Children in The Pas will once again have the chance to experience a storytime-like opera through the Manitoba Underground Opera as the organization resumes their summer tour throughout rural and northern Manitoba..
“Manitoba Underground Opera’s Neighbourhood Opera Tour, which was previously known as our Opera for Children Tour, is a summer tour presenting a short opera in English to families across Manitoba,” said Manitoba Underground Opera Tour Coordinator Mélanie Dupuis. “The tour’s goal is to make sure that no matter where people live or what they can afford, they get a chance to experience opera.
“Our performances are presented in library meeting rooms, gymnasiums, community centres, or whatever is available all at no cost to audience members and host locations.

Local Indigenous fashion designer and creator Shauna Ponask stunned a crowd yet again with another one of her designs. This time Ponask’s creation was modelled at this year’s annual Nellie McClung Lilac and Lace Luncheon in Winnipeg at the Fort Garry Hotel. The event took place on June 20 and showcased the Threads in Time fashion show, which Ponask’s creation was a part of.
“I was contacted by Suzanne Barbeau from the Aseneskak casino, who then put me in contact with Giselle MacDonald in Winnipeg,” said Ponask.
“The name of the outfit is Northern Beauty. It consists of a shawl, a wrap skirt, wrap-around moccasins, and caribou tufted earrings. Each piece is made from white deer hide, and plum-coloured Melton wool, completed with white floral beadwork. Each item is completely stitched by hand.”

Accessibility is a huge factor in determining how welcoming a community can be, especially towards those with disabilities. One resident in The Pas has faced some challenges and an encounter that no one should have to go through, but she remains positive that improvements can be made to make The Pas a more inclusive community.
Stella Lathlin experienced a health condition as a young adult that eventually led to her losing a lot of her mobility.
“I had my daughter at the age of 18 and a few months later I started to have symptoms,” said Lathlin. “I had heard of MS, but it was the last thing on my mind. My daughter was six to seven months at the time when I started to go blind and lost hearing in one ear. It was a very traumatic and scary time in my life.

Just last week The Town of The Pas passed the resolution to appoint a new fire chief for The Pas Fire Department as the position was vacant. This allowed the department’s current deputy fire chief to step into that role.
Byron Shangraw is the perfect candidate to lead The Pas Fire Department, for he found his passion in helping people and keeping both his team and the community safe.
“There’s the sense of duty and knowing you can make a difference in someone's worst moment, that you can be one of the ones who help them through a crisis,” said The Pas Fire Department Fire Chief Byron Shangraw. “That's a powerful motivator. Second, there's the camaraderie. Firefighters are a family but not only the firefighters, but their spouses, parents and children are part of the fire family as well, and that bond is forged in the heat of the moment. You trust the person next to you with your life, and that creates a special kind of teamwork.

The art of dance is strong in The Pas, much like the arts culture in general, and last week Le Pas de Danse studio earned national recognition for one of their competitive performances. Le Pas de Danse dancers are still fairly new to competing, but already, they are proving to be strong contenders in the art of dance.
“Le Pas de Danse was started up in 2019, and we refrained from doing competitions at that time because I knew how much work it is and I didn’t feel we were ready for that level,” said Le Pas de Dance Studio Instructor Patty-Jean St Hilaire. “The students have been asking to compete now for the last couple of years, and we do have an intensive program where our dancers have been dancing five to seven hours a week, which is a pre-competitive level of dance.

The provincial government signed an agreement with three First Nations, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, Sapotaweyak Cree Nation and Minezogbe First Nation, known as Pine Creek First Nation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extends Louisiana Pacific’s operating licence by five years, which allows all parties to work together to create a sustainable 20-year Forest Management Plan that addresses everyone’s needs.
The agreement ensures that the First Nations’ level of government will be directly involved in Manitoba’s Forestry Management Plans for the first time and will continue into the future. This allows First Nation communities to protect traditional lands and treaty rights. It’s been hailed as a precedent-setting agreement in terms of reconciliation.

The Manitoba government along with Trails Manitoba is investing more than $880,000 to support 33 recreational trails across the province, Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt announced.
“Manitobans love to enjoy the outdoors and our province is home to unique networks of trails that support healthy living and offer great social opportunities,” said Schmidt. “Adding new trails and ensuring our existing trails are well-maintained helps guarantee Manitobans can continue to enjoy the great outdoors for generations to come.”

CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 under 40 announced their top finalists for 2024, and one local resident is one of them. Karen Gallagher was chosen to be part of this distinguished group of candidates for her volunteerism efforts and dedication to improving The Pas and the surrounding area.
Gallagher’s list of volunteerism work is extensive. She is dedicated and heavily involved with two organizations and takes a very active role in her duties within these organizations.
“I’m directly involved with The Pas Fire Department (TPFD) and The Pas Health Complex Foundation (TPHCF) Board of Directors,” said Gallagher. “Then I’m indirectly involved with The Pas Handi-van, The Pas Travel Club, The Pas Guest List, local LGBTQ+ events, Kinsmen Events and local cleanup initiatives.”