Over 500 attendees participate in over 210 different presentations on all aspects of carnivore conservation, restoration, management and other issues that involved federal and state agencies, wildlife organizations, legal interests, cattle ranchers, farmers, animal parks, preserves, and interested individuals. For the Thompson group it was an eye-opener of the complexities in the USA to find the balance to protect everyone’s interests. Of course, the challenge is to create effective policies for conservation management when science and politics can be at odds.

In Northern Manitoba, there are no major human/wolf conflict issues as in many populated regions around the world. The wolf population in Northern Manitoba is abundant. Yet new roads, hydro dams, hydro transmission corridors are being planned that may impact wolves and the prey/predator balance. Therefore, it is important to determine what the baseline data is for wolves so proper wolf management policies can be considered and/or implemented in the future.

Michelle Moayeri, a University of Manitoba grad student, has started a two year research study into the effects of hydro corridors on wolf movement and the impact on caribou or moose populations. Many other topics of wolf research could be undertaken relating to biology, Aboriginal ecological knowledge, social sciences, human attitudes, etc. Thompson is inviting American and Canadian universities and research agencies to explore the possibilities and look at using this pristine wilderness boreal forest environment for wolf study. The opportunities for research are fascinating.

Currently Thompson is communicating with an organization in the United States and another in Mexico to develop a wolf art and cultural project through 3 cities in 3 countries. The theme would be “Wolves Without Borders” and a promotion campaign could be launched in the spring of 2010. It would a wonderful way to launch a unique campaign that would draw positive attention to wolves and how cities and countries can work together to present a positive story to the public. There will be more announcements coming in a few months at this blog site.

Spirit Way is currently working on several initiatives with several partners:

- Developing the Wolf Capital of Canada theme
- Developing our local University College of the North as a Wolf Center of Excellence
- Calling for the first ever wolf research studies to be undertaken in the wilderness of northern Manitoba
- Hosting an invitational Wolf Research Symposium in 2010
- Twinning our city with one in the USA and Mexico to launch a “Wolves without Borders” art and culture theme
- Linking Thompson as Wolf Capital with the Polar Bear Capital of the World in Churchill, Manitoba
- Working with the Thompson Zoo to develop a larger and enhanced Wolf Park

Please contact us if any of the above are of interest to you.

Have a Happy New Year!

Dateline: September 12, 2009

On September 11, 2009 the most unique statue and tribute of its kind in North America was dedicated to the special firefighters of northern Manitoba. September 11 is a memorable day in North America because in 2001 a tragic event happened in New York that killed 343 firefighters as they rushed in to help people in the burning World Trade Centre towers. That day will never be forgotten.

The beautiful statue in Thompson represents the exceptional skill sets found in the North from municipal and forest firefighters, water bomber pilots and helitac crews. And Vale Inco’s volunteer mine rescue people who can go down 4000 ft to fight fires. This region can claim that we can fight fires from a mile above the ground to a mile below.

The statue was created by Clayt Lennox of Winnipeg and took over 2 years to fundraise and finalize. It is solid concrete with a liquid bronze coating. It sits in a wonderful setting overlooking Ravine Park on one side and downtown Thompson on the other. It is located between the Bailey Bridge and MacLean Park, both Spirit Way points of interest. Four Spirit Way wolf statues are nearby howling their respect of fire fighters.

Manitoba’s Wolf Hunt is Launched!

Your mission, if you accept it, is to find 49 Spirit Way Wolves across Manitoba. You must record them in your GPS Wolf Hunt Passport to be recognized as a GPS Master Wolf Tracker!

No, this is not a hunting trip! It’s a geocache adventure that stretches from Winnipeg to Thompson to Churchill. It requires someone, who owns a handheld GPS unit and loves to geocache, to track down 49 wolf statues by using GPS coordinates. The statues are 5500 lbs. of concrete and are 7.5 feet tall. Each one has been sponsored by by a business, agency ,or individual and painted by a Manitoba artist.

