Less than ideal weather may have delayed the start of the construction season for the City of Dauphin, but everything is on track to complete the 2022 capital plan.

The budget included provisions for reconstruction of Crocus Bay and a section of 10th Avenue Southwest from Main Street to First Street. Resurfacing projects include Elm Street from Poplar Avenue to Oak Avenue and Tulip Crescent. Milling and overlaying was also planned for a section of Second Street Northeast from First Avenue to Fourth Avenue.

Finally, construction of a back lane in the west end between King Street and West Street will be completed at a cost of $23,000.

Get a full rundown in this week's Dauphin Herald!

Dauphin mayoralty candidates continue their campaigning this week with their thoughts on the concept of leadership and their specific qualities which will enable them to effictively lead Dauphin city council for the next four years.

The following are responses to the question, “The effectiveness of any policy developing body - elected, appointed or volunteer - can eventually be traced back to manner in which it is steered by leadership.

What is your vision of being a leader and if elected as mayor of the City of Dauphin what style will you employ to ensure citizens get the most from their local government over the next four years?”

Kerri Riehl

Councils’ role is to be the decision-making authority. They steer the ship. City administration is responsible for implementing the decisions made by council. In other words, they row the boat. Elected officials are to serve you, the people who have chosen Dauphin as their home. The goal is to achieve office creating an environment which improves the lives of people in our community. People before politics. My vision and goals of leadership.

Residents want to be seen, heard, and feel that they are a valued member of the Dauphin community. I believe when the communities’ voice is ignored, our opportunities as a community are diminished.

I joined council in 2018 after I asked for a meeting to address my concerns about the rising crime within the community. The existing council did not respond for six months. Council asked me to attend a meeting only after I held two public town meetings which I organized myself.

Once elected, each councillor was to submit goals for the four years. I attended a meeting where my defined goals were discussed. That was my introduction to being a councillor in Dauphin in 2018. I left the meeting feeling defeated. I was not privy to the goals of other councillors. At the following council meeting I received the list of “our” goals for the next four years.

I went on a quest identifying councillors’ role and responsibilities. My intention was to understand the process thoroughly. I am now competent in the process.

Change takes courage, the courage to break away from the old ways of doing things that are not achieving the needed results. We require leaders who are respectful even when the status quo is challenged. This can be achieved by speaking about the issues and not about personalities. This is the foundation of politics as I believe it.

My vision of being a leader is “creating an environment where all people feel valued and heard as contributing members of our community.”

My leadership style can be described by one of my staff. I share it with her permission as follows:

“I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done for me since we met in September. You gave me a chance. You helped me fill out forms and always check to make sure I am ok. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. The way you treat your employees with respect and caring nature makes this job so much more stress free and makes me love it here. I never had a boss give me a birthday present before. For everything you have done, I’ll be forever grateful and in debt. You will always have me perform at my best any time you need me. You’re an amazing individual, an amazing employer and I hope to be half of the person you are one day. I hope you feel just as appreciated as you make me and others feel. You deserve it. Thank you. You have my full support as you walk your journey of life. I am only a call away. You would make a great Mayor.”

There are 17 candidates running to fill sixcouncillor positions. I have spent three years on council, including one term as deputy-mayor. The mayor must understand the process to be effective.

Our current mayor speaking as deputy-mayor during his media interview on Oct. 4, 2021, stated “the first year was a throw away because you have to absorb so much information. I feel like I was useless for that first year because I had to learn so much.”

Our previous mayors had experience as councillors prior to fulfilling the role as mayor.

Leaders steer decision makers, it is essential they understand how the process works. Councillors must have the knowledge and experience to understand when they are being steered in the wrong direction. Knowledge comes from experience working within the process, and I have both.

I relocated 11 times in the RCMP yet chose to make Dauphin the place I call home.

I have three promises.
1. The governing process will be followed with integrity and transparency.
2. I will see you, hear you, and treat every individual respectfully.
3. I will never forget that I serve and work for you.

David Bosiak

A leader’s greatest responsibility is to the people around them.

People are complex and managing relationships is a key attribute of effective leaders. Sometimes this requires them to be a peacemaker, sometimes a morale booster, sometimes a champion.

I strongly believe the true test of a leader is how they treat the complex and varied people around them. Are they getting the best out of these people? Are they creating and maintaining positive relationships between all the members of their team, especially during challenging times?

