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A popular summer hangout is no longer an option for the remainder of the summer.
Dauphin Rec Services announced that Vermillion Park is closed for the remainder of the season. This includes the campground, playground, splash park, walking trails, washrooms, and the disc golf course.
Wes Carnegie is the operations manager at Dauphin Rec.
"It's one of our staples that is used every day by the community and travellers coming in," said Carnegie. "It was devastating to share the news. With everything that happened there, we aren't able to assess and get it fixed before the end of the season. The extensive amount of damage is unreal once you actually get in there and look."
So far, Dauphin Rec has counted 30 trees toppled over. That wasn't from wind; that's how saturated the ground is.
All the gravel is washed away from the trails and the parking lot.
"The playground is covered in mud," added Carnegie. "The splash park is underwater. That's all electrical. All that electrical has to be replaced. When that unit was originally installed, it was from Texas. We can't just go buy from the shelves or from Winnipeg to replace everything. This is all specialty work."
All the plugs and panel boxes must be changed in the campground. When it comes to opening next summer, Carnegie said it's a wait-and-see thing at this time. Dauphin Rec is now dealing with insurance, and it will depend on how quickly that process goes.
Insurance will not cover the water holding tank. That means there will be a huge upfront cost to Dauphin Rec and the City of Dauphin to complete the fix. It will be an extensive repair, and Wes hopes to recoup some of the money from the province.
Elsewhere, when it comes to Dauphin Rec, they shut the pool down when the City of Dauphin recommended residents reduce their water usage. Residents can now resume normal water usage.
That means the Kin Aquatic Centre is once again an option.
"We felt that we should do our part. We hold the water in the pool. But it's all the people coming in, you're supposed to shower before you enter the pool," ended Carnegie. "We were doing our part by reducing water usage. We shut down for five days, but we are open normal hours now."
For pool schedules, head here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
There has been a lot of heartbreak over the past few weeks after the mass flooding in Dauphin and the Parkland region.
The Dauphin Friendship Centre is here for you. They want to give you a chance to decompress, put a smile on your face, and have a fun time.
On Wednesday night, they'll be hosting a community wellness picnic from 5:00 to 7:00.
"It is an opportunity for everyone to come out. It's held in our green space between our two buildings, the youth centre, and the friendship centre," said Crystal Amyotte, executive director. "We're going to have some entertainment, free food, and games for the kids. We want to have a break. We want people to come enjoy themselves and have a break."
The festivities open with a drum group from Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve.
There will also be a powwow demonstration.
"After that, we're going to play some music. There will be some picnic-style games for the kids," ended Amyotte. "Like a three-legged race and stuff like that. We'll have the bouncy castle out. Free hot dogs, drinks, chips, freezies for the kids, and cupcakes. Just a fun evening for everyone in the community to come out and enjoy it."
You're asked to bring your own lawn chair.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
When David Bosiak thinks of Dauphin, he thinks about the great potential.
He thinks about Dauphin's Countryfest. The festival was a smashing success last month with some of the top acts in country music putting on a show for festival goers. He thinks of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival.
Last week, CNUF announced the cancellation of the 2026 event. The Board of Directors has determined that it cannot provide the safe environment that performers, patrons, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and staff deserve.
"They made that decision to eliminate any risks for people. So again, what a humanitarian thing to do," said Bosiak. "As much as it will hurt them financially and possibly have a negative financial effect for the community, it's another example of people doing the right thing at the right time."
Bosiak credits Dauphinites for banding together during a tough time. After the recent flood and closure of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, he's proud of those who have come together.
David recently spoke with Ron Kostyshyn, Dauphin MLA and Agriculture Minister, who is fighting on behalf of Dauphin.
"Again, I want people to have faith. To not be too critical at this time," added Bosiak. "Even though you're still dealing with very troubled situations. Please trust that everyone is trying to do their best to get us back on our feet as quickly as possible."
Bosiak is hopeful that the powers that be understand the severity of the current situation in Dauphin.
He's also been in touch with the Minister of Health, Wab Kinew, and the Minister of Northern Affairs.
