March 24 2023

Nickel Belt News

Provincial bill to loosen alcohol sale laws could be headache for Thompson

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Councillors are generally in agreement that legislation to enable the sale of alcohol in stores other than government liquor stores and private beer vendors would not be beneficial for Thompson.

The bill, which is currently making its way through the Manitoba legislature, was discussed by council at their March 20 committee of the whole meeting.

A provincial news release says the legislation wold establish a five-year pilot project enabling retail stores to sell booze and bring Manitoba more in line with other Canadian jurisdictions where the sale of liquor in retail stores is permitted, according to Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith.

“As this is before the house, I believe that council should have a look at this and the City of Thompson make its feelings felt because I can see a number of impacts on policing ser-

vices, issues in the retail stores,” said city manager Anthony McInnis. “We've had multiple discussions with the previous [RCMP] inspectors that when liquor is available in the community, the issues that show up at three, four or five in the morning, as the liquor is consumed.”

Mayor Colleen Smook said the city should voice its concerns to the provincial government and also encourage surrounding communities to do the same,

“We also get a lot of complaints that a lot of bootlegging happens out of Thompson,” she said.

Expressing doubts that private retailers would have the same sort of security as Liquor Mart, where customers have to provide identification so the information on it can be scanned and stored temporarily in the computer system to discourage theft, Coun, Brian Lundmark asked if the province would be sending a fleet of social workers to help cope with

the fallout of the proposed change as well.

“I just don't see this helping us in any way,” he said. “We need to be spending more time on all the social problems.”

Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill

McInnis said in response to a question from Coun, Sandra Oberdorfer that it wasn’t clear if the city would have the ability to regulate the hours of liquor sales or only the hours that stores that sell liquor can be open.

“Is it you can just say the shop can open or closed or can you actually specify products X, Y, Z that can only be sold during these hours?” he said.

Whether councillors like or dislike the idea of alcohol being sold in more locations is less important than finding out what, specifically, the city can do to regulate its sale, said Coun. Duncan Wong.

“We can agree or disagree,” he said. “I think you just need to find out what other restrictions, what can we do? What type of authority we can have.”

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

It didn’t set an all-time record, but March 15 was — officially — one of the snowiest days in March since weather records started being kept back in 1967.

snow on the ground at the end of March 15 this year, slightly less than the 82 cm that were on the ground on the same date two years ago.

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 director Gisele deMeulles said writing wasn’t something she always thought she would do.

Environment Canada says 20.6 centimetres of snow fell in Thompson on March 15, a record for that date. However, it wasn’t even the snowiest March day overall of the last three years, with a total one cm less than the 21.6 centimetres that fell on March 29, 2021. The snowiest March day on record in Thompson was March 16, 1996, when 26.4 cm of snow fell in the city. Those are the only three recorded March dates in Thompson since 1967 that saw more than 20 cm of snow fall in 24 hours.

More snow fell in Thompson on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week — 34.2 cm, including 13.6 cm on March 14 — than usually falls throughout all of March, which has a historical average of 23. 4 cm over its 31 days. There were 80 cm of

“In my youth I never 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

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.

There is, however, an asterisk beside these records. Environment Canada did not record any snowfall data on March 7 and March 8, 2017, when a massive blizzard basically shut down the city, forcing City Hall and Thompson schools to close for at least one day and other facilities like the arena and pool and services such as transit and trash pickup for three days or longer. Multiple vehicles were stranded on city streets for days during that March storm. Emergency medical responders used two Bombardier snowcats loaned to Thompson Fire & Emergency Services by Manitoba Hydro to respond to calls that year, including at least one emergency that was a matter of life and death.

For all the harsh weather and the dangers of polar bears, deMeulles said if it had been viable she would

“I miss the shoreline, I miss the rock, I miss the polar bears even though they’re very dangerous and I really miss the Hudson Bay,” she says. “When I go back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so

Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try

At one point in March 2017, there were more than 100 cm of snow on the ground in Thompson.

“I just sort of thought, you know what, this history, this stuff that’s in my head, it’s going to be gone if I don’t write it down,” she said. “My kids are not going to get it if I don’t do it and it’s something I’ve always wanted my mom to do. My mom’s an elder and she’s an artist, she’s got so many wonderful stories because she always tells her stories at Parks Canada in Churchill and I’ve always hounded her, ‘Please, just put it on tape, I will write it for you because your story is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,

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

members still are.

“My cousin owns the hardware store there,” she says. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to

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?’”

“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.”

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill.

Friday, March 24, 2023

Delivering News to the Nickel Belt since 1960

20.6 cm of snow that fell Wednesday officially third-highest one day snowfall in March since 1967

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham About 34 centimetres of snow fell in Thompson March 14-15, including 20.6 centimetres on Wednesday, one of the highest recorded single-day snowfalls in March since 1967.

Thompson Citizen photo by gilaxia/Getty Images Provincial legislation to allow liquor to be sold in retail stores as part of a five-year pilot project did not find favour with Thompson councillors at their March 20 committee meeting.

Provincial missing persons response team being established

Manitoba’s government announced March 20 that it will spend $2.1 million to establish a provincewide integrated missing persons response team, headed up by the Winnipeg Police Service’s missing persons co-ordinators.

More than 9,300 people were reported missing in Winnipeg alone in 2022 and Manitoba RCMP receives about 10 missing persons reports across the province every day — more than 3,500 a year — with 53 per cent of those being reported to northern detachments, said Asst. Comm. Rob Hill, Manitoba RCMP commanding officer.

The reasons people are reported missing vary, said Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen, though he noted that a high percentage — 63 per cent of all missing persons in 2021 — are runaway female youth.

“Many are young people in the CFS system,” he said. “Others are runaways from northern First Nations communities and they remain on the street and vulnerable to violence, to exploitation, and abuse.”

Some missing women and girls travel to Winnipeg or other urban centres or are lured there or trafficked there and find themselves at high risk of being exploited, said Families Minister Rochelle Squires.

Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said the two biggest sources of missing persons reports in the city are youth runaways from group homes and also people who have moved to Winnipeg for education or employment or travelled there for health care or even just visited for fun.

“They’re not used to the dangers and harms that can come with the city and they become vulnerable,” he said.

The integrated response team will facilitate better sharing of information between city police services in Winnipeg and Brandon and RCMP detachments throughout the rest of the province.

“By having that co-ordinated response it allows us to share information quickly,” Smyth said.

Heidi Spence, director of Manitoba Keewatinowi

Okmakanak’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls liaison unit

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said better communication between police and the families and loved ones of missing people is important.

“I’m really happy to hear about this initiative,” she said. “I look forward to working with everyone and seeing how we can better work with each other and be able to share information quickly to families so we can try to help them

when their loved one goes missing.”

As recently as 2019, Thompson alone had more than 2,000 missing persons reports filed with RCMP annually. Over the past few years, that number has declined to about 1,500 per year, and was trending even lower for 2022. A big factor in the decline was the re-establishment of the Street-

Reach North team a little over three years ago. By establishing relationships with children and youth at risk of going missing or being exploited, including teens in CFS care living in group homes in Thompson, the team manages to determine the whereabouts of many AWOL group home residents before police get involved.

Shoplifters who threatened workers have knives and brass knuckles seized

Thompson RCMP seized brass knuckles and knives from five teenage males who were shoplifting and threatening store employees and security guards on March 20.

Police were called to the City Centre Mall around 8:20 p.m. Monday by a report of five youths stealing from businesses. Employees of a

store asked the teens to leave and were threatened with bear spray, police say, before the five youth fled.

The teenage males returned and tried to get into the mall another way but were prevented from doing so by security, who were allegedly threatened with knives.

No one was injured in

either incident.

When police arrived, a short foot pursuit ensued before the suspects, who included a 13-year-old, three 14-year-olds and one 16-year-old, were arrested. The weapons were seized and the five youths were remanded into custody pending a court appearance.

RCMP photo

Thompson RCMP seized brass knuckles and knives from five youth accused of stealing and making threats March 20 at the City Centre Mall.

YouTube screenshot

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okmakanak Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls liaison unit director Heidi Spence speaks during a March 20 news conference announcing provincial funding for an integrated missing persons response team while Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen looks on.

Union says proposed registry would make teachers vulnerable

BY MAGGIE MACINTOSH LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

A Manitoba bill to create a virtual registry of teachers — resumés and disciplinary records included — has been touted as a step towards transparency, but the profession’s largest union says it must be tossed to protect its members’ rights.

“Absolutely, we need to keep kids safe, but it shouldn’t come at the ex

pense of making teachers

vulnerable,” said Nathan Martindale, newly appointed president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

The Stefanson government has revealed its plans for sweeping reforms to regulate the teaching profession and handle incidents of malpractice, which are currently dealt with internally by MTS and through the court system.

Bill 35, the Education Administration Act (Teacher Certification and Professional Conduct), would es-

tablish an online database of educators and task an independent commissioner with reviewing complaints about registrants.

A government-appointed commissioner would have the discretion to close matters or investigate them, be it through a public hearing in front of a panel of teachers, school board representatives and members of the public, or otherwise.

If an educator were to be found guilty of professional misconduct or

Indigenous leadership accuse northern health authority of mistreatment

BY DAVE BAXTER LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

Accusations of mistreatment of First Nations people were levelled against the Northern Regional Health Authority and a member of its leadership on March 16.

In a news release, leaders with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin say they are frustrated with health authority, and are so far disappointed with a new partnership agreement recently signed that pledged to work to stamp out anti-Indigenous racism in the region.

“Incidents continue to occur even with the formalization of a new relationship between the three parties, when each signed the Declaration to Eliminate All Forms of Indigenous-Specific Racism on September 26, 2022,” MKO and KIM said in a joint release.

MKO and KIM claim a “series of incidents” were brought to the attention of the NRHA board and administrators by a delegation of chiefs as well as Dr. Barry Lavallee during a meeting held in The Pas on March 6.

But Lavallee, the CEO of KIM, a First Nations-led health entity in Northern Manitoba, is now also claiming there was an “example of racism exhibited at the highest level by a system lead” during that March 6 meeting, that he says has put further strain on the relationships between the health authority and Indigenous leaders.

“It is difficult to stay silent while observing our leaders being treated in a dismissive manner, while emotively sharing about health care related incidents.” Lavallee said in a news release regarding the March 6 meeting and the alleged incident.

“They revealed the details with courage and equanimity, to draw attention to what needs to change in the northern health sys-

tem. The response at first appeared supportive with platitudes about agreeing to work on the relationship, however at one point there was laughter as one of our leaders revealed from the heart about the death of a family member.

