Lifestyles 55 2023 07 July

Premier

Stefanson

Dorothy Dobbie

When you ask Premier Heather Stefanson about her vision for the future of Manitoba, her eyes take on far seeing look reflecting a world of possibility. She has a remarkably mature outlook on our province, and she is focused on its strengths, while understanding its weaknesses.

“We need to grow our economy,” she says, going straight to the heart of the matter. “A growing economy is what will pay for

It’s a Fringe-For-All this year!

Lauren Wagn

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival takes over The Exchange District and beyond from July 19 to 30, hoping to bring indie theatre, music, food and fun to more Manitobans than ever before. This may not be their biggest festival ever, featuring only 143 performing companies, which is slightly lower than their record of 186 different shows in 2017, but the Fringe’s latest accessibility initiatives strives to make Fringe for everyone.

Lisa lewis

Imet John Einarson a couple of years ago when he asked me for feedback on the Indigenous content of his book, Heart of Gold: A History of Winnipeg Music. I was pleased that he was interested in getting it right by listening and consulting with members of the Indigenous community as he shared the many stories of First Nation and Métis musical artists who played a significant role in our musical landscape.

Over the years, I had heard John on the radio discussing our music legends and had read his articles in the paper. I had no idea, until I began my editing work with him, just how prolific a writer and historian he is and what his contribution has meant on so many levels. In the relatively brief

John Einarson.

Fringers of all ages can enjoy free entertainment at The Cube in Old Market Square. Photo by Leif Norman.

the city of ideas, social progress and opportunity. and expand the services our citizens enjoy. We cannot grow by endlessly raising taxes.”

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Gary Brown, Romel Dhalla, Dorothy Dobbie, Rick Duerksen, Hon. Myrna Driedger, Jesús Ángel Miguel García, Stefano Grande, Hon. Scott Johnson, Jim Ingebrigtsen, Hon. Kevin Klein, Crystal Kolt, Ian Leatt, Lisa Lewis, Myron Love, Jo Magnifico, Fred Morris, Senaka Samarasinghe, Trudy Schroeder, Wayne Weedon, Sherrie Versluis, Lauren Wagn, Nathan Zassman. Canadian Publications mail product Sales agreement #40027604

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Ignorance is no excuse

and information to young unelected aides.

“Ididn’t know . . . about the Chinese spying on our MPs . . . about moving Bernard to medium security . . . about . . .”

This has become the mantra of the Prime Minister and several federal cabinet ministers over the past few years, and you know what? I believe them. I even believe the Prime Minister, mostly, that he didn’t know either. But that does not relieve any of them of their responsibility to know and it certainly does not relieve the Prime Minister.

So how could this happen? Among the interesting possibilities is the current practice of removing the power from ministers to hire their own chiefs of staff. Instead, ministers are allotted individuals hired by the PMO where they are told that they report first, and owe allegiance only to, the PMO – not to the Prime Minister, but to his office, where his chief of staff, Katie Telford, has her hot little hands on the reins of power.

Reporting to Katie is a cadre of what we used to call “twinkies,” 20-something-year-olds, who hold the keys to incoming information. They get the emails and the mail. And the telephone calls. They decide what to answer, what to pass on or hold tight to themselves. We are told the PMO gets 500 emails a day as if this were an overwhelming number. It is not; the average businessperson gets 120 emails a day. Google deals with a lot of them, but wise managers still check the “trash” to make sure nothing ended up there that is important.

So why would important information from Corrections or from CSIS or the RCMP not be flagged as Important or even Top Secret? I am sure it is. And I am pretty sure but not convinced it is read. But why doesn’t it get to the minister or the Prime Minster? Or even to Katie?

There are a couple of possibilities. The first is that the reader is not doing his or her job. They may scan the information and not consider it important or take it seriously or worse, don’t read it at all.

Secondly, they may read it and decide not to share the information with their minister. Or they share it with Katie, who decides it is trivial and does not pass it on. Or she may do so in an offhand manner such as. “Oh yeah, there were some CSIS notes that MP so and so is being targeted by the Chinese.” lt may not register with the PM because there are items that may interest him much more in the briefing that morning. Or she may just decide herself not to pass it on. Nor does she alert the minister. Or she may have passed the information to the minister through his Chief of Staff, who may have decided to keep it to himself.

Why would they do this?

“Information is power” is the title of the political staff’s operational manual. It doesn’t take more than that one meeting with the PMO saying, “You report to this office, not to the minister . . .” for most of the staffers to realize that they have just been handed a big piece of cheese. Suddenly they are in a position to know more and sooner than their supposed boss. It’s a heady feeling.

If they don’t understand the significance of this power when they first arrive, they soon learn it from their peers. A former minister who lost the election in 2021 says that staff deliberately kept her in the dark. She even overheard one of

them counselling a recruit that Information is Power and to dole it out carefully.

This “emasculates” the minister in the sense that it removes a great deal of their power. Now everyone knows more than they do. Their deputy minister also reports to the PMO through the Clerk of the Privy Council, their boss. The minister’s is reduced to a talking head. No wonder they have to read their speaking notes.

I have been told by several sources that caucus meetings in this government are a farce. If ministers are contacted by constituents and have a burning issue to address, often that opportunity to bring the question up occurs only at caucus. But no, MPs don’t stand and address the PM, as we used to, or even go and speak to him privately as the meeting carries on.

Instead, they are instructed to submit the question in advance. It is then vetted and rewritten by the PMO who hands it back to the Minister or member to read along with a scripted answer.

Did I mention that staff attend caucus meetings? That was a distinct no-no in the Mulroney government. Caucus was for members only, a place where you could say what you wanted, criticize the PM, ask questions, or disagree with a policy. Wise ministers listened because this was the word from the constituents, and it was feedback that often kept them out of trouble. It also kept the Prime Minister in touch with the mood of his members and allowed him to quell incipient internal rebellions while keeping abreast of direct information as much as possible, not through intermediaries, but directly from the members themselves.

Today, however, managing the message has also contributed to no message at all, not just at the national caucus of the governing party but at the local level. If you call a minister’s office or even the office of a member or try to email you may be met with a blank wall. And I hate to say it, but this disease has spread across all parties where the response may be an automated email thanking you, bah, blah, blah. Phone calls are not answered.

This does not apply to every message. There is a secret path to the member or minister in the form of a private email which goes directly to them but that address is seldom shared. Although one would think that important agencies would use this channel to get straight to the minister, this does not appear to have happened, presumably because the messengers were told that their first line of communication is the PMO.

It is interesting to note that even some members of the legacy media are beginning to question this top-down information management system. They can see that this information funnel is causing serious damage to the way the government is run. Indeed, former Special Rapporteur on Chinese Interference David Johnston referenced this obliquely in his report, saying there were issues with communications. He said, “the machinery of government needs significant improvements because the flow of intelligence information within government is haphazard and disorganized.”

NOTE: The same hiring practice is in place at the Legislature. It should be changed. Ministers need to be held responsible and that is hard to do if there are intermediaries in place who have more access to the premier that they do. – Editor

The federal government is abrogating its responsibility for handling critical communications

Dorothy Dobbie

Education – changing face of education in the Trades

School is out and students are once again enjoying “the lazy, hazy days of summer”. For most students, it is a two-month break from homework and exams. For others – our grade 12 students – it is a major change in their lives. I was honoured to again offer a scholarship to two students graduating from grade 12 in my constituency. Some will go on to post secondary education, either at a university or at a college. And others will go directly into the job market. There was a time when we, as parents, only entertained the idea of sending our children to university. This mentality seems to be gradually changing as we recognize the importance and value of the many trades so integral to our very existence.

Many university degrees aren’t necessarily a ticket to a career. A general arts degree is seen as more of a steppingstone to other specific degrees more likely to prepare one for a career. Degrees like Commerce, Education, Nursing, are some of the studies that prepare the student for a particular job.

Where do graduates of high school go if they wish to pursue a trade or certificate? In Manitoba we have RRC (Red River College Polytech), MITT (Manitoba Institute of Trades & Technology), University College of the North (The Pas), and the Len Evans Centre for Trade and Technology (Brandon). We used to think of the trades as being limited to carpenter, electrician, or mechanic. That has totally changed, and the diversity seen at our technical colleges opens up a vast choice of careers:

• Health care including health care aide, medical office assistant, pharmacy technician, rehabilitation assistant;

• Information and communication technology

• Design and manufacturing technologies

• Human services including sales and evens coordinator, hotel and hospitality services, early childhood education;

• Business and management;

• Community services;

• Computer and information systems technology;

• Creative arts;

• Culinary;

• Engineering and construction;

• Health sciences;

• Skilled trades;

• Transportation technology

The choices are almost infinite and with today’s current labour shortage one is practically assured of being able to find a job in one’s chosen career upon graduation. Women make up nearly half of the entire Canadian workforce, but the perception still exists that certain jobs in the trades should only be done by men. In reality, women excel in all traditionally male-dominated careers. Working in the trades is often hard, physically demanding work. In order to enter these careers, there is no denying the fact that they will need to train to be physically fit, determined, confident, and capable of operating the same tools and machinery as their male counterparts.

Another difference we are seeing is the trend to encourage more women in trades and technology. As part of its commitment to being student focussed, MITT continues its support – with help from its partners in government and industry – of women looking to pursue education and employment in trades and technical career fields. The Province of Manitoba kick-started Women’s Equality Week 2019 in MITT’s Motorsport shop with a funding commitment that will help the college teach more women about the opportunities that exist in the trades. The government is continuously

working to break down barriers and see that anyone can pursue a field of interest and no field or occupation should ever be defined by gender.

Women currently represent only two percent of apprentices in non-traditional trades, which include those in the constructions, manufacturing, industrial and transportation sectors. With skills shortages being felt across the nation, women are the key to increasing the skilled labour workforce in Manitoba and beyond. Hands on trades have traditionally been dominated by men. But with today’s mentality changing regarding this and a high demand for workers, more women are now joining the skilled trades industry. However, some women working in male dominated workspaces still deal with challenges like sexism, discrimination, and harassment. This probably is a huge factor in the fact that women only make up 5 per cent of skilled trades workforce across Canada.

Women have only ever seen men in the skilled trades and in many cases it’s not a career they even consider. Canada, like many developed countries, is facing a severe shortage of skilled trade workers as well as other occupations. The pandemic seems to have contributed to this labour shortage for reasons that aren’t quite clear. Many construction projects were halted during the pandemic and are now resuming, but many tradespeople retired during his time.

Despite the challenges listed above, more Canadian women are now entering the skilled trades industry to address the shortage. More companies are also working hard to be inclusive as they need to hire more women to fill these job vacancies.

No matter what direction the students take, they will find that while secondary school education is complete, the learning has just begun. I wish all grads good luck and my personal best wishes in whatever path they choose to pursue.

