Hapnot Collegiate is nearing the end of the first semester and the staff and students are preparing for exam week next week.  Principal Brent Bedford says February 1^st which is Monday is the last day of regular classes and then from Tuesday to Thursday both AM and PM is their exam week and then Friday schools are closed for an admin day to get ready for report cards and report cards go out to students first thing the following Monday morning at home room.

New students and students wishing to change their semester two timetable may do so Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the office or with the Career Guidance Department.

 Corey Thompson, Kara Plamondon, Tricia Tetlock

The Aqua Center Community Committee held a meeting last night to outline their plans for upgrading the Aqua Center.  Treasurer Corey Thompson reported he has been meeting with local groups and councils and is looking for funding from outside communities, service clubs and employers who will allow donations to be made through employee deductions.  He noted you need money in the bank before you can apply for grants.

Committee Chair Tricia Tetlock is going to talk to City Council on the option the committee selected for the pool which involves upgrading and expanding the present facility which is estimated to cost around 7.7 million dollars.

Vice-President Kara Plamondon is researching the availability and requirements for grants and is looking for help in writing and following up on applications for grants available locally, provincially and federally.

The Committees met following the presentation and developed ideas on fund raising, grant writing and building plans with fund raising being the starting point and will meet on a regular basis to develop those ideas with a need for more people to sit on the committees.

The Primary Health Care Center will be hosting a series of telehealth seminars presented by the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.  The Society’s Program Director Norma Kirkby says they are part of Telehealth Family Education for Those Experiencing Dementia.  She explains the February session is going to be about the progression of dementia with Dr. Kristel van Ineveld who is a geriatrician talking about what does later stage dementia look like and how are the needs of the person changing as the disease advances.

The February seminar is being held on Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8 at the Primary Health Care Center.  The March 1^st seminar will be Dementia is it safe to drive and on April 5^th becoming a resilient caregiver.  To register for the seminars online go to www.alzheimer.mb.ca or email outreach@alzheimer.mb.ca or phone 1-800-378-6699 and use the reference code Flin Flon.

The Creighton Community School will be holding their annual family dance tonight.  School Coordinator Carol Sutherland says it’s an initiative of the Community School Council and their theme this year is a Minion reasons to celebrate family dance.  She says this is a free dance for families complete with door prizes and free snacks and you can come dressed as your favorite Minion.  She adds the Kodiak bus will provide transportation to and from Denare Beach and all children must be accompanied by an adult.  Pick up times will be 5:45 at the Band Hall, 5:50 at the Alpine returning at approximately 9 pm.

The dance runs from 6 to 9 tonight in the Creighton Community School Gym.

The Flin Flon Aqua Center Community Committee is holding a meeting tonight.  Their Vice-Chair Kara Plamondon says they want to see people attend who are interested in serving on their committees.  She says they’re going to have groups of committees starting to form and talk about what the next steps are for each group so they’ll have fund raising as well as a grant writing committee and the some other planning groups.  She adds all of their board people will be there and they are hoping to get some of the people who have offered to volunteer to come out and see what the next thing to do is.

The meeting is being held tonight at 7:30 in city hall council chambers.

A group of Hapnot Collegiate students is taking part in a 20 time project and want to share their projects with you.  Teacher Brittney Henry explains the project provides students with 20 percent of their time to work on a project of their choice.  She says the students developed the project idea themselves and some came up with original ideas while some found projects and built on them from their research.  She adds it provided students with digital literacy skills, with career and life skills as well as learning and innovation skills.

The presentation will run tonight from 6 to 8 in the Hapnot Theatre and it is free to attend this presentation.

Members of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals set up an information picket line today in front of the Flin Flon General Hospital on Church Street at Third Avenue.

  It was announced earlier this week that about 35 hundred members of the union across Manitoba who’ve been without a contract for two years have set a strike deadline of Sunday.  They say negotiations have dragged on long enough and members will walk off the job if a tentative agreement is not reached by the deadline.  The union represents workers including pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and hospice care workers.

Last night the Flin Flon School Board opened their meeting with a moment of silence to pay respect to those in La Loche.

