Bike theft: A comprehensive prevention action plan
Sel Burrows
Winnipeg is the crime capital of Canada.
That’s something we should all be concerned about, whether we live in a safe suburban neighbourhood, or our very high crime inner city communities. Bicycle theft relates to both inner city and suburban communities since many people won’t cycle into downtown or shopping areas out of fear their bike will be stolen. It is the City of Winnipeg’s responsibility to act on crime. Policing and by law enforcement come under Mayor Gillingham.
Bicycle theft is frustrating, expensive and easy to get away with. To reduce the rate of bike theft action is required by several different government and civil society entities. When I speak to groups one of my opening phrases is, “Meth and opioid addicts have the best support system available! They have access 24/7 to a dealer that will provide them with their illegal dangerous product. If the customer doesn’t have any money their dealers give them their meth and says, ‘Go and steal two bicycles for me to pay for your hits’.”
Bike theft is a lucrative industry for addicts who can either sell the stolen bike to a fence who will sell it or trade the bike for drugs. While it isn’t only addicts stealing bicycles, the sense that bicycle
thieves generally can get away with thefts attracts people looking for an easy theft target. I have reported numerous bike chop-shops and places where bikes are gathered for sale. Police have raided the locations and discovered 30 or more bikes and none that were reported stolen. It is discouraging for police when they know a bike is stolen but they can’t prove it. Once over 50% of bikes are registered, police have a decent chance of making arrests. I have to say that recently a Point Douglas neighbour called me to report three stolen bikes. I sent the photos to a senior police officer and the next morning two police cars arrived at the address, recovered the bikes and made arrest and we assume the
thief was charged.
To stop the wholesale theft of bikes we must be able to arrest bike thieves and sellers of stolen bicycles in sufficient numbers so that it is no longer a lucrative criminal act.
Because so few bikes are registered, and people don’t remember their serial number, it is often impossible for police to arrest thieves and recover bikes. There is a series of actions that need to happen to convince criminals that bike theft has a high possibility of arrest and a low-income return.
1. The online bicycle registry Garage 529 is an excellent beginning to deal with bike theft. Already over a hundred sto-
“We don’t want your kind here.” For many years that was the response from club and pub owners when Indigenous musicians and singers attempted to play non-Indigenous venues. Discrimination and racism were a reality for these performers if they ever ventured beyond the security of the Main Street strip hotels. “I was always drawn back to the Main Street strip because that was where I was appreciated,” states awardwinning blues musician Billy Joe Green.
“I knew I was a good a singer but I couldn’t get the bookings, the A rooms, because I was labelled an Aboriginal singer,” recalled St. Laurent, Manitoba-born Métis singer/ songwriter Gloria Desjarlais, who, as a teenager, began performing at the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre tal-
‘Indigenous performers' u
John Einarson
Gloria Desjarlais.
Lynn and Liana Designs: from Steinbach to Hollywood and around the world
The idea of going from a small town to Hollywood or New York is often romanticized in movies. Yet, for a Steinbach company that began in a garage just over six years ago this is a reality that just keeps getting bigger.
It began in 2018 when Mike Cancade, Candice Cancade, Melissa Funk and Evan Funk were introduced to a new plant-enhanced resin made with soybean oil (called UVPoxy) that was being made by friends in Morris, Manitoba. The resin combined with colours created unique individual art. After some back and forth, the four Steinbach residents landed on the idea of creating cheese or charcuterie boards by combining the resin with high quality wood to create serving trays. Not only did this create a beautiful board on which to serve guests, it ensured that no two were the same as the colourful resin created a unique pattern every pour.
Steinbach
these initial products on Instagram and within only a couple of months drew interest from stores in New York City. Soon nearly a dozen stores in the Big Apple would carry the Steinbach-made boards. Growth continued to be steady with one of the original four owners, Evan, being able to pursue the business full time nearly a year after it began. Trade show appearances in Atlanta and New York added to the list of stores carrying the product and by the end of 2019 that number had grown to 60. This growth led the business out of the garage and into its first real manufacturing location on Main Street in Steinbach where it would stay until 2021 when continued growth resulted in a new manufacturing location in a Steinbach industrial park that provided 6500 square feet of production space. A long way from its humble garage beginnings.
posts, Lynn and Liana Designs has now grown into a company with both individual and corporate customers. Professional sports teams looking for serving boards in their team colours have joined other corporations as customers of Lynn and Liana Designs. Today the company does business with over 2,000 stores around the world including in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and Japan.
From this was born what would be known as Lynn and Liana Designs. At its inception, it was a business that created functional art (a serving board with artistic flair) through the making of a few dozen boards in a garage when the creators were finished their daytime jobs. They posted
TURTLE MOUNTAIN
What proved to be the most surprising development for the young company is the interest that was being felt from Hollywood. An initial partnership with Johnson & Johnson in 2021 led to connections that provided an opportunity to have the Lynn and Liana boards placed in Hollywood gift bags. This resulted ultimately in place-
ment in gift bags for The Golden Globes, The Grammy’s and Mother’s Day gifting for new celebrity mothers such as Mandy Moore, Meghan Trainor, Hilary Duff and Emma Roberts. Trainor was so impressed with the Lynn and Liana serving boards that she ultimately ordered 70 to be gifted to the cast and crew of a new show she was creating in Hollywood.
Seeing celebrities post pictures with their Steinbach made product was not only surreal, it proved to be invaluable advertising for Lynn and Liana Designs which would go on to be featured on Good Morning America, The View and in magazines like Reader’s Digest and Forbes.
Far from selling to a few customers who stumbled upon those early Instagram
As the retail environment and economic reality is always changing, so to are businesses. Lynn and Liana Designs continues to introduce new products and listens to their customers about the type of products they desire. The company serves as an example of the success you can have when you believe in your product, listen to your customers and dream big. Chief Executive Officer Melissa Funk shares this story as an encouragement to young woman entrepreneurs as well as all of those who have a desire to enter the business world. For Steinbach specifically and for Manitoba generally, it is a reminder that the world is reachable, even from the starting point of your own garage.
If you would like to be part of the Lynn and Liana story, you can view their products at their online store at www.lynnliana. com.
Kelvin Goertzen is the current MLA for the constituency of Steinbach. He has served in several Cabinet roles including Manitoba Premier and Deputy Premier
Communities forced to take the lead in attracting doctors
Iwould like to continue this month, talking about healthcare in Southwestern Manitoba and its challenges.
Healthcare is a central pillar to all Manitobans, and this becomes even more important as we age. Regular and reliable access to a trusted family physician can be the difference between staying confidently in one's own home or needing to consider assisted living later in life.
The key component to this relationship is trust. I want to be clear; this is not an attack on the doctors that we do get in rural Manitoba, but far too often in rural communities we see a doctor arrive for a few years and get lured away by Toronto or Vancouver because many Canadian jurisdictions are offering attractive incentive programs. This makes it difficult to form a true relationship with your physician. In far too many communities it is too common to see the local clinic written down as the Family Doctor.
Incentive programs are not the only way to recruit and retain medical professionals, but it shows the competition from neighbouring jurisdictions. A new doctor
Piwniuk
looking to set up a practice in Moosomin would be offered up to $200,000 over a five-year period from the Saskatchewan government, whereas if they hung their shingle in Virden, Manitoba would potentially offer them only $25,000 payable after 3 years of service. We are also challenged by the reduction, by this current NDP government, of personal tax exemptions for individuals earning more than $200,000. This results in higher taxes for our Manitoba doctors adding another disadvantage to our ability to compete with neighbours to the west. What this does show is the challenge that our communities have in attracting doctors. That is why I am so excited to see communities step up and put their best foot forward, by showcasing the amazing value and benefits of our communities. Local efforts do pay amazing dividends. Recent showcases on the work of the RM of Killarney-Turtle Mountain drives this home. The council there decided to invest in their town, and we see two UK doctors set to arrive in the community shortly. I want to extend a hearty Turtle Mountain welcome to Drs. Heptinstall and Hennessy!
How
often
Shandy Walls
TIt has always been said that local problems have local solutions, but when considering a system as large as our provincial healthcare system we should not have to rely on dedicated councils to always be able to step in provide that local solution. The danger of a one-size-fits-all system to address these staffing needs is that the goal of attracting doctors to Manitoba can be lost in favour of short-term gains. We saw that last month when it was reported that Carberry was able to find an additional doctor for their community, only by hiring them away from Roblin. When communities are competing amongst each other for a limited pool of doctors we just spread the problem around.
Our PC government provided funding for a program to help our rural communities with doctor retention and doctor recruitment, but this program was suspended a few months ago.
That is regrettable. This new NDP government needs to work in partnership with our local communities and local governments to attract doctors to our communities in the region.
Doyle Piwniuk is the MLA for Turtle Mountain. His column will be an ongoing feature in Lifestyles to help promote our knowledge and understanding about the amazing things happening in the part of our province.
can a community say NO before it dies?
he RM of Springfield is known for many things: Bird’s Hill Provincial Park, Cook’s Creek Immaculate Conception Church and Grotto, Hazelridge (Perogy capital of Canada), home of Ace Burpee, its robust equestrian community and many other interesting towns and people.
From a business and political perspective, the reputation is quite different.
Elected as a municipal councillor in 2014, I was shocked to receive a call from a political friend who had read the election results and, I quote, said to me “I had no idea you were running in “The RM of We-Don’t-Know-Whatthe-$!#&-We-Are-Doing!”. Being
equally amused and slightly offended, I dismissed this as a singular opinion. . . until I attended my first AMM conference the following month. Here I was introduced to another mayor as being newly elected councillor in “The RM of We-Don’t-Know-What-the-$!#&-WeAre-Doing!”
This mayor said, “Oh, Springfield!” It was a long four years.
If Springfield was not recognized as being open-minded, progressive or business friendly in 2014, it has gotten exponentially worse.
Located just east of Transcona within the capital region, Springfield could potentially be the solution for a lot of our provincial challenges. With a housing shortage and 65,000 new Manitobans in three years, we could be the answer to
the housing shortage. We have natural resources that, responsibly developed, could create true economic growth.
However, we are also a community alive with CAVErs (Citizens Against Virtually Everything).
In the past 10 years, Springfield has said No to development, No to a Rec Centre, No to increased water and sewer infrastructure, No to municipal water, and have even attempted to remove existing business. There have been unsanctioned phone “referendums” run by two elected councillors, who also directly say to call and vote “NO” to whatever issue the referendum is addressing.
A group of citizens regularly petitions against initiatives to the municipal board as only 25 signatures are required to slow down progress.
Which is why the recent provincial decision to increase the signature requirements to 300 will maybe, just maybe, get some wheels turning again in Springfield and allow some forward movement in responsible, well-planned growth.
Stuart McLean, beloved Canadian storyteller and author, shared stories of small towns across Canada in Welcome Home where he speaks of once vibrant towns that, refusing growth, have become ghost towns. Change may be hard and scary and require compromise but the current culture of “Us vs. Them” is not serving any of us.
I fear that if Springfield cannot embrace the notion of change and responsible development, our next moniker will be “The-RM-of-Not-In-My-Backyard”.
Kelvin Goertzen News from
Lynn and Liana Designs co-owner Mike Cancade and Kelvin at their Steinbach manufacturing location.
Doyle
News from Turtle Mountain
SPRINGFIELD
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ISSUES IN THE NEWS
The democracy deficit
Using your “safety” to control you and curtail your freedom
All over the world there is a growing concern about the creeping erosion of democracy and democratic values.
The weapons against freedom and democracy are subtle. Fear is one. Guilt is another. Often erosion manifests in small losses of freedom taken from you in the name of your “safety”.
Think about what happened during COVID when so many of your freedoms were curtailed in the same of “safety”. We were told that we faced an existential threat, that this disease would kill vast numbers of people if we didn’t comply with the prescribed safety measures. And when some defied that threat, willing to risk their own safety, they were further coerced by guilt: “If you don’t wear your mask and stay home and don’t go to church or have weddings, see your dying loved ones in hospital, you are putting others at risk.”
After the Spanish Flu in 1918, there were studies to see how effective the measures of control were and the conclusion by many was that shutdowns were at best a temporary measure that would be followed by a secondary outbreak when those who had not been exposed were even more vulnerable. This was demonstrated in China which took the shutdowns to the greatest possible degree. As soon as the restrictions were lifted, they got a second wave, but this time, although they tried it. The shutdowns were largely ignored and the authorities gave up. The outbreak abated on its own. After all, the virus has no future if it kills too many of its hosts.
terror was the loss of personal freedom and the mistaken idea that the state had a right to impose it.
Let us look at it in another way. We are all free agents. Our individual safety is our individual responsibility. To turn your safety over to another is to give up your autonomy. Even the concept that someone besides yourself is responsible for your safety is a notion that has no basis in truth. Yes, we can help others and do our best to protect those who need it, but that help should be given freely and accepted without loss of autonomy.
Evidence from countries such as South Africa and Sweden, where shutdown measures were not in place, shows that they lost no more and sometimes fewer than did countries with draconian measures imposed in the name of safety. In the post pandemic studies of 1918, many concluded that this incursion into individual freedom should never happen again – but it did
Canadians accepted this bullying with barely a whimper. Even though it was evident that workers such as grocery store clerks, who were on the front lines, were not dropping like flies, that airline attendants and airport workers, bus drivers and all the other essential services workers were not succumbing in large numbers, the myth persisted that these protections were actually working and that the imposition of limits to our freedoms were worth it.
