This flash flood has taken its toll on everyone in the Valley, including residents, farmers, and local businesses. Several businesses sustained damage as a result of floodwaters and are working together to try to salvage what is left. Dan Grazier of Grazier Manufacturing was one of the businesses that took a hard hit from the flooding in the area.
“My business was literally and figuratively underwater,” said Grazier. “There is substantial building damage and we’re just starting to sort out the equipment damage. It’s fairly substantial and so is the damage our neighbours have sustained.”
Grazier knew there was some heavy rainfall in the forecast and that it had created some flooding issues, but he had no idea of the magnitude of how much water and how quickly it would come his way.
“We had a regular work day on Monday, June 8, and I had some suspicions the water might come, but I actually didn’t think it would,” said Grazier. “There were some flooding issues at the Cargill turnoff, but that is a fair distance away. There were lots of ditches for that water to fill up along the way, so I didn’t think it was actually possible. I was where the flood started.
“I had started scratching around the storm drains in case the water did come, it would start flowing in there. That afternoon, the roads were bare and dry. At 4 p.m., I noticed some trickling down the roads, along the outer sides. Then by 5 p.m., there were thick streams coming down both sides of the road and shortly after, there was some pooling between my shop and Co-op.
“Whenever we see a heavy rain or spring thaw, it will usually flood out across the street,” said Grazier. “I started to realize that this was beginning to be a bit of a problem. I talked to Mayor Jacobson to confirm that water is coming in and that there might be a problem. I sent him a picture and had already gone home for the day. When I checked my security cameras, I noticed the water around it and told him I was about 10 minutes away from losing our office.
“He activated things very quickly and got sandbags down here. By the time I got to our office, it had already been swallowed up by the water. People were showing up to sandbag, including an army of young people. We were too late to save our office, so we started helping our neighbours sandbag. There were an unbelievable number of people from the community helping out. I was shocked by the number of young people who came to help out and did a lot of grunt work.”
In a time of a natural disaster and crisis of this magnitude, Grazier is proud of the efforts made by those who were helping each other out all around the Valley. Thanks to the teamwork efforts by everyone in the community, people are starting to get back into their homes and businesses.
“We tried to minimize the damage and I think everyone is doing ok,” said Grazier. “There is some building damage all around; further up the street, it looks a little better. Most of the businesses in this area are back in the buildings, cleaning up with a lot of work ahead of them. We’ve been stripping walls all week here at our office.
“Louisiana Pacific has been really good to us and offered some labour and their summer students to help us with stuff where we needed some more hands. We’ve been helping each other as we go. It has been a couple of late nights, but a real community effort. Countless people came to help who had no real affiliation with the businesses per se, but came as good people trying to help out. For once, I’m at a loss for words.
“We were shoulder to shoulder in mud and water, helping one another out,” said Grazier. “It might not be our property, but we are friends and work with these people every day, and care about each other here. Even though our property took in a lot of water, people still wanted to try and help us any way they could.”
Through community efforts, the water is subsiding and moving on.
“We were pumping water steadily last Friday,” said Grazier. “I figure we took in about eight inches of water. When they cut the railway and bypass, it really lowered the level of water around here. Now we have water just on the sides of the roads. There’s still lots of work to be done.
“We’ve been trying to pump out the low spots of water because whenever people would drive through the water, it would send it back into buildings. So people driving down here to take a look at what happened was a real problem in terms of the water coming back in. Once the road got cut, we saw the water drastically drop, so we cut back on the pumps. At the time, we weren’t sure if that was going to happen, and we were focused on trying to get the water away from the buildings so people could get back in them. Until the water went down, businesses couldn’t put forward a full effort into cleaning up.
“I just want to put a focus on the help that has been offered to us personally and around town,” said Grazier. “It has been remarkable. We are in the process of testing out our equipment to see what needs replacing. We are like a lot of people, not insured for overland flooding and a lot of people are scared about that and what it means for them.
“We were working to get to a point where we could set up some fans and dehumidifiers and dry things out over the weekend. We needed a bit of a breather and hoped this would help dry out our building, and then we plan to go help others in the Valley. There are a lot of people who are looking for and need help right now.
“I am so proud of everyone here and the community support,” said Grazier. “We will get through this.”

