.

Curling rink chiller

Councillors gave Dauphin Recreation Services the go ahead to order a new chiller for the Parkland Recreation Complex curling rink at a cost of approximately $220,000 plus applicable taxes. While such purchases would normally wait to be included in the City’s operating budget,  the lead time for procurement and installation prior to next curling season meant the request had to be expedited. The purchase will be financed by funds withdrawn from the City’s Active Living and Recreation Reserve.

DRS also sent requests for additional 2025 capital expenditures including a pool change room rooftop unit at an estimated cost of $62,000, pool sandblasting and painting at a total project cost of $25,000 (with $10,000 already allocated by DRS) and a paint sprayer for ice making at an estimated cost of $16,000. Those requests were forwarded to budget deliberations.

To see the full story, read this week's edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Many families have created legacies within the Swan Valley based on their contributions, time and effort given to projects they are most passionate about. For Carolyn and the late Harvey Baldwin, skiing was something that brought them together and a sport they shared with their family and generations to come.
“When I moved to Swan River in the mid 70’s, what drew me the most to Thunderhill Ski Club was its beauty and that it was not far from my doorstep,” said Carolyn Baldwin. “After a few years of skiing, I decided to join the board in the late 70’s. It was just a small club at that time.
“It was on the slopes where I first met Harvey and well, that’s a story in itself. Our family grew, when we had two girls, LeeAnne and Lana. The Thunderhill Ski Club was our family time, where they learned to ski, work, and volunteer. Now I am enjoying teaching my 2-year-old grandson Coulter to ski.”
Both Carolyn and Harvey were active in the Thunderhill Ski Club. They both saw many positive changes and expansion of the facility over the years.
“Being part of the Thunderhill Ski Club board for 40 plus years and managing day-to-day operations for approximately 25 years, I have seen many changes and projects,” said Baldwin. “The Chalet expanding, the new shop installed, and new slopes being developed.
“The biggest project of my time was upgrading the T-bar. 2011 began the long project of installing the Brandson Express and JB Construction lifts. Harvey came on board helping with the installation and moved to being the hill manager.”
Carolyn accredits Thunderhill Ski Resort’s growth to all the people who worked there together to make things happen. Everyone pitched in to get things done and helped it to grow into what it has become today.
“In all the years I have been with Thunderhill Ski Club and the projects I worked on, the one thing I know is it’s the team that makes it happen,” said Carolyn. “Thunderhill Ski Club has a big team behind it.
“Throughout the time I managed the hill, I always had an awesome team supporting me, from staff to board members and volunteers. I was so grateful to have that support.”
Recently the Thunderhill Ski Club presented a special tribute to the Baldwin family and their efforts to help the facility improve and grow. One of the ski runs has been named after them and will be there for all to enjoy as much as the Baldwins have enjoyed skiing.
“It is an honor to Harvey, myself and our daughters to recently have Homeward Bound renamed to Baldwin’s Bend,” said Carolyn. “As well as being recognized along with those who have come before us and those who will continue the legacy of Thunderhill Ski Club.”

The Westwood Inn and Conference Centre was home to PC Party leadership candidate Obby Khan this past weekend (Feb. 8), learning and connecting with Khan about Manitoba...