October 28 2022

Nickel Belt News

Colleen Smook re-elected as Thompson mayor

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Colleen Smook was re-elected as mayor of Thompson by voters in the Northern Manitoba city on Oct. 26, receiving 964 votes in unofficial election night results to defeat Les Ells worth and Ron Matechuk.

that talks to everybody,” he said. “Hopefully we can be productive.”

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

Smook received just under 47 per cent of the votes cast for mayor while Ellsworth, who was elected to council in October 2018, received 711, about 35 per cent.

Frequent mayoral can didate and former city councillor Ron Matechuk got 388 votes, about 19 per cent of the 2,063 votes cast for mayor.

“I’m ecstatic,” Smook said shortly after learning the final results. “It think this shows that I am on the right track and I will con tinue listening to people to stay on this track.”

The incumbent says she is glad there will be continuity in the work that began when she was elected as Thomp son’s first female mayor in 2018.

“I can just continue on with the things I’ve been doing tomorrow,” she said. “We’ve got grants for the streets, we’ve got grants to help with our crime and safety. We’re at the point that we’re moving ahead and the projects are just now there to be done. We’re on the cusp of great things hap

pening in Thompson. I just can’t thank the community support enough.”

All four incumbent coun cillors who sought re-elec tion achieved their goal.

Kathy Valentino got the most votes of any council candidate with 1,394 while Brian Lundmark was fourth with 1,135 and Duncan Wong fifth with 949. Earl Colbourne was seventh with 857 votes in his re-election bid.

About to begin his third term as a councillor, Duncan Wong said it’s always a mystery what a council will achieve when a new term begins.

“It’s always a learning process, doesn’t matter how many terms you’ve been there,” he said.

Two of the top three vote-getters among coun cil candidates were people running for the first time.

Former School District of mystery Lake trustee Sandra Oberdorfer finished second behind Valentino with 1,222 votes, while Louis Fitzpa trick, her uncle, was third with 1,145 votes.

“It’s exciting and re freshing,” Oberdofer said of getting elected. “I didn’t know how the citizens of Thompson would be recep tive to someone my age run ning for council. It’s nice to know that people have that much confidence in me.”

Fitzpatrick said he thought he had a good chance of getting elected.

“I do know a lot of people and I am the kind of person

“It’s kind of exciting,” said Chiew Chong, who has run twice before, once in a general election and once in a byelection. In 2018, he finished tied with Andre Proulx for eighth place and later lost to him in a byelection.

Chong and Fitzpatrick know they can work togeth er, having done so for Inco and Vale. Chong also has a connection with Wong, who is his nephew.

Joyce McIvor was eighth in votes among council candidates, with 833, but finished more than 100 votes ahead of ninth-place Addie Colbourne. She said she was relaxed all day, not because she was confident that she would be elected but because the results were out of her hands.

“It’s a new adventure, a new challenge and I’m very excited,” she said.

Many voters clearly did not choose eight names from among the council candidates, as there were only 11,105 votes in total for all 12 candidates.

Voter turnout was about 27 per cent, 10 percentage points lower than in 2018, when 37.5 per cent of eli gible residents and property owners cast ballots. In 2014 the turnout was 31 per cent while in 2010 it exceeded 40 per cent.

Nelson House RCMP still seeking information about Rico Linklater

Cathy Merrick of Pimicikamak Cree Nation elected AMC grand chief

Former Pimicikamak Cree Nation chief Cahty Merrick was elected as the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs new grand chief on the second ballot Oct. 26.

Merrick received 37 of 59 second-ballot votes to defeat runner-up George Kemp, who got 22 votes.

The AMC’s first female grand chief, Merrick also received the most votes on the first ballot, picking up 17, while Kemp received 13. Candidates needed to receive at least 11 votes to advance to a runoff, and former Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak grand chief Sheila North had the third highest total, with 10, one shy of advancing to the second ballot.

The other four candidates — Eugene Eastman, Jennifer Flett, Cora Morgan and Dar rell N. Shorting, all received seven votes or less.

vocacy that is needed across the entire province.”

The premier said she looked forward to working with Mer rick in her new role.

RCMP have reissued a request for anyone with information about a missing Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation man to come forward.

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Though she’s now written a book about her experiences growing up in Churchill, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles said writing wasn’t something she always thought she would do.

to write things that you have to figure out. It’s pretty clear when I get through.”

Rico Cody Linklater, 22, was last seen in NCN in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, 2021 and reported missing two days later.

DeMeulles said she wrote her book, titled the Wind: Stories from the North - Life in Churchill a couple of reasons.

Police said Sept. 6 that they now believe Linklater was the victim of a homicide and Nelson House RCMP and Major Crime Services continue investigating.

‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ I have all these stories and I need to capture them for my grandchildren really because they will be lost if

She also has a reputation as a storyteller herself.

was not a very safe thing to do but I jumped at it. I thought that was exciting until the plane landed and they started throwing the fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy cats, I was probably sitting

30 votes were required to be named grand chief on the second ballot.

swallow when people say that Churchill residents should just find somewhere easier to live.

The RCMP’s underwater recovery team and some of the force’s search and rescue specialists were in the Nel son House area in early September to assist the investigation.

Anyone who reached out to police before or who may have new informa tion about Linklater’s disappearance can call Nelson House RCMP at 204484-2837 or Crime Stoppers anonym ously at 1-800-222-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

“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

“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,

“I had such a varied history and I would tell people stories and they would go, ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, ‘You didn’t do all that, did you? You’ve got to be really old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually I did all that before I was 27,’ and they went ‘What?’”

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

Another thing that spurred her on was the hard times facing Churchill since the Hudson Bay Railway suspended operations

“It used to be a really thriving large community and it’s just dwindled down to such a small population

“The Assembly of Mani toba Chiefs congratulates the newly elected Grand Chief Cathy Merrick and we look forward to your advocacy and leadership,” read a press re lease announcing the results.

The new AMC grand chief was also congratulated by MKO and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson.

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

RCMP are once again asking to hear from anyone with information about Rico

Linklater, who was last seen in Nisichawayasihk

“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

Nation on Oct. 21,

and who they believe to have been the victim of a homicide.

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

Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to

“To say, ‘Those people choose to live there. They should just leave,’ is quite simplistic. It’s quite disrespectful. If we were in the same boat in another area I think we would scream about that so why don’t they have the option to do that? I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”

“As a fellow member of the Pimicikamak Cree Na tion, I am very proud of your accomplishment today. It is especially significant that you are the first woman to be elected to the position of AMC grand chief,” said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee in a press release. know we will have a strong working relationship, which benefit the ongoing ad

“As grand chief, she will provide great leadership in this important role, advocating on pertinent issues and advancing the priorities of Manitoba First Nations,” Stefanson said in an emailed statement. “Our government is committed to enriching our relationship with the AMC and advancing im portant reconciliation initia tives through collaboration and partnerships. As the first female premier of Manitoba, I look forward to working together with the first female grand chief of the AMC to take concrete action to advance shared priorities and to imple ment the fundamental princi ples that will guide our collect ive work to create meaningful change and promote truth and reconciliation. I welcome this new chapter and am optimistic and excited about the future of our province and growing the relationship and collabor ation between the Manitoba government and the AMC under the leadership of Grand Chief Merrick. Together we will build a safer, healthier and prosperous province for all Manitobans.”

For all the harsh weather and the dangers of polar bears, deMeulles said if it had been viable she would have moved back to Churchill in a heartbeat.

“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 small and you feel great.”

Merrick also received well wishes from current PCN Chief David Monias.

“As the chief of the Pimi cikamak Cree Nation, I give thanks to Cathy Merrick for agreeing to take on the role of grand chief of the Assem bly of Manitoba Chiefs,” said Chief David Monias. “Cathy, you make us so proud today. I know you will do great things to support and empower First Nations citizens across the province.”

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.”

-A Kelsey Bay

Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham

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

October 28, 2022

Delivering News to the Nickel Belt since 1960

RCMP photos

Thompson Citizen file photo

Former Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief Cathy Merrick, seen here in 2015 when then-premier Greg Selinger came to Cross Lake to apologize for the impacts of hydroelectric projects on Indigenous Peoples’ traditional lands, was elected Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief Oct. 26.

Thompson Citizen photo by Ian Graham Colleen Smook checks Oct. 26 election results on a monitor at the Thompson Regional Community Centre. Smook was re-elected as Thompson’s mayor, taking about 250 more votes than runner-up Les Ellsworth.

Thompson programs aim to help income assistance recipients join the workforce

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

A Manitoba cabinet min ister was in Thompson Oct. 17 to provide more details about two local programs designed to help people get off employment and income assistance and into the workforce.

Previously announced in April, the two pro grams represent more than $292,000 in provin cial funding for a period of one year.

