New doctors serving the region
Primary health care clinics in Beausejour, Whitemouth and Pine Falls have welcomed new physicians who are all accepting patients.
“Interlake-Eastern (Regional Health Authority) has been working hard to recruit physicians to communities across the region, and that work is paying off,” says vice president of medical services and chief medical officer Dr. Scott Gregoire. “These additional doctors will benefit families in the eastern part of the region by ensuring they receive consistent and reliable health care in their own communities.”
New Beausejour primary care doctors are Dr. Shiva Shrestha, Dr. Nadia Parvez, Dr. Nazukjit Nijjar, Dr. Roque Nepomuceno and Dr. George Gerges. The new doctors will join the existing Beausejour physician group of Drs. Van Rensburg, Awopetu and Tanner as well as Nurse Practitioner Hessie Sookermany-Leoppky.
Call Beausejour Primary Health Care Clinic at 204-268-4966 to schedule an appointment with the following physicians: Dr. Gerges, Dr. Nepomuceno, Dr. Shrestha, Dr. Nijjar, or Dr. Parvez. Call Beausejour HEW Primary Care Clinic at 204-268-2288 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Awopetu who is also accepting new patients.
In Whitemouth. Dr. Shiva Shrestha will also be joining existing Nurse Practitioner Derek Edwards at Whitemouth Primary Health Care Clinic. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Shrestha in Whitemouth call 204-348-2291.
In Powerview-Pine Falls Dr. Behnaz Soltani and Dr. Ahmed Waheed are accepting patients at Pine Falls Primary Health Care Clinic. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Soltani or Dr. Waheed in Pine Falls call 204-367-2278
Family Doctor Finder can help anyone in Manitoba find a home clinic that can meet their needs. Register online (https://forms.gov.mb.ca/family-doctor-finder/) or call 1-866-690-8260 to begin the process.
Opposition to Brokenhead zoning changes
By Mark T. Buss
The RM of Brokenhead will be making changes to its proposed zoning bylaw after significant opposition came forward during the public hearing last week.
Held on Sept. 28 at the Brokenhead River Community Hall, approximately 275 people were in attendance with the overwhelming majority opposed to Zoning Bylaw Amendment No. 2269-25.
Municipal zoning bylaws regulate and control the use of development of land and buildings within the limits of the RM and should be adjusted every few years. Community planner Michael Blatz advised the proposed changes were to fix previous errors and to also increase housing supply in the RM by introducing mixed residential-commercial development, detached secondary suites and tiny homes – permanent dwellings between 400 and 800 square feet. Other proposed changes include reducing single unit residential building lots from 7,500 to 5,500 square feet. Two new proposed types of land use include event facilities and short-term rentals.
First reading was given on Sept. 9, which set up the public hearing. Blatz advised those in attendance the RM received comments from the province in regards to the bylaw just that morning, which included potential mapping changes that needed to be addressed before any decisions could be made.
Approximately 400 objections were raised in letters and petitions identifying concerns some have. One of the main issues involves the effort to reduce minimum lot sizes and allow denser housing developments across established neighbourhoods, primarily in the LUD of Tyndall-Garson.
Another hot button topic was an effort to allow a property on the north side of Hwy 44 across from the Brokenhead River Park, and allow it to be zoned seasonal for trailers and tents. Reeve Brad Saluk said council also had some misgivings on the idea, adding it would be removed as it did not fit in that area.
Saluk also advised the large audience that nobody at the hearing signed on to speak in favour of the proposed changes, which resulted in a round of applause.
Others came forward with allegations of a lack of public consultation and notification on the matter, some claimed there was a conflict of interest with some members of council.
George Szalai and Betty Mroz went so far as to allege there may be a level of corruption on council, which rankled Saluk
“Don’t sit here and lie George,” Saluk said.
Ashley Buller asked why the RM would rezone land when current roads and sidewalks are failing the families who live in the LUD now?
