Friday, July 30, 2010

Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership

The Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership (LATP) is Labrador’s newest funding agency, and is slowly becoming known to Labrador Aboriginals.

Keith Jacque is the Executive Director of LATP.

He says LATP is a partnership created between all of the Aboriginal groups of Labrador and Nalcor Energy.

This partnership was created in the wake of the Lower Churchill development.

Jacque says LATP funds aboriginals who are approved for training in Heavy Equipment, Carpentry, ABE and other fields.

Nain to Receive New Lights in New Subdivision

The town of Nain will be a little brighter next week.

Dasi Ikkusek is the Manager of the Nain Inuit Community Government (NICG).

She says a crew from Hydro will be in town Tuesday, August 3.

Ikkusek says they will install street lights in the new subdivision.

In the mean time, the NICG employees will go around town checking to see if any broken lights need to be replaced.

Karen O’Neill is NL Hydro’s Senior Communications Advisor.

She says other then the street lights that will be installed, she knows of two broken lights that will be replaced.

O’Neill says if anyone in any community notices any street lights either broken or malfunctioning.

They are encouraged to contact Hydro.

O’Neill adds that any request for the installation of street lights on newly constructed roads are to be requested by the towns Municipal Government.

Fundraising Efforts Tainted

The fundraising efforts for the Ford family have been tainted by a shameful incident.

Simon Kohlmeister handcrafted four Inuit drums to sell tickets on.

On Wednesday afternoon, someone had walked away with a miniature drum.

The drums were on display at the Post-Office.

Kohlmeister is not impressed with the theft.

The drums were made to help out for a good cause.

And he says it is disrespectful to do such a thing, especially considering the circumstances.

He hopes that whoever stole the drum will eventually return it.

Kohlmeister says the value of the drums are $800-$900; but he says the cost is not important.

He says he is just trying to return help to those in need.

Because his community was there for him when he was in need.

Katimavik Lending a Hand in Rigolet

Katimavik has been very busy in the community of Rigolet lending a hand wherever it is needed.

Katimavik sends youth volunteers around the country to help within various communities.

At the same time they are given the opportunity to learn about different cultures.

Kelsey Tonner is the Project Leader with Katimavik in Rigolet.

He says they have been active in the community since August.

This is the first time that a group from Katimavik has been stationed in the community.

Since that time, six different groups of volunteers from across Canada have rotated through the community.

Five new volunteers arrived on the Northern Ranger last week.

Tonner says they have been lending a hand to various non-profit groups and local government.

For example, they have been busy this summer painting the church and doing some landscaping around the property.

They’ve also been volunteering at the local safe house and paying visits to community elders.

Tonner says the volunteers have been setting up community gardens and just recently cleaned up the community boardwalk.

Right now they are busy preparing for the upcoming Salmon Festival.

He says the volunteers have also been learning a lot from the community as well.

They have been learning about the Inuit culture through going off on the land and learning the ways of the people through cultural activities.

Community residents have been inviting the volunteers to join them on fishing trips and visits to the cabin.

Charlotte Wolfrey, the AngajuKak for the Rigolet Inuit Community Government, says it has been a joy having the Katimavik volunteers in the community.

Wolfrey says that it is a feeling shared by the community.

She says apart from the extraordinary help they’ve been providing in the community, they have also been making life-long friendships with the residents.

Labrador Residents Caution against Telemarketing Scam

Most people share the same frustration when it comes to pesky telemarketers.

A Labrador resident is cautioning people not to provide them with any information.

Jenny Oliver has been a target of the telemarketers.

She says she has been receiving calls from them for about a year now.

And they call at the most annoying times, usually between 5-10pm.

Oliver says she is skeptical of their intentions.

They call with offers of free cruises and the like.

The only requirement to receive your grand prize is your personal information such as credit card numbers.

Oliver says the offer doesn’t seem very legitimate.

She isn’t the only one receiving these calls.

A number of her friends from all across Labrador have been experiencing the same thing.

Oliver suggests that you keep them on the line.

That way it will cost them more money in phone charges, sending a bit of the grief their way.

Constable Brian Tellenbach of the Nain RCMP detachment echoes Oliver’s suggestion of taking caution when dealing with these calls.

He says you should never give out any personal information to an organization that you do not know.

Gearing Up for the Canoe Regatta

Need a way to beat the heat this weekend?

Well how about heading down to Gosling Lake for the 27th Annual Labrador Canoe Regatta?

Arlene Michelin is a Co-Chair with the Labrador Canoe Regatta Committee.

She says they have quite an event planned for this year.

In total, there are 15 teams registered for the canoe races.

Apart from the races, concessions and fireworks, they have a number of new events planned for this year.

For the first time the committee will be crowning a king and queen for the regatta. Voting will take place during the event.

Attendees will also have the chance to cast their vote for the cutest baby.

Michelin says to be nominated a baby must be under 2 years-old.

The baby’s pictures will be posted throughout the event and people will be able to vote for whom they believe is the cutest baby.

Also new this year is the first annual log-sawing competition.

Michelin says one of the biggest attractions during the regatta is the strong man competition.

Last year 16 people registered for the event.

Michelin says they hope to have that same number or more for this year’s competition.

She adds the weather is looking good for the three days the regatta is scheduled. The regatta takes place this weekend July 31-August2.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

From One Government To Another

Many positions within the Nunatsiavut Government can call for a very busy travel schedule.

Sheldon Baikie is the Deputy Minister of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

He says that he will soon be resigning and moving onto another job with the Provincial Government.

Baikie says because he has a small child, and because his current job requires so much travel, it is becoming tiresome.

He says he loves the work and loves meeting new people while traveling, but sometimes family comes first.

Support Services

In a time of crisis do you know who you can turn to for help?

Michelle Kinney, the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development, says there are many services available in each of the communities.

She says the first stop for residents should be their local Crisis Response Team (CRT).

The CRTs are made up of various community representatives such as the RCMP, Child, Youth and Family Services and the Inuit Community Governments.

Kinney says that in Nain, the CRT has been very busy the past while.

In response to this, various organizations have sent up additional staff.

Nunatsiavut’s Department of Health has sent in two additional mental health workers to give support in the community.

Child, Youth and Family Services have also sent in two additional social workers.

Kinney says that she and the Minister of Health will be traveling to Nain tomorrow to meet with the local CRT.

She says they will be there to provide support.

They will also work together to create suggestions on how the CRT can work with the Nunatsiavut Government to more effectively deliver services in the communities.

Calls For Interest: Youth

The National Inuit Youth Summit in Inuvik is fast approaching.

Sandra Dicker is the Youth Coordinator for the Nunatsiavut Government.

She says there are only two delegation spots for Nunatsiavut.

And these spots will more than likely be given to Rising Youth Council Members.

It is not generally open for just any youth to attend.

In other news, the Safe Kayaking Course starts just a day after the Youth Summit wraps up.

Dicker says Neil Burgess will once again offer the course.

There are 10 spots available and youth must be no younger than 15 to attend.

Seats may become available to adults, but the youth have priority.

The course offers Level 1 Safe Kayaking along with a Rolling Clinic instead of Level 2.

Dicker says there has been a lot of interest along the coast for kayaking.

But, she says since the kayaks and gear is located here in Nain, it is likely that the course will only be offered here.

Nain Canadian Junior Rangers?

Establishing a Canadian Junior Rangers Patrol in Nain is proving to be quite challenging.

Captain Daniel Devine is a Canadian Junior Ranger Officer.

He says he is presently in Goose Bay completing a two-part training program for youth in the Canadian Junior Rangers.

Devine says there is a huge amount of interest in creating a Junior Rangers group in Nain.

Before that can happen, Sergeant Henry Broomfield of Nain must first inform the Canadian Rangers Headquarters of their plans.

Those plans have to include a specific amount of interest from the youth, adults and the community.

He says that process has not yet been carried out.

Devine adds that the Canadian Rangers fully support a Canadian Junior Rangers Patrol for Nain.

Tune in to this afternoon’s Teen Rockers show to hear more about the progress of establishing this new group.

Nain & Makkovik Fish Plant Activities

Although the fish plant in Nain is not taking any fish right now, they’re still doing much better than last year.

Deidi Kohlmeister is Office Supervisor at the plant.

She says they will not take any fish until after the funeral because their engineer is off.

They have five people working at the Nain plant at the moment.

Up till today, they have landed 10,277 lbs of char, which is significantly more than last year.

On July 30th last year they had only landed 7,397 lbs.

Meanwhile, the Makkovik Fish Plant is doing really well with the crab fishery.

Junior Andersen is the Production Supervisor.

He says to date they have landed 723,656 lbs of crab.

They still have seven boats bringing in crab and nearly seventy workers employed at their plant.

