AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Canada is a soccer nation, and other World Cup thoughts

Donald Trump tried to suck as much joy out of the World Cup as possible. American officials not allowing the Iranian team to practice in the U.S., forcing them to fly back and forth to Mexico to train, not allowing Africa’s top referee from Somalia to officiate any games, and not giving Iran their FIFA allocation of 8% of tickets for each game so Iranian fans could watch their team compete, are easily some of the most racist and disturbing stories in the history of international sport.

But despite the Trump regime’s shameful efforts, the World Cup delivered an inspiring tournament filled with many exhilarating matches. The passion, the spectacle and the pageantry of the World Cup was undeniable and contagious.

Here’s some highlights and lowlights of the biggest sporting event in the world.

· Canada had an impressive showing in the World Cup, what with 211 countries vying for the trophy and Canada making it to the final 16. Outplaying soccer giant Morocco for more than half a game, showed that Canadian soccer has arrived. The Canadian men’s team has certainly inspired a new generation of soccer fans and players. Canada’s American coach Jesse Marsch was spot on when he said his players are Canadian heroes.

Hanover school trustee candidate wants to repair trust between parents, teachers

A parent within Hanover School Division has put her name in for consideration for school trustee and one of her goals is to repair the divide between parents and teachers that she says has been formed by the current board’s policies.

“My core platform positions would be ensuring that all of our children are safe in school, that our teachers are equipped to deliver high-quality education rather than micromanaged or having policies that tie their hands,” said Sarah Wieler, who is running for Ward 3 Steinbach. “I’m concerned that there’s been some mistrust sown with some of the language and policies between parents and teachers.”

Wieler mentioned the recent news article with trustee Jeff Friesen, who is running for a second term, where he states there is a lack of trust between teachers and parents within the division.

“I don’t know that’s necessarily true, but I think that any mistrust or uncertainty has actually come as a result of some of the recent policies that the board’s put forward, calling into question the judgment of teachers and that they have designs on anything other than our children’s safety and success in mind. I would like to see that repaired.”

Harris, Larocque receive Order of Manitoba

A pair of outstanding athletes with connections to the region were awarded the province’s highest honour last week.

Jocelyne Larocque and Andrew Harris were part of a group of a dozen who inducted into the Order of Manitoba July 16.

The order was first established in 1999, with the goal of recognize citizens’ “excellence and achievement, thereby enriching the social, cultural or economic well-being of the province and its residents.”

Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville is the chancellor of the order and formally inducted Harris and Larocque.

Family Day celebrated with Grit and Glory Games

Family Day was celebrated in Middlebro on July 18 with residents coming out to enjoy the Grit and Glory Games which included events such as leg wrestling, arm wrestling and pillow fights. The day also offered Bingo, plenty of food and an evening Texas Hold’em tournament.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback – Bothwell to Ste Agathe water pipeline on tap

1992: The provincial government has awarded the RM of Ritchot a $100,000 grant to help build a water pipeline from New Bothwell to Ste Agathe.

The grant from the province’s Environmental Innovation Fund is one of the final funding arrangements needed to give the $1.7 million project the go-ahead.

Ritchot secretary-treasurer Joe Brodeur said all the funding is now in place to cover the cost of piping water from relief wells in the RM of Hanover, where the flow is about 350 gallons per minute.

The Manitoba Water Resources branch has set aside $600,000 which is earmarked for the project, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act funding will cover $320,000, while the balance will be shared by the board and the municipality.

Winnipeg man drowns in Hanover gravel pit

An 18-year-old Winnipeg man drowned while attempting to swim across a gravel pit located south of Grunthal.

RCMP said they were alerted to the emergency at 9:30 p.m. on July 19.

They said a group of friends were at the well-known location that has been used for swimming for years, when the victim attempted to swim across the pit. The witnesses said the man disappeared under the water about halfway across and did not resurface.

Efforts were made by RCMP and the local fire department to find the swimmer and they requested airborne assistance to aid in the search. STARS flew over the pit with spotlights to assist with efforts to locate the swimmer but without success.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Kinsmen and Kinettes service is a lasting legacy

There is an old saying that all good things must come to an end. And so it was with the Steinbach Kinsmen in 1992, when the small group of men, who were making a valiant attempt to keep the club going in Steinbach, decided to call it quits.

In order for a community to grow and expand, and fully get on with the business of life, its people must actively participate in efforts that benefit the whole community. The members of the Steinbach Kinsmen Club proved this a thousand times over, starting in 1951.

The organization of the Steinbach Kinsmen Club was spearheaded by George Derksen, of Derksen Printers, who became the first president of a 16-member club in January of 1951, 30 years after the Canadian service organization had its start in Ontario in 1920.

Hal Rogers, just returned from the trenches of the First World War, took the advice of his father to get together with young men of his own age and that sparked the formation of the Hamilton Kinsmen Club.

Hanover School Division trustee running on student focused platform

A Hanover School Division trustee candidate is running to make sure that all decisions of the board are made with the students’ benefit in mind.