“This is unacceptable behaviour, and is really an example of racism exhibited at the highest level by a system lead, and unfortunately has done nothing but cause further damage to the relationship.”

Both MKO and KIM now say they wonder if the only way the fix health care for First Nations people in the north is for First Nations communities to take more control over those health care systems.

“While MKO and KIM expect that they will continue to work with the Northern Health Region, it has become apparent that a new health governance arrangement where First Nations take the lead is essential to real health transformation in the north,” the organizations said.

“We won’t resign ourselves to this reality any longer. This must change.”

The Winnipeg Sun reached out to MKO and KIM asking for an interview with Lavallee, or if the organizations had any further details of any recent alleged incidents of mistreatment,

incompetence, they could be suspended, lose their teaching certificate, face professional limitations or be reprimanded another way.

The proposal states appeals would be handled through the Court of King’s Bench.

“There’s a public appetite for more transparency,” said Cameron Hauseman, an assistant professor of education who studies school governance at the University of Manitoba.

“Right now, we don’t know how many teachers are involved in misconduct types of situations on a yearly basis. Right now, we don’t know what disciplinary procedures look like, let alone what the consequences of substantiated misconduct look like.”

Hauseman, a former elementary school teacher in Ontario, has long been vocal about his support for a regulatory college in this province so parents, members of the public and employers across the world can quickly find teacher qualifications.

The Ontario College of Teachers, of which he re-

mains a member in good standing, was established more than 25 years ago.

B.C. and Alberta have similar Rolodexes.

When reached by phone, the MTS leader provided a laundry list of concerns the union has about the legislation, from its broad definitions about misconduct to the absence of information about union representatives at disciplinary hearings.

Martindale said Manitoba teachers — who must agree to a code of professional practice that deems student safety their No. 1 priority — do not oppose regulation. However, he called Bill 35 “unacceptable,” claiming it does not protect teachers’ due process, follow the rules of natural justice and sets up members to be exposed to “frivolous and malicious complaints.”

If passed, this legislation will hinder efforts to recruit educators amid a labour shortage, he said.

In contrast, Manitoba Liberals are in favour of expanding the scope of the legislation by explicitly equipping the regulatory

commissioner with a mandate to monitor issues of co-worker mistreatment in schools.

“The conditions of work are the conditions of learning, in this case,” said party leader Dougald Lamont, adding he would also like to see a more detailed definition of professional misconduct included in the bill so any government of the day cannot simply define what constitutes a valid case.

In a generic statement on the subject, NDP education critic Nello Altomare noted the vast majority of teachers follow the rules. Outliers must be met with “a fair and measured process that is focused on the safety and well-being of the child,” said Altomare, a retired principal.

Hauseman said he is impressed by the great lengths the government has taken to set out a fair complaint process for educators.

Should the bill pass, his recommendation to the province is to be careful about choosing a strong, trusted and well-respected K-12 leader for the commissioner job.

but received no response before Thursday’s press deadline.

In an email, a spokesperson with the NRHA said that as of March 16 officials with the health authority were not aware of the alleged incident on March 6, but will now be following up on the allegations.

“We are unaware of the referenced situation during a recent meeting, but the NRHA does not condone inappropriate behaviour as described. We will be following up with MKO/ KIM,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the NRHA is “saddened” by the accusations made in the news release, and claimed they are committed to combating anti-Indigenous racism.

“Our goals have not changed, neither has our understanding that Indigenous anti-racism will not be solved overnight," the spokesperson said. "We are committed to moving forward with our efforts as a health region and as a partner in this important endeavor and mindful of the Seven Sacred Teachings.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the government of Canada.

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Dr. Barry Lavallee, seen here, the CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, is claiming that there have been recent incidents of mistreatment of First Nations people and leadership by the Northern Regional Health Authority.

Keep fi against tuberculosis

To the Editor:

is a highly contagious disease, Each year, TB claims the lives people worldwide. TB is not only a World countries, but also here in higher prevalence in the north.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease, caused by bacteria. Each year, TB claims the lives of 1.7 million people worldwide. TB is not only a problem in Third World countries, but also here in Canada, with a higher prevalence in the north.

vaccination, disease prevention

Additionally, some TB bacteria the years, giving rise to forms resistant TB, which means treatment complicated and accompanied by severe one in four people in this world is World TB day, raising awarean opportunity to mobilize funds elimination. I am glad to see Canada as global fund to fight tuberculosis. commitment continues in the future our goal to stop TB.

Due to the lack of vaccination, disease prevention is most important. Additionally, some TB bacteria have changed over the years, giving rise to forms of multi-drug resistant TB, which means treatment is lengthy, complicated and accompanied by severe side effects.

Did you know that one in four people in this world have TB? March 24 is World TB day, raising awareness and providing an opportunity to mobilize funds towards TB elimination. I am glad to see Canada as a top donor to the global fund to fight tuberculosis. I hope that this commitment continues in the future so that we can meet our goal to stop TB.

EDITORIAL

Karolin Klement Calgary

Editorial

Lynn Taylor’s return to the City of Thompson the end of an era for the Thompson Citizen

Thomplocal bodies prothe representathem made not numbers, trustagainst trustee only reof seven to earlier, than a Thompsonvoice prowould from to the of people for-

efore you read the rest of this editorial, let your eyes scan down to the bottom of the page it’s on, if you’re reading the print edition. If you’re reading onine, go find the March 24 print edition and turn to Page 4 or look it up in the digital edition available here on the website.

mer councillor Luke Robinson, who served one term on council from 2010 to 2014 before being defeated by Mayor Dennis Fenske in the race to become head of council last time that Thompsonites went to the polls about three-and-half years ago – was in favour of reducing the numbers, with the other seven opposed. Although council hasn’t yet voted on second reading of that bylaw, the next stage towards it becoming official, there’s at least a better than even chance that it will be approved. As watchers of council will have noticed, the proposals that make it to the council floor have a tendency to be approved by at least two-thirds of its members and, given that

The keen-eyed among you will notice that the face of Lynn Taylor, who served as general manager and published of the paper since September 2010, is no longer among the members of he Thompson Citizen news team.

For those of you who don’t know already, Lynn has resigned from the paper after more than a dozen years in order to return to the city, which she has previously served as city manager, as assistant treasurer, as an executive assistant to Mayor Don MacLean and as a tax clerk. On balance, this is good for the city, even though it was bad news for two members of the staff who worked her during her entire 12-plus

Both of Thompson’s local elected bodies have considered proposals to reduce the number of representatives comprising them and one of them made a choice March 13 not to shrink its numbers, as school board trustees voted 6-1 against a resolution by trustee Ryan Land (the only vote in support) to reduce the number of trustees from seven to five.

years as general manager and publisher.

School board opts for status quo, which way will city council go?

Though many people, including myself, often thought of and referred to Lynn as a former city manager, she spent almost as many years in the newspaper industry as she did in that role, and the people who worked here with her will likely always think of her as a newspaper publisher.

many of the people opposed to the plan are the regular critics of council who attend meetings and ask their elected officials questions week after week, their opinions may not be enough to dissuade the majority from forging ahead, especially since the number of people who care about this one way or another doesn’t even reach double digits.

One night earlier, slightly more than a half-dozen Thompsonites showed up to voice their opinion on a proposed bylaw that would see council shrink from eight councillors to six, not including the mayor. Only one of that handful of people with an opinion – for-

Whether or not the number of councillors or school board trustees should be reduced is not the sort of question for which there is a right or wrong answer. On the pro side of keeping the current numbers, the option that all but one of the school board members opted for, is the argument that it spreads the

The first time I remember meeting Lynn wasn’t when she was city manager (I began my time here at the Citizen focusing on local sports and only occasionally wrote about politics and other news topics or filled in for other reporters to cover things like city council meetings or school board). It was after she retired as city manager 15 years ago, having served in the role for 13 years. If you know Lynn, you may find the idea of her being retired a little amusing, and you also wouldn’t be surprised to heard that she soon began working again, serving as the senior election official for the city in a 2009 bye -

mer councillor Luke Robinson, who served one term on council from 2010 to 2014 before being defeated by Mayor Dennis Fenske in the race to become head of council last time that Thompsonites went to the polls about three-and-half years ago – was in favour of reducing the numbers, with the other seven opposed. Although council hasn’t yet voted on second reading of that bylaw, the next stage towards it becoming official, there’s at least a better than even chance that it will be approved. As watchers of council will have noticed, the proposals that make it to the council floor have a tendency to be approved by at least two-thirds of its members and, given that

workload around and allows for greater diversity of viewpoints, though Ryan Land was mostly correct in saying that, in terms of class and ethnicity, the trustees aren’t really a microcosm of the School District of Mystery Lake’s population as a whole. If you’ve been to many school board meetings (and apart from members of the media, well, you haven’t), you would know that they don’t often feature nearly as much debate or division as city council meetings, at least not over the past couple of years. But they’ve made their decision and it appears there will be seven school board trustees at least until 2022.

lection and for part of the 2010 general municipal election campaign before she resigned from that position and joined the Citizen as general manager. Anyways, I was doing one of my infrequent fill-ins as a municipal politics reporter and I remember sitting in the audience at City Hall, rather than at the press table for some reason, opening my camera bag to dig out my notebook and suffering an epic journalist fail. No notebook. Camera? Check. Pens? Check. Notebook. No check, because I obviously didn’t check it before heading to City Hall. So, as I was scribbling notes on the back of my business cards, which I have always had literally hundreds of since I usually forget to hand them out, someone tapped on my shoulder. It was Lynn. Handing me a notebook. Hopefully I whispered thank you. And despite her joining the Citizen knowing me at least partluy as the reporter who had gone to a council meeting with no paper, she didn’t seem to

many of the people opposed to the plan are the regular critics of council who attend meetings and ask their elected officials questions week after week, their opinions may not be enough to dissuade the majority from forging ahead, especially since the number of people who care about this one way or another doesn’t even reach double digits.

hold it against me.

for reducing members, whether they belong to the school board or council, is that it will save money. The amount is not large overall – about $20,000 in councillors’ salaries per year plus approximately half that amount, on average, for annual travel and expenses. For the city, which has a budget of around $30 million, that represents probably less than a drop in the proverbial bucket, though it is about a fifth of the overall cost of the mayor and council.

One of the arguments

Whether or not the number of councillors or school board trustees should be reduced is not the sort of question for which there is a right or wrong answer. On the pro side of keeping the current numbers, the option that all but one of the school board members opted for, is the argument that it spreads the

During her time at the Citizen , Lynn Taylor was the best kind of boss. She delegated responsibility and expected accountability. She knew which lane was hers and stayed in it for the most part, occasionally veering over to suggest a story idea here or there but never obtrusively or demandingly. She treated her employees like family and fought on their behalf with her bosses. She could take no for an answer from those she reported to, but was also more than willing to ask them the same important questions again and again if that wasn’t the answer she wanted, which it never was, and wasn’t afraid to tell them exactly what she actually thought.

