The Flin Flon Alliance Church has again formed a prayer group called Jericho Drive.  Originator of the project Eric Durussel says people from all churches can join them as they drive around Flin Flon. He explains they get as many cars as they can and they wave signs while they’re praying for the people in the community that they would come to know God’s love and provision.  He says in life we have all the busyness of society and daily stuff that sort of blocks out everything else but they pray for the schools, the houses, care homes, the hospital, work places and shopping centres and certainly unity of churches that we will come to look at what life is really all about.

Durussel says anyone interested can join Jericho Drive by meeting at 5:45 at the Alliance Church each evening starting Tuesday to the following Monday.

The 17^th annual Manitoba Arts Networks Rural and Northern Juried Art Show gets underway Tuesday in Winnipeg.  It features selected works submitted to Regional Juried Art Shows held across Manitoba each year.  Among the artists in this year’s show are five northern artists with three from the Flin Flon area Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, Tamra Martin and Brandy Bloxom and two from Thompson Teresa Burrows and Adira Carter.

The Network states the show provides an opportunity for artists in the north and rural regions to present their work to an urban audience and gives Winnipeg audiences an idea of the scope of work being created outside the Perimeter.  The show is free and starts Tuesday at the Buhler Gallery at St. Boniface Hospital and will be open Monday to Friday from 10 to 8 and Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4 until September 30th with an artist’s reception Saturday September 8^th from 1 to 3:30.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont has announced his party’s plan for connecting the north.  They will ensure all northern communities have access to high speed internet and cell phone coverage within three years, ensure that roads for communities are built and maintained with a focus on trade routes that can spur economic growth by lowering costs for families and businesses alike and ensure partnership with local leadership from northern communities and First Nations.

Lamont says Manitoba is lagging behind Saskatchewan in connecting remote areas.  He notes if you compare cell service coverage in Manitoba to Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan is much better and some of this is a safety issue some is an economic issue.

Lamont adds he would work with Manitoba Hydro’s existing fibre-optic system and Indigenous communication companies to cover remote area.  He estimates it would cost 20 million dollars as part of a cost shared deal with the federal government although he is not providing a detailed breakdown of the figure.

Students from Creighton Community School are getting ready to go back to school next week.  Principal Patty Korchinski explains the grades one to twelve show up on September 3^rd and they start with a home room and go right into their classrooms adding pre-k and kindergarten have a soft start the following week and they can contact their teachers to see when that happens.

If you need more information you can call the school at 306-688-5138 or check their Facebook page and Instagram account.

Superintendent Tammy Ballantyne reported on the status of the capital projects that were ongoing this past year.  The roof project at Ruth Betts is now complete, roofing at Hapnot and McIsaac is ongoing, work on grooming rooms at McIsaac and Ruth Betts continues and replacement of the air handling unit at Hapnot has a completion date set for September 30^th.  Eight new teachers have been hired for the new year, three at Hapnot, one at Many Faces, one at Ruth Betts and three at McIsaac.  The Division also hired a number of Educational Assistants.

Board Chair Leslie Fernandes welcomed back staff and students also thanking Marc Lucas who represented the Division during Pride Week along with the Teacher’s Society’s float in the parade, saying it was a strong example of inclusivity in the Division.

Seela biked from Winnipeg to Thompson over the course of five days in honour of his sister Jeff, who died by suicide in 2017.

All proceeds will be donated to the HOPE North Suicide Prevention Committee which has three sub committees covering the Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage Snow Lake area, The Pas and Thompson.

Seela explained his Counsellor Treena is the one who helped give him a few options of where the money would go and who would help him.  He says she gave him the option of working with Hope North and they help out with every northern community like Nelson House, Thompson and all around that area and he really liked that.

Seela adds that he is still accepting donations for suicide prevention, which can be made through his Go Fund Me page at Go Fund Me dot com slash Rayden’s Ride for Hope.

The Journey of Hope held in Winnipeg supports the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society and its free programs and services.  Flin Flon’s Ray Berg collects pledges to support the walk done by Katrina Tinman the Society’s Special Events Administrator.

Berg reports he has raised 4 thousand dollars for the Walk here in Flin Flon so far and is waiting for the Society to let him know how much he has raised online.  He has raised well over 16 thousand dollars over the past four years noting anyone pledging 20 dollars or more will receive a tax receipt after the Walk.  You can still make pledges by watching for Ray when he has a table set up at the Co-op Store.  The Journey of Hope takes place Saturday, September 21^st starting at the Forks in Winnipeg.

Churchill Keewatinook Aski Member of Parliament Niki Ashton has called on the Liberal government to deliver desperately needed health care services to the Island Lake region.  She says the communities of St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Wasagamak and Red Sucker Lake that total an estimated 14 thousand inhabitants only have nursing stations that fail to meet the numerous demands in the region adding the lack of services is forcing people into difficult situations and too often they need to move away from home to survive.

Ashton states a region of this size requires the services of a hospital. She called for a public inquiry into the inadequate health care First Nations people receive.

Your child has all their supplies for the new school year and their backpack is ready to go.

But there’s something extra you can do to help your child succeed at their studies, and that’s an eye exam. 

