Accessible viewing platforms unveiled at Dakota C.C.

Two new accessible viewing platforms were unveiled at Dakota Community Centre (1188 Dakota St.) on Jan. 6.

Located in the north and south ice arena at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex, the platforms are intended to help people who are unable to climb stairs comfortably and safely enjoy events at the St. Vital-based centre.

Pictured, from left, on Jan. 6: Michele Augert, Dakota Community Centre’s president and CEO; Cory Shangreaux, the centre’s board chair; Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River); Mayor Scott Gillingham; and Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid.

A clean slate for home improvement

The trees have come down; the decorations rest back in their boxes and all the extra lights and sparkles no longer adorn the nooks and crannies. With the magic of the holiday season stripped away, our bare homes remain. The flaws, previously concealed by garlands and bows, scream to us that it’s time to act on long put-off home improvement projects. Whether yours is cosmetic or functional, January is a great time to explore options.

First, establish a budget of what you can and can’t afford. You’ll be far more comfortable working within your budget once you know where your limits are. Next, consult local experts. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Whether you’re looking for a home security system and have no idea what the options are or realizing you’ve never done any of the duct cleaning a home requires, asking an expert is the starting point.

A great place to start is the Winnipeg Renovation Show, which runs Jan. 16-18 at the RBC Convention Centre. There, you can peruse vendors, speak to experts on your particular problem or project and weigh different options.

With Winnipeg’s harsh winters and hot summers, online advice does not always apply to home ownership in our particular climate. But local business owners who have studied and worked here for years can better guide you in the right direction. Hundreds of companies that have operated successfully in Manitoba will be together at the Renovation Show with hands-on demonstrations. Find more information at winnipegrenovationshow.com

Lancers looking to win it all

The Dakota Lancers boys hockey team is gearing up for a major playoff push to start the new year.

At press time, the Lancers held second place in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Winnipeg Free Press Division with a 13-3-0 record and 39 points, trailing only the undefeated Collège Louis-Riel Voyageurs.

“We’re in great shape, having a great year,” said longtime coach Ray Agostino. “We’re a fast, disciplined team. Hardworking. We have a pretty well-balanced attack… We can beat teams in a few different areas, whether we need to play tight checking or score goals.”

Built around a core of 10 Grade 11 players, Dakota had the second-most goals-for and the fewest goals-against in the WFP Division.

All the right moves

A south Winnipeg-based Ukrainian dance school is commemorating 55 years in operation, and everyone is invited to help it celebrate.

Organizers at Sopilka Ukrainian Dance School, located at 4-651 Stafford St., are preparing for an anniversary gala event on Saturday, Feb. 7 in the grand ballroom at Canad Inns Polo Park (1405 St. Matthew’s Ave.).

“We’re celebrating our 55th anniversary, and this will be an opportunity to celebrate Ukrainian culture in music and dance,” said Venessa Schreyer, president of the school’s board of directors.

“The gala will be an opportunity for Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian community members to experience a fun and elevated event that honours and celebrates our 55 years.”

Rossbrook House turns 50

Rossbrook House will hit a major milestone when it celebrates its 50th anniversary on Jan. 20.

Established in 1976 by Sisters Geraldine MacNamara, Marylyn Gibney, and Lesley Sacouman, the non-profit resource centre at 658 Ross Ave. has always aimed to create a safe place for youth in vulnerable situations. Somewhere they can learn, play and engage with their communities, powered by a small team of staff and volunteers. Its doors are open every day of the year — for 24 hours on weekends and school holidays.

For many people in the surrounding community, such as Sheila Chippastance, Rossbrook House has been nothing short of a family affair.

Chippastance first stepped through the doors of Rossbrook House when she was 11 — a result of her mom’s constant volunteering with the organization. When the kitchen table in their family home on Elgin Avenue was covered with bannock, young Sheila knew an event involving the neighbourhood kids was coming up.

Queens for a day

A new initiative is helping older adults in northwest Winnipeg get their groceries.

The food access bus, a pilot project launched last October, is being delivered by Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and is supported by the Seven Oaks Resource Network and Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.

The goal of the initiative — inspired, in part, by previous food access bus projects such as the one in the Chalmers neighbourhood spearheaded by the late area councillor Jason Schreyer — is to reduce transportation barriers for older adults and help them access affordable, healthy groceries while also helping them foster social connections.

During the pilot program, which will run until March, tenants of several 55-plus residences in the Seven Oaks area will be picked up by a rented Winnipeg transit bus, and dropped off at FreshCo for an hour-long shopping session, before being dropped home. The intention is continue the service after the six-month pilot period.

Agrarian made easy

The Harvest Moon Society is based in the former elementary school in Clearwater, Man., 2.5 hours southwest of Winnipeg, and its mission and vision statements embrace the notion of learning, teaching and encouraging people to build a sustainable food system for future generations.

While it is based in rural Manitoba, it has plenty of connections to the city, and hundreds of people regularly make the trek to the annual Harvest Moon Festival every September.

Next week, the Harvest Moon Society will bring its annual Agrarian After Dark program to the Park Theatre — an event which brings together rural producers and city folk to connect and engage in valuable conversation about sustainability, cultivation, and good, local food.

The program is a collaborative effort of Harvest Moon, The Dogs Run Farm, The Young Agrarians, Fireweed Food Co-op (which operates the South Osborne Farmers’ Market), and Manitoba Organics (the newest addition to the organizing committee). The word ‘agrarian’ relates to ownership and use of land, and the part of a society or economy that is concerned with agriculture. But, no matter where you’re from, Agrarian After Dark is an oasis of information.

