Judy Peters

While temperatures dipped to frigid lows this month, Manitoba Hydro says electricity consumption hit a record high.

Spokesperson Peter Chura says the demand was so high that Hydro had to purchase additional electricity from the energy market. With power consumption rising each year, Chura says the utility is looking at ways to ensure supply keeps up with Manitoba’s growing needs. 

Manitoba Hydro says electricity consumption hit a record high on January 20th as extreme cold gripped the province.

Spokesperson Peter Chura says the demand was so high that Hydro had to purchase additional electricity from the energy market. With power consumption rising each year, Chura says the utility is looking at ways to ensure supply keeps up with Manitoba’s growing needs. 

Captain Lyle Davis of the Ste. Anne Fire Department says his team faced one of the largest incidents of their careers on Friday, responding to a multi-vehicle pile-up during a blizzard. 

“We were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. to a multi-vehicle accident on Highway 12, about three kilometres south of Ste. Anne,” said Davis. “As we were heading to the scene, I got another notification from 911 saying there had been multiple calls, and it was just piling up.” 

There’s confusion over whether the federal government will extend the deadline for making charitable donations eligible for the 2024 tax year. 

Keith Stewart, Regional Development Director for Adult and Teen Challenge of Central Canada, says many organizations are waiting for official confirmation. 

Stewart explains that donations mailed by December 31 are typically eligible for a tax receipt, but this year, a postal strike caused delays. 

More details have been released regarding the recovery of a 58-year-old man’s body from a pond in the RM of St. Anne on Christmas Eve.

According to a statement posted by the HEARTeam on social media, the recovery operation began around 2:30 p.m. on December 24 when they were called to the scene, just north of Steinbach. A skid steer loader had broken through the ice, and the man was reported missing.

Steinbach Community Christmas has wrapped up its hamper deliveries for the season, but the work isn’t entirely done. Co-chair Carolyn Peters says this year’s effort was a huge success, with 1,464 hampers delivered to families in need. The hampers reached 2,073 children, spreading Christmas cheer to homes across the area. 

Crews continue to clean up on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Winnipeg after a semi fire caused significant delays Saturday morning.

At 7:41 a.m., the Tache Fire Department posted a note to social media to alert motorists of closed lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway.

"TransCanada Westbound lanes near Dufresne closed due to semi fire."

Robb Nash, a musician and mental health advocate from Kleefeld, Manitoba, has released a documentary that he hopes will help people who are dealing with mental health issues, addiction and trauma.

The film is called If You’re Reading This and can be viewed on YouTube. It’s an important part of his career, showing his own story of survival and healing, along with his dedication to helping others. 
 
A Life-Changing Accident 

Steinbach City Council has given the green light to a proposal that will see the Steinbach Bible College move to a new location at 333 Loewen Boulevard, the former site of the Steinbach Family Medical Clinic. During the November 19th council meeting, members passed the third reading of the re-zoning application, changing the property’s designation from C4 (Commercial Regional) to E/I (Educational/Institutional). 

Gift-giving is something that Manitobans like to do. Whether it be a physical gift or a monetary donation, Manitoba is known to be the most generous province in Canada.  

Harold Penner and Susan Yakabowich experience the generosity of Manitobans on a day-to-day basis serving as gift-giving consultants with Abundance Canada.