VMS Ventures reports the Reed Copper Project near Snow Lake continued to move forward on schedule last month.  VMS holds a 30 percent interest in the project while Hudbay holds 70 percent and is the operator.

Underground development was advanced a further 182 meters in July for a current total of just over one thousand meters.  Construction of the surface ore pad and excavation of the 60 meter level refuge station was completed as well as the foundation forms for the main ventilation fan.

VMS Chief Operation Officer Neil Richardson says the project remains within budgetary parameters and the scheduled completion date is March next year.  He adds the focus continues to be the advancement of the underground ramp and development of the escape and ventilation raises as they advance toward production.

To the end of July 49.6 million dollars has been spent on the project.

The first group of students from Creighton Community School is getting ready to go back to school next week and younger students later in the month.  Principal Stacy Lair says on Tuesday they have all of their students from grades one to twelve returning to classes and their kindergarteners are back in full swing by the 12th and pre-K on the 16th.  She adds they have some exciting things listed on their facebook page at Creighton Community School and Creighton School dot com is their web page with their calendar.

Lair suggests you check out these sites as they have a lot of events planned for the first month of school.

The United Steelworkers Local 7106 will be holding their second annual Labor Day celebration Monday.  Their President Tom Davie says once a year they get together to show their support for labor across the country and in Flin Flon whether they’re unionize or not and it’s for the community to come out and partake in a hot dog and a pop.

The celebration runs from 12 to 3 Monday afternoon at Rotary Park.  Davie says they will also have the bouncy house and a draw for a family pass to the Aqua Center.

Debera Francoeur has been picketing at the provincial building on Main Street. She says Child and Family Services took in her children four years ago and then returned them and she wants them to know she no longer needs their help.  She says she is protesting because she needs Child and Family Services to realize what they are doing is wrong against families that are trying.  She adds there are families out there that need the help but she doesn’t believe she is one of them.

A representative of Child and Family Services says they are unable to comment on the issue at this time.

The Flin Flon Station Museum is closing for the summer Monday.  The Board’s Bunny Burke says there was a lot more activity at the museum than usual and she thinks that was due to the fact they changed the museum in a number of ways.  She says the Hudbay archives was added to the back, but they also reworked everything within the museum, took out a few things, added some things, brought in some new displays and added a few more pieces of mining equipment to the grounds.

Burke adds a lot of visitors and local residents were interested in the museum and the changes made this year.

It’s back to school in Flin Flon School Division next week.  Superintendent Blaine Veitch explains the schools open to their staff on Tuesday and this year they have a unique start because the provincial report cards are going into the elementary schools so the elementary staff will have a professional development day on Wednesday and those students will start Thursday getting an extra day of summer.

Veitch adds Wednesday will be the first day of school for high school students.

A Port in the Storm is a project to raised 15 million dollars to establish a facility for rural and northern patients and their families who have to stay in Winnipeg for medical treatment. The local committee’s Kory Eastman told the Chamber of Commerce they have a temporary facility as they raise funds for a permanent facility.  He says right now they are leasing space and have 14 suites available for people looking at long term care in Winnipeg.  He adds they are purchasing property and will be able to get 40 units up and running once they complete their capital campaign.  Eastman says they’re looking to raise 15 million dollars in order to move forward with building the new residence so that is coming in October running throughout the fall.

There’s more information available at www.aportinthestorm.ca.

The local committee is looking for members. Anyone interested can call Bunny Burke, Doug O’Brien, Tim Spencer or Kory Eastman

Last weekend a number of vehicles in Denare Beach had tires slashed near the main beach and marina.  A report was received on Monday of two youth spray painting rocks and buildings and a number of vehicles.  They are described as male with one wearing black track pants with a black hooded sweater and the other black track pants with white lettering and a red and black checkered flannel shirt.  Numerous reports were also received on Tuesday of slashed tires on Cressey Drive and Lindsay Crescent. 

Creighton RCMP have been conducting random patrols and are actively investigating these offences and residents of Denare Beach are requested to call police should they see any individuals matching the descriptions or if they have any information regarding these incidents and are reminded to report any suspicious behavior or incidents.  Call 306-688-8888 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Last night Superintendent Blaine Veitch had some good news and bad regarding facilities and grounds at Hapnot Collegiate.  The good news was that the Queens Park track is nearly complete and students should be able to use the track in time for track and field season.  On the down side the Biology Science Lab upgrade is still pending approval from the Public Schools Finance Board to proceed. Hopes are to have the work completed during Christmas break, if not it should go ahead by next summer.

The French Immersion Consortium has received funding to deliver high school courses. This is a partnership with Mystery Lake in Thompson, Mountain View in Dauphin, Swan Valley, Kelsey and Flin Flon.  Local funding will also support the Boreal Film Festival.

High School in Flin Flon School Division will be open to all students next Wednesday and elementary students return to class next Thursday.

Hapnot Collegiate is holding orientation for grade nine students tomorrow.

Teacher Marc Lucas explains registration begins at 10 o’clock and once all the students have registered they have student council take them around the school and show them where their classes are and where their lockers are and answer any questions they may have about coming into high school.

