The Manitoba Government is set to support a Task Force to help the City of Thompson to address the economic impacts that are expected with the closure of Vale’s refinery and smelter.

The closure, which will take place in 2017, will have a significant impact on the city. The City is interested in creating a Task Force to help with the immediate effects.

In a letter to the City, Jan Forester, Assistant Deputy Minister of Workforce Development, says that the province can provide some financial support for a Project Manager.

The Task Force would be in place for a project called Thompson 2020 which would address the future of Thompson.

Thompson RCMP is asking for public information on a man who has been missing for over a year.

Monday marked the one year anniversary of the disappearance of Yvon Shawn Guignard from Lynn Lake. He left Lynn Lake and went to Thompson, where he was last seen on November 28, 2015, at approximately 6:45 am.

Guignard is described as Caucasian, 6’1”, 165 pounds, with auburn hair and blue eyes. He has a medical condition and may be in medical distress as he has a history of not taking his prescription medications. He may go by Shawn, Yvon or Ivan. If seen, do not approach and call police immediately.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen reports pre-budget consultations have resulted in an unprecedented volume of submissions by Manitobans.

Friesen says they have been reaching out to Manitobans as they prepare their fiscal plan and he encourages those who haven’t yet shared their input to do so by Thursday.  The website www.YourprovinceYourplan.ca features an interactive tool where you answer questions to build a budget based on your priorities.  The minister says information from both public consultations as well as the first phase of a fiscal performance review currently underway will be used to develop Budget 2017.

The City of Thompson will be hosting a public consultation at St. Joseph’s Church hoping to hear feedback on the new waste water treatment facility.

The City is required to upgrade the facility to meet up with current standards. The City has received funding from the Federal and Provincial Governments at $12.167 million each while the last $12.167 million will be financed by the city. That amount will be paid off over a 25 year period.

The annual payment will end up being almost $952 thousand a year.

Copies of the Local Improvement Plan may be picked up at City Hall or fund on the website, www.thompson.ca.

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, the region of Thompson has the country’s lowest selling ratio in any local housing market.

The ratio, expressed as a percentage, is calculated by dividing the number of sales in a given month by the number of listings that appeared on the market during that same period.

Thompson comes out at 12.5%, by far the lowest in the country.

Mayor Dennis Fenske says the market is responding on the uncertainty of Vale after 2018.

He says that the city has been through this type of housing market before and it seems to depend on the state of Vale.

9 of the 10 lowest sales-to-new listings were in a single region according to CREA. That region was the prairies which account for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Nelson House and Thompson RCMP were called to a single-vehicle collision approximately 30 kilometres south of Nelson House.

The accident, which happened on Provincial Road 391, was caused when the vehicle crossed the median, hit snow and flipped into the ditch.

A 45-year old male passenger from Leaf Rapids was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining passengers and the driver, all from Nelson House and Thompson were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A 27-yar old from Nelson House was arrested and charged with Impaired Operation Causing Death and Impaired Causing Bodily Harm. He remains in custody.

The death was Manitoba’s 102^nd death on the Manitoba highways this year.

Every front line RCMP officer in Manitoba has been equipped a naloxone kit to help with assisting anyone who has come in contact with an opioid.

The Manitoba Government has launched a province-wide campaign to help aware the public about the dangerous prescription painkiller.

Thompson RCMP advise that while they have not had any contact with Fentanyl locally, that it is a disturbing trend that could eventually find its way here. 

If anyone has concerns about exposure to Fentanyl please contact EMS immediately.

The Manitoba government is launching a public campaign about the dangers of Fentanyl.

In the last nine weeks there have been seven suspected opioid-related deaths in Winnipeg.

Thompson RCMP say that the drug has not made its way to Thompson as of yet, but that it could in the near future.

Fentanyl is most commonly used mixed with other drugs such as cocaine.  For those not using illicit drugs, your risk is low however unintentional exposure to the drug can cause serious harm.

Signs of an overdose can include, but are not limited to: severe sleepiness, slow, shallow breathing, lips and nails that turn blue, cold and clammy skin, and unresponsiveness.  If anyone has concerns about exposure to Fentanyl please contact EMS immediately.

