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Officials with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) are warning the public not to approach or touch bison along the Highway 3 corridor after 17 dead animals were discovered last week.

Sixteen dead bison, believed infected with anthrax, were found along the Mackenzie Highway south of Frank Channel and one dead bison was found near North Arm Territorial Park, near Behchoko about 100 km east of Yellowknife, said department spokesperson Alex Ballantyne Friday. An incident response team in Fort Providence is dealing with disposal of the carcasses. People who find dead bison are asked to call 867 669 3014.

- Glenn Werkman

Charges against candidate suspended

Charges against Eddie Dillon, a Nunakput candidate during the 2011 territorial election, for violating the Elections and Plebiscites Act have been stayed. Dillion was charged along with his official agent, Terri Lee Kuptana, for failing to file a candidate financial report on time, for not paying a $250 penalty and for failing to make declarations.

Charges against Dillon were stayed after declarations were made, the $250 penalty was paid and a compliance agreement was signed. The case against Kuptana was also stayed after she filed the financial report and signed the agreement.

If Dillon or Kuptana fail to comply with the agreement, charges against them may be resumed and Dillon would face a fine not exceeding $5,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year.

- Miranda Scotland

Be boat smart: RCMP

Police are reminding the public to practise safe boating practices while travelling.

RCMP received three calls about boaters failing to check in or in distress last Thursday. This highlights a need for boaters to step up their safety regimens by alerting someone of your plans, sticking to that plan, and carrying equipment such as sattelite phones, GPS and SPOT locating devices for use in an emergency, said Sgt. Grant Payne. The police routinely receive phone calls when boaters fail to check in as planned, said Payne, which can make it difficult to distinguish between a real emergency and disorganization.

- Laura Busch

Sahtu residentrecognized

Richard Hardy, a long-time legal voice for the Sahtu, was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on Aug. 1 during the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated annual general assembly. Glen Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave, and Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chairperson of the Sahtu Secretariat, presented Hardy with the medal.

- Lyndsay Herman

Suicide prevention and grieving workshop

Thebacha/Fort Smith

A workshop on suicide prevention and grieving will be held in early September at Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre in Fort Smith.

The workshop for interested community members is set for Sept. 4 to 7.

It will be presented by the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute, which is an Alberta organization dedicated to strengthening community support systems and helping aboriginal communities build capacity.

More information on the workshop, including the participation fee, can be obtained from Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre.

- Paul Bickford

Midway Lake Music Festival features fiddlers

Tetlit'Zheh/Fort McPherson

About 1,000 people are anticipated to arrive at the grounds of the Midway Lake Music Festival near Fort McPherson from Aug. 3 to 6.

This year's performances were to feature a lot of fiddlers, because old time dancing is a popular event at the festival, said Hazel Nerysoo, mayor of Fort McPherson.

"It's a chance for people to get together. They stay out there, meet old and new friends," said Nerysoo. "There's story telling, (and) sharing of the traditional food ... It's a chance for people here to host, and they do a good job of it every year, they do."

- Laura Busch

A day at the beach

Tuktoyaktuk

About 50 youths took the day on July 30 to enjoy a community beach day held on the North coast in Tuktoyaktuk.

"To celebrate the sunshine, the lifeguard opened the beach," said Geoff Solomon, aquatic supervisor for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk.

The community tries to organize a community swimming event every summer, said Solomon, though the weather is not always warm enough to hold the swim outdoors. This year the weather co-operated with sunshine and temperatures of 25 C.

The warm weather contributed to a high turnout for the event, which Solomon hopes will lead to bigger and better things for next year.

"It was a big hit this year, so we hope to continue that success," he said.

- Laura Busch

Youth play ballin Paulatuk

Paulatuk

The 2012 Paulatuk youth baseball tournament took place last week with about 50 youths in attendance.

Games were played Sunday through Wednesday, and a two-day baseball clinic were held July 28.

Paulatuk entered three teams in the tournament, which faced off against a visiting team from Aklavik and another from Tuktoyaktuk.

This is the third year that the hamlet has held an invitational youth baseball tournament, said Debbie Gordon-Ruben, senior administrative officer for the hamlet.

"It's to keep our youth active, living healthy and to have them interact with other communities," said Gordon-Ruben. "It's so hard to bring kids in and out because we're a fly-in community only."

Visiting players were scheduled to return to their home communities Aug. 2.

