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Monday, May 4, 2015
Man still missing from Fort Providence
Police continue to search for Delmer Paul Bonnetrouge after he was reported missing by his family earlier this week.
Bonnetrouge, son of Deh Gah Got'ie Koe First Nation Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge, was last seen in Fort Providence April 21.
RCMP state information has come forward indicating he may be in Hay River.
Chief Bonnetrouge took to social media last week to ask members of the public to keep an eye out for his son. Police and community members spent last week searching riverbanks and cabins in the Fort Providence area.
He is described as 5'8", 174 lbs with black hair, brown eyes and is of aboriginal descent.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Fort Providence RCMP.
- Meagan Leonard
Drugs and cash seized during traffic stop
A traffic stop on Highway 1 south of Enterprise resulted in the seizure of two grams of suspected cocaine and $5,000.
The vehicle was pulled over for a driving infraction and operated by a lone female who was arrested at the scene.
She was later released from custody and will appear in court July 27.
- Meagan Leonard
Man arrested in possible sword attack
A man faces numerous charges after a sword attack was reported on April 25 in Fort Good Hope.
RCMP was called after information was received that an individual had been cut with a sword, police stated in a news release. They have not said whether a sword was recovered.
Troy Lennie, 25, is charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon and carrying a concealed weapon.
He remains in custody. Police say the victim, who they have not identified, was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
- John McFadden
Museum exhibit on Fort Smith trapper
The Pi Kennedy Exhibit - about a famed trapper in Fort Smith - has opened at the community's Northern Life Museum & Cultural Centre. The exhibit opened on April 30 and will run until May 22.
The series of photographs will explore Kennedy's life as a trapper from early childhood to well into his 80s.
- Paul Bickford
Metis dancers to visit school in Fort Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
A dance group called Two Metis Girls will be visiting Fort Smith on May 4 through 8.
The dancers, who are based in Winnipeg, will work with some students at Joseph Burr Tyrrell School on a Metis sash dance.
Two Metis Girls' visit to Fort Smith will include a public performance May 7.
The group's visit is being sponsored by the South Slave Divisional Education Council, in partnership with the Fort Smith Metis Council.
- Paul Bickford
Astronomical society elects new executive
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Thebacha & Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society has a new executive, which was chosen by the group's five directors in mid-April.
They re-elected Mike Couvrette as chairperson and Bruce Buckley as vice-chairperson.
Couvrette has chaired the Fort Smith-based society since it formed in 2011.
Linda Martin is the new treasurer and Chris Talbot is the new secretary, while Larry Nixon is the director-at-large.
The society held its annual general meeting on March 22, when two open seats on the board of directors were filled by Couvrette and Talbot, a newcomer to the board.
After each AGM, the five directors meet to elect an executive for the year.
- Paul Bickford
Resiliency program underway in Kakisa
Ka'a'agee Tu/Kakisa
Students at Kakisa Lake School are enjoying the new resiliency program, which started last week.
"We get together and do fun stuff," said Grade 6 student Mavericka Simba.
She's part of a six-person group in the class and enjoys the remembering games.
Simba looks forward to the program continuing.
- Stewart Burnett
Duck and goose hunting hot at Horn River
Deh Gah Got'ie Koe/Fort Providence
Hunters have been bagging a nice haul of ducks and geese around Horn River.
Ted Matto, a hunter from Fort Providence, said about 75 people have been hunting the Horn River for ducks and geese this season, which began mid-April and ends around mid-May.
"It's been really cold and windy," he said.
"Horn River's a good spot."
Matto's best day so far was a total of five geese and ducks.
The season ends when geese head farther north and ducks start laying their eggs.
- Stewart Burnett
Wrigley gets housing visit, waits for ducks
Pehdzeh Ki/Wrigley
The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation visited Wrigley this week to look at clients' homes and see what improvements could be made.
A recent report said that Wrigley has the highest percentage of homes with "adequacy problems," meaning they lack running water, an indoor toilet, bathing and washing facilities or require major repairs.
The Pehdzeh Ki band office wishes Gloria Hardisty a belated Happy Birthday.
The community is waiting for ducks to come north for their hunting season.
Yesterday was recycling day at the school, allowing community members to trade in recyclables for cash.
- Stewart Burnett
Royalty crowned
Aklavik
It was a busy week for the young and young at heart here as the kiddie carnival got underway April 27 with the crowning of the prince and princess.
The rest of the week was punctuated by fun outdoor games such as rubber boot races, egg in spoon and a jigging contest.
Participants also enjoyed a talent show, barbecue and cash raffle.
Events finished up April 30 just in time for a relaxing weekend.
