Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Friday, July 21, 2023
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Volume 63 • Issue 28
Support for 24-hour homeless shelter operation a good step: Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of the City of Thompson The Thompson Healing Centre will receive $350,000 to stay open 24 hours a day over the winter months instead of just providing overnight shelter services, the provincial government announced July 18. The provincial government’s Pas and Thompson to enable them only for 12 hours of overnight and a lack of indoor spaces where lodged in RCMP cells. announcement that several home- to keep their doors open during operation. The province hopes they can keep warm, homeless The government also announced less shelters in Manitoba would the day from October 1 to March that providing homeless people people in Thompson may spend programs to make more existing receive funding to offer 24-7 ser- 31. The Thompson Healing Cen- in these areas with a place to go 12 hours outside without access to housing units in Manitoba availvice through the winter is a good tre, which has transitioned from throughout the day during the things like public bathrooms,” said able to people who are homeless step towards providing better sup- being run by the Canadian Men- coldest months of the year will Smook. “Enabling the Thompson and to acquire, renovate or build ports for vulnerable people, says tal Health Association to being not only improve their quality of Healing Centre to keep its doors 212 more social housing units. Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook. operated by Manitoba Keewati- life but help them to eventually open all day will make vulner- These include eligibility for rent Smook and city manager An- nowi Okimakanak, is receiving find permanent housing. able people safer and give them a supplements and interest-free thony McInnis were in Winnipeg $350,000 of that funding. Smook says enabling the heal- chance to access services that can loans to help pay for pre-developJuly 18 for the announcement of “Providing 24-hour service ing centre, housed in a city-owned help them get off the streets and ment costs of affordable housing $25 million in homelessness in- will reduce barriers to accessing building on the corner of Station into a place of their own.” projects. Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham itiatives byFoundation provincialofFamilies shelter service, more per- hasRoad anda book Princeton Drive, to The shelter will eventually Addictions Manitoba northern directorfoster Giselea deMeulles written about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. The province is also creating a Minister Rochelle Squires. son-centred approach and allow operate through the morning and house a sobering centre as well, community advisory committee BY$2.6 IANmillion GRAHAM For the harsh weather thingsto that you have ‘Oh, I’masjustafternoon as bad, right?’ not a very thing swallow people when people of that moneytoiswritepeople utilize their services fills a gapwas in services for safe giving intoxicated who say to support theallimplementation and EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET storiesThompsonites. and to do but I jumped to figure out. It’sSquires pretty clear at it. that ofChurchill residents and the dangers ofhomepolar going to homeless shelters in Winneeded,” said. I have all these homeless may be Iat risk harm a safe, evaluation of Manitoba’s Though she’s now written when I get through.” I need to them that wassupervised exciting should just fito ndbeing somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it nipeg, Brandon, Swan Valley, The Current provincial funding is capture “With ourfor long,thought cold winters lessness strategy. alternative a book about her experiences growing up in Churchill, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles said writBY MAGGIE MACINTOSH ing wasn’t something she LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE always REPORTER,thought WINNIPEGshe FREEwould PRESS do.After spending more than “In myin youth I never a month the hospital, a felt good at writing,” she senior has died of the injuries said. “But when moved she suffered duringIthe mass to Thompson to near get Carinto casualty collision the school work, berry — oneofofsocial the deadliest at that point I had to write crashes in Canadian history. for“On university and 2023, realized, July 16, a ‘Holy, I’m not badwho at this, 79-year-old female had right?’ been inI certainly hospital developed since the a lot of skill in university collision on June 15, 2023, and came out with succumbed to of herthere injuries,” a very announced strong skill my RCMP in ainnews writingSunday. and confidence in release my“Inwriting. write very total, 17I people have clear and it. It’s died as that’s a result ofthere. this Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
