Last September, the Town of Niverville provided an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions on what it would take to make their town a better place to live. More than 375 people responded to the online survey, all but five of whom currently live in Niverville. Two-thirds have lived in Niverville for ten years or less.

If not for the selfless dedication of small-town volunteer firefighters, residents in municipalities like Ritchot and Niverville would have one more reason to worry. These volunteers put in many hours of service to make us all safer. They train and educate in exchange for the opportunity to drop everything at a moment’s notice and rush out to save a life, home, or business.

Our corner of southeastern Manitoba is going to be very well-represented this winter at Canada’s national curling finals, on both the men’s and women’s sides. Niverville’s own Ty Dilello will be making his very first appearance at the Brier, skipping a team out of Newfoundland and Labrador, while Kate Cameron of Grande Pointe will be skipping Team Manitoba at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Well, Niverville, here we are. With half a dozen pizza places in town, it’s time to ask ourselves the hard questions. Questions like, “Where do you want to get pizza tonight?” and “Where do you want to get pizza tomorrow night?” Variety is the spice of life, and in Niverville at least most of those spices are Italian.

Businesses in Ritchot can expect some additional help in the coming months when it comes to beefing up their labour force, thanks to the municipality’s collaborative relationships with the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and CDEM, Manitoba’s bilingual economic development council.

In time for Louis Riel Day and Manitoba Winter Trails Day, the provincial government is waiving all provincial park entry fees for the month of February.

The Niverville High School’s new Panthers hockey team is having a lot of fun while also putting together some great results on the ice in its inaugural season in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League.

If poutine is your thing, this upcoming week is just for you. The occasion is La Poutine week, which runs February 1–7, an event that originated in Montreal but has since expanded across Canada, and even beyond. This year’s theme is “Around the World.”

Back in 1968, Shur-Gro Farm Services began in Brandon, Manitoba. Forty years later, in 2008, the future Niverville and Dugald branches of Shur-Gro started life as their own company, called South East Seeds, started by Jeromy Rempel. They began by selling corn, soybeans, and sunflowers.

The Niverville Nighthawks returned from a week-long break with no signs of rust as they defeated the Waywayseecappo Wolverines by a 3–1 score on Sunday evening. With the win, the Nighthawks stay in fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 25–13–3.