Turbot season is set to open on August 1st.

Andersen feels they probably won’t start the turbot fishery until a week after the opening.

Due to the high volume of the crab needing to be processed.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Blake Suspended and Possibly Removed from Office Following Hearing

A disciplinary committee has suspended Upper Lake Melville Ordinary Member Max Blake following a hearing last week.

Patricia Ford is the Speaker of the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

She says the committee has decided to suspend Blake following his hearing on July 22.

The committee decided that Blake had broken the Nunatsiavut Government’s code of conduct on two separate occasions.

According to the committee, Blake had lacked the integrity under section 2.2 of the code regarding an incident on the evening of June 3, 2010.

That incident had taken place at the Atsanik Lodge.

The committee had also found that Blake had treated constituents with abuse and disrespect, breaking section 2.6 of the code of conduct.

The committee has decided that Blake will be suspended for three months without pay for his actions.

That suspension is effective immediately.

In a separate incident on June, 4, it was determined that Blake was guilty again of serious misconduct by making disparaging comment against Inuit women and Inuit in general.

The committee is asking that Blake be removed from office for this incident.

In order to be removed from office, the Nunatsiavut Assembly would need to vote 60 percent in favor of his removal.

The next Assembly Sitting is scheduled for September.

There was also some confusion about the way the zero tolerance rule was stated.

Ford says Blake did not actually breach the rule.

Elected members are permitted to drink during their off-time.

The Nunatsiavut assembly will be visiting the zero tolerance rule in the future to make the appropriate clarifications.

Labrador Offers Support to Families Affected by Tragedy

It is no trouble telling that Labrador will offer help when one of our own is in need.

And the recent unfortunate tragedy is no exception; in fact we are working harder to help those in need.

Lisa Ivany is the Recreation Director.

She sent a notice stating what the families need in terms of clothing, house wares and personal items.

Donations of size 7 boys’ pants and size 12/13 sneakers are needed at this time.

As well as size 9/10 pants and medium-size tops.

Size 8 and 11 shoes are being accepted for the two women.

The two men are in need of size 32/34 pants.

Along with large and extra large tops and size 10/11 sneakers.

Donations are being accepted at the Nain Inuit Community Government.

If you live in Goose Bay, items can be dropped off at the Friendship Centre.

Stan Oliver says they have been coordinating a drop off center for donations.

He says clothing, food and household items have been pouring in.

Oliver says they have about seven or eight boxes to be shipped to Nain.

In Postville, donated items can be given to Harriet Gear.

Elsie Wolfrey in Rigolet is also accepting donations for the families.

Susan Onalik works at the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre, she is also accepting donations.

There is also a bank account set up for the two families, if you wish to donate cash.

If you wish to do an interac e-mail money transfer to the account, e-mail recreationnain@nf.aibn.com

A luncheon is also being organized in Goose Bay by Rhona Parsons Rea.

The date and location is yet to be determined.

The Nunatsiavut Government is also selling tickets on four Inuit drums.

The tickets are $5 each and are being sold at the NG and the Post Office.

Goose Bay Man Barricaded Himself

A Goose Bay man is now in custody following a stand-off with police yesterday.

The 20 year-old barricaded himself in his Goose Bay home two days ago.

He finally surrendered at approximately 2:00 PM yesterday.

This is according to a release issued by the RCMP.

It states that shortly before 7:00 PM on Monday, July 26, Happy Valley Goose Bay RCMP members responded to a call.

Upon arriving on the scene, RCMP members found a man had barricaded himself in his residence.

RCMP members confirmed that he was by himself.

The man was armed with a knife and advised RCMP that he will not be coming out.

He threatened harm to himself or any RCMP member who attempted to come into the residence.

A negotiator was also called to the scene for assistance.

They had made contact with the man who communicated periodically through an open window at the back of the residence.

According to the RCMP, the man had been consuming alcohol.

Resources were gathered at the scene including another negotiator from St. John’s and the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team.

He has been taken to see a doctor pursuant to the Mental Care and Treatment Act.

No decision has been made at this time on any charges.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Goose Bay Man Barricades Himself

A Goose Bay man has barricaded and armed himself in his Goose Bay home.

This is according to a release issued by the RCMP.

It states that shortly before 7 PM last night, Happy Valley Goose Bay RCMP members responded to a call.

Upon arriving on the scene, RCMP members found a man in his 20's had barricaded himself in his residence.

RCMP members confirmed that he is by himself.

The man is armed with a knife and has advised RCMP that he will not be coming out.

He is threatening harm to himself or any RCMP member that comes into the residence.

The media release also states that additional RCMP members were called to the scene for assistance.

They include a General Investigation Section and a negotiator.

The negotiator has made contact with the man who communicated periodically through an open window at the back of the residence.

Efforts to try and talk him out of the home have not been successful at this point.

The man had been consuming alcohol throughout the day and into the evening according to RCMP.

Resources are being gathered to continue scene security for today including another negotiator from St John’s and the RCMP Emergency Response Team.

The incident is ongoing.

Blake Suspended and Possibly Removed from Office Following Hearing

A disciplinary committee has suspended Upper Lake Melville Ordinary Member Max Blake following a hearing last week.

Patricia Ford is the Speaker of the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

She says the committee has decided to suspend Blake following his hearing on July 22.

The committee decided that Blake had broken the Nunatsiavut Government’s code of conduct on two separate occasions.

According to the committee, Blake had lacked the integrity under section 2.2 of the code regarding an incident on the evening of June 3, 2010.

That incident had taken place at the Atsanik Lodge.

The committee had also found that Blake had treated constituents with abuse and disrespect, breaking section 2.6 of the code of conduct.

The committee has decided that Blake will be suspended for three months without pay for his actions.

That suspension is effective immediately.

In a separate incident on June, 4, it was determined that Blake was guilty again of serious misconduct by making disparaging comment against Inuit women and Inuit in general.

The committee is asking that Blake be removed from office for this incident.

In order to be removed from office, the Nunatsiavut Assembly would need to vote 60 percent in favor of his removal.

The next Assembly Sitting is scheduled for September.

There was also some confusion about the way the zero tolerance rule was stated.

Ford says Blake did not actually breach the rule.

Elected members are permitted to drink during their off-time.

The Nunatsiavut assembly will be visiting the zero tolerance rule in the future to make the appropriate clarifications.

Nain Alcohol Suppliers asked to Halt Sales in Wake of Tragedy

Alcohol suppliers in Nain have been requested to stop the sale of alcohol in the community.

Tom Goodwin is the owner of the Atsanik Lodge in Nain.

He says he was approached by Nunatsiavut President Jim Lyall who had requested that Goodwin stop the sale of alcohol at his bar.

Lyall had requested the bar be closed until after a funeral was conducted.

Goodwin says, from his memory, this is the first time he has ever received this sort of request.

After discussions with staff, Goodwin says they decided they cannot afford to lose out on those wages.

He says although it is a tragedy, he has a responsibility to his staff.

The wait time, until the weather allows for the funeral, may leave the employees without work for a number of days.

Goodwin adds that he will have the bar closed during the day of the funeral.

President Lyall says he was approached by the Nain Crisis Response Team (CRT) who had requested the halt of the sale of alcohol.

They wanted suppliers to hold off until a funeral was conducted.

Lyall says he had complied with the request and passed that request on to local suppliers.

Sarah Leo is a member of the Nain CRT.

She says the team made the request because Nain has a family going through a tragic time and a community trying to deal with the tragedy.
Leo adds that the support systems available in Nain are already stretched to the limit.

Dorman Webb, the owner of the local beer store, has complied with the request and has halted the sale of beer for now.

But he says he may re-open again depending on how long it takes for the funeral to be conducted.

Nain Residents Helps Families in Need

It is no trouble telling that our community will offer help when it is needed.

And the recent unfortunate event is no exception; in fact we are working harder to help those in need.

Lisa Ivany is the Recreation Director.

She sent a notice stating what the families need in terms of clothing, house wares and personal items.

Donations of size 7 boys’ pants and size 12/13 sneakers are needed at this time.

As well as size 9/10 pants and medium-size tops.

Size 8 and 11 shoes are being accepted for the two women.

The two men are in need of size 32/34 pants.

Along with large and extra large tops and size 10/11 sneakers.

Donations are being accepted at the Nain Inuit Community Government.

If you live in Goose Bay, items can be dropped off at the Friendship Centre to Patty.

For Postville, donated items can be given to Harriet Gear.

There is also a bank account set up for the two families, if you wish to donate cash.

The Nunatsiavut Government is also selling tickets on four Inuit drums.

The tickets are $5 each and are being sold today at NG and will continue to be sold tomorrow at the NG and the Post Office.

Cruise North Cancels Visits

Nunatsiavut communities awaiting the arrival of Cruise North Expedition’s ship will have to wait a while longer.