There was some good news for the Division as in his report Superintendent Blaine Veitch said they will receive funding from the Public Schools Finance Board for the upgrade to a science lab at Hapnot Collegiate.  Soon all four science labs at the school will be modernized.  On January 16^th a group of students participated in the Career Trek program at UCN in The Pas.  The Nor-Man Region project will introduce 120 students from The Pas and surrounding communities such as Snow Lake, Flin Flon, Cormorant, Moose Lake, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Cranberry Portage to eight career fields at UCN’s The Pas campus.  This past weekend Career Trek was held here in Flin Flon at the Northern Mining Academy while the next two Saturdays will be held in The Pas.  Students will be participating in workshops on drama, political science, business entrepreneurship and nursing.

On February 6^th the Board encourages families to participate with your child as it is Family Day.

Canadians donated over 730 thousand shoe boxes packed with toys, hygiene items and school supplies during the 2015 Operation Christmas Child shoe box campaign.  That’s 30 thousand more boxes that in 2014 and their Program Director Randy Crosson says it is the second consecutive year that Canadians packed at least 30 thousand more boxes than the year before.  As we reported in November 307 of those boxes came from the Flin Flon Creighton area.  Operation Christmas Child staff, volunteers and partners have already begun and will continue to distribute the shoe boxes in the developing world as well as to war refugees in Iraq and those who have fled to Europe.

Since 1993 Operation Christmas Child has collected and hand delivered more than 124 million shoe boxes to children in over 130 countries hurt by war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine.

 Members of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce heard about the Chamber’s group insurance plan at yesterday’s meeting.  Andrew Johnson from Titan Wealth Management told members comprehensive benefit packages are available to businesses from one person up and home businesses qualify for coverage.  He added there are no industry restrictions, they have guaranteed approval for firms with three or more employees, they have rate stability, the plan is not for profit and you get to choose your plan so you control the cost.

In other business all Chamber membership renewal invoices for current members have been sent out, a new membership recruitment plan is underway with the benefits of membership being outlined for prospective members and the Chamber agreed to host a provincial election candidate’s debate at City Hall on March 22^nd.

School bands will get together tonight for a winter band concert.  Band Director Anna Jardin says it will feature grade six to eight band students from Creighton, McIsaac and Ruth Betts Schools. She says the grade six ensembles are each doing their own songs plus a combined piece, some of them are Christmas ones and some are not.  She adds the sevens and eights are each performing a few selections that are all concert band repertoires and their jazz bands will be playing some traditional jazz and some pop.

The band concert starts at 7 tonight at Ecole McIsaac School.

 The President of the Creighton Branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Kevin Rose invites you to attend their annual banquet at the Creighton Community Hall this weekend.  He says on Saturday they are holding their annual banquet and awards night.  He says they will be having door prizes, a penny parade and a raffle for a set of Stadnick knives adding doors open at 5:30, supper starts at 6:30 and you do not have to be a member to attend.

Tickets are available at Di’s Confectionary or call Donna at 688-8547.

RCMP have laid charges in connection to an elder abuse and fraud investigation involving an 89 year old Flin Flon woman.  Officers were first alerted of suspicious activities on the victim’s credit card on Deccember 17^th and immediately launched an investigation.  With assistance from Branch staff and departmental security staff from two different banks video of a suspect using the stolen credit card was obtained.  Flin Flon RCMP officers assisted by Creighton RCMP developed a suspect who has been charged with possession of stolen property, five counts of fraud and 4 counts of disguised with intent to commit an offence which are all offences under the Criminal Code of Canada.

A 43 year old Denare Beach woman has since been released on a promise to appear with an undertaking with conditions to have no contact with the victim.  The RCMP add investigators believe the victim was targeted by the suspect.

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba will be holding sessions at two schools called Let’s Talk About It, Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol and Other Drugs.  Their Youth Counsellor Amanda Link-Labarre says there’ll be a session at Ruth Betts Community School tonight and Thursday night at Ecole McIsaac School.  She explains the discussions will include current trends in our local area, adolescent development and coping, how to talk to your kids about alcohol and other drugs and how to access supports and this talk is open to kindergarten to grade eight parents, guardians and caregivers.                                            

The session tonight at Ruth Betts Community School runs from 7 to 8 in their family room and on Thursday night the session is from 7 to 8 in Ecole McIsaac School’s Library.

 The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba is in need of volunteers for its annual door to door campaign during heart month in February.  Canvas Coordinator Amber Meszaros says they need canvassers across the province including Flin Flon. She explains not only are they asking them to ask for donations at the door but they also have material that they ask the volunteers to leave at each home that they visit.  She says this year they are including some FAST information which is their stroke signs and symptoms which stands for face is it drooping, arms can you lift them, speech is it slurred and time to call 911.

