October 14 2022

Nickel Belt News

Float planes damaged by gunshots in Tataskweyak Cree Nation

Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill

to write things that you have to figure out. It’s pretty clear

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles said writing wasn’t something she always thought she would do.

DeMeulles said she wrote Whispers in the Wind: Stories from the North - Life in Churchill for a couple of reasons.

Two float planes on Assean Lake in Tataskweyak Cree Nation will likely need to be replaced after being riddled with bullets Oct. 5.

Thompson RCMP were notified of the property dam age around 2 p.m. Wednesday. The damage to the planes occurred sometime between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon.

One of the planes belongs to TCN and the other is pri vately owned. Police say both planes will likely be declared total losses as a result of multiple bullet holes in each, which means the cost of the damage is approximately $850,000.

Anyone who saw anything in the area on the night in question or with information about the incident can call Thompson RCMP at 204-778-3050 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tips can also be submitted online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or by texting “TIPMAN” plus a message to CRIMES (274637).

Shots fired at Thompson apartment

For all the harsh weather and the dangers of polar bears, deMeulles said if it had been viable she would

BY IAN GRAHAM

EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Thompson RCMP are investigating an Oct. 12 death as a homicide.

Police responded to a report of an unresponsive female at a Cree Road apartment just after 8 a.m. Wednesday morning and found a 33-year-old woman. She was pronounced dead and her death is being treated as a homicide.

“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 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

The death is the fifth homicide in Thompson in 2022.

“I just sort of thought, you know what, this history, 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,

27,’ and they went ‘What?’”

Looking back, some of those experiences are things she might not do again.

A 25-year-old male was arrested at the scene and re mains in custody while Thompson RCMP, RCMP Major Crime Services and RCMP Forensic identification services continue investigating.

“I miss the shoreline, I miss the rock, I miss the polar bears even though they’re very dangerous and I really miss the Hudson Bay,” she says. “When I go back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so

to such a small population now,” deMeulles says.

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Two windows of an apart ment on Princeton Drive in Thompson were damaged

“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

Though she’s not there any longer, her parents and her sister and other family members still are.

when somebody fired shots at them Oct. 11.

Thompson RCMP re ceived multiple reports of two shots being fired to

“My cousin owns the hardware store there,” she says.

Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to

wards one unit in the Cor nell Apartments around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Police located bullet holes in two windows of one of

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?’”

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.”

the building’s apartments. No one was injured by the shots and RCMP continue to investigate. No arrests had been made as of Oct. 12.

Serving

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill.

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham

One end of the Cornell Apartments on Princeton Drive was taped off and a Thompson RCMP cruiser at the scene Oct. 11 as police investigated two shots being fired at one of the building’s apartment units in the early hours of the morning.

RCMP photos

Two float planes on Assean Lake in Tataskweyak Cree Nation suffered significant damage from multiple gunshots on Oct. 4 or Oct. 5.

Election 2022: Transparency, wise spending and safety top issues for Earl Colbourne

BY IAN GRAHAM

EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Earl Colbourne says he wasn’t successful in achiev ing all his goals during his first term as a city coun cillor in Thompson but believes that more can be accomplished between now and 2026 if he is re-elect ed along with a group of councillors who can work together.

“I’m hoping to get back on council for another four years, hoping I can do better than I did,” says the 43-year resident of Thompson. “If I get in there with the right council, then I’ll tell you right now I think we will be able to make changes. I think we can do some good things.”

Whether that will be pos sible is up to voters, Earl Colbourne told the Thomp son Citizen in an Oct. 7 interview.

“You can’t do it unless you’ve got the right coun cil,” he said.

To Earl Colbourne,

some of the biggest issues Thompson is currently fa cing are the rising cost of living, public safety and un acceptable public behaviour in the downtown core.

In his first year on coun cil, he supported the budget but then advocated for low er spending and taxes.

“After that, I’ve never gone for a water raise or a tax raise because I don’t think it’s needed,” he says. “What we’ve got, to me, is overspending a lot.”

As the former owner of the Northern Inn, less than a block away from where Liquor Mart used to be, Earl Colbourne is well aware of what it’s like to face the fallout of alcohol use and abuse.

“It was every day, con stant, and it still is for some businesses,” he says.

In Earl Colbourne’s view, the problem isn’t solely or even primarily the result of there being homeless people with addictions and nowhere else to go and he

believes that turning a blind eye is only allowing prob lems to get worse.

“You start with the law,” he says. “Enforce the law first. People that come down to party on our streets, they’ll stay home once they start getting picked up, right? I think that’s the way it’ll work.”

When it comes to how he works as a councillor, Earl Colbourne says he bases his decisions not on who he shares common views with but on what he thinks is best for the people of Thompson.

“That’s lower taxes and a safer city,” he says.

Still, keeping things affordable is not the only consideration involved.

“I think people often don’t mind paying a few extra taxes if they can get the city cleaned up and back on the right foot, where we’ve got people com ing into town and paying taxes, not people coming into town and hanging out

on the street.”

If re-elected, Earl Col bourne says he’d like to work with fellow council lors toward transparency, fiscal control and a safer

city, noting that he wants Thompson to be a place he’s proud to call home because he doesn’t want to leave.

“Thanks to all the people

who voted for me last time and hopefully you vote for me this time,” he says. “But get out and vote. Good luck to all the councillors and thank you to the people.”

Election 2022: Chong hopes third candidacy is successful

I’m doing right now,” he says.

As the former owner and proprietor of Wonton Place in Thompson for nearly 25 years, Chong says he is alarmed to see that people who were longtime loyal cus tomers of his are no longer patronizing local restaurants because they have moved out of town.

“There must be something wrong, why people leave town,” he said.

Part of the reason is the fre quency of crime, as indicated by Thompson being at or near the top of Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index year af ter year after year.

“I think it’s not accept able,” Chong says.

If that isn’t enough, then there are property taxes and water rates, over which the city has some control, as well as things like Manitoba Hy dro rates, which it doesn’t.

know what the others are doing.

“The key thing is com munication,” he says. “It’s communication between city hall, the administration and the council.”

On the policy side, Chong believes laws and city bylaws are only useful if they’re en forced and if they’re enforced

equally. If the bylaw on paper and in practice don’t match up, he asks, what’s the point?

“If that bylaw doesn’t work, why have the bylaw in the first place?” he says.

When it comes to con vincing voters to cast their ballots for him, Chong says communicating remains the key.

“I think I have to talk and convince people to under stand what my positon is,” he says. “I want you to under stand me.”

He doesn’t expect people to look at him as someone who has all the answers, because he doesn’t, but he will pro vide a way to find a person who does.

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Thompson city council candidate Chiew Chong is hoping that the third time proves the charm.

The two-time also-ran has once again put his name for ward for consideration as a councillor in the Oct. 26 elec tion, having previously done so in 2018 and in a byelection less than six months later.

In October 2018, he was literally one vote way from a seat on council, tying fellow candidate Andre Proulx with 1,009 votes, the eighth-high est vote total. After a recount failed to establish a winner, the two candidates ran again in March 2019, alongside for mer councillor Blake Ellis.

That time, Proulx, who has decided not to seek re-elec tion after three-and-a-half years on council, edged Chong by 46 votes.

Chong, who came to Thompson in 1975 and

works as a surface mainten ance mechanic at Vale’s T-3 mine, is philosophical about that loss, event though he filed a civl court action regarding the 2018 election that was ultimately dismissed.

“Maybe the other guy or the other person had a better campaign or more support or something like that,” Chong told the Thompson Citizen in an Oct. 7 interview.

Knowing how close he came four years ago, Chong believes he has a shot at making it onto council this time around, saying he heard from plenty of people urging him to run again. He was also encouraged to put his name forth as a candidate in the 2020 byelection necessitated by the death of former long time councillor Judy Kolada, but he decided to wait until now.

“Even after I lost, some people still ask you to try again in four years, which

“Our property taxes are high, right, getting higher and higher,” he said. “Then our water bill is higher and higher. This is a cold, cold climate here and it costs a lot of money to use hydro to heat up the house.”

For some people, that ris ing cost of living is effectively a pay cut that they can never work their way out of.

“When people retire they only have a fixed income,” Chong says.

Good local government de pends on a few key factors, in Chong’s opinion: communi cation, co-operation and ef fective policies.

“Co-operation is the key to success,” he says, and that means top down management is not the right route. “The mayor is not the person to make decisions, They mayor is the person to support the council.”

That co-operation extends to include making sure that different city departments

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham Incumbent councillor Earl Colbourne says that if he’s re-elected on Oct. 26, he hopes it’s with a group of councillors who can work cooperatively to improve transparency, fiscal control and public safety in Thompson.

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham Chiew Chong, who was one vote shy of becoming a coun cillor in 2018 and lost a 2019 byelection by 46 votes, has put his name forward as a council candidate in the Oct. 26 municipal election.

The most important statistic

BY DOUG LAUVSTAD

I've often been asked what's changed at Univer sity College of the North as we endured the pandemic's disruption and what I "miss most."

To be honest, what I missed most was the gradu ation ceremonies, our insti tution's ultimate celebration of achievement. As presi dent, I have the best seat in the house. And, as the graduates cross the stage and I hand them their de grees, diplomas or certifi cates, I look at each one and offer congratulations. But I always look to the audience, to the people who gather to celebrate their graduate's achievement. And the look of sheer joy, pride, and love on the faces of the parents, spouses, children, and other family and friends is very emotional and somewhat overwhelming.

As one of UCN's Gov erning Council's chairs said when he experienced this feeling for the first time: "this is what it's all about."

This brings me to the most important statistic, one of the key measures that "UCN is all about."

