An Indigenous designer with roots to Opaskwayak Cree Nation is headed off to Milan, Italy’s Fashion Week this fall. Dreyden Flett Roulette has always had a creative side and flair while growing up, and it’s one that was fostered by his family.
“I grew up between Winnipeg and Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) for the first 10 years of my life,” said Flett Roulette. “My love for art really blossomed in OCN. I’ve always been a curious kid—anything creative I could get my hands on, I did. Drawing, painting, ceramics. I used to fill my mam’s (grandma’s) walls with art. She was the first person who introduced me to it.
“Since then, I’ve received recognition, awards, and certificates from schools and community events. I was quiet, but the moment I held a pencil and sketchbook, I was in my element. In 2016, I was introduced to the Red Road, and that changed everything for me. My parents created a healthy life of culture on top of being an artsy kid.

The committee spearheading the Tri-Community Culture Days is putting out a call for people who have new ideas for events to come and bring those concepts to life. There are several events already scheduled to take part at these year’s event, but there is always room for more.
“For Culture Days 2025, taking place September 26 through October 5, we have many exciting new events in the works as well as some new twists on old favourites,” said Tri-Community Culture Days Chair Gabrielle Swan. “We are excited for Heather Gibson of MBCI's music program to be coordinating this year's community concert on Friday, September 26. The quilt show and marketplace coordinated by Debbie Howel will also be taking place again this year Saturday, September 27. Family Fun Day at the Sam Waller Museum will be another crowd favourite led by Cheryl Antonio on Sunday, September 28.

The closure of The Pas Association for Human Development is close to finalizing. The two remaining board members, Joan Brown and Darry Shotton, have retained a lawyer and accountant to help them close the books and prepare to grant out the remaining funds to projects that focus on accessibility and children.
A call for submissions was put out for people to submit their project ideas for consideration and now the first round of recipients has received them.
“In this first grant distribution of the remaining funds from TPAHD, we gave to Kelsey School Division to support four different projects,” said former TPAHD Board Member Joan Brown.

The new Member of Parliament (MP) for the Churchill–Keewatinook Aski Riding, Rebecca Chartrand, visited the tri-community area for a couple of days while making a presence during the local Canada Day celebration. MP Chartrand took the opportunity to meet with many levels of local municipal government, as well as community organizations and local citizens.
“We took in Canada Day as part of my visit here to The Pas,” said MP Chartrand. “We got to meet with the Town of The Pas Mayor, some of the councillors, the R.M. of Kelsey, the president of UCN, the superintendent for Kelsey School Division, Opaskwayak Cree Nation Chief and Council, The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce, the Minisewin Family Resource Centre, The Pas Friendship Centre, and the Manitoba Metis Federation. It was a very busy couple of days and I met so many people in the community.

A new exhibit has arrived at the Sam Waller Museum that contains acrylic paintings by a northern Manitoba artist. The exhibit Canvases Touched With Acrylics by Eila Duncalfe consists of paintings that have been inspired by a deep love of the north and brought to life on canvas.
“I live in Flin Flon and have lived there for over 30 years,” said Duncalfe. I enjoy painting and doing puzzles in my free time. I started painting once my kids had left home. I found it really quiet at times, so I tried a few different hobbies and painting was the one I took to. I began spending a lot of time painting and learning more about it.

Mary Duncan School will welcome a new principal for the 2025-2026 school year. Sarah Loewen has been offered the position and is looking forward to her new role. Loewen grew up in The Pas and is familiar with the schools in the division from both attending them and then working in the community.
“I was born and raised in The Pas, the youngest of three girls in a family deeply rooted in education,” said Loewen.

The Northern Health Region is promoting a strategy geared towards men’s mental health and suicide prevention. The program is created from a male perspective and addresses a very real and serious issue that many men just don’t want to address.
“Buddy Up is a Canadian suicide prevention campaign created for men by men,” said Northern Health Region Mental Health Promotion Specialist Alexie Laplante. “The campaign encourages men to have real conversations with their buddies and to support them if they’re struggling with thoughts of suicide.”
The suicide rate among men is higher than women. This can be attributed to many unhealthy childhood factors that have caused toxic masculinity to manifest and prevent men from dealing with their feelings in a healthy and safe way.

The neighbouring communities of Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage were greatly impacted by the wildfires raging in northern Manitoba, as they were evacuated from their homes. The Pas Fire Department received a call for assistance to help with the evacuation.
“We received a call from Flin Flon Fire Chief Jason Kuras on May 28 at approximately 16:30,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “This was shortly after the evacuation notice was given to the citizens of Flin Flon and surrounding areas. He requested a crew to assist with the evacuation and suppression of the wildfire.

Last week, The Pas’ Devon Park hosted the National Amateur Disc Golf Tour (NADGT) on June 7. Disc Golf is a new sport catching on and growing in many rural and northern Manitoba communities.
“Disc golf works just like regular golf in scoring and play etiquette,” said The Pas Devons Park Disc Golf President Mark Armitage. “The only difference is that you throw a hard plastic disc. At a metal basket on a course designed like a golf course. Players registered with the Professional Disc Golf Association will also get a rating for playing in a tournament.

Getting into Driver’s Education through MPI has posed a real challenge, as there have been long wait lists due to a lack of trained driving instructors. Opaskwayak Cree Nation woman, Nicole Tornquist, has taken the wheel and gotten into the driver’s seat by owning and starting her own business, Tornquist Driving School.
“I’m a First Nations woman from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, located on Traditional Treaty 5 Territory,” said Tornquist. “I’ve lived in The Pas my entire life, and from a young age, I knew I wanted to help people. This has always been my passion.