With her firsthand knowledge of Thompson’s history and the way that its city government worked, Lynn was a valuable resource for reporters who needed some context, or help understanding what financial documents meant. She also knows a lot of funny stories of

Critics of the proposed reduction say that it will prevent “new blood” from being elected and, theoretically, reduce the diversity of opinions, but that would only be true if

workload around and allows for greater diversity of viewpoints, though Ryan Land was mostly correct in saying that, in terms of class and ethnicity, the trustees aren’t really a microcosm of the School District of Mystery Lake’s population as a whole. If you’ve been to many school board meetings (and apart from members of the media, well, you haven’t), you would know that they don’t often feature nearly as much debate or division as council meetings, at least not over the past couple of years. But they’ve made their decision and it appears there will be seven school board trustees at least until 2022.

things that happened in Thompson, having been her for most of the last 51 years.

BSchool board opts for status quo, which way will city council go?

the citizens of Thompson elected more truly independent-thinking candidates who aren’t married to aligning themselves with any particular side, because right now, the number of opinions on council is generally two – for and against.

There’s a lot of good things I could say about Lynn Taylor, even though I know that part of her will sort of hate this column because she likes being made the centre of attention about as much as she loves having her photo taken. She gave this newspaper everything she had, from putting in extra hours in the evenings and on weekends trying to stay on top of the many hats she wore in her role at the top. But perhaps it’s most fitting to use her own words against her. The day before her last day at the Citizen , she told me and Ryan Lynds, who have both been employees of this paper from before her first day on the job until after her last one, that if it wasn’t for us, she might not have stayed here as long as she did. The feeling is definitely mutual.

for reducing members, whether they belong to the school board or council, is that it will save money. The amount is not large overall – about $20,000 in councillors’ salaries per year plus approximately half that amount, on average, for annual travel and expenses. For the city, which has a budget of around $30 million, that represents probably less than a drop in the proverbial bucket, though it is about a fifth of the overall cost of the mayor and council.

Maybe the low turnout of people with opinions on how many councillors there should be isn’t an expression of apathy but of pragmatism. Experience has shown quite often that this council – and others before it –is going to do what the majority of its members think is right, regardless of what the most vocal taxpayers think. If that is the case, does it really matter how many of them there are?

One of the arguments

Your Thompson Citizen News Team

The coworkers she left behind will definitely miss Lynn now that she’s started her new job, but all the

Critics of the proposed reduction say that it will prevent “new blood” from being elected and, theoretically, reduce the diversity of opinions, but that would only be true if

qualities that made her so valuable to this paper and to the people she worked with here haven’t changed now that she’s moved back to her previous employer. But perhaps, above all, the thing that will make Lynn a great addition to the city administration is her dedication to Thompson and her desire to see it be the best city it can. She moved here in 1972 and remained here for eight years before spending six years in Winnipeg. But Thompson had clearly already become her home and she jumped at the chance to move back and hasn’t left since. Lynn will tell you that she would have never had the career opportunities that she did in her life if she hadn’t moved to Thompson. That’s probably a little bit modest on her behalf because she would be capable of what she’s done here in many other communities, I’m sure, but the love she has for Thompson is what makes her resignation from the Citizen our loss, but the entire city’s gain.

the citizens of Thompson elected more truly independent-thinking candidates who aren’t married to aligning themselves with any particular side, because right now, the number of opinions on council is generally two – for and against.

Maybe the low turnout of people with opinions on how many councillors there should be isn’t an expression of apathy but of pragmatism. Experience has shown quite often that this council – and others before it –is going to do what the majority of its members think is right, regardless of what the most vocal taxpayers think. If that is the case, does it really matter how many of them there are?

- Ian Graham, Editor

YOUR THOMPSON CITIZEN NEWS TEAM

Your Thompson Citizen News Team

Quiet revolution or World War III?

To the Editor: I have lived to see men on the moon, women given equal status, Pierre Elliot Trudeau legalize homosexuality, the internet, cell phones (portrayed in Dick Tracy cartoons) and now what I hope for is the end of people like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, George H.W. Bush and Justin Trudeau elevated to the highest executive offices in government — what is gong on?

No wonder Putin and

Trump and Putin are hopefully the last emperors of neo-Nazis to inflict pain on beautiful nations like Ukraine, Poland, Guatemala and Chile, to name only four nations devastated by the ignorance of freedom lovers disguised as populist heroes. Both Putin and his buddy Donald Trump are narcissists and we will see Ukraine prevail, peacefully.

John Lennon, Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev

AMC decries appointment of WPS to oversee missing person hub

BY DAVE BAXTER

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

One of this province’s most powerful Indigenous leaders says she has “little faith” that a newly announced Integrated Missing Persons Response unit that will be run by the Winnipeg Police Service will help police locate more missing Indigenous people in Manitoba.

“We have little faith that the Winnipeg Police Service can handle a hub for our missing loved ones,” Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a March 21 media release.

“Families of missing persons feel time and time again that police do not prioritize their cases, and lack proper effort and cooperation with communities.”

On March 20, the province announced $2.1 million in funding to create the new Integrated Missing Persons Response unit, which will see WPS oversee all missing person reports in Manitoba.

According to the province, there were 9,300 missing person reports in Winnipeg alone last year, and another 3,500 missing persons investigations launched by the RCMP outside of Winnipeg.

“The investment will reduce the number of missing adults and children across the province, and provide coordinated inter-agency supports to those that go missing chronically,” the province said in a media

release.

But Merrick criticized the announcement, and what she said was a lack of consultation with AMC on the plan.

“The WPS has already had oversight on these files for decades, which has not served us well,” Merrick said.

“As well, this announcement came without proper consultation of our First Nations and our regional political office which is currently working with a number of organizations, including the WPS, the RCMP and the province on searching for loved ones in landfills.

“One would assume they would have come to us to share this news before it was announced.”

The province said the unit also aligns directly with several recommendations of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, such as the need for better-supported community-based first response, and more responsive, transparent, and accountable policing.

Merrick also criticized the plan because she said it will give more money, and more control over data to WPS.

“The WPS has already proven that the resources they were given for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) have been expended without any notable improvement on the issue,” Merrick said. “And

and Gandhi all struggled as they strived to bring peace to our Earth, peace that cannot be gotten from horrors.

“Find the pine of friends/ Buried in the ground/Mother Earth will swallow you/ Lay your body down,” sang David Crosby, who left us in 2023. And as Neil Young sang in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, “How many more?”

Angus Campbell Sr. Thompson

now they will receive more funds and control over information collection about MMIWG2S+ cases.

“The First Nations Family Advocacy Office has submitted a proposal and received approval to create an MMIWG2S+ database that is more interactive and informed by families. This database would include a historical and active missing persons database, with a space for families to share details when needed and be able to connect to resources.”

A WPS spokesperson defended recent WPS efforts to locate missing people.

“In 2022, the WPS Missing Persons Unit handled more than 9,300 cases. The vast majority of those reported missing are female,” the spokesperson said in an email. “During that time period, the only adult female reported as missing who has not yet been located is Ashley Shingoose. If anyone has any information on her whereabouts, we would ask the public to contact the Missing Persons Unit at 204-986-6250.”

The province said on Monday that more consultation will be required to determine the final makeup of the new unit, and did not say when the unit would begin operating.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the government of Canada

RCMP seeking four Easterville home HELP WANTED

Four men from Easterville are wanted by police in connection with an assault that left another man with serious injuries.

Chemawawin RCMP were alerted around 11 a.m. March 11 that a 24-year-old man was being taken to the Easterville nursing station for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Investigation determined that four men entered the victim’s home earlier that morning, assaulting him and causing extensive damage before leaving.

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in finding 29-year-old Mitchell Howard Ledoux, 27-year-old Steven Shane Klyne, 26-year-old Shawn Eric Umpherville and 20-year-old Nathan Walter Umpherville, all from Easterville, who are believed to have fled to Winnipeg. The four face numerous charges including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and breaking and entering.

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Farms yield fresh veggies all year in places where growing season is as short as two months

BY ISAAC NAY LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Virginia Muswagon’s parents grew tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and potatoes in a greenhouse when she was young. In Norway House Cree Nation, where she’s from, the growing season can be as short as two months. So when an Ottawa-based startup helped Muswagon put a hydroponic farm on the reservation, she jumped at the chance to start growing leafy greens year round.

“I used to love what (my parents) would grow — the colour and the taste of the vegetables were really good,” Muswagon said. “So it was a no-brainer to try growing myself.”

In 2019, Muswagon and her co-manager, Ian Maxwell, started Pimâtisiwin Nipî Kistikânihk, or Life Water Gardens, a hydroponic farm inside a refurbished shipping container from a startup called The Growcer. Almost four years later, Muswagon and Maxwell harvest about 450 plants each week and supply greens to a local high school, hospital and grocery store.

They are one of about 70 communities across Canada to purchase a hydroponic farm from The Growcer. Now, Muswagon said she hopes her community can get a second one.

“Fresh vegetables just can't be compared to what you buy at the store,” Muswagon said.

The Growcer co-founder Corey Ellis started the company with his business partner, Alida Burke, when they were students at the University of Ottawa. Ellis and Burke would travel to Iqaluit each reading week with a school club meant to help students create social purpose businesses. There, Ellis said he realized remote communities faced challen-

ges securing fresh produce.

“Walking to the grocery store, it becomes pretty evident that what we take for granted here in Ottawa is not the lived reality of a lot of people across the country,” Ellis said, noting a case of water could fetch $80 in a grocery store and a head of lettuce could sell for $10. “This is what people are willing to put up with, what they have to pay every day.”

Ellis and Burke developed a farm inside a shipping container. Now, in slightly larger units of about 400 square feet, the farms can produce 8,500 pounds of greens each year. All the farm needs, Ellis said, is space, a person to farm inside and an electricity connection. Each unit consumes up to 86,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year in a four-season climate — 3.5 times the amount of energy consumed by the average Canadian household in the same time — and about 76,000 in the frigid North where air conditioning is unnecessary.

According to The Growcer’s website, in Ottawa, one farm would reach an electricity bill of about $680 per month. In Nunavut, a monthly energy bill could reach above $1,900.

In December 2017, Ellis and Burke’s starter farm held its first harvest in Churchill. Ellis said it wasn’t long before other remote communities started reaching out for containers.

