The Northwest Métis Region hosted a consultation meeting with its citizens regarding the Red River Métis Self-government Recognition and Implementation Treaty, Saturday in Dauphin.

The meeting gave Métis citizens as chance to add their input to the coming changes as a result of the Treaty, which was agreed to in July, 2021.

Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) vice-president and Health and Early Learning Child Care Minister Frances Chartrand said commitment made by the government of Canada will give the Red River Métis their inherent rights back.

“We’ll have access to our harvesting rights. We’ll have access to housing, education, economic development,” she said. “The commitment that was made with the federal government when they first fought. And we then we went to the Supreme Court with our land claims. In 2013, we won our land claims.”

Minister Chartrand said the treaty is for the next generation, adding it is history in the making.

“This will be the first time that the Métis are recognized and we have the new land treaty entitlement. So with the Red River Métis government, our citizens tell us what they want. They pave the path,” she said. “It’s our jobs as politicians to go out there and make it happen.”

About 200 people attended the meeting, which included a team of lawyers, one of whom is a Red River Métis citizen.

MMF president David Chartrand spoke about what the treaty means and the change for the next generation.

“And the impact it will have for the future and where we should have been 153 years ago,” he added.

The treaty, president Chartrand said, will truly change the essence for the next generation.

“It will set the foundation of assuring that there is not a doubt of the Red River Métis, of all the northwest. The agreement we signed in 2021, of July 6, removed the boundary lines. There are no provincial boundary lines that apply to us anymore. The northwest is ours,” he said. “So our citizens can join us no matter where they live in the world. And we have an obligation to protect our people’s rights as a government.”

It also sets the foundation for the future, Chartrand said, of where Métis fit in when it comes to a relationship with Canada.

“And Canada has the legal obligation that they’ve been avoiding for over 100 years. And it’s time that they come to the table and this will lead them to the table, force them to the table,” he said.

Chartrand hopes the treaty will help change the way people look at the Red River Métis.

“It’s to change the ideology of the people in the way they look at you. If they look at you as a corporation, as an organization, then they will treat you like that. But if they look at you, as you would hope they would look at, for example, the respect they have for municipalities, the respect they have for the premier, the respect they have for the prime minister,” he said. “So we’re a government. And we’re expecting that people will start to see that, within that respect, within that whole phraseology of reconciliation, comes a pattern or a modern change in this country where they will look at us as a government representing our people.”

That change, Chartrand hopes, will change the very fabric of the relationship between the Métis and Canada.

“It will really change the essence of clarity, without question. And that should have been done many, many, many moons ago,” he said.

Parts of the treaty are still being negotiated, such as child welfare, health legislation and land claims.

“So all these things that are happening are really a transition,” Chartrand said. “It’s not something that has come up overnight. This is decades and decades of struggles. A century of struggles. And it’s really setting us on a pathway to where we should have been. I look forward to a change where our people can really now know that they matter and that no one can step on them ever again.”

As part of recognizing the upcoming International Women’s Day, it’s only fittng to recognize some of Roblin’s outstanding female leadership in business, trades, and other areas.

This week we recognize pharmacist Whitney Mitchell and Highways employee Krysta Taylor.

Read all about them in this week’s Review.

Roblin Elementary School held its annual Science Fair Feb. 22 with some 40 projects on display.

Judging the entries were teachers Kelsy Black, Haley Lefebre and Shawna Packo; principal Mark Rathgeber; and Mountain View School Division trustee Leifa Misko.

Find out who won the hardware in this week’s Review

Council of the Municipality of Roblin passed three by-laws at its Feb. 28 regular meeting dealing with contracts to operate and manage the Roblin Waste Disposal Ground; for managing and caretaking the Community Centre; and providing for the remuneration of members of council and citizen appointees and volunteers.

All three by-laws were passed unanimously with Counc. Chad Jones absent from the meeting.

Want to know more? Check out this week’s council briefs.

Whenever one mentions the community of Roblin to someone you just meet, chances are they would ask you if you knew Dale Yeo. He was a man who greatly influenced many students that he taught over the years and inspired many great positive changes to take place in Roblin, which have improved the quality of life for all.

It shocked everyone in Roblin to learn of his passing on December 10, 2022, and many just can’t picture the world without his presence in it.

Read the rest of the story in this week’s Review.

