Thompson Local News Archives for 2016-12

Spirit Way Receives Grant

Spirit Way received one of the seven grants from the Manitoba Government in part of the Star Attractions Enhancement Grant Program.

 

Spirit Way will receive almost 18 thousand dollars to upgrade the interpretive panels that are along the walkway.

 

They were one of the seven community organizations to receive a grant to help upgrade their star attraction.

 

The panels are placed strategically throughout the walkway to show interesting points of interest in the city of Thompson.

 

The upgrade project needs to be completed by the end of government’s fiscal year, which is March 31st of 2017.

 

The grants can only be used for 75% of the costs of the projects.

 

In the North, the town of Churchill was the only other organization or group who received a grant.

CRTC Change Helps Remote Communities

MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson is welcoming the new changes brought on by the CRTC to declare broadband internet access an essential service across the country.

 

The aim for Canada’s telecommunications regulator is to ensure in the next 10 to 15 years that service providers will offer Internet to all households and businesses at least 50 megabits per second.

 

This will benefit smaller towns including isolated communities and reserves and help small businesses in remote communities.

 

North Wilson has been trying to push governments to help isolated communities and the people who live there feel connected to the world.

RCMP Out on Snow Trails

The RCMP will be out patrolling snowmobile trails this year, when they are open.

Officers will be out looking for dangerous driving, lack of a Snopass, and even lack of clothing for travels.

 

Constable Sandy Deibert says that everyone should drive their snowmobile responsibly as if they were driving a car or truck.

 

She also says towing another vehicle behind a snowmobile is against the law except if the other vehicle is damaged or unusable.

 

To hear more about snowmobile safety, tune in for Thompson Today at 12:40PM and 5:10PM.

Salvation Army Smashes Old Record

After a slow start for Christmas Kettles donations, the last ten days brought in a considerable amount of money for the Salvation Army to achieve a new record for donations.

 

Citizens of Thompson and area put $48,500 into Kettles over the holidays which smashes last year record of $42,000.

 

Roy Bladen from the Salvation Army said that the community put emphasis on sharing and caring as he noticed new people donating this year around.

 

The Salvation Army in Thompson has grown since Bladen moved up to Thompson. In 2014, the organization only collected $23,000.

 

The Salvation Army would like to thank all the donors over the past month.

Last Day to Volunteer for Operation Red Nose

The last day to sign up to be a volunteer for Operation Red Nose is today before the last weekend of rides.

 

The last day to sign up is to make sure that you can a criminal record check from the RCMP. The criminal record check is mandatory to volunteer.

 

It’ll be the last on the roads for Operation Red nose when they are out for the 30th and New Year’s Eve.

 

New Year’s Eve is the busiest time for organization.

 

To pick up a volunteer form, come by the office of CHTM at 103 Cree Road or at the RCMP office.

Port of Churchill Getting New Ownership

The ownership of the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay rail line is about to change.

The process has begun to transfer the assets from OmniTrax Canada to a group of northern Manitoba First Nations, known as the Missinippi Rail Consortium.

 

A memorandum of understanding has been signed by the consortium and OmniTrax, which enables the new owners to negotiate with vendors ahead of the 2017 grain season, although the federal government must still approve the sale.

 

OmniTrax said in a statement, the sale of the rail line and port will promote economic development for northern Manitoban First Nations and guarantee the preservation of those assets for all of the communities serviced along the railway.

 

OmniTrax announced in July that the port was closing, about one in 10 Churchill residents worked at the port.

Snopass Information

With the snowmobile trails getting ready, Snowmobilers of Manitoba wants to remind you to get your Snopass.

 

The Snopass is an orange license place that goes on the back of the vehicle that lets you on the trails in Manitoba and select areas in Saskatchewan, says Executive Director Yvonne Rideout.

 

A Snopass can be bought at any MPI office for $150. There is a fine if a conservation officer or RCMP officer is out patrolling the trails and sees no plate on the vehicle.

 

Also, Snowmobilers of Manitoba are offering one weekend though that won’t need the passes. February 18th to the 20th will allow anyone to try the trails in hope to get more snowmobilers in the future.

