As part of Red Tape Awareness Week, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has awarded the Canada Border Services Agency with the 2024 Paper Weight Award.

Imported themed costumes offered by the Costume Shoppe in Calgary are now subject to around 100 thousand dollars in import duty fees because the CBSA changed the classification of the costumes from “festive wear” to “fancy dress.”

CFIB director Julie Kwiecinski said the CBSA should be able to differentiate between Santa suits, clown costumes and everyday clothing.

The shop’s owner, who has over 25 hundred costumes, must refile previous inventory, even if those items are no longer being imported, and he can’t appeal the CBSA’s decision unless he pays first.

Two other finalists for the award are Health Canada for paperwork challenges and excessive fees for natural health products, and Finance Canada, for making payroll services subject to the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, basically duplicating the existing controls used by banks.

The Beatrice Wilson Health Center is hosting a food security program, and starting tomorrow, OCN grandparents who are the primary caregivers for grandchildren will be able to apply.

Food insecurity can significantly impact a child's long-term health and the ability to grow and learn.

The rate of food insecurity for grandparent-headed households is 60 percent higher than that of all households with children.

This program is being implemented to help support OCN children living on and off reserve.

Primary caregivers can fill out applications from the first of the month till the 19th at the OHA's location in the Otineka Mall.

Kindergarten registration is now open for all Ecole Opasquia and Kelsey Schools students.

Registration applications for English and French immersion programs can be picked up in the offices at both schools.

Parents of eligible children are asked to bring their Child's medical card, birth certificate, passport, or baptismal certificate.

Open house events will be coming up later to host the children and allow them to get to know the classroom and teachers.

You can call the Kelsey school at 623-7421 or the Ecole Opasquia at 623-3459 to learn more.

Trappers Festival is only a few weeks away, and registration is now open for the Annual Torchlite Parade.

Leah Yelland, event coordinator, shares details about the event.

"The floats line up at 5pm at the Legion.  The parade starts at 5:30.  It goes down Edwards, turns onto 1st, goes across the bridge and ends at the GLMC.

"There's going to be a bonfire at the end.  Cadets are serving hot dogs and the Rotary Club will be serving hot chocolate."

The parade is on the starting day of Trappers' Festival on February 14th, and there are three categories to enter: commercial, non-commercial, and family and youth groups.

Following the parade, a free skate will be at the Roy H. Johnston Arena.

Registration for the Torchlite parade must be done in advance if you want a chance to win prizes, go to trappersfestival.ca to register.

Home Routs concerts are back for the 2024 season, and the year's first performance goes this Friday at The Pas Regional Library.

Suzie Vinnick will perform a variety of her music and a collection of classic blues and rock.

Here, Vinnick talks about how she got started in the music industry.

"I am originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  I left Saskatchewan when I was 21 and I moved to Ontario to play music in a blues band with a guy named Tony D.

"Tony and I played a bunch together for a few years and I've lived in Ottawa and I've lived in Toronto for 15 years - I've played music there full-time.  Now I'm based in the Niagara region.

"And I'm really lucky to travel across Canada, the States, and a bit internationally as well."

Vinnick released her first album in 1994 and has released seven original albums.

She has also performed with the Marigolds, Betty and the Bobs, Rick Fines, and many others.

Tickets for the show can be found at the library and online at homeroutes.ca.

The Northern Health Foundation's Winter Wellness Walk-a-Thon is taking place tomorrow at the Kelsey Recreation Wellness Centre.

Over the last few years, finding a way to do in-person fundraising has been a challenge.

Emily Doucette, foundation coordinator, shares details.

"So we had our meeting last night.  I guess everybody probably is aware that we're in full-budget sort of mode.  We had a lot of presentations last night from community groups sharing their budgets with us looking for funding and stuff.  We'll continue to review that as part of our process."

The event takes place at the indoor track at the Wellness Centre and is family-friendly.

Several activities will take place during the event; Erin Bosco will host a Zumba class, Daryl Shotton will host a Tabata class, and Renee Hayes will host a Yoga class.

Funds will go towards the Northern Health Foundation's new Primary Health clinic in The Pas.

Registration for tomorrow's event can be done at northernhealthfoundation.com.

It was confirmed yesterday that the world championship dogsled races that run along with the Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival will be cancelled this year due to the lack of snow and weather conditions.

