Musical talent is a gift that can run deep in a family and can be the roots of the family tree. This is the case for Metis singer and songwriter Joe H. Henry. Henry is no stranger to the area or to music in Manitoba. His father was a well-known musician across the Prairies, with roots in the San Clara area. This is what drew Henry into music and into the area.
“I was born in Winnipeg and we moved between there and Stonewall,” said Henry. “My father was Harvey Henry and my mother is Tanis Nott. I was really young when we left Manitoba and headed to British Columbia. My father stayed in Winnipeg with my aunt. We moved around a lot during my childhood.
“I would go back to Prosper Valley, which was named after my grandfather Prosper Henry, with my dad from the time I was really little, up until I was about 18 years old. Every summer I spent with my dad was in that valley. It was constant music all the time. My uncles, aunts and father were always playing music. They would all get together and just play music.
“I remember my uncle Ephrem gave me my first musical instrument, which was the fiddle,” said Henry. “There was an old photo of me as a small child, sitting on the table holding that fiddle.
“They would build these great big bonfires that would sometimes go on for a couple of days. Also, in the kitchen of the old farmhouse, they would get together to talk, have tea, play cards and then play music. All of us kids would get put to bed in the house, and we would just go and sit by the window and listen to the music coming from outside by the bonfire.
“My entire childhood was immersed in music,” said Henry. “I was constantly surrounded by it. I came to realize that the reason my family had this gift of music was because the Metis people were meant to be the carriers of the story, not the creators of the tradition. What better way to spread and share that story than in a song?
“My father played almost any musical instrument, but he focused on playing guitar and bass and was mainly a singer, like me. My dad was mostly known for his voice. He won awards with the Harvey Henry Band. He was my biggest musical influence as a child. Listening to him play in the Harvey Henry Band and watching my family at gatherings, I just knew that was the path that I was going to end up on. I just watched how they did it, from writing to music to performing on stage.
“I slowly learned to play the fiddle, but then moved on to playing the guitar,” said Henry. “I always wanted to be a singer and playing the guitar was a way to accompany that. I built up my vocals by learning to yodel.”
It wasn’t until Henry experience a great loss that brought him back to Manitoba and his roots. Upon coming back to the area, he became connected again with family.
“I came back to Manitoba in 2013, when my father passed away,” said Henry. “I was living in Montreal at the time, and was heavily steeped in music and on the road, while also having a restaurant in Montreal. I got a call on my birthday from my Aunt Connie, who informed me of the news. It was tough.
“At that time, I realized I needed to get back to my roots. I made the plan to start my move back home to Manitoba. It happened really quickly. I stayed with my Aunt Connie and Uncle Gordon in San Clara for a bit, and started working on the same farm my dad had been working on, which was for Dave Grega. Then Dave gave me a place to stay at one of the houses he had on the farmland.”
It wasn’t long before Henry decided it was time to plant his own family roots and got married to a long-time friend. Together, they decided to build a home and a family and settled on coming to the Swan Valley area.
“I moved to Alpine a few years after coming back to Manitoba, in the San Clara area,” said Henry. “My wife, Shelby, and I needed a bigger home for us, including her two daughters, to live in. During this time, I had completely gotten out of music. I would occasionally just play music with my family. I felt I couldn’t be a musician and a father, as I needed to provide for them.
“It wasn’t until I played some music at the Benito Personal Care Home for a bit that I realized I needed to be doing more musically,” said Henry. “Then came the opportunity to perform at the Shell River Jamboree with Vaughan Poyser. Vaughan said he was interested in coming out and said he would bring Chris Taylor to play guitar and someone I might know to play drums. It ended up being my dad’s old drummer, Doug Yuel. We played the Shell River Jamboree together and it was pretty wild.
“I knew I couldn’t stay away from music, because it is a big part of who I am, so I had to learn to walk the line,” said Henry. “I would play a few gigs and then work in manufacturing for Ag Shield in Benito.”
While at work, Henry sustained an injury that almost cost him his music career.
