Flin Flon is the host of the 49^th annual Northern Juried Art Show which is now less than two weeks away starting April the 10^th to the 12^th at the Flin Flon Community Hall.

Megan Dupas who is the Gallery Manager for the Flin Flon Norva Centre looks forward to seeing all the art work being entered from people in various communities around the North.

“...we have lots of artwork being entered into this large group public exhibition. And there is also going to be two jurors, they’re professional artists, and they’re going to judge, take a look at all of the artwork...and they get to like pick winners. There’s going to be winners of all the different categories. Like someone will win the oil painting category...someone will win in the watercolour category and so forth. So, it’s really exciting to see all the artwork from all these different Northern communities being represented.”

The Public Works Department of the City Of Flin Flon has picked up a new piece of equipment for their snow removal arsenal.

Director of Public Works and Utilities Mike Funk explains how this new piece of equipment will make their job easier and more efficient.

“A nice addition to what we’ve got and is a replacement piece of equipment as well. So, this new loader that we’ve acquired, it has a lot of excellent new state of the art features. And this is going to help us throughout the winter time also come summer time with loading any aggregate. There’s a computer system in there that weighs the material. Once we have parameters set in, it’ll actually calculate how much material we’re loading in the trucks instead of us just estimating on how many buckets and guessing how many yards we’ve added. So, this is going to help us be a lot more accurate with our inventory with any aggregate leaving the yard.”  

The city has had this piece of equipment on their radar screen for awhile and is a nice addition to the equipment they already have. It is very high tech and they have their operators getting trained, and once that is complete, this new loader will help the City save more money and be more efficient.

Thompson RCMP are searching for a missing 47-year-old man

On March 28^th , Thompson RCMP received a report of a missing 47-year-old man from an address located on Queens Bay in Thompson.

Ernest Dale Morris, 47, was last seen on Wednesday, March 26, at an address on Sauger Crescent.

His vehicle was located abandoned on March 28 on a snowmobile trail located off of Jonas Road, near Highway 6.

Ernest Morris is described as being 5’7”, 150lbs with a shaved head. He was last seen wearing jeans and a grey sweater.

If you’ve seen Ernest Morris or have any information on his whereabouts, please call the Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909/6911, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The Town Of Creighton has lots of opportunities for students who are looking to make some money this summer. Creighton Rec Director Lindsay Shirran shares the details.

"  The Town Of Creighton is a great place to work if you are a student, and we have some great job opportunities. We have Parks Maintenance and Public Works and those jobs entail grass cutting,planting flowers, weeding, garbage collection. It is a great outside job,  and so is our  Lions Park  Spray Pool workers is also a great job where you get to spend the day outside in the sunshine and we have great little parties in the park."

If you are interested you can apply by sending a resume to creightonrecreation@sasktel.net or drop one off in person to 216 Creighton Avenue which is the Rec Office.

The Flin Flon Rotary Club is celebrating a huge milestone as they have been an active club in Flin Flon and area for the last 90 years.

Rotarian Tim Spencer invites the entire community to celebrate this milestone. 

" It is a big thing 90 years,  you know when it was 88 years we wern't even thinking about it, and then about a year ago we thought you know 90 years is significant. It's not quite a 100, but 90 is something and we thought we  better mark it with something. What we decided is that we can't talk about everything that Rotary has been involved with in over 90 years in one week. We thought we would celebrate 90 all year long and this week is the kickoff having Rotary Radio Week on CFAR."

The Rotary Club will have a busy year that will include all their regular projects like their Pancake Breakfast on Canada Day, they will be involved with the Grad Ceremonies, Dream Draws, and they will be sending a student out for the Rotary Student  Exchange Program plus welcoming one into the community.

They will also be planning some other events to celebrate their 90 years in the community and will be posting information on the Flin Flon Rotary Facebook page and updates can also be heard on 102.9 CFAR.

The Liberal Party of Canada has named Rebecca Chartrand as their candidate for the riding of Churchil-Keewatonok-Aski.

She currently serves as the president and CEO of Indigenous Strategy – a management consulting company. Chartrand previously ran for the same seat in 2015.   She says that she hopes to bring her voice to parliament.

" I am going to bring a voice and a presence that has been missing in the riding for some time. The riding has 75 % Indigenous people and the riding is dealing with some of the toughest issues that this country is facing."

Chartrand will be challenging incumbent MP Niki Ashton once again representing the NDP. Other candidates named so far are Lachlan Dinardi for the Conservatives and Dylan Young from the People’s Party of Canada.

The federal election is on April 28

The Flin Flon Credit Union is still accepting applications for their community enrichment program.

They are looking for projects that wil have a lasting positive impact. Funding is available for up to $2500 per project.

