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Newsbriefs: Monday, July 10, 2017
Teen shot in Wrigley
Wrigley
A 17-year-old boy was medevaced from Wrigley to Stanton Territorial Hospital on July 4 after he was accidentally shot.
The teen was hurt while two youths were shooting a rifle in the community, stated RCMP in a news release.
The teen received a serious but non-life threatening injury to the leg. Mounties in Wrigley investigated the incident and deemed the shooting accidental.
No charges will be laid, police stated.
- John McFadden
Inquiry headed to NWT
Somba K'e/Yellowknife
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is coming to Yellowknife.
According to Tiar Wilson, communications officer with the inquiry, there will be a community visit to the city on Aug. 28 and a community hearing held on
Nov. 13.
Marion Buller, chief commissioner of the inquiry, made the announcement Thursday in Vancouver.
- Kirsten Fenn
Bootleg booze seized
Deline/Fort Franklin
RCMP in Deline have seized 29 small bottles of vodka from two females flying into the community.
Officers were tipped that the illegal liquor was being brought into the community aboard a commercial airline flight, stated an RCMP news release.
Police identified the two females at the Deline airport on June 29, then detained and searched them. RCMP seized the booze and released the females.
Their names and where they are from has not been released. The RCMP's investigation continues.
- John McFadden
Detox society forms
Inuvik
The Beaufort Delta Detox Centre Society held its founding meeting on June 26.
Founding members of the board are Winston Moses, Susan Peffer, Edward Wright, Joseph Amos and Roy Goose.
"The board agreed that Northerners have experts within recovery and can be utilized to assist in bringing recovery to those that are suffering from addictions from alcohol, drugs, foreign and illegal substances," the group stated in a news release.
Now the group will begin lobbying the territorial and federal governments for funds to establish the centre.
- Stewart Burnett
Water licence approved for Jay Project
NWT
A water licence that will allow the Ekati Diamond Mine to move ahead with its Jay pipe project has been approved.
Dominion Diamond Corporation announced Friday that Environment and Natural Resources Minister Robert C. McCleod had given the go-ahead to the Type A water licence.
The Jay pipe is an expansion of the mine that consists of a dike under Lac du Sauvage, according to the Mackenzie Valley review board.
The Jay pipe is "the most significant undeveloped kimberlite pipe deposit" at the Ekati Diamond Mine.
- Kirsten Fenn
ENR temporarily removed
Tetlit'Zheh/Fort McPherson
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been temporarily removed from a stretch of land along the Dempster Highway where it set up a lookout tower, said a Gwich'in Tribal Council representative.
"There was equipment used that caused some scouring," said Stephen Charlie, director of lands and resources at the council.
The department's lease still stands, he said, adding the GNWT has been willing to work on a solution.
- Kirsten Fenn
Char run begins
Ulukhaktok/ Holman
The ocean char run is just beginning in Ulukhaktok, bringing fishers out on the water to haul in as much as they can get.
Other hunters have been busy with muskox, seals, ducks and caribou, if possible.
Joanne Ogina, recreation co-ordinator for the community, said the ice is all blowing out with a strong easterly wind.
She's wondering if beluga show up this year.
"One year we may have caught 33 beluga whales," said Ogina. "This is normally not on their migration route, but they do come by once in a while, so they are hunted."
The community just held its Canada Day events on July 1, featuring lots of games down at the bay.
"As always, there was a lot of food," said Ogina. "It was a beautiful day with a great breeze that kept the bugs down."
Youth involved themselves in sandcastle building, bike races, foot races, contests and more.
"It was a great day and it ended off with a baseball game," said Ogina.
- Stewart Burnett
Norman Wells readies for Mud Bog Mania
Lli Goline/ Norman Wells
Mud Bog Mania, a fundraiser for the Sahtu Search and Rescue Society, is scheduled to take place on July 15, said president Jaime Kearsey.
In addition to mud bog races that begin at 1 p.m., the fundraiser will include a carnival for kids featuring games, cotton candy and a dunk tank. The carnival is scheduled to run from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
At the end of the day, a dance and beer garden is scheduled to run from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m.
The entry fee for the mud bog is $20 and the fee to attend the events is $10. There will be no charge for children under the age of 5.
Kearsey said companies including HRN ContractingLtd., North-Wright Airways and Northridge Contracting Ltd., as well as the Town of Norman Wells, provided in-kind support for the fundraiser.
