Although numbers continue to drop slightly each year, those involved in Donor’s Choice in Boissevain, and the organizations collecting the money, continue to find the effort worthwhile.
The annual disbursement was held on Monday, October 19. The 26 charities on the list shared a $53,917 pot. This was down just over $2,000 from the $56,000 collected in 2025. Donors Choice Chair Barry Lamb acknowledged the slight drop, but said the board was still happy with the results.
“We’re still very pleased with the generosity of Boissevain-Morton citizens,” Lamb said. “We topped the $50,000 mark. The last two or three years has seen a consistent drop $2,000-$3,000 a year. As I’ve said in the past, it sometimes just takes one donor to leave the community and that can diminish the money coming in.”
Lamb said there were many possible reasons for the donations going down. For one, there is a fair bit of economic instability, and no one is safe from increases at the gas pump or grocery store. As he said “disposable income is not so disposable anymore”. Also, in Boissevain-Morton, there have been a few special projects going recently. He pointed to the ongoing playground project at Boissevain School as an example of a very worthwhile effort that has been grabbing the attention of the community. There is also the ongoing work collecting funds for a new arena. These are important local projects that people have been sending their charitable dollars to.
Voters had the opportunity to see what their municipal candidates are all about, and took advantage of it.
Boissevain Legion was full on October 14 of those seeking a peek into those running for Boissevain-Morton Council in next week’s election. With a full slate of candidates for both council and the head position on hand, they were able to see what their thoughts were on key issues.
Emceed by Barry Lamb, the event initially gave candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the voters. Council hopefuls David Stead, Mike McCallum, Eric Reichert, and Rhonda Coupland are trying to return, with Rob Adams attempting to move to the mayoral chair. Lonnie Graham and Doug Troke are attempting a comeback, RM of Cornwallis councillor Ed Maxwell is trying to take a position in his old/new area, and Laurie Nestibo, Craig Barwick and Duane Latimer are new candidates. Terry Lucier is running against Adams for the head of council slot.
After introductions, four questions were asked of the candidates, highlighting different issues in the community. The event was organized by the Boissevain Community Centre, and they gave the questions to the candidates ahead of time so to have the best answers possible.
Although it may have come later than originally planned, the harvest for the Boissevain-Morton-Whitewater Growing Project will once again help those in need around the world.
On October 9, seven combines and eight trucks hit the field at Fairfax. According to Mitch Bohrn of the BMW board, they found a day of opportunity amid questionable weather, and were able to take advantage of it.
“The harvest was great,” Bohrn stated. “It was a little later than we had hoped, but this has been a tough fall for everyone. We had a good day, and people were able to get out and get it in.”
The crop this year was canola. It was chosen for crop rotation reasons. Bohrn said it looked good. Some canola in the area had been tamped down due to rain, but theirs looked better than most. The field also was dry enough to do the work.
Usually, the project’s harvest day is started at noon with a lunch and then the equipment hits the field. This year, they started at 10am, with the harvesters coming in for lunch, and then finishing up after.
“It made for a shorter day, and we knew there was weather coming so we wanted to get done before that.”
A community development board serving three municipalities paid tribute to many of the people who make their area go and grow at the beginning of the month.
On October 3, the Crocus Country Economic Development Corporation had its second annual Crocus Awards Night in the Pierson Community Hall. With the theme “Growing Our Future”, board member Cindy Horrigan explained the idea of the awards is to “celebrate the businesses, organizations and people who make Crocus Country a great place to live, work and do business.”
“In a rural region, much of the work that keeps our communities strong goes unrecognized: the business that has served families for generations, the employee everyone relies on, the volunteer who is always there. The awards give us a chance to say thank you publicly and to show what our region has to offer,” Horrigan explained.
Horrigan said the idea for the awards came from two community-minded individuals. Camiel Serruys is a Crocus Country Board member and Terri Alphonso is from Studio T Video Creation and Design, who is contracted by the corporation to do marketing and promotion.
The second phase of the Boissevain School Playground project is nearly complete and planning is moving forward for the third and final development.