MLA for Kewatinook Judy Klassen says that the Provincial Government said the right things during their Throne Speech earlier this week.

Klassen said that the Speech was good, but the Conservatives failed to tell the public how they would do it.

The Province said they will grant more freedom for the Child Advocate, but Klassen wants more resources for another advocate.

Klassen has been a big advocate on changing how Child Family Services runs their program and said that she would like more resources for First Nations Children Advocate.

Operation Christmas Child wrapped up a successful campaign this week bringing 354 shoe boxes worth of hygiene items, school supplies, and toys.

The boxes will be sent to children living in poor conditions for Christmas time along from other locations around the world.

Since 1993, 94 million shoe boxes have been delivered to children in 130 countries.

The Santa Parade will take place this Saturday, and it will cause some traffic disruptions for a period of the afternoon.

The Parade will start on the corner of Hemlock and Cree road and will go down Cree road until it turns left on Thompson Drive. The route will continue down Thompson Drive until it turns right on UCN Drive in which the parade will end at the VRCC.

Traffic on those three roads will be halted when the parade starts. The Parade is schedule to start around 1:30PM.

All participants of the parade are asked to be there at 12:30 so the line up can be put together on Cree road.

Chemawawin RCMP executed a Controlled Drug and Substances Act warrant on a residence in the reserve.

]

The search of the residence resulted in police seizing cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Scott John Clayton Ethier, and Sanuye Susan Sanderson, both of Winnipeg, were arrested and charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine and Possession of Proceeds of Crime.

Both Ethier and Sanderson have been remanded into custody and will appear in The Pas Provincial Court.

Randall Traverse, 37, of Winnipeg was also arrested during the incident for breaching conditions of his court order to abide by a curfew.

 A warrant of arrest has been issued for Trina Roseanne Walker, of Chemawawin for Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine.

In collaboration with the Live Different partners and the Southeast Collegiate, MKO announced a Youth Empowerment Ice Road Tour.

The Tour would be aimed at improving quality of life for young people on reserve and in remote and isolated communities.

The Live Different team travelling to the communities will include musical artists and 4 to 5 guest speakers and team members. In total, 16 schools will be visited and the expected reach of the campaign is 6,000 students.

Some communities that will receive Live Different presentations include: Shamattawa, God’s Lake, Bunibonibee, and Wasagamack.

The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign is set to kick off tomorrow and will go on for a full month.

The Salvation Army’s goal this year is to collect $42 thousand this year which would match last year’s collection. Funds raised go to help the Army run the Food Bank.

The Salvation Army is asking for volunteers to help out with the Kettles. Volunteers will get a free meal coupon from KFC is they work three shifts.

If you would like to volunteer, call Cheryl at 204-307-0709.

The Kettles will be located at the Liquor Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart, and in front of Safeway and Wal-Mart at the City Centre Mall.

Members working at the Nisichawayasihk Personal Care Home will be on strike at the end of the month if their employer does not meet their demands.

Employees of the NCN care home reached a strike mandate in October after six years of fighting for wage parity with counterparts other areas of the province. A November 28^th strike date has been set.

Thirty members are set to strike. MGEU estimates that it will cost the employer $200,000 for the workers to achieve parity with other provincial care homes.

This will be the second time that employees at the facility will take job action in two years. Nurses from the home were successful in achieving wage parity in 2015

Sirens were sounded off throughout the city of Thompson yesterday from Vale.

The sirens were sounded off because of a Level 2 drill that is conducted a few times during the year and there is no set date for when they take place.

Level 2 drills are to practice for an emergency situation at the mine.

Thompson RCMP is asking for help from the public regarding a homicide investigation.

On November 17, 2016, RCMP received a call that someone was concerned for the well-being of an 83-year-old male. The police went to the male’s residence and upon entering, found the male deceased. Investigation revealed the death to be a homicide.

Franc Mlakar, a long-time Thompson resident, was last seen on October 31, 2016. Anyone with information on Mlakar’s activity between when he was last seen and the date he was discovered is asked to contact Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

The Progressive Conservatives delivered their second throne speech to start the new session of government.

The speech, which signals the start of the second session of the 41st legislative session, began with a renewed commitment to improving the province's finances while restoring front-line services.

