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October 2026

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MANITOBA

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204-947-1807 Travel considerations for older adults

Talking about trails in the North

Homes for Heroes

The cost of doing nothing Silver More seniors assisted living housing prevents bed blocks Alert bill advances

Tom Simms and Jesse Haje “Monthly private market assisted living housing rent for seniors ranges from $3,000 to $6,000 per month. The total income for an individual older adult receiving Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) pensions is less than $2,000 per month.”

here is a severe shortage of public and non-profit rent-gearedto-income/services-geared-toincome assisted living housing for older adults in Manitoba. Seniors assisted living is a form of housing that includes rent, food, laundry and cleaning services. Presently, the provincial government almost exclusively relies on the private market to provide assisted living housing for seniors. Monthly private market assisted living housing rent for seniors ranges from $3,000 to $6,000 per month. The total income for an individual older adult receiving Old Age Security (OAS) and Guar-

Photo by Berdiy Andriy, courtesy of Shutterstock. anteed Income Supplement (GIS) pensions is less than $2,000 per month. It is clear that low/fixed income seniors cannot afford private market assisted living housing resulting in the pre-mature entry of these older adults into long-term care homes because seniors assisted living housing is not publicly subsidized whereas long-term care facilities do

provide income-based subsidies. Low/fixed income seniors are also experiencing a food affordability crisis which is negatively impacting their health and well-being. An enhanced assisted living housing program that includes congregate meals would play an important role to address this growing affordability problem, along with reducing social u 6 ‘Senior assisted living'

Forty-nine years between shifts And Fred is running again! Fred Morris

hen I write stories, I usually surf the internet, test my memory, and visit a place and or a person with a notebook in hand. In August 1961, Peter Liba found a unique way to get the necessary information for 18 stories. Peter worked in 18 different jobs for a day and then wrote a story about each of these jobs. How could I find a unique way to write a story. My answer was to return to one of my former jobs.

In 1919, Roy Allen founded A&W in Lodi California. One of Allen's employees, Frank Wright, soon became a business partner. Their last names started with A and W. In 1956, Montana natives Richard Bolte and Orval Helwege opened the first Canadian A&W Drive Inn at 3079 (later changed to 3095 at the same location) Portage Avenue. Although Winnipeg is given credit for being home to Canada's first A&W, the store was actually located in what was then the rural Municipality of Assiniboia. A&W remained at the origi-

nal location for 59 years. The site of Canada's original A&W is now a Wendy's. There is an A&W slightly to the east at 3111 Portage. Since 1972, A&W Canada has been independent of A&W in the United States. Root beer, especially in a cooled mug, remains the cornerstone of A&W. The root beer has complemented a great selection of food including the Burger Family, instore-made onion rings and an interesting breakfast menu. A&W has given away or sold many u 12 ‘Forty-nine years later'

Brit went to Ottawa for the second reading of the Silver Alert Bill sponsored by Rachel Dancho.

Britt Moberg

n May, I travelled to Ottawa to witness an important milestone in a campaign that began with my father’s disappearance: the second reading debate of Bill C-263, the Silver Alert National Framework Act. The bill, introduced by Kildonan–St. Paul MP Raquel Dancho, has now passed second reading in the House of Commons and will proceed to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. At committee, members will hear from experts, government officials, stakeholders and others as they study the bill. Bill C-263 was inspired by the disappearance of my father, Earl Moberg, an 81-year-old Winnipeg senior living with dementia who went missing in December 2023. He has never been found and is presumed deceased. Following my father’s disappearance, our family initiated a national petition calling for a Silver Alert system in Canada. Sponsored by MP Raquel Dancho, the petition received more than 7,300 signatures from Canadians across the country. That public support helped demonstrate that this is an issue that matters to many families. I am incredibly grateful to MP Dancho for turnu 6 ‘Silver Alert bill'

WORKING HARD FOR SENIORS

NELLIE KENNEDY

MATT WIEBE

JENNIFER CHEN

TYLER BLASHKO

YOUR MLA FOR ASSINIBOIA

YOUR MLA FOR CONCORDIA

YOUR MLA FOR FORT RICHMOND

YOUR MLA FOR LAGIMODIÈRE

MIKE MOYES YOUR MLA FOR RIEL

Nellie.Kennedy@yourmanitoba.ca

Matt.Wiebe@yourmanitoba.ca

Jennifer.Chen@yourmanitoba.ca

Tyler.Blashko@yourmanitoba.ca

Mike.Moyes@yourmanitoba.ca

(204) 888-3188

204-654-1857

(431) 294-9854

(204) 583-7423

(204) 421-4666

RENÉE CABLE

ROBERT LOISELLE

ADRIEN SALA

SHANNON CORBETT

DAVID PANKRATZ

YOUR MLA FOR SOUTHDALE

YOUR MLA FOR ST. BONIFACE

YOUR MLA FOR ST. JAMES

YOUR MLA FOR TRANSCONA

YOUR MLA FOR WAVERLEY

Renee.Cable@yourmanitoba.ca

Robert.Loiselle@yourmanitoba.ca

Adrien.Sala@yourmanitoba.ca

Shannon.Corbett@yourmanitoba.ca

David.Pankratz@yourmanitoba.ca

(204) 222-9038

(204) 505-2800

(204) 792-8779

(204) 219-1189

(431) 323-4891

lifestyles55.net

October 2026

ISSUES IN THE NEWS

PUBLISHER Pegasus Publications Inc. GENERAL MANAGER Dorothy Dobbie dorothy@pegasuspublications.net ART DIRECTOR Karl Thomsen kthomsen.production@pegasuspublications.net CONTRIBUTORS Greg Barrett, Marianne Cerilli, Gabrielle Chartrand, Romel Dhalla, Dorothy Dobbie, Shauna Dobbie, Zofia Dove, Doug Eyolfson, Stefano Grande, Jesse Haje, Evelyn Jacks, Ian Leatt, Britt Moberg, Myron Love, Kathryn McBurney, Alan McLauchlin, Fred Morris, Seneka Samarasinghe, Trudy Schroeder, Tom Simms and Wayne Weedon. Canadian Publications mail product Sales agreement #40027604 PRINT ADVERTISING Gord Gage • 204-940-2701 gord.gage@pegasuspublications.net SUBSCRIPTIONS If you would like to receive Lifestyles 55, we offer both monthly newspaper and online formats. To place your order, call 204-9402700. Subscriptions are $36.00 per year, plus tax. American Express, MasterCard, Visa and cheques are accepted. To view a back issue online visit lifestyles55.net Published monthly by: Pegasus Publications Inc. 70 Jewett Bay Winnipeg, MB R3R 2N1 204-940-2700 Lifestyles55.net pegasuspublications.net

DISTRIBUTION Available at more that 20 rural towns and cities as well as more than 100 locations in Winnipeg. If you would like bulk copies of this publication, contact Gord Gage at (204) 940-2701 or gord.gage@ pegasuspublications.net. Also available digitally at lifestyles55.net and on Facebook: Lifestyles55 EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Call Dorothy Dobbie at (204) 940-2716 or email dorothy@pegasuspublications.net for more information and guidelines. Any opinions expressed in columns by our contributors are their own opinions entirely and are not necessarily shared by Pegasus Publications Inc. All information presented by the contributors is the responsibility of the writers. Lifestyles 55 is published monthly. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without seeking permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright Pegasus Publications Inc.

Let’s talk about the city and being mayor W

ho should be the mayor of our city and what does it take? Well, it takes compassion and caring. It takes empathy and understanding. But it also takes good business sense and ability to command. First, let me begin by commending the current mayor Scott Gillingham on his decision to damn the torpedoes and open Portage and Main. That was the right decision. Today, our iconic corner is alive with people again and there are none of the disabling traffic jams we were warned of. Now he just has to manage the fact that we will not close the underground concourse, which would be a step backward. There is room for both. But what about the future? Where are we going? What is the vision to make our city entrepreneurial and vibrant again? Yes, there is a lot happening downtown, but how much of that is government funded and how much is stimulated by businesses that believe in our city and its possibilities? Because that is the only true measure of progress. So, Scott, sweet and well meaning as you are, it is time for a change. To me, that change is Kevin Klein. Kevin has seen the world from both sides – from growing up in a struggling, single-mother home, rising to the C-suite as one of corporate executives that make the world go around, to City Councillor and then a Minister of the Crown in our provincial government. He has emerged as an experienced leader who understands our needs and Kevin Klein has the experience in both business and politics to how to fill them! make real change at City Hall. I first met Kevin about 15 years ago as a member of the He cherishes his kids. And now he is a grandfather, the Manitoba Publishers Association. The chair, Brenda Johnson, and I thought that the two daily newspapers, who at greatest blessing of all. But beneath all this is his love for this, his the time were both also publishing magaadopted city. When he came here, he said he zines, should be doing their part to support knew he had found home. He wants now to us. We met with the two publishers. Kevin serve you. And serve – not boss. He doesn’t jumped right in. Not only did he join the care about rubbing shoulders with the rich Association and offer his full support, but and famous or other political bigwigs. He he came to the meetings and helped as much has done all that. What he wants is a city that as he could – all pre-COVID, of course. works. He knows we need a leader that can That’s the kind of person he is. He is comread a balance sheet and understands that mitted and sincere. And very real. the taxpayer is struggling on many fronts. Kevin left the Sun as Publisher when he We need a leader that can build a team, leanfound that the paper had become a mere tool in the hands of its Quebec owners at ing on the expertise of his councillors, and the time. As I recall it, they wanted to rewho can direct staff and make them want to view the paper before it went to press every do their very best. day. That went against the ethics of a man He sees the problems: the lost opportuwho was trained in the tradition of freedom nities due to the clumsy and slow licensing Dorothy Dobbie of the press. So, he left. He was quickly and inspections system that has developed snatched up by MTS who was struggling over the years. He understands the erosion with the world of the Internet. And there was a lineup of of our pride and the reluctance of people to invest when corporate clients down south who were only too glad to our streets are filed with homeless folks who have turned call on his expertise in redefining the management of their to drugs for solace and who have to steal to support their companies. habit. And he knows how to ask the right people for help. In everything he has done, Kevin has acted with integHe is already consulting two that I know of: former pority and intelligence. But he is also quietly involved in lice chief Devon Clunis and Street Links founder, Marion the community. He coaches hockey and has done it for Willis. That is the right way to go because you can’t do or years. He, along with this lovely wife, Heather, were the think of everything yourself. co-chairs that founded the Winnipeg Homes for Heros There is so much more. But I think you get the picture. committee. Kevin Klein will be a great mayor. We have not had this He rescues dogs – well, one at least. Gorge was a sweet- kind of experience and expertise offered to us for many, heart but not cut out for police work so Kevin brought his many years. Let’s seize the day! I will vote for Kevin. I home to live with Heather’s tiny sidekick. hope you will, too. He adores his wife. And he loved her parents. His faNote to other candidates: We have number of very good ther-in-law, was a Baptist pastor, who replaced the father people vying for the position of mayor. I commend all of you for he never knew and his mother-n-law became the surro- offering. If I know Kevin, I expect he will be happy to hear your gate for his own mom, who was tragically murdered when thoughts and ideas when he takes the chair. We are a commuKevin was barely out of his teens. nity, and win or lose, your ideas are important. -DD

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lifestyles55.net

Repeat offenders on the street - the system is broken

Repeat offenders

mall shop owners feel helping bail conditions. less against thieves. For that It is not just a Manitoba probmatter, so do large ones who lem. A former Vancouver mayor can afford to hire security. said that in a single year, 6,300 Grab-and-run thieves are be- incidents were committed by the coming more daring. They don’t same 40 individuals. really care if there is a security So how do we deal guard on duty or not, because they with this? Hiring more know that these employees have police does not help if no real power, that they could be the perpetrators are charged with assault if they physi- out within 24 hours, cally attempt to stop a thief and and often “bail” is no the court judges the force to be more than a promise unreasonable. The bar is set very to show up for trial. low. Worse is the fact that A security guard has no greater so many never get to powers than any ordinary citizen trial because of a lack under the law. Yes, they can make of judges and clerks to a citizen’s arrest. So big deal. The hear the case. Right thief runs away and to stop him now, the Federal court you have to use physhas five judge vacanical restraint meacies in Manitoba. sures. He struggles, The Federal governthings heat up, the ment appoints these security guard ends judges, but it apup being charged pears Mr Carney is while the thief just too busy gallivanting adds another charge around the world to to his long list of ofbe bothered with fences. It is a minor such a paltry detail. inconvenience, beIn Manitoba, our cause he is already provincial court sysawaiting trial for the tem has 43 judges, up same offence several only 2 since 2,000, times over. And, oh although our popuyes. He prays the lation has grown by Dorothy Dobbie day of reckoning will over 350,000 in that never come because, time. There seems to under the Jordan principle, the be no public record of the number trial must be held no later than 18 of judicial vacancies, but clerical months for this type of crime. positions are the big issue. There What happens if that doesn’t are 14 out of the usual compleoccur? The case is thrown out of ment of 49 – more than 28% – of court. The perpetrator gets off clerical positions unfilled. scott free. And even if it does go It is hard to find replacements to trial, he may get a slap on the for those clerks who are retiring, wrist with as little as six months in and the job can be stressful while jail or a $2,000 fine! also being on the lower end of Seasoned criminals also recruit the wage scale. The rate in Manikids to steal goods that they will toba is $18.90 per hour; you can’t sell on what used to be called the hire a dog walker for that these black market. days. Skills requirements are also Some of these thieves are re- changing as clerks’ roles shift from markably young, and nearly all manual data entry to digital data are under 18, protected by the management, as the role evolves Youth Criminal Justice Act. Kids into more of an administrative asas young as 10 or 11 are also resistant position. cruited, because they can’t be As we can see, the problem is charged at all. Young as these complex and it is about to get thieves-in-training are, they are even worse as the province cuts well equipped to defend them- circuit judges – those are the judgselves, some of them carrying bear es who travel to small and remote spray, machetes, and airguns. communities to hear cases. Chief Retail thieves are just a part of Judge Ryan Rolston announced the mess. Violent criminals are that 68 annual circuit court sitalso protected by expeditious trial tings will be cut, effective April 1, dates although the court is grant- 2027. Sittings across the province ed six more months to get them to will be reduced to 108 per year, trial before dismissal of their case. down from 176. This is where it gets dangerous. A Instead, they have rechannelled whopping 20% of violent offend- resources into hiring more poers were out on “bail” at the time lice officers, ankle monitors, and of their new charges. Indeed, up correctional facilities, although to 80% of all violent offender cas- correctional facilities have not ines have been previously charged creased since 2016, but neither with an offence according to the has the prison population – up Manitoba Integrated Violent Of- very slightly from 2,555 in 2016 fender Apprehension Unit which to 2,582 in 2026. was created in 2023 to deal with And guess what? Over, 70% of violent offenders. these people are in jail on remand And police know that bail break- because they are deemed too daners are often ignoring their bail gerous to be allowed out on bail, conditions. Last March, they an- waiting for trial. nounced that, over a two-month This system needs some serious span, their bail compliance unit thought and a plan to cover all the had tracked down or submitted shortfalls if we want to live in a warrants for 336 offenders break- safe community.

