At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council received the Fire Chiefs report for March indicating four incidents.  On the 4^th they were called to a two vehicle collision on the highway near Balsam Avenue.  Crews found two vehicles with significant damage and split into two groups to assist the ambulance.  Using the Jaws of Life they were able to extricate an occupant from the second vehicle.

On the 13^th they had a request to assist a helicopter landing near the hospital.  They cordoned off an area for landing and then assisted in off loading a patient then assisted with reloading and the take off of the helicopter.

On the 24^th they were called to assist EMS and on the 28^th someone advised of smoke near Cliff Lake.  They responded but were unable to locate any smoke or fire.

At their meeting earlier this week the Town of Creighton reported receiving a request from Creighton Community School regarding scholarships.  The Town usually does two at one thousand dollars and a motion was passed to accept the request.

Council agreed to pass a motion giving first, second and third final reading to Bylaw 1-2023 to authorize tax levies and mill rate factors for the year 2023 for municipal and school purposes.  They also passed a motion to do the first, second and third final reading to Bylaw 2-2023 to provide for a minimum tax for the year 2023.  These Bylaws are pursuant to section 304 and 306 of the Saskatchewan Northern Municipalities Act 2010 to authorize tax levies and mill rate factors this year for municipal and school purposes.  A levy of nine mills will be made on local taxable assessment of the Town for Municipal purposes.  This year’s mill rate set by the Ministry of Education of Saskatchewan sees agricultural property at 1.42 mills, residential at 4.54 mills, commercial at 6.86 mills and resource at 9.88 mills.

At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council reported they have hired the Arts Council’s Crystal Kolt as Director of Cultural and Community Initiatives.  Chief Administrative Officer Lyn Brown explained Crystal will be focusing on this community as a hub for arts, culture and wellbeing and will focus on bringing more people to this community, on speaking to funders such as the Canada Council of the Arts in terms of what we need with a much broader and global focus than what she has been doing already.

Mayor George Fontaine added Crystal has had some big ideas and she has to be in a position where she can facilitate some of these things and we’d like to see some come to fruition as she’ll have the time and backing to move forward in a bigger way.

In an earlier part of the meeting members of Council said they are all focused on this community with its arts programs but also attracting new industry and getting the new pool started.  Mayor Fontaine noted we’re going to work on this as a great place to live.

 At the recent meeting of the Flin Flon School Division Trustees Superintendent Tammy Ballantyne reported that all schools will be closed this Friday for staff professional development featuring sessions on cultural proficiency, a sensory session with an occupational therapist and more.  The 2023-24 school calendar has been approved and is found on the Division’s website for viewing.  The Board made a motion to accept the report from the Workplace Safety and Health Committee meeting which took place back in March. They also accepted the report from the Facility and Grounds Committee meeting which was held April 11^th which saw the Board approve the 2024-25 to 2028-29 five year Capital Plan. 

Board Chair Leslie Fernandes reported that the Trustees attended the Manitoba School Board Association annual convention last month in Winnipeg.  The theme this year was Reconnect, Reflect and Recharge and was two days of speakers, workshops and provincial Board business.  These events are important in keeping Trustees up to date on education issues and a great opportunity to network with other Boards across the province.

As a result of a wager with the Mayor of Battleford Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine was to wear a Battleford hockey jersey at last night’s City Council meeting recognizing the teams win over the Flin Flon Bombers.  The jersey has not arrived so he wore a Bombers jersey noting if I’m going to have to wear the bad guys jersey I want to wear the good guys jersey first adding Council is proud of the Bombers congratulating them on how far they got noting they couldn’t beat the last team but they sure put on a show getting there.

Council received a letter from the Flin Flon Pride Committee requesting an official proclamation for Flin Flon Pride Week for June 5^th to 11^th.  They plan a flag raising at City Hall on June 5^th and the Pride Parade on the 11^th under the theme Community ending with a barbeque.