Any student needing more information can call the Collegiate at 204-687-7506.

The Flin Flon Friendship Center Aboriginal Headstart Program is taking registrations for their fall programs.  The program’s Katie Kawerski says it’s a pre-school program for aboriginal children 3 to 5 year old.  She says a big component of their program is culture so the children will learn aboriginal culture and language.  She adds they also want to get them ready for school so another big component is parental involvement as they want the parents involved in the children’s education because when a parent is involved in a child’s education the child will flourish.

To register your child you can call Katie at 204-687-1311.

The Northern Neighbors Foundation was formed in 1994 and includes the communities of Cranberry Portage, Creighton, Denare Beach, Flin Flon, Sherridon and Snow Lake and has received support from the Thomas Sill Foundation and the Moffat Family Fund.

The Committee’s Dave Kendall told the Chamber of Commerce yesterday the Foundation is a community foundation operated by representatives from the member communities.  He says once it was set up it received funds and these are all capital funds so the principal is never expended and it remains within the foundation but the interest that is earned is donated to charities that apply to them on a semi-annual basis.

Kendall says the foundation made its first grants in 1997 and to date has awarded over 137 thousand dollars to projects in our communities.  He says in the fall they are establishing a youth and philanthropy project with an advisory board at Hapnot Collegiate that will have 35 hundred dollars available in grants for projects of interest to local youth.

The Northern Gateway Museum is closed for the season starting tomorrow.  The Museum’s Board Chair Penny Morisette says it was a great summer with people coming in to see the early history of the Amisk Lake area with a lot of interest in Discovery Day where this year they saw an increase in guests which in part could be credited to the debut of the film The Peddlers.  She says a good portion of the film was Harry Moody explaining how some of the discoveries on Amisk Lake came about from the oral history shared by First Nations people around the Amisk Lake area.  She says their guest book includes visitors from Calgary, New Brunswick, Southern Ontario and the U.S.

Morisette adds they will have some new displays ready for next summer.  She adds if anyone is still interested in the museum they can contact her at 306-362-2024 or other contacts listed on the door of the museum to arrange a visit.

The Many Faces Education Center and Adult Learning Center is preparing for the start of classes next Wednesday.  Registrations are being taken from 1 to 4 this week.  Vice-Principal Patti Korchinski says you can also register Wednesday morning between 9 and 12:15 with regular classes starting in the afternoon.  She says they can come in and register for grade 9 to 12 english, 9 to 12 social studies and 9 to 12 math and they can also register for grade 11 and 12 biology in the afternoon and some basic haircutting.

Korchinski adds they will welcome students Wednesday with coffee and muffins before class.

Many Faces is located at 115 Green Street, the former Parkdale School.

The final day at the Joe Brain Children’s Petting Zoo is tomorrow after another busy summer.  Zoo Supervisor Ria Rowe says they had a lot of visitors over what seemed like a short summer.  She says she always has a good time there and it seems they just got in there and now they are sending the animals back.  She says the season is too short and she wishes they could be open year round but that’s not a possibility right now.  Rowe adds tomorrow is the last day they will be open to the public and then she is taking the animals back to The Pas Thursday morning.

The zoo will open for another season in May.

Callinan Royalties has received interim quarterly payments of just over 2.2 million dollars from Hudbay Minerals.  The royalty payments include a payment of just over 2 million from the six and two thirds percent net profits interest royalty and 111 thousand from the production royalty of 25 cents per ton of ore for the quarter ended June 30th. The payments are due to Callinan’s royalty interests on lands that include the Triple Seven and Triple Seven North mines in Flin Flon.

Callinan notes in its most recent financial results Hudbay reported increased ore production at the Flin Flon operation due to the additional production from the Triple Seven North Mine but ore grades in the second quarter were lower due to planned sequencing of mining stopes and overall operating costs were reported as higher.  These factors combined with lower metal prices resulted in lower revenues to Callinan in this quarter compared to last year.
 

Consul and Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Winnipeg visited Flin Flon and The Pas last week.  Tim Cipullo (chip oh loh) says he represents the United States Government in this part of Canada and that is in two parts, one is to follow what’s going on in Manitoba and know what issues are going to be of interest to the United States and the second is to represent the United States and tell their story in Canada.

Cipullo says he came here from Tokyo where he was at the US Embassy doing environmental and energy work and before that he was in the Philippines, Chile and Washington DC and each post has been very different with a different set of issues and a different culture.

He told the Chamber of Commerce he found Flin Flon and The Pas have a similar problem with American communities in having a reduced tax base as people move to outside the community.

Cipullo is in the second year of his three year term.

The Ecole McIsaac School Parent Advisory Council is working through phase one of an upgrade to the school playground.  Their Chair Kara Plamondon says they have installed 16 new swings and in that bank of swings they will include one adaptive swing for some of the special needs students and they are also installing two picnic tables close to the school building right by the elementary doors.  She adds they are grateful for all the parent volunteers who have helped out as well as the school division maintenance staff who have been a great help to them.

