PembinaValley

Last week the Altona Community Foundation hosted one in a series of regional get togethers connecting Manitoba's 57 community foundations. Representatives from the Plum Coulee, Morris. Winkler and Morden Foundations participated. Staff from Endow Manitoba facilitated the meeting. A total of eleven conferences are being held, mostly in person, across the province.

At the core of every initiative, program, event, or other organized effort designed to help the community, there are volunteers.  

This week is the perfect time to celebrate the people — often in the background — who donate their time for the betterment of those around them during Volunteer Appreciation Week. 

After a short, intense and heated election campaign of just 35 days, Canadians go to the polls today to elect a new federal government.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spent weeks pitching their cases to voters.

Carney, the former central banker and political neophyte, presented himself as a safe pair of hands for a country threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, while Poilievre focused on addressing crime and the high cost of living and Singh pushed to protect social programs he argued are under threat.

Charges have been laid against a man who's accused of racing a vehicle through a crowded street at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, killing 11 in an attack the interim police chief called the "darkest day" in the city's history.

Vancouver Police said in a statement Sunday that Kai-Ji Adam Lo faces eight counts of second-degree murder and further charges are anticipated.

Const. Tania Visintin said some victims remained unidentified.

The Winnipeg Jets’ series lead has slipped away after a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. With back-to-back defeats in St. Louis, the first-round matchup is now tied at two games apiece.

The Jets had entered Missouri with a commanding 2-0 series lead, but head home looking for answers after two tough outings — and two early exits for their star goaltender.

Early momentum fades

Charges have been laid against a man after the attack on a Vancouver Filipino festival on Saturday night that killed 11 people. 

British Columbia's Court Services Online says Adam Kai-Ji Lo faces eight counts of murder.

Vancouver Police have said those who were killed range in age from 5 to 65 and the death toll could rise as dozens more were hurt when an SUV raced down a street where the Lapu Lapu Day festival was just wrapping up. 

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien predicted the Liberals will win a majority government on Monday, as party leaders blitzed key ridings in Ontario and British Columbia hoping to swing last minute votes their way.

At a rally for Ottawa Centre Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi, Chrétien said he expects "to celebrate the majority government of the Liberal party" after polls close Monday night.

"Monday is going to be a Liberal sunshine," he said, drawing cheers.

Vancouver is waking to the tragic aftermath of a deadly ramming attack on a Filipino community street festival that killed at least nine people, with survivors describing horrifying scenes of victims strewn on the ground.

Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai says a 30-year-old Vancouver man has been arrested for Saturday night's attack in which an SUV plowed through a crowded South Vancouver street at high speed.

For Kate Friesen of Winkler, gardening is more than just a hobby—it’s a way of life that began in childhood. On a recent outing to Morden Nurseries with Eagle 93.5 FM morning show host Jayme Giesbrecht, Friesen shared that her green thumb is a gift passed down from her mother.

“I have developed a love of gardening from my mom, and I grew up pulling weeds and making a really big country garden,” says Friesen.

Now an experienced gardener in her own right, Friesen is preparing for another season of planting, nurturing, and experimenting with both flowers and vegetables.

One cookie at a time, our community is making a difference. From April 28 to May 4, Tim Hortons locations in Winkler and Morden will once again be serving up their beloved $2 Smile Cookies, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation (BTHC Foundation).

Last year’s campaign raised an incredible $40,000, and organizers are hopeful the community will rally even more support in 2025.