All this began in Thompson, Manitoba in 2004 when a volunteer committee started the Spirit Way project. Spirit Way is a 2 km walking path from the south end of Thompson to the north end. Along the route are unique 16 points of interest that have won awards for Spirit Way and made it one of the Top 20 Places to Visit in Manitoba by Travel Manitoba. A few of the fascinating and interesting points of interest that showcase Thompson and Northern Manitoba are the  world’s largest lighted mural and the only mural of a Robert Bateman painting, a restored Norseman bush plane being held in mid-air, and the start of Canada’s largest rockface sculpture. The attractions  make for great memories and even greater photographs for visitors and residents alike.

The wolf statues were born in 2006 when 24 were sponsored and painted by Northern artists. Each is a stunning example of public art and each is different from to reflect the tastes of the sponsor and the style of the artist. Many tell a wonderful story. In 2007, more statues were poured, painted, and moved. Some stayed at the Forks in Winnipeg for a few months before coming to a howling rest at their final home. Today, there are 49 wolves spread across a 1000 miles in Manitoba making them one common element binding our province from the south to the north.

What is needed to play (or hunt) is a GPS unit and a Spirit Way GPS Wolf Hunt Passport. Then each wolf is found by using the coordinates listed in the passport. The geocacher writes down the proper title of each wolf. Once the person finds them all in each city, they must get their passport rubber stamped by an official. After all 3 stamps are obtained, the final step is to register online and wait to receive a special GPS Master Wolf Tracker Certificate. The person’s name will also be listed on the website as a Master Wolf Tracker.

The result is a fun, travel adventure across Manitoba starting in the prairie and flood plain of the south, heading to the rugged boreal forest, lakes and rivers of the North, and ending at the tundra and Hudson Bay. You will receive tremendous satisfaction when you have find all the Spirit Way wolves, and you will be recognized for it in a special way.

More details, Passport locations, Master Wolf Tracker registrations, and listings of Master Trackers are all shown on the Spirit Way website - www.thompsonspiritway.ca.

Give it a try. Enjoy yourself. Have a howling great adventure across our big, beautiful province. And come back soon.

My take on Spirit Way, Thompson, and my family
By Hilda Fitzner 

Tansi (Cree greeting for ‘Hello, how are you’):  I am Hilda Rose Fitzner.  I am a Northern Manitoba Cree Aboriginal, raised in Wabowden, Manitoba, a bay line community 109 kilometres south of Thompson.  I wish to share some of my history with you.  My Cree name translates to Woman Who Turns Around—I am named after the wind that turns around.  I was given this name by a much respected and powerful medicine man from my maternal grandmother’s clan.  I joined the board of Spirit Way, Inc. and recently was nominated for Vice President, which I graciously accepted.  

I come from a family of 18; 16 children, my mother Hilda Mae (nee Tait) and father Frederick Fitzner, World War II Veteran.  Sadly, my mother suffered loss of premature twin boys—born too soon and weak to survive in that time of no incubators; also lost one boy to epilepsy.  We were raised basically off the land on a diet of fresh fish, rabbits, ducks, geese, spruce hens, moose meat (yummy), caribou, elk, and sometimes smoked muskrat, beaver and lynx; and plenty of bannock, roots and berries—whatever was in season.  I remember my mother and father’s teachings about respecting what Earth gives up for us.  We only take from the land what we needed to survive with and we were to do this with much respect.  My mother also bought us through many childhood illnesses with medicines from the bush; medicines that she learned of from her Elders.  We had no doctors or pharmacies to bring us through these illnesses.  She carried much respect for the medicines of the land and would not take medicine without leaving an offer of tobacco in turn.  Today, I carry much respect for the ways of our people and the medicines that were given us.