The government made many announcements to help cut costs and trying to recover a $846 million deficit from the past government.

Other key promises were to strengthen Manitoba's northern economy through Manitoba's Look North initiatives and to release a new provincial housing strategy to address homelessness, affordability and repairs to existing stock.

The government says it is going to create a stand-alone children's advocate to make the office more independent.

The plan aims to reduce the overall number of children in CFS, developing stronger partnerships with families and communities and co-coordinating services.

Canadian Members of Parliament are getting the chance to sit with children and hear the issues that matter most to them.

MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski Niki Ashton got the opportunity to spend a day at R.D. Parker Collegiate to talk to students.

She said that the students were very interested in parliament talking about federal and international issues.

Ashton said when she visited the high school; it was a day after Donald Trump was elected President in the Unites States which brought forward a lot of questions and concerns.

She says that even though the students can't vote yet, it's important to hear what they have to say, adding that the Northern Manitoba region is one of the youngest in the country.

Over the past weeks, 62 MPs visited more than 100 schools across the country to speak to their youngest constituents.

After the City of Thompson and the United Steelworkers agreed with a new four year contract, Mayor Dennis Fenske says it won't cost taxpayers more money.

Employees will get a 1.25% raise every year of their contract except the last year, which will be a 1.5% increase.

Fenske said that taxpayers won't be paying more because of the contract, as the pay will increase along with projected inflation for the next four years.

Fenske said he couldn't put a figure on it at this time.

The Manitoba Government announced plans for $502 Million worth of infrastructure work for next year.

Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen announced the projects Friday as he released the 2017-18 construction tendering schedule.

Most of the work involves paving and grading projects across the province, although there are some improvements to intersections.

Three major projects were announced for the Northern region. Highway 10 from The Pas to Highway 287 will be paved, Improvements for Highway 280 by Split Lake and surfacing part of Highway 373 by Whiskey Jack.

The $502 million planned for 2017-18 also includes other major projects that have been tendered or where construction has started such as paving 17 km of Highway 10 from the Flin Flon airport access to the east junction of Highway 10A.

The City Centre Mall will be welcoming in a new resident as the Great Canadian Dollar Store had its grand opening on Friday.

Property Manager of the City Centre Mall Keith McDonald says the Mall is still in good health and that perception makes it look emptier than it is.

McDonald says the mall gets a lot of inquiries of residence around the Christmas season, but he doesn't want satellite stores out of respect of the current tenants.

McDonald does say the tenants have been satisfied with their stay and no one plans on moving out of the Centre.

The Water Treatment Plant proposed rates have gotten some backlash on its 25% of the total cost which would come from rate per unit frontage.

The first 75% of the costs will come from consumption from properties, but as Mayor Dennis Fenske explains, the remaining 25% of the cost helps the city stay on budget.

Fenske says that consumption will fluctuate from year to year, but the 25% will be a set price.

A Public consultation will take place on November 30^th, before they pass the rates through a second and third reading. After the consultation it will be sent to the Public Utilities Board to be approved.

The Lutheran-United Church of Thompson will be putting on a bake sale tomorrow in conjunction with the final day of the Ten thousand Villages sale.

 The bake sale will start at 10 in the morning and go on until 4 in the afternoon.

Donations can be dropped off the church today between the hours of 4 and 8 PM.

As mentioned, it will also be the last day of the Ten thousand Villages sale which markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans.

Both sales go on just once a year.

Liberal MLA Judy Klassen and Jon Gerrard went through a weeklong tour of Northern Manitoba discussing better ways to support children.

Klassen says the current way that Child Family Services works doesn't help the children in development. She says that Nelson House has a proper model which instead apprehends parents instead of children. This idea would leave children at their household and bring in better support groups.

Klassen says with that system in place, a lot of kids take their own life because of the hardships.

Klassen just became the interim leader for the Manitoba Liberals and says one of the reason she wanted that job was to work on this issue.

Operation Red Nose will kick off their annual season tomorrow with an information session at the Lakeview Inn & Suites.

From 11AM to 1PM, information will be shared of how to volunteer, and to remind people that the program will be starting up in the coming weeks.

It will feature the president of the Operation, Don Fulford who will be saying a few words explain the program.

