Sunday 15 December 2013

Frozen Yellowknife - Ice Fog Timelapse








Frozen Yellowknife - Ice Fog Timelapse  Published on Dec 14, 2013 -40 Outside. Yellowknife is awash in a blanket of ice fog whilst the aurora is flickering over head and people are moving about on the lake.

Thursday 12 December 2013

TechSoup Canada : Donated software and technology resources for Canadian charities, nonprofits and libraries

TechSoup Canada : Donated software and technology resources for Canadian charities, nonprofits and libraries
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/en
Donated software and technology resources for Canadian charities, nonprofits and libraries.
Since 2004, over 13,000 nonprofits, charities and libraries in Canada have received over $177 million worth of software and hardware donations.
How it works > http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/en/about/techsoupstock
https://www.techsoupcanada.ca/en
Monday to Thursday, 10am-4pm, EST
1.855.281.5499 (toll free) customerservice@techsoupcanada.ca

Can my organization get software donations?
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/en/support/how-to-register

Des dons de logiciels et des ressources en ligne pour le succès des organismes de charité, des organismes à but non lucratif et des bibliothèques canadiennes.
Au Canada, depuis 2004, plus de 13.000 organismes à but non lucratif, organismes de bienfaisance et bibliothèques ont reçu plus de $129 millions en don de logiciel et matériel informatique
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/fr/homepage
Lundi au jeudi, 10h à 16h, HNE
1.855.281.5499 (sans frais) customerservice@techsoupcanada.ca



Tuesday 3 December 2013

Canada Without #Poverty's @CWP_CSP Annual General Meetings Join Us on 12 Dec 2013 by teleconference

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Canada Without Poverty <info@cwp-csp.ca>
Date: 3 December 2013 12:18
Subject: Join Us - Canada Without Poverty's AGMs



Poverty IS a human rights issue.
Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

JOIN Canada Without Poverty and the 
CWP-Advocacy Network for our Annual General Meetings


CWP and CWP-AN are pleased to invite you to participate in our Annual General Meetings being held on 12 December 2013 by teleconference. It's an opportunity to learn more about our organization and what we're doing to SOLVE poverty in Canada.  

The CWP AGM will take place from 2:00 - 4:00pm EST and the CWP-AN AGM will follow from 4:30 - 5:30 EST.

If you are interested in attending please RSVP by 9 December 2013 to: info@cwp-csp.ca at which time you will be provided with the call-in numbers, and relevant documents. 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Sincerely, 
Leilani Farha
Executive Director 

 
December 10th is HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 
CWP: Challenging Poverty with Human Rights  
 

 
Copyright © 2013 Canada Without Poverty, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have indicated an interest in the work of Canada Without Poverty or the CWP-Advocacy Network
Our mailing address is:
Canada Without Poverty
251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor
Ottawa, On K2P 1X3
Canada




Monday 2 December 2013

Bell Mobility bills in Yellowknife

Are you a Bell Mobility customer in Yellowknife?
Have you checked your phone bill for this month?
My bill is DOUBLE the normal rate! Why?
For the first time in over 8 years
I am getting charged for INCOMING LOCAL CALLS!
Did this happen to you?
Let me know...

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Health & Wealth: Prescribing money to treat low-income patients @TheCurrentCBC #poverty

Health & Wealth: Prescribing money to treat low-income patients
If you weren't able to listen to the whole conversation today on CBC's The Current with our Dr's Gary Bloch and Julia Morinis on treating poverty as an illness and prescribing income - here is the link: http://bit.ly/IgWflc
Or download the podcast for your commute home:
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/podcasts/current/index.html
"...Research shows actual medical care accounts for only about a quarter of health outcomes, while fully one-half of a person's ability to heal and recover is determined by socio-economics - income, education and living conditions. Today, our Project Money looks at the contagion called Poverty through the prism of doctors who have learned Incomes affect Outcomes...."
"...What do you think of these doctors and their unorthodox treatments? And, if there's been a time in your life when a lack of cash also played havoc with your health, please let us know. Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Follow us on Facebook. Or e-mail us through our website. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366...."