Council accepted the Strategic Planning Facilitation Proposal received from Way To Go Consulting.  They will work with Council in developing a strategic plan for the community discussing the wellbeing of the community and what their plans are moving forward. Chief Administrative Officer Lyn Brown noted a recommendation that a three to five year plan is the best strategic option in terms of being able to move forward and still be flexible over a certain time frame so that’s what they’ll be looking at with the consultant.

The Rotary Club of Flin Flon is holding their Lobster Night on May 13^th at the Flin Flon Community Hall.  Rotarian Glen Smith says you have a variety of choices……

“The cost is back to what it was 15 years ago so one lobster dinner is 60 dollars, one steak dinner is 60 dollars and one chicken dinner is 50 dollars.  If you want a second steak or lobster you can get that for 40 dollars so two of steak or lobster would be a hundred dollars.  We have a great band.  We’re going to do basically the same old Lobster Night, things we have been doing for years.  I know people are at the time of year when you’re ready for a little party so come out on May 13^th.  Supper will start around 7 o’clock but the doors will open at 6 so you can get your tickets at Kleen-All or you can get them online through Facebook.”

Smith adds the deadline for ordering tickets is May 9^th.

The Safer Highway 6 Citizens Action Group recently sent a letter to the province’s transportation minister about their petition to improve the highway between Thompson and Winnipeg.

It says the letter includes a resolution that was adopted and supported by northern Manitoba towns, First Nations and Chambers of Commerce.

They include Churchill, Flin Flon, The Pas, Grand Rapids, Snow Lake, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, as well the Chambers of Commerce in Flin Flon and Thompson.

The group says MPI stats show an average of 40 accidents per month occur on Highway 6 that results in roll-overs, collisions, and fatal head-on accidents.

Some recommendations Safer Highway 6 presented to the minister include wider shoulders, passing lanes, a 2+1 lane system, stronger cell service, and rest stops.

The Flin Flon and District Environment Council held their annual meeting last night.  Recycling Centre Administrator Deb Odegaard reported they did 510 tonnes of regular recycling last year, three loads of E-waste for 26 and a half tonnes, 911 kilograms household batteries, 97 boxes of fluorescent bulbs, 3 tub skids of gasoline, 8 of paint from recycling and 29 barrels of other hazardous waste. She noted tonnage was down by 10 percent in 2022 adding the red bag curbside pickup averages 10 to 15 bags weekly.

Odegaard explained the Council’s goals are really about the whole environment not just recycling so they want to tackle other issues in the environment the community thinks is important and doable. Some suggestions included curbside recycling should be mandatory, landfill development with the city having a study underway, develop composting, community gardens in vacant lots, education on recycling and getting a grant to pull all of the garbage being dumped in bush areas.

Odegaard presented their Community Champion Award to Karen MacKinnon and the Employee Service Award to Dan Boily.

Foran Mining Corporation has released assay results from its 2023 winter drill program at the Tesla discovery approximately three hundred meters north of their McIlvenna Bay Deposit 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon. One of the highlight intercepts show four percent copper equivalent over 39 meters.

They report significant widths of copper and zinc rich sulphide mineralization have now been intersected in thirteen drill holes successfully expanding the currently defined strike of the zone to approximately 550 meters.  Tesla remains open in all directions for expansion.

With the 2023 winter exploration program now completed Foran is currently preparing for an expanded drill program at the Tesla zone from land during the remainder of the year utilizing directional drilling technologies.  Planning is underway for the summer regional exploration program starting in June focusing on drill targets proximal to McIlvenna Bay and on their Bigstone Project 25 kilometers to the west.

At approximately 8:45 Saturday night RCMP received a report of  four unresponsive men at an establishment on Fischer Avenue in The Pas.

Information received was that these individuals had ingested drugs, possibly ecstasy, believed to be laced with an opioid.

Officers attended and assisted EMS with the administration of naloxone in an effort to revive them.

Three of the four were revived and transported to hospital where they were treated and later released.

The fourth man was transported to hospital and later flown to Brandon where he remains in critical condition.

