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News Briefs: Friday, September 13, 2013
Back on the team
Yellowknife's Denise Ramsden will once again ride with the Canadian national women's cycling team.
The 22-year-old was named as one of six women who will wear the maple leaf at the Road Cycling World Championships in Toscana, Italy, which will begin on Sept. 22.
This is the second World Championship invite for Ramsden, who competed back in 2011 when the event was held in Australia.
- James McCarthy
Arctic Air in town
The television show Arctic Air is closing down Pilot's Monument to the public on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. to shoot there. Parking at the monument will be limited as a result.
The show is also filming at Plummer's Landing and a private residence in Old Town. The city has distributed letters to neighbouring residents warning them of the disruption.
- Daniel Campbell
Second power outage
Lights went out briefly for parts of Yellowknife on Wednesday, the second outage this week. The outage occurred in the J.H. Sissons School area, according to Todd Roche, acting communications manager for NWT Power Corporation.
He said a bird likely contacted a section of a power line. Power was cut at 12:05 p.m. and was back on at 12:12 p.m. The area of the outage is maintained by Northland Utilities.
On Monday, a truck carrying a tractor snagged one of the Northland Utilities lines near Con Mine, dragging down the lines and poles. Power was out in the area for about seven hours.
- Daniel Campbell
Amnesty week
Tomorrow marks the first day of amnesty week at the city dump. Fees for dumping yard waste, electronic waste, animal carcasses and more will be waived until next Friday.
Residents will still have to pay tipping fees for disposing items such as tires, vehicles and propane tanks, among other items. Tomorrow is also the dump's household hazardous waste day. Residents will be able to dump any paint, engine oil, cleaning products and more without paying fees. Those looking to dump these items are asked to have them sealed in plastic containers or plastic bag to avoid leaks.
- Graeme McNaughton
News Briefs: Thursday, September 12, 2013
Storytelling festival coming to Fort Simpson
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) is bringing its new storytelling festival to Fort Simpson.
The KO K'E Storytelling Festival will be in the village on Sept. 18 at the OSC Gallery located below the John Tsetso Memorial Library. Fort Simpson resident Jerry Antoine will open the festival with a performance at 7 p.m.
Antoine will be followed by Scott McQueen of Yellowknife and Ryan McMahon, an Ojibway/Metis comedian based out of Ottawa.
A dinner for ticket holders will precede the festival at 6 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.
Sod project underway at golf course
The Seven Spruce Golf Course is undertaking a project to enhance its facility.
Volunteers and staff with Rowe's Construction began laying sod around the artificial greens on holes one, two and eight on Sept. 9. The work is expected to be completed on Sept. 12.
Staff at the course were able to grow grass between the artificial greens and the fairways on six of the holes, but had trouble on the remaining three, said Shane Thompson, the club's president. The sod will allow golfers to play their balls where they lie and will enhance the course, he said.
The course received a grant from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment for the project. The staff at the department have been very supportive of the course, he said.
Learning to compost
A workshop about composting is being held in Fort Simpson
Caroline Lafontaine with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will be leading a session on how to build a composter and a compost pile at the community garden on Sept. 17 beginning at 7 p.m. During the workshop, a demonstration model of a composter will be constructed.
If the weather is unfavourable, the workshop will be postponed to the following day.
Deadline coming for ambassadors program
The Northwest Territories Youth Ambassadors Program is looking for applicants.
The program offers youth the chance to volunteer at major territorial, national and international events.
Upcoming events include the 2014 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks and the 2014 North American Indigenous Games in Regina.
Youth ages 16 to 24 are eligible to apply. The application deadline is Sept. 23.
Festival of stories
The KO K'E Storytelling Festival is coming back to Inuvik on Sept. 16 at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex with more than a dash of local flavour.
Singer and songwriter Leanne Goose is scheduled to join Gerry Kisoun on the stage.
Organizer Marie Coderre of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre promises the event will be enjoyed by everyone.
Town seeks help in tourism department
Due to an expanding workload and emphasis on tourism, the Town of Inuvik has created a new position.
It's looking to hire a co-ordinator of tourism and marketing, something that Jackie Challis, the manager of tourism and economic development, is currently handling.
"We are happy to have expanded the current activities in our department and found another person was necessary to implement all our strategies, events and campaigns effectively," Challis said. "In fact, we are quite excited at the addition of this position, as it signifies a concerted effort towards the further development of tourism in our community."
Mayor Floyd Roland has made tourism a priority during his term in office so far.
"We are adding to the department to help with the increased workload," he said.
Support for volunteers
The GNWT has introduced a new program to help community governments pay for the costs of hosting events and recognizing volunteers.
"Across our territory, volunteers add so much value to our communities," said Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Robert C. McLeod.
"They contribute countless hours of service, and help improve the quality of life for all residents. This new program will allow communities to come together and celebrate and recognize the important work undertaken by our many volunteers."
The Volunteer Recognition Policy allows community governments to apply for contributions of up to $1,000 per year for eligible costs related to hosting these events.
Terry Fox Run Sunday
The annual Terry Fox Run will be held on Sept. 15.
Registration begins at noon at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. The run will begin at 1 p.m.
Participants can choose from a variety of distances including one, five and 10 kilometres.
Organizer Natasha Kulikowski said volunteers are still needed for water stations and registration.
"The community run typically has 50 to 60 participants and we raise between $5,000 and $6,000," said fellow organizer Theresa Ross. "We are hoping to beat our totals this year."
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