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Monday, May 12, 2014
Tlicho sue feds
On May 8, the Tlicho Government followed through on legal action it threatened earlier this year.
The Tlicho reject the elimination of the Wek'eezhii Land and Water Board (WLWB) as proposed under amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act introduced on March 25 with the passing of Bill C-15. Grand Chief Eddie Erasmus said the suit, which names the federal government and the minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, is not about territorial devolution or the GNWT.
The Tlicho are pursuing three outcomes: an injunction against dismantling the WLWB, a judgement that amendments to the MVRMA breach federal promises made to the Tlicho, and a judgement that the federal government and AANDC are in breach of duty to consult and accommodate the Tlicho.
- Walter Strong
Mountie threatened
A 34-year-old woman was sentenced to 60 days in jail on May 8 for threatening an RCMP officer and calling him a homophobic term when he tried to arrest her.
On Aug. 21, Diane Marie Koyina was found intoxicated in public by Cpl. Jeremie Landry, who arrested her. According to an agreed statement of facts, Koyina said "I'm going to beat you up," and resisted Landry. She called him a derogatory name 60 times that day. Landry is married to a man from Behchoko.
Koyina pleaded guilty to uttering threats on Oct. 15.
Judge Robert Gorin increased the sentence because of the slurs.
- Daniel Campbell
Lutsel K'e candidates set
Archie Catholique and Felix Lockhart will once again face off in an election for chief of Lutel K'e.
The nomination deadline for the re-scheduled chief and council election in Lutsel K'e closed on May 9.
Candidates for council are Gilbert Abel, Florence Catholique, Addie Jonnason, Adrian Nataway, Duran Rabesca, Lisa Clarke, Ron Fatt and Marcel Basil.
A re-election was called after election code violations were found during the community's original election on March 14.
- Kassina Ryder
Cyclist hit
A 77-year-old woman on a bicycle was struck by a motor vehicle on Wilderness Road in Fort Smith in the afternoon of May 6.
According to a news release from the RCMP, the vehicle fled the scene, leaving the woman on the side of the road. She medevaced to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife and has since been released from hospital. As of May 8, police had seized a vehicle of interest, but no arrests had been made.
- Paul Bickford
Derby waits for fish
Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour
Sachs Harbour's a fishing derby that started on March 28 was set to end today.
There are four categories for the competition including largest char, largest trout, smallest char and smallest trout.
The largest fish categories will be judged by weight while the smallest fish will be measured by length.
There are four first-place prizes to be handed out for the derby, all of which are from a wilderness outfitter.
- Cody Punter
Call for youth council
Aklavik
A group of youth from Aklavik is trying to garner interest to form a local youth council in the community.
Steven Gruben and Jessi Pascal, who already sit on the youth regional council, have been joined by Janeta Pascal from the justice department in trying to set up the group, which is aimed at youth aged 15 to 30.
"We want to discuss the issues and what we can do to improve our community," Jessi Pascal said.
The three have been canvassing for potential candidates since late February. But despite the fact that they have been able to fundraise $1,000 toward starting it up, there has so far been little interest.
"It's kind of hard to get youth involved here," explained Pascal.
Pascal said there might be the opportunity to travel and get paid to sit on the council depending on how future fundraising efforts go.
She added that there is wider support from the community to set the council up.
"Our elders would want to see that, so we can lead the community for future generations," she said.
In the meantime, Pascal said she has been sitting in on the occasional hamlet meeting because she wants to learn as much about local politics as possible.
- Cody Punter
Fostering and adoption information
Fort McPherson/Aklavik
Anyone interested in adopting or fostering a child in Fort McPherson or Aklavik is invited to the Foster Family Coalition's PRIDE training event at the end of the month.
PRIDE stands for Parent's Resource for Information, Development and Education, and offers prospective parents valuable training and information about foster care and adoption, according to Darlene Koe, youth and child placement co-ordinator for the Beaufort Delta
"It's a pre-training to introduce people to fostering or if you're looking at adoption," she said.
The coalition will be in Fort McPherson from May 21 to 23 and Aklavik from May 23 to 25.
Anyone interested in signing up should contact the local health authority.
- Cody Punter
College presents awards in Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
A number of awards were presented during the April 25 convocation ceremonies at Aurora College's Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith.
Valedictorian Aleda Lafferty of Fort Resolution received the Board of Governors' Student Leadership Award and the Town of Fort Smith Student of the Year Award, and she tied with Yellowknife's Pierre Berube for the Thebacha Campus Student Association Student of the Year Award.
