VOLUME 6 EDITION 44 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 SERVING SELKIRK, LOCKPORT, ST. ANDREWS, ST. CLEMENTS, WEST ST. PAUL, CLANDEBOYE, PETERSFIELD, WINNIPEG BEACH, GARSON, DUNNOTTAR & TYNDALL Get prepared to be scared RECORD PHOTO BY LINDSEY ENNS A group of volunteers dress up and prepare to scare visitors during the Selkirk Marine Museum’s 15th annual Halloween Haunt last Friday night. The fi nal Halloween Haunt night of the season takes place Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission fees will go back into the restoration of the ships. For another photo, see page 7. news > sports > opinion > community > people > entertainment > events > classifi eds > careers > everything you need to know WE ARE NOW STOP IN AND PROVIDING ENTER TO WIN A FRAMED SET ® To Better Serve OF SEASON ONE Our Community JETS TICKETS 326 Main Street, Selkirk 2 The Selkirk Record Thursday, October 29, 2015 Zebra mussel legislation to come into force ‘very soon’ Province reminds boaters they could face up to $100,000 fi ne if caught with the aquatic species By Austin Grabish couldn’t say if the money announced Legislation making it illegal to trans- Monday was new or redirected from port zebra mussels while giving the the provincial budget. province authority to hand out fi nes “Budgets are a complicated thing,” as large as $100,000 has yet to become he said. law, but that may change next week. Nevakshonoff added it’s illegal to On Monday, the province held a possess zebra mussels in Manitoba press conference announcing an “ad- despite the fact provincial legislation ditional” $1-million in funding for the on the mussels has yet to become law. fi ght against zebra mussels. Nevakshonoff told the Record the However, reporters learned the province’s aquatic species legisla- province will actually only spend tion, which could see boaters who are an additional $500,000 on the fi ght caught with zebra mussels, fi ned up against the mussels. to $100,000, would come into effect Conservation and Water Steward- “very soon.” RECORD PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH ship Minister Tom Nevakshonoff He hinted that could be as early as Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Tom Nevakshonoff, next week. pictured second from left, speaks to reporters about zebra mussels He also said during a press conference in Winnipeg on Monday. while the Mani- toba legislation is what is fundamental here,” he said. contamination units, and watercraft is not yet law, the Nevakshonoff said provincial offi - inspection stations that will be set up federal Fisheries cials were busy working on the front- throughout the province next sum- Act makes it ille- lines this summer, and that’s why the mer. gal for anyone to legislation has yet to come into force. The stations have already been set be in possession “Our efforts were on containment up near docks in places like Selkirk of zebra mussels. and so forth,” he said. Park, where boats were screened for “The illegality of The funding announced Monday zebra mussels this summer. possessing them will pay for scientifi c resources, de- Continued on page 9 Halloween Apples, Candies, Chips & Chocolate DOCTORS OF OPTOMETRY RECOMMEND $ 50 COMPREHENSIVE 5 EYE EXAMS FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES $1000 TODDLERS + SCHOOL-AGE INFANTS PRESCHOOLERS CHILDREN First exam at At least one exam An exam 6-9 months between 2 to 5 every year $ VISIT 4 $988 353 Main Street, Selkirk, MB Your Selkirk www.andersonvision.ca Crossing $ 77 Each 204-482-3713 Selkirk Supercenter Highway 9 & 4 Product of Canada FOR MORE INFORATION Manitoba Ave The Selkirk Record Thursday, October 29, 2015 3 Hotel owner demands higher liquor, VLT sale returns By Austin Grabish A massive throne built out of empty beer bottles symbolizes the control the province has over rural hotel own- ers, says Angelo Mondragon. Mondragon, the president of the Manitoba Rural Hotel Association, was outside the provincial legislature on Monday protesting in front of the giant beer throne he constructed. Tombstones representing shuttered rural hotels made a path to the gi- ant throne made up of more than 160 empty beer bottles while a crown cut out of an old beer keg sat high above it as Mondragon protested. RECORD PHOTOS BY AUSTIN GRABISH “The main reason I’m here is to just Manitoba Rural Hotel Association president Angelo call attention to the province’s role in Mondragon stands next to a giant beer throne he what Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries constructed in front of the Manitoba legislature on has been doing to the rural hotels,” Monday. Mondragon said he wants the province to