http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/ en janeg@nunatsiaq.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-17T12:21:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rankin_inlet_shrugs_off_one-metre_record_snowfall/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rankin_inlet_shrugs_off_one-metre_record_snowfall/ Rankin Inlet emerged unscathed from a record blizzard snowfall of almost one metre by Friday morning, April 17, with major roads cleared and businesses waiting for delayed shipments to come through in the afternoon. The hamlet office reported all roads open that morning, and flights into the community resumed after airport maintenance cleared up two days’ worth of drifting snow off the runway by noon, May 16. “From six in the morning until 12 noon we were out on the runway, clearing,” said NEWS 2013-05-17T20:36:04+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_ones_asking_good_questions_about_iqaluit_airport_p3/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_ones_asking_good_questions_about_iqaluit_airport_p3/ Last Tuesday, I was fiddling with the radio in my vehicle, and I accidentally tuned into question period in the Legislative Assembly. An MLA, Joe Enook I think, was asking questions to the minister of Economic Development and Transportation concerning the proposed new airport for Iqaluit.  The topic immediately caught my attention, since the new Iqaluit Airport is one of the biggest projects in memory for Nunavut, and will be completed by way of a public private partnership, or P3, a LETTERS 2013-05-17T19:15:49+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_complain_about_public_housing_allocations/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_complain_about_public_housing_allocations/ Some Nunavut MLAs aren’t happy about the Nunavut Housing Corp.’s housing allocations recently announced by the minister responsible for the NHC, Peter Taptuna, the legislative assembly heard May 16. Taptuna announced the allocations, setting out which Nunavut communities can expect to see new public housing units built by the end of 2014, in a minister’s statement May 15. Taptuna’s answer to MLAs about why certain communities didn’t get any housing allocation was the same for each one: the NEWS 2013-05-17T18:15:41+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mad_moms_mad_about_building_security/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mad_moms_mad_about_building_security/ Mad Mom here.  Everyone knows not to tangle with an angry mother! What am I angry at you wonder? It’s about all the locked doors and high security by all the people who are supposed to be serving us Nunavummiut. My question is: when did all the civil “servants” stop being civil? I can recall, several years back, the anger that resulted about the mental health unit, located on the second floor of the hospital, having a locked door. People did not like it at all.  They wondered who was being LETTERS 2013-05-17T17:30:48+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674northwest_passage_a_rival_to_the_panama_canal/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674northwest_passage_a_rival_to_the_panama_canal/ The recent article in your paper about the Northwest Passage brings to mind the similarities between the northern passage and the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal opened in 1914. Apart from the many millions it cost to build, thousands of workers perished during its construction. Its effectiveness has contributed to the rapid growth of the world’s economy. Canada’s Northwest Passage will likewise provide direct routes to the world’s trade centres. A voyage from Europe to Asia would save some LETTERS 2013-05-17T16:40:23+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_shelters_plan_may_18_fundraiser/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_shelters_plan_may_18_fundraiser/ If you like appetizers, dessert, and good entertainment, come to the YWCA Agvvik Nunavut’s second annual Ulluriaq Soirée gala May 18 at 7 p.m. at the Frobisher Inn in Iqaluit. The event, open to those over age 19, raises money for the Qimaavik Women’s Shelter and Sivumut House in Iqaluit. “We really hope people come out and support the women’s shelters, these shelters are always over capacity and we really support women and children of Nunavut,” the Agvvik Society’s Sheila Levy said. “We NEWS 2013-05-17T16:06:40+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_vote_to_ease_restrictions_on_booze/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_vote_to_ease_restrictions_on_booze/ Retail beer and wine stores, and the ability to legally transport more liquor into the territory without a permit came closer to reality May 16 when MLAs voted for amendments to Nunavut’s Liquor Act. The amendments would also allow for the funding of “social responsibility campaigns” from the Liquor Revolving Fund and increased fines for contraventions of the liquor act. But not all MLAs were in favour of the amendments: Bill 64, an act to amend the liquor act, passed with 10 MLAs in NEWS 2013-05-17T15:28:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_councils_permanent_participants_eye_arctic_council_under_agluk/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_councils_permanent_participants_eye_arctic_council_under_agluk/ ALEX BOYD KIRUNA, SWEDEN — Will Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Arctic Council minister, carry out her determination to “put the interests of the people of the Arctic first” during Canada’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council? That’s the hope of representatives of the Arctic Council’s indigenous permanent participant groups, who attended the May 15 Arctic Council ministerial in Kiruna, Sweden. “We appreciate that Canada from the outset has made a point of involving the Saami in their preparations NEWS 2013-05-17T14:23:40+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_ministers_sign_new_agreement_to_tackle_oil_spills/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_ministers_sign_new_agreement_to_tackle_oil_spills/ ALEX BOYD KIRUNA, SWEDEN — The member nations of Arctic Council signed their second internationally binding agreement May 15 in Kiruna, Sweden: an agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. “A potential oil spill could have a serious impact on the livelihoods of northerners,” Canada’s Arctic Council minister Leona Aglukkaq said at the meeting. “By acting together, here at the Council, we are enhancing our collective ability to respond.” A guide NEWS 2013-05-17T13:38:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674canada_hopes_to_use_circumpolar_business_forum_as_a_showcase_aglukkaq/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674canada_hopes_to_use_circumpolar_business_forum_as_a_showcase_aglukkaq/ Canada wants to add a new dimension to the work of the Arctic Council by hosting a circumpolar business forum to promote an “Arctic to Arctic” dialogue, Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Arctic Council minister, said May 15. “It’s an opportunity for business communities, Arctic to Arctic. Any community group, small or large will be able to participate,” Aglukkaq told reporters in a press teleconference from Kiruna, Sweden, where Canada took over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Other NEWS 2013-05-17T12:41:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_health_dept._takes_on_corporate_challenge_in_cambays_frolics/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_health_dept._takes_on_corporate_challenge_in_cambays_frolics/ NEWS 2013-05-17T12:21:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674we_want_an_audit_of_nutrition_north_nunavut_mlas/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674we_want_an_audit_of_nutrition_north_nunavut_mlas/ Nunavut MLAs want the Auditor General of Canada to examine the Nutrition North Canada program. MLAs passed a unanimous motion to that effect May 16, brought forward by South Baffin MLA Fred Schell and seconded by Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott in the legislative assembly. “There’s nobody living here who isn’t impacted every single day by the Nutrition North Canada Program,” Schell said, who gave notice of the motion May 14. Schell said that instead of starting a new program, the problems of the NEWS 2013-05-17T11:05:07+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_17/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_17/ By 1900 bowhead whaling in Baffin Island was drawing to a reluctant close after dominating the lives of Baffin Inuit for the better part of a century. Inuit in some areas had developed a dependence on the whalers and the trade goods which they brought. Traditional settlement patterns had been altered as people moved in summer to where whaling offered the possibility of employment. In the winter months Inuit often congregated around shore stations where they found casual employment to TAISSUMANI 2013-05-17T10:28:55+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_graduates_may_13/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_graduates_may_13/ NEWS 2013-05-17T10:09:03+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674missing_man_found_alive_and_well_near_nunavut_mine_project/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674missing_man_found_alive_and_well_near_nunavut_mine_project/ Michel Pilon, 39, a driller lost on the land for more than two days, was found late May 16. In a news release sent out at about 1 a.m. May 17, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. said is was “very happy” to report that its search and rescue teams located Pilon “alive and safe near its Meliadine camp at about 10:30 p.m. local time.” Pilon had been reported missing from the company’s Meliadine project site near Rankin Inlet May 14. Pilon, an employee of Boart Longyear, was reported missing in the morning NEWS 2013-05-17T09:34:03+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rcmp_in_cambay_seize_drugs_alcohol_cash/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rcmp_in_cambay_seize_drugs_alcohol_cash/ The RCMP in Cambridge Bay have made another seizure of drugs and alcohol in the community. On May 13, police responded to a call for service at a local residence where they located and seized 24 grams of marijuana, eight bottles of vodka and a quantity of cash. A woman, who was not named in the May 16 RCMP news release, now faces one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of liquor for the purpose of selling under Sec. 84 of the Nunavut Liquor Act. NEWS 2013-05-16T20:40:41+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674spring_crime_rates_drop_in_iqaluit_rcmp_report/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674spring_crime_rates_drop_in_iqaluit_rcmp_report/ Police report a drop in the number of arrests in Iqaluit in April this year compared with April of last year, in what appeared to be an exceptionally peaceful spring season. In his two-month RCMP report to Iqaluit City Council, May 14, Sgt. Monte Lecomte guessed that the arrival of the warm season has “calmed things down.” “We’re looking at a relatively calm time right now, which is nice to see,” he said. The Iqaluit detachment lodged 172 prisoners in jail in April, which was 51 fewer than NEWS 2013-05-16T20:14:33+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rankin_inlet_remains_shut_down_may_16/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rankin_inlet_remains_shut_down_may_16/ (Updated at 3:15 p.m.) The mayor of Rankin Inlet, Robert Janes, has told everyone in the Kivalliq community of 2,900 to stay home May 16 after a three-day blizzard dumped more than 90 centimetres of snow. All schools, government offices, banks and stores remained closed during the afternoon of May 16 — after the Government of Nunavut had announced earlier in the day that it would re-open its offices at 1 p.m. “Further to the Mayor’s announcement on radio, at the request of the Mayor, GN NEWS 2013-05-16T18:40:26+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674canada_wants_permanent_fix_for_eu_seal_hunt_dispute_aglukkaq/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674canada_wants_permanent_fix_for_eu_seal_hunt_dispute_aglukkaq/ Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, the head of Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship, told reporters May 15 that she wants to seek a permanent resolution to the dispute between Canada and the European Union over the EU’s ban on the importation of seal products. “I will now work to try to address this issue for Canada and try to address this issue once and for all,” Aglukkaq said at a press teleconference. At the May 15 Kiruna ministerial meeting, the Arctic Council’s member states, who must make NEWS 2013-05-16T17:45:43+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674many_in_greenland_criticize_premiers_decision_to_boycott_arctic_counci/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674many_in_greenland_criticize_premiers_decision_to_boycott_arctic_counci/ The decision by Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s premier, to boycott the May 15 Arctic Council ministerial in Kiruna, Sweden continues to dominate political discussion in Greenland, where it appears she’s facing a big backlash from the public. Many in Greenland don’t think Hammond made the right decision. According to an online poll conducted by Greenland’s leading newspaper, Sermitsiaq AG, of 1,680 who have participated in the poll so far, 65 per cent say Hammond made a mistake by turning her back NEWS 2013-05-16T16:57:26+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_judge_clarifies_publication_ban_procedures_lifts_ban_on_name_o/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_judge_clarifies_publication_ban_procedures_lifts_ban_on_name_o/ A publication ban on the name of an Iqaluit teacher who faces three charges of sexual interference was overturned in a judgment issued by Justice Earl Johnson May 15. This past April 12 Justice Andrew Mahar granted a request from the Crown to impose a publication