Opaskwayak Cree nation Chief Christian Sinclair and Vice Chief Jennifer Flett spoke to Arctic Radio to talk about how OCN is doing and the community is faring well.

On Wednesday night during a community meeting the 2018-2019 financial audit was brought up and the audit revealed that OCN has a 5.2 Million dollar surplus.

Flett says is unheard of for the past number of years in the community. Sinclair says that going from one of the biggest deficits and near bankruptcy to record surplus in less than three years is a testament to the quality of the work force serving OCN.

Last week, A&W held their annual Burgers to Beat MS day where two dollars from every teen burger went towards MS research and support programs.

Jennifer Berg the owner of the A&W here in The Pas said they sold 759 teen burgers and raised a total of $1,719 and 46 cents.

This was one of the busiest burgers to beat MS days they have ever had and berg and all the other employees at A&W would like to thank the community for their support.

Local MP Niki Ashton recently sent a letter to the Minister of Indigenous Services addressing the broken funding promises made to Marcel Columb First Nation.

Ashton was contacted by people connected to the first nation that shared frustration over the fact that sixty percent of funding promised to the newly developed first nation has not flown through and as a result there is a major shortage of infrastructure and housing.

Ashton says that the first nation was created with much anticipation and the way that they being treated is unacceptable. She is committed to working with the people of the community and believes that they must be heard.

Marcel Colomb First Nation is located in Northern Manitoba in the Lynn Lake Area.

The body of the young woman found near The Pas UCN Campus a few weeks ago has been identified.

The identity of the victim was confirmed to be Kendara Ballantyne an 18 year old woman that had been reported missing.

The confirmation announcement was made by her family recently. 

The Town of The Pas will be having a public hearing at 6PM on September 9^th at council chambers.

The hearing is in regards to a variation application for a shared fence. The owners of a residence of Edwards Avenue approached McDonalds and requested that the shared fence be made higher.

The request to is raise the height of the fence an additional two feet.

The town of The Pas received an email regarding the lack of parking spots for semi trucks in the community.

The email stated that the only suitable place to park a semi was at the Otineka Mall one of the last places for truckers to buy supplies before heading back on the road.

The email also pointed out that truck drivers play an important role in delivering goods for the community and without suitable parking spots these truckers won’t be using services that The Pas has to offer.

A sign in the parking lot says truckers are not allowed to park in the north end of the mall parking lot from 8AM until 5PM leaving them with no other parking options.

An email from the Otineka Malls general manager stated that the mall has tenants on the north side of the building that need to receive deliveries which means they can’t have semis blocking other vehicles that are delivering the tenants their goods during the day.

Town council will be having meeting at on an undisclosed date to try to work out a solution to this issue.

Now that the spray park is complete the next step for The Pas Families Building a Better Community is to build a new skate park for The Pas.

A new skate park will be expensive so Alan Gibb of the Wescana Inn and Jerome Conaty from Funky Threadz reached out to the Fort Garry Brewing Company and a new beer is now available that will be used to help raise money for the skate park.

The beer is called Clearwater Lager named after Clearwater Lake and 50 cents from each can will go towards the skate park.

The beer is available at 22 liquor stores across Manitoba and local restaurants here in The Pas and so far $5000 has been raised for the skate park already.

A public planning meeting for the skate park will be held at the end of September at the multipurpose room at the Roy H Johnston Arena.

Well over 300 members of Kinsmen, Kinette, and Kin Clubs gathered in Nanaimo, British Columbia last week for the 99^th annual Kin Canada National Convention.

Part of the convention saw a number of national awards distributed.  District 2 Kin were able to bring home 32 awards, specifically honouring The Pas Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs with 9 of those awards.

The Pas Kinsmen President, Jack Madrigga, said, “It is a testament to the leadership the two clubs play in our District and the incredible support our community provides to our projects, which helps us serve the communities greatest needs and development.”

District Governor, Kevin Carlson, noted, “8 clubs within this district managed to capture both the Boake Efficiency Award and the Outstanding Boake Award and 3 Deputy Governors received the Outstanding Zone Award for their support of the clubs in this District.”

The District Governor believes this recognition is a testament to the leadership and guidance of Past Governors Colette Doerr and Tim Babcock as well as the rich history of leadership within District 2.

