It’s 2003 and the Design and Construction Technology graduating class have decided it’s time to leave their mark at the College. Did they carve their names in a tree? No. Did they sign a wall they weren’t supposed to? No. Did they create an elaborate time capsule that had multiple locks and keys? No (thankfully). Instead, this class decided to take a ceiling tile from their classroom in A4-12 and sign their names and attach a class photo to commemorate their hard work and dedication to be found one day in the future.

Fast forward 20 years to 2023 where Design and Construction Technology is now called Architectural/Engineering Technology and the classroom in A4-12 is being demolished to make space for the newly announced Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Community Services Simulation Centre (SIM Centre).

“I walked up there Monday afternoon to check to see how they were making out, and leaning against the wall was this tile. I saw “2003” and well, that was my graduation year. As I looked closer, sure enough, I had signed the tile and saw a picture of our whole class,” said Curtis Jones, Senior Project Manager, Environmental Stewardship & Campus Renewal and 2003 graduate of Design and Construction Technology.

Loretta Lynn Cochrane in her restaurant in Koostatak, Manitoba. Photo by Desmond Travers.

Anyone who has been to Fisher River Cree Nation knows Loretta Lynn’s dishes up the best slice of homemade pineapple cheesecake in Manitoba’s Interlake.

Culinary Arts graduate Loretta Lynn Cochrane was born and raised in Fisher River (Koostatak, MB), located approximately 193 kilometers north of Winnipeg. Her namesake restaurant in the community is celebrating 28 years in business in 2023.

“We are best known in the area for our homemade pineapple and strawberry cheesecakes and pies: strawberry-rhubarb, lemon, cream pies, and strawberry shortcake,” said Cochrane, who earned certificates in Commercial Cooking at Red River College Polytechnic in 1987 and 1988. “We pick the rhubarb locally, as well as berries like saskatoons for our pies,” she added.

Everything on the menu at Loretta Lynn’s Restaurant and Catering is homemade. From burgers and fries to fresh-baked bread and garlic toast, to a rotating selection of Soups of the Day, including cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, borscht, beef barley, and cream of potato.

“Another specialty, I would say, is our liver and onions. I get a lot of requests for that dish,” said Cochrane, on the phone from her restaurant kitchen. “The community and surrounding areas have always supported Loretta Lynn’s; we serve a need. I have to say, I feel like people appreciate the business being in the community.”

Cochrane switched to take-out orders only at the start of the pandemic, staying open for business but closing her dining room that seats about 28 guests. She has yet to re-open it. Aside from her bustling take-out business, she also provides catering services in Fisher River and communities across the Interlake.

“I’m hoping to have more staff soon, but it seems to be hard right now. You train new people, and they tend to leave. I usually have four to six staff on hand,” she said. “We’re a small establishment. I need one answering the phone and taking care of the customers, with three in the back, and sometimes more depending on what we’re doing.”

“Mind you, I have a lady who has been with me for 24 years, my server Janice Mowat. That’s pretty remarkable for being in the restaurant field because there’s such a high turnover.”

Cochrane also gets a lot of help from her husband and adult son. “Like me, he grew up in the restaurant business,” she said.

Her mother was in the cooking and catering field and taught home economics at the Fisher River school. “I grew up around cooking, but I didn’t realize until later that I was going to do it as my livelihood.”

You’re invited! In partnership with Ten Thousand Coffees, we’re excited to offer a special panel discussion with career experts from across the country to RRC Polytech alumni and current students. This free virtual event will take place on Wednesday, April 19th at 4:00 p.m. CT.

Ten Thousand Coffees founder and CEO Dave Wilkin will chat with a panel of leaders who will share valuable insights on building professional relationships, networking effectively, and finding a mentor to guide you on your career path. This session will benefit anyone looking to enhance their career prospects, whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned professional.

Expert panelists include:

• Karissa Bussard, GE, Global Senior HR Partner, Digital Technology
• Gopal Bansal, Managing Director & Head, HR, RBC Capital Markets
• Tiffany Smye, Senior Director, Talent, Learning & Development at MLSE
• Cielito Ward, Partner, Financial Services, Deloitte, and Ontario Culture & People Leader

Why you should register:
Networking and mentoring are essential components of a successful career journey, regardless of your level of experience. Building relationships with professionals in your field can open doors to new and exciting opportunities you didn’t know were possible. And, taking the time to mentor current students and recent graduates in your industry is not only a fantastic opportunity to help shape tomorrow’s leaders, but also a phenomenal way to develop your own leadership skills. Invest in these relationships to land your dream job and cultivate essential skills at any stage in your career!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow your network and learn essential skills – click here to register for this special panel discussion on Wednesday, April 19th at 4 p.m. CT.

