The School District of Mystery Lake will be without any revenue from the Grant-in-Lieu with Vale for the next four years.  

At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees, Chairperson Don MacDonald read a letter from Mayor Dennis Fenske, stating that the entirety of the new G.I.L. will be staying with the City of Thompson.

The letter, which was dated April 9^th, Mayor Fenske said that through Council's budget deliberations, they "had to make the difficult decision not to distribute funds to the School District of Mystery Lake for the term of the agreement."

With previous G.I.L. agreements, the funds had been split between the City, the school district, and the local government district.

MacDonald commented on the letter after it was read, saying that they won’t be making any changes to their budget as they had already prepared for the loss of that revenue stream.

The G.I.L. was a portion of the almost 20% of non-Provincial funding for the Board’s 2017-2018 budget.

The driver of a vehicle that struck and killed three boys just north of Nelson House over the weekend is facing multiple charges.

27-year-old Todd Norman Linklater has been charged with three counts each of impaired operation causing death, impaired operation over 80mg% causing death and failing to remain at the scene of accident.

RCMP were called Saturday night after receiving a report that three boys from Nelson House, two 11-year-olds and a 13-year-old, had been struck and killed by a vehicle on Provincial Road six-20 just north of the community.

Linklater exited the vehicle following the collision to flee the scene on foot.

He turned himself in to the Nelson House RCMP detachment an hour and a half later. 

He is scheduled to appear in Thompson Provincial Court today.

Police have a suspect in custody following what the RCMP is calling a serious assault.

Officers were called to a local business on Thompson Drive around 12:30 this morning after receiving a report of an assault.

A 33-year-old man is being treated for injuries, while the Mounties have a 22-year-old in custody.

The RCMP says that the investigation is ongoing, and that they will release more information as soon as it is available.

Further updates will be posted here as they are made available.

Lions Manor 55 is closer to their fundraising goal following their radio-thon here on 102.9 CHTM.

$2,395 was raised during the pledge drive, which took place on April 11^th between 9:00am and 12:00pm.

That money brings the total amount of their community fundraising effort, which includes both cash and in-kind donations, to over $716,000.

Nick DiVirgilio, the president of Lions Manor 55, said that they are very grateful for those who phoned in during the show, and that the real success of the radio-thon was the awareness that was created.

He added that several people have contacted them following the show, requesting more information on how to become a resident once the project is complete.

DiVirgilio said that while the finances are in place for construction, it is important for them to continue to fundraise during and after the building process to reduce the amount of money that they have to borrow.

The groups goal for cash donations is $750,000.

Photo courtesy of Thompson Citizen.

Nelson House RCMP are investigating with assistance from an RCMP forensic collision reconstructionist after three youth were struck and killed by a vehicle last night.

RCMP were called to the scene after 10:30pm after receiving a report that three children had been struck and killed by a vehicle on Provincial Road 620 around two kilometres north of Nelson House.

The three boys from Nelson House, two 11-year-olds and a 13-year-old, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigating officers believe that the vehicle that hit the youth was travelling southbound and was driven by a 27-year-old Nelson House resident. It is believed that two of the children were walking while the third was on a bike at the time of the collision. 

The RCMP said that the driver exited the vehicle following the collision to flee the scene on foot. He turned himself in to the Nelson House RCMP detachment an hour and a half later. 

Mounties say that there were four passengers in the vehicle at the time of the incident and that alcohol is confirmed to have played a factor in the collision. Multiple charges are pending against the driver. 

The RCMP have four people in custody following the death of a 35-year-old man in Thompson earlier this month.

Carla Wass, a 25-year-old female from Oxford House, was arrested here in Thompson on the 23rd and charged with second degree murder.

Three male suspects, all in their 20s, were arrested by investigators in Oxford House First Nation and also face charges of second degree murder. Warren Bradburn (24) and Gregory Hart (28) were arrested on April 24th, while Randal Hastings (27) was arrested on the 26th.

All charges stem from the death of a man on April 21st, who was found injured in the Burntwood Hotel parking lot before succumbing to his injuries at the hospital.

All four suspects remain in custody and the investigation is ongoing.

Vale’s operation here in Thompson has been named a finalist for the Mining Association of Canada’s Environmental Excellence Award.

They have being nominated for their SLAM Dunk initiative. It breaks down waste into 13 different streams, which diverts waste from the landfill. SLAM is an acronym from safe production, meaning stop, look, asses and manage.

Ryan Land, a spokesperson for Vale’s Manitoba Operations, spoke to Arctic Radio News about the initiative. He said that it is an innovative waste management program, with the goal being to achieve zero harm to the environment.

He added that waste is sometimes sorted on site through various different bins. He gave the example of his own office, where he has four bins. Land sorts his waste into general waste, general recyclable, white office paper and non-industrial plastic. The contents of the bins are then taken to a larger station before being taken off-site by a third party.

Vale’s Manitoba Operations won a similar award in 2015 for their involvement in the Thompson Economic Diversification Group, though Land was quick to point out that they were just one of the partners who worked together on the initiative.

The award winners will be announced at a gala in Vancouver on May 7th.

There will soon be a steeper penalty if you’re charged with distracted driving.

Currently if you’re charged with distracted driving in the Province of Manitoba, you will be facing a fine of $203 as well as 5 demerit points.

Constable Sandy Deibert, from the Thompson RCMP detachment, spoke to Arctic Radio News to talk about the changes that are coming.

The new legislation from the Provincial Government would see an automatic three day suspension being added to the fine and points, which makes them the same penalties for driving under the influence.

