Local News
Mindy Barsky brings wealth of experience to new role with Rainbow Stage
By MYRON LOVE Mindy Barsky – Rainbow Stage’s new Development Officer (as of April 4) – says that she is very excited to be a member of the team behind the non-profit organization that is Canada’s longest running outdoor summer theatre.
And, as it happens, the always popular theatre’s second production this year is “The Wizard of Oz” (scheduled to run from August 22 to September 4), Barsky’s favourite show.
(The opening musical this year is going to be “The Hockey Sweater” – June 30-July 17 – based on Roch Carrier’s short story about his boyhood experiences growing up in rural Quebec in the 1940s and one vignette in particular about what happens when he is forced to show up for one hockey practice wearing the jersey of hated Toronto Maple Leafs instead of the de rigueur Canadiens colours.)
As William Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players”. During her career, the daughter of the late Percy and Shirley Barsky has played many a starring role, most built around the theme of working with historically marginalized communities and people facing barriers.
As was noted in a Rainbow Stage press release announcing her appointment, “Mindy is a dynamic development and fundraising professional in the non-profit sector. Her fund development expertise includes major and annual giving, donor cultivation and stewardship, grant writing, signature events, special projects, corporate and individual donations, government grants and planned giving campaigns. Over the past two decades Mindy has focused on improving the quality of life through special projects and raising funds for education and mental health programs.”
Mindy grew up in Garden City, attended Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, The University of Winnipeg Collegiate and York University.
Her first role in life was in dance. She studied dance at York University and upon returning to her home town, taught dance at the University of Manitoba, Royal Dance Conservatory and Kid’s Etc.
“I was always interested in becoming involved in social causes,” she says.
Her first opportunity came in 1989 when she was hired as Director of Communications & Fundraising for Age and Opportunity Inc. “During my time there, we established Canada’s first elder abuse research centre,” she notes.
Other organizations that have benefitted over the years from her abilities have included: Food Matters Manitoba (where she was involved in fundraising and project development); The DASCH Foundation (Direct Action in Support of Community Homes), where she launched a successful Planned Giving Program, and created The DASCH Recognition Awards; and Villa Rosa – an organization that provides transitional housing, education, and supports for women from very complicated backgrounds in varying stages of pregnancy.
One of the highlights of her time as Director of Development at Villa Rosa was the creation of an outdoor teaching garden alongside knowledge keepers, with an emphasis on Indigenous culture. Mindy established the annual Villa Rosa Celebration of Motherhood Dinner, awarding scholarships to underrepresented women and opening doors to a post secondary education.
Barsky’s most recent posting was as the Fund Development Officer at The Link (formerly Macdonald Youth Services MYS where, alongside the Indigenous Initiatives Team, she helped to create and raise the capital for the Planting the Seeds of Reconciliation Project wherein Manitoba community members connect with their culture through intergenerational ceremonies and land-based education.
She also developed the concept and raised project funds for a bike sales and repair shop in a repurposed shipping container at MYS, providing youth with practical employment skills training.
At Rainbow Stage, Mindy Barsky will be working on securing grants, donations and sponsorships for the theatre, as well as developing outreach programs for underserved youth in the community, focusing on offering training and education in the performing arts.
Outside of work hours, Barsky devotes a lot of time to running – and cites one of her role models as her late Aunt Laila Silverberg, who began running in her late 50s and never stopped – racking up numerous records in her age group as the years went by. Barsky herself has been running for close to 40 years and has numerous marathons and half marathons on her resumé.
“I am passionate about what I do,” she says. “If I believe in an organization, I believe that I can help make a difference.”
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
Local News
A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
