Latest news with #Beausejour
CTV News
30-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘End of an era': clean-up party planned for century-old Manitoba barn
A barn that had stood the test of Manitoba's weather for about a century has finally come crumbling down—prompting a family to schedule a public cleanup party so that a new one can go back up. Keesha Small said the barn has been a familiar sight for five generations of her family, initially built by her great-grandparents sometime in the 1920s. 'It literally is an end of an era to us,' said Small, who has lived on the farm southeast of Beausejour her entire life. 'There's so many memories (attached) to it.' The barn was built on the homestead by Small's great-grandparents, seen in this undated image. (Keesha Small) The barn was built on the homestead by Small's great-grandparents, seen in this undated image. (Keesha Small) Small said the barn was standing up until last Monday, when it collapsed following strong gusts of wind. 'We decided to have just a big old country bash,' she said, adding that members of the public are invited to help clean up the historic relic and enjoy a barbeque afterwards. 'We appreciate everyone that is willing to come out and help, or even just spread the word, because it's all about community at this point. It's just bringing everybody together,' said Small. Besides keeping a few pieces of the barn to serve as a reminder of her family's history, Small said she has no plans for the wooden structure. 'Other than that, everybody is welcome to take it and repurpose it and give it another life.' The wooden barn before it collapsed in these undated images. (Keesha Small) The wooden barn before it collapsed in these undated images. (Keesha Small) She said she's hoping to get the structure cleared off from the concrete foundation—which her great-grandparents also built—as a brand-new barn is planned to be constructed in its place to 'continue on the legacy of the small farm.' '(The barn) was a range of things throughout the years, for what we built it for to begin with was cattle,' said Small. 'Then as the times changed, pigs were more affordable, so we did pigs. And then once the times changed again, we turned into an asphalt operation … We stored a lot of our asphalt equipment in there, and now we're looking to restart the farm with cattle again.' The barn clean-up party is scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at 9 a.m., located on Road 44 East between Garven Road and 67 Road North. 'We're hoping to have hotdogs and burgers, and if anybody's wanting to bring food, they are more than welcome to,' she said. 'It would be phenomenal to see everybody get together and rekindle that old country community living.'
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Elm Natural Builders choosing ecofriendly home design with hempcrete builds
A look at individual hempcrete bricks that have been put in place for a brand new home build in Beausejour on Tuesday June 24, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Francesco and Amalia Zurzolo are reinventing the wheel when it comes to home building, saving energy and the Earth at the same time. 'No one was doing it here in Manitoba, so I decided I would try and start something new,' said Francesco Zurzolo, co-owner of Elm Natural Builders. In 2018, the couple started their business and began building homes from hempcrete. It uses the leftovers from hemp cultivation called hemp hurd. It's then mixed with water and lime. Hempcrete in bag Elm Natural Builders sources their hempcrete from Gilbert Plains, Manitoba. Here are a few bags on the job site on Tuesday June 24, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Francesco said once the material is cast into the walls, it offers insulation and also sequesters carbon. 'All these things make it a super attractive option for people looking to do something a little more environmentally friendly but have all of the performance of a modern material,' he said. A home outside of Beausejour, Man., is coming together one block at a time. It offers shapes not seen in traditional building. 'We mixed up our hempcrete - which you can see here, hemp and lime - and we massaged it into place by hand,' Francesco said. 'Most of my clients have had a small or large hand in the actual construction. As soon as they start seeing us sculpting things by hand with the hempcrete, they want to get in there, get their hands dirty, and make a mark on their own home.' Amalia Zurzolo, who owns the business with her husband, said the material provides an aesthetic similar to the adobe style of homes in Mexico. She added customers have been drawn to its look. 'People really latch on to those curves or arches, and we've had more than one person tell us they are reminded of a hobbit house with the different curves, and we take that as a compliment,' Amalia said. Interior of Hempcrete Beausejour Home A look at a curved entryway in the new home build in Beausejour on Tuesday June 24, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) The couple sources their hempcrete from Gilbert Plains, Man. They said the material offers advanced heating and cooling. 'It's eco-friendly and it's also breathable, and it allows for the air to move in and out,' Amalia said. Francesco's background in civil engineering led him to an interest in this type of building. The pair started with pizza ovens and then moved to homes and home additions after. Hempcrete was added to the American building code in 2024, with the couple saying this type of home caught on in popularity in the United Kingdom and France in the 1990s. Hempcrete decorations These decorative containers in the Zurzolo's home were made from hempcrete. Here they are on display on Tuesday June 24, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Permitting used to be a lengthy process, but now, they are hopeful more builders will consider this approach in Canada. 'It's really a gift again to be meeting people who are interested and who want to try something new,' Amalia said.
CBC
30-06-2025
- CBC
Manitoba man, 57, given 5-year prison sentence after border officers found ghost-gun-making materials
A Manitoba man has been sentenced to five years in prison after border services and police officers found a number of prohibited firearms and tools used to make untraceable firearms. Robert Ripcik, 57, was given a five-year prison sentence on Friday, as well as a 10-year firearms prohibition and an order to provide a DNA sample, the Canada Border Services Agency said in a news release. Ripcik, who lives in Beausejour, Man., has been in custody since he was arrested in March 2024. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges in Selkirk provincial court, including unauthorized possession of firearms, making false statements, and possessing prohibited devices, illegally imported goods and a prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition. Investigators began to look into Ripcik in April 2023, after CBSA officers in Winnipeg found a shipment of items used to make firearms without serial numbers, or "ghost guns," which are untraceable. Officers with the CBSA and RCMP searched a rural property near Chatfield, Man., about a year later.
