Thompson, Manitoba
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Thompson, Manitoba is a city in Manitoba. It is the largest city in northern Manitoba, and it is located 739 (approximately 472 miles) km north of Winnipeg and 396 (approximately 237 miles) km north-east of Flin Flon. As of the 2001 census, Thompson had a population of 13,256.
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[edit] History
The modern history of Thompson began in 1956 when on February 4, a major ore body was discovered by use of an airborne electromagnetometer following ten years of mining exploration in the region. Inco Limited signed an agreement with the Manitoba government covering the construction of the mine, mill, smelter, and refinery, as well as town services. The agreement also required that the company provide financial assistance towards the Kelsey Generating System, and a spur line to connect with C.N's Bay Line near Thicket Portage. Thompson is a planned community named after Inco's chairman, John F. Thompson, and was incorporated as a town in 1967 on Canada's Centennial Anniversary. In 1970 Thompson was incorporated as a city in the royal presence of Queen Elizabeth II, having reached a population of 20,000. A decline in population occurred during the following decades, levelling off around 14,000 people. Thompson came to be known as "The Hub of the North", as it functions as a centre for politics and commerce in the region.
[edit] Industry
Its most prominent local industry is the mining, milling, smelting and refining of nickel, with additional nickel concentrates coming from Voisey's Bay, Newfoundland. Many Federal, Provincial, and Aboriginal government agencies have offices in Thompson. Thompson has a large retail sector, providing such things as vehicles and groceries to many in the outlying region, who come to take advantage of the lower prices found there, mainly on the weekends. The aviation sector is also quite busy as many of the communities in Northern Manitoba are only reachable by air for half of the year.
[edit] Education
The local School District of Mystery Lake encompasses six elementary grade schools (Deerwood, Burntwood, Westwood, Riverside, Juniper, and Wapanohk (formerly Eastwood)) and one high school, R.D. Parker Collegiate.
Thompson also offers a K-12 French immersion program. Parents must enroll their children in the program and send them to École Riverside School and then afterwards they can continue it in high school. Students do not have the option of switching to French immersion in secondary school if they did not take the course at some point while in elementary school.
Although there is some demand for a private school, Thompson is not home to any at this time.
There is also the opportunity to receive K-8 education in the Cree language. This immersion program begins at Wapanohk (formerly Eastwood) elementary school and continues into the high school with less intensity, offering First Nations studies as well.
Thompson contains one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North, as well as the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Social Work branch in the region.
[edit] Shopping
Thompson is home to western Canada's first fully enclosed shopping center, the Thompson Plaza. The surrounding communities also rely on many of the shopping ammenities it has to offer.
[edit] Cold Weather Testing
Due to Thompson's unique location and weather conditions it has gained a good reputation for its cold weather testing. Automobile manufacturers such as Chrysler, Ford, and Hummer have tested their vehicles in winter months in Thompson. The National Research Council of Canada has indicated it's intentions to seek a partner in the private industry to develop an aircraft engine testing facility.
[edit] Sports
Thompson is home to the Norman Northstars hockey team. Thompson's minor hockey teams are known as the King Miners.
The high school teams are called the RD Parker Collegiate Trojans. The main rivals of the Trojans are the Hapnot Kopper Kings from Flin Flon and the MBCI Spartans from The Pas.
Every year students from the six elementary schools in grades 4-8 compete in the Knights of Columbus Track Meet. The most successful school to date in the competition has been Westwood School.
Thompson also has a large 6-sheet curling rink known as the Burntwood Curling Club which has hosted several zone and provincial competitions.
[edit] Circuit Court
Thompson is unique in that it is the judicial center for an enormous geographic area ranging from Norway House in the South to Churchill in the North. Judges and lawyers based in Thompson regularly travel by small plane on circuit court to various remote communities and reserves to hold court.
[edit] Bylaws
The City Council of Thompson has bylaws. One of which is a curfew (varying depending on age) for people under 18. [1]
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspaper
The local newspaper, the Thompson Citizen, is the best source of local news for the 15,000 residents. The newspaper is published twice weekly. The Wednesday edition costs $0.85 while the Monday edition, The Nickel Belt News, is a free circulation to all of the city's residences. The expanding growth of Thompson is reflected within the pages of the Thompson Citizen as it has grown significantly in size and structure. Included now are several sections dedicated to different aspects of what is happening in Thompson, such as: Business Section, Sports, Community News, Opinions, Careers and a growing classified section. The recent changes have made the newspaper very organized and clear for advertisers and readers. Especially with the career section and all the jobs posted in a single area.
[edit] Radio
- AM 610: CHTM (Adult Contemporary)
- FM 96.3: CINC (NCI)
- FM 99.9: CKSB-5 (La Première Chaîne)
- FM 100.9: CBWK (CBC Radio One)
[edit] Television
CBWTT went on the air for the first time on April 1, 1969.[1]
[edit] External links
- City of Thompson tourism site
- Thompson's Restaurants (Food Inc)
- Thompson's Classified Ads
- Official website of R.D.Parker Collegiate
- Information about law firms in Thompson
- Thompson Livejournal Community
[edit] References
 Subdivisions of Manitoba |
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| Regions | Winnipeg Capital Region · Central Plains · Eastman · Interlake · Northern · Parkland · Pembina Valley · Westman |
| Census divisions | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 |
| Cities | Brandon · Dauphin · Flin Flon (part) · Portage la Prairie · Selkirk · Steinbach · Thompson · Winkler · Winnipeg |
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