Although the Municipality of Grassland did not make an immediate decision on three hog barns, all three met the technical review by the time of the conditional use hearing, and were given the go-ahead the next day.
On April 20, council held the public forum on the three HyLife projects. Due to COVID-19 protocols, those interested could not all meet in the Elgin Hall. However, Grassland Reeve Ruth Mealy said people could listen through their car radios, and there were speakers set up outside as well. Those signed up could come in, one at a time, and present against or in favour of the barns.
“Apparently there were around 60 vehicles,” Mealy said. “We had three staff members out there passing around agendas. The process worked well, the staff did a marvelous job.”
She said in her mind, the public was fairly balanced between those in favour and those opposed to the projects.
An April snowfall and cooler temperatures that hit southwest Manitoba earlier in the week were certainly welcomed for desparately needed moisture.
On Monday morning, April 12 wet snow began falling on Southern Manitoba after weeks of above-seasonal temperatures and dry conditions. The snow continued to the next day, ending early Tuesday evening. Accumulation in the region varied from 12 cm to 20 cm (five to eight inches).
Everyone, especially the farming community, welcomed the moisture it left behind.
Soil moisture and ground water in retention ponds were depleted after a record low snowfall winter and no spring runoff. Growers will be happy to see this moisture, even if it came as snow.
It is certainly a different world than the fall of 2019.
Whereas at that point, the entire area was awash with water to the point where crops could not come off - moving into the spring of 2021, southwestern Manitoba is dry as the proverbial bone. Moisture left over from a year and a half was used up on the 2020 crop and now people are looking to the heavens for a little wet stuff. It is worrying agricultural producers, and those concerned about a spark setting something alight, particularly in the Turtle Mountains.
Jon Gustafson is a cattle farmer and a councillor with the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester. Farming about eight miles south of Deloraine just north of the US border, he said it is beyond dry. The creeks that usually empty from the Turtle Mountains into the sloughs of the area are not bringing the moisture. Gustafson said the lack of snowfall did not do anyone any good in his area.
“I had wind breaks, they would be filled up with snow,” Gustafson explained. “You would get six foot high snow drifts. It would all drain into the dugouts. It was great. Not a drop of water came from them this year. It is really surprising how little moisture there was once the snow melted. Nothing ran, not that I could tell.”
He said the fall came quickly in 2020 and then the snow was gone just as quickly this spring. Gustafson said there is an eerie silence where he is.
“I can’t hear frogs. Are the sloughs dry? Is the frost not out of the ground yet?”
The move to the country is working out for Jamie Morrison.
The veteran massage therapist opened up her new clinic on South Railway Street in late 2020. So far, she said, everything is moving in the right direction.
“It has been very good,” Morrison stated. “Business is getting busier now, mostly growing through word of mouth. Everything is working out very well.”
Morrison is in her twelfth year of massage therapy. She said she was interested in natural approaches to health care. It appealed to her in part because she knew people who were doctoring and not necessarily finding the solutions to their problems.
“They were looking for something for pain relief other than a pill.”
She was looking for a holistic approach to health care, and also did not want to go to school forever. Morrison did her schooling in Winnipeg at the Massage Therapy College of Manitoba, and said she fell in love with it quickly. She added she usually does a couple of courses a year to keep up with new ideas and techniques.
Morrison worked in Winnipeg for several years, and then was in Brandon at the Reactive Massage Therapy Clinic. She has been on her own for a few years now and wanted a change of scenery.
“I was looking for anywhere, looking in the Whiteshell, the Rocky Mountains,” Morrison explained. “I was looking for a change. I found a property, took a leap and moved to the country.”
The Teulon native said she is living in the Turtle Mountains about 20 minutes southwest of Boissevain. She also fell in love with her available office space on the main street in Boissevain.
Your walk down Crescent Avenue this summer is about to get a lot sweeter. It might even look a little brighter with the addition of Souris’ newest business, 49º (forty-nine degrees).
This June, as long as everything remains on target, Jessica Anderson and sister-in-law, Larissa Anderson will be opening their new ice cream and coffee Shop at the west end of Crescent Avenue.
“We are so excited to begin this new adventure,” explained Jessica Anderson who, along with her husband Craig farm near Souris. “Opening a business was something Larissa and I talked about and we wanted something that was going to be an amazing fit with the community. Once we decided what our business would be, we had to come up with a name.”
One of the most famous historic buildings in the country is in danger of structural damage because of leaks. Hillcrest Museum has a leaking roof that was first apparent in 2019 and the museum board did what they could at the time to mitigate damage. It was not enough and now they are faced with a big bill for repairs, and a race to save the building.
