With fierce competition for quality employees in the agriculture sector, a proper human resources program can improve the odds of attracting and retaining productive farm workers.

That was the message Lyndsay Seafoot of  The Curbridge Group relayed to area producers gathered for the Dauphin Agricultural Society’s Farm Outlook 2026, Mar. 10.

“I think a lot of times we give up on some of these HR things that seem overwhelming, they seem complex,” Seafoot said.

“But there is a huge responsibility and a huge impact that you can have on other people when you’re a manager or an owner and people work for you and with you.”

Farms, like all businesses, are competing for employees and it is important to set things up professionally to slant the field in their favour, she added.

“What happens when you build up your business on some very basic HR stuff is that you become a better competitor,” Seafoot said.

“You want to give people assurance and trust and comfort that you’re doing things properly from an HR perspective.”

The HR function of any business, she said, is every interaction an employee has with a business from hiring to retiring.

“How do you hire people? How do you pay people? What do you do for overtime? What do you do on stat holidays? Do you have benefits? Why or why not? Do you have a retirement program? Why or why not? What happens if I do something wrong? How can I get fired? How much are you paying people when they get fired? All of those things, that’s HR,” Seafoot said, adding it is important to have all that information and more written down in an employee handbook and that the parametres are followed. Expectations and boundaries should be clearly communicated and communication should be continuous throughout the employees’ tenure. Employment contracts are another important area which should be considered.

“Employees feel stable, they feel comfortable when they enter a workplace that has things organized for them.”

Recommending leadership training as a worthwhile investment, Seafoot said the goal of developing a comprehensive HR program is to position the business as an “employer of choice.”

“When you’re hiring and you’re looking for employees, you have a good reputation and you’re a choice employer, meaning people want to work for you and try to work for you,” she said.

“So, setting yourself up as an employer of choice makes hiring and retention a heck of a lot easier.

“You can experience a lot of ease and a lot of smooth sailing with employees when you do things right.”

Normally, Jon Driedger finds grain markets straight forward and, at times, a bit boring.

But the representative of LeftField Commodity Research told area producers gathered in Aspen Lodge at the Parkland Recreation Complex for Farm Outlook 2026 in this crop year, things are anything, but normal.

“That’s maybe a bit flippant because markets are always hard, right? They’re always unpredictable. But certainly there’s just an element of utter chaos that has become a part of grain markets and trying to get a sense of what’s going on,” Driedger said, adding when he last attended the event, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had just taken place.

“Now we got war going on in Iran and it seems like it’s utter chaos, which doesn’t make our job any easier.”

Despite that chaos Driedger shared some of his thoughts about the markets and how to navigate them.

“I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I have any kind of perfect crystal ball. Because I think in this kind of environment, no one does,” he said, adding LeftField Commodity Research is not aligned with any major agricultural company and is free to “call it as we see it.”

While overall, he is cautiously optimistic about prices, Driedger warned producers the “external

shocks” everyone has been dealing with result in wide ranging outcomes, good and bad. 

“Think about the potential for extremes even if grain market fundamentals are pretty normal,” he said.

Driedger opened his analysis with a look at U.S corn and soybean markets as they are a bellweather for Canadian crop markets.

In both cases, large crops were grown last season and the carry out of both commodities will be higher than normal.

“They grew a lot, we’re going to use a lot, but there’s a cushion going into this next season. We got a comfortable carry out, it’s not crushingly burdensome, but it just has a bit of a dampening effect,” Driedger said, adding the U.S. is expected to plant additional acres of each crop this season, while South America is on track for a record soybean crop this year.

On the good news side, demand is on the rise particularly in the biofuel industry, Driedger said, which can help keep prices on the higher side of the ranges traditionally seen.

“That’s kind of the setup you have, decent production, decent supplies, but also pretty good demand,” he said.

For the full story, read this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

When ratepayers in Mountain View School Division head to the polls this fall to elect a new board of trustees, things will be a little different than in the past.

As part of their public budget meeting, Mar. 2, MVSD presented some options for the realignment of its electoral wards ahead of the Oct. 28 vote.

“I guess the first question that a lot of people have is why are we changing the ward systems,” MVSD board chair Jason Gryba said.

“We have to do this to stay in compliance with the Public Schools Act, particularly section 57, which states that there has to be fairly close to equal representation of voters per trustee, across the wards.”

