 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
News Briefs: Monday, March 04, 2013
First Nation elects two councillors
Deninu Ku'e First Nation in Fort Resolution held a byelection on March 1.
George Larocque and incumbent Dave Pierrot were elected to two open seats on band council in the First Nation's staggered election system.
Pierrot received 53 votes and Larocque garnered 52. The voter turnout was 106 from a band membership of 300-plus, including people not living in Fort Resolution. There were six candidates running to fill the two seats. The winning candidates will serve four-year terms.
- Paul Bickford
Medals awarded
Three people from Fort Smith and another from nearby Fort Fitzgerald, Alta., have been awarded Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medals.
They are Sarah Daitch, Ann Pischinger and Master Cpl. (Ret.) Paul Currie, all of Fort Smith, and Francois Paulette of Fort Fitzgerald.
- Paul Bickford
Celebrating Mary Kendi
The community of Aklavik is planning to celebrate Mary Kendi's 98th birthday on March 9.
Mabel Brown, who is helping to organize the event, said the celebration will be held at the Sittichinli Community complex beginning at 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to celebrate the life of Kendi, who was born in 1915, only five years after the creation of Aklavik.
Brown said Kendi has been a figurehead in the community and a support network for many.
As it is a community event, Brown is asking for support from volunteers in the form of cooks to help prepare turkeys, ham, salads, desserts, pies, tarts, cupcakes, jello cups, trifle, cranberry loaves, and other goodies for the event.
Brown said they also have moosemeat and fish and is hoping to have caribou meat/head soup.
- NNSL staff
9-1-1 Bell Mobility trial begins March 4
The trial for a class action suit against Bell Mobility for charging Northern customers for non-existent 9-1-1 services is scheduled to begin March 4.
The $6-million case against Bell was launched in 2007 by Yellowknifers James Anderson and Samuel Anderson. The amount is being sought from the phone company to make up for the 75-cent monthly 9-1-1 service fee charged to customers in NWT, Nunavut and the Yukon, where the service isn't available - excluding Whitehorse, where the service is available.
The trial is expected to last 10 days and will take place in Yellowknife.
- Katherine Hudson
Ice fishing derby coming to Fort Resolution
Deninu Ku'e/Fort Resolution
An ice fishing derby will be held in Fort Resolution on March 24 as part of the community's annual spring carnival.
The derby will take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Great Slave Lake.
The first prize will be $1,200, while the second prize will be $1,000 and third prize $800.
There will also be three grand prizes to be awarded in a random draw. The first prize will be a Yamaha 350 Kodiak Quad, sponsored by the Northern Store. The second prize will be a metal sled and the third prize will be a wood stove, both donated by Deninu Ku'e First Nation.
The fishing derby is being organized by the recreation department of the Hamlet of Fort Resolution. Derby rules can be picked up at the hamlet office.
A ticket must be purchased by each participant.
- Paul Bickford
Astronomical society to hold AGM
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Thebacha and Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society will hold its second annual general meeting on March 21.
The meeting will feature the election of a new board and executive.
The society held its first annual general meeting in September of 2011, after being organized earlier that year.
The formation of the society was related to Wood Buffalo National Park seeking designation as a dark sky preserve. That is an area which actively works to eliminate light pollution to create premium sky-gazing conditions.
The process to obtain dark sky preserve status is still underway.
- Paul Bickford
Awaiting proposals
Paulatuk
The Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee was busy submitting program proposals for most of January but now that the deadlines have been met, it's time to wait for funding and get ready for the summer harvest season, said Diane Ruben, resource worker for the committee.
The organization hopes to continue last year's student summer program, the beluga monitoring program, as well as start programs that will monitor, study and analyze weather and climate change in the region.
The committee has also held a meeting last month to discuss the Arctic char management plan and recognize those who participated in the August and November Arctic char studies.
- Lyndsay Herman
Trio travels to games
Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour
Jasmine Keogak, Rosanne Lennie and Megan Kolda left Sachs Harbour on Feb. 27 for Yellowknife to take part in the First Annual Traditional Games Championships.
The three young women joined youth from 20 communities who are taking part in the games from March 1 to 3 at William McDonald School in Yellowknife.
The games include both Inuit and Dene games including animal muk laughing game, high kick, wrist hang, stick pull, pole push, and hand games.
- Lyndsay Herman
Tsiigehtchic royalty
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
In preparation for Tsiigehtchic's Arctic Red River Mackenzie Jamboree in April, contestants for the jamboree king, queen, prince and princess are fundraising with bingos, bake sales, lunches, draws and many other creative ways to raise money for the annual event, said Charlene Blake, organizer for the event.
The person who raises the most money, above a $4,000 minimum, is crowned king or queen of the jamboree.
A prince and a princess are also chosen from those who raise the most, above a $2,000 minimum.
- Lyndsay Herman
Sports and learning
Tuktoyaktuk
The Gwich'in Cup in Inuvik and the First Annual Traditional Games Championships in Yellowknife have a lot of students from Mangilaluk School out of town last week, said school principal Agnes Cudmore.
She said six students - three boys and three girls - were participating in the Yellowknife championships over the weekend.
Cudmore said the school planned professional development days last week, which meshes well with the number of students out of town and allowed teachers to attend development events such as workshops in Inuvik or a teacher's conference in Edmonton.
- Lyndsay Herman
Youth workshop in Lutsel K'e
Lutsel K'e/Snowdrift
The aquatics monitoring programs of the Akaitcho Territory and Fort Resolution's Deninu Ku'e First Nation will be offering a regional youth workshop from March 10 to 17 in Lutsel
K'e.
