Operation Red Nose returns to Thompson tonight.

The volunteer-run free ride service gets you and your vehicle home safe during the holiday season as a way to reduce impaired drivers on the roads.

If you aren’t able to volunteer, you can donate snacks and gas cards for volunteers.

Or you can also give a monetary donation which will go towards local youth groups.

To use the service,  call 204-778-8-triple one or you can email operation rednose.com to pre-book rides.

On Monday morning, Cross Lake RCMP received a report of shots fired near a residence located in the Wapack region of Cross Lake Cree Nation.

Officers conducted patrols in the area but did not locate any suspects nor victims.

A couple hours later, officers received a report from the Nursing Station that two gunshot victims had been brought in by vehicle.

Officers arrived at the Nursing Station and located an 18-year-old individual from Winnipeg, and a 16-year-old individual from Sagkeeng First Nation.

Both were in stable condition with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and were  transported to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Cross Lake RCMP are asking anyone who may have information or may have witnessed this shooting to contact the Cross Lake RCMP Detachment at 204-676-2600 or  at manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Cross Lake RCMP continue to investigate.

The new band room at R.D. Parker Collegiate is just steps away from completion.

Meanwhile, the music program is able to use the room for the interim, providing ample space for the various bands to practice together as opposed to when they had to be divided up due to size restrictions.

Band Director Kevin Lewis talks about another benefit of the new facility.

“This room is now specifically built for a band so that there is no concerns, the acoustics in it are great, even our largest ensembles can get together and play at full volume and not have any concern about damaging anyone’s hearing.”  

Lewis said those interested in seeing the new facility can do so during the intermissions of the Christmas Concerts on December 11th and 12th.

They both start at 7 pm in the Letkemann Theatre.

For the full interview with Lewis, catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Support the Power of Pajamas Campaign, part of the Thompson Crisis Centre’s 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.

Mary Demare, outreach worker with the Crisis Centre, tells us how the campaign began.

“Two women from Domestic Violence Shelters of Manitoba started the Power of Pajama program. Our ED, Helen Trudeau, heard of the project and decided to join in unity with other shelters in Manitoba.”  

Demare said they are collecting pajamas in all sizes for children and women, looking to provide comfort at a difficult time in their lives.

She added that people often arrive at the shelter with nothing but the clothes on their backs, showing just how dire the situations they are leaving can be.

To donate, contact the Crisis Centre at 204-677-9668 or email tcc outreach @ shaw DOT CA.

Thompson Seniors Community Resource Council members have huge smiles on their faces, and it’s all thanks to cookies!

Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie week was a huge success.

Penny Byer, Resource Coordinator for the Seniors, has details.

“We actually broke a record, we sold $13,729.50 worth of smile cookies.”  

Byer says the seniors will receive 50 per cent of the proceeds from cookie sales, which will go to their food security program.

The program helps provide weekly hampers to local seniors and elders who need the extra help with groceries.

A holiday from the GST announced by the federal government is getting mixed reviews.

While consumers will reap the benefits of the tax break, small business owners may be seeing more work than reward.

And the tax break isn’t applicable to everything, as Corinne Pohlmann, Executive Vice-President of Advocacy for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business shares.

“Things like groceries, though groceries are mostly tax exempt right now, but things like snacks often aren’t so those would be included. Children’s clothing, printed books only, restaurant meals and prepared meals, certain types of alcohol like beer, wine, and coolers but not spirits. Children’s toys are in there as well, Christmas trees are in there as well but not the ornaments that you hang on the tree. So it’s an interesting grab bag of things.”

The GST break is slated to go into effect on December 14th and last for two months.    

According to Pohlmann, restaurants and food service businesses will find the transition relatively straight forward, while general retailers are facing confusion and complexity about what is taxable and what is exempt.  

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

Early Friday morning,  Norway House RCMP responded to a home in the community, following a call for police assistance.