“I had an unfortunate accident at work where I crushed my fingers and detached the tendons on the top and bottom of my chording hand,” said Henry. “I thought I would never play music again. When I went to the hospital, I was first told by a doctor that I would be fine in a few days once the swelling went down. I got a second opinion, because I couldn’t close my hand at all. It was then that I was told that I had detached the tendons on the top and bottom of my pointer, middle and ring fingers.
“I went to Winnipeg to a plastic surgeon who fixes these types of injuries. They said they could do an operation, but I asked what the likelihood was of my being able to play guitar again, and they said it wasn’t great. I went home and thought about it. I decided to reach out to someone else; I wound up doing physiotherapy instead. Now I have full use of my fingers like it never happened.

“That all led me to think about how I was going to provide, so I went on into sales,” said Henry. “I was trying to pretend I wasn’t a singer and songwriter, but instead focus on selling farm equipment. I managed to connect with a distant relative of mine that I didn’t even know, who is a fiddle player. We played together and would sometimes go play at the Benito Personal Care Home. That helped to keep me connected to music.
“It has now gotten to a point where the thing that I was trying to get away from is now the thing that I need to help provide for my family with.”
The winds of change came blowing in and Henry and his family knew it was time to move on. The calling for him to embrace his musical talents was strong and it led him away from Manitoba to another area rich in music.
“We left the Swan Valley area in 2019,” said Henry. “After playing a cousin’s wedding, it came to us that it was time for a change. All signs started pointing to the Maritimes, where we had never been. It felt like life was trying to tell us something and we needed to let it play out.
“When we came out to the East Coast, I wanted to do something different. I wound up selling farm equipment again, then when we started expecting our youngest, Wilder. We started having conversations about being happy with what I was doing. One day, we took a drive and it led to Shelby telling me to pull into a Long & McQuade parking lot. She told me to go in there and get the guitar that would get me back into songwriting. She said if it doesn’t work, at least you can say you gave it a shot.”
It took a bit of time, but then Henry began to make connections and started to work with some musical geniuses who had experience in bringing artists’ music to the forefront. It wasn’t long after that that Henry released his first EP.
“I became connected with a guy who started the Halifax Folk Festival and managed a lot of talented musicians from the East Coast,” said Henry. “He was put in my path by a good friend of mine and it all fell into place.”
In 2023, Henry released his debut EP, Keep the Fire Burning, which garnered multiple award nominations. Then in 2025, he released his second EP, Real Things, which reached number one on the Indigenous Music Countdown.
“I was working with Jamie Junger on Keep the Fire Burning, so I could get into the East Coast Music Conference with it,” said Henry. “Instead, he had a friend whom he called upon to help give us some pointers on it. This guy happened to be the one who was the producer for Sloan. That was pretty wild. He came over and listened to the song. He asked if that was all I wanted to do was get into the conference with that song, because he had some different news to tell me. That is where it all started to take place and I wrote the rest of the EP.
“With the song, Real Things, that was a culmination of everything that happened in the span of the release of Keep the Fire Burning and all of the opportunities that started to come out. It led to my first time being in Australia at the Woodwork Folk Festival.”
Henry draws his inspiration for writing songs from everyday life and that has been the focus of the songs he’s released and future ones he is working on.
“I don’t write about myself when it comes to songs,” said Henry. “For me, it’s not a cathartic experience to write a song like I’m writing in a personal journal. I feel that those moments were all lived and they served their purpose. I don’t like to look back at them unless there is a lesson to be learned. I would rather write about things that people are going through or things they might need and find how it could work lyrically with the idea that has picked me at that moment.”
Henry has been announced as one of the Socan Foundation’s 2025 TD Incubator Participants. He received a $3,000 funding grant as well as mentorship from leaders and representatives in the music industry, such as Billboard, Apple Music, Spotify, Warner, Universal, Sony and more. Recently, he just came home from a tour overseas and is working on his next one.
“This coming April will be my third time going to Australia and I just got back from my first time performing in the U.K. in Ireland, Scotland, Whales and England,” said Henry.
Henry is always looking to inspire and foster a love of music in people. He remembers what it was like to get started and be involved in music, and he hopes that more people will find the same joy and fulfillment it has brought him in his life.
“If there’s anything I can ever do to help Metis kids in the area, I’m more than happy to look into any opportunities,” said Henry.

