With training camp less than two weeks away, the Dauphin Kings are finalizing their camp roster, with the addition of three players.

The Kings acquired forward Devun Olfert, 18, from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Olds Grizzlys for a player development fee.

In 37 games last season, the six-foot, two-inch, 174-pounder scored twice and added three assists for five points.

The Kings also added forwards Anthony Tudino, 20, and Lucas Durham, who turns 18 on Wednesday.

The five-foot, 11-inch, 185-pound Tudino played last season with the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Sarnia Legionnaires, where he produced 25 goals and 46 points in 47 games.

Durham, six-foot, four-inches and 185-pounds, had five goals and 18 points in 48 games with the Legionnaires last season.

Kings fall camp gets underway, Aug. 30, and will continue throughout the weekend with the JoFo Cup intrasquad game taking place, Sept. 2.

Season tickets will be available for pick up at the JoFo Cup.

Manitoba Government Employees Union (MGEU) representyed health care support workers in Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) have voted to reject the employers offer at the bargaining table and to approve a strike mandate.  

 “It takes a whole team to deliver quality health care, but health care support workers are being left behind - with the lowest pay in Canada,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross.

“Without a fair contract that recruits and retains dedicated support workers, Manitoba’s health care system will continue to struggle with critical staffing shortages.”

Union members in the  Interlake-Eastern Health Authority (IERHA) also voted in favour of strike action.

 The MGEU is requesting that negotiations resume as soon as possible. No official strike date has been set yet, but planning will begin immediately to prepare for the possibility that job action becomes necessary. 

“Health care jobs were once seen as highly desirable in Manitoba communities, but it’s hard to recruit when the starting wage for many of these jobs is just $17.07 per hour,” Ross said, adding the last contract expired Mar. 31.

“We’re asking the employer for a contract that makes health care jobs competitive and helps grow the workforce needed to care for Manitoba patients.”

The MGEU represents 6,500 members in the two regions including health care aides, laundry aides, dietary aides, maintenance staff, clerks and may other health care workers.

The road work under way in the south end of the City of Dauphin is an important project in terms of safety and convenience, but it is hardly the only highway work under way in the Parkland.

Last week, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, highlighted a provincial investment of more than $39 million to repair and improve highways and culverts throughout the region.

“Our government continues to get work done that builds and strengthens essential roadways and improves infrastructure for rural residents and their communities, which connect them to neighbouring areas and ensure smooth transportation of goods and services,” Naylor said.

“Our investment strategy in highways is robust and we are on track to build up areas that have been ignored for too long.”

In acknowledging the province’s funding in the Parkland, Dauphin mayor David Bosiak said regional investments benefit us all.

“Our community is grateful for the Manitoba government’s investment in improving the highways in the Parkland region, particularly the work on our own PTH 5A in the south end of Dauphin,” Bosiak said.

“These upgrades are crucial not only for the safety and convenience of local residents and businesses, but also for the smooth transportation of goods and the continued growth of tourism in our area. This project is a significant step forward in supporting the long-term prosperity of our community and region.”

Funding will support construction projects that improve road grade, fix culverts and enhance driving conditions.

Projects currently underway or scheduled soon include:

• bituminous surfacing on Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 5A in Dauphin;
• culvert replacements on PTH 10 south of Mafeking;
• bituminous surfacing on PTH 10 from Provincial Road 271 to PTH 20 (between Pine River and Cowan);
• surface restoration on PTH 16 from Saskatchewan border to PTH 83; and
• road restoration on PTH 77 (three sections beginning 33 kilometres west of PTH 10).

Budget 2024 invests $500 million in capital funding to repair and rebuild Manitoba’s highways and public infrastructure to spur economic development and make it easier to get around the province, the minister noted.

Dauphin Medical Clinic has been recognized as a centre of excellence when it comes to training the next generation of doctors.

Nominated by Dr. Chavi Tejpal, a second year resident at the Parkland Family Medicine Residency Unit and Dr. Anthony Wightman, who recently completed his first year of the residency program, the clinic recently received the 2024 Teaching Site of the Year Award as part of the University of Manitoba Department of Family Medicine’s Inspire DFM Awards.

The awards annually honour outstanding staff, faculty, residents, and teaching sites who elevate the Department of Family Medicine, improve health care, and help to train new family physicians.

“I support Dauphin Medical Clinic for multiple reasons. The Parkland Family Medicine Residency Program, created in 1991, is the second oldest rural training program in Canada for family medicine. With its strong roots and training, Dauphin provides more than academic opportunities for our residents,” Tejpal said in nominating the clinic for the award.

