While the Manitoba Junior Hockey League apparently received a special exemption from Public Health to go ahead with their plans for the 2020-21 season under Covid-19 restrictions, others had remained in limbo.

Until recently.

The Capital Region Junior Hockey League received official permission to start its season after Oct. 1 on Sept. 28 — after attending a number of meetings with Hockey Manitoba, Selkirk Fishermen head coach/GM Chris Poponick said.

“I didn’t think anything was going to come out of it, especially after the City (Winnipeg) and the surrounding areas went to Code Orange,” he said.

Those surrounding areas include Selkirk. Code Orange was issued to address the sudden spike in coronavirus cases in the Winnipeg area.

“(It) does not impact any current buildings with restrictions that were already put in place,” Poponick said.

While waiting, the five Junior B teams drew up three different possible schedules, depending on when they would be allowed to start. Once the league got the go-ahead, the teams rushed to finalize a schedule, with the Fishermen playing a 32-game season beginning Oct. 10.

The players are excited.

“It turns everything up really quickly, that’s for sure,” said Poponick. “They’re going to play something meaningful now.

“I’m ordering new equipment now because I wasn’t going to pay for it if we weren’t going to play.”

The other four CRJHL squads are: the Arborg Ice Dawgs, Lundar Falcons, North Winnipeg Satellites and St. Malo Warriors.

The Fishermen started their training camp in early September and the players are already well-versed in the Covid protocols, which includes wearing masks entering and leaving the facilities where they play.

“It’s kind of painful at times because there’s so many limits,” Poponick said. “Only having 11 players in a dressing room at once is tough. And the players can only get into the rink 20 minutes before getting on the ice and have to leave the rink 20 minutes after getting off the ice.”

But the teams do not have to travel by bus very often, so they won’t have to worry about the protocols associated with that aspect.

“Our league is much smaller (than the MJHL) so we don’t usually take a bus,” Poponick said. “Cliques of players that usually hang out together ride together. So, that’s not that big of a deal.”

The Fishermen players have bought in because they are anxious to get back on the ice after the season was shut down before the playoffs last year.

“The guys have been good and are sticking to every protocol that we have,” said Poponick, whose team was in first place when the year ended so abruptly.

Despite the pandemic delays, the league is still pursuing expansion teams, Poponick said.

Family, friends are awesome

Brook Jones

October 1, 2020

I am giving a shout out to my family and friends or as I like to call them team awesome.

Selkirk Judo Club: update

Brook Jones

September 30, 2020

The Selkirk Judo Club has been operating for a number of decades.

Selkirk mayor proud of working relationship with province

Brook Jones

September 29, 2020

BJ-ManitobaLegislativeBuildingLarryJohannson01 — Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson waves as he arrives on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Man., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Johannson spoke with the Selkirk Settler Times about the importance of having a strong relationship with the province. (Brook Jones/River City Photography/Selkirk Settler Times)

The Selkirk Settler Times met up with Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building on Sept.29.

Video interview/feature coming soon.

The faith needed during fearful times

Henry Ozirney

September 29, 2020

When the Coronavirus Pandemic first broke out back in March, our 11 year old granddaughter Emma came from school (this was just before classes were shut down) to have lunch with us. As we ate, she said, “Adults need to talk to kids about what’s going on. There are a lot of scared kids in school.” I remember thinking, “Not just kids…” Many adults were (and still are) very anxious at what has overtaken our world.

In the midst of troubling times, the biggest need today is for peace in our hearts. So, how can we have that peace? It’s through faith. Let me give you a couple of illustrations of that.

Earlier this spring, we received word from our missionary friend Margo Hoffman in Vancouver that her husband Randy was in ICU in hospital because he had contracted COVID-19.

In an email detailing Randy’s condition, Margo wrote: “So the news isn’t encouraging. I spoke to a doctor today who told how serious Randy’s condition is. The ventilator is still completely breathing for him. He said that someone with Randy’s lung condition has a 50 – 75% chance of not surviving. That, combined with his liver failure, brings the survival rate lower to 20%.” I grieved as I read that, thinking how sad the loss of such a wonderful man to the work of God would be.

But she continued on, “Yet, God’s purposes and plans are so much higher…” and one of those, she said was that through these things, God “tests and strengthens our faith and hearts as believers.”

As I read that, I thought, “This is someone who is responding with faith during difficult times.” You see, faith means trusting God through thick or thin, no matter what He allows, that He is accomplishing His good purposes.

Entrusting ourselves in faith to God will calm the storm of fear in our hearts. Indeed, Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Just the other day, I received another email from Margo. She told of Randy’s recovery and being home the last couple of months. She wrote, “God has been so good and faithful every step of the way.” Though Randy still battles things like fatigue and he has other aches and pains he never had before, he is much, much better.

So you see, when I place my faith in Him, I experience the peace of God that passes understanding. When I take the step of faith and entrust myself to Him, I release myself from fear’s tight grip.

Our house has seven steps up from the entrance to the kitchen. When my grandson Owen was two years old, he would stand on the top step and jump into my waiting arms at the landing. One day, I had just come into the house, was taking my jacket off when out of the corner of my eye, I saw him about to jump. I caught him just in time. What was Owen’s faith? “Grandpa will always catch me.”

So also will God.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

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.

Planning for the after life

Brook Jones

September 29, 2020

It is is not an easy reality for many of us to face.

