Local News
Sale of Town Island averted – for now
By BERNIE BELLAN
Originally published in the Feb. 5 issue of the JP&N
The one story that has preoccupied me most in recent weeks has been the impending sale of the portion of Town Island that is not owned by BB Camp, but which is owned by the City of Kenora. I am now glad to report that, at least for the time being, the sale of Town Island has been averted – not because the City of Kenora dropped the idea of selling it; rather, it was because Kenora did not receive one single “expression of interest” in buying the island, according to an email I received from Kenora’s Manager of Development Service, Adam Smith.
(In a previous issue I explained that Kenora was prepared to sell Town Island only to one buyer. Undoubtedly, the thought of having to go through environmental and other regulatory hurdles must have discouraged anyone who had considered putting in a bid for the island.)
While the “stay of execution” that so worried the “Friends of Town Island” must come as a relief to the thousands of individuals who had been waiting anxiously to see what would happen as of the deadline of January 31 for receipt of expressions of interest in Town Island, there has been much confusion surrounding this story.
The most recent element of confusion – and something I wrote about in our last issue, occurred when an online publication known as Kenora Online wrote in a headline that the Ontario Minister of Northern Development, someone by the name of Greg Rickford, had told a reporter for that publication that the Ontario government was interested in a land swap that would have seen Kenora hand over Town Island to the provincial government in exchange for Crown owned land either in or adjacent to Kenora. However, when I read that particular story, I concluded that the minister had never said anything about engaging in a land swap. In fact, what he was quoted as having said should have led one to the exact opposite conclusion: that Ontario was interested in developing Town Island, not conserving it.
I asked the reporter for Kenora Online how he had come to the conclusion that this particular minister was interested in a land swap when the minister’s own words gave no indication that was his intent, but the reporter simply said to me: “Why don’t you contact Rickford yourself?”
Subsequently, I did attempt to do that – by email, phone, and Twitter – all to no avail. I tried to enlist the help of other reporters, including from the Canadian Jewish News and the CBC, and those two outlets may still follow up my line of inquiry, but at this point it seems that the issue is moot: Unless Kenora reopens the process of putting up Town Island for sale again in the near future, BB Camp is saved from having to worry about the island being opened up for development.
Still, the fact that this Minister Rickford was so consistently unresponsive to my repeated requests for clarification just what his government’s position was re Town Island has led me to believe that the Kenora Online story was totally wrong: There was never any intention by the Ontario government to engage in a land swap with Kenora. This Rickford fellow was just another politician saying something innocuous – to the effect that he’s quite willing to work with Kenora, which a news publication interpreted to mean something else entirely. That’s why most provincial governments (and the Federal government for sure), keep armies of media personnel on hand to speak for their governments. They sure as heck don’t want politicians speaking off the cuff – only to see their words get totally misinterpreted.
Post script: I finally did receive an email from someone in Minister Rickford’s office – someone by the name of Sydey Stonier, who identified themself as Associate Director of Communications. The email came too late to include in the Feb. 5 issue of the JP&N, but here are some excerpts from the exchange of emails I had with Stonier:
I asked Stonier whether “the Ontario government iz prepared to engage in some sort of negotiation with the City of Kenora that would see Town Island preserved as a nature conservancy?”
Stonier responded, but didn’t answer my question directly, so I wrote back: “The bottom line is the Ontario government is not interested in doing anything that would preserve Town Island as a nature conservancy. Would that be a fair statement to make?”
Stonier responded: “That would not be a fair statement to make. Minister Rickford’s quote in the Kenora Online article is referring to finding development opportunities in the Kenora District in general, not a reference to the future use of Town Island as that is owned by the city.
“Ontario is only involved in this issue if there was to be a land swap with Kenora and MNRF to acquire additional crown lands for economic development. This land swap is no longer an option. Town Island is still owned by the City of Kenora, so you would need to ask them about any future plans.”
The question for now is: Will Kenora attempt to offer up Town Island for sale again? Nothing in either what Minister Rickford had to say, nor his Associate Director of Communications, offers the least bit of assurance that the Province of Ontario is at all interested in safeguarding Town Island from development.