My leadership style has been forged over a professional and volunteer career spanning more than 40 years. I’ve worked with dozens of organizations and communities, big and small, and been involved with several provincial and national organizations.

These experiences range from multi-year, multi-million dollar projects to small, struggling not-for-profit organizations. In many of these situations I gained group trust to hold leadership positions. Each of these situations taught me something. Being willing to listen, to engage in meaningful dialogue, to disagree without becoming confrontational, to strive to achieve consensus and to keep going when things get tough are all traits of effective leadership.

An experience comes to mind that highlights my leadership capabilities. It was the early 1990s. I had just been hired as the new general manager of the Dauphin Joint Recreation Commission, and was representing the DJRC at a provincial meeting of the Manitoba Parks and Recreation Association (MPRA).

At the meeting, MPRA was informed that the City of Winnipeg had changed their department structure. No longer were city recreation staff able to participate on the board of MPRA, which quickly led to its demise. In one fell swoop Manitoba became the only province in Canada that did not have a provincial recreation organization. As a result, Manitoba lost its seat around the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) national table.

Being concerned about the plight of recreation in Manitoba, I quickly engaged with a group of recreation contacts. We agreed that something had to be done. We reached out to our networks, advocated for support, and after a short time of energetic planning, formed a new provincial recreation organization - Recreation Connections MB. I soon became the organization’s president, and helped lead Manitoba back to becoming an active and participating member of the CPRA.

My own leadership style evolved over time through this experience and others like it. I have developed and continue to base my style of leadership on a few key values that I believe embody effective leadership.

If elected mayor I commit to bring these values to city hall:
• Empathy – Leaders must care for and respect others and their opinions as much as they care about their own. I cannot recall an effective leader who did not rely on the efforts of others to achieve success. Leaders rarely succeed alone.
• Passion – Leaders must believe fully in their mission and pursue it with vigor. They must be able to bring people along and share their passion. True leaders don’t impose their opinion - they light a path that others want to walk down.
• Integrity – Leaders should be aware of what the rules are and set an expectation that they be followed. This creates a secure and transparent environment where the team has confidence in procedures. Leaders should never expect others to do what they themselves would not and should create an environment of trust, where people feel free to share opinions and ideas openly and without fear.\

Effective leaders think and talk about solutions, not problems. They surround themselves with smart people and aren’t afraid of them or their opinions. They create an environment where great ideas turn into reality. Leaders don’t complain – they get the job done.

Elect me on Oct. 26, and this is the kind of leadership you can expect.

Police would like to remind everyone in town to please take the keys out of your vehicle when going inside, and lock your vehicle doors all the time.

Locking your vehicle doors is the first deterrent for thieves.

Read about this and more in this week’s RCMP Report.

Minegoziibe Anishinabe (MA), also known as Pine Creek First Nation, has signed a legally binding agreement with the Province of Manitoba and Louisiana Pacific. This came in light of a lawsuit filed by MA against the provincial government and the timber company.

The new agreement settles the lawsuit and provides funding for MA to engage traditional knowledge keepers and western scientists, as well as support MA’s ongoing negotiations regarding moose hunting and medicine picking in the Duck Mountains.

More in this issue.

The Northwest Métis Council has formed a partnership with Mountain View School Division (MVSD) and is bringing in a production called Love Bomb.

The play, staged by Shameless Hussy Productions, is an uncensored and realistic take on how a predator can lure someone in to be trafficked by using ‘love bombing’.

Find out more in this week’s Review.

Local ratepayers will have some choices to make in next month’s municipal elections. Elections will be taking place in Grandview Municipality, the RM of Riding Mountain West and the Municipality of Roblin.

A plebiscite is being held in the Municipality of Roblin regarding angle vs. parallel parking on Main Street.

Read all about it in this week’s issue.

As part of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO)’s Annual General Assembly held at the end of August, a resolution was approved to put forward a call to the Province to ensure the First Nation right of top priority to hunt moose and demand to cancel licensed non-Indigenous moose hunting in the MKO region.

This has been the third request by MKO to cancel non-Indigenous moose hunting licenses in GHA’s and areas affected by Moose Conservation Closure Regulation 122/2011. 

The letters sent to the province were dated back to December 3 and 7, 2021, and May 30, 2022, and have not received a reply or response from the Province to MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee or Sapotaweyak Cree Nation (SCN) Chief Nelson Genaille.

