Few events of the last century have shaken us from our comfortable lives the way the COVID pandemic has. Between government lockdowns and, for many, the paralysis of fear, normal life has been put on indefinite hold.

Although all of Manitoba will remain at code red for at least the next three weeks, the decreased rate of transmission has prompted the provincial government to loosen a few pandemic restrictions.

Construction continues at the Community Resource & Recreation Centre in Niverville, where work has largely moved indoors for the winter. Although there have been some delays, the building is on track to be finished this upcoming June.

Niverville’s growing housing market has continued to boom, supplying the town with a considerable base of financial support—and in concert with this growth, the town projects to complete major capital projects in the near future.

Municipalities across Manitoba are warning that they need more support from the provincial government. According to a report released on January 22 by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), 85 percent of municipalities say they are struggling under the impacts that code red restrictions have had on their community programs and finances.

When the Town of Niverville realized they had a problem with the ponds in Fifth Avenue Estates, they knew they needed to fix it. The issues are myriad and include shoreline erosion, an abundance of goose fecal matter, and the overgrowth of water plant life such as duckweed. However, the most concerning problem is the growth of blue-green algae, which can be hazardous both to people and small animals.