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Newsbriefs: Monday, September 25, 2017
Community celebrates rare catch

Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour

Residents of Sachs Harbour were delighted by a beluga whale catch on Sept. 4, after waiting all summer for a sighting with little luck.

Richard Carpenter spotted three whales near the community while out for a walk that day, said his sister, Doreen Carpenter.

"He called in town and right away they rounded up a group of guys to go hunting - three boats in total," she said.

Richard Carpenter, J.D. Keogak, Wayne Gully, Dustyn Gully, John Keogak, Warren Esau, Jon Michael Keogak, Terence Lennie, Jeff Kuptana and Matt Bowman all took part, said Carpenter.

About three hours later, her son Dustyn Gully harpooned and shot the animal and it was eventually dragged to shore with the help of a loader because it was so heavy.

"That's the biggest whale we've gotten so far," said Carpenter, explaining it measured 15 feet and nine inches, and about 10 feet around.

It was also a very healthy whale, with fat between four to five inches thick, she estimated.

"Usually the fat we run into with whales is about two inches," she said.

Another whale was caught in Sachs Harbour earlier this summer, but it turned out to be sick and couldn't be eaten, said Carpenter.

Residents were just getting ready to order whale from the south when they were spotted in the waters by Sachs Harbour, said Carpenter.

This time, everyone in town was given a chance to share the beluga.

"We put it on Facebook for people to come down and grab some muktuk and meat if they wanted," said Carpenter. "There was a lot of people that helped volunteer (to) cut it up."

It's only in the last 10 years or so that the community has started to see whales at its shores, she added.

"So this is rare," she said. "It's a big thing when someone gets a whale or even sees them out there, because we don't get them very often."

- Kirsten Fenn

Building carpentry skills

Radilih Koe'Fort Good Hope

A doorway to the trades has recently opened at Chief T'Selehye School in Fort Good Hope. Increased programming over the last two years had led to increased enrolment and funding, allowing the school to hire a full-time trades-carpentry instructor.

"We believe that if our students are really engaged in building and developing something that is useful, relevant and valuable to the community, they will develop a sense of pride and stick with the program," stated principal Vincent Dikaitis by email.

The students are currently building sheds and garbage containers. One shed will be given to an elder, as well as one in five garbage cans. The rest will be sold at "fair market price," with the funds used to help fund a trades-focussed post-secondary tour, stated Dikaitis.

- Erin Steele

Harvesting after the burn

Ka'a'gee Tu/Kakisa

For the second time since fires charred much of the landscape around Kakisa, the community set out for the fall hunt Sept. 20.

"In 2014 when we had that big forest fire, moose were scarce," said Melaine Simba, environmental co-ordinator with the South Slave community of Kakisa, adding they're just now starting to come back.

Community members will be on the land for a week.

"Usually when we come back there will be a community gathering and we'll distribute meat for the community," said Simba.

With temperatures dropping rapidly, it's also time to pull out the community vegetable and potato garden, she said.

"We'll probably add the potatoes to the feast."

- Erin Steele

Soaring Eagle collecting coats

Hay River

The Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre is accepting donations of gently-used winter clothing in a project called Coats for the Community.

The initiative is to help the people in the community who do not have and cannot afford to buy proper winter clothing. Donations can be dropped off at the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre.

- Paul Bickford

Calling all pets

South Slave

A mobile veterinarian clinic is setting up shop in the South Slave between Sept. 27 and Oct. 7 to vaccinate, spay and neuter pets.

"Too many dogs I guess," said Rowona Canadien, administrative assistant with the Hamlet of Fort Providence.

Mackenzie Veterinary Services, based out of High Level, Alta., will be in the arena parking lot Sept. 27 and 28.

Services are sponsored by the hamlet, but community members are asked to contact the office for appointments. The clinic will be in Hay River Sept. 29 to Oct. 3, and Fort Smith Oct. 4 to Oct. 7.

- Erin Steele

Literacy Society to give away books

Hay River

The Hay River Literacy Society will be giving away books Sept. 30. Adult and children's books will be available The giveaway will begin at 11 a.m. on Sept. 30 at Super A Foods.

- Paul Bickford

'Something for everyone' at Ehtseo Ahya School

Fort Franklin/Deline

Students and staff at Ehtseo Ayha School in Deline are preparing for an open house that will show off the wealth of programming available at the school.

On Sept. 28 at 6 p.m., the "whole community" is invited to the school, said program support teacher Tom Ferguson.

