Local News Archives for 2017-03

Check the Best Before Dates on Your Flour.

 

Bags of Robin Hood Flour subject to a recall earlier this week have been sold in Flin Flon.

             

On Wednesday it was reported some bags of Robin Hood Flour sold in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. were being recalled due to possible E. coli contamination. The recalled bags are the 10 kilogram bags of all purpose flour with the best before date of April 17th, 2018.

             

If you have this flour it should be thrown out or returned to the store where it was purchased.

A New Group Is Being Formed to Participate in Larping.

 

Larping took place during Culture Days in Flin Flon in 2014 and 15 at Creekside Park.  The Arts Council’s Crystal Kolt explains it comes from an acronym Live Action Role Playing and involves teens and adults.  She explains they have a role playing game which includes a physical battle and often people come in costumes but it’s not necessary and it’s a whole lot of fun.  She says its happening all across North America and Europe as well and its going to be happening in Flin Flon on a regular basis so they’re excited that something like that came from Culture Days.

             

If you are interested in Larping you can drop in at the Many Faces Education Center gym from 1 to 4 Sunday afternoon.

Slow Down in School Zones.

 

The Citizens on Patrol Program or COPPS continues to assist the RCMP in Flin Flon.  Their Chairperson Sinclair James says they have been monitoring speeds in the community and are concerned about school zones.  He says they want to emphasize that the speed in school zones is 30 kilometers an hour from September to June, Monday to Friday from 8 to 5. He says they’ve had a lot of excessive speeding in Flin Flon from 14 to 29 percent and up to 45 percent in school zones.

             

James says COPPS will be part of a province wide Speedwatch program with MPI on May 6th.  They now have 31 members and are always looking for new members.  If you are interested you can go to their website www.citizensonpatrol.mb.ca or call 204-271-4881.

Mental Health and Wellness Supports are Coming to Manitoba First Nations.

 

 

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson has announced they are leading an interim mental health and wellness coordination initiative over three years for Manitoba First Nations.  She says many of their people are suffering and not able to access the mental health support they need.  She announced a Mobile Mental Health Crisis Response Team is now in place to support both northern and southern First Nations.  She adds they look forward to three Community based Wellness Teams that are being led by three Tribal Councils in Manitoba and look forward to building on this interim measure to ensure long term sustainable mental wellness supports are in place.  A new MKO Crisis Response Line will also be available soon that will be shared widely with Manitoba First Nations and Health Canada has launched a new Indigenous Help Line operation 24-7 toll free at 1-855-242-3310.

 

A New Facebook Group Will Promote the North.

 

A new group on Facebook has been launched to promote, share and increase workforce training and development opportunities in northern Manitoba. One of the group administrators and a representative for the Northern Manitoba Sector Council Liz Sousa explains the group is mainly for contractors, institutions, organizations, anyone that can encourage and share planned training and development opportunities and events.  She says it also helps to seek feedback from industry to gauge what the workforce demand is and what is an upcoming demand so they can gauge what the workforce needs.

             

Sousa adds the group was created to address the needs of northern employers and further ensure the training of northern Manitobans in the north.  The groups can be found by going to Facebook and searching for N-N-W-T-D.                                       

 

The Lions Club Has Their New Executive.

 

At their meeting last week members of the Flin Flon Lions Club elected their new executive. John Kuzub will serve a second term as President while Roger Poirier is Past President.  Vice Presidents include Joe Bradford, Andy Wasylciw and Wayne Streamer.  Debbie Kuzub continues as Secretary and Monica Lone as Treasurer.  The Lion Tamer is Melissa Wasylciw, Tail Twister Roger Poirier, one year Directors Joe McCormick and Mary Denby and two year Directors Janice Cassidy and Ken Mansell.

             

The new executive takes office July 1st.

You Can be Part of a Big Trade and Leisure Show.

 

102.9 CFAR’s annual Trade and Leisure Show is coming up April 27th to 29th at the Creighton Sportex.  Station Manager Dianne Russell invites you to be part of the show.  She says they are looking for anyone who might be interested who may have an event or a group or business that they’d like to promote.  She says they offer a whole lot of traffic at the Trade Show, people walking around and what you have to do is book a booth with them and they’ll share their resources and have a lot of people come and see what you have going on.

             

To register for the Trade and Leisure Show call CFAR at 204-687-3469 or visit www.flinflononline.com and click on 102.9 CFAR in the top right hand corner.

 

The Chamber Will Support The Need for Bus Service in Saskatchewan.

 

 

At their meeting yesterday the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce agreed there is a need for bus service in Saskatchewan.  They will contact Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler to see how they can support his efforts to save STC bus service.  The Saskatchewan government is cutting the bus service across the province at the end of May.

             

The Chamber was advised the Flinty Statue at the Tourist Park needs some repairs and painting.  They will llook into the project and will contact the City.

             

They were also advised a conference for northern Chambers planned for Thompson has been postponed to the fall.  President Dianne Russell says her plan when becoming President was to have meetings with other northern Chambers and would still like to ensure that happens.

             

Discussions continue on ideas to help celebrate this summer’s Homecoming.  It was suggested businesses decorate following a theme for that weekend.  They are also looking for a Flinty volunteer and assistant for that weekend. Russell who is also on the Main Street Committee reported Saturn rides will be here for Homecoming and they are planning for Canuck Amusements to be here with their rides in May as a fund raiser to support the Trout Festival.

