The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP) issued a strike deadline for 7,000 allied healthcare professionals, which would impact services such as non-emergency surgical procedures, lab and diagnostic tests, including MRI, CT, ultrasounds, PET, ECHO and EEG. It would also impact radiation treatments at CancerCare, therapeutic and rehabilitation treatments such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. It stems further to impact patient discharge from emergency departments and medical units, home care services, non-emergent patient transports, mid-wifery appointments, with expectations of late-term or immediate post-natal, assessment and treatment for children with disabilities and non-crisis mental health and addictions services.

After eight gruelling months of being detained in a Dubai prison, Maurice Kevin O’Rourke is finally on his way home. O’Rourke was waiting on an appeal that was delayed twice, but just last week, his family finally got the news they were praying for.
“It is with immense gratitude that we share that on Feb 26, 2025, we received the news we were hoping for, Kevin is coming home,” said Maegan O’Rourke. “We are pleased the appeal court ruled fairly on the merits of the case and annulled the original judgment. After almost eight months, we are grateful that Kevin is home and working to regain his health and pick up his life with family and friends.

A public hearing was called to hear any representation from the public about variation application 01-2025 for the designation of an emergency homeless shelter at 108/110 Edwards Avenue in The Pas. The emergency shelter is intended to operate until March 31, 2025.
OCN’s Chief Maureen Brown was in attendance, along with various citizens who wished to present. Mayor Murphy read the letter submitted to the Town of The Pas Council with regards to their application for variance to their newly acquired building.
It was stated in the letter that there have been recent events that brought the need for an emergency homelessness shelter to be set up for OCN’s most vulnerable members. On February 3, 2025, two members from OCN had no place to sleep and slept in frigid cold temperatures and being warmed only by a small fire they could start. Other instances have led to some OCN members sleeping in the Big Eddy dump and have raised other concerns. This prompted OCN Chief and Council to provide a solution to help their members find temporary shelter to prevent any fatalities from befalling these citizens. It was stressed that OCN is referring to this request as temporary only, as OCN has a potential long-term strategy to accommodate this portion of their population with permanent housing, which may include a tiny home community.

