Latest news with #ColleenSmook
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Manitoba agencies working to protect wildfire evacuees who may be vulnerable to drug dealers, exploitation
Felix Robinson says he felt called to step up and provide a familiar face for Manitoba wildfire evacuees in the midst of chaos and fear of the unknown, as local officials scramble to protect vulnerable people far from their homes. Robinson, 28, is a full-time First Nation safety officer in Pimicikamak Cree Nation. He was already in the northern city of Thompson with his wife, two daughters and newborn son when their home community was ordered to evacuate on May 28. "It's hard watching that, mostly when you're not there to help," he told CBC News. "I didn't want to sit around — it's boring sitting around in a hotel room." The help was desperately needed, with hundreds of evacuees flooding into Thompson, a city with a population of more than 13,000. Anthony McInnis, Thompson's city manager, says those evacuees were being targeted. "We saw people trying to sell drugs, try to take people downtown, try to take people to party and try to get people into trouble, so we really felt we had to do something to provide safety in the [evacuation] facility," McInnis said. But the four community safety officers in the city were soon overwhelmed and couldn't keep up, said Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook. They asked the province to fast track help from four First Nations, bringing in nine safety officers to work alongside them. As out-of-control wildfires burn around Manitoba, evacuation orders are in place for several communities and more than 18,000 people have now been evacuated, according to the province's latest fire bulletin. With a large Indigenous population in Thompson and among the evacuees, Smook says it's important that their voices are also at the table. "We want to try giving them a little bit of hope and a little bit of, you know, calmness right now in the midst of all their turmoil." There are patrols circling the evacuation centre in Thompson, who conduct bag and luggage checks, and prevent intoxicated people from coming in. They'll also do outreach to help bring people to the centre, said Smook. 'Make sure our people are protected': grand chief About 650 kilometres to the south, Manitoba's largest city is also taking measures to protect those who had to flee. Winnipeg police spokesperson Jon Lutz says there are 14,000 wildfire evacuees currently registered in the city. Police have so far received about 70 calls at the various shelters and hotels where evacuees are staying, which is a relatively low number, he said at a Thursday news conference. Even so, police have put more officers on the streets, who have conducted over 150 proactive visits with wildfire evacuees, said Lutz. Their main message to evacuees is to call police when they need help, he said. "We're better able to assist when we are notified of issues when they are happening, and not later on." Garrison Settee, grand chief of the northern First Nation advocacy organization Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, says women and children are the most vulnerable during wildfire evacuations. "This is not the first evacuation of our people into the city, and we've heard stories — from previous evacuations — that there were people going around trying to find people to sell drugs to, or also trying to apprehend young women," he said at the news conference. "This is a proactive effort," rather than a reactionary one, said Settee. "So this is making that step to make sure our people are protected." Police say they've printed off 3,000 pamphlets with emergency contacts and tips for staying safe in an unfamiliar place, which are being handed to evacuees. Supt. Bonnie Emerson, who is with Winnipeg Police Service community engagement, says the pamphlets are intended to deter anyone "looking to exploit or prey upon vulnerable people coming into Winnipeg who may not be aware of the resources and supports available to them." "We want to make sure that we're doing two things: having a proactive response [and] making sure that we're here for community safety," she said at Thursday's news conference. Police have also had extra officers making daily visits to a Leila Avenue site for evacuees and hotels where evacuees are staying. Emerson said some of the 70 calls police have received were safety related, but no charges were laid. But exploitation can occur in the span of a conversation, and "when there are calls for service, we will respond and we will investigate," she said. "My message for Winnipeg residents is: have compassion," said Emerson. "Pay attention to what's happening in Manitoba, look at the sites that are supporting relatives from the north."
