Premier Heather Stefanson breezed through Northern Manitoba Oct. 13-14, stopping in Churchill, Thompson and Flin Flon as part of a two-day northern tour.
In Thompson, Stefanson and Economic Development Minister Cliff Cullen toured Ford’s extreme cold weather testing site as well as the GLACIER jet engine testing facility before meeting with the mayor, councillors, police and firefighters at City Hall. Afterwards, their itinerary took them for a meeting with Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur before they hopped over to Flin Flon to tour the University College of the North nurse training facility and meet with members of the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy.
The tour began in Churchill, where Stefanson and Cullen went looking for polar bears on Frontiers North Adventures’ electric Tundra Buggy, accompanied by diplomats from Brazil, Germany and Iceland, and a Travel Manitoba representative.
The premier also helped Lazy Bear Expeditions owner Wally Daudrich, a former federal Conservative candidate in Northern Manitoba, christen a new $6-million, 23-metre boat with windows along the waterline for viewing beluga whales on the surface and underwater.
Stefanson also met with representatives of Arctic Gateway Group, the company that owns the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, which will receive $73 million in provincial funding for track repairs and upgrades, as announced this summer.
Following her meeting at Thompson City Hall, Stefanson spoke with media about her trip.
Safety and economic development were among the topics brought up at the Thompson meeting, Stefanson said, with police and firefighters highlighting the effect that labour shortages are having on their services.
“These are challenging issues, not just here in Thompson, not just in Manitoba, but across the country,” she said.
No commitments were made about helping the city out with those problems, but the premier said she would make use of what she learned.
“We listen, we take that back, we try and work collaboratively towards solutions.”
Stefanson also said it was interesting to learn more about the winter weather testing industry, which is well-suited for Manitoba, given its cold climate.
“Those are those very, very unique opportunities, I think, in terms of economic development,” she said. “Creating this diverse economy here in Northern Manitoba, it’s going to be very, very, very beneficial for the citizens here.”
On the subject of things that the provincial government could do for Thompson and the north the premier said she’s aware of particular issues and that getting to know more about them is precisely why she and her ministers are trying to get to various communities, both in the north and throughout the province.
“We don’t know until we get out to communities,” she said.
Stefanson declined to give a specific answer about whether there were any plans to bring foot care back to Thompson, deferring that response to Health Minister Audrey Gordon
“I know that she is looking into it,” said the premier. “We will be dealing with it.”
The issue of Highway 6 safety concerns and its lack of public bathrooms for travellers were also deflected to the relevant minister, with a little blame reserved for the previous NDP government, which was voted out of power in 2016.
”The minister of infrastructure is very much aware of this and he’s working diligently with the department to tackle this issue,” Stefanson said. “Safety on our highways is a a number one issue. We inherited an infrastructure deficit from the previous government that we’re tackling. That doesn’t happen overnight.”
The premier also made comments about the potential for economic development in Manitoba’s north.
“There’s just so much hope and opportunity in our northern communities, in Churchill and Thompson and all of our northern communities,” she said. “We’re very committed to the region. We want to make sure that you get the resources that you need here. I think I’ve had a proven track record in a short period of time of getting things done and that’s what we’re going to focus on in the future is getting things done for Thompson, for all of Northern Manitoba.”
