Legislative assembly will meet to replace Lee

A vote to fill the newly vacated cabinet seat left by the resignation of Health and Social Services Minister Sandy Lee will take place April 8. Lee vacated her seat to run as a Conservative candidate in the federal election, May 2.

The Territorial Leadership Committee will meet before the vote on April 7, and appoint a regular MLA - expected to be from Yellowknife - the following day. Lee's Range Lake seat will not be filled until the territorial election Oct. 3.

- Katherine Hudson

Budget talks

City council is inviting residents to give their two cents on the 2012 city budget at a town hall meeting Monday night.

The focus of the discussion will be on capital projects.

Everyone is invited to attend the meeting in the lower boardroom of city hall at 7 p.m.

This is the second town hall meeting council has held on the budget this year.

The first meeting had a turnout of four councillors and zero residents.

- Nicole Veerman

Parks taking reservations

Campers can start booking their spring and summer camping excursions for the 34 parks operated by the GNWT on Friday, April 1.

Several of the parks offer online booking, in addition to reservation by telephone, e-mail, fax or post. Most NWT parks are open, with services provided, from May 15 to September 15, including the Prelude Lake, Reid Lake and Fred Henne campgrounds.

- Katherine Hudson

Climate conference calls for action

Municipal leaders, researchers and other organizational representatives attended a two-day climate change conference put on this week by Ecology North, the Pembina Institute and the NWT Association of Communities.

The forum was designed to share knowledge and promote action to help address climate change effects in Northern communities. Some topics discussed included community energy planning and renewable energy, climate change impacts on water and waste water, the impact of climate change on transportation and infrastructure standards.

- Katherine Hudson

Three councillors appointed

Jean Marie River First Nation's band council is up to full strength again.

During a public meeting on March 23 Yvonne Norwegian, Ernest Hardisty and Gerald Grossetete were appointed to the council. The three will hold the positions until the next election.

The band's council, which consists of six positions, had been short three councillors since February. One councillor stepped down for personal reasons and Coun. Stan Sanguez was appointed to serve as acting chief following the removal of then-chief Isadore Simon. A third councillor's seat has been vacant since the death of Fred Norwegian in 2010. The band's next election is scheduled for this fall although no date has been set.

Second at Polar Pond

The Fort Simpson Moosehide Mammas finished second in the women's division at a third annual tournament in Hay River.

The Mammas competed in the Polar Pond Hockey tournament from March 18 to 20 going undefeated in all four games in their pool against teams from Hay River and Fort Smith. Based on goal differentials they went into the playoff round as the top-ranked team.

Against the Easton Fections, however, the Mammas lost 13 to 10 putting the Hay River team in first place and the village team in second. The Mammas' roster included Alexa Tsetso, Karen McColl, Jennifer Thistle, Kristen Morisson, Amy Macdonald and Caitlin Jaffray.

Annual soccer tourney in Fort Simpson

Soccer players from across the territory as well as Nunavut will be descending on Fort Simpson this weekend.

The Connie Loutit Memorial Soccer Tournament will be taking place in the village from April 1 to 3. As of March 27, 26 teams had confirmed their attendance including teams from Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, said organizer Shane Thompson.

Eight to nine local teams will be representing the village in the event. Games are scheduled to begin on Friday at 1 p.m. and the finals will start on Sunday morning.

Spring carnivals

Two Deh Cho communities are holding their spring carnivals this week.

The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation's Moccasin Spring Carnival will take place in Wrigley from March 31 to April 3 while the Deh Cho Bison Jamboree will run from March 30 to April 3 in Fort Providence. Both events will include youth and adult talent shows and traditional games among numerous other events.

Hoping for a few more days of cold

Sambaa K'e/Trout Lake

People are taking advantage of the final days of the winter road to make last minute trips to and from Trout Lake.

Chief Dolphus Jumbo is attending a climate change conference in Yellowknife from March 28 to 31.

The end of hockey for the season

Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson

The ice surface in the Fort Simpson recreation centre was closed for the season March 26 due to of rising temperatures.

Looking after the land

Tthek'ehdeli/Jean Marie River

A two-day Protected Area Strategy meeting will be held in the community from April 5 to 6.

A community hearing on the Wildlife Act will take place on April 6 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Students at Louie Norwegian School are participating in an outdoor education program from March 28 to April 1 at Ekali Lake.

Make way for the gravel trucks

Tthenaago/Nahanni Butte

A gravel haul to stockpile material in Nahanni Butte is scheduled to be completed on March 31.

The band office is busy preparing for year end while the Nahanni Butte Store is busy getting in the final shipments of groceries before the ice crossing closes.

Birthday wishes go out to Brian Ekotla on April 3 and Samantha Konisenta and Tammy Matou on April 6. Sean Ekotla turned a year older on March 29.

Listening to wildlife

Acho Dene Koe/Fort Liard

A public hearing on a number of acts including the Wildlife Act is being held on April 6 at 6 p.m. in the community hall.

Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche is holding a constituency meeting on April 5 at 7 p.m. in the at hamlet council chambers.

The grand opening of Johnny's Place, a new restaurant, was celebrated at the Fort Liard Fuel Centre on March 30.

Birthday wishes go out to Hillary Deneron on April 6.

Run for the homeless

You don't have to run all the way to Tuk but you can still raise money for a good cause while running along side a world famous athlete.

