Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports the Shellmouth Reservoir outflow was increased January 29th as part of normal operation to draw down the reservoir level in preparation for spring runoff from the upper Assiniboine River.
The current outflow is 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) and will be increased to 650 cfs today.
An additional scheduled increase to outflow will occur February 4 to 800 cfs.
The increased outflow will result in a half-foot to one-foot level increase on the Assiniboine River from Shellmouth to Brandon. The increase will diminish as the river reaches Winnipeg.
The province will continue to monitor conditions on the upper Assiniboine River as well as downstream river levels.

Pickleball and Badminton at the GPB Hall in Russell is cancelled for at least the month of January and likely most of February for floor replacement. Pickleball will still be available on Monday evenings in Binscarth at the school from 7-9 pm!
There will be a First Aid Course held on Saturday, February 28th from 8 am-5 pm in Russell. The cost is $125. Please contact the recreation office for more information or to register: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Indoor Walking at the GPB Hall will still be available in during January and February when not working on the floor. I have a call list of walkers to keep in contact with.
The outdoor rink is ready to go! This is a community outdoor rink, available for all to use. People need to keep in mind, they may have to shovel off some snow and share the space with community members!
Adults & Tots is a FREE open gym time for adults and their kids age 7 and under. The gym will be open on Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 am. (These days and times are subject to change.)
The Recreation Department has snowshoes to lend out. We have 2 adult and 2 youth sets of snowshoes in Russell Recreation Office, Binscarth at Rob’s Place & Inglis at the RM Office
FREE Public Skating every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30-10:30 am at the Russell Memorial Multiplex
Zumba is Thursday nights from 6:30-7:30 pm upstairs in the Bunge Room at the Russell Memorial Multiplex, Main St entrance, $5 drop-in!
Sunday, March 1! Binscarth Winterfest: Sleigh Rides, indoor & outdoor activities, and skating! Binscarth Vintage Snowmobile Derby: contact Bryce McNair (431)761-1672.

Asessippi Ski Area wrapped up the holiday season with a successful stretch of extended hours, excellent snow conditions, and a memorable New Year’s Eve celebration that drew guests from across the region.
Throughout the holiday period, the resort operated late into the evenings, staying open until 7:00 pm all week before transitioning to reduced January hours. Favourable weather and consistent snowfall created
excellent conditions, with fresh inches of snow continuing to fall after New Year’s and throughout the holidays. New Year’s Eve was a standout evening at the hill. Lifts ran late until 11:45 pm, followed by the resort’s
annual Midnight Run, a long standing tradition that sees skiers and snowboarders gather at the top of the hill before riding down together to welcome the new year. The evening featured a full lineup of activities,
including late night tubing, a limited supper special, a kids movie in the Sugar Shack, and two fireworks displays, one at 9:15 pm and a second show at midnight to ring in the new year.

Get the whole story in this week's Russell Banner on page 7.

New traffic safety measures under The Highway Traffic Act came into effect on January 1, 2026, to enhance safety for all road users and protect those working on Manitoba highways.
Key Changes:
1) Rules for Drivers Around Winter Maintenance Vehicles
Drivers must follow these guidelines when meeting or approaching snowplows, graders, sanding trucks and other winter maintenance vehicles when blue or combination blue and amber lamps are activated.
Maintain Safe Distance
Stay back 30 metres if the speed limit is 80 km/h or less, or
Stay back 100 metres if the speed limit is more than 80 km/h.
When behind, do not pass if it will interfere with the work being done or if the view is obstructed by blowing snow and ice.
When approaching from the opposite direction, proceed with caution and give the vehicle space to work.
At an intersection, stop or slow down if work is being done.
2) Tow Truck and Roadside Assistance Authority
Tow truck and roadside assistance providers may now use temporary traffic control devices when working on or near highways.
Operators can place cones and Emergency Scene Ahead signs to alert and guide drivers safely around roadside activities.
3) Passing Cyclists
Drivers are required to leave at least one metre of space when passing a cyclist, whether on the left or right.
4) Penalties for Non-Compliance
Failure to comply may result in a preset fine of $298 and two demerits on your driving record.
For more information, see the Manitoba government’s News Release, visit Manitoba.ca/MTI or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To all the wonderful donors, please read carefully the following article for information on donating of usable items to us.
We have had an influx of unusable donations being given to us. Items have been arriving broken, dirty and not working. We try our best as volunteers to filter these items as donated, but can’t catch everything. These unsellable items cost us money to dispose of; we can’t recycle them any further.
You can help us out by only donating items that are clean, and are in working order, undamaged, smoke and odour free (musty), and clean clothing!
Please refrain from filling X-large bags or boxes that are extremely heavy to lift for our volunteers.
Please Do Not go through the donation Bin (Property of Russell Thrift Shop) and take items.
Please Do Not Use our garbage bin and rummage through garbage.
Please Do Not Use our Recycle Bin.
Please Do Not open Free Bags (In FREE BIN) and rummage through and scatter all over parking lot and other business property.
We encourage you to drop off donations during business hours, but are welcome to donate at your convenience.
We have many dedicated volunteers that put in long hours to keep our lovely Thrift Shop running so smoothly, so please co-operate and keep our store up and running.
A huge thank you to donors and shoppers from Russell and surrounding communities for your continued support!
President Noella Kiliwnik
and the Russell Thrift Shop Volunteers

