Crisis response can expose one’s true character

Tee-K Kelly

Shilo resource centre on alert to help base families affected by deadly training incident in Alberta

Military officials were unable to say Monday whether any soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Shilo were among the four dead and 39 injured Saturday when a fast-moving grass fire engulfed a training area at a base in Alberta.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence in Ottawa told the Free Press Monday they did not know yet if anyone from Shilo was participating in the exercises at CFB Wainwright, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, when the fire tore through the area.

The Shilo Military Family Resource Centre, located about 30 kilometres Southeast of Brandon, was offering counselling and other assistance to families of soldiers stationed there.

“We understand that this tragedy may also be deeply felt by members and families here at CFB Shilo,” the MFRC said in a statement posted to Facebook. “Across the Canadian Armed Forces, our communities are connected through shared experiences, friendships, service and sacrifice.”

Prosecutions branch reviewing new evidence from police HQ public inquiry

Prosecutors are reviewing new evidence from the public inquiry into Winnipeg’s police headquarters project to determine whether criminal charges could be pursued.

The Manitoba Prosecution Service said Monday the review, launched in July, is examining whether evidence presented during the inquiry could change previous decisions not to lay charges in the scandal-plagued project.

The $2.1-million public inquiry took place over 27.5 hearing dates between February and May, and commissioner Garth Smorang released his final report Monday.

The prosecution service has twice previously explored criminal charges stemming from the project.

Texas bans most abortions, with high court mum on appeal

The nation's most far-reaching curb on abortions since they were legalized a half-century ago took effect Wednesday in Texas, with the Supreme Court silent on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold.

If allowed to remain in force, the law, which bans most abortions, would be the strictest against abortion rights in the United States since the high court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.

It’s part of a broader push by Republicans across the country to impose new restrictions on abortion. At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

Marking history of Mennonites in Canada

Just before he died in 2014, Ingrid Riesen Moehlmann’s father made a request to her: Find a way to celebrate the arrival in Canada of Mennonites who fled Russia in the 1920s.

“Those were his last words to me,” said Riesen Moehlmann, a language consultant for the River East Transcona School Division. “He asked me to organize an event to commemorate the Mennonite migration to Canada from Russia. That story was an all-consuming passion for him. He was afraid it was being lost and forgotten.”

She is fulfilling his dying wish through the “Memories of Migration: Russlaender (Russian Mennonite) Tour 100” to mark the 100th anniversary of Mennonites coming to Canada from Russia.

The cross-Canada train tour, which will re-enact the historic migration of 21,000 Mennonites from Russia to Canada between 1923 and 1930, will take place from July 6 to 25, 2023.

Winnipeg: Home of IG’s past and future

Shortly after IG Wealth Management was established in Canada, our founders chose Winnipeg as the home of our young, ambitious company.

This year, as IG celebrates its milestone 100-year anniversary of helping Canadians achieve financial well-being, we’ve been reflecting on the decisions that shaped our company and the values that continue to define us today.

The decision to establish our headquarters in Winnipeg was a foundational one.

Winnipeg, a city at the heart of our country where people, ideas and opportunity come together, has always been more than a location for IG. The city’s talent, character and sense of community have helped our company grow and thrive for generations. These qualities made Winnipeg the right place to build a business then and they continue to make it the right place to be today.