- Laura Busch

Summer games at jamboree

Paulatuk

The Hamlet of Paulatuk's Iqalukpik Jamboree was scheduled for Aug. 3 through Aug. 6.

Events were planned in various locations around the hamlet all day, every day during the jamboree.

Popular features were expected to include traditional summer games such as the one-foot high kick, two-foot high kick, arm wrestling and harpoon tossing, said Dustin Gordon-Ruben, assistant employment officer at the hamlet.

Between 100 and 175 people generally attend the Iqalukpik Jamboree, said Gordon-Ruben.

Visitors were expected from Inuvik, Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk, he said.

- Laura Busch

Fishing derby near Fort Resolution

Deninu Ku'e/Fort Resolution

The Marilyn Sanderson Memorial Fishing Derby will be held just outside Fort Resolution from Aug. 17 to 19.

The annual event is set for the Deton' Cho Tourist Camp at Little Buffalo River, about 20 km west of Fort Resolution.

The derby will have two categories - walleye and northern pike - and will be divided into adult (18 and over) and youth (17 and under) sections.

Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three heaviest walleye and northern pike in both the youth and adult sections of the derby There will be a registration fee for the event.

- Paul Bickford

Fire department to check propane tanks

Enterprise

The Enterprise Fire Department will survey residents' properties on Aug. 9 to identify possible hazards and ensure there are no hidden dangers in the community.

"One of the main things we wanted to cover was locations of propane tanks," said Fire Chief Craig McMaster.

McMaster added the fire department will make sure larger tanks are installed properly.

- Paul Bickford

Nunavut mining symposium dates set

Iqaluit

Iqaluit hotels are being booked for the 2013 Nunavut Mining Symposium.

Event organizers have determined the 16th annual event will take place from April 8 to 11.

More than 60 presentations will be delivered over the four-day event, which will kick off on the Monday evening with a meet and greet at the Frobisher Inn and Conference Centre.

Trial set in hit-and-run fatality

Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet

A Rankin Inlet man charged with second-degree murder after a hit-and-run incident was ordered to stand trial after a July preliminary inquiry.

Idlout Korgak, 33, is accused of leaving the scene after Paul Kataluk was hit by an all-terrain vehicle on July 9, 2011. Kataluk died of his injuries.

The case returns to court Sept. 10, when Korgak's lawyer is expected to say whether the case will go to trial or whether his client will aim to make a plea deal.

- Casey Lessard

Hunters rescued in Arctic Bay

Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay

Six hunters are safe after concerned family members called for a search-and-rescue effort in Arctic Bay July 30.

"They were supposed to come back on Sunday, but they never came back," said Niore Iqalukjuak, who is on the search-and-rescue team. "They were roughly 72 km south of Arctic Bay waiting for the wind to die down. Everybody's OK."

Two teams of two were sent by boat to look for the men. The hunters - two in one boat and four in another - were spotted on land by a First Air cargo plane after pilots were asked to take a look in the area where they were found. A helicopter was sent to pick the men up, but everyone was OK, so only two returned to the hamlet Monday afternoon.

The four who decided to remain were given a radio to maintain communication with people at home, Iqalukjuak said.

- Casey Lessard

World Wildlife Fund office to reopen

Iqaluit

World Wildlife Fund Canada will reopen an Iqaluit office on Aug. 7. The conservation organization announced on Aug. 1 the new office will strengthen its Arctic program and increase its field presence in the territory.

The organization hired Vicki Sahanatien to work out of its Iqaluit office in the Nunavut Research Institute Building, raising awareness on the Arctic and supporting regional efforts for conservation, it announced. Sahanatien worked for 12 years with Parks Canada.

The organization had an office in Iqaluit from 1998 to 2001 with the late John Laird as the Nunavut lead for its endangered spaces campaign. The office closed once the campaign wrapped up.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Trip to London courtesy Baffinland's big shareholder

Nunavut

Qiqiktani Inuit Association (QIA) president Okalik Eegeesiak will attend the summer Olympic Games in London and ArcelorMittal is paying for it, she confirmed.

The company is the majority shareholder of Baffinland, who is proposing to build an iron mine at Mary River on northern Baffin Island.

Eegeesiak was scheduled to leave Canada on Aug. 5 to meet with ArcelorMittal executives and officials at the company's London head office. She is returning to Canada on Aug. 10.