Operation Red nose will start providing safe rides home the last weekend of November.

The 2^nd Annual Jamming For Jackets will take place at the Juniper Centre tonight from 6 to 10 PM.

The initiative was started by a local collective Poetry in Motion to raise awareness and donations for the need of warmer clothing in northern communities with harsher climates.

Daniel Emerson hopes that people will bring donations to the event. They are asking for jackets of all kinds, but especially for kids in hope that they can make sure every kid has a proper coat for school.

A Silent auction, food, and numerous or artists will be performing at the event. The show is free and is a family event

The City of Thompson along with its Union partner the United Steelworkers' Local 8223, have announced a new four year contract for the City's USW Employees.

The contract ends on February 29^th 2020, and provides a 1.25% wage increase in the first three years and a 1.5% increase in the final year of the contract.

The contract also adds Community Safety Officer Positions and the recently acquired Waste Disposal Grounds position.

USW represents nearly 100 municipal employees across a variety of departments including recreation, finance, public safety, public works and planning.

A crazy turn of events at an Eastwood home, ended with four people injured.

On Monday morning, Thompson RCMP were called to a residence in the Eastwood area to a report of a stabbing. When arriving on scene, they found four people injured, and they were quickly transported to the hospital.

They injuries were to a 17-year-old female from Thompson, a 24-year-old male from Pukatawagan, a 20-year-old male from Lynn Lake and a 32-year-old male from Thompson.

They are all currently in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing.

The City of Thompson has passed the resolution of the rates for the new Water Treatment Plant.

The proposed method for calculation will need to be approved by the Public Utilities Board.

The City Council went with the option that 75% of the utility rate will come through consumption and the other 25% of the bill would be from a rate per unit frontage.

There was opposition of the resolution, when Councillor Ron Matechuk said that residents shouldn't pay for anything more than consumption.

Councillor Penny Byer agrees it may seem unfair, but says it was the position the city was put in.  

Since the resolution has passed, the application will now be sent to the Public Utilities Board, and they will wait for approval.

Shamattawa Chief Jeff Napoakesik has invited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the community to see the issues in the community.

Representatives held a press conference to update the circumstances of the reserve that experienced a fire in the summer that destroyed the community's only grocery store and band office.

Construction of a permanent building for the store and band office can only begin after the ice road is open so materials can be shipped to the isolated community, which can only be reached by air outside of winter.

In recent weeks, MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said a second fire was set to the temporary band office.

Also during the press conference, Shamattawa band councillor Liberty Redhead said there have been 92 suicide attempts this year, a statistic he calls "way too alarming to comprehend."

The Flin Flon Arts Council presents the Royal Winnipeg Ballet next week. The Council's Crystal Kolt says this is a great opportunity for our community.  She says the quality of the ballet is always something that's so impressive to see.  She says there's going to be a collection of pieces similar to what people would have seen when the Winnipeg Ballet company came during the Royal Weekend a couple of years ago.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will perform Tuesday, November 22^nd at 7:30 in the Flin Flon Community Hall.  Tickets are available at Northern Rainbows End on Main Street.

Mayor Dennis Fenske wanted to clarify what number to contact for emergencies involving the RCMP.

Residents have been calling the RCMP's office number which is not used afterhours and will send the caller to voicemail. The number to use for emergencies is 204-677-6911, which will send to you to the Communications line in Winnipeg.

When you call the emergency line, you are asked to stay on the line even if you're put on hold. If you hang up and call again, you will be put at the back of the line.

The office number is not intended to be used for emergencies.

Two crews are strictly working on potholes throughout the day as the roads have been damaged thanks to the weather this fall.

Mayor Dennis Fenske said that the crews have to be working all day long because repairing a pothole permanently can't be done at this moment, saying that the weather needs to be freezing temperature to fix potholes permanently.

 Fenske encourages drivers to watch for their surroundings to avoid potential damage to vehicles.

If you see large potholes make sure to report it to City Hall.

The Manitoba Government made improvements this year giving funs to Northern Manitoba, but Volker Beckman of Spirit Way says their group will still have to look for money.

Thompson was home to four groups which received grants from the Provincial Government as Spirit Way, Thompson Zoological Association, the Boreal Discovery Centre and Tourism North all received grants.