Look Like You’re Home, When You’re Away: Maskerine

It is important to leave your house in a safe state when you leave for the holidays.

Director of Fire and Public Safety John Maskerine says the best thing to do is make it look like someone is in the house by leaving a couple lights on at all times.

 

He also says if you’re worried of water lines freezing, you should leave a little bit of a leak from the taps to keep water moving.  

 

Maskerine continues to say that you should notify your neighbours that you will be gone for extra security.

 

You can also let the RCMP know of your absence, as they may keep an eye out for the area where you live.

Salvation Army Has An “Amazing” Week

The Salvation Army’s goal to $44 thousand is reachable once again after a week filled with donations.

 

Salvation Army’s Roy Bladen said that last week getting to the goal just wasn’t feasible, but after an “amazing” week, the organization is at $34,000.

 

Part of the gain was last Saturday’s kettles at Wal-Mart, which the store matched to achieve $1200 in donations.

 

Tomorrow will be the last day for donations to the Christmas Kettles and they can be found all over the city.

Community Dinner Still Looking For Donations

The Community Christmas Dinner will run on Christmas Day at St. Joseph’s Hall and donations can still be delivered for the Dinner.

 

Christmas oranges, fresh fruit, stuffing, small toys, stickers, pencils, candy canes, nut free chocolate and monetary donations for any last minute costs are all welcome.

 

The aim is to reach out to the whole community and in particular the Homeless or those that aren't able to do their own Holiday feast. The dinner starts at 12PM.

 

If you are interested in donating you can take the donations to the Thompson Public library or reach Harlie Pruder at 204-939-0831.

Operation Red Nose Results

Operation Red Nose has two more weekends left and Thompson’s teams are on pace to break 2015 totals this upcoming weekend.

 

139 volunteers have been part of the season this year, only four less of last year’s total. 32 Teams have been put together; while last year’s total was 36.

 

This year only trails last year by almost $550 in donations. Thompson sits in fourth in the province with donations raised with just a little more than $5600 raised.

 

Operation Red Nose will only be out on the Friday as Saturday is Christmas Eve.

 

To volunteer, you can get an application sheet at CHTM at 103 Cree Road or at the RCMP office. The last day to sign up is the 28th. To call Operation Red Nose for a ride, call 778-8111.

Winter Roads Behind Schedule

It seems like year after year the winter roads are ready later and later, and this year will be no exception.

 

Manitoba Infrastructure says that contractors and department staff are prepared to get to work on the roads, which are 7-10 days behind schedule. Normal opening dates are around mid-January.

 

The recent cold snap has helped out after the warm autumn season caused the delays. Sustained cold weather will help with the schedule.

 

When the winter roads open, they will be open for approximately eight weeks.  2,200 kilometres of winter roads will be managed by Manitoba Infrastructure.

Fur Tables Better Than Expected

The Fur Tables had a better showing than expected but still had a lower than average turnout than other years.

 

Due to the mild winter and the cancellations of flights this season, only 99 trappers came to Thompson for the Fur Tables.

 

Organizer Lane Boles says it was more than he expected but that it was still down from most years but overall says the event was a success.

 

$166,928 was exchanged during the two day event.

 

Boles said that another positive from the event was that 200 children from schools across the city  came down to learn about the Fur Tables.

Checkstop Results

Thompson RCMP stopped approximately 100 vehicles last week in part of their Holiday Checkstop Program.

 

19 tickets were handed out while there was only Impaired Driving Charge this time around.

Among the issued tickets, failing to stop at a stop sign continues to be the most frequent offence. There were two tickets issued for having open liquor in the vehicle.

 

Thompson RCMP want to remind drivers that as it is dark early in the evening, to ensure that all of your vehicle lights are on when driving. This week coming up will see sunset at 4PM or earlier.  Please take the time to ensure that your vehicle lights are in fact on and working properly.

Grand Chief Wants Apology From Airline

The head of northern Manitoba chiefs says it's time an airline apologizes to travelers after weeks of delays and cancelled flights.

