Lifestyles 55 2023 10 October Rev

Sumeep Bath, Editorial and Communications Manager, IISD Experimental Lakes Area

One thing I have discovered, since moving here fifteen years ago, is that Winnipeg is certainly a land of wholesome, dedicated and wonderfully earnest folks.

Few encapsulate that genre better than Michael Paterson – a Winnipegger for almost five decades and one of driving forces behind IISD Experimental Lakes Area – a truly singular research station just a few hours east of the ‘Peg.

Perhaps, first, a primer on IISD Experimental Lakes Area, or the world’s freshwater laboratory.

Located in a sparsely populated region of Northwestern Ontario, IISD Experimental Lakes Area are a series of 58 small lakes and their watersheds. At about an hour from Kenora – the closest town – the lakes in that region are mostly unaffected by human impacts.

That is why, at the end of the 1960s, when scientists were desperately trying to discover what was causing all those unsightly, and harmful, algal blooms that were plaguing lakes across the continent, some plucky Ca-

A century of beauty, love and laughter

Muriel (Thickett) Archer turns 100

Eighteen months seems like a lifetime when you are 21 years old and in a strange town and a new province, but to Muriel Thickett and her sister Joan, it seemed like a great adventure. Plus, “The wages were good!” said Muriel on the eve of her 100th birthday. Coming from a job at the mental hospital in Portage La Prairie where the work was menial and the wages very

poor, the sisters ere excited to go to Fort William, Ontario, (now Thunder Bay) to work for Canadian Car which was manufacturing military aircraft. “Our job was to file metal very smooth,” said Muriel. “I think the parts were for wings. There was a man, then a woman, then a man on the line.” She and Joan were dedicated employees. They never missed a single day of work nor were they ever late. Their commitment throughout those last desperate days of the war effort was cel-

Dorothy Dobbie

It is time to make up you mind and vote for heather Stefanson and her team. Never has a decision been so critical and I will tell you why.

No, it is not because I think Wab Kinew is a bad leader or an incompetent – we have no way of knowing either and I have heard he is smart, but what I do know is that Heather Stefanson is the right person for the time.

For the first time in the last 50 years, I feel that we have a leader who sees the future clearly and understands what it will take for Manitoba to once again realize its potential. We need a reset. We need new blood, new ideas and new enterprise – all the things that made us once the leading province in the west, second and third only to Ontario and Quebec and behind them only because of their greater numbers and longer history.

I believe it was the early mixing of heritages that contributed to our early success. The resilience of the local First Nations had so much to overcome living in the hard environment where only the toughest survived, and they passed those skills on to the newcomers.

Then the Metis carved a unique way of life out of Manitoba, combining three cultures – First Nations,

Dorothy Dobbie

Heather Stefanson.

Muriel (Thickett) Archer.

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The awful fallout of the COVID-19 lockdowns

When the federal government suddenly pulled the plug on all activity in Canada the whole country was in too much shock to do anything but comply. It never occurred to most of us that the action was anything but wise considering that governments are privy to so much more information than the rest of us.

When it happened, I was in Ottawa, touching elbows and heels in a joking manner with others at a Commonwealth Association cocktail party.

I left to go back to my hotel and as I was getting ready to go to sleep, the television advised that Trump had just shut down his airports to travel. Panicked, I called my son-in-law in Toronto and told him that we had better get my granddaughter out of Vietnam where she was vacationing with her boyfriend. I had, myself, just returned from that country where a delegation of former parliamentarians had spent the better part of three weeks.

The next morning, I headed to the airport only to find the Maple Leaf Lounge filled with MPs heading for home. Since this usually only happens on Fridays, I was surprised and asked what was going on. That was when I learned that the House had been shut down.

This was followed by a flurry of lockdown mandates that only increased as we began to learn of deaths in seniors’ care homes. Suddenly, the whole world turned inward. By Christmas the world went silent. Schools were closed. Restaurants were shut down. Shopping was banned for all but essential purchases. Masks were mandated. Even hospitals were essentially closed as “elective” surgeries were cancelled and emergency wards emptied out. Some provinces were stricter than others. In Ontario, many stores would only allow one person in at a time and some students were arrested for sitting on a park bench. In Kingston, a couple was fined caught in a churchyard looking for clues while playing Pokémon in their car.

In Winnipeg, people were banned from going to church – even if they stayed in their cars and heard the sermons on loudspeakers. The drive through at the Red River Ex Christmas Lights show was banned, even though people were protected from one another surrounded by metal and glass (this was rescinded later). It was not unheard of to see drivers all alone in their vehicles wearing masks and masks were mandatory in all public places. Asthmatics were told it would not hurt them, (Oh, yeah?) and to shut up and put up in the interests of others.

All this began with a report from Italy that their hospitals were overloaded with COVID-19 cases and a prediction of the worst kind to follow. It created a kind of wildfire. Ironically, the remedy was suggested by the action of the Chinese, whom everyone was blaming for letting the virus out, yet whose approach to control – typical of a totalitarian state – was to lock everyone down. This was difficult enough to do there, where the state makes all the rules. Here in the west, it is hard to believe how easily and quickly the masses were brought under control with a few threats and exaggerations.

Was the right approach taken?

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By the second week of the lockdown, I began to question the logic. Would it not be better, I suggested in a social media tweet, to protect the vulnerable and try to maintain some sort of normalcy for the rest of the world? I was almost lynched verbally for my foolishness. However, a bit of homework revealed that this approach was, indeed, the very approach that a task force, charged with planning reaction to the next pandemic after SARS, had recommended.

The government threw all their work away along with a bunch of what they called PPE (personal protective equipment because it was “stale”) and the country ground to a halt.

All politicians fell into step with Trudeau and by the time they woke up, if indeed they did, it was too late. Many illogical decisions were made. While to all effects and purposes the country was shut down, most of the working population had to go out to work every day: nurses, caregivers and grocery clerks, maintenance people, electricians, and plumbers, truck drivers and bus drivers, all the folks who work with their hands … the list of those who had to work outside was much longer than that of those mandated to stay home. Yet this was believed to protect the population and I guess it worked for the elite office workers and some professionals.

Little kids and developing teens were shut in at home to study on computers as teachers eventually opted out. Graduations were cancelled. There were no school dances. Elderly people in homes were completely isolated and many died, infection brought into the homes by their caregivers. Think about it: the armed forces were called in to help care for them!

There was much, much more but when you think back it all seems like a nightmare, like some dystopian dream we all had together. It was made worse by a media that became the voice of doom, endlessly reciting the dangers of the pandemic, stirring up fear and hatred for our fellows who did not follow the rules. Dr. Tam droned on with a narrative of fear, backed up by

carefully chosen “experts” who merely parroted the mantra of the day. Yet, research into what the World health Organization had to say and even Health Canada often did not back up the media and Tam driven claims.

This was all bad enough, but the fallout was the most pernicious. Thousands of seniors died alone, many of natural causes brought on by loneliness, hopelessness, and neglect. Kids lost their ability to socialize, and teens became depressed and confused. Parents were stressed to the breaking point, some from being home with the whole family in a crowded space all day, every day, with no escape, and others who had to go out to work, with worry about catching what they were told would be their death sentence and passing it on to the kids.

Businesses were hard hit. Some struggled through on a much-reduced income. Many had to let people go. Some closed all together. And many are suffering still. It will take a decade for the economy to normalize. Even our democracy was damaged with the introduction of absentee attendance through Zoom. You can read the report on how the lockdowns and other measures affected our population. https://www.cpha.ca/review-canadas-initialresponse-covid-19-pandemic

What we might have done

If the original recommendations had been followed, vulnerable populations such as those in group homes, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and people living in crowded quarters, would have been the focus of protection. Social distancing and personal protection methods might have been encouraged including personal handwashing, and sanitization of frequently touched surfaces, voluntary (protect yourself) masking in public places, and recommended social distancing. And perhaps more work would have been done on the efficacy of masks.

Intrusion into personal spaces and freedoms will not be necessary or desirable. People are not stupid. They will do what they must to protect themselves and they do not need governments telling them how to conduct their lives.

The public health systems would also have focused on the recommendations to find prophylactics (not just flawed masks) to help prevent the disease. We still don’t know if Vitamin D was useful (although many who died were discovered to have Vitamin D deficiencies) or if we should have been eating something or taking something to reduce our chances of getting sick. We would have learned who was the most likely to get the disease and who was most likely to succumb. Currently it is accepted that obesity was a serious vulnerability, a fact backed up by several studies. Should we not be educating folks and doctors about the dangers?

Secondly, there would have been an earlier focus on treatment, instead of outright rejection of every idea that came along and relying solely on vaccinations that could only reduce the impact but not stop the disease. Currently in Manitoba, health care is employing oral antivirals (Paxlovid), Remdesivir and Evusheld to reduce symptoms if taken within the first five days of infection. Why wasn’t this available earlier?

No freedom to discuss

But the biggest challenge of all was the refusal to allow any discussion about treatments or the mandates. People were so coerced into believing what the health officers were saying as underlined by scared politicians (and while these officials may have had a health background, they were not experts in all related fields), that they heard nothing but their fears pounding in their ears.

This was brought home to me when, one fine spring morning in 2021, I happened to hear some children playing in their yard across the street. I mentioned how delightful it was to hear kids playing and I was immediately pounced on for suggesting that playing outside was a healthy thing to do. My adult grandson texted me advising that I should be careful about saying things such as this.

Alas, all this suppression resulted in the truckers’ convoy of February 2022, and I will probably be verbally lynched again for saying that I considered these brave men and women to be within their rights. Yes, the protest went on too long. Yes, along the way they picked up some bad baggage who collected around the convoy like ticks on a deer. Yes, they were a great nuisance to the good and well satisfied people of Ottawa. And yes, it was a stupid idea to barricade the borders. And yes, in the end they needed to be shut down – although the subsequent arrests and persecution, the implementation of the Emergencies Act and the seizure of personal banks accounts and property went too far.

But in a democratic nation, overreach by governments breeds reaction and that is perfectly reasonable. Protesting is a hallmark of our freedom.

So now it is time for reflection, time to say what we would do, must do, the next time this happens because it will happen again. Let us take lessons from our mistakes, our excesses, and our lack of rational thought to guide our nation.

And maybe, just maybe, we can spare the next generation.

Dorothy Dobbie

The Courts of St. James: A city within a city

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 Courts of St. James.

The Courts of St. James has been a meeting place in West St. James for over a half a century. On August 11, 1966, St. James Mayor Bill Hanks turned the sod for this joint venture of Confederation Life and Lakeview Development. The complex has addresses on Portage Avenue, Booth Drive, and Ronald Street. The three apartment towers are named Hampshire, Lancing, and Bronte. Many amenities are available to residents without having to venture outside. The complex is professionally managed by Globe General Agencies. This story will deal with a small part of the history of this city within a city. I will make a couple of references to 2705 and 2741 Portage Avenue, a couple of now demolished separate buildings on the front parking lot.

The businesses in the Courts

Many businesses are no longer in the Courts but certainly not forgotten. Joan and Cecil Sneesby operated Joans Flowers. D'Arcy Bain is an award-winning physiotherapist who worked on the medical teams on five Olympic teams and as the chief therapist for Canada's National Racquetball Team. During the middle 1980s, Darcy had an office in the Courts. One of Darcy's four current offices is located at 3025 Portage Avenue just west of the Courts. Dominion (it is mainly because of the meat) and IGA provided grocery stores for most of the Court's history. The Bank of Montreal and the CIBC at 2741 Portage Avenue provided residents easy in-person access to banking services. Both these banks have permanently closed.

“Where have all the bank branches along Portage Avenue gone?”

Morton Nemy practiced law in the Courts. Morton served as an Alderman for the Municipality of Assiniboia. Dr. Allan Goldstein, who delivered 3,500 babies, had an office in the Courts. The Kings Plate, Windsor Jewellers, Stewarts TV, and the Manitoba Golf Association are other businesses that are gone but not forgotten.

The Courts Financial Group gives individuals and small business financial advice. The Company was founded in 1977 by Ed Kurtz. It has been located in the Courts since 1986. The Winnipeg Pet Rescue, a no kill animal shelter, is located right inside the front doors. Carla Martinelli Irvine is the Executive Director.