Optometrist Dr. Ashley Britton explains how poor vision impacts our children’s ability to learn.  She explains vision is such an important part of our learning process, you need good vision to see the board and you need good vision to read and understand what’s put in front of you.  She says if your visions not good the needs become much more challenging for children so it’s very common for a child that they have to work harder to do these tasks, they become discouraged and they can stop paying attention in school or they may even stop doing their assignments.

School age children in Manitoba have one eye exam per year covered by the government until the age of 19.

In opening statements Liberal James Lindsay who has lived throughout the north and is former Mayor of Lynn Lake said one of his goals is accessibility to more communities in the north getting rid of one of the biggest obstacles to development.

              PC candidate Theresa Wride who was originally from Norway House made her way to Flin Flon where as a job consultant she sees the need to help people develop their skills and knowledge to become employable and self sufficient.

NDP candidate Tom Lindsey said he spent 30 years with the Steelworkers and now as MLA meeting people throughout the north noting all people can succeed and there is an opportunity out there with their name on it by providing the right education.

The Green Party’s Saara Murnick said there is a need for a guaranteed income supplement as 64 percent of kids in our Federal riding are under the poverty line and the need to drop the voting age to 16 with support for proportional representation to reduce voter apathy.

In response to questions the top priority for all was the real need for improving health care and Lifeflight with discussion on economic development, education and local school boards, resource development, strategies for the north, climate change and collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

You can speak to and hear more from the candidate from 5:10 to 6 this afternoon here on CFAR.

The Manitoba Harm Reduction Network and the local Play it Safer Network are recognizing Overdose Awareness Day Thursday. The Networks Tieryn Steele invites you to meet at Pioneer Square at 5:45 Thursday and join the Memorial March starting at 6. She adds they will be ending up back at Pioneer Square with a Candle Light Vigil to honor those who have been lost to overdose so community members can come out and light a candle for their loved one that’s been lost and they’re also going to have performance by the Indigenous drumming and dancing group as well as providing naloxone training.

The Committee notes last year we lost 4460 people to overdose in Canada which is over 12 people a day.

Hapnot Collegiate will be helping grade nine students prepare for their first year at the Collegiate.  Principal Steve Lytwyn says there’s a change in welcoming the new grade nine students. He explains traditionally they have had the grade nine orientation the week before school but they’re going to try something a little bit different and they’re going to have the grade nine students come in the very first day of school next Wednesday September 4^th and there’ll be greeters there to meet them and they will give them a tour and go over what life will be like at Hapnot for them and then that day at lunch they’re planning a welcome back barbeque for all of their students because their grade ten, eleven and twelve students will already be in class in the morning just to have a great kick off to the new school year.

The Collegiate is open this week for students who want to come in and make changes to their timetables.  Any students with questions can also drop in or call the Collegiate at 204-687-7506.

As they continue to develop their Zoro Lithium Property near Snow Lake Far Resources has provisionally filed seven patents for various battery related and other technologies from the Electric Blue Solar Research Vessel.  The Far joint venture is now setting up a terrestrial testing program for a number of select technologies relating to universal battery warning systems which the company plans to roll out as the patent applications are approved.  Potential clients and testing partners have already been identified.  Sponsorship of the Electric Blue Solar Research Vessel was announced in March.

Meanwhile at the Zoro property the company has received its updated work permit from the Manitoba Office of Sustainable Development for the purpose of ongoing exploration and drilling at the project.  Further exploration planned will cover those areas where no exploration has been undertaken to date.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation is again holding an event called Registration Under One Roof Thursday, September 5^th.  Recreation Director Caitlin Bailey says people interested in registering for upcoming events will be able to do so in one place. She explains now they are looking for any organizations that would like to come and take part.  She adds it’s completely free and it gives you an opportunity to interact with everybody in the public because most people come to get everyone signed up for everything for the year so anybody that would like to participate whether you’re a non-profit or a sport or a recreation activity or organization looking for members you’re more than welcome to come and take part.

Any groups or organizations interested can contact the Recreation Office at 204-681-7542 or email cbailey@flinflon.ca with your organization name and contact person. Under One Roof will run from 5 to 9 Thursday September 5^th in the Flin Flon Community Hall.

With the provincial election coming up in a few weeks, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is asking the party leaders about their commitments on key small business issues.

The organization sent the leaders surveys about their takes on four major areas: tax relief, sustainable spending, reducing red tape, and balancing labour laws and enhancing training programs.

When asked about recommendations pertaining to small businesses in the north, the CFIB’s Director of provincial affairs, Jonathan Alward explains if you look almost all the policies are relevant to business regardless of whether or not you’re in downtown Winnipeg or in Thompson.  He says there are things like the education property taxes for example that impact every business across the province.  He adds we know that spending for people is going up on education and all the property taxes that go with it and these policies set at the provincial level are then having the same or very similar impacts on businesses across the province regardless of what size.

He adds that many CFIB members in northern Manitoba responded in an earlier survey, saying the lack of skills training and staff retention are major issues for their businesses.

The result of the leaders’ survey is expected to be published on the CFIB’s website about a week before the election.

There are four candidates in Flin Flon constituency for the September 10^th Manitoba election.  They are Liberal Jim Lindsay, the NDP’s Tom Lindsey, the Green Party’s Saara Murnick and Progressive Conservative Theresa Wride.