ban that prevents news organizations from reporting the identity of the Iqaluit teacher, who appeared in court that day. On May 6, a lawyer representing the CBC submitted a notice of motion to overturn the publication ban. Now, NEWS 2013-05-16T15:50:50+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_omingmak_frolics_feature_traditional_fashion_show/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_omingmak_frolics_feature_traditional_fashion_show/ NEWS 2013-05-16T14:51:02+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674search_continues_for_man_missing_near_nunavut_mine_project/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674search_continues_for_man_missing_near_nunavut_mine_project/ Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. reports that search and rescue operations are continuing May 16 for a missing worker, now identified as Michel Pilon, 39, of Timmons, Ont., at its Meliadine gold mine project near Rankin Inlet. Search efforts to find Pilon, first reported missing early May 14, were suspended overnight as blizzard conditions with zero visibility continued in the Kivalliq region, said an update from the company. Search teams resumed their activities May 16. Meanwhile, Agnico Eagle is NEWS 2013-05-16T14:43:00+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambay_remains_on_rabies_alert/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambay_remains_on_rabies_alert/ Rabid foxes appear to be at the root of Cambridge Bay’s recent spate of sudden dog deaths. There’s been an increase in the number of rabid foxes near Cambridge Bay this year, and people should avoid them, said Stephen King, Cambridge Bay’s senior administrative officer. That advice came after a few tied-up dogs in the community were found strangled on their chains, likely due to rabies. Some unvaccinated dogs in the community were confirmed to have rabies, likely caught after they came into NEWS 2013-05-16T14:15:08+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674eleven_nunavut_communities_slated_for_new_public_housing/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674eleven_nunavut_communities_slated_for_new_public_housing/ Are you in line for a public housing unit in Nunavut? Then you’ll be interested to learn that Peter Taptuna, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, announced May 15 in the Nunavut legislature which Nunavut communities can expect to see new public housing units built by the end of 2014. Here’s where the first new 210 units will be built — a list that’s still subject to change, Taptuna said: • Iqaluit —  30 units; • Repulse Bay — 20 units; • Arviat — 30 units; • NEWS 2013-05-16T13:35:05+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_on_the_ice_during_the_cambay_omingmak_frolics/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_on_the_ice_during_the_cambay_omingmak_frolics/ NEWS 2013-05-16T12:23:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_uses_comic_book_to_do_sex_education/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_uses_comic_book_to_do_sex_education/ Grade 8 students in Nunavut can now learn about sexual health with the help of a comic book, Eva Aariak, Nunavut’s premier and education minister said this week in the Nunavut legislature. Aariak called the comic book an “exciting and innovative curriculum resource that promotes good sexual health for adolescents in Nunavut.” The comic, developed with the Department of Health, is aimed at helping young people make informed decisions about their health and well-being, she said. The “Choices” NEWS 2013-05-16T12:20:31+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_has_plans_to_tackle_bullying_in_schools_aariak/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_has_plans_to_tackle_bullying_in_schools_aariak/ Nunavut’s education department and its district education authorities are working on ways to reduce bullying in schools, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, also the territory’s education minister, said May 15 in the legislative assembly. Talk about those plans surfaced after Jeannie Ugyuk, MLA for Nattilik wanted to know what anti-bullying programs the Government of Nunavut has been working on, and how these would be rolled out. Ugyuk said she received a letter for Aariak from a constituent, a NEWS 2013-05-16T11:12:05+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_chief_health_officer_wants_more_aggressive_action_to_curb_smo/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_chief_health_officer_wants_more_aggressive_action_to_curb_smo/ Last year, Nunavut residents spent more than $43 million on tobacco products, says the chief medical officer of health’s 2011-12 Tobacco Control Act Annual Report. Smoking is the main reason for high rates of lung cancer in Nunavut, which accounts for almost half of the cancer deaths in the territory, the seven-page report,  tabled May 14 in the legislative assembly by Nunavut’s health minister Keith Peterson. The report calls for “aggressive action” to lower the territory’s high smoking NEWS 2013-05-16T10:02:55+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_hat-throw_marks_rankin_inlet_grad/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_hat-throw_marks_rankin_inlet_grad/ NEWS 2013-05-16T09:46:59+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_premier_praises_arctic_councils_focus_on_mental_health/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_premier_praises_arctic_councils_focus_on_mental_health/ During the Northern Premiers Forum held May 9 and May 10,Canada’s three northern premiers expressed support for the Arctic Council and any support the council can provide towards improving the mental wellbeing of Arctic residents, Nunavut premier Eva Aariak said May 15 in the legislative assembly. “I very much hope that this will be a focus of Canada’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council,” Aariak said, in response to a question from Baker Lake MLA Moses Aupaluktuq about mental NEWS 2013-05-15T21:07:04+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_trip_to_abiskos_research_station_may_15/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_trip_to_abiskos_research_station_may_15/ NEWS 2013-05-15T19:54:02+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674agnico_eagle_searches_for_missing_employee_near_nunavut_mine_projec/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674agnico_eagle_searches_for_missing_employee_near_nunavut_mine_projec/ Despite blizzard conditions, the search continues for an Agnico Eagle subcontractor who was lost on May 14, off a marked about three-kilometre trail southwest of the Meliadine gold mine project near Rankin Inlet. The drill worker was reported missing in the morning at about 7 a.m. after he failed to reach a drill site that the man and three co-workers were travelling to during a change of shift, said Dale Coffin, corporate director of communications for Agnico Eagle. The man, from Ontario, is NEWS 2013-05-15T19:41:27+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674aglukkaq_calls_greenland_premiers_boycott_of_arctic_council_meeting_a_/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674aglukkaq_calls_greenland_premiers_boycott_of_arctic_council_meeting_a_/ A “domestic issue,” is how Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s minister responsible for the Arctic Council, described the decision by Greenland’s premier to boycott the May 15 Arctic Council ministerial in Kiruna, Sweden. Aleqa Hammond, the premier of Greenland, decided to boycott the May 15 Arctic Council gathering in Kiruna, Sweden, because she said Greenland should have a voting seat at the council, instead of sitting, in a non-voting capacity, behind the Danish foreign minister. At a news conference NEWS 2013-05-15T19:16:49+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_premier_welcomes_arctic_councils_new_leadership/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_premier_welcomes_arctic_councils_new_leadership/ Hours after the May 15 Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden ended, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak sent out a statement saying that Government of Nunavut looks forward to a “strong northern perspective in Canada” under the chairmanship of Canada and with Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq as Canada’s minister responsible for the Arctic Council. “This is the opportunity for Canadians to lead in the Arctic at a time when climate change and economic development are attracting global attention NEWS 2013-05-15T18:45:37+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_biodiversity_report_calls_for_decisive_action_from_Arctic_counc/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_biodiversity_report_calls_for_decisive_action_from_Arctic_counc/ A report tabled May 15 in at the Arctic Council meeting in Kiruna, Sweden called for “decisive” action on biodiversity to protect more than 21,000 “cold adapted species” and to “help sustain vast, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of tundra, mountains, fresh water and seas and the valuable services they provide.” But Arctic Council ministers would only encourage their officials to follow up on the report’s recommendations. At the May 15 ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden, Arctic Council NEWS 2013-05-15T18:05:26+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_snowplow_struggles_in_rankin_inlet/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_snowplow_struggles_in_rankin_inlet/ NEWS 2013-05-15T17:35:10+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674high_arctic_community_wants_nunavut_park_to_protect_fossil_forest_from/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674high_arctic_community_wants_nunavut_park_to_protect_fossil_forest_from/ People in the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord say they want to see a territorial park created to protect the ancient fossil forest of Axel Heiberg Island from exploration. That’s because they fear the unique vestiges of the 50-million-year-old forest may be damaged by exploration activities undertaken by companies such as Canada Coal Inc., which holds licenses in that area. The future territorial park already has a name, Napaaqtulik, where there are trees, inspired by NEWS 2013-05-15T17:10:57+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_under_kiruna_may_15/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_under_kiruna_may_15/ NEWS 2013-05-15T16:14:26+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_want_federal_audit_of_nutrition_north_canada/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_want_federal_audit_of_nutrition_north_canada/ Nunavut MLAs want the Auditor General of Canada to look at the Nutrition North Canada program, the legislative assembly heard May 14. South Baffin MLA Fred Schell gave notice that he would bring forward a motion May 16 to that effect during a member’s statement. “I’m sure my colleagues and I would all agree there are plenty of reasons why the Auditor General of Canada needs to audit the Nutrition North program,” he said. “We need to find out once and for all what’s happening with our NEWS 2013-05-15T15:25:39+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674federal_minister_announces_cultural_funding_for_nunavut/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674federal_minister_announces_cultural_funding_for_nunavut/ Ollie the muskox, the mascot of Cambridge Bay’s Omingmak Frolics, has another reason smile: Vic Toews, the federal minister for public safety, was in Iqaluit May 14 to announce the Omingmak Frolics, along with other festivals and cultural events, cultural spaces and official languages projects in Nunavut, will receive money from Ottawa. “We know how much community festivals, heritage centres, performing arts presentations mean to the residents of Nunavut and people across the territory,” Toews NEWS 2013-05-15T14:35:55+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674greenpeace_dumps_on_arctic_councils_kiruna_declaration/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674greenpeace_dumps_on_arctic_councils_kiruna_declaration/ As Canada officially took the chair of the Arctic Council in Kiruna, Sweden, May 15, Greenpeace sent a direct message to Canada. Greenpeace said in a May 15 statement that the Arctic Council is intended to be a forum for ensuring the sustainability and environmental protection of the region, but said “the Harper government has indicated that it will use the forum to advance industrial development in the Arctic.” “We will not stand by and let the Harper government use the next two years to NEWS 2013-05-15T13:32:42+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_councillors_square_off_on_boulders_and_posts/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_councillors_square_off_on_boulders_and_posts/ Do boulders and wooden posts on Iqaluit roadsides provide safety for pedestrians, or are they a roadside hazard? That debate resurfaced at the Iqaluit city council’s meeting on May 14, when a motion by the Engineering and Public Works Committee of the Whole came up for vote. Coun. Romeyn Stevenson completely resisted the idea of removing the barriers from roadsides until a better barrier is found to separate pedestrian walkways from vehicles. “I have been walking around, and can say I am NEWS 2013-05-15T12:50:16+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_leona_aglukkaq_speaks_at_the_arctic_council_may_15_ministerial/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_leona_aglukkaq_speaks_at_the_arctic_council_may_15_ministerial/ NEWS 2013-05-15T12:43:14+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_aglukkaq_becomes_first_indigenous_head_of_arctic_council/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_aglukkaq_becomes_first_indigenous_head_of_arctic_council/ ALEX BOYD (Updated May 15, 1:40 p.m.) KIRUNA, SWEDEN — For the first time since the Arctic Council was created two decades ago, Canada is back in charge. Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, who is also Canada’s minister responsible for Arctic Council,  received the ceremonial wooden mallet from now-former chairman Carl Bildt of Sweden May 15 in the mining town of Kiruna, in northern Sweden. As the new chair, Aglukkaq used her first words as chair to remind her fellow ministers “the Arctic Council NEWS 2013-05-15T11:40:40+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_languages_commissioner_outlines_language_laws_to_iqaluit/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_languages_commissioner_outlines_language_laws_to_iqaluit/ Nunavut’s official languages commissioner reminded the City of Iqaluit on May 14 of its obligation to advance and protect the use of the Inuit language throughout the community, including both private business and public administration. In a presentation to councillors Commissioner Sandra Inutiq described the territorial government’s commitment to protect the language under the Official Language Act, which came into force April 1, and the Inuit Language Protection Act, which has progressed in NEWS 2013-05-15T11:03:01+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_leona_aglukkaq_fields_questions_at_the_arctic_council/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_leona_aglukkaq_fields_questions_at_the_arctic_council/ NEWS 2013-05-15T10:21:42+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674greenland_walks_away_from_the_arctic_council/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674greenland_walks_away_from_the_arctic_council/ The premier of Greenland, Aleqa Hammond said May 14 that she is boycotting the May 15 Arctic Council gathering in Kiruna, Sweden, saying several countries in the Arctic Council are opposed to Arctic indigenous peoples being involved in the high-level government negotiations within the council. That’s what she told Greenland’s Sermitsiaq AG newspaper May 14. Right now indigenous organizations, like the Inuit Circumpolar Council, sit at the main table as non-voting permanent participants during NEWS 2013-05-15T10:01:50+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_hands_out_wise_woman_outstanding_young_woman_awards/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_hands_out_wise_woman_outstanding_young_woman_awards/ Nunavut has a new “Wise Woman” — Renata Solski — and and a new “Outstanding Young Woman” — Sylvia Cloutier. Monica Ell, minister responsible for the Status of Women, presented the Wise Woman of the Year Award May 14 in the lobby of Nunavut’s legislative assembly, while Charlotte Bord, the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council, presented the Outstanding Young Woman Award. The awards honour women from Nunavut who are role models in their communities. “These awards are in recognition of NEWS 2013-05-14T21:04:01+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674vandal_fouls_up_hamlet_building_in_pangnirtung_disrupting_court/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674vandal_fouls_up_hamlet_building_in_pangnirtung_disrupting_court/ The RCMP in Pangnirtung are looking for somebody who discharged bear spray into a washroom at the local hamlet offices May 13, causing the building to be evacuated and a circuit court party to be relocated. Bear spay can cause coughing, irritation to the eyes and irritation to the throat, the RCMP said in a news release. These symptoms dissipate after the person is removed from the area. Water can help soothe affected areas of the body. No one was injured in the Pangnirtung bear spray NEWS 2013-05-14T20:51:53+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_kiruna_welcomes_arctic_council/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_kiruna_welcomes_arctic_council/ NEWS 2013-05-14T20:26:08+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_will_train_more_early_childhood_educators_shewchuk/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_will_train_more_early_childhood_educators_shewchuk/ Nunavut Arctic College will use $1.1 million in federal funds to train more early childhood educators for jobs in daycares, schools or as operators of their daycare centres, Dan Shewchuk, the minister responsible for the college, said May 14 in the legislative assembly. “This is wonderful news for Nunavut Arctic College and its education programs division, which is committed to providing more opportunities for Nunavummiut to obtain training and careers in early childhood education,” Shewchuk NEWS 2013-05-14T19:30:08+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_on_eve_of_arctic_council_meeting_heavy_fog_socks_in_kiruna/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_on_eve_of_arctic_council_meeting_heavy_fog_socks_in_kiruna/ NEWS 2013-05-14T18:14:53+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674crown_drops_supreme_court_appeal_bishop_retrial_to_be_held_in_nunavut/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674crown_drops_supreme_court_appeal_bishop_retrial_to_be_held_in_nunavut/ A Nunavut man convicted in June 2010 — following a jury trial held in Iqaluit — on three counts of second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder will get a new trial that will take place in Nunavut. Chris Bishop, 27, who has been in custody since 2007, will get the new trial after Crown prosecutors involved in the case decided to withdraw a Supreme Court of Canada appeal made this past March to overturn a Nunavut appeal court decision that ordered a new trial for Bishop. Bishop’s NEWS 2013-05-14T18:08:33+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_strategy_tackles_nunavuts_housing_nightmare/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_strategy_tackles_nunavuts_housing_nightmare/ If the housing crisis in Nunavut isn’t addressed, the territory’s social, economic and health problems will worsen, as the demand for public housing increase and few tenants move out of public housing. That’s according to the Government of Nunavut’s Igluliuqatigiilauqta “Let’s build a home together” framework for the Government of Nunavut’s long-term comprehensive housing and homelessness strategy. Peter Taptuna, minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corp. — which subsidizes 80 per NEWS 2013-05-14T17:40:10+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674let_senior_gn_bosses_make_ethics_complaints_integrity_commissioner/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674let_senior_gn_bosses_make_ethics_complaints_integrity_commissioner/ Senior civil servants should be permitted to ask for reviews of Integrity Act breaches by MLAs, Nunavut’s Integrity Commissioner Norman Pickell, said in his 2012-13 annual report. (See document embedded below.) “Sometimes the only person who knows that a Member may have breached the Integrity Act is someone within a Department,” Pickell wrote in his report. Pickell’s report is dated April 18. But it wasn’t tabled in the legislative assembly until May 10, the day after May 9, when MLAs gave NEWS 2013-05-14T16:21:57+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674kuujjuaq_iqaluit_on_quebec_cinemas_tournee_canadienne/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674kuujjuaq_iqaluit_on_quebec_cinemas_tournee_canadienne/ The Quebec Cinema Canadian Tour is heading north this week — to Kuujjuaq and then to Iqaluit. Nunavik filmmaker Jobie Weetaluktuk will remain in Kuujjuaq until May 17 to meet film lovers and students and to present two of his films in Kuujjuaq for the first time. On May 15 at 7:30 p.m., Weetaluktuk’s 2005 documentary Qallunajatut (Urban Inuk/ with English subtitles) will be screened at the Katittavik town hall theatre, with director Weetaluktuk in attendance. Urban Inuk follows the lives of NEWS 2013-05-14T15:30:04+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_the_last_shaman/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_the_last_shaman/ NEWS 2013-05-14T15:07:22+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674searchers_arrive_too_late_to_save_missing_akulivik_woman/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674searchers_arrive_too_late_to_save_missing_akulivik_woman/ (Updated May 15, 2:00 p.m.) People in Akulivik are mourning the death of a woman, who died after she and a male companion became lost on the land near the Hudson Bay community. After they were reported missing May 9, the municipality and local Canadian Rangers organized a search and rescue operation. The man was found early in the evening on May 10 suffering from exhaustion and was transported to the local health clinic for follow-up, the Kativik Regional Government said in a May 14 NEWS 2013-05-14T14:47:52+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_community_gets_addictions_program_back/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_community_gets_addictions_program_back/ Rankin Inlet’s Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre plans to open a new alcohol and drug addictions program by the start of summer. Open for all residents in the community of 2,900 seeking to overcome substance abuse, the program is overdue by three years, said George Dunkerley, executive director of the centre. “This program was let go by the hamlet [of Rankin Inlet] three years ago,” Dunkerley said. “There was some mix-up at the Government of Nunavut level about transferring it to the NEWS 2013-05-14T14:01:41+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_new_narwhal_management_plan_now_in_effect/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_new_narwhal_management_plan_now_in_effect/ The new management plan for narwhal in Nunavut, with narwhal quotas for six management units in Nunavut, has been approved. “Our government is pleased to announce today the finalization of an Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Narwhal,” said a joint statement issued May 13 from Keith Ashfield, federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq. “The plan will promote the sustainable harvest and trade of narwhal while ensuring the rights of Inuit are protected.” The NEWS 2013-05-14T13:01:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674indigenous_statement_calls_for_ban_on_all_arctic_oil_development/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674indigenous_statement_calls_for_ban_on_all_arctic_oil_development/ (Updated, 5:20 p.m.) As the Arctic Council ministerial meeting gets underway May 15 in Kiruna, Sweden, the Peoples Arctic conference, which looked at oil development and mining in the Arctic, netted 15 new signatories to a joint statement against Arctic oil drilling. But Canadian Inuit leaders say they don’t support the statement. “Inuit have not endorsed this statement and position, which appears to be a Greenpeace-orchestrated campaign against resource development in our very own lands and NEWS 2013-05-14T12:05:47+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_aglukkaq_meets_with_indigenous_reps_in_kiruna_sweden/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_aglukkaq_meets_with_indigenous_reps_in_kiruna_sweden/ NEWS 2013-05-14T11:55:20+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674baffin_orgs_turn_thumbs_down_on_seismic_project_off_nunavut_waters/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674baffin_orgs_turn_thumbs_down_on_seismic_project_off_nunavut_waters/ A proposed five-year seismic testing project in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, outside the Nunavut land claims settlement area, has received another thumbs-down judgment from several community-based Baffin region organizations. The National Energy Board recently held public meetings in Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq and Iqaluit on a proposed seismic project called the Northeastern Canada 2D seismic survey, first promoted in 2011. Three companies, TGS-NOPEC Geophysical, Petroleum NEWS 2013-05-14T11:05:02+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_lobbied_in_2008_to_end_foreign_ownership_restriction_on_areva/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_lobbied_in_2008_to_end_foreign_ownership_restriction_on_areva/ The Government of Nunavut asked a federal panel in 2008 to ditch a rule that prevents majority foreign ownership of uranium mines in Canada. In the submission, the GN said it wishes “to ensure that the Kiggavik uranium exploration project owned by Areva Resources Ltd. is allowed to proceed to the development stage without undue hindrance.” Baker Lake MLA Moses Aupaluqtuq tabled the document in the Nunavut legislature May 9. “Our government wishes to ensure that foreign capital is free to NEWS 2013-05-14T10:01:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_omingmak_frolics_bring_out_ollie/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_omingmak_frolics_bring_out_ollie/ NEWS 2013-05-14T09:41:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_helicopter_goes_down_near_hall_beach/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_helicopter_goes_down_near_hall_beach/ NEWS 2013-05-13T20:52:20+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674basking_in_the_glow_of_northern_scene_success/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674basking_in_the_glow_of_northern_scene_success/ The executive director and producer of the National Arts Centre’s wildly successful Northern Scene festival in Ottawa, April 25 to May 4, says the only thing she would have changed about the recently concluded 10-day event would have been to add extra performances for some of the more popular shows. But Heather Moore says there was no way to predict which shows would draw crowds, or whether Ottawa residents would even support a festival where many of the artists were unknown. She needn’t have NEWS 2013-05-13T20:06:20+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674wwf_launches_new_arctic_mapping_tool/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674wwf_launches_new_arctic_mapping_tool/ As Arctic Council ministers prepare to meet May 15 in Kiruna, Sweden, the WWF has released a new mapping tool that can produce maps showing industrial activity and natural features. The goal: to help “informed public debate about natural values and human activities.” The web-based maps, which incorporate research data, show where Arctic oil