KIPLING — Kipling town council passed a motion at their meeting last week to recognize wheelchair curler Gilbert Dash with a sign at the entrance to town.
Dash is from Kipling and is a member of Canada’s national team and a three-time world champion. He made his worlds debut in 2023 and helped Canada to a silver medal. He returned for the next two worlds and the Canadians were on the podium again with bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025.
Dash played second at his first two worlds, then was skip for 2025. This year, he will be in Canada’s starting line-up for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.
Dash is a lifelong curler. In 2006, he was diagnosed with a broken back and spinal cord damage after he crashed while ski jumping in Kimberley, B.C. He had been involved in curling growing up in his hometown of Kipling.
Dash became a wheelchair curler in 2008 and by 2012 he was a provincial champion for the first of many times. In 2016, Dash was promoted to Curling Canada’s NextGen wheelchair program as a top prospect for international play.
Kipling council received a letter suggesting the town recognize Dash’s achievements on one of their billboards on the highway corridor on the edge of town, where other notable Kipling people are recognized. The town was in support of it and will be adding a billboard in Dash’s honour.
Food bank moving into old fire hall bays
Kipling town council passed a motion at their meeting last week to allow the Kipling Food Bank to move into the fire hall to give the food bank more room for food storage and to make it more accessible.
Currently the food bank is located in the basement of the Professional Building.
After their second annual food drive before Christmas, the food bank brought in $30,000 in food and monetary donations, and the communities of Kennedy, Langbank and Windthorst have expressed interest in taking part in the food drive in 2026.
Kipling CAO Brenna Ackerman said last week the decision was made to allow the food bank to move into some bays at the fire hall that are currently being used to store municipal equipment.
She said this would give the food bank access to large doors to allow for big shipments, and would give them more room for shelving as well.
