Local News Archives for 2015-04

They Paused to Remember Tuesday Evening.

 

 

The United Steelworkers Local 7106 held a ceremony at their monument Tuesday evening to mark the National Day of Mourning.  Their former Health and Safety rep Tom Lindsey told those attending the day is held to remember those who died or were injured at work over the past year and their families but it has a second purpose.  He explains the whole saying for the day is mourn for the dead and fight for the living so if all we do is feel bad because people died but don’t try and do anything about it more people will die and more people will get hurt so the fight has to keep going and whether it’s the union fighting with the companies or workers themselves or trying to get governments on side to pass regulations and enforce them the fight has to keep going because that’s the only way we’ll prevent having to mourn more people next year.

            

  Wreaths were laid by various union and community representatives with messages emphasizing the need to make working conditions safe for everybody.

Changes Have Been Taking Place in Our Recycling Program.

 

 

  At the Flin Flon and District Environment Council annual meeting last night Recycling Center Administrator Deb Odegaard reported we recycled almost 414 tonnes last year up 17 tonnes from 2013 with a continuing goal of 500 tonnes and three shipments of ewaste were sent out.

             

Odegaard says there have been changes in the past year with curbside pick up starting in Creighton on May 1st, there is a recycling trailer in the former Extra Foods parking lot and a new website www.flinflonrecycling.org.

             

She says they are looking forward to working with municipal governments in getting support from Denare Beach, starting a tags for bags program for garbage pick up and banning cardboard from the landfill.

             

Odgaard presented awards to Kendal and Pandya for Community Support, the Community Champion Award Kathy Lysohirka, ten year service award to Wayne Freund and twenty year Board Member awards to Jan Modler and Greg East.

Hudbay Plans to Continue Operations.

 

 

 As we reported earlier the International Association of Machinists local 1848 has given Hudbay notice that they will start strike action at 11:59 am Saturday.  They state none of their outstanding language issues have been addressed in negotiations and the wage enhancements were not what they had hoped for.

             

Hudbay Vice-President of the Manitoba Business Unit Rob Winton says they have taken a long hard look at their contingency plan that focuses on the health and safety of all their employees.  He says as far as the operation is concerned their contingency plans are in place and the teams are in action now with the IAM’s notice given to them.  He adds their operational plans are basically two fold, to ensure all of their employees are safe and to ensure their assets are protected and those plans will begin once the IAM set up their picket line.

            

  Winton says their intention is to operate as they are able to, they do not intend to shut down.

 

Strike Action is Planned at Hudbay.

  

 

The International Association of Machinists local 1848 has given Hudbay the necessary 72 hours written notice to start strike action at 11:59 am on Saturday.

             

Their website states it is now clear management have no intention to bargain with their union in good faith.  They add none of their outstanding language issues were addressed and the wage enhancements were no where near what they had hoped for or desire.  It has left the union with only one option taking strike action.

             

They have reached out to management in assisting them with a controlled shutdown of all operations to ensure the easiest most efficient start of the plant once it resumes operations.

 

 

Your Immunization Should Be Up to Date.

 

 

 This is National Immunization Awareness Week. Dr. Shannon MacDonald from the University of Calgary Department of Pediatrics says the theme of the week is Boost Your Power Get Immunized.  She says it’s a good opportunity to remind people to check their children’s immunization records and make sure their children are up to date for all the recommended vaccinations that they’re scheduled for and also check their own records because there are recommended vaccinations for adults as well.

             

MacDonald says immunization protects individuals and communities by preventing the spread of disease.  She adds there is a free app called ImmunizeCA that provides you with access to and reminders of immunization schedules and it’s available at the App Store, Google Play and Blackberry World.  More information is available at www.immunize.ca.

 

 

There is Still Time For You to Collect Pledges for a Mini Golf Tournament.

 

 

 

The Flin Flon Kinsmen Club invites you to take part in their 25th annual mini golf classic on Saturday.  The Club’s Tom Therien says golfers collect pledges to golf in a fund raiser for cystic fibrosis.  He says it starts at the Legion at 12:30 Saturday and you need at least 75 dollars in pledges.  He says they’re going to play six holes at the Legion then they’re going to revert to the Royal Hotel for six holes and they’re going to end up at Burkee’s for six holes and they will give away prizes, feed you and hopefully everyone has some fun.

             

Pledge forms are available from any Kinsmen member or from Tom at the Co-op.

 

High Grade Copper Has Been Found in Drill Holes East of Flin Flon.

 

Callinex Mines has completed phase one of their two phase drilling campaign in the vicinity of the Pine Bay deposit 16 kilometers east of Flin Flon. 

             

Their President and CEO Max Porterfield reports the results demonstrate that Pine Bay hosts high grade mineralization over considerable widths in proximity to historic underground workings and nearby processing facilities. He adds they will be expanding phase two of their drilling campaign this summer and are looking forward to testing several high priority land based targets.

            

  Their report states the objectives of the expanded phase two drilling campaign will be to test prospective land based targets at the Pine Bay and Flin Flon projects.  They note the geology of the targeted areas consists of several mineralized horizons and the company is currently conducting ground geophysics to further evaluate the most prospective targets for drilling.

Students Were Inspired by a Trip to Greece.

 

 

Last night the Flin Flon School Board heard a presentation about the Hapnot Travel Club’s trip to Greece.  Daniel Dillon, Sandra Garinger and student Myla Bridgeman-Forbes all spoke about the highlights from the recent trip which had 21 students, four adults and three chaperones travel overseas for ten days.  Dillon started off by thanking the Board for their approval of the trip which provided students with life long memories.  The fund raising activities to help cover some of the costs also allowed students the opportunity to give back to the community through various activities.  Student Bridgeman-Forbes added the experience allowed for a positive perspective, learning history and was sometimes overwhelming in a positive way.  The presentation ended with a request that the Board consider the next travel club destination Holland which already has a lot of interest.  The Travel Club is active every two years.

