May 18 2016

Page 1

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

AUTOMOTIVE SPECIAL STARTS ON PAGE 7

GLITZY GREAT GATSBY GALA NEWS - PAGE 2

VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 6

NORTHSTARS NAME AWARD WINNERS SPORTS - PAGE 10

Serving the Hub of the North since 1960 Thompson RCMP Const. Kevin Drane didn’t hesitate to jump into freezing water to check the wreckage of a van that had lost control and gone off of the southern causeway on Highway 391 May 11, after many motorists were caught off-guard by a snowfall of nearly 30 cm over 24 hours. None of the surrounding motorists had seen the accident, and while footsteps led away from the wreckage, the front of the vehicle had been submerged under water, with floating groceries and debris obstructing the view from behind. After smashing the rear window and receiving no response, Drane stripped his jacket and vest to dive into the icy water that had only become ice-free a week earlier in order to peer into the front. All four occupants had escaped the vehicle and returned home safely before the crash had been discovered, and Thompson Fire & Emergency Services managed to extract the vehicle. The spring snowfall caught many motorists offguard but this was the only accident severe enough for emergency services to be called out to that day. Thompson Citizen photos by Kacper Antoszewski

Daring dive

Fox Lake Cree Nation hydro blockade ends on third day BY KACPER ANTOSZEWSKI KACPER@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Members of Fox Lake Cree Nation blockaded roads leading into Manitoba Hydro sites near Gillam May 12 after discovering the destruction of a ceremonial site due to what they believe is hydro development. Manitoba Hydro employees and subcontractors were barred from entering the Henday Converter Station, Limestone Generating Station, and Keewatinohk Converter Station construction sites until the blockades were removed May 14 following a meeting between Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Walter Spence and Manitoba Hydro CEO

Kelvin Shepherd. Spence said May 12 that members of the First Nation discovered the destruction the previous weekend, with several trees bearing prayer fl ags having been cut down, and flags and tobacco ties strewn on the ground around the site. Action was delayed due to a recent death in the community. The ceremonial site, which sits west of the Radisson Converter Station in the First Nation’s traditional territory, marks the place where Fox Lake Cree Nation and Manitoba Hydro held a groundbreaking ceremony, honouring not only the land, but a newfound relationship between the two par-

ties. “They’re changing the landscape, and it’s changing our lifestyle,” Spence explained. “We’re seeing the changes in the water level, the trees, the animals. Our people felt strongly that we had to do this ceremony to honour the land because of these changes.” “We thought it made Hydro more aware of our culture and our rituals,” Spence lamented on Friday, prior to speaking with Hydro officials. “But now we’re seeing they continue to breach their agreements.” The blockade ended May 14 after Shepherd met with Spence and a delegation from Fox Lake. “After meeting with the chief,

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elders and community members over the last two days, we have worked with them to address their concerns and to find ways to move forward, heal, and fi nd solutions’” Shepherd said in a press release. “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement and to have the blockade down.” Manitoba Hydro’s relationship with Fox Lake has been a checkered one, with memories of the wanton development policies of the 1970s still lingering in the minds of many in the community. More recently, there was an incident in 2007, where a burial site was disturbed during transmission line clearing.

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May 18 2016 by Thompson Citizen - Issuu