A resident indicated that a male was armed with a weapon within the home.

When officers arrived, the male was outside of the residence holding an edged weapon.

Despite numerous orders to drop the weapon, he advanced towards police and an officer discharged their firearm.

Officers provided medical aid until Emergency Medical Services arrived.

The 17-year-old male from Norway House Cree Nation (Kinosao Sipi) was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Manitoba Independent Investigation Unit are taking over the investigation.

The City of Thompson and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8223 have approved a new contract.

Council ratified the four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with USW at a special meeting last Thursday.

The members of USW Local 8223, which represents most City employees apart from Thompson Fire & Emergency Services members, voted in favour of the CBA the day before.

Workers will receive a 3% wage increase in each year of the agreement, which is retroactive to March 1, 2024 and runs until February 29, 2028.

The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence kicks off today, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Mary Demare, Outreach worker at the Thompson Crisis Centre, invites the community to attend the kickoff event starting at 5 pm at the King Miner Statue.

Demare shares how we can support this initiative.

“The greatest, number one thing people can do to support the 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence is to take part in the events that are hosted.”  

There is a Faceless Dolls Project for Grades 7 and 8 students at Thompson Schools which is aimed at reminding us about missing and murdered indigenous women.

There is also  a coloring contest for K-6 students.

For more on the activities surrounding the 16 Days of Activism, contact Demare at  204-677-9668.

The 16 Days of Activism runs until Human Rights Day on December 10th.

THOMPSON, MB – The City of Thompson and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8223 have approved a new
contract.

Council ratified the four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with USW at a special meeting on
November 21.

The members of USW Local 8223, which represents most City employees apart from Thompson Fire &
Emergency Services members, voted in favour of the CBA on November 20.

Workers will receive a 3% wage increase in each year of the agreement, which is retroactive to March 1, 2024
and runs until February 29, 2028.

“I’m happy that the City and Steelworkers have reached an agreement,” said Mayor Colleen Smook. “Thanks
to the administration and union negotiating teams for their hard work developing the contract.”

The Flin Flon Bombers enter the weekend playing their best hockey of the season riding a four game winning streak.  

 

Fresh off two wins in Kindersley, the Bombers currently sit 9th overall at 10-9-1, just one point back of Melville for the final playoff spot.

 

The Maroon and White get set to take on the Nipawin Hawks in a home and home at the Whitney Forum tonight and back at the Cage tomorrow.

 

It seems like an eternity since the Bombers played a home game and the Forum should be rocking tonight.

 

Nipawin comes to town in the basement of the SJHL standings with a record of 3-12-1-1, but are fresh off their biggest win of the season. The Hawks went into Humboldt on Saturday and blanked the Bronco's 1 to 0. 

 

The Hawks almost beat the Melfort  Mustangs the night before blowing a 3 to 2 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game and eventually lost in overtime.

 

This will be the third meeting of the season between these two teams with the Bombers winning the previous two games on opening night 4 to 3,  and their most recent meeting in Nipawin 5 to 2 back on November the 9th.

 

The Hawks came out and played an exceptional first period but couldn't put the Bombers away with a lot of early powerplays. Flin Flon got better as the night went on and took advantage of their opportunities.

 

Flin Flon is finally starting to score and have found the back of the net 18 times in their last four games with a number of the veterans stepping up.

 

Carter Anderson has found his scoring touch from last year and has scored six goals in the last five games,  including an absolute beauty in OT against Kindersley last Saturday.

 

Carter Cormier, Anthony Piccininno, Ryder Ringor and Rhett Ewen are all starting to find their scoring touch as well.

 

It looks like the addition of Matthew Kieper has helped restore the goalie position,  and he just received the Sasktel Goalie Of The Week for his performance in Kindersley last weekend.

 

In the two victories Kieper stopped over 70 shots to go along with a 1.92 GAA and a .946 SV %.

