{"id":319493,"date":"2025-12-02T01:07:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T01:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/319493\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T01:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T01:07:13","slug":"cornerstone-time-capsule-rededicated-as-bthc-expansion-nears-completion-pembinavalleyonline-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/319493\/","title":{"rendered":"Cornerstone, time capsule rededicated as BTHC expansion nears completion – PembinaValleyOnline.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-five years ago, Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC)<\/a> opened its doors in the Pembina Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, the centre\u2019s cornerstone was dedicated with a special item inside \u2014 a time capsule.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Friday (November 28), in honour of BTHC\u2019s expansion, the cornerstone was moved and rededicated, and the time capsule refreshed for posterity. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A historic day for BTHC\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dana Human, the interim CEO of Southern Health \u2013 Sant\u00e9 Sud, called the rededication \u201canother historic moment at Boundary Trails Health Centre.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

The ceremony was conducted by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Manitoba, which established Morden Hospital (later to become BTHC)\u00a0in the late 1800s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was one of the first rural hospitals in the province. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were joined by the Honourable Masons to come and replace the cornerstone that has been a long piece of history within the Morden Hospital since healthcare services started within this part of the region,\u201d said Human. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A region with a history of advocating for local healthcare\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Human, the rededication was an opportunity to visit an area that, in her opinion, has a reputation for working toward establishing healthcare services in its own backyard. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis community has a long history of health services and advocating to ensure that they’ve got what they need within the community,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a part of it … is just another checkbox in the history books for us \u2014 to be walking alongside this community and being able to take part, and I just really like these historical moments.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Human said the cornerstone has been moved at least three times in the hospital’s history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The plan is that this will be its final location. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, we’ve put it in its final place,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was added to the time capsule? \u00a0<\/p>\n

When it comes to the new additions to the cornerstone\u2019s time capsule, what was selected reflects the recent landscape of healthcare, both in the region and beyond it.<\/p>\n

\u201c[There are] COVID-19 tests, as we’ve all been through the pandemic, … the protective wear that our staff wore, and there’s also a menu from the cafeteria, as well as some past policies and procedures,\u201d said Human. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff all gathered a couple of days ago and went through lists, and they all put in what had meaning to them in regards to their current workforce.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was in the original time capsule? \u00a0<\/p>\n

Joel Nelson, the director of health services at BTHC, said that the new additions to the time capsule will join items submitted by each of the hospital\u2019s departments in 2001.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the things that were in it were menus, some work plans from staff, old X-rays, some old equipment from the obstetrical unit, lots of historical plans and project management,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Nelson said that there were also lists of equipment purchased at the time, a basic life support manual, textbooks, and old uniforms from Emergency Medical Services.<\/p>\n

Related stories:<\/p>\n

For Nelson, it was exciting to see that some of those who submitted items in 2001 are still part of BTHC today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was pretty neat,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the neatest things was Deb Weir, [a nurse] who worked in staff development, and she volunteers here now. She just happened to be volunteering the day we were going through this stuff, and I said, \u2018Deb, why don’t you stop by?\u2019 Not knowing that she was the one who submitted the staff development package, so she got a chance to actually open it up and look at it and see what she submitted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A historic link \u00a0<\/p>\n

Grand Master Rey Galapon of the Masons\u2019 Grand Lodge of Manitoba also submitted items into the time capsule, including\u00a0a medal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, which was celebrated this year.<\/p>\n

Galapon also placed pins and a magazine outlining the Masons\u2019 role in BTHC inside the capsule.<\/p>\n

\"freeThe rededication ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Grand Master said he was \u201creally honoured and privileged\u201d to be a part of the rededication ceremony, especially because his organization has had ties to healthcare in the region for well over a century.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m proud to be part of this occasion because it just solidifies the commitment and the connection of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba and the Freemasons here in Manitoba to the community,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Galapon said that the individual responsible for the idea of establishing a Freemasons hospital in Morden eventually became Grand Master, the role he himself holds today, so for him, it was a full circle moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The importance of a good foundation\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rededication of the cornerstone occurred in a ceremony that included the symbolic implements of\u00a0the Masons, including the square, the level, and the plumb. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe attach moral and social virtues … on those implements, and it serves as a reminder to us to apply those morals and virtues in our lives to become a better person,\u201d said Galapon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Freemasons, the cornerstone is a symbolic part of our ritual or ceremonies. It’s because we believe that a solid, square cornerstone is important to have a strong foundation for a long-lasting building, so in every opportunity, we are more than willing to perform … this cornerstone ceremony because we know that the significance of this is really great.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I sure hope I\u2019m still around\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Human, the rededication, which comes at a significant juncture for BTHC as it nears the end of a historic expansion, captures the present as much as the past of the Pembina Valley\u2019s healthcare. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the addition of the community service building and how we’re able to have all services in one place, I really hope it just assists with accessibility for everyone,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYears and years from now, when we open it up, I sure hope I’m still around because I really want to see what it looks like and [how]\u00a0things have evolved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Human added that in the near future, BTHC is looking forward to the official grand opening of its expansion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With files from Robyn Wiebe\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Twenty-five years ago, Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) opened its doors in the Pembina Valley.\u00a0 At the time,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-319493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}