“We all deserve to be respected and supported, and the students to have that learning environment that’s focused on their education so that they can have the best success that they can. And I want to make a positive difference in our community. I want to listen to the families. I want to learn from their experiences. And I want to be part of making decisions that put our students first,” said Tess Doerksen, who is running for Ward 3 Steinbach.

“I am running because I care deeply about our schools. I value our public education system. My kids had great experiences here…And as a parent, I’ve always been involved in my kids’ education. I’ve advocated for them when they need it. I have developed those relationships with the teachers. And I know how important it is for families to have a voice and to be able to be heard. And I believe that our school board can be as strong as the people who are in it.”

Doerksen grew up in the area and has lived in Steinbach for 22 years with her firefighter husband and three boys, two of whom have graduated from high school and one that is entering Grade 10 at Steinbach Regional Secondary School. She also owns her own cleaning business.

Penner running for second term in Hanover; boasts 24 years in politics

RM of Hanover Coun. Ed Penner is looking to secure his second term on council and said he still has the same passion for Ward 4 as he did when he first ran.

“The reason why I want to continue being a councillor is because I have the passion for working for the municipality and I get the further developments done in the areas that I’ve been working with, and local drainage and road improvement,” he said.

The ward covers the areas of Sarto, Friedensfeld, and Pansy.

He finds the people in Ward 4 to be friendly and multicultural. “I have some Ukrainian, Mennonites, French – a multicultural ward, which is fine. To me, it doesn’t matter what culture they are. I’m here to represent everyone,” he said.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Vandals give Kinsmen extra work party

JUNE 9, 1966—For two weeks this spring, the Steinbach Kinsmen have been out in force, raking, painting, cleaning, replacing windows, doors, and what have you, in an effort to get their park ready for the season.

During the winter, or early spring, vandals broke all the windows in the change-room building, next to the Kindale pool, and damaged or destroyed the doors as well. Benches were thrown into the pool. Playground equipment was carted to an area nearly a block away. In the kiddies’ wading pool, broken glass from drink bottles, was further evidence of the vandalism.

During the last week in May, Kinsmen volunteers replaced the broken windows and doors. When they returned again with another work party to clean up the rest of the mess, they found the windows had all been broken again. The Kinsmen replaced them again.

During the summer months, a caretaker is hired to look after the park, but the Kinsmen are still responsible for it. Right now, the heaviest part of the work, the annual spring clean-up, is carried out cheerfully by Kinsmen work parties. Members of the organization are contacted to see what evening they are free, and when a suitable time is arranged, they show up, armed with hammers and saws, rakes, paint brushes, and a number of muscles in their backs and arms they didn’t know they had.

Eastman Wildcats dominate U17 AAA provincials

The Eastman Wildcats cruised to a championship at Softball Manitoba’s U17 AAA provincials at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex in Brandon on the weekend, beating Central Energy 4-0 in the final on Sunday.

Eastman went 6-0 in the round-robin, outscoring their opponents 54-21, then beat Central 10-1 in the 1-vs-2 game on Sunday morning to vault into the final.

The Westman Magic edged the Interlake Phillies 5-3 in the 3-vs.-4 game, earning a semifinal matchup with Central. After the Energy won 3-2 in nine innings, it set up a third meeting of the weekend between Eastman and Central.

Eastman coach Russ Kihn said his club, which went 18-6 in the regular season, had a great game against a tough opponent.

Six-storey seniors facility approved despite neighbourhood opposition

Steinbach city council approved variations that would allow for a six-storey facility described on city documents as “independent assisted living” on Stone Bridge Crossing despite massive neighbourhood opposition without a single person in favour except for the applicant, Bridge Park Manor, represented by Nic Thiessen of Three Way Builders.

Bridge Park Manor requested two variances. Located in the residential medium density zoning, the maximum permitted height is three storeys.

Bridge Park Manor asked for that to be doubled to six.

Because the initial plan calls for 81 suites the facility requires 1.5 parking stalls per residential unit plus 10 percent for guest parking, a total of 134 stalls.

Sultans continuing quest for MJBL 3-peat

The Carillon Sultans have kept their hopes of a Manitoba Junior Baseball League three-peat going all the way to the championship series.

Powered by a pair of outstanding outings on the mound from Cedric Lagasse in games one and four, Carillon cruised past the St Boniface Legionaires 3-1 in the best-of-five league semi-finals.

Lagasse allowed just three hits over 13 innings of work in a pair of shutout wins. Connor Martin had an excellent outing of his own in game three, accounting for 10 of his team’s 15 outs (seven strikeouts and three pickoffs) in a five-inning mercy rule win.

The Legionaires squeaked a 6-5 win over the line in game two, despite trailing heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: July 16th edition

Featuring photos from a Hanover Sting match in Steinbach July 8, a Winnipeg Senior Baseball League game July 9, Wheelchair Rugby at the SEC July 10 and Eastman High Performance Centre hockey camps at the SEC July 13.