 

 

You Can Help Organize a Local Run.

 

 

 The Terry Fox Foundation is looking for a volunteer organizer for the Terry Fox Run in Flin Flon.  Debbie Dunlop from the Manitoba Terry Fox Foundation explains their job is to put together a committee and get everybody motivated and involved in doing a Terry Fox Run in their community.  She says they’re just there to organize everybody and to be available on the Run day to make sure everything runs smoothly, to seek out donations from businesses to help with some of the cost of putting on the Run as well as just generating a lot of community support.

             

You can become the volunteer organizer by calling the Manitoba office at 1-888-836-9786 and ask for Debbie or Tammy.  The 35th annual Terry Fox run takes place Sunday, September 20th.

 

The Deadline Has Been Extended for a Grant Program

 

 

 The Northern Neighbors and Thomas Sill Foundations have partnered with Hapnot Collegiate for a Youth in Philanthropy grant program. The Collegiate’s Corinne Mathews explains grants are available to any registered charity in the Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach area.  She explains their guidelines says they are hoping to promote art, culture, education, environment, health, heritage, recreation and sports so it’s very open ended.  She says the kids are really excited to see what kinds of projects are out there in the community so really any non-profit organization who is working on a project can apply for these grants.

             

To apply for a grant or for more information you can contact Corinne at Hapnot Collegiate at 204-687-7506 or contact the Northern Neighbors Foundation.  The deadline to apply has been extended to May 22nd.

 

It Was a Successful Show For Many Local Artists.

 

 

The 39th annual Northern Juried Art Show was held in Gillam over the weekend.  Several local artists entered and walked away with prizes. 

            

  They include Linda Sonnenberg-Jackson with second in painting and first in sculpture 3-D. Karen Clark first in drawing print making with Tamra Martin second and Matthew Enns third, in photography Patricia Evans took first, first in digital arts graphics and went on to win best in show while Crystal Banting took second in photography as well as third in digital art graphics.

 

 

You Can Learn More About Recycling.

 

 

The Flin Flon Environment Council is holding their annual meeting Wednesday night.  Recycling Center Administrator Deb Odegaard invites you to the meeting. She explains during the first part of the meeting they’ll be reviewing where recycling has come from and what direction they would like to see it go and they’re also doing a few awards to people who have been great supporters of the recycling program.  She adds the second half is the business meeting for the annual general meeting.

             

The meeting starts at 7 Wednesday night in Flin Flon city council chambers.

A Group of Band Students is Heading South.

 

 

Junior Band students from Flin Flon and Creighton School Divisions are heading for Brandon today.  Band Director Anna Jardine says this is an annual event for the band students.  She says grade seven band from McIsaac, Ruth Betts and Creighton are going to the level one band festival in Brandon so they get to perform at the Westman Centennial Auditorium some pieces that they’ve been working on.  She says they get to watch some other bands and do some clinics as well.

             

The 51 students left today with 5 chaperones and will return tomorrow night.  Jardine says this is the largest group she has ever taken to the festival.

 

 

 

Workers in This Area Will Pause to Remember Tomorrow Night.

 

 

 Tomorrow is recognized as a National Day of Mourning.  United Steelworkers Local 7106 Health and Safety rep Ken Bateman explains April 28th the Day of Mourning is recognized in over 100 countries as a day to remember those employees who went to work and didn’t have an opportunity to come back and be with their families due to the fact that they were either seriously injured or killed at work. He adds once again they take safety as their number one priority.

             

The ceremony will be held at 7:30 tomorrow night at the Steelworker’s monuments in Flin Flon across from the Gateway and in Snow Lake.

 

 

An Easy Recycling Program Needs More Support.

 

 

 The Flin Flon and District Environment Council expanded their Red Bag curbside recycling program to a weekly pick up on March 4th.  Recycling Center Administrator Deb Odegaard says they would like to see more people using it.  She says with the red bag curbside every Wednesday people don’t need to worry about how to get their material to the Recycling Center, they will pick it up for them.  She adds they don’t need to worry about which week it is, it’s every Wednesday so they’re hoping that by the end of the six month trial that it will be something that people will be using.

            

  Red bags are sold for $3.50 to pay for the service and can be purchased at the Gas Bar, Acklands, Super K, Dollar Store, Pharmasave and the Recycling Center.  More information on recycling is available at the Trade and Leisure Show at the Sportex this weekend, at the Recycling Center, at grocery stores or online at www.flinflonrecycling.org.

You Can Take a Pet Home This Weekend.

 

 

 

The Flin Flon Creighton and Area SPCA is holding a Spring Fever open house and adoption sale tomorrow.  Shelter Manager Carmen Ward says they want homes for some of the animals that have been there for a while.  She explains they’re going to do a half price sale for the spring time and all cats and dogs over the age of six months will be at a half price adoption fee which includes the spaying, neutering, micro chipping, vaccine and deworming.

             

The open house runs from noon to 4 tomorrow at the SPCA shelter at the corner of the Perimeter Highway and the Cliff Lake Road.

Our Member of Parliament Says the Federal Budget is Disappointing.

 

 

Churchill MP Niki Ashton says the only ideas to create jobs in this budget came from the recommendations of the NDP caucus.  She says the Harper government missed their chance to make smart investments that create stable full time jobs, actual child care spaces and affordable housing.  She says the Conservatives continue to refuse to allocate the necessary resources to combat violence against aboriginal women and girls while refusing demands for a national inquiry.