To volunteer for the February campaign you can call Amber at 204-571-4080 or email ameszaros@heartandstoke.mb.ca.

 Mayor Cal Huntley has officially proclaimed Wednesday as Family Literacy Day.  The Family Literacy Read to Me Program’s Keely Patterson says the day recognizes that literacy is crucial in the success of our children and is the foundation of learning. She says it was created to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in a variety of learning activities with family and this year they’re focusing on the theme 15 minutes of fun so whether its making a grocery list, talking in the car on your way to an activity or work or school, reading a recipe and following the instructions, playing games or singing songs there’s a variety of family activities that require little time.

  You are invited to the Flin Flon Public Library Wednesday from 1 to 5:30 for a Seusstastic Reading Rally featuring celebrity readers, activities, free books and treat bags and snacks.

Flin Flon Toastmasters will be holding their annual open house tomorrow evening.  The Club’s Harry Hobbs says the open house is to show people what Toastmasters can offer them in helping improve their leadership and communication skills.  He adds they will be talking about some of the things that go on at a meeting, showing them some of the skills that Toastmasters learn and hoping to encourage them to improve themselves and overcome the fear of public speaking which so many people certainly have.

The open house is being held tomorrow evening at 7 in the Community Adult Learning Center on the lower floor of the Co-op store.

 The Manitoba Government and Frontier School Division are partnering to expand training opportunities in northern Manitoba by building eight new family homes over the next four years.  The Frontier School Division serves much of northern Manitoba including the Cranberry Portage area and the new partnership allows for two family homes per year for the next four years.

Two new homes, one ready to move and one site built, are currently under construction for Cormorant this school year.  A ready to move home is being built at the Division’s off campus facility located at Egg Lake south of Cranberry Portage which hosts an engaged learners program that offers alternative education opportunities for students aged 15 to 21.

In 2012 this same partnership resulted in two ready to move three bedroom bungalows which are now home to families with low to moderate incomes in Cranberry Portage.

The Civil Air Search and Rescue Association or CASARA will be holding training next week. The group’s Gerry Angell says they will have a level one training session Tuesday followed by flying Saturday for new and present members. He explains the training consists of going over the fundamentals of spotting, aircraft safety, survival and it’s about an hour and a half of their time to come in and do that and after that they try to get everybody up into the air so they’re planning on Saturday the 30^th to do some flying weather permitting and people can practice spotting and what they learned in their level one training.

The training will take place Tuesday night at 7 at the CASARA trailer at the Flin Flon Airport.

The Flin Flon Ministerial Association is holding a Mayors Prayer Breakfast tomorrow morning for the Mayors of Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach.  One of the organizers Harry Hobbs explains the idea is to honor and acknowledge the hard work that the Mayors and Councils do for our communities and to pray that they will have continued success and just say thank you for the work that they do.

  The Breakfast takes place tomorrow morning at 9 at Northminster Memorial United Church with guest speaker Theresa Wride from the Flin Flon Friendship Center.  Tickets are ten dollars and are available from any member of the Ministerial Association or at the door.

  The Journey For Sight is a snowmobile ride that left Flin Flon last Wednesday finishing in Brandon Saturday to raise money for the Lions Eye Bank of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario.  Organizer Ian Mullin says unlike last year they had enough snow this year to ride all the way to Brandon.  He says fund raising has gone well even though they had fewer riders as they were short probably somewhere between 10 and 15 riders out of the north and varying amounts out of the south but overall they still raised just shy of 39 thousand dollars on the Saturday.  He adds they have their snowmobile raffle yet to go in February and there’ll still be a few pledges coming in for the next month or so.

The Journey for Sight raises around 100 thousand dollars a year for the Lions Eye Bank.

 You and your family are invited to be part of Family Literacy Day Wednesday afternoon at the Flin Flon Public Library.  Administrator Cindy McLean says this year they’re going to be having a Dr. Seuss with a Seusstastic reading rally at the Library on Wednesday from 1 to 5:30 with celebrity readers, it’s a free event, every child will get a free book and a treat bag, they’ll be making a craft, Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss games, the Bombers are going to be there and it’s going to be snacks, cupcakes, refreshments and door prizes.

  The celebration is being brought to you by the Flin Flon Public Library and the Family Literacy Read to Me Program.  There is also a new session of Read to Me starting on February 2^nd and you can contact Keely Patterson for more information at 271-4166.