Other businesses currently operating in the Courts include Dollarama, Red Swan Pizza, Stella’s, Bar Bur-

rito, Lux Leaf, Legend's Restaurant, Ronald Pharmacy, Hearing Life, Innovative Medical Supplies, Elite Sports Injuries, Liberty Tax, Kenneth Friesen Accountants, the Courts Financial Group, Ozturk Financial, Jack Rabkin Law, Giant Panda, and the Frontier Center for Public Policy.

Some of the people who have lived part of their lives in the Courts

Residents during the Early Years of the Courts

Max Hurtig was the President and co-founder of furrier, the Hurtig's of Vaughan Street. William Gershman was the President of Famous Motors at 951 Portage Avenue. David Cass Beggs a hydraulic engineer served in senior Hydro executive positions in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia. In January 1970, David was appointed the Chairman of Manitoba Hydro. In the 1971 Henderson Directory, David and Barbara Cass Beggs were listed as residents of Courts of St. James. Barbara was a music teacher who specialized in music education for young children. Barbara collected folk songs and used these folk songs as an important component of her teaching.

Media

Gus Nanton worked for CKY and CKND. In 1995, Gus joined Jack Wells, George McCloy, and other long-time broadcasters for a four-day CKVN broadcast at Deer Lodge Hospital commemorating the 50th Anniversary of VE Day. Barry Burns was a Global and CJOB News Anchor. In 2006, Barry went to Afghanistan to report on the Canadian Mission for Chorus Radio. Bill Gorrie was the station manager of CKRC. One of Bill's initiatives was a Friday Night open line show, In Touch with Today, featuring Pastor Bill Fehr of St. Stephens Lutheran Church. The show was reminiscent of CKY's Ask the Pastor featuring Pastor Harvey Egler of the West End First English Lutheran Church.

Clergy

Larry Denef was the Executive Director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. The Reverend Canon James Gordon Fairclough was an Anglican Pastor who served various parishes in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and England. At the time of his 1980 passing, Gordon was assisting at St. Andrews Anglican across the street from the Courts.

Public Service

In 1970, Winnipeg Police Chief George Blow retired after 40 years on the Winnipeg Police Force. During their retirement years, George and Mina lived in the Courts. George was a life member of the International Association of Police and Chiefs. Bruce Chegus, a Great West Life lawyer, resided at the Courts before becoming a St. James Assiniboia school trustee. Bruce served in many different roles including

A little bit about myself

In the 1960s, it was much easier to be homeless. There were no surveillance cameras to look out for and if you were cautious about railroad cops, you could easily catch a ride on a freight train. Most apartment blocks did not lock their entrance doors; one could sneak in and safely sleep out of sight under the stairway. Many places were staffed 24-hours-a-day and their doors were never locked. In winter a kindly engineer might offer you a cup of coffee in front of his boiler.

One engineer I had befriended welcomed my company during the offhours. On cold winter nights, I would put my feet up to the boiler and think to myself, this is the job for me. This engineer boasted about having the cleanest fire while burning Bunker C oil, which is basically black tar. Wearing a pair of green welding glasses, I would view his flame which was too bright to even glance at without a dark lens. His flame was like a miniature sun, having a brilliant white ball at the centre which was surrounded by a yellow halo. Most firemen, he stated, have dirty fires because they are too lazy and too sloppy. I agreed, I had seen some other fires which had a yellow centre and black soot swirling around an orange halo.

Smiling, this engineer would state, “I can tell what someone’s flame looks like just by observing them and where they live. If they are neat and clean and their house and yard are the same, I know their flame

will be clean. Anyone who has pride in themselves has pride in everything.”

I proposed, if someone wrote up standard operating procedures, maybe everyone could learn to have a clean fire. I suggested, dirty fires result from ignorance, not laziness. Learning how to have a clean fire, I proposed, could influence a person’s other habits, possibly resulting in more neat and tidy behaviours.

I had a bothered mind when I put my head down in an all-night laundromat, and I could not sleep. I was worrying about the choice I knew I had to make. I could carry on as I had been doing, or I could get off my fat-butt and change my life.

I began studying and when I got my Fourth-Class Operating Engineer license, I had no trouble getting a job at Winnipeg Hydro where I operated coalfired, Bunker C burning, and electric boilers.

In 1971, I began working at Carnation Foods in Carberry. Besides having a first-class boiler room, this plant had the largest refrigeration plant in Manitoba. When I suggested to the chief engineer, we should have standard operating procedures, he plainly stated, “If you want them, you can write them.” And so, I did.

Most plants in Manitoba had the same shift schedule, working six and seven shifts in a row with no overtime. The Manitoba labour code stated any hours over eight hours a day or 40 hours a week must be paid at overtime rates. For example, when working seven

chairperson during his 33 years as a school trustee. The Deer Lodge Neighborhood

Several old friends from my days in the Deer Lodge neighbourhood moved to the Courts. Margaret Sellinger was a business entrepreneur who operated Bilmars at the corner of Portage and Mandeville. Margaret also worked in trucking, insurance, and antique businesses. Bill and May Johnston owned King's Florist. Bill and May were married for 70 years. Bob and Vi Lane were married for 70 years. The Lanes were involved with the Khartum Shriners, the Daughters of the Nile, the St. Andrews Anglican Church, and many different political campaigns. Audrey Harden was a tireless volunteer for the Deer Lodge Community Club. Earlier in 2023, Audrey, Vi and Bob's grandson Rich Harden a former Major League pitcher was inducted in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. After retiring as the office manager of Monk Goodwin, my Aunt Steinunn Bjarnason, lived in the Courts and continued to host many memorable family gatherings. District Fire Chief Ted and Mildred Dallman moved to the Courts as seniors. Mildred was involved in various organizations including the Daughters of the Nile, and Eastern Star. Ervyn Houck, a retired educator, lived at the Courts. Erv had served as the Principal of Bannatyne, Assiniboine, and Strathmillan schools.

Otto Koch was synonymous with Chicken Delight. After purchasing the rights to the St. James store at 1855 Portage, Otto eventually became the sole owner of Chicken Delight franchise rights in Canada. I fondly remember the bonus that Otto gave me for keeping the Chicken Delight on St. Annes Road Store open during the 1986 blizzard. Mike Bachinsky another one of my friends from the restaurant business had a long career in the restaurant business in Winnipeg, Selkirk, Brandon, and Australia. When we were welcoming the 1980s, Mike was managing the Hickory House at 2705 Portage Avenue.

Sports stars who lived in the Courts.

Dale Esopenko was the long time Golf Pro at Assiniboine Golf Club. Also, Dale served as the President of the Manitoba Golf Association. Dale advised golfers, “The less clubs you have, the less chance of making a mistake; besides less is not as heavy to carry!” (Page 85 Alan Hackett's book Manitoba Links) Barry Fry and Gordie Sparks of the 1979 Manitoba Men's Curling Championship team both lived at Courts. Winston Warren the Lead of the 1980 Manitoba Men's Championship also resided at the Courts. Ralph Lyndon, a teacher at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Ralph excelled in hockey, football, and lacrosse. I am sure there are dozens of other people who can be added to this story. Your feedback is welcome. Please remember to pick up your copy of Lifestyles 55 right outside of the front door of the Courts. Fred Morris is a Grandfather, Sports Fan and Political Activist.

night shifts in a row, two of the shifts fell in one week and the other five fell in the following week, and there was no overtime. When I suggested we should work 12-hour shifts so we could have more days off, everyone told me this would be impossible; it was against government regulations and the union would never agree to it. They did not understand: the word impossible is not in my vocabulary.

It was always taken for granted that Monday is the first day of the week but, in Canada, Sunday is the official first day of the week. This meant, for years, we had been working 48 hours in one week out of every four, with no overtime pay. Although it contravened the labour code, we, along with the department of labour, the union, and the company, agreed, we would not be paid retroactive overtime due to ignorance of Canadian law, and, we would have our 12-hour shift schedule which averages out to 40 hours per week.

After a few years, I left Carnation Foods and started on my vagabond life of going from powerhouse to powerhouse preaching my gospel of 12-hour shifts and standard operating procedures.

In my spare time, I have always written stories and I’ve had a few things published. In 2016, I graduated from university with a BA in English. My intention was to hone my skills so I could write better stories. Could I ever write like Robert G. Ingersol, Richard Dawkins or Mark Twain? Why not? After all, there is no such thing as impossible.

Next month: Peace

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

Wayne Weedon Food for Thought

Fred Morris From the desk of a gadfly

u Countdown to the vote

French and British – to make them all stronger. Later, all this energy and talent was bolstered by the Irish, Icelanders, Chinese, Finlanders, Swedes, Ukrainians, and the early Jewish settlers who so enriched our intellectual culture, all re-enriched by all the others who came later.

Manitobans have been a lovely melting pot of peoples who came together in respect and merged into something greater while each admiring the best things of the other and celebrating together.

We were strong and united and had a can-do attitude. We cooperated to help each other get through the tough times, a lesson learned from Chief Peguis who saved the Selkirk settlers. We could do anything, and we did.

But somewhere, over the past four decades or so, we have lost that sense of can-do-it-ness.

We have begun to look to the other guy to make our beds and all we want to do is lie in them. There is a collective feeling is that having a good life at the expense of others is a “right”, but everything that is a right is also an obligation, an obligation to live and contribute the best you can, and this imparts a duty to help your neighbour –help him, not feed him for life.

So how does all this philosophizing bring you to vote for Heather Stefanson? It is her ability and her attitude. She knows what must be done and she has the inner steel and confidence to do it. She is not afraid to be compassionate and to spend money to help those in need while encouraging the strong to be stronger and build the pro-

The contrary view

A Letter from Donna Eastoe, who raises some good points, and my attempt to address them. I appreciate all your comments. We do not have to agree to have a healthy discussion.

– Dorothy

Dear Ms. Dobbie: I picked up a copy of Lifestyles 55 at Safeway recently and as I quickly look through, it appears like a very interesting and well-designed newspaper. When I began reading your front page editorial “Making the Choice”, I became very disappointed.

I'm not a card-carrying PC, NDP or Liberal. This enables me to vote differently each election, according to party platforms/policies and how leaders and candidates communicate these policies. I found your editorial very one-sided and judgmental, especially when you said you would try to be fair. You have written a negative editorial on Wab Kinew and NDP policies while forgetting that the PC party dropped the ball on many files over the last seven years.

Some of those files include:

• Closure of Winnipeg ERs without taking the time to listen to doctors and nurses' concerns. This was a file that was left by the previous government. Brian Pallister adopted it. Should he have consulted? Probably, but he had no way of knowing that this had not been done or if it had what concerns were expressed. Experts now are agreeing though, that fewer ERs makes sense and even more so in light of the shortage of medical staff.

• Lack of preparation and upgrading of the remaining Winnipeg ERs prior to the closures. I agree that this should have been done in advance, and I think he acted precipitously in this regard.

• Closure of regional ERs throughout rural Manitoba due to shortage of physicians. The shortage is still an issue, not just here but throughout the country. Addressing it will take a long time and some new thinking.

• Closure of 14% of ICU beds. I am not up to date on this.

• Shortage of physicians and surgeons (including shortage of medical school training spots – just increased due to the election). The lack of medical training spaces predates this government by several years. I wrote about it at least ten years ago. This premier is now addressing it, not due to the election, but to necessity. Remember, she has only been in office for 21 months, the

vincial coffers with their success.

Her vision for 2030 gives us hope. It makes me feel that living another 10 years is worth the effort. Building our economy will help us find the way to a better health care system – but she is also open- minded to ideas such as the need to digitalize the system, as suggested by Wab, which would remove some of the burden from physicians and nurses. She is always open to new ideas – what a refreshing notion.

I have had great fun taking the mickey out of Wab because so much of his platform seems to have been taken from Heather’s play book, but maybe that is just a symptom of his willingness to learn – and a subtle admission that he still has much to do in that regard. Nothing wrong with that. Four years in opposition to an intelligent and far-seeing leader may be just what he needs to cement his own positive future. But the difference is that Heather Stefanson is ready NOW! And we cannot afford to wait for Mr. Kinew to catch up.

