Thursday 31 January 2013

Northern Housing Conference: Housing Outside the Box.

Northern Housing Conference: Housing Outside the Box.
Yukon Housing Corporation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada are pleased to host the 2013 Northern Housing Conference: Housing Outside the Box.

"...Join us March 26th and 27th, 2013 in Whitehorse, Yukon for a two-day event that will provide decision makers, designers, developers, regulators, builders and housing proponents insights into innovative 'outside of the box' solutions for meeting the housing needs in Canada's North. The Housing Outside the Box conference will benefit anyone who is involved in trying to satisfy housing needs, or providing housing or shelter-related services. Elected officials, government administrators of housing and family counseling services, financial administrators, NGO's assisting households, designers, contractors, housing providers, developers, and interested individuals..."
http://www.2013northernhousingconf.ca/

10

Monday 28 January 2013

Iceland is betting on its creative industries to rebuild its economy

"...Iceland is betting on its creative industries to rebuild its economy after the banking collapse of 2008. ...
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/28/iceland-creative-industries
[excerpts]

Today, the country's unemployment rate is down to 5.7 percent -- considerably below the United States, the United Kingdom and its old colonial master, Denmark. Many of the emergency loans that it took out to keep it afloat have been repaid, early. Economic growth in 2012 was forecast to be just shy of three percent. A startup ecosystem is flourishing in the country's capital. "The last five years in Iceland have been very interesting -- it's changed how we talk about society", says Iceland's minister for culture, science and education, Katrin Jakobsdóttir, one of the few government ministers in the world who gives speeches wearing Doc Martens.

How did this happen? How did the country pull itself out of the financial swamp quite so quickly? To understand, we need to open the pages of Magnason's book.

In Dreamlands, Magnason argues that Icelanders shouldn't be relying on a handful of industries, but should instead diversify -- spreading the country's culture around the world. He talks of setting up "communities where engineers, architects, computer scientists, graphic designers, accountants and people like that could set up and work for companies in the great world outside". He says "I want this country to have a rich assortment of prosperous and creative industries."

Flourishing creative industries
Many in the country took this message to heart. In December 2009, a group of people from Iceland's various centres for different art forms got together for two days outside Reykjavik and attempted to craft a strategy for their industry. They wanted to prove they could contribute as much, financially, to the country as another aluminium smelter would.

While the rest of the economy had cratered, creative industries were almost unaffected, and were bringing in 81 billion ISK -- about £930 million -- way outstripping agriculture (25 billion ISK) and approaching the country's mighty fishing industry (worth 114 billion ISK). It was also employing 17,000 people. They formed a federation -- the Samtök Skapandi Greina -- to give themselves a greater political voice.

The federation quickly realised that while Icelandic culture was popular in Iceland, limiting their artists to a audience of just 320,000 was never going to yield significant growth. "The only people Googling Iceland were Icelandic," says Magnason. So like their Viking forefathers who sailed from Scandinavia, they cast their eyes to the horizon and began to look for international markets to plunder.

Action
A number of projects began to take shape. Magnason wrestled permission from the head of the Icelandic power company he'd been feuding over hydroelectric dams with for years to found Toppstöðin in the disused power plant, and opened the space up to any creative businesses that needed a place to work.

The Icelandic Academy of the Arts began an initiative that pairs product engineers, food scientists and graphic designers up with farmers from around Iceland to create new products that could be sold on an international market. Products like chocolate-covered skyr, caramelised rhubarb and a heavy, meaty, black pudding cake.

In 2006, money was set aside for an organisation called Iceland Music Export, with the goal of promoting Icelandic music abroad. Iceland had already become known for its musical output thanks to the efforts of Björk and Sigur Rós, so it was an early success story. In 2010, Iceland Music Export took over the running of the Iceland Airwaves music festival, which has long had a reputation for uncovering new music.

"They started running the festival in a more professional and sustainable manner, which subsequently led to more organised efforts to map the impact of the festival on the local economy," says Vasilis Panagiotopoulos, manager of the Icelandic band Rökkuró. "The growing interest in Iceland lead to established international festivals such as Sónar to run a Reykjavik incarnation for the first time in 2013."

