Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has a new five-year Strategic Plan. The 2023-28 Strategic Plan outlines a “high-level vision” to help guide the organization in the coming years.

The strategic road map identifies PMH’s four priorities aimed at building a healthier population and creating a quality, integrated and sustainable health system.

PMH board chair Lon Cullen said the strategic plan, which officially took effect Apr. 1, is a compilation of many months of consultations, statistical analyses and both internal and external input.

“We are essentially building upon our extensive community engagement processes that assisted with the completion of our comprehensive 2019 Community Health Assessment,” Cullen said. “I thank all staff, managers, physicians, as well as our consultation groups for their input.”

PMH chief executive officer Brian Schoonbaert said the board is responsible to ensure that an adequate process has been put in place to inform the development of the strategic plan and to provide final approval.

“This is our road map of where we are, where we are going and how we will get there. It defines who we are, lists strategic goals to achieve our priorities and provides a solid foundation for decision-making,” he said. “Throughout the process, we built alignment with Manitoba’s continued provincial health system transformation and the implementation of Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan. Routine engagement with our board, leadership and staff is integral to take action and evaluate whether we are achieving our goals.”

The four strategic priorities listed within the new plan are:
• Positive health care experience for Manitobans with a focus on quality health services;
• Improved health system capacity, performance and accountability;
• Empowered, adaptable and high-performing workforce; and
• Strengthened fiscal sustainability and value for money.

The plan identifies several specific goals that are aligned with each strategic priority. Operational strategies will be implemented as resources allow and annual status reports will be produced to describe the health region’s progress regarding each strategic priority.

Under the positive health care experience the plan calls for:
• Engagement with clients, families,and community partners, including underserved populations, to deliver targeted services based on need;
• Increased public awareness of services;
• Improved client safety and outcomes;
• Enhanced programs and approaches to improve self-management of chronic conditions; and
• Support for quality of life and mental, physical, and spiritual wellness in all programs.

When it comes to an improved health system, the plan calls for:
• Improved access to services and reduced wait times;
• Allocation of appropriate human resources considering client needs and staff workloads;
• Facilitating access to appropriate space, equipment and technology for clients and staff;
• Improved internal and external communication and collaboration;
• Improved consistency and efficiency of regional policies, procedures, and guidelines; and
• Optimization of service delivery models and capital infrastructure.

When it comes to the region’s workforce, the strategic document outlines priorities such as:
• Expanded content, delivery methods and support for staff orientation and education;
• Development and implementation of anti-racism initiatives;
• Enhanced leadership training, mentorship opportunities and succession planning;
• Building upon recruitment and retention initiatives;
• Supporting providers to work within their full scope of practice;
• Engaging with staff as partners in improvement and change activities;
• Strengthening morale and mental well-being; and
• Reinforcing physical safety and security measures.

Finally when it comes to the fiscal side of things, the plan sets out:
• Ensuring financial management training and accountability processes are in place;
• Including financial impact analysis and opportunities for cost savings in improvement project prioritization;
• Engaging with community partners to develop shared delivery models;
• Pursuing staff input on potential efficiencies and cost savings;
• Evaluating program outcomes and return on investment; and
• Strengthening the culture of continuous improvement.

Unforeseen issues are threatening to delay the start of the Main Street South reconstruction project.

The city needs to purchase land to construct its drainage structures prior to the project kicking off, mayor David Bosiak said.

“There are still details that we still have to work on as a community to finalize a landowner agreement, which gets us ready for the actual construction, which has to be tendered really, really soon,” Bosiak said, adding he discussed the matter with Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) Minister Doyle Piwniuk and Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities convention, last week.

“So we’re behind the eight ball on a couple of issues related to that, but it sounded like the province was willing to discuss possibly helping.”

The original plan called for a project extending over two construction seasons with the bulk of the construction work taking place in year one and the finishing touches being added early in the second year.

“The initial plan was to have this tendered probably by now or by April, so that construction would begin in June, go through the summer and have most of the work done before freeze up in the fall,” Bosiak said. “And then have the contractors return next May or June to finish paving so that all would be complete by the summer games.”

While that remains the plan at this point, Bosiak said unless there is some movement soon, there is a chance the schedule will shift.

“We’re just risking that the final paving and painting and everything that needs to be done to finish it will probably be occurring later into spring and summer of next year. Maybe it doesn’t make us look as beautiful for the summer games, but the project is not in jeopardy. It’s just a timing thing,” he said.

Having worked for the provincial government, Bosiak understands that projects involving the province can move slowly as they work through the checks and balances to ensure no one is unfairly benefitting personally or professionally because of the contract.

