Nickel Belt News
Volume 56 Number 44
Friday, November 4, 2016
Thompson, Manitoba Providing you with expert advice & friendly service. Book online at speedyglass.ca or try our free app on your iPhone
We look forward to serving you. Ϳͷ-A Kelsey Bay Thompson, MB R;N ͷS Ph: Ͷͺ-ͽͽ;-ͽͶͺ; Fax: Ͷͺ-ͽͽ;-ͽͷͺ
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Northern highway’s new name honours Lynn Lake rocker Lynn Lake-born musician Tom Cochrane, best known for the Grammy-nominated song “Life is a Highway,” received an honour from the provincial government Oct. 31 when it announced that Provincial Road 391 will be renamed after him and his most famous song. “The Manitoba government takes great pride in opportunities to shine a light on the many unique stories that emerge from our northern communities,” said Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen at a ceremony in Winnipeg. “We are honoured that Tom Cochrane has agreed to lend his name and legacy to renaming an important stretch of provincial road in northern Manitoba. The road signs along Provincial Road 391 to be designated Tom Cochrane’s Life Is A Highway jointly celebrate the amaz-
ing accomplishments of a Manitoba musician and the proud community in which he was raised.” The renamed highway runs 322 kilometres from Thompson to Lynn Lake, which will host a Cochrane concert Aug. 20 as part of a national tour commemorating the 25th anniversary of Mad Mad World, which included “Life is a Highway.” “Lynn Lake is proud to call Tom Cochrane our very own national treasure and most famous export,” said Lynn Lake Mayor James Lindsay, who was in Winnipeg for the announcement. “We are thrilled that he has chosen to return home next summer to play a special concert as part of his special 25th anniversary tour.” “Through all these cities and all these towns, Lynn Lake remains my birthplace and original hometown,”
said Cochrane. “I am happy to be able to give back to my home community and am very thankful for this honour.” Cochrane left Lynn Lake for Ontario by the time he was four years old in the late 1950s. A seven-time Juno Award winner, member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an officer of the Order of Canada, and an inductee in the Canadian Walk of Fame, Cochrane has released seven solo albums, including Take It Home in 2015 and seven as a member of Red Rider, as well as four compilation albums. He received the Order of Manitoba in 2015 and performed at Thompson’s Nickel Days in July of that year for the second time in his career, the first having been in 2003 His debut single was “You’re Driving Me Crazy”
Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Government of Manitoba Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, musician Tom Cochrane, Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen and Lynn Lake Mayor James Lindsay during a ceremony in Winnipeg Oct. 31 where the provincial government announced that Provincial Road 391 would be renamed Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway in honour of the Lynn-Lake born rocker. in 1973. He was the front man for Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, from 1978 to 1990, and launched his solo career in 1991 with
Mad Mad World, which sold a million copies in Canada, winning four Juno Awards. Cochrane has also supported causes like the Make Poverty History campaign,
been a spokesperson for World Vision Canada and a supporter of the ALS Society of Canada and a recipient of the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award.
Canadian Rangers make trick or treating without polar bears a reality BY CAPT WADE JONES 4TH CANADIAN RANGER PATROL GROUP
Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Sgt. Darren Walker Canadian Rangers Sgt. Darren Walker and Master Cpl. Chris Giles and some trick or treaters on Halloween in Gillam. This year, the Gillam Canadian Rangers were called upon to assist the local authorities to ensure a polar bear-safe Halloween. They, with other agencies, provided town perimeter security to prevent any bears from entering the Gillam town limits.
Trick or treating in most Manitoba communities each Oct. 31 is a very safe activity that is taken for granted. Not so in Churchill, where mid-October marks the beginning of bear season in Churchill, with the pre-freeze up congregation of polar bears in and around Churchill waiting for the sea ice to form on the Hudson Bay. Churchill, a town of 800 residents, is situated on the edge of the Hudson Bay, and during bear season both the population of people and polar bears increases significantly. Due to winds and ocean currents, the ice forms earlier near the mouth of the Churchill River and polar bears know this. As more bears arrive, more bears are pushed closer to town. Usually by peak bear season, a bear can be found in or along the edge of town pretty much every night. The residents know how to conduct their day-to-day business, but bears do present a safety concern, particularly after dark, when little kids dressed in an array of costumes focused on collecting candy and polar bears are not a good mix. For the past 15 years the Churchill Canadian Ranger patrol has assisted local
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authorities with providing a safe community for the kids trick or treating on Halloween. This year was no different, says Patrol Commander Camille Hamilton. “We will have a number of Canadian Rangers participating who will provide a perimeter patrol of the town so kids can enjoy themselves.” They, along with Town of Churchill employees, the volunteer fire department, Polar Bear Alert Conservation Officers and the RCMP are equipped to report and scare away any bears that attempt to enter the town limits. Hudson Bay has approximately 1,500 resident polar bears and this year they have wandered as far inland as Gillam. For the first time in Gillam’s history, there have been sightings of a polar bear very close to town, so the Canadian Ranger Patrol in Gillam have taken some lessons from their counterparts in Churchill and assisted local authorities in providing a security patrol as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the little ghosts and goblins on Halloween. It is acts of community involvement, like this, that build community spirit and develop a strong relationship between the local Canadian Ranger Patrol and the towns they live in.
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