“This has become a very serious issue and we must fix it as soon as possible,” explained Karen Kempe, who is a new member of Hillcrest Board. “There is extensive damage to the Butterfly Room and also seems to be some to the adjoining toy room and while we have a estimate on the roof, we aren’t exactly sure what we’ll see when it’s opened up.”
The preliminary estimate that Kempe is referring to is for the replacement of two roofs, and is upwards of $80,000, bearing in mind this is not knowing the damage that may be discovered as the old roof is removed.
Thanks to a Manitoba Fire Protection Grant, the Boissevain-Morton Volunteer Fire Department will have some new equipment for their all-important work.
The municipality recently got word they were receiving $112,779.51 from the province for a new rescue van. Head of Council Judy Swanson said they applied for the money, which came from a total of almost $10 million for various projects in Manitoba.
“We were fortunate to get it,” Swanson stated. “I think it’s an amazing thing. Our people can go out and get some new equipment from this.”
Hello Southwest Manitoba, I hope everyone is doing well.
I have been on hiatus since I last wrote this ag column that was called “Fenceline Forum”. In fact, it has been at least 15 years since I wrote for our local papers in the SW Corner. So, I am very thankful to have this opportunity to share once again some of my thoughts and experiences in this wonderful world of agriculture. Considering there were only three farmers and my grandmothers that read my column in the past I will introduce myself once again:
I grew up at Dand, Manitoba and I started farming there with my Dad (David Day) in 1989, at the same time I became the rookie Ag Rep in Killarney. I moved to become the Ag Rep in Boissevain in 1995, the same week our daughter Alex was born, who is now at Memorial U taking a biology degree.
Although some might be surprised by the site, many will be pleased there is a replacement for the aging Boissevain Arena on the horizon.
This week, Council for Boissevain-Morton revealed they had chosen a site for a new skating rink in the community, to be on the east end of town. A new arena has been discussed heavily in the past, with a committee struck and basic drawings done. It might not be a completely back to the drawing board situation, but plans are still fairly different than what had been previously proposed.
Head of Council Judy Swanson said council has been working on research for updating recreation facilities in the community quietly behind the scenes. As she explained, facilities in Boissevain were all built at more or less the same time, and are starting to get beyond their lifespan.
It might be a few months later than originally scheduled, but Boissevain School is now operating high school classes at the Legion Hall.
Due to COVID-19, there have been a number of changes at schools in the province to educate students while keeping safety protocols in place. Keeping students two metres apart meant smaller classes and schools attempted to find different ways to accommodate their numbers. For some time in some schools, this meant part-time classroom, part-time distance learning. At Boissevain School, once Prairie Mountain Health was moved into Code Orange in the fall, they began work to move classes into the Legion Hall on North Railway Street. A lot of preparation went into the move, including sorting out Wi-Fi logistics and making sure staff and teachers could rotate back and forth between the school and the hall. Before the move could be made, however, the province switched everyone over to the restrictive Code Red, eventually moving older students to distance learning.
The development of the assisted living facility in Boissevain continues to be the good news story in the community during a period of turmoil.
The construction for the structure began in the spring of 2020, with planning and fundraising beginning many years before. The parent organization, Southwest Senior Housing Inc., is more than pleased with the progress thus far and are looking at a completion halfway through this year.
“Things are going really well,” said George Heide of SWSH. “There have been a few hiccups here and there, but things are moving forward, with really good progress. The guys are not short of work.”
The building is right next to the Boissevain Health Centre along Highway #10. When completed, there will be 35 suites of different amenities, which will allow seniors to live semi-independently, while having access to services like meals and laundry. It would be a great boon to the area, allowing seniors to stay in or close to their home communities.
Since the Province of Manitoba moved to Code Red back in mid-November due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 numbers, prohibiting businesses from selling non-essential goods in-store, it has been tough on everyone. New orders on January 23 kept the province in Code Red but they lifted the restrictions on non-essential sales. This was good news for businesses in Souris and indeed all of Manitoba.
The Souris Pharmasave, operated by Lorie and Duane Davison is one of those businesses that are now able to serve all their customers and the change was welcome.
“Oh, it’s wonderful that we are able to open up to regular sales again,” remarked Lorie Davison in a phone interview January 27. “We are following all the guidelines to meet the province’s restrictions but it’s just so nice to see people coming in again.”
After months of remote learning, high school students in Souris headed back to class on January 18. The difference is they are attending school in the Souris Community Hall. Grades 9 - 12 began arriving by foot, by car and by bus trying to get back to a semblance of normalcy as they met for classes at the hall.
Complex manager Carole Williams says that there has been quite a buzz of activity leading up to first day as the hall was set up to accommodate students and teachers. Wi-Fi has been installed in the facility to make it easier for them to connect to their devices.