In my view, they were not worth it, and we are all still suffering today. Little kids lost two or three of their formative years being kept at home in fear. Young people, studying in their bedrooms are today filled with anxiety and many are battling mental illness.
But more than any harm perpetrated by this war of
That is not to say that we do not willingly confer, from time to time, the right to limit our freedoms in the case of a threat such as war, but even here, we must guard against this becoming an excuse to continue the punishment once the threat is over. Governments can too quickly learn to appreciate their additional power. It takes a group of brave men and women such as those in the truckers’ convoy to bring a halt to this overstepping of undemocratic actions.
Governments have also long used the threat of an external enemy to keep us in line. You just have to read the reports about clandestine foreign meddling in Canadian affairs by first China and now India, the world’s largest democracy. Why would they bother invading us? China can simply and more cheaply buy what they need or want. And neither of them has even exhibited any warlike ambitions towards North America. But the supposed threat is enough to support government arguments that they need to assume special powers to protect us.
Finally, one of the things making air travel so miserable these days is the ancient threat that we will be blown out of the sky by some unnamed bomber who might carry a few ounces of liquid or a sharp object to bring us all to our knees in the air. There have been air bombings almost as long as there have been air passenger flights, but the chances of being blown up are very small compared to the number of flights around the world each day, yet every passenger on an large airline is subjected to invasive requests to remove parts of their clothing and sometimes to submit to a personal search including touching body parts you only provide access to from a loved on. Having a Nexus card is no guarantee that this won’t happen to you (it happened to me in Vancouver last month). This represents a loss of freedom in the name of “safety”.
My son-in-law is routinely stopped for extra attention because he has a common name that is also attached to some evil doer. This provides a minor functionary to invade his privacy, delay his departure and generally harass him. He is not alone.
The moral of this long tirade? Loss of freedom in the name of safety is something we must learn to guard against. Stand up and object!
Dorothy Dobbie
Monica Chen, conductor
What is the best way to achieve tax fairness?
We all know that paying our fair share of taxes is a normal part of democracy. You do not have to be NDP or Liberal to want the best for people and to know that we need the means to provide shared services for those who need them. Tories are just as compassionate as everyone else in this great, generous country. What is different is how we believe these funds should be delivered. The left-wing side claims that the very rich should pay the bill and that they currently don’t pay their fair share. That is not true. The very rich pay an inordinate share of the tax bill as a percentage of income, but the middle class pays the most in volume because there are more of them in numbers.
I find the mantra about “taxing the rich” counterproductive. We have been punishing our most productive people in order to pay for social services that the NDP, particularly, force everyone to consume so that those needing help will not feel humiliated about getting it. Case in point: I got a cheque this month for $51.61 from the Feds – had no clue what it was for, but I gather that when you reach a certain income level (which seniors do), you “qualify” for this “rebate” on GST paid. What a waste of resources to monitor my income and decide when to send me a cheque without any proof that I need it. And frankly, in today’s economic climate, what good will $51.61 do for the average person?
government gave everyone a tax break at the gas pumps. Instead of refusing to collect and remit the carbon tax like Saskatchewan did, they cynically “gifted” us by removing the tax at the pumps. This move favours many businesses. But it is no gift. That tax burden will simply be shifted to some other tax – probably income tax – hurting everyone, not just the drivers, and particularly impacting lowincome people.
That is not to say that low-income people should not get tax breaks. It is to say that rebates such as this, and the carbon tax cheques are not the way to go. Governments collect my money at great expense and then hand some of it back to me – also at great expense. What makes more sense to me is to simply stop taxing low-income people. Let them keep their meagre funds and make their own decisions.
Here in Manitoba, Premier Stefanson started in the right direction in her last, very progressive, budget. She raised the taxation floor from $10,145 to $15,000 with a promise to raise it again until it reached $20,000 (Alberta’s floor is $19,000). What this means is that someone earning $20,000 a year (and there are many) would not pay provincial tax on that the first $15,000 of their income. Currently, a person earning $20,000 a year, would be making $1,666.66 per month or about $284.62 per week. The federal and provincial governments would take about $5,899, leaving you with $1,175 per month, or $14,100 per year.
Could you live on that? Even without the tax, it would be very tough. So why are we taxing below-minimumwage people at all? At $15 per hour, the wage earner is raking in only $31,200 per year, but his take home pay is only $21,800. How is that productive?
And of course, there is the federally imposed carbon tax which most punishingly increases your home heating bill on natural gas, over which you have no control unless you are wealthy enough to install heat pumps or some other energy saving aid. Then, for some inexplicable reason, the new provincial
Income taxes and what is fair
EDobbie vs Dobbie
I agree that home ownership taxes should be reduced and removed, but I disagree with sending out rebate cheques, which our Tory government introduced. Just let us keep our money by simply reducing the tax.
Think about it. “Rebates” are just political ploys to buy your votes with someone else’s money. Makes no sense to me.
Yes, we have to pay taxes to afford shared services that we agree are necessary to a healthy community. But over-taxation leads to tax avoidance, sending the economy underground or overseas, where no taxes are collected for our joint endeavours.
“For example, Ibn Khaldun, a 14thcentury Muslim philosopher born in Tunisia, wrote in his work The Muqaddimah: “It should be known that at the beginning of the dynasty, taxation yields a large revenue from small assessments. At the end of the dynasty, taxation yields a small revenue from large assessments.” Now called the “Laffer Curve” for American economist Arthur Laffer, this is expressed as a graph that starts at 0% tax with zero revenue, rises to a maximum rate of revenue at an intermediate rate of taxation, and then falls again to zero revenue at a 100% tax rate.”
With a balanced tax system at the ideal level, industry grows, tax rolls increase naturally, so services can also be increased. When taxes creep too high, the actual level of money collected begins to diminish.
Right now, taxation is out of balance with the forces of prosperity. We need new ideas and better methods to find the sweet spot that brings in needed revenue while encouraging growth. Recently economists at the Fraser Institute proposed a novel idea: that corporations would be taxed only on profits distributed to shareholders, but that profits reinvested in the company would not be taxed. That is a perfect incentive to drive development and growth.
Finally, money does not solve all problems and indeed can mask them if offered too lavishly. Our governments need to stop trying to buy our votes and, instead, focus on providing reasonable services, encouraging the private sector (and that includes not for profits and volunteers) to participate and grow, and finally enable more competition and fewer monopolies, including those run by crown corporations.
veryone knows you have to pay taxes, and most of us agree that we get some value in return. However, the feeling that we’re paying too much is widespread, no matter where you sit on the income spectrum. In Canada, there are five federal tax brackets, and it seems like most people, regardless of which one they’re in, feel like the system isn’t quite fair. Personally, I didn’t give much thought to income taxes before. It was one of those necessary evils, and I always assumed a flat tax would be the best system. A flat tax, where everyone pays the same percentage regardless of income, seems fair because if you make more, you still pay more. It’s considered “regressive” in modern terms since it doesn’t scale based on ability to pay, but I thought it was equitable—everyone pays their share, just not a higher percentage as income rises, which is what happens under a “progressive” tax system.
sultants. That budget jumped from $7 billion in 2014 to over $17 billion by 2022.
Still, none of these factors fully explain why we feel so heavily burdened by taxes. In fact, income tax rates have been going down since the 1970s. Between 1970 and 2016, the top federal rate dropped from 60% to 29%, and the lowest bracket fell from 17% to 15%. Manitoba’s rates have stayed largely unchanged since the 1990s, ranging from 17.4% to 10.8%. The only recent increase has been a new tax bracket for high earners, introduced by the Trudeau government in 2016, which levies 33% on income over $200,000 (that threshold will be adjusted to $235,675 for 2024, due to inflation). To be clear, if you make $250,000 this year, you will pay 33% only on just over $14,000 of the total, not on the entire amount.
But when you start researching taxes, as I did (with the help of ChatGPT, though it’s not flawless), you come across interesting findings. If we applied a flat tax rate of around 19% to everyone, without any deductions or credits, we’d bring in the same amount of money as the government does under the current system. Sounds appealing, right?
Here’s the catch: under the existing tax structure, most people, particularly those earning under $60,000, actually pay less than 19% when all the deductions and credits are factored in. So how could a government switch to a system that would end up increasing taxes for those making less than $60,000? No government would dare, and frankly, I wouldn’t vote for them if they tried.
Let’s take a look at how we got to this point in the first place.
Before 1917, income taxes didn’t even exist in Canada. But there was also no universal healthcare, no old age pension, and infrastructure like roads and parks was often built in a piecemeal fashion. Then came World War I, and everything changed. The war, along with its aftermath, locked in the need for taxes.
Since then, income taxes have helped build the foundation of the Canada we know today: roads, medical care, pensions, and more. We also send a lot of money abroad – roughly $7 billion in foreign aid per year – and support businesses ($25 billion annually) and education ($112 billion annually) here at home.
Maybe this helps explain why taxes feel so high, or maybe it’s the ballooning cost of government con-
It’s not just those in the 33% tax bracket who feel taxed to death, though. People in this bracket make up only about 1.4% of the population (as of 2020), and while they’re vocal, they also benefit less from the various social programs funded by taxes. Sure, they get healthcare and education like everyone else, but they often don’t rely on other social supports.
It could be all the other taxes that weigh us down: GST, PST, property taxes, gas taxes—the list goes on. (Nonetheless, many of us voluntarily chip in for the “idiot tax” by buying lottery tickets, but I digress.)
Another possibility is that we just don’t trust the government to manage our tax dollars carefully. When we hear about MPs flying business class on the taxpayer’s dime, we’re outraged. (Though, if you ask me, anyone flying as much as a Manitoba MP for work deserves the comfort.)
Government officials don’t treat tax dollars with the same care they might with their own money, simply because it doesn’t feel like their own. It’s our money. And the people providing services to the government often overcharge because they know they can get away with it. To combat this, the government adds more layers of bureaucracy, but instead of solving the problem, it just drives costs higher because companies charge more to deal with the extra red tape.
Ultimately, it's natural to want to keep more of what you earn and feel frustrated when taxes take a big bite. On the flip side, when you're the one receiving government business or grants, it’s tempting to expect more for less. The government is caught between these two forces, collecting from those who want to hold onto their money and distributing it to those who demand more.
The next time you see your pay stub and think about what you could have done with that portion lost to taxes, consider how much higher it might have been decades ago. And when you're next in line for government support, perhaps pause to reflect on that— and maybe temper your expectations just a little.
Dorothy Dobbie Shauna Dobbie
u Bike theft: A comprehensive prevention action plan
len bikes have been returned to their owners. However, bike theft continues to be a major impediment to increased cycling. For the registry to be effective it requires a significant percentage of bicycles to be registered. We need to really encourage people to register their bikes. Two actions are required to increase the number of bikes registered
a. The city must require all bicycles sold to be registered at the time of sale. This is no cost to the retailer. Large bike retailers such as Walmart and Canadian Tire and small specialty bike sales stores are all willing to register bikes at the point of sale. This requires the City of Winnipeg to change the bike registry by law. Once every new bike is registered, the police have a reasonable chance of arresting bike thieves.
b. The City of Winnipeg must undertake a major advertising campaign to encourage bike owners to register their bikes. This should involve social media and regular media. The city could enter into an agreement with Bike Winnipeg to have them coordinate the media campaign. Everyone reading this article should register their bike today by Googling 529 Garage. The site walks you through the registration process. It’s easy and means if your bike is stolen police can find out online who the bike belongs to. Remember, it’s free to register your bike. Do it now.
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE
2. Police must make the interdiction of stolen bike locations a priority. Residents should be encouraged to contact police when they observe a location with numerous bikes and where bikes are being dismantled. In the inner city these sites are called “bike chop shops”. Where bikes have the serial number defaced or removed there should be criminal charges. It is illegal to remove the serial number from a bike.
Sel Burrows Community Spotlight
3. Often criminals load up a truck or trailer and take stolen bikes to surrounding small communities to be sold at marked down prices. Winnipeg police should contact the RCMP and town administrators asking that action be taken to seize bikes that may be stolen property until the legality of their sale is confirmed.
4. The City of Winnipeg should utilize the Used Bicycle Sales By law to crack down on people selling numerous bikes online. This by law requires anyone selling over six bicycles to obtain a sales license. Presently no one knows that there is a Used Bike Sales By law and it is not enforced. Meanwhile hundreds of stolen bikes are being sold on Kijiji and other social media sites. Once someone lists six bikes or more city by law officers can charge them with operating an unlicensed business.
5. Volunteers should be recruited to check Kijiji
and other online sites where secondhand bikes are sold to identify persons selling possibly stolen bikes. Crime prevention grants could be given to Bike Winnipeg to recruit and coordinate volunteers.
6. Once these campaigns start to have success Media Releases need to be issued when bike thieves are arrested. It is crucial for the community to know that action is happening and for bike thieves to know that many of them are being arrested.