activity may clash with marine mammals or how the melting ice has influenced shipping routes, WWF said in a May 13 news release. “Arctic nature and NEWS 2013-05-13T19:02:09+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_new_way_to_map_the_arctic/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_new_way_to_map_the_arctic/ NEWS 2013-05-13T18:49:06+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674search_for_baker_lake_elder_moves_into_sixth_day/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674search_for_baker_lake_elder_moves_into_sixth_day/ Members of the RCMP and volunteer searchers are in the sixth day of a search for a 72-year-old who was lost May 7 while traveling from Rankin Inlet to his home in Baker Lake. Cpl. Jonathan Saxby said volunteer searchers and police found “footwear impressions” on the evening of May 12 in an area near Gibson Lake. Search parties have moved their base camp “further south” to focus on the area whether the prints were found. “They’re on one particular area right now,” said Saxby. “It’s about a NEWS 2013-05-13T18:03:00+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_unlikely_to_deal_directly_with_climate_change/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_unlikely_to_deal_directly_with_climate_change/ The warming impact of soot and methane on the Arctic climate and the increasing acidification of the Arctic Ocean: these are among the key issues that the Arctic Council’s various working groups will formally present May 15 to the Arctic Council ministerial gathering in Kiruna, Sweden. But it’s unlikely that the Arctic Council will support any move to deal directly with the causes of climate change in the Arctic — such as the reduction of global or regional greenhouse gas emissions, the main NEWS 2013-05-13T17:02:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_politicians_officially_open_repulse_bay_health_centre/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_politicians_officially_open_repulse_bay_health_centre/ The new $23.5 million health centre in Repulse Bay is officially open. A May 11 celebration marked the official opening of the health centre, which included a sealskin ribbon-cutting by health minister Keith Peterson, Lorne Kusugak, the minister of Community and Government Services, Akulliq MLA John Ningark, Nattik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk, and Repulse Bay Mayor Hugh Haqpi. “The new health centre is a positive addition to the community,” Peterson said in a Government of Nunavut news release. “Our NEWS 2013-05-13T16:12:24+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674white_house_releases_u.s._arctic_strategy_kerry_heads_to_kiruna/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674white_house_releases_u.s._arctic_strategy_kerry_heads_to_kiruna/ On the same day that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced he’ll attend the May 15 Arctic Council gathering in Kiruna, Sweden, President Barak Obama unveiled a new policy document that sets out U.S. priorities for the Arctic region. (See document embedded below.) Kerry and other Arctic Council ministers will sign the Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response Agreement May 15, a State department statement said. It’s the second legally binding agreement to be created by NEWS 2013-05-13T15:31:09+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_by_the_floe_edge/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_by_the_floe_edge/ NEWS 2013-05-13T15:02:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_food_security_strategy_ready_by_june_ell_says/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_food_security_strategy_ready_by_june_ell_says/ A Nunavut Food Security Coalition strategy and action plan should be completed by June, Monica Ell, the minister of family services, said May 9 in the legislative assembly. The Nunavut Food Security Symposium was held this past January and a draft strategy was completed in March. The coalition, which brings government, Inuit organizations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations together to talk about how to improve food security in Nunavut communities, is now working on the NEWS 2013-05-13T14:39:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674worst_predator_is_mining_arctic_side-conference_in_sweden/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674worst_predator_is_mining_arctic_side-conference_in_sweden/ ALEX BOYD As the Arctic Council gets ready for the May 15 ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden, indigenous leaders from around the circumpolar region are already in the small Arctic town. There, in the shadow of the world’s largest underground iron mine, they met May 13 to discuss the impact of resource extraction on their communities. Mining is “the worst predator we have right now,” said Mats Berg, a member of the Saami community on the outskirts of Kiruna. Berg opened the second, and NEWS 2013-05-13T13:39:14+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_repulse_bay_opens_new_health_centre/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_repulse_bay_opens_new_health_centre/ NEWS 2013-05-13T13:27:41+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_side-conference_in_sweden_denounces_oil_companies/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_side-conference_in_sweden_denounces_oil_companies/ Oil companies will take you for a bad ride, a Nigerian activist said May 12 at a gathering in Kiruna, Sweden called the Kiruna Indigenous Peoples Conference. Avoid oil company representatives because they come in a crafty manner and then impose their industry on you, said Alice Ukoko, founder and chief executive officer of an organization called Women of Africa. The two-day gathering, sponsored and webcast by Greenpeace, started May 11 — three days before Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s minister NEWS 2013-05-13T12:07:27+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674kangirsuk_man_loses_prized_dog_team_after_two_residents_bitten/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674kangirsuk_man_loses_prized_dog_team_after_two_residents_bitten/ (Updated at 10:35 a.m.) A late afternoon walk by dog team owner Noah Ningiuruvik of Kangirsuk and his dogs ended in disaster May 7. That’s when his dogs started running wild and stopped listening to him. Ningiuruvik tried to tether them. But, with one dog in the lead, the pack ran around town where they bit a woman and a little boy and another person, according to the Kativik Regional Government. Two dogs were killed that day and tested for rabies, the deadly nervous disease which can cause NEWS 2013-05-13T11:25:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_contractor_vanishes_from_32.3_million_job_site/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_contractor_vanishes_from_32.3_million_job_site/ NCC-Dowland Construction Ltd. has defaulted on a $32.3 million renovation contract for the Qikiqtani General Hospital, the Government of Nunavut says. The contractor’s employees left the site for good May 3, a hospital administrator told Nunatsiaq News. And the company’s listing has disappeared from the GN’s NNI list of Nunavut companies. In its place there’s a note that says “NCC Dowland Construction Limited has expired.” NCC-Dowland is, or was, a partnership between the Inuit-owned NCC NEWS 2013-05-13T10:00:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ncc_dowland_leaves_iqaluits_former_hospital/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ncc_dowland_leaves_iqaluits_former_hospital/ NEWS 2013-05-12T21:08:56+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_northern_scene_a_marketplace_for_artists_artisans/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_northern_scene_a_marketplace_for_artists_artisans/ NEWS 2013-05-12T12:49:39+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674carbon_dioxide_in_atmosphere_breaks_million-year-old_record_in_arctic_/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674carbon_dioxide_in_atmosphere_breaks_million-year-old_record_in_arctic_/ The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the world’s atmosphere has passed a milestone in climate change: on May 9,  carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time since measurements began there in 1958. All Arctic sites in NOAA’s sampling network reached 400 ppm for the first time last year, NOAA said. The parts-per-million or ppm measurement of carbon dioxide provides a way of measuring NEWS 2013-05-10T20:02:24+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_bosses_cant_blow_the_whistle_on_mlas_nunavut_legislators_decide/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_bosses_cant_blow_the_whistle_on_mlas_nunavut_legislators_decide/ Nunavut MLAs gave speedy passage May 9 to a bill amending the Integrity Act that will prevent senior Nunavut government officials — and all staff at the legislative assembly — from asking the Integrity Commissioner to investigate MLAs. Instead, MLAs want such officials to talk to the “appropriate minister or the premier” instead. “Given the nature of the close working relationship that exists between the most senior levels of the public service and the elected members of this house, it is NEWS 2013-05-10T19:00:59+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_high_arctic_headed_towards_hot_times/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_high_arctic_headed_towards_hot_times/ NEWS 2013-05-10T18:35:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_prospecting_courses_seek_eager_rock_hunters/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_prospecting_courses_seek_eager_rock_hunters/ As snow subsides to uncover the rocky ground, spring signals the start of prospecting season — not just for mining companies, but all Nunavummiut interested in exploring the land. With some basic knowledge of geology, you could also help advance knowledge of the territory’s mineral wealth by prospecting on your own time. “Nunavut is an underexplored territory, [so] there’s a lot of potential to discover,” said Hugh-John MacIsaac, resident geologist with the Department of Economic Development NEWS 2013-05-10T17:53:29+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_judge_reserves_decision_on_cbc_request_to_overturn_publication/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_judge_reserves_decision_on_cbc_request_to_overturn_publication/ Justice Earl Johnson, after a hearing at the Nunavut Court of Justice May 10, reserved judgment on whether to overturn a publication ban on the name of an Iqaluit teacher who faces three charges of sexual interference teacher at the Nunavut Court of Justice May 10. This past April 12 Justice Andrew Mahar granted a request from the Crown to impose a publication ban that prevents news organizations from reporting the identity of the Iqaluit teacher, who appeared in court that day. On May 6, a NEWS 2013-05-10T16:04:09+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mla_questions_lack_of_assessments_in_territorys_schools/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mla_questions_lack_of_assessments_in_territorys_schools/ South Baffin MLA Fred Schell says he wants to know when a student assessment system, focusing on math and English, will be finalized for Nunavut students and “put to good use.” Eva Aariak, Nunavut premier and minister of education, told Schell May 8 in the Nunavut legislature that this assessment is being worked on. “If a student needs extra help, the teacher or parent will know that and get together to make a plan [in the meantime],” Aariak said. “The assessment to some degree is still NEWS 2013-05-10T14:48:08+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_science_entrances_kids_in_Resolute_Bay/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_science_entrances_kids_in_Resolute_Bay/ NEWS 2013-05-10T13:56:39+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674respect_the_nation-to-nation_deal_you_signed_with_nunavik_say_krg_maki/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674respect_the_nation-to-nation_deal_you_signed_with_nunavik_say_krg_maki/ Nunavik leaders say the Parti Québécois government needs to improve its communication with Nunavik. And they say Quebec Premier Pauline Marois should respect the nation-to-nation agreement, called Sanarrutik, signed in 2002 between the former PQ-led government and Nunavik Inuit, which made them partners in Nunavik’s social and economic development. That’s the message which Makivik Corp. and the Kativik Regional Government plan to deliver to Marois during a meeting scheduled for June. The NEWS 2013-05-10T13:50:50+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_should_deny_eu_observer_status_nunavut_mlas/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_should_deny_eu_observer_status_nunavut_mlas/ Nunavut MLAs say they don’t want the Arctic Council to admit the European Union into their international forum as an observer and they want Canada to “firmly, publicly and vigorously oppose the European Union’s application for permanent observer status at the Arctic Council.” They voted in favour of a May 9 motion, put forward by Nanulik MLA Johnny Ningeongan, declaring that the EU be denied observer status at the Arctic Council, whose top ministers meet May 15 in Kiruna, Sweden. There, NEWS 2013-05-10T12:42:49+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_new_social_housing_for_nunavut_in_2013_housing_minister/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_new_social_housing_for_nunavut_in_2013_housing_minister/ No new social housing will be built in Nunavut this year with money from a $100 million fund announced in the last federal budget. A tender for new housing units, to be built with the $100 million announced in this past March’s federal budget, will go out this fall, Peter Taptuna, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corp., said May 9 in the Nunavut legislature. Only site selection will take place in 2013, he said. That information came after Nunavut MLAs wanted to know how the NEWS 