The Thompson Crisis Centre’s annual Healthy Family Fun Event takes place this Saturday.

It runs from 3 to 6 pm at the TRCC gym and is free to attend.

Mary Demare, Outreach worker with the Crisis Centre has the details.

“This includes bouncy houses for the kids, a fish pond, animal balloons, face painting, karaoke singing and also a silent auction.”

Demare says this is an opportunity for people both in and outside of Thompson to gather together as a community.

The Crisis Centre also organizes and participates in events such as the “Take Back the Night Walk” in September, and the “16 Days of Activism”, which culminates with a vigil on December 6th to remember the victims of the Montreal Massacre.  

Both events recognize the occurrence of violence, especially gender-based violence,  and show support in the fight against all violence.  

 The YWCA Thompson launched the Locker Project last year as a harm reduction strategy.

Nicole Apetagon, the Women’s Programs Coordinator with the YWCA, explains how it works.

“The locker project is a partnership between the YWCA Thompson and the Northern Regional Health Authority. It is an initiative within the harm reduction frame work where drug users are able to stay anonymous and have free access and safe drug supply such as pipes and mouth pieces.”

The Locker Project is a part of a partnership between the YWCA and the Northern Regional Health Authority.

If you have questions about the Locker Project, contact Apetagon at 204-778-1209, message Thompson YWCA on Facebook, or drop by Room 115 at the YWCA.

The YWCA Thompson is encouraging local residents to celebrate a woman or girl in their life that inspires them as a way to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8th.

The organization’s She Inspires Me campaign is underway.

Women’s Programs Coordinator, Nicole Apetagon, says Thompsonites can submit a message they’d like to give to the woman that inspires them and it will be delivered along with a gift next Friday.

Messages have to be submitted by Tuesday, March 5th.

Apetagon has more about their Health and Wellness Mini Fair that takes place on March 8th.

“This event is free for the community to attend and also for the vendors. This event promotes well being for aspects of self which are physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.”

Apetagon says the Fair is free to attend and takes place from 6 to 9 pm in the multi-purpose room at the TRCC.

Catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10 pm for more details about the “She Inspires Me” campaign and the Health and Wellness Mini-Fair.

Pet owners in the north are constantly struggling for access to adequate veterinary care for their pets.

That’s what the Thompson and Area Pet Care Community Cooperative hopes to address.

Harlie Pruder, Board Member, shares what the driving force is behind the Cooperative.

“If anybody is listening from any of the communities that are either close near Thompson or people who would regularly be coming into Thompson for services, if you are interested in being involved then it’s meant for you as well. It’s not just for Thompson, it’s for the area.”

Their main goal currently is to raise funds to purchase the North of 55 Vet Clinic.

Other goals include recruiting veterinarians to work up here and support work force and education development.

They hope to encourage northern students to study in this field and then return home to practice veterinary medicine.

Learn more about the Thompson and Area Pet Care Community Cooperative and how you can help.   Catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10 pm.

On February 22, 2024, at approximately 10:30 pm, Pukatawagan RCMP received a report of a male pointing a loaded firearm at youths inside a residence in the community.

Police responded immediately and quickly determined the male had left the residence and that nobody was physically injured during the incident. Officers searched the community and located the male a short time later at another residence. He was taken into custody without incident. During a search of the suspect, officers located ammunition and a knife. The firearm has not been located.

Justin Dumas, 30, of Pukatawagan is facing multiple firearm-related charges as well as charges related to breaching his release order conditions. He remains in custody.

On February 16, 2024, at approximately 11:00 pm, Norway House RCMP responded to an armed robbery at a business in the community.

Officers immediately attended and were advised a masked individual entered the business, pointed a firearm at two employees and demanded money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of money, the individual fled.

During the course of the investigation police learned another business had been robbed at gunpoint earlier that night. In that incident a masked individual entered the business, pointed a firearm at an employee, demanded money and fled.

Officers identified a suspect and determined he was involved in both robberies.

On February 22, 2024, at approximately 5:00 pm, Norway House RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence on Fort Island, and the suspect was arrested without incident.

Chevy Tait, 20, of Norway House Cree Nation was charged with robbery and firearms related charges and was remanded into custody.

Norway House RCMP continue to investigate.

On February 21, 2024, at approximately 10:05 pm, Thompson RCMP officers received a report of two unknown individuals attempting to board a bus while in possession of an unknown quantity of drugs.

