The Chief and Council have established a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction for the recent acts of violence against our community members. OCN has witnessed an increase in criminal activity that is unprecedented in our Nation’s history. Acts of violence are occurring more frequently, with youth often initiating random attacks on others.
These acts have included the use of various weapons, and the suspects are committing these crimes in groups of more than one. Manitoba First Nations Police are currently investigating these incidents and are asking for the public’s assistance for any witnesses to come forward and share confidential/anonymous information.
The public is asked to please report any tips to the anonymous TIPS line. Your information is very important and could help reduce criminal activity and violence against our own community members.
Finally, we ask all parents to ensure their children/youth are at home and abiding by the curfew by-law, 1998-01. Ultimately, parents are responsible for the care and custody of their children at all times.
Anonymous callers may call 1-833-978-0048 and email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Opaskwayak Cree Nation has a strong and proud history and will continue to take a stand against all forms of violence against any of our community members. Our community should be a safe place for all to live.

This month seems to be a time for festivals in the tri-community. Another great event coming up is The Pas Community Renewal Corporation’s (TPCRC) Street Festival. It promises to have something for everyone to either purchase or an activity to do.
“The Street Festival welcomes vendors of local and home-based businesses, rummage sale tables, and organizations with information booths,” said TPCRC Community Engagement Coordinator Holly LaJambe. “For kids, we have carnival games, a bounce house, face painting, henna, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. There will also be a complimentary treat concession, a DJ playing music, and button-making. We’ve invited Emergency Services to offer tours of their vehicles when they are able.

The Pas/OCN Chamber of Commerce is looking to recruit some new board members to help promote local economic development and bring businesses owners together in a sense of collaboration. The board has some core values that they follow to advocate for its members.
“The primary role of a board member is to serve as a community champion for our tri-community, guiding the chamber in its mission to educate and develop the economic, civic, cultural, and social welfare of our citizens,” stated The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce Board Members as a whole. “Board members are expected to attend meetings, contribute to policy and budget decisions, and evaluate programs that serve our members.

