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Around Iqaluit
December
9, 2005
Iqaluit this week
Santa Claus parade
Saturday, Dec. 10, 11 a.m.
This year's Santa Claus parade will once again begin at the Arctic Winter Games
Arena and wind its way to the Parish Hall. For information or to register a
float, call the City's recreation department at 979-5617.
Food bank "stuff
a bus"
Saturday, Dec. 10, at Northmart
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Arctic Ventures from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Nunavut
Food Bank will attempt to stuff an entire bus full of non-perishable food from
grocery shoppers. For info, call 979-4242.
Human rights book launch
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m.,
Unikkaarvik Visitors Centre. Jack Anawak will be at the visitors' centre to
launch his new booklet, "Who is Equal?: The passage of Nunavut's First
Human Rights Act" on Human Rights Day. The book will be available free
of charge; refreshments will be served.
Christmas concert
Monday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.,
Inuksuk High School. The Iqaluit Music Society and Inuksuk High present a Christmas
concert featuring the high school choir, concert band and teacher's band as
well as the youth bell choir, the Iqaluit community choir and band, the Tulugait
Strings and soloists. Admission is free; donations are accepted at the door.
December
9, 2005
Parents need to be
involved in school
The first day of school
should be for parents, said a parent attending the Iqaluit District Education
Authority's annual general meeting at Inuksuk High School last Tuesday night.
Many parents don't send
their kids to school, don't come to parent teacher nights, and are generally
"disengaged" from their children's education, the parent said.
IDEA chair Christa Kunuk
said part of the problem is that parents are intimidated by the school system.
"I think there's an
intimidation factor," Kunuk said, pointing out that many parents of this
generation went to residential school, and many were also taught not to ask
questions, which makes it difficult for them to find out just what is expected
of them.
IDEA member Jeannie Eeseemailie
agreed.
"Parents who are older
than me don't really have an understanding of the school system," she said.
"They want to come, but some are kind of confused about what exactly is
expected of them."
All of the school principals
warmly greeted the suggestion of an orientation day for parents, where they
could meet the teachers, learn about the school system and ask questions.
"Even if it takes
time, that would be worth it if we kept doing it every year," said acting
Joamie School principal Eelee Higgins.
December
9, 2005
Plateau II recommended
Iqaluit's engineering and
planning committee of the whole voted to recommend to council to move ahead
with phase two of the Plateau subdivision during the 2006 construction season.
That plan would see another
45 to 50 lots added to the city's newest subdivision, at a cost of about $4
million.
That money comes from the
city's development fund, a pot of money that's separate from the rest of the
city's finances. The fund is refilled when residents buy property or pay down
their leases.
When lots from the first
phase of the Plateau went up for sale through a ballot draw this April, they
sold out immediately. Clarissa Lo from the city's lands department anticipates
they won't have trouble selling more.
"There's a demand
out there," she said.
December
9, 2005
Iqaluit councilors
slam snowmobiles
Iqaluit city councilors
are calling for a special meeting on snowmobiles in the New Year.
"I want snowmobiles
out of the core area, going at astronomical speeds, and missing me by inches,"
said Coun. Nancy Gillis, during a committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 6.
The committee decided it
will recommend to council that a special meeting be held on snowmobile issues
in mid-January, before the legislature sits.
That meeting would aim
at deciding where snowmobiles belong, and dealing with public safety and noise
concerns.
It would also deal with
problems the city has encountered in building proposed snowmobile trails.
City staff hoped the small
snow-clearing machines used to clear pedestrian walkways could also create these
trails. But the mini-snowplows are equipped with wheels, rather than tracks,
making them unsuitable for rolling across the tundra.
But public safety is the
big subject on the minds of councilors.
Coun. Glenn Williams said
he's seen people nearly clipped by snowmobiles as they leave DJ Ventures with
their heads down, opening a pack of smokes.
"Somebody's going
to be whacked," he said.
