Eat and greet

Province has ‘serious concerns’ with Winnipeg personal care home

The Manitoba government has placed licensing conditions on a Winnipeg personal care home after an inspection uncovered “serious concerns” related to the safety of senior residents.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara confirmed the province issued the order against the Extendicare Heritage Lodge — an 86-bed nursing home at 3555 Portage Ave. — effective June 9.

“This is an important oversight tool, and it is not used lightly. Conditions are imposed when there are serious concerns that require enhanced oversight and clear, corrective action,” Asagwara said in a statement.

“Our expectation is simple: Extendicare must meet the standards Manitoba seniors and families deserve. We will continue working with the (Winnipeg Regional Health Authority) to monitor this facility closely and ensure the required improvements are made.”

Westman residents fear power project’s wind turbines will sully their idyllic landscape

POLONIA — Leonard Kaspick can list just about every household in the valley.

“There’s someone living right across the northeast, someone living behind here, about a quarter mile there’s a house there, then a half mile there’s another house there, I’m here, and then on top of the hill there’s someone else there,” he says, standing in the heart of the hamlet — a community hall just off the main drag.

Besides the hall and the smattering of homes, there’s a historic (though out-of-commission) church next door and a single general store further down the road.

“There’s less people here now than there was in 1885,” Kaspick, 83, jokes as he wraps up a condensed history of the western-Manitoba community.

Burger-slinger brings Minnedosa its own version of a sloppy classic

MINNEDOSA — It could have been his chili-smothered secret.

One of the first things Zac Easton did four years ago after he and his wife Cass became the latest set of owners of the Dari Isle Drive-In, a seasonal, 70-seat restaurant that has operated in Minnedosa since 1965, was introduce a fatboy hamburger to the menu.

The 31-year-old grew up in Westwood. As an homage to the burger haunts of his youth — iconic spots such as the Burger Place, Nick’s Inn and the Dairi-Wip Drive-in — he was excited to show off his version of the Greek-style favourite at their new premises.

The interesting thing was, many of the people from the southwestern Manitoba town didn’t have a clue what a fatboy was, and those who ordered it that first summer assumed it was the Eastons’ own creation.

As Canada’s newest top doc, Dr. Joss Reimer immediately had to confront two deadly global outbreaks

OTTAWA — The whirlwind that has been Dr. Joss Reimer’s career has officially touched down in Building 62.

A modern, non-descript complex in a suburban industrial park, Building 62 is the only name given to the headquarters of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Reimer’s new home as the country’s chief public health officer.

For the record, whirlwind is hardly an exaggeration.

Seven years ago, Reimer was a well-respected, somewhat low-key obstetrician and medical educator in Winnipeg. Along the way, she spent time as a YouTube public-health influencer, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s medical director for public health, the provincial government’s medical officer of health and — in the role most familiar to Manitobans — the medical lead and official spokesperson for the provincial COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force.

An evening in the emergency room

This situation needs immediate intervention. Anything less means nothing.

Indigenous theatre founder gets nod for prestigious prize

For her work as the founding artistic director of Oshkagoojin Indigenous Theatre for Youth, Winnipeg’s Nova Courchene has been named the recipient of one of Manitoba theatre’s highest honours for emerging arts leaders.

Since 2023, the Cherry Karpyshin Arts Management Prize has been given out by Prairie Theatre Exchange to early-career or aspiring arts managers. Named for PTE’s longtime general manager, for whom the company’s mainstage is also named, the Cherry Prize is accompanied by professional supports and a $2,500 cash award.

Meaning “new moon” in Anishinaabemowin, Oshkagoojin runs a variety of initiatives in Winnipeg, including the teen-focused Rising Voices, the middle years Growing Voices, and the early years Young Voices programs. Through storytelling, movement, narrative games and guided play, the Young Voices program introduces Indigenous children aged five through nine to the fundamentals of collaborative and co-operative theatre with a curriculum devised through a cultural lens.

“As I continue to grow Oshkagoojin Indigenous Theatre for Youth, I look forward to strengthening the organization’s capacity, sustainability, and national reach so that more Indigenous young people can access theatre, cultural learning, and artistic leadership opportunities in their own communities,” says Courchene in a release. “I believe that when Indigenous youth are empowered to tell their stories, entire communities benefit, and I am excited to continue building these pathways for future generations.