Dauphin "Investing In The Future": Mayor

Mayor David Bosiak gave his annual State of the City address at the Watson Art Centre today, his last address during his time in office.

This year especially has built on Bosiak and Council's mantra of "investing in the future." Bosiak said that's been their goal from the get-go: creating a place that people want to live in. Not just now, but for generations to come. The Council had constant discussion, and sometime disagreement, on how to best build Dauphin's future, but in the end, those disagreements helped everyone to see all sides of the table.

"From the beginning, that's been it. We know that for Dauphin to be the place that we want it to be, you have to invest. You can't break things, or say things are broken, and not have solutions on what to do ... does business come first and people follow, or we talked to a lot of people in the community, whether it be doctors or lawyers or other professionals or some contractors that moved to the area, we heard so often, over and over, how it was about lifestyle, it was about having healthcare, it was about having good schools for kids, and it was about recreation," said Bosiak.

Mayor Bosiak and Council have made a staggering number of investments over the past 3 and a half years, with more planned in the 2026 budget. Some of them include the Craft District, which has been a priority for the Council since day 1, and expanding recreation in Dauphin via investments in active transportation trail systems, and an expansion of the Northgate trail system into Riding Mountain National Park. Both of those examples, and many other investments, have something in common: tourism. That's where Mayor Bosiak and Council feel Dauphin's future lies.

"It's a low impact kind of industry, it doesn't pollute, it brings revenue from outside the community into the community, and it can rinse and repeat, you can keep doing it over and over with different markets. So we figured why not invest in those things that make Dauphin a great community to live in, and those things will follow," said Bosiak.

Another hallmark of Bosiak's term was the positive communication and great relationship building between the City of Dauphin, the RM of Dauphin and the Province of Manitoba. Bosiak's term has seen a variety of combined projects, including the Justice Centre, which is set to have shovels in the ground this fall, the province's inclusion of $1.5M for Northgate trail expansion in their 2026 budget, and the planned daycare facility. Bosiak said there's no words to express how important those connections have been to the City these past years.

"We know through the Municipal Act there's certain limitations that municipalities have, but if you're in good stead with the province, a lot of that happens...MLA Kostyshyn has been absolutely supportive, and I know that the Premier has a soft spot for our community, likes us, and we've developed a very working, positive relationship with key ministers and the Premier so that we can communicate to them directly," said Bosiak.

Looking in the windows of City Hall, you'd see a city council that you'd expect to have known each other their entire lives. Bosiak and Council have atteneded several Association of Manitoba Municipalities meetings over the years, and some of them have dysfunction or large disagreements with each other. He said he couldn't have asked for a more professional council here in Dauphin. They've always put the City of Dauphin first.

"We got lucky, I have to admit. Developing relationships with people that are of similar mind and value is a lot easier than trying to develop a relationship with someone who might think diametrically opposite to the way that you think," said Bosiak.

With his time in office nearing it's end, as he's said from the start he'll be a one term mayor, Bosiak reflected on what he'll remember from his time in office, and gave a bit of advice to anyone considering running for that spot in the upcoming elections this fall.

"Everything could be better, absolute, and today it could still be better. However, if you're not trying to fix something, and all you do is complain about what isn't, or what's bad or what's broken, that's not a solution," said Bosiak.

Mayor Bosiak has certainly enjoyed working with his Council to keep building up Dauphin, not just for now, but for a long time to come. One of those councillors, Steven Sobering, has announced his candidacy for Mayor in the upcoming elections this fall.