A former student from the Valley is putting her education to the test and has been asked to be a presenter for the famous TEDx series. TEDx is considered a grassroots initiative to research and discover ideas worth spreading. Shaelyn Carr, who is currently studying at the University of Regina, has been asked to be one of the presenters in this year’s lineup.
“I grew up in Swan River, attending ESRSS from grade 6 through high school at SVRSS,” said Carr. “My parents are Debora and Lloyd Carr, and my grandma is Lena Hubscher. I’m currently in my third year of a PhD in Experimental and Applied Psychology, specializing in Forensic Psychology, which explores how psychology interacts with the criminal justice system.
“My research focuses on ways to make the justice system fairer—like developing age-appropriate police lineups for children and exploring more reliable techniques for detecting deception with suspects and alibis.”
Throughout Carr’s studies, she has been taking opportunities to broaden her horizons as well as challenge what she is learning in university. This opened the door to her taking part in TEDx.
“I’m passionate about translating my complex research into ideas that the general public can understand,” said Carr. “In 2025, I competed in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Storyteller competition, which challenges participants to tell the story of their research in three minutes. I placed first in the University of Regina competition and was selected as a national winner.
“From there, I was invited to present at the University of Regina’s annual Taste of Research event, which showcases standout faculty and students in a TED-style format. After that presentation, an organizer from TEDx approached me about speaking at their 2026 event.
“The theme for the TED event is Once Upon Our Future,” said Carr. “ We’re at a critical moment in history where the world and our community need more than hopes and dreams; we need action. Every generation imagines what the future could look like, but the future does not just happen on its own. We have to write it and shape it together.
“Once Upon Our Future invites us to dream boldly, act quickly, and take responsibility for the chapters that are still unwritten. It is about turning ideas into action, using our creativity and collaboration. We are building a world that reflects the hopes, values, and possibilities of us as humans because the story of what comes next is ours to tell, together.
“My talk will connect my research to this theme by discussing ways to make the justice system fairer,” said Carr. “Too often, the justice system relies on whether a child or witness is believed before their testimony has weight. My TEDx talk will argue that we shouldn’t wait for belief. We need procedures and tools that help us know the truth. I will highlight new police lineup techniques I’ve explored that provide a clearer sense of how likely an eyewitness is to identify a guilty person, as well as reliable tools for detecting deception in suspects and alibis.
“Much of my research focuses on children, who are particularly vulnerable in the justice system. For example, among Canadian children, reports of sexual abuse rose 190 percent from 2011 to 2021, meaning roughly 8 percent of Canadians experience sexual abuse before the age of 15, according to Statistics Canada data from 2021. My talk will educate the public on these issues and discuss some of the ways we can improve the criminal justice system to better protect children and ensure fairness for all.
“My research is directly related to making the criminal justice system more reliable and equitable,” said Carr. “The talk will draw from my work in forensic psychology, where I test and develop methods that improve how evidence, like eyewitness testimony or suspect statements, is evaluated. It’s about using research to create a justice system that’s fairer for everyone.
“I absolutely love talking about my research and doing so in a way that laypeople can understand! This is also a really good opportunity to network and connect with the broader city of Regina.”
This is an incredible experience for Carr and is something she is looking forward to. Most would be intimidated by the public speaking aspect, but not Carr. She actually thrives off of it.
“This is also a full-circle moment for me,” said Carr. “When I was an undergraduate student, I watched TED talks regularly for class assignments or in lectures. Now, I have the opportunity to stand on that TED red circle and present my work to the community. My TEDx talk will be recorded and posted on YouTube, so it is a TED talk that the next generation of undergraduate students might watch and learn from.
“I’m one of the weird people who actually enjoys public speaking. I love translating research into accessible ideas and seeing someone have that ‘aha’ moment. I prepare by practicing my presentation repeatedly—in the car, walking to school, or even getting ready in the morning. The more familiar I am with the material, the more confident I feel on stage. I also remind myself that no one in the audience knows my research better than I do, which helps calm any nerves.”
Carr is set to give her TEDx presentation in the spring, but for those who aren’t able to attend it in person, there will be an opportunity to stream it online.
