(From left): Don Boitson, Vice-President and GM of Magellan Aerospace; Murray Edwards, Magellan Aerospace Chairman of the Board; Ken Webb, Vice-President, Academic and Research at RRC; David Leis, Vice-President, Business Development at RRC; Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC; Hon. Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade; Hon. Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence; and Jim Butyniec, President and CEO of Magellan Aerospace.

Representatives from Red River College took part in the official opening of Magellan Aerospace’s new Advanced Composites Manufacturing Centre last week, marking the College’s ongoing role as one of the Centre’s key educational partners.

The new 138,000-square foot facility, located at 1855 Ellice Ave., is in the final stages of being equipped with state-of-the-art technology required to manufacture complex composite fabrication and assemblies — among them, the horizontal tail components of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which are being built to replace Canada’s fleet of aging CF-18s. Once fully commissioned, the new facility will be one of the most advanced composite manufacturing and assembly centres in North America.

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Red River College paid tribute to the academic potential of its Portage-area students, while celebrating the diversity of their cultural backgrounds, at the official opening of the College’s new Portage Campus yesterday.

The ceremony marked the campus’s move from Southport (just outside Portage la Prairie) to the old Victoria School site off the city’s main thoroughfare. It also marked the College’s continued commitment to providing increased access to education for rural residents and Aboriginal learners.

“Today is a bit of a historic event for Red River College — we have never opened a campus in the traditional way of the First Nations people,” said RRC President Stephanie Forsyth, herself a member of the Tsimshian First Nation in B.C., before kicking off a ceremony that featured greetings from provincial, civic and First Nations leaders, as well as a traditional pipe ceremony, dancing and drumming.

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Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Gary Doer, visited the Exchange District Campus on November 1st to speak with students in the College’s Creative Communications program.

Doer spoke about differences between the Canadian and U.S. systems of government, and drew on examples from his time as Premier of Manitoba to illustrate how having a well-conceived communications strategy is essential to the success of of any public policy initiative.

“If you don’t get the communications right in the front end, then you’re in the rapids with no way out,” he explained.

Doer also took several questions from students, addressing topics such as the environmental impact of the Alberta oil sands, the global economic situation, cross border shopping and the sovereignty of the Northwest Passage.

This might the first time a sitting Ambassador has ever visited the College, although Creative Communications instructors did have an inside edge in arranging this event: Doer’s daughter Emily is a first-year student in the program, with plans to study journalism.

– Read more about Ambassador Doer’s visit in the Winnipeg Free Press –

Elder Ann Callahan (back row), with children attending the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children's Centre on Selkirk Avenue.

Red River College has added yet another entry to its growing list of community partnerships aimed at bringing early childhood education training to residents of Winnipeg’s inner city.

Launched last week in partnership with the Urban Circle Training Centre and the University of Manitoba’s Inner-city Campus, the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children’s Centre serves as the College’s first demonstration childcare centre, and represents its commitment to providing community residents with increased access to programs promoting child and family supports.

It’s the latest in a series of initiatives involving the College’s Community Services department and such community-based organizations as Urban Circle and Ndinawe. All of the programs are delivered within a two-block stretch of Selkirk Avenue, providing valuable opportunities to residents seeking to further their education while remaining in the neighbourhood.

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Congratulations to Red River College alum Michael Dacquisto (Culinary Arts, 1996), who took top prize at last night’s Gold Medal Plates gala at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

The annual event, held in partnerhsip with the Canadian Olympic Committee, marks the ultimate celebration of Canadian excellence in food, wine, athletic achievement and entertainment.

Dacquisto, head chef at the Kenaston Avenue restaurant of the same name, faced stiff competition from a number of the city’s premier chefs, among them fellow RRC grads Cameron Huley (12 Resto Bar), Adam Donnelly (Segovia Tapas Bar), Terry Gereta (Mise, Haute Prairie Cuisine), and Osten Rice (Wasabi Sabi).

Huley (Commercial Cooking, 1997; Apprenticeship Cooking, 1999) won the event’s silver medal, while bronze went to Sydney’s at the Forks chef Michael Schafer. Having won the gold medal, Dacquisto now moves on to the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna, B.C., in February, where he’ll compete against chefs from all over the country.