So here is the plan:

1. Encourage northern development to increase jobs and opportunity but, just as important, to create economic opportunities for the First Nations who currently live in isolation without hope. (Now is our time to repay the generosity of Chief Peguis and his colleagues of the day.)

2. Grow the population to provide a larger tax base to sustain our talents in manufacturing, in medicine, in the arts and technology – not to mention our all-

LETTERS

first year, learning the ropes.

• Shortage of nurses and other health care staff (including shortage of nurse training spots – just increased due to the election). The same answer as above. Under the NDP, the number of seats was just as limited.

• Forced overtime for nurses. That is a systemic issue and symptomatic of the problems that have grown in the system over time.

• Failure to negotiate new contracts for nurses and other health care staff for almost five years. Shared Health or previously the RHA does the negotiating, and the government has to butt out. The system is given a budget to work with and is responsible for allocating the funds. I agree that five years seems ridiculous.

• Closed Cancer Care Clinic at Concordia Hospital and Seven Oaks General Hospital in 2020. There were many stupid closures during the pandemic.

• Home Care short-staffing. A private sector issue that is still a problem and now they can’t find the people they need. The worst offender was a company owned by the Canadian Government Employees’ Pension Fund!

• Personal care home beds reduced. I am not aware of this, but it would seem to be a private sector issue.

• Personal care home lack of oversight for many years. Many years, yes. And what a hard lesson for all.

• Personal care home policies not upgraded. Same as above.

• Cancelled construction of muchneeded addition to downtown campus of CancerCare in Winnipeg. I thnk they need to prioritize. As one who spent three months in the HSC watching my husband die under miserable conditions in that ancient hospital, and knowing that CancerCare completely abandoned him when it was clear he was terminal, I have little sympathy. HSC is more needy than CancerCare which gets millions, but has made little progress in finding any cures.

• Reduced the size of public service workforce by 20% which cause shortstaffing and lower morale. It needed reduction, but perhaps not the way it was done.

• Froze salaries for all public service workers. No comment. Lots of working people make a great deal less.

• Lack of environmental and climate change plan. A plan was tabled. The Feds didn’t like it. Hence our punishment with a gas tax when we are one of the greenest provinces in the country thanks to our hydro energy. Most people heat with natural gas and if they cut that off, we are all in trouble

important agricultural base.

3. Overhaul our health system, bringing it up to modern standards and rationalizing how we deliver it so we set the standard for the country and attract the best and the brightest.

4. Improve education so that we can compete within Canada and around the world.

5. Let you keep more of your own money. Reduce taxes while improving services – which is why we need to grow the economy and the population.

We cannot keep doing the same old things that have brought us failure and a lower standard of living in the past few decades. We need to be bold and fearless, while including citizens and ensuring that they are part of the improvements.

If we do the five things above, we will have the ability to end homelessness, to reduce crime and to bring prosperity to every Manitoban. If, on the other hand, we rely on recycling and redistributing the limited amount of money that is currently in the system, we can only fall farther behind. Even Wab knows that, and he says so with his slogan of the “The economic horse pulls the social cart.” Great slogan, but we need more than a slogan. We need the experience of Heather Stefanson who, I have to tell you folks, has a rod of steel in her backbone that will amaze you. Please vote early and vote for a bright future. Vote PC and watch the magic of a regenerated team and a fearless, intelligent open-minded leader.

in the winter.

• Reduced funding for nonprofit environmental groups. Political choice of priorities.

• Reduced new home construction environmental level from Level 2 to Level 1. Not up to speed on this.

• Interference in Hydro rate setting rather than letting the Public Utilities Board do its job. The current premier has re-mandated the PUB to empower them. She has made other changes to reduce the burden on rate payers.

• Now allowing cosmetic herbicide usage on lawns, boulevards and golf courses after repealing previous environmental law. All the law was doing was making lawn services rich at our expense. They were still allowed to use pesticides on our lawns and did so.

• Frozen budgets for schools (increased budgets close to election date). Again, this premier is doing what she thinks important regardless of the election.

• Interference in U of M bargaining for professors (eventually went before the courts and Government of Manitoba lost, costing taxpayers more). Mr. Pallister learned the hard way which is exactly why the government should not get involved in the nurse’s issue.

• Frozen budgets for municipalities (recently increased close to election). Mr. Pallister had a different political philosophy from this premier. She believes that you need to grow the economy to increase the tax funds so we can afford to do these things. He believed in cuts.

• Sent cost of living rebate cheques to Manitobans making up to $175,000. I didn’t agree with the cheques, which happened when she was still a rookie. But the recent budget raising the basic personal exemption to 15K from 10K is indicative of how she sees empowering lower income people. And it is in the plan to raise it again until in matches Alberta’s 20K. that lets you keep your own money and spend it more wisely than government can.

• Sent education tax rebate cheques to all Manitobans (Now how will education be funded?). The schools will be funded from the general tax rolls, much fairer to young marrieds who are trying to get a start in life before their kids become school age and to seniors and pensioners who can barely afford to keep their homes thanks to high costs of heating and maintenance.

This list could go on and on!

Reflecting on this list, it would have been more helpful for your newspaper readers who are also Manitoba voters if you would have been unbiased in your comments.

No writer is unbiased. They simply lie about that. I warned that I am biased, but I tried to be fair.

Thank you, Donna for your comments and for my opportunity to address them. We don’t have to agree on everything, but a good solid exchange of opinion is very valuable.

– Dorothy

Thinks article was propaganda

Have to give you credit for admitting your bias in your column about the election. I feel sorry for your readers who might be thinking the article was journalism as opposed to the propaganda that it really was. But there was certainly humour there such as your comment “but one (Heather) has a track record, experience, and a team that knows what they are doing.”

OMG. What exactly is the track record you are referring to? And the “team”? Nearly half her caucus decided not to run again. Is that experience?

– Irwin Corobow

Dear Irwin,

Always happy to hear another opinion. The article clearly states my bias, as you said, so I hardly think anyone was viewing my opinion as “journalism”. I am not a journalist.

To respond to your comments, Heather Stefanson has spend many years in office as opposed to Mr. Kinew’s relatively short term as leader of the NDP since the fall of 2017, with no political experience previous to that. In addition, his real life experience was not that of managing or directing a corporation of even a small company. He has much to learn. I think there are a few capable people in his caucus but it is hard to tell since they are never allowed to shine.

About a third of the PC caucus had reached past retirement age and opted to allow some new blood to have a chance. This refreshed team will bring new ideas to the table while leaving the bench strength to manage key portfolios.

– Dorothy

P.S. About the same proportion of members left the NDP caucus when Mr. Kinew took over.

We are always glad to hear from our readers and will print your comments unless you ask us not to, as some do.

– Dorothy

Christmas and Cacti? You betcha!

There is something magical about the holiday season and plants! They are made for each other and I'm not just thinking about poinsettias and mistletoe.

In warmer climes, folks grow up and live their entire lives with a different image of Christmas despite the overwhelming pop culture imagery of snow-capped pine trees and berry-adorned wreaths. Not that there is anything wrong with that! People as far south as snow falls wish for a snowy Christmas morning and all of twinkling wonderment it brings to our eyes.

Tim Chapman

Fortunately, we can give you a taste of the north and the south this year! The International Peace Garden, home to one of the world's most diverse collections of cacti and succulents, is hosting our Grand Opening of the newly expanded Conservatory on Dec. 9.

Inspired by the ever-growing and Canadian-led winter cities movement and regular visits to some of the top botanical gardens throughout North America, IPG is excited to debut Santa and holiday cheer among our year-round prickly partners. Whether you celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace or take part in other religious or secular traditions, a stop at the Canadian-U.S. border is a must this year!

I was personally inspired in recent years by seeing the holiday displays and decor at world-class gardens like Longwood in Pennsylvania, Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Como Park and Zoo Conservatory in Chicago and smaller regional attractions in my home area of Washington D.C., where we join our families for the holidays each year.

These urban-based institutions take holiday decor to eye-popping levels. But everywhere we go to take in plants and lights have included a few key elements – model trains and villages, poinsettias, Christmas cacti, orchids and trees!

The International Peace Garden is excited to touch on these themes and start and grow a new border tradition for Manitobans and all Canadians and Americans intrigued by the indoor and out-

door beauty we provide. Outdoors in the park itself, there is a great chance in December for visitors to be awed by the hoarfrost adorning our massive stands of spruce and pines that line the last miles of highway that approach the border on both sides.

If a steady snowpack has already blanketed our grounds, skiers and snowshoers will gleefully zip through the trails knowing a warm spectacle awaits. About 5,000 unique species and cultivars of cacti and succulents from around the world will provide plenty of holiday green and the array of colours that succulents boast.

The new Conservatory's opening truly feels like Christmas to me. After pandemic-plagued years of stop-and-go construction, our team is hard at work placing our biggest cacti in a specialized soil that will allow them to thrive for decades to come. More space for the plants and more space for people to sit and gather with a warm drink will get your holidays off to a cozy start. Well, don't get too cozy with the plants. They are quite sharp!

The International Peace Garden continues to

embrace our unique location and the challenges of winter. We hear from countless visitors how important plants are to their daily lives. That importance doesn't end because it's cold and snowy. Promoting peace through the beauty of plants is what we do year-round, and we are excited to begin welcoming visitors to a wonderland that can be enjoyed outdoors and indoors despite the frigid temperatures that define our long, grey winter.

So, mark the date! Dec. 9 will be a joyful celebration of our plants and holiday cheer with food, drink, and activities for kids and adults alike!

For more information, please visit our website peacegarden.com as details and weather conditions enhance the day's offerings!

In Peace, Tim.

Tim Chapman is the CEO at the International Peace Garden on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota. The Garden is open year-round and grooming ski trails for the first time this winter. Rent one of our cabins and enjoy a winter weekend that only the forest of the Turtle Mountains can provide.

u Experimental lakes are teaching the world thanks in part to our own Michael Paterson

Continued from page 1 nadian scientists had the idea of figuratively cordoning off a few of those lakes for experimentation. Since 1968, the number of lakes, the nature of the research and even the management have changed greatly, but the purpose of this unique approach to science remains the same.

In short, IISD Experimental Lakes Area is the only place in the world where scientists can manipulate real lakes, over the long term, to replicate what humans are doing to lakes around the world. That could mean adding microplastics to a lake to study the impact of plastic pollution, or increasing how much water enters a lake to replicate the impact of more rain and snow due to climate change.

By manipulating these small lakes, scientists can examine how all aspects of the ecosystem – from the atmosphere to fish populations – respond, resulting in research that is more realistic and relevant than that conducted in laboratories.

Since 1968, this unique research approach has influenced billion-dollar decisions of governments and industries, including, for example, the body of research that ultimately resulted in “phosphate-free” detergents you see in grocery shelves.

A Winnipegger from the age of 13, Mike had always grown up with limnology (or, the study of fresh water) as his father worked at the Freshwater Institute, which at that time operated the Experimental Lakes Area. A few university degrees later (including a stint down south in Indiana and on the east coast), Mike was working with the Freshwater Institute and the Experimental Lakes Area himself as a food web ecologist.

“When I first arrived at the site as a bright-eyed newbie in ’92, I set to work on a project that was looking

at the environmental impact of creating new reservoirs. You would be surprised that these effects can range from the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to the cycling of mercury throughout systems,” said Mike.

Ever since then, Mike has put his stamp on many of the landmark studies at those lakes, including more work to determine the cause and impact of algal blooms. He was the head scientist of the program from 2006-2016 before he decided to take a step back to focus more on science and less on administration.

“While I loved those years leading the science at the world’s freshwater laboratory, a lot of my time was taken up with administration and the transfer of ELA to the International Institute for Sustainable Development in 20144.”

Mike is far too humble to articulate this, but he and his wife, Gail Asper, another proud and dedicated Winnipegger, were highly instrumental in the saving of the site and its transference to the IISD, certainly buoyed by their many years spent out at the lakes and their personal attachment to them. And they continue to be strong supporters of and advocates for the lakes in both in their personal and professional lives.

“The future now looks very bright for the site – we are doing so much new research as well as education, outreach to and work with local communities that we have definitely entered into a new and healthy era.”

And although Mike doesn’t see retirement on the horizon any time soon, he’s not too worried about that day. He will always have a connection to the place that he has loved for some many years, a place that helped raise his children, and a place that has changed the health and future of fresh water forever.

