The local committee formed to celebrate Manitoba’s 150th birthday is gearing up to celebrate this summer.

The “Roblin Celebrates Manitoba 150” Committee was planning a Doc Walker concert for the summer of 2020 but the pandemic forced the cancellation of that event.

Check this week's Review for more!

A locally talented artist from Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (TTR) is having her artwork recognized on so many different levels.

Recently the Southern Chiefs’ Organization acknowledged Sikwun Reign Lynxleg as a talented multi-media artist.

More in this week's Roblin Review!

The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) has confirmed the presence of avian influenza in two different wild bird samples in Manitoba.

Samples from several snow geese were collected in southwestern Manitoba near Waskada and a single sample from a bald eagle was collected in the Dauphin area.

There's more in this week's Roblin Review!

Despite a year of challenges and changes, 2021 was another successful year for Fusion Credit Union.

Fusion held its annual general meeting  – live in Roblin  and online in Brandon, Dauphin and Hamiota – to reflect on the past year and to celebrate its “outstanding performance”, in the words of CEO Darwin Johns.

Check this week's Roblin Review for more!

A spring craft sale was held at the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre on Saturday (April 16) with a number of vendors coming out to showcase their wares to the many customers who came through the door.

The North Western Marquette Festival held its first Festival session since March of 2020 on March 22, 2022.

As is the way with Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) when the committee and dance schools finally found their way through the COVID complications to hold the Dance portion of the NWMF, weather interfered on the scheduled date of March 8th and the Dance Festival was re-scheduled for March 22.

With the co-operation of everyone involved, the afternoon of March 22 turned into a beautiful afternoon of dance! 19 dance classes were adjudicated by the wonderful and talented Tamara Hicks of Brandon.

The awards of the day went to:

Outstanding Solo Performance: Brenna Dalman
Outstanding Group/Duo Performance Ages 12 and under: Wade Dance Centre with “Lovely”
Outstanding Group/Duo Performance Ages 18 and under: Wade Dance Centre with “Help”
Most Promising Solo Performer: Mya Bonchuk
Most Promising Group/Duo Ages 12 and under: Wade Dance Centre with “Breakin’ Dishes”
Most Promising Group/Duo Ages 18 and under: Wade Dance Centre with “3326”

The NWMF committee so appreciates everyone who made this small but wonderful Festival a success. First, and most importantly because these two women are passionate instructors of dance in our communities, Belva Zentner and Giny Hillman.

Read the full story in this week's Russell Banner!

Thanks to the efforts of so many volunteers, A Dinner for Ukraine - a cooperative effort between Westman Immigration Services, the Rossburn Ukrainian Catholic Pastoral District and the Russell Silverton United Church - raised an astounding $90,000.

The money raised will go to the Canada -Ukraine Foundation to help directly with humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

One of the most touching parts of the stellar evening came when MC Len Derkach brought up his longtime friend Jim Cote - an elder and longtime council member from Waywayseecappo First Nation - who presented Olga Stronko and her two children with a Star Blanket from the First Nation. Like so many, Olga and her children have escaped the war in Ukraine and come to live in Binscarth.

As she waits, she’s with her brother Oleksandr Rusiaieva (also in the picture) his wife Nataliia and their baby daughter Sofia.

Star Blankets are among the highest honor in the indigenous culture given as a sign of respect, friendship and protection.

Check this week's Russell Banner for lots more!

Several members of the Grand Plains Gymcats gymnastics club competed at the 2022 Manitoba Gymnastics Association Provincial Championships, Apr. 8 to 10, in Winnipeg.

Bethany Lark placed first overall in the Level 3 - 2008 category. She placed first in the vault with a score of 9.3, first in the uneven bars with a score of 8.7 and she was tied for first in the beam with a score of 8.95. Lark also finished fifth in the floor exercise with an 8.3 to give her an overall score of 35.250, winning the gold by .200 over runner-up Hannah Caslor of Southport.

Teammates Lauren Scott and Meadow Vigini tied for sixth place in the Level 2 - 2010 Group B category.

Scott was first in the beam with a score of 9.4 and she tied for third in the floor exercise with a 9.3. She placed seventh in the vault with an 8.975 and eighth in the uneven bars with an 8.5, giving her an overall score of 36.075.

Vigini’s 9.225 put her on top of the uneven bars and she tied for fifth place in the beam with an 8.8 and the floor exercise with a 0.1. Vigini also scored a 8.95 on the vault to place eight. She also had an overall score of 36.075.

Competing in the Level 2 - 2007-08 group, Jessica White finished sixth, with an overall score of 34.375. Her best event was the floor excercise, where she finished third with a 9.125.

White was fifth in the beam with an 8.65, sixth in the uneven bars with a 7.9 and seventh in the vault with an 8.7.