Carlson concluded noting, “This is the Centennial Year of Kin Canada; we have 100 years of ‘Serving Our Community’s Greatest Need’ and I am Daring our Clubs and their Communities to Celebrate while making this year a launching point to the next 100 years!”

District 2 Kinsmen, Kinette, and Kin Clubs provided 34,339 hours of service and raised $1,536,172 to the 44 communities served in Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba in the 2018/19 Kin Year.

The Manitoba Liberals announced that Ken Brandt will be running for The Pas Kameesak riding in next month’s provincial election.

As of news time no details have been made available about his campaign.

He will be running against NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin, PC Candidate Ron Evans, and Green Party Candidate Ralph McLean.

photo from manitobaliberals.com

Wab Kinew and the Manitoba NDP’S have announced a plan to offer immediate assistance for Northern Manitoba.

If elected the NDP’s will used the mining community reserve fund to help Northern Manitobans get back to work and create multiyear mining permits to create more stability for Northern Manitoba Resource workers.

They will also provide Northern Manitobans with better access to health care by restoring the Northern Patient Transportation Program and keep Lifeflight in public hands.

Members of the Young Wolf Pack project held a fundraising car wash outside The Pas Fire Hall last Thursday evening.

The group raised about $500 and money raised will go towards the X Roads Teen Centre.

The Young Wolf Pack Project is a program run by The Pas Family Resource Centre with the goal of teaching its youth member’s about reconciliation, life skills, and how to get involved in the community.

The program is open to youth aged 15 to 18. You can keep up to date with The Young Wolf Pack Project on their Facebook page.

Local MP Niki Ashton held a press conference on Friday to call on the Federal Liberals to deliver the desperately needed health care services in the Island Lake region.

The communities of St Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Wasagamack, and Red Sucker Lake have a population of about 14,000 and the nursing stations have failed to meet the demands of the region. The lack of services is forcing people to move away from home in order to survive.

Ashton added that the Federal Government needs to call a public inquiry into the inadequate heath care received by First Nation’s peoples and they need to fully fund the health services that they need.

Manitoba’s Progressive conservatives are promising a more affordable, more secure, and more prosperous future for Northern Manitoba if they are re-elected next month.

If re elected, PC’s will lower taxes, increase economic opportunity, create jobs and try to grow the mining industry, and promote tourism in the region.

Part of the plan involves establishing a new 20 million dollar Manitoba mineral Development Fund as part of the Manitoba jobs plan. This would add 40,000 private sector jobs over four years providing resources to formalize new mineral protocol agreements with first nation’s communities.

On August 21, 2019, at approximately 11:15 am, Chemawawin RCMP received a report of an off-road vehicle collision located on a service road in the community of Easterville.
 

Officers attended and have determined that a 33-year-old male, from Easterville, was riding an ATV when it rolled onto its side. The operator, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the ATV which then landed on top of him.

The 33-year-old male was pronounced deceased on scene. Alcohol may be a factor in the collision.

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

The Paskwayak Business Development Corporation is congratulating Opaskwayak Cree Nation member Rhoda Beardy for completing her business loan payment.

This means she now has 100 percent ownership of Mischuk’s Convenience in the Big Eddy settlement of OCN.

The store first opened in 2005 under the name Big E mart under the PBDC. The PBDC transferred ownership to Beardy a few years ago after she submitted an ownership bid.

She revamped the store and named it after her late grandfather’s nickname.

PBDC commends Beardy on her initiative and diligence and they wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Today is the eleventh annual Burgers to Beat MS fundraiser at A&W

MS is an auto-immune disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord.  Canada has one of the highest rates of disease in the world.

Two dollars from every teen burger sold will go towards the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, which will be used for MS research and support programs.

Local A&W manger Drew Tritthart hopes to raise at least one thousand dollars locally and says people don’t have to buy teen burgers to donate to the cause they can make their own donations as well.

Despite all the setbacks and delays The Town of The Pas officially has its own spray park which began operations for the first time earlier this month.

One of the issues that had to be fixed around the time the park opened was a faulty switch that would turn the water on at random.

The switch has since been fixed the park has drawn in children of all ages to cool off on hot summer days.  It’s not known when the spray park will shut down for the winter.

The next step for The Pas BBC is to work on their skate park project and they are also going to work towards getting new fixtures and update equipment for Centennial Park.

