CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING SPECIAL ISSUES SPORTS OBITUARIES NORTHERN JOBS TENDERS

business pages

paragraph divider NNSL Photo/Graphic
paragraph divider



Subscriber pages
Entire content of seven NNSL papers in both Web and PDF formats including the following sections:

 News desk
 Editorials - Letters
 Newspaper PDFs
 Columns - Tenders

Demo pages
Here's a sample of what only subscribers see

Subscribe now
Subscribe to hardcopy or internet editions of NNSL publications

Advertising
Our print and online advertising information, including contact details

paragraph divider
SSISearch NNSL
www.SSIMIcro.com
paragraph divider



NNSL on CD


Court News and Legal Links

Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size Email this articleE-mail this page

News Briefs: Monday, January 16, 2012

Town awaiting order

The Town of Fort Smith is awaiting an order from the NWT Fire Marshal to demolish a building severely damaged by fire on New Year's Day.

Mayor Janie Hobart said the town has already received quotes on removing the building in Conibear Park, although she declined to estimate the cost until council approves the project. Hobart said the town will seek funding from the GNWT to help pay for the demolition, but could have to cover the cost itself.

The Jan. 1 fire destroyed the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce building, which was only used during the summer.

- Paul Bickford

Snowmobile accident

in Gameti

RCMP are investigating a snowmobile accident that occurred in Gameti on Jan. 8 and resulted in a 59-year-old female being medevaced to Stanton Territorial Hospital.

The cause of the accident is still unknown, according to Sgt. Wes Heron, with the RCMP G Division.

Two officers were in the community investigating on Jan. 11. Further details will be released as they become available, he said.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Award nominations open

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is now accepting nominations for the 2012 outstanding volunteer awards, which recognize the contributions of volunteers across the NWT.

"We have a strong volunteer sector with committed people doing great work in our communities," stated Minister Robert C. McLeod in a news release on Jan. 11.

There will be categories for youth and elder volunteers, as well as for groups. Nomination forms are available at all MACA and community government offices.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Pilot sentenced

A pilot has been sentenced to jail in connection with the death of a fellow pilot in Fort Good Hope in 2010.

Parker James Butterfield, 24, was sentenced to nine months in jail for dangerous operation of an aircraft in Saskatchewan Provincial Court in Regina on Jan. 9. He was also prohibited from flying an aircraft for two years. Butterfield, who is from Saskatchewan, had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge.

On May 20, 2010, Butterfield was flying a Cessna 207 which hit William Bleach, 26, who was standing on the tarmac at Fort Good Hope airport and taking photos of the aircraft when he was struck by a wing. Bleach died in an Edmonton hospital three days later of head injuries.

At the time, both Butterfield and the victim worked for North-Wright Airways Ltd.

- Paul Bickford

An evening with Jupiter

Thebacha/Fort Smith

The recently-organized Thebacha and Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society will hold its first public event this week.

The activity - called An Evening with Jupiter - will begin at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17 in the theatre at Wood Buffalo National Park headquarters.

First of all, the evening will feature a 45-minute film on Jupiter and its more than 60 moons. Afterwards, participants will be invited to go outside of the building where the astronomical society will have telescopes set up to view Jupiter and its features, including the famed Great Red Spot, and as many of the planet's moons as possible.

"We're very excited this is our first public outreach as we work towards dark sky preserve status for Wood Buffalo National Park," said Tim Gauthier, the society's vice-chair.

Members of the public are invited to attend.

- Paul Bickford

Enterprise will need new fire chief

Enterprise

Now that he is mayor of the Hamlet of Enterprise, Mike St. Amour doesn't intend to remain as the community's fire chief.

St. Amour said he will remain fire chief until someone else is appointed by the hamlet council.

"It's just too much," he said of holding the two positions of mayor and fire chief.

While he will no longer be fire chief, St. Amour intends to remain a firefighter.

- Paul Bickford

Fresh fish chowder and pizza

Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River

Students of the kitchen helper program at Tsiigehtchic's learning centre will be cooking a meal for the community on Jan. 25.

The program, which aims to teach students about working in the food industry, runs for six weeks.

As part of the course, they will be cooking lunch for students at Chief Paul Niditchie School, as well as for any staff, parents, elders and community members who wish to attend.

Course instructor Ruby Edwards said they will likely be serving fish chowder and pizza.

The lunch, served from noon until 1 p.m., will be available in the school's gymnasium.

"We'll be cooking (at the learning centre) and just rushing over there to have our meals ready," Edwards said.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Old and new skills in Ulukhaktok

Ulukhaktok/Holman

Ulukhaktok's iglu village will likely start taking shape this week, according to Robert Kuptana.

"The students just returned from Christmas, so once they get themselves pretty well settled, then we'll start on it," he said.

Kuptana has made three snow knives so far, and needs one more completed before construction begins.

The iglus will likely be built on Queen's Bay, so they need to make sure the snow is in good shape for building, he said.

In the meantime, senior students at Helen Kalvak School are keeping busy preparing for the Skills Canada competition to take place in Inuvik on Feb. 24.

