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News Briefs: Monday, Oct 08, 2012
Highway crackdown
Police were scheduled to be patrolling the streets and highways in full force during the long weekend, according to Const. Todd Scaplen of RCMP G Division Traffic Services in Yellowknife.
During the Thanksgiving holiday, RCMP detachments and municipal bylaw officers participated in Operation Impact 2012. Its mission is to reduce high-risk driving activities such as driving without a seatbelt, distracted driving, aggressive driving and impaired driving.
- Laura Busch
Wood bison harvest closed
Wood bison hunting was closed to on Oct. 5 because of the large percentage of the herd that died from anthrax poisoning earlier this year.
The area, known as D/WB/02 at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, lies roughly halfway between Behchoko and Fort Providence. No resident or non-resident hunting tags are issued for this area, so only general hunting license holders will be affected, said department spokesperson Judy McLinton.
"We're still talking to aboriginal governments and communities about the tags that they have," said McLinton. "So this does not affect the tags that were given to aboriginal governments."
- Laura Busch
Band election appealed
A recount has been cancelled following the Sept. 24 election of six councillors for Fort Smith-based Salt River First Nation.
That's because the results of the election have been appealed.
Lynda Martin, the band's electoral officer, said everything is now in the hands of the election review committee, which consists of three people who are not members of the band.
Martin said the committee will assess the appeal and can decide if it warrants a hearing within 30 days or dismiss it. It was to make that decision by Oct. 7.
She declined to identify which candidate launched the appeal since the committee was considering the matter.
The recount had been requested by Jeannie Marie-Jewell, who finished in seventh place, just one vote behind sixth place finisher Judith Gale.
- Paul Bickford
New president for seniors
The Enterprise Senior Society has a new president.
Amy Mercredi was acclaimed to the position at a meeting in mid-September.
She replaced Shari Dives, who stepped down as president for personal reasons.
- Paul Bickford
Fort Resolution educators share award
Deninu Ku'e/Fort Resolution
Two educators in Fort Resolution were among the winners of literacy awards presented on Sept. 25 in Yellowknife.
Kate Powell and Lucinda Summers shared the Ministerial Literacy Award for educators. They are the literacy co-ordinator and program support teacher at Deninu School.
They were among those honoured with the Ministerial Literacy Award or the Council of the Federation Literacy Award at an annual adult learners' luncheon.
The awards were created by the minister of Education, Culture and Employment in 2002 and the Council of the Federation in 2005 to recognize adult learners and those who champion literacy for learners of all ages.
Patrick Bailey of Norman Wells received the Ministerial Literacy Award for youth learners for his determination, perfect attendance and improved literacy skills at the Norman Wells Community Learning Centre.
The Literacy Outreach Centre in Yellowknife received the Ministerial Literacy Award for organizations.
Tuktoyaktuk's Karra Dillon, the winner of the 2012 Council of the Federation Literacy Award for the NWT, was also recognized for successfully graduating from the Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor Program at Aurora College in Inuvik. That award was announced this past summer.
- Paul Bickford
Cross-country running event in Fort Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The NWT Cross-Country Running Championships will be held in Fort Smith later this week.
The event is set for Oct. 12 from noon to 3 p.m.
It will take place at the Fort Smith Ski Club, just south of the community. The club is actually based south of the NWT/Alberta border.
- Paul Bickford
Paulatuk caribou hunt completed
Paulatuk
Caribou meat from this year's hunting season was distributed among community members late last month, according to the community's hunters and trappers committee.
Diane Ruben, resource worker for the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, said 15 caribou were harvested by four community members. She said the group had returned about a week and a half ago after hunting on both the eastern and western sides of the community. Caribou caught in the east were brought back to the community by boat.
"They give pieces to as many members as they can, as much as they can," said Ruben. "They didn't give them a whole caribou each; they had them all cut up and distributed that way. Larger amounts for larger families."
