Jennifer Laviolette
Designer’s work wows crowd at Lilac and Lace Luncheon
Local Indigenous fashion designer and creator Shauna Ponask stunned a crowd yet again with another one of her designs. This time Ponask’s creation was modelled at this year’s annual Nellie McClung Lilac and Lace Luncheon in Winnipeg at the Fort Garry Hotel. The event took place on June 20 and showcased the Threads in Time fashion show, which Ponask’s creation was a part of.
“I was contacted by Suzanne Barbeau from the Aseneskak casino, who then put me in contact with Giselle MacDonald in Winnipeg,” said Ponask.
“The name of the outfit is Northern Beauty. It consists of a shawl, a wrap skirt, wrap-around moccasins, and caribou tufted earrings. Each piece is made from white deer hide, and plum-coloured Melton wool, completed with white floral beadwork. Each item is completely stitched by hand.”
Accessibility and more empathy needed in the tri-community
Accessibility is a huge factor in determining how welcoming a community can be, especially towards those with disabilities. One resident in The Pas has faced some challenges and an encounter that no one should have to go through, but she remains positive that improvements can be made to make The Pas a more inclusive community.
Stella Lathlin experienced a health condition as a young adult that eventually led to her losing a lot of her mobility.
“I had my daughter at the age of 18 and a few months later I started to have symptoms,” said Lathlin. “I had heard of MS, but it was the last thing on my mind. My daughter was six to seven months at the time when I started to go blind and lost hearing in one ear. It was a very traumatic and scary time in my life.
Deputy Fire Chief moves into department’s top job
Just last week The Town of The Pas passed the resolution to appoint a new fire chief for The Pas Fire Department as the position was vacant. This allowed the department’s current deputy fire chief to step into that role.
Byron Shangraw is the perfect candidate to lead The Pas Fire Department, for he found his passion in helping people and keeping both his team and the community safe.
“There’s the sense of duty and knowing you can make a difference in someone's worst moment, that you can be one of the ones who help them through a crisis,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “That's a powerful motivator. Second, there's the camaraderie. Firefighters are a family but not only the firefighters, but their spouses, parents and children are part of the fire family as well, and that bond is forged in the heat of the moment. You trust the person next to you with your life, and that creates a special kind of teamwork.
Le Pas de Danse earns national recognition
The art of dance is strong in The Pas, much like the arts culture in general, and last week Le Pas de Danse studio earned national recognition for one of their competitive performances. Le Pas de Danse dancers are still fairly new to competing, but already, they are proving to be strong contenders in the art of dance.
“Le Pas de Danse was started up in 2019, and we refrained from doing competitions at that time because I knew how much work it is and I didn’t feel we were ready for that level,” said Le Pas de Dance Studio Instructor Patty-Jean St Hilaire. “The students have been asking to compete now for the last couple of years, and we do have an intensive program where our dancers have been dancing five to seven hours a week, which is a pre-competitive level of dance.
Coming to an agreement on forestry management
The provincial government signed an agreement with three First Nations, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, Sapotaweyak Cree Nation and Minezogbe First Nation, known as Pine Creek First Nation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extends Louisiana Pacific’s operating licence by five years, which allows all parties to work together to create a sustainable 20-year Forest Management Plan that addresses everyone’s needs.
The agreement ensures that the First Nations’ level of government will be directly involved in Manitoba’s Forestry Management Plans for the first time and will continue into the future. This allows First Nation communities to protect traditional lands and treaty rights. It’s been hailed as a precedent-setting agreement in terms of reconciliation.
Opasquia Trails receives provincial funding to enhance trail
The Manitoba government along with Trails Manitoba is investing more than $880,000 to support 33 recreational trails across the province, Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt announced.
“Manitobans love to enjoy the outdoors and our province is home to unique networks of trails that support healthy living and offer great social opportunities,” said Schmidt. “Adding new trails and ensuring our existing trails are well-maintained helps guarantee Manitobans can continue to enjoy the great outdoors for generations to come.”
Design plans unveiled for Benito Splash Park
Community members in Benito have teamed up to bring the dream of a splash park into reality. Earlier this year, a dedicated group of individuals formed the Benito Splash Park committee and began planning and fundraising for the project.
“Currently, we would be in phase 1 planning and fundraising,” said Benito Splash Park Committee Member Brad Kushniryk. “We have an outside organization assisting with grant applications to try and keep on top of those as more organizations need funding to complete projects than ever before.”
Just last week the Benito Splash Park Committee announced they finalized the design concepts and layouts for the splash park. The goal was to make this splash park accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
“We tried to keep the park user-friendly for all ages and abilities, so it will have structures aimed at toddlers to adults, should they choose to take part,” said Kushniryk. “There will be the giant bucket dumping water, which is a favourite, as well as a misting tower to keep parents cool on hot days if they choose not to be directly in the water features.
“It will be located on the rec grounds north of the playground. Most people know where the arena is, so just to the north of that building with the ball diamonds. There will be about 2,300 square feet covered by the actual spray area and just over 3,000 square feet for the pad itself.”
The Benito Splash Park Committee has been working hard at fundraising for the project and held a summer raffle at the beginning of June. Now they are still accepting donations towards the splash park and are hoping to reach their goal soon.
“The total cost has been quoted at $370,000,” said Kushniryk. “To date, we would be between 40 to 50 percent of that committed.
“There is still potential to break ground for this year, but without some more funding coming in before the contractors fill their schedule, we will have to aim for a spring start. The Municipality of Swan Valley West office will accept donations on behalf of the Benito Splash Park and can issue charitable receipts. You can also contact Holly at 204-281-2898 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..”
