The Week's News: Hand games and Pink Shirt Day

Taking a stand against bullying.

Hello readers, this is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor,

This week, people in the NWT stood up against bullying and celebrated Dene culture.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people flocked to Behchokǫ̀ for the Ediwa Weyallon hand games tournament that some call the “Stanley Cup of hand games.” It offered $150,000 in prizes, with a team from Wrigley taking home the top $50,000 prize.

Among the crowd at the tournament were Edmonton-based anti-bullying group and Oilers superfans the Magoo Crew. They travel around the country with the aim of inspiring Indigenous youth, discussing bullying and suicide awareness, supporting culture and education, and – of course – promoting the Edmonton Oilers.

Also in a stand against bullying, people across the NWT and Canada donned pink shirts on Wednesday.

Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 when two high school students in Nova Scotia encouraged their classmates to wear pink to school after a new student was bullied for doing so. It has since become an annual national campaign to raise awareness about and combat bullying.

In the NWT legislature on Wednesday, Great Slave MLA Kate Reid highlighted that the day began not just to address bullying but also homophobia.

“Active allyship is standing up against homophobia on days when you’re not asked to wear a pink shirt and you likely won’t get recognition,” she said.

“Students in our schools across the territory still suffer from homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. In our communities we need to come together and help create safer, healthier and supportive communities for our young 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”

Now let’s dig into some of Cabin Radio’s best reporting from the past week.

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IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

• Our most important stories

• Watch the hand games

• What we’re reading

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Stories to catch up on

Enbridge employees in the NWT face ‘workforce reductions’

Enbridge employees operating a pipeline in the NWT are among those affected by company-wide layoffs. Enbridge said it wouldn't affect the line's safe operation.

Great Northern Arts Festival to return in ‘full, rich’ shorter format

Inuvik's Great Northern Arts Festival, cancelled in 2023, is back for 2024 with plans for a shorter, punchier schedule and a "from ashes to arts" theme.

Territory’s fire crews plan earlier start to tackle holdover fires

The NWT’s 2023 wildfire season was the worst on record. This year, wildfire staff and equipment will be preparing early as a significant number of fires continue to burn over the winter.

MLAs pass motion calling for wildfire public inquiry

After much debate, NWT MLAs voted to hold a public inquiry into 2023's wildfire season. However, that doesn't mean an inquiry will happen. Cabinet is proposing an alternative. (MLAs also passed a motion related to a Gaza ceasefire.)

Colville Lake declines to share caribou information with GNWT

At a public listening session on the impacts of climate change and wildfires on caribou, Colville Lake declined to share information with the GNWT. They cited distrust amid an ongoing court case.

NWT’s growers meet in Yellowknife to share ideas

Beekeepers, gardeners, farmers and governments met in Yellowknife to share ideas and solutions for the NWT's agri-food economy.

New owners take over Yellowknife’s Sushi North

New owners taking over a downtown Yellowknife Japanese restaurant say they plan to keep former longtime owner Seiji Suzuki's legacy alive as he leaves.

New minor hockey program ‘fills a big void’ in Behchokǫ̀

For years, Behchokǫ̀ had no minor hockey program. That has just changed, an exciting moment for a community that feels its recreational horizons expanding.

Being the NWT’s climate change archaeologist

The Northwest Territories says it's the only jurisdiction in Canada with a climate change archaeologist. Here's what that job looks like.

Yellowknife pharmacist wins public protector award

A national journal for pharmacy professionals honoured the owner of Yellowknife's Sutherland Drugs for his actions during the city's August 2023 evacuation.

Residents must ‘be prepared for the worst’ this summer, says premier

2024 could be another difficult wildfire season, the NWT's premier said, urging residents to expect more fires as he defended his approach to reviewing what happened in 2023.

NWT’s Special O team heads to Canada Winter Games ‘for redemption’

Josh Boudreau has "a bit more fuel" for this week's Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, his team said, after a chance to skate on the world stage evaporated.

Tech giants ‘would complicate’ NWT efforts to ditch daylight savings

While the overwhelming majority of respondents to a 2022 survey voted in favour of the NWT scrapping daylight saving time, the premier says it’s not that simple.

Spruce Bough has an uncertain future. What’s at stake?

"It's important to understand what it's like to be me." The future of the Yellowknife Women’s Society’s supported living facility, Spruce Bough, isn't clear. We spent time with residents and staff.

Now streaming on Netflix: Inuvialuit costume designs

Avatar: The Last Airbender is the latest big Netflix production. Watch carefully and you'll see Inuvialuit designs throughout the show.

Bill to repeal NWT’s carbon tax clears second reading

A bid by two MLAs to scrap the NWT's current approach to carbon tax – but not the tax itself – cleared its latest hurdle and will be reviewed by a committee. But not MLAs are satisfied with the bill – even those who voted in favour of it.

‘This may be a reality.’ Emails from Yellowknife’s evacuation week

"Very vague and really late in the game." Internal documents show some of the discussions that were happening behind the scenes in the week a leading up to a citywide evacuation in August.

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Watch: Hand games madness

If you’ve never been to a hand games tournament before, there’s really nothing quite like it. The high-energy, rhythmic beat of the drums. and passion of players are infectious.

Dene people have been playing the traditional game for thousands of years, where players hide small tokens in their hands and the opposing team has to guess where they’re hidden.

For those who weren’t able to make it to Behchokǫ̀, the Tłı̨chǫ Government live-streamed the games on their Facebook page. Take a peek.

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What we’re reading

The North Runs on Facebook

While the popularity of Facebook may be waning elsewhere, if you live in the North you know that people here often turn to the social media site for everything from selling used goods to finding a ride. Eva Holland wrote about the role of Facebook in the North for this piece for The Walrus.

Priest facing sexual assault charge in Nunavut will not be dismissed from Oblates

Kelly Geraldine Malone from the Canadian Press writes about leadership in Rome ruling against the dismissal of Johannes Rivoire from the Oblates congregation. Rivoire, who is now in his 90s and living in France, is accused of sexually abusing Inuit children when he lived in Nunavut. He has never faced charges in court and French authorities have denied a Canadian extradition request.

The Great Pretenders

For this piece in Toronto Life, Sarah Treleaven delves into the case of Karima Manji and her twin daughters Amira and Nadya Gill. Manji pleaded guilty to fraud earlier this month for falsely claiming her daughters were Inuit so they could become beneficiaries under the Nunavut Tunngavik land claim. Charges against the Gill sisters were dropped.“The process must have seemed so easy to Manji. She had claimed that her daughters were Inuit without providing a trace of proof, and it worked.”

On this Social Network, Sea Ice, Traditional Foods, and Wildlife Are Always Trending

For Hakai magazine, Hannah Hoag writes about SIKU, an Inuit-developed app that “allows communities in the North to pull together traditional knowledge and scientific data to track changes in the environment, keep tabs on local wild foods, and make decisions about how to manage wildlife—all while controlling how the information is shared.”