The description of one suspect was provided to officers and a patrol of the area located the individual a short distance away who was placed under arrest for Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking.

A search of the suspect located over $5000 in cash, approximately 43 grams of suspected crack cocaine, which was individually wrapped, and other drug-related paraphernalia.

An 18-year-old male, from Winnipeg, was released for a later court date where he will face charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.

Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.

Feb 22, 2024-02-23

To the Attention of Hockey Winnipeg and Sport Manitoba;

Firstly, please let me express my appreciation for taking the time to meet with myself, Deputy Mayor Valentino and former Mayor Dennis Fenske on February 9th to address our concerns. Your attention and care did not go unnoticed and for that we are grateful. At that time, I committed to keeping an open dialogue and agreed to inform you when the U18AAA proposal to remove the Norman Northstars from the league had escalated and the threat is real of becoming a public spectacle.

Commissioner Taylor reached out to me this week requesting a town hall meeting to explain to our community the cause for the elimination of the Norman Northstars and Kenora Thistles. I don’t think he quite realized the enormity of his actions. In speaking with both Levi Taylor and Don McIntosh, it’s all about the “win” and developing quality, competitive hockey players. It appears that what U18AAA Hockey development means to them and myself are quite different, and this is what I got from their calls; that-

-Manitoba needs to up their game so we are more competitive against other provinces

-Hockey players on teams such as Northern Region, Parkland, Central Plains, and Kenora drag down the profile of U18AAA Hockey

-Players and parents are more interested in hockey academies to boost their chances of progressing to a higher caliber

-Hockey Winnipeg is on board with this proposal as are other regions

While there was more gibberish spouted, this was enough to make my blood boil- nevermind the insinuation that with my lack of hockey knowledge that I should listen to and support the proposals of those that have been involved for years. While I may appear to only be a fan- I do know the impact the Northstars have in the North.

When I questioned how their reviews of the state of hockey were done, I was told it was completely internal, ie. No going to regions and seeing what was done or what supports, no asking our team how they managed to up their game this season, no comparing percentage of players who have moved up in leagues or even NHL Tootoo & Keeper vs South numbers, and no listening to their members voting to table this proposal.

At this point, we still have used a pretty low-key approach. We have held back partners from moving on with legal process right across the spectrum from the disregard for following policies right down to Human Rights violations. We have been very respectful, considering we have been swarmed with supporting letters from multiple Regions, Indigenous partners, former coaches and players. A former Thompsonite has 6500 followers on his Twitter page about this. A current online petition has garnered over 7600 names showing their support.

It is important to note that the Commissioner’s timing of this announcement comes at a time that our city is hosting it’s annual Winter Carnival “Winterfest” weekend. We anticipate that with Mr. Taylor hosting this town hall meeting, there will be hundreds of people in attendance as a reflection of the ongoing support we have received. There is speculation that the media outlets (CTV/CBC) will be in attendance, and there is talks of having the meeting recorded. It is entirely possible that Hockey Canada will get involved. This town hall will become the start of a negative media outcry within the Province and become a political nightmare for those involved.

We implore that this situation be addressed immediately to remedy and salvage hockey culture not only in this province, but all across our hockey nation. The future of our youth are depending on you.

Sincerely,

Colleen Smook
Mayor

Medical lab assistants and technologists from around the province are still travelling to Thompson to help with under-staffing at the Thompson General Hospital.

That’s despite ongoing efforts by Shared Health to recruit more staff to provide lab services.

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals President, Jason Linklater, says the remaining two permanent technologists are still experiencing work stretches of 6 to 8 days, with most including 24 hours of service to the lab and hospital.

This situation has caused the Association to file grievances with Shared Health, after warning them and the Province of Manitoba of risks to service if remaining staff hit their breaking point.

Emergency and hospital inpatients in Thompson continue to be served by the Thompson Hospital Laboratory, and outpatient lab services are currently operating between 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Thompson Fire and Emergency Services is still struggling with a staffing shortage, currently operating with an approximate 21 per cent reduction in staff.

That resulted in an estimated 12-hundred hours of overtime paid out in January.

Mayor Colleen Smook addressed the issue on City Beat yesterday.

“What we worry about with the staffage shortage is all the overtime hours worked that we have adequate staffing and keeping the fire fighters paramedics from getting burnt out. We need to have sustainability in the fire department and working so many overtime hours definitely isn’t conducive to that.”