"Without those people, we would not have been able to do this, the cost would have way outdone what we would have taken in," Kearsey said. "It's really our community coming together to help us fundraise to get the equipment, to get the training and the things that we need."
The winner of mud bog races will receive half of the proceeds and the remaining money will be used by the Sahtu Search and Rescue Society.
- Kassina Ryder
Hay River Reserve hosts culture-themed day camp
K'atlodeeche/Hay River Reserve
Cultural day camps are taking place in Hay River Reserve for both children and teens, said recreation co-ordinator Sharon Pekok.
The children's day camp is open to participants between seven and 11 years old and runs from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Pekok said the goal is to blend summer activities such as swimming and canoeing with traditional activities such as learning how to catch and properly fillet fish.
"We get elders involved when we can," Pekok said. "We try and teach them traditional cultural aspects of some of the programming."
Parents sending their children to the camp are asked to ensure they are wearing clothing suited to the outdoors, including footwear. They should also bring swimsuits along just in case, Pekok added.
"You never know when we might go swimming," she said.
The youth camp is open to participants aged 12 to 17 and runs from 1 to 9:30 p.m.
- Kassina Ryder
Day camp for tiny tots
Kahbamiue/Colville Lake
A day camp for Colville Lake's youngest residents will run throughout the summer, said recreation co-ordinator Isabel Orlias.
Called the Summer Pre-School Daycamp, it is intended to help children aged three to five-years old get ready to attend school.
So far, more than half of the children registered for the camp will be attending Kindergarten in the fall.
"It's sort of trying to get them to follow a routine," Orlias said. "We provide healthy snacks and educational learning materials."
The activities focus on school readiness, such as learning to socialize with other children, but they also include educational components including literacy and numeracy, Orlias said.
"I'm hopeful the children will be able to recognize and identify their alphabet, numbers, colours," she said. "It gives them a taste of what school would be like."
Parents can attend the camp with their children or drop them off. The camp began on July 4 and will run until August.
- Kassina Ryder
Don Burnstick makes them laugh in Tulita
Tulita/Fort Norman
Cree comedian Don Burnstick got big laughs in Tulita during his performance on Canada Day, said recreation co-ordinator Kelsey Dayler.
"He was a big part of our celebration," she said.
Burnstick visited Tulita on July 1 and did other performances in Fort Providence and Carcoss, Yukon that week.
Canada Day was a three-day celebration in Tulita, Dayler said. Other events included a fiddle and drum dance in the Chief Albert Wright School gym, as well as outdoor games at the Tulita band office arbour.
Dayler said all of the events during the celebration were well-attended.
"It was a great turnout," she said. "Lots of people were out for all of our events."
- Kassina Ryder
Artists wanted for Fort Smith Summer Splash Festival
Thebacha/Fort Smith
Artists in the South Slave are invited to register for the Summer Splash Arts Festival, scheduled to take place on Aug. 12 in Fort Smith, information from the Government of the Northwest Territories said.
The festival will include a farmers' market and artisans fair highlighting the work of both
both traditional and contemporary artists, as well as performance art, literary art and film and media work.
Registered artists will receive a booth to display their wares in a "prime" location at the festival, the information said.
Included in the registration package is the opportunity to have artwork featured on NWT Arts promotional materials, as well as to have professional photos taken and to have a story written about the artist and their work.
All artists will be able to use any of the photos for their own promotional materials.
The festival is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Mission Historic Park.
- Kassina Ryder
Sporty summer is the plan
Tuktoyaktuk
With the great weather, community members in Tuktoyaktuk are settling into a summer full of sporting activities.
Caroline Loreen, recreation co-ordinator for the community, said youth are involved in a lot of sports this summer, including basketball, soccer and baseball.
The community's pool just opened, with swims costing just $1.
Canada Day events were a busy weekend in Tuk, too. "We had a barbecue, canoe races, traditional events," said Loreen.
- Stewart Burnett
Get involved in self-government
Ulukhaktok/ Holman
Community members will have a chance to learn more about the Inuvialuit Self-Government Agreement during a stop in the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation's tour Monday, July 24.
The information sessions are open to all stakeholders and provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions directly to the Inuvialuit negotiating team.
The event will take place 6 p.m. at the community hall.
- Stewart Burnett
RCMP Tase machete-wielding teen
Taloyoak/Spence Bay
A Taloyoak teenager brandishing a machete and inviting the police to shoot him was subdued with a Taser on June 25. The 17-year-old had allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old man with the machete, which required the wounded man to seek care at the local nursing station.