Perhaps calling the new work on the north side of the school a “playground” is a bit of a misnomer. The basketball court and pickleball court is aimed at the high school students as well as the public at large. However, it is the second part of the Boissevain School Playground Committee’s commitment to upgrading the area for all to enjoy.
Committee Co-Chair Heather Janssens said they were planning to get the practical work done this summer, but Mother Nature got in the way. However, JCI out of Brandon was able to get out early in September and the work has gone quickly.
“They’re getting some colour on there now,” Janssens stated. “We were hoping for the first of July, but once they were able to get out there, they moved quickly.”
There is still work to be done, and Janssens said she did not want to put a completion date on. The backboards and nets need to be put on the basketball side, the nets on the pickle ball courts, laying some lines down, and various other jobs need to be completed.
The project was called “Create a Court”. Built on the old tennis court area, the idea was to create something that would give high school students, who are often overlooked, a place to go out and get exercise while enjoying the outdoors.
“The space was not getting used, and now once this is done, it can be used all the time.”
Two famous names in local hockey were given the highest honour in the sport in Manitoba this past weekend.
On October 3 at the CanadInns Polo Park in Winnipeg, Bob Caldwell of Deloraine and Ivan Strain of Boissevain were among the Class of 2026 for the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, both impacting the sport in different but equally important ways.
A retired high school teacher from Deloraine, Caldwell has been involved in hockey for more than four decades. His coaching career spanned a wide variety of ages and levels, from U7 to NCAA to international hockey, impacting players and the game along the way.
He focused on “repetition, self-discovery and enjoyment” and not only coached, but also helped develop coach training. Caldwell helped create Canada’s National Coach Mentorship Program and was a coach mentor with Hockey Manitoba, holding coaching seminars around the country.
A talented Boissevain student athlete will be participating in a prestigious hockey coaching program this year.
In late September, Hockey Canada and U SPORTS announced the cohorts of 22 participants in the 2026-27 Creating Coaches Program. Grace Glover of the University of Alberta, a Boissevain native, was one of five Manitobans who will be on the ice learning more about coaching this time around.
The International Peace Garden will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of its earliest structure by giving it the face-lift it needs.
The CCC Historic Lodge will hit that birthday in 2027, and according to Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman, this important structure needs some work.
“The lodge will be 90 years old next year,” Chapman explained. “Its bones are in good shape, but it needs some work. We want to make sure it is as up to date as possible.”
The lodge is not only historical for the Garden, but part of a larger story. The “CCC” in its name stands for the Civilian Conservation Corps. This was created in the depths of the Great Depression by newly elected US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Like other related agencies like the Tennessee Valley Authority, the CCC was created to give jobs to the great number of unemployed under the New Deal while developing key infrastructure. The CCC focused on areas like roads, bridges and parks, which is where the Peace Garden fit in.
As Chapman said, about 200 members of the CCC worked in the Garden from1934 to 1941. As well as the lodge, completed in 1937, they also built roads, fire pits and the lake later called Lake Udall. Although it was an American government project and therefore only worked on the south side of the area, they did use lumber from the Duck Mountains for the building.
The fits and starts of harvest this fall continue as the pattern of problematic weather the southwest has seen all growing season is ongoing.
Earlier this past week, farmers in the area were able to get back on the fields after more delays. Sun and wind meant slightly drier conditions. In a version of the phrase “make hay while the sun shines” producers headed out to their fields to take off what crop they could before the next shower.
The problems with harvest are the latest in a long line of weather issues. Early on, there were a couple of heavy-duty dust storms. On May 14-15, the area was hit with winds of up to 119 kms an hour, which pushed dust across roads and fields. As well as damage to trees and power lines, it filled ditches and moved soil from one field to another. It was a harbinger of more to come.
At the end of June, parts of the area were hit with massive rain, which created flooding situations. In Boissevain and area, for example, on June 29 more than six inches of moisture fell in less than two hours. The community was flooded out with plenty of water damage. Deloraine and other communities faced similar situations. This of course extended outside of the communities, swamping many fields.
