Sheldon Birnie

Henderson Legion ringing in 75th anniversary

After 75 years, the Royal Canadian Legion Henderson No. 215 branch is still going strong.

But things haven’t been easy, lately. The branch, which is located at 215 Maxwell King Dr., was just getting back into the full swing of things following two years of COVID-19 related closures and restrictions when it fell victim to overland flooding on April 24.

“We had three feet of water in the basement,” Gord Machej, president of Henderson Legion, said. “We didn’t know what was going to happen.”

The halls, which are used for Legion functions — such as weekly Thursday night dances — and rented for socials, receptions, and other events, have now been renovated and were back in action as of Oct. 20. Machej said the Legion plans to add TVs to the hall, which can accommodate between 150 and 2o0 people.

Prairie Crocus Polish continues to flourish

One local entrepreneur has seen her business flourish over the past three years.

Tamala Thomas, a self-described “nail polish addict” from North Kildonan, founded Prairie Crocus Polish in 2019 with the desire to make fun, funky natural nail polish with ingredients she felt comfortable with.

“People are still pushing support local, and a lot of people are quite often on Facebook groups, looking for unique gifts,” Thomas said. “Social media, Facebook in particular, has been helpful.”

Along with online sales, Thomas has been a fixture of local markets over the past three years, and will be appearing at a number in the lead-up to Christmas, including upcoming events at Bronx Park Community Centre and Sunova Centre in West St. Paul.

Reivers crowned Division 3 champs

It was the perfect end to a perfect season.

On Nov. 9, the Kildonan-East Reivers football team beat the Dryden High School Eagles 30-0 to win the Winnipeg High School Football League Division 3 championship at IG Field.

“Guys were prepared, they executed,” head coach Jason Hawkins said. “Everything we did at practice, they brought into the game. They did everything we asked them to.”

Including playoff games, the Reivers went 8-0 during the 2022 season.

Eastside artists featured in new group show

A new group show features recent work from local artists.

Speaking Visually is the collaboration of visual expression from Manitoba artists Roger V. Sutherland, Denise LeBleu, Lydia Bartel-Zobarich, and Jo Smoley. The show started on Nov. 17 and will run until Dec. 13 at cre8ery gallery (125 Adelaide St.).

“Paintings and interpretations are subjective to the viewer, and often a painting will evoke a memory, an emotion or will get a different perspective or response depending on the viewer,” said Bartel-Zobarich, a North Kildonan resident who has been painting for 10 years, mostly with acrylics. “In a way telling a story or what made the artist paint.”

Bartel-Zobarich feels the group show is a complementary format in which to showcase the work of her and her fellow artists.

Students learn about nuclear disarmament

The youth of today are not taking the threat of nuclear annihilation sitting down.

On Oct. 14, local students took part in the Youth Nuclear Peace Day of Action at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Along with a full slate of panels throughout the course of the day, students from Miles Macdonell Collegiate, Collège Louis-Riel, and across Winnipeg made presentations on various aspects of the issue.

Avinashpall Singh, a River East Collegiate alumnus and one of the organizers of the event, was pleased to see the response.

“It was a day of learning, discussion, and action all relating to the topic of nuclear disarmament,” Singh said, adding that, “REC students, under the guidance of Christine Robinson, continue to be involved in world issues just as extracurricular activities are making a full comeback in our schools.”

Little Shop of Horrors coming to local stage

The Dramatic Theatre Company is bringing Little Shop of Horrors to life.

“It’s darker, but it is fun and playful and witty and charming,” said Alana Penner, an East Elmwood-based actor playing the lead role of Audrey. “I’ve loved this musical for a very long time, and I’m excited to approach it from a very different character.”

Penner, who was first bitten by the theatre bug in elementary school, is no stranger to the stage. She has performed in many roles with the North Kildonan Community Players over the years. Little Shop of Horrors is the third production she has been involved in with the Dramatic Theatre Company. It’s also the second time she has performed in a production of Little Shop of Horrors.

“Last time I was one of the three-piece girl group, the Urchins,” Penner said, adding that the role of Audrey has been a much more difficult one. “She’s very archetypal. She’s a damned soul, she’s in an abusive relationship, and it does not end well for her.”

CN Transcona Shops bringing Christmas cheer

Pandora Avenue is about to get a little brighter this holiday season.

That’s because air car and locomotive power workers at CN Transcona Shops have spent some time over the past few weeks making a retired air car and locomotive festive. Complete with lights, decorations, and all manner of holiday cheer, the two cars should be in place next to the front gate on Pandora Avenue by Nov. 12. The Shops will be collecting donations for Manitoba Harvest.

“Our manager Adam Beck came up with this great idea,” Maurizio Alongi, air car supervisor, explained. “CN Transcona’s been a pillar here since 1912 in this community. We wanted to bring some Christmas cheer during this hard time of COVID during the last two years.”

Alongi noted that eight members of his crew contributed to decorating the retired air car, which includes a tree in the door and presents filling the vacant battery boxes.

Wyatt back in the saddle again

Former Transcona city councillor Russ Wyatt, who served the ward from 2002 to 2018, has once again been elected to serve the people of the Park City on city council.

