Community

CBC Manitoba in the community: A look back at 2025

From celebrating remarkable young Manitobans to focusing on locations like Winkler, Morden, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Flin Flon, here are some highlights of what CBC Manitoba was up to in and around the province in 2025.

Highlights of the year included Communities in Focus visits to Flin Flon, OCN and the Morden-Winkler area

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A man with white hair in a black leather jacket is DJing. You can see a large crowd in front of him
Odario Williams, host of Afterdark on CBC Music, entertains the crowd at Nuit Blanche in Winnipeg on Sept. 27. (Taron Cochrane/CBC)

From celebrating remarkable young Manitobans to focusing on locations like Winkler, Morden, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Flin Flon, here are some highlights of what CBC Manitoba was up to in and around the province in 2025.

January

A collage shows 10 profile photos of different people along with a graphic in the centre that reads "CBC Manitoba Future 40."
CBC Manitoba's Future 40 under 40 top 10 finalists for 2024 included, from left to right in the top row: Timi Ojo, Alex Nguyen, Matt Bell and Lucy Fowler. In the second row, from left to right: Trechelle Bunn and Payam Peymani. And in the bottom row, from left to right: Karen Gallagher, Dr. Kristjan Thompson, Christina McKay and Dr. Annie Drapeau. (CBC)

January saw the announcement of CBC Manitoba's 2024 Future 40 Winners. From saving kids with brain tumours to sashaying the hate away, the Future 40 winners made their mark on Manitoba. Read more about the 2024 Future 40 here.

February

A dark green background with "Her 204" in bright pink long text. A small area on the bottom shows a faded green map of the City of Winnipeg
CBC Manitoba sponsored the release of the album Her (204): Stories of One Great City Revisited. (womeninmusic.ca)

In February, the Manitoba chapter of the non-profit Women In Music Canada released an album to celebrate Winnipeg's 150th birthday. CBC Manitoba was proud to sponsor the release of Her (204): Stories of One Great City Revisited. Read more about the album here.

March

A green highway sign reads "Winkler," with an arrow pointing left, and "Morden," with an arrow pointing to the right.
Looking south on Highway 3, right before the turnoff to Winkler and Morden. (Brett Purdy/CBC)

In March, the cities of Winkler and Morden hosted CBC Manitoba's Communities in Focus, a project that aims to hear Manitobans' stories and share them with the rest of the province by opening "pop-up" bureaus in those communities.

CBC spent a week meeting with leaders and innovators, and learning about life in the region. Read more here.

April

Hay bales are seen in the distance on a field in fall.
Fields at Fort Whyte Alive, where CBC Manitoba celebrated Earth Day. (Darren Bernhardt/CBC)

In April, CBC Manitoba was on site all day at Fort Whyte Alive to celebrate Earth Day. Activities included guided hikes, outdoor activities, nature talks with different experts, eco-crafts, dipnetting, a bonfire and marshmallow roast, and other educational outdoor activities and games. Read more here.

May

Graphic with film illustration and text: FascinAsian Film Festival 2025.
The FascinAsian Film Festival showcased a selection of films in May. (FascinAsian Film Festival)

In May, CBC Manitoba celebrated Asian Heritage Month with the FascinAsian Film Festival. The festival showcased a selection of films, and also featured cast panels along with delicious food at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq. CBC's own Faith Fundal hosted a discussion onsite with filmmaker Ian Bawa. Read more.

June

Photo of many people in multi-coloured CBC Pride shirts, carrying balloons and smiling
A photo from Pride celebrations in 2023. CBC was proud to be part of Pride celebrations again this year. (CBC)

CBC was proud to be a part of Pride 2025. The Pride Winnipeg Festival is an opportunity to connect with and celebrate two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer and diverse communities in Manitoba. Read more.

July

Basketball player jumps and does a trick with the ball in front of the Winnipeg sign
Canada Day celebrations at The Forks in Winnipeg included an all-day basketball tournament that featured the Winnipeg Sea Bears. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)

On Canada Day, CBC Manitoba celebrated all things Canada at The Forks in Winnipeg. Our colourful pop-up kiosk asked people to share what living in this country means to them and tested their knowledge of Canadian culture in a friendly competition to win fun CBC prizes. Read more.