"We hope that meeting with ArcelorMittal executives and officials will bring it that one step closer to actually be a 'go ahead,'" she said. "It's a positive for QIA. QIA supports the project and we are on public record saying so. So we hope meeting with them and actually going to their offices and visiting with them, we hope this will help to take that step for ArcelorMittal."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Narwhals abound in Clyde River

Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River

Hunters in Clyde River have harvested 21 narwhals so far this summer, assistant chief administrative officer Steven Aipellee said.

"As soon as the floe edge got near the community mid-June, people started going down 15-20 miles northeast of the community," Aipellee said. "It seems like every second day since the breakup, there have been some narwhals spotted."

The hamlet's narwhal quota is 50.

"Most hunters now, to sustain their hunting activity, try to catch big male narwhals with tusks so they can buy some gas when they sell the tusks," he said.

He expects the quota will be met early again this year. Last year it was met in mid-August, and there were still narwhals swimming near the community after that time.

- Casey Lessard

Walrus-hunting season open

Sanirajak/Hall Beach

Walrus-hunting season has opened in Hall Beach, albeit late due to ice conditions, said the mayor.

Paul Haulli said the hunt, which usually starts in early July, was about three weeks late. He added hunters have caught "quite a few" animals and the walruses caught were distributed amongst the community.

"They had a really good catch. I think there is going to be more people going out today (July 30)," said Haulli.

- Jeanne Gagnon

More food going around

Kivalliq

More than 360,000 pounds (163,293 kg) of country food was shipped through Sakku First Aviation and Qikiqtani First Aviation between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, the aviation companies announced on July 23.

This is a 308 per cent increase to previous annual averages of country food shipping. The companies attribute this growth to the introduction of a $1.50-per-kilogram country food shipping rate introduced on July 1 at the behest of the Kivalliq Inuit Association and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

"This represents a significant way that Inuit are helping Inuit have access to lower cost, nutritious country food," said Patrick Tagoona, president of Sakku First Aviation.

- Tim Edwards

Pangnirtung looks to resurface runway

Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung

Pangnirtung is gearing up to refinish part of its gravel airport runway this summer, senior administrative officer Ron Mongeau said.

"It's a short runway, only 2,850 feet (860 metres), in the middle of town, and it needs to be resurfaced," Mongeau said.

The hamlet will resurface 900 feet (270 metres) this year, he said, to get through the winter before a complete resurfacing next summer.

"Right now the dollars aren't available to do that," he said, noting the first stage has to be done this winter. "Every time a plane lands and takes off, you're losing part of your runway."

Tenders for the project are due by Aug. 14.

- Casey Lessard

Cruise ship visits Clyde River

Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River

Clyde River's first cruise ship of the season was set to visit the town Aug. 3, assistant chief administrative officer Steven Aipellee said.

Guided by six community members, 128 visitors were expected to arrive at 8:30 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m., Aipellee said. The recreation committee was planning a tour of the community, Inuit games demonstrations, throatsinging and a craft sale.

- Casey Lessard

Iglulik's Spring Fever encourages healthy lifestyles

Iglulik

Promoting healthy lifestyles and physical activity to youth is the main focus of an inaugural three-week event in Iglulik.

Spring Fever will run from July 30 to Aug. 17 with about 20 to 25 participants, said Nikita Ungalaq, who works at the recreation department.

Games promoting healthy lifestyles and sports activities are planned for the first week, geared towards children aged eight to 12 and the second one for youth aged 13 to 17, she added. The third week, geared for adults and elders, will also promote a healthy lifestyle and physical activity but will include a land and boat trip as well as a discussion on history, said Ungalaq.

"We have to get everybody to be more active," she said. "We don't just want to let them sit around at home doing nothing. It's important for everyone to stand up and do something while it's summertime and make them laugh."

- Jeanne Gagnon

New SAO for Kugaaruk

Kugaaruk/Pelly Bay

Kugaaruk has found a new senior administrative officer after searching for more than six months.

Greg Holitzki, currently the housing manager with the Taloyoak Housing Authority, will start in his new role on Sept. 10, said Gordon Dinney, Kugaaruk's acting senior administrative officer. He added the hamlet is very pleased to find a new SAO as it will bring some stability to the community and move it forward.

"We've recruited a person who has been in the North for some time and he's an experienced individual," said Dinney. "We're looking forward to some stability in the hamlet, in terms of having somebody that's going to stay with us because we've had so much turnover in the past years. That has not been good for the hamlet."

- Jeanne Gagnon

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