According to the race director, Mike Roberts, there needs to be at least 12 inches of snow on the trail and starting line, and at this point, there is a significant shortage.

The committee analyzed the current and secondary routes, and it was thought possible that the race may occur later.

However, this is not possible due to the racer's current schedule and other races that are already planned.

The Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival Board noted that there were many factors to consider, including the time it takes to properly groom the trail and the lack of snow it is no longer possible.

Contact Lorie Stevenson, Trappers Festival Chair, at 204-620-2360 for more on the Dog Sled Races Cancellation.

University College of the North and the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Law have partnered to offer Pre-Law courses to help prepare Indigenous and northern students for law school.

The courses will provide a solid academic foundation, skills and competencies needed for successful entry into law school. 

Pre-Law opportunities will be available at UCN's main campuses in Thompson and The Pas starting September 2024, with plans to expand to other communities in the future.

 This move is a step towards a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.

 For more information, contact student-recruitment@ucn.ca.

Former Mayor Herb Jacques says the Trappers' Festival sign that waves to drivers as they enter the community needs town support for preservation.

The current mayor and council are looking into what needs to be done to prevent the landmark from being removed, as the fall budget was front and center at this week’s council meeting.

Here, Mayor Andre Murphy shares some details about the budget:

"So we had our meeting last night.  I guess everybody probably is aware that we're in full-budget sort of mode.  So, we had a lot of presentations last night from community groups sharing their budgets with us looking for funding and stuff.

So we'll continue to review that uh as part of our process."

There were budgetary presentations from the fire department, KRC, the airport, the museum, and the wellness center.

The town is also looking to hire a CSO Manager to grow the community safety program from the ground up while working with the RCMP.

To learn more about the budget and current programs, go to townofthepas.ca.

Oliver Hart is in good spirits following a stabbing that took place last Friday outside a business on the 300 block of Edwards Avenue.

Hart said he had been leaving his home with a box of Pampers to take to his children’s mother’s house when he was rushed.

An altercation ensued involving Hart and the older suspect, and then a younger male stepped in and began to threaten him with a knife.

It was at this point Hart was stabbed, and the suspects, who also include a younger female, fled the scene.

Hart, only a short distance from the Uptown Mall, began to make his way in that direction only to hear that an ambulance had been called in regards to another stabbing.

Shortly after, those ambulances arrived to take both men to hospital.

Hart was given temporary stitches and transported to a hospital in Winnipeg, where he remains in stable condition.

Eugene Michelle, 41, from The Pas, passed away in hospital following the stabbing.

Pierre Young, 33, from Easterville, Manitoba, and an unnamed 15-year-old female were both arrested on manslaughter charges.

A 16-year-old Male was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

All three suspects are in custody, and anyone with information regarding the stabbings is asked to contact The Pas RCMP at 204-627-6204

Lots of events are happening at the University College of the North.

The next Linkages event will be running in Thompson in February.

The event is titled “Honouring the Past, Building the Future,” the goal is to ignite creative, analytical, and collaborative conversations about the future of Northern Manitoba.

The Manitoba Arts Network is working to bring new pieces to the UCN over the next three years.

The Northern Juried Art Show will take place in the Pas this year, and to coincide with it, the Northern Arts Network will host workshops at  UCN in The Pas.

 “Buzz Brass” will perform in the spring at the Pas and Thompson Campuses.

The Canadian Ensemble has been performing for over 20 years and is world-renowned.

The Pas Friendship Centre needs donations to help support those most vulnerable in the community.

Janet Lowther with the Centre has details:

"We go through a bin of socks probably every two weeks and it's like a pretty fair big bin, like 50 L of socks in two weeks.  So we're always needing that replenished all the time.  And we also take food donations.  A lot of people are facing food insecurity.  So somebody's in crisis or they need help or they just can't let their food stretch to payday.  We do offer help if we have it.  So, but food does go very fast off the shelves.  It's hard to keep up."

It is busy at the Friendship Centre with various programs running, including medicine making, cake decorating, lego building, bead crafting, and more.

The Friendship Centre has also started hosting a men's support group, with the next session running on February 1st, then again every second Monday.

Find the Friendship Centre's event calendar online for a complete list of programs.

The Kinsmen's Annual Comedy Jam is this weekend and it's one of the group's biggest fundraisers of the year.

This year's event will showcase the talents of Dave Nystrom, a Canadian comedian, writer, and actor who has done work on programs "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" and "Comedy Now."

