Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 28, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015 TOP NEWS winnipegfreepress. com RCMP have charged a man with manslaughter in the slaying of a well- liked hunting guide from South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba. Vernon Robert Baker, 18, was arrested and faced formal charges at a court appearance in Thompson Monday, RCMP said a few hours after Baker's court appearance. The arrest comes on the heels of an RCMP investigation into the weekend killing of hunting and fishing guide Mark Dumas, 27, from South Indian Lake, about 130 kilometres northwest of Thompson near Leaf Rapids. Dumas guided every year at the Big Sand Lake Resort, which is owned by the community. His body was found July 23 on a nearby island. People in the community told the Free Press over the weekend a suspect had been arrested. Official word of the arrest came Monday. South Indian Lake is the main settlement of O- Pipon- Na- Piwin Cree Nation. "( Dumas) comes back every year with us. He was a really, really nice young man, very helpful, really well- liked by staff," said Linda McKerchar, the resort's office manager. Dumas was also very popular with guests, she said. " We have a lot of repeat guests, and they would specifically ask for Mark as their guide," said McKerchar. " He was a real, kind of gentle soul." Dumas's mother declined comment. The First Nation's chief, Chris Baker, had yet to release a public statement Monday. A relative said the family has five daughters and another son. " He was a good kid," the relative said of Dumas. McKerchar said people associated with the lodge are shocked. " It's usually the same people who come back here year after year, so it's like losing one of the family," said McKerchar. " Mark was never a fighting or confrontational person." South Indian Lake was flooded in the 1970s by Manitoba Hydro's Churchill River Diversion, forcing the relocation of the community. Man charged in killing of popular hunting guide Mark Dumas TWO decades to the day after a pair of volunteer paramedics died while responding to an emergency outside Beausejour, they were remembered. The 200 paramedics and Beausejour community members who gathered to remember 41- year- old Keith Barrie and 28- year- old Manuel Cuadros showed the families of the men they haven't been forgotten. Eric Glass, of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba, said the Manitoba paramedic honour guard and the Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department organized the memorial service for the two paramedics at the Brokenhead River Community Hall, the parade to the St. Mary Roman Catholic Cemetery, and the laying of wreaths at the graves of Barrie and Cuadros. " There were 200 in attendance and about 100 were paramedics," Glass said Monday. " There were six honour guard members, multiple members of both the Cuadros and Barrie families, and many, many community members... ( the families) thanked the community and the organizers for remembering them." Honour guard Drill Sgt. Patrick McInness said in a statement " it's important to remember their sacrifice." " Keith and Manuel were serving their community and lost their lives trying to save another." Barrie and Cuadros, accompanied by 20- year- old attendant Kimberly Leanne Suttorp, had just left the hospital in Beausejour on their way to an emergency call when they were struck by a semi- trailer outside town on July 27, 1995. Barrie, who was driving, was killed immediately, while Cuadros died two days later. Suttorp was taken to Beausejour Hospital in good condition. Barrie was survived by his wife and two sons while Cuadros, who had immigrated to Canada from Colombia in 1989, left behind his wife and two sons, ages 6 and 14 months at the time. Widow Edna Barrie attended Monday's memorial. " I feel services such as the 20th anniversary memorial not only pays recognition to my husband, Keith, and his partner, Manual Cuadros, it also acknowledges the dedication and bravery of all who serve us; ambulance, fire department, military, police and so on. " These are men and women who commit their lives in helping us every day. They are to be commended," she wrote in an email. " This memorial is a reminder of the dangers each member faces every time they put on their uniform and go to work. We, the public, take all these services for granted. " They get paid for what they do and we pay for the service. Most of us never realize how venerable our saviours and protectors are. They are not amended to the dangers lurking on our highways in the streets and at work." When not volunteering as paramedics, Barrie worked for Manitoba Hydro while Cuadros worked for First Class Transportation. Glass said the ambulance service is now operated by the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority, and paramedics are paid employees, but at the time of the tragedy both men were volunteering for the Beausejour Ambulance Service. He said both also volunteered for the Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department. " It seems even more tragic when you see they were volunteers and lost their lives trying to save someone else's life," he said. Glass said 20 years later, he still remembers learning about the tragedy. " Emergency services are a pretty tight- knit community, and it didn't take long for the news to spread," he said. " It was a shock to everybody at the time." kevin. rollason@ freepress. mb. ca Honouring rescuers who died in 1995 Beausejour marks paramedics' sacrifice By Kevin