Dawson Trail Dispatch November 2022

HyLife Fun Days Charity Gifts Make a Big Impact

Giving back to organizations that make an impact in the places our workforce calls home, matters. HyLife 2022 Fun Days events wrapped up with a significant donation of more than $170,000 to local charities.

The employee appreciation event started in 2011 with a single celebration focused on the head office in La Broquerie, Mani toba. This year, the company branched out and held celebrations in four key locations at Windom in Minnesota, US, La Broque rie, Killarney, and Neepawa in Manitoba. To date, with many generous sponsors’ help, HyLife reported raising nearly $1.7 million for charities for its communities.

“This was a chance for our company to say a sincere thanks to those who are key to our success,” said Grant Lazaruk, President and Chief Executive Officer,

HyLife. “In 2022, we took Fun Days on the road, making stops to connect with more em ployees, communities, and partners. The sig nificant gifts will be put to good use at a lo cal food bank and organizations that support youth, seniors, and our neighbours. We have created a living legacy from these events.”

With the rising cost of food, Fun Days 2022 recipient, the Killarney Food Bank, has seen an increase in demand. Thanks to Fun Days’ generous sponsors, the non-profit will use the $40,000 gift to convert a room into a muchneeded walk-in cooler to increase capacity. Until now, the food bank reluctantly had to turn away perishable food donations due to a lack of cooler space.

“We are beyond grateful. We are so excited, we are so happy, and gobsmacked,” shared Giselle Beaupré, Secretary and Client Advo

Steinbach Chamber Probes Labour Challenges

By Dan Guetre

In a recent labour survey of Steinbach area busi nesses, the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce noted some issues employers are facing.

The results showed that 47% of respondents said it was a shortage of people willing to work/be trained to work while 34% said they encountered an inabil ity to find people with the right skills for the job.

Finally, 30% said finding employees with the proper education/certification was the greatest challenge.

Interesting to note the Chamber found that busi ness with 5 or more full-time employees are more likely to find, “The right people for the job are too expensive to hire/wage expectations” as a challenge as compared to those with less than 5 employees (31% vs. 14%).

“Time and cost of recruitment and training” is also a greater challenge for business with 5 or more em ployees as compared to those with fewer employees (21% vs. 7%).

According to the Chamber, one way they are work ing to help with the labour shortage in the community is through their largest initiative, Eastman Immigrant Services where settlement services includes employ ment along with attracting and preparing newcomers for employment opportunities in the area.

The statistics show newcomers served annually has increased from 254 in 2019 to 423 to date in 2022.

The Steinbach Chamber hired Leger to conduct this web-based survey of Steinbach Chamber members. The primary purpose of the research was to provide the Chamber statistically reliable feedback from Steinbach area businesses that can be used to devel op policies and initiatives that represent the business community in the region.

HyLife 2022 Fun Days events wrapped up with a significant donation of more than $170,000 to local charities. In Steinbach, Safe Families Director Michelle Peters was shocked to learn that the group’s transitional housing for youth initiative was getting a big boost. Submitted photo

Millions Earmarked to Reconstruct Highway 12

The Province of Manitoba has set aside $26.9 million for the recon struction of a segment of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 12 located between the Trans-Canada Highway and PTH 15 citing rapid deteriora tion over the last few years due to increased traffic volumes.

Dawson Trail MLA Bob Lagasse was on hand for the announcement.

“I’m thrilled that this much-needed improvement to PTH 12 is moving forward,” said Lagasse “This reconstruction is essential to improving highway safety in our community.”

Reconstruction of PTH 12 includes pulverizing the existing surface, applying bituminous pavement, and widening the shoulders to meet cur rent safety standards. The project will also improve the intersection at Provincial Road 501, rehabilitate a railway crossing, and improve drain age in the area.

The reconstruction of PTH 12 will accommodate increased commercial activity and will meet current and future traffic volumes in our growing area of Dawson Trail.

Lorette West Development Licence Upheld by Province

By Dan Guetre

The Manitoba Municipal Board has decided, following an appeal by some residents, to uphold the development licence issued al lowing the planned development to move ahead.

The Lorette West development project was originally approved by the municipal council and the Province of Manitoba leading neighbouring residents to op pose the project.

Residents argued that the de velopment would cause unnec essary flooding to their neigh bouring properties.

Eventually, under the moniker of the Lorette West Expansion Concerns Group, they appealed to the Municipal Board with the hope the licence previously issued to Schinkel Properties would be revoked.

The Municipal Board sided with the developer citing that “while the board sympathizes with the concerns of the appel lants in protecting their prop erties, the Board has heard no evidence that would invalidate the information utilized by the Province to issue the licence.”

“…no technical evidence was presented by the appellants con tradicting” the modeling and conclusions the developer pre sented read part of the report.

“The Appellants provided anecdotal information on the effects of recent floods and expressed concerns about a dike surrounding the development impacting the flow of water and caus ing increased flooding to area homes,” explained the Municipal Board report. “However, no technical evidence was presented by the appellants…”

The Municipal Board also added that the group of residents did not submit any technical evidence as opposed to the multiple submis sions on behalf of the developer which consisted of professional engineering reports with modeling and conclusions.

“The Appellants provided anec dotal information on the effects of recent floods and expressed con cerns about a dike surrounding the development impacting the flow of water and causing increased flood ing to area homes,” explained the Municipal Board report. “However, no technical evidence was present ed by the appellants…”

The Municipal Board went further mentioning that an email the appel lants submitted purportedly sup porting their argument was in fact not the slam dunk they needed.

The referenced email was from William Veldman, a 50 year veter

photo

an of hydrotechnical consulting.

In the mentioned email, Veldman agreed that the data performed by the developer was sound and de tailed. He added that he had no basis to question the results presented.

“We have always been confident in the professionals that we hired,” explained Alan Klippenstein, Di rector of Real Estate Development with Schinkel Developments. “Both KGS and SBC are some of the most respected engineering firms in the province and we are happy to see the province both agree with and support their findings.”

Schinkel Developments now plans to move forward with the project.

“We are hoping to start some of the dirt work in the next few weeks and haul any material as required over winter,” added Klippenstein. “We would anticipate the proj ect being complete by end of June 2023.”

HyLife Fun Days Charity Gifts Make a Big Impact

cate, Killarney Food Bank. “The amount of help that we’re going to be able to supply people with is amazing. This kind of money gets us a cold room and tons of food to put in it, so our little white house with the orange door is not shutting down anytime soon.”

Over in Neepawa, the Kin Club plans to put its HyLife Fun Days donation to good use, including purchasing a Trishaw bike to get a Cycle Without Age program in motion.

“We are just blown away. $40,000 for us to do so many good things in our community; we are so blessed and so excited to see where this is going to lead us. We’ve got a couple of proj ects that we know that this is go ing to help them flourish. This is also great seed money to start something even bigger. We are super excited and so grateful for HyLife,” shared Amanda Naugh ton-Gale, Neepawa Kin Club.

In Steinbach, Safe Families Director Michelle Peters was shocked to learn that the group’s transitional housing for youth ini tiative was getting a big boost.

“This started as a dream. Whenev er you start a project, it can be daunt ing how much money you need to raise. I never thought forty thousand would be on that cheque. It is giving us a huge start to getting this housing off the ground. To be able to start out of the gate with all these generous Fun Days sponsors and also have the community support that comes along with the donation is amazing,” said Michelle Peters, Director, Safe Families Steinbach.

In Windom, Minnesota, Alan Saf fert took a few minutes to soak in the good news- a $40,000 donation to support an outdoor picnic shelter, the Windom Lions Club’s largest project yet.

“My jaw almost hit the floor. It was such a great surprise. This is go ing to make a huge difference here,” said Saffert, President, Windom Li ons Club. “The entire community will be able to use it. We never had a building in Windom where we could all gather to have a celebra tion where we didn’t have to worry about weather or building a stage. The building will all be covered, and we can enjoy our beautiful park and each other.”

Trail Dispatch

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!

Seniors’ Groups Take Opportunity to Address Issues with Minister: Changing the Way We Age in Our Communities

By Dan Guetre

Seniors advocacy groups recently had the opportunity to meet with Scott Johnston, Manitoba Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care at one of his stops during his tour of the province to engage with people who work with or provide services to se niors. The purpose of the tour was to develop a new seniors’ strategy.

The “town hall” discussion took place at the Pat Porter Centre in Steinbach in mid-October.

Heather Dean, President of the Seine River Services for Seniors took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the event. Seine River Services for Seniors works with old er adults in the RMs of La Broque rie and Ste. Anne, and the Town of Ste. Anne. Their goal is to make life easier and offer services which help seniors stay in their homes longer.

Dean was able to highlight two important issues to support seniors who would prefer continuing to live at home “with dignity for as long as they wish.”

She tackled the critical role of the Senior Resource Coordinators (SRC) in the complex provincial support system for seniors. A SRC is hired by the jurisdiction to not only discover the programs and services available, but responsible to manage volunteers, implement the program and services and get creative when additional ser vices are required.

“The SRC provides vital support for seniors to stay in their home,” explained Dean. “The SRC sits at the critical interface between the home care system and the community. The SRC recruits volunteers to provide services and supports for these se niors, serves as a ‘systems navigator’ for seniors and their families, and col laborates with multiple community seniors’ agencies and organizations.”

She hand delivered a letter to the Minister outlining the responsibili ties of the SRC and concerns about attracting and maintaining qualified and passionate employees.

“The Minister did not address the contents of the letter at this forum,” said Dean. “The Board of Seine Riv er Services for Seniors is optimistic that this concern will be addressed in the overall redesign of the home care model. The concern about funding, sustainability, recruitment and reten tion of SRCs applies also to home support workers.”

Dean believes the image of Home Care should be updated and redefined to a better reality of what it means for today’s society.

“The term ‘Home Care’ needs to be better understood in our society,” said Dean. “Historically the term was restricted to nurses who visit people at home to give medication or change dressings.”

“Home Care needs to be under stood as a broad system of supports and services in the home for multiple situations such as citizens with dis abilities, discharge from hospital and seniors,” she stated. “In the context of seniors, their needs may require

a team consisting of pharmacists, nurses, mental health workers, oc cupational and physiotherapists, per sonal aides (bathing and meal prepa ration), home support workers (home and yard maintenance), and drivers for transportation. This team may be a mixture of public, private or com munity resources designed to meet the unique needs of every senior so that they can live at home as long as possible.”

“The second issue I raised is the timely opportunity we have in our province to reform the system and move towards tipping the balance of funding (more than 50%) for seniors on home care rather than long term care (LTC),” added Dean. “We need to move away from building more LTC beds. It has been widely pub lished that 20-50% of seniors cur rently living in LTC could be cared for at home if we had expanded ser vices provided in the home.”

The attendees at the roundtable rep resented a broad spectrum of seniors’ organizations and facilities across the southeast as well as leaders in many of our rural communities from the Town of Ste Anne, RMs of La Bro querie and Ste. Anne including Para dise Village and Richer.

Other vital issues raised included the need for a provincial seniors om budsman, accessible transportation networks for seniors in rural Manito ba, affordable housing, food insecu rity, training for volunteer and home care staff working with seniors with dementia and intergenerational pro grams to involve students in commu nity seniors programs such as com puter skills and yard maintenance for high school students and story-telling for elementary students.

Although there were no announce ments at this time, Dean is aware the department of Seniors and Long Term Care was only created by the current government in January 2022.

“This was the first of multiple roundtables around the province,” said Dean. “The Minister has previ ously announced a provincial ad visory group of leaders from the Seniors sector that will convene in November. A summary of the les sons learned from the community engagement process of the Strategy will be provided by year end.”

She added that the Minister’s Se niors Strategy is in its infancy as it was only initiated in the spring but she is confident the Province is se

rious in developing a strategy in partnership with those on the front lines.

“Seine River Services for Seniors was invited to participate actively in this Strategy in all of these com ponents,” she noted. “We circu lated the surveys. We organized 5 focus groups in Ste Anne, and the RMs of Ste Anne and La Broque rie. We co-hosted this Minister’s roundtable in Steinbach at the Pat Porter Centre.”

“The active role of Seine River Services for Seniors in all com ponents of the community en gagement process of the Strategy indicates an appreciation for the critical role of community-based organizations that provide sup ports and services for seniors across Manitoba,” she added.

“The invitation for a partnership between an urban senior centre and our rural community organi zation to co-host the roundtable in Steinbach indicates a further appreciation of the various urban/ rural components of a provincial senior’s strategy.”

She is optimistic that there is a political will to make the bold changes that are needed.

When asked what she would consider if she had the opportu nity to make the decisions for the Province, she has some sugges tions for the Minister.

“I would like to see action to wards a renewed model of com munity-based home care that is team-based, person-directed, in tegrated, comprehensive and co ordinated,” she suggested. “Each of those terms is loaded and may mean different things to different people. Nevertheless it is widely agreed that reforming the home care system in Manitoba is essen tial.”

Dean wasn’t shy in adding a few final suggestions.

“The Minister is well aware of unique models of home care worldwide such as the BUURTZ OG model for team-based home care in Denmark,” she concluded. She suggested the Minister and anyone else interested in improv ing the system to watch CBC Marketplace’s March 18, 2022 report called Fixing Elder Care: Lessons from Denmark or reading the book ‘Neglected No More’ by Andre Picard written in 2021.

“Home Care needs to be understood as a broad system of supports and services in the home for multiple situations,” said Heather Dean, President of the Seine River Services for Seniors. Submitted photo

Since its inception almost two years ago, I have been a vocal pro ponent of scrapping the ArriveCAN app and its mandatory use.

Fellow Conservative MPs and my office heard many stories of con stituents being told to unnecessar ily quarantine by the app.

I had families call my office say ing they were fined thousands of dollars at the border after not pro ducing the ArriveCAN app on their phones due to poor cell coverage.

In testimony heard at the Inter national Trade Committee earlier this year, we learned that American tourism is not expected to fully re cover to pre-pandemic levels until 2026. The last thing Canada needed was another deterrent like the Ar riveCAN app to impede an already struggling tourism industry.

Although Conservatives demand ed scientific proof from the Liberal government justifying the Arrive CAN app, they failed to provide Canadians with any scientific data for the justification of its creation. They also have not provided any

credible scientific data on its effec tiveness in preventing the spread of COVID-19 during its mandatory use, nor any scientific data on why it was suddenly not required upon entry to Canada as of October 1st of this year.

All we continued to hear were Political Scientists from the Liberal party saying, “It was based on sci ence.”

When Canadians thought the an guish of the ArriveCAN would end on October 1st, Canadians breathed a sigh of relief – until more trou bling news surfaced last week. It was revealed that the initial cost of $80,000 for the ArriveCAN app over two years ago has now cost Canadian taxpayers over $54 mil lion.

What is also concerning is that the CEO of ThinkON learned his company was listed as one of the companies involved in creating the ArriveCAN app. The only problem, ThinkOn did not work on the Ar riveCAN app, nor did the company receive the $1.2 million in federal

funding as stated by Canadian Bor der Services Agency (CBSA) doc umentation.