said Mondragon, who also owns the lower its take on VLT and beer revenues that come Notre Dame Hotel. “The idea is that from rural hotels. they have sought to take over the beer industry so now I’m saying ‘you’ve sible for Liquor and Lotteries, said business, liquor wanted to be the masters of the beer Manitoba’s “modern” liquor laws give and lotteries is not industry, so now you are, and here’s rural hotel owners an advantage other to be subsiding your throne.’” businesses don’t have. them,” he said. Mondragon and other rural hotel “Only hotels have a private beer However, Mon- PCs would raise profi t margins for owners have been complaining for store no other business can do that,” dragon said the decrease in business owners, rural hotels shouldn’t be in months that the province’s take on Lemieux said. at rural hotels in Manitoba shouldn’t the same playing fi eld as big city bars. booze and VLT revenues is too high. He added beer vendors are given a be blamed on hotel owners. “Small business cannot be compet- Mondragon said while the province low volume discount when they have “People are so quick to blame the ing where there’s just no fairness in- continues to take money from beer a bad year of sales. owner, but they don’t realize … peo- volved,” Schuler said. and VLT sales, many rural hotels are Lemieux said it’s not Manitoba Li- ple don’t come into the bar anymore Meanwhile, Mondragon said he’s struggling to turn a profi t. quor and Lotteries job to pay for busi- for lots of different reasons,” he said. considering selling his hotel. The association is calling on the nesses that can’t turn a profi t. Ron Schuler, the Progressive Con- “I’ve basically wasted fi ve years of province to lower the amount it takes “If they’re struggling or having a servative critic for Liquor and Lotter- my life,” he said. from hotel revenues. real challenge with regard to their ies, said while he couldn’t say if the “If they changed the margins we’d have a stronger foundation,” Mon- SPECIAL ORDER Coming to dragon said. “We wouldn’t all of the Specialists! sudden become successful, but we’d • BOOKS Selkirk! be able to at least have some room to • CDs November grow and adapt.” • DVD Mondragon couldn’t say how many 27, 28, 29 BLAINE’S • TV SEASONS rural hotels have closed due to low BOOKS • MOVIES • MUSIC More than 50 earnings, but said one closed every six • VINYL businesses weeks in Manitoba last year. Toll Free: 1-844-751-1633 • [email protected] participating And just last week one more closed $8000 Grand Prize in Holland, Man., he said. Selkirk Drop Off available ~ Call for Details won in 2014! www.itsallrighthere.com Ron Lemieux, the minister respon- ONE STOP SHOP! COSTUMES MAKE-UP HATS WIGS ACCESSORIES 439 MAIN ST., SELKIRK HOURS MONDAY to FRIDAY 9-9 North of Manitoba Ave. SATURDAY 9-6 SUNDAY 12-5 BiG DOLLAR 4 The Selkirk Record Thursday, October 29, 2015 Canada Post halts community mailbox program rollout By Brandon Logan stick. “It’s not so bad for me, but some The way residents inside Selkirk city of the senior people it could be (in the limits receive their mail has offi cially winter).” changed, while other conversions One of those seniors is Arlene An- to community mailboxes across the derson. While the change isn’t an is- country have been put on hold. sue currently, Anderson said getting Implementation of the new com- her mail would be a big task if her munity mailbox program started in husband wasn’t around to help her. early 2014 in some regions across the “If I didn’t have him around, getting country and fi nally arrived in Selkirk there, especially in the winter, would earlier this month. be a problem,” she said, adding she However, Canada Post announced hopes the sidewalks are ploughed late Monday afternoon they are “tem- enough so older people who do have porarily suspending future deploy- to walk to their mailboxes in the win- ment” of the conversion from door- ter can with ease. “I have breathing is- to-door mail delivery to community sues in the cold weather and asthma, mailboxes in some parts across Can- so getting up to walk is tough enough.” ada. A solution Anderson proposed is All conversions planned for No- creating an option for seniors or peo- vember and December and those an- RECORD PHOTO BY LINDSEY ENNS ple with disabilities to have their mail nounced for 2016 are being placed on New Canada Post community mailboxes, like this one pictured along brought to their door. hold, according to a statement posted Sophia Street, have been popping up across the City of Selkirk in recent “It would be nice if there was an op- on Canada Post’s website late Mon- months. tion where people, seniors with dis- day afternoon.