The Pas Kelsey Recreation has 3 positions available that they are looking to fill in the coming weeks. The positions available are “Part Time Facility Monitor”, “Part time/ Casual Cleaner” and “Full Time Desk Attendant”, each of these positions are for The Pas Rec and Wellness Centre. Applications will be accepted until September 7^th for the Facility Monitor and Desk Attendant positions, and until the 12^th for the Cleaner Position. If you are interested in applying you can send your applications to Keri Lee Zaharia atkeriz@townofthepas.ca. Appplications and further information on the job requirements can be found at townofthepas.com.

The Province of Manitoba will join in the Participation in National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Justice Minister and Attorney General Heather Stefanson and Indigenous and Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced yesterday, the Manitoba government has passed an order that provides the commissioners of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the authority to examine the considerable work and analysis already completed in Manitoba, and to examine matters within the exclusive jurisdiction of the province. The inquiry’s commissioners are expected to issue a report and recommend.

Another sawmill company is reaching out to Tolko employees with the announcement of the closure of Tolko operations in Manitoba. AV Terrace Bay incorporated is hosting a recruitment fair from Sept 7^th and 8^th at the Kikiwak inn. The company owns mills in Ontario, New Brunswick and across the world in Sweden, Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey. AV Terrace Bay incorporated in Terrace Bay Ontario is hiring for 12 positions.

AV Terrace Bay Inc. is a part of Aditya Birla Group, a US $40 billion corporation; the Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of over 136,000 employees, belonging to 42 different nationalities. The Group has been ranked Number 4 in the Global 'Top Companies for Leaders' survey and ranked Number 1 in Asia Pacific for 2011. 'Top Companies for Leaders' is the most comprehensive study of organizational leadership in the world conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine and RBL (a strategic HR and Leadership Advisory firm).  The Aditya Birla Group is the world’s largest producer of Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF), commanding a 21 per cent global market share. Grasim, with an aggregate capacity of 333,975 tons per annum, has a global market share of 10 per cent. It is also the second largest producer of caustic soda (which is used in the production of VSF) in India. It owns Pulp & Fibre Mills across Canada, Sweden, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and Turkey (in process).

AV Terrace Bay Inc. is one of the three pulp and fibre mills in Canada and is currently recruiting for the following positions to join our team. The other 2 mills are in New Brunswick. Each member of the team will be required to utilize all of their skills for multiple aspects of the plant activities.  In addition to the challenge and opportunity associated with the positions, Terrace Bay Pulp Inc. offers competitive salary and benefits.

Open positions:

1.       Steam Chief- First class ticket holder- AV Terrace Bay

2.       Power Engineers- 2^nd class- AV Terrace Bay

3.       Project manager- AV Nackawic

4.       Maintenance Engineer supervisor- AV Nackawic

5.       Steam & Recovery supervisor- AV Nackawic

6.       Electrical Engineer- AV Cell

7.       Chemical engineer- AV Cell

8.       H.R Administrator- AV Cell

9.       Electricians- All

10.   Instrument mechanics- All

11.   Millwrights- All

12.   All other trades- All

We will be holding recruitment fair on September 7^th and 8^th from 9 am to 9 pm at the Kikiwak Inn.

We are inviting resumes for all salaried and hourly positions.

Each member of the team will be required to utilize all of their skills for multiple aspects of the plant activities.  In addition to the challenge and opportunity associated with the positions, Terrace Bay Pulp Inc. offers competitive salary and benefits.

Applicants interested in working for a progressive, team oriented, multicultural company should send their resume in confidence to:

AV Terrace Bay Inc.