- Lyndsay Herman
September celebrations
Aklavik
September 28 was a busy day for Moose Kerr School as it was the school's Aklak assembly, open house, and grandparents' day.
During the Aklak Assembly, students were recognized in five areas of achievement such as excellent attendance, athletics, and school values and beliefs.
Eight students and their two chaperons attending the Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference, in Edmonton from Oct. 12 to 13, held a raffle at the open house where they each provided baked goods, books, posters and other items.
Bobbie Greenland, administrative assistant for Moose Kerr School, said there was a great turn out from the community for the whole day, and the event included a celebratory cake-cutting at the end of the open house.
Greenland said the school tries to host an open house every few months, sponsored by the Aklavik Educational Authority, but September's was particularly special as it celebrated the first month back to school.
- Lyndsay Herman
Youth council awarded
Ulukhaktok/Holman
The Ulukhaktok Youth Council was the recipient of this year's NWT Parks and Recreation Award for Excellence.
A representative from NWT Parks and Recreation was scheduled to visit the hamlet to award the youth, however bad weather caused the flight to be cancelled, said Joanne Ogina, recreation co-ordinator for the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok.
Ogina said she accepted the award on behalf of the council while in Yellowknife. She said she is very proud of the work the council does in the community and was honoured to accept the award on its behalf.
The council, whose members range in age from 16 to 25, not only fundraises and organizes events for the community, but it also is also counted on to help out in other organizations' events throughout the year, Ogina said.
- Lyndsay Herman
Feast for the seasons
Ulukhaktok/Holman
The Ulukhaktok Community Corporation was planning to host a community feast this past Saturday at the Simon Kataoyak Community Centre. The feast was intended to celebrate this year's spring and summer hunts, said Victoria Akhiatak, corporate manager for the community corp. The planned activites include drum dancing as well as a lots of food, she said.
- Lyndsay Herman
Funding idea for vacuum sealer
Thebacha/Fort Smith
Fort Smith resident Mike Vassal has entered the idea of a community vacuum sealer into an online contest which awards funding to winning projects across Canada.
The funding could be available from the Aviva Community Fund based on online voting.
On the Town of Fort Smith's website, Vassal explained a vacuum sealer would be really handy for people to vacuum seal their food for longer-term storage.
Vacuum sealing works for meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts and more.
"I proposed that the fund buy the sealer and any community member wishing to use it would only have to pay for the vacuum sealing bags," Vassal wrote. "Compared to most ideas on the Aviva website, this is an inexpensive one."
Vassal is calling on anyone who likes the idea to go to the Aviva Community Fund website and cast a vote in support of a community vacuum sealer for Fort Smith.
- Paul Bickford
Fundraising champions
Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour
Six youth from Aklavik are planning to attend the Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference in Edmonton from Oct. 12 to 13 after raising over $19,000 through bake sales, catering, raffles, and sponsorship from various businesses and organizations.
Donna Keogak, manager of the Sachs Harbour Community Corporation, said the youth, accompanied by two chaperons, are leaving Sachs Harbour Oct. 9 in order to have more time to tour universities in Edmonton.
- Lyndsay Herman
Nunavut will now pay more
Nunavummiut will now pay more for non-perishable food items after the Nutrition North Canada program came into full effect Oct. 1.
"Nutrition North Canada focuses its highest subsidy on the most nutritious, perishable foods such as fresh fruit, frozen vegetables, milk and eggs," federal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan stated in a release.
The program subsidizes "family-friendly staples" including Cheez Whiz, side bacon and ice cream, but no longer subsidizes groceries that can last until the next sealift, such as cleaning and hygiene products, canned food, and dry pasta and rice.
- Casey Lessard
More fuel spilled than estimated
Qausuittuq/Resolute
Last year's fuel spill in Resolute let loose about 13,000 litres more than what was initially estimated, according to the Government of Nunavut.