The accused, when confronted by the RCMP at close to 6 p.m., went inside a residence. He soon left and bolted out onto the tundra with the machete still in hand.
Officers continued to try to calm the man but he remained extremely agitated and, according to the RCMP, said he wanted the police to end his life.
The Mounties decided to use a conducted energy weapon, better known as a Taser, which allowed them to arrest him without further injury.
The 17-year-old is facing charges of assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes. He has been released on conditions and is due to appear in court on Oct. 25 in Taloyoak.
-Derek Neary
Employment, weekly earnings rise
Nunavut
More Nunavummiut were working and they were making more money this past April compared to April 2016, as shown in the latest data from Statistics Canada.
There were 15,400 employees in the territory in April, up from 14,800 a year earlier, according to preliminary estimates from Statistics Canada's survey of employment payrolls and hours. Average weekly earnings rose to $1,320.71, a five per cent gain over the same period in 2016. That exceeded a 1.8 per cent increase nationally and was far better than the 5.2 per cent decline in wages realized in the NWT.
- Derek Neary
Power workers to vote on deal
Nunavut
More than 160 unionized workers with Qulliq Energy Corporation are set to vote on a tentative agreement with their employer following bargaining sessions through the Nunavut Employees Union.
If the QEC employees endorse the terms of the proposed deal - with the ratification process expected to be finished by the third week of August - the agreement would be in place until the end of 2020.
"We feel that this agreement fairly addresses the concerns expressed by our members while keeping in mind the reality of the employer's needs," said union president Bill
Fennell.
Johnny Mike, the minister responsible for QEC, referred to the tentative agreement as "mutually beneficial," while Keith Peterson, minister responsible for the Public Service Act, commended both sides for quickly coming to terms.
- Derek Neary
Tragedy hits community twice
Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet
Two tragic deaths occurred in Pond Inlet over the July 1st long weekend, both leading to arrests.
On Canada Day evening, the Pond Inlet RCMP received a call of a motor vehicle incident involving a possible impaired driver and a pedestrian who had been struck and injured, according to the news release.
"Investigation revealed a 43-year-old female had been struck and killed as a result of getting hit by a vehicle driven by an impaired driver. As a result, a 20-year-old female was arrested and charged for impaired driving causing death," stated Sgt. David Lawson.
The woman has been remanded and is scheduled to appear in Nunavut Court of Justice on Sept. 18th, in Pond Inlet. Lawson added that the investigation into the matter is ongoing and an autopsy has been ordered by the Office of the Chief Coroner.
On the evening of July 3, the Pond Inlet detachment learned a woman may have been killed approximately 10 km outside the community.
"Investigation has led to 25-year-old Tommy Mucpa getting arrested and charged with the second degree murder of Dorkas Erkloo, a 51-year-old female," said Lawson.
Mucpa was also charged with one count of failing to comply with an undertaking.
He was remanded and is scheduled to appear at the Nunavut Court of Justice on July 18 in Iqaluit.
That investigation is also ongoing with the assistance with the Office of the Chief Coroner, which has ordered an autopsy as part of the investigation.
"Our thoughts are with the family, friends and community during this difficult time," said Lawson.
- Michele LeTourneau
Airline petitioned
Arviat
Hundreds of Arviat residents have joined together to lobby Calm Air International - the sole airline offering flights into Arviat - regarding passenger service in and out of their community.
Led by John Main and Simona Baker, 544 voting-age residents have signed a petition regarding the flights offered by Calm Air. The petition seeks a resumption of direct flights between Arviat and neighboring Churchill, Man.
"Winnipeg is a frequent destination for leisure, business and medical travelers from Arviat," the petition states. "In order to travel south to Winnipeg for leisure, business or medical reasons, Arviat residents are required to first travel north to Rankin Inlet.
"This leg of the journey is often accompanied by a two-to-eight-hour wait in Rankin before finally boarding the jet to Winnipeg. This north-then-south flight routing is inconvenient and exhausting for Arviat residents. It causes medical travelers and the elderly to endure hardship."
In a news release, Main stated the petition had "overwhelming support" and added the petition was about "improving service and meeting customer needs," stated the news release.
- Darrell Greer
Honours in the arts
Nunavut
Two Nunavummiut have received further honours.
Iglulik filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk was named a member of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - the organization responsible for the Academy Awards or Oscars.