“There are empty spaces or run down buildings in Beausejour that can be rebuilt or repurposed into apartments that make sense for a larger town,” Buller said
“If residents are overwhelmingly saying ‘pause and fix what’s broken,’ like we are here, why won’t council listen?” she added.
After the meeting, Saluk said there would be changes made and another hearing would be scheduled in the New Year where he said new maps would be discussed and taxpayers can again provide their input.
He did say the RM needed to proceed with some form of residential housing plan for Tyndall-Garson as Brokenhead has spent millions of dollars to build the water treatment plant.
“The water treatment plant was built for growth, so to not do that now with the amount of tax dollars put it... there has to be some compromise,” Saluk said.
The Lac du Bonnet and District Chamber of Commerce, Lac du Bonnet Farmer’s Market and Winnipeg River Recreation District will once again join forces Nov. 15 for the Shop LdB event.
Business owners and home-based businesses will be participating in the event to encourage the public to shop locally as over 90-plus vendors set up in three locations. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Winnipeg River Recreation District’s Lac du Bonnet Christmas Craft and Gift Sale will be at the Community Centre and the Lac du Bonnet and District Chamber of Commerce’s Mall in the Hall will be at the Pioneer Club. The Lac du Bonnet Farmers’ Market Christmas Craft Sale will be set up at the Lac du Bonnet Legion.
Access Credit Union will be at the community centre to assist children with free arts and crafts activities. It is not a drop off centre, and parents have to stay in the building.
Lac du Bonnet Chamber administrator Tracey MacDonald said there will be collecting a tin for the bin in support of local food banks and they are also encouraging folks to drop a new unwrapped toy in support of the Red Apple toy drive.
Last year, approximately 70 local businesses, home-based outlets, gardeners and crafters offered shoppers a wide array of gift ideas in what was a wildly successful event.
Municipalities lobby for water, sewer funding
By Tony Zerucha
The association representing Manitoba municipal CAOs is pushing the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada to quadruple money available for sewer and water projects in the province.
The Manitoba Municipal Administrators’ Association (MMA) is working with the RM of Cartier to secure resolutions from 100 municipalities in support of raising the amount of money available to the Manitoba Water Services Board (MWSB) from its current $24 million to $100 million.
According to the MMA, the MWSB has received 346 project applications from 103 municipalities and water cooperatives, not including the City of Winnipeg. The estimated total combined cost of these projects is $1.35 billion. With MWSB projects cost-shared at 50 per cent, meaning that municipalities must match the grants, the MWSB is oversubscribed by a factor of 56.
The MMA’s main goal is to increase project funding, but it also hopes that additional technical help is provided to municipalities.
“Many rural municipalities generally do not have the expertise and staffing resources to manage their own government funding-assisted water and wastewater projects and heavily rely on MWSB’s technical and financial staffing resources to act on a municipality’s behalf,” an MMA circular states.
That additional help could also hopefully speed up a lengthy approval process that involves an evaluation and prioritization of projects using its internal Rating Criteria and the submission of this Capital Plan to the MWSB Board Members for approval. MWSB’s approved Capital Plan will then be submitted to the province for approval. This is a one-year process.
North Eastman has several major water and sewer projects that have been recently completed, are under construction, or are planned in the near future. Springfield’s Dugald-Oakbank Water System has a $29.4 million tab. At last report, Springfield planned to borrow $8.82 million.
Beausejour and Brokenhead’s water treatment plant costs $16.65 million, while the Whitemouth lagoon comes in at $5.77 million. Several other lagoons throughout the region are also planned.
The RM of Lac du Bonnet voted unanimously to support the annual increase at their council meeting of Oct. 7. Springfield council likewise approved a motion in support the increase on Oct. 14.
RM of Brokenhead Reeve Brad Saluk, who also serves as VP of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, welcomed the MMA’s efforts.
“We’ve been pushing that same exact message to the feds in regards to the MWSB budgets,” Saluk said. “We have over 300 shovel-ready projects that are needed to grow Manitoba, and no money to pay for them.”
