The Progressive Conservative  Party of Manitoba will choose a new leader on April the 26^th but not til 2025.

The leadership committee led by Winnipeg lawyer Brad Zander  said the long lead time will benefit prospective candidates and ensure the race, the first to be conducted under new rules approved in January, will run as smoothly as possible.

Zander also said that Manitoba PC’S should benefit in 2025 from the leadup to the federal election that the Conservative Party hopes to win that  fall.

The new PC leader will be the first to be chosen by party members since Heather Stefanson won a race to succeed former Premier Brian Pallister in October of 2021. Stefanson served as Premier from November of 2021 til October of 23 when the PC’S were defeated by Wab Kinew’s New Democratic party.

Stefanson stepped down in January, when party members selected Lac Du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko as interim leader.

It is a trip down memory lane tonight with the Flin Flon Archives Board who are presenting a Fire Side Chat.

Les Oystrik is helping put on tonight’s event and  tells us what we can expect and some of the artifacts and stories that they will be highlighting.

"  What people can expect is an opportunity to ask questions and to learn a little more about the Flin Flon Heritage project. The history of it, what is in the collection which is an online collection that we would like help to explore. We will be sharing some information on how this all started and where it is today, particularly  how we are transitioning this collection to the city and community. We are going to go pull up the website and to go through some searches to familiarize people and answer some questions."

This will take place tonight at Council Chambers starting at 7 and is open to everybody.

Make your way to the Hapnot Theatre tonight for the last movie of the season as the Central Canada Film Group will be showing MR Dressup The Magic Of Make Believe.

Colin Davis says it will be a great way to relive your childhood. "  If I mention the names Casey and Finnigan, who does that make you think of? If you said MR. Dressup, then you were watching the CBC between 1967 and 1996. MR Dressup was and still is a Canadian icon, beloved by millions and sadly taken from us in 2001. We are honoring this great man tonight at the Hapnot Theatre with our very special presentation of the documentary MR Dressup, The Magic Of Make Believe. If you want to have a special look behind the scenes of one of your happiest memories  of your childhood, you owe it to yourself to come and join us."

Today is also recognized as Canada Day Of Film and the Central Canada Film Group is happy to be offering this Canadian masterpiece.  Doors  open at 7 and the movie is 7:30 and it  will be the last movie shown til September.

On Friday  at approximately 6:00 p.m., Sandy Bay RCMP performed a routine traffic stop in Sandy Bay, SK.

As a result of investigation, during the traffic stop officers located and seized approximately 107 grams of crack cocaine, 19 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of ecstasy, a large number of knives, axes, baseballs bats, an imitation handgun, a sum of cash, and drug trafficking paraphernalia.

An adult male was arrested at the scene.

34-year-old Kelvin McCallum from Prince Albert is charged with multiple offenses including three counts, possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Kelvin McCallum will appear in court in Sandy Bay on Thursday 

Registration is now being taken for the 22^nd annual Flin Flon Poetry reading coming up  on Friday April the 19^th.

Harry Hobbes from the Flin Flon Toastmasters  invites everybody  to take part.

"  April is national poetry month and every year we celebrate in Flin Flon by having a poetry reading with members of our own community,  as well as guests from as far away as Malaysia and the States. We are always interested in having people to come out just to listen so don't forget to register and enjoy the evening."

The event is hosted by Flin Flon Toastmasters, Flin Flon Writers Guild and the Flin Flon Public Library. Readers are welcome from all over the world for this event which will be held online. You can read your own work or something submitted by someone else.

Once you sign up they will send you the link. You can also get information by going to the Flin Flon Poetry facebook page.

The Manitoba government is warning about the possibility of overland flooding in the northwestern part of the province.

Forecasters are monitoring a system that could bring up to 50 millimetres of rain and snow in the coming days.

Among the affected communities are Flin Flon and the Pas.

People in the affected areas are being advised to stay off waterways and keep away from flooding areas and dams.

On Friday , at approximately 4:30 am, Nelson House RCMP received a report that a youth had pointed a firearm at another youth before running off in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. Officers obtained a warrant for the youth’s residence.

A search of the residence located a rifle and ammunition.

The 16-year-old male suspect was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm in the Commission of an Offence, and Pointing a Firearm. The youth had been on conditions that included a curfew and not owning, possessing, or carrying any weapon. He is also charged with Breach of Release Order. He remains in custody.

You are invited to come out to the Flin Flon Pentecostal Church to hear the good news this Wednesday through Friday as evangelist Mark Davie will be in town and will help transform your life with stories on what his ministry is doing world wide.

The pastor from the Pentecostal church, Mikael  Mantyla tells us it will be a very inspirational  experience.  " He will be sharing  stories from the ministry of what he has been doing,  including some awesome things like people being healed, some miraculous things that are taking place. Not only will he be sharing testimonies and stories from his ministry but the bible as well. If anyone needs prayer for anything that they are going through including sickness are  more than welcome to come out."

