The Dauphin Kings have a new face behind the bench in recently hired assistant coach Kirkland Lycar.
Lycar is no stranger to the organization, having played for the club from 2014 to 2016 putting up 46 goals and 39 assists for 85 points in 116 regular season games.
The Elma, Man., product spent last season as an assistant coach with the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League’s Eastman Selects, the team he played with earlier in his hockey career.
And now, the 29 year old is excited to rejoin the Kings for the upcoming season.
“Dauphin is an organization with a long history of success and respect not only in Manitoba, but across the country,” Lycar said.
“Having played for the team myself, I know how special it is to wear the Kings crest. I’m looking forward to helping build on that culture and doing everything I can to contribute to the continued success of the Dauphin Kings.”
The former forward is much aligned with the philosophy of the Kings new head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm. Lycar wants players to come to Dauphin not only to play for the Kings, but to become better people in the process.
“I want players to leave here, first and foremost, as their best versions of themselves,” he said.
“Obviously helping them reach their hockey goals and move on to higher levels, but it’s as important they leave here better teammates, better leaders, better people.”
Lycar and Kromm also look for the same qualities when it comes to the on ice product.
“A team that plays fast, competes, and is known as a hard group to play against. Overall a team that represents Dauphin and takes pride in wearing the Kings crest night in and night out is what we want to see,” Lycar said.
Lycar believes his addition to the coaching staff is a bit different than any other assistant coach, as he spent time with the Kings as a player.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a full circle moment for me. Since my playing days have ended, I’ve dedicated myself to coaching,” he said.
“I started my junior career as a player in Dauphin and now getting this opportunity as a coach is something I’m really proud of and don’t take lightly. I know what this organization meant to me as a player and now having the opportunity to help create those same experiences, again, is something I don’t take lightly. Overall just very excited to get to work.”
The Kings are looking forward to seeing Lycar in action when the season gets rolling in September.

The U19 Parkland Pirates rugby team wrapped up the Manitoba Cup series the same way they started, completely dominating their competition.
The Pirates defeated Westman 38-0 Saturday morning before dumping Winnipeg 40-0 later in the day.
And they got to do it on home ground during a day-long celebration of rugby, which featured U16 boys and girls matches, as well as a Parkland Mavericks men’s game versus the Brandon Barbarians.
For head coach Aaron Miner, it was the perfect end to a long stretch of rugby success.
“I liked how we just kept continuing from where we left off from our tour to London and Wales and then into the high school season and then into this regional tournament,” Miner said.
“The team just kept building on all those experiences and you could tell we were playing a team (in Westman) today that didn’t have the experience that we have.”
The success of the team has opened opportnities for players to advance on to bigger and better things through rugby, Miner added.
“We do have a lot of Canadian hopefuls on this team. We have three guys going to Toronto next week to try out for team Canada,” Miner said, referring to Julien Lopez, Morgan Fleck and Alex Boshoff.
“So, they’re in the top 40 already in the eyes of the Canadian scouts.”
However, players moving up the rugby ranks means Miner and his coaching staff will have some rebuilding to do next season.
“Next year we do lose quite a few of these guys. Probably half our team will move on to senior men’s or college or university ball,” Miner said, adding he will be looking to U16 coach Henk Du Plessis to send up some players to fill some of the holes.
“Not only fill some shoes, but make us bigger, stronger, and more experienced.”

