Winnipeg’s number one morning show, featuring a former Valley resident, has another accolade to its credit. Last week, Tyler Carr won an award for Radio/Podcast Host of the Year, and although it’s not Carr’s first award attributed to his work on-air, it’s still one that means a lot to him.
“I’ve won a few awards in the past, but this one specifically, I’ve never received,” said Winnipeg Energy 106 FM Radio Host Tyler Carr. “This one is for the Winnipeg Nightlife and Style Awards and it’s voted by people online. People go online to vote, and the top-voted contestants move on to the next round. The voting happens again and then the winner is chosen by the number of votes. It’s kind of like the Grammys, where they have the list of nominees and then announce the winners live.
“This award was different than the other ones, for me, because this one was more local. It had people from Winnipeg and all over Manitoba voting, whereas the other awards I received in the past, were voted on by boards or members. To get an award that is voted on by people in your community and listening area is surreal.”
The criteria this particular award is based on, comes from the fans and listeners themselves, for they are the ones who cast the votes. For Carr and his team, their morning show is both a regular timeslot feature and is also a podcast for people to take in whenever. Carr believes this played a pivotal role in him winning the award.
“The award is Radio/Podcast Host, so it’s out of a pool of people who are hosting morning, afternoon or evening radio, or someone who is hosting a podcast show,” said Carr. “It’s a versatile award category, but at the same time, it’s all-encompassing. For me, the best thing is doing the morning show. I just love being a part of hosting the morning show on Energy 106.
“My best friend and colleague, Dave Wheeler, also edits our show and makes a podcast out of it. So, for the listeners who didn’t catch the morning show, they can still get our show at any hour, at any time, with no music. It still provides what’s happening and going on in the area, which allows people to still access our content. We have this radio show and it’s also a podcast, so I think that helped me in terms of this award.”
Carr recognizes that not everything discussed on-air can have that light and fluffy feel to it, but the overall goal is about connecting with people on a real level and one that they find themselves in, during that specific moment.
“We don’t steer away from having hard conversations on radio and sometimes tensions get high, but we like to be real and show every emotion,” said Carr. “That is the part of the morning show I love the most. I get feedback from people in Winnipeg to Swan River, who appreciate that raw emotion that they can’t get anywhere else that time of day. It helps people not feel alone first thing in the morning on that drive to work or wherever they may be starting the day. I wouldn’t change this timeslot for anything in the world.
“We do this feature called the Loud Line and I think it’s my favourite thing. It’s a voicemail that callers can call in at any time and they leave stories, jokes, rants, or whatever and we play it at the same time every day. I love it because we get these messages and hear what others are going through or having to say, which allows us to hear their stories. So, they are listening to us, and we are listening to them. It’s like we are interacting with them on a certain level.”
There are several components to being an on-air radio host that Carr loves. Although mornings may not be his thing, he loves being a part of helping set others on the right foot to start their day.
“I will be honest, I am not a morning person, but I love the timeslot because it’s when everyone is going to work and you have the opportunity to help them get ready for their day,” said Carr. “Maybe they woke up not in a good mood or are stressed out, and we are trying to set them up as best as possible for their day, whether that is trying to make them laugh or giving them information so they can be aware. I love that.
“Then when I’m out in the community, I will have listeners come up to me and tell me they were having a really bad day and we said something on the radio that made them laugh and it changed the rest of their day. That’s why I love that timeslot because I have the opportunity to make someone else’s entire day better.
“Honestly, the feedback we get back from people listening, also helps us with our day, because we’re starting our day in the studio,” said Carr. “When they are sending you positive text messages, it just feels like a radio hug with people that you don’t necessarily know and I love that because it’s all about the message of positivity.”

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign is launching this week and another local charity is going to be benefitting from the fundraiser. Over the years, The Pas Tim Hortons has seen local support for the Smile Cookie Campaign grow.
“We are launching off our Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign starting April 29 to May 5,” said The Pas Tim Hortons Franchise Owner Kathryn Sanderson. “Over the years this campaign has been growing and well received. The Pas, R.M. of Kelsey and Opaskwayak Cree Nation residents have been huge supporters of it.

Students from Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute (MBCI) who excelled at the Northern Manitoba Skills Competition, advanced to the provincial level at the Manitoba Skills and Development Competition that took place at the end of April. Four students had advanced to compete provincially at Red River College Polytech in Winnipeg.
Zoey Wright entered in photography; Namirembe Afatsawo entered in public speaking; Tyler Atkins entered in small engines and Sandra Lucic competed in hairstyling. All four did an incredible job of representing northern Manitoba students in these skill areas and once excelled to winning gold.
Namirembe Afatsawo, a MBCI grade 12 student, won gold in the public speaking category. Afatsawo has been competing in this category for a few years now.