MKO Grand Chief Settee sent another letter last week to Premier Stefanson and the Ministers for Justice, Natural Resources and Northern Development, and Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations.

Read more in this week's paper!

A combine in the Municipality of Swan Valley West empties a load into a grain cart in the light of the setting sun on Monday (Sept. 12). Although the beginning of harvest was later than normal for some, many farmers are well on their way to collecting their crops for this year.

“Hope – having hope propels us to achieve our dreams and drives us forward toward our pursuits.

It also keeps us afloat when everything seems to go wrong. When we feel that we’re drowning, hope is the light at the end of the tunnel – the Northern Star by which we navigate our lives through trials and difficulties toward our dreams of a better day.

When we lose hope, we are a rudderless ship being tossed about without direction. Having and finding hope then, is essential for keeping our dreams upright and continuing to sail in the directions of our attainment.” –Gloria Tibbatts Over the second weekend in September the Expanding Community Cancer Care Committee held their seventh annual Walk of Hope raising $71, 000 for the project.

With the announcement in May that the province would be kicking in ‘the difference,’ , it’s hoped that the need for another Walk of Hope is over. “We did it!” Gloria Tibbatts told the crowd gathered in the tent before the 2022 Walk of Hope officially started with the walk for about 25 cancer survivors behind Staff Sargeant Matt Lavallee and Cpl. Brett Church. “On May 3, 2022, the government announced that they would kick in $700,000 to add to our $1.8 million that we had raised to make the $2.5 million that we needed to build the new chemotherapy unit.” The unit, Tibbatts explained will be attached to the west wing of the Russell Health Centre and will run south from there. The building is now going to be approx. 2,600 square feet, have four stations and room to expand to six stations if needed in the future.

With the geographical and topographical surveys completed, a virtual meeting between Gloria Tibbatts and Judy Forsyth, cancer care nurses and Prairie Mountain Health exec can review the 95% completion of the design and furnishings of the building was held three days after the walk (and too late to be included in this paper). The completed design will be released on Sept. 30th and will then be put out for tender with the deadline for tenders set for Nov. 2, 2022.

“Construction, I believe will likely start in the spring of 2023 as this would save us money on heat, if building through the winter months,” Gloria Tibbatts said.

Get more in this week's Russell Banner!

This week’s focus on the race for the City of Dauphin mayor’s chair looks at supports for small business.

The question for candidates David Bosiak and Kerri Riehl was:

Small business is one of the pillars of the community and locally, many small businesses are struggling to rebuild from the devastating effects of the pandemic. What role do you see for the City in facilitating that recovery and do you have any specific programming in mind that would you like to see implemented?

David Bosiak

The global pandemic stopped ordinary life in its tracks. We were all there. From family gatherings for weddings and funerals to rites of passage for our young people the usual just didn’t happen. Local businesses were dealt a devastating blow. Things are improving but to start anything from a dead stop takes energy, time and money. Small businesses particularly are dealing with inter-related challenges – from the pandemic, staff shortages, rising input costs, supply chain issues and inflation. As a small business owner of 30 years in Dauphin I have been concerned by the issues facing current businesses. Who will weather this storm? Who won’t? What role can the City play in their recovery?

Firstly, the City should not make life more difficult. The City supports small business (defined by Industry Canada as a firm that has fewer than 100 employees) by making Dauphin an attractive and affordable place to operate. Although the City does not partner directly with businesses, they create the climate where businesses thrive or struggle so should assume responsibility for keeping them in Dauphin. As Mayor I would work with Council to:
• Freeze municipal taxes during recovery period;
• Lower existing service fees and charges to small businesses;
• Not impose new business taxes; and
• Propose an interest free property tax deferral program to assist businesses during pandemic recovery

There is a growing issue with lack of available workers in our region. In order for businesses to have access to the right people at the right time, skill building has to be occurring constantly. Do we need plumbers, electricians, nurses’ aides, practical nurses and child care workers? Those people can be trained right here. Keeping that capacity in place is one plank of recovery. Institutions such as Assiniboine Community College, Dauphin Friendship Centre and Regional Connections (the immigrant support service) have a wealth of courses and support to help people get job-ready. As Mayor I would work closely with these organizations and advocate to them and their various funders for the continuation of education options, settlement services, English-as-a-Second Language classes and literacy classes to provide job seekers the tools to join the labour force and support local business.

