Manitoba has historically had higher levels of radon than the national averages. Health Canada has estimated about seven per cent of Canadians are living in homes above the radon guidelines, while about 19 per cent of Manitobans are facing that same challenge.

Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas found naturally in the environment and comes from uranium, as it breaks down in soil and rocks. Radon can enter homes through cracks in basements or foundations and poses a health risk when people are exposed to it long-term, especially when the levels are greater than 200 bq/m3.

Read the rest of the story in this week’s Review.

Every year at the Grammy Awards there are always highlights that are featured, usually of mega-famed super star artists, but this year some of the attendees in the crowd were highlighted as well. Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) singer, Rhonda Head, attended the 2023 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 5.
“This is my third time attending the Grammy Awards,” said Head. “It’s a great event to network and meet musicians from all over the work. It’s fun, and awesome to watch the show, with one amazing performance after another. Also, it’s very inspirational.
“I go to represent Indigenous musicians. It’s important that we are recognized and that they make space for Indigenous musicians.”
Whether one is watching the Grammy Awards from home or in the audience, each viewer walks away with a highlight from each awards show. For Head, this year’s awards had many different highlights for her.

The times are changing and we’re starting to see more and more women embarking upon trades than ever before. The demand for carpenters, electricians and plumbers is high, so there are countless opportunities for women to get into this line of work. In a joint partnership, Opaskwayak Cree Nation Education Department and University College of the North (UCN) offered a nine-month OCN Home Builders Course for Indigenous women to pick up on the carpentry trade.
“The OCN Home Builders Program started on May 18, 2022, with Pre-employment Trades Communication skills a week prior to the start date,” said Red Seal Vocational Education Carpenter Annette R. Head. “There were 12 women that enrolled in the program and all were Indigenous. They had some carpentry experience and this was new to the rest of the ladies.

Local musher Donny Poulin recently competed in the Pedigree Stage Stop Race in Wyoming this past month. Poulin grew up with dog sled racing and has been in the sport since he was a young boy.
“I was born into this sport,” said Poulin. “My dad had dogs since he was 15 years old and was into dog sled racing, which led to me getting into it as well. He taught me everything from a very early age.
“I ran junior races when I was eight years old and been racing for over 40 years now.”
When it comes to sled dogs, many people have the misconception that the ideal breed are the huskies that have long hair and distinct markings. Poulin has a type of husky that is bred typically for racing. Although he participates in the sport, to him, his sled dogs are like members of the family.
“Pretty much every dog we have, we’ve raised ourselves,” said Poulin. “We have some that we’ve purchased from different kennels over the years, but for the most part, we breed and raise our own dogs.
“We mostly have Alaskan Huskies and they’re not the type of dog that people like to associate in the movies. These dogs have short hair and are more of a race type looking dog. A lot of people think the dogs would be massively huge dogs, but that’s not the case. These dogs are known for speed and endurance.

Just outside of The Pas airport is a beautiful snow sculpture that both residents and visitors can take in. Calm Air came up with the concept of commissioning an artist to design a snow sculpture to both celebrate the community and the upcoming Trapper’s Festival.
“At Calm Air, we are beyond excited to get back to travelling and one thing we missed most was celebrating our communities, especially in winter,” said Calm Air Director of Marketing and Brand Management Amanda Camara. “So we thought, what better way to celebrate The Pas than joining in as a Northern Lights Sponsor for the Trapper’s Festival and what can we bring to the table to really celebrate who we are, which was a beautiful work of art with snow. It was fitting for it to be located at the airport.”
A Manitoba artist, who lives in Swan River, came highly recommended to Calm Air by organizers at the Festival du Voyageur. This artist dabbles in a variety of different mediums and his snow sculptures in the past have always caught attention

A number of people across Canada were selected and presented the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal commemorating the seventieth year of the monarch’s reign, before her passing last year. NDP MLA for The Pas-Kameesak, Amanda Lathlin, was able to honour and recognize 10 constituents for their outstanding achievements by presenting them with the medal.
“Each MLA was given the opportunity to present ten Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medals to their constituents,” said Lathlin. “I chose Dr. Alex Wilson, Edwin Jebb, Tara Munro-Manych, Edie Turner, Murray Harvey, Ovide Mercredi, John Morriseau, Dr. Cathy Cook, the late Ray Mason, and Gordon Landriault.”

Last Friday night (Feb. 10) was Hockey is for Everyone night at the Swan River Centennial Arena. Presented by Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, the night was intended to provide awareness and a positive environment for players, families and fans of every race, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation or ability. To mark the occasion, the Swan Valley Stampeders wore a custom jersey as they faced off against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines...

The Parkland Rangers played the role of spoiler over the weekend at the expense of the Interlake Lightning.

The Rangers began the week by scoring an 8-5 win over the Yellowhead Chiefs, Tuesday in Dauphin, keeping Yellowhead from moving ahead of the Winnipeg Thrashers and into fifth place.

On Saturday in Dauphin, Parkland beat the Lightning, 3-1, while the Southwest Cougars defeated the Norman North Stars, 7-2. This resulted in the Cougars moving past Interlake into the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Lightning got a measure of revenge on Sunday, beating the Rangers 8-4, while Southwest stayed one point ahead of Interlake with a 6-1 victory over Norman.

