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Monday, March 3, 2014
Author to present writing workshop
Author Anita Daher will present a creative writing workshop in Fort Smith March 15 and 16.
The workshop can help people who are writing a journal, memoir, short story or novel, or considering how to get started.
Daher, who lives in Manitoba, has written a number of books for teenagers.
- Paul Bickford
Fort Smith Legion creating Veterans' Wall
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 239 in Fort Smith is creating a Veterans' Wall.
The wall will recognize former and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Legion is seeking photographs, which will be returned, and other information about veterans or active-duty military personnel.
- Paul Bickford
Power corporation faces safety violation charges
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) and two of its supervisors have been charged in relation to a serious injury of a worker last year near Fort Smith.
On Feb. 20, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) laid eight charges of violating the NWT's Safety Act and General Safety Regulations.
The alleged breaches involve the injury of a male worker, who was clearing a transmission line from the Taltson River hydroelectric site on March 8, 2013.
According to a news release from the WSCC, the eight counts allege a failure to take reasonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of persons on a worksite, specifically failing to ensure adequate instruction of each worker in the safe performance of their duties, in compliance with the regulations.
The corporation and the two supervisors jointly face two counts. Each of the supervisors also faces three additional counts.
The first court appearance on the charges will be on April 14 in Fort Smith Territorial Court.
- Paul Bickford
Winter roads going to night schedule
The Mackenzie Valley Winter Road system will move to night time operations starting March 3 at 6. a.m..
Travel will be restricted one hour after night fall to one hour before sunrise.
The restriction happens every year when temperatures in the region begin to rise and direct sunlight makes the roads harder to maintain.
- NNSL staff
Meeting on future of Fort Smith arena
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Town of Fort Smith has called a meeting for March 27 to provide information and to consult with user groups on the next steps and vision for the remaining lifespan of Centennial Arena.
The meeting will be open to the public. The 46-year-old building is projected to have a 75-year total lifespan. The arena was damaged by a fire in May of last year and is operating this winter under temporary arrangements to avoid the damaged area.
On Feb. 18, town council awarded a $1.77-million contract to CAB Construction to repair the fire damage and provide some additional improvements.
- Paul Bickford
Anti-bullying for all
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
The entire community is invited to Chief Paul Niditchie School in March for an anti-bullying rally. The event, tentatively scheduled for March 18, was supposed to take place last week but was cancelled.
"We make great gains with the bullying here and basically it comes down to instilling self-worth in students. But we don't teach (anti) bullying. It's not on the curriculum at the school but it still exists and we still deal with it," said principal Darcy Douglas.
He said there will be contracts available for students and community members to sign at the rally.
Anti-bullying day is usually Feb. 26 where people across the country and beyond are encouraged to wear pink to support anti-bullying.
"We're transferring our pink shirt day to that date," said Douglas.
- Erin Steele
Fort Smith fishing derby cancelled this year
Thebacha/Fort Smith
This year's Fort Smith Ice Fishing Derby has been cancelled. It had been planned for March 21 to 23. Richard Mercredi, the main organizer of the event, said it was cancelled because of safety concerns about overflow.
Mercredi explained overflow occurs when heavy snow cracks the ice, and water flows on top of the ice. That means snowmobilers would likely get stuck as soon as they ventured off prepared trails.
The organizer noted that, because of the extensive planning and preparation required for the fishing derby, it is not possible to wait until closer to the event and see if the overflow conditions might improve. The fishing derby is held on three lakes - Natawa, Blackman and Jackfish - about a two-hour snowmobile ride east of Fort Smith.
The event, which has been organized by the Fort Smith Fishing Derby Club for 25 years, has been cancelled only once before, and that was a half-dozen years ago.
- Paul Bickford
Assistance for harvesters
Aklavik
The Gwich'in Harvester's Assistance Program is now open for this year's spring allocation. The funding, which is available through the Gwich'in Tribal Council, is available for full-time, part-time and new harvesters. The program helps harvesters with the purchase of equipment and supplies and issues approximately $140,000 annually.
Through the program there is $4,000 per season available to full-time harvesters who spend at least four months a year on the land; there is $1,250 available per season to part-time and new harvesters. New and part time harvesters have to contribute 25 per cent of their cost (either gas or groceries if they need them on the land) whereas full-time and elders do not.