To their credit, CBSA admitted that ThinkOn was “Included in er ror” and has started a full investi gation. CBSA never clarified who received the contract, nor did they answer questions on who or which company(s) received the $1.2 mil lion in federal funding. But it begs the question, how does $1.2 mil lion dollars of Canadian taxpayers’ money get misassigned or misre ported??

We are also now learning about the originators of the ArriveCAN app, two salespeople named Darren Anthony and Kristian Firth, who do not build apps or write computer software.

The two-person firm of GCstrate gies told committee last week that they have billed Ottawa over $44 million for IT services, including the ArriveCAN app, and over the past two years have taken commis sions ranging between 15 and 30 percent, equating to $6.6 million

and $13.2 million.

ArriveCAN App Still Haunts Canadians Upgrades Slated for Provincial Road 201

On October 19th I had the honour of being emcee at an event in Vita, Manitoba where Manitoba Trans portation and Infrastructure Minis ter Doyle Piwniuk announced the investment of more than $60 million dollars to upgrade Provincial Road 201 from PR 200 to PR 302.

Our government recognizes the ef ficient transportation of goods is an integral part of Manitoba’s economy and the provincial highway network plays a critical role in enabling mar ket access. PR 201 is an important highway in the region, as it is only east-west provincial route serving the Municipalities of EmersonFranklin, Stuartburn and Piney. It also links PTH 12 to PTH 75.

Currently PR 201 is subject to Level 1 spring road restrictions, which restricts the maximum axle weight for vehicles to 90 per cent of normal loading. With the upgrades of PR 201 to an RTAC rating, spring road restrictions will no longer be an issue.

We all know that this upgrade to

PR 201 will play an important role in the economic development of the southeast corner of our province. This needed investment will enable our farmers, retailers and manufac tures to be more competitive and grow their businesses. This will also open the area to new investment.

PTH 59 is currently being upgrad ed to an RTAC rating from the US border to PTH 52; this will connect PR 201 to a north-south route and add to the transportation infrastruc ture of the south-east.

Many of you may have heard I have made the decision not to seek re-election to represent La Veren drye in the next provincial election to be held in 2023. It has been a difficult decision to make, but one that I feel is the right thing to do. I will continue to serve the constitu ents of La Verendrye, to the best of my ability, until the next Provincial election is called.

I have been the MLA representing La Verendrye for the past 11 years and they are ones that I will cherish.

The Federal government essen tially paid GCstrategies millions to hire programmers to do the work instead of using its own Federal agency Shared Services Canada.

If GCstrategies is one of many contracted companies that made this much money, which other Liberal(s) got rich in this scandal as well?

Bottom line, the Liberal govern ment continues to shroud itself in fiscal controversies, whether by creating a half-trillion-dollar defi cit, the WE charity scandal, and now the ArriveCAN app. Be as sured, Conservatives will continue to keep the Liberal government misspending to account.

During these past 11 years I have learned a lot about government and politics, and have enjoyed repre senting and helping constituents to try to address their concerns. I have not always been able to help every one, but I have tried.

Being the MLA allowed me to meet many people and make a lot of news friends along the way. I would like to thank the constituents of La Verendrye for the last 11 years. Thank You.

As always, I look forward to hear ing from you with your questions or concerns. I can be reached at my constituency office at 204-424-5406 or at dennis.smook@leg.gov.mb.ca.

Village Council to Decide on the Value of Their Input to Service Groups

By Dan Guetre

As it sits right now, the Village of St. Pierre-Jolys Council has a councillor representing their urban municipality on various service groups active in the community. Their input on these boards is now being questioned.

A motion presented at a council meeting has repeatedly been tabled and according to CAO Tina Bubenzer, after the motion was officially recorded council had second thoughts about making the decision as a municipal election was on the horizon and a potential new council should have a say on what they would like to see over the 4-year term.

Although post-election saw no changes in council as the existing mayor and councillors were all acclaimed, no one could have fore seen this development.

Council will soon discuss and vote on a motion of whether to sit on the boards, appoint an employee of the Village to represent them or whether to not sit on the board entirely.

Up for discussion is the Frog Follies, St. Pierre Manoir, St. Pierre Vet, Parc Carillon, St. Pierre Recreation Advisory, Red River Basin and Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District boards.

“…there have always been councillors appointed to these boards,” Bubenzer explained. “Some of these boards [will be] re-evaluated to see how best to represent the village voice on these boards.”

According to Bubenzer, council will be, “Evaluating which com mittees we are required to be on and which we would like to have on the list.”

Seasonal Flu Vaccine Available

Southern Health-Santé Sud will be holding seasonal Flu Clinics throughout the month of November. Annual immunization is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your friends and family from getting the flu.

In the same way that the COVID-19 vaccine is showing effective ness in preventing or reducing COVID-19 symptoms, the flu vac cine protects you from developing the flu caused by the influenza virus. Influenza is primarily spread from person to person through close contact by coughing, sneezing or sharing food or drinks. You can also get the flu by touching objects contaminated with the virus and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose. A person can infect others before, and several days after, symptoms appear. This is why washing your hands, staying home when you are sick, covering your cough and getting the seasonal influenza vaccine is so important.

When you get the flu vaccine, you are protecting yourself, and those around you, against influenza. Immunization has shown to reduce the number of physician visits, hospitalizations and deaths among those at highest risk of influenza and its complications. Get ting the flu shot is especially important this year as our health sys tem is under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Manitobans over 6 months of age are eligible for the seasonal flu shot. It’s especially recommended for those at increased risk of serious illness from the flu, their caregivers and close contacts.

All people aged 65 and over are recommended to get a highdose flu vaccine. As you age, your immune response to a vaccine weakens. The high-dose vaccine elicits a stronger, more effective immune response among older people, who are also at higher risk of complications from the flu. This vaccine will help reduce the risk of serious illness.

Where can I get Immunized?

- Visit southernhealth.ca home page and access the Flu Clinics Schedule; or

- Ask your primary care provider or, for persons 7 years of age and older, visit your local pharmacy.

Lagassé to Run Again in Dawson Trail Constituency as PC Candidate

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba has affirmed that Bob Lagassé is the nominated candidate for the next provincial election after securing the party’s nomination in Dawson Trail.

son Trail,” said PC Party Leader Heather Stefanson. “His record of public service makes him the best choice to represent the constituency of Dawson Trail. I look forward to working with him as we build a win ning team that will continue to earn the trust of Manitobans in the next

provincial election.”

Lagassé has been the Progressive Conservative MLA for Dawson Trail since 2016. Prior to his election as an MLA, Lagassé has worked in the social services sector.

Lagassé and his family reside in Landmark.

Lagassé has been the Progressive Conservative MLA for Dawson Trail since 2016.

Submitted photo

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Holiday Tour is Back

The Steinbach Arts Council (SAC) proudly pres ents an evening of holiday music with the Win nipeg Symphony Orchestra.

After a two year hiatus, the annual WSO Holiday Tour is back, and will feature performances by the Steinbach Youth Chorus and Steinbach Children’s Chorus, a special guest narrator, an audience singalong, and all your holiday favourites.

David Klassen, Executive Director of the SAC, is excited to host the holiday tour and bring the symphony to our community once again.

“There is nothing more exciting than a live or chestra at Christmas! The Winnipeg Symphony makes it possible to showcase local choirs and bring kids and adults together at one of the most heart warming times of the year,” said Klassen.

The seasonal celebration with the Steinbach Arts Council and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra will be held at the Steinbach Mennonite Church on December 6, at 7:30 pm.

For tickets, visit SteinbachArts.ca or call Tara at 204-346-1077.

Teachers’ Idea Fund Supports School Divisions’ Projects

Multiple school divisions in south eastern Manitoba will receive funds to support various projects in their schools through the Teachers’ Idea Fund.

“Manitoba’s Teachers’ Idea Fund pro vides teachers, staff and school leaders with the resources needed to develop innovative projects that support highquality learning and positive outcomes for their students,” explained Education and Early Childhood Learning Minis ter Wayne Ewasko. “Our government is pleased to approve projects that will support the mental health and well-be ing of students and educators, and help make classrooms and schools across the province places of innovation, discov ery and excitement.”

Launched in March 2021, the fiveyear, $25-million Teachers’ Idea Fund received proposals focused on one or more of the following men tal health and well-being strategies in its spring 2022-23 intake that in cluded talking about mental health; training for teachers; incorporating mental health into teaching; provid ing appropriate tools and supports for students; and taking care of teachers and staff.

Roseau Valley School within Border Land School Division will receive $97,978 to put towards its achieving ‘the good life’ project.

Hanover School Division’s Pro active mental health programming

at Steinbach Regional Secondary School will receive $58,000. Addi tionally, the school division will re ceive $116,812 for the Forest/nature school to support academic achieve ment, mental health and social-emo tional well-being program at Wood lawn School. Division wide, the school division was awarded an ad ditional $131,000 for the Divisional career development and life explora tion program initiatives and its In clusive extracurricular activities to build peer connections program.

The Dialectical behaviour therapy skills group program for middle year students in the Seine River School Division will receive $60,250.

Richer Student Tests Her Cyber Security Savvy in First-Ever Challenge

A renowned hacker is about to breach your company’s data, shutting down your network systems and sharing your private information with the world. Only you can prevent it!

This fictional cyber catastrophe is the task at hand for dozens of high school students who participated in the firstever Explore Cyber Security – Youth Competition. Hosted by CyberWave at MITT (Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology), this one-day event was part interactive learning and part com petitive threat scenario exercises.

Shelby Gulbinski, a grade 8 student at Richer School, enrolled in the cyber challenge because she’s interested in the field.

“I really like that my generation is able to do different jobs than past genera tions,” explained Gulbinski. “I want to work with technology and make money in the future. Cyber security seems like that opportunity.”

Teams of students aged 12 to 15 part nered with cyber security mentors at PTEC (Pembina Trails Early College) to defend a corporate server against a fictitious cyber attack. Working in realtime, students established passwords; ensured verified users have access to files, scanned the network for suspicious users, and removed potential hackers. Once they completed their simulations, industry professionals provided recom mendations on how a security profes sional would handle this type of attack.

Jennifer Logan, Youth Program Co ordinator for CyberWave, said the only requirements were an interest in cyber security and a familiarity with comput ers.

“This is a hands-on event for all high school level students to experience what it’s like to work in one of Canada’s fast est growing professions as well as gain insights into the range of available career opportunities,” said Logan.

A recent report by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) shows Canada currently has a demand for approximately 25,000 cy bersecurity practitioners, including near ly 1,000 openings in Manitoba.

Mark Gaudet, Vice-President of Simu lation Technologies at Canadian soft ware company Field Effect, provided the Cyber Range threat simulation platform via their partnership with CyberWave.

“With the Cyber Range at CyberWave, students can experience what it is like to be a cyber security professional by investigating a realistic cyber-attack,” said Gaudet. “With capacity expanding in college and university cyber security programs, fun competitions like these are critical to making students aware of cyber security as a career opportunity.”

Students were rewarded with gift cards, certificates, and bragging rights on the line for the first, second, and third-place teams.

Lorette Dog Park Expected to Officially Open in Coming Weeks

By Dan Guetre

Recently, residents in and around Lo rette are taking to social media in an at tempt to gather more information about the dog park project under construction in the community.

Back in August of 2020 the LUD of Lorette committee brought to the table the idea of creating a local dog park fol lowing the request from a few residents.

“The Committee and council did have a few concerns such as cost, operations, liability etc, but through extensive re search and discussion with other mu

nicipalities that have dog parks we were able to address all of those concerns,” explained Taché CAO Christine Hutlet. “This topic was on the LUD agenda more than 4 times in 2021.”

A piece of land was identified which seemed to be a good fit as it was adjoin ing to some green space already existing within the community.

“Lorette made a request to council to authorize the use of the space for the Dog Park in December of 2021 to which coun cil approved,” said Hutlet.

Working with the LUD of Lorette, Taché

council approved a budget of $60,000 for the park with the funds coming out of the LUD reserve fund.

Next came the creative part of what to create for the community.

“The design came from the research that the staff did,” explained Hutlet, “and [they] came up with the design that was presented and agreed upon.”

As for all the discussion on the active community Facebook page… “We are anticipating that, weather pending, we should be able to open up in the coming weeks,” said Hutlet.

Membership Grows for Taekwondo Club in both Lorette and Ste. Anne

By Dan Guetre

A Taekwondo club created this summer has taken off boasting a combined mem bership of over 100 students under its ban ner.

Aethos Taekwondo, which offers classes in both Lorette and Ste. Anne, are a result of Master Lionel Bernier and Melody Tar diff amalgamating their branches to form the new martial arts club.

“Aethos is an ancient Greek word based on ‘ethos’ that aptly distinguishes our or ganization’s character and moral values, ethics, and integrity and was the brainchild of Aaron Bernier, a senior instructor in Lo rette Branch,” explained Lionel.

The first organized events for Aethos Taekwondo were the two Taekwondo Day Camps organized and operated by Melody Tardiff out of the Ste. Anne Curling Rink over the summer.

“A large area of the concrete floor was covered with the foam martial arts mats for the safety and enjoyment of the day camp ers. Sixteen and nineteen campers respec tively attended these successful week long camps,” added Lionel.

The second event for this new club was a demonstration of Korean Taekwondo at the Ste. Anne Harvest Festival on October 1also in Ste. Anne. This demonstration of Taekwondo techniques and patterns fea tured a range of belt ranks from white belts to 3rd degree black belts. The demo was led by Lorette Branch 3rd Dan senior in structor, Elisabeth Fust.

In mid-October, their Inaugural Colour Belt Promotion Test held at the Ste. Anne Immersion School on Saturday, October 15. Twenty-eight students presented them selves to the testing committee in the hopes of being promoted to the higher rank each was seeking.

Just recently, Aethos club members were able to compete at the 5th annual River City Classic Invitational Taekwondo Tour nament held at the Victor Wyatt School in Winnipeg. The club sent twenty competi tors to this first tournament for them.

Christopher Tata-Deku of Ste. Anne

Branch won the Gold Medal in his pattern competition. Additionally, he won a Silver Medal in sparring.

Matylda Stasica of the Lorette Branch won the sparring Gold Medal for her divi sion and a Silver Medal in patterns.

Parker Greening of Lorette Branch was successful in scoring the first point in over time to clinch his sparring Gold Medal. Bernier noted that even though his stu dent’s opponents were bigger and heavier, his persistent tenacity against these odds garnered his win. He also won a Bronze Medal in patterns.

