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The Dauphin Kings are thanking all new and returning billets ahead of the new season.
With training camp set to begin in less than two weeks, the team is looking for a few more beds. Jodie Romanow and her family are back as billets. They began billeting Parkland Rangers players in the 2017-18 season.
In 2020, they began billeting Dauphin Kings players. They've taken at least two players each year.
"We've had some awesome guys come through our house. They become part of our family," Romanow said. "They make connections with our kids. Those connections have continued. It's just a great experience."
It's an opportunity to provide a player with a home away from home.
As a billet, you provide a room for the player. You also provide meals throughout the day. Typically, players fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch.
"Then they'll sit down for a family meal at the end of the day," said Romanow. "In exchange, the Dauphin Kings pay a monthly stipend to billet families. Players are also expected to contribute around the house. Such as doing dishes, shovelling snow, stuff like that."
In addition, you will receive a season ticket for each player you take in.
You can make a difference in the life of a junior hockey player. You can make a difference in the life of a Dauphin King.
If you're interested in becoming a temporary or full-time billet, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Players arrive in town later this month. Main camp begins on Saturday, August 29.
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The City of Dauphin wanted to provide additional amenities when it comes to active transportation.
Justin Tokarchuk is the project and development manager with the City of Dauphin.
"We're continuously working on expanding our active transportation options," said Tokarchuk. "I think it's a nice and interesting trail that isn't just straight. It's nice to have some movement around. It's a great opportunity to stay fit."
The project was approximately $8,500. The City covered about $5,500. The rest was covered by the Dauphin and District Community Foundation.
Always giving back to the community, the Foundation provided the City of Dauphin with a $3,000 grant. That grant was used to complete the project, and the rest is history.
"I think it's absolutely fantastic. I love being able to provide these kinds of amenities," added Tokarchuk. "It certainly helps when organizations come to the table to help. It eases the burden on our taxpayers."
The City of Dauphin thanks the Foundation for their contribution.
"We're working on that trail that connects up to Assiniboine College," said Tokarchuk. "We're working on the improvements to the Mountain Road active transportation trails. There are a few other things that I can't share, but there are more exciting things to come."
So the next time you're out and about on a walk, don't forget to head down King's Way Trail and check out the new benches.
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The Agriculture Society takes over the facility during the Northwest Roundup and Exhibition. They fed over 700 people for Safe Grad earlier this year. People play pickleball in the facility, and they host Folkfest. That's only a few of the happenings going on at the Swan River Community Centre.
Darren Chmelowski is coming up on two years as the Centre's president. He got involved with the vision of making the facility a hot spot in the community. The facility also features the community's curling rink.
Darren says a lot of progress has been made over the last two years.
"We really don't have anything other than our Veterans Hall for big events, and it doesn't hold the number of people we can hold," said Chmelowski. "A lot of the service groups jumped on board here, and they rent our ice surface and host pancake breakfasts. We have Fish Enhancement do a big fish fry. We also have our outdoor club that hosts an annual function. The more we can get people coming in the doors, the better."
As you can imagine, it's not a cheap facility to run. In the winter, hydro is approximately $7,000. They also pay for their liquor license, taxes, and staffing, among other costs.
To help ease some of the financial burden, Mayor Lance Jacobson presented Chmelowski with a $4,000 cheque. The funds will go towards the Centre's operational costs, building maintenance, and community programs. The Town of Swan River said they're pleased to help an organization that provides recreational activities and boosts social connections in the community.
Chmelowski says every dime they receive is great.
"It's a big bonus. It shows that the town cares about our community centre," added Chmelowski. "That's why we don't call this building the curling club; we're the community centre. When the town jumps on board like that, it's a big bonus for us."
In March, the Community Centre will host Curl Manitoba's senior men's and women's provincial championships. They're looking for volunteers for that event. So if you're interested in helping out, message Darren here.
He said it's going to be a special event and a great chance to showcase the community.
"Oh, definitely. We hosted the mixed championships a couple of years ago, and it was a great turnout," ended Chmelowski. "It puts us on the map and keeps us there. The more we can stay involved, the better. We are so far away; we call it Perimeter vision, it seems everything happens in the Winnipeg area. If we can host events like this and get those people out here, show off our facility, maybe we can host more events in the future."
Swan River's community hub is booming, and Darren invites you to be a part of the magic. You can also rent the facility for your event.
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The Dauphin RCMP is sounding the alarm on drivers pushing the limits and not obeying the law.