Previous recipients have included the Flin Flon Community Garden, the Norva Centre, and the Flin Flon Ski Club along with dozens of others.

The deadline to apply is  Tuesday, April 1^st. Forms can be found at ffcu.ca and clicking on the “in our community tab”

The Flin Flon Public Library will be holding their final week of the Read To Me program starting today.  One of the organizers Laurence Gillespie invites all pre-school kids to come out for reading and fun activities.

“Well, we’d like it to be a grand finale. We did just get a shipment of some really neat books...we do have a lot of interesting books, we started having some really interesting craft experiences starting early in the month. The play-dough was getting a really serious workout...”

If you are interested you can contact Laurence by texting/calling 204-271-2890. It is open to pre-school children ages 2 to 5. It takes place Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 and Friday morning at 9.

Another Possession and Acquisition License Course will be taking place at the Creighton Community Hall April the 11^th and 12^th.

Instructor Ryan Gray lets us know what will be covered in the two day course.

“Topics, we’re going to take a look at, of course, storage and handling of course is always the big one, transportation of firearms. Then we’ll take a look at different types of ammunition, shotguns and rifles, similarities and differences. And then we usually get into the five actions of firearms. Students have to able to load and unload five of those actions...and then there’s a written test, fifty multiple choice questions”

They will start at 5pm on the 11^th and at 8:30 am on the 12^th. There are 10 spots available and you can register by calling Ryan at 204-687-3163 or kanvasback5253@gmail.com.

The Flin Flon Rec Commission is holding another fundraiser for the new Flin Flon Aqua Centre.

There will be an escape room taking place at the Victoria Inn on April the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th and Rec Programmer Kelsey Anderson explains how it works. 

“What’s happening is that there has been a murder at the Victoria Inn. And you need to get in there, you know, starting at the crime scene, following the clues left for you along the way to find out who did the murder, before you yourself become the next victim...”

You can sign up by going to perfectmind.cityofflinflon.com or you can click on the booking and registration tab on the City Of Flin Flon website. You can sign up with a minimum of 2 players or maximum of 8 and cost is $45.00.

The City Of Flin Flon has expanded the Store Front Improvement Grant to all businesses within the Flin Flon City limits.

City Councillor Mike Slipp shares the details. " We decided a year ago that we were going to offer a grant to uptown businesses to improve their store fronts. It is a matching grant where we would pay fifty percent up to ten thousand dollars. So if you wanted to spend $500.00, we would put in $500.00, if you wanted to put $10,000.00 in we would put in $10,000.00 in to it. What we have done is expanded it city wide , so any small or medium sized business can apply for this grant and improve their store fronts. There are things like murals, permanent banners, sculptures or anything they could put up to make their businesses look better and revitalize  our community."

You can learn more about the program and download the full application package on the city website at cityofflinflon.ca.

The Norva Centre is hosting kid’s classes over Spring Break for kids of all ages with a variety of different classes to choose from.

Megan Dupas who is the Gallery Manager talks about the different programs they will be offering.  "  So we are going to offer Air Dry  Clay Bowls, so kids will get a chance to play around with that and make little bowls and that is happening on Saturday March 29th and Sunday March 30th and will be taught by Kailie Johnson. Then on Tuesday April the 1st we are going to do Handmaking Stamps out of erasers by carving into them with Rose Mary Anjose. Then on Wednesday April the 2nd,  we are going to be doing Button Making with Donita Stallard with two age groups. From 1 to 2 will be with the younger kids 8 to 12 then from 2:30 to 3:30 will be 13 to 17 year olds."

For more information including registration fees you can go to the Norva Facebook page or call 204-687-4237.

The Trout Festival held their monthly meeting on Tuesday at the Creighton Recreation Tourism Office.

The Trout Festival has applied for a few different grants including Canada Gaming and Liquor Community Festival, a grant for a Candy Floss Machine and they will also apply for a Flin Flon Credit Union Grant for staging.

Planning has begun for a number of this year’s events including the Fishing Derby, Fish Fry, Midway, Skateboard Demo and Disc Golf Event and the Community Kickoff Barbecue.

On going planning continues for Canada Day, Beaver Lake Day and Dave Koop and Greg East have indicated they will run the Canoe Races on Ross Lake.

They are now known as the Trout Festival Association and will continue to update people on all the happenings on their different Social Media pages.

The next meeting is planned for April the 29^th at 10:45 am at the Creighton Rec Office.

The City announced some exciting news about their Store Front Improvement Grant at their meeting on Tuesday night.

The City will be expanding the Store Front Improvement Grant to include all medium sized business’s in Flin Flon City limits, not just downtown for a maximum of $10,000.00. More information is available on the City Of Flin Flon website.