Saturday 23 November 2013

Tackling Living Costs in the #NWT - INCOME DISPARITIES GROWING IN NORTHERN COMMUNITIES

INCOME DISPARITIES GROWING IN NORTHERN COMMUNITIES
A Message from Dennis Bevington, MP Western Arctic



http://www.scribd.com/doc/186641073/Tackling-Living-Costs-in-the-NWT
The more equal everyone is the better off we all are. The evidence of this is well documented in The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better.1 With our history of sharing and working cooperatively in the NWT, we know that this is true. We know that equality helps us all to be more secure, safer, healthier, and able to fully participate in our families and communities. We also know that equality builds resilience so we can cope with, and manage change - changes in our climate, our environment, and our social and economic circumstances.
Throughout Canada including the NWT, our communities are becoming less equal. The gap between 'haves' and 'have nots' is growing. Inequalities put us all at risk.
A main factor contributing to inequalities in the NWT is living costs. As Member of Parliament for the Western Arctic, I am committed to addressing inequalities and improving quality of life in ways that are sustainable and make sense for everyone. With this report, I want to stimulate changes that will eliminate inequalities in our communities, throughout the north, and between northern and southern Canada.
I have prepared this report to highlight cost of living issues in the Western Arctic but these circumstances are generally mirrored throughout remote regions in Canada. As such, I trust that both residents of the NWT and my colleagues in the House of Commons will find this report both informative and useful.
This report is organized to:
- Identify the inequalities created by income and cost of living,
- Examine current responses to cost of living issues in the NWT, and
- Propose actions to deal with cost of living issues.
The GNWT Bureau of Statistics was a main data source. Information produced by the NWT No Place for Poverty Coalition2 was also referenced. This report also draws on information from northerners who made time to voice their concerns and share their research.
1    Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, published in 2009 by Allen
Lane http://canadiandimension.com/articles/3806/
2    About 30 social justice, municipal, women's, church, union, environmental, and indigenous
organizations are part of the Coalition.
www.dennisbevington.ca


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Yellowknife, NWT
November 23, 2 013
INCOME DISPARITIES GROWING IN NORTHERN COMMUNITIES
Despite having one of the highest rates of GDP growth of any-Canadian jurisdiction, Northern communities are experiencing an increase in inequality and in the number of people living in poverty.
NDP MP Dennis Bevington's (Western Arctic) report, Tackling the Cost of Living in the NWT examined socioeconomic patterns in the region over the last 10 years and found a growing gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots."
"As MP for this region, I am committed to addressing inequalities and improving quality of life in practical and sustainable ways," said Bevington. "The proposals in this report will help stimulate change and eliminate disparities in communities throughout the north; as well as between northern and southern Canada."
The report was produced with the assistance of Lutra Associates of Yellowknife, the NWT Bureau of Statistics, House of Commons Library and people across the north.
"I am pleased that Dennis Bevington has taken steps to address this important issue. The results for the NWT are indicative of a situation that affects communities across the country," said the leader of the Official Opposition Tom Mulcair.
- 30 -
For more information, please contact:
Ben Nind, Constituency Assistant
Office of Dennis Bevington MP (Western Arctic)
(867) 669-8817
http://www.dennisbevington.ca/

Thursday 21 November 2013

Northwest Territories #Mineral #Development #Strategy #PDF via @ChamberNWT #NWT #mineralstartegy #nwtpoli #CDNpoli

Northwest Territories #Mineral #Development #Strategy #PDF http://ow.ly/r4h8v via @ChamberNWT #NWT #mineralstartegy #nwtpoli #CDNpoli

"... The purpose of the NWT Mineral Development Strategy is to realize, responsibly and sustainably, the full potential of the NWT's rich mineral resources and use it to ensure lasting prosperity for NWT residents and communities. A partnership between the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the Mineral Development Strategy (the Strategy) is a plan of action that will help to unlock the mineral potential in the territory and promote the NWT as an attractive investment opportunity.
Mineral exploration and mining activities form an important sector of the NWT economy. In addition to direct and indirect employment opportunities, mineral development provides important revenues for public governments — money that
assists in supporting programs and services that are important to all NWT residents. In addition, Aboriginal governments, in settled claim regions, receive significant shares of mining royalties. To ensure that these benefits continue well into the future, it is important that a clear plan be established that will guide decision-making related to the minerals industry.
The NWT Mineral Development Strategy has been developed by the GNWT in partnership with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines using a consultative approach. In January 2013, the GNWT released a Discussion Paper that outlined the main issues that the Strategy must address. Following this, a Stakeholder Engagement Panel was appointed whose task was to collect the views of a broad range of stakeholders and Aboriginal groups and to make recommendations based on this information. The Panel released its report in June 2013 which laid the foundation for this Strategy. The recommendations outlined in the Panel's Report guide both the Strategy and annual Implementation Plans that will follow...."

Drastic cuts to the Canadian #Circumpolar Institute #Research #Arctic #CDNpoli

Drastic cuts to the Canadian #Circumpolar Institute #Research #Arctic #CDNpoli
The University of Alberta has made drastic cuts to the Canadian Circumpolar Institute.
http://www.cci.ualberta.ca/
CCI is one of the flagship northern research institutes in the world. It provides funding to graduate students and support to many researchers. It has a long and proud tradition of producing and supporting graduate students and researchers.  The Circumpolar/Boreal Alberta Research awards (which supported grad student research) have now been cut.

