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News Briefs: Monday, April 08, 2013
Fort Smith man charged in Alberta theft
A 24-year-old Fort Smith man has been charged with theft under $5,000 in connection with an incident at a Wal-Mart store in Spruce Grove, Alta. In relation to that incident, an Alberta man has been charged for pepper spraying a 74-year-old woman working as a Wal-Mart greeter.
According to Spruce Grove/Stony Plain RCMP, the greeter heard the door alarm sound for an unpaid item just before 11 p.m. on April 2. Two males were leaving the store with a vehicle battery and a sub-woofer speaker, and she asked for a receipt.
One of the males swore at her and pepper sprayed her in the face.
The Fort Smith man is to appear in Stony Plain Provincial Court on April 24.
- Paul Bickford
Easter in the dark
Almost 35 households in Aklavik were without power for about two days after a fuse was blown on a power line on March 29.
Bob Kelly, Northwest Territories Power Corporation spokesperson, said the power went out at about 9:30 p.m. on March 29.
A NWT Power Corp. line crew was in Norman Wells dealing with another matter when they got the call, Kelly said. The group flew back to Inuvik, picked up a boom truck and drove to Aklavik.
Power was restored at about 8:30 p.m. on March 30.
- Kassina Ryder
Who is the most caring?
April 5 was National Caregiver Day in Canada and Canada Cares, a not-for-profit group, is giving Northerners an opportunity to recognize a person they believe is the most caring person in the North.
Until Sept. 30, Northern Canadians are being asked to nominate a member of their family, a friend or a professional caregiver for the new Canada Cares Caregiver Awards.
Two national winners will be chosen from selected regional candidates, according to a news release. One nominee will be selected to win the Canada Cares One Wish Award, worth $10,000.
- NNSL staff
Hospital admissions preventable
Between 2008 and 2011, a number of hospitalizations across the NWT were preventable, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Social Services.
Eighteen per cent of hospital admissions were for patients with one or more mental health issues. Of those, 67 per cent were related to a substance abuse issue.
The report looked at the top five causes of hospitalization by age category. On average, 3,533 NWT residents were hospitalized annually, at a cost of $68.8 million.
- Danielle Sachs
Astronomical society to look skyward
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The Thebacha and Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society in Fort Smith is planning events for World Astronomical Day on April 20 and Sun-Earth Day on April 21.
On World Astronomical Day, there will be a video presentation about the planet Saturn, beginning at 7 p.m. in the theatre of Wood Buffalo National Park headquarters. Later, people will gather in a nearby field to look at Saturn through a telescope and possibly catch a view of a meteor shower.
Sun-Earth Day was established 20 years ago by NASA and the European Space Agency to encourage people to learn about the relationship between the sun and the Earth.
"We're going to have a solar telescope set up on Sun-Earth Day in Fort Smith Mission Park," said Tim Gauthier, public outreach co-ordinator with the Thebacha and Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society.
The solar telescope will have special filters to allow safe viewing of the sun.
- Paul Bickford
Easter festivities for days
Ulukhaktok/Holman
The hamlet of Ulukhaktok celebrated Easter in style with three straight days of community events. Good Friday saw games on the ice for all ages, a church service, and a soup and bannock dinner sponsored by the community corporation, followed by square dancing, according to recreation co-ordinator Joanne Ogina. A dance specifically for young people finished off the evening.
There were more outdoor activities on March 30, including a scavenger hunt ranging all over town. March 31, citizens were invited to nearby Okpilik Lake for games and fishing, with prizes awarded for biggest and smallest fish.
Ogina said she was pleased with the turnout. Nearly 200 people attended the events, with the evening dances remaining the most popular attractions.
- Sarah Ladik
Youth learn traditional skills
Tuktoyaktuk
The youth centre in Tuktoyaktuk is giving people the chance to learn traditional skills and crafts this month, as a result of a grant from the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth program.
Centre director Sophie Stefure said the workshops have been popular so far.
Three young people participated in a caribou hunt March 30, enjoying the warmer weather and bagging four caribou in one day. They learned not only how to hunt, but also how to butcher the meat, sharing it among the elders of the community and keeping some for the youth centre as well.
