Spirit Way Incorporated will be part of four big events this upcoming year in hoping to resonate that Thompson is the Wolf Capital of the World.

In part of Canada's 150^th celebration, the Canadian Embassy in the UK will promote a Northern Manitoba adventure which will give away a free trip worth $35,000 to one lucky tourist. The trip would take the winner to Winnipeg to experience the Polar Bear exhibit at the Assiniboine Zoo, here to Thompson to experience the Wolf capital of the world, and Churchill for the Polar Bear experience.

Along with the embassy promotion, the city of Wolverhampton in the UK will let Spirit Way participate in the city's wolf statue program. Spirit Way will paint two of the statues which will be displayed.

There is plans to have an Aurora Borealis Conference and Festival in September and a 2^nd Wolf and Carnivore Conference in October.

A preliminary report will also be unveiled for the proposed Wolf Centre of Excellence which would be constructed in the Boreal Forest behind the TRCC and UCN.

All these plans were announced during the Spirit Way Annual General Meeting.

The RCMP Division Action Response Team was deployed in two communities to target gun violence and drug trafficking.

In the communities of Grand Rapids and Chemawawin, consent search of residences were completed.

As a result of the search police located and seized cocaine, marijuana, hash oil, trafficking paraphernalia, Canadian currency, cell phones and a stolen firearm.

As a result seven people were arrested and charged.

Seventeen police officers from the Grand Rapids Detachment, Chemawawin Detachment, Emergency Response Team, Integrated Gang Intelligence Unit, The Pas Police Dog Service, and the North District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team took part in the initiative.

The Chamber of Commerce will be at a new location on November 1^st.

The Chamber will move their offices from the City Centre Mall over to 55 Selkirk Avenue at the Professional Building which houses TNRC and RE/MAX.

The Chamber decided to move because of the lack of space and the possible introduction of a resource centre which will help and teach new entrepreneurs how to run a successful business.

The Chamber will set up an open house at a later date to show off the new location.

The new office space will be about two times larger than the original location at the Mall.

The RD Parker Collegiate band and jazz ensembles have been chosen to participate in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Festival.

The Senior Symphonic Band and Senior Jazz Ensemble were selected based on their recorded audition, and were selected among a pool of applications from across Western Canada.

Instructor Kevin Lewis says he is proud of the group for making the high-caliber Festival and says past classes have accomplished a lot in traveling festivals. He notes that this is the fifth time going to Banff.

The Choral Ensembles will also be making the trip to take part in the Banff Music Retreats. The tentative schedule has the class leaving Thompson on April 19^th and returning on April 25^th. The Festival takes place on April 20^th to 23^rd 2017.

Registration is now open for the Thompson Annual Community Christmas Parade.

The parade will run on November 26^th and the city is asking any business and organization to take part.

They are accepting most vehicles including ATV's and snowmobiles to take part in the lineup.

Registration papers can be picked up at the TRCC and must be given back before the date of the event. The parade will run at 1:30 to 2:30 PM.

The parade will start at Cree Road and Hemlock Crescent and will finish up at the TRCC where they will conduct the annual lightning of the Christmas tree.

RD Parker Collegiate will be home to many band and jazz ensembles from around Manitoba this weekend when the Norman Jazz Festival takes place.

Respected Jazz clinicians will be making their way from Winnipeg to conduct workshops to the classes before they take the main stage on Sunday. The concert will be open to the public and will be at the Letkemann Theatre.

Instructor Kevin Lewis says that the experts will all get together, many for the first time.

Lewis says that the festival is well-known around Manitoba, sometimes being called the best educational festival in the province.

To find out more information on the Norman Jazz Festival, listen to the interview with Kevin Lewis during Thompson Today at 12:40PM and 5:10PM.

Sprit Way incorporated will hold their 12^th annual general meeting tomorrow at 7:15PM at the Meridian Hotel.

The Meeting will look back on the year that was and look forward with projects that will be coming up for Spirit Way.

The organization invites everyone to join the AGM to listen to people with a vision for the community and how to make it a tourist hotspot in Manitoba.

The meeting will announce the organizations plan for 2017 which will involve overseas advertising for Northern Manitoba.

The Minister of Finance Cameron Friesen made his way up to Thompson for his fourth visit to a Manitoba community for pre-budget consultations.

Businesses, organizations and The City of Thompson came to the meeting to give suggestions on what should change when it comes down to finances for the province.

One common complaint was the lack of essential skills that many people do not have in the area.

