Ribbon cutting planned for June 2
The Stanley Community Pathway got some further financial support recently in advance of its grand opening.
The ribbon cutting on the bike path that connects Morden to Winkler is set for Tuesday, June 2 at 2 p.m. near the pathway on the north highway entrance to Morden Nurseries.
Ahead of that celebration, organizers this week recognized donations of $35,000 from Wolfe Enterprises and $25,000 from Elite Crushing along with several other private contributors to the project.
“Community support is something that I have always taken seriously,” said Rod Wolfe of Wolfe Enterrprises. “And in particular, when we are working on a project that is community involved, I especially like to give back even more at that time.”
He noted how the pathway is something that connects and brings the three communities together.
“Hopefully, this is one next step to being even better.”
“I like to give back to the communities,” said Levi Wiens of Elite Crushing. He noted how they do business in the wider region and in particular do a lot of work with Triple E. “The pathway project was a big passion for them.
“It made sense for us,” said Wiens of the donation. His company also supplied material for the base under the pathway. “It was really nice to be part of this big project, and it’s kind of nice to be able to put your name on it.”
A number of other donors were also acknowledged, providing statements as to why they opted to support the project.
“We support safe active transportation and gladly contributed toward this project in 2025,” said Brenda and Ken Klassen. “We have enjoyed this type of pathway in many other communities and are so pleased that our communities have collaborated to provide this in our region. We have already enjoyed the trail several times and look forward to continuing to use it. We hope many others also utilize it.”
Mike, Mel, Marlow, and Juniper Urichuk commented on how they love having an active and connected community in Winkler and try their best to make the community healthy, support its growth, and shape its future.
“We all work in our own ways each day to build a connected community. Most of the time, these connections are abstract. Stanley Trail Association, along with Winkler Community Foundation and Morden Community Foundation, gave us the opportunity to build a physical connection between our cities.
“While this pathway helps our active commuters stay protected from highway traffic while giving families a place to ride, walk, and bike, I see it as a path to a more connected Pembina Valley—a bridge to tomorrow. We donated because we believed that this project was part of a better tomorrow. We wanted to part of that,” they wrote.
“The Stanley community pathway was a project I knew early on that I wanted to be part of,” noted fellow donor Irene Krahn. “I loved the vision of having a safe way for the people of Winkler, Morden and the RM of Stanley to get outside, be healthy, promote better mental health all while making it safer by having a path that walkers, runners and bikers could enjoy that connects the three communities.
“Having an easier way for people at the Boundary Trails Health Centre and the families staying a Katie’s Cottage to enjoy the outdoors is something that really made this project complete for me,” she continued. “By donating to the project, I knew that this would outlive me and would be enjoyed by my grandkids and community members for generations to come.”
Pathway committee lead James Friesen commented on how well the route has already been embraced since it opened to the public several months ago.
“We had a beautiful fall, so people were out there,” he said. “We basically opened the pathway for people to start using, and that was a good thing.”
He noted they were very close to finishing up the project, only needing to address some drainage issues along with plans for a shelter and rest station near Boundary Trails Health Centre.
Friesen estimated they need to raise perhaps another $65,000 to complete what overall has come to be a $4.2 million project.
“We finished 99 per cent of it. We’ve got some signage to put in place,” he said. “So this is a celebration of all of the funders, the grants, and the individuals who have sponsored, allowing us to finish this project.”
