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Monday, September 5, 2016
Fatal crash on Dempster Highway
A Chinese tourist has died as a result of a single-vehicle accident near the Peel River Aug. 27.
Police responded to the call around 8:45 p.m., stated a press release from the RCMP issued Aug. 29. While police would not say in which direction the vehicle was travelling, civilian member Marie York-Condon said the accident took place at mile marker 70, about two kilometres south of the Peel River ferry.
"Members attended the scene and located the four occupants of the vehicle," the news release stated. "Three persons, one adult male, and two adult females, had exited the vehicle and had sustained injuries. The fourth occupant, an adult female, was found deceased inside the vehicle, with the seatbelt intact in the front passenger seat."
No foul play is suspected and road and driving conditions may have been factors, it continued. The occupants of the vehicle were visiting from China and the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China have been contacted.
- Sarah Ladik
Death on Canol Trail
A hiker from the U.S. died after being swept away in the Little Keele River on the Canol Trail on Aug. 20.
Three hikers, all male and from the U.S., were travelling on the Canol Trail when they attempted to cross the river, RCMP said in a news release.
A search began on Aug. 24 after another traveller informed the RCMP that the hikers required assistance. A helicopter brought an RCMP officer to the trail and the officer located the two hikers.
Another search on Aug. 25 located a body in the river that matched the description of the missing man.
A special team was dispatched to the area and his remains were recovered on Aug. 28.
- Kassina Ryder
Terry Fox Run calls for volunteers
Inuvik's annual Terry Fox Run is fast approaching and the call has gone out for volunteers.
Organizers are looking for two people to work at the registration desk, six to work a total of three water stations, and two people to run the barbecue.
The event is scheduled for Sept. 18, and will kick off at 1 p.m. and last until around 3 p.m.
Co-organizer Natasha Kulikowski said last year more than 50 participants raised a total of more than $4,000 for the cause.
- Sarah Ladik
Travelling youth return home
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Youth who partook in the Northern Youth Abroad program have returned to their respective communities, including two from the Deh Cho.
Fort Simpson's Brandon Hardisty and Fort Providence's Dallas Thom are both back in their communities ready to attend yet another year of school.
Next year, they will be eligible for the next stage of the program.
- April Hudson
Floor hockey tournament moves forward
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Players in Fort Simpson who are missing the ice will have a chance at some hockey soon - the floor variety.
The village's four-on-four floor hockey tournament has been set for Sept. 9 and 10 for ages 14 and older.
The registration deadline for teams is Sept. 9 at 12 p.m., with the first game starting that evening at 6 p.m.
Games will take place in the village recreation centre gymnasium.
- April Hudson
Paulatuk celebrates 30 years of Iqalukpik Jamboree
Paulatuk
The 30th annual Iqalukpik Jamboree took place in Paulatuk the weekend of Aug. 12, said recreation co-ordinator Bill Ruben.
The celebrations included boat races, Arctic sports and traditional events such as tea boiling, bannock making and goose plucking.
The community hosted a baseball tournament following the jamboree, from Aug. 16 to 19.
The Iqalukpik Jamboree is always held in mid-August, Ruben said.
- Kassina Ryder
Aklavik swimming pool becomes bubble bath for a day
Aklavik
Aklavik's Kigvaluk Swimming Pool hosted its annual bubble bath swimming event on Aug. 31, said youth co-ordinator Mary Gordon.
Every year on the last day the pool is open to the public, staff pour soap into the pool to create a huge bubble bath, Gordon said.
"We get a few cases of bubble bath and make bubbles for kids in the pool," she said. "It's like one big bathtub."
The final swim was scheduled to take place from 1 to 3 p.m. with a barbecue to follow.
- Kassina Ryder
Enterprise to hold its annual fall fair
Enterprise
A fall fair will be held in Enterprise on Sept. 17.
The event, which will take place at the Enterprise Community Centre, will feature crafts and goods from a variety of vendors.
The fall fair is being presented by the Hamlet of Enterprise.
- Paul Bickford
Make the Connection Night coming soon
Hay River
The recreation department of the Town of Hay River will present Make the Connection Night on Sept. 7.
The annual event is an opportunity for community groups to let town residents know what they do and to seek volunteers.
It is also a chance for residents to discover activities and opportunities to volunteer.
Make the Connection Night will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the Don Stewart Rec Centre.
- Paul Bickford
Sachs Harbour celebrates White Fox Jamboree
Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour
This year's White Fox Jamboree took place the weekend of Aug. 26 and included a jam-packed list of activities, according to the jamboree's schedule of events.
The first day included a community feast, outdoor games for youth and "tiny tots" (aged five and under), as well as a Casino Night. Aug. 27 featured a pancake breakfast, outdoor games for adults and a poker tournament, as well as indoor games and a crib tournament.
- Kassina Ryder
Call for volunteers
Inuvik
Inuvik's annual Terry Fox Run is fast approaching and the call has gone out for volunteers.
Organizers are looking for two people to work at the registration desk, six to work a total of three water stations, and two people to run the barbecue.