$150,000 of that is go ing to YWCA Thompson for individualized pre-em ployment and mental health supports for EIA recipients.

“We offer services through wraparound servi ces,” said Nina Cordell, as sociate director of YWCA Thompson at a press conference regarding the programs. “People maybe struggling with mental health issues or addictions

or social issues, those are our people. Maybe they’re not quite ready for pre-em ployment, like going to Steps for Success or the assessment centre. It’ll be kind of a pre pre-em ployment readiness kind of thing. That’s how we’re looking at it.”

Two staff members will work with the clients of the program, who could num ber as many as 200 over the course of one year, said Cordell.

“The YWCA has a long and rich history of provid ing a variety of supports,” said Families Minister Rochelle Squires.”Income and employment support to those further from the labour market, especially those in Northern Mani toba, is a key strategic priority for all of us, par ticularly as part of our post-pandemic recovery.”

The other program, which

is receiving $142,600, will bring FireSpirit Inc.’s Be longing to Employment program to Thompson to help EIA recipients here and in surrounding com munities transition into the workforce.

FireSpirit is owned and operated by Opaskwayak Cree Nation and aims to help Indigenous people se cure employment. Its CEO, Lawrence Daniels, says the first step will be to identify a location to set up shop.

“Once we do that, once we are able to hire the staff, then we will formally enter into a lease and start build ing our programming from there,” he said.

The Belonging to Em ployment program is cus tomized to individual cli ents’ needs, Daniels says.

“People start in different ways and start at and pro ceed at different paces,” he said. “Through very low-

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION

SALE OF LANDS FOR ARREARS OF TAXES TOWN OF SNOW LAKE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION

SALE OF LANDS FOR ARREARS OF TAXES

key, subtle interventions, we see people change and people take ownership of

what they want to do and then we link that to further skills.”

All the services offered are respectful of Indigen ous culture, said Squires.

Pursuant to subsection 367(7) of The Municipal Act, notice is hereby given that unless the tax arrears for the designated year and costs in respect of the hereinafter described properties are paid in full to the Municipality prior to the commencement of the auction, the Municipality will on the September, 2018 at the hour of 1:00 PM, at Town of Snow Lake, 113 Elm Street Snow Lake, Manitoba, proceed to sell by public auction the following described properties:

TOWN OF LYNN LAKE

Pursuant to subsection 367(7) of The Municipal Act, notice is hereby given that unless the tax arrears for the designated year and costs in respect of the hereinafter described

Roll Number Description

are paid in full to the Municipality prior to the commencement of the auction, the Municipality will on the 22nd day of November, 2022, at the hour of 9:00 AM, at Town of Lynn Lake, 503 Sherritt Avenue, Lynn Lake, MB, proceed to sell by public auction the following described properties:

Value Amount of Arrears &

L $12,200

$58,100

13300 AT LYNN LAKE AND BEING LOT 16 BLOCK

2300 AT SNOW LAKE AND BEING: LOT 13 BLOCK 3 PLAN 646 PLTO (N DIV) IN 68 17 WPM SUBJECT TO THE RESERVATIONS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT 148 WILLOW CRESCENT

12 PLAN 689 PLTO (N DIV) IN 90-23 WPM

L -$1,000 B -$2,500 $18,082.16

3400 AT SNOW LAKE AND BEING LOT 5 BLOCK 5 PLAN 646 PLTO (N DIV) IN 68 17 WPM SUBJECT TO THE RESERVATIONS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT 145 WILLOW CRESCENT

EXC ALL MINES, MINERALS AND OTHER RESERVATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT AS SET FORTH IN TRANSFER 96599 PLTO (N DIV)–328 MCVEIGH AVE.

L $12,200

14900 AT LYNN LAKE AND BEING LOT 11 BLOCK 13 PLAN 689 PLTO (N DIV) EXC ALL MINES, MINERALS AND OTHER RESERVATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT AS SET FORTH IN TRANSFER 96599 PLTO (N DIV) IN 90-23 WPM–347 MCVEIGH AVE.

39700 AT LYNN LAKE AND BEING LOT 4 BLOCK 33 PLAN 689 PLTO (N DIV) IN 90-23 WPM

L -$1,000 B -$3,600 $18,593.14

L -$1,000$9,858.22

15600 AT SNOW LAKE AND BEING PARCEL ONE: THE NWLY 30 FEET PERP OF ALL THAT PORTION OF MAPLE AVENUE (NOW CLOSED) PLAN 646 PLTO (N DIV) IN 68 17 WPM WHICH LIES BETWEEN THE STRAIGHT PRODUCTIONS SELY OF THE NE AND SW LIMITS OF LOT 1 BLOCK 17 PLAN 646 PLTO (N DIV) EXC ALL MINES AND MINERALS PARCEL TWO: THE SWLY 50 FEET PERP OF LOT 1 BLOCK 17 PLAN 646 PLTO (N DIV) IN 68 17 WPM EXC THE NWLY 20 FEET PERP SUBJECT TO THE RESERVATIONS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT 101 ELM STREET

AT SNOW LAKE AND BEING

EXC ALL MINES, MINERALS AND OTHER RESERVATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS ACT AS SET FORTH IN TRANSFER 96599 PLTO (N DIV)–685 HALSTEAD AVE.

749 PLTO (N DIV) SUBJECT TO THE RESERVATIONS CONTAINED IN THE CROWN LANDS

BALSAM

IN 68 17 WPM

The tax sale is subject to the following terms and conditions with respect to each property:

• The purchaser of the property will be responsible for any unpaid municipal utilities and any property taxes not yet due.

• The Municipality may exercise its right to set a reserve bid in the amount of the arrears and costs.

• If the purchaser intends to bid by proxy, a letter of authorization form must be presented prior to the start of the auction.

• The Municipality makes no representations or warranties whatsoever concerning the properties being sold.

• The successful purchaser must, at the time of the sale, make payment in cash, certified cheque or bank draft to the Town of Lynn Lake as follows:

The full purchase price if it is $10,000 or less;

If the purchase price is greater than $10,000, the purchaser must provide a nonrefundable deposit in the amount of $10,000 and the balance of the purchase price must be paid within 20 days of the sale;

A fee in the amount $367.50 ($350 plus GST) for preparation of the transfer of title documents. The purchaser will be responsible for registering the transfer of title documents in the land titles office, including the registration costs.

• The risk for the property lies with the purchaser immediately following the auction.

• The purchaser is responsible for obtaining vacant possession.

• If the property is non-residential property, the purchaser must pay GST to the Municipality or, if a GST registrant, provide a GST Declaration.

Dated this 28th day of October, 2022

Managed by:

Bernardo Pasco

Chief Administrative Officer

TOWN OF LYNN LAKE

Phone: (204) 356-2418 Fax: (204) 356-8297

Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham

Manitoba Families Minister Rochelle Squires, YWCA Thompson associate director Nina Cordell and FireSpirit Inc. CEO Lawrence Daniels at an Oct. 17 press conference in Thomp son about two pilot programs that will try to help income assistance recipients prepare for and secure jobs.

Three men drown near Leaf Rapids Oct. 21

Three men drowned in the Churchill River near Leaf Rapids Oct. 21, RCMP say.

The drownings occurred at a remote fishing lodge around 11 p.m. One of the men fell off a dock into the water and two others went into the water in an

effort to help him. They too began to struggle.

Other people nearby pulled two of them to shore. One of them died at the scene and the other was given first aid but later died.

The third male was not located until the RCMP

Underwater Recovery Team was deployed to the area on Oct. 23 and found him dead in the water.

All three men, aged 49, 51 and 54, were from O-Pi pon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation at South Indian Lake.

Leaf Rapids RCMP con tinue investigating.

Four charged in death of Garden Hill First Nation man

Four men from Garden Hill First Na tion face charges related to the killing of a 40-year-old man.

Island Lake RCMP responded to a report of a body in the community around 5 p.m. Oct. 20 and found the victim in the water.

Investigation led to four men being ar rested and remanded into custody pending

an Oct. 24 court appearance.

Terry Monias, 26, is charged with second-degree murder while Lester Mc Dougall, 36, Thurston Wood, 21, and Kerwin Keno, 19, are charged with being accessories to murder after the fact.

Island Lake RCMP and RCMP Major Crime Services continue to investigate.

Investing in Our Communities

The

reporting systems and of federal and provincial financial regulations. The successful candidate will possess the ability to analyze financial data and prepare financial reports, statements, and projections, to motivate teams to produce quality materials within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects. Advanced proficiency with accounting software and spreadsheet programs and applications is required, as is a well-defined sense of diplomacy, including solid negotiation, conflict resolution, and people management skills. The ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing is a must.

City of Thompson offers competitive salary and benefits packages, and career advancement opportunities. The salary range for this position is $87,568–$143,291 annually.