On Monday night at 7 the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce is holding a candidates forum in City Hall council chambers where candidates make an opening statement and then answer question from the moderator and those attending the forum.

On Tuesday afternoon from 5:10 to 6 the candidates will be on the air from CFAR studios.  They will make opening statements and then answer questions you pose to them by calling in a 204-687-8300.  It’s your opportunity to talk directly with the candidates.

The Denare Beach Sand and Surf Pop Up Market will be open tomorrow afternoon on the Beach.  One of the organizers Crystal Banting explains they’re going to try it again as this weekend we’re supposed to have better weather so they’re hoping for a great turnout.  She says they’re going to have 9 to 10 vendors so come on out and they’re going to have sand castle making, a barbeque, face painting   and Denare Beach is going to launch their name the mascot contest as well.  She adds its Saturday from 1 to 4 at the Main Beach.

Banting notes they will also have Denare Beach merchandise available.    If you would still like to book a space you can call the Denare Beach Village office at 306-362-2054.

In Flin Flon yesterday Premier Brian Pallister said if re-elected they will replace the Mining Community Reserve Fund with the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund.  He said the government will invest a 20 million dollar base and it will be managed by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce while the government focuses on jobs and partnerships.  He explained where they’ll have their involvement is working with First Nations communities on protocols, promoting and encouraging exploration and prospecting, trying to encourage with the existing advantages we have as besides the raw materials we have also able renowned workforce people in our province with the reputation for good work ethic, ready to learn, to be trained and they’re setting up partnerships to do that.

Pallister adds the change will make the fund sustainable so it will be there when needed.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation will be holding a Family Hay Day at the Zoo tomorrow.  Recreation Programmer Caitlin Bailey says there’ll be fun for everyone.  She says they’re going to be having a closing out barbeque for the Joe Brain Petting Zoo so it gives everyone a last chance to say bye to all their furry friends before they head back to the farm for the winter before we see them next season so they’re having the barbeque, a couple of games, a scavenger hunt, some family fun and if the weather doesn’t co-operate they’re still going to do the barbeque so come on down and say bye to everybody.

Hay day runs from 4 to 6 tomorrow afternoon and then the animals at the Joe Brain Petting Zoo start retuning to The Pas and Swan River for the winter.

The Flin Flon Recycling Center is encouraging you to reuse school supplies.  Their Administrator Deb Odegaard says people have dropped things off so they are ready for their recycled school supplies give away.  She says there’ll be lots of notebooks, dual tangs, loose paper, pencils crayons, scissors, pencil cases, three ring binders both the zipper kind and the non-zipper kind so there’ll be quite a wide variety there as well as blank paper and file folders that you may not be going to school but you could use in your home and people are welcome to that as well.

The school supplies give away is Saturday from 1 to 3 downstairs at the Flin Flon Public Library.

 Summer in the Parks is completing their summer of activities for children four to nine years old on Friday.  Supervisor Haylee Werbicki says the children enjoyed all their theme weeks.  She says the number of kids they had each week fluctuated but they were mostly full at about 20 kids per week.  She adds this week its Holiday Week so each day will be a different holiday for the kids to enjoy and Friday is the Summer in The Parks birthday so they’ll be doing cupcake decorating, doing different crafts with the kids and having a birthday party windup.

Summer in the Parks began on July 2^nd and is sponsored every summer by Flin Flon Parks and Recreation.

At their meeting last night Flin Flon City Council received a letter from the Main Street Revitalization Committee.  They reported on their past meetings with stakeholders and educational workshops that led to successful projects most notably the Main Street ARTery with art works along Main Street. They stated they are now in position to move forward with establishing a permanent committee with ten members chaired by Treasure Daneliuk having identified safety as concern which needs to be one of their main focuses as it presents itself as a negative connotation on Main Street.  They offered to be the spearhead to provide recommendations to the City on lighting and cameras to be installed on the Street.  The letter was received as information.  Councilor Colleen McKee who is on the Committee noted Main Street is the face of the community and is the first impression people get of the community.

Council also praised the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering Committee and musicians for providing a great weekend of music not only for locals but in bringing former locals home and bringing a lot of new people to the community.

The Flin Flon Public Library wraps up their summer camps this week.  Administrator Courtney Campbell says they’ve had a lot of kids take part and lots of great camp days with two left.  She notes tomorrow its Spy Day and Friday its their wrap up for the summer where they celebrate with all the kids who’ve been coming to the camp and bringing their passports so they’ll have some cake and some food, some fun games and they’re also going to be drawing their prizes for their reading passports as the kids have been submitting what they’ve been reading over the summer and they give prizes to reward them for doing such good work.

The camps began on July 3^rd as part of their TD Summer Reading Club.

 In Flin Flon the advance poll is open in the Community Hall August 29^th and September 3^rd and 4^th from 8 am to 8 pm and in Snow Lake at their Community Hall August 29^th from 8 am to 8 pm.  The Returning Office for Flin Flon Constituency is located in Cranberry Portage and is open for advance voting August 29^th to September 5^th from 8 to 8 except Sunday September 1^st from 12 to 6.