CBC
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Thompson council backtracks on cutting public comments at meetings after pushback from residents
Dozens of people showed up Monday at Thompson city council meeting to defend what they call a vital part of democracy. They were there to support a motion aimed at saving a bylaw that allows an open public comment period before the start of meetings. Council in the northern Manitoba city had voted to remove the bylaw in April but on Monday, after pushback from the public, they reversed course. Not everyone agreed, though, in a 4-2 vote. Mayor Colleen Smook cast one of those dissenting votes and said she stands by her decision. "I may be in the minority but I definitely believe that trying new things is a good thing for council," she said, noting people were still able to address council if they emailed the city for permission no later than the prior Wednesday. Smook said the open comment period, which allowed people to speak without an appointment, was underutilized — council meetings had just two or three observers on a good night. And the open mic was often abused by those who did take advantage, she said, but didn't elaborate. Ron Matechuk, a long-time Thompson resident and former city councillor, is one of the devout observers of council meetings and has spoken up in at least 75 per cent of them, he said. "I guess they don't want to answer questions, is what it looks like to me," Matechuk said before Monday's meeting. Most people in Thompson don't seem to care about what happens at council, but there are still some that do and it's a vital part of a democracy, Matechuk said. "Openness and transparency is a very important part of [democracy]. I took a civics class back when I was a kid and they taught me a lot. It's very important, the people must be heard," he said. Coun. Sandra Oberdorfer was one of those who voted in April to remove the bylaw, but changed her mind and supported it on Monday. "Over the past three years that I've been on council, I have not seen it [the public comment period] be overly productive. We were not getting productive feedback, we weren't reaching our constituents," Oberdorfer said about why she voted against it originally. "So I just felt that it wasn't a productive way for us to communicate with our taxpayers" Oberdorfer said she was interested in looking toward more productive ways of engaging with the public, such as having them contact councillors via email or phone. "It was clear that our taxpayers, based on the audience that we had in the room, were not happy with our decision to remove the community comments and feedback," she said. "And at the end of the day, our taxpayers are the ones who voted for us to represent them." Coun. Duncan Wong was fiercely opposed to removing the bylaw in the first place and was at the forefront of the fight to bring it back. He said Monday's win might be temporary as the vote still has to go through a second and third reading at coming council meetings. And he's worried about the alternatives, which include a proposed quarterly town hall. "How could you address a winter issue in the summertime? I mean, it's a bit too late for three months to wait," he said. Matechuk said it's less about the public turnout for council sessions and more about having the opportunity to make comments.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Thompson looks to diversify from mining into other industries, including tourism
Northern Manitoba's largest urban centre is looking to diversify and rebrand, shifting the perception of Thompson as a mining town to instead encourage people to think of it as a northern hub for services like education and health care, as well as a tourism hot spot. Business leaders, politicians and other experts gathered to discuss the future of Thompson and the north at this week's Linkages conference — a conference about the future of northern Manitoba organized by University College of the North in the city. "Thompson's been here for 60 years, and when it was actually first built, it was built as a mining town," Mayor Colleen Smook said in an interview. "I think more importantly is Thompson as being a hub of the north," which would require expansions for hospitals and education facilities to become a service centre to the rest of northern Manitoba, she said. While the city itself has a population of around 13,000, it's a service hub for many other northern Manitoba communities with a combined population of around 60,000, according to the mayor. The city is also looking to expand beyond mining into other industries, like cold-weather testing, aviation and modular home construction, while using its natural resources and culture to draw more tourists in, said Smook. "We've talked with different people, with whether it even be building modular homes to go out to the different communities [in the north]," she said. "Right now, you get homes that are built down south," which aren't always suited for the northern environment, said Smook. The mayor added she isn't dismissing the impact of mining on Thompson's economy, but she wants to look at options for when that industry faces a downturn. Vale SA, the parent company of Thompson's nickel mining operation, announced a potential sale of the operation earlier this year, raising concerns about its future. Vale owns two mines and a mill in the city, but over the years, the number of jobs at the mine has shrunk to about 900 employees currently. Many jobs were lost when Vale shut down its smelter — which extracts base metal out of ore — in 2018. Now, the raw ore is shipped off to other provinces to be processed. Though what would become the city of Thompson was first built up after the discovery of a major nickel deposit in the 1950s, it wasn't officially incorporated as a community until 1967. Smook said she's proud of where Thompson has come over the past 60 years, but said she wants to see even more diversification. The community has the resources required for new industry, she said. "We have all kinds of land mass up here. We have the hydroelectric [generating capacity] right up here. So you've got cheap power, fresh air, clean air," said Smook. Tourism an opportunity for Thompson: speaker Ashley Dunlop, who is the director of talent and workforce development for Economic Development Winnipeg and runs a tool that helps match job seekers with employers, attended this week's conference to learn more about labour needs in Thompson. She said she was impressed with the resources available in the northern city, which is the sixth-largest in Manitoba. "This is a big town — there's a hospital, there's an airport, there is [University College of the North]," she said. "All of those things need staff. All of those staff need places to live. All of those staff need something to do on the weekend. All of those staff need someone to sell them a car or fix their snowmobile." While mining is still a big part of Thompson, other industries are catching up, mainly education, health care and hospitality, said Dunlop. That diversification is what attracted Eric Termuende, a leadership consultant from British Columbia, to come to Thompson to speak at the conference. Termuende said he was inspired by the pride northern Manitobans have for the north, and thinks Thompson should try to replicate the work of communities like Churchill in embracing tourism as a major industry. "Tourism is another opportunity" for Thompson, he said. "I think Churchill has done an incredible job from branding themselves on a global stage as a tourism opportunity and tourism destination." Smook said tourism has been growing in Thompson. Other attendees at the conference also said they would like the region to be a destination for adventure and eco-tourism, taking advantage of the unique northern culture and the region's pristine wilderness.
