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0YEARS ANS As part of the NWT Arts Council 30th Anniversary celebrations the Council is hosting an Exhibit and Showcase of artists from across the NWT. Visual Artist Showcase Explorer Hotel Kat Room A Wednesday November 11 1200pm - 430pm Thursday November 12 1000am - 400pm Come meet artists from each region and see them demonstrate their craft. Artists will have artwork on hand for sale as well just in time for the holidays 30th Anniversary Exhibit Opening Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Thursday November 12 500pm - 700pm Join us at the museum to enjoy the work of over 200 NWT artists in audio recording performing arts writing and publishing visual arts and crafts and film and media arts. The Council is pleased to celebrate the talents passions and commitments of our artists that contribute to building vibrant communities across the NWT. performing arts writing and publishing visual arts and crafts and film and media arts. The Council is pleased to celebrate the talents passions and commitments of our artists that contribute to building vibrant communities across the NWT. Three-way battle for MLA hopefuls in Fort Smith The debate held for Thebacha candidates was a relatively solemn affair but not with- out reworks. See page 2. Fort Simpsons freshest sh story All Shelley Empey wanted was a modest permaculture operation with a couple of goats and chickens. Now shes growing the freshest tilapia North of 60. See page 24. 30 YEARS OF EXPRESSION The NWT Arts Council is celebrating. See page 2. Signicant award for indspiring teacher Liz Aapack Fowler has been recognized for her largely behind-the-scenes work on language in the North. See page 6. Graphic novelist shares ramshackle journey to NWT Alison McCreesh shares her animated version of the age- oldtaleofvisitingtheNWTfor a summer and never leaving. See page 6. 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 November 18 2015 Vol. 39 No. 29 By CRAIG GILBERT The agship biomass project that has been orbiting Enterprise nally has a place to land. The four-year mission to nd a placetoproduceasmuchas120000 tonnes of wood pellets per year will nally reach a signicant mile- stone on Nov. 27 when the Hamlet of Enterprise plans to formally sign over 320 hectares of land to Aurora Wood Pellets Ltd. AWP. The hamlet and the company came to an agreement on the sale in late October. Its a big move for Enterprise Mayor John Leskiw II said. We - nallygotalltheifsandsandbutsand wiggle stuff worked out. Im looking forwardto nallygettingthisdone. The property being sold to the company was Commissioners land transferred by the Northwest Terri- tories and didnt become the prop- erty of the hamlet until September. Im really pleased at the progress weve made in two or three months Leskiw said adding he is already focused on nalizing another land transferforresidentialdevelopment. Ifpeoplewantedtoworkatthewood pellet plant and wanted to live out here there would be very little land available. My next big push is to get some residential land going then commercial land. Leskiw said the transfer is in progress but the hamlet hasnt re- ceived title to the property. It is an important detail for a community of about 120 people. the workforce will come from Hay River but Enterprise is preparing for a population surge. Ive lived in Enterprise for 10 years Leskiw said. When my son and I moved up here we were the 94th and 95th people in town and now were up to about 120. If we get 20 people who move here thats 15-16 per cent growth. The inuence their search for a new senior administrative ofcer. En- terprise is just one of a number of Northwest Territories communities looking for an SAO. They include Hay River which needs to ll the SAO director of nance and direc- tor of public works positions in its own administration. Its totally new to us and it is a major learning process but were managing to muddle through it with help from Dillon and anybody else who will talk to us Leskiw said. We should be able to get through it. Over the years weve never had an official process for hiring an SAO. Were using this hiring time to develop and for- malize the process. Previously it was almost like picking a name out of a hat. We didnt know what we were looking for and what the expectations of them were. Based on the fact that weve got all the land transfers going on someone with purchase of land experience economic development with the new world were entering would be a major benefit. See Mill on page 10. Brad Mapes mayor of Hay River andpresidentofAWPhasestimated the plant could employ between 50 and 70 people on-site and dozens more on the road and seasonally in the bush. Construction is set for next summer with production start- ing in mid-2017. Mapes told the Journal he be- lieves as many as 85 per cent of time it takes to build the pellet plant should allow us time to nal- ize everything and prepare for the increase in population. More pellets more problems Managing growth is a different problem for the hamlets mayor and council to have one that may Enterprise eyes expansion with pellet mill land deal signing on horizon Im looking forward to finally getting this done. Enterprise Mayor John Leskiw II Sheila Anderson of Yellowknife is the rst National Memorial Silver Cross Mother from the Northwest Territories. She was selected by the Royal Canadian Legion to take part in the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Nov. 11. See story page 9. PhotocourtesyoftheRoyalCanadianLegion