Other festivals that have sprung up in Iceland over recent years include Aldrei Fór Ég Suður, Eistnaflug, LungA and Extreme Chill, but there's also been an increase in bands seeking out an international career, says Panagiotopoulos. To help, musicians can apply for grants from the government, the city of Reykjavik, and even the national airline, Icelandair. In fact, the government now offers a stipend called "Launasjóður listamanna" to any artist to help them cover their basic costs.

The movie industry is booming too, thanks to a government policy of reimbursing 20 percent of all film and television production costs in the country. Ridley Scott chose Iceland to film Prometheus, and so did Darren Aronofsky for Noah. Homegrown production studio Truenorth told Bloomberg that it has brought in close to three billion ISK through projects involving the likes of Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is interested too -- British VFX firm Framestore opened a Reykjavik office in 2008, doubled in size by 2011 and has worked on titles that include Harry Potter, Where The Wild Things Are and Sherlock Holmes.

[..]

Tourism
All this has repercussions on other sectors of the country's economy too. Tourism has risen around cultural events like Airwaves and the annual EVE Online "fanfest". With a new focus on the international market, more foreigners want to come and see Iceland's culture in its natural habitat. Since 2011, the number of foreign visitors attending Airwaves has increased 66 percent, and revenue from those visitors has increased 46 percent, too.

The growth of these industries is expected to continue. In November 2012, Iceland's minister for Finance and Economic Affairs confirmed a massive three-year programme of investment for the creative industries and tourism, with 250 million ISK set aside for "new creative endeavour". Where does the money come from? The country's vast fishing industry.

An annual conference called You Are In Control, running alongside the Airwaves music festival, has been held since 2008 with the aim of collecting and celebrating digital developments in the country's creative industries. Speakers are invited from across the world, but the focus is firmly on homegrown achievements, with many prominent local success stories showcased.

[...]

Image gallery for this story
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/28/iceland-creative-industries/viewgallery#!image-number=1

--
GEORGE LESSARD
10
10

Friday 25 January 2013

Inuvik #NWT's Children's First Centre Wins National Award for #Yukon #Architecture firm

Inuvik's Children's First Centre has received national recognition from the prestigious industry journal Canadian Architect. The journal's annual competition judges projects from an extensive list of applicants with awards given in three categories: Award of Excellence, Award of Merit and Student Award of Excellence. The Children's First Centre was given the highest recognition, receiving an Award of Excellence, after being submitted by the project's architects, kobayashi + zedda architects ltd. Only 13 projects of the 167 submissions were given the honour in this, the competition's 45th year.

In selecting the Children's First Centre, judges consistently referred to the project's attention to local culture and climate as its greatest strength.

"This project stands tall in addressing these conditions...while being self-aware as to its construction type and...culture. [It] suggests a 'why wouldn't we do this' attitude." wrote competition judge, Donald Chong.

According to Marie-Chantal Croft, another panelist, "[It] impressed me for its exhaustive research on the local context...and the coherence of the solution."

Tony Zedda, principal at kobayashi + zedda and project lead, is proud of the national recognition and the attention it brings. But, he says, the project is "really more about what it will provide for the town: a central, community-supported facility for infants [and] toddlers."

He added that on first hearing about the project "I decided that I really wanted to...make...the Children's First Centre dream a reality. The dedication of the community to this project has been inspiring."

"We want to congratulate Tony - and really the entire team at kobayashi + zedda - for receiving this award," says Melinda Gillis, Chair of the Children First Society.

"They have provided important guidance and tremendous support to this project. We are getting so close to the finished product and this is one more reason to celebrate," added Gillis.

Located north of the Arctic Circle in Inuvik, NT, the Children's First Centre will provide 120 toddler- and infant-care spaces when completed in June 2013. The Centre is overseen by the Children First Society, a registered non-profit organization with a vision of increasing capacity for, facilitating access to and integrating existing program delivery of early childhood education and care in Inuvik.

kobayashi + zedda architects ltd. is a Whitehorse-based architecture and planning firm and winner of the 2006 Professional Prix de Rome from the Canada Council. Together with their partner firm, 360° Design Build, KZA is a multi-disciplinary team of 10 personnel including urban planners, architects, general contractors and carpenters. kobayashi + zedda architects is the largest Yukon Architecture firm.