My maternal grandmother is from the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) located north of Thompson in Nelson House.  Before my mother was born, their home reserve NCN was on what is known as Wuskwatim Lake.  Two of my aunts were born on that lake and my mother was born at the mouth of the Grass River in Setting Lake across from Wabowden.  My maternal grandmother’s family were the bloodline Chiefs from 1700 to 1907 when it was turned over to elections.  My grandfather, Joseph Tait, was from Big Trout Lake, Ontario, an Ojibway Aboriginal who come to NCN to find his bride.  My grandfather Tait was a very strong, very determined man who worked hard to raise his family off the land and was deeply religious.

My paternal grandmother is from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, located at The Pas, Manitoba.  Her mother’s family was the bloodline Chiefs of OCN.  My father would tell me as a 7 year old child to be proud of whom I was, to hold my head high, because I come from royalty.  Sadly, the only royalty I learned of then was Queen Elizabeth—we had to sing to her every day in school.  Also, at this time of my life, I learned where society placed us Aboriginal people on the social latter—at the very bottom.  So, in my seven year old mind, I thought we were distantly related to Queen Elizabeth and at least I could feel good about that, I seen how unaccepted Aboriginal people were.  At 8 years old, I asked my father how we were related to the Queen, he gently laughed at what he thought was the silliness of an 8 year old child, and told me we weren’t related to the Queen.  I asked him about my royalty; he then explained about his grandmother’s brother and father being the Chief and his father before him.  I felt crushed and didn’t want that; I had to face that I was one of the “unacceptable” ones.  I left that part of me alone until I reached my teenage years; I didn’t turn away from my mother and father’s lessons through stories, I just didn’t share them with the outside world where I wasn’t at all important and I didn’t feel I belonged.  Then one day, I thought about our Cree ways and life and how my mother and father worked so hard to make sure we always had food and a warm and happy home, and my fierce pride and love for our people surfaced.  It never left me, I left it alone for a few years….and it will never leave me nor will I ever leave it alone again.  When I think about who I am, why I am, and where I want to go, I feel I carry the pride and courage my strong Grandmothers had before me and I need to set the same path for my future generations.  One that will help them, too, to be proud people and respect all that Mother Earth has provided for us.

I have two children—my daughter Angeline and my son Brian; my daughter died five years ago from a fatal accident but I say I have two children—she will always be my child, death cannot separate that.  My son lives in Thompson and works for the City of Thompson; he has a three-year old son Braiden.  My daughter has a son Tristan, he was only four when his Mommy was called away.  I am raising Tristan and I try to teach him to be kind and helpful, be proud of his accomplishments, to accept his failures with grace, to be humble to our Creator and follow His teachings, make choices to be proud of himself, and to take care of our sacred gift, our Mother Earth and all her creatures.

My Sundays are usually reserved for my grandsons.  During the warmer months this is our Sunday together:  first we go to the Thompson Zoo—the first animal we visit is the wolf…Braiden howls like a wolf, his daddy taught him that when Braiden was a year old and then we carry on to the eagle and then the rest of the zoo.  Our next stop is the Aviation Tribute, the Norseman restoration (a definite favourite for little boys)…and always a drive past the Robert Bateman mural and the rock face wolves.  Spirit Way has created some totally wonderful places for us to share with our children and always an opportunity to squeeze in a lesson or two about conserving nature, looking after our Mother Earth, and community pride and care.  I tell them we have to respect the hard work and dedication community people have devoted to giving us mystical and magical places to visit right in our own community.  To see the beautiful, soul searching gaze of this wondrous creature captured by Robert Bateman’s artistic touch portrayed on the side of a lit-up ten-story building is just that….mystical and magical; and I feel connected!!

Our native wolf and our Cree people in northern Manitoba have had a very special relationship since we Cree settled in northern Manitoba thousands of years ago.  The wolf is a symbol of one of our sacred teachings, it holds very strong spirit.  I, myself, feel the wolf is one of my spirit guides; he helped me choose to come back to Thompson with my grandson Tristan to build a better life for him.