 

North Wilson said that Perimeter Aviation said it was the airline's errors, not weather, that contributed to the delays and cancellations.

 

MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson met with representatives of Perimeter Aviation on Monday.

 

In just one community in November, 112 people either missed their medical appointments or had them cancelled because of the airline.

 

Last month the airline apologized to customers after “weather cancellations” caused a backlog.

 

North Wilson added she'll continue to meet with the airline.

Old-Fashioned Christmas concert Tomorrow

One of the last Christmas concerts will be taking place tomorrow at the Letkemann Theatre.

 

The Old-Fashioned Christmas Concert will be front and centre on the stage.

 

The concert will feature singing, dancing, the Thompson Community band and even a special guest at the end of the night.

 

The concert starts at 6:30PM; it’s free with just donations for a charity encouraged. This will be the 8th annual Christmas Concert. 

 

For more information, call Donna at 939-1576.

Man Dies in Collision Outside Split Lake

A 53-year old man died on Saturday evening after being struck by a pickup truck on Provincial Road 280 18 kilometres west of Split Lake.

 

Thompson RCMP said the man was walking in the middle of the gravel highway at night when he was struck.

 

The 55-year old woman who was driving the pickup truck and her passengers weren’t injured in the collision. RCMP noted the driver was sober.

 

The RCMP’s forensic collision reconstruction team and the criminal crash investigate team are assisting the investigation.

COPP Back on Patrol

Citizens on Patrol Program will be making its way back to Thompson after a couple year hiatus.

 

The program kicked off last weekend and the volunteers will be doing shifts during the evening. At the moment, the group has eight volunteers. To volunteer, you will need to have a criminal record check, which is paid by the COPP.

 

COPP coordinator Wail Mohammad explains why he decided to resurrect the program after finding out the program left Thompson a few years ago.

 

He also says that the COPP are quite different than the Community Safety Officers, as the COPP are just volunteers.

 

To hear more about the COPP, tune in to Thompson Today at 12:40 or 5:10PM.

Community Choir Starting Up

The Thompson Community Choir is looking for a revival, as one citizen is on her way to making it a reality.

 

Creator Delsie Jack has rounded up 15 participants so far to start up the choir once again, after it ended many years ago.

 

Jack says she already has a goal to perform for some of Thompson’s citizens, looking to do a show at the Spirit Manor.

 

Jack says she is now looking for a director that has education with prior choirs to teach the group.

 

The choir will look to have a practice once a week. To hear more about the Community Choir, tune in for Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10PM.

NCN Personal Care Home Strike Done

Members of the Nisichawayasihk Personal Care Home – Local 367 voted to ratify a new two-year collective agreement with the employer Friday.

 

The new collective agreement includes a ten percent wage increase in the first year of the agreement and a three percent wage increase in the second year.

 

MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky says she is proud of the members for standing up for what they believe in.

 

Gawronsky says she is just disappointed by the Federal Government who failed to give the band of Nisichawayasihk more funding.

 

She says that it is disappointing to see the Federal Government step away from their promises to give more resources to reserves.

 

Gawronsky says they are halfway to addressing the inequity in pay for Nelson House health care support workers.

 

With the new agreement ratified, members will be back on the job. During the strike, members only worked the minimum requirements.

Give a Gift For World Vision

World Vision Canada is urging you to join others in Manitoba in giving a gift from their gift catalogue.  The Regional Rep for Manitoba Chris Schroeder says gifts can range from livestock to clean water to school and medical supplies for families in developing countries.

 

He says he has visited a community that received six goats from Canadians who responded to their gift catalogue and those six goats became twelve becoming twenty-four supporting more families. He says that the gifts can make some families self sustaining. Last year 23 hundred people in Manitoba gave more that 421 thousand dollars worth of gifts from their catalogue with 33 of those in the northern region giving more than 9,500 dollars.  You can learn more at www.worldvision.ca/gifts.

City, Vale Sign Transfer Agreement

The City of Thompson and Vale representatives got together to officially sign the transaction agreement to transfer ownership of the Water Treatment Plant from Vale to the City.