Several hours later RCMP received an additional report of two other overdoses at the same location. These two men were taken to hospital where they were treated and released.

RCMP are advising the community of a dangerous illicit drug circulating in the area.

The drug is believed to be in a crystal-like powder form, purple in color, and may contain fentanyl.

The Pas RCMP are asking anyone with information to call 204-627-6204, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

 The investigation continues.

Dr. Cheryl Forchuk explains that the federal government used to oversee housing and homelessness until 1990, when it was then relegated to the provinces and territories.

Forchuk says public housing went from 100, 000 units being built per year to one thousand units across Canada, which limited the housing stock.

Lack of housing is one of the issues plaguing rural and remote communities when it comes to addressing homelessness, in addition to limited supports in housing and social support services and limited data infrastructure.

Forchuk says when it comes to data sources, Microsoft Excel is the most common method used for tracking shelter-less people due to organizations not being able to afford case management software.

She adds methods like the Pit Counts, By-Name Lists, and HIFIS [high-fihs] can lead to underestimated numbers of people experiencing homelessness due to the small number of communities that use them.

The FF Community Choir and the Flin Flon Arts Council are just a few weeks away from their big spring production of  Mary Poppins. The dIrector for this year’s show, Ann Hodges who was in the CFAR studio on Thursday  says she is really impressed by  what she’s seen in Flin Flon so far.

“ As usual the Flin Flon Community has really stepped up for this project. We have people building the sets full time and working on costumes. It is really spectacular how this becomes a huge community effort. There are hundreds of people involved in this. If you are used to the movie from the 1960’s, your mind is going to be blown when you hear the music and see the story.”

Mary Poppins will take place at the Flin Flon Comunity Hall May the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th and tickets are once again available at the Uptown Emporium or online at flinflonartscouncil.ca. Tickets are $50.00 for adults and $25.00 for kids.

The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is looking for leaders from right across the province to join their team including someone to represent the North.

Ray Bisson, who is the chairman of the board talks about the things they will be looking for from the person they find to represent this  region: “  To have somebody from the North would be just a wonderful thing,  because we are under  represented in the Northern communities and to have somebody be able to  give us an insight of how things are going in the North and providing us with insight would be good. What we are looking for as a board is diversity and gender balance, so somebody who is connected some way to dementia could provide some valuable information.”

Anybody from Manitoba with a range of experience and backgrounds can apply by this Friday to alzmb@alzheimer.mb.ca

The Flin Flon and District Environment Council is holding their annual meeting Monday night.  Recycling Center Administrator Deb Odegaard invites you to the meeting……

“The Flin Flon and District Environment Council is doing their AGM a little different this year.  Our goals are really about the whole environment not just recycling so we want to tackle some other issues in the environment that the community thinks is important and doable so we’re inviting anyone who has concerns or ideas to attend.  Memberships in the Council are available at the meeting and we will have our business meeting afterwards.”

The meeting starts at 7 Monday night in Flin Flon City Council Chambers. 

Parents are reminded to register your children for Kindergarten in the Flin Flon School Division. Administrative Assistant, Kathryn Church, outlines what is required to register...

“Children who were born in or prior to 2018 can register in the school in their catchment.  Student who attended Kindervention are already considered registered for Kindergarten so there’s no need to register again.  A copy of the child’s birth certificate is required or proof of age with a government issued document is mandatory if a birth certificate is not an option.  You can call your child’s school if you have any questions. Ruth Betts Community School is 204-687-7538 and Ecole McIsaac School is 204-687-7578.  French Immersion is also an option in the Division and you can call Ecole McIsaac School for more information.”

Church adds the deadline to register is Friday, April 28th.

While fraudsters ramped up their efforts during the pandemic many Canadians feel it will only get worse if a recession hits.  According to the 2023 RBS Fraud Poll, 42 percent of all Canadians think it will be harder to spot scams during a recession than in the pandemic and four in five believe a recession will increase everyone's risk.  The research also found that three-quarters of respondents believe it's easier to fall victim to a scam when you're struggling financially but more than a third are simply too worried about other things to be concerned about fraud and 86 percent are simply tired of  having to be on the lookout for scams.