 

The Budget is Missing a Lot.

 

 

The federal budget was recently presented in Ottawa.  Our Member of Parliament Niki Ashton was not impressed.  She says this is a budget that’s a lot of talk but no action and certainly very little money to make a difference in terms of other commitments that the government is making.  She adds it’s a budget that leaves out the people that need help the most in our country like for indigenous children, there’s no money in the budget to close the gap for funding of First Nations youth that has been identified even by the Human Rights Tribunal and there’s no money to make EI more accessible to Canadians.

             

The budget included the phasing out of the Canada Savings Bond program, higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco products as well as almost 400 million dollars over three years towards the youth employment strategy.

 

A Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother Has Celebrated 100 Years.

  

 

Pearl Anderson celebrated 100 years yesterday.  Anderson says she lived in Cranberry Portage in the house her husband built until she moved to the Hemlock Apartments in Flin Flon.  She says she came to Cranberry Portage in ’35 around November and more or less lived there up until she moved here about two years ago.  She says she had five children, grandchildren there were 16 and great grandchildren.  Anderson added she always says stay away from the junk food.

             

Over half of her 16 grandchildren and many of her great grandchildren still reside nearby.  They will be holding a come and go tea Saturday from 2 to 4 at the Legion Hall in Cranberry Portage where Pearl is a lifetime member of the Legion Auxiliary.

 

Creightons Mayor is Protesting the Close of the Provincial Bus Service.

 

The Saskatchewan Government announced in its budget it will shut down the Saskatchewan Transportation Corporation bus service across the province at the end of May. Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler says it’s a surprise and great disappointment for Creighton and the north as we depend on that service for many different reasons.  He says a lot of them are transportation for not just seniors but for everybody to attend medical appointments, to get out to schooling, a lot of our supplies and things like that come in on the bus or they ship stuff out on the bus and then that’s a large number of people being laid off around the province as well.

             

Fidler says he has written to STC Minister Joe Hargrave on behalf of New North and will be writing another letter on concerns of the Town as well.

 

There Was a Lot of Interest in a Five Year Plan.

 

 

The Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation conducted a community consultation over the past several months.  Executive Director Laurence Gillespie says 645 people participated in their survey either on line or in person resulting in a list of priorities for their five year neighborhood renewal plan.  He says housing was front and center as people felt there are challenges of housing in Flin Flon and a group like theirs should try and do things to address them.  Number two was economic diversification with the situation at the mine. Three was crime prevention and things that related to improving community safety and a sense of security in Flin Flon. Fourth was things relating to recreation facilities and making recreation more accessible for lower income people.  Five was community beautification, thing like the flowers on Main Street which is their kind of stock and trade, so a general sense of building the community and supporting wellness in the community.

             

Moving forward with the plan is dependent on funding continuing for their programs including their homeowner fix up and community small grants programs in the upcoming Manitoba budget.

Your Children Can Help Name Future Police Dogs.

 

 

The RCMP are inviting young people across the country to help name thirteen German Shepherd puppies born at the Police Dog Service Training Center.  Senior Trainer Sergeant Eric Stebenne says the rules are simple.  He says they’re looking for names that start with the letter K, names must not be more than two syllables and no more than nine letters, participants or contestants must live in Canada and be 14 years of age and younger, only one entry per participant and they have to have the entries no later than April 11th.

             

The thirteen children whose puppy names will be selected will each receive a laminated 8 x 10 inch photo of the puppy they named, a plush dog named Justice and an official RCMP baseball cap. For information on how to enter by mail or online go to your favorite search engine and type in Name the Puppy Contest 2017.

 

The Northern Health Region is Promoting the Use of Patient Advocates in the Region.

 

Bruce Krentz with the Health Region says these advocates can help anyone who wants extra support as they navigate the health care system.  He explains if he was your advocate he would come to appointments with you as sometimes you may be too embarrassed or too shy to ask some questions of your doctor.  He says often times when you’re in an appointment you get a whole lot of information all at once and you have a little trouble absorbing it because you get the first sentence and not the rest of it.  He adds it’s somebody you trust that you feel comfortable having with you.

             

For more information on patient advocates you can go to the websites www.mips.ca or www.safetoask.ca.

They May be Out of School But They Can Keep Busy.

 

 

With spring break next week a lot of morning and afternoon activities are taking place at the Norva Centre.  On Monday there’s kite building for ages 6 and up from 10 to 12 and needle felting 12 and up from 2 to 4, Tuesday Oh Canada crumple dye 8 and up from 10 to 12 and paint party for 8 and up from 1 to 4, Wednesday painting and planting 8 and up from 10 to 12 and draw squad 8 and up from 2 to 4, Thursday print making posters 8 and up from 10 to 12 and ceramic painting 8 and up from 1 to 4 and Friday clay sculpture 6 and up from 10 to 12 and Ukrainian eggs 10 and up from 1 to 3.

             

For information on the classes, costs and to register you can drop in to the Norva Centre at 177 Green Street, call them at 204-687-4237 or visit their website www.norvacentre.com.

 

Things Will Continue to be Busy at the Library.

 Library reading tree

 

Flin Flon Public Library Administrator Cindy McLean is retiring.  New Administrator Courtney Campbell says she is from Minto, Manitoba and wanted to work in the province. She explains she started out with a music ed degree, ended up taking photo journalism and then finished her Masters of Library Science last year so she has been looking for a job in Manitoba and this was kind of a perfect fit.

