Rural Roundup — April 16, 2026

MINNEDOSA

Minnedosa’s Daxton Brock took to the mat at the 2026 Manitoba Winter Games and came home with two medals.

The son of Stefan and Wendy Brock helped Team West win gold in the U16 mixed wrestling event. Brock also earned silver in the 78-kilogram male category.

Daxton and his teammates trained hard during the months leading up to the event, sometimes up to 13 hours on a weekend.

“You could imagine how great I felt for us to not only win gold in the duals, but also be the first team to ever beat Winnipeg in this event since the Games were created,” he said.

Team West went 3-0 in the team duals.

Daxton was pleased to also win a silver medal in his individual matches.

He was injured in his best-of-three individual final in his weight class and had to withdraw.

» Minnedosa Tribune

BOISSEVAIN

The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton has put out a request for proposals to remove the log house on the grounds of the Irvin Goodon International Wildlife Museum.

Executive Assistant Melissa Perkins said the house behind Tommy Turtle has served as a cultural attraction over the years, and been used during community events like Metis Days for cooking and serving bannock. However, the building is no longer sound and is now a safety hazard.

The log house was built by the museum’s founder Irvin Goodon, founder of Goodon Industries in Boissevain, and is a replica of his childhood home in the Turtle Mountains.

Perkins said the municipality has had discussions with community cultural partners about the state of the building and whether or not they would like to repair or relocate it.

» Boissevain Recorder

RUSSELL

Nerbas Bros. Angus has taken the idea of “craft beer” over to the beef market, focusing on unique products and prioritizing high-quality ingredients, small production and innovation.

By now, most people are familiar with the concept behind craft beer. Craft breweries are generally small, independent and often locally owned, allowing them to focus on quality rather than quantity. Nerbas Bros. Angus has pursued that approach to selling beef in Russell.

“We have found that a lot of people just don’t understand what grass-fed beef is, and to be honest the definition is not standardized,” Arron Nerbas said. “So, we have experimented with ‘craft beef’ which seems to be well received and describes our product for what it is.”

The statement on their Nerbas Bros. Angus reflects the business’s approach to producing and selling their product.

“Craft beef refers to high-quality beef from small, independent farms focusing on ethical, sustainable practices, better animal welfare (low-stress), superior diets (grass-fed), and natural aging, resulting in unique flavors and better nutrition (more Omega-3s) than mass-produced beef, mirroring the craft beer movement’s quality emphasis.”

» Russell Banner

VIRDEN

Twenty years after competing on the ice in the Manitoba Winter Games, former Virden resident Kaleigh Hole helped guide a talented group of skaters at the B.C. Winter Games.

The daughter of Howard and Patty Hole took part in figure skating at the 2006 Manitoba Winter Games in Beausejour. This past winter, Feb. 25 to March 1, she was an assistant coach for the Zone 1 figure skating team at the B.C. Winter Games. The prestigious event was held in Trail and Rossland, where Hole now resides.

“The B.C. Winter Games were a great experience,” she said. “Hosting the Games in the West Kootenays was very cool — seeing the communities vibrant and busy with all of the athletes and their families supporting them. I have only been in the Rossland area for about one and a half years, so it was fun to see how all of the small communities out here came together to make this event happen.”

Hole is in her second year as the head coach of the Rossland Figure Skating Club.

» Virden Empire Advance

DAUPHIN

A long-anticipated expansion of the Northgate Trail System into the north escarpment area of Riding Mountain National Park is set to become a reality with new funding announced in Manitoba’s Budget 2026 last week.

The budget set aside $1.5 million for the project set to flow to Northgate Trails Inc. through the City of Dauphin, which will create a 44-kilometre trail system connected to the Northgate trailhead and incorporating existing Parks Canada trails, such as Crawford Creek and Edward’s Creek.

Northgate Trails Inc. president Clayton Swanton said, while he was hoping to see some money for the plans included in the budget, he was surprised to see the province pay for the entire project.

He said the premier understands the potential of the system to become a world class destination for adventure seekers and what that means for the province in the long run.

Developed by local trail designer Alex Mann, the plan has been completed and much of the leg work has been done.

The next push is to get a tender for the work out as quickly as possible, although Swanton expects qualified trail contractors will have their 2026 calendars pretty much filled by this point.

Northgate is planning to organize some community engagement events later this spring, to present the details of the project and offer an opportunity for those interested in the group to get involved.

» Dauphin Herald