Vice-President of Fraud Management for RBC says 35 percent also believe fraud is something that happens to others but not to them but the reality is anyone can fall victim to a scam.  He adds staying safe and protecting yourself from fraud starts with being aware of the risk and knowing how to spot the signs of a scam. To learn more visit www.rbc.com/privacysecurity.

The City of Flin Flon, Flin Flon and District Environment Council and Community Futures Greenstone are holding a Cardboard Challenge on Saturday. Greenstone General Manager, Becky Cianflone, invites all to attend.

“In conjunction with Earth Day we are going to be inviting the entire community to come and build with cardboard and recycled material and to build all kinds of different creations.  It’s free for everybody and it’s just a really good time to come and take apart those big boxes and turn them into forts or cars or rocket ships.”

The Cardboard Challenge takes place Saturday from 1 to 4 in the RH Channing Auditorium of the Flin Flon Community Hall.  For more information you can email  kandersen@flinflon.ca  or call the Recreation Office at 204-681-7542.

The RCMP are asking for help in naming twelve foals that are expected to be born this spring at the RCMP Breeding Farm in Ontario. Up to twelve names will be selected from across Canada including one classroom entry.

To qualify, an entrant must be 14 years of age or younger, the name must begin with the letter "W", you can submit only one entry, you must live in Canada and the entry must be submitted no later than April 21st.  If you are submitting on behalf of a class you must be at least 18 years of age and teach children 14 years of age or younger.

The children whose names are selected will receive a prize pack that includes a photo of the foal they named, a certificate signed by the RCMP Commissioner and an engraved horseshoe.

To submit your entry, go online and search 'RCMP Name the Foal Contest 2023' and click on 'We're Searching for "W' Names'.

This is what the David Foster Foundation is asking Canadians during National Organ Tissue Awareness Month. This month raises awareness about the critical need for registered organ donors across the country and encourages everyone to talk to their loved ones about organ donation. The foundation provides financial support for non-medical expenses for Canadian families with children in need of pediatric organ transplants.

Foundation founder, David Foster, notes one organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve the quality of life for up to 75 people. Unfortunately he adds, currently there are over four thousand Canadians waiting for an organ transplant while Canada still has on of the worst organ and tissue rates in the world for a developed country with a large population. 

You can learn more and register to be an organ donor at www.davidfosterfoundation.com.

At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council received the Fire Chiefs Report for February indicating three calls.  On the 8th they were advised of an alarm sounding on Channing Drive.  The Chief responded and found the alarm had been accidently tripped.  On the 13^th they were called to a smell of something burning like electrical at a residence on Green Street. No smell or issues could be found and the owner was told to call back if anything came back.  And on the 16^th they were called back to an alarm sounding in a residence on Channing Drive.  The Chief responded and found the alarm had been pulled so he assisted with the reset.

Training in February included off road rescue training, hydrant and water supply training, Hudbay maps and building layout training, building layout and hazard training and training of two new members.

Long-time resident Wayne Hall says he got the idea to chronicle Thompson’s past between 1955 and 1970 prior to it being established as a city after he retired 16 years ago.

Hall shares the most difficult part about the writing process was researching the early days of the community to ensure he has an accurate account of what was happening during that timeframe.....

“I went to the Library and they had at that time microfiche and that’s where I started going through all the newspapers that were published in Thompson so that kind of gave me a start but I wanted information from before that so I went through every publication I could find from the early days of Inco all the way back to 1955.”

The book also features anecdotes from Hall as well as people who were present in the community during the timeframe covered in the book.