Principal Chip Bryant said they have already started training for baking, hairstyling, small-engine repairs, electrical work, carpentry, cultural sewing and cooking, but that he was unsure how many would attend the competition.

"Students have been trying more than one event, so right now they have to choose the one they're the most proficient in," he said.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Arts applications open

NWT

NWT artists have until Feb. 1 to submit their applications to appear at the 2012 Great Northern Arts Festival. As part of their application, artists must send in four to six pictures of their work, as well as an autobiography.

The artist selection committee will sort through applications throughout February before making their decisions, according to Sasha Webb, executive director. Artists will be selected based on several criteria including genre, originality, quality and relevance to the theme of the festival, which will be "the year of the drum."

Successful applicants will also be expected to participate in at least one formal outreach or workshop activity during the festival.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Be the biggest loser

Behchoko/Rae-Edzo

The Tlicho government will be running a "Biggest Loser" contest for the first time this year.

Participants can register for the weight-loss competition on Jan. 30 at the Tlicho government office anytime between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. There will only be two weigh-ins throughout the competition - one on Jan. 30 and one on April 30.

The first 50 people to register will receive a free t-shirt and water bottle. The registration fee is $50 per person.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Plane sent to look for Res man

Deninu Ku'e/Fort Resolution

A search aircraft was sent looking for a Fort Resolution man on Jan. 10 after he had left to snowmobile across Great Slave Lake the previous day but failed to arrive at a hotel in Yellowknife.

The man had left Fort Resolution at about 2 p.m. on Jan. 9.

Jack Kruger, the search and rescue co-ordinator for RCMP's 'G' Division, said the aircraft was sent out over the lake, along with some ground searchers, on the morning of Jan. 10.

As it turns out, the overdue man had spent the night at a cabin he owns at Taltson Bay on the south side of Great Slave Lake after the weather turned bad and he decided not to cross to Yellowknife.

Kruger said the man decided to return to Fort Resolution on Jan. 10 and was spotted making his way back to the community.

- Paul Bickford

Councillor-elect dies

Iglulik

Iglulik will hold a municipal byelection because a newly-elected councillor died on Christmas Day.

Guy Makkik died suddenly on Dec. 25, stated assistant senior administrative officer Celestino Uyarak via e-mail. Makkik was one of five councillors elected this past Dec. 12.

The municipal byelection for the vacant councillor position is scheduled for Feb. 23 and nominations have been open since Jan. 5.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Triple-murderer looks for appeal

Nunavut

The lawyer for a man convicted of a triple-slaying in Cambridge Bay five years ago said he hopes his client's appeal will be heard this spring or fall.

Chris Bishop was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 16 years in August 2010 for a triple-murder five years ago. A jury had found him guilty on three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Bishop's defence lawyer, Toronto-based James Morton, launched an appeal this past September, telling Nunavut News/North he will argue the jury did not get the entire story surrounding the killings.

"The appeal is his right so the court does not need to grant leave," Morton stated via e-mail. "I am hopeful the court can hear us this spring or, if not, this fall."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Dejaeger waives right to hearing

Nunavut

A former Catholic priest facing 39 charges has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Eric Dejaeger's charges include some 30 that are sex-related, one count of failure to appear in court, two counts of assault and three counts of use of violence to prevent reporting of suspicious activity.

The 64-year-old accused is also facing one count of indecent assault and gross indecency in Alberta.

One year ago, Dejaeger was deported back to Canada from Belgium. He was arrested upon his arrival in Canada on a 2002 warrant for three charges of buggery and indecent assault for incidents alleged to have occurred between 1978 and 1982 in Iglulik.

In 1990, Dejaeger was convicted on eight counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault in Baker Lake and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Dejaeger's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 23 where the accused will appear in person to elect the mode of trial - judge alone or judge and jury. Crown prosecutor Paul Bychok said he thinks the accused will elect judge alone.

The actual trial date will be set during a subsequent court appearance sometime in March. Bychok said he thinks the trial will likely be in the late fall.

"The court has indicated the trial will be held in Iqaluit ... because the facilities here are so much better to be able to deal properly with a case of this in court," said Bychok.

- Jeanne Gagnon

RCMP credit beacon for response

Kimmirut/Iqaluit

RCMP are crediting a Spot GPS locator beacon for helping rescuers quickly find two Kimmirut men whose snowmobile broke through ice on a river crossing, and say such a beacon would have helped rescuers reach a lost hunter near Iqaluit sooner.

The Kimmirut men activated their beacon Jan. 7 after the snowmobile broke through the ice in a river between Kimmirut and Iqaluit, where they were heading.

Unable to move the machine, the two were stranded.

Carrying a tarp and a camp stove, they were able to keep warm, drying their wet feet on a night when wind chills hit -45 C. Rescuers reached the men, who were 30 km north of Kimmirut, less than three hours after RCMP were notified of the beacon activation, and 48 minutes after the search began.

RCMP say they would have been able to rescue another man, a 61-year-old Iqaluit hunter who was separated from his hunting party, sooner had he been carrying a Spot beacon.

