April 11, 2026

7 p.m.

Grace Mennonite Church

$25 Regular, $12.50 Students

World-class pianist Valerie Dueck returns home with From Night to Light, an immersive solo piano concert celebrating Canadian and women composers. The program is enhanced with poetry and striking visual imagery, creating a multi-sensory journey that moves from night, moon, and constellations to light and daydreams of utopia. Audiences will be transported through music that inspires reflection, wonder, and imagination.

This special homecoming performance offers a unique experience for music lovers and artists of all disciplines. Join Valerie for an unforgettable evening of music and storytelling as she brings her global journey full circle, back to the community where it all began.

It’s not unusual for provincial leaders to comment or be engaged with issues that go beyond their provincial borders, most often involving other parts of Canada or in some cases other parts of the world. But engagement is different than obsession. And it seems that at a time when there are enough challenges in Manitoba to keep any premier fully occupied seven days a week, Manitoba’s NDP Premier Wab Kinew seems far more interested in commenting on things beyond his borders and well beyond his control.

Last week in question period, the focus of questions was rightfully on the most recent provincial budget which offered little in the way of relief for what is an affordability crisis. There were also questions about the ever-increasing wait times in Manitoba emergency rooms and for surgical procedures. Questions were also asked about the continued rise in violent crime in our province and what resources are being used to try to reduce it. These are all pressing issues facing our province that deserve both serious attention and answers from the provincial government.

Instead, Manitoba’s premier spent much of question period, in addition to press conferences last week and a speech at the federal NDP convention, talking about Donald Trump, the war in Iran and the Epstein files. Now it is true that it is hard many days to have any conversation in which some or all of those topics don’t come up, but what Manitobans expect the leaders of the provincial government to do in their day to day jobs, is work on the problems and opportunities that are within the grasp of their authority. Despite the fact that every day there are stories of soaring prices, people waiting for care and concern over violent crime in our communities, the NDP seem to only want to talk about geopolitical problems of which there are many, but none of which can be solved in Manitoba.

Some have suggested that this is a deliberate strategy. That if the NDP can fill the newspapers and the airwaves with comments about things they cannot control, that Manitobans will be less likely to wonder why they are not fixing the problems that they can do something about. If that is the strategy, it is one that will only result in worse outcomes for Manitobans.

Canada is at a crossroads, not because of external threats, but because of internal division. Increasingly, we are seeing our country split into opposing sides, where political identity matters more than shared values. Conservatives and Liberals are treated as enemies rather than fellow citizens. This is not sustainable, and it is not the Canada we should accept.

From my perspective, this division is not only unproductive, it is harmful. When people stop listening to one another, when disagreement turns into hostility, we lose the ability to solve real problems. Issues like affordability, healthcare, housing, and education do not belong to one side or the other. They affect all Canadians. Treating them as partisan battlegrounds only delays solutions.

There was a time when disagreement did not mean disrespect. Canadians could hold different views while still recognizing a shared responsibility to the country. That mindset has been replaced with constant conflict. Social media, political rhetoric, and news cycles have all contributed to this, but we are still responsible for how we respond.

This is a call to action, not for one side to win, but for both sides to step back and work together. Conservatives bring valuable perspectives on responsibility, stability, and tradition. Liberals bring important ideas about progress, inclusion, and change. Canada needs both. Ignoring one side weakens the whole country.

Railway crews are cleaning up the aftermath of a train derailment in northern Minnesota last weekend.

Canadian National Railway staff received reports at 4:50 a.m. on March 28 that 18 train cars went off the rails in various positions north of Warroad, Minn, CN spokesperson Michelle Hannan said in an email statement.

Crews completed track repairs, and rail traffic resumed at 1 p.m. on March 29. Clean-up efforts will continue for multiple weeks, Hannan said, but didn’t provide a timeline.

There were no reported leaks, injuries or fires and no impact to rail crossings following the derailment.

“For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe - that unless I believe I shall not understand. ― St. Anselm

In the Easter story found in John 20 we see Jesus’ disciples running around. First Mary Magdalene running back to the disciples after seeing an empty tomb, then Peter and John running to the tomb with Mary behind them. John 20:8: “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)”

Remember what Jesus said to Peter at the Last Supper when He was trying to wash Peter’s feet? “You don’t understand now, but later you will.” Now inside the empty tomb they see and believe but still don’t quite get it. Once again, understanding would come later and affirm their faith in the moment. Do you ever feel like that? “I believe, I trust, but I just don’t get it! Help me God! Or as Italian monk and philosopher Anslem put it: “For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe - that unless I believe I shall not understand.”

In John 20:12-16, Mary is once again alone in the garden. Still crying. Even the sight of two angels fails to lessen her despair and desperation to find Jesus’ body. The gardener comes by and asks her, ‘Why are you crying? Who is it you’re looking for?” Fixated on the here and now all she can think about is the task she started the morning with to embalm the body of Jesus. “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him”, she answers with tear-stained eyes. Then, everything changes with one word, ‘Mary’ he says. Instantly, she recognizes that the person is Jesus and probably gives him the biggest hug he has ever had!

In the 2025 election, Mark Carney, unequivocally stated that Canada’s greatest threat was China. He seems to have flip flopped in recent weeks with the announcement of 49,000 Chinese EV’s gaining entry into the Canadian automotive sector.

Last week, a Liberal member of parliament cast doubt that forced labour exists in China. During a parliamentary committee hearing last week, Liberal MP Michael Ma challenged expert witness Dr. Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, questioning whether her testimony relied merely on “hearsay” or whether she had personally witnessed conditions in China.

Let’s be clear, this is not a disputable issue.

In September 2021, all parties and their members in the House of Commons voted unanimously to recognize People’s Republic of China (PRC) forced labour of Uyghurs, including genocide. Numerous international investigations from governments, academics, and human rights organizations have reached the same conclusion. Following parliament’s decision, the government of Canada imposed sanctions on one PRC entity and four PRC officials in Xinjiang “for gross human rights violations”. These sanctions remain in place today.