 The Flin Flon School Board held a meeting Tuesday night to receive input from the community as they develop a four year strategic plan.  A lot of questions and ideas were discussed including technical vocational training programs, communication between parents and the School Division which the Board agreed to definitely work on, taking a look at lunch programs in the schools, substitute training and bullying prevention.

Trustee Angie Simpson who has been on the Board for thirty years said the Board does well with that they have in turning out positive students.

Anyone interested in learning more about what happens in the School Division and what the Board does can contact any Board member or attend their meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 in the Division offices on Terrace Avenue.

 Manitoba will commemorate the life of Rhonda Commodore by naming a lake in her honor. Commodore was a dedicated correctional officer who lost her life while serving her community and the province.  She began serving as a correctional officer at The Pas Correctional Center in 2000 and was chosen to be part of the officers honor guard in 2004.  On November 6, 2014 she was killed in a motor vehicle collision while transporting inmates from The Pas to Dauphin.

This is the second lake named this week. On Monday it was announced a lake would be named to honor the life and legacy of RCMP Constable Dennis Strongquill.  He was a 20 year veteran with the RCMP who was shot and killed in the line of duty on December 21^st, 2001.

  Both Commodore Lake and Lake Strongquill are located about 45 kilometers north of Flin Flon with the decisions unanimously supported by Flin Flon’s Mayor and Council earlier this month.

At the Flin Flon City Council meeting last night Mayor Cal Huntley reported the Mayors of our three communities Flin Flon ,Creighton and Denare Beach have agreed to support Hockey Night in the North on January 29^th.  He said the Bomber game will be free so people need to fill the stands and support the group trying to bring Hockeyville to our area.

Mayor Huntley also reported he attended last weeks Trout Festival meeting with other city representatives to show support for the festival.  He says there was a lot of support shown at the meeting so it should be another great festival and a good lead up to the big birthday bash next year to celebrate Canada’s 150^th birthday.  He also said the festival executive had asked the city to handle their bookkeeping and he reported they have now agreed to do so.

Council also agreed to continue to support the Manitoba Crimestoppers Program at a cost of l0 cents per capita or $562.40 and they agreed to renew their membership in the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce at a cost of 350 dollars.

Preparations are underway for the start of the redevelopment of the emergency room at the Flin Flon General Hospital.  Once construction begins people using the hospital will be asked to park in the lot at the front of the Whitney Forum and access the hospital through the door at that side of the building.

  At a short public presentation Monday night it was also reported the Northern Health Region has completed the tender phase for the emergency room redevelopment and a review for contracting is underway.  Construction is expected to begin in the next few months with a goal of two years to complete the project.

Another in a series of Wood n Wire nights is coming up at Johnny’s Social Club Saturday.  The Flin Flon Arts Council’s Crystal Kolt says this time they’ll have three local artists who are Kristen Imrie, Faith Krahn and Kim Jones who are all really amazing musicians and they also have Mark Kolt, Craig Bancroft and John Bettger as well as a few strings and horns so it’s going to be a wonderful evening for people to come and enjoy.

  Wood n Wire starts at 7 Saturday night at Johnny’s Social Club on Green Street with tickets available for 15 dollars at the Orange Toad.

As part of their Films Up North series the Central Canada Film Group is presenting the Toronto International Film Festival movie Trumbo Thursday night.  The group’s Collin Davis says he highly recommends seeing this film. He explains in 1947 Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood’s top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. The film Trumbo recounts how Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice of the communist blacklist which involved a lot of top names of the time on both sides of the fence like John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger.

  Trumbo will be shown Thursday night starting at 7:30 in the Hapnot Collegiate theatre.  Admission is ten dollars.

The Flin Flon Ski Club is again using their trail groomer to pack down the snow to make the Flinty Boardwalk accessible this winter.  The Club’s Dave Price says it’s going well with a lot of people using the trail. He explains the Lions Club for the last several seasons has made funding available so that the Flinty Committee can pay the Ski Club to run their equipment over the Boardwalk.  He says they have a snow machine and they drive it over Ross Lake up past the Gas Bar and they are able to grade the trail all the way from the arch at Third Avenue to the foot of the stairs and then put at trail through the Flinty Park as well.

  Price adds this is the third year they have done this with funding provided by the Lions Club.

 The Flin Flon School Board is holding a public meeting Tuesday night. Board Chair Murray Skeavington says they want to hear from you where you think the School Division should be going with education. He says the Board feels that they would like to have some direction and to get that direction they need to hear from the general public to help them formulate where they can see the Division going in the next four years.