Dauphin city councillors got together for their only meeting of July last week.
Added to taxes
Councillors opted to add two outstanding water accounts to the tax rolls in the amount of $334.44. That total is comprised of $206.80 outstanding at 224 5th Ave. SW and $127.64 at 7 Jackson St.
In both cases a final water bill was not paid.
Recycling
Council received the 2025 annual report from Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba, outlining recycling statistics for the year. The report indicated the City of Dauphin recycled 525,589 kilograms of material in 2025, amounting to 62.8 kilograms on a per capita basis. That result is down seven per cent from 2024 when 567,041 kilograms, 67.8 kilograms per capita, was recycled.
Property bylaw
Deputy city manager Lisa Gaudet updated councillors on the progress of a new comprehensive property enforcement bylaw package. The process involved refinement of the property standards bylaw, general enforcement bylaw, administrative penalties bylaw, vacant and boarded buildings bylaw, derelict buildings bylaw, and amendments to the fees, fines, and charges bylaw.
Gaudet said the overall package has been reviewed by the city’s lawyers and represents “one of the most significant updates to the city’s property enforcement framework in many years and will provide clearer, more consistent, and more effective enforcement tools.”
The new bylaws will be reviewed by council at its next planning and priorities meeting.
Accounts approved
Council authorized the issuance of 84 cheques totalling $1,026,386.71 to cover outstanding accounts. Also authorized were 27 electronic transactions totalling $242,959.19.
Building permits
Councillors were informed there were five City of Dauphin building permits issued in June for work totalling $218,200.
There were also two Department of Labour permits issued with a total value of $842,117.
That brings the year-to-date totals to 20 City of Dauphin permits representing $1,539,710 and eight Department of Labour permits valued at $11,318,210.79.
When other City of Dauphin permits are considered, there has been $12,857,920.79 in valued added construction in Dauphin so far this year.
Funding agreement
Given an increase in provincial funding for the development of Prairie Park Place Early Learning Centre council agreed to the mayor and city manager signing a new funding agreement related to the project. The amended agreement was necessary when the province increased its contribution from $6,561,116.66 to $8,074,527.14.
State of emergency
Council passed a resolution accepting as information the circumstances of the State of Emergency declaration made on July 1, by mayor David Bosiak pursuant to the Emergency Measures Act. City manager Sharla Griffiths said the resolution was prepared with an eye toward public transparency as the declaration was not made through a formal council decision.
Municipal letter
Also related to the flood event, council accepted as information a joint municipal letter to provincial and federal representatives requesting continued support for disaster recovery, enhanced flood forecasting and river monitoring, improved emergency communications, infrastructure renewal, agriculture recovery, strengthened emergency management resources, and the timely restoration of full services at the Dauphin Regional Health Center.
The letter was the product of a recent meeting between municipal leaders, CAOs and municipal emergency co-ordinators from affected communities to discuss the ongoing impacts of the flood, identify common recovery challenges, and establish shared priorities for regional advocacy.
Financial assistance
Council passed a resolution formally requesting disaster financial assistance from the province to assist with eligible public sector response and recovery costs incurred as a result of the flood. The resolution also called on the provincial government to extend DFA benefits to eligible residents, businesses, agriculture producers, and property owners who have incurred eligible losses and expenses. The resolution is procedural step, Bosiak said, which kickstarts actions at senior levels of government to get mony flowing.
“The City, right from July 2 or July 3, has been in contact with DFA,” Griffiths added.
“They know that this resolution was coming, so there should not have been any delays for any residents creating a DFA claim and we’ve heard anecdotally that the province is accepting those applications.”
Better monitoring
Council passed a resolution calling on the province to install additional flow an water level monitoring stations upstream and within the city of Dauphin and provide riverbank elevation data to improve flood forecasting, emergency preparedness, and long-term flood resilience.
Currently there are only two such stations on the on the river in the vicinity, one at the Vermillion Dam and the second where the rivers crosses Hwy. 20 north of Dauphin.
Diversion
Councillors called on the province to work collaboratively with the City and neighbouring municipalities to evaluate the feasibility of a Vermillion River floodway to reduce future flood impacts while avoiding adverse conditions for those downstream. The resolution called on the Province to commit to the necessary hydrological studies, engineering assessments, planning, design and construction of a potential Vermillion River floodway.
“One of the things that we also discussed with EMO was the concept of a floodway for the Vermillion River,” Griffiths said, most people’s idea of a floodway relates to the Winnipeg floodway or the Portage diversion.
“However, talking to EMO, there’s communities that have 78 residents that the river is diverted if it goes up above certain levels. So, um again, when we look at Dauphin being a city, and it’s the largest urban concentration in the Parkland, I think it’s valid for us to ask the province to entertain a discussion about this.”

