Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 59 • Issue 51
Fire at Vale mill in Thompson prompts evacuation, two employees treated for minor smoke inhalation BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
ORGANIZERS PREDICT SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS DINNER NEWS PAGE 2
RDPC CHRISTMAS CONCERTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 6 & 12
SHOPPERS DONATES TO YWCA NEWS PAGE 9
Two employees at the Vale Manitoba Operations mill in Thompson were treated for minor smoke inhalation resulting from a fire that broke out in the crushing area around 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16. All mill employees were immediately evacuated and accounted for. Stench gas was released to alert those working at T1 who were moved to refuge stations as a precaution, as were employees at the adjoining T3 mine. No other injuries were reported and Vale confirmed via an update issued at 12:18 p.m. that the fire was extinguished. The affected areas continue to be monitored, Vale says. United Steelworkers Local 6166 president Warren Luky said around 1:45 p.m. that the two unionized employees who suffered smoke inhalation were taken to Thompson General Hospital and had either been released or would be released soon and that a number of contractors working the site received first aid at the scene. The fire was attended to by the Vale firefighting team and Thompson Fire & Emergency Services also
responded. Luky said the mill was shut down for the rest of the shift and that the crew on the next shift would be engaged in a fire watch to make sure the fire did not
restart. No milling was occurring at the time the fire broke out and the company and the union will be conducting an investigation to determine the root cause of the fire, Luky said.
Some local media were advised of the fire before 12 p.m. but the Thompson Citizen did not receive either of the two press releases until 12:51 p.m. after sending an inquiry via email.
For future reference, press releases and news tips can be emailed to editor@thompsoncitizen. net. The newspaper can also be reached by phone at 204-677-4534.
RCMP issue plea for information eight weeks after killing of Bobbie Lynn Moose BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
TIM HORTONS DONATES TO HOSPITAL NEWS PAGE 10
Thompson Citizen file photo A Dec. 16 fire at the Vale Manitoba Operations mill resulted in two people being treated for smoke inhalation.
Eight weeks have passed since 29-year-old Bobbie Lynn Moose from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) was found dead in an empty lot on Nelson Road in Thompson and RCMP say they still don’t know what she was doing between the time when she was dropped off in Thompson Oct. 1 and when her body was found Oct. 17.
“This is a plea for help,” said a request for the public to come forward sent out by Thompson RCMP Dec. 13, eight weeks and one day after Moose’s body was found around 5:10 p.m. by members of the public. “We need the people of Thompson and surrounding communities to help us find answers and move forward in the homicide investigation of Bobbie Lynn Moose.” Police have conducted more than 300 interviews,
searched the area around where Moose was found using a highly trained search team that was sent up from Winnipeg, and gone doorto-door to every household in Thompson asking for information about Moose. A billboard has been set up on Mystery Lake Road near the Thompson Liquor Mart, but police are still in the dark as to what Moose did for the two-and-a-half weeks she was in Thompson leading up to her death.
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“We do know, for certain, that she was dropped off by her sister at the Walmart on Mystery Lake Road on Oct. 1. But what we’re missing is where she was, who she spoke with, where she stayed and what she was doing between Oct. 1 and Oct. 17. We need that information. We need tips. We need your help. Someonehas information about Bobbie’s time in Thompson between Oct.1 and Oct. 17. As a community, we must
come together and find out what happened. Every tip, every piece of information is valuable to us. If you have heard anything, if you know something, if you think you saw Bobbie – please call the RCMP.” Anyone with information can call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477. Tips can also be submitted online at www. manitobacrimestoppers. com.