This coming Saturday, March 8, is known as International Women’s Day. There is an upcoming rising star who’s determination on the pitching mound is driving a bright future for this well-accomplished female athlete. Sally Leask, daughter of Patrick and Courtney Leask, has a world of opportunity on the pitching mound, with more yet to come. As a youth, Leask was involved in softball from an early onset and it has been opening doors and opportunities for her ever since. She plays with three teams right now, U18 Mission Gold Team, Twos Fast Pitch and Layne’s Stars. Leask has travelled all over Canada and the U.S. to play in tournaments with these teams.
“I had a pretty solid couple of tournaments with the U18 Mission Gold Team,” said Leask. “We played around the Minneapolis area and did well. It’s a close-knit team with very good coaching staff. We all came together and were able to win a couple of games. The team is now very close and I can’t wait to play with them for this upcoming season. It’s a really good community and I like the team so far.
“I played a tournament in Missouri with Team Toba called the Land of the Ozarks Tournament. It was here that I felt I had my best game so far. I pitched a no-hitter with Team Toba and felt that was my greatest game from the fall to now. I’ve actually pitched a couple of perfect games before this one and I’m really proud of that accomplishment.
“Recently, we went to Las Vegas at the end of January,” said Leask. “We had a national coach for the U18 team along with really strong coaching staff. Players from different provinces came together to form the Twos Fast Pitch Team and we won gold. We were up against a bunch of American teams that had been playing together all season and we went undefeated in that tournament. It’s the first time that the program won gold in that tournament. It was a great accomplishment, not only for the program but the team, to make that our goal. I also pitched a perfect game during this tournament as well.
“Now my focus is Twos Fast Pitch, Mission, and my Layne’s Stars Team.”
Leask follows a strict regime and focuses a lot of training during the off-season. This is her first time playing ball in the winter and her hard work has paid off.
“Usually my ball season wraps up around September and then there’s dome ball,” said Leask. “I was in Minnesota where I played a game of dome ball in the University of Minnesota’s dome. It was a cool experience and we did well. It was nice to get back with the team as I haven’t seen them since this fall.
“I noticed the hard work has paid off. I’ve been training very hard with another friend who attends my school. I’ve been going to the gym in the off-season and I need to get stronger for those upcoming games ahead. Hopefully, this upcoming summer, I can accomplish my goals that I set for myself.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning and prioritize my morning routine and having a good night’s sleep,” said Leask. “I train three days a week with a personal trainer and two days a week with my parents at a public gym. The workouts I do with my personal trainer are very intense, and this is my second year of doing circuits and conditioning. I’m grateful for my trainers, but it’s been difficult so far. However, I’m still into doing it. I’ve seen my velocity increase for pitching and my power in batting. It’s paying off and that’s why I like pushing myself harder to get in that extra rep or minute, because I know it will pay off in the long run. I’m doing this for the love of the game.”
Leask is also honing in on her pitching abilities, in terms of speed, velocity and consistency overall.
“At the U17 AAA Provincial Championship in July 2024, I was clocked at pitching 63 miles per hour,” said Leask. “I haven’t clocked since but am hoping to do so again this spring. My goal is to consistently hit 65 miles per hour and plus, but consistently. I also have my rise ball and drop ball that I want to stay consistent with those pitches as well with the velocity of them.”
Leask is very dedicated to her studies and has big ambitions for her future in the medical field. She recently signed with Rider University in New Jersey to play ball with the Broncs for four years. If that offer wasn’t big enough, Leask is still getting more opportunities coming her way.
“I attend Churchill High School and will be finishing my grade 12 at the end of June,” said Leask. “From there, I will be rolling into ball season and am looking forward to it.
“After graduation, I plan to major in biology and from there go into medical school or see the different careers I can pursue with my biology degree, but something in the medical field what I have been interested in. I’m in a medical program right now where I go to hospitals, research centres and different care facilities every other week. I learned more about different careers and caring for patients. I sat in and watched live surgeries, learned how to administer IVs or casts and x-rays.
“I just found out when I was playing with Mission, I got the opportunity to play for Team Netherlands as an import, and will be competing at the International level,” said Leask. “The tournament is called the Triple Crown International Challenge and it’s going to be in Colorado. I will be missing my graduation ceremony to be at the Triple Crown International Challenge, but I received this incredible opportunity and decided to take it. So, experiencing a graduation ceremony will be the one thing I will be missing out on.
“I’m pumped about this and it’s my motivation to train hard, graduate and have a full competitive season of softball. There has been a lot of new opportunities since last summer. All these tournaments and new opportunities have been incredible and I’m excited for the summer.
“This summer, I plan to attend tournaments in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, through U18 Team Mission Gold,” said Leask. “While playing in Vegas, I had a well-pitched game and hitting, and was asked to play at the PGF Nationals in California. I was asked to play with the U18 Las Vegas Team, which is being coached by a Team Canada alumni. I am waiting on confirmation dates for that tournament.”
Leask is fortunate that her family is very supportive of her through a very hectic and demanding ball schedule that has them travelling all over. She is grateful to have them there for her while she takes to the mound in some pretty heavy-hitting tournaments.
“My parents and brother are there every game, every inning, even practices,” said Leask. “My family supports me the entire time and I’m thankful for them and what they do for me. It isn’t just me, but it takes my whole family to make me into a better athlete.
“It can be nerve-wracking, but I have full faith in myself, in what I am doing and in my mindset. I have it in my mindset to do well, and my parents have prepped me mentally and physically for that as well. I know that I have that support system too in my parents, teammates, coaches and friends. I’m glad I have Mission, Twos Fast Pitch and Layne’s Stars teams for that as well.”
Some other notable tournaments and opportunities Leask has coming up this year have her more than eager for summer to come.
“I will be attending Canadian Natives, which will be hosted in Manitoba this year. I will be playing with the Layne’s Stars team for that tournament. This should be my strongest year of ball this year.
“My next goal is to prepare for Team Canada tryouts, which are this summer. I hope to have a good rookie season with the Broncs.”

As has been the tradition for many years, Pink Shirt Day was held across the nation on the last Wednesday of February (Feb. 26), with people wearing pink shirts in support of anti-bullying initiatives. The original event was held in 2007 when a high school student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. Pink Shirt Day has since served as an awareness campaign against bullying.