2013-05-10T12:09:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_eu_vote_part_of_a_sad_spectacle/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_eu_vote_part_of_a_sad_spectacle/ There was a time when I had an interest in running for territorial political office, and sitting in the Legislative Assembly engaging in debate on important issues with serious elected officials. However, after listening to the sad spectacle in the Legislative Assembly involving a motion to oppose observer status for the European Union in the Arctic Council, I have to say that I am completely turned off with the idea. It became quite apparent to me that this current group of MLAs are bereft LETTERS 2013-05-10T11:20:23+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_10/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_10/ In 1875 the British Admiralty sent an expedition north through Davis Strait to Smith Sound. The two ships, Alert and Discovery, were under the command of captains George Nares and Henry Stephenson, their goal the North Pole. Nares, who had overall command of the expedition, planned to reach as far north a latitude as possible that fall, winter on the shores of Ellesmere Island, then push farther north the next year. Wintering presented particular challenges for any captain of an exploration TAISSUMANI 2013-05-10T10:46:12+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674telecom_regulations_failing_nunavut_gn_tells_crtc/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674telecom_regulations_failing_nunavut_gn_tells_crtc/ The Government of Nunavut, in an intervention to the CRTC on Northwestel’s $233-million modernization plan, said the current regulatory regime for telecommunications in the North is failing Nunavut. In the intervention, submitted by the deputy minister of Community Government and Services, Roy Green, the GN also said Northwestel is failing to meet CRTC-mandated service objectives. “The current telecommunications regulatory framework and price cap regime… has failed to produce its expected NEWS 2013-05-10T10:01:00+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_nunavut_mlas_vote_against_eu_observer_status/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_nunavut_mlas_vote_against_eu_observer_status/ NEWS 2013-05-10T00:16:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674searchers_look_for_baker_lake_elder_grandson/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674searchers_look_for_baker_lake_elder_grandson/ RCMP are helping volunteers in a search for a Baker Lake elder who went missing 80 to 90 miles outside of the community, while returning from Rankin Inlet with his grandson, said Cpl. Jonathan Saxby of the Baker Lake detachment. Local search and rescue reported the disappearance to the detachment at about 6 a.m. May 8, Saxby said. “The grandson had been doing some searching of his own, for an undisclosed period of time,” said the corporal. At the request of the family, police could not NEWS 2013-05-09T20:21:14+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_undertakes_hepatitis_survey/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_undertakes_hepatitis_survey/ The Government of Nunavut wants to see how effective its vaccine program is in stopping virus that causes the liver inflammation hepatitis B in the Baffin and Kivalliq regions. A GN advisory says Nunavummiut will be asked if they wish to participate in the research study when they come to their local health centre for routine medical tests that require blood samples. “It is your choice to participate. Your privacy is assured if you agree to be part of the study. Individual results will not NEWS 2013-05-09T19:05:03+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_to_spend_150000_on_asist/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674gn_to_spend_150000_on_asist/ The Government of Nunavut plans to use $150,000, contributed by the Nunavut Teachers Association, to offer ASIST training throughout Nunavut. The education department plans to “work closely” with the Nunavut Arctic College to determine how to run the program through a contribution agreement, which would also involved the health department, Premier Eva Aariak, also Nunavut’s education minister, said May 8 in the territorial legislature.  “That agreement is still being finalized, such as the NEWS 2013-05-09T17:42:57+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_national_youth_arts_week_in_iqaluit_a_success/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_national_youth_arts_week_in_iqaluit_a_success/ NEWS 2013-05-09T17:31:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_produces_new_materials_for_parents/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_produces_new_materials_for_parents/ Communities will have access to new information about foster parenting and child and youth mental health, Monica Ell, Nunavut’s minister of family services said in the legislative assembly May 8. Through the Nunavut Public Library Services, every community in Nunavut will receive a a collection of 83 books about parenting and child and youth mental health issues. Most books are written for adults, but some of the books in this collection are also appropriate for children and teens, Ell NEWS 2013-05-09T16:14:36+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674inuit_children_more_likely_to_end_up_is_foster_care_statscan/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674inuit_children_more_likely_to_end_up_is_foster_care_statscan/ Inuit children are more than eight times as likely to live in foster care than non-Aboriginal Canadian children under 14, according to statistics released May 8. Some 570 Inuit children or 2.8 per cent are in foster care, says Statistics Canada data released May 8, in comparison to 0.3 per cent of non-Aboriginal children. Overall, almost half of the children under 14 in foster care in Canada are Aboriginal, StatsCan’s National Household Survey shows. The survey data says there were more than NEWS 2013-05-09T15:10:03+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_flag_for_nunavik/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_a_flag_for_nunavik/ NEWS 2013-05-09T13:33:33+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_needs_a_flag_designer/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_needs_a_flag_designer/ A Nunavik graphic arts designer says the region needs its own flag. Quebec’s flag features a blue and white fleur-de-lis, the stylized lily, a traditional coat-of-arms symbol that followed French settlers to New France. And Canada’s flag displays the red and white maple leaf, a long-time symbol celebrating the nature and environment of what is now Canada. So why shouldn’t Nunavik have its own distinctive flag, asks Thomassie Mangiok, who runs Pirnoma Technologies, a design and computer NEWS 2013-05-09T13:32:26+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674three_nunavut_communities_in_line_for_arena_upgrades/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674three_nunavut_communities_in_line_for_arena_upgrades/ Soon you will be able to skate year-round in Pangnirtung and Whale Cove and Taloyoak. That’s thanks to money from the federal and territorial governments which will cover upgrades, Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut’s minister of community and government services, May 8 in the territorial legislature. “This is something we’ve really been looking for,” said Ron Mongeau, senior administrative officer for Pangnirtung. “I’m so happy the minister was able to announce it today.” Pangirtung had been lobbying NEWS 2013-05-09T12:20:47+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674prizes_boost_school_attendance_in_sanikiluaq/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674prizes_boost_school_attendance_in_sanikiluaq/ Can prizes like solar-powered backpacks solve Nunavut’s problems with poor school attendance? School attendance is up in Sanikiluaq, Hudson Bay MLA Alan Rumbolt said in a May 8 member’s statement in the Nunavut legislative assembly. And the improved attendance in his community of 700 is all due to the prizes now handed out for overall attendance rates of 50 per cent or higher, Rumbolt suggested. The prizes include running shoes for students with attendance rates greater than 50 per NEWS 2013-05-09T11:09:21+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674northwestel_nets_national_volunteer_award_nomination/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674northwestel_nets_national_volunteer_award_nomination/ Northwestel has been nominated for a national award for volunteer work in the North, the company announced in a May 7 news release. The Arctic Winter Games and Sport North nominated the company for a Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award as the top Business Leader award in the British Columbia and the North region. There are 17 awards in total, including two at the national level and 15 at the regional level. As part of the recognition, regional award winners will be eligible to identify a NEWS 2013-05-09T10:01:07+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_regulators_to_receive_new_izok_mine_proposal_in_december_201/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_regulators_to_receive_new_izok_mine_proposal_in_december_201/ MMG Resources Inc. told the Nunavut Impact Review Board May 6 to expect a new project description for its Izok Corridor project in December 2013. Until then the company plans to undertake “additional feasibility work and further consultation with stakeholders,” said Sabha Safavi, MMG’s project manager in Canada. Last month, MMG Resources put the brakes on its Izok Corridor zinc-copper mine and port project in western Nunavut, which had been recently accepted for an environmental review by the NEWS 2013-05-08T20:01:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_environment_minister_slams_eu_seal_ban/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_environment_minister_slams_eu_seal_ban/ Nunavut’s environment minister stood up in the territorial legislature May 8 to criticize the European Union’s ban on seal products and praise the efforts made by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and others to overturn that ban. “I ask that all members join me in commending the efforts of ITK and their co-plaintiffs thus far in standing up for the rights of seal hunters and seal hunting cultures against the hypocrisy and neo-colonialism of the EU,” said James Arreak in a minister’s statement, referring NEWS 2013-05-08T19:07:30+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_in_brussels/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_in_brussels/ NEWS 2013-05-08T19:01:49+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674be_prepared_nunavut_government_minister_urge/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674be_prepared_nunavut_government_minister_urge/ Nunavummiut should take steps to be ready for emergencies, Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut’s minister of community and government services said in the territorial legislature May 7. Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 6 to 12,  and it’s “an opportunity to remind Nunavummiut to be prepared and know what to do in the event of an emergency,” Kusugak said in his minister’s statement. The theme for Emergency Preparedness Week is: “72 Hours…Is your family prepared?” That’s because the standard goal NEWS 2013-05-08T18:04:29+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_city_council_looks_at_removing_boulders_posts/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_city_council_looks_at_removing_boulders_posts/ Large boulders and posts placed along many Iqaluit streets as a way to improve public safety may soon be a memory. That’s after councillors approved a motion May 7 at an Engineering and Public Works Committee of the Whole meeting to request a legal opinion from the city’s lawyer on the removal of the roadside obstacles. Even though the boulders and wooden posts were put in for pedestrian safety, the posts and boulders along walkways complicate the work of road crews in Iqaluit. Keith NEWS 2013-05-08T17:03:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674less_than_two_in_three_inuit_speak_an_inuit_language_statscan/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674less_than_two_in_three_inuit_speak_an_inuit_language_statscan/ Less than two of every three Inuit in Canada — about 37,615 people — are able to conduct a conversation in the Inuit language, Statistics Canada reports. That number is contained in a big release of data May 8 that Statistics Canada gathered during its 2011 household survey. StatsCan number-crunchers estimate Canada’s Inuit population at 59,445 for 2011. Of those, 43,460 Inuit, about 73 per cent of the total, live in Inuit Nunangat, defined as the Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the NEWS 2013-05-08T15:45:31+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674better_justice_must_be_part_of_quebecs_new_northern_plan/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674better_justice_must_be_part_of_quebecs_new_northern_plan/ Quebec’s bar association said more attention must be paid to the delivery of justice in Nunavik and other northern regions of the province because there can be “no economic development without justice.” Justice in Quebec’s north is “second-class,” said Nicholas Plourde, president the bar association, le Barreau du Québec, in a May 7 news release, issued on the same day that Quebec released the new “Le Nord pour Tous” plan. “We must remember there can be no economic development in the North NEWS 2013-05-08T15:05:21+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mla_wants_to_know_when_nunavut_plans_action_on_family_violence/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mla_wants_to_know_when_nunavut_plans_action_on_family_violence/ The Government of Nunavut’s Iliagiitsiarniq draft family violence strategy is a step in the right direction. But the GN shouldn’t ignore the issue of family violence, Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk said during a member’s statement in the legislative assembly May 7. Keith Peterson, then minister of health and social services, tabled the draft version of the strategy this past March during the winter sitting of the assembly. “We can no longer put this problem on the backburner and let it NEWS 2013-05-08T14:10:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674quebec_launches_its_grand_plan_for_the_north_le_nord_pour_tous/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674quebec_launches_its_grand_plan_for_the_north_le_nord_pour_tous/ (Updated and corrected May 9, 1:15 p.m.) Le Nord pour Tous or, in English, “the North for all” — that’s the name chosen by the Parti Québécois for its version of the previous Liberal government’s Plan Nord. “We want to develop the North in a responsible manner to maximize the spinoffs for the local communities and all Québécois,” Quebec Premier Pauline Marois said May 7 in Chibougamou. At $868 million, the PQ plan comes in at about $20 million less for infrastructure than Plan Nord, NEWS 2013-05-08T13:04:21+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674its_inulirijikkut_for_new_nunavut_social_affairs_department/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674its_inulirijikkut_for_new_nunavut_social_affairs_department/ The new Government of Nunavut department known in English as the Department of Family Services will be called Inulirijikkut in the Inuit language, Monica Ell, minister responsible for the department, told MLAs May 7. The word is based on the term “inuliriji,” which in the Inuit language usually means “social worker” or “a person who works with people” and has been used for decades. “The term Inulirijikkut is already widely known and accepted across the territory.  