Nickel Belt News Volume Volume 58 59 Number • Issue 2111
Friday, 16, 2018 Friday,March May 24, 2019
Thompson, Manitoba Thompson, Manitoba
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Second intention to seek provincial Bookcandidate a wayannounces to preserve and pass on NDP nomination for Thompson electoral district memories of growing up in Churchill Danielle Adams, NDP MP Niki Ashton’s constituency assistant, says north needs a strong MLA who delivers for constituents A second aspiring MLA has announced her intention to seek the NDP nomination for the Thompson constituency in hopes of defeating Progressive Conservative MLA Kelly Bindle in the next provincial election. Danielle Adams, constituency assistant to Churchill/ Churchill-Keewatinook Aski NDP MP Niki Ashton since 2009, announced May 22 that she will seek the NDP nomination, which will be decided at a meeting May 25 in Thompson. Adams, who has served on the federal and provincial NDP executive in Thompson for more than a decade, as well as on the boards of the YWCA, Thompson Children’s World day care and the Thompson Ski Club, said the north no longer has a strong MLA representing it. “With Steve Ashton as our MLA we had a strong NDP MLA who delivered for the North,” said Adams in press release announcing her candidacy for the nomination. “We have lost that under the PCs.”
Adams also stressed that, if nominated and elected, she would represent the unique concerns of the communities in the riding, which will include Churchill, Gillam, Fox Lake, Ilford, War Lake, Pikwitonei, Thicket Portage, Wabowden, York Landing, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, Nelson House and Thompson in the next election, scheduled to take place by October 2020. “I am proud to have visited and connected with communities throughout our constituency,” Adams said. “I am proud of the support I have received throughout the constituency. If elected my commitment is to keep in touch in between elections and to put the North first.” As a nominee and potentially a future MLA, Adams says she will fight for investments and against privatization and cuts, with particular focus on upgrading existing roads, supporting the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill, community-based health care, and support for education, local school boards and teach-
ers. She also said she would seek more provincial support for childcare and for recreation facilities, including a new pool in Thompson. Former Thompson NDP MLA Steve Ashton, Niki Ashton’s father, who represented the riding in the legislature from 1981 to 2016, was not allowed to seek the Thompson candidacy again by a decision of the provincial party’s candidate selection committee earlier this month. Thompson Teachers’Association president Cathy Pellizzaro announced her intention to seek the NDP nomination for Thompson in early April. Danielle Adams, who has served as NDP MP Niki Ashton’s constituency assistant since 2009, announced May 22 that she is seeking the NDP nomination to run as a candidate in the Thompson riding for the next provincial election. Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Danielle Adams
RAAM clinic served 99 patients in its first nine months
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. BY IAN GRAHAM BY KYLE DARBYSON EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
KYLE@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET Though she’s now written Thompson’s rapid aca book about her experiencess to addictions medicine ces growing up in Churchill, (RAAM) clinic has averAddictions Foundation of aged more than 10 patients Manitoba northern director a month since it opened its Gisele deMeulles said writdoors at the Addictions Founing wasn’t something she dation of Manitoba (AFM) always thought she would building in September. do. AFM North director “In my youth I never Gisele DeMeulles said durfelt good at writing,” she ing a May 9 public safety said. “But when I moved committee meeting that the to Thompson to get into clinic’s staff has processed a the school of social work, total of 99 patients who were at that point I had to write looking to get treated for for university and realized, their drug addiction through ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, counselling, medication or a right?’ I certainly developed referral to other community a lot of skill in university programs. and came out of there with While the majority of these a very strong skill in my patients are suffering from writing and confidence in alcohol or crack/cocaine my writing. I write very dependency, DeMeulles clear and that’s it. It’s there. mentioned that her staff has Some people say it’s kind of noticed an uptick in users of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
to write things that you have other drugs. to figure out. It’s pretty clear “There’s a lot of opiate when I get through.” users in this community and DeMeulles said she wrote we’re starting to see an inher book, titled Whispers in crease in our meth numbers,” the Wind: Stories from the she said. “We’ve also been North - Life in Churchill for drug testing our people that a couple of reasons. come into RAAM, and we’re “I just sort of thought, seeing evidence of … meth you know what, this hisand fentanyl in the cocaine. tory, this stuff that’s in my It’s dirty cocaine and it’s in head, it’s going to be gone the community.” if I don’t write it down,” she Even though DeMeulles said. “My kids are not gosaid the drop-in clinic’s staff ing to get it if I don’t do it – which consists of a nurse, and it’s something I’ve ala doctor and two counsellors ways wanted my mom to – is managing the load so do. My mom’s an elder and far, she still wants to expand she’s an artist, she’s got so the facility’s intake hours many wonderful stories bepast Tuesday mornings and cause she always tells her Thursday afternoons. stories at Parks Canada in However, this would reChurchill and I’ve always quire additional funding hounded her, ‘Please, just from the provincial governput it on tape, I will write it ment, since the AFM North for you because your story director said they only paid is going to be lost,’ and she’s to reallocate one doctor never done it and I thought,
‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ from the Northern Regional I have all these stories and Health Authority. I need to capture them for The RAAM nurse is my grandchildren really forced to split her time bebecause they will be lost if tween the drop-in clinic and I don’t.” AFM’s withdrawal unit, She also has a reputation which has received 45 clias a storyteller herself. ents so far this year. “I had such a varied his“It’s very hard when, right tory and I would tell people now, our residential treatstories and they would go, ment program is booking ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, into July,” said DeMeulles. ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, “We just don’t have enough ‘You didn’t do all that, did beds and the scope of the you? You’ve got to be really problem is not getting old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually smaller. It’s getting more I did all that before I was complex.” 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” Outside of Thompson, Looking back, some of the provincial government those experiences are things established another four she might not do again. RAAM clinics in Manitoba “I did some pretty bizarre late last year as a way to constuff like fuel hauls into the nect patients with addictions high Arctic at -35,” said medicine specialists, primary deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn care providers and communon me until after. That was a ity support programs more very dangerous thing to do. directly. Being on a plane full of fuel
Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham
For all the harsh weather was not a very safe thing swallow when people say to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchfuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the Another thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though spurred her on was the same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson since the Hudson Bay Rail- about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go way suspended operations have the option to do that? back home, standing on the north of Gillam last spring. I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on “It used to be a really feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an thriving large community in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so and it’s just dwindled down really sad for them because I small and you feel great.” to such a small population think the people of ChurchNow that she’s got now,” deMeulles says. ill really want to thrive. one book under her belt, Though she’s not there They’ve built their worlds deMeulles says she may try any longer, her parents and there. How would we feel to produce another. Nickel News file photo her sister and other family if someone came to you and “I haveBelt another book in Thompson’s medicine in the Addictions of said, ‘I’m sorry, you clinic have to me,” she says.Foundation “It’s a darker members stillrapid are. access to addictions “My cousin owns the leave your home community story, more about personManitoba building on Princeton Drive. hardware store there,” she and we’re going to displace al growth and struggles. Two of these facilities are Brandon and Selkirk. says. you somewhere else and all clinic Maybeby invisiting the nexttheir five AFM years located in Winnipeg, while your Northern residents can facility, which is at Because of that, loved ones and your it’s something I’lllocated focus on the remaining are in Princeton Drive. deMeulles findstwo it hard to access historyThompson’s is gone?’” RAAM 90 doing.”