Read the Canadian Architect article here: http://awards.canadianarchitect.com/?portfolio=childrens-first-centre

-30-

Media contact:
Fraser Pearce
Director, Children First Society
p: 867.777.4068
e: fraspear@gmail.com
t: @fraspear



--
GEORGE LESSARD
10
10

Research Finds Challenges to #IceRoad Economy in the #NWT

Goldstein led co-presenter Nick Pineda , Class of 2011, and other Babson students on a research project last March in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where they studied the economic impact of ice roads near the Arctic Circle. View the course web site at http://faculty.babson.edu/goldstein/goldsteingroup/.  View Goldstein's video on the effort at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lYsgSKGzS8Y.
PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1rVSu)

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/babson-research-finds-challenges-to-ice-road-economy-in-the-arctic-124855069.html

WELLESLEY, Mass., July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College Finance Professor Michael Goldstein 's research on the impact of the ice road economy in the Arctic finds:

* Road construction and maintenance techniques can lengthen ice road seasons, saving between $6 million and $27 million a year in transportation costs.

* Reliance on ice roads also entails significant economic risk: modeling indicates the roads may fail to deliver sufficient supplies almost 27% of the years examined at a potential additional cost of up to $84 million for each failed year.

* While engineering can make marginal changes, it cannot adapt sufficiently to account for additional costs due to rapid climate changes or variability.

* To ensure future operations, mines will either be shut or alternative transportation modalities will be required.

Goldstein presented, "Cold Hard Cash: The Economic Importance of Ice in the Arctic" and "Grateful Dettah: The Value of an Ice Road to a Small Community in the Northwest Territories of Canada," at the 7th International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS VII), in Akureyri, Iceland.

The Congress, whose theme was "Circumpolar Perspectives in Global Dialogue:  Social Sciences beyond the International Polar Year," was held at the University of Akureyri, 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, on June 22.

Goldstein led co-presenter Nick Pineda , Class of 2011, and other Babson students on a research project last March in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where they studied the economic impact of ice roads near the Arctic Circle. View the course web site at http://faculty.babson.edu/goldstein/goldsteingroup/.  View Goldstein's video on the effort at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lYsgSKGzS8Y.

The effort, funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, was part of the Babson course, Arctic Economics:  Environment and Seasonality.

Goldstein presented research from both papers, and Pineda presented results from a survey he conducted during the March Yellowknife project as part of the "Grateful Dettah" presentation.  See abstracts below.

Cold Hard Cash:  The Economic Value of Ice in the Arctic

We are studying the effect of changing seasonality on the Arctic economy by examining a unique 600-km "ice road" over frozen lakes and tundra constructed yearly in northwestern Canada. The road supplies three diamond mines with fuel and material. The mines account for 30% of the Gross Domestic Product of Canada's Northwest Territories, employing 4,000 people, roughly 35% of whom are Aboriginal. Winter operations of the ice roads hinge on predictable seasonal transitions (summer-to winter; winter-to-summer) and cryospheric conditions. Seasonal shifts are already adversely impacting minerals activities in the North with a trickle down impact on local and Northern economies.

Using data from 1959 to 1996, we examined how anticipated changes in seasonality will affect economic performance in the next decade and whether adaptive strategies can reduce the economic sensitivity of this key industrial sector to longer or shorter seasons, or a warmer, wetter, or more variable climate.

We find road construction and maintenance techniques can lengthen ice road seasons, saving between $6 million and $27 million a year in transportation costs. However, reliance on ice roads also entails significant economic risk: modeling indicates the roads may fail to deliver sufficient supplies almost 27% of the years examined at a potential additional cost of up to $84 million for each failed year.  While engineering can make marginal changes, it cannot adapt sufficiently to account for additional costs due to rapid climate changes or variability.  To ensure future operations, mines will either be shut or alternative transportation modalities will be required.

Grateful Dettah: The Value of an Ice Road to a Small Community in the Northwest Territories of Canada

We study the social and economic value of short ice road that the Department of Transportation of the Government of Northwest Territories (NWT) builds each year between Yellowknife, the capital of NWT, and Dettah, a small native first-nation community across an inlet of Great Slave Lake, even though there is a longer all weather road available year-round.  The Dettah ice road is only open for about 115 days a year on average and about 58,500 trips are taken on the road each year on average.  When the Dettah ice road is open, trips on the all-weather road drop precipitously.  Estimates suggest that, of the 460 average daily trips on the Dettah ice road, about 150 per day would have otherwise been on the all-weather road had the Dettah ice road not existed, and about 330 trips a day occurred only because the Dettah ice road was open.

