Around Nunavut
July
15, 2005
Boat found, Salluit
family lost
A Hercules, Twin Otter,
speedboats and canoes combed the coastal waters near Salluit this week, but
did not find any signs of Mark Papigatuk, Martha Kilabuk, and their eight-year-old
son Markussie, who were lost at sea last Sunday night.
An airborne search and
rescue team, with help from the Coast Guard, Canadian Rangers, the Kativik Regional
Police Force and local residents conducted the search.
Papigatuk and his family
were returning from a trip to gather eider-down between Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq
when they and two other parties in freighter canoes were caught in strong winds
and rough waters. The other two boats barely managed to make it to shore.
Searchers found Papigatuk’s
empty boat on Monday.
On Tuesday night, the Coast
Guard called off their search after they had determined the boat had never reached
shore and that the water temperature of 1 to 3 C. was too cold for anyone to
survive for more than two hours.
As of Nunatsiaq News press-time
this week, the community was debating whether to continue the search at their
own expense.
Papigatuk is a Makivik
Corporation board member and former president of Nunavik’s Anguvigaq hunting
and trapping organization. His common-law wife is originally from Pangnirtung.
July
15, 2005
Nunavut youth unscathed
by London terror alert
Eight participants in the
Nunavut Youth Abroad Program arrived in London last week in the midst of a massive
security alert following terrorist bombs that killed about 50 people and wounded
700 others on the subways and on a double-decker bus.
The eight youths and two
group leaders stayed in a hotel adjacent to Heathrow Airport before departing
on July 8 for Otse, Botswana, where they will be doing volunteer work at an
orphanage for six weeks.
July
15, 2005
Nunavut students selected
for Saskatoon historical fair
Five Nunavut students are
attending the National Historica Fair in Saskatoon from July 11 to 18 to mark
Saskatchewan’s centennial.
They join more than 150
students from across the country in exploring historic sites around Saskatoon,
including Batoche, Fort Carlton, the Saskatoon Western Development Museum and
the Historic Marr Residence.
The students are Deric
Martel of Iqaluit, Laila Alookie of Qikiqtarjuaq, Philip Manik of Resolute Bay
and Carrie Anne Aglukark and Rochelle Illnik of Arviat.
July
8, 2005
Nunavut students win in trades competition
Nunavut students won gold and silver medals from the tenth annual Canadian
Skills Competition held last month in Edmonton. More than 350 secondary and
post-secondary students from across Canada competed in 20 trade and technological
competitions.
Nunavut students teamed up with the students from the Northwest Territories,
with Nunavut students winning eight medals.Of the 24 students in the joint team,
six were from Nunavut - five secondary and one post-secondary: Lana Shave -
Workplace Safety; Ashley Tufts - Restaurant Service (Silver); Lauren Solski
- Prepared Speech (Gold); Jennifer Twerdin - Hairdressing; Eliane Kanayuk-Gabriel
- Culinary Arts; Sheila Aoudla - Hairdressing (post-secondary). "I applaud
the tremendous support from industry for the team and the event," said
Ed Picco, Nunavut's education minister.
July
8, 2005
Ottawa awards DEW line clean-up contracts
Two Nunavut companies and a third from Quebec have been awarded four contracts
worth $31.8 million to build camps and clean up two contaminated former DEW
line sites. Qikiqtaaluk Corp. was awarded camp construction and remediation
contracts for the Fox-C sites.
The contracts are worth more than $16 million. A second Inuit firm, Mikim Contracting
Ltd., was awarded a $4.5 million camp construction contract to clean up CAM-F,
while Biogenie SRDC Inc. of Quebec got a $10.4 million remediation contract
for the site. A DIAND press release says bidders were evaluated on the amount
of Inuit employment guaranteed. Qikiqtaaluk Corp. says they will maintain an
88 per cent level of Inuit employment and Biogenie a 63 per cent level.
The main contaminant at both sites is PCBs in building paints. FOX-C is on
the east coast of Baffin Island, about 240 kilometres northwest of Qikiqtarjuaq.
CAM-F is on the Melville Peninsula between Foxe Basin and Committee Bay. The
contracts were awarded by the federal public works department behalf of DIAND.
July
1, 2005
Pop dropped in Resolute
One hundred percent of the students at Qamartalik School in Resolute Bay took
part in Health and Social service's "Drop the Pop" contest and, after
abstaining from soda for an average of 4.85 days, students at that school were
declared the overall winners.
This year 26 out of Nunavut's 41 schools participated in the contest - where
students are encouraged to give up pop for one week - an increase from only
14 schools in 2004. In all, 2,654 students "dropped the pop" for an
average of 3.4 days. In total, that's 8,089 days, or 22 years.
"Drop the Pop" is organized as a fun way to support National Nutrition
Month and National Dental Health Month. A student at each school that participated
was selected by draw to receive a $30 gift certificate. As the overall winners,
all the students and staff at Qamartalik School will receive a week of free
healthy drinks, provided by Arctic Co-Operatives.
July
1, 2005
Cabbie charged for illegal booze
An Iqaluit taxi driver will appear in court next week on charges of illegally
possessing alcohol.
RCMP arrested the 48-year-old man while he was off-duty on June 20. Investigators
seized 24 bottles of alcohol and 24 cans of beer, imported without a liquor
permit.
The man was charged under the Liquor Act with unlawful possession of alcohol,
not obtained by lawful means.
Police have not released the man's name.
RCMP ask that anyone with more information related to the incident call the
police at 979-0123, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
July
1, 2005
Chesterfield fits 10
Nunavut's newest residential care facility, the Naja Isabelle Home in Chesterfield
Inlet, was opened by Health and Social Services Minister Leona Aglukkaq on June
22.
The facility, which began operating in January, cost $3.8 million. Ten clients
from across Nunavut, ranging from infants to mature adults, are attended to
by Chesterfield Inlet residents who took special training developed by Nunavut
Arctic College and the Pimakslirvik Corporation.
With 35 employees, The Naja Isabelle Home is now one of the largest employers
in the community.
The home is named after Sister Theresa Isabelle, a Grey Nun who moved north
in 1968. In 1998 she retired after having served for almost 15 years. Chesterfield
Inlet was both her first and last post.
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