The art of conversation seems to be getting lost the more we use technology. It’s not very often that people have the chance to engage in a deep and meaningful conversation about what they think about life. A couple weeks ago, La Philomobile Philosopher Dominique Poulin stopped in the community to have random philosophical chats with people about whatever they wanted to talk about.
Poulin comes from Quebec and was on her way to Lethbridge, AB, and during her travels, she was stopping in various communities along the way and having conversations with people from the area.
“I love to travel, explore and observe, but mostly it’s because, like Simone Weil, I believe that there is only one reason for all humanity, and we become strangers and impenetrable to each other when we stray from it,” said Dominique Poulin. “Plus, in this age of polarization and isolation, there is such a need for public places where we can listen and learn from each other face to face.”

Pow Wow Pitch has been supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs since 2021 and has recently had their 2024 finalists complete their final pitch for the competition. Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) member Simon Monteith, known as Simon the Scientist, has made his way back into the Pow Wow Pitch circle.
“I pitched the same concept as I have in the past few years, but this time, some of my goals are different,” said Monteith. “I would like to focus more on in-person events rather than online.”
Monteith has had a busy year so far, with big plans ahead for the future. He has focused a lot more on attending events in person and expanding his presentations and teachings in science.

Local artist Frances Cooper is connecting with art lovers with her latest exhibition, Convey, at the Sam Waller Museum. Cooper’s vision of land comes to life through a series of handcrafted, environmentally friendly pieces.
“My work experience does lead into my art practice in the sense that a lot of stuff that I have seen was a result of things I stumbled upon through work,” said Cooper. “It was a gift and I didn’t know all of it at that time. Nature repeats all of these patterns and you can see these patterns in visuals such as rocks, water, sky tree rings and under microscopes. Depending on your viewpoint, you can see them on a broader scale when you get on the landscapes. This influences my work quite a bit.

The Pas Guest List unveiled another mural just before the National MMIWG2S+ Day, and this one reflects Indigenous women who were taken from the community, their families and friends.
“The theme of this mural is to commemorate the MMIWG2S+ within our community and at large,” said The Pas Guest List Director Gabrielle Swan. “When I first moved to The Pas two years ago, it quickly became clear that this something that touches every Indigenous family and the fact that I didn't really understand that until relocating here troubled me.
“I became good friends with Gloria Ballantyne-Packo after we collaborated on a Vintage Store and Coffee Shop pop-up two years ago. That pop-up event was a fundraiser for KB Memorial, an organization dedicated to raising awareness for MMIWG2+. Seeing the work that Gloria and her family put into keeping Kendara's memory alive, advocating for her after her death to ensure the RCMP handled things properly, working tirelessly to find anyone with information that would bring her killer to justice, and supporting other families in our community who are suffering from the same types of loss was inspiring. The Pas Guest List knew that we wanted to find a way to honour all of those who are impacted by MMIWG2+, and when we had the opportunity to bring Jackie Traverse to the community, we knew she was the person to take on a project of this magnitude.”

An organization to help people with disabilities that was formed by some volunteers in the mid 1980s has made the difficult decision to close its doors in the community. The Pas Association for Human Development has been struggling for some time with operating expenses without any solutions in sight.
“There has been an accumulating deficit that has been snowballing since the pandemic,” said TPAHD Executive Director Cathy Lipscomb. “This wasn’t an easy or haste decision to make and this decision didn’t happen overnight.
“TPAHD board of directors have explored every possible option to alleviate the deficit but to little or no avail. They reached out to all levels of government for assistance, numerous service clubs, our financial institution, citizens of The Pas and the surrounding area.

The Pas Guest List has been diligently working towards creating a culture-rich environment by having murals painted along the walking path in the community. This time, The Pas Guest List partnered up with Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute to allow local artists to have their work represented in the community.
“We worked with Jill Perchulak, the MBCI art teacher, to select eight students for this project who she felt went above and beyond when it came to their art studies,” said The Pas Guest List Director Gabrielle Swan. “These students not only had the artistic talent but also the dedication and perseverance to see such a large-scale project through.

Cougar sightings are becoming more popular in the Duck and Porcupine Mountains in the last ten years. Thanks to technology and the use of trail cameras, the evidence is now more apparent. An avid hunter from The Pas recently caught footage of a cougar on his trail camera near the Porcupine Mountains.
“I have my cameras set up in the Porcupine Mountains, north of Bowsman,” said Jeremie Gregoire. “It’s a hunting spot that I have access to. This is the second cougar I have seen on my trail camera. The first one was from about five years ago, but I couldn’t make it out 100 percent to make sure, but this one is much clearer. The first spotting was about five miles from where this camera was set up.

Getting ethnic food in northern Manitoba is no longer a challenge. A new venture has started up in the tri-community by someone who has settled in Canada over 10 years ago. Beatrice Femi-Davies has chosen to make The Pas her home but is now bringing those comforts of home from other countries to the tri-community area.
“I'm from Nigeria and came to Canada over a decade ago, like many newcomers, to seek a better life and more opportunities for myself and my family,” said Beatrice Femi-Davies. “I originally settled in Thompson but moved to The Pas over three years ago for a new job. I have two children and a social work degree through the University of Manitoba.”

Valley resident Beggie Palsson has had an extensive career practicing law in northern Manitoba, between The Pas and Swan River. At first, Palsson didn’t set out to become a lawyer, but fate had opened several doors leading him to law school and taking the bar exam.
“I was working in The Pas as a probation and parole officer,” said Palsson. “My territory included Gilliam, Churchill, The Pas, Moose Lake and the surrounding area. Back then, when you worked in that field, the only way to succeed in that department was to have a degree in social work. People who work in the child and welfare, probations or parole fields were trying to get their Master of Social Work."