Rural Roundup — May 19, 2022

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This article was published 19/05/2022 (1416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Treherne

An area car dealer is receiving a lot of inquiries about electric and hybrid vehicles in the wake of a green push from the federal government.

Neil Metcalfe, owner of Metcalfe’s Garage Ltd. in Treherne, said he is answering questions based on the realities of electric vehicle technology as it stands today.

“We are getting lots of questions and interest,” Metcalfe said.

“The biggest challenge in a rural area is range and the lack of a charging infrastructure.”

Metcalfe deals in Ford vehicles, and he said their line of electric cars and trucks do come with their own chargers.

However, he said fully charging those vehicles at home takes about eight to 10 hours, making them practical for at-home use but a challenge for longer trips.

He said an electric version of the Ford F-150 model is already on the way to their dealership.

“We already have six electric Ford F-150s sold,” he said.

“They are slow coming, but we will have the first ones here this summer. It is called the F-150 Lightning, and it is fully electric.”

He said the strength of the charge in an electric vehicle depends on a number of factors, including ambient temperature, use of such components as heat and air conditioning and load and range of travel.

Metcalfe said any battery will be cut down to one-third of its charge in very cold weather.

“[The company] is telling us the battery is good for 400 kilometres, and that is with the extended range battery,” he said.

“If you are driving in -40 winter weather, that will definitely cut your range back.”

He said a popular alternative to going full electric for rural customers is buying hybrid vehicles which have the backup of a gas engine to kick in when the electric battery is challenged.

“If you run out of range on the electric, the gas engine kicks in and runs on full gasoline,” he said.

“The fuel economy is still very good. If you are in a city, the stop and go driving runs on electric a lot of the time.”

Metcalfe said Ford is investing around $34 billion in electric vehicles and hybrids in the next few years.

» The Gazette

Ninette

Residents in the community were excited to see bingo return to Ninette Community Place for the first time in more than two years last month.

After the return that took place on April 27, bingo will now be offered every Wednesday at the community centre.

“We like to have fun and make it an uplifting atmosphere that will make people smile,” said Shari Tenhave, an area resident.

Ninette Community Place is located on 158 Queen St. N. and doors will open each Wednesday at 6 p.m. An early bird game will take place at 6:45 with regular bingo starting at 7 o’clock. The canteen is also open with snacks and drinks available.

» The Gazette

Hartney

Manitoba Environment, Climate and Parks received a proposal from the Rural Municipality of Grassland to expand the wastewater treatment lagoon for the community. If details go according to plan, improvements to wastewater in the community would begin in Hartney and be set in place for next year.

The RM invited the public impacted by the project to contact the senior environmental engineer with comments.

Grassland Reeve Ruth Mealy said the project is not a new one.

“The Hartney lagoon has been on the books for quite a while,” she said.

“The province said it needed to be updated and we bought land two years ago to build a new lagoon cell. We’re starting the process now.”

Mealy said the RM along with chief administrative officer Yasmine Keeler have done a lot of research into different possibilities for the project.

One of the concerns is that the Hartney lagoon is presently at maximum capacity. The community is growing in number and more work needs to be done.

“It’s a good problem to have, with the community expanding,” Mealy said.

Currently there are two cells, a primary and secondary cell, for wastewater in Hartney. Plans are for those cells to receive high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liners in a move to update them. The lagoon is located to the north of the community.

Work on the existing cell, and another secondary cell to the east of the existing facility is to be constructed to deal with capacity issues and will have a synthetic liner. Biosolids will be injected into the agricultural lands on the east half and treated effluent will be discharged into the Souris River.

Burns Maendel, the engineering firm, sent in the application to the province on March 18. According to the application, the original lagoon was constructed in 1961. Recent engineering showed there was significant leakage, which demonstrated the need for a liner. The rough cost for all of the work is around $2.3 million.

Mealy said the RM is looking into various grants to try to help with the financing, saying this would be important to receive in order to complete the project. They are looking for different ideas for a more natural lagoon system in the future.

If licensing and financing go through, the RM is hoping for construction in the spring and summer of 2023.

» The Recorder

Birtle

Recognized for an outstanding an innovative approach to her work, Birtle Pharmacy owner Alison Desjardins owner was recently presented with the prestigious Ozturk Pharmacy Business Leadership Award for 2022.

The pharmacist was thrilled to receive the recognition.

“I can often be heard saying that we need to take care of our people,” said Desjardins.

“If patients have put their trust in us to take care of their medication needs, then we feel the responsibility to do so to the best of our ability.”

Working for nearly 27 years, Desjardins and her staff at Birtle Pharmacy can add the leadership award to a plethora of awards and merits received while working in the community.

Presented to a pharmacy owner or manager who demonstrates a commitment to the profession, the OPBL Award recognizes people who exhibit immense support to staff pharmacists, also providing outstanding and innovative pharmacy services to patients.

“I’ve always enjoyed learning new things and trying out new ideas,” she said.

“I think I’ve been successful at implementing new services at the pharmacy because I don’t take a top-down approach with my staff. Instead, we talk about the new idea together, do some brainstorming and really think about how we can make it work. We get as prepared as we can ahead of time, before jumping in.”

She remembered a time in high school when a career in pharmacy wasn’t even on her radar. In Grade 12, Desjardins spoke with a favourite teacher about career options and was given the advice of figuring out where she would want to live first, then pursue career options in that place.

After growing up in Erickson, the idea of living in Birtle seemed appealing and she didn’t look back. Desjardins completed her bachelor’s degree in biology in 1992, continued her studies and further obtained her pharmacy degree in 1995.

“I enjoy my job. I think pharmacy was a good career choice for me,” she said as she smiled.

“I like working in health care, but being independent, too. I like working with my staff and collaborating with other health-care professionals. I’m very happy living where we do and having customers to serve from all the surrounding communities.”

Desjardins and her husband Steve became sole owners of Birtle Pharmacy in 2006 after investing into the business in 2000. In 2014, they were able to move into a new location and through her 27-year career, she can credit 22 of those years to both owning and running the Birtle Pharmacy.

» Crossroads This Week

RM of Russell-Binscarth

Residents and organizers are gearing up for the return of the Beef and Barley festival, which has been around 1973. As a highlight of the Thanksgiving weekend, residents of all ages have made a point of attending the festival and are hopeful to have it back once again this October.

Recently, the festival’s organizing committee met on May 9 at the TinHouse Coffee Co. on Russell’s Main Street to get serious planning work done.

“We want to mirror our 2019 festival, as that was probably one of the best years that Beef and Barley has seen,” said Chair of the Beef Barley Committee Tyler Kilkenny.

According to Kilkenny, most of the events already on the board are the tried and tested ones.

“We’ll have the Wednesday night Welcome to Russell gathering for newcomers followed by entertainment.”

Prior to the pandemic, a hypnotist and magician have been brought in as entertainment. Kilkenny said they are hoping to be able to book a comedian this year to give everyone in the community a good laugh.

In years past, Thursday was a kids movie and popcorn night at the hall, and Friday would feature a trade show during the day. The pancake breakfast and car rally are both set to return.

In 2019, the committee was excited to see the response to the Saturday night celebrity rodeo, where 20 contestants tried their best to stay on a mechanical bull, each raising money for a charity of their choice.

“We had stipulated that every contestant raise a minimum of $200 in order to raise a total that was around $21,000 for various charities, and everyone had a fantastic time cheering everyone on,” he said.

“We definitely want to bring that back again. Our mandate is to have the ability to bring events like comedians and events that might not otherwise be coming here.”

Planning is expected to continue over the coming months.

» Russell Banner