Rollason I T holds a memorial to aboriginal war hero Sgt. Tommy Prince. It's decorated with a mural of the man called Intrepid, the Second World War spy who inspired two dozen - and counting - James Bond movies. It was the country's first Royal Canadian Legion. And now it's closed, its building sold and its war memorabilia slated to be inventoried and packed up this morning. The sale of the legion at Sargent Avenue and Maryland Street was approved by the legion's regional command office last month, and the sold sign appeared in recent days. But the building was quietly shuttered in May, ending the legion's nearly 100- year history as a gathering place for veterans and residents of the West End. " We had no choice. The bank closed us down," said Bill Douglas, the branch's acting president. " We were one step away from the bailiff locking the doors." Like many of the city's 16 other legions, the Sargent Avenue branch was struggling with dwindling membership, declining VLT revenue and trouble attracting new customers for its beverage room. More recently, turmoil on the branch's board, coupled with accusations of financial mismanagement, hastened the legion's demise. Douglas said allegations of financial wrongdoing have been levelled against two former board members. One was suspended for three months by the legion's regional command and is barred from entering the building. Accusations of a board takeover and meddling by the regional command stymied progress. But Douglas said the branch would have closed regardless. Its revenue declined by $ 25,000 a year and membership stood at just 60 this spring. In its heyday, Branch No. 1 had more than 1,000 members. Douglas said the legion owes the Canada Revenue Agency, the province and other creditors $ 85,000 but managed to give staff members their final paycheques before the doors closed. Though the building appears somewhat forboding outside, inside it has an Alpine ski- lodge feel, complete with big chandeliers, wood panelling, pool and shuffleboard tables and a basement party room that has changed little since mid- century. The branch also has displays of many artifacts - flags, medals, photos, soldier's gear - from the First and Second World Wars, as well as a memorial to Tommy Prince, one of Canada's most decorated First Nations soldiers and a former member of the branch. This morning, volunteers from the Norwood St. Boniface Branch No. 43 will arrive to itemize and box up all the artifacts for eventual inclusion in the small war museum on the second floor of the Marion Street legion. Douglas said the fate of the branch is up in the air. It's possible some money from the sale of the building could be used to start again in another location, but he's not hopeful. " I don't think we're going to have enough to do anything, and command doesn't think so, either," he said. The building was built in 1947 and is valued at about $ 450,000. The sale leaves a large question mark for Sargent Avenue's commercial strip. " It's a huge loss for this neighbourhood," said Gloria Cardwell- Hoeppner, executive director of the West End BIZ. " It's such a historic place." Cardwell- Hoeppner said she's particularly worried about the fate of a new mural on the legion's outdoor wall honouring Sir William Stephenson of Winnipeg. Mel Willis, president of the Royal Canadian Legion's regional command, would not answer questions about the branch's demise. " It's just not suitable to say anything at this point," he said. " All branches are autonomous and it's up to them how they run it." A call to the Royal Canadian Legion's national headquarters was not returned Monday. maryagnes. welch@ freepress. mb. ca THE early history of the Royal Canadian Legion Winnipeg Branch No. 1 is somewhat murky. It began as a branch of the Great War Veterans Association, which was formed in the waning days of the First World War and was Canada's first national veterans group. According to a plaque on the wall of the Sargent Avenue Legion, a flag of the Dominion was presented to the first branch of the Great War Veterans Association by Edith Rodgers in 1918. Rodgers, a tireless volunteer for returning soldiers, was also the first woman elected to Manitoba's legislature. In 1925, according to the legion's branch leadership manual, Field Marshal Earl Haig, founder of the British Empire Service League, visited Canada and encouraged all Canadian veterans to unite in one organization. A unity conference was later held in Winnipeg, and the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League was formed. The Sargent Avenue branch was named Branch No. 1. Branch No. 1 has been in its Sargent Avenue location for decades, with an expansion to an adjacent building in the 1950s. Winnipeg legion branch will always have a special place in Canada's military past JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Canada's first Royal Canadian Legion quietly closed in May. CHRISTIAN CASSIDY PHOTO The legion housed a memorial to aboriginal war hero Tommy Prince. KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Al Purdy, former president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 1 unveils a mural honouring Sir William Stephenson last October. Long history, sad ending Canada's first legion closed amid financial troubles By Mary Agnes Welch ' We had no choice. The bank closed us down. We were one step away from the bailiff locking the doors' - Bill Douglas, acting president of Royal Canadian Legion No. 1 A_ 04_ Jul- 28- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A4 7/ 27/ 15 10: 38: 47 PM ;