Thompsonites have until the end of this week to commemorate a woman or girl in their life that inspires them.

The YWCA Thompson holds its annual She Inspires Me campaign as a way to celebrate local women and girls in honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Residents have until Friday to get their message in, which will be delivered along with a gift to the recipient the following Wednesday.

To learn more, call 204-778-1209 or message the YWCA Thompson Facebook page.

A Health and Wellness Mini Fair will also be held on March 8^th at the TRCC multi-purpose room from 6 to 9 p.m.

The full interview can be heard this afternoon on Thompson Today.

With Shaw Spotlight’s annual Build Frosty contest coming to a close soon, Thompson residents are encouraged to vote for our local Frosty.

Shaw Spotlight Thompson has partnered up with the local humane society this year, and made a Frosty out of canned pet food.

The top three vote getters in the contest will get a free promotion to spread awareness about their cause.

Voting runs until tomorrow. Visit the Shaw Spotlight website to learn more.

Hear the full interview about Shaw Spotlight’s Build Frosty contest this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.

Update – Tia Osborne has been safely located.

The RCMP would like to thank the public and the media for their assistance.

On February 20, 2023, RCMP received a report of a missing 15-year-old female from Thompson.

Tia Osborne was last seen on February 19, 2023, at approximately 6:00 pm on Westwood Drive, in Thompson.

Police believe she is with acquaintances in the Thompson area.

Tia has a slim build, long black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey parka, black jogging pants and white mukluks.

Police are concerned for her well-being. If you have information on her whereabouts please call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Nelson House RCMP was able to find three men stranded out on the ice last weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, the detachment was notified that the trio was stranded out on the ice as they intended to walk to a camp near Threepoint Lake, south of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.

The men were walking towards the camp when they realized that they wouldn’t be able to make the return trip due to the cold. The temperatures that afternoon fell between the minus 30 to minus 35 range.

Two officers from Nelson House each set out on a snowmobile and found the three men, with two of them said to have not been wearing proper winter attire for extreme cold.

They were rescued and taken to the nursing station for examination, and one of the men was taken to Thompson Hospital for treatment and has since been released.

Winterfest is finally here!

It begins at noon with judging for the snow sculpture contest.

Over the course of the weekend, there will also be pickleball, a bonfire round dance, a pancake breakfast, and a number of contests.

Mayor Colleen Smook will also be giving greetings at the opening ceremony at 6:30 this evening, which will then be capped off by a fireworks display.

Winterfest is taking place at the TRCC.

Visit the Thompson Winterfest website for the full schedule.

A program focussing on harm reduction is being offered through the local YWCA.

The Locker Project provides access to free drug supplies anonymously to those who are using.

Similar programs in other jurisdictions have been shown to be successful in lowering the risk of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections through sharing drug use equipment.

The Locker Project, which the YWCA has been working to bring to the community since last summer, currently has capacity for up to 18 people.

It’s offered in partnership with the Northern Health Region.

Hear the full interview about the Locker Project at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon on Thompson Today.

The kick-off for this year’s Winterfest weekend is a few short days away, and the lead coordinator for the event spoke to Arctic Radio about it.

After a couple of years of virtual and hybrid events for the festival due to the public health measures in place because of COVID-19, Darlene Dick says it will be business as usual with many in-person activities to take part in over the weekend.

“Live entertainment, contests, and free food. There will be an art market, fireworks of course, contests that are happening like the Kins Cub coloring contest and Lamberts snow sculpture contest. We’ll be having a karaoke and a jigging contest as well as a new event, a toboggan making contest. There is a learn to play Pickleball event and we have the bonfire with the round dance, free skating, a cribbage tournament, 4 and 4 ministick tournament, firepits and marshmallows, mini sled races, stew and bannock, and free hotdogs as well as a pancake breakfast.”

Winterfest begin Friday and runs until Sunday at the TRCC.

