DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: CFL’s new playoff system does have positives

When I first read about the CFL’s new playoff format, I didn’t know what to think.

Starting in 2027, the top two teams in both conferences will play a page playoff game, with the winner advancing to a semi-final and the loser playing the winner of a 3 vs 4 qualification game, setting up the semi-finals. The system is similar to the Brier and Scotties curling tournaments.

There’s certainly been a strong reaction across fans of the league to the change, as should have been expected, but my reaction was a lot different than the rule changes announced late last year.

There are certainly negatives to the new plan. Eight of the nine teams in the league will make the post-season in the new system, which is way too many. But I think most years having six teams make the playoffs, as is the case in the CFL currently, is probably too many to begin with.

Record attendance boosts city cleanup

Organizers of this year’s Pick Up and Walk event say they attracted more than 1,000 volunteers for the annual city cleanup campaign. Organized by churches throughout the community, teams came together on May 2 to remove garbage from ditches and boulevards throughout Steinbach. This year more than 11 tonnes of garbage were collected.

Trail walker highlights AGM

A Crow Wing Trail initiative that established a passport to divide the 200 km trail into 11 sections inspired a Steinbach man to take on the task, walking the whole trail beginning in November and ending on Dec. 26, 2025.

Mohammad Sajid Ali made the trek, and his story was the highlight of the annual general meeting hosted in Niverville on April 25.

Ali is the sixth person to receive a Crow Wing Trail certificate of completion and was the first to walk most of the trail in the winter.

A seasoned walker who has received recognition for walking the most kilometres of the Trans Canada Trail as part of the Great Canadian Hike last year, he said the Crow Wing Trail continued to inspire him from the time he began at the Winnipeg floodway.

Manitoba Chamber holds AGM, economic summit for first time in Steinbach

For the first time in its 95-year history, the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce held its AGM and economic summit in Steinbach on May 1.

“Well, a lot of the reasons (why we chose a location) is making sure that communities have the right kind of facility, and obviously the Southeast Event Center is the perfect facility for something like this,” said Manitoba Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson.

“Also, I think as well, the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce has been a lot more engaged with the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing chambers in Canada over the course of this past year. So, it was really a no-brainer that it was time to come to Steinbach, and we were thrilled that we were able to do that.”

About 200 registrants came to the event representing businesses across Manitoba.

Niverville dominates Thunder Bay, moves to 2-0 at Centennial Cup

The Niverville Nighthawks may have started their second game at the Centennial Cup at 10 a.m. on their body clocks, but the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions were still dancing All Night Long.

The team has made the Lionel Ritchie 80s anthem their goal song this season, even making a custom cardboard cutout of the singer to display at their home games after goals. Despite starting their game in the morning May 9, the Nighthawks managed to get it to play seven times over the loudspeakers at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I. during a dominating win over the Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Thunder Bay North Stars.

The Nighthawks scored three goals in a six minute span in the first period to turn a 1-1 game into a 4-1 advantage, en route to a 7-2 blowout they never looked in danger of losing. Niverville out-shot Thunder Bay 41-17 in the contest.

"That's been the motto for us all season, not to get too high, not to get too low," Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst said when asked about his team's strong response to the equalizing goal.

Junior Pilots off to nationals after provincial success

The Junior Pilots volleyball club is continuing a strong run of form, with teams set to participate at upcoming national championships.

The club’s 18U team girls team, coached by Kyla Zacharias, rounded off a five-season run of medal finishes at provincials, starting with a bronze medal in the 2022 14U championships and ending with a silver medal this season.

“This team is nothing short of elite,” Zacharias said in a news release.

“We are so proud of this group. The ability to work with athletes who are not only talented but solid in character — on and off the court — is incredibly rewarding.”

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: A.K. turns sod for first Rest Haven apartments

A. K. Penner, president of the Rest Haven board, in August of 1964, turned sod to officially mark the start of construction of a 12-unit seniors’ apartment building on the grounds of the Rest Haven Nursing Home, just off Kroeker Avenue in Steinbach.

The new apartment building would be the first of a series of low-cost rental units for elderly citizens who are well enough to look after themselves but who may not be able to afford the luxury of maintaining their own homes.

It had been only a year since the Evangelical Mennonite Churches of Kleefeld, Steinbach, Prairie Rose (Landmark), Ridgewood and Blumenort decided to study the possibilities of this type of seniors’ housing, to augment the nursing home, which had replaced an aging facility on Hanover Street in 1961. Plans were drawn up, government approval was obtained and carpenters were ready to start construction on the building.

The apartment building would contain eight single units and four double units. The single units measured 16 feet by 22 feet and the double units were 18 feet by 24 feet. Rent would be $42 for a single apartment and $54 per month for a double.

East Braintree church closes after 109 years

Every time Margaret Feilberg walked through the East Braintree Community Church’s doors it felt like a hug.

The 74-year-old church clerk was one of the last remaining members of the small evangelical church hidden away among the towering boreal forest. The church held its last service on April 26, marking 109 years in the community of roughly 200 people.

“God is in the forest, and he’s everywhere. But you feel very special when you’re coming in here. And I feel that God is sad now this church is closed,” she told The Carillon.

Feilberg was dedicated as a baby in the church’s first location, a nearby school house, in 1956. She’s watched the church go from 35 people at its height down to herself and one other person. On the average Sunday, three or four people would attend services. The church’s final service brought 11 people to honour its end.

