I had the privilege of photographing and interviewing dancers from Evolution Dance Company in Selkirk on Oct. 6 and was mmost impressed by their talent and skills.
As many know, I come from a strong athletic/sports background. While watching the dancers train at the local dance studio in Selkirk, it really hit me how dancers are very much like athletes in terms of their physical fitness, stamina, endurance and ability to perform in a competition setting.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks that people have when they think about God, church and religion is the issue of suffering. “Why, if there is a God of love, does He allow suffering?” they ask. For some of them, that very issue has prompted them to become atheists.
Such was the case with a young fellow I recently spoke with who told me he was a doctoral candidate in psychotherapy. We got to talking about things religious and he informed me that he did not believe in God. I asked him why not. He replied, “Because of all the suffering in the world. If there is a God of love, why does He allow it?”
I responded to him, “Well, let me begin to answer that by asking you a question. Let’s suppose that you are right; there is no God. No such Being exists. So now, you tell me why there is suffering in the world?” He looked at me with a stunned look and said, “I have absolutely no idea.”
“So,” I went on to say, “if there is no God, then atheists need to come up with a reason for suffering. Now, here is the dilemma: since there is no God to now blame for the existence of suffering, what do you, as an atheist, do when suffering happens to you? How do you respond? All you can do, as an atheist, is to yell and scream and rage at nothing and no one for the suffering you are now enduring.
“Now suffering happens to both Christians and atheists. No one gets to skate through life problem free. But when I as a Christian experience suffering, here is how I look at it: I choose to believe that there is an all-powerful sovereign Being who is in final control of all things. And when the storms of life hit me, I choose to believe what this all-knowing God who has promised me: that somehow and some way, He will bring out of that suffering, something good. that’s because I believe God’s promise to ‘cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.’ And I comfort myself in that knowledge in the midst of my pain.”
My young psychotherapist friend listened as if he had never heard anything like this before. I went on to say, “Now suppose that I go through life comforting myself through my suffering with these thoughts. Then I die and I find out, ‘Hey! I’ve been mistaken! There is no God. There is no ultimate good to be redeemed out of suffering!’ What then?”
“I’m still better off,” I went on to say, “having lived in that delusion (which, by the way, I am convinced I am not) than my atheist friend who has had to spend his life raging and cursing fate for crushing him.”
There are no easy answers to suffering (though Christianity maintains all suffering ultimately comes from humankind’s choice to reject God’s way and to choose sin) but at least one can have peace in the midst of the turmoil by the conclusion that God is in control and working out all things for good.
My young psychotherapist friend and I parted and I often wonder where he ended up on the topic of why a God of love allows suffering. I hope what I said caused him to consider the value of a relationship with this amazing, sovereign God.
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.
The feeling of competing in a running race is like none other.
Race organizers around the world have come up with virtual runs as a way to keeping runners engaged in running events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have you every stood outside on a beautiful summer evening or on a crisp winter night and just looked up in amazement?
Personally, I look up towards the heavens above each and every night when the night sky is clear. For as long as I can remember the moon, stars and planets have always amazed me. As a youngster I was a proud member of the Manitoba Astronomy Club.
For those who live in the RM of St. Andrews as well as history buffs will appreciate the fact the RM of St. Andrews has announced it will be republishing the original Beyond the Gates of Lower Fort Garry.
According to the RM, production is underway, but the anticipated arrival in October has been pushed back.
Once available, the book will be for sale at the St. Andrews Rectory & Heritage Centre at 374 River Road.
For more information, keep an eye on the local RM’s newsletter.
No matter the season, it is always the right time to start getting fit while having fun at the same time.
As a society we are often used to planning ahead, sometimes well ahead.
It’s difficult to find a silver lining during the COVID-19 pandemic, but if there can be a silver lining it would be to remind ourselves of the importance of being flexible and having the ability to adapt to changes in life.
Golfers were among the first to get back into the swing of things when Covid-19 restrictions began to ease up.
