Grand Marais News

JULY 2007

Canada Day Celebrations - Once again, the Grand Beach and Area Development Corporation (GBADC) with assistance from the Grand Marais Recreation Centre (GMRC), put on a grand (pardon the pun) celebration in honour of Canada's birthday. New this year is the GMPOA's partnership with the GBADC to present this event.
Ron Joyce and Ken Avery receive cheque from GMPOA president Jerry Meagher.

This year's event was in honour of the late Henri Vandale. Henri was instrumental to the success of this year's and past year's celebrations. It took many people many hours of work to finish the job that Henri had almost completed himself. He will be sorely missed.

The evening was a great success! Neal Pinto provided musical entertainment. James Bezan (our local Member of Parliament), Steve Strang (Reeve of St. Clements), Ken Avery (Acting Chairperson - GBADC Fireworks Committee), and Jerry Meagher (President GMPOA) then gave greetings to those assembled, led them in a chorus of Oh Canada and finally cut the birthday cake. The event was crowned by a spectacular fireworks display.
(Faces in the crowd.)
(MP James Bezan cuts the birthday cake.)(Reeve Steve Strang draws Mac MacDonald's name in the GBADC BBQ draw.)
(Up they go, and BOOM!)
For more photos, click here.

Over one thousand people attended and, by the resounding applause, thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Citizens On Patrol Program volunteers manned an information desk and COPP members, highly visible in their yellow vests, circulated amongst the audience and managed parking. GMPOA members also manned an information desk as did members of the GBADC. Other volunteers cut and served cake, took photos, raised funds, donated funds, set up and tore down, passed out glow bracelets, collected donations for next year's event... You volunteers are far too numerous to name, but special thanks is extended to each and every one of you.

Attention Blue Bomber Fans - Win a CFL football, autographed by all of the Bombers, and four tickets to the September 29 game against the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Click here for more information.

Derelict Buildings - The RM of St. Clements is changing the wording of their bylaw to better deal with the issue of derelict buildings. Their bylaw officer has met with the Selkirk Magistrate to ensure derelict properties can be dealt with more expediently in the future. Two derelict buildings in Grand Marais were torn down and removed by the RM on July 3, 2007. This has been an issue for members of the GMPOA (since our inception less than two years ago) and for the community of Grand Marais (for many years) and we applaud the RM for taking action.


Twins Sighted - Almost a hundred motorcycle enthusiasts travelled out to Grand Marais for a Show-'N-Shine at the Sand Bar Motor Inn. "The Twins" were in town to promote the event.


In a related story, the Gray Family, owners of the Sand Bar Motor Inn, finally received their plaque recognizing them as the recipients of the 2006 Spirit Award from the GMPOA. Many thanks to Priscilla, Paul and Tyler Gray for their contributions to Grand Marais, and for their patience.
(R to L) GMPOA president Jerry Meagher presents Spirit Award plaque to Tyler Gray and Paul Gray while Heather Zilkey (Spirit Award Director for the GMPOA), Mike Millard (Past-President) and his son Brandon look on. Missing - Priscilla Gray.

JUNE 2007

East Beaches Fire And Rescue - J. Meagher - Fire Chief Mark Sinclair loves describing the new East Beaches Fire And Rescue Centre. And why wouldn't he? The 1.2 million dollar structure is the envy of fire departments in neighbouring provinces and states. Mark regularly fields questions from other fire chiefs, EMO officials and ambulance services about the facility. He expects 50 - 60 fire fighters to come for a tour in late June. And then there is the grand opening on August 11, at which time the general public is invited to tour the facilities.
(Fire and Rescue Centre under construction.)

From the road, one can see four large doors, the hose tower and offices. The four large doors are mirrored by four more on the opposite side of the building. The doors lead to eight drive-through bays that will eventually house two pumpers, two tankers, an incident command unit on wheels, a rapid response unit, a water rescue unit and an ambulance.

Upon entering, the bays take one's breath away. They are huge. The garage area is lined with white, fire-retardant PVC that will make maintenance and cleaning easy. Overhead are three 2000-gallon holding tanks, each capable of refilling a tanker truck in just 3 minutes! That is 14 minutes faster than the present facility. The holding tanks also lead to a hydrant connection that can fill pumper trucks directly. Sensors continually monitor air quality and automatically activate ventilators if exhaust fumes begin to fill the garage.
(Water storage tanks.)(Spigot.)