Each service will start at 7pm Wednesday through Friday at the Flin Flon Pentecostal church at 180 Green street. Doors open at 6:30.

Raj Sewda  who is the  CEO of the NRHA stopped by the CFAR studio to update the public on Friday that they will be participating at all the trade shows happening around the North this spring.

Sedwa outlines what they will be sharing at these trade shows.  "  We will be featuring a lot of career information, public health programs and we will talk about our Northern Health Foundation and a there is a lot of prizes to be won. So stay tuned with these locations and dates as  we have a job for everyone. We always look for people to fill our vacancies and their may be jobs that we can fill with your skills."

The trade shows will be taking place in Flin Flon and Creighton April the 25^th to the 27^th, Snow Lake April the 30^th to May the 1^st , Thompson  May the 3^rd to the 5^th and the Pas May the 9^th to the 11^th.

You can also get information by going to the website northernhealthregion.com.

The Flin Flon Archives board want to take you down memory lane with a Fire Side Chat which will take place this Thursday at Council Chambers starting at 7.

Crystal Kolt stopped by the CFAR studio last week and invites everyone to come out for a great night in Flin Flon’s history.  " I am so excited about this little group that I have come to love. What we decided to do is form the Flin Flon Archives Board and it has been under the city for about a year and a half. We all know that this is an amazing town with all the great stories and we wanted to have Fire Side Chats. I started it during Culture Days where people could show up and talk about the history of the town. We are going to be holding this at City Council Chambers but it will be more with a big screen and pictures from the Flin Flon Heritage Project. There is going to be artifacts and stories with our local historians, Les Oystryk, Ken Pawlachuk, Don Peake and Frank Feiber. It will be a really good chance to get together as a community."

It will be a chance to enjoy an evening of memories including photos and stories about Phantom Lake, Early mining and the start of the town.  Kolt also went on to say they will be having more of these sessions in the future. It is absolutely free and all are welcome.

Fundraising continues for the new Flin Flon Aqua Centre as construction on the building will be starting very soon. As well as donations and grants the committee also have some more fundraising events coming up as we hear from Karen McKinnon.

" We are working are on a larger 50/50 with tickets on sale soon and will be drawn during the Blue Berry Jam weekend. We are looking at doing another Escape Room that was such a success and we have had requests to do another one. We are having that the weekend of May the 3rd to the 5th and there will also be an event hosted by the Flin Flon Arts Council."

On May the 5^th the Community Choir will be joining the Hapnot Choir and Children’s Choir and they will do an auction, and set up another fundraiser to help raise funds for the Aqua Centre. We will have more information soon.

You can follow updates on the Aqua Centre Committee by going to the City Of Flin Flon website at cityofflinflon.ca and click on the Aqua Centre tab.

AT THEIR MEETING EARLIER THIS WEEK THE TOWN COUNCIL OF CREIGHTON REPORTED RECEIVING NOTICE OF THE NORTHERN MUNICIPAL REVENUE SHARING GRANT. THE TOWN OF CREIGHTON WILL RECEIVE $111,790 DOLLARS AND 84 CENTS FOR 2024-25.

COUNCIL ALSO RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM STARS,THE SHOCK TRAUMA RESCUE SERVICE FOR A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE LIFE SAVING SERVICE WHICH WAS REFERRED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.

COUNCIL HAS RECEIVED AN INVITATION FROM THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS LOCAL 7106 TO PRESENT A WREATH ON THE ANNUAL DAY OF MOURNING CEREMONY APRIL 28th. COUNCIL HAS ACCEPTED THE INVITATION.

COUNCIL RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM THE FLIN FLON FIREWORKS COMMITTEE FOR A DONATION TOWARDS THEIR CANADA DAY CELEBRATION. COUNCIL AGREED TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION OF $750 DOLLARS.

COUNCIL ALSO PASSED A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE SUNCORP VALUATIONS 2024 APPRAISAL UPDATED FOR PROPERTIES OF INTEREST TO THE TOWN OF CREIGHTON.

AND A MOTION WAS PASSED TO NOMINATE LINDSAY SHIRRAN TO THE NORTHERN SPORT CULTURE AND RECREATION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

The newly formed Wahkohtowin Trails Committe   continue to meet regularly as  they continue to identify trail areas in the Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach areas.

Christine Williams from the committee reports that they have come up with their first trail that people of all ages will be able to enjoy.  " On Tuesday night a group of people met for the Wahkohtowin Trails Committee, for the weeks leading up to Tuesday we had been having a vote for 5 local trail areas around Flin Flon. We voted on Tuesday night that we were going to develop an all season hiking, snow shoeing trail at Phantom Lake. Phantom Lake is the perfect location for a lot of people because Hudbay graciously allowed us to use their land and they made a great donation for covering our insurance costs. This will allow us to safely use the trails and volunteers to work on the trails."

