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We acknowledge with gratitude the traditional territories of our Indigenous and Metis neighbours and their hospitality. We offer our respect and commitment to living into right relationship with all our relations.
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Information that you would like included in the Weekly News should be sent to Cherry through this email by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays: PrairietoPine@united-church.ca
We REALLY want to facilitate the sharing of news about pastoral concerns, celebrations, educational opportunities and events so PLEASE share them with us. Due to the volume of requests, we will be pleased to publish announcements about events on 2 occasions before the deadline for registration and/or the actual event.
NOTE: We will be aiming to send out the Weekly News on Wednesdays.
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- Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Fran Dickinson of Waskada, Manitoba who died on March 17, 2021. Fran was a longtime presbyter of the former Assiniboine Presbytery. She was also involved in the U.C.W. even though Waskada has not had an active group for some time. She attended as many of the U.C.W. functions as possible. She is survived by her husband John and children Dawn, Bill and Tracy and their families. A private funeral service was held on Monday March 22 followed by a drive by memorial in her honor.
- Our thoughts and prayers are with St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon, its Board, Principal, students and alumni, as it works through next steps in implementing a strategic plan completed in November 20202. See details of relevant documents in the article below.
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COVID Updates for Both Manitoba and Ontario
(COVID updates in either province will be in the government links provided.)
Revisions to Red Restrictions - Manitoba
On March 23rd, 2021 the province of Manitoba announced some revisions to the red restrictions that are to expire on March 25, 2021. Changes to the Public Health Orders effective March 26, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. that will most directly effect faith-based communities are the increase is numbers attending weddings and funerals to twenty five people in addition to the officiant and photographer or videographer, increase in numbers for any outdoor gatherings to twenty five people and permission for those attending Drive-In services to be out of their vehicles following all other COVID restrictions. No changes were made to numbers and restrictions around regular worship (limit still 25% of capacity or 100 people which ever is less when adhering to social distancing, masking and all other related protocols). These changes effect until April 15, 2021 in all areas of the province except some Indigenous Communities which may have their own additional restrictions.
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Communication
The Prairie to Pine Weekly News is our primary means of dispensing information during these times. For those who are not currently receiving, to get registered to receive the Weekly News please email Cherry Abad with your request ( cabad@united-church.ca)
Some information is also available through the Prairie to Pine Regional Council website: www.prairietopinerc.ca |
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Community of Faith Events Calendar
Reminder: our Community of Faith events calendar is open 24/7 for online events! As long as the public is invited, you can post it. From workshops to worship, go for it. Here’s the handy form:
https://prairietopinerc.ca/community-events-form/
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Ministry Wellness Survey 
LAST CALL
As we approach the one- year anniversary of the first case of COVID 19 within the Region, the beginnings of restrictions that have led to the declaration of States of Emergencies and various Public Health Orders, and significant changes in the way that ministry happens, we are wanting to touch base with those of you engaged in pastoral ministry in pastoral charges. The Pastoral Relations Minister and the Committee on Ministry Personnel Support in the Prairie to Pine Regional Council along with those in Living Skies and Northern Spirit Regional Councils are inviting active ministry personnel currently in calls or appointments, through a survey, to share thoughts on your current state of wellness and sources of support. It is our hope that through your sharing we might become more aware of what is and isn’t happening, assess gaps in the current system and address emerging needs. Please note that all responses are anonymous. You should have received a survey on Tuesday, March 09, 2021. If you did not please be in touch with the Pastoral Relations Minister, Judy Hare ( jhare@united-church.ca). If possible, we would ask that you complete and return the survey by March 31, 2021. |
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Resources for Holy Week and Easter
As Communities of Faith finalize plans for services during Holy Week and Easter, we share the following information for those looking for some alternatives from the Moderator’s Facebook page:
. . It has been wonderful to see the many ways that communities of faith have come together, to continue to be Christ's people, sharing God's love, wherever you may be!
The Moderator and General Council staff have returned to working together to offer worship gatherings that have an "across the denomination" focus, hoping to support congregational worship (and not get in the way of it!). Among what we are up to are: Here's what we're up to, this year:
- a Good Friday service (Lent and Holy Week support requested by a number of ministers and communities of faith);
- a service of lament and apology for the United Church's participation in forced adoption;
- a celebration of Church Union;
- All Saints / All Souls; and,
- Advent Lament.
The Good Friday Service will be on the United Church's YouTube page, with both streaming and download access, at 11am (NDT) / 8:30am (EDT) / 7:30 am (CDT) 5:30am (PDT) on Good Friday, April 02,2021. (I wish I could give you a link to the actual service, but that won't exist until its posted).