Northerners and all Canadians have benefited from CCI, its advocacy, and its research for many decades. This cut is the latest erosion of university-based knowledge production, particularly that which challenges the status quo such as climate science.

These cuts must not go unnoticed.

Please share your objections with the powers that be.
Here's the contact info for:
University of Alberta President uofapres@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta's Vice President of Research lorne.babiuk@ualberta.ca
Associate Vice President ingrid.johnston@ualberta.ca
and the only remaining CCI staff member
Acting Director:  Dr. Anita Dey Nuttall anita.deynuttall@ualberta.ca

Monday 18 November 2013

Keepers of the #Athabasca on #Sherritt International #Obed Mountain #Coal #Mine site waste water spill

Keepers of the Athabasca is concerned about the potential environmental effects of a massive release of coal #mine #wastewater into two creeks that flow into the #Athabasca River, and calls on the Alberta government to immediately release the results of the water tests it has conducted. It further calls on the government to indicate publicly how it is going to mitigate this #spill, especially given that freeze-up of the creeks and river has already begun. We also call on the company involved, #Sherritt International, to inform the public of the chemicals it uses in its mining process and the contaminants contained in its coal mine wastewater ponds.

On November 1, 2013 the Government of #Alberta announced what is likely the largest spill in Canadian history of wastewater from a #coal mine containment pond, located on the #Obed Mountain Coal Mine site, near Hinton, Alberta. The announcement and its two updates (November 2 and 4) contain almost no information about the amount of #wastewater spilled, its contents, or their likely effects on the #environment and human health.

Following a pattern of downplaying the potential damage from spills and blowouts associated with the energy industry and providing the least amount of information possible to Albertans, these announcements stress that the spill contained sediments such as "clay, mud, shale and coal particles," and that "water sample tests do not indicate any health risks." They do not alert the public to potential damage to sediments, invertebrates and fish from wastewater contaminants such as flocculants, selenium, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are cancer-causing. Furthermore, results of the water sample tests have not been released to the public, despite promises to do so. "With so little information to go on," said Harvey Scott, Keepers of the Athabasca Director, "it is hard to know what the effects of the spill will be on such things as winter dissolved oxygen levels , the spring spawn or the long term aquatic health of the riverine ecosystem."

Information is coming out slowly in media reports, thanks to the efforts of investigative reporters and others. Media reports of interviews with ministry officials indicate that Fisheries and Oceans Canada is investigating to determine whether there are any violations of federal fisheries laws; Alberta Environment now acknowledges that damage has been done to fisheries habitat; the company involved, Sherritt International, declines to list publicly the chemicals it uses in its mining process; an official with the company does report that it uses flocculants, thickening agents that can cause harm to fish if released to waterways.
Keepers of the Athabasca is concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the Alberta Government and the company, and is pursuing the release of crucial information about the spill not only because of the failure of one containment pond, but also because there are two similar ponds on the Obed Mountain site and many more on the sites of current and proposed coal mines in the area. This raises broader questions about containment pond design and inspection schedules that also need to be answered. The Alberta public deserves no less.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 12, 2013
Fort Providence NWT More Information Contact:
Jesse Cardinal, Coordinator, Keepers of the Athabasca
780-404-5315 keeperathabasca@gmail.com

Harvey Scott, Director, Keepers of the Athabasca
780-675-4158 haecosse@hotmail.com

Jule Asterisk, Director, Keepers of the Athabasca
780-805-1709 asterisk@telusplanet.net

Wednesday 13 November 2013

#NWT #Job postings in Fort Liard & Gameti via CivicJobs

Northwest Territories JOB POSTINGS

 
  New This Week:
 
  1. Coordinator, Community Wellness - Acho Dene Koe Corporate Group
Fort Liard ( Date posted: Friday, November 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Monday, November 18, 2013.
  2. Coordinator, Lands and Resources - Acho Dene Koe Corporate Group
Fort Liard ( Date posted: Friday, November 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, November 22, 2013.
  3. Coordinator, Communications and Development - Acho Dene Koe Corporate Group
Fort Liard ( Date posted: Friday, November 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
  4. Coordinator, Community Justice, Membership, and Social Services - Acho Dene Koe Corporate Group
Fort Liard ( Date posted: Friday, November 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
  5. Manager, Occupational Health and Safety - Acho Dene Koe Corporate Group
Fort Liard ( Date posted: Friday, November 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, November 29, 2013.

