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Friday, October 3, 2014
Arrest warrant withdrawn
An arrest warrant for Ted Tsetta, former chief of Ndilo, has been withdrawn.
The warrant as issued after he failed to appear in territorial court Sept. 23. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge under the Wildlife Act for illegal possession of caribou.
Tsetta was charged back in February after having his meat and rifles seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The former chief made a brief court appearance on Tuesday and was not represented by a lawyer.
Tsetta's trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 10.
- John McFadden
NWT's new chief judge
Judge Christine Gagnon is to take over the position of Chief Judge of the Territorial Court of the Northwest Territories today.
According to a news release, the five-year term for Robert Gorin, the current chief judge, expires at 5 p.m. today and Gagnon will officially take over the role, also for a five-year term.
She was appointed to the Territorial Court in February 2009.
- John McFadden
Frame Lake Trail lighting improved
The city has announced the installation of 12 additional street lights along the Pat McMahon Frame Lake Trail.
The trail now has 32 street lights on the paved sections stretching from city hall to Stanton Hospital.
- John McFadden
North focused curriculum unveiled
A Northern-themed environmental school curriculum was released Tuesday in Yellowknife.
It was presented to teachers in the city for the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association professional development conference and students could be taught the material starting this year.
Its themes include climate change, Arctic issues and territorial ecosystems.
This followed a partnership between World Wildlife Fund Canada and Ecology North with a $150,000 donation from CIBC.
According to a press release from WWF spokeswoman Jo Anne Walton, the curriculum was developed with input from the GNWT, teachers, the WWF and Ecology North to fill gaps by adding locally relevant lesson plans.
- Shane Magee
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Small business training
Aurora College is offering two back-to-back courses aimed at entrepreneurs.
Start Your Own Small Business began on Sept. 29 in both Fort Simpson and Fort Providence and will run until Nov. 7.
There is still room in the course in Fort Simpson.
Immediately following that course, Small Business Funding and Marketing will begin in both locations on Nov. 12 until Dec. 18. The modularized training program was developed through a partnership between Aurora College and the NWT Literacy Council.
Upcoming negotiations session
People with an interest in the Dehcho Process can watch the upcoming negotiations session.
Negotiations in Ottawa between Dehcho First Nations' (DFN) negotiations team, Canada and the territorial government from Oct. 1 to 3 will be displayed through video conference in DFN's boardroom in Fort Simpson. The sessions will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Feedback sought on new tourism plan
Members of the tourism industry are being given a number of ways to provide input into Tourism 2020.
The new plan will guide the territorial government's activities and investments into tourism over five years and will build on the work of the current plan, Tourism 2015.
People involved in the tourism industry are being invited to share their feedback through an online survey or by contacting their regional tourism officers.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will also be holding a meeting in Fort Simpson on Oct. 21 as part of a series of six regional meetings.
Two scholarships for Fort Simpson student
A university student from Fort Simpson has been awarded two scholarships.
Devan Cli is one of six post-secondary students to receive a $4,000 Northern Futures Scholarship from Northwestel. The scholarship includes the opportunity to work for the company next summer.
The scholarship program is open annually to Northern post-secondary students enrolled in specific program areas.
Cli is in the first year of a business management program at Grant McEwan University.
Cli is also the first ever recipient of Dehcho Regional Helicopters' new Aviation Support Services Scholarship.
The scholarship was designed to support non-operational careers in the aviation industry.
New boss at Inuvik hospital
Arlene Jorgensen, the acting chief administrative officer at the Beaufort Delta Health and Social Services Authority, has been hired on to fill the position permanently.
Jorgensen has been doing the job for some time on an interim basis following the abrupt and unexplained departure of Owen Partridge in June.
He had held the position for a little more than a year.
The news was delivered to health authority staff on Sept. 26 although there has been no official public announcement.
Jorgensen had been the assistant chief administrative officer under Partridge.
Stacey Christie is in talks to assume the assistant chief administrative officer's position.
She had been the assistant director of social programs.
Damaged cable disrupts service
Inuvik residents and people living across the Delta region and into the Yukon Territory had a tough time using the Internet and telephones during the afternoon and evening of Sept. 30.
The slowdown in services for Northwestel customers was due to a damaged cable in northern British Columbia.
It was damaged during the middle of the afternoon Sept. 30 by a contractor, according to a news release from Northwestel.
Early estimates indicated it would take about two hours to repair the damage, but the Internet was still working poorly at 11 p.m. Full service had been restored by the morning of Sept. 30.
Electricity rates reconsidered
The NWT Power Corporation has backed off on its previously-announced 20 per cent increase in electricity rates across the NWT due to the problems in the Snare hydro system due to low water levels.
The system in the Yellowknife area will have to rely on diesel-generated electricity because the water levels are too low to generate it at the Snare power plant, and that's going to cost another $20 million this year.
Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland has been one of the most vocal critics of the potential power rate increase.
"I'm somewhat surprised to see the government step up on this one," he said.
"They must've been reading some of the letters sent to the Public Utilities Board from people and organizations opposed to the rate increase."
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