A northern Manitoba man is no longer facing child pornography charges after a provincial court judge found he waited an unreasonably long time for a trial.

A rural municipality east of Winnipeg has eliminated the ability for residents to question elected officials during council meetings.

If you're still looking for that unique something for that special someone, then you might want to stop by the Ten Thousand Villages store on Rosser Avenue in downtown Brown.

Store Manager, Bhoomi Pokar, says there are many beautiful items on their shelves. "It looks like a wonderful place to see all the different kinds of ornaments and nativity sets, baskets and we recently received a few rugs. They take a year to make and are definitely worth checking out here at the store.

"For the past couple of years, we’ve also hosted a Rug Event in partnership with Bunyaad, a Fair-Trade rug company based in the US. They bring about 200 handmade rugs to our Brandon store, where we display and sell them during a month-long event. These rugs are crafted in Pakistan using natural dyes and hand-knotting techniques. It can take up to 14 months to complete a single 9'x12' rug, showcasing their exceptional craftsmanship."

Pokar adds there are also wooden items, jewelry, kitchen ware and of course, coffees and teas.  She says Ten Thousand Villages is more than a store. It is a place where one can explore and connect with communities throughout the developing world.  Every inspired design is crafted using local materials, usually natural or recycled, and time-honored skills by artisans they have known and worked with for years.

Their mission is to create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term, fair-trading relationships.

In June of 2020, MCC Canada closed the corporate operations of Ten Thousand Villages Canada, however there were three locally run stores that decided to continue operating independently and have a licensing agreement with Ten Thousand Villages USA that allows them to continue to use the Ten Thousand Villages brand.

Brandon is one of those three stores.  The other two stores with this licensing agreement are located in Cobourg, Ontario and Abbotsford, BC.  Three other former stores have rebranded themselves and still operating to continue the fair-trade mission of Ten Thousand Villages in Canada. Those stores are located in Calgary, Edmonton, Port Colborne, Ontario.

Please listen to more with Bhoomi Pokar below as she explains more on Fair Trade and the artisans they support through Ten Thousand Villages.

This weekend on Christmas Made in Manitoba, singer, songwriter and piano player Barbara Joy returns with a new version of "O Holy Night". It features Canadian Christian recording artist Chelsea Amber and Matt Lefait.

Joy, who lives in the Winnipeg area, has been working with Amber over the past year, and the two of them have been wanting to do the song together.

"We have just wanted to do this," she shared during the program. "It's just one of the definitely most famous Christmas carols ever, just loved by everybody, and I believe it's that reverence, that awe and that wonder... just that whole feeling brought through the song. A very, very powerful Christmas carol, and we just really felt that we wanted to do this together."

Joy says the goal was to modernize the song, but also not take away from the feel of the original, while creating a version that would work for a worship band or group.

"We wanted to give it a contemporary feel with the instrumentation and with the percussion in the background, the guitars and so forth," she explained. "In a lot of churches, a lot of the Christmas carols are now being played by their their church worship band or group with those instruments, so (we wanted) to make 'O Holy Night', something our listeners could hear and use it that way."

Joy and Amber live in different provinces, and didn't share the same studio space physically during the recording process.

"I was in the studio doing my vocals by myself, and Chelsea was there on Zoom, so she was watching," said Joy when asked how they were able to capture the anthemic rise of their voices together at the end of the song. "She was coaching me through it, and that feeling with the soundtrack going and in the studio, you can even feel it as I'm listening to the recording now, that excitement just gaining momentum. It takes me back to that studio feel. It just feels like when you're singing that ending it is just a wonderful song to be able to sing, to record and to share."

You can listen to Barbara Joy's latest appearance on Christmas Made in Manitoba, below.

Steinbach City Council has passed first reading of the Administrative Penalty By-Law. This move is key to allowing city staff to issue fines, including increased fines, under the Traffic By-Law and Animal Control By-Law when needed. 

At the December 17th council meeting, Corporate Services Manager Adam Thiessen explained how this new by-law ties everything together. “Now that council has given first reading to the Traffic By-Law as well as the Animal Control By-Law, this Administrative Penalty By-Law gives the City the authority to issue penalties under the Municipal By-Law Enforcement Act.” 

The Traffic By-Law and Animal Control By-Law both received first reading earlier this fall, on November 5 and December 3 respectively. However, to enforce the increased fines and some new fines listed under these by-laws, the city requires authority from the Province under the Municipal By-Law Enforcement Act (MBEA). The Administrative Penalty By-Law ensures Steinbach meets these requirements. 

“This by-law is necessary because this is what gives us the authority from the province that we can enforce these penalties, so it makes sense for us to move ahead,” said Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra, making the motion to approve 1st reading. 

Thiessen added that the ultimate goal is to help City administration more effectively address issues related to traffic and animal control. 

The Administrative Penalty By-Law now heads to second and third readings. 

Steinbach Senator Don Plett says the happenings on Parliament Hill this week show that not only has the Prime Minister lost the confidence of the Canadian electorate, but now too of his very cabinet.

The Conservative Senator is referring to this week's resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who stepped down on Monday, the day she was to present the fall economic statement. In a resignation letter posted to social media, she says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered her another role in cabinet Friday, but that the only "honest and viable path" was to leave cabinet. In the letter, which was addressed to Trudeau, Freeland said she and the Prime Minister have found themselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada.

Plett says for someone who professes to be a feminist, Trudeau let go of his most senior cabinet member and Deputy Prime Minister. 

