January 19, 2012

National

For first time in decades, military takes armour to North (January 18, 2012): They were Canada's armoured workhorses in the dust and heat of Afghanistan, and now the military is taking its LAVs to the snowy tundra. A massive military exercise next month in the Western Arctic will involve light armoured vehicles -- the first time in more than a generation that mechanized units will operate in the North.

Regional

Makivik candidates wind down campaigns with live radio debate (January 18, 2012): Listeners across Nunavik did not declare a winner in yesterday’s Makivik Corp. presidential election debate. But many say the debate, which aired live on CBC Radio’s Tuttavik Jan. 17, helped them whittle down which candidate will get their votes.

Housing, social issues on Nunavik voters’ minds (January 18, 2012): Today is the last day of campaigning for candidates in Nunavik’s Makivik Corporation election. Four people are running to be president of the northern Quebec Inuit land claim organization. They are incumbent president Pita Aatami, Jobie Tukkiapik, former Makivik president Charlie Watt and Harry Tulugaq

Arrangements being made to sell former Inuit Treatment Centre building in Labrador (January 18, 2012): The Nunatsiavut Government will sell the building that was formerly used as a residential treatment facility by Nunatsiavut in the community of North West River. In a press release today, the government said that the Saputjvik Treatment Centre closed its doors in 2008 due to a refocus in the addictions programming through the Nunatsiavut Government’s Department of Health and Social Development.

NG Selling Former Saputjivik Treatment Centre (January 18, 2012): The Nunatsiavut government is planning to sell the facility that once housed the Saputjivik Treatment Centre in North West River. In a press release on Wednesday, the government states that the high cost to maintain the building is the main reason for selling. The facility was first acquired by the Labrador Inuit Association in the late 1960s.

Aglukkaq talks up the budget in consultation session (January 18, 2012): “What I hear from the people of the North will be conveyed to my northern colleagues” Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq visited Iqaluit Jan. 16 and 17 to hear what the leaders of various organizations and businesses have to say about the federal government’s upcoming budget. The meetings, conducted behind closed doors, are part of a pre-budget “consultation” process that Aglukkaq said allows her to meet with constituents and hear their ideas.

Nuuk-Iqaluit summer air link to take flight (January 18, 2012): Eleven-week trial run will start June 2012 An Iqaluit-Nuuk air link will finally take flight, after Air Greenland announced plans this week to re-launch the once-popular route. Travellers in Nunavut and Greenland may once again make a scheduled flight across Davis Strait in less than two hours.

Tireless lobbying led to Iqaluit-Greenland air link revival January 18, 2012): “I’ve been lobbying to bring this back for over 10 years now. It's really great news." When Kenn Harper heard that Air Greenland was re-launching scheduled flights between Nuuk and Iqaluit this June, the Iqaluit businessman said he was “ecstatic.” Harper, who serves as Nunavut’s honorary Danish consul, has visited Greenland almost every year since the early 1970s.

Nunavik hockey program to benefit form Dorval Oldtimers hockey tournament (January 18, 2012): While hockey may just be a pastime for many kids, for the native youth of Nunavik in Northern Quebec, it could be the key to a more promising future. The Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program (NYHDP) was launched six years by former NHLer Joé Juneau who felt that native kids could benefit from a program that encouraged them to stay in school.

Inuvik, N.W.T., airport roof damaged in blizzard (January 18, 2012): Wind, snow also send hot tub sent drifting down town’s main street Parts of the roof at the Inuvik, N.W.T., airport were damaged in Tuesday’s blizzard. A large section of the roof peeled back like a sardine can. Airport manager Karen King said the damage is not causing the airport to shut down since it is just exterior damage. "The airport's fully operational. It looks a lot worse, I think," said King.

Preparing for development (January 16, 2012): New development is on the horizon for the central region of Labrador thanks to mining and mineral explorationt, the Iron Sands Development, and the possible development of Muskrat Falls. The question, though, is whether the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is prepared for such development, specifically around the issue of land use.

Groomed Trail May Connect Hopedale Again This Year (January 18, 2012): The provincial government is optimistic that the groomed trail will make it as far as Hopedale again this year. Nick McGrath is the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and holds the portfolio for Labrador Affairs. He says the trail will make it as far as Hopedale again this year if snow and ice conditions allow.

Climate Change

Global warming movng faster, UGA ecologist says (January 19, 2012): Global warming is advancing faster than even the worst predictions of a few years ago, and the pace is likely to pick up sharply, a prominent University of Georgia ecologist said Wednesday. A few years ago, climate scientists were predicting the Arctic Ocean might be ice-free during summer by about 2040. Now, scientists believe the summer Arctic could be open ocean as soon as next year, ecologist Jim Porter told a crowd of more than 100 on the UGA campus.

Arctic Plants Face an Uncertain Future (January 17, 2012): New research shows that a warmer climate will have quite different consequences for plant species in the Arctic. While most species are expected to lose part of their current habitat, the genetic consequences will differ markedly among species. The research results will have major impact on future conservation efforts.

Mitigating near-term climate change  (January 19, 2012): A scientific paper recently published by Science shows that a limited number of air quality measures can substantially mitigate global warming and have significant benefits for human health and agriculture. Together with twelve partners from all over the world, including UNEP, NASA and the Stockholm Environment Institute, JRC scientists identified 14 emission control measures that can best help to limit global warming and improve health and food security in the coming decades.

Other

A son of Labrador in Kyoto (January 18, 2012): A Labradorian looks back on his home with mixed feelings, and reflects on what Japanese and Newfoundlanders/Labradorians can learn from each other

Watson and wife adopt Inuit baby (January 17, 2012): An “extremely elated” MP Jeff Watson (C — Essex) and his wife Sarah were en route home Monday night with the latest addition to their family bundled in a blanket — Beatrice Grace Ulaajuk Watson, an adopted Inuit baby born on Friday.

Igloo making goes trendy (January 18, 2012): Something typical about the arctic-circle went symbolically trendy in this Capital in the Himalayas following the recent snowfall. Many people carved Igloos at their lawns.  In Chotta Bazar area of Srinagar, three boys Sheikh Owais, Azhar Musfeeq and Mosin Mehraj created the Igloo and even enjoyed tea inside the snow structure.

Is riveting Alaska icebreaker voyage a humanitarian or economic mission? (January 18, 2012): When Alaska Governor Sean Parnell urged the federal government to green-light an exceptional sea voyage in the depths of an unusually cold Alaskan winter, he spoke ominously of what would befall the remote community of Nome, Alaska -- isolated and off the road system -- if it didn't happen. But as justification for the saga was compressed into sound bites, one important detail was lost: people were not in immediate, if any, jeopardy; enough fuel was on hand to keep homes heated.

Russian rivers freshening the water of Alaska's Beaufort Sea (January 18, 2012): Fresh water sloshing into the polar sea from the great rivers of Russia has been collecting on the Alaskan and Canadian side of the Arctic, adding the equivalent of 10 feet of freshwater to the central Beaufort Sea between 2003 and 2008, according to a new study published this month in Nature. The ocean northeast of Alaska is now the freshest it's been in 50 years, the scientists said, but only a tiny proportion of that can be blamed on ice melt. Most of it can be traced to Eurasian river runoff, following a previously undetected pathway from one side of the world to the other.