Other concerns brought up were the lack of entrepreneurs in the community and the limited amount of affordable housing which can be found in the city.

Friesen said that the province will look at helping the North after a rough summer, saying that the province only succeeds if the North succeeds.

The province will be trying to fix an $846 million deficit, which saw it have the second highest expenditures in the country.

University College of the North will be holding a two day Linkages Conference today and tomorrow filled with key note speakers and workshops.

The Linkages conference is a training conference with presentations by instructors and personnel from business from the northern region.

The two keynote speakers will be MLA for Thompson Kelly Bindle, who will present on Tuesday and Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson who will speak on Thursday.

There is a dinner and evening entertainment at UCN concourse on Tuesday night.

A resolution was made in order to submit an application for funding through the Public Transportation Infrastructure Fund during Monday's Special Meeting of Council.

The resolution was passed and was submitted in order to get funds for the Handi-Van which is used for the Mystery Lake School Division.

The grant would be split between the three forms of government with the Federal government paying for 50% of the cost and the Provincial and municipal government splitting the costs in half.

If the application is denied, the city will proceed with paying for the Handi-Van with its own funds.

It'll be a change of pace for the MLA for Thompson tomorrow morning when he's at the Mystery Lake Body Shop.

Its Take Your MLA to Work Day in which the region's MLA goes to a local workplace that has hired an individual with disabilities. Bindle will be provided a 30 to 45 minute tour of the workplace highlighting where the employees work and what tasks they do.

Bindle will be introduced to the employee's co-workers and employer as well and will hear the employee's success story.

The event is put together in part with Disability Employment Awareness Month which is intended to raise awareness about the benefits of hiring Manitobans with disabilities.

At the Thompson Community Fund Gala, resident Nick Di Virgillio was awarded the Order of Thompson.

The Order of Thompson goes to an individual who has helped build Thompson through philanthropy, business, recreation, volunteering, community spirit, and ambassadorship.

Nick helped with various organizations, helped install the John F. Thompson clock outside of City Hall, and is on many boards to help grow the city. Nick was awarded the 2006 volunteer of the year, and has been known to volunteer for anything in the city and never say no when asked for help.

The Order was initiated in 2010 with Volker Beckmann receiving the inaugural award.  He was followed by Gail and Arnold Morberg, Red Sangster, Adrian DeGroot, Ted Smook and John Donovan.

Three key note speakers talked at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Thursday to discuss the future in Northern Manitoba.

Vice-President of Manitoba Operations for Vale Mark Scott gave an update on the operations of Vale as they are set shut down the smelter and refinery operations in 2018.

Furnace operations will decrease in January when the company shifts from 2 to 1 furnace operation. The company has been transitioning employees from the smelter and refinery to the mines and mills to accommodate the reduced work needed.

The goal from Vale over the past few years has been to drive costs down in preparing for the closure.

The closure is expected to result in 500 job losses. Vale is in the process of working with the city to help affected employees stay in the Northern region and find employment elsewhere. 300 employees are eligible for retirement in the year of 2019.

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Marcel Moody has some big plans for NCN after receiving the urban reserve in Thompson this summer.

Moody says NCN wants to work in junction with the City of Thompson to help both parties and to keep the integrity of the city.

The reserve is hoping to spend $10 to $20 million at the newly acquired Mystery Lake Lands and no official plans have been made yet. In discussions though, is a new school, nursing station, gas station and to repair the water and sewage in the area.

Moody says he hopes that NCN can help revitalize Thompson and still keep competition in the market place.

MLA for Thompson Kelly Bindle says the province is looking a diversifying the economy for Northern Manitoba.

With major companies dropping out of Northern Manitoba in the past year, Bindle says the government is looking at other projects to help with the community's economy.

He says that things like tourism will help the North in coming years.

Bindle was in for the meeting to tell Chamber of Commerce members about the provinces goal for YES North Program which is to help Northern Manitoba stay in top priority.

Bindle also addressed other issues like cottage growth on lakes, and the future of the rail line at the meeting, saying both are on the top of the mind of the government.

The Northern Health Region will be holding their third annual Northern Health Summit in The Pas on October 25^th. 

The Summit is titled Voices of the North: Hearing, Valuing, and Engaging where key leaders from our communities get together to discuss and explore health issues and identify priority concerns.  Keynote speakers are coming from the South Central Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska, Ileen Sylvester who is Vice-President of Executive and Tribal Services and Donna Galbraith Medical Director of Quality Assurance.

