Don Engbrecht once honoured a famous house in his neck of the woods by using its materials in his own renovations. Now he is doing it again with a book that will keep its story alive.
Engbrecht recently completed a draft of “The Anchorage”, a book full of stories and pictures of a house once located south of Boissevain. Built in 1898, it is well remembered by those who saw it stand for over 70 years, and Engbrecht said the book is a way to keep it alive for the future.
“I did that for posterity sake,” he explained. “This is all of the information out there about it that is complete that I am aware of. I’m not aware of any others, if there were it would be in the book.”
He said he also wanted to save the work the Manitoba government had done years ago in documenting the history at the time they were considering saving it.
“I was concerned that it was not that accessible, so I decided I would make a book of all of the information that I knew about it. I want to preserve things for the future.”
He worked on the book, along with a couple of others, last winter.
A part return to the old use of the Red Coat Inn building in Boissevain should be opening very soon.
The Parkside Inn, owned by Gene and Patti Unrau, is in the finishing stages. The combination motel and beer vendor has been in development since the spring of 2023. They are co-owners of the building, which also includes apartments and a cannabis shop. Gene Unrau said everything has been progressing well, with their first shipments coming in shortly after he spoke.
“The goal is an end of January opening,” Unrau stated. “The building is completed, the beer store, motel. The permit to operate came in just before Christmas, and that got us an account to order product.”
Unrau said they decided to move in this direction as he felt the business would fit in well with the community and its environs, in part due to its location on #10 Highway.
A popular and successful fundraiser for the Boissevain Lions Club is celebrating a special anniversary this coming year, with great plans for 2025 already on the go.
The 2024 edition of the Lions birthday calendar is in, with Lions delivering to those who pre-ordered now. The first calendar was organized in 2004, and Lion Lorraine Houston said this is a special one.
“This year 2024 will be the 20th edition of the Boissevain Lions Club Community Calendar,” Houston stated. “It is a key fundraiser for the club, and provides an opportunity for the club to connect with the community.”
Houston said she has been involved with organizing the calendar every year, including coordinating the cover photo. However, she stressed it takes about 20 Lions to pull everything together, as they divide up the call lists and do the deliveries.
“Definitely a club project.”
The first starring role for Nyah Perkin has been a big one.
At the recent Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre film festival in Argentina, the daughter of Scott and Meagan Perkin won the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Hildie in the Memory Pill movie, “Daughter of the Sun”. Nyah lives with her family on the farm in the Elgin area, and attends school in Souris.
Her mother Meagan said her daughter and the family were thrilled with the news.
“She was quite ecstatic,” Meagan said. “She said ‘no way’. It was her first major lead role. She seemed very proud of herself and we all were proud of her.”
A veteran Boissevain rider and her veteran mare were honoured with a prestigious equestrian award last month.
Alicia Dyck and her Canadian Warmblood mare Melia (Mia) were awarded the Manitoba Horse Trials 2023 EV 85 Championship at the organization’s banquet in Winnipeg on November 26. It was a new group for the two of them to compete with, and Dyck was quite happy with the result.
“This was a pleasant surprise,” she said. “I knew Mia had done well at the two shows we did this summer but as it was our first year competing with the Manitoba Horse Trials. I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t know what the club’s qualifications were for year end awards but presumed we hadn’t qualified.”
Dyck added she was not told she had won prior to the banquet but was given a nudge “she might want to be there.” As the event is held in Winnipeg, they do hint so award winners will be on hand if possible. This is a year end award, so it is based in cumulative results.
For some, a work action on the west coast might have a not so sweet impact on Christmas.
Two months ago, 138 workers walked off the job at the Rogers sugar refinery in Vancouver. The workers’ union, Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 has said they are fighting to keep eight-hour shifts and not be forced to work weekends.
Over time, this created a sugar shortage in Western Canada. At times, shelves have been empty of all types of the sweetener, and some stores have had to take action. Dawson Hole, grocery store manager for Boundary Co-op in Boissevain, said it has become an issue locally.
“It has impacted us,” Hole stated. “Federated Co-op has been pro-rating all of the orders to our co-ops. We’ve been able to keep shelves somewhat full, but as soon as they run out in the warehouse in Winnipeg, we won’t have it.”
With help from a pair of Boissevain & Morton Foundation grants, Boissevain School will be able to add to its technology, and give students more educational opportunities.
On November 16, the Foundation gave out its annual grants to community organizations. Two of them – one from the undesignated fund for $11,116 and one from a directed fund from the Boissevain Bowlers of $3,300 - were given to Boissevain School for the purchase of Chromebooks and iPads.
Boissevain Principal Landon White said it is about giving students technological opportunities.
“The school is ordering Chromebooks as they have proven to be a more cost-effective method of getting technology into student hands,” White stated. “Our high school students have the option to participate in a one to one Chromebook program which allows each student to have a device for the duration of the high school years. These devices will replenish and supplement the supply at the middle and early years level.”
White added the Chromebooks are less expensive and more durable than the iPads, and not as dependent on software updates and demands. However, the iPads are still beneficial for students in the first few years at school, and so the grants will help purchase more to replace an aging stock.