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKYjQvHY5ndMCmrBjCu-N5A
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Other Worship Resources 
Music United members from across Canada submitted videos for "Peace for the Children", More Voices #149. What a beautiful result! Words and music by Doreen Lankshear-Smith, arrangement by Jason Locke, video and audio editing by Thom Varey.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dq1kDXPgO5c
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General Council 44 Commissioners
Job Description
As some veterans of General Councils past have noted (we won’t say who…), times have changed. Being a Commissioner to General Council can no longer involve being elected weeks before the General Council meeting and hopping on a plane. Instead, it’s a three-year commitment, with “recall” meetings that make decisions for the entire church, and opportunities to keep reflecting and deciding on a wide range of concerns. Have a look at the full details here. Your Nominations committee is seeking a lot of good names, spanning the full range of identities and church experiences. Please help them by spreading the word.
An important planning note: General Council 44 was moved back to July 2022 in light of pandemic uncertainties, and has now been moved to an entirely online meeting. But: even if you, or a good candidate you know, have limited internet or older equipment, do not let that keep you from applying or from encouraging others. General Council planning will include accessibility for a video meeting.
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Light the Flame for a Guaranteed Livable Income
on April 8, 2021
In this video, Moderator Richard Bott invites us to join the call for a Guaranteed Livable Income and contact our Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. April 8 is a chance to make visible this call and Light the Flame for a Guaranteed Livable Income. Plan to light a candle and post publicly on social media (#UCCanlivableincome) in solidarity with small outdoor vigils being held on Parliament Hill, at Minister Chrystia Freeland’s constituency office, and at other MP constituency offices. Due to COVID-19, the vigils are restricted to locally designated individuals, and plans will be adjusted if needed. If you’d like to organize one, contact justice@united-church.ca. Take a look at the GLI page for more information and worship resources. And sign up here to receive updates. The Cross Canada GLI network of United Church leaders is eager to connect with you. Click here for the flyer. |
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Sacraments Elders - Licensing Renewal
There have been inquiries about the timelines for requesting renewals for licensing for Sacraments Elders for the Pastoral Year, July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The updated form and more details will be available AFTER EASTER. Please hold off in sending in forms as they may need to be redone.
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St. Andrew's College
The most recent communication from Richard Manley-Tanis, Principal at St. Andrew’s College dated March 22, 2021 expresses “thanks to those who have offered support and challenge during these changing times for the college.
As way of reference, I have listed several recent updates below in regard to these transformational changes:
As those Regional Councils who have historically been partners of the college, I want to share that I am most open to connecting with you to answer questions and share updates as the college accelerates its strategic plan, which was approved in November 2020.“
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Test of Faith: Winnipeg Free Press article on COVID includes the UCC
The Free Press has a great feature article on a range of faith groups, including the United Church, and the one year anniversary of COVID turning our worship and community lives upside down. Click here to have a look.
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Free Press' Free Online
Religious Services Directory
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Ministry Personnel Support Gathering
The Committee on Ministry Personnel Support of the Prairie to Pine Regional Council recently sent out an email about a program offering the listening ear of some experienced retired/retained colleagues, the MP2MP Connectors. Every two weeks on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., Ministry Personnel are offered the opportunity to check in with one another through a ZOOM connection. The next one is on April 6, 2021. The Zoom link is available on the P2P website under the events calendar or in the Weekly News. |
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Keep Housing Public Action Call for Manitoba
Right to Housing is a coalition that advocates for quality, affordable housing for low-income people in Manitoba. United Church congregations have been involved since we began this work, over 15 years ago. Right to Housing is now asking supporting groups to write to the Premier and their own MLA to support the campaign “Keep Public Housing Public”. A legacy of poverty and homelessness can follow if the current stock of public housing disappears into the private sector. Click here for the story on our website; the action itself is here: https://righttohousing.ca/keep-public-housing-public/
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Please send 2020 Annual Report
Please send two copies of your community of faith’s 2020 Annual Report to the Committee on Community of Faith Support: one hard copy mailed to Prairie to Pine Regional Council, 1622B St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2M 3W7, and an electronic copy (if you’ve saved the report on a computer) to PrairietoPine@united-church.ca. These annual reports will be available for reference by the Committee on Community of Faith Support, staff, and other committees / commissions who may have need to see them. Be sure to keep a copy to be archived at some point. The 2020 report may be of particular interest to future researchers looking at how churches did their work during Covid-19 pandemic.
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2021 Bursary applications
We welcome Darlynne Smith as the New Chair of the Prairie to Pine Bursary Committee and thank Shirley May for her many years of service as the Past-Convener of the committee.