Deibert said that the fatalities from alcohol-related and distracted driving-related collisions are similar, but the current penalties are not. She added that people are losing their lives on the road because of mobile electronic devices and that it needs to stop.

If you have a child set to head to kindergarten this September, now is the time to register.

Registration is taking place at all elementary schools in the School District of Mystery Lake during regular school hours, 9:00am through 3:30pm.

Children that are turning 5 by December 31st, 2018 can be registered for this upcoming school year, and parents or guardians must provide the child's birth certificate and Manitoba health card at the time of registration.

The deadline to register a child for a school outside of their local school is May 15th. Parents and guardians wishing to take that route have to fill out a School of Choice form.

If you are registering your child for the local elementary school, registrations will be taken up to June 30th.

For more information, you can call the school board office at (204) 677-6150.

The annual Relay for Life here in Thompson is set to take place this Saturday, April 28th, from 5:00pm until 2:00am on April 29th.

Donna Wilson, the chair of the relay committee, spoke to Arctic Radio News and dispelled a myth that some people believe, that spending money on cancer research is a waste. She said that research is the best hope for those who have been diagnosed or will be diagnosed. According to Statistics Canada, cancer research has prevented around 180,000 deaths in Canada since 1988.

Wilson added that the Canadian Cancer Society uses the Thompson Relay as an example for the rest of the country, and that less than 5% of raised funds go to overhead costs, which is less than half the provincial average (which is 10%).

Donna will be the guest for Thompson Today tomorrow on April 27th. She will be talking about why the Relay is still relevant today, why it is still important, and the real difference that it makes here in Thompson.

Thompson Today runs every weekday at 12:40pm and 5:10pm on 102.9 CHTM

Saturday April 28th is the National Day of Mourning.

Gord Medwid, the current vice president of United Steelworkers Local 6166, spoke to Arctic Radio News about why the day is recognized and why it’s important. He said that the day is marked every April 28^th to remember those who lost their lives on the job while trying to provide for themselves and loved ones.

Medwid added that around 1,000 people are killed in Canada every year due to a workplace accident or occupational disease and that this day serves as a reminder of why the fight for safer work conditions is just as important today as it was three decades ago.

The day will be marked here in Thompson on Saturday with a ceremony at the United Steelworkers Hall starting at 2:00pm. There will be a ceremony with different speakers which will be followed by refreshments.

The event is open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. The location of the ceremony is marked on the map below with the red pin.

Two people will appear in Thompson Provincial Court following a drug bust by Thompson RCMP earlier this week.

Mounties executed a search warrant at a residence on Ospwagon Drive on Tuesday under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Officers located and seized around 207 grams of crack cocaine, 100 grams of marijuana, a large sum of Canadian money and various drug paraphernalia.

44-year-old Ryan Kirkpatrick and 20-year-old Jayna Baker were both arrested by the RCMP and face charges of production of a controlled substance, two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and possession of stolen property. The two are scheduled to appear in court today.

Officers from the Thompson RCMP detachment continue to investigate.

Juniper School is hosting a WE event this Friday, April 27^th, to help raise awareness about the lack of clean drinking water around the world.

Winter Ross, a grade seven student from Juniper School and a member of their Student Council, spoke to Arctic Radio News about the event.

She said that the walk, which will be led by Student Council and teachers, will follow the Cree Road/ Thompson Drive loop going past R.D. Parker, the school board office and KFC before returning to Juniper School.

Ross said that the lack of accessible clean drinking water is not only a problem faced by countries in Africa, but that it’s something that happens in our own neighbouring communities.

In addition to the WE walk, Juniper School is raising funds to build a well in Kenya. Ross said that it will cost $5,000 and that they have been able to raise $1,000 so far this year.

She added that the focus has been on Kenya this year as some teachers from her school will be going there this summer. The teachers will be there to build a school to help make education more accessible to all.

The WE charity is a worldwide development charity and youth empowerment movement that was founded in 1995 by Marc and Craig Kielburger. It was original known as Free The Children, but changed their name in 2015 following the success of WE Day events which launched in 2007.

The full interview with Winter Ross and Arctic Radio’s Sue O’Brien will air on 102.9 CHTM tomorrow afternoon as a “Thompson Today” segment at 12:40pm and 5:10pm.

The recipients of the 21^st annual Young Humanitarian Awards, presented by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, were announced recently and a Thompsonite is on the list.

Hayley Jenkins, who is currently in grade 12 at R.D. Parker, is one of the 27 recipients from public schools across the province being recognized for their work in the community.

Norm Gould, the president of the society, says that this years’ winners have “beautiful humanitarian hearts” and “represent the good in public schools across the province”. Jenkins’ teachers at R.D.P.C. say that description fits her perfectly, as she shows genuine enthusiasm for doing community work.

Jenkins not only participates in efforts at school through groups like “H3” (Hands, Heart and Hope) and S.O.S. (Students Offering Support), but also volunteers on her own time with groups like the humane society. Other projects that she has been involved with over the past few years include the donation of almost 10,000 LBS of food to the local food bank and making quilts for the Thompson Crisis Centre.

She was recognized at the last regular meeting of Thompson City Council with a certificate of recognition.

Jenkins says that she plans on going to the University of Manitoba in the fall to pursue a degree in agriculture.

Tomorrow is the night for those interested in the 2018 Financial Plan for the City of Thompson.

Council will be holding their annual budget presentation, which will be followed by an opportunity for the public to voice their thoughts, opinions or objections to the document.

The document being presented is 12 pages, and deals with everything related to City spending and revenue. The 2018 Financial Plan can be found in its entirety here.