UCN, like all publicly funded institutions, is ac countable and must report on enrolments, retention, graduation rates, financial performance and a pleth

ora of other statistical measures. But, we do not quantify the most import ant statistic: most graduates are the first in their family to gain a post-secondary credential.

To me, this is the most important statistic because study after study has shown that children whose parents attended post-secondary are much more likely to attend post-secondary (and gradu ate) themselves.

Study after study has also shown that the more edu cated a person is, the more likely they are to be em ployed with a direct correla tion between income and education levels, i.e. more equals more. And educa tion levels are also directly correlated with social deter minants of health.

That one individual, that first family member to graduate, that one who models achievement-ori ented behaviour and who is an inspiration and a role model, is transformational for generations to come.

UCN occupies a unique position in the post-second ary landscape. We have a unique mandate — offering both university and college programming. We operate in a regional context, pro viding service throughout the vast area of Northern Manitoba, where the popu

lation is predominantly in digenous. Though we are a small segment of the prov incial system, our impact now and to future genera tions is huge.

Our last graduations were held in person. I got to see those proud, smiling faces once again. And whether the graduates realize it or not, they are preparing the same stage for generations to follow.

The 2017 colleges review noted UCN "is vital to the needs of Northern Manitoba

Returning for the fall session

The legislative session has returned. As your MLA, I am working on your behalf on the issues that are really important to us in the north. That in cludes our concerns about healthcare and the afford ability of hydro prices.

Unfortunately, health care cuts have resulted in medical staff and equip ment shortages in the Flin Flon constituency.

The ER closure at Leaf Rapids Health Centre was supposed to last only six days when it began July 13 — instead, this clos ure graduated to what the Northern Health Region announced to be an “in determinate” period of time as a result of staff shortages.

Additionally, multiple northern communities — Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake and Snow Lake — keep fa cing healthcare cutbacks. With services in Snow Lake reduced, there is a lot of strain on the med ical facility in Flin Flon. People are experiencing a lack of ambulance services and others who are critic ally ill are having to travel long distances to receive treatment outside their communities. Patients have had to be transferred from Lynn Lake Hospital to Flin Flon because of a lack of staff. Family mem bers of patients were not

BEDROOM

Flin Flon MLA Report

… strongly anchored and administrated from North ern Manitoba, and that re sponds to the needs of its communities and employ ers … Both college and uni versity programs are crucial to the development of the North …"

Doug Lauvstad is the president and chancellor of University College of the North.

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notified before this longterm transfer of their loved ones took place.

I participated in Zoom meetings with the NHR and affected commun ities after the fact. Un fortunately, there were not proactive plans in place to inform family mem bers that their loved ones had been moved over 700 kilometres away to Flin Flon, an eight-hour drive by car from Lynn Lake. The leadership at Black Sturgeon Falls (Marcel Colomb First Nation) were not notified either.

In addition, we know that we are seeing a decline in the number of avail able medical procedures in the north. As a result, people have to go south.

Unfortunately, while the Northern Patient Trans portation Program costs have gone up, the amounts paid to residents have not risen to match the costs. This means it is getting more and more difficult for residents to afford the

costs of attending medical appointments in the south.

I have heard from people in the constituency who are missing appointments as a result.

I am also fighting on your behalf to keep hydro affordable. The Progres sive Conservative govern ment has put forward a bill that could see our hydro bills increase by five per cent. Rather than using an accountable process through the Public Util ities Board, the PCs want to effectively set rates themselves at the cabinet table. That’s not the right approach.

The government needs to address healthcare and affordability issues now. The living conditions of Manitobans depend on it.

If you would like to contact me about health care, hydro or anything else of concern to you, please contact my office at tom.lindsey@your manitoba.ca or by phone at 204-687-3246.

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Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of UCN University College of the North president Doug Lauvstad

Tom

Pollution pricing puts money in your pocket while fighting climate change

BY TERRY DUGUID

On Friday, Oct. 14, Manitobans will see a pay ment appear in their bank accounts: your fall Climate Action Incentive rebate from the federal govern ment. How much can you expect? Well, for a family of four here in Manitoba, you’re getting $208. And this is just one of the pay ments coming to you every three months, worth $832 in total for the year for a family of four. If you’re not registered for online sub mission of your taxes that’s no problem, it just means you’ll be getting a cheque in the mail soon, instead of direct deposit.

So what is the federal Climate Action Incentive?

Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid

These are the proceeds from the price on carbon pollution. Our federal gov ernment has designed a sys tem that puts money back in your pocket while making sure it isn’t free to pollute anywhere in this country. That’s win-win – not only do you have more money for things like groceries

or childcare, our approach also helps fight climate change by making big pol luters pay their fair share. In fact, most families get more money back than they pay and those payments are set to increase in the coming years.

Today, these rebate cheques are under threat from new Conserva tive Party leader Pierre Poilievre. Despite the fact that Canada is recognized worldwide for our mar ket-based system which prices pollution while sup porting families, Poilievre wants to scrap these rebate payments.

With the autumn season upon us and Parliament Hill back in session, Mr.

Poilievre is making a lot of noise about carbon pricing. He has ditched the policy of his predecessor, Erin O’Toole, who recognized the importance of putting a price on pollution. And, true to form, Mr. Poilievre is attacking pollution pricing while ignoring the rebates supporting Canadians and failing to offer any alterna tive environmental plan.

Nor will you hear Mr. Poilievre talk about the massive cleanup costs of extreme weather events that are increasingly frequent with climate change. And you’ll never hear him dis cuss the great new jobs and investment being spurred across Manitoba by the clean-tech boom that’s

underway.

And that’s why pollu tion pricing works: it puts a cost on the thing we don’t want – pollution – and adds value to the things we do want – clean air, reliable, affordable clean energy and sustainable jobs.

Pricing pollution is a key part of our comprehen sive plan to tackle climate change. Manitoba’s clean electricity grid, combined with the market-driven push for less polluting sources of energy, helps explain why Montreal-based Charbone is working with the City of Selkirk to build the prov ince’s first green hydrogen facility. It’s why Minago nickel has announced am bitions to be the lowest-en

vironmental impact nickel mine in the world. Farmer’s Edge, a Winnipeg-based agricultural tech company, raised US$98 million in its 2021 initial public offering.

Your federal government is focused on being in your corner — delivering a clean environment, and the good, sustainable jobs that come with the clean energy econ omy for your community.

And as we do, we’re making sure that it’s not free to pollute in Canada and that you have more money in your pockets every year.

Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid is the par liamentary secretary to the federal minister of environ ment and climate change.

Commentary: Bill C-11 would be a blow to Canadian content creators

BY JAY GOLDBERG

Prime Minister Justin Tru deau doesn’t care about Can adian content creators.

When Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriquez first tabled Bill C-11, the Trudeau govern

ment’s online censorship bill, the primary rationale he gave for crafting the legislation was to promote the interests of Canadian content creators.

Bill C-11 “will help make sure that our cultural sector

works for Canadians and supports the next generation of artists and creators,” said Rodriguez.

The Trudeau government wants Canadians to think that this bill will simply make Can

NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION 2022 OF THE SAYISI DENE FIRST NATION FOR ONE

CHIEF & THREE (3) COUNCILLOR POSITIONS

NOMINATION MEETING:

POLLS:

Fairfield Inn & Suites

1330 Ellice Ave Winnipeg, MB November 25, 2022 10am-3pm

Nomination Meeting:

Seaport Hotel Churchill, MB November 24, 2022 11am-4pm

Best Western Hotel Thompson, MB December 7, 2022 9am-2pm

• Any eligible voter on or off reserve may nominate/second candidates for both Chief and Councillor Positions.

• Any eligible voter can either deliver or mail-in, fax, scan the prescribed nomination forms and a completed voter declaration form to the Electoral Officer before the close of the nomination meeting OR you may nominate candidates orally at the nomination meeting.

• Mailed nominations not received by the Electoral Officer before the time set for nomination meeting are void.

• A person may nominate and second a nomination if the person is a registered citizen of SD, is 18 years of age as of November 8, 2022, a voter may nominate or second only one (1) candidate for Chief and one (1) candidate for Council.

• Chief nominations will be recorded first for 1 hour, followed by Council nominations for at least 2 hours. The Electoral Officer shall close the nominations after the 3rd call for nominations.

Candidate Eligibility:

• “Candidate” means a citizen who has been duly nominated to run for the office of Chief or Councillor in accordance with the SD Election Act, is a registered citizen of the SD, 18 years of age as of November 8, 2022, has never been convicted of an indictable offense, has never been suspected of mismanagement while being a member of Council or employee of the nation or any of its agencies, corporation, departments or entity.

• A member of Council may serve for only 2 terms of office, after which he or she may not run for or be reelected to office.

• A nominee must accept a nomination in writing to the Electoral Officer within 48hrs after the nomination.

• A candidate who does not accept a nomination in accordance with the 48hr clause of the SD act shall be deemed to have declined the nomination.

Mail

before the closing of the polls on Election day will not be counted.

For more

Connors,

Cell/Txt: (204) 620-2998

Email electoralofficer@icloud.com or facebook Steph Connors

Or Kelly-Ann Thom Sayisi Dene First Nation Band Office Ph: 1-204-684-2275 Fax: 1-204-684-2069

adian content more accessible and boost the online presence of Canadian artists.

But content creators are saying the government is wrong.

And the government doesn’t care.

Bill C-11 has always been a bad bill. If passed, it would invade Canadians’ privacy and lessen our ability as citizens to hold the government to ac count by influencing what we can say and see online.

But even beyond those con cerns, the government’s very rationale for introducing this legislation has been complete ly debunked.

