A hého lot of fun!

Festival du Voyageur’s Parc du Voyageur was a popular destination on Louis Riel Day (Feb. 16), as visitors enjoyed the seasonably mild temperatures and sunshine. The 57th edition of Western Canada’s oldest French-language winter festival ran from Feb. 13 to 22.

A sport for everyone

Table tennis is hot right now.

So hot that Marty Supreme, a recent movie about a table tennis player from New York’s Lower East Side, played by Timothée Chalamet, has earned itself nine Academy Award nominations — including best picture, best actor (Chalamet) and a best director nod for Josh Safdie.

So it’s no wonder that the Manitoba Table Tennis Association is putting in the work to make table tennis as accessible as possible to those looking to pick up a paddle and join in on the fun.

While Marty Supreme features its share of healthy movie magic, presenting the sport at its global peak in the 1950s and lacing the match scenes with energetic cuts and cinematography for maximum effect, its depiction of competitive play wasn’t that far off the mark.

LRSD superintendent to retire

When the bell rings at the end of the 2025-26 school year in June, it will mark the end of an area for a leading figure in the city’s education system.

Christian Michalik, Louis Riel School Division superintendent and CEO, is set to officially retire in August, after 37 years working in public education.

“What I’m feeling now … is how grateful I am,” Michalik, 62, said. “My journey has really been about learning from others — from the very start, as a teacher, and later on as a school principal, and then working in the board office. It’s been about listening and learning from others.”

Michalik said he has learned that important decisions are ultimately shaped by students.

A special Red River cart

At the St. Vital Museum, we treasure all of our galleries and artifacts. For good reason, as we have so much variety and so many unique displays. We have a 1939 firetruck that runs, an actual jail cell, an amazing music gallery featuring gold and platinum records donated by Jim Kale of the Guess Who, displays honouring sports legends such as Jennifer Jones, Jonathan Toews and Dancing Gabe – I could go on and on.

On Valentine’s Day, we unveiled another cherished treasure, our newly restored Red River cart which is a replica of the original carts built in the 1800s.

Approximately 100 people attended the ribbon-cutting/unveiling, including our MP, Ginette Lavack; five MLAs including Jamie Moses, Renee Cable, Robert Loiselle, Tylor Blashko, and Billie Cross; two city councillors, Markus Chambers and Brian Mayes; and four Louis Riel School Division trustees, Irene Nordheim, Ian Walker, Peter Bjornson, and Chris Sigurdson. We were grateful to have all of them attend in support of our event at the museum – and what a positive event it was.

The Red River cart is an all-wood vehicle and is a powerful symbol of Métis nationhood, entrepreneurship, and independence. Drawn by horses or oxen, these durable carts were also very versatile. They could be converted into rafts and also served as mobile, defensive shelters. Made typically from oak, birch, or pine, they used no metal nails, screws, or bolts, making them reparable on the trail. They were used throughout the 19th century and were essential to the fur trade, buffalo hunts, and transporting goods such as pemmican throughout the Red River Colony and northern plains.

A rare Arctic visitor

Melanie Glenwright and her 17-year-old son were relaxing on Boxing Day afternoon two months ago, crafting in their Royalwood kitchen, when an unexpected visitor arrived on silent wings. Through the big windows facing their backyard, they saw a large, white bird with small, ear-like feathered tufts perched on their shed.

“Right away we Googled,” Glenwright said. “We could see lots of brown bars, so we weren’t sure. Our search told us the markings meant (it was) a young female snowy owl.”

Dr. James Duncan, a retired biologist based in Balmoral, Man., who continues to study owls with his wife and fellow biologist Patricia Duncan, confirmed Glenwright’s findings.

“The owl certainly looks like a juvenile female hatched in 2025, hundreds of kilometres from Winnipeg, in the Arctic tundra,” Duncan said. “Based on the photographs and video footage provided, she appears to be healthy and was likely hunting small mammals or birds.”

Sopilka Dance gala hailed a success

Sopilka Ukrainian Dance School (4-651 Stafford St.) recently celebrated 55 years in operation with a gala event on Feb. 7 at Canad Inns Polo Park.

“The event was a smashing success. with over 520 people in attendance including VIP guests and alumni from past years,” said Venessa Schreyer, president of the south Winnipeg-based school’s board of directors, who lives in River Park South.

“We heard many comments about how amazing the night was and offered an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate our Ukrainian culture through music and dance.”

Pictured: Sopilka Ukrainian Dance School members during a live gala performance on Feb. 7, and some of the members of the school with Mayor Scott Gillingham.