21 Mill Road

Terrace Bay, Ontario  P0T 2W0

Fax: (807) 825-3260

Email:  anu.baldner@adityabirla.com

Residents in the RM of Kelsey can now take advantage of curb side recycling pickup. Thanks to the success of the pickup in The Pas it’s being extended to the RM. Tuesday afternoons recycling will be picked up on Tuscan Drive, Bodnar Road, Young’s Point, Heinz subdivision and bachelor road. Wednesday afternoon’s Rhall’s Island, Neil Road, Crystal Drive, Riverside, Riverview, Evren and Burkart roads will be picked up. OCN, Big Eddy, and Umperville picks up will be done on Thursday. All pickups begin after 1pm. Recycling must be in clear or transparent plastic bags, corrugated cardboard, electronics and batteries are to be separated from household recycling.

The Pas Regional library has announced they will offer Digital Magazines for residents of The Pas and area. In partnership with Recorded Books, the library will offer Zinio for Libraries, a digital magazine service. The full color digital editions are used for instant desktop reading, mobile streaming, and mobile app download. Library Administrator Lauren Wadelius said with so many people using electronic devices this is a welcome addition to the library. The fact that the magazines are available anytime and anywhere is great. For more information on how to access the service you can contact the library at the pas regional library .com.

RCMP in the Town of The Pas had a busier month of July compared to June in some areas. Over the month of July RCMP responded to 194 incidents of disturbing the peace, 28 of theft and 9 of impaired. Both disturbing the peace and theft numbers rose month over month while Impaired remained the same. In the RM of Kelsey RCMP responded to 10 incidents of Disturbing the peace, 2 of theft and 8 of Impaired. Disturbing the peace numbers rose while both theft and impaired dropped.  

A wilderness committee says the Manitoba government must ensure Tolko Industries shuts down logging roads when it closes its plant near The Pas.  The forest products company has announced their mill will close on December 2^nd putting 332 employees out of work. The Wilderness Committee’s Campaign Director Eric Reder says Tolko is required to close the logging roads under its environmentallicense.  He says the roads will continue to disrupt Grass River Provincial Park, woodland caribou and northern forests unless the company decommissions them.  They recommend some of the communities affected by the mill closure should be the given first opportunity to do any decommissioning work. Tolko Industries is promising to meet all of its environmental responsibilities when it shuts down it pulp and paper mill.

A wilderness committee says the Manitoba government must ensure Tolko Industries shuts down logging roads when it closes its plant near The Pas.  The forest products company has announced their mill will close on December 2^nd putting 332 employees out of work. The Wilderness Committee’s Campaign Director Eric Reder says Tolko is required to close the logging roads under its environmentallicense.  He says the roads will continue to disrupt Grass River Provincial Park, woodland caribou and northern forests unless the company decommissions them.  They recommend some of the communities affected by the mill closure should be the given first opportunity to do any decommissioning work. Tolko Industries is promising to meet all of its environmental responsibilities when it shuts down it pulp and paper mill.

The Aseneskak Company Incorporated announced yesterday that the board of directors and the general partner of the Aseneskak casino limited partnership are seeking to relocate the Casino to a new market. Asenskak Company CEO Suzanne Barbeau-Bracegirdle says there’s no official time frame yet."As soon as we find out, I'll give you a better time frame; but right now, we're looking at maybe two years". The board of the Aseneskak Casino is looking to maximize the potential of its gaming agreement to yield economic benefits for First Nations Partners. With the limited capacity of the local market, the board is actively considering options to move the casino to a larger Manitoba market. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Swampy Cree Tribal Council have supported the board’s mandate to explore new markets.

Today local A&W restaurants are hosting the annual Burgers to Beat MS event in collaboration with the MS Society of Canada. The event is in its 8th year, and is hosted nationwide. It has brought in more than $8 million in donations from selling Teen Burgers throughout the day. Director of Development for the MS Society Ilona Niemczyk, says it’s important for people to know it is a one day event. "It's just that one day, so we encourage people to buy Teen Burgers and make a donation if they're able to, even topping up the cost of their order. Any amount is not too small, and everything goes towards the MS Society." 