Canadian content creators say that the legislation could be a huge blow to their ability to reach audiences around the world.

On platforms like YouTube and TikTok, Bill C-11 would force-feed domestic viewers Canadian content, even if the viewers aren’t interested in the content of the material.

That would then lead to lower click rates, as Canadians not interested in the video’s topic choose not to click on it.

But that then signals to platforms that the content isn’t popular with viewers, leading the platforms’ algorithms to deprioritize Canadian con tent for viewers beyond our borders.

Don’t just take my word for it. Regina-born TikTok sensation Tesher says that, had Bill C-11 been in place when he was first sharing his music, his career never would have taken off. That’s because Tesher gained popularity out side of Canada’s borders first, and only became popular in Canada later.

If Tesher’s content had be

deprioritized abroad before he was discovered by Hindi and Punjabi-speaking fans internationally, Tesher doesn’t think he would have found success.

As Tesher notes, “C-11 would limit that reach by requiring creators to priori tize government criteria for domestic distribution over making content optimized for global audiences.”

Fellow Canadian YouTube star J.J. McCullough agrees.

“Overnight, creators are going to wake up and find the kind of content that has previously been successful in an unregulated YouTube is no longer successful in a regulated YouTube,” said McCullough.

Content might fare a little better in Canada, but it will be harmed all around the world.

YouTube’s top Canadian spokesperson delivered much the same message to the Senate’s transport and communications committee, noting that no other country in the world imposes these kinds of requirements.

Bill C-11 “really puts the international audiences of cre ators at risk, because if France was to do something like this, or India was to do something like this, where they required prominence for their local artists, Canadians would be going to the back of the line,” said YouTube’s Janette Patell.

Patell also noted that for many Canadian YouTubers, 90 per cent of their viewer ship comes from outside of Canada. Canadian YouTubers are therefore at risk of losing the vast majority of their audience.

Clearly, Bill C-11 will hurt small-time Canadian content

creators far more than it will help.

Bill C-11 also raises huge privacy concerns. Currently, YouTube and other platforms don’t track where viewers are from. But Bill C-11 would force platforms to track where viewers are from to decide what kind of content to push on viewers. That puts Can adians’ privacy on the line.

The last thing Canadians want is to be tracked by online platforms and big brother in Ottawa.

“The bill would represent a step back overall for pri vacy protection,” said Pri vacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien.

If Bill C-11 is all about help ing Canadian content creators, recent testimony suggests that the bill should be ripped up, as it does the exact opposite of what the government claims it wants to do.

It’s time to finally scrap this dangerous piece of legislation.

Jay Goldberg is the Ontario and interim Atlantic director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

This article was originally published in the Western Stan dard on Oct. 1.

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Jay Goldberg

Northern Manitoba rapper wins national emerging musician prize

Garden Hill First Nation member Matthew Monias, who performs under the name Mattmac, was an nounced Oct. 6 as the win ner of Canada’s Walk of Fame’s 10th-annual RBC emerging musician prize.

Blind since birth, Matt mac, who now lives in Win nipeg, began his musical career by singing in the Garden Hill gospel choir. He later took up making beats and writing songs and taught himself to play guitar and piano. Mattmac’s music career began in 2016 when N’we Jinan, a travel ling music studio program, came to Garden Hill and got him to collaborate on a pro ject. He released his debut album — 20/20 — two years ago and his second album — Blurred Visions — earlier this year.

“Winning this award will open doors in the music in dustry that will take me to the next level of my career, and I’m so grateful. Com ing from a small reserve in Northern Manitoba, oppor tunities like this aren’t read ily available, and I hope that this incredible recognition will inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to,” says Mattmac.

“Big shout out to Canada’s Walk of Fame, the judges and RBC for providing me this platform to show young people what they can achieve if they work

for their dreams.”

The prize includes $20,000 in cash, opportun ities to perform at Canada’s Walk of Fame events and private studio recording time at Metalworks Studios.

“At Metalworks, we be lieve in fostering young talent and I look forward to following the musical endeavours of all those involved in the program,” said Gil Moore, Metal works Group CEO. “Matt mac, we look forward to hosting you at Metalworks Studios!"

Along with the other four finalists, Mattmac will have opportunities to partici pate in group mentorship sessions with a Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee or Allan Slaight Music Impact honouree and in a creative workshop at Toronto’s Ar tHaus. He will also get a dedicated artist page on EmergingMusician.ca, the website of the RBC emer ging musician program, and take part in career develop ment mentorship sessions with A&R executives, a music lawyer and an experi enced music industry agent.

Other perks of winning the prize include $2,000 to wards a live off-the-floor performance video filmed in his hometown, a show case opportunity at Can adian Music Week 2023 and a performance at Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg next February

Harvest Manitoba signs deal to operate food banks in Northern Manitoba

BY DAVE BAXTER

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

A new agreement has been signed that will help those looking to feed the under privileged in this province to bring more affordable and healthy foods to northern and isolated communities, it was announced Oct. 11.

“Bringing food to remote First Nations communities has always been a chal lenge for food banks due to the high costs of transpor tation,” Harvest Manitoba CEO Vince Barletta said in a release, announcing that a memorandum of understand ing has been signed between Harvest Manitoba, Anishin inew Okimawin (Island Lake Tribal Council) and Food Banks Canada.

The agreement, accord ing to Harvest Manitoba,

will create partnerships to bring food banking oper ations to approximately 15,000 residents in the Is land Lake Region in North ern Manitoba.

“This partnership, work ing with First Nations leader ship, holds great potential to improve food security in some of Manitoba’s most food insecure communities,” Barletta said.

With the agreement signed, Harvest Manitoba said that residents in St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack, Garden Hill and Red Suck er Lake will now be able to access food from food banks that will be set up in those communities.

Harvest Manitoba recently became the first registered food bank with Nutrition North Canada, a federal program that supports food

security in northern and iso lated communities.

As part of the program, charities and food banks are now able to claim subsidies for transporting and dis tributing food and essential household items in eligible northern communities.

“The inclusion of food banks and charities in the Nutrition North Canada sub sidy program will help ad dress the immediate needs of the most vulnerable residents in northern and isolated com munities, while the program continues to work with com munities toward long-term solutions,” Barletta said.

— Dave Baxter is a Lo cal Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Lo cal Journalism Initiative is funded by the government of Canada.

New booster. Double protection.

The new bivalent booster is recommended this fall for people aged 18+. It has been developed

target 2 strains of COVID-19

broadest

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program Winnipeg hip-hop artist Mattmac, a member of Garden Hill First Nation, was announced Oct. 6 as the winner of the 10th-annual Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC emerging musician prize.

Thompson bodybuilder wins title at first competition

A 17-year-old from Thompson won a bikini bodybuilding title at the WNBF Canada Winnipeg Naturals Gold Cup on Oct.

1.

tition and is now training for a show in Calgary on Oct. 29.

Olivia McDonald earned the title at her first compe

Her coach, Mitch Nicolas, says preparation for the Cal gary show will be different and more challenging than the training McDonald has

done in the past but says she is a competitor who is up for the challenge. McDonald will represent Thompson well, her coach believes, thanking all the family and friends who provide her with their support.

Thanksgiving warmth the last gasp of summery weather?

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

The unseasonably balmy weather in Thompson on Thanksgiving Monday came within half a degree of setting a new record for Oct. 10.

Environment Canada say the high in Thompson on Monday topped out at 21.1 degrees Celsius.

The record for Oct. 10 is

21.5 degrees, set in 1984.

It was by far the warm est Oct. 10 in recent years, coming in nearly 10 degrees higher than last year’s 11.5 degrees. The three years before that, the high tem perature on Oct. 10 ranged from 0.3 to 3.8 degrees. In 2016, it snowed 15 centi metres on Oct. 10 and there were 30 cm of snow on the ground.

The average high for Oct. 10 is 6.4 degrees.

Though the high is ex pected to reach 17 degrees on Oct. 11, it appears it will be the last day with doubledigit temperatures for at least a few weeks, if not until next spring. Starting Oct. 13, the high in Thomp son is not expected to even reach five degrees for the next two weeks.

Thompson Citizen photo by Marccophoto/Getty Images

high temperature of 21.1 degrees Celsius in Thompson on Thanksgiving was less than half a degree shy of the record for that date.

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Mitch Nicolas Thompson bodybuilder Olivia McDonald, centre, poses with coach Mitch Nicholas, right and Irish Nicolas, left, after winning

title at her first competition in Winnipeg Oct.

Thompson Humane Society celebrates 20 years

The Thompson Humane Society’s 2022 annual gen eral meeting was notable for the organization reaching two decades of operations.

“It is a milestone that very few organizations, es pecially not-for-profits, are able to obtain. Twenty years later and with over 6,000 animals cared for, the THS has survived while many other animal shelters, hu mane societies and SCPAs have come and gone,” said the society’s board chair Oswald Sawh. He men tioned that the key to the THS’s success were their passionate group of past and present board members, volunteers, employees and the community’s residents and businesses that have always supported them.

Sawh also singled out specific individuals and operations such as Ken Bingham, longtime vet erinarian in Thompson, “who did so much for our

operations in its early years and really helped with our sustainability model.” He also recognized the City of Thompson, “who have over the years continued to sup port the concept of having all animals under one roof and housing animals picked up by their animal control program in our building.”

The THS also welcomed its newest partner, the prov ince of Manitoba’s animal protection program.

“I want to also recognize the provincial veterinary of fice for working with us,” said Sawh.

