When Rita Flamand was a young girl growing up in Camperville, Manitoba, she wasn’t allowed to speak her Metis tongue at school.

“They told me it wasn’t a real language,” she recalls. “They said it was a bastard language.”

Michif draws its verbs from Plains Cree or Ojibwe, while its nouns and articles are usually French. Like the Metis, it is a blending of cultures with its own unique identity. Despite having the five basic components of an independent language – syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology and phonology — it has traveled a difficult road to receiving official recognition, partly because there is no cohesive written form of the language.

Flamand has been working to change that. Since graduating from Red River College’s Aboriginal Interpreter program in 1998, she’s has been working as a translator on projects ranging from provincial voting guides to children’s cartoons, bettering her understanding of Michif as she builds toward a magnum opus: a Michif dictionary.

“I have everything set out to publish,” Flamand says, “I’m just dealing with the copyright issues… And I’ve been so busy using the stuff I took from RRC — translating and translating.”

It’s an unlikely project for a woman who only completed Grade 8. (Funding controversies at the time prevented Flamand and her classmates from progressing further.) She remembers working a variety of jobs as young as 14, traveling through Manitoba and northern Ontario to clean homes and look after children. A practical nursing course later on opened new job opportunities as far west as B.C., but also landed her in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Winnipegosis for a couple years in the mid-1950s.

Flamand married and raised eight children with her husband. When the last moved out in the ‘90s, Flamand faced a pressing choice; what to do next?

“My friend Darlene Timash knew I wanted to do something with my language – I was trying to get a writing system going at the time. She said ‘Rita, there’s a course starting at Red River College for Aboriginal interpreters, you should sign up.’” Read More →

So you graduate from Red River College’s Business Administration program with a major in marketing — what next? Well, if you’re Alex Kampen, you pack your bags and move to Bremerhaven, Germany, to play professional hockey.

Kampen, 21, grew up in Winnipeg and joined his first organized hockey team at the age of six, playing for the North Kildonan Cobras. As he gained more experience and his profile grew, he made his way up to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), where he played with the Selkirk Steelers for three seasons.

“Hockey has always been my life,” says Kampen from Germany. “It’s really been that driving force.”

Knowing he would eventually outgrow the MJHL age requirement, Kampen began exploring full-time post-secondary programs that interested him. After hearing good things about RRC, Kampen decided its Business Administration program would be the perfect fit.

Kampen spent his first year studying the foundation of business practices at RRC’s Roblin Centre downtown. During his second year, he took the initiative to bring a friend’s business idea to life while also finding a way to incorporate hockey into his studies. For his program’s Entrepreneurship Practicum, he worked with a small group of other Business students to create, develop and pitch “Puck Honey Stick Wax.”

The hockey product is a wax derived honey from honey farms and is meant to be used on the blades of hockey sticks to prevent water, snow or ice from sticking, which in return increases puck control and other performance variables.

Today, Kampen says he carries life-lessons learned during his time at RRC with him in Bremerhaven, where he plays for the Fischtown Pinguins in the 2012-13 Oberliga season.

“At Red River College, you’re definitely forced to do really well working with others. Right now, I’m on a hockey team and we all need to function and be efficient while working together.” Read More →

A Red River College student with a distinguished military record has again turned his attention to a different form of service — by launching a foundation to raise scholarship money for students with developmental disabilities.

Andrew McLean, a former Warrant Officer who retired from the Canadian Forces last summer after 22 years of service, recently donated $25,000 of his own money to start the Canadian Torch Foundation — which will provide its first $1,000 CTF Award to an RRC student next year.

The award is available annually to a full-time student with a developmental disability (physical, mental or documented learning disability, or visual or hearing impairment), who’s studying one of the following RRC programs: Child and Youth Care, Disability and Community Support, Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Education Workplace.

McLean’s goal is to eventually raise $2.5 million in funding for similar post-secondary scholarships at 10 colleges and universities, and to complement them with annual grants for rehabilitation efforts benefitting children and youth across Canada.

He’s hoping the scholarships will help to foster students’ potential, regardless of the obstacles they might face.

“There’s a difference between someone’s performance and their potential,” says McLean, a former search and rescue technician who’s currently in his first year of RRC’s Disability and Community Support program. “A lot of people try to achieve performance, but potential is what really makes a difference. That’s what affects change — fostering people’s ability to be the best person they can be, or to achieve a more fulfilling life.” Read More →

As a participant for the last 15 years, Red River College grad Sean Grassie brings a unique perspective to his time with the MCA Bonspiel, the biggest and longest-running curling competition in the world.

