NWT firefighters sent to Alberta

Forty-three fire personnel from the NWT were sent to northern Alberta on May 26 to help fight wildfires. Seven five-person teams, two agency representatives and ignition specialists were deployed. The firefighters are from Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Inuvik, Norman Wells, Behchoko, Fort Smith, Fort Providence and Yellowknife.

One NWT tanker group which consisted of two CL-215 and air attack aircraft, was in Alberta last week and assisted with firefighting operations.

- Sarah Ferguson

Boil water advisory remains

A boil water advisory, issued May 19, was still in effect in Hay River as of Friday. The advisory was due to muddy water caused by the spring breakup of the Hay River.

On Friday, Duane Fleming, the chief environmental health officer with the Department of Health and Social Services, could not say when the advisory might be lifted.

The town's water treatment plant is unable to keep the turbidity level low enough to ensure adequate disinfection.

- Paul Bickford

Bell Mobility lawsuit expands

The lawsuit against Bell Mobility over its 75 cent per month charge to customers for 911 emergency service that is not available in the NWT has been expanded to include customers in Nunavut and the Yukon, except Whitehorse.

Yellowknife residents James Anderson and Samuel Anderson launched the class-action lawsuit in 2007, seeking $6 million in overall compensation.

Bell Mobility was unsuccessful twice in appealing the lawsuit.

Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale also ruled Friday that the case will be heard by a judge alone, although the Andersons wanted a jury trial.

- NNSL staff

New devolution negotiator

Martin Goldney, a lifelong Northerner and lawyer, has been appointed chief negotiator for the GNWT on the devolution.

Goldney specializes in the field of aboriginal and constitutional law. He joined the Department of Justice in 2000, where he played a supporting role in a number of GNWT self-government and land claim negotiations. Goldney has been a member of the GNWT's devolution team since 2002, serving as legal counsel until his recent appointment as executive director, Office of Devolution.

Goldney replaces Hal Gerein, who has led negotiations since 2002. Gerein will retain a role with the GNWT's negotiation team as a senior adviser.

- Sarah Ferguson

Sports Day

Aklavik

Students from Moose Kerr School will not be found sitting in a classroom on Thursday, June 2.

The school is hosting its annual Sports Day, where students from kindergarten to Grade 12 will split into teams and participate in activities outside and in the gym throughout the day.

"Someone from every grade is on a team," said teacher Ed Hartley.

He said there are many stations the students will take part in, such as a scavenger hunt around town and relay races in the gym.

"Points are awarded on spirit rather than who won what activity. It's a competition in the sense who participates the best," said Hartley.

"It's the last time we get everybody together and do a bunch of fun activities."

Out of the 150 students attending the school, the Grade 9 students will be busy, taking part in Art in the Park, a program for school students for about four days at Sheep Creek in Ivvavik National Park.

- Katherine Hudson

Relay for Life in Fort Smith

Thebacha/Fort Smith

This year's South Slave edition of the Relay for Life fundraiser to battle cancer will be held in Fort Smith on June 11.

The relay will run from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in Queen Elizabeth Territorial Park.

This will be the fourth year that the relay will be held in Fort Smith.

In 2009, the community raised $153,000 for cancer research and support services, along with $75,000 in 2006 and $113,000 in 2007.

In the South Slave, the event is held on alternating years in Fort Smith or Hay River, which hosted the event last year and in 2008.

Relay for Life is a national fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society and events are held in hundreds of communities across the country.

- Paul Bickford

Small change makes big change

Paulatuk

A principal in jail and almost $2,000 raised through a penny drive and online donations were all part of a good cause at Angik School in Paulatuk earlier this month.

The school took part in a penny drive titled the Pennies for Patients Campaign for the third year in a row, with all money raised going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Jessica Schmidt, principal, said this year was the most successful year yet. The first year, the school raised $250. Last year the students "kicked it up a notch" since one of the teachers shaved his head for the cause when he found out his mother was diagnosed with leukemia. The school ended up raising $680.

"The campaign became closer to everyone's heart," she said.

"This year, we continued to raise the bar," she said of the $1,974 raised, more than doubling last year's amount.

The difference this year was the opportunity to send the principal to jail for five hours at the local RCMP detachment.

For every five dollars raised, Schmidt agreed to spend one minute in jail.

She was arrested at the school's monthly awards assembly and escorted by the RCMP to the detachment to serve her time.

"They put me in the truck and took me down to the cell and the kids got to walk in and see me locked in the cell and spend my full five hours there. It was a wonderful event and I was happy to be a part of it," she said.

- Katherine Hudson

South Slavey classes return

K'atlodeeche / Hay River Reserve

Free classes for adults interested in learning the South Slavey language are returning to the Hay River Reserve.

The classes, which are being offered at the Yamozha Kue Society (Dene Cultural Institute), will begin on June 6 and run to late September.

They will include basic literacy and conversation.

The classes also ran from January to March, and attracted a dozen people. Past participants and new learners, both from the reserve and the town of Hay River, are welcome to attend.