Since the 7.8 km Dettah ice road is shorter than the 23.3 km all-weather road, a trip on the Dettah ice road saves both distance (15.5 km) and time (11 minutes and 15 seconds).  Cumulatively, on average the Dettah ice road saves an average of about 811,000 km and a year and 44 days of time per year over taking the same number of trips on the all-weather road.  As a result, taking the Dettah ice road saves about C$160,000 in gas savings and about C$88,000 in time (if time is valued at the NWT minimum wage).  In addition, about 2.2 million kg of CO2 emissions are avoided, valued at an average of $4,000 per year.  Collectively, these values far exceed the C$10,000 that it costs the NWT to build the road.

A survey of 106 unique drivers on the Dettah ice road also indicates who is driving the Dettah ice road and why.  This survey was designed and conducted on the Dettah ice road on March 17, 2010 by Babson students at the request of the Government of Northwest Territories.  It suggests that 48% of the drivers take the road for business or work, while others take it for recreation, shopping, or going to school.  However, travelers who live in Yellowknife were more likely to use the road for business and recreation, while Dettah residents were more likely to use the road for going to school and for shopping.  Age ranges of travelers on the road were reasonably distributed by age groups from 20 to 50+.

Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(TM). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society--while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(TM) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise™.  For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Babson College


PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1rVSu)


--
GEORGE LESSARD
10
10

Munk-Gordon #Arctic Peoples & Security #Conference



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Megan Harrison <MHarrison@gordonfn.org>
Date: 25 January 2013 10:22
Subject: Media Alert - Arctic Peoples and Security Conference
To:


Arctic security conference gives a voice to Inuit looking for
people-focused policies in Canada's North

The Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program is hosting its third annual conference, "Arctic Peoples and Security." Taking place in Toronto over two days, the conference will create an opportunity for dialogue between Arctic residents, experts and decision-makers who will work together towards improving Canada's Arctic security public policy. It will also give a voice to emerging leaders who will add a fresh perspective to these important debates.

Now in its third year, the annual Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program conference has become one of the premiere venues for the discussion of circumpolar issues, covering topics such as the Arctic Council, public opinion in and about the North, and emergency management.

"Arctic Peoples and Security" is hosted by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and the Canada Centre for Global Security Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, in partnership with Inuit Qaujisarvingat: Inuit Knowledge Centre at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; St. Jerome's University; and the Centre for Contemporary International History. For more information, visit www.gordonfoundation.ca.

Conference title:                             Arctic Peoples and Security

Hosted by:                                          Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program

Date:                                                     January 29 and 30, 2013

Agenda:                                               Conference booklet                                                      

Location:                                             Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility
University of Toronto
1 Devonshire Place, Toronto

Live broadcast:                                 http://hosting.epresence.tv/MUNK/

This conference will be live Tweeted! Follow @ArcticSecurity and participate by using #ArcticVoices.

Please Note: This conference is sold out. Therefore, for capacity reasons all media must register in advance to attend. To register please contact:

 

Megan Harrison

Communications Officer

Ph. 416-601-4776 (ext. 233)

mharrison@gordonfn.org

 

Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation

11 Church Street, Suite 400

Toronto, ON  M5E 1W1

 

www.gordonfoundation.ca



10

Thursday 24 January 2013

Nunavut unveils new public housing rent scheme

Nunavut unveils new public housing rent scheme
GN hopes new scale will remove disincentives to work, reduce poverty [excerpt]
"…The changes announced Jan. 24 are aimed at fixing glitches in the old system that caused dramatic rent increases for tenants who found jobs.
This, in turn led people to quit those jobs to go back onto income support — a perverse disincentive the GN hopes to eliminate.
"In the short term these changes mean less revenue for the Government of Nunavut. However, allowing tenants to accumulate wealth and advance in their field of employment will create economic spinoffs to the community and a reduced social burden," Taptuna said in a statement.
A background document said the new rent scale will likely cost the GN about $2.4 million a year in lost revenue.
But the GN hopes they can make that up in reduced welfare payments if the new rent scale encourages more tenants to get jobs…."
More at http://ow.ly/h6Qyi

Internet in (Canada's) North is broken

Internet in the North is broken: Geek Life By Andrew Robulack

RT @northern_clips: @pmharper @leonaaglukkaq NOTE: #Internet in Canada's
#North is broken http://ow.ly/h6JfM @yukon_news http://ow.ly/h6Jqc
#CDNpoli


[excerpt]

"...The "cloud" has become central to the way we use the Internet.