Please send detailed resumes outlining experience, education, qualifications and references by Monday, November 14, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. to the address below.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

City of Thompson requires a Human Resources Manager who, under the direction of the City Manager, will primarily be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating the human resources department. Responsible for the oversight and delivery of all HR functions for the City of Thompson, including Recruiting, Onboarding, Labour Management, Collective Bargaining, Policy Development, Benefits Administration, Business Continuity Planning, Health and Safety, and Return to Work coordination. The HR Manager ensures strategic objectives for HR and the organization are met, demonstrated ability to manage HR core processes such as talent management, succession planning, and employee relations.

The successful applicant should possess a Degree or diploma in business administration, human resources management, or a related field required. Certification in human resources management by CPHR would be considered an asset. The candidate will possess a minimum of 5 years of work experience in a human resources specialist or generalist position, have an ability to interpret and implement personnel related legislation, and a demonstrated basic knowledge of labour laws. The incumbent should be able to make sound business decisions and evidence based recommendations to senior management, use effective communication skills with individuals at all levels of the organization. Presentation skills, leadership, staff management, and teambuilding skills are necessary.

City of Thompson offers competitive salary and benefits packages, and career advancement opportunities. The salary for this position starts at $75,753.00

Please send detailed resumes outlining experience, education, qualifications and references by Monday, November 14, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. to:

Human Resources, City of Thompson 226 Mystery Lake Road Thompson, Manitoba R8N 1S6

FAX: (204) 677-7981 E-Mail: dkondakor@thompson.ca

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Those requiring assistance with the application process should call 204-677-7924.

Manitoba is investing $34 million this year in culture and communities through the Arts, Culture and Sport in Community Fund.

This fund supports capital projects, special initiatives and community celebrations - allowing local arts, culture and amateur sport organizations to innovate and respond to emerging community needs, including those that are led by Indigenous, Francophone and ethnocultural communities.

Online funding applications open August 16, 2022. All eligible non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply.

To learn more please call 1-866-626-4862 or visit Manitoba.ca/ACSC

Northern MMIWG advocate receives provincial award

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

The woman who estab lished Manitoba Keewati nowi Okimakanak’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls liaison unit has been recognized with a provincial award for em powering women.

Hilda Anderson-Pryz was one of two recipients of the provincial government’s 2022 Empower Women Awards, which were pre sented in a ceremony at the Manitoba legislature on Oct. 20.

An activist who has worked for 20 years to pre vent gender- and race-based violence against Indigenous girls, women and gender-di verse people, and who was the director of MKO’s MMIWG liaison unit for five years, Anderson-Pyrz said she will keep fighting for change until it happens.

“I’m going to keep going until I can’t do it anymore or until there’s significant changes that have provided opportunities for the safety and security of Indigenous girls and two-spirit and gender-diverse people,” the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation member who now lives in Winnipeg told the Thompson Citizen the day after receiving the award. “I worked with one of our grandmothers and she al ways makes the statement, which I utilize as well, about when you’re born fe male, you’re born political because you’re born into inequality. You’re born into injustice and you’re often born into poverty.”

Anderson-Pyrz knew she was one of the nominees but didn’t think she would re ceive the award until she heard her name being read out.

“I was like, ‘What?’ when they called out my name,” she says.

Though the award went to her, Anderson-Pryz says it really belongs to everyone who has trusted her to help share their stories and seek

change on their behalf.

“So many in community trusted me by sharing their journeys and their voices with me and I carried them in my heart and my spirit to places where they could be heard to influence change,” she says.

Despite the progress she’s seen over the decades of her activism, it’s never enough or fast enough.

“We need change to hap pen at a faster pace because we deserve that safety and that security,” she says.

To be effective and en during, that change needs to be holistic and transforma tive — “siloed approaches do not work; in fact, they create further harm” — and enshrined in legislation and policy.

“We don’t want to be back to square one with a new government who may not see the lives of Indigen ous women and girls and two-spirit and gender-di

verse people as a priority,” said Anderson-Pryz.

The youth Empower Award winner also has a Northern Manitoba con nection. Brooklyn Ru dolph-Nicholas is a 24-yearold Pimicikamak Cree Nation member who grew up in Winnipeg’s north end and advocates for Indigen ous rights while working as a professional artist who do nates much of her artwork to non-profit organizations like shelters, mental health organizations and women’s centres.

The award winners were announced by Manitoba Families Minister Rochelle Squires.

“The contributions these women have made to Mani toba are outstanding,” she said in a press release. “They are community lead ers who are making an im pact and creating immense positive changes in their communities.”

RCMP seeking Easterville

men from Easterville are wanted by police in connection with an assault that left another man with serious injuries.

Chemawawin RCMP were alerted around 11 a.m. March 11 that a 24-year-old man was being taken to the Easterville nursing station for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Investigation determined that four men entered the victim’s home earlier that morning, assaulting him and causing extensive damage before leaving.

Police are asking for the public’s

in finding 29-year-old Mitchell Howard Ledoux, 27-year-old Steven Shane Klyne, 26-year-old Shawn Eric Umpherville and 20-year-old Nathan Walter Umpherville, all from Easterville, who are believed to have fled to Winnipeg. The four face numerous charges including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and breaking and entering.

Anyone with information on any of the suspects’ whereabouts is asked to call Chemawawin

MISC FOR SALE

RCMP at Crime ously at

Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of Hilda Anderson-Pyrz

2022 Empower Women Award winners Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, second from left, and Brook lyn Rudolph-Nicholas, second from right, pose on Oct. 20 with Families Minister Rochelle Squires, left, and Premier Heather Stefanson, right, at the Manitoba legislature.

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz

poses with her 2022 Empower Women award at the Manitoba legislature on Oct. 20.

Thompson’s new healing centre one part of broader strategy to reduce homelessness in the city

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

The first phase of Thomp son’s sobering/healing cen tre opened the week after Thanksgiving, albeit with a slightly different mission than what at least part of it is eventually intended to be.

As of Oct. 13, one floor of one of the buildings of the old University College of the North campus on the corner of Princeton Drive and Station Road began to house homeless people, some on an emergency basis and some through a shelter in place program currently funded by Vale.

The old Polaris build ing on the corner — 534 Princeton Drive, which used to be the home of UCN’s library, among other things — is the new location of the emergency shelter formerly situated at the Thompson homeless shelter on Church ill Drive, which offers room for 24 people with nowhere else to stay a spot on a mat on a night-by-night basis.

Another section of the building’s first floor pro vides longer-term dormitory style housing to chronically homeless people, which is basically an extension of the shelter-in-place pro gram (SHIPP) that saw 25 chronically homeless people housed at the YWCA through the COVID-19 pan demic in an effort to lessen their likelihood of contract ing the virus. This program currently has space for 45 residents, about two-thirds of which were expected to be occupied immediately.

On winter nights when the temperature is expected

to dip to -35 degrees Cel sius or lower overnight, the basement space that used to house the library will be pressed into service to sup port the city’s cold-weather policy. Previously, people seeking emergency shelter on those ultra-cold nights were accommodated in outdoor ice rink warmup shacks in Eastwood and Juniper parks.

Under normal circum stance, the healing centre now offers space for up to about 70 people. On cold-weather policy eligible nights, that number could swell to about 100 people.

“The space is not ideal … but it is so much better than leaving 100 people out on the street,” YWCA exec utive director Kim Hickes said during an Oct. 12 open house.

The emergency homeless shelter program is funded mostly by provincial and federal money, though the City of Thompson has contributed up to $20,000 a year towards the home less shelter in the past. It is operated by the Canadian Mental Health Associ ation, which also oversaw the homeless shelter at its previous location and is in charge of other programs to accommodate people without shelter, such as the so-called “damp house” housing complex at 95 Cree Road.

A $250,000 contribution from Vale is paying for the shelter-in-place program right now.

“Clients will actually live in this section and we’ll provide wraparound ser

vices and hep them move towards the goals they’ve identified,” Hickes said.

The eventual goal for the sobering centre, as out lined when the provincial government announced in June 2020 that it would be providing $2.8 million in funding for such a facility, is to provide an alternative to taking publicly intoxi cated people to the RCMP detachment drunk tanks or for treatment at the Thomp son General Hospital if they aren’t medically fit to be placed in police cells. The goal of this type of a facility will be to relive the amount of strain that alcohol use, abuse and addiction cur rently place on police and the emergency department.

The RCMP detachment housed nearly 2,500 people under the Intoxicated Per sons Detention Act in 2020.

Prior to each of these people being lodged in cells, they had to be medically cleared at the hospital or by Thomp son firefighter/paramedics.

At Winnipeg’s Main Street North facility, people de tained for public intoxi cation are examined by an on-site paramedic who either admits them or sends to them to the hospital for treatment. Those who are admitted are housed there until they are sober enough to be released.