Hon. Myrna Driedger is MLA for Roblin and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Education and Health are being funded at increased levels never reached by any previous government

Ihave been speaking with residents throughout our community when shopping at the Superstore or Food Fare or while at one of our many local restaurants.

Because of the misinformation shared by some politicians for their gain, I have had a few residents ask me about school budgets and health care. So, please let me provide you with the facts.

We are fortunate in Kirkfield Park because our PC Government has increased funding substantially to St. James-Assiniboia School Divisions (SJASD).

Fact: for the 2023/24 school year, SJASD received $49.7M in annual funding. Please note that this amount does not include funding received through special grants allocated in the year. The division gets an 8.1 per cent or $3.7 million increase for the 2023/24 school year alone.

In fact, since 2017, SJASD has received $10.8 million or a 27.6 per cent increase in funding. Over the same period, actual eligible enrolment increased by 1.3 per cent.

Unfortunately, political opponents mislead residents and use healthcare to fearmonger while making unreasonable promises of a quick and easy

Dear friends,

In these letters, I like to highlight the work that my department and I have accomplished in the past month. But this month I’d like to start on a more sombre note by extending my deepest sympathies to the individuals and families affected by the tragic accident near the Town of Carberry.

Like all Manitobans, I was shocked and saddened by this devastating incident. I know it will have a lasting impact, especially our seniors’ community.

I believe that through the strength of our community, that

fix. So, let's look at the facts surrounding healthcare in our community.

It is no secret that the healthcare staffing crisis is a Canada-wide dilemma. There are many reasons for the changes that occurred over the pandemic. Nobody can fix healthcare by making promises alone. It takes authentic leadership, vision, focus, and a solid commitment to a long-term solution. We are working to ensure this will not happen again.

I'm proud of our PC Government's work to address staffing issues that are felt in every province. We are getting the job done.

Fact: As of June 15, 2023, our PC Government has hired over 1,000 new healthcare professionals, including professionals now at the Grace Hospital.

We are spending more on healthcare recruitment, retention, and training than

we will get through this together.

I was able to see our wonderful community by visiting events throughout the province recently:

• 35th anniversary of the Manitoba Hindu Seniors Association;

• 66th anniversary and annual general meeting for A&O: Support Services for Older Adults; and

• Fathers Day festivities at the Sturgeon Creek Retirement Residences. Events like these remind us of the importance of how important our community is, and that

it will be there for us.

any province in Canada. That is a fact, and it is irrefutable.

We invest more in healthcare than has any other Manitoba Government, including over $100 million for desired expansions and upgrades at our Grace Hospital.

We are listening, taking action, and seeing successes. But that doesn't make for a catchy headline. We also have more work to do; we’re not perfect, which is why I wanted to be your MLA to make a difference and be your voice in the Manitoba Legislature.

Please vote for me, Kevin Klein, as MLA for Kirkfield Park. I will keep listening and fighting to implement the programs important to you.

The Hon. Kevin Klein is the MLA for Kirkfield Park and Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

I wish to acknowledge the continued efforts by all of our Seniors Support Service organizations. Our Government recognizes all they do and was proud to contribute $4.2 million to help them do the great work that they do.

Lastly, I’d like to remind everyone that the Manitoba government is now accepting applications for the new $12.6 million Manitoba Seniors Hearing Aid Program. This program was created to provide assistance to eligible Manitoba seniors who are in need of hearing aids.

For more information about the program, including eligibility criteria and frequently asked questions, I encourage you to visit our website at https://www. gov.mb.ca/seniors/hearing_aid_ program.html.

As the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, I am committed to enhancing the quality of life for seniors in our province, and this program is a significant step in that direction.

I hope the summer months allow you to connect and enjoy our beautiful province.

Hon. Scott Johnston is the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Scott Johnson Minister’s Message

Hon. Kevin Klein From the Legislature

Now accepting applications for the new $12.6 million Manitoba Seniors Hearing Aid Program

Hon. Myrna Driedger Broadway Journal

Speed kills

Sixty years ago, highway billboards warned drivers to “Slow Down and Live” because, “Speed Kills”. Back then, for safety reasons, it was common to have reduced speed limits for trucks and reduced speed limits at night for all vehicles.

In the 1970s, during the energy crisis, to decrease the consumption of fuel, the maximum speed limit in the USA was lowered to 55 miles per hour (mph) [88.5 kilometres per hour (kph)]. During that period, not only was the consumption of fuel decreased, traffic accidents and deaths on highways also drastically declined.

[121

kph].

Wayne Weedon Food for Thought

Reducing highway speed limits from 60 mph to 35 mph, doubles the life expectancy of tires and reduces fuel consumption. Because of this, during World War 2, the maximum speed limit on USA highways was reduced to 35 mph (56 kph). Immediately, in the USA, deaths due to vehicle accidents fell by over 60 percent. Imagine driving across the USA at 35 mph. This would be a pleasant change; one would be able to enjoy a Sunday drive in the country without the fear of a deadly vehicle accident.

Today, despite our obsession with “Global Warming”, people are asking for higher speed limits which result in greater fuel consumption. With greater speeds we also have more injuries and deaths on the highways. Yet, most people will habitually drive 10 percent over the posted speed limit even though speed limits for cars and trucks have risen over the years to as high as 75 mph

Researchers at Cambridge University have shown that even little imperfections in the pavement result in much greater damage to roads, as well as to vehicles. This damage increases exponentially as speeds increase. Larger imperfections may show a 1,000 percent increase in damage to the roads with only a 100 percent increase in speed. A large truck on the highway, travelling at a good speed, may literally fly off the road when it hits an imperfection on the pavement. When the truck falls back down to the pavement, its tires act like heavy rubber mallets beating on the road.

Travelling on the Winnipeg Perimeter Highway one may experience a washboard type of surface while approaching a traffic light. This damage is caused by large, heavily loaded trucks, which will literally bounce along the road when drivers slam on the brakes while trying to stop for a red light which they were not prepared for. To prevent this, speeds have been reduced from 100 kph to 80 kph when a traffic light is just ahead. Most drivers do not reduce their speed. Many will try to sail through the intersection at 110 kph.

While standing on one of the Perimeter Highway overpasses, despite the gust of wind generated by a fully loaded gravel truck flying by, one may feel the bridge literally vibrate as the truck passes. Can we deny these trucks are causing serious damage to the pavement?

Common sense tells us, if speed limits

CONCRETE ACTION

for Manitoba seniors

The Manitoba government is providing historic help for seniors, now that Budget 2023 has passed.

HEALING HEALTHCARE:

• the largest-ever increase in health care funding

• 72,300 more surgeries and procedures completed

• up to 1,000 more same-day hip and knee replacements at Concordia Hospital’s new operating room

HELPING MAKE ENDS MEET:

• $300 additional rental tax credit

• carbon tax relief cheques

• no Manitoba tax on your first $15,000 earned

• 50% tax rebate for property owners

• hearing aid grants now available

CONCRETE ACTION. REAL RESULTS.

on the Perimeter Highway are reduced, there would be a savings on fuel, less damage to the roads, less wear and tear on vehicles, and fewer accidents. Why do we not do this? Are we really concerned about safety and “Global Warming”, or do we just give lip-service? What if the maximum speed limit is reduced to 55 kph? How many billions of dollars, how much fuel, and how many lives, would be saved?

Semi-drivers are paid by the load or by the mile and not by the hour. Is this why we maintain high speed limits? Does this compensate for the billions of dollars we are spending on road repairs caused by heavy vehicles speeding along our highways?

Maybe it is time for our politicians to

School Tax Rebate Cheques on the Way

start being transparent about their true agendas. I give you the City of Winnipeg for example. They refuse to allow volunteers to install donated flashing warning lights which indicate there is a school zone ahead and the speed limit is reduced? Is the City only interested in increasing their revenue by issuing more traffic violations? It is time for politicians to quit trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes and follow their professed agendas. Do we want to do something about safety as well as “Global Warming”, or do we not?

Next Month: Lies Our Teachers Tell Us

Wayne Douglas Weedon is a Manitoba author who writes a combination of fictional and factual stories, essays, and novels.

School tax rebates are in the mail, providing most property owners in Manitoba with a cheque equal to 50 per cent of the education portion of their property taxes.

At the same time, schools are benefiting from historic increases − $100 million more this year alone. That’s among the highest per student funding level in Canada.

In Washington, D.C., speed limits were lowered from 40 miles per hour to 35 within 24 hours after the Baruch Rubber Investigating Committee recommended the lower speed on a nationwide basis (in 1944). Photo shows new sign being erected. Photo by Albert Freeman, photo courtesy of the US Library of Congress.

The surprising allure of cultural policy

Istarted a new job recently. A few months back The City of Flin Flon invited me to be the Director of Culture and Community Initiatives. You’ve never heard of that municipal department before? It’s new. Flin Flon is always ready to pave a new path forward and I am always up for an adventure.

I gleefully accepted the position. I have loved working as the Cultural Coordinator for the Flin Flon Arts Council these past 15 years and will continue to be involved hopefully far into the future, but I am intrigued by this new journey.

Kolt Imagine North

Sure enough, we have members of the community perplexed by the position.

HUDBAY is leaving or has left. “Isn’t this the beginning of the end?”

“Au contraire.” I feel that Flin Flon has been launched into a renaissance and to the surprise of some (but not the arts community), the arts are thriving and are poised to support local and regional economic development.

A haute cuisine restaurant by the name of Aurora and Pine (https://www.aurorapinebistro.ca/) opened only a few months ago. Flin Flon’s Blueberry Jam Music Gathering is gearing up for a fantastic and expanded festival. The Flin Flon Community Choir production of Disney’s Broadway Musical, Mary Poppins, was the largest musical produced in Northern Manitoba … ever… grossing over $100,000 last month with pretty close to sold-out audiences. Culture Days Flin Flon, which still brags about beating Toronto a few years back for the sheer number of events offered, is already planning for a great celebration including a visit by the fabulous Tomson Highway.

‘What about the potholes?” you ask. “We shouldn’t spend tax dollars on culture! Fix the potholes!”.

I’m paraphrasing, and I understand the concern. Rest assured that the potholes will be fixed, and so they should, because we want our city roads to be community and visitor ready for a busy year.

A country’s culture is its body and soul, reflecting the way its inhabitants act and think. In its broadest sense, its culture includes a community’s knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, customs, traditions, and distinctive institutions. A country may be composed of various distinct communities, each with its own exclusive cultural characteristics. An individual’s cultural identity and sense of belonging are clearly in many respects a function of familiarity with the cultural characteristics of his or her own community and the surrounding communities.

– Role of the State: The arts and Canada’s Cultural Policy

But I am certain that municipal funding for road repair will not be used for cultural activities. The Flin Flon Arts Council is alive and well, thanks to the Manitoba Arts Council and Canadian Heritage operating funding, and it will continue to do what it has always done by producing a constant hum of activity, not to mention all that will be coming from the ever vibrant NorVA Centre, The Flin

There is a lot to love about Manitoba. But few things are more important to us than our culture. Our province enjoys a rich, diverse history, and our population is a fascinating blend of people from Indigenous, Francophone, pioneer, and newer immigrant backgrounds. Our cultural beliefs, traditions, values and resources are at the heart of our vibrant province, and they are a key to our well-being, prosperity and quality of life.

