SPORTS FLASHBACK 2000: Steinbach racer is Manitoba’s best

With aircraft taxiing in the background, Manitoba’s top ranked mountain bike racer, Greg Penner of Steinbach, describes his passion for racing bicycles.

An interview with The Carillon was conducted at Harv’s Air Service, the family business where Penner works as a part-time dispatcher, when he isn’t training.

“My parents are my flexible employers,” chuckles the 22-year-old mountain bike expert.

Penner, who has set lofty goals for himself as an international competitor, has been working at his chosen sport, since he first caught the bug in 1993 as a Grade 10 student at the Steinbach Regional Secondary School. That was when he started riding recreationally in Sandilands Provincial Forest.

Father, daughter go to Netherlands for VE Day ceremonies

Eighty years ago, about 175,000 Canadian soldiers fought to liberate the Netherlands from the boot of the Nazi regime. Since that time, the Dutch have been grateful sending Canada tulips every year. This month marks the 80th anniversary of the Second World War and the Dutch held ceremonies commemorating brave Canadian soldiers.

A Ste Anne father and daughter travelled to the Netherlands to honour what is known as VE (Victory in Europe) Day and pay tribute to these soldiers.

“This is 80 years and you hear about it, but it’s a different thing to go and experience what it’s like to witness how much appreciation, respect, and love they have for Canadians, but of course especially for their liberators and that’s how they’re referred to (us)…,” said Gilles Crevier.

“So, even though it’s been generations since this happened, whether they are in their 70s, 80s, 90s, (or) they are in elementary school – it doesn’t matter – every Dutch person in the Netherlands is absolutely grateful for what Canadians did during the war to liberate their country from Nazi occupation. They have never forgotten.”

Taché taxes up as community centre cost climbs to $30.2 million

Taxes on average will go up seven to 8.6 percent in Tache’s $42.86-million budget, though residents will need to check to see what their property is now worth in this assessment year to see the actual effect on their bill.

The total expense number is mostly driven by the new Tache Community Centre that is expected to start major construction this week. The centre’s cost is now estimated at over $30.2 million, up from $29.5 million estimated last fall. When federal and provincial grants were announced in January 2023, the cost estimate was $11 million.

Tache council approved borrowing up to $6 million for the project to be built beside the current 61-year-old arena in Lorette, which will be torn down after the new facility is built.

The new community centre will combine an arena, library, activity centre with kitchen, and a second floor with program spaces, meeting rooms and administrative areas. The RM believes it will be completed by the end of 2026. The nearby spray pad will be closed during construction.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: This could be the best year in Canadian hockey history

Remember the euphoria you felt when Connor McDavid scored the game winning goal in the 4 Nations tournament?

If certain things fall into place, that elation might just be the tip of the emotional iceberg for Canadians, for what could end up being - by orders of magnitude - the greatest year in Canadian hockey history.

Political tensions with our neighbours to the south hasn’t just suffused hockey games with meaning that goes well beyond sports, it’s also led to an enormous rise in patriotic pride in Canada. The combination of bruising tariffs costing jobs in Canada, insults to our Prime Minister and threats to make our beautiful, sovereign nation America’s 51st state, have crystalized a sense of collective Canadian pride this nation hasn’t felt since World War II.

The fans feel it and so do Canadian hockey players.

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: Looking back on a busy hockey season

The first thing I do when the Manitoba Junior Hockey League announces their schedule for the year is to combine the Niverville Nighthawks and Steinbach Pistons schedules into one combined calendar and print them out.

Those pages make up the print portion of my event tracker for the year, and let me tell you, it was a busy hockey season for me. I break down my year into two sections. Hockey season begins with the first Manitoba Junior Hockey League regular season game of the year and baseball season begins when I cover my first baseball game of the year.

I attended or watched 174 events this hockey season, the most in my three years working as The Carillon’s sports editor. A massive number which was a little overkill, especially as hockey playoffs ramped up in February/March this year. In those two months combined, I attended 65 different events, averaging more than one per day.

That 174 even understates the total games I attended, with Providence Pilots double-headers counted as a single event in my yearly tracker.

Steinbach to go it alone on sewage planning

A decision to address their own sewage woes rather than become partners in a regional wastewater cooperative will save Steinbach residents money and allow the city to retain their assets.

That was the message council delivered in April as they applied for 50 percent funding for the wastewater treatment facility upgrade.

The entire project will include several parts and is expected to reach $132.5 million.

Council approved a motion applying for $65.4 million from the Canada Housing Infrastructure Program.

PHOTO GALLERY: Celebrating Manitoba Day in Steinbach

Manitoba’s birthday was celebrated at the Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach with a day full of activities, history, and community fun. It featured a flag-raising ceremony, free birthday cake and activities from Eastman Immigrant Services.

The Manitoba Act of 1870 created the province, paving the way for new communities to form. Just a few years later, in 1873, the Privilgium was extended to Mennonites in Imperial Russia, inviting them to settle in Manitoba. By 1874, families arrived at the East Reserve, establishing what would become Steinbach.

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette seeks descendants of 19th century settlers

The early settlers who built the first church in Lorette were also building a community. Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is seeking the descendants of those early builders and parishioners to bridge the historical gap as it celebrates its story that stretches back to 1865.

Generations will gather in Lorette June 21-22 for the 125th year of the current building with the painted ceilings and murals that give it a Sistine Chapel of the Prairies look. The celebration will also acknowledge the first residential pastor Father Joseph Thomas Quévillon in 1877, the first to visit regularly to hold mass in 1873 Father David Fillion with help from Fathers Laurent LeFloch and Raymond Giroux, and the first missionaries arriving in 1865.

The committee putting together the June celebrations has already connected with families of early settlers and parishioners. They would like to connect with more, especially those whose lineage connects with Auguste Gauthier. He was the parishioner who was the architect and contractor who built the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.

“We really want them involved, to honour their ancestors who gave so much for this church and this community,” said committee member Lucille Brunette.

Curling Grand Slam will be ‘Neil Armstrong moment’ for SEC

The countdown is officially on for Steinbach to host the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

Organizers, politicians and curling stars were in attendance at the newly built Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in May 13 to promote and officially kick off the event, which will take place Jan. 6-11 in 2026.

Manitoba hasn’t hosted a Grand Slam since 2018.

The Centre’s general manager, Jeff Bannon, said the Players’ Championship will be the SEC’s chance to make a strong first impression on the national stage.