Last night’s regular meeting of Thompson City Council was dominated by an outcry from those in attendance for a more efficient system of contacting the RCMP in emergency situations.  

 

Three Thompsonites spoke up during general inquires at the start of the meeting. They asked Mayor and Council to explain both what the City is doing to combat recent mischief and violence, and why there isn’t a local 911 service. 

 

One concern brought forward is that when you call the RCMP at 204-677-6911, you’re often put on hold. Mayor Dennis Fenske addressed the issue, saying that it’s not just Thompson that has to deal with the issue. He said that the Provincial Government made the decision years ago to close the RCMP communications centre that was in Thompson and centralize to one centre in Brandon. 

 

Fenske said that all calls made to the RCMP the province on emergency lines are divided into three geographical regions (east, west, north) within the Brandon centre, and that wait times there are based on the volume of calls. 

 

Mayor Fenske said that the current system isn’t acceptable, but is rather the current reality in Manitoba.  

 

Fenske said that the lack of infrastructure for 911 services in the Nor-Man region and the lack of a local communications centre are issues he’s been raising for years, and brought them up when he met with the Justice Department in Winnipeg two weeks ago. 

 

The outgoing mayor said that while he hopes the situation will improve with the recent installation of a new cell tower near Wabowden, the best thing to do is to make sure that those needing assistance stay on the line.  

 

Those thoughts were echoed later by Inspector Kevin Lewis, the officer in charge of the Thompson RCMP detachment. Inspector Lewis said that if you’re on hold and decide to hang up and try again, you automatically go the back of the line on the new call.  

 

With a report from the City’s Public Safety Committee on the agenda, council candidate and former USW 6166 president Les Ellsworth asked if the problem of youth violence and mischief is being talked about in the committees meetings.  

 

Councillor Judy Kolada, who chairs the committee, said that the issue has been discussed at the meetings. Kolada added that they are looking for solutions, and that the public is more than welcome to attend their meetings.