Between August 1 and 7, 28 vehicles were stopped for speeding along Highways 5, 10, and 20. More than $9,300 in fines were handed out. Simply put, speeding is a big problem.
Mark Hume with Westman Traffic Services, which covers the Dauphin area, says high speeds have spiked since COVID. In his words, there are way more people driving crazy speeds.
"People aren't trained to drive at high speeds. We are; we go through that driver training," said Hume. "A tiny little hazard or anything like that, the higher the speed, the less time you have to react. Swerving around a hazard at high speeds, you have a higher chance of losing control."
Statistics show that speed kills in Manitoba. Each year in the province, an average of 23 people are killed because of speeding. That's 23 more than it should be.
"The faster you're going, the more damage you're going to do to a vehicle, and the people in it," continued Hume. "It increases the risk of injury and death the faster you go. Vehicles are made to survive crashes at certain speeds, not excessive ones."
If you're travelling 20 kilometres over the posted speed limit, the fine is $312. 40 over the limit is $573. 50 over the speed limit is $705.
Hume said he's been seeing speeds even faster than that.
"Last month, I charged a person going 183 in a 100 zone, and that was an $1,136 fine," he added.
It's also construction season in Manitoba. If you're leaving Dauphin and heading towards Ste. Rose, you'll see workers on the road. Fines for speeding in construction zones increase significantly.
Earlier this month, a 43-year-old woman was stopped near Gilbert Plains. She was going 95km/h in a clearly marked 60km/h construction zone. The fine was $966.
Just days later, a 65-year-old woman was stopped near Gilbert Plains for going 107km/h in a clearly marked 60km/h construction zone. That carried a fine of $1,280.
"The thing is, show some respect for other road users," ended Hume. "Whether they're pedestrians, drivers, or construction workers. We all play a part in keeping people safe on the roads."
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A 24-year-old man is facing a slew of charges after assaulting a 21-year-old male.
On August 10, the 21-year-old man went to the Swan River RCMP Detachment and told officers he had been assaulted five days prior.
The 24-year-old, who knew the 21-year-old, assaulted him, robbed him, threatened him with a firearm, and left him on a back road outside of Bowsman.
A description of the suspect and his vehicle was given. Officers then initiated a traffic stop and arrested the 24-year-old. Officers then searched his home and found BB guns and the firearm that was used in the robbery.
He faces charges of robbery, assault, and unsafe storage of firearms, among others.
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Continuing with their recent fundraising push despite the cancelled festival, Canada's National Ukrainian Festival is having a Fundraising BBQ on August 22nd.
It'll take place at the Dauphin Marketplace Mall, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Cory Lafontaine, CNUF Third Vice President, said fundraisers like these, especially local ones, just make sense: it's their way to show the community they're fully dedicated to keeping the festival going.
"We're getting so much support from the community, of course not only from Dauphin and the surrounding area, but all of our people, all of our patrons that attend the festival pretty much all across Canada, they're letting us know that they appreciate the festival, and they feel the same way we do, they feel sad that there is no festival this year...we figure that we still have to connect with our patrons, especially those local, right here in our own community, so we thought, let's do a little BBQ fundraiser. That's coming up on Saturday, August 22nd, it's between 11 and 3," said Lafontaine.
The BBQ fundraiser's timing also gives it another great meaning for the festival. It's just before Ukrainian Independenc Day on August 24th. Lafontaine said it's a good way to keep CNUF connected to its roots.
"Now this is of course in support of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, also Ukrainian Independence Day as well. Nice little tie-in for that," said Lafontaine.
Despite the festival's cancellation because of uncertainty around healthcare and ambulances, the festival has received an outpouring of support. Many people were saddened by the news that CNUF was cancelled this year, but Lafontaine said these fundraisers are a great way to ensure the festival comes back even better in 2027.
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No injuries were reported after a two-vehicle collision on Saturday morning.
At 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Dauphin RCMP responded to the crash off of Main Street South, near the Dauphin Marketplace Mall.
A truck collided with a car at the intersection.
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On July 31st, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to an accidental fire caused by discarded oily rags, which spontaneously combusted.
Especially when it comes to potentially hazardous materials like oils, propane cylinders, and electronics, the City of Dauphin encourages residents to make sure they're properly disposed of. The City runs a Waste Diversion Centre at the City of Dauphin Waste Disposal Site, designed to accommodate those potentially dangerous items.
The City of Dauphin's Waste Diversion Centre provides residents with a free, year-round place to drop off materials that require special handling or can be recycled instead of ending up in the landfill," said the City of Dauphin in a Facebook post.
