Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 61 • Issue 9
Residents of five northern communities coming to Thompson for COVID-19 vaccinations this week Residents from a handful of Northern Manitoba communities and one First Nation will be travelling to Thompson for COVID-19 vaccinations beginning this week, the provincial government said March 1. The first communities participating in the pilot phase of remote and First Nations community vaccination include Wabowden, Snow Lake, Herb Lake Landing, Grand Rapids and Misipawisitik First Nation. The communities were selected based on their readiness and ability to travel for vaccinations. The province says more information about its northern immunization strategy will be released in the coming days. Appointments at the Thompson vaccination super site can currently be booked by anyone who meets eligibility requirements, which includes many health care and lab workers, employees of homeless and family violence shelters and
screened to ensure they are eligible before being able to book an appointment. Dr Marcia Anderson of the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team said at a press conference Feb. 24 that the reason for the lower age threshold for First Nations people is because they have been experiencing more severe illness and fatalities due to COVID-19 at younger ages than the population at large. She also said that First Nations people are not being required to prove their First Nations identity at this time but that that will occur in the future to prevent people from fabricating First Nations ancestry to get vaccinated sooner. “To often you see the ‘Pretendian’ phenomenon,” Anderson said. About four per cent of Manitoba’s on-reserve First Nations population over the age of 18 had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Feb. 24, as had just under three per cent
for those living off-reserve. Less than a tenth of one per cent of people on or off reserve had received their second doses at that time, Anderson said, but that number will go up soon as eight communities received vaccines to provide second doses to eligible members the week before last and 13 more communities received shipments of additional vaccine as of Feb. 23. Manitoba has administered 76,670 COVID-19 vaccinations so far – 47,780 first doses and 28,890 second doses. It has received a total of 108.460 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date, including 79,560 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 28,900 doses of the Modern vaccine. The province expects to receive 16,380 more doses of Pfizer vaccine this week. An online calculator at www.manitoba.ca/vaccine shows residents where they are in the priority line based on their age, vaccine uptake and other factors.
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Government of Manitoba Residents of five Northern Manitoba communities will be travelling to Thompson to receive COVID-19 vaccinations this week. Appointments at the Thompson vaccination super site, seen here on its first day of operations Feb 1, can also be booked by anyone meeting eligibility criteria, which expanded March 1 to include anyone 90 or older or any First Nations person 70 or older. anyone born before the end of 1930 (90 or older) as well as First Nations people who are 70 or older (born before
the end of 1950). For full vaccination eligibility, go to www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/ vacine/eligibility-criteria.
html. Appointments can be booked by calling 1-844626-8222 (1-844-MANVACC). Callers will be
School district budget going up but revenue obtained through property taxation going down in salaries and employee School districts were and students that were not in benefits. instructed by the province attendance on Sept. 30 in their The School District of MysBenefits will see the highest to freeze property taxes at funding amount. tery Lake (SDML) budget for overall increase as they are no more than their 2020 lev“We’ve had a lot of difthe 2021-22 school year is expected to cost the school els. To offset this, the prov- ficulty with students not 2.84 per cent higher than the district $798,218 more than ince provided SDML with coming to school because of current year’s budget but the in the current school year and $108,000 in funding. the pandemic,” Knott said. portion funded by property account for nearly 10 per cent SDML has one of the high- “We’ve been very fortunate in taxes is actually slightly down of the 2021-22 budget, com- est proportions of provincial this funding cycle that we did from what it was last year. pared to 8.35 per cent this funding in the province, ac- not have adjusted enrolment The proposed budget, year. counting for 82 per cent of amounts and the province has Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham which must be submitted to “We are seeing a lot of its revenue this year, while suspended a lot of phasing out the city by March 15 and activity with regards our deMeulles property taxes make up 16 about of taxher grants. This coming Addictions Foundation of to Manitoba northern directortoGisele has written a book experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. the province by March 31, benefits this year and insur- per cent. Knott says the aver- year, we’re good. We’ll have BY GRAHAM For all the harsh weather write things that you have justthe as province bad, right?’ a very safe wasIAN presented by district sec- to ance rates throughout the ‘Oh, ages I’m across are was to seenot where we are nextthing year swallow when people say EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET have all districts these stories and to figure out. pretty I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar retary-treasurer Kelly Knott to anddo thebut following year.” industry are It’s rising andclear it’s Ifor school to receive she’s now written I getour through.” need 59 to capture for thought that expects was exciting viaThough Zoom and Facebook live when impacting benefit level,” Iabout per centthem of their The district to use should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it a book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed to live. had been viable she would Feb. 24. Knott said. revenue through provincial about $239,000 of its and ex- easier A slide from the School District of Mystery Lake’s public cesExpected growing upexpenditures in Churchill, herThe book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churcheducation portion of funding and 35 per cent from pected surplus on June 30 to budget presentation Feb. 24 shows the total expected exAddictions Foundation of property the Wind:taxes Stories from I don’t.” taxation. fuel off andnext I realized, for next school year are will be the as- property cover costs school‘Holy year. choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. penses for the next is school year. “I miss the shoreline, I Manitoba northern director North Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ quite $43,997,548, up $1.2 mil- sessed at a mill rate of 20.470, Provincial funding for There are also a lot of unGisele deMeulles saidbudget writ- a couple of reasons. a storyteller herself.from on a bomb.’” quite disre- miss the sizes rock,will I miss the lion from this year’s province’s It’s soon-to-be-reour class resume down from 20.751 in 2020, as SDML was up $845,000 known factors that could af- simplistic. ing wasn’t something she with “I the justtotal sortamount of thought, had such a varied his- fect Another thing that spectful. If we were the polar even though of $42,782,417. leased kindergarten to in Grade back inbears the 20 to 25 class size this is the“I2020-21 adjusted amount, costs next year, including always thoughtisshe would know what, this his- tory and I would people spurred herwill on be was boat inreview. another area they’re very dangerous and The increase driven by you 12 education range,” Knott said. “We definexpected to generate coming in part because thetell province if instruction backthe to same do. tory, this stuff that’s in my hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson stories and they would go, increases in services, which in at $8,906,065 compared to included students who have something resembling nor“We are looking at in-class itely have increased expendi“In my youthasI well never it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not to true, is it?’ I’d go, since Bayof Railthat why they Bay,” shetosays. “When I go includes utilities, as head, learning andsowe aredon’t assuming tures due the pandemic.” $8,982,294 in 2020. transferred homeschooling malcythe andHudson the effects the about BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
felt good at writing,” she said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population Contact she’s an artist,Nelson she’s got so at 204-307-0281 Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family to discuss your property needs! Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
have the option to do that? I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”