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News Briefs: Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Health critic meeting
NDP health critic Libby Davies will be at the Baker Community Centre on Franklin Avenue at 1 p.m. Saturday to host a forum on the future of public health care in Canada and the North.
Presentations by Sandra Lochart of Alternatives North and Andre Corriveau, chief medical officer of the NWT, are also scheduled.
- Laura Busch
Tax assessor open house
A property tax assessor will be at city hall for two evenings this week to answer questions from residents about their assessment.
The open house is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Property assessment notices were mailed out last week indicating the value placed on land and buildings for municipal and school taxation purposes.
The deadline to appeal one's property assessment is Feb. 21.
- Thandiwe Vela
Recognize a volunteer
Residents are asked to nominate an outstanding youth, elder, group or individual who donates their time to a good cause for the territorial government's 23rd annual NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards.
"Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of community development in our territory," stated Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Robert C. McLeod in a news release.
Nominations are open until March 29 and nomination forms can be found on the department's website.
- Laura Busch
Anti-homophobia policies proposed
The queer youth outreach group It Gets Better Yellowknife is calling for anti-homophobia policies to be put in place in Northern schools.
The group is inviting Yellowknife schools to partner in creating safe, inclusive policies for students of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transexual, queer and allied community.
"It Gets Better Yellowknife believes that if a school does not make a conscious effort to specifically address the social needs of queer and trans students, that they cannot appropriately refer to themselves as a queer-friendly or queer-inclusive environment," stated co-chair Jacq Brasseur in a news release.
- Thandiwe Vela
Thanks Uncle Bob
Arviat
A man known as Uncle Bob donated an impressive supply of videotape equipment to the Arviat Film Society (AFS) this past month.
Uncle Bob, real name Bob Carveth, 72, of Australia, has supported Arviat youths with donations in the past, as well as Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet.
For the complete story on Carveth's donation to the AFS, please see the Jan. 23 edition of Kivalliq News.
Inmates arrive
Rankin Inlet
The first four inmates arrived at the new Nunavut healing facility in Rankin Inlet this past week.
The inmates were transferred to Rankin from the Baffin Correctional Centre in Iqaluit.
The Rankin healing facility will continue to take more inmates from Iqaluit each week until it reaches its maximum capacity of about 30.
The new facility is scheduled to hold its official grand opening on Jan. 25.
Complex renovations
Chesterfield Inlet
Funding has been announced to support the renovation of the Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet's community complex, which houses a gym, Internet dropin centre, youth centre and elder's gathering centre.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will provide $229,308 in funding towards the project through its Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund, while both the Government of Nunavut and the hamlet will contribute $114,654 to the renovations.
Lawyer woes in sex case
Baker Lake
The RCMP officer accused of sexual assault in Baker Lake will have to retain another lawyer before his trial can begin.
Const. Justin Michael Dickens, 31, had his previous lawyer make an application to withdraw his services earlier this month due to unexpected health reasons in the Nunavut Court of Justice.
Dickens was charged in April of 2012 following a complaint from a woman accusing him of a sexual offence nearly three years ago in a Baker Lake cell block.
The court is scheduled to speak to the matter on Feb. 4.
A trial is expected to go ahead this spring in Baker, and is expected to take as many as four days with several witnesses, including RCMP officers, to be called.
Dickens is suspended from the force with pay.
Mayor sworn in
Rankin Inlet
The Hamlet of Rankin Inlet had new Mayor Robert Janes officially sworn in on Jan. 7.
Janes was elected to a threeyear term this past month.
Councillors Ron Roach, Gabe Karlik, Sam Tutanuak and Hamish Tatty were also sworn in on Jan. 7.
Eco ice
Baker Lake
The community of Baker Lake will receive funding to assist in the purchase and installation of an ecoice system for its arena.
The system will use both a traditional cooling system and an ECOnomizer to allow cold outside temperatures to keep inside ice frozen during midwinter months.
The ecoice system could add four or five extra months a year to the community's ability to use the arena.
CanNor will be contributing $110,000 to the project, while the Government of Nunavut will be adding $143,822 and the Hamlet of Baker Lake $86,104.
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