Local News
Thank you to the community from the Chesed Shel Emes
We’re delighted to share a major milestone in our Capital Campaign, “Building on our Tradition.” Launched in November 2018, this campaign aimed to replace our outdated facility with a modern space tailored to our unique needs. Our new building is designed with ritual at its core, featuring ample preparation space, Shomer space, and storage, creating a warm and welcoming environment for our community during times of need.
We’re grateful to the nearly 1,000 generous donors who contributed over $4 million towards our new facility. A $750,000 mortgage will be retired in November 2025, completing this monumental project in just seven years.
We’re also thrilled to announce that our Chesed Shel Emes Endowment Fund has grown tenfold, from $15,000 to $150,000, thanks to you, the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s FundMatch program, and Million Dollar Match initiative in 2024. Our fund helps ensure that everyone can have a dignified Jewish funeral regardless of financial need.
As we look to the future, our goal remains to ensure the Chevra Kadisha continues to serve our community for generations to come. Our focus now shifts to replenishing our savings account and growing our JFM Endowment fund.
We’re deeply grateful for your support over the past several years.
It’s our privilege to serve our community with care and compassion.
With sincere appreciation,
Campaign cabinet: Hillel Kravetsky, Gerry Pritchard, Stuart Pudavick,
Jack Solomon, and Rena Boroditsky
Murray S. Greenfield, President
Local News
Winnipeg Beach Synagogue about to celebrate 75th anniversary
By BERNIE BELLAN (July 13) In 1950 a group of cottage owners at Winnipeg Beach took it upon themselves to relocate a one-room schoolhouse that was in the Beausejour area to Winnipeg Beach where it became the beach synagogue at the corner of Hazel and Grove.
There it stayed until 1998 when it was moved to its current location at Camp Massad.
On August 2nd members of the synagogue will be holding a 75th anniversary celebration.
As part of the celebration anyone who is a descendant or relative of any of the original members of the first executive committee (as seen in the photo here) is invited to attend the synagogue that morning.
If you are a relative please contact Abe Borzykowski at wpgbeachshule@shaw.ca or aborzykowski@shaw.ca to let Abe know you might be attending or for more information about the 75th anniversary celebration.
We will soon be publishing a story about the history of the beach synagogue, which is something I’ve been writing about for over 25 years.
Local News
Vickar Family cuts ribbon on new Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre
By MYRON LOVE In the words of Larry Vickar, the Shaarey Zedek’s successful Dor V’ Dor Campaign “is not only a renewal of the synagogue but truly a renewal movement of Jewish life in our community.”An integral part of that renewal movement was the creation of a daycare centre within the expanded synagogue. On Monday, June 23, Larry and Tova Vickar cut the ribbon, thereby officially opening the Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre in the presence of 100 of their family members, friends and other supporters of the project.
The short program preceding the morning ribbon-cutting began with a continental breakfast followed by a welcome by both Fanny Levy, Shaarey Zedek’s Board President, and Executive Director Dr. Rena Secter Elbaze. In Elbaze’s remarks, she noted that Larry and Tova wanted their family (including son Stephen and family, who flew in from Florida) and friends at the event to celebrate the opening of the Tova Vickar and Family Childcare Centre, “not because of the accolades, but because, as Larry put it, he hopes that their investment in the congregation will inspire others to do the same.”
“When Larry and I spoke about what this gift meant to him and the message he wanted people to take away,” she continued, “I couldn’t help but connect it to the teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi whose book – Age-ing to Sage-ing – changes the whole way we look at the concept of ageing and basing it on our ancestral teachings.”
She explained that his concept of “Sage-ing” is based on three key ideas – Discover your meaning and purpose; accept our mortality and think about the legacy you want to leave.
“Larry spoke about these exact concepts when we met,” she said.
Elbaze also noted the presence of Shaarey Zedek’s newly-arrived senior Rabbi Carnie Rose, former Rabbi Alan Green, and area MLAs Mike Moroz and Carla Compton.
Larry Vickar expressed his great appreciation for all those in attendance. “Tova and I are deeply moved to stand here with you today for this important milestone in our community”, he said. “We are grateful to be surrounded by all of you, the people we care about, our family and friends… you who have touched our lives and played some part in our journey.”