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Friday, September 18, 2015
Streetlight downed by winds
A streetlight at the corner of 55 Street and 52 Avenue was found downed Saturday morning, according to Duane Morgan, manager of Northland Utilities in Yellowknife. Morgan said area residents reported that high wind gusts on Friday night caused the lamp to shake until it eventually snapped.
"It was quite a wind gust over there, and it had the light rocking back and forth, and it broke off and fell down," Morgan said Thursday. "It'll be back up and operating tonight."
- Evan Kiyoshi French
City council nominations close Monday
Candidate-hopefuls for municipal office have until Monday to submit their papers to run for mayor or council. Papers must be delivered to the hand or office of returning officer Debbie Gillard before 3 p.m. on Monday. Mayor Mark Heyck stands alone as the only mayoral candidate so far, according to the city's website. Councillors Rebecca Alty, Adrian Bell, Linda Bussey, Niels Konge and Phil Moon Son have filed papers to run again, and Marie-Soleil Lacoursiere, Julian Morse, Steve Payne and Rommel Silverio are their challengers. Around 8,700 voters are eligible to head to the polls in the seven districts on Oct. 19.
- Evan Kiyoshi French
Yellowknifer to cycle for Canada
Yellowknife's Denise Ramsden will once again don the red and white after she was named to Canada's women's squad for the World Road Cycling Championships in Richmond, Virginia, which begins on Sunday. It's the fourth time she will compete in the event, having competed before in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Ramsden will take part in the women's road race on Sept. 26 and could also feature in the women's time trial on Sept. 22.
- James McCarthy
Trustee nomination deadline is Monday
People interested in becoming nominees for both Yellowknife District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic school boards have until Monday, Sept. 21 to file their papers. Evelyn Straker, returning officer for YK1 said there have been some members of the public who have picked up nomination papers, but none have filed so far. The time deadline is 3 p.m. for YK1 and 4 p.m. for Yellowknife Catholic School Board.
- Simon Whitehouse
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Swim team wins dance-off
Fort Liard's synchronized swimming team has been named the winner of the NWT High Five dance video competition.
High Five is an organization that promotes physical literacy for children and youth.
Fort Liard's team of nine swimmers entered in mid-August under swimming instructor Sophie Kirby.
The prize for the winning video is $1,000 in High Five merchandise or sport training for staff members.
Library opens doors wide
The John Tsetso Memorial Library in Fort Simpson celebrated its grand opening in its expanded building on Sept. 15 with an open house and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Education Minister Jackson Lafferty attended along with Mayor Sean Whelly and Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian.
Safety camp boots up
The Mine Training Society will be holding a safety boot camp in Fort Simpson from Sept. 21 to Oct. 2.
Topics covered during the camp will include fall protection, confined space entry, lock out, radio operators certificate, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), first aid, CPR and safety leadership.
The Mine Training Society is a non-profit society that aims to help Northerners find work in the mining sector.
Nominations open for sports awards
The 2015 Aboriginal Sports Circle awards have opened for communities across the NWT.
Nominations close Oct. 16 for four awards: sports, culture, coach and community builder.
Nominees must be of First Nation, Metis or Inuit descent.
Municipal elections upcoming
Nominations for village council, including the position of mayor and eight council positions, close on Sept. 21.
Nomination papers can be picked up from returning officer Tammie Cazon.
On Sept. 21, nominations will also close for six councillor positions with the district education authority.
The election for both will take place Oct. 19.
Man dead after boating mishap
An Inuvik man is dead after a boat capsized in the Airport Channel shortly before 7 p.m. Sept. 12.
Const. Elenore Sturko said police received a report from another boater who had come across the accident and found an unresponsive male in the water. That boater rescued the driver of the first boat, as well as two passengers from the water.
RCMP met the boater at the Airport Lake Dock and took over CPR on the unresponsive male until emergency medical personnel arrived. The man was rushed to the Inuvik Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the capsized boat was arrested and an impaired operation of a vessel investigation is now underway. Police suspect alcohol was involved in the situation. No names of those involved were released.
Coroner calls for review
NWT chief coroner Cathy Menard has called for the Beaufort Delta Health and Social Services Authority to review the case of Milan Cerny, whose death in August 2014 has been ruled a suicide.
In her report, Menard wrote that Cerny had been admitted to the hospital in June 2014 and was suffering depression. It was deemed he would benefit from home care, a program Menard said "appears to have been unsuccessful" in this case.
"In late June and July 2014 Mr. Cerny had several visits with his counsellor in which he described on a regular basis he was experiencing a lack of appetite, sleeping many hours a day and being deeply depressed with suicidal ideations over the preceding several weeks. He had repeatedly requested to be admitted into the hospital to be stabilized."
Cerny was found dead in his bed weeks later, apparently of an opiate overdose. The report also stated Cerny had a history of other medical issues including hyperthyroidism, as well as alcohol abuse. Menard is recommending a review of the case.
Taxi driver's licence suspension reversed
After more than an hour of debate behind closed doors, town council voted Sept. 9 to reverse the suspension of a taxi driver's licence.
Ali Ibrahim is facing a charge of dangerous driving under the Criminal Code, as well as charges under the Motor Vehicles Act. As such, council has a right to suspend his licence, pending a court decision. Ibrahim appeared before council to plead his case, saying that without a licence, he is not be able to work and meet his obligations.
"I've served in this town for 10 years," he told council. "I don't know how to survive until the courts decide whether I'm criminal or not a criminal."
Ibrahim also said he has never received a complaint from a customer or from other drivers.
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