And the rest of Spirit Way’s accomplishments: the 49 wolf statues (see them all in this website) —each one individualized by the artists the sponsors selected for its painting; the Aviation tribute—how the many hours dedicated to its re-creation shows the determination of this group; the rock face wolves—another honour to our brother; the wolf enclosure at the zoo—how many times my grandsons and I stood there visiting with the wolves and thinking they should have more space to live in, now Spirit Way Inc. is fundraising to enlarge and rebuild the wolf enclosure;  and now for their next vision…..the Centre for Aboriginal Art.

All of my life, I have seen many diversified artists in our people—my mother was one, she beaded many different creations….mukluks, mitts, hats, jackets, pants, all hand stitched and with much pride, they lasted forever and ended up in many different parts of the world; the artists that picked up a piece of driftwood and seen something in it that just needed the right touch to bring it out, the one that looked at the northern lights and just had to paint them to capture them forever or the spiritual etchings of an eagle, the dancer who naturally took to hoops and awed audiences with his magical way of dancing through all the hoops, the singer and drummer who, with one song, could wake up the call of the drum, the heartbeat of our Mother Earth, in any Aboriginal person even if they didn’t grow up in Aboriginal customs, the person who picked up a piece of soapstone and bought it to life portraying an Aboriginal person running a dog sled team, our rock face paintings from thousands of moons ago, etc. etc.  Our people have so much to offer and share with the world….this next Spirit Way vision will bring that forward too.

In closing, I would encourage you not to stay away from this website too long.  You may miss out on fantastic steps of bringing the next visions forward!!  Stay tuned….better yet come and see for yourself what Spirit Way has to offer.

Ekosi maka, Nitotemak!! (Cree for ‘all’s good then, my relations)

Travel Manitoba, on their website, www.travelmanitoba.com, now shows Spirit Way as one of the top 20 places to visit in the Province. Considering that Spirit Way did not exist five years ago, that is a tremendous accomplishment. Once the yellow star logo goes on all Travel Manitoba literature and on the highway sign, it has been shown that tourist visits increase. People want to see what’s unique and different about Manitoba. 

For rubber tire travelers heading North, the Star Attractions are Pisew Falls, Heritage North Museum, Spirit Way, and then Churchill Polar Bear tours. Spirit Way now has great company! Because Spirit Way is a walkway with various points of interest, it offers a range of interests to the visitor… the only Robert Bateman painting as a mural and the largest lighted mural in the world, the start of Canada’s largest rock sculpture, a stunning Norseman float plane overlooking the seaplane base, a unique tribute to firefighters (coming soon), and 24 beautiful wolf statues along the Way are just some of the art, culture, and heritage tributes the embody Spirit Way. Someone said for any community to undertake one or two such tributes would be special, but to have 16 Points of Interest is remarkable. 

For those travelers going to Churchill to see beluga whales or polar bears, stopping a day or two in Thompson will add to their adventure. Monthly guided public walking tours are planned for this summer. Downloadable audio tours will be available on this website later this year. By next year, we expect to have regular guided walking tours of Spirit Way.

Spirit Way is a credit to all the partners, supporters and volunteers who made it happen. Thompson can show itself with pride. The number of people who are constantly taking photos daily of the various sites to take home and show their friends puts Thompson in a new light. Taking photos within the community in this manner seldom happened five years ago.

Spirit Way is not finished. Consultant’s work is progressing on a Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Art - The Spirit Way Arts Centre. More details will become known in late summer. This would be a signature facility in Thompson and unique in Canada. Yet, others are working hard on a strategic plan to position Thompson as Wolf Capital of Canada. Again, more details will be forthcoming later this year. Some people feel there are two more Manitoba Star Attractions in Thompson’s future. Considering that only Winnipeg, Brandon and Stonewall have two or more Star Attractions, Thompson is defining itself in a new way.  

Spread the word that Thompson has become a unique and interesting place to visit! And please keep coming back to this website to stay current with new developments.