             

Campbell says she will carry on with all the activities in place at the Library.  She says she is just trying to get the lay of the land and she’s got some big shoes to fill as Cindy has done a really great job so she’s just going to keep up with what she’s doing and keep doing lots of programming.

             

McLean’s last day at the Library is Tuesday.

 

 

Our MLA Has Called For Fair Labor Practices.

 

 

Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey raised in the Legislature this week the need for a meaningful collective bargaining process in the province and respect for that process.  He says he is concerned that Bill Seven is just the beginning of the Pallister government’s attack on labor. Lindsey says laying off hundreds of workers and making deep cuts to important government services like health and education are a risk.  He asks what will it mean for patient care if there are fewer doctors and nurses, what will it mean for Manitoba students, parents and teachers with larger classrooms, fewer educational support and higher tuitions.  He says these are all questions that this government consistently refused to answer.

             

Lindsey says the Premier decided to take a 20 percent pay raise for himself showing the wage freeze put forward does not apply to him.  He asked the government to stop their attacks on labor as Manitobans value frontline services and the people who work hard to provide them.

 

A Principal is Becoming Assistant Superintendent.

  

 

The Trustees of Flin Flon School Division have announced the appointment of Tammy Ballantyne as Assistant Superintendent.  She has 23 years experience as an educator working as a teacher, resource teacher, Vice-Principal and Principal of Ruth Betts Community School since 2012.  Ballantyne says she looks forward to the new job.  She explains it’s been both a privilege and an honor to be awarded the position of Assistant Superintendent.  She says she looks forward to the challenges that come with the new position and looks forward to continuing her career with the Flin Flon School Division in this new capacity.

             

Ballantyne will replace Dean Grove who will be retiring after serving as Assistant Superintendent since 2002.

A Zinc Discovery Near Snow Lake Could Expand.

 

Rockcliff Copper reports its recently completed surface geophysical survey has identified a large untested conducive plate below the historical Pen Zinc Deposit partially located on their Penex Zinc property near Snow Lake. The property is located approximately 4.5 kilometers southwest of Hudbay’s Lalor Mine and less than 200 meters from Hudbay’s up-dip near surface portion of the historic high grade unmined Pen zinc deposit.

             

Rockcliff President Ken Lapierre says their Penex Zinc property covers the down dip continuation of the Pen Zinc deposit where it crosses onto their property at approximately 300 meters vertical.  He says with their geophysical survey identifying a strong untested conductive plate immediately below the known deposit and continuing to at depth of at least 800 meters vertical bodes well for high grade zinc mineralization to continue on the property.  He adds they will continue to explore and prepare the property for a planned drill program later this year.

 

You Can Learn More About a Five Year Plan.

 

The Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation is holding a community meeting Friday evening.  The Corporation’s Laurence Gillespie says it’s the culmination of their community consultation process which they’ve been doing for the past several months.  He explains they have been polling the community trying to get a sense of what priorities they’d like them to address over the next five years and pursuant to that they’ve drafted a five year plan that incorporate the top priorities listed by the community that they’ve spoken to.  He says this meeting will be to present the plan to the community and basically get their feedback on it to make sure they’re on track for the next five years.

             

Gillespie says everyone is invited to the meeting being held Friday evening at 6:30 in City Council chambers.

 

Poetry Was the Focus of Part of the Flin Flon City Council Meeting Last Night.

 Bill Hanson       Brenda Schmidt

 

Mayor Cal Huntley officially proclaimed March 21st as World Poetry Day and April as World Poetry Month.  In recognition of that Councilor Bill Hanson read a poem he heard as a child written by local resident Murray McDonald about a prospector Jack McPhee and his attempts to get into Heaven.  Administrator Mark Kolt reported Creighton resident and long time poet Brenda Schmidt has been named Saskatchewan’s Poet Laureate. Her term begins April 1st and runs to December 31st, 2018.

             

Council passed a bylaw to accept the Manitoba Fire Code and Emergency Code as the city Fire Prevention Bylaw.  Councilor Guy Rideout congratulated the City crews for their handling of the recent blizzard with Mayor Huntley noting they kept the main travel routes open so buses could keep running.

             

Councilor Colleen McKee noted our synchronized swimming group the Flin Flon Aqua Doves is the only group in northern Manitoba and they will be taking part in the Crocus Challenge at the Pan Am Pool in Winnipeg April 7th to 9th.

Callinex Mines is Expanding its Holdings Near Flin Flon.

 

Callinex Mines has signed an option agreement to acquire a one hundred percent interest in the Big Island Project 10 kilometers east from Hudbay’s processing facilities in Flin Flon.   

             

Callinex President Max Porterfield says the Big Island Project contains one of the highest grade zinc and gold rich VMS deposits ever discovered within the Flin Flon Mining District.  He says they are looking forward to conduction systematic exploration to discover additional mineralization. He reports between 1987 and 88 Westfield minerals discovered exceptionally high grade zinc and gold rich VMS mineralization over considerable widths including 19.6 meters of 24 percent zinc equivilant. The initial focus will be on identifying extensions to this high grade mineralization adding no follow-up exploration has occurred on the Tara Lake Deposit in this property since the initial discovery and subsequent exploration that was conducted between 1987 and 91.

            

You Can Enjoy the Boardwalk In Spite of the Heavy Snow.

