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COLUMN: View from the Legislature – A long overdue ruling

Kelvin Goertzen, MLA for Steinbach 4 minute read 2:17 PM CDT

Manitoba Speaker of the legislative assembly Tom Lindsey issued an important ruling on Monday.

For several years now, Manitobans who observed the proceedings of the Manitoba legislature have been shocked at the behaviour displayed. While politics has never been for the faint of heart, the types of personal attacks that have been disguised as parliamentary debate has become, frankly, disgraceful.

As I’ve said publicly before, while I believe it is the responsibility for the political head of government (the premier in our system) to set the example, the problems did not begin with Wab Kinew. The decorum in the Manitoba legislature has been on a downward slide for many years. And while the downward slide did not begin recently, it has gotten worse recently.

In Canadian legislatures and in Parliament, it is a longstanding rule that members cannot attack the character of another member. As one example, you cannot call another member a liar. That is an attack on character. But, up until Monday, in Manitoba a member could call another member a bigot, homophobe, misogynist, racist or transphobe. The Manitoba legislature was the only elected House in Canada where that was allowed. In fact, not only were words such as bigot and racist allowed to be hurled against another member, they were tossed around so routinely that they lost the seriousness that those words should have.

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Sports

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Centennial Cup May 11

Cassidy Dankochik 1 minute read Preview

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Centennial Cup May 11

Cassidy Dankochik 1 minute read 12:33 PM CDT

Featuring games between the Flin Flon Bombers and Greater Sudbury Cubs, Thunder Bay North Stars and Rockland Nationals and Truro Bearcats and Toronto Patriots.

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12:33 PM CDT

Local

Steinbach Pistons back on top of MJHL’s attendance race

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Preview

Steinbach Pistons back on top of MJHL’s attendance race

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read 12:00 PM CDT

There was little doubt the Steinbach Pistons would be back on top of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s attendance chart during their first full season inside the Southeast Event Centre, but the team basically lapped the field this season.

With a reported average above 1,800 for the regular season, they were more than 1,000 fans per game ahead of their closest competition, Virden. The Oil Capitals averaged 745 per game. Virden drew the most fans in the league in the past two seasons, as Steinbach played home games out of the roughly 500-seat HyLife Centre in La Broquerie while the SEC was under construction.

Every home game this season the Pistons welcomed more than 1,000 fans into the building, with an additional re-scheduled “away” game against the Blues on a Monday afternoon packed with 2,000 students.

The team reported a total of more than 68,000 fans walked through the door across the entire season, a new all-time high for the franchise.

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12:00 PM CDT

Local

Nighthawks’ Vigfusson announces USports commitment, picks up community award

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Preview

Nighthawks’ Vigfusson announces USports commitment, picks up community award

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read 12:00 PM CDT

Niverville Nighthawks captain Adam Vigfusson will continue his hockey career in Canada.

The 2005-born forward from Gimli announced his commitment to York University in the days following Niverville’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League victory.

Vigfusson led the league in playoff points, posting 10 goals and nine assists across 13 games.

He was also named the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s RBC Community Award recipient May 5, as he was preparing with his team to start the Centennial Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.

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12:00 PM CDT

Local

COLUMN: Viewpoint – Library safety

MaryLou Driedger 4 minute read 11:38 AM CDT

I was visiting my children in Saskatoon and needed a quiet place to work on a manuscript for a few hours. “Why not go to the library,” my son suggested. When I arrived at the downtown branch there was a sign on the door. It was temporarily closed. I discovered it had been shuttered due to safety concerns and a rise in violent incidents stemming primarily from drug overuse. The library would reopen once more security enhancements were in place.

The library nearest my home in Winnipeg, is the Millennium. It was shut down for over a month, in December of 2022, after a man was stabbed to death there. It closed again last August when a patron committed suicide by plunging over a second-floor railing. After staff at the branch voiced their safety concerns about working in an environment where patrons were bringing dangerous weapons and needles for drug use into the library, security screening was put in place. When I visit the library now I go through a scanner and my bags are opened and checked.

The Winnipeg Public Library has hired two full-time social workers. I’ve witnessed some of their 42 trained community safety hosts in action aiding troubled patrons. The Millennium Library once had a social services hub in its lobby. Staff assisted vulnerable visitors with finding food, shelter and medical attention. The city has stopped funding it.

Having had these experiences in Winnipeg and Saskatoon, I wasn’t necessarily surprised to read in a recent Carillon article, that Steinbach, which is one of Manitoba’s fastest growing cities, was dealing with similar issues. Staff at the Jake Epp Library are responding to an increase in violence and drug use and are trained to use Naloxone should patrons overdose on the premises. The library has recorded multiple incidents of violence, weapons’ possession, harassment, vandalism and alcohol abuse. The bathrooms have been locked after drug paraphernalia was discovered there. They are considering hiring security guards, installing cameras, adding extra outdoor lighting and having a front desk safety button.