“Honestly, it was word of mouth,” Ellis said. “The Far North is a small place, and everybody hears about everything that's going on.”

OBITUARY

More than 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Maxwell said frost can continue into the second week of June and return to kill crops as early as September. With funding from non-profit Food Matters Manitoba and accounting company Binder Dijker Otte Canada, Norway House Cree Nation was one of the first communities to purchase a farm.

STELLA “DORENE”

DICKSON [NÉE LAMBERT]

July 1, 1947- March 7, 2023

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our devoted wife, mother, grandmother Stella “Dorene” Dickson, on March 7, 2023 at Thompson, MB at the age of 75.

Dorene will be lovingly remembered and forever missed by her husband, Kenneth Dickson, her son, Keith [Milva]Dickson and daughter Deidre [Marc] Perron, her grandchildren Amber-Lee Himmelman, Kaylene [Levi] Wilson, Dillon M. Perron, and Noel Dickson.

Dorene, was born in Tuelon, MB and grew up in Hodgson, MB. She moved to Thompson, MB in 1966.

It was in Thompson that she met Ken, married and started a family. A celebration of her life has taken place on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 2:00pm - 4:00pm at Glen Lawn Funeral Home 455 Lagimodiere Blvd, Winnipeg, MB.

The family would like to thank the hospital staff at the Thompson General Hospital and the Northern Spirit Manor (PCH) for their kindness and care.

Family and friends may sign a book of condolence at www.glenlawn.ca.

Glen Lawn Funeral Home 204-982-7550

The hydroponic farm is equipped to grow food year round in the extreme cold. Muswagon said the unit at Norway House Cree Nation grows greens, including oregano, cilantro, spinach, butterhead lettuce and even bok choy.

“In the dead of winter, we've gotten as low as -50 C,” Muswagon said. “When you go in (the farm), it's like you walk into another dimension.”

The startup also caught the attention of the Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga’a Society, a non-profit that represents the 1,400 Nisga’a people living in Prince Rupert, B.C. The society had been trying to grow fresh produce in Prince Rupert for years, said Blair Mirau, the economic development officer for the society. Prince Rupert is almost 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver, at the end of British Col-

umbia’s Highway 16, near the end of the supply chain.

“The terrain here is either rock or muskeg,” Mirau said. “What we understand to be traditional agriculture or farms, there’s nothing within 140 kilometres that looks like that.”

Earlier attempts to grow produce in a greenhouse fell flat. In 2020, Mirau said, the organization was able to get funding for one of The Growcer’s first shipping container units and since then has had better luck.

“When the pandemic hit, there were a lot of empty shelves in the grocery store,” Mirau said. “That just kind of added fuel to our fire to get this project done faster.”

Now, Mirau said the farm produces about 600 leafy green plants per week, including lettuce, spicy mustard, spinach and bok choy. While each plant is only about 60 per cent as large as its ground-farmed counterparts, Mirau said the plants are much fresher than produce transport-

ed from mainland B.C. or California.

“If you buy a head of lettuce and you leave it in your fridge for three or four days, it's gonna start to deteriorate,” Mirau said. “With our stuff, you can probably stretch it three weeks in the fridge and still eat it without feeling compromised.”

Mirau said the society sells about half its greens through a subscription service that offers weekly and biweekly packages of produce. Each package contains five to seven fresh plants, and the shipping container farm can sustain up to 60 customers. Just by selling produce, Mirau said the farm was able to start making revenue in less than eight months.

The other half of the farm’s greens are sold to a cafe the society opened in late May. The cafe’s revenue, Mirau said, helped offset the cost of the units, which Ellis says can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000 to install.

In Ottawa, Ellis said the container farm startup is launching up to four farms every month. The company’s farms include projects in the northern Quebec community of Kuujjuaq and in Yellowknife. One farm grows greens on the University of Ottawa’s campus. Ellis said he even had visitors arrive from the Bahamas to tour the experimental unit in Ottawa. Ellis said he sees the farms as a way to help communities protect their food security.

“There's a huge risk from a food security point of view in the North, where it's acute and where the need is most present,” Ellis said, “but also in a place like Ottawa, where COVID made us realize maybe our food supply chain isn't as secure as we once thought it was.”

Back at Norway House Cree Nation, Maxwell and Muswagon said they are considering getting another unit. Muswagon said some of the growers have experimented growing strawberries in the hydroponic farm.

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Life Water Gardens/Facebook

An August 2019 photo shows the interior of the Life Water Gardens shipping container greenhouse.

harimare

Imperial Oil tailings leak highlights another oilsands problem

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER

The recent revelation of a massive leak from Imperial Oil’s tailings ponds highlights the question of what to do with the rest of the oilsands waste accumulating along the Athabasca River.

Massive ponds filled with more than 1.4 trillion litres of toxic waste are set to hit capacity in 2025. At that point, the sludge-like oilsands tailings will be treated and dumped into the river, in accordance with federal regulations still being developed. That is, unless Environment and Climate Change Canada identifies an alternative; the federal agency says dumping treated tailings is just “one of the options” under consideration.

The federal Fisheries Act currently prohibits the release of harmful substances into fish-bearing waters. The federal government is in the process of developing oilsands mining wastewater regulations under the Fisheries Act to authorize releases of treated tailings “under strict effluent quality standards to minimize risks to the environment.” Releasing untreated tailings into the Athabasca is not being considered.

But many First Nations say treated or not, oilsands tailings should not be dumped into waterways they rely on.

The Athabasca Chipewyan

First Nation is against the release of any treated tailings, and last summer at the Dene National Assembly, northern nations unanimously passed a motion opposing the government’s proposed plan.

“It has to stop,” Dene National Chief Gerald Antoine told Canada’s National Observer in an interview. “You see how they're toying around to change the rules of engagement to meet their needs or meet their wants, which

doesn't meet the needs of the land or the people that live there.”

The tailings ponds are located in northern Alberta, but disposal of the thick mixture containing arsenic, leftover bitumen, toxic naphthenic acids, silt and clay will have ramifications that cross provincial and territorial boundaries. Already, evidence shows tailings are leaching into groundwater.

Fed by the Columbia Glacier in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, the Athabasca River flows north into an immense network of rivers and waterways called the Deh Cho watershed, or Mackenzie River Basin, which encompasses the northern half of Alberta, parts of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Yukon, and most of the Northwest Territories.

The water’s 4,000-kilometre journey through the watershed ends at the Beaufort Sea.

But high levels of naphthenic acids and salinity will persist even after the toxic wastewater is treated, and releasing tar sands tailings into the watershed poses “serious risks to the rights of Dene in Treaty #8 and Treaty #11 territory,” the Dene resolution states.

The “Dene Nation opposes the release of treated tar sands tailings into the Deh Cho watershed and requires Canada to abandon its plans to allow such action,” it reads, adding that Canada must fulfil its obligation to obtain the free and prior consent of the downstream Dene.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has previously said the government hasn’t ruled out other options, like possible “technical solutions to tailings ponds issues.”

Currently, a Crown-Indigenous Working Group including nine First Nations and Métis communities is

“exploring alternatives” to ensure all options are considered before a decision is made on the path forward, according to a statement from ECCC.

“This assessment is still in early stages and includes a global literature review to identify potential options,” read the statement, sent to Canada’s National Observer. No specific alternatives to releasing the tailings were identified in the statement.

ACFN, the First Nation that sounded the alarm about the tailings leaks on Imperial Oil’s Kearl site, is part of the working group.

The working group meetings occur every three to six weeks, and so far, the ACFN is “very happy with the process,” according to an email from Brian Fung, ACFN’s manager of government relations.

“One major outstanding issue is how to address human health,” said Fung. The federal government says human health is outside the scope of the Fisheries Act, which is, unsurprisingly, focused on fish, he explained. But Canada is obligated to deal with issues brought up during consultation so the ACFN will keep trying to get human health impacts addressed, he added.

In December, more than 40 scientists and health-care professionals penned a letter to Guilbeault outlining concerns about the proposed oilsands tailings release. Signatories say any water released must meet the highest water quality standards and insist detailed toxicological information on the makeup of tailings be made available to the public so risks can be assessed.

The regulations being developed must guarantee “no further exposure” to harmful chemicals, which the letter says contrasts with the government’s proposed “reduction of threats” approach. It points out that ongoing leaks

How are rainbows formed?

Rainbows are beautiful optical illusions. Have you ever seen one before and wondered how they’re made? Here’s a quick explanation.

Although sunlight looks clear, it’s a blend of many different colours. A rainbow is created when white light enters a water droplet and splits into many colours. This happens because the water scatters the light waves through a process called refraction. The pattern of colours starts with red on the outside and changes through orange, yellow,

green, blue, indigo and violet on the inside. The rainbow effect can be seen when water drops are in the air, like after a big rainstorm or near a waterfall. If you want to see a rainbow, your back must be to the sun. The lower the sun is in the sky, the higher the rainbow’s arc will be.

Keep your eyes out for a rainbow in the sky next time it rains.

and evaporation from tailings ponds mean there is already an elevated level of exposure to the contaminants, which releasing treated tailings would only add to.

Identifying and filling data gaps regarding the condition and composition of oilsands tailings is on the working group’s agenda, according to ECCC.

Because most studies on the composition of tailings come from industry research, it’s hard to know the chemical composition of the ponds, which is a barrier to exploring possible solutions, said Aliénor Rougeot, program manager of climate and energy with Environmental Defence.

Along with the Crown-Indigenous working group, ECCC told Canada’s National Observer it is also consulting with other Indigenous communities, including the Dene Nation.

“There have been some small steps … there is a tendency, though, to try to steer us into their process,” Antoine said.

“They need to be mindful that this is our home here and that historically, we have a very special relationship with the land, we really connect with that.”

The land has its own processes and natural laws, which human beings need to acknowledge, said Antoine.

Last week at the Dene

Nation Water Summit, Dene families came together to share traditional knowledge and their observations and experiences. This summit was an important step to move the conversation forward, which was part of the resolution’s directive, said Antoine.

The federal government’s due diligence in exploring other options is good, but there is a lack of urgency to the approach, Rougeot said. Both the provincial and federal governments are allowing the problem to grow — with about 1.5 barrels of tailings created for each barrel of bitumen extracted — with no discussion of imposing a moratorium or limiting oilsands mining expansion until solutions are identified, she said.

If released, the high salinity of treated tailings will affect the water temperature of the Mackenzie River watershed and have devastating impacts over time, said Jesse Cardinal, executive director

of Keepers of the Water, a coalition of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, environmental groups and local communities committed to protecting all living things within the Arctic Ocean Drainage Basin.