Others who won medals were Adison Paul - Silver medal patterns, Ana BivolGold Medal patterns, Andrew Pranys - Sil ver Medals in patterns and sparring, Anna Diadiun - Bronze Medal patterns, Anna Marie Rivest - Bronze Medal patterns, Benjamin Joyce - Silver Medal patterns, Casia Schreyer - Gold Medal patterns, Isa bella Joyce - Silver Medal patterns, Raydin LaJoie - Silver Medal sparring, Reid Am meter - Silver Medals in patterns and spar ring, and lastly Yakiv Sydoriakin - Silver Medals in patterns and sparring.

Bernier would like to welcome to the community of Lorette and to his Taekwon do club, the two Ukrainian war refugee families of Elona Diadiun and Julia Sy doriakin.

“Their children, Anna, Yakiv, and Demi an, have participated so well in class and are enjoying the camaraderie associated with being involved in this martial arts sport,” said Bernier.

Bernier is looking at ways for his club to have additional impact in communities they serve.

“Aethos Taekwondo is working on plans to support the youth of our communities in the form of scholarships when it comes time for those graduating to post-second ary studies,” explained Bernier. “With so many of our students in the junior grades, we are also considering smaller monetary awards to students graduating to the junior high years.”

Provincial Consensus Achieved for Changes to Violent Offender Bail Provisions

Provinces from across Canada have agreed, with a push by the Manitoba government, on the need to change federal bail provisions that too often result in dangerous offenders being released back on the street after being charged with violent offences, Justice Min ister Kelvin Goertzen said. The consensus was achieved at the conclusion of three days of meetings in Nova Scotia between pro vincial and federal ministers of justice and public safety.

“The Manitoba government came with a clear message that too many violent of fenders are being granted bail only to them victimize someone else while on bail,” said Goertzen. “I was pleased that all provinces agreed that there needs to be changes to fed eral bail provisions in order to protect our communities.”

Specifically, the Manitoba government brought forward suggestions to make bail harder for accused violent offenders who use a bladed weapon, as well as making bear spray that has been modified for use on hu mans a prohibited weapon.

In addition to offering support for these suggestions, provinces agreed to work on advancing further suggestions to make bail provisions more difficult for repeat and vio lent offenders to the federal government.

Goertzen also reiterated Manitoba’s con

cern about the understaffing of RCMP offi cers in the province and its objection to using scarce RCMP resources to enforce the fed eral gun buy-back program from law-abiding gun owners.

“Already rural Manitobans are frustrated with the lack of RCMP officers available in communities. We need to ensure the officers we have can focus their efforts on stopping crime, not on a federal program targeting law-abiding gun owners,” Goertzen said.

Goertzen urged the federal government to work toward disrupting the flow of illegal guns across the border and the production of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. The min ister noted that those efforts would be en hanced with the extension and enhancement of the federal Guns and Gangs Violence Ac tion Fund.

At the invitation of the Manitoba govern ment, the Canadian Centre for Child Pro tection presented on the increase of child exploitation online and the need to support victims and target predators.

“One of the most impactful presentations of the meetings came from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Without question, we need to work collaboratively across national and international jurisdictions to do more to address the horrific crime of child exploita tion and human trafficking,” Goertzen said.

Back Row: August Mousseau, Rya Bernier, Charlie Tardiff, Melody Tardiff. Aaron Bernier, Master Lionel Bernier, Elisa beth Fust, Edric Comia, Roger Houle. Fourth Row: Anna Marie Rivest, Anna Diadiun on left and Adison Paul, Sara Ammeter on right. Third Row sitting: Abbigail Keen, Casia Schreyer, Andrew Pranys, Reid Ammeter, Isabella Joyce. Second Row: Yakiv Sydoriakin, Benjamin Joyce, Ana Bivol, Raydin LaJoie, Brody Keen, Matylda Stasica. Front Row: Julien Comia, Christopher Tata-Deku, and Parker Greening (missing: Julienne Gloria). Photo by Aylee Braschuk

Richert Clinches 2nd in European Championship Final Standings

drivers all weekend.

In his rookie season of Formula 3 racing, Manitoba race car driver, David Richert, has clinched 2nd Place in the Drexler Automotive Formula 3 Cup final championship standings.

The season concluded mid-Oc tober at Mugello in Italy where Richert climbed to the top step of the podium by taking victory in the Italian Formula Trophy’s F3 Pro category.

Richert completes his rookie sea son in a Formula 3 car with 15 po dium finishes in just 16 races.

“It was a difficult start with some health and technical issues, plus the learning curve was quite steep, but I’m very happy with our progress throughout the season,” explained

Richert. “We really tried every thing this year to be successful on the track. Big thanks to everyone at Franz Woess Racing, my corporate partners, and everyone who has sup ported me throughout the years. It wouldn’t have been possible with out you!”

The race season got underway in Hungary back in April where Richert was able to score his first race win of the year. Technical is sues at Monza and then torrential rain at Imola in Italy closed out a whirlwind start to the season.

The Austrian Alps created a pic turesque backdrop for two more 2nd place finishes at Red Bull Ring and a sweltering 39 degree air tempera ture in Vallelunga, Italy, suffocated

Close race-long battles in Germa ny and Czech Republic lead to more podium finishes, and now finally capping off the season with a big win in Mugello, Italy.

Richert will now return to Mani toba where he will continue the fight to advance his racing career with the process of securing funding for the 2023 race season.

“We have some options to move into a Formula 2 car for next year and there’s also an opportunity to tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but racing is a business first and foremost so we will need to push hard off track this winter to raise the funding necessary to move for ward,” added Richert.

The season concluded mid-October at Mugello in Italy where Richert climbed to the top step of the podium by taking victory in the Italian Formula Trophy’s F3 Pro category.

Richert completes his rookie season in a Formula 3 car with 15 podium finishes in just 16 races.

Submitted photos

Capping off the season with a big win in Mugello, Italy.

Reynolds Fire Department Not Settling, Training and Improvements are New Goals

By Dan Guetre

The RM of Reynolds, under the direction of their new but experienced fire chief, has set the bar high for themselves working on recruitment, training and equipment im provements.

“We are on track and have accomplished a lot in the past few months,” said Fire Chief Don McDougall. “I have 6 mem bers who were previously on the depart ment that either stayed or came back. I have also hired an additional 9. Training has been extensive with training every two weeks to get up to speed as a group, and see where we are all at with training and skill levels. In house, Level 1 firefighter training is well under way with 12 mem bers taking it, and this is in addition to our regular training nights.”

“There is a very big commitment from members,” said McDougall who is pleased with the dedication shown by the team. “We have the trucks organized and la belled the way we like them and feel com fortable responding to scenes.”

According to McDougall, they have es tablished clear guidelines for every type of response his team can follow.

“We are, I would say, past the rebuilding stage. We are in the moving forward stage I would say,” he proudly stated.

McDougall said he would still like to increase the team to 20 members and is confident that target will be reached soon.

“We are fairly confident in responding to scenes now,” he said. “I would like ev eryone to get at least their level 1 before we let mutual aid off the hook but that will depend on the agreement that the munici palities’ have.”

“I would think that by Spring we will be good to go on our own,” he added. “Al though we have been to several calls by ourselves, as well with the Whiteshell and Richer Fire Departments, and everything went off smoothly.”

McDougall is not going to be satisfied when one goal is reached for his team and will encourage them to keep refining and learning new skills.

“The training will never stop for us as I am a firm believer in training to be pre

pared for any and all situations we will come across,” he said. “I also have orga nized first aid and CPR and will continue to train and offer training to any who want to advance.”

Their Level 1 Firefighter course that is currently underway will see the team writing their exams by spring along with the evaluations.

The RM of Reynolds has also showed their commitment in the direction their fire department is taking. The fire depart ment’s recommendation to upgrade the 30 year old pumper was accepted by coun cil.

“The largest purchase that we have made since being here is our pumper truck,” ex plained McDougall. “It replaces our pre vious pumper which was a 1993 and it needed work which was just not feasible to put that kind of money into a truck of that age.”

“Myself, along with a few of the other members started looking online and we lucked out and found the 2013 truck. We purchased it for less than the amount that was in the budget for a truck,” he said. “The ‘new to us truck’ will add reliabil ity and efficiency to our response to all scenes… it is a huge asset to the depart ment and the community.”

McDougall is now working on the struc ture within the department.

“With any fire department or other or ganization you must have a chain of com mand in order for things to run smoothly. After being appointed Chief I waited to get to know our members and to see where I felt everyone fit in our organization,” he explained. “After a few months of work ing with and seeing everyone’s qualities and strengths I had my chain of command in my head. So I then turned to the rest of the team for suggestions and found that we were all on the same page.”

Dave Hood was named Deputy Fire Chief and Terrance Birss will take on the position of Captain.

“They both have shown great leadership skills and knowledge,” added McDougall. “Dave has almost a decade of experience and Terrance has almost 2 decades of ex

St. Pierre-Jolys to Tackle Surface Water Quality

By Dan Guetre

The Village of St. Pierre-Jolys was suc cessful in being awarded $134,700 for a “drainage retrofit program” through the Provincial Conservation and Climate Fund recently.

According to CAO Tina Bubenzer, the money will go towards storm sewer up grades and a feasibility study to work on their climate resiliency plans.

The project total is about $150,000 total which leaves the Village with only a small

percentage to fund themselves.

And this is only the start as the Village council eyes some long-term goals.

“This project is part of a larger project,” said Bubenzer. “Our goals are to improve surface water quality by limiting sources of infiltration into the sanitary sewer sys tem by implementing a drainage retrofit program.”

Bubenzer expects the project to be com pleted by March 31, 2023.

perience. They are both from the area and have been a major asset not only for my self as a new Chief but for the department as a whole. I feel very confident that if I am away, both are capable to take the reins and lead.”

With that said, as their numbers grow, Mc Dougall believes he will need to add more officers.

“I do have a few other members in mind to appoint in officer positions once the time comes,” he said.

McDougall is assessing the need for fur ther equipment or upgrades but his priority will focus on training.

“As we progress as a department I will continue to listen to the members and what we need going forward,” he said. “My main focus is training right now. We are in good spot equipment wise right now. The munici pality and the previous members of this de partment have done a good job of purchas ing equipment and keeping up with latest trends in firefighting.”

This new pumper will soon fly the colours of the RM of Reynolds Fire Department.

Photo courtesy of the RM of Reynolds Fire Department

RM of Taché Fire Department Becomes a Hope’s Cradle Safe Surrender Site

The RM of Taché Fire Department’s Land mark Hall is set to become the first Hope’s Cradle safe surrender site in Manitoba, the second in Canada. The first was installed at the Strathmore Fire Station in Alberta last year.

A Hope’s Cradle is an anonymous and safe place where an infant can be safely sur rendered. Inside is a temperature-controlled bassinet and documentation that informs the parent, usually the mother, of her rights, how the process works, a form to send in about medical history, and a list of resources. Once the door is opened, the parent has two min utes to place the baby in the cradle and vacate the site before a silent alarm is sent to first responders.

Making this project a reality has been a col laborative effort, explains RM of Taché Fire Chief Allan Rau. “Earlier this year, I was approached by Trevor Braun, a member of Taché Fire and was asked if we could place a Hope’s Cradle in the Landmark Fire Station. I researched the subject and was immediately in favour of the idea. The proposal was pre sented to Council and approved. Couldn’t be prouder of the RM of Taché.”

Trevor and Sheila Braun have been pas sionate about a safe surrender site in Mani toba for some time.

According to Sheila, “Trevor and I saw a documentary years ago called The Drop Box, which features the story of a South Korean pastor who found an abandoned infant on his church steps and built a heated hatch to rescue others. We were deeply impacted, so when we read that Life Culture was looking for a location to place a Hope’s Cradle, we immediately wanted to get involved.”

The $20,000 needed to install the cradle will be raised through Life Culture Canada Inc. Executive Director, Susan Penner, said, “Hope’s Cradle is meant as a last resort for parents that feel they have no other option. Any parent who feels the need to utilize this

initiative is in a desperate situation.”

Earlier this spring, a newborn baby girl was found in a dumpster in Winnipeg. Penner said that this tragic situation brought to light that an anonymous, safe surrender site was need ed in Manitoba. “The fact is, we only know about the abandoned babies that are found. There are others that are abandoned that we don’t even know about,” said Penner.

As for placing the Hope’s Cradle in Land mark, research from Hope’s Cradle indicates that parents are more comfortable surrender ing their infant in a rural location due to the perception of anonymity.

Penner noted, “Landmark is a great cen tral location. It is 30 minutes from Winnipeg and Steinbach, with many communities in between. Although located in Landmark, this is really a regional project. I am hoping that individuals, businesses, and churches in the region will get on board with supporting this initiative,” said Penner.

To give, visit GoFundMe and search for Hope’s Cradle. Hope’s Cradle is an initiative of Gems for Gems, a Calgary based organi zation working to end domestic abuse and help survivors.

The RM of Taché Fire Department’s Landmark Hall is set to become the first Hope’s Cradle safe surrender site in Manitoba, the second in Canada. (left to right) Sheila and Trevor Braun, RM of Taché Fire Chief Allan Rau and Susan Penner, Life Culture Canada Inc. Executive Director. Submitted photo

Photo Facebook gemsforgemsnpo

The Strathmore, AB Hope’s Cradle.

Extra GST Credit in November

On October 18, the federal government an nounced that Canadians, who receive the GST Good and Services Tax Credit for the benefit year July 2022 to April 2023, will receive their extra payment early November.

Individual Canadians that are eligible will receive up to $234. Couples without children or single parents with one child will re ceive up to $306. The payment for each additional child under 18 will be $82.

The extra GST benefit payments will deliver $2.5 Billion addi tional targeted support to roughly 11 million individuals and fami lies. The intention is to help with the additional costs of almost everything due to inflation.

The payments will be made direct to your bank account as per normal. Or by cheque if that is how you normally receive your GST benefit.

The two additional benefits previously announced: the Canada Dental Benefit and the Canada Housing Benefit are still to be de termined and no further announcements have been made. For some information about expected eligibility, check out last month’s ar ticle on dawsontrail.ca.

It appears that applications for these two new benefits may be administered and processed online via Canada Revenue Agency, so make sure you have access to your CRA My Account. If you have not registered yet, we recommend you do so now. If you had access at some time in the past, but cannot remember your user ID and password get it reset now. Go to cra.gc.ca.

We will continue to monitor the government’s announcements and will provide as much information as possible in future articles.

Anni Markmann is a Personal Income Tax Professional and Cer tified Financial Planner; living, working, and volunteering in our community. Contact Ste Anne Tax Service at 204-422-6631 (phone or text!) or 36 Dawson Road in Ste Anne (near Co-op) or info@ sataxes.ca.

RM of Taché Creates Position to Focus on Economic Development

By Dan Guetre

During the last four year term of the RM of Taché council, dis cussions about hiring someone to focus on economic develop ment was a repeated topic of discussion. These discussions have now led the municipality to advertising for a full-time Economic Development Of ficer (EDO) to handle matters involving the Taché Commu nity Development Corporation (CDC).

