President Mandy opened the meeting tonight with a great deal of efficiency. Straight into O Canada and a moment of private thought. Sarge Mike Dudar was present to introduce our guests tonight: Kristy Tarasoff and Stuart Murray.

 

Nancy Morris introduced our guest speaker for the evening, Mr. Stuart Murray. The list of career achievements for Stuart is very lengthy, so here are a few highlights:

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal(2002)

Order of the Buffalo Hunt(1999)

 

Manitoba 150 is being organized as a year of celebration. As part of his travels to promote this event as well as many others, Stuart has been invited to speak at many different Rotary clubs. He thanked all Rotarians for what we do in our communities, province, country and internationally.  Stuart stated that Rotary does fantastic and amazing things, especially internationally.

 

The Manitoba 150 organizing group is comprised of a volunteer board as well as sub-committees of volunteers. This is a not for profit organization with offices at The Forks in Winnipeg. There is a very small staff compliment.

 

When he first started talking to people about the planning for Manitoba 150, he consulted with indigenous elders. He was reminded that the indigenous peoples have been here for a great many more years than the immigrant settlers. The term ‘anniversary’ was suggested as a better word to use when discussing the events. Stuart was proud of the fact that the Board of Directors of Manitoba 150 is well balanced between male and female members.

 

Funding for the Manitoba 150 Celebration year is from;

 

The work that Stuart is doing has been given an hourly value for the fundraising efforts – 30 to 35 hours per week.

 

 

Manitoba’s Metis history is proven by the fact that the ‘Charter’ for Manitoba to join Canada is written in French.

 

The four ‘pillars’ of Manitoba 150 are to Celebrate, Learn, Explore and Build.

 

MANITOBA 150 had it’s first official event back on December 14, 2019 with ILLUMINATE 150 & KICK OFF held behind the Legislature. This date represented a 150 day count down to Manitoba Day. Many dignitaries and honoured citizens (Ralph Wild- 102-year-old veteran & Gianna Eusebio – child with heart defects) took part in the ceremonies. As part of this event, there were 300,000 LED lights placed on the Legislature grounds. There were dare devil acrobatic snowmobile riders doing sky high flips etc. off ramps behind the Leg. building. The lights are still on and will be until July, 2020. Worth a drive by to see!

 

Manitoba 150 looks forward to supporting community celebrations of Manitoba’s 150th anniversary in 2020. Successful candidates will be notified of a funding decision mid-February 2020. Successful initiatives will engage Manitobans, promoting ways to:

 

There have been 470 applications for the $1.3 million budgeted for this program.

 

On June 27, 2020 there will be a free music and family fun day held at the Manitoba Legislative grounds. Featuring Manitoba’s iconic music acts, exciting cultural programming and memorable family fun! There will be live performances from some of Manitoba’s greatest musicians – past, present, and future as well as multicultural programming.

 Live streamed and available for home viewing or community gatherings across the province. You might be able to ‘guess who’ may be involved.

 

This part of Manitoba 150 has been designed to celebrate Manitobans who are committed to giving back to and enriching the place we live, work, and play. The Honour 150 program aims to inspire future community engagement and leadership by recognizing individual Manitobans for their outstanding contributions to the well-being of their communities.

The Manitoba 150 host committee will strike the MB150 Medal to honour 150 Manitobans from across the province who are quietly making a difference in their community. There is also a $500 community grant award associated with the medals.

January 31, 2020 is the deadline to nominate someone. Please consider making a nomination if you know a Manitoban deserving of this recognition. Nominate someone today! Online at –

https://manitoba150.com/en/programs/honour-150/    Sponsored by Canada Life.

 

Through Build 150, Manitoba’s community foundations are celebrating our province’s 150th anniversary by leaving a legacy with brick and mortar projects!

Manitoba 150, with support from James Richardson & Sons, Limited and Affiliated Companies has made up to $1.22 million available in grant matching funds to Manitoba’s 55 community foundations.

This grant matching program is being coordinated by Endow Manitoba. For more information, or to find your nearest foundation, visit the Endow Manitoba website. https://www.endowmanitoba.ca/

Sponsor – James Richardson & Sons

 

On October 30 2019, live at WE Day, Canad Inns announced Learn 150, an initiative of Manitoba 150, that has enlisted the help of WE Charity to create a new bilingual, made-in-Manitoba learning resource that will be available to all schools in January, 2020.

Learn 150 is an exciting new resource for teachers in Manitoba that focuses on issues regarding diversity, reconciliation, and healthy living. Through these values, Learn 150 will ensure the strong community ethic that built Manitoba will remain with future generations.

The Learn 150 resources, designed specifically for Manitoba, will facilitate learning and encourage dialogue about our past, present, and future for students in kindergarten through grade 12, across the entire province. Associated with this program will be three (3) university bursaries. https://www.we.org/en-CA/our-work/we-schools/manitoba-150

Sponsor – Canad Inns

 

Explore 150 will inspire you to visit 150 destinations across our beautiful province in 2020. Created in partnership with Travel Manitoba, the Explore 150 app offers instant reward by way of unique Manitoba experiences and the ability to earn entries for a chance to win one of several monthly and yearly prizes.

Use the app to check in at 150 destinations across Manitoba, including landmarks, attractions, trails, and more. Earn in-app badges by completing challenges. Check in regularly to be entered into monthly draws with prizes valued at $1,000 or more.  Each entry earns a chance to win one of the yearly grand prizes with every check in you complete.

Find the app in Google Play or App Store now.

 

Tour 150 – a mobile display featuring 150 pieces from the Winnipeg Art Gallery – will travel to over 50 festivals, fairs and community events across the province throughout 2020. Tour 150 includes a children’s area and visits from Toba the Manitoba 150 mascot. A complete Tour 150 schedule will be available in May.

 

In partnership with Wall-to-Wall Rural Mural Tour and sponsored by CWB National Leasing, communities across the province have a chance to apply to receive a contemporary, accessible, and public-facing work of art in 2020.

Up to five Manitoba communities will receive a subsidy for the creation of a contemporary mural curated by Synonym Art Consultation that will highlight the local community, spark conversations, and inspire engagement. Communities that face barriers to accessing art, especially those in Northern Manitoba and Indigenous communities, will be given priority in receiving art and art-related workshops. Synonym, part of the curatorial team of Wall-to-Wall, will oversee the submissions process, ensuring that the selected artists and communities flourish in unity. Submissions to Mural 150 are open until January 31, 2020.

 

These will be extraordinary events that have been 150 years in the making. The vision of MANITOBA 150 is to have Manitobans feel connected and engaged with this province.

 

What can you do to participate? ATTEND – NOMINATE – COMMUNICATE.

 

MANITOBA 150 merchandise is available online at https://forkstrading150.com/  or in person at Forks Trading Company at The Forks – junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers.

 

Connect at - https://manitoba150.com/en/about-us/#subscribe

 

Q/A

 

1.- Jack Wilson asked if any large banners would be available for large community events (LobsterFest)?

A.- The budget is too tight to give this type of material away. They are available to purchase.

 

2.- Iain Scott asked if we could get  logo data and then print our own.

A.- Please contact office and will get what you need.

 

3.- Nancy Morris wondered if the Manitoba 150 will be celebrating Louis Riel?

A.- There will be acknowledgment of Riel. He really was our first Premier…could be debated. So, yes.

 

 

 

 

Chuck Crocker admitted to a birthday that had passed last week by paying $5.  He asked for no singing.

 

 

Sarge Mike asked Stuart Murray to pull the prospective winning ticket. He came up with #489. Iain Scott held the match to that. Iain’s pull came up short, leaving the cash for another try next week.