Then in early July, the hail hit. Golf ball to baseball sized ice fell for around ten minutes in parts of the area, wrecking roof and vehicle alike. Again, this took a toll on crops in some spots, particularly as the storm headed east.
With motor oil in his blood, and plenty of experience, Mike Atchison found the time was right to open a garage in his hometown.
Nor-Del Ventures opened its doors on September 1. The proprietor was happy to put a dream into practice.
“This was something I always wanted to do,” Atchison explained. “I finally took the plunge.”
Atchison, a Deloraine native, said mechanics was something that was always a part of his life. His father Dale was a mechanic, and so he grew up around vehicles. He began in the trade after high school in 2001 at Maxwell Motors, where he worked until 2016. He later spent time at RC Auto & Repair in Hartney. He said it was time to go on his own.
“Sometimes you just have to go for it.”
There was wind, but thankfully no rain for the sixth annual Boissevain Street Fest on September 12.
The annual fall event does showcase Manitoba’s ever-changing weather. Some years, it is blazing while others it is very cold. In 2026, temperatures were different depending on whether or not the sun was out that moment. Nonetheless the show went on, and as Boissevain-Morton Administrative Executive Melissa Perkins, one of the organizers said it was another fine event.
“While there were a few weather-related curveballs, overall the event was another great success celebrating for showcasing Boissevain,” Perkins said. “The wind and wind gusts certainly did affect things and cause some set up reconfigurations but we were grateful it was dry out. Given the rain experienced before and the forecast for more rain after, thankfully it did not rain during Saturday’s festivities. With Saturday being the only dry day in awhile that was good for the farmers who have had some very poor weather and conditions to contend with this harvest season. So while we certainly missed those busy working in the field during Street Fest, we absolutely understand. This year the weather was also chillier which definitely had more of a fall festival kind of feel and thankfully limited the wasps.”
The town wide garage sale, vendor market and Lions Soapbox Races got the day started. The children’s carnival and kid’s zone brought people out, especially early in the day. Perkins said the turtle clay creation station went over well, and there was a big crowd out for the pie eating contest, which included a youth category this year. The bingo was well attended and 130 came out to the Boissevain Community Theatre for the matinee. The Get Local Art Show and live demonstrations, held by the Arts Council was popular, with the gallery providing a space outside of the wind.
New events like the speed puzzling competition in the library and the downtown scavenger event were also fun and well attended.
It might be 25 years ago, but for those who lived through it, 9/11 memories become raw in a hurry.
This was obvious at the ceremony held in the International Peace Garden on September 11. In front of the wreckage of the Twin Towers, transported to the Garden in 2002, dignitaries and the public remembered that fateful day in 2001, when airplanes smashed into the World Trade Centre in New York City, the Pentagon outside of Washington DC, and another crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. It was the marking of a poignant quarter century since the Islamic terror attack.
One of the memories focused on throughout the day was the heroism of first responders in New York. This made the choice of emcee for the event poignant. David Pankratz, MLA, was a firefighter. He said there was something about having that experience that gives a greater understanding. When a siren goes off, you go.
“You don’t know what you’re going to or what you’re going to find, you only know someone needs help,” Pankratz stated. “On September 11 of 2001, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, military members and ordinary people as well ran toward danger while everyone else ran away.”
He said they gathered at the Peace Garden to remember not only 3,000 lives lost, but also those who responded with great courage.
High school rodeo continues to be a big part of the lives of local riders, with at least one moving on with the sport this year.
Nine riders from the different communities in our area participated in the last season of the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association, with most coming back this time around. The new season has recently kicked off for this year, with plenty of events coming.
Also, many young people have also participated in higher-level events, and had success when the gate was pulled.
From Boissevain School, there are sisters Abby and Riata Dalby and Lexi and Kaity Janssens, as well as Zoe Vorster and Reid Armstrong.
Kesley McGee has competed from Deloraine, Jett Lockie from Waskada and Grace Cole from Goodlands.
Building a lagoon might not be the most romantic infrastructure project, but in Boissevain-Morton it is long awaited and seriously needed.
Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard was in town on Tuesday, September 8 to break ground on the lagoon construction. Located on the old site southwest of town, practical work began this summer after a lot of planning and some frustrating periods. Simard recognized the importance of the project.
“These projects are huge for rural Manitoba communities,” Simard stated. “They are important to help towns like Boissevain grow into the future.”
The work on the new lagoon is progressing, although weather might be slowing things down presently. The municipality is handling the project in an unusual way. When they put out tenders earlier in 2026, they found the estimates came in $2 million over the $10 million budget. They decided they would be their own general contractors and hired sub-contractors like Dougall Excavating, Power Baron and Copperman to do the work. Engineers and the Water Services Board have been on and off site while the work has been ongoing.
A major manufacturing centre and employer in Boissevain received the go ahead for more expansion by the local council.
Boissevain-Morton held a public hearing into By-Law 2026-05 on September 1. This was to close two blocks of Buckingham Street on the north end of town and sell it to Western Archrib.
In speaking in favour of the move, Meeghan Paterson Canada of Western Archrib explained the company has been in contact with the community for several years about their plans. The moves they have made, she said, would allow the company to continue to grow. The purchase of the Buckingham property would allow workers and community members to stay safe while operations continue.
Western Archrib owns property on both sides of Buckingham and for decades has moved lumber and finished products back and forth across the street. Two years ago, in what amounted to a swap, Boissevain-Morton and the company changed properties on the north side of the street. This meant a trailer court was relocated, and the new Western Archrib property on the east side was open for further development. The closure of this portion of the street was long proposed.
After more than three decades, T&S Recycling will be picking up their last blue bins at the end of the month.
The business, owned and operated by Tina and Scott Patterson of Boissevain, started home and business recycling pickup in July of 1993. Tina Patterson said it was just time to give it up.
“After 33 years, we decided it’s just time for a change for us,” Patterson explained. “Life on the farm is busy, and now with grandkids to enjoy we’ve decided we are ready to have the extra time back.”
She said they had originally noticed how much their own recycling piled up and knew people in the city had curbside pick up. They figured it was something people in Boissevain would also enjoy. There were originally 25 customers who signed up for the service, and some of them remained to this day. Currently there are around 80 residents and businesses.
“I enjoy learning both the technical and artistic aspects of photography, some of which can be challenging. Seeing how light brings an object to life, the direction of its shadow and how one can be creative with the light and shadows.”
This is Eric Hildebrandt of Boissevain explaining what attracts him to photography. The winner of the photography class at the Boissevain Fair in June sponsored by The Recorder, he has a great love for capturing the image, with several favourite subjects, and that love is growing. His winning entry shows how his passion can inspire and be enjoyed by everyone.
Hildebrandt said he took the photo of a ruby throated hummingbird in May of this year. He was sitting on his front step with his camera waiting for the doves to return to their nest in the cedar tree. Something else grabbed his attention.
“Out of the corner of my eye I see this hummingbird flying around a couple of our bushes,” he stated. “So I went from watching for the doves to watching and photographing the hummingbird. For the next couple of hours I sat there watching and getting the odd shot off as it was flying blossom to blossom.”
For the next week, he kept an eye out, with the hummingbird returning to the area, chasing other males away and introducing his mate to the feeding area. On the night he took the fair photo, he was trying to get in position, as the bird would usually fly in and visit the feeder or blossoms. This time, he perched on one of the branches of the cherry bush.
More...
With a sigh of relief and a determination to get the job done, Boissevain-Morton started moving earth just southwest of Boissevain.
It has been a long haul to get to this point, but the practical work on the new lagoon has begun. According to Head of Council Judy Swanson, the final approval of their project was received about a month ago, and the digging began. She said it was good to see.
“It is a positive thing to finally get started,” Swanson stated.
It has been a many year process to get a new lagoon, including many delays and a change of site. Most recently, they ran into a snag with their environmental license, which was cleared up in July. More importantly, they put the project out to tender and found it came in $2 million over budget. For something budgeted at nearly $10 million, this was not acceptable. In response, Boissevain-Morton decided they would in fact be the general contractor for the lagoon’s first phase and they moved from there.