Despite the requirement for medical clearance and safety protocols such as checking on prisoners every 15 minutes and physically waking them up every four hours, two people housed in Thompson RCMP detach ment cells have died since

February 2020, following a 12-year-period in which no such deaths occurred.

In addition to providing shelter-in-place program participants a more perma nent place to stay, the heal ing centre as it operates now will also provide them with access to mental health and other counselling services and access to traditional healers as well as to med ical care via Keewatino hk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), Manitoba Keewat inowi Okimakanak’s health organization, said Hickes. There are also hopes that the Northern Regional Health Authority could provide some medical care at the centre.

“We’ll co-ordinate it through the co-ordinator here to make sure there are service providers on site every day for clients to ac cess,” Hickes said Oct. 12.

Unlike residents at some supportive or transitional living residences in Thomp son, like the Men Are Part of the Solution facilities for men and women, shelterin-place residents are not required to abstain from alcohol or other substan ces while staying at the healing centre, which will also try to help those who wish to return to their home communities to achieve that goal. Use of alcohol or other substances inside the building will not be al lowed, however.

Eventually, there are plans to construct an en trance to the centre on the western side of the building, instead of using the current entrance, which faces out

onto Princeton Drive and toward the Wapanohk Com munity School playground on the other side of the street.

“We are a harm reduction facility,” Hickes said. “We need safe places for people to use.”

By offering alternatives such as the shelter-in-place program, the healing cen tre aims to try to reduce the need for emergency shelter services over the long run, said Darren Fulford of the CMHA.

“You really want to try

to divert from the shelter,” he said.

For some clients, the goal of finding a permanent place to stay requires more work than it does for others, and Fulford says he hopes there will eventually be a multiagency panel that will work towards finding solutions for harder-to-house people.

“I think we’re going to try to have, at some point, a complex individuals work ing group because we have several individuals that are hard to house,” Fulford said.

Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham

A private visiting area for residents of Thompson’s new healing centre on Princeton Drive.

A room in Thompson’s new healing centre on Princeton Drive where residents can eat their meals.

One of the larger dormitory-style sleeping rooms for long er-term residents at Thompson’s new healing centre on Princeton Drive.

One of the smaller dormitory-style sleeping rooms for long er-term residents at Thompson’s new healing centre on Princeton Drive.

Lockers formerly housed at the Norplex Pool change rooms will provide a place for shelter-in-place residents at the new healing centre to store their belongings.

One of the showers for use by longer-term residents of Thompson’s new healing centre on Princeton Drive.

seeking workers: job fair brings recruiters out to arena

BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

At a time when high prices and shortages of everything from every day consumer products to workers are on people’s minds, the Northern Manitoba Sector Council brought over 200 attendees and 27 exhibitors out for a job fair Oct. 20.

NMSC project co-ordin ator Kunal Mahajan said the six-hour event at the Thompson Regional Com munity Centre attracted 238 participants, who got glimpses of careers in everything from mining and transportation to prov incial health care and jus tice to security service and education.

“The people are do ing on-site job interviews too,” he said, noting that a number of high school stu dents who had the day off in Thompson attended, as did others from Nelson House.

Some of the exhibitors represented organizations that are in need of employ ees right now, like the Can adian Forces.

Sgt. Dillion Contois, a born-and-raised Winnipeg ger, was one of the people at the Canadian Forces booth trying to sell participants

on the benefits of a mil itary career, which include a starting salary of $36,000 for new recruits, about six weeks of paid vacation per year, medical and dental benefits and the opportunity to train in various careers and occupations. But some of the best parts are of being in the military are essential ly priceless, he said.

“I’ve been all over Can ada,” he said. “Even though growing up it seemed like that might have been just a dream … to see the East Coast, West Coast, the Arc tic … through the Canadian Forces I’ve been able to do that. I never saw myself be ing in the Arctic Circle but I experienced it. The Can adian Armed Forces took me on an experience that I’ll hold onto forever.”

For other exhibitors, their labour requirements are still a ways off.

Alamos Gold Inc.’s Lynn Lake gold mines aren’t ready to begin production just yet, but when they are, there will be plenty of jobs available, which is good news for Lynn Lake.

“There’s jobs there but there’s not enough jobs for everybody that lives there so hopefully this is some thing that, once it comes in,

it’ll provide everybody an opportunity,” said Alamos training co-ordinator Holly Martin.

In the construction phase, the company will need about 500 workers and then about 400 once mining be gins. Although the goal is to train local people to do many of the jobs, skilled positions like heavy equip ment operators and truck drivers can be tough to fill locally, especially given a shortage of services people in larger communities take for granted. It’s been sev eral years since Lynn Lake had a functioning childcare facility, Martin says.

“It’s something that’s keeping a lot of people from being able to come to training.”

Mahajan says it benefits northern employers if they can find employees from within the region, as it saves them relocation costs and provides greater work force stability since those from the north are likely to stay in the region longer than those who come here from somewhere else.

“They can stay here and they can work here, “ he said of northerners. “They can raise their families and they can do lots more.”

Thompson Citizen photos by Ian Graham

to the Thompson Regional Community

the Northern Manitoba Sector Council job fair Oct.

UCN president, vice-president get queen’s platinum jubilee medals

University College of the North’s president Doug Lauvstad and academic and research vice-president Dan Smith received Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals at a ceremony in Winnipeg Sept. 26.

Celebrating the 70th year of the late Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, platinum jubilee medals honour significant contributions and achievements of recipients with a strong focus on community-mindedness, service and reconciliation.

The ceremony at which Lauvstad and Smith received their medals was hosted by then-Manitoba Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon and Premier Heather Stefanson.

Reports of gun-related threats lead to firearms seizure

Three guns and bullets were seized from the home of a man in Shamattawa by police responding to a re port of threats on Oct. 24.

Shamattawa RCMP were informed of someone mak ing threats involving a fire arm at a home in the com munity on Monday. They executed a search warrant at a residence on Riverside Road where they arrested a man and seized three fire arms and ammunition.

A 24-year-old man is charged with pointing a firearm, assault with a weapon and several gun-re lated offences. He remains in custody and Shamat tawa RCMP continue to investigate.

Shamattawa RCMP seized three guns and numerous bullets after responding to a report of a man making threats involving a firearm on Oct. 24.

RCMP photos

FOR

REPRESENTING:

Constituency Office: 93 Main Street, Flin Flon, MB. HOURS: Mon–Fri, 9 am – 4 pm

PHONE: 204-687-3246

FAX: 204-687-5649 EMAIL: tom.lindsey@yourmanitoba.ca

PHONE: 204-687-3246 FAX: 204-687-5649 EMAIL: tom.lindsey@yourmanitoba.ca

Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of UCN University College of the North academic and research vice-president Dan Smith at a Sept. 26 ceremony with then-Manitoba. Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon and Premier Heather Stefanson during which he received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Smith is wearing his Royal Canadian Navy reserve uniform. He serves as a reserve commander.

University College of the North president Doug Lauvstad at a Sept. 26 ceremony with then- Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon and Premier Heather Stefanson during which he received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Removal of protest camp at legislature

‘short-sighted,’ says advocate

BY DAVE BAXTER LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

The province showed a lack of empathy and a lack of long-term planning when they dismantled an encampment on the east side of the Manitoba legis lature last weekend, accord ing to one longtime advo cate for the homeless and impoverished.

“Where are they suppos ed to go? There is no exit strategy, and I think it shows a real lack of empathy on their part,” Winnipeg-based advocate for the homeless Al Wiebe said Oct. 24, after an Indigenous-led protest camp on the east lawn of the Manitoba Legislative Building grounds that had been running for more than a year was dismantled on Oct. 22, and those living at the camp were removed from the grounds.

“It just sets a bad, bad precedent when the prov incial government is re moving camps from public property.”

The camp was first set up and a sacred fire was lit in May of 2021 after the news broke that what is believed to be 215 unmarked graves of children were discovered near a former residential school in Kamloops, and protesters had remained at the site since then, with many living and sleeping in tents.

Wiebe said he is certain that some of the protesters

who were removed from the grounds over the weekend were homeless, and will now just be looking for another place to go.

“The whole strategy seems to be, ‘throw them out and make them go somewhere else,’ and that is not an answer,” he said.

“It just gives the appear ance they don’t care about these people and just want them out of sight and out of mind, and that is never a good strategy because they are just going to be reset tling somewhere else.”

In a statement posted over the weekend after the camp was dismantled, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen claimed it was taken down because of safety issues and concerns, and the work to take down the encampment was undertaken by provin cial law enforcement offi cers and not city police.

“Our government strong ly supports the right to legal protests,” Goertzen said in his statement.

