News

John Gale, a 1980 graduate of Red River College's Mechanical Engineering Technology program, is being called the "Donald Trump of Kenora" for his ambitious plans to turn the Northwestern Ontario city into a vacation mecca.

As mentioned in a recent Winnipeg Free Press profile, Gale has plans to oversee up to $1 billion in development in Kenora, including a five-star resort and conference centre, a theme park, new lakefront cottage lots and an RV park.

Gale is making his bold move into real estate development following a successful career in the diamond drilling industry. In the 1980s Gale helped develop a new technology for diamond drilling, and eventually became a 50% owner in Winnipeg-based drill manufacturer Dimatec Inc. He sold his stake in the company last year.

Read more about Gale's background and his plans for Kenora here.

The Shocknife, a Winnipeg-based invention that was partly developed at Red River College, has won the 2009 Manning Innovation Award.

Developed by veteran police officer Jeff Quail, the Shocknife is a tool
used to train law enforcement officials how to deal with edged weapon
attacks.  Similar in appearance to a real knife, the device delivers an
electric charge that simulates the pain associated with a knife wound,
but leaves no permanent damage.

The Shocknife was one of the first products to emerge from RRC’s Applied Research and Commercialization program, which links industry with the College’s research expertise to create innovative, marketable technologies.

RRC electronics instructor Alex McIlraith worked with product designers to miniaturize the Shocknife’s electronics to fit inside a typical size knife casing.  He also re-engineered the product so it could be powered by a single nine-volt battery.

Since being launched in 2006, Shocknives have been sold to customers around the world, including the FBI, the Norwegian Military Academy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Special protection Group that guards India’s prime Minister.  The product has also been covered extensively in publications serving the law enforcement and military industries, and was featured on the Discovery Channel.

In appreciation of the role RRC played in developing the product, Shocknife, Inc. previously donated several pieces of equipment for use in the College’s electronics programs.

Chad Evans — an Educational Assistant at RRC's Exchange District campus — has set himself an enviable mission: to try a pizza from every pizza joint in Winnipeg that he can find.

Evans blogs about his progress at The Urban Sasquatch, providing a star rating for every slice he samples. His efforts to locate the premier pizza in the 'Peg were recently chronicled in the Winnipeg Free Press.

James Allardice, a 1988 graduate of Red River College's Hotel & Restaurant Management program, was recently elected to a two-year term as President of the Manitoba Restaurant and Food Services Association.

Allardice is currently the managing partner of the Boston Pizza franchise in Selkirk, MB, and is a partner in the chain's downtown Winnipeg location.

Read more about Allardice in The Interlake Spectator.

Red River College grad Cameron Dueck (Creative Communications) has taken the notion of a summer sailing trip to a whole new level.

He's currently at the halfway point of a 7,000 nautical-mile expedition from Victoria, BC to Halifax, NS via the Northwest Passage. As of August 23rd, Dueck and the four-member crew of the Silent Sound were near Gjoa Haven, Nunavut.

The purpose of the voyage is to highlight the impact climate change is having on Canada's Arctic. From openpassageexpedition.com:

To explore these
dramatic changes taking place the 40-foot sailing yacht Silent Sound
will embark on a voyage that five years ago was nearly impossible for
amateur sailors….The goal of this expedition is to
use written word, video and photos to tell the story of how climate
change is affecting Arctic communities.

Learn more about the project, and track the Silent Sound's progress at the Open Passage Expedition website. Read about Cameron's own voyage from journalist to Arctic explorer in the Interlake Spectator or the Winnipeg Free Press.

RRC student Deanna Ng (Disability and Community Support) is profiled in the Winnipeg Free Press today for her volunteer efforts with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

A client of the CNIB herself, Deanna has worked with the organization for six years, helping with fundraising, assisting with
clerical work in the organization's offices and serving as a mentor to visually impaired children.

Deanna is also a recipient of a 2009 Youth Leaders in Action Scholarship from the United Way of Winnipeg.

Interesting article in the July 20th issue of Time that focuses on the role that community colleges can play in helping rebuild the U.S. economy, and the attention they're getting from policymakers.

The article, penned by Laura Fitzpatrick, goes on to cite the flexibility of community colleges and their focus on the labour requirements of local industry as two reasons to justify further investment in college programs and facilities.

A tip of the hat to the Mohawk Matters blog for bringing this article to our attention.

 The July 2009 issue of Dogs in Canada magazine features a profile on the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB), located at Red River College's Notre Dame Campus.

Founded in 1987, the CABB is Canada's largest animal blood bank. The organization is dedicated to improving veterinary care by providing
blood products for animals who require transfusion therapy as part of
their care.

Read the full story here.

On Wednesday night, Manitoba’s best young athletes gathered at Red River College for a pep rally as a send off to the 2009 Canada Summer Games.

Over 300 athletes on Team Manitoba will compete against others from across the country in 18 events from August 15-29 in Prince Edward Island.

Throughout the pep rally, Ace Burpee kept the athletes pumped up as they got introduced and showed off their team cheers. Capping the night off, local magician Darcy Oake mesmerized the crowd with a high-energy magic show.

It was a great night for the athletes and coaches and Red River College wishes Team Manitoba the best in PEI.

Go Team Toba!

Red River College’s groundskeeping staff have been hard at work over the past few months to bring some colour to the Notre Dame Campus. Here’s just a few examples of their work.

Photos courtesy of RRC’s Jonathan Ferber.