The deadline for spring allocation is March 17 at 5 p.m.
- Erin Steele
Easter celebration plan
Paulatuk
Paulatuk is already gearing up for its celebration of Easter, a popular event for the hamlet.
One of the several annual events hosted by the recreation committee is currently in the planning stages and set to take place the Wednesday before Easter (April 16) and continue through to Monday (April 21).
"It's been going on for quite a while now. Fifteen to 20 years," said Aaron Ruben, recreation co-ordinator with the hamlet.
The weekend will include events for children, tots and preschoolers such as relay and hopping races, as well as events for adults, including a coin toss and a jigging contest.
The most popular event for adults is the snowmobile races, according to Ruben.
He says he is most looking forward to "everyone coming out and enjoying the weekend."
- Erin Steele
Games at school
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
To ride the wave of student success at last week's Dene games in Inuvik, Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic followed suit on Feb. 25.
Principal Darcy Douglas, who travelled with the senior students to the games last week, said there is an air of excitement in the school surrounding Dene games.
"We were practising traditional games before the Inuvik event so there's a high interest right now so we're taking advantage of that," said Douglas.
The students who travelled to Inuvik will become teachers to the younger children who will compete in them. Games include leg wrestling, stick pull, muskox push, two-leg kick and single-leg kick.
All students at the school were set to take part in the competitions and winners were set to be celebrated in the afternoon.
- Erin Steele
Cabinet portfolios get shuffled
Iqaluit
MLA George Kuksuk will hold the portfolio for the Department of Energy when the Fourth Legislative Assembly of Nunavut begins its first session. Paul Okalik held the file since cabinet assignments were assigned in November.
In a statement announcing the change on Feb. 24, Premier Peter Taptuna explained the decision was made because the Department of Energy portfolio aligns better with Kuksuk's responsibilities as minister of Economic Development and Transportation.
Nunavut's government is scheduled to begin its first sitting in the legislative assembly on March 6.
- Laura Busch
Training for cultural centre workers
Nunavut
Residents from five Nunavut communities will soon fly to Edmonton, Alta. where they will learn more about how to better manage museums and cultural centres.
Participants from Arviat, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Iqaluit and Qikiqtarjuaq will attend the Inuit Heritage Trust's (IHT) Heritage Training Program, being held from March 3 to 13.
"Participants will learn about research and exhibition design, conservation of artifacts and collections management," according to a news release from Inuit Heritage Trust on Feb. 25.
This is the second part of a two-part program, with the first taught in different communities in Nunavut.
Participants will visit a number of local museums and archives including University of Alberta museums, the University of Alberta, Rutherford House, Historic Sites Service, Royal Alberta Museum, Fort Edmonton Park, Provincial Archives of Alberta, McKay Avenue School Museum, St. James Cultural Centre, Loyal Edmonton Regimental Museum and Amiskwaciy Academy."
The IHT is an association dedicated to the preservation, enrichment and protection of Inuit cultural heritage.
- Myles Dolphin
Travellers by the numbers
Nunavut
Statistics Canada shed some light on airline travel to Nunavut communities in a report released Feb. 24.
The report gave a snapshot of total travellers to Canadian airports without air traffic control towers within the month of November.
Included are statistics from 22 Nunavut airports, with total number of travellers and the number of days within the month that were reported to Stats Canada.
Among the highlights was the Baker Lake airport with 291 people in 30 days, Cambridge Bay with 295 in 30 days, Eureka with two people in two days, Hall Beach with 170 travellers in 30 days, Kugluktuk with 218 passengers in 29 days, Pangnirtung with 146 people in 26 days, Sanikiluaq with 115 people in 19 days and Whale Cove with 85 passing through the airport in 19 days.
These numbers include commercial, private and government flights.
- Laura Busch
Showing their spirit
Arviat
The community of Arviat could almost have passed as playing host to a Northern retreat for members of the United Nations with all the different flags on display in the hamlet late last month.
A number of residents flew the flag of their favourite country that was competing in the Olympic Winter Games' hockey tournament.
While many were taken down in sorrow, the flags of Canada and Sweden still flew proudly as the puck was being dropped for the gold medal game on Feb. 23.