Actually, they’ll be waiting until next season.

Jillian Dickens is the Manager of Marketing and Communications with Cruise North Expeditions.

She says they had to cancel their Spirit Mountains expedition indefinitely.

Their ship, the Russian-operated Lyubov Orlova, ran into some problems during a routine safety inspection in St. John’s.

The inspectors found a problem with the ships control system for its emergency bilge pumps.

The repair took several days to complete which resulted in the cancellation of their Labrador destinations.

The route would have taken the ship to Rigolet, Nain and Hebron ports in late June-early July.

Dickens adds that it is very unfortunate that they cannot make it to Labrador’s ports this season.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Halting Reports Out Of Respect For Families

OKalaKatiget Radio is aware of the situation that occurred in Nain over the weekend.

Upon the request of the family we will not be reporting on the situation at this time.

We may have more information for you in the future upon the family’s approval.

The family is requesting privacy on the matter at this time.

Theives Targeted Fire Fighters Belongings

While the Nain Volunteer Fire Brigade Members bravely battled a blaze over the weekend, thieves targeted the member’s personal belongings.

Sergeant Cal Barter is with the Nain RCMP Detachment.

He says they received a report of theft which had taken place during the time of a fire on Saturday.

Thieves had apparently entered the Nain Fire Hall while the members were battling the blaze.

The thieves proceeded to take personal effects from the belongings of the fire brigade members.

Barter says there are no suspects in the case and an investigation is ongoing.

Cellular Services For Nain On Hold

Cell phone services for Nain will not go ahead this year.

David Torres is the Business Development Manager of OmniGlobe Networks.

He says so far they’re not able to secure a local partner to get this project off the ground.

Despite a fair amount of interest, Nain is currently not on the road map for services in 2010.

Torres says they met with the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation (LIDC) several months ago.

But OmniGlobe hasn’t heard from LIDC since then.

He says access to a Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) is already available.

PSTN is a switch to access the local telephone networks.

This means that once a partner is found, things should move along quickly.

He says they are trying to install cellular services for both the communities of Nain and Hopedale.

Torres adds that OmniGlobe and Lynx Mobility hope the private partner would be able to provide services for both communities.

Summer Students For Torngasok Cultural Centre

The Torngâsok Cultural Centre in Nain has hired two summer students.

We spoke to Toni White the Language Program Coordinator for the centre.

She says Jessica Flowers has been hired to collect stories from elders in the community for Them Days Magazine.

The magazine is published in Inuktitut and English.

They hope the edition will be available in December.

Any elder in Nain interested in sharing their stories can contact Jessica Flowers at the Nunatsiavut Government office.

White says Greg Jacque of Postville has been hired as well.

Jacque will spend this summer as the Inuktitut Promotion Coordinator.

He will work out of the Nunatsiavut Government office in Nain until September 3.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Torngat Safari

When most people hear the word safari, Africa and lions usually come to mind.

Well a safari is scheduled to take place this summer in the Torngat Mountains National Park.

Jillian Dickens is the Manager of Marketing and Communication with Cruise North Expeditions.

She says they are offering a Torngat Safari out of the base camp Near Saglek.

Participants will get the chance to see the Torngat Mountains National Park from on the ground.

Dickens says they will experience the park in a very unique way through wildlife tours and historical site visits.

Stay tuned to this afternoon’s program to hear about the Torngat Safari in detail.

Dusty Roads

If you live in Nain then you know all too well what its like to walk or drive an ATV on these roads.

We’ve had quite a hot summer already, without a considerable amount of rain.

Because of this, the roads are extremely dusty.

Which leaves residents wondering if anything will be done about the problem.

Karen Dicker is the Town Clerk at the Nain Inuit Community Government.

She says Town employees are expected to begin grading the roads next week.

After that the Calcium Chloride will be put down to keep the dust from rising.

To get another of angle of the story, we contacted the Nain Clinic.

Consi Howley is the Nurse Practitioner at the Clinic.

She says she can’t directly determine if dust is a factor for some of the sicknesses going around Nain lately.

Howley says it’s hard because of the damp weather we just recently had here.

But, she says the dust will surely aggravate a person with a chronic respiratory disease such as asthma.

Makkovik Green Team

The Green Team in Makkovik is very busy this summer with a number of exciting projects.

Gina Pye of Mary’s Harbour says she went to Makkovik to do some training with the Green Team last month.

She says the team was involved in occupational safety training.

The project gives youth a chance to gain some quality work experience.

They are also receiving training in career development in environmental and cultural heritage conservation.

Pye says the Green team has been working on a community garden.

They are conducting composting and cleanups around town.

They’ve also helped out in the community garden through weeding, re-soiling and planting vegetables such as cabbage and turnip.

She says the team also presented information about climate change as an Environmental Awareness Event.

Pye says over the next few weeks the Green Team will have more activities to get the community involved and educated in environmental practices.

The Makkovik Green Team started their project 3 years ago.

This was through the Conservation Corps of NL, Makkovik Inuit Community Government and Makkovimiut Trust.

The Green Team project runs for a period of 8 weeks and will finish on August 20.

TRHA Receives Building Supplies

Torngat Regional Housing Association (TRHA) received some of its building supplies on the first freight boat last week.

Postville and Hopedale were the only two towns to get some supplies in.

William Lucy is the housing coordinator.

He says a lot of the building supplies, materials and lumber are ready to be shipped from Lewisporte.

More supplies are expected to arrive in Nain, Makkovik and Rigolet on the next freight boat.

Lucy says home repairs from last year are well underway in Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet.

The repairs include rebuilding a home in Hopedale.

And a mini-home in Hopedale is ready to be moved to a new lot when the Inuit Community Government gives the word.

Crews in Makkovik and Postville are working on major repairs on new homes.

Some repairs are also happening in Rigolet.

All the towns are still waiting for building supplies to arrive before they can start construction of new units.

2010 National Inuit Youth Summit

The National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) is calling for presenters for the National Inuit Youth Summit.

Shelly Watkins is the Youth Project Coordinator with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

She says they are seeking presenters for the summit in four different areas: cultural values, health and well-being, communications and education and employment.

People interested in presenting during the summit are asked to submit a summary of what their presentation will be.

Watkins says to date there haven’t been any submissions from anybody in Labrador.

This doesn’t surprise her though.

She says they aren’t expecting many from this region due to the fact that presenters must cover their own expenses.

At most of the summits, the presenters are usually from the area where the summit is being hosted.

For example, the summit was hosted in Nain the last time around and the majority of the presenters were from this region.

Watkins says that if anybody is interested in presenting during the summit, they are asked to submit a summary of their presentation to the NIYC.

The National Inuit Youth Summit is scheduled to take place August 16-20, in Inuvik, NWT.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Safe Alliance Hosting Pride in the Park

Safe Alliance will be hosting Pride in the Park this weekend in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Denise Cole is a volunteer with Safe Alliance.

She says the event will be held on Saturday, July 24 at the Kinsmen Park.

Pride in the park is being held to raise awareness for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community.

This is the first time that an event like this will be hosted in Labrador.

Cole says it will be a fun-filled day of games, food and entertainment.

Max Blake Hearing Happening Today

A disciplinary committee is holding a hearing today regarding complaints made against Upper Lake Melville Ordinary member Max Blake.

The hearing began this morning.

The complaints have to do with an alleged incident that happened in Nain in early June.

Four complaints have been made against Blake.

The committee that will conduct the hearing is made up of three Nunatsiavut Government representatives.

They will hear what Blake has to say on the matter and decide what action, if any, should be taken.

They will take their recommendation and bring it to the Nunatsiavut Assembly for a final decision.

The disciplinary decisions the committee can make include being reprimanded, suspended and removed from office.

National Inuit Youth Summit

The National Inuit Youth and Elders Summit will take place in Inuvik, Inuvialuit next month.

Sandra Dicker is the Youth coordinator for the Nunatsiavut Government.

She is also on the board of directors for the National Inuit Youth Council.

She says they have funding for two youth from Nunatsiavut to attend the summit.

The board of directors holds weekly teleconferences about the summit.

They are scheduled to meet this afternoon.

Dicker says the main issue they’ll discuss is finalizing the list of participants, presenters and accommodations.

The National Inuit Youth and Elders Summit will be held August 16 -20, 2010.

UKausiga Camp

Next month in the community of Rigolet an interesting event will take place.

The Rigolet Digital Storytelling & Digital Media Lab is hosting a camp called UKausiga.

Youth and elders from Nunatsiavut will go camping, hunting, fishing, tell stories, make crafts and much more.

Youth ages 13 to 25 and elders 55 and above will be in attendance.

To make it more appealing for people to join, everything is free.