"Everybody is aware of our situation. It's complicated, and there are many moving parts," commented Bosiak. "I will absolutely state that we at the City of Dauphin will be doing absolutely everything we possibly can to keep the senior level governments aware of our situation."
On another note, the City of Dauphin celebrated its 128th birthday on Saturday. That's 128 years of resilience, kindness, and willingness to stand beside one another through both celebrations and challenges. Those challenges have been met head-on lately with the mass flooding.
Bosiak has seen firsthand over the past weeks how people step up to help one another. He talked to a man who had a significant amount of water in his basement. Instead of dealing with his own home, he helped neighbours who were worse off and had less capacity to help themselves.
Neighbours helping neighbours, friends helping friends. People helping strangers. That's what Dauphin is all about.
David was born in the Dauphin Hospital and has spent the majority of his 66 years in Dauphin. He never planned to live in Dauphin for his entire life, but he's happy that's how it has turned out. He's proud to be a Dauphinite and to be part of the community.
He sees the next wave of leaders, such as Carla Wolfenden, Clayton Swanton, and Barret Procyshyn, to name a few.
"I'm so happy to be from here and so happy to represent the people in our community," ended Mayor Bosiak. "Given this dark few weeks we've been through, and the few months of recovery to come, we're going to be stronger and more resilient after. Completely confident that things will turn out okay. It's going to be a bit bumpy for some people, and some will feel they're getting the short end of the stick at times. But, all in all, I think we're in a good place."
Dauphin is strong. What a beautiful community, full of incredible people.
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Extensive damage from flooding has rendered the Dauphin Regional Health Centre unsafe for use. Prairie Mountain Health is still investigating and assessing a lot of the damages, so there is no timeline for when they expect the hospital to re-open.
Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said in the meantime, PMH is looking at how they can expand that care options Dauphin has, that are still open.
"We don't have our hospital temporarily, and so we are looking at, not only as a region but as a provincial system, around what can we do within Dauphin and the community. And so we are looking at what kind of diagnostic services like lab can we offer in the community, and we're also working to increase the community-based resources and services we have in Dauphin," said Slate.
For now, Prairie Mountain Health has greatly increased the capabilities of nearby emergency departments in Ste. Rose and Grandivew. The Ste. Rose Hospital Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be reached at 204-447-2131 to confirm hours. The Grandview Emergency Department is open 7 days a week, and reachable at 204-546-2425 to confirm their hours.
Within Dauphin, PMH has set up an Assessment Clinic at 625 3rd St. SW, accessible through the main doors of the Dauphin Community Health Services Building. There, they have a few beds and some staff to make immediate assessments of patients. The Dauphin Walk-in Clinic, in the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, is still open, and can be reached at 204-638-6445 to check their hours.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
It's an annual tradition like none other.
Unfortunately, it won't happen on schedule this time. The Parkland Chamber of Commerce announced that they won't be holding the Street Fair & Dance on Thursday, July 30.
Kamryn Winters is the Chamber's Executive Director.
"The board just wanted to make sure safety was the top priority. With the hospital being closed and the municipality around us being in states of emergency," said Winters. "The City of Dauphin is still until the end of the month. It's the right decision to follow suit with what Canada's National Ukrainian Festival decided."
The Chamber is exploring opportunities to host a modified Street Fair or community celebration later this fall. If you're a registered vendor, entertainer, service provider, or partner of the event, you can expect to be contacted by the Chamber for the next steps.
The Chamber thanks everyone who has supported this year's planning of what would have been another memorable event.
"You know, it's a free event. Everyone can come. There's something for everyone," ended Winters. "There's music, vendors, so much fun stuff. It's an all-encompassing event. So much goes into planning it every year. Sadly, we had to cancel this date. Hopefully, we can do it again, and do it again soon."
Should a new date be announced, you'll hear about it here on 730CKDM.
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Are you thinking of running for mayor or city council in Dauphin's municipal election?
If so, you should head to City Hall on Wednesday for a candidate information session at 7:00 p.m.
Deputy City Manager Lisa Gaudet says it's an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and decide if it's right for you.
"The purpose of this session is to help people make an informed decision about whether running for mayor or city council is right for them," said Gaudet. "Whether someone has already decided to run or is just curious, everyone is welcome."