The Pas BBC will also be announcing a date for the spray parks grand opening celebrations in the coming days. You can keep up to date on the The Pas BBC by joining their Facebook group.

A&W will be having its eleventh annual Burgers to Beat MS fundraiser tomorrow.

Two dollars from every teen burger sold will go towards the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, which will be used for MS research and support programs.

MS is an auto-immune disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world.

The monthly mayor reports for July have been released. The town of The Pas had 115 disturbances of the peace, 104 mischief cases, 78 index checks, 34 assaults, and 110 prisoners held.

The RM of Kelsey had mostly provincial traffic violations a total of 96 and Cormorant had a total of six offences ranging from assault to mischief.

A survey pertaining to the plans for Manitoba’s environment are being sent to all candidates in the provincial election.

The survey is from the Wilderness Committee, who says the results from the survey will help voters decide who is up to the task of implementing ecological solutions to help care for Manitoba’s environment.

The survey will cover topics like climate action, protecting parks, and saving Lake Winnipeg, which is experiencing blue-green algae contamination.

The results of the survey will be made available to voters on September 3^rd, and can be viewed online at wildernesscommittee.org/Manitoba

A re elected Manitoba Progressive Conservative Government will invest 2.8 Million Dollars from their Safer Streets, Safer Lives action plan to crack down on rural crime.

This would be done by establishing new RCMP crime reduction teams throughout the province and by supporting efforts to dismantle street gangs.

Recent statistics showed that Manitoba’s rural crime rate was 42 percent higher than its urban crime rate.

If re elected the PC’s would add officers to the existing northern district crime reduction enforcement team and they would invest in two new crime analysts to help the RCMP identify criminal trends and crime hotspots.

Members of Opaskwayak Cree Nation are reminded that the 2019 general election for the community is on September 19^th at the Kikiwak Inn from 8AM Until 8PM.

An advance poll will be held at the Otineka Mall from 9AM until 8PM on September 10^th and a mobile poll will be at the Rod McGillivary Care Home, The Pas Corrections, and The Pas Hospital on September 17th.

For more information about the election call 204-620-2998 or 204-627-7130

The Town of The Pas’ Release a Memory Event will be held on September 4^th this year.

The purpose of the event is to bring remembrance to the loss of loved ones and this year they will be releasing flower pods into the bank of the Saskatchewan River.

The cost is two dollars per pod and the event will be at the Devon Park lookout at 7PM.

If you wish to take part in the event you are asked to sign up at The Town of The Pas Administration Office by 4PM on September 3^rd.

Residents of The Pas and area are reminded that the BreastCheck Manitoba Mobile Unit is in The Pas from now until the 23^rd at The Pas Health Complex parking lot.

They will also be on Opaskwayak Cree Nation at The Beatrice Wilson Health Centre on August 26^th until the 28^th to provide screening for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among woman and early screening increases the chances of survival.

To book an appointment call 1-855-952-4325

The winners of this year’s Opaskwayak Indian Days parade have been announced.

In the Commercial Category Aseneskak Casino won first place, The Bear Clan Patrol won second place, and the OCN Blizzard won third place.

In the Non Commercial Category Courtney Cousins and Friendship Centre took first place, The UCN Stages Program placed second, and NRC Juliana Cook won third.

In the Family Category the Young and Whitehead family won first place, Dylan Sinclair and family won second place, and the Cowley Asmus family won third place.

In the Princess Category Brailyn Martin won first, Tenielle Easter won second and Veda Pegalo won third.

The winner of the Adult Bike Category was Elizabeth Leaske and the winners in the kids bike category were Phoenix Muswagon, Abby McGillivary, and Napesis Neeposh, Toussaint Potan.

Arctic Radio would like to congratulate all the winners of this year’s parade and those that participated. Opaskwayak Indian Days will wrap up on Sunday.

With forest fire season underway our local fire prevention officer Cody Langlois spoke to Arctic Radio News to give some fire prevention and safety tips.

He says if you are farmer planning to burn in the fields you are required to inform the RM office before hand and to never leave a fire unattended and avoid burning on windy days.

If you are camping make sure your campfire is fully extinguished before you leave the area and don’t allow children to play near the fire. 

It’s also a good idea for home owners to keep their driveways clear at least four metres wide and five metres high to help accommodate emergency vehicles and to avoid planting evergreen trees near your home as these trees are more flammable.