The workshop will provide the youth with information on GPS and basic navigation, survival skills, safe snowmobiling practices, and travel preparation for caribou hunts, along with traditional knowledge on caribou harvesting, camp setup and dismantling, and travel routes to the Barren Lands.
Young people will be participating from Lutsel K'e, Fort Resolution, Fort Smith and Yellowknife.
- Paul Bickford
Hunters make it home after search
Qikiqtarjuaq/Broughton Island
After 11 days on the land, two hunters made it home to Qikiqtarjuaq safely by Feb. 25.
Gordie Audlakiak and James Alookie were reported overdue to Qikiqtarjuaq RCMP on Feb. 22 after setting out Feb. 14. The two became separated near Nudlung Fiord, roughly 150 km north of the hamlet, after one of their snowmobiles broke down.
One hunter walked four days, arriving at a hunting camp in the search area Friday Feb. 22. He was located on Saturday and on Sunday airlifted to Iqaluit where he received medical attention and was in stable condition. The second hunter was located Feb. 25 and did not require medical attention.
Nunavut News/North was unable to reach Audlakiak or Alookie by press time.
- Peter Worden
Food donations protected
Nunavut
Food for the needy might soon become much more available in the territory.
Coming off the heels of a recent Nunavut Food Security Symposium, Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott rose at the opening of the legislature Feb. 26 to read a private member's bill. The Donation of Food Act, or Bill 46, was passed with unanimous consent as MLAs pushed the bill through three readings in one day.
The bill makes it easier for people to donate food to charity by protecting Nunavummiut and companies from civil lawsuits.
The bill, which hopes to encourage the donation of food "to the territory's most vulnerable residents," means anyone who donates food or who distributes donated food is no longer liable for "disease, injury, death or other harm resulting from the consumption of that food, unless the person intended to harm the recipient or acted recklessly in donating or distributing the food," a news release stated.
This will allow, for example, grocery stores to donate food that has just passed its expiry date and may still be edible.
Other Canadian provinces and territories have similar legislation in place already.
- Peter Worden
Head office moves to Iglulik
Iglulik/Iqaluit
The Nunavut Association of Municipalities' office will temporarily move to Iglulik from Iqaluit for the next two years.
The association office and others will be in the community's old hamlet office once the hamlet moves into its new building, said Celestino Uyarak, the hamlet's assistant senior administrative officer. He said the hamlet doesn't yet have a timeline for the move. Hamlet council made the decision last fall when the new hamlet office was supposed to be ready, said Uyarak.
The association will fill the vacant executive director position and that person will be based in Iglulik for the next two years once the move is complete.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Senior hamlet official job filled
Kimmirut
After months without a senior administration officer, Saqiqtaq Temela, who had been acting-SAO in Kimmirut since November, was officially given the job last week by hamlet council.
Temela had declared a conflict of interest in the decision because he was acting SAO as well as one of the applicants.
"I didn't get to see behind the scenes," he said. "I understand a number of people applied and I'm honoured to be selected."
Kimmirut's eight councillors held a special meeting about the SAO position Feb. 25 and Temela was given the job later that morning. As he signs on to his duties as SAO, Temela said he aims to work on waste management plans and pursue a few local projects such as constructing more office space.
"There are other things I wish to pursue with the department divisions at the GN - lots of things we work together on and contracts and projects I need to address," he said. "I've been busy trying to get to the bottom of some of the issues in my community. I look at it in a positive way."
Last October, then-SAO Akeego Ikkidluak was removed from her position in a decision by council for reasons which were never made public. Temela filled in for two months.
The hamlet now looks to fill two other positions: mayor and returning officer.
The mayoral byelection - a position currently filled by former mayor Joe Arlooktoo - will be held April 22. Kimmirut council will also look to appoint a new returning officer, a position held until last week by Temela.
- Peter Worden
Diamond jubilee recipient
Sanirajak/Hall Beach
The tasty country food Jack and Rebecca Kammuka serve to the less fortunate in Hall Beach is certainly appreciated in the community, and in recognition of their service they received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal late last month.
The medals commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne in 1952.
The couple invited residents to join them for a lunch of country food.
Jack said they started serving country food a long time ago.
"We ask people to come and eat in our place. We don't want people to go hungry," he said.
Born in Iglulik, raised in Baffin Island and Hall Beach, Jack married Rebecca in 1958. The couple have two daughters, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He has worked as a heavy duty mechanic at the hamlet for 40 years.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Elders honoured
Igluligaarjuk/Chesterfield Inlet
Chesterfield Inlet elders Eli Kimaliaqjuk and George Tanuyak were honoured with Queen's Diamond Jubilee medals during a special ceremony in Chester earlier this month.
The prestigious awards were presented to the elders by Coral HarbourChesterfield Inlet MLA Johnny Ningeongan.
- Darrell Greer
Language week activities
Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven
A number of elders from Taloyoak, Kugaaruk and Gjoa Haven gathered in the latter community to speak their dialect of Inuktitut during the Netsilik Language Conference.
The event coincided with the teachers' professional improvement week, stated Margaret Joyce, principal at Quqshuun School in Gjoa Haven. She added teachers from all three communities also gathered with the elders, with strong Netsilik language skills, to agree on which terms to use in schools.
"The discussions were rich and the results very satisfying," wrote Joyce in an e-mail. "Everyone hopes this meeting will ... initiate continuing support for the Netsilik language."
- Jeanne Gagnon
| 
News desk 
