Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
City council to reconsider Nelson Road crosswalk decision BY KACPER ANTOSZEWSKI KACPER@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
GUILTY PLEA FOR 2009 MURDER NEWS - PAGE 3
HOOPS TEAMS PERFECT AT HOME SPORTS - PAGE 8
During the upcoming city council meeting on Feb. 1, Coun. Dennis Foley plans to put forward a motion to rescind the council’s decision to try to use Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) funds for a pathway instead of an illuminated crosswalk at the intersection of Nelson Road and Mystery Lake Road. The crosswalk was originally proposed in a collaborative report between the city’s public safety committee and MIT, as the corridor is commonly used by those exiting the Juniper area through an adjacent sidewalk. MIT initially committed roughly $23,000 to fund the project; however, after a recommendation from the public works committee, council voted Jan. 4 to place a barrier in lieu of the proposed crosswalk, and divert the pledged funding towards the ongoing construction of the Thompson multi-use path from Selkikr Avenue to Nelson Road along the west side of Mystery lake Road. Coun. Ron Matechuk, head of the public works committee, noted that an additional crosswalk may create undue congestion on a road connecting northern and southern
highways, and carries considerable commercial traffic. “We didn’t want to slow down the highway, and we didn’t want to end up like Selkirk Avenue, with crosswalks way too often. This is a highway designed to move vehicles quickly. It’s been fine for 60 years, and it will be fine now.” The council was far from unanimous in its decision, however; councillors Blake Ellis and Penny Byer both expressed concerns that a barrier would not prevent individuals from crossing the roadway, noting that the intersection is already a de facto established pedestrian pathway. “This is a traditional crosswalk that people have been using for decades,” argued Byer, “And expecting people to go 150 metres out of their way to cross the street is a disservice. The residents of Eastwood have limited ways to access the downtown as it is, and I don’t see how putting up barriers contributes to public safety. If the province of Manitoba, who has statistics behind their studies, says the area warrants a crosswalk, who are we to say it doesn’t merit one?” Foley also notes that MIT has not confirmed its willingness to contribute its funding to the multi-use path.
Volume 56 • Issue 4
FREE
City honours heroes for response to fire
Thompson Citizen photo by Kacper Antoszewski From left to right, Doug Korman, Curtis Ford and Dean Clarkson are fl anked by Thompson Fire & Emergency Services (TFES) Chief John Maskerine and Mayor Dennis Fenske as they receive certificates of appreciation for alerting residents to a house fire Dec. 30. Korman recognized steam and condensation building up on the wall of a home on Granite Crescent and caught the attention of Clarkson and Ford, who were working to fix a water break which had emerged nearby. The three quickly notified and evacuated the home’s five residents, and attempted to put out the fi re before TFES arrived. Korman notes he didn’t hear a smoke alarm triggered, and stressed the importance of maintaining a home’s detectors: “If that had happened at 2 a.m., when there was no one around, anyone in the basement would certainly not have gotten out.”
Vale celebrates POInT program grads STUDENTS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY NEWS - PAGE 10
LEGION LADIES AUXILIARY DONATE TO NRHA NEWS - PAGE 12
Vale held its POInT (Process Operators in Training) program graduation at the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre Jan. 22, ushering in 18 new process operators into its operations with its largest graduating class yet. Gary Caribou noted that like many in the program, he was initially frustrated with being placed in the POInT program, but ultimThompson Citizen photo by by Kacper Antoszewski ately found the experience enriching. Jeremy Carrigan, on the other hand, noted he was excited to be part of the program from the outset. “I didn’t want to get to the refinery or smelter, and just stand around a lot; I wanted to know what I was doing there, know some of the people I’m going to be working with, and I think it was a pretty good idea, because we all grew pretty close together.” The program was created to allow Vale’s Manitoba Operations tofacilitate more local hiring; prior to the program, Vale hired over 80 per cent of its staff from outside of Northern Manitoba, but only maintained a 50 per cent retention rate. Since the program’s implementation, retention rates have risen to 80 per cent. The graduates are accompanied by friends, family, and Vale instructors.
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