Death of well-known chef, Ste. Anne volunteer firefighter investigated as homicide

A renowned chef and community volunteer has been identified as the victim in a weekend slaying in the Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne.

Officers were sent to investigate an aggravated assault in the community, located about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, Steinbach RCMP said Tuesday.

A man suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital, but died a few hours later. His death is being investigated as a homicide, RCMP said. They declined to provide further details.

Friends and former colleagues identified the victim as 49-year-old Cameron Huley. Huley was a restaurant industry consultant for Food Service Solutions Canada and a volunteer firefighter with the Town of Ste. Anne fire department. He formerly worked with the Ste. Anne Police Department as an auxiliary police officer.

COLUMN: Village News – May moments you won’t want to miss

May is an exciting month here at the Mennonite Heritage Village! On May 1 at 9 a.m., our heritage buildings in the village got unlocked for the first time in the spring season. We eagerly invited people into the village to experience the living history that the village showcases. Also on May 1, the Livery Barn Restaurant opened for the first day of the year. We are delighted to welcome guests into the village and Livery Barn Restaurant every day of the week during the spring and summer season. Whether you are coming for the Sunday buffet, a school field trip, or a weekday family visit to your local museum, we are excited to have you come!

May 9: Manitoba Day

Manitoba Day, the day which marks the province’s entry into Confederation in 1870, is officially recognized as May 12. Here at the museum, we have decided to stick to the second Saturday in May as MHV’s official Manitoba Day celebration. This year, May 9 is our Manitoba Day celebration, and this marks our first community festival of the season. Admission is free for this event, and we are excited about our lineup of events. At 10 a.m., the Steinbach and Area Garden Club will be doing a planting pansies for mom activity! Children will get the opportunity to plant their own pansy to give to their moms to celebrate Mother’s Day. At 11 a.m., we will have a short ceremony in the pavilion featuring speeches from local dignitaries. This will be followed by raising the Manitoba flag and hearing The Manitoba Song. Free cake and coffee will be given out to all in attendance.

After the ceremony and flag raising, our festival events will begin including pioneer demonstrations and interpretation, wagon rides, and barrel train rides. We are excited to be partnering with Eastman Immigrant Services again for this event. They will be providing fun, outdoor family carnival games from 11 a.m. to 2 pm. Enjoy old-fashioned carnival games like a tug of war, a 3-legged race, a sac race, an egg and spoon race and much more!

Brett Howden powers Vegas into second round of NHL playoffs

Brett Howden has become one of the Vegas Golden Knights’ key contributors, as the Oakbank forward was tied for the team lead in goals following their first-round series victory over the Utah Mammoth.

Howden had no goals through three games, but came alive with his team down 2-1 in the series, finding the back of the net in three straight Vegas wins to clinch the series.

“I just try to put pucks to the net,” Howden said in a post-game five news conference.

“Sometimes they go in, and sometimes they don’t but right now they’re going in.”

MHV opens for the season

The Mennonite Heritage Village opened for the season on May 1. Free admission to the museum grounds will be available on May 9 as part of Manitoba Day celebrations. The Livery Barn Restaurant will host a Mother’s Day buffet meal on May 10. Last year’s meal saw more than 400 people attend.

COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – A canoeing adventure beyond Rosengard

I could not possibly have imagined while I was a student at the Rosengard School #2168 that someday in the distant future I would be participating in a canoe trip down the historic Hayes River in Manitoba. Indeed how could I? The creek that meandered lazily through woodlands and pastures in our community was the closest we came to having any waterway whatsoever. Our creek did not represent even remotely something akin to navigable waterways. The Hayes River on the other hand is a premier Canadian Heritage River, and the longest naturally flowing waterway in the province.

During the winter of 1998, Andrew, the eldest of our children, suggested that he would like to take us on a wilderness canoe trip, as a gift to us for our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. We would not be alone on this adventure. Rather, three of his wilderness-experienced tree-planting friends would be joining us. It would be fun he assured us. It took some time for the idea to resonate with us. As children tend to do, our horizons had stretched far beyond what we had anticipated 25 years earlier when we got married at the end of December in 1973. What we have experienced, and indeed continue to learn day by day, is that for us being a family with three children has exposed us to all sorts of new ideas and experiences, and countless adventures we would not have dreamed of on our own.

Canoeing down the historic Hayes River gave us a new perspective on Manitoba’s waterways. Maps have long held a significant hold on me as we crossed the prairie provinces over the years visiting our children and their families living west of the prairies as we know them. While Alberta may well qualify as a prairie province, Calgary, where our younger son lives, is decidedly closer to the Rocky Mountains than those of us who call Manitoba our home. As for the West Coast, we have had occasion to visit our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren repeatedly over the years in various locations both at the coast as well as in more northerly interior regions of Canada’s most westerly province.

My early childhood education exposed me, along with the rest of the students at Rosengard, to two very important maps. Memories of these roll-down maps, one of Canada and the other of the entire world, remind me to this day of that so important step of my formal education. And while much of the learning at the Rosengard School was part of a full academic curriculum, the imprint of those huge maps has never stopped shaping the trajectory of my life. Again and again, innumerable place names on those maps that point back to my early childhood education, have become part of the actual adventures of my life, and more specifically life experiences I could not even remotely have imagined so many decades ago.