Local

COLUMN: Grey Matters – For the rhythm of a day

Gary Dyck 4 minute read 8:26 AM CDT

Saint Augustine (354-430) is a church father who loved to pray. He wrote many beautiful prayers and even on his deathbed while his city Hippo was being besieged, he had prayers hung on his wall so he could read them one more time. One of Augustine’s most popular prayers is to the Holy Spirit, known as the “Breathe” prayer:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.

Local

Steinbach gets new RCMP detachment commander

Matthew Frank 1 minute read Preview

Steinbach gets new RCMP detachment commander

Matthew Frank 1 minute read 8:11 AM CDT

Steinbach’s RCMP detachment is getting new leadership after a new detachment commander started work last month.

Staff Sergeant Mike Maxwell, a 19-year RCMP veteran, left his post in Bridgetown, N.S. to take the Steinbach job.

“This is a really beautiful community. And, yeah, the town is great. The people that I work with here are great, and I’m just excited to be here,” he said.

The 41-year-old’s career has spanned Alberta, Nunavut, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. He got his first RCMP posting in Lynn Lake, and later worked in Thompson and Cross Lake. Steinbach will be the largest community he’s worked in. Maxwell is looking forward to working with municipal and community leaders through his role.

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8:11 AM CDT

Local

Parkhill School principal calls for traffic changes near the school, cites student safety

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 3 minute read Preview

Parkhill School principal calls for traffic changes near the school, cites student safety

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 3 minute read Yesterday at 5:13 PM CDT

Parkhill School principal Kim Koop has sent a letter to the City of Steinbach council requesting traffic safety changes near the school in order to protect her students.

On April 27, council received a letter from Koop stating as the community around the school continues to grow, so too will traffic safety issues.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority. With a significant majority of students travelling to and from school on foot or by vehicle each day, it is essential that the surrounding infrastructure supports safe, predictable, and well-regulated traffic flow,” wrote Koop.

Parkhill School opened last September and has 340 students, of which 263 (or about 70 percent) walk to school or are driven to school by family members. The remaining 77 are bused.

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Yesterday at 5:13 PM CDT

Sports

MJHL NOTES: Neepawa Titans extend head coach/GM Pearson

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Preview

MJHL NOTES: Neepawa Titans extend head coach/GM Pearson

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 PM CDT

The Neepawa Titans have stability behind the bench, as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League franchise announced they were extending the contract of current head coach/general manager Ken Pearson.

Pearson is from Neepawa and jumped straight from playing for his hometown team to assistant coach in 1994/1995.

“Neepawa is a special place, and I’m grateful for the trust the organization and community have placed in me,” Pearson said in a Titans news release.

“We’ve made great strides, and there’s still so much potential here. I’m excited to continue building a program our town can be proud of.”

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Yesterday at 5:00 PM CDT

Sports

Flin Flon Bombers look to salvage Centennial Cup with playoff charge

4 minute read Preview

Flin Flon Bombers look to salvage Centennial Cup with playoff charge

4 minute read Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

Half a second isn't exactly a long time in a hockey game, but that was the difference the Flin Flon Bombers needed as they defeated the Greater Sudbury Cubs for their first win of the Centennial Cup May 11.

After Flin Flon took a 4-1 first period lead, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Cubs battled back to tie the game in the second. In the closing moments of the frame Reid Arberry led a three-on-two rush up the ice, wristing a shot from the top of the face-off circle that hit the back of the net just before the final buzzer sounded.

Arberry's marker would hold up as the game-winner in a 6-4 victory for the Bombers, their first at the 2026 Centennial Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.

"I heard (head coach Mike Reagan) yelling from the bench, I think I heard 'three,' when I crossed the blue line area and decided to take one more step and fire it on net and found it far side," Arberry said.

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Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

Local

COLUMN: On Parliament Hill – Cash – A path forward

Ted Falk, MP for Provencher 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:15 PM CDT

Whether getting weekly groceries, paying for gas, or seeing a movie, Canadians increasingly rely on some form of digital currency. But cash in many situations and circumstances is still king.

A cashless society narrows access, centralizes control, and can exclude the marginalized and the vulnerable.

For some, cash is their only way of participating in the economy. In Canada, roughly six million people—18 percent—are unbanked or underbanked. When businesses refuse cash, people are denied basic services. When it comes to buying essentials, that denial is a serious disservice and beyond inconvenient. A compassionate society does not explicitly exclude identifiable communities.

When enough businesses refuse cash, consumer choice disappears.

Local

Niverville’s Dubinsky named finalist for CJHL top goalie award

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Preview

Niverville’s Dubinsky named finalist for CJHL top goalie award

Cassidy Dankochik 2 minute read Yesterday at 12:00 PM CDT

Austin Dubinsky has a chance to add yet more hardware to his trophy case.