             

Ashton adds the budget’s infrastructure proposals are limited and create red tape that prevents funds from getting into the hands of communities.  She also says the tax measures do little for the middle class and leave families paying for billions in tax breaks for big corporations and the wealth few, adding the billions in handouts to the wealthiest few are a significant risk to vital public services while doing nothing to reduce child poverty.

 

Flinty is Officially Number One.

 

At a Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday Kirsten Neil from Travel Manitoba presented Flinty with his award as the Best Roadside Attraction in Manitoba.  She explained Travel Manitoba ran a week long contest asking people to vote online for their choice out of 32 roadside attractions as the best in the province.  She says they were floored at how well Roadside Madness went adding she expected a couple of thousand votes to come in but they ended up with over 75 thousand votes cast.  She says they had no idea how quickly this would turn into a viral hit adding Flinty alone received over 10 thousand votes throughout the week.

            

  Neil presented the award to Flinty, the Chair of the Flinty Committee Dave Price and Mayor Cal Huntley. Huntley read a letter from the Rural Municipality of Glenboro South Cypress congratulating Flinty on the win.  Flinty beat out their mascot Sarah the Camel in the final round of voting.

You Can Learn More About Breastfeeding.

 

 The Primary Health Care Center will be hosting a session tonight called Before the Stork Arrives.  Carol Hydamaka from the Baby Friendly Initiative says this is a breastfeeding discussion for expectant parents and caregivers.  She explains it’s an informal discussion with a nurse, dietician, home visitors, the father of the breastfeeder and grandmother.  Hs says they have information available on breastfeeding, there’s a game they play called Fill the Diaper Bag and there’s a door prize as well.

             

The session is being held tonight at 7 at the Primary Health Care Center at 1 North Avenue.  If you are interested in attending or need more information you can call 204-681-3149.

 

 

Snow Lake Area Residents Can Visit Their First Trade Show.

 

 

The Snow Lake Chamber of Commerce is holding their first annual Spring Trade Show on Tuesday and Wednesday.  President Dennis St. Jean says it’s looking pretty good for the show.  He says this year they have a few car dealers coming in with vehicles.  He says they’ve also got some quads, household items, a fair selection of a little bit of everything.  St. Jean adds they’re not fully done but this is their first year and he thinks they’re probably sitting not bad as far as vendors.

             

The Spring Trade Show is being held in the Snow Lake Community Center and next door in the Arena.  It’s open Tuesday from 3 to 9 and Wednesday from 10 until 8.

 

 

 

It is Show Time in Gillam.

 

 

 The 39th Annual Northern Juried Art Show is underway in Gillam today with the judging of the entries.  The show is open to all resident artists north of the 53rd parallel including Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson. The committee’s Carol Turnbull says entries went fairly well.  She says they have about 100 entries so it’s a midsize not a huge outlay of people that are entering but they do have quite a lot of different art adding she has seen some wonderful paintings.

             

The show is open to students and the public on Friday and again all day Saturday in the mezzanine at the Gillam Recreation Center.

 

Plans Are Moving Forward for the Flin Flon Aqua Center.

 Representatives of Bridgeman Collaborative Architects made a presentation at a well attended public meeting last night.  They reviewed their six options from a study they did a year ago on how to upgrade the Aqua Center.  They go from renovations to meet the building code at 150 thousand dollars all the way up to a new larger Center at a cost of around 17 million dollars.

             

The idea now is to form a steering committee to help choose the option, help guide the process, help applying for federal and provincial grants and do fund raising.  The committee is to include representatives and residents of all communities in the region that use the pool and those communities should share the cost of the project.  

    

  Recreation Manager Mike Dubreuil reported letters have gone out to surrounding communities inviting them to take part in the process.  He says a meeting will be held in May to form an executive and shortly after that a decision will be made on what option to fund raise for.

 

Flin Flon City Council Responded to Some Requests Last Night.

 Dennis Hydamaka reminded Council that about two years ago approval was given for a walkway on the corner of Fifth Avenue and the Hapnot Street corridor for the safety of those walking in the area and nothing has been done.  Council will look into the issue and get back to him.  He also told Council that since the Special Services Levy for police and fire services came in their clientele at the Food Bank has increased by 48 percent. The Municipal Board is holding a public hearing on May 7th on Council’s request to renew the Levy for this year.

             

And Council renewed their membership in the Hudson Bay Route Association at a cost of 300 dollars and will purchase an ad in the Northern Visitors Guide at a cost of 350 dollars.

 

You Can Do a Variety of Shopping Under One Roof.

            

 

 

102.9 CFAR’s 32nd annual Trade and Leisure Show starts tomorrow afternoon.  Manager Dianne Russell says they have a lot to offer shoppers again this year. She says there’s going to be some old favorites and some new ones as they always try to mix it up as best they can with local and out of town people.  She says they’re going to have a tent outside this year which they haven’t had for quite a while. She adds they have a wide variety including two big boat companies this year so there’s going to be a lot of boats to look as well as some docking systems and a lot of the small booths like fudge and some new ones who just heard about the show and wanted to come so they’re really excited to have people come out to see what it’s all about.

             

The Trade and Leisure Show is open at the Creighton Sportex tomorrow from 4 to 9, Friday from noon to 9 and Saturday from 10 to 4.

 

The Final Offer Has Been Turned Down.

            

 

Members of the International Association of Machinists Local 1848 have rejected what Hudbay called their final contract offer to the Union. Information meetings and ratification votes were held in Snow Lake Sunday and Flin Flon yesterday.