The Opaskwayak Cree Nation Income Assistance and the Manitoba Construction Sector are taking applications for a job readiness program. The program is designed to meet the needs of skills laborers and will ensure that trainees understand the work culture and are for committed to long term employment in construction. Some of the programs include Stress and Time management, Budgeting skills, and Professionalism in the Workplace. After the program has been completed graduates will be placed in a 2 to 4 week internship with one on one mentorship. Program start date and application deadline is Monday. If you’re interested you can contact Income Assistance. 

It’s back to school next week for Opaskwayak Cree Nation students. The first day of classes for the 2016-17 school year is next Wednesday

 for Joe A Ross and Oscar Lathlin Collegiate. They would like to welcome new and returning students and it will be Day 1. 

The announcement of the closure of the Tolko Industries Paper Mill in The Pas has rocked the community this week. Town of The Pas Mayor Jim Scott says it’s a tough pill to swallow."But like initially, on day one, it's just a hit to the gut. It is an astronomical decision, I never ever, ever, ever thought this would be happening. 330 jobs is a lot, it's really going to hurt our economy, because there's a ripple effect". The Town of The Pas is committed to working with Tolko towards a more positive solution and will continue to pursue one. They have also extended to Tolko, a request that they identify any areas that we, as a Town, may consider to assist in this matter.

Opaskwayak Indian Days has now come to an end and with it comes to the end of the OID Princess Pageant. This year the 2016 Opaskwayak Indian Days Princess is Gabby Umperville. Here she talks about what it means to her. "It's an honour. When I got crowned I started to cry, it was just an amazing feeling, it was so surreal, all of the hard work really paid off." Umperville says now that she’s won the title she’s going to do her best to attend as many events as possible in the Town of The Pas, RM of Kelsey and Opaskwayak Cree Nation. 

There’s still time to get your organization signed up for Kelsey Recreation’s Annual Parade of Programs. The annual event isSeptember 10th. To register call Kelsey Rec at 204-627-1131. Come out and see what The Pas has to offer. It will be held from11am to 2pm at the Roy H Johnston Arena.

While students dread having to go back to school this fall the University College of the North is busy planning for the year. In the early part of September students will make their way back and with it UCN will be holding a student orientation on Sept 6^th and 7^th. Summer is just about over as students prepare for the fall. At the orientation there will be individual program orientation, student support services, a selfie scavenger hunt, free food and more.

Opaskwayak Indian Days continues today right into the weekend and the annual Sonny McGillivary Talent Contest is tonight. It starts at 7pm at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre as the most talented locals will take their shot at the top prizes. Entry fee is 300 dollars and top prize in both the male and female singing categories are 3-thousand dollars. For more information you can contact Dave Cook at 204-620-7686. 

The Pas MLA Amanda Lathlin gave an update this week as to the projects she’s currently working on with the provincial government."The Pas Health Clinic, and even the Moose Lake road, right now, even though those projects were approved by a treasure board, they are under review within the government, and I have spent time with them, within estimates questioning the ministers responsible on their committment to those projects, which are very important to people here in The Pas and surrounding areas". Lathlin said now that the dust has settled from the previous election she can focus on working as an opposition MLA and strengthening Northern Manitoba. Paving of the Moose Lake road and construction of The Pas Health Clinic have been in the works for a while.  

Junior and Senior Traditional events are taking place this afternoon as part of OID. Events run throughout the afternoon at OID Park with prize money available for each event. Junior events include Sling Shot, Archery, Leg Wrestling, Moose and Goose Calling and more. Senior events include Shoe Scramble, Rock and Log throw, Moose and Goose calling and more. Entry fee is 2 dollars per event.  

Some of the best Canoe Paddlers will take part in the annual Opaskwayak Indian Days Canoe Classic today. The 3 day race begins today and Edwin Jebb with OID has more on some new competitors expected to compete."It could be higher, we never know. I've been getting calls from Winnipeg, there's some youth coming in, asking about waiver forms. I said I'm flexible, bring your own waiver forms. Somebody is bringing these young people in between 16 and 18". The three day race has thousands of dollars in prize money available. The Paddlers take off at noon each of the three days and are expected to complete each day’s race in approximately 2 hours.