August

A man wearing a white shirt stands in a TV studio smiling at the camera.
Christopher Gareau joined CBC Manitoba as a reporter based in Steinbach in September. (Justin Deeley/CBC)

In August, CBC's local service expansion welcomed new reporters across the country. As a part of CBC's ongoing goal of better serving more Manitobans, we opened a news bureau in Steinbach with reporter Christopher Gareau, who is based in Steinbach and covers the southeastern Manitoba area. Read more.

Sign reading "Kultivation Festival" is featured on a colourful background
CBC Manitoba sponsored Kultivation, a Filipino festival that's growing quickly. (Kultivation Festival)

CBC sponsored Kultivation Festival this year. Kultivation, a quickly growing Filipino festival, featured more than 30 events and activities, featuring food, art, music, dance, education, culture and community. Read more.

September

Heather Hiscox behind at the anchor desk at CBC Morning Live.
Morning Live anchor Heather Hiscox. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)

September brought CBC anchor Heather Hiscox to Steinbach as a part of her Morning Live Across Canada Tour. On Sept. 25, a live broadcast of Morning Live with Heather Hiscox was hosted by the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach. Read more.

A Black woman with long black, breaded hair sings on a microphone. Her eyes are closed and her hands are extended outwards
Franco-Manitoban Kelly Bado won the global artist of the year award at the 2025 Western Canadian Music Awards. (Justin Deeley/CBC)

CBC sponsored BreakOut West, a four-day music industry conference, three-night music festival and the home of the Western Canadian Music Artistic Awards. Read more about who won this year's music awards.

A wall filled with purple and yellow projections above a man in a black leather coat DJing at the entrance of a tunnel
Odario Williams, host of Afterdark on CBC Music, DJed live at Nuit Blanche in Winnipeg on Sept. 27. (Sydney Bell/CBC)

Winnipeg's Exchange District came alive with sights, sounds and a live recording for broadcast during the annual Nuit Blanche on Sept. 27. CBC enlisted the help of several talented local artists who helped make this event stand out visually. Read more about the sounds and sights from the memorable evening.

October

A sign that says Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Opaskwayak Cree Nation hosted CBC's Communities in Focus project in September. (CBC)

In October, CBC shared stories from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and the surrounding area, which hosted CBC's Communities in Focus project in September. Our pop-up bureau spent a week meeting with leaders, elders and community members to learn more about OCN and the region. Read more.

November

Wide shot of a town with houses and a street
Flin Flon was the host to Communities in Focus in November. (Travis Golby/CBC)

In November, the northern Manitoba city of Flin Flon hosted Communities in Focus. Read the stories from the pop-up bureau here.

A fashion show runway is lit up with blue lights. A giant screen at the end shows a woman in a parka
The stage was set for the Crafted fashion show at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq in November. (Justin Deeley/CBC)

CBC also sponsored Crafted on the Catwalk and the Crafted: 2025 Show + Sale at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq in November. CBC livestreamed the fashion show and hosted a special screening of the TV series North of North, followed by a Q&A featuring Zorga Qaunaq, the actor who played Millie in the hit APTN, CBC and Netflix show. Read more.

LISTEN | Listen to Up To Speed Live from WAG-Qaumajuq :
Up To Speed was live on location at the WAG-Qaumajuq for Crafted. That's where Faith Fundal met the event's organizer, Sherri Van Went.

December

A group of people wearing black look at booklets as they sing.
A chorus sings during Make the Season Kind programming on Dec. 5. (CBC)

CBC Manitoba donated a day of programming in support of Harvest Manitoba as part of the Make the Season Kind campaign. On Dec. 5, CBC Radio in Manitoba featured live music and storytelling, creating a festive and heartfelt atmosphere that encouraged listeners to give to the province's food bank network. Performances included the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, Bobby Dove, Boy Golden, Jocelyn Gould and Karl Kohut, Arnold J, Jade Turner and Murray Pulver. Read more.

People eating food standing by the CBC Make the Season Kind Food Truck
Sampling a delicious creation from the CBC Make the Season Kind food truck. (CBC)

CBC was also on site at Zoo Lights in Assiniboine Park with a special food truck. For a small donation, guests enjoyed a unique dish: red lentil, bulgur and rice soup, which incorporated pantry items most needed at food banks. Read more.

Happy new year from CBC Manitoba!