Robyn Wiebe

Ratepayers in Western School Division will see a tax increase, according to Board Chair Brian Fransen at Wednesday night's proposed budget presentation. The thirty and a half million-dollar budget will be invested in approximately 2350 students in the next school year with an estimated $115, 000 surplus. (This could change once the budget is finalized.)

Students from Minnewasta School and Maple Leaf Elementary in Morden eagerly engaged with guest author of books found in their school libraries, Christy Jordan-Fenton who currently lives in Fort St John BC.   

Fenton cowrote four books with her children's grandmother, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton.          

The Bangladeshi community is growing in the Pembina Valley. Morden's Abdur Rashid recalled when his family moved to Morden.  

"When I arrived here, I came through the Morden Immigration Initiative program in 2016 and at that time we are only three families at Morden, so there were no other Bangladeshis. Just me, Zafrul (Hasan) and Jahangir (Talukdar) with our three families here. And within two or three years, we became 4-5 families, now in the Pembina Valley area, we are 31 families."  

A gathering of Ukrainians and Ukrainian supporters took place in front of the Morden Civic Centre Saturday afternoon. Where people held, waved and were wrapped in the country's blue and yellow flag, as they somberly sang the national anthem with strength. People also held pictures of loved ones who had lost their lives in the war and those held in captivity. 

Last November, Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation Palliative Care Coordinator Jerri-Ann Froese facilitated a grief session called "Hope, Healing, and Holidays" for people who were grieving the loss of a spouse. The timing was to provide support for people going into the Christmas season. 

Froese said from that session, there was a call to do something like it again, and she acknowledged the need in the Pembina Valley is huge. 

Before coming to work at South Central Cancer Resource Administrative Resource (SCCR) Coordinator Leora Hamm admitted she hadn't really thought of the financial aspect of having cancer and the pressures that come with treatment and going to various appointments regularly.  

The Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting luncheon Thursday, gathering together business leaders and chamber members from all sectors to celebrate another year of growth. 

Chamber President Hank Froese said it was a good year marked by several achievements. 

Minnewasta Grade 2 students gathered in the music room on Tuesday to listen to Pamela Hiebert from Friesens Corporation read Fishing with Grandma by Maren Vsetula and Susan Avingaq - illustrated by Charlene Chua and published by Inhabit Media.

While the province's budget consultation, slated earlier this month in Winkler, was cancelled, Finance Minister Adrien Sala and David Pankratz, the MLA for Waverly, did meet with some groups in the area.

Western School Division Vice Chair Darcy Wolfe shared a bit about the board's meeting with the minister. 

There were some tears shed at last Monday night's Western School Division School Board's public meeting, with the announcement of Trustee and former Board Vice-Chair David Guenther's resignation, according to Board Vice-Chair Darcy Wolfe, "And more probably will be shed," as Guenther is moving to Tennessee. 

Guenther was just a father of 2 young children with one on the way when he was acclaimed to his first term in 2018.