The Pas Community Renewal Corporation is holding the annual Street Festival this weekend. On Saturday the TPCRC will have games and events for the kids, along with street vendors and more. Everyone is invited and it will take place from noon to 4pm in the parking lots of the royal Canadian legion and North of 53 Industrial Supplies. There are a few vendor tables still available and to book one you can call the TPCRC at 204-623-4269 or email tpcrc.dev@live.com.

The Jake Constant Memorial Jigging Contest is this Saturday apart of Opaskwayak Indian Days. The 51^st annual OID, Jigging Contest will take place at the GLMC starting at 9pm and will feature live bands. Dee Erin Band, Highway 373, Fred Mitchell and DJ4Real will all be playing. Advance tickets are 20 dollars and can be bought at Shane’s Music and OID Headquarters.  

With Opaskwayak Indian Days in full swing the annual Sonny McGillivary Talent Contest is this weekend. Friday night 7pm at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre the most talented locals will take their shot at the top prizes. Entry fee is 300 dollars and top prize in both the male and female singing categories are three thousand dollars. For more information you can contact Dave Cook at 204-620-7686.  

It’s a busy week on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation with Indian days in full swing. Tomorrow afternoon the opening ceremonies will take place at 4pm at Pike Lake. It will be followed by the shooting of the 4 flaming arrows at 5pm. Each year the flaming arrows are shot into the trees with the finding person receiving $100 for each. Games and events are planned for the entire week of the 51^stannual Indian Days.

The Pas Preschool Activity Centre offers an enriching program each year for children between the ages of three and five. Registrations are open now for the 2016-17 term. If you or someone you know is interested in the program; you can pre-register your child by calling 204-623-2726, or by email at thepaspreschool@gmail.com.

Breast cancer can affect anyone but detecting it in an early stage can save your life. The mobile breast check mammogram unit will be in The Pas next week. Women over the age of 50 are eligible for an appointment for a screening. A doctor’s referral is not needed and you can set your appointment by calling 1-800-903-9290 for free. August 22^nd to 31^st the unit will be set up at the Pas Primary Health Centre. The mobile unit is also currently set up in Flin Flon until Friday.

Construction work on Fischer Avenue is expected to continue today. Originally thought the work would be finished yesterday but an unexpected delay is pushing work into today. The road will be closed again today between Fischer and 3^rd street and Fischer and 4^thstreet throughout the day. The road is expected to be back open by the end of the day. 102.9 CJAR and The Town of The Pas facebook page will have more updates as they become available.

This September the Opaskwayak Cree Nation will go to the polls to vote for a new Chief and Council. The final candidates list are in and running for chief are Christian Sinclair and William J McGillivray. Current OCN Chief Michael Constant is not running. Running for Vice Chief are Jennifer Flett, Dale Knutson, Ken young and Ron Fidler. There are 7 councilor positions up for election too and have 31 candidates running. The election will take place on September 15^th at the Kikiwak inn.

The Oil Spill into the North Saskatchewan River in Maidstone Saskatchewan still isn’t expected to reach the Manitoba border. Town of The Pas Municipal Superintendent Saman Mirza-Agha reported to council that fire wells have been connected to The Pas water in case of an emergency. Husky Energy has cleaned up over 140-thousnad liters of the oil within 20km of the spill site. Oil is still 700km from the Manitoba Border and the office of drinking water is not worries about the chance it makes it to The Pas. Husky has set up 60 testing spots between the spill and Prince Albert.

Today is miracle treat day at DQ restaurants across the North America. Each year, Dairy Queen restaurants and the Children’s Miracle Network team up for Miracle Treat Day. Proceeds from every blizzard treat sold will be donated to local Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals. In 2015, over 5 million dollars was donated to Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals across the United States and Canada. Each day over 4,900 children visit a Children’s Miracle Network member hospital. Some are battling cancer, some are suffering from a traumatic injury, others require constant care because they were born too early, or with a genetic disease.

