The Keewatin Tribal Council will be holding their 7^th annual Orange Shirt Day event tomorrow to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Amelia Moose, a Cultural Support Worker with KTC’s Indian Residential School Program, says it will be a full day of activities including a memory quilt exercise, a round dance, and a giveaway.

Moose adds there will be keynote and guest speakers presenting throughout the day on topics like land-based education, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and how residential schools impacted the Two-Spirit community.

KTC’s Orange Shirt Day event will begin tomorrow morning with a pipe ceremony at 7:30 at the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre.

For more information, hear the full interview on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

The Thompson Urban Aboriginal Strategy and the City of Thompson are hosting events tomorrow and Friday to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Gina Spence with the Thompson Urban Aboriginal Strategy tells us about one of the events coming up.

“The City of Thompson is hosting a family fun night in honour of Truth and Reconciliation. Thompson Urban Aboriginal Strategy is a big supporter for this event. It’s great that organizations can come together to support each other, this is what reconciliation is really all about. We work together to empower each other and to learn from each other. Family fun night will be held at the TRCC on Thursday, September 29^th from 4:30 to 7:30 and there is going to be pizza, games, and activity tables.”

On Friday afternoon there will be activities taking place at the Legion Hall and the residential school monument

To learn more about what’s going on around town for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Three entities have sealed their commitment to ending all forms of anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare in northern Manitoba by signing a declaration yesterday.

Representatives from MKO, Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, and the Northern Health Region say the declaration aims to reduce barriers for Indigenous people seeking care and lessen the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients.

MKO’s Client Navigator Bernice Thorassie says she’s received 14 hundred calls from Indigenous patients who’ve experienced racism while receiving healthcare between January and June of this year.

The NRHA says this is one step towards correcting long-standing wrongs, with CEO Helga Bryant apologising to northern Indigenous patients who’ve been impacted by racism in the healthcare system.

The organizations have committed to releasing biannual reports to track progress towards this endeavour, the first expected to be released in about a half-year’s time.

Healing lodges will be established at the Brandon and The Pas Correctional Centres.

The lodges are designed to reduce repeat offenders  while ensuring public safety,  Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced yesterday.

A one-time capital investment of $1.4 million will support the construction of the two new buildings.    $1.2 million in annual staffing and operating costs will support the communities once operational.

The lodges will support inmate education, language acquisition, family reunification, sobriety, building a connection to their community and a commitment to cultural engagement.

The minister noted the healing lodges will also use traditional ceremonies, teachings and land-based experiences.

Law enforcement in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation has arrested a youth suspect for alleged weapons-related offences.

Last Monday morning, Nelson House RCMP was called to the local high school after it was reported that a twelve year-old boy had brought an airsoft gun to school and shot one of the employees.

The 31-year-old victim received minor injuries.

The school told police they have taken the gun away from the suspect and was isolated with two staff members.

The youth is facing several weapons charges and was released from custody to appear in court at a later date.

A former MKO Grand Chief is taking another go at becoming the next leader of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

Sheila North, a broadcast journalist from Bunibonibee Cree Nation, previously ran for Grand Chief last year, but lost to then incumbent Arlen Dumas.

Dumas has since been voted out as Grand Chief by the AMC following sexual misconduct allegations.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs byelection is taking place next month.

With one-third of kids in Canada not experiencing a safe and healthy childhood, a child advocacy group is urging policy makers to take action to protect all children.

That’s according to Children First Canada’s annual report.

Some of the top threats to children in the nation include unintentional and preventable injuries, infant mortality, bullying, vaccine-preventable illnesses, limited physical activity, and poverty.

The charity says the federal government can minimize those threats by establishing an independent commissioner for children and youth and implementing a national plan of action to improve the lives of children.

It adds the government needs to create transparency and accountability on federal expenditures related to children and youth by publishing a Children’s Budget.

For more on the report, catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Norma Howitt, the Senior Election Officer for the upcoming municipal and school board election in Thompson reached out to Arctic Radio yesterday.

She announced that the School Board Trustees have been acclaimed and due to this, there will be no election for them on October 26^th.

Abby Humby, Mike Lawson, M.D. Sharker, Henk Warnar-Brown and Bryan Young will be joining incumbent trustees Lindsay Anderson and Michelle Tomashewski, who is currently the vice-chair of the school board.