The full interview about this year’s Winterfest can be heard on Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.

An alumni event for former members of the Thompson First Scouts is taking place tomorrow.

Dan Conner with the organization says they’re holding this event because he believes people are losing touch with the scouting fundamentals and thought it would be fun to have former members take trip down memory lane and see how the program has evolved over the years.

The Thompson First Scouts Alumni event will be tomorrow night at Burntwood School from 6:30 to 8:30.

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

On February 15, 2023, at 4:25 am, Thompson RCMP responded to a report of a male who had been stabbed at a residence located on Princeton Drive.

Officers arrived and located a 38-year-old-male, from Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake), with life threatening injuries. The male was transported to hospital where he remains in serious condition.

The investigation led to the arrest of 31-year-old Guiseppe Ross, from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, who was charged with Aggravated Assault and remanded into custody.

Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.

Thompson has made it to the second round of the SledTown ShowDown, and so far the vote is down to the wire.

Thompson beat Pinawa in the first round of SnoRiders’ online tournament.

The Hub of the North is now up against Duck Mountain Provincial Park.

Round two runs until February 26^th.

Visit sno riders west DOT com to learn more.

With Campaign 2000’s report on child poverty being released this week, MKO says it just confirms what the organization has been saying for a long time.

The report finds Manitoba’s child poverty rate at 20.7 per cent, the second highest in Canada after Nunavut which is at 28.1 per cent.

The organization’s Grand Chief Garrison Settee states it comes as no surprise that Manitoba’s child poverty rate is higher than any other Canadian province, adding poverty is the number one reason that children come into the care of Child and Family Services.

MKO cites that as of last March, close to ten thousand children were in care in Manitoba.

While Indigenous children make up around 27 per cent of the child population in the province, they account for 91 per cent of the children in care.

MKO goes on to call on the provincial government to respond to the recommendations outlined in the report immediately.

This includes the government target to end child and family poverty in the upcoming budget by using federal transfer payments to bring all families above the poverty line.

Manitoba RCMP says officers in Shamattawa First Nation have been repeatedly assaulted and the detachment has been targeted for arson over the last ten months,

A press release from the police agency details three incidents, one of which occurred last April when an officer was beaten by a group of people they were keeping away from a house fire in the community.

The group, comprised of 11 to 14 year-olds, were said to have disregarded a warning from officers to keep away from the fire and were arrested in the interest of safety.

While the arrests were occurring, the group surrounded an officer and began to kick and punch them, with the officer sustaining injuries.

The group was dispersed and those in custody were taken to the detachment, at which time three youths outside of the building doused the front steps with flammable fluid in an attempt to light the detachment on fire.

Three suspects, aged 11, 12, and 13, were all arrested and the fire was put out.

RCMP says it’s believed intoxicants played a role in the incident.

On February 1around 5 pm, Thompson RCMP received a report of large dogs chasing kids around on Baffin Crescent in Thompson. Officers responded immediately, but no dogs were located.

After speaking with area residents, officers learned an injured child was taken to local hospital with significant injuries.

Investigation has determined that a nine-year-old girl was walking alone to her friend’s house when three dogs started jumping on her, knocking her to the ground. The dogs were biting at her and ripping at her jacket.

Passers-by saw what was happening and were able to drag the youth away from the dogs and get her to family, who immediately transported her to hospital. She suffered non-life threatening serious injuries to her leg and was transported to Winnipeg hospital for surgery.

Officers were able to track down the dogs responsible for the attack and engaged Animal Control with the City of Thompson. The owner of two of the dogs, who cooperated with police, was a neighbour of the victim. He had also been watching a third dog. Two of the dogs are Belgian Malinois and one dog is a German Shepherd.

The dogs were seized and the 31-year-old male owner was charged with Criminal Negligence.

