ERIKSDALE LOCATIONS • Grocery • Hardware ARBORG LOCATIONS • Food Store WAREHOUSEOct 30 - • Gas Bar • Card Lock SALE Nov 5 BULK PETROLEUMUM 204-376-5201204 376 525 01 or 204-376-5245204 376 52 VOLUME 2 EDITION 44 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 SERVING LUNDAR, ASHERN, ERIKSDALE, MOOSEHORN, FISHER BRANCH, RIVERTON, ARBORG, GIMLI, WINNIPEG BEACH, ARNES, MELEB, FRASERWOOD 140 years of history EXPRESS PHOTO BY PATRICIA BARRETT The descendants of Icelandic settlers in Gimli hosted an annual pilgrimage Oct. 21 to the big white rock on Willow Island to mark the 140th an- niversary of Icelandic settlement in the area. Connie Magnusson and Carly Welham place roses on the big white rock to honour their forebears’ arrival near Gimli in 1875. news > sports > opinion > community > people > entertainment > events > classifi eds > careers > everything you need to know Save 20% Save 30% ON ALL IN-STOCK ON ALL IN-STOCK Kitchen Flushmount BUILDING CENTRE GIMLI www.rona.ca Faucets Light Fixtures 1-877-770-7662 HOURS: OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON-SAT 9 am - 6 pm • SUN 12 - 4 pm 2 The Express Weekly News Thursday, October 29, 2015 First Nation and Icelandic descendants mark 140 years By Patricia Barrett Beach) and Hecla Island. The descendants of Icelandic set- At Lower Fort Garry, about 235 Ice- tlers in Gimli hosted an annual pil- landers boarded fl at-bottomed scows grimage Oct. 21 to the big white rock that were pulled north up Lake Win- on Willow Island to mark the 140th nipeg by a steamer called the Colville. anniversary of Icelandic settlement in But late in the afternoon, the captain the area. refused to go any farther, citing a “ruf- Among them was the descendant of fl ed” lake, according to a 1975 book a First Nation man who helped the titled Gimli Saga: The History of Gimli, new arrivals survive their fi rst winter Manitoba. on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. The Icelanders rowed to a small Ruth Christie, the great-grand- bay on Willow Island (a peninsula daughter of John Ramsay, takes part just south of Gimli). Here they were in the walk whenever she can. forced to sleep in the boats and on the About 50 people took part in Gimli’s 2015 Walk to the Rock. They “He is credited with saving 35 Ice- beach in buffalo-hide tents they got gathered in front of the rock at Willow Point to pay tribute to the fi rst landic families from starving,” said from the Hudson’s Bay Company. Icelandic settlers, who arrived Oct. 21, 1875. Christie, who is member of Peguis “A child was born that evening,” First Nation. “A lot of Icelandic people said one of the walkers, whose great honour him.” grandfather was on one of the scows. Economic conditions in mid-19th The annual walk started with Gimli century Iceland brought immigrants resident Connie Magnusson to me- to various locations in North Ameri- morialize the arrival of the Icelanders ca. A group came from Kinmont, Ont., and to recognize the hardships they when jobs on the railway did not endured. Her great-grandfather came come to pass, said Tammy Axelsson, with the fi rst wave of settlers. executive director of the New Iceland When the 50 or so walkers arrived at Heritage Museum. the white rock — about an hour after Their destination was an area they started out from the New Iceland around Riverton, known as Sandy Heritage Museum — Magnusson Bar, which was already home to a First paid tribute to the settlers and laid a Nation band to which John Ramsay rose on the rock. belonged. He lost his land during the She was joined by Carly Welham, settlement. a fi fth-generation descendant of the In 1873 the Dominion government woman who gave birth to the fi rst created a reserve for Icelandic immi- child in New Iceland. grants, called New Iceland. It stretched Welham read the poem Arrival at 58 kilometres along the western shore Willow Point by Don Martin, which Left to right: Connie Magnusson, descendant of the Icelandic pioneers of Lake Winnipeg between Boundary of 1875, and Ruth Christie, great-granddaughter of John Ramsay, a Continued on page 8 Creek (near present-dayThank Winnipeg You First Nation man who helped the settlers survive. I am humbled and “ honoured to serve as your MP. ” JAMES BEZAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SELKIRK-INTERLAKE-EASTMAN Jeff Wharton, PC candidate for the Gimli riding, took part in the Walk to the Rock Oct. 21. Tel: 1-888-247-9606 jamesbezan.com EXPRESS PHOTOS BY PATRICIA BARRETT The Express Weekly News Thursday, October 29, 2015 3 Province king of beer throne: hotel owner Higher returns from booze sales demanded By Austin Grabish wouldn’t all of the sudden become A massive throne built out of empty successful, but we’d be able to at least beer bottles is symbolic to the control have some room to grow and adapt,” the Manitoba government has over Mondragon said. rural hotel owners, says Angelo Mon- Mondragon couldn’t say how many dragon. rural hotels have closed from low Mondragon, the president of the earnings but noted that one closed Manitoba Rural Hotel Association, every six weeks in Manitoba last year. was outside the provincial legislature And just last week one more closed Monday protesting in front of a giant in Holland, Man., he said. beer throne he constructed. Ron Lemieux, min- Tombstones representing ister responsible for shuttered rural hotels led Liquor and Lotter- a path to the giant throne ies, said Manitoba’s made up of over 160 empty “IF THEY “modern” liquor beer bottles, and a crown CHANGED laws give rural hotel cut out of an old beer keg owners an advantage EXPRESS PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH sat high above Mondragon THE MARGINS, other businesses Manitoba Rural Hotel Association president Angelo Mondragon stands as he protested. don’t have. next to a giant beer throne he constructed in front of the Manitoba “The main reason I’m WE’D HAVE “Only hotels have legislature Monday. He wants the province to lower its take on VLT and here is to just call attention a private beer store. A STRONGER beer revenues that come from rural hotels. to the province’s role in No other business what Manitoba Liquor and FOUNDATION.” can do that,” Lemieux PCs would raise profi t margins for volved,” Schuler said. Lotteries has been doing to said. owners, rural hotels should be held to Meanwhile, Mondragon said he’s the rural hotels,” said Mon- He added beer ven- a different playing fi eld than big city looking to sell his hotel. dragon, who also owns the dors are given a low bars. “I’ve basically wasted fi ve years of Notre Dame Hotel. volume discount when a bad year of “Small business cannot be compet- my life,” he said. “The idea is that they have sought sales happens. ing where there’s just no fairness in- to take over the beer industry, so now Lemieux said it’s not the job of Man- I’m saying you’ve wanted to be the itoba Liquor and Lotteries to pay for masters of the beer industry, so now businesses that can’t turn a profi t. you are, and here’s your throne.” “If they’re struggling or having a real Mondragon and other rural hotel challenge with regard to their busi- owners have been complaining for ness, Liquor and Lotteries is not to be months that the province’s take on subsidizing them,” he said. Does booze and VLT revenues is too high. But Mondragon said the decrease in Mondragon said while the province business at rural hotels in Manitoba continues to take money from beer shouldn’t be blamed on hotel owners. and VLT sales, many rural hotels are “People are so quick to blame the your ATM struggling to turn a profi t. owner, but they don’t realize … peo- The association is calling on the ple don’t come into the bar anymore province to lower the amount it takes for lots of different reasons,” he said. really get from hotel revenues. Ron Schuler, the Progressive Con- “If they changed the margins, we’d servative critic for Liquor and Lotter- have a stronger foundation. We ies, said while he couldn’t say if the you? COUPONCOUP Whitecaps Does your ATM get excited that you are FamilyF Restaurant buying your first car or going to a great concert? Our iTMs are more than a machine 72-1st Ave. Gimli, MB Available at our – they are people-powered! 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However, reporters learned the province will actually only spend EXPRESS PHOTOS BY AUSTIN GRABISH an additional $500,000 on the fi ght Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Tom Nevakshonoff against the mussels.