Although the Back 40 Hideaway is new, for Jen Howarth, it is a return to a familiar life.
She and partner Ritchie Barwick opened the Airbnb this past September. An amazing facility located just off Highway 443, east of Boissevain, it can accommodate as many as 12 guests. It is both secluded and close to civilization, giving the best of both worlds to visitors.
Howarth said the idea had been around for a while, but took a bit to come to fruition.
“Early on in our relationship, Ritchie and I discussed creating a space for guests to stay in the form of a rental unit,” she explained. “We knew this would benefit all visitors to the area, whether they are here for a sporting event, wedding, reunion, to hunt, fish or enjoy the many recreational opportunities in the surrounding Turtle Mountains, etc. It wasn’t until the opportunity came to purchase the land that we reside on, that we decided to make this dream a reality.”
She added with a blended family of eight, it would help accommodate them for special occasions, particularly as they got older and start having their own families. It will make a special place to create memories.
A prominent local athlete has given Boissevain a piece of victory at the Pan Am Games.
On November 4 in Santiago, Chile, Canada’s Women’s National Team defeated Mexico 7-0 in the bronze medal game, taking their seventh consecutive softball medal in the Pan Am Games, going back to 1999. The US won gold after defeating Puerto Rico 7-0.
Canada started the tournament the way they ended it, with a shutout. On October 29, they defeated Cuba 4-0. One of the big blows of the game came from Boissevain’s Zoe Hicks, who clubbed a three-run home run.
Veteran Laverne Tufts is able to celebrate the freedom he fought for with the newest generation.
Tufts, a longtime member of the Boissevain community who now lives in Killarney, was able to spend time recently with his great grandson Vincent. Vincent is the son of his grandson Michael Tufts and Amy Lees, who live in Souris. Amazingly, the two are almost 100 years apart in age. Great Grandpa Tufts was born on April 14, 1922, with Vincent joining the family on February 18, 2022.
Laverne Tufts was born on a Good Friday on the family farm in the Fairfax district, the sixth child of James and Violet Tufts. He grew up in that area, before joining the Canadian Army in 1942, during the Second World War.
If the Council for Boissevain-Morton was looking for enthusiasm in regards to a rebirth of Beckoning Hills Museum, that they received on October 24.
In the council chambers, the municipality held a round table discussion on the future of the first museum in town. A centennial project, the museum was created to preserve and showcase artifacts of a historical nature and opened in 1967. Volunteer driven, like most of the world, Beckoning Hills was shut down in the early part of the COVID pandemic. Reopening in 2022, the museum struggled with both visitors and volunteers, and in the early 2023, the board dissolved itself and the museum was turned over to the municipality. It was not opened last summer, and its future has since been up in the air.
Boissevain-Morton Head of Council Judy Swanson thanked the former board members and volunteers for their work on the museum in the past, noting they could not continue the way things were.
“Now we need to know what the community sees as we move forward,” Swanson explained. “Whether we try to keep it the same, whether we try to change some things up, combining it with the other museums or what.”
Tamara Touchette, with the help of husband Trevor goes all out to give everyone a delightful scare on Halloween. They have an epic front yard display of spooky decorations, including a graveyard, ghosts, goblins, witches, spiders and more. Tamara said the decorations go up October 1 and come down right after Halloween. They moved to Boissevain from Oakbank a year ago and their former neighbours already miss their display.
For a family from Melita, the hope is they can recover something they figured would never be stolen.
Last weekend, Rhonda Verplanche received a message from the campground manager of the Whitewater Recreation Park near Elgin. She was checking whether Verplanche had decided to take their camper home, which had been parked in its spot in the campground.
“She knew we hadn’t planned to,” Verplanche stated, “so when I said no, she messaged ‘call me’.”
With the big move nearly completed, the conservatory will soon be ready for its official unveiling at the International Peace Garden.
Closed for a couple of years, the home of the cacti collection is in its final stages. At around double its original size, the new area will be better for both plants and people, and the Peace Garden is looking forward to inviting the public to an official opening in a couple of months.
“Everything is going really well,” stated Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman of the project that broke ground in 2021. “The plants are getting moved in, everything is getting finished. There is still a lot to go, but we are making progress.”
Chapman said the project had complexities due to external factors. The pandemic and related supply chain issues created some difficulties at times, but they can now see the finish line, so the excitement is certainly there.
Regardless of the ultimate decision made, Grassland Council knows Minto feels passionately about their municipal office, and its place in their community.
Delegations appeared before council at their Tuesday, September 26 meeting in Hartney to plead the case for a return to full operation for the satellite office in Minto. Terry Campbell, representing the Local Urban District of Minto, said there were around 45 people in the chamber from the community, supporting the efforts.
“The LUD stance is that we would like to see that office open again on a five day a week basis,” Campbell explained. “We are trying to bring to light that council needs to do more investigation into what’s best for the municipality.”