Smook said she had reached out to the head of Shared Health, Lynette Saragusa a couple weeks ago.

In response, a Zoom meeting was held Wednesday between the city and Shared Health reps to discuss the supports Thompson needs.

The Mayor said meetings between the two groups are now scheduled for every two weeks as they work together to address this and other health care issues for Thompson.

On February 21, 2024, at approximately 7:35 am, Norway House RCMP responded to multiple reports of a male carrying a firearm in the community.

Immediately officers responded and began making patrols for the suspect.

Information was received advising the male was at a residence in the community. Officers contained the residence and began calling out all of the occupants. The male suspect exited the home and was arrested without incident.

A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of a rifle, ammunition and a pellet gun. The rifle was checked and confirmed stolen from a residence in Norway House Cree Nation in 2021.

Kody Paul, 29, has been charged with Careless Use of Firearm, Unsafe Storage of Firearms, Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime and Weapons Possession contrary to Order.

He was remanded into custody.

Next Wednesday marks Pink Shirt Day, a day that’s part of the anti-bullying movement.

Bruce Krentz, Health Promotion Coordinator with the Northern Health Region shares its origins.

“Back in 2007, in Berwick Nova Scotia, a new student at school was bullied for wearing a pink shirt so the next day, a couple of grade 12 students brought 50 pink shirts and encouraged their classmates to wear them. What they found was that the next day, they didn’t have to give out all the shirts because a majority of the students were wearing pink to help support that new student and sort of rise up against bullying.”

With 1 in 5 students affected by bullying, chances are that you or someone you know is being impacted.

If you’re not sure what to do, reach out to someone who can help.

Go to PinkShirtDay.ca and visit their Resources Page.

Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD,  is the most common cause of vision loss in the developed world and 2.5 million Canadians currently live with it.

Dr. Karim Hammamji, a retina specialist with the University of Montreal, explains what it is.

“With the same types of machines that we are using to diagnose, we are able to algorithms that use AI to detect some features in the scans that will help us know which patient is going to progress more quickly and which patient needs to be followed more closely.”

There are two types of AMD. The dry type which gradually gets worse, while the wet type usually progresses faster due to a buildup of fluid on the eye.

Hammamji said injections in the eye are the current treatment for both types of AMD, but that advancements in some of the medications mean injections may not be needed as often.

Hear more about AMD, how it’s diagnosed and treated, and risk factors of the condition at thompsononline.ca.

The work is getting underway with the Premier’s Business and Jobs Council, which Mayor Colleen Smook is a member of.

Here she shares which working group she was appointed to.

“They already had our appointments to this group. I ended up being on the green energy working group. You know, while I’m not an expert in green energy, the future Thompson Manitoba is linked to electric vehicles, airships, Manitoba Hydro electric, we have everything for green energy here that we can share.”

Smook is joined on this committee by 7 other members, including Stacey Kennedy from Vale,  and Manitoba Chamber of Commerce President Chuck Davidson.

Premier Wab Kinew announced the council at his Inaugural State of the Province address in December, where he tasked the council to work toward establishing enduring global trade for Manitoba.

He also underscored that the council will work toward strengthening the province's low-carbon economy while creating job opportunities.

There’s still plenty of winter weather in store for Thompson and the Canadian Mental Health Association can help you stay warm.

Stephanie Hysart with the CMHA Thompson explains how.

“We are still running the “Clothes for Kids” program so if you are needing any winter items, come check out what we still have available in the Charlie’s thrift store. All of our winter items are completely free.”

Hysert says they also have plenty of clothing items for men, women and children, along with household items, books and more.

The thrift store at 43 Fox Bay is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 3:30 in the afternoon.

Hysert noted that everything in the store is free of charge on Fridays.

On February 10, 2024, at approximately 3:00 pm, RCMP North Traffic Services along with Swan River RCMP were conducting traffic enforcement on Highway 10 in Mafeking, when they stopped a vehicle for speeding.

The investigation led officers to search the vehicle which resulted in the seizure of one kilogram of suspected methamphetamine, 50 grams of suspected crack cocaine and approximately $15,000.00 in cash.

The driver and passenger were arrested.

A 22-year-old male from British Columbia and a 20-year-old male from Ontario, were charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking x2 and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.

They were remanded into custody.

The investigation continues.

Since it launched in Thompson in 1984, the University of Manitoba Northern Social Work Program has had over 470 students graduate in the north.