– Minister Cox: Manitoba’s Culture Policy and Action Plan

Flon Community Choir (which is performing in Carnegie Hall in the fall), the Pine Root Mural Festival, The Uptown Emporium, The Wild Things Market, The Central Canada Film Group, The Flin Flon Pottery Club, Ham Sandwich Theatre, The Flin Flon Aboriginal Friendship Centre . . . and the list goes on.

As promised during our first Northern Art Conference in Flin Flon this past March, sponsored by the University College of the North, I am diving into the world of cultural policy with relish. The City of Flin Flon has joined the Creative Cities Network of Canada becoming the first Manitoban municipality to join the national organization and I hope to meet mentors, peers and colleagues across the country and glean wisdom and knowledge from east to west and north and south.

I am also excited to share the talent, desires, successes, challenges, and ambitions that I see all throughout Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We have a lot to offer.

As an aside, if you have never visited the north, consider a trip. Calm Air is generously partnering with the Flin Flon Arts Council www.flinflonartscouncil.ca to offer a 65 per cent discount on flights for Blueberry Jam (a free music festival) https://flinflonblueberryjam.ca/ from August 11 - 13, and Culture Days Flin Flon (hint: Tomson Highway is performing on October 13) https://culturedays.ca/ en/mb A few years from now you will be able to tell your family, friends and grandkids, “ I remember when…”

A few last thoughts on board membership

Over the last four months I have written about board membership and governance of our community institutions. The role of the board of directors is a very important role in maintaining the organizations that provide special services and resources to our community. They are the services that do not fall within the responsibility of our levels of government and they provide services that are not reliably profit generating, and so they are not attractive properties for private sector business organizations. However, these services and institutions give our communities their character and their heart. We cannot imagine living in a community without services and care for our most vulnerable populations, without a service to care for abandoned pets, without amateur sports teams and training institutions, without art galleries, festivals, theatres, orchestras, and dance ensembles. All of these organizations are part of what is known as the voluntary sector. The institutions and services would not exist without the generous contributions of time and financial resources from community members. Among the important roles for volunteers in these organizations is the role of board member.

When we serve on community boards, we are entrusted with the care and nurturing of institutions that play a vital role in the quality of life in our regions. While these organizations may seem financially fragile at times, it is worth noting that the average life of a charitable organization is longer than for profit businesses. A 2016 study by McKinsey found that the average lifespan of companies listed in Standard & Poor’s 500 was 61 years in 1958. In 2016 it was less than 18 years. The authors of the study predicted that 75

per cent of the companies listed on the S&P 500 in 2016 would not exist in 2027.

Saying thank you

When you are on a board, there are many things to learn, and it can be time consuming. We serve on volunteer boards with our very scarce time, and it is normal that we would also want to be thanked for our service. A wise and wellstructured organization will have developed a range of ways to thank their volunteer board members. This may be through board member recognition in programs and on the web-site. It may be a special board appreciation dinner or an invitation to a special event. Organizations should also be mindful of saying thank you to board members when their term of service is completed. This can be done in a number of ways that board members tend to appreciate.

Board members, perhaps because they are serving with generosity of their “free” time, often forget to thank the staff members in the organization. While board members are volunteers and staff members are paid, it is important for the board to remember to show appreciation and respect for the employees of the organization. Staff members of not for profits are often conquering significant challenges of many types without adequate resources and often with salaries that are not competitive relative to salaries in government or the private sector. Treat the staff with respect and courtesy, and remember to show appreciation for the work accomplished.

Treat your executive director fairly

Many board members are managers or employers in their personal lives, but sometimes they don’t bring their sensitivity of management issues

to their work on boards. One of the board’s primary responsibilities is the hiring of the CEO or Executive Director of the organization. Boards want to hire talented, well trained, hardworking senior leaders for their organization. There must be consideration for nurturing and supporting that person once the hiring has been accomplished. It is far too easy for boards to take the senior staff person for granted or even to treat the person with hostility and very poor personnel management skills.

Serving as the executive director of a charitable organization is complicated work. One of the well-recognized risks is the risk of reporting to a board of directors. Unless there are very good systems within the organization outlining the treatment of the executive director, clear guidelines for regular assessment and feedback, and a fair and experienced board chair, the organization can easily get into real challenges in its relationship with the executive director. If the board chair does not set firm guidelines for the meeting, it is very possible for a board meeting to descend into a situation in which the executive director feels under attack by a large group of people. This is a particular challenge during difficult circumstances that all organizations can face.

One year when I was reviewing the terms of the Director’s Liability Insurance with the insurance agent, I asked the agent how the Director’s Liability Insurance is most frequently used. He said he had just attended a symposium on uses of various types of insurance, and he had learned that Director’s Liability Insurance is most frequently used for boards who are being sued by former executive directors for wrongful dismissal. Creating a fair and reasonable work environment for the senior staff person is very important, and it also sets an example of the way in which the board expects all of the employees of the organization to be treated.

For organizations, treat your board members well

It is also important for organizations to have unrealistic expectations of their board members. It is always important to remember to create an environment in which board members can contribute their ideas and experience to the work of the organization in a respectful environment. Board members should not be selected on the perceived health of their bank accounts. Wonderful contributions to the life and health of the organization can be made by people of moderate means. So board members should not be selected for their perceived capacity to make major gifts to the organization. Board members are not ATM machines for organizations perpetually low on funds. All board members should make a donation that feels significant to organizations on which they serve on the board, but the organization must also have reasonable expectation of the charitable capacity of their board members. There is an important role for board members to play in resource development needs of the charity, but board members are sensitive about being continually requested to ask their friends and acquaintances for funds for the organization.

Perhaps the duties and responsibilities of board membership may seem daunting and complicated, but despite the potential pitfalls, there is great value in serving on the board of an organization you care about. One of the best things is a shared sense of purpose with a group of community members who may not be people you have had the opportunity to work with in the past. Board members of charities tend to be skilled, bright, and kind individuals who have a generous spirit and concern for their community. The rewards of this community work are immense, and the good that you can do is very satisfying.

Crystal

Trudy Schroeder provides project planning and management services to the community through Arts and Heritage Solutions.

Trudy Schroeder Random Notes

The Blueberry Jam runs August 11-13, 2023.

u Premier Heather Stefanson is about creating wealth for Manitobans, not redistributing it

Continued from page 1

ation. It is clear to her that it is time to regroup. So many institutions are no longer working as they should. Crown corporations created to manage critical services are failing. Without the discipline of the marketplace to keep them in check, the crowns have become bloated and ineffective.

The Premier has reflected on where we could be given our strengths: our rich geography as the centre of North America and the resources we have in our land and in the creative genius and energy of our people.

She recognizes the worst things of the past, but also the best things and she thinks about how they can be turned into better things for tomorrow. She does not discount past errors of racially biased decisions which have kept Indigenous people from reaching their potential. She accepts them and wants, instead, to move forward to unite all the wonderful diversity of our population. She considers how this enriches our opportunities if we work together. When she says “together”, she doesn’t just mean within our own provincial boundaries. As the President of the Council of the Federation, she is keenly aware of the areas where we need to work with other provinces and with the federal government to reach our full potential.

“I see how Manitoba is strategically placed geographically,” she says. “We have been, and we can be again, the trade and transportation corridor from East to West and South to North and beyond that to markets around the world through our tidewater access.” Manitoba’s transportation network was one of the first things she set into action 20 months ago when she took over as premier.

Asked about methods such as Dr. Barry Prentice’s Airship her response was, “I am open to looking at all methods.” That is the refreshing thing about this premier. She has an open and curious mind. She does not limit possibility by sticking to prior premises.

The Premier sees Manitoba’s significance in protecting our northern borders. “Arctic sovereignty must be on the agenda for all of Canada, not just for Nunavut and the Yukon,” she says. The more activity there, the better, and we can contribute. Manitoba was always the key a supplier to the north. Using the current and planned rail lines will enhance our strategic advantage.

Manitoba has a strong history of manufacturing capability, grown out of necessity and early isolation. We learned early to be resourceful. And, the premier points out, “We have an advantage due to our clean, green hydro electric energy.”

She pauses. “I have had companies coming to us in a steady stream over the past year,” she says. “They are looking to locate in Manitoba, to grow their businesses here, not just in the mining sector, but in manufacturing. The Europeans are again looking to Manitoba as a reliable supplier of goods. They are impressed by our stable and skilled workforce.”

To keep investors interested, she and her ministers have been focused on breaking down regulatory barriers so that business can get done. But,

she says, in some instances this has to be a national pursuit so that business can work seamlessly over provincial boundaries. “We need to look at the labour market as a national challenge,’” she says. “Nobody wins when we are competing with each other to attract workers.

We should have a national immigration recruitment strategy that allows provinces to fill in the gaps where most needed.” This is especially important in the health care field. “We need to set some common goals.” She adds that these issues are on the radar of all the provincial leaders.

Nor is the future only about new and renewed initiatives. While being open to all these novel ideas, she has been encouraging the growth of the agricultural sector, the economic bedrock of the province. “We have been attracting interest from companies worldwide. There are some exciting initiatives such as the production of sustainable aviation fuel using biofuels such as soy and canola.” Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp. plans to build a $1.9 BILLION processing plant near Portage. A small federal-provincial partnership funding arrangement helped seal the deal. Apparently, the fuel will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 million tonnes a year while producing 150 jobs and making a half billion dollar a year contribution to the local economy.

“It is important that we don’t just ship our grain or beef or pork,” said the Premier,” without any value-added processing. This is about jobs for the future.”

She adds that the private sector unions are on side with the government's plans for development in all sectors. So are many Indigenous communities who are excited about being able to share in the prosperity of the province as supported by the premier. She is fierce about their right to participate fully.

At one time, Manitoba was the leader of the financial industry in western Canada. Those firms began walking when the NDP took over. “It is great to see the insurance and financial sectors taking hold again,” she said. “It is good to see them growing here again – there was so much slippage and loss to our community under the NDP.”

There is excitement about the industry as reported by one operator who moved here from Alberta and says he would never go back, and another who moved from Toronto and was pleased to learn that he would save $200,000 on the sale of his Toronto home in Ontario taxes that don’t apply in Manitoba. “Insurance is Manitoba’s number one industry,” he claimed with a big grin. “I am happy here with a nice house and a growing business and hope for my kids.”

“I confess that I am not very up to speed on the Tech sector,” said the premier, “but I am learning. I recently had an opportunity to visit some of the operations in the Exchange. It was amazing to see these vibrant businesses filled with young people in those hundred-year-old buildings. Young people are flocking here for these challenges and our kids are coming back.