This will be approximately a 2 km trail that they will start working on in the spring. If you are interested in finding out more or would like to join their committee, they meet the second Tuesday of each month at the Creighton Rec Office.

They will also be meeting this Sunday at noon at the Phantom Lake parking lot to hammer out the first part of the trail.

The Saskatchewan  Anglers Guide for 2024-25 is now available online.

This Anglers guide will help with regulations, policies and practices that guide recreational fishing in the province including a list of all the water bodies, catch limits and regulations.

This guide will give you everything you need to know for the angling season.

You can access the online guide now by going to Saskatchewan.ca/angling.

Physical copies of the guide will be available at Saskatchewan Field Offices and Provincial Park Offices in early May.

Last Thursday , at approximately 9:40 am, Swan River RCMP received a report of a stolen vehicle from Swan River. It was reported that a suspect had entered a home, taken keys, and stole the homeowner’s vehicle.

Officers located the stolen vehicle on Valley Road at Highway 10, and initiated a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop and was driving erratically at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle was later located and continued driving erratically.  Officers deployed a spike belt on Highway 10, and the suspect vehicle went over it and stopped a short distance away.

A female driver and male passenger were arrested. The female driver provided a sample of her breath which registered a fail.

Trisha Cook, 32, has been charged with multiple offenses including flight from a police officer x2.

She was also issued several provincial tickets under the Highway Traffic Act and the Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Control Act.

She was remanded into custody.

A 33-year-old male is facing a charge of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on July 17, 2024, in Swan River.

Swan River RCMP continue to investigate.

On April 1^st, at approximately 8:00 am, Gods Lake Narrows RCMP received a report of a shooting at an outdoor location in the community of Gods Lake Narrows. When officers arrived on scene, a 35-year-old male was found to have been shot and suffering life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Winnipeg for treatment, and he now remains in hospital in stable condition.

 The investigation determined that the 35-year-old male and a 28-year-old female had kidnapped a 28-year-old male at gunpoint and taken him to the outdoor location and confined him there. While in the commission of this offence, the 35-year-old male suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The other two individuals were not physically injured.

The 35-year-old male and the 28-year-old female are both charged with Kidnapping with a Firearm and Forcible Confinement. The female suspect remains in custody.

Community Futures Greenstone held a  Women In Business Community Celebration back in March show casing some successful women in business here in Flin Flon. The event was moderated and hosted by the Chamber of Commerce’s Dianne Russell who was very happy with the turn out.

"It was so great to see a full packed room, just full of women, really excited to celebrate the opportunity for entrepreneurship. Half of them, if not more were already entrepreneurs. So part of the evening was getting the support by Kelly and Cindy and Dawn, but it was also about supporting each other. So it was just really great motivation, motivational evening. And we know we're going to have a lot more in the future because there is just so many women going into business these days."

Russell went on to add they will be doing more events in the future to help promote helping people get into business in the North.

Simonhouse Bible Camp is looking forward to another busy summer of camps filled with lots of summer adventures and  a positive Christian message for kids and families  of all backgrounds.

Darrell Janzen is the camp director and he  lets us know how you can sign up.

"The best way to register is just to go to our website at Simon house.ca and lots of information there about the camp and all including our financial assistance programs we have there. So if you're not sure if you can afford camp or know of someone that can't afford camp, there's lots of ways to get kids there. Money shouldn't be a problem in that area. Yeah, we are taking early bird registrations till the end of April. So the price is reduced."

Camps will start at the beginning of July and range in ages from 6 to 17 and you can register and find out more information at simonhouse.ca.

The Imagine Northern Group from Flin Flon was one of many organizations  who attended the Northern Arts and Food workshops  at UCN in the Pas in late March.

The purpose was to bring together artists, body’s and creative organizations to connect and share resources with lots of people and groups from all over the province.  Christy Janvier was one of the people to attend from Flin Flon and says she got a lot out of the experience.

Attending the Northern Arts and Food Workshop. It's a great time for us to gather in person so that we can really communicate and find out what's happening in each other's communities. And this year, they had a lot of really great speakers, from indigenous communities as well as how the arts work in Yukon and then as well as in Halliburton, how they have a collective, working there so that all of our northern communities can start working together and supporting each other in a way for economic development for our artists."

They will have more information on this workshop on their relaunched website at imaginorthern.ca and next year’s work shop will take place in Thompson with dates being released in early 2025.

The City Of Flin Flon held a public hearing and information session regarding the new Aqua Centre on Friday night. City Council provided projects updates on how they are moving  ahead and Rec Director Cait Bailey says they were able to get a lot of information out to the public.