Ultra-marathoner Alicja Barahona will arrive in Inuvik next week to set out on her run to Tuktoyaktuk to raise funds for the Inuvik Homeless Shelter. She will begin the 370 km marathon on April 6 and is scheduled to return to Inuvik on April 10. Local runners of any level are invited to make a pledge and run part of the last stretch back to Inuvik.

If running the ice road with a woman who finished the first female in a race across the Sahara Desert is too intimidating, people can still pledge money toward their favourite runner of Ali's Arctic Challenge and help the homeless shelter.

Early surgeries suggested

The Beaufort Delta Animal Health Centre will be open until April 10 and people whose pets need surgeries are asked to book appointments early. To book appointments contact the centre or the Beaufort Delta SPCA.

Interagency board members still needed

The Inuvik Interagency Committee is still looking for community members to join the board.

There were 17 people in attendance at last month's meeting on Wednesday, March 16.

The committee meets with members from various organizations in Inuvik - including the RCMP, the town, social services and public works - so the groups can update each other on initiatives and work together on plans.

Board members are asked to commit eight to 20 hours per month. For more information, contact Kathleen Selkirk at the Inuvik Interagency Committee.

The next meeting will be April 20 at the Interagency building.

Town input

Close to a dozen people showed up for the public meeting held by town council on Monday to discus the new capital budget as well as other issues. You can pick up a copy of the capital budget at the town hall.

Don Cooper dies

Former deputy minister and Supreme Court Justice Don Cooper died Monday afternoon at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Cooper, born in 1947 in Montreal, came to Yellowknife in 1975 and worked as a lawyer in the territory for nearly 20 years. Cooper left his legal practice in 1994 to work for the GNWT, eventually serving as deputy minister in the Department of Justice until 2008 when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the NWT. In January 2010, he resigned, citing health reasons. Funeral arrangements were not known at press time.

- Terrence McEachern

Kids back in the kitchen

Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River

Principal Cynthia Wagner says things are busy as always at Chief Paul Niditchie School. The students are back to class this week after taking their spring break last week.

The Kids in the Kitchen program is starting again in April after a short break as well. Wagner said the initiative helps youth learn cooking skills, and provides an opportunity to showcase their talents to the community.

The lunch program takes place in the gym every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.

"It's a chance for the elders in the community to share and talk with the students," said Wagner.

An elder appreciation feast is being planned with the health centre as well, but no date has been set for the event yet.

Sliding party a success

Aklavik

A sliding party held this past weekend is being celebrated as a success, with more than 35 kids and their families showing up for the event.

Hamlet recreation co-ordinator Dean McLeod said the afternoon was a good way to enjoy good weather. He said the hamlet brought out some sleds, people brought their own toboggans and the Northern store ended the day with hot chocolate for participants.

A recent two-day workshop for youth was also well attended, said McLeod.

"We had 35-40 participants for those two days," he said.

With activities such as curling and a pizza night, the youth of Aklavik has plenty of ways to beat boredom and stay active.

"This was one of our many Get Active events," said McLeod.

With the annual Inuvik Muskrat Jamboree coming next weekend, McLeod forecasted a slow upcoming weekend in his home community.

"A lot of people from here will be in Inuvik at some point this weekend," he said.

Hip hop group to return

Paulatuk

Angik school principal Jessica Schmidt said the halls of the school are about to be filled with the hip hop sounds of Toronto-based quartet Ill Skills.

The dance group made an impression on the community last year, when they held a workshop for the youth. To change things up a bit this year, the group will focus on weaving Inuvialuit drum dancing into their songs, to blend tradition with their sound.

The visitors from Ontario will also hold a spoken word poetry workshop with older students in the community. Schmidt says the group has a motivational theme that is popular with the Northern students.

"We're pretty excited about it. It was also a great attendance booster last year," she said.

The hip hopsters are in town from April 11 to 15. The trip was made possible by sponsorship from the NWT Sports and Recreation Association.

Way too warm, too early

Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour

The end of March is a busy time for many groups and levels of government in the North. Recreation co-ordinator Doreen Carpenter says that Sachs Harbour is no different.

"We're busy wrapping everything up from last year, year-end stuff," she said. "We're applying for new funding as well, for programming."

With the annual jamboree being planned for the first week of May, there are plenty of things to do in preparation.

"We haven't set a date quite yet, but we're busy preparing for it," said Carpenter.

The unseasonably warm weather has been enjoyed by the community as well. Carpenter said it's really early for such warm temperatures, and the wildlife is a sure sign of that.

"We're already seeing the snowbirds out," she said.

Usually, warm weather such as this is only seen in the beginning of May.

"It's too warm, way too early," she said with a laugh.

Youth centre gets spruced up

Tuktoyaktuk

A fresh coat of paint and some repairs to the front deck are some of the renovations happening at the Jason Jacobson Youth Centre this week.

Youth program co-ordinator Winnie Blake said the painting is nearly done and thanked the people who help maintain the centre.

"We're busy doing year-end business and applying for funding," she said.

New programs are scheduled for start in April, with a full schedule to be released shortly.

The recycling program is one of the successes of the centre. Blake said she is new to the position and hopes to bring popular activities to the centre.

The drop-in hours are well attended and some of the youth are even getting work-experience hours needed for graduation through their time at the centre.