Announcements

Marc’s son Patrick went and joined the Ukrainian military to contribute his support for them in the Ukraine/Russia conflict. Unfortunately, Patrick was killed over there. Patrick’s parents Marc and Annie are devastated by this tragic occurrence. “We have tried various avenues to locate and ultimately repatriate Patrick back to Canada, with very little success.”  Marc has set up the go fund me page to raise money. He will be travelling over there close to where Patrick was last seen in an attempt to find and bring back his son to Canada. The monies raised will help him with paying for travel, accommodation, Legal and repatriation costs, etc. 

gofundme link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/patrickmazerolle

Lodge 555 hosted National Training and their Trainers on February 8^th & 9^th   2023 for a field leadership class at their Regina Union Hall and Training Centre. The Instructors were j’Amey Bevan National Director of Training and Jim Beauchamp National Instructor.

Back Row L to R – J’Amey Bevan (National Director of Training), Darcy Altwasser, John Carlson, Neil Riley, Jim Beauchamp (National Instructor)

Front Row L to R – Blake Tremblay, David Davis, Oleksandr Tsuprak, Christina Michell

Training for the Steward position and the Working Mind program was recently conducted in different parts of the country with more to follow in the year. Working Mind was conducted by Blair Allin, IBB Health & Safety Representative and the Steward training was conducted by Richard MacIntosh International Representative.

Regina Steward Class on January 26^th, 2023: Lodge 555 – Yancy Alexanderson, Neil Riley, Clark White, Blake Tremblay, Levgenii Smaglii

Winnipeg Steward Class January 25^th, 2023: Lodge 555 – Logan Sali, Cody Ramsy, Brenda Murray, Aric Eissner-Suttie, Jarrod Delaurier, Eric Skoc, David Dueck

January 31 – February 1 2023, Sudbury, Ont – Lodge 128

Front Row – L to R – Guy Sauvageau, Joel Brazzoni, Luke Pasher, Derek Mokohonuk and of course Blair.

Back Row – L to R Leah McIntyre, Matthieu Remillard, Shane Landry, Corey Vahey, John Malik Trevor Barbeau

February 7-8, 2023 Sarnia, Ont – Lodge 128

Front row L to R – Ian Wood, Andre Dion, Roy Grills (L 128 Business Manager), Dalas Santavy (L 128 Sarnia Rep.), John Burns, Blair Allen, Noah Santavy.

Second Row L to R -Jason Spence, Quinn Howlett, Jacob Radske, Andrew Szmiett, Jesse Dowswell, Derek Crawford, Chris Davidson, Kris Normandeau, Sean Rea (L128 Sarnia Rep) , Cody Brown, Derek Taylor, Jim Clark

February 9-10, 2023 Burlington Lodge 128

Back row L to R – Todd Guthrie, Dave Brand, Dan McMahon jr., Bill Mawhinney, Geoff Eves

Front row L to R – Chris McIntosh, Richard Gale, Blair Allin, Eddie Wall (CORE 4 Trainer), Mark Feather

January 17^th, 2023 there was also a Steward Class conducted in Langley BC for Lodge 359.  

Tip 1 – Speed: Ride at a realistic speed to prevent injury and reduce the risk of accidents.

Tip 2 – Tethers: Invest in a tether to shut the motor off if you are separated from your machine. Always wear the tether when sledding.

Tip 3 – Ice: No matter the season, be cautious around frozen water. Be aware of the ice depth and strength, and stagger snowmobiles while crossing. Grey and slushy ice should be avoided!

Tip 4 – The Buddy System: No matter your skill level, ride with at least one other person and stay together.

Tip 5 – Don’t Exceed Skill Set: Make sure everyone in the group is comfortable with the trip plan and that it matches their abilities. Never give a young person a machine with more horsepower than they can safely operate.

Tip 6 – PPE: Dress for the weather and always wear your helmet.

Tip 7 – Sobriety: Never operate a snow machine under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving a snow machine while impaired carries the same penalties as operating a motor vehicle.

Tip 8 – Be prepared for an emergency with a first aid kit, signally flares, something to build a fire if needed.

Five Key Safety Guidelines for Riding in Avalanche Country

Tip 1 – GET THE GEAR: Ensure everyone has an avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe on their person and knows how to use them.

Tip 2 – GET THE TRAINING: Take an avalanche course.

Tip 3 – GET THE FORECAST: Make a riding plan based on the current avalanche and weather forecast.

Tip 4 – GET THE PICTURE: If you see recent avalanche activity unstable snow exists. Riding on or underneath slopes is dangerous.

Tip 5 – GET OUT OF HARM’S WAY: One at a time on all avalanche slopes. Don’t go to help your stuck friend. Don’t group up in runout zones.

Click to download PDF

Enjoy your adventure, have fun and play safe.

We are sad to announce the passing of Retired Brother Robert Eckstein on January 7th, 2021. Brother Eckstein was initiated into Local 555 in April 1980. Bob was a proud member of Local 555 for 40 years.