Everyone must show ID to vote. That can be one piece of government issued photo ID including a drivers license, enhanced Manitoba identification card, passport or treaty card or two documents that include your name such as a Manitoba health card, social insurance card, utility bill or credit card.  People on the voters list who don’t have ID can have someone vouch for them.

More information can be found on the website www.electionsmanitoba.ca.

   Marc Lucas

The Flin Flon Pride Committee held their third annual Pride Event over the weekend. The Committee’s Andy Richard praised the School Division for their first Pride flag raising ceremony held on June 24^th. Many Faces Education Centre Principal Marc Lucas said educators have a great responsibility in providing a safe and inclusive environment for all to learn and be part of.  He said along with equitable changes to our School Division over the past few years our schools were excited to raise Pride flags and show that they are in alliance with progression, understanding and love.  He added its moments like these that they hope to be part of in the future as there’ll always be battles and people to educate whenever there’s been discrimination so Flin Flon School Division will be one of many voices to help educate and make this world a more accepting one.

The Rainbow Heart Project with hearts painted around town was started when Julia Suchoplas painted a heart on the rocks which was vandalized, repainted and added to by others with the slogan Love Always Wins. She explained she wants the Rainbow Heart Project to be the unifying symbol of love and family that can tie us together no matter how alone we feel, to live is to accept and to accept is to love.

              The weekend included several other events such as a Trans March, community barbeque, Pride parade and, their first Drag show.

Best FloatBest Group

The Wilderness Committee is distributing a survey to all candidates campaigning in the upcoming provincial election.  It is asking for their plans on caring for Manitoba’s environment.

Wilderness and Water Campaigner Eric Reder says never in our history has action on the environment been more critical than it is now adding Manitoba has ecological solutions, we just need the political will to implement them and this survey will help voters decide who’s up for that task.

Topics covered in the survey include park protections, climate action, combating the biodiversity crisis and saving Lake Winnipeg.  Voters will be able to view responses from their local candidates on the Wilderness Committee website www.wildneresscommittee.org/manitoba on September 3^rd.

Groups and organizations across Saskatchewan are receiving more than two million dollars in charitable gaming grants.  They come from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority charitable gaming grant program.  Through the grants Creighton will receive just over ten thousand dollars with just under five thousand going to the Creighton Border Explorers Snowmobile Club, just over five thousand to the Creighton Community Centre and 185 dollars to the Creighton Lodge Trust.

These quarterly grants are equal to 25 percent of net revenues raised through licensed charitable gaming activities such as bingos, raffles, break open tickets and other events.  Charitable gaming reports submitted by the groups are used by the Authority to calculate the grants.

Churchill Keewatinook Aski Member of Parliament Niki Ashton says there can be few better examples of perseverance and resilience than Churchill.  She says the news that grain is once again being shipped through the Bay Link and the Port of Churchill is the latest example of this.  She explains when the previous owners shut it down the people of Churchill and all along the Bay Line did not give up. There was so much at stake as the lifeline to the community, employment, access for residents and tourists alike as well as its historic legacy since being opened in 1929.

Ashton adds it’s a port and rail line that has huge potential with the opening up of Arctic shipping.

Far Resources has completed final payment obligations under its agreement to secure 100 percent interest in its Green Bay Option.  This is part of the 36 hundred hectare high grade Zoro Lithium Property near Snow Lake.

President and CEO Toby Mayo comments the company has now completed five successful drilling campaigns on Zoro generating a robust mineral resource of over one million tonnes at close to one percent lithium, discovered multiple previously unknown lithium bearing pegmatites and generated a strong portfolio of additional targets throughout the property.

Far reports they have applied modern techniques over approximately one third of the total Zoro project area resulting in the discovery of thirteen dykes as well as a definition of numerous additional targets which are drill ready.  Management believes the potential for additional discoveries at Zoro is very significant.

The Flin Flon Recycling Centre is holding a school supply give away Saturday, August 24^th.  Administrator Deb Odegaard says your left over school supplies can be re-used by someone else.  She explains along with the school supplies they’ve found at the Centre they are willing to take any extras people have in their homes for this give away so they can drop them off at the Recycling Centre anytime before the 22^nd.  She adds they had suggested that you drop them off at the Library but they’re not able to accommodate it so they would like all the supplies to come to the Recycling Centre.

The school supply give away takes place downstairs at the Flin Flon Public Library Saturday August 24^th from 1 to 3.

Saskatchewan’s Screening Program for Breast Cancer mobile bus will be in Creighton August 19^th to 27^th at the Sportex.  Early Detection Coordinator Laurie Pearce says this program is important to women. She explains it’s a test that is provided to women who have health card coverage and certainly Flin Flon women are also welcome to come to the mobile bus when it’s in Creighton and it’s important because the earlier cancer is detected usually the more treatable it is and low stage it is and that goes with all types of screening programs including the screening program for colorectal cancer and also the pap test for cervical cancer so early detection really does save lives.

Screenings will take place from 8 am to 8 pm weekdays and they still have appointments open so you can call 1-855-584-8228 to book one. Following Creighton they will move on to Pelican Narrows from August 28^th to September 4^th at the Angelique Canada Health Centre.

