The Valley can take in some really diverse and authentic barbecue cuisine this summer at a new food truck that has set up shop. Maggie’s BBQ not only makes food for the soul but is also about giving back to the community. The creation of Maggie’s BBQ - and its arrival in the Valley was all because of one very special woman.
“The whole intention of doing this was to bring something to Swan River that the community had never seen or experienced before,” said Maggie’s BQQ Owner and Operator Grant Bruce. “I lost my mom, Margaret Foster, late last fall and she was a pretty well-known figure in the community. I didn’t really know that until later in life.”
Grant and Margaret’s story of coming to the Valley is one of triumph, as they overcame some very personal struggles, only to find a community and place to call home with people who were there to accept and support them.
“I grew up in Bowsman and Birch River areas, but was born and lived my early years in Snow Lake,” said Bruce. “When my parents divorced, we moved to the Valley in 1992. From 1992 to 1997, life for my mom and I was difficult, as we were using the assistance of women’s shelters and food banks just to survive.
“When we moved here, the people in the Valley helped us immensely and it always overwhelmed my mom to the point where she felt she needed to do something to pay it back. Through that, she used her sewing skills and volunteering in the community to give back.
She volunteered a lot at the Legion and other community events. She would also sew for people and didn’t charge a lot for it, as it was her way of paying back. Her life was cut short as she died at only 68 years old.
“To bring this full circle I decided to come out here with the food truck that I owned and operated out British Columbia,” said Bruce.
The pandemic changed a lot of things; from the way people live to how businesses operate. These changes also led Bruce back to the Valley.
“The last few years of operating a food truck in B.C. have been very different,” said Bruce. “Pre-COVID-19, we were doing very well. Post-COVID-19, the demographics of the Okanagan Valley changed immensely to the point where there are fewer young families. We were also short-staffed and it was harder to access foods, which made it hard to operate a food truck there.
“Last fall I cut my season short to spend more time with my mom before her passing. During that time, we had a lot of back-and-forth chats about what I should do. Through one of those conversations, I asked her what she thought about me bringing the food truck to the Swan Valley and renaming it. In my mom’s typical fashion, she laughed and said ‘Oh Grant’.
“After she passed away, I felt there was a big hole left behind in the community from all the messages I was receiving from people here,” continued Bruce. “I received hundreds of personal messages about my mother’s passing and the impact she had on others and the community. I could feel the amount of emptiness left behind from her passing. I felt the need to do something in her memory.”
Bruce felt that creating Maggie’s BBQ out of respect and love for his mom and all that she did was something he just had to do.
“So I had a good friend from Minitonas design a logo for me,” said Bruce. “He took a picture of my mom’s likeness and designed a logo that I never in a million years could have dreamt up. It’s 100 percent to her likeness and when you look at it, it looks exactly like my mom did.
“A little comic relief was when I used to call her Maggie. She would hate when I would call her that and it would drive her to distraction. The only reason I would call her Maggie was because her dad did. As I got older, we would joke about it, but there’s not a more fitting name for my food truck than Maggie’s BBQ.
“I brought my food truck to Manitoba this spring, to just give my mom’s name a little more time on earth,” said Bruce. “This move has turned beyond my expectations and the response from the community is more than I could have asked for. At the end of the day, I’m trying to give my mom’s memory a little more time here and I’m also trying to rewrite my history in the Valley.
“As a youth, I was a pretty bad kid and had a lot of ups and downs in my life as a young adult. I was hoping that this would be my opportunity and the chance to give back to this community as well.
“It’s been nice to connect with people who knew my mom, but had never personally met me before too,” he continued. “I get to hear so many stories of how my mom made an impact in their lives.”
Bruce found his love of cooking from a few different sources and his biggest critic and fan, wound up being his mom.
“When my mom was a single parent, I took on the role of cooking for us and that started when I was eight,” said Bruce. “Mrs. Canada, from the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School, taught us food and I delved into watching the Urban Peasant show on TV. I was intrigued by it and wanted to try making what was made on the show.
“Watching this cooking show gave me the flair to cook. At first, my mom would choke down whatever I made and say it was good. I used to make taco salad all the time and it was my favourite thing to make. Just a few months ago, before she passed, I found out she hated it. She never admitted that until just before she passed away. She told me for years that she loved it and it was so good, meanwhile, the entire time she didn’t like it.
“Through the years of me cooking for us, I got a pretty good hand at cooking. I did other work as a logger and running equipment in different provinces, but what led me to do the food truck thing, was a result of the forest fires.
“In 2015, the forest fire issues started to have an impact on my summer jobs, so I had to transition to another line of work,” said Bruce. “So I had to figure out what other skillset I had, so I could look at making a career change, and that was cooking. I started looking into food trucks and it went from there. I would work in the winters and then operate the food truck in the summer, so I wasn’t stranded unemployed or left to claim Employment Insurance; now it’s my full-time gig.”
Maggie’s BBQ has a unique and flavorful menu, unlike anything you will find in the Valley and even around Manitoba. Through Bruce’s travels and life experience, he was able to learn how to make some very authentic ethnic dishes, which rotate through the menu at Maggie’s BBQ.
“In the beginning, I went down to Mexico and travelled around,” said Bruce. “I stopped in a town where this little old lady had a street cart where she made and sold tacos. I ate 30 of those tacos; they were so good. I offered to pay her to show me how to make them and she flat out brushed me off.
“I kept going back to her street cart to eat and three days later, I offered her $100 USD to show me how to make them, because they were so good. She put me to work at her street cart for the next three nights, and I learned how to make authentic Mexican tacos, guacamole and more.
