Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
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Volume 62 • Issue 28
Staffing shortage shuts Leaf Rapids ER until July 19 BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Leaf Rapids residents are once again left without emergency health care in their community as a result of “ongoing, persistent staffing issues.” As of 1 p.m. July 13, the Leaf Rapids Health Centre emergency department closed for one week, with a scheduled reopening date of July 19 at 1 p.m. Primary care and public health services remained available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 13-15 and will be availalbe July 18-19 but there are no health services at all this weekend, with residents who
have a medical emergency during the closure advised to call 911 as emergency medical services will still be available. The nearest hospital is in Lynn Lake. The health centre and its emergency department have been closed numerous times over the past two years, most recently from late December to late January, when what was supposed to be a two-week temporary closure stretched to four weeks. Other Northern Regional Health Authority medical facilities have been closed or had to adopt novel staffing approaches in recent months,
including Gillam Hospital, which was closed for about a week in late December and early January, and Thompson General Hospital, which had to rely on paramedics from Thompson Fire & Emergency Services to help staff its emergency department on a weekend in early June. Unfortunately for Leaf Rapids residents, the best case scenario is that the ER reopens as scheduled on July 19, says Flin Flon NDP MLA Tom Lindsey, whose riding includes the community. “It could end up being a whole lot more again,” he told the Thompson Citizen July 13.
The recent state of health care in the community is such that they may have come to expect such closures. “It seems to be happening way too often,” said Lindsey. “They feel like they’ve been abandoned by this provincial government, that they just don’t matter.” Although there is an ambulance in the community with paramedics to respond to emergencies, if it is busy with one call, it can’t respond to another and an emergency requiring transportation to hospital could end up with Leaf Rapids having no ambulance in the community for a long
stretch of time. “How many hours on the road is it to go to Thompson?” said Lindsey. “It’s not like there’s another hospital half an hour away.” Although the provincial government commissioned a clinical and preventative services plan years ago that envisioned people receiving more health care in the community or close to the community where they live, that isn’t happening, the NDP MLA says. “The care isn’t closer to home,” he said. “People don’t have care in their home communities.”
Elected representatives and government officials don’t really get what they’re dealing with, Lindsey says. “The government is not understanding that the north is different than the city,” he says. Northerners understand that they’re receiving substandard services, though. “The people who’ve lived that experience aren’t going to forget,” Lindsey said. The Citizen contacted the Northern Regional Health Authority about the closure on July 13 but did not receive a response prior to going to print.
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill Thompson man dies after stabbing
A 60-year-old Thompson man was stabbed to death July 12, RCMP say. Thompson RCMP were called to a stabbing on Waterloo Avenue around 8 p.m. Tuesday and the victim was transported to Thompson General Hospital, where he died from his injuries. A 44-year-old man from Thompson was taken into custody in connection with the homicide but no charges have been laid yet. Thompson RCMP, Major Crime Services and Forensic identification Services are investigating. On July 13, RCMP vehicles and officers and crime scene tape were at the site of a fatal stabbing that took place the previous day. Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham
Shamattawa man shot by RCMP died July 9, police watchdog agency says
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Though she’s now written a book about her experiences growing up in Churchill, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern A 22-year-old mandirector shot by Gisele deMeulles saidJuly writRCMP in Shamattawa 2 ing died wasn’t something has of his injuries. she always thought sheInvestiwould The Independent do. gation Unit of Manitoba, the “In my youth never agency which looks Iinto serfelt at writing,” she ious good incidents in the province said. “Butonwhen moved involving and Ioff-duty to Thompson get into police officers totodetermine theany school of social if charges againstwork, them at point I said had in to awrite arethat warranted, July forpress university 11 releaseand thatrealized, the man ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, succumbed to his injuries on right?’ I certainly developed July 9. As a result, the IIU has a lotaof skill with in university filed request the Maniand came of there with toba Policeout Commission for a very strong in part my a civilian monitorskill to take writing and confidence in in their investigation. myShamattawa writing. I RCMP write very officlearwere and that’s it. It’s there. cers notified around 1 Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
to write things that you have to figure out. It’s pretty clear when I get through.” DeMeulles said she wrote her book, titled Whispers in the Wind: Stories from the North - Life for p.m. July 2 ofina Churchill man walking a couple on a roadofinreasons. the community “I just sort ofa thought, while carrying firearm. you know what, thisbegan hisResponding officers tory, this stuff that’s in my searching the area and heard head, fired it’s going towere be gone shots as they doif I don’t write followed it down,” she ing so. They the said. “My kids are not sound of the shots and goloing toaget it if Ioutside don’t do cated suspect of ita and it’s something I’ve alresidence. The interaction ways wanted my mom to between the police and the do. My mom’s suspect resultedan inelder shotsand beshe’s an by artist, got so ing fired bothshe’s the suspect many wonderful stories beand police, who notified the cause always tells her IIU of she the incident. stories at Parks Canada in The shooting by police Churchill and I’ve always prompted Shamattawa Chief hounded ‘Please, Jordna Hillher, to state thatjust the put it oninvolved tape, I will write it officers would have forbe you because your story to removed from duty in is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ I have all these stories and I need to capture them for my grandchildren really because they will be lost if I don’t.” also has auntil reputation theShe community the inas a storyteller herself. vestigation is complete. “I had varied hisThe IIUsuch saidaJuly 4 that it tory and Ia would tellinvestipeople has sent team of stories they would go, gators toand Shamattawa. They ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, also asked anyone with in‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, formation or video footage ‘You didn’t do all did that may assist thethat, investiyou? You’ve to be really gation to callgot them toll-free old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually at 1-844-667-6060. I did all that Keewatinowi before I was Manitoba 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” Okimakanak Grand Chief LookingSettee back, said somethe of Garrison thosesustained experiences things man 11are gunshot she might not do again. wounds. “I did some pretty bizarre In a July 5 statement, the stuff like Police fuel hauls into the National Federation, high Arcticthat at -35,” said the union represents deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn RCMP officers, said that it on me until the after. That was a welcomes IIU investivery dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
was not a very safe thing to do but I jumped at it. I thought that was exciting until the plane landed and they started throwing the fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy cats, probably sitting gationI was and looks forward to on a bomb.’” hearing their findings. Another thingpriority that “Our members’ spurred herresult on was the and preferred is always hard times facing Churchill de-escalation and peaceful since the Hudson BaypresiRailresolution,” said NPF way operations dent suspended Brian Sauvé. “Police north Gillam lastseconds spring. officersofoften have to bethe a really at “It bestused to assess safest thriving community and most large effective response and it’s just the dwindled to protect publicdown and to such a small population themselves. In this case, an now,” deMeulles active shooter wassays. discharThough she’s ging a firearm in not the there comany longer, parents and munity, thisher is reiterated in her statement sister andfrom otherthe family the IIU: members still are. ‘Shots were fired by the male “My cousin the and the membersowns responded hardware store their there,” she with shots from service says. firearms.’ Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham
For all the harsh weather swallow when people say that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it easier to live. had been viable she would “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchchoose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go have the option to do that? back home, standing on the I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so really sad for them because I small and you feel great.” think the people of ChurchNow that she’s got ill really want to thrive. one book under her belt, They’ve built their worlds deMeulles says she may try there. How would we feel to produce another. if someone came to you and “I have another book in said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to me,” she says. “It’s a darker A Shamattawa shot by police on July July 9 and leave your homeman community story, more2 died about personandpolice we’re watchdog going to displace al growth and struggles. the investigation of the incident will now you somewhere and all Maybe in the next five years involve a civilianelse monitor. your loved ones and your it’s something I’ll focus on history is gone?’” doing.”