Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, April 13, 2022
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 62 • Issue 15
Some areas of Thompson General Hospital don’t have hot water
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Problems with two hot water systems at the Thompson General Hospital and trouble getting needed parts for repairs mean that some areas of the facility have been without hot water for more than a week. When the issue will be resolved depends on when the parts arrive, sometime after April 19, according to the Northern Regional Health Authority. An NRHA spokesperson said hot water taps in the emergency department have been tagged and signed as being out of service due to an abundance of cautin and that temproary hot water solutions are being implmented. A separate issue means some patient areas have no hot water, low hot water pressure or otherwise poor hot water service. Parts are being shipped on April 19 and the NRHA estimates patient areas will have proper hot water service restored by the end of April, while for the emergency deaprtment it will be about a month before repairs are complete. Flin Flon NDP MlA Tom Lindsey asked Health Minister Audrey Gordon about the issue in the legislature
Thompson Citizen file photo Thompson General Hospital is suffering from an ongoing lack of hot water in some areas and the problem won’t be fixed until the arrival of parts, which have been delayed by supply chain issues, according to the Northern Regional Health Authority. April 6 and questioned if it was a case of a double standard for different parts of the province. “It’s unthinkable that a large hospital like Thompson would be left without hot water for any length of time,” said Lindsey. “Imagine the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg trying to operate with no hot water. What makes Thompson General Hospital any less important to this minister and this government?”
Gordon said she was sure that plumbers and the NRHA mechanical team were working on the problem as she spoke. “I have full faith in the staff at Thompson General Hospital,” she said. “The regional health authority has a strong leadership team and I’m sure it’s being looked at as we speak.” Lindsey said he had written to Gordon about the issue the previous day. NDP leader Wab Kinew
told the Thompson Citizen April 7 that hot water is fundamental requirement for health care services. “We’re talking bout a very, very basic thing,” he said “This just seems like such a basic function that it really ought to get addressed right away. Patients in Thompson and those visiting from the surrounding areas, at the very least, should be able to count on hot water being accessible. This just seems
to be yet another example of northerners being asked to do with less when it comes to health care, and not getting the same level of service or the same kind of investments.” The NDP leader also said it was unacceptable for news about the hot water situation to come to public attention from patients rather than the health authority. “I think if you had a hospital in Winnipeg without hot water it’d be a major
story, a major issue,” he said. “When we’ve seen [health facility] closures, there’s public notice. When we’ve seen changes to other health services, often there’s public notice. When it’s something that is going to affect quality of care, I think it would be reasonable to expect some kind of publicity around it. A bit of transparency here, in addition to just fixing the hot water itself, would have been the right approach.”
Council was set to vote April 11 on agreement that would see Vale contribute multi-year funding for building a new pool
Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham or www.thompsncitizen. also said that the agree- the company’s Thompson million over four years – to the city and associated BY IAN GRAHAM Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET net for updates on this ment has been finalized operations. The practice $4.8 million in 2018 and entities, including $125,000 city counBYThompson IAN GRAHAM cil was set to vote during EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET their Aprilshe’s 11 meeting on Though now written two agreements Vale a book about her with experienCanada. ces growing up in Churchill, One of the agreements Addictions Foundation of is a gift northern agreement for Manitoba director multi-year funding toward Gisele deMeulles said writthe construction of a new ing wasn’t something she Thompson aquatic always thought she centre would to do.replace the Norplex Pool, which wasyouth permanently “In my I never closed more three years felt good atthan writing,” she ago. A memo city said. “But whenfrom I moved manager Anthony McInnis to Thompson to get into to mayor and council said the school of social work, that the point agreement been at that I hadhas to write finalized by Vale’s board of for university and realized, directors but did not ‘Holy, I’m not bad provide at this, a dollarI certainly amount. developed right?’ Presumably, funding a lot of skill inthe university amount would be provided and came out of there with at very the meeting, whichintook a strong skill my place after newspaper writing andthis confi dence in went to press.I write Checkvery the my writing. print edition next week clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