After Vicious Animal Hearings, it was determined by the city that all three dogs will be euthanized. Further, the man charged was banned by the city from owning animals in Thompson moving forward.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says it’s offering support to Tataskweyak Cree Nation following a devastating fire at an apartment building over the weekend that’s left a toddler and a teenager in hospital and at least eight families homeless.

A press release from the organization says temporary accommodations have made for those displaced in Saturday’s blaze, but overcrowding is a concern.

It adds the First Nation’s chief and council are working on securing long-term arrangements for its displaced members.

In addition to Split Lake fire department, fire crews from York Factory First Nation and Gillam assisted in fighting the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says it’s offering support to Tataskweyak Cree Nation following a devastating fire at an apartment building over the weekend that’s left a toddler and a teenager in hospital and ten families homeless.

A press release from the organization says temporary accommodations have made for those displaced in Saturday’s blaze, but overcrowding is a concern.

It adds the First Nation’s chief and council are working on securing long-term arrangements for its displaced members.

In addition to Split Lake fire department, fire crews from York Factory First Nation and Gillam assisted in fighting the blaze.

MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee offers his empathy to the community and that they will remain ready to assist with other matters as they occur.

Local charities looking to apply for the Thompson Community Foundation’s annual grant have until Friday to do so.

The organization has different types of funding streams depending on the type of projects, in addition to the Thompson Community Foundation Fund, including the Moffat Family Fund and the Thompson Health Fund.

The Thompson Community Foundation has provided nearly 1.1 million dollars in grant funding to local non-profits since 1996.

The application can be found on the foundation’s website.

Learn more about the Thompson Community Foundation grant application this afternoon on Thompson Today.

A recently-established housing coalition says Ottawa needs to work with Indigenous partners to address the gap in housing for many off-reserve Indigenous households.

Margaret Pfoh, the CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Management Association says the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Incorporated was formed late last year due to “urgent and unmet housing needs” that have persisted for many years.

Pfoh says NICHI would like to see the federal Liberals commit six billion dollars to develop a housing strategy that is Indigenous-led.

The strategy would include building subsidized Indigenous-owned and operated units over the next ten years, ensuring sustainability of existing units that are Indigenous-owned and operated, and culturally appropriate wrap-around services.

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

The 2023 Hudson Bay Quest will not be happening.

Its organizing committee says they had to cancel the dog-sled race due to lack of entries and logistical problems.

The Hudson Bay Quest began in 2004 as a way to revive dog sledding as a sport and tradition of the north, and would run from Gillam to Churchill.

Organizers say the event will be back for 2024 once they’ve retooled the race.

A Manitoba woman who suffered from a heart attack in October is encouraging people to advocate for themselves when seeking healthcare.

36-year-old Jessica Solomon, who’s originally from Thompson and currently lives in Killarney, says she was experiencing chest pain and went to the ER in Brandon to get checked out.

Solomon was cleared to leave the hospital later that day despite still experiencing chest pain.

She later took herself to the ER in Killarney where she was finally diagnosed with a heart attack.

Solomon says getting a second opinion when things don’t seem normal with your body is especially important for women.

“If you have GERD or heart burn and you have that going on but it’s lasting longer and medication isn’t working, that’s what it was in my case. I just knew that this was different and so I made the decision to go back to the hospital at two in the morning even though I had been told that it was nothing serious. I just knew that it was not right.”

Hear the full conversation with Solomon this afternoon on Thompson Today.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation’s Chief is criticising the Manitoba RCMP for failing to enforce band by-laws when it comes to the community’s liquor ban.

David Monias says that by not enforcing the by-law, which passed July 1985, the police agency is violating terms of Treaty Five.

Monias explains a lot of social problems Cross Lake faces stem from alcohol and drugs.

He adds chief and council have provided the tools to the RCMP to assist the community, and is calling for the treaty obligation to be upheld.

Cross Lake RCMP is investigating after a pedestrian was killed in a vehicle collision.

The collision occurred early Sunday morning.

The 22-year-old woman was taken to the nursing station where she succumbed to her injuries.