hen I was a kid, I thought told not to engage shoplifters. A packthat if you stole something age of steaks is not worth a cashier getand got caught, you went ting stabbed. Thieves know this too. to jail. Simple as that. Wasn't that the They can fill a bag, walk toward the whole point of jail? door and be reasonably confident that I have since learned there is a great the 19-year-old at the register has been deal more involved. First, you have to specifically instructed not to tackle get caught, then you have to be charged, them. then – after months of waiting, not in That safety policy makes sense. What jail – you might get sentenced to a fine does not make sense is removing the or community service or maybe a bit of resistance at the point of sale and failing to replace it anywhere else – and I time in prison. In Junior High in the do not mean by making everyone show 1980s, my Social Studies identification on the way into the store teacher said that theft un- (ahem, Manitoba Liquor Marts). I der $200 was a relatively mean rapid police follow-up and conminor offence, roughly the sequences that escalate for people who sort of crime Americans keep doing it. would call a misdemeanor. Suppose police do catch our thief. Today, the dividing line is For a relatively minor, nonviolent of$5,000. fence, the accused will often be released Two hundred to five with conditions and a date to appear in thousand. The cost of ev- court. Release is not automatic, howerything has gone up, but ever. Police and courts may consider not by 25 times. whether the person is likely to continue The law does not literal- offending, breach conditions or fail to ly declare every theft below that line mi- appear. nor. Theft under $5,000 The problem arises can still be prosecuted when the system sees by indictment and can each theft separately. Our carry a prison sentence, thief may collect new though the maximum charges and new release sentence for it is two conditions while the earyears. But categories lier cases move through send messages. Callcourt. Unless police coning the theft of $4,999 nect the reported inci“theft under $5,000” dents quickly, many of places it, at least in the them will never become public imagination, part of the case against alongside a teenager that offender. Even when pocketing a lipstick. charges are laid, separate If I were a shopkeeper, files may proceed on difI could understand the ferent schedules and obShauna Dobbie system treating a $150 scure the scale of the pattheft as a relatively small tern. matter, though a few of those every I don’t think the answer is simply week would have me fuming. A $5,000 locking everyone up. Research on imtheft would leave me questioning my prisonment is discouraging if the goal life choices. When I worked in retail is reducing reoffending. A Canadian in Toronto fifteen years ago, $5,000 in meta-analysis covering 336,052 offendgross sales was a pretty good day for the ers found no evidence that prison senentire mid-sized store. tences reduced recidivism. Longer imThe threshold tells retailers, police, prisonment was associated with a slight courts and offenders which losses the increase, not a decrease, in reoffending. system considers most serious. Five Prison does incapacitate someone thousand dollars is a remarkably large temporarily. Put a prolific thief away for amount to place on the less-serious side six months and he cannot steal from the of that line. The problem is not that the grocery store during those six months. law treats one $150 theft as a minor of- That does not mean the sentence will fence. The problem is that it can treat change what happens in month seven, the fifteenth $150 theft as though the when he is released; in fact, he’s been first fourteen never happened. released after six months of chat time Shoplifting is rising sharply across with other criminals, learning to perfect Canada. Police reported 208,941 in- the craft. cidents in 2025, up 11 percent from The solution resides with retailers, the year before, the fifth straight an- police and the justice system. Retailers nual increase, and up 79 percent since should record every incident in a stan2015. Those are only the thefts that got dardized system; they should upload reported. I expect some portion of that video, descriptions and the value of is people stealing food or other neces- the goods within 24 hours. Stores in sities, understandable if not excusable. the area can then know what products, But there is also a smaller, more persis- locations and hours produce the greattent group who do this again and again, est losses and protect them with tags, sometimes stealing goods specifically to controlled displays, staffed checkouts or resell. Winnipeg police call these people targeted security. prolific offenders, which is a remarkably Winnipeg is not starting from nothpolite way to put it. ing. WPS accepts online retail-theft In December 2025, Winnipeg police reports, reviews them within 48 hours wrapped up a month-long retail theft and places approved reports in its recrackdown with 72 arrests, 25 of them cords system. Its Property Crime Unit held in custody. Seven of those arrested has used those reports and store video were on Crime Stoppers' list of the 10 to connect thefts committed at different most wanted retail thieves. Officers laid businesses by the same person. more than 196 charges and recovered WPS also runs targeted enforcement nearly $24,000 in stolen property. projects. An East District initiative inThis is not a hungry single mother volving community-support, propertystealing a loaf of bread, nor the teenager crime and rapid-response officers made who pockets a lipstick once and gets 149 arrests and recovered $24,000 in caught. These are people who have fig- merchandise between late May and Auured out that retail theft can be repeat- gust 2026. ed, more or less indefinitely, because the What WPS does not publicly promresistance to it has largely disappeared. ise is immediate investigation of every Retail employees are, quite rightly, u 6 ‘Repeat offenders'

Dobbie vs Dobbie

lifestyles55.net

October 2026

New Mega Deduction a good start But, will this measure increase the wealth gap?

So, for individuals and small business owners, a n September, the Federal government has unveiled a Productivity Mega Deduction, which great deal of complexity has again snuck into the Inwill provide immediate expensing under Capi- come Tax Act with the Productivity Mega Deductal Cost Allowance (CCA) provisions for a broad tion. range of depreciable property acquired by businesses The case for lower taxes. Lost in the announceof all sorts. Importantly this is a perments to date is meaningful help for manent deduction, for acquisitions on the backbone of Canada’s economy. or after September 15, 2026. While a That’s the small business owner and good start in addressing tax reforms to the individual taxpayers transacting in our very complex system, much more it, who need a cash flow break, now. needs to be done, especially for small Governments can help with as big business owners and average taxpayand bold an initiative as the Producers. The goal: to make Canada truly tivity Mega Deduction: bring on a competitive across our tax base. significant personal and corporate tax The backdrop. Canada’s Prime Minreform in the upcoming fall federal ister has called the times we are in a budget that reduces personal and cor“global rupture”. That’s scary for evporate taxes before the end of the year. eryone, given the wars being waged High taxes make Canada a less attoday, using new weapons that include tractive place to work and do business economy-punishing tariffs. That’s exin, even with plenty of new capital inEvelyn Jacks actly why now is the right time for a vestments. We can change that with significant personal and corporate tax a real commitment to recreate the reform to catalyze earnings and spendideals of a new tax system for a new ing in Main Street Canada. economy: fairness, equity, simplicity and compliThe Productivity Mega Deduction is not for ev- ance all on the table for dissection and introspeceryone. The new PMD will allow for immediate ex- tion. pensing of assets acquired for use in business. That When tax rates drop, cash flow increases for the is, taxpayers who invest in eligible property will be consumer spending, so vitally needed by Canadian able to fully deduct the costs in the year that the small businesses challenged to survive the trade war, property becomes “available for use”. pay off the debt they are challenged with, increase But there are complicated restrictions especially their margins for reinvestment and hire more staff, for the one asset most small business owners acquire too. in business: their vehicles. To claim the new Mega Lower personal taxes can increase labor force Deduction, these can’t be used for any purpose be- productivity: people will want to work more hours fore being acquired by the taxpayer. In addition, they or strive higher for the next promotion. That helps cannot be assembled in a country other than Canada. small businesses grow and encourages new entreSpecific rules will also restrict individuals, and preneurship ventures, too. partnerships with members who are individuals, to Tax reform will also be very important for the avcreate or increase a loss using their Mega deduction. erage investor as well. More money in the pocket Like other eligible properties, the following condi- every two weeks, means more savings in RRSPs, tions must also be met: TFSAs and other important tax-preferred invest• neither the taxpayer nor a related party can pre- ments that help Canadians position themselves for viously have owned the property; and a prosperous and independent retirement. It’s im• the property cannot be transferred to the tax- portant to give that investor a direct opportunity to payer on a tax-deferred "rollover" basis. invest in the new economy in Canada.

Pivot for prosperity – for all. One can’t avoid the messaging of the economic pain to come from the changing global trade rules. Mark Carney announced early this month that Canada needs to “pivot and prosper” in order to emerge “stronger and more resilient”. We’ve had a good start with this new direction in corporate tax reform: bring on the Productivity Mega Deduction! It has the potential to make Canada a tax haven of sorts to attract new business investment both from within Canada and from afar. This in turn can create better jobs for those who may be laid off because of the tariff wars. Together with announcements at the Canada Investment Summit, we are indeed focused on “what we can control” as we seek over $1 trillion in investment in Canada over the next five years. That’s putting Canada on the global map in a significant way and that’s good news. As important however, is how the integration of the personal, corporate, trust and cross-border tax systems can catalyze the powerful potential of the backbone of the Canadian economy: the millions of small business owners and the people they employ. Putting money back into their pockets by reducing tax burdens can amplify the goal of strength and resilience! Further, our tax system has become too complicated for taxpayers, their advisors and even the CRA. The technology driving the relationships taxpayers have with their tax department is also unwieldly, resulting in unacceptable processing delays. Sure to improve over time, this all contributes to economic pain felt by millions of hardworking people simply trying to comply. It’s time to change that in this fall’s federal budget: Canada’s personal tax system urgently needs an overhaul to help the average taxpayer pivot and prosper, too. Afterall, they bear the responsibility and the burden of proof for the federal government’s largest revenue line item. Evelyn Jacks is a best-selling Canadian financial author and podcaster. Listen to Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks and Friends to understand your tax system better. Go to podcasts@learn.knowledgebureau.com

Golden West Broadcasting looking forward to celebrating 70th anniversary

hese past many years have been tough for Hildebrand, from a farming family, originally traditionally legacy media – be it in print, signed on to the new station at the age of 19 as a television or radio. But one broadcasting copywriter. It wasn’t long before he added advertisnetwork has not only survived but continues to ing sales to his responsibilities and excelled at the thrive. That would be Golden West work. He was appointed sales managBroadcasting. er in 1960, general manager in 1965, The Altona-based Manitoba broadpresident in the early 1980s and CEO caster with radio stations in over about 10 years later. (Brett Adnum is 40 rural communities spanning the current president.) northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, While the CFAM wasn’t necessarily Saskatchewan and Alberta, is Westlooking to expand, management has ern Canada’s largest, independently always been open to opportunities owned broadcasting network. In the that presented themselves. It wasn’t coming months, the broadcaster will long after CFAM went on air that the be celebrating its 70th anniversary. broadcaster opened an ad sales office The key to Golden West’s success, in nearby Steinbach. according to CEO Elmer HildebIn 1964, the Southern Manitoba rand, is its focus strictly on local news Broadcasting Co. launched a second and programming. “We don’t over radio station CHSM-AM in SteinMyron Love any national or international news,” bach, 75 miles to the northeast of he says. “Listeners can find that inforAltona. SMB had a sales office there mation elsewhere. We provide news and program- since 1959, but signal quality began to deteriorate, ming that you can’t find anywhere else.” and on March 13, 1964, SMB opened CHSMHildebrand is that rare individual indeed in mod- AM, in Steinbach. It simulcast the programming of ern times who has spent his entire career with one CFAM-AM in Altona. organization. In fact, he was one of the broadcastIt was in the mid-1970s that the network really er’s 11 employees and, as he looks forward to his began to grow. In 1973, SMB acquired a license own milestone – his 90th birthday – he remains ac- for a new AM station in Boissevain in southwesttively involved in the company’s management deci- ern Manitoba. At the same time, the corporation sions. introduced its own microwave in response to the CFAM-AM Altona, as Golden West was origi- high costs associated with leasing Manitoba Telenally christened, debuted on March 13, 1957, at phones’ links. This resulted in SMB developing a 1290 on the dial. The station was founded by a major business building microwave systems for group of southern Manitoba businessmen led by other broadcasters in Canada, the Caribbean and A.I. Thiessen (who owned an inter-community South America. bus company that later became Grey Goose) operIn subsequent years, stations in Portage la Praiating as the Southern Manitoba Broadcasting Co. rie and several communities in Saskatchewan and (MSB). Thiessen became the first station manager. Alberta. Hildebrand recalls that the new entity had to apply In 1998, Golden West launched the first of its to CBC which, at the time, was the body respon- new FM stations, CILT-FM in Steinbach, adding sible for granting new broadcasting licenses. others over the next seven years. October 2026

In 2004, Golden West added Christian Contemporary Music with the acquisition of a controlling interest in Christian Radio Manitoba Ltd.’s struggling CHVN-FM Winnipeg. This was followed in 2006, when the company acquired a second Christian music station, CJTS-FM, in Lethbridge, Alberta. Christian broadcasting has always been an integral part of the company’s programming, with daily hymn and gospel programs, reports on church activities and broadcasts of church services on Sundays. In 2010, Golden West expanded into Northwestern Ontario with the acquisition of a station in Vermilion Bay. While much of how Golden West operates is a throwback to the past, the broadcaster is very much in the present. The broadcaster joined the digital world in 2009, with the launch of steinbachonline. com The website provide local news, weather reports, adds, job opportunities and notices of upcoming community events and activities and has been highly successful with 160,000 users monthly and a membership of two million! And Golden West continues to grow apace. Elmer Hildebrand reports that the company now employs 350 across all its stations. “We hire locally,” he says. “We have a lot of good people working for us. He further points out that – as with most successful businesses – Golden West believes strongly in giving back to their communities. Company employees are involved with a host of volunteer organizations, he notes. “We strive to be an integral part of every community we serve,” he says. It all adds up to a 70-year record of success. lifestyles55.net

Silver Alert bill advances Continued from page 1

ing that call for action into Bill C-263 and the hands of the public. for continuing to champion this issue. A person going for a walk, driving, shopWhy Silver Alerts Matter ping in a store or looking out a window When a person living with dementia may be the person who sees something goes missing, every minute matters. that helps bring a missing loved one home. Canada is facing a growing number of That is why public awareness is so impeople living with dementia, with the Alportant. zheimer Society projecting that nearly one What Comes Next million Canadians will be living with dePassing second reading is an important mentia by 2030. As the number of people step, but it is not the end of the process. at risk increases, we need systems that can Bill C-263 will now go to committee respond quickly when a vulnerable perfor further study. This is an opportunity to hear from those with expertise and lived son goes missing. Canada already has the experience and to examine how a national technology to deliver rapid, geographically Earl Moberg. Silver Alert framework can work effectively targeted emergency alerts to mobile devices through the National Public Alerting System. A national across Canada. I hope to continue advocating for the bill as it moves Silver Alert framework could help establish consistent criteria and coordination for using that technology to quick- through this next stage. When a person living with dementia goes missing, it is ly get information about a missing vulnerable adult into

an emergency situation. When my father went missing, our family learned how important it is for the public to receive information quickly and in a way that reaches the people who may be in the area. A Silver Alert would give communities another tool to help find vulnerable people quickly—when minutes and hours can make all the difference. You Can Help If you believe Canada needs a coordinated national Silver Alert framework, please consider contacting your Member of Parliament and asking them to support Bill C-263 as it moves through Parliament. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has signed, shared, contacted elected representatives, followed my father’s story and supported this effort. My father was a teacher, a lifelong learner and someone who believed in community. Continuing this work is one way I honour him. Britt Moberg is the daughter of Earl Moberg.