“That’s another reason it is so important to support our arts community. Having an engaged and active entertainment industry provides things

for young people to do but it is also important to the quality of life for all Manitobans.”

Asked about her competitor, she said, “Wab is a very bright guy, but he does not have the experience or the team to take advantage of the business opportunities or to even know what they are. We recognize that the number one thing has to be to grow the economy, but the NDP does not know how even if they had the inclination.”

(And one wonders how Mr. Kinew

would walk back on his signature on the Leap Manifesto which shuts down mines and port development. Even though the NDP have tried to remove his signature from the Internet, it is still out there, and it is his word.)

But the Premier does not dwell on this. She is more interested in moving forward in a world where there is strong fiscal management, opportunities, and acceptance for all people for who they are, not what they are . . . and the joy of working for your dreams just because you can!

For the third year in four, Manitoba is holding the line of Pharmacare rates.

This will help make life more affordable for seniors on fixed incomes, lower income Manitobans and families.

Learn more about Pharmacare and how it helps cover the cost of prescription drugs at Manitoba.ca/pharmacare

Heather Stefanson

The Premier’s priorities

Thank you for helping #GiveBetterFutures

At the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, we have so many reasons to be deeply grateful. It’s been an incredible year – and we want to say a BIG thank you to the dedicated community of supporters who work so hard to make sure sick and injured kids receive the best care possible.

As I reflect on what it means to be grateful, I want to pause to notice and appreciate the many moments that have filled my heart with joy in 2022-23.

In June 2022, surrounded by caring and generous donors, partners, friends and families, we launched the Foundation’s Better Futures campaign – the largest donor-driven campaign for child health in Manitoba’s history – to transform the health of sick and injured kids in the province and beyond.

development when medical situations arise.

Thanks to our Better Futures campaign donors, an imaginative and interactive outdoor play space officially opened in June 2022. It is a safe and secure area for kids admitted to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health inpatient unit to play, exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

The Children’s Hospital Book Market returned in the Fall of 2022, after a hiatus due to COVID-19, with over 87 pallets of donated books and raised more than $246,000 in just two days for Child Life programming at HSC Children’s.

Stefano Grande Healthy Living

The consistent generosity of our donors, sponsors and partners, coupled with critical needs outlined by HSC Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), gave us the courage and confidence to move boldly ahead with the Better Futures initiative. And you responded, bringing us now to over 80 per cent of our goal! There is more to do but we are well on our way, thanks to you.

Champion Child, Keira, attended more than 40 events to share her story and encourage others to #GiveBetterFutures. And she did more than talk! Keira and her family raised $17,117.44 for Child Life to support patients’

Thanks to the Sobeys’ Family of Support, CHRIM announced an entirely new research theme: Promoting Innovation in Mental Health through eHealth Excellence (PRIME). PRIME’s goal is to help reduce wait times, provide supports, services and access to rural communities and reduce health system costs through eHealth technology.

#CommunityChampions got creative fundraising for families in hospital, like the GymKyds Gymnastics Centre! This amazing crew hosted a fundraising picnic with bear gymnastics, face painting, crafts, and more – raising almost $3,100 for families who need HSC Children’s.

The Foundation’s Ice Crystal Gala was back in person and sweeter than ever, welcoming guests, sponsors and volunteers for a candy-themed family event. Supporters

raised a record-breaking $560,000 for HSC Children’s Emergency Department and other vital projects through donations large and small.

Dedicated partners like Walmart, RE/MAX, The Brick, Dairy Queen and Extra Life continued to strive for excellence in child health, with all funds raised in Manitoba staying in Manitoba. In 2022, the Extra Life gaming community hosted the first ever “Extra Life Winnipeg Wrap Up Party” to celebrate raising over $580,000 since 2013!

There are so many moments to be grateful for and celebrate, too many to fit in one place, but if you would like to read the highlights in our Annual Gratitude Report, please visit goodbear.ca/GratitudeReport

Stefano Grande is the president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

The real ‘cure’ for almost all diseases

Part 5 of a series

Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that moves blood glucose from the food we eat into our tissues and organs; it is needed for energy and a multitude of important functions. Insulin resistance (IR) is a physiological state where our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin and is an underlying cause of many serious health conditions.

The goal of this series of articles is to show how we can restore insulin sensitivity to our cells and help reverse IR. When our cells are more sensitive to the effects of insulin, the many health problems associated with IR can be reversed, bringing you the greatest potential for living a long, disease-free life.

I’ll also discuss the differences between white and brown fat, the benefits of saunas, and some of the foods and dietary supplements that can help. If you haven’t read the earlier parts in this series, I recommend you go to avivahealth.com/ zassman, as they contain important information and additional context.

Habitual Gait Speed (HGS)

Nathan Zassman Natural Health

While most people associate high blood glucose and high insulin levels with type 2 diabetes, before reaching confirmation of that diagnosis, a host of other problems may develop which should be a red flag that it’s time to correct the underlying cause of these problems by lowering blood glucose and insulin levels through lifestyle, diet, and supplements. Just about every health problem can be improved by correcting this one overarching cause.

While there are a number of dietary changes and lifestyle modifications to consider, in this installment I’ll outline the relationship between habitual gait speed and insulin resistance, and how reducing oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial function can increase insulin sensitivity while helping to control inflammation.

A person’s walking gait speed (also called habitual gait speed) and balance is strongly associated with insulin resistance and cognition. A three-year survey of 1,168 non-diabetic adults found slow gait speed and weak muscles to be associated with IR in men (not women). I have found that wearing a therapeutic footwear product like kybun and focusing on walking rapidly using a proper walking technique brings a wide variety of benefits. It’s important to compress your heel (dorsiflexion) and then push off with the toe (plantar flexion) when walking. Kybun therapeutic footwear naturally helps you stand more erect and combined with the right walking technique can help to rebuild knee cartilage, eliminate knee, hip, and back pain, and improve your balance and posture

Reducing Oxidative Stress

During the energy production process, unstable molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) are created. This process results in oxidative stress that reduces the cell’s natural response to insulin, making it insulin resistant. Exercise can help counteract that. Although the stress from exercising does produce ROS in our mus-

cles, exercise also increases our ability to remove ROS. The removal effect lasts longer, so the net result is that exercise helps reduce ROS and the many associated health problems including IR and aging.

Controlling Inflammation

Many of my previous articles have discussed inflammation and oxidative stress. These natural processes are critical to the optimum function of our immune system, helping us to defend against infection and recover when we’ve been injured. Our immune cells use inflammatory and oxidative stress events to protect us from invaders like bacteria and viruses and help repair our tissues following injury.

Unfortunately, these normally beneficial processes can become chronic if they aren’t resolved. When infections become prolonged, as with periodontitis (gum infections) or infectious mononucleosis, IR can develop. There are markers of chronic inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP) which can be detected through a blood test. If a test indicates elevated CRP, it’s important to find the cause and resolve it, as it may indicate that you are fighting a chronic infection. Chronic, unresolved inflammation is strongly connected to IR.

Cold Therapy & Body Fat

Known as The Iceman, Wim Hof is a Dutch motivational speaker and athlete known for his ability to withstand cold temperatures. He’s held records for swimming under ice, and runs barefoot half marathons on ice and snow. Wim’s research combines breathing and cold therapy, with tremendous health benefits. While not everyone has the determination and willpower to immerse their body in ice water, research has proven that frequent exposure to cold temperatures improves insulin sensitivity. You can learn more by going to wimhofmethod.com.

Our body has predominantly three types of fat: white fat (white adipose tissue, or WAT), beige fat, and brown fat (for simplicity, I’ll call both beige and brown adipose tissue BAT). Most of the fat in our body is WAT. Mitochondria have a redbrown colour; the reason WAT is white is due to its lack of mitochondria. Some parts of our body have BAT, and the reason this fat is beige or brown is because it has a high concentration of mitochondria.

Normally, WAT wants to store fat, while BAT wants to burn fat and regulate our core body temperature; BAT’s main function is to convert energy from food into heat. Without going into the technical details, BAT essentially becomes activated

when we are exposed to colder temperatures. By lowering the temperature of your shower or bath water, a hormone (adiponectin) is produced which lowers IR and improves insulin sensitivity.

Berberine is a natural plant compound that provides a host of benefits, including activating BAT. Supplementing with berberine is showing promise in clinical studies as a natural medication to help combat obesity, enhance thermogenesis, and improve insulin sensitivity. Clinical trials have found that the hypoglycemic effect of berberine is comparable to metformin, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for treating type 2 diabetes. Other studies have shown that berberine can help reduce body weight in obese individuals, and works to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

Heat Shock Proteins

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are produced in response to muscle breakdown after exercise. This results in the hypertrophy response (increasing the size of a fat cell or muscle fibre) by attracting amino acids that help increase muscle fibre size. HSPs can lower IR, combat diabetes, and help the body control blood glucose levels. Along with dietary changes and exercise, HSPs can be effective in helping to reverse type 2 diabetes. HSPs are also activated when you are in an infrared sauna, and they not only can lower IR and increase insulin sensitivity, they can repair damaged cells.

A study of diabetic mice found that that being in a sauna three times a week for three months resulted in a 31 per cent decrease in insulin levels, a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose, and improved insulin sensitivity. When you sweat in an infrared sauna, the benefits to metabolic health are similar to intense to moderate physical exercise. As some diabetics can’t exercise due to disabilities, pain, or other medical conditions, using an infrared sauna can be an excellent alternative.

A few foods and supplements that can help the body produce HSPs include broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane, extra virgin olive oil, Oliphenol (Olivenol), curcumin, chia seeds and oil, allicin (from garlic), blueberries, colostrum, lion’s mane, graviola, and lavender.

When combined with the right diet and lifestyle changes, you can help restore insulin sensitivity, reverse IR, help prevent disease, and feel better throughout the day.

Nathan Zassman is the owner and president of Aviva Natural Health Solutions.

Celebrating the Better Futures donations!

How about a nice open Sandwich?

It’s not easy making the perfect sandwich, starting with the bread used to complement the goodness inside. Come to think of it, does it even need to have bread?

Do you have a go-to? If someone were to ask me, I would say my go-to is fresh French baguette, a good strong cheddar cheese, freshly sliced onion and tomato with mayonnaise and a pinch salt and pepper. But we all have our own preferences.

A popular way to eat sandwiches across the pond was as open-faced, meaning bread on the bottom. I don’t see these offered in any restaurants these days. Are they offered at all?

If you are in the mood for a change yet still want to have a sandwich, why not give something like this a try? Once you have eaten a sandwich this way, you will find yourself making them more and more.

Ian Leatt Foodies

Here is what you will need:

4 Slices good grain bread (or your choice)

2 tablespoons butter for the bread

10 Cherry tomatoes halved.

10 slices peeled and halved cucumber.

½ cup grapes

4 green onions finely chopped.

3 tablespoons blueberries.

8 raspberries

1 avocado peeled and chopped.

6 strawberries quartered.

