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Power Corp. to lower rates for some Snare hydro customers NTP C has applied to bring down rates in Behchoko and Dettah along with the whole- sale rate in Y ellowknife as part of its rate rebalancing. S ee page 3 . Painter shares residential school experience NWT-bornartistRobertBurke debuted his most recent show on residential schools in his hometown of Fort Smith last week. S ee page 19 . STORMS A MIXED BLESSING Wildfires tempered by cool weather and strong winds. See page 7. Land-based work heals hard history lessons at Dechinta Art and land-based activities helped students work through challenging classroom mate- rial at Dechinta U niversity this spring. S ee page 13 . Fort Smith comes together to support family after accident Thousands have been raised to support the parents of Brad Lafferty who is still in hospi- tal after a serious car accident last week. S ee page 8. V IS IT W W W .N O R J.C A A national award winning independent newspaper serving northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories since 1977 1.00 June 16 2015 Vol. 39 No. 7 NWT tungsten companys stocks crash prompting mine clean-up concerns By MEAGAN WOHLBERG The owner of two mining proper- tiesintheNorthwestTerritorieswent intocreditorprotectionlastTuesday due to crumbling finances leaving someintheterritoryconcernedabout the companys ability to pay for site remediation in the event that opera- tions are discontinued. North American Tungsten Corp. NATCwhichownsandoperatesthe CantungmineandMactungproperty in the NWT near the Y ukon border recentlypetitionedtheB.C.Supreme Courttobeputundercreditorprotec- tionwhileitrestructuresitsfinances. AccordingtothepetitiontheVan- couver-based company has 8 4.4 million in liabilities 1 4 million of which are unsecured and an esti- mated book value of 27 .9 million. It owes around 7 5 .5 million to over 20 0 creditors. For the six months ended March 3 1 20 1 5 NATCex periencedanetloss of 6.6millionthedocumentstates. NATCscashbalancesareex tremely low and additional or replacement financing will likely be re uired. AsofWednesdayafternoonNATC stockshadplummeted42.8 6percent to a unit price of 0 .0 2. The company said numerous fac- tors have contributed to its current financial standing not the least of whichisaseverelydepressedglobal tungsten market. The need for NATC to restruc- ture is attributable to a number of factorsincludingthecontinuationof lowprevailingmarketpricesoftung- sten high debt service payments insufficient capitalization and re- cent operational issues chairman and CEO Kurt E. Heikkila said in a statement released Tuesday. Thoserecentoperationalissuesin- clude interruptions with power sup- ply at the Cantung property which halted production at the mine for a week at the end of May. Thecompanywasgranted3 0 days of protection under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act CCAA on Tuesday and now has until July 9 toconductitsrestructuring.Afurther hearing date of July 8 has been set atwhichtimethecompanyindicated it plans to apply for an ex tension. Without the creditor protection thecompanyfeltitwouldnotbeable to stay afloat. Absent a CCAA filing NATC ex- pects to have insufficient cash in the coming weeks with which to pay its suppliers employees and debt ser- vicepaymentsstatedthepetitionto the court. Key trade creditors may take steps to refuse to provide ser- vices that are essential to transport and therefore sell ex isting tungsten inventories. Layoffs at Cantung The announcement follows the temporarysix -weeklayoffofapprox i- mately8 0 employeesatthecompanys CantungmineonJune1 undertaken as a cost-saving measure. Eachemployeewillmissonework rotation of three weeks. During this time NATC said it believes it has sufficient tungsten ore stockpiles to continue operating the mill and shipping to customers throughout the layoff period. Tungsten prices have been vola- tile over the last two to three years andwefullyex pectthemtoincrease fromtheircurrentlevelovertimebut inthemeantimewewillcontinueto reduceouroperatingex pensesatCan- tungHeikkilasaid.Weappreciate the significant contributions of our employees and understand the im- pact that this difficult decision has on our employees. Heikkilasaidthecompanybelieves it can solve its financial issues with time to restructure. Although the corporation is cur- rently unable to meet all of its past obligations and ongoing financing costs NATC expects that a financial restructuringwillenableittocontinue tooperateasagoingconcernandpre- servevalueforstakeholdershesaid. S ee Minister on page 2. Team Butterflies takes a lap at the Fort Smith 2015 Relay for Life held overnight at the Queen Elizabeth campground on June 13. The Butterflies collected a total of 17 098.30 the highest amount raised by a team this year. For more on the communitys fight against cancer see pages 9-11. PhotoDonJaque 2 Tuesday June 16 2015 INDUSTRY MINING NEWS BRIEFS F i rst Nati on el ec ti ons see some new f ac es i n the D ehc ho GeraldAntoinewaselectedchiefoftheLiidliiKueFirstNa- tion in Fort Simpson last week. Elected councillors include KeleAntoinesub-chiefKatherineNahanniKristenTanche William Michaud Hilda Tsetso Allen Grossetete Lorayne Moses and Eric Menicoche. Meanwhile Herb Norwegian willserveanotherthreeyearsasGrandChiefoftheDehcho First Nations DFN after being acclaimed. A motion will make the results official at the upcoming DFN assembly in Fort Simpson on June 24-26. Suspicious fire leaves tenants of Y k s Pol ari s A partments homel ess Afireravagedthe17-suitePolarisapartmentcomplexinYel- lowknifeonSundaynightleavingallofitsoccupantshome- lessthoughunharmed.Policeandemergencyserviceswere called to the fire at 123 a.m. Sunday June 14. When they arrived the building was engulfed in flames. The building was evacuated and one occupant treated for smoke inhala- tion at Stanton Hospital. Three RCMP members were also treated. RCMP are investigating but say the fire is being considered suspicious. Lostmorelmushroomharvesterfound A mushroom picker was located safe after being reported overdue during the evening of June 11. Fort Providence RCMP responded after receiving a report from several pickers that an individual from their group was overdue. The harvesters had made plans to walk to a nearby com- munications tower in the event that one of them became lost. The harvester made it to the beacon at 3 a.m. and was reunited with her group. Richard Van Camp and Mary Cardinal will be reading from their book Kitapissin Little You at the Mary Kaeser Library from 1 to 2 pm on Saturday June 20th Refreshments will be provided. Come celeb rate N ational Ab original D ay with language R ecieve a free copy of the b ook and read it at home Sponsored by the NWT Cree Language Program Continued from page 1. The move to restructure camejustasNATCwasawaiting afinaldecisionbyEnvironment andNaturalResourcesENR MinisterMichaelMiltenberger onthecompanysproposedtail- ings management plan. On Friday June 12 Milten- berger approved the request foranamendmenttothewater licence for the Cantung mine basedonthedecisionfromthe Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. Theboardhadrecommended inMarchthattheamendments be approved conditional on modificationstothecompanys securityarrangements.While the total security deposits for mineclean-upatCantungcur- rentlyheldarearound11mil- lion the board recommended thoseberaisedto30950000 to be paid within 90 days. But in his letter last week Miltenbergersaidtheformand conditions of the security are his decision not the boards. WhileIappreciateandsup- port the timely posting of rec- lamation security I will con- tinue to take the necessary time required to ensure that Minister approves water licence amendment for Cantung mine any form of security provided under a water licence is in an acceptable form and with ap- propriateconditionsasperthe authority provided under the WatersActandassociatedreg- ulationsMiltenbergerwrote. Should this process require longerthan90daystheBoard will be notified in advance so that the Board can take any action required to modify the compliance date. Company critical of se- curity requirements NATCwhoseownestimates fortheCantungminereclama- tion were around 15 million objected to the amount of se- curitydepositsrecommended bytheboardandrequestedthe minister delay his decision on the application. Arequirementtopostsecu- rityof30.95millionwillhave grave implications for North American Tungsten poten- tiallyjeopardizingtheemploy- ment of 250 people at a mine site that contributes 80 mil- lionannuallytotheeconomy HeikkilawrotetoMiltenberger in a letter dated Mar. 26. By dramatically increasing Can- tungs security requirements theBoardhasunintentionally impairedNATCsaccesstocapi- talneedsforoperationsinthe processpre-emptingprogres- sive reclamation. At the time NATC asked for the existing Transition Rules for Existing Mines to beappliedwhichstatethatthe minister should only modify theamountofsecuritieswhen he or she feels the company is financially incapable or that doingsoisinthepublicinterest. According to NATCs own admissions a similar policy wasappliedwhenthecompany waspreviouslyundercreditor protection in 2004. Heikkilasuggestedtheissue ofsecuritiescouldberevisited whenCantungs2016waterli- cence renewal is considered. Taxpayers on the hook MLA DespiteHeikkilastempered optimism others in the NWT arent convinced that NATC will survive its current trou- bles to be able to clean up its mine sites. Unfortunatelythetaxpayer is clearly on the hook Wele- dehMLABobBromleytoldthe Journal.Theseminesarebig projects in terms of the scale of budget we deal with and the federal government failed miserablywiththeirlegislation which we mirrored. Accordingtothedepartment ofLandstheGNWTaccepted responsibilityforsitesthatwere permitted under the modern regulatory regime through devolution which included NATCs properties. GNWTs acceptance of a portfolio of sites balanced the risksandrewardsoftakingon theresponsibilityincludingthe ability to collect royalties and the authority to manage sites inawaythatreflectstheinter- ests of northerners reads an emailresponsetotheJournal. Bromley questioned the GNWTs decision to take over regulatory authority for the two mine sites and wonders if the existing 11 million in securities for Cantung will be adequate. We are left likely looking after the whole resolution of everything so there will be a lot of damage to companies and so on that are owed but I suspect that we will also the taxpayersbeshoulderingan unexpected burden once all is said and done he said. As for the companys objec- tionstotheincreasedsecurities Bromleysaidclean-upguaran- teesarepartofthecostsowed. ItslikewantingtheNorth- west Territories to pick up for thefailingglobaleconomyand subsidizefivesixthsofthecost of mining in the North on the shoulders of 43000 people he said. The cost of mining mustincludethecostofclean- up. So if a company cannot handle it they need to get in a player that has big enough dollars to do that or we need another model. PhotocourtesyofNorthAmericanTungsten North American Tungsten laid off 80 of its workers at Cantung on June 1. Tuesday June 16 2015 3 INDUSTRY ELECTRICITY Fort Smith Seniors SocietyFort Smith Seniors Society ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 130 p.m. Tuesday June 23 2015 Seniors Room - Rec. Centre All seniors welcome NTP C proposes low er rates f or S nare hyd ro customers Lo ered holesale rate for ello nife to enefit all su sidi ed customers B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G The NWTs crown power corporation is proposing to lower electricity rates for the communities of Behchoko Dettah and Y el- lowknife thanks to an unex pected surplus brought on by new industrial revenues and savings from the Inuvik LNG project. The NT P ower Corp. NTP C submitted the second phase of its General Rate Applica- tion to the P ublic U tilities Board P U B last Thursday which proposes a rate rebalanc- ing among customer classes. The application seeks to lower rates for general service customers in the Snare zone - namely Behchoko and Dettah - by 1 5 per cent. Those customers will save approx imately 20 4 per month for a 3 0 0 0 kilowatt-hour kWh monthly consumption. The proposal would also lower the whole- sale rate in Y ellowknife 2.6 per cent from 1 9 .21 cents to 1 8 .7 1 cents kWh. That reduc- tion would be transferred on to all customers in the territory who are currently subsi- dized under the Territorial P ower Support P rogram TP SP which is