“This is a new position, but has been the works for several years with conversations hap pening at the beginning of this current council’s term and with it being highlighted in the Ta ché CDC’s Strategic plan that was adopted on Dec 14, 2021,” explained CAO Christine Hut let. “…seemed like the oppor tune time to launch the position. Money has been included in the budget for Economic Develop ment since the 2021 budget.”

The municipality is hopeful the new EDO will use their expertise and be able to entice new opportunities to their area.

“This is something that coun cil has felt for a very long time is necessary, but it takes time to develop,” added Hutlet. “Coun cil officially passed a resolution to create the position on June 14, 2022, with the job descrip tion being created and reviewed by the CDC with Council adopt ing on Oct. 11, 2022.”

“Having an Economic Develop ment Officer will give the munici pality the resource and expertise to develop the tools that will identify what, when and how we should be actively looking for business op portunities to expand or establish themselves with in Taché to help support our predominately residen tial and agricultural communities,” she explained.

Hutlet is hopeful the can find the right candidate and have that per son in place within the “first few months of 2023.”

When it comes to creating eco nomic development opportunities there is no magic wand but shortterm and long-term results can be expected.

“In the short-term, the EDO will be expected to develop the tools and studies through examining the current economic situation and ca pacity in the region, developing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, op portunities, and threats) analysis of existing business potential, identify gaps in the community that should be addressed such as infrastructure, labour availability, etc, not only for new business, but existing business and develop tools and long term plans to help support business and economic development,” said Hut let. “The EDO will play a big part in assisting the Taché CDC to move their strategic plan forward and im plementing their objectives.”

“Long-term plans would be de veloping strategies, once we have all the data and have been able to

build in capacity to be investment ready to actively go out and seek potential businesses to establish themselves in Taché and strength en our local economy,” she added. “The ultimate goal would be job creation and service availability to allow our residents to live, work and spend their money locally.”

Hutlet believes that a strong lo cal economy will help support the residential growth that they are al ready experiencing and the residen tial growth will help support local businesses.

The new EDO position doesn’t come without a price.

“The approximate cost for this position to the rate payer is esti mated around $100,000 - $150,000 for the first year to start engaging in the data collection and developing the tools necessary to get us to the next level for long term planning,” she stated.

While the Taché Community Cen tre falls within the portfolio of the Recreation and Community Servic es Department, she explained that the EDO will assist with economic development by creating more rec reational and community service opportunities.

It has been proven in other ju risdictions that the addition of an experienced EDO has many sig nificant benefits to a community claimed Hutlet. “Good examples of strong economic development can be seen in Steinbach, Hanover, Ri tchot and many other communities across this province.”

Fatal Collision Under Investigation

On October 19, at approxi mately 1:40 am, RCMP Traffic Services responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian collision on the Perimeter Highway east of the intersection of St. Anne’s

Road, in Winnipeg.

Initial investigation has determined that a semi-truck was travelling east, when a pedestrian walked onto the roadway and was struck.

The pedestrian was pronounced

deceased at the scene. Officers are in the process of confirming the identity.

The driver of the semi, a 52-yearold male from Blumenort, was not physically injured.

RM of Piney Household Dump Pit to Close in January 2023

The RM of Piney’s household dumping pit at the Woodridge dump site will be closed as of January 1, 2023 and they are reminding residents of the new process for disposal.

Starting January 2, all house

hold materials must be disposed of using appropriate transfer bins with household waste placed in the green bins and recyclables placed into the blue bins.

For items like furniture with springs, appliances, hazardous

waste and oils, the attendant on duty can direct residents to the appropriate area on the site. The attendant can also answer any other questions a resident may have in relation to the facility and changes.

Eat Local on a Budget Part 7:

Is making broth part of your cook ing routine? It has been part of mine for many years. Slow simmered roasted bones with my favourite assortment of veggies and herbs provides me with tasty and healthy broth I can use as a base for many comforting meals especially valu able now as we head into the cold months of the year.

In days gone by, when the butcher sold meat on the bone rather than individual fillets or whole chickens rather than boneless breasts, our thrifty ancestors made use of ev ery part of the animal by preparing stock, broth or bouillon from the ex tra bony portions.

This month we continue our se ries Eating Local on a Budget. In Eat Local on a Budget Part 6 Leah Bouchard encouraged readers to buy meat direct from the farm, she sug gested saving the bones and asking for the extras that often get thrown out such as chicken feet. Another thrifty option is to get in the habit of using the leftover bones after you cook a roast.

Not only is bone broth tasty, but bone broth — real bone broth, made from whole roasted bones — is touted for its health effects. Animal bones are packed with vitamins, minerals and collagen, all of which seep into the broth when slow sim mered in water. The end result: a healthy liquid that can help ease digestion, fight inflammation, and even improve sleep.

Here is one way to do it: When starting with raw bones, roast them in a hot oven. This intensifies the flavour of the broth and adds rich ness you can’t otherwise achieve, so don’t skip this step.

Next, cover the bones in water and set over the stove-top. (You may also use a crock pot or slow cooker.) Add a bit of apple cider vinegar to help break down the collagen while infusing the broth with a nice tangy zip. Let the bone broth simmer for 10-12 hours, occasionally skimming off the excess fat and sediment at the top with a fine mesh strainer.

When there’s about four hours of cook time left, add your favourite

veggies and herbs. Some suggested add-ins are: onion, garlic cloves, celery, carrots, fennel bulb and fronds, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns. Keep in mind that you don’t need to add any veggies to the bone broth, but it helps to bal ance the flavour and adds even more antioxidants to the broth.

When the broth is complete, let it cool down to room temperature. As it cools, there will be some gell ing and a thin layer of fat at the top. Do not discard this! These contain the vital nutrients that bone broth is known for and is a sign you made your bone broth correctly.

Store your cooled bone broth in sterilized glass jars. It will keep for five days in the fridge, or up to a year in the freezer.

Use your homemade bone broth in soups, stews, gravy, and any recipe that calls for stock. You can even try it as a recovery drink after a tough workout.

Brought to you by the Stuartburn Emerson-Franklin Local Food Ini tiative.

Landmark Arena Gets Approval for Condenser Replacement

By Angelique Forest from the Recreation Reserve Fund.

Landmark Arena will be receiv ing a condenser replacement ac cording to the minutes of an RM of Tache council meeting held in midSeptember.

The needed upgrade will cost of $180,424 with the funds withdrawn

“We authorized the purchase now because the current one is in need of replacement and is at the end of its life and if we wait much longer to replace it will affect operations of the arena,” stated Christine Hut let, Chief Administrative Officer

for the RM of Tache. “The new condenser takes six months for de livery so it will be replaced next summer for use in the 2023/24 sea son.”

She added that the current con denser is still functional and will remain in use until next season.

Attention New Home Owners in Lorette

Welcome to the growing communi ty of Lorette! Have you purchased a home, town home, duplex, or con do in the LUD of Lorette, in the last year? Is this your FIRST TIME liv ing in Lorette? Do you have ques tions about your new community?

The Welcome Basket Commit tee would be happy to answer any questions. We have a FREE basket of Gift Certificates, coupons, gifts, and information which have been generously provided by the busi nesses and organizations in the

LUD of Lorette. In order to qualify, you must email your request to lorettewelcome basket@gmail.com (no strings at tached). You cannot contact us via Lorette Discussion Board or Face book.

RCMP Seek More Info on Patel Family’s Movements in Canada

On January 19, 2022, Manitoba RCMP discovered four bodies near Emerson, approximately 12 metres from the Canada/US border. Their deaths were determined to be due to exposure. Investigators believe the family was dropped-off near the border and was attempting to enter the United States on foot with a larger group of people, when they became separated and succumbed to the elements.

The four victims Jagdishkumar, a 39-year-old male; Vaishaliben, a 37-year-old female; Vihangi, an 11-year-old female; and Dharmik, a 3-year-old male were from the same family and were all Indian na tionals.

An extensive investigation was immediately launched by the Mani toba RCMP, including officers from the Emerson RCMP Detachment, Major Crime Services and Federal Policing. Officers have been work ing in close collaboration with US Border Patrol and the US Department of Homeland Security. RCMP Liaison Officers in India and Washing ton have also been assisting throughout the investigation.

Over the past nine months, officers have travelled extensively across Canada and the United States to conduct interviews and follow-up on tips.

“We can confirm that the Patel family’s travel from India to Canada, and their attempt to gain entry into the United States, was very thoughtout and organized, likely being run by a human smuggling network. Investigators believe that secure messaging applications were used to communicate,” stated the RCMP in a release.

The investigation into their movements within Canada has confirmed that on January 12, 2022, at approximately 2:30 pm (eastern), the Patel family arrived in Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport. They arrived in Toronto via an international flight that left Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on January 12, 2022.

The Patel family was picked up at the airport by a private vehicle. They moved a few times while in Toronto, staying at both a private accommodation and hotels. The family at times used ride-share apps to travel between these various accommodations.

Investigators believe they left the Toronto area shortly before they were discovered near the Canada-United States border on January 19, 2022. It is unknown at this time how they travelled from Toronto to Em erson. All commercial modes of transportation between these two loca tions, including air, rail and bus, have been verified by investigators.

In an effort to further the investigation, RCMP released video surveil lance from January 12, 2022, of the Patel family at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

“We have a specific gap in the Patel’s timeline between January 15 to when they were so tragically discovered near the border on January 19. We’re confident that people saw and helped the family during this time as they travelled more than 2,000 km from Toronto to Emerson,” said Sergeant Gary Bird, an investigator with RCMP Major Crime Servic es. “We need these people to come forward and share what they know about the Patel family’s journey within Canada. Even the smallest bit of information could be significant. This should not have happened. Four lives, an entire family, are gone. We need the people who have informa tion to step forward, so we can find out what happened and hold those involved to account.”

The RCMP urges anyone who may have information to call Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services at 431-489-8551, or call Crime Stop pers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at manito bacrimestoppers.com.

On January 12, 2022, at approximately 2:30 pm (eastern), the Patel family arrived in Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Not only is bone broth tasty, but bone broth — real bone broth, made from whole roasted bones — is touted for its health effects. Animal bones are packed with vitamins, minerals and collagen, all of which seep into the broth when slow simmered in water. The end result: a healthy liquid that can help ease digestion, fight inflammation, and even improve sleep. Submitted photo

Trail Dispatch

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!

Local Woman Announces Her Intent to Replace Smook in La Verendrye

By Dan Guetre

A new face representing the La Verendrye Con stituency is guaranteed after the next provincial election following the announcement that current MLA Dennis Smook will not seek another term, ending his role in the legislature after serving for over a decade.

With provincial election potential still a year away, Smook announced his decision in part to al low time to mentor a new Manitoba Progressive Conservative candidate.

Seeing this as a great opportunity, Jen Brandt, who owns a farm and also has a second residence in the constituency has already announced her inten tions to seek the nomination.

Brandt describes herself as someone not afraid of working long hours while being able to maintain a smile. Married for 24 years, she has three grown children and a grandchild with another one on the way.

“I have been involved in the family business for 20 plus years,” added Brandt referring to Crikside, a business that has evolved into serving the agri culture, lawn and garden and outdoor recreation markets.

On top of that “I’ve been beef farming for a few years helping where needed, not worried about get ting my hands dirty,” said Brandt.

Brandt is confident her life experiences will be an asset when it comes to representing the constitu ency.

“I have been building relationships and encour aging others to succeed,” she explained and added she is not shy when communicating with people. “I absolutely love community events and sharing stories with new and familiar faces.”

She defines herself as committed, loyal and hon est, and this is an opportunity that is coming at the right time in her life.

“The timing is right. I feel with my personal ity and life experience I will be able to serve the constituents whole heartily and listen to the con cerns,” said Brandt. “I stand on my integrity and honesty.”

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know the people in this constituency for a majority of my life, she contin ued. “My heart is to help people and my mind push es for results. This pairing gets me very excited for this next opportunity.”

According to Brandt, there is an opportunity for added growth in the area and she’s excited for the chance to make a difference.

Over the years, Brandt has served on various boards, committees and the frontlines of commu nity events. In her opinion, these groups are the driving force for growth and improvements and she is proud to be part of that movement.

“With the deep relationships I have built over the years I am excited to let those voices be heard,” said Brandt.

Brandt is confident that her fresh perspective from the outside of the provincial political scene could be viewed as a challenge by some but in her mind, it is an advantage.

“There’s a potential people don’t view me as a ‘politician’ and I’m okay with not fitting in the normal ‘politician’ mould,” explained Brandt. “La Verendrye is not your typical area, and I’m not your typical ‘politician’.”

“I have been feeling a nudge to be bold and step

outside my comfort zone,” added Brandt. “It’s time to make a difference and be a strong voice in these uncertain times.”

If the La Verendrye PC Party Constituency se lects Brandt to represent them, Brandt would be the first woman to do so. If she wins in the provincial election, she would be the first woman MLA to represent an eastern Manitoba constituency in the Provincial Legislature. While other women have campaigned for other political parties within the modern day boundaries of La Verendrye, such as Monica Guetre for the Manitoba Liberals and Ja nine Gibson for the Manitoba Green Party, neither garnered the votes to be elected to the legislature.

“I think the opportunities are opening up for fe males across the board,” said Brandt. “The ‘poli tics’ in politics need to change. I do think the boys club is alive and well but dare I say the membership is dwindling? I would be honoured to be the first female MLA in the La Verendrye Constituency.”

The process of securing the nomination of a political party and then campaigning in a general election is no small feat. Having encouragement of family and friends does make the process easier.

“My family’s initial reaction was all pretty con sistent… a smile… a slight shake of head, and then pride in my drive and commitment,” explained Brandt. “They all let me know they will help me in any way they can and are very supportive and encouraging. The support from friends has been in credible, overjoyed to hear I am seeking to be the candidate for the PC party in La Verenrdrye.”

“If anyone can do it Jen, you can. Don’t doubt it for a minute” is a typical comment she has been receiving when friends hear of her plan. Another friend who knows her well simply said “of course you are... you’ll do great.”

Asked to define what an MLA should be, Brandt is not afraid to put her brand on display.

“I think an MLA should be a listening ear and a collector of thoughts, ideas and concerns from the constituents,” she explained. “From there, the representative within government should make de cisions that reflect those fundamentals within the riding. An MLA should be a strong voice for the area. Transparency is key.”

She is also hard at work setting priorities based on what she is hearing from local residents and other Manitobans.

“I see the healthcare system pushed to a breaking point and something has to change,” said Brandt.

“I see the need for affordable housing for seniors in the towns they have lived in their entire lives.”

“Growth within the area both big and small creat ing jobs and sustaining family business and farms,” she added. “We need a Progressive Conserva tive delegate who is not afraid to speak up and be heard.”

According to Brandt, the ups and downs in life are opportunities to learn and grow.

“Not every season of life has been easy. But ev ery single one has given me more life experience to prepare me for this new season I hope to be a part of,” she said. “I look forward to the new challenges and rewards this next season will bring.”

