In an effort to books tourism in northern Manitoba, the Communities Economic Development Fund (CEDF) has recently launched one their newest development. CEDF has been creating economic development initiatives to strengthen the local economy and promote the north.
“We are a Provincial Crown Corporation and the lead economic development agency for northern Manitoba working for the Province,” said CEDF Manager of Programs and Projects Leann Brown. “Also we are the lead for the delivery of the Look North Action Plan that was approved by the provincial government in 2019. Our mandate is strictly looking at economic development throughout the north and trying to increase economy activity and prosperity.”

For many, being snarky or witty seems to be an art form that is most commonly spotted in memes on the Internet. A meme can be described as an amusing or interesting item that consists of a captioned picture with a witty or crude saying that is spread widely online especially through social media.
The Pas resident, Emma Halpin, has taken a twist and created a new art form in which she takes old decorative ceramic plates that have photos on them and creates snarky captions to put on them. This created a new venture for her, which she calls SnarkArt Ceramix.
“SnarkArt Ceramix was born after my mother was given a decorative ceramic plate with white beads on it at a craft swap in November 2022,”said SnarkArt Ceramix Creator Emma Halpin. “She gave it to me and I thought I could totally do this.”

On Monday April 24th all branches of Girl Guides including Sparks, Embers (formally known as Brownies), Guides, Pathfinders and their Guiders came together to celebrate Earth day and tidy up our community.
Girls gave up their weekly meeting time, gathered in pairs and set out to pick up trash.
Before heading outdoors girls had a brief safety discussion and were geared up with gloves, garbage bags and t-shirts thanks to Tim Hortons.
A total of 30 Girl Guides and 11 Guiders left from the Anglican Church heading towards Devon Park and the walking path collecting anything that didn’t belong to Mother Earth.

The tri-community area held a few different events to commemorate National Red Dress Day. KB Memorial, in partnership with MKO MMIWG Liaison Unit, hosted a Celebrate and Commemorate Vigil to remember the murdered and missing Indigenous people (MMIP) from the area.
Friends and families of MMIP gathered around a sacred fire to celebrate the lives, share stories and memories of their loved ones.
“The event went so much better than I personally could have expected,” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “I went in with no expectations and it was so beautiful to hear the different stories from impacted families, and have that sense of community at the vigil. Seeing everyone with lit candles around the sacred fire, the sun setting at the perfect time, it was just a beautiful evening overall. There was about a dozen MMIP being represented and remembered at the vigil.”

The Town of The Pas Council met on May 8, for a regular scheduled council meeting. During Citizens Period, a delegation was made about an overdue water bill and a request to forgive the amount owing.
“There are costs to produce water, so there is an actual cost to it,” said the Town of The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy. “We can be flexible on payments and work with community members when something happens that’s beyond one’s control.
“It’s really difficult for council to forgive water debts, because then becomes everybody’s responsibility to pay that amount, which isn’t fair. All of our taxpayers pay for water. Water in a community is a service that is provided and needs to be paid for, which is no different that paying one’s electricity bill.”

Board game enthusiasts have a new challenge coming to the community. Warhammer 40k is in the works to take place in The Pas this summer. Warhammer is a tabletop war game originally created in 1983 and has been deemed the most popular miniature war game in the world.
Several editions have been released since the game’s conception, but the overall concept has remained the same.
“Warhammer 40k can be played a few ways, from casual, competitive and anywhere in between,” said Warhmmer 40k Organizer Garret Olson. “The game itself ranges from around one to three hours, depending on the size of armies being played.

The art of snowshoeing is alive in well in northern Manitoba thanks to Indigenous snowshoe maker and racer Diane Buck. As a child, Buck can recall snowshoes being a staple for people in the community and she remembers participating in snowshoe races as a kid.
“At a very early age I was a competitor in snowshoe racing at the Trapper’s Festivals and in Moose Lake, which led me to love snowshoeing,” said Buck. “I did a lot of racing in various communities after that.
“Moose Lake was actually a snowshoe town, where everyone had their own snowshoes and did a lot of it in the winter months. My dad was also a snowshoe maker and he made a couple year, but not as many as I do now. He taught me how to make the traditional style snowshoe.

The Pas Arts Council recently recognized the efforts of one of its long-standing dedicated volunteers. Jan McDonald has served as a volunteer with The Pas Arts Council for 37 years. It started out as a position with the organization, but then she decided to stay on as a volunteer.
“I had been attending The Pas Arts Council events for years and when a job posting came up for an Arts Council Coordinator I applied and got the job,” said McDonald. “I worked in the position for two years and then I decided I would stay on as the volunteer treasurer.
“I have been the volunteer treasurer since 1987 and the chair of the touring committee. Other positions I have held have been the chair of the Northern Juried Art Show (NJAS), the chair of the Northern Arts Committee, the Northern rep on the Manitoba Arts Network, and chair of the Cultural Days Committee.”