             

Union President Rene Beauchamp reports they had 156 members vote which is 87 percent of their membership.  He says they voted 96 percent to reject the contract offer. He says the next step is to try to get back to the table with Hudbay. He says the plan looking forward is to get hold of the Company and tell them that they are ready to sit down and hammer out a collective agreement.  He says they just want to open up dialogue and start talking with them again as up to now they haven’t really talked whatsoever so they just want to start negotiating.

             

Beauchamp adds they met with Hudbay briefly this morning and it wasn’t a positive meeting.  No date has been set for future meetings.

Students Will Celebrate Earth Day in Creighton.

 

 

Creighton Community School will be doing an Earth Day community clean up tomorrow afternoon.  Principal Stacy Lair explains it’s their annual clean up in the town and they divide all the students into the zones in the town and they get out and pick up all the garbage.  She adds they have great co-operation from the town of Creighton as they come around after them and collect all the bags they leave behind.  She says they just clean up the town for Earth Day to show their respect for the environment and contribute to their community.

            

  Lair adds the clean up starts at one tomorrow afternoon and takes about an hour and a half.  She asks motorists in the community to drive carefully and watch for the students.

 

 

You Can Support and Learn More About Organ Donor Programs.

 

 

A tag day is being held Friday to support National Organ And Tissue Donation Awareness Week.  Local Coordinator Nora Fontaine says the message this year is online registration.  She explains by registering your intention to donate online the transplant team will know the person has chosen to be an organ and tissue donor.  She says they know 95 percent of Canadians support organ donation however less than 20 percent have registered their decision.  Fontaine says you just need to go online and register and you’re in a data base and the team will clearly know your wishes adding if you’ve signed your blue card it is in your wallet but the information is not found anywhere else.

            

  You can register online at www.signupforlife.ca.  Fontaine will be holding a tag day Friday from ten to four at the Flin Flon Community Center so if you have any questions you can drop in then.

 

The Final Offer Has Been Turned Down.

Members of the International Association of Machinist Local 1848 have rejected what Hudbay called their final contract offer to the Union. Information meetings and ratification votes were held in Snow Lake Sunday and Flin Flon yesterday.

             

Union President Rene Beauchamp reports they had 156 members vote which is 87 percent of their membership.  He says they voted 96 percent to reject the contract offer. He says the next step is to contact Hudbay and try to get back to the table to restart negotiations.

 

 

It is Time to Register Your Younger Children for School.

 

 

Parents are reminded to register your children for Kindergarten in Flin Flon School Division.  Assistant Superintendent Dean Grove says they should register by April 30th and they ask parents to bring the information into the local school in their catchment area with the exception to that if they are having their child in French Immersion in which case they would be going to McIsaac School.  He adds there’s just a couple of things they need to bring with them, one is a birth certificate indicating that the child was born in 2010 so most of the kids will be turning five and their nine digit Manitoba Health number.

            

  Students in the Kindervention Program don’t have to register as they are already registered for Kindergarten through the Kindervention Program.

 

Grants are Available for Local Projects.

 

 

 The Tri-Service Committee from the Rotary, Lions and Kinsmen Clubs along with CFAR and the Million Dollar Hole In One are accepting applications for up to five thousand dollars in grant money.  The Committee’s Bunny Burke explains they’d like to see applications from organizations in the community and surrounding areas that include Creighton and Denare Beach. She says any organization that has a project can let them know what the funds are going to be used for, they can make application and they’ll be considered once the hole in one is completed.

            

  The deadline to apply is May 8th.  Applications and more information are available online at www.flinflononline.com or call Bunny at 204-687-6967.

 

Two Grants are Coming to the Creighton Area.

 

 More than 600 groups and organizations in Saskatchewan are benefiting from approximately 1.4 million dollars in charitable grants being provided by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority.  Through these grants the Border Explorers Snowmobile Club receives 5168 dollars and the Creighton Community Center 1099 dollars.

             

These quarterly grants are based on 25 percent of net proceeds raised through licensed charitable gaming activities such as bingos, raffles, break open tickets and other events.  Groups that conduct licensed charitable gaming activities and events do not have to apply for the grants as the reports they submit on the events are used by the Authority to calculate the grants.

Union Members Will Be Voting on an Offer From Hudbay.

 

The President of the International Association of Machinists Local 1848 Rene Beauchamp says their negotiating committee received a final offer from Hudbay yesterday.  He says after a quick review they realized that none of their major issues were being addressed and overall fell short of their expectations. He says through the conciliator they scheduled one final meeting in an effort to get their key points addressed so they could recommend this offer to their members.  Beauchamp says unfortunately Hudbay told them it was their final offer and no changes would be made.  He adds the negotiating team is not recommending this final offer to their members.

             

Information meetings followed by a ratification vote will be held on Sunday at the Seniors Center in Snow Lake at 4 and 8 pm and in Flin Fon on Monday at the Steel Center at 4 and 8 pm.

 

 

You Can Join a Citizen Climate Campaign.

 

 

 

On Wednesday Earth Day Canada celebrates their 25th anniversary with the launch of Earth Day Every Day.  Their President Deb Doncaster says it’s a mobile friendly platform that goes live on Earth Day where people can log into and chart and log their green acts that contribute to carbon reduction. She explains they’re rolling it out with a clean commute as the transportation sector accounts for about 24 percent of the emissions in Canada and the 25 clean commute options they’re providing Canadian will help to improve their personal carbon footprint and it gives options for everybody whether you have to drive to work or walk to work.

             

Doncaster adds people who sign up have the option to submit their name to an Earth Flag that will be taken to the International Climate Conference in Paris. You can learn more at their website www.earthday2015.ca

 

A New Bridge is Ready.

 

 A new footbridge will help you walk down Pine Avenue.

             

The City closed the Pine Avenue traffic bridge on May 1st, 2012 as it was no longer safe for traffic and money was not available to replace it.  It remained open for pedestrian traffic until last Monday when it was completely closed so the traffic bridge could be demolished and restructured as a narrower foot bridge.