The burning down of the history Gateway Hotel in The Pas back in 2017, is one that everyone remembers, but one person in particular will always remember that fateful night. Dennis Gabriel Charlette was in the Gateway Hotel the night it burned down and played an epic role in getting people out of the building and to safety. He was one of three people who were presented with the insignia of the Governor General’s Commendation for Bravery.
It is a pin created to mark the 50th anniversary of the Decorations for Bravery Program and is bestowed to those who show selflessness in perilous situations. The pin also is an emblem to recognize the significance of such actions and express the gratitude of Canada. It was established in 1993, by His Excellency the Right Honourable Ramon Hnatyshyn, to broaden the Decoration for Bravery Program.
“I got it for what I did at the Gateway Hotel,” said Dennis Gabriel Charlette. “I was on my way to go guiding the day after it happened. I had stayed at my uncle Patrick’s place at the Gateway Hotel the night before and that’s the night it caught fire.

The Storyteller’s Film Festival is getting ready to showcase some Manitoba talent in the film industry, whether it be writing, directing, or acting. The interest in making films has increased and event organizers are seeing more entries comes from all over the province.
“There will be eight films at this year's Storyteller’s Film Festival,” said Storyteller’s Film Festival Organizer Cheryl Antonio. “Seven of those will be short films and one will be a feature length.
“Submissions for the festival has gone up and they have been coming from all over the province. They went up this year. Also, this year, we had two submissions from one local film maker, however, one of the films, A Conversation About Racism, is about and stars, an Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) member.”

It was not the news many people in the tri-community wanted to wake up to on a Monday morning, but it definitely was a shocking way to start the week. At around 4:38 a.m. on April 8, The Pas Fire Department received a call that smoke was coming from the Lido Theatre building.
The Pas Fire Department, along with their Mutual Aid partner, Opaskwayak Cree Nation Fire Department spent 17 hours battling the flames, in hopes to save the building, along with the investigation and clean-up.