“I will be speaking at TEDx Regina on May 30, 2026,” said Carr. “The event will be held in Regina and is expected to draw over 450 attendees. After the event, my TEDx talk will be posted on YouTube, where anyone can watch it.”

It seems hard to believe that 30 years ago, Louisiana Pacific (LP) Building Solutions made the strategic move to build and open a mill in the Swan Valley. It was a huge economic driving force for the area that brought employment and new opportunities. Over the years. LP Swan Valley has transitioned, but remains a vital entity to the area.
“The mill pressed its first board on January 21, 1996, at 1:02 a.m.,” said LP Building Solutions Senior Corporate Communications Specialist Jen Bowman. “Since then, it has grown into a key part of LP’s operations—transitioning from OSB production to LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding in 2015 and, in 2022, becoming the company’s only facility to manufacture LP® SmartSide® Cedar Shakes.”
LP Swan Valley has several highlights to look back upon and celebrate along with its 30th anniversary. It remains one of the area’s largest employers. LP Swan Valley supports more than 225 team members and around 400 local contract loggers and haulers. Nearly half the workforce has been with LP for over 10 years—including Plant Manager Chris Eisner, who started as a contractor in 1995 during the mill’s construction.
LP has invested approximately $80M CAD into the operations over the last five years alone. In 2024, LP reported $29 billion in net sales. The mill has reached major safety milestones, including 1 million incident-free hours in 2020 and 500,000 hours as of December 10, 2025.
Today, the mill produces LP® SmartSide® Trim, Siding, and Panel, Cedar Shakes, Soffit, LP® ProStruct® Flooring with SmartFinish®, and LP® ProStruct® Roof Sheathing with SilverTech®.
LP Swan Valley continues to provide community support. More than $70,000 has been donated to local schools and nonprofits in the past five years, with continued involvement in community events and initiatives.
LP Swan Valley has success in attracting and retaining employees long-term. The current plant manager, Chris Eisner, has the unique experience of being a part of LP Swan Valley as it was being built.
“I actually started at LP Swan Valley before it was LP Swan Valley,” said Eisner. “I worked as a contractor during the mill’s construction, and watching a mill of that size take shape in a small town was incredible. At that point in my career, I hadn’t experienced anything on that scale, and the magnitude of the project really stood out as it all came together.
“When the mill officially opened in 1995, I joined as a labourer—even before the first board was pressed. At the time, it was just another job, but over the years, it became much more. Looking back now, it’s interesting to see how everything came full circle, from construction to start-up and eventually into a leadership role.”
Eisner has seen growth and transition at LP Swan Valley over the years. Those developments have created long-term success for the mill.
“The growth has been significant,” said Eisner. “When we first started, we had about 120 team members. Today, we have around 225, which is something I’m extremely proud of—especially given the broader changes the community has experienced over the years.
“One of the biggest transitions came in 2015, when we converted the mill from the production of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) to siding. It was a busy but exciting time. Seeing LP reinvest in the mill and in our people meant a lot. Many of us had been part of the original start-up, so there was tremendous energy around learning new processes and adapting to new ways of operating. That transition really reinvigorated the team and positioned the mill for long-term success.”
LP Swan Valley is looking to the future, focusing on the mill, its operations and employees. As it moves forward, it plans to continue playing a vital role in building the Swan Valley area and community.
“Looking ahead, the focus remains on continuing to protect and invest in our people, our operations and our community,” said Eisner. “LP Swan Valley is a close-knit team with a strong work ethic, and keeping everyone aligned around shared goals is key to sustaining the high level of performance we’ve achieved.
“We’re also proud to see second-generation team members joining the mill—and, in some cases, even third generations through our logging contractors. Building on that legacy while continuing to improve, innovate and grow responsibly is what will carry us into the future.”

Manitoba Hydro recently announced its new chairperson for Manitoba Hydro and it’s a familiar face to the tri-community area. Jamie Wilson was recently announced for the role before the end of the year. Wilson has an accomplished background when it comes to creating movement and change in various sectors.