Plamondon says they are still fund raising for the next two phases with a total of fifty thousand dollars needed for the whole project.

            Local student Sandra Kritzer will soon be traveling to Brazil for a year as part of the Rotary Club’s Youth Exchange Program. Kritzer says she is looking forward to new experiences like making new friends but the main one is learning a new language which will be a big part for her.  She says she told them she didn’t want to go to France because she already knows French so she just said anywhere she can learn a new language and learning a new culture is also a big thing.  She says its so different learning all their food and how they live their lives.

              Kritzer will be staying with Rotary families in Brazil while attending high school.

             Flin Flon City Council is taking steps to assist people who receive city pump out service.

              At their meeting this week Council passed on first reading a bylaw to establish a grant and loan program to assist people who want to switch to a larger tank as the city considers offering only one pump out a week.

              The program would offer a grant of 2 thousand dollars to ten people in a two year program with an optional loan of 5 thousand dollars also available.

              The bylaw still requires final reading before coming into affect.

            Kin Canada has recognized the Kinsmen Club of Flin Flon with a special award.  The Club’s Tom Therien says the Club received the Bill Skelly Award that is given in recognition for a service project for cystic fibrosis for which the local club won based on their min-golf fund raiser.  He says Bill Skelly was a long time member of Kin Canada who had cystic fibrosis.  He wanted the organization to get involved with cystic fibrosis and they’ve been involved now for well over 40 years and their contribution this year put them over the 40 million dollar mark nationally.

              Kin Canada notes only one club in each district receives this annual award so Therien says the local club is really pleased to have received it.

              At their annual awards night the Rotary Club of Flin Flon presented Rotary’s highest honor the Paul Harris Award for outstanding club and community service.

              The first award was presented to Tom Therien for his work in the community including 11 years on City Council and 4 years as Mayor, serving with the Kinsmen Club for over 20 years and being an Active Life Member of Kin Canada as well as being involved with the Greenstone Community Futures Board, Old Time Bomber hockey, Flin Flon Junior Bombers, minor ball and men’s fastball.

              The second award went to Rotarian Bill Morrell who works with the club on several committees including Co-Chair of Operation Red Nose, Lobsterfest and pancake breakfasts.  He volunteers with the Vocational Training Center, Adult Learning Center and WEST and when not doing all this he likes to motorcycle and work in his garage and is employed by Hudbay.

             The City of Flin Flon has proposed a Special Services Plan for fire and police services in 2014.  A per parcel rate of $550.40 will be levied on all rateable property and removed from general tax rolls to spread the cost of these services evenly among users.

              Mayor George Fontaine told a Municipal Board hearing last night the city is losing population, has aging infrastructure as well as heavy debt due to provincially mandated sewer and water treatment plants.  He said the plan will allow for a mill rate increase without adversely affecting only the top 30 percent of taxpayers who already pay 50 percent of total taxes.  He said there’s little incentive for people to stay or move here when the top end tax payer in surrounding areas that use our services pays less than half the taxes we pay.

              Aside from personal property questions, concerns raised by citizens were mainly on the negative effect of increased costs and taxes on low income earners as well as trying to maintain existing services with a lower tax base, how to get outside residents to share the cost of services they use, criticism of the province for forcing costs on the city and not allowing a minimum tax and praise for Council for trying ideas we should support to maintain our community.

              The Board says they can approve, reject or change the plan and hopefully can have a decision in about 30 days.

              The Flin Flon Norva Center is hosting an artists retreat at the Bakers Narrows Conference Center all this week.  The group’s Karen Clark says 20 artists started work on Monday morning and it’s a non-instructional retreat so that means people bring projects with them they’ve been working on or that they’re launching into a new project all together.  She says they have a whole week of working without having to worry about any external pressures other than just cooking one meal in the entire week with a partner.

              An exhibit of the artists work will be open to the public from 7 to 9 Saturday night at the Bakers Narrows Conference Center.  Some of the work may be for sale as well
 

              Summer in the Parks is completing a successful summer of activities for children five to eight years old.  Supervisor Athea Fernandes says they wrap up tomorrow with their Summer in the Parks Talent Show where the kids can show whatever they want.  She says they have a lot of singers already and some dancers and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

              Fernandes adds they had about 45 kids who all had a fun time throughout the summer and she’s already looking forward to next year.

              Summer in the Parks is sponsored every summer by Flin Flon Parks and Recreation, Flin Flon Arts Council and Flin Flon School Division.

At the Flin Flon City Council meeting last night Councilor Ken Pawlachuk reported alarm system reps are in town again.  He said the last time they were here several people installed the system resulting in quite an increase in the number of false alarms sent in to the fire department.  He said people are going to have to learn how their system works or they are going to have to pay the costs of having the fire department respond to these false alarms.

The Food Bank’s Dennis Hydamaka expressed concerns about the proposed special services plan for fire and police and increases in the utility bills due to the water treatment plant.  He said there are 126 families in low rent areas that depend on the food bank. He says if the special services fees come in it will increase what people pay in low taxed areas and more people will have to use the food bank.  Mayor George Fontaine said the fees have not been approved yet as they are waiting for a decision by the Municipal Board that will come sometime following a hearing they are holding tonight at 7 in Council Chambers.