The current process puts a lot of pressure on under-resourced First Nations to come up with solutions when it should be industry, with all its resources and technology, leading the way, Cardinal told Canada’s National Observer in an interview.

“Money should not be an excuse in treating the tailings ponds … [industry] shouldn't be looking for the cheapest, quickest option” at a time when companies are raking in record profits, she said.

‘We're in a climate crisis, which includes a water crisis,” she said, pointing to First Nations already without access to clean water because of proximity to industrial projects. “We're trying to reverse that and repair that, not grow that issue.”

Trojans teams end basketball season with consolation semifinals losses at provincials

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

R.D. Parker Collegiate’s varsity basketball teams were both knocked out of the AAA basketball provincials by the eventual consolation title winners on March 17.

The squads each opened the three-day tournament with a loss on March 16, eliminating them from contention for a provincial championship. The Trojan girls fell 79-46 to the Béliveau Barracudas in their opening match while the boys’ team dropped a 68-36 decision to the Neelin Spartans.

The Trojans’ second-day matches were closer, with the girls falling 54-36 to the St. James Jimmies and the boys getting knocked out of the tournament with a 78-57 loss at the hands of the Léo-Rémillard Renards.

The Jimmies went on to beat the Nelson MacIntrye Torchbearers in the girls’ consolation final while the Renards beat out the Transcona Titans on the boys’ side.

The Garden Valley Zodiacs, who beat the Renards in the first game for each team, won the provincial championship with a 61-51 victory over Nelson MacIntrye in the boys’ final while the Neelin Spartans beat the Barracudas 66-64 in the girls’ title match.

Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham R.D. Parker Collegiate’s varsity basketball teams were winless as hosts of the AAA high school basketball provincials March 16-18.

Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of R.D. Parker Collegiate

The boys’ and girls’ champions in the AAA high school basketball provincials hosted in Thompson March 16-18 both stopepd for photos at Pisew Falls on their way back home and sent words of praise to R.D. Prker Collegiate for putting on a first-class tournament.

Thompson teen wins Blue Bombers anti-bullying award

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Isabel Carter will remember March 14, 2023 for a long time.

A school day that included jazz band and choir performances in the evening and a pep rally ahead of the high school basketball provincials that started at R.D. Parker Collegiate a couple days later was also the day she received an award for kindness.

Speaking the the Thompson Citizen March 21, Carter said she was totally caught off guard by the honour.

“It’s not something I was ever expecting or hoping for,” she said.

Ensuring Carter was around to receive the Samantha Mason Friendship Award, named for a 15-year-old Winnipeg girl who killed herself in May 2015 after years of bullying and presented to someone 17 or younger who embodies the virtue of kindness, took a little trickery.

As far as Carter knew, the Tuesday morning assembly was really for the pep rally, but the rally was really a ruse.

A teacher had enlisted Carter’s help to get students seated for the assembly in order to ensure that she didn’t leave the school during the last period of the morning, since she didn’t have a class.

When she saw that a couple of players from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were there, she thought it was odd but didn’t make much of it.

“That’s kind of weird for

a pep rally,” she thought. Displaying one of the characteristics that helped her earn the award, Carter thought of someone else.

“I got a card signed for my brother,” she says, explaining that her family members are fans of the football team.

When principal Bonnie Rempel took the microphone and explained that the assembly was really to give out an award before a video about Samantha Mason played for the students, Carter was confused.

“I thought that was kind of weird,” she said. But still she didn’t anticipate the waiting surprise. “I was totally in the dark.”

Then she heard her name and went up to the front of the gym to receive the award.

“I started crying up there,” she said.

Rempel told the assembled students that the recipient was more than deserving.

“This is a rare moment where she’s acknowledged for her kindness and just

know that even when you’re kind to somebody it is making a difference.” said the principal. “You may never know it but it is making a difference. It’s well-deserved.”

Following a chance for her family and her to hang out with Nick and Noah Hallett of the Blue Bombers and even shoot a few hoops with them, followed by lunch, Carter was on a high the rest of the day.

“I’m going to hold on to this for the rest of my life,” she said. “It’s going to be something I think back on, for sure.”

In addition to the award, Carter also ended up with $1,500 to put towards her education.

When Rempel asked Twin Motors if they had a van she could borrow to drive the Blue Bombers around, she explained what was happening to Jimmy Pelk, who did more than just lend the school a vehicle

“He’s writing a cheque for a $500 scholarship,” Rempel said.

When the Samantha

A personal tribute to MIRIAM EILEEN CAMPBELL

My mother landed a “big fish” and became his lifetime partner during World War II – Corporal Murdoch Campbell.

After a ten year stint at Hydro and Inco I returned home to my mother’s palace at 14 Cottage Street, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

She was the most loving woman in the universe of clan Campbell.

With love:

Angus and Nancy Campbell, NCN

Florette, Reanne & Liam Campbell, Thompson

Acelyn and Doran Campbell and Tyler Dolon

Bonnie, Angus H, Aiden Angus & Jayden Campbell, Oakville

Star Madalen Campbell, B.C.

Miriam Campbell, Winnipeg

Your spirit dwells with the angels now, but your legacy is alive and well in all of the Manitoba Campbells.

Mason Foundation and the Blue Bombers heard about that, they stepped up and matched that donation. Though it’s nice to be recognized and to have the financial burden of attend college or university eased, Carter says that she gives because she enjoys it.

“It’s really enjoyable to just be able to know that you’re doing something,” Carter says. “Even if it doesn’t get noticed, you can feel it in yourself that you did something. That’s really all I do. I was just taught to always help out and do the best I can.”

Even when talking about being the centre of attention, Carter can’t help but share the spotlight.

“I wanted to say thank you to everyone, especially Ms. Rempel, Twin Motors, the Blue Bombers and the Samantha Mason Foundation.”

Invitation to public and concerned stakeholders regarding the upgrades of the “Tote Road”

(MB PTH 283 and SK PTH 55) to RTAC standards

When: Wednesday April 19, 2023 from 10am - 4pm

Where: The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19 4 Veterans Way The Pas, MB

Registration: 9:30am (coffee provided)

Public Presentations and Meeting: 10am– 3pm (lunch provided)

Annual General Meeting: 3pm – 4pm

This meeting is hosted by Gateway Keewatin Corridor (GKC) Inc. GKC is an inter-provincial lobby group working to significantly improve highway conditions of MB PTH 283 and SK PTH 55. For more info call Len (204) 734-8355 or Brian (204) 620-1366

Sponsored by:

Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Noah Hallett, left, and Nick Hallett, right, present Isabel Carter with the Samantha Mason Friendship Award and a personalized team jersey during an assembly at R.D. Parker Collegiate March 14.

Isabel Carter poses March 21 with her Samatha Mason Friendship Award certificate and her personalized Winnipeg Blue Bombers jersey signed by Nick and Noah Hallett.

In wake of tailings leaks, Inuit elder says nations must help each other ‘to stop this abuse’

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Pollution from oilsands tailings dominated the agenda at the Dene Nation Water Summit last week as northern Indigenous leaders and community members discussed how to respond to recent news of multiple leaks hidden for months from neighbouring Indigenous communities.

The annual Dene Nation Water Summit took place last week in Inuvik, N.W.T., amid a barrage of national and international media coverage over Imperial Oil’s leaks in northern Alberta that went on for nearly nine months outside the public eye.

Representatives from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation — which called out the company and the Alberta regulator

for failing to notify them about the leaks — updated attendees on the situation and what can be done.

ACFN has asked Imperial Oil for access to the Kearl site where the leaks originated to do community monitoring and urged other nations to sample and monitor their lands and waters for contaminants. ACFN is also considering legal action against both Imperial Oil and the provincial regulator for the contamination and lack of communication.

“We have to help each other out in order to stop this abuse so that people can live in their own regions, happily,” said Mary Okheena, an elder from Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., representing her Inuvialuit community. She lives far from the oilsands, on an island in the Beaufort Sea, and says this abuse to the land — and by extension to people, animals, plants and all beings — must be stopped before it gets worse and impacts other regions and communities.

“It's almost like a silent killer that we have to stop before it really affects the people and the land,” Okheena told Canada’s National Observer in a phone interview.

Okheena is one of many elders who gathered in Inuvik for the water summit to share their knowledge and life experience. All the discussions have been punctuated with “the cries of the elders, the cries of the people,” she said. “They're asking for help. They're trying to get their voices heard.”

But to be heard, they have to put their voices together as a nation because the calls of individ -

ual regions often fall on deaf ears, she said.

“We need our leaders to start speaking up for us … not to be scared,” she said.

ACFN Chief Allan Adam has courage aplenty when it comes to speaking out about the tailings leaks. In recent weeks, he has called out Imperial Oil, the Alberta Energy Regulator and the provincial government both for failing to notify the nation and responding with suggestions this is merely a communications issue.

At the summit, elders and participants are trying to give leaders the power and the tools to fight for them, said Okheena. Many elders are going to be passing away, and when their time comes, she wants them to be satisfied in knowing the nations are pulling together for that fight, she added.

Several presentations offered information and toolkits to push back on specific issues, for example, oilsands tailings.

There was talk of using legislation like the federal Species at Risk Act, Chief Robert Charlie-Tetlichi of the Inuvik Native Band told Canada’s National Observer in an interview.

He noted the presence of boreal caribou, which are listed as threatened under the law, in the Mackenzie River Valley, downstream of the oilsands.

“If I remember correctly, we can use that as one of the tools, if you will, in the toolbox, to make government accountable for ensuring the safety of the resources that we depend on, which includes water and fish, caribou, moose and what have you,” Chief Charlie-Tetlichi said.

Inuvik is in the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories, thousands of kilometres away from the tailings ponds that line the glacier-fed Athabasca River. But the Athabasca River flows north into the Mackenzie River Basin’s vast network of rivers and waterways, including the Mackenzie River itself, which empties into the Beaufort Sea.

“Being at the mouth of the Mackenzie River, we have concerns on potential impacts to us,” said Chief Charlie-Tetlichi. These concerns are likely shared by other communities along the river, he added.

The Northwest Territories and Alberta have a water management agreement, which requires them to inform each other about incidents affecting shared waters, but the Northwest Territories government found out about the Kearl leaks at the same time as the public.

“What does that say about the agreement?” asked Chief Charlie-Tetlichi, noting Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories aren’t parties to the agreement. The territorial government has already activated the agreement’s dispute resolution measures.

