Many are looking forward to warmer weather so they can get out, get active and enjoy the great outdoors. The Tri-Community Triathlon is encouraging people to come out and give the event a try, even if it is for the first time.
“We’re hoping to see lots of first-time triathletes come out and try a new sport,” said Tri-Community Triathlon Event Coordinator Emily Doucette. “The triathlon is made up of swimming, bicycling, and running.
“At last year’s event, we had 50 people participate in the triathlon. We also had a lot of local volunteers who came out to help make the race a fun and safe event for the athletes.

If you love films, then there is an event coming up in the tri-community that you won’t want to miss. The Storyteller’s Film Festival looks for the best Manitoba and Canadian-made films to draw in views to celebrate National Canadian Film Day.
“This is The Storyteller’s Film Festival’s 12th year,” said event coordinator Cheryl Antonio. “We try to move it around to attract different audiences. We also love to show local content as much as we can, which we usually get through submissions. Every year our audiences are unique, depending on which films we are showing. We get a good variety of people, of all ages and ranges from children to youth to elders and seniors. Since the beginning, Storytellers has been proud to show many Indigenous-made films. We also partner with National Canadian Film Day to show Canadian-made films. The Festival has been sponsored by The Pas Arts Council for several years.

Brother and sister duo, Randy and Cheryl Antonio, recently received recognition and were awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal last week in Winnipeg. Both siblings have contributed a lot to society and are each deserving of the award.
Randy has spent some time away from The Pas but has had a busy life between his career and his family.
“I have had the pleasure of living in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” said Randy. “I grew up in The Pas but left in the early 1980s for the Canadian Forces. I was an Air Cadet with 303 Squadron in The Pas, which I firmly believe pointed me in the right direction. I did leave the military in 1994 and returned home to work at the college for a year before heading to Winnipeg to attend college

A member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) was recognized and honoured in the Manitoba Legislature a couple of weeks ago. The Pas-Kameesak MLA Amanda Lathlin gave a special recognition statement in honour of Peggy Wilson. Wilson was acknowledged for her leadership and dedication to the Opaskwayak Culture and Healthy Living Initiative.
“After my husband and I retired in 2002, we both wanted to give back to the community,” said Peggy Wilson. “We would come back to OCN every summer after the university year was over and stay to do some work here before going back to work in the fall. One of the things I noticed was how many people had diabetes. When I realized over 60 percent of the people in the community had diabetes and I felt something had to be done.

University College of the North (UCN) is preparing to host their annual Carer Fair coming up this month. This allows people to learn more about a certain field of employment and what it takes to enter into the profession they want to work in.
“The University College of the North’s Journey to Your Future Career Fair serves as an excellent platform for employers and job seekers to connect,” said UCN Career Resources Coordinator Kelly Hause. “This event provides businesses with a unique opportunity to engage with job-ready students, recent graduates, and community members actively seeking employment. Attendees will be able to expand their professional networks and explore new career opportunities.”

The ball has dropped and a federal election has been called amid a potential trade war. Many federal candidates have hit the ground running and long-standing MP Niki Ashton is seeking re-election in the Churchill Keewatinook Aski riding. Ashton knows this is a very difficult and trying time for Canada as we fall out of the Free Trade Agreement and into some uncertain times.
“This is a very important election for our region and Canada,” said Ashton. “It’s clear that we need strong representation for our region as we face an unprecedented economic attack from the U.S. To face that attack from the U.S., it’s very clear to me that we need to reinforce what makes us proud to be Canadian and our economies, whether it’s in the mining, resources or manufacturing sectors. We also need to look at bolstering our healthcare, which is another thing that sets us apart from the U.S. We need to invest in housing and infrastructure, where there are still major gaps, especially in northern Manitoba. We need to invest in our young people.

Premier Wab Kinew and Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses joined Marcel Colomb First Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and Alamos Gold at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction for a new gold mine near the town of Lynn Lake.
“Alamos Gold’s generational expansion project will benefit Indigenous nations and northern Manitoba with hundreds of good jobs,” said Kinew. “We’re proud to get a new mine to the construction phase within just 18 months of taking office. Now more than ever, we need to create economic opportunities in our province and lay the groundwork for new trade partnerships.”

Local resident 18-year-old Landon Froese has been focused on competing in contact sports for quite some time. He got his start with jiu-jitsu and has now transitioned to wrestling.
“Last spring, I went to Montreal, competed there and won gold in jiu-jitsu,” said Froese. “I went up against some tough opponents. Then I also went to some jiu-jitsu competitions in Winnipeg and Saskatoon last year and won gold at those.
“I started doing a lot of wrestling and won three golds, two silvers and one bronze in those competitions. I recently competed in the Manitoba Provincials Tryouts for Team Manitoba and won gold there. I also earned a spot on Team Manitoba for wrestling as well.

Students in schools had the opportunity to connect with Fred Fox, brother of Terry Fox, and hear about how the Terry Fox Run has grown and what it has done for cancer research.
“It was amazing to be up in The Pas talking with the students,” said Fox. “I do a lot of travelling throughout the year across the country and I’ve always said, we can’t just go to the big city centers. We need to get out and about to all the smaller communities in between. The Pas has been as far north as I’ve ever been in Manitoba, so it was great to be there.
“To this extent, this will be my 16th year of doing this. I’ve been speaking at schools since the mid-90s, but travelling across the country now, as my mom used to do, it’s been about 16 years. This is the 45th Anniversary of the Terry Fox Run. Terry started his run in 1980, and then the very first Terry Fox Runs happened in 1981.”