- Meagan Leonard
Big anniversary upcoming
Paulatuk
Things have been relatively quiet in Paulatuk lately as the community prepares for its 50th anniversary celebration on the first weekend in June.
This will signal the end of the spring goose hunt and also Inuvialuit Day.
The afternoon will feature a barbecue and variety of outdoor activities and in the evening a dance and gathering will be held indoors.
Dignitaries are expected to visit to share stories and memories of the hamlet's history.
- Meagan Leonard
School of oil drilling
Tuktoyaktuk
Students at Mangilaluk School were given the unique opportunity to learn about oil drilling and its environmental impacts in the North during a presentation by Imperial Oil last week.
Principal Agnes Cudmore said, for the first time, younger students were included in the activities and introduced to a variety of hands-on learning stations designed to teach them about rock formations. She said students particularly enjoyed one activity that used cake to show how rock layers are formed.
Presentations were also given to the high school students along with the opportunity to ask questions about environmental implications and what is going on in the media.
Cudmore said the students were very engaged and enjoyed the experience.
- Meagan Leonard
Man wields axe in second standoff
Iqaluit
Only a day after the end of another standoff a short distance away, a second standoff started Friday at about 11:45 p.m.
Police responded to calls reporting a distraught man, aged 27, at Creekside Village, formerly known as White Row. Neighbours reported that the man was armed with an axe. The police kept the neighbourhood on lockdown Saturday, encouraging residents in parts of the 200-block and 300-block to remain in their homes. Other Iqalungmiut were asked to avoid the area.
- Casey Lessard
Drug bust yields one arrest
Taloyoak/Spence Bay
RCMP in Taloyoak arrested one person as part of an ongoing marijuana trafficking investigation April 24. After carrying out a search warrant, officers seized prepackaged marijuana, as well as cash and marijuana trafficking items. Officers also seized a firearm and illegal liquor.
"The community of Taloyoak has identified illegal drugs and liquor as a priority for the Taloyoak RCMP," said Sgt. Yvonne Niego. "The RCMP continues to partner with the community to identify those responsible for bringing in illegal substances."
A resident of Taloyoak was charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and is scheduled to appear in court in July.
- Michele LeTourneau
Dump fire quickly put out
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
A fire that broke out at the Cambridge Bay dump was successfully dealt with within two hours on the afternoon of April 23. The hamlet responded like a well-oiled machine, having dealt with dump fires in the past. Once the fire was noticed, director of municipal works Wayne Weese, acting assistant manager of municipal works Joe Koaha Jr., and the fire chief and senior administrative officer were there, as well as other municipal staff, said senior administrative officer Stephen King.
"Using heavy equipment, Wayne Weese and Joe Koaha Jr. separated the burning garbage from the pile, and spread it so that it would extinguish. Using water on a dump fire with smoke blowing into town is not a good idea," he said.
As for the cause, King said dump fires usually combust on their own. He added the fire was definitely out. "It is quite obvious. Our dump is well maintained and there is not a sufficient amount of garbage for a fire to be lurking beneath."
- Michele LeTourneau
State of emergency lifted
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
The Hamlet of Pangnirtung on May 1 officially lifted the state of emergency issued on April 2 as a result of a fire at the power plant that caused sustained, community-wide power outages.
The mid-term solution to Pangnirtung's power emergency arrived in the hamlet April 21. Four self-contained generator units were installed by Qulliq Energy crews.
Each of the four generators were delivered one at a time by a Sikorsky Skycrane. The helicopter was dismantled last week in advance of its departure from the territory April 30 on an Antonov An-124-100 plane, one of the world's largest.
- Casey Lessard
Stolen taxi in head-on crash
Iqaluit
Five people were injured and one person arrested after a stolen taxi was involved in a rare head-on crash Friday night in the capital. The crash happened near the courthouse at about 11 p.m. May 1. The driver of the stolen vehicle was treated for his injuries and taken into custody. Passengers in the other vehicle, also a taxi, were treated and released from hospital.
The driver of their vehicle required further treatment in hospital, but his injuries are not life-threatening, police stated.
- Casey Lessard
Earth Day is fun day
Taloyoak/Spence Bay
After rescheduling Earth Day to April 27 from April 22, students at Netsilik Ilihakvik had a blast sliding down the hill at Qimiqtalik Lake.
Taloyoak's students have made Earth Day an annual tradition at Netsilik by heading down to the lake. Earth Day is a day on which events are held worldwide to show support for environmental protection.
"Students used sleds of all sorts, toboggans, qamutiq, seal skins, cardboard, and even garbage bags to slide down the massive hill at super high speeds," said principal Gina Pizzo.
"It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and students, staff and even some parents had a wonderful afternoon sliding down the highest hill in the area. Everyone was very happy."
- Michele LeTourneau
Eiderdown factory starting
Sanikiluaq
About five or six people in Sanikiluaq are now training at the hamlet's eiderdown factory, which is set to start operations this month, senior administrative officer Daryl Dibblee said.
"All the new equipment's in, and we're going to start buying eiderdown," Dibblee said.
Removal of asbestos from the old plant took longer and more money than expected, he said.
"We had to basically redo the whole building to have people working there," he said, adding it cost another $40,000 and took an extra six weeks.
The hamlet has stores of down from last year and collectors will start again soon to ensure the plant won't run out of supplies.
- Casey Lessard
Fishing derby coming up
Arviat
The annual trout and Northern pike fishing derby will be held in Arviat from May 15 to 18.
The top 10 fishers in each category will bring home cash prizes, with a grand prize of $6,000 up for grabs for both the biggest trout and Northern pike landed during the derby.
- Darrell Greer
Thirty years of learning
Nunavut
Nunavut Sivuniksavut, the Ottawa-based college program that prepares young Inuit from Nunavut for post-secondary education, celebrated 30 years by holding an educational conference in Gatineau, Que., April 27 to 29.
The conference brought together representatives from educational institutions, political organizations, governments, funding agencies, corporations and foundations as well as Inuit and indigenous post-secondary students to explore innovative approaches to indigenous post-secondary education.
People in attendance had the opportunity to explore how post-secondary schools support the retention and enhancement of indigenous languages, how colleges and universities design and deliver courses that are relevant to Inuit and indigenous students' historical, political and cultural experiences and how educational institutions develop programs and services that respond to the full range of student needs.
- Michele LeTourneau
Food bank opens
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
Pangnirtung families needing assistance now have somewhere to turn since the Pirujat Food Pantry opened April 28 in a green
portable beside Pangnirtung's Alookie School.
Pirujat is open twice a month, on the 8th and 28th.
The first day saw 81 families pick up food hampers, according to the group's Facebook page. Organizers estimate about 187 adults and 178 children benefited from the first day.
The volunteer-run organization provides nutritious food in hampers that contain all the food items needed to prepare a decent meal, as well as recipe cards.
- Casey Lessard
Busy times in Baker Lake
Qamanittuaq/Baker Lake
It's been a busy, active and healthy time for both youths and adults alike in Baker Lake recently.
Students and staff at Rachel Arngnammaktiq Elementary School raised $1,860 during its annual Jump Rope for Heart event.
The kindergarten to Grade 5 school has raised more than $36,000 with the event during the past 13 years.
More than 40 players participated in the community basketball tournament, Qamani'tuaq Open, earlier last month.
Play was featured in both male and female divisions, with brackets of U14, U15, U16, U19 and adult open.
Finally, the Baker Lake Youth Athletic Association will host its annual athletic banquet this month to celebrate another successful year of sport in Baker.
- Darrell Greer
Marking Music Monday
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
Manni Ulujuk Ilinniarvik will join the rest of the nation to celebrate Music Monday on May 4.
The event will see students and community members come together to celebrate music education for the afternoon with a number of live performances. The event has been tentatively slated to begin between 1:30 and 2 p.m.
- Darrell Greer
Alert gets resupplied
CFS Alert
The researchers and military staff working at the world's Northernmost permanently inhabited settlement received their bi-annual resupply last month.
It took one Globemaster and two Hercules a total of 26 flights from April 9 to 26 to transport 26,626 kg of cargo and about one million litres of fuel to Canadian Forces Station Alert, a release stated.
The United States Air Base Thule in Greenland is the staging area for the operation. The spring resupply focuses on fuel, while a fall operation focuses on dry goods and construction materials. Food and essentials are delivered on a regular basis throughout the year.
- Casey Lessard
Walk for breast cancer research
Sanirajak/Iglulik
Outgoing Nunavut Commissioner Edna Elias and seven other strong women were scheduled to depart Hall Beach May 2 for Steps of Hope 2015.
Joining Elias are Madeleine Cole, Joanna Awa, Iqaluit Mayor Mary Wilman, Rhoda Ungalaq, Tineka Simmons, Bernadette Dean and Kathy Nateela.
The walk to Iglulik, 70 kilometres away, is to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Elias said she started the Steps of Hope fundraiser three years ago in honour of her younger sister who she lost to breast cancer.
Aside from the fundraising aspect, which raised close to $100,000 in the two previous years, the walk is to raise awareness about healthy lifestyles.
Funds go to the Cross Cancer Institute in Alberta.
- Michele LeTourneau
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