- Darrell Greer
Hanging up the skates
Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet
Hockey players of all ages in Pond Inlet are finding winter a little bit longer this year since the arena in the community has remained closed due to electrical issues inside the building.
The arena, constructed in 2010 and opened in 2011, is also suffering from concrete pad issues. The emergency lighting has also blown out a few times.
The hamlet is working with territorial government to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.
- Myles Dolphin
Learning the beautiful game
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
Cambridge Bay youth participated in a four-day soccer clinic beginning Feb. 26.
Yellowknife-based coach Rebecca Alty held clinics in Kugaaruk before travelling to Cambridge Bay to teach physical education and soccer to youth of different age groups.
In Cambridge Bay, the clinics ran from after school until 9 p.m.
"We wanted to get someone in to teach soccer and allow the kids to have some fun and try something different for a change," said recreation co-ordinator Fred Muise, adding basketball and hockey are very popular around the community.
- Laura Busch
Fighting back against bullying
Iqaluit
There was a sea of pink at Nakasuk School last week when students and staff took part in the Bullying Stops Here campaign, along with hundreds of other schools across Canada on Feb. 26.
The school held a T-shirt draw in the morning and two students from each homeroom were presented with official Bullying Stops Here T-shirts.
Classes were also involved in a variety of activities and the entire school took part in a daily physical activity event to close out the day.
"We at Nakasuk School believe in a safe, healthy, nurturing and encouraging atmosphere," stated principal Tracey MacMillan in a news release.
"We believe that each child is unique with talents and abilities that grow in a respectful environment.
"Students, faculty and staff demonstrated their support of this important event by wearing the colour pink."
- Myles Dolphin
Booze investigation
Salliq/Coral Harbour
The Coral Harbour detachment of the RCMP was still not releasing any information last week on a booze investigation being undertaken in the dry community.
Nunavut education officials were reported to have sent a school-operations team into the community to investigate claims one or more teachers had been in possession of
alcohol in Coral.
Being a dry community, possessing booze is illegal in Coral Harbour.
Coral has not deemed it necessary to even so much as hold a plebiscite on lifting the restrictions on alcohol since 2007.
The "no" vote was an overwhelming winner in the 2007 plebiscite with 75 per cent of the ballots cast.
- Darrell Greer
Hall packed for dance
Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven
Gjoa Haven was bustling during the winter break as teachers and elders travelled in from around the Kitikmeot to take part in workshops on revitalizing Nattilik language.
Community members entertained their guests with a jigging contest on Feb. 18 and a drum dance on Feb. 19 at Gideon Qitsualik Memorial Hall.
"The community hall was packed," said recreation co-ordinator Enuk Pauloosie. "We had local square dance groups performing. There was a jigging contest as well as spot dances with a live band playing."
Coming up, the Kitikmeot will be all about hockey in the coming month, as players prepare for the Kitikmeot Cup in Cambridge Bay, said Pauloosie.
Gjoa Haven aims to host a territory-wide women's tournament in March or early April. That tournament is still in its planning stages and Pauloosie hopes airlines will get on board with sponsoring the tournament so that teams can afford to get together to play some competitive games.
- Laura Busch
Culinary delights in Iqaluit
Iqaluit
In honour of International Women's Day on March 8, the YWCA Agvvik is organizing a food fair at the Inuksuk High School.
Iqalummiut women are encouraged to take part in the International Women's Day Food Fair by sharing a piece of their culture. Participants will be reimbursed for the cost of ingredients for their dish.
- Myles Dolphin
Hockey time
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
Hockey lovers in Rankin Inlet barely have time to catch their breath following the Powerful Peewees and Challenge Cup junior 'C' championships held in their community on the Feb. 22-23 weekend. The puck dropped Feb. 26 to open the annual Sakku First Aviation Avataq Cup.
The tournament was scheduled to end March 2.
The Avataq Cup is the region's biggest hockey tournament of the year, and usually features teams from six of the seven Kivalliq communities, as well as a squad from Iqaluit.
The host community ices up to four teams for the event each year.
The final tournament of the 2013-14 season, currently scheduled for Rankin, will see the younger kids get their time in the spotlight when the community hosts the Arctic Atoms from March 7 to 9.
- Darrell Greer
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