"We'll have a meal as well to welcome parents," he said, adding students in the culinary program will assist with making the meal of bannock and stew and "maybe some caribou."

About 100 students attend the junior-kindergarten to Grade 12 school.

"We do basketball, volleyball, dodgeball with the RCMP and the kids on Fridays; we do ping-pong, sewing and Dene songs, we've got a reading club, we have an open gym for students five days a week," said Ferguson.

"We've got something for everyone."

- Erin Steele

First Nation office shuts down for hunt

Sambaa K'e

Nearly the "whole community" of Sambaa K'e - which reclaimed its traditional name over 'Trout Lake' this summer - is heading out for the fall hunt.

"In the old days, fall harvest was very, very important," said Beth Jumbo, finance manager.

"In our community we still practice that and the First Nation supports the community who goes out hunting for 10 days."

The office will be closed Sept. 18 to Sept. 29, and will re-open Oct. 2. To support hunters, the First Nation helps with fuel and store credits for harvesters to purchase food, said Jumbo.

Though there is no community feast planned post-hunt, community members will "go out and feast with whoever you're with."

Harvesters are after "moose, caribou, then fishing," said Jumbo.

- Erin Steele

Development officers to visit

Enterprise

Economic development officers from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment are visiting Enterprise.

They will be discussing funding programs, mentorships, training opportunities and other useful information for business owners and entrepreneurs.

The first visit was scheduled for Sept. 11, and others will take place on Oct. 16, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.

- Paul Bickford

Addictions pilot project

underway in

Fort Smith

Thebacha/Fort Smith

A community-based mobile addictions pilot program is being delivered in Fort Smith that is responding to a need identified by elders and community members for culturally-safe addictions programming.

It is a collaboration between the GNWT, Salt River First Nation and Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centre in Alberta.

The program started on Aug. 21, and is being delivered in three phases, with each phase running for two weeks, followed by two weeks for participants to implement personal learning.

The initiative integrates therapeutic counselling, on-the-land activities, cultural teachings, community capacity building, and education on addictions and recovery.

It will conclude on Oct. 28.

"I applaud the leadership shown by Poundmaker's and Salt River First Nation in addressing the need for this program," stated Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy in a news release.

"Poundmaker's Lodge has a long-standing, 40-year record of delivering effective programming and services for NWT residents.

"By working with local governments and leadership we can ensure all people in the NWT have access to treatment options that work for them.

"I look forward to learning from this project and working with other Indigenous governments on similar initiatives."

- Paul Bickford

Taking care of elders

Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson

About 30 elders in Fort Simpson are expected to turn out for an afternoon of fun Sept. 27.

The Elders Cook-Out and Clothing Giveaway is part of Liidlii Kue First Nation's Elders Services Program, according to Roslyn Firth, wellness co-ordinator.

"(It's) not an annual event, just a casual get-together for fun and socializing," she told News/North by email.

The event kicks off at noon beside the First Nation office.

"We have had many donations of clothing and other small items so elders will have a chance to pick up anything they need," said Firth.

After 2 p.m. other community members are welcome to come out and browse the clothing giveaway.

- Erin Steele

Homelessness survey announced

Behchoko/Rae-Edzo

The Rae-Edzo Friendship Centre is inviting the homeless population to participate in interviews in the coming weeks. The survey intends to count and asses the needs of homeless people living in Behchoko, or from Behchoko living in Yellowknife. The results will be used in requests for funding for programming. The interviews will take place from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 in Behchoko and from Oct. 4 to 6 in Yellowknife. Call the friendship centre to book an interview.

- Tim Edwards

Diesel study released

NWT

A report released this week by the Gwich'in Council International calculated the costs, both monetary and social, of diesel usage in isolated communities. The report pegged total utility costs for NWT diesel communities at $0.58 to $0.66 per kilowatt hour, depending on the community, and also looked at potential carbon pricing in the future, as well as health and environmental effects. The full report is available on the council's website.

- Tim Edwards

Late-night travelers left out in the cold

Sambe K'e/Yellowknife

A Hay River MLA's request in the legislative assembly on Sept. 19 to have the Yellowknife airport stay open 24 hours has been rebuffed by the minister of Infrastructure. Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson asked if a small area of the airport could be kept open for travellers passing through Yellowknife. Minister Wally Schumann, also a Hay River representative, said it is too expensive to keep the airport open around the clock, but the government would continue to monitor the situation.

- Sidney Cohen

RCMP seize liquor in Fort McPherson

Tetlit' Zheh/Fort McPherson

RCMP seized about 48 mickeys of vodka, a 40-ounce bottle of rum and 28 grams of marijuana on Sept. 8 from two Inuvik residents working in Fort McPherson.