That includes travel, accommodations and food.

For more information about the UKausiga Camp, contact the local Rigolet Inuit Community Government.

Or email My.Word.Rigolet@gmail.com

The camp takes place from August 9 to the 15.

Nain & Makkovik Fishplant Update

Things aren’t progressing very well this year at the Nain fish plant.

Deidi Kolhmeister is the Office Supervisor for the plant.

She says there has been 5,433 pounds of char landed so far.

This figure is lower than what they had last year.

Kohlmeister says the fish aren’t that plentiful this year.

There are currently eight fishermen harvesting char.

And there are twenty three employees working at the plant.

Meanwhile, things are looking better at the Makkovik Plant.

Junior Andersen is the Production Supervisor.

He says they have 10 crab boats bringing crab and two are expected to finish up after their next catch.

They have now landed 499,693 pounds of crab.

There are seventy employees at the plant.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Parks Canada Expecting Busy Busy Summer

The summer tourism season is in full swing here in Nunatsiavut.

A big destination for tourists heading to this region is the Torngat Mountains National Park.

Judy Rowell is the Superintendant for the park.

She says they have quite a busy summer planned.

Parks staff will be heading to the base camp several times during the summer.

In previous years Parks Canada had operated the camp.

This year that responsibility goes to the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation.

Vale and United Steelworkers Halt Negotiations

Talks have broken off again between the United Steelworkers Union and Vale.

In a press release from the union Boyd Bussey, a negotiator for the United Steelworkers Union Local 9508, says the two parties halted negotiations yesterday afternoon.

The break in talks is mainly due to a disagreement on a bonus that is offered to the employees at the site.

The bonus is based on global nickel prices and the company’s performance.

The bonus isn’t on par with the one that was given to employees at Vale’s operation in Sudbury.

Those Vale employees reached a deal with the company two weeks ago.

This latest break in talks comes just 11 days before the 1-year anniversary of the strike.

Employees walked off the site on August 1, 2009.

NG Archeologist Heads to Base Camp

The base camp located in St. John’s Harbour is expecting quite a bit of traffic this summer.

Among the visitors is the Nunatsiavut Government’s Archeologist Jamie Brake.

He says he will be heading to the camp to check out archeological work that was done last year.

He and Tyler Pamak, a summer student working alongside Brake, will be heading to the site tomorrow.

They will be there to check the site and ensure that nothing of archeological importance gets damaged.

They will also ensure that an area designated for the construction of a permanent building doesn’t contain any important historical items.

Brake says they may also do some archeological dig tests during their stay.

The two are due back on August 24.

Makkovik Residents Shave their Heads for Cancer

During the 21st Annual Trout Festival in Makkovik, 12 people shaved their heads for cancer.

Liz Evans-Mitchell is a resident of Makkovik.

Herself and a friend, Sheila, decided to shave their heads, along with their sons Paul & Brandon.

But during the Trout Fest supper, a few more people also decided to do it.

Among the 12 were men, women and young teens.

As of right now, the unofficial amount of money raised is $1200.

Proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society for Cancer Research.

Evans-Mitchell says her daughter Jill went table to table with pledge forms during the supper.

Right now, herself and Cathy Ford, who also shaved her head, are now planning a Relay for Life walk for Makkovik.

She hopes to have the Relay sometime in September.

She spoke very emotionally about the cause.

Saying ‘it was a very humbling experience…you never know, the money we raised could help find a cure for the damn disease’.

Evans-Mitchell is taking donations until Friday, if you would like to donate, contact her by phone or email.

To donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.ca

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

NG Archeologist Paints a Picture of Zoar

It was recently announced that Inuit remains would be repatriated to Zoar.

OK Radio decided to do a little research and find out more about the former community.

Jamie Brake is the Nunatsiavut Government Archeologist.

He has been carrying out research into the former community during his time with Nunatsiavut.

He says Zoar was settled in 1865 as a Moravian mission station.

The area is located approximately 50 km south of Nain.

Brake says that in the mid-nineteenth century several Inuit families resided between Nain and Hopedale.

Those families were encouraged to settle in the Moravian mission at Zoar.

According to a census taken in 1884, there were 139 people living at the mission site.

Brake says Zoar wasn’t the best place to try to establish a community.

The area didn’t have much access to fresh water, wasn’t known as a good hunting area and was bad for flies.

These factors contributed to the desertion of the community.

As the 1880s progressed, many people continued to move away from the area.

Following the closure of the Mission store in 1888, the population continued its rapid decline.

In 1894 the Moravians could no longer justify having a mission site in that location and the area was deserted.

The Nunatsiavut Government, in Partnership with the Field Museum of Natural History, plans to repatriate the remains of 22 Inuit that were removed from the former community in the late 1920s.

Nain Residents Encounter an Aggressive Group of Black Bears

Two Nain residents had a close call with a group of black bears over the weekend.

Benny Saimat and a friend left for a cabin at Cape Little last Wednesday.

He says while they were there a storm began, destroying their boat.

Rough water and high winds had split the wooden vessel in half.

Saimat says on Saturday evening a group of aggressive black bears began to approach the cabin.

There were about 10 bears altogether and up to three of them at a time were trying to force their way into the cabin.

This was a problem for the men who only had three shells.

He says the bears weren’t scared at all and were pushing at the door to try to enter the cabin.

Saimat believes they may have been attracted by the smell of garbage or food that was in the cabin.

He says they fired two of the shells, killing one of the bears.

They decided to save the last shell in case one of the bears managed to get in the cabin.

Saimat says luckily his father came to check on them the next day and took them home.

Makkovik Trout Festival Wrap-Up

The 21st Annual Trout Festival in Makkovik wrapped up this weekend.

John Andersen is the Recreation Director.

He says he is very pleased with the outcome of each event.

The Mini-Sportsmeet for ages 7-14 was held for the duration of the Festival and went extremely well.

And once again, there was a big turn-out for the sand sculptures at Ranger Bight.

The winners were Jessica Winters and Harley Ikkusek.

Liz Evans- Mitchell was the winner of the Scavenger Hunt.

Janine Lightfoot’s team won the Battle of the Brains competition.

Andersen says over 240 people showed up for the community supper and dance.

A slideshow was presented with a lot of Uncle Jim’s old pictures.

He says the water slides, bouncy castles and mini-golf were a really big hit with the children.

5th Annual Rhubarb Festival in Hopedale

The 5th Annual Rhubarb Festival started yesterday in Hopedale.

Sukie Aggek is the CYN Fieldworker.

She says it started off with a community barbecue, sumo wrestling and fireworks.

Today’s events include kids’ games, the fireman’s challenge and a giant bingo.

Throughout the week, there will be adult and children’s games, including fear factor and a flat race.

A senior’s luncheon will also be held during the Festival.

A bake-off and auction will be held for the best rhubarb recipe.

The Festival will finish with a mini fair on Friday.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Repatriation of Labrador Inuit Remains

The Nunatsiavut Government announced today that it plans on repatriating Labrador Inuit remains that were removed from the former community of Zoar.

Johannes Lamps is the Minister of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

He says the remains were removed from Zoar, an area located between Nain and Natuashish, in the late 1920s.

The remains of Labrador Inuit were removed by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

The museum had planned on collecting natural history specimens and archeological material that could assist in learning more about the history of Labrador.

At the time the remains were removed, the archeologists were met with opposition from residents in Nain and Hopedale.

In a release from the Nunatsiavut Government the museum recognizes it’s wrong-doing and the impact the removal of the remains has had.

The museum has agreed to cover all costs associated with the repatriation of the human remains.

The Nunatsiavut Government has been working with the Field Museum of Natural History to develop a plan since 2008.

They hope to have the remains repatriated some time next summer.

Natuashish to Host Hockey Tournament

Summer on the north coast is usually a time to go out in boat, do a little fishing and take in a little swimming.

But playing ice hockey?

Well with the artificial ice in the Natuashish Arena, that certainly is possible.

The community will be hosting an ice hockey tournament during the weekend of July 30.

The North Coast Cup Challenge Ice Hockey Tournament will contain three categories: an adult division and two youth divisions.

There is no cost to participate in the tournament and accommodations will be provided for the youth.

Adult participants must find their own accommodations.

To register a team you can contact Matt Kolle at the Arena in Natuashish.

Lower Churchill to Benefit Labrador Inuit

The Lower Churchill project will provide many opportunities for employment to residents of Labrador.

The provincial government has been working with the Nunatsiavut Government to ensure that Labrador Inuit see some of these benefits.

A strategy released by the provincial government aims to ensure that aboriginal groups, among others, will see benefits and opportunities from the Lower Churchill project.

The Lower Churchill Construction Projects Benefits Strategy was released by the provincial government last week.