“How do you grow Manitoba without clean drinking water? How do you grow First Nations communities? The only way to grow Manitoba is through housing and industry, and if we don’t have proper water and sewer infrastructure, we can’t do that.”
Saluk joined a September meeting with the AMM and federal officials, where the need for more sewer and water infrastructure funding was stressed. He will reiterate that message during in-person meetings in the nation’s capital later this month.
A consistent message from multiple groups helps the cause, he added.
“I’m glad to see that’s out there, but it has to be pushed through,” Saluk concluded. “We need one solid front.”
Intimate partner violence arrest made in Winnipeg
One man has been arrested following what RCMP are calling ‘intimate partner violence’ in the Beausejour area where a woman was allegedly confined and sexually assaulted.
On Oct. 26 at 11:50 a.m., Beausejour RCMP responded to a report of an assault within their detachment area. Officers learned that a 21-year-old female was held against her will and repeatedly assaulted numerous times by a person who was known to her. She sustained serious injuries and was transported to hospital.
Beausejour RCMP obtained an unendorsed warrant for the arrest of the suspect.
On Oct. 29, the Manitoba Integrated Violent Offender Apprehension Unit, with assistance from the Winnipeg Police Service, executed the arrest warrant in the 300-block of North Town Road in Winnipeg and arrested a 25-year-old male from Winnipeg.
The male suspect has been remanded in custody for a series of offences including assault by choking, overcome resistance, uttering threats, two counts each of assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault and disobeying a court order along with three counts of forcible confinement.
Beausejour RCMP continue to investigate. The suspects name was not released as it would identify the victim. Any charges against him have not been tested in court and he is presumed innocent.
Anyone who is experiencing or knows someone experiencing intimate partner violence, resources are available to help at www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html
Individuals in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 911.
Springfield council considering policing options
By Tony Zerucha
The RM of Springfield administration is researching three options for community policing after the Springfield Police Service (SPS) office closed over the summer.
At the Oct. 14 meeting, CAO Colleen Draper said options include bringing the Springfield Police Service back, introducing community safety officers or bylaw enforcement officers.
“We’re reaching out to different agencies like East St. Paul, Victoria Beach and Steinbach,” Draper said. “They’re all communities that have some variation. We’re meeting with them to see the pros and cons, what they’ve learned and what they can do better.”
On Aug. 6, the RM of Springfield announced the SPS office at 686 Main St. in Oakbank was closed until further notice. A sign on the front door of the police station noted the front counter position was also currently vacant, but that “officers are still on patrol regularly.”
The closure came after two officers left the Springfield Police Service. The RM was already searching for a new chief of police, but the police board remained intact with council preparing to discuss next steps at upcoming meetings.
Draper said they are currently conducting an inventory at the Springfield Police Service office so the RM is ready to dispose of surplus items should council disband the force.
A series of questions has been developed for Draper to ask other municipalities. She said she hopes to have all information compiled before the end of 2025.
Sgt. Gogo serving King and Country
After graduation from École Powerview, Brendon Gogo felt the desire to enroll in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Combat Engineer with The Fort Garry Horse a reserve unit in Winnipeg.
It was something of a family legacy, with his grandfather having served in the Korean War and other family serving during the First and Second World Wars.
Since 2009, Brendon found himself in unique and challenging situations that come with military service. He helped with flood disaster relief in Manitoba, wildfire relief in British Columbia, and learned about Arctic Operations to act in an advisory role.
Now living in Edmonton as part of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, a seasoned Sgt. Gogo recently returned from deployment on Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s effort to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) by providing military training and assisting with the flow of aid into the country. The operation has been active since 2015 and has trained over 43,000 AFU members, hundreds of whom underwent training during Brendon’s time in Poland.
“The best part has been the ability to represent Canada internationally and work with our allies, all with the common goal of strengthening the Ukrainian nation,” Gogo said as he reflected on six months of working with AFU trainees. “Being part of a team with such a strong common goal has really been a privilege and a memory that will stay with me.”