It happened around 5 p.m. while local officers were holding a traffic check on the Dempster Highway, according to a news release from the Mounties.

"Fort McPherson is ... a (liquor) restricted community," the news release stated. No charges had been laid as of Sept. 15.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fort McPherson RCMP at 867-952-1111 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

- Kirsten Fenn

GNWT increases support payments

NWT

The GNWT recently made increases in two of its income security programs.

The Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit will improve support for seniors, while the NWT Child Benefit is better supporting families with children.

Senior citizens who are receiving the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement automatically receive the NWT Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit on the same cheque. Previously $160 per month, the benefit increased in September to $196 per month. The benefit supports approximately 1,200 seniors.

Through a joint initiative with the Department of Finance, NWT Child Benefit rates increased in July. More families are now able to access the benefit, as the family income threshold for eligibility was increased to $80,000. Approximately 2,200 families are benefiting from the changes.

- Paul Bickford

Court date set for workplace death case

Inuvik

A local company is scheduled to appear in territorial court in Inuvik on Sept. 26 to face charges under the NWT Safety Act after a 19-year-old Australian man was killed on the job last year.

On May 10, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission filed nine charges against Allen Services and Contracting Ltd. and supervisor Brian McCarthy Sr.

David Vinnicombe died on June 28, 2016 while working on the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility access road.

- Kirsten Fenn

GNWT starts moving on hotel tax

Somba Ke'/Yellowknife

After years of lobbying, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is starting to move on legislation that would allow the city to implement a hotel tax.

The accommodation levy would add a fee of between one and five per cent to the cost of hotel rooms, which the city estimates could garner between $750,000 and $1.5 million a year.

The city has long been hoping to be able to implement this tax to fund its destination marketing plan, but needs amendments to the Cities, Towns and Villages Act to make it happen.

The department's deputy minister Eleanor Young says her department is currently doing consultations with elected officials, senior staff, chambers of commerce and the hotel association, and so far the idea has received "cautious support."

- Jessica Davey-Quantick

Recreation conference comes to Inuvik

Inuvik

More than 100 people are scheduled to gather in Inuvik from Sept. 26 to 28 for the NWT Recreation and Parks Association's annual conference, awards banquet and annual general meeting.

This year's speakers are Justin Ferby, former Carcross Tagish Management Corporation CEO, and Crystal Fraser, co-author of "150 Acts of Reconciliation for the Final 150 Days of Canada's 150".

- Kirsten Fenn

Parvovirus outbreak stemmed

Inuvik

No new cases of parvovirus have been reported since an outbreak in late July killed about 10 dogs in Inuvik, according to an update provided at a town council meeting Sept. 11.

Municipal enforcement constables were busy in August, vaccinating more than 90 dogs, said the update.

- Kirsten Fenn

Students back to the books

Kugaaruk

The school year finally kicked off in Kugaaruk last week as the former hamlet office renovations were completed. High school students started on Sept. 18 while kindergarten to Grade 9 were in class as of Sept. 19.

Because the old hamlet building isn't large enough for all students, some will take their lessons in temporary spaces in the community until modular classrooms are available, which is expected by Nov. 1, according to the Department of Education.

These alternate arrangements are fallout from the fire that destroyed Kugaardjuk School in late February.

The Hamlet of Kugaaruk helped out by selling the former hamlet office to the Department of Education for $1 and also by leasing out the business development centre and the wellness centre to the Department of Education, each for two years.

"Everybody has to make a contribution to get through this," said John Ivey, the hamlet's senior administrative officer. "The kids are happy to be back in school... that's the big thing."

- Derek Neary

Higher cancer risk for Inuit

Nunavut

A higher prevalence of smokers, lack of access to nutritious food, and being overdue for cancer screening at medical facilities are factors that raise cancer risks for Inuit, according to a new report.

Developed jointly by Cancer Care Ontario and Tungasuvvingat Inuit, the report indicates that risk factors for cancer are significantly higher among Inuit compared to non-Indigenous Ontarians.

The study acknowledges, however, that "more Inuit-specific health data are needed for tracking and monitoring cancer disease rates and outcomes, improving the understanding of key health determinants, and assessing the impacts of interventions designed to reduce risk and disease rates in the growing Inuit population outside Inuit Nunangat."

"We know that behaviours such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and a healthy diet can impact an individual's risk of developing cancer, but until recently, very little research has been done on the prevalence of these behaviours among Inuit in southern Canada," stated Alethea Kewayosh, director of the Aboriginal Cancer Control Unit, Cancer Care Ontario.