The meeting starts at 6:30 Tuesday night in the Hapnot Collegiate Theatre with child care available.  If you can’t attend you still have a chance to complete a survey by going to the Divisions web site or pick up a copy at the schools or Division office.  The completion deadline is Thursday.

The Flin Flon Arts Council and Wood n Wire is offering you an opportunity to pay tribute to Robbie Burns on Sunday, January 24th.  The Arts Council’s Crystal Kolt explains it’s a Robbie Burns night so it’s going to be a full dinner, the whisky shots and Scottish entertainment and it will be all inclusive in the price of the ticket.  She says it has been quite a few years that we’ve been celebrating Robbie Burns in the community and it’s something that everybody’s really looking forward to.

              The Robbie Burns tribute takes place Sunday the 24th with the doors open at 4 o’clock at Johnny’s Social Club on Green Street.  Tickets are 25 dollars and are available at the Orange Toad.

The Flin Flon Kinette Club is holding a girls night out Tuesday night.  The Club’s Vanessa Unrau explains they want to increase their numbers.  She says right now they’re a very small group and they do a lot in the community but with more members they could obviously do more and reach more people in the community so their goal is to get some new blood and new ideas so they can increase their reach and increase the variety of things they can offer.

The girls night out begins at 7 Tuesday night at the Kin Center, formerly the Scout Hall.  Unrau says they will serve appetizers, have a short presentation on what Kinettes is in Flin Flon and the rest will be hanging out with like minded women.

 The Board of Trustees of Flin Flon School Division has announced the retirement of Superintendent Blaine Veitch effective this coming July 31^st.

Board Chair Murray Skeavington says in a release that throughout a 35 year career and for the past 14 years as Superintendent Blaine has provided the Flin Flon School Division with a student centered, service oriented leadership style.  He adds his many accomplishments, both locally and as a contributing member of the provincial Association of School Superintendents, have helped to strengthen our educational system.

Skeavington asks you to join in extending sincere thanks to Blaine for his many contributions to the field of education adding the Board wishes Blaine and his wife Brenda many more years of health and happiness as they enter into the next phase of their lives.

The Flin Flon Trout Festival Committee held a meeting last night to determine the future of the Festival. The meeting was attended by 18 people and President Anita Bradt, Vice-President Melissa Richard and Secretary Annette Last said they were willing to stay on if they could get more help and were all re-elected to their positions.  They now desperately need a Treasurer.

Mayor Cal Huntley said the City is interested in finding out if there is somewhere they can help the Festival out.  Greg East noted several events are being run by ad hoc committees such as the pancake breakfast, canoe events, fireworks and the cabaret and the Festival already has someone to run Main Street events and the parade.  Huntley suggested they formalize the ad hoc committees and the City can have a better idea where they can help out.

Tentative dates for the Trout Festival were set at June 30^th to July 3^rd with the placement of events on those days still to be determined.  Anyone interested in helping out or sponsoring their own events can call Anita at 271-0153 or Melissa at 271-2705.

Hudbay reports copper, zinc and precious metals production last year was within guidance ranges in both the Manitoba and South America Business Units and reflects the successful ramp up of production at the Constancia mine in Peru and Lalor in Snow Lake.  2015 copper, zinc and precious metals production in Manitoba increased year over year by 10, 25 and 8 percent respectively due mainly to a full year of commercial production at the Lalor and Reed mines in the Flin Flon Snow Lake area.

  Hudbay adds in 2016 assuming the mid-point of the guidance ranges is achieved total copper, zinc and precious metals production contained in concentrate is forecast to increase 12, 9 and 16 percent respectively over 2015 levels reflecting Constancia’s first full year at capacity. In addition the Triple Seven Mine in Flin Flon is expected to benefit from improved equipment reliability resulting from its fleet renewal program. 

Exploration activities in Manitoba will focus on targets within the Lalor mine in Snow Lake.

 The Norva Center is hosting the annual competition and photography display by the Flin Flon Photography Club.  The Club’s Daniel Dillon invites you to attend a reception and their display from Friday to the end of the month.  He says an open house will be held on Friday open to the public and awards will be given, the competition will have prints for sale and there will be people’s choice awards so if people want to go in and take in some local photography and vote for their specific choice that will be great between now and the end of the month.