A ballot draw for the mayoral and city councillor election was held yesterday afternoon.

The candidates running for mayor include incumbent Colleen Smook, current councillor Les Ellsworth, and former councillor Ron Matechuk.

There are twelve people running in the city councillor race.

On September 20, 2022, at approximately 3:40 pm, Thompson RCMP became aware that a prisoner had escaped from the cell trailer at the RCMP detachment in Northlands Denesuline First Nation (Lac Brochet). Lyle Samuel, 21, remains at large.

Earlier in the day on September 20, 2022, Thompson RCMP had attended the community to locate and arrest Samuel for Assault with a Weapon and an outstanding warrant for Assault. He was arrested and transported to the cell trailer. He was checked on at regular intervals while a RCMP officer met with members of the community in an office in the trailer. The office door separating the spaces was closed.

At the regular check just after 3:30 pm, it was observed that someone had entered the cell trailer and unlocked Samuel’s cell door. Immediate searches of the area were conducted, but Samuel has not been located.

RCMP do not believe there is a community safety issue with Samuel at large, but are looking for any information as to his whereabouts.

Samuel is described as 5’7” tall and approximately 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing all black. He had no jacket and no shoes, as they had been removed at the time of his placement in cells.

If you have information, please call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The Thompson Crisis Centre has organized a local event to shed a spotlight on sexual and gender-based violence.

The “Take Back the Night” name was coined in the 70s after a march was held in Philadelphia in response to a woman being stabbed while walking home from work, and has since been spread around the world.

The aim is to unify communities to take a stand against violence in our homes and streets to make them safer places.

The Take Back the Night Walk in Thompson will be tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Robins Donuts.

For more on Take Back the Night, listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

A non-profit focused on teaching students where their food comes from has released a new resource for educators across Manitoba to incorporate in the classroom.

As part of Farm and Food Awareness Week, Agriculture in the Classroom says their Foundations of Manitoba Agriculture Virtual Resource Hub is a way to learn about the commodities grown or raised in the province.

Executive director Sue Clayton says not enough Manitobans know where their food comes from, which is one of the reasons why they decided to create the hub.

“Most of us are three to four generations removed from the farm. There used to be a time when all of us knew someone that farmed and that’s just not the case anymore. Teachers have often said to us that they would like to teach more about agriculture related topics but they are just not comfortable teaching about agriculture because they aren’t from a farm and not from that kind of background. So, that’s the whole point of this Foundations of Manitoba Agriculture Resources is to help make teachers more comfortable with a particular topic. If they want to learn more about dairy, or pork, or wheat, or beef, they are able to go and read up about them and then feel more comfortable talking to students about them.”

Visit the Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba website for more information.

Or hear the full interview with Clayton on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak has once again reached out to the Manitoba government regarding its request to cancel or suspend non-Indigenous moose hunting licenses in the region until Indigenous food harvest is assured.

This comes as licensed moose hunting season in the MKO region opens this week.

Grand Chief Garrison Settee first wrote to the province about this last December.

Despite Indigenous Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere directing provincial officials to further discuss this issue with MKO back in June; Settee states that conversation has yet to take place.

Organizers of the local Terry Fox Run are hoping the first in-person event in over two years will be a success.

The Thompson Terry Fox Run is being held this Sunday at the TRCC, with registration beginning at noon and the run itself starting at 1 p.m.

Families and individuals are encouraged to walk, run, wheel, or blade, and pets are allowed as well.

Those who can’t make it can still support the cause by backing the local run at terry fox DOT org or by purchasing a t-shirt from the organizers.

Visit the Terry Fox Run Thompson Facebook page for more information.

Residents in town looking for work will have an opportunity to see what the community has to offer in terms of employment at a local job fair later this month.

The RD Parker Collegiate Job Fair is organized by counsellor Courtney Beauchemin and teacher Jeff Paradis as a way to directly connect people looking for jobs in town with businesses and organizations looking to hire after seeing many “help wanted signs” in the community.

Putting yourself out there can be a daunting task, so a job fair can be a great way for residents to see what’s available to them, as Beauchemin notes.

“Just given the job that I do working in the school, some people are intimidated to talk to certain businesses. It doesn’t hurt to come have a conversation and talk to people even if you might not think you’re suitable for the job. Come and ask some questions, get your name out there and find out what’s available in our community because even myself, I’m finding out about a lot of positions that are available here that I don’t even know about! Definitely come out and check it out! Even if you already have a job, maybe there is a career shift that you can make. It’s just a good opportunity to see what’s out there.”