One of our problems in Winnipeg with bicycle theft and our high crime rate in general is the lack of leadership from Mayor Gillingham. I was invited to attend the press conference when Mayor Gillingham and councilor Evan Duncan announced the excellent bike registry program. I spoke at the media conference to highlight the importance of preventing bike theft to protect families and to undermine the meth/ opioid sale industry. I said they needed to ensure that there was a high level of registration through mandatory registration at point of sale and a major marketing campaign. Well, of course the Mayor smiled to get his picture in the paper but refused to take the follow up action to make the registry effective. There has been no social media campaign and no action on requiring all new bikes to be registered.
We need to pressure Mayor Gillingham to put some teeth in the city’s actions or we will continue to have a major bike theft problem. The Bike Theft Comprehensive Prevention Action plan is not that difficult to implement. It does take some political will, which is lacking.
It just makes sense to add an MRI to the new Portage Hospital
It just makes sense to add an MRI to the new Portage Hospital
I hosted a town hall the third week in October to pull Manitobans together in support of bringing an MRI to Portage la Prairie—and it was a HUGE success!
Hundreds of community members showed up, and were invited to ask questions, express their concerns, and share their stories.
Why It Matters
The new Portage District General Hospital is currently under construction. That
means NOW is the best time to add an MRI to its plans, as costs will only grow after the fact.
With tens of thousands of people currently waiting for MRIs in Manitoba, Portage can be part of the solution—not just for locals, but for all Manitobans.
Situated between Brandon, Dauphin, and Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie benefits from a central location (and an airport) that can help reduce travel times for patients and ease the burden on other hospitals.
Let’s Just Make It Happen
When you go to the hospital, they don’t ask you which party you support.
Cops and gumshoes
Winter is almost upon us. For most of us, it’s time to hunker down. Hopefully, the leaves are out of the eaves and the shovels are at the ready. Time to grab a couple jig-saw puzzles, pull out a selection of board games or just get into your favourite hobby or pastime.
For a growing number of folks, it’s also time to look forward to the release of new episodes of whichever show you have been following or perhaps you’re patiently waiting for a new release on the streaming service(s) of your choice.
Cassavetes. The show was mostly shot in Los Angeles but was set in New York. He was both jazz pianist and a private detective. It ran for 27 episodes from 1959 to 1960.
In the olden days of television, we had one (CBWT) and eventually two English channels to watch when CJAY hit the air on September 30, 1961. Even staring at the test pattern before regular programming began was exciting. We could travel around the world in the comfort of our living rooms. Variety shows were hugely popular back then. So were The Honeymooners, The Phil Silvers Show and of course, I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball. Back when television was relatively new we loved them all. Among my favourites were the crime fighters.
My first impressions of New York City were the scenes in Naked City. Even in black and white, it always looked, to me, as though it was a cloudy, grey and gritty city, which augured well for the story-lines. Johnny Staccato starred as the great John
From New York to Los Angeles I first recall Peter Gunn, starring Craig Stevens with the unforgettable theme by Henry Mancini. Gunn’s office was at Mother’s, a smoky waterfront jazz club in a city never named. He was very sophisticated. He wore expensive clothes and of course, drove a cool convertible. His girlfriend, Edie, was played by noneother than acclaimed actress Lola Albright. Who could forget Dragnet starring Jack Webb who also created it. It also had a memorable theme. Dragnet, aka Badge 714, was one of the earliest and longest running detective series which ran from 1951 to 1959.
Tightrope with Mike Connors was another popular crime drama airing from 1959 to 1960 with 37 episodes. He was an undercover police officer known only as Nick. Connors, a much-in-demand actor went on to star in Mannix which was broadcast for eight years (1967-1975).
We can’t forget Richard Diamond, Private Detective which began as a radio series on NBC in 1949 and starred wellknown actor Dick Powell. Not sure why they didn’t call it Dick Diamond. When
Our main focus for this town hall was to hear from the community and show that this is a people issue, not a political one.
This event was expressly dedicated to being nonpartisan. Hence why I’m disappointed that Wab Kinew and health minister Uzoma Asagwara did not attend, despite both being in Portage la Prairie that day, and despite my numerous invitations. But our community is not giving up.
I’m proud to say that people of all stripes have rallied behind this cause, including local community organizations. The Portage Hospital Foundation has generously offered the government $5 million towards putting an
coming to television in 1957, it was David Janssen, another great gumshoe who took over the role for four seasons. Like many of the other detective shows of the ilk, it had a long list of recognizable guest stars. A very familiar name who appeared as Mr. Diamond’s secretary was Mary Tyler Moore. Interestingly, you only ever saw her legs and hands, never her face. Janssen would go on to star in The Fugitive for four seasons starting in 1963.
T.H.E. Cat (Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat) featured Robert Loggia who was a multi-award-winning actor who appeared in movies and major television shows from the late fifties to 2000. The one-season (66-67) focused on a former circus performer, jewel thief and cat burglar. He eventually turned his misdeeds into good deeds in the pursuit of justice. He was a cool cat indeed.
Other notable and memorable detective shows were San Francisco Beat (54-60), Manhunt (59-61) starring celebrated actor Victor Jory who was born in Dawson City, Yukon. The Untouchables starring the inimitable Robert Stack as Elliot Ness who headed up the squad of detectives who fought the mobsters in Chicago in the 1930s. Burke’s Law starring Gene Barry. Amos Burke was the millionaire captain of the Los Angeles Police department. He drove a Rolls Royce equipped with an early car phone. He was even more debonair than he was as the gambler and gunman Bat Masterson (58-61).
The Third Man with Michael Rennie playing the part of Harry Lime an international Private Eye. This was one of the first
MRI in the new hospital. I want to thank Portage resident Judith Jeffries for courageously joining me on stage to share her and her husband’s experience having to travel out of province—and pay out of pocket—to receive MRI scans. (Read more about Judith’s story on PortageOnline.)
And a big thank you also to everyone who attended, as well as all of you who have stood behind this important cause with us.
Portagers are confident that we are going to make this happen.
Jeff Bereza is the MLA for Portage La Prairie.
U.S. and U.K. TV co-productions. I know you remember the unmistakeable theme by Anton Karas playing the zither. You might also remember Rennie in his role as Klaatu in the science fiction movie The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951. Jonathon Harris American character actor played a timid, fastidious accountant unlike the conniving scientist Dr. Zachary Smith he was in the 1960s Lost in Space.
Danger Man (60-62) Patrick McGoohan used his brains rather than a gun to achieve the desired outcome. McGoohan would go on to create, be Executive Director, often direct and of course, star in The Prisoner (67). It was a Spy-fi that only ran for one season but gained a cult following that remains today.
Also, from England came The Saint (6269) with Roger Moore who eventually appeared in seven James Bond movies. Many of these shows and others from the golden days of television can still be purchased on DVD as well as Bluetooth. Our living rooms have become our escape rooms. They are the destinations where we seek respite and repose from the ever-evident insanity of the current condition of the world.
Brit Box as the main course for my murder, mystery appetite. Unlike crime shows from the U.S., very few guns appear in the police programs from the U.K. That, in itself, makes television viewing a tad more calming.
Listen to Jim’s podcasts on Lifestyles 55 Digital Radio. Find Radio Redux, and MidCentury Memories at www.whatsupwinnipeg. ca/lifestyles-55digital-radio/
Jim Ingebrigtsen
Jeff Bereza
Something about the Mediterranean Greek lemon-butter chicken
The truth is that this dish brings a zest of flavours to life. I had something similar many years ago while visiting the island of Cyprus and having always had a love for Mediterranean food thoughts of recreating it were mulling over in my mind.
Traditional recipes from the Mediterranean always make me think of sunshine, a warm summer breeze, the sound of lapping waves as they caress the shoreline, the echo of gulls overhead and the ambience of sitting under a canopy in a local restaurant waiting for a treat that only they can produce.
Sometimes simple easy to cook food is all we need to bring family and friends close together.
With timeless recipes comes timeless flavours, from the salty tangy tastes of feta to the crunchy sounds of chicken skin in your mouth this dish you will return to time and time again. Smashed potatoes is now a conventional approach to the once revered fluffy mashed potato and matches well.
Here is what you will need:
1 small bag mini potatoes
1 teaspoon sea salt freshly ground
Freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1 medium red onion, halved, cut into 3/4" wedges
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ lemons, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
6 chicken thighs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup black olives pitted and halved
½ cup freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
150 grams crumbled feta
The all important how to: Wash the potatoes then place them in a large pot, cover with water add a pinch of
salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium leaving them to boil gently until the potatoes are soft. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Line some grease proofed paper in a deep casserole dish, then add the potatoes
and onions with half of the butter. Using a small plate, press down on the potatoes to smash and flatten into shape then, season with salt and pepper. Carefully nuzzle lemon slices into the smashed potatoes. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Wash the chicken with cold water removing any excess fat, then pat the chicken dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken over the potatoes skin side up pouring the remaining butter over the skin. Finally sprinkle a little oregano over the chicken.
Place casserole dish on the middle row in the oven. Roast until the potatoes and chicken are golden brown and the chicken registers 165°, about 55 minutes.
In a small bowl, add the halved olives, chopped parsley, and crumbled feta. Once the chicken is cooked remove from the oven then sprinkle the olive mixture over the top of the chicken right out of the oven. The heat from the chicken will slowly melt the cheese adding that perfect umami aroma and flavour to the meal.
To make this a brighter summer meal make a small Greek salad and enjoy. Ian Leatt is a trained chef from across the pond.
Increasing capital gains taxes, a loss for all Canadians
In April Justin Trudeau announced that he was bringing in yet another tax grab by increasing the amount of capital gains that would be taxed in Canada.
The Liberal's latest capital gains tax grab doesn’t only affect 0.13% of Canadians as he claims. It's a tax on families, farmers, doctors, homebuilders, and business owners, the very people who make Canada grow and thrive.
Capital gains are taxes charged on earnings made from the sale of assets, like stocks, businesses, or real estate, including family cottages. The change announced that the capital gains inclusion rate was increased to 67 per cent, from 50 per cent.
As a member of the Standing Committee on Finance I am working with my Conservative colleagues fighting to reverse these damaging Liberal changes for the good of Canada’s economic future.
heard from multiple expert witnesses who have debunked this.
For instance, Dr. Jack Mintz, a leading Canadian economist, estimates that 1.26 million Canadians (almost 5 percent of taxpayers) will be negatively impacted by the increase in the capital gains tax on individuals, half of whom earn less than $117,000 per year.
MP Marty Morantz
Based on testimony from numerous expert witnesses, this change will discourage investment, slow economic growth, and impact Canadians from all walks of life.
Contrary to popular belief, capital gains taxes don’t just affect the wealthy.
Justin Trudeau claims that only 0.13% of mainly wealthy Canadians will pay more. However, we have
Many Canadians rely on investments for their retirement savings and financial security. By taxing a greater portion of their capital gains, the government is penalizing hard working Canadians who have prudently saved and invested for their future.
Raising the tax on capital gains will disproportionately negatively impact retirees, small business owners, and middle-class Canadians. Justin Trudeau also falsely claimed that this change wouldn’t have any negative impacts on our economy.
Lower capital gains taxes provide an incentive for individuals to invest in the economy.
These investments drive economic growth, create jobs, and help Canadians build wealth over time. Increasing capital gains taxes will discourage these investments.
According to Dr. Mintz these changes will in fact hurt our economy. He says, “It’s another hit on Canada’s pro-
ductivity and economic growth on top of other tax increases.”
Dr Mintz also estimates that as a direct result of this latest Trudeau tax grab employment will decline by $414,000, increasing unemployment from 1.4 to 1.8 million Canadian workers.
He estimates it will blow a 90-billion-dollar hole in our GDP, reduce real per capita GDP by 3%, and reduce the value of Canada’s capital stock by $127 billion.
A tax measure that reduces our GDP hurts every single Canadian, not just the .13%.
By increasing the capital gains tax, we risk driving investment away from Canada, ultimately hurting our economy in the long term. In fact, Canada has already fallen in a global ranking of tax competitiveness after Justin Trudeau raised the capital gains inclusion rate.
We’ve dropped from 15th to 17th out of 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on the International Tax Competitiveness Index.
At a time when Canada’s economy is lagging behind our peers these changes risk further discouraging growth and innovation. Considering the long-term impact on Canadians’ financial security and our nation’s economy this latest tax grab is more evidence that Justin Trudeau is just not worth the cost.
Marty Morantz is MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley.
Ideal Electric has been lighting up Winnipeg for 100 years
When I was growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s, Selkirk Avenue was my “15-minute city”. Within just two blocks was my neighbourhood movie theatre (The Palace), my barber, my bowling alley, my family’s go-to corner grocer (Soloway’s), our go-to bakery (Tasty Bread), our choice of clothing/shoe stores, our go-to pharmacy and our neighbourhood bank (Royal Bank).
All are gone now. The only constants from my youth still around from Main Street to McGregor on Selkirk Avenue are the Donut House, Gunn’s Bakery and Ideal Electric Manufacturing Ltd. Only the latter is still being operated by the same family.
Now, I have to admit that Ideal Electric wasn’t on my radar growing up. It was just beyond my limited geographic boundaries. It was simply part of the background passing by it while coming home by bus. It has only been in the past 25 years or so that I have got to know David Gruber, and I can say that he always struck me as a fine and generous individual.
War I. After the war, he got a job with another lighting company. That was his introduction to the trade.
“The story is that he had a disagreement with his boss,” says Michael. "He quit and opened his own business.”