Photo courtesy Winnipeg Free Press.

Red River College is proud to congratulate plumbing instructor W. Hal Hokanson, who received one of two Instructor of the Year honours handed out at this week’s 2011 Apprenticeship Awards of Distinction.

Held annually by Apprenticeship Manitoba and the Apprenticeship and Certification Board, the awards celebrate those who’ve shared their time and talent in training apprentices, thus contributing to the development of certified journeypersons with a special passion and pride for their trade.

“Plumbers are the protectors of the potable water system in Canada. If we don’t do our jobs properly, people can die,” Hokanson told the Winnipeg Free Press. “I spend a lot of time discussing ethics and the responsibilities of what we’re doing with my students. There’s a lot of discovery, a lot of moments of enlightenment. On the job, they learn how, but they rarely discuss why.”

Hokanson, who’s only been teaching at RRC for four years, has already been nominated twice for Instructor of the Year honours. Click here to read a full profile that ran in the Winnipeg Free Press.

MCAC President Larry Shannon (left) with RRC goalie James Rosney, the Rebels' player of the game in Sunday's match against U of W.

The Red River College Rebels Soccer teams ended their first Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) season on a high note this past weekend. The College played host to the MCAC Soccer Championships, and both our women’s and men’s teams played their best soccer of the season.

The women’s team lost a semi-final match on Saturday to the University of Winnipeg, which put them in the bronze medal game on Sunday against Canadian Mennonite University. The women’s team was well-prepared for the game and played solidly throughout, taking the game by a score of 3-1 for the bronze medal win!

The men’s team entered the championships as the #3 seed, and upset #2-seeded Providence University College in the semi-final on Saturday by a score of 2-0. The win put the men in Sunday’s final against the #1-ranked U of W, whose squad features players from the Canadian National Team program and pro ranks. Playing inspired ball, the Rebels took the game into injury time tied at 1-1, before the Wesmen finally scored two more goals to make the score 3-1.

It was an excellent showing for the new RRC soccer program, which earned bronze and silver medals the very first year. For more information, or to see pictures and video of the MCAC Soccer Championships, visit the MCAC website at www.mcacathletics.ca.

Due to scheduled maintenance, the following Red River College systems will be unavailable beginning Friday, October 21st at 12:00 noon until Saturday, October 22nd at approximately 6pm: WebAdvisor, online course registration, and online applications.

Ding Tinxuan, President of Henan Business College, with RRC President Stephanie Forsyth.

Red River College has expanded its international reach with the recent signing of an agreement with Henan Business College (HBC) of Zhengzhou, China, to offer a joint program in Hotel Management.

Under the terms of the agreement, students will complete two years of study at HBC, followed by a year at RRC’s soon-to-open Paterson GlobalFoods Institute. Succesful graduates will receive a diploma from both institutions. RRC will also send instructors to China to teach courses to HBC students enrolled in the joint program.

“This agreement builds on our existing relationships with colleges and universities across Asia,” explained David Leis, Vice President of Business Development for RRC. “Red River College is a Canadian leader in providing hospitality management education, and joint programs like this allow us to share our expertise with the rest of the world.”

HBC has already recruited 40 students for the initial intake of the program, and the first class is expected in Winnipeg in September 2013.

Founded in 1960, Henan Business College offers programming in business administration and applied arts to over 11,000 students. Henan is Manitoba’s sister province in China.

In the Year of Too Much and Too Little Water in Manitoba, a chance encounter at an environmental conference has led to the Manitoba launch of Ethical Water: Learning to Value What Matters Most at the Roblin Centre (Exchange District Campus) of Red River College on October 18^th.

One of the authors, Bob Sandford, was a guest speaker at a conference in Calgary this past June where he met Peter Denton, who teaches ethics and sustainability at Red River College. The annual joint conference of the Canadian Colleges Environmental Network (CCEN)/Canadian Universities Environmental Science Network (CUESN) was on the theme of “water,” and Denton was attending out of interest and as a CCEN Director. Read More →