The replanting of the cactus has begun. It is very exciting. Peace Garden winter.

u A century of beauty, love and laughter

Continued from page 1

ebrated in the local paper. Canada’s record annual production of 4,000 military aircraft by the end of the war could not have happened without women such as Muriel and Joan who made such a heroic effort. Their work transformed Canada.

Part of the allure of the Fort William job were the good wages. By the end of the War and the end of the job, Muriel has saved almost $1,000, equivalent today to $17,000 in purchasing power! She said she spent most of it on her wedding.

At 100, Muriel is still beautiful and spry. Her lovely dark hair has very little gray – she gets it permed to keep its curl. Her nails are elegantly red. Her eyes are filled with vitality. Asked if she ever thought she would get to 100, she responded, “I don’t think about it at all!”

Muriel is one of five children born to immigrants from Barnsley in England. She was born in 1923 near Russell, Manitoba, the second eldest to her bother Albert, and followed by Joan, to whom she remained close throughout life. Then came Hilda and Janet, 14 years her junior.

As a girl on the farm at Craigie, Manitoba, they attended the local one-room schoolhouse with 24 or so other children.

Commissioned in 1897, Craigie School closed in 1942 and all that remains today is a commemorative stone where it used to be. But in those days the air was filled with laughter and anticipation of the fun to come – picnics, school dances, Christmas concerts where Muriel took part in the plays and the choir. She was a good student, earning top grades and going all the way to Grade 9, which in those days was a pretty good record for a rural girl.

Growing up as the eldest girl gave Muriel a deep sense of responsibility for her siblings, and she could have a sharp

Young Muriel.

tongue if they didn’t live up to their duty. Youngest sister Janet recalls her rebellion after one such lecture. Janet went and hauled the shotgun out of the closet and pointed it at Muriel. It wasn’t loaded and she didn’t know how to shoot it anyway, but it made her point. They laugh about those childhood squabbles today.

The Thickett girls were all lookers and there was no shortage of interest in pretty Muriel, who remembers having her first boyfriend at 15. His name was Harold (Bud) Bagnell, but he was only one of several. She also remembers her first kiss. It took place on a buggy ride. But she saved her life for one Eric Archer whom she met after the War. Muriel was working at Perth’s Drycleaners in Winnipeg at the time, living upstairs in a home owned by the Carvers. She and Eric met and fell in love.

“Uncle Eric had a great sense of humour,” her nephew Doyle remembers. “He was always telling jokes.” Muriel

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.

did not find it all that amusing when she had to leave the city, after enjoying life there for three years, to return to small-town living when Eric, who was also a hard worker, opened a plumbing business in Birtle. She settled in, however, kept busy raising five children over the next 20 years: Pat, Donnie, Kenny, Sharon and, 20 years later, Deanna, who was born in 1967. While this was going on Muriel always made sure she looked good for Eric every evening when he came home from work. It is not today’s way but it was not a bad way and it was part of her contribution to the family life they had chosen.

Although Eric was consumed by his business, often in the early days having to attend to midnight plumbing emergencies, they always found time to take a summer holiday – usually three weeks when they would head out with the family for adventures all over Canada and the United States. At the beginning, the adventure included staying in tents but later, they bought one of the little Winnipeg invented and manufactured fiberglass Boler Trailers. It could

sleep four in comfort by converting the dining area into a double bed and using the lounge to set up two bunk beds. Remember, the children came over time so there were never five all at once.

And back home, there was still much to do – volunteering in church, going to dances and picnics and enjoying friends. Eric passed away some twenty years ago and today, Muriel has moved from their hometown to Virden, where she lives just across the street from her sister Janet, those long-ago spats forgotten. They visit often, remembering the old days and taking comfort in each other.

All these years later, Muriel can look back at the strong and united family she inherited from her parents and then produced on her own. She has nine grandchildren and stays in touch with her sisters and many of her 13 nieces and nephews.

Well done, Muriel. Congratulations on a life well lived.

Her centennial birthday celebration will take place on Thanksgiving weekend.

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

*Plus GST and PST - Rates are per person. hospital visits $250.00* (includes both meetings)

*plus GST and PST

*Plus GST and PST.

German apple cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

As far as cakes go, this is not something I do very often, but with an abundance of apples this year I thought, why not?

What I love about this cake is the contrast in textures, the cake being moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, that coupled with the sweet taste of baked apples exudes an aroma one can only describe as sweet and heavenly.

Celebrate the harvest with a cake that revels in the apple bounty and will be enjoyed by anyone who tastes it. Perhaps, over time, this wonderful cake will become a staple in your home at Thanksgiving time.

Here is what you will need

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup fine white breadcrumbs

Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour (all-purpose)

3 tablespoon peach preserve

1 large egg

Life in the north always seems a little betwixt and between, interspersed with sudden bursts of energy. It’s difficult to explain, but often I have the feeling that everything is equally at our fingertips and just beyond reach. A community in Northern Manitoba may have carpets of berries just outside its doors and yet acquiring supplies like natural wool or acrylic paint or a violin teacher may be difficult if not darn near impossible to attain. It reminds me of a warm evening in late June when the night sky is never completely black, settling with a deep blue before shimmering with the glow of sunrise a few hours later. We seem to be in a perpetual state of twilight. That being said, there is a certain calm resiliency and, dare I say, confidence that accompanies living in this state. You are not rushed into anything. You have time to figure things out. That’s not to say that life does not get chaotic. Of course, it does, but in the north you can take the time necessary to look around and see what is going on and what needs to be supported. But suddenly, and quite magically the night sky dances and things start to happen.

Sitting in my armchair in Flin Flon I watch The imagiNorthern Project swirl across the north like a beautiful aurora borealis. ImagiNorthern Champion Coordinator Kristy Janvier shares with the Flin Flon Arts Council the activity hap-

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon cinnamon

5 large apples

½ icing sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups freshly whipped cream

8 sprigs mint leaves.

pening in the northern depots. I get a glimpse of Cheryl Antonio whipping up cultural activities in The Pas, The light shimmers shyly across the Saskatchewan River to Opasquia Cree Nation then shoots up towards Mall of the Arts founder Andria Stevens in Thompson whose task is to lead the community to a successful Northern Juried Art Show and here the light dances rapidly in reds and greens between Flin Flon and Thompson, then The Pas and Thompson helping her reach her goal. The light disappears for a moment before, suddenly, a finger slowly ripples towards Churchill and starts to glow. Roy Mexted is creating one video after another about life in Churchill while Kyle Dingwall and the Churchill Creative Collective are organizing events and trying to find a home for their art. The beams float between Churchill and Tadoule Lake, then suddenly veers across the night sky taking me to visit Lars Stoltz in Snow Lake. Lars has big plans and the ambition to get them accomplished. It’s beautiful to witness. There is a hint of activity in Lac Brochet, and perhaps Norway House before a burst of rays zips towards Flin Flon where NorVA, The Uptown Emporium and The Flin Flon Community Choir, are bustling with activity getting ready for Culture Days. Then, we unexpectedly return to twilight. It is time to reflect on what we have experienced.

The all important how to

Place the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, granulated sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup flour, then whisk together. Make a well in the center and add egg, vanilla, and ½ cup softened butter. Using a large spoon, stir until dough starts to form large chunks. Using lightly floured hands, knead very gently inside bowl until dough comes together. Then set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and sides of a spring-form pan with butter, then coat with breadcrumbs, tapping out all excess.

Using lightly floured hands, place dough inside the pan pressing into bottom, create an even layer all around. Spread apricot preserves in a thin layer over surface of dough using a small spoon.

Peel and quarter apples. Slice the core out of each quarter then arrange apples flat side down onto a cutting board. Carefully slice crosswise in each quarter, try not to cut through, you want to keep the apples in one shingled piece. Arrange apple quarters in concentric circles, covering as much of the dough as possible, patterns make this an eye watering cake.

Bake cake, rotating pan halfway through the baking time, until apples and crust are golden in color, 55–60 minutes. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

While the cake is baking, place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually pour in lemon juice, whisking constantly making a spreadable glaze.

Remove sides of spring-form pan and lightly brush the top and sides of the cake with the glaze. Let cool completely before transferring to a platter. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint for colour.

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

The imagiNorthern Project ImagiNorthern is an innovative strategy with the purpose of expanding regional economic opportunities in the arts and creative industries in Northern Manitoba, while creating employment and self-employment opportunities in communities across the north, in addition to discovering and supporting northern talent. It builds a network of support for northern artists in all disciplines by establishing northern depots while concurrently developing a centralized marketing and e-commerce campaign that establishes access to markets across Canada and internationally.

The ImagiNorthern network, working under the umbrella of the Flin Flon Arts Council, has been established with representation from Churchill, Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas, Norway House and other key regions through seed money from Community Futures Greenstone with support from the Northern Association of Community Councils, Manitoba Mineral Development Fund, MB Chamber of Commerce, Creative Manitoba and several foundations.

The Uptown Emporium (UE), an ex-

isting model of a depot started by The Flin Flon Arts Council’s desire to support local artisans during COVID-19, is being up-scaled to establish a network of similar depots across the north. Starting in December 2020, the UE has grown from 11 to over 100 vendors. It most recently has expanded its reach to create a test depot in The Pas, and conversations for expansion have been discussed with the Churchill Creative Collective and Mall of the Arts in Thompson. It is this collaboration and mutual agreement from the northern arts community, along with the impressive growth over such a short time, that led the FFAC to undertake this project.

The Vision of the imagiNorthern Project

Guided by our no-limits innovative spirit and shared love and respect for the land we inhabit, we endeavor to build a thriving, inclusive arts and cultural sector that plays a profound role in a diversified economy, supports health and well-being of artists and communities, and celebrates and makes known the world over the North’s rich tapestry of cultures, languages, artistic and creative expressions.

a festival of first plays by Indigenous creators

RMTC Warehouse mounts Pimootayowin:

In September 2023, Pimootayowin: A Festival of New Work showcased the artistry of the 2022/23 cohort of Pimootayowin Creators Circle: Mary Black, Ryan Black, Mike Lawrenchuk, Emily Meadows, Victoria Perrie and Eric Plamondon with a free nightly script-reading series. The festival was held in the Tom Hendry Warehouse

lobby, where relaxed and stripped-down environment allowed audiences to enjoy the readings.

The festival featured pieces that touch on an exploration of Louis Riel's final days, further betrayals on Turtle Island, the unpacking of many boxes, a question of personal stories, a celebration of life, and the discovery of internal wrongness.

Pimootayowin is an Anishinaabemowin word meaning journey, a word chosen by Program Director and Governor General Award-winning playwright Ian Ross, who explains, “The creation of new art is often described as a journey, so too, our lives. In any journey, we often don’t know what lies ahead but we can emerge enriched by them.”

The Pimootayowin Creators Circle met once a week from October to May to develop, support and nurture Indigenous voices, culminating in this festival. Each year a new group is showcased. Watch for it next September and enjoy a week of inspiring cultural understanding in the voices of these talented play writers.

Ian Leatt Foodies

What to do with the fresh apple harvest? German apple cake!

Crystal Kolt Imagine North

Flin Flon.

You help babies heal and go home

At Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, families are at the heart of everything we do.

I am so often amazed by the courage of families who come forward to share their stories at HSC Children’s Hospital to help others, like Kai’s mom who bravely opened up about her family’s journey.

In the first 108 days of Kai’s life, he fought for every breath. Born at 2 pounds, 10 ounces at 27 weeks by emergency C-section, he was rushed from labour and delivery to the healthcare specialists in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at HSC Children’s Hospital.

Let me tell you more about what Kai, and his parents Nathalie and Codey, have been through.

Nathalie, Kai’s Métis mother, had an odd feeling about her second pregnancy. Only a year earlier, Kai’s older brother Noah was stillborn, so Nathalie carefully tracked her second pregnancy - every movement in her belly and heart rate readings. During a routine pregnancy check-up at HSC Women’s Hospital, the healthcare team detected decreased movement in the womb and a slowed heart rate – all significant markers to the prenatal specialists and Nathalie as signs of something more to come.

section and quickly placed newborn Kai on their tiniest ventilator to keep his underdeveloped lungs from collapsing. Doctors told Nathalie that the lungs are the last of the vital organs to develop in the womb. As a premature baby, Kai’s lungs needed additional support through ventilators and specialized treatments.