The strategy ensures opportunities for the people of the province throughout the construction phase of the project.

Included in those opportunities are those for Labrador Inuit.

Ken Morrisey is the Director of Communications for the provincial Department of Natural Resources.

He says Nalcor has been engaged with the Nunatsiavut Government since 2007.

They are working to ensure that Labrador Inuit stand to gain from the opportunities created by the project.

Nalcor has been meeting with Nunatsiavut representatives and carrying out community visits since that time.

Morrisey says Nalcor has also been providing documentation to the region regarding the project in plain language which is also translated into Inuktitut.

The construction phase of the project includes at least 21.5 million person hours of construction employment.

Those hours will be created from two hydroelectric developments at Gull Island and Muskrat Falls.

An additional 6.5 million hours will be created through engineering and project management as well as Gender Equity and Diversity projects.

Friday, July 16, 2010

President of Nurses Union Visits Coastal Communities

The President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses Union visited coastal Labrador communities this month.

Debbie Forward is the President.

She says she travelled to various communities to get an idea of the unique challenges nurses in coastal communities face.

Forward says nurses face very unique circumstances in remote communities.

She will be bringing her findings to Labrador-Grenfell Health’s attention during a meeting next week.

Blake Apologizes for Actions in Letter to Nunatsiavut Assembly

Max Blake has apologized for his actions in Nain in a letter to the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

The OKalaKatiget Society obtained a copy of the letter today.

In the letter Blake says that he went to the bar in Nain after work and drank wine to the point that he blacked out.

He says he can’t remember who was there or who he had spoken with.

In the letter, Blake says that since the incident he has concluded that he cannot drink at all.

He writes the incident has been devastating for him and proceeds to apologize for his actions.

In the letter he asks for the chance to prove that he is an honorable person and says he will never do that again.

Blake also dedicates a paragraph of the letter to addressing OKalaKatiget Radio.

He writes that OKalaKatiget Radio had a “field day” with the incident and sensationalized and scandalized the events.

He writes that OKalaKatiget Radio set up a hate blog so people could provide comments slandering his name.

OKalaKatiget Radio stands by the story and believes that it was reported in an appropriate manner.

We attempted to contact Blake to comment on the situation.

Our calls were not returned.

OKalaKatiget’s blog has been in existence for a number of years and we post our news so that our listeners can access stories and comment online.

There was some objectionable content posted in the comments section of the story.

Once the comments were brought to the attention of OKalaKatiget Society we immediately removed the story and comments.

The story was reposted with pre-moderated comments.

We have since taken extra measures to ensure that no inappropriate comments are posted to our blog.

A hearing will be held on July 22 to investigate the four complaints made against Blake regarding the incident.

The hearing will be held to decide what course of action, if any, the Nunatsiavut Government will take.

Click here to read the original story.

Nain Residents without Banking Services Due to Vandalism

Residents of Nain have been without banking services this week following an act of vandalism.

Sergeant Cal Barter is with the RCMP detachment in Nain.

He says somebody cut the telephone wires that run into the Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Canada Post offices.

The RCMP is not sure how the vandals managed to cut the wires.

The act of vandalism had taken place two days ago sometime between the time the bank closed for the evening and opened again in the morning.

Barter says they have no suspects and the investigation is ongoing.

This isn’t the first time the building has been targeted by vandals.

A similar act of vandalism took place last year.

This has left the detachment wondering if these incidents are related.

And whether these incidents were random acts of mischief or if the building had been specifically targeted.

Barter asks that if anybody in the community has any information they contact either the RCMP or crime stoppers.

The phone lines have since been repaired.

A representative couldn’t be reached for comment.

Car Accident on Cartwright Highway

A tragic car accident happened on the Trans Labrador Highway near Cartwright.

At approximately 8:40am on July 14th, RCMP in Cartwright attended the scene of a car crash just outside the community.

Emergency personnel were also on scene.

According to the RCMP, the victim was thrown from the vehicle.

Unfortunately, she died shortly after arriving at a local clinic.

The family of the victim has released the identity.

The victim is Natacha Roussel, a 30 year old from Bathurst, New Brunswick.

Apparently Roussel was not wearing a seatbelt.

The RCMP is still investigating the scene of the accident.

A Bear in the Net

When most people go to check their nets they're likely to find some fish and even some kelp tangled in the net.

Imagine the surprise when a Hopedale resident found a bear lodged up against his net.

Rex Flowers is a resident of Hopedale.

He says that he went to check his net earlier this week and found a black bear lodged up against it.

He says he believes that the bear had washed up against his net with the tides.

Flowers says he thinks the bear had been killed earlier by one of the residents in the community and dumped into the water.

The bear appeared to have been decomposing for some time.

A black bear had been hanging around the dump outside of the community this spring.

Flowers’ net had been put out a short distance from the dump.

He says the bear may have been taken by the tides and washed up along his net.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Torngat Fisheries AGM Wraps Up in Nain

The Torngat Fish Producers Cooperative AGM wrapped up in Nain this week.

Board members and delegates gathered at the Nunatsiavut Government office on Tuesday.

Keith Watts is the General Manager with the cooperative.

He says this past season Torngat Fisheries experienced a surplus for the first time in years.

A big topic for discussion was the formation of a single fishing entity.

This would see the Nunatsiavut Government, Torngat Fisheries and the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation come together as a single operator for the fishery in our region.

Freeze on Fuel Prices Lifted

Fuel prices drop on the north coast today as prices come on par with the rest of the province.

Effective today gasoline will drop by 2.8 cents per liter.

That brings the price of gasoline on the north coast of Labrador to $1.36.6.

Home heating fuel has also dropped by 1.13cents per liter.

It is now $1.03.26.

The price adjustment comes with the lifting of the price freeze here on the north coast.

It is lifted once new supplies are able to make it into the communities.

The price freeze lift comes nearly two weeks later than last year when it was lifted on July 2.

TRHA Materials

The marine shipping season is now in full swing.

And so too will be TRHA’s construction season in Nunatsiavut communities.

William Lucy is the Coordinator of TRHA.

He says he spoke with White’s Building Supplies (WBS) in Stephenville this morning regarding their materials for this year.

Lucy says one of the employees informed him that the building materials are now at the Lewisporte wharf ready to be shipped.

WBS has been shipping the material to Lewisporte since the shipping season opened for Labrador’s north coast.

He says he hopes some supplies will be aboard the first Astron for most of the communities.

Lucy says because the shipment can't be controlled, work on the coast depends on what is sent.

In other TRHA news, he says he and the Housing Inspector, Richard Boase, left Hopedale for Makkovik last Monday to check on the new lots.

Lucy says they can’t work on the new plots in Nain because the new road in the subdivision is not yet complete.

He says once the road is complete, they’ll be back to start work on the plots for the new houses.

Slow Summer for NICG

There isn’t a whole lot happening through the Nain Inuit Community Government(NICG) this summer.

Sarah Leo is the AngajukKâk for the NICG.

She says Budgell’s is currently laying the ground to install the pipes for the new Trouser Lake Reservoir.

As for if local people will be hired for the project, she says it is up to the contractors.

But she hopes they will sometime in the near future.

Leo adds that there is currently a tender out to fix the drainage problem at the playground.

The Community Constable Job advertisement should be out sometime in the near future.

She says the NICG and the RCMP first have to meet to come up with a suitable job description.

Postville News

Some people on the north coast have started collecting their fish supplies for the winter.

Communal salmon and char licenses are issued to each beneficiary’s household in Nunatsiavut.

Residents in Postville are well into a week of getting their salmon in nets.

Some of the fishers have already reached their quota of 7 fish.

And people have started helping out other residents get their quotas of salmon.

It’s a good summer for the salmon, but the people are mainly getting smaller fish known as peels.

It’s different with the char, as there’s not much around.

And it’s the same with rock cods.

In other Postville news, the Torngat Regional Housing Association started home repairs 3 weeks ago.

There is a crew of 5 to 6 doing the repairs.

The building materials arrived last fall.

Crab Landings at Makkovik Fish Plant

The Makkovik fish plant is very busy with the crab fishery.

We spoke to Junior Andersen the Production Manager for the plant
.
He says 234,000 pounds of crab has been landed so far this season.

There are three crab boats waiting to unload at the dock today.

Andersen says there are sixty employees working at the crab plant and eight crab boats fishing in the area.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Research Examines Safe Ice Travel

Nunatsiavut is a busy place for research this summer.

One researcher is in Nain examining health and safety during travel on sea ice.

Agata Durkalec is a student from Trent University.

She says she was in Nain last April to set up ice monitoring stations with Sikumiut Environmental Management.

Durkalec is now working on behalf of the Nunatsiavut Government.

She will be speaking with various residents in Nain to get an idea of how they use the ice and how it affects their health.