6 blackberries

2 slices pineapple chopped.

4 eggs

4 slices pastrami (or meat of your choice)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ grated carrot

4 lettuce leaves finely sliced.

2 tablespoons sliced almonds.

2 tablespoons wonton strips fried.

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons malt vinegar

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley.

For the Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

5 tablespoons Olive Oil

Pinch salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

The all important how to:

Like all sandwiches, butter the slices of bread, then place butter side up on top of each other, two on each plate. Add a touch of mayonnaise to the top slice.

Place a pot of water on the stove, add a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons malt vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a boil, then turn the water down to a simmer. Crack open an egg and gently stir the water, pour the egg into the water then repeat. I only use a small pot so poaching two eggs at a time works best.

The Golden Gate neighbourhood

To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of St. James (starting just west of St. James Street to Sturgeon Road) breaking away from Assiniboia to form their own municipality, I am doing street profiles. This column features the Golden Gate neighbourhood.

Magnus Pearson, a tailor was a long-time resident of 350 Avard Street in the Golden Gate neighbourhood. On December 18, 1953, Mr. Pearson is quoted in a Winnipeg Free Press story in celebration of his 94th birthday as saying, “Think straight, deal straight, and talk straight!”

Many people who lived part of their lives in the Golden Gate neighbourhood had notable accomplishments. Let us take a peek into some of the history of the Golden Gate neighbourhood.

The early days

In 1911, the Winnipeg Free Press and the Winnipeg Tribune ran advertisements for the Golden Gate Park neighbourhood. The streets from east to west were Avard, Ragnar, and Ainslie Street. Avard and Ragnar no longer exist. Ainslie Street residents, J. Hacker, John Fisher, and Sidney John Peerless, are the first Ainslie Street resi-

dents listed in the 1911 Henderson Directory.

William Dure operated stores in both Hallock and Williams, Minnesota. In 1903, Mr. Dure established the post office in Williams. Between 1912 and 1917, Mr Dure operated the Golden Gate Grocery Store and Post Office at 2523 Portage Avenue. During the middle 1920s, William Hughes and the William Rowan Sturgeon Creek United Church pastors lived in the church's Ainslie Street manse. Between 1930 and 1959, Alex LeDuke operated a restaurant, night club and dance floor at 2523 Portage. A building at Aldine and Portage is named after Mr. Leduke.

John Mayor was the proprietor of a Langside Street auto repair shop.

After returning from World War 1, Percy Rumer, despite war related health issues, became the president of the Great War Veterans Association which became the Winnipeg Legion. Percy became an advocate for the issues of veterans. His wife Carrie Rumer served as the president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the GWVA.

In 1935, Don Birch of Ragnar Street scored 97.3 per cent when he obtained his Master of Laws Degree from the

Gradually add all ingredients except the pastrami, to the sandwich, start with the lettuce then evenly add the remaining items. Once all ingredients have been used place the pastrami on the top, try to keep it flat.

Check to see that the poached eggs are cooked to how you like them, then carefully remove from the water and place on top of the pastrami. Finish with a little finely chopped fresh parsley.

Serve the vinaigrette on one side, some people like to dress their own sandwiches! It’s a choice kinda meal.

Ian Leatt is general manager of Pegasus Publications and a trained chef.

Chicago Law School. In 1941, Catharine Rourke's poem, The Stars, was featured on the Winnipeg Free Press Young Authors Page.

In 1932, The Sturgeon Creek Community Club was founded. Between 1939 and 1957, the Henderson Directory listed 212 Ragnar Street as the Club's address. The address has previously been listed as the home of Alix McPherson. The club hosted ice carnivals, horticultural fairs, New Year’s Eve dances, and carpet bowling. During this era, Edward Knudson of Harcourt Street, and Reverend Tom Marshall of St. Andrews Anglican were a couple of the Club presidents. On April 3, 193, a fund-raising concert was held for the family of Charles and Lillian Parkes. The Parkes had lost their home and store at 2583 Portage due to a fire. The club is now located on Rita Street.

More recent times post World War 2

Esther Ward was an organist for the Sturgeon Creek United Church. Ainslie Street residents Daniel Casavant and Gary Madder joined Dana Honey and Bryan Dolet to form a Winnipeg band called the Collectors.

In 1963, Shelley Anderson won a prize for her tap dancing on the CBWT Junior High Lite Show. Another CBC show, Reach for the Top, was a quiz show for high school students. Lincolin Lautermilch, a teacher, coached the St. James Collegiate team. In 1966, Tracy

Dawn Essery, the daughter of Robert Jr. and Alice Essery, won the Baby Contest at the Red River Exhibition.

Gordon Gleghorn had a long career in Radiology, including a stint as the Head of Radiology at the Misericordia Hospital. Raymond Chan was the executive chef at the Viscount for over two decades. Stephen Jarvis worked over 31 years as a St. James Assiniboia School custodian.

Around 1970, the Lady Ainslie Apartments at 479 Ainslie was constructed. This apartment block became home to two well known St. James hockey goaltenders, Ray Fogg was both a hockey and lacrosse goaltender. In 1945, Ray backstopped Assiniboine School to the Junior High School Hockey title. In 1968, Ken Kirton led the St. James Canadians to upset victories in three straight playoff series and the MJHL Turnbull Cup. The Canadians eventually lost to the Westfort Canadians.

In 2004, Bina and Gordon Gleghorn celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

On Saturday September 23, 2023, I will be hosting a St. James Trivia Night at the St. James Civic Centre. The 2-hour evening begins at 7:30 (doors open at 7 PM). I will ask 50 trivia questions and there will 50 door prizes. All questions and prizes will have a St. James connection.

Fred Morris is a Grandfather, Sports Fan and Political Activist.

RWB kicks-off new season at Ballet in the Park

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet kicks off the 84th season with our free, fun family event, Ballet in the Park at Assiniboine Park’s Lyric Theatre on Wednesday, July 26, Thursday, July 27 and Friday, July 28 at 7:30 pm. Ballet in the Park is the one time of the year that the incredible talent from all divisions within the RWB gathers together in one place to electrify the stage. Ballet in the Park is a unique opportunity to enjoy artistry and music with family, friends, and nature under the beautiful prairie sky.

For the opening act, students from the Professional Division and Recreational Division of the RWB School will deliver exciting performances, showcasing versatility and technical brilliance, leaving everyone wanting more! And more is what everyone will get when the RWB Company arrives on stage to perform the mesmerizing Bleecker & 6th choreographed by Stephan Azulay, one of the RWB’s Soloists.

“This neoclassical work is influenced by my time spent in New York. The move to ‘The City That Never Sleeps’ was a turning point for myself as an artist, and as a result a springboard for my career.” - Stephan Azulay

While dance is the highlight each evening, the RWB is pleased to offer pre-show activities for little ones. The RWB School will host a Creative Movement class for budding dancers in the pre-show kids’ area of Ballet in the Park each night. Other activities include face painting, crafting, and pointe shoe decorating. This year, the ultimate prize is a five-pack RWB season subscription valued at $400 – one winner to be drawn each night. Guests can enter this contest at the Liquor Mart tent at Ballet in the Park. There will also be a wide selection of local food trucks nearby to help attendees hydrate and fuel up for the event. And you can even purchase subscriptions and single tickets for the new season on site!

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Manitoba Liquor Mart for its support of the RWB and Ballet in the Park.

Bring your lawn chairs, cushions, and/or blankets for comfort seating, as you enjoy the talent and athleticism of our Company and RWB School dancers. Speaking of which…please join us in welcoming a new dancer to our Company line-up, and cheering our recently promoted Company artists, who will be on stage for the first time since the announcements. These names will be listed in the digital program, so you can keep an eye out for our talented artists (and the entire Company roster) as they bring the Lyric Theatre to life at Ballet in the Park!

Everyone is welcome, so please join in the fun and celebration of dance at Ballet in the Park!

u It’s a Fringe-For-All this year!

Continued from page 1

“The Winnipeg Fringe welcomes everyone to attend and to make it possible for all to enjoy. Our accessible options are an absolute must,” says Festival manager Tori Popp. One such way that Fringe is welcoming more people at this year’s festival is by programming one ASL-interpreted performance everyday.

These ASL-interpreted performances encapsulate the breadth of the Fringe’s programming and audiences, featuring kid-friendly shows, comedies and dramas. In the festival’s program, each performing company can also note whether their shows are accessible to those who are hard of hearing, deaf, learning English as a new language, have low-vision or who are blind.

Shows at the Fringe vary from highly visual experiences with limited dialogue to performances that focus entirely on storytelling. By denoting in the program which shows may be accessible to different folks, the Fringe makes it easier for people to find art that is suitable for them.

New to the festival this year is PayWhat-You-Can (PWYC) door tickets for all Kids Venue performances as well as two PWYC experiences. PWYC al-

lows festival goers to choose how much they can budget towards a show. The Kids Venue features six family-friendly shows to choose from. The Fringe hopes that the new ticket price will help more families bring their kids to a play for the very first time.

The new PWYC experiences include an interactive, Sherlock Holmes themes scavenger hunt and an open mic night. Some Fringers may have only ever attended Old Market Square, taking in music and buskers, and these experiences can be the next step into the the-

atrical side of the festival.

Popp believes that offering these options will help even more people discover art, saying, “It’s important for folks to see Fringe art, to support new artists, to find something that inspires them and by keeping ticket prices affordable and offering Pay What You Can experiences, we can broaden the community of patrons who are able to access the festival and take part in that discovery.”

While the PWYC tickets are new, the Fringe is no stranger to affordable art.

On top of the free entertainment offered at Old Market Square, the Fringe keeps general prices at $12 a ticket and the performing companies have the choice to offer a range of discounts including $10 door tickets for seniors, students and those attending matinees. Fringers under 25 can purchase $10 door tickets for every performance. The savings continue with Select 2 for $12 performances. This year, 54 performances are being sold at this special price.

With all these initiatives, Fringe hopes to lower the barriers that many people face when it comes to accessing art. Visit winnipegfringe.com for details.

RWB Ballet in the Park. Photo by Daniel Crump.

Creative Movement class at the Ballet in the Park. Photo by Michelle Blais.

RWB Company Dancers at the Ballet in the Park in 2018.

Photo By Daniel Crump.

The Fringe Free Stage runs day and night during the Fringe Festival run. Photo by Leif Norman, courtesy of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.

u An Order of Manitoba celebrates musical history: Congratulations John Einarson!

Continued from page 1

time that I’ve known him, I’m now editing his third book.

Rock ‘n’ roll put Winnipeg on the international music map and John is one of the world’s foremost renowned and requested experts. He has earned the respect of his journalistic colleagues. Canadian arts journalist Bob Mersereau states simply, “John Einarson is widely regarded as one of this country’s premiere cultural writers.” Giants of the music industry hold him in the highest regard with many collaborating with him on their own biographies such as Neil Young and Richie Furay of Buffalo-Springfield, Ian & Sylvia Tyson and former Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers member, Chris Hillman.