Beckman said that with the abundance of grants given out, that the organization only received half of what they wanted and will have to look for other ways to raise the funds.

A board meeting will be this Wednesday to determine how to collect the remaining funds.

You Have a Week Left to Complete a Survey. The Northern Health Region is asking you to fill out an accessibility plan survey. 

Their Communications Coordinator Twyla Storey explains they are working towards developing an accessibility plan in order to comply with the Accessibility for Manitobans Act. They are hoping to identify the barriers that may be experienced by the public, so that they can be more accessible. You can complete the survey online at www.northernhealthregion.ca with paper copies available at Northern Health Region facilities. 

The deadline is midnight next Friday.

After Donald Trump won the United States Presidential nomination, reactions have poured in from around the world.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent out a press release, saying "Canada has no closer friend, partner, and ally than the United States. We look forward to working very closely with President-elect Trump and his administration."

Local MP for Churchill Keewatinook-Aski Niki Ashton is hoping the federal government can work with Trump while keeping the countries core values.

Traditionally, the President's first international trip will be to Canada. Outgoing President Barack Obama made his first visit a month after being inaugurated in 2009.

MLA for Thompson Kelly Bindle says he was surprised by the results and didn't find out the winner until the next morning.

Bindle said he thinks that much of what Trump said during his campaign won't come to fruition, saying that he probably said most of the things to get the necessary votes to win the election.

One of the promises Trump made during his campaign has suddenly disappeared, as the promise to ban all Muslims from the U.S. has vanished from his website since being elected as President.

During the School Board Meeting this week, a discussion was brought up on how many school days kids are missing.

Many students are organized in extra activities attached to the school like sports, band and trips that classes would take.

Trustee Leslie Tucker brought the board to the attention that some students have missed up to 30 days of school because extra activities.

The board said they would be interested at looking at limiting the days in the New Year and said the Policy Committee would be the committee to look at the rules.

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba will be setting up activities throughout the week in recognition of Manitoba Addiction Awareness Week.

Mayor Dennis Fenske sent out a proclamation that the city will be acknowledging the week.

AFM will have many events during the week from Monday to Thursday.

Among the highlights will be Full Moon Sweat Lodge Ceremony at the Thompson Stables on Monday at 6PM and Wednesday at 4PM, Youth Night at the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Gym on Tuesday at 7PM, and Mindfulness Evening at AFM on Thursday at 4:30PM.

November 14^th

10:00-11:30 AM - Cookie &Bannock Crash

2:00-4:00 PM - Tea & Bannock at AFM Building

6:00 PM - Full Moon Sweat Lodge Ceremony at Thompson Stables

November 15^th

7:00-9:00 PM - Youth Night! Ma-Now-We-Tak Gym (Ages 10-18 years)

November 16^th

1:00-4:00 PM - Tea & Bannock at NRHA Plaza, with Aboriginal Liaison & safer Choices Northern Network

4:00 PM - Community Sweat Lodge Ceremony at Thompson Stables

November 17^th

4:30-6:30 PM - Mindfulness Evening at AFM (spaces limited, must register)

Some New Members Have Joined the Northern Health Region Board.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen has announced appointments to the boards of the provinces regional health authorities. Along with Cal Huntley being the board chair, Carrie Atkinson of The Pas is Vice-Chair.  New to the Board are Leslie Oystryk of Creighton, Elaine Kobelka from The Pas, Wayne Hall, Judith Kolada, Christopher Matechuk and Duncan Wong of Thompson. They join current members John Marnock and Glen Norman Ross of The Pas and Anne Kenny Thompson of Lynn Lake.

Minister Goertzen says the boards are responsible for the resources and performance of the health care system and he knows these knowledgeable and skilled Manitobans will work to ensure the future of health care in this province.

The Royal Canadian Legion will be holding the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena tomorrow.

The ceremony will begin at 10AM, with a colour parade at 10:20 and the service will begin at 10:30. The whole ceremony will last around an hour.

It is encouraged to get to the arena early as it will get full right before the ceremony.

Employees at a personal care home in Nelson House will be going on strike at the end of the month if their demands aren't reached.

The Federal Government which handles three quarters of the funds for the Care Home is the main opponent at the negotiation table.

