As September rolls in, schools in the Lac du Bonnet constituency are buzzing with the excitement of a new school year. In rural areas, back-to-school time is not just another date on the calendar; it’s a perfect time for students to set their sights high, try out new activities, and build the relationships that make our schools the backbone of the community.

Congratulations to the Town of the Year! Thank you to the 100 years of Pine Falls committee and all their volunteers for an excellent weekend.

It was a great weekend, but a couple things were disappointing. The reconstruction of Highway 11 in the town revealed that the current government has reduced funding for basic infrastructure like sidewalks. Additionally, there has been a delay in the permitting process for the cleanup of the Pine Falls school following the recent fire, which has also been affected by government inaction.

As many of you know, the current NDP government has a history of pausing, delaying, or canceling various projects throughout Manitoba, including in the Lac du Bonnet constituency. Recently, the Park Avenue project in Beausejour and two childcare centers in Lac du Bonnet within the Sunrise School Division, as well as in Pinawa within the Whiteshell School District, have also experienced delays. We can only hope these projects are just postponed rather that fully cancelled, as we’ve seen with other initiatives.

The Steinbach Arts Council is offering a free parent and tot art workshop series for families with children aged 1–4. Led by qualified instructors, these interactive sessions focus on arts-based learning and wellness, spanning dance, music, visual arts, theatre, and culinary arts. Each workshop includes a healthy snack to support active lifestyles.

Parent and tot art workshop series schedule

• Dance workshop: Oct. 30, 2026

• Music and sensory exploration workshop: Nov. 6, 2026

Imagine what you could do with an extra $3,000 every year.

That’s how much extra money an average couple earning $30,000 each will have in their bank accounts if the Progressive Conservatives win the next provincial election. The PC Party is promising to raise the personal basic exemption from $15,780 to $30,000. This would be the highest basic exemption in the country.

Cutting income taxes is the simplest and best way to get more money into people’s pockets. Instead of mailing out cheques or creating yet another government program that requires a whole new set of bureaucrats to administer, the PC proposal means more money on your paycheque every month.

This is the kind of tax relief that Manitoba families urgently need. Sadly, the Manitoba NDP government is more focused on gimmicks than on providing meaningful help. For example, the much-trumpeted removal of the PST from pop and junk food sold in grocery stores reduces each grocery bill by mere pennies. By the end of the year, the average person has saved about $100—barely enough to make a dent on their bills.

In George Orwell’s 1984, a prominent theme is that the one who controls the past controls the future. The machinery of the “The Ministry of Truth” symbolizes the continuous rewriting of history so that all records align with current Party claims. The book, published in 1949, is a cautionary tale about totalitarianism and the manipulation of history by the state.

To Canadians, the book can serve as an alarming warning about the danger of reinterpretation and rewriting of history. Unless we can face the mistakes of the past, we repeat them. Unless we allow for history to speak within its context, we can impose sensitivities and create inaccuracies that weren’t part of that story. Otherwise, historical figures, important events and critical moments in the development of Canada might even be erased!

This past week was the 25th anniversary of 9/11. For those of us old enough to remember that day, it was horrific. The repeated images of planes flying into the Twin Towers is imbedded in our minds. It was a day of somber, horrific tragedy. The deliberate loss of life and destruction that occurred can never be underestimated. Children were instantly orphaned. Married couples were forever separated. First responders sacrificed their lives to save others while chaos and confusion ensued.

The event was a terrorist attack. Thousand of innocent Americans including 24 Canadians were senselessly killed by al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden.

Re: Choose carefully in local elections, Think Again, Michael Zwaagstra, Sept. 10, The Carillon.

I should not be surprised. Michael Zwaagstra’s recent “Think Again” column in The Carillon tries to pass along his wisdom on discerning between right-leaning and left-leaning candidates for city council. Without evidence he even suggests that there may be ‘unofficial slates’ of left or right-leaning candidates, that are working together, despite the clear rule that partisan coordination is not allowed in municipal politics.

But this is Zwaagstra, committed to a worldview predicated on labels and dualities: Right leaning candidates uphold traditional values, no frills, low taxes. Left leaning candidates seek inclusion, progressive ways, and enjoy spending on big ticket items. Even his own students would recognize the logical fallacy in this way of thinking. Set out a false either/or proposition and railroad your audience towards the conclusion you’ve prepared for them.

Let’s reject labels. What is best for Steinbach? What will make this community a happier place for all its citizens? If you’re a candidate tell me how you’re going to help Steinbach thrive, economically, socially, mentally, physically. I’m OK paying a little more tax if it means we have a few more amenities that matter. I’ll gladly support a candidate who doesn’t look or sound like me, because in our variety and difference is our true strength as a community.