The centre is also offering workshops in toboggan and drum construction - along with classes in making fur mitts and hats among other things - throughout the month of April.
- Sarah Ladik
Earth Week events planned in Fort Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
A number of activities are planned in Fort Smith for Earth Week from April 21 to 26.
On April 21, a barbecue and environmental fair will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Mission Park. People are invited to celebrate the outdoors, learn more about the impact of the food system and receive tips on growing food locally. There will also be a seed swap/giveaway.
On April 22, Earth Day, a community clean-up will be held.
On April 22, 23 and 24, environmental-themed movies will be shown at Mary Kaeser Library, beginning at 7 p.m. each evening.
On April 23, a tour of the town's water treatment plant will take place at 7 p.m.
On April 25, there will be a potluck/barbecue and nature hike beginning at 6 p.m. at the Salt River day-use area, about 25 km south of Fort Smith in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Finally, on April 26, there will be a coffee house and storytelling.
The organizers of the events are also encouraging people to eat waste-free lunches during the week, and walk or bike to work or school.
Information will also be circulated on how to encourage the Town of Fort Smith to investigate the possibility of municipal composting and expanding recycling.
The activities are being organized by a group of community residents, in conjunction with Ecology North and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
- Paul Bickford
Five days of Easter
Paulatuk
Paulatuk celebrated Easter with five days of activities, lasting until April 1, according to recreation co-ordinator Aaron Ruben.
Events kicked off on March 28 with a coin toss in which participants were challenged to find three marked coins among many thrown into the snow for a top prize of 15 gallons of gas. There were games for all ages, including relay races and hopping contests, four-on-four hockey, jigging competitions for adults, youth, and children and an Easter egg hunt on the beach for youngsters.
The weekend concluded with a community feast, drum and old time dances, but there are even more events lined up for this week. Ruben said snow-sculpting and the snowmobile straightaway race are scheduled for some time between April 3 and 7, with activities kicking off on the first day of nice weather.
- Sarah Ladik
Record number of booths at trade show
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The exhibition space at the eighth-annual Fort Smith Trade Show, set for April 27, has been completely sold out and the 61 booths will be a record number for the event.
Along with Fort Smith, exhibitors will be coming from Yellowknife, Hay River and High Level, Alta.
The trade show, which will be held at Centennial Arena, is being organized by Thebacha Business Development Services.
- Paul Bickford
Safe start to swimming season
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
Children in Tsiigehtchic enjoyed five weeks of swimming lessons, which ended March 24.
Around 10 children, accompanied by a few adults, were bused to Inuvik's Midnight Sun Recreation Complex on both Saturdays and Sundays starting Feb. 23, according to recreation co-ordinator Bobbie Jean Van Loon. While the program ran in previous years, Van Loon said this is the first year lessons have been offered rather than a free-swim.
"The kids swim in the river here," she said. "It's good for them to learn in a pool first."
The program was popular. Van Loon said the bus has 13 seats, and they were nearly full all 10 days.
- Sarah Ladik
Fort Smith hotel gives away televisions
Thebacha/Fort Smith
As a result of renovations, Fort Smith's Pelican Rapids Inn was giving away televisions last week.
On April 3, co-owner Dana Fergusson posted on a Fort Smith Facebook site that the hotel had a dozen 32-inch tube televisions to give away for free.
Fergusson said there was an almost instant response.
"Two seconds later someone called me and said they wanted a TV," she said. "I guess they're in demand."
The TVs were being given away because Pelican Rapids Inn completed installing wall-mounted 32-inch flat-screen televisions.
The older TVs are heavy and bulky so there was no sense for the hotel to keep them, Fergusson said.
"People could probably use these for kids' games," she noted. "We have lots of college students here who always need things."
The hotel also gave away 14 older televisions last year.
- Paul Bickford
Candidates barred from next election
Nunavut
At least 27 people who ran for seats in the legislature during the 2008 general election will be barred from doing so again this October due to unsatisfactory donation disclosure,
Elections Nunavut stipulates all candidates must file a report of all election donations from people and businesses within 60 days after the election, including unnamed donations which candidates are allowed to accept as long as they are no more than $100.
Hilarie Makpah at Elections Nunavut said the organization keeps an ongoing list of barred candidates which begins after an election or by-election's 60-day deadline and lasts for five years.