             

The foot bridge is now complete and being used by those who go out walking in the area.

 

 

 

V Day Will Raise Awareness of Violence Against Women.

 

 

 The Women’s Resource Center will be recognizing V Day Wednesday evening with the performance of the Vagina Monologues.  The Center’s Courtney Gieg explains V Day is a global grassroots movement to end violence against women and girls by raising funds and awareness through benefit productions of the Vagina monologues.  She says the play is based on interviews that Eve Ensler did with dozens of women so it gives a voice to those who have experienced violence and inequality and it helps survivors heal and inspires others to get involved in stopping violence against women.

             

The Vagina Monologues will be performed Wednesday evening at 6:30 at the Hapnot Collegiate Theatre.

It Was A Great Year for the Co-op Store.

General Manager Tom Therien told the North of 53 Co-op 70th annual meeting last night they had sales in excess of 27 million dollars last year, a net saving from operations of just over one million dollars.  Food sales totaled 17.7 million and petroleum sales were just under 9.5 million.  The Board authorized an allocation of 3 percent for food as well as 6.5 percent for petroleum with a cash repayment to members of 40 percent of their 2014 allocation to be paid out on May 15th.

             

Therien reported they are still pursuing options to replace the present store as there’s no room to grow inside the present store and the parking lot is too small.  He says no final decisions have been made as yet but if plans materialize it will likely take them away from the uptown area.

             

Nominations were held for two three year positions on the Board with Dennis Whitbread and Donna Coles re-elected by acclamation.

 

You Can Have Someone Arrested.

 

 

 The Women’s Resource Center is holding a Jail N Bail fund raising event during the Trade and Leisure Show April 23rd to 25th.  The Center’s Colleen Arnold explains the event begins when participants contact the Women’s Resource Center with a request to turn themselves in or have their boss, spouse, a politician, friend or co-worker arrested.  She says the mock police officer and volunteer arrest the jailbird who is then wisked off to jail and the jailbirds must agree to the arrest.  She adds when the participants arrive at the jail their bail is set by a mock judge and they then start making pledge calls to friends, relatives and co-workers to earn their bail so they should bring their smart phone or a list of contacts with them to the jail.

             

Arrest forms are now available for advance bail raising and can be emailed or faxed out or you can pick them up at the Women’s Resource Center.  All bail donations of

 20 dollars or more will receive a tax receipt with all proceeds going to the operation of the Safe haven which is an emergency shelter for abused women and their children.

Safety and Ore Production Continue to be Priorities.

 VMS Ventures have issued an update on work being done at the Reed Mine between Flin Flon and Snow Lake.  They report in March mining activities concentrated on the Zone 20 ore body, the main decline has been driven to below the 245 meter level and ore development is ongoing on the 135, 210 and 235 meter levels with ore production of just over 40 thousand tonnes.

             

Chief Operating Officer Neil Richardson says mine production continues at a steady rate and safety performance has been good since they announced commercial production with their official opening last September.

 

Two Councillors Have Been Elected in Denare Beach.

148 people turned out at the polls in Denare Beach yesterday to elect two Councillors.  There were four candidates.

             

Paul Trottier was elected with 94 votes along with Greg McBratney with 79 votes.  The other two candidates were Wanda Ginnell with 65 votes and Elfriede Reimer with 31 votes.

 

The School Division is Seeing Improved Math Skills.

  Three years ago the Flin Flon School Division brought in Rick Hall to restructure the Division’s math programs, assisting to improve teaching strategies.  At the same time the Manitoba Government was pushing school divisions to improve student’s math skills. Teachers in grades four to eight were asked to spend five minutes in each class to assist students in learning and memorizing their timestables. All students were then tested in March and last night Hall presented the improved results over the past three years to the School Board.  In closing Hall stated he was happy to be asked to do the study that saw positive feedback from both teachers and students.  Hall also said he hopes the study continues in the years to come as his three year tenure has come to an end.

Conciliation talks are Underway Between Hudbay and the International Association of Machinists local 1848.

 

The union has been given a strike mandate by their membership to be effective Tuesday.  Union Vice-President Blair Sapergia told City Council last week negotiations have gone nowhere.  Hudbay Vice-President of the Manitoba Business Unit Rob Winton says they have reached the point where they can finalize wording in the language demands the union brought to the table and move on to monetary discussions.  He explains they were really willing to discuss monetary and the union had chosen to bring a lot of demands to the table and that process took a while to get to a place where he believes they can finalize that discussion about the wording and the language that is held within the IAM C.B.A. and really start to focus on what most people would consider most important and certainly would touch every union member as the monetary discussions about benefits and pensions.

             

Winton says at the end of the day they want an agreement that’s mutually beneficial in ensuring the company’s future and fair to all the employees they have at Hudbay, the management and Board of Directors.

 

An Award Winning Film Can Be Seen Tomorrow.

 

 The Central Canada Film Group is bringing an award winning film to Flin Flon as part of their Films Up North series.  The group’s Collin Davis says Love is All You Need is a Toronto International Film Festival film and the winner of the best comedy at the European Film Awards and stars Pierce Brosnan in a romantic comedy set in Italy.  He explains Brosnan’s daughter is getting married and he meets the mother of her soon to be husband and it’s a story about seeking love and having the courage to change your life even when you think its too late.

            

  The film will be shown at 7:30 tomorrow night at the Hapnot Collegiate Theatre.  Admission is ten dollars.

 

Flinty Will Receive His Award.