Attending camp as a child can create so many life skills and fond memories. Madge Lake Bible Camp (MLBC) has been well-known in the area for its summer camp opportunities for youth and is now celebrating its 70th anniversary in operation. Since its conception, MLBC has not only grown in size, but in the programming, it offers as well.
“MLBC was founded in 1954, with a desire to have the gospel message become more clearly understood by more people,” said MLBC Camp Director Ryan Wiesner. “Jack Shakotko had a vision to start a Bible Camp, and Walter Zinkiew and others from Swan River, Minitonas, Kamsack, Little Woody, Alpine, Durban, Benito, Pelly, and Roblin all came together to have a work bee to clear the area.
“The first summer, there were only tents at the camp. The next year they added a long building with five cabins in it for the girls. The year after, they added another long building with five cabins in it for the boys. Later, they built a chapel with a kitchen in part of it.
“In 2010, the camp board bought the Riding Stables, and it has added so much to our programming,” said Wiesner. “We offer five weeks of Ranch Camps for ages 10 and up, from beginner to intermediate, and these camps always fill up fast. Hardcore Ranch Camp is our advanced riding camp, where campers get to take their horses on an out trip, riding to different locations in Duck Mountain Provincial Park for a few days. Also at the Riding Stables, we also offer riding lessons, trail rides and wagon rides to the public throughout the summer.
“The camp has grown so much from the tent cabins and chapel it was at its beginning. We now have 20 buildings on site including cabins for campers and staff, a dining hall, a chapel, etc.
“Just two summers ago, we added a biotech to our sports pad, a tarp building over a cement pad that we call the gym, which doubles as storage space in the winter,” said Wiesner. “This has immensely helped our program, especially on rainy days.”
Wiesner has experienced firsthand what it was like to be a youth that attended MLBC. Those memories and experiences have stayed with him all through the years and led him to take a more active involvement at MLBC as he got older.
“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend MLBC as a child,” said Wiesner. “I remember three years, possibly one more, that I got to attend. It was always such a highlight for me and I have many wild stories from time spent at camp.
“Probably what I remember most was the chapel time when the gospel became real to me and later in the evening during cabin devos, I was able to talk and pray with my cabin leader.”
“Camp ministry has always had a special place in my heart,” said Wiesner. “I regularly volunteered as maintenance, cabin leader or even as a cook in the kitchen at various camps in the area, usually, one to two weeks every summer since I was 18. When I was in my mid-twenties, in 2004, my girlfriend at the time, Andrea, who is now my wife, and I decided to go and work at the camp full-time for the summer as cabin leaders.
“The next year, 2005, the camp board called me in April, to see if I would consider being the director for that summer. As I was just graduating from Bible College, I decided I would give it a try, and as they say, the rest is history.”
MLBC has not only grown in size but in capacity and attendance as well. The pandemic didn’t deter youth from returning to camp and last year’s attendance numbers were record-breaking.
“Our attendance has been going up and up the last few years,” said Wiesner. “When I first started as Camp Director in 2005, the camp had 255 campers that summer, which grew to 465 the next summer.
“This past summer we broke the previous year’s attendance record with over 1,000 campers. Lately, it has been very rare when our camps are not at full or nearly full attendance.”
MLBC experienced the challenges, much like other programs and organizations, when the pandemic hit. Staff were creative and found ways to run day camp programming in communities in the surrounding areas, and were able to keep youth engaged during that time period.
“We were unable to run overnight camps in 2020, because of the pandemic,” said Wiesner. “That summer we revamped our program and did day camps in different communities such as Swan River, Roblin, Yorkton and Langenburg. We also did two weeks of day camp at the camp. That year we were still able to see around 400 campers in our day camp programs.
“The next year we had planned for day camps again, but the Saskatchewan government gave overnight camping the green light in June, so we completely redid our schedule and offered overnight and day camps.
“One thing we noticed throughout the pandemic, was how our supporters continued to help the camp in lots of different ways,” said Wiesner. “Financially, we are so grateful for how people continued to help us during that uncertain time.”
With camp programming fully restored, there is a wide variety of camps and programming for youth to choose from. For many years, schools have been doing year-end summer field trips at MLBC as well.
“We have camps for all ages,” said Wiesner. “We have a Squirt Day Camp for ages 3-12 on July 1. We have overnight camps all summer for ages 7 and up. We have weekend retreats for young adults, adults, and seniors. We offer two family camps, the first one is the Family Rodeo Camp from June 14 to 16 and the second one is Family Camp from August 2 to 4.
“We also offer a variety of camp programs. Our Ranch Camps often fill up fast. We have a Wilderness Camp for teens, where they learn basic survival skills. Just a few summers ago, we started offering Sports Camps for kids and teens who love and want to be coached in volleyball and basketball. Junior Sports Camp, for ages 10-13, is July 22-25, and Senior Sports Camp, for ages 13-18, is August 5-10.
“For many years we have been offering programs to school groups that come from both Manitoba and Saskatchewan,” said Wiesner. “Our programming includes a rock wall, archery, canoeing, biking, arts and crafts, field games, geocaching, pond dipping, fire building, and more. We are always looking for creative ways to reach out and support schools in our areas and love having teachers and their classes participate not only in programs but fun and organized ways of creating lasting memories.
“We offer school groups and have a few retreats in June. Our official camp kick-off day is July 1, on Canada Day. We have a Pancake Breakfast in the morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the camp. We also run Squirt Day Camp in the afternoon for kids and families.
“The Stables are open from May long weekend to September long weekend,” said Wiesner. “For more information on all of our camps, or to book a ride at the stables, check out our website www.madgelakebiblecamp.ca. We actually offer programming year-round, to the surrounding communities, geared towards kids, teens and young adults through monthly events. For more information on any of these, check out our socials.”
The hiring of staff for MLBC is a big undertaking and there are lots of different positions and responsibilities to fill.
“It takes a lot of staff, which we call summer missionaries, that come in either a volunteer capacity or in a paid role,” said Wiesner. “We have many support staff that help at the camp as LITs, CITs, cooks, nurses, program staff and maintenance. Other front-line positions are cabin leaders, stables staff, and camp speakers, who all work together to help run the camp, especially with as many programs as we have going on at one time.
“There are many weeks that we are offering up to three different programs at the camp. For instance, we may have the main camp going at the same time as ranch camp, at the same time as sports camp or wilderness camp. While we may be also offering a day camp, either at the camp facilities or in one of the surrounding communities, we are also offering public stable opportunities all at the same time.
“This last summer we had over 90 summer missionaries and that is not including all the amazing adult volunteers that come out to serve in the kitchen, maintenance, and nursing positions,” said Wiesner.
Wiesner enjoys every aspect of MLBC, from the programming for the youth to watching them progress from kids attending to becoming cabin leaders.
“We have many returning campers and staff, and the transformation we get to see over the summer and over the years is amazing,” said Wiesner. “We have campers who have started coming to the camp at age 7 and now are cabin leaders. I love seeing their growth in maturity and in their relationships with God and with the other campers and staff. Seeing kids grow in their faith and in their leadership, skills is very rewarding.”
A big celebration in honour of MLBC’s 70th Anniversary is planned for this coming weekend with some entertainment and a look back at the past 70 years.
“On April 13 we will be celebrating the camp’s 70th Anniversary with a Banquet Celebration,” said Wiesner. “Everyone is invited to attend, there will be no entry fee, but will include a free-will offering. We will have a short program with talented musicians, Travis Kranz and Josiah Paul, sharing some music, a slideshow with older to newer pictures, and we want to honour the builders of Madge Lake Bible Camp, the many volunteers that helped to start and continue the camp throughout the years.
“We have been so fortunate over the years to be surrounded by many people in the various communities that have come alongside the camp and have helped in so many ways. If you or someone you know of has poured into the camp over the years, please consider this your invitation to come celebrate our 70th Anniversary.”