Due to the expected rain this Saturday the Denare Beach Sand and Surf Pop Up Market will be open Saturday August 24th on the Beach.  One of the organizers Crystal Banting explains it’s going to be something they try every year and it’s just going to be a little pop up market just to get people out to the Beach. She says they have quite a few vendors already but they always have room for more if anybody would like to come and take part.  She notes they have pottery, baking, produce, Danita Stallard with her books, Touch of Class, paintings by Emily Ridley and Vicki’s Beach Glass.

Banting adds they will also have Denare Beach merchandise available.  The Pop Up Market is open at the Main Beach from 1 to 4 Saturday August 24th.  If you would still like to book at space you can call the Denare Beach Village office at 306-362-2054.

The Flin Flon Arts Council is offering Improv Workshops tomorrow and Friday Nights from 7 to 8:30.  Presenter Wendy Corden who is involved in Improv Theatre at the University of Saskatchewan says tomorrow is for children 14 and under and Friday for adults and will cover skills like spot theatre, unscripted, different exercises and team work.  She says she wants to bring that sort of content to Flin Flon a little bit because she knows we have Ham Sandwich, we have musicals, we have things like that and those skills go far beyond just theatre performance, they are skills that we use every day in job interviews or working with people on projects, doing presentations at work or in school or anything like that and so it keeps you on your feet, it keeps you thinking quickly and being able to respond to things fast and in a humorous way.

To take part contact the Flin Flon Arts Council at 204-687-5974 or their office in the Community Hall.  The fee is 10 dollars and a few more people are needed.

The Blueberry Jam Music Gathering entertained a lot of people over the weekend.  The committee’s Katie Anderson reports over seven thousand passed through the entrance over the four days of the Gathering made up of around six thousand adults and twelve hundred youth.  She says they didn’t come up with exact numbers as they ran out of wrist bands used for counting on Friday night and they shut down the entrance tables at dusk due to a lack of light with people still coming in so using the numbers they had and estimates they know it was easily over seven thousand.

Blueberry Jam ran Thursday through Sunday at Johnny’s Social Club, the Rotary Wheel and the Tourist Park Campground.

The Creighton Annual Home Business Show is being held September 6^th and 7^th.  Recreation Director Channa Senyk says it’s a good opportunity for home businesses to come out.  She explains they are looking for any home business that would like to come and join them adding so far they have about 25 that have registered.  She says it’s a two day home business show at the Sportex so anybody that is selling anything out of their homes they’d love to see you.

Home businesses interested can contact the Creighton Recreation Office at 306-688-3538 and book tables at a cost of 25 dollars for the first table and 5 for additional tables.

The Creighton Spray Pool windup is being held Friday afternoon.  Recreation Director Channa Senyk says they have activities planned to help celebrate the windup.  She invites everyone to come out for a free afternoon with refreshments, the bouncy house and some games.  She adds they’re hoping for a really nice day to say goodbye to summer and their summer staff and have some fun.

The Creighton Spray Pool Fiesta runs from 1 to 3 Friday afternoon.

The 20^th annual Steve Ewing Memorial Poker Run took place Saturday.  One of the organizers Kel Brown says they had a successful ride from Flin Flon to Wanless and back. Brown explains they had approximately 30 bikes and the total of what they raised was approximately 3 thousand dollars and Bonnie Pruden and Brian Lindgren won first prize as they tied at 131 points and last place went to Katie Njegovan at 560 dollars and the bursary got a thousand.

The ride left Flin Flon at noon Saturday and left Wanless at 1 with stops at Fidler’s Corner and Cranberry Portage ending at the Hooter in Creighton.

In their second quarter 2019 financial statement Hudbay reports Triple Seven Mine in Flin Flon and Lalor in Snow lake output increased by 35 and 21 percent respectively with total ore mined increasing by one percent over the same period last year offset by the closure of Reed Mine last August.

Hudbay Senior Vice-President Cashel Meagher reports since its discovery last February drilling has continued to define the extent and geometry of their 1901 deposit which is located between the former producing Chisel North mine and Lalor mine less than a thousand meters from an active underground ramp at a depth ranging from 550 to 650 meters and within 15 kilometers trucking distance of the Stall concentrator.  He adds the mineralization is interpreted as two zinc VMS lenses with locally high grade gold and silver content.

The mineral resource estimate indicates 2.1 million tonnes grading 9.67 percent zinc, .87 grams per tonne gold, 30.7 grams per tonne silver and .25 percent copper.  They note the gold and silver rich mineralization is likely to constitute a suitable feed for the New Britannia gold mill after its refurbishment is completed in 2022.

Far Resources has expanded its relationship with BattMatt Technologies to allow the company to partner with BattMatt in the development of various patentable battery related technologies.  A binding letter of intent has been signed between Far and BattMatt to form a joint venture with a definitive agreement to be finalized in the coming weeks.  Through this agreement Far will have the opportunity to participate in early stage ownership of patentable battery related technologies, to advance relationships with battery manufacturers and to gain access to a wider alternative base of stakeholders.  It will allow the partners to quickly and efficiently assess and invest in battery and power related projects leveraging the use of the company’s Zoro lithium project near Snow Lake and Hidden Lake lithium project in Yellowknife as a future source of raw materials while also allowing Far to gain access to a broader investor base and to numerous potentially revenue generating projects and inventions.

