Rural Roundup — Aug. 13, 2026

DAUPHIN

Getting Dauphin Regional Health Centre back up and running is not as simple as plugging in a generator and firing up the x-ray machines.

Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said all systems in the hospital are intertwined and operating such a facility requires a significant amount of power.

“The gases that are required in the operating room and obstetrical care, they alone require probably the most significant amounts of power. All of the diagnostics services in the building require a significant amount of power,” Slate said. “Those two systems have to be in place before we can do anything in the building. We need to have our electrical infrastructure in place before we can power up the HVAC systems and the mechanical structures in the building.

“We do need to have that electrical infrastructure and the mechanical infrastructure in place before we can resurrect services.”

While recent indications are that it will take months to get the hospital back functioning fully, the health region is working hard to restore as many services as possible, as quickly as possible, with the focus currently on establishing a functioning emergency department and diagnostic services, said Dr. Abdi Sokoro, the chief operating officer of Provincial Diagnostic Services.

Slate added PMH and Shared Health staff are also working to provide dialysis and oncology services in the community as soon as possible. Possibilities under consideration include vacant buildings in Dauphin and the surrounding area, or even mobile options.

Slate added, as the building is a clinical space, ensuring the hospital is safe and healthy for occupation is essential.

“Safety guides all of our decision-making as we move through this process,” she said. “This is a clinical space. It is not a residential space. We need to ensure that everything is safe.”

In the meantime, work will continue to properly assess the damage at Dauphin Regional Health Centre to determine a more concrete timeline for a return to normalcy.

» Dauphin Herald

ROBLIN

The Roblin Golf and Country Club is calling for help after flooding knocked out greens on three holes and is expected to have damaged infrastructure.

The course’s ponds rose to “levels that no one on our board or staff ever recalls,” management wrote in a public letter in the Roblin Review. The water levels came following a storm in the Parkland on June 29 and 30.

With the Municipality of Roblin under a declared state of local emergency, the course could not safely pump water off the holes without risking the municipality’s own flood response, staff said. It’s too late for greens on Holes 5, 8 and 9, staff said, and the fairways and cart paths across much of the course that have been underwater for close to a month. Management expects damage to the irrigation shed and pumps that are also flooded. The course is currently able to offer just five of its nine holes, and has a long road ahead to recover, staff said.

“We know we have called on the Roblin community before. Over the years we have asked our sponsors and neighbours for support, and they have always stepped up. This is different. It’s not one more ask, but an invitation, a plea, to our community to help Roblin Golf and Country Club weather this literal storm.”

Staff called on the public to support the course by golfing the five playable holes of the nine-hole course, booking a meal or grabbing takeout, volunteering to help the surviving greens, booking events at the venue, and considering a donation or sponsorship.

» The Roblin Review

WESTMAN

Assiniboine West Watershed District is set to receive record funding again in 2026. A recent announcement of $1.8 million provided to AWWD by the Growing Outcomes in Watersheds trust fund combined with other funding from other government and private-sector sources will total around $3.8 million in funding from sources outside the watershed.

AWWD’s project approvals committee recently discussed making changes to some of the funding levels and criteria in an effort to spread funding further, support more projects and increase the impact across more acres. Funding details and any program changes were expected to be finalized later this summer and shared through the district’s website and other communications channels.

The resources are aimed at building a more resilient watershed, protecting critical habitat and assisting landowners in their stewardship of the local environment. As it stands, for every dollar provided by the Watershed District’s member municipalities, seven to eight dollars will be returned in the form of projects.

» Virden Empire Advance

RIVERS

A pair of Rivers Comets were taken aback when they were honoured with South West Baseball League awards.

For the third straight season, Scott Beever was named the senior loop’s most valuable player. In what the league called “one of the closest votes in recent years,” Beever was selected as the MVP by a single vote over the Oak River Dodgers’ Ty Paddock and John Patmore of the Reston Rockets.

Comets teammate Hayden Mackedenski made a big impact in his first full SWBL campaign. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and Top Pitcher while winning the Earned Run Average title.

Despite winning the MVP award for the third straight season, Beever said, “For me winning the MVP was a bit of a surprise. There were a lot of deserving players nominated this year.”

For yet another summer, Beever was dominant on the mound. He paced the SWBL with 51 strikeouts during the regular season. He had three wins and a save. In 35 1/3 innings, Beever posted a 2.38 earned-run average. He struck out 11 in a 14-0 July 2 win over the Oak River Dodgers, and 10 in a June 3 8-0 shutout of the Brandon Young Guns. Beever had two other outings where he struck out nine.

At the plate, during the regular season, Beever drove in eight runs and batted .243. On July 2 against the Dodgers, he hit a home run and drove in five runs.

Although the MVP award is based on regular-season performance, Beever continued his strong play in the SWBL postseason. He had a 2-1 record with 35 strikeouts and a 1.91 earned-run average in 22 innings during the playoffs. Beever also batted .429 in the postseason and drove in six runs.

When Mackedenski learned of the awards he won, his reaction was similar to Beever’s.

“I was super honoured when I found out, but honestly pretty surprised, too,” he said. “There are other guys in this league who are also deserving. Even on our own team, Beevs is such a fantastic pitcher and so to get recognized like this alongside guys like that is pretty awesome.”

» The Rivers Banner

VIRDEN

The Virden Draft Horse Show returned in late July, welcoming competitors from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta for a weekend celebrating the tradition, teamwork and dedication behind draft horses.

Around 45 horses competed over the two-day event, with exhibitors travelling from Olds, Alta., Lestock and Carnduff, Sask., and Dauphin, Minnedosa, Steinbach, Birtle and Virden.

Despite being a slightly smaller show this year, organizer Kacee Gee said the weekend was a success, with approximately 150 spectators taking in the free event.

The Virden Draft Horse Show has been part of the community for as long as Gee can remember. While it was once held with the Virden Agricultural Society, it has operated as its own event for the past 10 to 15 years.

“We have fantastic grounds to use,” Gee said. “People really enjoy coming here.”

The show featured halter classes, hitch classes, the Manitoba Percheron Belgian Club Four-Horse Hitch Series and the Chore Team Series Competition.

Junior classes for exhibitors between the ages of 10 and 17 also gave young horse enthusiasts the chance to compete.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the friendly competition between sibling operations West Spring Percherons and N-ER-GEE Belgians.

» Virden Empire Advance

BOISSEVAIN

Boissevain School sports will benefit from the best running of a memorial event yet.

The fourth edition of the Nuggets’ Memorial Ball Tournament was held in July. The event is held in honour of Raymond “Nuggets” Ball, who died of a rare form of cancer on Sept. 3, 2021, at the age of 29. His cousin and tournament organizer Darren Sicinski says the tournament in his honour was well deserved.

“He was a huge community member,” Sicinski said. “He used to work at the C-Store, and all the kids loved him. He loved playing ball, he loved drinking beer, so why not put it all together?”

Ball was born and raised in Brandon before moving to Ohio with his mother. After graduating, he moved to Boissevain.

Sicinski said they received a lot of support for the event, both inside and outside the community. As well as a co-ed ball tournament featuring eight teams, there was a beer garden and karaoke in the evening.

This year, they collected $3,750, which will go to Boissevain School sports. In the past, the money raised has gone to palliative care, the school playground and Tiny Turtle Playroom.

Sicinski said this was the most they have ever raised through the tournament. But the event is also about camaraderie and having a good time in Ball’s memory.

“It’s just great to get everyone together and have a good time.”

» The Boissevain Recorder