Candidate registration for mayor opened on May 1. Candidate registration opened for councillors on June 30.
Anyone interested in running can contact City Hall to get contact information for the Senior Election Official. A meeting will then happen to register with the SEO.
At the session, you'll also learn about the time commitments and meeting expectations, current issues, and priorities facing our community.
"Serving on the council is an important responsibility. Many people don't fully understand what the role involves," continued Gaudet. "So we want to provide factual and practical information so people know what to expect before putting their name forward. An informed candidate is certainly better prepared to serve if elected."
There is no registration required. Anyone interested in public service and helping shape the future of the community is encouraged to attend.
"We hope that people leave the session with a clearer understanding of what serving on council involves, and feel confident they have the information they need to decide if they want to become a candidate," ended Gaudet.
It's at the Council Chambers inside City Hall.
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The Strathclair Ag Society is holding their 138th Annual Fair today, with events from 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM.
Kathy McKerchar, Strathclair Ag Society Fair Director, said all things considered, the fair grounds are in pretty good shape.
"We're pretty lucky we haven't been affected too much by the high waters that are in lots of Manitoba so the grounds are looking great," said McKerchar.
Some of the fair's mainstays include their horse shows, both light and heavy, and the M.G.R.A. Gymkhana, starting at 4:30 PM. There's also a beef show at 1:00 PM that's open for public viewing. McKerchar said there will also be a youth component of the beef show, and making sure that kids enjoy the fair too is one of their focuses.
"For the kids, once you're on the grounds, the kids stuff is free, so we've got Kerr's Inflatables joining us for 4 hours from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, and that includes some bouncy castles and some laser tag...we love to have [kids] always there having fun, and we hope that the years that they come to the fair keep them interested in helping us to continue to have a fair by coming on and being volunteers," said McKerchar.
When it comes to events like this, the part nobody wants to talk about is admission prices. Good news: the Strathclair Ag Society Fair is affordable, and all of their proceeds go right back into the fair and the community. Anyone 13+ gets in for $5, ages 6 to 12 are $2, and kids 5 and under are free.
"Generally what we take in at the fair goes right back into our fair," said McKerchar.
Aside from paying vendors and attractions, most of their proceeds go to prize pools for their horse events, and other events.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Did you know the City of Dauphin has two notification services?
The first is to connect emergency alerts. If you subscribe, you will get urgent notifications for emergencies that require immediate action. This includes flash flooding, boil water advisories, gas leaks, evacuations, and other situations affecting public safety in Dauphin. These alerts can be sent by text, call, or email.
The other is email updates. If you subscribe, you can get emails with city news and information. This includes road closures, garbage and recycling updates, snow clearing, seasonal programs, public notices, and other important updates.
David Bosiak is the Mayor of Dauphin.
"It's just another method to keep people informed," said Bosiak. "In today's environment of second-hand information or fake information, we want to make sure there is accurate, from the source information going out in a variety of methods. This is why we're promoting this."
Bosiak stresses the second-hand or fake information. In this day and age, rumours travel quickly, especially in a small community. Sometimes, if something seems too good to be true, it is. Rumours can be harmful to some.
If you get a Facebook post from a friend, check the source to see if it's real.
"Again, there may be bots and other things that are pretending to be the City of Dauphin and look like it," ended Bosiak. "If you're on our mailing list or subscribe to our social media, you can be pretty confident that it's accurate information coming from the City."
The recent mass flood in Dauphin was a great reminder of how important timely information can be. As many in the community continue to recover from the flood, the City of Dauphin is here for you every step of the way.
The City put out recommendations as the wastewater plant was overwhelmed. Residents were asked to reduce water use. This included postponing laundry and other water-intensive activities, delaying the use of dishwashers, and limiting unnecessary use of showers, sinks, and toilets.
Bosiak thanks those who stuck to the recommendations.
"When the water restriction was lifted, they only ran the washer at night to help the system," ended Bosiak. "Many people stepped up in many different ways. That's what makes our community a great place to be in. I truly believe that's what makes Dauphin a special place, people love to help people."
To sign up for the emergency alert system, head here. To sign up for email alerts, head here.
