Dawson Trail Dispatch
Celebrating Over 25 Years of Service to Our Communities!
Temporary Homeless Shelters Project at a Standstill By Angelique Forest A temporary homeless shelter project is a standstill unless help from community and donations comes in time to take this idea from concept to reality. The temporary shelters are the brainstorm of Josh Griffin, a 30-year old from Winnipeg, who has set a mission for himself, to reduce the struggle involved with homelessness. He plans to do this by helping create temporary homeless shelters made of recycled plastic blocks. He said that this would also help the environment by using up plastics that may otherwise end up in the landfill. According to Rachelle Young in her blog Canada’s Plastic Problem: Sorting Facts From Fiction, Canadians alone produce an average of 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, 2.8 million tonnes ending up in landfills. One third of plastics produced here are single-use products or packaging. Griffin says he can help reduce those numbers in an environmentally friendly way and create bricks from the plastics. In a recent report, Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc. (RaY) highlights the findings that Homelessness is on the rise and the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the challenges for the people involved. “We need emergency services and emergency shelters. We also need a wide variety of housing options,” said Breda Vosters. “We also need 10-year, 20-year investments into these sort of things that will help people in the long run.” The recycled bricks and other building materials have many more benefits than using wood, metal or concrete such as being resistant to water, chemicals, fire, UV rays, insects, mold, rot, corrosion, splits and cracks, as well as paint resistant (graffiti). Griffin had a lot to say about the project. “A local farmer reached out to me saying that if I could figure out how to recycle the silage bags that they are constantly going throwing out then I would
really be on to something. These silage bags can also be recycled!” When asked about the impact on the industry he plans to enter, he had only positives to say. “I definitely want to provide builders with completely eco-friendly materials!” said Griffin. “This would also help them with skyrocketing lumber costs. I will be able to produce everything from walkway tiles/ bricks, decking board, fencing, siding, roof shingles, shop flooring, 3D printer filament, etc. I have so many ideas! This is all I have thought about for the last 2 years!” He seems to know exactly what he’s doing and what is needed. “HDPE#2 is a thermoplastic and has very good insulation properties as well. It is lighter and more flexible than wood, concrete or metal. It’s
also easy to clean and will last much longer than other building materials,” explained Griffin. “Finally, it can be recycled again in the end into new materials.” He said that once his goals are accomplished, he plans to join the private sector, supplying building materials to stores/businesses across Canada. His short term goal through Kickstarter is to gain start-up funding to allow him to purchase the equipment necessary to build the plastics blocks. “My biggest hurdle right now is finding a workspace so this can be taken from concept to production,” he said. To help Griffin on his journey to build these temporary homeless shelters, find him on Facebook, or visit his kickstarter by the name “Recycled Plastic Bricks“.
Plastic bricks that Josh Griffin plans to make for temporary homeless shelters. Photo courtesy of Josh Griffin
RM of Piney Council Offers Hunting Words of Wisdom It’s that time of the year again and the RM of Piney would like to remind all hunters to be smart and safe this season. The region is home to an abundance of hunting land and they invite hunters to get a copy of the municipal map to become familiar with the land you wish to hunt. They are asking hunters to please respect the landowners by ensuring per-
mission is in place with landowners, follow any restrictions landowners may impose on when and where you can hunt, treat livestock and crops as your own, leave gates the way you find them and avoid entering private land where permission was not granted. Further, they are asking hunters to respect fellow hunters, follow safe firearm
handling practices, avoid consuming alcohol and be generous by sharing knowledge and skills with others. Lastly, they are asking hunters to also respect non-hunters. This can be done by ensuring you transport animals discreetly, keeping firearms out of sight and maintaining a presentable appearance while out in the community.
Lorette Curling Club Ready to Throw Rocks The Lorette Curling Club offers women, men, mixed, doubles and junior’s curling leagues. In addition, there is a drop-in option for those who would like to try out the sport of curling or cannot commit to a
seasonal league. For more information see their website lorettecurling.ca. Further, the Lorette Curling Club Executive Board is currently looking for some executive positions to be filled in order to
ensure continued success. Positions available are President, Vice-president, Mixed League Rep and Double League Rep. For more information contact lorettecurlingclub@lorettecurling.ca.
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Revamped Louis Riel Bridge Edges Closer to Decision The Manitoba government has released feedback from the public engagement on EngageMB for improvements to the Louis Riel Bridge on Provincial Road (PR) 305 in Ste. Agathe. “The existing bridge was built in 1959 and serves as a vital link to Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 75 that helps connect people, businesses and agricultural land on both sides of the Red River,” said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler. Two design alternatives and traffic management strategies were presented, along with the online public engagements for public feedback regarding the two alternatives. The first alternative presented would require a bridge closure and would see the replacement of the entire bridge deck and railings, wider lanes and sidewalks, and an increase in the load carrying capacity of the bridge. This option would require single-lane closures and approximately 16 weeks of full bridge closure over the one–and-a-half-year construction period. The second alternative proposed would require the replacement of the entire bridge deck, girders and railings, and an increase in the load-carrying capacity of the bridge, a wider total roadway width and a new separated sidewalk. This proposed alternative would require approximately two years of construction work, with a minimum of one lane open at all times. Over 200 responses were received, of which 75 per cent live in or near Ste. Agathe. Of the respondents, 51 per cent indicated the first alternative would have more of a negative impact on their travel patterns than the second alternative and 68 per cent indicated the wider roadway and separated sidewalk in the second alternative would have a positive impact on pedestrian and cyclist safety. The results of the public and stakeholder engagement will be considered to determine the preferred design alternative. A final decision on the bridge design is anticipated to be released winter 2021-22.