RRC Polytech is proud to honour engineering expert Robert Okabe (Civil Engineering Technology, 1983) with a Distinguished Graduate Award.

This award recognizes the outstanding personal and professional achievements of RRC Polytech’s most accomplished alumni.

As CEO of the Certified Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba (CTTAM), Okabe leads an organization that certifies aspiring engineering and applied science technicians and technologists, while connecting them to important resources — and to each other.

It’s a role he’s been in since 2015, and one that keeps him close to his RRC Polytech roots.

“Most of our members are graduates of the College,” said Okabe. “So I find it a really good experience for me to interact with future graduates or current students and hopefully, in some way, be able to mentor them and make it easier for them post-graduation.”

Both Okabe and CTTAM have generously supported the College over the years. Okabe participates in all nine of the school’s Engineering Technology Advisory Committees — which provide direction and curriculum support from those working on the ground — and in 2008, established the Robert Okabe Achievement Award for Civil Engineering Technology.

His reasoning for the support is simple: he recognizes how important a helping hand can be in propelling students from the world of academia into a lifelong career. You can learn more about Okabe’s career journey here.

A well-deserved celebration

We’re thrilled to recognize Okabe’s leadership in the fields of engineering and education, as well as his support of RRC Polytech students, at the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Manitoba chapter’s annual Awards of Excellence, taking place on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

RRC Polytech alumni and supporters are welcome to attend. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit acec-mb.ca.

Creative Communications students designing the Working Draft launch event.

Save the date! RRC Polytech’s Creative Communications class is hosting the official launch of WORKING_DRAFT Magazine at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on April 4, 2023.

Over the past year, Creative Communications students have been hard at work planning, writing, and editing longform pieces for Working Draft, a student-produced web magazine. Each edition features fresh, thought-provoking ideas and perspectives to help readers reach new insights and think critically.

Working Draft launched at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the magazine from having an official launch. This year, second-year Public Relations and Communication Management students have planned an event to honour all four editions of the magazine and provide an opportunity for students and alumni to connect and mingle.

The event is an opportunity to explore the state of the communications industry in Manitoba and see what future communicators have been working on.

On April 4, 2023, please join us in celebrating the launch of Working Draft magazine at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, the beautiful new expansion of RRC Polytech’s Exchange District Campus (319 Elgin Avenue). The event will run from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. and feature live entertainment, mocktails, appetizers by King Cole Catering, and a showcase of creative work from the past four years.

All Creative Communications alumni, past instructors, and industry supporters are warmly invited to attend. We hope to see you there!

2022 Winnipeg Women’s Conference (Photo: Hold Light Photography).

An exclusive offer for RRC Polytech alumni — enter now for your chance to win a ticket to this year’s sold-out Winnipeg Women’s Conference!

Taking place in-person at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Monday, March 13, the Winnipeg Women’s Conference promises a full day of networking and learning opportunities, including keynotes from inspiring leaders and a breakout session with powerhouse RRC Polytech alum Kiirsten May (Creative Communications, 2010), co-owner of award-winning marketing and public relations agency Uphouse. May, along with her colleague Erica Urias, will be speaking on the importance of representation in marketing.

“We’re always working to bring more diverse perspectives to the table, and we’ll explain how this approach has impacted our business. We’ll share some tips for other communicators and some successes (and failures) from UpHouse’s past five years,” said May.

Whether you want to connect with like-minded business owners, grow your network, or take your career to the next level, you will find the resources and community you’re looking for – and get a chance to connect with fellow RRC Polytech grads while you’re there!

Enter now for your chance to win a ticket to this incredible full-day conference in downtown Winnipeg. We’re giving away three tickets to lucky RRC Polytech alumni.

RRC Polytech President and CEO, Fred Meier, with honorary alumnus Gabriel Langlois, Mayor Scott Gillingham, and mascots from several Winnipeg franchises. (Photo: Darcy Finley).

Manitoba Moose celebrate Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois’s 60^th birthday with a special on-ice tribute

On Sunday, January 29 RRC Polytech Honorary Diploma recipient Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois was given star treatment at a Manitoba Moose game as he danced his way into a new decade.