At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council agreed to support the Flin Flon Fireworks Committee in the amount of one thousand dollars and the Flin Flon and District Environment Council’s Curbside Sponsorship in the amount of 220 dollars.  They also agreed to support the Flin Flon Public Library to apply for a grant opportunity from the Provincial Small Capital Grants and Special Initiatives Program for the Flin Flon Library Project. The money is for some of the repair work that needs to be done at the Library.  The City is budgeting 200 thousand dollars for the work and this application is for a matching 200 thousand from the province. The  City has also applied for an additional five million dollar grant under the large capitals grant program for the pool project.

Council passed on final reading a bylaw to prescribe fees, fines and charges for Municipal Services.  It updates charges for such things as landfill fees, building permits, recreation fees, the use of the RH Channing Auditorium, Community Hall facilities, fire inspections and cemetery fees.

Council is putting the final touches on their budget and is planning on a public budget meeting for May 16^th.

The Central Canada Film Group’s Tom Heine says they are presenting the film Three Identical Strangers tomorrow night at the Hapnot Collegiate Cinema……

“There was a set of twins who for various reasons was put into an orphan type situation not that the mother had passed away but it was decided that the social situation wasn’t adequate for them so it turned into a social experiment where the triplets were separated and there was a study undertaken of them.  It’s ultimately a tragic story but it’s a superb documentary.  Colin Davis has been over the moon with it.  He said it is just a fabulous show so we’re looking forward to seeing it and showing it to people who are interested on Friday.”

The doors at the Hapnot Cinema open at 7 pm with the film starting at 7:30, snacks are available and as always admission is free.

The companies say the combination will create an Americas-focused copper mining company with an operating portfolio of three long-life mines, as well as a pipeline of copper expansion and development projects.

Under the agreement, Copper Mountain shareholders will receive 0.381 of a Hudbay share for each Copper Mountain common share held.

The companies say the proposal represents a 23 per cent premium based on Hudbay's and Copper Mountain's 10-day volume-weighted-average share prices on April 12.

The deal, which requires approval by a two-thirds majority vote by Copper Mountain shareholders and a simple majority vote by Hudbay shareholders, is also subject to closing conditions including regulatory and court approvals.

Once the transaction is complete, Hudbay shareholders will own about 76 per cent of the combined company, while Copper Mountain shareholders will hold 24 per cent.

At approximately 12:10 this morning The Pas RCMP received a report of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 10 south of The Pas approximately two kilometres north of the Highway 60 junction.

The investigation has determined that a southbound semi-trailer driven by a 59-year-old man from Truro, NS, crossed over into the northbound lane and collided with a northbound semi-trailer driven by a 22-year-old man from Assiniboia, SK.

The 59-year-old male driver was pronounced deceased on scene and the 22-year-old male was transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The Pas RCMP, along with a Forensic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.

Council awarded to M. Richard and Associates Limited the Municipal Assessment Program.  Chief Administrative Officer Lyn Brown explained they received a 50 thousand dollar grant for cataloging everything they have in terms of capital assets from roads to underground pipes to facilities so they can plan better and know what work has to be done this year or five years from now. The consultant will work with city staff to develop a website or format where they can pull up the information and study it to make it easier for budgeting.

Mayor and Council attended the recent Association of Manitoba Municipalities meeting and reported along with learning a lot about municipal and council background it gave them an opportunity to form relationships with other Mayors and Councils especially the Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook who emphasized the advantages of co-operation among northern communities not only on projects but in dealing with the provincial government.

And Mayor George Fontaine has a wager with Battleford’s Mayor on the next Bombers series with the losing team’s Mayor wearing the winning team’s jersey at a public event.  Fontaine says he’s waiting to see what size their Mayor wears.

The Flin Flon Writers Guild, Flin Flon Toastmasters and Flin Flon Public Library are hosting their annual poetry reading in honor of National Poetry Month.  The group’s Harry Hobbs says it will be held online on Friday night…..

“We’re having our 21^st annual poetry night and anyone who would like to participate or sit in the audience and listen may contact us as we still have some spaces open for audience and if anyone would like to sneak in at the last minute they’re more than welcome, we’re glad to have this every year.  We have people from the local Toastmasters group, we have a guest reader from the Manitoba Writers Guild and I’m actually very pleased to say we’ve got some people coming from as far away as the United States and western Canada.”