The instructor will be Dorothy Buckley.

The classes will be offered three times a week from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each evening.

Buckley said the exact days of the week for the classes will be determined based on what's convenient for participants.

- Paul Bickford

Committee holds elections

Hay River

The Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities held its annual general meeting on May 25.

The main business of the meeting, which was attended by about a dozen people, was electing a president, vice-president, secretary/treasurer and four directors.

All the positions were filled by acclamation.

Lillian Crook was returned as president, and Sharon Pekok was returned as vice-president.

The new secretary/treasurer is Mary King.

The directors include Gene Crook and Lillian Lau-a, both of whom served on the previous board, and newcomers Linda Anthony and Mike Anthony.

Lillian Crook said the meeting reviewed the past year and discussed plans for the next 12 months.

She noted the committee is also moving to a new location - the former victims assistance services office in the Jensen Building.

The new office is to open by June 6.

- Paul Bickford

New learning centre

Tsiigehtchic

The brand new adult learning centre has opened its doors for about a month now and it's a great improvement from the facility previously being used by Aurora College in the community.

The new Community Learning Centre replaced an aging facility and the new stick-built building is located near the school and gym.

Doug Robertson, campus director for Inuvik's Aurora College campus, said the project has been ongoing for about a year and a half through federal government infrastructure money. The facility was built by local contractors Weitzel Construction Ltd.

"We're just really pleased with the facility. It's a great improvement over what we had," he said.

"The main components are a classroom, a computer lab, which can function as a second classroom; it has a kitchen, an office for the adult educator and a nice welcoming foyer and usual washrooms."

Sandra Drost, the centre's adult educator, said it is offering basic courses and upgrading programs until the end of the school year in mid-June and then it will be business as usual in September when courses start again.

"It's definitely a bigger space and it's a brand new building," said Drost.

She said there are five students who regularly attend the centre.

- Katherine Hudson

Ghost town for a bit longer

Tuktoyaktuk

Eddie Dillon of the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation has been out on the land for the last three weeks hunting spring geese and fishing and said he's not the only one.

"It's a ghost town right now," he said of Tuktoyaktuk.

"People are out at Husky Lakes, spread out along the coast, camping, hunting, enjoying the weather."

He said this year, spring arrived later than usual but when it came, it came fast.

"It's come really quick. Everything all melted away," said Dillon.

He said community members will continue to stay out on the land until the first week in June with many regular community events staying on hold until the hamlet fills up again.

He said the experience is a wonderful one, and one that happens every year. Dillon said the people in the Beaufort-Delta are in constant communication through trappers' radios, listening to the movement of the break-up of the river.

"You hear people from McPherson, Arctic Red and Aklavik and we keep in touch with conditions in the delta, what's happening, how the ice is moving. It's just something. It's a ritual every year."

- Katherine Hudson

Hunter found alive

A Kugluktuk hunter was found cold, tired but in good shape with his snowmobile on May 17 at 10 a.m. by the Kugluktuk Ground Search and Rescue team, according to the RCMP.

Ronald Angohiatok, 35, had left the community on May 15 at 11 a.m. to go hunting in the area of Klengenberg Bay when he became lost and ran out of gas, stated the RCMP in a press release. Eight searchers were dispatched when Angohiatok failed to return. They battled fog, rain and a blizzard but were able to locate Angohiatok's snowmobile trail before locating him on May 17.

Police and ground search-and-rescue personnel both praised Angohiatok for his survival skills.

"He didn't panic and stayed with his machine," stated RCMP Sgt. Jimmy Akavak in the release. "He kept hydrated with snow and curled up in a ball to conserve body heat."

Baker Lake contender for bank branch

The people of Baker Lake will have to wait until at least the fall to find out whether First Nations Bank of Canada will be opening a branch in their community.

The bank's chief executive officer Keith Martell said the company is currently updating its operating system and there will be no decisions made on starting any new branches until that process is complete.

The community is still a strong contender for a new branch particularly thanks to the increase in economic activity related to mining, Martell said.

Modern equipment coming

Kugaaruk/Pelly Bay

A robotic arm, a hydraulic lift and other modern industry tools are coming to Kugaardjuk School.

Principal Michael Bartley said he received $20,000 worth of modern equipment courtesy of a grant program from U.S.-based Goldenrod Research Corporation, including six computers and a robotic arm, a joystick-controlled robotic arm, a miniature closed-circuit television that attaches to the arm, a countertop fluid power training system and an electronic console that suspends plastic balls on columns of air.

He added he applied to have the school pilot the project in Canada.

"We want to make sure we are preparing these kids for the future and through this YouthTouch, they can learn math and teamwork and technology through much different methods than just seeing it on a board," said Bartley. "I can't wait to have it set up and have all the teachers see it work."

The company will train teachers to use the equipment this August, he added. Students in Grades 3 and up will use the equipment to various levels of difficulty. Bartley said the school is excited about the new equipment.