When you store your firewood store it at least 10 metres away from your home and keep the first one to three metres around the base of your home clear of fuel.

If you are smoking make sure that you butt out in an approved smoking container as lit cigarettes can spread fire very quickly.

Niki Ashton’s latest MP report said the news of grain being shipped through the bay line and Port of Churchill is a good example of perseverance and resilience.

The report said that when the previous owners shut it down the people of Churchill and all along the bay line did not give up and the renewed grain shipment sends a message to the world that Churchill is back and ready to take on the world.

The Pas Committee for woman in Crisis Aurora House and My Sisters House will be having their annual general meeting on September 10^th at Good Thymes Restaurant at 6:30 in the evening.  

At the AGM they will elect new board members who will be in charge of developing the policies of the shelter to ensure they are accountable to their funders and to ensure that the best practices are utilized for clients that use their service.

If you are interested in becoming a board member or if you are interested in attending the meeting you are asked to RSVP by August 30^th.

If you want to be on the board but can't make the meeting you can send a letter of intent to auroratp@mts.net

For more information call Dawna Pritchard at 204-623-7427.

In preparation for the September 10^th Manitoba election advanced polls will be open from August 29^th until September 5^th locally.

Advance polls will be at the Otineka Mall between warehouse one and family foods on most of these days from 8 AM until 8PM except for September First where the polls will be open from 12PM until 6PM.

Advance Polls will also be held at 209 Fischer Avenue from August 29^th until September 5th but its not known when these polls will be open.

Advance polls will also be open at the Carrot Valley Community Centre on September 2^nd from 8AM till 8PM.

The 54^th annual Opaskwayak Indian Days began yesterday and will run until Sunday.

Some of today’s events include a sasquatch dress contest, a couples game night, and a call of the wild. These events will be held at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre.

More details on events and festivities can be found at the Opaskwayak Indian day’s Facebook page.

The Manitoba PCs are hosting e-town halls leading up to the provincial election.

Party Leader Brian Pallister says its part of continuous efforts to hear from and talk to Manitobans about the issues that matter to them, as they get a chance to directly speak to him and other candidates.

The calls will be a randomized dial out to thousands of phone numbers across the province.

People who wish to participate in the e-town halls can email their contact information to pcmanitoba@pcmanitoba.com

Arctic Radio reached out to the Manitoba Liberal and NDP Party and they said their members have been visiting communities in their ridings in person.

A statement from The Pas mayor Herb Jacques was posted on The Town of The Pas Community Updates Facebook page to offer condolences to the family of the victim that was found near the University College of the North recently.

The statement said that they are confident that the RCMP will be able to complete their investigation into this tragedy and what happened does not represent who we are as a community.

On the evening on August the 6^th the RCMP responded to a call of possible human remains near UCN and the investigation to determine what happened is still ongoing.

The identity of the victim and the cause of death are not known at this time.

The Hudson Bay Route Association held their 76^th annual meeting in Flin Flon under the theme Back On Track.  The Association is an advocacy group promoting the use of the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Rail Line.

Canada’s Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr praised the Arctic Gateway Group partnership’s role in re-opening the Port and the rail line after they closed. 

He said the Churchill deal would never have happened without the entrepreneurial support that came from Fairfax and AGT, it never would have happened without the strength courage and tenacity of Mayor Mike Spence and other communities up and down the line and Indigenous leadership.

Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey suggested it’s time to look at not only what we ship out of the Port but what we can bring in adding the rail line should be expanded to connect other northern communities.

On Friday a Liberal Candidate Jim Lindsay was selected for the Flin Flon Constituency for the upcoming provincial election.

A news release states that Lindsay is currently a resident of Lynn Lake having spent many years living in Flin Flon. 

Lindsay worked as a teacher in Nelson House and Cranberry Portage before settling down in Lynn Lake in 2004 and from 2012 to 2017 he served as the Mayor of the Town of Lynn Lake where he was able to provide the town with leadership at a time when it was about to lose one of its lifelines in its airport.

As of news time no Liberal candidate for The Pas Kameesak riding has been announced.

RCMP officers located two male bodies this morning near Gillam.

They are believed to be the bodies of Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky the two teenage murder suspects from British Columbia.

An autopsy will be conducted to confirm if the bodies belong to the two suspects.

On August 6, 2019, at 7:50 pm, officers from The Pas RCMP Detachment responded to a call of possible human remains located near the University College of the North.

