Steinbach

The Western Dairy Expo begins today in Saskatoon, bringing together dairy producers from across Western Canada to showcase the best of the best in the dairy industry. 

The event runs through Saturday at Prairieland and is also being live-streamed.

The Expo starts at 2 pm today with junior events, featuring showmanship and a junior show where kids under 21 will present heifers.

Donald Bolen, the archbishop of Regina, is travelling to Vatican City for Saturday’s funeral of Pope Francis – a journey, he says, is to honour a pontiff who mirrored his vision and his compassion.

"When (Francis) put out a book called 'The Name of God is Mercy,' I smiled. Because my episcopal motto is 'mercy within mercy within mercy' — very much that same understanding,” Bolen said in an interview.

"I had enormous respect for Pope Francis through his pontificate.”

Signs say Manitoba’s wild pigs aren’t headed for a population boom, says Wayne Lees, co-ordinator for Squeal on Pigs Manitoba.

“We’ve always heard that, you know, these pigs are going to explode in population,” Lees said. “Our field experience didn’t really support that, so we wanted to start challenging some of these assumptions.”

WHY IT MATTERS: A study from Squeal on Pigs Manitoba appears to show a slower population growth of wild pigs in Manitoba than originally expected.

The Holy Roman Church announced the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21. The pontiff died at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.  

James Kautz, a Kleefeld resident who works for the Diocese of St. Boniface, which includes the Catholic Church in Steinbach, says he is still processing the news.  

After a long winter, opening day for La Broquerie Golf Course has arrived and General Manager Pat Gauthier is ready to welcome friends both old and new to the course. 

"It's always exciting," Gauthier says with a big smile. "We've been ramping up all spring and getting ourselves ready. It's almost like a playoff game, we've got the jitters, we've been waiting for this day and it's finally here."

It was a full house at the Pat Porter Active Living Centre on Tuesday evening, where more than 100 friends, family members, and longtime community supporters gathered to celebrate a man whose name has become synonymous with helping others in Steinbach — Hank Klassen.

Excitement is building as the Winnipeg Jets enter the playoffs, and the Southeast Event Centre is bringing people together to watch hockey on the big screen. Well, actually, big screens.

Director of Communications at the Southeast Event Centre, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, says their screens are 15 feet tall and 45 feet wide so you can really see every pass, every check, every goal!

It’s back! Soap for Hope is happening today at Pharmasave in Steinbach.

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., volunteers and staff will be on-site collecting new, unopened, donations of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other personal hygiene products to support Steinbach Community Outreach. 

The initiative provides people experiencing homelessness, or facing economic challenges, with basic hygiene items.

"It’s already here. One year has already gone by since the last one," says Scott Penner with Pharmasave.

Pierre Poilievre is defending the Conservative campaign platform's heavy reliance on economic growth in a period of deep uncertainty, while the NDP and Liberals spar over cost-cutting.

The Conservative leader was campaigning in Hamilton, Ont., on Wednesday, with just days to go before the federal vote on Monday and a day after he released the party's costed campaign platform.

The Speaker of the Manitoba legislature has apologized for saying an Opposition question was out of line and is threatening to toss politicians from the chamber if chaotic behaviour continues.

Tom Lindsey issued the apology a day after question period descended into a shouting match.