So it’s no surprise Grassie, a 2009 Creative Communications grad, and skip of both the 1999 Manitoba junior champion and 2009 Canadian Mixed champion teams, has put all that inside info to good use via a new book chronicling the Bonspiel’s 125-year history.

Kings of the Rings was completed as the major project for Grassie’s final year of CreComm, and is the result of more than 100 interviews and untold hours spent poring through the Winnipeg Free Press archives. The book was published by Great Plains Publications, with an initial print run of 3,000, though given the level of curling’s popularity in Manitoba — not to mention the Bonspiel’s pending 125th anniversary — Grassie might soon need a second run.

First launched in 1887, the Bonspiel has become a cultural institution in Winnipeg — and remains unparalleled in sport as an event where amateurs might find themselves competing against world champions.

“It’s unlike any other bonspiel you’ll see in the world,” Grassie told the Winnipeg Free Press. “Most bonspiels feature either the really elite teams of the next tier, but the MCA is that rare event that brings together the whole fabric of the curling community — from the world champions to the once-a-week curlers. That’s what attracts me.”

Grassie himself came within one game of winning the entire bonspiel last year — skipping his team all the way to the finals before losing in the last game to a team from Wisconsin.

The long drive to class turned out to be worth it for Steinbach Campus student Carmina Dueck, who last week won a Literacy Partners of Manitoba (LPM) scholarship recognizing success in adult learners.

Dueck, who completed the Health Care Aide program through Steinbach’s Adult Learning Centre, was awarded an Eastman Region LPM Learner Scholarship at a Nov. 20 ceremony celebrating Literacy Partners’ 25^th anniversary.

Despite the 100-kilometre drive to campus, Dueck completed her Health Care Aide certificate on a part-time basis, received her mature high school diploma in June 2012, and is currently registered for RRC’s Bachelor of Nursing degree program.

She detailed her RRC experience in the most recent issue of LPM’s Write ON magazine.

“My horizons were broadened. My eyes were opened. My mind was expanded,” she writes.

“I felt vulnerable as I experienced worry about grades, frustration over assignments, and a pounding heart as exams were handed back. But everything was balanced out with joy, accomplishments, and higher levels. I persisted in my academic journey and won.”

Shown: Carmina Dueck (right) with Holly Banner, President of Literacy Partners of Manitoba

Congratulations to Red River College grad Lisanne Pajot (Creative Communications, 2003), whose debut film Indie Game: The Movie tied for 5th place on PBS’ list of the Top 10 documentaries of 2012.

Directed and produced by Pajot and partner James Swirksy (shown at left), the film chronicles the world of independent video game developers, and has drawn rave reviews from critics across North America since it bowed at the Sundance Film Festival last January.

In addition to its recent ranking on the PBS/POV list, the doc also picked up the World Cinema Documentary Best Editing Prize at Sundance. It’s since been toured throughout Canada and the U.S., and was optioned by HBO and producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Click here for more information, or to stream or download the film.

When I was asked to attend Red River College’s 2012 Alumni Dinner — and act as a student ambassador on behalf of the Creative Communications program — three thoughts danced around in my head.

First, I was thankful because it meant I had a legitimate reason to go shopping and find a pretty dress. Second, I figured based on the ticket price alone, I was bound to receive a complimentary fancy dinner. And third, I thought the event was a valuable networking opportunity to chat with professionals in my desired industry.

When I entered The Fairmont Winnipeg on Nov. 16, the evening of the gala, I remember being taken aback by the sheer number of guests waiting patiently to check their table number. Thinking back now, I don’t know why I was so surprised – after all, our College will be turning 75 years old next year.

Aside from the well-dressed crowd, delicious meal, beautiful venue and exquisite décor — the 2012 Alumni Dinner proved to be much more.

The Dinner was a celebration and appreciation of the many grads that contribute to the success and growth of our college. When I looked across the dozens of tables that seated approximately 500 guests, I felt moved knowing each and every one of those guests had a special connection with my College.

During the evening, such speakers as Wayne Morsky, master of ceremonies and 2011 Distinguished Alumni recipient, and Stephanie Forsyth, President & CEO of RRC, commented on how the College has evolved over the years. As a current student fortunate enough to go to school everyday in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, it was humbling to hear stories about our history.

