Meet CFB Shilo’s new boss

The new base commander at CFB Shilo says his priority will be to deepen connections between the base and the surrounding community.

Commanding officer Lt.-Col. Jack Nguyen took over leadership of the Shilo base in June after a ceremony and a parade. In an interview with the Sun on site, Nguyen said he’ll focus on relationships within Westman.

“Absolutely it’s about the community here,” he said.

The new commanding officer will be responsible for overall leadership and management of the military base, and the well-being of personnel. He said the most important aspect will be building bridges — as he returns to the province where he was born and raised.

Blue Jays’ fans enjoying the 2025 surprise

Major League Baseball in 2025 has produced a wide variety of spectacular catches, some outstanding hitting, precise pitching and more than a few surprises, with the Toronto Blue Jays’ early-season performance one of the leaders in that ‘surprise’ category.

If you thought a Rafael Devers trade from Boston to San Francisco was a shocker, how about the Blue Jays at one point in June being eight games above .500, solidly in second place in MLB’s most competitive division, the A.L. East, and — if the season ended today, which would be a shock — in a wildcard playoff position.

Pre-season prognostications by baseball insiders pegged the Blue Jays for another last-place finish in their division, which lately has been dominated by the Yankees, Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. The Jays, according to the experts, were likely to battle it out for fourth place with Tampa Bay.

But if somebody named Cal Raleigh (a catcher with Seattle) can be on a pace to belt 60 home runs, and if Aaron Judge can be batting around .370 near the halfway pole, and if Max Fried can prove to be one of the best free-agent signees ever (9-2, 2.05 ERA with the Yankees), then what’s so surprising about the Blue Jays being a contender?

Westman Communications Group and community members raised $4,181 for a local food bank this month after a barbecue in the community.

The event in Delorainne on June 19 came as part of the Connecting Westman Tour. The fundraising total included a matched donation from WCG, boosting the Deloraine Food Cupboard’s efforts to enhance its existing food security programs, which support residents in the town and surrounding areas.

“Our second stop on the 2025 Connecting Westman Tour was another great success, building on the momentum from our kickoff event,” said WCG marketing manager Brandi Crowe. “We were thrilled to see the strong turnout from Deloraine residents in support of this vital community cause. It’s an honour to help create opportunities for fundraising, and we’re looking forward to continuing the Connecting Westman Tour all summer long.”

The local food bank provides food hampers as they are needed by members of the community.

Check out Manitoba’s twin cities

‘Why would you go to Morden and Winkler for the weekend?”

It’s a question I used to get asked a lot. But after a few stays, and even more shares on social media, the questions have become, “Where can we stay if we go there?” and “What should we do there?”

The twin cities of Morden and Winkler are 12 kilometres apart on Provincial Highway 3. That means visitors get two for the price of one when it comes to family fun, fabulous food and superb shopping in southwestern Manitoba. Your micro-vacation starts here with our Top 10.

1. Stay in a castle.

‘New two’ in tennis are a dominant pair

There’s more of a difference between professional golf and professional tennis than the size of the ball. And there’s a huge difference between the two sports when it comes to competitive dominance.

In tennis, what used to be the Big Three — Roger Federer of Switzerland, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic — has now crystallized into the New Two, featuring two stars in their early 20s. The Big Three won 67 Grand Slam events in the first 20-odd years of the 21st Century. By comparison, the four golf majors have been won by a massive number of players over the same period, although Scottie Scheffler lately has been threatening to turn pro golf into a Big One.

Today’s Big Two in tennis features Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannick Sinner of Italy, who have split the last six Grand Slam events. It was no surprise that the two faced off in the French Open final at Roland Garros in early June and played a classic match that lasted an exhaustive five hours and 29 minutes. Alcaraz, who lost the first two sets, won the next three in what some tennis observers are calling one of the best tennis matches of all time.

For most of the 21st century, chances were good that either Federer, Nadal or Djokovic would emerge as champion of a Grand Slam tennis event. Eventually, Djokovic captured 24 Grand Slam titles, more than anyone in the history of the sport. Nadal has 21 and Federer 20.

New event celebrates comics and their artists

If you’ve ever noodled around with the idea of drawing your own comics, there’s an event coming your way that could help you get pen to paper.

The first ever BranZine Fest launches on July 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in collaboration with the Prairie Comics Festival. It’s an opportunity to connect with regional comic artists, see and buy their work and participate in workshops.