Calm Air was also ac knowledged for providing the THS a certain amount of credit each year that al lows them to fly animals that cannot be adopted here in Thompson to other no-kill shelters. This has allowed the THS to keep to a near-zero euthanasia rate. Also recognized was the Thompson Community

Foundation and the prov ince of Manitoba’s Build ing Sustainable Community funds that provided a grant to allow the THS to upgrade its kennels.

Over the next year the THS will be focusing on rebuilding their fundraising initiatives to ensure longterm sustainability after two of their big fundraisers such as WoofStock and the com edy show being stopped due to issues relating to COVID. As with previous AGMs, Sawh concluded with a quote from Mahatma Gan dhi that is on the painting done of Mystery, their offi cial mascot, painted by Jas yn Lucas. He feels it really wraps up what the THS feels should be the social contract between humans and animals, and, in their case, domesticated animals.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can by judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Thompson Humane Society board chair Oswald Sawh with shelter administrator Pam Lawhead.

Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of Thompson Humane Society

Thompson Humane Society

Cree rower named women’s winner of the Tom Longboat Award

BY SAM LASKARIS LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINDSPEAKER.COM

Leah Miller was simply looking for another sport to participate in a half-dozen years ago.

Miller, who was 12 at the time and already playing volleyball, enrolled in a Learn To Row program in Winnipeg.

Fast forward to 2022 and Miller, a member of Pimi cikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, has become an elite rower.

In fact, she’s now a firstyear student at the Univer sity of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for her rowing prowess.

Plus, she now has aspira tions to represent Canada at the Olympic Games.

And Miller, who is 18,

has been announced as this year’s female recipient of the Tom Longboat Award.

Connor Church, a 19-year-old Métis wrestler from Winnipeg, was chosen as the male recipient.

The Tom Longboat Awards, established in 1951, annually honour In digenous athletes in Can ada for their outstanding achievements.

Miller and Church were announced as this year’s winners in conjunction with Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame induction cere monies held last Thursday, Oct. 6, in Toronto.

Eight individuals and two teams were inducted into the national sports hall this year.

“From the moment I stepped in the boat I loved

it. I just liked the feeling of when you get the boat mov ing well and the atmosphere of being on the water,” Mil ler said.

While growing up, Miller represented the Winnipeg Rowing Club in various regattas.

A career highlight oc curred earlier this year as she cracked the Canadian junior national team (19 and under). Her fours crews placed 11th in its race at the world junior championships in Varese, Italy.

“My goal for next sum mer is to make the (Can adian) under-23 team,” Miller said.

For now though, she is getting adjusted to be ing a first-year university student. She is studying Biology.

A handful of other NCAA Division 1 schools offered Miller an athletic scholarship.

“When I went on my official visit here (at U of Michigan), I loved the campus and the academics at the school,” Miller said.

“And the team is really good and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Though Michigan’s rowing team has a spring competition season, Miller and her teammates have a rigorous training sched ule, working out six days a week. Team members have Mondays off.

But Miller said Michigan athletes train sometimes three times per day. Some of those sessions are in the gym working on weights.

“I’m pretty used to how

busy it is,” said Miller, a graduate of Winnipeg’s Mennonite Brethren Insti tute Collegiate.

Miller is one of four Canadians on the Michigan women’s rowing squad.

She is hoping to win various NCAA national championship races while at Michigan, starting as early as next spring.

But it probably won’t be until the new year when team officials decide on ros ter positions for 2023 races.

Miller will have to wait a bit before learning whether she’ll represent the school in races featuring crews of fours or eights.

What Miller does know, however, is that she was thrilled to be chosen as the female recipient of this year’s Tom Longboat

Award.

“It means everything to me,” she said. “It’s such a huge honour. I was very happy to win it.”

Miller attended the To ronto ceremony with her mother Paula, who is a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and her father Donald, who is Métis.

The Tom Longboat Awards are named after the legendary Onondaga runner from Six Nations in Ontario.

Longboat, who died in 1949 at the age of 62, was considered one of the world’s fastest long-dis tance runners in his prime.

He won the 1907 Boston Marathon and competed in the men’s marathon race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England.

Métis to research how many of its citizens are jailed

BY DAVE BAXTER LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG SUE

The federal government says it will provide funding of more than $1.5 million to help the Manitoba Métis Federation get a better idea of how many Red River Métis citizens are currently incar cerated and to help find ways to keep more Métis citizens out of the criminal justice system.

On Oct. 11 during a virtual press conference, it was an nounced that Justice Canada will provide $1.68 million over five years through the Indigenous Justice Program to MMF to support the “con tinued delivery of commun ity-based justice programs, and their work to address

the overrepresentation of Red River Métis people in the justice system.”

And although statistics on the number of Indigenous people who are incarcerated in this province and across the country are widely avail able, MMF president David Chartrand said on Tuesday those kinds of statistics are much harder to find specif ically related to Red River Métis citizens.

“It’s been a challenge, no one seems to want to collect the data,” Chartrand said. “We don’t know the ratio, but we definitely know there’s a crime concern in our villages right now that’s starting to grow.”

Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday that

lack of data is one of sev eral issues the feds hope to address through the funding.

The money will also be used to support several MMF initiatives, including com munity justice programs that look to use restorative justice strategies to help rehabilitate offenders, and a brand new mediation program they said will help Métis citizens to deal with family-related issues.

“Advancing reconciliation requires supporting culturally appropriate, Indigenous-led and community-based justice services, and building poli cies informed by the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples,” Lametti said.

“These are key to achiev ing systemic change in our

justice system.”

The money will be allo cated through MMF’s Métis Justice Institute, which provides several different justice-related services that work to “reduce the number of Red River Métis people in volved in the criminal justice system,” and to “prevent and reduce crime, as well as en hance the safety and well-be ing of Red River Métis indi viduals and communities.”

MMF minister of justice Julyda Lagimodiere said: “culturally appropriate” programming is essential for preventing Métis citizens from being incarcerated and becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

“Red River Métis-led, culturally-appropriate pro

grams and services can play a vital role in reducing the overrepresentation of our cit izens in the justice system and addressing systemic racism,” Lagimodiere said in a release. “The MMF, the national government of the Red River Métis, has a dem onstrated track record of suc cess when we take the lead in creating and implementing programming.

“Our culture requires us to take a holistic approach to justice that considers and ad dresses the impacts on family and community.”

And while statistics related to Red River Métis incarcera tion rates are hard to come by, statistics show that, in total, a highly disproportionate number of Indigenous people

continue to make up those who are incarcerated across the country, and those num bers are even more alarming here in Manitoba.

It is estimated that Indigen ous men and women make up about 32 per cent of the fed eral penitentiary population in Canada, despite compris ing less than 5 per cent of the country’s population.

And in Manitoba, it is esti mated that as many as 70 per cent of inmates incarcerated at the Stony Mountain federal penitentiary are Indigenous.

— Dave Baxter is a Lo cal Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Lo cal Journalism Initiative is funded by the government of Canada.

True Story documentary put an Indigenous lens on the history of Canada

BY ADAM LASKARIS LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, WINDSPEAKER.COM

Growing up in Win nipeg, Dinae Robinson wanted to be an actress.

“Ever since I was little, I knew I was meant to be a storyteller in some cap acity,” Robinson said. “I knew I wanted to work in film, ever since I can remember.”

Robinson, an Anishin aabekwe (Ojibwe) from Swan Lake First Nation, Man., began her film ca reer by picking up back ground roles in whatever film productions came

through Winnipeg.

But for her latest pro ject, a two-hour docu mentary titled True Story , which premiered Sept. 30 on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, she’s labelled as the executive producer, creator, director and showrunner.

True Story considers how to move forward from Canada’s colonial past as it looks back at the his tory of Canada from an Indigenous perspective.

With four different roles under her name, Robin son had her work cut out for her while curating the

documentary’s overall cre ative vision.

“This is not a com plete history lesson, or a step-by-step of what hap pened,” she said. “They are a series of snapshots in the overall history of the creation of Canada. And I think it’s a really good primer to open people’s eyes and to want to learn more, to be open-minded into learning more.”

The film was produced by Eagle Vision, an In digenous-owned produc tion company for The History Channel with the support of Corus Entertainment.

“This is telling stories, particularly Indigenous stories. It’s what I based my career on; what I have always aspired to do. So for me, it’s a dream come true,” Robinson said.

“It’s definitely not an easy job. There’s defin itely lots of fear and, of course, second-doubting yourself. But that’s gonna happen with any job you do. But there’s a vulner ability that’s involved in it. Where that comes from

is that you want to ensure that you’re doing every thing correctly; that you are telling these stories as accurately and responsibly and respectfully as you can… That is always my goal at the end of the day.

Robinson said The His tory Channel and Corus were “wonderful” to work with, leaving full creative control in her team’s hands.

“The History Chan nel is proud to provide a platform to share this important narrative more broadly,” said Lisa God frey, senior vice president of original content at Cor us Studios. “Through the medium of television, a documentary as re searched and engaging as True Story can contribute to moving the conversa tion around reconciliation and historical education forward.”

Another of the film’s main creators is executive producer Rebecca Gib son, who Robinson first met while attending the Academy of Broadcasting in Winnipeg.

“[Gibson] has changed my life and has given me so many opportunities to sharpen, nurture and help grow myself as a film maker, as an artist,” Rob inson said.

Eagle Vision was ap proached by Corus and The History Channel with what Robinson called a “concept to talk about the history of relationships be tween indigenous people and settlers on what is now Canada.”

She said “It happened very quickly” and Rob inson and Gibson got to work on a framework for the project over the course of the last year.

True Story navigates potentially triggering topics for its audiences, such as the history of col onialism and the residen tial schools system.

“We have put a dis claimer and phone num bers that people can reach out to, and I think we’ve done a really good job at being delicate around those topics,” Robinson said.

