An MPI direct repair shop, now serving Gimli & area with Fast Forward over 3 decades of experience and best-in-class service Your Claim 109 107 Hwy 9, Gimli formerly South Beach Collision with Direct Repair 204-642-8808 VOLUME 8 EDITION 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 SERVING LUNDAR, ASHERN, ERIKSDALE, MOOSEHORN, FISHER BRANCH, RIVERTON, ARBORG, GIMLI, WINNIPEG BEACH, ARNES, MELEB, FRASERWOOD EU2200i Inverter Generator 2200 watts Quiet 3 year warranty $142900 STIHL MS170 Chainsaw 30 c.c. 16” bar $ 00 1 year warranty 199 Yard Machine 2-Stage 24” Gas Snow Blower 179cc PowerMore OHV 24 inch clearing width $799 2X28” Snow Blower 2X TWO STAGE SERIES 272cc OHV engine w/push- button electric start 28 inch clearing width 16” X-Trac™ tires strong traction Dual LED headlights $1,699 SHACHTAY Enjoying the outdoors SALES & SERVICE Arborg, MB EXPRESS PHOTO BY LANA MEIER Loni Beach resident Greg Carlson was out enjoying the Camp Morton Provincial Park cross-country ski trails last 204-376-5233 Sunday. The trails were pristine and the temperatures were perfect for some outdoor exercise. > everything you need to know in your locally owned and operated community newspaper !®"#$%&' ()*+"# %& *, (-. -/ 01-%2- ( 3 4 !"#-/ 5 6789:;<= 4 (6%5(5!5 !! &60%94 >(8?&1( FISHER POWERSPORTS 2 The Express Weekly News Thursday, February 25, 2021 Ashern’s Railway Park to get outdoor covered stage Survey outlines ideal scenario By Evan Matthews Emilson said the LUD does not have Exactly how Ashern’s Railway Park a fi nal cost from contractors just yet. will look after its re-development is Ultimately, Emilson said the build- uncertain, but one way or another, the ing’s cost will fall somewhere be- LUD knows it will look quite a bit dif- tween $50,000 and $100,000. ferent. “It’s going to be like an open concept Trevor Emilson, chairperson for the bandstand. It’ll be a covered stage, Ashern LUD, said like you’d see in the idea to re-devel- most towns,” said op the park original- Emilson, empha- ly came about two sizing accessibility, years ago. “IT’S IMPORTANT as the facility will “It’s been an un- be 100 per cent der-utilized space, TO INVEST IN OUR wheelchair acces- as it’s right in the sible. centre of town,” said COMMUNITY, OUR “The building is Emilson. RATEPAYERS step one. We’re in “We wanted to see the process of hir- something going up AND OUR SPACES.” ing a design engi- there that the whole neer right now for PHOTO SUBMITTED town could use. The the whole park.” Ashern LUD surveyed residents as part of a 10-year development plan fi rst thing we pro- By hiring a de- for Railway Park. posed was to put a pavilion in,” he sign engineer, Emilson said the LUD said, adding that entertainment in the wants to create a 10-year develop- what they’d like to see. In the order rather than doing a little bit here, a form of outdoor events was always a ment plan for the park. In addition of most popular to least, residents little bit there, and hoping things look priority but even more so now with to hiring a design engineer, he said said they wanted to see a splash pad, good together,” said Emilson. COVID-19 and social distancing. the LUD surveyed the community to winter skating pond, lit walking trails, “It’s important to invest in our com- Emilson said the LUD is aiming to gauge what residents wanted to see seating areas, a playground, outdoor munity, our ratepayers and our spac- have a pavilion constructed by late- happen with Railway Park. fi tness stations, a fi sh pond and an es. This is a long-term investment in spring in order to have residents enjoy The survey, which had 40 partici- outdoor barbecue area. the community itself.” the space over the summer. Though pants respond, asked residents if they “We’d like to have an immersive plan the blueprints have been drawn up, could build Railway Park “your way,” and have everything tie in together Baker Law CORPORATION 21024mm1 Do you have a current will? Protect your family by having a current will, power of attorney and health care directive. Call us or stop in for more information and fi nd out how we can help you. Providing full time legal Grant D. Baker service to families and small businesses in Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Gimli and the Interlake. GIMLI LOCATION RIVERTON LOCATION 72 Centre Street, Gimli, MB 33 Main St. Riverton MB Our offi ce is open 9-5 Mon to Fri Open Mon & Wed 9:30-4:30 204-378-5427 204-642-8681 or 1-866-487-5688 The Express Weekly News Thursday, February 25, 2021 3 Ice jam mitigation program underway on Red River By Nicole Buffi e Twenty-eight