 

 The Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce has cancelled their April 28th general meeting.  They will instead hold it at noon April 22nd in the Unwinder at the Victoria Inn.  At that meeting a representative of Travel Manitoba will be here to present Flinty with the Best Roadside Attraction Award. The meeting is open to anyone interested in attending but you should contact the Chamber office if you are attending.  There will be a sandwich buffet available for $12.95.

             

The Chamber’s annual radio auction has been moved from the fall to May 30th.  Chamber members are approaching businesses for items for the auction which will be heard on 102.9 CFAR from 9 to 1 on May 30th.

             

Recycling Center Administrator Deb Odegaard reported their electronic waste collection which was open only to residential waste is now open to businesses as well.

Denare Beach Residents are Going to the Polls Tomorrow.

 

Voting is taking place in Denare Beach tomorrow in a by election to elect two Councilors.  Returning Officer Meredith Norman reminds you voter identification will be required.  She says you’ll have to have either photo ID with your street address on it and if you don’t have photo ID you can bring in something like a power bill or phone bill that has your street address on it and regular ID. She adds if you don’t have a phone bill or power bill you can bring somebody in who can sign a waiver declaring that you have been in that residence for three months.

             

The polls will be open tomorrow from 9 am to 8 pm at the Denareplex.  There are four candidates Wanda Ginnell, Greg McBratney, Elfriede Reimer and Paul Trottier.  The results will be officially released at 9 Thursday morning.

The Art Center Needs a New Logo.

The Norva Center is looking for a design for a new logo.  Manager Mike Spencer wants you to help them out.  He says they’ve put out a call to the citizens of Flin Flon and Creighton to help them with designing their new logo.  He says there’s a purchase prize at the end of 250 dollars for the winning logo and anyone can enter by picking up a form at Norva or you can find them on their website www.norvacentre.com.

             

The deadline for submitting a logo is May 31st.

 

There is Still Time to Join a Workshop.

 

The Women’s Resource Center is presenting a workshop on Connections starting tomorrow.  The Center’s Courtney Gieg explains Connections is a weekly group for women that focuses on shame resilience.  She says it will help women to recognize shame, to practice empathy, explore triggers and vulnerability, practicing critical awareness, reaching out to others and creating and embracing change and promoting positive changes to self-perception in their lives.

             

Connections begins tomorrow and runs until mid June.  For information or to register you can call the Women’s Resource Center at 204-681-3105.

 

 

 

There Are Opportunities for Adult Learning in Flin Flon.

 

This is International Adult Learners Week and the Community Adult Learning Center offers courses free for any interested adult.  Coordinator Barry Hanrahan invites you to learn more about their courses.  He says adult learners come from different areas and backgrounds and they have show confidence in going back to school and changing their lives.  He says their Center may have opened the door but it is the adult learner who walked in.  Hanrahan explained their program is located underneath the Co-op and they offer programs in various areas such as literacy, computers, math at all levels, GED preparation and those looking to upgrade their skills in reading comprehension and math for various means such as college entrance testing and employers who require testing.

             

The Center is open on the lower level of the Co-op Center Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 and they follow the school calendar from September to June.

 

You Can Again Shop for Home and Building Supplies.

 The Habitat 53° Chapter of Habitat for Humanity will be reopening its ReStore for another season later this week. The ReStore accepts donations of building material, appliances, furniture and other gently used unwanted or discontinued items which they sell at reasonable prices to raise money to build a home that provides a family of low income with access to affordable home ownership.  They especially like to have people who are building or renovating come by to see what they have available or what can be donated to the store.

            

  Manager Kathy McCormick says they will be opening the ReStore this Friday and Saturday and it will be open every Friday from 1 to 4 and Saturday from 10 to 3 until the end of September.  She adds their ReStore is located on the Armories lot beside Twin Motors and they have had a lot of items dropped off in the fall and early spring so there’s even a greater variety of items available this year.

             

The ReStore is also looking for volunteers to help during their business hours. If you can help call Kathy at 204-687-6582 or Katie Anderson at 204-687-3935.

 

Missing Mickey is Still Missing.

 The Flin Flon Rotary Club held their first Flinty Ice Fishing Derby yesterday at Sally’s Beach at Bakers Narrows.  570 entry tickets were sold with over 100 thousand dollars in total prize money.

            

  Nine fish were caught during the derby with those fishermen receiving the top nine prizes and draws made for the other 27 prizes.

             

The top winners were first Darren Whtibread of Flin Flon receiving 21 thousand dollars for a 75.25 centimeter fish, second Isaac Friesen of Killarney, Manitoba a 14 foot Lund boat with motor and trailer for a 70.5 centimeter fish, third Angie Masko of Yorkton a Polaris Sportsman Quad for a 70.25 centimeter fish, fourth Barrett Anderson of Cranberry Portage a Polaris generator for at 68 centimeter fish and fifth Patrick Denis of Thompson  two return tickets to Winnipeg from Calm Air for a 67.5 centimeter fish.

             

The 25 thousand dollar tagged fish Missing Mickey is still swimming somewhere in the lake.

 

 

A Variety of Art Will be on Display Starting Tomorrow.

 

The Norva Center is getting set to host a high school art display.  Manger Mike Spencer explains the art exhibition includes high school students from both Creighton Community School and Hapnot Collegiate and it will open tomorrow morning at 10. He adds there will be a huge selection of work from a variety of artists so he can’t really say what will be in it but there’ll be a lot of it and it’ll be exciting.

             

The display can be viewed at the Norva Center at 177 Green Street from tomorrow until April 22nd.

 

There Are Big Dollars to be Caught This Weekend.