“All of those checks and balances do have a tendency to slow things down. Because this is a project that involves MIT, there’s provincial jurisdiction, as well, and that is the complicated part,” he said, adding he hopes things will progress steadily now that he has been able to make the ministers aware of the situation.

“They’re saying, ‘you get your stuff done, we’ll get our stuff done and everything will be good.’”

Leave your green bins safely tucked away for the time being.

The City of Dauphin has delayed the start of the 2023 yard waste collection program for two weeks. The program is now slated to begin the week of Apr. 24.

“With the cold, most people wouldn’t have anything (to pick up), so it’s kind of a waste of resources for this first week,” director of Pubic Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said. “So it will pick up on Apr. 25 and we’ll resume normal collection, assuming the snow is gone by then.”

VanAlstyne added plans are coming together for the City’s annual Spring Cleanup Campaign, which is set to begin the week of May 15.

Crews will make one pass through the city starting in the Day 1 area on the waste schedule and progress through the regular four-day cycle.

Crews will only be collecting accumulated garden waste, grass clippings, leaves and shrubs and tree branches less than six inches in diameter and a maximum of eight feet in length. They must be piled parallel.

Items must be free of household waste, hazardous waste and recyclable materials. They must be in a clearly identifiable pile or packaged in biodegradable bags or boxes. Crews will not sort through the items.

The spring clean-up campaign will occur in back lanes. Those residences that do not have a back lane can place items on the boulevard near the curb. Large equipment will be used so it’s important to place the items close to the lane or curb to avoid property damage.

Yard waste bins will still be collected at the curb every two weeks. Compost material can be dropped off anytime at the Dauphin Waste Disposal site.

If you require a yard waste bin or more information, contact the City Shop at 204-622-3202.

Dauphin city councillors and senior administrators attended the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Spring Convention in Winnipeg, last week.

And even if they got nothing else out of the event, the Conference served to reinforce the idea that Dauphin is not alone in the challenges it is facing.

“There was some interesting comments regarding some of the big issues facing all of the communities,” Dauphin mayor David Bosiak said, adding the Cities Caucus meetings served to drive that point home.

“Every community is dealing with the issues that we are - homelessness, addictions, mental health challenges, health shortfalls, crime and community safety variables and factors. So it was, I guess, reassuring in one sense that we’re not having problems that other communities aren’t, but also troubling on the other side that all of us collectively are having these issues.”

Crime in particular was highlighted as not only a local or provincial problem, but an international one, Bosiak said, in a plenary address from former Winnipeg Police Service chief turned international safety consultant, Devon Clunis.

“He said the world is in a rough place. He’s doing police consulting all over the world and this isn’t just a North America or Canadian problem, it’s happening everywhere,” Bosiak said, adding Clunis pointed to a general change in societal values. “Eight police officers killed on duty in Canada already this year. You hope it’s an anomaly, but he’s saying, no, it unfortunately appears to be a trend.”

Along that theme, Bosiak was able to meet one-on-one with Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen to discuss some of the specific crime and justice initiatives the province is implementing and how they impact Dauphin.

“We reinforced the challenges we have with the RCMP,” Bosiak said. “We also were able to talk about the Community Wellness and Safety Plan that, again, has been delayed for another couple of weeks in terms of an announcement.”

Meetings were also held with Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Doyle Piwniuk and Minister of Municipal Relations Andrew Smith.

“These meetings that we had were to introduce myself to some of the ministers, but also the province is spending a lot of money all over the province on water and wastewater and sewer and other infrastructure projects, so it was more of a, ‘what about us?’ presentation. That, I think, went relatively well,” Bosiak said adding he also had chance encounters with MLAs Rick Wowchuk, Eileen Clarke and Cliff Cullen. For Bosiak, the first session of the conference proved to be the most interesting. That session featured Premier Heather Stefanson, NDP leader Wab Kinew and Liberal leader Dugald Lamont in the first leader’s debate of the election year.

Coming out in election mode and pitching their plans should they form government, the three leaders also answered questions formulated by the AMM through its regional meetings held with municipalities around the province.

“So they talked about the crime, about homelessness, about the poverty initiatives that the province is trying to institute. So it was interesting to see the different perspectives,” he said, adding Lamont gave those present something to think about. “Lamont had, I think, a fairly appealing point of view. He said,“you’ve trusted these guys for the last 30 or 40 years alternately, and if you really want change in the province, what about us?”

The real highlight of the debate for Dauphin, Bosiak said, came when Kinew, unsolicited, said his party, if elected, would build a healing centre in Dauphin.

“I had heard rumours that they were figuring out when and how they would announce it. There was conjecture that maybe the Conservatives might even announce something leading up to the election, too, but we hadn’t heard anything official,” Bosiak said, adding Kinew was speaking about infrastructure at the time.

