Nunavut News, June 1 Edition

ᖃᓱᒋᐊᖅᓯᓂᖅ ᑭᒡᓕᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᔫᓂᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᕗᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᓂᑦ ᖃᓱᒋᐊᖅᓯᕚᓪᓕᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᕙᒡᔪᐊᕐᓇᕐᒧᑦ ᒪᓕᒋᐊᓕᖕᓂ, CPHO ᖃᐅᔨᓴᐃᒃᑲᓐᓂᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓰᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᑐᐊᕌᖓᑦ

Easing restrictions in June Government of Nunavut outlines plans to claw back Covid rules, CPHO will reassess situation every two weeks

MONDAY, June 1, 2020

Volume 75 Issue 5

Baffinland gets OK to sustain volume

$.95 (plus GST)

NWT MLA worried about Hope Bay purchase

MLAs: GN needs to step up to economic recovery

GN, feds unable to reach health benefits agreement

Remembering Jorgen Bolt: 'A Kugluktuk gentleman' photo courtesy of the Bolt family Publication mail Contract #40012157

7

71605 00200

2

"If action is going to be taken, I would like to see ... the Government of Nunavut to revisit that decision."

– Iqaluit city councillor Kyle Sheppard wants the mayor to help ITK lobby government over income assistance, page 16.

2 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

news

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Did we get it wrong?

Nunavut News is committed to getting facts and names right. With that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an error in Nunavut News/North, call (867) 9795990 and ask to speak to an editor, or email editorial@nnsl.com. We'll get a correction or clarification in as soon as we can.

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 3

Nunavut restrictions to be eased starting June 1

News Chief public health officer will reassess Covid situation every two weeks ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓰᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᑐᐊᕌᖓᑦ ᔫᓂ 1–ᖑᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐃᓄᓕᒫᓄᑦ Briefs ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖓ ᓘᒃᑖᖅ ᒪᐃᑯᓪ ᐹᑐᓴᓐ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕆᓂᐊᖅᐳᖅ

by Rajnesh Sharma

Northern News Services

Iqaluit

Pangnirtung man charged after shots fired into residence Pangnirtung RCMP in Pangnirtung arrested and charged a 29-year-old man after multiple shots were fired into an occupied residence on May 26.

The accused surrendered to police a little after 10 p.m.

"We are very fortunate no one was injured in this rapidly unfolding situation. Sadly, the family dog was killed. The rapid response of the Pangnirtung RCMP prevented further harm to community members," said Cpl. Jamie Savikataaq.

Tommy Ikalukjuak of Pangnirtung has been charged with intentionally discharging a firearm and several other weapons-related Criminal Code offences.

Ikalukjuak appeared before a Justice of the Peace on May 21 and he's being kept in jail. He's due to appear in court in Iqaluit on July 6.

Nunavut RCMP would like to remind residents the importance of keeping guns secured properly and for the ammunition to be stored away from the firearm. When firearms and ammunition are easily accessible and an individual is not in the right place of mind, the results can be damaging and life altering, the RCMP stated.

– Derek Neary

United Way accepts funding applications NWT United Way NWT is accepting funding applications for the Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF).

The fund provides financial support to charities and other qualified groups adapting their frontline services to support vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ECSF was announced by the federal government and is administered in collaboration with United Way Centraide Canada, Community Foundations of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.

The investment will put $101,000 into NWT communities.

"The United Way NWT is pleased to be able to assist the federal government distribute funds from the Emergency Community Support program to qualifying organizations in the NWT," said Tracy St. Denis, chair of United Way NWT, in a May 19 news release.

– Paul Bickford

Funding available for professional artists NWT The GNWT is accepting funding proposals from professional artists recovering from the impacts of Covid-19.

Up to $3,000 is available to NWT artists or commercial film and media arts producers with lost revenues or whose activities are restricted due to physical distancing requirements.

Activities may include the creation of artwork, songwriting, book writing, play development, theatre/dance development, scriptwriting, creating a promotional film reel, photography, business development, marketing and promotional activities, online training and certification.

Up to $5,000 is also being made available to registered NWT arts businesses, not-for-profit organizations and collectives.

The initiative is being funded jointly by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

In total, $250,000 has been committed to the initiative.

– Paul Bickford

The Government of Nunavut will begin easing public health measures within the territory starting this week.

Beginning June 1, daycares will be permitted to open for business. Territorial parks and municipal playgrounds will be also reopened, said chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson during a May 25 press conference.

Territorial parks and municipal playgrounds can be opened "if local circumstances permit," said Patterson.

Public park buildings will remain closed, he said.

The size limit of outdoor gathering will be increased to 25 people. This means people from 25 different households can get together outside. There is still a strong recommendation for maintaining physical distancing, explained Patterson, adding the increased size would allow "people to have the flexibility to have a bit more (of a) social life."

These specific conditions have been selected due to their "low risk," said Patterson.

Each hamlet may choose whether to ease these restrictions within their community.

Some parents may "feel that it's not appropriate to send their children back to daycare right now. And that's okay," he said.

"We have to all make our own individual risk assessments in addition to these public health measures."

On March 20, the GN declared a public health emergency and introduced measures to reduce the potential spread of Covid-19 in Nunavut. During a May 25 press conference, the GN introduced a document called Nunavut’s Path, which is the plan for easing those restrictions.

"It is time for us to move forward. This does not mean that this pandemic is over. This does not mean that the threat has passed," said Patterson, adding Nunavummiut need to maintain protective measures like hand washing and staying home if ill.

The measures listed in Nunavut’s Path fall under three risk categories: low, medium and high. The risk level of the activities may change over time based on new information about Covid-19.

Low-risk measures include opening of daycares, parks, playgrounds, work places,

ᓇᓕᐊᖕᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᖃᓱᔭᐅᔾᔫᒥᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ, ᐋᖅᑭᐅᒪᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖄᒃᑲᓐᓂᐊᒍᑦ ᕿᒡᓕᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒧᑦ.

Rajnesh Sharma / NNSL photo

Every two weeks after June 1, chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson will determine which measures will be eased, maintained or if additional restrictions will be required for Nunavut. retail outlets and outdoor day camps. Gyms allowing solo workouts and swims, in-territory travel between communities, visiting museums and galleries, in-person health care services and increased size limit for people meeting outdoors; all fall within this category.

Medium-risk measures involve dining in restaurants at half capacity or with space separations, visiting to long-term care facilities including visitation of Elders and holding faith and critical culture ceremonies. This category also includes the opening of hairdressers, nail salons, public sauna and hot tubs, youth centres, theatres, courts, schools and Nunavut Arctic College campuses.

The following are considered high-risk measures: allowing indoor community feasts, indoor concerts, opening bars and pubs and lifting household visitor restrictions.

The chief public health officer will reassess the territory’s Covid-19 situation every two weeks after June 1. Patterson will ease measures, hold the measures for an additional two weeks or tighten measures. As the Covid-19 situation changes in Nunavut and new information about the virus becomes available, new measures may also be imple-

mented to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly and every single week yields new information that shapes our strategy and our public health measures. Predictions and decisions made on the basis of today’s understanding of the virus may be obsolete in a short time. For this reason, we have opted for an approach that is flexible, cautious and adaptive to the evolving situation around us," explained Patterson.

He added, in order to minimize the risk of introducing Covid-19 into Nunavut, "it is imperative that our border measures remain."

Since March 25, only residents and critical workers have been permitted to enter the territory.

According to Nunavut’s Path, these travel restrictions are expected to continue in some form until there is more information about a vaccine and/or effective therapies for Covid19.

"The border restrictions, the isolation hubs, will be one of the last if not the last restriction to go," said Patterson, noting "the easiest threshold for that is reliable treatment or vaccination."

NWT summer barge deliveries on schedule

'We will have the four double-hulled barges delivered to Tuktoyaktuk on Aug. 12 and 15': Minister Nokleby

by Blair McBride

Northern News Services

NWT

The Marine Transport Services (MTS) barge deliveries to communities in the Arctic are on schedule for this summer, as Katrina Nokleby, minister of Infrastructure, told MLAs in the Legislative Assembly on May 27.

"We are looking for new ways to provide community resupply. We will have the four double-hulled barges delivered to Tuktoyaktuk on Aug. 12 and 15," she said, adding that she commits to communicating news of any delays in the delivery schedule.

Her announcement on the cargo deliveries was in response to questions from Nunakput MLA Jackie Jacobson, who wanted assurance the barge sailings were on schedule.

"The sealift is a vital lifeline in my

riding," he said. "It's more cost effective (to deliver) by sealift than by air. It's even more important with the economic impact of Covid-19. The barges can only reach our communities when the ice is gone. Start getting the boats ready now. We can’t have delays this year."

The North remembers Jacobson said the communities in Nunakput had "not forgotten" the disastrous 2018 sailing season, when high water levels and ice blockages held up the barges.

Nokleby explained that MTS has eight vessels that will deliver cargo in the summer according to the online schedule that will be updated regularly.

The vessels include the four barges heading to Tuktoyaktuk, plus two double-hulled pre-owned barges the GNWT purchased in

Katrina Nokleby

2017 and two new 1500 series barges.

The MTS barge sailings depart from Hay River and during July and August go to 12 Northern communities such as Aklavik, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Paulatuk, Tulita and Ulukhaktok.

Jacobson also raised the issue of reliable and affordable fuel supplies in Northern communities.

"With our government purchasing bulk fuel from Edmonton (by) rack price...the prices only change once a year when the barge comes in. Right now at the pumps here it's 97 cents. Back home it's $1.51 and it only gets higher. (We should) try to get cheaper fuel into the communities," he said.

The Infrastructure Minister responded that the GNWT is evaluating its fuel supply model to ensure it provides efficient and reliable supply for communities.

4 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

ᐸᓕᓐᑕ ᐊᑕᒍᑦᑕᒃ ᑲᔾᔮᕐᓇᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᐅᑉ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ, ᐊᐃᑉᕆᓕ 2020.

amazing on-the-land stories

ᑲᔾᔮᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᒥ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Belinda Atagootak ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᒃ

ᓯᓚᑖᓂ,

Pond Inlet

It was a beautiful day outside of Pond Inlet, NU, April 2020.

On the land

Do you have an amazing story from your adventures on the land? Tell us your story and show us your photos for a chance to win $100.

Submit your story and photo to our Nunavut News Facebook page, editor@nunavutnews.com, or by mail to Nunavut News, PO Box 28,

Iqaluit, NU, X0A 0H0.

Entries will be placed on our Facebook page.

They may also appear in this newspaper and other Northern News Services publications. The story and photo with the most combined likes and shares at the end of the week wins.

ᐋᓂ ᐊᓖᑭ

ᑕᓗᕐᔪᐊᖅ

ᐅᓇ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᓗᕐᔪᐊᓂ, ᐊᐃᑉᕆᓕ 23, 2020.

Annie Aleekee This was taken in Taloyoak, April 23, 2020.

ᓕᐋᓐ ᓵᓕ

Taloyoak

ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ

ᐃᕐᓂᒃᑲ ᔭᓯ ᓄᑲᖓᓗ ᐱᕐᓈᑦ ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᕆᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᐊᐃᑉᕆᓕ 20–ᒥ, ᐊᓃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓈᓗᒃ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᐅᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᓂ.

Leanne Charlie Rankin Inlet

My boys Jesse and his little brother Bernard went out fishing for the day April 20, good fresh air out of Rankin Inlet.

news

Northwestern Air Lease scales up flight schedule

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Northwestern Air Lease is restarting one of its weekly flights from Fort Smith to Yellowknife.

'We were doing 41 flights a week and now we're doing five'

by Blair McBride

Northern News Services

NWT

Northwestern Air Lease plans to spreads its wings and fly a little more in June after the Covid-19 pandemic disruptions decimated its flight schedule since March.

With the help of the $793,000 the airline received in federal assistance for pandemicaffected airlines, it will expand on its weekly travels between Yellowknife and Fort Smith as of June 5. That news comes as Norman Wells-based North-Wright Airways resumes its passenger flights in June, also aided by the assistance from Ottawa. "(The funding) gave us some breathing time. We’re ramping up," said James Heidema, chief operating officer of Fort Smith-based Northwestern Air Lease.

The airline currently operates three flights per week between Fort Smith and Edmonton for essential service workers and returning NWT residents, and two flights between Fort Smith and Yellowknife on Monday and Wednesday.

The Edmonton schedule includes a stop in Fort Chipewyan and previously in Fort McMurray, but that stop was discontinued. Its other route to Edmonton has stops in Hay River and sometimes High Level. Come June 5, the Fort Smith-Yellowknife flight will operate on Fridays.

The airline has been trying to gauge public support for the Friday flight through Facebook posts asking for feedback on the route, and offering a discount of $199 each way.

While Northwestern Air Lease is taking tentative steps to broaden its offerings, it’s difficult to fly past the scale of impact that Covid has had on the airline.

"We were doing 41 flights a week and now we’re doing five," Heidema said.

That included flying to Edmonton and to Yellowknife twice a day, plus charters to parks like Wood Buffalo, and food service flights to

small communities and mines including Ekati and Diavik. Government and medical travel forms another chunk of the business.

As people hunkered down and government staff began working from home, passenger numbers on Northwestern Air Lease flights dropped from pre-Covid averages of at least eight people per flight, six days a week - with many flights selling out - to about four to six passengers on a heavily reduced schedule.

Employee numbers also fell, with the airline having to lay off most of its 72 staff until just 15 workers remained.

"Now we’re back up to 28 and two parttimers. We probably won’t go back to any higher than 40. Our expenses are higher than our revenue. We have to maintain our equipment," Heidema said.

Even Northwestern’s affiliated flight school the Terry Harrold School of Aviation has seen student numbers decrease since many come from down south and can’t afford to self-isolate for 14 days before beginning the training program.

The one-year-old school has delayed the start of its September class until January.

It’s unclear how long the road to business recovery will be for a business like Northwestern, with the GNWT saying that border closures will remain in place until a Covid vaccine is found, making it unlikely that many passengers will soon be able to make regular flights to Edmonton.

One sign of hope is that the relaxation of Covid restrictions will bring back elective surgeries at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife in June, giving a green light to medical travelers in the territory.

Heidema has his own reasons for hope.

"Whether you like (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau or not, the government is stepping up and trying to help a lot of people," he said.

"This company is 55 years old. We’re not planning to close our doors at all but we want to be responsible and ease ourselves back into it."

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 5

photo courtesy of Northwestern Air Lease Ltd.

6 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

news

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 7

Lutsel K'e Dene say new lodge is choking on red tape 'It seems like MACA is intent on shutting down a successful tourism business'

by Brendan Burke

Northern News Services

Lutsel K'e

The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is crying foul after the territorial government unexpectedly cancelled occupancy permits for its newly acquired fishing lodge – a facility that has been operating on the shore of the nearby Stark River for decades.

