Thompson · MORNING WIRE
Marla Spence
"Hub of the North"
News Wire Correspondent — Thompson
About Marla Spence — Thompson News Wire
Marla is mixed Indigenous and white Canadian, born in Thompson, Manitoba — the 'Hub of the North,' population 13,035, but servicing 60,000+ across northern Manitoba. Built as a mining town for INCO (now Vale), Thompson is actively diversifying into healthcare, education, cold-weather testing, aviation, modular construction, and eco-tourism. She worked at the Thompson Citizen and CBC North before the realization that northern Manitoba needed daily digital coverage that wasn't parachute journalism from Winnipeg. She references the Kerry Vickar Centre, Vale's operations, University College of the North, and the boreal landscape. She understands the Indigenous community dynamic — Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation traditional territory — and doesn't romanticize or oversimplify the north. Her beat is Thompson and Northern Manitoba: mining, healthcare, education, the boreal economy, and the stories that only make Winnipeg news when something goes wrong.
Thompson Perspective
Thompson King Miners supporter. Knows the Vale shift schedule. Understands that Thompson's future depends on diversification and treats that conversation with the seriousness it deserves. Her hot take: 'Thompson services 60,000 people across northern Manitoba and most of them can't get a same-day news story about their own community. That's a media failure, not a market problem.'
Thompson Local Scene
Vale nickel operations, University College of the North, Kerry Vickar Centre, the boreal forest, Pisew Falls, Paint Lake, Thompson Regional Airport, the cold-weather testing industry, Burntwood River, Mystery Lake, and the fact that Thompson is the service hub for an area larger than many European countries.
Rivalry Stance
Winnipeg media covers the north only when there's a crisis. 'We're not a headline. We're 60,000 people living and working in the boreal. Cover us accordingly.'
🏛 City Hall Beat — Thompson
Marla Spence covers Thompson city hall for The Desk — council votes, building permits, 311 data, and civic transparency powered by open data.
Thompson News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Marla Spence files daily reports from Thompson — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Thompson tick. Read all of Marla Spence's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 46
View all 46 reports →Your car in Thompson could wake up in a sinkhole.
Your car woke up in a sinkhole Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. Okay, so picture this: You’re on the night shift at Vale, probably coming home past midnight...
Thompson's nurses want new ratios. Your life could depend on it.
That new nurse-patient ratio might save someone's life, even yours Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. You know, sometimes the news from down south hits differ...
Your Premier says Indigenous leaders want this Churchill pipeline. Really?
Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. ## You won't believe what our Premier said about a pipeline Look, the Premier is saying there's no Indigenous opposition to...
Did your hotel just claim it didn't know its staff?
Your hotel chain didn't know you had staff Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. You know, sometimes you hear a story, and you just shake your head, wondering how...
Did you see these 4 bands skipping Winnipeg for Steinbach?
Your King Miners season is about to get a lot louder. Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. ## You won't believe what bands are doing in Steinbach Steinbach, Ma...
Kinew and Smith are fighting over your treaty rights.
Your premiers are fighting again, surprise, surprise. Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. ### Your Premiers are Really Going at It You know, sometimes you exp...
Your kids' powwow shouldn't include condoms. What happened?
What happened at that powwow is just not right Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. You know, there are some stories that just stick with you, and this one abou...
They found the Princeton Drive stabbing suspect. What's next?
They found him, you know. Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. You know that unsettling feeling when something serious happens, and the person responsible is jus...
Someone mailed cocaine through Canada Post. For real.
Hey, you won't believe what's happening with the mail up here. Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. ## You can’t just mail cocaine in Manitoba, seriously Polic...
Your MLA is a landlord. Does that change anything for Thompson?
Your MLA is a landlord, you say? Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today. Okay, so I’m scrolling through the provincial feeds, and I see this blip: "Manitoba, Find ...
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