 

 The Flin Flon Rotary Club is holding their first Flinty Ice Fishing Derby Sunday with 100 thousand dollars in prizes. Rotarian Glen Smith says the holes are drilled, there’s a lot of ice and good weather expected.  He says they have just finished tagging Missing Mickey the fish for winning 25 thousand dollars so they’re just waiting for fishermen.  He says if you’re thinking of fishing in the derby you can get at ticket online at Flinty Fish Derby or you can get a ticket physically at Kleen-All Enterprises in Flin Flon.

             

Smith adds sales have been good so far.  If you don’t purchase a ticket in advance you can purchase one at the derby and do a walk on if you’re there by 10:30 with fishing starting at 11 until 2 at Sally’s Beach at Bakers Narrows with 900 holes drilled.

             

The event is part of what they call the greatest ice fishing weekend in western Canada as it follows the Bill Bannock derby being held in The Pas tomorrow.

You Now Have Access to Emergency Alert Messages.

 

CFAR Flin Flon, CJAR The Pas and CHTM Thompson have joined radio stations across the country in becoming part of a national public emergency alert system called Alert Ready.  Equipment has been installed at the stations that will bring you messages to warn of amber alerts, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, water contamination and industrial disasters.  Only alerts that represent an imminent or unexpected threat to life will be broadcast based on criteria developed by government officials.

             

The alert begins with an attention signal interrupting current programming followed by a description of the potential threat.

             

More information on the type of alerts, links to provincial emergency preparedness resources and videos to help you prepare for emergencies is available on their website www.AlertReady.ca.

 

Recreation Upgrades are Continuing to Move Forward.

Melissa Danis appeared before Flin Flon City Council Tuesday night on behalf of the McIsaac School Parent Advisory Committee asking about rezoning land near the school for development of outdoor education facilities in phase four of their playground upgrade program.  This phase would include an amphitheatre on the hill across from the school as well as a removable slide. Council will look into the request.

             

Council also received a letter from the Channing Recreation Committee requesting an unsupervised beach sign for their upgraded beach, weekly garbage removal for the garbage cans and city input on washroom facilities and parking upgrades.  They are looking forward to their third and last phase of the project being a walking path connecting Flin Flon to their upgraded beach and rink facilities in Channing.

             

And Karen MacKinnon reported a representative of Tourism Manitoba will be in Flin Flon on April 22nd to present Flinty with the Top Tourist Attraction in the province award.  It takes place at 12 noon at the Victoria Inn.

 

 

It Was Pink in Our Schools Yesterday.

Yesterday the International Day of Pink was celebrated in our schools. It’s a day set aside to raise awareness on how to prevent bullying and treating each other with respect.  At McIsaac School students wore pink and they had an assembly where local entertainer C.C. Trubiak performed and spoke to the students.  He says he spoke with the students essentially in relation to anti-bullying about courage and hope and how to be brave with your words and how to foster that kind of bravery amongst your peers and support each other.

            

  At Creighton Community School students were encouraged to wear pink to school yesterday.

             

At Ruth Betts Community School they had an assembly, they had a pink snack, had announcements all week about anti-bullying and students dressed in as much pink as they could with the classroom with the most pink winning a pizza party.

 

 

The Best Speakers From Across the Province Will be Here Saturday.

 

 

Flin Flon Toastmasters will be hosting a speech contest Saturday afternoon.  The group’s Harry Hobbs says they are privileged to have speakers coming from all across District C which is Manitoba other than Winnipeg.  He says they’ll be competing for the right to go on to the next level which is the District level held in Winnipeg so it’s an exciting time with some of the best speakers from rural Manitoba so the audience will be very entertained.

            

  Hobbs invites anyone interested to attend the speech contest Saturday afternoon at 2 in the Northern Room at the Victoria Inn.  Admission is five dollars.

 

You Can Update Your Work Skills.

 

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

             

Link says you can come into their office at 51 Main Street this week to do an intake and assessment and for information you can call them at 204-687-8791.

 

 

You Can Satisfy Your Love For Poetry Friday Night.

 

 The Flin Flon Writers Guild, Flin Flon Toastmasters and Flin Flon Public Library will be holding their 14th annual Poetry Night Friday.  The group’s Harry Hobbs says its part of National Poetry Month and they have people reading poetry from different segments of the community.  He says the Mayors of Flin Flon and Creighton will be there, CFAR will be represented as well as numerous businesses and they are also featuring guest Toastmasters who are coming up from Winnipeg to participate in this event.

             

Hobbs invites everyone to Poetry Night at the Public Library Friday night starting at 7.

 

Council Received an Update on Union Negotiations at Hudbay.

 

The Vice-President of the International Association of Machinists Local 1848 Blair Sapregia along with other union representatives attended last night’s Flin Flon City Council meeting to update Council on the bargaining process with Hudbay that has been going on for several months.  He says they have accomplished nothing and he finds it hard to understand what Hudbay’s plan is.

             

Sapergia says they have given the Company their entire package and sat through meetings with a Conciliator in February and have another week coming up with the federal Conciliator and they have not yet received a monetary package from Hudbay.  He said they have a strike lockout date of April 21st and the Company is talking replacement workers in case there is a strike lockout.  He asked Council what their position is on bringing replacement workers to town.

             

Council replied they appreciated the update but aren’t prepared to take a position at this time on replacement workers.

Are Our Roads the Worst in Manitoba?

 CAA Manitoba is once again asking you to help identify the roads in dire need of attention with its 4th annual Worst Roads campaign.  Their Public Affairs Specialist Angele Young says until April 22nd Manitobans across the province can vote for their worst road and see changes.  She explains after the campaign closes they actually go to the different municipalities and says what are you doing with this road.  She says they’ve seen some success before with roads in Winnipeg and also in Brandon where Victoria Avenue was expedited to being fixed because it was voted the number one worst road one year so there is change to be had and they are definitely advocating for these roads to be fixed and that’s the whole point of the program.