 

The Flin Flon Ski Club is again using their trail groomer to make the Flinty Boardwalk accessible this winter.  The Club’s Dave Price says in a normal winter they do 8 to 12 passes but they only did it twice this winter until the recent heavy snow.  He says they dug out some fairly major drifts along side Stittco and then packed the rest of the trail and the trail going through Flinty Park and overnight having packed it it freezes up and you’ve got a nice firm base to walk on.

             

Price adds this is the fourth year they have done this with funding from the Flin Flon Lions Club. He says the Boardwalk has again been well used this winter.

 

There Needs to be More Consultation on Health Care.

 

Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey has asked the government to consult with northerners on health care.  He says the Northern Health Region serves over 74 thousand people but is being asked to cut six million dollars without consultation with northerners or front line workers.  He says the Premier is forcing unrealistic budgets on the RHA cutting non-insured services for thousands of northerners and we know cutting non-insured services means cutting mental health supports, but we don’t know the full extent of what these cuts mean.  Lindsey asked will the Minister for health table a complete list of those non-insured services that he’s planning to chop so northerners have an accurate sense of how much damage this is going to cause them.

             

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen replied the government has made a strong investment in the north but also believes in ensuring there is sustainability in the health care system.

 

The Aqua Center Community Committee held a public meeting last night at City Hall Council Chambers.

 

Corey Thompson treasurer for the group announced that  $137,000.00 has been raised so far with presentations to service groups, the City of Flin Flon, Town of Creighton and lots of fundraising projects.

Kara Plamondon the chair for this committee says they were really happy to see the turnout again, another really good group of volunteers showing up and showing interest in the project and they just wanted to communicate with all those people out in the community that are interested, how they can help and they’re looking for people to join committees and help them with some of the committee work and also the various volunteer activities they have with the Northern Lights Dancers recital coming up they’re helping out with and they’re providing volunteers at Homecoming and then they wanted to share about their Flin Flonoply game that’s coming up as well.

If you would like more information or to volunteer you can check them out at Aqua Center Community Committee on facebook or call the Aqua Center at 204-681-7540.

Our Young Scientists Work Will be on Display Thursday.

 

 

  After being postponed by a blizzard last week the  Flin Flon School Division wide Science Fair is being held Thursday. Ruth Betts teacher Kari LaBorde explains they have grade one through eight from McIsaac and Ruth Betts for a total of 113 projects with over 150 students participating.  She says they’ll have grades 7 and 8 students being judged in the morning and then the grades 1 to 6 have their judging in the afternoon.

             

The Science Fair is being held at McIsaac School Thursday. There will be public viewing from 4:30 to 6 followed by the awards presentation.

Flin Flon Hosted a Seminar and Invites More People to the Homecoming.

Dianne Russell

 

Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce President Dianne Russell updated members on the Northern Economic Development Strategy Task Force outreach meeting held here Friday.  Chair Chuck Davidson met with Hudbay, Hapnot Collegiate students, City Council and Chamber Members.  Area representatives will be invited to attend a Look North Policy seminar to be held in The Pas April 3rd and 4th.  The goal is to grow the economy of the north by promoting the opportunities offered in the north to the rest of Manitoba and Canada.

             

Homecoming co-Chair Colleen McKee reported an additional 400 tickets are being offered on Friday for the Homecoming at picatic.com or at City Hall.  They have already sold 1921 tickets. The Chamber will use the opportunity to showcase our community.

             

The Chamber welcomed six new members while reminding members membership renewals are now due.

Three More Arrests Have Been Made.

 

 

On February 21st the RCMP began investigating the shooting of 16 year old Mark Clarence Michel in Pelican Narrows. They determined there was another victim a 17 year old female who did not require medical treatment.  River Blade Storm Linklater was arrested and charged in Sandy Bay Court with first degree murder, attempted murder and participation in a criminal organization.

             

RCMP have now arrested and charged three more people in connection with this incident.  River Jason James Charles, Layton Adolph McCallum and a 17 year old male youth have been charged with first degree murder and participation in a criminal organization.  They have all made their first appearance in Prince Albert Provincial Court.

 

Things Will be Looking Up in Flin Flon School Division.

 

The Manitoba government has approved 72 infrastructure renewal projects across the province. Education Minister Ian Wishart says they will invest more than 44 million dollars to ensure the structural integrity of public schools and the continued safety of students and educators.

             

Funding is included for three projects in Flin Flon School Division that will see roof replacements take place at Ecole McIsaac School, Ruth Betts Community School and Hapnot Collegiate.

             

Wishart noted the projects will be completed within a time frame of six to twenty-four months following the award of tenders and start of construction.

 

Local Talent Hits the Stage This Weekend.

 

The Ham Sandwich Theatre Group presents their March performance Friday and Saturday.  Director Diane Therien says they will perform the Dixie Swim Club which centers around five women whose friendship began when they were in College and spans about 40 years.  She explains the play is a hilarious look at the trials and tribulations of their lives and how they interact with each other.  She says the meet once a year in August at a cottage and every year there’s new events and adventures that they had and problems and life happenings that they have to deal with and it’s a hilarious look at all of those things and how they remain friends.

             

The Dixie Swim Club will be performed Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 in the Flin Flon Community Hall with tickets available at Northern Rainbows End on Main Street for 15 dollars.

 

Northerners Should be Promoting the North.

