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Around
Nunavut
April
16, 2004
Scrap gun registry,
Tories say
The Conservative Party
of Canada would scrap the gun registry if it forms the next government, a CPC
news release says.
"Our current member
of parliament should clearly state how she intends to vote when the gun legislation
is introduced to Parliament," the Conservative candidate for the Nunatsiaq
riding, Duncan Cunningham, said in the press release.
The news release says MP
Nancy Karetak-Lindell was absent from the House of Commons when the legislation
establishing the gun registry was first introduced under the Chrétien
government,
"The inaction of Ms.
Karetak-Lindell has caused hardship for many Nunavummit and demonstrates that
she has little or no influence on the policymakers in the Liberal government,"
says the release.
April
16, 2004
Cabinet meets in Qikiqtarjuaq
After a two-day meeting
in Qikiqtarjuaq last weekend to review and set priorities for government operations,
Nunavut cabinet ministers have nothing new to report.
A GN news release issued
after the meeting says cabinet will continue to follow the legislative assembly's
Bathurst Mandate or "Pinasuaqtavut" document.
But they did say that they
will put more emphasis on building an economy based on the principles of Inuit
Qaujimajatuqangit
The government will concentrate
on creating new economic opportunities in non-decentralized communities, improving
its working relationship with NTI, and developing a Nunavut curriculum for the
school system.
While in Qikiqtarjuaq,
following a tour and demonstration of an experimental clam harvesting operation,
Premier Paul Okalik and cabinet offered their support for its long-term development.
A full caucus retreat for
ministers and MLAs is tentatively scheduled for next September.
The Pinasuaqtavut document
emerged from a series of similar caucus retreats that the first legislative
assembly held in 1999.
April
16, 2004
Iqaluit man jailed
for buddy's death
This week, Chris Dederick
Sr., 34, was sentenced to two years and one month for manslaughter, in the beating
death of Dale Pearce, 50, in Iqaluit on March 24, 2003.
According to testimony
heard in court, Dederick and Pearce were arguing when Pearce dared a drunken
Dederick to hit him. Dederick struck Pearce twice in the head. Pearce fell,
had a seizure before passing out, and died in an Ottawa hospital a week later.
The two men had been drinking
prior to the dispute.
April
16, 2004
Association backs
Nunavut's housing requests
The National Aboriginal
Housing Association has endorsed Nunavut's call for the federal government to
reinstate a social housing program for the territory.
"The National Aboriginal
non-reserve housing strategy will take special note of the unique housing difficulties
faced by Nunavut Inuit and will urge the federal government to re-instate a
long-term social housing program for Nunavut Inuit," the association's
resolution says.
The Nunavut Housing Corporation
and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. made a presentation to the NAHA's annual meeting
in late March.
"Public housing tenants
are suffering most from Nunavut's housing shortage, and the majority of these
tenants are Inuit," said NTI president Paul Kaludjak. "Funding for
the territory is simply not sufficient to address existing needs. There is a
substantial backlog of unmet needs and it is growing constantly as our population
increases."
The NHC and NTI are working
on a business case that outlines Nunavut's need for more federal money to address
severe housing shortages in the territory.
"The recent NAHA resolution
means that Nunavut's message is being heard," said Peter Kilabuk, the minister
responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
April
9, 2004
Avalanche near Pond
Inlet kills boy
An 11-year-old Pond Inlet
boy died last Sunday after being hit by an avalanche near an area known as the
Coal Mine on the Salmon River, where he was playing.
"It was next to a
river bed, about 25 kilometers south of Pond Inlet. It's hilly on the sides.
They were playing on the side of the river bed. Therre was a lot of snow and
quite large ice chunks that came down. It was sloped coming down," police
said. "We had a blizzard a few days before which may have unsettled the
snow and caused it to slide down the hill. It was still a smooth hill but it
shifted down."
According to the RCMP,
three people had just passed the area when the avalanche occurred, and they
turned around and began searching for the boy. Within 20 minutes, alerted by
a message from the area, numerous searchers arrived at the scene to help with
the search.
After about 80 minutes,
the boy was found under the snow.
Two nurses at the scene
began cardio-pulmonary resusciation and the boy was transported to the health
centre, where further attempts were made to revive him, but he never regained
consciousness.
Police are withholding
the identity of the boy to ensure all his next-of-kin are notified first.
His funeral is to be held
next week.
April
9, 2004
Inuit honored at award
ceremonies
Sheila
Watt-Cloutier. (PHOTO BY JULIE GRENIER)
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Last week, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference,
and Cape Dorset artist Osuitok Ipeelee, received National Aboriginal Achievement
Awards at the awards gala in Calgary.