Calista Ward finished seventh overall in the Level 2 - 2009 group. Ward was fifth in the uneven bars with a 7.975 and tied for fifth in the vault with a 9.025. She was seventh in the beam with an 8.65 and the floor exercise with an 8.575, giving her an overall score of 34.225.

Rachel Hannibal finished 11th in the Level 4 - 2208 Group A category with an overall score of 32.875. Her top event was the vault where she tied for fifth with an 8.65. Hannibal was sixth in the uneven bars with a 7.275 and in the beam with an 8.5. She tied for sixth in the floor exercise with an 8.45.

In the Level 2 - 2010 Group A category, Heather Nadolny finished 13th overall.

Nadolny was third in the uneven bars with an 8.8 and she scored an 8.75 to place sixth in the floor exercise. Nadolny’s 8.925 score in the vault placed her seventh and she was eighth in the beam with an 8.45.

Emery Laviolette, competing in the Level 2 - 2011 Group A event, finished 19th, with an overall score of 33.875.

Laviolette was sixth in the vault with a 9.075 and in the beam with an 8.75. She placed eighth in the uneven bars with a 7.55 and in the floor exercise with an 8.5.

The City of Dauphin will have up to an extra $75,000 to spend on active transportation infrastructure this year thanks to a Trails Manitoba grant.

Director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said the grant, secured through the rural stream of the program, is a two-to-one cost share agreement.

“So we would have to spend $150,000,” he said, adding the money will be allocated to projects planned for this year including expanding the trail system to include Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Parkland Campus “To provide access for them to a safe multi-use trail system.”

Plans are also in place to extend the First Avenue South trail to Second Street Southwest, VanAlstyne added.

The Trails Grant for Manitoba is an annual grant intended for trail associations, municipalities, or other not-for-profit groups, that have the means to provide continued stewardship of trails. The aim of the program is to provide new recreational trail opportunities which includes extending or improving existing trails, developing new trails, and addressing trail gaps and barriers. It also aims to improve the quality of an existing recreational trail network or the user’s experience including safety improvements, signage, way finding, and barriers to access. Funds can also be used for maintenance of a recreational trail network, including pruning, repairing holes, trail beautification, normal erosion/drainage repairs, clean-up, usual repairs to signage, barriers, fencing, surfacing and other maintenance tasks that are undertaken for upkeep of a trail.

Given those parameters, VanAlstyne expects the City will utilize the entire $75,000.

“We’re going to be close with our current plans. The trail will include some signage and some furnishings such as benches and maybe some planters along the way,” he said. “As well, the ACC trail will include some solar lighting and pathway lighting, because it is off the roadway, just to make it safer and more visible. It definitely allows us to add some more features.”

City council authorized the signing of the grant agreement at its Apr. 11 regular meeting.

As he drills down on the specifics, Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski is convinced last week’s budget tabled by the Stefanson government is just what the doctor ordered as the province moves out of the shadow of the COVID pandemic.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to get right into the nuts and bolts of the budget yet. What was presented was a high altitude overview and generalization of what we’re emphasizing,” Michaleski said. “I think it was a reasonable budget. It was a steady budget. We’re focusing more money on health care. I mean probably the key word is that it’s just a steady, steady budget for this time. We’re coming out of COVID, we’re starting to open things up. So there’s nothing overly surprising and that’s probably, I think, a really good tone for this budget.”

The document, Michaleski said, focuses the province’s investments in “all the right places.”

“I think we’re still on course for health care transformation. And there’s a more significant influence on indigenous and reconciliation efforts and that sounds really good. But again it’s steady as it goes and under the circumstance that’s most likely the best at this stage of the game,” he said.

The venture capital fund announced highlight the government’s efforts to rebuild the economy, he said, adding while cuts to the education property tax were not as robust as expected, they show the government’s commitment to making life more affordable for Manitobans.

“But you know it’s still a move in the right direction and, under the circumstances, that’s probably a cautious and smart approach. But we’re still going in that direction and all these things generally in the budget make Manitoba look very attractive for the next stage post-COVID,” Michaleski said. “There’s a lot of things that are changing in the world right now and we’ve really been in line with trying to make Manitoba attractive. (The budget is) still building on this, creating this positive environment for investment.”

In particular, Michaleski would like to see that investment come into the Parkland as growing and developing the area has been his focus during his time in government.

“Not only just in economic development, but in social development and aspects of that. When you start talking about family issues, education issues, K-12, all those things are a big part of the economic environment,” he said. “Of course, I’d like to see that grow in Manitoba, and in particular I’d like to see that focused energy on the Parkland region. I’m optimistic that the government is focusing on pretty broad growth strategies and I’m quite optimistic that Dauphin and the Parkland is in that scope.”