She showed me how to make everything.
“The bacon cheeseburger is really my staple and it comes from being a farm kid,” he continued. “I love beef and steaks, so I never use a frozen patty when it comes to making burgers. I don’t make your regular hamburger; I just use ground beef and spice and it translates into something really flavourful.
“When it comes to the A5 Kobe Waygu, I worked with a Japanese Teppanyaki Chef and he now supplies restaurants with A5 Kobe from Japan. A5 Kobe Waygu can only come from one place in the world and that’s Kobe, Japan. They create a zen when raising the animal and feed it accordingly to create a marble within the meat that is unparalleled to anything in the world. The first time you eat that meat, it changes your life.”
He’s got a few other selections that are sure to make your mouth water as well.
“A Po’ Boy is an amazingly flavorful double-smoked garlic sausage grilled on a toasted bun, garnished with sauerkraut, onions, mustard and banana peppers,” said Bruce, describing more of his offerings. “Banh Mi is a Vietnamese-style sandwich that has a lightly toasted bun with garlic aioli, shaved smoked ham, a layer of sliced cucumber, a layer of pickled carrots and a layer of cilantro. Pollo Al Carbon, which is charcoal chicken tacos made authentically Mexican style.
“A donair is a Turkish food consisting of seasoned meat, which I use beef, on a pita with tomatoes, onion and sauce. We also have pork tacos, pulled pork, the McRib sandwich, Wagyu Bites, and wings.”
Maggie’s BBQ is definitely in demand, as the food truck is being booked for events and festivals all over.
“We are booked in for Countryfest this year and a few other events as well in the coming weeks,” said Bruce. “We’re going to run Monday to Friday in the Swan River and the weekends will be events.”
Bruce will be splitting his time between here and B.C. The response he has received since opening up Maggie’s BBQ will bring him back every summer to keep it going and to give back to the community that gave so much to him and his mother.
“I have two children, family and a life out in B.C., but I also have a life here and own property in Durban and Birch River,” said Bruce. “My intentions going forward are to spend the summers in the Valley and winters in the Okanagan.
“I thank my mom for my sense of adventure, exploring and community. The reviews from town about the food are amazing and I’m overwhelmed by it. I thank everyone for sharing their stories about my mom, expressing their condolences in her passing and for the tremendous support with this venture.”

There have been many Valley residents who received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal this year for various activities and volunteer efforts. Valley resident Connie McKay was one who received the medal and was nominated by MLA Rick Wowchuk. McKay has volunteered and helped at various community functions for many years.
“All my life I’ve done things for people and the community,” said McKay. “I taught sewing in 4H for young girls for many years and curled lots, which led me to helping the school-aged kids learn to curl in the Valley. I volunteered to work at the Monster Bingos in Bowsman and did lots of other volunteer work.”
McKay now does a lot of stuff through the senior centre and still continues to not only keep active and socialize but volunteer and help out as well.
“I just love doing stuff for other people and helping out,” said McKay. “Now I’m involved with the senior centre. We were closed for a couple of years due to the pandemic, but now it’s reopened and we got things going, which is really nice.
“We have floor shuffleboard and cards, and I work at bingo every other week. There are over 83 new members coming to the senior centre and they’re a really fun bunch. Since the pandemic, very few of the seniors, who came before COVID-19 hit, have returned. Instead, we’re seeing a whole new group of seniors coming.
“I love to go to the senior centre, it’s a great way to socialize and keep busy. In the summertime, I love to golf and used to curl in the winter. I curled for over 50 years, but haven’t done so in the last 10 years.”
It was quite a surprise for McKay when she learned she was going to be a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal. Fortunately, she was able to make it to the reception in Brandon to receive the medal, despite the cold weather.
“When I received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal I was trying to think of what I did to deserve this recognition and it was hard to pinpoint because I was always doing things,” said McKay. “I was pretty thrilled to receive it.
“At first I wasn’t going to go to the presentation to receive it, because it was in Brandon, but Rick Wowchuk encouraged me to go. I’m not one to be in the limelight and prefer to be more in the background, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone. On Jan. 17, Darin and Della (McKay) took me, so I did go to Brandon to the award ceremony. I believe there were over 80 people who were to receive the medal at that presentation, so it was really nice.
“I’m really glad I went,” concluded McKay. “At first I was unsure because it was wintertime and not the best time to travel, but it all worked out.”

If you wanted to learn more about Indigenous culture, Swan Valley Regional Secondary School (SVRSS) is offering two free sessions for people to partake in. The first is learning Ininimowin, which is one of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in Canada. Ininimowin has five major dialects, Western/Plains Cree, Northern/Woodlands Cree, Central/Swampy Cree, Moose Cree and Eastern Cree.
The second session allows participants to make their own ribbon skirts.
“These Ininimowin and Ribbon Skirt Making classes were part of our Indigenous Education goals for 2022-2023,” said Swan Valley School Division Indigenous Academic Achievement Coordinator Lorna Jean Munro. “We meet annually to review and discuss what goals and activities we’d like to do each year to promote Indigenous Education in the division.”
“Everyone is welcome to participate,” said Munro. “The language class is an introductory Ininimowin class for all ages. Participants will be introduced to the syllabics chart and learn how to enunciate, read, write and speak in the language.
“I will be instructing the Ininimowin class and the classes are free, with no registration required. They are held every Tuesday from 6 to 6:30 p.m. in the SVRSS Resource Centre. These classes run from March 14 to May 16, 2023.”
Ribbon skirts have different meanings according to the people who wear them. It’s mainly to honour First Nations heritage, and to express history, resilience and character while reclaiming identity and matriarchal authority.