based on the Y el- lowknife rate. TP SP eligible customers in the Snare and Thermal zones will see a reduction in their monthly bill of approx imately 1 .7 per cent or around 5 per month for a customer with a 1 0 0 0 kWh monthly consumption. According to NTP C Snare customers are currently ex periencing rate imbalances that datebacktowhentheNorthernCanadaP ower Commission was federally regulated. NTP C is now trying to remedy those imbalances by bringing the revenue-to-cost average RCC ratio down to between 9 0 and 1 1 0 per cent for all non-government customers so that cus- tomers will be paying closer to what it costs NTP C to supply the power. In Behchoko and Dettah customers had a higher RCC ratio of 1 3 1 per cent. This decrease will bring them down to a 1 1 1 per cent RCC closer to the targeted range. General service customers in the Taltson and Thermal zones will see no bill impact. Conversely government customers in the Snare Taltson residential and general ser- vice with ratios below 1 0 0 per cent will see rate increases of 1 per cent which will cre- ate an additional 0 .0 26 million in revenue. The lowered rates are made possible due to an increase in revenues from an industrial customer Giant Mine as well as savings from the recently installed LNG storage and gas- ification facility in nuvik. According to the application NTP C saw 0 .227 million in savings from the Inuvik LNGprojectandadditionalmoneyfromGiant Mine that amount to a 0 .28 1 -million surplus for the 20 1 4 year bringing down the ex pected required revenues in 20 1 4 from 1 0 4.8 3 6 million to an actual cost of 1 0 4.5 5 5 million. The application will now be reviewed by the P U B over the summer. The proposed sched- ule put forth by NTP C would see the process completed by late O ctober. NTP Cs last general rate application made in 20 1 2 and approved by the P U B increased base rates across the territory by 28 .4 per cent gradually over four years in order to fully recover the corporations revenue re- uirement. With the final rate increase of around 6.2 per cent on Apr. 1 20 1 5 NTP C believes ex isting rates should now cover the companys ex pected revenue requirements going forward. NTPC s most recent rate application proposed lowering rates for general serv ice cus- tomers in Y ellowknife B ehchoko and D ettah in an attempt to reb alance rates in the NW T. PhotocourtesyofNTPC D eh Cho MLA pleads guilty to assault causing b odily harm B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli pleaded guilty last Thursday to assault causing bodily harm in relation to an incident that took place in his home community of Fort P rovidence in April. P olice were called for assistance at 3 p.m. on Apr. 5 after reports that an individual had been assaulted at a residence. The victim was transported to the health centre for treat- ment of non-life-threatening injuries. Nadli turned himself in to police a short time later. The 5 0 year-old who has been MLA for the Deh Cho since 20 1 1 was released on bail under a number of conditions including liv- ing in Y ellowknife instead of Fort P rovidence having to obtain permission to travel to Fort P rovidence and to notify the RCMP when en- tering and leaving the community. With his guilty plea Nadli agreed to un- dergo sentencing via the Domestic Violence Treatment O ption Court a recently estab- lished alternative court that provides coun- selling and treatment for low-risk violent of- fenders before deciding on a sentence. Though Nadli gave up his position as chair of the Standing Committee on Government O perations he did attend legislature for three of the seven days of the final sitting of fifth session. A conviction will not necessarily impact his position as an elected member of the leg- islative assembly. Nadlis nex t court appearance is sched- uled for July 23 . This is the second time Nadli has pleaded guilty to assault. In 20 0 4 he was sentenced to six months of probation for assaulting his spouse. Conditions on the sentence included checking in with a probation officer going to counselling and doing 5 0 hours of com- munity service. PhotocourtesyofGNWT JUSTICE ASSAULT D eh Cho M L A M ichael Nadli will undergo treatment through D omestic V iolence Court. 4 Tuesday June 16 2015 The N orthern J ournal is an independent newspaper covering news and events in the western Arctic and northern Alb erta. 2013 CCNA BLUE RIBBON CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013 C M C A AUDITED The Northern J ournal i s publ i shed w eek l y by Casc ade Publ i shi ng Ltd. Pri nted at Star Press I nc . Wai nw ri ght A B . Publisher................................................................................. Don Jaque 867-872-3000 ext.21 donnorj.ca Editor.........................................................................Meagan Wohlberg 867-872-3000 ext.24 newsnorj.ca Reporter....................................................................... Dali Carmichael 867-872-3000 ext.25 reporternorj.ca Comptroller ..................................................... Dixie Penner 867-872-3000 ext.23 dixnorj.ca Advertising.............................. Heather Foubert Hay River 867-874-4106 adsnorj.ca Administration............................................Jeremy Turcotte 867-872-3000 ext.26 adminnorj.ca Production Manager ......................................Sandra Jaque 867-872-3000 ext.22 sandranorj.ca Graphics........................................................Paul Bannister 867-872-3000 ext.27 graphicsnorj.ca Letters to the E ditor P olicy The Northern Journal welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and include a phone number so the author can be verified. Names will be withheld on request in special circumstances where the reasons are determined to be valid. The Journal reserves the right to edit letters for length libel clarity and taste. Opinions expressed in letters and columns are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Advertising D eadlines Display ad deadline is Thursday at 400 p.m. Classified ad deadline is Thursday at 500 p.m. Email adsnorj.ca S ub scription R ates Prices include GST. 47.25 in Fort Smith 52.50 elsewhere in Canada 105 in the USA overseas 164.30. EDITORIAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR The d eb ate on climate change is ov er time f or action With the stroke of a pen the leaders of the G7 countries last week completely changed the dynamic of the talk about climate change from a debate over whether or not it ex ists to recognition that it must be dealt with by ending the use of fossil fuels completely. That change was amazing and profound. More and more scientists and leaders are raising their voices against the carbon-based economy on which the world currently runs and the damage it is causing. The build-up of carbon diox ide in the atmosphere is alter- ing weather patterns wreaking havoc on our lives. Equally traumatic impacts are taking place in the oceans from the flood of carbon being poured into the atmosphere from our vehicles and industries. Carbon is absorbed into the water causing acidification of the oceans resulting in the loss of plankton those little critters at the base of the aquatic food chain. That will mean devastated fish populations. Many species of mammals in- cluding humans are dependant on the oceans for food. The oceans are already being over- fished so face double eopardy. A catastrophe of immense proportions is looming. A hundred years ago our ancestors ex- perienced the loss of the massive herds of prairie bison the flocks of carrier pigeons that filled the skies for hours on end and more recently the Atlantic cod stocks all once plentiful but suddenly all but vanished. In each case those losses were a direct im- pact of mindless negligent practices during a time of rapid large-scale human ex pan- sion. Most of those tragedies took place at an earlier time in human development when populations were low and mass industrial- ization had not yet taken place. They were a warning the canary in the coal mine dem- onstrating how vulnerable the world can be. O ur race is like a steamroller on the planet now and the magnitude of reaction by the planet s systems to what we are doing will be profound yet our societies continue to behave in ways that are ignorant and irre- sponsible risking turning the future of our children into a nightmare. Thank goodness for Angela Merkel o figure it took a woman to show a group of men that common sense was needed in deal- ing with so obvious a problem. O n her lead the G7 summit in Garmisch-P artenkirchen Germany on June 8 committed its member nations some of the main industrialized countries of the world to shift completely to a zero-emission energy system before the end of the century. The discussions will no longer be about whether or not climate change ex ists or more debates over reducing percentages of carbon emissions targets that no country was meeting anyway. Instead we are now on a path to ending the carbon-based econ- omy altogether. Note that Canadas prime minister came to the G7 party adamantly opposing the plan to decarbonize the world economy. Imagine the pressure Stephen Harper must have faced to finally buckle. Canada has received failing grades over two decades for its inability to meet its carbon emission targets. U nder the Liberal governments of Jean Chr tien we signed agreements and then ignored them. U ndertheHarperConservativeswewithdrew from the agreements blamed the rest of the world for the problem and actively ramped up our carbon producing industries. Although the 7 meeting managed to achieve an agreement there is still no plan on how to achieve the new goal. The climate summit in P aris this coming December has the potential to actually do something toward invoking a carbonless economy. Will a way to ex cise carbon from our collective lives by the end of the century as per the G7 agreement be decided then O ne would hope. But will that end of the century timeframe besoonenough Bythenthechangeswrought to our planet may be too great to reverse. There is hope however. Ways to move to a new economy based on innovative clean en- ergy systems are being developed that could accomplish the goal much faster. Stanford U niversity engineers for ex ample have developed a plan to convert the U nited Statesto1 0 0 percentcleanrenewableenergyby 20 5 0 throughstate-levelinitiatives.InCanada Q uebec and O ntario the two largest and most populousprovincesareheadingthatwayaswell. Private initiatives like the Solutions Pro ect http thesolutionsproj ect.org are gaining popularity.Thatgroupsays1 0 0 percentclean is 1 0 0 per cent possible and shows ways to build a stronger economy healthier families and a more secure future. Humanity is on the cusp of a dramatic all- encompassing change so transformational the industrial revolution will be dwarfed in magnitude. The pressure is on to do it quickly or face dire consequences. The climate summit in P aris this coming D ecemb er has the potential to actually do something toward invoking a carb onless economy. D r. O Connor I will continue to advocate for F ort Chip E ditor I mstillshatteredandex tremelydisappointed intheNuneeHealthBoardSocietyNHBSand SteveCourtoreilletheMikisewCreeFirstNation Chief. I received an email with neither notice nor ex planation immediately ending my years ofphysicianservicetoFortChipewyanat3 p.m. on May 8 20 1 5 signed by Rox anne Marcel on behalf of the NHBS. Despite my efforts to seek anex planationastowhyIveheardnotaword. My connection with Chip began in 20 0 0 . I provided in-community service until 2007. At that point after Chip health issues had hit the media my wife and I headed east for sanitys sake. Id recruited a physician Dr. Liam Grif- fin to take over in the community. The NHBS askedmetobeoncallasphysicianback-upon thedaysandnightswhenDr. riffinwasnotin FortChip.Theyofferedmeacontracttowhich Iagreed.Itstipulatedthatmyserviceswerefor on-call and did not require me to provide in- community clinics as they were not required with Dr. riffin in place. This contract was entirely proposed and worded by the NHBS. I was fully compliant with the terms of this contract. O ver the years Iwasaskedtore-signthiscontractwhichIdid. There was never any issue with it. And was busy fielding calls at any and all hours of the day and night handling very serious emergen- ciesarrangingadmissionstohospitalmedevacs out to Fort McMurray and beyond even when I was overseas in Ireland visiting my mother and on family vacations many many times. Christmas