Merissa Mayhew is a Brandon illustrator, writer and comics artist with a flair for the whimsical. Her artwork is front and centre on the poster advertising BranZine Fest.

“What really got me started into comics as a creator was in my first year at university, I was really appreciating the way writing and art work together to tell a story,” Mayhew said (www.merissa.art).

The roof of the Foxwarren community rink is still in need of repair after a windstorm last year. Shortly after the storm, a research group identified the cause as a downburst — cold air that shot down from the sky, in this case producing 155 km/h winds. (Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun)

By Connor McDowell

RUSSELL – A group of Westman mayors, reeves and councillors say their concerns have been overlooked along the border with Saskatchewan as massive amounts of water rolls through to Manitoba every spring and destroys infrastructure.

Representatives from the Rural Municipality of Sifton, Municipality of Russell Binscarth, and the RM of Riding Mountain West told the Sun this month that water from Saskatchewan causes damage in the hundreds of thousands of dollars year over year. Grant Boryskavich, reeve of Riding Mountain West, described the issue as a reoccurring, unfair burden to taxpayers.

“What happens consistently along the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border is, there’s a big flush of water coming and roads are getting washed out,” Boryskavich said. “The municipalities continually have to pay, and have their taxpayers pay for that.”

The state of emergency this April in Russell Binscarth was due to water from Saskatchewan, mayor Judy Snitynsky told the Sun. The surge of water partially collapsed a culvert 12 feet in diametre, which she said will cost more than $350,000 to repair. Staff were also forced to excavate another road so that water could flow past.

A Piper Pawnee remote-controlled plane is flown remotely by Ian Fraser at the Brandon RC Flying Club field east of Brandon this month. The smoke visual effect is created when Fraser, standing on the grass below, triggers a remote to push special oil into the muffler. The trick leaves a trail of smoke behind the aircraft as it soars over the landing strip. The machine is modelled after a real aircraft that was designed as an agricultural aircraft and is commonly used for “crop dusting,” flying over fields of crops and spraying chemicals to protect against pests. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

A snapping turtle claws its way along a bank beside the Little Saskatchewan River west of Brandon in June. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

By Connor McDowell

Huddle expands to Portage la Prairie

A youth mental health service is expanding its offices to Portage La Prairie with the help of provincial government funding.

The Province of Manitoba this month announced $400,000 in support for the Huddle initiative, which provides wellness services to youth between the ages of 12 to 29. The funding will be used to support the first site in the city, focused on youth who are at risk of homelessness or in need of mental health and addictions treatment.

Bernadette Smith, Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness made the announcement this month alongside Nahanni Fontaine, Minister of Families.

“It is important for our youth to have a place to go and have access to the supports that they need when they need it,” said Smith in a press release. “We are not using a one-size-fits-all approach to care, we are working with young people to meet them where they are at and support them through their mental health or addictions journey.”

Boissevain 4-H rally results released

BOISSEVAIN — Results from the 89th annual Boissevain 4-H Zone Rally were released this month thanks to organizer Coral Meggison.

The event held at the Boissevain Ag Grounds included a parade, musical horseback rides and equine competitions that showcased the skills children learned in the region’s 4-H clubs. The rally judges announced winners of the senior member excellence awards for the year.

In the parade float competition, Boissevain Beef won $50 for first place, Boissevain Home & Hobby claimed second and $25. The same prizes were given for all first and second places during the parade, with Deloraine Community 4-Hers Club winning first place in the marching category and Goodlands 4-H Variety club winning second. In the equine category, Boissevain Boots n’ Bits won first and Southwest Saddles and Spurs came second.

The first place in the musical ride, where club members rode on horseback and choreographed themselves with country music, was given to Boissevain Boots n’ Bits.

Canada may lose access to Peace Garden airport

INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN – David Pedersen drives his truck past border customs, turns up a grassy hill and stops at a ramshackle piece of tarmac on the edge of the country.

Opening his car door, Pedersen drops his feet down on the warped pavement. There it is, he says: this piece of tarmac is Canada’s contribution to the International Peace Garden Airport.

The paved ground on Canada’s side of the airport is smaller than the footprint of a community tennis court. It’s not much to look at, but it allows Canada to use the North Dakota airstrip next door.

Canadians can land at the airstrip, taxi the aircraft over the border to the pavement chunk in Canada, park, visit the gardens, clear customs, and take off again. But the airstrip and the taxiway, being just south of the border, are paid for by the United States.