Seepage from four tailings ponds began in May 2022, and then 5.3 million litres of water reportedly escaped from a tailings overflow drainage pond on Feb. 4, according to the environmental protection order issued by the Alberta Energy Regulator two days after the spill.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has voiced con -

cern about the situation, particularly Alberta’s silence. When something like this happens, the province has to report it to Environment and Climate Change Canada within 24 hours, which it failed to do, said Guilbeault. ECCC has told Imperial Oil it must act immediately to prevent any seepage from entering fish-bearing waters to ensure the company complies with the Fisheries Act.

Enforcement officers will continue to visit the site, monitor cleanup and collect more inspection information to determine whether the company is complying with the law, according to a March 15 press release.

On March 14, Guilbeault met with Alberta Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Sonya Savage regarding the ongoing spill situation at the Kearl oilsands mine. Guilbeault introduced the idea of a joint federal-provincial-Indigenous working group, with participation from oil companies, “to address the immediate concerns around the Kearl oilsands mine situation to restore trust and give transparency to all parties involved.”

Imperial Oil has said that based on its monitoring, the released fluids did not enter any waterways and there have been no impacts on local drinking water sources and wildlife.

At the summit, doctors, including Fort McMurray physician John O’Connor, called for more studies on the health impacts of tailings and noted a high prevalence of rare cancers in the small Fort Chipewyan population.

This presentation was particularly alarming to 24-year-old Keenan Hunter-McKay, a youth delegate representing the Fort Resolution Métis government.

Hunter-McKay has been fishing on Great Slave Lake and Little Buffalo River for as long as he can remember. He loves to fish, so hearing elders and community members at the summit talk about the impacts of contaminants on fish was upsetting.

At home in Fort Resolution, Keenan says elders have told him about catching fish with blackened livers, and he thinks more fish studies should be done to determine the level of contaminants and whether they are safe to eat.

This year’s water summit “shows governments that we are a united front, that we won't stand for the desecration of our lands and our waters,” said Hunter-McKay. “We won't just stand idly by while they do it and while they are lying to us.”

Flin Flon will move ahead with pool project, but price tag is up

BY ERIC WESTHAVER FLIN FLON REMINDER

Flin Flon’s city council has announced they will continue with plans to replace the Flin Flon Aqua Centre. The estimated cost of the project has risen, but councillors say the City will still be able to afford the project.

A formal resolution, introduced by councillors at their March 7 meeting and passed unanimously by those in attendance, said that the City would continue with the project’s arrangements. Those include work with Winnipeg-based construction company Ernst Hansch Construction to design and build a new pool and to work with the Aqua Centre Community Committee — as well as other members of the community — to help fundraise and seek input on the pool project. Members of the committee came to the meeting and sat in the public gallery, applauding the move when it was announced by council.

“Council is pleased to inform the community that after much discussion a decision has been reached to continue to move forward with the construction of a new aqua centre,” reads the meeting agenda, read out at the meeting by Mayor George Fontaine.

Councillors are slated to meet again with representatives from Ernst Hansch this week, the latest in a series of meetings meant to get an almost entirely new city council up to speed with the status and scope of the project.

government Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program grant and almost $2.9 million from the Manitoba government. The Saskatchewan government has not contributed any funds for a new pool complex.

“When we’re talking about a big increase like this, we have to really be sure that it’s the best option for our community,” said councillor Alison Dallas-Funk.

that they already have obtained. We had to get an extension on that because of the delay. There's a second grant that they've granted for previous council and administration that we were unsure of. We had to see if we were denied, if we were in the queue waiting, what's all going on with that.”

The City of Flin Flon will release its 2023-24 fiscal year budget later this spring, a document likely to shed some light on the next steps for the project.

“It’s a big dream and yes, it would have been nice if it went ahead about a year ago, but we’ve got to look at this where we are now,” said Fontaine.

there. We tried our best with that,” said Fontaine.

“We wanted to have all the questions we had in our minds, at least sift through them as best as we could. We could have been a few months earlier if we just said ‘let’s go ahead’, but we felt like this was a lot of money — this is a huge project.”

Cost

Back in June, the City had announced that the pool project had grown in price from its original $9 million price tag to around $11 million in total. That price has since increased, then increased again recently.

“Every building project across the country is facing exactly the same thing. Just look at the cost of anything — go to the store and see what it was three years ago and see what it is now. Any project is the same. We had to ask where are we on this scale, then how does this affect us in the future — but we were sure we can still do it,” said Fontaine.

“What were going to be our best case and our worst case scenarios, we tried to look at both of those. Especially financially, we tried to look at all those things and think, ‘What are we doing here?’ and we decided yes, we can and yes, we will.”

The cost of the project jumped shortly before last fall’s local election, then again early this year. The city is pursuing more grant money to help cover the increased construction cost, including an application to the provincial capital fund for around $3 million.

One thing pursued by the new council was whether or not a new pool could be built on City land on the Saskatchewan side of the provincial border, in hopes of making the project cheaper. No agreements could be made on that front — mainly because if the city pursued that matter, the funding already allocated from the Manitoba government could be in jeopardy.

“We questioned whether there was any other location where this thing could be done, even if we had to redesign. We questioned other locations — for example, being able to go into the Saskatchewan side to build it, to see if we could get grants on the Saskatchewan side,” said Fontaine.

The scope remains mostly unchanged from how it was presented at a public meeting last June–a four-lane lap swim pool, a leisure pool located to one side,

closed off from the pool itself by a concrete island but with the same water supply, along with ramps allowing the pool to be accessed by people with mobility issues. The project will still include a multipurpose activity room and a single open unisex changing area space visible to lifeguards from the deck — poolgoers will get changed in a series of closed-off change stalls. The site for the new pool will be on the same site as the old pool, near Ross Creek and the water treatment plant off Ash Crescent. The area formerly occupied by the Willowpark Curling Club, about 200 metres northeast of that site, was seen as the most likely site for a new pool until last spring, when geophysical results for the site showed it would not be suitable to build a new pool on.

“The support never wavered. We questioned whether there were any potential partners out

As of last week, the revised price tag for the project sits just over $17 million. Last June, City officials said there was a contingency plan in place to cover up to a 20 per cent increase in costs from the $11 million figure.

The project itself has received over $3.4 million from a federal

NO PARKING (STREET) ON YOUR GARBAGE DAY GARBAGE SCHEDULE

AUTOMATED COLLECTION

• 1 Westwood • 2 Burntwood

• 3 Riverside/Deerwood • 4 Eastwood

• 5 Juniper/Southwood/BTC

The automated carts must be placed along your curb no later than 8 am on the day of scheduled pickup AT LEAST one metre apart from other cart/objects. No Parking on residential streets between the hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm during Garbage/Recycle days for that area. Example: if it is Westwood’s Garbage/Recycle day there is to be no parking on the residential streets in the Westwood Area. This is to aid in the safety for both the residents of Thompson as well as City crews. Vehicles found parked on the streets will be ticketed.

“The numbers they were working with are quite different from the numbers we have now, especially with the increase of everything out there under COVID-19,” said Dallas-Funk.

“That's a factor, and there’s granting as well — there is a grant

On the date and at the time and location shown below, a PUBLIC HEARING will be held to receive representations from any person(s) who wish to make them in respect to the following matter:

CITY OF THOMPSON BY-LAW NO. 2033-2023

Being an amendment to the City of Thompson Zoning By-law 1891-2012, as amended.

HEARING LOCATION

City of Thompson Council Chambers 226 Mystery Lake Road, Thompson, MB

DATE & TIME

Monday, March 27, 2023 at 7:00 pm

GENERAL INTENET

To re-zone land within the City of Thompson from “Public Institution Zone” to “Public Institution University Zone.”

AREA AFFECTED

305 Thompson Dr. N Lot B Plan 5692 in Pt. NE 4-78-3 WPM

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT

Lyle Safronetz Director Development & Technical Services City of Thompson Ph: (204) 677-7922, Email: lsafronetz@thompson.ca

“It looked like a good idea and I had discussions with the Saskatchewan mayors, but the problem is that we would probably lose the Manitoba funding if we switched over to that side. It all turned out to be that wasn't likely going to be the answer.”

A copy of the above proposed By-law may be inspected at the location noted above during normal office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

CITY OF THOMPSON BUILDING PERMITS & INSPECTIONS NOTICE OF IMPROVEMENT

The City of Thompson is pleased to offer residents, builders and business owners in our community an online system to apply for and track your building permits.

So if you are in the works of planning your new project whether it is an addition, alteration, conversion, repair, improvement to your principal building or accessory building (commercial or residential) we have made it simple and easy to apply.

The Cloudpermit building permit system allows you to apply for and to see the status of your applications anywhere, at any time. You can start an application and finish it later, and receive email updates on the status of your permit application. You can even request building inspections with results sent immediately to your email!

To get started, create your Cloudpermit account by visiting https://ca.cloudpermit.com/login.

Any questions or assistance with the system please go to https://www.thompson.ca/p/permits or give us a call or email:

Danny Haywood, Building Inspector 204-677-7953

Flin Flon Reminder image courtesy of City of Flin Flon

An artist’s rendering of what the replacement to the Flin Flon Aqua Centre may look like, as prepared by Ernst Hansch Construction.

First Nations teen signs one-day contract with NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins

BY SAM LASKARIS LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINDSPEAKER.COM

When he was diagnosed with a potentially dangerous heart condition back in 2016, Chayce Taylor had to cut back on his athletic activities, including giving up playing hockey.

But that hasn’t prevented Taylor, a 14-year-old from Berens River First Nation in Manitoba, from making it to the National Hockey League.

Earlier this month, Taylor signed a one-day contract to join the roster of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, through Make-A-Wish. The foundation, launched in 1980, helps fulfill wishes

for children under 18 with a critical illness.

Taylor was diagnosed with Long QT syndrome. He was born with a heart defect that can significantly alter his heart rate, leading to a potentially life-threatening situation. He now takes daily medication to regulate his heart rate.

Though signing a contract with the Penguins was obviously a highlight in his life, Taylor, who lives in Edmonton, said most of his friends were nonchalant about the experience.

“My friends didn’t care about it,” said Taylor, whose cousin is former NHL star Reggie Leach, a member of the 1975 Stanley Cup

champion Philadelphia Flyers. “They’re mostly all into soccer. But my teachers were definitely impressed. And so were my neighbours.”

Taylor’s mother Kody said her son had actually been waiting a handful of years to have his wish granted of joining the Penguins’ organization for a day.

Officials with Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton had completed paperwork that he was eligible for the Make-A-Wish program several years ago.

Program officials then contacted Taylor’s family to determine what Chayce’s wish would be. His top preference was always to join

the Penguins in Pittsburgh for a day.

After being told his wish would be granted, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in early 2020 putting Taylor’s wish and travel plans on hold.