The reception runs from 7 to 9 Friday evening at the Norva Center on Green Street.  Dillon says there will be over 50 entries and three judges for the show.

The Flin Flon Arts Council is inviting you to join them on a bus trip to Winnipeg.  The Council’s Crystal Kolt says there’s a lot included in the February 19^th to 21^st trip starting with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet production of the Cinderella story which is a jazz rendition of the story that we know so well and the composer is Ron Payley and the choreographer is an acclaimed choreographer from New York so it’s a really great show.  She says they’re also going to a speak easy place for dinner called Blind Tiger.

  As well Kolt adds the package also includes tickets to the Manitoba Theatre Center’s Hounds of the Baskerville that you will see back here in Flin Flon on the 21^st.  Anyone interested can contact the Arts Council office at 204-687-5974.

 A recent survey showed that 47 percent of Canadians believe that it’s not possible to live well with Alzheimer disease or another form of dementia.  The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is trying to change that.  Their CEO Wendy Schettler says one of the things they do have going on is a website at www.alzheimer.mb.ca hash tag still here and on that site they highlight some of the people with dementia so people hear their stories and then caregivers do a questionnaire survey about their knowledge on dementia and then they have a section on challenging people on what they can do.

January is Alzheimer Awareness Month.

At the Flin Flon School Board meeting last night Superintendent Blaine Veitch reported they are encouraging all parents, community members and staff to complete a survey to provide input as the Board develops their Four Year Strategic Plan.  Surveys can be completed online at www.ffsd.mb.ca or by picking up a copy at the schools or Division office with the deadline for completion January 21^st.  Board Chair Murray Skeavington added an open house is planned for Tuesday evening at 6:30 at the Hapnot Collegiate Theatre to  follow up on the survey and receive more input from the community.

At their meeting last night the Flin Flon School Board heard from Teacher Daniel Dillon.  He presented a video and spoke on behalf of the Hapnot Student Council Equity and Social Justice Gay Straight Alliance on their visit to We Day and the Manitoba Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. He explained We Day involves 16 thousand students all working towards making their community, the province and the world a better place to live.  He said students have to earn tickets to attend by working on We Day themed projects and they have monthly events planned in the community with the hope of taking 40 students next year up from the 17 that attended this year.  Students reported on the positive vibes and the energy surrounding them through We Day.

At their general meeting yesterday the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce announced membership renewals will be going out by email in the next 7 to 10 days.  Their membership committee will also be visiting businesses that are not members to outline the benefits of membership.  The Chamber’s next general meeting will be on January 26^th with guest speaker Andrew Johnson who represents the Flin Flon Chamber health insurance program.  They encourage members and anyone interested in joining the Chamber to attend at 12 noon at the Friendship Center.   

Since it was their first general meeting since Christmas the Chamber congratulated the Flin Flon Public Library on winning their Your Business Shines contest.  Nominations came in well and they are looking forward to doing it again next year.

The Central Canada Film Group is featuring The Man From Earth Friday as part of their Films You Might Have Missed series.  The group’s Collin Davis says it’s a cult following film that has come up in the last few years.  He explains Professor John Oldman is a university instructor who is unexpectedly leaving after having been at the university for ten years. His pals come by from the university to give him a goodbye party but it becomes a mysterious interrogation after the departing scholar reveals to his colleagues that he never ages and he’s walked the earth for 14 thousand years.

The film is free and is being shown Friday night at 7:30 in the Hapnot Collegiate theatre.

The Lions Journey for Sight leaves Flin Flon tomorrow morning from the Victoria Inn for the annual snowmobile fund raiser for the Lions Eye Bank of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario.  Organizer Ian Mullin from the Bowsman Lions Club says 20 to 25 snowmobiles will leave Flin Flon tomorrow and they’ll go to Cranberry Portage and meet the guys from Thompson and Snow Lake and then continue on down to The Pas for the night.  He adds the next day they’ll travel from The Pas down to Swan River and spend the night there.

  The snowmobilers will be joined by others from across the province as they arrive in Brandon Saturday in a journey that raises around 100 thousand dollars annually for the Eye Bank.

 Health Minister Sharon Blady has announced the Manitoba Government will relocate and expand the chemotherapy unit and the community cancer program spaces at Thompson General Hospital.

The 1.4 million dollar design includes 1150 square feet that will incorporate a private space for doctors and nurses to chart and provide confidential patient care.  The chemotherapy spaces will be larger giving patients more room and be wheelchair accessible. 