Michelle Gawronsky president of the Manitoba Government & General Employees' Union says that the members have been extremely patient but time has run out.

The union is asking to get equal pay of other care homes in Manitoba. The care home is getting 27% less than pay than other homes in Southern Manitoba. She says that employees should be paid equal, and that it's more expensive to live in the North.

Tataskweyak Cree Nation made history this week electing their first female chief.

Doreen Spence won the majority of the votes to become chief finishing well ahead of the second place finisher and former chief Duke Beardy.

Spence was a councillor before the election.  In total, 913 votes were cast for Chief distributed through six candidates.

The Manitoba government has appointed new boards to five regional health authorities in the province.

The Northern Regional Health Authority was one of the places to get a new board with 12 members.

Every board can have up to 12 members for their board except for the Winnipeg board which can have up to 15.

The new board chair for the NRHA is Cal Huntley who was the senior contracts administrator for Hudbay Minerals Incorporated.

As per the Regional Health Authorities Act, the minister of health, seniors and active living appoints directors to each regional health authority board.  Board members of regional health authorities must ensure the organization complies with applicable legislation, regulations, provincial policies and ministerial directives.

The Chamber of Commerce will show off their new digs to the public this week.

The Chamber moved into their new location which is at the Professional Building last week which gave the Chamber a cheaper and larger option for residence.

The Open House will be this Thursday between 10AM and 2PM. Refreshments will be served during those hours.

The Chamber will also have special guest during their bi-weekly meeting as Ryan Land from Vale will be giving a report about Vale. He meeting is tomorrow at noon at the Meridian Hotel.

The Thompson Recreational Community Centre will be renamed to recognize an original contributor of the recreational centre.

The TRCC will be renamed the Vale Regional Community Centre in 2017. The announcement was made before the Norman Northstars game on Saturday night.

Vale initially made a $3 million contribution in 2006 when plans were made for the facility. The project was completed in 2012.

Deputy Mayor Kathy Valentino said that the city was extremely proud to recognize the role that Vale played in the development of the facility.

Along with the name change, new signage is expected as well. Vale and the City of Thompson will meet to discuss the physical changeover in the coming months.

Pride North of 55 will be holding a Trans Day of Remembrance event at the city library on November 20^th from 5:30PM to 7:30PM.

Trans Day of Remembrance is a day to memorialize those who have been lost because of their sexual orientation and the violence that endured by the transgender community.

The organization is putting a call out for Transgender, Two Spirit and Genderqueer individuals to come and share their perspectives and experiences in the North.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, there will be more info to come closer to the event.

Mayor Dennis Fenske stood up in front of the board of Manitoba Hydro and addressed job protection during Hydro's Informational Meeting.

Fenske asked for a commitment from Hydro and the protection of jobs for employees that are working on the Bipole III and Keeyask construction projects.

Hydro let Thompsonites know that the construction for both projects will continue as cancelling the projects will cost more money than finishing it.

Hydro failed to give commitment and said that to reduce costs in the next few years, there will be downsizing and more significant job losses when projects end.

Fenske went on to say that significant job losses will impact the city severely along with other companies leaving Northern Manitoba.

Spectators will be able to enter the C.A. Nesbitt Arena for free on Saturday when the Norman Northstars take on the Interlake Lightning.

Vale will hold their annual Vale Night in which attending the game will be free of charge.

Manager of cooperate Affairs of Vale Ryan Land says that the game usually brings out the biggest crowd of the season. Activities, games and an open house will all be put on before and during the game in the concourse.

Vale has been a long-time supporter of the Northstars.

If you cannot make the game and still want to follow it, you can listen right here on 102.9 CHTM as Bruce Cameron and Tom O'Brien has the call.

City Council got together on Wednesday to re-organize committees, but they did very little re-organizing.

The chair positions stayed the same for every committee from the year prior as Mayor Dennis Fenske chose on developing the committees with the same councilors in charge.

The second members of the committees were somewhat of a change from last year, as some councilors joined different committees. Every Councillor is part of at least two committees with the exception of Councillor Duncan Wong.

The Deputy Mayor selection remained with Kathy Valentino after Colleen Smook rejected the Mayor's request due to personal reasons.