The City of Flin Flon is connecting the community to the new water treatment plant this week.  The Lakeview subdivision was connected yesterday, Mile 84 today, Birchview and Willowvale Thursday night or Friday and the rest of the city Friday and Saturday.  Director of Works and Operations Rick Bacon say you will notice a difference as they’re expecting the clarity of the water to be a big improvement with the filters, the odor of the water should be improved especially in the summer time when they get kind of a lakeish smell, and the color of the water is much brighter than we’re used to.

Bacon adds if you experience higher than usual water pressure contact City Hall immediately.  If you find cloudy, murky or discolored water run your taps for a short period of time. It will also take a while to adjust chlorine levels but at no time will they exceed regulated levels.

The CFAR 590 and Tri-Service Million Dollar Hole in One was a success.  The Committee’s Richard French says this year’s charity and the children that use it will benefit.  He says they had about 250 golfers out there and they raised around five thousand dollars towards the Creighton spray pool.

French adds the funds raised by the event were up a bit from last year.  The Million Dollar Hole in One ran from July 23rd to 28th at Foster Park.

Shortly after 12:30 Saturday morning Flin Flon RCMP received a report of two vehicle fires behind a business on McKeen Avenue.  The Fire Department responded and residences in the immediate vicinity were evacuated as a safety precaution.  The fires were extinguished and further investigation showed the incident was the result of arson.

Less than three hours later a report was received from a resident that two suspects had attempted to steal a truck from a yard. When the owner intervened she was assaulted and two female suspects ran off.

A 16 year old female from Flin Flon has been arrested and faces several charges including attempted robbery, assault, theft of a motor vehicle, mischief, breach of a youth probation order and possession of property obtained by crime.  Additional charges out of Saskatchewan are anticipated.

A 13 year old Denare Beach girl was arrested yesterday afternoon and will face several charges including robbery with intent, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime, two counts of mischief and two counts of theft.

Manitoba Hydro’s Flin Flon district office is holding their 9th annual customer appreciation barbeque tomorrow.  Hydro’s Sharon Ricard says they’re going to have reps from Manitoba Hydro North Man, the Hazard Board display, they’ll have their trucks and the bucket truck, the digger, they’re going to serve hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks and cake, there’ll be free draws, give aways for the kids and the feature is going to be Louis the Lightning Bug who is going to be there again this year.

Manitoba Hydro’s customer appreciation barbeque runs from 11 to 1:30 tomorrow at the Flin Flon office at 178 Wright Avenue.

The 14th annual Steve Ewing Memorial Poker Run was held Saturday afternoon from Flin Flon to Wanless and back.  Organizer Kel Brown says it went well as they raised over 27 hundred dollars which is amazing and they had 40 50 to bikes out and lots of people out just supporting them in vehicles.

The top poker hand prize went to Sandra Kritzer winning one thousand dollars.

The Hudbay Archives room was officially opened at the Flin Flon Station Museum on Sunday.

Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company was founded in Flin Flon in 1927.  The gallery was designed as a tribute to their history and the men and women who came here to explore, live, build, operate and reclaim. The Company’s Cal Huntley explained there’s been 46 thousand plus people who have worked at HBM&S over its history here and you tie that in with families and that’s a large number of people and places that have been represented here.  He say they’re well represented across Canada as it’s hard to go anywhere and not run into somebody who hasn’t had an aunt, uncle or cousin who’s worked at Hudbay.

Huntley adds it will be an ongoing changing display that will hopefully keep people interested in coming back to see the rich history we have in this region.

The Canadian Red Cross held an emergency preparedness challenge at Walmart Friday afternoon.  Local area rep Cherlyn Cain says three teams of two had 25 minutes to find items in the store you should have in a disaster kit to cover 72 hours in case you are evacuated from your home or are staying in your home without power and tap water.  She says you’re going to want enough bottled water for how many people there are in your family for drinking and for cooking, you’ll want a battery operated can opener, non-perishable food, some battery radios to keep in touch and flashlights.

The winning team was the Flin Flon Ministerial Team of Pastors Jim Galbraith and Andrew McGregor followed by the Cottage North team of Libby Stoker-Lavallee and Krista Lempke and then the Mayors Team of Al McLaughlin of The Pas and George Fontaine of Flin Flon.

A part of Flinty’s birthday party yesterday the late Catherine Hynes was inducted into the Flin Flon Station Museum’s Wall of Honor.  Flinty Committee Chair Dave Price says Hynes was willing to get involved in any and all activities that would promote and improve or assist in the building of the community including the Flin Flon Trout Festival, Arts Council, President of the Rotary Club, Operation Red Nose, Chamber of Commerce, Relay for Life, Flinty Committee, Flin Flon Revitalization Corporation and the Flin Flon Station Musuem.

Hynes joins 17 other people who are on the Wall of Honor in the museum.