Busy Summer in Base Camp at Saglek

The Labrador Inuit Development Corporation (LIDC) is preparing for a busy summer at its base camp in Saglek.

Henry Lyall is the Office Manager in Nain.

He says they’re loading up a long liner this Friday and shipping out for the base camp on Saturday.

Aboard the long liner will be fuel, supplies and staff for the base camp.

Included in the staff are cooks, bear monitors and maintenance crew.

Lyall says the base camp is still without a Manager, but they hope to have that position filled by next week.

It will be open for business on July 24.

They’re expecting quite a range of guests at their base camp this summer.

From students to researchers, tourists and some pretty prominent figures.

And those guests will be staying in style.

There will be high-end tents available for use in the camp.

There will also be a chopper on site for the use of the guests at the base camp.

Among the guests scheduled to visit the camp are Lieutenant Governor Crosbie and the federal Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice.

Lyall says the camp will also be used as part of Cruise North Expedition’s Torngat Safari.

There are also plans to host meetings of the Torngat Mountains National Park Co-Management Board and the Executive Council of the Nunatsiavut Government.

Lyall says this is a pilot project and the first year that the LIDC will run the base camp.

In past years the camp was operated by Parks Canada and the Nunatsiavut Government.

He adds that the camp keeps getting bigger each year and this is the biggest so far.

They are expecting up to 80 plus guests at the camp at various times.

Nain Fish Plant Update

The Nain fish plant is back in business.

Over 2,000 pounds of char have already been landed since July 12.

We spoke to Deidi Kolhmeister the Office Supervisor for the plant.

She says there are seven fishermen fishing at Brown’s River and Antone’s.

Kolhmeister says the employees are cleaning and smoking fish as well.

The fish plant will have smoke char for sale tomorrow.

Prices for smoked char is $11.00 pound, smoked pieces are $7.00 pound, smoked bones are $4.00 pound and frozen char is $4.00 pound.

Kolhmeister adds there are fourteen employees working at the moment.

Local People Show Generosity

The community of Nain has shown a lot of generosity for the two families hit by recent tragedies.

Lisa Ivany is the Recreation Director.

She says she brought the issues to attention of the community and everyone was more than willing to do what they could to help the families in need.

On Monday a cold plate sale was held.

Many people took time out of their day to either cook or prepare the cold plates.

Altogether nine hundred and thirty dollars was raised for the families directly affected by the tragedies.

And yesterday, they held a bake sale to help raise money for one of the families.

In all, seven hundred and eighty dollars was raised.

Ivany says Simon Kohlmeister donated a drum, and they will sell tickets on it to help raise more money.

She would like to thank all the kind people who were more than happy to help with the sales.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Torngat Fisheries AGM this Afternoon

The Torngat Fish Producers Cooperative AGM is taking place this afternoon in Nain.

The members gathered in the boardroom of the Nunatsiavut Government office at 1pm this afternoon.

The public is invited to attend.

One of our reporters is attending the AGM and we’ll have all of the details of this afternoon’s proceedings for you on tomorrow’s program.

Discipline Committee to Investiage Blake Allegations

The Nunatsiavut Government has appointed a discipline committee to investigate the complaints made against Upper Lake Melville Ordinary Member Max Blake.

OKalaKatiget Radio broke the news of the alleged misconduct of the Ordinary Member in Nain in early June.

Allegedly, Blake had been intoxicated and acting in a manner unbecoming of an ordinary member.

Blake had been in Nain on Nunatsiavut business attending the Tukisinnik Conference.

The Nunatsiavut code of conduct states that an ordinary member must not consume alcohol while conducting Nunatsiavut business.

The Nunatsiavut Government had received four formal complaints regarding the alleged misconduct of the member.

According to a press release from the Nunatsiavut Government, the discipline committee was appointed on June 24.

The committee consists of the Speaker of the House, The Minister of Education and Economic Development and the Chair of the Sivunivut Inuit Community Corporation.

That committee will hold a formal hearing with Blake on July 22.

Disciplinary decisions the committee can decide upon include being reprimanded, suspended and even being removed from office.

In order to be removed from office, the decision must be supported by two-thirds of the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

The complainants in the matter will be notified of the committee’s decision.

Once the complainants are notified, the decision will be made public.

Busy Preparing for NWR Beach Festival

The North West River (NWR) Beach Festival Committee is busy preparing for the annual event.

Leander Baikie is with the committee.

He says this year is a big one for the festival.

2010 marks the 25th anniversary for Labrador’s largest outdoor music festival.

Baikie says they have some big events planned to mark the milestone.

JUNO Award-winning country star Charlie Major will be performing at the event.

Major will join a long list of Labrador performers including the Nunatsiavut Drum Dancers and Karrie Obed.

Baikie says he’s also glad to welcome the Gregoire Boys from Natuashish.

A magician from Manitoba, Eric Leclerc, will also be joining the list of performers.

Baikie says he’s expecting a larger crowd this year than others with the opening of the highway from southern Labrador.

The North West River Beach Festival takes place the July 24-25 at the Lester Burry Memorial Park.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Rosie The Robot Breaks Ground For Medical Services In Canada's North

Rosie the Robot is officially helping take care of patients in Nain.

The remote control robot had her unveiling last week at a press conference at the Nain Clinic.

Dr. Ivar Mendez, Chairman of Halifax’s Brain Repair Centre, ran the press conference.

The star of the show of course was Rosie, who was operated by Dr. Michael Jong in Happy-Valley Goose Bay by remote control.

Interestingly, Rosie was named after the robot maid in The Jetsons cartoon.

She has a computer screen mounted on top which allows two way audio and video communication between medical staff and patients.

According to Dr. Mendez, the 250 thousand dollar robot is the first of her kind in the North.

Rosie has been helping medical staff and patients communicate in Nain for about six months.

Prices In Fuel In Nunatsiavut To Be Lifted Come Thursday?

Fuel prices may change this Thursday with each of the communities receiving new fuel supplies.

Dennis White is the General Manager with Woodward Group of Companies in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

He says that fuel tankers have now visited each community they service on the North Coast with new fuel supplies.

This may cause the price freeze to be lifted in our region.

That decision is made by the Public Utilities Board.

Zone 11A on the south coast of Labrador had their price freeze lifted last Thursday.

The north coast of Labrador is in Zone 14.

They generally pay the same price for fuels as residents in our region.

When their price freeze was lifted they saw a 4.3cents per liter (cpl) decrease in the price of gasoline.

Home heating fuel also dropped by 2.6cpl.

The public utilities board will do a scheduled price adjustment this Thursday.

Last year the price freeze was lifted in this region on July 2.

Recommendations For Nain Healing Lodge Submitted

A Healing Lodge will be constructed outside of Nain this summer.

Michelle Kinney is the Deputy Minister of Health.

She says that following the success of the Healing Lodge outside of Hopedale, they have been given the go-ahead to construct one outside of Nain.

A proposal was submitted and accepted by the Tessiujatsuak Trust Fund to fund the project.

The lodge will be able to house 12 people.

It will also contain a multi-purpose open area as well as a kitchen.

The lodge will be available for many purposes including: youth retreats, elder’s gatherings and conferences.

The lodge will also be used to help in the treatment of addictions.

Kinney says they hope to eventually have a lodge outside of each community in Nunatsiavut.

The communities of Rigolet and Hopedale already have healing lodges in their area.

The Minister of Culture Recreation and Tourism, Johannes Lampe, recently led a team looking at possible sites for the lodge.

He says the site they have decided on is NiaKungogak, an area just below Mount Lister.

They will forward a report with their recommendation to the Nunatsiavut Governments Executive Council for approval.

Construction Of Assembly Building Underway

Work has begun on the construction of the new Assembly Building in Hopedale.

Judy Dicker is the AngajukKak for the Hopedale Inuit Community Government.

She says preparation began on the site of the new building last week.

The site for the Assembly Building is located just down the hill from the Amos Comenius Memorial School.

Colby Construction Ltd. holds the contract for the project.

The concept for the Assembly Building was inspired by a design by Alfred “Sonny Boy” Winters.

An architect had taken Winters’ vision and incorporated it into the final design.

Dicker says that the anticipated date of completion for the project is March, 2011.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Washington Math Teacher Extends his Help to Students

Students and parents tend to have difficulty communicating when it comes to school work, such as math.

A student may be having a hard time with math at school but isn't sure how to tell their parents.

On the other hand, a parent may notice his or her child having difficulty with their school work.

So a lot of time they're not sure how to approach each other.

George Denault is a math teacher from Washington DC.

He and his son Ben were in Nain last summer.

They are back and will be here for three weeks.

Denault is offering to get parents and students together to see if he can help with these difficulties.

He is also offering to teach students to better their basic math skills.