 

Planning for the eventual transfer began in 2013, with more detailed discussions taking place over the past two years that included the signing of a letter of intent in April 2015.

Mayor Dennis Fenske says the water will be maintained by city employees.

 

Vice President Mark Scott says there is still a lot more work to do for the transition.

 

In 2018, the City will take ownership and operate the plant, with a 50-50 cost share. Full pro-rate cost sharing will be achieved in 2019.

Community Christmas Dinner Invites Anyone

The Community Christmas Dinner will be taking place on Christmas Day at St. Joseph’s Hall.

The aim is to reach out to the whole community and in particular the Homeless or those that aren't able to do their own Holiday feast for whatever reason.

 

Organizer Harlie Pruder says that just because it’s named Christmas Dinner, doesn’t mean it’ll just be limited to people who celebrate Christmas.

 

The Dinner starts at 12PM and goes till 3PM.

 

To hear more about the Community Christmas Dinner, tune in to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10PM.

 

Community Christmas Receives $400 Donation

The Wakefyre, Snatch Marauders and Army of the Sun concerts at the Army Navy last weekend raised $400for the Community Christmas Dinner.

 

Organizer Harlie Pruder says the money will go towards the care packages that she will be giving out at the dinner.

 

She is hoping the packages will include mitts, hats, Kleenex, candies and possibly gift cards. The packages will have nice but practical things.

 

The dinner’s goal is to reach out to the whole community and in particular the Homeless or those that aren't able to do their own Holiday feast on Christmas.

Holiday Checkstop Program Update

The RCMP were quite busy during their Holiday Checkstop Program, with it getting closer to Christmas.

 

In its second week of the program, Thompson RCMP stopped 250 vehicles, with only 60 of those vehicles receiving common offence notices, otherwise known as tickets.

 

Failing to wear a seatbelt and having open liquor in the vehicle were issued to a few drivers, while failing to stop at stop signs were the majority of the offences committed.

 

Three drivers were stopped and charged for Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

 

The Thompson RCMP would like to remind motorists that failing to stop at a stop sign could cause a collision, hit a pedestrian or cause more significant damage.

MKO Chiefs and RCMP discuss Northern Policing

MKO chiefs and community representation from across Northern Manitoba went to the RCMP headquarters to discuss policing in Northern Manitoba.

 

Forum attendees met with investigators from Project Devote, received an update on the status of Fentanyl within the province and engaged with the Centre for Child Protection on Community Safety Plans.

 

MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said that the forum was an important step forward to improving communication, working towards safer communities and enhanced relationships between the first nations and the RCMP.

 

Assistant Commissioner Scott Kolody said that the forum was an important opportunity for the groups to discuss issues that are impacting First Nations communities.

 

This was a full day event which included a significant amount of time dedicated to open discussions about policing in northern First Nation communities.

Operation Red Nose Results from Week 3

Operation Red Nose wrapped up their third weekend, and the group once again continued to give out more rides.

 

89 rides were given out in two nights, with a season high of 55 rides on Saturday alone. Saturday broke other records for the season with six teams and 25 volunteers and donations around $1300.

 

Thompson falls third in the province behind Portage and Winnipeg in donations received. Almost $6200 has been collected during the Christmas season.

 

To call Operation Red Nose for a ride, call 778-8111. To volunteer, you can get an application sheet at CHTM at 103 Cree Road or at the RCMP office. 

 

City Looking at Manitoba Games Bid

The City of Thompson is considering submitting a bid for the 2020 Manitoba Summer Games.

 

A letter was sent to Recreation committee which showed interest of Thompson bidding for the Games. A Question and answer phone conference is scheduled on February 8th. The committee will go through the first part of the process before committing on the bid process.

 

The 2016 Summer Games took place in Steinbach this past year, while the next scheduled Games will be in Virden in 2018.

 

The last time the Manitoba Games have come to Northern Manitoba was in 2002, when it was hosted by The Pas and OCN.

Mayor Off to Peru

Council resolved that Mayor Dennis Fenske has been given the go ahead to attend a Mayor’s Forum in Pesco, Peru in January 2017.