We now put as much information online as we draw down, if not more.

Whether it's sharing photos on Facebook or storing files on Dropbox, the
contemporary Internet is a two-way street.

But the infrastructure in the North doesn't support this behaviour. We are
very limited in terms of being able to upload information.

And if we push those limits, the whole thing goes to pot. Simply put, the
Internet in the North is broken.

Unfortunately, our incumbent monopoly service provider, NorthwesTel, seems
to have no interest in fixing it. I'll give you a real world example of
what I mean.

The other night, my son and I were watching Puss in Boots on Netflix.

We'd been out that day and had taken a lot of good photos that we wanted
to share with our family and friends around the world. So I pulled out my
MacBook and started uploading the photos to Flickr.

Abruptly, the movie stopped playing. And it would not start again until
the photos had finished uploading.

In fact, I had to reset NorthwesTel's modem before we could get back into
the groove with Banderas's suave feline character.

This sort of thing happens regularly, which is especially frustrating
because I pay through the nose for Internet service..
[...]
So what's the fix? Simple. NorthwesTel should remove or significantly
increase upload restrictions on all Internet accounts.

At the very least, the company needs to adjust their services to allow for
simultaneous high speed uploads and downloads.

After all, when we pay the exorbitant rates we do for internet access and
a small ration of data, there really shouldn't be any restriction on how
we choose to use it.

As long as NorthwesTel is handicapping us arbitrarily, however, the
internet in the North should be considered broken...."

Andrew Robulack is a writer and consultant specializing in using
technology and the Internet to communicate. Read his blog at
http://www.geeklife.ca

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Parliamentary Standing Committee on #Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development PUBLIC MEETING In #YZF #NWT


Parliamentary Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development
PUBLIC MEETING in Yellowknife.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013
BILL - C-37 "An Act to enact the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act and the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts"
THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING
Yellowknife, NT THURSDAY,
JANUARY 24, 2013
AGENDA

LOCATION: GARNET ROOM – THE YELLOWKNIFE INN
08:30 – 17:30

08:30 – 09:30
PANEL 1
GWICH'IN TRIBAL COUNCIL
SAHTU SECRETARIAT INCORPORATED

09 :30 – 10 :30
PANEL 2
INUVIALUIT REGIONAL CORPORATION
TLICHO GOVERNMENT

10 :30 – 11 :30
PANEL 3
NWT AND NUNAVUT CHAMBER OF MINES
NWT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

11 :30 – 12 :30
PANEL 4
DEH CHO FIRST NATIONS
AKAITCHO TREATY 8 TRIBAL CORPORATION

LUNCH - 12:30 – 14:30
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NWT
- LOCATION: SILVER ROOM

14 :30 – 15 :30
PANEL 5
NORTHWEST TERRITORY MÉTIS NATION

15 :30 – 16 :30
PANEL 6
DENE NATION
KATLODEECHEE FIRST NATION

16 :30 – 17 :30
PANEL 7
NWT ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITIES
NWT FARMERS ASSOCIATION

posted via
https://www.facebook.com/dennis.bevington

Friday 18 January 2013

Bill C-400 the Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act

Bill C-400 is a private member's bill currently before Parliament that addresses the crisis of homelessness and inadequate housing in Canada. With the support of all NDP, Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs, Bill C-400 now needs the support of at least a few Conservative MPs in order to pass second reading in the House of Commons and be referred to Committee. The vote is currently scheduled for February 13, 2013.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/121016988/BILL-C-400-Secure-Adequate-Accessible-and-Affordable-Housing-Act
For more information.. http://dignityforall.ca/en/C400

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Bec Nissen, Australian couch surfer

Via Flickr:
Bec Nissen, Australian couch surfer takes some photos on her visit to the Dettah ice road outside of Yellowknife NWT that crosses Yellowknife Bay, part of Great Slave Lake



IceRoad_Panorama-2_edited-1

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Yellowknife Celebrates World Snow Day: Sunday, January 20th #YZF #NWT @WorldSnowDay

Yellowknife Celebrates World Snow Day:  Sunday, January 20th

The City of Yellowknife is excited to celebrate World Snow Day on Sunday, January 20.
World Snow Day is an event promoted by the International Ski Federation and encourages residents to celebrate all things snow around the world simultaneously. In Yellowknife a wide range of free outdoor activities are being offered to the public. Cross country skiing at the Yellowknife Ski Club, snowboarding with the Great Slave Snowmobile Association and skating at Somba K'e Park have been organized between 11am and 3pm.