The opportunity came up two weeks ago to head south and my wife and I drove 900 miles to visit Ely, Minnesota to see the IWC. It was a great trip and a wonderful visit. Northern Minnesota is much like Northern Manitoba except more towns and more people. Ely is about an hour off the highway so you have to have a reason to go there. For a town of 3000 people it is beautifully tucked in the midst of forest, lakes and rivers. At the edge of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an outdoors person’s paradise…  http://www.ely.org/things_to_do/museums.php

Although they hadn’t opened fully for the summer season, Lori Schmidt graciously took some time off her work as an instructor at Vermilion College to give us a back scenes tour. I was impressed… with the architectural design of the center, its location, the entrance, their displays and the wolf enclosure. Large windows give one a face to face view of their 6 captive wolves. Their habitat is very well designed and extremely “natural” looking, not some type of “canned” enclosure, as smaller animal centers can be. 

The wolves showed their friendly side when they recognized Lori, yet they showed their pack behaviour when a non-regular procedure ocurred for our benefit. You could see the wild side! Wolf behaviour is in constant research around the world because of the animal’s intelligence, pack behaviour and interaction, and the human/wolf conflicts that do occur.

We next travelled to Minneapolis to meet with Mary Ortiz, Executive Director, IWC. Again, Mary was very courteous and cooperative to answer many questions as to how we could enhance our wolf enclosure in Thompson and develop wolf research, education, tourism and conferences. Our goal is to develop Thompson as the Wolf Capital of Canada. Manitoba has few regulations on wolves in captivity, because they are not endangered in our province. Manitoba has some 6000 wolves.

Thompson has all the raw sustainable resources to develop a “wolf industry”…. captive wolves, wild wolf packs, aboriginal traditional knowledge, amazing public wolf art, and a neutral stance on wolves and humans. Add this to our links to Churchill, Polar Bear Capital of the World, and we are confident we can develop new attractions and programs about wolves.

I look forward to continuing our new relationship with the IWC in the future and hope we can help promote their center and the wolf  ”cause”. Stay tuned to many ideas and developments in the works. 

In the Spirit!

We are starting to get people submitting their Wolf Sightings on our website. That’s great and we hope you spread the word. The sightings are important evidence for comprehensive scientific wolf research that could start in 2010.

A Spirit Way ad hoc committee is working with the Thompson Zoo to enlarge and enhance the wolf enclosure. The existing cage was built by Rotary Club over 25 years ago, and needs to be renovated. The intention is to go from a cage to a wonderful wolf habitat. It would be a better experience for the animals and the visitors. Doug Ross, former Executive Director of the Assiniboine Park Zoo will be contracted as a consultant to redesign the enclosure and develop a Wolf Management Plan for the zoo keepers. The project will cost around $190,000. It will become a tremendous asset for the Zoo.

Friends of Spirit Way will be launched in May, 2009. This will be a casual group of volunteers who are willing to join a fun group of people who are proud of their community and want to help protect and maintain the public features and attractions of Spirit Way. We’ll meet twice a year. Friends can choose what they want to help with and how much time they can spend. We hope you will consider joining. Go to the Home Page and click on the Friends button. You will receive a very special lapel pin and certificate. Orientation session will be held later this month.

A clean up day will also be scheduled for later this month. Give us a hand when you hear it announced on the radio or shown on the Home Page.

See ya all in two weeks!

In the Spirit!

In August, 2003, Randy Sawatzky, manager of Thompson Renewal Corporation, offered to fund 50% of a proposal to develop a walking trail from the Museum. Along the way were ideas for 9 Points of Interest which started from creating Canada’s largest mural. After a presentation by Randy Sawatzky and I failed to secure the other 50% from City Council in October, the Chamber of Commerce under President Bob Wall approved the balance of funds to contract Design North to prepare a Master Plan. Without that simple decision, there would not have been a Spirit Way!

