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Dauphin's Fire Chief Cam Abrey has a new designation after completing the Executive Chief Fire Officer program through the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. Abrey says he's been working on the program for a while, and it's nice to have finally completed it.
"I started the program actually four years ago, upon return from a Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue Canada conference in Vancouver. I had come back and signed up for it and was ready to get going, and they assigned an assessor to me from the council. I started submitting my assignments but the assessor retired without me knowing about it, and I just kind of put everything on pause."
Abrey says once the pandemic hit, there were other items that came to the forefront rather than the assignments.
"After a little bit of a delay and a pause, and a lot of hard work, I finally got it done and submitted in time to receive my designation at the conference this past Tuesday evening."
Abrey says a lot of work went into the program, with 30 different assignments, but it allowed him to take a better look at the work he does.
"It helped me discover a lot of the stuff that I've done, but never thought about, because it was just my ordinary everyday duties that I've been doing. When they're asking for examples of how you've dealt with human resources, as a part of my assignment I had to submit various things that we've had to deal with, within the fire service."
Abrey says he had to look at how he dealt with governing the department, how they've found other sources of revenue, prepared budgets, and different fire prevention techniques.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
A project aiming to preserve the history of McCreary is currently underway.
The McCreary Oral History Project is centred around capturing the voices of McCreary residents through a series of recorded interviews.
Pam Little, the director of the project, says that they are starting by interviewing the oldest in the community.
"We've already actually interviewed three 100-year-olds... And then we have some targeted just for where they lived or what they did in McCreary... Sometimes it's younger people we're interviewing because the other people are no longer with us... For example, we interviewed a woman in her seventies, who's relatively young compared to a 100-year-old, about her life living in the railway station in McCreary. Her dad was a station manager, so they lived... where we have our museum, so that was pretty neat to hear," she adds.
Little says that people can get involved by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by calling her at 204-835-2529 or by messaging McCreary Heritage Advisory Committee on Facebook.
She expects the film to be completed by March 2023, but says that they need more volunteers to accomplish that.
"They can get a hold of those same contact places to volunteer," Little adds.
Pam Little went on to say that they need people who can interview, type up the transcript, be the cameraperson, or scan pictures that can go into the film.
The project is funded by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
The election for Mountain View School Division School Trustee is taking place on October 26th, and as it stands, the division is very short on candidates. Senior Elections Official Kirk Dawson says time is running out for people to sign up to run.
"There's nine positions, nine trustees that they look for, four wards, and there's really just one nomination package that's been completed so far. We have had some packages picked up, but we know we have at least four vacancies, of people not running that were incumbents last time, so there is certainly a need out there."
Nomination packages can only be submitted until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20th, so Dawson says there is some urgency with getting nominations in. Anyone with questions about how to run in the election can reach out to Dawson at (204) 572-0914.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Summer camp has always been important to the Bankert family, and they're using their platform to give more people the opportunity to experience everything that it has to offer. The family's been creating videos for a while, but Richard Bankert says they wanted to give those videos more purpose.
"We said let's do something with summer camp, we've been involved with summer camp, I started going when I was five, and I've been a director for 12 years, including directing at Dauphin Bible Camp for 10 years, and it's something that's really dear to our hearts, and we feel that every kid who wants to go should get to go, and we want to be a part of that."
The 100K #GetKidstoCamp Challenge is a partnership between the Bankert family and One Hope Canada which owns 40 camps across Canada including Dauphin Bible Camp. The family will be creating videos on their YouTube Chanel, Our Crazy RV, and they'll be showcasing camps from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia and back.
"It's to get kids to camp how awesome is that? You can go on ourcrazyrv.com and there's more information on there as well as a donation link. Our goal is to raise over 100,000 dollars to offset the cost of kids going to camp, as well as just to showcase how awesome summer camp is."
The Bankerts will be posting the first video of the series on their YouTube page and website tonight at 6 p.m. and they plan on posting a new video in the series every three days going forward.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Manitoba government announced today that they have reached an agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide free menstrual products to schools and other agencies to improve accessibility and reduce period poverty.