DeMeulles said she wrote her book, titled Whispers in the Wind: Stories from the North - Life in Churchill for a couple of reasons. collision.” “I just sort range of thought, The victims in age you what, fromknow 58 to 88 yearsthis old.hisFiftory, this stuffand that’s my teen women twoinmen head,died. it’s going to be gone have if IAdon’t down,”allshe totalwrite of 25itpeople, of said. “My kids are them from Dauphin not and gothe ing to get it area, if I don’t do ita surrounding boarded and it’s almini bussomething to take anI’ve excurways myCasino mom on to sion towanted Sand Hills do. My June 15.mom’s an elder and she’s artist, she’s got so Thean wheelchair-accessible many wonderful bebus collided with astories semi-trailcause she always tells her er on Highway 1, just north stories at Parks Canada in of Carberry, around noon on Churchill that springand day. I’ve always hounded her, ‘Please, just “It’s hard to know what to put itdo onnext. tape,We I will it even hadwrite a plan for you because Monday to raiseyour the story flags is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
my grandchildren really because they will be lost if I don’t.” She also has a reputation as a storyteller back up becauseherself. the last fu“I had a varied neral (forsuch the 16 initial hisvictory tell people tims)and wasI would yesterday,” maystories and they would go, or David Bosiak said when ‘That’s not it?’ I’d go, reached by true, phoneisfrom Dau‘Yeah true.’ afternoon. They’d go, phin onit’s Sunday ‘You didn’t do all that, did Flags remain at half-mast you? to be really at cityYou’ve hall, got in addition to old.’ I was ‘No, actually outside alllike, other municipal Ibuildings did all that before Iinwas and schools the 27,’ of and they8,400 wentresidents. ‘What?’” city about Looking described back, somethe of Bosiak those experiences are things ambience in his hometown she might not do again. as strange, given many are “I did some pretty grappling with rawbizarre grief stuff fuel hauls into not the whilelike others who did high Arctic at -35,” said lose a loved one are busying deMeulles. with “It didn’t dawn themselves the summer on me until after. That was a festival season. very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
until the plane landed and they started throwing the fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy cats, I was probably sitting onThe a bomb.’” mayor said he was Another thing that saddened to learn of the latest spurred fatality. her on was the hard timesdays facing Churchill Several ago, he and since the Hudson Railhis neighbours wereBay celebratway suspended operations ing the release of two injured north of Gillam lasthospital. spring. passengers from the “It used beofaareally There was to “a bit buzz” thriving large community in the community after that and just announced, dwindled down newsit’swas he to such smallhopeful.” population said. “Wea were now,” deMeulles says. an Shared Health provided Though she’stonot update Monday sharethere five any longer, her parents and patients remain in hospital in her sister and other family connection to the incident. members still are. A spokesman for the prov“My cousin ownsnone the incial agency indicated hardware storeare there,” she of the patients in intensays. sive care. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
easier to live. “To say, ‘Those people choose to live there. They should just leave,’ is quite simplistic. It’slike quite disre"We would to extend spectful. If we were in the our condolences to the family same boat of in the another area and friends individual Iwho think we would scream passed away over the about that somedia why don’t they weekend," relations have the option to dosaid that? lead Kevin Engstrom in Ia think right now they’re statement. feeling like they’re pawns Bosiak said it’s been an in a political game andMany that’s exhausting month. really sad for themsick because residents were withI people Churchathink coldthe that madeofits away ill really wantin to thrive. across the city early July, They’ve built their worlds he said, adding it’s likely all there. How would feel the sleepless nights we experiif someone to you and enced worecame everyone out. said, sorry, you associhave to The‘I’m ministerial leave your home community ation, a longstanding netand we’re going to displace work of local parishes, has you somewhere else to and all been “overworking” supyour loved ones and your history is gone?’”
had been viable she would have moved back to Churchill in a heartbeat. “I miss the shoreline, I miss the rock, I miss the port families, Bosiak said. polar evenCatholic though The bears Ukrainian they’re dangerous and Church very of the Holy ResurIrection, really miss the Hudson St. Viator Roman Bay,” she says. “When go Catholic Church and I St. back home, standingOrthoon the George’s Ukrainian Hudson Bay are looking outthe on dox Church among the bay, it justthat gives an large parishes areyou grievincredible Youhe feel so ing former sense. members, said. small andhave you feel great.” There been early Now that she’s gota discussions about creating one bookgarden underinher belt, memorial Dauphin deMeulles says may try for residents whoshe died in the to produce another. crash and in its wake. “I have another book in Nothing is confirmed, me,” mayor she says.said, “It’s aadding darker the story, more about personthere is no rush given the al growth and struggles. ongoing uncertainty in the Maybe in the next five years community. it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”
Deadly highway crash claims another victim, death toll reaches 17