Here program Director, Lee Ann Deegan, shares how and why the program was brought to the north.

“We are one of four undergraduate programs within the facility of social work at the University of Manitoba, we are a sister program to the inner city social work program in the north side of Winnipeg. In fact, the northern program began as an extension of the inner city program where the goal was to increase educational opportunities for people in the North who might not otherwise be able to attend or access post secondary.”

The next class for the Northern Social Work Program begins in September, with the registration deadline on March 1st.

Deegan says grads have gone on to careers in health care, child and family services, community programs, and education - anywhere they can help in promoting community well-being.

For more details on the program and how to register go to nswp@umanitoba.ca.

On City Beat last Thursday, Deputy Mayor Kathy Valentino shared the latest update on the Aquatic Centre.

“Administration has reviewed the proposal during the last week of January, both of those proposals met the technical requirements then staff looked at the financial information to the technical requirements. Council did receive a presentation from administration about the scoring, about each proposal received, about how much money we currently can commit to the project and how much more we need to complete the project.”

Valentino added that the Mayor, Council and City Administration are working to seek additional outside funding to cover the construction costs.

The City of Thompson has about $15 million in confirmed funding for the new pool, including $11 million combined from the federal and provincial governments, a $2 million donation from Vale, a $1 million provincial grant the city received in the summer, and additional money raised by the Swim North committee.

The deadline for the current granting cycle of the Thompson Community Foundation is this Friday at 4 pm.

Funding is available from a number of funds including the Troy Anand Fund, the Joe Brain Grant, the Thompson Hospital Health Foundation and the Moffat Family fund.

Liz Souza with the TCF grant committee, shares details.

“The Moffat is to support and advance the economic social, physical and intellectual well being of children and families in Thompson. It promotes a development of children and youth. It’s provided to enhance the quality of life and make a lasting difference in our community where Moffat communications have conducted business.”

Applications will be accepted from any non-profit organization with a Revenue Canada Charitable Registration Number in Thompson.

Grants are awarded in June to approved projects that must be completed before December 1st of each year.

At 3:51 pm on February 8, 2024, Island Lake RCMP received a report of a house fire in Wasagamack First Nation.

When officers arrived on scene, the primary occupant of the residence was unaccounted for.

At approximately 7:00 pm, the body of the 37-year-old male resident was located inside the completely destroyed home.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner was notified.

Thompson RCMP Forensic Identification Section, along with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, continue to investigate.

Are your children old enough to be using social media platforms?

Not everyone knows that there’s an age requirement to be on these platforms.

Corporal Gord Olson with ICE, the Internet Child Exploitation unit of the Manitoba RCMP,
provides details here.

“Social media platforms are 13 plus so all the popular ones out there like Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok, you have to be 13 or over to be on those platforms and we are seeing a bunch of younger kids being on those platforms.”  

Olson advises parents to make sure they know what their children are doing when they’re online, from who they’re talking to and what sites they’re accessing.

He says it’s best to actually check devices for yourself to ensure no risky behaviours are taking place.

Catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10 to find out more about internet safety for your children.

February is Literacy Month.

On Wellness Wednesday here on CHTM, Bruce Krentz, Health Promotion Coordinator for the Northern Health Region shared why strong literacy skills are necessary and helpful.

“We all feel like we learn to read in school but really, so much of our learning happens outside of school. So much of why we need to practise our literacy skills as kids to learn how to read but then to keep them going throughout our life is just all of the benefits that come to you from having stronger literacy.”  

Krentz said those benefits include being able to understand medical instructions, interpreting your bills and bank accounts, searching on the internet, shopping for groceries and other every day activities.

Increased literacy skills can also improve your job prospects and income level.

The Hello Parents Network will host Family Literacy Day during Winterfest on Sunday, February 25th at the TRCC from 9 am to 11 am.  There will be a Teddy Bear clinic, celebrity readers and a new books give-away.

On February 2, 2024, at approximately 2:20 pm, Gypsumville RCMP received a report of a deceased female having been found outside of her vehicle, on Loop Road, in the community of Little Saskatchewan First Nation.

Officers attended the scene and located the body of a 40-year-old female a short distance away from her vehicle.

Investigators believe that sometime overnight, the vehicle entered the ditch and became stuck in the snow.

It appeared that the female had been outside and away from her vehicle for an extended period of time before she was located.

An autopsy has been scheduled.

Gypsumville RCMP, along with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, continue to investigate.