There are also structural changes that can be made to support bold and innovative ideas. Dauphin implemented a new accommodation tax this year. I would work with Council and propose the proceeds of this tax be earmarked for economic development initiatives for local businesses. The newly unveiled Dauphin Tourism branding “Adventure From Here On Out” positions Dauphin nicely to attract major events. Such opportunities attract people who spend money at local businesses. I would propose a new “Dauphin Adventure Fund” that would allow local organizations to apply for assistance and seed money to attract more major events to our city. The economic spin-off impact of major events is real, and many Dauphin businesses would benefit from more visitors traveling here to see all we have to offer. I would recommend the current Economic Development Committee expand their work to ensure there is community input into the use of accommodation tax revenues.

There are even smaller businesses that have a few employees or are run by entrepreneurs out of their basements, garages and workshops. These micro-businesses are adding more and more to Dauphin’s economy. I would ensure the City worked in partnership with local organizations the Hub and Community Futures so that entrepreneurs can access loans, training opportunities and assistance with business planning and related needs. I will propose ongoing financial support for the Hub to City Council and be a strong advocate for its approval.

Behind the scenes there are interactions with the City that are not always visible to the general public. Administration must continue to ask themselves - are we making it easy to be in business here or are we making it hard? I would ensure the Economic Development Office continues to work with businesses to smooth out the permitting and development plan process, and to work with new developers to find cost efficiencies and create incentives to stimulate commercial, light industrial and residential housing developments.

Dauphin is a great little City. I know from personal experience it is also a great place to operate a business. Elect me Mayor on October 26th and we will keep moving forward.

Kerri Riehl

Experience is knowledge. I experienced the covid era as the sole owner of a small local business in our community, Riehl Security Solutions. Business owners endured alongside many other professions and people. We certainly were not in a covid pause, we all were in survival mode pivoting and scrambling daily.

As we emerge from the covid 19 crisis, other challenges continue to deeply affect Dauphin’s small businesses including struggles to return to normal revenues, the weight of the covid-related debt businesses were forced to take on to pivot and survive, rising costs on virtually every business expense and a gripping shortage of labor.

Along with the devastation to our local small businesses, our community members are also dealing with a great deal of trauma, loss, high cost of living, and food security. Strong leadership is vital to our community’s recovery.
What role do I see the city in facilitating with regards to recovery?

Principled leadership. For example, several people advised while their businesses were shut down for many months, they never had any contact with our leaders or economic development. However, they received a ticket for a snow-covered sidewalk and suggested a phone call would have been preferred under the circumstances.

As a business owner myself, I have experienced the same lack of regard. My only contact has been letters seeking donation to the city’s Christmas hamper or welcoming programming within the last seven years.

Personally, I served on council for three years. I resigned as my 84-year-old mother was diagnosed and quickly at end of life in B.C. requiring immediate terminal care. City staff are provided with time off and the option to care for their dying parents while small business owners are not. They cannot simply “close shop” and expect to reopen in the future. Councillor Eilers was the only individual who reached out to me upon my resignation and upon the passing of my mother. There was no press release thanking me for my contribution or notifying the citizens of Dauphin of my resignation. As a result, I’ve continued to endure bullying and have had to spend numerous hours dissipating the ripe Dauphin “rumour mill” while it could have been prevented by city administration.

It matters how leaders treat their citizens. Respective investors and existing businesses should be equally welcomed at city hall. Establishing standardized policies to ensure impartiality must be available. Systemic discrimination creates dysfunction. Every citizen must be treated with respect despite differences of opinion, religion, ethnicity, views, socioeconomic status, or associations. That is the role of municipal governance without exception and is law under discrimination legislation.

What programming would I like to see implemented?

Hire a project manager to source different funding grants at all levels of government and manage projects to completion while collaborating with all stakeholders.

Offer flexible business tax payment timelines and business fees without penalties for those businesses greatly impacted by covid. Businesses don’t want a handout; they want a hand up at this difficult time.

City undertake an advertising campaign spotlighting small business in conjunction with the chamber of commerce, economic development, The HUB, Community Futures Parkland, Regional Connections, educational institutions, and other key community partners.

Continue the Parkland committee of reeves and mayors seeking opportunities for economic regional growth in areas such as tourism.