With a constituency nomination meeting on the horizon, Brandt is busy getting the paperwork com pleted and ready to submit. The nomination meet ing will be held on November 10 starting at 5 pm at the Sarto Hall.

Jen Brandt, with the support of her husband Rob, plans to seek the PC Party of Manitoba nomination to fill the shoes of current MLA Dennis Smook who is retiring from provincial politics after this term. Submitted photo

Bountiful Support for Vegetable Drive

The 2nd annual Vegetable Drive in support of local food banks for the RMs of Whitemouth and Reyn olds on September 10 proved to be a growing success.

A whopping 924 pounds of food was received in Whitemouth and 280 pounds in Hadashville, of which 50% were root crops suitable for long-term storage. Non-perish ables and cash donations were also received at both locations.

Darlene Thom from the Reynolds Food Bank noted the rising cost of living can be especially stressful.

“Every little bit helps,” she said. “Many of our clients are seniors and express what a big difference the food bank has made for them.”

Collected donations were deliv ered the same day of the drive to area food banks in Lac du Bonnet and Hadashville.

The increase in donations received was dramatic.

“Last year, we accepted 128 pounds from the Drive, this year it’s over 900,” said Kim Laurans, Chair person of the Lac du Bonnet Food Bank. “It was incredible to see this

amount of support from community. Our food bank usage is at an all-time high, and these donations couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Laurans added that the number of hampers being prepared at this food bank has nearly doubled since the start of Covid.

Theresa Friesen, the new President of Reynolds Food Bank, was one of the volunteers receiving donations in Hadashville.

“It’s wonderful. We’ll be opening up an extra pick-up date so people can come and stock up on what’s ripe now and store the rest,” said Friesen.

The Vegetable Drive was orga nized by Hadashville Recreation Centre, Community Wellness Pro gram (IERHA), Reynolds Garden Club, Two Rivers Services for Seniors, and Whitemouth & Area Lions Club. Many members of the newly formed garden club, which have gardeners from Whitemouth all the way to East Braintree, pre pared in advance by participating in a “Grow A Row” program, planting extra for the purpose of donating.

Some area farmers and businesses were also contacted in spring, alert ing them to the fall drive before the growing season.

Marilyn Sitar, Wellness Facilitator (IERHA), was thrilled by the growth of the drive in a year.

“We want to thank the volunteers and growers that helped in differ ent ways across both municipalities, and everyone who donated to the drive,” said Sitar. “We hope to keep the momentum going next year and offer the kind of support needed by residents of these communities. Be ing able to access fresh produce is so important to maintaining physi cal and mental wellbeing, and noth ing beats food straight from the gar den!”

While the food drive is over for this year, there are still ways to con tribute. Many food banks are able to receive cash, cheques, or e-transfers by email, and for some food banks volunteers are badly needed. For a list of food banks in the InterlakeEastern region, please go to ierha. ca/programs-services/life-style/ food-nutrition.

No Feeder or Experience Needed to Help Birds with Project FeederWatch!

Helping birds has never been eas ier. Last fall and winter, more than 25,000 people across North Ameri ca watched the birds in their neigh bourhoods and turned their observa tions into scientific discoveries.

Project FeederWatch is coor dinated by Birds Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is a welcoming activity for both newto-birding and experienced birders. Everyone is welcome to sign up now and begin counting birds when the 36th season of Project Feeder Watch starts November 1.

By taking part in Project Feeder Watch, volunteers make it possible to track long-term trends in our win ter birds. Resources to help identify the bird species such as posters, we binars, an app and online support are provided. The observations are used in scientific research and to in crease our understanding of how our wildlife is faring and actions needed to protect them.

Kerrie Wilcox, Project Feeder Watch Leader at Birds Canada said “taking part in Project FeederWatch is really easy. Participants just need to sign up, count the birds outside, and submit results online or by using the Project FeederWatch mobile app”.

In Canada, participants make a do nation of any amount to Birds Can ada at birdscanada.org/feederwatch then can sign up online, or call tollfree 888-448-2473.

Everyone is welcome to take part. Each person decides how much time to spend and how often to count birds – and they don’t even need a feeder to participate! When

they sign up, Birds Canada will send them a handbook with instructions, a poster of common species, and a calendar to keep track of their bird watching days.

Last season, Black-capped Chick adees topped the list for the most commonly-seen bird across Canada. The Downy Woodpecker and Darkeyed Junco completed the top three.

We still have so much to learn! The long-term dataset collected by Project FeederWatch participants gets more and more useful with each passing season.

Project FeederWatch data were used in a recent study on Redbreasted Nuthatch movements dur ing winters, which occur when their food is lacking in forests up

north. The study suggested that the nuthatches’ need to leave breeding grounds to find food in unfamiliar places resulted in a decline in the breeding population. Project Feed erWatch data can help scientists de termine the causes of the decline.

Project FeederWatch needs par ticipants across North America to count common birds – the birds that

many people see every day – not just rare ones. How are these com mon species responding to habitat changes and warmer winters? Even if you just see one Black-capped Chickadee or two House Sparrows, it is valuable information that helps build a picture of how the birds we care about are doing from one year to the next.

Kaye Foote of the Reynolds Garden Club and Theresa Friesen of the Reynolds Food Bank.

Submitted photo

Dark-eyed Junco.

Photo by Kerrie Wilcox

Blue Jay.

Photo by Gord Belyea

Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Photo by Gord Belyea

A Radical Idea to Redefine “Municipal Taxation”

progressive income tax is more eq uitable because of this.

By Monica Guetre

The municipal elections are over and it will be up to residents to en sure the promises made are kept by those elected.

Community development, a ma jor theme of the elected candidates, now depends on local council dedi cation to navigate the whims of provincial and federal politicians. What makes development difficult is the lack of stable funding mod els that can be used to maintain not only the status quo but to create a future plan.

Beyond the myriad of federal and provincial program transfer pay ments, the primary revenue streams for municipalities are property tax es followed by special levies, ser vice fees, fines, other taxes and the selling off assets such as a building or land.

For Councils, CAO’s and essential support staff the forever question is, “How to increase revenues from existing sources, how to create new cost effective revenue streams and how to reduce costs?”

For residents and business own ers the question is, “Is the cost fair, reasonable and does it advance or hinder quality of life in our chosen neighbourhood?”

Get Rid of Property Taxes

Property taxes are regressive with respect to income taxes that are progressive. Meaning that for in come taxes, if you are making less money your tax share is lower and those making more have a higher income tax rate. Many argue that a

A senior who purchased their home many years ago and is now on a fixed income or a family try ing to make ends meet is still is go ing to pay the same assessed value on their property even though their ability to pay fluctuates. Since property taxes are not directly re lated to the ability to pay, it can be a burden.

By using assessed values, this bur den is unequally distributed across the municipality with residents at very different levels of income. We do know that this burden varies be tween municipality and provinces. Does a property tax actually con tribute to after-tax income equality in Canada?

What’s good about property tax is that it is paid directly to the munici pality you reside in.

Currently property tax is typically calculated by multiplying the as sessed value of the property by the tax rate - referred to as ‘mill rate’ and expressed as dollars of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. For the most part agricultural land as well as residential properties is usually taxed at lower rates than non-resi dential properties.

Property tax is levied on the full value of the property, not the own er’s equity and does not take into account income or household/busi ness expenses. For many, household and business income has dropped over the last several years.

Why are the federal, provincial and municipal governments in the real estate and insurance valuation business? How have we allowed politicians to become traders in a futures market?

Whether your abode or business is 900 ft or 20,000 sq ft with a base ment or 2nd story has an attached or detached garage, built along

a country road or in a town/city should not matter when it comes to paying for services that a munici pality provides for our benefit.

The property tax you pay is deter mined on what the assessed value could be if sold on the open market, even if the decision to sell is this year, way in the future, or never happens because you decide to pass it down to the next generation.

Volatile assessed values should not be used to cover actual mu nicipal costs such as plowing snow, grading a gravel road, building roads, lagoons or bridges. Whether you live in a growing municipality or one that is struggling because the tax base has moved out or shut down it could be difficult to budget and plan long-term.

Property taxes can stifle invest ment which results in a lack of abil ity to pay for our infrastructure in our communities and hamper com munity development if there is no money to pay for services let alone attract new business and residents. Move to a Municipal Service Cost

Any household or business can tell you that they make plans based on actual numbers, not the “what ifs”. This is why our “property” tax bill should be turned into a “munic ipal service” bill. The municipality can even add cost lines, for trans parency, services such as garbage, recycling services, or a special tem porary levy to pay for flood protec tion, a new waterway that is used recreationally or for paving a road or upgrading infrastructure.

A “Service” bill based on actual costs would end the cost of admin istration for property assessment and appeals as well.

The cost to run a municipality can be easily calculated and it’s based on actual numbers in real time.

A uniform “Services” bill has the

advantage of being simple, trans parent, and predictable in terms of the amount of revenue that will be collected – most importantly it is based on actual cost.

Those municipalities that of fer enhanced access to services that benefit our quality of life and health such as solar power generat ing, water quality testing, recycling, hazardous waste disposal, parks, li braries, arenas would receive more than those that do not.

Possibly we could look at capping the amount that a lower income household pays by building into a provincial formula an amount to provide relief to those actual lower income people. New Brunswick did this by adopting an “assess ment spike protection” that pro tects homeowners from steep and unanticipated increases. Any in crease greater than 10 percent will be phased in over several years. In that province new construction and major improvements are exempt from this protection.

We could look at a short term con sumption levy to pay for new roads or bridges. This type of tax or levy is easy to collect and, well hate to say it, it’s impossible to dodge.

At the risk of getting an earful on the benefits of a consumption tax or a “user tax”, these do work by targeting new and existing in vestments in our community that in turn create a better quality of life for us all. A usage tax could reduce overall waste going into a landfill or incentivising an industry to re duce the use of water. Recently in Calgary, you have some crop grow ers moving into empty high rises. Apparently they use less water, fertilizer and pesticide compared to growing crops in an open field. Additionally, it expands your agri cultural base and leaves those open fields for crops that can’t be grown

indoors. This is only one example of how incentives could work with different property classes that in crease money coming in to pay for municipal services.

Looking further afield in northern Europe, local governments receive less than 11 per cent of their funds from property taxes; in Sweden, it is only 2.4 per cent.

Use a Similar Calculation Based on Provincial and Federal Taxation

Your income tax filings already include the Provincial income tax. We could scrap the property tax and instead add to your annual fil ing a “municipal income tax.” Our municipal taxation would mirror the parameters of the other two lev els of government. For this change to work, a baseline would have to be established for municipal budget requirements. This change is sim ple since it is a calculated by mul tiplying your provincial income tax by x percent to calculate a refund able/payable municipal income tax. It would be progressive in its calcu lation too. One problem is how to collect taxes from those individuals and corporations that legally don’t have to report all their revenue in Canada but still use our infrastruc ture and community services. The solution is to add a calculation based on postal code for the ser vices used within the province and municipality.

Whether you agree or disagree with how a change in calculation should be implemented, we need to re-evaluate how municipal taxes are calculated. In reality, munici palities require revenue, and that will never disappear. But is there a better and less volatile way to cal culate? Can we create a system that is more of a catalyst for improve ments and more equitable in how we pay for the services?

Species at Risk Spotlight: Eastern Tiger Salamander

By Norm Gregoire

Over the course of this past sum mer there was one common theme that would get brought up every time I would mention the weather while talking within the communi ty. “Well, it sure has been a wet one compared to the last few summers.”

I had to agree. Although a rainy summer day isn’t exactly what ev eryone likes, they are essential to keeping the environment around us balanced. Also noted by others was an increase in mosquitoes, frogs, and salamanders. This includes an at-risk species, the eastern tiger salamander.

We do have a few different spe cies of salamander in Manitoba, so identifying one correctly may take a closer look. The adult eastern tiger salamander is one of North Amer ica’s largest salamanders growing upwards of 35 cm. They are dark in colour with dull yellow, orange,

or green spots on a stocky body. As an amphibian, salamanders have distinct physical stages of develop ment. In the egg or larval stage, it may be near impossible to differen tiate between salamander species.

Also, as an amphibian, the eastern tiger salamander depends on both aquatic and terrestrial (land) habi tats to complete their life cycle. In the early egg or larval stage, the wa ter source that is used must be free of predatory fish and be present for three to seven months a year. Terres trial habitat includes grasslands, sa vannas, and woodland edges usually adjacent to breeding sites. While on land, the salamander will be forag ing, burrowing, or overwintering.

This need for both aquatic and terrestrial habitats increases the po tential for threats caused by an un healthy, fragmented ecosystem. A major concern for the eastern tiger salamander is road mortality.

Last month I came across a sala mander on a quiet gravel road. Dur ing the fall, salamanders can be more easily observed as they travel in search of overwintering grounds. I decided to make sure this particu lar salamander made it safely to the other side. When possible, remem ber it is always best to give wildlife space. This is especially true for handling amphibians. Their skin can be sensitive as the pores are used for breathing. What is on your hands may then be transferred. In the age of daily hand sanitizer use, I think it is best to leave our coldblooded friends to find their own path, or in my salamanders’ case slowly ‘shoo’ it off the road.

It should be noted that their per meable skin does make amphibians vulnerable to toxins and draughts. So, you may not appreciate a rainy summer day, but the eastern tiger salamander sure does; in fact, they

depend on it! I find it interesting to learn about these connections in na ture; this shared ecosystem of ours has a way of keeping itself balanced and we must do our part to not tip the

scale. Here’s to seeing more eastern tiger salamanders in the future! For more information contact Norm Gregoire at sarcommunityli aison@gmail.com.

Eastern Tiger Salamander.

Photo by Tristan Clark via iNaturalist

Over

Make the Right Choice for Your Eternal Path

Have you ever visited a graveyard? It may sound morbid, but it may teach you a lesson. Everyone buried in the graveyard used to be physi cally alive like you and I. One day life as we know it came to an end for them, and their final physical resting place became a cemetery.

My parents, whom I loved and re spected very much, have both passed away and are resting side by side in a little cemetery in Apsley, Ontario.

When you visit that graveyard, it’s at the end of a little gravel road. So, it’s at the end of a dead-end road.

What a graphic reminder of how some view life! To them, death ends all. Yet, if that’s true then the Bible is in error and the Lord Je sus Christ was either ignorant or deceitful. He said in John 5:28, 29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his (God’s) voice and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Christ made an important distinction regarding those in the grave, and He only gave them one of two options. They would have either eternal life or eternal damnation. The factor that determined their fi nal destination rested on a decision they made before they entered the graveyard.

Those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and trusted Him to forgive all their sins now have eternal life and their soul entered heaven the moment life ceased for them down here. Those who re fused or failed to put their sins under the blood of Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a literal lake of fire. (Rev 20:15)

Life, as we know it on earth, does not finish at the end of a dead-end road. Instead, it transitions into eternity in one of two places: heaven or the lake of fire.

