Sunday 28 October 2018

Public Meeting - Aurora College Foundational Review Starts at 12:41 Recorded: Thursday, October 25th

".... Public Meeting on the Aurora College Foundational Review – The Standing Committee on Social Development [held]  a public meeting with the City of Yellowknife on the Aurora College Foundational Review. Mayor-Elect/ Councillor Rebecca Alty, Councillor Julian Morse, City Administrator Sheila Bassi-Kellett and City Director of Policy, Communications and Economic Development Kerry Penney will be in attendance. ..."
Starts at 12:41 Recorded: Thursday, October 25th
https://youtu.be/61-6lBB_KQQ?t=761

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Pot tourists: Japanese, South Korean citizens banned from using legal pot in 🇨🇦 Canada

Sure do hope the Aurora tour operators have their staff and client pot policies well and firmly in place...


Bong arm of the law:
South Korea says it will arrest citizens who smoke weed in Canada


"... "Weed smokers will be punished according to the Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There won't be an exception," said Yoon Se-jin, head of the narcotics crime investigation division at Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police agency, according to the Korea Times.
South Korean law is based on the concept that laws made in Seoul still apply to citizens anywhere in the world, and violations, even while abroad, can technically lead to punishment when they return home. Those who smoke weed could face up to five years in prison.
South Korea strictly enforces drugs laws even for small amounts, and celebrities caught smoking weed are often paraded in front of media for apology tours. Officials work to project an image of a "drug-free nation" and only about 12,000 drug arrests were made in 2015 in a country of more than 50 million people.
However, details on how police would test those returning from 🇨🇦 Canada remain hazy. Experts suggested enforcement would focus more on drug traffickers than casual users.
"South Korea can't screen everyone who visited a foreign country, but the police maintain a blacklist that leads to certain individuals being supervised," said Lee Chang-Hoon, a professor in the department of police administration at Hannam University in Daejeon. "But the police are more concerned with the transportation of marijuana into South Korea, and the police messaging shows they are anxious about tackling this issue in the near future." ..."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/23/bong-arm-of-the-law-south-korea-says-it-will-arrest-citizens-who-smoke-weed-in-canada 

Japanese, South Korean citizens banned from using legal pot in Canada


October 23, 2018 "... Purchasing and possessing marijuana in Canada will no longer land you in legal jeopardy here – but if you have a passport from South Korea or Japan, you might still get in trouble.
Citizens of those two countries are being warned that they could face legal consequences at home, if they use cannabis in Canada.
The South Korean justice system claims extraterritorial jurisdiction, meaning the country's laws apply to all South Korean citizens even when they are outside the country. [..]
 "Please be aware that if you [purchase, possess or transport cannabis] … you will be penalized for committing a criminal offence," the embassy said.
The country's foreign affairs ministry had warned earlier this year that any South Korean citizen caught with marijuana could face "serious legal consequences" even after the drug was legalized in Canada. Travellers from Canada and their belongings would likely face increased inspections attempting to enter South Korea, the ministry warned. [..] The Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver issued a similar statement earlier this month, saying Japan's laws banning the purchase of cannabis "may be applied not only in Japan but also in foreign countries." ..."
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/japanese-south-korean-citizens-banned-from-using-legal-pot-in-canada-1.4146077

Cannabis IQ:
A visitor's guide to smoking legal marijuana in Canada

- October 17, 2018  "...Visitors to  🇨🇦 Canada can now legally enjoy marijuana during their stay. But that doesn't mean smokers can hotbox the Great White North. Pot tourists might be disappointed with the legal marijuana laws in Canada, where local, provincial and federal laws can restrict or ban the use of cannabis in certain areas. [...] Retail sales of recreational cannabis could approach $6.5 billion by 2020, according to an industry analysis released by CIBC in May. That would make it worth more than anticipated spirit sales and nearly as much as wine sales. However, the report did not include tourism-specific estimates.
The Canadian government has not released estimates on the potential value of pot tourism.
Canada will likely draw a "significant number of international tourists" interested in buying legal marijuana, according to a report from Marijuana Business Daily, a Colorado-based cannabis industry publication...."
https://globalnews.ca/news/4438410/canada-marijuana-tourism-pot-visitor-guide/


Sunday 21 October 2018

Target tourist demographic from China tends to be affluent, experienced travellers between 45 and 65 years old.


"... Yukon's target demographic from China tends to be affluent, experienced travellers between 45 and 65 years old. [...]

Anderson says small groups of independent travellers are the demographic Tourism Yukon is targeting in its strategy.

"We do see some younger travellers from the China market, from mainland China itself but it tends to be in that kind of 45 to 65 target demographic. Which is perfect for us, they generally are a little bit more affluent, they're usually well educated and a bit more established by then. And they're experienced travellers," he said. [...]

Anderson says Tourism Yukon is in the process of evaluating how much the industry can grow, while still maintaining sustainable development. He says Tourism Yukon has just created a tourism development strategy, which tackles the question of how much growth is too much. [...]

The majority come for winter based tourism, but not exclusively, says Robin Anderson, the global marketing manager for Tourism Yukon.

"We're excited about the growth opportunity that China represents," says Anderson.