kilometres of icy tun- dra will soon turn into a fl owing river of jagged chunks in the coming weeks as the province prepares to unleash the Amphibex machines for their an- nual ice jam mitigation program. For the last 15 years in February and March, North Red Waterway Main- tenance Corporation has hauled the fl eet of lime green machines down the Red River to assist in fl ood prevention by breaking up the frozen water as to not cause jams during the spring melt. EXPRESS PHOTO BY NICOLE BUFFIE The corporation was formed by the Ice fi shers must begin to move RMs of St. Andrews and St. Clements their shacks off the Red River to EXPRESS FILE PHOTO as well as the City of Selkirk in an ef- make way for the Amphibex ma- The Amphibex ice-breaking crew will cut and break approximately 28 fort to address increasing concerns of chines. kilometres of ice on the Red River from Selkirk to Netley Creek starting spring fl ooding along the river, where ment between the entity and Mani- this week. Darrell Kupchik and his team “wrote toba,” said the document. the book” on the ice-breaking pro- The original intended use for the techniques and researching the cor- de Red at the mouth of Netley Creek gram. machines was to prevent fl ooding by rect equipment and fi nding staff and working towards Netley Lake on Feb. “We’ve all seen what happens when dredging waterways in springtime to training them,” he said. “You can’t just 22 and will turn back and run down you do have an ice jam like we had in prevent build up of soil and plant ma- walk away from something like this. the river towards Selkirk. 1996. There was a major ice jam along terial. The province realized the Am- You have to ensure that you’ve done As for North Red Waterway Mainte- the Red River and it caused millions phibexes could be used for the same everything you can to make sure it’s nance, they will be dissolving as a cor- of dollars of damage along the Red thing at the end of winter to prevent successful.” poration in the nearer future. River, and lots of beautiful homes spring fl ooding and retrofi tted them To carry out the program in a timely “We’re just pleased that the ice jam were fl ooded. It was really a disaster,” to break up ice along the Red River. manner and ensure the least amount mitigation program is continuing, and Kupchik said. “And that’s really what In December, Schuler announced of damage is done to properties on the the residents along the Red River, the kind of got this program started was a fi ve-year contract of operations for Red River by spring fl ooding, Kupchik municipalities, you know, greatly ap- looking for a way to make sure this the contraptions was awarded to Win- said the Amphibex began their tour preciate this program,” Kupchik said. never happens again.” nipeg Environmental Remediations In September 2019, Infrastructure Incorporated, a Manitoba-based com- Minister Ron Schuler issued a re- pany that provides comprehensive quest for information as the province environmental services, general con- sought to lease out or outright sell tracting and civil earthworks to a va- the Amphibex machines, citing the riety of industries in both the private government’s desire to seek a better HELP and public sectors throughout Cana- deal in the open market than the $1M da and the United States’ according to annual contract carried out by North a Dec. 30 press release. Red to operate the machines. With the new company overtaking WANTED “As the ice jam mitigation program responsibility of the program, Kup- DRIVER/DELIVERY & YARD ASSOCIATE is only active for a portion of the year chik said the company hired 15 of his Class 3 license for driving can be attained after start of employment. and the equipment may be used for staff to continue operations. other purposes, such as dredging, Responsibilities include product delivery, handling & packaging “We want to make sure that the pro- building materials, maintaining & operating company equipment. there is an opportunity for an entity gram itself does not suffer in any way. to pursue other activities — when the We’ve put a lot of effort into building FLOORING & CABINETS SALES ASSOCIATE ice-jam mitigation program is inactive this corporation and developing these Responsible for providing prompt, courteous and effi cient service to — under a revenue-sharing agree- customers. Advise customers on appropriate merchandise & related items. Some general housekeeping, merchandising, restocking in these depts. PLUMBING & ELECTRICAL SALES ASSOCIATE Responsible for proving prompt, courteous and effi cient service to customers.