agreement. to write things that you have other is a to The figure out. agreement It’s pretty clear letter of understanding when I get through.” regarding a four-year grant in DeMeulles said she wrote lieu of property taxes agreeher book, titled Whispers in ment between the from city and the Wind: Stories the Vale. North - Life in Churchill for This agreement, a couple of reasons. which covers 2022 “I justthe sortyears of thought, to previously you2025, knowwas what, this hisscheduled to be voted on tory, this stuff that’s in my at the Feb. 28 meeting behead, it’s going to be gone fore being removed from if I don’t write it down,” she the said.agenda. “My kids are not gomemo ingAto get ittoifcouncil I don’t from do it McInnis, originally dated and it’s something I’ve alDec. 2021 and updated ways 3, wanted my mom to Feb. 25,mom’s said grant-in-lieu do. My an elder and discussions she’s an artist,between she’s gotthe so city, Vale and the School many wonderful stories beDistrict ofalways Mystery cause she tellsLake her had been going on over stories at Parks Canada in the last several months and Churchill and I’ve always that the agreement has been hounded her, ‘Please, just approved by Vale’s board put it on tape, I will write it of directors. for you becauseThe yourmemo story is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
and council hasright?’ been ‘Oh, that I’m just as bad, kept informed about at I have all these stories itand meetings, though Iin-camera need to capture them for it not provide a really dollar mydidgrandchildren figure indicating how much because they will be lost if Vale Manitoba Operations, I don’t.” whose facilities located She also has aare reputation outside of Thompson as a storyteller herself. city limits, pay in lieuhisof “I hadwill such a varied municipal property tory and I would telltaxes. people In September, stories and theyMayor wouldColgo, leen Smook and ‘That’s not true, is then it?’ I’ddepgo, uty mayor KathyThey’d Valentino ‘Yeah it’s true.’ go, were chosendo as all members of ‘You didn’t that, did the team responsible for neyou? You’ve got to be really gotiating deal with Vale, old.’ I wasthe like, ‘No, actually along with citybefore councillors I did all that I was Brian Andre 27,’ andLundmark, they went ‘What?’” Proulx and Les Ellsworth. Looking back, some of Theexperiences minimumare amount those things Vale is required toagain. pay is set she might not do out“Iin 1956 agreement didthe some pretty bizarre between Vale’s precursor stuff like fuel hauls into the Inco theatprovince of high and Arctic -35,” said Manitoba based on the numdeMeulles. “It didn’t dawn ber of workers employed on me until after. That wasat a very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
has negotiate an was been not a to very safe thing amount above and beyond to do but I jumped at it. I that minimum. thought that was exciting Valethe hadplane morelanded than 1,300 until and workers on their payrollthe at they started throwing the end of 2017, just befuel off and I realized, ‘Holy fore previous four-year cats, the I was probably sitting grant-in-lieu agreement was on a bomb.’” finalized, but cut more than Another thing that 400 jobs her overonthewas course spurred the of thetimes nextfacing year, Churchill with the hard smelter refinery closing since theand Hudson Bay Railpermanently in the summer way suspended operations of 2018. In 2020, posnorth of Gillam last143 spring. itions were cut in Thomp“It used to be a really son as a large resultcommunity of a comthriving prehensive organizational and it’s just dwindled down review. to suchUnited a smallSteelworkers population Local 6166, which reprenow,” deMeulles says. sents hourlyshe’s Valenot workers, Though there now has fewer than 600 any longer, her parents and members. her sister and other family The grant-in-lieu members still are. agreement expired at the the “Mythat cousin owns end of 2021 saw the City hardware store there,” she of Thompson receive $14.4 says. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
$3 million in each of say the swallow when people next three years along with that Churchill residents a $600,000 payshould just fivoluntary nd somewhere ment 2019. That was easier in to live. nearly than “To $10 say,million ‘Thoseless people over the last four years in choose to live there. They the previous five-year should just leave,’ is quite agreement, which sawdisreVale simplistic. It’s quite provide the city $6 million spectful. If we were in the per year. same boat in another area Vale has made a I think werecently would scream pair of cash contributions about that so why don’t they
forFor theall city toharsh purchase asset the weather management software and and the dangers of polar $250,000 to the Thompson bears, deMeulles said if it community wellness and had been viable she would public safety committee have moved back to Churchfor shelter in place ill ina anew heartbeat. program at the for-I “I miss(SHIPP) the shoreline, mer University College of miss the rock, I miss the the North campus building polar bears even though that willvery eventually house they’re dangerous anda sobering centre. I really miss the Hudson
Bay,” she says. “When I go have the option to do that? back home, standing on the I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so really sad for them because I small and you feel great.” think the people of ChurchNow that she’s got ill really want to thrive. one book under her belt, EARLY They’ve built their BIRD worldsREGISTRATION deMeulles says she may try Earlywe Birdfeel Membership will beanother. there. How would to produce Aprilcame 30th from noon pmhave at theanother Pro Shop.book in if someone to you andto 2:00 “I said, ‘I’m sorry,All you have to me,” she says. “It’s a darker non corporate memberships leave your homewill community story, more about personbe offered at 20% discount. and we’re going to displace al growth www.thompsongolfclub.comand struggles. you somewhere else and all Maybe in the next five years your loved ones and your it’s something I’ll focus on history is gone?’” doing.”