The effect of Bill 16, which finally extends voting rights to First Nations, also has to be considered in the calculation.

“So we have the Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation, which are also going to be included into a ward,” Gryba said.

Under the current system, Ward 1 in the Roblin area does not have enough ratepayers to support the two trustees currently representing it, while Ward 4, the City of Dauphin needs more than its current three trustees, given its population.

“The number of voters that are represented by a trustee can vary slightly, but can’t be below a 25 per cent difference or above a 25 per cent difference,” Gryba said.

Currently Ward 1 is comprised of the Roblin Municipality and is represented by two trustees. Ward 2, also with two trustees, is made up by Grandview Municipality, Gilbert Plains Municipality, Municipality of Ethelbert and a portion of the RM of Mountain South. Ward 3 includes the RM of Dauphin, RM of Lakeshore, Mossey River Municipality and a portion of the RM of Mountain and McCreary Municipality, again with two trustees, while three trustees represent the City of Dauphin in Ward 4.

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

Following questions of ownership being resolved, the indoor playground at the former Parkland Crossing is being relocated to the heart of the city later this spring.

Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, which was gifted the structure by the Church of Christ last April, will provide a new home for the equipment in the auditorium of the DNRC Community Center on Third Avenue Northwest.

“We have quite a significant addition that we’re fund-raising for and filling out grant applications for, in addition to the original structure,” said DNRC executive director Amanda Novak, adding the organization will host an open house, Mar. 10, to share its plans and details of a fund-raising campaign.

“It’ll be quite a bit bigger. It’ll be about another 35 per cent to 40 per cent bigger than what it was at Parkland Crossing.”

Novak added DNRC is currently working with the manufacturer Orca Coast Playground Ltd. on design of the addition and the logistics of moving the existing playground.

“They have to come out and disassemble it.  Then we’ll have to transport it here and reassemble it in our facility,” she said.

The decision to move the structure to the DNRC Community Centre was an easy one for the organization, Novak said. Not only does the facility offer more space for the playground, it can still be available for low-cost rentals by families and for free play sponsorships by community organizations.

“All of that is going to continue. But we’re hoping to even build off of what was there. We’re hoping to have it open to the community for different activities and programming and stuff throughout the week,” she said, adding having the playground on site will also facilitate easier management of bookings and allow DNRC to incorporate the playground into some of its existing programming.

“We’re looking at expanding our youth employment readiness program and offering them first job type exposure, mentoring exposure, with maintenance, janitorial, administration with the booking and everything that goes with that,” Novak said.

“Sometimes it’s not easy to have those types of jobs. Not all employers want to take on that responsibility. So, if we can have the opportunity to integrate it into our own facility, we feel like would be great because that’s one of our areas of emphasis. It’s an opportunity we can give to our youth. With all the fallout from all of the different things that are going on in the world, like the pandemic, these types of opportunities are really valuable.”

The playground must be removed from its current location by May 31, and Novak said a steering committee is busy working on the logistics of that.

“It’s made up of members from Fusion Credit Union, somebody from Rotary. DNRC. We’ve got South Parkland Healthy Child Coalition representation,” she said.

“That steering committee is going to be the ones working with us and helping us get this rolling, marketed rolled out throughout the community so that we’re able to have the funds in place to get (the playground) over here by the end of May.”

Based on perception, often the reality of a situation can be very divergent among different groups.

Knowing that, Dauphin and Area Welcoming Communities Coalition co-ordinator Anna Lermolenko has set out to determine where the perceptions of the city align and differ among long-time community leaders and new immigrants.

To get to the reality of the situation, Lermolenko has organized separate discussions with the two groups to gather information.

“The purpose of these sessions is to bring different perspectives together and to better understand key community needs,” Lermolenko said, prior to the first meeting with community leaders, Feb. 18.

“I will compare the findings from both sessions to see where the perspectives of community leaders and immigrants align and where they may differ.”

The focused discussion centred on five key areas with specific questions posed in each area.

In the priority area of Inclusion of Immigrants workshop participants were asked:

• Based on your work role, what helps immigrants integrate successfully into the community;
• What barriers do you observe most often for immigrants; and
• Which immigrant groups seem to face the greatest challenges?

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald.

Dauphin city councillors kicked off their Feb. 2 regular meeting by adding one outstanding water account to the tax rolls.

The motion involved $141.42 outstanding at 506 Main Street South after the owner did not pay current bill and the City was unable to disconnect the service due to a malfunctioning curb stop.