Watt-Cloutier received her award for her work on preserving the environment
and as an advocate for circumpolar peoples. Ipeelee was honoured for his contributions
in carving and printmaking.
In Edmonton last week, singer Susan Aglukark won in the Best Aboriginal Recording
category for her album "Big Feeling."
"I congratulate all three award winners who represent the best in what
they do. They are true role models for all Canadians," said Nancy Karetak-Lindell,
Nunavut's member of parliament.
April
9, 2004
CLEY announced literary
prize awards
A resident of Arctic Bay and a resident of Arviat are the first recipients
of the Nunavut Literary Prize sponsored by Nunavut's department of Culture,
Language, Elders and Youth.
Morty Alooloo of Arctic Bay received the first prize of $6,000. Alooloo wrote
about the changing Inuit way of life and how the traditional words of advice
from elders can be used to strengthen the culture.
Paul Issakiark of Arviat received the $4,000 second prize for his story about
a father passing along the knowledge of a hunter and going out on the land with
his son.
Leo Tulugajuk, Miriam Aglukkaq and Helen Power received honourable mentions
for their entries.
Nunavut's department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth launched the annual
literary prize to increase Inuktitut literature available for adult readers.
Authors of any age were invited to participate. Literature eligible for consideration
included: fiction and non-fiction, autobiographical, biographical, collected
letters, poetry, academic, how-to and self help books, testimonials and journals,
guidebooks and film scripts. Over 180 entries were received.
The department is working with the Nunavut Literacy Council to publish the
two winning entries in an illustrated book, expected in the fall of 2004.
April
9, 2004
Akausisarvik changes
hands
Nunavut's department of
Health and Social Services is taking over responsibility from the Pairijait
Tigumivik elders' society for the Akausisavrik mental health facility in Iqaluit.
A GN news release says
the transfer is taking place because the GN can better provide what the residence's
clients need.
The department's goal is
to have the Akausisarvik facility administered through the Baffin Regional Hospital.
The transition period
is expected to take about three months. Staff will continue to work at Akausisarvik
during and after the transition period.
Akausisarvik is the first
mental health facility in Nunavut. The facility, which opened in December 2002,
houses up to 12 residents.
April
9, 2004
GN jobs for summer
students
Nunavut's summer student employment program is just a mouse click away with
the introduction of on-line application forms.
"When you want to attract young people it only makes sense to use a tool
that many students are very familiar with - the World Wide Web," said Nunavut's
human resources minister, Louis Tapardjuk.
The employment program will run from April 5 to Sept. 3, 2004.
As in previous years, the program targets beneficiaries of the Nunavut land
claims agreement, northern students and high school students.
The electronic application form can be obtained and forwarded directly from
the GN website at www.gov.nu.ca under the tab Job Opportunities, Summer Student
Employment Program (SSEP 2004.)
Last year's successful program employed 141 students, including 98 beneficiaries.
All GN departments participated in the Nunavut-wide program.
April
2 , 2004
We're okay, Miramar says
In order calm nervous investors, the mining company behind the Doris North
gold project near Cambridge Bay said last week that they don't expect construction
costs for the mine to be higher than expected.
The announcement, made by Miramar Mining Corp. president Tony Walsh on March
25, comes as a reaction to news that a larger gold mining project in Nunavut
was suffering inflated expenses that will delay mine construction for at least
a year.
Earlier in the month, Cumberland Resources Ltd. blamed rising steel, concrete
and fuel costs for their decision to wait another year before developing the
Meadowbank mine. Cumberland brass hope the extra time will help them deal with
a $150 million jump in unanticipated construction expenses.
After the news of the delay, Cumberland stocks plunged 25 per cent. Miramar
took a 13 per cent hit.
However, Miramar's executive assured investors that the cost of the Doris North
project, 160 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay, will not "deviate significantly"
from their original plans. The company still estimates they will need $39 million
Cdn. to get the proposed mine up and running.
Miramar chief executive Tony Walsh said his company didn't face the same market
pressures as Cumberland, because the Doris North venture has gold reserves lying
closer to the surface than at Cumberland's Meadowbank site. Miramar's announcement
brought stock prices back by about one cent per share.
April
2 , 2004
Rangers off to Alert
A team of Rangers from across the North are snowmobiling from Resolute to Alert
to back up the government's promise of longer and bigger sovereignty patrols
in the region.
According to a press release from the federal Department of National Defence,
the patrol will be the longest one-way sovereignty patrol in Canadian history.
"Bigger and longer patrols establish a highly visible military presence
and confirm Canada's sovereignty over these vast areas of the North," said
Major Stewart Gibson, the patrol's commanding officer.
The patrol, made of Rangers and regular members of the armed forces from Alberta,
Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon, left Resolute on April 1, and
expects to arrive at Alert by April 12.
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