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News Briefs: Friday, April 12, 2013
Federal auditor in town
Ronnie Campbell, assistant auditor general, will be in Yellowknife on Tuesday and Wednesday for meetings regarding a report on income security programs looked after by the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment (ECE).
The department spends about $30 million a year on programs, such as the income assistance, student financial assistance, child care user subsidy, and the senior home heating subsidy. Public meetings will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the second floor of the legislative assembly.
- Sarah Ladik
Cafe liquor licence suspended
The Dancing Moose Cafe's liquor licence will be suspended for one day in May to penalize the owners for purchasing alcohol from a source other than the Yellowknife Liquor Warehouse.
The Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board heard earlier this month that during a check of the restaurant, a liquor inspector found about 78 bottles of wine not purchased from the appropriate warehouse.
The board has suspended the business's licence for May 1 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.
- Miranda Scotland
Devolution poll stats released
Alternatives North released results of a public opinion poll on devolution yesterday.
The results show 61 per cent of the 400 respondents think public consultation on devolution to date has been inadequate, while 34 per cent think the government's efforts to inform the public about the deal have been sufficient. More than seven out of 10 respondents thought the proposed devolution deal should go to a public vote.
The poll was conducted by EKOS Research Associates Inc. Its margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
- Laura Busch
Egg carton recycling program started
Hay River-based Polar Egg launched an egg carton recycling program through all its vendors, including the YK Co-op, last week. Customers can drop off any brand of egg carton at the YK Co-op and Polar Egg will collect it and ship it south to be recycled.
- Sarah Ladik
News Briefs: Thursday, April 11, 2013
Biomass videos screened
The Arctic Energy Alliance is holding a film screening in Fort Providence on April 16.
The videos will be screened from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the community hall.
The organization is releasing four short videos that look at biomass-fuelled district heating systems in three NWT communities.
One of the featured communities is Fort Providence, where the Deh Gah Got'ie Dene Band is considering a woodchip co-generation system for heat and electricity.
The other subjects include wood pellet boilers. One was recently installed by the Tlicho Investment Corporation to heat seven buildings in Behchoko.
The other has been heating three community buildings for four years in Yellowknife.
Exploring history
Fort Simpson will be the site of the Deh Cho Regional Heritage Fair next week.
Select students from the two schools in Fort Simpson and Echo Dene School in Fort Liard will be displaying historical and cultural projects on April 17 at the community hall beginning at 10 a.m.
Community members are welcome to take a look at the projects and speak with the students.
Birth control pill recalled
Health Canada has issued a recall for one type of birth control pill.
Alysena-28, manufactured by Apotex Inc., normally includes three rows of pink active contraceptive tablets in a blister pack and one row of white placebo pills. The affected lot, labelled with the code LF10899A, may contain two rows of placebo pills.
In its recall, Health Canada warns affected patients to use a non-hormonal method of contraception as an interim measure until they speak with a physician and obtain medial advice.
Literacy award nominations open
Deh Cho residents have an opportunity to nominate educators, youth learners and organizations for a literacy award.
Nominations for the 2013 Ministerial Literacy Awards are open until May 15. The awards honour literacy achievements across the territory.
There are three categories to the award, one for educators who have shown an outstanding dedication to literacy; one for youth learners, aged 16 to 25, who have shown dedication to developing their own literacy and have been role models for other youth; and one category for organizations that have advocated for literacy.
Artist remembered
Celebrated Northern artist Mona Thrasher died April 1.
Thrasher was a painter, who was once commissioned to paint the stations of the cross for the Our Lady of Victory Church, commonly known as the Igloo Church, in Inuvik.
She was born in a bush camp in the Mackenzie Delta on Feb. 4, 1942. At 13, Thrasher lost her hearing in a hunting accident.
She was only 18 when she painted the stations of the cross. The 14 murals took her less than two months to complete.
Inuvik resident Rosemary Kirby met Thrasher at school and still has one of her paintings from years ago.
"She painted it for me here. It was before she left and it has someone hunting seals with a dog team," said Kirby. "She's such a good painter."
Thrasher moved to Yellowknife in 1990 and stayed for the rest of her life.
– NNSL staff
Ski loppet approaches
The Inuvik Ski Club will host its Top of the World Ski Loppet on April 14.
That race is usually held in early spring to take advantage of good snow conditions and temperatures. Races vary from a half-kilometre to 10 kilometres.
Walk to work
ParticipACTION Canada has declared April 8 to 12 Wear Your Sneakers to Work Week.
It's a challenge to people to walk to and from work as a way to encourage more people to get a least 10 minutes of exercise a day.
"As long as your heart beats faster for 10 minutes, it really counts," the organization stated in a press release.
According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, adults need 150 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity per week, but this does not have to be done all at once.
Start those engines
The McInnes Branch 220 of the Royal Canadian Legion is hosting a snowmobile poker run on April 13.
The poker run is a fundraiser for the organization. Volunteers are still needed to staff two of the checkpoints. The top prize is a trip for two to Edmonton.
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