Now, already coping with a lost season due to the global pandemic, the First Nation says the lodge is being mired in red tape from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

"The GNWT is marking National Tourism Week by refusing to issue a Ministry of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) business licence and cancelling occupancy permits issued in March to Frontier Lodge pending a 'policy review of MACA requirements for licensing remote lodges," wrote Lutsel K'e Chief Darryl Marlowe in a news release issued May 27.

Marlowe is frustrated and "fuming."

"It is a critical element of the Lutsel K'e vision to build a sustainable local economy," he wrote.

"But instead of working to support our vision, it seems like MACA is intent on shutting down a successful tourism business by refusing to grant a new licence," continued Marlowe.

"I can't even begin to understand the thinking behind this decision."

In a landmark purchase, Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation acquired the long-standing Frontier Lodge from out-of-territory owners in December of last year. Located a stone's throw from Lutsel K'e, on Great Slave Lake's east arm, the lodge boasts world-class pristine fishing waters, drawing tourists from across the world every season.

The recent purchase was meant to spur economic growth and create jobs for Lutsel K'e community members while opening a tourism gateway to the newly created Thaidene Nene national park.

Those plans have since stalled.

Marlowe stated he's mystified as to why the territorial government is throwing up red tape now even though the lodge has been long running fixture in the community for many years.

"The GNWT's failure to consider their own policy gaps shouldn't be our problem," stated Marlowe.

"It's hard enough to try to operate a tourism business in the middle of a pandemic but we didn't expect to have to fight the GNWT to license a business that has been operating safely and successfully for decades," stated Marlowe.

"The delays, lack of communication and unnecessary burdens being placed on LKDFN by the GNWT are adding to the challenges that all tourism operators are facing in the midst of the COVID pandemic," he added.

In a follow up interview with Marlowe, the Lutsel K'e chief said the community learned on Monday that their application

photo courtesy of Frontier Lodge

The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is upset after the territorial government threw up a "bureaucratic trap" – rescinding occupancy orders – on its recently acquired Frontier fishing lodge near the community. was going to be put on hold. "We had our liquor licence in place, now MACA is saying they have to go under a policy review and develop a new policy," he said.

"It was an exciting time when we purchased it - to bring opportunities for my members here, not only for today but for our future generation," Marlowe told News/North. " We're leaving a legacy for them, it's the first time a First Nation community has owned something this big - as a fishing lodge - so there are a lot of great opportunities for us," added Marlowe.

The lodge's general manager, Corey Myers has worked there for a decade.

"We've had to jump through hoops just to get set up. This all pertains basically to getting the liquor licence for the lodge," said Myers.

"We are now required to have a MACA business licence, which was never required before . . . Now we've been told we require a MACA business licence which requires occupancy permits from the fire marshal, the whole nine yards. Whereas in the past, our tourism licence was all that was needed," said Myers.

From the get-go, Myers said he's received scarce feedback from the GNWT. "We didn't receive feedback or information other than this is a policy decision that needs to be discussed until last Friday - when I was told our occupancy fire permits for the building were being rescinded," he said.

Myers believes the lodge is being targeted because it was recently purchased by the First Nation.

"As long as the (previous owners) owned it, they could have kept renewing their licence and operating their business as they had been for decades. But because it was sold, now we're being held to a standard that other lodges are not being held to, which is wrong.

"It's an unnecessary bureaucratic trap," said Myers.

LKDFN is calling on the GNWT to "exempt Frontier Lodge from the MACA business licence requirement until GNWT can address its own policy issues," according to Wednesday's news release.

The GNWT said on Wednesday it would be releasing a "fulsome" response on May 28. It did not arrive before press deadline.

K'atlodeeche checkpoint removed as GNWT recovery plan released KFN wants visitors to go to Ehdah Cho Store and then leave

by Paul Bickford

Northern News Services

K'atlodeeche First Nation

The remaining checkpoint limiting access to the Hay River Reserve because of the Covid19 pandemic has been removed.

Debbie Miller, chief executive officer of K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN), said the checkpoint was removed on May 15.

"We received the Emerging Wisely report from the GNWT and we began to initiate our own moving forward processes," said Miller of the plan to ease restrictions because of the Covid-19 crisis. "The document is stating very clearly that it's time for everybody to look at how much economic loss are we all having and how is it that we can move forward to lessen some of the economic hardships that not only K'atlodeeche is feeling but certainly the other

businesses around us."

The economic impact is being felt at Ehdah Cho Store, a grocery retailer and gas bar operated by KFN. "So we have continued to limit the numbers of individuals within the store, but now we are open for off-reserve general public business, which prior to May 15 we were not," said Miller. "We are trying to be honest with that and lessen the hardship that was created by our checkpoint."

The barrier was set up on March 19 at the Highway 5 entrance to the reserve's access road. Another checkpoint was set up at the ice crossing between Hay River and the New Village on the reserve, but that was no longer required after spring breakup began. The ice crossing to the reserve's Old Village was closed during the travel restrictions.

Miller was asked if there has been any noticeable change in the number of people coming to the reserve since the removal of the checkpoint.

"There's a small uptick from individuals who are travelling about and coming in the past week to utilize the purchasing of gas and the grocery store," she said on May 22. "It's not a huge and significant increase, no, but I will say I think a whole lot of that has to do with communities still staying in place."

Miller believes the checkpoints served their purpose while they were in place, noting they were designed to limit contact with the reserve.

"We have significant numbers of individuals here who are considered vulnerable highrisk and I would rather be known as the person who closed the community and we had no cases than to be the individual who did not

close the community and there were cases of Covid," she said. "That would be pretty sad to have any potential health-associated issues and/or the potential loss of life of some of these individuals."

The reserve is not open as usual for visitors.

"So even though our checkpoint is down, we're still expecting individuals to not come and visit with families and such," said Miller.

"There's still those kinds of expectations.

So you come in, you come to the store, you do your business and you leave."

Additionally, visitors will be expected to wear facemasks.

When the checkpoints were in place, only members of KFN, including band members living in Hay River or elsewhere and essential services personnel, were permitted onto the reserve.

8 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

news

ᓄĪØflî

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

'A gentleman of Kugluktuk' Community mourns loss of Jorgen Bolt, consummate on-the-land knowledge holder ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐴᓪᑦ, ᕿᑎᐊᓂ, ᕿᒪᐃᕗᖅ ᑎᓴᒪᓂ ᕿᑐᕐᙵᒥᓂᑦ, ᓴᐅᒥᖕᒥ, ᓄᑲ, ᑖᒥᔅ, ᓴᑭᐅᕋ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑖᓂᔅ. ᑳᓐᓱᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᐃ 20–ᒥ.

Jorgen Bolt, centre, leaves behind four children, from left, Nuka, Thomas, Shakira and Tannis. He had been battling cancer and died on May 20.

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Kugluktuk

Kugluktukmiut are grieving the loss of a man who possessed tremendous knowledge of the land and held enormous respect for its wildlife.

Jorgen Bolt died on May 20 at age 59, following a battle with cancer.

Allen Niptanatiak, whose family often visited Bolt and his father, Charlie, at an outpost camp in their younger days, said he will remember Jorgen for "his passion for being out on the land and caring for wildlife."

"He'd always tell the younger people whenever he could, 'Harvest what you need only,' and not to overharvest," Niptanatiak recalled. "He wanted (the animals) to be there for the future."

Stanley Carpenter got to know Jorgen as a fellow hunting and fishing guide in the late 1980s.

"We've been like brothers ever since then," Carpenter said. "We travelled all over Nunavut, even from Nunavut to the NWT a few times ... his land skills were awesome. He'd take you anywhere on the tundra that you wanted to go."

Carpenter remembered when Jorgen led him by snowmobile into the NWT for the first time. He said Jorgen projected confidence and put him at ease.

"He said, 'I'll take care of you, Stanley. Follow me. I know the place pretty good,'" he recalled. "A few times we went out muskox guiding with sports hunters and he taught me quite a bit from when he grew up with his father, I guess. I'd just follow along and he'd teach me pretty good.

"He was definitely a gentleman of Kugluktuk," he said.

Peter Taptuna knew Jorgen for most of his life.

"His parents and my parents were

fairly close," he recalled.

Bolt contributed greatly to a number of traditional knowledge projects such as the oral history of place names and various wildlife studies, said Taptuna. "(Jorgen) was always a sincere person when it comes to wildlife," he said.

It was Taptuna, while Premier, who nominated Jorgen as a member of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB). The board accepted him in February 2017 and, in a Facebook post on May 22, expressed its admiration of his personality, vibrant smile and positive energy, in addition to his mastery as a hunter, trapper and guide.

"Never missing an opportunity to teach about the nuances of Northern wildlife, he often told gripping tales about his time on the land and his intimate knowledge of migration, life-cycles and sustainability," the NWMB wrote on social media.

Niptanatiak added that Jorgen, a father of four, "loved sharing and passing on his knowledge."

Speaking to Nunavut News in January 2018 about his iglu-building instruction to high school students, Jorgen said, "I like when kids’ eyes light up when they learn something new, especially with our tradition."

He reflected his own trips on the land, starting around age eight or nine and learning survival skills from his father: navigating by the moon and stars, hunting and building shelters.

"You have to be able to provide shelter for your family," he said in 2018. "If you can't do it, you're not going to be able to survive in the cold winter ... That's just the way a young man was supposed to be brought up.

He was supposed to be able to build an iglu and be able to hunt."

photos courtesy of the Bolt family

ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐴᓪᑦ ᐱᑦᑎᐊᖅᑕᖓᓂ ᑕᐅᕘᓇ Tree ᑰᖓᓐᓂ, ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᕐᕕᓐᓇᕆᓛᕆᔭᖓᓂ ᐃᓂᐅᔪᒥ. ᐴᓪᑦ ᐃᓚᓐᓇᕆᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓕᕆᔨᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓂ.

Jorgen Bolt with a nice catch along the Tree River, his favourite fishing spot. Bolt was a valued member of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.

communities

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 9

Fort Providence's front line: border crossings worry worker 'Most people don’t follow those rules, those signs, the directions given at the border'

by Simon Whitehouse

Northern News Services

Fort Providence

An employee at the Big River Service Centre in Fort Providence remains concerned that not enough is being done to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as people make stops while travelling from the NWT border to their quarantine destinations in Yellowknife.

Linda Croft, a cashier with the service centre and councillor with the hamlet, sent a letter to the Government of the Northwest Territories on May 22 demanding that border officers "explain in detail to those coming in from Alberta, B.C., etc. to not stop anywhere between the border and isolation/quarantine zone."

Croft said current circumstances are making her feel vulnerable at the isolated service centre.

In her letter to the GNWT, she states that people coming across the border during the pandemic usually don't need to stop, either for gas or any other emergency requirement but end up coming into the store anyway, often in groups and without gloves or masks.

"They come into the store, use the

bathroom, wander around, touching things, grabbing junk food and lingering while they do so," she stated in the letter. "We (myself and other staff) attempt to identify these persons – as we feel there is no need for them to be in the store. They should go directly to their quarantine zone."

Croft says safety guidelines should state that when getting gas, only one person can exit the vehicle.

The store also provides gloves and sanitizer and there's a sign on the door telling people not to enter unless necessary, especially if coming in from across the border.

"There is the problem," Croft stated.

"Most people ... don’t follow those rules, those signs, the directions given at the border. Just (recently) on my seven-hour shift there were three vehicles that were confirmed to be travelling over the border. None had gloves, none had masks and none showed any care for those in the store when they entered."

Croft said one idea to help limit the risk to her, her co-workers and other store customers is for the GNWT to issue coloured wristbands that cannot be removed more than once. The wristbands would identify

Community

Report

The Big River Service Centre posted this note on Facebook April 8. one of the four communities where travellers are expected to self-isolate.

"The safety of myself and my fellow co-workers is deserving of attention to this matter."

Croft said in an interview that she usually picks up on who poses a risk from chit-chat while people are in the store. Because Fort Providence is very small, it's also easy to recognize local customers.

She also knows the truckers coming through but said she isn't as

Most people 'get' public health rules in Ndilo: chief 'I'm seeing a bit more movement amongst my people'

by Brendan Burke

Northern News Services

Ndilo

Despite the relaxation of some restrictions, Ndilo’s chief is reminding community members that the fight against Covid-19 isn’t over.

"We can’t let our guard down. We still have to be vigilant," said Chief Ernest Betsina.

On May 15, the territorial government eased some restrictions placed on indoor and outdoor gatherings, but physical distancing measures are still required.

The move, part of the territory’s first phase in its recovery plan, has resulted in Ndilo residents getting out and about in the community more, especially as the weather starts to warm up, said Betsina.

"I’m seeing a bit more movement amongst my people," he said.

By and large, community members are adhering to rules and advice outlined by both the territory’s chief medical health officer and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) council.

If orders aren’t being followed by residents, an officer with the GNWT Enforcement Taskforce is called, said Betsina.

"If someone is noticing that people are starting to gather more in one residence, they either call myself, the chief, or we have people on duty – especially weekends – working security for both communities (Ndilo and Dettah)," said Betsina.

"So they would get the call and they would direct the call to the government taskforce – but it all depends on the severity of the call. Sometimes RCMP gets called, too," he continued.

"They’re doing their job."

Betsina said educating residents about Covid-19 risks and physical distancing measures has been a "bit of a learning curve," especially for Elders in the community.

"But people are getting it – they’re respecting the advice of the council and the health authorities," he said.

To educate and keep community members informed, YKDFN has been using radio to drive home important messages — a strategy that’s been employed in other communities, including Fort Good Hope.

Every week, Betsina and Dettah Chief Edward Sangris take turns broadcasting to both communities via CKLB. "We try to inform our members to the best we can," said Betsina.

Community

Report

concerned about them because she knows their destinations and points of origin.

"I just don't think enough is being done to (impress) upon people that you are not to stop when you are under quarantine and that it means you go to where your designated area is and that's where you stay until your time," she said. "You see people coming in and they're dragging little kids with them and they're handling everything in the stores and one it's a

photo courtesy of Facebook

huge stress. It's not fair to the other people who come in to the store."

Croft said she's also immune compromised as she has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

"I'm also older," she said. "My family has asked me to quit the job because of the location and then things sort of died down. At one point I even thought about (quitting) because if cases keep popping up in the North, I would have to leave for a while. "

10 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

news

ᓄĪØflî

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

GN, feds still unable to reach health benefits deal Status quo remains two months after previous agreement expires; GN seeks full reimbursement

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Nunavut/Ottawa

Nunavut's health and finance minister felt so strongly about the territorial government being underfunded through the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program that he refused to sign an extension at the end of March.

Two months later, the Government of Nunavut and Ottawa still haven't come to terms on a new deal and the status quo remains.