The meeting will start at 7:00pm in Council Chambers at City Hall, and all are welcome to attend.

The RCMP are investigating following what appears to have been a homicide in a small north-eastern Manitoba community earlier this week.

Island Lake RCMP were called to the scene around 10:00am on Monday morning after a body was discovered on the side of a road in Red Sucker Lake.

Officers are treating the death as a homicide after signs of trauma were found on the 37-year-old male victim.

The Major Crime Unit has been called in to assist in the investigation, and the identity of the victim has not yet been released.

The R.D. Parker Music Department is hosting their annual post-tour concert tomorrow night, April 25th.

The program will get underway at 7:00pm in the Letkemann Theatre. The evening will feature music performed by students on the recent senior music tour in Orlando, as well as some music performed by jazz ensembles at the Brandon Jazz Festival. The Thompson Community Band will also be performing.

There is no cost of admission, though there will be a silver collection at the door and bake sale at the intermission. The funds raised will be used to help make the music program more affordable for all.

The program for the concert as well as more information on the R.D.P.C music program can be found on the R.D. Parker Music Department website.

The Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre will be hosting two Strawberry Talking Circles this week, with the topic of both being sexual violence experienced by Indigenous women in northern Manitoba.

The circles are being hosted by Dr. Marlyn Bennett from the University of Manitoba. Ka Ni Kanichihk, which is based in Winnipeg, hired Dr Bennett to undertake this community outreach initiative to meet with Indigenous women who have experienced sexual violence as well as organizations who provide supports.

The first circle is taking place Thursday (April 26th) and is for Indigenous women here in the north who have experienced sexualized violence in Manitoba. All are welcome to attend, as organizers say that having an experience with sexual violence is not necessary to participate and give feedback.

The second circle will take place on Friday (April 27th) and is for those who support or provide services to Indigenous women who experience sexual violence. The organizers are  looking to hear what providers need to know in order to help Indigenous women feel safe when disclosing or reporting sexual violence, as well as what works and what doesn’t work with the current system so it can be improved.

Both the Thursday and Friday talking circles are scheduled from 10:00am until 2:30pm at the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre and include a lunch.

If you'd like more information on the events or would like to register, you can contact either Dr. Bennett or Cynthia Lathlin.

Cynthia Lathlin

Phone: 204-677-1776

Email: clathlin2@nrha.ca

Dr. Marlyn Bennett

Phone: 204-294-9167

Email: marlyn.bennett@umanitoba.ca

Pride North of 55 will be holding their first ever annual general meeting this weekend.

Harlie Pruder, the chairperson of the group, spoke to Arctic Radio news and said that up until this year they were under the umbrella of Winnipeg Pride meaning that they didn't have to hold their own meeting. She added that now that they are their own, independent non-profit organization the meeting is required.

Pruder said that at the meeting, they will be reviewing the past year and looking at what they'd like to do this year. She added that they are looking to recruit new members to the group to get new ideas and new energy.

The meeting is scheduled for Saturday at the Thompson Public Library, starting at 1:30pm. Pruder said that everyone is welcome to attend the meeting even if they only come to get more information on the group.

According to Pruder, Pride North of 55 participates in various community events throughout the year making sure their presence is known. They also host the annual Pride Week here in Thompson, which includes a mini family festival and a flag raising at City Hall.

More information on the AGM, or on the group itself, can be found by visiting their Facebook Page.

The 42^nd Northern Juried Art Show has been cancelled due to a lack of participation.

Leigh Hall, the president of the show's organization committee, said that the decision was difficult, but one that the committee was forced to make as holding the show this year is not viable. She said that there has been a decline in participants over the last few years, and that even though they extended the submission deadline a minimum number was not reached.

Hall added that the committee can "only hope that next year it can continue with renewed interest of the artists north of the 53^rd" and that they will endeavor to work towards next year.

The committee said that all artwork and fees that were submitted will be returned promptly to the artists that did submit work and they can pick up their work at the artists' earliest convenience.

All donations to the show, either monetary or in kind, will be given back with thanks.

The show was scheduled to take place from May 18^th through the 20^th at the Thompson Regional Community Centre.

Museums and archives across the province can now access funds from the new Manitoba Heritage Trust Program through a dollar matching system. 

Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox said that the new program will help heritage organizations build their own individual endowment funds to assist in their long term sustainability. She added that many museums serve as important icons and unique tourist destinations throughout Manitoba, and that the government wants to see those organizations thrive.

To participate, eligible organizations will be required to contribute a minimum of $2,500 to an established heritage trust. Working in partnership with the Winnipeg Foundation and other local community foundations, the province will then provide $1 for every $2 raised towards the organization’s fund. 

The province says they will guarantee support up to $25,000 to organizations that raise $50,000. There is a combined total of $5M available, which will be administered over the next three years.

Jeff Wharton, MLA for Gimli and Minister of Municipal Relations, said that small community museums and heritage organizations already face a number of challenges such as a small donor base. He added that program ensures all areas of the province will have access to provincial support, and that by partnering together museums and archives can continue to preserve local history while offering education opportunities.

Rick Frost, the CEO of the Winnipeg Foundation, said that "this is an exciting initiative for all of Manitoba. Working in close collaboration with the Manitoba community foundations, we look forward to building long-term support for these important provincial heritage organizations".

The Winnipeg Foundation will be holding an introductory information session for those organizations eligible for the program tomorrow at the Viscount Gort Hotel in Winnipeg.

There are over 200 museums and archives in Manitoba, with over 75% located in rural areas. More information on the program, including how to apply, can be found at the Endow Manitoba website.

