Jennifer Laviolette
Memorial walk keeps woman’s memory alive
This past Saturday marked the third annual Remembering Kendara Memorial Walk in the tri-community. Kendara’s family started this walk to raise awareness of her case, with hopes to make it inclusive to all those who have missing and murdered Indigenous loved ones.
“This year’s walk we decided to start transitioning towards as this being a walk for missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP),” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “It’s still going to be about Kendara, but we also have invited families of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. We had families participated for different loved ones. That was one of our biggest goals to transition the walk to include others and this year we were able to achieve it.
“It was really great because we were able to support these other families by giving them a platform to be able to have that opportunity to speak about what they’ve been going through and to know they have this community of people who understand this very kind of specific loss.”
Welcoming other families of MMIP to participate in the walk is a way for them to connect with others who have experienced the same kind of loss. It’s a different type of loss that often leaves families feeling isolated due to the fact that not everyone can related what they are experiencing and going through.
Rescue helps pets stranded from fires
Over the weekend a fantastic group of unsung heroes in the community met with the high rail trucks during the late hours of the evening to do intake of the animals coming in from the fire zones as well as any surrenders from The Pas.
The Manitoba Animal Alliance (MAA) has been busy rescuing animals that have been left behind as a result of the forest fires that raged in Pukatawagan and Mathias Colomb First nations.
The homeless pets left behind still depend on people to provide food and water, while some of them need medical care and treatment.
MAA has stepped in to transport these animals out of harm. The animals were making their journey on to Winnipeg where they will receive necessary medical treatments, be reconnected with owners if possible or adopted to new homes. The MAA has also been collecting donations of pet foot and kennels for the animals to send up north to feed them and have the necessary crates to transport them out of the area if needed.
MCN, OCN sign MOU for shared logging revenue
Just after the long weekend, the Province signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mosakahiken Cree Nation (MCN) and Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) that will work towards developing revenue sharing that will see up to 45 percent of revenues from timber dues.
“This is a historic day for MCN,” said MCN Chief Vincent Bercier. “We will be the first reserve to have revenue sharing as part of this agreement with the logging industry. The revenue sharing and stumpage fees will differ depending on how much logging is done in the year. It will benefit the community by giving us more opportunities for infrastructure, create jobs and just allow us to do more for our community and people.”
“In the spirit of reconciliation, this is a great first step that allows us to assert our sovereign rights as the OCN,” said OCN Chief Sidney Ballantyne.
“This revenue sharing concept has been talked bout for years with our community and to see this finally come to action gives me hope as a leader. Not only will the added revenue help with improving our services for our people, it will benefit both our community and our neighbours in MCN with added opportunities.”
Winnipegosis Post Office faces temporary closure and uncertain hours
With some rural emergency rooms being temporarily closed for the summer, another threat has seemed to loom. Just last week, it was made public that the Winnipegosis Post Office was closed for several days due to staff shortages, which resulted in Winnipegosis residents having to travel to Dauphin to pick up their mail.
“There’s a public concern that this could be setting a precedent when it comes to the potential closing of post offices in rural Manitoba communities,” said Mossey River Reeve Ron Kostyshyn. “We’re hoping that’s not the case.”
There wasn’t a notice issued that the Winnipegosis Post Office would be temporarily closed, until the community became concerned as to why it wasn’t open the next day. There was a lack of communication starting back to when this initially happened and not everyone was properly informed.
“We learned of the situation when the Winnipegosis Post Office was closed on a Tuesday for the day,” said Kostyshyn.
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Art show provides a hands on experience
If you ever wanted to try out different art mediums, the Try It Yourself Art Show hosted by Uptown Emporium 53, the Sam Waller Museum and The Pas Arts Council was the place to do so. The event was open to people of all ages and free for participants. It was held last Saturday at the Christ Anglican Church Hall and brought in an excellent crowd.
“There were approximately 80 people of all ages that came through,” said Uptown Emporium 53 Champion Cheryl Antonio. People had lots of different styles of art to try at the Try It Yourself Art Show. Local artists from the area taught all of the various art mediums to participants.
“There were several different art mediums for people to try,” said Antonio. “Anita Genaille showed people how to paint with watercolours, acrylics, and oil. Anisa Eliuk and her daughter Emily Heape taught how to make beautiful, beaded bracelets. Shelly Hanchuk, from Handmade by Shelly, brought in her sewing machine and helped participants to make fantastic hair scrunchies.
