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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Opioid antidote available at pharmacies
Naloxone, a drug used to halt an opioid overdose, is available in a nasal spray form for free and without a prescription in NWT retail pharmacies, according to the GNWT.
Today, distribution of an injection form is expected to begin to all NWT retail pharmacies, health centres, clinics, hospitals and health cabins. Fentanyl is a type of opioid that can be deadly in small doses. There have been five deaths where the person had fentanyl in their system in the territory since 2009.
- Shane Magee
Changes to deputy minister positions
Premier Bob McLeod announced two changes to top civil servant positions Monday.
Eleanor Young becomes deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Young had served as assistant deputy minister and most recently as acting deputy minister after Tom Williams was shuffled to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Joe Dragon, originally from Fort Smith, was named deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Erin Kelly, who had filled that role for seven months, will resume her role as assistant deputy minister of ENR.
- Shane Magee
Christmas light contest winners announced
The winners of this year's Christmas Lights competition have been announced by the city. Negus Place won for best alternative, The Quilted Raven for best commercial exterior, Northwestel for best office interior, 140 Jeske Cres. for best mobile home exterior, 506 Knutsen Court for best residential exterior, Gitzel Street for best neighbourhood and 182 Dagenais won for best "over the top" lights. Winners get a prize from Northland Utilities.
- John McFadden
U.S., Canada to bar Arctic drilling
The United States and Canada jointly agreed to protect a vast swath of the Arctic Ocean from future oil and gas drilling, according to a statement released Tuesday.
The U.S.-designated waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are indefinitely off limits to offshore oil and gas leasing. Canada will designate all Arctic waters in its control indefinitely off limits to future offshore Arctic oil and gas licensing, though that will be reviewed every five years.
- Shane Magee
Fox tests positive for rabies
Arviat
A fox killed by a teenager earlier this month in Arviat has tested positive for rabies.
Deanna Netser, 17, killed the fox with a frozen mop after it tried to bite the family pet.
The Department of Health strongly advises anyone who could have had contact with the fox before Netser shortened its lifespan to contact their health centre immediately.
Christmas Games
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
The hamlet of Rankin Inlet is in full swing with its annual Christmas Games celebrations.
The games officially got underway on Dec. 17, and will run until New Year's Day.
This year's schedule offers something for all ages, from cake decorating and teenage dances to an elders' breakfast, various funfilled indoor games, a kids' carnival, big bucks bingo games, poker tournament, scavenger hunt, ice sculptures, square dancing, a fireworks display and many more activities.
Nunavut Youth Abroad
Kivalliq
Nine Kivalliq youth have been selected for the Nunavut Youth Abroad program. From Arviat, Deanna Netser and Esther Nutarasungnik will participate, while Christopher Atutuvaa and Victoria Piryuaq represent Baker Lake. Joellen Netser, of Coral Harbour, was selected, along with Naujaat's Brenden Angotingoar, Charmaine Putulik and Susannah Mablik. Myna Owpaluk, from Rankin Inlet, rounds out this year's group.
Snack recall
Kivalliq
Folks who may have loaded up on snacks for the holiday season, especially those people who shopped in the south, are advised the Canada Food Inspection Agency has recalled the Deep River Snacks brand of crinkle cut sour cream and onion kettle cooked potato chips due to possible salmonella contamination.
The products affected are both the 57-gram and 142-gram bags of the Deep River chips.
Clothing drive
Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet
A winter clothing drive organized and run by Grade 12 student Augatnaaq Eccles, with help from Grade 8 students Tati ConnellyClark and Parker Faulkner, was a huge success in Rankin Inlet this past week.
Eccles took over the clothes drive started by her sister, Tagalik, this past year. ConnellyClark and Faulkner are going to keep the drive going in the community this coming year.
Whooping cough
Rankin Inlet/Baker Lake
To date, there have been a total of eight cases of whooping cough diagnosed in Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake. A total of 147 cases have been diagnosed in 11 communities since the outbreak began this past May.
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