The Yellowknife Ski Club is offering the use of cross country ski gear which will be available on a first-come first-served basis. A wrap up party with bison stew, prizes, a slide show and guest speaker Jamie Bastedo will take place at the ski club from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.

Activities are free and open to all ages. Heated facilities will be available at Somba K'e Park, the Bristol Pit, and the Yellowknife Ski Club. For more information on World Snow Day visit
http://world-snow-day.com/en/wsd/Event_Locator/Canada/Yellowknife/City_of_Yellowknife_Community_Events
or
http://www.yellowknife.ca/City_Hall/Departments/Community_Services/What_sCurrent/SpecialEvents.html
or
contact Grant White 867 920-5636, gwhite@yellowknife.ca
World Snow Day is the biggest day on snow all year! It is a chance for children and their families to EXPLORE, ENOY and EXPERIENCE
Follow via Twitter @WorldSnowDay https://twitter.com/WorldSnowDay
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/worldsnowday
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/WorldSnowDay

Friday 11 January 2013

CAMBRIDGE BAY Nunavut gets "FAST" INTERNET

NORTHWESTEL LAUNCHES NEW SERVICE OFFERING THE FASTEST INTERNET SPEEDS IN
CAMBRIDGE BAY
Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New DSL Internet service offers 2.5 Mbps downloads

Residents of Cambridge Bay who subscribe to Northwestel's new service
offering will be able to access the internet at speeds much faster than
anything currently available. Northwestel's recent investment in new
technology in Cambridge Bay will now allow customers in this community to
enjoy advanced Internet applications.

http://www.nwtel.ca/media-room/current-press-releases/2013/northwestel-launches-new-service-offering-fastest-internet

Thursday 10 January 2013

Best #NWT #IdleNoMore quote so far....

The best quote I've read since #IdleNoMore started
Siku Allooloo @quietninja_
"My papa, Francois Paulette, badass former leader and Dene elder, on the phone from Ottawa:
"I have waited 44 years for this." #AFNWalkOut""


10

"Food Secure Canada stands proudly in solidarity with #IdleNoMore"

"Food Secure Canada stands proudly in solidarity with our friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues across this land known as Canada, and around the world, who are organizing and inspired by the Idle No More movement. Outrageously high rates of hunger (as high as 70% for children in Nunavut to cite one example) and rampant diet-related chronic diseases amongst First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, as well as the destruction of traditional indigenous food systems are a deep concern to Food Secure Canada. ..The food insecurity and disease that Indigenous communities struggle against every day are symptoms of a deep and tragic dysfunction that rests squarely on the shoulders of Canada's colonial policies of forcible assimilation and resource appropriation. To remove Indigenous People's traditional means of life and livelihood, undermine their rights to foster traditional food practices such as hunting, gathering and fishing, destroy the land and contaminate the water that have sustained them since time immemorial, and blame them for their resultant poverty and disease, are tragic abuses of human rights, dignity and justice. .."
http://foodsecurecanada.org/food-secure-canada-stands-solidarity-idle-no-more

Sécurité alimentaire Canada est solidaire du mouvement Idle No More
http://foodsecurecanada.org/fr/securite-alimentaire-canada-est-solidaire-du-mouvement-idle-no-more

À Sécurité alimentaire Canada, nous sommes fièrement solidaires de nos amis, parents, voisins et collègues de travail qui orchestrent le mouvement Idle No More et qui s'en inspirent, qu'ils proviennent de ce pays appelé Canada ou d'ailleurs dans le monde.

L'incidence excessivement élevée de la faim (qui peut atteindre jusqu'à 70 % dans le cas des enfants au Nunavut, pour ne citer qu'un exemple), les ravages causés par les maladies chroniques reliées à l'alimentation chez les peuples des Premières nations, métis et inuits, de même que la destruction des systèmes alimentaires autochtones traditionnels sont des faits extrêmement préoccupants aux yeux de notre organisation, Sécurité alimentaire Canada. 



