Category: Public Safety

City of Thompson and IAFF reach new 3-year contract for 2022-2024

by northernernews, posted in City Hall, Public Safety

The City of Thompson and its Union partner, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2200 (IAFF), have ratified a new 3-year contract for Thompson Fire and Emergency Services employees, effective January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024.

The new agreement approves a 2.5% annual wage increase in all three years of the contract, and includes an annual reimbursement of $200 per year towards licensure fees with the new College of Paramedics of Manitoba. One-time labour market wage rate adjustments for the positions of Captain, Senior Communications Officer, and Senior Alarm Room Attendant classifications were also included.

IAFF Local 2200 includes 29 Thompson Fire and Emergency Services personnel, in roles Fire Fighters/Paramedics, Communications, and Alarm Room roles.

“We want to thank IAFF for reaching a negotiated settlement with the City of Thompson. We look forward to continuing to work together with the Fire and Emergency services, and continuing to deliver highly qualified and professional emergency services to the residents of Thompson,“ said Mayor Colleen Smook.

All Northern Manitobans Over 18 Years Of Age Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccination

by northernernews, posted in COVID-19, Public Safety, Uncategorized

Header Photo: Mayor Colleen Smook Receives her first vaccination dose on April 7, 2021.

As of April 26, 2021 at 11:45am, all Manitobans who live within the Northern Health Region, or who work in the region regularly, are eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

Individuals are encouraged to make their appointments by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or visiting https://protectmb.ca.

Prompt Vaccination Is Critical As Third Wave Looms

As variant cases become more prevalent in Manitoba and infections increase, the province is, in many ways, racing against the crest of a third wave to ensure vaccinations are delivered promptly.

In the announcement, Dr. Joss Reimer (medical lead of the Vaccine Implementation Task Force) stressed the importance of vaccination for Manitobans:

“The vaccine is one way we can slow the spread of this virus and control the third wave of COVID-19. We are seeing that everyone, including younger people, is experiencing more severe outcomes from COVID and it is important that we adjust our eligibility criteria to reflect what we know, so we can protect those at risk. More than one-third of Manitobans have been immunized, and I’d encourage everyone to do the same as soon as they are eligible.”

Dr. Joss Reimer, Vaccine Implementation Task Force, VACCINE ELIGIBILITY EXPANDING TO PROTECT ADULTS
IN NORTHERN MANITOBA, SEVEN OAKS WEST, Province of Manitoba, April 26, 2021

COVID-19 Vaxport In Thompson Takes Shape Through Collaboration

by northernernews, posted in COVID-19, Public Safety, Uncategorized

The delivery of the COVID-19 Vaxport program in the City of Thompson is beginning to take shape, and the City of Thompson is proud to be working with the Province of Manitoba and our regional partners to ensure the program’s delivery meets the needs of Thompsonites and northern Manitobans as a whole.

The City of Thompson has been engaged with the Province since the Vaxport site was announced on January 5, 2021 in order to ensure the roll-out plans best serve Thompson and northern Manitoba.

Mayor Colleen Smook notes that changes and adjustments will always be a part of charting new and unknown territory, and the City of Thompson had, and continues to have, ample opportunity to provide input.

“We’re disappointed that provincial media has portrayed our relationship with the province as terse and oppositional,” said Mayor Smook. “We’ve kept close contact with our provincial ministries since day one of the pandemic to ensure northern voices are heard, and that relationship hasn’t changed. We suggested improvements to the delivery of Vaxport in Thompson, and the Province listened.”

The Vaxport program will utilize the Thompson Regional Community Center and the Thompson Regional Airport to distribute doses of the Pfizer vaccine to local patients as well as those from remote outlying communities, respectively.

The airport is being utilized as doses of the Moderna vaccine are limited, and the Pfizer vaccine cannot be easily transported and stored at remote locations. Patients from remote communities will need to be transported to receive the vaccine in a more accessible location, and delivering the vaccine directly at the airport minimizes exposure across communities.

The TRCC, closed under Critical status restrictions, provides an accessible location for pedestrians, motorists, and public-transit users, as well as ample room for safe social distancing. It is also a well-known facility for locals and visitors, and easily accessible for intercity transport by land.

Thompson was selected for the Vaxport program as recognized northern hub for healthcare and transportation that is equipped to receive air and ground traffic from across northern Manitoba. “Thompson has been a medical hub for northern Manitobans for more than three decades,” said Mayor Smook. “We understand the challenges of the north, and we’re well-equipped to meet them.”

