Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Volume 63 • Issue 44
Possible new future for Thompson BY MATTHIAS J. JOHNSON LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, THOMPSON CITIZEN
The future is opening a whole new horizon as in the past 18 months, a group of people in Thompson, Gillam, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, have formed a Manitoba Airship Research Task Force. Each city counsel has come to a consensus that Thompson is the prime location for a centre for an Airship Cold-Weather Testing certification. In which coming shortly cargo hauling will be transported in the Arctic making Transport Canada greatly require the services of Thompson. Airship developers in England, United States, and France are currently expanding the Airship developments rapidly. In the next two years Transport Canada will allow this type of clean & inexpensive cargo transportation. Thompson could become the hub for a new airship industry in Manitoba. Barry Prentice who is spearheading this operation gave vivid details on the wide spread benefits this endeavor would be, not just the North but all of Canada, providing numerous job opportunities, new Submitted photo professions and provide many of those locations are airship base to reside, 30 tons. These costs are marily on “Cold Weather country. Boeing, Standard shipments at a significantly through difficult terrain building a large covered based on only one way Testing”. The rest of the Arrow and Magellan are all lower cost. “We know the condi- unfit for existing infra- bay fitting rows of blimps trips, in other words, taking year will be directed more located here, plus others. An airship base such tions in the North are in structure whereas the cost and a circular turntable de- goods out and nothing re- towards maintenance and pretty bad shape in the of building roads is simply signed for faster, efficient turning anything that could operations of airships mov- as this would enormouscome back. ing cargo to the North. ly benefit the community, remote communities, over too high. This presents a transportation. The open pit mines and “So the plan is us to run In looking at the costs of expanding the Hub of the crowded housing are often great need for air cargo In unsuitable on the news to- which the airship travel the quarry currently avail- it at this task force to de- various ships, the bigger in North and creating finanday, even in the schools. would change drastically. able, map out the proper velop a feasibility study to size the more efficient they cial ease on the current Many of the required geometry allowing the air- validate the need” States are. For a 30 ton lift airship strain of inflation with obviously overpriced food, chronic ill health, scarcity necessities would be in ships to be tested safely. Barry Prentice “But even moving 250 kilometers, the lowering the cost of housof jobs, everything is more the local mines benefit, Methods of protecting the if airships are operating rates stat at approximately ing, food and fuel. Bringby Ianglobally Graham ingNews new photo residents expensive by 2 to 3 times, giving clean mine explor- airship from the winds, in the US. Or Europe, it 47 cents per kilogram.Nickel Belt Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. If a range of 500 kilom- and providing service to and all these problems are ation, reducing fossil fuel and of course, if some- doesn't mean they don't get related to the high cost of emissions operating solely thing goes wrong in test- some cold blast for winter, eters is required then the needed air travelers. CreBY IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather to things thathydrogen you have ‘Oh, I’m just bad, right?’ was not very safe when saya ating onwrite electric and ing these areas experimental and if thea airship is thing there swallow rates equate to people 82 cents opportunities, jobs transportation” EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET I have all these stories and to fi gure out. It’s pretty clear to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar professions Transportation is 87% fuel cargo transportation. vehicles. You need to have it has to be able to survive kilometer. The 100 ton lift and research she’s now written get through.” needplace to capture them thatbe was exciting just fi nd somewhere said if it TheIstationed is graphed Isome to go, so thisfor is thought that, so it'll more than should for the deMeulles whole community. size every 250 kilometers bears, ofThough what we spend on all when a book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would ~Matthias J. Johnson is shipped merchandise. Here to utilize an open pit bay the need for a location or a just for the north. Airships is 26 cents a kilogram, and ces growing up in Churchill, her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to ChurchIn the north road construc- stationed at the Vale Mani- facility that would protect in general are going to need the 500 kilometer range is a Local Journalism InitiaAddictions Foundation Stories from the Ithe don’t.” fuel off and ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill a heartbeat. tobaWind: Operations (Vale) airships. a place forI realized, cold weather 42 cents. tiveinreporter who works out tion costs between 3 to of5 the Manitoba northern director in Churchill She has a reputation I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite of “I the shoreline, Mine, -inLife which this pitfor is The also assumptions are to cats, testing” Manitoba, particularthemiss Thompson Citizen.I million dollars per kilo- North Gisele deMeulles said writa couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disremiss the rock, I miss Within the 4 or 5 month ly Winnipeg, is the third The Local Journalism the Inmeter. In Manitoba there currently vacant and un- have the airships operate ing wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we for were in the polar even though of winter, the operlargest center aviation itiativebears is funded by the are many locations with used. This would be prime 300 days a year each with span always sheThough would you knowfor what, this his- tory and I would tell people on was prithe same boat in another very dangerous and location Thompson’s ation willher be focusing or manufacturing in area the they’re Government of Canada. an average lift capacity of spurred desirablethought minerals,
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
do. “In my youth I never 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 PREM SAWNA 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
tory, this stuff that’s in my head, it’s going to be gone if I don’t write it down,” she said. “My kids are not going to get it if I don’t do it and it’s something I’ve always wanted my mom to do. My mom’s an elder and she’s an artist, she’s got so many wonderful stories because she always tells her stories at Parks Canada in Churchill and I’ve always hounded her, ‘Please, just put it on tape, I will write it for you because your story is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
stories and they would go, hard times facing Churchill ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Rail‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community I INSURANCE did all that beforeSPECIALIST I was and it’s just dwindled down 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” * LIFE/MORTGAGE INSURANCEto such a small population now,” deMeulles says. Looking back, some of INSURANCE * SUPER VISA/VISITOR VISA those experiences are things Though she’s not there * DISABILITY INSURANCE she might not do again. any longer, her parents and * CRITICAL/HEALTH INSURANCE * RRSP/RESP/TFSA “I did some prettyINVESTMENTS bizarre her sister and other family www.akalinsurance.com stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. Email:Arctic psawna68@gmail.com high at -35,” said “My cousin owns the deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she Good Together... For You on me until People after. ThatWorking was a says. very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go have the option to do that? back home, standing on the 204.914.4902 I think right now CELL: they’re Hudson Bay looking out on 36-1313 the Border feeling like they’re pawns bay, itSt., justWinnipeg gives you an in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so really sad for them becauseBROKER I small and you feel great.” MORTGAGE think the people of ChurchNow that she’s got * PURCHASING A DREAM HOME ill really want to RENEWAL thrive. one book under her belt, * MORTGAGE They’ve built their REFINANCE worlds deMeulles says she may try * MORTGAGE there. *How would we feel to produce another. REPAIR YOUR CREDIT if someone came to you and “I have another book in www.redstarmortgage.ca Office: 204.202.7793 said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to me,” she says. “It’s a darker Email: psawna@redstarmortgage.ca leave your home community story, more about personand we’re going to displace al growth and struggles. you somewhere else and all Maybe in the next five years your loved ones and your it’s something I’ll focus on history is gone?’” doing.”
PREM SAWNA, P.ENG., AMP