Nous transmettons notre gratitude et notre respect aux femmes qui forment le cœur, l'esprit et l'échine de ce puissant mouvement qui se démarque par le recours à la prière, la cérémonie, la chanson et la danse.

Nous appuyons et respectons les dirigeants autochtones. À la fois tristes et choqués, nous reconnaissons que celles et ceux qui mènent actuellement une grève de la faim s'inspirent des nombreuses générations de mères autochtones qui ont connu la faim pour assurer le bien de leurs enfants. Les peuples autochtones ont littéralement soif de justice. 


L'insécurité alimentaire et les maladies que combattent quotidiennement les communautés autochtones sont les symptômes d'un profond et tragique problème dont sont directement responsables les politiques coloniales canadiennes d'assimilation forcée et d'appropriation des ressources. Priver les peuples autochtones de leurs modes de vie et de moyens de subsistance, saper leur droit de préserver leurs pratiques alimentaires traditionnelles telles que la chasse, la pêche et la cueillette, détruire les terres et contaminer les cours d'eau qui les ont nourris depuis des temps immémoriaux, pour enfin les blâmer pour la pauvreté et la maladie qui en résultent, voilà bien de tragiques atteintes aux droits fondamentaux, à la dignité et à la justice. 



Nous appuyons le mouvement Idle No More et demandons au gouvernement du Canada de remédier à ses politiques passées et actuelles de colonisation, d'assimilation et de destruction. Nous lui demandons également de travailler avec chacune des nations autochtones afin d'instaurer un rapport convenable fondé sur le respect, la responsabilité et la reconnaissance complète du droit à l'autodétermination, et de s'y conformer. La réparation et le rétablissement de relations actuelles entre les peuples autochtones et le gouvernement canadien ainsi que le respect des ententes originales négociées de nation à nation constituent des étapes cruciales menant à la souveraineté et la sécurité alimentaires de tous. 



 

Sécurité alimentaire Canada est un réseau pan-canadien constitué de membres qui s'est engagé à combattre la faim et à mettre sur pied des systèmes alimentaires sains, salubres et écologiques. Notre perspective sur la souveraineté alimentaire est décrite dans le document intitulé Du pain sur la planche: Une politique alimentaire populaire pour le Canada. La politique alimentaire populaire constitue un solide appui pour la souveraineté alimentaire autochtone.

Cette déclaration a été adoptée par le comité directeur de Sécurité alimentaire Canada le 9 janvier 2012.


#IdleMore Yellowknife [Friday Jan 11, 2012] #YZF #NWT

#IdleMore Yellowknife
"Okay people of Yellowknife, after much work and preparation, we are a go for tomorrow's Global Idle No More rally. [Friday Jan 11, 2012]
It starts @ 12:00pm downtown Yellowknife. Preparations will be made in advance such as the setting up for lunch, tents will be the place to go for the serving of food courtesy of Ndilo members. Tents will be warm. Use proper clothing, cause its gonna be a cold one from reading the forecast.
RCMP are on-board to help ensure this is a peaceful and safe environment for youths, elders, children and supporters.
Another tent will be set-up for a brief info-session: we encourage people to be involved in this. If you don't know the issues and want to learn about them in regards to what this whole thing is about, legislation, etc? that's where you can get that info or be directed where to search for it and who to ask.
Mahsi.
(note) If there's any questions, comments or ideas....we encourage you to do so and provide them"

#IdleNoMore Songs for Life Vol. 1 just went live.

Idle No More Songs for Life Vol. 1 just went live.
Idle No More: Songs for Life Vol. 1 is the first of an ongoing series of free downloadable compilations of songs by artists who support the vision of Idle No More, Indigenous and allies. Volume 1 features a broad and diverse array of artists – everyone from Derek Miller (whose contribution, 7 Lifetimes, is a brand new track inspired by Chief Theresa Spence), to John K. Samson of the Weakerthans.
Bluesey-roots from Digging Roots. The indie stylings of Whitehorse. A funky hip hop jam from Plex with Wab Kinew and Sarah Podemski. It's a feast for the ears. A celebration. And we're only just getting started. If ever we've been idle – whether in our thoughts or our actions – we are now Idle No More.
This exciting collection – and the additional volumes that will follow soon (there's that many artists and voices!) – was conceived by Marty Ballentyne, Holly McNarland, Kevin Joseph and RPM's Ron "Ostwelve" Harris.
Listen to and download the tracks now, and read on below.
http://rpm.fm/music/download-idle-no-more-songs-for-life-vol-1/

