Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 22, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012 TOP NEWS winnipegfreepress. com LAMINATED KEEPSAKE OF YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT $ 5 00 Call Classified 6 9 7 - 7 1 0 0 WAREHOUSE SAVE THE TAXES ON GE KITCHEN APPLIANCES * SALE OUR VOLUME . . . SAVES YOU MONEY Lockport Appliances Ltd. 6969 Henderson Highway, Lockport Lockport 757- 2261 FREE DELIVERY WITHIN 100 KMS Winnipeg DIRECT 284- 2804 Ends June 29th * see store for details. WAREHOUSE LOCATED AT CORNER OF GERTRUDE & SCOTT ( 3- 201 SCOTT) Sat 10- 5 . Sun 12- 4: 30 PARKING AT FRONT & BACK OF WAREHOUSE SOFAS . SECTIONALS . LIGHTING BEDROOM & DINING FURNITURE . ARTWORK EXCESS STOCK . CANCELLATIONS . SCRATC H & D EN T WAREHOUSE BLOWOUT 80 % UP TO OFF SAT 10 - 5 . S UN 12 - 4 : 3 0 NEW STOCK TO CLEAR & FURTHER REDUCTIONS AFTER six years of construction, a northern Manitoba Hydro megaproject is nearing completion. The first of three power generating units at the Wuskwatim dam is expected to begin operating " during the next couple of weeks," said Manitoba Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider. Schneider said in an interview all three units are expected to be in production by the fall. " Right now they're in the commissioning mode, where they're testing all aspects of the unit," he said. The 200- megawatt generating station, located on the Burntwood River about 45 kilometres southwest of Thompson, cost $ 1.37 billion to build. With transmission costs factored in, the project's total bill tops $ 1.6 billion. The new dam will come on stream at a time when U. S. export markets for hydroelectric power are soft. However, the corporation and the Selinger government maintain Wuskwatim - as well as two larger hydroelectric projects on the horizon, Keeyask and Conawapa - will be needed. Wuskwatim is the first hydroelectric project in which Manitoba Hydro has taken on an aboriginal community as an equity partner. Hydro and the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation have joined together to form the Wuskwatim Power Limited Partnership, which owns the generating station. Unlike earlier hydro projects that flooded vast tracts of land, the Wuskwatim dam will produce less than half a square kilometre of flooding, the Crown corporation says. A ceremony marking the generating station's opening will be held in the fall once it is fully operating, Schneider said. larry. kusch@ freepress. mb. ca M ANITOBA'S population is surging, thanks in part to newcomers. And in the province's age- old tradition, they're giving each other a helping hand or, in some cases, a leg. An immigrant prosthetist helped a refugee amputee get back on his feet Thursday with a new prosthetic and a new lease on life. " This is good," Cyrilo Simpunga said after he tossed his crutch, put his old wooden leg in the garbage, and did a few Tae Bo moves to demonstrate his new- found mobility. " It's so much fun working with him, you just want to help Cyrilo," said Peter ten Krooden, his certified prosthetist. Simpunga lost his leg in a machete attack in Congo eight years ago. He arrived in Canada in April as a refugee. If he'd arrived in Canada after June 30, he'd be stuck with his old wood and rubber prosthetic that required a crutch and exhausted him. At the end of the month, the federal government is cutting the interim federal health program that provides refugees with supplemental services such as prosthetics, prescription drugs and vision care. Ottawa said it expects to save $ 20 million a year over the next five years. The federal government has not said how much it expects to lose in income tax and productivity if refugees are unable to work and contribute to society as a result. Simpunga's new prosthetic cost $ 10,000 and was a great investment, figures ten Krooden, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa in 2005. " This guy can do well," ten Krooden said. " This will give him more mobility, more of a future." Most of the prosthetics he makes are for diabetics who've been sick for a while, have complications and have lost limbs. Simpunga was healthy and herding cows when he lost his leg to a traumatic machete attack. " He's fit, he's young - there's no reason he couldn't do well," said the prosthetist, who works at Anderson's House, a prosthetic and orthotic clinic in Deer Lodge Centre. The old wood and rubber leg Simpunga was given a year after his leg was hacked off was a poor fit, uncomfortable and required a lot of energy to use, said ten Krooden. Now Simpunga has a good- fitting socket with state- of- the- art technology, said the expert in prostheses. A silicone liner improves comfort in sensitive areas and helps with suspension. The carbon- fibre foot, which stores energy, reduces fatigue and helps create a smoother, even gait, ten Krooden explained. The foot can adjust to any terrain and reduces pressure on his good leg, side and lower back. Simpunga also has a torsion adapter that lets the prosthesis rotate. That minimizes the forces and tissue breakdown on his stump and makes for a smoother gait pattern. On Monday, Simpunga meets with an employment counsellor to talk about his prospects while he works on his English. He needs a job to support himself and pay back the travel costs of getting here - costs all refugees are required to repay. The new prosthetic will give him a leg up, said ten Krooden. " This puts him into employment, feeling he's part of society and that he can contribute now. His chances of being employed without a crutch are better - his hands are free." carol. sanders@ freepress. mb. ca Hydro megaproject powering up By Larry Kusch MANITOBA'S population grew by 16,045 in the past year, exceeding the national growth rate for the third consecutive year. As of the end of March, 1,261,500 people called Manitoba home, the province announced Thursday. The 1.3 per cent annual increase was the third highest among Canadian provinces. Since last April, nearly 10,300 more individuals came to Manitoba than left for other provinces or countries, nearly matching last year's total of 10,353. The main driver of this growth was the record arrival of 16,074 immigrants from around the world, Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade Minister Peter Bjornson said. " The Provincial Nominee Program now accounts for more than threequarters of all new immigrants arriving here," said Bjornson. " It's been a Manitoba success story." During the last 12 months, there were 16,483 babies born in Manitoba. This was the highest number of births in the last 17 years, Bjornson said. Manitoba beats national growth rate third year running Congolese refugee gets new prosthetic Uses health support before time runs out By Carol Sanders COLE BREILAND / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cyrilo Simpunga receives an upgrade in prosthesis at the Deer Lodge Hospital Thursday. A_ 04_ Jun- 22- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A4 6/ 21/ 12 9: 57: 42 PM ;