             

Over 15 thousand votes have been cast in previous campaigns.  You can vote on their website https://www.caamanitoba.com/community_worst_roads and entering worst roads in the search or on the CAA facebook page.

 

You Can Help Raise Awareness of Violence Against Women.

 The Women’s Resource Center is looking for volunteers and performers to be part of their annual recognition of V Day.  The Center’s Courtney Gieg explains V Day is a global grassroots movement to end violence against women and girls by raising funds and awareness through benefit productions of the Vagina Monologues.  She says the play is based on interviews that Eve Ensler did with dozens of women so it gives a voice to those who have experienced violence and inequality and it helps survivors heal and inspires others to get involved in stopping violence against women.

 

She adds anyone can volunteer to take part as no acting experience is required and there are no auditions or memorizing lines.  If you would like to take part you can call the Women’s Resource Center at 204-681-3105.

            

There is a Report of High Grade Zinc West of Flin Flon.

 

 Foran Mining Corporation has released the results of the first hole completed in their winter exploration program at the Bigstone deposit.  This deposit is located 25 kilometers southwest of Foran’s McIlvenna Bay deposit 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon.

            

  Company President Patrick Soares reports in their first drill hole into the historic resource at Bigstone Foran intersected a broad zone of mineralization which included a very high grade zone of zinc mineralization. He says the recent positive results from the Thunder Zone combined with these first results from Bigstone demonstrate that their exploration surrounding the McIlvenna Bay deposit continues to be successful providing them the opportunity to add to their existing large resource base.

            

  Foran is currently conducting borehole electromagnetic surveys on select drill holes from each of the two areas drilled and continue to explore 4 to 8 kilometers north of McIlvenna Bay to identify targets for future drilling programs.

 

You Can Nominate a Student for a Special Award.

 

 

The Manitoba Teachers Society is accepting nominations until April 10th for their Young Humanitarian Awards.  Their President Paul Olson explains they came up with this award a number of years ago because they noticed that there are a lot of awards for kids with high marks or for the star athletes but there weren’t really any awards that they were seeing prominently highlighted that talked about kids who were compassionate or showed self-sacrifice, leadership or creativity in dealing with human welfare issues, basically good citizens, good people, young humanitarians.  He says they thought it was time they created something like that to put the spotlight on the good works that many kids and teachers are doing in that area.

            

  Olson says any public school student from kindergarten to grade 12 can be nominated with three individual and one group award presented.  Nomination forms and details are available on their website www.mbteach.org.

 

 

Women Can See Positive Changes Take Place.

The Women’s Resource Center is presenting a workshop on Connections starting later this month.  The Center’s Courtney Gieg explains Connections is a weekly group for women that focuses on shame resilience.  She says it will help women to recognize shame, to practice empathy, explore triggers and vulnerability, practicing critical awareness, reaching out to others and creating and embracing change and promoting positive changes to self-perception in their lives.

           

  Connections begins April 15th and runs until mid June.  For information or to register call the Women’s Resource Center at 204-681-3105.

A Concert Will Support a Home.

 The Habitat 53° Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is holding an evening with Frank Michell on Saturday, April 11th.  This concert will raise funds to help the Chapter continue building its first home in Flin Flon.                   Michell who is from Cranberry Portage says he has a lot of experience as an entertainer.  He says he will be doing a lot of songs from the 50’s, 60’s right up to 2014 and 2015, all country hits.  He adds he’s been playing for roughly 50 years and has a fairly large repertoire.

             

The evening will also feature a sampling of music from Les Miserable being performed by the Flin Flon Community Choir in May.  Collette McKeen who plays Eponine in the performance will open the show with one of her songs.

            

  The concert begins at 7 P.M. Saturday, April 11th at St. Ann’s Church with tickets available for 15 dollars at Northern Rainbows End or at the door.

 

There Will Be Information Available on Family Violence.

 

The Women’s Resource Center is offering an eight week Family Violence Education Workshop starting later this month.  The Center’s Courtney Gieg explains the workshop is for women interested in gaining a better understanding of the dynamics surrounding family violence.  She says they’ll be covering a lot of things from what is abuse, historical perspectives that cause abuse, why women stay, gender stereotyping, how the media plays into that, some effects of family violence on children and then they will touch on healthy relationships and communications.

            

  The Family Violence Education Workshop begins on April 13th and runs on Mondays until May 25th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  To register call Courtney at 204-681-3105.

 

The Deadline is Here to Enter an Annual Art Show.

 

 

 The 39th annual Northern Juried Art Show is being held in Gillam April 23rd to 25th.  It is open to Manitoba residents north of 53 of all ages.  The Committee’s Carol Turnbull says you can enter in several categories including painting, watercolors, drawing and print making, crafts, fibre arts, photography, sculpture and three dimensional, digital arts and graphics and there’s a youth category for 17 and under.

             

Turnbull says the entry deadline is today but they will accept forms if they are sent in as quickly as possible.  Entry forms are available at the Norva Center on Green Street.  Art works must be dropped off at the Norva Center by April 15th to be shipped to Gillam.

 

The Lions Club Has its New Slate of Officers.

At their meeting last week members of the Flin Flon Lions Club elected their slate of officers for the 2015-16 Lions year.

             

Elected President was Andy Stewart, Past President Andy Wasylciw, Vice-Presidents Wayne Streamer, Ken Mansell, and Joe Bradford, Secretary Isabel Stewart, Treasurer Monica Lone, Lion Tamer Peg Bradford, Tail Twister John Kuzub, one year Directors Joe McCormick and Terry McLennan and two year Directors Joe Bradford and Debbie Kuzub.

             

The new executive takes office on July 1st.

 

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