graduations even in the shower with one dry hand Id reach for my phone I was never unavailable. The community knows my cell phone number and I still am called. I loveFortChip. MywifeCharleneandourchil- drengrewtoacceptmyconstantlybeinginter- rupted and on calls. IwasaskedafewmonthsbacktoprovideWell ManMedicalsinFortChipbyCarolineAdam the current Health Director. I ex plained that I didnothavethetime.Itwasnotabigissuethen. Dr. Tailfeathers and the current Nurse P racti- tioner provide these anyway I am reassured that there is no gap in providing this service. SteveCourtoreilleofferedthisasareasonfor my abrupt termination. He also stated that Id notbeeninFortChipinsevenyearsI vebeen there several times actually and could not be an advocate for Chip if Id not been there. Did I totally waste the past seven years I have been the O NLY physician advocat- ing for Chip. I laid my licence on the line and fought for almost three years to retain it all on account of Fort Chip. Steve and I have stood together on many a platform side by side in the last seven and more years advocating for his community. Steve was involved with me being presented by the Treaty 8 Chief with a glass-framed eagle feather in High Level a few years ago which I proudly display in my home. Ive travelled far and wide with the blessing of Fort Chip on my dime struggling to highlight the utter disregard with which the community has been treated. My life has become centered onmybelovedFortChip.TherewasNEVERan ob ection to what was doing. offeredMANYtimestoforegoanypayment for my services or at least cut my invoices in halflestitimpingedinanywayontheNHBS budget. I did this earlier this year. I repeatedly offered to provide services pro bono. I was never taken up on this offer. Mostly I didnt get a response. Neither the Athabasca Chipewyan First Na- tionnorM tisleadershipweregivennoticeofmy servicesbeingendedandarefullysupportiveof me.Ivehadanoutpouringofgoodwishesfrom acrossthecommunity.Thetreatmentstaffatthe NursingStationcontinuetocommunicatewith medespiteconcernsabout obsecurityandare asmystifiedasanyoneaboutthecircumstances surrounding my abrupt dismissal. I would really appreciate transparency and closure from the Nunee Health Board Society and the Mikisew leadership. Theres been ab- solutely none. I simply wish to continue to provide on call services pro bono for Fort Chip. I will continue to publicly advocate for the Fort Chip Gods Country that I love. Not for a second will I blink. D r. John O Connor The glass eagle feather gifted to D r. John O Connor b y Treaty 8 Chiefs. PhotocourtesyofJohnOConnor Tuesday June 16 2015 5 COLUMNS 15 Years Ago... M L A Cardinal gets cab inet promotion Athabasca-Wabasca MLA Mike Cardinal whose district includes Fort Chipewyan has a new and more prominent role in the Alberta provincial cabinet. Car- dinal the former associate minister of forestry devel- opment was sworn in June 7 as minister of Resource Development. I ssue June 13 2000 20 Years Ago... Ab original H ead S tart launched The Aboriginal Head Start program which is ulti- mately designed to help parents and children build a better future for themselves by themselves has been put into action. In its initial four-year pilot phase there will be 8 3 .7 million invested in 5 0 Head Start projects across the country. I ssue June 14 19 9 5 30 Years Ago... S hopping for a new swimming pool Mayor Harry Sudom says long-term operating ex - penses are a key factor in a decision to construct a new aqua centre for Fort Smith. The success of the pool wont depend so much on the cost of building it but the cost of operating it he said. I ssue June 13 19 85 ARCHIVES Northern Journal 2015 Join us online Like Northern Journal on Facebook and get the weekly news delivered to your feed FACEBOOK FEEDBACK The owner of two mining properties in the Northwest Territories went into creditor protection on Tuesday due to crumbling finances leaving some in the territory concerned about the companys ability to pay for site remediationintheeventthatoperationsarediscontinued. NWT tungsten mining companys stocks plummet prompting cleanup concerns Ronald Beaulieu Make them make a deposit enough for cleanup before the first stone is overturned. LeadersoftheNorthSlaveM tisAllianceNSMAstood beforeaFederalCourt udgelastweektofightfortheirright tointerveneinanongoingcourtcasethatcouldhavelasting impacts on the fate of M tis in the Northwest Territories. North Slave Mtis seek right to intervene in Akaitcho trial Patricia Sepp We all should be classified as First Nations... B y DAWN KO STELNIK Keeping active minds busy with limited resources is dif- ficult in long months of dark. I am a reader. I read every- thingthat canfind getinto trouble for reading too much. Y ou can imagine my ex cite- ment when an author of one of the books that I had read wascomingtoCoppermineto do researchforanotherbook Thisisgood.Hewouldbestay- ing at the Hudsons Bay staff house. That was bad. U nderthreatofdeathmost young girls were told to stay a hundred miles away from the Hudsons Bay staff house. I developed a friendship with Shawna her father was the manager of the Hudsons Bay. She was also under threat of deathifshewentnearthestaff house but she was an avid reader as well. Shawna had also read this authors books about life where we lived. Al- though the stories seemed a bit far-fetched to those of us who lived here we imagined thatthepeopleoutsideinthe southwouldbeprettyex cited by this authors books. A couple of cases of whis- key are smuggled into a dry northern community cheap research. Men arrive at the staff house under cover of dark to sip whiskey with this writer from the south. Some remember him from the last time he came to do research. Whiskey flows and the words begin to flow faster than the whiskey does. In old times when caribou dont come and seals played belowwiththeseagodSedna we eat lemmings Not too-o bad you know little bones get caught in your throat. Lem- ming and Aq iggiq ptarmi- gan soup makes you strong O ne swallow for those guys and its a-l-l-l gone. Even them little bones. The more whiskeythatflowedthemore colourful the stories became. Did I let that out I must have been in the room to hear that. Shawna and I de- cide that the risk is worth our lives to set eyes on this famous Canadian author. We stand close to the door - our access to uick escape the light is dim in the crowd of people that fills the room. Sitting at the head of the government-issuedredmaple table is a little man with a big beard.Hehaspeninhandand is intent on writing down the musings of drunken beings. Everyonelaughsastheytryto outdo each others tall tales. With whiskey breath in my face you know what we call that guy the face behind the alcohol fumes commands. O f course I know what he is called I retort with 1 2 year-old disgust. No you know what we call that guy 1 0 0 -proof breath asks again. Fine fine what do you call that guy Thats Hardly Know-It he giggles. www.thewhitegirl.ca White G irl What s I n a Name Carol Collins I thought the GNWT was on the ball with devolution maybe NOT Move over spinach K ing K ale is here B y ANGELA SLADEN If P opeye was a hero of yours let me tell you about Kale. He beats P opeye and his spinach hands down for power All naturally grown foods contain vitamins and min- erals that our bodies need to function optimally. Kale is the king of vegetables for potency power Even though kale looks like a type of lettuce it is actually part of the cabbage family. Kale is a pretty dish to serve as it grows purple or green and smooth or curly. Here is a list of a few of the great benefits of kale with some yummy ideas for incorporating it into your daily menu. K is for vitamin K. Vitamin K is necessary for blood clot- ting and it transports calcium throughout the body helping to prevent osteoporosis. This is especially important in the northern hemisphere as we do not get as much vitamin D from the sun as our south- ern friends vitamin D helps prevent osteoporosis too. O ne serving of kale 1 cup provides about 68 4 per cent of the recommended daily al- lowance RDA of vitamin K. Thats a lot of bone preserv- ing power K is also for kaempferol. This antiox idant helps keep our cells fats and DNA in good repair. It inhibits the formation of fat in the blood which lowers our risk of heart attacks and also fights the formation of cancer cells. Antiox idants also help keep us looking and feeling young. A is for vitamin A. Vitamin Aisnecessaryfornightvision strong healthy bones repro- duction and a strong immune system. It also helps skin inside and outside the body fight bacteria and viruses. O neservingofkaleprovides about20 6percentoftheRDA ofvitaminA.Morebone-build- ingpowerwiththeadditionof healthy eyes to continue en- joying those northern lights L is for lutein. Kale has a high amount of lutein which is critical for long- term healthy eyesight with no cataracts. Lisalsoforlow.Kaleisvery lowincaloriesandfatonly3 3 calories per cup and the little fatitdoeshaveisthegoodkind offatomega-3 fattyacid.This makeskaleagreatweightman- agement food High nutrition withlowcaloriesandlowfatis ex actlywhatthedoctororat leastthisnutritionistordered. E is for ex ceptional Kale is an ex ceptional source of Vi- tamin C 1 3 4 per cent of the RDA. Y ouve probably heard that Vitamin C is critical for fighting colds 3 Cs makes it easy to remember C criti- cal colds. Vitamin C is also knowntohelpyoufeelhappier and have more energy. Now for the fun part how to incorporate kale into your daily menu Here are several yummy ideas 1. Add frozen chopped kale toyoursmoothieinthemorn- ing. I usually add half a cup. 2. Steam it and add a bit of butterandsalttotaste. Besure to cut off the rib the hard back bone. 3. Add raw chopped kale to your salads wraps or sandwiches. Kale is a bit chewier than lettuce so mix it in with your lettuce to start. 4. P ut some kale into your soups or casseroles. This is a great one for kids that dont like to eat vegetables they wont even know its there. 5. Saut e kale with some garlic a bit of butter or olive oil and maybe some onion. Super yummy 6. Make some kale chips to replace potato chips remove the ribs toss in olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt cumin powder chilli powder or garlic powder. Bake at 27 5 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 5 3 0 minutesuntiltheyarecrispy enough to your liking. My grandkids LO VE these 7. U se a kale leaf in place of your wheat wrap. This is especially good for those that are gluten intolerant or want to lose weight. U ntilwemeetagaineatwell live well and love well Angela S laden is a nutri- tionistandentrepreneurfrom E dmonton. S he is a memb er of the Tahltan F irst Nation in Northern B ritish Columb ia. 6 Tuesday June 16 2015 ENVIRONMENT FOREST HEALTH It is Spring clean up time in Fort Smith. Take your refuse to the curb call Town Hall 872-8400 and municipal crews will come to take it away for you - for free If you want to haul loads of refuse or garbage to the dump all tipping fees have been waived. In addition to cleaning up our community this special program is offered to encourage fire abatement. We are entering another severe fire season. This is your chance to Fire Smart your yard. Remove any flammable debris Take away any brush and small trees if you are close to the forest edge Remember the hazards are extreme. Contact Town Hall to see if burning is allowed. Be careful with cigarettes butts. Help make our community safer Find details on evacuation routes procedures directions check lists and preparedness on the first page of the Town of Fort Smith website under Emergency Info. www.fortsmith.ca For more information and advice on how to Firesmart your yard so your home is safer Call ENR district Mgr Daniel Allaire at 872-6425. LETS CLEAN UP OUR ACT As a post-secondary institution situated on the land of the Aboriginal Peoples of the NWT Aurora College strives to offer programs rooted in indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing. This Aboriginal Day join us in celebrating the vital contribution of Aboriginal Elders educators leaders and community members in ensuring that our students can create better a future through success in education. www.auroracollege.nt.ca Aboriginal Day 2014 Celebrating the Role of Traditional Knowledge in Education As a post-secondary institution situated on the land of the Aboriginal Peoples of the NWT Aurora College strives to offer programs rooted in indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing. ThisAboriginalDayjoinusincelebratingthevitalcontributionof