On April 2, at approximately 3:05 p.m., Russell RCMP responded after a van collided with three parked cars in Rossburn.
The collision occurred on Victoria Avenue, in the vicinity of a local daycare at a time of day when young children and their parents are entering and exiting the building.
Investigators have determined the van was travelling at a high rate of speed, causing severe damage to all four vehicles.
Shortly after the collision, RCMP learned a male suspect matching the description of the driver had just assaulted a male at a nearby hotel. The victim of the assault went to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., multiple bystanders waved officers down and pointed out the suspect, who was walking in the community. He was arrested without incident.
Lawrence Jade Shingoose, 31, of Keeseekowenin, has been charged with:
• Assault causing bodily harm;
• Uttering threats;
• Failing to stop after an accident;
• Impaired driving; and
• Operating a vehicle while over .08.
Shingoose was remanded into custody.

The municipalities of Riding Mountain West and Russell/Binscarth are again working together to tackle long-held issues in health care for our area communities, hoping to expand to include the communities further afield, many of whom are dealing with the same issues of health care coverage.
“We’ve established a new initiative between the Municipality of Russell Binscarth and the RM of Riding Mountain West called the Assiniboine Valley Health Board,” Adrienne Falloon, CAO of the Municipality of Russell Binscarth explained at a joint meeting with members of the two municipalities with the Russell Banner.
“It’s like a reincarnation of what used to exist, which was called the Banner County Health Foundation,” she explained, adding that for now, recruitment and retention of health care professionals is one of their main priorities. “We’re going to start with doctors and move onto the rest of the health professionals like nurses, radiologists, lab techs etc.”
Together, councillors and CAO’s of both municipalities will continue to lobby for infrastructure and capital projects like improvements to the hospital - especially the ER, diagnostics and counselling area, and improvements to the hospital as well.
That’s part of the message they took to the Minister of Health on the first Wednesday of the month.
“We had been sending letters to the Minister of Health about the state of rural health care and their staff had reached out and said that they will be in Brandon for MLA Day at the Brandon Winter Fair and asked if we could meet with them there,” Falloon said
“We reiterated our concerns about the lack of health care professionals, the availability of ambulances in rural Manitoba as a whole as well as the need for support in infrastructure and capital projects,” Adrienne added.
“And they seemed to be really receptive.”
“Initiatives to support EMS training and recruitment were discussed,” said councillor Wes Anderson
“We did offer Russell/Binscarth to become a training hub and a host community for the new EMR program that they had successfully launched in Arborg,” Anderson added.
“And they did ask how many students we might be able to accommodate here, so that seemed to be very positive.”
“Overall, they seemed very receptive and willing to work together at the provincial level for both recruitment and retention of health care professionals,” Falloon said, explaining that the province now has their new recruitment office which is a step above Prairie Mountain Health.
“It's like a provincial agency where the Minister, and their Chief of Staff, is putting us in contact with them to work together on attracting doctors and keeping them here through their provincial recruitment agency.”
With that cooperative effort between the province and the two municipalities established, the conversation here turned back to the idea behind the Assiniboine Valley Health Board as a very necessary cooperative effort not only between our two municipalities but others in the surrounding area who have availed themselves of medical services in place here.

Be informed! Get the whole story in this weeks Russell Banner on page 2.

By Terrie Welwood
Russell Banner

Even if I don’t finish, we need to continue. It’s got to keep going without me,” Terry Fox.
Fred Fox is one of Terry Fox’s four siblings. As the oldest, he’s 18 months older than the man whose heroic efforts to run across Canada in aid of cancer research after having his leg amputated after a cancer diagnosis.
Now, Fred and his siblings Darryl and Judy are keeping their late brothers vision alive by spreading his story around 34 countries.
Fox has been touring across Manitoba and Saskatchewan visiting schools and community gatherings along the way.
He met with community members at the Park Manor last Monday, just six days before the 46th anniversary of the date that Terry Fox dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic ocean in St. John’s Nfld before taking off on his cross country journey.
He was forced to end his run just outside of Thunder Bay on September 1, 1980, when cancer returned in his lungs. He was treated in Port Arthur Hospital before returning to British Columbia.
Fred Fox was with his younger brother on his run.
“We knew that Terry must have been in constant pain,” Fred told the room.
“Over the 143 days and 5,373 kms of his journey he was running on a prosthetic leg meant for walking and certainly not for running at all, let alone that distance.”
While Fred said it was impossible to know what his younger brother was thinking, he’d made one wish abundantly clear.
“We were all so thrilled to see Canadians lining the streets, cheering and making donations along the way and the one thing we did know was that this run would not end.”
While the majority of the events take place in Canada, over 60 countries worldwide have hosted a Terry Fox Run. In places like the United Kingdom, Cuba, India, and Australia. In February the Terry Fox Foundation announced that it had surpassed $1 billion raised for cancer research since the inception of the Marathon of Hope, funding over 1,300 innovative cancer research projects, medical breakthroughs and significantly improving treatments and survival rates worldwide.

