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News Briefs: Monday, March 11, 2013
Help for Northern farmers
The Territorial Farmers Association has created a new training institute based in Hay River to teach Northerners about growing and preserving their own food.
The Northern Farm Training Institute has scheduled a number of seasonally-appropriate courses for the coming months, including Create and Design your Sustainable Garden in May and Food Harvest Preparation and Storage in September.
All courses are three days long and will be held in Hay River.
- Laura Busch
Harper coming to Yk
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit Yellowknife today. Rumours are that his visit will be to discuss devolution.
Neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the office of Premier Bob McLeod would confirm or deny the rumours by press time, though a news release from the Prime Minister's Office issued early Sunday confirmed he would be in the city "to deliver remarks."
The release stated Stephen Harper will be joined by Bernard Valcourt the new minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
- Laura Busch
Wildlife Act passes first reading
The long-awaited and highly-controversial new Wildlife Act received its first reading in the legislative assembly last week.
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger read in the new act, which if passed will replace the existing Wildlife Act.
Miltenberger tried to pass a new act during the last assembly but withdrew the bill during a sitting in August 2011 amid widespread opposition.
- Laura Busch
Taltson hydro line to be cleared
Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) has announced it will be clearing brush and trees along an 80-km section of the Taltson hydro transmission line in March and April.
No outages are scheduled as a result of the work, according to NTPC.
NTPC is advising that brushing will take place along sections of Highway 5.
- Paul Bickford
Ice fishing derby set near Fort Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
This year's Fort Smith Ice Fishing Derby will be held from March 22 to 24.
The derby will be held at three lakes - Natawa, Blackman and Jackfish. The lakes are located about a two-hour snowmobile ride east of Fort Smith.
Participants can also pay to fly into the location with Northwestern Air Lease.
The derby, which will feature prizes and random draws, will be divided into two age categories - adults and those 15 years of age and under.
All participants must have fishing licences. An entry fee will also be charged.
The annual event is organized by the Fort Smith Fishing Derby Club.
- Paul Bickford
Students use survival skills
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
Chief Paul Niditchie School students exercised their ingenuity recently out on the land.
Groups from grades 4 to 9 were sent on their way with a hatchet, a book of matches and a package of noodles on Feb. 22 during the afternoon survival training exercise, said principal Darcy Douglas.
Although the snow around the community was not hard enough this year to build igloos or snow-brick-type shelters, some of the 14 students impressed the staff with their skills by building snow caves and huts underneath trees for shelter, cutting down spruce to make the flooring. All of the groups managed to start a fire.
"They were very inventive," Douglas said. "We discussed what they did after, and they can all improve on what we did.
"We wanted the children to be able to take care of themselves in a disaster situation. It's something everybody that lives in the territory should be able to do."
Students Darius Andre and Lloyd Benoit-Cardinal won the competition for best snow shelter.
- Thandiwe Vela
Peary caribou health discussed
Paulatuk
The health and status of the Peary caribou was a topic of discussion last week in the community, as the threatened species is poised to be put on the species at risk list.
The Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee was scheduled to host a discussion on March 6 at the Visitors Centre boardroom which included a presentation from Environment Canada.
"We don't really harvest Peary caribou but we do support the affected communities," said committee resource worker Diane Ruben, adding that the elders in the community have knowledge on the species.
Input is being gathered from a number of Inuvialuit Settlement Region hunters and trappers committees.
- Thandiwe Vela
Students learn leadership away from home
Tetlit'Zheh/Fort McPherson
A group of Chief Julius School students were learning leadership skills in Fort Providence last week as part of the multi-year Keepers Leadership Program with Deh Gah School students in that community.
The winter camp, scheduled from March 1 to 9, included activities such as first aid training and firearm safety, according to Chief Julius School principal Shirley Snowshoe, who is pleased with the partnership with the Fort Providence school for her students.
"They get to meet other students from different regions and they have the opportunity to develop leadership skills that might keep them in school and help them in the future," Snowshoe said.
- Thandiwe Vela
Floor hockey finale in Tsiighetchic
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
A new after-school floor hockey program for the children of Tsiigehtchic wrapped up this past weekend with a final tournament.
The program, which began in January to teach the boys and girls the fundamentals of floor hockey with drills and small games, went well, said recreation co-ordinator Bobbie Jean Van Loon.
"It went pretty good. We got a lot of participants and they really enjoyed it and they learned a lot about floor hockey," she said.
Community members were invited to the final tournament on March 9 at the gym, from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Thandiwe Vela
Awards for two South Slave educators
Thebacha/Fort Smith
Two educators from the South Slave are to receive awards from Indspire, formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.
They are Doris Camsell, an aboriginal language teacher at Hay River's Harry Camsell School and Princess Alexandra School, and Brent Kaulback, assistant superintendent with the South Slave Divisional Education Council.