Nine students here in Thompson have the chance to walk away with a new laptop to call their own at the end of the current school year, provided they complete the program they were selected to participate in.

The students, all of whom are currently in Grade Seven at Juniper School, were selected to take part in the RCMP Foundation’s “Kids, Cops and Computers” program. Those participating were chosen based on different criteria, including good citizenship and limited access to personal technology outside the classroom.

The students will meet with RCMP Constable Sandy Deibert at lunch once a week to talk about a wide range of topics. The things they will discuss include the Crime Stoppers program, the daily life of a police officer, thinking before hitting the “send button”, self-esteem, cyber bullying and staying safe online.

Constable Deibert said that if you provide students with the tools to succeed early in life, it can help build a positive relationship with police and help prevent criminal activity in the future.

Juniper principal Lucy Mayor, Constable Deibert and the students in the program will present what they’ve been doing, and learned, at a school board meeting before the end of the school year.

The Federal NDP has put forward a proposal to the Trudeau government, asking for a special committee to look at postal banking.

Niki Ashton is among those advocating for postal banking. She said that thousands of Canadians, including those in the Nor-Man region, don’t have access to regular banking services and that postal banking would allow for local service.

Ashton said that postal banking is a sustainable solution that would "offer services to Canadians across the country where banking services currently aren’t available and to those who can’t afford or chose not to use corporate banks."

She added that having banking services in post offices is something that has been proven successful in places around the world such as Switzerland, France, New Zealand and Italy.

According to our Member of Parliament, support for postal banking in Canada is widespread with small communities, poverty organizations and unions.

Niki Ashton said that postal banking is sustainable, profitable, equitable, and can provide service where the big banks have abandoned people.

Three students from northern Manitoba will be heading to Carleton University in Ottawa next month for the Canada Wide Science Fair.

The Northern Manitoba Regional Science Fair took place here in Thompson at Ecole Riverside School last weekend, with students from grades four through eight competing in different categories. The categories included life, health, physical and environmental as well as computer, math and engineering. There was also a category for general projects.

Jarek Osika from Flin Flon, as well as Samara Green and Anaya Permanad from Ecole Riverside School, will be headed to the Canada Wide Science Fair to represent our region after their projects were named as this year’s best.

Osika's project, which was given gold in the grade seven and eight physical and environmental category, was titled "Exploring 1420 MHz". The project was set up to try and determine which shape of antenna worked best for communication. According to his results, a horn shaped antenna is more useful than a dish shaped antenna.

Green and Permanand worked together on their project, which attempted to determine how music affects the overall heart and blood pressure of a person. They were presented with gold in the grade seven and eight health category.

Below is the complete list of the top projects from this years' regional science fair:

Grade Four

Gold: Reese Beavis and Mackenna Steeves (General), David and Michael Hynes (Life)

Silver: Soliman El-Rennawi (Life), Paige Morin and Ava Halcrow (General), Hallie Eveleigh (General), Tieryn Fisher (General)

Bronze: Michelle Coleman and Kayla Bergeron (General), Max McRae and Conner Garson (General), Payton Kerfort (General), Mercedes Rowe (General), Brooke Merton (Life)

Grade Five

Gold: Adrianna Ouelette (General), Kaitlyn Krentz (Life)

Silver: Claire Hall (General), Nolan Merton (Life), Cashton Harmer (General)

Bronze: Davian Law (General), Egypt Cook (Life)

Grade Six

Gold: Harshan Sidhu and Malay Desai (General), Addie Neill (Life)

Silver: Kenneth Morris (General), Shayla McLellan-Boychuck and Chelsey Andrews (Life), Allie Thevenot (Life)

Bronze: Keerat Kaur Rai (General)

Grade Seven/Eight

Gold: Tori May (Life), Samara Green and Anaya Permanand (Health), Jarek Osika (Physical and Environment), Cooper Easthman (Computer, Math and Engineering)

Silver: Taylor Dundas and Cole Ledoux (Physical and Environment), Omran El-Rennewi (Life), MacKenzi Schwartz (Life), Madison Evenson-Bonnefoy and Hannah Kraychuk (Health), Luan Gouws (Computer, Math and Engineering)

Bronze: Ethan Portey and Madexx Long (Physical and Environment), Brazil Hasan (Life), Summer Korte (Life), Jazleen Kaur and Kirandeep Sawna (Life), Morgan Markham (Health, Computer, Math and Engineering)

Best Overall General Science (Grades 4-6)

Adrianna Ouelette

Best Overal Life Science (Grades 4-6)

Addie Neill

Best Overall Science (Grades 4-6)

Addie Neill

Best Overall Science (Grades 7-8)

Jarek Osika

Best In Fair

Jarek Osika

Photo courtesy of Kyle Darbyson, Thompson Citizen

The 2018 water rates for the City of Thompson have been approved by the Public Utilities Board.

The new rates were approved on an interim basis near the start of the year, with the interim tag being removed by the PUB last week.

The board held a public hearing in January, where four people either gave a presentation or submitted a written letter hoping to convince them not to raise the rates.

There was also a petition submitted to the Public Utilities Board with 154 signatures, saying that they have concerns about the new rates being unaffordable.

The new rates represent around a 15% increase from last year.

Below is a table with the 2018 rates

The Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, which is chaired by Deputy Mayor Colleen Smook, will meet tomorrow afternoon.

The committee will be discussing and forming the agenda for the next regular meeting of Thompson City Council, which is scheduled for Monday at 7:00pm.

They will look at an invitation from the Association of Manitoba Municipalities to attend a workshop on asset management training, which is scheduled to take place here in Thompson on May 11^th.