Which place are you headed for today? God isn’t willing that any one should perish or die for eternity. But the decision where you end up is your choice, not God’s. Make sure you settle that issue person ally before it’s too late.

God bless you as you let Him help you sort out this issue in your life.

Years of Service to Our

Municipality Focusing on Improving Vita Rest Area

By Angelique Forest

Vita, a small town with a huge heart, is the meeting place in Sun rise Corner. Located in the heart of the RM of Stuartburn and en route to area tourist attractions including Buffalo Point, Moose Lake Provin cial Park and Sandilands Provincial Forest, Vita is instrumental in pro moting tourism within the region as well as highlighting the importance of the rare Tall Grass Prairie Eco system the area is known for, ac cording to the municipality.

In mid-October, the RM of Stu artburn council passed a motion to support grant applications for a skate park/multi-purpose concrete sports pad and safety lighting in the Vita Rest Area. The skate park/ multi-purpose concrete sports pad is under the large capital grant thru the Arts, Culture and Sport in Com munity Fund with the commitment from the RM coming from reserve and/or taxation. The safety lighting is under the New Horizons for Se

niors Grant.

Creating a community commons is the goal for the RM and the transfor mation of the highway rest area into a Community Commons will pro vide new amenities to attract area residents and visitors to stop, linger, shop and play. The Commons will be home to the RM Civic and Visi tor Centre, highlighting all the area has to offer such as camping and concerts at Gardenton Park, hiking and biking trails, the Weston Family Tall Grass Prairie Preserve and The Prairie Garden at The Forks. Vita is poised to become the perfect day trip destination all year long, according to the Master Plan for the area.

Lucie Maynard, the Chief Ad ministrative Officer of the RM of Stuartburn is excited for the project. She hopes for the best outcome and approval for both grants.

“If both grants don’t get approved then I don’t see the project going ahead until enough money is raised or another grant applied for and ap

proved,” cautioned Maynard. “We are just further developing the area as grants become available. The im provements are for everyone, locals, tourists, young, and old. We prob ably won’t find out until 2023 some time if we have been successful with the two grants.”

The idea of creating the area came when overhearing comments from a few residents and visitors.

“When we were extending the walkway we heard from a couple of people who inquired if a skate park was being built or an outdoor basket ball court so then that was the next idea/project to focus on if grants be come available,” said Maynard.

“[The] master plan concept idea that Scattliff+Miller+Murray de signed for us is what we are slowly working towards,” explained May nard. “It is quite futuristic; can’t say everything will come to fruition, de pends on the council of the day and the drive and money to see it all hap pen sooner rather than later.”

for

Hampers Underway in

Area

Accueil Kateri Centre, Ste. Anne food bank, is getting ready for the Christmas season!

If you live in the Town of Ste. Anne or the RM of Ste. Anne and feel the need for a hamper this Christmas, you must submit a request in writing by December 1, 2022.

You will find the registration form on the food bank’s web site ac cueilkatericentre.ca.

Place your filled-in form in the drop box at the front of the food bank at 132 Centrale in Ste-Anne or bring it to Burnell’s in Richer.

The Christmas hampers are to be picked up on Saturday, December 17 between 10 am and 12 noon.

If you are fortunate and do not need a hamper, please consider mak ing a donation towards the Christmas hampers. Food items can be dropped off in the yellow bin behind the food bank and cheques can be placed in the drop box at the front. For more information on how to make a donation, go to the web site noted above or call the food bank at 204-371-4984. Income tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and your generosity!

As Temperatures Drop, Remember That Space Heaters are for Temporary Use

Before you use a space heater, be aware — it can cause fire and injury if not used with care. Space heat ers are not intended as a permanent heat source. If you must use a space heater as a temporary heat source in a home or garage, follow these tips to avoid potential shock and fire hazards:

- Look for a space heater that is cer tified by an accredited agency and make sure it is suitable for your in tended use.

- Choose a model with a tip-over switch that automatically turns off if knocked over and a guard to prevent fingers or flammable objects from touching hot elements.

- Keep space heaters away from drapery, bedding and other flam mable materials.

- Always inspect cords for signs of damage. Plug the space heater di rectly into the power outlet. Never use an extension cord.

- Don’t use space heaters in rooms where children are unsupervised. Children may stick their fingers or other objects through the protective guards, which could cause burns or shock.

- Never use space heaters in damp or wet areas.

- Space heaters are meant to supply supplemental heat. Don’t use them to warm bedding, cook food, dry

clothing or thaw pipes.

- Turn off the space heater when you go to bed or leave the room. Never leave a space heater unattended, and unplug it when not in use.

Remember that space heaters are a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.

They can have dangerous conse quences if left unattended or used incorrectly. Think of your safety before plugging in a space heater.

If your home is persistently cold, consult a heating professional or your landlord.

For more information about elec trical safety, visit hydro.mb.ca/safe ty.

Vita rest area concept drawing.

Submitted image.

Celebrating

Manitoba Treasures Exhibit by Wilhelmina Richardson

The Manitoba Treasures kicks off this year’s exhibit line-up, opening on Oc tober 28, with Wilhelmina Richardson.

Wilhelmina Richardson recently moved to the area from Pembina Val ley. She has had artwork chosen by and contributed to organizations including, A Rocha Pembina Valley Interpretive Centre, Ducks Unlimited, Youth for Christ, S.T.A.R.S, and Morden Police Department, to name a few.

Grateful for the recognition, she was awarded by ‘The General Authority of Manitoba’, for creating and teaching a program entitled “Skills 4 Life”, de signed to aid youth and young adults in preparing for independent living. As well, she was very involved with the Pembina Hills Arts Council based in Morden and the Winkler Arts and Culture centre for many years. She has enjoyed instructing many work shops, art bars, parties, and contrib uting to numerous fundraisers dear to her heart, via local events and art auctions. She was also involved with the Harvest Festival and Corn & Ap ple Festival as an artist, doing live art demonstrations.

Richardson is pleased to announce that she now has an art studio in the area. Designed to bring out the artist in you, her art studio is open to indi

viduals of all ages wishing to explore their gift of visual art and invites the community to come and check it out.

The Steinbach Arts Council is host ing on their website a special silent auction, featuring Wilhelmina’s “Cre ating New Life”, created in collabo ration with internationally recognized wildlife photographer, Dennis Fast.

You can view the exhibit at the Steinbach Arts Council at 304 Second Street until December 16.

Get a SAC Concert Series Package!

Once again we have an amazing lineup this year for our 2022-2023 Concert Series. Get yourself a ticket package and attend concerts this winter!

- Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

– Holiday Pops

7:30 pm Tuesday, December 6.

- Sultans of String – Juno-Nominated World Music

7:30 pm Thursday, January 19, 2023

- Assassinating Thomson – MTC Live Theatre

7:30 pm Tuesday, February 28, 2023

- Cathy Daniel and Darryl Friesen

– Classical Mezzo Soprano and Piano

7:30 pm Friday, March 17, 2023

For ticket package prices, call Tara at 204-346-1077.

Winter Classes

The Fall programs at the Stein bach arts Council are in full swing.

With near record-breaking numbers, it is clear that people are excited to return to class after the ups and downs of the past few years. Now our focus has turned to planning our Winter programs. We are excited to offer many different of classes for a wide range of ages and abilities. Make sure that you keep watching our websites as we hope to launch our Winter 2023 class line up in midNovember.

Volunteer at SAC!

We are looking for people who are like-minded and love the arts as much as we do. As a non-profit organization, we would not have been able to thrive without volunteers who share their time, talent, and service. The Stein bach Arts Council would love to have you be part of our team.

Volunteering is a great way to build your resume, network and be part of this vibrant community. We have op portunities to help in putting up our promotional flyers, setting up for events, theatre stage production, ad ministrative work, and many more.

We are willing to train and introduce you to what our organization does. In return for your participation, we pro vide a volunteer certificate and a wel come packet. Put your name on our volunteer list today! Go to steinbacha rts.ca/volunteer.

Tache Daycare to Receive Indigenous Programming Grant

With the help of a new grant, a Lorette daycare is receiving funds to incorpo rate Indigenous cultural programming in their facility.

The Province of Manitoba has allo cated $300,000 to implement the Indig enous Programming Grant to support

24 child-care facilities throughout the province.

The Tache Community Daycare was awarded $15,000 through this program.

The funding will also provide sup port to staff to expand their knowledge of Indigenous cultures and traditions to

better incorporate these lessons into pro gramming.

“With this funding, child-care facilities will be able to invest in the necessary means to integrate Indigenous program ming into lessons,” said Dawson Trail MLA Bob Lagasse.

Vehicle Accident in RM of Ste. Anne Results in Double Fatality

On October 14, at approximately 10 pm, Steinbach RCMP responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 12 at Two Mile Road in the RM of Ste. Anne.

Initial investigation has determined that a car was travelling south on High way 12, when it collided with a SUV

that was crossing the highway at Two Mile Road.

The driver of the SUV, a 71-yearold male, and front passenger, a 69year-old female, both from RM of Ste. Anne, were pronounced deceased at the scene. The rear passenger, a 47-year-

old female from Saskatchewan, was taken to hospital with non-life threat ening injuries.

The driver of car and sole occupant, a 19-year-old male from Tyndall, was taken to hospital with non-life threaten ing injuries.

The Love for Our Country

John 15-11-14… 11) I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14) You are my friends if you do what I com mand. (NIV)

As a young sailor in the Canadian Navy during the years 1955-1960… One of the first things that catches my atten tion on board my new home the HMCS New Glasgow is that there will be a live gunner exercise off the west coast of Canada. My name is among the list of men who will take part in this live exercise. The gun that I will be firing has rounds (Bullets) weighing thirty-five plus pounds each. A hundred different thoughts enter mine mind… what will it be like? What will it feel like? Will I remember what to do? Will anybody sense the fear in the pit of my stomach?

Dense fog obscures our vision as we slip out of the har bour; all we can see is a short distance ahead. The mournful wail of the fog horns does not help the weird feeling deep inside of me. No time to dally about.

Systems checked; protective clothing for the gunnery crews is issued. Once on the upper deck it takes only mo ments to prepare the guns for action. Ammunition comes up from the ammunition room located just below the gun and placed in a storage bay behind the gun. Tension in my stomach is indescribable. Then the order comes to load the guns. Each round (bullet) feels like it weighs a ton as I push the 35 lb. plus bullet into the breach-block of the gun Then I step aside just as I hear the order… fire!! Without thinking I hit the firing button with my open hand and at that moment everything around me seems to be on fire. The blast of heat, the noise, the concussion has their effect. I am out of there. The next thing I hear is the gunnery officer shouting for me to get back to my gun. Collecting my senses and whatever courage – there is in me, I return to my gun, reload, and fire. But this time I did not run. Something changed, the fear was gone, and, in its place, a weird eerie strange excitement took the place of fear. I could feel the power of the gun every time I hit the firing button. What was different? What happened? It is as though for a moment in time I was immortal, and in my hands was the power of life and death.

The idea that we are immortal is the most inspiring thought in all human history. Let your thoughts wander about a little, just image if it were impossible for us to die, that we would never age beyond a certain age no matter what happened to us whether at war or at peace. Better still, that we ourselves should live on and on never to fear war. I am sure that you would agree that life would truly be beautiful.

Canada’s position in the world today is one that gives hope to people in war torn countries. Our respect for others is not sporadic, is not impulsive, neither is it an outburst of super ficial emotion; it is unbroken it is intense, and we are com mitted to doing good with the use of our armed forces during war or peace. Ours is a decision that continually seeks the highest good of others. It is a determination to help those who cannot help themselves, those held hostage by despots who wage war for their own personal gain.

The Bible teaches to love our neighbour as we love our selves. That means our love for ourselves is the foundation, or I should say the comparison for how we are to love oth ers. Here we have a principle where we see this relationship move to a much deeper level than mere friendship.

When we as a country. I mean Canada as a whole… see the rest of the world as our friends, we will disregard all the rubbish. We may even disregard the pain of personal sac rifice. And there is an incredibly good chance that we will disregard the fact that they are not even our own compatri ots. Soldiers, Sailors, and Air Force personnel do just that, they go, even if that sacrifice means death… To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done.

Would you pray this prayer with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy, and hap piness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen.

Blumenort

Shoebox Store- Thursday, November 3 – Saturday November 5 at Blumenort Community Church. Thursday and Friday 10 am-8 pm and Saturday 10 am-2 pm. Pack a shoebox for Op eration Christmas Child with toys, school supplies, clothes and much more. You have the option of taking a photo and filling out a paper to put in with your shoebox so the child knows who sent it. Donations can be made to cover shipping and the shoebox contents.

Dominion City Winter Forest Market – Saturday, November 26, 10 am – 3 pm at the Community Hall, 31 McKercher St. Vendors wanted. Contact GYPSIIMAGIK@outlook.com.

Falcon Beach

Christmas Market – Saturday, December 10, 10 am – 3 pm at the Whiteshell Community Club, 20 301 Pr. All interested vendors please fill out the registration form and send to les lieannblaney@gmail.com by November 11.

Bingo – Wednesdays at 7: 30 pm, early bird games at 7 pm at the Whiteshell Community Club 20 301 Pr, Falcon Beach. Contact 204-349-2293.

Gardenton

Christmas Craft & Bake Sale – Saturday, November 26, 10 am – 2 pm at the Park Hall. Hot lunch available and silent auction. Call Kelvin for table rentals 204-425-8197.

Grunthal

Christmas Market on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26, 1 – 7 pm at the New Horizon Senior Centre hosted by the CMC. To reserve table call or text Mary 204371-6155. Cost $30 per table of r1 or 2 days.

Howden

Hand Made Fall Market- Saturday, November 12, 9 am – 3 pm, 1078 Red River Dr. Community Centre. Free entry, hot lunch available, kids activity area, multiple local artisan vendors.

Ile des Chenes

Lorette Metis Local - Elections for the Local Executive Board have been called for Monday November 28 at 7:00 pm at Parish Hall, 1282 Dawson Rd. Nominations will be accepted for 4 positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, with voting to follow. Contact LoretteMetisLocal@gmail.com.

Yoga - Thursdays at 9 am and Wednesdays at 9:30 am. Gentle yet invigorating yoga for adults 55+. $5 per class. Contact yogaforyoumanitoba@outlook.com to register.

Landmark

Lorette Metis Local - Elections for the Local Executive Board have been called for Monday November 28 at 7:00 pm at Parish Hall, 1282 Dawson Rd. Nominations will be accepted for 4 positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, with voting to follow. Contact LoretteMetisLocal@gmail.com.

Shoebox Drive - Open Tuesdays from 3:30 - 8:30 pm, and Saturdays from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm. Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child is open again for this year. Come fill a shoebox for a child in need at 172 Main Street. Everything you need to fill a shoebox is available.

Lorette Fraud/Scam Prevention Presentation - Saturday, November 12 at 6:30 pm at the Lorette Community Complex, upstairs. St. Pierre-Jolys, RCMP Detachment’s Cst. Karolane LacosteTherrien, will be presenting. Due to the current increase of scams, this talk will be open to all in the Tache community. Refreshments will be served. We hope to see you all there!