Presenting Swan Valley Regional Secondary School’s Class of 2026! Graduates celebrated their final year of high school on Friday (June 19) with ceremonies, a banquet and a dance. See more in our graduation supplement section.

The Binscarth Lions jumped into action when and where it was needed most with a $2,500 donation to Swan Valley Flood Relief as they battle along the road back to normal.
Back row: Bill Thompson, Jean Thompson, Joy Toole, Sandra Birch, Mike Willis, Sonja McNair, Cliff Tetzlaff Front row: Linda Charron and Christine Judd.

Thirty six years ago, Heather Betke typed out the application to the province for Russell’s first daycare, on a typewriter. Heather is now retiring.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to be a parent of a child in her care over the last three+ decades knows that Heather and the various daycare boards have orchestrated a lot of changes over the last thirty six years.
The daycare opened on January 8th of 1990 with four staff and Heather as their director.
Now there’s a staff of 25 full time, permanent employees and about five casuals.
When the daycare opened, they were licensed for forty spaces and now, the daycare can hold 124 kids.
Along the way, that growth has required a few physical expansions - the first when a classroom in Major Pratt became much needed daycare space, expanding the daycare to the north.
Then came the brand new building just across the road from the Lots A Tots Daycare centre. Along the way, there’s been the addition of a fenced in playground space. Now after 36 years and a place where many area families have seen two generations as Lots A Tots kids, Heather is saying goodbye to her official capacity. Her replacement is Cori Tumak who has been with the centre for three years. She brings with her many years of experience in child care, including a time as a director of a centre in Lac du Bonnet. Thank you Heather for your years of commitment to our area families and to our community ensuring that the centre grew with our area communities forming a valuable asset which for many families was among the deciding factors when looking at the possibility of relocating to this area.

The countdown to Manitoba’s quintessential country music festival is on. Dauphin Countryfest kicks off June 25 and with an eclectic and iconic mix of artists set to hit the stage, it is going to be legendary.
The four-day music festival takes place in the idyllic Selo Ukraina site just five minutes south of Dauphin, and according to organizers, not only is the festival an economic boost to the community, it is more importantly an opportunity for country music fans to build community.
“The togetherness it creates in our community, the sense of pride it gives us to host such a large event is immense,” said Countryfest First Vice-President Bob Gilroy. “The economic impact for a rural Manitoba community like Dauphin does not go unnoticed with an event the size of Countryfest. In its initial years, Countryfest was similar to many rural community events - small and with little financial input and a lot of volunteer blood, sweat and tears. Over the past 37 years, the festival has grown to the point that one cannot ignore the economic boost it provides Dauphin directly and by extension the Parkland region.

Growing up in northern Manitoba as a person who is a part of the 2SLGBTQIA community was not an easy thing for many who lived and experienced it. It’s something that Connie Merasty has first-hand lived experience in and it forced her to leave her home community to find a safe place.
“I’m turning 58 years old this year and was born and raised in Opaskwayak Cree Nation(OCN),” said Merasty. “I’m the eleventh of twelve children. I’ve lived in cities, mainly Winnipeg, for over 30 years. That was where my advocacy work started.
“It was a big culture shock for me as a young person to come from OCN to Winnipeg. When I left my home community, it was under great duress. I struggled a lot with substance abuse and all of the things that come with living a life of homelessness. I didn’t have an education when I went to Winnipeg, so I was left to my own devices for survival.