"Clearly a strong, strong capable woman," says Plett, describing Freeland. "Throwing her under the bus and expecting her to just simply take it, shows the arrogance of this individual."

Provencher Member of Parliament Ted Falk says there is certainly a growing group of Liberal MPs that would like to see the Prime Minister resign. 

"It's a failed leadership, it's an out-of-control government that has had out-of-control spending, out-of-control immigration," comments Falk. "We've seen crime statistics completely out-of-control as well."

Falk says when the Liberals did eventually table their fall economic statement this week, it revealed that our federal government has blown through its $40 billion guardrail. Falk says he thinks that Freeland's biggest concern was that she had committed to Canadians that she had a guardrail of $40 billion that she would not exceed. 

"As we all know the deficit came in at $62 billion, which is a historic high in Canada, we've never had a $62 billion deficit," says Falk. "It was something that (Freeland) found herself not being able to present and so she resigned and so the Prime Minister has again broken a promise to Canadians that they would be fiscally responsible and obviously we've seen that they are not."

Meanwhile, Falk says Canadians should also find it very concerning what is coming off the lips of President-elect Donald Trump. In November, Trump stated that he will sign an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on all products coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico. He said the tariff will remain in place until both countries stop drugs, in particular fentanyl, and people from illegally crossing the borders.

Falk says the United States is Canada's closest ally and friend, and our largest trading partner. He says the relationship between our two countries is very important and very critical. 

"President-elect Trump has been very clear with Prime Minister Trudeau that he is concerned about border security, not only the United States/ Mexico border but on the Canada/ U.S. border," says Falk. "That our security protocols have been lax and that we've got a drug problem here in Canada, which as Conservatives we recognize that under Justin Trudeau's leadership, the drug problem in Canada has spiraled, we've seen that."

Falk says though there have been meetings with Canada's premiers to formulate a response, it should be our Prime Minister who leads the response. 

Senator Plett says the two demands that Trump is asking for are entirely in the hands of our federal government. 

"We as Canadians should want those two things to be done, we should want a secure border, we should want to stop the transport of drugs and illegal guns in both directions," says Plett. "He has not threatened a trade war over softwood lumber, over oil and gas."

Plett says rather than beef up security at the borders, our federal government is more concerned with taking away guns from sport shooters and duck hunters.

In recent days Trump has also made comments about Canada becoming the 51st state and Trudeau being governor. Plett says this is nothing more than a jab at our Prime Minister. 

"Canadians don't want us to become the 51st state and when we have a competent government in place, Donald Trump will not talk about that again," he says. 

With files from The Canadian Press

Ski enthusiasts are gearing up for an exciting season on the Sandilands Ski Trails. With a strong start this year, the trails are ready for action earlier than usual, thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers. 

Sandilands Ski Club maintains three trail clusters at the Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club, Quarry Oaks Golf Course, and Sandilands Provincial Forest. 

President of the club Chris Duester says the trails are already looking a lot better than last year. 

“If you remember, last year we almost had a brown Christmas, and the conditions were really challenging for any snow sports. This year, we’ve got a really early start. Grooming for Quarry Oaks was ready on December 10th, which is a pretty early start.” 

He explains that it’s surprising how much effort goes into trail clearing before snow falls. 

“In the fall, there’s a work day where volunteers come out to clear the trails. After that, they keep heading out to clear brush and push back bush because nature takes back the trails. So, you’re always battling against that.” 

Once snow blankets the trails, the work doesn’t stop. Volunteers pack and set tracks to ensure a smooth skiing experience. This year, the club faced an additional challenge as their long-standing trail groomers retired after 35 years of service. 

“We are training new groomers, and they are learning on the job,” Duester says. “It’s exciting to flip a page and get new people involved, but it’s also going to have its challenges.” 

Despite the hard work, the sense of community makes it all worthwhile. 

“You get together with like-minded people, work towards a common goal, and you’re doing this just as a volunteer. There’s a lot that you get out of that.” 

For those looking to join the fun, the Sandilands Ski Club offers both season passes, and day passes. Membership fees help keep the club financially healthy and the trails in top condition. 

Duester shares that memberships can be purchased through their website and encourages everyone to get out and try the sport. 

“And you know what? You’re gonna love it. Winter can be so intimidating and long, but when you embrace a sport like skiing, you realize it can actually be enjoyable.” 

He adds, “It’s a very affordable sport. You can get a set of skis here locally for not very much money, and they’ll last you 25 years, no problem. I think it’s a win-win.” 

The trails throughout the Sandilands Forest are maintained for skiing and Duester says they are easily wrecked by walkers or tobogganers. 

“If you’re into snowshoeing or hiking, I’d recommend checking out Manitoba Provincial Parks for those activities. Right now, we’re set up as a ski club only.” 

As the season unfolds, Duester looks forward to seeing more people enjoy the trails and the community spirit that comes with it. 

“I just love seeing people out on the trails and enjoying themselves. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with an amazing team of volunteers through the board and the track setters. There are a lot of hands-on deck that make this work.” 

Coming up in January, Sandilands Ski Club is hosting a ‘Learn to Ski Workshop’ at Quarry Oaks Golf Course. Participants will learn necessary skills and techniques for skiing. 

Workshop dates are January 11th and 25th, and February 11th. 

For more information about passes, trail updates, and the ski workshop, visit sandilands.ca or check out their Facebook page.

With files from Carly Koop