His wish was finally fulfilled a few weeks ago, on March 8. Taylor was one of four youth who signed one-day contracts to join the Penguins’ organization.

He travelled from Edmonton to Pittsburgh for a five-day trip with his mother, eight-month-old sister Beaux and his stepfather Kurt Johnson.

“It was absolutely incredible,” Kody Taylor said. “He’s been waiting for this for years.”

Chayce and the three other wish recipients started off their trip by having breakfast in the Penguins’ dressing room.

Various Pittsburgh players, as well as the team’s head coach Mike Sullivan, popped into the dressing

room at various times during the breakfast, held before a team practice.

Sullivan said it’s not just the wish recipients but also those who are part of the Penguins organization who were fortunate to be part of the day.

“It's an incredible experience for all of us that have an opportunity to share an experience with these kids that are going through a difficult time,” he said. “I think we gain every bit as much fulfillment out of it as they do. I know it's a huge thrill for our guys. They look forward to this opportunity. It's certainly a privilege from our standpoint to meet these kids.”

After their breakfast and meet-and-greets in the dressing room, the wish recipients and Penguins general manager Ron Hextall participated in a press conference during which one-day contracts to join the club were signed.

“We're excited to have

them as part of our team today,” said Hextall, a former NHL goaltender. “It's an exciting day for all of our players. I know our players are pumped.”

Following the press conference, the four wish recipients donned hockey gear and hit the ice as the Penguins’ practice was ending.

Several of the team’s players, however, stuck around and skated with the youth for about half-an-hour.

The next day the wish recipients and their family members watched the Penguins square off against the New York Islanders.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby offered the family members use of his charity suite to watch the game.

“They covered all of our expenses,” Kody Taylor said. “They went above and beyond.”

The Penguins have been involved with the MakeA-Wish program for about three decades now.

Radio Operator Clerk

Term/Full time (Recallable)

Department of Natural Resources and Northern Development, Thompson, MB

Advertisement Number: 40744

Closing Date: April 3rd 2023

Salary Range: $1,373.88 - $,1566.00 bi-weekly

The Manitoba government recognizes the importance of building an exemplary public service reflective of the citizens it serves, where diverse abilities, backgrounds, cultures, identities, languages and perspectives drives a high standard of service and innovation. The Manitoba government supports equitable employment practices and promotes representation of designated groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities).

Employment Equity is a factor in selection for this competition. Consideration will be given to Women, Indigenous People, Persons with disabilities and Visible Minorities. An eligibility list may be established for similar positions for up to 12 months. Candidates who do not meet all essential criteria may be considered on an underfill basis at a commensurate rate of pay.

This is a full-time position during the fire season to start as soon as possible and will end in 42 weeks. If staffing plans are approved (each year) then the candidate is recalled to this term position to work another 42 weeks. The position will be located in Thompson in Northern Manitoba approximately 760 kilometers from Winnipeg, MB.

Qualifications:

Please see Competition No. 40744 at gov.mb.ca/Govjobs for further information on Conditions of Employment and Qualifications.

Duties:

The incumbent will be responsible for operating a two-way radio network to track and record aircraft and personnel movement within the region as well as providing clerical support for the Regional Wildfire Centre. During the wildfire season this position will work in a fast paced and dynamic environment and be expected to contribute as a team member.

Apply to:

Advertisement No. 40744

Service Centre 4

Human Resource Services

600-259 Portage Avenue

Winnipeg, MB R3B 2A9

Phone: 204-945-7518

Fax: 204-945-0601

Applicants may request reasonable accommodation related to the materials or activities used throughout the selection process.

When applying to this position, please indicate the advertisement number and position title in the subject line and/or body of your email. Your cover letter, resumé and/or application must clearly indicate how you meet the qualifications.

Please be advised that job competitions may be grieved and appealed. Should a selection grievance be filed, information from the competition file will be provided to the grievor’s representative or the grievor, if unrepresented. Personal information irrelevant to the grievance and other information protected under legislation will be redacted.

We thank all who apply and advise that only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Find out about other current job opportunities — click on the Jobs button at manitoba.ca.

People. Purpose. Progress.

manitoba.ca/govjobs

Any personal information provided including employment equity declarations will be used for employment and/or statistical purposes and is protected by The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Alternate formats available upon request

Dana Antkowiak, the senior manager of marketing and communications for Pittsburgh’s Make-A-Wish branch, was pleased to see the Penguins return to fulfilling wishes this year.

“These kids already faced isolation and difficult times before the pandemic,” Antkowiak said of this year’s recipients. “Then you add a pandemic on top of that, it's been exceptionally challenging for these families. For wishes to return to normal, it just means the world to them. It's so impactful on their life.”

Besides his NHL contract which he plans to get framed, Chayce returned from Pittsburgh with several other souvenirs, including a Penguins’ jersey with his name on the back, as well as a helmet signed by the team’s players.

Manitoba proposes child welfare amendments for First Nations

BY DAVE BAXTER LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

The province introduced amendments to the Child and Family Services Act to give more control to Indigenous communities and more opportunities for communities looking to take back control of their CFS systems.

On March 14, Families

Minister Rochelle Squires announced the Manitoba government is proposing changes to CFS and to other statutes that she said would “recognize the jurisdiction of Indigenous governments over this vital area of public service.”

The proposed amendments, according to the province, come in response

to recommendations from Indigenous leaders and CFS partner agencies, and they align with federal law respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

In 2019, Bill C-92, a federal law that gives First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Canada the authority to take over child welfare systems was passed.

Earlier this year, Peguis First Nation became the first Indigenous community in Manitoba to take back child welfare responsibilities since Bill C-92 was passed, and the province says there are several other Indigenous communities in Manitoba currently pursuing co-coordination agreements with

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

KEEWATIN TRIBAL COUNCIL

Under the general supervision of the Referral Supervisor, the clerk provides patient services for patients in transit by; local transportation, repatriation of patients upon medical clearance; arranging accommodation/boarding, any other special services required while in transit; maintain patient medical records; provide information regarding Non-Insured Health Benefits; maintain medical confidentiality at all time and perform other duties.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• The incumbent should have completion of Grade 12 or equivalent.

• Must have knowledge and at least 3 years’ experience of medical terminology.

• Must have customer service skills

• Previous knowledge of the MTRS National Program

• Must have current CPR and First Aid Certification.

• Should have good communications and organizational skills.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of transportation systems within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of health care facilities within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should be aware of Indigenous culture, lifestyles and spiritual beliefs.

• Ability to speak Cree or Dene an asset.

• Knowledge and proven proficiency in computers and various software programs (i.e. Database, Word processing, etc.)

• Work well under pressure – fast pace environment; problem solver

• Candidate must submit a Criminal Record Check or Fingerprint Check and also a Child/Adult abuse registry check; within one month of employment

All interested applicants must hand in a detailed resume, including at least two references, one being your latest immediate supervisor should be submitted to:

Lisa Beardy, Office Manager Keewatin Tribal Council Inc.

23 Nickel Road

Thompson, Manitoba R8N 0L6

Fax No.: 204-677-0258

Email address: lbeardy@ktc.ca or dmcivor@ktc.ca

Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, March 28, 2023. We would like to thank those that apply for these positions, but only those being considered for an interview will be contacted. For further information or a full job description, contact Dion McIvor, Medical Transportation & Referral Supervisor.

the province and the federal government, regarding their child welfare systems.

“Our government remains committed to the successful realization of Indigenous jurisdiction for CFS and engaging Indigenous leadership and community partners about changes that affect their communities, as a measure of our commitment to truth and reconciliation,” Squires said. “These amendments would adapt the provincial system to be responsive to new Indigenous CFS laws.”

vice delivery standards that must be followed when providing services to Indigenous children and families.”

AD PROOF & ESTIMATE

According to the province, the amendments would work to bring provincial CFS laws more in line with the 2019 federal act, and would work to “harmonize principles and ser-

The province said the amendments would also give CFS agencies access to more resources to support children and families outside of the court process, including new agreements to provide expanded support to families, new placement options that emphasize the importance of placing children with family or community, and more opportunities to extend some temporary orders to reduce the need to sever parental ties due to missed deadlines.

The changes would also clarify the jurisdiction of the Manitoba Advocate for

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed.

Children and Youth and would allow for joint reviews upon request by Indigenous governments, and would recognize “alternate decision-makers” for health care or education decisions when a child is cared for by someone other than their parent or legal guardian.

The amendments are being proposed while, currently, as many as 90 per cent of children and youth in care in Manitoba identify as Indigenous and the province said in a statement they believe the proposed changes would work to lower the number of Indigenous children in care.

“The changes would be a significant step towards addressing the over-representation of Indigenous

AD PROOF & ESTIMATE

We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

CENTRE COORDINATOR

UCN Tataskweyak Education & Training Centre

Full Time Position

Tataskweyak (Split Lake), Manitoba

Competition No: 23-021

Closing Date: April 14, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

HERE YOU CAN

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed. We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

CENTRE COORDINATOR

UCN Pimichikamak Education and Training Centre

Full Time Position

Pimichikamak (Cross Lake), Manitoba

Competition No: 23-022

Closing Date: April 14, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

HERE

children and families in the child welfare system, and improving services for all families in need of CFS supports,” the province said.

“Amendments are aimed at improving life-long outcomes for children by focusing on the preservation of cultural continuity and community connections for Indigenous children, prioritizing placements with family for all children, and allowing new agreement-based supports to prevent children from coming into care.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the government of Canada.

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed.

We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

CENTRE COORDINATOR

UCN Norway House Education & Training Centre

Full Time Position Norway House, Manitoba

Competition No: 23-016

Closing Date: April 14, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed. We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

CENTRE COORDINATOR

UCN Bunibonibee Education & Training Centre

Full Time Position

Bunibonibee (Oxford House), Manitoba

Competition No: 23-023

Closing Date: April 14, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN. HERE

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed.

We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

HOUSING COORDINATOR

Facilities, Ancillary Services and Workplace Safety and Health

Full Time Position

The Pas, Manitoba

Competition No: 23-025

Closing Date: April 6, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

HERE YOU CAN UCN.CA University College of the North

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

AWASIS AGENCY OF NORTHERN MANITOBA

UNIT: THOMPSON SERVICE DELIVERY OFFICE (TSDO)

LOCATION: THOMPSON, MB

Position: Placement Desk Worker

One (1) Full-Time Permanent position

As a member of the Foster Care department, the Placement Desk Worker (PDW) tracks available placements for children in care and finds appropriate placements. Working collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, the incumbent possesses excellent problem solving, time management and organizational skills in order to meet the demands in this fast-paced and time sensitive position. The PDW is knowledgeable in, and follows applicable legislation, program standards, directives, and Agency policy. The work environment requires confidentiality, empathy, and cultural sensitivity.

