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Your Home Town Experts 1332 sqft fi nished on both fl oors on a huge lot room for WINNIPEG STONEWALL RM OF ROCKWOOD all the toys Warren - $334,900 - Matt VOLUME 7 EDITION 6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 SERVING LUNDAR, ASHERN, ERIKSDALE, MOOSEHORN, FISHER BRANCH, RIVERTON, ARBORG, GIMLI, WINNIPEG BEACH, ARNES, MELEB, FRASERWOOD Cub Cadet Log Splitter $219900 Ariens 24” Snowblower • 9 HP • Electric Start • 2 year warranty $109900 STIHL MS170 Chainsaw • 30 c.c. • 16” bar • 1 year warranty $19900 STIHL MS291 Chainsaw • 56 c.c. • 16” bar • 1 year warranty $49995 Spreading sunshine SHACHTAY SALES & SERVICE Arborg, MB EXPRESS PHOTO BY SAMANTHA HAMPTON Arborg Early Middle School students Sophia McPherson (7), left, and Andrea Zagaozewski (8) were eager to get their 204-376-5233 entries prepared and entered in the “Letters to a stranger” contest. See full story on pg. 5. > everything you need to know in your locally owned and operated community newspaper STOREWIDE CLEARANCE ON Lot 1, Hwy 17 S, Fisher Branch, MB TOOLS 204-372-8501 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST 2 The Express Weekly News Thursday, February 13, 2020 The $64,000 question; IEHF’s treasurer resigns, citing questionable practices By Patricia Barrett when a signifi cant amount of money The treasurer of the Interlake-East- is being requested. ern Health Foundation (IEHF) board, “Some [IEHF] board members were which has been tasked with fundrais- blindsided,” said Bodman. “And I’m ing over $5 million for a proposed pri- surprised [SDCF] accepted the IEHF’s mary care clinic/teaching unit near application.” the Selkirk hospital, resigned last De- The IEHF’s board chair DJ Sig- cember, citing questionable practices mundson told the Express last Friday around grants. there was nothing irregular about the Bill Bodman, a retired chartered ac- grant process, and the board gener- countant who joined the IEHF when ally doesn’t talk about who applies for it was established in 2015 and served and signs grant applications. as treasurer and chair of the invest- “I’ve been on the board a few years ment committee, said he had not been now, and the board doesn’t authorize apprised of a $64,000 grant the IEHF applications. We don’t sign applica- applied for and received. He “discov- EXPRESS PHOTOS BY BRETT MITCHELL tions, necessarily,” said Sigmundson, ered” it after a bi-monthly update of Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation treasurer Bill Bodman resigned who wasn’t the chair at the time of the books. from his position, citing questionable practices around grants. the $64,000 grant application. “It’s the When he realized the money had same in my other capacity as a CAO come out of the Selkirk General Hos- [RM of St. Andrews interim CAO]; pital Fund, which is managed by the generally, administration fi lls in ap- Selkirk & District Community Foun- plications for grants. That’s all there is dation (SDCF), he started asking to it. Sometimes they need a second questions. signature.” “If you’re going to support a clini- Sigmundson said the IEHF has re- cal teaching unit, is that for the good ceived grants from the SDCF in the of the Selkirk hospital? I think you’re past and “it’s never been an issue.” The Selkirk & District Community Foundation grant application form. stretching it,” said Bodman, whom the “We fi ll in grants all the time. It Express spoke with at his home in Sel- doesn’t commit the board to anything; kirk last week. Regional Health Authority. of the IEHF board by virtue of not it’s just an application for a grant,” he In his resignation letter of Dec. 16, Interlake-Eastern is the only RHA having been brought before it for dis- said. “We’re fully supportive of our 2019, Bodman wrote he was “troubled” in Manitoba without a physician cussion, said Bodman. executive director and the work she by the IEHF having applied for money training facility and that’s been cited “If you’re applying for a signifi cant does.” from a fund that’s earmarked “mainly as one of the reasons for a chronic grant, which this one is, you would be As for the signatures, Sigmundson for equipment” and exclusively for the shortage of doctors. Hospital emer- bringing it to the board,” he said. said he was told “local people were Selkirk hospital. And he failed to “see gency rooms in communities such as The IEHF’s executive director Pa- unavailable [to sign] so [McCallum] the justifi cation” for awarding that Eriksdale, Arborg, Gimli