And they have been flooding the fairways on Selkirk-area courses ever since. While other sports and various industries were suffering, those links enjoyed a brisk business.
“It’s been a fantastic year,” said Lee Poworoznik, general manger of the Netley Creek Golf course. “Right from the get-go on May 4th, there’s been a dramatic increase in business, even with the Covid restrictions in place. It was never ending. Every day was like a weekend in July, at least until the cold weather started to come in recently.”
Those restrictions included staggering tee times further apart than usual, sanitizing equipment, no touching flagpoles, no ball washers, no rakes in sand traps and so on.
“I’d say it was a 25-30% improvement in green fees,” said Poworoznik, adding that the course does not host weddings and other large gatherings.
“It’s been a very good golf season for us at Larters,” said Peter Ewert, general manager of Larters at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club. “We’re up about 20% over last year, which is pretty significant. Due to the great weather and the restrictions with Covid elsewhere, it made it a lot more accessible to play the game. We had a lot more play by our members because we did not have a lot of tournaments because we could not have bigger crowds (due to restrictions).”
However, the increase in revenue on the golf side was balanced by the cancellations of weddings and other gatherings.
“Our banquet sales are down about 93% because the pandemic shut down every big wedding we had planned because of the restricted crowds, which is now down to 10 people (due to Code Orange),” Ewert said. “We’ll be pretty close to breaking even.”
The Selkirk Golf and Country Club has a similar outlook.
“It’s definitely been a busy season,” said club manager Mike Hill. “We started late – May 4th – which was about two weeks behind due to the (Covid) shutdown. And with the restricted tee times, we had a slow start. But people got used to the new Covid rules and we were at 90% capacity from the May long weekend to (late September).
“And the weather was great. We only closed two half days because of rain.”
Membership play was up about 30% with other green fees up 20%, he said.
“But our food and beverage side was down due to fewer tournaments this year,” Hill said. “And most corporate events were cancelled due to people being uneasy to be in large groups because of Covid (risks).
“We’ll see what happens with Christmas parties, but everything looks really good right now. We’ll be pretty close (in revenue) to our average year.”
Larters will expand its patio this winter to prepare for those golfers who feel safer eating outdoors during the pandemic next summer, Ewert said.
Submitted by the City of Selkirk
The City of Selkirk’s popular Walk & Jog program at the Rec Complex returns this year with a few changes to ensure participants stay healthy while pursuing their fitness routines.
“We’re really happy that Walk & Jog is back this fall and winter because we know there are so many people who enjoy it,” said the city’s Program Coordinator Shelly Leonard.
“There are some new rules in place to comply with provincial re-opening protocols and our Return to Play Protocol for the Rec so people will feel safe when they come and they can enjoy a walk or a run indoors when the weather outside turns colder.”
The Walk & Jog program runs Monday to Friday at the Rec Complex from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It starts on Sept. 23 and is free until Oct. 19th when regular fees kick in. It does not run on holidays or during special events. The program goes until the end of April.
Leonard says Walk & Jog aligns with Selkirk’s Strategic Plan that calls for the city to provide the best possible recreation opportunities for Selkirk residents, create a vibrant, safe and healthy community and serve as a hub for culture and recreation.
This year, walkers must register in person during program hours at the Rec Complex before beginning the program season – once you are registered you can book one-hour time slots ahead of time in person, online or over the phone, but your initial registration must be done in person. You will then be able to book up to one week of walking times in advance.
The city has found it essential being able to work a Public Health Inspector since the spring for the reopening of all programs and services. Based on guidance received and because the city has a public health order in place for programs, this program allows for a maximum of 25 people for each one-hour session. Following each session is a 15-minute buffer between booking times to allow one group to leave before the next group arrives.
Participants are asked to arrive no more than five minutes before their scheduled walk time.
Due to capacity restraints, there will only be space for drop-in walkers providing there are less than 25 people registered during a session.
“We really need everyone to adhere to the schedule so we don’t exceed the maximum number of people allowed in the building,” Leonard said.