 

The Mayor’s Forum is the second annual put on by the CISAL program. The main objective of the Forum is to advance knowledge about the role of local governments in maximizing and mitigating impacts of mining in communities.

 

The trip will be completely paid for by the CISAL Program, and the only cost will be out of the mayor’s vacation time.

 

The trip will take place between January 31st and February 3rd of next year.

Fur Tables This Weekend

The Thompson Fur Tables will be taking place this weekend at St. Joseph’s Hall as Fur Traders from across Northern Manitoba will make the trip to the city.

 

Lane Boles, from the Manitoba Trappers Association says that participants will do a lot of shopping in Thompson over the weekend and even come back to businesses in other times of the year. The Fur Tables have helped businesses and helped grow the economy in Thompson.  

 

The two day event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, has up to 5 licensed fur dealers gather annually in one hall and inspect each trapper’s lot of fur. Each dealer provides a quote for the lot and the trapper selects the best price. In this way the trapper benefits from the on-sit4e competitive demand for their furs.

 

Everyone is invited to come down, as there are draws and games for family and tutorials about trapping throughout the two day event.

Merry Christmas Event

A community event will be taking place at the Fire Hall this weekend in hopes to wish a Merry Christmas to the world.

 

Councillor Dennis Foley is hoping for enough people to get together to spell out the word Merry Christmas.

 

The hopes are to wish happy holidays to loved ones who live afar and also make the pictures viral.

 

It is encouraged to wear something very warm, as temperatures are expected to be around -30 on Sunday. The event will take place around sunset on Sunday.

High School Concerts Next Two Nights

R.D. Parker Collegiate will have all their bands play in a two day period starting tonight at the Letkemann Theatre.

 

The Junior and Senior Bands will have their winter concert tonight at 6PM. The two concerts will last to about 9PM.

 

Tomorrow the Choir Concert will start at 6PM while the Jazz band will come on and play at 7:30PM.

 

Along with the concerts, the Music Parents will try their hand at wrapping gifts from December 9th all the way to Christmas Eve at the City Centre Mall.

Huts Open After -35

The City is using the Winter Weather Policy once again this year to make sure everyone has a safe place to call home for a night when temperatures dip.

 

The Winter Weather Policy takes affect when temperatures go to minus 35 and below with the wind chill.  When that happens, the outdoor skating rink huts at Eastwood, Juniper and Southwood will all open up to those in need of shelter for the cold night.

 

The CMHA is the group that volunteers their time to keep the huts in good conditions for the night.

Ashton Calls For Nationalization for Port of Churchill

MP for Churchill-Keewatinook-Aski Niki Ashton is urging the federal government to nationalize the port of Churchill, Man., which has been closed since last summer.

 

Ashton says the port is a strategic asset that shouldn't be at the mercy of a private American corporation.

 

This comes off the decision last summer by Denver-based Omnitrax not to open the seasonal port this year.

 

Ashton says the solution would be for the federal government to take back the facility and establish a port authority to run it. Omnitrax has been in talks to sell the port and railway, although no deal has materialized.

 

The government had announced $4.6 million from Western Economic Diversification Canada for development in the Churchill region earlier this year.

New Judge Appointed in Thompson Provincial Court

A new judge will be taking the reins for the provincial court up in Thompson.

 

Justice Minister Heather Stefanson announced the appointment of Todd Rambow last week. Rambow received his law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1993. He served as a law clerk in the Federal Court of Canada, then as an associate lawyer with private law firms in British Columbia. From 2003 to 2006, he practiced in Swan River, and then he joined the province as a senior Crown attorney. He has served in that capacity in The Pas for the last 10 years.

 

He was selected from a list of candidates recommended by an independent judicial nominating committee, chaired by Chief Judge Margaret Wiebe. This committee also included three community representatives, the Law Society of Manitoba, the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Bar Association and a provincial court judge. The appointment is effective immediately.

 

An official swearing-in ceremony will be scheduled as soon as possible

Large Acre Lots Could Become Available

A group is looking for interest for the City to develop large acre lots in the City limits.