MLA holds first meet and greet in two years
It’s time to start thinking about elections across the province for both municipal and provincial bodies. Many provincial candidates are in the process of being announced as running in the 2023 election. The Pas NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin recently held a Meet and Greet last week to reconnect with people in the constituency and hear their concerns.
“One of my main concerns right now is access to healthcare services,” said The Pas NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin. “We’re trying to address the nursing shortages throughout northern Manitoba and I feel there needs to be more collaboration at all levels, including First Nations, especially in regards to recruitment and retention. The First Nation and northern communities need to have input to let the government know what needs are required and necessary in order for them to have the same quality of healthcare as the rest of Manitoba, especially outside of the perimeter.
Mr. NDP retires his role as consitutency assistant
Gord Landriault has been known as Mr. NDP over the years and has dedicated over 40 years to the party. Last Friday was Landriault’s last day in office working as the Constituency Assistant for MP Niki Ashton and the start of his retirement.
“I got involved with the NDP by helping a friend of mine put up signs back in 1969,” said Landriault. “Then in 1974, I got more involved when I moved into The Pas area and began working with Ron McBryde as the MLA.
“My involvement in labour and labour’s affiliation with the party is what drew me in. The NDP’s support for labour, how they represented the everyday working people and their policies were all things I firmly believe in.”
Landriault started out working on candidates’ election campaigns back in the 70s. He loved getting out, meeting the people and hearing their concerns. This led to him being a part of several successful election campaigns for the NDP, not just in Manitoba, but other provinces as well.
Knight recognized as RBC Future Launch’s Future of Good 2022 Young Impact Leaders
Former Gilbert Plains resident, Erin Knight, has been acknowledged as one of 30 RBC Future Launch’s Future of Good 2022 Young Impact Leaders. Knight’s prior achievements have been instrumental in getting her to where she is today.
“I’ve embarked on a whirlwind of a journey since I graduated high school from Gilbert Plains Collegiate in 2015,” Knight said.
“The Loran Scholarship has been incredible in opening up doors for me since I received it in 2015 and I’m very grateful for everything. Their support is what put me on the path to being appointed to the Prime Minister’s Youth Council (PMYC) in the first place. I was appointed in the summer of 2019, and finished my term in December 2021.
Previously Knight lived in Calgary for 6-1/2 years while attending the University of Calgary. She graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies and a certificate in Sustainability Studies as a Loran Scholar.
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Wally’s Place Boat Parade marks third anniversary
What started out as a fun and engaging way to host a parade has now turned into an annual tradition. Wally’s Place Boat Parade is hosting their third annual event this upcoming Sunday and there are some great prizes to be won.
“This is the third Wally's Place Boat Parade,” said Cheryl Antonio. “It started before COVID-19 and was an idea discussed amongst friends, including Mary Ann Greenwood, from Wally's Place, who in turn shared it with her son, Wes, who is Wally's Place owner. Wes helped organize and sponsor the event.
“The parade begins at Camper's Cove and follows the shoreline to Pioneer Bay. For parade entries, any kind of watercraft is acceptable, however kayaks and canoes may have a hard time keeping up to the pace of things.”
Participants who enter are encouraged to decorate to win a prize, but it’s not mandatory. The first place winner will receive $200/merchandise, the second place will get $100/merchandise and third will get $50/merchandise.
Third Annual Memorial walk preparations underway
The family of Kendara Ballantyne is coming up on the third year of seeking answers and justice for what happened to her and it also marks their third year of not having her in their lives. The third Annual Remembering Kendara Memorial Walk is in the works and will be taking place on Saturday, August 6.
“For me personally, this walk brings out a lot of mixed emotions because it’s the third year and no arrests have been made,” said Lorraine Ballantyne-Packo. “One thing that I have learned to appreciate is the planning of this walk, and the efforts of the co-organizers and the community that comes out to support us on this journey.
“This is also hard, because the people who took Kendara from us are still out there. We don’t know if we’ve passed them on the street or been in their presence and that makes it really difficult at times.”
“The walk is mainly organized by family and we relying on donations and some fundraising to make this happen every year,” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “We do reach out to different organizations and business for donations of time or items for the barbeque. Everyone has been extremely gracious and generous with what they give and how they help with the Annual Remembering Kendara Memorial Walk.