There are those folks who have an eye for design and a talent for making it happen when it comes to home renovations. Cheryl and Derek Gorski are just those two. They took their love of renovating and decorating, and turned it into a business here in the Valley.
“My husband, Derek, and I have always loved renovating,” said Cheryl. “We’ve always renovated our own houses and both originally came from families who had carpenters.
“A couple of years ago, some of our friends came to us because we’ve always done renovations and they couldn’t find anyone to renovate their bathroom. They had guys come out and give them a quote, only to turn around and tell them they couldn’t do it anyway. Then they found another guy who said he could do it, gave them a quote and it’s been two years later, and he now won’t get back to them.
“Derek was working for a farmer at this time, and they begged him to do this during the slower time,” said Cheryl. “So he took a month and renovated their bathroom. They absolutely loved it and Derek showed his boss the photos. His boss was building a brand new shop and needed a second-floor mezzanine, so he asked if he could build it over the winter. So he built that. All the guys my husband had been working with told him he needed to do this as a business on his own. So, he wound up doing just that.
“Now, I had been working at the Swan Valley Credit Union since we had moved back. I’ve always loved interior design, decorating and renovations. Growing up, I wanted to major in interior design, but there were no options for that back then in the Valley. I’ve always been interested in it, just never majored in it, but dabbled in it.
“Derek and I have always worked well together, so when he was convinced to go into doing a business where he did renovations, we both went into it,” said Cheryl. “We found a lot of people didn’t know what they exactly wanted when it comes to renovations, but knew what they didn’t want. I go into it by asking the questions and finding out what they want. Then I show them some options, order the supplies and materials, and Derek would do the work.”
This started the concept of Zylo and Bloom Interiors. The Gorskis’ business offers several options in blinds, area rugs, custom cabinetry, hard surface countertops, doors, cabinet hardware and handles, wall and floor tile, LVP, laminate, engineered hardwood, carpet, specialty ceiling tile, and more. With the option to also have these products installed.
“I ended up going to the Home and Gift Show with Rachel Stober from Three:30 Paper, Décor and Gift in January,” said Cheryl. “I realized there was this whole new world and I found it amazing. That catapulted our dream of getting into the design aspect of things.
“After I came back from the Home and Gift Show, I tried looking up some of these companies online to see all their inventory, and I couldn’t, because you have to be part of their network and distributors. They want to supply businesses rather than deal with individual sales.
“We found a lot of time when we were doing the renovation aspect, that we wanted to support local, but couldn’t find a specific product a customer wanted, it wasn’t available and couldn’t be ordered in,” said Cheryl. “I would have to go find it somewhere else and I didn’t like that. I wanted to get it in town and found that a lot of our customers and clients felt the same way. They were also getting stuff out of town. This led us to wanting to be able to carry these items in town or be able to bring them in.
“We are signed up with Viana Inc. for area rugs; Canarm and DVI Lighting, and many more brands for lighting; we will have a large variety of industry leading quartz manufacturers for countertops as well as Laminam and Dekton; wall and floor tiles and flooring by Julian Tile, Ames Tile, Primco and an exclusive dealer of MSI Surfaces.
“I also got approached by someone about ordering and installing blinds, and that also helped start this process,” said Cheryl. “They knew we were signing up with a few different companies and asked if we had signed up for blinds. At the time, we hadn’t, even though we’ve ordered and installed a lot of blinds for clients. They asked if we would consider doing that, and it was something I was interested in. So we signed up with Graver and Maxxmar Window Fashions.
“We’ve also signed up with some lighting companies, because that was another big one that I couldn’t get nice ones. I found that most people want something different.”
Zylo and Bloom is opening up their shop at 519 Main Street in Swan River. They felt that having a physical in-store location was the best way to display these products and serve customers. They had a soft opening on Monday (Aug. 11).
“I’m the type of person who needs to look at and feel the texture of things like tile and fabric before I know if it’s going to work or not,” said Cheryl. “I need to see what I’m getting, which became one reason why we decided to open up a storefront. Then I thought about doing consultations in people’s homes, but it’s awkward to carry in samples to and from places.
“Right now, we are trying out some working hours and doing a soft opening to see what works best for this type of business. We are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday afternoons, to see how it goes.
“If someone comes in and is asking about something, we want to be a place that gets it for them,” said Cheryl. “If we don’t carry it, if at all possible, we will try to get it for a customer.”
For those interested in seeing some of Derek’s finished products, check out his YouTube Channel, Gorski Woodworks.

Last week (Aug. 8), Dr. Gene Theodore was awarded a King Charles III’s Coronation Medal, presented by Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk on behalf of the King’s representative. Theodore served as a medical doctor in the Swan Valley for 52 years, finally retiring in 2018...

The new owners of one of about 50 independent small town cinemas left in the country say they’re living the dream.
Robby and Emilie Roy (not pronounced like Allen, but like former Habs goaltender Patrick) took possession of the Roblin Theatre in July and after some initial renovations opened their doors Aug. 1.
Check out this week’s Review for the rest of the story