A time capsule to mark Flin Flon’s 80th anniversary was sealed yesterday in the Tourist Park near the Flinty statue to be opened on the city’s 100th anniversary.  The Committee’s Brenda Russell says 65 to 70 items were placed in the capsule including a window speaker from the Big Island Drive In Theatre, a shoe donated from Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a geocache coin, caribou tufting broach, one and a half years of the Reminder, personal photos, individual photos, family photos, a photo of this year’s Bombers, lots of local art work and a 2013 Relay for Life t-shirt.

Mayor George Fontaine said it would be interesting to see the reaction of people when they open the capsule in twenty years hoping the many people attending the sealing will be there to see it opened.

The City of Flin Flon’s financial plan for this year was presented last night.  The total budget for the year is just under 11.4 million dollars down about 335 thousand from last year due to cost efficiencies in several areas.  Just over one million dollars in capital expenditures include roofing on the library, RCMP office and Community Hall, water and sewer projects and the water treatment plant.

Finance Chair Colleen McKee says they are dealing with government legislated water and sewer plants, our community is aging, our tax base is half what it used to be and taxpayers are reluctant to pay more.  She says they are evaluating operating costs and facilities to stabilize spending by being more efficient, implementing some user fees for facilities, attempting to build relationships with sister communities, will lobby the government to see where they can help and are evaluating what they need and what are essential services. She says they need a comprehensive plan on where they are going while remembering to maintain the quality of life that attracts people to our community.

World Bubble Day is being celebrated in on Sunday sponsored by the Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation.  The Corporation’s Laurence Gillespie says you can participate in all sorts of bubble games and challenges like putting your kid in a bubble, they hope to augment the monster bubble competition, they hope to bring their popular bubble art tables back, they have a variety of bubble skeet shooting competitions on tap, you’ll get to try all kinds of bubble blowing devices and they’ll have a lot of bubble machines cranked up.

Bubble Day runs from 1 to 4 Sunday afternoon as part of Flinty’s birthday party at the Station Museum.

The Big Top Experience Circus was town last weekend sponsored by Flin Flon Parks and Recreation. Recreation Manager Mike Dubreuil says it was a successful fund raiser. He says they estimate that they had approximately 100 families of four out so there was about 4 thousand dollars in sales and of that just over 500 dollars was the percentage that stays here locally.

Dubreuil adds the funds raised will go to the Jumpstart program to encourage those who need financial assistance to participate in local sports.

The Flin Flon Alliance Church is holding a Vacation Bible Camp all next week for 5 to 12 year olds.  The church’s Leona Gouws says the theme is Kingdom Rocks and every night kids will be participating in memorable bible learning activities, sing catchy songs, play games, dig into yummy treats and experience epic bible adventures.  She adds they are looking forward to having fun with the children while teaching them to stand strong.

The camp is free and runs from 6 to 8:30 Monday to Friday evenings next week.  To register or for information you can call the church at 204-687-8498.

The Flinty Committee is celebrating Flinty’s 51st birthday on Sunday.  The Committee’s Bunny Burke says they’ll also have events to mark the city’s 80th anniversary the major one being the opening of the Hudbay archives as well as the unveiling of the new geocaching coin that also represents the 80th anniversary of the city and they have an individual they are going to add to their Wall of Honor.

The party will also include World Bubble Day, sealing the time capsule, beef on a bun, hot dogs, home fries, birthday cake and activities for the kids.  It runs from 1 to 4 Sunday afternoon at the Flin Flon Station Museum.

The Saskatchewan government has entered into a three year agreement with Ducks Unlimited Canada that will help the province better manage woodland caribou.  The agreement allows the Ministry of Environment to purchase wetland classification data for about 200 thousand square kilometers of Saskatchewan’s northern forest.  The data will help define critical habitat for the development of caribou management plans under the federal recovery strategy.

Year one will include a large area along the Manitoba Saskatchewan border from just south of Flin Flon to just north of Yorkton and running west almost to Melfort.

Environment Minister Ken Cheveldayoff says the Ducks Unlimited data will fulfill their need for more information about key wetland ecosites to better estimate caribou habitat on the landscape at a fraction of the cost of collecting it on their own. The total cost of the three year agreement is 262 thousand dollars.

A new healthy food and beverages policy has been approved for the City of Thompson. Now 30% of all food and beverages served through things like concession stands and vending machines will have to meet the guidelines provided under the new healthy food and beverages policy. Some beverages that will fit under the 30% include 100% fruit juice, water and 1 or 2% skim milk. City Councillor Penny Byer who is also chair of the recreation committee says based on comments they’ve heard from some people already they’re happy to know that there are healthy food choices and there’s also the so called junk food choices but they’re in smaller sizes so the children can still have their treat but it’s not an over abundance.

The purpose is to increase the availability of healthy food choices in facilities and at programs within the city of Thompson.

The Red Cross is challenging area residents to get prepared before a disaster strikes.  Local area Red Cross rep Cherlyn Cain says on Friday teams will compete at Walmart in building a disaster kit.  She explained the build a kit event is an event where they have teams of two people and they search the Walmart store for things that they would need if they had to evacuate from their homes for 72 hours on very short notice or if they were confined to their homes for 72 hours without hydro and water in the event of a natural disaster.