 

 

The Chair of the Northern Economic Development Strategy Task Force Chuck Davidson was in Flin Flon Friday along with their local rep Dianne Russell listening to people as they develop a Look North Policy.  He says the policy will be a plan to promote opportunities in the north something he says people should already be doing.  He says as he has been doing his travels around the north some of the worst critics of northern Manitoba are people in northern Manitoba and so how do we change that mindset, how do we change that culture shift for people in northern Manitoba to think we’ve got a lot of things going on here so how do we tell that story to people in other parts of the province and other parts of Canada.  He adds there’ll be recommendations like here’s the role that the federal government has to play, here’s the role that the provincial government needs to play and the local government but also here’s the role that business needs to play and just individuals in northern Manitoba.

             

You can still be part of the Look North Policy process by attending summits in The Pas, Thompson and Churchill in early April or by going to the Look North link on the Manitoba government’s website.

 

 

You Can Be Part of the Look North Process.

 

The Chair of the Northern Economic Development Strategy Task Force was in Flin Flon Friday.  Chuck Davidson says he’s listening to people in the north as part of the Look North planning process and met with the local Chamber of Commerce and their President Dianne Russell who is the local rep on the Task Force as well as Mayor and Council but he says most importantly high school students because that is who this plan is for.  He explains fixing all of the issues of northern economic development are not going to be done in a paper that they put out in two months and solve all the problems within six month.  He says this is going to be a generational issue so they need to start looking in terms of what are the long term issues that they need to understand for northern Manitoba and that’s why he’s interested in talking to high school students in terms of what do they see as the potential for the north in terms of what kind to education do they need and what kind of opportunities do they see from business.

             

Davidson adds public summits will take place in early April in The Pas, Thompson and Churchill to gain more input from area residents to develop ways of promoting the great things we offer in the north.  You can provide input by going to the Look North link on the Manitoba government website.

 

Information Sessions are Available on Dementia.

 

The Primary Health Care Center continues to host a series of telehealth seminars presented by the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.  The Society’s First Link Coordinator Marilyn Maartense says they are part of Telehealth Family Education for Those Experiencing Dementia.  She says the next session on March 21st is Understanding the Psychoses and Anxiety in Dementia and that will be with regards to the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia which may include hallucinations, delusions, psychoses, anxiety so just to gain a better understanding of how these changes may manifest in the person with dementia and be informed of some of the strategies of our approaches to these changes.

             

The sessions are held at the Primary Health Care Center from 6:30 to 8.  The April 25th session will cover Food and Nutrition.  To register for the seminars 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 Government Needs a Plan For The North.

 

Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey told the Manitoba Legislature this week the government has to do more for people in his riding.  He says people from Flin Flon are proud of where they’re from and have been expressing their concerns.  He says they’re worried about this government’s inaction as hundreds of workers face layoffs as a result of Hudbay’s Triple Seven mine closure and they’re worried as workers lose their jobs at the Port of Churchill as grain shipments have ceased.  He says this government’s order to layoff 900 workers at Manitoba hydro, their continuous attacks on labor and their refusal to raise the minimum wage have made it clear that they’re not on the side of Manitoba workers in the north or the south.

             

 Lindsey says the government needs to give northerners concrete support for economic development along with investment in health care, education and training.

The Deadline is Close to Apply for Grants for Your Group or Organization.

 

The Northern Neighbors Foundation is accepting applications for the Moffat Foundation funding they receive each year.  This year they will have 55 thousand dollars to grant their communities that include Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, Snow Lake, Sherridon and Cranberry Portage.  Chairperson Jane Robillard explains there are applications online at Northern Neighbors Foundation and also the grant applications and grant guidelines are at our public library.  She adds grants are made to non-profit organizations that have a registered charitable number so its non-profit and it’s for organizations that demonstrate a strong and committed responsibility to the community.

             

The deadline for applications is Wednesday.

Help is Available in Case of Disaster.

 

 

 

Bev Erickson and       

                                                  Disaster Assistance Kit

 

The Flin Flon Area Red Cross Personal Disaster Assistance Team held an exercise for its twelve volunteers last night.  The exercise involved reacting to a major house fire and a smoke damage scenario leaving two families out in the cold. Their Community Outreach Worker Bev Erickson explained the team’s role in these situations.  She says for local calls from people that have say a house fire and aren’t able to take care of their needs using their own resources they can call the Red Cross and they have a trained team of volunteers here in the Flin Flon area that will come out and do a needs assessment and based on that can provide lodging, food, clothing and hygiene products for those individuals.

             

Erickson adds they also have an emergency response team locally that joins with others across the province in case of major flooding or wild fire evacuation.  More volunteers are needed for these teams and if you are interested go to their website www.redcross.ca or call 204-982-7330.

 

Information and Support Are Available on Nutrition.

 

 

March is Nutrition Month.  Community Dietician Joanna Ledoux says the theme this year is Take the Fight Out of Food so spot the problem, get the facts and seek support.  She explains eating should be joyful not a source of every day frustration and confusion so if you’re fighting with food you want to try the three step approach.  She says number one is spot the problem to find what’s causing your fight with food, number two get the facts so use facts from credible sources to decide what needs to be done to solve the problem and number three is seek support so put the plan in action with support from a dietician, family and friends.

             

For more information on proper nutrition you can call Joanna at 204-681-3149.

Saskatchewan Ice Shacks Have to go This Month.