“The Manitoba legis lature should always be a place to express democratic opinions. However, these must be done in a way that protects the safety of all those who come to the legislature, including school children, tours, staff, elected officials, dignitar ies, and protesters.

“Unauthorized perma nent structures and encamp ments are not lawful or safe on the grounds of the legis

lature. This has been seen by the significant security concerns that have arisen over the past few months at the Manitoba legislature.”

A second encampment that was set up on the north side of the legislative build ing was removed earlier this month amid reports of safe ty concerns stemming from that encampment and the province said that weapons were found at the site of that encampment after it was taken down.

The province passed a law earlier this year that forbids encampments on the legislature grounds and bans people from supplying generators, firewood and other goods and people who break the rules can be evict ed from the grounds, and face fines of up to $5,000.

But Wiebe said he be lieves that the encamp ments were often viewed as dangerous because of existing biases, and not because of serious safety concerns.

“I see it as less of a safety issue and more of a stigma tization issue. It’s easy for those who have never even gone down there to judge, but that shouldn’t lead to knee-jerk reactions,” he said.

Vic Ketchum is a Win nipeg-based residential school survivor, and she said the sight of uniformed officers taking down the en campment on the weekend was traumatizing for her

and for other survivors she has spoken to.

“To see officers taking down teepees and putting out the sacred fire was very disturbing, and it was giving me massive flash

backs,” Ketchum said.

“It was a reminder of when police took us out of our homes and took us to residential schools or foster homes when I was a kid, so for me it was sickening.”

Stefanson makes first trip to Flin Flon as premier

BY ERIC WESTHAVER FLIN FLON REMINDER

Manitoba’s premier took her first voyage to the Flin Flon area last week since getting the job.

Heather Stefanson made a day-long appearance in Flin Flon Oct. 14 as part of a whistle-stop-style north ern tour, going through Churchill and Thompson before making appearances in Flin Flon.

During her time in Flin Flon, Stefanson toured the nurses’ training program at University College of the North, the mining training area and truck simulator at the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy and a function at the NorVA Centre, where the premier spoke with arts community leaders.

Stefanson visited the area shortly before receiving the Progressive Conservative party nomination to become premier last year and had not appeared in town as the province’s top holder of elected office.

“It’s not my first time that I've been in Flin Flon and it certainly won't be my last. Every time I'm here, I’m just greeted by some wonderful people,” she said during a short scrum with media at the NorVA Centre Oct. 14.

The premier was asked about several local issues, including the closure of Hudbay and its repercus sions for the community, northern health care and education. On the subject of support for communities like Flin Flon where a ma jor industry has either left or is leaving town, Stefan son said hearing people’s concerns during the short

tour was key.

“I think part of it is get ting here and listening to people in the community and seeing what some of those challenges are, with respect to this kind of tran sition phase of things,” she said.

“I do think that there are huge opportunities for Flin Flon and surrounding com munities moving forward, but that doesn't necessarily happen today. These things take some time, obviously, with this industry. We're here to help. Again, it's listening and learning and understanding what some of those challenges are and working with you.”

Resources such as the Manitoba Mineral De velopment Fund do exist, but that money has mostly been earmarked for mining companies, not for com munities – for instance, the City of Flin Flon has received no money from the fund, though Callinex, which operates the Pine Bay deposit east of town, has received $300,000 in funds through the program.

In recent years, northern

health care has taken a hit, with staff shortages in sev eral northern communities leading in service cuts and gaps in care. When asked about these issues, Stefan son pointed to the UCN program as a way to rebuild staffing levels, though the program offers little in the way of short-term relief.

“That’s one of the big gest challenges within our healthcare system and it's nothing unique to Mani toba – it's right across the country. It’s human resour ces and a shortage of that, particularly nurses. We just came from touring the nurse training program here, which I believe has seven graduates already in the program and more to come. That's the way we're going to tackle some of the chal lenges within healthcare, making sure that we've got the nurses and others that will stay here in Flin Flon,” said the premier.

“It's exciting that there's a training program here that will really help be able to offer those services to people in Flin Flon and surrounding communities.”

— 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.

Flin Flon Mayor Cal Huntley (replete with black feather boa and taxidermied raven) and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson (seen with Minnie Mouse bow) pose for a photo at the NorVA Centre Oct. 14.

Flin Flon Reminder photos by Eric Westhaver Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson chats with Donna Champagne, Helga Bryant, Crystal Kolt and Colleen Arnold at the NorVA Centre Oct. 14.

‘A knife to the heart:’ Louis Riel’s gravestone defaced

BY DAVE BAXTER

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

The Manitoba Metis Federation say it is both outraged and insulted af ter damage done to the gravesite of Louis Riel in Winnipeg was discovered last week.

“This deliberate, target ed attack and the complete disrespect shown to Louis Riel as the historic leader of the Red River Métis, the founder of Manitoba, and its first premier, is ap palling,” MMF president David Chartrand said in a statement released on Oct. 20.

The statement comes after the discovery earlier last week of lines crossed over both the name of Riel and his image, on his grave stone on the grounds of the St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg, where Riel was buried after being executed in 1885.

“This is not just offensive to our nation, it is an in sult to all Manitobans, and should be treated as such. It is made worse by the fact that this was done just days before the anniversary of Riel’s birth.”

Riel, who was born on Oct. 22, 1844, is recognized as the founder of Manitoba and as a historic leader of the Métis people.

After leading two resist ance movements against the federal government, he was 41 when he was executed by the Canadian govern ment after being convicted of high treason.

The MMF said the de facement of the grave was first reported earlier last week on social media by a “vigilant witness” and they believe the act was commit ted sometime on Oct. 17.

They also confirmed they have filed a police report, and want to see a full in vestigation undertaken and

“justice” served to whoever defaced the grave.

“Louis Riel and his leg acy are of vital importance to the history of our nation. It is deeply disturbing that someone would do this to Riel’s final resting place, a site of many pilgrimages by our citizens and others who wish to honour his contributions to Canada’s confederation.

“We will take all steps necessary to remedy the de facement committed by the individual or individuals who were so disrespectful to this great man’s legacy. I can assure you, we will seek justice for this terrible insult.

“It’s like a knife to the heart of our nation.”

— 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.

Film about boreal deforestation set to screen on Parliament Hill for lawmakers

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

Filmmaker Michael Zel niker wrote a love letter to the boreal forest and the In digenous Peoples who have lived there for thousands of years — and it begins with panic-buying toilet paper. Throughout that story is heartbreak over the deforestation caused to create paper fibre used in paper products.

The letter comes in the form of an urgent political documentary titled The Issue with Tissue: A Bor eal Love Story . Zelniker, a non-Indigenous Can adian-American filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, travelled across the boreal forest to meet with First Nation leaders and know ledge keepers and scien tists to discuss how the link between colonialism and extractivism is threatening one of Canada’s essential carbon sinks.

Now, Michèle Audette, a senator and Innu member from Uashat mak ManiUtenam who served as an executive producer, is hosting a screening of the film for lawmakers on Par liament Hill. A date has yet to be confirmed.

If there are only 50, or even 10, attendees at the screening, Audette will view it as a success. It’s a two-hour slow burn of a story, a lot different from the quick news hits we are used to, Audette says.

“But at the end of the day, it’s thousands of years of knowledge in a few hours, so it’s not that long,” Audette adds in an interview.

Paper producers, in cluding Procter & Gam ble which is named in the film, source much of their products from the boreal

forest, according to the Na tional Resources Defense Council.

In a recent analysis by Canada’s National Observ er , the amount of wood in Canada’s forest has de clined by four billion cubic metres since 1990, amount ing to a loss of 1.3 billion tonnes of stored carbon, with another five billion released when that wood either burns or rots. In per spective, Canada emitted 676 million tonnes of car bon in 2020.

Zelniker notes the rate of logging in the boreal forest, which stretches across the country to every ocean, is quickly turning Canada’s forests into a carbon source, rather than a carbon sink.

Companies like the U.K.based Drax Group or the Canada-based Resolute Forest Products, which is part of a massive conglom erate controlled and owned

by the multibillionaire Sino-Indonesian Widjaja family, are logging swathes in the boreal forest.

While the logging and extraction continue, In digenous communities are seeing their territories devastated. For example, the boreal caribou are now threatened as a species de spite serving as a way of life for Indigenous nations like the Innu for centuries.

Zelniker says the film is not his story or even his

movie. Indigenous voices are central because the film argues there is a direct line from colonialism to un fettered extraction.

The movie’s longest sec tion is about the history of colonialism in Canada, Zel niker says.

The documentary shines light on two opposing worldviews. One is the domineering mindset when it comes to extractive re sources, what Zelniker sums up as “a lot is good,

more is better and too much is just right.”

The Indigenous world view can be summed up as

a relation to creation and future generations. Zelniker paraphrases the Indigenous elders and leaders who star in the film when he says:

“Take only what you need, give thanks for what you take, with eyes towards the seven generations ahead.”