 

Mayor Dennis Fenske says the city is looking to make that a reality as the public is interested in those lots.

 

If the plan comes to fruition, most of the lots would be put up north of the Miles Hart Bridge by the Thompson Golf Club. Others would be in the LGD of Mystery Lake south of the city on the way to Paint Lake.

 

Fenske says that in the next six months that they would be able to work with the province and the groups interested to make lands available for purchase.

Fenske Wants Hub Funding for Thompson

Mayor Dennis Fenske has expressed interest in Hub Funding which would send more funds to the City of Thompson.

 

Fenske’s argument would qualify Thompson, Dauphin, Brandon and Steinbach for hub funding as he says that those cities support a region.

 

He said he has lobbied to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities which would then bring forward the idea to the Provincial Government.

 

If the proposal goes through, those four cities would receive additional funds for hub services.

 

The idea of hub funding is in the preliminary stages and would need to be looked at by the provincial government.

Salvation Army Hoping for More Donations

The Salvation Army is hoping for more donations for their Christmas Kettles after having an above average year for the Christmas Hampers.

 

120 applications were accepted which is the reason the application process ended a week earlier than scheduled. The Salvation Army’s difficulty will come from raising enough funds to purchase food and goods.

 

The Kettles have only collected $14,000 this year. Last year by the end of the year, $42,000 had been raised. Salvation Army’s Rob Bladen says that most of the donations usually come in the last 12 days before Christmas.

 

In the other Salvation Army event, Bladen said the response to the Toy Drive was “fantastic” and that the group has more than enough toys to give to families.

Toy Drive Results

The Thompson RCMP, the Thompson Fire Department’s and Salvation Army’s Toy Drive was a tremendous success last weekend.

 

410 toys were collected, 250 pounds of food and over a thousand dollars was donated during the four hour event.

 

Many people also brought hot chocolate to the fire department and police during the cold winter day.

 

Constable Sandy Deibert said it was the most money ever collected from any single donation kettle in Thompson according to the Salvation Army.

Library Accepting Donations for Community Dinner

The Thompson Public Library will be taking in non-perishable goods for the Community Christmas Dinner.

 

The Christmas Dinner is open to the whole community in particular the Homeless or those that aren't able to do their own Holiday feast.

 

The items the library is accepting is canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gift cards to Safeway and Wal-Mart for last minute purchases and care packages.

Boys and Girls Club Updates

The Boys and Girls Club will not be doing lice checks anymore for kids who use the club for after school activities.

 

The school division has stopped the checkups and asked the Club to stop doing the same says after school director Terri-Lynn Turton.

 

The Late Night for Youth program at the Boys and Girls Club will be shut down until January because of lack of employees.

 

Turton says it’s the only program affected by the lack of employees.

 

The Club will be doing a raffle draw in January for a Winnipeg Jets game on January 23rd. You can purchase the tickets at any of the two Boys and Girls Club locations.

 

To hear more about the raffle and other updates for the Boys and Girls Club, tune in to Thompson Today at 12:40PM and 5:10 PM.

Drug Busts in Grand Rapids Area

The RCMP North District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team assisted two detachments in Grand Rapids and Chemawawin over the weekend in arrested five individuals for Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine.

 

On December 2, 2016, two Chemawawin residents were arrested and charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine and Possession of Proceeds of Crime.

 

A search warrant was executed in Grand Rapids. Police arrested and charged three Grand Rapids residents with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine.

 

Police are still looking for Kenneth Robert Sanderson of Grand Rapids in relation to this investigation.

 

Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police agency or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Outdoor Rinks a Couple Weeks Away

The outdoor rinks are still a couple weeks away from opening up says Facilities Manager Jim English.

 

The three rinks usually open around mid-December and will start to go through the construction phase after the expected weekend of cold weather.

 

The rinks that are located at Eastwood Park, Juniper Park and Southwood Park would be open from 5PM to 9PM Mondays to Fridays, and on the Saturdays and Sundays from 12PM to 6PM.