Employers wanting to participate in the job fair have until next Friday to register.

The RD Parker Collegiate Job Fair will be September 28^th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the school’s gym for the general public.

Tune in to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 to learn more.

The School District of Mystery Lake is among the school boards in the province that’s expressed some concern about potentially not having enough candidates running as school board trustee in next month’s election.

A discussion on this was prompted by a letter from the provincial school board association at Tuesday night’s board meeting.

Secretary treasurer Kelly Knott stated that as of Tuesday, only four nomination papers for school board trustee were picked up from the local senior election official. Mayor Colleen Smook said at yesterday’s candidate orientation session, a few more people picked up nomination papers.

There are seven spots for grabs in the trustee race, and Chairperson Don McDonald states that as many incumbent board members are not running for re-election, it should open up the field for new candidates.

The paperwork for those looking to be candidates in the mayoral, city councillor, or school board trustee race is being accepted until Tuesday and the election is October 26^th.

On September 13, 2022, at approximately 12:30 pm, Thompson RCMP received a report of a missing 62-year-old male.

Steven Daniel Linklater was last seen Monday morning at his residence located on Cree Road in Thompson.

Linklater is approximately 6’0”, 170 lbs, with dark shoulder length hair, brown eyes, usually wears a black toque and may be walking with a cane.

Linklater has difficulty remembering where his home is when he goes out for a walk.

If you have any information on his whereabouts please call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909/6911, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour stopped by 102.9 CHTM earlier this week ahead of the organization’s executive quarterly meeting.

Kevin Rebeck says minimum wage and paid sick leave are a top priority.

“I think whether you are in the North or anywhere in Manitoba, over half of Manitobans have no paid sick days. One of the initiatives we are working on, we have a postcard campaign going on calling for the establishment of 10 paid sick days for all workers so that people don’t have to make that impossible choice between coming in contagious and infecting others or not having a paycheque. They shouldn’t have that, we should have paid sick days and legislation for everyone.”

Rebeck says while he’s glad the provincial government is taking steps to increase minimum wage, those steps aren’t far enough and they should be aiming closer to 20 dollars an hour for a livable wage.

He goes on to say that issues that were brought up during the meeting would be taken into consideration when prioritizing future MFL campaigns and lobbying efforts.

For the full interview with Rebeck, listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

The Thompson Community Band is gearing up for their 16^th season.

Director Kevin Lewis says the band will be returning to in-person rehearsals, but do have plans in place to meet up virtually in case COVID-19 health measures are reinstated.

Here, Lewis highlights the performances the community band does in a typical season.

“We play a number of different events in our community. The very first one is our City of Thompson Remembrance Day ceremony. We also look to do a few performances at Christmas time. One of our favourite performances is stopping by the City Centre Mall and playing some carols for the shoppers there towards the end of December and also visiting Northern Spirit Manor. I don’t know if that one is going to be possible this year but we look forward to being able to return and play for the residents. We usually play for the Thompson Community Christmas concert as well. In the new year, we typically play at the Relay for Life ceremony as well as Nickel Days and we sometimes do an additional spring concert as well.”

The Thompson Community Band meets Tuesday evenings, and the first rehearsal will be September 20^th at 6:30 at the RD Parker Collegiate band room.

Listen to the full interview with Lewis on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 for more information.

Preliminary assay results from Flying Nickel Mining’s Minago project indicate promising resource expansion potential.

That’s from CEO John Lee, who states drill holes totalling 113-point-five-five meters made in Minago’s under-explored North Limb deposit is grading at point-four-one per cent nickel.

He adds the company is delighted to observe platinum and palladium intercepts throughout the entire section grading up to point-two-four-two g-t.

Lee says Nickel grades seem to be increasing at depth as Flying Nickel awaits full results later this fall from the company’s first drill campaign.

The Minago nickel sulphide project is located 270 kilometres south of Thompson.

With the Order of Royal Purple ceasing operations in Thompson, one of its remaining members spoke to Arctic Radio about the impact the group had on the community.

Rita Werstroh says it was affiliated with the Elks of Canada as a way to fundraise for local initiatives.

Werstroh shares some of the projects the Order of Royal Purple Thompson contributed to.

