COLUMN: Village News – April moments you won’t want to miss

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? Here at MHV, we rely heavily on our amazing team of volunteers. They give of their time and talents to partner with us in the work that we do. We really would not be able to accomplish what we do without them. This month, we are emphasizing the importance of volunteering with two volunteering events.

April 18: Volunteer Seminar & Fair

On April 18, MHV is hosting our first-ever Volunteer Seminar & Fair. The Mennonite Heritage Village along with many other local organizations rely on the time and skills of countless volunteers. The Volunteer Seminar & Fair will connect those looking to volunteer with wonderful local organizations.

Our morning will begin at 10 a.m. with a seminar led by Dave Thiessen of MCC. He will discuss the importance of volunteering for individuals, organizations, and the community. This seminar will hopefully inspire those on the fence about volunteering to find an organization that fits with their values. At 10:30 a.m., we will hear from each of the participating organizations regarding various volunteer opportunities they have available. They will highlight what volunteering at their organization looks like and what can be expected. Then, at 11 a.m., attendees will have the opportunity to visit the booths of these organizations, talk with staff members, and sign up to volunteer.

Wildfire funding falls short in Manitoba budget, PCs say

Municipal and Opposition critics say the province’s slated wildfire funding falls short after Manitoba fought one of its worst fire seasons on record.

Rural Municipality of Piney Coun. Mark Bernard was frustrated when he saw the 2026 wildfire budget had no funding directed towards the Southeast.

“Our ratepayers don’t understand it. They almost feel like they’re forgotten,” he said.

Last year’s wildfire season saw 428 wildfires, burning 2.14 million hectares of forest. In Piney, more than 9,000 hectares of forest was scorched, and 300 residents were forced to evacuate.

Province, WSP meet with Ritchot council about twinning highways 59, 52

The twinning of Highways 59 and 52 are on the horizon with construction possibly beginning in four years.

Public servants from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) and employees of consulting firm WSP met with RM of Ritchot council in March to discuss the twinning of the highways.

“So, the purpose of this study is to develop a functional design for twinning 59 from 52 to PR 210 and 52 from 59 to Broesky Road. And we’re also looking at the intersection of 59 and 52 as part of this study,” said Meagan Boles of WSP, noting the majority of the twinning will happen in the RM of Hanover and the balance in the RMs of Ritchot, Tache, and De Salaberry.

According to a provincial spokesperson, MTI has hired WSP to complete a functional design study for the more than 30 kilometres of highway construction (15.5 kilometres on Highway 52 and 15.3 km on Highway 59) at an estimated cost of $177.9 million.

No charges for officer involved shooting in Otterburne

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has recommended no charges for police officers involved in the shooting death of Tristan Mariash in Otterburne on June 5, 2024, even though the report found the fatal shot was fired as the truck was driving away from police.

A March 20 report explained that the incident began at 12:40 a.m., when police were told to be on the lookout for a stolen vehicle whose occupants may have a firearm.

They tracked the vehicle to Otterburne where at about 1:50 a.m. the suspect’s vehicle rammed a Winnipeg Police Service vehicle. Officers shot at the suspect vehicle which fled the scene.

Police later tracked the vehicle to Drovers Run in Niverville where RCMP found a male with a gunshot wound. EMS attended the scene, but the man was pronounced dead. One female was taken into custody and a second male who fled the scene was arrested later.

Steinbach Pistons back in MJHL semi-finals, ready for Virden Oil Capitals

After a year away, the Steinbach Pistons are back in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League semi-finals. The Pistons bounced back after a game one loss, winning four consecutive games to advance past the Portage Terriers, the team that eliminated them last season.

The 4-1 finish may have masked a closer series, with the league’s two active leaders in all-time coaching wins bringing solid teams to the post-season. The clinching game had just one non-empty net goal scored, with captain Sam Noad popping home a goal during a four-on-three powerplay to clinch the series.

“It just gets more difficult as we move forward,” Steinbach head coach Paul Dyck said, emphasizing how hard it is to win the clinching game of a series.

“You knew (Portage) wasn’t going to go away. There’s a lot of pride in that room, they’re extremely well prepared with their coaching staff and they battled.”

Local leaders slam Manitoba budget for slim Steinbach funding

Both Steinbach’s deputy mayor and MLA are critical of the NDP government’s proposed budget for the few funds flowing to Steinbach and the Southeast.

The only funding targeted towards Steinbach in the budget is a $32,000 grant for the Steinbach Arts Council. The province has set aside $2.4 million for recruiting doctors and clinical assistants at the Boundary Trails Health Centre and the Bethesda Regional Health Centre. Five new school projects, including Ste Anne Regional High School, will get $6.5 million for design work.

Steinbach’s Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra said the province takes the Manitoba’s third largest city and the region for granted.

“We are the economic horse, but more and more is being put on us,” he said. “It just seems to be assumed that we’re just happy to keep on pulling and more and more gets added, and the government isn’t doing anything to actually help us to grow and help our economic horse become stronger.”