Both are being presented with one of Indspire's Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards at a national gathering in Calgary on March 15 and 16.
Twelve people from across Canada are being recognized as exemplary educators of First Nations, Inuit and Metis students, and for honouring the principles of indigenous knowledge and making valuable contributions to community-based education.
Camsell is one of just two people receiving the Language, Culture and Traditions Award for integrating language, culture and indigenous knowledge into classroom learning and creating a learning environment that is open to multiple ways of knowing the world.
Kaulback will be the only recipient of the Indigenous Education Partner Award, which goes to a non-indigenous educator who has made a significant contribution to furthering the success of indigenous students in kindergarten to Grade 12.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston will present the awards at
a gala dinner on March 15.
- Paul Bickford
Trappers in the making
Ulukhaktok/Holman
Students at Helen Kalvak School are honing their trapping skills and racking up the number of Arctic foxes they have harvested by the day.
As of March 5, seven foxes had been caught along the trap line set up last month as part of the school's Take a Kid Trapping program, according to school sports co-ordinator Mike Haslett.
"When they got their first fox they were very excited," Haslett said, adding that two elders, including on-the-land guide John Alikamik, also show the students how to take the hides off the fox, and cure them.
"The kids were very, very interested. They listened very well to the leader and they're very attentive," Haslett said. "Overall, it's such a great experience for the kids, especially for those who want to continue on with the traditions on the land. The kids absolutely love it."
The students are checking the traps two to three days each week depending on weather.
- Thandiwe Vela
Fort Smith Trade Show next month
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The eighth annual Fort Smith Trade Show will be taking place on April 27. The trade show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fort Smith Centennial Arena.
The event is a co-operative effort of Thebacha Business Development Services and the Department of Industry, Trade and Technology.
- Paul Bickford
Assault charge now murder charge
Iqaluit
An aggravated assault charge against an Iqaluit man has been upgraded to second-degree murder after the victim died in an Ottawa hospital.
Pitseolak Peter, 50, appeared in the Nunavut Court of Justice by video link from the Baffin Correctional Centre last Tuesday where Crown prosecutor John MacFarlane withdrew the assault charge. Justice Robert Kilpatrick explained the new charge to Peter who, visibly distressed, held his palms over his face and cried before tossing his chair aside and leaving the room.
Peter was arrested Feb. 3 in Iqaluit after police attended a residence and found a woman beaten and suffering from "severe head injuries." The woman was medevaced to an Ottawa hospital. Kilpatrick informed MacFarlane that the victim died of her injuries in hospital Feb. 19.
- Peter Worden
Polar bear trade ban defeated
Nunavut
A managed international trade of polar bear parts will continue to be allowed as the United States' proposal to ban trade of polar bear products was defeated last week.
The American government had submitted a proposal to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to uplist or transfer polar bears to Appendix I, which would have banned trade, from Appendix II, which allows for a managed trade. The proposal was defeated during a vote in which 42 delegates were opposed, 38 in favour and 46 abstained at the CITES meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 7.
Environment Minister James Arreak welcomed the news.
"It represents a victory for the people of Nunavut, who continue to rely on polar bears as an essential source of subsistence, revenue and cultural pride," he said. "The United States' proposal was a misguided attempt to place undue trade restrictions on a species that is not threatened by trade or hunting."
The territorial government is cautiously optimistic with the decision, he said, as another proposal could be introduced before the CITES meeting in Bangkok concludes this week.
Officials from the territorial government, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Regional Wildlife Organizations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Environment Canada travelled to the Asian country to attend the meetings. ITK President Terry Audla said Inuit delivered a "knockout blow" to groups seeking to ban the international trade in polar bear.
- Jeanne Gagnon
MLAs weight in on budget
Nunavut
Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk and Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott both echoed Finance Minister Keith Peterson's statements on the government's limited funds.
Ugyuk said she tries not to focus on the negatives.
"Of course we don't have enough funds for all the social programs and services that Nunavut needs," said Ugyuk. "I like that fact that the Family Services will be a entity on its own and direct their efforts on best practises for Social Workers and Child and family services."
Elliott said his biggest concern is with the split of the Department of Health and Social services - he hopes both departments are adequately funded, and raised this concern during question period last week. He added that the underlying constant with any budget in Nunavut is that the federal government simply doesn't have all the money in the world.
"The good thing about the budget is that government and all MLAs are working on social issues and poverty reduction which can't be solved overnight."
Nunavut News/North contacted all 11 regular MLAs for comment but only Ugyuk and Peterson responded by press deadline.
- Peter Worden
Funeral for Canadian Ranger
Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven
Friends and family of Canadian Ranger Cpl. Donald Anguyoak gathered with community members in Gjoa Haven last week to say their final goodbye.