Discussions between the parties have taken place but no new agreement has been signed, a statement from the Department of Health on May 27 indicates.

The GN is demanding full reimbursement for NIHB, which represents approximately 89 per cent of airline medical travel and costs the GN close to $78 million annually, according to Hickes. He previously stated that the Government of Canada only compensated the GN $3.7 million for the program during the last fiscal year.

A federal government spokesperson previously told Nunavut News that the figure for 2018-19 was actually $49.5 million but that

included patient accommodations and ground transportation.

Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Rola Tfaili sent a statement last week acknowledging that there's been no resolution to the impasse but added that there's been no disruption to services.

"Indigenous Services Canada continues to work with the Government of Nunavut to address the broader financial pressures facing Nunavut’s health system and to ensure Inuit have seamless access to the health supports they need," the statement reads. "We are committed to working in partnership with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and the Government of Nunavut to develop a made-in-Nunavut solution ensuring Inuit have the access to the health supports they need when they are needed."

During the winter sitting of the legislative assembly in March, Hickes gave an example of a $22,000 medevac flight. He said the federal government only pays back the GN $125 of that.

"The inequity in this program is something that I have been very clear with the federal government on – that unless we are compensated

ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᒥᓂᔅᑕᖓ ᔪᐊᔾ ᕼᐃᒃᔅ ᓂᓪᓕᒐᔪᒃᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐊᑯᓂᐅᔪᒥ "ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓪᓗᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᙱᓐᓂᕐᒥ" ᓇᓪᓕᐅᒃᑯᒫᖅᑎᒎᙱᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕈᑎᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᒧᑦ. ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᓱᓕ ᐋᔩᖃᑎᒌᒋᐊᖃᖅᐳᑦ ᓄᑖᖑᔪᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂ ᐋᑐᕚᒥ ᑕᖅᑭᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᖕᓂ ᖄᖏᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓯᕗᓂᐊᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐃᓱᓕᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ.

NNSL file photo

Health Minister George Hickes has been outspoken about what he deems as the longstanding "inequity" of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program. The Government of Nunavut has yet to negotiate new terms with Ottawa two months after the previous deal expired. appropriately for it, they can have it back. It is not our program," he said at the time.

The Department of Health stated that Hickes has reiterated that message since.

"Minister (George) Hickes has addressed to Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller the need for appropriate ongoing financial sup-

port for this program, which the GN delivers on behalf of the Government of Canada," the department's statement reads. "Despite the absence of a contribution agreement, there (has) been no interruption or change in services provided to Nunavut clients on medical travel under the NIHB program."

Although the Department of

Health acknowledged that medical travel has been reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, it didn't provide any statistics.

The territorial government is unable to release information on the volume of NIHB claims processed because the program falls under the Indigenous Services Canada, the Department of Health stated.

Sculpin derby brings excitement 'It was a diversion that was really needed and worked well,' says SAO

by Rajnesh Sharma

Northern News Services

Pangnirtung

A May 23 sculpin derby has lifted the spirits of many in Pangnirtung as Covid-19 has dampened the mood.

"It was a diversion that was really needed and worked well," said Daryl Dibblee, the community’s senior administrative officer (SAO).

Annually, Pangnirtung holds a derby for Arctic char and the spiky-finned, bottomdwelling sculpin. However due to the Pond Inlet’s false positive case on April 29 and ice conditions the event was postponed.

The false positive case "affected people in a way that they really became concerned," explained Dibblee.

"The whole community got uptight," said Dibblee, adding "I mean really uptight."

"I think everybody has an understanding or a feeling if we get a case or cases in Nunavut, there could be a significant spread," he said.

With hardly any community events since mid-March due to the pandemic, organ-

ᐅᐃᓕ ᐊᑕᒍᔪᒃ, ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓵᓚᖃᐅᓯᐊᒥᒃ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᖅᑎ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᕕᒃᓯᒪᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᓇᖏᖃᑎᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᕿᑎᐊᓂ ᓕᓐ ᕿᓚᕝᕙᕐᒥ, ᓴᐅᒥᖕᒥ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᔮᓂᔅ ᐊᓕᕙᖅᑕᕐᒥ, ᑕᓕᖅᐱᖕᒥ.

photo courtesy of Lynn Kilabuk

Willie Attagoyuk, the first prize winner in the adult category, stands between Lynn Kilabuk, left, and Janice Alivaktuk, right. Attagoyuk won $8,000 for his 50 cm sculpin. izers Lynn Kilabuk and Janice Alivaktuk decided to plan the sculpin derby for May 23.

"It felt like a lot of people craved to be out and be part of an event," said Kilabuk, noting especially the older people.

Nearly 950 people participated in the weekend event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. while adhering to social distancing measures. The hamlet and the local Hunters and Trappers Organization provided about

$24,000 in prize money for the event.

As the top winner in the adult category, Willie Attagoyuk took home $8,000 for his 50 cm sculpin. For the kids category, Elaija Michael came in first place with a 48.5 cm fish and received $1,000.

"It was a success and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves despite the wind," said Kilabuk.

"Everybody was really happy about it," said Dibblee.

communities

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 11

Jean Marie River promotes clean living, prepares for second wave

The Dehcho community of Jean Marie River remains fearful of a second wave of the virus. photo courtesy of Facebook

'We don't have beds or even cots for that matter'

by Simon Whitehouse

Northern News Services

Tthetsehkedeli/Jean Marie River

Chief Stanley Sanguez of Jean Marie River is pleased to hear that the GNWT is planning to ease pandemic-related restrictions but is fearful of any chance the virus threat could come back.

"We are prepared for (reopening) but in the back of our minds, we know that this thing is still there until they find a vaccine," Sanguez said this week. "We know that there's vaccines being tested out and we're saying OK it's gonna open but at the same time we're still telling members, 'Just be careful.'"

Like many other Dene community leaders throughout the North that News/North has contacted during the pandemic, Sanguez continues to worry about the impacts of alcohol and drug addiction could have to the health of his people in the event the virus ever did reach the Dehcho community of just under 100 people.

"There's a worry and a scare of the second wave coming in and we're not sure how or what form it might come in," he explained this week.

"It's kind of a mystery to us but we're encouraging our people here when we had a (recent)

council meeting ... to kind of leave that stuff alone (alcohol and drugs) and try to get their immune systems ready for any cold that might come in."

The chief is recommending members collect rosebuds that can be found in the bush.

"If you collect them and boil them and strain them, the juices in the rosebuds have a lot of vitamin C, so we're trying to encourage our people here in our communities to see if we could start doing that," he said.

Peter Hope, the CBC's Dehcho Dene radio broadcaster, is helping to promote healthy living including avoiding intoxicants over the airwaves in traditional Slavey.

Sanguez said that Jean Marie River has been strictly following the guidelines of the chief public health officer of the GNWT, Dr. Kami Kandola. At the same time, the chief is concerned about the GNWT's ability to respond to the unique needs of small communities like his.

And he is worried and uncertain as to how to combat Covid-19 if it ever reaches the

reducing and re-using

hamlet.

"When we do have our call with Premier Caroline Cochrane and Dr. Kandola, we hear their concerns from the scientists' perspective," Sanguez said. "We say, 'OK premier, these are the concerns in our communities and if somebody gets really sick here, what do we do?'"

Sanguez said he doesn't know if a person with symptoms should be quarantined in their homes, if they should be removed or if a separate structure should be built in the community to house people who contract it.

Right now there aren't any separate buildings to house people in an emergency and emergency resources are few, which is a request he has made and something he is working on with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, he said.

"We really don't have anything here except the community hall and we don't have beds or even cots for that matter (for) ones that are really sick," he said, noting that otherwise in the case that someone in the community does contract Covid-19, it may mean that the GNWT

Community

photo courtesy of Lina Jean

A lover of both sewing and re-using materials, Inuvik's Emma Jean Edwards made this purse out of an old pair of pants.

Report

would have to fly members out to centers like Yellowknife for quarantine. "It's always at the back of my mind and I know that the council's expressed that same thing."

The community still has a sign at the turn off into the community from Highway 1, which has been effective in keeping unknown or nonessential visitors from entering during the pandemic. Keeping the NWT closed from Alberta and BC closed has been an additional and welcome move by the GNWT as well, he said.

Sanguez says he remains worried about members who travel outside the community and about not wearing masks. He has asked the GNWT to assist in getting masks but is working at getting supplies from Hay River-based MSS Ltd., which provides medical supplies.

He noted that they recently ran out, but he is hoping to get some masks and gloves. He's encouraging members to stock up on food and supplies in preparation of a second wave.

"The fear is that the second wave might be more powerful and dangerous and might kill people," he said. "So we want to be prepared for that as much as we can."

12 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

news

ᓄĪØflî

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Agnico Eagle planning for return of Nunavummiut workers Two-week rotating schedule set to resume in June

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Kivalliq

Kivalliq gold miner Agnico Eagle is formulating a strategy for the return of its Nunavummiut workers, who have been off from work since late March to minimize the threat from Covid-19.

No return date is scheduled yet, but the company is developing "plans and protocols to safely reintegrate them back into the workforce ... in collaboration with the relevant authorities," Agnico Eagle stated in a May 25 news release.

The company stated that it will still offer its 400 to 500 Nunavummiut employees 75 per cent base salary until June 20 and then reevaluate the compensation package after that.

Agnico Eagle will strive to have as many workers as possible continue to work remotely, the news release added.

"All protocols and measures are following Public Health Agency’s recommendations and we are continuing to work with local authorities to ensure that our protocols allow us to meet our regulatory obligations in full transparency while protecting Nunavummiut,"

ᐹᕙᓐᓛᓐ ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᒃᓴᒥ ᐊᑐᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒥ ᕼᐋᒃ ᓂᔮᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᒐᖅ

the news release reads.

The miner adopted a 28 days on, 28 days off work schedule several weeks ago to reduce the number of flights coming into Nunavut.

Agnico Eagle is planning to resume its usual 14 days on, 14 days off schedule at the Meliadine mine by mid-June and at the Meadowbank Complex by the end of June.

"We are confident that we can maintain this same level of safety and hygiene standards with a return to a normal flight frequency," Agnico Eagle stated, recognizing that the extended shifts were only meant to be temporary and "represents both a personal and a family sacrifice."

Workers who operate long-haul trucks are expected to gradually pick up their duties again before the end of May while the process plant restart is scheduled for early June.

More than 1,500 employees have been tested for Covid-19 at the mine sites and all tests have come back negative, according to the company, which has implemented numerous measures to reduce the risk from the virus, including a hygiene committee that specializes in precautionary and protective steps. Covid19 testing and the use of masks will continue.

ᐊᖏᖅᑕᐅᕗᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᖏᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓘᔭᕐᓂ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᕕᖓᓂ ᑕᐃᑯᖓ

ᐅᓪᓗᓂ 14–ᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᖢᓂ, ᐅᓪᓗᓂ 14–ᓂ ᕿᑲᕐᓗᓂ ᓂᕆᐅᒋᔭᐅᕗᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᒑᕐᔪᖕᒥ ᔫᓂᐅᑉ–ᕿᑎᖅᐸᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᔨᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᒥᐊᑐᐹᖕᒃ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᖓᓂ ᔫᓂᐅᑉ ᓄᙳᐊᓂ.

photo courtesy of Agnico Eagle

A 14 days on, 14 days off schedule is expected to resume for mine staff at Meliadine by mid-June and for workers at the Meadowbank Complex by the end of June.

6 ᒥᓕᐊᓐᓂ ᑕᓐᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒎᓛᖅᑑᑉ ᓄᙳᐊᓄᑦ.

Baffinland approved to keep mining at capacity Miner can ship six million tonnes of iron ore until Dec. 31, 2021

Hark Nijjar Photograph

Baffinland has federal permission to continue mining six million tonnes of iron ore per year at its Mary River mine until the end of next year.

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Nunavut

Baffinland Iron Mines has obtained approval from federal ministers to continue mining six million tonnes of iron ore until Dec. 31, 2021.

In a letter to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB), stamped May 19, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal and his colleagues endorse the review board’s recommendation that Baffinland’s six million tonne limit be extended.

However, Vandal noted that the federal government will strengthen terms and conditions pertaining to Baffinland’s monitoring of impacts on marine mammals under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

As well, the federal government will ensure that Baffinland submits performance audits twice per year, to address a concern that the Qikiqtani Inuit Association

(QIA) raised.

The iron ore from the Mary River mine, 160 km south of Pond Inlet, is transported by truck along a tote road to the port at Milne Inlet and then shipped overseas to foreign markets.

The six million tonne limit is expected to be in place until a final decision is made on Baffinland’s phase two proposal, which would increase mine output initially to 12 million tonnes and later to 30 million tonnes by rail, if permits are granted.

Baffinland received the green light to raise its production to six million tonnes of iron ore in Sept 2018, climbing from 4.2 million tonnes.

