Betty Sawatzky

Incumbent, PC Candidate for Turtle Mountain, and Virden resident, Doyle Piwniuk, is vying for another 4-year term with the Progressive Conservatives to advocate for the residents in his Riding.  

What are the key issues on your platform?

It is with saddened but grateful hearts that Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) announces the Brandon Relief Sale has officially ceased operations after more than 35 years of this event raising funds for its international relief and development work.

The Brandon MCC Relief Sale, run by a committee of local volunteers, last took place in September 2019 at the Brandon Keystone Centre. Operations were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

It was one of 38 similar events in North America at the time, raising money to support the vision and mission of MCC.

The Manitoba AG EX is coming up in October and promises to be one of, if not the biggest, in recent memory, says Committee Chair Dallas Johnston.

"Yes, entries are open now and we're suggesting people get their entries in sooner than later because we have 4 National Shows and an International Show this year," explains Johnston. "So, we're probably going to be a little tight for room. We're going to have a 600-head limit so we're telling people to get their entries in well before October 1st, so they don't miss out!"

"I once heard someone say they knew they were in a rich country when the grocery stores have three aisles of pet food." This statement was made from a woman who had just landed in Winnipeg, after travelling from a refugee camp in a third world country from the other side of the world.

Despite being surrounded by a wealth of food across North America, statistics show up to 783 million people in the world experience hunger, nearly 98% of people experiencing hunger live in developing countries, and around 80% of displaced people live in countries affected by long-term hunger. 

The International Peace Garden is inviting the public to join them on Monday, September 11 at the 9/11 Memorial site to remember those who were killed on that fateful day in 2001. This is 22nd Anniversary of the events. 

In 2010, Rotary International, the North American Firefighters Union and Manitoba Infrastructure donated the 9/11 Memorial that includes iron remnants from the collapsed towers at the World Trade Center. Today, local organizations host 9/11 remembrance events at the site, and invite the public to join them.

It was a hot day for those who attended the Dunrea Flea Market this past Sunday, with 1752 people paying their $5 entry fee to see table upon table of artifacts, antiques and everything else under Sunday's scorching sun!

"It was nice and hot, with lots of people and it was a great day," shares organizing committee member, Lindsay McDonald. "Everyone was happy!  There were smiling faces everywhere!"

This Sunday, Sept 3rd, is the annual Dunrea Flea Market, the highlight of all treasure hunters across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where antiques and oddities are found at every turn and on every table. One feels a sense of nostalgia as you see dishware, books, antique furniture, and a multiple of collections that you yourself once enjoyed in years past!

Harvest has begun for the Canadian Foodgrains' grow projects across the Province - that time of year when community comes together for a common goal of getting the grain into the bins, to market, to raise funds to help third world countries secure food for their communities.

With combines, tractors, grain carts and semi-tractors and trailers back on the fields, it's important to remember these large units are also on our rural roadways and highways while travelling from field to field.

Minto-area farmer, Bill Campbell, is a member of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), and past president.  "It's that time of year when harvest requires you to get the job done and we do the best that we can," shares Campbell, but we just want to ensure that the public is aware of circumstances and equipment moving and late night procedures."

The planting and replanting team at the International Peace Garden, led by horticulturists Johannes Olwage and Jonah Neufeld, has been working carefully to move the world-class collection of cacti and succulents to their new home at the Conservatory, 

Peace Garden CEO, Tim Chapman, says the newly expanded Conservatory should be able to house all of the 6000 plants they have at their storage, as well as at the original end of the conservatory building.