1946-2026 Watching Steinbach Grow – Remembering that first edition.

The first edition of The Carillon came off the presses on Feb. 21, 1946.

What follows are a sampling of articles that made it onto the front page.

The Carillon News makes its bow

It is with some pride, and a great deal of pleasure, that we present to you the first copy of the Carillon News.

Manitoba grocer Benco Foods opens in Steinbach

Manitoba-owned Benco Foods opened a new location in Steinbach in mid-January and some of the grocer’s specialties are selling organic produce, fruit by the case, and Benco brand organic grain and milled flour.

“Our goal is to have everyday groceries and bulk staples at a price that makes sense,” said general manger Alex Robertson.

The 28,800 sq.ft. building has 10,000 sq.ft. of retail space and is located where Peavey Mart used to be at 41 Loewen Blvd. in Steinbach.

Peavey Mart closed in February 2025, less than a year after it opened, filing for creditor protection closing all of its 90 stores cross Canada.

PLAYOFF RECAP: Sabres eliminated from league playoffs

The Steinbach Regional Sabres couldn’t continue their run in the top division of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League.

The Sabres managed to win their final home game of the season Feb. 29, keeping their season alive with a 3-2 overtime win over Oak Park thanks to a Peyton Froese goal, but a 4-2 loss in a winner-takes-all game February 28 in Winnipeg ended their season.

Oak Park’s David Sudoski scored the game winner with nine seconds into the third period, and they added on an empty-netter to finish the game. The Sabres are applying for a wildcard spot for the upcoming AAAA provincial championships.

In the indoor soccer ranks, the Sabres finished a strong season just short of a championship appearance, falling 1-0 to Glenlawn in the premier division semi-finals.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Feb. 26th edition

Featuring photos from SRSS basketball and playoff hockey games, Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League quarterfinal games in Steinbach and Ste Anne, Game five of the South East Manitoba Hockey League quarterfinals in Ile des Chenes and game one of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League quarterfinals in La Broquerie.

Agape House’s Purple Gala to host former broadcast journalist

Agape House has invited former broadcast journalist Nicole Dube to be guest speaker for its fourth annual Purple Gala in March.

“We continue to host it because it’s just more than a fundraiser,” said Lisa Fast, outreach and housing coordinator. “It’s a night where our community comes together to stand against domestic violence and shows survivors that they are not alone. We continue to host this event because the need is real and growing.”

Manitoba had the second-highest rates of police-reported intimate partner and family violence among Canadian provinces in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. The province’s family violence rate increased to 585 in 2022 from 453 in 2014.

Fast reported that 2025 saw Agape with the highest number of clients than any year previously. Agape provided more than 2,100 adult bed nights, more than 1,300 children’s bed nights, and responded to nearly 1,500 crisis calls. Women and their children typically stay for a month at the women’s shelter.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback August 14, 1991 – Steinbach twin models returning to Japan

While many teenagers their age have just graduated from high school and are beginning to think about leaving home, Steinbach twins Lisa and Leilani Dyck have already modelled internationally and are planning a second trip to Japan.

The girls took a two-month break from high school last winter to model in Japan, doing photo shoots for everything from pamphlets and magazine advertisements to billboards and television commercials.

Lisa was the first to venture from home in February and Leilani followed her in March and stayed a month later. The girls lived in Tokyo during their two-month stay in Japan, although various jobs took them to other locations.

The adjustment to life away from home was not all that difficult for the twins, who say they never felt “sheltered” growing up in Steinbach. As children, they travelled extensively with their parents, Peter and Aida Dyck.

Southern Health absent in provincewide security upgrade announcement

Health care unions say Southern Health’s exclusion from provincewide security upgrades prove Manitoba’s approach to hospital safety is reactionary rather than preventative.

On Feb 19, the province revealed safety measures for sites in Winnipeg, Thompson and the Prairie Mountain Health region.

The roll-out includes the SAFE mobile app, which offers real-time safety alerts for staff at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital and the Brandon Regional Health Centre. The province will also add five new institutional safety officers (ISOs) to Thompson’s hospital by March, upping the province’s total to 128.

Health Sciences Centre has 60 ISOs, Prairie Mountain Health has 20, St. Boniface Hospital and Victoria Hospital both have 18 and Selkirk Mental Health Centre has 12. Southern Health has no ISOs.

Low German evening sells out auditorium

Whether it’s an attempt to preserve a culture or a sign that a culture has been preserved may be tough to say, but the fact that the second Low German evening within four months sold out again, shows that the culture is alive and well in Steinbach.

The Mennonite Heritage Village Auxiliary hosted this event on Feb. 20, selling out before the evening began with the 300-capacity crowd packing the MHV auditorium.

They arrived to hear the musical gifts of Heischraitje and Willa Honich, to listen to Low German readings, and stories and to laugh at jokes told in their native language.

Doris Penner, of the MHV auxiliary said Low German evenings were common in past years and have been hosted by a variety of organizers.

Koop brothers celebrate end of lengthy collegiate careers

Tyson and Paxton Koop have certainly played a lot of volleyball over the years.

The Steinbach twins graduated from SRSS in 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic wrecking havoc on sports across the province, they were eligible to play volleyball for extra years as so-called ‘super seniors.’

“It was actually a blessing in disguise for me to get a year of training with the guys at this level before going into any actual competition,” Paxton, who plays at the University of Winnipeg, said.

“Although it did kind of suck taking off a whole year, I think that was really, really helpful for me to adapt and adjust to the new level of volleyball that I was entering into.”

Southeast Manitoba Festival kicks off

The region’s top talent in a variety of disciplines is on display in Steinbach for six weeks through the Southeast Manitoba Festival.

This year looks different for organizers in the wake of a merger between the festival and the Steinbach Arts Council in 2025.

More than 700 entries across multiple disciplines have already seen people gracing stages across the community.

Cassandra Kornelsen, manager of community programs at SAC, said it’s important to host events like this.

Scotties bronze medalists Team Cameron ‘parting ways’

Team Cameron, which play out of the St Adolphe Curling Club, announced on social media they will no longer be playing together.

The team, skipped by New Bothwell’s Kate Cameron, was formed three years ago with Taylor McDonald and Mackenzie Elias, adding Brianne Harris as third last season.

Team Cameron is one of many teams that will break up this year, as the curling cycle ends after the Olympics, and players join new teams in attempts to represent Canada on the world’s biggest curling stage.

“Although thie season didn’t receive the results we hoped for, we remain great friends and will forever be cheering each other on in whatever is next,” the post reads.

Springfield hires first community safety officer

The Rural Municipality of Springfield has hired its first community safety officer following the closure of its police service last year.

Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien said the new interim CSO began work on Dec. 21 and will help enforce bylaws, guide traffic at high-risk intersections and assist the RCMP.

“It’ll be exceptionally well utilized by the RM there to addressing safety issues that, frankly, the RCMP just have no time to work on,” he said, adding Springfield has needed a CSO since he began his term as mayor in 2022.

The Carillon previously reported the Springfield Police Service shut down in August 2025 after its two officers quit and joined the RCMP. Prior to the resignations, the previous chief and another constable also left for the federal policing body.