“I want to thank you all for your support,” Wyatt said, surrounded by family, friends, and campaign supporters at Dal’s Restaurant on election night. “It’s a very humbling experience to be able to come back to public life and serve the community.”

In 2018, Wyatt took leave from city council to seek addictions treatment. However, after returning to work, Wyatt was charged with sexual assault in July 2018. Charges were later stayed, and Wyatt maintains his innocence. He did not run for council in 2018.

“I was born and raised in this community,” Wyatt said. “There’s been tough times. But the key thing is there’s always an end to the storm and there’s always light. You have to go towards the light.”

Pottering with purpose

The Park City Men’s Shed is getting the gang back together, while giving back to the local community.

The group, which was founded about four years ago, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 180 Poplar Ave. Membership is currently only a little more than a dozen, but founder Fred Bobrowski hopes that will pick up through the fall.

“We’re struggling to get the word out,” Bobrowski said. “We’ve had a few guys who were affected by COVID, and not in a good way. But now that summer’s over, things are starting to come together a little bit.”

Members of the group spend time on small woodworking projects, such as walking sticks. Currently, the group is working on producing 300 wooden Christmas tree decorations for children who access programming at the Elmwood-East Kildonan Active Living Centre before and after school.

Devlin elected mayor of East St. Paul

Carla Devlin has been elected mayor of East St. Paul.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Devlin said.

Devlin, a contractor and president of Carrington Custom Homes, was elected Ward 1 councillor in 2018. Her opponent in this year’s municipal election was former East St. Paul two-term mayor and councillor Lawrence Morris, who lost his bid for re-election in 2014 to Shelley Hart, who served two terms before deciding not to run this year.

Devlin won a final total of 2,038 votes, while Morris registered 1,374.

Familiar faces return to council seats

East Winnipeg residents will need no introduction to their city councillors following the Oct. 26 municipal election.

While former Transcona councillor Russ Wyatt, who served from 2002 to 2018, defeated incumbent Shawn Nason, all five other incumbents representing wards in east of the Red River were re-elected.

Jason Schreyer was re-elected for a third term in Elmwood-East Kildonan, after campaigning to continue representing the people and grassroots organizations of the ward, while also keeping the costs of construction inflation at the forefront of budget decisions. Schreyer earned 5,554 votes, or 62.21 per cent of the vote. Challenger Ryan Kochie finished with 3,374 votes.

“We ran our smallest campaign to date, but it was my biggest victory and the largest in the ward history,” Schreyer said. “Ryan, I felt, was a good candidate. He was a natural and legitimate expression of what I can be doing better. I can do a better job and so can City Hall, and that’s what it comes down to.”

Wyatt back in the saddle again

Former Transcona city councillor Russ Wyatt, who served the ward from 2002 to 2018, has once again been elected to serve the people of the Park City on city council.

“I want to thank you all for your support”, Wyatt said, surrounded by family, friends, and campaign supporters at Dal’s Restaurant on election night. “It’s a very humbling experience to be able to come back to public life and serve the community.”

Helping seniors get out and about

The Transcona Council for Seniors is looking for volunteer drivers to help get members where they need to go.

For over 20 years, the council has offered the service to members in Transcona.

“It’s just gained in popularity,” said Colleen Tackaberry, resource co-ordinator for the council and a regular driver for the program. “We take people to their doctor’s, dentist, physiotherapy. But we’d like to do more. We’d like to take them to do groceries or get their taxes done. But we’re limited to medical appointments.”

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, demand has far outstripped available drivers, of which only a handful remain.

Making musical magic

There’s magic in the air when this group gets together.

Incantatem, a group of singers that performs a cappella music from sci-fi and fantasy books, movies, and video games, will perform Harry Potter 2 on Nov. 18 and 19 at John Black Memorial United Church (898 Henderson Hwy.).

“We did Harry Potter 1, which did music from books one to four, around November 2019 or January 2020,” Sara Jane Schmidt, the group’s musical director, said. Despite a longer-than-planned hiatus, owing to COVID-19, the group is back and ready to pick up where it left off, with music from books five to seven. “We have four or five voice actors who will be joining us, so we have readings scripted to go with the songs to give us a bit of a narrative. We’ll have sets and props and prizes, some food at the two intermissions. It’s a full on fun evening.”

Incantatem was formed sometime around 2014, with Schmidt joining and taking reigns as musical director in 2017.

Reivers relish return to gridiron

The 2022 high school football season couldn’t have started better for the Kildonan East Reivers, who were undefeated in six starts ahead of an Oct. 21 match against Dryden. But all that matters to coach Jason Hawkins and the Reivers is the next play.

“We’re just focused on taking a breath,” Hawkins said. “We’re always one breath away from a big play. If something bad happens, just take a breath, move on to next play. Same with good plays. They’ve really bought into that piece. Football is a game of emotion. If you can control highs and lows, it makes a big difference.”

When the Winnipeg High School Football League returned in the fall of 2021 after missing the 2020 season owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Kildonan East opted to go a developmental route, rather than return to the field of play. While Hawkins said that wasn’t the easiest decision to make, in retrospect it was the right one.