Myron Love Celebrating 150
years of Winnipeg
“My dad (David) still comes into the store most days,” says Michael Gruber who has been running the business for the past few years.
The younger Gruber is a little hazy about Ideal Electric’s early years. “My understanding is that my grandfather, Simon, started the business in the mid-1920s,” he reports.
According to Michael Gruber, his grandfather came here as a teenager with his family from Russia just before World
Simon Gruber first operated his new business out of the family garage. Ideal Electric’s first commercial location was on Main Street before moving to its present location a short time later.
“In our early years in the late 1920s, there was a lot of new home construction taking place in the area,” Michael Gruber recounts. “We were selling a lot of lanterns, table lamps, floor lamps and lamp shades to home builders and furniture stores, The Bay and Eatons. We always did repairs as well.”
In the early years, the store was also home for the Gruber family, as were the homes for many small business owners in those days. The kitchen is still there, as is the bathtub.
Michael notes that, at its peak, Ideal Electric had a staff of between 20 and 30 people manufacturing lamps and lamp shades and doing repairs. Today, the company only has a workforce of, perhaps, five who largely handle repairs. As with many Winnipeg-based manufacturers, the century-old light company has relocated its manufacturing offshore.
Michael Gruber notes that his father, David, joined the company in the early 1960s right out of high school, and Michael himself has spent almost his entire life in the business.
Even David’s sister Faye served as the company bookkeeper for a few years before marrying and leaving Winnipeg.
“I grew up here,” he says. “I used to spend my summer holidays here and come in after school. After I came into the business full time in the late 1980s, I would oversee the manufacturing while dad looked after the sales.”
Michael says that he has always enjoyed working with his father. “Every day, we came to work together and went home together,” he recalls.
The business has changed quite a bit over the years, Michael observes. “In recent years, we have been more focused on the hospitality industry as well as furniture stores,” he points out. “We also do a lot more restoration work.”
Ideal Electric is also the place to go if you are looking for a vintage part or, as in my own case recently, a light bulb for an older floor lamp that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
In recent years, the company has become part of our city’s vibrant movie industry, providing vintage lamps and lamp shades for a number of Hallmark productions and other movies being filmed here. Of particular note has been Michael Gruber’s contributions to the CBC series “The Porter” for which he rewired lighting with 1930s-era cloth-covered electrical cords.
Will there be a fourth generation to take over from the nearly 60-year-old Michael? “My son does enjoy coming to work with me,” the president of Ideal Electric says. “He spends time here in the summers, and, during the Covid lockdowns, when his school was closed, he came in with me every morning.
“But he is still just 11 years old.”
Ian Leatt Foodies
Working, singing, and playing together creates greater impact and success
Manitoba is a place where people know each other and generally find ways to support each other in their projects and initiatives. This is one of the things that makes this such a great place to live and raise a family. When we find ways to share in a goal, the results are just so much more effective and exciting. I have been fortunate to spend much of my working life finding ways to help people and organizations work together and create projects that are more than the sum of their parts. Today, I’d like to introduce you to two of the projects I am finding interesting these days: The City of Song and the 2025 Winnipeg Baroque Festival.
Trudy
In this past year we have seen this at work in the City of Song project of the singing community to celebrate Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary. More than 70 concerts and events have already taken place with another 25 or so slated for November and December 2024. This has been an opportunity to celebrate the strength of the vocal culture in Winnipeg and for many in the singing community to shake off the remaining dust from the terrible challenges of the Covid era. (Who would ever have imagined a world in which singing together was a most dangerous and life-threatening endeavour?) To get in on a holiday sing a long or another wonderful performance in the City of Song program, just check in with the events listing at City of Song - Winnipeg 150 – Winnipeg Arts Council and you will find plenty of interesting options.
Schroeder Random Notes
Baroque Festival, like the rest of the world, was then interrupted by Covid and then reappeared in 2023 and 2024, is coming back in 2025 with more concerts and more groups participating in the festival. Baroque music is well loved by many music lovers. This is music that was composed from about 1600 to 1750. The most well-known composers from this period include Antonio Vivaldi (Four Seasons), George Frideric Handel (Messiah, Water Music) and Johann Sebastien Bach (The Art of the Fugue, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concertos). Other major composers of this period include Monteverdi, Scarlatti, Stradella, Albinoni, Pachelbel, Purcell, Telemann, Lully, Rameau, Charpentier, Corelli, Couperin, Buxtehude, Sanz, de Nebra, Soler, and Pergolesi. This is a style of music that is both complex and yet very approachable and enjoyable for almost all people. In fact, once you start listening to Baroque music, it is very easy to become fascinated and entranced and even happily addicted to this music.
2025 Winnipeg Baroque Festival Concerts (At November 1, 2024: Some additions and changes TBA) TICKETED CONCERTS
• Le Printemps - Nonsuch Ensemble April 4th, 7 pm
All Saints Anglican Church, 521 Broadway.
• Waawaa Steewak - Dead of Winter April 6th, 3 pm & 7:30
• The Seven Last Words - Winnipeg Singers & Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir April 13th, 3 pm St. Boniface Cathedral, 180 De La Cathedrale Ave.
• Bed, Bach & Beyond - Canzona April 12th, 7 pm Desautels Concert Hall, 150 Dafoe
The second collaborative project that gives me much joy is the upcoming 2025 Winnipeg Baroque Festival. This year a project that started out as a collaboration between three of Winnipeg’s excellent choirs in 2019. The Winnipeg
Caching and travel
One thing that Geocaching offers you is the chance to visit a lot of communities that you would not normally even consider in your travel plans. One such place is Gilby, North Dakota. We do travel across the border to shop for items that are not sold here in Canada and have for quite a while. To veer off of our path was unheard of in the past and, until geocaching came along, we did not steer away from any parts of the few shopping communities we go to.
Finding geocaches became our excuse to explore the communities. Then someone told us about one community nicknamed the Disneyland of Geocaching. Although we had considered exploring other communities we had not and decided to try out the event at Gilby that happens in September.
This event, being an annual event, has us hooked for years to come and has tremendously expanded our friends list. Cachers are actually one big family and that should come as no surprise. Sharing information, stories and exchanging collectables such as pathtags and travel bugs are commonplace as is the prize draw and community centre food that comes out for the event.
Winnipeg has many ensembles and soloists who love to perform the music from the Baroque period, and the concept behind this festival is to offer Winnipeg music lovers an opportunity to experience two weeks of excellent performances by a range of Winnipeg ensembles and immerse yourself in the music of this period. I think of it as a bit of a Fringe Festival for music lovers. Right now there is an opportunity to purchase the full festival pass for a very attractive Winnipeg special price by going to Winnipeg Baroque Festival and purchasing an early bird pass which will allow you to attend up to 14 concerts to be held between March 30th and April 16th 2025. The concerts will be pre-
should feel at ease visiting during the rest of the year. The actual event called Gilby Gone Wild pretty much doubles the size of the community.
As for a place to stay while you explore the numerous geocaches as well as the community itself there are several places to stay. Gilby does not have a hotel but Grand Forks is loaded with several great places to bunk down. Two state parks nearby offer great campsites but my favourite is one of the rental cabins at the Turtle River State Park which is about 10 minutes from Gilby. A single room floor plan with sleeping room for six, two queen beds and single beds attached bunk bed style are what is provided. We were five sharing the space and were quite comfortable. There is a washroom and a shower also.
The community all falls into place and supports the event. When we arrived in Gilby this year we noticed someone sweeping the sidewalk. It was the Mayor, and I had the opportunity to chat with him. If you want a great conversation, be sure to have a chat with Rob or any of the people at the community centre.
While we were searching for many of the unique and sometimes challenging geocaches, if they were taking a few minutes, there would be a voice calling out from what we think was probably a local muggle asking us if we found it yet or if we needed a hand finding it. One person even stopped working in his field to walk over and ask.
The community itself appears to be one of those sleepy communities that dot the entire continent but is an active spot to visit any time of the year. Numerous people are not comfortable with large crowds and
The fire pits are a great way to finish off a day of wandering around and geocaching.
The driving force behind the Gilby Gone Wild event is Trycacheus and the Other Half. Chad and Jane have truly created a Disneyland spirit in the centre of the continent. They do it with assistance from a lot of people (including the mayor). This year there were four Lackeys from HQ Attending.
A Word from Trycacheus:
The first event I attended was in 2008. At the end of that event, they asked where we should do the next one. I said, "How about Gilby?" For some reason, they laughed. It took me 12 years but I finally proved them wrong and hosted the first Gilby Gone Wild in July 2020. With a "push" from some caching friends, I am told this is now an annual event. I was also told I will be putting out several new caches. I have a lot of work to do, but I am looking forward to seeing everyone this fall.
Had they said yes, we would be looking forward to the 18th annual Gilby Gone Wild event. As one member of the Gilby Gone Wild Facebook fan club page stated, “Expect the unexpected”.
The next time you are driving south on I-29 be sure to take a right turn at Manvel and continue west to explore Gilby. It’s worth the detour.
•
sented in a range of musical venues by a wonderful range of excellent musicians. Each concert is a beautiful experience in itself, but why not immerse yourself in the variety and delight of Baroque music.
Trudy Schroeder provides project planning and management services to the community through Arts and Heritage Solutions.
Watch in future articles for more community geocaching reviews. My wife and I are enjoying exploring places all over Manitoba for the information needed to write about them.
I hope to see you at a community near (or far) from home.
Gary Brown is the President of the Manitoba Geocaching Association (MBGA) and can be reached at mbgaexec@outlook.com.
Gary Brown Geocaching
In Remembrance
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
- John McCrae
Al Chartrand was leading figure in strengthening Metis community
About 35 years ago, I wrote a profile of Al Chartrand in the Winnipeg Sun. Recently, while going through some papers, I came across a copy of that article entitled “Being Metis is a State of Mind”. It was in a booklet compiled by Winnipeg School Division Number 1, called “The Metis: Reflections and Celebrations – A Senior 1 Social Studies Unit”. Yes, I did approve the inclusion of the article in that 1998 publication, and it brought back memories of that meeting with Al.
Growing up in the ’50s and ’60 in Winnipeg’s North End, it was rare to come across a Metis and Aboriginal individual. In hindsight, there were a few fellow (or sister) students in junior high who were probably Metis but it didn’t mean anything or matter.
I don’t remember how Al came to appear on my radar. I do remember that the interview left a strong impression. One exchange that stood out was his explanation as to who is a Metis. As I recall, he described three categories of Manitobans with Aboriginal ancestry.:
1. There are those who may have had an Aboriginal grandparent or great grandparent but attach no significance to it. They would generally identify as Canadian or whatever their primary ethnic strain may be.
2. Then there are those who identify as FrancoManitobain. Al pointed out that many of them have Aboriginal ancestry but, after the second Riel Rebellion in 1885, it became dangerous to identify as Metis.
3. Finally, there are those who have always proudly embraced their Metis heritage and culture.
Al noted in that 1988 interview that he himself for the first half of his life self- identified as “white”. He recounted one story from his childhood that illustrated his early sense of identity.
He was six years old, and his grandmother was telling him this story about picking up buffalo bones in the old days. “Weren’t you afraid of the Indians?” I asked.
“Son,” she responded. “We were the Indians.”
Born in The Pas in 1929, he remembered how he faced a lot of discrimination growing up. “I knew who I was,” he said. “I was from the wrong side of the tracks.”
Drinking was a common problem among his friends and contemporaries, he pointed out. “Ten of the friends I grew up with died as a result of alcohol.”
After going on a binge to ring in the New Year in 1948, the then 17-year-old woke up broke and in Winnipeg and, with no other promising options, decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces. There was some precedent in that his father had been in the armed forces during the war and he himself had spent a couple of summers as a cadet.
Al Spent 25 years serving our country in places such as Korea, Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, and at home.
It was only after his retirement from the army in 1972, by which time he was in his mid-40s, that he embraced his Metis roots and turned his efforts to working for the betterment of the Metis and First Nations People. He was offered a job by Manitoba Métis Federation as Director of Education. The former Canadian soldier fit right in.
“All the old people knew me,” he said. “I identified with them easily. I knew the old stories. I had come home.”
Al further noted during that 1988 interview that “most government systems set up to deal with the native people were organized by white people and often were not suitable. “We have to develop our own systems.”
He also contrasted the immigrant and refugee experience coming to Canada – with assistance from [private sponsors and government – and the lack of such assistance for native people moving to Winnipeg from northern Manitoba. The latter, he observed, often lacked social insurance numbers and didn’t know how to get them and therefore were unable to get a job. So, they end up drinking and getting into trouble with the law.
Al’s first initiative as the MMF’s director of education was to establish the Native Clan Organization (NCO) to assist aboriginal offenders who were or had been incarcerated. He introduced into Manitoba prisons the first aboriginal liaison workers, counseling by Elders, and culturally specific programming for aboriginal offenders.
In conjunction with the NCO, he subsequently developed a parole supervision program called Project Neecheewam for juvenile corrections; a halfway house for aboriginal offenders on parole; the Forensic Behavioural Management Clinic for sexual offenders; the Project for Industrial Native Training for the manufacture of fibreglass canoes; and later, Weathercheck, a cellulose-insulation manufacturing company. He initiated Project Rene, which took offenders out of the provincial jails and provided them with employment skills and life skills. He was instrumental in advancing the idea of the electronic monitoring of non-violent individuals sentenced by the courts, thereby decreasing the populations of Canadian prisons. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on Sentencing Reform in Canada.