The cost of doing nothing: more seniors assisted living housing prevents bed blocks Continued from page 1

isolation and loneliness. sidized senior’s living options are a practical and cost- MHRC’s Auditor’s Report for year ended March 31, In 2025, British Columbia publicly funded 133 effective option to help alleviate some of the demand for 2025, the total revenues for the province’s social houssubsidized seniors assisted living residences, including long-term care…meeting the growing demand for long- ing provider was $392.4 million, including rental reve4,334 units. Minimum monthly rate was $1,219 for term care requires more than building additional beds. nue and contributions from other levels of government. a single senior and $1,857 for a couple. The average It requires strengthening community-based alternatives The $98 million annually of “blocked money” caused monthly rate for publicly funded assisted that delay or prevent the by “bed blocks” is significant, especially living was $1,616. These monthly rates need for long-term care.” when it is taken into consideration that are particularly impressive when taken In 2024, the Right to the entire budget for the Manitoba within the context of the B.C. housing Housing Coalition of Housing Renewal Corporation is $392.4 market. Manitoba’s research idenmillion and new funding to build social/ More assisted living housing for low/ tified that the provincial affordable housing units in Budget 2026 fixed income seniors is a strategic apgovernment needed to is $12.8 million. proach to address the growing challenge build 10,000 new rentThe federal government needs to enof “bed blocks” in hospitals and longgeared-to-income houssure the Build Canada Homes Program term care homes by freeing up beds that ing units over the next includes funding to address the public are being used by older adults that could 10-years, including puband non-profit housing needs of low/ have their needs better met in public or lic, non-profit and coopfixed income seniors. This type of pronon-profit rent-geared-to-income/servicerative housing, in order vincial-federal partnership is crucial to es-geared-to-income assisted living housto meet the growing demobilize the capital required to build ing. mand for social housing rent-geared-to-income seniors assisted Jesse Hajer Tom Simms A shocking 3,059 patients in hospital in our province. living housing. waiting for long time care Manitoba Budget 2024 There is a compelling cost-benefit Manitoba government data indicates that in committed to build 350 units of affordable and social analysis case for the provincial government to address 2025/2026 there was 3,059 patients waiting in hos- housing; 400 units in Budget 2025; and in Budget this issue of the “blocked money” tied up in the estipitals for long-term care amounting to 150,801 days 2026 only 215 units. Over three years, this brings the mated annual $98 million “bed block” cost of patients resulting in a conservative annual cost estimate of $98 total to just 965 units of social and affordable rental waiting in hospitals for long-term care. Greater system million. housing. This means that the province will be more effectiveness, budget efficiency and appropriate care for Based on data provided by the Department of Health, than 2,035 units short of affordable and social housing seniors could be achieved (a public policy “hat trick”) Seniors and Long-Term Care, the average cost in the requirements and even further short of the social hous- if the provincial government expanded investment for province for a senior waiting in hospitals for long-term ing we know is needed as affordable housing units are rent-geared-to-income/services-geared-to-income pubcare is $650/day. For long-term care it is $340/day. The not based on rent-geared-to-income. lic and non-profit seniors assisted living housing. The estimated average cost for the provincial government to Budget 2026 allocates $12.8 million to create the ad- human and financial cost of doing nothing is significant. subsidize seniors assisted living housing is $125/day. ditional 215 social and affordable housing units, along The article is co-authored by Tom Simms, Manitoba SeA 2025 B.C. Senior’s Advocate report concluded that with $267.8 million for the operating budget of Mani- niors Equity Action Coalition, and Jesse Hajer, an economist “it is time to recognize that creating more publicly sub- toba Housing and Renewal Corporation. According to from the University of Manitoba.

Repeat offenders Continued from page 4

reported theft or automatic comparison of every report across every retailer. Its strongest results appear when investigators have already identified a pattern or when officers are assigned to a temporary enforcement project. That approach should become routine. WPS needs permanent retail-theft capacity within its Property Crime Unit, with investigators responsible for connecting reports from different stores. One $150

theft may not justify a major investigation. Fifteen thefts by the same identifiable person should be treated as a pattern, not as fifteen unrelated minor files. The response should then escalate. A first-time, nonviolent offender might receive diversion, restitution or community service. Continued theft should bring tighter release conditions, orders to stay away from affected stores, closer supervision and, when necessary, custody. Pro-

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All about living at the

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lific-offender cases should receive coordinated court management so that charges do not accumulate faster than the courts can address them. Police must also investigate the people and businesses buying the stolen goods. Repeated theft becomes profitable only when merchandise can be converted into cash. The solution will cost money, and that cost should be divided sensibly. Retailers

should pay for effective store controls and usable evidence. Government should pay for investigation, prosecution and courts. Catching criminals is a public responsibility, not a cashier’s second job. The strongest deterrent is the reasonable expectation of being identified and caught. Make detection, charging and case resolution swift enough that stealing fifteen times no longer feels like getting away with 15 minor offences.

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The saint and the tailor

Bishop Vasyl and Metropolitan Maxim.

Patriarch Josyf Slipyi and Bishop Vasyl Velychkovsky in Rome in 1972.

Greg Barrett Part 3 of 5 This is where we left off in September... Blessed Vasyl carried out his work under conditions of intense risk knowing all the time that he was being watched on a 24-hour basis. At any time, as he traveled in and around Lviv, he was likely to be picked up and arrested by the KGB. (15) Inevitably, on January 27, 1969, after 6 years of constant pressure, his time ran out and he was again arrested. He received another prison sentence - this time, however, he was not sent to the Gulag but given a 3-year sentence in Komunarsk (now known as Alchevsk in the Donbas Region). He was taken to a hospital for the mentally ill and over the next three years Bishop Velychkovsky was subjected to harsh, physical, psychological and chemical torture.

espite all of this, he refused to defect to the Russian Orthodox Church, he refused to denounce his faith or provide information about the underground church. His niece in Canada later stated that Bishop Vasyl shared with her that in the process of this torture he told his tormentors – “You can do anything to my body but you will never have my soul.” (16) With his physical and mental health ruined, the Soviet authorities released him in 1972. His nephew, Dr. Vasyl Nikolic of Zagreb, was working to get Blessed Vasyl out of prison and then with one-and-a-half-hour notice was told by the Soviet authorities that they were putting him on a plane to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. At that point Dr. Nikolic contacted his good friend and patient Archbishop Bukatko, Archbishop of Belgrade and informed him of the situation. Archbishop Bukatko met Blessed Vasyl at the Belgrade airport, welcomed him, brought him home, gave him food and clothing and put him on a train to Zagreb. Dr. Nikolic met him at the train station and stated that he looked very sick and was in poor health. Dr. Nikolic was concerned about his heart and dangerously weakened overall medical condition. He was of the opinion that his jailors “… had given him something that would cause his death in a year of two.” By the time that he left Zagreb for Rome three weeks later, Dr. Nikolic felt that his medical condition had “improved”. Blessed Vasyl arrived in Rome on February 20, 1972 and lived in the campus church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus which had been set up as a Ukrainian national parish by Cardinal Slipyi. His arrival in Rome was picked up by the Italian press. On February 26, 1972 the Corriere Della Sera printed an article with the headline “The unexpected arrival in Rome of a mysterious Ukrainian priest”. The article went on to say that in the Vatican he is simply known as “Father” but it also reported that he was consecrated as a bishop secretly. The article notes that his arrival in Rome revived Vatican interest in the most recent events in the Ukrainian Catholic Church and identified him as a Redemptorist. The bulk of the article deals with the Vatican’s policy toward a rapprochement with Soviet Russia. It seems that Blessed Vasil’s arrival in Rome sparked a renewal of the controversy between Cardinal Slipyi and the Vatican’s policy toward Soviet Russia and the Russian Orthodox church of Moscow. The Vatican saw Bishop Velychkovsky’s presence as a potential obstacle to this policy preferring to keep him very much in the background. Accordingly, instead of being warmly welcomed and honored by the Vatican he was, in fact, shunted aside by Vatican funtionaries for political reasons. In Rome he was received in audience by Pope Paul VI. This audience apparently did not go well inasmuch as Blessed Vasyl was accompanied by a priest that he did not know. He was suspicious of this person and, as a result, even though he was standing before the Holy Father, he felt that he could not share all the information that he had about the church in Ukraine. Standing October 2026

there he was in mortal fear of divulging information that might harm the church in Ukraine or its people. Given the circumstances, his level of suspicion was probably exaggerated but his reaction can be seen as a direct result of his tortures at the hands of the Soviet authorities and his uncertainty as to the Vatican’s priorities. Even in Rome he could not let his guard down. When Blessed Vasyl arrived in Rome he was introduced to Raphael Turkonyak a Deacon at the time. Raphael remembered Bishop Vasyl as someone he thought was “destroyed” – his hand was “trembling” and he was “forgetful”. He also remembers celebrating Divine Liturgy as a Deacon with Bishop Vasyl and relates that often the bishop would not remember which part of the liturgy he was celebrating. He felt that this forgetfulness was caused by the medications given to him while he was in prison. Bishop Velychkovski, with His Beatitude Josyf, ordained Raphael Turkonyak and shortly afterwards left Rome to travel to Canada. While in Rome Bishop Velychkovsky was invited to live in Winnipeg by the Redemptorist Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk, Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. Blessed Vasyl accepted the Metropolitan’s invitation and arrived in Winnipeg on June 15, 1972 – the suffering servant truly in exile - over 7,000 kilometers away from Lviv. Maria Matwichuk, Bishop Vasyl’s niece and her husband Dr. Zenon Matwichuk were overjoyed and excited that their uncle was coming to Winnipeg. Accompanied by their two sons Paul and George, they met and welcomed him at the Winnipeg Airport. George remembers him as being very quiet, moving very slowly and walking with a cane. George also remembers Blessed Vasyl staying at the home of a neighbour on Hartford Avenue in the North Kildonan area of Winnipeg for a short time. George remembers that Bishop Vasyl would visit his parents’ home almost every day and then his father would drive him back to where he was staying in the evening. He shared a brief conversation that he had with the bishop in late September 1972. At the time the Russia/Canada hockey series was being played and George informed Blessed Vasyl (his mother translating) that Canada had defeated Russia in a dramatic come-from-behind series victory in the final game in Moscow. Blessed Vasyl smiled gently but had nothing to say. As Zenon and Maria helped Bishop Velychkovsky settle in to his new surroundings, it was clear to them that he had been through terrible times and they immediately identified that he needed some decent clothing as a first step in making him comfortable. At first, he felt that the clothes he wore were perfectly fine. But after some discussion he agreed to having a suit made. Zenon then called his old friend and tailor Romolo Fracassi and asked for “a big favor”. Could Romolo tailor a suit for his uncle the bishop? Romolo immediately and enthusiastically agreed to Zenon’s request. So it was that Romolo gathered up some samples, picked up Maria and they made their way to Vasyl’s home in the Chancery of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg. When they arrived, Romolo was introduced to Bishop Velychkovsky by Maria who also translated. Romolo was immediately struck by how “very frail” the bishop appeared and by the fact that he projected a deep sadness. Romolo and Vasyl looked at each other and Romolo was mesmerized by the bishop’s eyes. There were tears in the bishop’s eyes and it was as if Romolo was able to take the measure of the man and recognize the pain and agony searing his heart. It seemed that Blessed Vasyl was sharing with Romolo the painful road that he had travelled for the past 47 years – Stalinist oppression; false accusations; fabricated charges; famine used as a weapon of subjugation; wartime conditions; hunger; atrocities; long-term imprisonment; constant and consistent pressure of being discovered; torture to the point of death; and at the end, exile. Bishop Velychovsky was clearly feeling the pain of a pastor ripped apart from his people and his flock in Ukraine and the pain was complex – part guilt, part frustration, part loneliness and part a sense of powerlessness. Romolo Fracassi was moved to his very core.

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Travel considerations for older Canadians

f you have had the opportunity and to indicate a need for airport assistance. privilege of travelling internationally The need for assistance is then included in recent years, you will have noticed in your trip file and is indicated on your that the services for people needing as- boarding pass. The accommodation this sistance in the airports has become much provides includes, in Winnipeg, access to more evident. It seems an airport wheelchair and, that every time I travel, I if needed, the assistance of see more people who are airline personnel to take daunted by the logistics of you from the check in gate getting around these masto your flight departure gate. This can be off imsive airports. If you are travelling internationally mense service and aid to and must move between people who are no longer terminal buildings, naviable to navigate these tasks gate the security processes without help. and the customs and borFortunately, the airport der control systems it can has a supply of quite intermean long waits in inexesting wheelchair and unplicably slow lines, and aided wheelchair options Trudy Schroeder hikes of miles of corridors that can make covering the Random with occasional moving distances possible for most Notes sidewalks and then great people. The red metal expanses of walks. chair in the attached photo Even the Winnipeg airport, which is is quite remarkably designed to make it not the largest of the airports you might quite possible for a relatively small-framed encounter, can prove to be challenging to personnel member to move people of people with reduced mobility, recent sur- considerably larger size around the airport gery, or other health challenges. It seems without significant hardship, while some that the gates for the most travelled routes of the more standard wheelchair options from Winnipeg to Toronto or Ottawa are can be quite problematic. invariably at the gates furthest from the It is also then possible to be in the security checkpoint. This can prove to be group that can board the aircraft in an more than many people can manage. earlier group to have more time to reach As you plan your trip and organize the aircraft through the boarding gates, your travel arrangements, it is possible find seats, settle canes and other mobility

Many modern airports can be a challenging experience, but there is help available. devices, stow luggage, and clear the aisles before others board the plane. Each airport has a different combination of wheelchairs, airline or airport assistance personnel, travel carts, buggies, and other types of conveyances. Generally, the assistance personnel are polite, helpful, and competent. The services they provide make it possible for people who have health issues to continue to travel to see family members, conduct business in other locations, and go on vacations. Occasionally the match up of people needing help and those able to provide that help is insufficient or the equipment available is not suitable to the needs of the traveller. In busy airports, with travellers of every

language and race and assistance personnel who are trying to help many people, sometimes those in need of help are moved to the side and abandoned like lost luggage. The looks of dismay and concern on the faces of these travellers and their travel companions is quite heart breaking. With the very large number of baby boomers reaching ages where physical infirmity is more common, I fear that our airports, which are designed to accommodate those who can cover large distances with ease, will run into increasing challenges in providing services in a humane way. The time for a crisis is coming very close. Last year I was booked on a flight to Amsterdam which also included a large contingent of Canadian veterans who had been part of the liberation of the Netherlands in World War II. The line of 20 or more wheelchairs each holding a veteran who was close to one hundred years old was quite a logistical feat for the airports and airlines. It was a special occasion, and the process was surprisingly efficient and well planned. For the next twenty years or so we will see increasing numbers of people needing that assistance, and we should be planning and advocating for those services to be developed to accommodate those needs. Trudy Schroeder provides project planning and management services to the community through Arts and Heritage Solutions.

