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Bigfoot races

Volume 57 • Issue 13

Study examines impact of discriminatory practices in Thompson BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

RECYCLING CENTRE EMPLOYEES SIGN NEW CONTRACT NEWS - PAGE 5

MORE DEPOSITS NEEDED FOR LIONS MANOR TO PROCEED NEWS - PAGE 6

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham Wapanohk Community School held bigfoot races and other outdoor activities for students during its mini winter festival on March 23. SLEDDING TESTS BRAINS AND BRAWN NEWS - PAGE 7

A report on factors contributing to homelessness, poverty and discrimination based on responses to surveys and focus groups conducted by the Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (TNRC) recommends a number of actions to improve cultural proficiency, sensitivity and awareness to help address negative attitudes towards marginalized populations like homeless people. Entitled “’A Bit of Shame or Remorse May Go a Long Way:’ Exploring the Social Impact of Discriminatory Practises in Thompson, Manitoba,” the report was co-authored by TNRC housing co-ordinator Delia Chartrand and TNRC executive director Chris Bignell and published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba office in February with funding from the Manitoba Research Alliance and other sources. It is based on 304 completed surveys that asked respondents to rank the im-

Teenager charged with murder in killing of 83-year-old

INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCE IN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PEOPLE - PAGE 8

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A 17-year-old from Thompson has been arrested and charged with seconddegree murder in connection with the homicide of 83-year-old Franc Mlakar in November. Thompson RCMP arrested the youth, who can’t be named under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, on March 21 and charges were laid March 22. He has been remanded into custody pending a court appearance. Mlakar, a long-time Thompson resident, was found dead Nov. 17 when police went to his home after receiving a call from someone concerned about his well-being. Their investigation determined Mlakar, who had last been seen Oct 31, had died as a result of homicide.

portance of nine categories related to quality of life in the community as well as five open-ended questions. The highest priorities related to quality of life identified by survey respondents were, in order, safety and crime prevention, housing, youth, economic development, cleanliness and beautification, cultural acceptance, recreation, neighbourhood empowerment and other. Answers to the open-ended questions that touched on the issues of homelessness, addiction, race and culture were subjected to a text analysis examining comments that used keywords such as “race, racist, discrimination,” “culture, aboriginal, First Nations, native, indigenous,” and “homeless.” About 51 comments relating to the culture word cluster were identified in the surveys, 57 per cent of which concerned suggestions for more cultural events. “Comments of this nature generally suggested the topic of cultural acceptance as something to be celebrated, indicating a positive opinion of the diversity present within the community,” said the report. “Conversely, the prevailing opinion that the community should hold more of these events would suggest that there is an absence of cultural events presently or that forums to display elements of culture are perceived as inadequate.” Another 35 per cent of comments identified by that word cluster expressed a need for more cultural pro-

ficiency training in workplaces and educational institutions. About 27 per cent of these comments had suggestions for increasing the community’s cultural acceptance regarding indigenous identity, while 25 per cent touched on teaching younger people about cultural diversity and taking pride in their own cultural identity. Another 12 per cent of culture comments mentioned the need for culturally indiscriminate hiring practices among employers. Among the latter group of culture comments, the report says, the majority “directly referenced policing or patrolling as community services that need to employ these cross-cultural hiring practices.” Homelessness was mentioned in 45 comments among the 304 surveys and the report authors say the majority were generally constructive, with suggestions to increase services or funding for homelessness. The second-largest category, however, were negative, associating homelessness with crime, addiction and violence. “Suggestions of this nature generally followed a discourse of displacement, conveying beliefs that the homeless should be removed from the downtown region or disallowed from occupying public spaces such as malls and parking lots,” the report said. “A staggering 33.3 percent or one in three responses fell into this division.” About a quarter of the comments regarding homelessness were categorized as neutral. Continued on Page 10

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