Many of the local parks within the Town of Swan River have had severe impacts in the aftermath of the recent flooding. For safety reasons, the town has closed a few of the parks due to flood damage.
“At this time, the town has closed both Swan River Legion Park and Swan River Rotary Park to the public due to flood damage,” said Town of Swan River Director of Recreation Danielle Gordon-Broome. “Barricades have been placed at all public entrances to both parks. These closures are in place for public safety, and we ask residents to respect them until the parks can be safely reopened.”
The damage in some of the parks goes beyond just a few fallen trees and a buildup of debris. Some of the infrastructure has been compromised by rising water.
“Legion Park experienced significant impacts from the flood,” said Gordon-Broome. “A large amount of garbage accumulated throughout the park, much of it originating from full recycling bins that were awaiting pickup before being swept away by the floodwaters. A thick layer of muddy sediment remains on portions of the pathways, and the concession building, storage area, and south washroom facility all received approximately two feet of water.
“As a result, cabinets, appliances, and interior wall finishes will need to be replaced.
The electrical panels serving both the stage and Jack Brown Diamond were submerged, requiring electrical inspections before these facilities can safely be put back into service. In addition, several trees were damaged/fallen, with some requiring removal due to safety concerns.
“Rotary Park has only recently dried enough for staff to begin a full assessment,” said Gordon-Broome. “The park sustained considerable damage to its trail system, with sections of gravel washed away and other areas covered by thick deposits of rock, sand, and sediment left behind by the floodwaters. There are also numerous trees that have been damaged and will require assessment and cleanup.
“Restoring the pathways will involve bringing in contractors to remove sediment, regrade the trails, and install new gravel. The timeline for reopening Rotary Park will largely depend on contractor availability and the extent of the work required.
“At this time, we have no concerns regarding bank erosion or slope stability at either Legion Park or Rotary Park,” said Gordon-Broome. “The closures are primarily due to flood damage, cleanup activities, damaged trees, and the need to ensure park infrastructure is safe before reopening to the public.
“Elsewhere in our park system, the soccer fields sustained little to no damage and are expected to return to use quickly. Most playgrounds also fared well; however, one playground experienced significant damage.
“Overall, the majority of the park infrastructure withstood the flood remarkably well,” said Gordon-Broome. “The most significant infrastructure damage occurred at Dvorak Park on Duncan Crescent. In addition to large amounts of rock and debris being deposited throughout the playground and surrounding green space, the swing set was uprooted and buried under debris, and the slide was twisted beyond repair.
“Due to the extent of the damage, Dvorak Park will require substantial restoration, and we do not anticipate reopening that playground until 2027.”
Town crews have been working around the clock to restore the damage done by the flood. It’s going to take some time to have things cleaned up, and even more time to restore and repair damages.
“Town staff have made significant progress in the initial cleanup efforts,” said Gordon-Broome. “Crews have removed large amounts of garbage, pressure washed the stage, benches, and other park fixtures, and cleaned out the concession building in preparation for repairs. A contractor has been engaged to assess damaged trees and address any safety concerns, and the Town is continuing to explore additional contractor support to accelerate restoration efforts.
“We anticipate reopening Legion Park in early August. Rotary Park will require more extensive restoration work, and a reopening date has not yet been determined.”

