The Week's News: Rain, rebuilding and renewable energy
Plus we won a national journalism award!
Happy June everyone. This is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor.
Things have been pretty busy here at the Cabin Radio office, with lots of exciting news over the past few weeks.
Our round-the-clock coverage of the NWT’s 2023 wildfire crisis recently garnered recognition at the Canadian Association of Journalism (CAJ) awards. We took home the award in the daily excellence category.
It’s the first time that our plucky little newsroom has won a national award since Cabin Radio began operating in 2017. It was an honour to be nominated alongside so many other journalists doing important work across the country.
You can read all of the shortlisted work here and the list of winners here.
Editor Ollie Williams also delivered the keynote speech about our newsroom and wildfire coverage at the CAJ conference in Toronto last week. Organizers said it’s the first time they are aware of a journalist living and working in the North delivering a keynote at the conference.
Thanks to all of the journalists who worked so hard to report on wildfires and evacuations last summer, many of whom were also evacuated, including Sarah Pruys, Chloe Williams, Megan Miskiman, Aastha Sethi, Simona Rosenfield, Hannah Paulson and Bill Braden. Also thanks to our station manager Andrew Goodwin, who stayed in Yellowknife to help with efforts to protect the city and keep essential services running, as well as broadcast staff Jesse Wheeler and Scott Letkeman, who produced a daily video show and kept spirits high alongside other Cabin Radio hosts. Special mention to Sam Pitre and Emma Stuart-Kiss, whose internships ended with having to evacuate from Yellowknife.
More recently, Cabin Radio has welcomed several new staff members so keep an eye out for their work. Sam Pitre is now working with us full-time and Kaylee Nitsiza has joined us as a broadcaster. Also new to the team are summer interns Elke Sorensen, Caelan Beard and Claire McFarlane.
Now on to some of our best recent reporting in recent weeks.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Our most important stories
Introducing new northerners to squash
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
It’s raining. How much of this stuff do we need right now?
Rain is falling in Yellowknife and Hay River. Fort Smith might get snow. It beats wildfires and smoke, but how do this year and last year compare to the norm?
For blood cancer treatment, ‘I might as well move to Edmonton.’
NWT blood cancer patients were suddenly told to go to Edmonton, not Yellowknife, for treatment – as often as every week. Here's how it's affecting them.
YKDFN member reawakens a community clean-up tradition
Janet Auger wondered why there wasn't a traditional spring clean-up in Dettah and Ndılǫ – so she set about organizing one herself.
Hay River-Tuk barge change ‘costs church group $150,000’
A volunteer church group says it faces a "huge financial struggle" after the GNWT rerouted barges this summer due to the Mackenzie River's low water levels.
With barge season scrapped, how big a solution is Buffalo’s 737?
With 2024's season scrapped, Sahtu residents say the days of relying on barges are over. We asked how much difference Buffalo Airways' "air barge" can make.
No money for uninsured Enterprise residents to rebuild
Dozens of Enterprise residents whose homes weren't insured when they burned in last year's wildfire have been told they won't receive financial help to rebuild.
How some Sahtu communities are preparing for 2024’s fire season
In the Sahtu, leaders found their communities having to be self-reliant last summer as Yellowknife shut down. Lessons are being learned for this year.
In pictures: A taxidermist’s collection of fantastical creatures
This is the closest you'll get to a real woolly mammoth, saber-toothed tiger or minotaur. They're all the product of Yellowknife taxidermist Dean Robertson.
GNWT ‘tempers increase’ by making some cuts in new budget
The GNWT's latest budget proposes $48.4 million in cuts and $52 million in increased revenues compared to the last budget. Here's the detail.
Union and commerce chamber fight Fort Smith jail closure
Why close a Fort Smith jail but leave one in Hay River untouched? Ministers answered that and other queries as union and commerce leaders push back at the plan.
NWT residents protest against planned midwifery budget cuts
Protests were held in Yellowknife and Fort Smith against proposed midwifery cuts. The health minister said she was prioritizing service in smaller communities.
