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Friday, October 24, 2014
First Air, Canadian North end merger talks
First Air and Canadian North jointly announced that merger talks have been terminated.
A news release states that no further discussions are likely to be held between Edmonton-based Makivik, the shareholder for First Air and NorTerra Inc, the Quebec-based parent company for Canadian North.
Flight operations and services at both airlines remain unaffected and the
parties will have no further comment on the matter, states the news release.
- John McFadden
New chief electoral officer appointed
Legislative Assembly unanimously voted Thursday to appoint deputy chief electoral officer Nicole Latour as the new chief electoral officer as of Nov. 1.
She will replace the current chief electoral officer, David Brock, who's four-year term is up at the end of the month. Latour was the first female Sargeant-At-Arms at the legislative assembly of the Northwest Territories, the former mayor of Fort Liard and a former coroner of the Northwest Territories. Many MLAs stood up to thank Latour, who watched the proceedings from the public gallery, for her ongoing public service during her appointment.
- Randi Beers
Adventure company receives top award
Yellowknife Outdoor Adventures was recognized for its consistently positive reviews on popular travel website TripAdvisor. The TripAdvisor Certificate for Excellence is given out to companies that receive top reviews by the website's followers.
Businesses require an overall rating of at least four out five in order to qualify for the award, and the Yellowknife Outdoors Adventures page has the vast majority of reviewers rating the business as "Excellent," or five out of five. The business is also ranked as the top activity in Yellowknife on TripAdvisor.
- Elaine Anselmi
Safe driving promoted
Safe driving is a hot topic this week, receiving a nod from Transportation minister Tom Beaulieu at the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Department of Transportation staff and Students Against Impaired and Distracted Driving will be promoting safety on the road in collaboration with N.J. MacPherson School, concurrently with its Halloween dance.
- Elaine Anselmi
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Suspicious fire
The cause of a residential fire in Fort Simpson is under investigation.
The Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department and Fort Simpson RCMP responded to a fire in a residence on Antoine Drive on Oct. 20 at approximately 4 p.m. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and the damage was contained to one room of the house, according to a RCMP news release.
No one was in the residence at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire, which is under investigation, is considered suspicious.
Fort Liard RCMP under investigation
An external investigation has been ordered into an incident between the Fort Liard RCMP and a female.
On Oct. 17 at approximately 11:41 a.m. RCMP in the hamlet responded to a report of a female in distress. According to a RCMP news release, after an interaction with the RCMP, the female was medevaced to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife where she was in stable condition.
The external investigation into the incident was ordered by the managing officers of G division.
Land framework in development
The territorial government through the Department of Lands is beginning work to develop a Recreational Land Management Framework for the NWT.
The new framework is expected to provide certainty for existing leaseholders and clear guidelines for future leasing and ensure that recreational uses of land across the NWT are environmentally sustainable.
A draft framework will be shared with aboriginal governments and made available on the department's website for public review and feedback. The work is expected to take 18 to 24 months.
The department will continue to issue leases for recreational use throughout the NWT during the process, except in the area along Ingraham Trail and Highway 3.
Winter driving reminder
Drivers are being reminded to prepare for winter driving conditions in the NWT.
The RCMP's G division traffic services is advising motorists to have their vehicle mechanically checked and ensure the right tires are used for the road conditions. Motorists should also be prepared before any trip and pack survival items including warm clothing, blankets, flares, candles, food and a means of communication like a satellite phone in the case of an accident.
"Being prepared is the key to avoiding a tragedy," said Cpl. Todd Scaplen in a news release.
Service outage
The Delta communities were the focus of a short telephone, cellular and Internet outage for Northwestel customers on Oct. 15.
The outage began around 3 p.m., and service was restored at approximately 4 p.m.
A news released from the company indicated the outage was due to “severe weather conditions,” although it didn't pinpoint where those conditions existed.
The weather problems disrupted the microwave transmissions until the company boosted the transmission power to maximum.
Arena closed
The main ice surface at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex was out of service due to mechanical problems on Oct. 14, 15 and 16.
Gary McBride, the finance officer for the town and acting senior administrative officer, said the arena's brine pump had failed.
The pump is a critical piece of equipment for maintaining the ice, he said.
There was a backup pump available in storage, but it was found to be a different configuration than the main pump. That required some retrofitting to be done and parts weren't immediately available, McBride said.
The town had ordered the necessary parts for the conversion, but had to wait for their delivery.
Goose rallying to record album
Leanne Goose, one of Inuvik's premier performers, has started a different sort of crowd-funding campaign.
Goose says she's preparing to record a new CD, which will cost about $12,000. She's asking anyone around the Delta region if they have ideas for how she can raise that money, including hiring her to perform.
She's put that message out on social media, with a note that she doesn't do well at fundraising.
“I need all the help I can rally,” she added via an e-mail interview.
Goose is best known for her song After the Lights Go Down. She's also the chairperson of the End of the Road Music Festival and the Cabin Fever Music Festival.
Man arrested for uttering threats
An Inuvik man was arrested the morning of Oct. 16 after a tense situation with the RCMP.
There were indications the Mounties were preparing for the possibility of an armed standoff when the man took refuge in a house on Stringer Road.
He was eventually arrested without incident.
The unidentified man is now facing charges of uttering threats.
No further information was revealed.
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