Accepted items at the Waste Diversion Centre include:
• Electronics (TVs, computers, phones & more)
• Paint
• Used oil, filters & antifreeze
• Scrap metal
• Tires
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Propane cylinders (20 lb or larger)
• Clean lumber & pallets (good condition only)
Making sure to properly dispose of hazardous materials doesn't only protect you, it protects the environment, our community, and helps to extend the life of Dauphin's landfill.
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True North Horse Sale's Fall Round Up is set for September 7th at the Agri Rec Centre in Rossburn. The consignment deadline for the sale is fast approaching, closing on August 20th.
Thomasina Duiker, Owner and Sale Manager, said it's better to get your horses in sooner rather than later, and you can find a lot of details about consignments on their website.
"We'll take consignment horses up until the 20th, and then that gives us the time to get our catalogue put together, and then we just go from there, hope for a nice sunny day...long as you got a good, quiet, safe horse, all of the information is on our website, as well as a pretty user friendly registration form, the most important part I think is professional looking photos and a video so that our buyers sort of know what to expect before the preview," said Duiker.
Duiker herself has been involved in horse sales for more than 15 years, but her experience comes exclusively from Alberta and Saskatchewan. The first Manitoba sale she had a hand in was this Spring. She said she's very confident in the staff that will be working the upcoming sale, and she's glad it's at one of Manitoba's premier sites.
"We have probably one of the best ag grounds, ag facility in Manitoba. For that, the location is good, it's kind of a little bit up north and off the beaten path, but the majority of our consigners are from the northern area," said Duiker.
The consignment deadline is August 20th, with the sale date on September 7th. For more details, visit the True North Horse Sale website.
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Canada's National Ukrainian Festival is one of Dauphin's cornerstone events every year. Following devastating flooding in early July, the event was cancelled due to uncertain ambulance and healthcare coverage for the area.
Despite the cancellation, CNUF is holding a few fundraisers to keep the festival going strong for years to come. One of them is their 50/50 Raffle. Cory Lafontaine, CNUF Third Vice President, said it's an important way for them to make sure next year's edition of CNUF is even better.
"With Canada's National Ukrainian Festival forced to cancel this year, the Board of Directors figured, we gotta make a little bit of money somehow to support the festival, so we've come up with this 50/50 raffle fundraiser, and there's a couple different ways you can get tickets for this fundraising raffle...you can go online, scan the QR code on our Facebook page, you can also get your tickets on the website, cnuf.ca, or if you'd like, you can also grab your tickets in person at the festival office in the Dauphin Marketplace Mall," said Lafontaine.
If you're looking to get tickets for the fundraising 50/50, you have a few week before the September 1st draw date, but Lafontainer recommends getting tickets sooner rather than later.
"You can get 10 tickets for $20, 30 tickets for $50, 60 tickets for $75, or go for broke, 100 tickets for $100...the draw date is coming up soon too, it's gonna be on September 1st at 4:00 PM, so you have a little bit of time, but only a couple weeks to get in on this fundraising 50/50 raffle, again it's in support of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival," said Lafontaine.
If you're wanting to support one of Dauphin's biggest and most culturally significant events of the year, click here to visit the CNUF Facebook page.
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The Rolling Barrage is a coast-to-coast fundraiser in support of veterans, active duty military, and first responders. The journey began on August 1 in St. John's, Newfoundland.
It will end on August 22 in Aldergrove, British Columbia. The trek covers more than 6,500 kilometres over three weeks, with many stops along the way.
Cam Abrey is Dauphin's Fire Chief.
"Well, it's quite an honour to make their way up here. They've altered their route for the first time," said Abrey. "They're spending Friday night in Neepawa. They'll be hitting the highway on Saturday morning and making their way to Dauphin."
They're expected to roll into Dauphin on Saturday morning at about 9:30. They will fuel up before stopping at the Fire Hall in town for a meet-and-greet, snacks, and coffee.
From Dauphin, riders will proceed to Saskatoon, where they will stay on Saturday night.
Since 2017, the Rolling Barrage has donated to charity and not-for-profit organizations across Canada. Their fundraising efforts has helped put food on the table, a place to sleep, therapy programs with horses, and much more.
As Fire Chief, Saturday's get together with the motorcyclists will have immense meaning for Cam.
"First responder mental health is a priority, of course. There are lots of different initiatives out there that take on a fundraising role," said Abrey. "To help raise this awareness is tremendous. It's a great honour to be hosting them as they make their way across the country."
More on The Rolling Barrage can be found here.
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