“In short, ribbon skirts are worn by Indigenous women to celebrate their culture, their strength, and their connection as women,” said Munro.
“Jan. 4 is National Ribbon Skirt Day, a day where all women are encouraged to wear their ribbon skirt as a symbol of resilience, survival and identity. There’s no experience necessary to make a ribbon skirt, just a willingness to learn about a way of knowing and doing from an Indigenous perspective.
“The Ribbon Skirt Making sessions are held on Thursdays in the SVRSS Family Studies Area at SVRSS,” said Munro. “Elder Marilyn Pohlmeier is leading classes and there’s a limit of 10 participants per session. Participants will need two meters of cotton fabric in terms of supplies.
“The class is held from 6 to 8 p.m. and the sessions are ongoing with these classes running from March 20 to May 25. Participants must register with me to book their session.”

A group of avid snowmobilers have embarked on a cross-country snowmobile journey from Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Fairbanks, Alaska and will be passing through Swan River and The Pas on their trek. Rob Hallstrom is the youngest rider in the group at age 65, Paul Dick is 72 and Rex Hibbert will turn 70 while on the trip. Hallstrom, Dick and Hibbert refer to themselves as 3 Old Guys and they’re always up for a challenge.
“We’re always up for some kind of adventure,” said Hallstrom. “We went to Churchill in 2019, and at the end of that trip, we were already kind of talking about what we could do that would be bigger than that. We had a really good time on that trip and that sort of started the rumblings for us to go to Alaska.”
All three of the snowmobilers have extensive experience in long-distance riding, but this may very well be the longest journey yet. Each of them will tow sleds with supplies that include spare snowmobile parts, gasoline, a hot tent, sleeping bags and essentials.
“We’re coming from Minnesota and we’re estimating it will be about 4,500 miles to make the journey,” said Hallstrom. “When we went to Churchill, that was about 3,000 miles, but that was a round trip.
On this trip to Alaska, we will be snowmobiling there, and then flying back.
“We’ve done quite a few trips and I’ve done even more on my own. My partners, Rex and Paul, have been in the Iron Dog Race in Alaska and all three of us have been in the Cain’s Quest in Labrador. We’re all getting a little older, so instead of racing, we’re doing some touring.
“We riding 8000x Arctic Cat Norseman snowmobiles with all three of us riding the same model,” said Hallstrom. “We have a general plan that the entire trip will require 22 riding days. I’m sure there will be times when we want to take a day off or need to stop and do some repairs or due to the weather. There are quite a few unknowns in this, but we have a route planned and figure it should take about a month depending on what we find on the trail.”
The 3 Old Guys are a bit daredevil, as they embark on this journey without having someone following them in a vehicle along the way.
“We’re not planning on having someone follow us with a trailer on this journey, because from Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Flin Flon, Manitoba, there’s a good trail network, even though that would work for that portion of the trip,” said Hallstrom. “After we leave Flin Flon, we’re going to be going through such remote areas, that it will be extremely difficult to have someone follow us closely with a chase vehicle, so we’re basically going to be on our own.”
They have their route charted with much of it being in remote areas across northern Canada. They will have a few different satellite communicators that will allow them to send text messages and let a few people follow their journey in real-time. This also allows them to call out for assistance in case of an emergency.
“We’re going to take the trail up to Flin Flon, then we going to take the old Cat trails to Sandy Bay, then go on to the south end on Reindeer Lake,” said Hallstrom. “From there we’ll head to Wollaston Lake and cut across to Lake Athabasca and cut across it. Then go up to the Great Slave River to the Mackenzie River and all the way up it to the Arctic Ocean. Then we’ll cross by the Richardson Mountains to the Porcupine River and take that down to the southwest part of the Yukon River. From there we will follow the Yukon Quest sled dog trail into Fairbanks. It’s quite a route and pretty remote, so it would be hard to follow by vehicle.
“We’re trying to stay in hotels along the way, wherever we can. There are a few places where we may stay in a trapper’s cabin and we have a tent with us for those places where we have to camp out. We’re prepared for that and definitely think we will have to do that a few times.”
As the 3 Old Guys make their journey into Manitoba, they have plans to stop in Swan River and will be passing through The Pas as they head into Flin Flon.
“We’ll be entering Canada close to Falcon Lake, go through Gimli and Lake Winnipeg,” said Hallstrom. “Then head west to Swan River and follow the trail north to The Pas and Flin Flon.
“If everything goes according to plan, we hope to be in Swan River and The Pas on Wednesday or Thursday. We are planning to make a stop in Swan River before heading north to The Pas and Flin Flon.”
The group was more than ready to get on the trails and blaze across Canada to Alaska. They started their journey on Monday and are looking forward to experiencing friendly Manitoba once again.
“We’ve been raring to go and at this point, we’re super ready to go on this trip,” said Hallstrom. “We’ve been talking about it enough and we’re ready to get going.
“The last time we were in northern Manitoba was our trip to Churchill and we really enjoyed it. We went through a lot of northern communities and stopped in The Pas. Everyone was so nice to us there and when we had some minor problems on the trail, people bent over backwards to help us get going again. It was just a great experience overall and we’re hoping for that again this time.”

Editors note: The following story originally ran in the Feb. 14 edition on A11 but was not in it’s entirety. The Star and Times apologizes for this error.
There is a definite need for more support and advocates for people with disabilities. Valley resident, Evelyn Yelinek, knows all too well about the needs people with disabilities have and recently, she’s been appointed to the Manitoba Intellectual Disability Advisory Council to share her experience and advocacy on certain topics.