She said the topics are

going to “challenge the narratives that we’ve all been taught and told, or things that we were not taught and told about col onization, about the vio lence and that our history and the way that Canada was created, it wasn’t all positive.”

The film is narrated by Kahnawake Mohawk ac tress Kaniehtiio Horn, who has previously worked on projects such as comedy series Rutherford Falls , Letterkenny , and Reser vation Dogs

“We knew she would be the voice of True Story ,” Robinson said. “And we are very fortunate that she agreed to come on, that she liked the content. She likes the project and believes in it. She is somebody that we wanted to work with from the get-go.”

The documentary, which premiered on The His tory Channel last week, is available to stream on STACKTV, which can be accessed through Amazon Prime Channels, FuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ig nite SmartStream.

Thompson

BY THOMPSON NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL CORPORATION

The Thompson Neighbhourhood Renew al Corporation held its 21st annual general meeting on Sept. 27 at the Ma-Mow-WeTak Friendship Centre.

The TNRC, established in 2001, has been a leader in community development in Thompson for over 20 years. As with many organization, the TNRC has had a couple of challenging years with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its resources and service delivery and the loss of its prior executive director and the difficulties in finding a replacement with the experience and skills that the board felt was a necessity for their operations.

Board chair Dee Chaboyer announced their new executive director, Oswald Sawh

in her report at the AGM.

“Oswald Sawh had had close to 30 years experience, many of those years in a leadership position, in community eco nomic development prior to his retirement from the province of Manitoba. He has also been very active in working with com munity-based service organizations and understands the importance of the TNRC supporting and leveraging their resources for the greater good of Thompson,” said Chaboyer.

One of the first things Sawh will be work ing on putting together is the TNRC’s new five-year plan that will help guide their operations.

Sawh, who served on the TNRC board of directors for close to eight years starting in 2002, reflected on the process.

“I look forward to working with our board of directors, the residents of Thompson, and our stakeholders as we go through the process of putting together and operation alizing the TNRC’s new five-year plan,” he said. “The intent of renewal corporations upon their formation was to be a grassroots community development agency that acts upon local priorities for the betterment of the community. Thompson’s previous five-year priorities for 2016 to 2021were in safety, beautification and cleanliness, economic development, youth, and housing. The TNRC is in the process of completing its new plan through consultation with the residents and our stakeholders. This plan will be used to prioritize TNRC’s focus as it collaborates with our partners and residents for the betterment of Thompson.”

The TNRC also voted in their 202223 board of directors that includes Erric Beaulieu, Jim Beardy, Melissa Branconnier, Chaboyer, Nina Cordell, Loretta Dykun, Michele Nichol and Jack Robinson.

Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation Oswald Sawh was introduced as the new executive director at the Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation’s annual general meeting on Sept. 27.

Oswald Sawh

Report from association provides road map to decolonizing museums

BY CRYSTAL ST.PIERRE LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINDSPEAKER.COM

A 128-page report from the reconciliation coun cil of the Canadian Mu seums Association, titled Moved to Action: Activat ing UNDRIP in Museums , contains standards for museums to meet to turn the page on their colonial past, and recommendations for the inclusion and rep resentation of Indigenous peoples within museums and cultural centres.

The report is the CMA’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commis sion’s Call to Action #67, which asks the federal government to provide funding to the CMA to re view, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, Can adian museum policies and practices and make recom mendations for the sector to become more compliant with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

“What the report is in tended to do is provide a starting point for Canadian museums to implement the principles of UNDRIP as it relates to major mu seums or small privately owned ones,” said Grant Anderson, a member of the CMA’s reconciliation council.

“Long term, this is going

to be a really good thing. I’ve been on the band wag on for years saying if we want to do something to develop prosperity in In digenous communities in this country, let’s look at our history…It can bring pride back to communities. This is going to be a really good thing.”

Anderson was born in Selkirk, Man., and is a member of the Red Riv er Métis Nation. He has written children’s books and is a senior director at the Manitoba Métis Fed eration. He is also respon sible for the development of the newly-created Métis Nation Heritage Centre in downtown Winnipeg.

“This (report) is the road map,” he said.

The report is compre hensive. There are, for example, 30 Standards for Museums to meet to come into compliance with UNDRIP. Some of these standards stress the re quirement of repatriation of everything from cultural belongings, ancestral re mains, songs, seeds, lan guage recordings, maps, and materials related to traditional knowledges, and intellectual property.

“The recognition that In digenous Peoples have in tellectual sovereignty over all material created by or about them,” Standard 3 reads.

Still other standards re quire museums to develop an understanding of the different decision making process and authoritative structures in Indigenous communities, and to use Indigenous-driven systems of evaluation and assess ment to measure the suc cess of this work.

Then there are 10 recom mendations to help guide that work.

Anderson said he’s par ticularly interested in two of those recommendations: One meant to bolster finan cial support for Indigen ous cultural centres and Indigenous-led national heritage organizations, and the other for the de velopment “under the authoritative guidance of Indigenous experts, organ izations, and communities” of a cohesive collections strategy “to identify and improve access to collec tions both nationally and internationally.”

“What I’m hoping for is, we can develop a part nership, a relationship, an atmosphere of caring and sharing for these artifacts so that maybe sometimes they go on exhibit in the communities and maybe they’re kept in safe and secure storage facilities at other times,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be a lot of figuring out what to do … but I think the

idea of developing partner ships between First Nation, Métis and Inuit commun ities and the museums in this country is the solution. That is the key.”

Repatriation of artifacts would start with a database of items in storage that is accessible to communities, said Dorota Blumczyǹska, a CMA board director and CEO at the Manitoba Museum.

The database would house photos and infor mation about these various items, as well as how they came to be in the care of each facility. Communities could then look through them and see which ones belong to them.

“The museum has the opportunity to support communities in that rec lamation process, but also continue to learn from the communities to build capacity both ways, so it’s reciprocal and it helps in crease everyone’s under standing about the histor ical significance of these artifacts,” Blumczyǹska said.

“The more that we understand one another, become invested in each other’s heritages and stor ies and histories, we can deepen our relationships. I think that is so much of the truth part before we move into reconciliation.”

Historically, Blumc

zyǹska said, some artifacts were brought to the mu seums or other cultural in stitutions for safe keeping by community members. These facilities offer stor age spaces with humidity and temperature control, which allows for ideal stor age of artifacts.

However, once those artifacts were placed in the institution’s care, it was often difficult for com munities to access them.

“To do this work well, it has to be led by commun ities and we will ensure that, on the museum end, that barriers are removed and that we do not create obstacles to moving this work forward,” she said.

“We are going to have to change, whether it’s sys tems or policies, practices, or governance. We are go ing to make those changes. We will always be looking to Indigenous communities to guide the process.”

Blumczyǹska said, “I think a lot of us have some level of trepidation that we want to be careful that the work that we do does not do further damage. That we don’t embark on this work through such a lens that doesn’t centre the voices and the desires and needs of community.”

Anderson points to other recommendations in the report, specifically 3, 4 and 9.

AMC files $1-billion suit against province

BY MIRANDA LEYBOURNE LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, BRANDON SUN

The Assembly of Mani toba Chiefs has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Province of Manitoba on behalf of First Nation children, families and com munities impacted by the child welfare system.

The $1-billion lawsuit, which was filed in the Court of King’s Bench Oct. 6, claims the child welfare system in Manitoba has failed First Nations and focuses on “off-reserve” children who, from 1992 to the present day, have been apprehended by Child and Family Services (CFS) and placed into foster care, ac cording to a press release from AMC.

At a media conference in Winnipeg Oct. 6 AMC Grand Chief Cornell Mc Lean said First Nations have the “authority and sacred responsibility” to ensure the well-being of their children, youth and families.

“Before colonization, it would be unthinkable to remove a child from their family, nation, lands and

culture,” McLean said.

AMC is also asking the court for an immediate stop to “discriminatory practi ces” that have resulted in the apprehension of First Nation children.

At the conference, two people shared their own experiences with CFS.

While in CFS care, Am ber Laplante, who is from Little Saskatchewan First Nation, 346 kilometres northeast of Brandon, said she was exposed to vio lence and trauma and was always treated as a prob lem and “never a person.”

“I never received the support I needed to heal,” Laplante said, adding that CFS also failed her daugh ter. Laplante said she never had a chance to parent her daughter and form a con nection with her because she was in care.

“I am bringing this claim because First Nations youth, who are vulnerable like I was, need support that this system can never provide. I am bringing this claim so that my daughter and others like her can re ceive the care and support that I needed but never

received,” Laplante said.

Roberta Godin said she was bringing the case for ward because she believes that no child should grow up away from the love and care of their family, and that no parent should be de nied the “right or respons ibility” to love and care for their children.

“No family should have to go through what mine went through,” Godin said.

When First Nations children are apprehended by CFS, they lose the opportunity to know their identity, culture, language and teachings, said Heidi Cook, chief of Misipaw istik Cree Nation, located 524 kilometres northeast of Brandon.

“When our children are removed, our nation is robbed of its future leaders and advocates, and these connections may never be restored,” Cook said.

As a chief, Cook said, she has a “right and responsibility” to ensure the well-being of her na tion’s citizens — especial ly its children and families. Instead, she said, the prov incial and federal gov

ernments have “assumed responsibility” of child welfare in Manitoba.

“After many warnings of the scope and the scale of their failures, they have created a crisis,” Cook said.

First Nations children are taken away from their homes at “disproportion ate” rates, she said, which can lead to homelessness and make them 24 times more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system.