Emergency plan

Council received correspondence from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s regional emergency manager Amy Currie informing them their updated emergency plan was approved as submitted. Municipalities are required to update their plans annually under provisions of the The Emergency Measures Act. The current plan was updated by the Dauphin’s safety manager, senior administration and the Emergency Measures Organization regional emergency manager.

Infrastructure

Council received a copy of Manitoba Transportation and  Infrastructure’s 2025-26 Multi-Year Infrastructure Investment Strategy. Mayor David Bosiak noted the capital plans include numerous projects in the Dauphin area.

Daycare project

City manager Sharla Griffiths updated councillors on the Prairie Park Place Early Learning Centre project. Griffiths said the tender documents for the project have been published on MERX, a nation-wide tendering system, which provides  vendors with a low-cost, easily accessible way of reviewing and obtaining government tenders. The daycare tender will close, Mar. 2, and will be followed by a review period before the contract is awarded. Construction is expected to start this spring and be completed by the fall of 2027.

Working group

Griffiths updated councillors on the workings of the Parkland Regional Working Group, which met recently. Made up of the heads of council and heads of staff, the group is comprised of the  City of Dauphin, RM of Dauphin, Ste. Rose, Lakeshore, Ethelbert, Mossey River, Grandview, Gilbert Plains, and McCreary. At the latest meeting, the topics of discussion included health care, immigration, 911 issues, tourism, regional economic development, joint training for municipal employees and elected officials and the 2026 election. The next Parkland Regional Working Group meeting is set for Mar. 20.

Human resources

Griffiths informed council the recruiting process for a new director of Public Works and Operations, as well as a new Public Works foreman is progressing. City administration also reviewed the structure of Public Works crews and decided to add a Charge Hand - Public Works as a permanent position, instead of seasonal.

Accounts approved

Councillors authorized the issuance of 39 cheques totalling $1,211,040.64 to cover outstanding accounts. Also authorized were five electronic payments totalling $25,792.50.

For the full story, read this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Everyone is safe following a major fire, which began Friday evening, extended into Saturday morning and destroyed the Queen Apartments at 1109 Main St. S in Dauphin.

Fire chief Cam Abrey said Dauphin Fire Department crews were just nicely finished dealing with two-vehicle accident in the southeast section of the city when the call came in regarding smoke in the apartment building.

In a news release, Abrey said firefighters worked throughout the night, eventually clearing the scene at approximately 8:30 a.m., Saturday.

“All of the occupants were able to escape the building safely, with one transported to hospital for precaution for smoke inhalation,” Abrey said.

“Firefighters were able to rescue two pets from the building to return to their owner.”

Cooler temperatures caused icing conditions and took its it toll on men and equipment, Abrey said, adding a mutual aid request was sent to Gilbert Plains Fire Department for additional manpower.

“To assist with swapping out firefighters for rehab - a chance to warm up and eat and hydrate - at around 10 p.m.,” he said.

“We are thankful for our mutual aid neighbours who stood with us throughout the night and helped with this stubborn fire.”

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald.

Widely regarded as the perfect bridge between the past and the future, the freshly renovated Dauphin Courthouse was celebrated during a special ceremony, last week.

While the facility has been open and operating for several months, Manitoba Justice officials, local dignitaries and members of the community gathered in the building’s lobby for an offical grand opening, Jan. 15.

“What an incredible opportunity it is to be here today to open this amazing facility, Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said,

“This is a beautiful space and one that I’ve had a chance to watch throughout the different iterations, seeing the old jail, seeing the old courthouse and seeing where it was going. Now to be here in person, what an incredible journey.”

Having heard what the facility means to the community, Wiebe added the renovations reflect the Manitoba government’s commitment to the community and to the region as a whole, through a modern, safe, accessible and technologically advanced facility

“It includes expanded courtrooms, expanded administrative space, the enhanced security features which folks know about, the upgraded video conferencing technology, which supports remote hearings,” Wiebe said, adding one of his department’s guiding strategies is ensuring access to justice is fully supported.

“All of these pieces are so important to delivering that kind of access to justice that Manitobans expect. Improvements ensure that the courthouse meets the needs of all Manitobans, whether they’re seeking justice, whether they’re providing legal support in the courtroom, or whether they’re working at any level within our system.”