Make Canada Mega Again – Mark Carney Edition Carney’s investment pitch raises a $36-billion question for taxpayers

ark has gone Mega. At Toronto’s Canada In- ber 2025, major financial institutions had withdrawn, and vestment Summit, the prime minister assem- the alliance had shut down, barely four and a half years bled a crowd of some of the world’s biggest after its launch. Given this track record, investors cominvestment managers and unveiled the Productivity Mega mitting money for decades rightly need to know which Deduction. Yes, you read that right. It is a Mega deduc- financing commitments will hold, what compliance will tion. We already had a Productivity Super-Deduction, so cost and when construction can begin. A Mega deduction at least there has been growth in the branding if not in is not a construction permit. Investment returns provide another rethe economy. ality check. From the beginning of 2021 The proposal would allow businesses to through the end of 2025, the iShares Globdeduct the full cost of a much wider range al Clean Energy fund lost approximately 37 of eligible investments in the year they beper cent, despite a substantial recovery in come available for use, rather than claim2025. Over those same five calendar years, ing those deductions over time. It covers the iShares Core S&P 500 fund gained apeverything from computer equipment and proximately 96 per cent. Both figures are software to eligible mining assets, pipelines in U.S. dollars and include reinvested disand transportation infrastructure. Canatributions. One global sector fund does dian businesses can use it, as can foreignnot represent every green investment, and owned businesses investing here. Ottawa the two funds hold very different businessestimates that it would reduce the effective es. Nevertheless, someone who invested tax burden on new business investment Romel Dhalla $10,000 in the clean-energy fund would from roughly 13 per cent to 6.4 per cent. On The have finished with roughly $6,300, comThe commercial objective is to make projpared with $19,600 in the S&P 500 fund. ects more attractive after tax and encourage Money For someone saving for retirement, that businesses to undertake investments they $13,300 gap is real money. Point being that otherwise would not make. The real question is whether this is going to be enough. “green” investments have a reputation for poor perforCanada’s productivity problem did not arrive yesterday. mance, and Canada’s environmental framework is like a By 2022, our economy was producing only about 71 per wet blanket for investments that could seek infrastructure cent of the value generated per hour worked in the United opportunities in other countries. However, Carney says major-project reviews can beStates, down from 88 per cent in 1984. Anyone committing capital for several decades will look beyond the de- come faster without lowering standards. Investors will duction to permitting, approvals, operating costs and the need to see how that works in the actual approvals. Enreliability of future cash flows. A project can look attrac- vironmental conditions, Indigenous participation and tive after tax and still be impossible to finance if nobody construction schedules all have financial implications that must be reflected in project agreements. Who bears the knows when construction can begin. Ottawa has separately announced that investments of cost of a delay? What obligations remain with the invesat least $1 billion will receive priority for advance tax tor, and what risks does the public retain? The deducrulings. That distinction is important. The deduction is tion changes the tax calculation; it does not answer those broadly available, while the priority service is explicitly questions. The proposed airport arrangements illustrate why the directed at large investments. Smaller businesses will still need to understand how the rules apply to them, without wording matters. Ottawa is seeking private investment necessarily having an institutional investor’s tax depart- through long-term operating concessions at four major airports while retaining ownership of the underlying land ment to work through the details. There is also the matter of getting permission to build. and assets. I question why this is needed, or how it fits Depending on the project, Canada’s approval process can in. The financial questions concern the concession terms, involve various environmental assessments and provincial responsibility for future investment, charges paid by travpermits. Ottawa’s climate-assessment framework also re- ellers and any guarantees provided by taxpayers. What quires covered projects operating beyond 2050 to provide additional or measurable productivity improvements will a credible plan to achieve net-zero emissions by that year. these concession agreements actually bring and how is Carney himself championed net-zero finances and helped this “Mega”? Then there is the financial burden of the government’s launch the Net-Zero Banking Alliance in 2021. By Octo8

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own bill. Ottawa estimates the Mega Deduction’s additional fiscal cost at $36 billion over five years. Accelerating a deduction is not the same thing as handing an investor a cheque for the cost of a project, but it does reduce government revenue in the near term. The fiscal case depends on how much additional investment and economic activity the measure actually generates. Money spent on a project that would have proceeded anyway cannot be counted as entirely new investment created by the deduction. Should the resulting growth fall short of expectations, the revenue difference would have to be accommodated through borrowing, other revenues or changes in spending. Additional debt also carries financing costs. Whether the programme ultimately puts pressure on taxes or government borrowing costs depends on its results and the wider economic environment. Those are risks worth a closer look, because if the promised growth fails to materialize, the fiscal case for the policy weakens considerably. There is also the question of who benefits. Investment gains can reach ordinary Canadians through pension funds and retirement savings, but that does not tell us what happens to households with little invested capital. Their gains would have to come through employment, higher wages, greater purchasing power or better public services. I question how Mega deductions, layered onto Canada’s regulatory framework and potentially available even for qualifying purchases of used assets, will materially improve the lives of average Canadians. If the promised investment and productivity gains actually arrive, perhaps they will. If they do not, Canada could end up offering investors very generous terms while taxpayers absorb much of the fiscal cost. In other words, the investors get the Mega deduction, while Canadians risk getting a Mega tax bill. As for my Brookfield Infrastructure shares, I intend to hold onto them and may add to the position depending on how the policy shakes out. That is my attempt to Mega myself. But I will also be watching the taxpayer’s bill, because I own a share of that one too. Romel Dhalla, is President of Dhalla Advisory Corp., provides strategic corporate finance advice to companies and high net worth individuals. He was a portfolio manager and investment advisor with two major Canadian banks for 17 years. Contact him at romel@dacorp.ca. Any views or opinions represented in this article are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the author may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. October 2026

What I saw on the streets of Winnipeg? People! People in real trouble

I was safe and dry inside my apartment, looking out clearly maintained by people who take pride in where they have been “living” in Winnipeg for two weeks. Let me qualify that statement. I am currently accom- the window. Across the street, I watched about 10 people live. So, there is hope. panying a family member who must undergo medical standing outside with no shelter, no raincoats and apparBut the question remains: How did we get here? ently nothing to protect them from the treatment for six weeks, which means we How did a society with so much wealth, knowledge and storm. will be staying in the city for the duration resources reach a point where people are sleeping on sideThey stood there and became completely of the treatment. soaked as they watched the cars go by, wait- walks, struggling with addiction, living with mental illness Fortunately, we were able to secure ing and hoping the rain would eventually or simply having nowhere to go? a room at a great facility on Portage Avstop. And perhaps more importantly, how do we move forenue that provides short-term, affordable ward? It is difficult to watch. accommodation for people in situations I don't believe the people I see on these streets should Is all lost in Winnipeg's inner city? similar to ours. simply be viewed as statistics. They are people. Each one has I don't think it is. When we were looking at our housing Because I see other things, too. a history, a family, a story and, somewhere along the way, a options, however, I was somewhat cauI see a family out for a bike ride, enjoying series of circumstances that brought them to where they are tious about staying there because of its loa summer afternoon and perhaps completely today. cation near what is commonly considered unaware that the person they just passed on I know some people will never accept help. Some may be Winnipeg’s downtown area. Alan McLauchlan the sidewalk was struggling with addiction. too proud. Others may have progressed too far into addicI have travelled to Winnipeg for more Boreal Baits I see immigrants heading off to work, tion. Some may be dealing with mental-health challenges than 50 years. I remember a downtown building a new life in a community they be- that make accepting help extremely difficult. that was vibrant and busy, with large delieve offers them more opportunity than the But I believe we still have to try. partment stores, small independent shops places they left behind. We have to try because these are not numbers on a spreadand people filling the streets. Over the years, I have watched I see a worker from a social agency walking from person sheet. that downtown slowly change as stores have closed and to person, offering water and a sandwich. They are people. businesses have moved away. And I see something else that gives me hope: eight out And if we have the ability to help even some of them find Then came COVID-19, which I am sure did little to help the situation. Office workers began working from of every ten houses in some of the neighbourhoods I have their way back, then surely we have an obligation to do so. Alan McLauchlan is a former mayor of The Pas, Manitoba. home, and many of the people who once filled the down- walked through show obvious signs of care. There are renovations, gardens, freshly painted homes and yards that are He is a well-known leader in his community. town streets disappeared. When people leave an area, something inevitably fills the vacuum. In many cities, that has meant an increase in visible homelessness, addiction and other social problems. Winnipeg is certainly not alone in facing these challenges. My first concern about our choice of accommodation was simple: Would we be safe? I enjoy going for walks. Would I feel safe walking through the neighbourhood? Would our vehicle be safe? Would we return to find our apartment untouched? Our first real look at the neighbourhood came at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Furby Street. It was late afternoon on a Sunday and traffic was relatively light. As we approached the intersection, a young woman, perhaps 25 years old, slowly crossed diagonally through the intersection. She appeared to be intoxicated by some substance and completely oblivious to the traffic around her. She was staring upward, walking slowly and forcing vehicles to wait. We watched in amazement. I come from a rural area where we live on a lake isolated from the challenges of “big city life”. We go into town Choosing funeral and cemetery plans can about once a week, and being retired, we simply don't spend much time in cities. We had seen people intoxicated be overwhelming to a grieving spouse. by alcohol before, but what we were witnessing appeared to be something very different. Plan the details now. Together. As we continued down Furby Street, we saw groups of people gathered along the sidewalks. Some groups conOrder your FREE Estate Planning sisted of 10 or 12 people; others were only one or two. Kit by calling or visiting the locations Many appeared to be intoxicated or struggling with mental health issues. listed below. As we turned onto Portage Avenue, we saw people lying Chapel Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery on the ground and on benches. Once again, my concerns about our decision to stay in the area came rushing back. 4000 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB Our building has 24-hour security, and after two weeks, 204-819-4297 I can say that we feel quite safe. In fact, my experience inside the building has been very different from what I Glen Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery feared. When I sit outside or walk through the neighbourhood, 455 Lagimodiere Blvd., Winnipeg, MB I see most of the people struggling on the streets east and 204-900-8547 north of that intersection. I'm sure there are other problem areas throughout Winnipeg, but I can only comment on Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery what I have personally seen. And what I have seen has stayed with me. 4477 Main St., West St. Paul, MB I see the young woman standing on the median, bent 204-817-8621 over in what is commonly referred to as the “fentanyl fold,” as vehicles rush past her. Then she suddenly straightDesjardins Funeral Home ens, steps toward traffic, crosses the lanes and staggers back 357 Des Meurons St., to the sidewalk, traffic stops and lets her by. I see the middle-aged man carefully repacking a backWinnipeg, MB pack containing what appears to be almost everything he 204-813-6063 owns. I see a group of 10 people sitting together on a street *Research conducted by Willful and Arbor Memorial Inc. in a 2020 survey. corner. They aren't necessarily drinking or using drugs. They are simply socializing because, perhaps, they have nowhere else to go and little else to do. I see a woman alone in a wheelchair, slowly pushing herself along the sidewalk while holding a sign asking for help. I see the little grey car, parked at seven am, on a side street, with six or seven people standing around it. A female is sitting in the passenger seat, while her male counterpart is counting money that has been “chipped in” from the group. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know what is happening here. I see the street people standing in the rain with no place Arbor Memorial Inc. to go. Do you remember the torrential downpours we had this summer?

66% of Canadian families haven’t discussed their final wishes*

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While we still have time

2026/27 SeaSon PreSented by

November 21, 25, 27 2026 A Triumphant Adaptation of a Groundbreaking Opera Sung in English with projected English titles.

STORY & LIBRETTO LEAH-SIMONE BOWEN CO-LIBRETTIST CHERYL L. DAVIS ORCHESTRATION & ARRANGEMENT JESSIE MONTGOMERY AND JANNINA NORPOTH

CHECk OUT PICS AND VIDEO!

STAGE DIRECTOR WEYNI MENGESHA CONDUCTOR JERI LYNNE JOHNSON CHOREOGRAPHER ESIE MENSAH

TREEMONISHA

MONISHA

ZODZERICk

NANA

Neema Bickersteth

Alicia Hall Moran

Cedric Berry

SATE

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining premiered in Toronto on June 10, 2023, as part of Luminato Festival Toronto. Co-presented with T.O. Live.

A TOURING PRODUCTION Of Co-commissioned by amplified opera; apollo theater, Harlem; baM (brooklyn academy of Music); banff Centre of arts and Creativity; Luminato Festival toronto; Minnesota opera; the national arts Centre, Canada, through the Southbank Centre, London; Stanford Live, California; to Live, toronto; Washington Performing arts in Washington, dC.

Volcano gratefully acknowledges ongoing funding support from the Canada Council for the arts, the ontario arts Council, and the toronto arts Council; and from the Whiteside Foundation. Volcano’s new Works development partner is bMo. Volcano’s ever emerging artist program is supported by the td ready Commitment.

April 17, 21, 23 2027 A Beloved Story. Unforgettable Music. Sung in Italian with projected English titles.

CIO-CIO-SAN

B.f. PINkERTON

SHARPLESS

SUZUkI

Karah Son

Dominick Valdés Chenes

James Westman

Nina Yoshida Nelsen

ALL PERFORMANCES AT THE CENTENNIAL CONCERT HALL

SUBSCRIBE & SEE BOTH SHOWS FOR ONLY * SECTION D, any performance.

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mbopera.ca x 204-944-8824 DON’T GET SCAMMED! Only buy online tickets from mbopera.ca, our official website. 2026/27 SeaSon SPonSor:

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here is something both challeng- we are capable of. We might stop aling and deeply fascinating about lowing inherited expectations, tradiallowing ourselves to come close tions, and imagined limitations to deto those who are approaching the end termine how we live. We might find of their lives. the courage to let go of Many of us are frightthe old and embrace the ened to be around the unknown, the unfamiliar, sick and the dying. And and the new. even when we are there, And perhaps we would we can become so overfinally notice how extraordinary the ordinary is. whelmed by our own fear, To breathe effortlessly. grief, and anticipation To be carried through of loss that we are not another moment by an fully open to what they unnoticed heartbeat. are sharing with us. We To take a step, take a may listen without truly bite, swallow, or take a sip hearing, especially when Zofia Dove of water. what they describe seems To see, hear, touch, strange or even illogical Dove's Discoveries taste, smell. to us. Yet if we can quiet To feel the wind on our our own emotions and remain open and receptive, we may dis- face, smell the flowers, watch a sunrise, cover that those at the end of life have linger over a sunset, or dance in the much to teach us. rain. When people face the approaching These are not small things. reality of death, they are often forced to They are life itself. reflect on their lives – how they lived, We would laugh more, play more, what they gave their precious time to, love fully, kiss passionately, and stop whom they loved, what they accom- treating ordinary moments as though plished, what they left undone, and they are guaranteed. How little time what ultimately mattered. Things that and attention would we spend on situonce seemed important can suddenly ations beyond our influence? become insignificant, while things People often tell me that I am a highthey overlooked can take on enormous energy person, that I live life to the meaning. fullest, that I am fearless, and that I can There are countless life lessons and talk to almost anyone. What they may extraordinary experiences waiting for not realize is that much of this comes us if we dare to come close to these from spending so much time at the people and remain open to their in- edge of life with others – hearing their sights and wisdom. stories, witnessing their struggles, lisFor more than three decades, I have tening to their regrets, and seeing what had the privilege of being at the bed- becomes important when time is runside of the gravely ill, the elderly, and ning out. those facing the final exit. Some lessons Being close to death has changed the were shared through their words; oth- way I see life. ers came from simply witnessing how It has made me aware of the countpeople responded to circumstances less blessings, opportunities, and privithey could not change. Many of the leges I have simply because I am still people I assisted ultimately became my here. teachers. I still have time. What my patients taught me was This is why I believe everyone should, beyond anything I could have imag- at some point, spend time with elderly ined. Many of my personal, cultural, people, volunteer in a retirement home, and religious beliefs were profoundly sit with someone who is sick, or simply challenged. I not only listened to my be present with someone nearing the patients' testimonies about what they end of their journey. were experiencing; I also had the priviNot only because they may need our lege of witnessing and experiencing presence, our support, our care, and things for which nothing in my earlier our love, but because we need their life had prepared me. Much of the dog- wisdom. ma and fear-based belief about God beSit with them. Be open. Be recepgan to crumble when these experiences tive. Listen. Observe. Be present. Albecame real, tangible, and impossible low yourself to receive what their lives, to dismiss. their stories, their experiences, and even Death – the final frontier – is the their silence may have to teach you. greatest teacher about life. You may begin to see your own life It is unfortunate that in a culture so differently. You may realize that you still focused on youthfulness, the elderly, have time to make the call, pursue the gravely ill, and dying are too often dream, repair the relationship, use your pushed aside, as though they have gifts, take the chance, let go of what no nothing left to offer. We have distanced longer serves you, embrace something ourselves from aging, sickness, dy- new, or simply enjoy being alive. ing, and mortality – and in doing so, We are all moving toward the same we have also distanced ourselves from destination. The difference is that some some of life's greatest teachers. of us still have time. Because perhaps the only way to truSo don't wait until you are lying at ly live is to remain aware that our time the edge of life to finally understand here is limited. what it means to live. Listen to those who are leaving. Imagine knowing that every conversation could be your last. How differ- Learn from those who have come faceently would we speak to each other? to-face with the final frontier. Let their Would we finally make the call we have regrets, wisdom, and experiences bebeen postponing? Would we spend so come your teachers while you still have much time doubting ourselves or wor- the extraordinary privilege of time. Perhaps that is one of the greatest rying about things that may never hapgifts the dying can give to the living: pen? Would we allow fear and anxiety to teaching us not simply how to die, but close our worlds, or would we become how to live. Zofia Dove is a professional keynote more receptive to what life is offering? We might use our natural gifts and speaker, author and producer, host and diabilities, develop our skills, take chanc- rector of series “ReDISCOVERING the es, explore, create, and discover what beauty of Manitoba, Canada”. October 2026