The agenda for the meeting also includes information on a Travel Manitoba branding session, which is set to take place on April 24^th, as well as information from the Province on the recently announce 780 new child care spaces across the province.

The full agenda can be found here.

The meeting will start at 3:45pm tomorrow afternoon. The public is welcome to attend.

If you'd like more information on this or anythign else going on at City Hall, you can call 204-677-7910.

The Boys & Girls Club of Thompson has gotten a little help when it comes to paying for their wheelchair accessibility project thanks to the Thompson Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation announced that the Boys & Girls Club was the recipient of $3,000 from the Moffat Family Fund at their 2017 Annual General Meeting, which took place last June. The funds were presented last week at the club by Paula Yanko (Grant Chair), Brenda Laycock (Treasurer) and Dave Moore.

The money will be used to cover part of the cost the Club will incur for railing and signage for the wheel accessibility project.

The Thompson Community Foundation announced $97,949.30 in grant money at their AGM last summer. Other recipients included Wapanohk Community School, Spirit Way, the Juniper Centre and the Northern Regional Health Authority.

There has been over $1M given out by the Community Foundation to local causes here in Thompson since the organization formed. The money given out by the Foundation comes from interest earned, which allows the grants given to grow every year.

Tensions continued to rise in Council Chambers at City Hall last week, when Council debated two resolutions which stemmed from a water break in the Station Road area last October.

The resolutions were to approve payments to two companies, Water X and Eric’s Plumbing and Heating, with a total cost of $57,218.75.

Mayor Dennis Fenkse spoke to Arctic Radio News to clarify what happened, and why the City is on the hook to pay. He explained that the City, after conducting tests, original thought the water break was with the service line to Water X which made it their responsibility to fix. Water X then hired a contractor, Eric's Plumbing, to conduct the repairs.

While they (Eric's Plumbing) were working, it was discovered that it was in fact the water main that was the issue and not the service line. Since the water main is the responsibility of the City, Mayor Fenske said they (the City of Thompson) accepted responsibility, and told the contractor to continue with the repairs and provide the City with the bill.

Councillors Duncan Wong and Ron Matechuk led the charge against the first resolution, which was to cover the $23,931.80 that Water X paid for the work before the real cause of the break was discovered.

Both Councillors Wong and Matechuk questioned the competency of and the process followed by City staff. Both councillors said there was a lack of information. That claim was refuted by both Mayor Fenske and City administration, who said that everything to do with the resolutions was reviewed in detail by all of council two weeks prior to the meeting.

Councillor Penny Byer, who joined the meeting on the phone from Brandon, said that Council needs to focus on whether or not they’ll pay their bills, as the repairs have already taken place at the request of the City. Those thoughts were later echoed by Councillors Valentino and Ellis, as well as Deputy Mayor Smook.

Councillors Matechuk and Kolada, who voted against the resolution to pay Water X, voted in favour of paying Eric’s Plumbing and Heating. Councillor Kolada said that in this case she supports the resolution to pay the billed $33,286.94 as they were hired by the City.

If you have old, damaged or unwanted cell phones, PDAs or pagers taking up space at home, local high school students want to take them off your hands.

The R.D. Parker Collegiate science department is collection old handheld electronic communications devices this month as part of the Recycle my Cell "Earth Month Challenge.” Devices can be dropped off at the front office of R.D.P.C. anytime until the end of the month.

Recycle My Cell, the group running the challenge, will give the school in each province that collects the most phones a prize of $500. All schools that collect the minimum, 20 phones, will be awarded $1 per phone collected. The maximum one school can received (combined) is $1,000.

According to the official rules of the challenge, they will accept all old, damaged and out-of-use cell phones, smartphones, wireless PDAs and pagers. They added that they will also accept rechargeable cell phone batteries and accessories, but these will not count towards the challenge. They say that they will nto accept cordless phones, walkie-talkies, non-wireless PDAs, MP3 players, any battery not commonly found in a cell phone, laptop computers or answering machines.

The complete set of rules can be found here on the official website.

Recycle My Cell is Canada's national recycling program for mobile devices and accessories. They have multiple year round drop-off locations here in Thompson, including the BellMTS store in The Plaza and The Source in the City Centre Mall. They also offer a pre-paid shipping label on their website if there is not a convenient drop-off location where you live.

The local food bank is running low on food.

The food bank, which is operated by the Salvation Army, supports 52 families in our community, including over 200 children.

Roy Bladen, the Ministry Director for the Salvation Army in Thompson, spoke to Arctic Radio News and said that they are looking to the public for help, specifically asking for donations of canned fish and canned corn.

You can drop of non-perishable food donations at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in the Westwood Mall, Safeway, or make arrangements by calling Bladen at 204-307-2193. Monetary donations are also welcomed, as it allows the food bank to purchase food that might not be donated.

At the last regular meeting, Thompson City Council had a brief discussion on the increased truck traffic along highway six over the past year, which is a result of the ongoing OmniTrax situation.

The discussion stemmed from a letter Council received from Marc Garneau, the Federal Minitser of Transportation.

Councillor Kathy Valentino spoke on the topic, saying that in the wake of the Humboldt Broncos incident, the issue of increased trucks on the highway needs to be elevated. She said that it did not matter whether or not the collision in Saskatchewan had anything to do with OmniTrax, and that one collision on a highway is one too many.

Councillor Ron Matechuk shot back a response quickly at Councillor Valentino, saying that he thinks there should be more traffic. He said "I disagree with that (Councillor Valentino's remarks) totally. If we expect to get somewhere economically in this area we better have more traffic on the roads. That's what it's all about."

