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News Briefs: Wednesday, May 22, 2013
No date set for Wildcat Cafe
The Wildcat Cafe is hiring staff and putting the final touches on its menu, but there is no set date yet for the restaurants long-anticipated opening, according to restaurateur Luke Wood.
The opening will come after renovations budgeted at $525,000 were delayed by more than a year.
- Cody Punter
False alarm on Yk Bay
A case of mistaken identity brought Yellowknife Fire Division rescue crews to the Old Town public boat launch Saturday afternoon.
Two cyclists called in at 1:41 p.m. saying they thought two people had broken through the ice. However, upon further inspection, the suspected victims were determined to be two black garbage bags, said Fire Chief Darcy Hernblad.
"It's a good thing that people call those calls in," he said. "We would rather be on the side of caution."
One fire truck and one ambulance responded.
- Laura Busch
City signs lease for Government Dock
The City of Yellowknife officially entered into a lease agreement with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on May 13 for control of Old Town's Government Dock.
Prior to the lease being finalized, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans cleaned up the site by excavating contaminated soil and replacing it with clean soil, according to Randy Hay, environmental officer with the DFO.
The dock was cleaned up to commercial standards under the Canada-wide standards for petroleum hydrocarbons in soil, under the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
Now that it has acquired a lease, the city will move forward with the re-development of Government Dock, which is outlined in the 2012 Harbour plan.
- Laura Busch
Streetscaping open house
The City of Yellowknife is hosting an open house on Tuesday at city hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. for the Old Airport Road Phase IV Streetscaping Project.
The planned improvements will take place along Byrne Road to the corner of Old Airport Road and Franklin Avenue/Kam Lake Road.
- Candace Thomson
College grad
Rankin Inlet
The Kivalliq campus of Nunavut Arctic College held its annual graduation ceremony at the Rankin Inlet community hall this past week.
Diplomas were presented in management studies, while certificates were given in office administration, trades access, career development practitioner, preapprenticeship electrician, oil burner mechanic and plumber, Level 1 and 2 apprenticeship electrician, Level 1 and 2 apprenticeship housing maintainer, Level 1 apprenticeship plumber, Level 1 and 2 apprenticeship oil burner mechanic and observer communicator.
Other programs recognized from across the Kivalliq include record of achievement (Arviat), preemployment and early childhood education (Baker Lake) and preemployment in Coral Harbour, Rankin Inlet and Repulse Bay.
Please see the May 29 edition of Kivalliq News for more on the graduation.
Housing units
Kivalliq
Six of seven Kivalliq communities will be among 12 in Nunavut to receive a share of 210 new housing units, as announced by Government of Nunavut (GN) minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corp., Peter Taptuna, this past week in Iqaluit.
Arviat and Baker Lake are slated for 30 units, while Repulse Bay and Rankin Inlet get 20, Coral Harbour 10 and Whale Cove five.
The GN will receive $100 million from the federal government during the next two years for public housing.
However, Taptuna did refer to the list as preliminary and warned the final allocation numbers could be subject to change.
Instructing instructors
Rankin Inlet
Seven individuals were recognized for completing their instructor development programs during the Nunavut Arctic College Kivalliq campus graduation ceremony in Rankin Inlet this past week.
Recognized for their accomplishment were Jacqueline Curley, Karen Deagle, Alan Everard, Brenda Putulik, Troy Sammurtok, Joe Verbeek and Kerry Angidlik.
Derby rescheduled
Rankin Inlet
The Rankin Inlet fishing derby had to be postponed when a blizzard dumped 92 cm of snow on the area this past week.
The derby will now be held this coming weekend.
The annual event is traditionally held during the Victoria Day long weekend.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut contribution
Ottawa/Kivalliq
Kivallingmiut Aviation of Rankin Inlet was among five Inuitowned and Nunavutbased businesses to present a $12,000 cheque to the Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) program during its graduation ceremonies earlier this month.
Also donating to the NS program were Aqsaqniq Airways of Cambridge Bay, Auyuittuq Aviation of Iqaluit, Medic North Nunavut, and Eastern Arctic Medical Solutions.
The money was used to help cover expenses for NS students who travelled to Europe to actively learn more about European perceptions of Nunavut cultural issues, like adapting to climate change and the European Union ban on importing Canadian seal products.
Research reprieve
Nunavut
The High Arctic research station, Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, has been given a reprieve.
PEARL will be able to resume yearround operations, thanks to a new grant from the federal government.
Canada's Northernmost research lab will receive $5 million during the next five years from the new $32million Climate Change and Atmospheric Research program.
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