The Swan Valley Fire Department (SVFD) members are trained for not just fires, but overall emergency response. When the flooding hit the Valley, the calls for help came in.
“Our members are trained by courses provided to us by the Manitoba Emergency Services College in Brandon,” said SVFD Fire Chief Darren Fedorchuk.
“The first call for help came on June 8 at 7:11 a.m. and to date we have been dispatched to seven calls involving overland flooding and one mutual aid assist request from EMS. We received multiple calls for people trapped or isolated because of the overland flooding. We assisted 26 people with relocating to safe ground and rescued seven people from life-threatening conditions, which included five being trapped in a house surrounded by swift water from the river and two from a partially submerged vehicle.
“Our last call received was on June 10 at 8:29 a.m. to provide assistance to EMS, who requested help accessing a patient,” said Fedorchuk.
SVFD’s first call was to a triple incident which started with a water rescue for people trapped in their home in the Municipality of Swan Valley West. When SVFD arrived on the scene, water was flowing over the road, making it inaccessible by vehicle or foot. The use of the SVFD’s zodiac boat was used to rescue the victims and their pets safely.
A second page came in for another water rescue and SVFD arrived on the scene to find a large portion of the road inaccessible due to water flowing over it. As the crews prepared the Zodiac to be deployed, a local farmer was able to offer the use of his tractor to help get crews safely across to one victim and some animals.
The third call came in shortly after lunch, and it was for another water rescue, but for multiple victims trapped by flood waters. Upon arrival, SVFD found the road inaccessible due to water running over the road. The Zodiac was put into place, but had limitations given the condition of the shallow water in the field and ditches. Luckily, another farmer with a sprayer was able to help the crew out with victim rescue and multiple trips were made to take victims to safety.
Later that day, SVFD received another call for a water rescue for people who were stuck in a car in flood waters on Hwy. No. 83. The Zodiac was deployed and crews were able to rescue the two victims. While finishing that call, another one came in to rescue people who were trapped on Pretty Valley Road (P.R. No. 486). Once again, the Zodiac was used to rescue three individuals who were inspecting flood waters in the area and got cut off.
The next day, another call came in to retrieve a person from their property in the Municipality of Swan Valley West. The crew arrived on scene at the intersection of Hwy. No. 83 and Pretty Valley Road. The Zodiac was portaged closer to the incident location and a strategic method of rescue was planned out. The victim was rescued and reunited with their family.
No injuries were reported and the SVFD urge people not to attempt to drive through any flood waters or risk going into areas that are currently not safe, because you don’t know what is under the water.
Fedorchuk is familiar with responding to flooding, but has never experienced anything of this magnitude before. There were some difficult challenges to overcome with some of the rescues, but thanks to the assistance of others, those rescues were successful.
“In my time as fire chief, this is the most overland flooding I have seen in our response area,” said Fedorchuk.
“The hardest challenges were accessing where we had to be since roads were rapidly deteriorating, accessing areas that were too swift to cross by foot but too shallow for the rescue boat and portaging the rescue boat when we had to.”

A local artist is returning home to the Valley this summer. Brenda Lychuk of B’s Ceramic Studio is relocating back home to Minitonas and hopes to share the art of making ceramics with others. She recalls the first time she dabbled in making ceramic pieces.
“I first got interested in ceramics back in 2001, when I was working from home,” said Lychuk. “I happened to be reading the Star and Times when I came across an ad for Hogg Wild Ceramics that said, ‘Are you bored?’, and at that point, I was. So I called, signed up for a class, fell in love with the craft and worked for them for one Christmas season. Later on, I bought out Glenda in Minitonas and started B’s Ceramics.
“I learned how to make ceramics from Judy Hogg. We worked together at the Westwood Inn, so it was a couple of friends coming together. She was a great artist. I also took a few courses in Brandon at the Warehouse to earn certificates in working with specific products, as well as participated in some workshops to learn about different products.
“Back in those days, there wasn’t Google and Pinterest to do research and get ideas, whereas now the information out there is limitless when it comes to learning stuff,” said Lychuk.
This led Lychuk to open her own art studio in the Valley. Eventually, she opened one up in Flin Flon as well.
“I first opened my studio in Minitonas and started in a house I rented back in September of 2002,” said Lychuk. “My love for the craft and how I felt when I was working with the clay and the paint was truly my passion. It made me move forward, to put up a building in my yard where I worked for 12 years. The building is still standing and we are opening up again.
“I moved to Flin Flon for a period of time to spend some time with my husband. We had always worked apart and it was time for us to be in the same community. Flin Flon was so accepting of my craft and the studio.”
Lychuk loves the process it takes to make a ceramic piece of art. It’s quite a detailed process, but the finished product makes it all worthwhile.
“Creating a piece to be brought to life in the studio is what I love the most,” said Lychuk. ‘I love the process involved in making the piece. This is an art all of its own. I currently have around 6,000 molds, each of which is a different piece. There are mixers, so my clay starts in dry form, adding chemicals to get it to the proper consistency. Then it is transferred over to a table, where all my molds are lined up, and they are filled with a liquid slip.