The environment hasn't been forgotten either. A central channel runs down the middle of the garage. Any oil drips or other spills are collected in this channel and taken to a sludge tank where they are separated from the water and collected for proper disposal. But the heating and cooling system is the showpiece of environmental planning in this building. A geothermal heating system adjacent to the garage makes use of natural convection patterns included in the design of the building to provide effective heating, cooling and on-demand hot water for the entire structure, while using no more energy than 3 electric construction heaters would use!
(Heart of the geothermal system.)(Fire Chief Sinclair proudly explains how the system works.)

A sophisticated laundry and drying room will clean firefighters' gear in a fraction of the time it takes at present. As you can imagine, the thick smoke and grime of a fire gets ingrained in the thick, heavy clothing firefighters wear for protection. It requires special washing machines to get these clothes clean. The clean clothing will then be hung on special hangers that force hot dry air through the fabric from the inside out.

The province provided a new state-of-the-art, $45,000.00 system for pressurizing breathing tanks. It will be housed next to the laundry room. This system is capable of pressurizing old and new tanks alike. The department hopes to obtain, in the near future, new tanks that will provide one hour of air instead of just a half-hour. Access to the room is via an outside door equipped with a digital security lock. Fire departments in Victoria Beach, Scanterbury and Fort Alexander will each be given a code so they can refill their tanks at their own convenience.

Upstairs is a room soon to be equipped with a projection screen and projector, satellite TV, and high speed Internet. It will be used to train up to 35 responders in the latest firefighting and rescue techniques. The hose tower, normally used to hang and dry hoses, has three balconies on the outside. Rescue workers can use these balconies to practice techniques for safely removing unconscious victims from burning buildings. To make these simulations more realistic, the tower can be filled with smoke.

Response to catastrophes of all sizes will be coordinated in The Emergency Operations Centre. The centre will have 6 stations: one each for dispatch, police, medical, EMO, fire and public works. Each station will be equipped with high speed Internet and individual phone lines. When it is not coordinating disaster responses, the centre can be used for training and for meetings.
(Lounge, billiards room, weight room and one of three bedrooms under construction.)

3 bedrooms upstairs will eventually house ambulance-service personnel on a 24-hour basis. There is a large lounge area nearby with a pool table, couch, large-screen TV, treadmill, Bowflex and free weights. "These seem like extravagances, but they're not," explains Fire Chief Sinclair. "We operate a 24-hour, on-call fire service for this area. Our firefighters are trained to the same standards as any other firefighter in Winnipeg or the province. We need these amenities if we hope to attract 24-hour ambulance service and if we hope to attract young blood to the department. Our firefighters need a place to meet, unwind and build camaraderie. This new facility has already encouraged four young men aged 18 - 25 to acquire their level one certification and join our department."

APRIL and MAY 2007

Ice Fishing Derby - J. Meagher - The GMPOA recently cosponsored an ice fishing derby. (see the MARCH 2007 GMPOA News) Thanks to Derek and Heidi for submitting some more photos of this event. You can view their photos in our Photo Galery here (#29 to #32).

Early Spring - J. Meagher - It is hard to imagine watering in April, but that is what many of us were doing because of this early, dry spring weather. Perennials have sprouted, trees and shrubs are budding and lawns are beginning to grow and they all need a drink in order to have a healthy start.

After a few loud, earth-shaking (literally!) bangs, the lake began to disappear slowly in the second week of April. And it was still doing so the first week of May. Then, the lake was a mixture of melting ice sheets and transparent pools of water, so sunset featured a mixture of dark areas and shimmering pools of reflected reds and purples.

Grand Marais is a birder's paradise in spring. Flocks of ducks, geese, mergansers, eagles, osprey, flickers, junckos, etc. arrived hourly. Many stay here for the summer, but many others are only brief visitors on their way northward. We enjoyed the display while we could!