Approximately 100,000 litres of fuel was released at the Resolute Bay tank farm in October 2011, according to Hillary Casey, a spokesperson with the Department of Community and Government Services. Fuel spilled from the community's tank farm on Oct. 27, with initial estimates putting the spill at about 87,000 litres, but a consultant visited the High Arctic community this summer to measure the extent of the spill.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Delivery man victim of armed robbery
Iqaluit
RCMP are looking for an man who robbed a delivery driver outside the Ivavik building in Iqaluit during the early hours of Sept. 26.The driver was approached by an unknown Inuk man in his mid-20s, who asked him if he had a cigarette. When he said no, the man assaulted him, pulled out a pair of scissors and demanded money. The driver gave him a small amount and the suspect fled on foot towards Apex.
The suspect had a goatee, was shorter than average, and was wearing a red or black hat with a hooded sweatshirt, according to an RCMP press release.
- Casey Lessard
Top doctor steps down
Nunavut
Nunavut chief medical officer of health Dr. Geraldine Osborne stepped down from her post on Sept. 21.
She had headed a team promoting health initiatives, controlling communicable diseases and preventing chronic diseases since April 1, 2011. She said she will stay in Iqaluit for a little while and see what the future holds.
"It's a pretty demanding job and 10 years is pretty long. It's time to move on," said Osborne. She added she has no regrets.
Osborne came to Iqaluit in 2001, directly from Ireland where she got a leave of absence from her job in the medical field, thinking she would be in Iqaluit one, perhaps two years and then return to Ireland. She arrived to work as the associate chief medical officer of health. She's been here since.
"For me coming here, most of the work I did, it was really setting up the infrastructure of public health because, obviously, it was a very new territory," said Osborne. "That took a lot of time and it's still an ongoing process but we've really moved on pretty well with regards to having much better infrastructure for health."
Dr. Maureen Baikie is now the acting chief medical officer of health.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Cafe owner risks life for woman in bay
Iqaluit
An Iqaluit cafe owner risked his life to save a woman from drowning in Frobisher Bay the morning of Sept. 30, according to an RCMP press release.
After one of his employees spotted the 19-year-old woman in the bay, Brian Twerdin braved frigid waters to bring her back to the shore near his business, the Grind and Brew.
Twerdin did not need medical attention despite the sub-zero conditions, but the woman was treated for minor hypothermia, and was being held this week for psychiatric assessment.
- Casey Lessard
Elder mourned
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
People from across Nunavut joined the Kivalliq in mourning the death of one of the territory's most wellknown and highlyrespected elders, Mariano Aupilardjuk, on Sept. 21.
Aupilardjuk was born in 1923 in Avaliqquarjuk, near Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay), about a year before his family moved to the Repulse Bay area.
He married Marie (Tulimaaq) Aupilardjuk in Repulse in 1942, and the couple eventually moved to Rankin Inlet in 1981.
Aupilardjuk received numerous awards during his lifetime for his efforts as a teacher and in preserving Inuktitut.
He was recognized by the Government of the NWT and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami for his efforts with youth and traditional knowledge, and received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 2001 for his teaching of Inuit culture and tradition.
The elder also played the role of Kanaalaq's (Annabella Piugattuk) father in the awardwinning film, The Snow Walker in 2003.
Aupilardjuk was one of 12 distinguished guest speakers at a Canadian Conservation Institute symposium on Preserving Aboriginal Heritage: Technical and Traditional Approaches.
He performed a song he wrote about a homeless man he saw in New York City on many special occasions, including a visit to Rankin by former federal Industry minister Brian Tobin in 2001.
- Darrell Greer
Arctic Bay polar bear season closes after first day
Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay
It took Arctic Bay hunters just one day to reach the hamlet's quota of six polar bears for the fall season, HTO manager Jack Willie said Oct. 2.