 

We are on Flo TV tonight and back on radio tomorrow, so join us for all the action from Nipawin including the Great North GM Coach's Show at 6:40 and drop of the puck at 7pm.

Starting today, Manitoba RCMP has begun the deployment of body-worn cameras, with the first in Steinbach.

The use of these cameras will be complemented by a digital evidence management system that will be used to store and manage body-worn video.

The Portage la Prairie,  Amaranth and Treherne detachments will follow on December 4th.

The next will be launched on January 7th in East St. Paul, Grand Marais (Maray), and Selkirk.

In total, from now to  April, 2025, it is expected that over 490 Manitoba RCMP officers in 44 detachments will be equipped with body-worn cameras.

All other detachments throughout Manitoba will have body-worn cameras and the digital evidence management system rolled out to them in a phased approach over the course of the next 18 months.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and the theme for 2024 to 2026 is Diabetes and Well-being.

Jen Freeman, Diabetes program coordinator for the Northern Health Region defines well-being here.

“The International Diabetes Federation defines wellbeing as a physical and mental state of being comfortable, healthy or happy. I think that that’s something that most people want in life.”

The International Diabetes Federation shares that 63 per cent of those with the condition  surveyed say the fear of developing diabetes-related complications affects their well-being.
One-third of people with diabetes find it hard to remain positive about their condition and another one-third say they experience diabetes-related distress.

The Northern Health Region has diabetes education support services in-person or virtually, along with retinal and foot screening.

If you wish to speak with a Diabetes educator, you can call 204-677-5333.

Tomorrow is filled with family-friendly activities.

At 1 pm, the City of Thompson’s Santa Parade begins at the hospital, heads down Cree Road, turns left at the library and ends up at the TRCC.

The parade is followed by the free National Child Day celebrations organized by the Hello Parents Network of Thompson, and runs from 2:30 to 4:30.

There are games, balloon animals, karaoke, photo opportunities, snacks, live entertainment and more.

It’s followed by a free skate from 4 to 7 pm, then hang around for the Norman Northstars’  game against Pembina Valley at 7 in the C.A. Nesbitt Arena.

On November 16, 2024, at approximately 6:15 am, Thompson RCMP received a report of a gunshot being heard in an apartment complex located on Ashberry Place in Thompson.

Officers had already responded to the hospital on a report of a 25-year-old male, from South Indian Lake, arriving at the hospital suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was last reported to be in stable condition in hospital.

The investigation into this shooting has determined that four suspects, known to police, entered onto the property, one armed with a shotgun, and waited for the victim to exit his apartment when the shotgun was discharged, hitting the victim. The four suspects then fled the scene.

Investigators believe this to be a targeted attack.

RCMP have charged Gage Hornan, 33, Dallas Spence, 30, Edward Francois, 26, and Archie Spence, 19, with Discharge Firearm with Intent, Careless Use of a Firearm, Aggravated Assault and numerous other firearm-related offences.

Warrants of Arrest have been issued for each of the four suspects.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of these four suspects is asked to call the Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909/6911, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com

Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.

On November 17, 2024, as a result of an ongoing investigation into the trafficking of illicit drugs in Kisematawa First Nation, Shamattawa RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence located on Bear Avenue.

A search of this residence led to the seizure of cocaine, oxycodone, alprazolam, numerous other illicit pills and over $40,000 in Canadian currency.

The investigation led to the arrest of three individuals, a 23-year-old male and two females, ages of 39 and 30, from the community, who remain in police custody.

Shamattawa RCMP continue to investigate.

 

Operation Red Nose is back for another year in Thompson.

The free ride service is volunteer-run and gets you and your vehicle home safely during the holiday season.

Thompson’s Co-ordinator, Terry-Lyn Gagnon, explains the process here.

“You are going to phone, a team will be dispatched to your location and we will meet you there. Depending on the weather, we will defrost your vehicle then we will drive you to wherever you need to go whether that’s back home, to the vendor, through Mcdonald’s Drive Thru, whatever the case may be, and then park your car for you.”