The Regional Council Bursary Fund and UCW Bursary applications are now available. Please visit the Prairie to Pine Regional Council website for more information and how to apply, including the letter to the Chairperson of Official Boards of Communities of Faith and UCWs or Women's Group. |
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Support for Ministry Personnel
These are stressful times when ministry personnel are attempting to fulfill the tasks associated with their role and calling and find safe and creative ways to keep congregations connected and spiritually nurtured. For many the time it takes to draw upon the gifts and skills of others to carry out some tasks and the learning curve around new technologies to enable meetings, study groups, worship and virtual coffee times to happen is significant. Ministry Personnel are encouraged amid all that is being required of them, to tend to self care and seek out the support of others if and when it might be helpful. The Employee and Family Assistance Plan of the United church of Canada offers several supports accessible online or by calling: 1-800-387-4765
With further details under: www.uccan-benefitscentre.ca |
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Our world seems smaller and more confined since COVID began. May these stories help widen it, and help us see where our prayers and actions from home can support those we may never meet in person, but with whom we are part of the Body of Christ.
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United Church member reflections on racism series continues
Rev Sun Young Kim calls on White people to listen to racial and ethnic minority people, saying that, “As an ethnic minority, I should confess that it is more difficult to deal with well-meaning progressive White people than with blatant racists. I am not afraid of the latter because they know where they stand on the issue, and so do I. It is more difficult to deal with progressive White people because their racism is so subtle that only ethnic minorities can feel it. ..That is why I need humility from my White siblings. I don’t want them to be discouraged that they sometimes hurt us without realizing it. However, I need them to be humble enough to ask for guidance. When in doubt, ask.” Read her full reflection here.
A reflection from Executive Minister Shannon McCarthy on dismantling White privilege notes, “Like many White people, I would not label myself as racist. It has taken time for me, however, to realize that by not being actively anti-racist, by not recognizing my White privilege, by not understanding how White supremacy affects so much of who we are as an institution and country, I am also not doing my part to dismantle racist systems that are so rooted in our church. What I have tried to do as I came to these understandings is not let it immobilize me in inaction, to not throw up my hands and say “this is too big of a problem” and hide my head in the sand.” |
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Stewardship Easter worship materials and video
All Stewardship materials are now available here. A summary of Easter resources was sent out to the national Stewardship list, and it can be found here. For those of you streaming or recording services (and those of you lucky enough to have connection in the sanctuary!) here’s a short Easter Stewardship video. The national Stewardship Facebook group, Invite, Inspire, Thank, is here.
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Up to date 2021 Minutes for Mission:
where to find them!
There are lots of ways to access Minutes for Mission and all the great videos and photos that go with them. Have a look here. |
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Little Britain United Church
Little Britain United Church is pleased to announce that they have become an Affirming Community of Faith following a vote held on March 7th. An outdoor celebration will take place in the spring when weather and Provincial Health regulations permit.
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Oak Bank United Church
Virtual Dinner Theatre
Oak Bank Dinner Theatre presents "Every Time I Get With a Program, Somebody Changes the Channel," scheduled on the following dates: April 23, 24, 30 and May 1. Please click here for more details or visit www.oakbankdinnertheatre.com
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Faith on the Move:
a national journey online through Lent
March 30, Noon Central. Please refer to this link for a full description and to confirm times, as the dates fall over the daylight savings time change. These will be 60 minute programs.
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Introduction to Indigenous
Land and Issues in Canada
March 20-June 19, Sandy Saulteaux Centre
Host Adrian Jacobs, SSSC Keeper of the Circle, and Indigenous elders from across Canada invite you to explore the cultural and historic foundations to today’s headlines. Join us for a series of online conversations in response to the Indigenous education mandates from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Final Report. Registration info here. Please check the times carefully! |
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Windsor Park Community Hub
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Windsor Park United Church is excited and proud to announce the launch of the Windsor Park Community Hub through a Stay At Home Manitoba grant from the Province of Manitoba. This new initiative will be a place for us to engage in community and with community during these pandemic times.
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Deloraine United Church Women
(organized in 1925)
It is with great sadness we announce the group has decided to disband. With the membership maturing and no new members being added it was decided they could no longer to continue to a world mission-oriented service and study group that supported almost 100 active missionaries around the world. The Woman’s Association (WA) at that time focused on work in the local church and community. Guilds and Ladies’ Aids were the WA’s forerunners; in the early years, these units went unrecorded, just doing what needed to be done, spiritually, financially, and socially.
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St. Andrew’s College’s
second #NoGalaGala online event
We invite you to be part of St. Andrew’s College’s second #NoGalaGala online event. As a registrant of the college fundraiser, you will be able to access this content exclusively on YouTube for the first six months following the release of the event on April, April 9 th at 4:00 PM (SK). An invitational link will be sent to you at the official launch time. Whether you choose to watch on your own, organize an evening with family, friends and/or congregants, please join Greg Torwalt, St. Andrew’s College Registrar, Richard Manley-Tannis, Principal, and Shawn Sanford-Beck, Recruitment Officer, as they engage in a conversation with Greg’s music. As those who support the college, we thank you for your ongoing trust to help us prepare disciples called to go out into the world boldly and humbly. To view the preview, please click here.