During that process, a number of individuals were interviewed for input. Anita Campbell supported my suggestion of  highlighting Aboriginal art and culture which needed a more visible presence in Thompson. MLA Steve Ashton felt “this could be Thompson’s Golden Boy project”, as we overlooked a 10 story blank wall of Highland Tower 1/2 mile away from his office window. On our committee’s walking tour, Diane Shefford pointed out some unique bedrock that became the Nickel Belt Story point of interest. Dave Moore pointed out a “sweet spot” for a viewpoint of the potential Highland mural. Shaun Harman casually suggested there should be a tribute to Lambair and pilots. Well, four years of work by volunteers later and over $200,000 in donations resulted in the awesome, restored Norseman floatplane and Thompson Lions Club Park thanks to Fred Palmer, Marion Morberg, Nick DiVirgilio and the many, many volunteers. What started out as 9 became 18 points of interest when the Master Plan was finished. 

In May, 2004 after a presentation to City Council to approve the Master Plan, only four people showed up at a public meeting - Alain Huberdeau, Tamy Burton, Dave Moore, and myself - and formed Spirit Way Inc. (SWI). Other community members were invited and over 3 years a working committee of 12 people, under President Alain Huberdeau, met WEEKLY to plan, manage, fund raise, and facilitate all aspects of the project. That in itself was an accomplishment!

Yet in hindsight, what a naive thing to do… undertake 18, repeat - eighteen, projects at the same time? Someone said two or three would have been enough for any community. Another naiveté was thinking that everyone would share the same vision, or that everyone would support what was good for Thompson. But invariably there are other agendas. Progress began slowly. 

At a surprise announcement in February, 2005 Scott MacDonald, President of Inco, presented Spirit Way Inc. a cheque for $30,000 at a Chamber of Commerce meeting for the Rockface project. Now, that was an endorsement! In June, the first Gala fundraiser occurred at the Thompson Inn. It sold out 30 days in advance and was a huge success.  $22,000 net was raised in one evening! Thompson had been in a malaise for a few years and was looking for something to take pride in.

Grant proposals were written. Presentations made. Funds solicited. Some were awarded. Others rejected. The Rotary Club of Thompson became the first partner to undertake a bold move and developed the Great Kid’s Slide, now renamed the “Otto Bindle Slide” as a tribute to one of their original members and a pioneer of Thompson. The Slide was controversial. Some did not want it to proceed. But President Tom O’Brien and Rotary proceeded. Today, it’s a fun place for local kids in winter, and a beautiful scene to watch with the huge wolf standing guard!

After biding our time for 18 months, SWI sent a contingent of Thompson supporters, Marion Morberg, Dan McSweeney, Judy Kolada, and myself to Winnipeg in May, 2006, using donated Calm Air passes, to meet with Bob Brennan, CEO of Manitoba Hydro. We offered Hydro a PR opportunity to sponsor a mural of a Robert Bateman painting, which he had never allowed before. It would be a first. As McSweeny said, “In the future, the economic wealth of Northern Manitoba will come from northern hydro power”. Then why not have a Hydro mural in the North as they have in Winnipeg? Three weeks later, his office phoned to say Mr. Brennan had been impressed and Manitoba Hydro would donate $125,000! What a huge endorsement and another major turning point. Spirit Way was being recognized from afar by an outside source. At the Gala presentation in June, 2006, Ed Danyluk, local Customer Service Manager, received a standing ovation from the audience. Not something you receive at work everyday!

Of course, finding the right muralist was a challenge. Seven proposals were received from across North America. The lowest offer came from Seattle, Washington, but the committee felt choosing a Winnipeg artist would be preferable as the sponsor was now Manitoba Hydro. One company’s rep drove 9 hours to Thompson and then back to make a half hour presentation. Why? To paint the first Robert Bateman mural in the world would have been a feather in any portfolio. 

