Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 57 • Issue 32
Christmas comes early to Cross Lake WOMEN WHO CARE SUPPORT WINTER GAMES NEWS - PAGE 2
DAIRY QUEEN EYES THOMPSON FOR EXPANSION NEWS - PAGE 6
Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Tracy Hanson The deputy mayor and council members of Cross Lake present Morgan (left) and Taylor Hanson-Oliveira (right) with a piece of local artwork to thank them for organizing their “Christmas in July” toy drive. BY KYLE DARBYSON KYLE@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
ORGANIZING GAMES ON SHORT SCHEDULE A CHAALLENGE SPORTS - PAGE 7
RCMP ENCOURAGE SOBER BOATING NEWS - PAGE 9
On July 17, Thompson siblings Morgan and Taylor Hanson-Oliveira drove down to Cross Lake in order to donate approximately 2,000 pounds of toys to the local community centre. The pair were accompanied by their mother Tracy Hanson, who said their 5-x-8 trailer was filled to the brim with gently used toys, board games, electronics, bikes and a variety of other items they collected over the course of approximately three months.
According to Taylor, who is going into Grade 10 at R.D. Parker Collegiate in September, this toy drive, called “Christmas in July,” was conceived as a response to the suicide epidemic that rocked this Cree community in the winter of 2016. Not only did six Cross Lake residents, mostly young people, decided to take their own lives, but 140 others threatened or attempted to do the same thing in the following weeks. “When we heard about
all the youth suicides in Cross Lake, we were thinking of something we could do to cheer up the younger ones,” said Taylor. “We decided to go bigger with it and we asked family, friends just to donate new and gently used toys, and slowly the donations grew and grew.” For Morgan and Taylor, mental health issues are usually at the forefront of their thoughts, so much so that they both have been members of the RDPC student group Students Offering Support (SOS), which
is designed to provide students with counselling services in times of crisis. “It’s something that’s always been important to us,” said Morgan, who is entering her third year at the University of Manitoba and was a member of SOS in high school. “Even though we’re not there, we’re not living it, it’s just heartbreaking to hear about. So … even if it’s the smallest difference, to cheer up these young people just for a day, that still helps.” Since the “Christmas in July” toy drive was well
received by Cross Lake residents, the siblings are already planning their next charitable enterprise for next summer. While nothing has been finalized yet, their mother said Cross Lake’s “Family Campout” program might be a great candidate for a large-scale donation drive. “There’s more families that would like to participate in it, but don’t have camping supplies,” said Tracy. “So they were thinking of, maybe next summer, submitting supplies for camping.”
Water system work will require shutdown and boil water advisory for Thompson Aug. 16-17 Work being done on water distribution lines at the water treatment plant in Thompson Aug. 16-17 will result in a boil water advisory for the city beginning the morning of Aug. 17. In order to complete the work, the City of Thompson will shut down water service to all residents and businesses from the late evening of Aug. 16 to the early morning of the following day. “This interruption may lead to a loss of pressure in the water distribution system, which could
compromise the safety of the water supply,” says a public notice from Manitoba Water Stewardship. “All water users are asked to follow boil water advisory precautions below once water service has been restored.” Water that will be used for drinking, making ice, preparing beverages and infant formula, cooking food and brushing teeth should be brought to a boil for at least one minute beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to replace tap water.
Water being used for laundry or washing dishes does not need to be boiled and anyone who can avoid swallowing water can wash, bathe or shower. Young children who cannot should be sponge bathed. Residents can prepare for the water outage beforehand by storing tap water for drinking and cooking in clean containers and water for cleaning, hygiene and flushing toilets in bathtubs or other large containers. After water service is restored,
residents should run their taps for five minutes until the water coming out is no longer discoloured. The public will be notified once the boil water advisory has been lifted. Commercial and public facilities can continue to operate during boil water advisories provided that they use a safe, alternative water source, advise their clients and customers not to use tap water, use bottled water for food and beverage preparation, and disconnect beverage dispensers and fountains.