The Vaxport program is expected to open in Thompson on February 1.

City of Thompson Responds to Treatment of Detainee, Changes to CSO Oversight and Public Safety Strategy

by northernernews, posted in Public Safety

Recently, a news organization has released a video from January 2018 that involves the detention of a young Indigenous woman under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act (IPDA) by the City’s Community Safety Officers (CSOs) in the local RCMP cells.

As the case is currently before the courts, we cannot release all of the details, but we want to provide you with an update on the latest information and the actions that have been taken.

Though the altercation happened in January 2018, neither the Mayor’s office nor City Manager’s office was informed of what had transpired until seven months later, in August 2018, when Manitoba Justice reached out to Thompson’s Director of Fire and Public Safety at the time. In turn, he reached out to the RCMP to get an update. The CSO was cleared by RCMP’s Use of Force Expert at the time, and no disciplinary action was taken.

A copy of the security footage was not provided to the city by the RCMP, and the current administration is viewing parts of this footage for the first time. Once the City receives a copy of the full video through the court process, the City will review the footage to determine our next steps.

Since the incident, the following changes to the CSO program have been implemented:

  • As of May 2020, supervision of CSO’s has returned to a dedicated Public Safety Manager to ensure proper oversight, and that the mandated training, which includes use of force and cultural proficiency training, is adhered to;
  • When use-of-force incidents occur in the future, the City has asked the RCMP to immediately notify the City of Thompson’s Public Safety Manager and City Manager;
  • The City Manager, in consultation with the Public Safety Manager and HR, will conduct an investigation.

There has been significant change-over at the City of Thompson since the incident, both in administration and among Mayor and Council. Since the turn-over at the end of 2018, administration and City Council quickly recognized that the previous approach to public safety was not working.

Since February 2020, the City of Thompson, the Province of Manitoba, and 20 different community organizations have been working together to create an all-encompassing public safety strategy, with the help of independent consultants Community Safety and Knowledge Alliance. This includes representatives from education, social services, healthcare, addictions treatment, and Indigenous government organizations. Reducing the role of conventional law enforcement in addressing mental health and intoxication is a top priority of this strategy.

Supporting this strategy is the announcement of a new $2.8 million sobering center last June. This center will provide 24/7 safe and secure space where non-violent, intoxicated people can stay until they sober up under trained supervision, independent from law enforcement. This will help reduce the involvement of law enforcement in the care of intoxicated individuals, as well as help connect clients with wrap-around social services who can help them address addictions.

The City of Thompson commissioned a Community Safety and Well-being Strategy, and from that, we have now identified our strategic priorities, including:

  • Lessen youth exposure to crimes as victims, witnesses, and perpetrators;
  • Lessen the frequency and burden of problematic alcohol use on individuals and the community;
  • Reduce factors driving the demand on policing resources from social disorder calls;
  • Enhance experiences of social inclusion and Justice and reduce systemic and other forms of racism;
  • Expand safe and attainable shelter and housing options for people experiencing vulnerabilities;
  • Renew and better maintain the environment in Thompson to improve how people can connect to strengthen social cohesion.

The City of Thompson is committed to working with all of our stakeholders in the community to follow through on all of these initiatives that, in turn, will make for a better community for all of us.

As Mayor Smook has stated before, “We need to recognize that we are working to fix issues over three decades in the making, but with a sustained, committed effort, we will see a safer, healthier Thompson.”

Positive Case of COVID-19 Identified in Thompson

by northernernews, posted in COVID-19, Public Safety

Provincial Public Health officials have confirmed a case of COVID-19 in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District of the Northern Health Region.

Public Health nurses and staff are already conducting extensive contact tracing and monitoring, and the City of Thompson is working closely with the Northern Health Region and community partners to help contain this event.

Mayor and Council would like to remind residents to continue to practice the fundamentals to keep COVID-19 at bay in the North:

  • Stay home when you feel sick;
  • Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
  • Cover your cough or sneeze;
  • Follow all precautions implemented by local businesses;
  • Maintain physical (social) distancing, and wear a mask when in group settings;
  • Limit errand runs and groceries to one person, if possible.

“No one should be surprised or caught off-guard by this announcement: we knew this day was coming. That’s why it’s important that we follow precautions and public health orders properly,” said Mayor Colleen Smook. “This positive case does not need to turn into an outbreak, but we need to start taking this virus seriously.”