Cain says she hopes to have teams from the Flin Flon area and The Pas. The challenge starts at one o’clock Friday afternoon at Walmart.  Walmart will also be holding a barbeque that afternoon from 12 to 3
 

The Creighton spray pool windup is being held Friday afternoon.  Assistant Recreation Director Crystal Banting says they had a great summer and have activities planned to help children celebrate the wind up.  She says they’re going to have a free barbeque, they’ll have games for the kids and hopefully it will be a nice day so the kids can enjoy the pool as well.

The windup is free and runs from 1 to 3 Friday afternoon at the Creighton spray pool.

The Relay for Life is being held September 7th to raise awareness and money for cancer research.  The Committee’s Brenda Russell says you can still register as a team or an individual.  She explains in 2011 there were 30 teams and they are at about 21 now so it would be great to match or top that as more teams means more money raised that all goes towards the important cause of the fight against cancer.  She says it’s an event that carries great importance in terms of hope in the challenge of beating cancer and as well the evening is a social environment with lots of camaraderie, entertainment, food and it’s a family event.

Teams or individuals interested can call Ashley at 204-687-7730 or Nicole at 306-688-3030.

The 14th 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 start at the Gateway and leave there at noon riding to Wanless, leave from there at 1 o’clock and make their way back with various stops, so you’re invited to come out and have a good time.

Ghost hands are available at Pharmasave, Gateway and Eddies and more information is available by calling 306-688-4137.  Proceeds go to the Steve Ewing Memorial Bursary awarded to a Flin Flon or Creighton student.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 73 has rededicated the Cenotaph on Hill Street.  At the ceremony their President Bob Penner said the Cenotaph was dedicated on August 9th, 1959 and with the repairs it will hopefully last another 54 years.  He said the cement has been replaced and sealed in the yard and base and the fence replaced.  He said they had the old hand rail system removed and have changed everything to the current code of 42 inches, on the east side overlooking Third Avenue the words Lest We Forget have been laser cut into steel panels and welded into place and on the west side they have gates and on each gate there is a poppy that has been laser cut as well.

Wreathes were laid and messages brought by representatives of the Legion, MP Niki Ashton, MLA Clarence Pettersen and the communities of Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach.

The RCMP are reminding motorists across the province that speeding may be seen as a thrill by some but its consequences can be deadly.  They report speed is one of the leading factors in vehicle collisions in Manitoba as how fast a vehicle is traveling is directly related to the force of impact and the severity of injuries.  They note in 2012 speed was considered a contributing factor in 37 of 81 fatal crashes and that same year speed was one of the top three factors in fatal collisions behind impaired by alcohol or drugs and lack of seat belt use.

The RCMP say there’s no excuse for speeding so slow down, make smart decisions and your family will thank you for it.

The Lord’s Bounty Food Bank is facing a shortage of food.  Food Distribution Chair Dennis Hydamaka says their shelves are barer than they have been in many years.  He explained their food intake from donations has decreased by about 90 percent over the last year, food drives have disappeared and corporate sponsors have all but disappeared.  He says they have one corporate sponsor left and one businessman on Main Street who contributes and a handful of individuals who contribute on a regular basis.

Hydamaka adds for the past several months they have been purchasing 95 percent of the food they need and are keeping to the basics and reducing the quantity of food that goes into a hamper.  He says they are also dipping into their reserves as they have already over spent the donations that have come in this season.

To donate  you can use the drop off box in the Co-op store, at the Food Bank Tuesdays from 9 to 1 or call Dennis at 204-687-7242.

The RCMP had asked for assistance in locating some people from the northern district.  Included was John William Barrie whose last know address was Flin Flon.  He has now been arrested by Flin Flon RCMP.  He was wanted for being unlawfully at large for not reporting to jail for an intermittent sentence and failing to comply with conditions of probation.

Still missing is Jonathon Alexander Klayton Munro also known as Flett whose last known address was The Pas.  He is 20 years old, black hair, brown eyes, slender build and 189 centimeters tall.  He has a cross tattoo on his left middle finger and JF on his left hand.  He is wanted for assault causing bodily harm, robbery, being unlawfully in a dwelling and theft and mischief under five thousand dollars.

Anyone with information should contact the RCMP.

The Flin Flon Public Library is holding a TD Summer Reading Camp all next week for children 5 to 11 years old.  Organizer Jessica Graham says this year’s theme is Kids Can Go so they’ll be taking kids around the world.  She says Monday is bubble day for their kick off day and is for the kids to say hello, welcome and meet each other and say bon voyage to Flin Flon because they are going on a cruise.  She says Tuesday they are traveling to Paris, Wednesday they’re going to Japan, Thursday they’re exploring Egypt and finally Friday they are back in Canada.

You can sign up for the Reading Camp at the library or just drop in for the Camp that runs from 1 to 3:30 every afternoon next week.

The Flinty Committee is preparing to celebrate Flinty’s 51st birthday Sunday, August 18th at the Station Musuem.  The committee’s Bunny Burke says they can use some help during that day.  She says they start early with set up and that always is a struggle in getting some volunteers, so they need some people who have a little strength and can move around some of the tents and various items that they need set up.  And then she says later on as the day progresses they need help in distributing food and with games and when it’s over help in taking it down.