Family Library Night – Wednesday, November 9 Craft & Story Time – on Saturdays, November 5 and 19 Book Club – Thursday, November 17 with a pop-up Coffee Shop!

Puzzle Night - Wednesday November 23 At Bibliothèque Taché Library, 1082 Dawson Rd. Still accept ing book donations for their Christmas Book Sale. Drop off books right to the library. If you sign up for a library card in November you will be entered to win an Indigo gift card!

Christmas Craft/Bake Sale – Saturday, November 12, 10 am – 3 pm at Le club les blés d’or, 1254 Dawson Rd. Contact 204-878-2682.

Lorette Metis Local - Elections for the Local Executive Board have been called for Monday November 28 at 7:00 pm at Parish Hall, 1282 Dawson Rd. Nominations will be accepted for 4 positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, with voting to follow. Contact LoretteMetisLocal@gmail.com.

Christmas Market – Saturday, December 3, 10 am – 3 pm, at the Lorette Collegiate Gym. Tables available for vendors. Contact Yvonne Romaniuk 204-878-2857, yvonne.roma niuk@gmail.com.

Mitchell

Toast & Coffee – On Tuesdays, drop-in for toast and coffee for $2 and a menu is available with prices according to what you order at the Mitchell and Area Community Centre, 130 Ash St. Contact Jane Penner 204-346-2469, jpenner@jantre.com.

Niverville Winterfest - Saturday, November19, 10 am – 3 pm at the Niverville Heritage Centre, entrance 100c. Shop over 80 booths in one of the largest craft shows in southern Manitoba.

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our

C ommunity E v E nts

Baked goods, jewellery, beauty/bath, home décor, Christmas ornaments, women & children`s clothing, baby/kids items, photographer & art and much more. Admission by monetary donation.

Piney Christmas Bazaar – Saturday, November 19, 10 am – 3 pm at the Community Centre. Canteen, 50/50 draw hosted by fire department. Table rental $15 ea. Call Jen 204-423-2223 or Bev 204-423-2211.

Christmas Tree Fundraiser – In supporting of East Borderland Community Housing Phase III: Senior supportive housing for the RM of Piney and southeastern communities. Christmas Trees are located at East Borderland Primary Health Care Centre (EBPHCC) and East Borderland Community Housing. Tree $75 Donation or Bulb $5 donation. Donate as much as you wish, all donations are recognized on a display board at EBPHCC. Donations can be dropped off at the EBPHCC in Sprague. Please place your donations in an envelope that includes your name and address on it. A charity receipt will be issued on all donations above $20. For more information, please contact Danielle Charette at 204-371-1983.

Richer

Richer Recovery AA Group - Meets every Monday from 7:308:30 pm at LUD Hall. If you would like more information, call Jeff at 204-371-5518 or Albert at 204-380-3058.

Chase the Ace - every Saturday night at the Richer Hotel. Tick ets on sale from 5 pm to 7:45 pm. Organized by the Richer Community Club, see Facebook page for more info.

Young at Heart Club Dinner & Dance - Saturday, November 19th, live music. Cost is $25 per person and dinner at 6 pm. Music until 11 pm. Call Ron 431-275-0874 for tickets.

Monday Night Bingos - To raise funds for Stacey Pchajek Memorial Foundation Inc. The foundation provides scholar ships, bursaries and prizes to students graduating grades 8 and 12. Limited seats please reserve. Doors Open at 5:30 pm at the Young at Heart Club, 22 Dawson Rd. MGCC Li cense # BI/BO4164. Contact Doreen Pchajek at 422-5243 or doreen@spmf.ca.

Ritchot

Ritchot Senior Services - November Highlights: Bingo – Tuesday, November 22 from 1:30 – 3 pm at Ritchot Senior Services, 457 Main Street. Space is limited, be sure to reserve a spot in advance. $2 admission. Fun prizes, coffee, tea and a snack. Call Janice 204-883-2880. Craft Sale – Saturday, November 5 from 10 am – 4 pm at Club Amical, 344Main St in St. Adolphe. Handmade greeting cards-indoor outdoor hand painted signs-custom embroidered towels and bags-hand made dog leash holders, doggie ban danas and Christmas stockings. Donations are being accepted to support Ritchot Senior Services; 6th annual Be a Santa to a Senior Program.

Quilting & Knitting – Tuesday, November 8 from 1:302:30 pm. Ritchot Senior Services makes multiple donations throughout the year to different organizations and we need your help. Lap quilts are created and given to the Alzheimer society for those suffering with Alzheimer and dementia. All are invited to help create these beautiful pieces. You do not need to be a professional, only a willingness to help. Our “Made with Love” program creates knit hats, scarves, mitts, slippers, anything you like to create. Items are then donated to different charities and those in need. Donations for these projects are always greatly appreciated. Pre registration for this event is appreciated.

Foot Care Clinics - By appointment only. For more informa tion, please contact Janice at 204-883-2880. Upcoming clinic dates: Ste Agathe – Wednesday, December 7 and Thursday, December 8. St. Adolphe – Monday, December 12 and Tuesday, December 13. Ile des Chenes – Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday, November 16.

Heart to Home Meals -To place your order please call 1-204816-8659 or 1-888-216-1067. Call Heart to Home and they will send you a menu. Menus are also available to pick up at Ritchot Senior Services. We ask you to please call or email Ri tchot Senior Services after placing your orders and let us know you have placed an order. This will assist us in organizing volunteers for delivery of meals to you. Order your meals by: Wednesday, November 9. Meals are ready for pick up or de livery on Thursday, November10. Wednesday, November 23. Meals are ready for pick up or delivery on Thursday, November 24. This service is available to all areas of the Ritchot Com munity including St. Adolphe, Ste Agathe, Ile des Chenes, Grande Pointe, Howden and Glenlea. There are no contracts, no minimum orders.

Coffee with Friends – Thursdays, November 10 and 17 at 11:30 am. Open to everyone. $2 for bottomless coffee and a treat. Ritchot Senior Services, 457 Main Street, St. Adolphe. Forever Young Old Time Dance – Sunday, November 13, from 1 - 5 pm at the Pioneer Hall (upstairs of the St. Adolphe rink). Entertainment by Group Therapy. Admission $16 and includes lunch and a chance to win a door prize. Contact Jules to reserve your ticket at 204-883-2440.

Christmas Shopping Bus Trip – Thursday, December 1. A handi transit wheelchair accessible van will be heading to the St. Vital Mall. We will be leaving Ritchot Senior Services at 10 am and arriving back around 2 pm. Once we are at the mall it’s your time, sit have coffee and people watch, walk a few laps, have lunch with a friend, or get some Christmas shop ping done it’s up to you. Please reserve a seat by contacting Janice in advance. Call 204-883-2880 or email ritchotse niors@mymts.net.

RM of Stuartburn Services to Seniors - Access Credit Union sponsored Free Shuttle for residents of the RM the first Friday of each month. Call to book a ride and do your banking and shopping locally or book your doctor’s appointment and we will get you to your appointment. Next Access Free Shuttle is June 3. Call 204-425-3701.

Services to Seniors Steinbach Shuttle - Subsidized cost $15/ person. Minimum of 8 participants required for the trip to take place. Departure from Shady Oaks at 9:30 am. Call 204-4253701 to book a seat.

Sarto Christmas Market – Saturday, December 3, 10 am – 6 pm at the Community Hall. Looking for crafters and vendors, contact Ashley Ronald 204-381-3980.

Sirko Perogy Supper – Saturday, November 19 in support of Susy dka Dance Club. 6 miles south of Sundown on Sirko Rd and 2 miles east on Rd 1N. Meals include perogies, sausage, cole slaw, deserts. Adults $12, 6-12 years $6, children under 5 free. Takeout available.

South Junction Southeast Farmers’ Market – Saturday, November 12, 10 am – 2 pm at Pine Grove Seniors Centre. Indoor Market, canteen, 50/50 draw. Contact Jen 204-423-2223 or Shawny 204437-2600 or check them out on Facebook.

Sprague Community Christmas Concert – Sunday, December 4, 3 pm at the Community Hall. Refreshments to follow. Choir practice until concert date, every Thursday, starts November 3 from 7 – 8:15 pm at the Sprague Baptist Church.

Sprague Service to Seniors Seeking Volunteers - Seeking indi viduals to assist and to provide a few services to seniors within our community such as snow removal, transportation for a fee, volunteers in the congregate Meals Programs as well as home cleaning services to seniors for a fee. A criminal record check is required for cleaning services and transportation. Email lgdseniors@gmail.com with your rates and for information, or call 204-437-2604.

St. Adolphe

Be a Santa to a Senior Program - Craft Sale – Saturday, No vember 5 from 10 am – 4 pm at Club Amical, 344Main St. Handmade greeting cards-indoor outdoor hand painted signscustom embroidered towels and bags-hand made dog leash holders, doggie bandanas and Christmas stockings. Donations are being accepted to support Ritchot Senior Services; 6th an nual “Be a Santa to a Senior” Program.

Mickey Spiel - Saturday, November 12 at the Curling Club. A One-day Bonspiel where winning Games = Winning Mick eys. Bonspiel Format: 6 end games (3 game guarantee). 12 Team Limit (open to Men’s, Women’s or Mixed teams). Entry Fee $60/team + one “Mickey” per player. Canteen and bar will be open all day. To register: email curlstadolphe@gmail. com.

Christmas Market – Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, De cember 4 at the Arena, upper hall from 10 am – 4pm.

St. Malo

Christmas Craft & Bake Sale - Saturday, December 3 at the Iberville Hall located in the Catholic church basement. $25/ table. To book a table contact Christine stmalocraftsale@ gmail.com or call/text 204-218-8592 or Aline 204-3475249, apilotte@mymts.net.

St. Pierre-Jolys

Christmas Craft Market – Saturday, November 12, 10 am – 3 pm at the Sugar Shack, Museum grounds. To reserve your table call Cindy Broesky 204-381-4093, cindy.broesky@ gmail.com.

3234 Manitoba Horse Cadets – Thursdays, 6:30 – 9 pm at the Community Hall from September to June. Cost is Free. Meet new friends, fun, adventures, leadership, citizenship, community service, drill band, orienteering, and more. Con tact Captain Phil Atkinson 3234Army@cadets.gc.ca or phil lip.atkinson@cadets.gc.ca. Website 3234manitobahorse.ca.

Ste. Anne Christmas Market – Saturday, November 19, 10 am – 4 pm at the Ecole Pointe Des Chenes School, 90 Arena Rd. Mak ers, bakers, and specialty retail. Live music and Perk Coffee Bar. $2 entry includes door prize ticket. New vendors welcome contact hello@pamshairboutique.com.

Steinbach

An Evening with the Authors - Thursday, November 3, 7 - 9 pm at Mennonite Heritage Village. Authors Brent Manke and Bill Massey will discuss their writings during this engaging community event. Free admission, refreshments to follow.

Show and Sale – Saturday, November 5 with local artists the South East Artists Group, from 10 am – 4 pm at Clearspring Centre Mall.

Pet Photos with Santa Fundraiser - Saturday, November 12, 9 am – 12 pm, at Clearspring Centre Mall. Fundraiser for the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue, $10/photo. No appoint ment necessary!

Steinbach & Area Garden Club – Monday, November 14, 7 –9 pm, at the Mennonite Heritage Village. With guest speaker Dennis Fast our very own internationally recognized wildlife photographer. AGM, membership renewal and Volunteer Ap preciation. Membership Annual- Individual $20; Family $30. Contact email sagcnewsletter@gmail.com.

Ukrainian Settlement Support Donation Drop Off - Tuesdays, November 15, and December 6 from 5 - 8 pm at Southland Church. Specific areas of need for donation: furniture, mat tresses and box springs, bedding, clothing for men, women and children of all ages, coats and jackets (all seasons), shoes/ boots, other household items for Ukrainian families. Drop-off at marked storage units in the parking lot; use west entrance, closest to Bush Farm Road. If you have to donate outside of the defined dates/times, please ensure to clearly label “Ukraine” on the items and they will be designated for the Ukraine relief initiative.

Chase the Ace Fundraiser - Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue – On Mondays at Smitty’s Restaurant. Come out and try to win cash. The current jackpot is $4,482 and goes up weekly until the Ace is drawn!

Royal Canadian Legion Steinbach Branch - Meets first Tuesday of the month via Zoom at 7:30 pm; Ladies Auxiliary meets first Monday of each month, 7:30 pm. Steinbach Legion, 227 Main St – Unit 5. Email steinbach190rcl@outlook.com.

Al-Anon - Monday 7:30 pm Steinbach Cultural Arts Centre back door, downstairs. For information call Lloyd 204-3264365.

Astronomy & Group Walks – Fourth Tuesday of the month until March 2023, 8 – 9:40 pm with Chris Desrochers. Meet at the L.A. Barkman Park Gazebo. Walk along Bush Farm Tail, around Abe’s Hill, and observe sights of the night sky, using telescopes at the conclusion of the walk. Dress for the weather and for walking, bring binoculars and questions. November 22 (sights visible: Mars, Jupiter, & Saturn); December 27 (sights visible: Mars, Jupiter, & Crescent Moon); January 24 (sights visible: Mars & Jupiter); February (sights visible: Mars, Jupiter, Venus, & Half Moon) and March 28 (sights visible: Mars, Venus, & Crescent Moon).To register, email smclean@ jakeepplibrary.com or mredekopp@jakeepplibrary.com. If the sky is unclear and weather is too poor, the hosts will make the decision to cancel 1-2 hours before the event and will send out an email to participants to let them know.

Creative Writers Club - Second Wednesday every month at 7 pm at the Jake Epp Library, 255 Elmdale St. This is not a class but rather a writing share group where we hope to foster and encourage our participants’ love of writing. Feel free to bring 5 pages of writing (single sided, double spaced) to share with the group. Our evening will begin with an ice breaker and then move into share time. Coffee and tea will be served. Contact Madison Redekopp email mredekopp@jakeepplibrary.com.

Steinbach Professional Development Toastmasters Club – On Thursdays at 9:46 am, Eastman Education Centre, 385 Loewen Blvd. How can a person get the message across well, keep meeting participants engaged, and fully use the capa bilities of videoconferencing platforms? What works? What doesn’t? What is the etiquette expected? Join us in person or by zoom on 12 pm every Wednesday. All guests are welcome! Contact Mark Hiebert 204-371-5197, email mhiebert@ barkmanconcrete.com.

Knit-Wits Fibre Craft Club- First Tuesdays of the month at 6 – 8 pm, Jake Epp Library, 255 Elmdale St. Do you enjoy knitting, crocheting, cross stitching and other types of fibre crafting? Join other adults for an informal knitting, crochet, etc. circle. All skill levels welcome. Please bring your own project/supplies.

