Burning ban lifted

A ban on open air fire pits ordered by the Yellowknife fire department last week has been lifted after a spate of snow and rain Wednesday and Thursday. The fire department warned in a press release issued yesterday that ban could be reinstated if dry conditions return. The fire hazard rating is currently at low after being listed as extreme in recent days.

- Mike W. Bryant

Bell lawsuit expands

The Yellowknife-based class action lawsuit against Bell Mobility has expanded to include customers in Nunavut and the Yukon.

Notices will be sent out by mail to current customers, as well as past customers, who are deemed eligible. All eligible customers will automatically be included in the lawsuit, although they have the option to opt out. The lawsuit is based on claims that Bell charged for, but did not provide, 911 service for its cell phone customers. Emergency access fees cost customers 75 cents per month and complainants are asking that they pay those fees back.

According to submitted evidence, there are around 24,000 customers in the NWT, 4,300 in Nunavut and 1,500 in the Yukon outside of Whitehorse, which has 911 service.

The trial is set for May 7, 2012.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Ndilo/Dettah elections

An election for a new Dettah chief will be held June 13 with Noonee Sanspariel challenging incumbent Ed Sangris for the position. An all-candidates forum will be held June 5 at 2 p.m. at the Chief Drygeese Government Building in Dettah. Nominations for community councillors will be accepted until June 10 with a June 27 election set to elect five councillors for Dettah and five for Ndilo.

- Kevin Allerston

YWCA national meeting

YWCA Canada's 119th Annual Members Meeting is taking place in Yellowknife today and tomorrow at the Explorer Hotel in the Katimavik Room. The focus of the meeting is leading the way to safer communities for women. Keynote speaker Judie Boop, co-founder and director of the Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning, will be talking about her work with women in the North and building a Northern service model for addressing poverty, violence and homelessness. The keynote address is to take place at 9:30 a.m.

- Heather Lange

Candidates revealed for Acho Dene Koe election

Acho Dene Koe band members will have some choice when they go to the polls later this month.

Three candidates are running for the position of chief and 14 candidates are running for the five councillor positions. The options for chief include incumbent Steve Kotchea as well as Harry Deneron and Julia Capot-Blanc.

The list of councillor hopefuls includes Cheryl Bertrand, Stanley Bertrand, Janna Deneron, Jim Duntra, Eva Hope, Cathy Kotchea, Neil Kotchea, Donald Lomen, Irene McLeod, Morris McLeod, Shawn McLeod, Dennis Nelson, Steven Steeves and Melanie Timbre. The election will take place on June 23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the band office board room.

Two graduations in June

Two schools in the Deh Cho are preparing for graduation.

Thomas Simpson School in Fort Simpson will be holding its graduand ceremony on June 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the arbour. The school has six graduands this year including Megan Bertrand of Nahanni Butte, Tyler Jumbo of Trout Lake, Ariel Sanguez of Jean Marie River and Dakota Burrill, Brandon Deneyoua and Spencer Porter of Fort Simpson.

Echo Dene School in Fort Liard will be celebrating its graduands Collin Needlay and Briana Kotchea on June 9. The dinner and ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the community hall.

Opening day for swimming pool

The Fort Simpson Community Pool is preparing to open.

The pool’s first day of service will be on June 6. The opening day will include a free public swim from 4 to 6 p.m.

Call for representation at hard of hearing conference

The national annual conference of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) is being held in the territory for the first time.

The conference will take place in Yellowknife from June 16 to 18. The CHHA Yellowknife branch still has some funding available to help residents from other communities in the territory attend the event. The goal is to have at least one attendee from every community at the conference.

The event will include a panel health discussion on hearing health issues in the North where there is a high prevalence of hearing loss. Anyone who is hard of hearing or lives or works with someone who is hard of hearing is welcome to attend.

Arts festival workshops

The Great Northern Arts Festival – held from July 15 to 24 – has announced its theme for 2011 as well as more than 65 workshops.

Instead of choosing a theme, the board of directors has selected a focus of jewellery, which can be in any medium and art form.

The public can participate in more than 65 workshops during the festival, which will run from two to eight hours and cover a variety of topics from visual arts to literary and performing arts. The workshops include beading for slippers, wire bracelets with semi-precious stones, birch bark basketry, Dene, Inuit and Cree drum-making, felting, soapstone carving, drawing and many more. Anyone interested in participating in the festival can register on the society's website.

GNWT surplus sale

The GNWT Department of Public Works in Inuvik held its first surplus sale of the season on June 1.

It will continue to hold sales every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. until everything is sold. This sale includes office furniture, including desks, chairs and filing cabinets. The sales are held on a first-come, first-served basis, cash and carry. The prices are fairly low, starting at $10 to $20.

If you're looking for a sale, head out to the Boot Lake Government Compound at the bottom of the hill by the hospital.

Money from the sales goes toward the GNWT general revenue.

Family Violence Awareness Week grants

The Status of Women Council of the NWT has grants available to help communities host an event during Family Violence Awareness Week in October.

The council is offering small grants to communities on a first-come, first-serve basis.

This year the theme focuses on men who choose not to abuse and encourages men and their families to participate in activities that are meaningful to them to take a stand against family violence.

Groups interested in hosting an event have until noon on June 24 to apply for a grant. Contact the council for more information.

Ferry updates

With the river breaking up on May 27, ferry service will likely resume this weekend.

Depending on river water conditions, the Peel River ferry and Arctic Red River ferry near Tsiigehtchic will open up the Dempster once more.

The remainder of the Dempster Highway is open and in fair driving condition, though drivers are to watch out for narrow and rough sections around the overflow and damaged areas between kilometres 199 and 249, near Inuvik.