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?
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
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.”
The 2020 cross country season is underway for the Lord Selkirk Royals.
Team head coach Scott Gurney told the Selkirk Selkirk Settler Times that the team had its first meet of the season at Kilcona Park on Sept. 24
Thousands and thousands of birds are making Oak Hammock Marsh their home during the migration season, which is well underway in southern Manitoba.
Submitted
Winnipeg, MB –James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman and Shadow Minister for National Defence, Marty Morantz, Member of Parliament for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, and Stephanie Kusie, Shadow Minister for Transport, issued the following statement after 14% of Nav Canada employees were laid off this week, and flight centres in Winnipeg and Halifax were closed altogether:
“This week 750 Canadians had to go home to their families worried about how they would put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. These workers face an uncertain future as the jobs they are trained to do and have years of experience in are no longer available.
“These layoffs are in addition to the 25% reduction the Winnipeg Airport Authority has needed to make, as well as the many pilots, fight attendants and mechanics who have been laid off, with no other opportunities available in their fields.
“Yesterday’s Speech from the Throne had no acknowledgement of the challenges COVID-19 has created within the aviation industry and, worse yet, outlined no plan to help workers safely return to the skies.
“When Canada had a shortage of PPE at the start of this pandemic, it was aviation workers who stepped up and worked to bring shipments of PPE to frontline workers. When Canadians were stranded abroad, it was aviation workers who helped bring them back to Canada to be reunited with their families. Aviation workers have stepped up when Canadians needed them. The Trudeau government must step up and deliver a plan to help these workers get back on their feet.”
Submitted by the City of Selkirk
The formula for the City of Selkirk’s success in integrating climate change adaptation into day-to-day operations is now being shared with others to help them succeed as well.
Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol was one of about 20 individuals from across the country invited to be part of the Municipal Climate Services Collaborative, a joint initiative of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Government of Canada’s Canadian Centre for Climate Services.
The MCSC’s goal, Nicol said, was to find ways to assist others in getting the climate change ball rolling.
“This group was put together with the expressed intention of identifying barriers and opportunities to municipalities and local governments thinking about climate change and adopting climate change adaptation practices into their municipal operations to become more resilient communities,” Nicol said.
“We worked at identifying what the problems are, and what the current gaps and barriers are to municipalities adapting to climate change. From that analysis, we identified the tools, processes and resources needed to support municipalities to do this important work.”
The group has just released the first in a series of resources that will help administrators get the climate change conversation started in their municipalities.
Titled ‘Talking it Through: Guide for Local Government Staff on Climate Adaptation’, the downloadable tool was created to help municipal staff talk to decision-makers and elected officials about adapting to the local impacts of climate change.
The guide also includes five case studies – including the City of Selkirk – of various approaches to advancing adaptation; representing communities of different sizes, locations, climate hazards and adaptation approaches.
Being a case study is a huge feather in the city’s climate change cap, Nicol said.
“I think one of the reasons our strategies were identified as being successful and being a leading practice is that rather than have climate change as a standalone project on the side of someone’s desk, we integrate climate change practices into core government operations,” Nicol said.
“Our case study is about the leadership administration has shown to support council in understanding how adaptation can be operationalized without significant additional expenses, and our strategies around integrating it into our existing business decision processes, so that climate change adaptation is the default for the city as opposed to yet another consideration in all of the choices we have to make.”
Selkirk’s Strategic Plan calls for it to make environmental stewardship a priority and to sustain the quality of life for future generations and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy ticks both those boxes.
Nicol said it’s crucial that climate change be part of infrastructure decisions – if it isn’t, you’re running the risk of costing the taxpayer of tomorrow significant dollars.
“We’re spending millions of dollars every year on infrastructure, we better be making the right long-term investments. For example, if you’re going to put a storm water pipe in the ground that is going to be there for the next 80 years, you better make sure that pipe is going to provide the service needed in the next 20, 50 or 80 years,” he said.
Without that long-term climate vision, you may have to prematurely replace or repair a pipe that was only installed with today’s climate in mind.
“If you have to either replace that pipe or put more pipe into the ground to compensate for the gap that you’ve allowed, that’s going to drive up significant cost and there’s going to be a lot more risk to citizens, so that’s why municipalities have to consider climate change adaptation as part of their infrastructure planning. Frankly if they’re not, it’s really negligent.”
The City of Selkirk has had a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy since 2018.
It first began mitigating climate change with its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy in 2016.
The city won the Canadian Network of Asset Managers Tereo award in 2019 for their innovative Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
Megan Jakilazek, the city’s Asset Management and GIS Coordinator, led the development of the city’s adaptation strategy. Jakilazek and Nicol have been invited to speak about the city’s work in this area multiple times. After presenting at an FCM training workshop in Saskatchewan, Jakilazek appears in informational videos for the national municipal organization.