The parking lot at the Interior Inn might get a little more crowded as a restaurant might be on its way.

The owner of the Subway restaurant is looking to relocate the business to a stand-alone unit in the Western portion of the parking lot used for the Interior Inn.

The issue was if the parking lot could withhold the amount of customers for both businesses. The lot is expected to be large enough for the both businesses.

Council approved unanimously for a rezoning application which would allow the move.

The building has plans to take up 2944 square feet.

The project will be approved if the restaurant won't cause issues for vehicles merging from Riverside Drive onto Thompson Drive.

Lions Manor 55 will have an informational meeting tonight at the TRCC.

The future housing complex for residents over 55 years old will hold their second information meeting of the week, hoping to answer questions from possible suite owners.

Member Penny Byer says there have been a few more inquiries about the residence and hopes that there will be more after the meetings this week.

Lions Manor 55 would be the first true housing cooperative in Thompson.

The Manor will hold 30 suites, with 24 suites having two bedrooms, and six rooms having just one bedroom.

Tonight City Council will get together and re-organize their committees in part of the annual Organizational Meeting.

Committee chairs will be picked for the eight sub-committees and a Deputy Mayor will also be chosen by Mayor Fenske.

The Organizational Meeting has to take place on the first Wednesday of November every year, and is usually accompanied with a report from the Mayor of the past year.

The Letkemann Theatre will home love, friendship, betrayal and laughter as the Thompson playhouse will be putting on their first production of the season.

The production will be called The Long weekend and will fall into the romantic comedy genre.

It will be a smaller production with only four actors but with so many months of practice, the group are ready to perform says director Donna Wilson.

Tickets are $10 for advanced purchasing, and $15 if you pay at the door.

The play will be showing on Friday and Saturday at 7PM both nights.

To hear more about the play, tune in for Thompson Today at 12:40PM or 5:10 PM to hear the interview with Wilson and actor Kevin Hopton.

Christmas Hamper forms can now be picked up at the Salvation Army.

Forms can be picked up at the Salvation Army office at 305 Thompson Drive.

New Clients are asked to drop by the office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10AM to noon, while regular client are asked to come on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the same time frame.

Processing will start immediately and deadline for applications are on December 9^th and distribution takes place on December 14^th.

Men Are Part of the Solution has decided to reconstitute its Men's forum for next year.

During the organization's Annual General Meeting, MAPS decided to unveil its new Forum which would be in place for men who had graduated from the Phase 1 program.

MAPS believes that the best way to track the results of counseling services is to reinforce lessons for those men.

The forum would provide an ongoing support group, give men an opportunity to access a support group and promote open discussion.

The forum was created after realizing that the original plan which involved an individual taking 12 sessions of counseling wouldn't be sufficient.

The Government of Manitoba has mandated that EMS User fees be reduced over the next four years.

The end result will result in a 'patient only' fee being a maximum of $250.

Effective on January 1^st, all Flat Rate fees will be reduced from $500 to $475 for any call which a patient pays themselves. Other $25 reduction will occur on March 1^st.

Reduced fees will only apply to invoices on Primary calls where the patient is responsible for payment. He reduced fee will not apply to any Inter-Facility Transfer, Federal agency, Provincial funded agency or third party insurance.

More meetings between Regional Health Authorities and Manitoba Health will be held to finalize the details.

Mayor Dennis Fenske has proclaimed this month as Diabetes month for the City of Thompson.

National diabetes month is observed throughout out the country every November so that organizations can spread awareness about the disease that affects over a million Canadians a year.

In part of the month, Canadians are encouraged to visit the DontBeRisky.ca website and fill out a CANRISK test to identify their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes usually develop in adulthood, although more children and adolescents are being diagnosed.

A recent local music video will get some screen time at this year's Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival.

The music video and song called 'When the Dust Settles' which was performed by a youth group in Oxford House, and featured Thompson's very own Charlene Weenusk, will be screened at the festival.

Weenusk was part of a group who wrote the song and made the music video about the difficulties of living on an isolated reserve. The company who produced the song and video, N'We Jinan, will have two of their projects shown at the three day event.

The Aboriginal Film Festival will run from November 24^th to 27^th.