Anderson says Canada, the United States, and Germany remain the primary markets for Yukon tourism, while China became an emerging market about three years ago. However, that may soon change, especially with 2018 being celebrated as Canada-China year of tourism by the two countries, says Anderson.

"China is the holy grail in a way, especially for North American provinces and territories, and states that are on the West Coast ... It is a massive market and so even a tenth of a percentage point of the travelling market out of China is a huge number of travellers." ..."



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/chinese-market-tourism-yukon-1.4469804

Wednesday 10 October 2018

Yellowknife 2018 Municipal Election Fora (Full Play List)

Yellowknife 2018 Municipal Election Fora (Full Play List) (All in one place, ripe for a local political binge watch!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeNJFhWYT9_BA5oiGoW3Y74SHJmdx7HZs


The Alternatives North Councillor session will soon be added.

2018 Alternatives North Yellowknife Mayoral Candidates Public Forum
https://youtu.be/Mbte_CW7m6g

2018 Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Business Political Forum
https://youtu.be/mdBSFRvhFck

Yellowknife Mayoral Candidates

Rebecca Alty 867-444-2270 ralty2018@gmail.com
Jerald Sibbeston 867-765-4967 jeraldsib@gmail.com
Bob Stewart 867-445-3565 northernauditors@gmail.com
Adrian Bell  867-446-9800 adrianbellyk@gmail.com

2018 Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce City Councillor Business Political Forum - Part One
https://youtu.be/JMju-Xj0Szc
2018 Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce City Councillor Business Political Forum - Part Two
https://youtu.be/ua7Uil5s0W8

CANDIDATES FOR COUNCILLOR
Candidate
Phone
Email

Mark Bogan
867-444-9502
markbogan@rocketmail.com

Josh Campbell
867-688-1984
goalstopper33@gmail.com

John Dalton   
867-445-3344
johndaltonelection@gmail.com

Chris Gillander
867-444-0835
chris.gillander@investorsgroup.com

William Gomes   
867-445-3516
wgomes1972@gmail.com

Niels Konge
867-446-2199
nkonge@ssimicro.com

Shauna Morgan
867-445-8876
shauna.yk@gmail.com

Julian Morse
867-446-0276
votejulianmorse@gmail.com

Stacie Smith
867-445-3470    
stacie@flowersnorth.com

Steve Payne
867-444-0975
votestevepayne2018@gmail.com

Rommel Silverio
867-445-3290
rommel.silverio2015@gmail.com

Terry Testart     
867-446-8114    
terrytestart@gmail.com

Robin Williams
867-445-9711
robinwilliamsforcouncil@gmail.com

Dane Mason,    
867-988-2180    
mason.dane@gmail.com

Edwin Castillo,          
ecastillo.yzf@gmail.com

Cynthia Mufandaedza
867-446-2653
cynthia@ykbestmovers.com

 - - - - - - - -

Friday 4 May 2018

Michael McLeod, NWT MP queries Minister of National Revenue and CRA officials about Northern Residency reassessments

Michael McLeod, MP, Northwest Territories "... At Finance Committee I asked the Minister of National Revenue and CRA officials about Northern Residency reassessments...."
Video on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/mmcleodnwt/videos/2033350573571670/
Taxpayers' Ombudsman / Government of Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/taxpayers-ombudsman.html
Michael McLeod, MP, Northwest Territories
https://www.facebook.com/mmcleodnwt/


George A Lessard
Yellowknife, NT 🇨🇦
Taxpayers' Ombudsman's Consultative Committee Member
https://www.canada.ca/en/taxpayers-ombudsman.html

Thursday 15 March 2018

Two thirds of applications to the NWT Rental Office were filed by NWT Public Housing agencies #NWTpoli #SocialHousing #HousingFirst

Interesting manifestation of a social housing policy...




Two thirds  of applications to the NWT Rental Office were filed by NWT public housing agencies
Question 219-18(3): Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Applications To The Rental Office
Oral Questions  March 7th, 2018
"...Mr. Speaker, I was looking in the main estimates and I've discovered what I assume must be a typo. The rental office is listed the activity services to the public, but last year two thirds of the applications to the office were filed by public housing agencies. Either the rental office should be listed under services to government, or the government is essentially monopolizing the public service for its own good and at the expense of small landlords, renters, and to the detriment of the public at large, as I note in my Member's statement.
Given that the length of time it takes the rental office to process applications has been identified by this government as a serious concern, I'd like to make sure the entire government is taking steps to solve it. That being said, I would like to ask the Housing Minister if the Housing Corporation monitors its applications to the rental officer so that it can take policy steps to help reduce the number of times that it makes applications to the office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker...."

https://hansard.opennwt.ca/debates/2018/03/07/rj-simpson-6/


Tuesday 23 January 2018

Expert Group Meeting on Sustainable Development in Territories of Indigenous Peoples

Expert Group Meeting on Sustainable Development in Territories of Indigenous Peoples


Sustainable development in territories of indigenous peoples (Article 4 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)

Article 4

Indigenous peoples, in exercising their right to self-determination, have the right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions.


All relevant documents and presentations available here...