We believe that it will be NEWS 2013-05-08T12:15:12+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_capital_overdue_for_new_roads_and_sidewalks_says_iqaluits_publ/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_capital_overdue_for_new_roads_and_sidewalks_says_iqaluits_publ/ Recent spring melt and rain have exposed the weaknesses in Iqaluit’s roads and sidewalks, Keith Couture, the city’s director of public works, told council’s engineering and public works committee May 7. These must be built anew with clear plans for a drainage system to carry water run-off out of the city, Couture said. “Roads are a big issue here in Iqaluit, as everybody knows if you’ve driven around here lately,” Couture said. “We have a mess.” Just 10 months into his post as public works NEWS 2013-05-08T11:07:01+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_arviats_top_three_snowmobile_masters/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_arviats_top_three_snowmobile_masters/ NEWS 2013-05-08T10:01:24+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674most_arctic_council_applicants_pose_little_risk/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674most_arctic_council_applicants_pose_little_risk/ We don’t know for certain if Canada will use its effective veto on the Arctic Council this month to bar the granting of observer status to the European Union, or any other applicant. But it’s fair to say that Canada’s Arctic Council minister, Leona Aglukkaq, now faces pressure from those who want her to use her influence to ensure Canada does just that. This pressure comes from a sizeable number of her Nunavut constituents and organizations like Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Nunavut Tunngavik EDITORIAL 2013-05-08T10:00:04+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_council_mulls_over_rocks_posts_sidewalks_and_roads/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_council_mulls_over_rocks_posts_sidewalks_and_roads/ NEWS 2013-05-08T09:37:31+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_chelsey_kaldudjak_womens_champion_at_the_arviat_bravo_races/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_chelsey_kaldudjak_womens_champion_at_the_arviat_bravo_races/ NEWS 2013-05-07T20:45:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_still_tackling_tb/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_still_tackling_tb/ A year after Nunavik public health officials first announced they were facing an outbreak of tuberculosis in Kangiqsualujjuaq in 2012, TB is still cropping up in Nunavik in Salluit and in Kuujjuaq. This prompted Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services’ public health department to send out a May 6 advisory. On May 1, nine cases of tuberculosis had been reported in Nunavik for 2013, the public health officials said: seven in Salluit, which also had at least eight cases of TB in NEWS 2013-05-07T20:40:18+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_polar_bear_stakes_out_his_next_meal/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_polar_bear_stakes_out_his_next_meal/ NEWS 2013-05-07T20:18:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674aariak_nunavut_to_offer_asist_training_to_teachers_in_all_communities/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674aariak_nunavut_to_offer_asist_training_to_teachers_in_all_communities/ Premier Eva Aariak, who also serves as education minister, said May 7 that the Department of Education will offer ASIST suicide prevention training to teachers in all Nunavut communities over the next two to three years. “The key to suicide prevention is to have trained caregivers ready, willing and able to get involved with each and every at-risk person,’ Aariak said in a statement in the legislative assembly. The ASIST or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training program, developed by an NEWS 2013-05-07T19:30:15+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674seal_and_sealing_network_launches_seal-hunting_art_competition/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674seal_and_sealing_network_launches_seal-hunting_art_competition/ The Seal and Sealing Network wants you to show why sealing is important to you. The network, which represents sealers across Canada, wants you to send an example of your best photography, poetry or artwork inspired by seal-hunting activities to the organization by email. You can make a video or even write a song, says the network — as long as you submit your entry by June 1. Prizes will be given for top entries which demonstrate “the social, cultural and economic importance of sealing in a NEWS 2013-05-07T18:49:38+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_is_making_progress_on_mental_health_issues_embrace_life_counci/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_is_making_progress_on_mental_health_issues_embrace_life_counci/ Nunavut is making positive changes on mental health issues, Jenny Tierney, executive director of the Embrace Life Council said. But more work is still needed — in 2012, there were 27 deaths by suicide in Nunavut. Tierney spoke to Nunatsiaq News, May 7, during the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 62nd annual mental health week, May 6 to 12. Its goal: to raise awareness about mental health issues in Canada. To that end, the Akausisarvik Mental Health Treatment Center and the Embrace NEWS 2013-05-07T17:27:27+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674quebec_moves_to_increase_taxes_paid_by_mining_companies/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674quebec_moves_to_increase_taxes_paid_by_mining_companies/ Quebec’s Parti Québécois government has decided to move ahead with a plan to increase the amount of tax paid by mining companies. The new rate hikes, which come into effect in 2014, will see mines paying the higher of two taxes, a royalty on production or tax on profit. Nicolas Marceau, Quebec’s finance minister, and Martine Ouellet, Quebec’s natural resources minister, unveiled the province’s new mining tax regime May 6.  “The government’s ambition is to make Quebec one of the most NEWS 2013-05-07T15:45:56+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674thank_you_to_the_people_of_pond_inlet/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674thank_you_to_the_people_of_pond_inlet/ On July 10, 2008, the search began for the late Boaz Idlout, involving 80 local people, a police dog, and a chartered helicopter. The search was called off on July 23, 2008, when the searchers came back empty-handed. The weather was hot, and they never gave up for two weeks, hoping to recover the him alive. On Aug. 21, 2011, his body was found by two local men. There were a lot of mixed emotions when we heard the news; happy that it was found, sad that we weren’t able to see him. But the LETTERS 2013-05-07T14:45:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_dea_wants_to_stress_safety_student_mental_health/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_dea_wants_to_stress_safety_student_mental_health/ Members of the Iqaluit District Education Authority say they want to boost the safety of Iqaluit schools and deal with mental heath issues among students. “Our main job is safety of students,” said Andrew Tagak Sr., the board’s chair. The board, which held its annual general meeting May 6, plans to ask the Government of Nunavut’s education department to require that every Nunavut teacher take the ASIST suicide-prevention program. “We’re hoping that whoever wants to take that course can take NEWS 2013-05-07T13:50:45+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_legislature_starts_spring_sitting_may_7/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_legislature_starts_spring_sitting_may_7/ Nunavut MLAs have returned to Iqaluit for the reconvening of the Nunavut legislature at 1:30 p.m. May 7, the start of their spring sitting. The winter sitting, a continuation of the third session of the third legislative assembly, will likely run until May 16. It’s the second-to-last sitting before the Oct. 28 territorial election, when voters will head to the polls to choose 22 MLAs. Because of the new electoral map, the legislative building is in the process of being renovated to add more NEWS 2013-05-07T12:23:37+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674auditor_urges_upgrades_to_national_search_and_rescue/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674auditor_urges_upgrades_to_national_search_and_rescue/ Search and rescue aircraft, personnel and mission-management must be improved to keep the national search and rescue system at current standards for the coming years, the Auditor General of Canada said in his spring report, released April 30. “Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard adequately respond to air and marine search and rescue (SAR) incidents,” the report by Michael Ferguson states. But “significant improvements are needed if they are to continue to adequately respond and NEWS 2013-05-07T11:26:29+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_nunavut_quest_mushers_celebrated_in_igloolik/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_nunavut_quest_mushers_celebrated_in_igloolik/ NEWS 2013-05-07T10:28:02+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674for_nursing_week_nunavut_arctic_college_honours_the_late_nowyah_willia/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674for_nursing_week_nunavut_arctic_college_honours_the_late_nowyah_willia/ During Nursing Week, Nunavut Arctic College is honouring Nowyah Williams, who died recently at the age of 60. “For Nursing Week 2013, Nursing and Health Sciences at Nunavut Arctic College salute Nowyah Williams as a life-long learner in the health professions in Nunavut and honour her services to the people of Nunavut,” said a May 6 NAC statement. Williams, who was the manager of maternal care at the Rankin Inlet Birth Centre, contributed to the establishment of the birthing centre in Rankin NEWS 2013-05-07T10:04:17+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_fur_production_students_visit_the_ledge_may_8/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_fur_production_students_visit_the_ledge_may_8/ NEWS 2013-05-07T09:43:15+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_acl_goes_with_new_cargo_option/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_acl_goes_with_new_cargo_option/ NEWS 2013-05-07T01:25:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674tulugak_soars_during_final_ottawa_shows/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674tulugak_soars_during_final_ottawa_shows/ OTTAWA — There’s a moment, about halfway through “Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories,” when Greenland’s Else Danielsen, dressed in a black suit and feathers as “Mrs. Black,” gives a quirky and political speech about Inuit and the north, about pride and land claims, about politicians and resources and even world peace. Then suddenly, she is silenced. Ravens used to have the power to talk, the narrator says. Now they just squawk. The next scene features a bunch of bobbing, screeching, gurgling ravens NEWS 2013-05-06T20:07:34+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_tulugak_takes_over_nac/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_tulugak_takes_over_nac/ NEWS 2013-05-06T19:38:59+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674accused_of_sexual_interference_nunavut_teacher_appears_in_iqaluit_cour/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674accused_of_sexual_interference_nunavut_teacher_appears_in_iqaluit_cour/ Defence lawyers for an Iqaluit teacher who faces three charges of sexual interference entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf May 6 at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit. The man, a teacher at Aqsarniq Middle School in Iqaluit, has another court appearance scheduled for June 3. This past April 12, Justice Andrew Mahar of the Nunavut Court of Justice granted a request from the Crown to impose a publication ban that prevents news organizations from reporting the identity of the Iqaluit NEWS 2013-05-06T18:50:46+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nti_announces_new_president-for-a-day/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nti_announces_new_president-for-a-day/ Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Cathy Towtongie announced May 5 that Arviat student Vayda Kaviok, a Grade 12 