Rural roundup

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This article was published 11/04/2024 (712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MINNEDOSA

The Minnedosa Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting on March 20, with 17 people in attendance.

Chamber members discussed support for the Yellowhead Employment Centre Hiring Event, the Ag Barbecue that was held in June, ag-related scholarships awarded to Brielle Lemoing and Nathan Pollichukc, the Fun Fest parade, support of What’s the Big Idea and Christmas in the Valley.

The chamber will help co-ordinate “Business After 5” networking events held at local businesses. The first one will be hosted by Callie Mendrikis at Valley Bookkeeping in May. The chamber is looking for an August host.

This year’s Ag Barbecue will be held on June 12 at the Minnedosa Community Conference Centre.

A call for nominations to the chamber executive was held throughout the annual general meeting. The new president is Marlies Soltys, while Cassandra Cardy will serve as vice-president. Callie Medrikis is treasurer, Jessica Brady is secretary and Meaghan Cann is past-president.

» Minnedosa Tribune

VIRDEN

Seventeen competitors took to the microphone to sell at the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Livestock Auctioneering Competition at Virden’s Heartland Livestock Services on March 23.

Ty Cutler of Moosomin, Sask. was named top rookie (under five years selling cattle). Cutler is the son of Virden-based auctioneer Ward Cutler, who is himself a Manitoba-Saskatchewan and Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Champion.

Winning auctioneers at the event go on to represent the area at the Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championship in Waterloo, Ont. on May 24. In the end, John Baier of Swift Current, Sask. won that honour, along with a prize of $1,000 and a Boehringer-Ingelheim custom made buckle. Ty Cutler will compete in the rookie category in Waterloo.

In addition to the awards competition, about 3,200 cattle of all classes, including replacement heifers, feeders, fat cattle and cows were sold at the event. Around 200 spectators attended.

» Virden Empire-Advance

A new Habitat for Humanity home will be built at 615 Nelson Street West in Virden.

Habitat for Humanity provides safe homes for families who otherwise can’t afford them. There is no downpayment, and mortgage payments are suited to the family’s income. The family must do sweat equity, including volunteering in the community or helping to build their home.

The home is built with volunteer labour, then assessed and the homeowner purchases it at fair market value.

So far, the Virden Habitat for Humanity chapter has provided homes for four families. The upcoming build, which was scheduled to begin early in April, is for Valentin Oliva and Alejandro Campos and their children Mateo, Melissa and Liam.

» Virden Empire-Advance

NEEPAWA

The unusually mild weather this past winter has presented problems for Neepawa’s roads, town council has reported.

A number of potholes have been reported to town administration so far this spring. In his report to council on March 19, Operations Manager Denis Saquet said the town is well aware of the potholes that exist in the community.

“Staff are doing everything they can to patch any of the streets [and] the potholes,” he said. “Unfortunately, when we have a pothole filled with water, there is very little we can do with it.”

More consistency in the weather is needed, Saquet said.

“We might as well just throw gravel on it, because any cold mix will just not bind or bond to that hole.”

The problem, he went on, is frozen dew or too much water in potholes. Some of the roads that are dealing with potholes are under the jurisdiction of Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, Saquet said, adding he has been in touch with the department about several locations that need to be addressed. Council is also looking to bring in a contractor to fill the potholes as quickly as possible.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

BOISSEVAIN

The month of April is Donors’ Choice month in Boissevain-Morton, and the community’s Donors’ Choice committee has been sending out pamphlets about the event in the mail.

Donors’ Choice has 25 agency groups on its recipient list, at least half of which are made up of local organizations. The other half of the group consists of provincial agencies like the Alzheimer’s Society, the Cancer Society, Mood Disorders of Manitoba and more.

Interested donors have the month of April to look over the list of recipients and decide if they would like to support the groups. They simply check off the organizations they would like to support, state the size of the donation and write a cheque for the entire amount. Individual tax-deductible receipts are then mailed out to donors.

Cheques can be dropped off at the Boissevain-Morton Library or can be sent by mail. On average, the Boissevain-Morton Donors’ Choice brings in approximately $68,000 each year.

» Discover Westman

Staff at the Turtle Mountain Bible Camp spent the winter providing opportunities for different kinds of fun in the community, including a skijoring fundraiser that was held in February, where children were pulled by horse over the snow.

The fundraiser brought in $2,500, which went straight towards the camp’s horsemanship and riding program. Camp co-directors Daniel and Chelsea Zilstra said they had to go to higher ground to find the snow, but in the end, participants had a lot of fun.

The camp’s equine director Stephanie Nestibo will be purchasing more horses in the fall season with the funds that were raised at the skijoring event. The camp has around 18 horses during the summer. In the past, they’redispersed through the winter months, but this year the camp continued their riding program through winter.

That allowed the camp to continue to connect with the community and keep people on site. It also allowed the horses to get exercise during the winter months so they’re ready for summer.

» Discover Westman

CFB SHILO

CFB Shilo Base Commander Lt.-Col. David Cronk has received decoration for more than two decades of service.

Cronk received the Canadian Forces Decoration 1st Clasp (CD1) in Edmonton, Alta. on March 21.

Col. Robin Dove, commander of the 3rd Canadian Division Support Group, presented Cronk with the award for more than 20 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces.

A fourth-generation military member after his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Cronk’s 22-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces includes three tours in Afghanistan and one in Kuwait, which led him to the commanding position at CFB Shilo after he returned from a posting in Poland in July 2023.

» Shilo Stag