News

Faye Bychuk (second from right), RRC's Safety & Training Coordinator, accepts the national NAOSH Award in Whistler, B.C., in September.

Red River College has been recognized at both the provincial and national level for its activities during North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week 2011.

RRC’s Joint Safety and Health Committee received a national NAOSH award, presented in September 2011 at the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers Conference in Whistler, B.C. In October 2011, the committee scored a provincial award in the “Most Innovative” category.

“Red River College’s active participation in NAOSH Week is a demonstration of leadership, knowledge, training, education and reinforcement of proper safety practices and procedures,” says Daryl Nielsen, RRC’s Manager of Environmental Health & Safety.

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Red River College’s Rebels athletes played mentor to junior high school students from across the province over the weekend, at a volleyball tournament and skills camp aimed at further strengthening our teams’ ties to the community.

At the second annual Rebels Boys Classic, held Nov. 5th and 6th at the College’s Notre Dame Campus, teams from 11 junior high schools throughout Manitoba took part in a combined tourney and skills clinic led by athletes on RRC’s Rebels Men’s Volleyball team.

A similar event — the Rebels Girls Classic — was held two weekends prior, drawing players from 14 junior high girls teams throughout the province.

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(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.

The 2011 Alumni Dinner is right around the corner. The annual gala event, which provides an excellent opportunity for Red River College grads to reconnect with old friends and their alma mater, is taking place on Friday, November 18 at the Fairmont Winnipeg (One Lombard Place). Read More →

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.