Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, December 2, 2020
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 60 • Issue 49
North passes 1,000 total cases of COVID-19 with 46 new cases announced Nov. 30 Moreathan three-quarters of theand region’s totalon Book way to preserve pass cases have been announced this month memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
The Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) passed 1,000 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last spring with the announcement of 46 new positive tests for the virus Nov. 30. Of the 1,018 cases so far, nearly 800 were announced in November. More than half of the cases are considered recovered and 476 are classified as active. As of Monday, there were 20 northern residents in hospital due to COVID-19, including two in intensive care. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin did not have information about ow many positive tests for COVID-19 there had been at The Pas Hospital acute-care unit, where an outbreak was declared Nov. 29, but he did say it could affect how many COVID-positive northerners requiring hos- Northern Manitoba passed 1,000 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last spring with the announcement of 46 new cases in the region pitalization can be accom- Nov. 30. Nearly 800 of those cases have been announced since Nov. 1. modated within the region. “Whenever you have an from the Grand Rapids/ Pimicikamak Cree Nation provincial government on als or other gatherings to or attend gatherings with outbreak in a facility it puts Mosakahiken/Moose Lake/ and Flin Flon/Snow Lake/ Monday. remember those who have people from outside their increasing demands on it,” Easterville/Chemawawin Cranberry/Sherridon health Manitoba-wide, there died right now. household during the holihe said. “There’ll be extra health district whose death districts, two from unknown were 343 new positive tests There are 342 Manitobans days. “Non-essential travel measures being required from COVID-19 was an- districts and one from Nor- for the virus announced on in hospital as of Nov. 30 due just shouldn’t happen right on that ward. I don’t know nounced Nov. 24 was way House, which now has Monday, as well as 11 more to COVID-19, including now.” or have an update if health the sixth person from the three active cases. Siragusa said part of the deaths, bringing the total so 43 in intensive care, 31 of care providers have been NRHA to die from the virus. There are currently 175 far to 312. them on ventilators. There reason why military assistcontacts for cases and of The new cases announced active COVID cases in “We lost 247 Manitobans were three times as many ance wasphoto called assist Nickel Belt News by in IantoGraham course thatFoundation puts someofhuin thenorthern north Nov. 30 includThe Pas has health district, due to in thegrowing past Manitobans hospital due with an outbreak at the perAddictions Manitoba director Gisele deMeulles written a book about herCOVID experiences up, mostly ininChurchill. man resources demands on ed 12 in the Shamattawa/ 79 in the Island Lake dis- month,” said chief provin- to COVID-19 Nov. 30 than sonal care home in OCN but if are off required to to York Factory/Tataskweyak/ trict,I’m 64 just in Grand there werewhen at thepeople beginning in Winnipeg is that there cial nursing officer BYpeople IAN GRAHAM all the harsh weather write things that you have ‘Oh, as bad,Rapids/ right?’ was not a very safeLanete thing swallow say notFor self-isolate.” Split Lake, eight each in IMosakahiken/Moose Lake/ Siragusa of the Churchill month, saidresidents Siragusa. and are more resourcesoftopolar shift EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET have all these stories and to to figure out. It’s pretty clear do butatI Monday’s jumped atpress it. I that the dangers Outbreaks also when IslandI Lake and The Pas/ IEasterville/Chemawawin, conference. people should “Ourjust health system bears, around deMeulles in the capital. Though she’s have now written get through.” need to capture them for thought that“These was exciting findcare somewhere said if it been recently at Opaskwayak Creeshe Nation/ 44 in Shamattawa/York are more statistics. is pushed to its capacity had “Part the problem or a bookdeclared about her experienDeMeulles said wrote my grandchildren really until the than planejust landed and easier to live. beenofviable she would two personal homes her Kelsey health Factory/Tataskweyak/Split It’s a heartbreaking loss the for right said Roussin, the challenge in OCN is that ces growing up care in Churchill, book, titleddistricts Whispersand in because they will be lost if they started throwing “Tonow,” say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchin Flin Flon.Foundation of four each inStories the Thompson/ 35 in the Cross Lake people, forI their families also saidthere. last week harder to redeploy Addictions the Wind: from the Lake, I don’t.” fuel off and realized, ‘Holy who choose to live They it ill was in a heartbeat. Seven NRHA residents Mystery Lake and Grand and 30 in cats, and friends to endure.” that Manitobans should not people in the than itI Manitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for health She district also haslake a reputation I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the north shoreline, have died from COVID-19, R couple a p i d s /ofMreasons. o s a k a h i k e n / as Thompson/Mystery Lake. loss is made more simplistic. be planningIt’stoquite traveldisreout- miss wouldthe be in Winnipeg,” she Gisele deMeulles said writ- a a storyteller herself. onThe a bomb.’” rock, I miss the the most recent beingshea Moose The at Maniof the province to polar said. bears even though she thing said, given ing wasn’t something “I justLake/Easterville/ sort of thought, “I hadoutbreak such a varied his- difficult, Another that side spectful. If we were inorthe woman thought in her 80s that people gather host visitors outside Hydro’s Keeyask The provincial test posiChemawawin health dis- toba always she whose would you know what, this history and I would tell people spurred hercan onnot was the same boat in from another area they’re very dangerous and death was announced Nov. tory, tricts.this There were alsointhree generating worksite with times peoplefacing fromChurchill outside IManitoba Christmas ratemiss was 13.4 per cent do. stuff that’s my stories think weover would scream Itivity really the Hudson andstation they would go, hard 29.“In A my woman in her 70s head, new cases in the Cross was declared their the household and New to they host Bay,” as of Monday youth I never it’s going to be Lake/ gone ‘That’s not true,over is it?’by I’d the go, since Hudson at BayfunerRail- about that Year’s so why or don’t she says.morning. “When I go felt good at writing,” she said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population Contact she’s an artist,Nelson she’s got so at 204-307-0281 Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family to discuss your property needs! Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
have the option to do that? I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”