Jennifer Laviolette

Many of the local parks within the Town of Swan River have had severe impacts in the aftermath of the recent flooding. For safety reasons, the town has closed a few of the parks due to flood damage.

The Arts for Manitoba Indigenous Youth Choir headed to Italy earlier this year to perform in the 29th Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival from June 10 to 14, 2026. The choir was led by Choral Director Rhonda Head and it has been one of many life-altering experiences the youth have embarked on. The scenery in Italy was unlike anything the choir had seen before.

A group known as the Indigenous Saskatchewan Women's Environmental Water Advocacy Keeper (ISKWEWAK) launched a water movement that started on August 1 and runs until August 6. This water movement is a call to educate and urge those living near the Saskatchewan River Delta to resist the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation project, in an effort to protect the delta.

Every summer, there is a campaign launched for people to be responsible and diligent in the effort of preventing Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) from taking up residence in Manitoba lakes and waterways. The most common and concerning AIS is zebra mussels; however, other invasive species can create havoc in waterways.

A young man in the tri-community is building not only himself up, but others as well. Carson Thibodeau is only 19 years old and is the Aging Out of Care Coordinator Assistant with The Pas Friendship Centre. Recently, Thibodeau received the Most Active Youth Award from the National Association of Friendship Centres.

If you're driving by Funky Threadz, you might notice a new work of art. A new mural has taken up residence on a side wall. It's something the owner of Funky Threadz has envisioned, in terms of having a mural on the side of the building.

A very special MMIWG2S awareness project made a stop in The Pas for the first time. The Pembina Valley REDress Project was on display at this year's Kendara's Memorial Walk on August 6, 2026. The REDress project was started by an Indigenous artist to create more awareness about the MMIWG2S.

The Swan Valley is made up of some incredibly dedicated people who are passionate about the community they live in and have a desire to make it better for others. One very dedicated and long-standing volunteer in the community is Neil Brown. Brown became very involved with the Swan Valley Historical Museum over 40 years ago and has been helping out with it ever since.

On August 13, 2026, the provincial government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Opaskwayak Cree Nation(OCN) to establish a community court in OCN that would integrate Cree legal traditions and culturally grounded approaches to the administration of justice.

The Pas has been home to quite a few spectacular murals and now another one has taken up residence on a local community organization's building. The Pas Friendship Centre has a new look with a mural done by a local artist.