WSO Donor Spotlight

Curt and Cathy Vossen on community, music, and giving back

or Curt and Cathy Vossen, supporting the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is about recognizing the role the arts play in making Winnipeg a vibrant, connected community and helping ensure those opportunities continue for future generations. Curt’s involvement with the WSO began in 2015, when he was invited to join the Board by Alexander Mickelthwate, who was Music Director at the time. With a background in business rather than the arts, Curt brought a different perspective to the organization. His involvement eventually led to the role of Board Chair. When COVID brought unprecedented challenges to arts organizations, that role took on a deeper sense of responsibility and a desire to help the WSO navigate what Curt describes as “rough waters.” A Family Connection to Music Neither Curt nor Cathy grew up with a musical background, but music has always been part of their family life. Whether playing on the radio in the house or in the car, or by attending the many different concerts and festivals throughout the city. Over the years, the family has developed an appreciation for many different genres of music. Some of their musical memories come from works their children grew up with, including The Music of Studio Ghibli and How to Train Your Dragon. Hearing music that was part of their children’s childhood performed by a full orchestra has given them a new perspective on music they already knew and loved. For Curt, one of the most exciting things about the WSO is its ability to challenge the idea that an orchestra is simply about traditional classical music. He points to experiences such as Brawl at the Hall, which brought many people to the WSO who may never have considered attending an orchestral performance. Experiences like this demonstrate the WSO’s ability to reach different audiences and offer something for almost everyone. As Winnipeg’s audiences continue to change, Curt and Cathy believe that variety will become increasingly important.

Curt and Cathy Vossen. A Community Worth Investing In For Curt and Cathy, supporting the WSO is ultimately about the kind of community they want Winnipeg to be. They believe the WSO and other arts organizations contribute something essential to the city. Musicians spend years honing their craft, putting their time, focus and spirit into something that gives value to others. Cathy wants to see that continue, particularly after the significant challenges cultural organizations have faced during and since the pandemic. She believes people need to step forward, support the institutions that matter to them, and consider what they can do to help their community grow and flourish. “What can I do to make a difference, help and move things in the right direction?” is the question she comes back to. Building for the Next Generation That sense of responsibility extends to their children and

future generations. Curt is optimistic that when challenges arise, good people and good will in the community rise to the occasion. He wants the next generation to have the opportunity to enjoy the same benefits of a strong cultural community that he and Cathy have experienced throughout their lives. Cathy has also volunteered with the WSO’s Development Committee, where she had the opportunity to get to know some of the musicians personally. Those relationships have continued beyond meetings and events. When they see each other, there are hugs and genuine connections. After years of working alongside board members, staff and musicians, Curt speaks with great respect for everyone involved. He has seen firsthand the talent, commitment and value that the musicians and staff bring to the organization. When Curt thinks about philanthropy, he encourages people to consider a simple question: What would Winnipeg be like without its arts community? What would be missing if the WSO and other cultural organizations were no longer here? For Curt, it is not necessarily about whether someone attends every concert. It is about considering what the community would look like without these organizations and what part of Winnipeg’s identity and character might be lost. You do not have to be a lifelong fan of symphonic music to recognize that value. The question is what kind of community we want to build and what we are willing to do to sustain it. “You could let someone else do it,” Curt says. “But who? Why not you?” For the Vossens, giving back means helping the WSO sustain, grow, and become even better so future generations can experience the music, connection, creativity, and sense of community that have meant so much to their family.

Manitoba Opera to present a reimagined masterpiece and an enduring favourite this season

he Western Canadian premiere of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha (pronounced TREE-muhNEESH-uh): A Musical Reimagining will open Manitoba Opera’s 2026/27 season with three performances November 21, 25, and 27. One of opera’s most powerful and unforgettable stories, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, will close the season April 17, 21, and 23. All performances will take place at the Centennial Concert Hall. Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining 2023 Toronto world premiere received rave reviews. “Joplin’s long-forgotten masterpiece has been ravishingly reborn for the 21st century in a triumphant production.” – Toronto Star Legendary ragtime composer Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha was published in 1911. This opera about a young woman was revolutionary for its time. Fusing Western classical music with popular Black music from the era: blues, barbershop (before it was called that), gospel, and ragtime, unfortunately, Treemonisha was never produced in Joplin’s lifetime. Forward to the 21st century and an international

22116-WSO-2026-27 Season-Lifestyles55-QP-[9.875x3.790]-Sep2026-FNL.indd 1

October 2026

MB Opera Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, A Musical Reimagining, Luminato Festival, 2023. Photo by D. Katz. team of leading Black women artists reimagined the piece, preserving its setting and characters, but crafting a new story and a richly hybrid orchestration that expands on Joplin’s original. The story is framed around two communities: the Freedmen and the Maroons and places a young woman named

Treemonisha into the centre of their long-standing conflict. The production features an all-Black artistic team, cast, and 10-piece orchestra who will be appearing alongside the cast onstage. It will be performed in English with English titles projected above the stage. The intensely moving Madama Butterfly tells the story of an American officer who marries a young geisha who gives up everything for love. Puccini’s soaring music follows her as she waits three long years, dreaming of the day her American husband will meet their child. But his return to Japan brings a devastating twist in this story of love, betrayal, and strength. The composer’s sumptuously lyrical score embodies all the passion and heartbreak of this timeless story. Set in Japan at the dawn of the 20th century, East meets West in this clash of values and tradition. Madama Butterfly will be sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage. For tickets call 204-944-8824 or go to mbopera.ca

2026-09-16 2:59 PM

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Forty-nine years between shifts Continued from page 1

promotional items including teddy bears, with a city variance. On December 18, 2018, I found it t-shirts, antenna balls, flying onion rings, ironic that A&W opened a new store baby bibs and car stickers. very close to the long departed Canadian A&W advertising has head office on Dublin Avfeatured Albert & Walter, enue. This sparkling new the Great Root Bear and innovative store is across the A&W Guy, Allen Lulu. from Red River College Between May 3, 1971, at 1636 King Edward on and July 8, 1974, I worked Winnipeg's major northat Canada's original A&W south route. The new store as a cook, shift supervihas various types of seating sor, and assistant manager. including booths, stools, During these three years, handicapped, and some I discovered that the resoutdoor seating. There is a taurant business is a great hand-washing sink for cusway to meet well-known tomers of all ages. people. MP Dan McKenzie Fred Morris If all this sounds a little and NDP Cabinet Minister From the desk familiar, in March 2019, Leonard Evans, and Anis of a gadfly I wrote my first Lifestyles Stukus, an executive of the story about A&W. WHA Winnipeg Jets, visitIn June 2025, A&W ed Kirkfield. The Winnipeg Junior Jets and Coach Nick Mickowski Polo Park donated two mugs for Ruby's dropped at the start of one of their night- and my 50th Wedding Anniversary. long bus rides through Western Canada. Ruby and I met at A&W Kirkfield. Since 2008, A&W has raised funds In December 1973, I worked one shift at to provide support for people with MS A&W Polo at 1520 Portage. It was part of an agreement between Polo and Kirkfield There is a special MS Day every August. to cover the other store in order to enable I decided to write a story on MS day staff to attend their Christmas party. In 2026. As part of my research for this 1974, I was involved in an assistant man- story, I worked for three hours at A&W. ager trade. I went to Inkster and Main 1520 Portage Avenue What has changed? and John Drapula came to Kirkfield. The automation of the accounting sysWhile working at Inkster, I discovered tem is positive. We used to have greasy that a restaurant could provide unexpected excitement During the 1975 Blizzard, sales bills all over the store. Some of us I was stranded in the store with a milk even took the bills home to record what man. In March of 1975, I was robbed at we were selling. We called this procegun point while cashing out. After mov- dure recaps. Another positive change ing to A&W McPhillips, I worked in my is the elimination of cook to order. We used to wait for the customers to make final A&W in January 1977. I continued to be an A&W customer. their choice before starting the necessary On June 15, 2006, I attended a 50th An- preparation. This often led to backlogs. niversary Celebration at 3095 Portage. Fast Food must be Fast Food. As a Baby I reconnected with Wayne Gowryluk, Boomer, I certainly remember car hops. A&W's director of operations. I had first By the early 1990s, car hops had disapmet Wayne during my time at Kirkfield. peared. This change eliminated a lot of Wayne, then the manager of Goulet Store, problems including trying to put the tray used to visit our store with his fancy car. on the car window, excessive horn honkIn 2012. I helped A&W 1520 Portage ing, and, of course, trying to carry food

Fred Morris working at A&W in the mid 1970s.

MS Day at A&W at 1520 Portage on August 20, 2026. Left to right: Craig Falconer, Fred Morris and Brett Falconer.

to a car in bad weather. However, A&W may want to consider an occasional trivia day with car hops for that day only. There is only one thing that I want to be returned on a permanent basis. The Whistle Dog should return. I thank Craig Falconer, Brett Falconer, and the staff at A&W 1520 Portage for the opportunity to turn back the clock while writing this story. As a sports fan, I have watched sports stars return for one last game years after their retirement. After retiring in 1954, Bomber quarter back, Jack Jacobs, returned to play in a 1966 Exhibition Game in Winnipeg Stadium Winnipeg Stadium, known as the “House that Jack Built”. After retiring for a second time in 1980, Gordie Howe returned to play one shift in a 1997 Detroit Viper game. I thought that my 49 years between A&W shifts must be a record. However, I discovered that there has been at least one longer interval between shifts. In 1959, Len Kljenski worked as a Bat Boy

for the St. Paul Saints AAA Professional Baseball Team. Len recently returned 67 years later to once work as the Bat Boy for AAA St. Paul Saints. Congratulations Len. Now is the time for a sometimespolitical candidate I have been introduced in some of my Lifestyles 55 stories as a sometimespolitical candidate. The time has come again. I am running for the Daniel Mac city council seat. My policies include fixing some of the problems created by the new 2025 transit system, building a new Arlington Street Bridge, saving the Portage Main concourse, monthly meetings for the existing Winnipeg Safety Committee, and year-round 30 km in all School Zones. “It is now up to people of Daniel Mac to decide who will be their Councillor. If I had not run, there would have probably been an acclamation.” Fred Morris is a Grandfather, Sports Fan and Political Activist.

Giving thanks for the older adults who help shape our community

hanksgiving is a good time to it is today. They have raised families, slow down and built businesses, volunthink about the teered, supported their people and the comneighbours and contribmunities we are grateful uted in countless ways for. This October, as we to the neighbourhoods recognize Seniors’ and we call home. Elders’ Month in ManiI hear about those extoba, it is also a good periences when I meet opportunity to recogwith people across the nize the older adults riding. I also hear about who have spent decades some of the challenges helping shape the comthat come with getting munities we call home. older, whether that is When I think about the cost of groceries and Winnipeg West, I think gas, getting to appointDoug Eyolfson about the older adults ments, staying active in who have spent decades the community or simhelping make our community what ply keeping up with the day-to-day expenses of life. Affordability continues to be a concern for many people. Our government recently tabled the Canadian Fuel Affordability Act, which would extend the temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel until January 31, 2027. Under the legislation, the tax would then be set at half of its regular rate for February and March 2027. For someone who relies on their vehicle to get to a medical appointment, pick up groceries or visit family, the cost of filling up the tank can add up quickly. There are other supports that 12

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are important as well, including the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, the Canadian Dental Plan and the Canada Disability Benefit. At the same time, we have to think about the communities we are building for the years ahead. Our government recently introduced the Building Canada Strong Act, which includes measures to help move major infrastructure projects forward more efficiently, strengthen transportation and trade corridors and address bottlenecks that can make it harder to move people and goods. The legislation also maintains environmental standards and respects Indigenous rights. These are big national issues, but they have a local impact. Good infrastructure affects how people get around, how businesses operate and how connected our communities are. I also want to make sure that older adults in Winnipeg West have a direct opportunity to tell me what matters to them. This fall, we will be welcoming the 2026–2027 cohort of our Older Adults Advisory Council for constituents aged 65 and over. The council meets monthly, according to the Member’s schedule, and provides an opportunity for members to discuss current events and share their perspectives

on issues affecting older adults in our community. If you are 65 or older and would like to be part of the council, I encourage you to apply. Résumés can be sent to doug.eyolfson@parl.gc.ca by October 15, 2026. I am looking forward to meeting with members of the council, hearing about their experiences and learning more about the issues that matter to them. Having those conversations directly with people in our community is an important part of representing Winnipeg West. When I look around our community, I see a lot to be thankful for. I see families supporting each other, volunteers giving their time, caregivers looking after loved ones and community organizations helping people every day. And I am particularly grateful for the older adults who have helped build Winnipeg West and who continue to be such an important part of our community. I hope everyone across Winnipeg West has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a chance to slow down, enjoy a good meal and spend some time with the people who matter most to you. Happy Thanksgiving. Doug Eyolfson is the Liberal MP for Winnipeg West. October 2026

Little savory beef hand pies with flaky golden crust One bite, and she forgot her name. Two bites, and she remembered mine – with a growl.