The Niverville Nighthawks goaltender was named the league’s top regular season goaltender and playoff most valuable player as he backstopped his club to a Turnbull Cup championship. He’s now up for the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s top goaltender award, competing against other to goalies from the nine other junior A CJHL leagues across Canada.

Dubinsky lost just five games this season, with a 34-3-1 record in the regular season and a 12-1 record in the playoffs.

He’s up against Flin Flon’s Charlie Tritt (SJHL), who was traded from Humboldt this season, Leamington’s Tre Altiman (OJHL), Kemptville’s Rylan Donovan (CCHL) and Longueuil’s Mathis Lacroix-Goulet (LHJAAAQ).

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Yesterday at 12:00 PM CDT

Local

Cannabis advocates launch Steinbach petition for retail cannabis vote

Matthew Frank 4 minute read Preview

Cannabis advocates launch Steinbach petition for retail cannabis vote

Matthew Frank 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:31 AM CDT

A group of Manitoba cannabis retailers have launched a petition to put retail cannabis sales on the Steinbach ballot during the municipal election.

Tobagrown, a cannabis producer and advocacy group, and Winnipeg-based retailer Flamingo Plus launched the petition on April 20 to garner signatures to hold a citywide plebiscite during the Oct. 28 municipal elections.

Since the campaign’s start, the petition has garnered 1,204 signatures, almost half of the required 3,300 or 20 percent of Steinbach’s population. An identical plebiscite petition has also been launched in Winker, after the city council previously voted down the initial resolution for the vote.

When speaking with residents, Jessie Lavoie, founder of Tobagrown, said the petition is about voters’ rights because many people want the chance to vote on having cannabis retailers, regardless of their support.

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Yesterday at 11:31 AM CDT

Local

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Fighting toxicity starts here

James Smith, Steinbach, MB 2 minute read Yesterday at 8:08 AM CDT

In the April 30 editorial in The Carillion (“Canadian politics in throes of furious fever”), an anonymous author from the Free Press makes an argument for Canadians to “push back against this rising tide of toxicity” and that “it’s time to lower the temperature, before real words lead to tragic actions”. I wholeheartedly agree: there is no place in our society for political violence. However, I would also argue that the editor and news staff of The Carillon should look inward concerning this issue.

For example, what purports to be a “sports” column (“As I See It”) seems often to be a hate-filled, weekly diatribe against the President of the United States. Usually, the column has loose connections to some sports story, only to spiral into derogatory statements, falsehoods, and general name calling. Is it possible that the words of the columnist are spurring some unhinged individual to commit political violence?

I don’t intend any toxicity in saying this (nor any disrespect to The Carillon and its columnists), but perhaps pushing back against the “rising tide of toxicity” in Canada should include the offices of The Carillon? A sports column that focuses on actual sports stories would be a welcome first step.

Local

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Community supports efforts to create a very special school

Wes Keating 3 minute read Preview

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Community supports efforts to create a very special school

Wes Keating 3 minute read Sunday, May. 10, 2026

During the third week of September in 1957 people in Steinbach and the surrounding area received a circular in the mail seeking support for an organization hoping to provide a school for the training of children with an intellectual disability.

In case anyone was tempted to classify the letter as “just another appeal for your money,” an editorial in The Carillon News urged people to speak to Bert Friesen, before they tossed the circular into the waste basket.

Bert Friesen was president of the Steinbach Branch of CAMR, and the driving force of a committee of six people responsible for building a modern two-classroom school for the training of intectually disabled children.

Although work on the building was still incomplete, the new Kindale School on Creek Road, across from the Kinsmen swimming pool, opened for classes Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1957.

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Sunday, May. 10, 2026

Local

Feasibility study on Sundown Ridge project deems project not worth the money

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 8 minute read Preview

Feasibility study on Sundown Ridge project deems project not worth the money

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 8 minute read Sunday, May. 10, 2026

A recently completed feasibility study regarding the construction of a water drainage project in the RM of Stuartburn has determined that the project is not worth the cost of construction, yet municplaities are still considering the initative.

The feasibility study for the Sundown Ridge project was conducted by the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District (SRRWD), who submitted its findings to the RMs of Stuartburn and Piney (who are partners on the project), ultimately deeming “the projected benefits (of the Sundown Ridge Project) do not justify the estimated $3 million capital cost,” according to a press release from the SRRWD.

Pankiw said the Sundown Ridge project is not a water retention pond or reservoir as it will not permanently hold water, rather it is a dry dam that will hold water temporarily and then slowly release it when conditions deem it possible. The dam will have two L berms to the north and south with a spillway at each berm that will slowly release water when it hits a certain elevation.

SRRWD manager Joey Pankiw told The Carillon that the cost is a very conservative amount if the project were to proceed.

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Sunday, May. 10, 2026

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