Fire In The Hall - J. Meagher - Well, not really, but close. Fire spread rapidly through the dry grass next to the Grand Marais Transfer Station, and then jumped highway 12. It continued burning grass on the north side of the highway and was being pushed by strong winds towards the almost completed East Beaches Fire and Rescue Station (grand opening August 11). Firefighters in attendance called in a bomber that dropped a fire retardant powder to extinguish the flames. Flames came within fifty meters of the building!!

More Fires - J. Meagher - Another fire burned from Stead Road northward on Wednesday, May 8. High winds pushed the fire rapidly towards Sagkeeng First Nation and the community of Fort Alexander. Three water bombers, teams of provincial fire fighters and local fire departments worked through the night to contain the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but first reports indicate careless smoking to be the cause. Remember, forests are tinder dry now. Be extremely careful with all fires and keep your ears open for expected fire bans.

Summer Is Near - J. Meagher - Time sure does fly, and before we know it, we will be enjoying BBQing, swimming, biking, tennis, hiking, camping, etc, all of our favourite summer activities. Take a look at these photos in our Photo Galery (#33 to #38) that Brenda Webster recently submitted and you'll remember why we Manitoban's love summer so much. Thanks for your contributions Brenda.

High Speed Internet - J. Meagher - The RM of St. Clements has teamed with High Speed Crow to deliver wireless high speed Internet access to Grand Marais. For more information, call 204-481-2769 or click http://www.highspeedcrow.ca (will open in a new window).

FEBRUARY 2007

Grand Marais Family Festival - J. Meagher - Congratulations to the Grand Marais Family Festival planning committee! Despite the freezing weather February 9 - 11, 2007, kids and adults came together to celebrate community. Ceremonies were opened by the Walter Whyte School Band and by greetings from local dignitaries (including Cliff Thomas, President of the Grand Marais Family Festival, James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk-Interlake, Steve Strang, Reeve of the RM of St. Clements, Ed Gunning and Rob Boulanger, Councillors for the RM of ST. Clements, Denise Thomas, Vice-President of the Manitoba Métis Federation South-East Region and Ed Arnold, Councillor for the RM of Alexander) followed by fiddlers, dancers and local band Dwight and the Travellers. Teens enjoyed a dance at the school.

Saturday featured games and activities for young and old alike including clowns, face painting, darts, cribbage, curling, tobogganing, skating and more. Sunday began with a pancake breakfast and was followed by an interfaith service. The weekend closed with draws for over 150 prizes.

Ice Fishing With Jeff - J. Meagher - According to rumour, Jeff Bartel has reeled in as many fish as all the other ice fishermen (in the small ice fishing village next to the Grand Marais Historic Pier) put together. The others are quick to point out that Jeff spends as much time on the ice as all the other ice fishermen (in the small ice fishing village next to the Grand Marais Historic Pier) put together. In early February, Jeff reported he had already caught and released over 250 fish! And he has the records to support this claim. Ask him his secret and he'll tell you he has no idea; "I'll catch 14 over 8 hours while my Dad, sitting at a hole not 3 feet away, will catch nothing!" Dad Keith confirms all of this, including his own lack of success...
(Jeff's home away from home.)
(Keeping records.)(To announce another catch to the neighbours.)

Jeff tells a good fish story too. There was the time he almost burnt the place down, when he knocked over his wood stove while diving down a hole to prevent a 4 pound pickerel from escaping. Or the time he was hauling a load of firewood on his snowmobile in -35°C, only to turn around and see a stream of water and clouds of steam rising behind him.

Want to try your hand at ice fishing, and maybe win some cash in the process? The GMPOA, the Grand Marais Recreation Centre and the Sand Bar Motor Inn are sponsoring the first annual Big Swampy Ice Fishing Derby on March 17, 2007. Click here for more information.

Flying Across The Lake - J. Meagher - Ten giant kites flying across the ice, with riders in tow, is quite the sight to behold. The morning of February 18 saw bright colours race against a grey backdrop as kiteboarders "flew" across frozen Lake Winnipeg. Tyler Gray, local businessman and group organizer, led the way. "I've made the crossing several times now and I decided to share the adventure with some friends."
(Local businessman and thrill seeker, Tyler Gray.)

Despite a strong wind and a storm brewing, nine of the ten made the 30 km crossing, hitting speeds of 84 km/h. Five of the group made the return trip too! Altogether, the round trip travelling time and rest periods came to about 3 hours.

