Pam Fedack

Looking back on his 45-plus-year career in family medicine, Winkler's Dr. Don Klassen said each day of his career hasn't always been the greatest day going to work, but he took the challenges that arose as obstacles needing a solution to be found.

Many Hands Resource Centre in Morden received a $10,000 donation earlier this week.
    

A Winkler individual who works with a segment of the vulnerable population is joining other agencies warning people to be aware of the real estate scam.
    
Levi Froese is the Portable Housing Benefit Coordinator for Eden Health Care Services. In his role, Froese works with clients connected with Eden to help them find affordable housing, help them maintain it, and work together with them and their landlord.
    
Unfortunately, Froese says he's discovered his clients are often targeted more often because of the desperate situations they find themselves in.

The City of Winkler has updated its traffic and parking by-law which will help out snow clearing crews through the winter months. Updates to the by-law include the implementation of a snow parking ban effective between October 1st and April 30th of each year.
    
Through the winter months, snow route parking restrictions may be implemented during a snow event to expediently and efficiently complete snow-clearing activities. 

While a ban is in place, parking on the street will be prohibited until streets have been cleared to the curb.

Big Tree Properties in Winkler is under new ownership.
    
Tim and Tammy Suderman purchased the property management business earlier this month and celebrated with a ribbon cutting at their Main Street location Wednesday morning.
    
Tim says the company will align perfectly with his decade-old sideline business, 'Urban Plains Management', which manages condo corporations. He adds the purchase of Big Tree fits nicely with their goal to further expand the Urban Plains Management business.

For well over a decade, the Our School Survey has provided priceless information for the Western School Division (WSD).
    
WSD Superintendent Stephen Ross says the Division rolled out the Our School survey thirteen years ago as a mechanism to truly tell whether students felt they belonged in school.

A police cruiser full of food was delivered to the Winkler and District Food Cupboard earlier this week.
    
The delivery was thanks to donations collected by a number of Winkler police officers on-site at the Real Canadian Superstore throughout the day on Wednesday. They were taking part in the first-ever 'Cram the Cruiser' fundraising campaign, alongside representatives from the Winkler & District Food Cupboard, and the local rep from the Real Canadian Superstore's Asset Protection team.

Western School Division (WSD) took advantage of having no kids in school on Tuesday and worked on professional development (PD) with their staff on Indigenous education issues.
    
Tuesday's provincial election meant schools across the province needed to be closed for an administration day or PD day.
    
WSD Superintendent Stephen Ross said they hosted Kyle Mason from Winnipeg to talk to staff about reconciliation, and the challenges ahead as they continue to work through existing issues.

The Winkler and District Food Cupboard has seen the number of families passing through their doors each week double in the past year.
    
Milt Olfert, Chair of the food cupboard, says it was last year around this time usage began to go up. Last fall, they were assisting around 75 families each week, and now that number is closer to 160 families.
    
As for what to expect going forward.

With the majority of Winkler's summer construction projects winding down, there is one big project the city is just getting started on. 
 
"We've had a really good construction season," said Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens. "We're basically winding up the Main Street and Stanley intersection...Park Street will be paved next week. Lions Park, tennis courts, we also expect those to be complete next week, obviously, weather permitting."