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Lynda Parsons and her husband moved to the Lenswood-Bowsman area in 2001.
In 2015, they relocated to Minitonas-Bowsman and have called the community home ever since. Parsons's first job in the Valley was with Agricore United and later Cargill. She then spent 14 years with Swan Valley Credit Union.
Two and a half decades after moving to the area, Lynda says she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
"I've invested a lot of time volunteering and supporting local community groups," said Parsons. "I spent 10 years with the Swan River Day Care Centre. I've helped to expand the big daycare and start a new daycare with the Friendship Centre."
Parsons has been heavily involved in volunteering her time with Swan Valley Youth Soccer, the Community Foundation of Swan Valley, and Canadian Parents for French. She's always more than happy to lend a helping hand.
Anytime there has been a call for volunteers in the area, Lynda is there with a smile, ready to give back.
"I live here. I think it's important," continued Parsons. "I feel strongly about being someone who gets involved. Volunteering is time-consuming. We're privileged to have a great group of volunteers in our communities here. It's what keeps our communities going. It's always been important to me."
Passionate about the community and the people that live in it, Parsons has long thought about what it would be like to become the Chief Administrative Officer of a community. So when the CAO position was posted for the Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman, Parsons knew what needed to be done.
She applied for the job. On November 3, she was appointed as the new CAO for the municipality. In a post, the Council said they were thrilled to have selected someone who not only meets the qualifications but is a part of the community.
Lynda recently celebrated three months in the new position.
"It's been wonderful. I have the privilege of working with a tremendous group of people here in the office and through Public Works," continued Parsons. "I've had wonderful support from the council and the community. I think everyone is excited to have me here, and to be able to move forward, it's great to have their support."
Larry Mychalchuk is the reeve for the municipality. The Council includes Derek and Gary Bartel, Leanne Hutman, Clint Janzen, Ken Reader, and Gale Wagner.
As for Lynda's vision for the municipality, she wants what is best for all members of the community.
"We want to be economically viable and have that prosperity," ended Parsons. "We want to see growth and development. We want healthy living spaces. We want Minitonas-Bowsman to be a place where people want to come."
Lynda thanks everyone for their support, and she looks forward to what's next.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Swan Valley Health Centre has drawn plenty of negativity from the public online.
Despite the negative comments from some, Slate says Prairie Mountain Health considers safety a top priority.
"Not just reactively and reacting to incidents that may have occurred, but proactively," said Slate. "We know that ensuring that we have safe and secure environments is essential to delivering high-quality care. It helps support the recruitment and retention of employees and physicians. It also helps maintain the trust of the people we serve."
In November, Swan River RCMP were called to the emergency department when an intoxicated man locked himself in the bathroom with a knife.
PMH has engaged in several initiatives to ensure they provide safe work environments and service delivery areas. They also provide required staff education and violence prevention training.
They also limit access points at all of their facilities. This ensures each facility has only a few primary entry points.
"We've done other initiatives like installing security cameras at most of our sites," continued Slate. "We've installed communication systems internally. We have safety apps and amnesty lockers in some of our facilities."
Darlene Jackson, the president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, is calling on the Manitoba government and PMH to hire two institutional safety officers for the Swan Valley Health Centre.
ISOs are peace officers and require training in crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, investigation skills, collecting evidence, and report writing.
Jackson has seen a rapid increase and escalation in violence in hospitals and clinics around the province.
According to PMH, Brandon is the only city outside Winnipeg that has ISOs in a health-care facility.
PMH works with Manitoba Health and Shared Health to determine what initiatives will be implemented to ensure safety and security are offered consistently throughout the health system.
"Institutional safety officers are a part of that. We have security personnel on other levels available throughout the health system," ended Slate. "Through a coordinated approach, there will be a determination on where we will be implementing ISOs in our facilities."
In November, two representatives of the Manitoba Nurses Union met with nurses at the Swan Valley Health Centre. From the meeting, the union put forward clear, non-negotiable safety demands and followed through with a formal safety grievance.
They included amnesty lockers, visitor screening and badges, whistles and noise-making devices provided to staff, and funding for an additional emergency room nurse, ensuring three nurses on every shift.
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Watson Arts Centre is encouraging local lovebirds to spend their Valentine's Day with them.
Cam Bennett says their Long Weekender show is set to return this Saturday night.
"We did it in a smaller style last year with the Open Mic Night. The Long Weekender has always been the Louis Riel long weekend, and has always been local musicians getting up on stage doing a tribute to some famous artists. We have done Tom Petty, the Tragically Hip, and John Fogarty."