Chief Executive Officer for the Northern Health Region Helga Bryant says this builds on their capacity to better meet the needs of their patients as they go through their cancer journey.  The minister noted this project will also help accommodate future demands if there are higher patient numbers.

The Ham Sandwich Theatre Group is looking for three men and three women.  Director Murray MacDonald says they need an older couple, grandparents, a grandson and a potential girl friend for the grandson for their upcoming play Over the River and Through the Woods. He says the story is the way life has changed over the years, the perceptions of how life should be lived with an older generation and a younger generation.  He says it’s a very gentle story but it’s very funny and very touching.

Auditions are being held Wednesday and Thursday at 7 at the Flin Flon Community Hall.  The play will be performed April 15^th and 16^th.

 The Salvation Army reports thanks to contributions from donors, volunteers and community partners they raised over 22 million dollars nationally during their 125^th Christmas kettle campaign surpassing their 21 million dollar goal.  They note donations to the campaign will remain in the local communities in which they were raised and will help the Salvation Army  assist vulnerable people with basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and other provisions. 

As we reported earlier the Christmas kettle campaign in Flin Flon raised 21 thousand dollars of which 11 thousand went to paying for hampers and 10 thousand will be used to operate the rest of the year with their soup days and other programs.

The Christmas kettle campaign is held in more than two thousand locations across Canada as the Salvation Army’s annual fund raiser and is the largest charitable effort of the year for the non-profit organization.

 Callinex Mines reports it has started their winter drilling program at its Pine Bay project near Hudbay’s Triple Seven mine and processing facilities in Flin Flon.                               

  The company says they plan to focus on areas of the Pine Bay project that have the potential for sizeable VMS deposits based on the latest geological, geophysical and geochemical interpretations. It is anticipated four drill holes will be completed in the Sourdough area to follow up on newly identified VMS mineralization and test additional targets generated since the summer drilling campaign.  An additional eight drill holes are planned in the northern Pine Bay areas adjacent to three significant VMS deposits.  Nine of the twelve holes planned have land based collar locations to ensure they can be completed irrespective of winter weather conditions and an additional drill will be mobilized to increase the speed of the campaign.

Premier Greg Selinger has announced an overall increase of 2.55 percent or 31.5 million dollars for public schools for the next school year.  Flin Flon School Superintendent Blaine Veitch says this Division received an increase of 3.2 percent and they’re very pleased to have received that which is slightly above the provincial average.  He says the School Board will review the funding and the draft budget as there are a few new initiatives they are possible looking at.

Provincial funding for public schools across Manitoba totals more than 1.3 billion dollars.

 The Lord’s Bounty Food Bank came through the Christmas season quite well.  Their Food Distribution Chair Dennis Hydamaka says for the month of December alone they took in more money donations than they have in any previous December and also the amount of food that came in was just tremendous.  He says they did have a first in that they had a request for 8 Christmas food hampers and fortunately a lady donated 125 dollars for them to buy turkeys and they were able to fill the eight requests.

Hydamaka adds numbers at the Food Bank are about even with the previous year.  He says they handed out about 132 hampers in December feeding around 420 people.

The Flin Flon Friendship Center will be hosting a Starting a Business Workshop later this month.  Coordinator Deborah Smith with the Aboriginal Business Service Network of Community Futures Manitoba says they will offer a variety of information that will help Aboriginal entrepreneurs. She says it’s basically a check list for starting a business, the things that you need to consider, anything from starting to name your business and registering the business.  She adds they also have information about financing resources that are available to entrepreneurs and they do a presentation on the importance of credit as well as the business plan.

The workshop will run January 20^th and 21^st from 9 to 3 at the Friendship Center.  You can register by calling Theresa Wride at the Center at 204-687-8851 or email pfc@mymts.net.  The registration deadline is January 15^th.

 The year end totals are in for last year at the Flin Flon Recycling Center.  Administrator Deb Odegaard says it was a very successful year.  She explains they had an 11 percent increase over 2014 which was about 460.5 metric tons which is their third highest year since they started recycling which is over 23 years ago so they’re quite pleased with that.  She says they also shipped 32 tonnes of ewaste last year which is 4 times more than in 2014 and this is the first year they kept track of their battery stack and they sent almost half a tonne as they had 450 kilograms.

For information on recycling you can contact the Recycling Center at 204-687-6169.

