Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, June 2, 2021
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 61 • Issue 23
Remembering the forgotten Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Yvonne Meredith
Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham
Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham
Keewatin Tribal Council and Manitoba Kewewatinowi Okimakanak held ceremonies in Thompson June 3 and 4 in honour of the memories of the 215 Indigenous children whose bodies lie near the former Kamloops Indian residential school in British Columbia. Most of the remain uncovered by ground penetrating radar wereNickel undocumented deaths. See more Belt News photo by Ian Graham photos on Page B1. of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. Addictions Foundation BY IAN GRAHAM
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 in Churchill for a couple of reasons. “I just of thought, aims to dosort is make travelyou know hisling by buswhat, easierthis for pastory, thisby stuff that’s in my sengers enabling them head, going to be gone to bookit’s and pay for a single if I don’t write down,” she ticket from oneit province to said.other “My even kids are not will goany if they ing to get if I don’tcomdo it riding on itmultiple and it’sbuses something I’vetheir alpanies' to reach ways wanted my mom to destination. do.The Mysame mom’s an elder and system would she’sapply an artist, she’s got so also to freight shipmany stories bements,wonderful Varma said. cause always tells her The she capital requirements stories at Parks Canada in for one bus company to proChurchill and I’ve always vide coast-to-coast service hounded her, ‘Please, the way Greyhound didjust beput ititon tape, I willitswrite it fore shut down westfor you because your ern Canadian routes in story 2018 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.” She also has a reputation as a storyteller herself. “I then had such a varied hisand all the remaining tory andinI would tell people routes the country this stories and it they would any go, year make unlikely ‘That’sdo notso. true, is it?’ I’d go, could ‘Yeah true.’ They’d "It'sit’s very tough or go, it's ‘You didn’t do all that, did close to impossible for one you? You’veVarma got to said. be really company," old.’ I was actually And as like, true ‘No, as that was Ibefore, did all it's thateven before I was more so 27,’ and ‘What?’” now, asthey thewent COVID-19 Lookingand back, of pandemic travelsome restricthose experiences are things tions and requirements have she might not again.bus decimated the do intercity “I did some pretty bizarre industry. stuff likemotor fuel hauls the "The coachinto indushigh Arctic at -35,” try is an industry whichsaid has deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn been hit a lot," said Varma, on me until was a noting thatafter. FirstThat Nations very 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, I was probably sitting on a bomb.’” Another thing forced that pandemic lockdowns spurred her onBus was the NCN Thompson to stop hard times facing Churchill providing service from since the Hudson BayLake, RailThompson to Split way suspended Gillam and Crossoperations Lake and north Gillam spring. to putofplans forlast additional “It used to "We be aused really routes on hold. to thriving large community have ridership of 45 to 55 and it’s just per cent ondwindled a normaldown day. to such small Now it's aeight to population 10 per cent now,” if it's adeMeulles good day."says. Though she’s there Currently, the not CCBC is any longer,letters her parents and collecting of support her sister and otherand family from communities ormembers stilllike are.chambers ganizations cousinto owns of “My commerce presentthe to hardware there,”govshe federal andstore provincial says. ernments, which it hopes Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
swallow when people say that Churchill residents should just find somewhere easier to live. “To say, ‘Those people choose to live there. They should just leave,’ is quite simplistic. It’s quite disrespectful. If we to were in the to persuade provide same boatfor in development another area $150,000 I think we would of feasibility studiesscream and a about thatplan. so why they business Thedon’t coalition have option wouldthe also like totodo seethat? the I think government right now they’re federal create likeHighway they’re pawns afeeling National Transin a political gametoand that’s portation Board regulate really sad for them because highway passenger trans-I think the the people portation wayofitChurchused to. ill The really want tochamber thrive. Thompson They’ve worlds agreed tobuilt writetheir a letter supthere. How would we feel porting the endeavour. if someone came to yousupand With government said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to port, Varma says, CCBC leave your home community members could expand and we’re to displace their route going offerings to serve you somewhere elsebecause and all more communities your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
For all the harsh weather and the dangers of polar bears, deMeulles said if it had been viable she would have moved back to Churchill in a heartbeat. “I miss the shoreline, I miss the rock, I miss the polar bearsfor even though it is easier a company they’re very dangerous and with existing routes that I really miss to thesubsidize Hudson turn a profit Bay,” she “When some thatsays. don't, muchI go as back home, used standing onthan the Greyhound to do, Hudson Bay looking out on for a new company to try themake bay, itthose just gives you an to less popular incredible You feel so routes intosense. money makers. small you feel great.”it Theand CCBC believes Nowtake that got would aboutshe’s five years one booktheunder her belt, to build proposed netdeMeulles she mayand try work up to says full capacity to produce thst it couldanother. become 90 per “I have another book in cent self-sustaining in 15 me,” years.she says. “It’s a darker story, "It's more not a about small personproject, al growth and struggles. it's a huge project," Varma Maybe in the next five years said. it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”
NCN Thompson Bus part of effort to create national bus transportation network, chamber told
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Though she’s now written a book about her experiences growing up in Churchill, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles said writing IAN wasn’t something she BY GRAHAM always thought she would EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET do.NCN Thompson Bus has “In amy youthwith I never joined coalition other felt good at writing,” she bus companies from across said. “But when moved the country in an Ieffort to to Thompson to transporget into create a national the school of social work, tation network. at The that point I had to chief write company’s for university and Sid realized, operating officer Var‘Holy, I’mto not at this, ma spoke thebad Thompson right?’ I certainly developed Chamber of Commerce’s a lot of2 skill in university June virtual meeting and came out of there with about the group, known as a strong skillBus in Comy thevery Coast to Coast writing(CCBC), and confi dencecurin alition which my writing. I write very rently has seven members. clear and It’sCCBC there. Part ofthat’s what it.the Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend