Jennifer Laviolette
January is the bluest month
Not only is January one of the coldest months but it’s also known to be the bluest month of the year. Blue Monday is coming up and many people are facing challenges with mental health, depression, or just a hard time in general.
“Blue Monday is a term applied to the third Monday of January, which is January 20 this year, and has been labelled as the most depressing day of the year,” said Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Swan Valley Branch Peer Support and Public Education Coordinator Rod Seib. “The original idea was conceived by a travel company in the UK in the early 2000s. A psychologist was commissioned to generate a formula that would provide the basis for promoting this day as the most depressing time of the year.
MB Envirothon returns to The Pas
A provincial annual hands-on environmental education competition for high school students is returning to The Pas this year. The Manitoba Envirothon will host one of its five regional events in The Pas as part of the northern district in April 2025.
“The Manitoba Envirothon is an annual hands-on environmental education competition for high schools from across the province, designed to encourage teamwork, problem-solving skills, and public speaking skills while fostering an appreciation for current environmental issues,” said Manitoba Association of Watersheds Community Engagement Coordinator Kathryn Gibb. “The program helps students develop skills necessary to address environmental issues, such as collaboration, critical thinking, and public debate.
Searching for paid on-call firefighters
The Pas Fire Department is looking to grow its firefighting team by recruiting paid on-call firefighters to join their ranks. The department is not fully staffed and hopes this can help attract some new members.
“According to our by-law, we are allowed to have a maximum of 30 firefighters,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “We are currently sitting at 20, so in the best-case scenario, we would like to recruit 10.
“The candidates would start by coming out to our weekly training to see if they enjoy it. If they do, we will then host a recruit training weekend where they will learn all the skills needed to become a defensive firefighter and once completed, they will then receive a pager.
Mullins cheer on granddaughters at State Championship
Grandparents are also the biggest fans when it comes to watching a student compete in a high school sport. Murray and Sheila Mullin were a couple of the proudest grandparents ever when they went down to Texas to watch their granddaughters, Scarlett and Lily Nichol, compete in the Texas State National Cheer Championships.
Scarlett and Lily are the daughters of Tanya Nichol, Murray and Sheila’s daughter. Scarlett is in Grade 8 and Lily is in Grade 10.
“This was our first time watching our granddaughters in competition,” said Murray Mullin. “During the year they cheer at their high school’s football and basketball games.
“We’ve watched them at regular games, but not at a competition,” said Sheila Mullin. “The Texas State National Cheer Championships were held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. It was a huge event that started at 8 a.m. All through the day, there were competitions and I would say the crowd ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 people at certain points.”
Not only was it a big event for both Scarlett and Lily, but for Murray and Shiela as well as they awaited the final results.
“It was quite good and there was lots of excitement and cheering; it was quite the experience,” said Murray. “When they announce the finalists, they start by announcing the placements in reverse order. For example, if they have 12 teams, they announce the twelfth-place team and so on until they announce the championship team.
“For Scarlett, her team finished in third place in their division. With Lily, they kept announcing the placements until they got down to the final three. I was sitting there with my head in my hands, and when they called out the second place and it wasn’t her team, we knew they were the championship team.
“Just watching the team hugging each other and their excitement over winning the Texas State Championship brought tears to my eyes,” said Murray. “They work so hard at this because they started before the beginning of the school year. In July, there is a camp they attend and throughout their summer holidays, they are practicing. Then every day at school, each student is required to participate in sports. Lily practices every day and then after school, they are there until 5:30 p.m. practising. They are very dedicated and to be on the team, they must maintain an 80 percent average in their school work.
“It was amazing because as a grandparent, it’s an honour to watch grandchildren participate in their chosen sport or activity,” said Sheila. “Then when they excel, and the dedication and determination come to fruition, and the result is being a state champion, it’s beyond thrilling.
“Lily’s team performed flawlessly and hit zero. When a team hits zero means they have no deductions, which is ultimately what these teams strive for in competition.”
The Mullins also go to see their grandchildren perform their best under some adversity and pressure, as they had to bounce back from some obstacles that were in the way.
“Scarlett is one of the flyers that are at the top,” said Murray. “When one of her teammates was dismounting the formation, she put her hand down to stabilize and they received a deduction for that, which was one of the factors that led them to place third.”
“Saturday was the competition day, so on Friday Lily’s team was going through their last preparations for their performance and one teammate fell and was injured. They had to change their performance last minute because they were missing a flyer. They went in Saturday afternoon and practiced for three to four hours, changed their routine and when they performed it, they got a perfect score. That alone was pretty exciting to know they achieved that under those circumstances.”