“There was a call for interest on the Manitoba government website and I applied,” said Yelinek. “I first noticed that some people were being treated disrespectfully when I was in Grade 6. I recall telling a teacher that he was being a bully. This resulted in being sent to the office. I told the principal what happened. I was thanked and was asked to report back if I felt things like this happened again, but I should not address the teacher myself because then I was the one being disrespectful. Being the cheeky child that I was, my response was that maybe the teacher should be a better role model.
“I have a cousin who has Down Syndrome. When she came to visit, she was not allowed to play with us; she could only sit on the couch and look at books. I thought that she had a very sad life. When I asked my aunt why I was told it was not safe for her because she was very fragile.
“I also had an uncle who lived with us for a while,” said Yelinek. “He wasn’t able to care for himself and eventually he was placed at MDC because his behaviours made it unsafe for him and us. Then I became a mom to a couple of great guys. You really don’t know what love is until you have a child. My guys were born three and a half months early and I was determined to make their world very much unlike the one I witnessed as a young girl.”
Yelinek’s desire to advocate for fairness for others really developed through her own experiences as a mother.
“When I was a new mom, I was made to feel like I did something wrong that caused the early births,” said Yelinek. “The social worker constantly threatened my rights as a parent. She said that she was an educated woman and didn’t feel that she could care for the boys, so what would make me think I could? I felt she was judging me, and I was also feeling that way by some friends and family too.
“Every birthmark and bruise had to be explained. Little kids do get bumps and bruises. Add being blind to the mix, any educated person should understand that they too would get bumps and bruises.
“Then there were issues getting funding for support workers at daycare; issues getting funding for EAs; very little funding was available for respite because we lived in a rural area; the guys were not allowed to go on many field trips because of lack of support staff; while EAs came and went,” said Yelinek.
“Then comes adulthood and needing to rely on government assistance. This program was designed to help people for a short time until they can get back on their feet. It is not acceptable in any way to subject already vulnerable adults to a life of poverty in which the rent budget is so little that safe housing is very challenging, if not impossible to find. Some families have to have their adult children placed in homes outside their home community because of a lack of proper homes.
“These are just some of my experiences. People wonder why families of people with disabilities have a hard time trusting,” said Yelinek. “I never want any other mom to feel the way I did.”
Along Yelinek’s personal journey, she met some incredible people who helped her along the way. It was through their guidance that she found the inspiration to keep advocating for people with disabilities and to demand fairness for them on many issues.
“I have met some wonderful staff and friends along the way,” said Yelinek. “Dr. Rajani, a pediatrician, and Deb Ramsay, a mom from the Parents of Premature Babies club, were the first two people who provided amazing support. Deb and I are still close friends. Lois Paske, OT/PT from CNIB, told me that I was a great mom; she empowered me to stand up to the social worker. She and Dr. Rajani wrote letters on my behalf to that social worker.
“Then I moved to the Valley and met some wonderful workers here. Iris Jonsson, a Children’s Disability worker, heard my story and took me under her wing. I started working for the Department of Families and continued to be mentored by Lee Greig and Donna-Jean Slack, who were program managers, to become the best worker I could be. I was often matched up to work with families who had special needs kids; some were children and some were adults.
“At the Department of Families, I met a wonderful man named Phil Boguski, who was the Vocational Rehab Worker,” said Yelinek. “He provided so much guidance to me as a worker and a mom. I volunteered on the Association for Community Living board and met many wonderful people who attended the day program. My fellow board members were passionate about making this world our children are part of life, a much better place.
“Volunteering on the Community Mental Health board provided another opportunity to meet some pretty great citizens and see life from a different perspective. I’m now on the Innovative Life Options board and again have been blessed to meet so many wonderful men and women.”
Advocating for a loved one who has disabilities is a very challenging and draining task; one that makes you feel like the odds are greatly stacked against you. Yelinek’s faith and support from her immediate family, helped her to continue the good fight.
“Even though I have been so blessed, the struggle was real, the hurdles were huge and many times life was discouraging and heartbreaking,” said Yelinek. “This should never be the case. I am so glad that my parents raised me in a Christian home and taught me not to be afraid to speak out when things are just not right. I’m so glad my husband encouraged me to grow in my faith and continue to speak out. One of my favourite Bible verses that inspires me to keep going is ‘through him, all things are possible’. This is the verse I relied on upon through all those difficult years.
“My guys are 38 now. Christopher receives financial assistance, but no other support. Devon hires his own staff using provincial funds. Devon is part of a wonderful organization called In the Company of Friends (ICOF), whose governing board is Innovative Life Options. ICOF refer to people they serve as employers. These men and women, with the guidance of a group of people of their choosing, hire their own staff, choose where to live, what to eat, and what activities they want to enjoy. In other words, these ladies and gentlemen live with dignity, are respected, and know exactly what it means to have full citizenship. I wish more people with an intellectual disability would have an opportunity to choose ICOF.”
Yelinek feels the new changes being made will better support people who live with disabilities and that this government has given people ample opportunity to engage in the dialogue on these issues.
“I’m so hopeful of all the new changes our government is making to support people who live with disabilities,” said Yelinek. “The development of this advisory council and the fact that Heidi Wurmann, the Assistant Deputy Minister with the Department of Families, will chair it, demonstrates this government’s seriousness about making changes to current policies. The eight-person Advisory Council members were strategically selected to ensure the team is made up of people who bring many years of hands-on real-life experiences from a variety of perspectives.
