Red River College is known for its cutting edge curriculum, state-of-the-art equipment and industry-ready grads driving Manitoba’s economy. So it makes sense the school was an early supporter of WindCity, a brand-new Winnipeg-based web series.

“Red River has shown itself to be really innovative and forward thinking,” says Jean du Toit, the show’s production manager and an RRC grad. “It’s taken over old buildings, it’s renovated, it’s made itself felt as a presence in the downtown. The fact that it was an early supporter of WindCity is just another example of that forward-thinking mentality of the College.”

WindCity is the first locally produced digital sitcom to be situated in Winnipeg. It’s branded content, meaning local businesses and organizations pay to have their products or services featured in the plot. (Think product placement on steroids.)

The College is involved in the project in a few ways. For starters, three RRC grads play prominent roles in the series: There’s production manager du Toit, as well as Ali Tataryn (shown above) and Karl Thordarson (at right), both of whom have prominent roles in front of the camera.

Tataryn plays Morgan, a financial advisor with RBC, and Thordarson plays Duke, the show’s de facto villain. Tataryn, who runs Frame Arts Warehouse when she isn’t acting, graduated from RRC’s Applied Counselling program in 2006.

Thordarson graduated from the Greenspace Management program in 2008, and now works as a Technician for the City of Winnipeg’s Parks and Open Space Division. Du Toit, who works for Frank Digital, the production company that produces WindCity, completed the part-time Professional Photography program in 2011.

Another way RRC is involved is through its sponsorship of the web series, which in its first season follows Dylan, a man embarking on a mission to reclaim his business and the love of his life. The sponsorship led to one of the show’s supporting characters, Sam Fortier, being written as an RRC student. Read More →

Following three weeks of classroom study, eight weeks of lab time, and two weeks of work experience, students from RRC’s Winkler Campus have completed the final phase of the region’s first-ever mobile MIG Welding training program.

Delivered via RRC’s Mobile Training Lab, the program offers entry-level production welding training, allowing students with no previous welding experience to be ready for the workplace in just 13 weeks.

The initiative was made possible with funding from Apprenticeship Manitoba, and will help meet the growing regional demand for welders by providing work-ready candidates throughout the province.

For more information, or to be placed on a student contact list for future offerings, please contact the RRC Winkler Campus at 204.325.9672 or winkler@rrc.ca.

Click here to learn more about RRC’s Mobile Training Labs, which help increase access to trades training in rural and northern communities.

A Red River College grad who heads both a leading IT solutions provider and one of the province’s largest surveying firms was recognized recently with a pair of prestigious awards for his work with remote Manitoba communities.

Clear Concepts Inc., a local IT solutions provider owned by RRC alum Christian Korell (Survey Engineering Technology, 1992), picked up a gold medal for Best Small Business Solution and was named Solution Provider of the Year at this year’s IT World Canada CDN (Computer Dealer News) Channel Elite Awards in September.

The focus of this year’s awards was on remote clients, in particular how a stable foundation in IT services and support allows them to become more self-sustaining. Clear Concepts was recognized for partnering with the Cowichan Tribe of Southern B.C., developers of a community electronic medical records (cEMR) system for First Nation communities.

Clear Concepts provided cEMR-related installation and infrastructure support to many clients across Canada including the Opaskwayak Health Authority in northern Manitoba, allowing that organization to receive funding for a new health centre and dedicated physician. The company has also provided services that allowed a northern Manitoba tribal council to better manage its eight communities, and has partnered with a local airline to streamline internal logistics processes. Read More →

Each year, a maximum of four Lieutenant-Governor Medals are awarded to Red River College students who best combine academic and technical achievement, involvement in College and/or community activities, and good character.

JOCELLE CUVOS — Business Administration, 2013

A graduate of Red River College’s Business Administration program, Jocelle Cuvos first enrolled in the hopes of one day becoming an entrepreneur, and of eventually starting her own photography studio — a passion since high school.

Having now completed her studies at RRC (while maintaining a very busy extra-curricular schedule), she plans to continue her education by obtaining a degree from the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business.

While at RRC, Jocelle served as president of the Students’ Association, and played on both the soccer and volleyball teams. The experiences allowed her to give back to her community, as both an ambassador for the College and a volunteer in such initiatives as the RRC Shinerama, a charity event that raised funds for cystic fibrosis research.

Jocelle’s involvement in student life had a positive impact on her time here, and she plans to continue her involvement with the College as a volunteer Student Ambassador (who’ll promote RRC to prospective students) and by attending as many Rebels games as her schedule will allow!

She attributes her success in part to the love and support of her family and friends, and to the encouragement and support she received from her RRC instructors.

ABBY SILVA — Business Administration, 2013

A fellow graduate of RRC’s Business Administration program, Abby Silva was at first drawn to the College by the flexible and diverse career opportunities that awaited her in the field of business.