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On Saturday, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to a garage fire in the City's north end. Cam Abery, Dauphin's Fire Chief, said the department determined the cause to be accidental.
"Upon arrival, we found that it was a single detached garage that was fully involved in the fire, and the overhead electrical lines had burnt off and were arcing in the backyard. Crews were able to extinguish the fire in a short time, and during the investigation it was revealed that the fire was accidental in nature," said Abrey.
Saturday was not a great day to be fighting fires: pair a humidex of 41 with heavy equipment and hot firefighting gear, and heat stroke or exhaustion are a serious concern. Abrey said he's glad so many firefighters showed up, because they were able to rotate teams effectively, to both battle the blaze and stave off heat exhaustion.
"Given the heat of the day, and the equipment that the firefighters are wearing, we had rapid rotations where people were able to come out and take off their jackets, and get some water into them to try and maintain core temperatures, and look after everyone so that there's no signs of heat exhaustion," said Abrey.
Dauphin's Fire Department operates as a paid on-call department. Abrey thanks his firefighters for responding quickly, dropping whatever they're doing to help out.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Several Parkland municipalities are banding together after severe flooding rocked the region earlier this month. On July 6th, representatives from a large number of municipalities had a meeting about their shared struggles, and how to get back on their feet.
Ernie Sirski, RM of Dauphin Reeve, said there's only one way to put what happened in the Parkland recently.
"The message is we're trying to be consistent that this is a disaster, that's the only way to really describe it, it is a disaster. And locally, municipalities will have a hard time, if not have an impossible time, to deal with this on our own...we discussed the amount of rains that happened, the infrastructure that was damaged, including but not limited to roads, washouts, ford crossing, culverts, bridges even, and the effect that it's going to have on us going forward," said Sirski.
Last week, Sirski said he estimated around 200 roads within the RM of Dauphin alone had some sort of flooding-related damage to them. After the meeting, he realized the same is true for just about every municipality in the Parkland, and that's going to be one of the major challenges going forward.
Sirski said he sees two main problems being faced by the vast majority of Parkland municipalities: infrastructure and agriculture. From bridge damage and washouts, to flooded fields and drowned crops, there's damage almost everywhere you look.
"Well I think the biggest thing is roads in all the municipalities, and make sure that everyone has access to their property, to their home, so they can get in an out, that's one of the first priorities. The second one is the agricultural impact...we've got significant crop loss throughout the area. My own farm, it's hard to say, the cereals are holding up ok, the canola is garbage, that's the only way to describe it, and that's what I'm hearing from farmers throughout the area," said Sirski.
By understanding that every Parkland municipality has these challenges, Sirski hopes a partnership with this many municipalities will trigger a larger response from the Province, or even the Federal government.
"To make sure that we have product to work with, when I say we have product, that we have aggregate, we have gravel, we have limestone that's available, because that's in my understanding in some places are starting to run short...the other thing is to make sure we have qualified contractors to help us, because our public works crews I think in every municipality is going to really struggle to put everything together before freeze up," said Sirski.
Sirski also wants to remind residents that if a road or bridge is closed, there's a reason, even if you can't see it. He said safety is still his RM's top priority, as with every other Parkland municipality.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
A 78-year-old man from Dauphin faces a dozen charges after his home was raided last week.
On July 7, Dauphin RCMP executed a search warrant at Inky Mark's home. When officers entered, they found and seized 439 firearms.
"We also seized an antique cannon, ammunition, and more than $300,000 in currency," said Corporal Barry Kirby. "It's expected to take several weeks for investigators to document the large collection of evidence gathered at the residence and determine how many firearms were illegally possessed."
As of Monday, at least three firearms were illegally trafficked. At least one firearm had its serial number tampered with. Hundreds of firearms were improperly stored. Mark was arrested without incident at the residence.
Charges Inky face includes firearms trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and two counts of a prohibited device when knowing possession is unauthorized, among others.
"Possession of a restricted or prohibited weapon with ammo without a license, and three counts of unsafe storage of firearms," ended Kirby. "More charges are possible as the investigation continues."
Inky appeared in court last week and has been released on an order.
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