#IdleNoMore NTI Representatives Meet with Attawapiskat Chief Spence

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Cathy Towtongie, Vice-President Jack Anawak and Chief Executive Officer James T. Arreak met last night with Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence at her camp on Victoria Island near Ottawa.
Towtongie said the NTI delegation felt it was important to meet with Chief Spence to express support and discuss the commonalities Inuit and other Aboriginal Canadians share in respect to the failure of the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under land claims agreements and modern treaties. Chief Spence has been on a hunger strike since Dec. 11 in a bid to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper about treaty issues. That meeting is scheduled to take place Jan. 11 between First Nations leaders and federal representatives. Chief Spence has since decided not to attend that meeting.
"In Nunavut, and across Canada, Inuit and other Aboriginal Peoples face similar struggles with inadequate education, housing, health care, food security and poverty, despite the fact that many of us have signed land claims agreements with the federal government in an attempt to reclaim and advance our economic and cultural self-sufficiency," said Towtongie. "The intention of these agreements is to close the gaps in fundamental well-being between Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginal Canadians. The Government of Canada has failed to implement and respect these agreements in many respects, which is a major factor in the perpetuation of poverty and other disadvantages facing Aboriginal Canadians."
Towtongie said the Government of Canada breached the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and forced NTI to launch a lawsuit in 2006 against the Crown for its failure to live up to the obligations they promised to fulfill in that agreement. Towtongie said NTI recognizes the importance of the upcoming meeting with the prime minister on Jan. 11,  and urged the Government of Canada to take advantage of that meeting to commit to a thorough and overdue review of federal policies that impair the full and fair implementation of land claims agreements and modern treaties across Canada.
http://www.tunngavik.com/blog/2013/01/10/nti-representatives-meet-with-attawapiskat-chief-spence/

Wednesday 9 January 2013

#IdleNoMore "Promises made" - Letter from Cathy Towtongie, president, Nunavut Tunngavik

"Promises made - Chief Theresa Spence's hunger strike focuses attention on the Crown's not keeping faith with the first nations that entered into historic treaties with the Crown (First Nations Bringing Treaty-Rights Challenge To The Courts – Jan. 8).
Unfortunately, the track record of broken promises continues in relation to aboriginal peoples who are partners with the Crown in modern treaties that cover Arctic and sub-Arctic Canada. For example, in 2006, Nunavut Inuit were forced to sue the Crown for numerous fundamental breaches of the 1993 Nunavut Agreement. These breaches involve, among other things, denial of economic opportunities, inadequate pre-employment training, and lack of environmental monitoring – all critical to Nunavut Inuit achieving greater self-sufficiency, a central objective the agreement. Inuit brought this lawsuit after the Crown unilaterally withdrew from negotiations, rejected offers to arbitrate, and refused to respond to the recommendations of an outside conciliator. We have won a summary judgment on one specific breach of our agreement, and our litigation continues.
In our experience of broken promises under our modern treaty, Nunavut Inuit are far from alone. Such problems are so prevalent, a coalition uniting all modern treaty groups has been established precisely for the purpose of having those treaties appropriately honoured. It is time to learn from history, rather than repeat its mistakes. Promises made must be promises kept."
Cathy Towtongie, president, Nunavut Tunngavik
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/letters/jan-9-promises-made-to-first-nations-and-other-letters-to-the-editor/article7063446/

Thursday 3 January 2013

#IdleNoMore #NWT Deh Cho Bridge

#IdleNoMore #NWT Deh Cho Bridge http://www.dehchobridge.info/
Nellie Norwegian https://www.facebook.com/nellie.norwegian
Good morning, let us Idle no more, please check out the band office this afternoon to make Posters for our rally to close the bridge http://www.dehchobridge.info/ for an hour. Mahsi to those helping me out and this is for everyone and their future.
Bea Lepine https://www.facebook.com/bea.lepine
IDLE NO MORE - next NWT event at Fort Providence - Saturday January 5th, 2013 at 2PM @ Deh Cho Bridge. Bring your drums, signs and determination to make change!