“It’s so important to speak out whenever there is an opportunity provided and even when there isn’t. This government is providing its citizens with different opportunities to speak out. For example, we have EngageMB surveys and in 2022, there were many consultations about the Employment and Income Assistance program as it relates to people who live with a disability. There have been many good first steps made to the EIA program because of government has been listening to front-line staff and the recipients of this support. The Advisory Council will be another tool our government decision-makers can use to ensure the development of the best policies, procedures and programs to support Manitoban citizens who live with an intellectual disability.”
There are some issues that people with disabilities face that Yelinek would like to see addressed in the near future.
“Some of the areas that need improving for people with disabilities are fair wages for support staff, which would mean less staff turnover and more people interested in being a support worker as a career,” said Yelinek. “Fair means higher pay based on the types of support being provided and employee benefits. The department recently developed a very fair assessment tool that could be used as a guideline to develop such a wage scale.
“There needs to be more affordable housing and higher EIA rental rates. As well as promoting the benefits of hiring a person who has a disability and continuing to provide employers with incentives and supports to do so
“One change that could help would be to make the EIA disability supports a pension,” said Yelinek. “This way the person could marry a person with a higher income without losing a way to support themselves. Eliminate any fees related to Public Trustee services would greatly help too.”
Yelinek will meet with members of the Manitoba Intellectual Disability Advisory Council this month and looks forward to this new opportunity to advocate.
“The whole team will meet minimally three times a year, however, my current understanding is that there will be sub-committees formed who will meet as necessary,” said Yelinek. “My term on this committee is for two years. I would like to see all Manitobans live their best life, live with dignity, be respected and have a voice in every part of their life. I look forward to our first meeting in February.”

There is a definite need for more support and advocates for people with disabilities. Valley resident, Evelyn Yelinek, knows all too well about the needs people with disabilities have and recently, she’s been appointed to the Manitoba Intellectual Disability Advisory Council to share her experience and advocacy on certain topics.
“There was a call for interest on the Manitoba government website and I applied,” said Yelinek. “I first noticed that some people were being treated disrespectfully when I was in Grade 6. I recall telling a teacher that he was being a bully. This resulted in being sent to the office. I told the principal what happened. I was thanked and was asked to report back if I felt things like this happened again, but I should not address the teacher myself because then I was the one being disrespectful. Being the cheeky child that I was, my response was that maybe the teacher should be a better role model.
“I have a cousin who has Down Syndrome. When she came to visit, she was not allowed to play with us; she could only sit on the couch and look at books. I thought that she had a very sad life. When I asked my aunt why I was told it was not safe for her because she was very fragile.
“I also had an uncle who lived with us for a while,” said Yelinek. “He wasn’t able to care for himself and eventually he was placed at MDC because his behaviours made it unsafe for him and us. Then I became a mom to a couple of great guys. You really don’t know what love is until you have a child. My guys were born three and a half months early and I was determined to make their world very much unlike the one I witnessed as a young girl.”
Yelinek’s desire to advocate for fairness for others really developed through her own experiences as a mother.
“When I was a new mom, I was made to feel like I did something wrong that caused the early births,” said Yelinek. “The social worker constantly threatened my rights as a parent. She said that she was an educated woman and didn’t feel that she could care for the boys, so what would make me think I could? I felt she was judging me, and I was also feeling that way by some friends and family too.
“Every birthmark and bruise had to be explained. Little kids do get bumps and bruises. Add being blind to the mix, any educated person should understand that they too would get bumps and bruises.
“Then there were issues getting funding for support workers at daycare; issues getting funding for EAs; very little funding was available for respite because we lived in a rural area; the guys were not allowed to go on many field trips because of lack of support staff; while EAs came and went,” said Yelinek.
“Then comes adulthood and needing to rely on government assistance. This program was designed to help people for a short time until they can get back on their feet. It is not acceptable in any way to subject already vulnerable adults to a life of poverty in which the rent budget is so little that safe housing is very challenging, if not impossible to find. Some families have to have their adult children placed in homes outside their home community because of a lack of proper homes.
“These are just some of my experiences. People wonder why families of people with disabilities have a hard time trusting,” said Yelinek. “I never want any other mom to feel the way I did.”
Along Yelinek’s personal journey, she met some incredible people who helped her along the way. It was through their guidance that she found the inspiration to keep advocating for people with disabilities and to demand fairness for them on many issues.
“I have met some wonderful staff and friends along the way,” said Yelinek. “Dr. Rajani, a pediatrician, and Deb Ramsay, a mom from the Parents of Premature Babies club, were the first two people who provided amazing support. Deb and I are still close friends. Lois Paske, OT/PT from CNIB, told me that I was a great mom; she empowered me to stand up to the social worker. She and Dr. Rajani wrote letters on my behalf to that social worker.
“Then I moved to the Valley and met some wonderful workers here. Iris Jonsson, a Children’s Disability worker, heard my story and took me under her wing. I started working for the Department of Families and continued to be mentored by Lee Greig and Donna-Jean Slack, who were program managers, to become the best worker I could be. I was often matched up to work with families who had special needs kids; some were children and some were adults.
“At the Department of Families, I met a wonderful man named Phil Boguski, who was the Vocational Rehab Worker,” said Yelinek. “He provided so much guidance to me as a worker and a mom. I volunteered on the Association for Community Living board and met many wonderful people who attended the day program. My fellow board members were passionate about making this world our children are part of life, a much better place.
“Volunteering on the Community Mental Health board provided.