“This is one of the reasons why we're in so much trouble … this cor poration-driven need to expropriate and consume and attain more,” Zelniker says. “Elder Dave Courch ene said, ‘We will develop the quality of greed,’ nature just can’t sustain that,” he adds.

For Zelniker, the In digenous view is something the world’s dominant cul tures must adopt to protect and conserve sensitive eco systems like the boreal.

Finding different sources of pulp fibre that aren’t from the carbon-essential boreal to flush down the toilet might be another solution.

— with files from Natasha Bulowski and Barry Saxifrage

Thompson Citizen photo by Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Damage can be seen over the name and image of Louis Riel on his gravestone in Winnipeg Oct. 20. The Manitoba Metis Federation says it is outraged by the attack and has filed a police report.

Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Michael Zelniker adn the Local Journalism Initiative

Michael Zelniker travelled across the boreal forest to speak with First Natiosn leaders and elders during the pandemic.

Leaving a mark: kidney donation from brother ‘totally changed my life’

BY DAVE BAXTER LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, WINNIPEG SUN

When Craig Settee found out 10 years ago that he was his brother’s best hope to live a long and healthy life, he had no hesitations about doing whatever he could to help his little brother, even if it meant giving up a part of himself.

“I think part of being a big brother is always look ing out for your little broth er, and doing whatever you can to see them at their best physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Craig said over the phone from his home in Vancouver.

“So it was a no-brainer

for me, and there was no hesitation that I was going to do this, I just said ‘let’s do it.’”

It was 10 years ago last week that Craig donated one of his kidneys to his brother Kevin Settee of Winnipeg, after learning he was the best match to donate a kid ney to his brother who had dealt with years of kidney problems that often kept him in poor health, and forced to take a long list of medications and have regular and often difficult medical treatments includ ing dialysis.

“A part of being a helper is giving a bit of yourself,” Craig said.

And the gift of his kidney has proved to be an invalu able one for his brother, as Kevin said when he got the transplant and received Craig’s kidney 10 years ago, it changed his life forever, because he was given the gift of good health, and the opportunity to finally live a healthy and happy life.

“What it did was give me the gift of a better life, be cause finally, my kidneys were functioning normally,” Kevin said. “I just remem ber waking up for the first time in a long time and finally feeling normal and just feeling energized.

“That energy and that joy was something I really

hadn’t felt for a long time, so what better gift could a person receive than that? I will always be forever grateful for what my brother did for me.”

Kevin, who is a photog rapher and a filmmaker, says it has been a decade since his transplant and because he knows how it changed his life, he wants to raise more awareness about living donors, and how they can change the lives of family members or friends who might be in need of an organ transplant.

As part of a new aware ness campaign called Great Actions Leave a Mark, Kevin met with other In

digenous Manitoba recipi ents and living donors to capture their stories, and he produced black and white images incorporat ing the “brilliant green that represents organ and tissue donation.”

“I really thought I needed to create awareness of living donors by looking into past stories, and what I learned from this is that there are so many incredible stories and ones that totally changed lives, just like mine was changed,” he said.

As well, several videos chronicling the stories of Manitoba living donors and recipients have now been produced and posted online

at greatactions.ca, including the story of the Settee broth ers, who are both members of the Fisher River Cree Nation, and who grew up together in Winnipeg.

“It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received in my life, and you could save someone’s life by doing it as well,” Kevin said.

“So, I would encourage people to contact your liv ing donation centre to learn more.”

— 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.

to beg for safety:’ MP slams feds as money pledged to support Indigenous women and girls remains unused

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

Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan says commun ity advocates have been waiting years to see the construction of an Indigen ous-led 24-hour shelter in her constituency.

It's not for lack of fund ing: the federal government has made a $742-million pledge to support projects preventing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.

Of that, $420 million was allocated for the develop ment of about 40 shelters

and 50 transitional homes.

But almost all of the money is sitting unspent five months after Gazan — the NDP’s critic for women and gender equal ity — made a formal request to the federal government asking how much of the funding had been used. The government response revealed only $12.6 million had so far gone toward vio lence prevention activities, less than two per cent of the fund's total.

Since then, not much has changed.

“We have to beg for our right to live, our right to safety,” Gazan told Can

ada’s National Observer in an interview. “I do hope we will hear good news short ly, but we shouldn’t have to beg for safety.”

Jennifer Cooper, a spokesperson for Indigen ous Services Canada, con firmed to Canada’s Nation al Observer that spending remains at $12.6 million, adding no funding has been distributed to operational shelters.

However, 12 projects were selected to receive funding for construction and ongoing operational support once the first review phase ended in May.

The funding is overseen

by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which is requiring each pro ject to undergo two review processes before handing out any money. The first ended on May 31, and the second is set to conclude on Nov. 30. Three of the 12 projects set to receive funding are in Manitoba, but it is unclear whether one of those will be a 24/7 Indigenous women’s shelter in Winnipeg.

“It’s a failure, it’s a na tional failure. This is some thing the current minister of Crown-Indigenous relations openly acknowledges,” Gazan said. “This is not a

partisan issue, this is a hu man rights issue.”

There’s chronic under funding of women and gender equality by the gov ernment, Gazan said.

“We need a government that says it’s a feminist gov ernment to act like a femin ist and provide the support that is needed for gender equality,” she added.

The federal government has been heavily criticized by advocacy groups like the National Family and Survivors Circle and the Native Women’s Asso ciation of Canada for its lack of action following the National Inquiry into

Murdered and Missing In digenous Women and Girls.

For 2021, NWAC gave the federal government a failing grade for its response to the crisis.

“This is something that Canadians deserve an an swer for,” Blake Desjar lais, NDP MP for Edmon ton Griesbach, said in an interview.

“We’re still in this emer gency: women, girls and two-spirited folks continue to go missing,” Desjarlais said. “It highlights, I think, that the government doesn’t care even the smallest amount to even spend the money they committed.”

just politicians talking:’ Trudeau touts Canada’s climate plan at national conference

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

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is on track to achieve its 2030 climate goal, adding: "We have already seen a bending of the curve of emissions."

His comments came dur ing an interview at a nation al climate conference hosted by the Canadian Climate Institute and Net-Zero Ad visory Body in Ottawa on Oct. 18.

Bloomberg News senior climate reporter Akshat Rathi asked Trudeau how greenhouse gas emissions from increased fossil fuel production — as forecasted in Canada’s climate plan — square with the country’s goal to cut emissions by 40 to 45 per cent by the end of the decade.

“If (oil) companies can … reduce their emissions, then there is room within that to increase production,” said Trudeau. “But the goal is any further oil plants or

any further energy produc tion is going to have to fit into our emissions reduction plan. That's what we laid out when we approved the latest project, Bay du Nord.”

Canada could technically reach its 2030 climate goal if oil companies slash emis sions from the production process. However, more production — no matter how efficient — would lead to more fossil fuels at a time when the head of the United Nations and the Intergov ernmental Panel on Climate Change have called for no new fossil fuel projects.

The federal government recently unveiled draft guidelines for approving future oil and gas projects, including a rule that all pro jects must achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Climate advocates panned the socalled “best-in-class” guide lines, pointing out that the industry is “worst-in-class” when it comes to the plan et-warming pollution driv ing climate change.

Rathi pointed out the

federal government has had the worst track record on re ducing emissions in the G7 since the Paris Agreement was signed.

“Unfortunately, over many decades, different parties … including my own party, put forward … targets around fighting cli mate change that didn't re late necessarily to concrete plans,” said Trudeau. The difference, now, he says, is there is a plan to reach those targets.

“It's not just politicians talking, it's actual invest ments, it's actual deliver ables,” said Trudeau.

During a “progress re port” panel, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeau lt gave some approximate timelines for key climate policies, but climate advo cates said the panel, which included Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkin son, was short on progress.

Canadians can expect to see the federal govern ment’s draft zero-emissions vehicle regulations “maybe

before Christmas,” and the much-anticipated cap on oil and gas emissions will be announced in “a matter of months,” Guilbeault said at the conference.

“Before, it would take us about five or six years to de velop regulations, and now the timeframe that we've imposed upon ourselves is about two years,” Guil beault said. “We are on a fast track.”

Canada’s climate policy landscape has “absolutely” undergone a revolution in the last six years, Catherine Abreu told Canada’s Na tional Observer after the event. Abreu is the execu tive director of Destination Zero, an organization fo cused on building commun ity for a fossil-free future.

“But I think we still heard a lot of the narrative that we can continue to produce oil and gas and expand produc tion while meeting our cli mate commitments,” Abreu said. “We're still kind of … missing the point, which is that we need to tackle pro

duction if we're actually going to reduce those emis sions in that sector.”