This year’s Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival’s (NMTF) Queen Trapper is no stranger to the event. Clarissa Burns was crowned as 2023 Queen Trapper and she has been competing in events at the festival since she was a teen. She rarely misses an opportunity to come out to NMTF.
“Although I reside in Prince Albert right now, I am originally from The Pas, so I have been to Trappers’ Festival as far back as I can remember,” said Burns. “I would say roughly 30 years I have been to Trapper's Festival. I have been competing in NMTF since I was a teenager, around 13 and 14 years old, in the Junior Queen Trapper events.

When it comes to participating in King and Queen Trapper at this year’s Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival, it seems like the winners who were crowned were well-seasoned competitors. This year’s King Trapper, Chris Perchaluk, has attended several Trappers’ Festivals over the years and competed, however entering this year was unplanned.
“I’ve attended the Festival pretty much every year I’ve lived here,” said Perchaluk. “I missed a few over the years, but I think it would be fair to say I’ve been to over 25 Festivals.

The Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival (NMFT) has come and gone for another year, and a new Fur Queen has been crowned. The NMFT 2023 Fur Queen is Gloria Ballantyne-Packo, First Princess is Cadence Easter, and Second Princess is Airianna Bignell-Beardy. For Ballantyne-Packo, being crowned NMFT Fur Queen has been a childhood dream come true.
“I had always wanted to run for fur queen when I was younger,” said Ballantyne-Packo. “When Kendara and I were younger, we used to watch the fur queens in the community and it was something we liked to do together as sisters. When I was old enough to sign up, I knew I couldn’t commit to the following year afterwards, because I had plans to relocate. While I was living in Calgary, I felt sad because I felt it would be an opportunity I would never be able to have.

A person never knows when a hobby or interest that they have as a child can become a passion when they get older. Grandview resident Lindsey Morran has been mixing up his time with a few different projects, but lately has been drawn into the world of chainsaw carving.
Morran’s hobby led him to experience the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival for the first time and compete in the log carving competition hosted by Brody’s No Frills. For Morran, it was a first time for both these events.
“I had never attended the Trappers’ Festival before and I felt that going up to The Pas and entering the log carving competition would be a great experience on both counts,” said Morran. “Last year I won a chainsaw carving competition in Powerview-Pine Falls and this year have been personally invited to compete in one in Beausejour on Canada Day.

A three-game losing skid has the Dauphin Kings on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division.

Dauphin lost both ends of a home-and-home with the Virden Oil Capitals, beginning with a 4-1 setback at Credit Union Place on Friday.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said Virden outworked his team.

“And it’s something to learn from. But we’re going to be okay,” he said.

On Saturday, Virden carried a 2-0 lead into the third period, when goals from Owen Wareham and Mason Smith 59 seconds apart pulled the Kings even with 3:22 left to play.

But the Oil Capitals ended up netting the winner with 1:11 left and sealed the win with an empty-net marker with 32 ticks left on the clock.

Despite the loss, Hedley liked what he saw from the Kings in that game.

“Basically, the game was decided in about two minutes. I thought we played really well. We did a lot of real good things. We started focusing on the task at hand and every shift guys got better,” he said. “After fighting back and making it 2-2 and then getting scored on with just over a minute left, it was really tough. But I think it’s going to make us stronger. I think we’re going to learn from it and move on from here.”

The Kings have a tough stretch to close out the season and it begins, Wednesday, when they face the Swan Valley Stampeders at 12:30 p.m., where a lot of school children will be in attendance.

The early start will not have an effect on the Kings, however.

“At this time of year, I don’t think it will bother us at all. We practice every day at that time anyway. So we should be fine,” Hedley said.

The Kings will face the Niverville Nighthawks in another home-and-home on the weekend.

Niverville will make the trek north to Dauphin, Friday for a 7:30 p.m. date with the Kings. Then Dauphin will head south, Sunday, for a 3 p.m. game.

With eight games left and the Kings sitting in fifth place, Hedley said they have to start finding points somewhere.

“We need to find a way to get some points,” he said, adding the disappointing thing about Saturday’s loss to Virden was the Kings had a point wrapped up until letting it slip away late. “It’s still right there for us. There’s a couple other teams in our division have real tough schedules, too. So it’s a matter of us focusing. It’s all in our own hands. We don’t have to rely on anybody. We just have to make sure we go out and play and try and get as many points as we can,” he said.

Kings court:

Dauphin sits in fifth place with 57 points. OCN is in first with 63 points, followed by Swan Valley with 62, Virden with 61 and Waywayseecappo with 59. Neepawa is in sixth place with 49 points.

Kings coach and general manager Doug Hedley still needs just one win to surpass Marlin Murray as the winningest coach in Kings history.