To be part of this event, please register at: https://bit.ly/39ShU2T. You will receive a tax-receipt for a portion of the registration fee.
For more information, please contact the College at 306-966-8970 or standrews.college@usask.ca. |
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The Knox Green Team (Brandon) Presents:
"Toward a Sustainable Food Chain -
Relearning our Role"
March 25 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Zoom
If you are anything like me, you usually think about eating as a way to nourish your body, as a good excuse to gather with friends and as a way to add some tasty pleasure to your life. What if the way we eat could also become a way of restoring our ecosystems and limiting climate change?
This webinar will offer information about emerging restorative agriculture systems and begin (or continue) to keep us thinking about how our choices as consumers can make a big difference in the natural systems on which we depend – and how they are either nurtured or degraded. The evening includes a presentation and discussion with Ryan Boyd, a local practitioner of restorative agriculture.
Please join us for some fascinating information and stimulating discussion on this important issue. To register please contact the Knox Office at knoxchurch@wcgwave.ca by 24 March. |
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Open Out Podcasts: Finding the Heart Beat
Open Out: Finding the Heart Beat. Two podcasts focusing on the role of music in building intentionally-open, intercultural faith communities, the nitty-gritty of incorporating global music into churches - featuring an in-depth conversation with John Bell (wildgoose.scot).
Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/917410/8009061
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/917410/8062997
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Indigenous Lenten Series: Ahogichipabi
Wednesdays Feb 24 - Mar 31 2021 at 7:30 PM MST. Join us during this Lenten season as we explore Christ’s journey into the desert and the connection this has to Indigenous spiritual traditions: the 7 sacred teachings of the Assiniboine and the Vision Quest. We will examine the intercultural traditions found in Indigenous Christian theology and how this impacts our spiritual formation and worldview today. Sponsored by the Chinook Winds Region and the Urban Indigenous Circle. Click here for the Facebook event. The Zoom link is here. Contact Tony Snow for more information: tony.snow@hillhurstunited.com
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New at United Church in Learning
Have a look at some great new opportunities here. |
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CDI Loan and Grants applications
Grants and Loan applications are now available. To know more about Church Development Inc. (CDI) and how to apply for the grants and loans, please click here.
Deadline to receive grants applications: March 31 and October 15
Deadline to receive loan application: Accepted anytime
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Reminder: be careful with photo copyright!
Here are some tips
Photos are vital to our websites, social media, worship PowerPoints and much more. They add a lot to our online ministry and in-person PowerPoints. And they’re sometimes a little too easy to take and share. So please beware, and follow good copyright practices. Click here for some further information, resources, and ideas for copyright-free or fair use photos. |
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Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday!
To make a submission of United Church related news to the Prairie to Pine Weekly Newsletter:
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Deadline:
Email:
Subject line:
Include:
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Tuesdays at 4:00 PM
PrairietoPine@united-church.ca
"Prairie to Pine Weekly News"
TITLE of your news piece
BLURB or WRITE-UP to be included
Files or posters to be included (if any)
Thank you!
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To see all of our previous issues, all in one tidy place, please click below:
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To subscribe to the Weekly News, please click below:
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Prairie to Pine Regional Council
1622-B St. Mary's Rd
Winnipeg MB R2M 3S7
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PrairietoPine@united-church.ca
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Prairie to Pine Regional Council
STAFF
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Shannon McCarthy
Executive Minister for
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
Living Skies Regional Council
Northern Spirit Regional Council
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SMcCarthy@united-church.ca
1-800-268-3781 ext. 2028
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Jamie Mckay
Program Assistant for
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
Living Skies Regional Council
Northern Spirit Regional Council
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JMckay@united-church.ca
1-800-268-3781 ext. 2040
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Judy Hare
Pastoral Relations Minister
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
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JHare@united-church.ca
204-421-8151
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Twila MacNair
Minister of Young Adults And Youth
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
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TMacNair@united-church.ca
204-781-8124
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Cherry Abad
Administrative Support
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
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CAbad@united-church.ca
204-594-8381
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Heather Dootoff
Financial Administrator for
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
Living Skies Regional Council
Northern Spirit Regional Council
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HDootoff@united-church.ca
Phone:306-789-1622
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Julie Graham
Regional Minister: Justice & Communication for
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
Living Skies Regional Council
Northern Spirit Regional Council
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JGraham@united-church.ca
Phone: 306-244-2157
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Erin Acland
Keeper of the Archives
Prairie to Pine Regional Council
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ucarchives@uwinnipeg.ca
Phone: 204-783-0708
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