Speaking on City Beat later in the week, Mayor Dennis Fenske said that the City will be elevating their lobbying efforts on the issue.

He said that even though Thompson should continue to be a transportation hub for the region, this is an issue of safety that needs to be addressed.

Photo courtesy of Thompson Citizen, Kyle Darbyson.

Thompson Rural RCMP are investigating following a collision south of Split Lake on Provincial Road 280 earlier this week.

A minivan with several people aboard crossed over the center line and collided with a grader travelling in the opposite direction.

The occupants of the van sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported to hospital, while the operator of the grader was not injured.

The van was driven at the time by a 33-year-old man from Gatineau, Quebec.

The Mounties have said that alcohol was not a factor and that seatbelts were used.

The red pin on the map below indicates approximately where the collision took place.

Choral risers for the Deerwood School music program are a step closer to reality, thanks to United Steelworkers Local 6166.

A $250 cheque was presented to the school by steelworkers president Les Ellsworth, who will be stepping down later this year.

Peter Frigo, a music teacher at Deerwood School, said that the risers will give their choir members a chance to shine.

He added that it will help their sound project further, which would reduce the need for microphones.

The school still has around $4000 to go before they can purchase the risers, but are putting in applications to places like the Thompson Community Foundation in hopes of getting more local support.

Photo courtesy of Thompson Citizen, Kyle Darbyson.

The deadline is Sunday for those wanting to submit work for the 2018 Northern Juried Art Show.

The original deadline was April 1^st, but chairperson Leigh Hall said that they extended it in hopes of having a more successful show.

The artwork will be publicly displayed at the Thompson Regional Community Centre from May 18^th through the 20^th. The show has taken place in Thompson 10 times previously, with the last time being in 2014. Flin Flon hosted last year.

More information can be found by emailing Hall at leigharts@hotmail.com.

The drop-off date for art is one week today, April 20^th.

Photo is from last years' art show in Flin Flon. Photo courtesy of Thompson Citizen, Jan Hall.

A report was delivered at Monday night’s City Council meeting by Councillor Judy Kolada, the chair of the City’s Public Safety Committee.

The report, which was for the period of January through March 2018, included information on the City’s cold weather policy, by-law and enforcement, as well as safe operations.

The report states that stats in 2017 for the Community Safety Officers decreased due to the fact they were not on the streets from May 24^th until the end of June 2017.

When it comes to the City's cold weather policy, it was enacted 41 times this winter, with a total of 153 people using the facilities. Of those 153, 118 were male and 53 were female. There was no data from last winter provided, though data was provided for 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016.

Councillor Kolada added that city administration is currently looking at changing the building and property standards by-law, as it does not give the by-law inspector the power to issue a common offence notice when a business or residence is not in compliance with property maintenance.

The full report can be found here.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada will be bringing a school assembly program to Thompson starting tomorrow.

The program includes a fictional story, as well as real-life examples, of the potentially devastating impacts of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The fictional story, titled The Pact, tells the story of Zoe who struggles to fit in at a new school and ends up in a car with someone who had been smoking marijuana.

The story will be accompanied by the real-life stories of three people; Carol Grimmond, Craig Watson and Maia Vezina. Gimmond lost her mother in an accident caused by impaired driving, Watson lost his life, and Vezina was seriously injured.

The presentation tomorrow will be at both Burntwood and Juniper schools, at Riverside on Monday, and Deerwood on Tuesday.

Tomorrow is jersey day across the country.

Everyone is encouraged to wear a sports jersey, or the colours green and gold, to show support for Humboldt.

The event started out as an idea from a group of self-described hockey moms in British Columbia, with the purpose of showing support for everyone affected by the collision.

The group is encouraging everyone to take a picture of yourself with the jersey on, and post it to social media using #JerseysForHumboldt.

Other ways that people have shown support since the crash on Friday evening include leaving their hockey sticks outside their door, which started when a Manitoba-based sports caster posted a picture on social media.

The Go Fund Me page, which is now the third highest campaign ever on the site, has surpassed $8M.

The Thompson Public Library will be hosting a dental presentation for kids this Saturday to wrap up dental hygiene week.

The event, which is set to run from 2:00pm until 4:00pm, will include learning about tooth-healthy food and cavities, as well as crafts, a colouring contest, a dental story time, learning how to brush and floss and give-aways. The presentation is for children eight and under and will be given by Dr. Gill and Amy.

There a maximum of 40 kids, and registration is required. You can register your child by calling the library at 204-677-3717 or by contacting the library on Facebook.

Two young people have been charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and carrying a concealed weapon.

Thompson RCMP responded to a weapons complaint Tuesday, where it was reported that two youth were in possession of a handgun. Officers responded, and placed both under arrest. An air pistol was located in the waistband of one of the youth, and further investigation determined that both had been in possession. Both have been released.

Constable Sandy Deibert, from the Thompson RCMP detachment, spoke to Arctic Radio News and said "Everyone needs to be aware that BB guns are considered to be firearms under the Criminal Code if they are used in a criminal or negligent manner. If used improperly, the RCMP will lay charges. More importantly, it is very difficult for our officers to distinguish between a real or fake firearm, which could lead to a dangerous situation. We urge everyone to use and store all firearms, including BB guns in a safe and secure manner"

She added that officers will treat any incident of a weapon as a real weapon until proven otherwise.

Below is a picture of the gun that was seized by police.

Three men and one woman are facing charges of impaired driving following what was a busy weekend on the roads for the Thompson RCMP detachment. 

