The Northwest Métis Council (NWMC) Inc., in partnership with the Dauphin RCMP Detachment, hosted the first-ever Family Violence Initiative Nature Walk at the Northgate Trails, Sunday afternoon.

After the opening prayer, the event included speeches from Elders talking about their life experiences, a performance by the D-Town Steppers junior dancers and musical entertainment.

Brenda Winters, NWMC housing first co-ordinator, said there are different initiatives put out in conjunction with the RCMP.

“So when we had seen the ask go out there, we put together a plan. We originally wanted to do this in the fall. It would have been gorgeous. But due to COVID restrictions, we just kept postponing it and postponing it,” she said. “But it was an initiative that we thought that we could have whole families come and take part.”

To hold the event, NWMC had to meet certain criteria, such as providing printed material and speakers to give advice to family members.

“We wanted to keep it really casual, so we did ask our Elders to share family experiences. And, of course, with the Métis culture, we want the dancers and the fiddlers, so we have entertainment,” Winters said, adding there were also speakers on behalf of the RCMP.

Winters would like to see the nature walk become an annual event, noting there are a lot of initiatives available.

“It’s just for people to take action and act on them,” she said.

Winters would like to see the event go back to the original plan of being held in the fall.

“Because it’s gorgeous up here. It’s a nice place to showcase. It’s something we’re trying to get moving in the community of Dauphin for more people to use it. So I just really wanted people to see what all there is to offer up here,” she said, adding a shuttle service was available for those who needed it.

Winters noted the nature walk is open to everyone.

“It’s not just a Métis function. It’s for the whole public,” she said, adding she was pleased with the turnout of more than 100 people.

Watson Arts Centre (WAC) co-ordinator Peter Nadolny, admires a painting by Winnipeg artist Kathleen Shellrude being exhibited at the WAC’s art gallery.

The theme of the exhibit is Forest Royalty and Shellrude’s work will be on display until the end of March.

Sylvie Telfer, 11, uses a broom to push melted snow towards a storm drain on Edward Ave., Saturday afternoon.

With the rapid melting of all the snow the city received over the winter, some streets are experiencing a build up of water, but city crews have been out opening drains to help alleviate the situation.

The Dauphin and District Community Foundation was the recipient of a significant donation from a Dauphin resident who passed away two years ago.

Peter Sklepowich, who died May 14, 2020, bequeathed $507,088 to the foundation.

Jason Beyette of Johnston and Company Law Office is in charge of the estate. He knew Sklepowich, meeting him through the agriculture industry.

“When I was in my summer jobs, I worked at Cargill in Dauphin and Peter was farming. So that’s how I initially met Peter, through the farming industry,” he said, adding Sklepowich used to farm in the Keld area, before moving to Dauphin in 2006. He worked at various jobs, including Dauphin Recreation Services when he passed away.

Sklepowich’s entire estate was bequeathed to charity, with half going to DDCF and the other half split between the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society.

“When Peter came in to talk to me about preparing his will, he indicated he wanted to leave it to charity. And we had discussed some of the different possibilities,” Beyette said. “And he was impressed with the Dauphin and District Community Foundation, because he liked the fact that his principle was never spent and the interest would be earned and put into projects in the community. That’s what really sold him on the charity.”

Beyette said anytime money is granted to a local group through DDCF, it will trigger memories of Sklepowich for him.

“That’s something I think is a neat way to leave your legacy in life,” he said. “There are also some wonderful tax benefits to giving to a charity. His estate was more significant because of his charitable bequests relieving some of his tax obligations. So we were actually able to leave more money in the hands of his charities because he left his estate to the charities.”

There are still a few assets in the estate to be disposed of, Beyette said, adding the final distribution will likely take place sometime next year.

“To my knowledge, I think this is probably the biggest donation that the foundation has received in one single bequest. So it’s fairly significant. And I think the foundation is looking forward to more milestones where they can do more things in the community,” he added. “There are many projects that probably wouldn’t have had the success they have had because of the foundation.”

DDCF executive director Kit Daley said the bequeath will have a significant and long-lasting effect on the community.

“With Mr. Sklepowich’s gift, we will be granting out an additional $20,000 to the community next year and that will continue to grow every year. Gifts to the foundation are gifts to the community and we are so grateful for his support,” she said.

(From left, DDCF board member Justin Tokarchuk, Jason Beyette presenting a cheque to DDCF board member Darren Eddie, DDCF executive director Kit Daley and DDCF board member Martijn van Luijn.)

Chris and Clifton Flett of the Chris Barker Band performed for a small, but enthusistic crowd at the Old Fire Hall, Friday evening.

The next event at the Old Fire Hall will be an open mic night with host Gary Procyshyn, Apr. 1, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Shayne Gauthier of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Grey Cup were in Dauphin, Saturday, as the first stop on a tour of the province.

Fans had plenty of chances to get an autograph and photo taken with the Bombers linebacker as he toured the Cup through several local businesses, set up this display in the lobby of Credit Union Place and dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff at the Dauphin Kings Ukrainian Night, Saturday.

A Grand Plains Hawks player skates into the offensive zone against the Roblin Stars in the gold medal game at the U13 Rural C Provincials, Sunday in Grandview.

Roblin took home the gold with a 3-2 victory, while Manitou won the bronze with a 5-4 win over Boissevain. Miniota beat Gimli, 5-3, to win the consolation.

Other teams competing in Grandview were Holland, Deloraine and MacGregor.

