The year 2025 may not feel like a gripping page-turner for most people living in Ritchot and Niverville. Unlike 2024, there were no Hollywood movie studio announcements or RCMP manhunts. Civil outcry over the controversial Plan20-50 had all but gone silent by the time the calendar turned one year ago.
Still, the story of 2025 is compelling for this region when seen in its entirety. This was a year of outstanding growth, forward-thinking leadership, and celebration of locals who strive to make a difference in the world.
Remarkable People
Our region is home to some incredible people and The Citizen was able to capture many of their stories over the past 12 months.
Jen Normand is a self-taught wildlife photographer whose captivating images bring coyotes, foxes, black bears, and bald eagles up close and personal.
Ken Krahn and his wife Emily were excited to complete their bucket list dream of visiting all 32 NHL arenas across North America.
Brother and sister duo Daniel Fewster and Colleen Dyck made waves in the Legislature this summer when they rallied the provincial government to create a bill that provides improved healthcare waitlist transparency. The goal is to prevent others from needlessly dying, like their mother did, while waiting for life-saving surgery.
There’s also a host of local volunteers to recognize.
As if volunteering on the local fire brigade isn’t enough, some members of the Ritchot Fire Department went above and beyond, aiding the province in this year’s fight against record-breaking wildfires.
Both Cameron Bennett and Scott Stroh are retired military veterans whose focus now revolves around making the world a safer space for sufferers of post-traumatic stress injury.
Three area farmers have made it their mission to help feed the world’s hungry through the Grow Hope project, organized by MCC.
And then there are community champions like Michael Oman, who give back quietly, without seeking praise, all for the sake of making their hometowns better places to live. In Oman’s case, he has been advocating for sporting initiatives and local recreation, building a badminton club and optimizing St. Adolphe’s disc golf course.
Celebrations and Grand Openings
It’s also been a big year for meaningful anniversaries and big grand openings. The Niverville Credit Union celebrated 75 years of operation while Providence University College threw a party for its one hundredth anniversary.
Open Health Niverville expanded its offices. In St. Adolphe, two doctors began practicing at the community’s first medical clinic.
Jette Studios held a grand opening for their movie studio. Three constables and a corporal began working from Niverville’s new RCMP detachment.
It was a busy year for park openings and renewals, too, including Station Lands Heritage Park and Opa’s Park in Niverville, as well as the Jeannot Robert Boat Launch in Ste. Agathe.
Also in Ste. Agathe, the Riel Industrial Park was celebrated as a quintessential economic success story and example for rural community cooperation nationwide.
Population and Commerce
In every community, residential growth has continued its upward trajectory. Developers of Oak River Meadow in Île-des-Chênes began working on plans for phase two of their 161-acre neighbourhood. Meanwhile, another 20-acre development is being built out as an adult-living community.
In Ste. Agathe, where housing options are waning, Ritchot’s council released some land for the development of affordable housing.
In a similar vein, Niverville’s council restructured their bylaws to accommodate the construction of smaller, more affordable suites with fewer parking stall requirements.
Also this summer, Niverville approved its first six-storey apartment building.
Another indicator of growth is the inundation of new businesses. For Niverville, the opening of McDonald’s was especially big. As well, the nationally recognized Joy Smith Foundation announced the decision to move its nonprofit headquarters from downtown Winnipeg to Main Street Niverville.
Perhaps one of the biggest commercial stories to break in 2025 was the December announcement of a major AI data centre proposing to locate in Île-des-Chênes.
Infrastructure, Education, and Sports
With all that growth comes the need for new and improved infrastructure. In St. Adolphe, the long-awaited renewal of Main Street was well-received.
In terms of waste management, Ritchot’s council considered a biowaste pilot project for the local landfill. Residents of Niverville and Ritchot were also forewarned of rising septic fees, thanks to soon to be constructed wastewater treatment plant.
It was also a busy year in the education sector.
Families were provided an opportunity to consider private Christian education in Niverville. At the same time, Providence was forced to restructure after the government made cuts to the number of incoming international students.
The RM of Ritchot decided to collaborate with Assiniboine College to provide adult education classes at the municipal office in St. Adolphe.
All three local school divisions—Hanover, Seine River, and the DSFM—experienced cybersecurity breaches last February.
As for the DSDM, it was once again on the cutting edge of policy, deciding to try curbing student AI use by substantially reducing homework.
When it comes to local athletes, the successes are too vast to name. However, it would be impossible to write any end-of-year recap without acknowledging the Niverville Nighthawks, who have gotten off to an unprecedented 27–2–1 start. Not only does that put them at the top of the MJHL standings, but they were recognized in December as the top junior hockey team in all of Canada.
Important Issues
Between all the local news stories that broke this past year, The Citizen has worked hard to keep you informed on a wide spectrum of important issues.
We covered compelling subjects such as medical assistance in dying (MAiD), coping with Alzheimer’s, and facing interminable waits for long-term care in Manitoba. We researched the tiny home phenomenon, dove into the question of when kids should be introduced to cellphones, shed light on phone scams, and investigated how AI is changing our world.
Not only was 2025 a special year for the region broadly, for The Citizen it marked the tenth anniversary of delivering relevant stories on the people and happenings in our neighbourhoods.
Looking forward, we’re excited to see what 2026 brings—and we’ll be there to tell those stories in real-time.