Concerns were brought forward by residents of The Pas, and Mayor and Council as to the ability to fight fires in our community. Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman spoke at the Committee of the Whole Meeting Monday night to answer questions and provide an update on the state of the Fire Department. The termination of 3, and resignation of 5 more experienced volunteer fire fighters brought on the recent concerns. Zimmerman said the 8 members are missed, and do have an effect on the department, although not critical. He says the department sits at 23 volunteer members and can confidently serve our community. Members of the public spoke at the meeting and said they haven’t seen an issue so badly handled before.

 

Since OmniTrax announced the closing of the Port of Churchill last month it’s made Northern Manitoba face job cuts across the region. Here in The Pas Jim Berschied with the Hudson Bay Route Association says they’ve met with the Provincial government, Saskatchewan Government and Federal Government. "Our goal here today is just to educate, we let them know what the goal is in our region from our organization, and we worked with municipal organizations to educate for the board of Churchill." Berschied hopes a resolution will come forward soon. He also says support has come from different groups across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 

According to the Global Footprint Network as of yesterday humanity has used up more resources that the earth can generate this year.  The network declared yesterday as this year’s Earth Overshoot Day which is five days earlier than last year and the earliest Overshoot Day yet.

 The Network says as the global population grows and consumption rises, we are emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than our oceans and forests can absorb and we are depleting fisheries and harvesting forests more quickly that they can reproduce andregrow.  The Network states when the first Earth Overshoot Day was calculated in 1987 it fell on December 19^th.

World Wildlife Fund President David Miller says Canada is fortunate to still have an abundance of renewable natural riches when much of the world no longer does so it’s vital that we take care of these resources so they can continue to take care of us in the future and that’s why WWF Canada works to build solutions to ensure people and nature thrive together.

Manitoba Hydro’s The Pas office is holding their annual customer appreciation barbecue Thursday.  There will be reps from Manitoba Hydro and Louis the Lightening Bug will be there to entertain the children. There’s going to be giveaways for the children, door prizes and they’ll be feeding people hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks. The appreciation barbecue runs from 11 to 1 Thursday at The Pas office at 420 3^rd Street East.

Many questions have been raised on the status of The Pas Fire Department in the past few months after a series of layoffs and staffing changes came to light. Greg Zimmerman, Fire Chief released a statement on these concerns, which outlined his beliefs when it comes to issues such as Training, Staffing, Equipment and Budget. One of the biggest issues it seems is budget. Staff in The Pas have 2 full time employee’s, answer around 160 calls a year, provide rescue services outside of municipal boundaries, and have a meager annual operating budget of $335 thousand dollars, much less than surrounding areas who respond to less calls and do not leave municipal boundaries. To read the report in full, you can visit the Town of The Pas website, under the Council Meetings tab, and click the agenda for July 25^th, or you can attend the Committee of the Whole meeting this evening at 6pm. 

The Opaskwayak Cree Nation Child and Family Services and Opaskwayak Health Authority in collaboration with the Northern Summer Institute is once again putting on a culture camp this year starting tomorrow and running until Thursday. This years theme will be “Rites of Passage”. Some workshops held include “Rights of Passage”, “Domestic Violence” and “Mental Health”. There will also be land based activities at Moose Park available including medicine picking, moose hunting expeditions and Canoeing. Keynote speakers for the week are Andrew Bear, Janet Fox and Nellie Ironquill, with sound provided by David Cook. Meals and Snacks will also be served. If you’re looking for more information on the event you can contact Donna Young at 627-7199.

Manitoba Hydro is putting on another lunch to show their appreciation for their customers in The Pas. Head over to 420 3^rd Street East with your family and friends for free Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Drinks. Louie the Lightening Bug will be there to meet the kids, and there will be free giveaways and draws! The event will be held from 11 to 1PM next Thursday.