student at the John Arnalukjuak high school, won the “president-for-a-day” contest. As the winner of the contest, Kaviok and a chaperone will fly to Iqaluit for July 9, Nunavut Day. Kaviok will deliver her winning speech during the Nunavut Day festivities and will help Towtongie in presiding over the Iqaluit celebrations. NTI launched the contest earlier this year as part of the NEWS 2013-05-06T17:31:32+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674childrens_book_author_heads_to_nunavut/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674childrens_book_author_heads_to_nunavut/ Children in the Nunavut communities of Arviat and Cape Dorset will be able take part in Children’s Book Week, when children’s author Sarah Tsiang visits their communities May 6 and 8. Children’s Book Week, part of a Canada-wide tour to spread the joy of reading among children, has come to Nunavut before, a recent news release from the Toronto-Dominion Bank said. This year, TD-sponsored Canadian Children’s Book Week includes 35 authors, illustrators and storytellers who will visit schools, NEWS 2013-05-06T16:22:15+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_to_sign_oil_spill_deal_talk_marine_issues_and_developme/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_council_to_sign_oil_spill_deal_talk_marine_issues_and_developme/ On May 15 if you want to find Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s minister responsible for the Arctic Council, look 540 metres underground in Kiruna, Sweden. That’s where Aglukkaq and the other top ministers from the Arctic Council member nations plan to eat lunch during their one-day ministerial meeting, during which Sweden will pass the chair of the eight-nation forum to Canada. The iron mine, owned by Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB, a large Swedish mining company, is the largest underground iron mine in NEWS 2013-05-06T15:36:24+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_tulugak_entrances_ottawa_audiences/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_tulugak_entrances_ottawa_audiences/ NEWS 2013-05-06T15:10:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_honours_nurses_during_national_nursing_week/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_honours_nurses_during_national_nursing_week/ During National Nursing week, May 6 to May 12, Nunavut is giving special recognition to three nurses. “I am proud of our nursing staff and the medical care they provide to Nunavummiut, and I thank them for their care, compassion and commitment,” Keith Peterson, Nunavut’s health minister said in a May 6 news release. The nurses receiving awards include: • Joanne Dignard, nurse-in-charge in Grise Fiord, who receives an “Excellence in Nursing Practice” award; • Candice Waddell, a registered NEWS 2013-05-06T14:01:59+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_sundays_in_ottawa_include_inuktitut_church_service/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_sundays_in_ottawa_include_inuktitut_church_service/ NEWS 2013-05-06T12:46:11+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_ocean_particularly_vulnerable_to_acidification_new_report/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_ocean_particularly_vulnerable_to_acidification_new_report/ Climate change is affecting the Arctic Ocean in ways that may deal a severe blow to marine life and people. The world’s oceans are becoming more acid, says a new report from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. And this ocean acidification in the Arctic might affect commercial fisheries in the Arctic and the marine resources that are important for indigenous peoples in the Arctic, the report says. The Arctic Ocean is “particularly vulnerable” to acidification, says the Arctic NEWS 2013-05-06T12:25:47+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674acl_builds_on_canadian_north_air_freight_deal/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674acl_builds_on_canadian_north_air_freight_deal/ Through a new arrangement with Canadian North, Arctic Cooperatives Ltd. has made big changes to the way it ships food and other cargo to member co-ops in the Baffin region as well as to the ACL-owned Arctic Ventures Marketplace in Iqaluit. In what the ACL called “an exciting strategic move,” a new Winnipeg-based service will offer a “cost-effective delivery” for the stores, through a deal with the Canadian North, Cargojet and Calm Air airlines,  a May 1 news release said. Through the new NEWS 2013-05-06T11:27:36+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_roman_catholic_bishop_to_be_ordained_in_rankin_inlet/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674new_roman_catholic_bishop_to_be_ordained_in_rankin_inlet/ Preparations are underway in Rankin Inlet at the Mary Our Mother church for the ordination of the eastern Arctic’s next Roman Catholic bishop, in what promises to be the largest ceremony ever held. Father Anthony Wieslaw Krótki will succeed Reynald Rouleau as bishop of Churchill-Hudson Bay on May 30, in an 11 a.m. mass that will include Krótki’s ordination. “We expect around five to six hundred people,” said Rankin Inlet parish priest Martin Rumik. That amounts to the maximum capacity of the NEWS 2013-05-06T10:00:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rainbow_day_is_a_great_thing_to_do_cambay_high_student_says/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674rainbow_day_is_a_great_thing_to_do_cambay_high_student_says/ Two days after Cambridge Bay’s Kiilinik high school held its “Rainbow Day” May 1 to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students in the school, Amy, a Grade 11 student who is part of that community, still sounds elated from that day’s good feelings. Amy didn’t wear a rainbow-coloured unicorn hat to school May 1 as some of her fellow students did, but she did deck out in rainbow-coloured from top to bottom, from her nails to all her clothes, as a symbol of NEWS 2013-05-03T20:31:51+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_teams_up_with_wscc_to_promote_workplace_safety/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_teams_up_with_wscc_to_promote_workplace_safety/ The City of Iqaluit wants to promote safety in the workplace. That’s why the city has teamed up with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission to put on Iqaluit’s first North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 5 to May 11. Starting May 6, the week will bring safety activities to Iqaluit in which everyone can participate, said WSCC spokesperson Glenda Zucker, who recently spoke at a city council meeting about the upcoming safety week. The safety week’s goal, according NEWS 2013-05-03T19:00:53+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_conference_seeks_action_plan_to_save_inuktitut/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavik_conference_seeks_action_plan_to_save_inuktitut/ Major organizations in Nunavik should “gather at their earliest convenience to create a concrete action plan” to save Inuktitut in the region. That’s what delegates at the recent Annatuinniniq Uqausittinik, or saving our language, conference on Inuktitut in Nunavik want to see. Youth at the conference, held April 15 to April 18 in Kangiqsujuaq, say Inuktitut is changing “in a radical way” and that English is too often spoken at home. During a youth panel discussion at the conference, NEWS 2013-05-03T17:34:43+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674elisapie_isaac_wows_sold-out_ottawa_show/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674elisapie_isaac_wows_sold-out_ottawa_show/ Polar pop star Elisapie, an engaging combination of poise and talent, charmed a packed audience at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre 4th Stage May 2, demonstrating to new and returning fans that her future as a musical performer is secure. The small, casual, café-style venue, with it’s round tables and bar service, seemed perfectly suited for the show, which attracted a sold-out crowd of Ottawa patrons and, from the sounds of Inuktitut praise shouted from the back of the hall, a few Inuit as NEWS 2013-05-03T15:59:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_elisapie_sings_at_ottawas_northern_scene/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_elisapie_sings_at_ottawas_northern_scene/ NEWS 2013-05-03T15:13:15+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674pangnirtung_woman_writes_book_to_raise_daycare_funds/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674pangnirtung_woman_writes_book_to_raise_daycare_funds/ The Mianiqsivik Pairivik daycare in Pangnirtung has found a new way to fundraise: by selling a new preschool book written in Inuktitut and English called “Trip to the Moon.” The book, written by Vera Evic, a Pangnirtung author and parent, is a short story about three boys, Michael, Jacob and Kevin, who discover a magic oil drum that flies them to the moon, where they run into some unexpected things. A team of artists from the Uqqurmiut Inuit Artist Association illustrated the book, with NEWS 2013-05-03T14:42:39+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674three_nunavut_projects_share_115000_from_cannor/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674three_nunavut_projects_share_115000_from_cannor/ Three projects in Nunavut have received $115,000 for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Nunavut MP and CanNor Minister Leona Aglukkaq and CanNor minister, announced May 2. The projects are intended to support economic growth and small business development in Nunavut, she said. The projects include: • increasing the awareness of financial and credit services provided by the Nunavut Business Credit Corp., which includes marketing materials in Inuktitut, English, French and NEWS 2013-05-03T14:03:40+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_seal_no_deal_petition_explained/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674no_seal_no_deal_petition_explained/ My name is Karliin Aariak. I am a Canadian and I am an Inuk. I am passionate about the importance of seal harvesting, the seal industry, and seal trade to Inuit. For thousands of years, Inuit have relied on seals to survive, and we continue to do so. Respecting wildlife has always been an important traditional practice for Inuit. Daily, we demonstrate this respect by harvesting and using all parts of the seal, whether it is for food, clothing, heat, tools, games for our children, and most NEWS 2013-05-03T13:24:28+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_3/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674taissumani_may_3/ On July 9th in the year 1835, Reverend William Cockran of the Church Missionary Society station at Red River, in what is now Manitoba, attended a funeral. On returning home, he went directly to his room to write down the name and age of the deceased. Immediately he was interrupted by a servant-girl who came in to tell him that Colon, his servant-boy, was calling for him. The minister perceived no sense of urgency, and continued his writing. When he was finished, he headed out to visit TAISSUMANI 2013-05-03T12:04:50+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_qia_president_signs_no_seal_no_deal_petition/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_qia_president_signs_no_seal_no_deal_petition/ NEWS 2013-05-03T11:09:35+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674retail_booze_in_nunavut_proceed_with_caution/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674retail_booze_in_nunavut_proceed_with_caution/ Despite its sometimes questionable recommendations, last fall’s report of the Nunavut Liquor Act Review Task Force got at least one thing right: that Nunavut’s destructive relationship with alcohol is rooted in culture, specifically “drinking culture.” By this they mean the widespread veneration of the 60-ounce plastic jug of vodka — by large numbers of binge drinkers who consume liquor as if there were a prize at the bottom of the bottle. “Our recommendations place major emphases on efforts EDITORIAL 2013-05-03T11:08:54+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_sinuupa_up_for_a_nammy_award/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_sinuupa_up_for_a_nammy_award/ NEWS 2013-05-03T10:45:30+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674report_80_per_cent_of_iqaluit_fire_loss_in_2012_was_suspicious/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674report_80_per_cent_of_iqaluit_fire_loss_in_2012_was_suspicious/ Residents already know that 2012 was a bad year for fires in Iqaluit, but a statistical report tabled April 30 at an Iqaluit City Council meeting reveals how bad it really was. Submitted by Luc Grandmaison, Iqaluit fire chief and director of emergency and protective services, the report shows that in 2012, fires in Iqaluit killed two people, inflicted $9.2 million worth of losses to property and injured 13 people, including five firefighters. And 80 per cent of those financial losses — $7.4 NEWS 2013-05-03T10:01:21+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_community_rallies_to_help_pangs_daycare/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_community_rallies_to_help_pangs_daycare/ NEWS 2013-05-03T09:59:01+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_gets_new_water_regulations_aimed_to_ease_resource_development/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_gets_new_water_regulations_aimed_to_ease_resource_development/ Nunavut has new water regulations, which federal officials say “will encourage investment in Nunavut.” The new Nunavut Waters Regulations under the Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Right Tribunal Act are now in force, Bernard Valcourt, minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, announced May 2. The new regulations make it possible for some mining projects to use and get rid of waste water without a water license. But they also establish the minimum threshold for a project’s NEWS 2013-05-02T20:14:01+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_wants_new_cemetery_completed_by_years_end/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_wants_new_cemetery_completed_by_years_end/ The City of Iqaluit wants its new cemetery site, located near Rotary Park overlooking Tarr Inlet, with a budget of $500,000, to be finished by the end of this year, Meagan Leach, the city’s director of engineering said. This new site replaces a previous choice, located near the Road to Nowhere and picked in 2009. That site suffered from delays, cost overruns and engineering problems. “We’re hoping to get the work done this year,” Leach said. Iqaluit’s Engineering and Public Works NEWS 2013-05-02T19:29:47+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_to_get_new_cemetery/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_to_get_new_cemetery/ NEWS 2013-05-02T18:19:29+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674bevington_attacks_aglukkaq_over_inuit_dental_care/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674bevington_attacks_aglukkaq_over_inuit_dental_care/ Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington of the New Democratic Party, in a May 1 question in the House of Commons, accused Leona Aglukkaq, the national health minister, of hurting her own constituents when the Conservative government pulled funding in 2011 from the National School of Dental Therapy, causing it to close. In his question, Bevington referred to an action plan on Inuit oral health that Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami released last month. ITK’s proposed plan said the quality of Inuit dental NEWS 2013-05-02T18:00:10+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_children-youth_foundation_launches_online_forum/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_children-youth_foundation_launches_online_forum/ The Arctic Children and Youth Foundation wants to hear what Nunavut youth think about the pressing issues that affect their lives — housing, suicide, abuse, mental health and education issues such as high drop out rates. The foundation has started up the “Playing to Strength” online discussion forum, equipped with moderators to keep the discussions going by posting questions, comments and news items.  The forum’s motto: “Take part in your life, have a say in what you want.” “It’s a place NEWS 2013-05-02T16:17:54+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674disturbing_signs_of_climate_change_in_2012_un_weather_agency/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674disturbing_signs_of_climate_change_in_2012_un_weather_agency/ Last year joined the 10 previous years as one of the warmest on record — at ninth place, said the World Meteorological Organization’s May 2 “Statement on the Status of the Global Climate.” “The sustained warming of the lower atmosphere is a worrisome sign,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud in a news release from the United Nations’ weather agency. The 2012 global land and ocean surface temperature during 2012 was about .11 C above the 1961 to 1990 average of 14 C. That makes 2012 NEWS 2013-05-02T14:32:19+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_councillors_take_service_gripes_to_canada_post/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_councillors_take_service_gripes_to_canada_post/ Iqaluit Mayor John Graham says he isn’t satisfied with the response he received from Canada Post after he complained about postal service in Iqaluit. The city complained to Canada Post after hearing from Iqaluit residents that they have trouble locating their parcels, or that wait times are too long. “We did act, and this is basically what we got,” Graham said April 30 at a city council meeting. Coun. Kenny Bell agreed with Graham: “Whatever phone calls you made fell on deaf ears,” he NEWS 2013-05-02T12:27:38+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_lacks_cancer_care_detection_strategy/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_lacks_cancer_care_detection_strategy/ I am a 30 year resident of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut whose spouse died of cancer on May 16, 2012. Over the course of my husband’s treatment, I became aware that a cancer prevention program could have resulted in early detection of his cancer. Most, if not all provinces in Canada have such programs, and professional organizations in Canada have recommendations describing optimal cancer prevention programs. There are effective treatments for prostate and other cancers if detected at an early LETTERS 2013-05-02T11:20:32+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_in_vimy_ridge/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_ns_in_vimy_ridge/ NEWS 2013-05-02T10:05:18+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambay_elders_receive_master_teacher_certification/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambay_elders_receive_master_teacher_certification/ Seven Cambridge Bay elders are now among the 129 certified elders across Nunavut who share their knowledge with the territory’s students. “Our esteemed elders to be certified are to be known as Innaq Inuusiutiliriji, master teachers, and will now be considered part of the school education staff,” said Bessie Joy, the chairperson of Cambridge Bay’s district education authority, at an April 29 ceremony at Cambridge Bay’s Kullik elementary school. Mabel Etegik, Annie Atighioyak, Mary Kaniak, NEWS 2013-05-02T10:02:22+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_painting_on_snow_starts_youth_arts_week_in_iqaluit/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_painting_on_snow_starts_youth_arts_week_in_iqaluit/ NEWS 2013-05-02T09:38:53+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_picks_apex_cite_for_cemetery_nixes_road_to_nowhere/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_picks_apex_cite_for_cemetery_nixes_road_to_nowhere/ The City of Iqaluit has picked a new site for its long-awaited replacement cemetery. The Engineering and Public Works Committee of the Whole reported that it recommends council proceed with the development of the new cemetery at a new site — known as “Alternate Site #2,” city council heard April 30. The site, located near Rotary Park, looking out onto Tarr Inlet, would have to undergo a peer review of the engineering design, Meagan Leach, the city’s director of engineering, said during the NEWS 2013-05-01T20:42:47+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_school_celebrates_rainbow_day_on_may_1/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_school_celebrates_rainbow_day_on_may_1/ Kiilinik high school in Cambridge Bay held its first “Rainbow Day” on May 1, which the Kitikmeot School Operation’s executive director Jonathan Bird called “a very proactive approach and important conversation we need to have with youth in our communities.” The day was planned to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students at the school as well as those in the western Nunavut town of 1,500 who are part of the LGBTQ community. The rainbow, long used as a sign NEWS 2013-05-01T20:02:55+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluits_road_to_nowhere_looking_bad/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluits_road_to_nowhere_looking_bad/ NEWS 2013-05-01T18:52:25+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674Greenland_legislator_decries_abuse_of_Greenlanders_/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674Greenland_legislator_decries_abuse_of_Greenlanders_/ There’s too much trash talk against Danes, and Inuit in Greenland who don’t speak Greenlandic, says Naaja Nathanielsen, a member of Greenland’s legislature. “Something has happened so it’s now more legitimate — more permissible — to talk badly about the people who speak Danish,” she said in a recent statement sent to media in Greenland on the Inuit Ataqatigiit party letterhead. About 58,000 people live in Greenland. About 12 per cent of the population are Danish. Nathanielsen, a member of NEWS 2013-05-01T18:22:21+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambridge_bay_mayor_warns_of_dogs_strangled_while_tied_up/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674cambridge_bay_mayor_warns_of_dogs_strangled_while_tied_up/ People in the western Nunavut town of Cambridge Bay need to keep a close eye on their dogs when they’re tied up, mayor Jeannie Ehaloak advises. That’s because some tied-up dogs have been found strangled recently, Ehaloak said. People in the community alerted her to the situation. And to clarify the situation, a dog was sent to the Great Slave Animal Hospital in Yellowknife to be tested for rabies. “When dogs get rabies they tend to go wild on the leash… but we can’t speculate,” Ehaloak NEWS 2013-05-01T17:04:08+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674katannilik_park_trail_unsafe_for_snowmobiles_gn/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674katannilik_park_trail_unsafe_for_snowmobiles_gn/ Nunavut Territorial Parks is advising residents and visitors to Katannilik Territorial Park that snowmobile trail conditions along the Itijjagiaq Trail, between Mount Joy and Kimmirut, have deteriorated, a Government of Nunavut news release said May 1. Users of the trail are being told to stop travelling by snowmobile along the Soper River valley. For updated information on trail conditions, please contact the Territorial Parks office. at 975-2350 in Iqaluit or 939-2416 in Kimmirut. NEWS 2013-05-01T16:43:56+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_drive_at_your_own_risk/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_iqaluit_drive_at_your_own_risk/ NEWS 2013-05-01T15:29:04+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674ollie_ittinuar_in_memoriam/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674ollie_ittinuar_in_memoriam/ News came to us that Ollie Ittinuar of Rankin Inlet passed away earlier this week, at age 93. He was a man of great knowledge well versed in Inuit qaujimajatuqangit. He was the leading force in two elders workshops on Inuit qaujimajatuqangit in Rankin Inlet in 2000 and 2002. As these workshops were intended to deal with sensitive knowledge, they were held outside on the land near the Meliadine river. Ollie hosted the workshop generously, building a special cabin for the meeting. He always LETTERS 2013-05-01T15:14:38+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674tories_liberals_lax_in_fighting_climate_change_nunavik_mp/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674tories_liberals_lax_in_fighting_climate_change_nunavik_mp/ When it comes to taking concrete action to fight climate change, the Conservative and Liberal parties are shirking their responsibilities, says New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash. In a May 1 news release, Saganash, who represents the riding of Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, condemned the lack of support from Conservatives and Liberals for an NDP motion that called for quick action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and measures to help adaptation to climate change. “It’s disheartening to see NEWS 2013-05-01T14:28:25+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_council_picks_design_firm_for_aquatic_centre_clarifies_borrowi/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_council_picks_design_firm_for_aquatic_centre_clarifies_borrowi/ The City of Iqaluit decided April 30 to award a design contract costing $3,165,291 plus GST to Stantec Architecture Ltd., who will act as prime consultants for Iqaluit’s proposed aquatic centre. Last October, the ratepayers of Iqaluit said yes to the City of Iqaluit borrowing up to $40-million to build a new aquatic centre. And this past February, council chose a company called MHPM Project Managers Inc. to manage the project. This week, council’s aquatic centre building committee NEWS 2013-05-01T13:28:15+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_city_council_looks_to_tightening_up_regulations_for_fire_escap/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_city_council_looks_to_tightening_up_regulations_for_fire_escap/ Iqaluit city councillors want to ensure new buildings in the city are equipped with fire escapes that go above and beyond national standards. Speaking during the council’s April 30 meeting, the city’s director of planning and development, Arif Sayani, said fire escapes for all new buildings in Iqaluit must meet national standards, which also call for “adequately-sized windows.” The National Fire Code of Canada, which sets minimum fire safety requirements for buildings, structures and areas NEWS 2013-05-01T12:23:02+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_elders_accept_certification_in_cambridge_bay/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674photo_elders_accept_certification_in_cambridge_bay/ NEWS 2013-05-01T11:27:58+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_to_get_new_ambulance/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674iqaluit_to_get_new_ambulance/ Iqaluit city councillors voted unanimously in favour of buying a third ambulance for the City of Iqaluit at their April 30 council meeting. Iqaluit’s fire chief Luc Grandmaison first appeared before the council to explain what kind of ambulance would best meet the city’s needs. The money for the new ambulance, a maximum of $200,000, was approved in the last budget. But the ambulance that Grandmaison proposed to council came in under budget. “The ambulance would replace aging equipment and NEWS 2013-05-01T11:24:24+00:00 http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674youth_arts_week_kicks_off_in_iqaluit/ http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674youth_arts_week_kicks_off_in_iqaluit/ Are you interested in graffiti, printmaking or stop-motion animation? Those are just a few of the week long events that will get underway this May 1 during Iqaluit’s second installment of National Youth Arts Week. The art events are free to youth aged 13 to 30, and most will take place at Iqaluit’s Centennial Library. “It’s really an amazing opportunity for people to try their hand at something new,” said co-ordinator Pascale Aprin. Youth can find something they’ve never done but may NEWS 2013-05-01T10:08:13+00:00