Exploring naturopathic care for cancer

Naturopathy has a place in the battle against cancer, and a new workshop planned for Steinbach will address the issue.

Southeast Cancer Support Services (SCSS) announced “An Evening of Hope and Health” with naturopathic Dr. Erin Esau on April 22 at the SCSS meeting room.

The intention, they say, is not to replace traditional hospital-based cancer treatments.

“Naturopathic oncology (cancer care) is all about meeting the person where they are to help facilitate the best outcomes,” SCCS stated in a press release. “It is an individualized, root cause approach to supporting individuals while they are fighting and recovering from cancer. It is safe alongside the conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.”

Niverville mayor elected to head Capital Planning Region board

Niverville’s mayor was elected to head the Capital Planning Region, after the previous board chair and executive director resigned last month.

The board overseeing the organization, which would develop a regional plan for Winnipeg and neighbouring municipalities, voted Myron Dyck as its board chair on March 19. His selection marks the first time the board has chosen its own chair, with the province previously holding responsibility.

“I give credit to my father in that he told me, ‘Myron, in life, you have always have a choice. You can be part of the problem or you can be part of the solution. Choose to be part of the solution,’” he said.

Dyck will replace outgoing board chair Michael Moore, who will resign by the end of March. Jennifer Freeman, the Capital Planning Region’s executive director, also left her post in the same month. Freeman joined IDE Canada, a non-profit that funds businesses in developing countries, as its director of philanthropy, according to LinkedIn.

Pair of sweeps end West playoffs early in MJHL

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s quarterfinals may have lacked drama on the ice, but certainly delivered in terms of storylines.

The Virden Oil Capitals and Waywayseecappo Wolverines made short work of the Neepawa Titans and Dauphin Kings respectively, advancing in four-game sweeps.

For Waywayseecappo, it’s the franchise’s first playoff series victory since joining the league nearly three decades ago. The Wolverines will face fellow first-time series winners Niverville in the semi-finals. The lower-seeded team took out Dauphin in dramatic fashion, winning game one and three in overtime on the road.

St Jean’s Sebastien Hicks continued his strong play into the playoffs, nabbing the winner in game three. It looked like a Wolverines three-on-two rush had fizzled out, but Hicks stayed alert, banking in a shot from below the goal-line off Dauphin goaltender Bryson Yaschyshyn.

Niverville Nighthawks sweep Winkler for franchise’s 1st playoff series victory

The Niverville Nighthawks made some franchise history, as they swept past the Winkler Flyers for their first playoff series win as a team.

The Nighthawks were the best team in the MJHL this regular season, and showed it in the playoffs, making short work of a Winkler team which was considered by many one of the better teams in the league.

With divisional-based playoffs in the first round, the fourth-seeded Winkler, the second hottest team in the league, was taken out in convincing fashion by the Nighthawks.

“It bodes well for us to get that tough first round match-up,” head coach Dwight Hirst said, noting he was enjoying a rare relaxing weekend after the Nighthawks took care of business on Friday night.

Migrants charged, another convicted

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP issued a pair of press releases a week apart in March, one announcing the arrest of three migrants and another the conviction of a man court found was involved in human smuggling.

In a March 13 news release RCMP say it was thanks to community help that they tracked down three people who snuck into Canada from the U.S.

On March 10, the RCMP’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) was notified at 8 a.m. that two possible migrants were travelling on foot along Highway 201 near Neuenberg, a village south of Winkler.

Police found the migrants at what they stated was “the hospital” though the closest hospital would be Boundary Trails Health Centre at 18 km away. They did not say how the men made it there but said it was confirmed they had crossed into Manitoba from the United States. They were both treated for minor cold-related injuries and released into custody.

CARILLON SPORTS SECOND SHOTS: March 26th edition

Featuring game two of the SEMHL finals in Ile des Chenes March 18, a U17 AAA championship game in Beausejour March 19, Games one and three of the MJHL series between Steinbach and Portage March 20/24, CRJHL semi-final a U15 AAA championship game in Landmark March 21, a U18 Manitoba Female Hockey League game in Niverville March 22.

COLUMN: Village News – Great communities: Built by volunteers

Not-for-profit organizations exist to meet a need in the community. Most of us have a job and we have obligations to look after our place of residence, whether an owned or a rented home. But a community requires more than that to thrive.

For many people, participating in their church or religious organization is one of the ways that they contribute to making our community better. The church has been the main way to address needs in the community for 2,000 years. But our modern society has changed and there are now many charities that have formed to serve the local community and the global village, in which we find ourselves.

Besides the goal or mission of each not-for-profit organization, and the donations of financial support that most charities depend on, what every organization requires is volunteers.

Mennonite Heritage Village has been around for nearly 62 years and it is a prime example of the many ways that volunteers have been crucial to its mission (preserving and exhibiting the history of Mennonites in southern Manitoba) and to its service to the community (valuing our heritage, celebrating our values and accomplishments, and providing a basis for generosity and care for our friends and neighbours).