Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 60 • Issue 30
Protesters gather outside Walmart to demand fair treatment of Indigenous shoppers
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Dozens of people, most of them Indigenous, marched along Thompson Drive North to Walmart July 20 to protest unfair treatment by staff and security at the store. The protest march was organized by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), which brought incidents involving Indigenous people being denied entry to the store on suspicion of intoxication to public attention with a press release earlier in July. The Thompson Citizen also reported this month on the experience of Celina Dumas, whose sister was incorrectly suspected of stealing and prevented from leaving the store with the items they had purchased. “As MKO, we are here not to incite racial tension … but we’re here to simply say that we are also citizens of Thompson,” said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee at the tail end of the march, when participants gathered in front of Walmart on Mystery Lake Road for drumming and speeches. “Things have to change in Walmart. Our people should not be racially profiled.” One of the speakers was Wayne Constant of Thompson, who was denied entry to the store by a security guard who told him he
Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham A crowd of mainly Indigenous protesters walked along Thompson Drive North and gathered in front of Walmart July 20 to denounce racial profiling by store employees and security guards. looked like someone who drinks, though he hasn’t used alcohol for about 30 years. “I felt dehumanized, just downright ignorant on his part,” said Constant, who plans to file a human rights complaint against Walmart and Impact Security. “I realize this happens every day
and we always shrug it off and walk away, shake our heads and say ‘Oh, that’s it.’ It never goes anywhere, right? But if everybody starts documenting and telling MKO and other political entities, your chief in the community maybe, just start documenting it and bringing it to attention. We’ve got to
start somewhere and today is a very good start. It’s time to rise up and bring attention to racial profiling.” The crowd also heard from Alistair Weenusk Sr. of Oxford House, whose son Alistair Weenusk Jr. was stopped with his wife and made to remove his sunglasses before entering
the store so security could check if he’d been drinking. Keewatin Tribal Council executive director George Neepin spoke about a situation he witnessed in the mall when an Indigenous man was removed from a business after purchasing some food. “His money is good
enough but he’s not good enough to sit in the food court,” said Neepin, who said the owner didn’t respond to his complaints while mall management wouldn’t do anything either. “We all have to contribute to document situations of racial profiling.” Thompson and Northern Manitoba’s representatives in the provincial legislature and federal Parliament expressed support for the demands that Walmart change its practices. “It is not OK in 2020, it was not OK before,” said Thompson MLA Danielle Adams. “It has to end. Indigenous people spend how many thousands and thousands of dollars? Where would they be without you?” Churchill-Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton said that Walmart must apologize in a statement read by Emily Pruder. “It’s time for Walmart to be a responsible citizen,” said Pruder. Settee said the protest wasn’t the end of action but the beginning of a process to ensure fair treatment for Indigenous shoppers in Thompson. “This has been a time for us to speak up as Indigenous people of Thompson,” said the grand chief. “Silence is not an option when it comes to racial profiling. This is only the beginning.”
Manitoba showing signs of a COVID comeback
Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. BY CASSIDY DANKOCHIK said none of the cases were ing home when we're ill. to host the CFL as a hub lation that would have to work,” he said. FLIN FLON REMINDER from the Northern Regional We need to maintain that city. The province is com- take place.” “It's going to make BY IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather to write things that you have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say Manitoba’s top doctor Health Authority area, and physical distancing. We mitting $2.5 million dollars Manitoba processed people less likely to want EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar isn’t starting off testing up- the majority were related need to realize that this to help make it a possibility. over 2,000 tests over the to get tested, less likely to Though she’s now written when I get through.” I need to capture them for thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it dates by giving the number to clusters of cases in three virus is not done with us Roussin said public health past three days, including be cooperative with public a book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would of new cases the province different Hutterite colonies. yet.” officials have reviewed the 1,390 on Saturday. Photos health ... most times it acces growing up in Churchill, her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchhas detected. Instead he “We know that it's been a For the first time since CFL’s plans, and will work of long lines at testing sites tually backfires. It's gonna Addictions Foundation of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. cited the percentage of posi- trying time for Manitobans. June 6, a Manitoban is in with them to make it safe. are spreading over social assist this virus to spread.” Manitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I tive tests over the past five We know that our work has hospital battling COVID-19 “If there’s evidence of media. Health officials continued Gisele deMeulles said writ- a couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the days on July 20. Manitoba’s allowed us to reopen to this symptoms. The person is in inter-bubble spread, then Roussin warned against to stress the importance of ing wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though rate has increased from 0.15 point, and we're going to intensive care. The province this is going to be a chal- stigmatizing any group that hand hygiene, physical disalways thought she would you know what, this his- tory and I would tell people spurred her on was the same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and per cent to 0.83 per cent, as continue to do so as the data has recorded only seven lenge,” he said. has an outbreak in their tancing and staying home if do. tory, this stuff that’s in my stories and they would go, hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson a result of detecting 18 new indicates, but this is a big COVID-19 related deaths. “Public Health would community. sick. If people are unable “In my youth I never head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Rail- about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go cases over the weekend. change in our behaviour,” A relative spike in cases have that authority to stop “[We’re] really cau- to physically distance, they felt good at writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations have the option to do that? back home, standing on the Manitoba’s chief health he said. isn’t deterring the province [the season]. Even indirect- tioning people because are recommended to wear said. “But when I moved said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, “We need to be stay- from putting forward a plan ly by the amount of self-iso- [stigmatizing] just doesn't a mask. to Thompson to get into ing to get it if I don’t do it the school of social work, and it’s something I’ve alat that point I had to write ways wanted my mom to for university and realized, do. My mom’s an elder and ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, she’s an artist, she’s got so right?’ I certainly developed many wonderful stories bea lot of skill in university cause she always tells her and came out of there with stories at Parks Canada in a very strong skill in my Churchill and I’ve always writing and SWEEPING, confidence in LAWN hounded her, ‘Please, just POWER MOWING, my writing. I write very put it on tape, I will write it AERATION, DETHATCHING & SPRAYING clear and that’s it. It’s there. for you because your story Some people say it’s kind of is going to be lost,’ and she’s blunt or direct. I don’t tend never done it and I thought,
“Gravel on your lawn? Gotta be gone.”
you? You’ve got to be really old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually I did all that before I was 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” Looking back, some of those experiences are things she might not do again. “I did some pretty bizarre stuff like fuel hauls into the high Arctic at -35,” said deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn on me until after. That was a very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
“It used to be a really thriving large community and it’s just dwindled down to such a small population now,” deMeulles says. Though she’s not there any longer, her parents and her sister and other family members still are. “My cousin owns the hardware store there,” she says. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
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?’”
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.”
CALL NELSON: 204-307-0281 npruder@live.ca