Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Volume 62 • Issue 19
Province and feds contributing $11 million for a new pool in Thompson Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
More than three years after it shut down the Norplex Pool for safety reason, the City of Thompson finally knows where the bulk of the cost of a new facility to replace it will be coming from. The provincial and federal governments announced May 9 at City Hall that they will be contributing $5 million and $6 million, respectively, towards construction of a new pool, with the remaining $4 million for the project coming from the city. “The aquatic facility will improve the quality of life for Thompson area residents by providing recreation that is necessary for their well-being and general health,” said Reg Helwer, provincial minister of labour, consumer protection and government services. “With all of the water bodies that you have in the area it’s critical that we teach people how to swim safely.”
Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham Reg Helwer, Manitoba’s labour, consumer protection and government services minister, and Mayor Colleen Smook speaking at a May 9 announcement of $11 million in federal and provincial funding for a new pool in Thompson The Norplex Pool was to let anybody else’s kids “It has been very frus- were in the Norplex. shut down in mid-Febru- go there? How am I going trating for them because “The new City of ary 2019, just a few months to have adults going there?’ we really don’t know how Thompson aquatic facility after current mayor and This was a very hard deci- much money we’re rais- will make a meaningful council assumed office, af- sion for our council. It’s ing,” Smook said. difference in the lives of ter they were told it would definitely been a roller The new pool, which residents and continue cost $7 million just to keep coaster ride since then. will be built in the field to to make Thompson a vithe doors open, Mayor Col- Ultimately, it came down the east of the Thompson brant place to live, work leen Smook said May 9. that it only made sense to Regional Community Cen- and raise a family,” said “It came back to us that do a new pool.” tre, will have two pools, federal Northern Affairs the pool was very unTrying to plan for a fa- including one six-lane pool Minister Dan Vandal in a safe,” she recalled. “After cility without having a firm and one featuring a shal- press release. that meeting, I think, ‘My budget has been a chal- low end with beach entry as Once work to construct grandchildren are coming lenge for the Swim North well as a splash pad. There the new pool begins, it Friday — this is Tuesday committee that has been will also be a sauna and a is expected to take about — no way I’m letting them assisting the city with the space for small meetings 18 months to complete, go there so how am I going planning. and gatherings, as there Smook said, adding that
she is “really praying” that construction could begin as early as this August, though she cautioned that it is too early to know whether that will actually happen. Based on that timeline, Thompson’s new pool could be open by early 2024, five years after the Norplex was shut down. Helwer said the vetting process for Canada Infrastructure Program projects explains why it’s taken over three years to announce the funding for a new pool. “There’s lots of things that we have to put in place to make sure that it fits in certain areas, and then that goes to the federal government and they make the decision on whether they can support it and then respond back to us.” Council has not yet determined where the city’s $4 million will come from, though some will presumably come from an aquatic facility reserve that was created by passing a bylaw in January.