“I’m from Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) in Treaty 5 territory and passionate about building bridges between First Nations and business communities, as a pathway to a strong and prosperous economic future for all,” said Wilson. “With a background as a Deputy Minister, educator, a member of the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and as Manitoba's Treaty Commissioner, I work with innovative organizations looking to tap into Canada’s hidden potential.
“I think my greatest leadership strengths are as a facilitator and relationship builder, where I have been told my calm and thoughtful demeanour enables me to navigate complex and often highly charged situations to positive and successful outcomes. I am currently the Vice President of Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development with Red River College Polytechnic in Treaty 1 territory.

The community of Benito has had an excellent start to the new year. While most small town rural municipalities are struggling with infrastructure, dwindling population, services and businesses, Benito seems to be an inspiration.
Earlier this month, the Municipality of Swan Valley West (MSVW) announced it would be reopening the municipal office in Benito. This would allow ratepayers in Benito to pay their water and tax bills, as well as have an in-town point of contact for anything municipal-related.
“This has been on our radar for three years now,” said MSVW Reeve Bill Gade. “After the election, we talked about it and it was put on a list of things we wanted to see happen, but we weren’t sure how. We didn’t want to just open an office for the sake of opening one; we wanted it to be open for a reason. It’s easy enough to hire someone to sit there, but what do they do all day? There had to be more to it.
“We came up with some more work for that person to do, besides the municipal stuff. Water bill and tax payments, building permits and all the other municipal office-related stuff that were in place years ago will come back to Benito. The staff at the Benito office will also spend their time providing support to various committees in the Valley.
“The Swan Valley Planning District has no one to do the administrative work, so this person will be making the minutes and agendas for meetings, doing the bank deposits, checking the mail and paying the bills,” said Gade. “This kind of work will get farmed out to the Benito office to do, as well as assisting residents.
“The time that the administrative staff spends on committee work will be paid by all four municipalities, instead of just Swan Valley West. This means that the whole Valley is supported and I think that is a great thing. It’s easy to spend tax dollars and get nothing, so we want to make sure this isn’t a waste.
“For some people, it doesn’t matter, but for a lot of people in Benito, especially the elderly, they want to pay their bills in person and speak to someone,” said Gade. “We are hearing that people are excited for the return of the municipal office in Benito. Many have expressed that it’s nice not to have to drive to pay a water bill or mail in a cheque.
“The Benito office will be open three days a week. We will start from there and see how it goes. I think this is a doable thing. The hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and it will be closed over the lunch hour. The person hired is currently undergoing training and we are estimating that the municipal office in Benito will be opened by the end of the month.”
Like other municipalities, Swan Valley West has been battling with aging infrastructure and the rising cost of replacing and maintaining it. Every municipality in Manitoba struggles with utilities, whether is managing or replacing them. All municipalities have been dealing with reading water meters and finding economical ways to collect that data and bill it out to users. The majority of municipalities in the province use Neptune to provide automated meter readings, but the cost of that has also significantly increased, but Gade has found an alternative method.
In the past, Benito, like other municipalities, paid once for the setup of the Neptune Water Meters, and was able to read the meters with no extra cost
“The current system we use to read water meters is not a bad one; it can do a lot of things,” said Gade. “Going back in time, municipalities bought a handheld device that they would use to read water meters and there were no fees or subscriptions bought to use it. A few years ago, there was an upgrade offered and Swan Valley West was hesitant at first. We felt that what we had was working fine and didn’t see the need to spend $8,000 to upgrade.
“Over time, the company was more adamant that we needed to upgrade and that if we didn’t do the upgrade, they would not help us if something went wrong. It was a matter of doing the upgrade or else. We agreed to pay $8,000 for the upgrade, with the hopes that we would get 20 years use out of it.
“The money was paid and we received a paid invoice that stated an expiry date on the subscription,” said Gade. “When we called for clarification to ask why there was an expiry date for a year from now, we were told that it was a yearly fee. Swan Valley West was not told it was an $8,000 yearly fee for this upgrade, so every year we would be paying that amount. The municipality tried to cancel it and the company would not do that. We didn’t want a subscription, so we told the company the moment it expires that our municipality wanted out of it.