The event is scheduled for Sept. 18, and will go from
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Co-organizer Natasha Kulikowski said last year more than 50 participants raised a total of more than $4,000 for the cause.
The event is open to runners and walkers of all abilities and ages and is made possible by the volunteers who donate their time and energy.
- Sarah Ladik
Curiosities on display at museum
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The museum in Fort Smith has launched a Curiosities Exhibition.
The exhibition began on Aug. 25 at Northern Life Museum & Cultural Centre.
The museum's collection of strange artefacts is on display for the first time ever.
The artefacts originate from such places as Japan, China, Indonesia, the Netherlands and France.
They even include a set of samurai armour.
- Paul Bickford
Church to hold first fall auction
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The first-annual Fall Auction at St. John's Anglican Church will take place on Sept. 10.
The event will feature both live and silent auctions, along with a bake sale. The viewing of auction items and the bake sale will begin at 11 a.m., and the live auction will start at noon.
- Paul Bickford
Tsiigehtchic Canoe Daze a success
Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River
Tsiigehtchic's Canoe Daze celebrations was a highlight of this summer's activities, said recreation co-ordinator Ben Contenti.
The weekend kicked off with opening ceremonies on Aug. 19, which included a community feast, drum dancing and an old time dance.
The following day began with a community breakfast before the canoe races began. Some of the races had to be rescheduled for Aug. 21 due to windy weather, Contenti said.
"It was tough going," he said.
Drum dances and another old time dance was also held on Aug. 20.
Contenti said he wanted to thank everyone who helped make the event a success.
"It's a community event and one person, or even a few people, can't do it by themselves," he said.
"Thank you to the community members who helped out and to people from out of town who helped out and to everyone who came out."
- Kassina Ryder
Capital's first mayor comes home
Iqaluit
Iqaluit's first mayor, Bryan Pearson, 82, returned to Nunavut's capital city from Ottawa Aug. 27, months after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.
Mayor Madeleine Redfern organized the bittersweet homecoming.
"Our community's first mayor, Bryan Pearson came home for the last time, as his cancer has spread and doctor's believe he has about two weeks left to live. Bryan said he wanted to come home to spend his last days here, given this is where Bryan has called home for over 50 years," Redfern stated in a notice to the community.
"Bryan is one of our most colourful characters and anyone who knows him also uses some very colourful language, especially when speaking about the city. I know this meant a lot to Bryan."
People gathered at the Four Corners to wave and honk car horns as Pearson made the trip into the city from the airport in an ambulance.
Redfern later reported Pearson was home resting and happy to be reunited with his dog, Kamik, and his friends.
Pearson became the second chair of the Village of Frobisher Bay from 1969 to 1979. In 1979, the chair was renamed as mayor when Frobisher Bay became a town, with Pearson continuing at the helm. He served in municipal government for 16 years over various terms until 1985.
He also served as a territorial politician for nine years, first for the Eastern Arctic, then for the constituency of Baffin South.
- Michele LeTourneau
Missing man's kayak found
Nunavut
The search effort for an 18-year-old Cape Dorset man who went missing after leaving his community in a kayak on Aug. 25 was described by police as becoming a recovery mission on Sept. 2.
"The Cape Dorset RCMP in conjunction with the local Search and Rescue team have determined the likelihood of Saali Toonoo to survive one week is unlikely," stated RCMP Sgt. David Lawson in a news release.
The man's kayak, paddle and a boot were located three miles outside of the community on Aug. 28, stated Lawson in an earlier news release.
Toonoo is believed to have been wearing black clothing, a backpack and was carrying a rifle. The man was not wearing a flotation device, police stated.
A search party included 15 people, five boats and Hercules and Cormorant aircraft were involved in the initial search.
Joint Task Force North called off the air search on Aug. 30, but ground and water patrols continued, according to an Aug. 31 RCMP update.
While the search and rescue operation was concluded Sept. 2, a group of local residents will continue searching for Toonoo, Lawson stated.
- Michele LeTourneau
Gold projects bought
Kitikmeot
Silver Range Resources has moved to acquire two gold projects near the proposed Grays Bay Road and Port Project in the Kitikmeot region, the company announced Aug. 23.
The Happy Thought property is located 270 km southeast of Kugluktuk, approximately 70 km east of the proposed Grays Bay to Contwoyto Lake road.
The Grumpy property is located 190 km east southeast of Kugluktuk and lies astride the proposed Grays Bay to Contwoyto Lake Road, 23 km south of the planned terminus on Coronation Gulf, according to a news release.
The company credits the recent signing of a memorandum of agreement in July between the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and the Government of Nunavut for the move. According to that agreement, a project proposal is to be submitted to the Nunavut Impact Review Board by May 2017.
Silver Range, a "project generator," is building and exploring a portfolio of high-grade gold targets in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Nevada to fulfill an increasing demand for gold projects in politically stable jurisdictions.
- Michele LeTourneau
Career fair planned
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
A career fair is being held at the Kiilinik High School gym on Sept. 15.