The province says that through the agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart, schools, domestic violence shelters, resource centres, and second-stage and specialized programs will receive menstrual products to administer to those most in need.
Families Minister Rochelle Squires, the minister responsible for the status of women, says that the partnership allows them to progress towards destigmatizing the nature of women getting their period by supporting young women and girls when they need it most.
“This significant shift will ensure thousands of students and others most in need will have reliable and consistent access to menstrual products wherever they live in our province,” Squires adds.
According to a news release by the provincial government, as part of this partnership, more than 3.3 million menstrual products will be donated to the initiative each year for three years. The Manitoba government will distribute the products monthly to schools and other identified locations. School divisions and schools will determine where the supplies are most needed.
Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko adds that providing free menstrual products to students delivers on the government’s commitment to building a fair and equitable public education system, supporting the Student Engagement and Well-Being pillar of Manitoba’s K to 12 Education Action Plan.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Kathy Bellemare is looking to remain on Dauphin City Council as she runs in the municipal election set to take place on October 26th.
Bellemare is originally from The Pas and moved to Dauphin thirty-two years ago.
She says that people should vote for her because she brings a lot of experience and has a big curiosity about how things work and how they could be made better.
"I have the time and the energy. I just want to roll up my sleeves and help make Dauphin an even better place to live," she adds.
Even though Kathy Bellemare feels that a lot has been accomplished during the eight years she spent on council, there are still things that she wants to work on.
"One of the things is that I think we need to develop a community safety and wellbeing plan for all our community partners... I think it's important that all the partners sit down and plan together and get to know each other and plan a stronger future forward... Also, economic development, that's an ongoing thing. We always need to figure out how [we can] better position our community, so that we can provide lots of employment for people and offer lots of services for our community, so people want to come here and stay here," she adds.
Bellemare went on to say that she's also interested in developing a climate mitigation and adaptation plan.
"I think we all realize that there's some wonky weather out there and we just need to stand back and take a look and say 'Ok, what could happen? How do we prepare for that? How do we minimize that, so that we're not at the mercy of some of these huge weather events?'," she adds.
Kathy Bellemare says that her main priority is public safety.
"I think that community safety is important right now and I think economic development is important right now. And sometimes that ties together. If people are not employed and they feel [that] their lives are out of control, certainly that could dovetail into the crime rates that we're having and we need to figure out a way of stopping that and improving that for our community," she adds.
Bellemare also says that the reasons for crime are not neccessarily simple and that there is no quick fix.
Anyone interested in running for mayor, council or reeve has until September 20th to register.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Steiner Plumbing & Heating moved into a new building at the end of August. It's located at 514 Main St. S., right next to their old one.
Carla Wolfenden, who co-owns the business with her husband Chris Wolfenden, says that they decided to move to a new location because they needed more space.
"We have warehouse and storage space now... We can carry more parts both for our guys and for our customers, so it makes it more convenient for everyone. We now have office space for ourselves, which we really never had before. Our admin staff have space to move and it's just not cramped... It's just an overall better place to work for everyone... Most of all, we have a showroom now," she adds.
Wolfenden went on to say that the new showroom gives them the ability to showcase products, many of which people don't expect them to sell, to potential customers.
"Hot tubs [are] our newest one. We just became an Arctic Spa dealer this year and we've actually just placed our first few orders for customers, which is very exciting... We do have three on display. We have Primo Smoker barbecues, which are gorgeous high-end barbecues... We are a Napoleon dealer as well, so we can get in any barbecue that Napoleon sells," she adds.
According to Wolfenden, they also sell gas fireplaces, electric fireplaces and wood stoves.
She feels that it's a big relief to finally move in after buying the property around a year ago.
"It's a luxury for us to have all this space... I'm sure everyone... at our shop feels the same way. You're not on top of each other. You're able to find things easier. It's more organized because we do also have an inventory person now," Wolfenden adds.
Carla Wolfenden went on to say that they have amazing customers and that thanks to them, they didn't have to lay anyone off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
UPDATE (Sept. 16th, 10:09 a.m.): According to the RCMP, Kerry Morrisseau has been safely located.