Charlie Johnston’s name came up as a casual reference from Steve Wilson, Graffiti Gallery of Winnipeg as Winnipeg’s award winning muralist. He was chosen and Charlie created a masterpiece in its own right. Read his BIO on… http://www.thompsonspiritway.ca/take-the-walk/points-of-interest/wolf-mural/about-the-artist/ to understand Charlie. 

And read the fascinating story how Charlie got started on the wolf mural… 
http://www.thompsonspiritway.ca/take-the-walk/points-of-interest/wolf-mural/history/

There was some criticism that a local artist had not been chosen. Painting murals one story high is one thing. Painting them 10 stories high plus reproducing a Bateman painting exactly takes it to a whole another level of artistic skill. Johnston had been painting murals for 23 years. He was a master and his world class mural proved it. His work set the bar to continue all Spirit Way projects with very high expectations. 

And why a wolf mural? That was a fluke. After approaching Robert Bateman with a request to allow us to use his art as the subject matter, I looked at 100s of Bateman paintings. I superimposed four of his animal paintings onto a photograph of Highland Towers - a lynx, eagle, moose, wolf. Then we discussed it. Bateman stated the wolf was his preference. It was the best choice for Thompson for two reasons… From downtown or across the river a mile away, one can only see the top half of the Highland Tower wall. The appeal of the painting comes from the wolf’s stare. Its face is in the top half of the painting and no background scenery, trees, mountains competes with that. And Bateman had painted the wolf in 1990 as a predator looking at the viewer “eye to eye with respect”. Perfect! What a tremendous message to preach to our community. If all our actions were undertaken with respect, the world would be a much better place. Today the Highland Tower wolf mural has become a landmark for Thompson. It was recently published in Greece in a 300 page reference book of world murals and the only one in the book that is a full page in size. That says something!

From the mural Spirit Way progressed. Four awards to date. Numerous magazine articles written in Canada. A CTV half hour show on Spirit Way. Unprecedented positive publicity that continues.

There are so many people to thank that helped us get to this point, it’s almost impossible… the Spirit Way Board. Tim Johnston and Judy Kolada have been supporters since Day One. Wayne Hall has been indispensable as construction supervisor extraordinaire. Marion Morberg and Fred Palmer devoted 3 years to restoring the Norseman. Tom O’Brien and Rotary. Geoff Lamontagne at the Galas. Calm Air and Burntwood Hotel were key. Recently Dave Jensen, Al Meston, Pierce Roberts and Rhonda McDonald and all the firefighters. And the list goes on and on. 

As we now move forward, the next stage is to protect and promote. Spirit Way belongs to the community. People will soon forgot who was on the committee when it all started. Spirit Way is a public asset that requires upkeep and maintenance. Let it deteriorate, and Thompson’s reputation will be blemished. Everyone should promote it to the hilt. It’s a positive asset with tourism and economic potential. It’s a public relations beacon. It’s a recruiting tool. It’s a cultural and heritage storybook. It takes a 2+ hour walk to experience and understand it all. It proves why Thompson is a great community in which to live, work, and play. Enjoy it all! Ekosi.

PS. Spirit Way Inc. is now looking for 25+ key Thompsonites to become official FRIENDS OF SPIRIT WAY. The invitation is to YOU. What kind of person are you - do you watch things happen or do you want to make things happen? See the website herein for details. We want to make things happen, and prove why Thompson is a great place. Join us as a FRIEND!

Volker Beckmann

A distant lone howl pierced the night sky. It set off a chorus of howling that wolves engage in to solidify the pack’s social structure and to signal their presence to neighbouring packs. A platter-sized moon cast a silver glow on the flowing water; the scent of pine wafted from the forest nearby. A shadowy raven flew overhead; this one appeared to have reached the four-foot maximum wingspan for these heavy-billed corvids. My husband Rick and I were sitting on the rocks beside the Burntwood River at the outer edge of Thompson – where the city ends and the wilderness begins. Although we were reluctant to leave this tranquil fusion with nature, it was time to head back into town.

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