Cory Mack, a comedian originally from Saskatchewan, who has been performing for over 35 years and has been featured on Just for Laughs, says she's excited to return to the community.

"It'll be a very fun night.  I've been up to the in that area.  When I was four, I was at The Pas.  My aunt and uncle and their family lived in Chesterfield Inlet and we met them.  We were from like, mid-Central Saskatchewan, and we drove up there.  So I have been to The Pas.  But it's been a long, long time, folks, and I've worked a lot up in the North and I'm excited to get up there.

The Kinsmen comedy night is tomorrow at the Legion, with doors opening at 6 pm and the show starting at 7 pm.

Contact the Kinsmen for last-minute tickets.

The Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival is only a month away, and the Fur Queen candidates have been busy at work fundraising for the event.

The fundraising done through various bake sales, raffles, socials, and other activities that the Fur Queen contestants and their sponsors contribute to is one reason the festival can thrive in the north.

Now it's time to show support for all their hard work and efforts towards the festival.

The Fur Queens Champagne Brunch is this weekend at the Royal Canadian Legion.

Fur Queen Director Krista Tooley shares details about the event:

"For Queen champagne brunch is Sunday, January 28th.  This year it will be at the legion on the hall side doors open at noon.  Tickets are $25 a ticket three and under are free if they're accompanied with a parent guardian or whatever that looks like."

Tooley noted that tickets are selling fast.

The brunch allows everyone to meet all the Fur Queen candidates in person and enjoy a light lunch, a fashion show, 50 50s and raffles.

The Jimmy Jackfish Ice Fishing Derby will return in a few months.

The event was started by the McLauchlan Family in the 80s to help raise funds for community projects.

Johanna McLauchlan says that since the event's start, funds have been raised for the park, recycling programs, and, most recently, a boat launch.

"What we redid the boat launch on the East Shore.  We had great cooperation from the Manitoba Resources and Ocean Fisheries.  And it took us three years to raise enough money to refit the boat launch, and it was completed last year."

This year, they are looking at purchasing new equipment for the park.

They are also looking for community input as proposals are needed to determine the projects the community wants to see completed.

Early bird tickets are available until January 31st and can be found at eventbrite.ca.

The Beatrice Wilson Health Center will host a peer support group this week.

The group is currently looking for individuals who have experience living with drug use and want to help make the community a better place.

The group is run by those who have lived through this and want to help others with harm reduction.

This week's group will meet on Thursday afternoon at the center's location at the Otineka Mall.

Each week this month, sessions will be running to promote different wellness.

"Each week, we will highlight an educational segment of health.  So we're going to talk about diabetes.  We're going to have visitors from Primary Health.  We're going to have folks talking about harm reduction and we're going to have folks talking about the benefits of good bone health and preventing falls."

To learn more about different Beatrice Wilson Health Center programs, call 627-7461.

Efforts by The Pas Fire Department were noticed last year.

The team volunteered at the schools with toy drives, keeping the streets safe on Halloween and providing safety tips and information at events throughout the year.

Over the 2023 year, there were a total of 184 service calls.

There was a considerable rise in grass fires, with a total of 34, up from 17 the previous year, which may have resulted from the dryer conditions over the year.

With the lack of snow this winter, another dry summer is likely to result in many brush fires.

Town Mayor Andre Murphy thanked the TPFD for everything they do in the community, noting their commitment and dedication.

The governor-general has awarded several community individuals the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.

The award is given to individuals whose voluntary contributions provide care for their communities.

Ginnie Coulter was notified that she had won the award earlier this week for contributions to the Royal Canadian Legion in The Pas, where she has volunteered for several decades.

Linda Buchanan was also notified earlier this week that she would receive the medal for her commitment to volunteering with the Arts Council and the Westminster United Church and her commitment to increasing the community's overall well-being.

To nominate someone deserving of the Sovereign's Medal for volunteering, go to gg.ca.

Bingo is back for the New Year on 102.9 CJAR with partners at the OCN and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19.

Tonight, the year's first event will take place in support of the Legion.

Funds raised from Wednesday night's event go to cadets, veterans and their families, community groups, facility maintenance, and put towards legion bursary programs.

Tonight's jackpot is over 35 thousand dollars, and to win that grand prize, you must black out your card in 50 numbers or less.

Tonight's game starts at 7 pm.

Tomorrow night, OCN Bingo returns at 7 pm with an over seven hundred and 50 thousand dollar grand prize on the line, and to win that jackpot, you must black out your card in 50 numbers or less, on the pre-called Loonie number.

Then, next Tuesday, the OCN Bingos bi-weekly event will return, which will run every second Tuesday starting at 6:30.

On December 31, 2023, at approximately 2:15 pm, Chemawawin RCMP received a report that a female had attended the Nursing Station suffering from severe injuries due to an assault.

An investigation determined that a 27-year-old female from Easterville was assaulted at a residence in the community on December 28, 2023.

She had not sought assistance before attending the Nursing Station, as the individual who assaulted her forcibly confined her to the residence where the assault occurred.

Further investigation determined that a 24-year-old male was also assaulted at the same time, suffering minor injuries.

The female was transported to The Pas Health Complex and then to Winnipeg Hospital with serious injuries.

Brendan Young, 26, was arrested in Easterville on January 1, 2024, and charged with Aggravated Assault, Forcible Confinement, and Failure to Comply with Release Order x3.

He remains in custody.

The Pas will play host to the 48th Annual Northern Juried Art Show.

The event is only a few months away, and registration is now open.

The event encourages artists across the north to gather and compete for various prizes.

Some of last year's winners included Karen Clark, who took first in painting for her work, "The Edge of Peace."

Noelle Drimmie took first in photography for her piece, "The Cleaning Can Wait."

Rosimeire Cabral took 1st in Drawing and printmaking for her pieces "Bumblebee" and "Prosperity."

This year's show will run from March 21st to the 23rd and take place at the UCN.

Artists of all types are encouraged to submit forms of painting, watercolour, fibre art, photography, drawing and printmaking.

The special theme for this year's show is "Northern Pulse."

Support Changes Everything is the theme for a Campaign that the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba will run through January.

Samantha Holland tells us that the campaign gives people a chance to learn about Alzheimer’s and dementia in a very real way.

Here, Holland tells us about the stories that will be shared about various individuals’ experiences with the disease.

"We're featuring five stories from people who are impacted by the disease.  So we have spouses, we have people who have dementia themselves and an adult child featured.  So just to really educate people who have never been faced with it and let those that have know that they're not alone."

The Society aims to help those with the disease and caregivers by providing resources to help navigate and by sharing stories of individuals who navigate this disease daily.

The Society will be hosting education sessions over the month to help provide resources to those new to dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Then, the Society will host an in-person gala in Winnipeg in February.

Go to Alzheimer’s dot MB dot CA to learn more about the awareness campaign.

It is hard to believe that our team formed the new provincial government only a few short months ago.  Manitobans wanted a new approach from their elected officials that was cooperative and optimistic.  People understood that we took the challenges Manitobans face seriously and saw that our campaign was based on dignity and respect.  So, I want to thank the residents of The Pas – Kameesak and Manitobans everywhere for lifting up the voices and concerns of your neighbours throughout this past election.

January 1^st marked the start of our provincial Fuel Tax Holiday, a much-needed affordability measure in a time of rising costs across Canada. Our communities know the importance of keeping travel accessible for everyone so that we can support our businesses, our families, and each other. Our government is committed to centring the voices of Northern and Rural communities who are too often hit the hardest by high transportation costs.

This fall, we finally made Orange Shirt Day a provincial holiday. After years of pushback from the previous PC government, we ensured that all Manitobans now have the opportunity to participate in ceremonies that honour residential school survivors and those children who never made it home. In collaboration with Indigenous Nations across Manitoba, Premier Kinew is leading the province on the long and difficult path towards reconciliation with strength, resolve, and determination.

We want these next four years in office to be collaborative. Please, if you have any concerns or questions, reach out to my office by emailing Amanda.lathlin@yourmantioba.ca or calling us at 1-204-623-2034.

Breakout Boxes will be available this Friday at The Pas Regional Library.

The boxes are miniature puzzles that can be solved individually or as teams.

The Library builds upon past success with various escape rooms; Breakout Boxes are designed almost like escape rooms.

Boxes are filled with a series of puzzles and challenges.

This week’s event is called Let’s Build a Snowman; the experience is designed for younger children but is available to all ages.

Teams must register ahead of time by contacting The Pas Regional Library at 204 623 2023.

Breakout Boxes will run from 2-5 pm Friday and is a great way to engage the children before schools open up again next week following the holiday break.