NIRB was opposed to that increase but the QIA threw its support behind the initiative after the renegotiation of its Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement. The Government of Canada also backed the increase in tonnage.

news

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

ᓄĪØflî

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 13

'ᐊᖑᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᒻᒪᕆᒃ ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑑᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ' ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᒡᒍᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐴᓪᑦᒥ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᓂ ᓄᓇᐃᓐᓇᕐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᖅ

ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑑᕐᒥᐅᑦ ᐅᒡᒍᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᖑᒻᒥ ᐱᓯᒪᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᒥ ᓄᓇᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᑦᑎᐊᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐴᓪᑦ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᐃ 20–ᒥ 59–ᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ, ᒪᓕᒃᑐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᑳᓐᓱᒥ. ᐋᓕᓐ ᓂᑉᑕᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅ, ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᐳᓚᕋᒐᔪᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓚᒌᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᑖᑕᖓᓂ, ᓵᓕᒥ, ᓄᓇᓕᕋᓛᒥᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐᒥ "ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᔭᖃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᓄᓇᐃᓐᓇᕐᒦᓐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐸᖅᑭᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᓂᑦ." "ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᒪᒃᑯᖕᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᑐᐊᕌᖓᑦ, 'ᐊᖑᓇᓱᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᐸᒡᓗᓯ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᑐᐊᖅ,’ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᓗᐊᕌᓗᒃᐸᙱᓪᓗᓯ," ᓂᑉᑕᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᕗᖅ. "(ᐆᒪᔪᓂ) ᐱᑕᖃᐃᓐᓇᖁᔨᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᒧᑦ." ᔅᑖᓐᓕ ᑳᐱᓐᑕ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐᒥ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᖕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᖃᓗᒐᓱᖕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᐅᔾᔨᔨᐅᖃᑎᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ 1980–ᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᙳᐊᓂ. "ᓄᑲᕇᒃᑑᔮᓕᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓂ," ᑳᐱᓐᑕ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. "ᐊᐅᓪᓛᖅᓯᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᓕᒫᒥ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒧᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖃᔅᓯᐊᕐᓱᐊᕐᔪᒃᖢᑕ... ᓄᓇᒥ ᐊᔪᙱᓐᓂᖏᑦ ᑲᒪᓇᕐᔪᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ. ᓇᒧᑐᐃᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᓇᐹᖅᑐᖃᙱᑦᑐᓕᐊᕈᔾᔨᕙᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᐸᒍᒪᔭᕐᓄᑦ." ᑳᐱᓐᑕ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᕗᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᑐᕌᖅᑎᓚᐅᖅᐸᐅᒃ ᓯᑭᑑᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ. ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓗᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᕙᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. "ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, 'ᐸᖅᑭᓂᐊᖅᐸᒋᑦ, ᔅᑕᓐᓕ. ᒪᓕᙵ. ᖃᐅᔨᒪᐸᓗᒃᑕᕋ ᐃᓂᐅᔪᖅ,'" ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᕗᖅ. "ᖃᔅᓰᖅᓱᐸᓗᒃᖢᓂ ᐅᒥᖕᒪᖕᓄᑦ ᐅᐸᒍᔾᔨᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓂ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒃᑎᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐅᕙᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᕐᔪᐊᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐱᕈᖅᓴᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᑖᑕᒥᓂᑦ, ᐄᖑᖅᑰᖅᑐᖅ. ᒪᓕᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᐸᓚᐅᖅᐳᖓ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐅᕙᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᕐᔪᐊᖅᐸᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. "ᐊᖑᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᒻᒪᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑑᒥ," ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. ᐲᑕ ᑕᑉᑑᓇ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᒫᐸᓗᐊᓂ. "ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᒃᑲ ᖃᓂᒌᐸᓗᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ," ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᕗᖅ. ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᔪᐊᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᖃᔅᓯᒐᓚᖕᓄᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᔪᓂ ᓲᕐᓗ

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑉᐸᓚᐅᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓂᐅᑉ ᐊᑎᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᓂ ᐆᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑕᑉᑑᓇ. "(ᔪᐊᒐᓐ) ᓱᓕᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᓅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐆᒪᔪᓄᑦ," ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. ᑕᑉᑑᓇᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓂᕈᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᔪᐊᒐᓐᒥ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓕᕆᔨᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᐅᔪᓄᑦ. ᑲᑎᒪᔩᑦ ᐊᖏᓚᐅᖅᐸᖓᑦ ᕕᕈᐊᕆ 2017–ᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ, ᕙᐃᔅᐳᒃᑯᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᒥ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐱᐅᒋᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖃᕐᓂᕆᔭᖓᓂ, ᖁᖓᕐᔪᐊᒃᑲᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᖃᕐᓂᖓᓂ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᔪᙱᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒃᑎᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᒥᑭᒋᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᑎᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᐅᔾᔨᔨᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ. "ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖃᓕᑐᐊᕌᖓᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓄᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦᑎᐊᕐᔪᐊᖅᐸᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑐᓴᕈᒥᓇᖅᑐᓂ ᓄᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᒦᓐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᒥ ᐅᑎᖅᑕᖅᐸᖕᓂᐅᔪᓂ, ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑕ ᐱᓕᖅᑭᒃᑕᕐᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᒪᑭᒪᔾᔪᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ," ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓕᕆᔨᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᖕᓄᑦ ᓯᐊᒻᒪᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᔪᒥ. ᓂᑉᐸᑕᓐᑎᐊᖅ ᐃᓚᒋᐊᖅᓯᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᔪᐊᒐᓐ, ᐊᑖᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑎᓴᒪᓄᑦ, "ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᔭᖃᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑐᓂᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖓᓂ." ᐅᖃᓪᓚᒃᖢᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᕐᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᔭᓄᐊᕆ 2018–ᒥ ᐃᒡᓗᕕᒐᓕᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᓂᖓᓂ ᖁᑦᑎᒃᑐᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᓄᑦ, ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, "ᐱᐅᒋᕙᕋ ᓱᕈᓰᑦ ᐃᔨᖏᑦ ᖃᐅᒻᒪᒃᐹᓪᓕᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᔭᕌᖓᒥᒃ, ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᑦᑎᓐᓂ." ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐊᐅᓪᓛᕐᓂᕆᕙᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ, ᐱᒋᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ 8-ᓂ 9–ᓂᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᓂᕐᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᔪᙱᓐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐊᑖᑕᖓᓂ: ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᕐᒥ ᑕᖅᑭᒥ ᐅᓪᓗᕆᐊᕐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᖢᓂ, ᐊᖑᓇᓱᖕᓂᕐᒥ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᓴᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᖅᑯᐊᒃᓴᓂᑦ. "ᑐᓂᓯᔪᓐᓇᕆᐊᖃᖅᐳᑎᑦ ᐅᖅᑯᐊᖑᔪᓂ ᐃᓚᔅᓯᓐᓄᑦ," ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ 2018–ᒥ. "ᐱᔪᓐᓇᙱᒃᑯᕕᑦ, ᐆᒪᔪᓐᓇᔾᔮᙱᓚᑎᑦ ᓂᒡᓚᓱᒃᑐᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖑᔪᒥ... ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᑦ ᐱᕈᖅᓴᔭᐅᕙᒋᐊᖃᖅᐳᑦ. ᐃᒡᓗᕕᒐᓕᐅᕈᓐᓇᕆᐊᖃᖅᐳᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒍᓐᓇᕐᓗᓂ."

ᔪᐊᒐᓐ ᐴᓪᑦ–ᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᖁᕐᓗᖅᑑᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᓇᖕᒪᒃᐳᖅ ᑐᒃᑑᑉ ᓇᒡᔪᖏᓐᓂ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓄᑦ– ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐊᐅᓪᓛᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ Contwoyto ᑕᓯᖓᓐᓂ. ᐊᐅᓪᓚᐅᔾᔨᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒃᑎᑦᑎᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᕿᑎᕐᒥᐅᓕᒫᒥ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ.

photo courtesy of the Bolt family

The late Jorgen Bolt of Kugluktuk hauling caribou antlers from one of his sport-hunting trips at Contwoyto Lake, For many years he was a guide for various outfitters throughout the Kitikmeot.

Don't sell Hope Bay to China, Yellowknife MLA warns 'So many risks' to growing Chinese interest in Arctic, says Rylund Johnson; Nunavut politicians' views vary

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Kitikmeot

Debate continues to simmer around the pending $149-million (U.S.) sale of TMAC Resources and control of the Kitikmeot Hope Bay gold property to Chinese-based Shandong Gold Mining.

Commenting on a previous Nunavut News article about the prospective deal, Yellowknife MLA Rylund Johnson strongly urged the Government of Canada to reject the purchase agreement.

"There is no benefit to the Inuit in having a Canadian colonizer swapped out for a Chinese one," Johnson wrote. "There are so many risks that come with allowing the Chinese government to increase influence in the Arctic, including the fact they are one of our main competitors in mining."

Johnson quoted a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report that warned against the purchase

of a different Canadian company by a Chinese stateowned enterprise – and Shandong Mining is also stateowned. The report warned of "vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, control over strategic sectors, espionage and foreign-influenced activities and illegal transfer of technology and expertise" as China strengthens its stake in Canada.

Johnson faulted the federal government for failing to invest enough in the Arctic.

"If Canada had real economic development corporations and gave the North's indigenous development corporations meaningful capital, then we could actually own some of our own resources as a country," he stated.

"As it is set up right now, China will keep stepping in when Canada fails to invest in its own development. Canada should not approve this sale for Arctic sovereignty reasons, but as a remedy for denying the sale they should give Inuit development cor-

porations the capital to buy and operate the mine themselves."

Cathy Towtongie, MLA for Rankin Inlet NorthChesterfield Inlet, referred to the potential deal as "very troubling," but for a different reason.

"There are two Canadians jailed in (China) over an issue of retaliation of Canada arresting an executive. Yet here in Nunavut, a mine is being sold," said Towtongie.

"We ought to be more vigilant than just selling out."

David Akeeagok, Nunavut's minister of mines and economic development, said he's confident that the federal government's review will "balance the complexities of this kind of transaction."

"All companies operating in Nunavut and in Canada must abide by the rules and regulations that permit their operations, from start-up to closure, regardless of ownership," Akeeagok said. "The Government of Nunavut continues to monitor the situation

closely and will work with the company to support sustainable development of our resources and provide opportunities to Nunavummiut that balance environmental concerns and economic benefits."

Akeeagok also noted that there are existing Inuit Impact Benefit Agreements in place with TMAC Resources to ensure employment opportunities for Nunavut Inuit well into the future.

John Main, MLA for Arviat North-Whale Cove, said if the federal government and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association's reviews of the deal allow it to proceed, then he doesn't have any concerns.

Main pointed out that private investment drives exploration and mining worldwide and Nunavut needs those investment dollars.

"We need Nunavut to be seen as a competitive, stable jurisdiction for investment.

I'm less concerned about the nationality of the companies working here and more concerned about whether the

industry as a whole provides sufficient benefit to our communities," he said.

Like Akeeagok, Main said there are established environmental and employment standards that Shandong Mining

would be required to meet.

He added that partnerships need to be forged between governments, Inuit organizations and industry to ensure more Nunavummiut are filling jobs at the mines.

14 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

Published Mondays Office: 626 Tumiit Plaza, Iqaluit, NU Box 28, X0A 0H0 Reporters: Rajnesh Sharma, Derek Neary, Rita Pigalak Advertising: Phone: (867) 979-5990 Fax: (867) 979-6010 Toll free: (855) 447-2584 Email: editor@nunavutnews.com Website: www.nnsl.com/nunavutnews Kivalliq office: Box 657, Rankin Inlet, NU, X0C 0GO Darrell Greer – Bureau Chief Phone: (867) 645-3223 Fax: (867) 645-3225 Email: kivalliqnews@nnsl.com Website: www.nnsl.com/kivalliqnews Production facilities: Box 2820, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R1 Phone: (867) 873-4031 Fax: (867) 873-8507 Email: editorial@nnsl.com advertising@nunavutnews.com circulation@nnsl.com Website: www.nnsl.com

Founder (1934-2018):

J.W. (Sig) Sigvaldason PUBLISHER, CEO: Bruce Valpy – valpy@nnsl.com Chief Financial Officer: Judy Triffo MANAGING EDITOR: Mike W. Bryant – bryant@nnsl.com ACCOUNTING: nnsladmin@nnsl.com Florie Mariano • Cindy Minor • Salleah Wagas Editorial board: Bruce Valpy • Mike W. Bryant • Brett McGarry NEWS EDITORS Brett McGarry Photo Editor: Emily McInnis - photo@nnsl.com Editorial Production: editorial@nnsl.com Sports: James McCarthy – sports@nnsl.com Arts: entertainment@nnsl.com Business: business@nnsl.com Advertising production Production co-ordinator: Jennifer Reyes Zdena Kunderlik •Randy Hiebert Joshua Uson • Wesley Cook ADVERTISING Baffin – Laura Whittle advertising@nunavutnews.com Kivalliq/Kitikmeot advertising@nnsl.com All departments: advertising@nnsl.com National: James Boylan Classified Advertising: classifieds@nnsl.com CIRCULATION – circulation@nnsl.com Circulation Director: Amy Yang Jewala Jhankur Subscriptions: One year mail $70 Online (entire content) $50/year, $35/6 months

NORTHERN NEWS SERVICES LIMITED 100% Northern owned and operated Publishers of: Inuvik Drum • Kivalliq News Yellowknifer • Hay River Hub NWT News/North • Nunavut News/North Member of: Canadian Community Newspapers Association Ontario Community Newspapers Association Manitoba Community Newspapers Association Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta Press Councils Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Contents copyright – printed in the North

by Canarctic Graphics Limited We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

Member of the Ontario Press Council. The Ontario Press Council was created to defend freedom of the press on behalf of the public and press alike and to consider specific, unsatisfied complaints from readers about the conduct of the press in gathering and publishing news, opinion and advertising.

Complaints should go to: The Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton St., Suite 1706 Toronto, Ont., M5B 1J3 Email: Info@ontpress.com Fax: 1-416-340-8724 www.ontpress.com

Send us your comments

Email us at: editorial@nnsl.com; mail to Box 28, Iqaluit, NU, X0A 0H0; or drop your letter off at our office at 102 Tumiit Plaza. All letters submitted must be signed with a return address and daytime telephone number so that we can confirm it came from you.

Not all letters will necessarily be published. Preference is given to short letters of broad interest or concern. Letters of more than 200 words, open letters and those published elsewhere are seldom used.

We reserve the right to edit for length or taste and to eliminate inaccurate or libelous statements.