Getting Dauphin Regional Health Centre back up and running is not as simple as plugging in a generator and firing up the x-ray machines.
Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said all systems in the hospital are intertwined and operating such a facility requires a significant amount of power.
“The medical gases, for instance, so the oxygen, the suction and the gases that are required in the operating room and obstetrical care, they alone require probably the most significant amounts of power. All of the diagnostics services in the building require a significant amount of power,” Slate said.
“Those two systems have to be in place before we can do anything in the building. We need to have our electrical infrastructure in place before we can power up the HVAC systems and the mechanical structures in the building. It’s not as simple as hooking up an external generator and turning everything on. The building requires so much power that that’s not an option. We do need to have that electrical infrastructure and the mechanical infrastructure in place before we can resurrect services.”
Slate added, as the building is a clinical space, ensuring the hospital is safe and healthy for occupation is essential.
“Safety guides all of our decision-making as we move through this process,” she said.
“This is a clinical space. It is not a residential space. We need to ensure that everything is safe.”
The DRHC was closed at the beginning of July due to extensive flooding affecting the basement of the facility. Recent indications are that it will take months to get the hospital back functioning fully.
However, the health region is working hard to restore as many services as possible, as quickly as possible, with the focus currently on establishing a functioning emergency department and diagnostic services, said Dr. Abdi Sokoro, the chief operating officer of Provincial Diagnostic Services.
“The work is continuing as a priority for diagnostic services, basic diagnostic services in the community,” Dr. Sokoro said, adding the focus is on services for non-urgent, non-symptomatic patients, who are less likely to need physician interventions.
“Patients who are ill are advised not to be seeking these services. For those patients, we continue to urge them to report to the nearest emergency department which has the appropriate diagnostics.”
Again, safety takes the wheel when it comes to identifying a space in the community to house such services, Dr. Sokoro added, citing the Health Standards Act as a guiding piece of legislation.
“Which means that the facilities in which we operate has to meet the safety requirements of infection prevention control stability, but also are not a source of harm to the patients,” he said, adding work is underway to provide phlebotomy services - the medical procedure of puncturing a vein to draw blood - as well as an EKG service and X-ray options.
“It is our priority and we hope to have those in the next while. We don’t have an exact concrete timeline, but that is something we’re working on with PMH and government, as well.”
Slate added PMH and Shared Heath staff are also working to provide dialysis and oncology services in the community as soon as possible. Possibilities under consideration include vacant buildings in Dauphin and the surrounding area, or even mobile options.
“We are looking at every possible option. We have to consider safety first and ensure that we’re meeting clinical standards by providing those services. It is not as simple as moving equipment over to a building in Dauphin,” she said.
“So much work and clinical experts are involved in that planning.”
In the meantime work will continue on properly assessing the damage at DRHC to determine a more concrete timeline for the return to normalacy.
Slate said a restoration company is evaluating the damage as it cleans the space. Photos of each room and an inventory of items to be replaced through insurance are being compiled as the work progresses.
“Really painstakingly working to clean spaces in a way that we can access the electrical and mechanical equipment and the clinical equipment that was damaged during the flooding,” she said.
“One of the main barriers to getting that completed is they can’t yet access the crawl space. It s still full of water and silt and so they are working to remove that so they can fully evaluate the wiring and the infrastructure in those spaces to understand the degree of damage.”
Slate added PMH and its engineers are eagerly awaiting that report so reconstruction work can begin.

Things seemed relatively quiet around Swan River last weekend, considering the NorthWest Round-up and Exhibition didn’t take place. The annual event was called off this year by the Swan River Valley Agricultural Society due to the ongoing natural disaster recovery around the Swan Valley as a result of the historic flooding this spring and summer. It remains to be seen whether the grandstand and rodeo arena will see any use in the summer of 2026.