A win for the Seine

When city hall reshuffled funding for more than 60 community groups this February, there were bound to be winners and losers.

I opposed handing full control of these grant decisions to administration, but council’s majority chose that route. As expected, several organizations saw their funding reduced or eliminated. That’s why I was especially pleased to see one group with deep roots in St. Vital come out stronger – Save Our Seine will now receive $35,000 annually, up from $27,000.

That may sound straightforward, but this grant has a long and sometimes rocky history.

I first pushed to establish city funding for Save Our Seine to fulfill an election pledge I made in 2011. In 2013, I directed money from my ward office budget to support the organization. The following year, with the support of Dan Vandal, I secured $30,000 in the 2014 city budget to create a stable, annual grant.

Stretching for success

Growing up, 16-year-old Manon Lambert split her time athletically between hip-hop dance and soccer. But now she is pretty much focused on soccer and plays for Bonivital Soccer Club.

“I love soccer. It’s physical. It’s exciting and it’s challenging,” she said. “It demands a lot of time and energy, but the payoff is worth it.

“I play defence, mostly centre back but sometimes fullback. There is nothing like sticking a good tackle or blocking a hard shot,” she added, which must make her coaches happy.

Speaking of coaches, Manon had nothing but good things to say about hers.

Live in peace and harmony with your pet

We get a lot of inquiries about pets with anxiety. Most of these concern separation anxiety, but there are some pets with reactive issues and others with trust issues.

The one sure way to quell these issues is medication, but this is not a good idea or a long-term solution.

A lot of these issues come from early life traumas. Many rescue dogs, and most of those that are returned to shelters owing to these issues, come from unknown backgrounds, which may include bad breeding, or issues in the first few months of their lives. Dogs coming from abusive or neglectful homes can end up with many different forms of anxiety.

If they were abused and/or beaten, they can have trust issues and may fear-bite. Pets such as these should never be in a home where that could lead to injury of a child or a compromised adult. In the hands of a patient, trained handler, these issues can sometimes be overcome, and with proper nutrition and supplementation using calming herbs, the pet can even become adoptable. But they can still be triggered, so knowing the history of the pet is very important.

A new generation comes to call

Ray Giguere opened Argy’s Records in 1982, on St. Mary’s Road across from Glenlawn Collegiate, he sold records, tapes, poster and T-shirts. Over the decades, he’s seen vinyl LP and cassette sales be usurped by CD and he’s seen the music industry as a whole take a hit during the era of download piracy, followed by the rise of streaming subscription services.

Never did he think he’d see the resurgence in interest for vinyl that he has experienced since 2021. Despite the popularity of streaming and digital music, authenticity seems to be the desire amongst Gen X and the millennial generation.

My soon-to-be-18-year-old great-niece recently supplied me with her birthday list. I was taken aback to see that five vinyl records from the ’70s were included — some of which I still have in my own collection.

Fleetwood Mac was at the top of the list, and when I asked one of Argy’s staff members why, I was asked if my great-niece is a “Swiftie”. Oh yes, she is, I replied.

Off to the skate races

Blades flashed fast and furious at Canada Life Centre on Feb. 18.

That evening, hundreds of students from 17 elementary schools in Winnipeg School Division took part in the division’s 105th annual skate races, held this year in the downtown NHL rink.

“The goal of this event is to promote physical activity, healthy living, and positive sport behaviours,” said Alyson Gysel, WSD divisional physical and health education support teacher. “Building on what students learn in class, this extra-curricular opportunity allows them to explore skating as a lifelong activity.”

This year, approximately 375 students in Grades 3 to 6 took part.

Bringing European style to Transcona

A new hair salon is celebrating its grand opening in downtown Transcona.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, Flamingo Studio (113 Regent Ave. W) is inviting the public to come on in for a touch up or a new ’do. Although the shop has been open since January, this will mark its ‘official’ launch.

“I like my work. It’s my life, my work, and my passion,” said owner Mila Zhezherun. “I love my clients. I love Transcona, (though) it’s very different than in Ukraine.”

Zhezherun arrived in Winnipeg from Ukraine with her husband and two sons in March 2023, bringing with her little but her more than 20 years of experience as a hair stylist. She quickly found work at Transcona Salon Spa.

East edition news in brief – week of Feb. 25, 2026

Spring sports registration open

Winnipeg

Registration for youth soccer, baseball, and softball is now open across Winnipeg.

Caregivers should register their children through their local community centres for the appropriate age and level of play available within their catchment areas. Cost and commitments range depending on age and level of play.