He later was appointed the chief court communicator for the Province of Manitoba, a service developed to assist aboriginal people in negotiating the cultural barriers
of the court system.
After his second retirement in 1990, he was appointed to the National Parole Board of Canada, serving in the Prairie Region for three years. After that, he acted as a consultant to various organizations and provincial and federal government departments.
As a pioneer in the services offered to aboriginal offenders, he was recognized and honoured on numerous occasions by the Governments of Canada and Manitoba as well as by aboriginal peoples.
Al died in 2004.
As I noted in that 1988 interview, from inauspicious beginnings, he succeeded in two distinct careers. As a soldier, he succeeded in “white” society.
Why then did he return to his native roots? Happenstance perhaps. He did say, in that interview, that, most likely, if he had found a job working in an office or driving truck, he might have become a good office worker or truck driver.
No matter the reasons, his becoming a community activist meant salvation for countless First Nations and Metis people who otherwise would undoubtedly have drowned in the complexities of the judicial system in Manitoba.
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Chapel Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery 4000 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB 204-982-8100
Glen Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery 455 Lagimodiere Blvd., Winnipeg, MB 204-982-7557
Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery 4477 Main St., West St. Paul, MB 204-982-8300
Desjardins Funeral Home 357 Des Meurons St., Winnipeg, MB 204-233-4949
*Research conducted by Willful and Arbor Memorial Inc. in a 2020 survey.
Myron Love
Indigenous performers and music putting Manitoba on the map for decades
Continued from page 1
ent nights. “Music is music and there shouldn’t be any racial barriers. I worked a lot in Winnipeg but never the white rooms. It was not cool to be Métis in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But I was proud of my French and Cree heritage. The Métis community welcomed me because they identified with me.”
Acknowledged as one of the first Canadian Indigenous rock ‘n’ roll bands, The Feathermen performed regularly at the Indian & Metis Friendship Centre on Princess Avenue to standing room only crowds. Boldly billing themselves an “All Indian Band” the quintet’s repertoire drew from The Rolling Stones and Yardbirds. “We played rock ‘n’ roll, no country music,” explains Feathermen guitarist Martin Tuesday. “We played songs from all the top bands from England.” As for their name, “We were very proud of who we were. It would have been great to play for white people but we didn’t get to.” The band did perform for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau at a Liberal party convention in Winnipeg in 1968. As Martin recalled, “I remembered asking Trudeau for his autograph and he replied, ‘I should be asking you guys for your autographs.’ That was a pretty special moment.”
The national success of Indigenous Winnipeg country rock quintet The C-Weed Band in the 1980s became the breakthrough moment for Indigenous performers. Led by Eddystone-born brothers Errol, Don and Wally Ranville along with Clint Dutiaume,
the group scored a #1 country music hit with their cover of Indigenous artist Robbie Robertson’s “Evangeline”. They followed that with a half-dozen more hit singles including “Play Me My Favourite Song”, “Bringin’ Home The Good Times” and “Magic In The Music”, notching up a dozen music awards as well as a Juno nomination. The C-Weed Band toured Canada relentlessly and appeared on every television music show. “We wanted to be accepted for our music, not for being Indians,” states Errol Ranville. “We felt our music was as good as anybody else. We never played the Indian card.”
The band also took their music to The United States, Europe and China.
Manitoba music’s elder statesman, Ray St. Germain, began exploring his own Métis roots after reading a book about the province’s first premier, Louis Riel.
This interest led to “The Métis”, the song most associated with St. Germain’s long career. “That record got a lot of airplay, and I was surprised because with the chorus ‘Not red enough, not white enough,’ I wasn’t sure everybody would get that,” noted Ray. “I got the Aboriginal Order of Canada for that song because they said it brought a greater awareness of the Métis people.”
The decades that followed have seen a renaissance in Indigenous music across Canada. Gone are the barriers that kept Indigenous music from the mainstream with recording artists enjoying commercial success and acceptance beyond their own community. Recognizing that widespread growth, the annual Canadian music Juno awards created an Indigenous category several years ago.
Manitoba continues to stand at the center of a thriving national Indigenous music community that has broadened to include artists from a wide variety of music. Country-rock performers such Desiree Doiron, Tracy Bone, Ashley Robertson, Brandi Vezina, and Don Amero, multi award-winning rockers Eagle
& Hawk led by the late Vince Fontaine, The Younger Brothers, Peacemaker, and Indian City, along with hop-hop trio Winnipeg’s Most have all enjoyed widespread commercial success both here and abroad. Juno-Award winning singer/ songwriter William Prince was invited to open for Neil Young’s recent American tour. Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation-born singer/songwriter Shingoose (Curtis Jonnie) contributed to the Grammy Award-winning compilation Native North America (Vol. 1). Celebrated Indigenous opera star Rhonda Head, from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, has performed around the world and has received more than a dozen music awards including the Global Music Award.
“The bridges that weren’t there before between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous music communities are there now,” acknowledges NCI (Native Communications Incorporated) Communications CEO David McLeod. “Today’s Indigenous music scene takes place in all local clubs, even in the Canada Life Centre with the Indigenous Music Awards.”
The John Einarson Collection launched
The University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections, housed on the third floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library at the Fort Garry campus, launched The John Einarson Collection on Thursday, October 10 with a gala event at their offices. The collected materials include hundreds of interview transcriptions, research notes, clippings and photos plus digital files from each of Einarson’s more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on music history along with memorabilia Einarson has kept from his days as a musician and writer.
“It’s a tremendous collection for anybody interested in music history,
the history of Winnipeg or even the writing and publishing process,” says Heather Bidzinski, the university’s head of archives and special collections, who told Winnipeg Free Press writer Ben Waldman that the Einarson Collection is one of the most significant acquisitions of contemporary music history in the post-secondary institution’s own 56-year history.
The materials will be available for research purposes for posterity. The public exhibit created for the launch event featuring multiple display cases of memorabilia will be available for viewing free of charge at the Archives and Special Collections offices of the Dafoe Library until March 2025.
Tracy Bone. William Prince. Photo by Alan Greyeyes.
C-Weed Band.
John Einarson at the launch.
Part of one of the displays.
John Einarson Winnipeg City of Song
WSO announces artistic leadership in a time of renewal and revitalization
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) has extended the contract of Maestro Daniel Raiskin for four years to the 2029/2030 season. Raiskin has been the Music Director of the WSO, an icon in Winnipeg’s cultural landscape, since 2018. In addition to his leadership of the WSO, Raiskin appears with orchestras around the world and collaborates with renowned composers and guest artists from many cultures and traditions. Winnipeg audiences from all walks of life benefit from Raiskin’s creative, balanced and strikingly-conceived programmes.
“Daniel’s leadership and support of the WSO provide us with the artistic vision, exceptional musicianship as well as stability and continuity as we embrace the WSO’s future. On behalf of the WSO, I thank Maestro Raiskin for his contributions to the WSO and look forward to continued success,” says Curt Vossen, WSO Board Chari
“I am extremely honoured and humbled by the trust the wonderful musicians of the WSO and its Board have put in me – it is a privilege to lead this great orchestra into the future!” expresses Raiskin. “Among things I cherish the most in our relationship is its honesty and openness, mutual respect and curi-
osity. I love the unbeatable energy of our community and the meaningful role the WSO plays in it, connecting all of us with the magical power of music!”
The contracts with Composer-in-Residence and Co-curator of the Winnipeg New Music Festival Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis and RBC Assistant Conductor Monica Chen have also been extended, both for two years. Stafylakis joined the WSO in 2016, while Chen has been with the orchestra since June 2023.
“Joining the WSO as Composer-in-Residence and Co-curator of the Winnipeg New Music Festival was a dream come true. The final two years of our collaboration will mark a wonderful, challenging, and inspiring decade, and the symbolic importance of this gives me great pride,” says Stafylakis. “I could not have conceived of how much this experience would impact me – how much I have matured as a musician, as a professional, as a person.”
As she embarks on her second year with the WSO, Chen says, “I’m honoured to be a part of this exciting and challenging season, showcasing so many underperformed masterworks and timeless classics. On top of working with one of the foremost professional orchestras in the country, it is sincerely gratify-
ing and fulfilling to work with young artists of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra and Sistema Winnipeg programs.”
Simeon Rusnak recently joined the WSO artistic team as Director of Classical Programming. A graduate of the University of Manitoba Desautels School of Music, Rusnak transitions to the WSO after almost ten years as a familiar voice on Winnipeg’s Classic 107 radio station.
“I am absolutely delighted to join the orchestra in my hometown. Decades of stellar musicians, dynamic leadership, and committed artistic and administrative staff have made this organization a pillar in the city’s vibrant arts and culture community. I look forward to contributing to the creation of engaging, collaborative, and enriching musical experiences for Winnipeggers and beyond,” shares Rusnak.
“We are gratified with the strength of our artistic leadership team, which embodies the artistic vitality of the WSO as it provides music and education to over 100,000 people annually in our community,” says Angela Birdsell, Executive Director of the WSO. “We are well-positioned to tailor musical experiences to people of all ages, cultures, and walks of life and in many settings.”
Little Women coming to RMTC
Originally written in the 1860s, Luisa May Alcott’s timeless coming-of-age novel Little Women will be coming to the John Hirsch Mainstage this holiday season. Alcott’s original novel has seen several adaptations for the stage and screen. From its first stage appearance in the early 1900s to the Academy Awardwinning movie directed by Greta Gerwig in 2019, Little Women has captured audiences for over a century. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is thrilled to bring Canadian playwright Jordi Mand’s adaptation to the stage! Jordi Mand is a Canadian playwright who has written many notable plays and worked with many of Canada’s most prominent theatres. A graduate of the National Theatre School (2006) and the Canadian Film Centre (2017), she works plays, television programming and film. While her original course of study was to become an actor, she often wrote for herself. After experiencing professional actors performing her scripts through the SummerWorks Program, she realized she wanted to pursue writing more in-
tentionally. Her first full length play, Between the Sheets, was picked up nationally and internationally in 2012 (Townsend, 2019). Her latest play, In Seven Days, premiered at The Grand in London this spring.
Setting the Scene for Little Women
In 1860s Massachusetts, Jo March and her sisters struggle to make ends meet while their father is serving in the Civil War. With societal pressure to get married, Jo tries to forge her way as a young writer with bigger dreams. While Marmee bestows the virtue of self-sacrifice on her daughters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy must learn to navigate the complicated and exciting world of adulthood.
In the 1860s in America, a woman’s place was in the home; although there were a few avenues of employment for women outside the home, they were usually reserved for unmarried women. This expanded somewhat with the civil war as the men went to fight. That being said, a woman’s financial security was mostly tied to her family and then, her husband.
Wives in the transcendentalist movement were expected to be educated and to support their husband’s endeavours intellectually. Many were involved in the beginnings of the wom-
en’s rights movement that would lead to the women’s suffrage movement. The class structure of this era closely resembled that of England, as the founding families of the region were descended from English landowners. The upper class was, however, less exclusive as the manufacturing industry took off, with folks who found wealth through business often marrying into upper class families. They were still expected to uphold proper behaviours, morals and exclusivity in social engagements, keeping distance from the lower classes. They further kept their distinction through exclusive schools and clubs. Most in this region were aligned with some iteration of Unitarian or Episcopalian Protestantism. This was particularly pronounced in Boston, whose upper class is referred to in historical literature as the “Boston Brahmins.”
The Woman Behind the Novel Louisa May Alcott was considered one of the foremost American Novelists of the 19th century. Born in 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Alcott grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. Her mother, Abigail May, and father, Amos Bronson Alcott, were transcendentalists and she studied under preeminent transcendentalist authors and
thinkers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. This philosophical/spiritual/literary movement is echoed in Little Women through the March family’s values and strong self-reliance, the independent female characters, their choice of a simple life and service to others, and their commitment to abolition.
Accessible Performances
Royal MTC is proud to provide the community with two accessible performance options during the production. On Sunday, December 8th will feature a live American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation of the performance, with seating that ensures good sightlines for Deaf and hard of hearing patrons. On Friday, December 6th will be a relaxed performance which hosts a more open attitude to audience noise, movement, and includes leaving the house lights on at a dim level throughout the performance. If you or anyone you know would like to learn more, please visit RoyalMTC. ca/AccessiblePerformances
Little Women runs from November 20 – December 14 at the John Hirsch Mainstage. For tickets, call the Box Office at 204 942 6537 or visit www.RoyalMTC. ca Special thanks to Tala Gammon for writing this article.
Tala Gammon
Music Director Daniel Raiskin renews his contract with the WSO for another four years.
Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis, Composerin-Residence and Co-curator of the Winnipeg New Music Festival.
RBC Assistant Conductor Monica Chen / Music Director for the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra and Sistema Winnipeg.
Simeon Rusnak, Director of Classical Programming.
The end of all wars
What is wrong with the Ten Commandments?
Richard Dawkins is telling us why they should not be placed conspicuously in public places where children may come across them. Formerly in Canada, and even today in some other countries, Dawkins would be decapitated for his blasphemous views.