Discussions, debates and arguments (as I am finding out, music aficionados are a highly opinionated group) occur on social media every day discussing John’s music commentary.

John’s love of music and his work in preserving and promoting music history is important and worthy of recognition and I’ll circle back to that, but I want to take a detour and talk about what it means to be an ally to a community. Allies use their strengths and gifts to support and bring visibility to other, typically underrepresented, communities. In this time of truth and reconciliation, we’re becoming more familiar with gestures such as land acknowledgements at the start of gatherings. These can be worthwhile steps towards reconciliation by recognizing and showing respect for Indigenous peoples and their lived experiences. However, in many cases, they have become empty and hollow statements read at the start of a meeting without explicit meaning or action.

True reconciliation occurs when someone moves the dialogue between communities forward and not just because they feel obligated to. They do it because that’s the kind of person they are and John is that kind of person. He has a willingness to learn, change and seek out voices that have been marginalized in the past. In 2022 John was honoured in a Star Blanket Ceremony for his collaboration with Errol Ranville on his acclaimed autobiography Run As One and is currently collaborating with Errol on a biography of the ground-breaking CWeed Band. John was a contributing consultant to the documentary Brown Town, Muddy Water by filmmaker Jesse Green and he wrote the Juno-nominated Bravo TV documentary Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multi-Media Life.

Throughout his work John ensures that Manitoba’s music history is kept alive, exciting and relevant, and he believes that if we don’t record or preserve our history it’s lost to further generations forever. History is all of us and all of our stories need to be told.

The late Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese said, “We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time.”

John has done that by his tireless commitment to

chronicling and celebrating the evolution of our rich and diverse musical legacy. He describes himself as “just a guy who loves music”, and as he has also said, “I’m just drawn to write about artists who may be outside the mainstream but have significant stories surrounding them that should be told and remembered. Without

these stories our knowledge and appreciation of music history would be less.”

It is for those reasons that I was honoured to nominate John for the Order of Manitoba and even more pleased that he has been selected to receive the province’s highest honour on July 20th 2023.

Canada Day Happy

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Top, Left to right: Neil Young; Sir Bob Geldoff; Chris Hillman (of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers); John Kay (Steppenwolf); Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco); The Strawbs; Buffy Sainte-Marie; Burton Cummings; Lucille Starr; Iron Maiden; Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone (The Zombies); Burton Cummings, Neil Young, Randy Bachman; Paul Cotton, Rusty Young (Poco).

A Beautiful Haunting

Living in Canada is a great thing for nature lovers. We are so fortunate to have such a diverse amount of habitat to be able to enjoy everything Mother Nature has to offer. Almost everyone has at some point gone ‘to the lake’. There’s nothing like heading out to cottage country to go swimming, fishing, or to just relax and de-stress. One of the most well known trademarks of our lakes is the haunting call of the Common Loon. So popular is the loon that its image adorns the Canadian one dollar coin known of course as, the Loonie. The beautiful call of the loon is one of total serenity and peace. Sadly, this peaceful tune has become one that is heard less and less each year. Fossil evidence shows loons have been around for about 50 million years with the earliest specie of loon found in Scotland. Other loon fossils were discovered in France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, and in North America. The Common Loon of today is thought to have evolved over 10 million years ago.

Loons have been revered by humans as far back as history can show and many cultures have honoured the loon. There are many legends and beliefs like that of the ancient Indian tribes of North America who, believe that the loon would guide the soul of the dead to a new world. The ancient Inuit of Alaska had elaborate burials for loons which included adorning the skull with ivory eyes. One legend is loons have the ability to give sight to those who are blind by taking them to the bottom of the lake many times until vision is restored. It is said that the white banding around the neck of the loon is a white necklace of shells that was

gift of gratitude from someone whose eyesight returned. Another Indigenous legend says the loon has magical powers and at the beginning of creation, the loon would dive down to the bottom of the lake floor and bring up mud for the Creator to make the earth.

As the Industrial revolution began, man’s love and respect for the loon took a tragic turn. The loon was one of the first creatures to show signs of the damage of acid rain and was a poster picture for the effects of oil spills on birds. Fishing nets and lines along with lead weights caused many loons to suffer drowning and poisonings. Pesticides and chemicals are known to have damaging effects to loons and their food sources. Early Europeans arrived in North America and hunted loons to the point of major decline. Shooting loons was a big sport due to the challenge of trying to get a diving bird. Later, loons were considered competition to fisherman so many were culled.

Some interesting facts of the Common loon is, they dive to depths of an amazing 230 feet, have a lifespan of 30 years, and require a lake size of at least 12 acres to nest. They are about 3 feet in length and weigh in the area of 12 pounds. Loons do not start nesting until the age of 6 when in late May 1-2 eggs are laid. Both parents take part in the incubation, always staying close to the nest unless of a major disturbance. Eggs hatch in 29 days and the young will stay with their parents for the rest of the summer. The ‘Yodel’ call of the loon announces territory, the ‘tremelo-call’ is described as an alarm call, and the ‘wailcall’ is a form of contact between a pair.

Thankfully, the loon population is considered stable to-

Sweat a lot, swat a lot

In the previous edition of Lifestyles 55, I told you about the troubling traits of ticks. I thought I’d continue sharing some information on another particularly irritating insect, the maddening mosquito. But make no mistake about it, these teeny tiny bloodsucking insects are considered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to be the “world’s deadliest animal”.

Some scientists believe mosquitoes have been around for more than 200 million years. Over the past 200,000 years, 108 billion people have walked on this planet and about 52 billion people have died as a result of being infected by mosquitoes. Close to a mil-

lion deaths still occur each year because of various infections. The ones we’re most familiar with are malaria and closer to home, West Nile virus. Mosquitoes have killed more humans than all the wars in history.

day but is still closely monitored. Hunting loons is a thing of the past and some fishing regulations have changed to hopefully save them from harm. Still there are many environmental issues like inconsistent lake levels affecting nesting success and oil spills that continue to hinder loon populations. You can help by becoming a member of Birds Canada and taking part in the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. The information you can provide is very helpful in finding out much needed information about the Common loon population. By just observing loons around your cottage you can be a part of important research. You can even be part of preserving some of the most beautiful, mystical music from a bird of many legends, an irreplaceable piece of Canadian lake landscapes, the Common loon. Go to birdscanada.org today to get your survey package and be part of monitoring Loons around your area to help learn more about their declining populations.

Sherrie Versluis owns the Preferred Perch and is an avid birder.

Jim Ingebrigtsen

Is It Just Me...

There are more than 3,000 species in the world of which only a couple hundred feed on human blood. About 175 of them are found in the United States. Canada claims 82 species and we have around 39 in Winnipeg. Komarno, Manitoba boasts the largest species in Canada. It is considered the Mosquito Capital of Canada.

The average mosquito lives less than two months. Males live 10 days or less

while females can live up to eight weeks. They only need an inch of water to lay their eggs. Female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. Females will lay eggs up to three times before they die. Usually, the eggs are deposited in clusters on the surface of stagnant water. Only females bite. The female needs blood to help her eggs develop. Both males and females feed mainly on fruit and plant nectar.

Mosquitoes love sweaty people. Our skin produces more than 340 chemical odors and mosquitoes find some of them very appealing. They also seem to like smelly feet.

These little critters can detect our breath (carbon dioxide) from 75 feet away. The saddest fact of all, for me, is they are also very attracted to people who drink beer.

A full moon, believe it or not, can increase mosquito activity by 500%. They

How to host a great BBQ party

Jesús Ángel Miguel García

The great barbecue season has arrived. We partake and share such an important culinary and social tradition to renew and foster bonds and friendships. But what is the etiquette to follow?

As a host, plan carefully so that your guests can feel welcome, comfortable, relax, eat well, and enjoy each other’s company.

Before your guests arrive, ensure the gas canister is full, light your BBQ and have it ready, so that they don’t have to wait too long.

Make sure everything is set: food ready to be barbecued, including a vegetarian option and food for guests with allergies or gluten intolerance, and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Arrange seating, a serving table or individual side tables, cutlery, crockery, and napkins. Consider the vagaries of the weather.

Some hosts opt for taking care of the food to be barbecued, while guests bring salads and desserts.

Consider enlisting someone to take charge of the BBQ, so that you can entertain and look after your guests.

Large, coloured napkins are more fes-

tive than plain white. A stack of smaller cocktail or luncheon-sized napkins should suffice.

Plastic plates or sturdy paper plates, plastic utensils and disposable cups makes the cleanup easier, and it’s practical when holding a barbecue outdoors. You might prefer to use your own dinnerware and utensils if you are hosting a small number of guests.

Provide enough comfortable seats for the party. It can be challenging to have to juggle food and drink while having to stand, and perching on a rickety and unsteady chair is never that enjoyable. A table where guests can place their plates and drinks, instead of their laps, is better.

Make sure there is shade. If it’s too hot, you can make available sunscreen. Also, if there are mosquitos, provide mosquito repellent.

Offer plentiful supplies of ice-cold water and cold soft drinks to keep guests hydrated. It will also help last the provision of wine and beer.

If the weather gets a bit cold, you can offer hot coffee and tea.

Be mindful of your neighbours. A barbecue can be highly aromatic and smoky, depending on wind direction and the cook’s ability.

Choose music in advance and be considerate. Don’t play the music too loud that would make conversation difficult and disturb your neighbours. Check the noise city bylaws, and until what time you are allowed to play music.

If you are a guest, tell your host immediately whether you will be attending, so that he/she can plan accordingly.

Be on time. Arrive at or shortly after the time stated, fifteen minutes is OK. Do not, however, arrive early.

Barbecues are, by definition, informal, and meant to be enjoyed. Encourage your guests to help themselves to bread, salads, and drinks. If they offer to help you with cooking, serving drinks or handing food round, accept their offer graciously.

Remember that your barbecue is not to be the Great Canadian Bake Off. You are not in the TV show, so don’t show off. Your guests are not there to applaud your BBQ prowess. Ridiculous aprons, silly chef’s hats, boasting and bragging while barbecuing is inappropriate. Your guests came to eat, socialise, and have a good time.

As they arrive, ask them what they’d like to drink, while telling them what drinks you can offer them. As you hand over the drinks, mention they’re welcome to help

rely on sight to find their next meal so when it’s brighter outside … it’s time to eat. Finally, they prefer darker environs to relax and digest their meals. So lighter clothing is best while you’re out and about.

Maybe we should follow a favourite Finnish summertime sport. It’s mosquito squashing. The winner is the person who can swat the most mosquitoes in five minutes. The record is currently 21. I think we can beat that. Let’s organize a bunch of Swat Teams and raise some money for charity. Or, maybe a case of insect repellent.

Have a great rest of the summer.