Operation Red Nose kicks off  November 29th and runs every Friday and Saturday until  December 21st.

Volunteers are needed.

To learn how you can help check the Operation Red Nose Thompson facebook page, or hear the full interview with Gagnon on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

And the Thompson Community Foundation is hoping local residents will help them with this fund raiser to grow the foundation’s unrestricted fund.

For every five dollars donated to the challenge, The Winnipeg Foundation and provincial government will chip in a dollar each, essentially turning your five dollars into seven.

The money raised will go towards funding community projects as decided upon by the Thompson Community Foundation.

The President of the TCF, Kim Laycock, tells us just how much money has been granted.

“So the total to date is about $2.3 million in grants that we’ve provided back to the community to support a wide variety of projects and community programming.”

For details on the Giving Challenge, go to our foundationthompson.ca. It runs through to this Sunday.

A recent increase to Manitoba’s minimum wage has received lukewarm approval by the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

President of the MFL, Kevin Rebeck, shares his thoughts on the matter here.

“Any increase is good but I think we just keep kind of nudging minimum wage along and we are failing workers. I would hope that we can all agree that anyone who works full time shouldn’t live in poverty but the reality is, with our poverty level minimum wage, that it is what people are experiencing.”

Rebeck says the MFL believes a review should be done annually, in consultation with business and labour and poverty experts to come up with an appropriate number.

He indicated the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative already does calculations of living wages by community.

According to them, for Thompson, they’ve identified that wage to be $17.48 an hour.

In Winnipeg it comes to $19.21 per hour, mainly because of the cost of housing in the city.

Hear more about recent changes to labour laws.   You’ll find the full interview with Rebeck at thompsononline.ca

Mayor Colleen Smook was part of a Thompson delegation that attended the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Conference in Ottawa last week.

Once again, the City’s “Thompson Model” made its presence known at the conference in one of the panel discussions.

Mayor Smook describes it here.

“Our lived experience council is basically the Thompson Model. It’s for delivering the services to the people who are unsheltered and homeless. It’s a decision making process that puts control of these services into the hands of the people who have experienced homelessness.”

The lived experience circle provides advice on decisions being made for those that are unsheltered in Thompson based on what services worked for them and what they would have liked.

Find out more about it under Reaching Home on the City of Thompson’s website at thompson.ca.

University College of the North has been named in Manitoba’s new strategy related to critical minerals mining and exploration in the province.

According to Doug Lauvstad, UCN President, UCN’s legislation specifically tasks UCN with the mandate to enhance the economic and social well-being of northern Manitoba through training and education.

Their support of the mining and minerals exploration sector, and help to ensure that Indigenous and northern Manitobans and their communities can benefit from the abundant critical minerals wealth in the region is in line with that mandate.

UCN works with industries, Indigenous communities, and colleges and universities in Manitoba and across Canada.

This collaboration focuses on providing training in northern Manitoba to create a skilled local workforce.

The City of Thompson and local organizations were among the first in Canada to acknowledge Aboriginal Veterans Day, now known as National Indigenous Veterans Day.

The day has been  commemorated on November 8th since 1993, after the National Aboriginal Veterans Association identified the need to have a special day the year before.

Paul Thomson, Director General for the Commemoration Division of Veterans Affairs, has more.

“It’s a unique opportunity and a special opportunity to specifically salute and recognize Indigenous Service Members and it’s a group that has often been overlooked despite their remarkable tradition of Indigenous service in uniform over the years.”

To hear more about Indigenous Veterans Day and many of the heroic Indigenous servicemen and women, catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.

Elections Canada is recruiting returning officers for the Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba Region.

 

They are looking for motivated, qualified and interested persons to fill such senior management positions in the near future.

 

If you, or someone you know, may be interested, visit the Elections Canada website to find more information on the returning officer role and qualifications.