An ice road has been built out to Camp Whitney to clear the debris from the fire last year as they start the process to clean it up and get it rebuilt.

The City has approved a small grant to Flin Flon Minor Hockey for $270.00 and will also give a grant for $1000.00 to the Northern Juried Art Show which will take place April the 10^th to the 12^th.

Work  continues for the new lighting on Main street and these lights will be brighter and safer and will use more efficient led’s. They will also put up new lights at Rotary Park.

The City is also advertising to fill the position of the FDC Regional Economic Development Commission Officer  as Emily Roberts Young has left the position to join the NRHA.

They hope to fill the position as A.S.A.P.

The Flin Flon Chamber Of Commerce gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Flin Flon Friendship Centre and the special guest speaker was Jamie Grant who is the Associate Vice President of UCN.

Grant gave an update on the addition of student residence for the new site in Flin Flon.  " So the great news is that our site is ready to go and it has all been levelled and buildings will be arriving in Flin Flon starting early  next week. We have an installation crew starting to come to Flin Flon Thursday to start to prep the site, the pads, the blocking and everything for the modular dorms coming in. It is anticipated the units will be fully fuctional student ready by July."

Besides the 30 rooms for student housing there will also be a Rec Facility and a Commercial Kitchen. This will be a major step in helping expand more programs for the  Flin Flon area. If you require more information you can contact the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy at 204-687-7038.

Tonight  is the Public Hearing for the 2025-2027 Special Service Levy, which funds things like Protective Services (Fire, Emergency, and RCMP), Recreation Support Services, and Snow Removal in the City of Flin Flon.

The hearing starts at 7:00pm in City Hall Council Chambers and all members of the public are welcome to come voice their concerns.

If you can’t  make the meeting, a written submission can be made at any time prior to the end of the hearing. All submissions must include full name, address, and property description of the person making the submission.

March is Nutrition Month and is being celebrated right across the country including Northern Manitoba to draw attention to the importance of making informed foods choices and developing good eating habits.

Joanna Ledoux is a Community Dieticion who is with the Northern Health Region and  works out of Flin Flon. Joanna explains what the theme is this year.   

" The theme this year is Nourish To Flourish and I really enjoy this theme. The theme is significant in the sense as Dieticions we understand that food means more to people than simply what we eat. As Dieticions and for people in general we need to know that many factors influence our ability to flourish and impact our food choices. For example activity levels, mental well being , work patterns, family and lifestyle, food preferances, cooking skills and budget all have an affect on what we eat."

If you are looking for more information on healty eating advice you can go to the Canada Food Guide or go the website unlockfood.ca.

Northern Manitoba Sector Council in collaboration with Frontier school in Cranberry will be hosting a Career Fair this Thursday between 1 and 7pm.

Alison Akert the Project Coordinator says this will be a great opportunity for training seekers, employees and apprentices right across the North.   

" We are definately looking for a lot more trades, we have a lot of our youth that leave and don't come back. So we are definately lacking in those areas. and just jobs in general as there is so much out there. Our reason for doing it with Frontier School Division is they have an absolute phenominal set up there and it is great to show the kids all the options they have in the future. It doesn't have to mean University , there is a lot of trades, jobs for summer and we want the youth to see what the North has to offer."

Space is limited so if you would like to book a table you can contact Alison at aakert@nmscouncil.ca. There will be  Opportunities  for students, recent graduates and community members in the North.

You will have an opportunity to come out to the Flin Flon Pentecostal Church later this week to hear something positive that may  uplift your life.

Mikael Mantila is the pastor of the church and he invites everyone in the community and surrounding  area to come in for these special services.

" Yes Mark Davy is a travelling Evangeslist and he travels to Africa as an Evangelist and he preaches God's word. The Gospel, the good news of what Jesus has done for us. He comes back with a lot of stories about miracles that he has seen happen."

The services will take place this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights starting at 7pm at the Flin Flon Pentecostal Church at 180 Green street. All are welcome.

The Flin Flon Public Library 2025 Reading Challenge will continue this month and Library Administrator Lisa Slugoski explains how you can take part and this month’s theme. " So our 2025 Reading Challenge, we have set prompts for every month of the year. So for example,  for the month of February we had Read A Romantic Comedy Book. You read a Romantic Comedy Book and you fill it in for the month of February and you can do any of the months, and you can repeat them if you really like the Prompt. This month our Prompt is read a book that inspired a TV Series or Movie."

You will receive an entry for each monthly challenge completed and a bonus entry if you complete all 12 months for a chance to win one of three $50.00 book gift certificates. You can pick up a reading challenge sheet at the library or download one from the website at flinflonpubliclibrary.org.