This year's show pays tribute to Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, with performers including Oscar Philippe and the Wet Towels, the Chris Barker Band, the Basement Band, and Revolving Doors.
The show begins at 7:30 in the Johnston and Company Auditorium.
Tickets are $25 each, and are available at the Watson Arts Centre, or online through their website.
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The Parkland Chamber of Commerce lunch series begins on Tuesday at the Watson Art Centre.
The topic on Tuesday will be the cost of doing nothing. The presenter is Christina Birch. Her presentation will explore the challenges faced by rural communities and highlight practical, forward-looking strategies that help communities thrive.
If you attend, you'll learn about current issues impacting rural communities, recognize the consequences of inaction and why doing nothing is a choice with real costs, and build hope and motivation for a stronger, more resilient community.
There will then be an optional workshop following the presentation on the Power of Collaboration. That will help people understand the impact of collaboration and why it works in rural communities, learn how to identify good partners and helpful connections, and explore ways local businesses, community groups, and municipalities can work together.
You'll walk away with practical tools and strategies that you can start using right away. The event is from 11:45 to 12:45 on Tuesday.
The cost for a member is $35 and $45 for non-members. You can purchase tickets here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Manitoba government is increasing its investment in schools by $79.8 million for the 2026-27 school year.
Education and Early Childhood Minister Tracy Schmidt announced on Monday.
“Our government is committed to making sure every Manitoba family can count on strong, stable public schools, year after year. We are meeting the needs of students and communities by building new schools and feeding kids with our universal school food program,” said Schmidt. “This is good news for teachers, school divisions and families while building a brighter future for Manitoba’s students.”
$11.4 million goes towards public school funding to support divisions most affected by teacher salary harmonization. The 3.5 per cent funding increase for public schools will help manage enrolment changes and ensure students have the supports required to succeed.
School funding for the next school year will total $1.995 billion.
It includes:
- $51 million increase to help public schools with operating costs, which includes the investment in salary harmonization and technical vocational education;
- $30 million for a universal school nutrition program and Nello’s Law, which protects the program for years to come, plus an additional $3 million from the sale of U.S. alcohol products for the Children’s Nutrition Council;
- $15.2 million increase in capital support, which includes principal and interest costs related to building schools; and
- $16.6 million increase to independent schools under the funding agreement.
Manitoba is also building four new schools. One of which will be in southwest Brandon.
Locally By The Numbers:
A key note to come from the announcement was the lack of funding for Mountain View School Division. MVSD total funding equals $28.3 million. They will get $0.2 million more. That equals a change of only 0.7%. Of all school divisions in Manitoba, that is the lowest positive change.
In comparison, the Portage la Prairie School Division will get an increase of 6.8%. Brandon gets 6.4%, and Winnipeg gets an increase of 3.8%.
Also locally, the Pine Creek School Division will see an increase of 2.4% to $9.5 million. Turtle River's total funding will be 9.1%, an increase of 2.1%.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Manitoba Crown Lands will be holding an online auction later this month to determine who can lease select crop land parcels across the province.
The auction will take place February 23rd to 27th online through Garton's Auction Services website.
Auctioneer Larry Garton says there will be 11 pieces of land across the province up for auction this year.
"Two are here in the Parkland. One is in the R-M of Gilbert Plains - there is 160+ acres of hay land that is up for lease. There is another one in the R-M of Mountain. The rest of them are in the R-M of Kelsey and a couple of other areas in the province."
Prospective bidders must first register and be approved by the province before they can place bids on any parcels of land.
The registration process begins on February 23rd through the auction site at gartonsauction.com.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Gilbert Plains-Grandview Ag Society will hold their Annual General Meeting this Monday night.
Ag Society President Kevin Boese says 2026 is a big year for the organization.
"We will have the Gilbert Plains Homecoming together with our Fair and Rodeo this year. So, we have lots to discuss, and try and get ready. We have been planning since last year, but it is now time to start finalizing some things."
The two events will be held during the same week in mid-July.
Boese says because of that, the need for more volunteers is important.
The meeting begins at 7 PM at Heartland Lanes in Gilbert Plains.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A massive wind storm, which included freezing rain, has knocked out power to several locations west and south of Riding Mountain National Park.
Manitoba Hydro says affected communities include parts of Russell, Roblin, Rossburn, Waywayseecappo, and Olha, just to name a few.
They add, around 1,400 customers have been impacted.