Vale signs deal with Tesla to provide Canadian nickel for electric vehicle batteries Vale announced May 6 shows very clearly we are for battery manufacturing that it had signed a deal the supplier of choice for are produced in order to enwith electric car manufac- low-carbon and high-purity sure that they have access to turer Tesla to provide nickel nickel products essential for the raw materials they need. from Canada for the United long-range batteries.” The union president also States-based manufacturing Vale said in its press resaid that the price of nickel of the batteries that power lease about the deal that being around $13 a pound, the cars. rounds from its Long Harup from about half of that at The deal was described bour refinery in NewfoundtheNews time photo that Vale Nickel Belt by IanrestrucGraham as “long-term” but ofthe land northern and Labrador, tured its Manitoba OperAddictions Foundation Manitoba directorwhich Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. number of years were not is where nickel concentrate ations, shows that reducing BY IAN GRAHAM all the harsh write things that mines you have disclosed, nor were any fi- to from Thompson is ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say theFor workforce evenweather further EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out.had It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and dangers of down polar nancial terms. processed, a verified after the already shutting Though written get through.” deMeulles said was if it The goalshe’s is tonow deliver 30 when carbonI footprint of 4.4 tonn- I need to capture them for thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, the smelter and refinery a about experiensaid she wrote grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would tobook 40 per centher of its class 1 besDeMeulles of carbon dioxide per myA Vale not the best plan, as the spokesperson said deal bodes well for United because it isn’t known how ces growing up inthe Churchill, book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the battery “To say, ‘Those people moved to Churchnickel sales into electric her tonne of nickel produced, company is back already having it isn’t yet known whether Steelworkers Local 6166 technology might have Addictions Foundation of the Wind: Stories the Ithe don’t.” off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to the livefuture, there.itThey in a heartbeat. vehicle industry, Vale says. while pellets and from powder difficult attracting enough Tesla deal will result in fuel members. change in does ill Manitoba - Life in Churchill for increased She also has a reputation I was probably sitting just leave,’ “I miss the shoreline, I “We arenorthern pleased director to have North from the Copper Cliff nicknickel produc- cats, “We see 10 to 15 years of should currently look like is thequite ex- workers. Gisele deMeulles said writ- a of reasons. herself. a bomb.’” It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the the leading electric vehicle elcouple refinery in Ontario had as “It doesn’t look like [the tiona storyteller levels being required on solid growth oout of this,” simplistic. pected transtion towards ing wasn’t something she a verified “I just sort of thought, had such aorvaried his- said Another thing“We’re that spectful. If we were the polar bears even though manufacturer Tesla among carbon footprint in “IThompson price of nickel] is going to in Vale’s Warren Luky. electric vehicles andin away always thought said she would know what, I wouldmines. tell people spurred her on was boat and in another area they’re dangerous and our customers,” Dehs- you of 7.3 tonnes per this tonnehisof tory dip for very a long time,” Luky otherand Canadian in an exciting point for the the same from gasdiesel-powdo. this stuff that’s in my stories times facing Churchill Iered think would scream Isaid. really miss the to Hudson they would go, hard nee Naidoo, Vale’s execu- tory, nickel. This includes emis“It’s going be an The and president of the mining industry.” oneswe will be beneficial “Invice-president my youth Iofnever it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’dover go, since the Hudson Rail- about that so why don’tLuky they Bay,” she says. “When go tive base head, sion generated from mining, interesting future. The Ideunion that represents Althugh no one Bay can guarto the mining industry. felt good“This at writing,” she if I don’tand write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, thecar option to do that? standing on ber the metals. agreement milling refining as well mandhome, for minign will 500 hourly employees at way anteesuspended that nickeloperations will con- have said that companies may back said. “But when commitI moved said. didn’t do all that, did north “My kids are notfrom go- ‘You Gillam last spring. think Bay looking on reflects a shared as upstream emissions unprecedented. We’reout going Vale’s Manitoba Opertinue toofbe an important part Ione dayright evennow buythey’re mines Hudson to Thompson to get into to get it if I don’t do it you? got to be really usedvehicle to be batteries a really feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an ment to sustainability and ing inputs. to be heard.” ationsYou’ve in Thompson said the of “It electric where resources necessary the school of social work, and it’s something I’ve alat that point I had to write ways wanted my mom to for university and realized, do. My mom’s an elder and ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, she’s an artist, she’s got so right?’ I certainly developed many wonderful stories bea lot of skill in university cause she always tells her and came out of there with stories at Parks Canada in a very strong skill in my Churchill and I’ve always writing and SWEEPING, confidence in LAWN hounded her, ‘Please, just POWER MOWING, my writing. I write very put it on tape, I will write it AERATION, DETHATCHING & SPRAYING clear and that’s it. It’s there. for you because your story Some people say it’s kind of is going to be lost,’ and she’s blunt or direct. I don’t tend never done it and I thought,
“Gravel on your lawn? Gotta be gone.”
old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually I did all that before I was 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” Looking back, some of those experiences are things she might not do again. “I did some pretty bizarre 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
thriving large community and it’s just dwindled down to such a small population now,” deMeulles says. Though she’s not there any longer, her parents and her sister and other family members still are. “My cousin owns the hardware store there,” she says. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
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?’”
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.”
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