  Current Listings:
  6. Senior Administrative Officer - Community Government of Gameti
Gameti ( Date posted: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 )
Posting expires: Thursday, November 28, 2013.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

#NWT #NDP #MP Dennis Bevington appointed Official #Opposition #Critic for the #ArcticCouncil #CDNpoli #NWTpoli

Bevington appointed Official #Opposition #Critic for the #Arctic Council.
OTTAWA -  New Democratic MP Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic) is proud to have been appointed Official Opposition Critic for the Arctic Council.
"With the Harper Government's short sighted plan for unsustainable resource development for the Arctic it is vital to have an alternative voice," said Bevington.
"New Democrats understand that the Arctic will play a major role in the future of Canada," said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. "The Official Opposition will stand up to Stephen Harper's plans for the Arctic and I can think of no better person to do that than Dennis."
Bevington's appointment is in addition to his duties as Official Opposition Critic for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
-30-
NOVEMBER 12, 2013
For More Information, Contact:
Doug Johnson, Office of Dennis Bevington MP, 613-992-2131

Monday 11 November 2013

Longest Day of the Year



"Uploaded on Jun 24, 2007
The longest day of the year timelapse taken from the roof of a house in Tuktoyaktuk. The clouds rolling in make it look darker than it actually is. Music by Frank Cockney."

Ars Bioarctica Residency in the sub-Arctic Lapland.

Ars Bioarctica residency 2014

Since 2010 the Finnish Society of Bioart is organizing the ARS BIOARCTICA RESIDENCY PROGRAM together with the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the University of Helsinki in the sub-Arctic Lapland. The residency has an emphasis on the Arctic environment and art and science collaboration. It is is open for artists, scientists and art&science research teams.

The residency takes place in the facilities of the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station. It provides the residents with a combined living and working environment, kitchen, bathroom, sauna and internet connection.

http://bioartsociety.fi/ars-bioarctica-residency

Finnish Bioart Society

The Finnish Bioart Society, established May 2008 in Kilpisjärvi, is an organisation supporting, producing and creating activities around art and natural sciences, especially biology. The Finnish Bioart Society is creating public discussions about biosciences, biotechnologies and bioethics. Additionally it is the Finnish contact node in international networks of bioart and art&science. The Finnish Bioart Society respects and protects life, values sustainable development, transparency in its actions, legality, critical thinking, expertise and artistic and scientific integrity.

The Finnish Bioart Society has currently 60 members, representing different art and research fields and other expertise – bioart, theatre, film, music, video, performance art, art&science, fine arts, media art, sculpture, environmental art, design, zoology, botany, ecology, environmental sciences, animal physiology, genetics, philosophy, cultural production, art history, engineering, etc.

Sunday 10 November 2013

This Doctor That Treats Poverty Like a Disease practices family medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto

Exemplary mental shift that is needed in our approach to health care provision – seeing patients as a whole person, not just treating the disease

This Doctor Treats Poverty Like a Disease

Trudy Lieberman | November 6, 2013
Dr. Gary Bloch, practices family medicine at Toronto St. Michael's Hospital & Treats #Poverty Like a #Disease http://ow.ly/qFNYY
[excerpt]
'... What would you think if your doctor handed you a prescription that recommended filing your tax returns or applying for food stamps instead of the usual medicines for high blood pressure or diabetes? You'd probably say the physician was nuts. Tax refunds? Food? What do they have to do with making you healthier?

I just returned from a month long Fulbright fellowship in Canada and met such a physician, Dr. Gary Bloch, who practices family medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. We had a long conversation about what makes people healthy. He wasn't interested in talking about new drugs to lower cholesterol hyped by the latest drug salesperson to walk through his door.

"We've created an advocacy or interventional initiative aimed at changing the conversation about poverty and how doctors think about poverty as a health issue," Bloch told me. "It's one of those cultural shift things. My job is to push ideas for physician interventions around poverty." Bloch showed me a clinical tool used by primary care practices in Ontario that is based on strong evidence linking poverty to bad health outcomes.

The tool, a four-page brochure, is simple in design but powerful in concept. "You come at poverty from every possible angle," Bloch said. "You start from the evidence and frame the issue in language doctors can understand."

The evidence: Page one of the tool points out that "poverty accounts for 24percent of person years of life lost in Canada (second only to 30 percent for neoplasms)," and notes that "higher social and economic status seem to be the most important determinants of health."..."


See also

Primary Care Interventions into Poverty

http://ocfp.on.ca/cme/povertytool

Communications


For questions, please contact Dr. Gary Bloch.

Thursday 31 October 2013

PRESS RELEASE: #Emergency Preparedness in the #NWT



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vanessa Gastaldo <vanessa@gordonfn.org>
Date: 31 October 2013 09:25
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Emergency Preparedness in the NWT
To:


 

 

31 October 2013

 

Press Release

Public meeting seeks input from residents on how
climate change affects emergency preparedness in the NWT.
Recommendations to go to Ottawa in February 2014.