THE TOWN COUNCIL OF CREIGHTON MET EARLIER THIS WEEK AND REPORTED RECEIVING A THANK YOU LETTER FROM CREIGHTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE EDUCATION OF THEIR STUDENTS AS WELL AS A REQUEST FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THIS YEARS GRAD. COUNCIL AGREED TO PROVIDE TWO SCHOLARSHIPS AT A $1,000 DOLLARS EACH.

THEY ALSO RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM THE FLIN FLON BOMBERS TO SUPPORT THE TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS BY PURCHASING A SPONSOR PACKAGE. COUNCIL AGREED TO THE SILVER PACKAGE AT A COST OF $500 DOLLARS AS THE DID LAST YEAR.

COUNCIL AGREED TO PROVIDE SASK HOUSING A FIRE HYDRANT WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF $8,000 DOLLARS THAT IS REQUIRED FOR FIRE CODE STANDARDS AT THE NEW DISABILITY HOME AT 203 COLLIN CRESCENT. SASK HOUSING IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSTALLATION AND ALL OTHER COSTS REQUIRED.

COUNCIL AGREED TO AWARD THE TENDER FOR THE THREE STALL TRANSIT VAN GARAGE TO TRENT BOAK CONSTRUCTION. THE $141,000 DOLLAR TENDER WHICH THE MAJORITY CAME FROM A GRANT RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL RURAL TRANSIT PROGRAM, WHICH THE TOWN ALSO ACQUIRED THEIR TWO NEW TRANSIT VANS PLUS AN AMOUNT FOR THE GARAGE. 

The Wahkohtowin Trails Committee held a meeting this past Tuesday at the Creighton Recreation and Tourism office and committee member Christine Williams says a lot of work continues to be done on their three active trails.  

" So we talked about the Phantom Trail that is almost at completion , we just have some landscaping that needs to happen, as there is a culvert that needs to be replaced. We have a bridge that we would like to build and install over a little section that gets quite wet,  and our story boards are ready to be installed after the snow melts. So we also talked about the Creighton Trail that we are creating in a partnership with the Town Of Creighton and we do have some temporary signage up." 

They have also entered into  a partnership with the Village Of Denare Beach where they had discussions with the Mayor and Council as well as the Fire Chief on creating a trail on the Peninsula in Denare Beach.

You can pick up maps for all the Wahkohtowin  trails at the Creighton Rec Office plus get information from there Instagram page @ Wahkohtowin Trails and send an e-mail to wahkohtowintrails@gmail.com.

Thursday was a big day for Creighton School student  Parker Ledoux who was awarded the President’s First and Best Scholarship valued at $40,000.00 from the University of Saskatchewan.

She was presented with the scholarship in a special ceremony right at the school and was quite surprised with the big news as she had no prior knowledge that she would be receiving it. " Well back in early September I applied into Engineering at U-SASK and I got in a week later and I was so excited. So it was probabley around November that I first  heard about this scholarship  the Circle, Best and Brightest and maybe I would have a shot at it. So I applied and I got so much help from my teachers who were huge during this whole process. So I just found out this morning when I got called down to the office where my whole family was waiting for me. It was just incredible, I had no idea and I wasn't even thinking about it all I can say is wow."

The scholarship is awarded over 4 years and will work out to $10,000.00 per year and is presented to students who proceed directly from high school to university, have a minimum high school average of 95 %  and are of Aboriginal ancestry.

Parker is very involved in her school with athletics in playing both Senior basketball and volleyball and also helped coach the JV basketball team. She also helped organize Orange Shirt day and helped with an assembly at the school  to recognize murdered and missing aboriginal women  and girls.

IT WAS JUST OVER TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN THE FLIN FLON SCHOOL DIVISION HELD THEIR PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING AND EARLIER THIS WEEK THE SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES PASSED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2025/26 BUDGET AND THAT IT BE FORWARDED TO THE MANITOBA EDUCATION FUNDING BRANCH NO LATER THAN THE END OF MARCH.

THE SCHOOL DIVISION WAS RECENTLY NOTIFIED THAT THEIR TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT GRANT WOULD BE INCREASING. THAT MONEY IS DIVIDED BETWEEN THE SENIORS YEARS TECHNOLGY WHICH INCLUDES INDUSTRIAL ARTS, HOME EC, AND APPLIED FINANCE.

IN TOTAL THE DIVISION WILL RECEIVE $32,700 DOLLARS WHICH IS AN INCREASE FROM THE $20,900 DOLLARS THEY HAVE BEEN RECEIVING FOR DECADES.

