Beausejour among rural communities to experience first-ever Pride event: Eastman Pride

19-06-2025

Eastman Pride on Memorial Boulevard for the 2025 Winnipeg Pride Parade on June 1, 2025. (CTV News Winnipeg)
Several rural communities in Manitoba are set to experience their first-ever Pride event this summer, according to a grassroots organization.
Kathy Majowski, one of the founding members of Eastman Pride, said an upcoming Pride event in Beausejour—a town of over 3,000 people approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg—will be the first for the rural community on June 29.
Black River, River Hills, Lac du Bonnet and Victoria Beach are also scheduled to experience their first-ever events.
Majowski said the volunteer-based group was founded last year following a lack of Pride events in the Eastman region of the province.
Pinawa was the only place to have one, Majorski said.
She said the 'last straw' came after one community member was 'intimidated' last year into cancelling Pride festivities after it reached their community council.
'We're trying to make things more inclusive and more welcoming in the rural communities,' said Majowski.
'Some of the really loud negative voices, they exist, they're in our communities, but they are very much in the minority.'
Majowski said that all events will be family-friendly, suitable for all ages and will include a walk and community barbecue. Certain events will feature guest speakers, music, a drag queen, Dykes on Bikes and a marching band, based on availability.
The group, which has grown to nearly 50 members, has received financial support from Manitoba Pride Alliance and assistance from other organizations, according to Majowski.
Eastman Pride already held events earlier this month in Springfield and alongside Sagkeeng First Nation, including the first-ever Pride event at Powerview-Pine Falls.
'As we keep going and meeting folks in the community, our organization gets bigger and bigger,' she said. 'It's just so wonderful to see that folks are not just willing to support it, but actually want to be involved.
'Just because you may not see it on a day-to-day basis in the rural area, there is so much support for the queer community. It has honestly been overwhelming.'
More details on Eastman Pride's events, including dates and times, can be seen on the group's Facebook or Instagram account.

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Manitoba musician, partner dead in highway crash near Swan River

Globe and Mail

3 hours ago

Globe and Mail

Manitoba musician, partner dead in highway crash near Swan River

The bassist for a Winnipeg band and his partner are dead after a Canada Day crash on a Manitoba highway. Indie pop band Royal Canoe says bass player Brendan Berg died in the crash a day before his 43rd birthday, along with Olivia Michalczuk. RCMP say they responded to a head-on crash on Tuesday afternoon north of Swan River, in western Manitoba. They say a southbound vehicle veered over the centre line and hit another vehicle that's believed to have been parked, causing it to roll over. Police say two men in the southbound vehicle suffered critical injuries, while a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old female passenger in the other vehicle died in hospital. Royal Canoe said on social media that Berg's death has left an 'enormous and sudden hole in the lives of everyone who knew him.' 'Over the last 15 years of cross-country tours, late studio nights - through the high highs and low lows, Brendan's relentless positivity, big smile, and considerate nature were a stabilizing and inspiring force for us,' the band wrote. 'He was always the first to volunteer his time to pick up the trailer from the shop or load gear after tour. His generosity and selflessness were legendary.' The band offered condolences to the families of Berg and Michalczuk. 'Olivia's energy and enthusiasm brought out the best in Brendan, and her passing is equally as devastating to try to understand.'