Jim was a writer-broadcaster, producer and presenter on television and radio for 40 years. He is also a podcast host on Lifestyles 55 Digital Radio. Find Radio Redux, Mid-Century Memories and many others at www.whatsupwinnipeg.ca then click on lifestyles55 digital radio and find the app.

themselves to drinks.

Have garbage bags handy to collect periodically empty cans and used paper plates. Keep them out sight.

Follow proper food safety and hygiene: wash your hands before and after cooking and eating, use utensils, do not double dip, and refrain from licking your fingers; it’s unhygienic and unseemly.

Don’t overindulge. Eating as you are starving will attract the wrong type of attention to you, and it would leave less food for others. Pace yourself, and do not fill your plate to the brim. Have seconds instead.

Keep the consumption of alcoholic drinks on the moderate to low side.

As your guests leave, tell them how much you enjoyed their company.

Thank your host upon leaving, and a second time the following day by phone, email or with a written thank-you note. It’s a gracious gesture that will be truly appreciated.

The recipe for a good barbecue is to ensure that food, drinks, company, conversation, and manners are good. Good barbecues are the sinews of good memories.

Jesús Ángel Miguel García is the director, The Spanish Institute. Research Fellow, St. Paul’s College.

The iconic common loon is best known for its haunting call in the wild. Photo by Doug Lovestadt.

Sherrie Versluis Feathered Friends

Adventure Lab: a new way to play

There is a newer way to Geocache out there, it is called Adventure Labs. This platform allows you to create, play and share location based experiences and games. What we will deal with today is finding them.

Unlike traditional geocaching, Adventure Labs do not require a physical container and can actually be located indoors. With each Adventure Lab there are multiple locations to go to. You do not need to get to them all in the same day, but once you start one it may be hard to stop. My wife and I find it addicting.

The sites will share with you a special indoor or outdoor spot, a historical narrative, a physical challenge or an educational opportunity while you move from site to site. Once at the site your smartphone unlocks the richly detailed stories, puzzles and interpretive moments. Adventures can include videos, imagery, and text for each Location.

Although you can do Adventure Labs with a basic membership it is much richer if you are a premium member. Once you download the APP you will instantly see all the Labs available where you are looking on the map. At the time of writing this article, there are over 60,000 Labs available in 120 countries. Manitoba is rich in Adventure Labs with new ones showing up regularly.

Once you decide the area you want to start looking in and open up the Lab you will follow clues and solve puzzles sometimes in a specific order or some allow you to play freely to advance through the adventure. The easy way to tell if you have to follow a specific order is to check the number of locations. Beside that number it will tell you if it is sequential. You do have to physically visit the site.

Opening the Adventure will give you the distance from where you are to the

I wanted a son

Iwanted a son, but not at first. Of all the commandments that God has given, only one has been followed, almost one might say, to a fault. It was first given to Adam and Eve on their expulsion from Eden. ‘Be fruitful and multiply’. Now with the other 10, I had no real issue. Regardless of a person’s religious belief, they provide a fairly decent guide to living a well-balanced and inoffensive life, and I more or less followed them. Okay, I might have skated around the edge of a few of them, a few times, but only the edge. And in my defense, regarding the 10th one, he wasn’t really my neighbour, he wasn’t really married, so she wasn’t really his wife. But I reminisce, I mean digress.

But back to that first commandment. I had no intention of following that one anytime soon. I was newly married; I had just started a new job that I loved, and it rewarded me quite well. I had my life planned out. I was ambitious and had goals – and these goals were all contingent on not following that first commandment.

I always found it amusing when I’d hear guys say things like “we’re going to have a baby” or “we’re pregnant”. No, you’re not. Your wife is, not you. There is no ‘we’. Anyway, it wasn’t going to apply to me no matter how it was worded.

I don’t remember the date, but I remember the exact circumstances, the location, and the words that Donna used to tell me that we were pregnant and we were going to have a baby. We had indeed been fruitful and we were going to multiply. I could not contain the emotions that fought for attention. Some new emotions that I had never experienced before, some familiar emotions, but certainly not to that level. I had a sense that my world, as I knew it, was about to end and the new world in front of me looked dark and devoid of anything resembling happiness. In Biblical terms, it was “without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of Rick”. The evening was not spent in the manner that Donna had planned. Although it was too late, a bit after the fact, the evening was spent in a deliber-

ate celibatory manner instead of a celebratory manner. I heard once that the reason the human gestation period is nine months isn’t to give the child time to develop inside the mother’s womb, but rather to give the father time to prepare for the birth of that same child. I slowly adjusted my outlook and my attitude. I would use the nine months to adapt and become used to my new role. I was going to be a father and as I thought about it, I realized that I had been wrong. I wanted a son. I was going to have a son. The Duerksen name would live on. My plans now centered around the upcoming birth of my son. If anyone suggested that the baby might not be a boy, I dismissed them. God owes me a son. It was part of the deal. I had obeyed His commandment and was doing my bit to be fruitful. I followed the other 10 almost to a fault – the tenth one notwithstanding – so I was going to be rewarded. If it was a girl, I was going to send it back. I wanted a son, and I was going to have a son.

I was, still am, a bit ignorant about this whole baby thing so it came as a bit of a shock when, in the words from The Gospel of Luke “the days were accomplished” and I found myself in a hospital room, waiting for Donna to bring forth her firstborn son. I was anxious, still not really sure about what was going on.

But eventually, Donna did bring forth her first born, and the doctor looked at us and said “Congratulations, it’s a girl.” No, I thought. No, no, no. I wanted a son. Send it back, I thought. Based on

starting point, the approximate time to complete the adventure, the number of locations, the average and number of ratings for the adventure and any theme that may apply.

The app will install on a smartphone or a tablet. Although you should use data to use the app it can be used with WIFI only. It is cumbersome without data as you will need to find WIFI after each time you locate a segment of the Lab to unlock the question you need to answer. Home computers do not get along with the APP at all, it is designed for mobile devices.

Interested? Okay, here is how you start:

First you need the app. Anyone with a Geocaching.com account can download the app from either the Apple App Store or from Google Play.

Once you download the app, log in with your Geocaching account and password.

At this point you may need to restart the App for it to activate. I have heard from people who both did and did not need this step. Now you should have a map on your screen that shows the area you are presently in with several green

balloons. Touch one of these and it will open up to an Adventure, literally. Head for the first one and the rest is simply following what that one tells you, etcetera, etcetera.

What is neat about this type of the Geocache adventures is that you do not need to log in at the spot or at home. It is automatically done for you. Once you have found all of them there may be a bonus adventure cache. If there is the clues to solve it will usually be a part of the individual parts of the Lab so pay attention to the description supplied with them. This is usually a traditional which you will need to find and then sign the log and enter on Geocaching.com.

Don’t forget that there is an opportunity to Geocache in two countries this month without even needing a passport. This is also be an event where you can meet Geocachers from another country. Hands Across The Border (GCA9B2R) is happening on July 22nd at the International Peace Garden.

See you on the trail!

Gary Brown is the President of the Manitoba Geocaching Association (MBGA) and can be reached at MBGAexec@outlook.com.

the looks the nurse gave me, I must have thought that out loud. It was a good thing that none of the implements of production laying around were close at hand, or I might have suffered harm.

The nurse handed Donna her baby and Donna held her for just a few seconds before holding her out to me. Taking hold of the baby was a reflex, like automatically holding out your hand when someone offers theirs to you. My

hands closed around the bundle Donna held out to me and as I looked down, I could not contain the emotions that fought for attention. Some new emotions that I had never experienced before, some familiar emotions, but certainly not to that level. I had a sense that my world, as I knew it, was about to end.

And as I held Maria close, I realized that all along, I wanted a daughter.

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.

Standard Fees*

Last Will and Testament

Standard Fees* Seniors Last Will and Testament

Power of Health Care Directive

* plus GST and PST - Rates are per person.

*Plus GST and PST - Rates are per person.

Home and $250.00* (includes both meetings)

Home and hospital visits are also available $250.00* (includes both meetings)

*Plus GST and PST.

*plus GST and PST

Gary Brown Geocaching

Rick Duerksen Reach

Media artist Adrienne Diner’s work continuing to evolve as she enters seventh decade

Among the many artists whom I have interviewed over the years, Adrienne Diner has always stood out in my memory for the materials she works with. What Adrienne has always been drawn to as her preferred medium has been material that she can physically manipulate.

In an interview I did with her in 1985, in what may be described as her fabric period, she noted that she enjoyed working with fabrics because, she said, working with silk and other fabric dyes framed or sewn from quilted hangings or wearables allowed her to produce a form of sculpture that was both colourful and functional. At the time, she was creating in her south Winnipeg studio, hangings, bedspreads, table runners, placemats, and louvered blinds. While most of her work back then was for private residences and commercial clients, she was also being exhibited in galleries across Canada as well as a few in the U.S.

gree in Ceramics – and in England where she also worked on her MFA degree.

She has continued to evolve as an artist. In the mdi-1990s, she reports, she began designing rugs. “I connected with different friends in the carpet business,” she recounts. “We began working together. We did some trade shows and began importing hand-made rugs of Tibetan wool being produced by an artisan in Nepal.”

Myron Love

In 2000, Adrienne and her lifelong partner, Harvey Wasiuta, moved to Ottawa after Harvey was hired to work for the Federal Government in a senior capacity. It was in the nation’s capital where Adrienne began for the first time working with glass.

spray paint the cupboards a copper colour.

“It was incredible,” she says. “I use a lot of copper in most of my art pieces.”

I last interviewed Adrienne in 1993. She talked about how, throughout the quilting process, the concept evolved to the point that the finished piece may have been completely different from what was originally envisioned.

Last month, I met with Adrienne for the first time in 30 years to find out what she has been up to since our last meeting. The Winnipeg-born artist studied in the 1970s at the University of Denver – she graduated from there with a master’s de-

“Harvey and I are long-time bridge players,” she says. “We made friends in Ottawa though bridge. One of the people we met was a glass artist. She invited me to her studio and taught me how to work with glass and let me use her kiln. I really enjoyed being able to fuse glass, manipulate the shape and add different colours and metallics.

“For me, the colour story I am able to tell through my work is most important.”

In 2014, Harvey and Adrienne moved back to Winnipeg. Since their return, Adrienne has largely restricted her art to pursuing projects for her own enjoyment. For the cupboards in their condo, she mixed up nine gallons of a special imported metallic paint. She took it to a millwork company where she was allowed to test the paint. She then proceeded to

Also at the condo, Adrienne has been able to express her artistry through floral arrangement art installations on her balcony augmented by rocks and sand she has collected both locally and during a stay in Florida.

Where she continues to do her major work, however, is at the couple’s cottage at Winnipeg Beach. “I am working on a long-term project – an environmental art installation which, I am estimating will have taken me seven years when I complete it,” she reports.

For the project, Adrienne has collected five panels, each measuring 40 inches by 48 inches, made of galvanized metal. She is painting them to mirror the trees and other natural elements around the cottage.