BOARD CHAIR JACKIE HUCALUK STATED SHE THINKS THE PUBLIC IS HAPPY THE DIVISION WILL NOT BE RAISING THE MILL RATE THIS YEAR WITH THE BOARD AGREEING TO SUBMIT THE 2025 SPECIAL LEVY TO THE CITY OF FLIN FLON NO LATER THAN MARCH 15th 2025.

ELEMENTARY REPORT CARDS WILL BE SENT HOME THIS MONDAY,FOLLOWED BY FAMILY/TEACHER INTERVIEWS ON THURSDAY MARCH 20th AND ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR SPRING BREAK MARCH 31st TO APRIL 4th.

Planning has already begun for the 32^nd annual National Indigenous Peoples  day in June and they are in need of Indigenous entertainers. Program Coordinator for the Flin Flon Friendship Centre Joe-Anne Pelletier explains what type of entertainers they are looking for.

" We have some drummers and of course we are always willing to take more drummers, square dancers, fiddlers would be amazing and singers. Even if someone wanted to come up with an inspirational Indigenous poem about Indigenous culture and what it means to them. We are open to people coming to show their talents for National Peoples Indigenous days and to celebrate with people in all the surrounding communities and make it a wonderful day."

If you are interested in being an entertainer for National Indigenous People’s Day you can call 204-687-8852 and the sooner the better as they would like to start building their itinerary.

The Central Canada Film Group is showing another blockbuster at the Hapnot Theatre on Friday.

Colin Davis tells us it is another movie you don’t want to miss.  " This Friday we are going to be showing Oliver Twist, now you are probably  thinking about the musical  from 1968 with all the great songs you have known to come and love. No, we are not showing that , we are showing Oliver Twist from 1948, starring Sir Alec Guiness as Fagan. The great thing about this film is it is much more keeping with how Charles Dickens meant the story of Oliver Twist to be. It is dark and scary in places and in it's own ways it's lots of fun , and you owe it to yourself to come and check out this classic."

Doors will open at 7 and the show will start at 7:30. Drinks and snacks available at the door and don’t forget the show is free.

The Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization  Corporation held their AGM last night at the City Hall Board Room.

Lawrence Gillespie reported that they had a good year financially as for the first time in over 15 years the Province increased their operating grant, so they are on solid financial ground.

Gillespie went on to talk about some of the projects they have going on later this year.  " We are looking at possibly going into a community consultation process where we turn to the community and try to get a sense of what things they would like us to address over the next 5 years. We usually do this every 5 years or so where we get together with the community and draft a 5 year plan, as a result of what people tell us what to do. We hope to get that going this year provided we can get the funding in place."

They will also be changing things up with the Flowers On Main Street due to the City setting up new lamp posts, so they will have to find a different way to hang them or different options as to where they are placed.

The Board currently has 6 people on it including Mark Kolt- Chair and Directors including Raphael Saray, Keenan Sattleberger, Russell Rudd, Katie Keramydas and  Ariane Shairp . They are looking for a few more people to join the board and if you are interested you can contact Lawrence at 204-687- 6972 or reach out to their facebook page.

This past Friday,  The Pas RCMP responded to a report of possible shots fired outside a residence on Settee Avenue.

Officers responded immediately, and when they arrived on scene were not able to confirm whether or not a firearm was used after speaking with residents. There was no damage to the house, and no witnesses to the incident.

While still on scene , police were dispatched to report of a possible shooting at a residence on Patrick Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found a 31-year-old male  suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to hospital, where he was later transferred to Winnipeg in critical condition.

There were no other injuries and the incident was believed to be targeted.

A short time later , RCMP were notified after a 26-year-old male arrived at the hospital with a gunshot injury.

The victim was able to speak with officers, and advised that he was shot while sitting inside a vehicle outside a residence in Umpherville. The victim was later released from hospital with minor injuries.

The Pas RCMP continue to investigate and are asking anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers at 204-627-6204 or 1-800-222-8477 or secure a tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The Wahkohtowin Trails Committee will be meeting tonight at the Creighton Recreation Tourism office at 7pm.

This will be an important meeting with lots of different items  being discussed including the signage boards that have been printed for the Phantom Lake trail. They will also be discussing the Creighton trail and the different feedback they have received from people that are using it.

The Trails committee have met with two people from Denare Beach council and will have an update on the vision for the Denare Beach Peninsula.

There will be an update on their different events including the Sunset Snowshoe that took place this past weekend at the Victoria Inn. Lots of grants continue to come in and there will be an update on financials.

They will look ahead to an  event coming up this weekend at Johnny’s Social Club where they will be receiving a donation.

The City Of Flin Flon has hired a new Public Relations Manager in Kacper Antoszewski who has been on the job for more than a month.