Despite spending more than 25 hours in temperatures that reached -48 C, the hunter, who was well-equipped with supplies and a fresh caribou, survived until rescuers found him in a valley 90 km northwest of Iqaluit on Jan. 9.

Spot beacons are free to borrow at hamlet search and rescue offices, and in Iqaluit at the wildlife office.

- Casey Lessard

Most popular baby names in 2011

Nunavut

Olivia, for girls, and John, for boys, were the most popular baby names in the territory last year, according to Nunavut's office of vital statistics.

All newborn Nunavummiut are registered with the Department of Health and Social Services where they receive their birth certificates. Staff in the office of vital statistics determined the most popular baby names for 2011.

The top 10 baby names for girls were Olivia, Malaya, Tracy, Mary, Anna, Avia, Ava, Marissa, Evie and Malaiya.

As for boys, the most popular names were John, Nathan, James, Nicholas, Joseph, Liam, Felix, Simon, Philip and Kyle.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Learning from the pros

Kugluktuk/Coppermine

Approximately 30 high school students in Kugluktuk were scheduled to learn welding and plumbing from trade professionals last week and this week.

A welder from BHP Billiton was to visit Kugluktuk High School Jan. 10-13 to expose students of the pre-trade program to practical welding, said principal Gary Kennedy. This week, a plumber, also from the multi-national mining company, will visit the high school Jan. 17-20 to do workshops.

Kennedy said about 30 students in Grades 10 to 12 will benefit from the visits. He added the visits are valuable to the school's program and provide students a link to the future.

"BHP support has always been great," said Kennedy. "The students get to see what their future job career might be. Having that link with the mining company is great for them in terms of recruitment but it's great for us in terms of the support they provide for us."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Snowmobilers hauling fresh water

Kugaaruk/Pelly Bay

Four snowmobilers are helping their fellow residents as they haul fresh water from a lake outside the community.

Salt water is still coming out of the taps in Kugaaruk after a tide flooded the community's water source in December. Mayor Stephan Inaksajak said the problem should be fixed before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, four snowmobilers are hauling fresh water from a lake some 11 km outside the community, farther than the community's regular water source, since last month, said Inaksajak. He said they transfer the fresh water into a large tank in the community, where residents can go get water.

"So they go get the fresh water, come back and they all put it in one big tank," he said. "It's helping the town really well."

An ice road has been built up the river for water tank trucks to traverse once the community's regular water source opens back up, said Inaksajak.

"They are saying both water trucks are safe to go on the river, even when they are fully loaded," he said. "That's where they will be pumping the fresh water, where salt water can't reach it."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Frozen pipes stop school's toilets

Qausuittuq/Resolute

Frozen water pipes mean Resolute's school has had no functioning toilets and some residents had no water for four days.

The pump at the Resolute's main water distribution tank failed on Jan. 6. It was fixed the same day but not before some pipes froze, said Mayor Tabitha Mullin. This means 11 houses had no water and Qarmartalik School had no functioning toilets.

As of Jan. 10, she said, only a few houses still had frozen pipes but the school remained closed. The affected residents got water from their neighbours, she added.

Qarmartalik School principal Jennifer Borden said the newer section of the school has water but the whole building has no functioning toilets, so students have had no school since Jan. 6.

"The bathrooms are not functioning," she said. "The students have no school right now but we're hoping it's going to be fixed very soon."

- Jeanne Gagnon

Caribou return to Pangnirtung

Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung

After three years without caribou, hunters in Pangnirtung are returning from the land with some success, economic development officer Madeleine Qumuatuq said.

"They're going way, way inland, but they are seeing prints and droppings now, and they actually got some caribou, so that's a good sign for us," Qumuatuq said.

About 10 hunters have gone out this month, but had to go far inland and south to facilitate the hunt. A total of about four caribou have been brought back to the community, she said.

- Casey Lessard

Clyde River prepares to greet sun

Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River

Students at Quluaq School in Clyde River will greet the sun this week when it returns from its slumber. The school's Sun Day is Jan. 19.

All students at the school will go through 16 stations doing a variety of activities, Quluaq School acting principal Graham Field said of the annual event.

"The senior students take care of the younger students and get them through the stations," which include making sun hats and sunglasses, racing carts, playing soccer baseball or volleyball using a balloon, Field said.

- Casey Lessard

Ice fishing yields early results

Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung

Pangnirtung Fisheries is busy enough with an early supply of fresh fish that it needs 10 new employees to meet demand.

"The ice is particularly good this year," general manager Don Cunningham said.

Fresh stocks fished from the ice at Qikiqtarjuaq and soon from Pangnirtung are compounding on the reserves frozen in the summer, Cunningham said. The fresh fish stocks are coming in about three weeks earlier than normal, he said.

"It's all adding up to a lot of work for us," he said. "We've been on the radio lately advertising for people. We've been getting some, but it's never enough."

Arctic char is the bulk of the fresh stock, while turbot is expected soon.

- Casey Lessard