Round one of Mother Nature’s wrath upon the area left the area soggy, disheartened but strangely resilient.

In the early evening of Monday, June 29, Boissevain was shaken by a sudden and explosive rainstorm. In around an hour and a half to two hours, the community and surrounding area received a whopping six plus inches of water. Coming at that speed, there was nowhere for that amount of moisture to go except everywhere. Within minutes, basements were flooding and in some cases, sewers were backing up. Results varied around Boissevain, but the majority of homes had a least some water, and for many, the results were catastrophic.

“It was huge,” said Boissevain-Morton Head of Council Judy Swanson. “It had a huge impact on all of us. I don’t know how many people had problems, but it sounds like everyone.”

Streets were awash shortly after the storm began, with some being under enough water that people could swim or in at least one case, kayak. Swanson said the town has a good system of storm sewers, but they cannot handle this level of water.

“The system is built for regular rain. I have never seen rain like this, so much in so short a time.”

The Boissevain Arena was hopping with hockey talent last weekend, but the impact did not stick to the ice.

The U13 A Female Provincials were held from February 27 to March 1. It was a busy time on the ice, and according to Melissa Perkins, one of the organizers, it was also a great one.

“Hosting the Hockey Manitoba Rural U13 A Female Provincials in Boissevain this past weekend was a tremendous success,” Perkins stated. “This three-day provincial championship tournament showcased the best of the best of Rural U13 Female hockey teams and athletes. Featuring 10 teams from across the province, it was a true showcase of hockey skills, teamwork, and competition right here in our own barn.”

With the strong hockey culture and history in Boissevain, Perkins said, bringing the female tournament to town was extra special. The arena was packed all weekend and the influx of more than 145 players was noticed around town, although the start had a shaky look.

“The weather Friday was looking iffy and affecting travel plans for teams coming from the east, with some team families stuck on closed highways outside of the city. Thankfully conditions improved, roads re-opened and everyone made it in and the schedule ran as planned.”

Deloraine-Winchester has made a move to make sure medical professionals in the community are not left out in the cold.

At a meeting in December, council passed a resolution to purchase a home at 512 Morton Avenue West to use as housing for those working in the health care facilities in the town. According to Deloraine-Winchester Reeve Kelly McMechan, this is not a foreign concept in the community.

“This isn’t new, we have had medical housing in the past, and sold one to the last physician,” McMechan explained. “That physician has now left, and has left a medical housing void.”

He said they have been working on this for a while, as they recognize the need. As McMechan explained, they do not want any health care people leaving because there is a lack of housing.

“Just want to make medical professionals feel as welcome as possible.”

More improvements and refurbishments may be on the way for Deloraine-Winchester, this time at the municipal airport.

According to Deloraine-Winchester Airport Commission Chairman Lorne Bolduc, the group is looking into upgrading the asphalt on the runway, because it has not had any work done on it since it was installed in the early 1980’s, besides a few small repairs to particularly large dips. The 4,000-foot-long runway is starting to show its age, said Bolduc, and is full of cracks and dips, making it less than ideal for small planes taking off. On top of that, jagged edges make it difficult to clean in the winter.