Ben will be offering to teach students how to play the violin.

They hope to get parents and students together starting next Monday at 6 PM at the K-3 multi-purpose room.

Rosie the Robot Launch

Rosie the Robot is officially helping take care of patients in Nain.

The remote control robot had her unveiling yesterday at a press conference at the Nain Clinic.

Dr Ivar Mendez, Chairman of Halifax’s Brain Repair Centre, ran the press conference.

The star of the show of course was Rosie, who was operated by Dr Michael Jong in Happy-Valley Goose Bay by remote control.

Rosie has a computer screen mounted on top which allows two way audio and video communication between medical staff and patients.

According to Dr Mendez, Rosie is the first of her kind in the North.

Rosie has been helping medical staff and patients communicate in Nain for about six months.

One of those patients is Hulda Merkuratsuk.

Dr Jong has been helping her get better with Rosie’s help.

Merkuratsuk says that because of Rosie, she doesn’t have to travel to Goose Bay all the time to see Dr Jong.

She adds that she has gained weight and is feeling happy now.

Constable Woodrow Trial will Contine in November

Yesterday afternoon the trial continued for Constable (Cst.) James Woodrow.

Cst. Mark Blackmore was cross examined by both the defense lawyer and crown attorney.

The defense lawyer criticized Cst. Blackmore for assisting in the arrest of the victim.

Apparently an on duty officer, Cst. Des Mollon was supposedly on his way.

Cst. Blackmore provided Cst. Woodrow with the keys to the detachment to detain the victim for causing a disturbance.

Later in the afternoon, Audrey Obed took the stand.

Obed was invited to Cst. Woodrow’s residence for drinks the night of the incident.

She only recalled what she could remember from that night.

This morning at 9:30, Judge Joy set a date for video conference for two more witnesses in the case.

That will take place on July 23rd at 1:30pm, in Goose Bay.

The trial will continue and hopefully conclude on November 1st at 1:30pm.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Does The BP Oil Spill Effect Seafood Prices In NL?

With prices on seafood going up, we wanted to know if the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has any effect on it.

John Sackton is President and Publisher of seafood.com

He says the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico doesn’t have any effect on the species of seafood in Canada because of the distance involved.

Sackton says however it does have an effect on the species of fish who feed on the ground dwelling creatures in the Gulf area.

The pricing on seafood is set by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union.

Customers not buying from restaurants also factor in on that.

Woodrow Trial Proceeds

The Woodrow trial took to the stand again this morning in Nain.

Judge John Joy is presiding.

Woodrow’s defense lawyer continued questioning Constable Mark Blackmore.

Blackmore was present during the alleged incidents and was off-duty at the time.

He says it is common for an off-duty officer to receive calls to put someone in jail.

The defense lawyer pointed out inconsistencies in the victim’s statements on two separate occasions.

The Crown began cross-examining Blackmore this afternoon.

Stay tuned to OKâlaKatiget Radio as we find out more details of the Woodrow trial.

Torngat Fish Producers Co-operative Reschedules Annual General Meetings

The Torngat Fish Producers Co-operative Society, Limited has rescheduled their Annual General Meetings.

Keith Watts is the General Manager.

He says the meetings will now go ahead in Nain on Tuesday, July 13th at 1:00 PM.

And they will be held at the Nunatsiavut Government’s board room.

Two delegates from each community will attend along with the Board Members.

Watts says the agenda items include: A review of the fishery from last year and what they hope to do this year.

They will give an update on the plan to form a one fishing entity.

He says an election will also be held for a board member for Nain.

Watts adds he urges all members of the Coop to attend.

OKâlaKatigêt radio will speak with Watts after their AGM.

Road To Trousers Lake

For the past month, Budgell’s Equipment and Rentals are back in Nain working hard.

Bob Gilbert is the Office Manager.

He says they have two barges of equipment and materials scheduled to arrive.

One of which arrived yesterday.

Gilbert says the barges would have arrived sooner, but were delayed by ice conditions.

He says after the second barge arrives and progress is made, they will then start hiring locals.

Gilbert says they’ve received quite a few job applications locally and elsewhere.

Budgell’s currently has about ten to twelve of their regular staff working in Nain.

He says they will certainly be working up to November, or just before the winter season comes.

Gilbert adds they’ll return either in late spring or early summer to finish the road and basic pipelines for the community’s new water supply at Trousers Lake.

Makkovik Fish Plant Almost In Full Swing

The Fish Plant in Makkovik is very busy with fifty employees working at the plant and more employees are to be hired.

We spoke to Junior Andersen the Production Manager for the plant.

He says 80,000lbs of crab have been landed so far.

There are currently five fishing boats in their area.

Three crab boats are now at the dock and the other two are out fishing.

Andersen adds the crab price is at $1.35/lb.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Climate Change Studies In Nain

This summer researchers will be in Nain gathering information about this past winter.

Rodd Laing is a Researcher from Trent University.

He says they are interested in finding out why the past winter in Nain was so warm compared to previous years.

Laing says there will be about 7 to 8 researchers altogether.

They’re willing to talk with anyone and everyone to get a better understanding of this unusual climate change.

He says they’ve also hired two local summer student to help with their studies.

Incident At St. John's Native Friendship Centre

A couple of weeks ago, an alleged incident occurred at the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre.

Altina Norman is a parent and former resident of Nain.

She says on June 23rd, the Friendship Centre finished their After-school Program.

And the last day of school in St. John’s was June 24th.

Parents were informed by the Centre that they could still drop off their children as per the usual schedule of 1:00pm to 6:00pm on June 24th.

Because the After-school workers were still on site.

Norman says she dropped off her 8 and 9 year old boys to go to her bank at 4:00pm.

She says before the Friendship Centre closed its After-school Program, she gave her new cell phone number to them in case of emergency.

At approximately 5:10pm she decided to go back to pick up her sons and saw the usual children outside playing.

Norman says she was informed by one of the male workers that her boys were sent home for misbehaving.

The two boys were sent home on their own.

She says she quickly went home to see if they arrived home safely, but they were nowhere to be found.

According to Norman, there were four phone messages from the Friendship Centre informing her of the situation at 4:15pm.

She said she went back to the Centre and was informed by one of the female workers that they tried to contact her at least twenty times.

The workers said they had no records of her new cell phone number.

Norman says the female worker said once children leave the premises of their Friendship Centre, they are out of their care and are the responsibility of the parents.

She says after looking everywhere for her children, she was on the verge of calling the police to report her sons missing.

But thankfully, Norman found out that the mother of her son’s friends was looking after them.

She says she left a couple of messages at the Friendship Centre for someone to return her calls.

Unfortunately no one has attempted to reach her.

Normans adds all she wants is either an apology or reassurance that this type of incident will never happen again.

The St. John’s Native Friendship Centre is located on Water Street, one of the busiest streets in the city.

Relay For Life Rescheduled

The Nain Relay for Life has been postponed.

The Relay was originally set to take place on Saturday, July 17th.

And is now rescheduled for Saturday, August 21st.

Annie Solomon is the CYN Fieldworker and Organizer for the Relay for Life.

She says the reason why it’s postponed is because there is still a lot more planning to do before the 12 hour relay.

This also gives the teams a chance to raise more money for cancer research.

In the past few weeks, the teams have done a lot of fund raising.

They have had a flea market and sold 50/50 tickets, pizzas and cold plates.

Keep listening for more details of the Relay for Life.

Hopedale Receives New Supply Of Oil

The community of Hopedale is the first to receive a new supply of oil on the north coast of Labrador.

This has residents of other communities are wondering when they will see their new supply of fuels.

And when they will see a new price along with those supplies.

Simeon Nochasak is with William Normore Limited in Hopedale.

He says a tanker delivered a new supply of home heating fuel to the community late last month.

Nochasak says the price has not yet been adjusted with the new supply.

Rod Woodward is with Woodward’s Oil in Nain.

He says the oil tanker is on its way with new supplies for north coast communities.

He expects the tanker to arrive in Nain late this week or early next week.

When new supplies are delivered, they undergo a price adjustment.

A price freeze is put into place on the last shipment of supplies for the winter months.

That freeze is lifted when new supplies are able to get into the communities.

The price of gasoline on the north coast is currently set at $1.39 a litre.

Home heating fuel is $1.04.

Last year the price freeze was lifted on July 02, 2009.

Rigolet Women's Shelter Receives Funding

The community of Rigolet has received funding for their women’s shelter.

The monies came from the Provincial Budget.

Charlotte Wolfrey is the AngajukKâk of the Rigolet Inuit Community Government.

She says they have received $250,000 of the $500,000 allocated.

The remaining $250,000 went to the Nain Safe House.

Wolfrey says the funds will be used for their operating budget for one year.

