Officials with Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) were in town Wednesday to offer some reassurance to the Municipality of Roblin (MOR), local healthcare workers, and members of the community’s clinic and doctor recruitment boards as the community faces life with only one doctor.

While staffing shortages and emergency department closures have become the norm here for the better part of five years – Roblin was also down to one physician back in 2020 when a massive “Save Our Health Care” rally drew Premier Wab Kinew, as Opposition leader, to town – meeting goers wanted to find out what the health authority was planning to do when Dr. Osuorah, who was booked off this past week, takes some well-deserved holidays in December and January.

Read all about it in this week’s Review.

Creative Common Inc. is set to begin work on its planned makerspace thanks to a recent grant from the province’s new  From the Ground Up - Safe Healthy Communities For All Program.

Up to $80,000 was awarded to the group to help with renovations to the main floor of its building on Second Avenue Northwest.

“It’s a $100,000 project to get the upstairs open, which is where the 3D printers are and the soldering stations and the classroom and a wood shop,” said Creative Common spokesperson Martijn van Luijin.

“So we are now going to be able to do all that, because we have enough to match the funds. We were a little bit short, but that’s why we were fund raising.”

van Luijin added two new bathrooms will be added to the space, while the building’s owner is planning to add a new facade and upgrade the electrical panel.

While it seems as if the project has been stalled, van Luijin said the group is ready to execute its plan in short order.

“We have already started the plan. We’re already getting contractors to come in and take a look at it and electricians,” van Luijin said.

“So we’ve been waiting for this, because we’ve been sitting on our hands. For about six months we just talked about it and now we are  hitting the go button.”

The project’s schedule will depend on how quickly tradespeople can begin, but the group is not resting on its laurels as planning is well underway to the develop the basement space with further amenities.

Plans already include a podcasting studio and a sewing lab, but there is additional space available

for other disciplines.

“We are tossing around some ideas, but we are at the beginning stages,” van Luijin said.

“We’re thinking about a VR room where you can wear virtual goggles and do programming and stuff like that, but we haven’t really talked about that very much. That’s expensive, so we’ll see.”

He added there are also code issues to consider such as egress. With just one set of stairs currently leading to the basement, a second exit will need to be incorporated.

The group is also exploring some strategic partnerships and is in discussions with the local library to increase accessibility.

“So, say you don’t have the money to get a (Creative Common) membership, but you still want to try 3D printing,” van Luijin said.

“If you have a library membership you could borrow a membership card for say three weeks and get introduced to it and get to meet other people doing it.”

The same kind of partnership is being worked out with Community Futures Parkland.

“For new entrepreneurs that want to maybe work on a prototype of something,” he said.

“But nothing is firmed up yet. We’re just all trying to figure this out.”

In the meantime van Luijin said the fund-raising will continue in an effort to make the space as special as possible.

“I have another grant program application in for some green initiatives around the building, but that hasn’t been decided yet,” he said, adding you can never have too much money.

“There’s no such thing.”

“In my early teens, I stopped using skin care and body products that were tested on animals or used animal ingredients,” said Skin Care by Corinna Brand Creator Corinna Medwid. “Then, in my late 20s, I added synthetic ingredients to my list of banned ingredients when it came to products.
“It wasn’t until a decade later I began to research and learn how to formulate and create my own skin care products using high quality, sustainable, ethical, cruelty-free and environmentally friendly sourced natural plant and mineral based ingredients. Once I had all the information I needed, I created and began selling all-natural skin care products that use high-quality ingredients, are simple to use and affordable for the average person to achieve healthy skin. I then completed by diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation.

At yesterday’s Town of The Pas Council Meeting, council welcomed their new youth councillor to the table. Eniola Atoyebi will act as the Town of The Pas’ Youth Councillor and participate in the council meetings going forward. Atoyebi is a high school student with a keen interest in community development and politics.
“I'm 15 years old and in grade 11 at Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute,” said Atoyebi. “In my spare time, I like coding and listening to music.

Calico Corners kicked off the Christmas craft markets at the Veterans Community Hall on Nov. 1, allowing people to get in their holiday gift shopping and raising money for the Association of Community Living.

The Swan River community held the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Veterans Community Hall yesterday (Nov. 11), recognizing and honouring the men and women who have fought, served and died for the sake of our freedoms...

After having to cancel the Life and Art Centre (LAC) Christmas Chorus concert earlier this fall, the LAC committee is very pleased to announce the show will go on. But in a slightly different format.

“We got a lot of feedback from area residents that were disappointed by the news,” noted the LAC’s Ellen Arnott.

Read all about it in this week’s Review.

There will be some new faces, and one familiar one, around the Mountain View School Division board table following a byelection, last Wednesday.

Floyd Martens will return to the MVSD board as a trustee for Ward 1 along with newcomer Conrad Nabess, while Ward 2 will see Scott Lynxleg take the empty seat and Jarri Thompson will represent the City of Dauphin as a Ward 4 trustee.

Martens, who earned 203 of the 420 ballots cast in Ward 1, was one of three trustees to resign in June. He is looking forward to getting back to work.

“Every time there’s an election and you have people coming to the table. It’s a new board in lots of ways, so we’ll see what happens, what takes place,” Martens said, adding his initial focus will be on the budgetting process and ensuring what is happening in classrooms is benefitting students.

“Things within schools that are happening, that obviously are going to need to be the focus. For me that’s my priority.

“We need to focus on the things that are really significant. The province has been looking at a funding model and may have shared that information with the board, I don’t know. 

“Obviously we’re at budget almost now, so it needs to get in place relatively soon. My thought is where’s that at and what does that look like and what does that mean for Mountain View?”

For Lynxleg, the election was a learning experience that he is looking forward to continuing at the board table.

“My first priority was to get on the board, which is done and now it’s to attend first meetings, catch up on housekeeping of what a board member does. I’d like to hear from all board members now that we have a full board, to hear everybody’s thoughts on what we’re going to do as a board going forward. It’s time for some change, and good change, I think we need it, obviously we do,” he said, adding his goal is to bring the focus back to the children whose education should be the board’s main priority.

“My priority is the kids, all the kids. We kind of lose sight of that and I think somewhere along the road that was lost. What I’m going to be focusing on is working with the board, parents, staff, anybody that wants to contribute, and getting things focused, I guess back where they’re supposed to be.

“First of all we need safe schools and respect for everybody and inclusion and then you go from there.”

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Wild rice has been a hidden treasure in northern Manitoba that many people enjoy eating. Monarch Wild Rice has been processing out of its plant in The Pas and is starting to get its product on store shelves. Ken and Heather Medwid got involved in wild rice processing by chance and have invested to grow the business.
“About eight years ago, I bought into the wild rice processing plant in The Pas and since then, I acquired the plant and bought out the last partner four years ago,” said Ken. “Processing wild rice started in about the 1970s in The Pas in the Quonset. Then, in the early 1980s, a bigger building was built, with the processing part being quite modern with more equipment than other plants had.

Some community engagement sessions were held in The Pas last week as part of the safer communities initiative. Three groups were invited to participate in public sessions to share their thoughts and concerns about community safety as a whole. The Town of The Pas had the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCSC) facilitate all three sessions.
“These were engagement sessions, and there was one for seniors, youth and then the business community,” said Town of The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy. “We had an excellent turnout for the seniors session, with over 30 people in attendance.