“And then he said, ‘we will ensure that there is a healing center in Dauphin.’ All of us in our section, we sat up, we looked at each other went, ‘well there it is, it’s now on the public record.’ And whether people follow up on it or not, it was stated in the room, publicly on stage.”

All in all, Bosiak was pleased with the time spent at the convention. It is especially beneficial for the newer members of council to interact with their peers from around the province, he said.

“I chatted with Thompson’s mayor and I talked with Brandon’s mayor and had a chat with Winkler’s mayor and Selkirk’s mayor and the Portage mayor. So the networking opportunities are probably the biggest thing,” Bosiak said. “And just to get a sense when you’re sitting in a room and someone says, ‘this is our issue or this is our concern,’ and you go, ‘yeah it’s kind of related to us,’ or, and I’ll be honest, in most of the cases we’re going. ‘oh it’s not as bad in Dauphin.’ As bad as some of the things are for some people, it’s not as bad as it is in some other places.”

Developer Gerry Wieler, left, and Dauphin Church of Christ Community Minister Wayne Olson, second from right, show off one of the new affordable housing units for rent on the Parkland Crossing grounds.

The development includes four units which each measure 625 square feet and rent for $825 per month, including heat and water. The building utilized state-of-the-art construction materials and techniques, with the modular and walls and shed-style roof made up of five inches of foam insulation sandwiched between two pieces of sheet metal. Plans are to construct three more of the four-suite units, as well as two fourplexes of bachelor suites once funding is secured.

Parkland Crossing executive director Jamie Harvey said the project would have never gotten off the ground if it were not for $420,000 of funding provided to the project by the City of Dauphin.

Firefighters from around the Parkland and beyond were treated to some specialized training this past weekend thanks to the Dauphin Fire Department and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic (WFPS).

In separate sessions over the weekend, instructors from the Winnipeg service walked 80 participants through a scientific and evidentiary based firefighting curriculum which addressed both theoretical and practical approaches to modern firefighting. It provided attendees with the knowledge and practical skills required for sound decision-making regarding strategies and tactics on an ever-evolving and dynamic fire ground, Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey said.

A lot has changed with residential home construction in the last 30 or 40 years, he said, adding there are many more combustibles involved and flames simply do not act the same as they used to.

“We’re making our homes so much more airtight than they used to be, as well, so there’s a higher potential of flashover and backdraft as dangers to firefighters that are arriving on scene,” Abrey said. “So where a structure used to last they said 15 to 20 minutes before you had structural failure of a floor collapse or a roof collapse, we’re now looking at five minutes.”

The training offered on the weekend also included an occupational hygiene component, which provides knowledge surrounding exposure to carcinogens at fire scenes and limiting the after effects.

“We know that firefighters are 25 per cent more susceptible to developing a cancer than the general public, because of the carcinogens that we’re encountering, the asbestos and everything else that was filling up homes as we’re in there battling the fire,” Abrey said, adding while firefighters have respiratory protection and protective clothing they wear while working, that same equipment can cause problems.

“If you’re not maintaining the stuff properly those carcinogens are soaking into the turnout gear that we wear and then the next time you put it on it’s that skin-to-cloth exposure that’s happening.”

The Winnipeg service is a leader in North America when it comes to training their members on the subject and Abrey learned about the information at the national fire chiefs conference in Ottawa, last year from WFPS district chief Jack Robertson, who was one of the instructors locally this weekend.

“For him to take this initiative, not only looking at Winnipeg Fire, but wanting to expand to all departments across the province, that’s pretty significant,” Abrey said, adding it is the type of information that is just not practical to provide to firefighters getting their Level 1 and 2 certifications.

Dauphin, he said, has made an investment in two sets of gear for every firefighter and commercial washing equipment.

“It’s not a normal washing machine, it’s a very large industrial one. It’s actually an extractor that we’ve been using for a number of years,” Abrey said, adding the department has policies in place around occupational hygiene. “We tell our firefighters you come back from an incident you’re going to wash your gear.”

It is an opportunity a lot of smaller departments do not have, Abrey said, making it all that more important to open the workshop up to a wide area.

Firefighters attended not only from the local Riding Mountain Mutual Aid District, but also from departments in the West Region Tribal Council, Clearwater Training District, Swan Valley Mutual Aid District, Lake Winnipegosis Mutual Aid District, South Central Mutual Aid District and West Central Mutual Aid District.

Abrey knew there would be a good response to the invitation.

“It’s a common thing in emergency services that if you ever stop training, then you shouldn’t be in it,” he said. “Hopefully, (participants) go back to their home department and share the information that they got this weekend with everybody else to whet their appetite. And let’s get more through this training eventually.”