What began as a new partnership between Huddle Brandon and the Park West School Division has become a growing resource for youth across our region. Since opening as a satellite site in October 2024, Huddle has been connecting young people with mental health supports, wellness programming, and community resources—while building relationships that help interested youth and young adults feel supported, valued, and hopeful.
Huddle is a free, youth-focused organization that provides trauma-informed and culturally safe health and wellness services for young people aged 12 to 29. Russell is proud to be the first rural community in Manitoba to pilot the Huddle model as a satellite of Brandon, working in partnership with Huddle Brandon, the Park West School Division, and provincial and federal governments to make mental health and wellness supports more accessible in rural Manitoba.
At its heart, Huddle's mission is to meet young people where they are, listen to their needs, and help connect them with the right supports. Sometimes that means arranging counselling. Other times it means helping someone obtain identification, access employment or literacy supports, connect with health services, or simply provide a safe space where they know someone cares and they are not alone.
A Growing Rural Resource
Huddle Brandon first launched a satellite site in Russell in October 2024, and it has continued to grow as more youth, and families learn about the supports available. The program currently serves young people from communities throughout the region, including Russell, Rossburn, Birtle, Binscarth, Inglis, Waywayseecappo, and surrounding areas.
Today, the Huddle satellite in Russell includes a full-time Service Navigator, a part-time Peer Supporter, and a counsellor who provides three hours of counselling each week. Provincial and federal funding has been secured through April 2029, allowing the team to continue building services that respond to the unique needs of rural youth. Additional funding/grants are pursued from businesses, foundations and individuals to enhance programming by bringing in mental health professionals, providing meals and snacks, purchasing program supplies, and expanding wellness opportunities for youth and families.
What Happens at Huddle?
Every young person who would like to access our Huddle services begins with a brief, approximately 20-minute intake meeting with the Service Navigator. This conversation helps identify each individual's goals and needs so they can be connected with the most appropriate supports. The intake isn't a test or assessment—it's simply an opportunity to get to know each individual and determine how Huddle can best support them. There are no membership fees or costs, and services are available to any youth aged 12 – 29 who would like to participate.
Huddle offers a variety of services, including:
•Individual service navigation and goal planning
•Free counselling by appointment
•Weekly and monthly wellness programming throughout the school year
•Mental health education and peer connection
•Employment and literacy support
•Referrals to community resources and specialized services
•Help obtaining identification and navigating government or community systems
Programs continue to evolve as community needs change. This coming school year, Huddle plans to continue Wednesday after-school wellness programming for Grades 9-12 in Russell, while also introducing a monthly support group focused on anxiety and depression, facilitated by mental health professionals. Monthly wellness programming also continues for students at Rossburn Collegiate and counselling will continue Mondays by appointment.
Intrigued? Pick up the latest copy of the Russell Banner and turn to page 7 to find out more.

Kids from around town enjoyed the games and activies as Russell’s Tim Hortons held their annual Camp Day on July 15th.
Camp Day is Tim Hortons' biggest annual charitable event, where 100% of the proceeds from all hot and iced coffee sales are donated to the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1974 by Ron Joyce to honor his late friend Tim Horton.
For over 50 years, Tims Camps has been a leader in youth development programming, helping young people from underserved communities gain the skills and confidence to rewrite their stories for a brighter future, through experiences both at camp and in the classroom, youth build resilience, leadership, and responsibility, empowering them to thrive in school, work, and life.
Across North America, Tims Camps has provided life-changing experiences to nearly 350,000 youth – at no cost to them or their families.
This is made possible through the generosity of Tim Hortons Restaurant Owners, guests, corporate sponsors, donors, and community partners.
These funds help send youth from underserved communities to multi-year, camp-based development programs.

Elizabeth Fingas put on the Walk for You in memory of her mother Karen in Inglis a couple of weekends ago. She was absolutely thrilled with the turnout and the response to her efforts right from the time she announced her plans.
She had this to say:
“People were eager to donate and help those in need immediately after I had started advertising. Family and friends not only donated but also offered to help with anything I needed.
My family was the biggest supporters. They took the weekend off to make sure they could come and help plan the night prior, set up in the morning, make sure all things went smoothly and helped clean up afterwards. My family consisted of Aunties, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents and so so many others. I am beyond grateful for their help and support as the event would not have turned out as good as it had.
Also huge thanks towards the community and all those who donated, participated and showed their support.
As of right now, we have fundraised roughly $6,000 for the Community Cancer Care Centre in Russell and still have a few donations coming in. I am beyond in shock and so grateful for the outcome. $6,000 is truly jaw dropping and I am so glad that we are able to help those in need.”

Golf here has never been just golf. It has been coffee or supper with neighbours, leagues that double as reunions, and a course that, at its best, has drawn visitors from across the Parkland to see why Roblin calls itself the Jewel of the Parkland.
This is why what happened to our golf course this summer matters to every one of us, not just the golfers among us.
Find out what you can do to help in this week’s Review.