Craft Night - Wednesdays at 7 pm, Jake Epp Library, 255 Elmdale St. Ages 16 years and up join us for a free event, with coffee and crafting. Our craft for the evening will be a beaded spring wreath. There is limited space available. To sign up, email mredekopp@jakeepplibrary.com.

Book Club - Meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 7 - 8:30 pm Jake Epp Library, 255 Elmdale St. Books are available at the circ desk as well as on our Libby App (free with your library card). Please sign up by email mre dekopp@jakeepplibrary.com. Limited space available.

Steinbach & Area Lions Club - Meets second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 6:30 pm, South East Helping Hands. Contact 204-326-2313.

Pat Porter Active Living Centre - November Highlights

Current programs - Cost is $2 for members and $4 for nonmembers. Programs are subject to change. Registration re quired at patporteralc.com.

Morning Walking: Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 9 am.

Coffee Corner: Monday – Friday, 10 -12 pm.

Pickleball: Monday – Friday, 9 - 10:30 am.

Beginner Pickleball: Monday – Friday, 10:30 am – 12 pm, Tuesday 2 - 3:30 pm, Friday 1 - 3:30 pm.

Evening Pickleball: Mondays 7–9 pm, Wednesdays 4–6 pm.

Cards: Card games are played Monday to Friday 1-3 pm.

Fitness Classes

Laughter Yoga: Monday, 1-2 pm.

Fitness Drumming: Tuesday, 1 - 1:45 pm.

Pace: Wednesday, 1 - 1:45 pm.

Floor Curling: Wednesday, 1 - 3:30 pm.

Yoga with Carrie: Friday, 9 - 10 am.

Badminton: Monday – Friday, 12 – 1 pm. Old Time Country Jam: Wednesday, 7 - 9 pm. Craft Corner: Friday, 1 - 3 pm. Games Night: Monday and Wednesday, 7 – 9 pm. Choir: Wednesday, 10 - 11:30 am.

Steinbach Rockin’ Rollers: Sunday 5 -7 pm. A fun new rollerskating program is now being offered at the Centre. All skill levels and ages welcome, and no pre-registration required. Cost to participate is $5 ($3 for Pat Porter members). Please bring your own roller skates.

Special Events - Join us for 2 informational Session in No vember. We welcome you to bring your lunch or order from our kitchen when registering ($8 for Lunch). Limited Space Available. Pre-register by calling 204-320-4600. Fall Prevention with Carrie: Learn key strategies to prevent falls. Wednesday, November 2, 12 - 12:45 pm.

Caring for Someone with Dementia with Meg: Wednesday, November 16, 12 - 12:45 pm.

Come warm up! Tuesday, November 8 from 11:30 – 1 pm. Enjoy a hearty bowl of chicken stew in a garlic bread bowl served with Caesar salad. $12/person. Reserve your meal before Friday, November 4.

Painting Work Shop: Tuesday, November 22, 1:30 -4 pm. $20 members, $30 non-members. All supplies included. This month’s painting features a beautiful winter tree-scape. Pancake Breakfast: On Thursday, November 24, start your morning off with a stack of pancakes and sausage from our Meals on Wheels kitchen. Stop by the centre anytime between 9:30 am – 12 pm. Cost $8 per person.

Vassar Meatball Supper – Sunday, November 13 from 4 – 6 pm at the Community Rec Centre. Includes a 50/50 draw, Dine-In or Take-Out meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet and sour meatballs and rice, side dishes and desert. Adults $17, 6-12 years $10 and 5 and under free. Tickets must be purchased in advance at Vassar store, Carl and Kays or contact a VCRC member.

Woodridge

Christmas Craft & Bake Sale – Saturday, December 3, from 11 am – 3 pm at the Community Centre, 69 Denis St. Admis sion free, canteen available, silent auction and 50/50 draw.

Christmas Parade - Saturday, December 3, starting at 4 pm. Starts from the Community Centre, 69 Denis St.

Zhoda

Open Season Dance – Saturday, November 12 from 8 pm – 1 am at the Community Hall. Music provided by Universal Music. Night lunch served, Gun raffle, 50/50 draw. Tickets available at Sumthing Special or at the door. Contact Candace 204-712-6446.

Please email your events to us each month for inclusion at editor@dawsontrail.ca

Vita Curling Club Plans Open Curling League

The Vita Curling Club is excit ed to announce that the rink will once again be open for curling this fall. The Ice will be ready by mid November. They are planning an open curling league (any number of males and/or females on a team) for Wednesday and Thursday nights starting at 7 pm. Individuals or teams can contact Jerry at 204-425-3095 or Pam at 204-392-4437 to register or for more information.

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!Dawson Trail Dispatch

Kitten LoveCatalytic Converter Theft Rates Plummet

While catalytic converter theft rates have plummeted since the summer as a result of legislative changes, law enforcement efforts and a partnership with Winnipeg Crime Stoppers, the Manitoba government is continuing efforts to protect Manitobans from those who are profiting from this type of theft as a new vehicle identification numbers (VIN) engraving program was announced recently.

“We are seeing significant suc cess in reducing catalytic converter theft because of changes to legis lation, efforts by law enforcement and the work of Winnipeg Crime Stoppers,” said Steinbach MLA and Justice Minister Kelvin Goert zen. “But we know we need to keep the pressure on catalytic converter thieves. We continue to encourage Manitobans to have vehicle VIN numbers engraved on catalytic con verters to help disrupt the theft and resale of these parts.”

Statistics from the Winnipeg Po lice Service show reported catalytic converter thefts have plummeted since the Scrap Metal Act and regu lation came into force.

According to published provin cial government statistics, prov ince-wide there were 186 thefts in January, with April at a high of 353 and September dropping down to19 this year.

Thieves are targeting catalytic converters because of the rhodium, palladium, platinum and other met al content. The estimated cost to vehicle owners to replace a stolen catalytic converter can be $1,500 to $3,000, depending on the vehicle type.

Steinbach RCMP are now pro moting a new VIN engagement effort for residents of southeast Manitoba, noted Goertzen.

The catalytic converter engraving program project implemented by Winnipeg Crime Stoppers has con tributed to these efforts. With an engraved VIN, the rightful owners of recovered catalytic converters can be traced and individuals with illegally obtained converters can

now be charged for being in pos session of stolen goods. To date, over 500 catalytic converters have been engraved.

Under the new Scrap Metal Act framework, dealers must record the details about transactions related to scrap metal. Transaction records must be kept for two years and provided to a peace officer when requested. Cash transactions are not permitted for any transaction over $50.

It has been many years since we’ve had a cat in our house. Last month this all changed. We had eight kittens born to our outdoor cat, four orange and four grey. We found a forever home for six of the tiny bundles of cute ness. Of the eight kit tens, my daughter had a special love for one of the cute, little grey kit tens and she made it very clear that if we were to keep a kitten, he would be the one that she would want. After much hemming and hawing, the family decided to bring the two remaining kittens inside to live with us in the house.

I must say that bringing the two kittens, one grey boy and one orange boy, into the house has been a wonderful addition to our family. The grey kitten, named Poseidon is a fierce little hunter that loves to chase and attack toy balls with a bell inside. Often you can hear the ringing of the bell followed by the sound of racing paws across the floors of our house. The orange kitten, named Rajah after the tiger in the Aladdin movie, is one of the most chilled out kittens I have ever met. He seems to love nothing more than to just kick back and enjoy a good snooze on the couch or on our bed. Of course, be ing boys and kittens, the brothers do love to have a good old-fashion wrestling match and to chase each other throughout the house.

I will admit that when I am awakened at four o’clock in the morn ing by tiny meowing or my wife awakes in the darkness to the feel of a sandpaper-rough tongue licking the flesh off the tip of her nose, it can be a little hard to remember why we let these critters live in our house. Of course, they are so cute that it is hard to not love them even when they are preventing a full night’s slumber. In fact, as I write this, I have a kitten on my lap that is purring incredibly loudly and is flexing its’ claws into my thighs. Through the jeans and just enough into my skin for me to feel it.

While I was hesitant to bring the kittens into the house; the cat hair, the smell of the litter box, claw marks in the furniture, the little crit ters getting underfoot while I’m attempting to walk, all were reasons not to bring them in. The looks of joy on my children’s faces while playing with the kittens far outweighs any and all reservations that I had.

The kittens have added an amount of joy and happiness into our household that I didn’t know we were missing and I look forward to many more years of them giving and receiving our love.

Until next time, take care and keep your world spinning.

Catalytic converter theft statistics for September 2022.

RCMP FILES

If you have any information in regards to any item here you are asked to contact the Steinbach RCMP Detachment at 204-326-4452 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or manitobacrimestoppers.com or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to Crimes (274637).

RCMP Warn Drivers of Impersonator

On October 6 around 9:40 pm Steinbach RCMP received a report of a dark coloured pick-up truck utilizing blue and orange flashing lights to pull over a vehicle on Hwy 12 North in the RM of Hanover.

Once the vehicle had pulled over, the truck pulled in behind, waited and then sped off.

The Steinbach RCMP would like to remind residents that police ve hicles in are equipped with red and blue lights. Any other coloured lights are not the police. Please call 204-326-1234 to report these vehicles.

Mower Disappears from Backyard

On Sunday October 16 Steinbach RCMP received a report of a stolen riding lawn mower. The theft occurred sometime between October 15 at 4 pm and October 16 at 9:30 am in the 500 block of Wilson Street in Steinbach. The mower had been parked in the back yard, behind the garage.

The Mower is described as an older model John Deere Model RX75, with a green body and yellow seat and mower deck.

If you have any information in regards to the above matter, you are asked to contact the Steinbach RCMP Detachment at 204-326-4452 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Blumenort “Massage Therapist” Charged with Sexual Assault

On October 14 a woman attended the Steinbach RCMP Detachment and reported that she was the victim of a sexual assault during a mas sage, by a male, that she believed to be a registered massage therapist.

The female reports that the male, who is not actually a registered massage therapist, was providing services out of a basement in Blu menort.

The female victim reports that, during an appointment, she was touched in an unwanted sexual way.

The male, Bernhard Unger, 51-years of age, has been charged with Sexual Assault.

Anyone who may also be a victim or anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Steinbach RCMP Detachment at 204-326-1234.

Hot Skid Steer Sold on Facebook Markeplace

Steinbach RCMP are seeking the public’s assistance. Have you seen or responded to an ad for this skid steer tractor?

Steinbach RCMP are attempting to locate a stolen 1982 New Holland skid steer tractor that was posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and they believe it may have been sold sometime in the middle of Oc tober to an unsuspecting buyer. RCMP believe the tractor was being sold in the Kleefeld area and are asking for any information related to the advertising or purchase of this piece of equipment. Please call Steinbach RCMP if you have any information related to this.

Thief Strikes on Wyndham Estate Drive

On October 17 at approximately 2:50 am an unknown male entered a property on Wyndham Estate Drive and stole a sledge hammer and 100 foot electrical cord. The male pro ceeded to go through the back yard of the residence looking for addi tional items.

The thief is described as wearing a black winter jacket, black ski pants and wearing a black balaclava. He was observed driving a bicycle with a trailer attached.

If you have information regarding this matter, please call Steinbach RCMP at 204-326-4452, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800222-8477, or secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Emerson RCMP Attend Fatal Collision

On October 6 at approximately 9:50 am, Emerson RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle submerged in a ditch on Road 10 North and Road 38 East, in the RM of Stuartburn.

RCMP, the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services at tended and located a lone male in the vehicle. The 22-year-old male from the RM of Stuartburn, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

It is believed that sometime overnight the vehicle was travelling south on Road 38 East when it turned onto Road 10 North, went into the ditch and rolled.

Lawn Equipment Stolen from Steinbach Church

On September 27, Steinbach RCMP received a report of a breakin that occurred between September 25 and the 27 at the Christ our Saviour Catholic Parish located on Loewen Blvd in Steinbach. A Stihl trimmer and a Yardworks riding lawn mower were stolen.

If you have any information in regards to the above matter, you are asked to contact the Steinbach RCMP Detachment at 204-326-4452 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or manitobacrimestoppers.com.

On October 13 Steinbach RCMP received a report of numerous trail ers that had been broken into and items stolen from the Cherry Hill RV Park.

The thefts would have occurred on October 12 between 8 pm and 11 pm.

If you have any information in regards to the above matter, you are asked to contact the Steinbach RCMP Detachment at 204-3264452 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or manitobacrimestop pers.com.

Thieves Target Trailers at RV Park

HAPPEnInGS

REPORT

ACTIVITY

Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!Dawson Trail Dispatch

“Simply No Excuse”: RCMP Stops Reckless Speeder Doing 122 km/h in a 50km/h Zone

Steinbach RCMP Nab Canada’s Most Wanted Suspect

By Dan Guetre

A man wanted with multiple warrants out for his arrest is on his way back to BC in custody after being located and arrested by the Steinbach RCMP in the city on October 20. The arrest was the re sult of a joint effort between the Steinbach RCMP and the Steinbach RCMP General Investigative Section (GIS) and the British Columbia RCMP.

According to the RCMP, he was arrested without incident.

Warrant Issued to Seize Firearm Stash from Reynolds Resident

On October 26 as part of an investi gation into unlawful possession of fire arms, Lac du Bonnet RCMP, along with the assistance of National Weapons Enforcement Support Team, executed a search warrant at a residence in the RM of Reynolds.

Officers seized over 80 firearms and a large amount of ammunition.

Two adults, a 48-year-old male and 37-year-old female, were arrested at the scene. They have been released but future charges are expected.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP continue to in vestigate.

Quinten Anthony Meyer had multiple warrants out for his arrest spanning Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. The 27-year old was listed as #24 on Canada’s Top 25 Most Wanted list with over 20 outstanding charges including resisting arrest, flight from police, driv ing while prohibited and theft over $5,000. Meyer was also sought on an arrest warrant related to a break and enter and sexual assault which occurred in Nanoose Bay, BC in July of this summer.

On July 30, Oceanside RCMP in BC responded to a report that a man had broken into a residence and sexually assaulted a resident. The suspect was arrested later the same day and subsequently re leased to appear in court at a later day. The ongoing investigation determined that the man arrested on July 30 provided a false name to police offices and was only later positively identified as Meyer. On August 5 charges were laid and an arrest warrant was issued.

After initial investigation it is believed the suspect was in Winnipeg hiding out before he made his way to Steinbach.

St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP stopped a 17-year old driver on Highway 59 who was recklessly speeding. According the police, the driver was clocked at 8 pm on October 17 travelling at 122 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.

In a written release, the RCMP say there was simply no excuse for the reckless act and they say, when stopped, the driver had no excuse.

The young driver was fined $992 plus issued a serious offence notice for licence review with MPI.

Quinten Anthony Meyer, #24 on the Canada’s Top 25 Most Wanted list has been ar rested in Steinbach.

Photo credit: RCMP

Copy of the ticket issued.

Photo credit: RCMP

(right) Ammo siezed. (bottom) Weapons siezed.