CBC
28-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Eastman Pride helps bring celebrations to rural Manitoba communities this summer
Several first-time Pride events are coming to rural Manitoba communities this summer, as a local group works to spread the message of Pride throughout the province, and into places where they believe it's needed now more than ever. "It's something that I think has been a long time coming in our area," said Kathy Majowski, one of the founding members of Eastman Pride. "It's very exciting." On Sunday, Eastman Pride will host the Beau-Head Pride Celebration, the first Pride event to take place in the town of Beausejour. It will include community members from the neighbouring rural municipality of Brokenhead and beyond. The group is also hosting or supporting Pride events this summer at Powerview-Pine Falls (which happened earlier this month), Pinawa, the rural municipality of Whitemouth, Lac du Bonnet and Victoria Beach. Eastman Pride was founded with the goal of bringing Pride events to more communities in the Eastman region, Majowski said. She also has a personal reason for wanting to see Pride events in small and rural communities. "I live in Tyndall, and my daughter is part of the queer community and she's a teenager, and we've always enjoyed going to the Pride Winnipeg events and participating in that," she said. "But having something closer to home was important for me, for her to see that it's not just Winnipeg where she belongs. It's across our province that she is welcome." Majowski said she knows many young members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community struggle to find acceptance and a sense of community in rural areas, and they're often forced to deal with negative comments and prejudices. "Those negative voices by far are in the minority, but they can be very loud and they can be very ugly," Majowski said. "So when the youth hear that, that can be a big motivation for our group." The group was also inspired to organize as many Pride events as possible in the area after a woman who was trying to organize Pride events last year was publicly criticized by some community members at a public council meeting, Majowski said. "There were some people that came to that meeting that were against it, and they essentially intimidated that individual, and they didn't feel safe hosting that event after that meeting," she said. "That was our last straw. When we heard about that, we were like, 'Yeah, we need to do this.'" She stressed those negative comments came from community members and not from members of council, and she did not want to say where in Manitoba the incident happened. "The councils themselves have been overwhelmingly supportive," Majowski said. Pinawa Coun. Michael King attended a Pride event that was held in Pinawa on Sunday, and he hopes to see more public figures show up at these kinds of events. "I thought it was just important, with some of the rhetoric going on, to show solidarity with the queer community and just with all people," King said. "It sends a message that it's a safe community and accepting community, so I just wanted to be part of that." King said it was also important for him to take his young son to the event, in part due to some of the negative rhetoric about the 2SLGBTQ+ community that he sees being increasingly targeted at boys and men online through algorithms and social media. "There were a bunch of kids there. My son went, and a bunch of his friends were there, and I also thought it was good there were a lot of men there," he said. "I think that for men, when it comes to being an ally, just be compassionate to people and let them live their lives. It's really not that complicated. "We can treat everyone with dignity and respect. I don't think that's super radical." This weekend's Pride event in Beausejour will have volunteers from the Winnipeg River Area Lions Club helping out. "The Lions are all about inclusivity. Everybody is welcome and everybody is treated equally," Winnipeg River Area Lions Club president Leslie Joyce said. "And we focus on marginalized people. We're looking for where we can bring people in and improve their quality of life." The local Lions Club has been very impressed with the work and the passion of the members of Eastman Pride in setting up this year's events, she said, and she feels the group's mandate and their work ethic fits well with what the Lions Club is trying to do in eastern Manitoba communities. "The more I attend those meetings, the more I see the passion of the individuals who want to make a difference and who want to create a safe space," Joyce said. "So yeah, as Lions, this just fits perfectly with what we believe." Sunday's Pride event in Beausejour is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. at the Train Whistle Park. Those taking part will do a walk around the town, and return to the park for a community barbecue and celebration that will feature speakers, live music and activities for people of all ages.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Winnipeg man dead, another in critical condition after off-road vehicle collision: RCMP
Police say a Winnipeg man has died after the off-road vehicle he was driving collided with an SUV on a Manitoba highway. Oakbank RCMP, paramedics and the local fire department were called to the collision Tuesday afternoon on Highway 44 at Road 35E in the RM of Brokenhead, Man. According to police, they arrived to find a damaged SUV off the road in the grass and an off-road vehicle on its side in the westbound lane of the highway. Mounties say the SUV was travelling west on the highway when the off-road vehicle attempted to cross the road northbound from Road 35E, hitting the SUV on the front driver's side. The SUV's driver, a 39-year-old woman from Beausejour, was taken to hospital with minor injuries. There were two other women inside, also from Beausejour, who were not physically hurt, police say. The 42-year-old Winnipeg man who was driving the off-road vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. A 32-year-old Winnipeg man who was a passenger in the off-road vehicle was taken to hospital where he remains in critical condition, police say. An investigation is ongoing.