When you arrive at the Rec Complex the doors will be locked, but an attendant will let you in. You will be required to sanitize upon your arrival and masks are mandatory throughout the duration of your visit; if you forget your mask you will be able to purchase one for $1.
The water fountains at the Rec Complex will not be available so walkers are asked to bring their own water in their own bottles during this time. Washrooms in the main lobby will be closed, but those inside the rink will be open during your walking session. Washrooms and other high-touch surfaces will be sanitized every hour.
The cost for Selkirk residents for the season is $40 and $60 for non-residents.
The city’s Manager of Cultural and Recreational Activities Kyla Ray says that although costs associated in running this program have increased due to the level of sanitization and additional staffing, it was important to keep the price of the program the same for users.
“Access to affordable recreation during this time is vital for the mental and physical wellness of our citizens,” said Ray.
As the situation with COVID-19 is always changing the rules for the Walk & Jog program may change as well.
“Every detail of the program has been examined to determine how to mitigate risk and this has resulted in a significant demand on staff time. Even when the program starts, we will continually re-evaluate our processes,”.
Participants will be asked to show identification for registration and will then receive a walking pass and number. This number will be your identification for daily sign in. Cash, debit, and credit card are accepted.
For more information on the Walk & Jog program, visit MySelkirk.ca/walkjog
To view the full Selkirk Rec Complex COVID-19 Return to Play Protocol, click visit MySelkirk.ca/recreationcomplex.
Submitted by the City of Selkirk
Want to help mitigate community spread of the COVID-19 virus? Well now there’s an app for that, and the city is making sure their employees are doing their part.
As of Friday, August 12, all city employees with city-issued cell phones downloaded and have been running the COVID-19 Alert app on their smartphones. As of today, the free app is officially available for use to all Manitoba residents. Manitoba is the fifth Province to join this initiative.
“This is just another way we’re trying to be leaders in our community. Even if this prevents one, or ten, or 100 people from contracting the virus, it’s well worth it,” said Mayor Larry Johannson.
Developed by the Government of Canada, the free COVID Alert app’s main purpose is to break the cycle of community spread by notifying you if you’ve possibly been exposed to someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Government of Canada’s website, the app exchanges randomly generated codes with others who have downloaded the app via Bluetooth. If you have test positive, you notify the app and anyone who has received a randomly generated code from you will be notified they may have been exposed.
The Government of Canada’s website also says the app is secure and has no way of knowing your location, your name, your contacts, your address or your health records.
“Our employees deal with citizens on a daily basis. I view it as our civic duty that if one of our employees tested positive, we would notify anyone they came in contact with instantly. This makes it easy for us to do that,” said the city’s Director of Protective Services Kristy Hill.
“Not only that, if someone who was asymptomatic exposed and unknowingly infected multiple people at their workplace, that could possibly devastate our day-to-day operations. Any step we can take to reduce that from happening, we’re taking it.”
The city is also taking other preventative measures to mitigate community spread within the workplace. This includes workers travelling in different vehicles when possible, enhanced cleaning and sanitary measures, and providing all staff with facemasks which are to be used when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
Hill says that the city is really focusing on the services they provide, and making sure citizens are informed of the changing landscape.
“We’re taking this seriously. A lot of time and effort has not only gone into keeping our employees and community safe, but to communicate with our citizens about the changes to our day-to-day operations,” said Hill.
“People get their information from multiple different outlets, and it sometimes can be confusing what’s mandatory, what’s recommended, or even what’s true or not. We’re focusing on what we know, delivering services our citizens have come to expect as best we can with the changing landscape, and taking and sharing the direct advice of provincial experts.”
Back in April, the city developed the Selkirk Business Continuity Plan (SBCP) to establish a guideline during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also created a dedicated webpage with all changes to city services, programs and events throughout the year.
You can view the SBCP on the dedicated webpage at www.myselkirk.ca/covid19. The COVID alert App is available for download on iOS and Android devices. Together, we can limit the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future outbreaks.