The issue began in late 2022, when council passed a motion to limit operations in what was the old Whitewater office to two days a week. The reason given was to bring all of their administration under one roof to improve the internal workings of the municipality. Campbell said the LUD supported that decision at the time, recognizing Grassland had a new administrator, new council, new reeve and were short a councillor. There was a need to pull everything together for a time. However, with that time passing, they would like to see some movement.
It would be hard to imagine a more enthusiastic reaction to the 2023 edition of Street Fest in Boissevain.
Held on September 16 in conjunction with the town wide garage sale, the third running of the event brought large crowds to the many events centred on South Railway Street. The good weather certainly helped and overall the positive experience was being talked about for days. Boissevain-Morton Executive Assistant Melissa Perkins, one of the organizers, was thrilled with the response.
“The event was a great success and I am very pleased to hear all of the positive buzz around the event,” Perkins stated. “From the planning side, you always know what you are hoping to achieve with an event like this and everything that goes into it, so afterwards when you hear how happy community members and local businesses were with the event and how much it meant to them, it is really wonderful to see it go full-circle like that. Feedback from groups involved, local businesses, and the public has all been extremely positive and very grateful for this type of event right here within our community.”
Jamie Schultz has only been principal in Minto School for a couple of weeks, but has already had a taste of what makes the educational institution and community special.
Schultz is in his first year replacing Landon White, who moved over to Boissevain School. He said the move is a comfortable one.
“Things are going really well,” Schultz stated. “The kids are into it, the staff are very friendly and welcoming. I’m being treated like I’ve been there forever.”
Although new to Minto, Schultz is no stranger to Turtle Mountain School Division. At the beginning of his teaching career, he taught physical education for a year and a half at Killarney School. From there he went to the colony schools. He spent nearly a decade teaching at Mayfair School, before moving on to Holmfield, where he doubled as teacher and principal. The colonies were his first time having more than one grade in a class, and his time as small school principal has helped him in his move over to Minto.
“I have a lot of experience now in a small school and multiple grade classes. At Holmfield, it was good experience, moving on to a leadership role. I really enjoyed the challenge and it has definitely prepared me for the experience at Minto.”
Schultz said he decided to move over to Minto School in part because it was close to where he now lives in Boissevain.
“I was in a good spot in Holmfield,” he explained, “but this was a chance that would not come up again for a long time. I wanted to take a chance and throw my hat in the ring. This school is highly regarded.”
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It might be later than planned, but Lorri Matthewson is happy to be opening a Manitoba office in Boissevain.
The Carlyle, Saskatchewan based Matthewson & Co. specializes in supporting small-population communities with their economic development goals. According to founder and owner Matthewson, the move to open a new spot in Boissevain began a few years ago.
“I decided to open a Manitoba-based office pre-COVID because of increasing demand for our services in Manitoba,” Matthewson explained. “After COVID-19, I couldn’t open a spot immediately due to a lack of rental commercial space, and we were immersed in creating online webinars, and expanding our staff base to keep up with the Saskatchewan demand.”
She said they knew they wanted a small town, Boissevain is close to Brandon and the company has done work in the community and local area. The right space opened up and they jumped.
The word ‘home’ is associated with variety of images and emotions. At its heart lie the feelings of warmth, security, peace, happiness and the opportunity to be oneself.
Dr. Alexander McKinnon would add family, friends and joy to the list as he has moved home to Deloraine to practice medicine in the area.
Following graduation from Deloraine School in 2007, McKinnon played junior hockey with the Dauphin Kings for two years. His studies took him to New Brunswick for an undergrad in Biology and masters in Biochemistry in London, Ontario, where he also met his future wife Meghan. His studies concluded in Winnipeg where he graduated from Medicine in 2019.
McKinnon’s first family practice was in Twillingate, Newfoundland from 2019-2021, where the McKinnon’s son Angus was born. The next two years were spent at Three Rivers, Prince Edward Island.
A Boissevain family business that has become a legend in southwestern Manitoba is holding a celebration of 60 years next week.
From August 21-26, Pringles’ Men’s Wear/Sports Excellence will be holding special sales, draws and a community barbecue on August 25. It celebrates the leap of faith by two brothers, and the hard work put in by a whole family to create a community institution.
On March 1, 1963, brothers Del and Wayne Pringle took possession of the clothing store on South Railway Street that had been in the Welch family since before the turn of the century. Although neither had experience owning a business, Del knew bookkeeping from working in the municipal office and Wayne in merchandise from being at Macleod’s. They were able to get the backing of local investors, and purchased the store from Jimmy Welch.
Minto may be a small community, but it can party like a big town.
Celebrating their 125th birthday, the town pulled out all the stops from July 28-30. Combining the celebration with their annual sports day, residents and visitors were able to show off their small but vibrant community and show everyone a good time.
“I thought it was perfect,” stated Don Joye, one of the organizers. “Of course, whenever you have activities outside, the weather is a concern. It was absolutely perfect, which helped a lot.”
On the Friday evening, there was the community bonfire, a chance for people to meet and greet. Joye said it was well attended, and set the course for the weekend.
Starting Saturday morning, the car show highlighted 40 vehicles. Joye said it was the perfect size for a community the size of Minto, and helped the celebration beyond showing off beautiful cars.