 

 

During a two-day meeting in the Yellowknife area, residents of the Northwest Territories are being asked to share their thoughts, concerns and experiences on how climate change is affecting emergency preparedness in their communities.

 

"The only people who know the impact climate change is having on hunting, travelling and responding to emergencies on the land are the people that live there and experience it every day," says Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus. "This is their opportunity to speak up and tell us what they need to make it safer for them to do their jobs and live their lives."

 

The meeting is co-hosted by Dene Nation and Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and supported by the Arctic Athabaskan Council (which represents Athabaskans at the Arctic Council) and the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program, which aims to amplify northern voices in national and international decision-making.

 

The event begins on November 5 at the school gym in Ndilo (7:00 to 9:00 p.m.), where organizers welcome community members to come share their thoughts on what is needed for emergency preparedness in their communities. On November 6, participants are invited to attend a full-day of information sharing and roundtable discussion at the Chief Drygeese Centre in Dettah. The roundtable will begin at 9:00 a.m. Attendees will include: National Chief Erasmus, Chief Edward Sangris, Yellowknives Dene (Dettah), Chief Ernest Betsina, Yellowknives Dene (Ndilo), representatives from the Canadian Forces and the Government of the Northwest Territories. All events are open to the public and media.

 

"The more input we have, the more detailed an image we can create of the state of emergency preparedness in the Northwest Territories, both for ourselves and for those outside the NWT who are making decisions that affect our lives," says Cindy Gilday, co-chair of the Munk Gordon Arctic Security Program's emergency management project. "It is up to the people who live here to guide the discussions on what needs to change."

 

The findings of the meetings will be compiled into a report, along with those of similar meetings taking place in Nunavut and Yukon. Recommendations from all three territories will be presented at a national roundtable in February 2014.

 

"The eight Arctic states have signed an agreement to co-operate on search and rescue," says Thomas Axworthy, president and CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, a partner of the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program. "But what is often missing from these discussions is a real understanding of what is going on in the communities. We are honoured to help support the discussions of those on the front-lines to determine what they need to be safe on the land and on the water."

 

For more information on roundtable events and for a detailed agenda, visit our website at: http://gordonfoundation.ca/north/munk-gordon-arctic-security-program/emergency-management

 

- 30 -

 

 

For more information, or to arrange for an interview, contact:

 

Vanessa Gastaldo

Program Co-ordinator

Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program

416-836-3615

Vanessa@gordonfn.org


Wednesday 30 October 2013

#Inuksuit

InuksuitPeter's Point, KejiPeter's Point, Kejibreakfast rocksout & about the old nieghborhoodrock cut, much bigger than paper or scissor ones
out & about the old nieghborhoodthirsty friendParc de la Chute Montmorencymorning wander through the parkAn Inunnguaq at Horseshoe BendCornice debris inuksuk
Old Stones4000 foot InukshukProfessional photographyInuksuk and Black Tusk, Seventh HeavenInukshuk BeachInuksuit
inukshuk on the iceinukshukInuksuk (Stone Man) St. Lewis, LabradorInuksuk, on the Gravel Road, Labradorinukshuk

Inuksuit, a group on Flickr.

Inuit Art at its finest

Sunday 27 October 2013

Faces of the #Bakken #Oil Patch: #Infrastructure problems #video via @prairiepublic #PBS

Faces of the #Bakken #Oil Patch: #Infrastructure problems #video via @prairiepublic
Faces of the Oil Patch describes the new visage of the oil patch—the areas in and around Williston, Watford City, Tioga, Stanley, New Town, Parshall, and Fort Berthold—in the words of the people who live and work in these communities. [and First Nations]

The 60-minute documentary shows us the towns that don't have the infrastructure to support the uncontrolled and dramatic growth, the ranchers who now view bumper-to-bumper traffic all day rather than the rare vehicle traveling along the two-lane horizon to horizon, and the oil workers who earn huge salaries but live in makeshift housing without hope of finding homes suitable for their families. The narratives and stunning video are woven together with visual images captured by noted still photographer Wayne Gudmundson to show everyday life and the changing vernacular landscape of northwestern North Dakota.
Most people have heard that it's "Rockin' in the Bakken," but what does that mean to the residents of the Williston Basin? Faces of the Oil Patch describes the new visage of the oil patch—the areas in and around Williston, Watford City, Tioga, Stanley, New Town, Parshall, and Fort Berthold—in the words of the people who live and work in these communities.