Stefano Grande Healthy Living

Immediately, the healthcare team performed the C-

After three weeks, the healthcare team changed his treatment to a continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP), a machine that stabilizes air pressure in the lungs. Two weeks into the new treatment, they noticed tears on the skin of Kai’s nose and septum. To prevent further damage, specialists updated his treatment to high-flow oxygen therapy, a treatment that delivers oxygen at a higher flow rate than standard oxygen therapy. Due to being born prematurely, Kai now has permanent lung damage and will need to be monitored throughout his life.

Despite his health challenges, Kai is now like most two-year-old children – running around, playing outside, and enjoying just being a kid. Nathalie credits Kai’s recovery to the dedicated nurses and doctors at the NICU for their exceptional care and patience. In the event of another child or problems with Kai’s health, Nathalie knows the NICU team will be by their side the entire way.

10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk

Take action during World Alzheimer Month

James Harrison, Alzheimer Society of Canada

While some risk factors for dementia are genetic, there are many lifestyle factors that can help reduce your risk. By taking care of your physical and mental health, you may be able to reduce your risk of developing dementia or delay its onset. The Alzheimer Society of Canada’s leading researchers recommend taking action in the following ways:

10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

You can’t change your family history, but you can help reduce your risk of dementia by making small changes to your lifestyle.

1. Get Moving! Aim to be physically active each day.

Thank you

Afriend once gave me a Thanksgiving Day challenge. Make a list of 25 things for which you are grateful. Be specific and write down why. I’ll start this year’s list with some of the people whose gifts started me up the road to recovery:

• Christine Leger – Your gift was not just the call to 911 which resulted in a trip to the hospital, but knowing me well enough to discern, merely by the sound of my voice, that I was in dire straits.

• The WFPS – How much did I cost the taxpayers because of choices I made? Four times I found myself in need of medical intervention. As you tended to me at my place you would have seen my living conditions. It would have been obvious why I was in need of your help, but there was no judgement, just professional care.

• All the ER and hospital staff – Every person who treated me at the various ERs were professional and caring, treating me with a dignity I did not

2. Protect your heart. Working with your health-care provider, monitor and manage your blood pressure and heart health. What’s good for the heart is also good for the brain!

3. Stay socially active. Stay connected and engaged with your family, friends and community. Social isolation in later life can increase dementia risk by an average of 60%.

4. Manage your medical conditions. In collaboration with your health-care provider, try to manage complex conditions such as diabetes and obesity as best you can.

5. Quit smoking. Get support in quitting or reducing smoking. Even in later life, these steps can improve your brain health and reduce your dementia risk.

6. Seek support for depression. Depression is more than just feeling down.

Kai, Nathalie, and Codey now live in Ste. Anne, Manitoba. Nathalie says Kai continues to do well, enjoying all sorts of outdoor activities like swimming, playing in the sandbox, ball pits and his new favourite toy – a water table.

Generous donors help fund critical life-saving equipment in the NICU, the same equipment that saved Kai’s life. Some of these specialized tools include a point-of-care ultrasound, a machine that allows care providers to learn more about their tiny babies’ conditions without having to move them for testing.

Right now, the dedicated team in the NICU urgently needs equipment like this point-of-care ultrasound machine and Babyleo incubators to protect premature babies and help them grow. You can support kids like Kai with a donation today at Goodbear.ca

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

of Dementia

Seeking depression treatment and support will help improve your mood and brain functioning.

7. Drink less alcohol. Drinking more than 12 standard drinks per week increases dementia risk by an average of 20%. If you need help in quitting or limiting alcohol, speak with your healthcare provider.

8. Protect and check your hearing. Hearing loss in midlife can increase dementia risk by an average of 90%. Protect your hearing from loud noises. Get your hearing tested. Use hearing aids if you need them.

9. Avoid concussion and traumatic brain injury. Steer clear of activities where you might put your brain at risk of harm. Play, travel, and work safe!

10. Aim to get quality sleep. Work toward sleeping well for 6 to 8 hours each night. If you experience sleep ap-

nea or other sleep issues, talk to your health-care provider for treatment options.

To change the course of dementia in Canada, it’s important that we all take action. Nearly 600,000 Canadians currently live with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. By 2050, that number is projected to increase to more than 1.7 million Canadians.

According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada’s Landmark Study, delaying the onset of dementia by 1 year would avoid nearly 500,000 cases of dementia over the next 30 years in Canada. Delaying the onset by 10 years would effectively avoid more than 4 million cases.

If you are living with dementia or caring for someone living with dementia, free support is available by contacting your local Alzheimer Society. Visit Alzheimer.ca/find to access help near you.

deserve. Even at 2:00 AM, when you came to check on the alarm my ECG set off, I could see the smile behind your mask. Many people complain about lengthy wait times or lack of beds. You should direct your frustration towards me and my abuse of the system, not the people on the front lines.

• The doctor at the Victoria Hospital CCU – I don’t know your name, but you gave me the gift of directness. Using your best bedside manner, you said “Rick, you are a bleeping idiot if you think you can go from the hospital straight back to your place, without detox, and not be back here in a week. My bet though is that you’ll be dead.” You made the calls that sent me to the HSC detox ward, for further treatment.

• The social worker at the HSC detox ward – You said that while my body might be detoxed, I was far from ready to attempt to pick up the remnants of my life. You asked if I wanted to go to the Addiction Foundation of Manitoba

(AFM) for their 28-day in-house program, said that there was a bed available and that you could arrange for me to go. I couldn’t accept that gift fast enough.

• Deb Chaboyer, my counsellor at AFM – You showed me how to learn about myself. You never told me what I needed to do. You guided our conversations, asked me questions that I had avoided, let me know it was OK to be angry. You told me that you believed in me.

• Envirotech Ag Systems – You extended to me consideration and grace that was completely unwarranted. My last fall wasn’t the first time but you chose to support me. I look forward to coming in to work, every day.

• Christine Torres – You knew me as the person who would contact you when I needed some yard work done or when my sidewalks needed shoveling. You ran a crew and would send someone over. Sometime you would be there yourself. The few times you saw me I was probably drunk and looked like a bum. Yet you took it upon yourself to clean up my house, no small undertaking. You replaced the stained throw cushions, added some floor mats, replaced some missing dinnerware and

cutlery, and restocked the fridge and cupboards. As a finishing touch, you put a bowl of candy on the end table. When I was hauled away from my place it was a filthy hovel. I came back to a home. I called you and asked you what I owed you for your time and for all the things you had bought. I couldn’t see you but I could hear your smile when you said “You don’t owe me anything, Rick. I was happy to help.”

• Recovery and Beyond – The support group that has become like a family to me.

• My family and friends – This column is too short to write about all you have given me.

• Donna – As you know, I am seldom at a loss for words. I am now.

How do I adequately express my gratitude? At times I think there aren’t enough words, but maybe, sometimes two words from the heart are sufficient. Thank you.

A friend once gave me a Thanksgiving Day challenge. Make a list of 25 things for which you are grateful. Be specific and write down why.

Do I have to stop at 25? What’s on your list?

I can be reached at hangar14@telus.net

Rick Duerksen Reach

Living the dream and sharing the dream with all of you!

The 2023-24 season for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) has been designed to honour André Lewis’ Living the Dream legacy, while presenting inspiring works to audiences of all ages. It includes unique performances that showcase the technical artistry of the Company artists, the mystery of fairytale sets and props, along with costumes that literally dance beside a live symphony orchestra creating an extraordinary experience you won’t get anywhere else in Manitoba.

This season kicked-off with the magnificent Canadian premiere of Snow White last month to much public acclaim. From December 21-30, audiences will be treated to a perennial holiday family tradition – the charming Nutcracker - which is another gem in the Lewis legacy. When commissioning this new version, he insisted on including opportunities for children

History of Clue

It was a dark and stormy night in the 1943 when English musician Anthony E. Pratt conceptualized the delightfully devious game, Clue. Well, it likely wasn’t actually dark and stormy and more so dull, as Pratt is said to have conceived the idea during air-raid blackouts of WWII as a way to pass time. The game was inspired by a parlour game from the pre-war parties he so desperately missed.

The premise? Six colourful characters race to catch Mr Boddy’s killer by determining the murderer, weapon and location. Originally named Murder and known as Cluedo (a portmanteau of the words clue and ludo, which means “I play” in Latin) in the UK, Clue turns its players into deductive detectives and suspicious suspects all working to answer the question “Whodunnit?”.

The first patent for the game featured ten characters and nine weapons but was widdled down to the iconic six characters and six weapons we know today: Miss Scarlet, Mrs White, Mrs Peacock, Professor Plum, Mr Green and Colonel Mustard who may or may not have wielded a knife, revolver, rope, wrench, candlestick or a lead pipe. As for the murder location, it could have happened in the Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen, Ballroom, Conservatory, Billiard Room, Library or Study, all the rooms you would

as well as iconic Canadian symbols like the Ottawa Parliament buildings and busby-hat Mountie guards. Tchaikovsky’s iconic score sets the stage for marvelous turn-of-the-century costumes and sets. Don’t miss the hijinks of fan-favourite Filbert the Bear during the party scene!

Between February 15-18, 2024, Lewis will present his ultimate favourite ballet, Romeo & Juliet. This masterpiece holds a special place in the history of the RWB as choreographer Rudi van Dantzig worked closely with Lewis to pass on the legacy of this work and Lewis has since become an in-demand stager for the production the world over.

And from April 25-28, 2024, Lewis’ dedication to working with international choreographers comes alive once again; Carmina Burana will make its return, easily the most requested performance in the RWB

expect in an ominous mansion.

The game, after an initial lull in sales, was well-received across the globe, sparking a 1985 movie of the same name. The fast-paced farce featured three different endings with different suspects being outed as the killer. Originally flummoxed by the request to turn Clue into a movie, because the boardgame “has no story”, Jonathan Lynn still agreed to join the project, co-writing and directing the film. Looking back on making a movie out of a relatively thin source material, Lynn said, “You could make a good movie or a shitty one, based on anything."

A mysterious dinner party and colourbased pseudonyms set the stage for the blackmail-fuelled whodunit. The motion picture featured industry heavy hitters such as Christopher Lloyd whose blockbuster success Back to the Future released the same year, Madeline Kahn and Tim Curry, who was no stranger to cult classics. Curry, often pointed to as the campy heart of the movie, was actually the director’s third choice for the uptight Wadsworth. Thankfully, in the end, Curry took on the iconic role further cementing himself as a cult classic champion.

On December 13, 1985, Clue was released in theatres with each theatre receiving a cut of the movie with one of three endings… and it flopped. We mean re-

repertoire. It will be coupled with a world premiere from the RWB’s choreographer in residence, Cameron Fraser-Monroe.

The Living the Dream season is innovation complemented by a foundation in the classics; it is what your ballet company was built on. If you choose to join us at the Centennial Concert Hall, you will experience the full spectrum of the artistry and athleticism of the Company and understand why the RWB is considered one of the best storytelling companies in the world.

You will also witness the culmination of over 80 artists and countless others who are dedicated to the arts and culture scene in the Prairies; you are invited to be part of our story so that we can share the dream with you. Check out www.rwb.org for more information or call our customer service team at 204.956.0183.

See you at the ballet!

fully clothed cast, the film was, albeit unintentionally, a perfect fit for TV. This is where, in the 90s, a younger generation watching late night TV, was able to discover the farce. Not tainted by the collective knowledge of the movie’s perceived shortcomings, they loved it.

When it came time to adapt Clue for the stage, playwright Sandy Rustin described the project as a “puzzle”. She needed to balance the demands of translating the show into the new, live medium while honouring what fans loved about the original film.

ally and truly flopped. The film received a poor response from critics and moviegoers alike, netting less in the box office than its $15 million budget. But like every true cult it rose from the ashes of harsh public opinion.