Antoscewski grew up in Thompson and brings lots of experience to the job including working six  years for the City Of Thompson, one year at the Thompson Citizen news paper and three years at Vale. Antoszewski talks about what he would like to bring to the position.  

" The meat of the job is the strategic part of it and planning it out and figuring it out. We do all these things but how do we make it matter, what direction are we going. How are all these activities helping residents understand what the City Of Flin Flon is doing, and helping the City understand what the residents need from them. That is kind of the meat of my job in improving communication from the City to the residents and to help the residents be heard by the City."

His duties will include managing the City Of Flin Flon website, social media page including taking pictures , taking videos and writing. If you have any questions for Kasper you can reach out to him by sending an e-mail to info@cityofflinflon.ca.

OnThursday , as a result of an ongoing investigation into the sale of illegal cigarettes within the City of Thompson, RCMP officers with the Thompson General Investigative Section (GIS), along with assistance from Thompson Detachment officers, executed a search warrant at a residence located on Ospwagon Drive.

The search, led to the seizure of 72 cartons of cigarettes an estimated $100,000 in cash, over 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, cannabis marihuana, a prohibited semi-automatic shotgun and other drug-related paraphernalia.

RCMP have charged Steven Moorehead, 56, and Sandra Moorehead, 57, both of Thompson, with multiple offences including Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Careless Storage of a Firearm, Possession for the Purpose of Selling and Possession of Illicit Cannabis under the Cannabis Act .

 
Thompson GIS continue to investigate.

Emily Roberts Young who is the Regional Economic Development Officer announced that she will be stepping down from her post to take a position with the NRHA.

Emily reflects on her past year with the position.  " I really enjoyed what I did there was lots of pieces I really loved. I got to work with the community and a lot of different community groups and organizations  with lots of engaged people . I really enjoyed working with the business community as a lot of the local business owners are really driven and want to see the whole community succeed, which is so positive.  The main thing I enjoyed was so many people are invested and wanted to see growth and opportunity come."

Emily arrived in Flin Flon from Winnipeg over a year ago and was named the Regional Economic Development Officer in July and recently published a Regional Economic Study which can be seen on the City Of Flin Flon website and the City Of Flin Flon facebook page.

Flin Flon will be getting a upgrade and a brand new set of lights for Main Street. The Director Of Operations Mike Funk was on the CFAR City Beat Show on Wednesday and provided the details.

" We are going to see some upgrades this summer on Main street in regards to lighting. We have several new light standards and designs picked out as we are in the order stage for all this stuff. You will see some changes and with those changes comes a lot of efficiency upgrades. Obviously we are going to have a totally different style of light which will be more of a downcast light on the road that will have a bigger spread. There will be a lot more light dispersion on the road and sidewalk so that will be increased for safety at night time."

Funk went on to mention that they will using a new more modern look of lights which will be more efficient and all the light standards will be back in place. They will be using LED which are way more energy efficient, and the  new lighting system will allow them to rewire how everything is done and the lights will be on from dusk til dawn.

Beech Electric from Flin Flon will be doing the work and will start the project this summer.

This is Nutrition Month across Canada.

Joanna Ledoux, a Community Dietitian with the Northern Health Region, explains the focus of the month.

“In Canada, Nutrition Month has been celebrated for over 40 years. The main goal and the focus has been too promote the role and value of registered dieticians. It’s the most visible public awareness campaign for dieticians, reaching millions of Canadians.”  

Ledoux said our food choices are impacted by many things in our lives, such as activity levels, mental well-being, work patterns, family and lifestyle, food preferences, cooking skills and budget.

She added that there are two main challenges we face when it comes to diet and nutrition issues.  The first is the ever-rising cost of food.   The second is taking all we know about healthy eating and putting it into practice.
 

The fourth installment of the Home Routes Series will take place this Sunday at the Spencer’s home  at 19 Hemlock Drive . Tim Spencer gives us a preview on the musical act that  will be performing this time.

" Sunday night we are having a folk duo from Denmark, and we are excited about that as they call themselves Gangspiel. There are two guys that play Button Accordian, Fiddle, they sing and they play lively authentic tunes from Denmark . They play lots of traditional Dainsh dance music, so there will be Polkas, jigs and reels and it is going to be a very exciting thing."

There are still 12 seats available for the show,  with doors opening at 7 and the music starting  at 7:30. They will perform two different sets. Tickets can be picked up by e-mailing timellyspencer@gmail.com or you can show up right at the door.

Gangspiel will also be performing in Cranberry at the Legion on Saturday night.

The Royal  Manitoba Theatre Centre will hit the Flin Flon Community Hall tonight with their  production of Murder For Two.