Operation Red Nose wrapped up another season of getting people and their vehicles home safely last week.  It started November 27^th and ran most weekends in December as well as New Years Eve.  The Rotary Club’s Committee Chair Ted Hewitt says the program again was a success.  He says they provided a total of 180 rides using a total of 124 volunteer shifts which equates to about 90 to 100 individual volunteers.

  Hewitt says even though the service was free riders donated about 28 hundred dollars and with other donations from corporate and other sources within the community they expect to raise in excess of 10 thousand dollars.  He adds the money stays in the community to support children’s activities and organized sports.

After being seriously injured in a dog attack Angie Simpson spoke and wrote to Flin Flon City Council asking them to update the dog bylaw. She asked them to clarify in the bylaw how dogs deemed dangerous will be dealt with.  At last night’s meeting Mayor Cal Huntley said they have a person designated to adjudicate a committee that will deal with these issues and decide the future of the dog and whether or not it should be euthanized.  He said they are still looking at the structure of the committee and who should be part of it.

Concerns were raised by three residents about snow removal.  Mayor Huntley explained main roads are a priority because of the needs of emergency vehicles and buses and then residential areas are done as they are not as high a priority. He said there will always be complaints about snow removal but they appreciate hearing from people as they are always looking at ways to improve the service.

Mayor and Council wished everybody a happy new year with Mayor Huntley adding a safe new year mentioning because of the warm weather there have be several close calls with vehicles and ice shacks going through the ice adding make sure the ice is safe before heading out.

  The Federal Government has announced as part of its commitment to an inclusive and respectful engagement process they have launched an online survey to form the design of the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.  Building on input gathered from the engagement sessions being held across Canada this online survey will allow survivors, family members, loved ones of victims, front line service providers and others the opportunity to provide input into who should conduct the inquiry, its timeframe, who should be heard as part of the inquiry process and what issues should be considered. 

You can access the survey by going to the government website at www.canada.ca and click on National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls near the bottom of the page.

Operation Red Nose completed its final night of getting people and their vehicles home safely New Years Eve.  The Rotary Club’s Committee Chair Ted Hewitt says they provided a total of 45 rides using about 23 volunteers from throughout the community and those who used the service appreciated getting home safely.  He adds the Rotary Club would like to thank all those groups and people who volunteered for Operation Red Nose during the 2015 campaign as without those volunteers the program would not be available as a service to the community.

Operation Red Nose began November 27^th and ran on most weekends in December as well as New Years Eve.

The first baby born at the Flin Flon General Hospital in 2016 waited until the second day of the year to arrive.  The baby girl named Emily Gladys Marie McDonald was born at 10:38 Saturday morning.  Her parents are Zabrina Morin and Arnold McDonald of Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan.

A new session of Read to Me is taking registrations.  Coordinator Keely Patterson says Read to Me is an opportunity for pre-schoolers and their caregivers to create a brighter future for learning.  She explains it’s a free family literacy program that is open to pre-schoolers 2 to 5 years of age and a caregiver and younger siblings are also welcome. She says each day will focus on a theme and include books, songs, games, crafts and a snack adding it also offers caregivers a session that includes presentations, information and discussions on parenting, literacy, nutrition and caregivers will also learn how to make their very own keepsake book for their child.

Read to Me is an eight week program that runs Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:15 to 3:30. To register or for more information you can call Keely at 306-688-2168 or 204-271-4166.

The Employment Links Development Center is beginning a new session on EWIN or Entry to Work in the North program next Monday.  The Center’s Barb Link explains they offer life skills upgrades in your essential skills such as numeracy, reading and communications, computer work, thinking skills, working with others and they do certificate programs such as first aid and WHMIS, CPR and safe foods as well as a six week job placement.

  Link says you can come into their office at 51 Main Street for an information session tomorrow morning at 10 and for further information you can call them at 204-687-8791.

As part of the work of Manitoba’s Home Care Leadership Team launched last year you are invited to share your perspectives and recommendations on home care in an online consultation.

Health Minister Sharon Blady says as our population, particularly the baby boomer generation, ages they need to find ways to strengthen services to meet the needs of Manitobans now and in the future.  She invites you to provide recommendations and suggestions about the future of home care services as part of their broader consultation process.  She says this feedback will be considered by the Home Care Leadership Team as it reviews and considers the most effective structure and service delivery for home care in the future.

  You can find the link to provide your input by going to www.flinflononline.com , view all local news and scrolling to the home care consult story.

Link  -  www.gov.mb.ca/health/homecare/consultation.html