Clue’s failure in the box office helped springboard it into a more accessible medium: cable television. When looking to fill non-peak time slots, the inexpensive movie proved to be a great choice for programmers. With no cussing and a

To keep the fast-paced, nonstop feeling of the film, Rustin knew pacing was of the utmost importance. She likens the show to a train, and not a slow one at that, with no appropriate stopping point to allow an intermission. The train must keep moving, resulting in a 90 minute show, with straight-through action, laughs and suspense. Heightening the urgency and immediacy of the play, the quickfire dialogue and physical comedy and will be sure to invoke a nostalgic response from fans.

This fall, gather the family for game night or head to the Royal MTC Mainstage production of Clue from Oct 17 –November 11, to find out whodunnit in person. Tickets available at RoyalMTC. ca.

Romeo and Juliet with dancers Elizabeth Lamont and Yue Shi. Photo by David Cooper. Carmina Burana with dancers Stephan Azulay and Joshua Hidson. Photo by David Cooper.

Clue’s history is no mystery!

Music for sale: John Einarson puts his record collection on the block

There comes a time in every baby boomer’s life when they have to face up to the grim reality: it’s time to sell your vinyl album collection. I have been buying and collecting albums for nearly 60 years. Many have seen me through good times and bad, several girlfriends, one wife, two kids, five dogs, five grandkids, three houses, a dozen or so cars, and at least eight or nine guitars. Some albums are like old friends and have given me great pleasure over the years.

Ever since I announced this past summer that I was selling my collection of some 2,000 vinyl albums, I have been besieged by friends and strangers alike with the same question. Why? Why sell all those albums you’ve carefully curated for so long? An interesting sidenote is that no women asked me that question. They’re just hoping their hubby will come to his sense, too.

don’t want my records nor do they want to have to deal with them once I’m six feet under. My wife is already planning what to do with all that vacant space.

John Einarson Local Music Spotlight

Gone are the days when I could be guaranteed a degree of respect among like-minded record collecting aficionados for having in my possession the 1967 original mono album by Toronto’s Ugly Ducklings. Or enjoy bragging rights for owning a copy of The Beatles White Album on white vinyl. How about a sealed copy of The Nashville Teens Tobacco Road album from 1964. I was a very discerning collector and as a result, I have many rare or hard-to-find albums that I’m very proud of. But they all must go.

Why? Here’s why. Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer? No. You can’t take this stuff with you when you go to that big record store in the sky or the delete bin store stocked with polka albums below.

Once I hit 70 last year, I was looking down the slippery slope. I have a will in which everything is divvied up fairly among my survivors. But it doesn’t include the extensive collection of records in my basement. Who gets them? More to the point, who wants them?

My children and grandchildren are aware of Grampy’s junk downstairs and have told me to a person that they

In the 1960s, the Canadian arm of Capitol Records created the 6,000 series to release British Invasion albums by the likes of The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, Freddie & The Dreamers, Dave Clark Five, Chad & Jeremy, Yardbirds, Swinging Blue Jeans, and The Hollies to name a few. These albums were highly prized because they were unique in both cover photos and song selection from their UK and US versions. I have almost the entire collection. But there are fewer and fewer of us 6000 series collectors to share stories of our acquisitions with these days. Those albums will be on the chopping block. I’m pricing everything to sell, so prices will be reasonable.

I’ve spent the summer cataloging all my albums on a spread sheet in an-

Remember when?

Now, in my fifth year at Lifestyles 55, I decided to look back at the stories I’ve contributed so far. I was reminded of a series I started when I worked at CJOB about twenty-three years ago. It was called ‘Remember when’. They were compilations of things we grew up with and, simply, things that brought back fond memories for a lot of people. One of those folks was Guy Whitehill. He was one of many who sent in their own lists of memories. Here are some of his and others I’ve come across.

ticipation of the Sunday, October 15 semi-annual record convention held at The Centro Caboto Centre on Wilkes Avenue in south Winnipeg. With 2,000 albums, I won’t be able to sell them all in one go. I expect to man a table for a few more conventions before they’re all gone.

So, drop by my table and check

out my wares. Don’t look for me to be teary-eyed, though. UK pop star John Miles once sang, “Music was my first love and it will be my last,” but I know my albums will be going to people who want them or may have been looking for them a long time. I’m giving them good homes and I’m satisfied with that.

did. These days most young people are mystified by the rotary phone. In the beginning they only came in black and being hard-wired to the wall, there was no walking around the house while having a conversation. Party lines and “busy” signals were common. Long before FedEx, UPS and Amazon Prime there were others who delivered to your home. Milkmen delivered dairy products to your door. You might remember coal being delivered to your house, shoveled down the coal chute into the coal bin. And of course, the ice man cometh to put ice in your ice box before refrigerators came along. If you needed health and beauty care products, in short order you could have the Watkins man or the man from Rawleigh’s paying you a visit with a wide array of personal products. And many decades before the concept of recycling you would often hear a man going up and down the back lanes on a horse-drawn wagon calling out for bottles and rags.

Jim Ingebrigtsen

Remember the excitement of finally being able to wear rubber boots in the spring, usually with a felt liner? And getting old enough where you could roll the tops down to be “cool”? Hanging your toque, mitts, and socks on the radiator to dry out? Flannel-lined blue jeans, lace-up leather moccasins you wore in winter? How about those fake fur earmuffs with the metal expandable headbands that your hair would get caught in? How many of you dared to go bumper shining?

That’s where you would quickly grab onto the back bumper of a vehicle, occasionally a city bus, and go for a fast ride down the street. A winter activity only.

Speaking of hair, remember brush cuts and its close cousin the crew cut? Even then you might have slapped a little Brylcreem on it. “A little dab’ll do ya.”

Believe it or not, it’s back. How about the Saturday night bath in an old washtub? Often, you’d have to share it with a brother or sister. Did you ever get Lifebuoy soap in your eyes? You’ll never forget it if you

Do you remember using rotary phones?

Depending on what area of the city you lived in and which way the wind was blowing, you might recall the sweet scent of the sugar beet factory in the fall. Some didn’t find it so sweet. Continuing with the sweet theme, how about sponge toffee, candy bracelets and necklaces? Remember those wax lips? Or how about the wax tubes filled with different coloured sugar water. I remember hearing chewing the wax was good for your teeth. Was that true? And who could forget candy cigarettes, licorice cigars and pipes with the red sprinkles on the ends? What were those long flat Neapolitan chewy things called?

What the heck, we might as well try to remember some of these things while we still can. Thanks again to Guy for providing so many memories. Until next time … I’ll see you in the funny pages.

Jim was a writer-broadcaster and producer 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

You can find out what’s for sale from John’s private collection at the Caboto Centre on October 15.

Autumn Geocaching Notes

Wow, it’s October and you know what is just around the corner. It doesn’t matter that we are into a climate change, winter and the snow will arrive. Personally, I love winter and what it brings. Everything looks so clean after the first good drop of the white stuff, some caches can only be found by boat in the summer or by my preference, snowshoes and skis in the winter and who doesn’t like looking for a geocache by following a fresh geotrail? Another benefit to winter is the absence of mosquitoes and wood ticks as well as not worrying about coming across a wasp nest or stepping in poison ivy.

The wildlife is still around though, as it is during all seasons. Even though some hibernate or migrate south there is still a lot that do stay here like the ever present deer and chickadees. No doubt they will watch you find your quarry and log it if you are in certain areas of our province. My wife says that the chickadees help us find difficult caches.

Of course there are some things that don’t stop. Lately, on the events that are posted on the Facebook page, the scam artists are busy. Has anyone noticed the ones that are so upset that they can’t go

to the event and are willing to part with their tickets for a reduced price? Tell me, what is more reduced than free? All geocaching events are free but I guess they don’t have time to read everything on the post. What’s next?

Now is a good time for cache owners to do maintenance on their caches as it is much easier now than changing a full log at twenty below. My wife and I have already completed our maintenance and now can relax and concentrate on finding others.

Unfortunately, the Ice Cream Events will come to an end soon and the CITO’s will be difficult to do with too much snow around. There are a few of these still scheduled so get out and take part before it’s too late. Many thanks to those who put on these events during the warmer months.

Make sure to keep an eye on the upcoming events. Deep into winter watch for snowshoe or ski events. Coffee Before Work events are always a great way to start the day and they carry on throughout the winter. There is an e-waste event coming up on the second weekend of this month. The slogan for it is “You can recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable!” and it is a great chance to recycle

any electronics you have sitting around that are not being used anymore.

Also coming up quickly, on the 7th of this month, is the Journey with a Friend Zoo Event (GCACXCR). Come early and spend some time visiting the enclosures and displays after signing all the log books. Of course there will be the usual conversations taking place at the sign in table.

If you are part of an organization or group that needs an activity to keep you moving whether fast paced or a more comfortable speed, keep Geocaching in mind. If you are truly interested in finding out more about Geocaching contact me and I am more than willing to

come out and discuss the topic with your membership. We can provide training for groups on any part of Geocaching from finding to hiding and are willing to just come out and enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea while discussing the pros and cons of the sport. There is no charge for this as well as the basic membership to Geocaching.com Contact me at the email address below.

I hope to see you either on the trail or at a discussion group talking about geocaching.

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

Immigrant Fueled Housing Shortage? Yes.

No one wants to admit that immigration, not construction cost, is the primary driver behind the housing supply shortage. Corporations don’t want to upset future customers and politicians don’t want to upset voters, and that’s perfectly understandable. But, neither are doing the country any good by not plainly addressing what everyone is seeing – a historic flood of immigrants that need homes.

Canada has admitted record numbers of immigrants, and that’s not a bad thing. Most immigrants come hungry for work. Many are educated and are a source of much needed skilled labour. Immigrants also bring significant sums of capital to the country that supports economic growth. These aren’t the immigrants of old that showed up on a boat with $2 in their pockets, no sirree. There’s no doubt, Canada has been a primary beneficiary of world-class immigration policies that have attracted

quality immigrants.

But, is too much immigration, even of the bougie variety, a good thing? In an economic downturn, I’d say yes it is. For the reasons mentioned above, a reasonable level of immigration works. But, over the past several years Canada has increased both the total numbers of immigrants and also seen a massive increase in student VISAs. The latter is interesting because it points to another issue within our post-secondary education institutions that charge “international” tuition fees, usually at many times the going rate for a Canadian citizen. This has become a cottage industry in and of itself as students, from higher net worth families that can afford it, come here, study some English, transfer gobs of money from back home, and buy fancy cars and overpriced condos (I’m generalizing). After a few years their parents can apply to come over, thus the student essentially serves as an anchor to bring the rest of their family. An expensive way to immigrate. But, for many families, those fleeing China in particular, it made sense. Move to present day and these student VISA applications are now mostly from India, which has overtaken China in both total students and regular immigrants coming into Canada.

According to IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) the total number of immigrants into Canada has equalled 437,000 immigrants and 807,000 international students in 2022, alone. In a country of 38 million, 1.2 million new migrants needed a place to sleep, food to eat, and jobs to work. On a side note, how interesting is it when you go into any fastfood restaurant and see that a majority of the workers are young Indians. Being of Indian origin myself, I can’t say I mind it. In fact, I actually like that, “Can I please get some Chaat Masala

on my fries?” But, there’s no doubt these immigrant labourers are beating out Canadian born and raised kids who would have typically taken those jobs. Back to the subject, RBC recently put out a report that suggested high levels of immigration will lessen the impact on housing prices as higher mortgage rates put the squeeze on buyers. This is a nice way to say that immigrants must buy houses and they will do so at higher prices because … they have to, which isn’t very nice actually. But what else can they do? They have to buy, so they move into what’s available and dry out supply, and housing prices remain high.

The other line of thinking is that the construction industry is responsible for the lack of affordable housing because of labour shortages and higher materials costs. No doubt this does impact housing too, and to a great extent. How can you build an affordable home when the input costs are too high to begin with? To solve for part of the cost, the labour cost component anyway, the federal government believes that a massive influx of immigrants will reduce labour pressure because they will joyfully take all these skilledlabour construction jobs. But, the last time I checked most immigrants do not want to work in labour-intensive jobs. Many are university educated and will seek to bolster Canada’s professional labour pool instead. So, I don’t think we’re going to find a huge number moving to construction labour and thus, I also don’t think construction companies will be able to meet housing demand or be able to lower input costs associated with cheaper labour any time soon.