The Roblin Golf & Country Club’s recent fundraiser at the Community Centre couldn’t have gone any better.
From the delicious buffet banquet served up by Marta Orlowska to the side-splitting show by hypnotist Sebastian Steel, the evening was a smashing success.
Want to know more? Read all about it in this week’s Review.

As winter begins giving way to spring, the focus of city officials turns to budgetting.

And, while the process began late last year with meetings to identify priorities and explore opportunities, now is the time to work on the finishing touches.

“We’ve got some direction for 2025 that we’re working on costing and looking at the logistics of how to make that work,” City manager Sharla Griffiths said.

Mayor David Bosiak added more information is needed before numbers can be finalized.

“We’re still waiting on a couple of responses from the other levels of government on some applications we’ve made, which will basically determine the scale and scope of some of the work that we want to do,” he said.

“We think we’re on target. We haven’t yet gotten into the nuts and bolts of final costing for of some of the things, because as projects are still developing you get estimated costs. Then when you go to tender then you get the actual cost. So we’re still fine-tuning a few of those things and I know senior managers are still working on a couple of the finer details.”

Three key priority projects have been identified by council for this year. 2025 will see continued development of the Craft District on Second Avenue Northwest, growing the development Reserve Fund created through a bylaw passed at council’s last regular meeting and expanding the active transportation network to tie in the west end of the city.

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

This year’s Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival (NMTF) Fur Queen pageant was another successful highlight, with eight contestants running. This year’s Fur Queen is Autumn Graff, with Krissy Kirkness as 1st Princess and Trinity Flett as 2nd Princess.
“It feels unbelievable to be the 2025 NMTF Fur Queen,” said Graff. “I never would have thought that I would be this year’s Fur Queen, which I’m so honoured and grateful for this title. I cannot wait for what the future holds for us girls together.
“I think the most exciting part was all of us girls coming together as a family. Seeing each other’s shells break open and bonding with each other was the most exciting part, especially the dance practices. It brought us all together

The Town of the Pas hosted a Special Service Levy Information Meeting on February 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to help inform the public of how special service levies work and why council is exploring this option. The meeting had approximately 65 people in attendance, but the streaming of the meeting online had 167 views.
Mayor Murphy addressed the meeting stating he did notice a lot of comments on social media and the speculation of a conspiracy theory, which validated the need to have a public meeting to explain special service levies and how it would work. He noted that he doesn’t respond to social media complaints because it can get out of hand. He welcomes people to contact the office and have a diplomatic conversation on the matter. Mayor Murphy also asked people to refrain from attacking staff on social media about matters that aren’t relevant to the issue of the meeting.

The Swan Valley Stampeders Junior A Hockey Club held a special fundraising evening for Amara’s Amigos on Feb. 14 during their home game against the visiting Niverville Nighthawks.
While the Stampeders didn’t come away with a win on the scoresheet that evening, the fundraiser was overall a success with local businesses and individuals showing their support for the Amara’s Amigos cause, which was started by Blaine and Lee-Anne Campbell in support of their teenage daughter Amara, who passed away from cancer in 2020. The Amara’s Amigos fundraiser also serves as a memorial for their teenage son Joel, who passed away from a snowmobile accident that same year.
The evening fundraising activities included a shootout auction, Amara’s Amigos merchandise sales, as well as raffles and cookie sales. Overall, the Swan Valley Stampeders and their Hockey Fights Cancer night was able to bring in $11,678.11 for Amara’s Amigos, which will be donated to CancerCare Manitoba, and more specifically to the PROFYLE program, or the PRecision Oncology For Young PeopLE, which Amara was a patient in while she was fighting her cancer.
“We appreciate the ongoing support from the Stampeders group and the community at large, as well as all the businesses and donations,” said Lee-Anne Campbell. “This is part of our mission to supporting other children and families who may have the same devastating diagnoses. We continue to pay it forward.
“It’s great to partner up with them to remember our children’s names,” said Blaine Campbell.
The special game-worn jerseys were also auctioned off, and that brought in an additional $6,400, which the Campbells decided to split evenly between the Amara’s Amigos and the Swan Valley Stampeders. Campbells also intend on putting up more money next year to purchase another set of jerseys and continue the partnership for a third year.