A notice distributed by the hamlet states there will be separate time slots for students in different grades to check out the displays, as well as designated times for Nunavut Arctic College students and the public to attend.
The fair will include booths by various employers, including government, municipalities, educational institutions, Inuit organizations and private businesses.
Attendees will have the opportunity to network and apply for available positions.
- Beth Brown
Student places second on Bay Street
Iqaluit
Grace Nowdluk, 15, and Elaine Lau, both of Iqaluit, participated at the third Bay Street Boot Camp held in Toronto in late August.
This boot camp is a five-day financial literacy course and entrepreneurial challenge that brought 50 students to the heart of the financial district in Toronto.
The week-long program exposed students to a variety of subjects, including basic finance and personal money management, networking, mental health, interview skills and developing a professional personal brand, stated a news release from the Jr. Economic Club.
Lau received the Golden Star Award for her enthusiasm and positive attitude throughout the camp.
Nowdluk was part of the second-place team, along with Hussein Alkhafaji, 17, of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Matthew Lynn, 16, of Toronto.
The trio was awarded $4,000 for their business idea called 24/7 Tutor, a multi-platform tutoring application that offers various services to customers including tutor profiles, free student chat groups and chats with qualified tutors, all accessible 24/7.
- Michele LeTourneau
Fun for all ages
Qamanittuaq/Baker Lake
The community of Baker Lake held its second annual Festival on the Lake from Aug. 25 to 28.
The festival offered something for all ages, including a hot air balloon, bike races, dragon castle and slide, fashion show, pie-eating competition, live musical entertainment, square dance and a fireworks display.
- Darrell Greer
Film part of the world
Nunavut
As part of a country-wide call for Canadians to film their small part of the country, Nunavummiut are asked by Nunavut Tourism to "pick up their smartphones and cameras and share their stories on Filming Day."
That event takes place Sept. 10 and is intended to help celebrate Canada's 150th birthday.
Award-winning filmmaker Trish Dolman and CTV/Bell Media will present Canada In A Day, a crowd-sourced film event created by Canadians.
Inspired by Ridley Scott's 2011 phenomenon Life In A Day and subsequent projects around the world, Canada In A Day will encapsulate the ordinary and the extraordinary events of one day in the life of Canadians in a memorable, touching film to be released in the summer of 2017, a news release states.
Nunavut Tourism wants to make sure the territory is represented.
For more information Canada In A Day can be found on Facebook.
- Michele LeTourneau
Co-op warehouse catches fire
Kugluktuk/Coppermine
A fire broke out in a warehouse used by Arctic Co-operatives in Kugluktuk around 2 a.m. on Sept. 1. The building was engulfed in flames by the time RCMP arrived, stated Sgt. David Lawson in a news release.
"The firefighters were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to the main Co-op store but the warehouse and its' contents were destroyed," Lawson stated. "There were no reported injuries from the incident."
The warehouse, which was the old library building next to the Co-op, was being used as unheated storage for general merchandise like clothing, said Arctic Co-operatives area manager Kelly Holben. None of the product was salvageable. "It's a total loss," he said.
Holben said there was no food being kept in the building and that a barge carrying resupply is scheduled to arrive in roughly two weeks so it won't be long before the lost product is replaced.
A resident said the fire burned for more than two hours and firefighters used a front-end loader to open the space up and extinguish the flames.
The cause of the fire is under suspicion. RCMP are still investigating.
"This incident will have negative impact, not only on the Co-op but the members of Co-op and the community as a whole," Lawson stated.
- Beth Brown
Summer full of activities
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
It's been a busy summer for the hamlet of Rankin Inlet.
The hamlet organized community baseball game for two age groups, employed 10 summer students for an eight-week period for a community cleanup, held a day camp that saw 55 children aged five to 10 attend for eight weeks, which was overseen by six summer students plus the drop-in centre staff, and held a soccer camp for kids aged five to 15 on the Aug. 27 to 28 weekend.
The hamlet also supported a children's science camp for one week in July, installed new playground equipment, held a summer fun weekend with music concerts and bouncy castles for children, and also helped the Rankin detachment of the RCMP to host a bicycle rodeo.
- Darrell Greer
Infrastructure funding for communities
Iqaluit
The hamlet of Iglulik just received federal Gas Tax Fund money for a $10.3-million project to upgrade its water reservoir and improve its water treatment system.
And Cape Dorset also received Gas Tax Fund money to complete a planning study to determine the scope of wastewater system upgrades.
This is part of $7.8 million in Infrastructure Canada funding for Nunavut announced Aug. 31. Nunavut will receive more than $15.7 million this year from the Gas Tax Fund, which is intended to fund community infrastructure projects in the territory, as determined by individual hamlets.
"The federal Gas Tax Fund allows communities to direct federal dollars to their particular infrastructure priorities ... whether a community needs to expand their recreational centre, enhance a wastewater treatment system or make energy-saving upgrades to municipal buildings," stated Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi in a news release.
- Beth Brown
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