The first charge was laid on Friday evening, when a vehicle was pulled over by officers for speeding. The 20-year-old failed the roadside screening test, and blew twice the legal limit. The car was impounded and the driver will appear in Provincial Court in May.

A vehicle was stopped by Mounties Saturday evening after witnessing a near collision. The 37-year-old driver blew twice the legal limit when given the roadside test, and will appear in Provincial Court in June.

Later that night, Thompson RCMP responded to a report of an intoxicated 23-year-old male who had stolen a vehicle. Officers were able to locate the vehicle, and the suspect was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while impaired after blowing over twice the legal limit. Like the 37-year-old, he will appear in court in June.

The final impaired driving charge of the weekend came in the early hours of Sunday morning. RCMP officers had determined that the driver, who was pulled over at a traffic stop, had been consuming liquor. The 22-year-old was arrested at the scene after she blew twice the legal limit when the roadside screening test was administered. The driver will appear in Provincial Court next month.

Members of United Steelworkers Local 6166 have chosen who they want to replace outgoing President Les Ellsworth and outgoing Vice-President Gord Medwid.

Polls were open at the Steel Centre from 8:30am to 8:30pm yesterday, in addition to the advanced polls on April 5th and 6th.

Warren Luky has been chosen to take over the mantle of Union President, while Tony Colborne will take over as Vice-President. Luky was chosen over James Crawley, while Colbourne beat out former City Councillor Luke Robinson.

Election results:

President: Warren Luky

Vice-President: Tony Colbourne

Recording Secretary: Travis Hart *

Treasurer: Baltazar Flores

Financial Secretary: Sheila Thompson *

Trustee: Jim MacIntyre, Randy Wischenewski, Todd Burnside

Inside Guard: Michelle Tomashewski

Outisde Guard: Glen Boxell *

Guide: Justin Lefebvre

Grievance Committee: Jim MacIntyre, Luke Robinson, Evan Bercier, Randy Wischenewski, Baltazar Flores, Glen Boxell, James Crawley, Travis Hart, Tony Colbourne

* By acclamation

A vigil was held here in Thompson last night to remember those affected by the tragic bus collision in Saskatchewan. 

The event took place at the TRCC, which was kept open after normal Sunday hours had ended to allow the sevice to ahppen. There was prayer from Elder Jack Robinson, and candles were lit in remembrance. There were also a few different people who spoke, including some who weren't schedueld but felt the need to say a few words.

One of the people who helped put things together spoke to Arctic Radio News, and said that it was important to hold a vigil in Thompson as what happened hits close to home. She said that it wasn't only the number of people that lost their lives, but also the fact that we live in a hockey community. She added that even if you aren't a hockey fan or invovled in any way, you know someone who is. 

Over 3,000 people attened the vigil that took place in Humboldt, which was broadcast on national television. They were also held across the province and the north, including The Pas, Norway House and Cross Lake.

A GoFundMe page was set up once the scale of the collision was announced, and donations are now nearing $6M as of 3:00pm today. The page says that all money raised will go directly to the families of those affected to help cover expenses. Donations can be made here.  

Photo courtesy of Kyle Darbyson, Thompson Citizen.

Scott Fielding, the Provincial Families Minister, announced late last week that the Manitoba Government will be creating 780 new child care spaces across the province, including 12 new spaces here in Thompson.

Those new spots will be a $22.8M investment in child care, made through the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

Fielding said that the new spaces will be created through new construction, as well as funding for 621 existing spaces at 63 child care centres.

Of the 20 projects being announced, 10 are being developed within schools, which will produce around 424 new spaces. 10 projects developed in the community locations will result in 356 new spaces.

Thompson Children's World is the only centre in Thompson, and the north, that will see new spaces created. There will be an additional four spots for infants and eight for pre-school children for a total for 12 new spots.

More information on where the spots will be created can be found here.

Ford has announced a recall notice for more than 51,000 vehicles sold in Canada.

The recall applies to 2018 F-150 trucks and 2018 Expedition SUVs that have a 10-speed automatic transmission, as well as 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles that have a 6-speed automatic transition.

The recall affects just under 350,000 vehicles across North America; 292,909 in the United States, 2,774 in Mexico and the 51,742 here in Canada.

Ford says that there is a clip that locks the gear shift cable to transmission in vehicles, and that in some of the affected vehicles, this clip is not firmly in place. They say it could result in the car shifting into a different gear from the one the driver has chosen.

They added that if that situation were to occur, there may be no warning light or chime to warn the driver that the vehicle is not in park when exiting the vehicle. Ford has said that it is aware of one reported accident and injury related to the issue.

Ford also issued a second recall, which affects less than 200 2018 F-150 trucks, Expedition SUVs, Mustangs, and Lincoln Navigators. The vehicles affected by the second recall have a missing transmission roll pin, which could cause the vehicles to fail to shift to park when the driver selects it.

The U.S.-based automotive giant says that they will inspect and fix the problem on affected vehicles free of charge. To check to see if your vehicle is affected, you can click here.

Syrup from northern Manitoba is now being served at a high-end restaurant in New York City.

The syrup is made by Alan and Johanna McLauchlan at their facility near Wanless, which is only accessible by snowmobile in the winter, and by quad or boat in the summer.

Their family-run company, Rocky Lake Birchworks, was started around a decade ago, and they now tap more than 1,500 trees on the shores of Rocky Lake.

The McLauchlan’s are one of two birch syrup producers in Manitoba, and have had their products go to every continent.

While their signature product is the syrup, they also produce wild rice, salves and tea.