Video
http://youtu.be/5GWMpEnK3Vg
On Prairie Public's Radio and Television
http://www.prairiepublic.org/television/prairie-public-on-demand/faces-of-the-oil-patch

Saturday 26 October 2013

Yellowknife's #Giant #Mine Clean-Up: Will Reason Prevail? By Kevin O’Reilly #AlternativesNorth #YZF #NWT @rabbleca

RT @Northern_Clips: Yellowknife's #Giant #Mine Clean-Up: Will Reason Prevail? http://ow.ly/qcOmK  Kevin O'Reilly #AlternativesNorth #YZF #NWT @rabbleca
[excerpt]
"... Guest blog by Kevin O'Reilly, Alternatives North, Yellowknife. The Giant Mine operated at the edge of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, from 1948 to 2004. As the gold-bearing ore was processed, the mine generated a toxic by-product, arsenic trioxide – a proven non-threshold carcinogen. For the first three years of operations, the arsenic trioxide went straight up the stack and then came down on the surrounding land and water, killing at least one Dene child and local milk cows. The family of the dead child received $750 as compensation.
Rather than stop the toxic mining operation, the government gave tacit approval to storing the arsenic trioxide underground. There are now 237,000 tonnes of it stored in mined out areas and some purpose-built chambers. Picture a 10-storey building and then multiply that by 7.5 times. That's the amount of arsenic trioxide stored underground. It's probably enough to kill the entire human race several times over. Arsenic trioxide is very soluble in water and it is leaching out of the underground storage areas, although it is being pumped out and treated as part of the overall minewater management
[...]
The fate of the Giant Mine and the remediation plan now lies with federal and territorial Ministers. The reasonable next step is for the Ministers to accept the report and its recommendations, which would then become binding conditions on the project moving forward. If the report and its recommendations are rejected, the whole project goes off to a higher level of scrutiny that will include an evaluation of alternatives – something that no one really wants at this point. The Ministers could also refer matters back to the Review Board, but it's not clear what that would really do. The last option is to enter into a murky world of "consultations" to change or modify the report and its recommendations into something that the ministers will accept. We are now onwards of four months since the report was released. Will reason prevail?...."

Thursday 24 October 2013

“A Conversation on #Community #Safety”: #Yellowknifers discuss Community Safety #YZF #NWT

"A Conversation on Community Safety":  Yellowknifers discuss Community Safety

On Oct. 3, the community of Yellowknife came together with representatives from GNWT Department of Justice, Yellowknife Health and Social Services, RCMP and the City of Yellowknife to hear people's concerns, and discuss ideas about ways we can make our community a safer place.

These are the transcripts of the session including opening statements from Minister of Justice, Glen Abernethy; CEO of Yellowknife Health and Social Services, Les Harrison; Commanding Officer RCMP Wade Blake; Yellowknife Inspector Frank Gallagher; and Mayor Mark Heyck.  The session was moderated by MLA, Wendy Bisaro.

If you would like to make any comments or suggestions after reading these transcripts, please forward them to sue_glowach@gov.nt.ca

http://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/WhatsNew/documents/YellowknifeConversationonCommunitySafetyTRANSCRIPTOctober32013.pdf

Results of “A Conversation on Community Safety”

by Wendy Bisaro - MLA Frame Lake
On October 3, 2013, citizens of Yellowknife came together with representatives responsible for public safety to discuss issues of concern in the capital city.
Community members who were unable to attend can access transcripts from the session   here. Further comments and suggestions for potential solutions can also be made at the links shown there.
As a followup to the October 3rd meeting on October 18th, I asked questions of the Minister of Justice about the Citizens on Patrol  (COPS) program. You can download my exchange with the Minister from Hansard here.


"... Citizens on Patrol (COPS)

by Wendy Bisaro - MLA Frame Lake
The Citizens on Patrol Program concept originated in Western Canada.
Here's how it works: ordinary citizens supplement police patrols to help reduce crime by keeping a neighbourly watch over their communities; patrols watch for any unusual and/or criminal activity, and report such incidents to the police for any necessary follow-up. Citizens on Patrol have neither the authority nor the mandate to make arrests, nor to take any action that might jeopardize their own safety or that of the public. The role of Citizens on Patrol is to simply observe and report. Source: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/sk/progs/safety-securite-eng.htm
Yellowknife had an active COPS program about eight years ago but no longer. Do we need to resurrect it? Would you volunteer for the patrols? Send me your thoughts!
Click here to download my Oral Questions to the Minister of Justice about the Citizens on Patrol program and how GNWT might help it get restarted..."

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Evalyn Parry from Ft Simpson NWT: The bicycle as an agent of social change

Evalyn Parry from Ft Simpson NWT: The bicycle as an agent of social change

"Bicycles are a cheap, environmentally-friendly and fun way to get around, but over their history they have also proven to be part of important social movements.

Evalyn Parry explores the relationship between the bicycle and the women's movement in her new play Ride.