“Depending on weather and temperatures in the building, and how dry the mold is from pouring, they stand full of clay for anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes. Then they are drained and the molds are cleaned up on the outside and left to sit until the following day. Hopefully, by then, they will be dry enough to start opening them up. These pieces are then pulled from the molds, bottoms are cut out, and holes are made where necessary. They are put onto shelves sitting on chiprock, which helps to remove the moisture and the water from the clay. This helps them to become dry enough to be cleaned.
“When we clean a piece, the seams are cut back from when mold join, sanded and flaws taken out,” said Lychuk. “It can be scribed into at that point, and then the piece is put into the kiln, where the temperature reaches 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A full kiln will run for about six to seven hours, depending on how many pieces are in it.
“The kiln then sits for 12 hours to cool and the pieces are then removed. They are put on the shelves and are visible for artists to come and choose the piece they want to work on.”
B’s Ceramic Studio offers classes and events where people can come and make their own ceramic piece of art. Lychuk likes to keep up with the trends and is always adding new molds and processes into the studio.
“When I was in Flin Flon, I ran evening classes, consisting of an adult class, and I tried to do a Saturday afternoon one as well,” said Lychuk. “I’ve hosted birthday and pyjama parties. I once had a bridal party come in, and the bride liked all the different frogs, so the group got together and created these pieces. At the end, the pieces were gifted to the bride for her yard. I loved working in the schools and just finished working with a grade 6 class and McIsaac School in Flin Flon. I’ve also held classes for seniors and vocational schools. Anyone who can hold a paintbrush can make a masterpiece.
“I love new molds and try to keep up with the times. I love all the new pieces that are being created, as well as purchasing the new supplies out there. I have molds of just about everything, from wildlife to Christmas, and the retro Christmas trees, which have taken off again. I have planters and welcome ones. You name it, we pretty much have it.
“The projects can range from $5 to $120,” said Lychuk. “If you can dream it, I can try to find it if we don’t already own it. The other option is to take some pieces from other molds and create something special. I really try to make sure my customers are happy and able to create the pieces of their choosing.”
Currently, Lychuk is packing up and beginning her move home to Minitonas. She is looking forward to returning to life in the Valley and teaching classes out of her studio.
“Right now, I have two locations, one in Flin Flon and the other in Minitonas,” said Lychuk. “We are currently in the process of moving everything to Minitonas to move back home. We are in the middle of a massive move and moving 3,000 molds from a building. These molds are fragile, so you can’t stack them. We are hauling them load by load. My last class in Flin Flon will be June 30. We are giving ourselves July and August to get the studio set up in Minitonas.
“I’m looking forward to moving back, starting my ceramics and the next stages of my life. Moving forward, I am really excited to see what we can all create in Minitonas.”

The Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancers have had a busy season filled with dance practices, competitions and an annual recital. The dance club travelled to Brandon last month for the Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Competition.
“The Brandon Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Competition and Festival was held on April 17 to 19, 2026,” said Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dance Head Instructor Amanda Bulycz. “Multiple clubs from all over Saskatchewan and Manitoba were in attendance, filling three full days of competition dances. As well, they were celebrating 50 years of the Troyanda Club.”
At the Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Competition, there were a variety of dances performed and the Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancers were well represented in each age category and style of dance.
“Traditional Ukrainian Dances representing Poltavski, Hutzul, Transcarpathian, Volyn, Polissia, Bukovynia, Character, Pryvit, Hopak were represented at the competition,” said Bulycz.
“Benito Vesselli took the Beginners, Juniors, Intermediates, Advanced and Senior Dancers to competition ages ranging from five to 18 years. Group dances, along with solos, duets, trios and family dances were also performed by Vesselli Dancers.”
The Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancers excelled at this competition.
“The Beginner Poltava dance received a 98 Platinum and the highest mark in the 12 and under age category,” said Bulycz. “The Senior Transcarpathian dance received a 95 Hold and the highest mark in the 13 years and older category.
“The dancers did amazingly at the Brandon Competition. We brought home multiple high marks, but most importantly, the dancers had a lot of fun and enjoyed the whole weekend. Many goals were achieved during the weekend and our dancers performed their very best. It was such a great weekend celebrating Ukrainian dance and culture and seeing all our hard work performed on stage.”
Then the group travelled to another dance competition in Saskatchewan before holding their annual end-of-season concert. There will be one final performance for the season, for the senior dancers, at one of the biggest venues for Ukrainian culture in Canada.
“Following the Brandon Competition, Vesselli attended the Yorkton Kalyna Dance Competition from April 30 to May 3 and held their annual spring concert on May 9, 2026,” said Bulycz. “Our club did another amazing job at the Yorkton Competition, bringing home 21 Gold Medal Marks!
“Our Annual Vesselli Spring Concert hosted a full afternoon of dance and making their first debut on stage was our Tots in Motion Class.
“Our club will be breaking for the summer, minus the senior dancers,” said Bulycz. “Our senior dancers will be preparing for their main stage performance at Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin. They’ll be performing during the Saturday Night Grandstand Show. We also look forward to volunteering at Swan Valley Credit Union’s Beef on a Bun event, with proceeds going to our club.
“Our next dance season begins in September 2026, and we look forward to another fun year ahead, accepting dancers 18 months to 18 years of age.”