Claude Martel said the
vehicles should be barred from city streets: "They can't be on the road.
That's it."
Others said a ban would
be wishful thinking.
"It's so much a part
of the culture here, you won't be able to eliminate them completely," Theresa
Rodrigue said.
City bylaws governing snowmobiles
do currently exist, calling for direct travel from home to destination during
the early hours to restrict noise. But because bylaw officers don't patrol on
snowmobiles, enforcement is a problem.
December
2, 2005
Iqaluit this week
Live
theatre: Nuliajuk
Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday,
Dec. 2 to Dec. 4, 8 p.m., the Cadet Hall. The Qaqqig Theatre Co. presents its
first original bi-lingual production, Nuliajuk, featuring Celina Kalluk, Vinnie
Karetak, Sylvia Cloutier and Jeff Tabvahtah. To buy tickets, $10, call 979-2637.
Some tickets will be available at the door. There will be a special pay-what-you-can
performance on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Candle Light Service
Tuesday
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m.,
Anglican Parish Hall. Everyone is invited to join the Qulliit Nunavut Status
of Women Council on the National Day of Remembrance and Action of Violence Against
Women. Dec. 6 marks the 16th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, when 14 young
female students were killed while at school in Montreal. "The day is also
a day to pause and reflect on the continuing high levels of violence against
women in Nunavut," a Qulliit press release said.
Jewellery and metalwork
sale
Friday, Dec. 9, 4 p.m.
to 5 p.m., Nunavut Arctic College main campus. Arctic college jewellery and
metalwork students will hold their annual Christmas sale, featuring Christmas
ornaments and other artwork.
December 2, 2005
Iqaluit budget meetings
postponed
The city of Iqaluit cancelled
its budget meetings, scheduled for Thursday and Friday this past week.
That means the city will
likely enter a new fiscal year on Jan. 1 without a budget to guide its spending.
The meetings will be rescheduled
for shortly after the Christmas holidays, said Ian Fremantle,the city's chief
administrative officer.
The city has requested
a 30-day extension from the Government of Nunavut, whose legislation calls for
municipal budgets to be submitted before the New Year.
But that hasn't always
happened in the past, said Fremantle, who has heard of past administrations
filing new budgets as late as May. "And that's not good," he added.
Fremantle announced the
cancellation just one day before budget meetings were to begin.
He said city staff hoped
some issues holding them back could have been cleared up by then, such as two
consultant reports the city is waiting to receive: one on the cost of repairing
the sinking AWG arena, and another on the cost of a new municipal pool. But
those meetings have been pushed ahead to next week.
"That kind of killed
it," he said.
Other issues include recently
revised assessments on property taxes, which have added $88 million in value
to property around the city. "That's significant," Fremantle said,
explaining that would have to be factored into new mill rates.
Problems with new computer
software and time needed to translate documents were other obstacles.
December
2, 2005
Parents need to be
involved in school
The first day of school
should be for parents, said a parent attending the Iqaluit District Education
Authority's annual general meeting at Inuksuk High School on Tuesday night.
Many parents don't send
their kids to school, don't come to parent teacher nights, and are generally
"disengaged" from their children's education, the parent said.
IDEA chair Christa Kunuk
said part of the problem is that parents are intimidated by the school system.
"I think there's an
intimidation factor," Kunuk said, pointing out that many parents of this
generation went to residential school, and many were also taught not to ask
questions, which makes it difficult for them to find out just what is expected
of them.
IDEA member Jeannie Eeseemailie
agreed.
"Parents who are older
than me don't really have an understanding of the school system," she said.
"They want to come, but some are kind of confused about what exactly is
expected of them."
All of the school principals
warmly greeted the suggestion of an orientation day for parents, where they
could meet the teachers, learn about the school system and ask questions.
"Even if it takes
time, that would be worth it if we kept doing it every year," said acting
Joamie School principal Eelee Higgins.
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