Kunuk was asked to join the academy June 28 as the director of multiple-award-winning film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, as well as Maliglutit: Searchers.
"We're proud to invite our newest class to the academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it. It's up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on the next generation the way someone took a shot on each of us," states academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Qaggiavuut executive director Ellen Hamilton was appointed a member of the Order of Canada June 30.
Governor General David Johnston appointed Hamilton "for her dedication to the promotion of Inuit arts and culture, and for her efforts to support Arctic performers and artists."
- Michele LeTourneau
Elders in pictures
Iqaluit
The Iqaluit Action Lab was set to launch Taking Pictures of Elders on Nunavut Day.
The exhibit, which features photographs of elders taken by local youth, includes text about the encounters between the two generations.
Mary Wilman and Rachel Michael met with elders and youth in May and June to discuss the project and add their input.
Youth from Aqsarniit Middle School also participated.
"This project has been a joyful opportunity for elders and youth to connect around a common goal: community portraits of Iqaluit's elders. The youth heard the elders' stories and experiences, and also learned about photography equipment and professional portraiture. And the elders had such a great time spending time with the youth and telling stories. This exhibition shares it all," stated the Action Lab's Robyn Campbell.
Funds came from the Government of Canada's year-long funding commitment to celebrate the anniversary of confederation.
The Action Lab aims to increase community connection and local capacity in Iqaluit, according to the release.
"We support local leaders taking local action, for local benefit"
The exhibition continues at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum to Aug, 19.
- Michele LeTourneau
Summer learning program begins
Iqaluit
A series of learning opportunities organized by the GN's Department of Environment will last all summer long.
Each Tuesday, from 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m., a different topic will be explored Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. The 'Learn to' program launched June 27 and continues to Aug. 22. Topics include learning how to understand glaciers, make a knife or ulu traditionally, sample fish and make pitsi, take photos of the changing environment, and use traditional plants.
There are several more topics and the full schedule is available at the department's website.
- Michele LeTourneau
Generosity paves way for day camp attendees
Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay
Fundraising efforts in Cambridge Bay have resulted in numerous youth getting a chance to attend summer day camps. A radio marathon and a barbecue brought in enough donations to pay for spots for 18 kids at day camp last week, said Darlene Eyegetok, the youth centre program coordinator.
"It's exciting. Everybody's pretty happy," she said.
"Oh my goodness, they're busy. They have the pool, they have the hall, they have the elders palace. They did day trips to the river. They're outside playing activities - they like this game called cops and robbers, it's kind of like tag.
"They're doing movies. This week they're doing Arctic sports. I think they were doing culture week all last week, so that was fun.
"They did little inuksuks and stuff. They went down to the dock and collected a bunch of rocks."
The regular registration fee is $75 per week. The day camp, geared for those ages five to 12, runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There's also a separate Seeds to Success program for girls in grade 4 to 6 that encompasses nutrition, first aid, budgeting, sexual health and other lessons.
- Derek Neary
Cape Dorset comes clean
Kinngait/Cape Dorset
The community cleanup in Cape Dorset stretched over almost three weeks in June due to the involvement of different organizations: the wellness committee, the elders committee and the hamlet.
The hamlet went last, from June 26 to 30, and volunteers managed to round up 280 bags of garbage despite a major dent having already been made in the litter due to the work of the other organizations, said Will Sandoval, Cape Doset's recreation director.
Prizes, which were distributed by draws, included fishing rods, a children's bicycle, Thermoses and a drill set.
A couple of raccoon furs were given to a pair of elders who went above and beyond reasonable expectations, Sandoval said.
"They're always the first two out there and always do a lot more than what anyone should," he said.
The amount of litter has been drastically reduced and it's noticeable, said Sandoval.
"They definitely do a good job when the whole community gets involved," he said.
- Derek Neary
Festive week in Hall Beach
Sanirajak/Hall Beach
There was little downtime in celebrations between Canada Day and Nunavut Day in Hall Beach this year.
Activities were scheduled from July 1 through July 10.
Resident Luba Nangmalik was one of the many residents who partook in the fun and games on Canada Day.
"It was awesome. We had a good feast with traditional foods and barbecued burgers," she said, adding that the traditional foods included seal, walrus and eider ducks.
"And the weather's been awesome," Nangmalik said.
There were prizes given to those with the best Canada Day costumes and decorations.
A traditional clothing contest was scheduled for Monday.
- Derek Neary
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