All municipalities in Manitoba have been advised to refer to and publish case information as it is publicly released by the Chief Provincial Public Health Officer and the Province of Manitoba to ensure information is accurate and consistent. The City of Thompson will provide updates as the situation progresses, in due collaboration with provincial authorities.

If you are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms, we encourage residents to use the Manitoba Shared Health self-screening tool prior to reporting to a testing location.

Download the COVID-19 Alert app from Health Canada to find out if you have been in contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. The More people who use the app, the more effective it will be.

Visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19 for accurate information about COVID19 in Manitoba.

Fill Out the Thompson Community Safety Survey

by northernernews, posted in Economic Development, Public Safety

The The City of Thompson and the Community Wellness and Public Safety Advisory Committee wants your help in developing a comprehensive public safety strategy for Thompson by filling out the Thompson Community Safety Survey.

We want residents to not only express their sense of safety and its causes, but also your sense of community connection, and your vision of Thompson in the present and future.

Click here to Fill Out the Thompson Community Safety Survey.

You can fill out the survey online at the link above, or get a paper copy at City Hall or the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre. Hard copies can be returned in a sealed envelope to the Front Desk at either office during public hours. The survey is anonymous: hard copies submitted will be compiled by the committee’s consulting team, Community Safety and Knowledge Alliance (CSKA) and submitted to the committee as a whole.

What is the Community Wellness and Public Safety Advisory Committee?

The Community Wellness and Public Safety Advisory Committee began its work in January 2020; in March, the Province of Manitoba awarded the City of Thompson with a $36, 000 grant to hire Community Safety and Knowledge Alliance as experienced consultants to facilitate the planning process.

Sixteen different organizations were represented in these initial planning sessions, led by Advisory Committee co-chairs Dee Chaboyer (Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Center), Mike Bourgon (City of Thompson Fire and Emergency Services), and Staff Sergeant Chris Hastie (RCMP).

The first meeting of the Thompson Community Wellness and Public Safety Advisory Committee in January 2020

New Approaches to old problems

Since the 1990s, Thompson’s City Councils and local agencies have grappled with the challenge of addressing social health in Thompson. Although many discussions between community leaders have taken place over the years, they have rarely been assembled into a unified vision for Thompson as a community. Previous attempts at planning have suffered from insufficient resources, limited representation, and loose frameworks for accountability.

The Advisory Committee has discussed these barriers in detail, with a clear path to improvement.

Collaboration: This may be surprising, but the Community Wellness and Public Safety Advisory Committee represents the first time that the City, Thompson RCMP, and community agencies have come together to create an integrated, community-wide approach to public safety in Thompson. Previous strategies have suffered from isolation and limited resources: just as isolation breeds crime in communities, it also makes it more difficult to bring under control.

Building on Success: The Advisory Committee aims to harness the promising programs that have shown limited success in Thompson, and seeks to develop and enrich those programs while helping them work together towards their common goals.

This includes initiatives like the Thompson Community Response Team that works to overcome barriers and develop coordinated responses for urgent social service cases, and Ma-Mow-We-Tak’s Second Chances for Youth program, which uses restorative justice to develop a meaningful sense of accountability and community among youth who have committed minor crimes.

Accountability: Many community initiatives are stymied by the need for approvals from boards or directors, and when leadership is not present at the table, these decisions are often pushed to the back of people’s minds. The new Advisory Committee is made up of community leaders directly responsible for decision-making within their organizations, minimizing barriers to communication and delays from approvals and chains of command.

FILL OUT THE THOMPSON COMMUNITY SAFETY SURVEY HERE.

Last Week of Community Clean-up + End of Month Prizes!

by northernernews, posted in Public Safety, Public Works, Uncategorized

It’s the sixth and last week of Clean Community Month in Thompson, and this week, we’re cleaning up ALL of Thompson! Anywhere! If you see a problem spot, gather your friends and pick it up, to enter to win!

Send us your photos and the names of your clean-up team for a chance to win a Hub of the North Hoodie, a prize pack from Recycle Everywhere and the Thompson Recycling Center, Two Vale swag bags, and this week’s big prize from Canadian Tire: a 6-foot Pelican Sit-on-top kayak! Perfect for this season: who knows, maybe we’ll have more water than land by the end of August!

Contest extended by one week!