Hitting the hard water

Those looking to try ice fishing for the first time can now do so closer to home.

Turtle Tours, an Indigenous walking tour company based out of The Forks, is behind a new ice fishing program at Fort Whyte Alive. As of Jan. 10, families or groups of up to eight people can book ice-fishing tents on the frozen lakes at Fort Whyte, for a full- or half-day, each Saturday and Sunday through the rest of the winter.

“We’re excited to offer this in an urban setting,” said Ashley Smith, founder of Turtle Tours. “It’s not a cheap sport to get into. But here, kids can come and learn, and you have your tent for the day.”

Equipment is provided for those who need it, and a guided experience, from an Indigenous perspective, is also offered.

Growing the ‘beautiful game’

There are big changes coming to how youth soccer programming is delivered in Manitoba.

The changes come at the direction of Canada Soccer, the sport’s national governing body, and are to be phased in over the next couple years, explained Hector Vergara, executive director of Soccer Manitoba.

The concepts and practices will be introduced to eight-to-10-year-old players this year, and 11-to-13-year-olds in the coming years.

“The idea behind it is to focus on development of the player, to ensure that at the end of the day the people participating in our programs are essentially receiving a consistent, safe, and nationally aligned experience,” Vergara said.

Mapping Winnipeg has got the sled hills covered

No idea where to go tobogganing or sledding this January? No problem.

Mapping Winnipeg — well known for its interactive maps meant to help Winnipeggers find the best Christmas lights and Halloween decor, among other things — has released a handy list ofwhich hills are best to sled on in West Winnipeg. Happy sledding!

West Kildonan: Kildonan Park (2015 Main St.) has two toboggan slides, is well-lit at night; St. John’s Park (510 Main St.) has a safe slope that ends on the river; Vince Leah Park (1295 Salter St.) has a small hill with a gentle slope for the youngsters; and Adsum Park (434 Adsum Dr.) is another gentle option.

East edition news in brief — week of Jan. 14, 2026

Mapping Winnipeg has got sled hills covered

No idea of where to go tobogganing or sledding this winter? No problem.

Mapping Winnipeg — well known for its interactive maps meant to help Winnipeggers find the best Christmas lights and Halloween decor, among other things — has released a handy list of which hills are best to sled on in east Winnipeg:

Transcona: Victoria Jason Park (696 Kildare Ave. E) has a large hill, as well as a smaller hill, with fast spots, slow spots and some “tailbone-bruising spots”; Harbourview Park & Recreation Complex (1867 Springfield Rd.) has a large, slower hill; Kilcona Park (1229 Springfield Rd.) has a hill used for sledding, south of the baseball diamond. It’s attached to the off-leash dog park, so tread — or sled — carefully; Duff Roblin Park at Gunn Road and the Perimeter Highway has a hill leading onto the floodway, but it is also serves as a popular place for dogs to enjoy snow while running off-leash; Harold Hatcher School (500 Redonda St.) and Wayoata School (605 Wayoata St.) each have small hills for cautious or toddler-aged sledders; and Lakeside Meadows Park (155 N Meadow Dr.) has sledding onto a retention pond.

Tell a new story in 2026

Dear Money Lady Readers,

Today my husband read me my horoscope for 2026, and he said it sounds like me. Have you read yours, too? Most of us want to make changes in a new year to ditch old habits – stop smoking, lose weight, find a new job, the list could be endless.

So, is this the year you change the narrative of your life?

Often, the story of a new life is right in front of us but for whatever reason we can’t see it, can’t feel it, and certainly can’t imagine making the necessary changes. However, we all know that having the courage to change the course of your life will always bring new opportunities. A healthier life, less pain, a new career, more money, more love – it’s all out there for those who want a different story. Of course, this all sounds great, but making a change and keeping up the fight is always easier said than done. Sure, we all plan to make changes every January, with 58 per cent of us making a new year’s resolution every year. However, 87 per cent will give up and settle back into their old ways by the end of February.

An intimate, and local, musical environment

The audience hushes in curiosity. A single note blossoms into the air. Music performances may end, but the memory remains.

Glenn Buhr, renowned Canadian composer, conductor and pianist, has spent much of his life studying, writing and performing music of all kinds. For decades, his work, mostly rooted in classical and jazz traditions, has been consistently unique and he has created pieces for orchestras and chamber ensembles, as well as scores for film and ballet companies.

Buhr co-founded the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival with Bramwell Tovey, and was artistic director from 1992 to ’96. He taught at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and was director of new music at the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra from 2002 to 2005.

More recently, he has performed with The Broken Songs Band, which features his wife, writer and spoken-word artist, Margaret Sweatman, and The Buhr Quartet, a roots-jazz amalgam which recently entertained at Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club.

Putting safety first for Winnipeg

At city council, our responsibility is clear – ensuring Winnipeg has the services it needs to keep residents safe; today and into the future.

That is why I introduced a motion to add firefighters to our ranks. The data is compelling, the need is urgent, and the cost of inaction is growing.

The City of Winnipeg has extensive operational data that shows its current firefighter complement does not match the size, complexity, and call volume of the city it serves. As Winnipeg has grown, demand for emergency response has increased. However, staffing has not kept pace. The result is longer response times and an unsustainable workload for the firefighters who show up for our community every single day.

We are already seeing the consequences. Response times are trending upward, and firefighters are experiencing high levels of medical leave due to overwork. These are not abstract statistics; they affect real people and the residents waiting for help in emergencies and firefighters pushed beyond reasonable limits. When response times increase, outcomes worsen. In emergency services, seconds matter.