The community of Deloraine came out in droves for the red carpet premiere of a short film made by a few of their own.
On July 23, “Whitetail” a film by Nick Dietrich and Laughlin McKinnon, made its debut at the Deloraine Theatre. The cast, crew and much of the town were out in full force to see a locally made movie. It was everything they were looking for, McKinnon said.
“It was awesome,” he stated. “We hoped to have a full house and we did. You couldn’t ask for more. That was the dream, to have a premiere of a movie in Deloraine, raise some money for the Ag Society, and we met those goals.”
As McKinnon explained, the venture started when Dietrich, a Deloraine native who is a filmmaker in BC, was on the cusp of a larger film project. He wanted a smaller one to practice putting all aspects of it together. He asked McKinnon if he would help with it, to write a short film.
“We were thinking maybe three to seven minutes. He has an impressive career in videography, but he was going to be looking after everything, editing, directing, cinematography. He wanted to try something short, low stress, before he moved on to something bigger.”
McKinnon said it caught him off guard, as he had not done anything like that. He got a skeleton of what Dietrich was looking for, and a story including a storm-stayed drug dealer, a deer hunter and more came into focus. There was an immediate desire to have a local feel with local place names used. There would be a hunting cabin, a gun, some tension and what McKinnon referred to as a “twisted re-telling of the Hansen Buck (world record typical whitetail shot) story.”
When the final out was made on July 30 at the Centennials diamond, the Boissevain squad completed not only a finals sweep, but also reached a major milestone.
The Cents shut out the Oak River Dodgers 6-0 in the third and deciding game for the South West Baseball League championship at home. This is their fifth consecutive title, which is incidentally what the New York Yankees did from 1949-53, the longest run in Major League Baseball history.
In game three, Connor Martin of the Centennials pitched a complete game (seven inning) shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out 10. In contrast, the Dodgers used three hurlers, with starter Riley Shamray taking the loss, allowing nine hits and five earned runs in three and two thirds innings of work. Dylan Schroeder and Mitch Battersby finished up on the mound.
Tyler Robertson led Boissevain in hits with three, all singles, and drove in one run. Tanner Clyne and Jay Pringle chipped in a pair of singles apiece, with Jordan Foote showing speed with a triple and two stolen bases. Austin Clyne and Griffin Albrecht each had a hit with Foote, Pringle, Robertson, Zane Sawyer, Bryan Laing and Drew Hilhorst driving in single runs.
The series started in Boissevain on July 27, and set the tone for all three games. The Centennials won the opener 5-0, with Zane Sawyer getting the complete game shutout. He scattered five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Oak River starter Kaden Rozdeba was hung with the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs in two and two-thirds innings. In relief, Dylan Schroeder allowed the final run.
Jordan Foote had a pair of hits, including a double and drove in a team leading three runs. Tyler Robertson also had a pair of hits and Tanner Clyne had a double. Skylar Canada had one hit but made it count, taking a pitch deep. Drew Hilhorst also had a hit and an RBI.
Anyone wanting to appear on screen while enjoying the beauty of the International Peace Garden will have their opportunity on July 30.
An international video crew will be out at the Garden creating footage of the local attraction. According to Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman, they are looking to promote the area now and into the future.
“This is a different type of promotion this year,” Chapman explained. “We want to get some footage made up, some deeper footage we can use for 10 years down the road.”
Chapman said the Garden receives a lot of outreach from video production companies who want to be hired to film promotional material. This year, a company made a positive impression and they are moving forward.
“They can do these films that can go on US and Canadian cable TV and web versions. They make a five minute piece that can be picked up by stations.”
As well as the film itself, the company will be shooting the whole day of July 30, with footage going to the Peace Garden. As they hired them, the Garden will decide where the shooting will take place, who they will talk to – staff and supporters – and this will be used by the Garden for their own promotions. Chapman said it could be for something as simple as a small feature on their website.
“The way the internet has changed, if you have good footage, you can cut it up for 15 second clips, or still pictures. It will make a nice library of film to access.”