Fifteen years ago, when some of Canada’s blasphemy laws were still in force, Richard Dawkins came to Canada to promote his then new book, The Greatest Show on Earth. Canadian authorities did not arrest Dawkins even though he was contravening Canadian laws. Our authorities knew very well, Dawkins would make a laughingstock of them if they ever took him to court. Dawkins had listed his arguments against the truthfulness of the King James Bible in his books and Canadian authorities knew that any fair and just judge would have no choice but to accept these arguments. Rather than going to court and making complete fools of themselves, authorities quietly removed all blasphemy laws from Canadian criminal codes.
now, will people be stating our current superheroes were real life prophets and gods? The truth is, there are no gods nor any supernatural beings. Nature is supreme and there are natural laws which Man must have knowledge of if Man wants to survive and continue to live on earth as a species. Dawkins agrees with the founding fathers of modern psychiatry who have stated religion is a form of delusion, a form of mental illness.
The Ten Commandments are not only hypocritical, but they are also meaningless. The Bible gives other commandments which completely contradict the ambiguous Ten Commandments.
Wayne Weedon Food for Thought
Throughout history, the common excuses for going to war have been race and religion. In his books, Dawkins debunks both these reasons. He proves that race is fictional, and all human beings are of the same species, ALL-ONE. Dawkins also gives plenty of evidence and proof that all religions are fictional and false. All the people and stories in the Bible had been verbally passed down for thousands of years before Moses, Noah, and others were allegedly born. These stories may be compared to modern fiction such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Harry Potter. A few thousand years from
Thou shall not kill. Kill what? Imagine a seven-year-old child reading this. This phrase has no object. Would an impressionable child feel guilty for having stepped on an ant or for swatting a mosquito?
The Bible tells us that God commanded Moses to kill the Midianites. Obviously, God did not include Midianites when he commanded, thou shall not kill. The Bible states, “They warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.”
Thou shall not steal is another confusing commandment. Whom shall we not steal from? The Bible tells us that the children of Israel, “took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil,
unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest.” Was this not stealing? God not only condoned these acts, but He also commanded they should be done.
Thou shall not commit adultery. What is adultery? God’s definition of adultery is not in line with the average Canadian’s definition. God not only condones having many wives and concubines, but He also commands Moses, Joshua and their soldiers to rape underage girls. Is this where Peter Nygård was getting his ideas from?
Scholars all over the world have verified that Richard Dawkins, in his books, gives the reader the truth and nothing but the truth. Every one of the statements Dawkins gives is backed up by evidence and proofs. Canadian authorities realised there are no valid arguments against what Dawkins has written in his books and that is why they never charged Dawkins with any crime. War can be very profitable. Many have made fortunes from war. Alfred Nobel became wealthy from war and, ironically, his legacy, we are told, is being used to promote peace. Is it really? Who has been given the peace prize and for what?
Fictional fairy tales have been described as bubble gum for the brain while books written by Richard Dawkins have been defined as good nutrition and proper exercise for the brain. Dawkins invites the reader to rationalise and to think when he discusses every discipline: Zoology, Biology, Mathematics, Geography, Archaeology, History, Palaeontology, Geology, Nuclear Science, Astronomy, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, et cetera. Dawkins has proven, we cannot rationalise war because of religion nor race. Are we going to come up with new excuses to go to war? Do we love war that much?
Wayne Douglas Weedon is a Manitoba author who writes a combination of fiction and non-fiction.
Holy Trinity Church, the grand old lady of Smith Steet, and other stories
In May 2024, news reports revealed that Holy Trinity Church on the north side of Graham between Donald and Smith needed $7 Million in repairs in order to save the historic building from collapse. The building is facing an uncertain future. History of the church and the surrounding neighbourhood Holy Trinity Anglican church was formed in 1867. During the early years, church services were held in the Court House just outside Upper Fort Gary, Red River Hall at the northeast corner of Portage and Main, and at 246 Portage Avenue. On August 4, 1884, the current church held its first service.
C.H. Wheeler, a Winnipeg architect, designed the Church. The clergy officiating at the first service included Dean Carmichael, Dean Grisdale, Alfred Cowley, Cyprian Pinkham, Octave Fortin, and Robert Machray. Since the 1890s there has been a Parish Hall facing Smith Street. The current Parish Hall building was constructed in 1966-67.
tory. After the 1935 Winnipeg Grey Cup, Vince Leah, a 22-year-old sportswriter, was responsible for naming our championship football team the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Between 1935 and the early 1960s, Lillian Gibbons wrote a Winnipeg history series called Stories Houses Tell. During the 1959 debate about allowing professional sports to be played on Sunday, sports editor Jack Matheson switched jobs for a week with Hamiota's storied United Church Minister, Ralph Clark.
gadfly
There have been many different activities in the church. In 1918, the church opened a diet kitchen during the influenza epidemic. Between 1924-1938, the Holy Trinity Choir won seventeen awards at the Musical Festival. During this period, there is mention of Brownie Packs and Scouts. In 1938, the first Men's Valentine Tea was held. In 1944, a Child Health Center was established in Trinity Hall. During the 1950s, the December Pageant of the Nativity services were popular. Holy Trinity currently has services on Wednesday at 12:10 PM and Sunday Mornings at 10:30.
Church wardens function as a liaison between parishioners and the Pastors. The first warden listed was William Drever. In 1873, William was one of the founders of the Winnipeg Board of Trade (now the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce). A couple of mayors served as wardens. Thomas Gilroy was a Winnipeg alderman and mayor (1894-95), James Dagg served as Selkirk's mayor between 1893 and 1895. Bruce Boreham (warden 1958-60) was one of the founders of the Brier (the Canadian Men's Curling Championship). A Tuxedo street is named for Mr. Boreham.
Let us now move across the street and remember the Winnipeg Tribune where Mr. Boreham was the Sports Editor during the 1920s.
"It has been 90 great years" read the final Winnipeg Tribune headline on August 27, 1980
For the final 67 years of their 90-year history, the Winnipeg Tribune was located on Smith Street. The Trib found unique ways of reporting and creating his-
In 1961, Peter Liba, who later became Manitoba's lieutenant Governor, wrote stories about his 23 different jobs. Peter got his material by working a day at each job. The jobs included housewife, meter reader, librarian, salesman, cook, and zoo keeper.
In 1967, Photographer Frank Chalmers proved that one picture can be worth a thousand words. His 1967 photograph of a very emotional woman leaning up against her home which was about to be expropriated for a sewage lagoon made the Canadian Press Top 100 list of 20th Century Photos. The dawning of the fastfood era was captured in a picture of Hammy Homeniuk delivering finger licking good chicken in a Champs KFC delivery car.
Other reporters included Eric Wells, Peter Warren, Harry Mardon, Francis Russell, Ann Henry, Entertainment writer Frank Morriss, Gene Telpner, Victor Murray (famous for his columns, Moss I Gather and I Saw), Val Werier, Hugh Allan, NHL & WHA Defenseman Carl Brewer, Jim Colema, Vic Grant, and cartoonist Jan Kamienski.
Between 1913-69, 14 gargoyles symbolized the various jobs at a newspaper. The jobs were printer, City Editor, fish storyteller, reporter, proofreader, newsboy, and members of the public. In 1969, The Gargoyles were removed from the exterior of the Tribune building. The Eaton’s store and its fate
Between 1905-1999, Eaton’s, the store that seemed to sell everything and provided most necessary services, was located on the other side of Donald Street, across from Holy Trinity. I have written extensively about Eaton’s in my June and July stories. The St. James Eaton’s Hall of Fame currently has 200 names representing almost every street in St. James-Assiniboia. In 1919, World War 1 had just ended and Eaton’s was celebrating their 50th Anniversary. Eaton’s employee Ivor Lewis created bronze statues of Eaton’s Founder Timothy Eaton (1834-1907) for the Winnipeg and Toronto stores. The Winnipeg statue was unveiled on December 11,
1919. The statue remained in the store until its closing on October 20, 1999, almost 80 years. The store was demolished and replaced with the Canada Life Center*.
This paper will be on the newsstands on November 16 when the Canada Life Center celebrates its 20th Anniversary. The multipurpose building has already hosted the 2008 Canadian Men's Curling Championship, a few WE Days for school students, the 2005 Junos, and a couple of Western Canada League Hockey Final hockey games.
Preservation of the history around Graham and Donald
The preservation of Donald and Graham history has been hit and miss. The Winnipeg Tribune building was demolished in the 1980s. Only two of the Tribune gargoyles are on display at the Manitoba Museum. The other twelve are in private collections or no longer exist. After the 1999 closing of the Winnipeg store, the statue of Timothy Eaton moved around before coming home to its rightful place in the Canada Life Center.
How can the valuable artifacts and the Holy Trinity Church, a municipally designated historic site, be preserved? Why not try to use the site to display the rich history of this central part of Winnipeg? Besides the previously mentioned buildings, the displays could include memories from the Carlton School at Graham and Hargrave (1903-1930), the CTV studios, the Main Post Office that became a police station, the Metropolitan Entertainment Center (used to be a theatre), the Millennium Library, which opened in 1977; the Hargrave & Graham Bus Depot (1936 to 1964 – back in the day when Winnipeg had a bus depot), and the recently demolished St. Regis Hotel.
Arlington Street bridge update:
Has the indecision ended?
It is unclear if the October 15, 2024, announcement that the hiring of Lloyd Axworthy to study rail line relocation will solve the problem created by the permanent closure of the Arlington Street Bridge. It should be pointed out that the endless studies over 40 years should have already given the current politicians an idea of the costs and linguistics of the proposed relocation of the yards. The absence of the Mayor at the Press Conference was VERY CONCERNING. The immediate priority must be the complete demolition of the unsafe existing bridge. The bridge is beyond repair. Secondly, the politicians must realize that the FUTURE IS NOW when it comes to either building a new bridge or relocating the Yards.
*Note: I refer to the Arena by its current name the Canada Life Center although I am aware that the building has had other names.
Fred Morris is a Grandfather, Sports Fan and Political Activist.
Fred Morris From the desk of a
Sri Lankan seniors
Goodbye: Sunil Edirisinghe
We all went to the Winnipeg airport to say goodbye to Sunil Edirisinghe. Adios amigos (Spanish to English), Goodbye my friend, Bon Voyage (French to English).
Good Trip.
Seniors’ theme song launched
One of the objectives of the Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba is to promote the talents of members. The talent of Indra is writing song lyrics. To make use of her ability, Senaka requested Indra to write lyrics for a Seniors theme
song. Later, Senaka requested his good friend, coworker in Mahaweli Authority, and leading Sri Lankan singer, Sunil Edirisinghe, to voice the song.
Sunil conducted longterm harmonious dialogue with Indra and agreed to add his voice to the song. He sent the voice track on Sept. 17, 2023, and gave specific advice to create the video to blend with environmental conditions between Canada and Sri Lanka.
SLSM invited Sunil to launch the Seniors song. Sunil planned to present the theme song at
a singing concert on Sept. 15, 2024 as the first song just after the intermission. Subsequently, SLSM invited its parent organization, the Sri Lankan Association Manitoba (SLAM) to take over the Triwarna singing concert and SLAM agreed.
We are grateful to SLAM for helping to fulfill one of the objectives of SLSM to identify hidden talents of its members and create an opportunity for them to flourish.
Please follow the Link to watch the live Launching Ceremony of the Seniors’ Theme Song conducted during peak of the show. https://youtu.be/ dCLgqq0JbTE?si=H5dUPbG_1pZ0Y-m
Yoga at the Pembina Trails Library
Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba selected the community room of Pembina
Trails Library to conduct its monthly events. A number of years ago, Sri Lankan Association Manitoba conducted its group events at this location as most members reside close to the library. Based on the above benefit, I discussed with Meg Gregory, Head Librarian at the Branch, to allow SLSM to use the community room for and she agreed.
On Oct. 11, 2024, SLSM held its first indoor event at the above venue. Wynn Ferguson conducted the first Yoga session for 2024 with participation of more than 30 members.
This was the first event of the new President, Doreen Kuruppu. President Elect, Lileena Mendis helped Doreen for her maiden event. The President welcomed two new members namely Jeewani and Nalin Dharmasena.
Populism in the West: Why it’s needed now more than ever
Populism has emerged as a critical response to the growing discontent with global institutions, government overreach, and the erosion of freedoms in Western societies. As a political ideology, populism advocates for the interests of ordinary citizens against perceived elites, challenging the power of bureaucracies, multinational corporations, and global regulatory bodies. At its core, populism seeks to return power to the people, emphasizing national sovereignty, personal freedoms, and reduced government intervention.
cet, Global Prevalence of Mental Health Issues During COVID-19, 2021).
Global regulatory institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations (UN) were established to foster international cooperation and promote economic stability. However, many of these bodies have faced harsh criticism for inefficiency, lack of accountability, and undue influence from powerful nations and corporations. Despite their mandates, they have struggled to address significant issues like poverty, inequality, and public health crises effectively.
The WHO, in particular, has been widely criticized for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the crisis, the WHO and other public health organizations promoted controversial and authoritative measures like social distancing and mask mandates, which were later questioned by multiple studies for their limited efficacy in controlling virus transmission. These measures, initially implemented with limited scientific backing, contributed to widespread social disruption and economic hardship. Lockdowns severely impacted mental health, leading to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse among adults. Children suffered from school closures, which affected not only their educational progress but also their social development and mental well-being.