and Pinawa mela McCallum — who also serves had two other board members sign money to the design and construction have been subject to rotating closures as executive assistant to the IERHA’s it.” And there’s nothing in the IEHF of the proposed clinic/teaching unit. or reduced service availability ev- CEO and is a director on 10040899 policy that says it has to be a chair or He said the IEHF received the grant ery month for several years now, and Manitoba Association vice-chair. ($32,000 a year over two years) on some ERs have been permanently Inc., which will be the When grant applica- April 17, 2019. shuttered (e.g., Teulon) because of an developer, owner and tions are successful, The intent of the clinic/teaching unit inability to retain doctors. operator of the pro- he said the board is in- is to broaden access to primary care Not only did the application tap do- posed clinic — fi lled out “IF YOU’RE formed either at meet- and to train doctors for rural commu- nations reserved for the Selkirk hos- the SDCF’s application ings or by email. nities served by the Interlake-Eastern pital, but it also escaped the attention form for the grant, said APPLYING FOR The IEHF’s mandate Bodman. The form spec- A SIGNIFICANT is to raise money for ifi es that a chair/presi- health care in the re- dent, a vice-chair/vice- GRANT, YOU gion, and it doesn’t INCOME TAX president or a treasurer WOULD BE specify whether it’s to is to sign it. go towards construction “It was two board BRINGING IT TO or equipment, said Sig- PREPARATION members that signed mundson. In this case, it and they weren’t the THE BOARD.” the $64,000 it got from Over chair, the vice-chair or SDCF is supporting the • Personal 20 years treasurer,” said Bod- construction of the facil- experience!! man. “Even if you only ity. • Farming need two signatures, I think the board The SDCF was formed in 1995 to es- should know about it. Proper business tablish endowment funds and distrib- • Fishing Now accepting procedure is such that the chair, vice- ute income for the benefi t of the City chair or treasurer should be signing of Selkirk and the rural municipalities • Small business new clients! on behalf of the [foundation] — they of St. Andrews and St. Clements. It usually have the signing authority — funded 79 projects in 2018-2019 for a not any old board member.” total of $360,858, according to its Com- Bodman, who has about 12 years’ ex- munity Report, which lists award re- Call Maureen Kaprawy perience working on foundations, in- cipients. The $64,000 grant to the IEHF or Laura Oddleifson today cluding the SDCF and the Thomas Sill does not appear on that list. Foundation, said it’s a “safeguard” for A November 2019 progress re- 204-376-5474 349 Main Street, Arborg MB any foundation to have senior board Visit www.nctax.ca to book online! Open Mon-Fri 9-5 members approve grants, especially Continued on page 4 The Express Weekly News Thursday, February 13, 2020 3 Oska the great grey owl brings learning alive at Marble Ridge Colony School By Patricia Barrett and researches and publishes articles, Students at Marble Ridge Colony books and technical materials on owls School, south of Hodgson, had a and wildlife biology. hoot last Friday when a great grey Duncan’s tour was organized by the owl dropped in for a visit and helped area’s well-known bird afi cionado, them understand the importance of Joanne Smith, who leads Christmas Manitoba’s emblematic bird. Bird Counts each year in the Fisher Oska, a three-year-old female, was Branch and Hodgson area, formed a accompanied by Dr. James Duncan of bird-watching group at the seniors’ Balmoral-based Discover Owls, an or- home in Fisher Branch and organizes ganization that supports owl conser- annual weed pulls on Sandy Bar near vation and research. Duncan tours the Riverton to improve the habitat there province, raising awareness about the for threatened piping plovers. bird and the importance of preserv- The tallest North American owl, ing their habitats. the great grey owl (strix nebulosa) is Students in Sheena Letexier class found year-round in boreal forests prepared for Oska’s visit by under- across Canada and a few states in the taking research on the owl. U.S., according to the Atlas of Breed- “The kids were super-excited to do ing Birds in Manitoba. The owls have these research projects because we characteristic bright yellow eyes, con- knew that Oska was coming. When centric rings around the face and lack she got here, it just brought the learn- tufts.