Westman

Pembina Valley RCMP investigate fire of church in Carman

 On March 13, 2025, at approximately 4:15 am, Pembina Valley RCMP were dispatched to a fire inside a church on 2nd Street SW in Carman.

When officers arrived, Carman Fire and Emergency Medical Services were already on scene. Firefighters were not able to enter the building as the floor had already collapsed into the basement.

There was no one inside the building at the time, and there were no injuries.

The little red barn that sat on the property across from the Janzen dealership in Winkler at Highway 428 and Highway 14 has vanished.  

Did you notice?  

A new purpose 

Luckily, Dale Wiebe of Winkler Bible Camp can solve the mystery of where it went.  

Mark Carney has been officially sworn in as Canada's 24th prime minister in a ceremony at Rideau Hall, about an hour after Justin Trudeau formally resigned.

Carney told reporters on his way into the ceremony that his government is focused and ready to get to work.

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Funeral For:  Vern Wieler 
Funeral Date: March 17, 2025 
Vern Wieler, 65, of Plum Coulee formerly of Rosengart, passed away Thursday, February 27th at his residence. He is survived by his wife Irene, 1 daughter, 2 sons, and their families.  
A memorial service for Vern Wieler will be held Monday, March 17th at 2pm at Bethel Bergthaler Mennonite Church, Hochfeld with burial prior to the service at Plum Coulee Cemetery. 
Viewing will be at Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler Sunday, March 16th from 1 to 6pm. 
Donations may be made to Eden Foundation. 

Here are your Award recipients from the final day of festival performances, Thursday, March 13th:

Beginner Piano Solo Trophy winner - Jonah Heptinstall

Beginner Popular Piano Solo Trophy winner - Miriam Friesen

Junior Piano Duet Trophies winner - Shiane Waldner & Claire Hofer

The Boissevain Festival of the Arts thanks all volunteers, performers and the man people who support them.

Funeral For:  Frances Elizabeth Rempel 
Funeral Date: March 17, 2025 
Frances Elizabeth Rempel, 95, of Steinbach passed away Monday, March 10th at Vita Personal Care Home. She is survived by 3 daughters, 1 son, and their families. She was predeceased by her husband Elmer. 
The funeral service for Frances Elizabeth Rempel will be held Monday, March 17th at 1pm at Birchwood Funeral Chapel with burial at Memorial Cemetery. 
Viewing will be at the chapel one hour prior to the service. 
Donations may be made to Southeast Helping Hands. 

Funeral For:  Peter Kehler 
Funeral Date: March 18, 2025 
Peter Kehler, 90, of Niverville passed away Sunday, March 9th at Heritage Life Personal Care Home. He is survived by his wife Mary, 4 daughters, 2 sons, and their families. He was predeceased by 1 daughter and 1 granddaughter. 
The funeral service for Peter Kehler will be held Tuesday, March 18th at 2pm at Birchwood Funeral Chapel with ash interment at Hespeler Cemetery, Niverville at a later date. 
Viewing will be at the chapel one hour prior to the service.  

Canadian officials said a Thursday meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was constructive and lowered temperatures amid the ongoing trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump last month — but they expected no immediate changes to punishing tariffs. 

"This was a constructive discussion," said Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne in Washington. "We have our disagreements, but as long as you have dialogue you are making progress."

Mark Carney will be sworn in as prime minister this morning at Rideau Hall, where he will also reveal his new cabinet.

Carney won the Liberal leadership race last weekend with an overwhelming 86 per cent of the votes from Liberal members.

He officially takes over from Justin Trudeau as prime minister in today's ceremony.

His first cabinet is expected to be smaller than Trudeau's 37-member team, and some ministers are set to lose their positions.

Despite the growing concern about Canadian-U.S. relations and tariffs and how this affects Canadian markets, the International Peace Garden continues to stand for what's important and that's peace between our two countries.

Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman says they welcome guests from both sides of the border as the Garden truly stands in the center of the two countries, with the Canada/U.S. border running right through the center of the Garden.