As a post-secondary student and also as an athlete, Abby Benson is staying focused on the tasks at hand even though there is a global pandemic impacting not only the lives of students, but also the lives of athletes.
Feature video interview coming soon.
Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon was presented with the first poppy of this year’s annual Royal Canadian Legion fundraiser in the Blue Room at the Legislative Building, by Comrade Ronn Anderson. Soon more than 19 million Canadians will be wearing the poppy blossom on their lapels.
“Thank you for coming today and thank you for supporting our veterans,” Filmon said.
Anderson is the chair of the poppy campaign for the Royal Canadian Legion, Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario Command.
The annual presentation to the lieutenant-governor sets the stage for the Poppy Campaign to officially get under way on Oct. 30 as the Poppy Campaign always begins on the last Friday of October.
“It’s going to be a challenge this year,” Anderson said in-regards to the poppy campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the press release, the poppy is distributed by the legion’s branches and funds collected go into branch poppy trust funds. These funds can only be used under strict guidelines set up by the Poppy and Remembrance Committee of Dominion Command to improve life for people in the communities where the money is raised.
The poppies are intended to honour the more than 117,000 Canadians who have died in the service of their country throughout the world.
Since 1921, the poppy has stood as the symbol of remembrance, a visual pledge to never forget those Canadians who have fallen in war and military support operations. The poppy also stands internationally as a ‘symbol of collective reminiscence’, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“Wearing the poppy demonstrates our understanding of Canada’s national debt of gratitude owed to all veterans,” Filmon said in a prepared statement. “It will be my honour to accept and wear the campaign’s first poppy, and I invite all Manitobans to join me in honouring the sacrifices so many have made in defending the values and freedoms we enjoy as Canadians.”
The poppy campaign runs until Nov. 10.
Some time ago, I attended a conference on human trafficking. The horrors of this modern day slavery for purposes of sexual exploitation were poignantly described. I shuddered as I listened to how young girls and boys all over the world are being enslaved by this hideous system of evil.
People look at things like this and ask “Why doesn’t a God of love do something to stop this evil?” Even worse, why does He allow it to continue? If He’s all powerful, surely He could stop it. And if He is goodness, then you’d think He’d want to stop it. The fact that it continues unstopped indicates either He’s not all powerful or He’s not good. Otherwise, He’d do something about it. So why doesn’t God do anything?
First of all, it’s not an issue of Him not being all powerful and hence unable to stop it. He was powerful enough to bring all this into existence, so He can control it too.
So, yes, He could stop all evil and here’s how. Suppose someone was about to kill another person. God could literally freeze him in the act. He could intervene so the murderer couldn’t pull the trigger or stab the knife. He could and I think you’d say, that’s super.
But then you would probably hear someone else say, “Sure, murder is bad and should be stopped, but so also should all rapists!” So again, just as another man is dropping his pants, he’s frozen stiff by God and no rape happens! Wonderful!
But a third person might say, “Yes, God should stop murder and rape but a lot of hurt is also caused by the vicious things people say…” So, now every person who opens his or her mouth to say a hurtful thing similarly is frozen in the act. How great is that?
Let me ask you a question now: by nightfall, how many people on planet earth would remain unfrozen? We would all be frozen solid because each of us, in one way or another, hurts others.
Look at it this way. If you think God should use His will to overrule our wills, think of this potential scenario: you hate going to church and even worse, donating to it. But Sunday, you wake up to find yourself strangely being pushed out of bed by an unseen Hand and forcing you to dress in your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. You’re pushed into your car and it heads to a nearby church.
There, you’re pushed out of the car, into the building and onto a church pew. Your eyes and ears are forced to listen to the sermon. Then, as the offering plate is passed around, you are shocked to find your hand going to your wallet, pulling out a couple crisp hundred dollar bills and dropping them in the plate…
I’ll stop there. Not a fun scenario, is it?
So what should God have done? Before He allowed the world to get into the mess it’s now in, He could have exercised His option to wipe Adam and Eve off the planet after their sinful choice to disobey Him. Stop the entire program from unfolding. That’s one option He had.
But so that life on earth would not simply be a bunch of robots doing what a Supreme Being wants, God chose to allow people to use their free will, even when they do evil.
Next week’s column will give some answers as to what God’s thinking on that matter is and how everything ultimately works out.
The Lord Selkirk Royals are hoping to skate out of pandemic limbo in early November.
“I’m still patiently waiting to see if things go smoothly to see if we are able to play,” Royals head coach Michael Buffie told the Selkirk Settler Times.
However, Winnipeg High School Hockey League president Dana Gordon is optimistic that the circuit will get the official go-ahead, despite the recent, concerning COVID-19 numbers in the Winnipeg area.
“I’m the president so, the show must go on,” Gordon said. “The goal is to start Nov. 2nd, as long as we get given the green light from (Public Health) for Phase 3.”
But only 12 of the 37 teams have committed to playing this season – namely St. Paul’s 1 and 2, Garden City, Linden Christian, St. John’s Ravenscourt, Fort Richmond, College Leo Remillard, West Kildonan, Westwood, Steinbach, Lorette and Selkirk.
“The fact that we still have 12 teams is fantastic,” said Gordon, a Kildonan East teacher. “We’re moving into scheduling, trying to make it the best for everyone.”