Editorial & Opinions

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

wh mK5

Comments and views from NUNAVUT NEWS/north and letters to the editor

ᖃᓄᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂᒃ ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᒍᓱᖕᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᑲᑉᐱᕼᐃᓕᖅᑑᖅ ᒎᓗᒧᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᕕᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒫᓐᓇᓕᓴᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓴᐃᓃᓯᓂ ᒎᓗᒧᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᐅᔪᒥ Shandong ᒎᓗᒧᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᕐᔪᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᕐᔪᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑲᑕᖕᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᓄᕙᒡᔪᐊᕐᓇᖅ-19– ᒧᑦ ᐊᓯᐊᓂ ᓄᓇᒥᙶᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᖅᓵᖅᓯᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᑲᑉᐱᕼᐃᓕᖅᑑᕐᒥ TMAC ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓂ ᐊᑭᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᔪᒃᓴᐅᔪᒧᑦ, ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓇᒍ ᐸᓴᓇᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᐅᓂᖓᓂ, ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᔪᒥᒃ ᑖᒻ ᕼᐅᕗᕐ, ᐃᓯᒻᒥᖅᑐᐃᔨ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᓕᖕᓂ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᓂᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓯᒪᕙᖓ "ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᑭᒃᑯᓕᒫᓄᑦ." ᑕᒪᕐᒥᓕᒫᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᙱᓚᑦ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᖕᒪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑭᐅᓗᖕᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᓴᐃᓇᒥ. ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᐸᒃᑐᑦ, ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ CSIS ᑐᑭᒧᐊᒃᑎᑦᑎᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᙱᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᔪᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᒫᓐᓇᓕᓴᒥᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᕋᐃᓚᓐ ᔮᓐᓴᓐ, ᔭᓗᓇᐃᕝᒥ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᖃᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖏᓐᓂ. "ᓴᐃᓇ ᑕᑯᔪᒪᓂᖃᙱᑦᑎᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓇᒥᙶᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᒐᔪᙱᕕᒡᔪᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᖕᓂ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐊᑭᑦᑐᕋᐅᑎᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᑕᕝᕗᖓ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᒍᓂ...ᑲᓇᑕ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑎᖃᓪᓚᕆᒃᑯᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑐᓂᓯᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ

ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑕᐅᔪᓂ ᑐᑭᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᑭᑐᔫᑎᓂᑦ, ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕈᓐᓇᕋᔭᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᐅᓗᑕ," ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᔮᓐᓴᓐ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᑭᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᒥ "ᓴᐃᓃᓯᓂ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᓄᓇᕘᑉ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᕗᖅ ᐊᑲᐅᙱᓐᓂᐅᔪᒥ," ᒪᐃ 25–ᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ. ᔮᓐᓴᓐ, ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᒃᐳᒍᑦ, ᓇᓚᐅᑦᑎᑦᑎᐊᖅᐳᖅ. ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᑕᒪᐃᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᖃᙱᓚᖅ ᓈᒻᒪᒃᑐᒥ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂᒃ ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᐃᕗᖅ ᐊᖏᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᖕᒥ ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᒥ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ. ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᓚᐅᕈᑎᒃ ᑏᓂ ᓯᖃᓪᓕᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᐃᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ– ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑕᐅᔪᓂ, ᐊᓯᐊᒎᕈᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᕋᔭᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᖅᑎᐅᔪᓂ ᓴᐃᓃᓯᓂ-ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓐᓂᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᖅᑕᐅᔪᓂ SD ᒎᓗᒧᑦ. ᐱᐅᒋᓗᒍ ᐋᒃᑲᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᑲᓇᑕ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᐅᕗᖅ ᓄᓇᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᐅᒪᔪᒥ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᙱᑦᑑᔮᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓈᒻᒪᒃᑐᒥ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓯᔪᒪᙱᓚᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᑯᓂᖓ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᐅᔪᓂᑦ. ᑐᑭᓯᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ Wet'suwet'en ᐱᓂᕐᓗᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᐳᕆᑎᔅ ᑲᓚᒻᐱᐊᒥ, ᐱᖅᑯᓯᕆᙱᑖᓄᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᖃᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᕐᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᐅᔪᓂ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᙱᓚᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᐅᔪᓄᑦ. ᑐᑭᓯᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐋᔩᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᑦᑎᐊᙱᓐᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᑕᖃᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᒥ ᐱᑕᖃᙱᓗᐊᕐᓂᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᑐᑭᓯᐅᒪᓂᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓄᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᔪᒥ

ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ. ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᑲᑎᙵᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᖃᖓᓕᒫᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᑦᑎᓛᖑᕗᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᙱᓚᖅ ᑕᑯᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓄᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐆᒻᒪᑎᖓᓃᓐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᑲᐅᙱᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᔪᒥ. ᓱᓪᓗᑯᑖᓂ ᐅᐸᒃᑕᐅᑦᑕᐃᓕᒪᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐳᕆᑎᔅ ᑲᓚᒻᐱᐊᒥ, ᐊᕕᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᐃᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᒪᓂᓴᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᐋᓪᐴᑕᒥ ᐅᖅᓱᐊᓗᖕᒧᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᙱᓗᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᕿᓂᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, ᑲᓇᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᕐᔪᐊᖏᑦ ᓇᓕᒧᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᙱᑦᑑᔮᖅᐳᑦ ᐅᑯᓇᓂ ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ. ᐅᓇ ᑕᒃᓯᕐᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᓇᓗᓕᖅᓯᒪᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᓴᔪᒃᑎᑕᐅᕐᔪᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂᒃ ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔨᓕᐅᖅᑎᓂ ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᖕᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᒫᓐᓇ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᑦ ᖃᓱᓂᖃᓕᖅᐳᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᑭᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂᒃ ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᓕᐅᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓄᑦ, ᑲᒻᐸᓂᐅᒐᓗᐊᖅᐸᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᔪᒥ ᓈᓚᒃᑕᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᓪᓚᕆᒃᑐᒥ ᑭᓱᓕᒫᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔨᔨᐅᔪᒧᑦ. ᐅᓗᕆᐊᓇᕐᓂᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᐅᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐆᒪᙵᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᐅᔪᒥ: ᐅᓗᕆᐊᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕐᓂᖃᙱᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᓗᒃᑖᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᕈᓐᓃᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐅᓗᕆᐊᓇᕐᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᐅᙱᑦᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᓕᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ. ᐃᒪᐃᑦᑑᔮᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖅ ᕿᒪᒃᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᓱᒪᖅᓱᕐᓂᖃᕐᓇᑎᒃ.

Inuit investment in mining needed ous governments. While there was The Hope Bay gold mine in Nunaa clear communication failure on The issue: vut was recently acquired by Chithe federal government's end, there China owning Hope Bay mine nese gold mining company Shanis also a persisting lack of clarity on dong Gold Mining.

We say: resource development throughout As Canada's resource industry the country.

Needs Inuit oversight is rocked by the fallout from CovidNational unity is at an all time 19, the foreign mining firm has low and it is not hard to see that Johnson online in response to the scooped up Hope Bay from TMAC resource development is at the article "Chinese ownership of Nuna- heart of the issue.

Resources for what is likely a good vut’s resources stokes unease," in price, despite suspicious timing, From pipelines being blocked the May 25 Nunavut News. creating what Tom Hoefer, execuin B.C. to separatist flirtations in Johnson, we believe, has hit the tive director NWT and Nunavut Alberta over oil to the lack of explorChamber of Mines, has called "good nail on the head. ation in the territories, Canada and What mining in the North in news for everyone." its politicians seem unable to strike general lacks is proper Inuit invest- a balance between environmental Not everyone is happy though ment. as the purchase has generated a responsibility and developing a Mining represents a huge oppornational debate around Arctic sovernational economy. tunity for Inuit to have a stake in eignty and Canada's dealings with This fog of confusion has comthe development happening on China. pletely shaken investor confidence Geo-politics authors, federal MPs their land. If the federal government in Canada and now the mining comhad read the tea leaves and posand a former CSIS director have munity can't help but be relieved itioned itself to support Inuit-owned that at least someone is willing to been weighing in on the issue and development corporations, there recently so has Rylund Johnson, a invest in Canada's North, even if it Yellowknife MLA in the NWT's legis- could have been an alternative to is from a company controlled by an selling to the opportunistic Chinese- authoritarian communist dictatorlative assembly. government-backed SD Gold.

"China has no interest in seeing ship.

Like it or not, Canada is a our rare earth metals developed There is risk on both ends of this resource nation but it currently or any mine compete with their deal: the risk of a deal not hapown if it comes to that ... If Canada seems entirely unable or unwilling pening at all and all those jobs for to properly position itself to manage Northerners going belly-up and the had real economic development these resources. corporations and gave the North’s risk of a bad global actor getting its As it was clear with the Indigenous development corporahooks into Canada's resources and Wet'suwet'en disaster in British tions meaningful capital, then we Arctic sovereignty.

Columbia, colonial governments are could actually own some of our It seems the North wasn't left own resources as a country," stated not effectively dealing with Indigen- with much choice.

Northern News Services

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

editorial – opinions

All-star fishing derby ᐅᓇ ᐋᓖᓐ ᐃᒥᖓᒃ ᓵᓚᖃᖅᑎᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ 2020–ᒥ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᒥ ᐋᒻᐳᕉᔅ ᐊᕐᓇᕕᒐᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᒐᓱᖕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑕᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ. ᐋᓖᓐ ᐱᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ 10.8 ᐸᐅᓐᒥ ᐃᖃᓗᖓᓂ ᑭᑎᒐᒃ ᑕᓯᖓᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᑎᐊᑉ ᖃᓂᒋᔭᖓᓂ.

whmK5

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 15

ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᖅ ᐊᑦᑎᖅᓱᐃᓂᖅ: ᖃᐅᔨᒪᕕᓯᐅᒃ ᐃᓐᓇᑐᖃᖅᓯ? ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᖅᐲᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓇᓱᒃᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᒡᕙᓃᑐᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᖑᐊᕐᒦᑦᑐᑦ? ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᑦᑎᖅᓱᐃᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑕᐃᓐᓇ ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᓱᓂ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᓂᐊᖅᑕᐅᕕᖓᑦ ᓴᓇᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ, ᖃᓪᓗᓇᑎᑐᑦ, ᐅᐃᕖᖅᑎᑐᓪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᓗᓂ, ᑐᕋᒐᖃᖅᐳᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐃᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᖑᐊᕐᓃᑐᓂᒃ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖃᕐᕕᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᖁᖅᓯᓯᒪᕕᖓᓐᓂ ᑎᑎᖃᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᕕᓂᕐᓂᒡᓗ

ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᐋᑐᕚᒥ. ᓄᑕᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑎᑦᑎᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᐳᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᖁᑎᕕᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐸᐸᑦᑎᕕᖕᒥ (ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᕌᕈᑎᓕᒃ www.collectionscanada.ca/inuit-ᒥᒃ). ᑕᑯᒋᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᐸᐃᑦ. ᐊᑏᑐᖅ ᑐᔪᐃᓂᐊᖅᐳᑎᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᑎᑕᑦᑎᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᑯᓄᖓ ᐅᕙᓂ ᑐᕌᕈᑎᓕᖕᒥ photo@nnsl.com ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᑎᑎᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒧᑦ ᑐᔪᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᕗᖓ Box 2820, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2R1

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᓇᖏᖅᑐᑦ ᑐᐱᐅᑉ ᖃᓂᒋᔭᖓᓂ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, 1903.

Inuit family standing by a tupiq, Nunavut, 1903. MIKAN no. 3376284.

photo courtesy of Arlene Emingak

Here is Arlene Emingak who was the winner for the 2020 Annual Ambrose Aknavigak Memorial Fishing Derby for Omingmak Frolics in Cambridge Bay. Arlene caught her 10.8 pound fish at Kitigak Lake near Cambridge Bay.

Cambridge Bay Tea Talk with Navalik Tologanak email: helent@qiniq.com

UBLUKKUT. INUIN IQALUKTUUTIAMI NAAMAINNAQTURUT. UPINGNALIQMAN HILA ALIANAQHIJUQ. IMMAQTUT APKUTIT PIHIRIAMI. UULAPAKTUKNAQHIJUQ. INUIN TINGMIAKHIULIQTUT. QUANA INUIN NIQIKHANIK. ALAPPAAKNAIKMAN NUTAQQAT ANIIKPAKTUT UPLUK TAMAAT. PISIGAKTUTLU NUTAQQANNUIT QUANA. TAPKUAT UUKTUKTUT IQALUKHIUKTUT QUANA. PINGUUKPAKTUT HULI. INUIN TUPIKHUTIK NUNAMI ALIANAQHIJUQ. IKLUKPAKMIILIKTUTLU. TEETUGIAKPAKLUHI AKOLAILGOMI. KAGIKHOKMILU. TAAKHILAITMAN QAUMMAINNAQTUQ. TAMNA AANIARUT HAKUGIIKPALAAKMAN QABLUNAAT PULAAQPAKTUT QAILAIKMIJUTGUUK. UMIATLU. KIHIMI UMIAT AKJAKTUT NIQIKHANIK TAMAJANIKLU QAINAHUAT. TINGMIALIKIJIIT TIKIHIMAAKTUT AKJAQHUTIK

ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ street talk with Rita Pigalak in Gjoa Haven

NIQINIKLU NIUVIKVIINUT. QUANA IKAJUQPAKTUT. Welcome to springtime in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, the capital spot for potholes and puddles. Every year when the snow is melting the roads in town are full of potholes which makes it very difficult to drive our vehicles, so please be careful and safe. Lots of puddles which the kids enjoy riding through with their bicycles.

Now that winter is over here on the island, snow is melting very fast with warmer weather. The roads in town and to Gravel Pit and West Arm have been busy with traffic, everyone going out for a drive on their ATV's and some travel by snowmobile to go geese hunting and ice fishing out to the Arctic Ocean for a lovey day out on the land.

This time of year it is now 24-hour daylight, so it is important to wear sunglasses this time to avoid white-out. The ice road is quickly melting and soon will be not safe to drive on, please check daily on the ice conditions.

The annual Ambrose Aknavigak Memorial fishing derby was held and few residents took part in this fun outdoor activity in Cambridge Bay. Due to the Covid-19, the spring celebrations and festival has been cancelled which is usually held in May, but the fishing derby was still organized as it is a social-

"ᑭᓱᒥᒃ ᑭᖑᓂᖃᓛᕆᕕᐅᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ?"

Estelle Low/Library and Archives Canada photo

Project naming: Do you know your Elders?

Can you help identify the people in this old photograph?

Project Naming is a trilingual Web exhibition and searchable photographic database available in Inuktitut, English and French. The goal of this project is to identify Inuit in the photographic collections of distancing type of event.

This year's winners was an all female cast. Congratulations to all the ladies who participated. This year the winning prize went to Arlene Emingak who caught a 10.8 pound lake trout up at Kitigak Lake. She won $500 as first prize winner. Second prize went to Anna Wolki, third went to Lisa Otokiak, fourth to Michelle Van Den Brink, fifth to Hatok Mala, sixth to Tammy Omilgoetok.

Congratulations to all the fishers who went home with a fish.

With school being out due to the Covid19, work packages for each class at Kullik Elementary continue to be prepared by the teachers for their students.

ᕙᐅᔅ ᑕᒃᑭᕈᖅ: "ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᕋ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᓵᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᒐ."

Vause Takkiruk: "I miss my kindergarten teacher."

Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

The new information is added to these historical photographs at (www.collectionscanada.ca/inuit). Come visit.

Please send submissions to photo@nnsl. com or mail to Box 2820, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R1.

The Soup For The Soul Program is now done and big thank you to Qillaq Lodge and Wellness Centre staff for providing home cooked meals for the community. Now those in need of food can go to the local food bank at the Wellness Centre, please check for the hours it is open by contacting them at the Wellness Centre.

For those at HTO also were giving out caribou hooves, muskox hooves and lake trout for the community, big thank you for all you do for the Elders and the community. We hope you all enjoyed the caribou and omingmak hooves. I have yet to taste how the caribou hooves are, have you? Enjoy spring.