 

The Ministry of Environment reminds you that ice fishing season closes in northern Saskatchewan on April 15th.  That means all fishing shelters in areas north of highway 16 must be removed by March 31st.  They note each spring a number of ice fishing shelters are abandoned and these can pose a danger to boaters, water skiers and others enjoying the summer lakes as well as causing environmental hazards when pieces wash up on shore.  All litter must also be removed when the shelters are taken off the ice.

           

If shelters are not removed owners can be prosecuted and the structure and contents may be confiscated and removed by the ministry. They also warn anyone traveling on the ice should take extreme caution and watch for indicators of unsafe conditions.

Our Member of Parliament has Entered the Race.

 

Churchill Keewatinook Aski Member of Parliament Niki Ashton made it official yesterday.  She is running to be the next leader of the federal New Democratic Party.  She made the announcement in Ottawa where she told her supporters to think big.  She stated lets put our voice out there and lets take it to the next level.  She said lets start with a  clear statement that this is our Canada, this is our community and that this is our future.

             

Ashton added she made the announcement in Ottawa to recognize that her movement is a national one and the best place for that announcement is in the nation’s capital.  The race to replace leader Tom Mulcair ends in October.

 

Today Can Be a Vehicle for Change.

 

 

Today is International Women’s Day. Flin Flon Women’s Resource Center’s Barb Hopkinson says the day is celebrated globally in honor of the remarkable contributions of women to society. She says the day also commemorates the inspiring role of women around the world to secure women’s rights and build a more equitable society.  She adds Women’s Day also remembers the voices of many women that go unheard and who continue to be dominated from securing their rights and realizing their full potential.

             

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is Be Bold For Change and is a call on the masses or yourself to help forge a better working world and a more gender inclusive world.

 

Exploration Has Taken to the Air.

 

 

Rockcliff Copper Corporation has started a phase one geophysical program at their high grade Laguna gold property.  The property is located in their Snow Lake Mining Camp.  The Company will complete an airborne magnetometer survey over the entire Property using state of the art drone airborne equipment and complete an induced Polarization survey to cover the prospective high grade Laguna gold mine trend.

             

Rockcliff President Ken Lapierre says their geophysical program is the first of its kind on the Property.  He says last year’s initial prospecting program over historic showings identified significant widespread gold values from trace up to 20 ounces per tonne.  He adds with this phase one geophysical data they will be one step closer to their first drill program on the Laguna gold mine trend and the first one on this trend in over 70 years.

The Effects of the Blizzard are Still Being Felt.

 

Flin Flon and Creighton Schools continue to be closed today as well as the Flin Flon Guidance Nursery.  Around the city the main roads have been kept open but some side streets and back lanes are still snowed in.  Manitoba highway ten is now open as far as Riding Mountain Park but with poor visibility.  Saskatchewan highway 106 out of Creighton now reports winter driving conditions.

 

The Call is For a More Inclusive World.

 

 

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day with the theme Be Bold For Change.  Flin Flon Women’s Resource Center’s Barb Hopkinson says the day offers support for women and girls to achieve their ambitions and to help them advance and unleash their limitless potential.  She explains over the decades the objective of Women’s Day celebrations has evolved and embraced culture to emerge as a celebration of appreciation, respect and love towards women.  She adds Women’s Day is also celebrated in schools and forms part of the curriculum to spread awareness of empowerment of women in their roles and achievements.

             

The Women’s Resource Center is celebrating International Women’s Day with events all this week. More information on the events is available on the events page at www.flinflononline.com, on the Women’s Resource facebook page or call them at 204-681-3105.

The Potential of an Exploration Property Continues to be Tested.

 

 

Callinex Mine continues its drilling campaign at the Pine Bay Project in the Flin Flon Mining District.  They report they have drilled six holes since late January. Two drill rigs are currently operating with one testing the southern strike extension of the Cabin VMS Horizon while the other is deepening a previously drilled hole to reach the sparsely tested portions of the Pine Bay VMS Horizon to the north of the historic Pine Bay Deposit 16 kilometers east of Flin Flon. Assay results are expected towards the end of March.

               

The focus of the current campaign has been to identify opportunities with the potential to host significant volcanic massive sulphide mineralization within the project area.

             

The current drilling campaign will continue until spring break up in mid to late March and will resume in June once new geophysical work has been completed and ground conditions improve.

 

Its Not A Day for Travel.

 

 

Blizzard conditions in the Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan are causing problems.  In Flin Flon and Creighton Schools are closed today.  Number ten highway from Flin Flon pretty well to the U.S. border is closed due to heavy blowing and drifting snow.  And on Saskatchewan highway 106, the Hanson Lake Road out of Creighton travel is not recommended due to heavy snow, snow drifts and swirling snow.

 

It Was A Weekend of Festival Fun.

 

The Annual Bust the Winter Blues Festival resulted in a busy weekend.  The Committee’s Caitlin Bailey says a lot of people came out to their events Saturday.  She says they had about 135 at their breakfast, 150 at the Rotary Wheel and another 150 out at the Family Dance so they had a lot of people and it was awesome.

             

The Family Fishing derby yesterday saw 40 fishers out on Phantom Lake with 12 fish caught.  The largest was a 37 inch 11 and a half pound jackfish caught by nine year old Nickolai Tetloff.  A new event the Turkey Slide was won by Virginia Gardiner with her turkey landing two inches from the button.  Snow shoe races were won by Jacob Cehaan for ages 7 to 9, Caleb Janzen 10 to 12, Taylor Robinson 13 to 16 and adults Adam Ricard.

