“I am very excited and honoured to be the leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party,” said Manitoba’s PC Leader Obby Khan. “There is a lot of work to be done and I’m well aware of it. I didn’t sign up for this role thinking it would be easy. I know there is going to be a lot of work to do. On top of the Legislative work, it’s going to be building that trust and relationship back with Manitobans. That is going to be one of my first tasks.

Cranberry Portage Winterfest is bringing another event to the community to acknowledge its history and significance in the trade route. For Canada, the committee is bringing back the Cranberry Portage Race to draw in a crowd.
“We brainstormed different ideas at a committee meeting for ways to celebrate the rich history of Cranberry Portage beyond our winter festival,” said Cranberry Portage Winterfest Volunteer Committee Member Carleen Wollman.

A recent fire broke out on May 3, which led to The Pas Fire Department, Opaskwayak Fire Department and Manitoba Wildfire Services to be called in to suppress and extinguish the fire. It moved closer to the tri-community, which led to an evacuation of Big Eddy, Carrot River and Bracken Dam. At the time, residents were to go to the Veterans Hall in Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
Later, on Sunday, residents of Big Eddy could return to their homes. Residents in Bracken Dam were still under an evacuation order and were not permitted to return to the area. Any residents in these communities who felt uneasy about returning home due to the uncertainty of the situation, could continue to access temporary shelter at either the Veterans Hall or the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre.

Give another reason to smile. The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign has kicked off and the local Tim Hortons franchise has appointed two worthy organizations as recipients.
“This year, the proceeds from the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign are going to the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Youth Centre and the Big Eddy Youth Centre,” said Tim Hortons Owner/Operator Kathryn Sanderson. “Every year, there are organizations or groups that apply to be the recipient of the Smile Cookie Campaign funds.

An Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) member received the golden opportunity to be crowned the first-ever Miss Indigenous Canada last year. Jessica McKenzie has been acting as the first Miss Indigenous Canada and this opportunity has provided her with many enriching experiences.
“It’s been an incredibly beautiful experience overall,” said McKenzie. “I’ve had the opportunity of deeply connecting with OCN and its members, along with meeting so many new faces across Turtle Island. This opportunity has given our community a platform to amplify our voices. We get to share our stories, traditions, and values.

There are many outstanding works done by Manitobans that have been recognized and recently presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal for these efforts. Cameron Ritzer recently received this award for his work and advocacy in the paramedic profession.
“I have a long history of being a paramedic advocate,” said Ritzer. “Being a paramedic myself and growing up around paramedics. I’ve always been involved in enhancing the profession, especially the education standards. This year, the Paramedic Association of Canada nominated me for the award for my dedicated service to enhancing the paramedic profession in Canada.”

The tri-community has always had outstanding citizens, many of whom have been recognized and presented with awards for their community efforts. Terry McKellep has been an active volunteer for many years and sees it as a way to give back to a community that has given her family so much.
“The main reason why I started volunteering was that this community helped me to raise three incredible kids,” said McKellep. “Every one of my children is amazing, and they have taken the torch and volunteered as well. This community was a great place to raise my children and I feel it’s a good place to live, so I wanted to give back.”

The Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas has recently gone through some changes as Archbishop Murray Chatlain has moved on to become the archbishop for the Archdiocese in Winnipeg. As a young man, Archbishop Chatlain had a very strong calling for the clergy, which led him down this path of serving God.
“Many years ago, when I was a young man, for some reason I prayed a fair amount and asked for guidance from God,” said Archbishop Chatlain. “I did ask God to help me find what kind of work he wanted me to do. It took quite a while before I got an answer. I was a bit reluctant at first because I thought I wanted a wife and family, with a regular job. There was a very strong and persistent call from God to give it a try.

Fresh off winning the Keystone Junior Hockey League (KJHL) Cup, the OCN Storm Junior B Hockey Team headed to Alberta last weekend to compete in the 2025 Central Canada Cup. This season has been a challenging one for the OCN Storm Junior B Hockey Team, however, all the obstacles helped make them a more versatile team this season.
“This season, like most teams, we had a lot of ups and downs,” said OCN Storm Junior B Hockey Team Coach Ethan Constant. “This year we dealt with a lot of injuries, and our players had commitments with either school or work, so a lot of games we didn’t have a full roster. It was kind of tough to compete this year, especially with the teams being so competitive this year.