The Summit runs all day October 25^th in the Legion Hall in The Pas.  The Health Regions Annual Meeting will run from 12 to 1 with the public welcome to attend.

The Thompson Community Foundation will be holding a gala tomorrow night at Riverlodge Place.

The event will run from 6PM to 1AM, with cocktails starting at 6, and dinner being served at 7.

The TCF is holding the fundraiser to remain in operation. The TCF gives out grants to local initiatives, to invest on education, shelter, and care for those in needs, to the arts, environment and recreation.

At the gala, the Order of Thompson will be handed out. A silent auction and 50/50 draws will also part of the gala.

There will also be a special performance by the Thompson Community Band.  

If you would like to attend, contact Tamy Burton for tickets by calling 204-679-5350 or 204-778-5511.

A Pre-Budget consultation meeting will be taking place at the TRCC Monday afternoon.

The provincial finance minister will be travel to cities around the province in each region to discuss the 2017 budget.

The public is encouraged to come out and share their opinions and ideas for the 2017 budget.

If you are unavailable to attend the meeting, you can go to YourProvinceYourPlan.ca to share your input with Manitoba Finance.

Your time to get rid of your old electronic equipments is down to the last few weekends at the city landfill.

Public Works E-Waste is a program at the landfill that takes place during the summer where residents are encouraged to bring their old electronic equipment to throw away in a responsible matter.

Microwave ovens, stereos, phones and radios are just a few of the things that can be brought down. Washers and dryers are the exceptions, as they fall under the category of scrap medal.

Director of Public Works Wayne Koversky says that the might do something different for next year in order to have enough days for the public to throw out old electronics.

A conclusion of Northern Business Week will take place tonight at the Riverlodge Place.

A few presentations will be taking place over the evening.

Mark Scott of Vale will be discussing about the closing of the refinery & smelter in 2018. Updates will be given about the progress that has gone into the eventual closing.

Chief Marcel Moody will also be on hand to talk about business NCN is doing in the north and how it creates employment in the region.

The final speaker will be MLA for Thompson Kelly Bindle who will give a presentation about the provincial government's YES North program.

The doors open at 6:30, and the event is scheduled to start at 7.

Construction looks to be almost done in the city of Thompson, with just a few delays with the snow.

Selkirk Avenue which has been under construction for most of the summer is the last road to be under construction in the city, but it is open to vehicles. Only the sidewalk is going through construction at the moment. With the opening of Selkirk, that means Public Lane is back to a one way street.

Other construction taking place is on the outskirts of the city by the CN station. All construction is scheduled to be done by the end of October, but can be delayed with bad weather continuing.

With most work getting wrapped up and just minor inconveniences, the city will be looking at areas to work on for the next year.

Nothing has been planned so far on what areas will be under construction next summer in the city.

Discussions will start to take place this month and will be finalized when the 2017 budget is determined.

Canadians want a new voting system to elect the federal government, according to consultations set up all over Canada this past weekend.

Members of Parliament set up consultations to discuss possible political reform which has been discussed at the Federal level.

84.3% of Canadians that went to the consultations think that the amount of a political party's seats in parliament should reflect on the percentage of votes that are received.

The Liberals only received 39.5% of the vote during last year's federal election but managed to take a majority of the seats in the House of Commons.

The government has committed to having a new voting system before the next election which would take place in 2019.

On October 14^th the RCMP responded to a vehicle in the ditch on Highway 6, 15 minutes south of Thompson. The car which has been sitting on the side of the road since Friday has had police tape around the vehicle.

Police have responded and the matter is being investigated. It was not investigated as an impaired driving incident.

No further details are being released at this time.

Monday afternoon a scary moment happened on the tarmac of the Thompson airport.

Flight 503 was on its way to Gillam but failed to leave the tarmac after smoke came out of the engines.

The plane was evacuated on the tarmac and passengers made their way back to the terminal without their luggage.

The Thompson Regional Airport Authority and Calm Air president Gary Bell confirmed an emergency was declared on the flight over engine trouble.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

The City of Thompson is monitoring the budget thanks to the amount of snow that has dropped on the City of Thompson.

Director of Public Works Wayne Koversky says that this year has already beaten the amount of snow that dropped last year which might be a blessing in disguise for the budget.

Koversky says because of the mild winter the city experienced last year, they had room to spare to spend on this year's snow clearing equipment.

The budget is expected to increase almost $30,000 next year but with more snow on the way.