Sunday’s loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Rangers.

Overall, Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot was pleased with the team’s play in the three games.

“When you start winning games, the expectations change. We won, Tuesday. We found a way to win (Saturday) and then now it’s no more moral victories. You’re disappointed when you’re not winning,” he said, adding he was proud of Kyler Swanton, who was the difference in Saturday’s win with 43 saves.

“Our first period, we were absolutely just flat. No energy whatsoever. I didn’t know if the players even had a pulse,” he said. “But Swanny held us in there. And again, you win a few games and you feel better about yourself and you find ways to grease some one out and we did that (Saturday). I was very pleased with the way Kyler played to give us a chance to win that game and we found a way.”

Carefoot and the Rangers knew Interlake would be desperate on Sunday after getting knocked out of the final playoff spot.

In the end, it was too many unforced errors that cost the Rangers.

Interlake scored 18 seconds into the second period and added another 1:07 later to take a 4-1 lead. And it took them just 29 seconds to find the back of the net in the third.

“You can’t have that. You’ve got to eliminate that. I just think, overall, today we were just too easy to play against. And when you’re playing against a team that’s desperate, we were easy prey and that’s what happened,” Carefoot said.

Carefoot was especially pleased with the play of forward Hayden Seib, who is second in team scoring with 34 points, including 15 goals. He has points in each of the last seven games.

“He’s been consistent all season, just trying to focus on the details,” he said, adding Dru Mushumanski has also shone of late, with seven goals and 22 points in his last 12 games to take over the team scoring lead.

The Rangers end the season with a final road trip to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings on Wednesday, before hosting Norman, Saturday in Swan River at 7:30 p.m.

Carefoot hopes the team can finish the season strong, noting they are looking at the Brandon contest as their Mount Rushmore game.

“We’re going to treat that game like it’s the championship final. I want to make sure the boys are ready to go. We’re going practice on Tuesday, leading into Brandon. All that I want that night is just energy and just the spirit of being the best that they can be, whatever the result may be,” he said. “Regardless of the result, that will lead us into the weekend against Norman to wrap up the season.”

In the ever changing landscape of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division, the Dauphin Kings find themselves tied for second place after losing two of three games last week.

Dauphin dropped a 2-1 decision to the Virden Oil Capitals, Tuesday in Virden, before Marko Belak made 28 saves in leading the Kings to a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg Freeze, Friday in Dauphin.

On Saturday, a pair of second-period power-play goals lifted the OCN Blizzard to a 2-1 victory over the Kings in Dauphin.

Kings head coach and general manager said the team has been getting good goaltending, but not the effort to match.

“It’s one of those things where we’ve got to be ready to play. If they’re thinking about what they’re going to do when the season is over, then it won’t be long before it’s over,” he said. “When we play on our toes and we play fast, we’re a really good hockey team. We’re probably a first-place hockey team. But when we watch and be spectators and watch what other guys do, it’s frustrating.”

The offence has been hit and miss of late. But Hedley said that is what happens when you don’t attack the blueline with speed or don’t go to the net for second shots or throw the puck at the net.

“The little things. We know what to do and when we do it, we do it well. It’s just frustrating, because I know we’re a lot better than this,” he said.

Hedley pointed out the Kings are 8-5 since the Christmas break and still have their destiny in their own hands.

Things will not get any easier for the Kings as they face the Steinbach Pistons in a home-and-home this weekend, beginning, Friday in Dauphin with the rematch the next night in Steinbach.

Eight of the remaining 12 games are on the road, including six of the final eight games, so now is the time to start playing consistently, Hedley said.

If there is one area the Kings need to improve upon, Hedley said it is puck management and competing for pucks.

“When we stand and watch and spectate, we’re not a very good hockey club. When we’re first to pucks and compete and win stick battles and guys are on their toes, we’re real tough to beat,” he said, adding the team also has to be more disciplined.

The Kings enter the week tied with Virden for second place with 55 points, two behind Waywayseecappo’s 57 points. OCN sits in third place with 53 points and Swan Valley is now on the outside looking in with 52. Neepawa is starting to fall by the wayside, with 45 points.

The Heritage Day Fair is making its return to Dauphin Market Place Mall, Feb. 17 and 18.

Organizing committee member, Don White said it nice to be back after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And with 13 organizations participating to celebrate the history of the Parkland, there will be plenty to see, White added.

For example, those attending the free event can expect to see Manitoba’s winning entry into the 1967 Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant, the Pierre Radisson, courtesy of Fort Dauphin Museum. All aspects of the area’s history will be highlighted, White added, noting the Negrych Homestead and the history of the Dauphin Fire Department are popular topics among fairgoers.

The displays will be set up in the former Ardene’s location, which has allowed organizers to run the fair over two days.

“It’s two days so we can lock the door and everything’s secure,” White said, adding the move to two days was a positive one as it was a lot of work for the exhibitors to pack up their displays and head to the mall for a one-day event.

Get more info in this week's Herald!