Candace Derksen

Water rates are going to shoot up in 2024 for customers of the Pembina Valley Water Co-op (PVWC). The spike is part of a series of rate changes for the next five years, and look different than what the PVWC originally proposed to the Public Utilities Board (PUB). 

According to the PVWC's application, rates would increase 6% in both 2023 and 2024, and 5% in 2025, 2026 and 2027. 

Three municipalities have joined forces in an effort to create supportive housing in the Red River Valley region. 

Councils for the R.M. of Montcalm, R.M. of Morris and the Town of Morris have jointly launched a not-for-profit organization, Red River Supportive Housing - Logement Supervisé de la Rivière Rouge Inc., to move this work forward. The goal is to enhance housing, social, economic and community services in the three municipalities and surrounding area.

After two slow years during the pandemic, immigration to the Pembina Valley certainly picked up in 2022. 
    
For Regional Connections, it was a record-setting year with 1,561 people coming from other countries to live in the region then becoming clients of the organization and accessing its services. 

Today marks one year since four members of the Patel family were found just metres from the Canada/U.S border near Emerson, and investigators are using the moment to appeal to the public for tips in the case.
    
RCMP say new information that came in this past Fall about the family's travel in Canada has been confirmed, however, a gap remains between their last known location in southern Ontario on January 16th, 2022, and their arrival to Emerson on the evening of January 18th. Investigators say it is still unknown how they travelled from southern Ontario to Emerson.

Today marks one year since four members of the Patel family were found just metres from the Canada/U.S border near Emerson, and investigators are using the moment to appeal to the public for tips in the case.
    
RCMP say new information that came in this past Fall about the family's travel in Canada has been confirmed, however, a gap remains between their last known location in southern Ontario on January 16th, 2022 and their arrival to Emerson on the evening of January 18th. Investigators say it is still unknown how they travelled from southern Ontario to Emerson.

Three municipalities have joined forces in an effort to create supportive housing in the Red River Valley region. 

Councils for the R.M. of Montcalm, R.M. of Morris, and the Town of Morris have jointly launched a not-for-profit organization, Red River Supportive Housing - Logement Supervisé de la Rivière Rouge Inc., to move this work forward. The goal is to enhance housing, social, economic, and community services in the three municipalities and surrounding areas.

After a season of delays, work has finally begun to renovate an old cardboard box plant into a fire hall and public works facility in Plum Coulee. The highly anticipated project was put on hold in early 2022 when tenders came back nearly three times the estimated cost. A revised renovation plan has since been finalized with a new budget.

At the end of last week, a concrete floor was poured on the public works side. 

It's a question thousands of Canadians will face this year when their mortgage comes up for renewal... should I go with a variable or fixed rate mortgage?

There is an expectation the Bank of Canada's interest rate hikes we've seen over the past year or so, may be nearing an end. The strategy behind the Bank's rising interest rates has been to try and curb inflation in the country. 

Phase 1 of Altona's expanded industrial park is getting developed this year. 

Council has awarded a bid by Fast Brothers for $3.7 million, and crews will get to work installing water, sewer and road infrastructure in the spring. The job also includes installing the necessary lift stations for the future phases.

"We're really excited to get this project continued, to get this project going," said Mayor Harv Schroeder. 

Members of Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services (ARES) responded to a higher-than-average number of calls for service in 2022. 

According to a year-end report filed by Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman, the department was dispatched 86 times. That's over the annual average of between 65 and 70 calls. 

"We're very fortunate that with all of the calls, none of them were major," he explained.