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News Briefs: Friday, April 27, 2012
Workplace deaths mourned
The Northern Territories Federation of Labour is hosting a National Day of Mourning ceremony on Saturday from noon to 1 p.m at the legislative assembly. The event will recognize the workers who died due to work-related deaths in the NWT and Nunavut in 2011 and acknowledge the high number of deaths due to airplane crashes last year.
"Any workplace death is a tragedy," said Marie Lou Cherwaty, federation president. "The Day of Mourning is a day for us to mourn for those deaths and its an opportunity to renew our commitment to fight for the living and to make our workplaces safer."
Since 1996, more than 100 workers have died due to work-related deaths in the NWT and Nunavut, according to statistics compiled by the federation.
- NNSL staff
Recyclers awarded
On Tuesday the City of Yellowknife presented recycling awards to local businesses, organizations, schools and individuals who have shown an admirable effort to reduce, reuse or recycle. Recipients include Mildred Hall School, Sir John Franklin High School, St. Joseph School, E.B.A. Engineering, Velma Sternberg, Ecology North's Roving Recyclers, Canadian Tire, and Food Rescue.
- Lyndsay Herman
Earth Week continues
Ecology North's Earth Week activities conclude tomorrow. Saturday events include a walking tour of Old Town chicken coops beginning at 10 a.m. at the Yellowknife Racquet Club. The annual coffee house and silent auction at Mildred Hall School begins tomorrow at 7 p.m. Eco-friendly activities were hosted by Ecology North in Yellowknife since Friday, April 20.
- Lyndsay Herman
Camping draw
Campers interested in extended stay camping, which is a campsite stay of more than two weeks and up to two months, can apply for an extended stay draw on May 6 at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre starting at 1 p.m. The draw will take place at 2:30 p.m. and any remaining sites available after the draw will be released by noon on May 9. The campsites are located at Prelude Lake Reid Lake Parks.
Camping season opens May 1 and reservations for stays of two weeks or less are already underway at the Camping NWT website.
- Lyndsay Herman
News Briefs: Thursday, April 26, 2012
Dennis Bevington named critic responsible for Northern development
Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington has been appointed as the Official Opposition critic responsible for Northern development in the NDP's shadow cabinet. Previously the position was a deputy critic responsibility.
In a press release on April 23, Bevington said the change shows how important the North is becoming to Canada's political agenda. In addition to his House of Common duties, Bevington also represents the North as the only MP from the territories on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and as the Chair of the NDP Prairie and Northern caucus.
Annual Grande Prairie tournament draws soccer players
Soccer players from four Deh Cho communities will be competing in Grande Prairie, Alta., this weekend.
Approximately 50 athletes will be participating in Ernie's Rock Around the Clock Tournament from April 27 to 29. The Deh Cho will be fielding five teams in the U12, U14 and U19 age divisions. The participating communities include Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Wrigley and Jean Marie River.
Deh Gah Eagles head to Yellowknife
Deh Gah School is sending a girls team to Junior Super Soccer this weekend in Yellowknife.
The Deh Gah Eagles, coached by teacher Diana Gargan, will be competing in the U12 division. The athletes have been practising four times a week for an hour each day since April to prepare. For the majority of the team, this will be their first time participating in the tournament.
The players have also been fundraising to make the trip possible. The team has already raised approximately $1,000.
Students support being green
To celebrate Earth Week, students at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson have been participating in five days of events.
Starting on Monday, students who take the bus have been dropped off at the Visitor Information Centre to walk the rest of the way to school with a teacher. On Monday, each class also began constructing a structure out of recyclables that will be judged on Friday.
Students were also scheduled to clean up their school yard on Wednesday, plant vegetables on Thursday and do an Earth Day walk from 2:30 to 3 p.m. on Friday.
Ice roads closed
The ice roads between Inuvik, Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk were scheduled to be closed and blocked off as of yesterday.
The Department of Transportation decides to close the roads once surface conditions have deteriorated to the point where it is not longer safe to travel, said Earl Blacklock, spokesperson for the department.
The average closing date for the Beaufort Delta ice roads was April 28 over the past five years. The earliest closure in GNWT records was on April 15, 1998, and the latest the road has closed was on May 9, 2001.
Events cancelled
Two events scheduled for last Saturday were cancelled due to low community participation.
The Great Northern Arts Festival dinner and silent auction was postponed until October due to low ticket sales, said Sasha Webb, executive director of the festival.
"We have tons of beautiful art that people donated and pre-committed food that we will just continue with for the fall," said Webb.
The call of the great outdoors was not enough to draw in participants for the third annual Muskrat Pond Hockey tournament, which was cancelled altogether because the minimum number of teams required for the tournament was not met.
Western night
The Healthy Smiles Society is hosting a Western night at the Legion this Saturday night.
Things are scheduled to get underway at 6:30 p.m. with a chicken or steak dinner – with all the fixings. The hosts will also provide country music, a silent auction, line dancing and a grand prize raffle of a trip for two to Edmonton courtesy of Canadian North. All proceeds will go to the Healthy Smiles Society that brings mobile dental clinics to underdeveloped nations.
Firefighters' ball
While there is still another week until the annual Inuvik Volunteer Firefighters' Association ball, group tables are booking up and organizers suggest groups counting on sitting together should book soon.
The ball is scheduled to be held Saturday, May 5 at the rec centre in the Midnight Sun Complex. The night will start with drinks at 7 p.m., dinner will be catered by the Twisted Ladle, and two Vancouver comedians will provide most of the entertainment.
"This isn't a fundraiser, it's a party for the firefighters – for the work that we do," said Brian Larman, vice-president of the association. "But everybody is welcome."
While this is a chance for the hardworking men and women of the Inuvik Volunteer Fire Department to let loose, there will be a designated duty crew who will attend the ball, but won't consume any alcohol.
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