Qualifications:

• BSW and 1-year of child welfare work experience preferred, or a combination of education and related work experience.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).

• Knowledge of, or work experience in northern Manitoba communities preferred.

• Valid drivers license and access to a reliable vehicle required.

• Effective, verbal and written communication skills.

• Speak and understand the Cree or Dene language an asset.

• Provide satisfactory Criminal Record, Child Abuse Registry and Prior Contact checks prior to starting the position, and throughout employment as required.

Working Conditions:

• Fast-paced, community-based, multi-disciplinary child welfare environment.

• Confidential environment with access to highly sensitive information.

• Satisfactory Criminal Record, Driver’s Abstract, Child Abuse Registry and Prior Contact checks prior to starting the position and throughout employment as required.

• Overnight and remote travel required approximately 30% of time.

Salary: Awasis Agency offers a competitive salary and employee benefit package. Salary will commensurate with education and experience

Closing Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Awasis Agency provides service to Indigenous children and families, therefore preference will be given to Indigenous applicants. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify. Individuals interested in this challenging opportunity please reference Competition Number 2023-025 on your resume/cover letter and in the subject line of your email in confidence to:

Human Resources Department

Awasis Agency of Northern Manitoba

Competition #2022-025

701 Thompson Drive, Thompson, MB R8N 2A2

Fax: 204-778-8428 Email: hr@awasisagency.ca

We thank all applicants who apply, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Applicants may request reasonable accommodation related to the materials or activities used throughout the selection process

**Note: Awasis Agency Vaccination policy mandate: fully vaccinated plus booster

Help keep Thompson GREEN and CLEAN

17-year-old charged after Moose Lake shooting

A 17-year-old male is charged with aggravated assault and numerous other offences after a 38-year-old man was shot and wounded in Moose Lake March 18.

Moose Lake RCMP received a report of shots fired on Portage Road

around 5 a.m. March 18. While they were responding, an injured man was reported on Stagg Crescent. Police found the man who had been shot and took him to the nursing station for first aid. He was later transported out of the com-

SERVICE ADVISOR

Are you looking for a career and not just a job?

We have an opening for a service advisor committed to customer service excellence. Candidate must be able to build customer relations and listen and understand their problems, concerns and service needed, prepare work orders, be organized, possess the ability to multitask, work unsupervised and work in a team environment. Previous automotive experience is an asset, extensive training will be offered to the appropriate candidate

We offer competitive wages and benefits package. Resumes only please.

Fax resumes to Kayla at 204-778-6700 or email kayla@thompsonford.ca

KEEWATIN TRIBAL COUNCIL

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

FULL TIME PERMANENT AFTERHOURS REFERRAL CLERK

1 position–Sunday – Thursday 15:00-23:00 and 2 positions–Tuesday – Saturday 15:00-23:00

Under the general supervision of the Referral Supervisor, the clerk provides patient services for patients in transit by; local transportation, repatriation of patients upon medical clearance; arranging accommodation/boarding, any other special services required while in transit; maintain patient medical records; provide information regarding Non-Insured Health Benefits; maintain medical confidentiality at all time and perform other duties.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• The incumbent should have completion of Grade 12 or equivalent.

• Must have knowledge and at least 3 years’ experience of medical terminology.

• Must have customer service skills

• Previous knowledge of the MTRS National Program

• Must have current CPR and First Aid Certification.

• Should have good communications and organizational skills.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of transportation systems within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of health care facilities within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should be aware of Indigenous culture, lifestyles and spiritual beliefs.

• Ability to speak Cree or Dene an asset.

• Knowledge and proven proficiency in computers and various software programs (i.e. Database, Word processing, etc.)

• Work well under pressure – fast pace environment; problem solver

• Candidate must submit a Criminal Record Check or Fingerprint Check and also a Child/Adult abuse registry check; within one month of employment

All interested applicants must hand in a detailed resume, including at least two references, one being your latest immediate supervisor should be submitted to:

Lisa Beardy, Office Manager Keewatin Tribal Council Inc.

23 Nickel Road Thompson, Manitoba

R8N 0L6

Fax No.: 204-677-0258

Email address: lbeardy@ktc.ca or dmcivor@ktc.ca

Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, March 28, 2023. We would like to thank those that apply for these positions, but only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.

For further information or a full job description, contact Dion

Supervisor.

munity for further treatment of injuries considered serious but not believed to be life-threatening.

As they investigated, RCMP officers identified a suspect and arrested the 17-year-old shortly past noon.

In addition to aggravated assault, he faces charges

of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, possessing a firearm while knowing that possession is unauthorized and five counts of failing to comply with court conditions. He was remanded into custody.

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed. We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

BUILDING SERVICE WORKER

Facilities, Ancillary Services and Workplace Safety and Health

Full Time Position

Thompson, Manitoba

Competition No: 23-024

Closing Date: April 3, 2023

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of positions to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

HERE YOU CAN UCN.CA University College of the North

CASUAL REFERRAL CLERKS

Weekends & Holidays

Saturday/Sunday and Holidays

0700hrs -1500hrs (7:00 AM to 3:00 PM) OR 0900hrs – 1700hrs (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM)

Under the general supervision of the Referral Supervisor, the clerk provides patient services for patients in transit by; local transportation, repatriation of patients upon medical clearance; arranging accommodation/boarding, any other special services required while in transit; maintain patient medical records; provide information regarding Non-Insured Health Benefits; maintain medical confidentiality at all time and perform other duties.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• The incumbent should have completion of Grade 12 or equivalent.

• Must have knowledge and at least 3 years’ experience of medical terminology.

• Must have customer service skills

• Previous knowledge of the MTRS National Program

• Must have current CPR and First Aid Certification.

• Should have good communications and organizational skills.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of transportation systems within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should have a thorough knowledge of health care facilities within the Province of Manitoba.

• Should be aware of Indigenous culture, lifestyles and spiritual beliefs.

• Ability to speak Cree or Dene an asset.

• Knowledge and proven proficiency in computers and various software programs (i.e. Database, Word processing, etc.)

• Work well under pressure – fast pace environment; problem solver

• Candidate must submit a Criminal Record Check or Fingerprint Check and also a Child/Adult abuse registry check; within one month of employment

All interested applicants must hand in a detailed resume, including at least two references, one being your latest immediate supervisor should be submitted to:

Lisa Beardy, Office Manager Keewatin Tribal Council Inc.

23 Nickel Road Thompson, Manitoba R8N 0L6 Fax No.: 204-677-0258

Email address: lbeardy@ktc.ca or dmcivor@ktc.ca

Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, March 28, 2023. We would like to thank those that apply for these positions, but only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.

For further information or a full job description, contact Dion McIvor, Medical Transportation & Referral Supervisor.

Why claim to be Indigenous when you’re not?

BY PETER JACKSON

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, THE TELEGRAM

When a recent CBC investigative piece questioned the indigeneity claims of Memorial University president Vianne Timmons, the revelations may have come as a shock to many.

For others, it reflected a pattern that’s been going on for many years.

Timmons has taken a paid leave of absence while the university ponders its next move.

The parallels between her case and that of prominent Indigenous health expert Carrie Bourassa are striking, so much so that when two sets of journalists with the public broadcaster broke the stories separately, they opened with much the same scenario.

The local article sets the tone with Timmons walking across the stage at the 2019 Indspire awards, holding a trophy awarded for her efforts in education in one hand and an eagle feather a student had given her in the other.

Here’s how the October 2021 exposé on Bourassa began: “With a feather in her hand and a bright blue shawl and Métis sash draped over her shoulders, Carrie Bourassa made her entrance to deliver a TEDx Talk at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon in September 2019, where she detailed her personal rags-to-riches story.”

Paternal tales

Going further behind the

scenes, both Bourassa and Timmons cite similar sources for their claims of native heritage: in short, their father or grandfather told them so.

Timmons says her father was told not to talk about his Mi’kmaw heritage by his parents, but that he shared it with his own family and they’ve been researching it ever since.

Bourassa claimed she was Anishinaabe Métis from Treaty Four Territory and that her Métis grandfather would sit her on his knee and tell her she was going to be successful one day.

However, genealogical records in both cases point to their biological roots being entirely European.

The same goes for Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a prominent academic and former judge who was stripped of a number of honorary degrees and awards after her claims of Cree status were disputed.

Like Timmons, Turpel-Lafond said her father was Indigenous, but had no proof beyond that her grandfather apparently spoke Cree, helped residential school students, and was “adopted” by a Cree chief in some sort of ceremony.

Muddy motives

It’s not clear what inspires someone to go down a rabbit hole of Indigenous identity when there’s no clear evidence of it.

A strong and continuous connection to an Indigenous community is usually the most important factor, but not always.

Children who were snatched from parents for adoption, or sent to residential schools, lost their identity in their formative years, but have every reason and right to seek to reclaim what was stolen.

Indigenous journalist Justin Brake recently told National Public Radio he was determined to prove his Mi’kmaw heritage first before he felt comfortable laying claim to it.

“At some point, I had to accept that if I'm being 100 per cent honest with myself, if I'm really looking for answers here, I have to accept

the possibility that I'm going to land on, no, I'm not Mi'kmaw, and no, I don't have a right to claim my identity,” he said.

In the same NPR piece, University of Texas anthropologist Circe Sturm says race shifters — people who dubiously claim ethnic or Indigenous heritage — do not always realize they are being deceptive.

“I never ran into anyone where I felt like they were overtly lying, and fabricating this in order to get something. It doesn't seem to be that instrumental. I think that most of the people who are

engaged in this process of claiming think that they are reclaiming,“ she said.

Caroline Tait, a Métis professor in Saskatchewan who worked with Bourassa, says the kind of attention that comes with claiming native roots can be irresistible after awhile.

“Everybody cheers and claps, and it’s beautiful,” she told the CBC. “It is the performance that we all want from Indigenous people — this performance of being the stoic, spiritual, culturally attached person (with) which we can identify because we’ve seen them in Disney

movies.”

Both Bourassa and Turpel-Lafond were defiant when their claims were called into question.

As recently as this month, Turpel-Lafond told media she feels comfortable with her past work and her identity, and raised the spectre of “trial by media.”

Timmons has been more contrite, at first insisting she has always qualified her claims to say she does not identify as Mi’kmaw, and subsequently issuing an apology to any Indigenous people she may have offended.

Thompson Citizen photo by SaltWire files/Local Journalism Initiative

Carrie Bourassa