Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 18, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 B2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I PROVINCE Manitoba Wildlife Federation demands provincial intervention Moose hunters miffed by no-go zone at Bloodvein T HE federation that represents sport hunters and anglers says they are losing access to Crown land and resources after the province announced a 500-metre “buffer zone” near Bloodvein First Nation for the moose hunting season that began Mon- day. The community recently set up a roadside check stop aimed at keep- ing drugs and contraband out. It said “outside hunters” were not welcome on traditional land over concerns about the sustainability of the moose population. The Manitoba Wildlife Federation de- manded the province intervene on be- half of non-Indigenous licensed hunters who have tags allowing them to harvest a bull moose in the area. On Monday, Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bush- ie announced changes to Wildlife Act regulations that would impose the buf- fer zone, on either side of a main road and river at Bloodvein, and restrict ac- cess to licensed hunters. On Tuesday, the federation expressed its disappointment with the decision and said it hadn’t been consulted. It said it will hold a meeting at the Lake Mani- toba Narrows Lodge Friday for area members “to stay informed about the ongoing loss of access to Crown lands.” The Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association said it’s also disappointed it wasn’t consulted prior to changing moose hunting regulations this season. “Our billion-dollar industry needs stability and law and order to success- fully run our businesses,” executive director Don Lamont said in an email. He said the association is meeting with the minister this week to discuss the future of moose management. Bloodvein First Nation Chief Lisa Young said Tuesday she’s not prepared to comment until details of the regula- tion changes are finalized. When asked about the Bloodvein buffer zone and First Nations having control over conservation on their trad- itional land, Premier Wab Kinew had a careful response. “The treaties are about sharing and everyone should be able to hunt moose according to the rules that we have in place here,” Kinew said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday. Kinew said Bushie has been working closely with Bloodvein First Nation, and that the buffer zone prevents hunt- ing from a vehicle or near the road. “It’s already the practice of people who hunt safely that you don’t hunt near roads,” the premier said, noting he’s a gun owner and is teaching his children to hunt safely. “I want everyone in this province to be able to learn to live off the land, to have a safe, clean, healthy environ- ment. And it just so happens that our minister is working with this commun- ity to make sure that we can live up to that for everybody.” The buffer zone will remain in place for the 2025 hunting season as the prov- ince steps up surveying moose num- bers in the area, Bushie said Monday. He called it a “proactive step toward conservation, community leadership and shared decision-making.” carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca CAROL SANDERS TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN FILES A moose hunting buffer zone near Bloodvein will be in place for the 2025 season in part to prevent hunting from a vehicle or near the road. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie Winnipeg Jews, Christians meet to promote dialogue JEWS and Christians from various de- nominations, including some from the Indigenous and Filipino communities, met Monday in Winnipeg in an effort to promote an open dialogue between the two religions. The meeting’s goal was to discuss how Christians and Jews can take their theologies more seriously in or- der to establish better relations. Jewish historian Norman Tobias and Orthodox Christian priest Geoffrey Ready, who helped found the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Canada in 2024, spoke at the gathering. They are holding cross-country meetings to create a national move- ment to promote dialogue between Christians and Jews. Ready, who is director of Orthodox Christian Studies at the University of Toronto, praised the work already be- ing done in Winnipeg, saying he hoped it would translate to the rest of Canada to “combat the Christian theological roots of antisemitism.” He said many Christians don’t fully appreciate the historic links between Judaism and Christianity — that Jesus was Jewish, as were the apostles, and that much of Christian beliefs and rit- uals, such as communion, baptism and sabbath, are rooted in Judaism. “That seems largely unknown to many Christians,” he said, adding “Jesus stood at the heart of Jewish tradition.” While there are other groups work- ing on understanding between Chris- tians and Jews from social, cultural and political points of view, the goal of the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Can- ada is to work at it from a theological perspective, Ready said. This includes spending time study- ing the shared scriptural heritage of Jews and Christians, and dealing with theological challenges such as the doc- trine of supersessionism, also known as replacement theology. That doctrine teaches that Christi- anity has superseded the Jewish faith and that the church is the true Israel and the inheritor of God’s promises to that nation. That idea is rejected by Jews. Also problematic, Ready said, is Christian Zionism — the idea that the state of Israel’s main role is to play a bit part in prophecies concerning the future of the Christian faith. Tobias, author of the book The Jew- ish Conscience of the Church: Jules Isaac and the Second Vatican Council, highlighted the role individuals can play in promoting good relations be- tween religions. He shared the story of how French Jewish historian Jules Isaac, who had written about the Jewishness of Jesus and the dangers of anti-Jewish inter- pretations of the New Testament, per- suaded Pope John XXIII to include Christian-Jewish relations at Vatican II. The result of that secret meeting be- tween the pope and Isaac was the 1965 declaration titled Nostra Aetate, which affirmed Christianity’s roots in Juda- ism. It also stated that Jews should not be seen as having been rejected by God, condemned antisemitism and declared that the death of Jesus could not be charged against all Jews, then or now. “And it was all because of a last- minute meeting between the pope and a Jewish historian,” Tobias said. In response to the presentations, the 50 or so people gathered for the meet- ing expressed appreciation for the event. Comments were made about how Christians could be allies to Jews, es- pecially after the Oct. 7 attacks; about how gatherings like that one could also be used to tackle not only antisemit- ism, but also Islamophobia and hate of all kinds; and how Winnipeg could be a leader in Canada in interfaith rela- tions. Belle Jarniewski, executive direc- tor of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and co-founder of the Manitoba Christian Jewish Dia- logue, called the meeting “refreshing and uplifting” and said it showed that people were interested in going beyond just getting together to “get into the nitty-gritty” of their beliefs. The next event for Jews and Chris- tians will be Oct. 22, when members are invited to mark the 60th anniver- sary of Vatican II. faith@freepress.mb.ca JOHN LONGHURST PHOTOS BY MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS AND THEY’RE OFF! Grade 5 students (above) take part in the Pembina Trails Athletic Conference Cross Country Meet at St. Vital Park Wednesday. It’s the first of a three-meet series that students in grades 4-8 can take part in across the division. There are more than 2,000 stu- dents who participate throughout the race season in the Pembina Trails School Division. At left, Ecole St. Avila physical education teacher Dan Mitchell waves a flag guiding Grade 6 students at the meet. IN BRIEF FEW DETAILS AFTER ‘SERIOUS INCIDENT’ A FLIPPED car stopped traffic on Abinoji Mikanah on Tuesday evening in what police called a “serious incident.” The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed officers were sent to an incident in the area but did not provide details Wednesday. One witness said ambulances and police vehicles were on the stretch between River and St. Mary’s roads at about 6:30 p.m. and later blocked traffic. She said she had previously worried about vehicle accidents caused by street racing in the area. “The racing down that stretch of highway in the summer is unbelievable… they would gather at St. Vital mall and then just hit the highway,” the woman, who asked not to be named, told the Free Press. ONE ARRESTED IN HOME INVASION A MAN was taken to hospital after a home invasion in Thompson involving six attackers armed with a machete and a baseball bat. The incident happened on Princeton Drive at about 5 p.m. Tuesday. A 33-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries and later flown to Winnipeg for more treatment. A 29-year- old woman suffered minor injuries, RCMP said in a news release Wednesday. The suspects caused damage within the home and fled on foot. Police arrested a 23-year-old local man in the area. He was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and breaking and entering. The man was remanded into custody. More arrests are expected. Police asked anyone with information about the home invasion to call Thompson RCMP at 204-677- 6909 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonym- ously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). ;