If you’re a pet owner, you have the responsibility to feed and house your pet and provide medical care such as regular vet visits and vaccines.

Oswald Sawh, Board Chair of the Thompson Humane Society, adds why it’s also important to have your pet spayed or neutered.

“Overall, yes, we encourage people to make sure they spay or neuter their animal so we don’t have a issue where we have unwanted dogs or cats out there because then the challenge comes when people are no longer able to house that animal.”

Sawh is responding to a recent situation where a cat and her litter of 5 kittens were found abandoned outside the city in freezing weather.  Only the mother cat survived.

A spay and neuter clinic was held in January and another clinic will be held this weekend.

Sawh says more clinics will take place in the coming months.

For more on this incident, listen to Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.  

Cancer Care Manitoba is looking for input.

Join their team on February 14th at the Ma Mow We Tak Friendship Centre for an information sharing session from 10 am to 4 pm.

If you have or had cancer, they are looking for your ideas on priorities for cancer care in Manitoba.

In 2023, it was projected that 74-hundred Manitobans would be diagnosed with cancer and that almost 3-thousand would die from it.

By sharing your information, suggestions and observations, you could help change those statistics.

To attend, contact the Program Coordinator at 204-784-2775.

For 25 years, Career Trek has partnered with schools, post-secondary institutions, and communities around the province to deliver career education.

In Thompson for just over a year, the local group has an upcoming event.

Hannah Pruder, (Prew-durr) Program Manager for the north, has more.

“Our Trekker Day is going to be held at the TRCC and it’s an event that is for our current participants in the Wonder of Work program. They are going to be trying out a variety of different careers and taking a tour of UCN.”

The Wonder of Work program is for Grade 5 to 6 students and this session will showcase work stations on social work, writing and story-telling,  and herbology, to name a few.

Trekker Day runs February 16th from 10 am to 3 pm at the TRCC.

On City Beat last week, Mayor Colleen Smook addressed a rumour that the Norman Northstars would not be part of the hockey league they currently play in for the next hockey season.

Here she shares her initial thoughts upon hearing about the plans being proposed.

“They are talking about moving our players and putting them- you know “Don’t worry, we are going to put them down south, we are doing it for the good of our players.” You know, my mind actually went back to residential schools and the 60’s scoop when people down south and the powers that be thought they were doing everything they could for the betterment of the kids and we can all see how that turned out.”

Smook said she responded quickly to this by sending a letter to the league commissioner, Levi Taylor, opposing any such actions.

She outlined the importance of northern players being able to play closer to home where they have family and cultural supports.

Arctic Radio has reached out to Taylor for comment.

On February 1, 2024, at approximately 8:10 am, Leaf Rapids RCMP received a report of a deceased female located on the outskirts of the community of Lynn Lake.

Officers attended and located a 40-year-old female who was pronounced deceased on scene.

The cause of death remains under investigation as we await the results of the autopsy.

Leaf Rapids RCMP, along with RCMP Major Crime Services and RCMP Forensic Identification Services, continue to investigate.

Since 2001, the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba has provided funding and supports to school nutrition programs.

Maxine Meadows, the Operations Manager with the Council, shares why this support is important.

“We know that students come to school without having had enough to eat for a variety of reasons and schools want students to be ready and prepared to learn. If that means having food available then that needs to happen.”  

Earlier this week, the province just announced a 30-million dollar funding boost to school nutrition programs.

Currently over 300 meal and snack programs in Manitoba schools reach 45-thousand students daily.

Meadows says the extra funding will allow the council to continue providing grants to these programs and reach out to the 70-plus schools currently on their wait list.

Learn more about the funding and the council. Catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.

February is Heart Month.

On Wellness Wednesday yesterday on CHTM, Bruce Krentz with the Northern Health Region addressed some factors where we can take action to help our heart health, especially if we have a family history of heart disease or heart conditions.

“Some of the things that you can do to lower your risk of heart disease is to consider the risk factors that comes with diabetes, looking at your smoking habits, quitting smoking if you can or cutting down, obviously will help your overall heart health. Checking your cholesterol, making sure you’re getting some exercise, checking on your blood pressure and your diet too.”   

Regarding diet, Krentz noted that we should have half our plate filled with fruits and vegetables, avoid saturated fats, limit alcohol and limit our salt intake.

Research shows that men 45 and older and women 55 and older are at higher risk of heart disease, so it’s important to take steps to improve our lifestyles early on.