Editor’s Note:
With the by-election now declared for Wednesday April 29th with voting at the George P. Buleziuk Centre in Russell and the Municipal Office in Binscarth running between 8 am and 8 pm and early voting held in the Brad Room at the Civic Centre on Russell’s Main Street on Monday April 20th between 8 am and 8 pm, we have sent identical questions to each of the four candidates which will all appear in this edition of the Russell Banner. To see the full write up, pick up a copy of this week's Russell Banner at our office, or one of our fine newspaper dealers.

Candidate Leanne Bily
Tell us a little about yourself – how long you’ve lived here, what you do or did for a living, community involvement, etc.
I have been a proud resident of this community for over 30 years, born and raised in the area. This is where I have built my life with my husband Sean, and where we raised our two children.
Professionally, I am a business leader and hold a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation representing expertise, ethics, and strategic HR leadership. My days are spent with an amazing team at the Russell Inn for the past 32 years, where I started from a very young age growing through many different roles into my current focus on operations and leadership.
Beyond my professional life, I have always believed in giving back to the place that has given me so much. Over the years, I’ve been actively involved as a volunteer in our schools, local sports, and a wide range of community events and initiatives.

Candidate Chris Radford
Tell us a little about yourself – how long you’ve lived here, what you do or did for a living, community involvement, etc.
I was raised in the Rossburn area and moved to Russell for work when I was 20. Other than 12 years in Bredenbury SK, my family and I have been here ever since.
I have been involved with many parts of the community over the years. I have been part of the “Take a Year Off Lottery” since it started. I was on the Chamber of Commerce board until just recently, and am involved with the Living Legacy Community Foundation, to mention a few.

Candidate Dale Sawchuk
Tell us a little about yourself – how long you’ve lived here, what you do or did for a living, community involvement, etc.
I have been a resident of Binscarth since 1979 and have spent a lot of my life actively involved in the community.
I am a local business owner, having operated my own barbershop in Binscarth for the last 50 years plus working at a part-time shop in Birtle. While running this business I worked full-time at Mosaic mine for 35 years.
Community involvement has always been important to me. I have served as President of the Binscarth Hall for the last 20 years; from chairing meetings, making plans, helping with minor repairs, and the day-to-day running of the facility I am a hands-on member and put in full effort in whatever needs to be done. I was a member of the Binscarth Park and Pool Committee before becoming President. I’m proud to know that I headed the committee when the pool went through its’ well needed renovation, which all members of community know was no small feat. I also contributed to the Binscarth Golf Course Committee and can be seen on the golf course cutting grass over the summer. I lend a hand in from small needs to larger projects. I believe that members of the community need to participate, in order to make their community what they want it to be.

Candidate Nick Foisy
Tell us a little about yourself – how long you’ve lived here, what you do or did for a living, community involvement.
I have been proud to call this community home for over 20 years. My connection to the area goes back even further to my time playing Junior A hockey with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, which first brought me here and helped build lasting relationships within the region.
My wife and I made the decision to stay, raise our family, and invest in this community because of the quality of life it offers. We are raising our three children here, and like many families, we take full advantage of what our municipality provides—from local
recreation to the great pool in Binscarth, where our kids have learned to swim each summer.
Professionally, I have built a career in financial services and currently hold a leadership role within a global finance organization. My work involves managing complex financial portfolios, strategic planning, and risk management—experience that directly translates into strong financial oversight and decision-making at the municipal level.
In terms of community involvement, I have proudly served on the local fire department for over 15 years. This role has reinforced my commitment to public service, teamwork, and being there when our community needs support the most. I have also previously served one term on municipal council, where I had the opportunity to contribute to several important initiatives.