Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 61 • Issue 10
34th northern COVID death reported March 8 along with 36 new cases of the virus
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
The only COVID-19 related death announced by Manitoba’s provincial government March 8 was a woman in her 80s from the Northern Regional Health Authority area, where 36 of the province’s 63 new positive tests for the virus originated. The death of the woman, who was a resident of the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district, according to provincial government data posted online, was the 34th for the northern region and 907th in Manitoba since the first case of the virus was detected in the province nearly one year ago. There were three new cases of COVID-19 in the Thompson health district on Monday, while there were 14 in Pukatawagan/ Mathias Colomb,10 in Island Lake and four in the Cross Lake/Pimicikamak health district. There have now been 5,113 cases of COVID-19 concern by the provincial Reimer said at a March people living on-reserve to Thompson by plane as sidered infectious but are in the north since the pan- government March 4. 3 press conference that and 2,634 to people living early as March 5 to receive still in intensive care. demic began, including “Provincial public guidance expected to be off-reserve. About 4,300 of vaccines with other posThere were five cases of about 140 in the the past health officials continue released by the National those doses were admin- sible dates for the town’s COVID-19 among people four days. By contrast, the to see a trend of con- Advisory Committee on istered to First Nations residents to be vaccinated associated with Thompson total number in Manitoba cerning case numbers in Immunization may extend people within the bound- including March 10 and schools in the two weeks has only gone up from Mathias Colomb Cree the maximum time between aries of the NRHA, ap- March 12, provided there leading up to March 1, as 32,000 on March 3 to 32, Nation (Pukatawagan) doses of COVID vaccines proximately 700 of which is enough interest among well as two cases in people 288 on March 8, meaning and are working with the to as long as four months were second doses. 9.1 per other age groups. linked to Mel Johnson the north is the location of chief, council and other and that the province will cent of First Nations people Vaccine eligibility was School in Wabowden and around half of cases in that partners to address the be shifting to delivering living on-reserve have re- expanded March 8 to in- one in a person connected time span. situation,” said the daily first doses to as many ceived first doses of vac- clude any Manitobans 80 or to Gillam School over the “Certainly the Northern COVID bulletin from the people as possible, though cine and 2.2 per cent have older and any First Nations same time period. Health Region is most nota- province. “The chief and those who have already received second doses. For person aged 60 or older. Two more cases of the bly affected right now,” council have directed that booked appointments to off-reseve First Nations 164 Manitobans were in COVID-19 variant that said chief provincial pub- public gatherings are not receive a second dose will people, the percentages hospital due to the virus on originated in South Aflic health officer Dr. Brent permitted and community be able to keep them. are 4.2 and 1.8 per cent, Monday, 54 of them with rica have been found in Roussin at his March 8 residents are required to “These vaccines are pro- respectively. active infections, both Manitoba since the first press conference.”There’s stay home as of today at viding a significant level of Nickel Belt Newscase photo by announced Ian Graham Johanu Botha, co-lead down from late last week. known was a number of First Nations Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. midnight. People should protection after even one of Manitoba’s vaccine task Of these, 22 are north- March 2. There have been communities that still see only leave their residence dose,” she said. force, said March 3 that erners, including 15 with a total of three confirmed BY IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say a number of cases. We still to to write seek things testingthat or you medical So far, 4,884 people in about 1,000 people from active infections. Inten- infections in Manitoba inEDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET 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 see a number of cases with- to care, or to send one per- the Northern Regional Wabowden, Snow Lake, sive care numbers for the volving the South African she’sdaily now as written I get through.” need to capture them for thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it in Though Thompson well when son from a household for IHealth Authority have re- Grand Rapids, Misipaw- province have also dropped variant and six with a varia book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. been viable she would so there’s been some clus- essential supplies. People ceived their first dose of istik Cree Nation and Herb to 22 total patients as of had ant that originated in the ces up inWe Churchill, book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchtersgrowing in that area. see the her who work in essential either Pfizer or Moderna Lake Landing are due to March 8, 10 of them with United Kingdom. Addictions Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. transmissionFoundation in a number of of the services are able to leave vaccine and 1,382 have re- fuel receive vaccines in Thomp- active infections. Half of The five-day test positivManitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite miss the shoreline, I communities.” their residence for work. ceived a second dose. As son in the first half of the ICU patients with ac- ity“Irate on March 8 was 3.5 Gisele saidhealth writ- a couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the The deMeulles Pukatawagan Non-medical masks must of March 4, 9,649 vaccine March during the Vaxport tive infections are from per cent, up slightly from ing wasn’t where something she just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though district, there be“I worn outside the home.” doses had been admin- pilot phase. Snow Lake the north and there are two where it was March 3 but always would 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 were 40thought activeshe cases of you Vaccination task force istered to First Nations residents aged 70 and older other northern residents still lower than the four per 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 COVID-19 on Monday, medical lead Dr. Joss people, including 6,990 to were scheduled to travel who are no longer con- cent it was at March 2. “Innoted my youth never was as an Iarea of 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 felt good at writing,” she said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population Contact she’s an artist,Nelson she’s got so at 204-307-0281 Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family to discuss your property needs! Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
have the option to do that? I think right now they’re 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?’”
back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on 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.”