The Winnipeg Jets played host to the Edmonton Oilers at BellMTS Place and earned a 6-4 victory on Jan. 26.
It was fitting the Oilers and Jets faced off against each other on Jan. 26, which was National Hockey League legend Wayne Gretzky’s 60th birthday.
The Oilers and Jets contest had a feel of the classic Smythe Division rivalries between the two teams from the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Jets face off against the visiting Vancouver Canucks on at BellMTS Place on Jan. 30.
In life, my superheroes are my mom, Gloria; dad, Milt; and sister, Leah. For as long as I can remember, Wayne Gretzky has been my sports hero in life.
I was fortunate to live in an era when I had the chance to see Wayne Gretzky play for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. The excitement to see the Great One play at the Winnipeg Arena was a dream come true. I was able to see Gretzky play as a member of the Oilers and also the Kings at the old barn.
The first time I saw Gretzky play, my dad took my sister and I to the National Hockey League tilt between the Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 21, 1987. What was also remarkable about this particular NHL game was that Rick Hansen participated in the ceremonial puck drop.
Hanson is another Canadian, who inspired so many people around the world through his Man in Motion tour.
Another dream come true was when my best friend, Kent, and I had the good fortune of meeting Gretzky in 1993 while also getting his autograph.
Just like my family, honouray family, friends, teachers and coaches inspire me in life, Gretzky is truly a role model in his own right, who continues to inspire.
The Great One is celebrating his 60th birthday on Jan. 26. Happy birthday to the Great Gretzky.
I don’t know about you, but I know myself, that as long as things are going smoothly, I’m ok. In fact, I can be one of the nicest guys around – real joy to be with. But just let something go wrong and I’m fit to be tied.
A number of years, when our kids were small, we were travelling from Saskatoon to Dauphin. We stopped in at Yorkton to have a cup of coffee and fill up with gas. We got the gas and then went over to the restaurant for coffee. Now, I’m in a bit of a rush to get to our destination – my in-laws (not that I wanted to see them, as much as I was getting tired of travelling).
So when we get to the restaurant, it’s filled with people and it takes 20 precious minutes before we get served. Coffee and cinnamon buns – 60 cents each. Craig, our seven year old, doesn’t like his 60 cent cinnamon bun and asks for Kentucky Fried Chicken instead. OK, I tell him, we’ll pick some up as we’re leaving town. Then Kristyn, our two and a half year-old, spills her soft drink and I make the comment that a meal doesn’t seem to pass without someone spilling something.
I get more tired and more anxious to be on our way.
Finally after everyone’s had a chance to go to the bathroom, we get into the car. We stop in at the Colonel’s for some chicken and guess what everyone else in Yorkton has decided to have for supper? We take our number and wait patiently, impatient for No. 49 to be called. The guy in front of me orders 45 pieces of chicken! Inwardly I groan, outwardly I paste on a smile as he jokes about how big an eater he is. Finally, the Colonel’s boys and girls put my order together and I’m out like a shot and down the road.
Fifteen miles east of town, Linda gasps, “Guess what?!? We forgot Kristyn’s blanket at the restaurant!” What can you do? There’s nothing you can do except turn around and drive back. By now, I’m mad. Who wouldn’t be? How can a 2 ½ year old child so attached to a blanket forget it? Why doesn’t she forget it when she goes to bed? How come only when she leaves restaurants?
We get into Yorkton, I roar up to the restaurant and tell my wife to go in and get that blanket (besides it’s her fault for letting Kristyn forget the blanket – isn’t that what mothers are for?) Also, I’m too angry to go in and be nice to people and besides it gives me an opportunity to lecture Kristyn on the virtues of remembering her blanket next time or else she’ll have problems sitting down. So we get the blanket, turn around and I’m figuring out how much gas we wasted and how much time we lost by this unnecessary excursion, etc. etc. etc.
Then I come home and the following Sunday, when as a pastor I have to give my Sunday sermon, I discover it’s on the topic of patience and the key verse is Proverbs chapter 29 verse 11: “A fool always loses his temper but a wise man holds it back.”
