September 30, 2011

International

Inuit to appeal court decision to uphold EU ban on seal products (September 29, 2011): Canada’s Inuit leaders are promising to appeal a recent European Union court ruling that upheld a ban on seal products. Europe’s top court rejected a bid to strike down the controversial ban on seal products on Sept. 6 on the grounds of inadmissibility. Inuit leaders made the unanimous decision to appeal the ruling at a recent meeting of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), an organization that serves as the national voice for Inuit people.

Regional

Food marketer named Nunavut businessman of the year (September 29, 2011): Iqaluit's Willie Hyndman honoured at Nunavut Business Achievement Awards An Iqaluit man who set up a country food market in his community won the Businessperson of the Year award at this year's Nunavut Business Achievement Awards. The awards were handed out Wednesday at the 20th annual Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit, which ran from Sept. 27 to 29.

Election time, NWT style (September 29, 2011): Monday is polling day in the Northwest Territories. Here in the NWT, when we vote, we have no firm idea who will be our premier. We cannot vote for or against any particular political philosophy or party platform. We can neither re-elect a government whose policies we support, nor oust one whose actions we reject. We can only vote for a candidate running in the particular riding in which we live. This time 'round there are 48 candidates for 19 seats, with three acclamations.

Inukjuak hosts exiles commemoration this week (September 29, 2011): Monument to be unveiled Sept. 30 Residents and visitors in Inukjuak are taking part in a commemorative event this week to remember the families affected by the High Arctic relocations. Some participants are Inuit leaders, others distant relatives or descendants of the original 19 Inukjuak families who were relocated by the federal government to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord in 1953 and 1955.

Nunavik looks at ways of keeping offenders out of court (September 29, 2011): New measures intended to “give youth a chance” It’s been a long time coming, but Nunavik has inched closer to implementing alternative justice measures to deal with young and first-time offenders. The Kativik Regional Government is helping to draft a protocol that will allow Nunavik’s justice committees to decide how the Youth Criminal Justice Act is applied in certain cases.

Labrador’s soaring skies (September 29, 2011): It takes some resolve to decide to holiday in the Torngat Mountains National Park, at the Labrador Peninsula’s northeastern tip. The park consists of about 9,700 square kilometres of breathtaking glacial landscape — high mountains with sweeping flanks falling to deep fjords arranged in a greater being’s doodle of sea coast, bays and inlets. (Torngat, it turns out, is the English mispronunciation of the name of the spirit Tungak, who is said to live in the caves of the mountains all around.

Deadline for Home Heating Rebate This Week (September 29, 2011): Friday is the deadline for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to apply for the province’s 2010-11 Home Heating Rebate program. Households with a family income of $40, 000 or less are eligible for the rebate. It applies to residents who use electricity, heating oil, propane, stove oil, wood or wood products.

A Change in Dental Services for Nain (September 29, 2011): A change has been made to the delivery of dental services in Nain. Gail Turner is the Director of Health Services for the Nunatsiavut government. She says the dental team headed by Dr. MacArthur has been replaced by a new team headed by a Dr. Thompkins. Dr. Thompkins will be assisted by three dental students from Dalhousie University.

Nain Youth Receives Bernie Broomfield Memorial Merit Award (September 29, 2011): A Nain youth was the recipient of this year’s annual Bernie Broomfield Memorial Merit Award. 16-year-old Raymond Obed received the honour on Monday. The award, valued at $200, recognizes a youth who is very active within the Moravian Church.

NWT teen's suicide shows gap in social services (September 29, 2011): Chief coroner recommends follow-ups with youth The NWT's chief coroner is recommending social services follow up with youth and families after their files have been closed, after a teen's suicide in a small community in 2010. The 14-year-old boy was found dead by his grandmother in a shed behind her house on a Sunday night. He had been involved with social services for part of his life, and at one point his family moved to Fort Smith while he stayed behind with his grandmother.

Northwestel launches cell phone service in Pangnirtung next week (September 29, 2011): Wireless phone service to start Oct. 4 at open house Northwestel is inviting residents of Pangnirtung to sign up for a new cell phone service set to launch Oct. 4. Paul Flaherty, the president and CEO of Northwestel, said in a news release that the service will be “comparable in quality and price to all other cellular providers in Canada.” Northwestel will pitch its new offering at an open house to be held Oct. 4 at the Northern store, the company’s local dealer.

New research vessel to honour Resolute Bay crash casualty Martin Bergmann (September 29, 2011): Nunavut's Cambridge Bay to be the home port for "The Martin Bergmann" Martin Bergmann, the director of the Polar Continental Shelf Program, died in the Aug. 20 crash of First Air flight 6560 in Resolute Bay. But the legacy of Bergmann, who was passionate about the Arctic and Arctic science, will live on in Nunavut. A new private, non-profit foundation, the Arctic Research Foundation, where Bergmann sat as a member of the board, plans to name its recently-acquired, 19-metre (64-foot) research vessel “The Martin Bergmann” in his memory.

Goldbrook wins another round against Jilin Jien in Nunavik Nickel dispute (September 29, 2011): Goldbrook to see its 25 per cent share in the project restored Vancouver-based Goldbrook Ventures Inc., a partner in the Nunavik Nickel mine project, came out winning again in its dispute with its joint venture partner Jilin Jien Nickel. Goldbrook had objected to last year’s issuance of voting common shares by Jilin Jien which effectively reduced Goldbrook’s percentage of voting shares and interest in the Nunavik Nickel project from 25 per cent to 4.21 per cent.

Canada’s youngest population, lowest life expectancy in Nunavut: Statistics Canada (September 29, 2011): About half of Nunavut's population continues to be younger than 25 years New statistics show that Canadians are living longer lives, with those born between 2006 and 2008 reaching a life expectancy of 80.9 years. But that doesn’t hold true in the North: the lowest life expectancy at birth was recorded in the three territories combined where, at birth, life expectancy sat at 75.2 years.

Nunavut puts $1 million into tourism, crafts (September 29, 2011): Funds to be dished out over next three years Nunavut will spend more than $1 million over the next three years to help Nunavut artists capitalize on the territory’s fledgling tourism industry. Peter Taptuna, Nunavut’s economic development and transportation minister, said Sept. 28 the money will help fund new retail space for arts and crafts businesses, marketing, coordination for cruise ship visits and community cleanups.

Climate Change

Climate change will cost Canada billions: report (September 29, 2011): Climate change will cost Canada about $5 billion a year by 2020, a startling new analysis commissioned by the federal government warns. Those costs will continue to climb, to between $21 billion and $43 billion a year by the 2050s, the report estimates. It all depends on how much action is taken to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as how fast the population and the economy grow too. In the worst-case scenario, climate change could cost as much as $91 billion per year by 2050.

Arctic loses nearly entire ice shelf (September 30, 2011): Two ice shelves that existed before Canada was settled by Europeans diminished significantly this northern summer, one nearly disappearing altogether, Canadian scientists say in newly published research. The loss is important as a marker of global warming, returning the Canadian Arctic to conditions that date back thousands of years, scientists say. Floating icebergs that have broken free as a result pose a risk to offshore oil facilities and potentially to shipping lanes.

Other

Shell hit with fresh Alaska lawsuit (September 30, 2011): Shell has been hit with a fresh legal challenge to its drilling plans off Alaska, with environmental groups seeking to block its exploration of the Beaufort Sea.