While deployed, Gogo worked in the Engineer Training Element, a partnership between the Polish Armed Forces, the British Army and the Estonian Army.
The CAF provides training on a range of basic and advanced combat engineering skills. These include instruction on locating, identifying, and neutralizing enemy explosives, as well as breaching enemy obstacles to enable the movement of friendly forces.
While new memories were made during this recent adventure, Great Falls will always be home.
“Doesn’t matter where I go in this world, I love the Winnipeg River and the country around it the most.”
Garbage pick-up changes in Beausejour
New service provider started this month, phasing out trash bag tags for 2026
By Mark T. Buss
The Town of Beausejour is making changes to its weekly garbage pick-up program.
Bristal Hauling Inc. out of Niverville has been awarded the contract as the new service provider as of Nov. 1. They handle both waste and recycling collection.
While pick-ups were previously scheduled for Tuesdays on the north side of Beausejour and on Thursdays and the south side, a new three-day, three-zone schedule has been approved.
Pickup will remain Tuesdays on the north side of town, but only in the area between First and Fifth Streets North and from Park Avenue north to Elm Avenue.
There will now be a Wednesday pick-up from Park Avenue south to the Rail Trail active transportation walking path and run east and west to the town’s boundaries. This area will also include properties north of Park Avenue from Fifth Street North east to the Beausejour Industrial Park as well as properties west of First Street North to James Street and north to Willow Green Trailer Village.
Thursday pick-up will include properties south of the Rail Trail and running to the east and west boundaries of town.
Large commercial bins have also been placed in certain areas. The industrial sized bins with grey lids are for garbage while the ones for recycling have blue lids.
Bag Tags
The town will also be doing away with garbage bag tags in January 2026.
Over the past several years, home owners and renters were required to place a garbage tag to each bag or one large decal on each garbage can. Failure to do so meant the garbage would not be picked up.
In the New Year, tags will no longer be required on the first two bags left for pickup or one large garbage can. Anything after that will require the purchase of tags from the town office for $2 per tag per bag.
The town first implemented a two-bag garbage limit in 2012. The need came as the result of the town having to deal with continued cost increases involved with curb side garbage collection fees and exploding tipping fees at landfills.
Not long after that, the town implemented a garbage bag tag requirement following several reports of non-residents leaving their refuse on town curbsides for pick-up. A total of 104 tags were provided annually to homeowners, enough to cover weekly garbage pick-up for the year.
With the town still having a two-bag limit, if a resident calls up and says there are more bags and it is not their garbage, the town will track down who it belongs to.
“If we find that we are having rural people trying to dump in town, we have the ability to work with the RM to approach the people that are doing it,” Beausejour CAO Christine Hutlet said
Hutlet claims the town is moving away from tags as a cost cutting measure, alleging it cost $11,000 to print, manage and distribute them. Previous councils claimed the cost of the tags were covered by property taxes with no additional fees for residents.
She added using tags was hard to manage for the service provider as 104 tags were provided but no control over when they would use them.
“Last year we had one in the summer time where they put out 50 bags at one time. They were all tagged... so it really makes it unmanageable when you have that inconsistency.”
Hutlet said the town is encouraging people to reduce their waste and recycle more as that service is virtually unlimited.
“You can get rid of as much recycling as you want at no cost,” she said. “And we want to get our numbers back up. We are seeing a decline as people are not recycling like they used to.”
Hutlet said from administrations view, these changes are the first step in moving to an automated cart-based waste and recycling pick-up system that she says is cleaner and more efficient for residents. In that setup, each customer will receive two 240-litre bins, with grey dedicated to waste and blue to mixed recyclables. The service provider uses a waste collection truck with an arm that picks up the bins, lifts and dumps them into the truck and returns the receptacle to the street.
“We’ve had discussions that we would eventually like to go that way, but there has been nothing definitive,” Hutlet said.
Exploratory drilling for cesium underway at Falcon West
By Simon Ducatel
Grid Metals recently started exploratory drilling operations on the Falcon West property to more accurately assess the potential for mining cesium, a rare and increasingly-coveted critical metal.
