Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/70344
Thompson has declared itself the Wolf Capital of Canada. A Painted by Winnipeg artist Charlie Johnson in 2005, Canada's only mural replica of a Robert Bateman wolf sketch is also the largest lighted mural in the world. Visible for miles at night, the mural overlooking Thompson's Spirit Way was the only Canadian entry in a prestigious 2008 Greek publication, A World Book of Murals. A Thompson Chamber of Commerce initiative, Spirit Way was conceived in 2004, when a group of volunteers gathered to find ways to bolster tourism and the city's self-image, says Marion Morberg, who is president of Spirit Way Inc. mural of a wolf painted on the side of a 10-storey building has attracted so much international attention that rock face sculpture and the Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Art, a $16 million venture being developed by a separate entity and board of directors. The Spirit Way initiative has created a wolf economy, which promises to dovetail nicely with Churchill's polar bear economy, especially since Thompson is a stop on the way to and from the northern port. Volunteers have embarked on a multi- pronged effort to promote Thompson as a world leader in wolf management, NORMAN CHURCHILL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FLIN FLON & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GILLAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CALL OF THE WILD: Some of the 51 concrete wolf statues created for Spirit Way. The plan was to highlight 16 points of interest, including industry, environment, art, heritage, geology and people. The points are located along the two-kilometre Spirit Way walking and biking trail. One site is a tribute is to Lambair, an aviation company launched in 1932 that opened the north to mining. Morberg, whose family founded Calm Air, says volunteers spent more than two years reconstructing a crashed Lambair Norseman Mark V — a ski and pontoon plane designed specifically to endure the rigours of northern aviation. A statue representing municipal, forest, mine, water bomber and helitac firefighters salutes northern firefighters. And a tribute to commerce illustrates the historic growth of business from old fur trading posts to modern shopping malls. Spirit Way project coordinator Volker Beckmann says sites still under construction consist of Canada's largest research, conservation, education and ecotourism. "There are people throughout the world who are fascinated by wolves," Beckmann says. "Yet they have never had the opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat." Live wolves are commonly spotted in the Thompson area, sometimes within the city itself. And 51 concrete wolf statues were created as part of a province-wide GPS wolf hunt; 35 are in Thompson, 11 in Winnipeg and three in Churchill. "Each 5,500 pound statue is over seven feet tall and was sponsored by an individual or company at a cost of $5000 each," Beckmann says, adding the statues were decorated by Manitoba artists. Among other initiatives, Thompson Grade 6 students are at work on a wolf education program with schools in the U.S. and Mexico, world-class >> THE PAS & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THOMPSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEW & NOTEWORTHY >> The First International Wolf & Carnivore Conference will be held Oct. 23 - 24 at Riverlodge Place in Thompson. World- renowned scientists and researchers are featured speakers, and themes include wolf ecology and the impact of climate change on wolves, polar bears and other animals. www.thompsonspiritway.ca >> The Pas Chamber of Commerce took care of business and homeless animals at its May Tradeshow & Sale. The chamber tracked attendance by charging $1 admission at the door and donated the proceeds to The Pas and Area Humane Society. MBiz June 2012 7 NORMAN