Aboriginal Elders educators leaders and community members in ensuring that our students can create better a future through success in education. Aboriginal Day 2015 Celebrating the Role of Traditional Knowledge in Education www.auroracollege.nt.ca S ulphur nitrogen in f orest soils linked to oilsand s B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G TheWoodBuffaloEnvironmentalAssociation WBEA hasreleasedthefirstreportassessing the health of forests in the Athabasca oilsands regionmakingalinkbetweensulphurandni- trogen in the forest and oilsands upgraders. The report summarizes 15 years of results from the WBEAs terrestrial environmental effects monitoring program for forest health in the oilsands region. Themainfindingsofthereportindicatethat the highest concentrations of sulphur diox- ide SO2 nitrogen dioxide NO2 ammonia NH3 and nitric acid HNO3 - all key com- ponents of acid rain - were found closer to oil- sands operations. The report confirms that more than 97 per centofSO2emissionsresultfromoilsandsup- grading operations. Bothair ualityanddepositionmeasurements showed that sulphur and nitrogen concentra- tions and deposition amounts were enhanced within 30 km of oilsands operations and de- clined with increasing distance from them. Thoseconcentrations depositionlevelswere highertotheeastofminingandupgradingop- erations than to the west. At 40 to 50 km away from main oilsands emissions sources sulphur and nitrogen con- centrationsreachedverylowbackgroundlevels. Trace elements and heavy metal concentra- tions in vegetation also generally followed the same spatial distribution patterns. Ozoneconcentrationsasexpectedincreased with distance from oilsands operations. TheWBEAbeganitsforesthealthmonitoring in1998withmeasuringandsamplingatanet- work of 11 ack pine stands. n 2004 the mea- surementandsamplingofsoilsandvegetations occurredat13plotsandin2011-12anenhanced networkof25interior ackpinestandplotsand 25 forest edge plots was sampled along with data from six meteorological towers and pas- sive active monitoring analyzers. Accordingtothereportthelevelsofsulphur andnitrogenin ackpinefoliageroseatsixplots from 1998 to 2012. Whilesulphurinthesoilwascorrelatedwith modeleddepositionratesneithernitrogennor pH matched predicted levels. The nitrogen is thought to be taken up by the vegetation as a nutrient and is therefore not accumulating in the soils and acidity is being neutralized by base cations deposited by the atmosphere. Acid deposition levels were not enough to exceed the trigger established by the Cumula- tive Environmental Management Association CEMA which includes a NOx-SO2 Manage- ment Working roup in the Regional Munici- pality of Wood Buffalo. WBEA executive director evin Percy said the reports findings support a need for long- term baseline environmental monitoring in the oilsands region. Environmental monitoring must never remain complacent and must always be in- novative adaptive and responsive as is dem- onstrated in this report he said. We hope science-based monitoring continues to be re- sponsiveandadaptabletocontinuingoilsands development and will be fully supported and ade uately funded going forward. S uncor s oilsands facility and tailings ponds line the Athab asca R iv er north of F ort M cM urray. PhotoGlobalForestWatch Tuesday June 16 2015 7 ENVIRONMENT WILDFIRES INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT Operator School www.IHESCHOOL.com Call Now 1-866-399-3853 Housing Transportation Packages Available NO SIMULATORS JOB ASSISTANCE FOR LIFE NEVER SHARE MACHINES START ANY MONDAY GET TRAINED. GET WORKING. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 684-112 NNSL NJ NGO Stabilization Fund The new 2015-2016 application deadline is Thursday June 25 2015. The NGO Stabilization Fund provides special funding to help NGOs that deliver critical GNWT funded programs or services to the public to stabilize or develop their capacity to manage programs and services. Support can be granted for eligible one-time general management governance organizational development and extraordinary general operations costs related to the delivery of critical GNWT funded programs or services. Collaborative projects that build the capacity of more than one NGO are encouraged. For more information and to obtain an application form please go to www.maca.gov.nt.cangostabilization Phone 867 873-7329 Fax 867 920-6467 E-mail dawn_mosesgov.nt.ca Wildfires dampened as north winds bring rain lightning E astern part of South Sl av e remai ns dry at hi gh ri sk l ev el s B y D O N JAQ U E Storms pushed down the Mackenzie Valley late last week and over the weekend bring- ing cool temperatures strong north winds and scattered showers in a broad band from Inuvik all the way to Fort Smith helping to bring relief from wildfires though the total number still grew to 65 . With the storms came lightning and lots of it with over 3 0 0 0 0 strikes Thursday and 28 0 0 0 in a 24-hour period on Friday. Fortunately few of the strikes caused fires. The rains and cool weather and the result- ing higher relative humidity pushed down the fires according to officials but there was only enough moisture to penetrate the surface and bring short-term relief. It is still really dry and the water tables are low. We need a steady two or three-day rain to penetrate into the heavier fuels said Rick Olsen manager of fire operations with Environment and Natural Resources. Drought conditions are in ex cess of last year. We are just now entering what is usu- ally our regular fire season. The 20-year average for fires by this time of year is 20 and we are now at 65 . We are just getting going he said. O f the major fires burning across the NWT none are a serious threat at this point O lsen said. A fire near Aklavik is burning tundra in the foothills of the Richardson Mountains. O lsen described it as mostly a very large grass fire. He said it keeps running into wet areas and therefore is mostly burn- ing itself out. It is still moving but rain and morning fog are dampening it. The big fires south of Behchoko pushed by high winds jumped the containment lines over the weekend but crews got on it and managed to bring it back under control again. The fire near Wrigley was impacted by rain and high winds but is still under con- trol. Crews got back on it yesterday and it is now down to 25 hectares in size. The one fire that continues to be somewhat problematic is the ittle Buffalo River fire west of Fort Smith which flared up thanks to the wind over the weekend. It is largely in Wood Buffalo National Park along the southern edge of the whooping crane habitat with a small finger in the NWT along High- way 5. t is being fought by both Parks and NWT crews with lots of resources deployed including bucketing helicopters and cater- pillar tractors making cat guards. O lsen said there were a number of new fires in the Y ellowknife area over the week- end including one person-caused incident from a campfire on an island in the mid- dle of Kam Lake. It was left to burn out. There were also two new fires southwest of Y ellowknife in the bison sanctuary near onely Bay on reat Slave ake. They are being left to burn since fire will improve the bison habitat. There are also several new fires northeast of Fort Smith and Fort Resolution one at Thekulthili Lake one at Tsu Lake and an- other at rey ake all with nearby cabins camps or lodges which are being protected. O lsen said conditions near Y ellowknife are dry but that area is now getting rain. The rest of the NWT is similarly enjoying moisture that has lowered hazard levels up the Mackenzie Valley to Inuvik. The one re- gion still lacking moisture is between Fort Resolution and Fort Smith where it remains quite dry and high in fire risk. The weather forecast for the coming week is good news with a continued northerly wind flow but a change to lighter winds will bring some rain and minimal lightning and later in the week temperatures will rise to seasonal norms in the mid-20 s. Fire crews perform a controlled burnout operation near Highway 3 south of Behchoko on May 29. The fire umped its containment lines ov er the weekend due to high winds b ut crews managed to b ring it under control once more. PhotocourtesyofGNWTENR F ort S mith pulls together af ter tragic car accid ent 8 Tuesday June 16 2015 NORTHERNERS FUNDRAISERS FEATURING ARTISTS SUCH AS ELDER MARY CARDINAL A TRIBE CALLED RED VERONICA JOHNNY JASON BURNSTICK THE JOHNNYS ART NAPOLEON STATE OF THE ART K.A.S.P. ASICI ELDER WINSTON WUTTUNEE GERALD AND GERRY POITRAS ISKWEW SINGERS DOMINIC ABRAHAM NORTHERN CREE JORDANN POITRAS MINA KELCEY PIERROT The NWT Cree Language Program gratefully acknowledges the financial contribution from the Department of Education Culture and Employment of the Government of the Northwest Territories. NEHIYAW NIKAMONAK OYOYOWAK OHCI NANASKOMOWIN CREE SONGSHOWLS FOR GRATITUDE E ducation Culture E conomic D evelopment AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD AT NEHIYAWEWIN.COM ON JUNE 21ST 2015 NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY MEKIWIN NIKAMONAK FREE ALBUM MIYO NEHIYAWEWIN KISIKAW HAPPY ABORIGINAL DAY OHCI FROM NWT CREE LANGUAGE PROGRAM MINA NWT MTIS NATION FEATURING ARTISTS SUCH AS NEHIYAW NIKAMONAK OYOYOWAK OHCI NANASKOMOWIN CREE SONGSHOWLS FOR GRATITUDE AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD AT NEHIYAWEWIN.COM ON JUNE 21ST 2015 NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY NIKAMONAK FREE ALBUM OHCI FROMOHCI FROM NWT CREE LANGUAGE PROGRAM MINA NWT MTIS NATION NWT Cree Language Program 133 Simpson Street Fort Smith NT 867 872-2770 nehiyawewin.com NWT Cree Language Program B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G ThecommunityofFortSmithshoweditstrue colourslastweekasthousandsofdollarsindo- nations piled in for the Lafferty family follow- ingatragicvehicleaccidentonSundayevening. BradLaffertyayoungmanfromFortSmith wasseriouslyinjuredwhenthecarhewasdriv- inglostcontrolhittheditchandrollednumer- oustimesthrowinghimfromthevehicle.Both he and his two passengers were transported to hospitalwhereLaffertyandoneofthepassen- gers was sent by medevac to Edmonton. Lafferty remains in critical condition at the Royal Alex andra Hospital where he has un- dergone numerous surgeries to his head neck and upper torso. Withinhoursoftheaccidentfamilyfriends and community members began cobbling to- getherfundstogivefinancialassistancetoBrads parentsLoisandSteveLaffertywhiletheyare in Edmonton at his bedside. Evenwithconcurrentfundraisingeffortsfor theRelayforLifethousandswerecollectedfor the Lafferty family through online auctions crowdfunding campaigns bake sales and bar- becues throughout town as well as similar fundraisers in Hay River Fort Resolution and even further north. Ramanda Sanderson is one of affertys friends in Fort Smith who helped coordinate some of the fundraising efforts including a bake sale and online auctions. She said those activities alone have raised around 20 0 0 for the Lafferty family. vebeenfriendswithBradgoingon10years himandhisfamilymeanalottomeandif cant bethereforthempersonallyIwanttobeableto do as much as I can for them here Sanderson said. We all dont want them to worry about anythingwhiletheyreinEdmontonbyhisside. Sandersonsaidtheresponsehasbeenamaz- ing but not unex pected. Being from such a small town no one ever hesitates to help in any way she said. I get calls daily for donations for 24-hour auctions andabout18peoplerespondedtothebakesale for donations. When hard times hit we are all in this together as a community. More than 1000 was also raised by a bot- tle drive coordinated by Fort Smith resident Jennifer Cheezie who was inundated with re- cyclables after an outpouring of support from peoplearoundthecommunitylastweekmany of whom also helped her pick up and sort the cans and bottles. We all did this because Brad is a true loyal friendCheeziesaid. Wecouldhavenotbeen able to do this if it was not for the communitys input. Love this town when bad things hap- pens here people pull together like a family. Most wanting to help out have turned to an online fundraising campaign called the Brad Lafferty come home fund which was started by his cousin Christy Woledge. As of Monday 7 7 people had raised over 45 0 0 in six days. Theaccidentoccurredatapprox imately7 3 0 p.m.onSundayJune7 onHighway5 justhalfa kilometresouthoftheP ineLakeRoadinAlberta. It was the second serious vehicle accident to occur over the weekend. A truck rolled on the morning of Saturday