Here is what you will need: For the filling: 1 lb (450 g) ground beef 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 sticks celery finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 carrot, finely diced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup beef broth 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (to thicken)

hey say good things come in small packages – but I say they come in hot ones, sealed tight with a buttery golden crust and filled with secrets that steam when you bite into them. These little savory beef hand pies? They’re not just food. They’re foreplay. Flaky, rich pastry that crackles under your fingers. A slow-simmered beef filling that’s For the pastry: Ian Leatt tender, juicy, and just a 1 package refrigerated pie touch spicy – like the Foodies crusts (makes 12 pies) kind of lover who doesn’t 1 egg, beaten (for egg say much but knows exwash) actly what to do with their hands. The all important how to: I made these when she came home Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a late. Blouse undone. Scarf in her pock- baking sheet with parchment. et. The look that said I'm starving, but In a skillet over medium heat, brown not just for food. I didn’t need to ask. ground beef, breaking it up. Drain excess I just handed her one. She took a bite, fat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and cargroaned low, then reached for another... rot. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. and not just the pie. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire They’re dangerous little things, these sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 hand pies. Easy to share, but once minute. you've had one, you won't want to. Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir to Perfect for late-night cravings, after- combine. Add the beef broth and simmer noon seductions, or that moment when until thickened, 4 minutes. Leave to cool words aren't necessary – but food is. slightly. So, roll out that dough, baby. Let Roll out pie crusts and cut 12 circles your fingertips press each edge closed (about 9 cm/3.5 inches). Place half the like a secret you’ll never tell. These hand circles in a mini muffin tin or on sheet. pies don’t just feed the body – they ruin Spoon 1 tablespoon filling onto each you for anything less. crust circle. Paint the egg wash around the Chef ’s Tip: Brush the tops with a seduc- circumference of each pie then top with retive egg wash spiked with a splash of cream maining circles, seal the edges with a fork. for that deep golden glow. Want them to Brush pies with remaining beaten egg. really moan? A sprinkle of flaked sea salt Cut a small vent on top of each pie to aljust before baking brings the flavor – and low them to breath. the anticipation – sky high. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crust is Wicked Twist: Tuck a sliver of sharp golden brown and filling bubbles. “I love aged cheddar or a kiss of chili jam inside these with brown sauce (HP) but hey, each pie before sealing. It’ll melt slowly as each to their own. it bakes – like heat building under the surIan Leatt is a trained chef from across the face, waiting to explode. pond.

IF YOU ARE A SENIOR. . . . . . You should consider having the following in place Will The preparation of a will may seem like a daunting task, however, it is essential to ensure that your property is disposed of according to your wishes upon your death. If you pass away without a valid will, the law states what is to happen to your estate. Power of Attorney A power of attorney is a document which appoints an individual to handle your affairs in the event you become mentally incapable of making your own decisions. Nothing prevents you from continuing to make your own decisions while you are still competent. A power of attorney is an extremely valuable document to have in place in case anything happens to you which affects your mental ability, such as a stroke, coma or dementia. Health Care Directive (Living Will) A health care directive, commonly called a living will, is a document which appoints an individual to make decisions with regard to your health care only, while you are alive but unable to express your decisions yourself. This document is distinct from a power of attorney and deals only with health care decisions such as whether life sustaining treatments, such as CPR or blood transfusion, should be continued or withdrawn.

2026 Legal Fees* Standard Fees* Last Will and Testament Last Will and Testament Power Power of Attorney of Attorney Care Directive Health CareHealth Directive Complete Testamentary Package * plus GST and PST - Rates are per person.

Seniors Standard Seniors $300$225.00 $325 $200.00 $250$175.00 $275 $150.00 $100$ 75.00 $125 $ 50.00 $600 $650 $50 Discount $75 Discount Home and hospital visits are also available $250.00* (includes both meetings) *For documents of average complexity. *plus *All GST legal and fees PST are subject to applicable tax. TACIUM VINCENT & ASSOCIATES 206 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2H 1J3 DAVID G. VINCENT (204) 989-4236 www.taciumvincent.com

October 2026

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Hurrah for Hemerocallis! Beauty for a day

The dreaded orange or tawny daylily

Daylilies are now often the flower of choice for many former lily growers because the red lily beetle ignores them

New gardeners beware of friends offering daylily roots – chances are that this is the very prolific Hemerocallis fulva, an invasive species that travels via underground stolons, or roots that send out runners to start new plants. They are tough plants and will persist if even the smallest piece of roots is left in place. On the other hand, they are great for filling in vast empty space and will even out-compete goutweed.

eauty in living things is always ephemeral, but when it lasts for only one day, it seems all the more desirable. So it is with daylilies, or Hemerocallis, their botanical name. They produce a bloom that opens in the morning and fades within 24 hours, generally overnight, although there are species that flower at night. Fortunately, daylily scapes, as the flower stem is called, have the ability to produce more than one bloom, the number depending on the variety. Often the blossoms Dorothy Dobbie are fragrant, especially The Gardener the night bloomers, and there are new hybrids that will even re-bloom, the most famous being Stella de Oro, a smaller daylily with narrow leaves and yellow flowers. There are now several other choices some of the newer cultivars will bloom for months. Although at one time, daylilies were considered to be part of the lily family, they have since been removed to a group that is based on the flower stalk emerging from a basal rosette of leaves. The group includes Kniphofia (red hot pokers). Daylilies have an interesting but perhaps little known trait in that they produce a miniature daylily called a “proliferation” at nodes along the flower scapes. The proliferation can be planted and will produce an exact clone of its parent. The plants can also be propagated through root division and seeds. Daylilies, like true lilies, are easy to hybridize. There are over 60,000 cultivars named and registered. The flowers consist of three petals and three sepals, six stamens and a prominent, two-lobed anther. However, the variety of colour, shape and texture of the three petals is astonishing. They can be ruffled, recurved, long, slender and drooping, even doubled. The colours can range from creamy white to orange, to red, to purple, to pink and cream and lemon yellow and all shades in between. Often they have a contrasting throat which can be dark or light or banded, watermarked, haloed, tipped, dotted or dusted or flecked. Petals can be edged in dark tones that mirror their throats. They can be diamond dusted, where tiny crystals in the cells of the plant reflect light creating an illusion of being dusted with sparkles. The variety is endless. The most elusive colour is blue. While many varieties contain this colour as part of their name, I have never yet seen a true blue daylily. Don’t rely on photos, either; the colour has often been manipulated. What the marketers call blue is usually purple, mauve or even sometime pink. Plant dark coloured daylilies in a partly shaded area to preserve their vibrant hues. Light colours do better in full sun. Care for daylilies Daylilies, a sun-loving plant that need about five to six hours of sunlight a day, grow happily pretty much anywhere. You can give them a boost in springtime by sprinkling low nitrogen, slowrelease fertilizer (such as 5-10-10) in the root zone, about six inches away from the base of the

What’s all this about diploid and tetraploid?

Hemoerocallis 'Black Cat'.

Hemerocallis 'Prairie Wildfire'.

Hemerocallis 'Always Afternoon'.

Re-bloomers and ever bloomers Stella de Oro: Compact plant, yellow flowers, thin leaves, smaller flowers. Always Afternoon: Dusty rose pink with burgundy eye zone and lemon yellow throat. 60 cm. Apricot Sparkle: Peach colour fading to a darker throat. Dwarf. Prairie Wildfire: Scarlet with a yellow throat. Dwarf. Raspberry Suede: Dark velvety red with a small yellow throat. Dwarf. French Lingerie: Very exotic. Rose pink with a bold ruffle and matching throat. 60 to 65 cm. Happy Ever After: Comes in apricot, pink, yellow rose and red, blooming 75 to 125 days depending on weather plant. Water it in well. Mulching can help retain moisture in the soil and suppress weeds. Don’t allow the re-bloomers to dry out as this can stress the plant and prevent re-blooming. If you notice hard “buds” that will not bloom, these may be seed pods and should be removed to promote more blooms in re-blooming varieties and strengthen blooming capacity for regular varieties. After planting, daylilies commonly take a while to establish and may not bloom or bloom well for the first two or three years, but be patient. They are well worth the wait. To divide daylilies you can choose the long and

Lifestyles55 MANITOBA

All about living at the

Daylily aficionados often use the terms “diploid” or “tetraploid” to describe the different kinds of plant. Diploid refers to a plant with two separate sets of chromosomes. Diploids have 11 chromosomes from the egg cell and 11 from the sperm cells of its pollen which means that one set is inherited from each parent. Tetraploids have four sets or 44 chromosomes. You probably don’t give a hoot about this except to note that tetraploids often have larger blooms and diploids often display the prettiest pinks.

age of maturity

Hemerocallis 'Apricot Sparkles'. complicated method of digging up the whole plant then carefully untangling their roots, or the easy method of using a sharp spade directed through the centre of the crown to divide the plant into four pieces, then dig each out separately. This is the easiest way to deal with a long established plant that has grown very large. Yes, this will damage some tubers, but if the daylily is very overgrown, this is small sacrifice to pay in terms of time and energy. You can divide in either spring or fall, although in areas where there is a lot of clay, the spring time is the easier because the ground gives up its hold on the roots much more readily.

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People’s climate mandate for Winnipeg

or the election in Winnipeg a number of mendations in ten areas. The release of the results in groups have been working to ensure issues of early October will demonstrate for the public which importance are addressed by candidates run- candidates commit to making climate action and a ning for city council. One effort is the People’s Cli- just transition a priority for Winnipeg Council. More details and the candidate survey results can mate mandate - a non-partisan municipal election advocacy agenda led by a coalition of organizations be found on the website at https://www.climaterealbrought together by Climate Reality Project Canada, ity.ca/peoples-climate-mandate Below is a summary led by Hannah Muhajarine. These groups include of the ten priority areas. 1. Fund the updated Winnipeg Climate Action Canadian Association of Physicians for the EnviPlan. ronment, Green Action Centre, Little Ensure the updated Climate AcMountain Conservancy Group, Manition Plan (expected summer 2027) toba Eco-Network, Manitoba Energy receives adequate and consistent Justice Coalition, Seniors for Climate funding through the city’s multi-year MB, and the Transportation and Land budget and annual updates. Use Coalition, which I chair. 2. Increase participation and acThis climate agenda for Winnicountability in the city budget propeg was developed through a public cess. Ensure that public engagement townhall, public survey, background in the budget process follows the research, conversations with orgaEngage Winnipeg policy; and create nizations and grassroots groups. It a stronger accountability framework aligns with other ongoing advocacy that demonstrates how the items in campaigns for an agenda that reprethe budget align with Our Winnipeg sents the broad actions the city should Marianne Cerilli 2045, the city’s climate plan, and take in the next four years to build a other foundational policies. climate-friendly, sustainable, liveable 3. Protect residents from extreme city. The Guiding Principles of the People’s Climate heat. Expand measures for protecting residents from extreme heat, including by exploring a maxiMandate include: mum heat bylaw, and funding additional cooling 1. Lowering GHG Emissions and Increasing centres, expanded library hours, and public pools Resilience to climate changes and impacts like heat waves, wild fires and smoke, flooding, drought and and spray pads. 4. Plan for liveable, connected neighbourhoods water restrictions. where we can bus, bike, and walk. Ensure planning 2. A Green City that operationalizes and underdecisions and investments align with the city’s goal standing that our health is tied to the health of our of encouraging more people to choose sustainable environment. transportation over private vehicle use. 3. Democracy, Transparency, and Accountability, 5. Ensure transit service is reliable, frequent, and based on an understanding that changing course efficient. Increase operational funding and advocate on these ten areas requires a commitment to civic to the province for the return of the 50-50 agreeengagement. ment, and implement infrastructure and street 4. Urgent, Timely, and Tangible which are imdesign that prioritizes the efficient movement of portant principles for our city actions. At the time of writing this column the responses buses throughout the city. 6. Accelerate the completion of the cycling and to the candidate survey are still being gathered, with most mayoral and ward council candidates complet- pedestrian network. Increase funding for active ing the survey to show their support for the recom- transportation in order to fill in gaps in the cycling

and pedestrian network and upgrade cycling infrastructure. 7. Accelerate energy efficiency and clean energy use in buildings across Winnipeg. Explore available policy tools for phasing out natural gas and increasing energy efficiency, for both city-owned and community-owned buildings. 8. Expand and protect the city’s trees, greenspace, and waterways. Maintain and enhance the Winnipeg Urban Forest budget, complete the Greenspace Plan and Biodiversity Policy without further delay and dedicate funding to its implementation, and implement measures for protecting trees, greenspace, and waterways on private property. 9. Reduce food waste across the city. Ensure the rollout of the residential green cart program stays on track for 2030, and that the service is expanded to include multi-family buildings as soon as possible. Implement additional measures to divert usable food and reduce food waste across the city. 10. Strengthen the local sustainable food system. Complete the Agriculture and Food Strategy and explore additional opportunities to support urban agriculture, local food production, and the local food economy, as recommended in the Food Systems Snapshot report by the Winnipeg Food Council. The People’s Climate Mandate also supports the Alternative Municipal Budget: Weaving a Better Winnipeg, which shares many of the same objectives and shows how they will be paid for using current city budget revenue and spending allocations. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/projects/manitoba-alternative-budgets/ These community driven civic projects demonstrate the democratic capacity of local people to engage in civic politics beyond voting to ensure issues affecting our city like climate change and equity are given the attention they deserve and require. In many cases meaning candidates when elected will fund and follow public policy that has been passed. Marianne Cerilli is an educator, and former MLA working in community development and social innovation. Listen to Marion on CKUW radio, or check out her website at Mariannecerilli.ca.

Sri Lankan seniors

Senaka Samarasinghe

Bhante Sugathasiri: Generosity is an investment / sermon conducted in English September 27 was a special day for Manitoba Buddhist Vihara (MBV). The chief incumbent of MBV, Ven. Balangoda Sugathasiri Thera, organized the Dhamma Sermon in English for the International Dhamma Programme (IDP) on Aug. 27,) 2026 from 7.30 to 8.30 am, followed by an 8.30 to 9.00 am (Winnipeg Time) question-and-answer session. The topic of the Dhamma sermon: The Path of Generosity. How does generosity make the mind happy and beautiful? How does generosity purify the mind? How can it become a path toward liberation? Bhante used slides to explain the gray areas of the Dhamma sermon. I will share the video recording soon. Since 2020, I have introduced nearly twenty Buddhist monks to IDP from North America, Sri Lanka, and other countries. For the first time, a Monk in MBV obtained this opportunity because of Ven. Sugathasiri Thera. MBV was registered on March

7, 1999, as Manitoba Buddhist Vihara and Cultural Association (MBVCA). Prof. Lakshman Watawala has coordinated this session from Sri Lanka since 2020 on each monthly full moon day from 6.00 to 7.00 pm (SL Time), followed by a Q&A session (in English). An average of 150 participants (around the world) attended via Zoom.

Lesson learned: family conducted fundraising project Our family members visited Kamini and Roshan. They invited us to a fundraising occasion hosted by a family, namely Weranga, Kalpani, their (middle-child) daughter, and son. They raised funds for Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation. It is an annual event. This year, they organized their fourth annual event on Aug. 23, 2026, from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm, at Bridgewater Park.