The Board of Governors also presented several staff awards - the Innovation and College Improvement Award to Susie Wegernoski, the community adult educator in Fort Resolution; the Instructional Excellence Award to Cherie Stewart, the instructor of the Thebacha Campus Literacy Outreach Centre; and the Service Quality Award to Laura Aubrey, the student success co-ordinator at Thebacha Campus.
- Paul Bickford
Spring clean-up planned by town
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Town of Fort Smith will hold its annual residential spring clean-up from May 20 to 30.
Residents may have large items - washers, dryers, refrigerators and the like - and yard work debris collected from the curb side for a cost of $40.
The clean-up effort will not include vehicles, although tipping fees at the landfill will be waived for residential users during spring clean-up. No household hazardous waste (such as propane tanks, batteries, paint and used oils) will be collected, nor will construction materials.
During the spring clean-up, the landfill will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Paul Bickford
Fort Smith seniors set annual meeting
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Fort Smith Senior Society will hold its annual general meeting next month.
The AGM is set for 1:30 p.m. on June 17 in the seniors' room at the Fort Smith Rec Centre.
- Paul Bickford
Students return from Europe
Tetlit'Zheh/Fort McPherson
A group of 11 students from Chief Julius School recently returned from a 10-day trip to Europe that saw them makes stops in France, Austria and Italy.
Brandi Hehn, a teacher who joined the students along with another teacher and a chaperone, said the trip was a huge success.
"It was a very unique experience travelling with the students, just the relationships you got to form with them," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better group of students to travel with."
After a 29-hour journey just to get to Europe, the students immediately embarked on a walking tour of Vienna. Although they were exhausted, Hehn said the students perked up once they got to see the sites.
After Vienna the students travelled by bus to Verona, followed by Florence and Venice.
Hehn said Venice was one of the more memorable parts of the trip.
"They got to do a traditional gondola ride with an accordion player and everything," she said.
The students then headed to Paris by train where they visited the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
They also made a daylong excursion to Euro Disney.
"Rather than shopping they decided this is something they want to do."
Unfortunately for Hehn, she was not able to join the students for that part of the trip since her passport was stolen.
Since it was a long weekend in Paris, Hehn was unable to fly back with the group and had to stay an extra two days while she waited for the embassy to open.
"There are worse places to get stuck," she joked.
- Cody Punter
MLA faces two charges
Qikiqtarjuaq/Broughton Island
RCMP have charged Uqqumiut MLA Samuel Nuqingaq for crimes that allegedly occurred in Qikiqtarjuaq.
He is facing one count of assault and one count of unlawfully entering a dwelling with intent to commit an indictable offence. The 42-year-old was charged nearly three weeks ago. However, the incidents allegedly happened on Feb. 24. Nuqingaq was elected as MLA Nov. 5 following a judicial recount in which he beat runner-up Niore Iqalukjuak by a mere two votes. He made headlines shortly after taking the position when he failed to attend most of a week-long orientation session in Iqaluit and arrived late on the final day. Members of the legislative assembly voted in March to suspend him until the spring session. Nuqingaq is expected to appear in Qikiqtarjuaq court June 26.
- Miranda Scotland
Explorers trek to Arctic Bay
Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay
Belgian polar explorer and guide Alain Hubert recently completed a 10-day ski expedition from Pond Inlet to Arctic Bay.
The 60-year-old, who has also walked across Siberia and Greenland, took three of his friends on the trip.
"The conditions were excellent so we were able to cover a lot of ground every day," he told Nunavut News/North from the Iqaluit airport during his brief stopover on May 6.
"We did an average of 25 to 30 kilometres per day. The landscape is magnificent. Every time I come here, I find the diversity is stunning."
Hubert spends four months per year running the world's first zero-emission polar research station.
- Myles Dolphin
Senators visit North
Nunavut
Senators are visiting the North this week to glean information for a study on renewable and non-renewable energy development in the three territories.
The visiting senators are members of the standing senate committee on energy, the environment and natural resources. They have plans to meet with various players involved in the energy sector, including industry, aboriginal and territorial representatives, and environmental and community leaders, from May 9 to 16. The senators will also stop in the smaller communities, such as Kimmirut, to gain "a better understanding of energy challenges facing local people."
Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson, NWT Senator Nick Sibbeston, B.C. Senator Richard Neufeld, Alberta Senator Grant Mitchell, La Salle Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, Saint John-Kennebecasis Senator Joseph Day and De Lanaudiere Senator Paul Massicotte are the committee members in the North.
- Miranda Scotland
Overcoming obstacles
Taloyoak/Spence Bay
Phobe Niviatsiaq was recently recognized for her determination in returning to school.
The 22-year-old dropped out after getting pregnant at a young age. However, she has since returned and is slated to finished her Grade 10 this year.
She was presented the Ittunga perseverance award to acknowledge her struggle. Not only is she a single mother who works part-time but she also participates in extra curricular activities and volunteers, added Netsilik School principal Gina Pizzo.
"I am so happy that she made it through the whole year," she said. "Two to go for Grade 12."
- Miranda Scotland
Mayor elected by narrow margin
Salliq/Coral Harbour
Willie Nakoolak edged Jackie Netser by a scant five votes in a tight byelection to name a new mayor of Coral Harbour earlier this month.
Nakoolak was sworn in as mayor of Coral Harbour May 1.
Voter turnout was relatively high for the byelection, with 51 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot.
Former mayor Simeon Dion, who was Nunavut's youngest mayor at the age of 29, decided to step down just two months after the December 2013 election, due to what he saw as a lack of training and support for the position.
- Darrell Greer
High Arctic educator honoured
Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay
Arctic Bay resident and instructor Rex Willie was recently honored at an education symposium in Whitehorse for his commitment and resourcefulness as an Arctic educator.
One instructor from each of Canada's territorial colleges was named an Outstanding Adult Educator during the closing ceremony of the Northern Adult Basic Education Symposium.
Willie, who teaches at the Nunavut Arctic College Community Learning Centre in Arctic Bay, was recognized for the work he has done with other partners in a mapping project.
"He has forged partnerships with Inuit Heritage Trust, Nunavut Youth Consulting, and Carleton University to develop a community-based cyber-cartographic mapping project using current technologies familiar to youth in everyday life to maintain and foster valuable cultural ties," a news release on the event stated.
"This process of active learning through identifying and mapping places of cultural importance not only engaged youth, but elders and cultural knowledge experts."
- Myles Dolphin
Women take steps for cancer treatment
Tikirarjuaq/Whale Cove
Participants in the Women In Action (Steps of Hope) left Whale Cove May 1 to walk to Rankin Inlet to raise money for Alberta's Cross Cancer Institute.
The group previously raised $92,000 walking from Bay Chimo to Cambridge Bay in 2012.
- Darrell Greer
Omingmak Frolics underway
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
Ever fancied joining the circus? Well youth in Cambridge Bay will get a taste of the Big Top during this year's Omingmak Frolics.
Flying Bob's Circus camp starts May 13 at the high school and lasts four days, ending with a community performance on the weekend.
"Every year we look at different types of entertainment to come up. Last year, for example, we had a comedian," said Fred Muise, recreation director for the hamlet.
The event runs from May 9 to 19, followed by a volunteer appreciation event on May 27 at the community hall.
This year, the recreation committee has decided to extend the fishing derby by two days because of its popularity. It will now run from May 16 to May 19.
The committee has also brought back the hockey tournament and the badminton tournament is another new addition to Frolics.
Organizers have been planning the event since October.
"It's going to be lots of fun," said Muise.
- Miranda Scotland
Bravo race rescheduled
Arviat
The annual Bravo Challenge crosscountry race in Arviat was rescheduled to be held on the May 3 to 4 weekend as the result of a death in the community.
The race had originally been scheduled to be held on the April 25 to 27 weekend.
- Darrell Greer
Fun in the snow
Iqaluit
Students at Iqaluit's Nakasuk School celebrated the Olympics and Arctic Winter Games by organizing their very own sports day.
They chose to have the event on May 2, in warmer weather, in order to maximize student participation.
Students competed in various events such as moguls, biathlon, hockey, snow skipping, tug of war, ring toss, snow soccer, parachute and snack station.
"Students had fun as they ran, skipped, jumped, pulled, raced, kicked and scored," stated principal Tracey MacMillan in an e-mail.
- Myles Dolphin
Fish for prize money
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
Residents of Rankin Inlet and surrounding areas are reminded the annual Rankin Inlet Fishing Derby is set to be held during the May long weekend, May 16 to 19.
Measuring the fish for prize monies will take place at the community hall the following day, Tuesday, May 20.
- Darrell Greer
Workshop for resume writing
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
Pangnirtung residents who want to sharpen their resume-writing skills will soon have the opportunity to do so.
Kakivak Association will be offering a resume writing workshop on May 14 at Arctic College starting at 3 p.m.
- Myles Dolphin
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