The driver and passengers in the vehicle all stopped and remained at the scene.

RCMP say an autopsy for the victim is scheduled.

While there have been strides made in taking women’s heart and brain health seriously in recent years, there’s still a long way to go to address healthcare inequities.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation states over 32 thousand Canadian women died from heart disease and stroke in 2019.

That’s one woman’s life every 16 minutes.

Winnipeg cardiologist Doctor Mahwash Saeed explains there’s a continued lack of awareness and understanding around women’s heart and brain health.

She adds there are other factors that can lead to many women falling through the cracks.

“We as a medical community sometimes don’t recognize when women are presenting with symptoms of heart disease and stroke. There is a lot of socio-cultural factors as well. Women tend to be the caregivers in their homes, they put their own health last, they present to care less often and when they do present, they don’t tend to advocate for themselves. On top of that, women tend to suffer from lower socio-economic status more routinely which can affect their access to care. In particular, for Thompsonites, people living in rural, remote or Northern communities tend to have less access to care, especially things like screening and testing.”

Learn more about Heart Month this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10 on Thompson Today.

The province is increasing operating funding for all public schools in Manitoba for the next school year by at least 2.5 per cent from the previous year.

That means the School District of Mystery Lake is expecting $36.1 million in operating money for the 2023-24 school year.

The provincial government announced the over $100 million investment yesterday afternoon, which Education Minister Wayne Ewasko says will strengthen literacy and numeracy, student presence and engagement, and inclusion.

In addition to addressing operating costs, the dollars will also go towards funding for special needs programming, cost pressures related to inflation, as well as funding independent schools.

SnoRiders 9^th annual SledTown Show Down is back and Thompsonites have the opportunity to vote for our city in the online tournament.

Round one is underway and Thompson is facing off against Pinawa.

Voting for the first round runs until February 12^th.

Manitoba SledTowns have dominated the competition in recent years, with Flin Flon winning in 2020 and 2022 and Lac Du Bonnet taking the title in 2021.

Visit snoriderswest.com to participate.

Consulting firm Robert Half recently found that many Canadian workers feel that every day at work is Groundhog Day.

Senior Regional Director Mike Shekhtman explains 35 per cent of respondents say they’re bored at work, while 51 per cent say they experience a mix of repetition and variation.

Here, Shekhtman shares some tips on preventing boredom at the workplace and improving employee engagement.

“Once you have those regular check-ins with employees, they will give you a sense of what’s important for them and then you can encourage those team members to maybe even take on additional responsibilities. Not even new responsibilities but a little bit different. It can be specific projects that can impact the business or the community. You can also take the opportunity to create a platform from a leader perspective to upscale some of those employees so they can take on additional or new types of tasks.”

Shekhtman adds that it’s normal to feel some sense of boredom at the workplace occasionally, and if that feeling persists it may be time to reassess what’s important for them when it comes to their career.

The full interview can be heard this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10 on Thompson Today.

Nelson House RCMP say a man is dead following a fatal snowmobile collision this week.

Officers were informed Monday the 27-year-old man had left Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and was believed to be heading towards a camp north of the community, and was later found dead along the trail to the camp.

Police arrived at the scene and determined the snowmobiler was traveling along the shoreline of Footprint Lake at a high speed when he collided with a tree.

The snowmobiler was wearing a helmet.

RCMP says the investigation is ongoing.

The deadline to apply for the Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation’s Small Grant Fund is quickly approaching.

Executive Director Oswald Sawh says the purpose of this grant is to assist local non-profits in bringing their free, community-oriented projects to life.

Projects should fall under at least one of five priority areas, which include safety and crime prevention, housing, youth, economic development, and cleanliness and beautification.

The maximum amount that will be distributed per organization is five thousand dollars.

The deadline to apply is February 13^th and projects are expected to be completed by March 31^st.

Details about the TNRC Small Grant Fund can be heard on Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.