"When they campaign they accept financial contributions from local people and businesses and they have to report that including their expenses," said Makpah, explaining however that if a candidate doesn't plan on running again anyway, there is less incentive to file financial disclosure forms.
The next territorial election will be held Oct. 28.
- Peter Worden
Whale hunt committee formed
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
Pangnirtuurmiut are already getting set for their bowhead summer whale hunt - the first the community's hosted since 1998.
Last week the Cumberland Sound Bowhead Whale Hunt Committee met for the second time. The mayor was also in attendance.
At its first meeting, the committee selected Simionie Keenainak as captain and Charlie Qummuatuq as co-captain of the hunt. Keenainak was co-captain of Pang's last bowhead hunt in 1998, and Qummuatuq was also involved in the same hunt in another capacity.
"We've progressed from selecting a captain and co-captain for the bowhead hunt but we're still in the middle of getting applications in for the hunt and plans for the hunt," said Eric Joamie, secretary-treasurer of the committee.
Joamie was also involved in the 1998 hunt as a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) observer, researcher and interpreter.
The 2013 committee is in the planning stages and Joamie says the committee is working on several submissions for funding.
"It is expensive with the cost of hunting equipment, gas, food and to be able to pay for crew members. It comes to quite a bit of money," he said, adding the total cost at this time is unknown but said it won't be a problem finding local financial support. "It's something the community wants and shouldn't be a problem."
The next step will be sourcing all the proper equipment. Joamie wouldn't specify exactly what that equipment will include but said it all had to be approved on-site before the whale hunt by DFO.
Other members of the committee are chair Patrick Kilabuk representing the HTO, Levi Evic, Jaypeetee Qappik, Noah Maniapik, Johnnylee Nakashuk, Tommy Nowdlak, Keenainak and Qummuatuq.
- Peter Worden
Tourism website gets upgrade
Iqaluit
Visitors to Nunavut Tourism's website might be seeing messages telling them the site had been flagged as malicious and virus-ridden, but the glitch is the result of website upgrades and not any form of hacking, said Nunavut Tourism chief executive officer Colleen Dupuis.
Administrators made improvements to the website March 27 and added member advertisements online, said Dupuis.
As of the afternoon of April 5, a few links on the organization's website still showed up as possibly malicious.
Dupuis said any of the remaining links still reading "attack page" are the result of other fine tuning done last week in the company's IT department.
The site has been up since last July, she said, and Nunavut Tourism was improving its site based on user feedback.
- Peter Worden
Pennies for patients
Iglulik
The paper chain grew at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School as students raised money to help children with blood cancer.
From March 11 and 22, students and staff at the elementary school brought spare change to donate towards a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada fundraising campaign, said Clyde Rogers. Each time someone donated money, the paper chain grew. In the end, it became an "amazing length" as more than $1,500 was donated towards the cause, added Rogers.
Rogers, the school's principal, said the paper chain went around the gym many times.
"The students were very, very engaged in the project - so much engaged we raised over $1,500," he said.
Last year, the school raised about $700, he said.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Omingmak Frolics
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
Cambridge Bay's annual celebration of spring will be May 13 to 20.
The schedule of events is still not finalized but preparations are ongoing, said Fred Muise, the hamlet's recreation co-ordinator. Old favourites, such as snowmobile races, the poker rally and the dinner will return this year.
"It's starting to warm up here so people are starting to talk about it," said Muise.
One old favourite under consideration for revival is ice golfing, which was last a part of the celebrations in 2004, said Muise.
"That's pretty simple to do and should be a lot of fun so let's see how we can make it happen," he said.
Hamlet day will be celebrated March 17, he said.
- Jeanne Gagnon
MLA to visit
Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven
Hamlet council will get an update on renovations to its office building and a possible bridge when Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk visits from April 3 to 5.
Design work for major renovations to the hamlet office is happening this year, said Gord Dinney, the hamlet's senior administrative officer. He added a large metal structure arrived in the community a few years ago for use in the construction of a bridge across a nearby river and has since been sitting on the ground.
"I am hoping she has something positive to report to us," said Dinney.