Local screenplay writer and filmmaker Steven Bignell is back at it again, this time with a new film. Bignell has been working on his latest film, which he had the idea for several years ago but finally decided to put together.
“This is a film idea I had lying around for a few years,” said Bignell. “I went back to developing and fixing up the script.
“It’s set in the WWII era and is about two friends who haven’t seen each other in over 12 years, and then they meet up serving in the war on opposite sides. The film is called Our Blood is the Same and I came up with this title because everyone’s blood is the same colour.”

The Dauphin Clippers rugby teams handed out year-end awards, last week.
Four awards were handed out for the Clippers girl’s 7s team.
Kiersten VanDekerckhove was named the varsity MVP and Mindy Chartrand was the Top Rookie, while the JV MVP was Alina Genik and Edie Fleck was the JV Top Rookie.
The varsity girls award winners were: Top Forward - Ryann Richard-Soltis; Top Back - Felicity Sahulka; MVP - Paityn Bourgouin; Top Rookie - Anna Durston; Maverick Award - Isabella Williams; Playoff MVP - Desiree Lariviere; Spirit Award - Mackenzie Kropelnicki; and Most Improved - Maya Hughes.
JV boys award winners were: Top Forward - Garrett Urichen; Top Back - Garrett Sahulka; MVP - Rudy Oosthuizen; Top Rookie - Hendrik Du Plessis; Maverick Award - Sly Fedorkiw; Playoff MVP - Rudy Oosthuizen; Spirit Award - Dax Arneson; and Most Improved - Cohen Lambie.
Varsity boys award winners were: Top Forward - Ben Miner; Top Back - Jordan Evans; MVP - Julien Lopez; Top Rookie - Emil Saifulin; Maverick Award - Blake Thacker; Playoff MVP - Alex Thompson; Spirit Award - Blake Symchych; and Most Improved - Tristen Fidierchuk.

After starting the season with two straight wins on the road, the Parkland Mavericks have now lost two in a row at home.
The latest set back came at the hands of the Manitoba Wombats, 34-24, Saturday, at Mavs Fest in Dauphin.
Ronin Mouck had two tries and two converts and Julien Lopez, playing his first game ever with the Mavericks, also had two tries.
The Mavericks were shorthanded for most of the game after losing a player to a red card late in the first half.
“Considering we played down a man the whole game, we played really, really good. They were starting the get tired in the second half and we did come back pretty close. But playing 14 on 15 stopped us from getting an even shot,” said captain Jordan Campbell.
The Wombats have always been one of the top teams in Rugby Manitoba’s Premier Division, with 60 players to choose from.
“And they’re a really competitive group and we were neck-and-neck with them. So I’m very happy with the way we performed, for sure,” Campbell said.
Campbell feels the Mavericks need to work on being more conservative in how they play with aggression.
“We need to stop getting penalties. That definitely is the big thing. Penalties kind of butcher us,” he said, adding the Mavericks are also missing some of their main starters.
“And I thought we played really good for what we had,” he said.
The Mavericks don’t play again until they host the Winnipeg Wasps Division 1 team, July 4, at 1:30 p.m.
Campbell said it will be good to have a two-week break.
“We’ve got about eight new players coming to practice, so we’re pretty excited to have some new faces. And back-to-back home games, we get the Premier Wasps and then the Div. 2 team, so it will give us a nice little break and build some team chemistry, so we can let them have it,” he said.
The Parkland Lady Mavericks hit the pitch for the first time, hosting the Winnipeg Brumbies, Saturday.
The Brumbies took advantage of a team which hadn’t even practiced together yet, scoring a 66-29 win over the Lady Mavericks.
Desiree Lariviere had three tries and Halie Garlinski had two tries. Kateri Mills had two converts.
Coach Cassandra Kostelnyk was pleased with how the team played.
“A lot of the girls had never played together before and they actually didn’t have a chance to get together to practice as a team before the game. So all things considered, I think they did a good job,” she said.
Kostelnyk was most impressed with how quickly they started playing as a team.
“It was almost hard to tell that they haven’t even practiced together, let alone play together,” she said.
The Lady Mavericks will travel to Brandon, June 23, to play the Lady Barbarians, a game rescheduled from May 30.
The Lady Mavericks practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at Kin Field from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and are still looking for players.
“Anybody is welcome. We’re always accepting new players. And if you’ve never played before and you’re interested, we’ll teach you everything you need to know,” Kostelnyk said.
Practice will see the Lady Mavericks go back to the basics.
“And making sure that we continue to grow our dynamic as a team and start running as a team more often and just build off what we did on Saturday,” Kostelnyk said.
“We’re excited for the next game and for what the rest of the season will bring.”