Gifts made Ava’s first steps possible Kathryn McBurney

ach day families turn to the Rehabilitation Centre for Children for support and equipment that can enhance their child's health, independence, and participation in daily activities. The impact of giving to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation can be seen in the life of three-yearold Ava. Born with cerebral palsy, Ava’s parents were told she would never walk or talk. “Your mind wonders about the future, what will life look like for my kid?” shares Ava’s mother Katherine. Thanks to the generosity of donors, Ava received a funded Rifton Pacer, a specialized mobility device that October 2026

has transformed what her family once believed was impossible. With the support of this equipment, Ava took her very first steps. For Ava's family, these steps represented far more than mobility. It is a powerful reminder of what can happen when children have access to the right supports. By becoming a monthly donor, you can help make milestones like these possible all year long. You'll join a dedicated community committed to creating opportunities for children and families across Manitoba. Ava is just one example of the impact your donation can have on a child’s life. Many other children are still waiting for opportunities to participate more fully in the world through access to specialized equipment,

participate in inclusive programming and continue to receive in expert clinical care in prosthetics, orthotics and assistive technology and other clinics. There is a need to support these children as they develop and grow. Monthly donors help ensure the area of greatest need at the Rehabilitation Center for Children can be met. When you #ChooseChildrensRehabilitation for your monthly gift, you'll not only provide lasting support, but you’ll be part of community of changemakers for children with disabilities. To learn more about becoming a monthly donor to help kids thrive, please visit crf.mb.ca/monthly-gift. With gratitude. Kathryn McBurney is the Executive Director of the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation. lifestyles55.net

The Good Book?

hen Richard Dawkins refers believes what Alfred Adler advised, parto The Bible as “The Good ents should always tell their children Book?”, he adds a question the truth no matter how old they are. mark, pointing out that this “Good Dawkins is confident that what he has Book” promotes rape, murder, slavery, written is the truth and he provides proof torture, misogyny, xeand evidence to support this. nophobia, paedophilia Dawkins is happy to hear and many more nasty any evidence which contrathings. For him, this dicts him. He would like to book is nasty; very, very, know why other people have nasty. Religious teachers opinions differing from his. usually skip over nasty Philosophers throughverses as well as ignoring out the ages have advised, Luke 12 and Matthew 6 if someone’s opinion differs which advises the reader from yours, before trying to to stay away from houses justify your own opinion, of worship and to avoid ask the other person why worshipping with the they think the way they do. Wayne Weedon congregation in public, Frequently, by each party Food for but to worship in private looking at the other side of by entering, “into thy the story, two people will Thought closet, and when thou come to realise that their hast shut thy door, pray opinions have a lot of comto thy Father which is in secret.” What mon ground and are really not so differwould happen to all of the houses of ent. Usually, they will come to respect worship if everyone took this biblical ad- and accept all sides of the story and they vice and began staying at home and pray- won’t be so dogmatic about their own ing in their closets? opinions. Besides books for adult readers, RichIn Outgrowing God Dawkins menard Dawkins has also written books suit- tions different religions and different able for all ages, such as The Greatest holy books but he, having been raised as Show on Earth, An Appetite for Wonder, a Christian, concentrates on The Bible, The Magic of Reality, Flights of Fancy, referring to it as “The Good Book?”. and, Outgrowing God which devotes a Dawkins is not revealing any secrets, chapter to “The Good Book?”. Dawkins he is not providing any new stories, nor

any new evidence, everything he states is common knowledge to be found in millions of books which are in libraries and homes throughout the world. Reputable authors such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, Christopher Marlowe, George Orwell, Bertrand Russel, L. Frank Baum, George Bernard Shaw, Christopher Hutchens, and H. G. Wells have referred to this knowledge openly or as subtext in their writings. Why then, do many readers react as if what Dawkins is stating is something new? Paul Simon may have answered this question when he wrote, “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” Most devout worshippers have not read their holy books and they are not aware of the nasty stories and the nasty advice given in these books. Do some Christians know about the nasty things in The Bible but choose to ignore them? Christians tend to argue that nasty stories and nasty advice are not in The Bible. However, if they went home and looked at their Bible they will find exactly what Dawkins is pointing out. Most people are completely ignorant of their own religion. They have never read their holy books, they have just accepted what others have told them, even though much of it is not true. If people do read their holy books, maybe they will begin to question their beliefs. This is what Dawkins wants

them to do. He would like his readers to not only read their holy books but to also read as many relevant books as they can get hold of. Then, they can make an informed argument which might have some valid points. This is a simple request. Wayne Douglas Weedon is a Canadian published author who has written fiction and non-fiction. He has contributed to Lifestyles 55+ magazine for several years. Although currently retired he continues to write.

PUZZLES

SUDUKO

Answers page 19

65 International trade org. 66 Stripe 67 Breaks 68 Raised 69 E.g. Levin, Gershwin and others

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Pistols 5 Police heavy brigade 9 Unexpected turn of events 14 Long song for one in an opera 15 Cairo/Pittsburgh river 16 Totaled 17 Of the present month (Abbr.) 18 Traditional knowledge 19 Cosmetics mogul Elizabeth 20 Monk's title 21 Job-discrimination watchdog (Abbr.) 22 Plumping 16

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23 Moonshine maker 25 Liable 27 Journey's end forecast 28 Swedish aircraft maker 30 Astonish 32 Take for granted 34 Hearth 38 Radiation absorber 39 "I shall not find myself so ___ die" (Antony, in "Julius Caesar") 41 One up on a deuce 42 Catholic 44 Accuse

46 Wide river mouth 47 Flying toy 48 Batter essential 51 Fashion reminiscent of the past 53 "What happens in ___ stays in ___" 56 Short stops 58 Decree 60 Web site ID 61 The first Mrs. Trump 62 Singer –- Simone 63 Split 64 Well mannered

DOWN 1 Short attacks 2 Ripley's slogan finishers 3 Firing 4 Posed 5 Only 6 Cry of exultation 7 Battle group main feature 8 The very end of a golf club 9 Swing in a circus 10 Skin blemish 11 Self-published author 12 Surgically implanted tube 13 A k a the Friendly Islands 21 Gunslinger actor Jack ___ 22 Duck ___, medieval child's game

24 Exalted 26 Leave out 29 Fab Four 31 Personal assets 32 Top-fermented beer 33 Moderately dry 35 Unorthodox 36 Angular meas. 37 Peeper 40 British Prime Minister when the Constitution was signed 43 Food grasses 45 Honey factory 48 Sagas 49 Singer-songwriter ___ DeGraw 50 Yellow tropical fruit with pink pulp 52 Token amount 54 Center of an amphitheater 55 Snow vehicles 57 Saucy girl 59 "Shane" star Alan ___ 62 Toff 63 G-men October 2026

Homes for Heroes: our homeless veterans Dorothy Dobbie

oes it horrify you to learn that the people who put their lives on the line to preserve our way of life are living on the street, homeless, disregarded, looking for solace from the nightmare they have experienced through any means they can find? Does it not horrify you that they are cast aside now that they have served their purpose and we no longer need their youth, their energy, their commitment and their devotion to our country? It horrifies me! Do you know that there are as many as 500 veterans living on the streets of Winnipeg, homeless and without help, facing winter with nowhere to live, nowhere to go. Did you know this? And now, knowing this, can you honestly say you don’t care? My Dad was 17 when he was enlisted during World War 2, just a few months short of his 18th birthday. They sent him to Shilo where he got his “basic training” (what a misnomer for what would follow) and then shipped overseas. Right to the Front. He was an inexperienced farm kid. It was the last and most brutal year of the war. He saw and experienced things no mortal should ever have to witness. He returned a shattered man. This is the story for all those who went “overseas,” as they used to say. Where brutality and killing and atrocities are part of the daily bread. The stoic, the uncaring, the unfeeling, were able to process it, but not all are. They come home, broken, unable to process the inhumanities they have witnessed. My dad struggled with it his whole life and it affected all of us, not that we loved him less. But not all have a family to return to. The 500 on the streets today are testimony to that. It is shocking that we would turn our back on their services, their sacrifices, that we would not want to search for every single one of them with a hug and a home, a small way to show how much we value them. Yet there they are: all sorts of folks – about 20% of whom are indigenous and another 20% women, by the way. People who offered up their lives for us while we

turn our backs on them. Do I sound emotional? I am. I cannot believe that a society that continually pats itself on the back for its caring and considerate ways, can be so unfeeling, so unappreciative as we are towards our veterans. Do you know that the last budget cut the Veterans Affairs by $1.2 billion a year for the next four years for a total of $4.23 billion. In typical bafflegab fashion, the government also claims to have “raised” the budget, but records show this is just accounting terminology. Real dollars are being cut. And while the government claims that this is due to a pricing differential for medical marijuana, that is a small portion of the cut. Most of it will come from reducing 44% of the service staff and some very controversial retroactive adjustment to the benefits calculation formula dating back to 1998! For all these years, the veterans have been overcharged for their personal portion of paying for long term care. There are lawsuits pending to recover these amounts and the proposed legislation would effectively end the lawsuits. None of that matters to our homeless vets, however. They have given up hope. Some simply cannot adjust to the new reality of living an unstructured civilian life. Some are now addicted to drugs or still so traumatized that they cannot cope. All of this leads to the group of people who are trying to restore some of the dignity our veterans deserve with an organization called Homes for Heroes, a committee

on which I am honoured to serve. I was nominated by Kevin Klein and his wife Heather who were the honourary chairs that launched the campaign in Winnipeg. Their terms ended just before I joined. I have committed myself to doing my best to help find shelter for these fine and women. It’s a strange thing but the most sensitive people are often the first to volunteer for such horrendous tasks as being first responders or going to war on our behalf. They can appear fierce and unfeeling, but don’t let that fool you. They are simply masking their commitment and emotional need to serve. I have personally heard and felt the pain of these heroes recounting the awful things they experienced and witnessed the toll it took on their souls. So, Homes for Heroes is trying to fund 25 small homes for these folks – 350 square feet of living space, but each has a private kitchen, bathroom and bedroom as well as a living room, a place for their belongings and most importantly, a lock on the door. There is also a common space for laundry facilities, and support services to help folks get back on their feet and reintegrate in the community. The campaign has commitments for 11 out of the 25 promised homes, If you can help us build one, or know someone that would like to support the cause, please let me know. dorothy@pegasuspublications.net

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Manitoba Association of Senior Communities Creative Retirement Manitoba Inc. 204-481-5030, hello@crcentre.ca www.crcentre.ca

WINNIPEG

20 Fort Street Seniors Club 2200-20 Fort Street / FortStSeniors@Shaw.ca A&O Support Services for Older Adults Inc. 200 - 207 Donald Street 204-956-6440 / Toll Free: 1-888-333-3121 info@aosupportservices.ca www.aosupportservices.ca Archwood 55 Plus 565 Guilbault Avenue / 204-416-1067 archwood55@shaw.ca archwood55plus.wildapricot.org/ Barbados Association of Winnipeg, MB Inc. 204-202-7197 barbadosassociaationof wpg@outlook.com Black Seniors Support Inc. D-50 Scurfield Boulevard / 204-599-8566 resourcecoordinator@blackseniors.ca www.blackseniors.ca Bleak House Centre 1637 Main Street / 204-338-4723 bleakhousecentre@gmail.com www.bleakhousecentre.com

Rainbow Resource Centre 514 St. Mary Avenue / 204-474-0212 ext 255 OTR@rainbowresourcecentre.org www.rainbowresourcecentre.org Riverwood Church Community 325 Talbot Avenue / 204-668-3181 www.riverwood.cc/elmwood The Salvation Army Community Venture 51 Morrow Avenue / 204-930-6535 florence.quan@salvationarmy.ca Somali Help Age Association 519 Beverley Street / 204-881-6364 somalihelpage@gmail.com South Winnipeg Seniors Resource Council 117-1 Morley Ave / 204-478-6169 resources@swsrc.ca / www.swsrc.ca Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba 92 Kilroy Street / 204-230-4375 www.srilankanseniorsmb.ca SJA 55+ Centre - Active Living & Resource Centre 3-203 Duffield Street / 204-987-8850 info@stjamescentre.com / www.stjamescentre.com Transcona Council for Seniors 845 Regent Ave / 204-222-9879 tcs@mymts.net / www.transconaseniors.ca

Brooklands Active Living Centre 1960 William Avenue W 204-632-8367 / bpscc@mymts.net

Transcona Retired Citizens Org. 328 Whittier Ave. West 204-222-8473 / trco328@shaw.ca

Centro Caboto Centre 1055 Wilkes Avenue / 204-487-4597 ext. 1 executivedirector@cabotocentre.com www.cabotocentre.com

Winnipeg Chinese Senior Association 204-291-7798 / wcsa.wpg@hotmail.com www.winnipegchineseseniors.ca

Charleswood Senior Centre A 357 Oakdale Drive / 204-897-5263 info@charleswoodseniorcentre.org www.charleswoodseniorcentre.org Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal 180 Poplar Avenue / 204-890-3282 director@chalmersrenewal.org chalmersrenewal.org Dakota Community Centre 1188 Dakota Street / 204-254-1010 ext. 217 seniorresources@dakotacc.com www.dakotacc.com Delmar Seniors 110 Adamar Road / 204-421-2592 Dufferin Senior Citizens Inc. 377 Dufferin Avenue / 204-986-2608 Garden City Community Centre Seniors 55+ 725 Kingsbury Avenue / 204-940-6111 facilities@gardencitycc.com www.gardencitycc.com/seniors Golden Rule Seniors Resource Centre 625 Osborne Street / 204-306-1114 goldenrule@swsrc.ca facebook.com/goldenruleseniors Good Neighbours Active Living Centre 720 Henderson Hwy / 204-669-1710 admin@gnalc.ca / www.gnalc.ca Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre 1588 Main Street / 204-339-1701 becky@gwensecter.com / www.gwensecter.com Headingley Seniors’ Services 5353 Portage Avenue / 204-889-3132 ext. 3 seniors@rmofheadingley.ca www.headingleyseniorsservices.ca Indigenous Senior Resource Centre Inc. 45 Robinson Avenue / 204-586-4595 executivedirector@isrcwpg.ca / www.asrcwpg.ca Keewatin Inkster Neighbourhood Resources 1625 Logan Avenue / 204-774-3085 kinrc@mymts.net La Fédération des aînés de la francophonie manitobaine inc. 123-400, rue Des Meurons 204-235-0670 / direction@fafm.mb.ca

BEYOND WINNIPEG ALTONA Rhineland C.A.R.E. Inc. 240 5th St NE / 204-324-1528 rhinelandcare@carealtona.com / carealtona.com ASHERN Living Independence for Elders Inc. #4-61 Main Street / 204-768-2187 lifeashern@gmail.com BEAUSEJOUR Beau-Head Senior Centre 645 Park Avenue / 204-268-2444 beauheadseniors@gmail.com BINSCARTH / RUSSELL Senior Services of Banner County 204-532-2134 seniorservicesofbannercounty@gmail.com BIRTLE Valley Services for Seniors 663 Main Street / 204-842-3296 valleyserviceforseniors@gmail.com BOISSEVAIN Seniors’ Services of the Turtle Mountain Area 204-534-6816 / seniorservicetm@gmail.com BRANDON Brandon Seniors for Seniors Co-op Inc. 311 Park Avenue E / 204-571-2052 eklaassen@brandons4s.ca / www.brandons4s.ca Health Checks - There's a whole lot of living left to do? brandonmbhealthchecks.ca healthchecksbrandon@gmail.com CARMAN Carman & Community Active Living Centre Inc. 47 Kings Drive / 204-745-2356 carmanalc@gmail.com www.activelivingcentrecarman.ca Carman Seniors Resource 47 Kings Drive / 204-745-6611 carmanseniors@mymts.net CRANBERRY PORTAGE Jubilee Recreation of Cranberry Portage Legion Hall 217 2nd Ave. SE / 204-271-3031