Like Jocelle, she also plans to leverage her RRC training as an entry point to further accreditation, by pursuing a designation as a Chartered Accountant (CA) while also seeking part-time employment in the accounting industry.

Also like Jocelle, Abby was heavily involved in athletics while attending the College (and twice won tournament MVP honours at the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference). A member of the Rebels Women’s Basketball team, Abby says her involvement in sports kept her motivated and determined in her academic pursuits, by allowing her to develop an active routine that kept her healthy, focused and constantly striving for success.

She plans to maintain that routine as a member of an outside basketball league that also affords opportunity for community outreach, through fundraisers, tournaments and other volunteer-driven events. She attributes her success at Red River College to a combination of hard work, patience, and — most importantly — a positive attitude.

Made up entirely of Red River College grads, the marketing department at Sunova Credit Union proved a force to be reckoned with at this year’s Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards Gala, where they picked up a whopping 10 honours, including Best in Show.

The awards gala took place May 28 in Whistler, B.C., and was hosted by the Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) to celebrate the best in credit union marketing from across Canada.

Sunova’s marketing team is comprised of four RRC grads: Marketing Director Vanessa Foster (Creative Communications, 2000), Marketing Coordinator Alexandra Rachey (CreComm, 2009), Graphic Designer Angela Taylor (Advanced Graphic Design, 2009) and Communications Coordinator Tim Horn (CreComm, 2012).

“Having an in-house marketing department has always given us the freedom to truly experiment and have fun with our brand,” says Foster. “I think that our success at MACU’s AIME Awards Gala further speaks to Sunova’s fantastic culture and the talent of our staff.”

This is the third year in a row that Sunova has taken home awards from the AIME event, which drew more than 170 entries in 16 different categories from credit unions across Canada.

Shown above, from left: Alexandra Rachey, Marketing Coordinator; Tim Horn, Communications Coordinator; Angela Taylor, Graphic Designer; Vanessa Foster, Director, Marketing

Students from Red River College’s Business/Technology Teacher Education program extended their reach clear across the globe last month, while taking part in an international conference on emerging classroom technologies.

The students, all pre-service teachers in Eva Brown’s second-year Teacher Ed. ICT and Multimedia classes, were participants in the 2013 Flat Classroom Conference, held March 8-10 at Yokohama International School in Japan.

Only Brown was actually present in Japan, invited to the conference as a presenter; the pre-service teachers participated via Google Hangout sessions and as online presenters during one of the conference’s three keynote addresses. Prior to the conference, all six students worked as a group to produce a video on the topic of “How We Can Help Others”. (Click here to watch.)

Their project — showcasing humanitarian initiatives on a local, national and international scale — was presented alongside 14 others, and representatives from Brown’s class were given the opportunity to speak to the 200-plus students and educators in Japan as well as many other virtual participants.

“It was amazing to see the work they did here presented on the other side of the world … so that other people could see their work, and they could connect with other students and educators,” says Brown.

“Now when they go into the classroom (as teachers), they’ll have personal experience in how they can connect their students, so that collaborations like this one become real for them, too.”

Having completed the project and taken part in the conference, Brown’s students agree that emerging technology tools — such as wikis, blogs, social networking, and digital storytelling — have had a drastic impact on the educational landscape.

“It’s a pretty surreal experience … just the fact that we can connect with people on the other side of the world, and show them what we can bring to the table,” says pre-service teacher Anita Lesage. Read More →

Congratulations to the above team of RRC Culinary Arts students, who took top honours in the 2013 Manitoba Mission: ImPULSEible competition.

Hosted by Pulse Canada at RRC’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, the event aims to develop innovative food products containing whole pulses (the edible seeds of plants in the legume family) or pulse ingredients. Students present their products at provincial competitions where judges evaluate them based on sensory and health attributes, the innovative use of pulses, feasibility and marketability.

RRC’s team — consisting of students Hayley Walker, Scott Ball and Ian Gerbrandt — won their provincial competition with a “Power Pulse Ice Cream Sandwich,” comprised of lentil cookie and chickpea ice cream. They now move forward to the national competition in Calgary in June.

Click here for more info on the Mission: ImPULSEible competition.

Tyler Nelson wants you to have less of an impact.

The St. James born-and-bred graduate of Red River College’s Environmental Protection Technology program (2012) is fired up about people lowering the amount of waste they produce, as well as the energy and resources they consume. Nelson says even as a child, protecting the environment was on his mind.

“From an early age, I’ve always been recycling, composting, lowering my carbon footprint. It was just the way I grew up.”

When most 18-year-old high school grads plan their college or university studies, they turn to parents, peers and guidance counselors for direction. Nelson, on the other hand, was a bit more ambitious. He checked in with the provincial government.