Quite often one of the main drivers of social events is drinking, and those who cannot, or do not want to consume alcohol can find themselves on the outside looking in.
Val McInnes of Bloom ’n Bean in Dauphin is looking to change that through her recently opened Sobr Market franchise at her Main Street storefront.
The business offers spirit replacements, such as rum, whiskey, vodka and tequila, along with white, red, rose and sparkling wines, premixed cocktails and bubbly wine alternatives.
Top quality products are sourced from around the world, she said, all with zero alcohol at a price point comparable to the liquor store.
“They are designed with a flavour profile that gives you the feeling of that alcoholic beverage that you might not want to have anymore or can’t have anymore,” McInnes said.
“The companies work really, really hard on flavour profiles.
“People can’t tell the difference when you mix it with whatever your mixed beverage is.”
And she has had plenty of customer feedback reinforcing the quality of the product since she began testing the market.
One customer, she said, sampled a whiskey, purchased a bottle, then came back a week later and picked up two more bottles.
“He said, ‘this is the best whiskey I’ve had’,” McInnes said.
And while one of the main target markets is those who do not or cannot drink alcohol, McInnes said Sobr Market products are also an option for anyone wanting the experience of an adult beverage without the complications that are possible with the consumption of alcohol.
“I’ve got guys that come in and grab an IPA and go icefishing because then they don’t have to worry about driving their sleds. They don’t have to worry about driving their trucks coming off the ice,” she said, adding she also offers a tasting bar so customers can try any of her products.
“You can come and try them at any time. We’ll give you a shot because we want people to like what they’re buying before they purchase it.”
On top of in-store purchases, McInnes has set up tasting booths at community events and is looking at wholesaling opportunities. She will be hitting the road visiting restaurants, golf courses, and other businesses educating them on the options available for their customers who might not feel included in those spaces.
“They go to the bar, there’s not a lot for them to have. They go to restaurants, there’s not a lot for them to have if they don’t want to have a Pepsi or a Sprite,” she said, adding the process satisfies the teacher in her.
“I get to explain things to people and educate them on options, which I don’t think people realize that they have.”
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries has reported a decrease in the volume of alcohol consumed in recent years opening the door for the products offered by Sobr Market. McInnes added she herself was ignorant of the demand and she has, in fact, changed her perspective on her own consumption.
“I enjoyed having a drink, but I didn’t enjoy having the drink because of the alcohol. I enjoyed having the drink because of the flavours,” she said, adding there are more people than she realized who share that view.
“The thing I’m hearing the most from people is just that inclusivity of still being able to be a part of that community without the pressures of having to drink.”
And that is driving McInnes’s excitement to provide an alternative for others, which might fill their wellness plans or their health requirements, but doesn’t alienate them from the culture that has been created around the consumption of alcohol.
“The demographic is exploding exponentially. I’m excited,” McInnes said.
“I think it’s a really cool niche market that the company was really excited for us to look at in Dauphin.”
McInnes invites anyone interested to stop in and find out more about what exactly is available.
“I don’t have the space to carry everything that (Sobr Market) carries, but I can sure grab some of the top line products,” McInnes said, adding she is trying to add something new with every restocking order and will do her best to accommodate special requests.
“I’m very proud of the product lines and there is something for everybody. It may take us a little while to find it, but we can find it.”