You can imagine how foolish I felt. I then asked God to forgive me and to help me hold my temper in the future. I’m glad to say that I think I’ve learned some good lessons on the topic of patience since then. These kinds of meltdowns are now a part of the past for me.
If you have the same problem as I do, perhaps you need to ask God to give you the self control you need over your temper.
How much better to be considered wise, than a fool.
Submitted by the Province of Manitoba
Northern communities will soon have access to Manitoba’s winter road system, allowing for the delivery of essential goods, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler announced Jan. 22.
“Our government recognizes that Manitoba’s winter road system is a lifeline for many northern residents,” said Schuler. “We’ve committed to investing $9 million in providing 22 Manitoba communities access to supplies and essential goods. Once complete, those communities will have full passage to the network.”
Since 1971, winter roads facilitate the hauling of freight to remote and northern communities and provide residents with temporary inter-community travel as well as road access to the rest of the province. The Manitoba winter road system is over 2,381 kilometres long, crosses muskeg, streams, rivers and lakes, and is constructed on the natural terrain of land and ice.
The network is open from mid-January to mid-March depending on weather conditions. The roads serve over 30,000 Manitobans in 22 communities and carries over 2,500 shipments of goods annually. Nearly half of the shipments carry fuel, while the other half includes construction materials, heavy equipment and store supplies.
“Every year the province works with local communities and First Nations on the construction and maintenance of these roads,” said Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke. “This collaboration creates employment and training opportunities in the area for more than 250 employees.”
Timelines for the completion of all roads is dependent on weather conditions. Some sections of the winter road system may be closed for repairs on short notice, due to changing weather conditions.
Road users are encouraged to follow current COVID-19 public health orders and to contact individual communities for possible entry requirements prior to travelling.
A complete list of Manitoba’s winter road system can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/winter/.
Submitted by City of Selkirk
John Buffie has been named Deputy Mayor for the second time after a Council vote on Dec. 14. Councillor Darlene Swiderski previously held the position from November 2018 to December 2020.
Whereas most municipal councils in Manitoba have the mayor or reeve appoint a council member as the deputy mayor for the full term of council (4 years), Selkirk Council elects one member to serve as Deputy Mayor typically for a period of two years.
Mayor Larry Johannson said Selkirk’s process is more democratic and gives the Deputy Mayor position more value because it means that the person holding the position has the confidence and support of their fellow council members.
“Councillor Swiderski has done a fantastic job in this role over the past two years. I know that council appreciated her leadership as she brought her years of municipal experience to the table,” Johannson said.
Councillor Swiderski chose to not put her name forward for the role to ensure another member of council had an opportunity to serve as Deputy Mayor.
“It has been a privilege to serve as Deputy Mayor,” Swiderski said.
“I have served as Deputy in two previous councils. That Mayor and Council put their trust in you for the position and that they have confidence that you will do a good job is important. We have a really good council and as a team we have accomplished a lot for which we are all very proud. I know Deputy Mayor Buffie will do a great job.”
Johannson says he knows deputy mayor Buffie will be a great fit for the position given his 18 years of experience on Selkirk Council.
“I would like to congratulate deputy mayor Buffie on this appointment, and I know with the wealth of experience he brings to the table he’ll do a great job. I’m looking forward to all of the great things Selkirk has in store for 2021 and sharing that with all members of council,” said Johannson.
Buffie, chair of the Audit Committee and also a board member on the Red River Basin Commission as the City of Selkirk representative, said there have been many significant council achievements over the years, including securing a long-term and reliable second water source for the city.
“The completion of the upgrades to our water treatment plant and of course the completion of the wastewater treatment plant are critical initiatives which will secure a safe and sustainable future for our community, said Buffie.
“The development work that has been done on Manitoba Ave. East, completion of the city’s renewed Strategic Plan and the work that our CAO Duane Nicol has undertaken to develop our Asset Management and the integration of that into our Strategic Plan are all things I’m proud to have been a part of.”