The two stars of the production Melanie White and Duncan Cox were on the CFAR Morning Show yesterday and gave us a little glimpse of the show.  " It is a murder with many characters and suspects for the murder, and there is a detective that is trying to figure it out. It is quite cool, this detective go's into this place and quite  confidently think's  he is going to be able to solve this crime but quickly meets all of the suspects played by Melanie. Very quickly he realizes that this is not going to be an easy thing."

Tickets are still available at Showpass, the Uptown Emporium and right at the door. The show starts tonight  at 7:30.

Mayor George Fontaine and members of Flin Flon City Council had a chance to meet with the Manitoba Minister of Immigration Malaya Marcelino last week,  and Mayor Fontaine says the purpose of the meeting was to identify how Flin Flon works with our Saskatchewan neighbors.

" What's happening is that we have programs from both Manitoba and Saskatchewan , and if you are in a immigration program for Manitoba you can't live in Saskatchewan or work there. There is no cross renferencing right now , and what we are asking both provinces to do is treat this area as a zone. Then we can have families come up and they can live in Creighton and work in Flin Flon or vice versa. The point is people live in the whole area and they don't have to be tied to one area, and some time there is a job but no where to live in that spot. We are trying to get them to understand what the facts are in our community."

Mayor Fontaine also mentioned that Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach continue to work together and have formed the FDC group where they meet at least once a month and continue to work on business opportunities and tourism.

A number of resolutions were passed at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night.

Mayor George Fontaine started the meeting by thanking Councillor Steve Lytwyn  for serving the past two years as the Deputy Mayor and announced that Councillor Alison Dallas Funk will now step into the role for the next two years.

The City has passed a resolution for UCN to take over the land on the west side of the Northern Manitoba  Mining Academy building to bring in 11 buildings for dorms which should start to take place in the spring.

The City has entered into an agreement with Beech Electric for the materials and installation of lights on Main street and Rotary Park with the work to start very soon. The Discipline and Performance Improvement Plan has been updated to provide more communication between the employee and Supervisor.

Councillor Mike Slipp congratulated Flin Flon Minor Hockey for the job they did hosting U-11 Provincials this past weekend praising the work that Adam Ricard and his committee did not only show casing the hockey but  the community as well.

Councillor Alison Dallas Funk also gave credit to the City crew for their excellent job on snow removal and commented that they put in a lot of hours with the heavy snowfall that we received the last few weeks.

On March 2^nd , at approximately 11:45 pm, Pukatawagan RCMP were called to a residence in the community for the report of a home invasion.

When officers arrived on scene, they discovered the front door to the residence had been damaged and a male known to the occupants had entered the residence and threatened a 27-year old female inside with a machete.

There were young children inside the residence at the time of the incident, but there were no physical injuries.

The male has been identified as 27-year-old Triston Bear, who fled the scene before officers arrived.

Bear currently has a Warrant of Arrest out for a separate incident, with more charges pending including Breaking and Entering and Assault with a Weapon.

If anyone has information of knows the whereabouts of Triston Bear, they are asked to call the Pukatawagan RCMP at 204-553-2342, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Education is offering financial support for Indigenous students in the mining, engineering technology and business diploma programs this fall.

Anita Cameron says they have been very successful in helping their students find jobs when they graduate. " 94 % of our Indigenous students who graduate are satisfied with their programs and 94 % of our Indigenous graduates find jobs after graduation. Indigenous education is a top priority at Sask Polytech and Indigenous students may face unique barriers to access post secondary education,  and waving application fees helps remove the financial barriers  from applying at Sask Polytech."

Indigenous students can apply to any of the Sask Polytech programs for free in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina by this Friday. You can get more information at saskpolytech.ca/applyindegenous.

International Women’s Day is this Saturday and the Wahkohtowin Trails Group have a special event planned that will give you a chance to enjoy a scenic journey.

The Committee’s Leslie Beck invites everyone to come out and take part. " We are pretty excited  as we are teaming up with the City Of Flin Flon and the Victoria Inn , for a sunset evening snowshoe. We will head out on the trails behind the Victoria Inn heading towards Channing. We will meet, head out for a snowshoe and then head back to the Victoria Inn for Hot Chocolate and a glass of wine."

It starts at 6pm this Saturday night and everyone is to meet behind the Victoria Inn for  the starting point. The Wahkohtowin Trails Committee will also be hosting their next meeting on Monday March the 11^th starting at 7pm at the Creighton Recreation and Tourism office.

There will be updates on their financial situation, as well as how things are progressing with the Denare Beach Peninsula project and the make up date for their one year anniversary tour. Everyone is welcome.

On February 26^th , at approximately 8:40 pm, God’s Lake Narrows RCMP received a report of a disturbance at a property located on the island near God’s Lake Narrows. Officers were advised that a 20-year-old male was causing the disturbance and was possibly armed with a firearm.