Businesses and entrepreneurs are often challenged with maintaining a successful business and putting for an expansion of some kind. Most who are successful in business, love what they do or have a real passion for it. Former Valley resident, successful photographer and body image activist Teri Hofford has spent quite a few years living her dream. Hofford had a bustling boudoir studio, awards and accolades from some well-known photography communities, speaking at engagements and workshops all around the world and creating work that challenged the status quo. Although it was all Hofford could dream of, inside she was feeling overwhelmingly exhausted,
alone, stressed and unable to ask for help. Her fear of resting led her to believe her business and accomplishments would fail or fall behind. This led to her exploring and challenging the beliefs set forth by the hustle culture, which
is very similar to the diet culture, that has deprived so many people’s bodies of what they needed the most.
This has opened up a new door for Hofford and it’s one she’s going through, without letting anything hold her back. “Over the last three to four years I’ve been building up the education side of my business to work with photographers and other creatives on how they can make their business more inclusive, that way there can be more progress,” said Hofford. “As one person I can only do so much, but I figured if I could teach people what I know, then the more impact we can have to make sure others understand they are worthy of being photographed and that we start seeing bodies of all types.
“In building that up, while running my photography business in 2018, I hit a bout of burnout and the worst depression I’d ever had. I’ve never experienced depression before that. It was going on a trip to Norway and not remembering anything about the trip that was the revelation moment that something needed to change.
“That’s when I went back to school for positive psychology and learned all about the mindset behind it,” said Hofford. “What I realized most was a lot of creative people create businesses they are passionate about and want
to make a change in the world, but they are also human and don’t recognize the toll it takes on themselves personally to do it.
“I started to shift my work to include mindset work because, ultimately, body image is mindset work as well. That’s where I’ve been heading for the last four years. This type of work that is done in the empowerment world is so
important, but the people who do this type of work are usually empaths.
They are givers and often don’t give to themselves. I want to make sure I can help others build sustainable business practices, even if it is not in photography, so they incorporate that into their model and not run the risk of burnout.” During the pandemic, Hofford faced a lot of similar pressures and anxieties many entrepreneurs had. Most were unable to continue their business or services the way they had normally done due to public health restrictions.
This led to Hofford challenging herself in new ways and as a result, she published a new book. “This book actually came out of the pandemic, because I wasn’t able to utilize my creativity or purpose to the extent I was used to,” said Hofford. “I couldn’t photograph clients as a part of my normal business, so I had to challenge myself with a task. I decided to go with taking a new self-portrait every day and also writing a personal post or story to go along with it.
“That’s when I really started to notice that one of my gifts was through my own honesty and humility, I was able to connect with people. I gravitate to following my intuition on things, such as what to post and when to do that. This became a self-practice to dig up some old stories and talk about how I’m working through them or how it relates to business creativity or body image.
By being able to condense it down, it made people feel more seen, heard and understood in their own mindset or what their brain was telling them. A lot of times, people felt they couldn’t open up and share those thoughts and
feelings with others. This led to people suggesting I put this into a book. “Essentially 2,200 Characters or Less is a compilation of 2,200 different posts I had on Instagram and the whole intent was to put out there all the things
that make us human, the parts of ourselves that we feel aren’t great or have shame about, how can we move through it,” said Hofford. “That’s the premise of this book.” Lived experience is becoming something that more people are connecting with when it comes to personal growth and recovery. There’s something about reading or listening to someone who has gone through something similar to what a person is experiencing, that has a positive and inspiring
effect. Hofford has been able to channel this energy to help those going through similar situations that she has encountered or is going through.
“Every time someone shares their story, it’s going to be easier for someone else to share theirs, which is why it was so important for me to put myself aside when I had these thoughts,” said Hofford.
“I know there are a lot of people who have stories they want to tell, but their fear gets in the way. The way I would get myself to share my writing, is to remind myself that my passion for helping has to override the fear of
whatever I’m feeling. “When I keep that in mind, that it’s not about me, it’s about the people that are going to read this, or the one other person in the world that this is going to greatly impact, the more honest it’s going
to be.
“Which is why we are seeing a lot of pushback from people who hate change,” said Hofford. “This is a little too dramatic or feelsy for them and it’s scary and contrasting to the way these people have always been. The more we do
this, eventually they will get on board or the movement will happen whether they like it or not. I focus more on who I am helping, not who is offended by what I’m sharing.” Looking back at 2022, letting go has been one of
the biggest achievements Hofford has been able to do. She felt that she was tied to all these titles and her studio in order to be successful. Once Hofford embraced that these things don’t define who she is or her work, she
was able to take her work to a new and higher level.
“This past year I feel that one of my biggest accomplishments has been being able to walk the talk, so to speak,” said Hofford. “I’ve always been a believer of one following their dreams, but I was holding on to having a studio and
being just a photographer. I had become so attached to all these identities that I created for myself and this past year, I proved that I don’t have to be attached to those. 
“I’m growing, changing and adapting, and that has been my guiding principle. I want to be a role model for those who want to try something new, but are afraid to or letting things hold them back. I had to detach myself from all
these things I thought Ihad to have to be relevant, valued and successful.” 
Hofford has set another goal for 2023 and is focusing on healing. “For this coming year, I would like to personally focus on healing,” said Hofford. “After putting myself in a state of chronic stress while I was building my photography
business, my body took a toll. Now I have to show more appreciation for my body through movement, rest, and nourishment. I also want to heal relationships that I didn’t keep up with while I was running my business and other
aspects of my business. Healing is going to be the theme for this coming year.
“I also hope to reach more than just photographers with my mindset and body image work. I want to expand to anyone that is ready to do the work in challenging their body image and mindset, which includes breaking down
biases and beliefs.”