The facility, he added, is also a symbol of the government’s commitment to walking the path of reconciliation, highlighted by an Eagle Feather Renewal Ceremony prior to the formal agenda led by Michael Pierre, Manitoba Justice’s executive director of Indigenous Services.

Eagle feathers were introduced into Manitoba courtrooms in 2019 as an option for Indigenous people swearing their oath prior to giving their testimony, rather than affirming of swearing on a bible.

For the full story, read this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Dauphin city councillors have received their marching orders for the final year of their terms.

At their regular meeting, Jan. 5, councillors approved appointments to internal committees and community boards.

Internal committees

The Audit and Finance Committee will be comprised of mayor David Bosiak and councillors Ted Rea and Christian Laughland, while the Employee Relations Committee includes Bosiak, Laughland and councillor Kathy Bellemare.

The Environmental Stewardship and Climate Adaptation Committee, as well as the Planning and Priorities Committee will involve the full council.

The Property Standards Task Force Committee will include Rea and councillor Devin Shtykalo.

The Protective Services Committee will be comprised of Bosiak, Bellemare and councillor Randy Daley.

External committees

(Governed by City)

Councillor Steve Sobering and Rea will represent the City on the Active Living and Transportation Committee, while the full council will sit on the Board of Revision.

Bosiak and Laughland will sit on the City of Dauphin Liaison with the RM of Dauphin Committee, while Laughland and Bellemare will serve on the City Beautification Committee. 

The Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee will include Bellemare and Rea, while Sobering and Shtykalo will serve on the Dauphin Business Park Committee and Rea will represent the City on the Dauphin Community Band Committee.

Bellemare will return to the Dauphin and District Allied Arts Council Liaison Committee, while Bosiak and Sobering will sit on the Dauphin Economic Development Committee.

The emergency measures committee will include Bosiak, Rea and Daley, while Rea will represent the City on the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee.

External committees

(Governed by others)

Rea will represent the City on Dauphin At Risk Teens, while Bellemare will sit on the Dauphin and Area Welcoming Communities Committee and the Dauphin and District Allied Arts Council Committee for the Watson Arts Centre.

Sobering will continue to serve on the Dauphin and District Handi-Van Committee, while Bellemare will sit on the Dauphin Public Library Committee.

Rea and Shtykalo will sit on the Dauphin Recreation Services board, while Laughland will join Shtykalo on the Dauphin Regional Airport Authority Board and Daley will remain with the Dauphin Veterinary Services Board.

Bosiak will represent the City on the Inter-Mountain Watershed District Vermillion River Sub-District Committee, while Laughland will sit with the Parkland Chamber of Commerce and Bellemare will sit on the Parkland Regional Library Committee.

Bosiak will represent the City on the Parkland Regional Municipal Working Group, the Riding Mountain Regional Liaison Committee and the Riding Mountain UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Committee, while Bellemare and Sobering will sit on the Riverside Cemetery Board.

Citizen appointments

Shirley Genik and Mark Kohan were appointed to the Dauphin Community Band for two-year terms expiring December 2027. Lynn Smith was appointed to a one-year term on the Dauphin General Hospital Foundation expiring in December, while Mavis Wood, Regan Lemieux and Todd Pedersen were appointed to two-year terms on the Dauphin Public Library Board expiring in December 2027.

The City of Dauphin is once again on the hunt for a new director of Public Works and Operations after Bernardo Pasco tendered his resignation.

Citing family commitments as his motivation to return to the City of Winnipeg, Pasco’s last day on the job was Dec. 31, 2025.

City manager Sharla Griffiths said the search for Pasco’s replacement will begin immediately.

“We’re going to advertise and just see what comes our way. We’re going to post it today and run it probably three weeks or so,” she said, adding she has also had a conversation with a professional recruiter, although no outside party has been contracted to tlead the search at this point.

“We are looking for an engineer or a civil technician, somebody who knows their way around public works type situations, construction, contracts, surveying, all that kind of stuff.”

Griffiths said recent retirements in public works and uitilities have allowed the City to make some changes that will ease some of the workload for the new director, whoever that may be.

Pasco joined the City of Dauphin administration team last July replacing Mike VanAlstyne, who left the City to take a job with Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.

Originally from Philippines, Pasco worked in that country as a municipal engineer for 22 years before emigrating to Canada.

He came to Dauphin from Winnipeg after working in three other Manitoba municipalities.