In fact, the HTO is waiting to hear whether hunters killed one more than the limit of six bears when the season opened Oct. 1. The hamlet does not currently have a conservation officer, so hunters have to report to the HTO, and the board will have to decide what to do if hunters killed seven instead of six, Willie said.
In contrast with other hunts, which require hunters to have a tag before hunting a bear, the open hunt simply requires hunters to register their kill when it happens, at which point the tag is claimed. The community reserved 12 kills of its 25-bear quota for 2012-13 for sport hunters, he said.
- Casey Lessard
Pizzas sell like hot cakes
Ausuittuq/Grise Fiord
Grise Fiord showed its support for three students hoping to take part in an exchange program, buying all of the students' 40 home-made pizzas in three minutes.
Jennifer Qaapik, Rita Killiktee, and Selina Ipeelie, members of teacher Tanya Cross's after-school cooking club, made 40 pita pizzas to raise funds for the YMCA exchange.
If successful in their application, the three would travel to southern Canada, and the community would in exchange host several southern students, in the spring.
"(They) are all very talented cooks, and pulled off the fundraiser without a hitch," she said. "I love Grise Fiord and I teach a group of students who I care a lot about and would love to help these deserving students have the opportunity to participate in this exchange program."
More fundraisers are in the works, she said.
- Casey Lessard
Pangnirtung seeks floating dock solution
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
As construction of the small craft harbour wraps for the season, Pangnirtung is trying to find a floating dock that can winter in the harbour.
"We need to get a floating dock designed and get it up here, so we can let it over-winter to ensure that it's going to stand the pressures of the ice," senior administrative officer Ron Mongeau said, "and since we don't have a design, we don't have anything to put in the harbour this winter."The hamlet is planning for 120 floating docks for community residents, so the hamlet would like to avoid removing the docks from the water each winter if possible, Mongeau said.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is coming to the hamlet and may have a solution, he said.
- Casey Lessard
New school principal at elementary school
Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven
A former superintendent of schools is now the principal at Quqshuun Ilihakvik in Gjoa Haven.
Margaret Joyce started in her new role in the community's elementary school on Sept. 21. She has lived in the North since 1992, working in Qikiqtarjuaq, Arviat, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven and Iqaluit. She came out of retirement in Prince Edward Island to take this position, she said.
"This was one of my schools, when I was the superintendent in this region," said Joyce. "I knew they were looking for a principal. It's a school I wanted to make sure was running well, so I decided I would come. I like the staff, like the community and the parents."
- Jeanne Gagnon
New hamlet office ready
Iglulik
Hamlet staff will work out of their new office on Oct. 22.
The one-storey structure includes 14 offices, council chambers, a meeting room, a kitchen and a balcony, said Celestino Uyarak, the hamlet's assistant senior administrative officer. He added the building was Iglulik's former nursing station.
"We're extremely excited we will be moving into a new facility, renovated, and leave this federal day-school that was built in fifties," said Uyarak. "We will have pretty much all hamlet staff workers under one roof, rather than spread all over little offices here and there."
He added the hamlet is still deciding on a grand opening date.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Belugas spotted near Hall Beach
Sanirajak/Hall Beach
Belugas were spotted and harvested outside Hall Beach, something which the community has not experienced for a few years.
Mayor Paul Haulli said as waters off the community's shores are shallow, with the deep end farther away, Hall Beach does not see many belugas. This year, however, they've seen lots, with hunters catching quite a few, he added, without giving an exact number.
"Everybody had a great time (in) the last couple days because belugas coming in right to the shore," he said. "We haven't seen this many belugas in a few years so this is one of the years we finally got the belugas in again."
Some residents were watching from shore, others were driving by, trying to catch a glimpse of the whales, said Haulli. He added quite a few residents hadn't tasted beluga in a while, so many were very happy.
"It seems the whole town was outside watching the hunters hunting belugas on their boat and all that. It was a very exciting community the last couple days," said Haulli.
- Jeanne Gagnon
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