Buffie is no stranger to the position that he previously held from January 2013 to November 2014 and says he is confident in his ability to chair Council or Committee meetings and be in attendance at external board or committee meetings should the Mayor not be available.
“Because of that fill-in responsibility, it does require me to be knowledgeable about those external boards and committees that our Mayor has so that I can be an effective representative for the City should the occasion arise,” said Buffie.
Submitted by the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority
Personal care home residents and their loved ones have reason to celebrate this week. Twenty-one outdoor visitation shelters across 15 sites in the Interlake-Eastern RHA, and one designated indoor visitation space, are starting to accommodate scheduled visits, while greatly reducing the risk of introducing an infection into the care homes.
The outdoor shelters are refurbished shipping containers, each measuring 8’ wide by 40’ long and attached to the care homes. While there is no plumbing, they are fully insulated, air-conditioned and heated. But their most important feature is the ability for residents to visit others safely.
“We know how important in-person visits are to residents’ wellbeing, and in fact, the wellbeing of their loved ones too,” said Lauren Marantz, director of health services – long term care and personal care Home Standards. “Residents have been able to visit with their caregivers, but they are eagerly looking forward to connecting in-person safely with other important people in their lives.”
Safety requirements and protocols for the visitation shelters will help to keep residents, staff, and visitors safe. Visitors do not need to enter the main facility, because the shelters have their own separate entrance. Each shelter has a separate ventilation system from the personal care home. The interiors are also made from smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces to make the mandatory cleaning and disinfection between every visit easier.
During current Critical (red) restrictions, the shelters will accommodate a maximum of one general visitor at a time to visit with a resident. Both residents and visitors will still be required to follow fundamental public health guidelines: practice hand hygiene, wear a mask for the entire visit, and maintain six feet separation.
In Manitoba, there are a total of 105 outdoor shelters at personal care homes, 21 of them at 15 sites in Interlake-Eastern RHA. Kin Place in Oakbank could not accommodate an outdoor shelter, so an interior space was developed there. They are one of 57 indoor visitation spaces across the province.
A video tour of the outdoor visitation shelters can be found at www.is.gd/shelters.
Submitted by the Province of Manitoba on behalf of ClimateWest
Launched on Jan. 19, ClimateWest is a new non-profit, regional hub that will deliver credible climate information, data, and adaptation guidance tailored to the Prairie region. ClimateWest will work with people, communities, businesses, and governments across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to help address both the risks and opportunities generated by climate change.
“ClimateWest comes along at a critical moment in one of Canada’s fastest warming regions,” stated Jane Hilderman, Climate West’s Executive Director. “Our vision is to support anyone from municipal decision-makers to watershed associations to small business who may not have the capacity or expertise on hand to interpret climate projections and use climate information to inform risk assessments and planning.”
“The Prairie provinces have already witnessed 13 of Canada’s20 most expensive weather-related events since 1983, totalling billions of dollars of insured losses. Under a changing climate, we can anticipate even greater costs if we continue without proper planning and action,” said Dr. Dave Sauchyn, Director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative at the University of Regina. PARCisone of three founding partners of Climate West along with the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Prairie Climate Centre at the University of Winnipeg. ClimateWest offers innovative climate services by:
Providing climate analyses, guidance documents,training sessions, and other tools specific to the adaptation needs of different sectors.
Hosting a Help Desk available to the public by email or phone to answer queries about climate data and information. Raising public awareness and knowledge of the value of climate change adaptation.
ClimateWest will help address the urgent need highlighted in the recently released Prairies Chapter of Canada’s national assessment process on climate change:
“the window to take action to avoid severe climate change impacts is rapidly closing […] current efforts to adapt are not enough to prevent the rapidly accelerating human and financial losses from current and future climate change impacts.”
ClimateWest has the combined support from the Governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, as well as Environment and Climate Change Canada at the federal level.
