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Community honours longtime North Central volunteer Ivan Amichand

Community honours longtime North Central volunteer Ivan Amichand

CTV News25-05-2025

In memory of late Ivan Amichand, his family and people from North Central neighborhood honoured his legacy through a walk. (Sierra D'Souza Butts / CTV News)

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Why a Manitoba landmark is closed for its 50th anniversary
Why a Manitoba landmark is closed for its 50th anniversary

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Why a Manitoba landmark is closed for its 50th anniversary

An iconic Manitoba landmark that's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year is closed for the season due to a need for structural repairs. Grant's Old Mill is a replica flour mill that has stood on Portage Avenue near Sturgeon Road for decades. Former Premier Ed Schreyer opened the mill in 1975 as part of Winnipeg's centennial celebrations. Over the years, it's become a historical museum and a destination for school trips and visitors. It's also a functioning mill where Manitobans can watch a demonstration of how flour is milled. According to Kelly Ryback, a board member for the St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association which oversees the mill, the replica was built in 1974. It features a sluice, which is a sliding grate to control the flow of water, and a wheel. 'When the water was running through the sluice, the wheel would turn, but that wheel does not turn stones,' he explained. 'There's an electric motor that turns the stones allowing it to mill the grain.' However, things are shifting as the mill reaches its 50th birthday milestone, which will celebrate an important figure of Manitoba's past. Grant's Old Mill The interior of Grant's Old Mill in Winnipeg, Man. (Kelly Ryback/St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association) The history behind the mill Grant's Old Mill may have opened in the 1970s, but its history dates back over a century. The site is a replica of a mill built in 1829 by Métis leader Cuthbert Grant and serves as a place to honour his contributions to the province. Grant is hailed by many as the founder of the Métis nation. He was appointed captain general of the Métis people by the Northwest Company, and then in 1816, he led his nation to victory against Hudson's Bay Company governor Robert Semple in the Battle of Seven Oaks. '(This battle is) the first time that we flew under the infinity flag,' said Laura Forsythe, assistant professor at the University of Winnipeg in the faculty of education. 'We fought against the oppressive, colonial government trying to enforce a series of laws onto the people here who are Métis.' Grant's legacy continued in 1829 when he created the first water-powered mill in Western Canada. 'The mill itself in 1829 was a failure,' Forsythe said. 'It just never really took off, and Grant actually ended up relocating the grinding stones to Grantown, which we now know as St. Francois Xavier, and it was used in that location for years.' Forsythe noted that historians don't view the mill as a 'total failure' because it's seen as an important historical landmark, adding that it was the first instance of hydro use in the Red River settlement. Why the mill is important Forsythe said for the last 50 years, Grant's Old Mill has reminded Winnipeggers of those who came before us and served as a symbol of belonging to the Métis people. 'Right in Winnipeg, we get to see a slice of Canadian history.' She added that Grant is a bit of an 'unsung hero' to Manitoba, and it's important for more people to recognize all he has done. 'This mill helps everyday Winnipeggers and everyday Canadians know a little bit more about the legacy of the Métis nation and all of the folks who helped it come to be,' she said. Grant's Old Mill An image of a painting of Cuthbert Grant at Grant's Old Mill in Winnipeg, Man. (Kelly Ryback/St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association) Why the mill is closed Though it's celebrating 50 years in 2025, the mill is closed to the public this summer as it's in need of repairs. According to Ryback, the mill's sluice has been wiped out by ice, the wheel is damaged and the stackable logs that form the walls are deteriorating. He noted the St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association has known for years about the state of the mill, adding that the group has plans not only for reconstruction, but to enhance the destination and its programming for the future. Ryback expects the mill will be open again in 2027. 'It's a site that we want to have reconstructed, but then become of even greater enjoyment and use for the residents and tourists to enjoy,' he said. Despite the closure, the St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association still has plans to celebrate the mill's 50th anniversary with an event on July 12. The celebration will include a full day of activities including a 50/50 draw, reenactors, games, musical performances, and a jigging contest.

London school raises thousands for Canadian Cancer Society through Relay for Life
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London school raises thousands for Canadian Cancer Society through Relay for Life

Hundreds of students participated in AB Lucas Secondary School's Relay for Life Friday. 'I think it's really something special when you get to see a group of, you know, young, passionate students who are really motivated to, you know, make a difference and do charitable things,' said Kevin Birball of the Canadian Cancer Society (CSS). The school's goal is to raise $150,000 to donate to the CCS. 'I think we're definitely on track to hit our goal if everything goes as planned, which is really exciting. And just thinking about the way that you see the whole school community come together, for one cause, you know, cancer, something that affects all of us. And you never know who's been affected. You come out to this event, and you hear people share their stories and hear about why they participate. And it's just really cool to see the way that everyone unites,' said relay organizer and Grade 12 student Carissa Vanoostveen. 'I just want everybody to get involved. I think it's a really good cause. And I think, like, no matter how much you do or how much like you put into it, it's worth it in every way,' added co-organizer and Grade 12 student Nathalie Gasparotto. At the start of the day, online donations had already surpassed $115,000, with plenty of cash donations left to count. To date, the school has raised over $1.5 million dollars and is the top earning school in Canada. 'All of these hard-earned fundraising dollars will go to our mission at CCS, for cancer research, support programs, and advocacy purposes. These kids are making a huge, huge difference in the mission at CCS and supporting some of people affected by cancer,' said Matt O'Brien, Canadian Cancer Society.

Fishermen spot pod of killer whales off Cape Breton
Fishermen spot pod of killer whales off Cape Breton

CBC

time4 hours ago

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Fishermen spot pod of killer whales off Cape Breton

Lobster fishermen in northern Cape Breton got an up-close glimpse of a pod of killer whales this week, a sighting that a marine biologist says is on the rise. Bernie Lamey was hauling lobster traps on Monday not far off Cape Smokey, a famous Cabot Trail landmark, when a couple of orcas started circling the boat. Within 10 minutes, the fishermen had spotted about a dozen. The orcas seemed to be in a playful mood. "They came around our boat, bumped into the boat, rolled around, showed their bellies, [came] up and had a little look at us," he told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton. "They almost looked like they were more interested in us than we were of them. It was pretty spectacular." Lamey said he knew right away they were killer whales by their distinctive black-and-white colouring. "That's a pretty hard whale to miss," he said. "We get to see all kinds of marine life out there.... Looking down in the water and seeing something that's only three feet away from you that's the size of your boat is pretty impressive." At least one whale stayed several hundred metres away, but Lamey said he knew it was an orca, too, because its dorsal fin was nearly two metres tall. "The fact that they were killer whales and the fact that there was 10 or 12 of them there at one time and they decided to stay and play for a few minutes was just an experience that I'll never forget." Elizabeth Zwamborn, a marine biologist and a professor at Trinity Western University in B.C., runs an annual survey of pilot whales off northern Cape Breton. They're black like orcas, but don't have white patches on their cheeks and have smaller dorsal fins. It's possible to mistake juvenile white-beaked dolphins as juvenile orcas because they're both black and white, but Zwamborn said the videos and photos she's seen this week off Cape Breton are definitely killer whales. Zwamborn said only one orca has been seen inshore in the 27 years the study has been running. They're more commonly spotted farther out in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador or in the Arctic. Climate change is affecting the ocean's temperature, bringing North Atlantic right whales into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Belugas have also left the Gulf and headed to Cape Breton, but it's not clear why they wandered so far from home. This year, orcas have been seen off Cape Breton near Money Point, Cape Smokey and Flint Island, Zwamborn said. It could be the same pod, or it could be more than one.

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