The budget which was put in place back in December looks like it will stay over the price spent for this year, but the $30,000 increase which is in place for next year might go up because of the abundance of snow which has fallen this month.

Koversky says they are monitoring expenses and situation on hand and will budget accordingly.

It was a small crowd, but an opinionated one at the Democratic Reform Town Hall last weekend.

MP of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski Niki Ashton led the meeting in hopes of consultation for a change on how Canadians elect politicians.

A few ideas were brought forward by the audience, with both sides of the issue expressed says Ashton.

The meetings were held all across the nation with a difference of participation in each region. The one that took place in Thompson had little outside participation but still received some informative responses from the individuals that did come out, says Ashton.

When asked if there would be another Town Hall involving the subject, Ashton says she doesn't think there will be one and that any suggestions can be forwarded to her through her office.

Even with the colder weather over the past few weeks, it'll be a while until outdoor rinks are close to open.

The outdoor rinks program starts up in the middle of December, so no matter how much of a winter the city will get, the outdoor inks will be made as scheduled.

There is still an opportunity to skate though at the TRCC as public skating runs every Friday and Sunday at 6:30PM to 9PM at the TRCC.

Changes do take place for public skating times and to find out more information, you can call the TRCC at 677-7952.

Westwood had a gym full of students and new citizens of Canada when the Canadian Citizenship Ceremony took place.

86 individuals were accepted as Canadian citizens as one by one they accepted a citizenship certificate and shook hands with officials from all forms of government.

A few children from Westwood School were accepted as citizens and when they went up to accept their certificate was cheered by their co-students.

Mayor Fenske has established this week as National Teen Driver Safety Week for the city of Thompson.

The week is dedicated to spreading awareness and seeking solutions to preventable teen deaths on the road. Young drivers are the most likely individuals to end up in accidents in Canada and have the most road-related injuries and fatalities.

Fenske says in statement that everyone has a role to play in creating change amongst their peers, in classrooms and their communities.

Motor Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 16 to 25 year olds.

The dates and times are scheduled for when you can get the flu shot in the next two weeks.

All sessions are walk in process meaning you don't need to book an appointment.

Next week the City of Thompson will celebrate Small Business Week and the Chamber of Commerce has chosen a few events that you can attend.

It all starts off at the City Council meeting on Monday when there will be a presentation during the meeting of council.

On Tuesday there is a small business workshop at UCN for UCN business students at 1:30PM.

Wednesday will have a social media conference at the Meridian Hotel at noon.

Thursday will cap the week off at the Riverlodge Place when vice-president of Vale Manitoba Mark Scott speaks about the closing of the refinery and smelter in 2018. MLA Kelly Bindle and Chief Marcel Moody will also be there for presentations. Start time is at 6:30PM.

Schedule:

Monday, October 17

Presentation to City of Thompson mayor & council, 7:00 pm, City Hall

Launch our own Facebook page

Tuesday, October 18

CEDF presents a �Small Business� Workshop for UCN Business Students at UCN 1:30pm

Wednesday, October 19

12:00 noon Meridian Hotel conference room, What�s In It for Me? Social Media & Business

Thursday, October 20

Riverlodge Place, 7:00 pm

Mr. Mark Scott will be speaking about the closing of the refinery & smelter, 2018.

Chief Marcel Moody will talk about the business NCN is doing in the North and the employment created by this.

Mr. Kelly Bindle will present about the Provincial government�s Yes North program

Doors open at 6:30 pm. Coffee/Tea & Dessert. Tickets available at the Chamber of Commerce office.

General Admission $30, Members $25.

The Thompson Public Library will be hosting a book signing this weekend for local Northern Manitoba author, Murray Harvey.

Harvey is from The Pas and published his first book at the age of 80. He will provide a short reading of his new book "From This Valley".

Book purchasing and signing will take place during the event.  The event will take place at 2PM tomorrow.

The event is free and will be provided with refreshments. The Thompson Writers Guild will be hosting the event.

The Juniper Centre will be hosting an open house on Tuesday to promote their services to businesses and individuals.

From 11 AM to 2 PM there will be booths set up to inform persons with disabilities on becoming self-employed or to network with businesses to show that they can work.

As Charlene Kissick from the Community Futures North Central Development tells us, they want to attract businesses to the event to help connect with individuals that have worked through programs at the Juniper Centre.

Refreshments and door prizes will also be on hand. There will also be a 'Wheel in their Wheels' obstacle course set up.

A local high school student has made headlines around the province after a song about the struggles at Oxford House First Nation has gone viral.