GET CONNECTED - JOIN A CENTRE! Stay Active - Stay Connected www.manitobaseniorcommunities.ca

DUFRESNE Tache Senior Services 28007 Mun Road 52 N. / 204-230-2131

PLUMAS Plumas Seniors Citizens Club Inc. 102 White Street / 204-386-2029

ELIE Cartier Senior Citizens Support Committee Inc. 11 Magloire Street, Suite #1 / 204-353-2470 cartierseniors55@outlook.com

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE Herman Prior Senior Services Centre 40 Royal Road N. / 204-857-6951 hermanpriorcentre@gmail.com www.hermanprior.com

ERICKSON Services to Seniors Erickson, Onanole, Sandy Lake & Area Inc. 31 Main Street / 204-636-7895 / areas@mymts.net FLIN FLON Flin Flon Seniors 2 North Avenue / 204-687-7308 GILBERT PLAINS Gilbert Plains and District Community Resource Council Inc. 204-548-4131 / gpdcrc@mymts.net / gpseniors.ca Gilbert Plains Drop In Centre 22 Main Street North / 204-548-2210 GIMLI Gimli New Horizons 55+ Activity Centre 17 Loni Beach Road / 204-642-7909 gimli55@mts.net / www.gimlinewhorizons.org GLADSTONE Gladstone Senior Support 36 Morris St N / 204-385-3026 info@gladstoneseniorsupport.com GRAND MARAIS Grand Marais & District Seniors 36058 PTH 12 / gmdseniors@gmail.com www.gmdseniors.ca GRANDVIEW Grandview Seniors Drop In 432 Main Street / 204-546-2272 HAMIOTA Hamiota 55+ Centre & R Store 44 Maple Avenue / 55centrehamiota@gmail.com KILLARNEY Killarney New Horizons Centre 520 Mountain Avenue / www.killarneymbseniors.ca Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain Service for Seniors 415 Broadway Ave. / 204-440-0096 seniorservice@killarney.ca LA BROQUERIE and STE. ANNE Seine River Services for Seniors Inc. / Services Rivière Seine pour aînés Inc. 93 Principale Street / 204-424-5285 src@seineriverservicesforseniors.ca seineriverservicesforseniors.ca Club De L'Amitie de la Broquerie Inc. 15 Charrière Road, Ste. Anne's / 204-424-5522 LUNDAR Lundar Community Resources 35 Main Street / 204-762-5378 / mylcrc@outlook.com MANITOU Pembina Community Resource Council 315 Main Street / 204-242-2241 pembinacrc@gmail.com MINNEDOSA Minnedosa Senior Citizens Assoc. 31 Main Street S / 204-867-1956 mdsasca@gmail.com MORDEN Morden Activity Centre 306 N Railway Street / 204-822-3555 mordenactivitycentre@gmail.com www.mordenseniors.ca NEEPAWA Neepawa & District Drop In Centre 310 Davidson Street / 204-476-5103 Neepawa-dropin@outlook.com www.neepawa.ca/district-drop-in-center NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES Club D’age Dor Notre Dame 204-248-7291 / ndslchezsoi@gmail.com

Manitoba Korean Seniors Centre Inc. 900-150 River Avenue 204-297-2615 / www.ksam.ca

CRYSTAL CITY Crystal City & District Friendship Club Inc. 117 Broadway St. / 431-867-0122 crystalcityfriendship@gmail.com

ONANOLE Municipality of harrison Park Age friendly Committee 43 Gateway Street / 204-848-7614 admin@harrisonpark.ca

North Centennial Seniors Association of Winnipeg Inc. 86 Sinclair Street / 204-582-0066 ncsc@shaw.ca / www.ncseniors.ca

DAUPHIN Dauphin Active Living Centre Inc. 55 1st Avenue SE / 204-638-6485 dsc_admin@mymts.net / www.dauphinseniors.com

PINAWA Two Rivers Senior Resource Council Inc. 40 Burrows Road / 204-753-8397 ldbtworivers@gmail.com

Pembina Active Living (55+) 933 Summerside Avenue / 204-946-0839 ed@pal55plus.ca / www.pal55plus.ca

DELORAINE Deloraine Community Club Inc. 111 South Railway Ave E / 204-747-2846

Rady Jewish Community Centre 123 Doncaster Street / 204-477-7539 lmarjovsky@radyjcc.com / www.radyjcc.com

Seniors’ Outreach Services of BrenWin Inc. 204-747-3283 / sosbrenwin@gmail.com sosbrenwin.com

PILOT MOUND Pilot Mound Fellowship Centre Inc. 203 Broadway Avenue / 204-825-2873 pmfclub7@gmail.com PINE FALLS Winnipeg River Senior Services 37 Maple Street / 204-367-9128

Portage Service for Seniors 40A Royal Road N. / 204-239-6312 psfsmeals@shaw.ca portageservicefors.wixsite.com/psfs RIVERTON Riverton Seniors Activity Centre 24 Main Street / 204-378-5155 rdfc@mymts.net / www.rivertonfc.com ROSSBURN Rossburn Community Resource Council 71 Main Street / 204-859-3386 rosscomm@outlook.com SANDY LAKE Sandy Lake Drop In Centre 100 Main St. / 204-585-2411 SELKIRK Gordon Howard Active Living Centre 384 Eveline Street / 204-785-2092 info@gordonhoward.ca / www.gordonhoward.ca SNOW LAKE Snow Lake Senior Centre 71 Balsam Street / 204-358-2151 snowsrs@mymts.net SOUTH JUNCTION Piney Regional Senior Services 15 Prevost Street / 204-437-2604 lgdseniors@gmail.com STE. ANNE Villa Youville 15 Charriere Road / 204-422-5624 yannb@villayouville.ca / www.villayouville.ca ST. LAURENT Age Friendly Committee of St. Laurent 204-906-9607 STARBUCK MacDonald Services to Seniors 204-736-2255 / info@mcdonaldseniors.ca www.macdonaldseniors.ca STEINBACH Pat Porter Active Living Centre 10 Chrysler Gate / 204-320-4600 ed@patporteralc.com / www.patporteralc.com STONEWALL South Interlake 55 Plus 374 1st Street West - Oddfellows Hall 204-467-2582 / si55plus@mymts.net www.si55plus.org SWAN RIVER Swan River & District Community Resource Council 126 6th Ave N / 204-734-5707 resourcecouncil@srseniorservices.com Swan River Senior Citizens Centre 702 1st Street North / 204-734-2212 THE PAS The Pas Golden Agers 324 Ross Avenue / 204-623-5557 seniorsthepas@gmail.com THOMPSON Thompson Seniors Community Resource Council Inc. 4 Nelson Rd. / 204-677-0987 thompsonseniors55@gmail.com thompsonseniors.ca TREHERNE Treherne Friendship Centre 190 Broadway Street 204-723-2559 / jstate1066@gmail.com VICTORIA BEACH East Beaches Social Scene 3 Ateah Road / 204-756-6468 ebssinc1@gmail.com / www.ebseniorscene.ca East Beaches Resource Centre 3 Ateah Road / 204-756-6471 ebresourcec@gmail.com / ebresourcec.weebly.com VIRDEN Seniors Access to Independent Living 204-748-2323 / sail.cao.2023@gmail.com WINKLER Winkler & District MP Senior Centre 102-650 South Railway Avenue / 204-325-8964 director@winklerseniorcentre.com www.winklerseniorcentre.com

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October 2026

The Trail North

How Trail Talks 2026 coming north has changed the game

hen I moved from New York City to The echoed in Manitoba’s own trails strategy, which emPas four and a half years ago, I thought I phasizes connectivity, collaboration, long-term sustainunderstood what it meant to be outdoors. I ability and trail tourism. had walked urban paths, escaped to parks and travelled Coffin’s enthusiasm makes sense. Trails Manitoba, widely. But I did not yet understand the luxury of step- founded in 1993, serves as a provincial umbrella for the ping outside your door and finding the boreal forest volunteer associations, charities, Indigenous organizawaiting – or of looking up on a clear night and seeing tions and municipalities that build and steward trails. the Milky Way instead of a dome of city light. It helps groups access resources and funding for everyThat change in perspective is partly why this year’s thing from new routes to benches, lighting, signage Trails Manitoba: Trail Talks event felt so important. and programming. The organization is also Manitoba’s From September 18 to 19, the group brought trail provincial lead for the Trans Canada Trail. Provincial policy recognizes the same broad value: stewards, volunteers, community leaders trails support health, social connection, and outdoor champions north for knowledge sharing, networking and on-trail quality of life and economic opportuniexperiences. The published event descripties for communities and trail-related tion promised two days of connection businesses. and an opportunity to showcase northern For those accustomed to measuring reManitoba’s landscapes; by every account, turn on investment only in hotel receipts the weekend delivered – and then some. and restaurant bills, Trail Talks offered a The gathering began as a practical chalwider accounting. Good trails can make lenge: how do you persuade people from a community more attractive to visitors, southern Manitoba to travel north, and newcomers and businesses. They give reshow do you make the long drive part of idents an affordable place to move, meet the experience rather than an obstacle? and breathe. They can support aging in Gabrielle Chartrand With transportation support from the place by offering accessible routes close Town of The Pas Destination Marketing to home. They can become classrooms, View from Committee, the answer was a charter bus cultural spaces and connectors between The Pas leaving Winnipeg and collecting particicommunities. The Province of Manitoba pants in Portage la Prairie, Dauphin and describes trails as pathways to healthy Swan River. It was transportation, yes – but it also be- people and thriving communities; in the North, that came a moving meeting room. By the time the group idea is visible in everyday use. reached the North, people had already started building After the conference sessions, four guides led particithe relationships that are the real engine of a grassroots pants through the Opasquia Trails at Grace Lake in The conference. Pas. Because the visitors were trail builders, the tour Rather than asking visitors to understand the North focused less on identifying birds and plants and more from a conference chair alone, the program took them on construction: how the boardwalk was built, which into the landscape. At Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, hurdles volunteers faced, what problems they solved the group explored the caves trail and its geology with and what may come next. The site’s floating boardwalk local guidance. In Flin Flon, Leslie Beck and other was a particular point of pride, and organizers came members from Wâhkôhtowin Trails, led a walking tour away describing it as the longest floating boardwalk in that included Phantom Lake, Flinty’s Boardwalk and Manitoba. the campground trail infrastructure. In Cranberry PorTrail counters installed in August provided an early tage, guided by measure of local enthusiasm. McLauchlan reported Alain Proulx, participants walked snowshoe and ski 6,084 visits to the viewing platform and 1,788 entries trails tucked into the boreal forest. onto the trail in roughly 40 days. Those figures match One of the most memorable stops for the group what residents already see: regular walkers, retirees came at the Seven Sacred Teachings signs, where Indig- driving out from town, families stopping by and locals enous artist and educator Kellene Blouin met the group joining tours when a bus appears. Even the most carewith her drum and shared the meaning of the teach- fully designed tourism campaign cannot manufacture ings. Later, at the Cranberry Portage Legion, she per- that kind of lived-in credibility. formed hoop dancing and invited conference speaker The final excursion to Round the Bend Farms brought Aaron Webb to join her. Local volunteers provided din- the weekend’s themes together around an open fire. ner, musicians filled the room and the community of- Visitors toured the farm, collected eggs, saw pigs and fered the kind of welcome that cannot be packaged by bison up close, and shared bison and chicken for dinner. a convention centre: food prepared in several homes, a For rural residents, some of those experiences may feel barbecue outside the door and neighbours pitching in ordinary. For people who have never picked a vegetable because guests had come a long way. or stood near a bison, they can be transformative. The As someone who traded a city life for ten acres near evening reminded participants that a trail does not end The Pas, this is the part of the story I recognize most at the tree line. It can lead into agriculture, food, culdeeply. Rural hospitality is not a slogan. It is a chain of ture, small business and stories told face-to-face. small acts – someone cooking pierogies, someone tunMcLauchlan’s ambitions reach beyond the existing ing a guitar, someone opening the Legion, someone trails at Grace Lake. He envisions extending the town making sure the bus can park safely – that adds up to a trail from Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute across visitor feeling they belong. Grace Lake, linking with Opasquia Trails and continuSaturday’s formal conference at University College ing through the surrounding road network to form of the North shifted the conversation from scenery a loop of roughly 15 kilometres. His larger vision is to strategy. The agenda opened with a land acknowl- provincial: communities connected by trails the way edgement and welcome, followed by Ashleigh Hall, northern snowmobile routes already connect riders in manager of the Provincial Trails Coordination Office, the winter. with a provincial update. Michelle Archie of Harbinger Consultancy presented on understanding the economic impact of trails. The panel, “The Trail Economy, Different Perspectives” brought together David Bosiak, Michela Carriere and Brigitte Sandron. Bosiak spoke from the viewpoints of municipal leadership and the Northgate Trails; Carriere brought experience connected to Big Eddy Lodge and Aski Holistic Adventures; and Sandron contributed expertise from Clear Lake Country and her former work with Travel Manitoba. Patrick Lucas of the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program then delivered “Dirt Relations,” a talk Tim Coffin described as having the clarity and energy of a TED Talk. After lunch, Aaron Webb shared “Phoenix: The Mantario Story,” recounting the collaboration required to reopen the Mantario Trail after wildfire damage. Jeana Manning, chair of the Trails Manitoba board, presented “Trails Manitoba: Building a Connected Manitoba,” before participants moved into a round-table review. The day’s speakers did not treat trails as decorative extras. They discussed them as public infrastructure that can support tourism, community health, reconciliation, environmental stewardship and local pride—a view

That idea stayed with me. Since moving north, I have learned that distance is real, but so is ingenuity. Trail Talks’ charter bus overcame one form of distance. Connected trail systems could overcome another, giving people reasons to travel slowly through Swan River, The Pas, Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Thompson and beyond. The possibilities are not only recreational. They include overnight stays, meals, guides, local crafts, maintenance work, equipment rentals and the less measurable economic benefit of people deciding a community is somewhere they could build a life. Coffin called Trails Manitoba “small but mighty”– two staff members backed by a board of twelve – and Trail Talks showed what that phrase looks like in practice. It looks like volunteer trail stewards sharing solutions with government staff. It looks like Indigenous teachings offered on the land. It looks like a rural college transforming a conference meal into a northern showcase. It looks like trail builders learning from wildfire recovery on the Mantario Trail, then carrying those lessons home. I came north because of a person, but I stayed because of a place. Trails helped me understand that place: the moss underfoot, the fresh air, the light between the trees and the way strangers become neighbours when they meet on a path. Trail Talks 2026 gave visitors a concentrated version of that discovery. The challenge now is to keep building –not just more kilometres of trail, but more connections between people, communities and the wider province. Gabrielle Chartrand moved to The Town of The Pas four years ago after spending a decade in New York City. She holds a Bachelor of Design from Toronto Metropolitan University with a major in communications and a minor in marketing. Chartrand brings her love of art and non-profit experience to a community who is most welcoming to an outsider. Chartrand serves as the Chair of the Destination Marketing Committee and the Treasurer of The Pas Guest List Inc.

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