Reconciliation can’t be achieved without justice for the harm the child welfare system has done to First Nations, Cook add ed: “The CFS crisis should bring shame on Manitoba and Canada and cannot be allowed to continue to harm our people.”

After AMC held its Open Citizens Forum in 2014, when it heard from former children in care, parents, grandparents, workers and support service organiza tions who work or had involvement in CFS, the assembly developed a re port, titled “Bringing Our Children Home.” To imple

ment the recommendations in the report, AMC opened the First Nations Family Advocate Office on June 1, 2015. The office supports and advocates for First Nations families involved with CFS.

During the seven years Cora Morgan has been working as a First Na tions family advocate with AMC, she has heard about how harmful removing children from their moth ers has been.

“I can’t even comment on how many mothers have told me that they’re break ing their bond,” Morgan said.

While First Nations family advocates have been successful at pre venting the apprehension of more than 4,300 chil dren, there are many more children in the system, Morgan said. Eighty per cent of the 11,000 children currently in care are First Nations, and many of those children are apprehended off-reserve.

“Over 150 years, we’ve had the issue of stolen chil dren in this land, and we feel the damages. Every

Recommendation 3 speaks to the need of sus tainable resources for In digenous cultural centres and Indigenous-led nation al heritage organizations to support community goals of self-determination.

Recommendation 4 calls for the National Museum Policy and Museums As sistance Program to be revised to support and enforce the principles of UNDRIP in their structures and delivery.

Recommendation 9 calls for the establishment of a national UNDRIP profes sional development strat egy, the goal of which would be to assist mu seums in implementing UNDRIP at each level of their operations and within all museum positions.”

And, Anderson is call ing for compensation to the museums for the dollars spent to gain the artifacts.

He tells the story of an individual who, in the ear ly 1800s, travelled across Canada gathering artifacts, which were sold to a mu seum 125 years later for $2 million.

“The museums shouldn’t be punished for doing that good work,” he said, add ing the museum should re ceive compensation from the government when those artifacts are returned to the communities of their origin.

single First Nations person feels the damages of stolen children,” Morgan said.

The class-action lawsuit is represented by the Public Interest Law Centre, Legal Aid Manitoba, McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Park land Collaborative Legal Options.

The Sun asked Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone for comment on the lawsuit but didn’t receive a response by press time.

Dakota Tiwahe Services, the organization that now provides child welfare ser vices in Sioux Valley, was officially mandated to do so by provincial legislation on July 4, bringing the First Nation one step closer to having full jurisdiction of its CFS. Dakota Tiwa he Services also provides CFS to Dakota families both on- and off-reserve across Manitoba.

In a statement emailed to the Sun , the province con firmed it received the law suit and would review it.

“The province’s re sponse will be made in court in due course,” the statement read.

Canada wants hydrogen to heat our buildings. More than 30 studies disagree

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

The federal government is banking on hydrogen to help heat buildings in Canada’s energy transition, but an analysis of dozens of studies across the world says this isn’t a realistic role for the potentially low-carbon fuel.

Released Sept. 27, the new analysis found hydro gen used for domestic heat ing is less economic, less efficient, more resource-in tensive and has larger en vironmental impacts than solutions like heat pumps and solar thermal energy.

Authored by Jan Rose now of the Regulatory Assistance Project, the evidence review looked at more than 30 independent studies from January 2019 to the present, excluding

those funded by indus try. Overall, the studies — including ones from the International Energy Agency, the Intergovern mental Panel on Climate Change and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Im pact Research — indicated there is essentially no role for hydrogen in decarbon izing buildings. Only Eng lish and German publica tions were reviewed due to skill limitations.

Canada’s federal hy drogen strategy centres on hydrogen produced from natural gas using carbon capture technol ogy. Part of that strategy includes blending hydro gen into the natural gas grid to heat buildings and homes, which accounted for 13 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020.

The federal govern

ment’s plan goes in the op posite direction of what the science indicates, said Jo hanne Whitmore, principal researcher with the Chair of Energy Sector Manage ment at HEC Montréal.

We should be using hydrogen for the “no re grets” sectors that are really difficult and costly to decarbonize, like steel, Whitmore told Canada’s National Observer in an interview.

Canada’s hydrogen strat egy also overestimated its potential to reduce green house gas emissions, ac cording to an audit by Canada’s independent en vironment commissioner.

In April, the audit called the numbers used to project emissions reductions from hydrogen “aspirational” and based on questionable cost estimates and policies that don’t currently exist.

In response to the audit, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the goals were “feasible” and intended to show what is possible.

“Hydrogen is like gold, in a way … it’s so costly to produce that you have to use it where it makes more sense,” said Whitmore. “To use it in the heating sector is really a waste.”

But she says Canada’s hydrogen strategy doesn’t indicate any hierarchy for prioritizing the use of hydrogen.

“They’re very keen about putting it every where … it’s like it was this fairy dust that you can put in transport, you can put it here, you can put it there,” she said. “And it doesn’t work like that.”

Currently, more than 95 per cent of hydrogen pro duced in the world comes

from fossil fuels and coal, Rosenow writes in his an alysis. Blue hydrogen can never be zero carbon be cause it is produced with fossil fuels, but even hy drogen produced entirely from electricity generated by renewable sources isn’t a good solution for heating, said Whitmore.

The federal govern ment’s strategy also says hydrogen can be “the longterm answer for Canada’s natural gas utilities to stay relevant in a carbon-con strained future” and pre sents an opportunity to reuse liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.

As previously reported by Canada’s National Ob server , reusing LNG infra structure for hydrogen is not simple and requires a lot of upgrades and re placements. These issues don’t discriminate between

hydrogen made from fossil fuels or renewable sources.

A huge use of natural gas is for heating, and if that use starts dwindling, rev enue will leave that sector and that expensive infra structure will be worthless, said Whitmore.

“Thinking about the possibility of using carbon capture and storage to then say your natural gas is de carbonized, it’s a way of continuing to produce and exploit natural gas.”

There is also a risk that discussing hydrogen for heating will delay de ploying proven technol ogies like solar thermal energy and heat pumps, Rosenow’s analysis noted.

Wilkinson did not re spond to a request for com ment by deadline.

— with files from The Canadian Press and John Woodside

Sustainable fuel, carbon offsets are the key to Canada’s new aviation climate plan

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Canada’s new climate plan for the aviation in dustry sets out a vision that hinges on sustainable aviation fuel and carbon offsets to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

On Sept. 27, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra released the new plan, which sets a “purposeful ly ambitious goal” to en sure 10 per cent of airline fuel is sustainable and de rived from non-petroleum sources — like forestry or agricultural waste, used cooking oil, captured car bon or green hydrogen —

by 2030.

While the federal gov ernment calls this target “ambitious,” the David Suzuki Foundation’s Gid eon Forman says the sin gular 2030 goal is weak.

As for the plan’s longterm goal, “2050 may as well be 500 years from now … we need to have significant, real actions reducing emissions this decade,” he said.

The plan describes the 2030 goal for sus tainable aviation fuel as “aspirational.”

“It means if they reach it, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s OK, too,” said Forman, climate change and policy analyst for David Suzuki Founda

tion. “I don’t call that an action plan.”

Carbon dioxide emis sions from 26 Canadian airports surpassed 17 million tonnes in 2019, according to previous re porting by Canada’s Na tional Observer. Canada’s previous aviation climate plan was published in 2012 and later extended to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal announcement says the new plan will be reviewed every three years, starting in 2024, to reassess long-term projections, strengthen short-term commitments, set interim targets and en sure “continued alignment with Canada’s climate

commitments.”

The federal government collaborated with the avi ation industry on the plan in response to a request from the International Civil Aviation Organiza tion (ICAO) — a special ized agency of the United Nations that sets standards and regulations for avi ation — for countries to submit action plans ahead of an assembly this week in Montreal.

The assembly kicked off on Sept. 27, and EU Trans port Commissioner Adina Vălean says a big-ticket climate item to watch for is whether the UN Gen eral Assembly endorses a long-term commitment to net-zero emissions for

aviation by 2050.

“There is a huge interest in developing sustainable alternative fuel,” Vălean told Canada’s National Observer in a Zoom inter view Tuesday morning.

“Less-developed” coun tries and regions of the world may worry that a focus on sustainability will hurt their ability to develop their transport systems, but the ICAO is trying to set those fears at ease, the commissioner said.

“Most developed parts of the world are here to help and co-operate,” said Vălean, emphasizing the importance of commit ments to financing for de veloping countries under

the Paris Agreement.

Vălean also referenced the broad possibilities for carbon offsets, which will be “heavily relied on,” ac cording to Canada’s new plan.

For the sake of the cli mate, Canada’s rail ser vice must be able to com pete with air travel, said Forman. Many people fly short, one-hour distances — from Ottawa to Toronto or Edmonton to Calgary, for example — because it’s currently faster than taking the train, but this could be solved with ef ficient high-speed rail systems or electric bus services, he said.

— with files from John Woodside

Senate group connects members with educational resources on climate change

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Few senators are climate experts, but if armed with the right knowledge, they can use their collective power to ensure climate change is top of mind in the legislative process.

This is what members and admirers of Senators for Climate Solutions, a non-partisan climate group, told attendees at its official launch event. Like many Canadians, the group has met virtually for the last year and the official event at the Senate of Canada Building is its first in-per

son gathering.

Boasting 44 members, the group’s aim is to sup port senators who want to address climate change by providing them with in formative resources, like expert speakers and brief ing materials.

On Sept. 28, more than 70 people — including senators, MPs and visiting MPs from New Zealand — listened to former govern or general David Johnston congratulate the group on its work and its mission.

