Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 9
Friday, March 2, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
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Volume 59 • Issue 16
Trout Avenue residents say Council takes Canada Goose CEO explosion caused March fire first step 8 towards donates $1 million towards BY KYLE DARBYSON
polar bear conservation facility KYLE@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Polar Bears International (PBI) received a $1 million donation towards the conRELAY RAISES $95,000 struction of a new facility in Churchill duringNEWS their 2 Polar Bear Affair PAGE gala in Toronto Feb. 27. Dani Reiss, president and CEO of Canada Goose, as well as a current Polar
MANITOBA GAMES ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZED SPORTS PAGE 7
PERMIT FOR MORE PETS POSSIBLE IF PASSED NEWS PAGE 10
While Thompson has seen a number of house fires lately, a March 8 blaze on Bears International board Trout Avenue was a little member and a former different, since several chairman of that board residents say it was cause from 2008 to 2017, by an explosion. pledged the money, which One homeowner, who represents about half of asked to remain anonymthe money the organous, says that he saw the ization hopes to raise for immediate aftermath of the Polar Bears International explosion firsthand while at House. home with his family. “We were sitting watching TV and at about 9:30 that night there was a big bang and the house shook,” he said. “And then we looked out and the garage door was blown open and there was fire in the backyard.” Another resident across the street said he heard a similar “bang” around that same time March 8. Thompson Fire & Emergency Services (TFES) quickly arrived on the scene and managed to get the fire under control by around 10 p.m. Representatives from Stittco Energy were also called to investigate the fire and eventually concluded, after the blaze was put out, that there was a gas leak located somewhere on or near the property. “Because of the situation, what we ended up doing was capping the line off at two different locations and basically bypassed what we think was the suspected area,” said Brian Seppala, vice-president of operations for Superior Propane, which acquired Stittco back in 2017, in a March 29 interview. “We’ve yet to [fully] excavate, so we don’t know the full conclusion at this point.” This incident impacted 44 residents in the area who are
“Over the least decade of working with PBI, I have seen firsthand the passion and energy that the team puts into their important research and efforts to ensure polar bears have a future,” said Reiss in a press release. “It is a privilege to be a part of help-
so off the foundation, and then there was water damage and smoke damage in the back part of the garage and on the outside some of the siding was burnt and melted and all the windows were that’sbroken,” our size, he wesaid. have the Whileshe most of the damage most,” said. was limited to said his garage Matechuk that and resident sincebackyard, the need the to cut costs remains is partly concerned due to theabout new, his family’s safety, since his lower grant-in-lieu (GIL) children playingOpernear that Valewere Manitoba the sitepays of thethe explosion and ations city instead gas leak two hoursthe earlier. of property taxes, coun“We’re smokersthat or cillors whonot negotiated anything that,make but if agreementlike could it someone went outside to possible for council to go smoke and something through a trial period hapwith pened it could have been fewer members. really bad,” he said. “That’s “If the three councillors what we’re thankful that negotiated the GIL, for, this that nobody this got hurt. it miserable, veryBut poor could have been GIL, were to doreally the bad.” honThis resident’s next-door ourable thing and resign neighbour, who we alsowould wishfrom council, es to aremain have coupleanonymous, of weeks to shares public find outthese whether wesafety want concerns. to proceed all the way to Even though wassaid out third reading onhe this,” of town when event Matechuk, whothe repeated took place, the neighbour’s comments made Feb. 12 garage sustained similar when council voted 5-2 damage andthe he Thompson is wonderto amend ing why Act, the city or Stittco Charter which stipuhasn’t takencouncil steps to should let area lates that residents know about what have eight councillors and he considers the effect true cause a mayor, to the that of the March fire. reducing the8 number of “This ispositions important would for the council public know,” he said. preventto“new blood” from “This is into not something coming council. you just fix andmayor forget about it. Deputy Colleen I’ve beensaid bornthat andisn’t raisednein Smook this community for she 52 years cessarily true as and and if thewere infrastructure Valentino among the is to fail then we topstarting three vote-getters in have have some system 2014todespite having not in place detect it.” been ontocouncil before, Although CityByer of while Coun. the Penny Thompson askeddon’t residents said fresh faces autoto avoid the areatoondiffertheir matically equate Facebook page March 8, ent results. they arenot waiting for whethStittco “I’m sure that to its investigation er complete you have new blood before communicate makes they that great a differany details to the ence more in what a council is public. able to do and accomplish
reducing their ranks in October
ing them build a muchneeded facility which will serve as a launch site for PBI’s research and educa- BY IAN GRAHAM tional activities on polar EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET Council approved first bear habitat conservation reading of a bylaw to rearound the world.” duce the number of counThe proposed Polar cillors from eight to six at Bears International House, construction of which is their Feb. 26 meeting by a expected to begin at the vote of 6-3, with councilstart of the 2018 polar bear lors Ron Matechuk, Dunseason, will be built on do- can Wong and Judy Kolada nated land on Churchill’s opposed. Before the reduction main street and designed becomes reality, however, to be energy efficient and ecologically sound. It will the bylaw must be the serve as a site to educate subject of a public hearThompson photo by Kyle Darbyson ing, currently scheduled visitors to Churchill about Citizen March 12, then A snapshot of a Trout Avenue resident’s garage on April 2. Thefor homeowner saidand this dampolar bears, climate change receive second and third aged was cause by an explosion that set need his backyard and thealso urgent to take ablaze March 8. action, as well as provide reading, which are tentabroadcast facilities for tively slated to occur March media, support polar bear 12 and March 26 respectresearch and outreach ef- ively. City manager Gary forts, and assist visiting Ceppetelli says the bylaw scientists, educators and must be passed 180 days other guests whose work prior to the election date and support are critical to of Oct. 24. If it is, the next polar bear conservation. election could be a bit of The facility will include a a case of musical chairs, workspace, bunkhouse, with the eight incumbent kitchen and storage space councillors, assuming all of them decide to run again, for equipment. “This is the single lar- competing for only six gest donation PBI has available spots, along with received and it is an all the other candidates. Eliminating two council amazing commitment to positions would save just helping secure the polar bear’s future,” said PBI under $20,000 in salarexecutive director Krista ies and perhaps about Wright. “We’re humbled $5,500 to $16,400 in by this generous gift and travel expenses, based on the amounts spent on extremely grateful.” travel by the two lowestspending councillors and Erica and Dani Reiss do- the two highest spending Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of the Thompson Professional Firefighters Association nated $1 million towards in the fiscal year 2016. Thompson Fire & Emergency Services responded to a fire on Trout Avenuecouncil aroundto9:30 Shrinking six Polar Bears International’s p.m. March 8. would put Thompson in proposed facility in Churchcurrently getting their heat representatives can’t offiaged said there is no doubt line with other similarly ill during the organization’s from either a temporary gas cially say Affair if thisgala fireinwas his mind based on what sized communities said Polar Bear To- in line or a propane tank, Sep- caused by an explosion he saw.Blake Ellis, a comCoun. ronto 27. the resident pala said. at thisFeb. point, “Thereiterated one wallby[in the ment Coun. While Stittco and TFES whose property was blown apart, Nickelwas Belt damNews garage] Kathy Valentino. “When you look at every photo courtesy of Polar Bears International other city or municipality
depending on what the obContinued on Page 3
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