Our Young Scientists Work Will be on Display Wednesday.

 

A School Division wide Science Fair is being held Wednesday. Ruth Betts grade seven teacher Kari LaBorde explains they have grade one through grade eight from McIsaac and Ruth Betts for a total of 113 projects and over 150 students participating in the event.  She says they’ll have grade 7 and 8 students being judged in the morning and then the grades 1 to 6 have their judging in the afternoon.

             

The Science Fair is being held in the Flin Flon Community Hall Wednesday.  There will be public viewing from 4:30 to 6 followed by the awards presentations.

Local Women Can be Part of a Craft Show.

 

 

As part of International Women’s Week local women are invited to participate in a craft and homemade artisan show Friday.  The Committee’s Caitlin Bailey is asking women to book a free table for the show.  She says they’re looking to fill a couple more tables at their International Women’s Day event and they’re looking for female crafters and home artisans from the area.  She says it can be anything from photography, tapestry, they have women who make jewelry coming and women who make pottery so pretty much anything that you can think of that is homemade or an artisan product.

             

The Craft and Homemade Artisan Show will take place Friday from 4 to 7 in the Flin Flon Community Hall and admission is free for the public to attend.  To book your table call Caitlin at 204-681-7542.

 

A Big Fishing Derby is Being Held this Weekend by Missinippi Airways.

2016 Derby

 

The derby will take place on Girouard Lake south of Pukatwagan about 99 kilometers north of Flin Flon.  Mathias Colomb Cree Nation Chief Arlen Dumas says the derby has always been popular.  He says the derby has grown from year to year noting last year they had over a thousand people gathered where they were having their derby and they had over 600 registered fishers so it’s a lot of fun.

             

The derby starts at noon tomorrow with prizes that include a 4x4 truck for first place, ten thousand dollars cash for second and five thousand for third.

You Can Celebrate International Womens Day All Week.

 

 

The Women’s Resource Center is celebrating International Women’s Week next week. The Center’s Barb Hopkinson says they have seven events planned during the week. She reports Monday is introduction to basic vehicle maintenance, Wednesday is moms and tots yoga and after that awakening the Goddess, Thursday the 9th is introduction to fitness, Friday is the craft show and traditional healing methods with the focus on the four medicines followed by the music evening at 7.

             

All events are free and you can find more details on locations and times here on CFAR, on the events calendar at www.flinflononline.com, the Reminder, the Women’s Resource Center facebook page or call the Center at 204-681-3105.

 

Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the Top Jurisdictions Worldwide for Mining Investment.

 

 

Saskatchewan and Manitoba are now the most attractive jurisdictions for mining investment in the world.  That’s according to the annual global survey of mining executives by the Fraser Institute which describes itself as an independent non-partisan Canadian public policy think tank.  The two Canadian provinces beat out Western Australia which fell from 1st to 3rd this year.

             

The Institutes senior director of energy and natural resource studies Kenneth Green says competitive tax regimes, efficient permitting procedures and certainty surrounding environmental regulations and land claims have vaulted Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the top in the eyes of miners looking to invest. 

             

This year’s survey rates 104 jurisdictions around the world based on a combination of their geologic attractiveness for minerals and metals and their policy attractiveness.

 

You Can Have a Fun Weekend at a Flin Flon Creighton Festival.

 

The Annual Bust the Winter Blues Festival is being held this weekend. Committee member and Creighton Recreation Director Channa Senyk says they have a lot of events planned starting with the Kinettes Trivia Night which is a very popular event on Friday evening in the Flin Flon Community Hall.  She adds then Saturday morning the highlight of the day is the pancake breakfast at the Friendship Center hall starting at 9 o’clock followed by the Craft Show at St. Ann’s Church at 10 o’clock and come down to the Rotary Wheel at 1 o’clock for a fun afternoon and don’t forget the fireworks at 7 o’clock over the Creighton soccer field.

             

The Festival also includes a Mardi Gras Family Fun Night starting at 7 Saturday in the Creighton Community Hall and the Family Fishing Derby Sunday on Phantom Lake with registration at 11:30. Due a shortage of snow they have had to cancel the horse sleigh rides and the Border Explorers Snowmobile Frozen Aces Derby.

 

You Can Test Your Knowledge Tomorrow Night.

 

The Flin Flon Kinette Club is holding their annual Trivia Night tomorrow.  Club President Corinne Matthews says it’s their 11th year for the event and it’s a fun evening for people to get together and answer a bunch of different trivia questions.  She explains you join in teams of up to six people and you bring an appetizer, you have some drinks, you answer some questions and their host this year will be Father Paul.

             

The night begins at 6:30 with trivia starting at 7:30 in the R.H. Channing Auditorium with tickets available for 20 dollars at the Orange Toad and Gas Bar. There will also be an elimination draw for a return flight for two Flin Flon to Winnipeg and two night’s accommodation in Winnipeg.

 

The Budget Passed Tuesday Night and the School Day Will Remain the Same.

 

 

The Flin Flon School Board has passed a motion to approve the 2017-18 budget which will now be forwarded to the Public Schools Finance Board no later than March 31st.

             

Board Chair Murray Skeavington announced the Board has decided to keep the length of the school day as is due to costs.  The Board thanked all who contributed their input via recent public forums and surveys.