Getting through the COVID-19 pandemic depends on each and everyone of us to do our part. We all need to be respectful of the public health order and work with government, not against them.
With increasing media reports of people travelling not only between provinces, but also travelling abroad raising more and more concerns. There have also been increasing media reports of people and business owners in Manitoba, who are purposely defying the public health order.
CBC reported on Jan. 19 that a member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force has resigned after she travelled outside of Canada in December, according to the Ontario premier’s office.
When I first read this fact, I was at a loss for words. Personally, I am just floored that a person, who is supposed to be working to the betterment of society, decided to act in this manor and travel outside of Canada.
What is happening to our society?
Maybe there is a correlation as to why we are almost one year into the pandemic and numbers related to infections and deaths are higher now than they were back in March and April.
All of us need to do our part to be part of the solutions and not part of the problem.
Brook Jones is the editor of the Selkirk Settler Times.
One of the great challenges of the year 2020 that we have just completed was all the broken plans that so many of us experienced. For me, it meant cancelling a tour to Israel that was to be taking place this coming February, 2021. That was tough, as it was going to be my 22nd trip there.
So, when we look forward into 2021 and beyond, we legitimately may wonder with all the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus Pandemic, how we should plan for it. That’s why the statement I recently came across is so appropriate: “So in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to ‘Where do you see yourself in five years from now?’”
The future, by the very way God created reality, is unknown to us, shrouded in a mist as it were.
The Bible says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
We don’t know if we’ll be around, let alone what we’ll be doing. Like the fellow who loved to golf and during the night, an angel appeared to him and said, “I can answer any question you want, so go ahead and ask.” The man thought for a moment, “Are there golf courses in heaven?” The angel replied, “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” The man shrugged. “Give me the good news.” So the angel told him, “The courses in Heaven are so beautiful I can scarcely describe them. There is no cost to play on them, and you have your choice of golf clubs. Beverages and electric carts are provided free of charge. All the balls miraculously float on the water so you’ll never lose them, and all your shots go straight.” The golfer smiled and asked, “Wow, that’s amazing. What’s the bad news?” The angel replied, “You tee off in five minutes.”
That’s why the Bible says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).
When we do plan for the future, there are a couple of things we should take into account. First, we need to be careful to not presume upon the future. Any planning that does not take into account the uncertainties of life and its brevity is presumptuous. It’s not a presumption anyone should make; God makes no guarantees and you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. Many changes come that we have absolutely no control over: today you’re the picture of health, tomorrow you’re crippled with disease…
You don’t even know if you’ll live a year. A man was walking on the beach when the waves washed up a lamp. He rubbed it and out came a genie, offering him one wish. After thinking hard, he asked for a copy of the newspaper dated one year from today. The genie asked why he wanted that. He said, “So that I can see how the stocks I am trading in now are doing one year from now.” The genie granted it and poof the paper appeared. He quickly turned to the financial pages to see how his stock was doing. After he made his decision on stocks, he flipped back to the last page by accident and saw his own obituary with a photo of himself on it.
Secondly, we need to hold the future tentatively. That’s why the Bible says that when we talk about the future, we should always tell ourselves: ‘If it is the Lord’s will…’ When my mom was still living, she would always make statements involving the future with the prefix of, “Lord willing…”
So, go ahead and make your plans, but always with this caveat: “Lord willing, I will…” That’s the best way to both please God and save yourself from a pile of disappointment.
Henry Ozirney was the founding pastor of New Life Church in Stonewall, where he served from 1970 until he retired in 2014. He is currently Interim Pastor at New Life Church in Teulon, Manitoba. He can be reached at henryoz@mts.net or 204-461-1105.
Americans celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., on Jan. 18 and this celebration is not confined to the borders of the US. No matter where you live, the messages delivered by King decades ago transcend borders or nations and borders of political parties.
It was evident that human beings had differences back then as we do in 2021, but it’s important to remember that human beings can still get along and work towards common goals despite differences that may exist.