June5ontheMackenzieHighwayat104thAve. in Hay River. Thedriverwhowastheloneoccupantofthe truckwentofftheroadcrossingoverthecentre line and rolling into the ditch. The driver was seriously injured and transported by medevac to hospital in Edmonton for treatment. According to RCMP alcohol is believed to have been a factor in both collisions. These collisions have resulted in serious injuries for both the drivers and passengers said RCMP media liaison Cst. Elenore Sturko. With alcohol believed to have been a signifi- cant contributing factor these collisions were preventable. P lease do not drink and drive. Consume alcohol responsibly and encourage others to be responsible as well. Jennifer Cheez ie left and a group of v olunteers sort the more than 1000 in recycling raised to help the L afferty family. PhotoSandraJaque R elay for Life fundraisers surpass 1 5 0 0 0 0 goal Tuesday June 16 2015 9 HEALTH WELLNESS CANCER 6.8103 in x 6.3125 in B y D AL I CAR M I CH AE L As they prepared for an overnight march around Q ueen Elizabeth P ark participants in this years Fort Smith Relay for Life were ecstatic to learn they had not only met their 1 5 0 0 0 fundraising goal but had passed it by several thousand dollars. Months of collecting pledges holding barbecues and bake sales and selling tem- porary tattoos paid off as the volunteers realized they had collected 1 5 3 48 4 with even more funds set to roll in from last- minute donations. Its that common purpose right Its very few people that can say they havent been touched by cancer said event coordinator Shari O lsen. We all want it to go away. This years top-raising team was the But- terflies who collected a total of 1 7 0 9 8 .3 0 . Two of their teammates Tim Bye and Ann Lepine were recognized as the top indi- vidual fundraisers for 20 1 5 after collecting 5 5 0 0 and 5 40 0 respectively. Sandy P oitras on the Irenes Brats team also stood out as a top fundraiser after col- lecting 43 5 1 selling her delicious home- made fry bread. The achievement was celebrated as 1 49 participants - divvied up into 1 5 teams - walked from 7 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday in an effort to display their sup- port for those touched by cancer. We had a great turnout of survivors some even stayed the night here and were there in the morning O lsen said. We had also had our survivor reception on Friday and it was really nice just to get together so the survivors know what its all about. As is tradition at every Relay for Life a luminary ceremony was held at midnight as a moment to honour both cancer survi- vors and victims. About 1 0 1 4 paper bags scrawled with messages of love hope and loss were dedicated to individuals afflicted by cancer and lined the track for the re- mainder of the evening. Everything went smoothly and every- body had a good time O lsen said. This is the fastest night ever I remember for Relay. I dont think I sat down for very long ever there was just always something happening. Volunteer Andrea Steed helped the group stay awake with hourly activities includ- ing themed laps where walkers wore su- perhero costumes or toilet-paper dresses and minute to win-it challenges. Gerald P oitras also helped by spinning tunes as the official Relay DJ. The weather was great the bugs were almost non-ex istent O lsen said reflect- ing on the night. It was just really great. O lsen also said she was proud of her communitys results. She compared them to Grande P rairie Alta. a town with a population about 20 times bigger than Fort Smith who happened to hold their Relay on the same day. With just over 5 0 registered teams the southern city raised 621 7 5 as of June 1 3 a fraction of Fort Smiths total. All of the collected money will be do- nated to the Canadian Cancer Society a national charity dedicated to funding can- cer research advocacy groups and sup- port services for cancer patients and their families. The committee will be collecting funds until the end of July O lsen said. F ort S mith kicks off the communitys 2015 R elay for L ife with a cancer surv iv ors lap. The ev ent was held at Q ueen E liz ab eth Campground June 13 . PhotoDonJaque Fort Smith unites to fight cancer at 2015 Rela 10 Tuesday June 16 2015 Monique Day front and her enthusiastic Pitt Crew team cheers as the group of survivors takes the rst lap of the Relay on Saturday evening. The team relayed in the memory of their co-worker Wendy Campbell who passed on last summer. The charming Fairies team of teachers from PWK High School lit up the evening and their camp with fairy dust in the form of twinkling lights candles and glow sticks. The Salt River First Nation Team was one of the major sponsors and a colourful participant of the Relay for Life this year. Irenes Brats pose with the photo of their reason for joining the Relay for Life fundraising e son who succumbed to cancer a few years ago. Brittany Brasser and Dee Christopher wear the orange shirts of the organizing commit- tee who did an amazing job of setting up and running the all-night event. The always cheerful Mabbit Bunch donned th HEALTH WELLNESS CANCER ay for Life fundraiser Tuesday June 16 2015 11 Relay for Life empowering says leader Shari Olsen By DON JAQUE Shari Olsen started organizing this years Fort Smith Relay for Life cancer fundraiser event over six months ago the same as she does each year since she got involved in or- ganizing the biannual event in 2006. Olsen draws inspiration to dedicate her time to the event from her mothers five- year battle with lymphoma which was fi- nally lost with her passing in 1997. That was my first direct connection to cancer. Within five years after she passed away my dads sister and then my moms brother died she said. But its everywhere. It seems more and more common these days. We are all involved. Olsen said along with every individuals battle with cancer comes the supporting fight of the caregivers around them and that is never easy often leaving lingering doubts and concerns. She said in her case she was away at school and could not be with her mother to support her during some of the difficult times and that still troubles her today. I was not able to be the caregiver she needed. Olsen said stories like hers are why the Relay for Life puts such a special emphasis on supporting caregivers. The main focus is on cancer survivors and the inspiration they give to others but next after that is recognition of caregivers and the critical role they play. The first honorary lap of the Relay walk is the survivor lap. The Caregiver lap was HEALTH WELLNESS CANCER added and so they come next. They need to be celebrated too. Olsen said for her and others in the com- munity the Relay for Life is empowering. It brings the community together with a common purpose she said. We know we can make a difference. In addition to recognizing those who are in the ght against cancer the Relay is about earning money to support the ght. Its always exciting to see the numbers. Our goal is 150000 this year. I always like to aim high. That approach to setting lofty goals has paid off again this year. The money is still coming in but it looks like the past record of 153000 has been smashed. Pledged money will come in until the end of July but at this point it looks like Fort Smith may have chalked up a new record in 2015 - 153484 and counting. Olsen said her personal goal is 5000 each year and this year she made it to 4240 the fourth highest individual total for Fort Smith. To earn that she said she picked up garbage sold chocolate bars and mostly just asked people for money much of that through e-mails. Throughout the relay event last Sat- urday night Olsen was the main orches- trator the head of the volunteer team en- suring everything came off well. Upbeat and purposeful in her several presen- tations the message of coming together in the cause was often repeated Cancer affects everybody. We have to fight it. It can be beaten. PhotoDonJaque PhotosDonJaque The classy Kamis Krew team made up for their small size with their avid participation in the events held during 12 hours of walking the Queen Elizabeth Campground track. effort their mother aunt grandmother greatgrandmother and friend elder Irene Sander- Shari Olsen committee chair of the Fort Smith Relay for Life fundraiser and a member of the Hobo team shares a lap around the track with cancer survivor Ronnie Coleman. heir rabbit ears once again this year to walk for the cure. 12 Tuesday June 16 2015 EDUCATION COLLEGE Elder of the Year Award Citizen of the Year Award Paul Currie Volunteer of the Year Award Fort Smith is fortunate to have many people who contribute to the betterment of life in Fort Smith. Please take the time to nominate these wonderful citizens. Nomination deadline June 26 2015 at 1200 noon Nomination forms available from Town Hall or on our website at www.fortsmith.ca Forms can be submitted to townoffortsmithfortsmith.ca The Town of Fort Smith is accepting nominations for BLACKCYANMAGENTAYELLOW 10100 TANSIEdlanetee Hello NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY IS JUNE 21ST. SHARE IN THE UNIQUE HERITAGE AND TRADITIONS OF ABORIGINAL CULTURE. LEARN MORE ABOUT EVENTS AT OUR SCHOOLS THAT CELEBRATE AND SHOWCASE ABORIGINAL VALUESCUSTOMS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE WWW.NSD61.CA Follow us on Thank youHaiHaiMasi chok Aurora College signs protocol on indigenous education B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G Aurora College reaffirmed itscommitmenttoindigenous education last week in front of the most important audi- encetheycouldthinkoftheir future students. The board and president of Aurora College signed on to Colleges and nstitutes Canadas historic ndigenous Education Protocol last Tues- day before this years crop of young delegates participating in the colleges annual Youth Symposium in Fort Smith. We did it in front of youth to make a promise to them that we are going to focus on it and realize that we are re- sponsible and have an obli- gation to ensure that we are meeting these seven prin- ciples said Aurora College president Jane Arychuk. The aspirational document renews the colleges commit- ment to indigenous education based on seven key principles meant to better serve the in- digenous populations that often turn to colleges and in- stitutes for their post-second- ary education and training. Arychuk said those prin- ciples are already priorities of Aurora College but said the protocol will be posted visibly in all three cam- puses in order to share the vision and be accountable for meeting the promises it contains. think it was more for us to take note bring it again to the forefront because we do attempt to make sure that we are taking these principles into consideration when we offer these programs she said. Our whole college has to be indigenous-centered. We serve the people of the Northwest Territories and the original people of the Northwest Territories are Aboriginal so were re uired to offer indigenous-centered holistic services throughout the college she said. Arychuk said the protocol was first brought to the boards attention by Paul An- drew the boards Aboriginal elder representative who felt it was important for the col- lege to sign. The board im- mediately took up the pro- posal recognizing that as a Northern post-secondary institution whose students are primarily indigenous creating an educational en- vironment that supports reflects and is respectful of indigenous peoples is a key priority. We are accountable to our board so we will have to report back to the board on how we are moving some of these areas forward Ary- chuk said. I n d i g e n o u s Ed u c a t i o n P r o t o c o l S e v e n P r i n c i p l e s 1. Commit to making indigenous education a priority. 2. Ensure governance structures rec- ognize and respect indigenous peoples. 3. mplement intellectual and cultural traditions of indigenous peoples through curriculum and learning approaches relevant to learners and communities. 4. Support students and employees to increase understanding and reciprocity among indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. 5. Commit to increasing the number of indigenous employees with ongoing appointments throughout the insti- tution including indigenous senior administrators. 6. Establish indigenous-centered holistic services and learning envi- ronments for learner success. 