“We can’t all be climate experts, but committing to be well-informed on cli mate and its impacts and the best ways to mitigate

and adapt are what Can adians expect with their parliamentarians,” John ston told attendees.

“Climate change is truly a national and global chal lenge, as well as a remark able opportunity for innov ation and co-operation.”

Sen. Michèle Audette spoke about the collective power of connecting people like herself who are not cli mate experts but want to take action with the right information. Green MP and leadership hopeful Eliza beth May and Green MP Mike Morrice attended the launch, which was delayed a year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Senators for Climate Solutions is co-chaired by two Independent senators: Sen. Mary Coyle and Sen. Stan Kutcher. They also founded the group, which is modelled on Peers for the Planet, a cross-party climate and biodiversity group that operates in the U.K. parliament’s second chamber.

Kutcher said he is “par ticularly pleased” Senators for Climate Solutions in cludes senators from the four different groups: In dependent, Canadian, Pro gressive and the Conserv ative Party caucus.

“[It’s] essential, because when you want to address

complex issues such as cli mate change, you have to have allies from very dif ferent ideologies, differ ent political persuasions, different ways of looking at the world because you have to find that common ground to be able to move forward,” Kutcher told Canada’s National Ob server in an interview at the event.

The big goal for this coming year is to create a tool to help members ana lyze legislation through an evidence-based climate lens, he said. It will be a challenge to create such a tool, but Kutcher says it is key to Senators for Cli

mate Solutions’ mission to give parliamentarians the resources to understand what impact legislation will have on Canada’s climate and climate goals.

“History will not judge us. It will not remember us for how quickly we moved around the globe. It will not remember us for how great our GDP was. It will not re member us for the beauty of our architecture,” Kutcher said in his closing remarks.

“It will, however, judge us on how well we sup ported our most vulnerable and what kind of Earth we left for our children, and climate change will be the focus of that judgment.”

‘Our country’s history is complicated – but you don’t make it better by ignoring it or glossing over it:’

Murray Sinclair

BY MATTEO CIMELLARO

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Warning: The informa tion and material here may trigger unpleasant feelings or thoughts of past abuse. Please con tact the 24-hour Residen tial School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 if you re quire emotional support.

The second National Truth and Reconcilia tion Day in Ottawa was marked by drums, sing ing, smudge, and a wave of orange shirts, ribbon skirts, amautis, among other ancestral clothing.

It was a day that cen tered survivors and their stories, but also a day that demanded that reconcilia tion march forward.

Murray Sinclair, a for mer senator who was a commissioner for the Truth and Reconcilia tion Commission (TRC), noted in a speech that many governments were quick to give a holiday when the Queen died, but “unfortunately are still not embracing the mean ing of today.”

To underscore his point, a crane working on the beginning stages of a con

do development swiveled and operated behind the stage where he spoke.

“Yes, our country’s history is complicated and it’s not always easy to review,” he said. “But you don’t make it better by ignoring it or glossing over it.”

“You make it better by helping carry out the calls to action, by learning and by unlearning, and resolv ing to do better.” A survivor shares his story

Laurie MacDonald, a survivor of Ermineskin Residential School and member of Enoch First Nation, said in both his speech and an interview that his own story is about resilience and reclaiming.

MacDonald is also twospirited, an orientation his grandmother seemed to intuit when he was very young.

One day when he was only five and the two of them were picking dan delions, she told him she saw a gift in him. She said it was up to them whether to choose a bow and join the hunt with the men, or walk with her sisters and aunties with a basket.

“Whatever it is there’s

nothing wrong with it,” she told him. “You choose for yourself, whatever your persuasion is, you look at it as a gift.”

That all changed when he attended a residential school run by the Catholic Church. He was physic ally and sexually abused in residential schools, abuse he says was more profound because he is two-spirited.

“They think this is what you want,” he said, speaking to his abusers in residential schools. “Who wants to be abused? Be cause you’re a man you think I’m attracted to you? We are picky too, you know.”

“In order for me to heal I have to look at it as a gift,” MacDonald said. “I look at that trauma, and why I look at it like a gift is because I can still take parts of it and it makes me a stronger person going forward.”

MacDonald could have dwelled on the trauma in his speech, but said he prefers to focus on the resilience, healing, and what the Creator has given them, including a beautiful sunny day.

That defiant resiliency

in the face of the ongoing colonialism, is what MacDonald sees as char acteristic of Indigenous peoples.

“Most Indigenous peoples, we’ve been hand ed a lot of shit through our lives, and they can throw a lot more, but at the end of the day, we’ll just dust it off like water off a duck,” he said.

MacDonald’s resiliency continues to this day. He lost his life partner soon after they retired, and just last year was hit by a car, causing him mobility issues. Still, he continues to laugh and celebrate his gifts as a two-spirited person. He also speaks, works, and advocates, as he has his entire life as a school teacher and social worker.

Commemorating Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce

Also on Friday, a new plaque commemorat ing Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce was announced on Sparks Street, near the Parliament buildings. Bryce wrote a damn ing report of residential school noting rampant malnourishment, neglect, and high rates of disease.

The report expanded to

a work titled “The story of A National Crime: Being an Appeal for Justice to the Indians of Canada,” published in 1922.

The work culminated after Duncan Campbell Scott, known as the archi tect of the institutions, buried Bryce’s work and ignored the recommen dations, citing too high a cost to implement them.

For Marie Wilson, one of the TRC commission ers, Bryce is an inspira tional man, but no more inspirational than “all of these survivors.”

He is the example non-Indigenous Can adians should live up to when responding to Rec onciliation and speaking up against the horrors of residential schools and the ongoing history of colonialism.

For Cindy Blackstock, a Gitxsan activist for child welfare and executive dir ector of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Bryce is an “exemplar of all the resistors.” Her own story is similar to his: Black stock fought for years to bring justice for Indigen ous children in the child welfare system.

She says the impact of Bryce’s work should serve as an ominous warning about the news cycle and how easy it is to forget.

When his report was re leased publicly, the news papers were full of head lines about the atrocities, she said in an interview. “But when the headlines died so did the children.”

For Wilson, daily re minders are essential for the Truth and Reconcilia tion process. It’s the only way to prevent people from forgetting, she said.

“When we finished our formal work, an entire volume was devoted to the missing children in unmarked graves and that was in 2015,” she said. “And last year, six years later, the whole country seemed totally surprised and shocked that there were missing children in unmarked graves.

“We obviously need available daily reminders — everything that can keep us attuned and stay awake to this history and understanding how that history relates to today’s realities, and to the future as a country, beginning today, that’s helpful.”

Indigenous youth leaders call for a Truth and Reconciliation Day that remembers history, honours survivors and celebrates cultural resilience

BY MATTEO CIMELLARO LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

Warning: The informa tion and material here may trigger unpleasant feelings or thoughts of past abuse. Please contact the 24-hour Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 if you require emotional support.

Reconciliation is as much a personal journey as it is a collective one.

Twenty-six-year-old Tay lor Behn-Tsakoza, a member of Fort Nelson First Nation and co-chair of the Assem bly of First Nations Youth Council, has wrestled with that maxim since walking through Vatican City last spring.

She met Pope Francis as part of an Indigenous dele gation urging the Catholic Church to apologize for its role in Canada’s residential school system. Behn-Tsa koza spoke with him for just under 10 minutes, but sur rounded by the gilded halls of the Vatican, she became disillusioned.

On the flight back to north ern B.C., and since then, she’s reflected on what reconcili ation means to her coming

from a family of survivors and as a second-generation survivor herself. In those meditations, she understood that reconciliation wasn’t just a collective awakening for a country but a personal jour ney of healing.

“I think Canada is al ways trying to shout from the rooftops: ‘Canada as a whole, we’re going to treat Indigenous Peoples better,’” Behn-Tsakoza told Canada’s National Observer

“And it had me reflecting [on] what I’m doing per sonally to walk this path,” she said. “To reconcile with Canada, but to also reconcile with my community and my family.”

Now, Behn-Tsakoza and fellow Indigenous lead ers Jama Maxie and Dr. Meghan Beals are promot ing a positive vision of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation that centres celebration, education and healing for individuals and communities, both Indigen ous and non-Indigenous.

The three were among five Indigenous youth lead ers who gave speeches on Monday to the Senate’s In digenous Peoples committee ahead of the second annual National Day for Truth and

Reconciliation on Sept. 30. They spoke about what truth and reconciliation mean to them through personal story telling and political demands.

The youth delegation was welcomed and heard, Maxie told Canada’s National Observer.

However, the Senate has wrestled with residential school denialism in the past. For years, the Red Chamber included Lynn Beyak, who repeatedly pushed the harm ful narrative that residential schools were “well-inten tioned,” downplaying the forceful separation of chil dren from their parents and the rampant sexual, physical and emotional abuse that took place in those institutions. Beyak resigned from her post in 2021 shortly after fellow Sen. Mary Jane McCallum introduced a motion seeking to expel Beyak over her “in dividual racism.”

Since the discovery of 215 unmarked graves last year on the grounds of a former resi dential school in Kamloops, B.C., this dark part of Can ada’s history has been front and centre.

Still, there are some media outlets and pundits who con tinue to push the narrative that the Kamloops graves

are a hoax or concocted for political aims.

For someone like Maxie — whose kokum is a residen tial school survivor, whose mother survived the ’60s Scoop and who is a survivor of the child foster system and addiction — the lived stor ies of Indigenous Peoples counteract these harmful narratives.

“I think sometimes it’s unwilful ignorance,” Maxie said, speaking to residential school denialism. “They haven’t sought out actual knowledge and experien ces of people in residential schooling.