Scarlett and Lily Nichol have been immersed in the world of cheerleading since they settled in Texas and started school there.
“I always saw my sister doing cheer when I was in sixth grade and she was in eighth grade, and I thought it would be fun,” said Scarlett. “I saw some tumblers on the team and thought it would be cool to learn. In seventh grade, I tried out and made the team.
“The first time I went to a State Championship, it was very nerve-wracking. I was really scared, but my coaches were good at talking to us and making sure we were ok. Once we got out there, it was really fun.
“This time, it was less nerve-wracking and more team bonding, because I’m in eighth grade this year, I had to help the ones in seventh grade prepare for this. I was providing more support for them, but I still was nervous during parts of it.
“It was fun for my grandparents to see us compete in a State Championship,” said Scarlett. “I felt like they thought we did really good.”
Lily has had a remarkable year in cheerleading this year, for she is co-captain of the team and this has been hailed as a rare opportunity for someone of her age.
“This is my third time going to State Championships and placing at them,” said Lily. “I started in my eighth grade year when we moved down here. My Spanish teacher was the coach and I heard her talking about tryouts and asking people if they were interested. I took home a flyer and talked to my mom about it, and things just went from there. I wasn’t in any other sports or clubs at the time. I figured I would try out and see where it took me. I fell in love with the sport and now am a State Champion.
Almost double raised for Giving Challenge
The Pas Tri-Community Foundation wrapped up a very successful Giving Challenge this year. The amount of donations received has almost doubled in amount.
“We had an excellent response from the community, considering we’ve only been operating for three years,” said The Pas Tri-Community Foundation Vice President Kent Whaley. “We received pretty much double the amount of donations this year compared to what we received last year for the Giving Challenge. I think that is because there has been more awareness of our community foundation and what it does.
Culture Days ranks sixth in Top Ten Rural Communities
Culture Days once again has garnered some local attention for the tri-community area. It was recently announced that, yet again, Culture Days in our community has ranked in the Top Ten Rural Communities List for hosting such an event. This year, the event placed sixth in that category nationwide.
“As always, all events were well received and I believe, this year, each event had the best attendance,” said Culture Days Organizer Cheryl Antonio. “It’s been a long journey over the years getting attention to Culture Days, but since the pandemic, people have really begun to notice the event and all it has to offer. The partnerships with the Kinettes, The Pas Regional Library, the Golden Agers, and the 4-H Club have added to getting the word out there. Each year, the events have been growing.
O’Rourke fights for his life in Dubai prison
Many of us are wishing for a Merry Christmas, but some are hoping and praying for freedom and their lives. Former resident, 64-year-old Maurice Kevin O’Rourke has been fighting for both his life and freedom from a prison in Dubai. O’Rourke was on his way to South Africa to meet colleagues when he was detained for carrying medications to treat a disease he has been battling. His family currently resides in Ontario and has been doing all they can to bring him home.
“On July 2, my dad left Canada to fly to Africa,” said O’Rourke’s daughter, Maegan O’Rourke. “He was transiting through Dubai and was only going to be there for less than two days.
Preventing fires when plugging in
Winter is here and with that comes the joys of plugging in one’s vehicle to ensure it will start in the winter. One thing that is overlooked is fire prevention when it comes to plugging in vehicles during the coldest winter months.
“Faulty or improperly maintained heaters can overheat, leading to fires,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “Exposure to cold temperatures can damage vehicle wiring, increasing the risk of short circuits and fires.”
Aurora House welcomes new executive director
The search for an executive director for the Aurora House ended early this fall, as a candidate was hired. Jean Clearwater is new to both the position and the area but comes with lots of experience with helping women escape domestic violence and providing support.
“I’ve worked for many years with various organizations in this field before accepting this position with Aurora House,” said Aurora House Executive Director Jean Clearwater. “I started this position on October 1, and it was also my first introduction to The Pas. I moved from Teulon to The Pas for this position. The people here have been wonderfully welcoming and very friendly.”
Clearwater is all too familiar with the challenges that women facing domestic violence have when living in rural or northern areas. There just aren’t the resources that there are in the urban centres.
NMTF Fur Queen Candidates announced
Once Christmas and New Year’s pass, the community will only get a brief pause before they start up for the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival (NMTF). This year’s Fur Queen Competition has more candidates running than it has seen in a while.
“There are eight Fur Queen candidates this year, which is more than last year,” said NMTF Fur Queen Director Krista Tooley. “It is also more than we've had in a few years, which is exciting!