7. Build relationships and be account- abletoindigenouscommunitiesinsupport ofself-determinationthrougheducation training and applied research. Aurora College b oard of directors chair S ydney O S ulliv an left president Jane Arychuk and E lder representativ e Paul Andrew hold the protocol that will b e displayed at all three campuses. PhotocourtesyofAuroraCollege Tuesday June 16 2015 13 EDUCATION LAND-BASED July 21 2015 Celebrating Aboriginal Day across the Northwest Territories C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 2015 Aboriginal Day FINAL.pdf 1 692015 43657 PM ase leave a message at 872-5543 for details. ESCLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 on - long - medium der - female on is a very loving and utiful cat. She is spayed s up-to-date with all hots.If you think you a home for a Avalon se call the shelter at 5543. Please leave a message at 872-5543 for details. WESCLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 E-mail infowescleannwt.com web www.wescleannwt.com Avalon Cat Hair - long Size - medium Gender - female Avalon is a very loving and beautiful cat. She is spayed and is up-to-date with all her shots.If you think you have a home for a Avalon please call the shelter at 872-5543. s leave a message at 872-5543 for details. CLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 g dium female a very loving and cat. She is spayed -to-date with all .If you think you ome for a Avalon ll the shelter at . Please leave a message at 872-5543 for details. WESCLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 E-mail infowescleannwt.com web www.wescleannwt.com Avalon Cat Hair - long Size - medium Gender - female Avalon is a very loving and beautiful cat. She is spayed and is up-to-date with all her shots.If you think you have a home for a Avalon please call the shelter at 872-5543. Please leave a message at 872-5543 for details. WESCLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 E-mail infowescleannwt.com web www.wescleannwt.com Avalon Cat Hair - long Size - medium Gender - female Avalon is a very loving and beautiful cat. She is spayed and is up-to-date with all her shots.If you think you have a home for a Avalon please call the shelter at 872-5543. on ng hair home ered h routine shots d y girl who is he loves being st about any will make a any family. Please leave a message at 872-5543 for details. WESCLEAN NORTHERN SALES LTD. Ph 867 875-5100 Fax 867 875-5155 E-mail infowescleannwt.com web www.wescleannwt.com Avalon Cat Hair - long Size - medium Gender - female Avalon is a very loving and beautiful cat. She is spayed and is up-to-date with all her shots.If you think you have a home for a Avalon please call the shelter at 872-5543. Kitkat is soft and friendly and he needs a new home. So give him a break for goodness sake. Please stop by and make Kitkat your new pet. SpayedNeutered Up-to-date with routine shots House trained Please leave a message at 872-5543 for details. Kitkat Male - Adult Looking for a new home A rt land -b ased learning lend s healing aspect to tough history lessons at D echinta U niv ersity B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G For P eter Andrew the vio- lent history of colonization of indigenouspeoplesinCanada is a difficult topic to speak about let alone study in the classroom. It was one of the hardest things I could listen to he shared. But its a history we cant let other people forget how indigenous people were treated not just in Canada but worldwide. The 48 year-old student from Tulita is one of seven currently wrapping up the spring semester at the Dechinta Bush U niversity on Blachford ake in the NWT wilderness. Fortunately he said the intertwining of on-the-land activities with some of the more troubling lessons in history made them easier to process providing some re- spite from the triggering talk of residential schools and co- lonial policies and remind- ing him of the strength and perseverance of indigenous peoples. In lots of ways I gained re- spect he said. It opened my eyes. The elders back home some of them are survivors they seen it first hand and been through it. It gives me more love and respect for them. Native people were never non-resistant. And without them we would have never survived. Its that lesson that hit fel- low student Crystel Menico- che of Fort Simpson hardest as well. The biggest part that re- ally stuck out for me was the resilience people had she said. They didnt give up and they havent given up fighting for our rights and our land. Over the last six weeks Andrew Menicoche and their five fellow classmates from Tulita Yellowknife and Fort Smith have been hard at work taking half-day aca- demic courses with univer- sity professors on indigenous self-determination history communications and con- temporary art. Students spent the second half of the day on the land learning from elders and tra- ditional knowledge holders how to net cut and dry fish pick traditional medicines hunt and tan moose hides. The necessary cooperation required to carry out such physically demanding tasks hasforgedatightbondamong the cohort said Menicoche. I really learned how being a group you have to come together as a community or family to get stuff done she said. Theres a wide range of peoplehereandeveryonehas their skills that they bring from home. Art adds therapeutic element Contemporary indigenous arts were added to the pro- gram this spring based on feedback from former stu- dents and have enhanced other areas of learning in un- ex pected ways according to Dechinta program manager Mandee McDonald. A lot of the topics were coveringareprettyheavylike residential schools coloniza- tion policies that have nega- tive impacts on indigenous people and communities she said. A lot of those topics can cause triggering feelings so art through this program turned out to be a way for people to process the infor- mation theyve been getting throughout the weeks so far. The course included com- ponents in theatre taught by NWT actor and playwright Reneltta Arluk creative writ- ing and podcasting with co- medianandbroadcasterRyan McMahonofIndianandCow- boy indigenous contempo- rary film with Ariel Smith and visual arts with Melaw NakehkoaDehchoDeneart- ist from Fort Simpson who also helped with the moose- hide tanning instruction. ts working really well McDonald said. Art is re- ally important to indige- nous resurgence...It gives the students an opportunity to communicate their thoughts and perspectives in differ- ent ways. Large kid cohort b oosts family vib e At Dechinta students with children are encouraged to bring their kids to Blach- ford where they can partici- pate in an alternative school program for the seven weeks. This year nine children at- tended Kids U one of the largest cohorts of youth the school has ever seen. McDonald said the youth have been helping out with moosehide tanning camp maintenance and other land- based activities and during their own instructional time have learned to build boats paddle and tan their own little squirrel hides. For Menicoche a 3 9 year-old single mother the ability to bring her two boys with her was one of the key motivations in attending Dechinta. So far she said it has been a life-changing ex perience for all of them. Its a great opportunity to learn with them to learn together she said. My boys are in their early teens and realizing they dont know much about our culture and traditions. Theyre kind of ashamed like theyre stuck betweentwoworldsanddont know where they belong... wanted them to ex perience it and to feel proud. Since arriving at Dechinta the youth have actively en- gaged in work around the site in a motivated way that Menicoche said she has never seen before. Its amazing to see that because usually have to ask him to do stuff but I didnt have to ask he ust did it she said of her 1 4 year-old son. It really helps as a family to build strong attachments because were working to- gether eating together pre- paring fish together. Were together 24 7 . Thats the best part about being out here. Now she said she wont have to struggle so much to find someone to pass along traditional knowledge to her boys. I found out I have a love for tanning moose hides she said. So I am going to continue that with my kids. Dechintas spring cohort is holding its graduation ceremony at Kalemi Dene School in Ndilo on June 17 from 6-8 p.m. PhotoscourtesyofMandeeMcDonald Peter Andrew of Tulita stretches a moose hide. The 4 8 year- old said on- the- land activ ities helped him process the classroom teachings. D echinta s 2015 spring semester cohort included nine kids among the instructors students and elders creating a family atmosphere at B lach- ford L ake L odge. 14 Tuesday June 16 2015 POLITICS TERRITORIAL The Syncrude Project is a joint venture undertaking among Canadian Oil Sands Partnership 1 Imperial Oil Resources Mocal Energy Limited Murphy Oil Company Ltd. Nexen Oil Sands Partnership Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership and Suncor Energy Ventures Partnership. Thank you for many years of shared success. Before Syncrude put a shovel in the ground we promised to share the opportunities created by our operations with the Wood Buffalo regions Aboriginal people. Little did we know that you would share so much with us. Your rich traditions inspiring culture insightful perspectives and entrepreneurial success have not only made you valued neighbours and partners but also respected friends. June 21 is National Aboriginal Dayour opportunity to thank you for helping us build our business as well as strengthen and brighten our shared communities. Learn more at syncrude.ca G N W T stand-in for lob b yist registry lacking expert No pl ac e too smal l f or transparenc y argues l aw yer G uy G i orno B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G Newmeasurestakenbythe territorial government to in- crease transparency around lobbying are a positive first step but not an adequate re- placement for a robust lob- byist registry according to a leading ex pert on lobbying transparency and ethics in Canada. The GNWT recently re- spondedtoamotiontoinvesti- gatethebestwaytoimplement an online lobbyist registry by committingtomakequarterly reports on ministers ex ter- nal meetings available to the public despite emphasizing that information is already available on request. The reports will record all meetings with outside par- ties including other govern- mentsindustryspecialinter- est groups public events and conferencesthefirstofwhich will be posted to the GNWT website in July. Lawyer Guy Giorno who is routinely consulted by provinces across Canada on lobbying law acknowledged thataquarterlyreportisastep toward greater openness but said a truly transparent re- porting system should apply to more than the seven min- isters who make up cabinet. Typicallyalobbyistindus- try applies to the lobbying of everybody in the ex ecutive and legislative branches of government so that would mean MLAs ministers staff members deputy ministers everybody in the department - everybody he said. This is talkingabouttransparencyfor the lobbying of seven people. FurtherGiornosaidlobby- ist registries tend to cover all forumsforlobbyingincluding meetingsphonecallsemails tex ts letters and so on. Itstruethatmostlobbying is through meetings but this is only about meetings and it ex cludes any other form of contacthesaidoftheGNWT response. Across the country Giorno said most jurisdictions ap- point an ex isting statutory officer who is independent of government like the In- formation and P rivacy Com- missionerorConflictof nter- est Commissioner to enforce the registry. The GNWTs solution has nosimilarmechanismGiorno noted instead leaving it up to the ministers to decide how much they are going to disclose. At the same time he said that puts all the onus on the ministers to keep track of lobbying. The people doing the lob- bying bear no responsibility and Ive always said that its a shared responsibility for transparency Giorno said. Why would the government take it all on itself Though the reports are goingtobeonlineGiornosaid reportingjustfourtimesayear is too infrequent to support true access to information. While a new law would have to be drafted and a new website located Giorno said the ex istence of lobbyist registries across the coun- try should make the estab- lishment of one in the NWT quite simple. Nine of 1 0 Canadian prov- inces and several Canadian municipalities have adopted lobbyist registry laws. P rince Edward Island and Canadas three territories are the only jurisdictions without. In 20 1 5 creating a new web portal should not be in- surmountable Giorno said. NWTP remierBobMcLeod hasdownplayedtheneedfora