Julia Levin, national cli mate program manager at Environmental Defence, said that while the regu latory process for the oil and gas emissions cap will take longer, the government should at least set a 2026 or 2030 target on emissions from the industry before the United Nations climate con ference begins next month. A near-term target would send “clear signals” to in dustry, workers and com munities, Levin said.

When asked to identify top priorities within the fed eral government’s climate plan, Wilkinson pointed to the energy grid, likening it to “the building of the rail way in Canada.”

Along with phasing out coal from the country’s power generation, there’s the added complication that “every grid in every province and territory is different, and it's regulated differently,” said Wilkinson.

Developing and investing in building up the generat ing capacity is also key, he noted.

Guilbeault and Wilkin son referenced the need to “future-proof” the carbon price, something discussed in the federal government’s emissions reductions plan to assure investors and com panies they can bank on car bon pricing years from now.

Trudeau referenced the challenge of implementing carbon pricing in the face of conservative politicians' resistance to “this straight forward mechanism.”

“The new leader of the Conservative Party is doub ling down on … saying that the price on pollution is the wrong way to go,” said Tru deau. “They don't have an alternative. But the fact is, in the last three elections, a majority of Canadians voted for parties that talked about putting a price and keeping a price on pollution. That ship has sailed.”

— with files from Cloe Logan

‘We shouldn’t

CREE NATION CHILD & FAMILY CARING AGENCY

Child & Family Service Worker

Cree Nation (Moose Lake)

Marcel Colomb First Nation Health Authority is seeking a qualified individual to fulfill the role of Home Care Nurse.

Job Summary

ACC offers English courses to Ukrainians

BY MIRANDA LEYBOURNE LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, BRANDON SUN

A group of 12 families who fled Russian aggres sion in the Ukraine and resettled in a Westman community are now able to take English-language courses through Assiniboine Community College, free of charge.

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 relationships with a broad range of individuals and organizations. The OR Dental Assistant will function within the provisions of the Vision, Mission, Values, policies and procedures of the Northern Health Region (NHR) and will incorporate NHR core competencies into working practice (Customer/ Client Focused, Initiative & Pro-activity, Diversity Awareness, Teamwork, and Collaboration, Development of Self and Others, and Adaptability).

The incumbent must fulfill the requirements of the Criminal Records/Vulnerable Person, Child Abuse Registry check and Adult Abuse Registry check, and adhere to all Northern Health Region policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

Grade 12 education or equivalent

As the Brandon Sun pre viously reported, the fam ilies, some of whom had been in Carberry since May, were still waiting to hear from local settlement ser vices agencies about when they could receive Eng lish-language instruction.

Successful completion of a recognized Dental Assistant Program required

were settled in Carberry, Neault connected them with Neepawa and Area Immi grant Settlement Services. Although the service’s exec utive director, Don Walms ley, said the agency recent ly expanded to serve the needs of temporary foreign workers as well as perma nent residents, “no specific funds” had been identified to get the Ukrainian families English training.

Current active practicing registration with Manitoba Dental Association

Excellent knowledge of Windows based programs (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Internet)

Minimum three (3) years’ experience as a Dental Assistant required

Previous experience working with Pediatric cases preferred Ability to speak Cree an asset

For complete list of qualifications please visit our website www.nrha.ca

providing protection to refugees and offering pro gramming to help newcom ers settle in Canada. It also grants citizenship and issues travel documents, such as passports, to Canadians.

Reporting to the Home Care Manager, the Home Care Nurse is responsible for promoting, protecting & preserving the health of Marcel Colomb community members through services directed to home care clients. The Home Care Nurse provides holistic care & practices nursing as defined by the Registered Nurses Act & in compliance with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba Standards of Practice & Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics; cares for & directs the overall care of clients; is responsible for advocating, providing information, educating & supporting clients to ensure that the highest possible standard of service is provided; follows Marcel Colomb policies & procedures; works in a multidisciplinary team & may be called upon to assist with other duties within the scope of the department.

federal government for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.

Hopefully, that funding will come in soon, Burch said, since there’s already a waiting list for the ESL pro gram. Adults aged 18 years and over can register for the program all year long.

Position Requirements:

The fact that settlement services and refugee com mittees did not know about the classes highlights a need for more awareness about how to help newcomers, Burch said.

• Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical

• CRNM or CLPN – Active Registration

• Valid Manitoba Class 5 Driver’s License

The lack of English as a second language servi ces is something that has been holding the newcom ers back, especially the adults and older teenagers, said Sheryl Neault, head of the Carberry refugee committee.

Please submit resume by February 2, 2018 to: Lori Rasmussen, Recruitment Officer 867 Thompson Drive South Thompson, MB R8N 1Z4 Fax: (204) 778-1477 Email: recruiteast@nrha.ca

Northern RHA

As soon as the families

However, temporary for eign workers, such as fam ilies and individuals fleeing Ukraine, can take English classes through Assinibo ine Community College, said Jennalee Burch, ESL program co-ordinator in the college’s international department.

“It just kind of sheds a light on how there’s so many newcomers that are here in our communities and just are not aware of how many settlement services and providers there are out there to help them.”

• Daily access to a vehicle

• Criminal record & child abuse registry checks

• 2 years of related nursing experience

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook

“Newcomers come and go from our program. Some of them meet their needs and then move on to their next program, whether it’s further education in the college or maybe finding a job,” Burch said.

• Immunization record up to date

Closing Date: January 5, 2018 at 4pm. No late submissions will be accepted.

Applications Must Include:

applicants

www.nrha.ca

The program is fully funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a branch of the federal government that is responsible for facilitating the arrival of immigrants,

WORK WITH US & GROW A CAREER

Glacier Media Group is growing. Check our job board regularly for the latest openings: www.glaciermedia.ca/careers

CREE NATION CHILD & FAMILY CARING AGENCY

Got a job to advertise?

Finance Office OFFICE: The Pas, Manitoba

call us at 204 -677- 4534 or email ads@thompsoncitizen.net

The English training is offered on-site in Brandon and online and is open to all Ukrainian newcomers throughout the catchment area, which runs right across western Manitoba up to the Parkland region.

While the program was originally designed for permanent residents and refugees only, Ukrainians do fall under the college’s list of eligible clientele, as well.

• A cover letter that clearly indicates how you meet the position requirements

• Resume

• Copy of credentials (licenses, training, education)

• Three references (colleague, supervisor or manager) and contact information

Resources for the training are “stretched thin,” so the college is asking the fed eral government for addi tional funding for similar programming.

• Criminal record check & child abuse registry checks (or indication that they have been applied for)

“All Ukrainian temporary residents and their depend ants in Canada are deemed eligible for our settlement program classes,” Burch said.

• Personal contact information (phone & email)

Your application will not proceed to interview without the above information. To obtain a complete job description, for additional information or to apply for this position please contact or submit your application to:

“We’re so close. I think, in the coming months, we’re going to see more classes available for students,” Burch said.

After learning about the program, Neault passed on the information to some of the Ukrainians in Carberry, who were so surprised by the news that their “mouths dropped,” she said.

Email or drop off only

The Sun contacted the

Cree Nation Tribal Health Centre 107 Edwards Avenue, The Pas Noreen Singh, Finance Manager, nsingh@tribalhealth. ca or Wilma Cook, TNO/Team Lead, wcook@tribalhealth.ca Please mark all correspondence “CONFIDENTIAL”

The Sun contacted NAISS for comment but didn’t receive a reply by press time.

Sioux Lookout Red Lake • Thunder Bay • Thompson • Flin Flon

Noreen Wilma

Carberry mayor agitated by province’s Grey Cup bid as local health centre suffers

BY MIRANDA LEYBOURNE LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, BRANDON SUN

The mayor of Carberry is frustrated that the province has added $5.5 million to the Winnipeg Blue Bomb ers’ bid to host a future Grey Cup, while his town’s health centre is lacking es sential services.

The Carberry Health Centre is in dire need of a tub and shower room, said Stuart Olmstead, mayor of the town located 51 kilo metres east of Brandon.

“I’m a Bomber fan, I love the Grey Cup. Yet at the same time, I’d also love for somebody’s grandmother or aunt or grandfather to be able to have a bath more than once a week. That’s what it comes down to,” Olmstead told the Brandon Sun Oct. 18.

Several meetings have been held between the lo cal health action committee, town council and Prairie Mountain Health in the

past few months, Carberry administration said in an Oct. 18 press release. But PMH has said funding for the installation of the tub and shower room will have to be locally sourced.

However, health care is a provincial responsibility and should not be handed down to local taxpayers, Olmstead said.

While he understands the provincial government is pulled in many directions when it comes to funding different initiatives, asking Carberry residents to donate enough money to cover the project’s $100,000 price tag seems like a “shakedown,” Olmstead said.