Checkstop Results

This past week, Thompson RCMP pulled over approximately 60 vehicles when checking for impaired driving or high risk driving behaviours.

 

It was the first week of the Holiday Check Stop Program and 29 tickets or written warnings were handed out for a variety of offenses.

 

Most tickets/warnings issued were for vehicle equipment issues such as headlights or taillights out, or making excessive noise.

 

Others include; using a cell phone, failing to slow down or pull over when passing emergency vehicles when emergency lights are activated, several tickets issued for speeding as well as for disobeying traffic control devices such as stop signs and red lights.

 

Constable Sandy Diebert says that the fine for failing to pull over when approaching or passing an emergency vehicle with lights flashing is $299.65

 

Operation Red Nose Triples Totals After Last Weekend

Operation Red Nose tripled the amount of rides they gave last weekend during the first weekend for the month of December.

 

After giving out only 21 rides during the first weekend of operation, the group beat that number on both nights. Friday had 33 rides, while Saturday had 36.

 

18 Volunteers came out to help on Friday while 23 volunteers were there on Saturday.

So far the group has raised $2,322.85 and driven 1,105 kilometres after their first two weekends. A total of 90 rides have been taken.

 

To call Operation Red Nose for a ride, call 778-8111. To volunteer, you can get an application sheet at CHTM at 103 Cree Road or at the RCMP office

R.D. Parker, Community Band Concert Schedule

There will be a full selection of Christmas concerts to go around this December between R.D. Parker Collegiate and the Community Band.

 

Starting next week, the Letkemann Theatre will have two full days of concerts for the high school choral, jazz, junior and senior bands.

 

The Choral and Jazz bands will present on December 15th starting at 6PM, while the junior and senior bands are on the 14th at 6PM.

 

The Community Band will be touring around the city during the season, but their main performance will be on the 17th when their tradition of performing at the City Centre Mall continues at 1PM.

 

Along with the many concerts that the R.D. Parker Collegiate bands will be performing over the next couple weeks, the parents will also be involved in the Christmas Season.

Music Parents will try their hand at wrapping gifts from December 9th all the way to Christmas Eve at the City Centre Mall.

 

On the 10th, the Music Parents will running a craft sale which will take place at the R.D. Parker Collegiate Gym from 10 to 3PM.

 

 

Schedule:

 

Dec 9th - 24th                          Music Parents Gift Wrapping Booth @ the City Centre Mall

 

Dec 10th   10am - 3pm           Music Parents Craft Sale @ RDPC Trojan Gym

 

Dec 15th    6pm                        Choral Winter Concert @ Letkemann Theatre

 

Dec 15th    7:30pm                  Jazz Winter Concert @ Letkemann Theatre

 

Dec 14th    6pm                        Junior Bands (Grades 6 - 8) Winter Concert @ Letkemann Theatre

 

Dec 14th    7:30pm                  Senior Bands (Grades 9 - 12) Winter Cocnert @  Letkemann Theatre

 

Dec 17th    1pm                        Thompson Community Band Winter Tour @ City Centre Mall

Budget Surveys Available

After the 2017 budget presentation, it is now time to for your input.

 

The city will release an online survey at the end of this week about the 2017 budget asking for the public’s input for where the city should spend the rate payer’s money.

 

Physical copies of the survey are available at the VRCC and City Hall and can get handed or mailed to the same locations.

 

For the surveys to matter, return them before Christmas as the budget planning will start in January.

Mayor Wants City Representation on Task Force

The Northern Development Strategy Task Force is taking shape and Mayor Dennis Fenske is hoping the city can get some representation.

 

There is some representation from a few members of the community like Mark Scott from Vale, which will represent the mining community.

 

Fenske says that Thompson should be represented as the Hub of the North saying that there should be either a political or business representative from the city.

 

There will be representation from across the north and meetings will take place on a monthly basis.

 

The Task Force is in charge of looking at ways to grow the economy in the Northern Region and was announced by the Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade Cliff Cullen.