To mark Gabe’s 60^th birthday, the Manitoba Moose invited RRC Polytech’s President and CEO, Fred Meier, Mayor Scott Gillingham, and mascots from several Winnipeg sports teams, to sing ‘happy birthday’ on the ice with fans in the stands joining in.

A Manitoba icon, Gabe received a diploma in Community Development from the College in 2021 for his devotion to volunteerism and the positive impact he has on our community. Gabe was presented with his honorary diploma during a virtual convocation ceremony in the height of the pandemic, so having the opportunity to celebrate Gabe and all his achievements publicly was nearly two years in the making.

Along with a rousing rendition of ‘happy birthday’, Gabe was honoured with a video tribute featuring fans, athletes, and dignitaries across the province, as well as a stellar cake designed by Jenna Rae Cakes, courtesy of RRC Polytech graduate Ashley Kosowan (Advanced Graphic Design, 2009), who is the co-owner and Creative Director of the beloved Winnipeg bakery. Eight lucky RRC Polytech alumni also won pairs of premium tickets to the game to help cheer Gabe on.

RRC Polytech wants to better serve our alumni community and we’re asking for your help.

We have engaged Probe Research, an independent public opinion research company, to conduct a confidential survey of RRC Polytech alumni. You are invited to share about your experience while you attended RRC Polytech and how you want to stay connected to the College. All alumni are invited to participate.

In appreciation for completing the survey and providing your feedback, you’ll be entered into a draw to win one of three prizes:

• Grand Prize (1): Dinner for Four at Jane’s (value $400)
• Secondary Prizes (2): New RRC Polytech merchandise from the Campus Store (value $100)

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please share this survey with other RRC Polytech alumni in your network!

*Survey Closed Friday, February 17, 2023. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!*

Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois photographed at RRC Polytech’s Skilled Trades and Technology Centre to celebrate receiving his Honorary Diploma. Photo by Jason Halstead (Feb. 17, 2021).

On Sunday, January 29 the Manitoba Moose are celebrating the 60^th birthday of RRC Polytech Honorary Diploma recipient Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois and we’re giving away tickets for RRC Polytech alumni to attend the game!

A Manitoba icon, Gabe received a diploma in Community Development from the College in 2021 for his devotion to volunteerism and the positive impact he has on our community. We’re thrilled to sponsor this game with our friends at the Manitoba Moose and look forward to celebrating Gabe—while ‘Dancing Gabe’ may be Manitoba’s number one fan, there is certainly an entire community of us who are fans of the contributions he makes to our province every day. Join us for this fun afternoon game!

Enter now for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see the Manitoba Moose face off against the Toronto Marlies at Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg on Sunday, January 29 at 2 p.m. CT. We’re giving away eight pairs of tickets to lucky RRC Polytech alumni to help cheer Gabe on.

Daniel Blair, CEO of Bit Space Development Ltd. (Darcy Finley Photography)

Ask RRC Polytech alum Dan Blair about his experience this past summer working with Game Development students, and he’s not shy about giving a glowing review.

“I love bringing on students because I was once one of them,” said Blair, the CEO of Winnipeg-based interactive digital media studio Bit Space Development (BSD) and a graduate of the Web Development stream in RRC Polytech’s Business Information Technology program.

“I talked about this at RRC Polytech’s Directions Conference this fall, because it’s weird to me to stop and reflect—I don’t get to do that often. I’m running a fast-paced tech company, but with this project I was able to slow down and reflect that it’s surreal to bring students in and inspire those who are going through the same or similar program that I went through.”

That project brought six Game Development students—two focusing in development and four in art—to BSD this past summer through the Level UP program.

Level UP, available to all Canadian post-secondary students, gives employers the opportunity to easily find and connect with talented students. It offers students the opportunity to gain paid work experience, build work-relevant skills, and make employer connections through project work, while allowing companies like Bit Space Development to do case studies, market research, software development, and other research-based projects they might not otherwise have the resources for.

“What Level UP allowed us to do was focus on an entirely new idea,” said Blair.

“We were able to have these six students and give them full creative capacity in how we executed on the unit direction, without the need to worry about a client in the mix.”

With careful collaboration between BSD employees, including Blair himself, the six students leveraged classroom learning on Unreal and Houdini modelling to learn the cross-platform game engine Unity. They then got to work on creating a gamified learning experience using similar constraints that a client would normally give.

The experience—a safety demonstration—approached virtual reality learning from a fresh angle. In the VR scenario, learners are put in a workshop surrounded by tools. In this demonstration, though, users are presented with a loss scenario—one they’re probably not likely to forget.