Is it time the NWT government took more risks?
"The goal should be to deliver services the best way we can, not to minimize the risk." RJ Simpson says he's hoping to change the GNWT's approach to governing.
Paulatuk’s long road to 100-percent renewable energy
The Arctic coastal hamlet of Paulatuk has set an "incredibly ambitious" target of generating all electricity and heat from renewables. How could that happen?
‘Pride and excitement’ for Fort Providence energy project
Can a turbine in the Mackenzie River replace some of the diesel Fort Providence uses? Residents have been examining the plan and the jobs it promises to create.
Rowing’s ‘different’ – and Yellowknifers want to go again
"Don't hold back. There's life jackets and swimming never did any harm." Sure, the boat looked tippy, but it didn't stop Yellowknifers lining up to try rowing.
Inside Tusaayaksat, the Inuvialuit magazine winning design awards
An Inuvialuit magazine, created for residents of small Arctic communities, won a major design award. See some of the artwork that turned the judges' heads.
Meet the people trying to improve Indigenous patients’ experiences
"We have a voice and we need our voice to be heard loud and clear." These people hope to make Indigenous patients' NWT healthcare journeys better.
Watch: Possessed giraffe wins teenagers national recognition
Two Yellowknife teenagers used a plush-toy giraffe to transform a potentially dull assignment into a national silver medal-winning video. Watch it here.
From Tulita to Toronto, NWT artists take over Eaton Centre
Some of the NWT's Indigenous artists and crafters spent the weekend selling to thousands of people in one of Canada's busiest malls.
In pictures: Yellowknife parade kicks off ‘Summer of Pride’
Hundreds of people gathered in Yellowknife for the city's Pride parade, the start of a series of events stretching into August.
NWT government has no plans to develop accessibility act
The GNWT rejected calls to develop legislation specific to accessibility, saying instead it would work to improve territorial building standards.
Bike-share program to begin this month in Yellowknife
A new program in Yellowknife will help make cycling more accessible by offering free bike rentals for two-week periods.
‘Here we go again’ as Inuvik-Tuk Highway is washed out
In video footage, the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway looks more like a river than a road. Washouts mean more closures, frustrating local leaders.
Lack of help leaves some children ‘excluded and marginalized’
"Eventually, we can't make it work." Parents of autistic children say they may have to leave the NWT because there's no way to get the support they need.
Gwich’in and Inuvialuit bid against each other for Inuvik land
Each given federal cash for housing, the Gwich'in Tribal Council and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation ended up bidding head-to-head for land to build on.
Watch: New Yellowknifers hone their squash skills
A program in Yellowknife is introducing new Canadians to squash. We headed down to the Yellowknife Racquet Club to check it out.
What we’re reading
What's behind a historic, unusual U.S. military cash transfer to Canadian mines
Last month, the US government announced it was injecting millions of dollars into mining projects in the NWT and Quebec. Alexander Panetta, a Washington-based correspondent at CBC, delves into the reason behind the transfer and the history of foreign support for Canadian mining.
I breed and release Arctic foxes to boost their numbers in the wild
For Nature, Kristine Ulvund at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research writes about her work to increase the population of Arctic foxes.
Girls Will Be Girls: A Reading List on Consumerism in the Internet Age
From girl dinner to hot girl walks, Zoe Yu explores how “girl” trends on TikTok have been used to sell consumer products in this fascinating piece for Longreads. “We invest in products because we are told we can purchase an identity; we can be that girl, online and off.”
Lessons From a Mass Shooter’s Mother
In this complex, well-researched and carefully written feature for Mother Jones, Mark Follman shares the story of Chin Rodger, whose son committed a mass murder in California in 2014, and her efforts to prevent similar acts of violence. “She feels she can help spread awareness, especially for people whose own loved ones might be turning dangerous. ‘I hope my hindsight will be others’ foresight,’ she says.”