"It was a great meeting, It was nice to get some further information out to the public. Anyone that did miss it, we will have print copies of the presentations as well as everything available online at the City of Flin Flon. We were able to walk everyone through the building's architectural rendering, so they were kind of able to get a good picture of what it will be like, what it'll be like to be in the facility itself and to swim in the pool. We were able to go through financial information, the cost of the pool, tax information, Our CAO, Lynn had a lot of  info on that for the public. So again, all of that will be will be available."

Fundraising is on going and the City just received a nice donation from the Rotary Club for $100,000.00. If you have any questions or concerns about the new pool you can go to the city’s website at cityofflinflon.ca and click on the Aqua Centre tab.

The Home Routes Series will continue in Flin Flon tonight with their 72^nd show since 2009.  Tonight they welcome multi musician Jack Garton and one of the organizers Tim Spencer tells us he is a up and coming performer.

" We are excited about Jack who is coming from Galleano island off the BC coast. Jack is big in BC and was featured at the Calgary Stampede last year and just did a knock out performance. He is different  because his main instruments are accordian and trumpet. He is a song writer and he plays guitar and has original songs and plays with high energy."

Tonight’s show will take place at Tim and Elly Spencer’s home at 19 Hemlock with doors opening at 7 and the performance at 7:30. Tickets can be picked up right at the door for $25.00. Tomorrow night Jack will be performing in Cranberry at the Legion and he will be at the library in the Pas on Sunday.

The winners have been announced for the 40^th annual Volunteer Awards being presented by Volunteer Manitoba and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. These awards recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and groups who selflessly dedicate their time to make a difference in their communities.

Among The award winners is Flin Flon’s Karen Clarke who receives the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Leadership Award for the North. Clarke says she is very honored to be recognized.

"  It was really nice to get a call from the LT Governor, she called me and told me about the award and it I was thrown by it and it is a real honor." After we spoke I went online and looked up the award. I found it is an award for leadership in the community. It awards three things,  identifying a need in the community , devizing absolution and motivating other people to join with you to work towards a solution. I found it be an exciting award to be given because that is what people in Flin Flon do."

Clarke went on to add that she appreciates all the help she has received from various people through out the years on various projects  that  has been ongoing  since 2010. Clarke will receive her award at the Club Regent in Winnipeg on April the 18^th.

The Town Of Creighton is looking forward to the spring and summer seasons and have a lot of exciting events for the community to enjoy as the snow continues to disappear.

Creighton Rec Director Lindsay Shirran tells us it will all kick off with their spring clean up campaign.  " The Town Of Creighton Spring clean up week will run from May 21st to May the 24th. You put your unwanted items or garbage at your usual pickup location and the public works department will pick it up and take it to the dump for you.  Any fridges or freezers must have the freeon removed first  of course. If you have any larger items you can call the Creighton Town Office at 306-688-8253 to arange pick up. That will also lead into our community yard sale which will take place on Saturday May the 25th. If you register your sale at the Rec Office before the 16th you can have your sale advertized in the Reminder and have a map and it will be shared on the Town Of Creighton facebook page and website."

The Town Of Creighton will be waving the dumping fees from May the 15^th to the 28^th and if you have any questions about the spring clean-up you can contact the Town Office at 306-688-8253.

While Snow Lake RCMP continue to support Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage areas, as well as patrol along the roadways in between all three communities, officers have also responded to calls in Snow Lake. These are the calls they received in March.

• 13 traffic-related events
• 1 mischief
• 1 traffic collision
• 1 False Alarm
• 1 assault
• 1 operation While Impaired by alcohol
• 1 child luring
• 1 fire prevention
• 1 coroner’s act – sudden death

During this same time period, Flin Flon had 257 files and Cranberry Portage had 35. Of those files, over 12% were calls involving violence where bodily harm occurred and multiple resources were required.

The City of Flin Flon will be making a donation towards Legion Housing as they made the announcement  in council chambers on Tuesday.

Councillor Dallas Funk said the $5,000.00 donation will go towards phase three to include upgrades to the area in front of the building which has already included the removal of the water fountain. The other renovations will include building a gazebo and helping with the cement and foundation.

Final resolution was given for the traffic bylaw that will include new parking for the area in front of the Inferno Schwarma  restaurant . Some residents have raised concerns on there being no where to park for the restaurant or people living on the other side of the street.

The city has cleared the last hurdle  where the old Willowpark Curling rink used to stand be turned from Parks and Rec to residential with the possibility of offering to contractors for sale or use of the land.

April the 1^st was the deadline for Flin Flon residents to submit questions and concerns to the public utilities board about the increase in Flin Flon water rates. The city is expecting an official announcement soon and will be putting a request forward for members from the government to attend a public forum.

The City also announced that they will be joining a city clean up with Greenstone and the Main street committee for the downtown area on Mother’s  day on May the 11^th.