So, what’s the solution? I think there are two interesting ways to potentially solve for housing. The first and most obvious one is to reduce the number of immigrants coming into Canada. We could actually benefit by increasing the scrutiny, standards, requirements, and cash that immigrants would need, given the immense demand, and attract fewer, higher quality immigrants. Fewer immigrants, fewer places to sleep

required. Secondly, given it seems everyone wants to work from home these days, why not encourage that and start rezoning commercial office towers into residential apartments? Think of all the old buildings that have gotten converted into beautiful condos in almost every city imaginable. Why can’t, now somewhat empty, office towers convert into multi-family residential, or mixed-use with some office and some residential so that we start providing an almost ready source of affordable housing (conversion costs are lower than new builds, that’s just common sense) for the masses.

Unfortunately, the government and their advisers don’t see it this way. We are being told that we will break records again in 2023 for total immigrants and student VISAs. So, I’m sorry if you are looking for a home, or even an apartment, as renters are suffering from similar dynamics with extremely low vacancy rates causing massive rent increases across Canada. The bigger question, really, is how will things end up over the next few years? Especially considering that the current situation is untenable, unsustainable, and unaffordable. Something will have to give, maybe break. This does not bode well for Canada’s poor or those with lower incomes. Housing prices will have to come down, one way or another. Let’s just hope that homelessness of those who cannot afford a home aren’t the eventual cure to high prices.

Romel Dhalla, is 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. Contact him at romel@dacorp.ca. Any views or opinions represented in this article are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.

Romel Dhalla On The Money

Gary Brown Geocaching

There is plenty of fall season action before the snow flies.

A room with a view

As the seasons change, we start to spend more time in our homes.

I get asked many questions relating to different renovation projects inside the home, from basements to bathrooms, and each task is as important as the next. However, a big saving and immediate payback can come from replacing windows.

The average house age in Winnipeg is 40 years, and window technology has changed so much over those years. There is now understanding of optimal thermal efficiencies which produce cost savings for the homeowner. An added benefit in the latest technology is a greater sound barrier, reducing in-house noise from outside sources.

Should I replace my windows? What benefit will accrue if I do? What sort of investment am I looking at? All these questions will run through

Our

Democracy

your mind. Manitoba Hydro offers help in this area. This Hydro site will give you some sort of budgetary idea: https://www.hydro.mb.ca/ your_home/residential_loan/

Your renovator will also be able to offer assistance. You will want advice to help choose the right windows that best suit the fenestration of your home, giving the best look, feel and balance that adds good value to your biggest asset.

As a renovator I am asked many questions regarding windows. One such question is, if I do this, how much money on energy usage can I expect to save? On average, a homeowner will save around 8% on their energy bills when using energy-efficient windows, which tend to be 40% more effective than a conventional window. These windows are triple pane, low-argon gas sealed and honestly look and work fantastic. They ensure that the elements are kept out-

side and that energy bills stay low. Windows have evolved into something remarkable! The latest windows are also built to last.

If you have been putting off the decision to replace your aging windows concerned about the cost, Manitoba Hydro has a program that, for small incremental monthly payments, can help fit this important renovation into your budget. Again, speak with your renovator who can offer all the details you may require and help you access the program.

Remember, when choosing a renovator, make sure they are well-qualified, insured and come with many references.

Brent Poole is the owner operator of Handy Hands Construction, which he has run with his father Jim since 1997. A carpenter by trade, Brent enjoys all types of projects. “We’re not happy until you are happy.

The following story is part a new feature, the serialization of our columnist Wayne Weedon’s fictional work, Our Democracy. 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 1: Equality

To be continued next month

Pregnant and deserted by her lover, a young girl moves in with her grandfather. When the baby boy is born, the grandfather agrees to look after him so his granddaughter may go to work. Despite the age difference, the relationship between the boy and his great-grandfather was more like two siblings than that of an adult and child. As this boy grew into a young man, he loved to look back and tell stories about his great-grandfather, whom he always called “Pops”.

At my school, just about every boy was in the habit of wearing a baseball cap in class. Some wore them sideways and some with the peak to the back. I wore mine properly.

The first day I started grade six, everything changed. Miss Styles, our new teacher, announced, everyone must remove their caps while in class, explaining, it isn’t polite to wear hats in school. With much grumbling, all the boys took their caps off.

This all went very well until a new boy came to our school. It was in late fall, just before the first snow came, when this new student, Jasbir, was introduced to our class. He was wearing an orange-coloured hat with a knot on the top. Miss Styles told the class that Jasbir was an exception for wearing a hat in class since the Patka he wore is mandatory for his religion.

That evening I told Pops, my great-grandfather, about Jasbir’s hat. Pops stated that one exception to a law, voids that law. If one boy is allowed to wear a hat, then in all fairness, every boy should be allowed to wear a hat. He suggested that I tell this to my teacher, and I did, on the next day at school. Miss Styles did not agree with Pops, and she continued to enforce her no-hat policy.

A day later, Pops walked to school with me. Despite being ninety-three, Pops was energetic, and very articulate as he spoke with Miss Styles. Miss Styles did not concede. She suggested to Pops that he should speak with the school principal. The principal sided with Miss Styles. However, Pops would not capitulate. He announced that he would bring this matter up at the next school board meeting. Later, at home, Pops told me that the principal had downplayed the issue by suggesting to Pops he was being frivolous over a minor matter. This only got Pops’ dander up, and he declared, “Frivolous? No, this is not a frivolous matter. Our whole idea of equality is at risk. In Canada, every person must be treated in the same manner.”

That evening, after supper, Pops and I had a long talk about his thoughts on religion. He began by stating that Jasbir was in fact not a Sikh and therefore could not be using religion to justify wearing headgear. “I believe that Jasbir’s parents are Sikh, but Jasbir is under the age of majority and therefore he is too young to choose a religion. In Canada a child is not a parent’s chattel, and parents do not have the right to force a religion onto their child.”

I interjected, “But all children are brought up in their parents’ religion, isn’t that, right?”

“That is just the point I’m making. Canada, in theory, has justice and equality. But what we really have amounts to nothing other than ‘Might is Right’. Jasbir’s parents are bigger than he is and therefore they can force their religion on him. But that is not jus-

tice. In a free society each child should be raised with knowledge of all opinions and all beliefs, and when they reach the age of majority, they should have the right to choose their own path. They should have the right to decide which, if any religion, they wish to follow, and they must have the right to change beliefs as they see fit.”

“What religion are you Pops? You never go to church.”

“Me? I am non-dogmatic. I choose to follow no religion.”

“Aren’t you afraid of going to Hell?”

Pops laughed at me, “You are so serious and naïve. I don’t know where you got the idea that I’m going to Hell. It’s all a fairy tale, this Heaven and Hell. Didn’t you know that?”

“Nobody ever told me, and everyone at school takes Heaven and Hell for granted.”

Pops sprang to life, almost jumping from his chair as he went on, “That’s my point. We live in a country that theoretically has a secular government, but the government comes across as if there are no arguments about God, Heaven, and Hell. Should we also accept the tooth fairy and Santa Claus? Ridiculous!”

“Well, everyone believes in God. Right?”

“No, that is not right. There are billions of people who have no belief in a divinity and no belief in Heaven nor Hell. It’s just that this subject is not commonly spoken about.”

“Well, you see it on TV all the time. Even our politicians ask us to pray for this or pray for that.”

“Do you remember last Christmas when the news media was following Santa Claus’s sleigh? We watched it on television. They told us that our air traffic controllers could pick up Santa on their radar. Don’t you remember that?”

“Sure, I remember, but that was just a game to impress little kids. You always told me Santa Claus is a fairy tale and I knew they were just playing makebelieve.”

“Did it do you any harm to know the truth about Santa Claus right from the day you were born?”

“In a way it did. When some of my friends found out their parents had been untruthful, they got mad at me when they realised, I knew the truth all along and I didn’t tell them.”

“Now I’m telling you there is no God, but I don’t advise you to go spreading this knowledge to all your friends. It’s best to keep it to yourself. I realise, what a person needs to see is always right in front of their face, and they usually won’t see it until someone points it out to them. However, people tend to shoot the messenger. People are funny, they want the truth, but they don’t want the truth.”

“But aren’t you now being dogmatic by stating that there is no god? You said you were non-dogmatic.”

“You’re right; I am being dogmatic. I know, the only thing that one can be certain about is that there is nothing one can be certain about. Who knows, maybe there are gods; maybe there are no gods. How can one prove it one way or the other? How can one prove that there is a Santa Claus, or there is no Santa Claus? It cannot be done. All I can say is that, with the knowledge which I have right now, I cannot believe in any gods and I cannot believe in Heaven nor Hell.”

“But why should we bother about a god? What’s the purpose of it all? Why should one have a belief in

a god if one cannot prove there is a god?”

“Power, fear, and laziness on peoples’ part. People, for the most part do not want to think, do not want to make decisions, do not want to take blame for anything, and do not want to be edified. Our leaders use their god to rationalise their having power over us.”

I was bewildered as I answered, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Pops pulled a coin from his pocket, “Do you see these two letters on a Canadian coin, a D and a G followed by Regina? This stands for Dei Gratia Regina which is Latin for ‘Queen, by the grace of God’. Since one cannot prove the existence of a god and nobody is able to speak to a god, who can argue that the Queen does not sit on the throne by the grace of God? We are told that God has given the Queen power to rule over us. If we cannot disprove the existence of a god, we cannot argue against the British Queen’s claim.”

“Is that why god was invented?”

“Yes, God was devised by people who wanted to rule. They concocted Heaven and Hell to put fear over the people. Thankfully, no longer in Canada, but traditionally, anyone who denied God, or that God has placed their monarch on a throne, would have been executed. People have been compelled to go along with this sham and over the generations it has become a meme which nobody questions because it has become ingrained in our culture. Such Bible stories as Exodus or Joshua at Jericho, expose what the Bible really is, and Shakespeare revealed what monarchs really are in such plays as Richard the Third, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. It wasn’t God who put monarchs on their thrones, it was the sword. How many true believers bother to read their Bible or Shakespeare?”

Religion had never been discussed in our house and we never went to church, but I always assumed that my mom and Pops believed in God, just like everyone else. Now Pops was telling me that all along he never believed in any of it. I was shocked and I questioned him about it, “Why didn’t you tell me about not believing in God?”

“I am telling you now, and I’m also telling you that you are a free person and nobody’s chattel. You were brought up with no religion so that you may form your own beliefs.”

“So, you’re telling me, if I wanted to go to church, say a Catholic church, you wouldn’t try to stop me, or try to persuade me not to go?”

“No. In fact I would encourage you to go and find out what it’s all about. But I would tell you to go into it open minded and informed. Read the Bible along with some other books like those written by Charles Templeton, a born-again Christian who worked with Billy Graham, and then he exposed it all as a scam in his books. Read Tom Harpur, who was an Anglican Priest and professor of theology for over forty years. Later in life, he finally saw the light and he then denounced the Bible as a fairy tale. Read books by Richard Dawkins who reveals how life on earth came to be and how it has evolved over millions of years. Read as many books as you can on the subject, both pro and con. In short, don’t go into it with just blind faith like the church leaders encourage you to do. Go into it with an open and informed mind.”

Next Month: Chapter 2: Conflict and Compromise

Business legend Earl Barish believes in pay-it-forward to those less fortunate

It was in the summer of 2020 – at a time when Covid-imposed lockdowns were taking a heavy toll on his fellow Manitobans – and Earl Barish, Chair of the Board, and part owner of the iconic Salisbury House of Canada restaurant chain, was musing about how he and Salisbury House could make a positive difference for front-line employees working long hours under unprecedented and challenging conditions. His solution was Salisbury House’s Pay It Forward program.

“It was a win-winwin,” Barish noted in an interview with the St. Boniface Hospital Believe newsletter of the “Pay It Forward” program. “Our initiative allowed Manitobans to express their appreciation of our healthcare heroes.”

Salisbury House chain sold $25 gift cards, with $5 of each gift card donated to one of four hospital foundations – Cancer Care Manitoba, DASCH, Variety, and other pre-selected charities – of the buyer’s choosing, with Earl and his wife and partner, Cheryl, adding $2 more per Gift Card from their family foundation.