Opaskwayak Cree Nation will be hosting a traditional POW wow next weekend with the theme “Empowering our Youth”. The festivities will take place at the OCN Arbor Site, with grand entry starting at 7PM on the 12^th. There will be prizes awarded for different events held, such as in Hand Drum singing, Dancing, and Drumming. Dancing categories include Tiny Tots, juniors, Teens, Teen Adults, Senior Adults, and Golden Age. A feast will follow the events on Saturday at 5PM. Free camping and shower facilities will be available as needed. For more information on registration or the events taking place, you can contact Jon Weenusk at 204-627-7100

There’s always a reason to read a great book, and this summer, The Pas Regional Library is putting on a contest giving you even more reasons to read. With the wide selection of books available it won’t be hard for you to find something you love, and each time you sign books out, you will be entered into a draw to win a prize pack of books. The more you read the more chances you get to win. The draw will be done on August 26^th, leaving you with plenty of time to go browse through their wide selection of novels, magazines, comics and more to find something you enjoy.

If you’re looking for something to do on Saturday, why not head over to the Kelsey Recreation Centre for a day of activities brought to you by Shaw Direct. They’re making some changes to their services, and they want to celebrate with the community! The activities are all free of charge and include favorites such as Basketball, Swimming, Hockey, Time for Tots and Cardio Sessions.  These are all available to the public free of charge from 9 to 6PM. For more information, call the Kelsey Rec centre at 204-627-1134, or you can reach them by email at rec.wellness@townofthepas.ca

A Cree Gathering & Unity run was held yesterday evening at the Arbor Site after a few years break between events, with runners arriving in The Pas and OCN from throughout Manitoba the runners were welcomed with a grand entry followed by prayers by elders. The event was founded in 1996 during the time of Chief Francis Flett as a method to mentor and empower youth, connecting them to their culture and history. "The Cree Unity Run involves youth, they take to the road, sometimes they fall down, the little ones will cry, and we'll help them up, and they continue. It's just the way it is, if you fall down, you got to keep going, this is what our elders tell us; never, never give up."

Cree people from around Northern Manitoba were invited to join the run, which was followed today by a Cree Gathering to spread the word on Traditional History, with drum groups.6 Runners from OCN took place in the run.

The Pas Cats and Kittens is a local nonprofit organization run by Lorraine Mcintosh. Most of the cats in care reside in her home, and those that are lucky are placed into foster homes with the hopes of finding their “Forever Homes”. Mcintosh has put together a new program, hereby known as “Whisker Wednesdays” run each Wednesday, where a featured cat is put on for adoption for half the normal adoption fee. These fee’s include spaying, neutering and any vetting that needs to be done during their time with the shelter. This week’s featured cat is Phantom, who is available for adoption today for $50. To see which cats are available for adoption, visit The Pas Cats and Kittens on Facebook.

With OmniTrax announcing the closure of the Port of Churchill, it’s having drastic effects on jobs across Northern Manitoba. Town of The Pas Mayor says has met with other municipal and provincial leaders last week and they’re starting to make plans. "The short term plan that we have is to salvage the 2016 shipping season. Let's figure out how we can do that. I don't know what that means at this point, it might mean that we get people who are in the business, to perhaps lease the locomotives, lease the tract space, lease the port, and get that grain moving."

The provincial government has made promises to make the transition for workers who’ve been laid off as smooth as possible. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, has said the Denver-based company is trying to leverage money out of the province on the backs of ordinary workers.

It’s almost been two weeks since nearly 250,000 liters of Oil spilled into the Saskatchewan River. In The Pas Municipal Superintendent Saman Mirza Agha says although we’re downstream from the spill its still weeks away. "The federal government is working on setting up a testing station at the Saskatchewan border to test the water quality, so if at some point, the oil happens to reach there, the federal government will know immediatly and notify us that it has reached that point."

Mirza Agha says our water is still drinkable and good in The Pas. But in a worst case scenario situation they do have 2 back up fire wells of water that could be turned on if need be.