Some Winnipeg school divisions will not allow their teams to travel outside of the city to play due to COVID-19 concerns. So, Gordon has adjusted the schedule to address such issues.
“It’s going to be one division this year, so there’s going to be some pretty uneven scores,” she said. “But it’s better than not playing at all.”
If the WHSHL does get the nod to play, the Royals will be allowed to travel, but not by bus.
“The students will drive to the games with a limit of two players per vehicle,” said Buffie, who just completed tryouts in mid-October. “We will be playing in mini-bubbles where we will play one team three times in a two-week period.”
The same Covid protocols issued to other hockey leagues at the arenas would be in place for the WHSHL.
“This would just give the players a chance to play, especially the Grade 12 students,” Buffie added.
Even if it gets the go-ahead, another COVID wave could end the season prematurely.
“We’ll be the one least likely to complete a season,” said Gordon, who is hoping to keep all of the critical WHSHL sponsors on board.
Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League has decided to delay the start of its season.
“The executive is reviewing options to return to play in 2021, including a shortened season,” its website posted.
There is an ever growing possibility of a snap federal election.
Gary Dear has a wealth of coaching experience and nothing seems to be slowing him down.
The St. Andrews resident has been coaching the North Winnipeg Pirates U18 AAA baseball team for many years.
Despite the COVDI-19 pandemic, the Pirates were able to compete in a modified baseball season in 2020.
Feature video interview with Gary Dear will be coming soon.
Selkirk Royals runner Sayda Bloom lead the Selkirk Royals at the final cross country meet of the Kilcona Peguis Athletic Conference season of 2020.
The Grade 12 student had a strong finish at the cross country meet held at Birds Hill Provincial Park on Oct. 15.
Full story and cross country meet results coming soon.
Larry Johannson explained to the Selkirk Settler Times on Oct. 9 how he measures the success of the city he leads as its mayor.
Video interview/feature with Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson coming soon.
It is often said in life that we can take things for granted. This could be said for Birds Hill Provincial Park.
We all know this particular provincial park is in relative proximity to Selkirk. We often drive by the park as we travel up and down Highway 59. I am sure a number of people who live in and around the Tri-S area have visited the park on many occasions.
On Thanksgiving my mom and I went for a bike ride along some of the trails in and around East and West Beach. It was wonderful to go for a bike ride with my mom at Birds Hill Provincial Park. Even thought I have been to the park many many times, for some reason on this particular day it felt exciting and new.
I was also taken back by the number of people who were out for walks, bike rides and picnics.
Brook Jones is the editor of the Selkirk Settler Times.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked organizers to create a unique, safe winter festival in Selkirk this year.
In what is believed to be a first in Manitoba, the Selkirk Biz Santa Parade of Lights will kick off the two-day Holiday Alley festival with sort of a reversal of roles on Dec. 4.
Floats will be stationary along a one-way route from a decorated Selkirk Park and people will drive by with passengers in their COVID-19 cohort bubble to view them and continue to a brightly lit downtown.
“In all of my network and my experience, I have not heard of anybody else doing this,” Selkirk Biz executive director Sheri Skalesky said Oct. 13, noting combining the usually earlier parade with Holiday Alley had been planned before the pandemic.
“Just because of the current public-health situation, and for us needing to adapt to be compliant with that, I see this as such a positive because I think this could be the future of our event itself.”
The concept actually helps the logistics of putting on a safe parade at night that is sometimes in snowy, slippery conditions, she added.
The popular photos with Santa will take place at parade’s end on Manitoba Avenue, but with a social-distancing approach.
“Nobody’s leaving their cars,” Skalesky said. “You’re in your vehicle, you unroll your window and Santa will be nearby and a photo can be taken.”
There may be alternative transportation options to view the parade in large vans or transit buses, she said.
The parade will be streamed live on Holiday Alley’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, as will other activities during the fourth annual festival, said Holiday Alley co-founder Shirley Muir.
According to Muir, following the parade, families are welcome to have their photos taken with Santa in downtown Selkirk, but with a social-distanced approach. The exact location where Santa will be for photos is yet to be determined, but Muir said the Jolly Old Elf will either be on either Eveline Street or Manitoba Avenue as part of the Holiday Alley celebrations.
Muir also noted that Santa will be back on Saturday night for more drive-thru family photos for those who missed the opportunity the night prior.
Holiday Alley is an offshoot of Homes for the Holidays, which is on hold this year, Muir said. That decision was made in August when property owners realized it probably wouldn’t be safe for strangers and guests to tour homes and heritage sites during the pandemic. The five-year event has raised more than $130,000 for non-profit housing in Selkirk, St. Clements and St. Andrews, and established the Homes for All fund that’s at about $60,000.
Muir explained Holiday Alley volunteers are working with the public health officer to find out what they can and can’t do amid pandemic restrictions “because we can’t have our usual 3,000 or 4,000 people in downtown Selkirk.”
Live entertainment is planned in some downtown venues, perhaps without audiences depending on health rules at the time, therefore, it will be broadcasted. There will be an online Holiday Alley family quiz and the drive-up Santa photos will be posted on the Facebook page.
“This community, like a lot of communities, needs something to celebrate and they need to feel joy and they need to feel connections and they need to do it safely,” Muir added. “The volunteers here are very, very determined to figure that out.”
