RANKIN INLET
Programming for at high-risk youth who have become entangled in the legal system will be starting up any day now, according to the regional director of Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services, Sam Tutanuak.
Tutanuak laid out his plan during a council meeting on June 27 during which he was asked to update the hamlet about KCSS's work.
With the help of funding from the department of justice, six high-risk youth who are on probation will be brought out on the land several times over the course of the summer.
"We are hoping to teach them some skills and to get them away form the mischief that they do," said Tutanuak.
The youth will go out on the land on a regular basis with an instructor and a cook. For the most part they will be learning how to catch, prepare and cook fish. Once the caribou start running there are also plans to take them hunting.
Tutanuak said counselling and support services is also hoping to offer programming for four families, which have been identified by RCMP for the high volume of calls they make to police.
"The RCMP asked KCSS to work with the families to see if we could reconnect them as family members and to try and lower the number of calls to the RCMP," he said.
Tutanuak said he was hoping the program would start in August but that details had not yet been finalized.
Hamlet approves new gravel pit
Hamlet council has approved the opening of a new gravel pit in order to complete $70,000 worth construction projects scheduled to take place this summer.
The unanimous decision was made at the request of Inukshuk Construction, which told the hamlet there is no more gravel to be used at the existing Diane Quarry.
Inukshuk Construction has the contract to repair roads from the hamlet to Second Landing and Tent City. It will also be using gravel to build up the back of the dump site, which currently slopes downhill.
Ashley Ymana, planning and lands administrator, who presented the concerns of the company to council during last month's meeting, said without opening the new quarry the work could not be completed.
"We do have gravel but it's just the gravel we do have - the quarry is not open yet," she said.
The new quarry, which is known as Dianne Quarry Site A, is adjacent to the existing quarry and has already been staked off.
It is expected that there are 86,000 cubic metres of gravel available at the new site.
Dust reduction plan in place
The hamlet will be taking measures to reduce the amount of dust being blown up by heavy traffic coming in and out of the hamlet over the summer after Coun. Harry Towtongie raised the issue at last month's council meeting.
Towtongie told council that the dust is getting out of hand especially along the major access road leading into town, where trucks carrying gravel are coming from.
After raising his concern, council decided to move ahead with plans to start watering the roads and use calcium nitrate to limit the dust from blowing up.