“Having been a part of this program, I have experienced first-hand the exceptional community foundations, resources, and support structures it offers to its residents. One of the standout features of the program is its unwavering commitment to the health of the community.”

Resources such as the Primary Care Outreach Clinic (PCOC), Tejpa said, and public health initiatives, such as breast feeding and immunization clinics, and multimodal mental health services ensures that residents are equipped to effectively address a wide range of patient needs.

She added the program fosters a culture of collaboration and support among inter-professionals, providing residents with invaluable opportunities for interdisciplinary learning to enhance patient care.

“I am particularly impressed by the dedication of preceptors, who open their homes as spaces for wellness activities, demonstrating a personal investment in the growth and development of residents,” Tejpal said.

“The active involvement and presence of a dedicated dietitian and mental health worker further illustrates the program’s commitment to comprehensive care and resident support.”

Finally, Tejpal said accessibility of local specialists enhances the learning experience and provides residents with exposure to diverse medical perspectives and specialties. Among them are a geriatric, adult and child psychiatrist, surgeons and unique niches in family medicine such as cancer care, geriatrics, dermatology, obstetrics, anesthesia and emergency medicine.

In his support of the nomination, Wightman said Dauphin Medical Clinic is uniquely situated to provide a wide array of learning opportunities.

Read more in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Two area projects received a financial boost courtesy of Fusion Credit Union’s Full Circle Fund.

The Full Circle Fund, established by the credit union in 2019 to help their members and communities, has granted $25,000 towards Winnipegosis Curling Rink upgrades and $15,000 to the Watson Auditorium cooling project through it’s spring intake.

“The Full Circle Fund is our way to fairly, and transparently support worthy projects across our communities,”  said Mike Csversko, Brand and Business Development manager at Fusion.

With two application intakes each year, organizations can apply for funding to help improve or get their project off the ground.

A committee of Fusion executives, employees and board members are involved in the review process.

“There are so many people doing great things in our communities, it really is impressive” Csversko said.

Since its debut in 2019, the Full Circle Fund has committed more than $920,000 to 172 community projects in the Parkland and southwestern Manitoba.

Standing true to their tagline, Csversko added, Fusion Credit Union and the Full Circle Fund are Here for Good.

This year’s spring intake awarded a total of $89,900 to 15 recipients.

“The Full Circle Fund program is something we are very proud of,” Csversko said.

“We are changing lives and building stronger communities because of the support of our members. What goes around, truly comes back Full Circle.”

Anyone who has a community project that could benefit from Full Circle Fund’s support, can apply now at fusioncu.com.

The Blizzard Jr. A Hockey Club has a new name and logo.

Well known as the OCN Blizzard since their inception in 1996, the organization has updated its name and logo effective immediately and will now operate as the Northern Manitoba Blizzard.

“We wanted to show the inclusion and unity that we have in the northern region of our province,” said Blizzard co-owner, Rob White.

“I’m originally from Churchill and have close ties with many communities throughout Nor-Man. The Blizzard crest means so much to all of northern Manitoba and it’s so fitting, because, if you’ve ever been in a true northern Manitoba blizzard, you’ll know just how menacing it is.”

Ownership felt the change was necessary to reflect the shift and new direction of the franchise.

“The last few seasons the team felt like it was in limbo. After Opaskwayak sold the team and especially once it moved to be based from the Roy H. Johnston (Arena) in The Pas; it was more evident we needed to show the new direction of the club. However, the Blizzard name is so strong, and invokes such passion and emotion for northern hockey. It felt like this was honouring the essence of the club’s founding,” White said.

Since 1996, the Blizzard have made eight trips to the Turnbull Cup final, winning five straight MJHL championships from 1998 to 2003. During the 2001-02 season, the Blizzard defeated the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to win the Anavet Cup before they would go on to lose in the national final.

Last season, the Blizzard skated to one of their best records in franchise history. Head coach Eric Labrosse was named MJHL Coach of the Year, goaltender Tomas Anderson was named MJHL Goaltender of the Year and the team fought its way to game seven in the second round of the post season.

Two area projects are getting a helping hand thanks to Red River Mutual.

The Manitoba based insurance company has awarded a total of $36,000 to help restore community spaces in Ste. Rose du Lac and Winnipegosis as part of its community sponsorship initiative, Spruce Up Your Story.

Ste. Rose du Lac’s only full-sized basketball courts are set up for youth in the community to use, but they have no  lights. With the funding of $18,000 from Red River Mutual, the community can install solar LED lighting, add player and spectator benches, paint court lines and complete landscaping at the site.

With demand to play minor baseball increasing in Winnipegosis, the town’s diamonds require upgrades to meet Baseball Manitoba’s safety standards.