Carlene Weenusk, originally from Oxford House and now hails from Thompson, joined with her group of friends and teamed up with a production team from Montreal to make the video that describes what youth deal with living on isolated reserves like Oxford House.

Weenusk says they wanted let people know of the struggles they face and says that living in Oxford House limits opportunities.

Weenusk says she would love to end up back in Oxford House, and would like to become the community's dentist. She plans on going to University of Manitoba for school to become one.

Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FilF26tdu8w

Not many cold days are ahead in Thompson but snow is expected to still come down for the next few weeks.

The coldest temperatures are expected this weekend with more snow on the way, but after that the temperature will level around the 0 degree range for the next week.

Snow has come earlier than normal this year and is expected to stay. With the fluctuating weather, freezing rain can be expected on a few days which will make roads slippery around the city.

Along with the colder weather no sun is really expected past this weekend, as it'll be mostly cloudy this will keep warmer surface air temperature.

Surface wind speed will still around the 10 km/h range during the next few weeks.

You can go watch many new citizens recite the Oath of Citizenship and become new Canadian citizens.

The Canadian Citizenship Ceremony will be taking place at the Westwood School tomorrow

.

The event will start at 1PM and run till 3 with photo opportunities at 2:30PM. A representative of the federal and provincial government will be at the event.

The Red Cross had to respond to a crisis out at York Factory which is about 175 km north of Thompson after the winter storms that took place last week.

On Thursday, approximately 60 individuals, including elders and those with serious health issues, as well as some of their family members, were evacuated from the community to Thompson. They were returned back to the community on Saturday.

The Red Cross helped the move after being called in. During the storm, York Factory was the only community affected says Jason Small from Red Cross.

The outage also impacted the water treatment facility in the community. The Red Cross flew in more than 7,700 litres of bottled water to the community to help.

Question period is officially not part of City Council after it being at the end of each meeting.

After a review of the City Council meeting by-law, it was established that the question period wasn't even part of the by-law.

Deputy Mayor Kathy Valentino says that most cities only have one period to ask questions oppose to the two periods that the city had offered before.

The question period was meant to have participants ask any concerns about the meeting, but it started to expand to questions that weren't part of the agenda.

The inquiries period will still be part of the agenda for future meetings and will be near the beginning of the evening. The city does insist you call or e-mail questions at another time.

Next week is Fire Prevention Week but with the winter storm that has taken place over the past few days, the snow may affect activities throughout the week.

The Sparky Trailer, a simulation of a house fire, was intended to be brought around the schools over the week, but as Deputy Fire Chief Rick Morris says, it all depends on the weather.

Although it's mostly a school oriented week, Deputy Fire Chief Rick Morris wants to state that it's also to raise awareness to everyone to help prevent fires.

The week will also have a contest for Grade 3 and 4 students who will be competing for fire Chief of the day which is given to the student with the best fire plan. There were around 300 submissions last year for the contest.

The City was out clearing the streets yesterday for the first time this winter season.

All equipment was out for the unexpected start of snow season, clearing all streets in a priority selection. There are three priority areas, which main streets like Thompson Drive, Cree Road and any road which is main access for emergency services and schools. Second Priority is for bus routes and sidewalks. The third priority is residential streets and remaining sidewalks, commercial areas and affected driveways. 

The clearing will start when snow piles up to 10 centimetres. When snow removing vehicles are on the streets be cautious of their presence. Any cars left on roads that will be plowed will be towed beforehand with the expense of the owner.

The Mystery Lake School division cancelled classes yesterday because of the severity of the winter storm that has come across Thompson.

The school division says it closed down schools in the morning because of safety for students and staff when roads and sidewalks were not clear. The division noted that they wanted to avoid accidents involving children on the streets when the sidewalks were not clear.

When asked about the regulations of school closing, the response that was given was this is a rare occurrence, as cold weather and snow usually won't prevent school from staying open as cold temperatures usually hit Thompson.

The afternoon classes were cancelled because of power outages at four schools throughout the day.

The Lions Manor 55 treasurer says that the feedback has been great since the public meeting held about the future housing complex.

The complex which will be open to people over the age of 55 held a public meeting which would bring light to the project to people who were interested in living there.

Treasurer Penny Byer said that 2 more suites have been committed and many people have inquired about suites.

Byer says that the will conduct two more meetings but the dates have to be determined still. Overall the Lions Club is happy with the response.

A meeting and conference took place to show results from a Point-in-Time count which surveyed homeless individuals and families in Thompson.

