Dawson Trail Dispatch
Celebrating Over 20 Years of Service to Our Communities!
Dawson Trail Days Celebrates Past and Present
This year’s parade included horses pulling a 140-year old covered wagon courtesy of members of the Richer Rodeo Committee who took time out to help the neighbouring community celebrate. Eugene and Louise Sabot drove a team of black Canadian horses while outriders followed. Photo by Eldon Zigarlick
The September long weekend marks the end of the summer with kids heading back to school. In Ste. Anne though, the weekend is celebrated through their annual Dawson Trail Days. This year’s events ran from Friday through Labour Day Monday and included a large parade through the community.
A highlight of this year is that the Ste. Anne Fire Department sold more plates than any previous year. This support raised $2030 for the Ste. Anne Hospital Foundation in support of the helipad construction. Another new item that was a big hit was the dunk tank where local elected offi-
cials and police officers were good sports about taking a cold bath! And of course the fireworks show did not disappoint and was reported as the best ever by many attendees. From the kid’s watermelon eating contest to the duck races down the Seine River, great fun was had by all.
September 2018
Hanover Recognized as Most Efficient Municipality With municipal elections just around the corner, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling attention to rampant overspending that has occurred throughout the province in the latest Manitoba Municipal Spending Report. Province wide, the report claims that municipal governments have overspent $1.17 billion since 2008, which amounts to $4,696 for a family of four. The report looked at real operating spending from 2008 to 2015 for Manitoba’s 27 largest municipalities. Findings show that real operating spending declined by three per cent across Manitoba’s municipalities from 2014 to 2015, but has grown at 2.5 times of CFIB’s sustainability benchmark over the eight years studied. “While some municipalities have made progress, overspending remains a serious problem and should be a top priority for candidates in the upcoming municipal elections,” said Jonathan Alward, CFIB Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba. He cites growing labour costs, in particular, make up the bulk of operating costs among Manitoba’s largest municipalities (59%), and continue to increase beyond sustainable levels across many communities. “Unsustainable labour costs are at the root of the municipal spending problem,” added Alward. “We know that Manitoba’s municipal employees earn higher wages and receive better benefits than their private sector counterparts, so more work is needed to reduce these costs.” CFIB ranks municipalities on their ability to keep operating costs at sustainable levels, accounting for growth in spending per capita from 2008 and the overall level of real per capita spending in 2008 dollars. The RM of Hanover is at the top of the RMs’ list, for the second year in a row, and recorded a decrease of nine per cent in real operating spending per capita over the study period. This equates to $441 per resident. It is important to recognize that Hanover has spent less money per resident. On the opposite end of the spectrum, in the Cities and Towns category, the City of Steinbach had the highest spending growth of all for the year. Real operating spending per capita increased by 16% from the previous report. Steinbach ranks again near the bottom in 8th place despite having the second lowest level of real operating spending per capita on the list. The City of Steinbach has grown since 2008, by the largest percentage change in population on the list, but so has its real operating spending. According to the report, the 16 percentage point increase is due in large part to an increase in contract services for construction work undertaken, in partnership with the Province, to improve a major highway. There was also the commitment of grant monies, on an ongoing basis, for the development of a community primary health care centre.