We’ve had a lot of wet and cold weather during this contest, and we feel that residents didn’t have much time to get out and about on the dry days. Now that it looks like summer is here properly here, we want to make the most of it.

We’re offering up another week of prizes between June 26 and July 3, for a city-wide clean-up. If you see a problem spot *anywhere* in town, clean it up and send us your photos!

GRAND PRIZE DRAWS!

A number of businesses and community organizations approached us throughout the contest to donate their own prizes to the contest. We’ve saved them up until the end, and we’ll be raffling them all off on Monday, July 6! Everyone who took part in Clean Community Month, and who hasn’t won a weekly prize, is eligible to win!

AMP INDUSTRIES

Interior/Exterior Cleaning, Oil Change

Nickel Days Committee

$500 in various gift cards

NCN THOMPSON BUS

Small and Large Hoodies

ASSANTE WEALTH MANAGEMENT

$50 Gift Card – Sobeys

Thanks to our participants this week!

A big thank you goes out to the Morin family this week, who braved the rain to carry the Clean Community torch last week!

Week 5 of Clean Community Month and Extension!

by northernernews, posted in Public Safety, Public Works, Recreation

It’s the fifth week of Clean Community Month in Thompson, and this week, we’re in the Southwood area. We’re also encouraging all of our local apartment dwellers to help clean up in their areas!

Send us your photos and the names of your clean-up team for a chance to win a Hub of the North Hoodie, a prize pack from Recycle Everywhere and the Thompson Recycling Center, Two Vale swag bags, and this week’s big prize from Canadian Tire: a set of two EZVIZ Husky Wi-Fi Outdoor Bullet surveillance cameras!

Contest extended by one week!

We’ve had a lot of wet and cold weather during this contest, and we feel that residents didn’t have much time to get out and about on the dry days. Now that it looks like summer is here properly here, we want to make the most of it.

We’re offering up another week of prizes between June 26 and July 3, for a city-wide clean-up. If you see a problem spot *anywhere* in town, clean it up and send us your photos!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

THOMPSON RECYCLING CENTER

RECYCLE EVERYWHERE!

CANADIAN TIRE

AMP INDUSTRIES

NCN THOMPSON BUS

ASSANTE WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Thanks to our participants this week!

Week 4 of Clean Community Month Starts Today!

by northernernews, posted in Public Safety, Public Works, Recreation, Uncategorized

It’s the fourth week of Clean Community Month in Thompson, and this week, we’re in the Westwood and Burntwood areas!

Send us your photos and the names of your clean-up team for a chance to win a Hub of the North Hoodie, a prize pack from Recycle Everywhere and the Thompson Recycling Center, and this week’s big prize from Canadian Tire: A two-piece CANVAS Beaumount Patio Chair set!

As the wind picks up, it seems like there’s still plenty of litter still blowing into the downtown area. We’re more than happy to accept entries from downtown cleaners as well!

Thank you to our sponsors!

Thompson Recycling Center

Recycle Everywhere!

Canadian Tire

AMP Industries

NCN Thompson Bus

Assante Wealth Management

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS THIS WEEK!

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in Week 3: Individuals can’t win the draw a second time, but if you go out to clean up again, other members of your team definitely can! If you didn’t win last week, you can still participate and get a second chance this week!

Province Announces $2.8 million in funding for Sobering Center in Thompson

by northernernews, posted in Public Safety

Cover photo: Justice Minister Cliff Cullen answers media questions at City Hall in December 19. A provincial delegation was not able to travel north for the announcement due to COVID-19 precautions.

On Monday, June 8, 2020, the Province of Manitoba announced a major step towards improving public safety and addressing addictions in northern Manitoba. Minister Cliff Cullen announced $2.8 million to establish and run a sobering center in Thompson, a critical piece towards a full-fledged Main Street North initiative.

The sobering center will be a 24-hour facility where severely-intoxicated individuals can take shelter while the effects of alcohol wear off. Individuals will each have their own room, and will be monitored at regular intervals for complications related to withdrawal.

SAFER SOBERING, FEWER ARRESTS

“The City of Thompson’s Sobering Center project will be an invaluable and non-criminal means of providing a safe and secure location for vulnerable people. This project will help alleviate significant policing resources in the City of Thompson, and enable us to redirect them towards other national, provincial, and local policing priorities.”