Those stories brought me back to a week prior, when a very generous host and his beautiful wife invited 16 current RRC students — myself included — to join them for dinner. Read More →

There are three slices of butterfish lying across each other on the plate, their edges stained purple by beet juice. A small golden hill of julienned apple and beet rises nearby. The dish is framed by asparagus stalks, cucumber, a taro crisp anchored in brilliant orange roe and a pool of wasabi mayonnaise.

It looks like a modern sculpture. With its combination of Scandinavian fish curing and Japanese sensibilities, it’s a meeting of two cultures.

And it’s the dish that just won RRC alum Chef Östen Rice (Culinary Arts, 2001) the Winnipeg Gold Medal Plate, earning him a spot at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna next year.

“That dish was very personal for me, it goes back to my heritage,” Rice says, on a break from meal rushes at Wasabi Sabi. “My mom is from Sweden. She cooked the way her mother taught her, the way her grandmother taught her and so on. I came across some old recipe books and they inspired me for this dish.”

“I realized a while ago that Japanese and Scandinavian food can work well together. The cultures have the same clean aesthetic and presentation style to them – and lots of emotion swirling around them.”

Rice’s distinctive style – his Scandinasian flair – and his recent award are both accomplishments with years of experience behind them. The 31-year-old Winnipegger, born and raised in Fort Rouge, knew from an early age that he wanted to be a chef.

“As far back as I can I remember, I was always interested in food. My mom cooked food from scratch and I was always hanging around. I think there are pictures of me as a toddler trying to help.” Read More →

Congratulations to RRC alum Östen Rice (Culinary Arts, 2001), of Wasabi Sabi restaurant, on his recent win at the Gold Medal Plates competition in Winnipeg.

Rice was awarded top honours at the event, which took place Oct. 26 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. As it does every year, the event celebrates the best in local cuisine, pitting the city’s premiere chefs against each other in a bid for a spot at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Rice’s gold medal-worthy entry was a thrilling mix of sweet and sour, comprised of beet-cured butterfish, marinated sea asparagus, taro crisp and tobiko roe, and a slaw of julienned Fuki apple, golden beet and shiso leaf.

Food critic James Chatto, one of the judges at the event, described it thusly: “(Rice’s) dish had a personal narrative, inspired by the gravlax his Scandinavian grandmother used to cure, but given a Japanese twist to reflect the style of his restaurant.”

Rice shared the podium with fellow chefs Michael Schafer (Sydney’s at The Forks, bronze) and Jamie Snow (Amici at Niakwa). Also in attendance at the event were Senior Judge Jeff Gill, Culinary Instructor at RRC, fellow judge and RRC alum (and winner of last year’s gold medal) Michael Dacquisto, and RRC alum Adam Donnelly, who competed on behalf of his Segovia Tapas Bar and Restaurant.

Having won at the Winnipeg event, Rice now moves on to the Canadian Culinary Championships, which take place Feb. 8 and 9 in Kelowna, B.C.

Shown above: RRC alum Östen Rice (centre) along with Amici’s Jamie Snow (left) and Sydney’s at the Forks’ Michael Schafer (right), on the winner’s podium of this year’s Gold Medal Plates culinary competition.

Luke Kandia’s work as president and CEO of Seerx Technologies involves a lot of trouble shooting; when you’re building a client’s network infrastructure or recovering data from a fried laptop, it helps to have a mind geared toward problem solving.

So it’s fitting the 51 year old’s own search to find his calling was problematic.

“As a kid, you don’t really know what you want to do,” Kandia says. “When it came time to leave St. John’s High School, I went to the job fair and a university had a display up about Forestry and I thought, ‘Hey, I like the outdoors.’”

Kandia registered and headed east, only to find the course work heavy on measuring tree growth and light on communing with nature. After dropping out, he headed to Toronto for testing to enter fighter pilot training – a challenge that appealed to the adventurous young man.

Unlike the other entrants, he’d never flown a plane.

“All the other guys, they had been cadets, they had their private pilot’s license. When I got into the simulator, I bombed. They offered me a job in the army,” Kandia laughs.

Chastened, Kandia returned to Winnipeg to join a different force: the Winnipeg Police Service. As a cadet, Kandia peered inside the force’s operations, admiring the fast-paced, intense lives led by the officers around him. But the longer he served, the more the glamour wore off. A high-profile corruption case involving prominent officers soured his view of the force’s lifestyle. His plans to start a family faced off against his fears of meeting a known criminal while out shopping with his children.

“There was the glamour and the rush, but you’ve got to live with the rest of the stuff day to day,” Kandia says. “A lot of people on the station duty gave me the impression I could do better for myself outside.” Read More →