Jeremy Bergen
Cleaning House
The last curling event at the Swan River Community Centre took place on Wednesday (March 18), and thanks to the warm, melting weather, the ice was ready to take out on Friday (March 20) – the first official day of spring – an apropos symbol of the changing seasons. Pictured here, a rented loader service from Cook Bros. Cartage cleans up the painted slush.
Mardi Gras
The Thunderhill Ski Area hosted their annual Mardi Gras celebration on their snowy slopes, inviting skiers and snowboarders to dress up and make the day a little more colourful, while also participating in egg hunts and competitive alpine races.
Something Fishy in Swan River
Local artist Derryl May showcased his talents again with a snow sculpture located at the entrance of Highway 83 South. The sculpture features a favourite pastime in the Valley and it’s a tribute to the upcoming Billy Beal Ice Fishing Derby
Mid-Morning Collision
The Swan Valley Fire Department, alongside Swan River RCMP and Shared Health EMS, responded to a call of a two-vehicle collision on Monday morning (Feb. 23) at 9:22 a.m., on the Hwy. No. 83 bypass south of Swan River. It appeared that a van had crossed the centre line, close to the curve in the roadway, and collided with the left rear set of tires of a semi-truck. There were no injuries to the semi driver, but the van driver was transported to hospital by EMS. No details on their injuries. The road conditions were good and the highway was closed for approximately 50 minutes.
In the Name of Love
Love was in the air last weekend, as people celebrated a special Saturday edition of St. Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). Following the bundles of Valentine’s Day cards that schoolchildren likely brought home the day before, restaurants and retail stores brought out their best specials and decked out their facilities to help get people in the spirit of love. Pictured here, the Thunderhill Ski Area Co-op Chalet sets the mood with their decorations during a balmy day on the snowy slopes.
Snow Wanderer
Local artist Derryl May has completed his annual snow sculpture in his front yard at 410 10th Avenue North in Swan River. This year’s piece, called ‘Adventurer’, features a hiker flanked by two dogs and a bird-of-prey on his shoulder.
Completed Cultural Arts Centre opens its doors to the public
At long last, the SVRSS Cultural Arts Centre is officially open for use, with the grand opening being celebrated on Saturday (Jan. 24).
Among those in attendance were Swan Valley School Division staff and students, alongside council and band members of Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation (WSFN) and Sapotaweyak Cree Nation (SCN), municipal leaders, and provincial government representatives.
Keynote speakers for the grand opening included Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy, WSFN Chief Elwood Zastre, and SCN Chief Nelson Genaille, as well as guest speaker Caroline Quill, an elder from SCN who played an important part in the design of the facility.
Other dignitaries who were in attendance were Manitoba Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations Glen Simard, Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk, Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, and Northwest Metis Council Minister Peter Fleming.
SVSD Board Chair Gary Wowchuk took the audience on a journey through the historical timeline of the project, beginning from the days of the Glacial Lake Agassiz and the evidence of Indigenous peoples living on the shores of Lake Agassiz in what would now be the Swan Valley, all the way through the days when Treaty 4 was signed and how the culture of the Indigenous people of Manitoba informed the design elements of the space, and made room for traditional ceremonial practices that were otherwise lacking on the campus of the SVRSS.
The day started by making use of the new facility for that ceremony, with Firekeepers doing their best to keep a fire going outside in the fire circle on a morning that may likely be the coldest morning of the year. A pipe ceremony was also performed inside the space behind the main formal stage, a space that incorporates significant symbolism of Indigenous culture.
In his message, Kinew acknowledged the bus crash that stunned the community of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, the Swan Valley, and the entire province, which happened just over one week prior. Kinew had visited the three students that were sent to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.
“We’re definitely going to be praying for these communities and for the broader community in the region,” he said. “We should also be grateful for resilient young people all across Manitoba.
“Let’s keep providing a good education and investing in wonderful facilities like this, and let’s build up this Province of Manitoba even more into the place we’re so proud of today, so our children and grandchildren can inherit a place that they’re proud of in the future.”
Following the program, the Cultural Arts Centre was open to the general public so anyone could come and view the much anticipated end product.
The $16.6 million investment into the project brought a 4,200 square foot cultural arts centre featuring a large auditorium with a raised stage, a 2,100 square foot multi-purpose room and an outdoor teaching area located adjacent to the cultural arts centre.
The space was developed in consultation with Indigenous community leaders to incorporate Indigenous learning and cultural practices. The cultural arts centre will celebrate Indigenous histories, cultures, languages, traditional values and worldviews, and will feature programming that incorporates oral traditions and storytelling, land stewardship and resource management presentations, medicine wheel teachings and smudging. Programming will also include jigging, drumming, powwows and hand drum singing.
“As mayor, I’m proud to see this investment in Swan River Valley that strengthens both education and community,” said Town of Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson in a follow-up press release. “These new spaces will not only enrich student learning but also provide opportunities for cultural expression and collaboration that benefit the entire region.”
Carving Start
Local snow sculptor Derryl May continued his work on his latest front-yard piece on a frigid Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24). In about a week’s time, he expects the final piece to be revealed.
Sapotaweyak school bus rolls over, 15 sent to hospital
Submitted photo - Skilled Truckers Canada
The Swan Valley community was at the centre of a major provincial news event last Tuesday (Jan. 13), when a Sapotaweyak Education Authority school bus carrying 14 teenage students rolled over on Hwy. No. 10 on the way to the SVRSS in the morning, about 13 km south of Mafeking. Swan River RCMP received the report at 8:35 a.m. and responded alongside the Birch River Fire Department and Shared Health EMS.
The RCMP believe the rollover occurred when the driver of the school bus – travelling south on the highway – attempted to pass another bus and lost control. The bus went off the highway, rolled and then came to a stop when it was right-side up. Road conditions were believed to be slippery at the time of the incident.
Fifteen people, including the driver, were transported to hospital in Swan River for assessment and treatment of their injuries. Four patients – three youth and one adult – were then transported by air to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg for further care.
A Manitoba RCMP forensic reconstructionist was deployed to the scene to continue the investigation.
CBC Manitoba reported later in the week that the three students that were airlifted to Winnipeg were released from hospital after a couple of days.
Among the other students taken to Swan Valley Health Centre, one mother reported that her daughter suffered two broken vertebrae during the crash, but is expected to recover within three weeks.
Seatbelts on buses
The accident has reignited a conversation about whether seatbelts should be mandatory on school buses. Last month, Progressive Conservative MLA Wayne Ewasko from Lac du Bonnet tabled a private member’s bill aimed to enhance school bus safety by mandating seatbelts for new builds.
Following the incident in the Swan Valley, when asked about the possibility of seatbelts on school buses, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke to CBC Manitoba, saying “I’m open to the conversation, but we have to be patient in identifying what took place in this instance before we rush to propose the right solution. What was the cause of this accident? What was the nature of the injuries? What would be the safety measure that would come out of it? I’m open to hearing it, but we don’t have that information yet.”
Red Sky in Morning
Whether or not we in a prairie province need to be concerned about a sailor’s warning of an early morning red sky, a painted sky first thing in the morning is a welcome sight as we settle into 2026.