             

Assistant Superintendent Dean Grove spoke on the special education survey which parents can access via the Division website or pick up a hard copy at your child’s school.  There will be a community forum on special education funding which will be held March 16th at Ruth Betts School and again April 20th at Ecole McIsaac School.

             

In closing Board Chair Murray Skeavington gave huge congratulations on behalf of the Board to the group of Hapnot students who collectively raised 330 dollars towards clean water and sanitation projects in Kenya.  He noted this is just an example of what kids in our community can do.  Follow the links on the Hapnot website or facebook page for more information.

 

The Winter Games are Coming North.

 

 

Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Rochelle Squires as well as Thompson MLA Kelly Bindle and Mayor Dennis Fenske were on hand at Deerwood School yesterday morning for the official announcement that Thompson is hosting the 2018 Manitoba Power Smart Winter Games.  Squires spoke about how important it is to have the games come back to the north. She says we know that sports can unify a community, build pride and build spirit as well as the athletic development and the interest.  She adds these kids are going to have a wonderful opportunity, maybe some of them will have friends or family competing in the games and maybe they’ll set some goals for themselves and they’re going to have a really great experience with building community spirit.

             

Events taking place will include hockey, curling, badminton, swimming and for the first time speed skating.  This is the second time Thompson has hosted the Manitoba Games, the first was in 1994.

             

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation has applied to host the 2020 Manitoba Power Smart Summer Games.

 

A Drill Program is Restarting to Expand a Known Deposit.

 

Foran Mining is planning to initiate a drill program focused on the historic Bigstone Deposit.  The Deposit lies about 25 kilometers southwest of their McIlvenna Bay Deposit located 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon. The drill program is designed to follow up on results of Foran’s initial drilling completed in 2015 which they report produced a number of significant intersections which speak to the potential of the Bigstone Deposit to host high grade copper and zinc mineralization.

             

Their President Patrick Soares says management believes now is the time to follow up these results and build a resource which could potentially supplement any mine development decision at McIlvenna Bay. He adds they hope to conduct enough drilling to not only verify the grade at the Bigstone Deposit but drill holes that may incrementally expand the size of the know deposit.

You Can Join People Around the World in Prayer.

 

 

Flin Flon’s Lutheran Church is hosting a World Day of Prayer Friday afternoon.  One of the organizers Linda Hettrick invites you to join them.  She explains the World Day of Prayer is a global, ecumenical movement of informed prayer and powerful action.  She says their theme this year is Am I Being Unfair to You and it was prepared by the ladies of the Philippines and it highlights the need for justice.  She adds they’ll hear stories of the Philippine women and girls who are victims of abuse or migrant workers and women who have suffered because of natural disasters.

             

The World Day of Prayer gets underway at 2 Friday afternoon at the Lutheran Church on Second Avenue joining Christians in more than 170 countries and in two thousand communities across Canada.

Archives:

2024-03 | 2024-02 | 2024-01 | 2023-12 | 2023-11 | 2023-10 | 2023-09 | 2023-08 | 2023-07 | 2023-06 | 2023-05 | 2023-04 | 2023-03 | 2023-02 | 2023-01 | 2022-12 | 2022-11 | 2022-10 | 2022-09 | 2022-08 | 2022-07 | 2022-06 | 2022-05 | 2022-04 | 2022-03 | 2022-02 | 2022-01 | 2021-12 | 2021-11 | 2021-10 | 2021-09 | 2021-08 | 2021-07 | 2021-06 | 2021-05 | 2021-04 | 2021-03 | 2021-02 | 2021-01 | 2020-12 | 2020-11 | 2020-10 | 2020-09 | 2020-08 | 2020-07 | 2020-06 | 2020-05 | 2020-04 | 2020-03 | 2020-02 | 2020-01 | 2019-12 | 2019-11 | 2019-10 | 2019-09 | 2019-08 | 2019-07 | 2019-06 | 2019-05 | 2019-04 | 2019-03 | 2019-02 | 2019-01 | 2018-12 | 2018-11 | 2018-10 | 2018-09 | 2018-08 | 2018-07 | 2018-06 | 2018-05 | 2018-04 | 2018-03 | 2018-02 | 2018-01 | 2017-12 | 2017-11 | 2017-10 | 2017-09 | 2017-08 | 2017-07 | 2017-06 | 2017-05 | 2017-04 | 2017-03 | 2017-02 | 2017-01 | 2016-12 | 2016-11 | 2016-10 | 2016-09 | 2016-08 | 2016-07 | 2016-06 | 2016-05 | 2016-04 | 2016-03 | 2016-02 | 2016-01 | 2015-12 | 2015-11 | 2015-10 | 2015-09 | 2015-08 | 2015-07 | 2015-06 | 2015-05 | 2015-04 | 2015-03 | 2015-02 | 2015-01 | 2014-12 | 2014-11 | 2014-10 | 2014-09 | 2014-08 | 2014-07 | 2014-06 | 2014-05 | 2014-04 | 2014-03 | 2014-02 | 2014-01 | 2013-12 | 2013-11 | 2013-10 | 2013-09 | 2013-08 | 2013-07 | 2013-06 | 2013-05 | 2013-04 | 2013-03 | 2013-02

Frontline Sport & Leisure - U-Pick/Opinion Poll

Frontline Sport & Leisure U-Pick Song of the Day -Songs About Friendship

Your Calendar

March

S M T W T F S
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            

Weather