Credit Union Place in Dauphin was home to the first-ever Shane Allard Memorial Goalie Development Camp, Feb. 28.

Shane Allard was a goalie with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League when he died in a car accident, Dec. 1, 2002, at the age of 19.

His father Noel said he was contacted by Dauphin and District Community Foundation executive director Kit Daley regarding the Shane Allard Memorial Fund.

“And we decided, since we’re helping goalies, why not hold a hockey camp for goalies in Dauphin. Because usually kids wanting hockey schools, especially goalies, they have to go far, travel all over the country to find these schools,” he said. “And it was nice to have that option available right in Dauphin. So it was a lot of work with Kit Daley from the foundation.”

The camp attracted 25 young goalies ages nine and up. Instructors included Andy Kollar of IceLab, Dan Keeping, assistant coach with the Dauphin Kings and Parkland Rangers, Kings goalies Carson Cherepak and Keaton Woolsey and Rangers goalie Kyler Swanton.

Although the camp was limited to just 25 participants, Allard noted there were more than 200 young players interested in taking part.

“So it looks good for next year. It’s an annual thing now,” he said, adding it will be held around the same time next year, depending on rink availability.

Shane’s jersey and photo hangs on the sound room wall at Credit Union Place. Every time he comes through Dauphin, Allard stops in to view them.

“It’s very nice to see that he’s still recognized and still talked about. We always say, ‘gone but never forgotten’, and this is an example of it,” he said.

Allard’s other son, who lives in Yorkton helped to design a t-shirt, which was given to camp participants.

Tiffany Armstrong, background, and Kyle Forsyth lay their brooms as a target for their teammates during the Nature’s Bounty West 1 Curling Club Regional Qualifiers, Saturday.

Armstrong and her team of Morgan Kropelnicki, Stacy Sime and Tamara Kolida beat Minnedosa’s Morghan Wark twice to earn a spot at provincials, while Forsyth’s team, which includes Jarvis Whyte, Cody Hill, Darius Vendramin and fifth Trent Hill beat Darcy Todoruk in the final. Provincials will be held in Winnipeg in the fall.

Not many people get a chance to live their childhood dream, let alone succeed at it, but Dauphin’s Steven Stashko is doing just that.

Stashko began training as a professional wrestler in 2020, making his in-ring debut in August of that year.

Less than two years later, the 27-year-old, who wrestles under the name Bryce Bentley, teamed up with Sammy Peppers to win the Canadian Wrestling Elite tag team championships, Feb. 4, in Stonewall.

Wrestling professionally was a childhood dream for Stashko.

“Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to do professional wrestling. I’ve always been a huge die hard fan ever since I was really young. I finally got the opportunity to start training with A.J. Sanchez and the rest has been history so far,” he said.

Training to be a wrestler was some of the most gruelling days Stashko ever experienced, from having to set up and then tear down the ring to actually getting in the ring to “get beat up when I was in the ring.”

Among his childhood idols were Christopher Daniels, Chris Jericho, Elix Skipper and Jeff Hardy, and he has patterned his style of wrestling after Jericho and Hardy, especially.

“Those are two of the top guys that I definitely try to do my style closer to,” he said.

Besides CWE, Stashko has also wrestled for Real Canadian Wrestling out of Calgary, as well as Premier Championship Wrestling, another Winnipeg-based company.

Because of the pandemic, Stashko has not had the opportunity to wrestle in his hometown yet, but he hopes that will become a reality this year.

“With restrictions opening up, we have a good chance of doing a tour in Manitoba, so I’m hoping to hit up Dauphin,” he said.

Collectively known as Red Hot Summer, Stashko and his tag team partner and best friend Peppers, who hails from Portage, won the tag team titles from CWE veterans Sanchez and The Boston Bruiser Kevin Doyle. Becoming a champion was a dream come true.

“You idolize watching these wrestlers and then one day seeing it be you, it’s crazy to know that I was able to achieve a childhood dream of mine, becoming a tag team champion,” Stashko said.

Stashko has always been more interested in tag team wrestling than singles.

“I’ve always more enjoyed watching tag team wrestling as opposed to singles wrestling. So I’m really just living my dream of being in a tag team,” he said.

The Bryce Bentley moniker came about when he and fellow trainees were throwing names around.

“It turns out Bryce Bentley was what kind of stuck. I like having Bentley as the last name and then we just found a first name going back and forth with the rest of the trainees and that’s the name we came up with,” he said.

One of Stashko’s goals as a wrestler is to compete in as many places as possible. While WWE is widely regarded as the ultimate destination for young wrestlers, for Stashko, he dreams of some day making it to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which he feels is a better fit for his style of wrestling than WWE.

Stashko is also open to some day wrestling overseas.

Entertaining people while he is in the ring is what Stashko enjoys most about what he does.

“Being in front of a large audience and getting people to cheer and them knowing that I’m providing a form of entertainment, it’s just a real good thrill that I get knowing that people are having fun and getting to cheer me on,” he said, adding he enjoys interacting with the crowd during his matches. “That’s one of my favourite parts,” he said.

Stashko is continually training to be in the best physical shape possible.

“It’s something I work very hard on is just strict diets, having to do intense training. I go to Iron Age Strength, which is one of the best gyms in Winnipeg, I’d say, because it’s ran by one of the strongest men in Manitoba, Tyler Colton,” he said. “Tyler Colton, he’s really helped change me as a person and really helped me start hitting my goals in the gym and really changed the physical side of my life.”