"The data in this report provide a clear picture of the state of Inuit health in this country and show that many Inuit fare poorer across these risk factors than non-Aboriginal Ontarians.

"Together with Tungasuvvingat Inuit, our hope is that this knowledge will be used to inform culturally appropriate programming to effectively reduce health inequities for Inuit, wherever they live."

- Derek Neary

Welding a wolf next

Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay

Some steady and capable hands in Cambridge Bay will soon create a metal wolf to stalk the metal muskox on display at the community's Heritage Park.

The second phase of a welding program, which will accommodate 12 to 15 students, is set to get underway during the second week of October. Participants in the first portion of the program are invited to take the next 14-day instalment, said Jim McEachern, Cambridge Bay's assistant senior administrative officer.

"That's what we're hoping for, that they can carry forward to the next level," McEachern said, adding that the Kitikmeot Inuit Association is the primary funder of the welding program.

The metal muskox that the first group of welding students fashioned was placed in the Heritage Park earlier this year and proved to be quite an attraction for this summer's cruise ship tourists, McEachern noted.

The Heritage Park itself is getting some sprucing up this month. New roofing and windows are being installed in the buildings and fresh coats of paint are being applied.

"Once we get additional funding, we can focus on the interior of the buildings as well," said McEachern.

- Derek Neary

Fundraising for school resources

Nunavut

Ataguttaaluk Elementary and Junior High in Iglulik, Sakku School in Coral Harbour and Inuksuit School in Qikiqtarjuaq all stand to gain from a national book retailer's fundraising program, "Adopt a School".

The chain of Indigo bookstores, along with sister stores Chapters and Coles, will be collecting in-store and online donations from Sept. 16 to Oct. 8 with a goal of adding one book per child to each of the school's libraries.

Sarah Pope, principal at Ataguttaaluk, said more books with good visuals, such as graphic novels, would be a nice addition to her school's library.

"They're high content (books). They have really good information, but they're not bombarding kids with all sorts of language that's not necessary," Pope said. "It gets to the crux of the story quickly."

- Derek Neary

Inuktitut pop hits

Sanirajak/Hall Beach

The community is gearing up for a concert and a community feast on Sept. 29, according to recreation coordinator Lena Kautaq.

The Hamlet of Hall Beach has arranged for a Nunavut Hitmakerz performance featuring Kelly Fraser, an Ottawa-based singer from Sanikiluaq who puts an Inuktitut spin on modern pop hits. Fraser's Inuktitut rendition of Rihanna's song Diamonds has more than 250,000 views on YouTube.

- Derek Neary

Filmmaker named in top 12 women in film

Iqaluit

Filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joined 11 other female film directors, actors and screenwriters recognized as being the year's top women in film.

They received the Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year's Women in Film at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sept. 12, and were chosen by 27 Canadian journalists and bloggers covering the world of art, culture and entertainment.

Minister of Economic Development and Transportation Monica Ell-Kanayuk devoted a minister's statement to Arnaquq-Baril's latest accomplishment.

"Her documentary, Angry Inuk, played to audiences across the country in 2016. She has won a number of awards for the film, which outlines the adverse impacts of anti-sealing campaigns on the livelihood of Inuit," said Ell-Kanayuk, who is also an Iqaluit MLA.

"The success that Inuit producers like Alethea Arnaquq-Baril has achieved at the Toronto International Film Festival and on the world stage opens new avenues for our talented filmmakers."

Arnaquq-Baril's successes would "help inspire other creative voices in Nunavut's film industry and encourage them to continue with their fine work," she added, noting that support is available for emerging filmmakers through Nunavut Film Development Corporation.

- Michele LeTourneau

$7 million for young learners

Nunavut

Nunavut's early learning and child care needs received a boost Sept. 20 when the territorial and federal governments announce a three-year bilateral agreement of $7 million over three years.

The territory's funding will focus on early learning and child care programs and services to support parents, families and communities to ensure the best possible future for children in the territory, according to a news release.

On behalf of Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos, Parliamentary Secretary Adam Vaughan made the announcement with territorial Minister of Education Paul Quassa.

"The Nunavut Department of Education believes in the positive outcomes associated with access to early learning and child care programs and services. This partnership sets the framework for our governments to work toward a shared long-term vision; one where all young Nunavummiut can have the best possible start in life, and allow them to reach their full potential," stated Quassa.

- Michele LeTourneau

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