Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
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Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 61 • Issue 44
Pool design and location are ready, now all that’s needed is $20 million Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Thompson city council spent close to an hour discussing two resolutions related to the Norplex Pool at its Nov. 1 meeting. Unfortunately, residents still don’t have answers to the two most pressing questions that have been up in the air since the pool was permanently shut down in February 2019, less than six months after the current council was elected: when a new pool might be built and how it’s going to be paid for. A little more information is available now than was until recently, as Stantec recently presented its design and engineering study for a new pool to the city. Some of that information was shared with a select group of residents and business people on Oct. 27, according to a video uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel Nov. 1. The estimated cost of a new pool is just under $20 million, plus or minus 25 per cent, with about $1.2 million having been set aside already,
Thompson Citizen illustration courtesy of City of Thompson/Stantec An artist’s rendition of the interior of a proposed new pool in Thompson to replace the Norplex Pool, which was permanently shut down in February 2019. Through the design is ready, the city doesn’t yet have a plan for how to pay for the new aquatic centre, estimated to cost somewhere between $15 million and $25 million. as a result of fundraising and squirrelling away the operational budget for the old pool over the past few years. Some members of council, who were also privy to the Oct. 27 briefing, questioned if the dollar amounts presented by Stantec were the same as what had been provided before, but
the figure is unchanged since council approved increasing a grant request to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) in October 2019. There were also questions about whether the city had ever really committed one way or another when it came to building a new pool or
retrofitting the Norplex, which was estimated to cost about $15 million in a report by the KGS Group. Deputy mayor Kathy Valentino said her understanding was that the September 2020 decision to award the design contract to Stantec, at a cost of about $1 million, was a clear
indication of the city’s desire for a new facility. Included in that design is a recommendation on where to place the new pool, if and when it gets built – in the field beside the Thompson Regional Community Centre. The new pool will have a waterslide, a six-lane 25-metre accessible pool with one accessible lane, a beachentry recreational pool, a sauna and a multi-purpose rooms for parties and swim meets. Basically, it will have the same features as the Norplex but the two pools will be totally separate, so the whole pool will not have to be shut down due to fecal contamination, commonly referred to as a pool fouling. The most important question – where is the money coming from – still doesn’t have an answer, though. The city’s ICIP grant application didn’t receive an explicit rejection, but Thompson received substantial amounts for road and sewer and water main work, making a third grant unlikely. “Without the Investing
in Canada Infrastructure program, we need to raise most of that,” said city communications officer Kacper Antoszewski in the YouTube update. “The city and council is discussing the best way to fund the bulk of the pool construction without burdening taxpayers.” A few weeks after the Norplex was closed in 2019, city manager Anthony McInnis told a public meeting that every $1 million the city borrows through a debenture adds up to a one per cent tax hike for the number of years that it takes to pay it back. “There’s nothing as far as I’m concerned right now other than wishful thinking,” when it comes to paying for a pool, said Coun. Les Ellsworth at the Nov. 1 council meeting, when a resolution was approved to commit to holding a public meeting about the pool by March 31. A second resolution regarding looking into the feasibility of retrofitting the Norplex rather than building a totally new facility was tabled until the Jan. 17 meeting.
Restrictions on religious gatherings in southern health region and youth sports provincewide announced imum could increase to 250 participate in indoor recrea- in a mid-range scenario and people or 25 per cent of the tion and sports starting Dec. three daily intensive care adManitoba announced new building’s capacity. 5. Tests must be obtained missions, a number which is changes to public health or“They [the different co- through participating phar- not sustainable, said Roussin. ders Nov. 12 in an effort to horts] must no mingle in any macies, Roussin said, not at Shared Health COVID-19 reduce transmission in the way,” said Roussin. “They provincial testing sites, which operations chief Monica Warsouthern health region and must have masks on at all are intended for symptomatic ren said the need to increase among those 19 and under, times.” people only. This restriction total ICU capacity to about the age cohort which is seeFor faith-based gatherings applies province-wide. 110 beds will result in some Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham ing the number of new cases wherenorthern proof ofdirector vaccination The chief public heath of- about surgical procedures growing being up, mostly in Churchill. Addictions Foundation of Manitoba Gisele deMeulles has written a book her experiences climb most steeply. is required, the limits don’t ficer said the measures aimed cancelled beginning Nov. 19. BYThe IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather write things that you have I’m justgatherings as bad, right?’ not a very safe thing changes, announced by to apply. Some municipalities in ‘Oh, The previous week saw the swallow when people say at religious in the was EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET have all health these stories gure out.health It’s pretty clear do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar chief provincial public health to thefisouthern region are Isouthern region and are to number of people in intensive Though nowRoussin written when I get through.” needon towhere capture them for thought that was exciting officer Dr.she’s Brent excluded from this restriction Ibased transmission care with COVID increase by should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it a book about her experienDeMeulles she wrote my grandchildren really until plane and easier to live. had been viable she would and Health Minister Audrey because they said are considered is highest and vaccination 25 perthe cent and landed the number Thompson Citizen file photo ces growing in Churchill, Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwinghosthe “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to ChurchGordon, willup limit in-person her partbook, of thetitled Winnipeg region rates are the lowest. of total COVID-related Manitoba chief public health officer Brent Roussin Addictions of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” off and Igo realized, heartbeat. attendance atFoundation religious gathfor some purposes. “We’re just following the fuel pitalizations up more‘Holy than choose to live there. They ill in aDr. can’t dojust much more in on pandemic data. I Manitoba northern Life in Churchill for epidemiology.” She also has a reputation cats, was probably sitting should leave,’ is terms quite based “I miss the shoreline, erings in the southerndirector health North This- change took effect 20 perI cent. of restrictions before “Wethe may be back herethe as Gisele said of writcouple asModelling a storyteller herself. a bomb.’” It’s quiteit begins disre- miss rock, I miss region deMeulles to a maximum 25 aNov. 13 of reasons. based on current on“Most of these patients are simplistic. to affect the early asbears next week,” Gordon ing wasn’t something she “I justaged sort12 oftothought, “I had such aprojects varied hisAnother thing If activities we wereof infully the polar even though people if proof of vaccination Youth 17 must case numbers that unvaccinated,” she said. that “We spectful. vaccinated said. “Changes could be and imalways thought she facility would you knowofwhat, his- tory and I would her onadmissions was the same boatManitobans in anotherwhile area they’re very dangerous isn't required. If the have proof at leastthis one dose Manitoba could tell be people seeing spurred do expect COVID healthwe minister more Iminent any time do. this stuff that’s inrapid my stories times facing Churchill Ithe think wouldsaid scream reallyatmiss thedepending Hudson they would go, hard has the ability to separate at- tory, of vaccine or a negative 200 newand cases of COVID-19 to only continue to rise.” changes coming on what thesays. numbers reveal.” “In my youth the I never it’s within going 72 to be gone it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Rail- about thatcould so whybedon’t they Bay,” she “When I go tendees into cohorts, max- head, test from hours to ‘That’s per daynot bytrue, earlyisDecember Roussin said theBay province 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.”