Hofford’s new book, 2,200 Characters or Less is available to order online or through her website.

With the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) still at the forefront, there is a need now more than ever for Indigenous female role models and advocates to come forward to spark change. An Indigenous female advocate, from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation (SCN), has been creating a movement through her actions that speak to the issues Indigenous women are facing today.
“I’m from SCN and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,” said Chante Speidel. “I currently reside in Saskatoon, where I am studying at the University of Saskatchewan. I plan to graduate in Spring 2023 with my Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies. I currently work at the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority as a Human Resources Assistant.”
Speidel started as a youth entering Indigenous pageants as a means to advocate for MMIWG. With each pageant she entered, a new opportunity presented itself and she was able to further establish herself as an advocate and role model for Indigenous women and girls.
“In 2017, I was 15 years old vying for the title of Miss Manito Ahbee,” said Speidel. “This title is a youth ambassador role to advocate for MMIWG. Every four years the Manito Ahbee celebration selects a family that lost a loved one to this reality and honours them by sharing their story and allowing the youth ambassador to represent them.
“In April 2022, I was in the Miss Indian World Pageant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This title is a chance for young Indigenous women from ages 18 to 25 to showcase themselves as a cultural ambassador. This pageant is showcased at the largest powwow in the world. I received Second Runner Up in the pageant.
“In October 2022, I ran for Miss He Sapa Win at the He Sapa Wacipi in Rapid City, South Dakota,” said Speidel. “This title is for women ages 18 to 25 to run as a cultural ambassador representing the Oceti Sakowin –Dakota, Nakoda and Lakota peoples also known as the Seven Council Fires. I received First Runner Up in this pageant.
“I ran for Miss Manito Ahbee because I had a passion for being an advocate, especially in regards to MMIWG. I ran for Miss Indian World and Miss He Sapa Win because of my passion to be a leader, advocate and demonstrate myself as an Indigenous role model. I always wanted to run, these roles are prestigious in Indigenous communities.
“I got involved because in Indigenous communities for young people there aren’t many leadership titles; more are coming along now, but I have always been interested in leadership and speaking,” said Speidel. “My parents are leaders and my Kunsi (grandma) is my hero. They all have been in many leadership roles and I guess from observation and travelling with them to speak, dance or sing, they have inspired me to do it too.”
Participating in the pageants has helped Speidel stay connected to the issues many young Indigenous people are facing. She has also built bonds with other contestants to create a very close network.
“In pageant I have learned about what other young people are doing and connected with the girls very closely to create a sisterhood,” said Speidel. “Now I have over 30 sisters all over Turtle Island creating change, being leaders and cultural ambassadors. It was an experience I will never forget. I have always aspired to be the women who held these titles in the past.
“There is something different about the uplifting feeling you get when you are surrounded by powerful Indigenous women, who are proud of who they are and move beautifully. I’m interested though in maybe doing something mainstream such as the Canada Globe Pageant or something.
“I have been speaking forever, but was confident in my voice when I was 15 and I started to speak more often,” said Speidel. “After holding the title of Miss Manito Ahbee, I travelled more often to conferences and events across Canada and the United States. After about three years of doing that I had to focus on school, so I slowed down, but also COVID-19 happened.
“I started to join youth councils and committees in Saskatoon and National boards. I was just eager to keep speaking and getting practice. Now I’m an Office of the Treaty Commissioner Speakers Bureau member, and use this service to get organizations and councils to book me for presentations. I got into speaking after holding the title to continue advocating. I just didn’t want to stop being an advocate, because my reign was over. I still feel that way, I have to keep speaking and doing the work to initiate change and make a mark. I always felt that was my duty on earth, to speak and lead.”
Recently Speidel was asked to be the keynote speaker for Cultural Conversation: The Legacy of Indigenous Womanhood and Culture, hosted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. This was an excellent opportunity for Speidel to share her experiences and to get the message out to others.
“The presentation went great and I loved the questions I received and the energy I felt when I did it,” said Speidel. “I talked about my perspective of culture and womanhood, using a Lakota prophecy story, Pte San Win- White Buffalo Calf Woman and medicine wheels translated into Lakota. Talked about the resiliency and dynamic of Lakota culture and womanhood. I shared history and connected it to colonial issues that have impacted the traditional ways of doing things for all Indigenous people. I then got into the topic of MMIWG2+.
“I shared the story of Lorna Blacksmith, the young woman I represented while being Miss Manito Ahbee. I talked about the history and factors that lead to sexualization, racism and discrimination of Indigenous women, which also are factors to MMIWG and violence towards Indigenous women. Because I know it is important to stay hopeful, I shared Chris Scribe’s Framework to Change, an eight-step process to create change in the community. My last slide was dedicated to Indigenous women heroes and leaders.”
With the recent news of a serial killer in Winnipeg murdering four Indigenous women, it’s hard to not feel the pain. Speidel knows the threat towards Indigenous women is real and that the need for change, in terms of creating safe places for Indigenous women, is greater now than ever.
“Hearing this news hurts, but yet does not surprise me, for we are unfortunately used to this treatment,” said Speidel. “Everyday Indigenous women walk with targets on their backs in society. Walking to your car alone at night is scary. Even walking around the city in daylight is scary. You never know the situations and possibilities that could happen so a lot of us live in fear. We have extra safety measures and avoid doing certain things. It has impacted our choice of clothing or recreational activities, I can speak from experience I will not go anywhere without anything showing even if it is hot outside.
“This issue is real; we live in fear every day. When I log into Facebook, my timeline has at least five missing posters or a family members' post announcing their loved one has been murdered. That is the reality of being Indigenous today.