The company got provincial approval in mid-September for an exploration drill permit at its 100 per cent owned Falcon West lithium-cesium property. Grid Metals president and CEO Robin Dunbar confirmed that drilling had started in early October and that the company hoped to have some preliminary test results by the end of November.
“We haven’t seen anything in yet. We’re not sure about how long the lab time is going to be,” Dunbar said, adding timelines tend to vary. “Sometimes it’s two weeks, sometimes it’s six weeks. So hopefully it’ll be faster than six weeks.”
Cesium is listed as a rare, critical metal by both the Canadian and U.S. governments, and has only been mined from three deposits globally, according to a press statement issued by the company.
“There is currently a global shortfall of cesium feedstock to supply a growing number of applications, including strategic defence applications and next-generation solar panels,” reads part of the release.
Dunbar stated the company believes Falcon West represents a unique opportunity to advance a high-demand and rare critical metals project in southeastern Manitoba, in an area with excellent infrastructure. It is rare to find a critical metals project with such an attractive combination of resource scarcity and demand.
“Cesium is a good metal to find,” Dunbar told The Clipper.
Not only is it extremely rare, but the initial extraction process is not harmful to the environment, he said.
“It’s like running a quarry, only it’s a super high-grade material. You don’t have to build an expensive plant to process it; you take the rock out and then you crush it, and then you use an ore sorter,” he explained. “There’s no processor, chemicals or water or anything used at the site.”
Once the metal has been extracted, the material is sent to a facility such as the Tanco cesium plant, where the chemical processing takes place, he said.
Cesium also boasts a high value, currently selling for approximately $2,500 per ounce, he said.
What that might yet represent in terms of economic ripple effects for the surrounding area remains to be determined.
“It’s early stage. We’re just getting going,” said Dunbar. “We’ll see what we find.”
While the operation would not be a huge one, he said there could possibly be anywhere from 10 to 20 jobs over the span of a number of years.
“The downside about cesium is most of the deposits are relatively small.”
That being said, he noted that the Tanco operation is now in large part predominantly focused on cesium, and added whatever Grid discovers could end up being sent there.
The question at this point is a matter of determining how much cesium could potentially be extracted.
“We know there’s cesium there in some pretty high quantities,” he said. “We just don’t know how much. This is what this initial program is all about.”
Have Amero Little Christmas with EMCA
The Eastern Manitoba Concert Association (EMCA) is proud to present Amero Little Christmas on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Pinawa Community Centre.
This beloved holiday show is a festive concert that blends inspiring stories, holiday classics and original songs, all wrapped in the warmth and joy of the season.
Known for creating a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere, Don Amero captures the true spirit of the holidays – nostalgia, connection and celebration.
This engaging storyteller, songwriter and performer launched his music career in 2006 with his first CD, Change Your Life, which led to multiple nominations for best new artist. He has since released five more albums, which earned him a number of national and international awards, including a Juno nomination in 2013 (Heart on My Sleeve) and two more in 2016 (Refined).
In 2009, Don Amero decided to plan a Christmas-themed concert based on his love for holiday music and how the season brings the community together. He says everyone knows there is something magical about Christmas and my hope is to capture some of that and put it into a show.
While he has performed the show many times since, each show is unique. If you are looking to enjoy an evening of uplifting music and seasonal cheer, Amero Little Christmas offers a great way to embrace the spirit of the season.
Doors will open at 6:45 p.m., with the performance starting at 7:30 p.m. There will be a concession pre-show and at intermission including snacks, drinks and alcoholic beverages. Attendees with mobility issues are encouraged to use the backdoor closest to the gym between 6:45 and 7:15 p.m.
Advance tickets are priced at $35 for adults and $20 for those under 30 years of age. They can be purchased online at emcaconcerts.com or at Solo Market in Pinawa. Tickets may also be available at the door, subject to availability.
Comets come up short against St. Malo
By Tony Zerucha
A 6-1 home loss to the St. Malo Warriors has the Beausejour Comets in third place in the Capital Region Junior Hockey League (CRJHL).