“The purchasers of our Sals gift cards can use them in our restaurants or give them as gifts,” Earl explains. “The gift cards can also be donated to any charity of choice in return for a tax receipt. The charities can in return give the gift cards to their employees – in a show of appreciation – or their clients. The Sals gift cards never expire!”

The St. Boniface Hospital Foundation has created a Salisbury House Employee of the Month using the cards, Earl points out, with the recipients in different departments being nominated by their supervisors or fellow employees. Every month, several worthy employees are each given a $100 Sals gift card as a sign of appreciation.

“We extended the program,” he adds, “to six items on our restaurant menu – with $3 of the price of any of those items being donated to the charity of the customer’s choice.”

The program was first introduced at Sals restaurant locations in August 2020, for a period of 10 weeks. Barish reintroduced the program last year to run for 10 weeks through September and October.

“To date, I have personally sold over 5,000 gift cards, with approximately 25% of the cards donated directly to the charities involved," Earl reports. “The initiative has so far raised more than $235,000 in gift cards and cash for the charities.”

I have known Earl Barish for something like 40 years and have always admired his sense of generosity. During our interview, he explained that his philosophy is tied to sharing his good fortune in life with those who through circumstance have not been as fortunate. A perfect example: in mid-August this year he celebrated his 80th Birthday with a strict NO GIFTS message. Instead, he asked invited guests to donate to the Children’s Hospital Foundation for their Shared Life program for children. Earl and Cheryl would match the total donated by the guests. The result: the children have a total donation of $22,638 to assist with their many needs while in the hospital. A great birthday present!

We conducted the interview in what he refers to as his Sugar Shack, a one-room, cabin-like structure behind his house, replete with mementoes of his varied business career and philanthropic endeavours. There is, for example, a Dickie Dee bicycle, the original iconic brand that Earl was associated with; a Richard D's freezer with a choice of gourmet ice cream bars and a full make-your-own sundae and milk shake bar with six flavours of ice cream as well as a variety of syrup flavours and dry toppings (can't forget the whipping cream and the maraschino cherry). There is also an old-fashioned popcorn machine with popcorn, a dish filled with M&M’s and another with chocolate kisses and more.

As with many successful businessmen whom I have known over 40 years as a journalist, Earl comes from modest beginnings. In 1957 and 1958 Earl rode a Dickie Dee ice cream bike for Syd Glow, the then owner. In 1959, while Earl was still in his teens, his parents Jack and Mary acquired the iconic Dickie Dee

ice cream business which included eight of those then ubiquitous bicycles with which Earl was first associated in the public mind. From 1959 to 1963, Earl worked in Dickie Dee during the summers to earn enough to put himself through university. In June of 1963 he graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Management (then called the School of Commerce) with a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration and Finance at the age of 19.

Initially, Earl pursued a career in management –first with The Bay and later Eaton’s – two other wellremembered brands. It was in 1970 that he resigned his position as store manager of Eaton’s warehouse bargain centre and rejoined the family business as co-owner with his parents and his brother, Sid. The siblings divided the territory between them, with Sid overseeing operations in Eastern Canada and Earl looking after Western Canada. Coincidentally the dividing city that was the beginning of the Western territory was Thunder Bay where Earl was born (then Fort William). Under the leadership of Earl and Sid, Dickie Dee bikes became a fixture in cities from Coast to Coast in Canada.

In 1992, the Barish Brothers sold their ice cream business to Unilever-Good Humor-Breyers. In succeeding years, Earl became involved with Pop Rocks. He acquired the world rights to sell Pop Rocks in bulk (that were produced in Spain) as an inclusion in Ice Cream followed by the exclusive world rights to sell Pop Rocks to Nestlé worldwide as an inclusion in their chocolate and other products. He was successful in selling to 50 countries in the world.

Earl and Cheryl promoted major entertainment events such as Buddy (the Buddy Holly story) and The Legends of Rock and Roll outdoors at the baseball park and a rock and roll event called A Night to Remember at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. In 2002, Earl promoted a successful tennis match in Winnipeg between Monica Seles and Anna Kournikova.

A passionate sports fan, Earl helped found the International Basketball Association (IBA) – which included his own Winnipeg Cyclone. He served as president of the IBA for its first four years in existence. After six years, it merged with the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). For two years, the well-known NBA Star, Darryl 'Chocolate Thunder' Dawkins was the coach of the Cyclone, a real coup for Winnipeg.

His involvement with Salisbury House began in 2001 when the now 92-year-old Winnipeg-based restaurant chain was purchased by a group of Winnipeg businessmen – including Earl and Cheryl – from a Montreal-based company that had owned the operation since 1979. Earl became Sals’ President and CEO and majority owner in 2006 when the previous people in charge ran into financial trouble.

Earl proceeded to revitalize Sals – refreshing older locations and adding new locations in Winnipeg and, for the first time in many years, outside of Winnipeg. Today, he remains Chair of the Board and part owner along with Cheryl.

Earl and Cheryl have had a long association with numerous charitable endeavours over the years, but

his longest association is with the Jewish social service organization B’nai Brith Canada, where he has been involved for over 50 years. His commitment to community through B’nai Brith earned him the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for Service which was bestowed on him in 2013. In 2020 he was awarded the International B'nai Brith President's Award for achievement in greatness in the name of B'nai Brith. Worldwide there were recipients from nine countries. This was the first-time award to a Canadian.

Over the past 15 years, the annual B’nai Brith Afternoon with the Goldeyes, this year on August 13, has provided a special afternoon for more than 12,000 recipients from more than 70 social service agencies in our community. " This year, we provided more than 1,300 packages.” he says. The package – in addition to the ticket to the baseball game – consists of a full Salisbury House lunch – including a beverage, a hand-dipped chocolate iced donut, an orange and ice cream and a gift set composed of a commemorative knapsack, sunglasses, an LED pocket/purse flashlight, and a baseball cap, all at no charge.

This is not a one-person, one-day operation. Earl spends several months lining up sponsors/donors, buying the gifts and working with agencies and providing them with what these need for their clients. Close to 70 individuals and businesses donated to this year’s Afternoon with the Goldeyes. More than 30 volunteers helped to make it happen.

A more recent Earl and Cheryl Barish initiative –through the B’nai Brith League for Human Rights – is the Diverse Minds Creative Writing Competition intended to encourage Manitoba high school students to imagine, create, illustrate and deliver an original book geared to grades one to five that promotes human rights and, at the same time, benefits and enlightens other Manitobans. Earl and Cheryl underwrote the cost for the initial year and based on its success, it is now in its fifth year. The competition has expanded from coast to coast in Canada. “Focusing on the values of diversity and inclusion, the goal of the program,” Cheryl says, “is to empower youth to become role models for each other and understand that their impact can reach beyond the classroom.”

The Canadian winner, chosen in Winnipeg in September, is selected from the five regional finalists across Canada. This finalist received $5,000 and had their book published. These books are then provided at No Charge to all the schools and libraries in Manitoba. The award for second place is $2,500 and for 3rd place is $1,500.

Earl and Cheryl are also currently supporting B’nai Brith in expanding its two-year-old food box program and clothing depot for those in need in our community. Earl reports that the organization will soon be opening a physical location to be able to ramp up the new service.

In summing up, Earl states "Those who are able to, ought to nurture our community. I am a businessman and a firm believer that people who are successful should Pay-it-Forward and give to others in need."

Myron Love

Earl and Cheryl.

How trees get by in extreme weather

Canada's climate is far too extreme for growth in winter. So how do the above-ground parts of woody perennials cope with a Canadian winter? How can you help? Water them well before freeze up, especially in a dry years such as we have had in West Winnipeg. Really concerned tree owners will even go to the extent of drilling two inch wide holes a foot apart and five inches deep all around the root zone to ensure that the water penetrates to feeder roots.

Leaves

Some trees (deciduous) drop their most sensitive and exposed organs, their leaves, and replace them with new ones each season. Still, their twigs need protection, as do the leaves in evergreen species. To survive, the tree produces its own sort of antifreeze, using sugars to stop water from freezing and rupturing precious plant tissue during the winter. This, combined with the export of water from live cells, results in a very low freezing point for trees. In mid-winter, depending on location and species, trees can tolerate -40° C or worse.

Twigs and buds

Winter twigs have buds, usually with brown scales, which contain several embryonic leaves. But if the plant is old enough (10 to 15 years for most species) some of these buds will contain embryonic flowers, or “strobili” in the conifers. With a lot of luck, these will later form fruit, or cones. But the buds wait until they have experienced winter before growing. This is why it's no use to pick cherry twigs in December in the hopes of an indoor display of blossoms – they are dormant and "know" it's still winter.

The buds are really just condensed shoots, and in them are often all that will grow in the early summer. Some species expand whatever embryonic leaves are in the bud, and may produce more. Generally, shoot growth is over

in a few weeks.

After winter the buds are still inactive. They would like to grow, but it is still too cold, and they must wait for warmth.

As spring approaches, the plant cells begin to divide and expand. Frost hardiness is reduced, so a spring frost can be very damaging to a tree and prevent it from flowering and later producing fruit.

Spring leaves

The first leaves that grow in spring can be so bright that they are almost fluorescent green. The green pigment is chlorophyll, which is helped in its photosynthesizing endeavors by carotenes. The yellow-green carotene pigments are by the green, so we don't see them until the chlorophyll production begins to diminish in fall.

Throughout summer, the tree is busy photosynthesizing. This results in the production of wood, growth of leaves, building of buds and root growth.

Fall colour

In September, the tree anticipates the approach of colder temperatures with the advent of longer nights. The tree begins to grow dormant and frost hardy, dropping leaves (in deciduous species) and stopping production of chlorophyll. (Curiously, this pigment is easily destroyed by light, so it needs continual replacement.) In the fall, it's no longer replaced, and the carotenes are exposed, revealing the display of yellows and oranges.

Aspen (Populus tremula) is perhaps the best example of a species whose leaves turn a clear butter-yellow. In some species, the leaf produces a red pigment, which is anthocyanin. Mixed with carotenes, this gives a range of colour from red to orange. Some species, like sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and some of the ashes, produce anthocyanin before the chlorophyll level is reduced, and so red, yellow and green pigments mix to produce a deep purple leaf.

In late fall to early winter, the tree becomes dormant again and the cycle will repeat.

Upali Nilmalgoda carried the Sri Lanka Community Garden Project

Senaka Samarasinghe

After a discussion of the Board Directors of Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba (SLSM) held on May 19, 2023 it was decided to initiate a community garden project. The project started in June 2023 an a selected location on Cadboro Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Upali Nilmalgoda, one of the senior members of the SLSM and an experienced agriculture scientist, carried this project. Upali’s focus was to cultivate Sri Lankan leafy plants such as gotu kola (a broad-leafed member of the parsley family used medicinally) and vegetables such as bitter gourd (karavila) in our backyards. Upali did land preparation, designing of plots, and vegetables. He also watered and fertilized the crops with superb weed management. Upali did not forget to cultivate local varieties.

Corn, five types of capsicum, three kinds of tomatoes, two types of cucurbits and beets were successfully

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bership. Indra Ariyaratne, President, SLSM is capable of writing lyrics for Sinhala songs.

The Board of Directors of the SLSM allowed Immediate Past President, SLSM Senaka Samarasinghe to discuss with Sunil Edirisinghe, Sri Lankan classical musician, playback singer and Presidential award winner (1983) to sing a theme song for seniors. Senaka conducted extensive discussions with Sunil. He subsequently agreed to sing a song and its lyrics will be written by Indra.

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growing due to his skilful knowledge.

Crops were harvested on the August 27 and the members of the SLSM and the community members bought the harvested vegetable at a fair price.

Sri Lankan Seniors: Achieved another objective

Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba (SLSM) happy to declare that they achieved another objective to blossom up talents among their mem-

Further, part of the negotiation was to sing the song by Sunil in Sri Lankan and to do a song-video by the SLSM from Winnipeg. For video-shooting we handed it to Udesh Gamage, and he selected The Leaf of the Assiniboine Park as the location. Based on thinking about the lyrics, Indra selected the dress code for participants. SLSM members participated for the rare occasion on Sept 10, 2023 at 11.00 am. After finalizing the above process, SLSM will plan with Sunil for the date to publish the song.

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Photo by LuminatePhotos by Judith, courtesy of Shutterstock.

Dr. John Worrall