“In regards to this news, I feel that this shows that Indigenous people are in need of allies and support,” said Speidel. “They need to investigate these cases and murders like they are human beings. We deserve an investigation and attention from the media on this case. Every social system should have training on truth and reconciliation, and the calls to justice for MMIWG enforced for all employees. No more numbers and statistics; we are people. We are missed, we have people who love us, and we have people who mourn our death. It is time for this issue to be treated as such.”
Speidel hopes to continue her advocacy work once she has completed her education and through her business.
“My plans are to transform curriculum,” said Speidel. “I definitely want to work with curriculum developers to create accurate Indigenous content with my Indigenous studies degree. I also aspire to expand my business, Techa Oaye, to support Indigenous youth in becoming leaders through hosting conferences and events to cater to mentorship for Indigenous youth. I also plan to use the business to go into Indigenous communities to develop language plans and strategies to bring back our languages for Indigenous youth.”

The issue of who will be the town’s sanitation pick-up service provider was a hot topic at the Ratepayers Meeting on Wednesday evening.

What was thought to be the difference between Roblin Sanitation’s tender and OSS’s was made public and was actually incorrectly portrayed.

“There were statements made that Roblin Sanitation’s tender was $32,000 higher than OSS and my question is how did you arrive at that amount?” asked Greg Perchaluk. “Roblin Sanitation’s tender has an amount for residential and commercial and OSS’ only had for the residential, nothing yet for the commercial, so how did Council arrive at amount as the difference between the two?” “I had said $30,000 to $32,000 was the difference,” said Misko. “I had just taken from my memory $89,000 and $119,000. Those numbers weren’t quite right.

In Roblin Sanitation’s case their amount included GST. The one from OSS didn’t, so it was closer to $20,000 on the weekly, on the bi-weekly it was about $48,000.

“We considered the way it was proposed to us, that was including the commercial pick up. Whatever wasn’t needed for the residential, those containers would be reduced and we’d have front load pick up on the other. We don’t yet officially have that number, hence why we haven’t signed a contract. At this point, we’re still looking to get confirmation on everything."

Check this week's Review for more!

Every year the Manitoba Credit Unions Order of Merit is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the Manitoba Credit Union system, as an employee or elected official. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, The Manitoba Credit Unions Order of Merit was unable to facilitate a ceremony for two years. Two weeks ago, a former Swan Valley Credit Union (SVCU) Board member received the Manitoba Credit Unions Order of Merit for 2021.
“Alex Eggie’s time on the Board from 1988 to 2012, including nine years as President, was during an important era in SVCU’s nearly 70-year history,” said SVCU CEO Craig Zamzow. “Hailing from the Big Woody District, this community of people is known for their rarely matched pride and volunteerism, and included many who were founding SVCU directors in 1953.
“Alex brought that commitment to the SVCU Board and set a great example for fellow directors and managers. Alex was a key leader when SVCU decided to expand and opened a branch in Benito, purchased the Bank of Montreal branch in Swan River, and purchased three insurance agencies as the credit union diversified.
“I still clearly remember Alex explaining to new directors about the amount of time that should be invested in reviewing Board packages before the meeting to ensure everyone was prepared,” said Zamzow. “His passion for fairness, commitment to community, and willingness to ask the tough questions when needed, still help guide our leadership group today.”
Eggie was drawn into being a part of the SVCU through his interest in a grassroots collective approach to providing a need or service in the community and helping it grow.
“I was always interested in the cooperative movement and one of the SVCU directors put my name forward to be elected to the board, and that was how I got started in it,” said Alex Eggie. “I was elected in 1988 and over the years I was Vice-President for two years, President for nine years and then was our delegate from District 6 to Credit Union Central for nine years. Then after that, I served on the SVCU Board as a board member for three years after that.”
Over the years Eggie has seen and experienced firsthand, how the SVCU has grown to what it has become today.
“The growth the SVCU has seen over the years has been significant,” said Eggie. “One of the highlights was that after the difficulties in the 1980s with high interest rates and accounts that were overdue, was the fact that in a few years we were able to pay patronage dividends because we had 10 percent equity. From then, we continued to grow. We were around $40 million when I went on the SVCU Board to just about $200 million when I left.
“Along the way we acquired the Bank of Montreal branch in Swan River and opened up a branch in Benito. There was growth besides the natural ones that we acquired. We built a new building, which is environmentally friendly. We acquired an insurance group that is still active today. That was to provide better service and wealth management to our members.”
Eggie has enjoyed his time on the SVCU Board and saw many benefits that the SVCU has brought to the Valley.
“My time I spent on Credit Union Central’s Board was rewarding,” said Eggie. “I had an idea of how the whole system was performing.
Despite all the achievements we had, I will always remember best the people that I met while I was on the board.”
Eggie travelled to Winnipeg for the Manitoba Credit Unions Order of Merit ceremony, which was held on Nov. 17, at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
“It was a well-done event,” said Eggie. “The Manitoba Credit Union presented the Order of Merit to recipients for the past two years, but because of COVID-19, they couldn’t do presentations in person.
There were five members in total that received the Order of Merit.”
Other past and current SVCU Board members were also in attendance to see Eggie presented with this honour.
“I’ve learned a lot from Alex over the years and am proud to count him as a key mentor for me personally,” said Zamzow. “Being recognized in the Manitoba Credit Union’s Order of Merit is very fitting and I was honoured to be able to be in attendance for Alex’s special day of recognition, acknowledging his significant positive impact to SVCU and the Manitoba Credit Union System.”