Anguyoak, 46, was killed in a snowmobile accident near the community while participating in a Canadian Rangers exercise on Feb. 17. About 150 people attended the funeral for Anguyoak on March 2 at the community hall, said Gjoa Haven Mayor Allen Aglukkaq. He said Anguyoak leaves behind his wife, two children and one grandchild.
Anguyoak was born and raised in Baker Lake and lived in Gjoa Haven.
The Canadian Forces are conducting an inquiry into his death.
"In memory of the late Donald Anguyoak, I want to state the members of this house will keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers," Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk said at the legislature on March 4.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Busy students
Naujaat/Repulse Bay
Students at Tusarvik School in Repulse Bay have been kept busy with a number of school and extracurricular projects during the past month.
The students did their part to promote the Tobacco Has No Place On Our Land program, filled a Sea-Can with pop cans to earn $1,500 for Tusarvik, and took part in a special Hoops Challenge as part of the Jump Rope for Heart program to raise money for the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.
- Darrell Greer
Herds heading to Arctic Bay
Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay
About 20 caribou harvested by hunters just south of Arctic Bay may be a sign that herds are returning to the hamlet area, said economic development officer Clare Kines. While perhaps not a huge number, the fact that it's more caribou than there have been nearby in years is promising.
"It all depends what you mean by big," said Kines, joking that it is not the masses you see on the Discovery Channel. "We've hardly had any caribou around. Over the last number of years caribou have been pretty scarce up here."
It isn't that herds are experiencing low numbers, he said, but that the herds are away, which is well known to happen over the animal's natural 20- to 30-year cycle of feeding and migration.
"Think of them as a whole moving down island, eating the bulk of the food in one area and moving up over the course of years," said Kines, who has lived in the hamlet for 14 years and had this migration pattern explained to him by elders, hunters and biologists. "It's now starting to filter back this way."
- Peter Worden
Course for small business owners
Taloyoak/Spence Bay
Small business owners will have the opportunity to learn more about filing documents to the Canada Revenue Agency and get help with other paperwork this week.
An accountant from Yellowknife will offer a course and workshop for small business owners at the community hall in Taloyoak on March 11 and 12, said Loy Lacson, the hamlet's economic development officer. He said the two-day course is geared for both prospective and established small-business owners. Practical business tips and tax filing help will also be offered, said Lacson.
The course is offered when a need is identified, he said.
"Some business owners are having a difficulty with the paperwork, also the filing to CRA (Canada Revenue Agency), they find it tough," said Lacson, adding it's the first time the course has been offered since he arrived at the community this past November.
- Jeanne Gagnon
School bus needs heated garage
Kugaaruk/Pelly Bay
Kugaaruk children sometimes have had to walk to school in the mornings because the school bus hasn't been able to leave the garage.
The cold might be the cause since the bus is parked in an unheated garage at the hamlet, said Michael Bartley, principal at Kugaaruk School.
New school buses work with an electronic data chip, and require it to be in working condition to start. In Gjoa Haven's case, the chip is sometimes not allowing the bus to work, he added. A red light has been coming on and the bus has not been able to start until someone with a laptop plugs in and resets it.
"So a lot of times, first thing in the morning, the mechanic is not there to reset it," said Bartley. "So a lot of times the bus won't work first thing in the morning and we think maybe it's a faulty sensor but a lot of people are saying it's just the cold. It takes a long, long time trying to warm up to get that chip working."
The Kugaaruk District Education Authority formally requested a heater shelter for the school bus in a letter to Premier and Education Minister Eva Aariak on Feb. 10. Kugaaruk DEA chairwoman Celine Ningark asked the minister to consider their request for a heater shelter for the school bus, according to the letter tabled at the legislature on March 1.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Flood at Pangnirtung school
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
Three broken sprinkler heads at Attagoyuk School March 5 caused a huge flood, meaning students stayed home last week while the school closed for repairs.
At least one of the sprinkler heads in an upstairs washroom was believed to be an act of vandalism. It damaged several ceiling tiles. School staff spent the day cleaning up the mess and Community and Government Services personnel were notified.
"As of this time we don't expect that walls and flooring will need to be replaced, but we're monitoring for mould growth over the next few days," said Community and Government Services spokesperson Hillary Casey, who said that most of the mess had been cleaned up.
Sprinkler repair techs March 6 Wednesday to repair and recharge the sprinkler system, according to communications manager for the Department of Education, Wende Halonen. Indoor air-quality experts were also sent in to double-check there was no residual airborne mould from the flood.
As of press deadline, the school was still closed for repairs and an air-quality inspector had not yet arrived, according to Tim Alivaktuk. The sprinkler water has been contaminated with an anti-freeze agent, so after-school activities in the gymnasium will be suspended and the school's reopening is subject to dissipation of a sharp scent and the clearance from an air-quality inspector. A fire watch of two people were to monitor corridors until the sprinkler system is up and operating again.
- Peter Worden
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News desk 