Click on the audio link below to hear her speak with Dave" ....  from Ft Simpson NWT

http://www.cbc.ca/airplay/episodes/2013/10/21/the-bicycle-as-an-agent-of-social-change/

Wednesday 16 October 2013

#NWT #JOB POSTINGS

Northwest Territories JOB POSTINGS

 
  New This Week:
 
  1. Municipal Enforcement Officer II - City of Yellownife
Yellowknife ( Date posted: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 25, 2013.

  Current Listings:
  2. Project Manager - Tlicho Community Government of Behchoko
Behchoko ( Date posted: Monday, October 07, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 18, 2013.
  3. Senior Administrative Officer - Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk
Tuktoyaktuk ( Date posted: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 18, 2013.
  4. Building Inspector II - City of Yellowknife
Yellowknife ( Date posted: Tuesday, October 08, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 25, 2013.
  5. Human Resources Officer - City of Yellowknife
Yellowknife ( Date posted: Friday, October 04, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 25, 2013.
  6. Senior Administrative Officer - Jean Marie River First Nation
Fort Simpson ( Date posted: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 )
Posting expires: Friday, October 25, 2013.

How to pay for the Stanton hospital renovations

Nunavut MLA worried about mounting $10 million owed to #NWT for health services
http://ow.ly/pSBKB

"... Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott says he's concerned about Nunavut's medical bills piling up when Nunavummiut travel to the Northwest Territories for health services.

As chair of the standing committee on government operations and public accounts, Elliott asked Nunavut's health minister Keith Peterson how much Nunavut owes the NWT for using the Stanton Regional Hospital in Yellowknife.

Peterson said he didn't have the numbers in front of him Sept. 10 at the legislative assembly.

But Elliott said that through his research he found the debt is "close to $10 million."..."

Tuesday 15 October 2013

October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: Take Time on October 17th to Think Beyond Food Banks

Take Time on October 17th to Think Beyond Food Banks

3.8 million people in Canada cannot access the food they need.  Close to 1 million people use food banks each month.  Food banks are not a sufficient response. Surely we can do better.

This year on October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we propose that people think beyond food banks to solutions that address the root causes of poverty.  Set up as temporary measures in the 1980s, food banks have now become part of the charitable fabric of our society.  But do they end food insecurity?  They address an immediate need, but why are they still around 30 years later?

This becuase Canada does not have federal leadership on food security or a national poverty plan to end poverty.

This October 17th, we ask you to Chew on This! and look ahead to ending food insecurity for good.

Here is how you can get involved:

Chew on This!

October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and Dignity for All is asking food bank, meal program, shelter workers/volunteers and social justice advocates to add their voice and unique experiences to a call for a national poverty elimination strategy.  

Here is what will happen:

Volunteers will be handing out lunch bags to passers-by and politicians with the words "Chew on This" printed on the outside, and an apple and a postcard on the inside. The postcard will have stats/info about food insecurity and an option to sign and send it to parliament as a call for a national poverty elimination strategy. 

Where: Cities across Canada:

  • Whitehorse, YK
  • Victoria, BC
  • Vancouver, BC
  • Richmond, BC
  • Calgary, AB
  • Regina, SK
  • Windsor, ON
  • Hamilton, ON
  • Toronto, ON
  • Newmarket, ON
  • Ottawa, ON - including Parliament Hill
  • Halifax, NS

When: October 17, 2013. 11:30 am  – 1:30 pm

Who: Organizations, dedicated advocates and food banks staff/volunteers—from the sweet retired church ladies to the fiery students, and everyone in between. And YOU!

What can YOU do?  Help us promote the event to local media and get more organizations/volunteers to sign up.  For those who are based in Ottawa we have an online registration page here which will help us gauge numbers, assign sites, and send out final details closer to the date.   Or volunteer at an event and help hand out bags. Email us at the address below to be put in touch with organizers in your area.

Watch this website for more information.  Questions?  Email us at dignity [at] dignityforall.ca

Thursday 10 October 2013

Concerns over transparency of #YZF #NWT's #GiantMine clean-up continue

RT @Northern_Clips: Concerns over transparency of #YZF #NWT's #GiantMine clean-up continue http://ow.ly/pHQfz #NWTpoli #CDNpoli #environment #pollution

[excerpt]

".... O'Reilly has been calling for independent oversight of the Giant Mine clean-up for years. As it stands, the same department that gets the final say on how to clean up the the mine also has to do, and pay for the work.

"Too many roles, too much potential for conflict in there," he says.

Now he's concerned because Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada is getting internal input from the clean-up team on the report.

"Those folks, they've already had a kick at this project," he says. "If they're providing new information to whoever is going to be putting together the response for the minister, why can't anyone else see that?"

[...]