The poetry reading will be held at 7 Friday night online.  To reserve a place email glenniswh@yahoo.com or call 204-687-5697. 

On CFAR’s City Beat Program last week FDC Regional Economic Development Officer Brooke White reported they are working on trail maps and their tourism portal……

“Right now we are trying to work on our trail system so we’re just wrapping up snowshoeing so we had some great volunteers who spearheaded that and in the summer we’re going to do a trail master plan which is look at all of our trail systems and enhance the network, see where there’s gaps and opportunities and that we can get signage put up and rate the trails, the difficulty level and so we can really promote them.  We just wrapped up another project for our tourism portal so you can go on www.investfdc.ca/discover and we outlined all the things there is to do in the region for tourism so if you’re looking for a place to stay or things to do or adventures to discover eventually we’ll have all the trail system on there with the goal to have all the maps available as well.”

White notes they will continue to add information to further build the site so people interested will be aware of all this region has to offer. That website again is www.investfdc.ca/discover.

The Manitoba government has appointed Lori Ann Hunter as judge to the provincial court of Manitoba in The Pas.  Hunter was called to the bar in 2012.  She began her career as a Crown Attorney with the Manitoba Prosecution Service working in Grand Rapids, youth court in The Pas as well as circuit court attendance in Pukatawagan, Moose Lake, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage and Flin Flon.

In making the announcement Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen noted he is confident Judge Hunter who throughout her career has worked to improve access to justice in the north will continue to work to uphold and strengthen the rule of law in her new role.  He added her history in the community has given her a foundation to understand the unique and systemic issues that affect northern communities.  Hunter succeeds Judge Theresa McDonald who retired in January.

The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is looking for two board members.  Their Communications Coordinator Daniela Wenger says they are looking for a variety of people……

“We are looking for people across Manitoba with a diverse background and experiences to help the Alzheimer Society with the board and to help guide the organization to help support families living with dementia across the province.  You can head to our website at www.alzheimer.mb.ca. We have a full listing up there right now as to what we are looking for and interested qualifying applicants can forward a cover letter with a resume stating how they can best help the Alzheimer Society.”

The deadline for applications is April 21st if you are interested.

The 2023-24 Saskatchewan Anglers Guide is now available online for fishing enthusiasts.  The guide is downloadable to your cell phone or tablet making it possible to quickly reference the province’s regulations, practices and catch limits. Physical copies will be available at Ministry of Environment field offices, most provincial park offices and select retail outlets in May.  In addition the guide supplies vital information to anglers about catch and release best practices, fish identification, preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species and how to accurately measure and package fish for transport. The new season opens on May 5^th in the southern management zone, May 15^th in the central management zone and May 25^th in the northern management zone.

To download the guide, find more information or to purchase an angling license visit www.saskatchewan.ca/fishing.

Just after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon RCMP received a report of a body having been found outside a business on Lakeshore Drive in Snow Lake.  Officers located the body of a 44 year old man from Thompson lying in the snow.  They report the cause of death has yet to be determined but it is believed he had been outside for a period of time where the temperature had dropped to a low of minus 24 degrees.

Snow Lake RCMP along with the office of the Chief Medical Examiner continue to investigate.

Foremost Lithium Resource and Technology Limited had identified numerous exploration targets on its Lithium Lane properties located near Snow Lake. They report a review of the magnetic survey data on each of the four Lithium Lane properties has defined numerous discontinuities in the magnetic fabric as documented by the UAV-assisted survey.  These discontinuities are interpreted to reflect geological structures with the potential to provide pathways for lithium bearing pegmatite and other mineralization.  Similarly LiDar models of ground elevation or relief on the Lithium Lane properties have also defined many areas with comparable orientations as known spodumene bearing pegmatite.  Both magnetic discontinuities and LiDar images with appropriate orientations are planned for ground truthing and follow up pegmatite exploration.