God Be With You Son.

ᐃᕙᓕᓐ ᔩ: "ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᒃᑲ ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᓕᒫᒃᑲ."

Evelyn Gee: "I miss all of my friends."

"What do you miss most about school?" ᕼᐃᐊᕆᐊᑦ ᑕᒃᑭᕈᖅ: "ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᕋ ᐃᖃᐃᓕᓴᕐᕕᒃ."

Harriet Takkiruq: "I miss the gym."

ᓵᓚᑦ ᐋᓗᒃ: "ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᕋ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᓂ, ᓇᐃᓴᐅᓯᕆᓂᕐᒥ, ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᒃᑲ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᒐ."

Charlotte Aaluk: "I miss reading books, doing math, my friends and my teacher."

ᐋᓕᐊ ᐋᓗᒃ: "ᓄᑲᕋ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᑎᕙᒃᐸᕋ ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᕋ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒃ."

Alia Aaluk: "I tell my sister everyday that I miss school."

ᐆᓂ ᐳᐊᑐᕐ: "ᐅᓪᓗᓕᒫᖅ ᑭᐱᙳᕗᖓ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕆᕙᕋ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᒃᑲ."

Ernie Porter: "I'm bored all day and I miss doing school work and my friends."

16 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

news

ᓄĪØflî

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Iqaluit to write GN over Covid funds Council passes motion to support ITK in call for equitable relief

by Rajnesh Sharma

Northern News Services

Iqaluit

Iqaluit's mayor will soon be writing to the Government of Nunavut to review emergency Covid funding for Nunavummiut after a May 26 city council meeting.

During the meeting, Councillor Sheila Flaherty proposed the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program needs to better reflect the cost of living in Nunavut.

CERB is a federal program to help Canadians who have been finan-

cially impacted by Covid-19.

"I would like council to adopt a motion to allow our mayor to write a letter to the Government of Canada," said Flaherty.

She stressed the CERB program needed to take Nunavummiut's cost of living into consideration.

Coun. Romeyn Stevenson informed the council that Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) has been dealing quite intensively with the federal government regarding the CERB issue highlighted by Flaherty.

Coun. Kyle Sheppard agreed

with Flaherty’s motion but suggested the letter should be written to ITK instead of the federal government.

"They can use our support, potentially as leverage in their work with the federal government," he explained.

Sheppard said Mayor Kenneth Bell should write a letter to the GN relating to the clawing back of income assistance in relation to CERB. The GN plans to reduce income support from those receiving CERB, he added.

"Those Nunavummiut, who are legitimately receiving this federal benefit, who may also be on income assistance now, are having their

income assistance clawed back," he said.

According to the GN, Nunavummiut are not eligible for CERB if their only income for the last year has been from income assistance payments. However, if one has earned more than $5,000 in the last 12 months from other employment, the individual is eligible.

People who lose their jobs due to Covid-19 are required to apply for CERB before applying for income assistance.

Anyone who quits their job voluntarily is not eligible for CERB, according to a statement from the GN on May 13.

During the May 14 press conference, Premier Joe Savikataaq also

reminded Nunavummiut that CERB is considered income and not free money.

Sheppard pointed out that other territorial governments are not clawing back income assistance from those receiving CERB. "If action is going to be taken, I would like to see it to encourage the Government of Nunavut to revisit that decision," he added.

On May 26, the motion was passed for Mayor Bell to write letters to both ITK and GN .

Janet Brewster, the deputy mayor of Iqaluit, said she fully supports ITK's efforts to lobby the government for equitable access to all federal funding related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Judge overrules judge in firearms case New decision prohibits offender from having guns for three years

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

Iqaluit

Warning of the danger of improperly stored firearms, a Nunavut judge has reversed a previous decision that didn’t impose a firearms prohibition on an offender.

In her May 22 decision, Justice Susan Cooper ruled that an Iglulik man who had been drinking and left a loaded .22 rifle in his porch won’t be able to use firearms for three years.

The man routinely left the rifle under some clothes in the crawlspace of his home, where his wife and children also resided.

"This suggests not just a momentary lapse of judgment in the handling of the firearm but a lax attitude in general," Cooper wrote. "Unfortunately, firearms are too often picked up and used improperly; most often when someone is drunk and distraught. Many of those incidents end without injury; some end tragically. In many of the cases, as in this case, the offender has little or no recollection of the incident.

"It is for this reason that firearm owners must turn their minds to proper storage at all times and make it a matter of habit. The more layers and steps that a person has to go through to access their properly stored firearms and ammunition, the less likely it is that the firearm

will be taken up in a drunken state.

"Firearm owners must know that instances of improper handling and storage of a firearm will be treated seriously by the court. They must know that the misuse of firearms carries with it not only the risk of a criminal record, but also the potential of forfeiture of the firearm itself and, perhaps most importantly, loss of the privilege to own and possess a firearm.

"It is this knowledge of the potential for serious consequences, including the loss of the ability to hunt and provide for family, that will hopefully deter firearm owners from handling and storing firearms without the utmost care and diligence."

The offender had been found guilty of careless storage of a firearm during his court trial, but he was granted an absolute discharge, an outcome that the Crown appealed and Cooper found "inadequate" and lacking an explanation.

The man has a criminal record that included 2011 convictions for careless use of a firearm and possession of a firearm while prohibited. "...the fact remains that the prior conviction showed a cavalier attitude towards firearms," Cooper stated.

At the conclusion of the trial, the Crown sought a three-month conditional sentence, followed by six-to-nine months of probation and a

"...ᖁᑭᐅᑎᓂ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᖏᓐᓂ ᓴᖑᑎᑦᑎᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᐳᑦ ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᓕᒫᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᓕᕆᓕᒪᓕᖅᑕᐅᑎᓂᐅᓗᓂ," ᐃᖅᑲᖅᑐᐃᔨ ᓲᓴᓐ ᑰᐸ ᑎᑎᕋᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᐃ 22–ᒥ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐊᕆᔭᖓᓂ.

NNSL file photo

"...Firearm owners must turn their minds to proper storage at all times and make it a matter of habit," Justice Susan Cooper wrote in her May 22 decision. five-year firearms ban.

The defence lawyer requested a conditional discharge.

"I conclude that it would be contrary to the public interest to grant a discharge in the circumstances of this case and this offender," Cooper wrote in her decision.

In addition to overturning the absolute discharge, Cooper entered a conviction and issued a suspended sentence and nine months probation. However, the probation order was stayed due to the length of time between Cooper’s appeal decision and the man’s January 2019 discharge.

news

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 17

Aurora College might not be ready for in-person classes in September Post-secondary institutions can't reopen until 'phase three'

by Blair McBride

Northern News Services

NWT

Questions about classes opening at Aurora College in September remain unanswered for now but the college plans to make a final decision shortly.

The GNWT has permitted elementary and high schools to reopen under the first phase of its Emerging Wisely lockdown recovery plan, but adult colleges present higher health risks than children's schools. Therefore, postsecondary institutions will only be allowed to reopen in the plan's third phase.

That phase can begin after a possible second wave of Covid cases in Canada and the United States has passed, which Emerging Wisely stated could occur between August and October.

Aurora is looking at three options for September, said college president Andy Bevan. "(1) Covid-19 measures have been lifted, and operations return to normal; (2) phase three is not reached,

and all programming that is offered is delivered by distance; (3) we start in or transition into phase three during the academic year, and Covid-19 response measures allow or require a mix of remote and in-person instruction. We have been planning for each of these options."

Bevan said much of the college's programming has already been moved to distance formats in the latter part of the 2019-2020 academic year in case all or many of the programs will be delivered by distance in September.

Considering that many programs at Aurora involve hands-on and practicum components, such as nursing and trades courses, Bevan said the college is "looking at how our normal academic schedules and activities may need to be adjusted to ensure we include all necessary elements of programs are included."

Bevan didn't provide details on how those adjustments might be made, but a GNWT spokesperson said details are being worked out and more information will be available in the near future.

Chief public health officer Kami Kandola explained to reporters on May 14 that she's open to creative solutions on reducing the health risks of adult college environments.

"If Aurora College can come up with a plan on minimizing risk while providing support, we’re open to that.

But, specific to health, it can be difficult to physically distance around demos or models. How would they decrease the risk? We would consider it but colleges or universities would be overcrowding."

Applications continue to be accepted for student financial aid, said Jacqueline McKinnon, spokesperson with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Adjustments have been made to the online application process to reduce in-person interactions and students can receive further assistance over the phone, McKinnon said.

Loan payment deferrals will remain in place until the end of September, with interest accumulation suspended during this time.

NNSL file photo

Andy Bevan, president of Aurora College, said a decision will be made in the near future about the status of classes in September.

Rapid Covid-19 kits in use in NWT, but most tests still shipped to Alberta Officials have asked other provinces to help with shortage of testing cartridges

by Blair McBride

Northern News Services

Somba K'e/Yellowknife

Two GeneXpert rapid Covid-19 testing kits are now in use at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.

Health Minister Diane Thom told the Legislative Assembly May 26 that the hospital now has 40 test cartridges on hand.

"The GeneXpert test, which is the point of care, this is rapid testing, so the turnaround time for those tests is about an hour," Thom said. "Right now, we have supplies in for 40 (cartridges) a week with that, and we continue to receive weekly supplies."

Dr. Sarah Cook, territorial medical director at the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA), said the equipment went into use about a week earlier.

Cook was speaking at a weekly Covid-19 briefing, alongside chief public health officer Dr. Kami Kandola, almost one week after the NWT began the first phase of its Emerging Wisely lockdown recovery strategy.

The news about the kits, which are capable of processing results of nasal swabs in less than an hour, came a week after Cook said the devices had not yet been validated for use.

A national shortage of cartridges for the GeneXpert kits means that for now only patients in the NWT deemed most in need of fast results will be tested with the devices.

"They’re not being rolled out for everybody who’s being swabbed. We have to prioritize how the GeneXperts are used.

The hope is to eventually have enough (cartridges) to run all tests rapidly but the majority will still be going to Alberta until we have a better supply of those cartridges," Cook explained.

The priority is on patients and staff in long-term care and corrections facilities, homeless shelters, those who are marginally housed and individuals in group homes and mining camps, said Lisa Giovanetto, NTHSSA spokesperson.

Other priority individuals are symptomatic patients in hospital without an alternative diagnosis, symptomatic people living in a cabin community and symptomatic individuals who have had known contact with a confirmed positive case of Covid-19.

Standard Covid tests must have their swabs sent to a laboratory in Alberta and it can take up to one week for results to be known, according to the Department of Health and Social Services (HSS).

"We’re doing everything we can to advocate for more tests kits in the NWT, and we’ve reached out to other provinces to consider giving us more cartridges. We want to be able to test everyone rapidly, sooner than later," Cook said.

Kandola said the NWT is not at the point of mass testing of asymptomatic residents, a method that can be effective in slowing the spread of the virus because it identifies carriers of Covid who could be unknowingly infecting others.

For now, the testing of asymptomatic individuals will focus on those deemed highest risk, she said.

"We want to reserve tests for people who meet expanded case definition of symptoms for Covid-19. If we were going to look at screening people who are asymptomatic, we would consider the highest-risk which is travel-related risk," said Kandola.

"We're still seeing over 1,000 (new) cases (per day) occurring in Canada. Even with that we wouldn't screen everyone. We would consider screening of health care workers going into small communities."

Emerging Wisely states that a complete return to normality in the NWT would come after a coronavirus vaccine is available, which is expected to take 12-18 months. However, Kandola said an effective treatment for Covid could allow some restrictions to be relaxed earlier than that.

"An effective anti-viral treatment that could help relax these restrictions. I was here during the H1N1 response. That was a pandemic influenza and we had an effective anti-viral Tamiflu (that shortened) the duration and severity (of the virus)."

She thanked residents for following the rules as the territory transitioned into phase one of the recovery plan, but warned against complacency.

"There is no approved vaccine or proven treatment. Until we have these we’re going to be asking a lot from you," she said.

May 20 marked one full month since all five of the NWT's confirmed cases of Covid-19 were deemed recovered. At least 2,048 tests have been conducted to date and the results of 31 tests were pending at the time, according to HSS. The GNWT will seek about $22,080 in reimbursement from its southern supplier for more than 5,000 KN95 masks that had been recalled by Health Canada.

Out of 7,000 masks the GNWT ordered, it had already paid for a shipment of 5,520 of them, said GNWT spokesperson Trista Haugland.

"The GNWT will not be accepting the remaining 1,480 masks that are on back order," she said.

Health Canada issued the recall on May 11 because the ordered batch didn't meet the 95 per cent filtration specifications for medical respirators in Canada, the GNWT said in a news release.

KN95 masks are the Chinese version of the American-made

N95 masks and are designed for use in the health-care sector and in some industrial settings.

The masks were purchased for use in maintaining essential services and for working in emergency management scenarios and not for medical purposes, said Ivan Russell, director of the public safety division with Municipal and Community Affairs.

photo courtesy Cepheid

A technician is depicted using a Cepheid GenExpert express testing device in a promotional brochure published on the manufacturer's website.

Public health officials say the technology is being used to test patients for Covid-19 in the NWT, but most tests are still being shipped to Alberta for diagnosis.

18 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

news

ᓄĪØflî

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

GN needs to step up in economic recovery: MLAs Territorial government should assume leadership role in steering the economy forward, Angnakak and Main urge

by Derek Neary

Northern News Services

fact file

Government of Nunavut funding during Covid-19

• The GN has $823,000 available in support through the Department of Economic Development and Transportation's Small Business Support Program. Small businesses can apply for up to $5,000 to assist with short-term working capital costs.

• The Department of Economic Development and Transportation made an initial investment of $70,600 to have the Nunavut Development Corporation produce non-medical masks for public use.

• The Department of Community and Government services provided $2 million to help cover increased municipal expenses related to Covid-19.

• The GN made a $1-million contribution – part of a joint $2-million contribution with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated – for community food programs for children and Elders. Funds were distributed directly to hamlets.

• Through the Department of Environment's Community Harvester Support Program, the GN provided $625,000 in support to hunters and trappers by allocating $25,000 to each hunter and trappers organization across Nunavut.

• Through the Department of Education, the GN allocated a total of $885,000 to child care, to cover licensed care facilities' parental fees.

• The GN is also providing financial support to airlines servicing Nunavut.

Source: Department of Economic Development and Transportation

Nunavut

The Government of Nunavut should play a key role in guiding the territory to an economic recovery as the threat of Covid-19 subsides, according to a couple of MLAs. In the NWT, the government released The Emerge Stronger Plan on April 29. It's a draft strategy for economic and social recovery from the pandemic. The plan encompasses options for diversifying the economy, expanding local production and strengthening supply chains. The GNWT is also committed to establishing a Covid-19 business advisory council.