“I feel very proud, and lucky to be a part of the leadership team on climate change adaptation, for a city that is not only thinking about the impacts of climate change but taking action to adapt and mitigate for the sake of future generations. Being recognized as a national leader, and having our work showcased reminds us that we are unequivocally doing something right in the fight against climate change,” Jakilazek said.
Submitted by the City of Selkirk
When the new Wastewater Treatment Plant opens, citizens will know their wastewater is being treated to some of the highest standards in the province. Soon visitors to Selkirk Park will have those same standards.
Construction has started on the Selkirk Park Lift Station, which will pump wastewater from Selkirk Park to the new state-of-the-art Wastewater Treatment Plant. This includes wastewater from the campground, the pool, and other restroom facilities.
“Trucks are there now, and workers are beginning to build the new lift station. We’ll then be laying pipe in Selkirk Park that will connect to the new Wastewater Treatment Plant system,” said the city’s Director of Operations Dan McDermid.
The project is in line with the city’s Strategic Plan, calling for the city to be environmental stewards by improving city practices and services, and encouraging more environmentally responsible development.
“The park had been serviced by a lagoon treatment system for the past 60 years or so. Not only does this not meet the standards of today, it comes no where near the standards we hold ourselves to,” said McDermid.
“If this was left the way it is, we wouldn’t be able to open the things our citizens have come to expect like the campground, the Selkirk Park Pool + Splashpad, or any of the restrooms in the future until this was changed.”
The city’s Chief Administrative Officer Duane Nicol says the new Wastewater Treatment Plan will go far and beyond the provincial regulations of today.
“Wastewater standards will only get tighter. When they do, the new treatment plant will still likely meet the standards without costly retrofits or new construction,” said Nicol.
While the new Wastewater Treatment Plant is looking ahead for the future, so is the new lift station at Selkirk Park.
“We’re not sure what kind of expansion will happen in Selkirk Park in twenty years, so we’re upgrading the capacity of the sewer system now while we do this work,” said Nicol.
“In the future if council decides to expand the campground or add some sort of facility, they will have the proper sewage system already in place.”
The project was budgeted in the 2020 Financial Plan and will cost $735,585, with money coming from the water utility reserves. The project is expected to wrap-up around the new year.
Cambrian Excavators will be undertaking the project having successfully won a competitive procurement process last summer.
During construction there will be interruptions to park access and temporary closures to both park roads and amenities. While every effort will be made not to interrupt the Boat Launch, users may also see interruptions.
For your safety, the city asks that citizens please stay clear of equipment and construction sites.
The Selkirk and District Curling Club finally held its Registration Night for the 2020-21 season on Sept. 17, but organizers are still hoping to draw more curlers back into its house.
“We currently operate five leagues — Tuesday Men’s, Wednesday Women’s, Thursday Men’s, Friday Mixed/Open and Saturday Juniors,” Kathleen McCallum, the club’s past-president, wrote in an email. “All leagues except for Wednesday Women’s — which has the same number of teams as last year — are slightly down. I am not sure if this is due directly to concerns over COVID-19. Generally, we have fewer registered teams on Registration Night than will be curling for the year. We still take registration up to the first nights of league play and beyond.”
The season starts Oct. 13, with all sorts of pandemic protocols swept into place.
“What was a little different this year, due to the pandemic, was not knowing if we would be able to open and what it would look like if we did!” McCallum wrote. “Our executive undertook a review of the practices of neighbouring clubs, and we relied heavily on the guidelines developed by Curling Canada and CurlManitoba. Due to the uncertainty of a new season, we did not advertise the AGM and Registration Night as we have done in the past, so our lower numbers at this point might be (due) to this.
“We are in the process of contacting former curlers and looking for ways to let people know we have room for more teams in most of our leagues. And we have prepared protocols for our facility, both canteen area and lounge, as well as on ice play, that make the safety and health of our members, staff and visitors our Number 1 priority. For example, face masks will be mandatory to enter, and move around the building.”
Those protocols include specific markings on the ice for where curlers are supposed to stay when not sweeping, including the skip.
“Our icemaker (Dale Lott) will be using CurlManitoba guidelines to mark out areas on the ice for non-throwing teams to stand, and rocks will be placed in single file,” McCallum said. “We will have sanitizing wipes so that teams can wipe down their own rocks before and after the games, as well as for other high-touch areas.
“We feel fortunate to open our doors this year and we do not want to do anything that will jeopardize the season, or jeopardize the health and safety of our members, visitors and staff. We know there will be a learning curve to some of the new protocols. But, with some patience and flexibility, we are confident that curling can be a safe and welcome winter activity option for community members of all ages!”
Tom Matheson was elected the club’s new president.