Reached in Taloyoak on April 2, Ugyuk said the bridge is no longer considered a community project as it is now a capital one. The current hamlet office, one of the older hamlet buildings in Nunavut, has been overcrowded for some time, she added.
"They need to secure some capital funding for renovations of the hamlet office," said Ugyuk. "They are trying to figure out how we're going to lobby for capital funding for the hamlet office."
- Jeanne Gagnon
Pangnirtung turns 41
Panniqtuuq/Pangnirtung
Nunavut's oldest hamlet is officially one year plus-a-week older today.
Pang's 41st anniversary fell on April 1, which was already the Easter Monday holiday, so "to maximize holiday opportunities for staff," senior administrative officer Ron Mongeau said the party was postponed.
The hamlet will celebrate with residents as the community holds its annual mega fishing derby, which offers with first prize is a Ski-Doo and second prize is an ATV, and lots of fun, food and games.
"It's what we live for here," Mongeau said.
- Peter Worden
Cape Dorset turns 31
Kinngait/Cape Dorset
Cape Dorset is turning 31 this year and the community will celebrate the occasion on April 5.
The day will start with a parade around Cape Dorset before the hamlet hosts activities for all ages, according to William Sandoval, the hamlet's recreation director. Residents will be able to enjoy games at the hockey rink, such as a shootout from centre ice, relay races, best hamlet day cake, a Miss Cape Dorset competition and snow carvings, he added.
"We normally get a good turnout," said Sandoval.
- Jeanne Gagnon
Search-and-rescue tower
Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River
A new search-and-rescue signal relay tower for the community will be erected on Sawtooth Mountain, said Clyde River senior administrative officer John Ivey.
"It's bought and paid for and now needs to be installed," said Ivey.
The tower's eventual home will be atop the mountain, a somewhat difficult drive about 13 km from the hamlet.
The tower will act as relay for telecommunications, enhance radio signals and help facilitate search-and-rescue activities, Ivey explained.
Last week bad weather grounded military exercises and forced Baffinland to forgo its activities, he said. The local search-and-rescue association is trying to install the tower as quickly as possible but with poor weather, bringing in a technician will likely prove expensive. The hamlet, which funds the association, indirectly bears the cost to pay for a technician.
Other hamlets such as Qikiqtarjuaq, which purchased a similar tower last year, and Grise Fiord, which is also installing a tower now will have to help with costs associated with installation.
"We're trying to track down a technician and see if maybe we could piggyback (with Grise Fiord), save some money in travel," said Ivey.
- Peter Worden
Sport hunters hitting mark
Ausuittuq/Grise Fiord
The seasonal influx of sport hunters from across Canada and around the world that make their way to Canada's northernmost community is small but steady, according to the hamlet - and hunters, so far, are getting their money's worth.
"Our sport hunting is doing very well," senior administrative officer Marty Kuluguqtuq said, explaining two Canadian sport hunters were "happy customers" after they most recently brought back one polar bear and one muskox each from Devon Island
The sport hunters are from outside the community and are often other Canadians, Americans, Europeans or Chinese, said Kuluguqtuq.
"The number of American (hunters) has come down drastically over the years with the importation rule change," he said about a recent change in customs regarding the importation of species deemed ecologically vulnerable.
In the High Arctic, the best locations to hunt muskox for sport hunters are either on Devon Island or Ellesmere Island, but muskox is usually a secondary hunt, Kuluguqtuq said.
"Polar bears is always their priority. Once they bag their polar bear they do their muskox soon after," he said.
The local Hunter Trapper Organization draws six to 10 tickets yearly for sport hunts, which are set aside general by their membership at the annual general meeting.
- Peter Worden
Serious subject
Arviat
The talented Arviat Drama Club will be performing seven plays dealing with suicide this coming month in Arviat.
More information on the plays and the performance schedule will be released by the club following spring break.
Arviat Drama Club productions are directed by wellknown Kivalliq thespian leader Gord Billard.
- Darrell Greer
Hotel opens
Rankin Inlet
The luxurious Katimavik Suites Hotel officially opened for business in Rankin Inlet on March 25.
Arviat entrepreneur and hotel partner Ryan St. John described the event as a "soft opening," and said plans are in the works for an official grandopening ceremony later this month.
- Darrell Greer
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