Lewis Falkiner-Mackay, director of policy, planning and communications with the GN's Department of Economic Development and Transportation, said the Nunavut government's recent focus has been on "preparation, adaptation and mitigation" relating to the virus. That has included some infusions of money into the territorial economy.

"Consideration of further measures targeting economic recovery is ongoing, including reviewing the measures adopted in other jurisdictions," Falkiner-Mackay stated.

Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu MLA Pat Angnakak said she hopes

ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖃᕐᔪᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑖᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᐅᓴᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᔨᐅᔪᓂ ᓇᑉᐸᖅᑎᕆᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᒥ, ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ ᐅᐊᖕᓇᒥ-ᑎᑭᕋᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᔪᒥ ᔮᓐ ᒪᐃᓐ. ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ– ᓂᐊᖁᙴᒥ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎ ᐹᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᒃᑲᖅ ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᕐᐳᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᓪᓗᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᔪᕆᖅᓱᐃᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᓂ ᐅᑎᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᐅᓗᕆᐊᓇᕐᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᕙᒡᔪᐊᕐᓇᖅ-19 ᓄᖑᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ.

NNSL file photo

There's plenty of room for improvement in hiring local workers for construction projects and in the mining industry, says Arviat North-Whale Cove MLA John Main. He and Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu MLA Pat Angnakak believe that the territorial government should help guide Nunavut businesses into recovery as the threat of Covid-19 fades. the GN monitors what the GNWT is doing and the formation of an economic recovery steering committee would be worth consideration.

"I feel the GN has a role to play when it comes to our economy – even in the

best of times it’s hard for the average Nunavut business to succeed," said Angnakak. "I feel the GN will be needed to play a leadership role in steering the economy forward and Nunavummiut will have some expectations that their government will be there to help them through this difficult time, having access to business financial subsidies, increasing employment opportunities and providing better mental health access to deal with the stress of the changes need to be in place."

Arviat North-Whale Cove MLA John Main agrees that territorial government action is needed to help workers and Nunavut enterprises rebound from the coronavirus lockdown, even though the federal government has been "leading the way."

In the legislative assembly prior to the advent of Covid-19, MLAs were already discussing the potential for a direct government subsidy for airlines. That's even more critical now as the airlines, which are an essential service for Nunavummiut, are fighting for survival, according to Main.

"I do believe that subsidy should come from the federal government," he said, adding that the GN should be pushing for it.

He said the GN can be a facilitator as Nunavut businesses seek to access aid from the Government of Canada.

"It wouldn't cost a lot of money to act as an intermedi-

ary and try and help Nunavut businesses access as much of that federal money as possible," said Main.

He's also hopeful that Covid will be the catalyst to get more local workers hired, particularly in construction and mining, rather than to hire employees from the south.

"It could put a shot in the arm of people who are looking for work and keep more benefits in the community as well as reducing need for imported labour, which, I think, goes towards a pandemic response," he said.

"There's a ton of room for improvement within mining (for hiring Nunavummiut)."

With tourism and hospitality being among the hardest hit of industries, Main suggested that the GN could assist Nunavut businesses stay ready as domestic travellers eventually explore Canada – including the Arctic – on vacations rather than heading abroad.

"We need to sure that tourism operators across Nunavut are in a place to take advantage," he said. "We need to make sure that they don't die, basically, in the meantime, during this hard, hard time for them."

Wage subsidies, loan guarantees and make-work projects are among the measures that could help sustain local tourism operators in the interim "Ideally, you would have supports that are being rolled out after consultation with industry," he said.

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 19

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Around the North

If you have an item of interest from your community, call (867) 873-4031, or email: editorial@nnsl.com

Mountain or molehill?

photo courtesy of Lawrence Norbert

"Man, that's the LAST TIME I go mountain climbing with you at Tsiigehtchic," Lawrence Norbert joked as he described this picture of the break-up on the Mackenzie River near the Delta community May 24. "Where's my oxygen mask?!"

Time for preschool

Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson There's the possibility that schools may be open when the new school year rolls around and that means registrations are happening.

The Open Doors Society in Fort Simpson is now accepting sign-ups for its 2020-2021 preschool year. Children must be at least three years of age and must either be fully potty-trained or in the process of being trained. The start date for a child depends on how old they are; for example, if a child turns three in October, they can begin in October and so on.

All registrations must include a copy of the child's birth certificate and health care card.

– James McCarthy

Motivational storytelling project in Ulukhaktok Ulukhaktok/Holman Aurora College Community Learning Centre in Ulukhaktok is making a call out to anyone interested in joining a motivational video project. The goal would be to share traditional, cultural or historical stories and preserve traditional knowledge in a fun and uplifting way.

In total, the college is hoping to gather five stories from each community. Residents can either arrange to have a story recorded or record it themselves and email it in. Alternatively, stories can be written out and recorded by a speaker later.

Along with the story, anyone interested is asked to include pictures or videos if available. The top three stories will be eligible for a yet-to-be-determined prize. Anyone interested should contact Elizabeth Kiy at elizabeth.kiy@auroracollege.nt.ca.

– Eric Bowling

Things start to open

Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson Phase one of the NWT's re-opening is well and truly underway and the recreation department in Fort Simpson is slowly taking the wraps off of some of its inventory.

The outdoor facilities owned by the village, including the ball fields, playgrounds and skate park, opened for business on May 25. The community is slated to open today, June 1, for

groups of up to 10 people while the Front Foyer Youth Area is also scheduled to open up to groups of no more than 10 early this month.

There are no pets allowed on the ball fields due to owners not picking up after their pets in past years.

– James McCarthy

Scholarships up for grabs

Dehcho Coming up with the cash for post-secondary education is always a chore but one company is looking to give a helping hand.

NorZinc is offering two scholarships worth $3,000 a piece to Dehcho Dene beneficiaries and are planning on attending college or university of some sort. Those who apply must demonstrate a financial need and show academic excellence, among other things.

The full application package can be obtained by contacting the Dehcho First Nations office and the deadline to apply is June 30.

– James McCarthy

Trail work begins

Lli Goline/Norman Wells The Canol Trail is getting a bit of a facelift and it all began late last month.

Norman Wells' public works department started a resurfacing of the section along the Canol, which is part of the Great Trail of Canada, formerly known as the Trans-Canada Trail.

The town is asking people not to use the trail until the work has been completed.

– James McCarthy

Essay contest in Aklavik with $100 prize Aklavik A local filmmaker working on a video project on how climate change is affecting the area around Aklavik is putting out the call for a local writer to pen a short essay on the importance of education about both climate change and traditional knowledge.

Authors will remain anonymous but must be an Aklavik resi-

dent. Judging will be based on creativity, how clear the writing is and effective use of words. Essays must be a maximum of 300 words.

Should the author wish to not be anonymous, they have the option of being featured in the video explaining their viewpoint.

Anyone interested should contact Jessi Pascal at jessipascal26@ gmail.com.

Deadline to enter is Friday, May 29 at 6 p.m.

– Eric Bowling

Your opinion wanted

Lli Goline/Norman Wells The Town of Norman Wells is also working on its Community Plan and Zoning and By-Law Renewal project.

The town has taken to social media to ask people for their thoughts on various aspects of the project, most recently looking for comments on the location of the town. Residents were asked to give their answers to such questions as the advantages and disadvantages of living there, why they chose to be there and what made people stay.

It was the second week of such discussions and they are scheduled to continue for the near future.

– James McCarthy

Covid-19 testing clinic adjusts hours Thebacha/Fort Smith Over the past few weeks, Fort Smith has seen a significant reduction in the number of patients requiring testing for Covid-19.

Effective May 16, the Fort Smith Covid-19 Offsite Screening Clinic adjusted its regularly scheduled weekend and statutory holiday hours to an on-call service, according to an announcement from the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority.

The Covid-19 offsite clinic will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority noted that, if there were to be a sudden increased demand for Covid-19 testing, the clinic will adjust service levels in response.

– Paul Bickford

news

20 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWT not out of woods: premier

Covid-19 still presents challenge to GNWT

by Blair McBride

Northern News Services

Somba K'e/Yellowknife

Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Scooting toward re-opening

Seven-year-old Dominique Lajoie enjoys a scooter ride around the skate park on May 22, after the Town of Hay River started reopened outdoor recreational facilities at the end of May.

Premier Caroline Cochrane told MLAs Tuesday that the challenges of Covid-19 aren't over yet, as the second session of the 19th Legislative Assembly returned for the first time since the assembly sitting was suspended in March because of the pandemic.

Proceedings looked quite different than they did two months previously, with hand sanitizer offered to all entrants inside the assembly building and the gallery in the Chamber closed to members of the public. All MLAs and cabinet members filed into the Chamber wearing face masks until the proceedings began. They then sat in accordance with physical distancing rules.

In her opening sessional statement, Premier Caroline Cochrane outlined the facts of the pandemic situation and how her government has faced it.

Cochrane listed some of the forms of assistance her government has undertaken with the help of the federal government, including $8.7 million in funding for northern airlines, $13.2 million in low-interest loans for Covid-affected businesses through the Business Development and Investment Corporation and $5 million for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for temporary housing for homeless people.

The premier thanked and recognized the efforts of essential workers such as truckers, grocery store and pharmacy workers, child care workers, law enforcement,

and airline employees who have "continued to keep the Northwest Territories moving."

While acknowledging that the challenges of the pandemic aren't over yet, she expressed her confidence that NWT residents can manage the situation and emerge stronger.

Health Minister Diane Thom said it was likely the territory will experience more cases of coronavirus and that community spread could occur.

"We are calling on residents to accept that some measures will be in place for a long time," she said.

During question period, Julie Green, MLA for Yellowknife Centre, asked Thom about availability in the NWT of personal protective equipment (PPE).

"We need to prepare for the second wave (of Covid) and we need to prepare PPE when flu season comes," said Thom. "The idea is to continue to stockpile. Some places only have enough PPE for a few days, so we know when to send it out. Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) is working on distributing PPE to Indigenous groups in the communities."Â Kevin O'Reilly, MLA for Frame Lake asked Cochrane if ministers would receive letters related to her government's 2019-2023 mandate, which seeks new housing units, action on climate change and economic diversification.

The premier said new mandate letters for cabinet ministers factoring in the pandemic are being drafted and will be made public.

Let the games begin news

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 21

Town approves reopening plan for outdoor recreational facilities

by Paul Bickford

Northern News Services

Hay River

Hay River town council has approved a plan to reopen the community's outdoor recreational facilities.

The decision at the May 19 online meeting of council came after the plan was presented by recreation director Stephane Millette, based on his review of Emerging Wisely, the GNWT's plan to ease Covid-19 restrictions.

A key part of phase one of Emerging Wisely for sports and recreation is it allows outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people.

The town reopened its playgrounds, ball fields and the skate park last week.

"What we are proposing to do is to encourage responsible outdoor activities and to concentrate the efforts of our staff and the bulk of our expenses towards parks and green space maintenance, but also programming," Millette said, noting the initial phases of Emerging Wisely emphasize outdoor activities.

"We're looking to support a gradual return of user group activities, such as softball, soccer, golf, boating, fishing and the Fisherman's Wharf, which are all identified in phase one of the Emerging Wisely plan," he added.

Millette said the town wants to offer some outdoor recreation and leisure programming like the social paddle on the Hay River and fitness classes.

"Some of the programming that we usually offer through the summer I believe we can still offer through some of our regular staff, but it will be reduced and it will be offered outdoors," he said.

The popular Summer Heat program for young people won't be offered this year.

Millette noted Summer Heat is mainly an indoor summer camp at the Hay River Community Centre with some outdoor activities.

"That's just not an option for this year," he said.

Millette explained the community centre is a multi-use building and some of the uses are identified in different phases of Emerging Wisely.

"So it becomes difficult to plan around dates when it's possible that we are looking at such a late timeline and something that is so unpredictable," he said.

"I feel we have a very viable second option as an outdoor summer camp park program which would allow families to register their kids for the service ... It would be similar to Summer

Heat, but would be delivered at the parks rather than at one central facility."

Millette noted the town's plan has received approval from Dr. Kami Kandola, the NWT's chief public health officer, who released Emerging Wisely.

"Overall, I was pretty impressed with their approach and their plan," said Kandola during her weekly media conference on May 20.

"They had looked at each situation thoroughly," she said, adding the town's plan put forward the right parameters based on Emerging Wisely.

"And so well done, Hay River."

Millette's plan also met with a favourable response from council.

"Overall, I'm in favour of getting back to as much of a normal as we can, while following recommendations and advice and an approved plan of the chief medical officer," said Coun.

Keith Dohey. "I think that's been the best way to handle this all along."

Mayor weighs in Mayor Kandis Jameson noted that one of Kandola's comments was that it's not reasonable for anybody to think the town could staff parks or green spaces all the time.

"There's no perfect plan, I'm sure, unless you have somebody standing there all the time and there's no way to close our facilities," said Jameson. "So I think people just have to remember to be vigilant and think about that (the coronavirus) stays on metal equipment for a long time."

Deputy mayor Robert Bouchard asked about the possibility of erecting signs advising people about safety precautions, such as using hand sanitizers.

"The Emerging Wisely plan does have guidelines specifically for signage," Millette noted.

"And for playgrounds and green spaces, we have developed a cleaning and disinfection protocol that was approved by Dr. Kandola."

Indoor recreational facilities in Hay River will remain closed.

Emerging Wisely targets reopening such indoor facilities in its phase two in mid-to-late June, including swimming pools for instruction certification. Pools would reopen to the public in phase three of Emerging Wisely at a time to be determined.

The town is hoping to open the new Fisherman's Wharf Pavilion with restrictions in July.

Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Kaleb Lajoie, four, enjoys a tricycle ride around the skate park May 22.

Town bills MACA for evacuation Territorial government has agreed to cover extraordinary expenses

by Paul Bickford

Northern News Services

Hay River

Under an agreement with the Town of Hay River, the territorial government will be covering most of the expenses for the evacuation of Vale Island as it was threatened by flooding during spring breakup early this month.

Glenn Smith, the town's assistant senior administrative officer, said around $40,000 will be covered by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA).

"That's the majority of the expenses associated with the breakup," said Smith on May 22.

The expenses were for things like hotel accommodations for evacuees, transportation and food.

"We worked out an understanding with the GNWT and specifically the Department of MACA, all on covering the costs that were associated with the evacuation activities," said Smith.

It is the town's first arrangement of its kind with MACA because of the unique challenges of the Covid-19 crisis, he added.

Those challenges included the need to place evacuating households in separate digs.

"Usually we rely on public facilities for accommodations," said Smith. "It's probably a unique scenario that we haven't seen before where there was an identified need to use private accommodations."

Plus, he noted it was probably rare that people were evacuated out of Hay River.

