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News Briefs: Friday, September 6, 2013
Yk1 board chair resigning
Allan Shortt, chair of the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 board of trustees, announced he will resign from this position following a recent conviction for driving over the legal alcohol limit.
"It was his choice," said vice-chair John Stephenson, adding the announcement came at a special meeting of the committee of the whole this past Wednesday. "He believed it was distracting from our work as a board of trustees who focus on the business of the education of children."
Shortt is expected to officially step down as chair during the board's next public meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m. He will remain a Yk1 trustee.
- Laura Busch
Wi-Fi at Somba K'e
The city is looking for bidders for a contract to install wireless Internet at Somba K'e Park.
The request for proposals was put out on Aug. 22, with the closing date for bids extended to Sept. 30 on Wednesday. The city wants to share the cost of services with the bidder, thus making the service free for the public.
- Daniel Campbell
Sale of compost postponed
A joint project between the City of Yellowknife and Ecology North that sold compost to residents has been put on hold until next year.
The project allowed residents to drop off any organic waste for disposal, which would then be turned into compost that would later be sold. The delay comes after soil samples collected by Ecology North found the "organic material has not completed the necessary bio-chemical composting process," according to the news release.
- Graeme McNaughton
Around the North in 80 plays
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is hosting an open house and circumpolar film night at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre on Monday from 6 to 10 p.m.
A series of short films on parks, protected areas, aboriginal co-management, and important natural and cultural areas are set to be showcased in the centre's auditorium.
Participants will also have the opportunity to take part in a discussion with delegates from Norway, Finland and the NWT.
- Cody Punter
News Briefs: Thursday, September 5, 2013
New playground equipment
Two new playgrounds have been installed at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson.
The playground equipment in the school's green wing, used by classes 3 and 4, was removed in 2010 because it was old and dangerous, and there were concerns about the wood leaking toxins. Parents, staff and community members fundraised to pay for new equipment for the green wing, as well as the red wing, where aging equipment was being used by students in classes 5 and 6.
Through fundraising, corporate donations and funds from the territorial government, the school reached its goal of $60,000 last June. The equipment was installed between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3.
"The kids are excited," said principal Kelley Andrews-Klein.
Fewer black bear complaints reported
The number of nuisance black bears being reported to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Fort Simpson has declined.
Following an annual pattern, an increased amount of bear activity was noticed around the village beginning at the start of August. The last call about bears made to the wildlife emergency-reporting line was during the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25, said Carl Lafferty, the department's regional superintendent.
Lafferty said he believes the department dealt with all the problem bears that were creating the complaints. The department has killed 12 problem bears in Fort Simpson since May, with the majority of the kills taking place in August. Two bears were also successfully relocated.
"It was a fairly busy time for the officers," he said.
The number of problem bears that were destroyed is average compared to other years, said Lafferty. Residents shouldn't let their guards down, however, he said. Bears will still be active until they begin to hibernate around the end of October.
Annual Terry Fox Run in Fort Liard
Echo Dene School will be holding its sixth-annual Terry Fox Run this month.
The event will take place on Sept. 13. Last year, students and staff fundraised more than $1,000 through the run, a number they hope to beat this year, said William Gowans, the school's principal.
Students follow a route through the community during the event. Some run and others walk, or do a combination of the two.
"It's a really good time. The kids really enjoy it," said Gowans.
Rowers give up
A group of four rowers trying to traverse the Northwest Passage in one season in a custom-built rowboat have abandoned their quest.
The group, led by Vancouver adventurer Kevin Vallely, reached Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, on Aug. 28. They launched the craft in Inuvik June 29.
The crew was attempting to row the passage to Pond Inlet by the beginning of September, but unusually large amounts of ice and bad weather caused problems from the start.
Local outdoorsman and paddling expert Kevin Floyd wasn't surprised by the news.
"It's been a late spring and poor summer up there," he said. "They also didn't realize the decline in sea ice is more an Atlantic Ocean thing than Beaufort Sea."
Vallely and his crew wanted to highlight how climate change is affecting the Arctic.
IRC building still closed
The Inuvialuit Development Group Building, home of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, is expected to remain closed this week and into the next following a fire Aug. 26.
Alana Mero, the regional director for the NWT Housing Corporation, has arranged temporary office space in the Aurora Research Centre for the moment.
Inuvik Gas has moved into temporary quarters in the New North Networks building.
Mero said she had been told the housing corporation could possibly return to the first floor of the IDC building next week, but the damage was more extensive on the second and third floors.
Inuvik Fire Chief Jim Sawkins estimates damages to be between $500,000 and $750,000. The cause was an electrical malfunction.
CIBC run this weekend
The CIBC Run for Our Lives for cancer is on Sunday. The run is held annually around the NWT and Canada to raise money for research to find a cure for a disease.
It's a five-kilometre run/walk.
The run begins at 1 p.m. and registration starts at noon at the MacKenzie Hotel.
Runners who want to participate in the race can pick up a pledge sheet at the CIBC branch or pay a fee on the day of the event.
Arctic Market closes
The Arctic Market had its last day at Chief Jim Koe Park on Aug. 31.
It was the inaugural season for the market, which was intended to give local craftspeople and gardeners a venue to sell their wares.
Organizer Jackie Challis said she was very happy with the season, which typically saw between five and 10 vendors show up every weekend.
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