The original article follows:
A 30-year-old woman from Ste. Rose du Lac went missing on Monday, September 12th.
According to the RCMP, Kerry Morrisseau was last seen at around 10 p.m. on 3rd Ave. E. in Ste. Rose du Lac.
They say that police and family are concerned for her well-being.
She's described as 5’7”, 110 lbs, with short dyed black hair and brown eyes.
She was last seen wearing black shorts with a pink Nike logo, black sandals and a camouflage yellow and green sweatshirt.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is being asked to call Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP at 204-447-2513, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online.
Message from the RCMP: Please note that the attached photo is from 2012. Despite reaching out to her family and friends, the Manitoba RCMP was unable to locate a more updated photo that did not have a filter. The RCMP recognizes that her appearance has changed over the course of the last 10 years but felt it important to share the most recent photo available. Investigators continue to search for a more recent photo and ask that anyone who may have one to contact Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP at 204-447-3153.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Brandon University will be closed to honour the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19th, a federally-proclaimed day of mourning.
The University’s flags, which have been flown at half-mast since the Queen’s passing, will remain lowered through her funeral.
“Brandon University shared important ties with the Queen, including two of the most significant expansions in our history, and we send our deepest condolences to the entire Royal Family,” BU President Dr. David Docherty adds.
The University says that no classes will be held and no offices will be open.
They also say that campus buildings will be locked and only accessible with the use of a student or employee access card.
Anyone whose research, practicum placements, or other scheduled learning activities may require their presence on Monday is being asked to contact their instructor or Dean.
Food Services will continue for those in Residence, and the Healthy Living Centre will be open during regular business hours.
According to Brandon University, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made two visits to the BU campus, in 1970 and in 1984. During her first visit, which drew a crowd of more than 1,000 to campus, the Queen laid the cornerstone for the construction of the James R. Brodie Science Centre. That cornerstone, which is now more than a half-century old, is in the process of being refreshed with replacement letters.
In 1984, the Queen returned to campus and participated in the official opening of the new music building. The building, which houses the BU School of Music, was named the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building in her honour. A portrait of the Queen that is displayed in the School has been draped with a black ribbon.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Rodney Juba is looking to remain on Dauphin City Council as he runs in the municipal election.
Juba was born in Roblin and went to school there until grade 4. Then he went to school in Grandview until the end of high school, before finishing his studies in Brandon.
Rodney Juba believes that people should vote for him because he feels that he has proven himself as a community worker.
"I've worked hard for the community on all of my communities through council. Through my volunteer work, I've proven that I am a leader and that I can inspire others," he adds.
Juba says that he's running for office because he wants to make sure that the community promotes safety, equality and inclusion for all.
"We all live in Dauphin. We all pay taxes in Dauphin. We all need to be represented and there are people in our community, I feel, that don't feel that they're equally represented," he adds.
If elected, Rodney Juba says that he wants to continue working for community safety.
"I volunteered for Citizens on Patrol. I know that a lot of people in the community are hungry and I want to work towards helping those people in the community that need help," he adds.
Juba went on to say that he wants to make sure that everyone in the community has an equal chance to succeed.
Anyone interested in running for municipal office has until September 20th to register.
The municipal election is set to take place on October 26th.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
The Winnipegosis Historical Society is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Winnipegosis Museum Building this Friday, September 16th. The building was originally the CN station for the area, and Society President Jo Bunka says that's one thing that makes it so special.
"In 1897, this station, it's called a Type A Station was built to serve the general public, as well as to be a residence to the station agent and his family."
Bunka says the celebrations get underway at 2 p.m. on Friday, with lots planned for the afternoon.
"At 2 o'clock we're sort of having a bit of a formal greeting coming from different sectors of our community. We are partnered with the local Muddy Water Metis Group, and they are going to have a display beside our teepee, they're providing entertainment. We're going to hold free tours, people can come and see the museum, but mostly, we're celebrating a wonderful building."
The Historical Society will also be providing some light refreshments for those in attendence.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