“I emailed my MLA and he went, ‘Oh, sure I can help you out with some stuff,’ and he set up a lunch meeting with Neil Cunningham (the director of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship) and Dan McInnis (assistant deputy minister for Climate Change and Environmental Protection),” Nelson says. “I asked about the environmental field, said I was curious about it. From there, they let me know it was the next big thing, it was important, that my passion was overwhelming and they said, ‘Go for it.’”

Nelson enrolled in civil engineering at Red River College, branching into the environmental stream when he hit his second year.

“There was a kind of stigma around the environmental program, because environmentalists are seen as tree huggers and save-the-whales type people, but in the environmental protection stream, you got to see it from the other side, from the side of ‘How do you lessen your impact? How do you set up programs to help people understand and take action?’”

“It was such a positive experience. Everyone was so overwhelmingly nice and passionate about what they were doing; not just the instructors, but the students.” Read More →

These grads aren’t just giving back to Red River College — they’re building it.

Chris Sousa (Building Construction Technician, 2012) and Glenn Garbett (Structural Technology, 1998) are two of the key pillars behind the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, Red River College’s new Exchange District campus and residence, which is racing toward its official opening on February 21.

As site supervisor and project manager, respectively, Sousa and Garbett have been marshalls to the small army of tradespeople, engineers, architects and planners tasked with bringing a 100-year-old Winnipeg heritage building into the 21^st century.

“Ever since my teenage years, I really enjoyed this building,” Sousa says, sitting in the sunlit mixology class where bottles and glasses look out onto Old Market Square. “I fell in love with the building and had my own personal plans with what I wanted to do with it. I didn’t expect it to be a school.”

“To have Red River College have a great idea for the use of the old building — to add onto it without interfering with it, to not make it stand out like a sore thumb and to make the heritage a key feature — it was a great privilege to work on.”

“There have been definite project challenges that make PGI one of the most memorable buildings I’ve worked on,” Garbett says. “I’ve worked on other heritage buildings downtown, but it was nowhere near as complex.”

Those complexities started on day one for the two men when they met the former bank whose proud, smiling exterior hid confusing, twisted and occasionally malicious guts.

“Everywhere we turned it was like opening a can of worms,” Sousa says. “If walls weren’t collapsing, it was the ceiling. If the ceiling wasn’t collapsing, it was the floors. There was always something going on that kept you on your toes.” Read More →

Each year, a maximum of four Lieutenant-Governor’s medals are awarded to Red River College students who, in the opinion of a selection committee, combine to the greatest extent in their graduating year academic and technical achievement, involvement in College and/or community activities, and good character.

KIMBERLY COWAN
Professional Baking and Patisserie

Kimberly Cowan credits Red River College’s Professional Baking & Patisserie program for allowing her to turn her life’s passion into a full-time career.

Cowan spent her childhood on her uncle’s grain and cattle farm in her hometown of Landis, SK. When her family made the move to Portage la Prairie, it meant a lot would change for a then-teenaged Cowan. Through those transitions, one thing remained the same: her passion for food (specifically baking), which she inherited from her mother and grandmother, both talented cooks.

A few years after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in History, Kimberly decided to leave her full-time job at a local bank to go back to school and pursue a career in baking.  During her time with RRC, she competed in the Canola Bake-off in 2011 — tying for first with her Sticky Toffee Pudding entry. She also represented RRC in the baking category at Skills Manitoba and the Skills Canada Nationals, where she placed gold in the provincial competition.

Kimberly also played for RRC’s first ever women’s soccer team, helping them place third in the Manitoba College Athletic Conference in 2012. She is now in her eleventh year with Winnipeg’s Soccer League.

Today, Kimberly works as a full-time chef at Chocolatier Constance Popp, a premium artisan chocolate shop specializing in treats made with local ingredients.  She thanks her family, friends and instructors for their constant support and encouragement.

PATRICK MURPHY
Hospitality and Tourism Management

A husband and father of two, Patrick Murphy left his full-time accounting job to follow his passion in hotel management. He enrolled in Red River College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program, having previously worked in the industry back when he first got married.

When asked what inspires him about the field, Patrick credits the people. He enjoys meeting guests from all over the world and learning more about their individual stories. As a child, Patrick had his own opportunity to travel the globe — his father’s military career took his family to the United States, Germany and Newfoundland.

He hopes to one day give his family the opportunity to travel the world as he has. Goal destinations include Baden-Baden, Germany, where he grew up, and of course, Disney World.

During his time with RRC, Patrick was awarded the Professional Leadership Award (2012), Canad Inns Award (2011) for academics and Fairmont Award (2011) for academics and student involvement. Today he is the Fairmont’s Gold Supervisor, responsible for the care of some of the Fairmont’s most special guests. His career goal is to work up the ladder and become general manager of his own hotel.

Patrick also contributes to his community as a team leader for Scouts Canada, an organization he discovered while looking for something to do with his son, Devon. He credits the program for teaching youth about the importance of diversity and respect.