Bills, barbers and a bush man
Plus watch an Olympic talent search in Yellowknife
Hello readers, this is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor, with another week of news from across the Northwest Territories.
It’s been a busy week in the Legislative Assembly.
After it was announced that elevated lead levels were detected in the water at two Yellowknife schools, it was revealed that while the territorial government received initial results in January and follow-up results in April, the education minister was not informed until late May. Minister Caitlin Cleveland said she is ordering a third-party investigation into the issue.
Also in the legislature, Cleveland said she plans to lobby the federal government to increase the cap on the NWT’s nominee program and reassess changes to Jordan’s Principle funding, and she shared frustration over delays in the shipment of modular classrooms to Colville Lake.
Meanwhile, Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart introduced a private member’s bill to expand workers’ compensation coverage for first responders, while Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan’s bill to give nurses more power regarding collective bargaining passed second reading.
And a committee of MLAs plans to explore whether their code of conduct should apply to social media amid a “pungent” atmosphere in the legislature.
In the nation’s capital, chiefs from across Canada, including the NWT, held a rally in support of treaty rights as King Charles arrived in Ottawa to deliver the throne speech.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
Our best stories
YK athletes try to impress national scouts
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
1. Records reveal extent of early arsenic pollution from Giant, Con
A new study compiles data from archival documents detailing the extent of arsenic water pollution in Yellowknife, its impacts and how officials responded.
2. Encampment, residents and GNWT ‘have to get along’
We spent time at Yellowknife's latest encampment as the NWT's premier and MLAs discussed its future and what authorities should be expected to do.
3. Disabilities council scraps YK accessible housing project
The NWT Disabilities Council said it had lost significant funding after cancelling an accessible housing project when negotiations with Housing NWT broke down.
4. How NWT residents would change government spending
The GNWT is asking for the public's input on where it should prioritize spending and where it should save. We looked into previous suggestions and changes.
5. Remembering Yellowknife ‘bush man’ Larry Galt
"Since 1971, I’ve lived with running water 11 years, not much more." Larry Galt, who friends say unknowingly made Yellowknife what it was, has passed away.
6. Premier says sorry to residents over NWT’s 2023 fire season
Premier RJ Simpson apologized in the legislature for the experience of NWT residents during the wildfires and evacuations of summer 2023.
7. NWT’s conservation work generally ‘on track,’ audit finds
The NWT government is getting much of its work right on protected and conserved areas, an audit found, but there are areas that need improvement.
8. Avens criticizes GNWT over $400K related to evacuation expenses
The GNWT is declining to reimburse $400,000 paid by seniors' group Avens during Yellowknife's evacuation, saying the money was spent on ineligible things.
9. Naka Power name challenge gets day in court
The owner of Naka Electric is challenging a GNWT decision to register Naka Power's names without his consent. Naka Power says the court should not intervene.
10. LJJ Barber Shop reopens at new location, offers free cuts
Yellowknife's LJJ Barber Shop has a new location and after four months is back in business, offering free cuts to support Yellowknife's homeless population.
Yellowknife athletes ‘feel seen’ at talent search
“In the North, we can compete just as well as the rest of Canada.”
Jasmine Nasogaluak met some of the athletes at the Yellowknife stop of RBC Training Ground – an Olympic talent identification program – as they tested their skills and tried to impress national scouts.
What we’re reading
How BC Wildfire Service is fighting misinformation with compassion
Misinformation is widespread on social media. For The Walrus, Matt Simmons writes about how BC’s wildfire agency is shifting its approach to engaging with the public online.
‘Her rise was meteoric’: Pootoogook drawing named one of 21st century’s best works
ARTNews recently named Annie Pootoogook’s drawing, Man Abusing His Partner, as one of the 100 best artworks of the 21st century. For Nunatsiaq, Jorge Antunes writes about the Nunavut artist and her work.