Reports have shown that school closures have caused a significant setback in literacy and numeracy skills among children, with low-income and minority communities hit the hardest (UNICEF, COVID-19 and School Closures: One Year of Education Disruption, 2021). Additionally, a study from The Lancet highlighted a rise in mental health disorders among children and adolescents, attributing part of this increase to the extended isolation caused by pandemic-related measures (The Lan-
Critics of these global health measures argue that they were imposed with insufficient evidence and had disproportionately negative impacts on society, often exacerbating economic disparities. Populists contend that the failures of global health organizations during the pandemic were not just incompetence but systemic issues within the global governance framework. They advocate for empowering national health systems and promoting locally tailored responses, arguing that this would be more effective in addressing public health crises without causing broad social harm. Unfortunately, the long-term social and economic implications of these poorly thought-out and executed policy measures are still being felt and likely will be for a generation.
Western nations, once synonymous with high living standards and economic opportunity, are now experiencing declining quality of life for many citizens. Factors such as stagnating wages, rising costs of living, and economic insecurity have affected the middle and working classes, making access to affordable housing, healthcare, and education increasingly difficult.
Populism addresses this decline by emphasizing domestic economic policies that protect local industries and bolster domestic production and employment. Populist leaders argue that globalization has largely benefited multinational corporations and the wealthy, while ordinary people have seen little tangible improvement in their daily lives. They advocate for reallocating resources from international aid and foreign interventions to national infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
Critics of globalization argue that it has primarily served elite interests, contributing to income inequality, social fragmentation, and cultural alienation. Populism seeks to counter these trends by promoting policies that favor national priorities and economic sovereignty, aiming to restore a strong middle class and foster social cohesion via greater nationalism and patriotism.
Populists are also deeply concerned with challenges Western nations face with a lack of control over migration or sovereign borders. The idea of a borderless society was initially envisioned as a way to increase economic opportunity and cultural exchange. However, the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Order-
ly, and Regular Migration, established in 2018, has been criticized for promoting open-border policies that fail to consider the socio-economic realities of host nations. This agreement, while non-binding, set the tone for global migration policies by encouraging governments to facilitate and manage migration flows. Recall that it was once fashionable for world leaders, like Trudeau, to virtue signal about how many refugees and immigrants they would absorb.
However, the influx of migrants has created intense pressure on public services like healthcare, housing, and education, and thus, inflation. It has also contributed to cultural divisions, leading to social tensions and even violent protests in several European capitals, including Paris, London, and Berlin. The resulting conflicts have often pitted citizens against new arrivals, complicating efforts at integration and straining national cohesion.
Similarly, the United States has faced challenges from massive influxes of undocumented and illegal migrants over the past decade. For example, the surge at the U.S.-Mexico border saw unknown millions enter the US, with some estimates putting the number between eleven to twenty million. The impact of these waves of migration has been felt across American society, from overburdened healthcare systems and schools to increased housing demands and job market competition. Many cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, have struggled to accommodate the large numbers of migrants, leading to visible strains on public services and rising public dissatisfaction.
Populism responds to these challenges by advocating for stronger national borders and tighter immigration controls. It emphasizes that countries have the right to determine who enters and how many immigrants they can effectively integrate. Populists argue that a borderless society undermines national security, strains public resources, and diminishes freedoms by fostering lawlessness and cultural tensions.
One of populism’s core principles is the belief in limited government intervention. Over-regulation, according to populists, not only burdens businesses and stifles innovation but also infringes on individual freedoms. Regulations that range from environmental restrictions to complex tax codes are often seen as favoring large corporations capable of absorbing compliance costs, while small businesses struggle to survive.
Populism advocates for a rollback of unnecessary regulations, arguing that streamlined governance can spur economic growth, lower consumer prices, and create jobs. It emphasizes deregula-
tion as a way to empower entrepreneurs, foster competition, and reduce living costs for citizens. Populists contend that many government regulations are designed to protect entrenched interests rather than citizens, leading to a system that is fundamentally biased in favor of elites.
By reducing government intervention and promoting free markets, populism aims to create a more equitable playing field. It prioritizes the needs of local businesses, which are often the backbone of national economies, and seeks to enhance personal freedoms by allowing individuals greater control over their lives and economic choices.
Populism is not merely a reactionary movement; it is a response to the very real failures of global institutions, the declining quality of life in Western nations, and the complexities of a borderless society. While critics argue that populism can be overly nationalistic or simplistic, its advocates see it as a vital corrective to decades of policies that have prioritized elites over ordinary citizens.
Populism’s emphasis on national sovereignty, personal freedom, and reduced government intervention resonates with those who feel neglected by globalist policies. In an interconnected world, the demand for policies that prioritize local interests and individual rights is growing. Populism represents a call for change that seeks to reestablish the balance of power between citizens and the governing elites, aiming to restore a sense of national identity, economic fairness, and public safety. The West needs populist leaders to maintain the lifestyle their citizens are used to enjoying, or they may face further declines in living standards, wealth, and health.
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.
Wayne Weedon's short story The Journal will return next month. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Senaka Samarasinghe
Romel Dhalla On The Money
Creative Retirement Manitoba Inc. 204-481-5030, hello@ www.crcentre.ca
WINNIPEG
20 Fort Street Seniors Club
2200-20 Fort Street / FortStSeniors@Shaw.ca
Manitoba Association of Senior Communities
Rady Jewish Community Centre 123 Doncaster Street / 204-477-7539
lmarjovsky@radyjcc.com / www.radyjcc.com
Rainbow Resource Centre 545 Broadway / 204-474-0212 ext 255 OTR@rainbowresourcecentre.org www.rainbowresourcecentre.org
A&O Support Services for Older Adults Inc.
200 -207 Donald Street 204-956-6440 / Toll Free: 1-888-333-3121 info@aosupportservices.ca www.aosupportservices.ca
Archwood 55 Plus 565 Guilbault Avenue / 204-416-1067 archwood55@shaw.ca archwood55plus.wildapricot.org/ Bleak House Centre 1637 Main Street / 204-338-4723 bleakhousecentre@gmail.com www.bleakhousecentre.com
Brooklands Active Living Centre 1960 William Avenue W 204-632-8367 / bpscc@mymts.net
Centro Caboto Centre 1055 Wilkes Avenue / 204-487-4597 ext. 1 executivedirector@cabotocentre.com www.cabotocentre.com
Charleswood Active Living Centre
5006 Roblin Blvd / 204-897-5263 info@charleswoodseniorcentre.org www.charleswoodseniorcentre.org
Crescent Fort Rouge 55 Plus 525 Wardlaw Ave. / 204-299-9919 cfruc55Plus@gmail.com www.crescentfortrouge.ca
Dakota Community Centre 1188 Dakota Street / 204-254-1010 ext. 217 seniorresources@dakotacc.com www.dakotacc.com
Dufferin Senior Citizens Inc. 377 Dufferin Avenue / 204-986-2608 Elmwood East Kildonan Active Living Centre 180 Poplar Avenue / 204-669-0750 healthrelations@chalmersrenewal.org chalmersrenewal.org
Fort Garry Seniors Resource Council
200 - 270 Donald Street / 204-792-1913 fortgarry@aosupportservices.ca www.aosupportservices.ca/resources/seniorsresource-finders
Golden Rule Seniors Resource Centre 625 Osborne Street / 204-306-1114 goldenrule@swsrc.ca facebook.com/goldenruleseniors
Good Neighbours Active Living Centre 720 Henderson Hwy / 204-669-1710 admin@gnalc.ca / www.gnalc.ca
Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre 1588 Main Street / 204-339-1701 becky@gwensecter.com / www.gwensecter.com Headingley Seniors’ Services 5353 Portage Avenue / 204-889-3132 ext. 3 seniors@rmofheadingley.ca www.headingleyseniorsservices.ca
Indigenous Senior Resource Centre Inc. A1- 100 Robinson Avenue / 204-586-4595 executivedirector@isrcwpg.ca www.asrcwpg.ca Manitoba Korean 55+ Centre 900-150 River Avenue 204-996-7003 / www.ksam.ca
North Centennial Seniors Association of Winnipeg Inc. 86 Sinclair Street / 204-582-0066 ncsc@shaw.ca / www.ncseniors.ca
North Point Douglas Seniors Association 49 Euclid Ave. / 204-880-1655
Pembina Active Living (55+) 170 Fleetwood Rd. / 204-946-0839 office@pal55plus.ca / www.pal55plus.ca
The Salvation Army Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre 51 Morrow Avenue / 204-946-9153 sheila.keys@salvationarmy.ca
South Winnipeg Seniors Resource Council 117-1 Morley Ave / 204-478-6169 resources@swsrc.ca / www.swsrc.ca
Southdale Seniors 254 Lakewood Boulevard / 204-257-6171 gm@southdale.ca / www.southdale.ca
Sri Lankan Seniors Manitoba 113 Stan Bailie Drive 204-261-9647 / www.srilankanseniorsmb.ca
St. James-Assiniboia 55+ Centre 3-203 Duffield Street 204-987-8850 / info@stjamescentre.com www.stjamescentre.com
Transcona Council for Seniors 845 Regent Ave / 204-222-9879 tcs@mymts.net / www.transconaseniors.ca
Transcona Retired Citizens Org. 328 Whittier Ave. West 204-222-8473 / trco328@shaw.ca
Vital Seniors 3 St. Vital Road / 204-253-0555 stmary@mymts.net www.stmarymagdelenewpg.org
Winnipeg Chinese Senior Association 204-291-7798 / wcsa.wpg@hotmail.com www.winnipegchineseseniors.ca
Y.A.H. Seniors Club
Windsor Community Centre, 99 Springside Dr. 204-233-0648 / yah@windsorcc.ca
BEYOND WINNIPEG
BEAUSEJOUR
Beau-Head Senior Centre 645 Park Avenue 204-268-2444 / beauhead@mymts.net
BINSCARTH / RUSSELL
Senior Services of Banner County 204-532-2391 seniorservicesofbannercounty@gmail.com
BOISSEVAIN
Seniors’ Services of the Turtle Mountain Area seniorservicetm@gmail.com / 204-534-6816
BRANDON
Brandon Seniors for Seniors Co-op Inc.
311 Park Avenue E / 204-571-2050 reception@brandons4s.ca www.brandons4s.ca
Health Checks - 204-728-1842 brandonmbhealthchecks.ca healthchecksbrandon@gmail.com
CARMAN
Carman Active Living Centre
47 Ed Belfour Drive / 204-745-2356 www.activelivingcentrecarman.ca
CRANBERRY PORTAGE
Jubilee Recreation of Cranberry Portage Legion Hall 217 2nd Ave. SE / 204-271-3081
CRYSTAL CITY
Crystal City & District Friendship Club Inc. 117 Broadway St. / 431-867-0122 crystalcityfriendship@gmail.com
DAUPHIN
Dauphin Active Living Centre Inc. 55 1st Avenue SE / 204-638-6485 www.dauphinseniors.com
DELORAINE
Deloraine Community Club Inc.