 

Applications can also be submitted online.

 

The deadline to apply is tomorrow.

Cybercrime is the focus of this National Community Safety and Crime Prevention Month.

It takes many forms and as technology evolves, so do the tactics used by cyber criminals.

Lewis Smith, Manager of National Projects with the Canada Safety Council shares how pervasive cybercrime is.

“Government of Canada places the number of assorted incidents nationwide at a little bit over 350,000 in 2023 which is right around 14% over the previous year. So far this year, up to June, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre identified more than 50,000 victims.”  

In 2023, the loss to Canadian victims of cybercrime was almost $540-million.

As of June this year, losses have been reported at about $284 million and counting.

Smith says digital education is very important to minimize the risk of being victimized.

He also advises using a reputable password manager to safely store your passwords.

Learn more about cybercrime and what to do if you suspect you’ve been targeted.  Catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses’ latest report is showing a significant decline in business optimism here in Manitoba.

The long-term confidence for the next year saw a huge 8-point decline to sit at 49.3 and now sits at the lowest of all the provinces.

Even the usually lucrative holiday season has challenges, according to Tyler Slobogian, Senior Policy Analyst for the CFIB.

“Manitoba small businesses are grappling with significant drops in consumer demand with nearly half identifying it as the primary bury to growth and as the holiday season approaches, rising wage cost and labour shortages intensified by recent policy changes added further strain.”

Slobogian says the federal government’s proposed reductions on immigration levels could further restrict access to essential workers, compounding the ongoing challenges posed by labour shortages.

Learn more about the obstacles being faced by small businesses. Catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

Buy a cookie and support a Food Security Program for seniors and elders.

Tim Horton’s Holiday Smile Cookie program is back November 18th to 24th and half of the funds raised will go to the Thompson Seniors Community Resource Council.

Penny Byer, Resource Co-ordinator for the organization says the money raised will go toward sustaining their weekly hamper program.

She talks about the program’s origins.

“Interestingly enough, it started as a simple hamper program during COVID. It morphed from that into what we do now which is supply weekly food hampers to people.”

Byer said there are currently 18 seniors receiving weekly food hampers, with around 18 more on a wait list.   

If seniors on the main list are away or indicate they don’t need help in any given week, the hamper is offered to those on the wait list on a rotating basis.   

Learn more on how to help the Thompson Seniors during Tim Horton’s Holiday Smile Cookie week.    Catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

 

The remains located on a property located off of Highway 6 in the RM of Grahamdale on June 3, 2024, have been identified as Xavia Skye Lynn Butler, who would have been between one to two years old at the time of her death. She was found in a barn on the property.

 

Xavia’s death is being investigated as a homicide.

 

The last time RCMP investigators have been able to physically place Xavia was approximately a year before she was located deceased, and they are looking for the public to help them further identify her whereabouts during that time. There were no missing person reports filed regarding Xavia.

 

“We are looking for any photos taken of Xavia after March 2022,” said RCMP Major Crime Services investigator Corporal Jill Slobodzian. “We are hoping those photos will have date and time stamps on them to help us build a better timeline of her life. We also ask anyone who physically saw Xavia after March 2022 to reach out to us as well to provide that information.”

 

Anyone with information about Xavia or who has photos to share is asked to call the RCMP Major Crime Services tip line at 431-489-8112.

 

Photo attached.

If you’ve got a pothole in your neighborhood that you’re hoping to have repaired before the snow flies, time is running out.

On City Beat yesterday, Deputy Mayor Kathy Valentino shared how you can reach out to the city.

“Please call them in to Public Works, 677-7970, or you can email the pothole location to publicworks@thompson.ca or you can send a message to the City of Thompson facebook page.”

Valentino added that the snow removal equipment is ready for whenever the snow does arrive.

There is a snow-clearing policy that directs which routes are addressed first in the event of snow. It can be found at thompson.ca.