"And that is the responsibility of the territorial government," he noted.

There are an estimated 190 households and over 450 people living on Vale Island, which includes West Channel and Old Town.

About 362 individuals from about 153 households evacuated in case of flooding that never actually happened.

The evacuees were accommodated in various places, including 76 hotel rooms in Hay River.

Nine households totalling 24 people stayed in an RV park set up at the Hay River Community Centre, while others stayed in private accommodations.

Six households with a total of 15 people

drove to hotels in Yellowknife.

Smith noted that the evacuation was only for two nights, which decreased the cost.

Planners assumed evacuees could be away from Vale Island for up to a week.

"There was reduced demand associated with sending people out of Hay River to Yellowknife," Smith said. "There were no charter plane expenses, as an example."

The expenses for the town will be minimal, he noted, explaining it benefitted from volunteers for such things as monitoring the river.

During the May 19 online meeting of council, Judy Goucher, the town's senior administrative officer, said it's hoped there will be a quick turnaround on reimbursement from MACA so that the town can pay all of the bills for services provided during breakup.

A spokesperson for MACA explained the department, through the Emergency Management Organization (EMO), supports local authorities during emergencies.

That support is normally provided when the emergency response requirements exceed the capacity of a community, or it requests assist-

ance due to other factors beyond its control, like sending evacuees to a different community.

"The EMO does assume the costs for those additional requirements, such as transportation to the host location and costs for the hosting arrangements," said the spokesperson.

Hay River has group shelters as part of its emergency plan that normally would have been sufficient, the MACA official added in written responses to questions from News/North.

"With the Covid-19 situation and public health measures in place, the community emergency plan was adapted identifying a need for additional capacity to host evacuees in order to comply with the group gathering and social distancing requirements under the chief public health office orders.

"This adaptation to their plan meant that there were not enough appropriate spaces in Hay River to accommodate all potential evacuees."

In accordance with the NWT Emergency Plan, the town requested assistance from MACA/EMO for hosting evacuees and the territorial government assumed responsibility for those arrangements.

22 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Sports & Recreation Sports hotline • James McCarthy Phone: (867) 873-4031 • Email: sports@nnsl.com • Fax: (867) 873-8507

Hooked on a feeling ᓈᑕᓇᐃᓕ ᖃᓗᔾᔭᖅ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᖃᓗᐊᓗᖕᒥ ᐃᕐᓂᖓᑕ,, ᑐᕈᐊᐃ (ᐳᖕ ᐳᖕ) ᖃᓗᔾᔭᖅ, ᐱᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓᓂ ᖁᑦᑎᓛᖑᔪᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᒐᓱᖕᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐆᒃᑐᕋᖅᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᖓᓂ, ᒪᐃ 19–ᒥ.

Nathaniel Kaludjak holds up the whopper his son, Troy (Pung Pung) Kaludjak, landed to take top spot in the fishing derby in Rankin Inlet on measuring day, May 19. photos courtesy of Susan Hickes

Annual fishing derby in Rankin Inlet goes well despite storm

by Darrell Greer

Northern News Services

Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet

And so the first event of the Covid-19 era is in the books and everything went according to plan.

The only problem was the weather.

The annual Rankin Inlet Fishing Derby went off without a hitch from May 15-18, despite a different approach due to restrictions in connection with the ongoing Covid-19 situation.

Young fisher Troy Ka1udjak took top spot and its $10,000 prize for his catch measuring 45.5 inches, while Solomon Ford and Iris Tatty-Tanuyak tied for second ($7,000 each) with their catches of 44 7/8 inches and Oscar Airut claimed fourth place ($5,000) at 44 5/8 inches.

Rounding out the winners were Amber Irwin in fifth place ($4,000) at 44.5 inches, Nathaniel Kaludjak in sixth ($3,000) at 44 inches, Richard Nattar in seventh ($2,000) at 43 13/16 inches and Chris Eccles in eighth place ($1,000) at 43 1/8 inches.

Derby committee member Susan Hickes said the derby went well despite a blizzard keeping fishers in their tents for most of Saturday, May 16, while out on the land at their favourite fishing holes.

She said the prize presentations took a lot less time than they did in previous years.

"We usually have an annual gathering at the Singiittuq Complex to award all the prizes, but we couldn't do that due to Covid-19 this year," said Hickes.

"We did all the prize presentations via Facebook live and over local radio this year and it went really, really fast.

"It usually takes a couple of hours to present all the prizes during the gathering but, this year, with only four of us there, the winner would come, claim their prize, have a picture taken, be congratulated and leave.

"So it only took us about 45 minute this year."

Hickes said the measuring also went quite fast this year, despite the weather being awful.

She said everything moved along smoothly with no crowds gathered around the measuring tables.

"People would just pull up, have their fish measured and go, so it certainly seemed to be a lot faster.

"Everyone seemed really happy with how it all went except for the blizzard on Saturday.

"We were out at Peter Lake and we couldn't see anything. We were stuck in our tent all morning and a bit in the afternoon.

"It was pretty much over by suppertime and after that the weather was beautiful for the rest of the derby."

ᓇᓇᐅᖅ ᑕᓄᔭᒃ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓕᐊᖓᑕ, ᐊᐃᕆᔅ ᑕᑎ-ᑕᓄᔭᒃ ᐱᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓᓂ, ᓇᓕᒧᓐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᒪᕐᕈᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᕋᖅᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᖓᓂ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᖃᓗᒐᓱᖕᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᒪᐃ 19–ᒥ.

Nanauq Tanuyak holds up the catch that earned his wife, Iris Tatty-Tanuyak, a tie for second place during measuring day for the Rankin Inlet Fishing Derby on May 19.

sports & recreation

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Îé¯≤ú & ÄÎÖ∏ÙÄÕÍ≤Ò

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 23

Important anniversary approaches for Inuvik's Totally Arctic wrestlers ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᓪᓚᕇᑦ ᐅᓇᑕᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ Raging Ray Jean (ᑑᓂ ᑕᕝᓕᓐ) ᒪᓂᓴᐃᕗᖅ ᐱᔪᐅᔪᒪᕐᔪᐊᖅᑐᒥ TAW ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑎᕆᒃᓯᐅᑎᖓᓂ Blu Wilder–ᒧᑦ (ᐅᐊᐃᑦ ᐳᓘ), Nolerbear (ᓅᓪ ᑳᒃᓂ) ᐊᒻᒪ Deztro the Eskimofo (ᑎᐊᔅ ᓗᕇᓐ), ᑕᒪᒃᑭᑦ ᐊᖅᓵᖅᓯᓇᓱᐊᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᖓᓯᒌᒐᓱᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ.

Totally Arctic Wrestling's Raging Ray Jean (Tony Devlin) dangles the coveted TAW championship belt over Blu Wilder (Wade Blu), Nolerbear (Noel Cockney) and Deztro the Eskimofo (Dez Loreen), who all are trying to figure out how to reach for it while maintaining social distancing.

Eric Bowling/NNS photo

GNWT dropkicks hopes for outdoor June slugfest

by Eric Bowling

Northern News Services

Inuvik

When the government of the Northwest Territories announced phase one of its Emerging Wisely plan, Totally Arctic Wrestling (TAW) founder Dez Loreen figured he had some elbow room to get his wrestlers back in the ring.

However, the GNWT has put a sleeper hold on his hopes to host an outdoor show – or even produce a theatrical video – in June. He said he's now looking towards the one-year anniversary of TAW's debut last November to throw the Covid-19 blues off the turnbuckle.

"There's human lives at stake. Wrestling is high impact, it's very close quarters, you're sweating on the other guy, so I definitely see the risk of spreading the virus," said Loreen. "That being said, we're a group of four people who don't travel, in a community that doesn't have any active cases, in a territory that doesn't have any active cases.

"So it's not like I'm running a professional wrestling league with 20 people flying into my city every week."

A May 20 letter from the GNWT reads, "The social distancing requirement remains in effect for Phases 1 through 3 inclusive. So unfortunately, unless changes are announced during the latter phases, wrestling is not be an activity we could approve at the present time."

Having had to eat the costs of a cancelled pair of shows in April, one in Inuvik and one in Tuktoyaktuk, Loreen estimated since Covid19 shut down he was out at least $3,000 in cancelled flights, posters, T-shirts and other investments.

"Right now, we have a soft-booking for Nov. 14 that I'm holding onto right now because this is an ever-changing situation," said Loreen.

"Who knows what it's going to look like June 21? I don't want to clip its wings right now."

Other wrestlers said they completely understand the GNWT's concerns with bringing talent in from outside the territory and the concerns about a large audience being a vector for infection, but noted none of the four in the TAW stable have left the Beaufort Delta since the crisis began.

"It's such a small town," said Noel Cockney, or Nolerbear, the latest addition to the TAW line-up. "We've been up here the whole time."

With the GNWT's policy of allowing a household to have five special friends who can visit or stay, Loreen said he had explored the

idea of just getting together to train and shoot videos until he could get out of the headlock on full shows, but the government told him in no uncertain terms that physical contact was not part of phase one.

So, with his hopes pinned, Loreen said his squad is focusing on working out and preparing more promo videos.

In spite of getting tossed around by Covid19, Loreen noted TAW is making some serious noise in the wrestling community.

"It's unbelievable. Chris Jericho follows Totally Arctic Wrestling on Instagram," said Loreen. "It's like Wayne Gretzky showing up at a pee-wee hockey game and saying 'this kid has got it.' To have that kind of rub is crazy.

"I've got Chris Jericho, Chavo Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero, plus dozens and dozens of Indy wrestlers across Canada, promoters across the United States.

"Totally Arctic Wrestling has gotten a lot of attention," he said. "We're not going to break the laws or put on a show when we can't, but we're still making content and we've got a story arc we want to finish here."

Loreen said as soon as he gets the go ahead, there would be a show date announced.

Sports Card Volleyball

1257+:(67 7(55,725,(6

Age: 17 Community: Behchoko

Dawi Zoe

Dawi would probably have competed with Chief Jimmy Bruneau School at the NWT Track and Field Championships this week in Hay River had they not been cancelled.

Here's hoping you get another chance to break some records!

24 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

sports & recreation

Îé¯≤ú & ÄÎÖ∏ÙÄÕÍ≤Ò

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

Let's hear it for technology ... and how awful it really is Northern News Services

I don't know if I'll buy this reasoning but I'm game for anything.

A recent study in Integrative Organismal Biology, published by Oxford Academic, features research which showed that facial hair may have evolved over time to help men absorb blows to the head better. It's a fascinating read if you can spare 10 minutes of your life but the study's authors apparently found that fully-furred samples were capable of absorbing more energy than samples that were sheared.

What this means is that the next hirsute dude I see is getting a first-hand trial run.

Anyway ...

he's doing is relaying what's told to him in an earpiece by some stiff looking at a screen.

Perhaps the funniest part of it all is the delayed reaction of the whole thing.

The plate umpire stays in his crouch for two or three seconds and then rises to call the strike. Honestly, is this what we want for baseball? So many other sports have been ruined by video replay simply to placate the diaper brigade who want to "get it right".

Well, this is what we've been told will solve the problem, right? Getting rid of the human element will make things better. Calls will be consistent. No one will complain because it's being called correctly.

You know what's coming next, right?

Maybe we should only use automated ball/ strike calls when it's a third strike or some other stupid reason for people not to admit they were wrong. Just call the damn game.

Just automate it, they said ...

You know how everyone is talking about getting rid of umpires in baseball and going with an automated system? Because that's Let the shaming continue more accurate than the human eye and it The Houston Astros/Asterisks are still the would be consistent? official 2017 World Series champions, even Yeah, it's consistent alright in both getthough they cheated to do ting it right and giving players it. They should have the title and managers all the grief of stripped from them and given a sentient being. The Atlantic to the Los Angeles Dodgers but League, one of the many minor for some reason, they are still leagues around North America, champs. used an automated ball/strike The best way you, I and the system for the 2019 season, with James McCarthy rest of the world can shame including its playoffs and I have them for eternity is to remind been an avid viewer of Youthem of how dirty they were Tube videos documenting how silly and hilarious the whole thing has been. If back then and thanks to a brewery in New Jeryou haven't seen it, go and check it out because sey, we can.

Departed Soles is the name of the craft it is worth the time.

For example, there are pitches that look like brewer in the state and it has a new India Pale Ale out called Trash Can Banger. balls and most likely would be called a ball Yes, it's real and even comes with a top by an arbiter with a pulse. Not the computer, though. No, sir – it is a strike. Same thing with meant to resemble a trash can lid. It's all in ball calls. Should have been a strike but not to memory of how the Astros used that centre field camera and then banged on that trash can the artificial intelligence. in the Astros dugout that everyone claimed not The reactions of players and managers to know about yet was being hammered every just makes it that much more funny to watch. inning of every Astros home game to let batWhat, you gonna yell at the home plate ters know what type of pitch was coming. umpire? He's not the one making the call. All

Sports Talk

Craft ᐱᐊᓕᐅᖅᑎ Departed Soles ᓴᓇᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓂᐅᖅᑲᒐᒃᓴᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᐃᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᔪᒥ Houston Astros/Asterisks 2017 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᖓᓂ – ᑲᙳᓵᕆᓂᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᕐᓕ!

photo courtesy of Departed Soles Brewing Company/Twitter

Craft brewer Departed Soles has created a consumable reminder of the Houston Astros/Asterisks 2017 season – let the shaming continue!

I don't know how I'll be able to get a sixpack or two sent here but if there's any baseball this season, this beer needs to be sent to every ballpark where the Astros will be playing this season. It's an IPA so it's gotta be good.

And finally ...

Good Idea: Renting a baseball stadium for $1,500 per night on Airbnb.

Bad Idea: Why aren't other teams doing this?

Covid-19 has basically taken the revenue streams out of professional sports in North America and unless you're in the big four – NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB – you are really crying poor.

Leave it to minor league baseball, though, to come up with a promotional gig which is absolute genius, in my humble opinion.

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, is offering up its stadium to those who are looking for the "ultimate baseball experience." For the rather reasonable price of $1,500 per night, you can rent the entire complex with full access to the team's clubhouse, a large bedroom complete with 10 beds and full use of the batting cage and the field. For a little extra, there's even a food and beverage package you can access.

The view is awesome – right on the Atlantic Ocean – and think about what you can do.

Late-night games, midnight buffets, movie night, imitating that "natural disaster" scene from Bull Durham ... watch the movie and see what I mean. In any rate, it's a decent little deal and brings in some much needed cash for a team that is no doubt struggling along with the rest of us.

Until next time, folks ...

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 25

26 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020

NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020 27

28 NWt/nunavut nEWS NORTH, Monday, June 1, 2020

N[Z/su, Ji 1, 2020