Pickleball and Badminton at the GPB Hall in Russell is cancelled for at least the month of January as we make some much needed improvements to the floor! We are very excited! Keep an eye out for how you can help! Pickleball will still be available on Monday evenings in Binscarth at the school from 7-9pm!
Indoor Walking at the GPB Hall will still be available! Indoor Walking is FREE at the GPB Hall in Russell (106 Shell River Ave. S). Come in out of the cold weather and icy streets!
The outdoor rink is ready to go! The outdoor rink is located on North Main St between the Leisure Center and Never Better Studios. This is a community outdoor rink, available for all to use. Please keep in mind, you may have to shovel off some snow and share the space with community members!
HUGE thank you to the Municipality of Russell Binscarth, Never Better Studio, the Russell Lions, Russell Beef and Barley, Braendle Bruce Memorials, Parkland Thrashers Roller Derby, our local RCMP, Fresh Vac, Jeramy Ewbank & Kris Huberdeau, as well as our many volunteers helping make this happen! This is only the beginning!
Adults & Tots has resumed upstairs in the Binge Room at the Russell Memorial Multiplex! Enter the Multiplex through the Main St. entrance and go up the stairs! This is a FREE open gym time for adults and their kids age 7 and under. The gym will be open on Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30am. (These days and times are subject to change.)
The Recreation Department has snowshoes to lend out! We have 2 adult and 2 youth sets of snowshoes at each of these locations:
Russell: Recreation Office 325 Main St (204)773-2422
Binscarth: Rob’s Place (204) 532-2067
Inglis: RM Office (204) 564-2589
FREE Public Skating every Tuesday from 9:30-10:30am at the Russell Memorial Multiplex.

By Derek Holtom
The Waywayseecappo Wolverines were bolstered this season by the return of former players for their final year of junior hockey. That includes defenseman Kurt Rookes, the most offensively dynamic blueliner in the MJHL this season.
A native of Manson, Man., Rookes led all defenseman in scoring heading into the final game before the Christmas break with four goals and 25 assists for 29 points in 31 games.
His level of comfort with the Wolverines is plain for all to see. After a solid rookie season where he put up 16 points and 94 penalty minutes, Rookes spent the past two seasons in the WHL with the Wenatchee Wild and the Swift Current Broncos. But with only one season left, Rookes opted to return to the MJHL.
“I’ve always liked Wayway – they were always good to me when I was 17 years old,” he said. “It’s nice and close to home. My billets live 50 minutes from home, so I can see my family a lot.
“I also get to play with lots of guys I grew up playing with in Yellowhead. Guys like Ben Roulette, Jase Wareham, Max Collyer, lots of guys like that who are here,” he added. “Also, I enjoy playing for Landyn (Cochrane, Wayway’s Head Coach and General Manager). He’s been a really good guy, and someone you want to play for.”
The Wolverines have had an up-and-down season so far, but as they’ve gotten healthier they’ve started to string together more and more victories – a key to them to move out of fourth place and start climbing the West Division standings.
“I think we’ve had a really good start, despite having a lot of injuries,” says Rookes. “We’ve had up to seven guys out of the lineup at once, so that was pretty tough for us. And guys are starting to come back from injuries now, so we should be ramping up from here on out.”
Along with leading the MJHL in scoring for defensemen, Rookes also leads the league in power-play assists with 20. His ability to get his teammates the puck in good spots is a big reason Wayway’s power-play operated at a solid 23.1 per cent rate.
“I give a lot of credit to Landyn, we have a really good power play system going there,” says Rookes. “Also two guys on my side, Sebastien Hicks and Ben Roulette, are pretty lethal themselves. They make my job pretty easy – I just have to give them the puck, and it’s been working out.”
With all that said, Rookes says the goal for the Wolverines is to finish higher in the standings and get their first non-survivor playoff series win – and more.
“We have some key pieces coming back, so it will be good to see what we can do,” he said. “We’re right there with a lot of teams. With us getting guys back, I see no reason we can’t be beating those teams ahead of us.”
Last week
Kings 1, Wolverines 0
The Wolverines managed to give the division-leading Dauphin Kings all they could handle on Saturday night to finish the 2025 portion of their schedule, dropping a heart-breaking 1-0 loss in Dauphin.
The lone goal of the game came with the Wolverines on a power-play in the third period as Dauphin’s Nicholas Zaharias (ninth) scored short-handed 2:34 into the third period. Other than that, Wayway netminder Mariko Bercier was flawless stopping 45 shots.
Dauphin’s Bryson Yaschyshyn earned the shutout with a 23-save effort.
Wolverines vs. Monarchs
Last Friday’s clash between the Wolverines and the last-place Winnipeg Monarchs will have to happen later in the season as the second of back-to-back blizzards wiped out the entire MJHL schedule that night.
Up next
The Wolverines headed into their Christmas break this week and do not play again until Jan. 6, when they again head to Dauphin to face the Kings.
CLAW MARKS – The Wolverines enter 2026 with a record of 12-18-1-1, good for fourth place in the MJHL’s West Division. They hold a 10-point lead on the Swan Valley Stampeders for fourth place, though the Stamps retain four games in hand … Sebastien Hicksleads the Wolverines in scoring with 39 points – 17 goals and 22 assists … Wayway finishes the month of December with a record of 3-3-0.

Left to right - Gordon Nickel, Aaron Chipelski, Mark Wotton and Brad Zimmer with the generous donation of $50,000 to help fund the reconstruction of the Foxwarren Rink. Richardson Pioneer Ltd and Richardson Pioneer are known for their generous support of initiatives in communities around the world who have helped to make their company what it is today. The Richardson Foundation was established to celebrate the 100th anniversary of James A. Richardson & Sons, Limited. Richardson International contributes over $1 million annually to initiatives where their customers and employees live and work. Since the company was founded in 1857, this commitment to giving has been integral to Richardson International.