O'Reilly says it's an unusual case because typically a company proposing to clean-up a mine site would be separate from government. He says it is unclear how the two sections of Aboriginal Affairs are kept apart. Because of this, he says the clean-up team's assessment of the report should be public.

"Why hide it? Why not make it available. Everybody can look at it, put in their comments — views about it whether something is too expensive, costed too high or isn't feasible," he says. 

"I think it would help build public confidence that the best responses possible are coming out and people from the community have had further input into this, rather than just the project team itself." ..."


Friday 27 September 2013

"Which house - she has many?





Antonio in Tokyo





Tuesday 24 September 2013

Voice Mail Recording





Monday 12 August 2013

The roar of the #NWT's Alexandra Falls





Thursday 18 July 2013

Great Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik #NWT #GNAF (Video playlist)



Images and sounds of the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada TouTube videos

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Tell the #premiers of the #Yukon, #NWT and #Nunavut to make #housing a top priority at next week's meeting of the Council of the Federation

Tell our territorial #premiers to make #housing a top priority at next week's meeting of the Council of the Federation.
See what you can do to support this effort: http://ow.ly/n45SI
Dignity for All: the campaign for a #poverty-free Canada has joined with over 50 organizations to encourage our leaders to act on housing.

EMAIL TEMPLATE:

Mailto: (See addresses below template)
Subject: Make Housing a Priority at the Council of the Federation
Body:
Dear Premier:

I would like to express my concern regarding the high rate of poverty in our country and encourage you to make affordable housing a top priority when you host the Council of the Federation by putting pressure on the federal government to:

1) Fund the $1.7 billion in expiring annual operating funds for social housing providers.

2) Implement a robust national housing strategy.

With over 3 million living in poverty and 200,000 homeless persons in Canada, action must be taken!

Yours sincerely,

Nunavut
Aariak, Eva
Telephone: 867-975-5050 Fax: 867-975-5051
P.O. Box 2410
Iqaluit, Nunavut
X0A 0H0
Internet: http://www.premier.gov.nu.ca/apps/authoring/dspPage.aspx?page=home
E-Mail: premier@gov.nu.ca


Northwest Territories
McLeod, Bob
Telephone: 867-669-2311 Fax: 867-873-0385
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2L9
Internet: http://www.premier.gov.nt.ca/
Bob McLeod <bob_mcleod@gov.nt.ca>
E-Mail: premier@gov.nt.ca

Yukon
Pasloski, Darrell
Telephone: 867-667-8660 Fax: 867-393-6252
Yukon Government Administration Building
2071 Second Avenue
P.O. Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 1B2
Internet: http://www.yukonpremier.ca/index.html
E-Mail: premier@gov.yk.ca


Sunday 14 July 2013

Earthquakes can be triggered at the sites of fracking wastewater injection by quakes on the other side of the world

"... Earthquakes can be triggered at the sites of wastewater injection by quakes on the other side of the world, research suggests.
The injection of wastewater from underground operations such as oil drilling is known to increase local seismic activity.
Now a study in Science http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6142/164.abstract suggests that waves from the most distant temblors can cause quakes at wastewater sites.
Researchers suggest this can act as a kind of "stress meter" for the sites.
The notion of natural earthquake triggering is not new; in hydrothermal and volcanic areas, tremors can be triggered by large, distant earthquakes. But the new study suggests what is in effect a new category: natural triggering of seismic events primed by human activity.
Seismic push
Injection of wastewater from operations such as drilling, geothermal, or hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") is banned in the UK and many European countries, but it has become increasingly prevalent in the US.
In the state of Texas alone, more than 7,000 such wells are in operation and the link between injection wells and even large seismic events is strengthening...."

'...Richard Davies, http://www.dur.ac.uk/earth.sciences/staff/?id=3355 director of the Durham Energy Institute at the University of Durham, called the paper "an exciting, interesting result".

"Seismologists have known for some time that there are transient stresses from earthquakes that can potentially cause other faults to slip, causing an earthquake," Prof Davies told BBC News.

"But this paper is a very interesting contribution, as it proposes that mankind can artificially 'prime the faults' by injecting wastewater over long periods under the ground.

"Mankind is essentially lubricating the faults enough so that they are eventually triggered by a distant, natural earthquake. Think of a hovercraft - the air pumped into the base of the craft means that even small forces allow the heavy vehicle to move - the physics is the same."..."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23271168


Friday 12 July 2013

Magnitude 4.9 #Earthquake 136km SSW of Wrigley; 157 km W of Fort Simpson #NWT

Magnitude 4.9 #Earthquake 136km SSW of Wrigley; 157 km W of Fort Simpson #NWT http://ow.ly/mV7OS 13:59 July12, 2013