If you can help call the Greenstone office at 204-687-6967.

Two doctors at have been suspended from their duties after they were involved in an altercation at Flin Flon General Hospital. 

The Northern Region Health Authority’s Communications Specialist Glen Hildebrandt says this is a personnel issue and they normally don’t discuss these issues.  He did confirm both doctors are on leave pending an investigation and arrangements have been made to cover their shifts in the mean time.

Organizer Paulette Wotton says the first annual Breast Cancer Pledge Ride North held on Saturday made last weekend an epic weekend.  She says there were 47 bikes that took part and one classic car and they got to Gyle’s Park for lunch time, made their way back to Flin Flon and ended up at Flonstock at about 4 o’clock.  She adds they had some wonderful gifts of pledges from people, so their total at the end of the day was a little over 20 thousand dollars.

Wotton says the top pledge raiser was Patty Stuckless of Creighton raising 59 hundred dollars.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation will be holding an event called Registration Under One Roof September 6th and 7th.  Recreation Programmer Aimee Deans explains any and all organizations and groups in our community are welcome.  She says they’ll hopefully see girl guides, minor hockey, dance, all kinds of groups as it’s a great place to come under one roof, check out what people have to offer, do a registration and everybody is all together.

There is no fee for this event but all interested organizations must register tomorrow at the latest by calling Aimee at 204-681-7542 or email adeans@flinflon.ca.

The Manitoba Foster Family Network is holding a barbeque in Flin Flon tomorrow.  Their Community Development Worker for the north Charlotte Sauder invites all foster families and anyone interested in fostering to come out.  She says the Network is hosting the barbeque for all foster families in Flin Flon and area.  She adds it’s just a meet and greet to help foster families connect with other foster families.

The barbeque runs from 3 to 7 tomorrow at Rotary Park.

At their meeting last night Flin Flon City Council gave first and second reading to the bylaw to set the mill rate for 2013 for general purposes, school purposes and uncontrollable purposes.  It shows a residential mill rate increase of .99 percent over last year and for commercial an increase of .03 percent over last year.  The financial plan and mill rate will be explained at a public meeting Thursday, August 15th at 7 before the bylaw is given final reading.

Hapnot Street resident Dennis Hydamaka praised Council for the fact the sewer box used as a walkway behind his street that he referred to at several meetings as a goat trail has been replaced.

In answer to a question from Hydamaka about how much the Utility Bill will increase with the new water treatment plant Administrator Mark Kolt said they have not completed a cost study as it is not operating yet. That is expected in September.

And Council received the Fire Chiefs report for July indicating seven calls during the month.  Councilor Ken Pawlachuk noted the number of false alarms is down since they made people aware of their responsibilities if they have an alarm system installed.

A time capsule will be sealed later this month to mark Flin Flon’s 80th anniversary and will be opened on the 100th anniversary.  The committee’s Brenda Russell reminds you the deadline to register items is Friday and they should represent our community now.  She explained perhaps a new baby has arrived in the family or the family had a 100th birthday celebration or a family reunion in 2013 or even going back to late 2012. She adds community groups such as minor hockey, have they submitted something and other sports organizations or maybe a business has made some changes or would just like to submit a picture of their current staff.

The capsule will be sealed August 18th at Flinty’s birthday party at the Station Museum.  Forms to submit items are available at City Hall, Women’s Resource Center, Aqua Center, Friendship Center or www.flinflononline.com.

An 80th anniversary banner to be included in the time capsule will be at City Hall until August 16th for anyone interested who hasn’t signed it yet.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation will be holding its annual Family Hay Day at the Zoo tomorrow.  Zoo Supervisor Ria Rowe says there’ll be fun for everyone with face and nail painting, the slip and slide is going to be going on, they’ve got sun bracelets, coloring table, the barbeque will be on so people can get burgers and hot dogs, there’s also going to scheduled events such as animal bingo, the scavenger hunt, bubble gum chewing and her favorite the cow pie eating contest.

Hay Day runs from 4 to 6 tomorrow at the Joe Brain Children’s Petting Zoo on Green Street.

In their report on the second quarter of this year Hudbay reports they have invested approximately 365 million dollars at the Lalor project to June 30th and have entered into 63 million in commitments for the project.  Company President David Garofalo says the work is on schedule and on budget.  He says the excellent performance by their workforce at Lalor in advancing underground development is expected to put them in a position to initiate drilling of the copper gold zone from underground for the first time in 2014.  He adds this will be approximately one year ahead of schedule and will allow them to start an exploration story that has been dormant for the last three years while they have been building the Lalor mine and gaining them necessary access for deeper exploration.

Meanwhile the Reed Copper Project also near Snow Lake  is on track for initial production by the fourth quarter of this year and full production of approximately 13 hundred tonnes of ore per day by the first quarter of 2014 subject to receipt of required regulator permits.