Local firefighter named one of Manitoba’s Top 40
CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 under 40 announced their top finalists for 2024, and one local resident is one of them. Karen Gallagher was chosen to be part of this distinguished group of candidates for her volunteerism efforts and dedication to improving The Pas and the surrounding area.
Gallagher’s list of volunteerism work is extensive. She is dedicated and heavily involved with two organizations and takes a very active role in her duties within these organizations.
“I’m directly involved with The Pas Fire Department (TPFD) and The Pas Health Complex Foundation (TPHCF) Board of Directors,” said Gallagher. “Then I’m indirectly involved with The Pas Handi-van, The Pas Travel Club, The Pas Guest List, local LGBTQ+ events, Kinsmen Events and local cleanup initiatives.”
Inquest process difficult for those affected by death
The long-awaited inquest into a man who died in RCMP custody after he was detained for public intoxication in The Pas has finally transpired. In 2019, John George Ettawakapow, known as Dot Dot, was 54 years old when he died in an RCMP holding cell, where he was detained with two other intoxicated individuals.
This triggered an inquest into Ettawakapow’s death through Manitoba’s Fatalities Inquiries Act. This act requires an inquest when a person dies in police custody.
Security video footage from the detachment showed officers carrying Ettawakapow into the cell and leaving him on the floor, where two other men were also lying. Just over an hour later, the video recorded one of the men moving their leg over Ettawakapow’s neck. Ettawakapow was shown as lifting his arm and grabbing toward his neck. Within minutes, Ettawakapow stopped moving.
Community heroes step up to rescue Lila
People abandoning pets has been an unfortunate common occurrence that puts a lot of strain on animal rescue agencies. Recently the Valley has had some local heroes step up to rescue a small dog last weekend that was abandoned and left in distress.
Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk first spotted the dog outside of Cowan and posted seeing it all alone in the park. Sherry Markle then brought it to the attention of the Swan Valley Animal Protection League (SVAPL). This sparked a frenzy of concern for the little dog that led to a few rescue attempts to bring her to safety by members of the SVAPL and other volunteers.
“The first night Lisa and I went out, was on Thursday, June 13, at about 8 p.m.,” said Jenn Ferron. “That’s when we first learned about her. The dog was not having anything to do with us and ran into the park and bushes, and we couldn’t find her after a while.
“On the next day, we had more success. It’s a good thing she was hungry because we were able to bribe her with food and she would come close to us. She would come up and eat out of our hands, but she still didn’t want to be caught. We spent a total of five hours that night with the dog all along the side of the highway. The people in Cowan were wonderful as well, for letting us sit on their lawns while we tried to coax her along.
“Then on Saturday when I went out there, I walked up and down the highway because I couldn’t find her,” said Ferron. “Once I started calling the dog’s name, she jumped out of the lilac bushes and let me pet her and continued to eat from my hand, but still very skittish.”
Lisa Scales, Myrna Klein, Lori-Ann Sushelnicki and Ferron all tried to rescue the dog and eventually it was safely caught and brought in. The poor dog was covered with over 50 wood ticks from being left out and running in the long grass. Stephanie and James Wigley went to the vet Saturday morning to get Bravecto to get rid of the ticks.
“The dog was just covered in wood ticks and we noticed some really big ones when we first saw her,” said Ferron. “They fell off, but they were around her eyes and mouth, which was from running in the bush.
“We only learned about this dog on Thursday night, because of Rick Wowchuk letting us know. We don’t know how long the dog was left unattended, but that was the first sighting of her that we had knowledge of.”
The little dog has been named Lila because she would come out of hiding from the lilac bushes along the highway when rescuers were searching for her. Lila is doing well and has been to the vet for care. She is a very smart little dog, is housebroken, loves to play, crate trained for evenings and is a lapdog.
“The dog was seen by the vet and got fixed as well,” said Ferron. “She will need time to get over all she has been through before she can be adopted. She was given medication to help with all the wood ticks she had on her and they’ve all fallen off. At least she can heal from that and it’s not bothering her anymore. The dog is eating well and doing very well.
“My greatest reward for this was when Lisa phoned me at 10:30 p.m. on the evening of the day we rescued Lila and told me she was wagging her tail. To me that was great and that is the reward we get. I’ve gone to see the dog the last couple of days and she is so full of kisses and snuggles. She really is a loving dog, so for her to be that scared and alone, I can only imagine what this dog went through. It takes a lot for a pet to trust someone, especially after they’ve been abandoned by a previous owner. Most of the time they are just waiting for their owner and don’t know what is going on.”
The SVAPL asks that people do the responsible thing when it comes to not being able to care for a pet any longer. Having a pet is a huge responsibility and they become members of the family. Abandoning them in a foreign place is a cruel thing to do and there are better ways to handle it that would not put the pet at risk of dying.
“Unfortunately, with animal rescue, we see that all the time,” said Ferron. “It breaks my heart. I’ve been blessed to foster over 40 dogs in my care and it’s a heartbreaking thing, but I find it rewarding in the end when we find these dogs their forever home.
“If a person has a dog that for some reason they can’t look after or that they find abandoned, we encourage them to call the municipality or us for help. We can post to help rehome the dog, but please do not abandon or leave them. They are scared and could get hurt or worse, killed. Reach out to someone rather than doing this.”
The Valley has many community heroes and Ferron is thankful to all who helped save Lila’s life. It took a group of caring and concerned citizens to make all the difference in this little dog’s life and soon she will go to a home where she will be cared for and loved.
“As Lisa had said on social media, it took a village to rescue this little dog and I couldn’t have done it without people posting on Facebook and keeping us updated,” said Ferron. “From Rick posting, that he found her, to Myrna coming out to help, it really does take a village and I’m thankful to everyone who helped.”