lobbyist registry in the NWT stating that the public can al- ready access information on who ministers are meeting and why. That information is avail- able now upon request he said in response to the mo- tion made earlier this year by Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny. There is nothing to hide. To date we have not received any such requests. Ministersmeetregularlywith representatives of all sectors. I can state with certainty that we meet with representatives of Aboriginal governments and 3 9 non-government or- ganizations far more fre- quently than we do with paid lobbyists. McLeod accused MLAs backingtheregistryofmaking a mountain out of a molehill. But Giorno believes there is no jurisdiction too small for such a registry. I think that kind of misses the point. Too small to be transparent Too small for people to want to know what the governments up to Too small to know whos being paid to influence government officials he said. Ithinknoplaceistoosmall for transparency. PhotocourtesyofFaskenMartineau G uy G iorno a leading ex - pert on lob b ying ethics. Tuesday June 16 2015 15 POLITICS MUNICIPAL Aboriginal DayAboriginal DayAboriginal DayAboriginal DayAboriginal Day Wendy Bisaro MLA Frame Lake NWT Legislative Assembly 867 669-2274 wendy_bisarogov.nt.ca www.wendybisaro.ca R C M P respond to altercation inv olv ing H ay R iv er strike B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G RCMP were called to respond to an alterca- tion last week between strikers and contract workers in what has become an increasingly divisive labour dispute in Hay River. According to reports there was an alleged shouting match between a member of the gar- bagecrewandapicketerthatresultedinpolice being called last week. Thisfollowsnumerousonlinereportsofpublic disagreements among residents and the strik- ingworkers.Someresidentscomplaintheywere harassed while cutting the grass or watering the flowers around town facilities as a volun- teer act during the work stoppage. There has been an increase of tension be- tween the union and contracted workers and as well as some townspeople and the picket- ers confirmed RCMP media liaison Cst. El- enore Sturko. HayRiverRCMP havebeenincontactwith townandunionleadersthroughoutthelabour dispute. P olice are investigating each incident as it happens. Sturko said no charges have been laid. Though she could not provide details of the incidents that RCMP attended she could con- firm they had been called to assist. Both sides are being asked to maintain re- spectfortherightsoftheothersandtocallthe RCMP instead of dealing directly with angry opposition Sturko said. Leadership on both sides is encouraging everyone to maintain a calm and professional demeanor. The Journal contacted both the union and Hay River Mayor Andrew Cassidy for more in- formationontheallegedincidents.Theunionde- clinedtocommentandCassidydidnotrespond. Hay Rivers municipal employees have been on strike since Feb. 9 over an inability to come to an agreement over wage increases in the collective agreement that ex pired in Decem- ber 20 1 3 . While the union has been seeking a 2.25 to 2.5 per cent annual wage increase over the life of the three-year agreement the towns offer has been 1 per cent. Numerous attempts at negotiation have failed. Most recently bargaining teams met with a conciliation officer on May 25 where the town put forward an offer of a 1 .7 per cent annual raise effective Jan. 1 20 1 4. That offer was taken to the unions bargaining team for a vote during which time both parties agreed to a media blackout. The union then returned with a request for additional conditions around job security to be met before making a vote on the offer. That request was for a back to work agreement which the union said is a common practice in all contract negotiations and which took place in the recent negotiations between strik- ing Housing Authority workers and manage- ment in Fort Smith. The town has said publicly that they will be eliminatingpositionsofsomemembersnowon strike. Were not going to vote on new contract conditions unless we know all of our striking members are going back to work P ublic Ser- viceAllianceCanadasnorthernvice-president Jack Bourassa ex plained on June 1 . According to the town such an agreement was not discussed leading up to the towns offer. The towns bargaining team advised the union to honour its commitment to put the offer to a vote but the union refused. Since then no vote has taken place and the town has retracted its offer and advised the union that the offer will only be made again on the terms it was made originally. B oth sides are b eing asked to maintain respect for the rights of the others and to call the R CMP instead of dealing directly with angry opposition. Cst. E l enore Sturk o R CM P G D i v i si on A sign erected b y striking municipal workers in H ay R iv er was v andaliz ed in late M ay. R CM P say there has b een an increase in tension b etween the union and contracted workers as well as townspeople and picketers since the strike b egan in F eb ruary. PhotocourtesyofUnionofNorthernWorkers Say it in 25 words or less for only 3.50 Extra words are 20 centseach.Businessclassifieds are 10 for 30 words and 25 centsforeach additionalword. E-mail your advertising to adsnorj.ca or fax it to 872-2754 or call 872-3000 ext. 26 F O R S A L E F I R E WO O D . Cus- tom cut siz es - split green dry b agged. W ood G asification O utdoor wood b oilers. D elivery from F ort S mith to H ay R iver Y ellowknife. Contact D ave at 8 6 7 8 7 2 -3 4 3 5 or cell 8 7 2 -0 2 2 9 or email dhehn northwestel. net. U F N FORT SMITH CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING BLANKET CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Blanket advertising reaches all 122 weekly newspapers in Alberta and the NWT with a combined circulation of over a million readers. Call our Northern Journal sales desk at 867-872-3000ex.26fordetails. COMMUNITY TRADING POST I f you operate a b usiness and need affordab le advertising call the N orthern J ournal. F ind out how to have your b usiness listed in our S ervice D irectory. Call 8 6 7 8 7 2 -3 0 0 0 or email ads norj . ca. Northern Journal Directory G et your name out there 16 Tuesday June 16 2015 Home Heating Oil For on-time or anytime delivery...call 100 Locally owned and operated 1 Breynat Street Fort Smith NT 872-4567 Petroleum Whispering Pines Cottages Serving you with 50 years experience Please Contact Sandra Robichaud PhoneFax 867 872-2906 - Cell 867 621-0254 85 Pine Crescent P.O. 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Check out hannachrysler. comandcallTerry at 4 0 3 -8 5 4 -3 1 4 1 . E X P E R I N CE D P O W E R S P O R T Mechanic required in W hite- horse Y ukon for ATV snowmo- b iles marine etc. Letstalk 2 5 . per hour D O E . Contact Chris 8 6 7 -6 3 3 -2 6 2 7 checkeredfla- grecreation. com or checkered- ag northwestel net I N TE R I O R H E AV Y E Q U I P ME N T O perator S chool. I n-the-seat training. N o simulators. R eal world tasks. W eekly start dates. F unding options. W eekly j ob b oard S ign uponline iheschool. com. 1 -8 6 6 -3 9 9 -3 8 5 3 . J O U R N E Y MAN TE CH N I CI AN or 3 -4 year Apprentice. H illtop Toyota located in S almon Arm located in the b eautiful S hus- wap N orthO kanaganareaofB C has an opening for a full-time Jo urneyman Technician or 3 -4 year Apprentice . E xperience with imports an asset. V alid dri er s li en e re ired enefit package and competitive wage b ased on experience and a pension plan. 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This position will support our mission goals and objectives and maintain the operating and nancial systems and policies and procedures that support our work. Key responsibilities Dene Nahjo is a new generation of leaders community builders working to advance social and environmental justice for northern peoples and to promote Indigenous leadership. Dene Nahjo is a project on Tides Canadas shared platform which supports on-the-ground efforts to create uncommon solutions for the common good. Tides Canada is a national Canadian charity dedicated to a healthy environment social equity and economic prosperity. Tides Canadas shared platform provides governance human resources nancial and grant management for leading environmental and social projects across Canada allowing projects to more effectively achieve their missions. Tides Canada has full duciary and governance responsibility for Dene Nahjo. We seek a qualified and energetic self-starter to guide the development and delivery of our projects. Start date June 2015 Hours Full Time Location The Program Director will be located in the North TERM One year to start w possibility of extension Salary Compensation is commensurate with qualications and experience. Our benets include generous vacation and personal time and a good benets plan. responsibilities include Lead coordination of all Dene Nahjo projects Community outreach Management and Administration Chairing dene nahjo project committees perform duties of social media coordinator until such time as one is hired how to apply Visit our website for more information at Or email us at F eed and S eed H E ATE D CAN O LAb uyingG reen H eatedorS pringthrashedCano- la. B uying oats b arley wheat peas for feed. B uying damaged or offgrade grain. O n F arm P ickup W estcan F eed G rain 1 -8 7 7 -2 5 0 -5 2 5 2 . F or S ale B E AU TI F U L S P R U CE TR E E S . 4 - 6 feet 3 5 each. Machine planting 1 0 tree includes b arkmulchandfertiliz er . 2 0 tree minimumorder. D eliveryfee 7 5 - 1 2 5 order. Q uality guaranteed. 4 0 3 -8 2 0 -0 9 6 1 . E MPL OYME NT TE NDE RS AND L E GAL NOTICE S Tuesday June 16 2015 17 WWW.NORJ.CA Photos wanted for 2016 Fort Smith Pet Desk Calendar Filling up fast Get your pictures in soon Ifyouwouldliketohavephotosofyour petstakenarrangementscanbemade. Please call Chris at 872-5547. Becauseofthehighvolumeofrequests we are on a first come first in basis. Special consideration will be made for pets not in previous calendars. Please submit photos of living pets only. Thereisnofeetohavephotosinthecalendar. If you have any questions or need more information please call Chris at 872-5547 or email dewolfnorthwestel.net Deadline is August 31 This ad sponsored by the Northern Journal E M P LO Y M E NT O P P O R T U NI T Y T he M ackenz ie R ecreation Association is a regional sport and recreation organiz ation which provides professional development opportunities for regional recreation personnel as well as assisting groups within the region with funding for healthy active living events. I t is an Active for L ife organiz ation that enhances the q uality of life of the M ackenz ie residents by fostering and supporting development of recreation sport youth volunteers culture traditional events and leadership throughout the region by embracing the principles for C anadian Sport 4 L ife. T he M ackenz ie R egion covers the communities in the South Slave N orth Slave and D eh C ho area of the N orthwest T erritories. W e are looking for a dynamic individual with a sport recreation background with the following ali cations o e i alencies ost-secon a e cation in ec eation leis e studies public administration business adult education or a related discipline E e ience wo in in senio e ec ti e ositions E e ience in t e a minist ation of b ets an a working knowledge of Simply Accounting or similar software bilit to netwo wit o e nment b siness an non- o t a encies E e ience wo in wit a oa of i ecto s an non- o t a encies an t wo l be an asset to n e stan t e s o t environment in the N W T . I n addi ti on the i nc umbent must be t on l self-moti ate an well o ani e a e e cellent comm nication an esentation s ills wit e e ience in o i in esentations to a wide variety of audiences e a e to s e ise a t time o cont act staff and amilia wit t e s o t an ec eation secto in the N W T . The appl i c ant must ccessf ll com lete a satisfacto c iminal records check as a condition of their hire. i e in o be e a e to mo e to an community with full banking services or in Y ellowknife N T . Sal ary R ange - l s o t e n llowance ene ts e en ent on ali cations an e e ience E E ne at m . Email a lications to j ani e. mac k enz i erec gmai l . c om F or a c opy of the j ob desc ri pti on or f or f urther i nf ormati on pl ease c ontac t J ani e H obart at abov e emai l or at 8 6 7 8 7 2 - 0 9 3 1 . Executive Director E M P L O Y M E NT O P P O R TU NI TY The Town of F ort S mith has an opportunity for a highl alified indi id al responsible or the imple- mentation o strategies pro e ts and e ents that promote and strengthen the e onom o ort mith he in mbent will a ilitate e onomi de elopment planning and initiati es identi and oster omm nit e onomi de elopment opport nities se re nding or e onomi de elopment a ti ities and programs and promote the omm nit in order to e pand e onomi de elopment opport nities he ideal andidate will ha e a post se ondar degree in mar eting omm ni ations b siness administration or to rism management or a diploma with two ears e perien e in mar eting p bli relations or to rism promotion or e i alent ombination o ed ation and e perien e Salary Benefits alar is a le el range rom to he own also pro ides a orthern llowan e o ann all omprehensi e health dental benefits and a pension plan pro ided b orthern mplo ees enefits er i es losing ate l To view a job description please visit our website at w w w . f o r t s m i t h . c a ualified candidates are invited to for ard their resume to ire tor o orporate er i es Town of F ort S mith o o gal oad ort mith a mail re eption ortsmith a nl applicants selected for intervie ill e contacted esumes ma e ept on file for future consideration Town of Fort Smith Economic Development Officer WERE HIRING A SENIOR SALES ASSOCIATE IN OUR FORT SMITH STORE Are you organized motivated and passionate about customer service Our Fort Smith store needs you Email your resume and references to hrfields.ca or drop them off at the store 81 King Street. Please be sure to include the location and position. 