“We were told that we would be the only municipality in Canada to cancel this contract because there was no way to read the water meters without this subscription. We just felt there was a more cost-effective method for this. Now the subscription does some wonderful things, such as reporting the water meter reading every three minutes. This would allow one to look at how much water is being used. It would let people know if there was a small leak detected through the water usage, which is pretty cool, but not worth $8,000 a year.”
This led to Gade relying on his background of tinkering with radio frequencies and finding a more affordable and accurate solution.
“We did our own experimenting and found out that for $63, we made our own device that read the water meter readings,” said Gade. “I used an antenna from a software-defined radio and programmed it to read the Neptune meters and have the reading ready for import into Munisoft.
“The way it works is that the Neptune meters have a battery in them that is good for 20 to 30 years, and it transmits a reading, with a serial number, and indicates if there is a leak happening. It always sends that information out through radio frequency. So if you have the equipment to pick that up and are within 1,000 to 2,000 feet of the water meter, you can receive that information.
“We connected this all to a laptop, and the higher I put up that antenna when driving around, the further it will pick up a reading,” said Gade. “I drove around and every time it picked up a water meter reading, it would beep. We were able to come up with a list ahead of time of the places that had water meters, so it would also show me which ones were not read. I would then drive closer to that location and wait to pick up the reading.
“We are getting a 100 percent read rate on the device we built, whereas with the other one, we weren’t getting more than 90 percent read rate with Neptune. Also, with the Neptune system, it was suggested to put their device on and have someone walk every street in town to get a reading. That would take a couple of hours. With this new device we created, we put it in the vehicle and drove around, and it took almost 40 minutes to read the entire town.
“Also, with the Neptune system, you have to tell it everyone’s water meter serial number, otherwise it ignores it,” said Gade. “So if there is a mistake in a meter serial number, it won’t pick it up, but this new one will.
“There is a new radio tower up in Benito and this summer, we are hoping to find a way to use it to report any water leaks. That is phase two. Right now, we just wanted to find a cost-effective way to read the water meters and we have done that.”
This innovative discovery has also caught the attention of other municipalities struggling with the same issue.
“We have had other municipalities reach out to us to borrow our laptop to try it,” said Gade. “There are other companies out there making water meters and systems to read them that are more in the $200 to $300 range, so we will look into those options as well. For now, we will continue use Neptune meters until they die out.”
Benito also caught a media slurry of attention with its proposal to sell the old M & M Café building $1.
“It was a nice restaurant and the problem was the CRA got involved,” said Gade. “Once they put a lien on it, it was pretty hard for anyone to fix that, except for municipalities. Municipalities have the ability to get rid of those leans, which is what we did. This all took some time and over that time span, there was a bit of damage that happened to the building.
“We could have fixed up the damage and tried to lease it to someone, or we could tear it down. Council didn’t want to put money into the building and no one uses it, but the other option of tearing it down would cost around $50,000.
“I asked council if they would allow me to see if I could try something different,” said Gade. “I asked if we could try selling it for $1, rather than the other two options, which would cost us money. Personally, I felt this could be done and I didn’t want to tear down another building in Benito. Council agreed to try it.
“We had to market this concept of selling this building for a dollar and in order to do that, we had to get the Winnipeg media interested. We had almost every major media outlet in Winnipeg publish a story about Benito selling a building for $1. In the promotion of these stories, it was talked about how Benito had a new splash park and new businesses starting up and the potential development of new lots. In each story that was run, it talked about Benito being a nice place to live.
“When I look at the coverage we got from that, we got about $100,000 worth of free advertising from that for Benito,” said Gade. “Plus, we got applications from several places to purchase that old restaurant building for $1. Some were from Winnipeg and all over, and we even had a few come and look at it.
“We had Stuart Matheson from The Pas, come and check it out. He had this idea to do a cricket farm with a pet supply and food store. It would be one equivalent full-time job to run this place. In the end, we have a new business being established, created a full-time job in the community, sold the building for $1 and it will generate revenue and tax revenue for the municipality. This was a win-win-win situation.
“Now we have the media doing follow-up stories on this transaction and saying what a wonderful place Benito is,” said Gade. “I can’t imagine what the cost would have been to put that kind of advertising out there.”