This was the second time the PIT count had taken place and the results were similar to the year before. The count found out that 58% of homeless people were considered chronic meaning they had been without a home for more than 6 months.

Issues and possible improvements were discussed with a few individuals from the homeless community who were brought to the meeting to give an insight of the problems they face.

Priorities which were brought forward were job training, permanent affordable housing and mental health support.

Major issues which were brought forward were people being turned away at the shelter, women losing housing when children were taken away from CFS and youth aging out of care.

Concerns will be addressed and will be brought forward to the City of Thompson at a later date.

The Canada Games are calling for artists around the province to help design the medals for the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.

The Games are asking artists around the province to submit their artwork and describe their visions for how the medals should look ahead of the event.

Submissions for the medals are asked to be sent before November 3^rd. A jury will then determine which artist will be commissioned to design the medals.

The Games run from July 28^th to August 13^th next year.

The response wasn't a good one by City council after the Provincial Government declined to grant a remission of sales and land transfer tax when the city takes over the water treatment plant from Vale.

Most councilors went one by one showing their displeasure about the decision which will cost the city almost a million and half dollars in taxes.

Deputy Mayor Kathy Valentino says the length in time that it took for their decision to be made was alarming. It took around 18-20 months for the decision to be made.

Councilor Dennis Foley says the decision given by the province is hypocritical saying that the government will not help the city out during a period of hardships.

The government said that the tax policy applies to entities that were established by the province, which the Plant was not.

A fire was reported last weekend on Pipe Road at the trailer courts.

One home was severely damaged with some damage on neighbouring houses. The fire report said the house was beyond being able to save the house after 7 minutes after catching on fire.

The RCMP is currently investigating the debris to see how the fire started. Early investigations are pointing to arson as the cause of the fire.

The Mystery Lake Lands were home to a celebration that was fifteen years in the making last week.

The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation celebrated the urban reserve which took years to accomplish after a slow process held on to by the last Federal Government.

Provincial and City representatives were on hand for the press conference which preceded festivities and musical acts in the evening.

Mayor Dennis Fenske says that the city is excited to work with NCN which will have financial benefits to both sides.

The process for the urban reserve started back in 2001 and was finally completed earlier this summer. The reserve will give NCN ownership of the Mystery Lake Lands.

The Mayor said he hopes the new Federal Government will work with First Nations in a faster process when applying for urban reserves.

The YWCA held their annual general meeting last week and some plans were discussed for the upcoming year.

Kim Hickes who has become the newest addition to the YWCA after becoming the executive director, says the centre is looking at expansion for a few areas.

She said the YWCA is looking at expanding the drop-in centre, on-site services and programs which are offered at the women's centre.

The annual meeting was joined by representatives from the national, provincial and city level giving out greetings on behalf of the leaders in government.

Mayor Dennis Fenske has proclaimed October as Disability Employment Awareness Month for the City of Thompson.

The mayor made the announcement last week and says that the month is to help spread awareness to business and employers that disabled individuals may have other strengths to help companies in other aspects.

"The encouragement is to become aware of what the abilities are and not to focus on the disabilities," says Fenske.

The mayor also declared October as Senior's and Elders Month last week. This will be the second cause that will be supported by the city.

Hip Hop artist and motivational speaker Shaun Boothe will be making his way to the Letkemann Theatre at RD Parker Collegiate tonight.

The artist, who is from Toronto, travels all across Canada displaying his hip hop biographies of famous celebrities like Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama which have generated a big following for him.

Boothe says that hip hop at times has been shown a negative light and that he wants to change what hip hop can do for people. He also says his style helps kids get motivated, which is why he takes his show to schools.

The concert is tonight a 7PM, and tickets are $20 which are available at the TRCC.

The Federal Government will invest $4.6 million to the Churchill region to help economic development.

The development will grow employment and build more sustainable revenues for the region which depended heavily on the Port of Churchill, which closed in the summer.

One-eighth of the population was left unemployed after the surprise closure.

The fund will be open to the town of Churchill and communities along the Hudson Bay Rail Line.

Western Economic Diversification Canada will oversee the fund and will work with the Province of Manitoba and the community to explore potential projects which will create stable jobs.

"Northern Manitoba is a unique part of our country, with its diverse peoples, history, and economy." says the Honourable Navdeep Bains, "Our government is committed to the long term prosperity of Canada's North."

The establishment of the fund and development of projects is hoping to be a positive step towards diversifying and sustaining the economy in Churchill and northern Manitoba.