“It does seem like, at times, the region [PMH] and Shared Health are both taking the blame and at the same time are an insulated barrier between us and the province in receiving care. I know it’s not set up like that, but it certainly seems like there’s a middle layer

KEEWATIN TRIBAL COUNCIL

FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

TRAUMA INFORMED CULTURAL SUPPORT WORKER (TICSW)

Keewatin Tribal Council Health Department is currently seeking

Trauma Informed Cultural Support Worker to provide direct support services to Indian Residential Schools Survivors, (IRSS) IDSS, 60’s Scoop Survivors, MMIW&G Survivors,

and those impacted inter-generationally by Residential Schools in Canada.

•

that both sides can point to and say it’s their fault.”

Olmstead knows all too well how difficult it is to send a loved one away for treatment in a different community. His father, who died in 2020, had to live in a care home in Delor aine, 159 km southwest of Carberry.

“That was an hour-andthree-quarters of a trip to go see him every week, to make sure that his mental stability and his mental health and well-being were taken care of.”

As with many other rural areas, health care in Carberry has been on a “steady level of decline,”

the release said, noting the staffing shortages that have plagued the health-care sys tem for some time.

“Health care should be the province’s number one priority now and well into the future until the system is stabilized. We fear that even with a whole-of-gov ernment approach to this crisis, it may be too late for some patients, staff, and communities to survive in its current state.”

Since the release was issued late Oct. 18, the Sun couldn’t immediately obtain comment from Prai rie Mountain Health or the province but will follow up this week.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

CREE NATION CHILD & FAMILY CARING AGENCY

Intake Worker – Term Position Mosakahiken Cree Nation Moose Lake, Manitoba

Cree Nation Child & Family Caring Agency (CNCFCA) is responsible for administering and providing for the delivery of Child and Family Services. CNCFCA is dedicated to providing comprehensive CFS Services that are community-based and incorporate both protection and prevention services.

Our agency will strive to maintain family unity.

POSITION SUMMARY:

the supervision of the MCN Supervisor and as required under

Child and Family Services Act, the Intake Worker assesses

risk

children, functioning of

crisis intervention,

apprehends children

risk

CREE NATION CHILD & FAMILY CARING AGENCY

Receptionist–Casual Mosakahiken Cree Nation Moose Lake, Manitoba

Cree Nation Child & Family Caring Agency (CNCFCA) is responsible for administering and providing for the delivery of Child and Family Services. CNCFCA is dedicated to providing comprehensive CFS Services that are community-based and incorporate both protection and prevention services.

Our agency will strive to maintain family unity.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under the supervision of the Service Manager, the Administrative Assistant serves as the first point of contact for Agency clients, guests, visitors or others. The Administrative Assistant serves to receive and direct people, correspondence and contact/calls to the appropriate Agency personnel or department. The Administrative Assistant provides a professional and pleasant point of entry for the Agency and will maintain strict confidentiality in performing all duties.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

§ Types, edits, formats and transcribes reports, forms, correspondence, files, recordings, minutes, case planning notes and other material as assigned by the Unit Supervisor. Composes routine correspondence and maintains templates

§ Receives, screens, assesses, transfers telephone calls and takes messages.

§ Maintains daily attendance records, monitors, records, and relays information regarding staff whereabouts.

§ Assists with photocopying, faxing and other administrative duties as assigned

Manages incoming and outgoing mail

Provides information about administrative procedures for all unit staff

Coordinates meetings and meeting spaces. Takes minutes at meetings as required

Enters information on CFSIS

Monitors and operates office equipment

support to other administrative staff as needed

confidentiality in accordance with the agency policy and procedures

documents

papers

court documents

court when required

birth certificates

Secondary Diploma or equivalent

to converse

to

work;

the

2, 2022

be

4:00

Human Resource Manager

Cree Nation Child & Family Caring Agency Box 10130, Opaskwayak, MB. R0B 2J0

204-623-3847 Email: hr@creenation.ca

We thank all who apply and advise that only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

“Please visit our website at www.https://creenation.ca” Our office ensures that best practices in COVID-19 are observed. Under Cree Nation Child & Family Caring Agency’s COVID-19 vaccinations policy, all applicants are required to be fully vaccinated.

selected for further consideration will be contacted.

“Please visit our website at https://creenation.ca” Our office ensures that best practices in COVID-19 are observed. Under Cree Nation Child & Family Caring Agency’s COVID-19 vaccinations policy, all applicants are required to be fully vaccinated.

Health centre funding falls on province, Carberry mayor insists

BY MIRANDA LEYBOURNE LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE RE PORTER, BRANDON SUN

Prairie Mountain Health is “committed” to making

the Carberry Health Centre’s

shower

better

residents, a spokesperson said

week

mayor of Carberry accused the province of failing to prioritize health care.

However, confusion remains around who will actually fund the project.

As the Brandon Sun pre viously reported, Carberry Mayor Stuart Olmstead expressed his frustration last week at how long the

town has been waiting for the room to be installed and the lack of clear com munication from Prairie Mountain Health and the province.

The project is expected to cost around $100,000. Meanwhile, the province recently added $5.5 mil lion to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ bid to host a fu ture Grey Cup. Carberry officials said in a press re lease this news was “not received well” by town council.

“Over the past few months, there have been several meetings held between the local health action committee, coun cil and PMH. According to PMH, the funding for the project needs to come from local funds, which are fundraised through the ef forts of the local committee and donations from local residents,” the release said.

Pointing out that health care is a provincial responsibility, Olmstead told the Sun that asking Carberry residents to do nate enough money to cov er the project’s price tag felt like a “shakedown.”

The Sun contacted PMH and the province for com ment, addressing requests to Agassiz MLA Eileen Clarke and Health Minister Audrey Gordon.

Initially, Clarke’s press secretary Brant Batters said that health care didn’t fall under her portfolio as minister of municipal relations. When the Sun subsequently requested an

interview with Clarke in her role as the area MLA, Batters said she would refrain from commenting due to upcoming municipal elections, to be held Oct. 26, claiming a “blackout” was in place until after the elections concluded.

“Municipal elections are underway, and the MLA for Agassiz would not want to comment on a local matter during the current blackout period,” Batters wrote. “As the minister of municipal relations, the minister is acutely aware all muni cipalities are to adhere to the blackout protocol, and doesn’t want to create any issues by commenting.”

In an email to the Sun, Lara Bossert, a spokes person for PMH, said the authority was committed to completing the tub and shower room at the Car berry Health Centre as “ex peditiously” as possible, subject to the “availability of trades and supplies.”

“With the $90,000 commitment from the Carberry-North Cypress Health Action Commit tee, PMH also commits to fund the additional costs required for this project, currently anticipated to be $30,000 for a total pro ject cost of approximately $120,000,” Bossert wrote.

On Oct. 21, Olmstead said town council will hold a meeting with Prai rie Mountain CEO Brian Schoonbaert next week to discuss the issue.

However, Olmstead re mained adamant that the

installation of the tub and shower room should be paid for by the province.

“This is very much a provincial responsibility that has to be taken care of by the province.”

Town council met with Prairie Mountain earlier this summer.

“That’s when they committed that [the in stallation] was going to be happening and we had no worries about it … and then basically the funding model very much became, ‘Oh, it’s going to be hap pening with your money.’”

Town council also re ceived a letter from the province this summer that said the project was approved but relayed no details as to how it would be funded, Olmstead said.

“Now they say that yes, the project is a go, but it’s also with your own money. So, it does feel very much like a double dip in regards to taxation on a respons ibility that lies with the province.”

But with the financial onus apparently on the town, Carberry North Cypress Health Action Committee is requesting support from council. The committee laid out its re quests in a letter to council on Aug. 29.

“[The] hospital was built with 10 inpatient rooms … 20-plus years ago without access to proper bathing facilities. We seek to final ly rectify this,” the letter, which Olmstead shared with the Sun , reads.

The letter added that the committee met with Brian Will, director of capital, infrastructure and support services with PMH, and was told the total project cost would actually be $125,000.

“[Will] emphasised that our project would go to the top of their list if we were to commit to 100 per cent of the costs, otherwise it may take much longer.”

The committee then asked Will what PMH would be “prepared to offer” toward the project financially.

“He countered that any government funding cur rently available is going to infrastructure projects such as roofing and build ing repair and it is his job to prioritize. Our project would be down on the list.”

As noted in the letter, the committee went on to com mit to partially funding the installation of the tub and shower room to the tune of $60,000.

“Then we will continue our fundraising efforts for the $35,000,” the letter reads.

While Olmstead ac knowledged there may be a “blackout period” in place, that doesn’t mean council’s work stops.

“The work of munici pal government goes on whether there’s an elec tion or not,” Olmstead said. “We hope this gets resolved with the proper department paying for the infrastructure of their own facility.”