When is the right time in a person’s life to start to think more about the after life? What type of plans should a person make ahead of time when it comes to a funeral arrangements for example and other important life decision?

Lord Stanley’s mug shines

Brook Jones

September 28, 2020

Brook Jones – Keeping Up With Jones

Watching the Stanley Cup being presented on TV during the evening of Sept. 28, provided a moment of normality during a challenging time for the human race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we navigate this difficult time for people around the world it was comforting to see the success of the Stanley Cup playoffs as a result of the bubble.

Brook Jones is the editor of the Selkirk Settler Times

Once Upon A Time: There was a Goose Family

Grammy

September 28, 2020

Once upon a time there was a mommy goose, a daddy goose and they had three wee gooses. The real term as you may know is, “They had three goslings but gooses sounds more fun.”

Well, the coolest news ever is that the “wee gooses” were called One, Two and Three. “Wow – you named your gooses after numbers”, said I to the mommy and daddy goose. They said, “absolutely, we did. It is the only way we can keep track. After all, there are 28 gooses, some big and some small in our family.” I said “wow, I had no idea gooses had such big Families. That is both amazing and perfectly awesome.” They said, “Yes, it is indeed. Goose families are both amazing and awesome. We love being geese. We get to do and see sooooo much. Let me tell you a story about one such time.”

The season was late Spring. The year was 2019. The place was a village called Petersfield. Have your heard of it? One, two and three’s Human Grammy lives in Petersfield.

It was a very wonderful Springtime. All the blossoms on Human Grammy’s apple tree were in bloom and the grasses down by the Creek were lush and green. They would wave back and forth to us as we swam past. My mommy and daddy said it was the wind that was blowing them gently in the breeze but I like to think they were waving at us because they liked us and wanted to say, “Hello….We are glad you swam by. We like you.” Life is more fun when you have fun with life.

Now, one day as we were swimming by Human Grammy’s place, my daddy honked his call, “honk, honk, honk.” This call means, “one, two and three…. pay attention because we are going ashore. The grasses are waving us in and we could use a little nourishment.” And so we swam as fast as our little -wee, webbed feet could make us go. Soon, we reached the sandy shore in front of Grammy’s place.

It was not easy that is for sure. We had been swimming a long way and our wee legs and wee-webbed feet were still getting strong. We were still fluffy wee gooses, not even a full year old yet. We had just been born a couple of months earlier. We had grown strong enough to leave our nest in the marsh for a little bit. And our mommy and daddy had taught us how to move our legs to swim but walking on shore was a whole other situation. We were wobbly. We were brave. We were very determined to learn. It is good to be determined when you have something new to learn.

We trusted our daddy and mommy to know that the shore in front of Human Grammy’s place was safe. And guess what…. Our auntie and uncle were swimming with our cousins in the creek too. They had decided that they would follow us. They watched out for us and we watched out for them. They had the back and we had the front. And sometimes they had the front and we had the back. We were a Goose Team of the very bestest kind. I LOVE being a Goose.

Well, the grass was very yummy. It was soooo yummy in fact that our Aunt and Uncle and their 7 wee gooses came ashore (they had a very big family). Their children were named, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10. Wowie! My auntie and uncle are super fun and so are my cousins.

Together we ate and ate and ate and ate some more. We climbed and jumped on a wee pile of rocks that Human Grammy put out to protect the shore. We played and ate and ate and played with our cousins. Our mommy and daddy and auntie and uncle also ate but they Watched out for us too. We trusted them. We knew, they knew the signs and sounds of danger. No danger came to us that day.

Unbeknownst to me and my cousins, there was another family of gooses out in the creek. They too were watching for our safety. They would give us a big warning call if danger approached. No danger came and soon this family joined our family and our group grew and grew and grew. Human Grammy’s yard was filled with the very best gooses ever.

We heard that Human Grammy loved it when we came to feed on her grasses.

It is the bestest of the bestest when you are a goose.

Trudeau’s speech from the throne leaves too many Canadians behind: Bezan

Brook Jones

September 27, 2020

Submitted by James Bezan

Selkirk, MB – James Bezan, Shadow Minister for National Defence and Member of Parliament for Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman today issued a statement on the weak Speech from the Throne made Wednesday by Trudeau’s Liberal government:

“Justin Trudeau had an opportunity to put Canada on a real path forward through the pandemic and help those Canadians who desperately need it. But he failed to do so and is leaving Canadians behind once again.

“In his Speech from the Throne, Justin Trudeau failed to mention Manitoba, veterans, or the Canadian Armed Forces. He failed to deliver a plan to help the millions of Canadians who are struggling. He didn’t commit to increase health transfers – the provinces’ top ask. In fact, he’s done nothing but waste six weeks so that he could hide from his ethical scandals.

“There are still a number of major concerns Justin Trudeau needs to answer for. For example, why is Canada falling behind our allies when it comes to COVID-19 testing? Other countries continue to safely offer home testing and online kits. And where is the plan to deal with a second wave? We can’t accept an economic shutdown as the only solution.

“People here in Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman deserve a plan now. They need to know their federal government is working for them, not against them.

“I’m really proud to be part of a strong team, led by Erin O’Toole, that is offering a serious, compassionate and ethical government-in-waiting. Conservatives have the best interests of Canadians at heart. I know that our country can overcome adversity together, and we can emerge from the COVID era stronger and more united than ever before.”