Hudbay has released its second quarter 2019 financial results. Interim President and CEO Peter Kukielski said building off a solid first quarter Hudbay delivered strong operating results in the second quarter including record mine production at Lalor, record throughput at the Stall Concentrator, both in Snow Lake and strong production results in Peru notwithstanding the planned semi-annual maintenance activities at the Constancia mill.  He noted based on these results they are on track to achieve their full 2019 production cost and capital expenditure guidance.

Kukielski added in Snow Lake they announced the initial resource estimate for the 1901 deposit which we will look at in tomorrow’s news.  In the second half of the year they will continue advancing the WIM, Pen II and New Britannia zones to upgrade them to a reserve classification.  At Rosemont in Arizona they intend to appeal a court decision suspending construction work while evaluating options for advancing the project.

Hudbay reported a net loss in the second quarter of 54.1 million dollars compared to a net profit of 24.7 million in the second quarter of last year.

Pride Week is being celebrated in Flin Flon this week.  Committee member Billy Williamson says their weekend celebration starts with the Flag Raising at City Hall Friday at 5 o’clock and there is a barbeque afterwards followed by the Transgender March.  He adds Saturday they have their parade and if you want to just walk or enter a float entry forms are at Pharmasave of on their Facebook page Flin Flon Pride and then their Drag Queen Mermaid which is the first ever drag show that Pride has put on and their Much Music Video Dance with a 90’s theme is at the Unwinder Saturday night.  He notes Sunday they have Pride in the Park at the Creighton Spray Pool where there’ll be food, music and lots of fun for the family.

The committee has also repainted the rainbow crosswalk between the Royal Bank and the Steelworkers building parallel to Main Street.  A complete list of events can be found on the Flin Flon Pride Facebook page.

The Flinty Committee held a meeting Wednesday night to discuss their work in the Boardwalk area over the past year.  Along with regular maintenance they laid down eleven new name boards last September.  They have four new boards to router and these will be laid down this September along with any other boards purchased.  You can purchase a name board at City Hall for 100 dollars.

In winter maintenance the Ski Club did eight passes along the Boardwalk this past winter funded by the Lions Club.  A new sign was installed at the entrance arch acknowledging the Lions and the Ski Club assistance with winter trail maintenance.  The committee has purchased stain with funding provided by the City.  The main stairs at the north end of Ross Lake and other wood infrastructure above the lake will be stained by volunteers once things dry out.

The committee is also looking for new committee members and volunteers to help their with security duties at Flin Flon Bomber games on a regular or occasional basis.  Interested volunteers for staining or assisting the committee can call Dave at 204-687-8653.

The Amisk Lake Church in Denare Beach is presenting an adventure for children Monday to Friday next week.  Sunday School teacher Doreen Campbell says it’s put on by the Child Evangelism Fellowship.  She explains it’s called G Force Adventure for ages 5 to 13 at Amisk Lake Church Augusts 12^th to 16^th from 1 to 2 and it’ll be a fun time for the children as they will have snacks, bible stories, sing songs and they’ll have a great time.

The event is free so you can just show up at the Amisk Lake Church at 1725 Moody Drive in Denare Beach at 1 o’clock Monday to Friday next week.  If you need more information you can call Doreen at 306-688-6277.

The 20^th annual Steve Ewing Memorial Poker Run will be held Saturday afternoon.  One of the organizers Kel Brown says all bikes, trucks and cars are welcome.  He says they leave the Gateway gas station at noon and the southern riders will leave Wanless at 1 o’clock and they pick five different hands along the way so it’ll be a great day so come on out.

Stops along the way include Wanless, Cranberry Portage, Fidler’s Corner and the Hooter in Creighton. Part of the money raised by the Poker Run goes to a bursary for graduating high school students.  If you need more information call Kel at 204-687-0102.

The Hudson Bay Route Association held their 76^th annual meeting in Flin Flon under the theme Back On Track.  The Association is an advocacy group promoting the use of the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Rail Line.  Canada’s Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr praised the Arctic Gateway Group partnership’s role in re-opening the Port and the rail line after they closed.  He said the Churchill deal would never have happened without the entrepreneurial support that came from Fairfax and AGT, it never would have happened without the strength courage and tenacity of Mayor Mike Spence and other communities up and down the line and Indigenous leadership up and down the line, no better example of reconciliation than this consortium has become and those are the partnerships that will ultimately distinguish Canada from the rest of the world.

Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey suggested it’s time to look at not only what we ship out of the Port but what we can bring in adding the rail line should be expanded to connect other northern communities.

The second Blueberry Jam Music Gathering gets underway at Johnny’s Social Club this evening and runs through the weekend.  The committee’s Debbie McDonald says they have about 80 musicians both local and from elsewhere. She says they have a performer coming from the UK who was doing a Canadian tour found out about us somehow called and said can I come so she’s going to be there.  She adds they have people from all over Manitoba so they have tons of Flin Flon representation, The Pas, Swan River, Thompson, Norway House, people coming from Vancouver, Winnipeg and Alberta, Ottawa, Portage La Prairie so they’ve got lots of variety, something for everyone.