“Every year, we gave five hundred dollars to an organization in town that we felt would help the children. We gave money to the children’s ward at the hospital and we provided funding for a disabled child that was going on a sports event, we helped with the travel. We’ve helped provide a cochlear implant for a young man in town. Programs like that where we can help with travel and cross Canada, we’ve donated to the Purple Cross Fund.”

Werstroh says they didn’t have enough members to continue to operate in Thompson, which resulted in the decision to close the local chapter.

She wishes the Thompson community remembers the group kindly and hopes someday down the line that it may be revived

On June 24, 2022, at approximately 1:40 pm, RCMP responded to a report of a sexual assault, at the Westwood Plaza on Thompson Drive North, in Thompson.

A 20-year-old female was walking into the mall when a male approached her, inappropriately touched her and fled.

Video surveillance was obtained and Thompson RCMP are looking to identify the male in the attached photos. He is described as 5’7” in height, with a medium build, dark brown/black short hair, mustache and glasses.

If you recognize this male please call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909, or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text "TIPMAN" plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

The annual City of Thompson Health and Leisure Mart is back this weekend.

It’s an opportunity for residents to check out what recreational activities are available around town over the course of the winter.

Rihana Thompson with the city says clubs looking to be at the event have until 9 p.m. tonight to register for a booth.

The Health and Leisure Mart will be at the TRCC from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Learn more by listening to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Law enforcement in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation believes a young man who went missing last fall is a victim of a homicide.

22-year-old Rico Cody Linklater was reported missing on October 23^rd of last year.

He was last seen in NCN in the early hours of October 21^st, 2021.

Nelson House RCMP, along with Major Crimes Services, Search and Rescue, and the Underwater Recovery Team are in the NCN area until Saturday investigating.

Police are asking anyone who may have information in relation to Linklater’s disappearance to call the Nelson House detachment at 204-484-2837 or Crime Stoppers.

Manitoba schools are returning to in-person learning for the start of the upcoming academic year.

Co-superintendent of the School District of Mystery Lake Lorie Henderson says the schools will be focused on establishing routines, wellbeing for students and staff, and student learning.

While they’re forging ahead with a return to classrooms, Henderson explains the district is reminding students and staff to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and to stay home when sick.

She adds schools are prepared to transition to distance learning should the next wave of COVID-19 result in high case counts.

Catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 for more information.

With school back in session next week, MKO is urging its citizens to get their COVID-19 doses if they haven’t already done so.

Garrison Settee, Grand Chief of the organization that represents a number of northern First Nations, says children are preparing to head back to class, many for the first time in two years, and his hope is that it will be a safe and fulfilling school year.

Settee states that children can still get sick and spread the COVID-19 virus even if they’re less likely to develop a severe COVID-19 infection.

He encourages all MKO citizens to continue to take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by hand-washing and sanitizing, covering sneezes or coughs, staying home when sick, and receiving the COVID-19 vaccinations.

With the Labour Day weekend coming up, the United Steelworkers Local 6166 is holding an event to commemorate it.

Much like last year, it will be a drive-thru event to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19, as president Warren Luky explains.

“There will be a drive-thru for people to come and get some food, they can still get in on all the prizes and the draws. We will be drawing for kids prizes, a couple of bikes, a scooter, a freezer and other surprises. There will be a walk up component to the union hall so people aren’t left out if they don’t have vehicles. They can come and enjoy a burger, a hot dog and some other goodies we have to offer with a beverage. They can put their names down for the prize draw.”

This year’s Labour Day event will be on Monday at 19 Elizabeth Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Listen to the full interview with Luky on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

School zones are back in effect as of today.

Motorists are required to slow down to 30 kilometres an hour at designated school zones between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays

If caught speeding, drivers could face a fine of at least two hundred dollars.

Special Constable Rob Cleveland says while RD Parker Collegiate is a designated school zone, it works a bit differently than the other zones in town.

“They have a different kind of speed zone there and that is 50 kilometres an hour and you’ll also see a sign posted up registering your speed. When you see that, definitely slow down to 50 and be aware that there are a number of crosswalks there, whether painted or have a sign above indicating that people are crossing. Just slow down, I know and understand not everybody uses the crosswalk but be vigilant in driving during those school hours.”

For more on school zones, hear the full interview with Cleveland on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.