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada says it’s National Advanced Skills and Training Program for Rural Practice aims to support recruitment and retention and reduce physician shortages in underserved communities in the country.

A member of the program’s advisory committee Doctor Gavin Parker explains.......

“It gives an opportunity for rural physicians to self identify training that they require and that their communities require to offer heightened and specialized care in their communities. So what we’re offering to do is pay their time to go and complete this training, we offer to pay their preceptors, we also offer to pay for what we call locum positions or substitute doctors to come in cover that physician’s practice so their community isn’t deprived of a physician while they go away and get valuable training.”

Parker adds physicians practicing medicine in rural, remote, and northern communities often encounter a broader scope in terms of the care they offer patients.

Foran Mining Corporation has announced assay results from three additional holes from its winter drill program at the new Tesla discovery. It is 300 meters north of their McIlvenna Bay Deposit 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon.  One highlight intercept shows 4.11 percent copper equivalent over 34.3 meters.

Foran’s Executive Chair and CEO Dan Myerson noted their high success rate to date in intercepting robust zones at such an early stage of discovery. He explained assay results continue to demonstrate the sizable near mine opportunity at the Tesla Zone with recent results including some of the highest zinc intersections they’ve encountered to date.  He says mineralization encountered in holes with assays yet to be released have now extended Tesla’s strike a further 150 to 350 meters and it remains open in all directions.

The winter exploration program is nearing conclusion as ice conditions wane but they are planning directional drilling from land during the remainder of the year.  Planning is also underway for the summer exploration program proximal to McIlvenna Bay and on their Bigstone Project 25 kilometers to the west.

They report an increase of 21 percent in calls for service in the northern district in February to 4633 compared to 5609 in February last year.  That includes an increase from 705 to 727 in common police activities with crimes against property up from 994 to 1140, crimes against person down from 706 to 703 and drug enforcement up from 28 to 43.

In traffic statistics fatal motor vehicle collisions in the north district in February were up two from zero in February last year and serious motor vehicle collisions were the same as last February at two.

Across the whole province traffic enforcement tickets issued were up 62 percent from 1734 to 2812.

Hudbay President Peter Kukielski reports their 2023 exploration program is focused on high potential opportunities to expand mineralization near their operations in Peru and Manitoba. Exploration activities in Snow Lake are prioritizing step out drilling for new discoveries to support future growth with preliminary results indicating the alteration zone hosting the mineralized system at Lalor continues to down dip for two kilometers.

Hudbay started a winter drill program in Snow Lake in January with four drill rigs testing the down dip and copper extensions of the Lalor deposit  and one additional drill is testing a geographical anomaly within 400 meters of the existing Lalor underground infrastructure.

Annual gold production from Snow Lake is expected to average 110 thousand tonnes over the next three years which is a 23 percent increase from 2022 levels.

The report notes current mineral reserves estimates in Snow Lake total 18 million tonnes with approximately 2.1 million ounces of contained gold and the expected mine life of that operation has been maintained and extends until 2038.

Churchill - Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton is supporting calls from athletes, coaches, and local organizations for the federal government to invest in soccer for Indigenous and Northern youth.

Ashton says recreation saves lives in regions like ours and with Canada co-hosting the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026, she believes now is as good a time as any to bolster resources to northern and Indigenous communities..........

“It gives young people hope in the face of increasingly challenging, difficult situations.  It gives kids a chance to imagine and dream big beyond the field, beyond their community, beyond even their country and to look at the world.  Canada hosting the world cup is an historic event.  This is the world’s largest single sporting event and the fact that our country is co-hosting this event is nothing short of historic but this is also an opportunity for us as Canadians to showcase that we are a soccer country.”

Ashton, along with athletes, coaches, and soccer organizations from Thompson, Flin Flon, and Opaskwayak Cree Nation called on both Canada and FIFA to support this endeavour by investing in infrastructure, equipment, and other resources to make soccer more accessible and affordable across the country.