"It's hands on. You actually see it happening, so it's practical, so the kids learn easier. They learn faster," he said.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Inuksuit School out on the land

Qikiqtarjuaq/Broughton Island

All students at Inuksuit School got to enjoy a trip out on the land in April and May.

"The kids absolutely loved it and learning culturally-relevant skills," said Juanita Balhuizen, assistant principal.

She said a big effort was made this year to get elders involved and have them teach the students how to make iglus, share stories and play games. The elementary and middle school aged children went out in the middle of April to North Fiord, about a 30-minute snowmobile ride from the community.

The high school students went out on an overnight trip May 5 and returned the following day.

- Emily Ridlington

Tour companies check out Arviat

Arviat

Representatives from five southern tour companies visited Arviat earlier this month as part of the Arviat Community Ecotourism project.

Mike Robbins of The Tourism Company in Toronto is one of the leaders developing the ACE project.

Robbins said the Arviat community eco-tour was

quite successful, despite the guests arriving a bit late due

to travel problems.

He said the familiarization trip introduced tour operators to the Arviat experience in the hope they'll start to market and sell packages to the community.

"We want to work through tour operators so the community knows, in advance, when groups are coming, how many people to expect and what they're interested in doing," said Robbins.

The operators spent two nights on the land during their visit, but didn't get to see the caribou migration which is happening late this year due to abnormal weather conditions earlier this winter.

Robbins said missing the caribou migration actually turned out to be a good thing. He said they'd never want that to happen with paying guests and learned from the experience.

"Now we know we have to include a charter plane in the package to fly small groups to a camp located near the herd, no matter where it is."

Other companies represented were Steppes Travel (United Kingdom), Arctic Kingdom (Toronto), Adventure Canada (Port Credit, Ont.), Frontiers North Adventures (Winnipeg), and Churchill Wild (Manitoba).

- Darrell Greer

School open house

Kinngait/Cape Dorset

The community had the opportunity to visit and learn more about Sam Pudlat School as it was scheduled to hold an open house on May 25.

Principal David Webber said during the event, scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m., the school was to demonstrate its new computer lab and nine Smartboards, show off the library's new automated system as books are barcoded. He added the school will also promote a new plastic recycling program it wants to implement this fall and it will also try to form a Friends of Sam Pudlat Society to recruit volunteers to get involved in some of the school's projects.

"We definitely want to get the recycling thing on the go here. There is absolutely no recycling right now in Cape Dorset, none," said Webber. "That's sort of getting outside of the normal kind of stuff you do at a school open house. We're quite excited about that."

Webber said this was the first open house in the two years he has been there. Parents and the community must understand what the school is doing, he added.

"I think it's important parents are made to feel welcomed and parents are made to feel they have a role to play in their children's education. Teachers simply can't do it all themselves," he said. "We need the input from the homes and the community and certainly in this community, the input from the culture as well."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Society gets counsellor/advocate for youth

Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River

The Ilisaqsivik Society has hired a youth counsellor/advocate for those in the community between the ages of 15 and 22.

"It's rare we get men who want to be counsellors so we're super excited," said Jakob Gearheard, executive director.

Tony Kalluk from Clyde River is currently in Rankin Inlet undergoing training related to his new position. He will return to the community at the beginning of June.

Gearheard said he will educate and provide youth with counselling related, but not limited, to addictions, substances and substance abuse.

Kalluk has previously worked for the society in 2010 as a counsellor. He has already started in his new position and has already made an impact.

"Since he started, the number of men who come to our centre has jumped by 500 per cent," said Gearheard.

He said usually they would get one or two men a day for counselling and now 10 to 15 men come in per day.

Kalluq's position is part of larger project funded by the Government of Nunavut Department of Health and Social Services in Cambridge Bay.

Youth counsellors/advocates have also been hired in Rankin Inlet and Kugluktuk as part of the project.

- Emily Ridlington

Construction of new church to start in June

Iglulik

Construction of a new Roman Catholic Church in Iglulik is set to start in June, said the diocese's head.

Bishop Reynald Rouleau said the new 7,000-square-foot or approximately 650-square-metre stand-alone building will be on the same lot as the current church but some 30 metres behind it. The new church, expected to be completed this December, will also feature a community hall separate from the actual church by a wall that can be opened for large religious services, he added.

"People are very happy about the new church," said Rouleau. "It will be a lot better equipped for the services to the community and the different groups in the community and not only for the church. If some other organization would need the community hall, it's always available."

The current church, now too small for the growing community, will be kept for various activities, he added.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Hunting and fishing good in Grise

Ausuittuq/Grise Fiord

Lots of people were out fishing over the Victoria Day weekend in Grise Fiord.

"The ice conditions are good but the floe edge is close," said Mark Akeeagok, manager of the Iviq Hunters and Trappers Organization.

While he said he has not been out there himself, this is what everyone who comes back to town has been telling him.

Akeeagok said people are also saying the hunting is particularly good right now for all animals.

- Emily Ridlington