Some former Valley residents are taking advantage of a summer student opportunity that allows them to work in their home community and gain experience in their field of study. Discover Health Careers Manitoba offers term positions to students in the healthcare field to provide a hands-on experience in clinical, hospital or healthcare environments.
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) offered 26 positions in the region in areas of pharmacy, primary care, mental health, therapy services, acute care, public health and nutrition. PMH and Shared Health cost share the initiative.
At the Primary Care Clinic in Swan River, two local students, Brittan Yaschyshyn and Abby Facundo, have been participants working through the initiative since May of this year.
“I grew up in the valley and love coming home every summer to my family and friends. My parents, Tom and Tracey, grew up here as well,” said Yaschyshyn. “After graduating in 2022 and moving to the city, I missed being in a small town and getting to participate in community events and groups that I had become so accustomed to.
“I study Midwifery at Mount Royal University in Calgary. I chose it after learning about its unique scope of practice and clinically based teaching style. After graduating, I will have spent over 24 months in practicums outside of the time spent in the classroom. I chose this area of healthcare because it is such an exciting and critical moment in people’s lives and I look forward to being able to support others through it.
“I moved to Swan River from the Philippines and have lived in the Valley since 2017,” said Facundo. “My parents are Ivy and Allan Facundo. My dad works at AG Shield in Benito and my mom works as a health care aide at the Swan Valley Lodge. I graduated from the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School in 2024. During my time in the valley, I enjoyed spending time at the lake, being with friends, and being part of the Filipino community.
“I’ve always loved taking care of others, especially my little cousins and great-grandparents, whether it was babysitting, helping with everyday tasks, or keeping them company. Additionally, I worked at the healthcare facility where my mom works, which gave me firsthand experience and opened the door to pursuing a career in healthcare.
“I’m currently studying for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Calgary,” said Facundo. “After I graduate, I plan to become a registered nurse and hope to work in labour and delivery or pediatrics.”
Yaschyshyn is a midwife student and has been working in the clinic’s front administration area. She has been attending to patient care, booking appointments, dealing with tasks and making specialist appointments. She has also been able to pair up with physicians and help with history and physicals for prenatal care, as well as update prenatal records and sit in on prenatal care with the physicians.
“My role this summer has been supporting the admin staff and working with the providers for prenatal and postpartum assessments,” said Yaschyshyn. “My learning experience so far has been exciting.
“When I started here three years ago, I hadn’t begun midwifery school yet and the doctors were filling me in on everything. This was super beneficial for me when I started in my program. Now I am grateful to feel like I can bring the skills I have learned at school and utilize them even when I’m on break. It keeps me fresh and brings a new perspective about working in rural areas.”
Facundo is a nursing student and has been shadowing the LPN at the clinic. She has been undertaking tasks like rooming patients, taking vitals and updating electronic medical records.
“This summer, I’m working in a vitals position where I’m responsible for taking patients’ vital signs,” said Facundo. “The role allows me to work with diverse people and collaborate with different healthcare professionals as part of the team.
“So far, this has been a really valuable learning experience. I’ve had the chance to see what different healthcare professionals do and how they work together, which is helping me expand my understanding of the various paths in healthcare. I’m trying to absorb as much as I can and keep my options open, especially with what I can apply to my future in nursing.”
Yaschyshyn and Facundo will complete their terms this month and return to university in the fall. Having this opportunity to work and learn in their home community has had so many benefits for both women as they return to school and consider their options for the future.
“This experience has brought me invaluable learning opportunities and I am so grateful for the pregnant people who have welcomed me into their care,” said Yaschyshyn. “Unfortunately, without a delivering hospital, a midwife couldn’t work in Swan River right now. However, this experience has brought me an appreciation for rural care and I do plan to practice in rural areas.”
“As of right now, I’m not entirely sure what the future holds, but I’m open to gaining experience in other communities as well,” said Facundo. “This experience has definitely made me appreciate the value of working in my home community, but I also want to explore different environments to continue learning and growing in my career.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about this experience is getting to shadow and talk to some of the nurses. It’s been really helpful to see what their roles look like day to day and to hear their perspectives and advice. It’s given me a clearer idea of what to expect in the profession and what kind of nurse I want to become.

Hot weather on the August long weekend sounds like the perfect time for people to enjoy nature in lake country, which is exactly what plenty of people did in and on the countless water bodies that are within a relatively short drive from the Swan Valley. Pictured here, Nick Gowler visits from Minnedosa and tries his luck at catching fish in Two Mile Lake on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 3).

The Roblin Ag Society’s annual fair and rodeo kicked off Thursday with the popular King Farmer competition, a family affair this year, featuring six teams and 10 stations.
The event saw a record calcutta of $15,600 this year and was won by the father-son team of Mark and Trey Leflar. 
With the long weekend and having to go to print Friday morning, you’ll have to wait until our Aug. 12 issue for more fair and rodeo coverage.  

Many in the tri-community will remember Dr. William Fouad and his time as a physician in northern Manitoba. Dr. Fouad’s son, Paul, has penned a memoir of his parents’ experiences, from migrating to another country to settling in northern Manitoba. Recently, Dr. Fouad and his wife, Laura, celebrated their 60th Anniversary amongst family and friends.
“This memoir started as a gift to my parents and something they could leave their grandkids,” said Paul Fouad. “Their grandkids are disconnected, not only from my parents’ culture but their life story as well. This is a way for them to connect.
“As I began writing this, I really got into character and what my parents were about. My dad is a remarkable person and my mother is very special too. Now that I’m older, I’m starting to see the incredibleness of what he did and how difficult that must have been. For someone to leave family, uproot to a new country, and leave behind their culture to form a new one with their family.