By Sam Cortes, Communications Coordinator
Between Riding Mountain National Park, the Duck Mountains, and Dauphin Lake exists a place you could say is the perfect balance between small city life and an outdoor Canadian paradise: Dauphin, Manitoba.
“That’s what I love about where I live is the proximity to the great natural resources that we have. Adventure is just outside your doorstep,” said Clayton Swanton, a lawyer and active volunteer who lives in Dauphin and Co-Chair for the 2020 Manitoba Summer Games powered by Manitoba Hydro that will be hosted in Dauphin in July 2021.
Clayton was recently awarded CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 for his volunteer efforts in active living and economic development in the City of Dauphin. The award recognizes 40 Manitobans under age 40 for building a better Manitoba.
For Clayton, Dauphin is not just where he grew up, it is a place he is passionate about and proud to share with visitors from around the province and across the country.
Home is Where the Heart Is
Clayton completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of New Brunswick. When he came back to live in Dauphin after he completed his education, he quickly found himself diving into community volunteering in addition to practicing law.
“When I moved back home after university, I got recruited to the Rotary Club, and seeing the work that they were doing, the rest is history from there.”
His involvement in the community growing up also played a role in what led him to his efforts today, which includes work with the Manitoba MudRun, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Dauphin Community Economic Development, the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycling Club and the NorthGate Trails.
Preparing for the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro
Clayton’s involvement with the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro started early on. In high school, he was on the youth committee for the games that were held in Dauphin more than 15 years ago.
“When I first realized there was all these people sitting around a table, organizing and planning to do the 2000 summer games, which ended up getting pushed to ’04, I thought there was some value here. These people are building a ball complex, they’re building soccer fields, this was really interesting work they’re doing.”
The Manitoba MudRun, an annual race in Dauphin that raises funds that get earmarked for active living projects, got started through Clayton and other local racers and was an important step in making big ideas come to life.
“That changed everything, because we had $20-30,000 a year that we could pump back into playgrounds and just things that got people out and active,” he said.
“We also made the decision early on that we took 25 per cent of all the money raised and set it aside not to be spent in that year, but just to accumulate. We said ‘At some point, we’re going to want a big chunk of money, so let’s set money aside so that when that big project comes, we can be the one leading the charge.’”
When Dauphin was awarded the 2020 Manitoba Summer Games, that next big project was a network of mountain bike trails called NorthGate.
“We needed a mountain bike course, and it was the Rotary Club we went to and said ‘We want to do more than a four kilometre mountain bike course, we want to do a legacy that’s going to be a destination here, but we need $50,000 to do the design work.’”
And it was MudRun money that helped pay for the trails design, turning an idea into a 26-kilometre reality just two years later.
Ready for the Future
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Manitoba Summer Games were postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.
While this was a difficult decision to make, the Host Society is looking at the positives.
“We were really looking forward to showcasing Dauphin in 2020. But at the same time, we got a lot of work done this summer at NorthGate that we will showcase ourselves even better when we do get to host,” he said. “Whenever we are in a world that will allow us to gather for sporting events, Dauphin will be all the more ready for it.”
Clayton said the goal is that when people come to watch their kid play, they leave wanting to return.
“If you want to do a staycation in Manitoba, why not Dauphin? But you can’t just say it, you need to actually create the amenities that give people that reason to come back.”
A Supportive Community
Clayton believes it’s important for communities to have a mindset of “why not?” rather than thinking right away an idea isn’t going to work.
“That’s integral to have a community that wants to better itself and isn’t afraid of change and is embracing of change – you don’t find that all the time,” he said.
And during the uncertain times we’re currently living in, Clayton said this sense of community is key.
“For the most part, everyone is very supportive and understands that there’s benefits to recreation assets, especially during COVID.”
‘Putting Dauphin On the Map’
Clayton said it feels incredibly rewarding to be recognized for the CBC Future 40 award, but that none of it happens alone.
“Any idea that gets put forth or any work that I’m doing, if it’s just me, none of it’s happening. So, I owe this award to all the other individuals that I volunteer with,” he said. “Without them, it wouldn’t have happened.”
He’s also grateful that because of the award, people around the province are learning more about the city and its draw.
“The best thing about it is that it’s putting Dauphin on the map.”
And when he looks to the years ahead, he looks forward to welcoming everyone to experience Dauphin.
“The future is bright,” he said. “Being a city in Canada that is within 10 kilometres of a national park, I don’t think there’s many of those out there.”
To read more about Clayton’s story, visit CBC Manitoba’s website.
To learn more about Dauphin and the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro, visit our website.