Strong westerly winds, gusting to 71-kilometres per hour, with mixed precipitation, damaged power lines, and may have knocked trees or tree branches down on top of power lines, which has also complicated the restoration efforts.
Power is expected to be restored to most areas by later Monday afternoon.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Mountain View School Division is taking time this week to thank those who provide transportation, teach, and guide our children in the school system.
This week is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in Manitoba. It's an opportunity to recognize the dedication of educators and school staff in providing a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment.
Suzanne Cottyn is the superintendent and CEO of Mountain View School Division.
"We look forward to having an opportunity to celebrate and highlight our hard-working staff," said Cottyn. "We will recognize all the amazing work they do daily to support our students."
MVSD employs around 500 staff. 16 schools make up MVSD in communities like Dauphin, Roblin, Ochre River, Grandview, Gilbert Plains, and Ethelbert.
Trustees and senior administration will spend time in MVSD schools this week recognizing staff for their years of service.
Cottyn says they can't say thank you enough. From the moment the children are picked up to maintaining the schools and ensuring they have a safe place to learn and make friends.
"And then providing them exceptional learning experiences and all the additional supports they need throughout the day," said Cottyn. "We want to say a big thank you. We hope parents and students will join us in showing that appreciation to all of our staff."
MVSD has roughly 3,100 students across its 16 schools.
While this is a week to recognize and thank staff, Cottyn says students also deserve a pat on the back.
They're the next generation, and many are thriving with big goals in life.
"We wouldn't be here without them. We always appreciate our students coming and being present," ended Cottyn. "Without them, we wouldn't have the opportunity to see young people learning, growing, and developing into great citizens of our community."
So when you see a staff member of MVSD this week, say thank you for all their hard work.
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The Dauphin Public Library used to host the Lego Club.
It wasn't as well attended as the staff had hoped, so they went to the drawing board. Creative Kid Mondays has been born.
It's a program that welcomes school-aged kids to the library for various activities. Last week, a crew of nine got together to create an Olympic torch.
Tara Elliott runs the majority of the program at the library.
"It went so well. I did an example, the kids came, saw it, and they were so much better than mine," said Elliott. "They took it and ran with it. They made torches with paper, tape and glue. They did a fantastic job."
On Monday, the fun continues. Your child can design a bobsled run. Then, on February 23, your child can create a ski jump. It's from 4:00 to 6:00. Any children under 11 require supervision.
Tara says the library provides all the supplies.
"We had kids from different schools here last time, so they don't get to interact at a school setting because they're at different ones," ended Elliott. "Here at the library, they get to meet new people and have different conversations. It's a great opportunity to meet new people."
If your child is ready to explore creative activities at the library, Monday is right around the corner.
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The Coldest Night of the Year walk is set for February 28.
Locally, 10 teams are raising money for a great cause.
Rotary Ramblers: $3,893.30
Kathy Bellemare: $1,460.00
Christine Harapiak: $408.30
Jean-Louis Guillas: $300.00
Darren Eddie: $250
Trina Matheson: $250
Northwest Metis Council: $2,730.00
Crystal St.Germain: $795
Shannon Genaille: $750
Brynn Alkier-Dreger: $615
Ashley Chamberlain: $180
Evelyn Nepinak: $170
Lindy Winters: $150
Frances Chartrand: $70
Lisa Stevenson: $0
Ursula Chartrand: $0
Jarri Thompson: $540
Crystal Amyotte: $360
Angie Moosetail: $50
Carrie Lang: $40
Barb St. Goddard: $25
Sarah Shuttleworth: $20
Audrey Klyne: $0
Crystal Flower: $0
Dan Martin: $0
Jade Rody: $0
Sheri Laquette: $0
Tracey Pashe: $0
Sho-Sho Shuttleworth-Lafontaine: $580
Jordan Thiele: $125
Michelle Swan Nadolny: $105
Daryan Nadolny: $50
Akelia Hammersley: $0
Carole Shankaruk: $0
Cheryl Dando: $200
Doug Dando: $200
Lindsay Dingwall: $300
Howard Wirch: $0
Co-op Crew: $300
Courtney Seitter: $50
Megan Nimegeers: $150
Kelli Zeiler: $100
Izabel Santos $25
Chris Belhumeur: $0
Shelayne Slobodzian: $0
Monique Lefebvre: $150
Samantha Fougere: $50
Kristen Haverluck: $100
"We are all parents, aunts, or uncles. It's all about coming together as a community and helping each other out," she said. "Whether you're financially hurting or have a crazy busy life. Whatever it may be. Kids having a nice and hot meal together is always a great thing."
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