The Week's News: Student loans, a family reunion and UFOs
Plus explore the faces and energy of a hand games tournament
Hello readers, this is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor.
Happy September!
Kids have started heading back to school and I’ve cracked my jean jacket out of the closet for another year. (I do love a good fall outfit.)
Speaking of school, some former students in the NWT recently got a bit of a surprise. People paying off their student loans learned by email that a $2,000 annual “northern bonus” program – one of several types of GNWT loan forgiveness – has been axed by the NWT government. The education minister says the decision was a cost-saving measure that may have the side effect of encouraging people to stay in the North longer. The GNWT’s main loan forgiveness program, that incentivizes northerners to live and stay in the territory by forgiving up to $12,000 a year, remains untouched.
In political news, the Gwich’in Tribal Council overturned the results of last month’s election for grand chief, despite an elections committee deciding a complaint alleging elections violations was unfounded. Frederick “Sonny” Blake Jr, who preliminary election results indicated would be the next grand chief, is asking the NWT Supreme Court to uphold that result. Until the court makes a decision, the tribal council has agreed not to hold a new election and incumbent Ken Kyikavichik has been barred from acting as grand chief.
Also in the news this week: an abandoned Yellowknife mural finds a new home, distant relatives travel to the NWT to reconnect with the land of their grandparents, and some Fort Smith residents prepare for an alien invasion before NWT Fire spoils their fun.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
Our most important stories
Hand games in Kátł’odeeche First Nation
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
UFOs over Fort Smith are rapidly identified
A series of bright lights in the sky near Fort Smith on Monday had a perfectly down-to-earth explanation, according to one government agency.
Yellowknife mural discovered in dirt four years ago is given new home
A mural created by Walt Humphries lay abandoned on the ground outside Yellowknife's hospital for years. On Thursday, it was given a prominent new home.
‘We know, we understand and we choose love going forward’
Distant relatives across Canada were reunited, and transformed, when they visited the NWT to reconnect with the land of their grandparents. This is their story.
‘The unpredictability is becoming a major challenge’
A hide camp was called off because of wildfire smoke for the second year in a row. The camp director says Indigenous practices on the land are under threat.
Site C reservoir should have ‘relatively minor impact’ on NWT water
BC Hydro began filling the Site C reservoir on the Peace River, upstream of the NWT. The territory doesn't expect a major change in downstream water levels.
A vision for a community garden as a place of healing
Trent Stokes came back from vacation to find parts of his Fort Smith community garden in ruins. He's trying to see the possibilities in that.
What health bosses say they’re trying to achieve in Yellowknife
Staff and patients have long lists of concerns about primary healthcare in Yellowknife. We asked senior managers to set out the plan they're working to.
What federal help did the NWT get during 2023’s wildfires?
A new review of how 2023's NWT fires were fought spends time examining how Ottawa helped. We looked into it, too. Here's the full scale of federal intervention.
Floatplane in emergency highway landing near Fort Simpson
Three people are safe after a floatplane made an emergency landing on Highway 1 between Fort Simpson and Wrigley, authorities said.
Fort Simpson’s Father Peter celebrates 25 years in priesthood
Fort Simpson's faithful and the NWT's bishop attended a celebration for Father Peter Anochirim, who reached a quarter of a century in the priesthood.
CN says rail line to Enterprise has reopened after fire damage
While Highway 1 faces rolling closures related to wildfires near the Alberta border, CN said its rail line in the region has reopened after recent fire damage.
Federal Indigenous-language funding for GNWT held at 2016 levels
Federal language cash that the GNWT gives to Indigenous governments and uses to fund the Mentor-Apprentice Program has been frozen since 2016, a real-terms cut.
‘I had to say something because somebody is going to die’
Residents sick of the effect of drugs on small NWT communities are trying to voice those feelings online, but finding the best way to do that isn't always easy.
In Photos: Kátł’odeeche First Nation celebrates hand games
The hand games tournament in Kátł’odeeche First Nation last month attracted hundreds of people and players from across the NWT, northern Alberta and the Yukon.
Our reporter Kaylee Nitsiza was one of them. Check out her photo highlights of the cultural event. Here’s a taste.
What we’re reading
How Yellowknife got its Wings
Bush pilots and planes have long been a part of northern culture and history. For Up Here magazine, Bill Braden writes about today’s community of private pilots in Yellowknife. “A tireless enthusiasm for life in the air, the joy of flying holds many citizens in its thrall.”
My Time as a Climate Refugee
Many NWT residents have an evacuation story from last year, the territory’s worst wildfire season on record. For the Watershed Sentinel, Lois Little writes about her experience evacuating to Fort Providence and building a community at a campsite. You can also find Little’s article in the July/August 2024 issue of Up Here Magazine.
How We Treat Bears in Cities Is Trash
It’s bear season in the North, which unfortunately can mean bears wandering into communities, which can put both people and bears at risk. For The Walrus, Rhiannon Russell writes about how humans and bears can better co-exist.