The identity of the remains is unknown at this time.

The Pas RCMP along with our Major Crime Services, Forensic Identification Services and the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office continue to investigate.

Updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.

The general manager of the Ponton Service Station says there are plans in motion to rebuild the rest stop.

The Pas Families Building a Better Community recently received a $5000 donation from the RM of Kelsey.

This funding will go towards making upgrades to the benches and equipment at Centennial Park.

Davide Novo the president of The Pas Families BBC told Arctic Radio News that they are very grateful for the donation and they are grateful that the RM of Kelsey sees the community value that the park brings.

Novo added that they hope to have The Pas Spray Park opened this weekend and an official announcement is expected very soon.

According to an email sent to the Arctic Radio newsroom, operations at The Pas and Area Animal Shelter are going well.

The shelter is located in the old Kelsey Glass Building near Good Thymes and its open Wednesday evenings this month from 6:30 until 8:00.

The next step for the shelter is to set up quarantine rooms so they can start taking dogs in their building. The shelter will need donations in order to make this happen.

The shelter also needs donations of kitten kibble.

You can keep up to date with the shelter online on their Facebook page

The Government of Canada is investing up to 4.9 Million dollars for six projects in Manitoba with the goal of building an inclusive and empowering economy. Some of this funding will go towards projects at the University College of the North.

UCN president and Vice Chancellor Doug Lauvstad says this gives UCN the opportunity to take an active role in economic development for Northern Manitoba.

Most of the funding will go towards a business incubator that will help entrepreneurs with setting up there business, marketing, and making connections.

$250,000 will go towards establishing a Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative for The Pas and surrounding communities. The project will help with youth that are interested in starting their own businesses.

Our Local MP Niki Ashton recently submitted a letter to the CRTC urging them to ensure quality internet access for Northern Manitoba residents.

Ashton says she has heard from people who have been impacted by inadequate internet service and residents from Cross Lake and Snow Lake have said that a lack of internet access is hurting people.

According to Ashton’s letter having quality internet is important for small business to connect with their customers, for students to do research and for families to stay connected.

Early screening for breast cancer saves lives, that’s why the BreastCheck Manitoba Mobile Unit will be in The Pas from August 8^th until the 23^rd at The Pas Health Complex parking lot and on Opaskwayak Cree Nation at The Beatrice Wilson Health Centre on August 26^th until the 28^th.

Dena Johnson a community contact for Cancer Care Manitoba spoke to Arctic Radio News and said that breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among woman and early screening increases the chances of survival. Johnson is a breast cancer survivor and her cancer was first discovered at a local BreastCheck screening.

To book an appointment call 1-855-952-4325

CJAR News has been notified that Hailey Atkinson Cote the missing girl from Mafeking has been found safe.

Ashley Atkinson would like to thank everyone that assisted in the search and for their support.

On July 26, 2019, at 2:45 pm, The Pas RCMP received a report of a missing 18-year-old female from the community. Kendara Ballantyne was last seen July 18 at 5:00 pm walking down Cathedral Avenue in The Pas.

Ballantyne is described as 5’0”, 135 pounds, with brown eyes and short black hair. She was last seen wearing black sweat pants, a black shirt and wearing shoes. She’s believed to possibly be in the city of Winnipeg.

The RCMP are asking anyone with information to call The Pas RCMP at 204-627-6200, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

More details have emerged from Tuesday morning’s police standoff here in The Pas. A report came in around 5:30AM of a man with a firearm at a residence on Head Avenue.

When police attended the scene they surrounded the home while attempting to make contact with him.

Officers spoke with the man and after several hours they convinced him to surrender.

The 36 year old man who has not yet been identified was arrested and he faces several weapons charges.

The National Cree Gathering Unity Run began its march to the National Cree Gathering in Fisher River Cree Nation yesterday.

According to Lori Lathlin from Opaskwayak Cree Nation The purpose of the unity run and the gathering is to awaken the sleeping giant which means to teach youth in the Cree community about Cree traditions, culture, and their spiritual way of life so they can pass the knowledge over to the next generation.

The National Cree Gathering was spearheaded on Opaskwayak Cree Nation in 1996 by the late Nathan McGillivray, Elders Moses and Mabel Bignell, Oliver Bignell and the late Larry Dorion.

The gathering runs from now until Sunday.