The Blueberry Jam Music Gathering takes place at Johnny’s Social Club, the Tourist Park and Campground and the Rotary Wheel with the schedule of performers on their Facebook page and in the Reminder.  Admission is free but they are happy to receive donations to support the event.

Rockcliff Metals Corporation reports drill contracts have been signed and several projects are now permitted for drilling.  The one hundred thousand meter drill program is starting this month and will continue non- stop to December 2020.  They report Rockcliff is well funded and is now the largest development and exploration junior land holder in the Flin Flon Snow Lake greenstone belt.

Their President and CEO Alistair Ross explains the objectives of this very large drill program are to expand existing resources at several of their deposits, assisting in advancing several of their key projects through the pre-feasibility phase as well as to explore for significant new grass roots discoveries on their very prospective land position.  He adds the success of the drill program will be an integral part of Rockcliff’s growth strategy as they work to transition the company into Manitoba’s next mining company.

On Friday a Liberal Candidate Jim Lindsay was selected for Flin Flon Constituency for the upcoming provincial election.

A news release states Jim Lindsay is currently a resident of Lynn Lake having spent many years living in Flin Flon.  It adds Lindsay’s worked as a teacher in Nelson House and Cranberry Portage before settling down in Lynn Lake in 2004.  From 2012 to 2017 Lindsay served as the Mayor of the Town of Lynn Lake where he was able to provide the town with leadership as a time when it was about to lose one of its lifelines in its airport. It adds he also secured the renaming of Provincial Road 391 as Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway in honor of the Lynn Lake born rocker.

Flin Flon’s second Blueberry Jam Music Gathering happens this weekend.  The Committee’s Katie Anderson says they are almost set for the weekend thanks to hundreds of volunteers.  She notes the Rotary Cllub is still looking for a few more volunteers for the later shifts so they need some night hawks out there who are going to work the beer garden so please call Dean Grove at 204-687-8307.  She says there will be golf carts, wheel chairs and garden wagons to help people with hauling down the chairs that they need to bring or for people with mobility issues who can ride the golf carts.  She adds they’re almost ready for the wonderful weekend and they hope to see tons of people out.

The Blueberry Jam Music Gathering starts Thursday night at Johnny’s Social Club and runs through this weekend at the Tourist Park and Campground with a list of performers on their Facebook page.

City Council approved two agreements at the meeting.  They renewed their agreement with the Town of Creighton and Northern Village of Denare Beach respecting Regional Development and Diversification and they formalized a Fire Services Mutual Aid Agreement with the Town of Creighton for services in the event of an emergency situation.

Council resolved that Tammy Ballentyne and Tim Spencer be appointed as members of the Flin Flon Public Library Board as recommended by the Board replacing members Constance McLeese and Melody Borschewski. 

Council received a letter from Dianne Russell on behalf of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce inviting them to meet with members of a business development tour coming to Flin Flon October 9^th and 10^th.  The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce sponsors the tour with 20 to 25 business people, investors and government reps from the south taking part.  The letter states they have two days to convince them Flin Flon is the place to do business.

Blueberry Jam volunteers are invited to an orientation this afternoon.  Volunteer Coordinator Katie Anderson explains this afternoon between 4 and 7 there will be volunteer orientation at the Flin Flon Community Hall where schedules, job descriptions and volunteer t- shirts for people who are working the entrances, driving carts and selling 50-50s will be available.  The Rotary will also have a station where they will give out vests or Rotary aprons for their volunteers.  They will also have a schedule of volunteers so people can confirm their time.            

The Blueberry Jam Music Gathering runs from Thursday night through Sunday with performers  listed on their Facebook page.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreations Summer in The Parks has completed its first month.  Supervisor Haylee Werbicki says they’ve had high enrollment and fun so far for the 4 to 9 year olds taking part.  She says for the next month they have a super hero’s week, a holiday themed week and an art themed week where they will take a trip to Norva with the kids.  She adds during super heroes week they’ll be doing super hero themed crafts and obstacle courses, they have a couple of beach trips planned and trips to the Aqua Centre, SPCA and also the police station and fire hall.

Summer in the Parks run until August 23^rd week day afternoons from 12 to 5 based at the Joe Brain Petting Zoo.  For information or registration call Haylee at the Recreation Office at 204-681-7542 or 306-514-1860.

The Federal government has announced it is investing up to 4.9 million dollars in projects in Manitoba to build an inclusive and empowering economy.  Three northern projects will receive a share of that funding.

University College of the North will receive up to 250 thousand dollars to establish a Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative for The Pas that will give youth an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship through skills development and partnerships with business and industry professionals.

UCN will also receive up to just under 1.5 million dollars to pilot a business incubator, digital prototyping facility and business start up services in northern Manitoba working with key partners including North Forge Technology Exchange and Arctic Gateway Group.

And the Community Economic Development Fund will receive up to just over 1.5 million dollars to support initiatives to drive economic growth in Northern Manitoba and further develop industries in the region.

With summer boating season reaching its peak it’s important to remember to stay sober while operating your boat.

Impairment on the water is the leading contributor in recreational boating accidents, with alcohol playing a role in 58 per cent of boating-related fatalities in the province.