Because many of the players already rely on subsidies to afford playing, Winnipegosis could not charge more registration fees to help pay for upgrades.

With $18,000 from Red River Mutual, they will be able to replace the dugouts and backstops, and redo the infield on both diamonds in town.

“We love seeing our kids so excited to play baseball and we want to be able to give them a safe place to play,” said Beth Rempel, secretary and registrar of Winnipegosis Minor Baseball.

“The fact that we can provide that without having to raise the cost for players is nothing short of life changing for these kids. We’re looking forward to many more years of playing ball and creating memories at the diamond.”

Every year, Red River Mutual calls on organizations across Manitoba and Saskatchewan to submit well-worn but well-loved recreation centres, community halls, parks and more for the chance to win up to $25,000 to rejuvenate the space.

Since 2020, Red River Mutual has awarded more than $750,000 to help revive more than 48 spaces. For its fifth anniversary this year, Spruce Up Your Story received 212 applicants.

“Supporting a community space goes beyond protecting its four walls,” said Brenda Gibson, president and chief executive officer of Red River Mutual.

“It’s about supporting the people who live in these communities, whose passion and resilience contribute to what makes these spaces so great to live, work and play in.” 

The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) is hoping to bring awareness to some of the causes of drownings. URT has been called out to four drownings already in 2024, and if previous years are any indication, they can expect to be called out to more.

“When my team arrives on scene, it is not typically in a rescue capacity,” said Cpl Kathryn Ternier, head of the RCMP URT.

“We are coming to recover someone from the water. I am asking you, the public, to put me out of a job recovering drowning victims.”

While URT also dives to assist other RCMP units in locating items underwater that are related to an investigation, it is the grim task of recovering drowning victims that keeps URT busy.

“We talk a lot about life jackets and personal flotation devices, and they are so crucial to water safety,” Ternier said.

“However, we also need to be talking about what happens that lands people in the water or makes them unable to survive in the water once they are in there.”

Regardless of how strong a swimmer one feels they are, there are obstacles in the water that can affect anybody’s ability to stay afloat.

Read more in this weeks edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Dauphin MLA and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyushyn joined with his federal counterpart, last week, to anounce assistance for Manitoba’s agri-food and agri-product producers and processors to adopt and improve  food safety and traceability practices.

“The Manitoba government continues to support the agri-food and agri-product sectors through these programs to protect consumer safety and increase market access and export capacity,” Kostyshyn said.

“We are proud to provide programming that meets the demands of sustainability and that leverages traceability as an effective tool to prevent and respond to animal health or food emergencies, making Manitoba food products competitive on a global scale.”

The Pre-Approved Food Safety and Traceability Equipment Program assists in the purchase of pre-approved common equipment used to monitor and control food safety parameters and to improve traceability systems.

Food safety and traceability are not only important for public safety, but also a requirement for many regulators, associations and customers. In 2023-24, a total of 37 projects were approved for close to $200,000.

“With investments through the Food Safety and Traceability Equipment Program, we’re making sure they can modernize their operations, grow and stay competitive, while tapping into new export markets,” federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay said. 

Eligible applicant groups that may apply for funding under the Pre-Approved Food Safety and Traceability Equipment Program include primary producers, agri-food processors, agri-product processors, licensed commercial kitchens, food and ingredient wholesalers, abattoirs and Indigenous communities, groups and governments.

There is a maximum funding limit of $30,000 for all food safety items and $30,000 for all traceability items.

Applications are being accepted until Jan. 23, 2025.

A playoff was needed to determine the winner of the Gilbert Plains Men’s Open Golf Tournament, Saturday afternoon at the Gilbert Plains Country Club.

Dale Murray birdied the first playoff hole to win the tournament over Boston Karlson and Zach Fedorak. They all carded a 77. Karlson was awarded second place, with Fedorak finishing third.

In the first flight, Mitchell Rauliuk took top spot on a countback over Mark Simpson after they both finished with an 85. Shawn McQuarrie was third, one shot back.

Another countback resulted in Brayden Kohlman winning the second flight with a 92. Stan Mancheese was awarded second place on a countback ahead of Wayne Bazylo after they both finished with a 93.

Nathan Zadorozny won the third flight with a 102. Keith Pottle was second with a 103 and Eric Price was third with a 104.

Closest-to-the-pin winners were Scott McCallum on no. 4, Pottle on no. 9, Mike Zazuliak on no. 14 and Scott Lynxleg on no. 17.

The high foursome was the group consisting of Charle Schellenberg, Kieran Doerksen, Sam McBurney and David Doerksen, while Murray, McQuarrie, Larry Johnston and Darvis Ryden were the low foursome.

Price won the water ball contest on no. 10.