“A lot of the time, they hear theory or read about residential schooling and they’re able to intellectual ly debate it,” he added. “It’s really hard to sit down with a survivor and tell them there were no impacts for their descendants.”

Marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation could help raise awareness of the history of residential schools and other parts of Canada’s past and present. So far, however, only one province and two territories have followed the federal government’s lead and recog nized Sept. 30 as a statutory

holiday.

Maxie, Beals and Behn-Tsakoza all agree it should be adopted by every province and territory.

“It is hard for me to even comprehend the reluctance to make this an official holiday,” Beals said.

Behn-Tsakoza chalks it up to capitalism and eurocen trism. Truth and Reconcili ation Day as a nationwide holiday would bring with it accountability for Canadians to reckon with the realities of the past, she said.

“All the provinces are operating under a colonial system,” she added. “I think acknowledging [this] day is dismantling that, and that’s terrifying for them.”

For all three Indigenous youth, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation should not only remember those who didn’t return from residential schools or the trauma surviv ors brought home, but also be a celebration of cultural and spiritual resilience.

“I think it’s so important to show the world that, no, we cannot just get over the trauma, but at the same time, we are healing, processing and rising up through the turmoil for our generations to come,” Beals told Can

ada’s National Observer in an email interview.

Beals proposed making the traditions of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation resemble the traditions of Re membrance Day, with a mo ment of silence and gather ings held in Ottawa and other locations.

Behn-Tsakoza supports this idea because the day is about how Indigenous Peoples and Canada can build awareness, respect and a better path forward, she said.

“If we have that one mo ment, I think we should do it the most and best that we can to have that generational impact that makes all Can adians aware and respectful of who we are as Indigenous Peoples,” she added.

For Maxie, the day is for every single Indigenous per son and community to heal, remember and celebrate.

“I know every individual’s journey is different, but it’s a day to take pride in our culture, it’s a day for us,” he said. “We should … celebrate progression and transcend ence towards a better life for our kids and our future generations.”

— with files from David Fraser, The Canadian Press

Norway House search warrant turns up crack cocaine and a handgun

Norway House RCMP continued a recent string of cocaine and weapons busts when they executed a search warrant at a home on Oct. 7.

There, police found a handgun, ammunition, 20 grams of individually wrapped crack cocaine and cash.

Macarthur Colon, 18, is charged with possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and numerous firearms offences and was remanded into custody, A 47-year-old woman was arrested and re leased until an upcoming court appearance on drug charges.

House RCMP seized

UCN is building better futures for a stronger North. UCN provides learning opportunities to northern communities and its people offering more than forty academic degree, diploma, and certificate programs.

We commit to offering a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment where innovation and creativity is welcomed. We offer a generous Total Compensation Package with health benefits, great pension plan along with the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

STUDENT COUNSELLOR

Office of the Dean of Students Full Time, Perm Position Thompson, Manitoba Competition No: 22-117 Closing Date: October 20, 2022

Please visit our website for more detailed information about UCN and this employment opportunity. At http://www.ucn.ca, select “UCN Careers”, and select from the list of

to view. Thank you for your interest in UCN.

MANITOBA MÉTIS FEDERATION

Now Hiring For: MÉTIS COMMUNITY LIAISON WORKER

The MMF seeks to fill one full-time Métis Community Liaison Worker position within our Métis Community Liaison Department located within our MMF Thompson Regional Office at 171 Cree Rd in Thompson, MB.

For a complete list of Skills & Qualifications, please visit: www.mmf.mb.ca.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including: health, dental, vision, pension, and vacation.

School District of Mystery Lake

Success for all

The School District of Mystery Lake invites applications for Substitute Teacher

We are accepting applications for substitute teacher positions. In your cover letter or resume please indicate your availability and include at least three references.

Celebrate Education Week: April 16-20, 2018

University College of the North

Please submit your resume and cover letter, referencing the job posting number by Thursday, October 20, 2022. Preference will be given to qualified Métis applicants and they are encouraged to self-identify on their cover letter.

MMF Human Resources Department 300-150 Henry Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0J7 Email to: jobs@mmf.mb.ca Fax to (204) 947-1816

Sling-Choker Mfg. (Thompson) Ltd. is hiring a full-time Warehouse Shipper & Receiver

We strive to support our employees with a competitive salary, profit sharing, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our ideal candidate would have a friendly demeanor and great organizational skills. This person should also be comfortable operating a computer and learning new software. If you have experience working in an industrial or warehouse setting, we would like to hear from you! Training is available to fill in any missing skillsets and to help you succeed in this position.

The primary responsibilities of this position are:

Organize and fulfill shipments to our customers

Receive, sort, and stock products delivered to the warehouse

• Operate computer software to facilitate shipping and receiving products.

Monitor inventory levels and report stock levels in a timely manner

Communicate with other branch staff to resolve customer issues

• Perform other branch support duties as required

• Manufacture alloy chain slings (with our direction) Operate our forklift to offload trucks and trailers. We will provide the required training

Must participate in a first aid course when available

• Must possess a current Manitoba drivers license

• Will periodically have to make deliveries to area mines that will conduct periodic random drug tests

Sling-Choker Mfg. is a Canadian rigging and industrial supply company with 13 locations nationwide. We are emerging industry leaders looking to grow and would be excited to add you to our team. Successful applicants will be contacted for interviews pomptly.

Careers

Qualifications include:

The Board of Trustees invites you to celebrate Education Week 2018 in our schools.

• Must have a Grade 12 academic standing or its equivalent from an approved jurisdiction. Applicants with an Undergraduate degree from approved university with a major or minor in the subject area or Post-Secondary course work completed are preferred.

>

• Experience working with students.

Happy Education Week to all of the District staff. It takes everyone to support our students in their learning. Thank you for all that you do to enrich the lives of our students.

Louisiana

• Proven organizational skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Strong interpersonal and decision making skills.

• Ability to exhibit a high level of confidentiality.

Conditions of Employment:

Swan Valley General Labourers

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” Clay P. Bedford

• Current satisfactory Criminal Record/Vulnerable Persons Sector Check

Thank you.

• Current satisfactory Child Abuse Registry Check

• Checks will be required prior to employment commencing

Board of Trustees

Louisiana-Pacific, Employer of Choice, a leader in the forest products industry known for the development of innovative, affordable, environmentally friendly building products and for excellence in Safety and Quality is currently seeking Labourers at our Swan Valley SmartSide®, Swan Valley, Minitonas operation.

The School District of Mystery Lake

Qualifications:

Inquiries can be directed to Angele Bartlett, Superintendent of Human Resources & Policy

The successful candidate must possess the following qualifications;

Good written and verbal communication skills

Physically fit to perform all duties

School District of Mystery Lake 408 Thompson Drive North Thompson, MB R8N 0C5

Phone: 204-677-6150

Ability to multitask and problem solve

Please apply online at www.mysterynet.mb.ca and select Job Connect

Ability to operate equipment as required

Computer literacy will be considered an asset

Valid driver’s license

Shiftwork

The School District of Mystery Lake welcomes diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities and minorities. We thank all who apply and advise that only those selected for consideration will be contacted.

The successful candidates will join a dynamic team in providing support to the facility located in the beautiful Swan River Valley as it embarks on a new and exciting journey of producing siding for a growing market.

Louisiana-Pacific offers a competitive wage and benefit package in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. LouisianaPacific is an equal opportunity employer.

Applicants may request reasonable accommodations related to the materials or activities used throughout the selection process.

Date: October 7, 2022

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Candidates will be subject to successful completion of comprehensive background screening and health checks.

Administrative Assistant Position at Mayer Dearman & Pellizzaro

Please forward your cover letter and resume to: Lorraine Schneider

(Full Time)

Human Resource Generalist I Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. P.O. Box 189, Minitonas, MB R0L 1G0

Phone: (204) 525-2479 Ext. 2104 Fax: (866) 678-5969 e-mail : lorraine.schneider@lpcorp.com Home

Mayer Dearman & Pellizzaro is a well-respected Law Firm which has been serving Northern MB and the outlying communities for 50+ years. Our law firm provides a stimulating atmosphere to come to work each day. We value our relationships with our community, clients, and our team. We pride ourselves in serving our clients with honesty and integrity.

Administrative Assistant responsibilities include:

• Providing administrative support to lawyer

• Handling communication with clients, witnesses etc.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

• Providing administrative support for trials

Job brief

We are looking for a self-motivated Administrative Assistant to ensure smooth running of a lawyer’s practice dealing mainly with family and estates matters.

Dental Assistant

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to lawyer and enhance office effectiveness

• Handle communication with clients, witnesses etc. by phone, email & in person

• Administratively support the lawyer & occasionally file docs in court

Under the direct supervision of the Patient Care Manager or designate, assists multi-disciplinary team personnel in performing a variety of patient care activities and related non-professional services necessary in caring for the personal needs and comfort of the patient. This is an integrated position that includes coordination and scheduling of dental procedures for the Operating Room (OR). This will require expertise in developing and maintaining excellent working

• Locate and develop case relevant information including being knowledgeable in file content and maintain an organized filing system

with a broad range of individuals and

The OR Dental Assistant will function within

Values,

will

• Type and file legal documents and correspondence, this includes typing, dictation & creating documents as directed.

Client

• Answer and direct phone calls including conducting intake interviews, booking appointments & maintaining lawyer’s schedule.

• Maintain contact lists

Qualifications:

manage calendars

certification or diploma not

Experience preferred but will train.

to work occasional Overtime

required

Please send Cover letter and Resume via email only to

Closing date: October 18,

WORK WITH US & GROW A CAREER

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 Got a job

RCMP photo

grams of crack cocaine and a handgun when they searched

Celebrating a milestone.