The Water Smart Coordinator at Lifesaving Society Manitoba, Doctor Christopher Love, explains there are some legal consequences you could receive if you’re caught boating while impaired.  He says it’s just as illegal to operate your boat while impaired as it is to operate your car while impaired.  He notes if you are caught while you’re out on your boat and you’re an impaired boater depending on the exact circumstances of each case you could be losing your boating licence, you could be losing your driver’s licence, you could have your boat impounded, you could have your car impounded and if this is not your first offence you could be ending up with jail time.

To help reduce impaired boating, the organization is partnering with the Canadian Safe Boating Council to launch Operation Dry Water to help raise awareness.

The Flin Flon Public Library has been busy with their TD Summer Reading Club.  Administrator Courtney Campbell says July went well with ten camps and about 250 people attending. She says they still have days left in August including their STEAM Week and there’s only a couple of days that aren’t booked with a couple of spots for Game Day and Tie Dye Day.  She reminds people that you should call and cancel because there are waiting lists for kids who do want to come to the Camp.   She adds they also do have things for kids who are not able to come to the Camp.  They have something called the Passport and so you keep track of what you read and you can get prizes for doing that.

For information on the camps, registration and reading club passports drop into the Library on Main Street.

The Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation and the Friendship Centre Youth Group continue their Flower Power concert series tomorrow. The Corporation’s Laurence Gillespie says this one will be a whole day focusing on dinosaur themed events mainly games for children with dinosaur races, the flying dinosaur competition, what’s called the dino attack smackdown, a dinosaur dunk tank situation and an art table about how to create the best looking dinosaur on paper so a lot of things that relate to dinosaurs.

Gillespie adds there will also be dinosaur cake, free ice cream, prizes and local musicians will be on hand to entertain you for the afternoon all at Rotary Park tomorrow afternoon from 12 to 4.

Hudbay Minerals has announced that late Wednesday the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona issued a ruling in the lawsuits challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s issuance of the Final Record of Decision for the Rosemont project in Arizona. The Court ruled to vacate and remand the Record of Decision such that Rosemont cannot proceed with construction at this time. Hudbay states they believe the Court has misinterpreted federal mining laws and Forest Service regulations as they apply to Rosemont so they will be appealing the Court’s decision to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They note The Final Record Of Decision was issued in June 2017 after a thorough process of ten years involving 17 co-operating agencies at various levels of government, 16 hearings, over 1,000 studies, and 245 days of public comment resulting in more than 36,000 comments.

Hudbay Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Kukielski reports they are extremely disappointed with the Court’s decision and strongly believe the project conforms to federal laws and regulations that have been in place for decades so they will be appealing the decision.

The 30^th annual Cranberry Portage Trout Challenge is coming up Saturday and Sunday on Big Athapap.  The committee’s Mike Wesner says the entry fee is 150 dollars for a team of two with great prizes again this year with first, second and third places all guaranteed so first place is 5 thousand dollars, second is 25 hundred and third is 2 thousand dollars and since this is the 30^th annual you win a thousand dollars if you finish in 30^th place.  He adds there is a youth angler competition so that’s ages 15 and under and first place for that is 350 dollars, second is 250 and third place is 200 dollars and there’s also a lot of hidden prizes for everyone throughout the derby.

The boat parade is tomorrow night with a rules meeting to follow with a penny parade with lots of prizes and fishing on Saturday and Sunday starting at 8 am.  For information and registration call 204-271-3465 or 271-0050.

The Safer Communities and Neighborhoods Act is being enforced across the province by a team of public safety investigators from Manitoba Justice.  The process starts when one or more residents of a neighborhood who fear for their safety or security file a complaint with Manitoba Justice about an illegal activity such as the unlawful use of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, weapons or a criminal organization. The peace officers investigate about 300 cases a year.  When you make a complaint you must identify yourself but that information cannot be revealed at any time.  Once a complaint is filed and confirmed the property owner, including landlords who are responsible for their tenants, will receive a verbal warning that can lead up to a community safety order if a series of previous warnings is not followed.

For information on the Act you can call Manitoba Justice at 1-800-954-9361 or search the web for the Safer Communities and Neighborhoods Act.

Community Futures North Central Development says the recent tourism funding announcement from the federal government is fantastic news for northern Manitoba.

On Monday, Ottawa said it would provide funding for tourism and francophone communities across the province, with Community Futures receiving 150,000 dollars to further develop the snowmobile industry in the north.

Laura Finley, a community development officer with the economic development agency, says the funding is a boon for northern communities, as the tourism sector contributes significantly to economic growth in the north.  She explains there was a study done in 2014 just a few years ago by Travel Manitoba in all the different regions in the province to see how much money was coming in through tourism dollars and just in northern Manitoba alone there was 20 million dollars brought in from taxes and if you look at the study per night for Manitoba visitors, for example people from Winnipeg, they are spending an average of 184 dollars a night being in northern Manitoba and for US and international visitors that sky rocketed as they’re spending about 2 thousand dollars per night.

Finley explains that the funding will be used in areas that are serviced by SnoMan Trails, which includes communities like Thompson, The Pas, and Flin Flon.