111 South Railway Ave E / 204-747-2846
Seniors’ Outreach Services of BrenWin Inc. 204-747-3283 sosbrenwin@gmail.com / sosbrenwin.com
ERICKSON
Comfort Drop In Centre 31 Main Street 204-636-2047 / areas@mymts.net
FLIN FLON
Flin Flon Seniors 2 North Avenue / 204-687-7308
GILBERT PLAINS
Gilbert Plains and District Community Resource Council Inc. / 204-548 4131 gpdcrc@mymts.net / gpseniors.ca
Gilbert Plains Drop In Centre 22 Main Street North / 204-548-2210
GIMLI
Gimli New Horizons 55+ Centre 17 North Colonization Road 204-642-7909 / gimli55@mts.net www.gimlinewhorizons.com
GLADSTONE
Gladstone Seniors Inc. 32 Morris Ave. North / 204-385-2205
GRAND MARAIS
Grand Marais & District Seniors 36058 PTH 12 / gmdseniors@gmail.com www.gmdseniors.ca
GRANDVIEW
Grandview Seniors Drop In 432 Main Street / 204-546-2272
HAMIOTA
Hamiota 55+ Centre & Restore Community Co-op Inc. 44 Maple Avenue / 204-764-2658
KILLARNEY
Killarney New Horizons Centre 520 Mountain Avenue www.killarneymbseniors.ca
Killarney Service for Seniors 415 Broadway / 204-523-7115 seniorservice@killarney.ca
LA BROQUERIE and STE. ANNE Seine River Services for Seniors Inc./ Services Rivière Seine pour aînés Inc. 93 Principale Street 204-424-5285 / labseinerss@gmail.com seineriverservicesforseniors.ca
LUNDAR
Lundar Community Resources 35 Main Street / 204-762-5378 lcrc@mymts.net
MANITOU
Pembina Community Resource Council 315 Main Street 204-242-2241 / pembinacrc@gmail.com
MINNEDOSA
Minnedosa Senior Citizens Assoc. 31 Main Street S 204-867-1956 / mdsasca@gmail.com
MORDEN
Morden Activity Centre 306 N Railway Street / 204-822-3555 mordenactivitycentre@gmail.com www.mordenseniors.ca
NEEPAWA
Neepawa Drop In Centre 310 Davidson Street / 204-476-5103 Neepawa-dropin@outlook.com www.neepawa.ca/district-drop-in-center
NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES Club D’age Dor Notre Dame ndslchezsoi@gmail.com / 204-248-7291
PILOT MOUND
Pilot Mound Fellowship Centre 203 Broadway Avenue / 204-825-2873
PLUMAS
Plumas Seniors Citizens Club Inc. 102 White Street / 204-386-2029
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE
Herman Prior Senior Services Centre 40 Royal Road N. / 204-857-6951 hermanpriorcentre@gmail.com www.hermanprior.com
Portage Service for Seniors 40A Royal Road N. / 204-239-6312
psfsmeals@shaw.ca portageservicefors.wixsite.com/psfs
RIVERTON Riverton Seniors Activity Centre 12 Main Street / 204-378-5155 rdfc@mymts.net / www.rivertonfc.com
SANDY LAKE
Sandy Lake Drop In Centre 100 Main St. / 204-585-2411
Municipality of Harrison Park - Age Friendly Initiative Committee 204-585-5310
SELKIRK
Gordon Howard Centre 384 Eveline Street / 204-785-2092 executivedirector@gordonhoward.ca www.gordonhoward.ca
SNOW LAKE
Snow Lake Senior Centre 71 Balsam Street 204-358-2151 / snowsrs@mymts.net
SOUTH JUNCTION Piney Regional Senior Services 204-437-2604 / lgdseniors@gmail.com
STARBUCK
MacDonald Services to Seniors 204-735-3052 / info@mcdonaldseniors.ca www.macdonaldseniors.ca
STEINBACH
Pat Porter Active Living Centre 10 Chrysler Gate 204-320-4600 / ed@patporteralc.com www.patporteralc.com
STONEWALL
South Interlake 55 Plus 374 1st Street West - Oddfellows Hall 204-467-2582 / si55plus@mymts.net www.si55plus.org
SWAN RIVER
Swan River & District Community Resource Council 126 6th Ave N / 204-734-5707 resourcecouncil@srseniorservices.com
Swan River Senior Citizens Centre 702 1st Street North / 204-734-2212
THE PAS
The Pas Golden Agers 324 Ross Avenue / 204-623-3663 seniorsthepas@gmail.com
THOMPSON Thompson Seniors Community Resource Council Inc. 4 Nelson Rd. / 204-677-0987 thompsonseniors55@gmail.com thompsonseniors.ca
TREHERNE Treherne Friendship Centre 190 Broadway Street 204-723-2559 / jstate1066@gmail.com
VICTORIA BEACH East Beaches Social Scene 3 Ateah Road / 204-756-6468 ebssinc1@gmail.com www.ebseniorscene.ca
East Beaches Resource Centre 3 Ateah Road / 204-756-6471 ebresourcec@gmail.com ebresourcec.weebly.com
VIRDEN Seniors Access to Independent Living 204-851-2761 / sail.cao.2023@gmail.com
WINKLER Winkler & District MP Senior Centre 102-650 South Railway Avenue 204-325-8964 director@winklerseniorcentre.com www.winklerseniorcentre.com
Canine parvovirus – an old disease, a new concern?
Did you watch the news? Canine parvovirus is among us! Admittedly, there are some in the veterinary community suggesting that an increased incidence and potential changes to the virus may make it more virulent. End of year numbers will surely indicate whether the true incidence has increased, but the truth is that canine parvovirus is an old disease that has been a problem for decades. The average day practice will see it regularly, if not often, and the frequency does tend to come in waves due to its infectious nature. That being said, since it’s been hitting the headlines, let’s review.
The canine parvovirus is a small, non-enveloped DNA virus that is unfortunately very stable in the environment. There are two types (CPV-1 and CPV-2), and CPV-2 is the type which causes the typical Parvoviral enteritis – the disease which is most commonly referred to in the media. The primary variants in North America are CPV-2b and CPV-2c. It is a potentially fatal disease that primarily affects young, unvaccinated (or incompletely vaccinated) dogs.
tend to progress rapidly and in devastating fashion – we see bloody diarrhea, severe lethargy, vomiting, fever, dehydration, and patients can progress to seizures, shock and collapse. The virus preferentially infects rapidly dividing cells, including those in the gastro-intestinal tract and of the bone marrow, which explains a lot of the clinical presentation. Without treatment, an animal can decompensate in a matter of hours, but even with treatment, there is no guarantee. Treatment is primarily supportive, although it is extremely intensive, treating clinical signs along with fluid therapy, electrolyte support, and septic complications. Encouragingly, there is also a relatively new targeted treatment in the form of a monoclonal antibody which has shown great efficacy, although it is not yet available in Canada.
Of note is that the virus can also be passed in-utero from a pregnant mother to her puppies. There, the progression can be different and infect dividing heart cells, causing myocarditis and potential heart failure after the pup is born.
although dilute bleach is effective if given at least 10 minutes of contact time. Most veterinary clinics have an “isolation” room where entry and exit is restricted, necessitating extensive personal protective equipment and with its own set of equipment, precisely because cleanup is so difficult.
With all these factors – shedding in large numbers, persistent shedding, and environmental persistence – it isn’t difficult to see how parvovirus become a real problem for rescues and in shelter environments.
The virus is shed in large numbers through the feces of infected dogs, and as these feces can land on many surfaces, fomites (objects or materials which are likely to carry infection, such as clothes, utensils, and furniture) are an important route of transmission. Dogs recovered from the disease can continue to shed, even asymptomatically, for a few weeks. Only a small dose is needed to infect an unvaccinated host, and there is an incubation period which can be long, ranging between three and 14 days.
However, once clinical signs appear, symptoms
Diagnosis of an active infection is typically done with a simple in-clinic test. The biggest problem with this test is that it can sometimes return as a false-negative early in the disease before there is extensive shedding, and since progression tends to be rapid, some negative dogs will be assumed positive if the complete clinical picture points to it.
With all of the vomiting and diarrhea, parvoviral enteritis is a messy disease and cleaning it up appropriately is difficult. Away from sunlight and disinfectants, the virus can persist in the environment for months to years. It is resistant to many disinfectants,
As with so many things, the answer isn’t complicated. Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Pre-vaccinate potential mothers. Vaccinate puppies. And avoid exposure if you can. It is recommended that puppies be restricted from outdoor public areas until their vaccination series is completed at 16 weeks of age, PLUS an additional seven to 10 days for that last vaccine to take effect. The vaccines are excellent, and every additional dose will improve a puppy’s chances of beating the disease if infected prior to completion of the series. After the boosters at oneyear of age, the vaccine needs to be boosted every three years. If you aren’t sure if your dog is up to date on his or her vaccines, call your veterinarian. And finally, an interesting fact for our feline owners out there – CPV-2b and -2c can both also infect cats. Cats do have their own parvoviral disease which causes a similar disease, referred to as Panleukopenia. Vaccination against this disease is part of the core feline vaccine schedule. So, check on your cat’s vaccinations too!
Until next time fellow paw print loving friends Silver Heights Veterinary Hospital is proud to serve the Winnipeg region, and is located on Ness Avenue in St. James. Contact them at 204-504-5600 or visit their website at silverheightsvethospital.ca
Matching donors DOUBLE impact for families in hospital
“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.”
– Lewis Carroll
At Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, we are so inspired by what donors are willing to do for others. Every single day we see gifts roll in, and we’re honoured to witness the impact they have on families who rely on Manitoba’s only children’s hospital.
I want to introduce you to two donors who want to make sure every gift goes even further, no matter the size.
Bob and Heather Williams are dedicating up to $400,000 as a matching donation to all public donations towards surgical needs over the next few months.
throughout life. Thumbs are important for communication and play as a child, and to do job functions as an adult.
The surgery involves creating a functional thumb by transferring another finger (usually the index) to the thumb position. Intricate incisions of skin, careful dissection of veins and nerves, and readjustment of the bones to shorten and rotate an index finger into the same plane of movement that a thumb would function are all part of the procedure …and all of this on a tiny hand. That’s why specialized equipment needed for surgeries like this is so important.
“Using outdated tools in any surgery means that outcomes suffer. When donors come forward to give to improve operating circumstances for surgeons – that is wonderful for the surgeons and for the kids.”
health pathway improvements, changes to post-operative pain control and much more.
“We don’t want to be treating kids the way we treated them 50 years ago. Funding research is just as important as funding tools,” says Thompson.
Thompson says she and other surgeons at HSC Children’s Hospital are thankful for donors who support the
specialized care needed for infants, children, and teens. Donors like Bob and Heather Williams who heard of a need and have now become matching donors to help get more supporters involved.
“We understand there are critical needs for replacing outdated tools in Manitoba’s only Children’s Hospital, so we want to help and get the community involved also,” says Bob Williams. “Now you have to opportunity with your donation, which will be matched, to help very talented surgeons help kids in miraculous ways.”
To have your donation matched, please give now at goodbear.ca/donate.
Stefano Grande is the president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“We believe the community can help ensure kids have the best care – and we are putting our donation behind this goal,” says Bob.
The Williams feel strongly about supporting the children in our community and are inspired by the health care heroes who look after them every day, like Dr. Susan Thompson.
Dr. Thompson is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hands at HSC Children’s Hospital in Manitoba. One surgery she specializes in is pollicization – one of the most difficult, intricate surgeries in the field.
“It is like the Cadillac of hand surgeries,” says Thompson, Pollicization is performed when a child is born with no thumb or congenital underdevelopment causing partial or complete absence of the radius bone and no structure to the thumb area. Not having a thumb can be detrimental to development and general function
Donors supporting the purchase of equipment as well as surgical research is fundamental to improved outcomes for kids. New lighting, instruments, implants and more, all designed with a purpose to make surgeries safer and more effective are available thanks to research. Research can also look at
Stefano Grande Healthy Living
Healthy Pet
Heather and Bob Williams.
IF YOU ARE A SENIOR. . . . . .
You should consider having the following in place
Will
The preparation of a will may seem like a daunting task, however, it is essential to ensure that your property is disposed of according to your wishes upon your death. If you pass away without a valid will, the law states what is to happen to your estate.
Power of Attorney
A power of attorney is a document which appoints an individual to handle your affairs in the event you become mentally incapable of making your own decisions. Nothing prevents you from continuing to make your own decisions while you are still competent. A power of attorney is an extremely valuable document to have in place in case anything happens to you which affects your mental ability, such as a stroke, coma or dementia.
Health Care Directive (Living Will)
A health care directive, commonly called a living will, is a document which appoints an individual to make decisions with regard to your health care only, while you are alive but unable to express your decisions yourself. This document is distinct from a power of attorney and deals only with health care decisions such as whether life sustaining treatments, such as CPR or blood transfusion, should be continued or withdrawn.
Standard Fees*
Standard Fees*
Last Will and Testament
Last Will and Testament
Power of Attorney
Seniors
Seniors
$225.00 $200.00
$275.00 $250.00
$175.00 $150.00
Power of Attorney $225.00 $200.00
Health Care Directive $ 75.00 $ 50.00
Health Care Directive $125.00 $100.00
* plus GST and PST - Rates are per person.
*Plus GST and PST - Rates are per person.
Home and hospital visits are also available $250.00* (includes both meetings)
*plus GST and PST
TACIUM VINCENT & ASSOCIATES
206 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2H 1J3 DAVID G. VINCENT (204) 989-4236 www.taciumvincent.com
Pembina Active Living
(55+)
“Enhancing the lives of older Adults of South Winnipeg” Enjoy a well-balanced Life!
Exercise/Games/Sports: Be healthy!
Fitness Classes, Yoga, Line Dancing, Pickleball, Golf, Biking, Hiking, Pole Walking, Bridge, Scrabble, Bowling - PinPaL’s
Community outreach: help others! Pal Cares (Volunteering in The Community), Support Groups - alzheimer Caregivers & Seniors Grieve Too (Spring/Fall Sessions) Take 5 Day Club, Ring and Ride, newcomer Conversation Class.
Special Thanks to:
Socializing: Make new friends!
PaL Cafe, Movie PaL’s, Lunch PaL’s.
Creativity: Express yourself!
Still Bloomin’ Garden Club, Pal Painters, always Write, Book Club.
Education & Information: Learn something new!
Pal Presents Free Monday afternoon: (Speakers, Music, Cultural awareness, Bingo) Tech Tuesday, Travel Tips, Tablet Library.
Special Events & Trips: Bring Us Together!
Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day Party, Zing into Spring, Volunteer appreciation, Summer Trips, annual Picnic, Fall BBq, Fundraising Gala, Christmas Tea.
Let’s Be Pal’s! Call 204-946-0839 for more information.
Look no further than Fred Douglas Chateau (formerly Kiwanis
• LIFE LEASE independent living for 55+ in a close-knit community.
• Prime location with indoor access to shopping, dining, medical services, Arena, the Y and Millennium Library.
• Security and emergency response services for added peace of mind.
• Spacious one-bedroom and two-bedroom options available.
• Features include in-suite washer and dryer, balcony enclosures, and heated parking.
• Suites can be customized according to your preference.
• Cat-friendly.
430 Webb Place, Wpg, R3B 3J7 • 204-306-4617 • Email: sisaac@freddouglas.ca www.facebook.com/freddouglaschateau • freddouglaschateau.ca
your