Current ads
Jobs
Tenders
Notices
General

Click below

May 7 , 2004

GN offers help to debt-ridden hamlets

Nunavut municipalities who are struggling with debt should turn to the Department of Community and Government Services before it's too late, says cabinet minister Peter Kilabuk.

Cape Dorset mayor Matthew Saveajuk Jaw raised the issue during a question and answer session with Kilabuk at the Nunavut Association of Municipalities' annual general meeting held in Pangnirtung last weekend.

"We're willing to help," Kilabuk said. Municipalities who have more than they can handle can turn programs over to the GN if necessary. As a last resort, CGS may use the operations and maintenance budget from regional offices to help communities stave off debt.

The GN took over municipal affairs in Qikiqtarjuaq at the end of April, when the hamlet was almost $1 million in debt. A GN-appointed municipal supervisor will manage the hamlet's books for one year.

Around the same time, GN staff visited Kugluktuk to help that hamlet manage its $1 million debt. Kugluktuk has been without an SAO or financial officer since March, when both quit.

Other municipalities are fighting large debts on their own. Pond Inlet expects to be rid of its $1 million debt as early as this spring, just two years into a four-year deficit recovery plan.

May 7 , 2004

Firefighter training needed, Joamie report says

Nunavut's fire marshall, Gerald Pickett, is recommending more and better training for Nunavut firefighters in his investigation report into a fire that totally destroyed Iqaluit's Joamie School on July 4, 2003.

"Based on interviews and observation of the incident, it is evident that limited knowledge, training and experience of standard fire ground operations precluded the establishment of an effective fire ground command," Pickett said in his report.

He also said an evaluation of hamlet fire departments in Nunavut found that "all community fire departments failed to meet the minimum requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (industry standards) or the National Building and Fire Codes."

He noted though, that the Nunavut government is already accelerating its firefighter training programs and has developed a fire prevention strategy through the Namix municipal insurance exchange.

Pickett confirmed that the Joamie fire was not caused by arson. He said the most likely cause was a malfuntioning heat trace system for a utilidor line located near a crawlspace under the building.

May 7 , 2004

Nunavut students invited on archeological "dig"

The Inuit Heritage Trust is seeking 10 students to participate in an archaelogical field study near Repulse Bay this summer.

Organizers will select five students from around Nunavut, and five from Repulse Bay to take part in an archeological "dig", where they will learn about mapping and caring for artifacts.

The course is scheduled for July 12 to 30th, and expenses such as airfares and housing will be covered by the organization. Students may also be eligible for a high school or university credit for their work.

Interested students, who must be at least 16 years old, should e-mail heritage@ihti.ca, phone 867-979-0731, or send a fax to 867-979-6700.

May 7 , 2004

Nunavut Liberals give Karetak-Lindell stamp of approval

The controversy that lead to the acclamation of MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell as the Liberal candidate in the next federal election "didn't put a damper" on the event, says the president of the Nunavut Liberal Association.

"Nancy reinforced the fact that she's going to work really hard for Nunavummiut," Alain Carrière said after the nomination meeting on April 29.

Karetak-Lindell reclaimed her position in the party after former territorial education minister Manitok Thompson quit the race last month, blaming favoritism for her opponent among the Liberal executive.

Karetak-Lindell's nomination leaves only the NDP without a candidate in Nunavut for the upcoming federal election. NDP member Mary-Ellen Thomas said potential NDP candidates remain undecided about whether they will run. No deadline has been set for an NDP nomination meeting.

Duncan Cunningham of Pond Inlet will run as Nunavut's Conservative Party's candidate for Nunavut.

May 7 , 2004

Coral Harbour highlighted in community planning book

A new publication from the federal department of Indian and Northern Affairs looks at community planning in 17 aboriginal communities across Canada, including Coral Harbour.

Each community profile that's featured in Sharing the Story: Experiences in First Nations, Inuit and Northern Communities - Comprehensive Community Planning includes an overview of its planning strategy and how it was successful.

The experience of Coral Harbour is offered as an example of how a community planning and economic development corporation lead to a commercial caribou hunt.

The collection of stories was initially started during a workshop on community planning and its relation to culture, health, prosperity and physical and social development.

Copies of the final report from this workshop and Sharing the Story are available from INAC offices or by calling 1-800-567-9604.

May 7 , 2004

Poster contest for UArctic

The UArctic is holding a student poster competition for students at its member institutions throughout the circumpolar world, which include Nunavut Arctic College. The poster will be used to promote the virtual circumpolar university, and, at the same time, create a virtual gallery of artists from around the North.

A cash prize of 200 Euros (about $300) will be awarded to the winner.

The deadline is June 30. For more information, consult the UArctic Web site at http://www.uarctic.org/poster.

May 7 , 2004

NACA gets money

The Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association is receiving $40,000 from the federal department of Canadian Heritage.

Among its activities, NACA organizes the Nunavut Arts Festival, scheduled for next month in Rankin Inlet.

May 7 , 2004

Repulse Bay students off to New Brunswick

Next week, an instructor and three students from Nunavut Arctic College in Repulse Bay are joining a group of 99 students for a "YouthLinks" summit at the Université de Moncton in Moncton, New Brunswick.

At the summit, Earl Dean and three students, Rebecca Tuktudjuk, Anthony Katokra and Randy Kopak, will examine the history of explorer Samuel de Champlain. They'll also look at current issues such as globalization, meeting of cultures, conflict and war and reconciliation, through a choice of multi-media, including video, documentary, clay animation, Web-zine, radio and newspaper.

The summit is sponsored by "Historica YouthLinks," an on-line program for high school students.

The summit's theme is The Clash of Cultures, reflecting the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Champlain in Acadia.

TOP

Advertising
Specs, rates,
& maps
Multi-paper
buying services
About the market
E-mail ad dept

More Information