Staff Sgt. Chris Hastie, Thompson RCMP

The first immediate benefit of a sobering center is to reduce the number of police interventions with intoxicated individuals, and to reduce the burden on Thompson’s holding cells.

Individuals in Thompson were held under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act (more commonly known as the drunk tank) over 2000 times in 2019. Not only do these detentions take up significant RCMP time and resources to process, but it also makes it difficult for staff and cell guards to properly monitor the people who are being lodged.

A dedicated sobering center reduces the burden on RCMP facilities and officers, leaving them free to address criminal issues like violence and drug trafficking more effectively. Those lodging at the sobering center benefit from more personal space, security from more aggressive residents in holding, the opportunity to stay longer at the sobering center, and more frequent, attentive supervision including detailed check-ins every 15 minutes. Alcohol is one of the few intoxicants where withdrawal can be fatal, depending on the level of dependence.

“We have access to a non-medical withdrawal unit in Thompson, but people who present a risk to themselves or others need safe lodging, with supervision and security, to detoxify before they enter the withdrawal unit.”

Gisele M. deMeulles, Northern Director, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba

A WAY TO A BETTER LIFE: FIRST STEPS TO MAIN STREET NORTH

Dedicated sobering centers create an opportunity for one-on-one interactions and counseling for those sobering up at the facility. They create a hub where users can be directed towards further treatment options like withdrawal units and long-term counseling and recovery.

A sobering center alone still only provides short-term shelter for residents lodged at the facility, but it’s an important first step towards a holistic program like Winnipeg’s Main Street Project. The Main Street Project provides local outreach programs, counseling, addictions services, and supportive/transitional housing programs either within the same facility, or as part of the same organization. This streamlines the recovery process for clients by reducing barriers due to bureaucracy, poor information, and geography.

The Main Street North project would also help ensure programs were culturally relevant to individuals seeking treatment and recovery, including western and Indigenous frameworks in the north.

“My 40 plus years in Thompson have shown me the need for a sobering center where individuals can be assessed, housed, referred and treated humanely through a safe and medically-supervised sobering process. Staff that recognize mental health issues, investigate referrals to addictions services and assist with health needs and family contact are all a part of an effective sobering center.”

John Donovan, Former Director, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Northern Region, Current Community Advisory Board on Homelessness Member

HOUSING FIRST

Projects like Main Street, and in the future Main Street North, provide services based on a housing-first approach. Housing-first approaches recognize that safe, reliable shelter is a foundational part of recovery, and aims to provide housing before other interventions like addictions counselling and employment support (though these services are always provided in conjunction with transitional shelter).

Over the last ten years, studies from across urban centers in Canada have demonstrated the success of housing-first approaches in successful recovery, including Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Moncton, and Montreal (which was the focus of a landmark study that ended in 2013). and the model continues to develop best practices to implement across the country.

“A project like this needs collaboration and commitment from a broad range of service providers in the community to succeed, Sobering centers engage people ‘where they are at’. Sobering centers offer a place where people can find safety and connection to services that speak to their specific social and cultural needs, including housing.”

C. LeeAnne Deegan, Community Advisory Board on Homelessness Chair; Instructor, University of Manitoba Northern Social Work Program

MANAGED ALCOHOL PROGRAMS

“Managed alcohol programs are a harm reduction approach for people living with severe alcohol dependence. The benefits can include decreasing the beverage alcohol consumed per day, increased quality of life, reduced alcohol-related harm, fewer police interactions, and fewer visits to hospital emergency departments, all which can reduce costs related to alcohol borne by public services.”

Paulette Simkins, Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association Thompson

Managed Alcohol Programs take a harm-reduction approach to addressing alcoholism. Where some individuals show exceptional difficulty maintaining abstinence and detoxing, a managed alcohol program can help these individuals focus on developing social function while receiving a controlled amount of alcohol during their treatment, somewhat similar to the controlled recovery from prescription medication. In the meantime, the harm associated from alcohol use is reduced through supervision and counselling. This allows an individual to address the stressors in their life and environment.

Managed alcohol is still a controversial approach, and much research still needs to be done. It is also not for everyone, and existing programs typically restrict its use to the most severe cases of alcohol dependency, with very specific eligibility requirements.

A managed alcohol program is not a guaranteed part of the Main Street North project, and requires more extensive community consultation to ensure such a program will work within our community. However, partners in Main Street North project are investigating all potential avenues for addressing alcoholism in Thompson and northern Manitoba.