PembinaValley

Morden Fire & Rescue Chief Andy Thiessen is urging city and R.M. of Stanley Ward 2 residents to heed the total fire ban in place. The ban has been in effect since May 5th. The current conditions being hot, dry and windy could lead to a very serious situation developing if someone chooses to burn.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is giving his cabinet a major shakeup, moving several key players involved in Canada-U.S. relations into new positions and promoting 24 new faces to the front bench.

Carney's cabinet — 28 full ministers and 10 secretaries of state — retains prominent figures from former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government, including Dominic LeBlanc, Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne.

Gregory John Gerolamy
December 16, 1952 – May 6, 2025

Early on May 6th, 2025, Gregory John Gerolamy, aged 72 years, passed away in the Palliative Care ward of Boundary Trails Health Center in Morden, MB. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ruth (nee Loewen), daughters Tanya (Mike) and Tenille (Ashley), all those to whom he was a brother-in-law, uncle & great-uncle and his four-legged buddy Tucker. He was predeceased by his parents Jerry & Leona Gerolamy, his sister Lynne Cox and parents-in-law Henry & Betty Loewen.

Funeral For:  Dan Thiessen 
Funeral Date: May 15, 2025 
Dan Thiessen, 71, of Altona formerly of Rosenfeld, passed away Saturday, May 10th in the RM of Emerson Franklin. He is survived by his wife Elsie, 2 daughters, 1 son, and their families. He was predeceased by 1 daughter in infancy. 
The celebration of life for Dan Thiessen will be held Thursday, May 15th at 2:07pm at Altona EMMC. Dan was known for setting odd times, never exactly on the hour. Burial will take place prior to the service at 1pm at Altona Cemetery. 

The early season heat wave continued Monday, alongside Heat Warnings which remain in effect today, and for the second consecutive day new daytime high records were set in a number of Southern Manitoba communities for May 12th.

Syed Faizen Nassir moved to Morden from Pakistan in 2018, where he started a business in the Pembina Valley.

Recently, he went on a trip back to Pakistan.

"I came actually here to visit my family, and it was supposed to be a short, peaceful trip to reconnect with loved ones and spend some quality time. Unfortunately, things changed disastrously after I arrived due to the sudden escalation in tension between India and Pakistan."

The flight from Canada left on time, as it was scheduled, but just before landing, the pilot made an announcement.

Travel to the United States took another hit in April with booking agents saying an "elbows up" attitude over the trade war has Canadians pulling back. 

Canadian residents returning by automobile from the U.S. in April fell on a year-over-year basis for the fourth consecutive month, preliminary numbers released by Statistics Canada showed Monday. The 1.2 million trips represented a 35.2 per cent drop from the same month in 2024 and 45.1 per cent lower than April 2019, before the pandemic.

For an impressive 22 years, Friesens has qualified as one of Deloitte's Best Managed Companies in Canada, and this year is no different. The Altona-based book manufacturer has once again earned the title. 

"This prestigious designation is a testament to our strategy, culture, innovation, leadership, and financial performance," stated the company in a news release submitted to PembinaValleyOnline.

The Manitoba government is creating an all-party committee to explore the future of local journalism.

Premier Wab Kinew says by studying the matter, the goal is to figure out how the province can support local media, adding he believes having a good media environment is essential for our democracy.

Farmers and landowners across the province are being encouraged to apply for the Prairie Watersheds Climate Program being led by the Manitoba Association of Watersheds, but being delivered across Manitoba by individual watersheds.