12345 12345 3 wide version 3.75 wide version Massage therapists are needed throughout Alberta. At MH Vicars School youll receive an exceptional education that meets Canadas highest standards without having to relocate. Choose monthly weekly or weekend classes in Calgary or Edmonton. Massage is a Great Career for Caring Active People MHVicarsSchool.comCall Today 1.866.491.0574 Massage therapists are needed throughout Alberta. At MH Vicars School youll receive an exceptional education that meets Canadas highest standardswithout having to relocate. Choose monthly weekly or weekend classes in Calgary or Edmonton. Massage is a Great Career for Caring Active People MHVicarsSchool.comCall Today 1.866.491.0574 18 Tuesday June 16 2015 POLITICS FIRST NATIONS WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD A BRIGHT NORTHERN FUTURE Serving Canadas North for more than 100 years. For nearly 30 years Denendeh Investments Inc. representing the 27 Dene First Nations in the Northwest Territories has been a partner in Northland Utilities serving electricity customers across the territory. Northland Utilities is a true partnership that has stood the test of time and represents meaningful aboriginal participation in the NWT economy. Celebrating National Aboriginal Day June 21 872-2001 82 Breynat St Fort Smith NT Making money make sense for you. Lub icon sees small court victory against oil company B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G The Lubicon Lake Cree Nation of Little Buf- falo in northern Alberta won an early victory in its anti-fracking case against P enn West P etroleum this month. The First Nation brought suit against the oil and gas company in December 20 1 3 after members discovered the company bringing equipment and workers onto their asserted traditional territory without consulting. At a trial in March P ennWest tried to have the case thrown out of court saying it amounted to an abuse of process and dupli- cated another suit brought by the Lubicon against Canada and the province of Alberta. But Alberta Q ueens Bench Justice Simp- son rejected the application to strike on June 5 saying it was neither a duplicative action nor an abuse of process. Furthermoresheaffirmedthatprivatecom- panies can be held liable for offences against First Nations prior to formal declarations of Aboriginal title by the Crown or courts. The suit arises due to divisions among the membership of the Lubicon Cree. While the Lubicon Lake Nation led by Chief Bernard O minayak claims to be the traditional gov- ernment there is also a federally recognized chief and council headed by Chief Billy-Joe Laboucan. According to P enn West the company con- sulted with Laboucan and the Lubicon band. Members of the Lubicon Nation said the court victory affirms O minayaks leadership and their position that the Lubicon never entered into treaty with the Crown prior to developing on Lubicon lands making the leases issued to P ennWest null and void. This affirmation supports the position of the Lubicon Lake Nation that recognition or non-recognition of Chief O minayak and the council by Canadas department of In- dian Affairs has no effect on the reality of their authority and amounts to a communi- cations plan designed to avoid meaningful consultation and engagement with the right- ful Lubicon government and its citizens councillor Dwight Gladue said in a news re- lease last week. Though the nation noted Simpson had or- deredamendmentstotheLubiconpleadingsit said those changes wouldnt affect the nature of the actions sought by the Lubicon which revolve around damages to their lands and way of life in relation to oil and gas activity. The suit states that oil and gas development has caused irreparable harm to the Lubicons ability to ex ercise their inherent Aboriginal rights and demands an injunction halting work until issues are resolved. The First Nation is concerned about the impacts of fracking on its water. The P enn West site sits near two bodies of water con- sidered to be Little Buffalos main source of fish. We are very pleased with this decision as it means that we can continue our action in the courts against P ennWest and one day see justice for the damages this company has caused to our lands our people and our way of life O minayak concluded.PhotoMeaganWohlberg L ub icon L ake Nation drummers march during the 2013 Tar S ands H ealing W alk. his a firmation s pports the position of the Lub icon Lake N ation that recogni- tion or non-recognition of Chief O minayak and the council b y Canadas de- partment of I ndian Affairs has no effect on the real- ity of their authority. Counc i l l or D w i ght G l adue Lubi c on Lak e Nati on Tuesday June 16 2015 19 ARTS CULTURE VISUAL ARTS A rtist shares resid ential school ex perience through paintings B y M E AG AN W O H L B E R G Artist Robert Burke returned to his home- town of Fort Smith last week to show a set of paintings that share for the first time his 10- year ex perience at residential school. Theseriesoftrypticsorlargethree-paneled paintings take onlookers through the chro- nology of indigenous children being removed from their families through the school days to being recognized as survivors and ending with the adjudication that resulteed in the In- dianResidentialSchoolclassactionsettlement. Burkenow71saidmuchofwhatCanadians know about residential schools comes from static black and white photos of children in lines with nuns in the classroom. But when that was happening these pic- tures of static individuals nobodys talking about the psychological implications of that wholedynamichesaid.Theaudiencegetsto seethedynamicsofresidentialschoolthrough the imagery Im using. Many of the paintings show a mix of the positivesandnegativesoftheschoolingex peri- ence. Some show the students playing hockey during winter while another called Fun and Games shows a child being shocked in an electric chair by white men in robes. Thoughtheex periencesofresidentialschool survivors have been brought to the forefront over the last few years through the workings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC Burke said the exhibit is wholly repre- sentative of his personal ex perience. Everything I did is my story. Its my story. Its not from books I read not from people I talked to. Its my story said Burke who now makes his home on Vancouver Island. Its a voice that hadnt been heard by anybody. Im representing a lot of Aboriginals that all went through the same thing and we just went on about our lives. Some of us never went back and thought about it but others like myself I had an opportunity to think and paint about it so I did. While the show follows on the heels of the TRCs final report Burke said the timing is purely coincidental though fortunate. As long as the public is thinking about it its a good time to put that imagery out he said. Things are no different now. Indians are ust as poor today as 50 100 years ago. P rejudice is just as rampant as it used to be. Things havent changed. So youve got to keep painting this kind of stuff educating people. Burke said its the latest but not the last of his shows depicting social issues that im- pact indigenous peoples. For his nex t show he plans to paint about the Aboriginal ex pe- rience of the correctional system. Thats a significant aspect of our lives. Y oure always in and out of the newspapers youreinandoutofTVyouseesomeguybeing handcuffed here and there but theres a lot of prejudice that has to be ex posed as part of that he said. The Aboriginal is a f -up but so is the system thats affecting them or charging them. P rior to The R esidential S chool E x perience Burke painted a series called The S ilent B reed depicting the history and personal events of his childhood as a mix ed race child of a Dene woman and African American soldier who was stationed in Fort Smith during the con- struction of the Canol pipeline throughout World War II. Though much of the imagery deals with dif- ficult sub ects Burke said he tries to make the paintings beautiful and colourful and to keep the conversation positive. This is just one series of events in my life. Im not going to paint residential school for the rest of my life he said. This is just one series of events and once this is done essen- tially Ill forget it. TheR esidentialS choolE x perienceisondis- playattheNorthern ifeMuseumandCultural Centre in Fort Smith until July 28 after which it will travel to the P rince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.PhotoMeaganWohlberg Painter R ob ert B urke stands b efore one of his tryptics F un and G ames currently on display at the Northern L ife M useum and Cultural Centre in F ort S mith. 20 Tuesday June 16 2015 COMMUNITY TRADITIONAL FEAST aribo bison bea er m s rat fish d banno r bread t r e ham OPENING OF THE FESTIVITIES eter a lette and dr mmers hie ndrew Wanderingspirit ort mith tis o n il resident en dson W ree ang age rogram orthern tore orthwestern ir BLESSING OF THE FOOD ree lder llan ea er hip lder ileen ea er ENTERTAINMENT Wabas a ea er amil and oor ri es draws DRUM DANCE P eter P aulette D rummers CHILDRENS FUN GAMES er handise pri es will be gi en o t ollowing the games H osted by Paul i ne G ordon. YOUTH TRADITIONAL FUN GAMES er handise pri es erall pri e ipad r meat pri es or lang age ontest H osted by Peter D ani el s. ADULT TRADITIONAL FUN GAMES ash pri es gi t ertifi ates erall pri es ale emale i ets to dmonton r meat pri es or lang age ontest H osted by M i k e B eav er. ENTERTAINMENT ALL DAY DURING THE GAMES Wabas a ea er amil and BOOK GIVEAWAY RICHARD VAN CAMP AND MARY CARDINAL at the ar aeser ibrar ree opies o itapis sin Li ttl e Y ou and Ni sto M ek w ana Three F eathers ALL DAY ACTIVITY TRADITIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS B eav er S kinning B utchering S tretching C ooking H osted by R aymond B eav er B annock on a S tick H osted by M aggi e Si k yea D uck P lucking S ingeing B utchering C ooking H osted by E i l een B eav er HAND GAMES STARTING AT 300 P.M. OR WHENEVER THE GAMES ARE FINISHED ntr ee or ash pri es H osted by Peter Paul ette H enry B eav er TRADITIONAL DRESS CONTEST AT 700 P.M FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH ash pri es ADULT TALENT SHOW JIGGING CONTEST 900 PM OR WHENEVER HAND GAMES ARE FINISHED AT THE LANDSLIDE LOOKOUT o entr ee ash pri es a p band Wabas a ea er amil and FATHERS DAY FUN EVENTS AT 1100 A.M. WITH CHILDREN SPOUSES er handise pri es H osted by Paul i ne G ordon. ALL DAY EVENTS B eav er S kinning B utchering S tretching C ooking H osted by R aymond B eav er B annock on a S tick H osted by M aggi e Si k yea D uck P lucking S ingeing B utchering C ooking H osted by E i l een B eav er ADULT TRADITIONAL FUN GAMES tarting at H osted by M i k e B eav er. BBQ tarting at ADULT TRADITIONAL DRESS COMPETITION ash ri es RICHARD VAN CAMP at the ain tage AWARDS CEREMONY at the oo o t Sponsored bySponsored by W tis ation W ree ang age rogram mith s anding irst ation FREUND BUILDING SUPPLIES