JANUARY 2007

Grand Marais Family Festival - J. Meagher - An annual winter highlight is just around the corner! The Grand Marais Family Festival will take place February 9 - 11, 2007 at the Grand Marais Recreation Centre. Activities for kids and adults, live entertainment, raffles, silent auction, sleigh rides, and much, much more. Come and celebrate community and winter with us.

For more information or to volunteer, call Bonnie at 754-3240. For curling information, call Chris at 754-3058 or Mabel at 754-3488.

Ice Fishing Village - J. Meagher - There is once again a small village of ice fishing shacks by the Grand Marais Historic Pier. Sounds of laughter can be heard drifting up from the ice. Sure sounds like fun!!
Those fishers are determined people. They even repaired the stairs so they can participate in this winter activity.
Stairs damaged by wind and waves in November. Now repaired.

New Years A Stormy Eve - J. Meagher - Happy New Year to one and all!! It was a deep one...

Manitoba was hit with a nasty blizzard in the early hours of December 31, New Years Eve. It was no different in Grand Marais. Residents and weekend revellers awoke to find the previous day's ankle deep snow replaced by knee high snow and hip high snowdrifts! But that didn't bury the party spirit. Hey, we're Manitobans!!

Planned events were well attended. Shuttle vehicles ploughed their way through the mess. Many partiers hoofed it! Its great to live in a place with such resilient people!!
(Photos courtesy of J. Moxley)

Youth Drop In Centre - J. Meagher - The Youth Drop In Centre closed its doors over the Christmas period but is once again open at the Grand Marais Recreation Centre every Friday, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. The centre has shuffleboard, darts, pool, ping pong, air hockey, board games and a skating rink. Youths and volunteers are always welcome.

Thanks to the Stoski family for donating a couch and chair. We are still looking for a functioning karaoke machine that you no longer use and would like to donate. Please contact Jerry at 754-2746 to donate.

Grand Marais Seniors - by S. Pelletier - The Grand Marais Seniors have lost another friend. Don Burdeny passed away on the 24th of November 2006, in a tragic accident on Highway 11. Don was involved in many projects and he was a very well respected member of the Grand Marais community. Don was devoted to his family and helped many people in the area. The GM Seniors offer their most sincere condolences to the family. Goodbye to a very wonderful person.

Other Seniors news:
  • The Grand Marais Seniors moved to the Grand Marais Recreational Hall on the 1st of November 2006. Thanks to the volunteers who helped make this move fast and smooth. A former change room has been converted into a storeroom; shelves were built and new electrical outlets were installed for the freezer and the refrigerator. Another refrigerator was placed upstairs in the viewing room.
  • A perogy-making day was held on the 13th of November in preparation for the Christmas Bake and Craft Sale. On Wednesday of the same week, 40 meat pies and chicken potpies were made. Adele Ross was the coordinator for this activity.
  • Our regular monthly meeting was held on the 14th of November. We welcomed three new members who registered that day. This brings our membership to 45.
  • The Santa Claus Parade is always a big event in the town of Grand Marais. This year, the Seniors manned the kitchen. Chili with bannock, hamburgers and hotdogs were served. Many people were in attendance and all had a good time. Profits for this event were turned over to the Rec Centre.
  • The Annual Christmas Dinner for the seniors was held on Sunday the 3rd of December. The seniors club provided the turkey and trimmings and our members brought the salads and dainties. We thank everyone who helped prepare this wonderful evening.
  • Adult Day - Please take note that Adult Day is not happening at the Grand Marais Seniors. If there are some of you who wish to participate in this activity, please contact the Victoria Beach Seniors or the Selkirk Seniors.
  • At our recent regular meeting on December 12, members voted in favour of donating 25 dozen perogies to the Family Festival Winter Carnival. This annual event is held at the Grand Marais Rec Centre; February 9 - 11 this year.
  • In your prayers, please remember our Terry Arbuthnot who has been recuperating in Winnipeg. She would like to hear from you. The Seniors prepared a care package for her and Jenny Lamoureux took it to the City. We hope to see Terry back in Grand Marais this spring.

Grand Marais News Archives:
2006