The Comets spotted the Warriors a 5-0 lead before Seth Hlady connected on the power play midway through the second period. His first of the season was assisted by Job Peters and Liam Johnston.
Beausejour outshot St. Malo 40-28. Special teams were key in this one. St. Malo went three for eight on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal.
With 15 points, they Comets sit six points behind the Warriors and Selkirk Fishermen.
A trip to the last-place Arborg Ice Dawgs on Nov. 7 comes at the right time.
The Dawgs have four points in eight games.
The next Comets home game is on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. when the Warriors come to town. St. Malo has won both match-ups this season.
Xtreme on five-game winning streak
By Tony Zerucha
A five-game winning streak has the Springfield Xtreme in second place in the Hanover-Tache Junior Hockey League.
A strong third period propelled the Xtreme to a 4-1 win over the Warren ‘67s on Oct. 25. The game was close through the first 40 minutes, with Connor Toth’s unassisted shorthanded goal at 11:35 the only tally. Springfield made it 2-0 at 5:21 of the third when Chase Janas connected off feeds from Michael Jette and Evan Jasper. Mason Lesuk made it 3-0 at 11:59. Janas and David Hazlitt earned helpers.
Warren’s Owen Shymko broke the shutout at 18:32, but Easton Gaffray closed out the scoring at 19:08.
Tyson Murdock made 20 stops for the win. The Xtreme peppered Warren’s Dallas Shaver with 47 shots.
One week later, the Xtreme made short work of the ‘67s in an 8-0 shutout. Jette scored twice, with singles coming from Ethan Da Silva, Aidan Osborne, Jeremy Kullman, Cam Osborne, Lesuk and Suchar. Mattix Carpenter posted three assists.
Murdock faced only 13 shots. Springfield bombarded Shaver with 57.
The going was a little tougher in Ste. Anne on Nov. 2, as the Xtreme came from behind to top the Aces 4-2.
Parker Fazio opened the scoring at 15:14 of the first period after converting a pass from Easton Crane.
The Aces then scored twice in 47 seconds. The first came with one second left in the first period, and the second 46 ticks into the second.
The comeback began at 6:03 when Jasper set up Da Silva. Crane gave the Xtreme a 3-2 lead at 13:59, courtesy of Kullman and Fazio. That 3-2 score held until 1:30 into the final frame when Toth scored on the power play.
With 11 points in seven games, the Xtreme are nine points behind the 10-0 Macdonald Swarm. The Xtreme have played three fewer games.
The Xtreme won the shot derby 35-23. Josh Rach earned the victory. A two-game road trip this weekend takes the Xtreme to Landmark and Niverville. They host Steinbach at 8 p.m. on Nov. 15.
Winterhawks in sole possession of first place
By Tony Zerucha
The Springfield Winterhawks grabbed sole possession of first place in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League with a 4-2 win over the Red River Wild on Nov. 1.
The game was scoreless for 26 minutes before Conrad Solypa opened the scoring off passes from Adam Hughesman and Curtis Rebeck. Owen Blocker made it 2-0 at 12:38. His power-play goal was set up by Hughesman and Quinton Howden. That 2-0 mark held through the second intermission.
Mathieu Moreira scored the Winterhawks’ third goal 1:36 into the final frame, thanks to Carter Barley and off-season pickup Dexter Kuczek. Following a Red River goal at 7:09, Hughesman added insurance midway through the period. Barley and Brody Welsh got the helpers. The Wild made it 4-2 with just under seven minutes left, but they couldn’t close the gap any further.
Steve Christie made 30 saves for the win. Ex-Eastman Select Jayden Catellier faced 39 pucks for the Wild.
The Winterhawks have a 2-1 record and five points, giving them a one-point lead early in the season.
Hughesman has paid early dividends. He has three goals and three assists for six points in two games. Carter Barley is close behind with two goals and three assists.
The Warren Mercs visit Oakbank on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m.
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