Alan McLauchlan said that there are a lot of good things in the boreal forest that can be used, rather than going in and quote cutting it all down.

Rocky lake Birchworks can be found on their website, or on Facebook. A 250ml bottle of their birch breakfast syrup will cost you $20.

The lawyers representing Constable Abram Letkeman have filed paperwork saying that he acted in accordance with his police duties the night of November 21^st 2015 when Steven Campbell was shot and killed, and his girlfriend Lori Flett was seriously injured.

Letkeman is currently facing charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, reckless discharge of a firearm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

In addition to the criminal charges stemming from the incident, both Flett and Campbell’s mother have filed lawsuits against the RCMP and Attorney General of Canada.

Read: RCMP Officer Facing Two Lawsuits

According to the defence, Constable Letkeman was authorized by the law to use the force that he did in protecting himself, and others, from the apparent threat posed by Steven Campbell.

The case is still before the courts, though the defence has requested that it be dismissed without costs.

Manitoba Public Insurance is giving money to police forces here in the province to help tackle distracted driving.

The crown corporation is providing around $200,000 to support enhanced police enforcement programs, which run throughout April.

Ward Keith, MPI’s VP of Business Development and Communications, said that this is the seventh consecutive year that MPI will be helping fund the program, which is a joint effort with various police forces across the province including the RCMP and Winnipeg Police.

He added that joint awareness and enforcement programs are a good example of how road safety partners can work together to send a powerful message that distracted driving will not be tolerated.

Distracted driving collisions here in Manitoba increased drastically from 2011 to 2016, from 2,415 to 11,086. The insurance associated with those collisions is estimated to be close to $70M per year.

It’s full steam ahead for the proposed new McDonald’s restaurant here in Thompson. They are set to close their main restaurant in the near future so they can build a new bigger location.

Speaking to Arctic Radio News, City of Thompson Deputy Mayor Colleen Smook says that they’re the first group to take part in a new initiative from the City aimed at growing and attracting business. The program, which is the result of three years of planning and discussion, creates tax and service fee credits for businesses seeking to reinvest in their commercial or multi-family residential facilities.

Deputy Mayor Smook added that two pieces of legislation were passed at the last regular meeting to do with the project, one with regards to the number of parking stalls allowed and another to do with the sale of land from the City to McDonald’s.

The new restaurant is currently scheduled to be built, and fully operational, this year.

If you’d like to have your work published in the next Thompson Writers’ Guild anthology, now is your chance.

The guild is looking for submissions to be considered for their next anthology, which will be about “beloved recipes with a tale”. The submission should include a recipe and either a story or poem that talks about the recipe. No submissions will be considered if they are deemed to intentionally offensive or are not appropreate for anyone under a PG-13 audience.

The recipie should be a maximum of one page (font size minimum of ten) and can include a colour picture of the finished product. The story has a maximum length of 450 words (or one page), while the poem cannot be longer than a page.

They ask that in the submission email, you include your name (including pen name and email), word count of the finished manuscript, and a brief (less than 150 words) describing the recipe and writing. The single file containing the recipe and writing must be attached to the email, and be in DOCX, DOC, RTF or ODT format.

All submissions should be sent via email to thompsonwritersguild@gmail.com. The submission deadline is May 31^st.

The time to act is now if you want to book your camp site, cabin or yurt for the summer.

Manitoba Parks officially opened their 2018 Parks Reservation Service for all areas this morning, including Paint Lake.

If you want to book your camp site, or find out more information about what is available, you can visit the Manitoba Parks website or give them a call at 1-888-482-2267.

With longer days and warmer weather on the way, there will be more people outside at all hours. This usually leads to an increase in break-and-enters, as well as vandalism.

Constable Sandy Deibert, from the Thompson RCMP detachment, spoke to Arctic Radio News with some tips for keeping your vehicle, and the things in it, safe. She said that you should remove any valuables from the vehicle (including money, electronics, keys, bags), park in a well lit area (with motion sensor lighting if possible), and to lock your vehicle.

Constable Deibert added that it is the same idea when it comes to protecting your property; making sure things are well lit and locked.

The full interview with Constable Deibert will be airing on 102.9 CHTM, as a Thompson Today, on April 13th.

If you want to report a crime, either as a witness or as a victim, you should call the Thompson RCMP Detachment at 204-677-6911.

The City of Thompson’s Legislative and Inter-Governmental Affairs (LIGA) committee will meet tomorrow afternoon.

The agenda for the meeting includes a letter from Chief Marcel Moody with regards to government to government relations, as well as a letter from the Federal Transportation Minster, Marc Garneau, with regards to the OmniTrax situation. Also on the agenda is a letter from Heather McClean in regards to designated heritage sites within the City, and an invitation to attend the Southern Chiefs’ Organization First Nations and Municipalities Business, Partnershpi and Additions to Reserve forum.

The meeting will start at 3:45pm at City Hall, and the full agenda can be found here.

The LIGA committee meets every week before a regular meeting of council, and part of their responsibility is to form the agenda for City Council.

The Pallister government has come under fire recently from both opposition parties following the announcement that the Province will no longer provide health coverage for international students.

Students from outside of Canada were first granted universal healthcare by the NDP government in 2012, and is estimated to cost the Province $3.1M per year.

Thompson MLA Kelly Bindle says that the Province is under no obligation to provide health insurance to anyone who doesn’t live here permanently. Bindle added that Manitoba’s health insurance plan is financed by taxpayers who live and work here, and that they’re not in a position to finance addition coverage for those who don’t pay into the system.

International students represent about 18% of the student body currently at the University of Manitoba.