Plans are underway to again hold a World Bubble Day sponsored by the Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation as part of Flinty’s birthday party on August 18th.  The Corporation’s Laurence Gillespie says they are planning a bigger event this year with putting your kid in a bubble which has been popular with a lot of parents, they hope to augment the monster bubble competition, they hope to bring their popular bubble art table back, they have a variety of bubble skeet shooting competitions on tap, you’ll get to try all kinds of bubble blowing devices and they’ll have a lot of bubble machines cranked up.

Gillespie says volunteers are needed to help with the events and anyone interested can call him at 204-687-6972.

Flin Flon Parks and Recreation’s Summer in the Parks program has completed its first month and Supervisor Athea Fernandes says it’s been great so far, she’s had a lot of fun and the kids have been having a lot of fun.  She says in August they are partnering with the zoo for Hay Day so they’re both looking forward to that and they’ve also got yoga and zumba with Katie later on in their sports week and they’re going to be ending up in August with their talent show.

Summer in the Parks runs until August 23rd Monday to Friday afternoons from 12 to 5 for children 5 to 8 years old.  For information call the Recreation Office at 204-681-7542.

The Flin Flon Arts Council is holding its 33rd annual Arts and Crafts Sale Saturday, November 9th.  Coordinator Crystal Kolt says they are asking people to book their tables so they can offer their usual variety of home made or hand made items.  She says it’s a big criteria for the Arts Council that it has to be home made and they have vendors already coming from many places in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and it’s going to be a great show.  She adds they are changing it up a bit this year as they are going to have a Winter Wonderland on the stage where people can come and kids can have their pictures taken with Santa Claus.

Registration forms for tables are available at the Arts Council office or call 204-687-5974.

The Alliance Church is holding a Vacation Bible School later this month.  The Church’s Menno Giesbrecht says it will be a fun evening for kids ages 5 to 12 on August 19th to 23rd starting at 6 p.m. and running to 8:30. He adds they’ll have stories, crafts, games and snacks for the kids and the name this year is Kingdom Rock.

Pre registration is being held Tuesday at the Alliance Church from 12 to 7.  After that date you can still call the church to register at 204-687-8498.

Hudbay Minerals reports in the second quarter of this year they recorded a loss of 52.7 million dollars compared to a loss of 29.6 million in the second quarter of last year largely due to lower sales volumes mainly as a result of the planned permanent closure of their Trout Lake and Chisel North Mines and lower metal prices.

As a result the Company has implemented spending reductions which are expected to total 100 million dollars over the balance of 2013 and 14, including exploration spending reductions of approximately 30 million through the end of 2014 as well as deferrals of approximately 20 million in sustaining capital expenditures to beyond 2014.

In addition the Company plans to defer approximately 325 million dollars of the capital cost for the construction of the new Lalor concentrator, as a planned 9 million dollar investment to double the capacity of the Snow Lake concentrator is expected to accommodate planned production from the new Lalor Mine until the end of 2016.

A Breast Cancer Pledge Ride is taking place this weekend.  Organizer Paulette Wotton says she was inspired to organize a ride in the north after being involved on a committee in Winnipeg which has held its 12th ride raising over 500 thousand dollars for Cancer Care Manitoba.  She says they start out Saturday at the Gateway with registration from 9 to 10:30 and they will then ride to Gyles Park in the Grass River Provincial Park, enjoy lunch and finish their poker run on the way back to Flin Flon ending with the last hand at the second annual Flonstock Music Festival.

Wotton adds the ride can include any motorcycle or even classic cars with pledge forms at VA Services or call her at 204-271-2928 or 687-7026 or on facebook at Breast Cancer Pledge Ride North.

The Flin Flon Friendship Center’s Camp Moochikun begins its second session tomorrow.  Camp Director Kyle Harkiss says they will have activities similar to the July camp they held for younger children.  He says their first camp did really well with the kids having a lot of fun adding they like to go swimming and to Rotary Park.  He says they did manage to do a couple of amazing things including going to the Cranberry Portage to see the Irvin Head Museum. Harkiss notes he’s heard they’re going to be able to go the Aqua Center a little more on rainy days and they do art, crafts and games.

The camp runs from 9:30 to 4 Monday to Friday.  To register your child drop in to the Friendship Center or call 204-687-1314.
 

Flin Flon City Council held a meeting Tuesday night to discuss proposed changes with Channing residents who receive city pump out service.  The contractor has requested a change in the billing method based on charges per pump out instead of pump out volumes.  The city proposed regulating the number of pump outs available under their program suggesting three pump outs a month and to assist those with smaller storage tanks they proposed a subsidy of two thousand dollars per household for tank conversion.

The main concern of residents at the meeting was the number of pump outs being offered by the city saying some homes require more pump outs because of family size and visitors.  After a lot of discussion residents suggested most people could get by with a thousand gallon tank with a pump out once a week.

Mayor George Fontaine said Council will discuss the program and input from the residents.  He said no changes would be made for a year to give people a chance to prepare adding they want the system to be as simple and affordable as they can make it. He added once they determine how many people would need larger tanks they can determine how the proposed subsidy will be handled.