“When I am finished, I am going to

mount the panels on wooden poles and all will be lined up to reveal one continuous scene,” she explains. “And, because I don’t want to risk the panels being toppled by a particularly strong wind, I will have three panels, each cut in three with spaces between the sections of each panel.

“The result will be nine continuous images mounted on poles echoing colours and images reflective of a fall landscape.

“This will be a permanent art piece in the woods,” she notes.

While at the beach, she is also busy collecting burl wood and slices of wood for future environmental art projects.

While Adrienne is primarily making art for herself these days, she looks back with immense satisfaction at all that she has accomplished over a lifetime as an artist and continues to cherish the friendship of many of the clients whom she has worked with over the years.

Vectors: Forces which have direction

The following story is part a new feature, the serialization of our columnist Wayne Weedon’s fictional work, Vectors. Wayne is a brilliant writer whose style consists of simple declarative statements that stick in your mind as he leads you through an intricate web of circumstances to reach the lesson he set out to teach.

Chapter 5: The Runaway

Continued from June

When I offered my body to Mr. Graham, I was shocked at how he turned on me, accusing me of using sympathy as a way of getting what I wanted, and telling me sympathy is selfish arrogance in disguise. He told me, sympathy, is giving a man a fish, while empathy is teaching a man how to fish; sympathy is coddling me because I’m unable to do maths, empathy is showing me how I can learn to do maths. Well, he did prove that point, I’ll grant him that.

Mr. Graham compared me to a child whose diet consists of nothing but candy and sweets, telling me, all I want is fun and games, stating, love to me is nothing but lust. A true loving relationship, he says, is a co-operative arrangement based on mutual interests, desires, and goals; two people working together to accomplish agreed upon objectives. He mentioned Tempest Tost, where Hector and Roger got what they asked for in life by planning and using common sense. However, because each had been selfish, with no concern for others, neither one ever got any satisfaction, despite reaching their goals.

The sound of Mr. Graham leaving the apartment startled me back to reality. This would give me a chance to go for a walk so I could gather my thoughts. I put on my coat and followed him out the door. When I stepped on to the street, I could see him walking away. I went in the opposite direction.

As I trudged along, I could feel myself calming down. I realised I would have to go back to the apartment, but, I decided, I would wait until after Mr. Graham went to bed before sneaking back in. I came to a familiar greenspace tucked into a corner by the theatre school. I sat on the one bench, where, in warm weather, I had sometimes gone to read. Maurice, an older man who tends to the garden, would sometimes strike up a conversation with me.

Large flakes of snow began to fall. Trying to keep warm, I pulled my legs up onto the bench. Tears began

rolling down my cheeks as I fretted over my situation. It would be a few hours before Mr. Graham went to sleep. Despite crying and shivering in the cold, I fell asleep.

“Wake up, wake up, you can’t stay here.” Someone was nudging me. I opened my eyes to see Maurice. He smiled as he spoke, “Come now. This is no place for you to sit by yourself. Druggies come in here sometimes.”

I felt cold and as stiff as a board as I tried to stand. My legs seemed to be dead. Maurice took off his overcoat and wrapped it around me as he asked, “You want I should walk you home?”

I didn’t answer as he took hold and supported me as I awkwardly tried to get my circulation back. “Where do you live? I’ll see you get home safely.”

I mumbled, “Saint Mathews, just off Beverley, in that brownish brick apartment.”

By the time we came up to Mr. Graham’s apartment, my muscles had loosened up, Maurice, however, continued to support me as he asked, “My friend, Leigh Graham, lives here, do you know him?”

As I put my hand in my pocket, I realised I had left in such a huff, I had forgotten my key.

I looked up at Maurice, “I forgot my key. I’ll need to wake up your friend, I live with him.”

Maurice put his hand out and pressed the button for Mr. Graham’s apartment. As we heard the lock click, Maurice pulled the door open for me. I turned to Maurice, “I’ll be okay from here. Thank-you.”

Maurice didn’t seem to hear me, he continued to support me. I looked up to see Mr. Graham standing in the hallway. He called out, “Maurice, my friend. What have you got there?”

I have never felt so ashamed and embarrassed in my whole life. I jerked myself free and silently slipped behind Mr. Graham and into the washroom. The mirror revealed what a state I was in. My face was streaked with dirt and dried tears. My eyes were red and swollen and my hair was a rat’s nest. I hung my head in shame while the tears fell uncontrollably. Eventually, I washed up as well as I could in the small sink and went

straight into the bedroom. As soon I was in bed, I fell fast asleep. How long the two men stayed up and talked in the kitchen, I do not know.

I had a very poor sleep, and by the time morning came, I had made up my mind, I had no choice but to move out as quickly as possible. If I could have thought of some place to go, I would not have had breakfast. I avoided even looking at him while I ate. He, however, would not leave well enough alone. He insisted on discussing what he called “the elephant in the room”. He began by telling me everything in life has a price and if we had had sex, we would both have to pay the price. He then brought up this Robertson Davies fellow by telling me this guy stated, a good marriage is not a fairy-tale relationship where people are blinded by romance. Marriage should be a rational decision and not taken lightly. Mr. Graham stressed how sex is an animal impulse to assure procreation. When we have sex, our bodies produce dopamine, which provides us with pleasure and a sense of well-being.

Not content with needling me throughout breakfast, after I got dressed, Mr. Graham continued with his lecture. Children, he claimed, do what their bodies ask; they eat when they feel like it, sleep when they feel like it, play when they feel like it, and they also learn to manipulate other people to give them what they want. He said most people never reach a point where they stop doing what they want, and start doing what is good for them, and good for others. He carried on by stating, people are trained, every time they walk by a candy dish, they must take a piece of candy. He told me sex, to me, was just taking candy whenever it happened to come by. Growing up consists of controlling one’s bodily desires. If we don’t learn this, we end up being very fat, unhealthy, and unhappy.

I tried not to listen. I had made up my mind. I was going to move out and I wished he would just shut up.

Continued next month: Chapter 6, Family Revisited

The poor will continue to get poorer

Something is happening today that I don’t feel right about.

We’ve all heard about the income gap between the rich and the poor and how it’s widening, but I’m not sure those of us with means truly appreciate the degree to which those without them are strained financially and stressed out. World Inequality Report data produced by the World Inequality Database (www.wid.world) shows that 50 per cent of people on Earth earn 8 per cent of the available income in the world and own just 2 per cent of the available wealth. I know, this isn’t shocking anyone as most of us recall the Occupy Wall Street movement that advocated greater income parity.

Before I go on, I must say that I’m not setting out to rant against the rich. I am a staunch believer in capitalism and earn my keep in the corporate finance world… much of what I do relates to expanding wealth and mainly doing that for those that already have it. But, I don’t feel that makes me a hypocrite in pointing out the wealth gap because the companies I help and the investment returns that are generated go back into the economy and help create jobs and create wealth that gets moved around and that generates more economic activity, thus creating more wealth, and so on. So, I see my work as necessary in creating jobs and more wealth through-

out the economy and that helps everyone. Having said that, there has been record levels of investment into initial public offerings on the public markets and corresponding records are being broken in the private equity markets as well. So, there must be a heck of a lot of economic activity helping lots of people, right? What’s the problem with the poor, why are they not catching up?

Well, aside from the obvious inflation we are experiencing today that is a hard question to answer. It requires an honest look at what’s really going on. On one hand governments are responsible for creating much of the problem with a lack of intelligent regulation. On the other hand governments are spending on every shiny new social program imaginable and are handing gobs of cash to people and companies that meet their ESG (environmental, social, and good governance) agenda. Money for the people! In response, corporations quickly learned how to capture much of that by creating historically unprecedented access to the stock markets, investments, and also to crypto and without an advisor or bank to take any liability for the investor’s actions – the rich cannot and do not trade anywhere close to as aggressively as online traders. That’s your first clue, retail trading is more speculative casino-like gambling than it is investing. Thus, the money the

Newcomers to SLSM

were board members of Sri Lankan Association of Manitoba (2016/2017), because their parents are now enjoying the benefits of their long-term thoughts.

government spent to “help people” out essentially went right back to Wall Street (or Bay Street, or whatever) as it squeezed the sponge dry with banks, asset managers, and hedge making record profits in 2022. The House always wins, that’s how casinos work. The “smart” money held by the rich and their bankers generally avoid speculative trades, meme stocks, and crypto, whereas the average investor was left holding the bag with their “diamond ape hands” waiting for their investment to “go to the moon” (research the vernacular of meme stocks and the apes, a totally ridiculous and sad story of the wealthy fleecing the poor).

The rich have gotten richer, far richer, and will continue to do so as interest rates will stay higher for longer along with inflation. I should also mention that corporations now own a record number of houses that they then rent out, which is just another tax on a middle-class family that can’t afford buying a house. So, the poor will be getting poorer, no doubt.

But, that’s capitalism’s fault, isn’t it Romel? No, capitalism doesn’t work when the government prints money for everyone, picks some companies to be the winners of their grants, and when special interests get a better deal than the rest of us. Capitalism fails when there isn’t full transparency behind trades and deals. Notably Robin Hood, the most popular online trading platform in the US, was selling their customer trade data secretly to hedge funds who would then trade against those customers. It’s a sick system and bad actors have polluted capitalism to a point where,

sadly, it isn’t working anymore. I am by no means advocating for socialism, but I am a believer in fair regulation that enhances transparency and honesty in all our dealings. I am also against crony capitalism where friends of the government get rich on favoured deals.

Why is all of this important, so what if 50 per cent of people are poor? Well, if you’re so lacking in compassion for the welfare of your fellow man, then you need to look in the mirror and start asking yourself some tough questions about your values. Otherwise, you must consider that half the world is really struggling and that our politicians no longer care or lack the courage to tackle the problem. The problem isn’t going away, and I think the system will break. I don’t see how we can get around it. I don’t see a solution, yet. I hope we find one because people will eventually get angry and do something about it and that can only lead to violence, destruction of property, and death. I didn’t mean to write a macabre article. I’m just trying to tell it the way I see it, because I don’t think that governments or large companies will tell it to you straight. Things need to change, or our society will be in big trouble. Let politicians know that they need to make things right with our economic system and fast.

Romel Dhalla, President of Dhalla Advisory Corp., provides strategic corporate finance advice to companies and high net worth individuals and was a portfolio manager and investment advisor with two major Canadian banks for 17 years.

The parents of Ishan, Pathma and Gnanapala Samaranayake, were two of the three newcomers welcomed to Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba (SLSM) at a recent event. I told Ishan, it was fitting that they promoted the idea to form a Sri Lankan seniors’ organization when he as well as Nuwan Perera

The Loving father of Sajeewa, named as Nandapala Welendagoda, made up the third member of the three newcomers who joined with us at the June 16th, 2023, get together at The Leaf, Assiniboine Park. Walking and fellowship were the main proceedings for the day and followed by a light meal.

Senaka Samarasinghe

Romel Dhalla On The Money