The Week's News: Sports, pigeons and politics
Plus Penny tests her therapy dog skills
Hello readers, this is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor.
It’s been another busy week here in the Northwest Territories.
Track and field returned to the NWT, with a new generation of volunteers, after four years of cancellations. You can check out photos from the event here.
A new consortium of Indigenous businesses announced plans to take over Northwestel (the North’s largest telecommunications provider), the Legislative Assembly is in session and two candidates are vying to be the territory’s Conservative candidate in the next federal election.
This newsletter shares more of Cabin Radio’s reporting highlights from this week.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Our most important stories
Pigeons!
Does Penny have what it takes to be a therapy dog?
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
Move from Yellowknife to NYC is ‘surreal’ for this theatre lover
Jessica Bruhn has recently made the leap from Yellowknife to New York City to pursue her passion for theatre at Berklee College of Music.
GNWT says it will ‘champion’ more security for internal flights
More security at Yellowknife Airport might stop some drugs reaching smaller communities, Mackenzie Delta MLA George Nerysoo says.
Trevor Kasteel to stage mental health production in Yellowknife
Kimberly Fairman and Jackie Jacobson are vying to be the NWT's Conservative candidate im the next federal election. Read the pitches they made to party members.
Wildfire arsenic release study is an ‘alarm bell,’ says author
When wildfires burn near Yellowknife, what does that do to arsenic? One author of a new study says more research is needed, but initial estimates surprised him.
Yellowknife’s annual ‘Kub Kar Rally’ bridges generations
A Yellowknife parking lot hosted a day of kids' wooden car races – a tradition so old that some parents were once young racers in the event themselves.
The extraordinary scale of the NWT’s shift from hydro to diesel
Yes, you read that right. NWT diesel use is ballooning as hydro dries up. In the short term, unusual factors are at work. In the long term, is this a crisis?
‘One death, we learn to deal with it. Multiple deaths was so hard.’
Residents are terrified of crime related to the illicit drug trade and drugs are killing people in NWT communities. We spent time in Fort McPherson to hear from people about what's happening.
Taste of Palestine dinner and auction raises $11K for Gaza families
"People really got into it." A Yellowknife event raised thousands for Gaza families. People even took off jewellery to auction on the night.
Five TikTokers to follow for National Indigenous History Month
Add Indigenous voices to your TikTok during National Indigenous History Month. Check out NWT TikTok star Taalrumiq's list and discover new people to follow.
Teen organizing Fort Smith’s first Frank Gruben Pride Festival
Ryker Lonehardt is organizing a free festival in Fort Smith to raise awareness of Frank Gruben’s disappearance and to "have something good" for the community.
Can the NWT police its way out of the drug crisis?
Many MLAs approve of millions in new spending to increase policing during the NWT drug crisis, but not everyone thinks that's an adequate response.
Mail resumes in Colville Lake after weeks-long delay
Colville Lake residents say they had not received mail for nearly a month until parcels started arriving again. “I can’t do anything without those mails.”
Fort Smith jail and some midwifery funding reinstated in budget
Plans to close Fort Smith's men's jail and discontinue a midwifery in Yellowknife expansion drew protests and petitions. NWT’s finance minister reinstated budget spending to reverse some cuts.
Advocates say Yellowknife’s shelter system is in crisis
Shelter operators in Yellowknife say they don't have enough room for the growing number of people who need help. One MLA worries the system is nearing collapse.
Watch: Meet Yellowknife’s new pigeon flyer
Pigeons are a pretty unusual bird in the NWT, but not for Patrice Lapointe who recently adopted eight racing pigeons.
Cabin Radio editor Ollie Williams and intern Caelan Beard went to check out the coop (and make friends with a cat).
Watch: Penny takes on the therapy dog test
St John Ambulance over two days evaluated 14 of 40 pups who want to join its therapy dog program in Yellowknife. Among them was Cabin Radio canine Penny.
What we’re reading
‘Sometimes I wonder if I’ll come back’: Palestinian birdwatchers defy danger to scan the skies
I’ve had birds on the brain recently with Caelan’s excellent pigeon story and working on my own birdwatching piece (stay tuned). This fascinating article in the Guardian by Marta Vidal explores the stories of Palestinian birders who continue to search for birds even in the face of danger. “These birds, despite the war, they are still coming. And it gives us hope.”
The Encampment Wars
Many people facing homelessness in cities across Canada are living in encampments that often face opposition from residents and politicians. For Macleans, Sarah Berman and Jesse Winter spoke with people living at the CRAB Park camp in Vancouver, the only legally sanctioned tent city in Canada.