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CTV News
6 minutes ago
- CTV News
He beat cancer twice. Now he wants to swim across Lake Winnipeg
Jonathon Fenton looks out at Lake Winnipeg on August 1, 2025. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg) An Alberta man plans to swim across Lake Winnipeg to raise funds for cancer research—research he says has saved his life twice. Jonathon Fenton, 61, is planning to swim from Grand Beach to Gimli—a 26-kilometre swim expected to take him about 10 hours. It's all part of a fundraiser he is calling 'Jonny's Big Swim'. 'I'm doing it to celebrate five and a half years after my stem cell transplant, the second time I had non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma,' Fenton told CTV News. Jonathon Fenton Jonathon Fenton is seen in hospital while battling cancer. (Jonathon Fenton) It was 1999 when Fenton's doctor discovered a tumour the size of a football. 'My only experience with cancer up until then was my mom dying of it when I was 10 years old. So the immediate thought is, 'Oh, you have cancer. Okay, I'm out,'' he said. 'You think you're done, but you're not.' After chemotherapy, Fenton lived cancer-free for 20 years. Then in 2019, Fenton discovered another tumour, launching him into another battle for his life. He won that battle too. 'It wouldn't have happened without the research. So I think you just got to keep going. Go for the next breakthrough,' he said. So far Fenton, who was born and raised in Manitoba, has raised about $22,000 for CancerCare Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and the Alberta Cancer Foundation. 'They all played a part in the double cancer journey,' he said. Jonathon Fenton Jonathon Fenton, 61, speaks with CTV Winnipeg about his plan to swim from Grand Beach to Gimli to raise money for cancer research. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg) But why swim across Lake Winnipeg? Fenton said he got the idea while watching a movie on Diana Nyad, a woman who at the age of 64 successfully swam 180 kilometres from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida. 'It just sort of hit me like a bolt. I could do that across Lake Winnipeg. It's only 26 (kilometres). There's no sharks, there's no jellyfish, no man-o'war, no shipping channel or a shipping lane. How hard could that be?' After a year of training, Fenton plans to begin his swim on Saturday as long as the weather cooperates. He hopes his story will encourage others who are going through the same fight he did. 'I just want to show them, if an old geezer can get into the lake—I don't know if I'm going to make it, but at least I'll try—after two bouts of it, you know, for someone in their 20s, 30s, younger than me, maybe I'll be okay.' More details about Fenton's swim and fundraiser can be found on the Jonny's Big Swim website.
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Smoke continues to blanket much of Manitoba
Alex Karpa reports on the latest wildfire evacuation order in Manitoba and how residents are worrying about the lives they left behind. Air quality warnings are in effect throughout Manitoba as wildfire smoke continues to cover much of the province. Environment and Climate Change Canada says Winnipeg and Flin Flon, in the province's northwest, are seeing air quality health index ratings over 10. This comes as the province battles 136 active wildfires, with 19 considered out of control. Data from Environment and Climate Change Canada shows the month of July was the smokiest month on record in Winnipeg with 172 hours of smoke observed in the city. This is nine hours more than the previous record, which was set back in 1963. Connie Settee has lung issues and uses a puffer to help her breath at times. She says she's trying to stay inside as much as possible. 'Today the smoke is getting bad and it's starting to impact my breathing a little bit,' she said. Flin Flon A helicopter crew works on a wildfire as another is shown flying by in northern Manitoba during a helicopter tour in the surrounding area of Flin Flon, Man. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Deal-Pool At the beginning of July, Settee was once again forced to leave her home community of Cross Lake, about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg in Northern Manitoba. She was briefly able to go home after the first wave of evacuations at the end of May, but threatening fires and unbearable smoke in the community made it difficult for her to stay. She thought she would be getting away from the smoke in Winnipeg, but that didn't last long. 'I'm coughing a lot,' she said at her hotel in Winnipeg. 'I know the smoke is here again. I can smell it when I walked out. That's why I came back to the hotel.' Health Canada says wildfire smoke can cause a variety of symptoms including headaches, a mild cough, and nose, throat, eye and sinus irritation. More serious, but less common symptoms could include dizziness, shortness of breath, asthma attacks and chest pains. 'You feel like a prisoner in your own home': Flin Flon resident Noelle Drimmie has, for the most part, been stuck inside her home. The smoke is so thick that it is making it hard for her to breathe at times. 'We're just not enjoying being outside and when we do go out, it's short-lived,' she said. Drimmie told CTV News Friday that conditions in the city continue to worsen, and the smoke is, for the most part, blocking out the sun. Due to the lack of rain, she says the leaves are starting to change colours, and the entire city smells like campfire. 'My husband and I, we both have scratchy throats,' she said. 'We have been coughing. Runny noses, things like that. And the air, it smells terrible.' She says several of her kids outdoor sporting activities have been cancelled – a theme right across the province. Concerns over the negative health impacts have forced youth sports organizations to cancel or postpone events and practices in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association (WYSA) says it lost a number of tournament games at the end of May and early June and they're juggling some league games too. 'Manitobans need to take precautions for their lung health' Environment and Climate Change Canada says smoky conditions are a health risk to everyone, especially seniors, pregnant women and children. The weather agency says smoke can cause reduced visibility and people are encouraged to limit their time outdoors. Juliette Mucha, the president and CEO of the Manitoba Lung Association says there are ways you can protect yourself, by tweaking your daily routine. 'Ensuring that you have plenty of water to consume. Make sure that your windows and doors are closed and use your air condition,' she said. 'If you don't have air conditioning, you can go to your local library or shopping mall to give your lungs a break.' And if you must be outside, there are precautions you can take. 'Wear that N95 mask,' she said. 'Those masks are a lot safer than the surgical or cloth masks.'
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus at multiple Manitoba traps
New data shows the West Nile virus is circulating throughout Manitoba. According to the province's website, mosquitoes carrying West Nile were found in 12 areas last week. The majority were in the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region, with five positives found in Morden alone. Other positives were confirmed in Winnipeg, Winkler and Altona. The data comes as Ontario confirmed its first human case of West Nile this year on Thursday. There has been one human case in Manitoba so far this year—an infection that was related to travel outside of Canada. The province said recent rain and warm temperatures are bolstering mosquito populations. The West Nile virus risk is currently moderate in Manitoba but could increase further in August, officials said. Symptoms of the virus typically present between two and 14 days after a person is bitten and can include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, a rash and swollen lymph glands. The province said Manitobans can reduce their risk of West Nile exposure by reducing the amount of time outdoors between dusk and dawn, using mosquito repellent, wearing light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves and pants, and making sure door and window screens fit tightly and are free of holes. Folks can also reduce the number of mosquitoes around their home by eliminating standing water. - With files from CTV's Laura Sebben