Community spirit at its finest is evident at Hasselfield Lake. Bob and Ann Betts made the lake their home in 2012 and started what has become a yearly tradition - a ready-made outdoor rink on the lake. Each year the rink has evolved - getting bigger and better. This year’s additions include a fire pit and benches. In 2018 Scott and Debbie Dunn moved to the lake and joined forces with the Betts to create the outdoor venue.
“We’ve become great friends and each year we dream up new ways to make the rink better and more inclusive,” said Scott. “It’s really become a community project. People are always dropping off things to help with the rink. This year it is a regulation size rink - 80 ft. wide x 200 feet long and includes blue lines, red lines – it’s very authentic.”
In order to help a major business in Boissevain grow and prosper, Council for Boissevain-Morton is looking to close part of a street and transfer ownership.
On January 21, 2021 at 10:00am, the municipality will be holding a public hearing in the Civic Centre to discuss shutting down the northernmost portion of Egan Street. According to Head of Council Judy Swanson, this came from one of the biggest employers in the community.
“This is a street they were using,” Swanson explained. “It is a piece that runs through their lot. The idea is it is important for them to own it, so instead of just closing it off, we are looking to actually sell them the piece.”
The area in question is about a block long, and would run from the lane just to the south of the laminating business to Buckingham Street to the north. Swanson said there would be a caveat on the sale, giving the municipality access underneath the street so they could do repairs to the water and sewer system when necessary.
Jock and Lois Carr of Melita will reach an amazing milestone on December 29, 2020 when they celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary.
Lois was born in Portage la Prairie to Samuel and Sarah (O’Reilly) Fonger. Her dad worked with CPR as a train dispatcher, which meant several moves for the family. From Portage they went to Starbuck where Lois completed schooling until grade six. From there it was on to Altona where she finished high school, and onto Success Business College before her 17th birthday. Lois was hired by the Canadian Surety Co. as a filing clerk.
“I never liked the city or my job, so went home to work as a ‘permit teacher’,” Lois said. “During the war in 1940, teachers enlisted in the army as was better pay, so anyone with college or high school could apply for a country school.”
When her parents moved to St. Claude, Lois moved home and applied for the job at Arbroath School north of Treherne. The next career move for Samuel was to Napinka and this is where Lois and Jock’s love story began.
When long-time Southwest Cougar supporter Grant Moffatt passed away earlier this year, his loss was felt deeply, not only within his circle of family and friends, but also within his larger family, the hockey world. Moffat’s loss was profound and the Southwest U18 Cougars felt that loss even more than any other organization. His work with the team was a great love in his life and the feeling was mutual.
You don’t have to go very far to find someone who will share a story or discuss exactly what Moffat meant to them. Debbie Butler is a second cousin to Moffatt and she also had two sons come through the Cougar system, and acted as co-manager for a year.
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A growing focus on her work will allow the larger community to see the talents of an emerging Boissevain artist.
Lisa Joelle Heide is starting to get some serious attention for her artworks. She has sold several and will soon be seen by the many who support the Boissevain Lions Club annual calendar project, as her painting “Belong” will be featured on their 2021 edition. This has been a lifelong passion, but more recent emphasis on developing her painting has brought it more into the limelight.
“I’m surprised, very happy,” Heide said. “I wasn’t expecting the reaction I have received and the support.”
Heide said she has been painting all her life. For her, it is not just about the final product, but also the creating itself.
Boissevain Bakery may not be able to celebrate 40 years the way they want to, but they will celebrate nonetheless.
Ron and Sharron Fikkert took over the bakery in town on December 1, 1980. From that time onward, they developed their presence in the community, and gained a well-deserved reputation for quality that is known in Boissevain and outside. The physical place may have moved a couple of times, but the Fikkerts have remained a major part of the Boissevain business scene.
Ron Fikkert said when they first came, they did not have four decades on their mind.
The year 2020 will go down in history around the world as the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the community of Waskada, the year 2020 will be remembered as the time two landmarks were demolished. The Municipality of Brenda-Waskada hired Tim’s Backhoe Service to knock down the hotel in April, and this month they hired Jaytan Excavation and Transfer to bring down the old skating/curling rink structures.
The rinks were officially opened in December 1948. The two-sheet curling rink was created from two agricultural barns in 1943 and an outdoor rink was added on the north side. That rink was used for five winters. The last time there was ice in the rinks was the winter of 2015-2016.
“We made ice for the fall of 2016 in the new facility and were granted our occupancy permit January 2017,” said Diane Woodworth, CEO for the Municipality of Brenda-Waskada. “Jason Hofer did an awesome job of dropping the old rink,” she added.
The Municipality of Grassland will miss the headman at the council table, one of the longest serving and dedicated members in the area.
Blair Woods passed away on November 7 after a battle with cancer. He had served as Reeve of Grassland since its inception, and his municipal service began in 1986.