Part of which will be used to hire three part-time workers.

She says even though their shelter has been open for awhile now, they’ll hold a grand opening on Saturday, August 7th.

Wolfrey says there they’ll officially name the building after Kirkina Mucko.

Kirkina Mucko was born in the late 19th century near Rigolet.

Her life took a path that no one could have predicted following an early tragedy in which she lost both legs.

Wolfrey adds they believe the naming will have significant meaning and will represent their building well.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Nothing Much for Makkovik

The MV Northern Ranger made its first visit to the community of Makkovik this morning.

Many residents were expecting to receive essential items that tend to run low during the long winter months.

But that wasn’t the case.

Carla Penny works at the Woodward’s Oil Ltd. in Makkovik.

She says the MV Northern Ranger arrived with very little freight aboard.

Some of the items that came off the ship were furniture, shingles, recreational vehicles, ice cream and vegetables.

Penny says they aren’t expecting much on the MV Astron when it arrives today.

According to the weigh-bill only vehicles are scheduled to arrive.

Penny adds the Big Land Grocery store is without bread and roll mix, yeast, pampers or baby food to name a few.

The MV Astron was expected to arrive in Makkovik at 12 noon today.

While the MV Northern Ranger is expected to arrive in Postville at the same time and scheduled to arrive in Hopedale at 6:00pm this evening.

Hopedale Receives New Supply of Oil

The community of Hopedale is the first to receive a new supply of oil on the north coast of Labrador.

This has residents of other communities wondering when they will see their new supply of fuels.

And when they will see a new price along with those supplies.

Simeon Nochasak is with William Normore Limited in Hopedale.

He says a tanker delivered a new supply of home heating fuel to the community late last month.

Nochasak says the price has not yet been adjusted with the new supply.

Rod Woodward is with Woodward’s Oil in Nain.

He says the oil tanker is on its way with new supplies for north coast communities.

He expects the tanker to arrive in Nain late this week or early next week.

When new supplies are delivered, they undergo a price adjustment.

A price freeze is put into place on the last shipment of supplies for the winter months.

That freeze is lifted when new supplies are able to get into the communities.

The price of gasoline on the north coast is currently set at $1.39 a litre.

Home heating fuel is $1.04.

Last year the price freeze was lifted on July 02, 2009.

Nain's Relay for Life Postponed

The Nain Relay for Life has been postponed.

The Relay was originally set to take place on Saturday, July 17th.

And is now rescheduled for Saturday, August 21st.

Annie Solomon is the CYN Fieldworker and Organizer for the Relay for Life.

She says the reason it’s postponed is because there is still a lot more planning to do before the 12 hour relay.

This also gives the teams a chance to raise more money for cancer research.

In the past few weeks, the teams have done a lot of fundraising.

By having a flea market and selling 50/50 tickets, pizzas and cold plates.

Keep listening for further details of the Relay for Life.

Monday, July 5, 2010

USW vs Vale Update

The Local United Steelworkers Union in Sudbury, Ontario, finally reached an agreement with Vale.

This morning we spoke with USW President of the Local 9508, Darren Cove.

He says the agreement in Sudbury happened last evening.

Cove says since then, they have sent a request date to Vale to go back to the bargaining table.

But Vale turned down the request.

A request has been sent to the Conciliation Officer to determine a date that both groups agree upon.

Cove says their Local 9508 will look over the Sudbury agreement once it is made public.

But they will not demand the same deal because of the different working and living conditions found here in Voisey’s Bay.

Court Circuit in Nain

The Provincial Court Circuit arrived in Nain this morning and will hold sessions until Friday.

We spoke to Lisa Winters the Court Clerk.

Judge John Joy is presiding this week.

Crown Prosecutor is Adrian Edmunds.

Defense Lawyers are Peter Chafey and Darlene Nelville.

She says 20 people have to face the Judge this week.

Their charges include break and enter, assault and impaired driving.

The next court circuit will be on July 26th.

Woodrow Trial Continues

The Provincial Court Circuit is back in Nain this week.

And with it comes the continuation of the Woodrow trial.

The trial is scheduled for July 8th and 9th.

John Joy is the presiding Judge.

Last month, the trial paused with Constable Mark Blackmore providing his testimony.

Defense Lawyer David Day wasn’t finished with his examination of Blackmore.

A reporter from OKâlaKatigêt will attend the trial.

Constable James Woodrow is charged with one count of assault and one account of forcible confinement.

So keep tuning in this week for full coverage of the Woodrow trail.

Shipping Season

Shipping season officially begins for the north coast of Labrador today.

According to a public advisory from the Department of Transportation, the Northern Ranger is set to depart Happy Valley-Goose Bay today.

The vessel is scheduled to hit all north coast ports for the first time this week.

Labrador Marine Inc. began accepting freight bound for the north coast on June 29.

The MV Astron resumed its regular schedule on Friday.

Manager of the Northern Store in Nain, Boyd Manuel, couldn’t be happier with the departure.

He says the store has been running low on a number of items.

Manuels adds that he isn’t aware if there is any freight on board the vessel for the Northern store.

Salmon Season in Full Swing

Salmon season is in full swing in the Rigolet area.

Everett Allen of Rigolet recently took advantage of his salmon tags.

He says that he spent the last four days getting his catch.

Allen says that residents in the area have been getting great catches.

The fisherman caught one salmon that was 22 pounds.

Others that he caught were between 15 and 18 pounds.

Allen says he was joined on his fishing trip by residents of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Rigolet is known as an area for great salmon fishing.

Many residents of Upper Lake Melville (ULM) are known to travel to the area to make use of their salmon tags.

Allen says that he’s expecting many more ULM residents to travel to the area to claim their catch.

He adds that the salmon seem to have come around a little later this year.

He believes that this may be due to the late break-up of the ice.

Each beneficiary is entitled to 7 salmon.

The salmon season ends on August 31.

You can visit your local conservation officer to claim your salmon tags.

Jennie Williams Photography

A professional photographer in Nain is getting high praise for her work.

Jennie Williams recently began offering professional photographs for clients.

A Facebook group, Jennie Williams Photography, has a wall full of compliments on her work.

Lavinia Jararuse of Nain recently had a session with Williams.

She says that she loved the session and would recommend it to anyone.

Williams also has a website where clients can get information on the types of sessions available.

The information includes backgrounds and pricing options.

As well as what you need to know before coming to your session and what to expect afterwards.

If anyone is interested in booking an appointment you can do so on her website or on her Facebook group.

Williams' specialty is maternity, newborn, baby, children and family photography.

But she also offers her services for a wide range of events such as weddings, family gatherings, birthdays, and conferences.

Williams adds that she also takes school photos.

She is very happy to be able to offer her services here in Nain.

And hopes her photographs will help families capture their most special and priceless moments in life in a very unique and original way.

For more information visit www.jenniewilliamsphotography.com.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Lord Strathcona Museum

Recently the community of Rigolet received high praise for their tourism industry.

Jack Shiwak is the Acting Chairman of the Rigolet Heritage Society.

He says a German cruise ship arrived with 142 tourists all eager to see what the community had to offer.

This was the first cruise ship to visit their port this season.

Shiwak says the tourists were mainly from Germany, Austria and France.

The three main stops on their tour were the Net Loft Museum, the community board walk and the newly constructed Lord Strathcona Museum.

He says the tourists enjoyed walking around their community and meeting the locals.

Shiwak added that after the tour, they were informed by the Cruise Ship operators that the tour was exactly what they were hoping for and they will certainly be back.

Residents moved into the New Long-Term Care Facility

Residents are settling in nicely in the new long-term care facility in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Alison Dower is the Director of Communications for Labrador-Grenfell Health.

She says the residents made the move from the Paddon Home to the new facility on Tuesday.

Dower says the move went smoothly and residents are settling in well.

The new facility houses 50 beds for the seniors.

It is connected to the hospital in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Dower says the facility has four wings.

One of those wings contains a protective care unit.

The unit will be used to house patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

It contains extra security features to provide the necessary care for those patients.

Dower adds that an official opening will take place next Friday when Provincial Ministers will be in attendance to help open the facility.
Residents from the north coast who travel to Happy Valley-Goose Bay for medical reasons are now travelling around the town in style.

Nunatsiavut’s Department of Health’s Ground Transportation service has received a new van.

Gail Turner is the Director of Health Services for the Nunatsiavut Government.

She says they received the new van Tuesday and it went into operation the next day.

The new van is wheelchair accessible.

It has the ability to transport two wheelchairs at a time.

This is a feature that their old van did not have.

The van also has the ability to transport the same amount of people that a twin otter can.

The new capability will cut down on the amount of trips the van makes dramatically.

Turner says the van lent a hand this week transporting seniors from the Paddon Home to the new long-term care facility.