Province opens six mini-cabins in St Malo, rest of Manitoba to follow

The province is in the process of completing construction of six mini-cabins in St Malo as part of a multi-phased approach to enhancing the lakeside experience in provincial parks.

On June 12, Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes was on hand to show off one of the cabins that was only awaiting beds to complete it.

“We know that Manitobans love our parks, and this is another way that Manitobans can enjoy it,” he said. “Our yurts have been very popular, but we wanted to do something that was Manitoba-designed and Manitoba-made, and so that’s what we’re doing with these mini cabins, putting them in some of the most beautiful parts of our parks.”

Moyes said St Malo was chosen as it’s a popular provincial park seeing more than 200,000 people annually. Its accessibility to Winnipeg and other areas of the province and the lakefront views also made it ideal.

Ste Anne’s Zach Lansard ready for NHL draft

A dream years in the making could be come true June 27, as Zach Lansard appears on pace to be selected during the 2026 NHL entry draft.

The Ste Anne-born forward plays with the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League. He had 56 points in 68 regular season games and even helped Regina steal a game in the playoffs against a heavily favoured Medicine Hat team. They were eliminated April 4, leaving a tough wait for Lansard and his family between the end of the season and this week’s NHL draft.

“Obviously I’m really excited,” Lansard told The Carillon during a phone interview June 18.

“I feel like I had a very successful year this year, and it’s looking good for me to get my name called. These last few months have been a long wait but it’s a very exciting pressure to have.”

COLUMN: Village News – Celebrating Canada

Summertime is a popular season for celebrations in Canada. The weather is favourable for outdoor gatherings, and we enjoy spending time with friends, family, and neighbours in both organized and spontaneous settings. The government of Canada has designated a number of dates in June and July as special days and many of our local communities choose to highlight one or more of these days.

National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 recognizes and celebrates the traditions, cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Occurring on the longest day of the year, this celebration is a time of renewal, connection, and celebration for many Indigenous people. In our area Buffalo Point First Nation and Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation are the nearest communities in southeastern Manitoba with large Indigenous populations, but we all have friends and acquaintances with Indigenous connections and June 21 is one way to celebrate their culture and background.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24 celebrates the language and traditions of French-speaking people. Approximately 10 million Canadians speak French in Canada, and our region has about a dozen communities with a large Francophone population. For many generations, Mennonite and Francophone neighbours have built strong communities side by side and June 24 highlights the rich culture of our French-speaking friends and neighbours.

Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27 honours the numerous cultural communities that help build a strong and vibrant Canadian society. Did you know that Canada was the first country in the world to create a multiculturalism policy, recognizing and respecting our country’s diverse languages, customs and religions in 1971? Our region continues to benefit from the various cultures represented in our communities as we embrace cultural diversity and show mutual respect for all traditions.

Hanover school trustees called to minister’s office again, expert calls policy open to censorship

The Hanover School Division board of trustees were called to the education minister’s office for the second time in two years over a policy it passed that could be deemed discriminatory and could lead to censorship.

The trustees passed Policy AK – Responsible Use of Educational Resources during the last board meeting. The policy was created after parents, students, and teachers were complaining about inappropriate content in schools, according to board chair Dallas Wiebe.

Wiebe wouldn’t say what the content was, what form it was viewed, or how students were exposed to the content. He did say trustees had been working on the policy for the past two years.

“I’m going to estimate roughly two years in discussion where we had different materials that were graphic (brought to us), and we’ve also had materials, posting things that were – you know, things that were inappropriate…We heard from all kinds (of people) where materials were inappropriate and not by a small margin. I’ll leave it at that,” he told The Carillon after the meeting to approve the policy.

Carillon Sultans perfect week gives team breathing room in MJBL

Four wins in four days has the Carillon Sultans sitting in a great position heading into the home stretch of games in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League.

The Sultans took down Winnipeg South 4-1 in a mid-week contest June 18, defeated Interlake at the league’s annual showcase event in Steinbach June 20 before back-to-back wins over Elmwood June 21.

Interlake and Elmwood had been part of the group nipping at the Sultans heels in the standings, but after the weekend’s action both teams were 5.5 games behind league-leading Carillon.

“The team is in a really good place right now,” head coach Don Meilleur said after the weekend’s action, adding the team has faced some good pitchers during their current seven-game win streak.

1946 – 2026: Watching Steinbach Grow – Town’s first mayor never needed an election

SEPTEMBER 25, 1959—Being the first mayor of any town is quite a distinction. Being mayor of that town for its first 10 years is an even greater distinction. Although he passed the gavel to L.A. Barkman a year ago, K.R. Barkman is still regarded as the “Mayor Emeritus,” the embodiment of the spirit which welded the Village of Steinbach into a full-grown town.

Reflecting on his time in office, the former mayor was quick to point out that not everyone was “for” him.

“One day, when I was mayor, a man came into my office. He looked me in the eye and said he had been going around saying everything in the dictionary that was bad about me. What is more, he said he was going to keep right on saying it. The fellow turned and walked out. I guess when you live for 50 years in a place, there are bound to be some people that aren’t for you.”

Taking everything together, it appears that the people who “weren’t for” Klaas Reimer Barkman during the years he was mayor of Steinbach, were few and far between.

City councillor to seek third term

Damian Penner is the first City of Steinbach councillor to announce he will be seeking another term during this fall’s municipal election.

Penner is completing his second term, for a total of eight years on council and said he made his decision after considering and getting feedback from his family and the employees at Rocco’s Pizzeria, the restaurant he owns in Steinbach.

“When you put your hat in the ring to be a municipal official, I strongly believe that you have to be committed for the four years,” he said.

Penner said he’s proud that council completed two major projects in the last term, the Southeast Event Centre and the infrastructure renewal that saw a new intersection at Highway 12 and Loewen Boulevard, both unprecedented in terms of financial cost and scope.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: June 18th edition

Featuring a Hanover Soccer Scrimmage and Jamboree June 11 and a Carillon Sultans Manitoba Junior Baseball League double-header June 14.

Inaugural festival of Filipino culture in Steinbach a success

June 13 marked the first of what promises to be many annual celebrations of Filipino culture in Steinbach and across southeast Manitoba as the highly anticipated Filipino Heritage Celebration brought the Pat Porter Active Living Centre to life.

Organizer Angelica San Juan estimates more than 250 people attended the gala event, and happily related her crew of volunteers had to break out extra chairs and tables to accommodate all the guests that came out to enjoy the evening.

“Honestly I was so busy, I am not sure of the exact number!” she said. “The Filipino community in Steinbach is growing so quickly. This event was a bit of a trial balloon to see just how strong the sense of community really is here.”

Certainly, the strength of the Filipino community in the region was on display starting right at the entrance to the hall where members of The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals helped with admission and tickets for the popular 50/50 draw.