WTP Presentation at St. Joseph’s Tonight

The City of Thompson will be holding a presentation about the transfer of the Water Treatment Plant at St. Joseph’s Hall tonight at 7PM.

 

The presentation will be done with some representatives of Vale to discuss and show the process of how the transfer will take place for the next few years.

 

The original presentation was done on last Monday’s Council Meeting. That presentation will be  re-shown at the meeting.

Pre-Budget Meeting Tonight

A public consultation will take place tonight hosted by the City of Thompson asking the public for their opinion on the upcoming budget.

 

At the multi-purpose room in the VRCC, it will be a chance to share your opinion on how the city should spend their money.

 

Mayor Dennis Fenske said that the city will release an online survey before Christmas, similar to what the Manitoba Government did this year with YourProvinceYourPlan.ca.

 

The budget usually will be released in April and has to be sent to the province by May 15th. The meeting will start at 7PM.

RCMP Starts Their Holiday Checkstop Program

The RCMP has started their 2016 Holiday Checkstop Program which will be going on for the holiday season.

 

RCMP will be looking for impaired, high risk and distracted drivers in part of their program which end son January 2nd.

 

There have been 105 fatalities on provincial roadways this year, already 25 more fatalities than the total for 2015 and RCMP officer Sandy Diebert says they hope to limit the already dangerous driving year.

 

The RCMP will also be out and monitoring the roads during the weekdays as well.

 

Reaction from the Waste Water Facility Consultation

The Waste Water Treatment Facility public consultation took place last week, with many members of the public sharing their concerns.

 

Two of the concerns that were brought up from the public was the frontage costs and if the population drops. The city said that they would be okay if the population did drop.

Mayor Dennis Fenske says the frontage cost comes because of the inconsistent consumption rates from the city.

 

One of the things the City brought up was that they may find some other ways to help with their $12.167 million cost for the upgrades.

 

The City will borrow $12.167 million to help purchase the upgrades and will pay it off in 25 years.

Operation Red Nose Ready to Start Second Week

Operation Red Nose will out and about this weekend once again, as they hope to make roads safe for another weekend.

 

Last weekend, nine teams with 22 volunteers were deployed and gave out a total 19 rides.

$564.90 was raised during the two day intake and the organization is hoping is expecting more rides this weekend and for the month of December.

 

To call Operation Red Nose for a ride, call 778-8111. To volunteer, you can get an application sheet at 103 Cree Road at the CHTM office or at the RCMP office.

Salvation Army Moves Deadline for Food Hampers

The Salvation Army has decided to move the Food Hamper deadline to today because of the amount of applications already placed.

 

The original deadline for the Hampers was December 9th but was moved up to today.

The office is open from 10AM to 5PM.

 

Distribution will take place on December 14th.

Toy drive Tomorrow

The Thompson Fire Department and Thompson RCMP are getting together this weekend to collect toys and non-perishable food donations at the 2nd Annual Toy Drive.

 

It will take place tomorrow from 1 to 5 PM in the City Centre Parking Lot in front of Wal-Mart along Mystery Lake Road. 

 

Constable Sandy Diebert says they hope to beat last year’s amount of 220 toys, 275 food donations, and $365 in cash.

 

The Toy Drive is in partnership with the Local Salvation Army.

TCF Raises Over $27,000

The Thompson Community Foundation raised $27 thousand in the 24 hour giving challenge on November 19th.

 

The Thompson Community Foundation also received $540 from the Winnipeg Foundation.

TCF will hold one more event before Christmas as they will set up the Memorial Tree during the second week of December. The tree will be set up across KD Insurance and if you donate $10 you can put a the name of the loved on the three.

 

The Memorial Tree has been put up every Christmas.

December 6th Ceremony at VRCC

The YWCA will be putting on a day of remembrance on December 6th to remember the tragic events that took place in Montreal in 1989.

 

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women will go on at the VRCC between the hours of 12 noon and 7:00 pm, with a candle light vigil at 2 pm.  

 

A wall of remembrance will be put up for red dresses which will represent lost or missing women.

 

People are encouraged to place a red dress on the wall of remembrance which will be put on display for the day.

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