Thompson residents Geri Dixon and Alicia Bedford, who previously addressed city council on Sept. 17, returned to City Hall Dec. 10 to reiterate their displeasure with the lack of a 911 call centre in the north.
Since September, the pair canvassed the community and collected 722 signatures from fellow citizens who also believe that the city should re-establish a local 911 dispatch centre.
Dixon believes the current system, which requires people using landlines to call 204-677-6911, is inadequate since it redirects callers to Winnipeg and results in long waits for calls to be answered.
“We went out into the community, raising our concerns with our existing emergency call system and had an overwhelming response from people more than willing to sign that petition who agree that we need a change,” she said. “We have 722 signatures on this petition. 722 individuals that want to see a change.”
While Dixon has become increasingly wary of these long emergency response times over the past couple of years, the breaking point came last summer when her daughter Bedford was forced to wait on the emergency line for several minutes while someone tried to break into her house.
“With two young children in the home, and praying to get through to someone, she did hang up and she called our local fire department, who answered immediately and connected her again to the 204-677-6911 number where she waited four minutes and 29 seconds before speaking to someone,” said Dixon. “This raised a very big concern in our family and I could not sit back and do nothing.“
Not being satisfied with then-mayor Dennis Fenske’s Sept. 17 declaration that this issue is “out of their control,” Dixon and Bedford have since consulted and shared correspondence with elected officials like the provincial Minister of Justice Heather Stefanson, Churchill-Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton and Thompson MLA Kelly Bindle.
The pair was even invited to speak to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Oct. 18 via video conference.
“My daughter and I feel that we have done all we can do. We have brought our concerns to the public, we have spoken to the different levels of government and now we pass it off to you, our new mayor and our new council members,” Dixon said Monday. “Please give this issue some very serious consideration. The safety and security of the citizens of Thompson and outlying communities are in your hands.”
Dixon finished her presentation by handing her petition, along with copies of her correspondence with Bindle, to city manager Anthony McInnis.
Even though members of council were only allowed to ask questions during this presentation, Mayor Colleen Smook that told Dixon and Bedford that they would definitely be hearing back from the city about this issue.
The first Thompson council meeting of 2019 will be on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.