“That gave us the opportunity to bring players along that we may have missed (by) just rushing players onto the field,” Hawkins said. “It’s been really good. We have a good group of players who bought into what we’re doing who have worked at it since last fall.”

Two mayoral candidates in running for East St. Paul

Two candidates are registered to run for the office of mayor in East St. Paul, with outgoing mayor Shelley Hart not seeking re-election on Wed., Oct. 26.

Carla Devlin

Devlin, a contractor and president of Carrington Custom Homes, was elected as Ward 1 councillor in 2018.

“I love my community,” said Devlin, a resident of the RM for nearly 20 years. “I’d like to encourage other young residents to get involved in politics, and it’s especially important for women to take a stand and get involved.”

Soup, sandwich, and more

It’s good to be back.

On Oct. 4, the Transcona Retired Citizen’s Organzation held its first Soup & Sandwich lunch at 328 Whittier Ave. West since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down large group gatherings in 2020. Not only does the weekly event allow members to enjoy lunch for $8, but also provides ample opportunity for visiting and community building.

“It feels very good to be back,” said Nellie Oberton, a member of the group for the past 20 years, on Oct. 11. “For the last two years and all that, it was hard on the people, young and old and whatever.”

“We’ve been members for a while and when it was shut down, we missed it,” said George McGinnis, who attended the Oct. 11 lunch with his wife, Linda. “I get to see my sister, and the camaraderie with all the other people, and the cheap lunch. It’s good. We love it.”

Game on!

The high school hockey season is in full swing once again across Winnipeg and beyond.

On Oct. 11, the Winnipeg High School Hockey League regular season kicked off with a Winnipeg Free Press Division matchup between Glenlawn Lions and the Kildonan-East Reivers, which Glenlawn won 2-1 in overtime.

“The kids are excited,” said Dana Gordon, president of the WHSHL and a student counsellor at Kildonan-East Collegiate. “We’re hoping to put a good product on the ice and hoping we’ll get the full season played and crown three divisional champions again in March.”

This season, 38 teams will compete across three divisions, playing 25 games between October and February. Perennial provincial heavyweights like St. Paul’s, River East, Sturgeon Heights, and Westwood are once again competing in the top Platinum Promotions Division. Meanwhile, defending Free Press Division champs Springfield have a chance to defend the title, while runner-up Collège Béliveau finds itself up in the top tier. Defending Price Division champs Léo-Rémillard and runners-up John Taylor are up in the Winnipeg Free Press Division this season.

Cascading mechanical failures hit south Winnipeg rinks

With temperatures dropping, and days getting shorter, rinks around Winnipeg are teeming with activity. But mechanical issues at aging facilities are creating scheduling snafus across the southeast end of the city.

On Sept. 24, a mechanical issue at the St. Norbert Arena (3450 Pembina Hwy.) ice plant forced the partial closure of the rink through the first week of October.

“One of two compressors failed,” explained facility manager Norman Ettawacappo. “Reduces capacity of iceplant to maintain ice time. We did a partial closure, only allowing younger skaters to skate.”

In order to allow for younger groups from the South Winnipeg Hockey Association to keep their icetimes, St. Norbert had to cancel all icetimes for users over the age of 16.

Revitalization for Salisbury Morse Place playground

EAST KILDONAN

Having a place to play is important for kids. But it doesn’t come cheap.

That’s why the parent advisory council for École Salisbury Morse Place School in East Kildonan is currently raising money for a new play structure, which comes at a price tag of nearly $500,000. A 60/40 fundraiser is being held, with the pot at nearly $2,000 at press time.

“We have a large play structure and a small play structure, both have been in place probably 20 years,” said Niki Gagnon, gym teacher at Salisbury Morse Place for over 30 years. “One thing we’re trying to do is make them more inclusive. We have quite a few who have physical needs, including our kindergarten teacher, so we want this to be accessible to everyone.”

“An accident ready to happen”

WEST TRANSCONA

The times may be a-changin’. But some longtime Ravelston Avenue West residents aren’t stepping aside to let development in West Transcona plow ahead willy-nilly.

Both Frank Fiorentino and Don Graziano are signatories — along with neighbours George Sumka, Joan Nestor, and Eddie Miller — on an appeal to a recent variance on a piece of property next to Fiorentino’s home, which is set to be subdivided into eight lots in order to build side-by-sides. Among their reasons for appeal are concerns regarding traffic and safety on the road and the intersection of Ravelston and Peguis Street.

“It’s an accident ready to happen,” Fiorentino said, gesturing out front of his home at 1294 Ravelston Ave. W. “That’s what it is.”

Local wrestler set to retire with a bang

ELMWOOD

A legend of the local wrestling scene is hanging up his spandex.

Bobby J. St. Laurent, an “Elmwood guy” who played baseball and hockey out of Chalmers Community Centre growing up, got his start wrestling locally in 1990.

“I watched AWA back when I was a kid,” St. Laurent, who attended George V School before graduating from Elmwood High in 1983, said. “There used to be wrestling shows at Chalmers Community Centre, which I used to go to. When I was about 25 I decided I wanted to get in the business.”