Officers attended and upon arrival, were advised the 20-year-old male had fled on foot and was believed to be out on the ice.

Whiles officers remained on scene, the suspect then exited the property and was arrested without incident. No firearm was located on him.

A search of the suspect’s room for the firearm led to the seizure of a gun safe where officers located ammunition and several wrapped packages of a substance believed to be cocaine. The weight of the drugs seized came in at 2936 grams with an estimated community street value nearing $500,000. Tests conducted on the packages indicate the substance to be cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Deacon Healey, 20, was charged with numerous offences including Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose. He was remanded into custody.

God’s Lake Narrows RCMP continue to investigate.
 

The Regional Economic Development Commission has put together an updated version of a Regional Economic Development study that was put together with input from different local business leaders, the Flin Flon Chamber Of Commerce, Greenstone, the Manitoba Chamber Of Commerce and Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance.

Emily Roberts Young talks about the plan they have put together and their goals for the future.  " So this Regional Economic strategy was aimed to unite the three communities in our region, Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach. So we could have a shared economic goal. Our main pillars include developing economic foundations which include different statistics, indicators, different bench marks we can grow from. Our second goal is to attract investment and improve local business. Third, we want to grow industry and diversify. Fourth, we want to work with our local post secondary and secondary institutions for educational opportunities. Our fifth goal is to work with our Indigenous partners and sixth , we want to do community development."

You can view the entire study by going to the Invest FDC website and click on statistics and resources. There is also a link on the City Of Flin Flon website and facebook page.

International Women’s Week is underway and the Flin Flon Women’s Resource Centre is celebrating with a different activity each day.

Executive Director Madison McIntire explains what they have going on. " We are celebrating from March the 3rd to 7th and International Women's Day is March the 8th. Tuesday we have a self care afternoon, Wednesday we are doing crystal bracelet making, Thursday MS B is coming in for ceramics and on Friday we are doing women's water teachings." 

All the events are free to attend and the Self Care is drop in,  but you must register for the rest of the events this week by calling 204-681-7502 or visiting the facebook page which is Women’s Resource Centre Flin Flon.

On February 27^th , at approximately 6:50 pm, Oxford House RCMP received a call to assist First Nation Safety Officers  and a Band Constable at a residence in the community.

When officers arrived on scene, they were advised the residence was not supposed to be occupied and there were currently two males, and one female inside from outside the community.

After an initial investigation on scene, officers arrested a 25-year-old male from Winnipeg, and a 35-year-old male and 33-year-old female both from Bunibonibee without incident.

A subsequent search of the residence produced two loaded handguns, illicit drugs, and over 200 bottles of liquor with a community value estimated at $64,000.

Brendon Valiquette, 25, has been charged with 15 offences including Fail to Comply Probation Order x2, and numerous weapons and firearm charges.

Elizabeth Bradburn, 33, has been charged with 8 offences including Possession of a Firearm and possession of cocaine. 

Tyler Grieves, 35, has been charged with 10 offences including Weapons Possession Contrary to Order and Fail to Surrender .

All three have been remanded.

Oxford House RCMP along with Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team, and the Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team continue to investigate.

The Flin Flon Community Choir continues to prepare for their spring production of Annie which will hit the stage at the Flin Flon Community Hall on May the 8^th to the 11^th.

The Arts Council has brought in Gord Davis from Ontario to direct the show and Davis tells us how it all worked out for him to wind up in Flin Flon. " Angela Ishaka who is the Producer and Music Director of this particular show and I believe is the leader of the Community Choir. I taught her , she comes from Elmira and when they were looking for a Director she suggested me. She contacted me and I hadn't done anything for a while and I thought Flin Flon why not? Maybe this will be the last one and it was a good decision to make."

Davis comes to Flin Flon from one of the most high profile theatre programs in Ontario that he started in Elmira. He is also a graduate from the University of Western Ontario.

Tickets are $50.00 for adults and $25.00 for youth and can be picked up at the Uptown Emporium or on Showpass.

Another Possession and Acquisition License training course will be coming up later in March on the 21^st and 22^nd.

Instructor Ryan Gray gives us the details. " There are lots of different types of topics including familiarization with the firearms on how to load and unload. The biggest course is transportation and storage,  people don't often realize that even in yoir home you are still responsible 24-7 for firearms and ammunition. We will also take a look at some of the laws that are in place here."

The course will start at 5pm on the 21^st and 8:30 on the 22^nd and take place both days at the Creighton Community Hall. The course fee is $175.00 and you can contact Ryan to register at 204-687-3163 or kanvasback5253@gmail.com.