The City of Dauphin owns exactly one bridge and will spend money this year to make sure the structure continues to carry traffic over the Vermillion River.

An inspection of the Buckwold Bridge conducted several years ago determined repairs to the decking of the structure are required due to delamination in the concrete and chloride intrusions to the steel reinforcement in the concrete which could cause future issues through rusting.

And recently, city council awarded a contract for engineering services for the bridge rehabilitation to the Winnipeg firm of Dillon Consulting Limited.

The $111,247.80 contract includes $58,573 for the project design and tendering phases and $52,673.80 for the contract administration, inspection, and post-construction services.

City manager Sharla Griffiths said while the initial inspection of the bridge indicated work needed to be done, it did not include the full scope of the repairs.

“They will be coming out to visually inspect it in the coming weeks barring us getting any extra snow,” Griffiths said. “Then they’ll put their visual assessment into the mix with the report that we got three years ago and determine if there needs to be any more testing. Then set the design for it and tender that to actually get the work done.”

The current plan calls for a partial depth deck replacement over the entire span of the bridge at an estimated cost of around $900,000.

And while that seems like a large number, it is a fraction of what it would cost to replace the entire structure, director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne told council at a recent meeting.

“I think a bridge of this size it would be $12, $15, $20 million probably. If we had to do the abutments and the pier replacement and removing those piers, I could see it being upwards of $30 million,” VanAlstyne said. “We thought that this would make the best, most economical sense.

“Fortunately from the inspections, our substructure, the piers and the abutments are in okay shape. We want to get on this work now to try to get another 50 years out of this bridge.”

Part of securing that future is developing a much needed maintenance plan.

“We have maintained it just like a paved surface,” he said, adding the consultant will provide rehabilitation options complete with a life cycle costs analysis and maintenance recommendations.

“This is a huge repair and we want to make sure that our bridge is kept in the best condition possible going forward.”

After 15 years of public service, eight of which were spent as a Rural Municipality of Dauphin councillor and seven as the MLA for Dauphin, Brad Michaleski is hanging up his suit jacket and putting on some running shoes.

“I’m going to definitely chase some grandkids around a little bit more,” Michaleski said, following his decision to not run in this fall’s Manitoba general election. “My wife and I made some long-term plans many years ago and we sort of took a detour with my political part of our lives. This was not an easy decision, but it’s the best decision for me and my family at this time. Now, it’s time to take a step back and spend some much-needed quality time with my family.”

Michaleski said it has been an honour to serve the area in Manitoba Legislature, adding being a part of government has provided him a tremendous perspective on “how things work.”

Premier Heather Stefanson, Michaleski said, has made tremendous progress since being elected the leader of the party and becoming premier of Manitoba in 2021.

“She does not always get the credit she deserves, yet every day she gets up and continues making life better for Manitobans,” he said, adding he is confident Manitobans will see that and elect a third consecutive Progressive Conservative government this fall.

And while he is calling it quits, there are many aspects of working within government that Michaleski will miss.

While the negative side of politics and governance are what people see most in the media, Michaleski said the vast majority of his time under the dome in Winnipeg has been spent dealing with constructive people who are trying to help out. There will be days, he said when he will wish he was still involved.

The future of the Parkland is bright, Michaleski said, and he is honoured to have had an opportunity to help shape that future.

“It is an honour I will forever cherish. I love this city and the entire Parkland region. I’m looking forward to just finishing off strongly with our government,” Michaleski said. “I have enjoyed myself with this role. I never imagined that I would have had this life experience, whether it was municipal government or provincial, and it has been an absolute highlight. My reasons for retiring from public life are personal, but I know that it is the right time.”

If you take one good thing and combine it with another good thing, there is decent chance that what results will be greater than the sum of its parts.

That is what the Dauphin Rotary Club hopes happens when it brings together two of its most popular events in the Rotary Book Sale and the Rotary Wine Tasting.

Organizer J.L. Guillas said there has been a lot of interest in the wine tasting being resurrected post-COVID and with the book sale being an extremely popular event in the community, the plans came together almost organically.

“With a busy schedule in the spring . . . we have lots of events and we thought okay how can we save on volunteer time,” Guillas said. “Then the idea came to double up the two events. Frankly just about everybody we tell it to, that we’re doubling it up, thinks it’s a great idea.”

The idea made even more sense given the fact plans were already in place to move the book sale to the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall, Guillas added.

“It’s going to be fun. That room is so big and I’ve kind of layed it out that we’re going to have the wine tasting around the outside and we’ll leave big alleys for people to walk and visit,” he said.

The book sale runs April 20 to 22 with sales from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, before reopening from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the wine tasting. The event will return to the book sale only on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Check out this week's Total Market Coverage Dauphin Herald for more info on the event!