$54,000 to the Native Communications Society to buy high-definition TV production equipment

Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Jun 29, 2010 16:00 ET

CanNor Supports Arts and Culture in Yukon and the Northwest Territories

DAWSON CITY, YUKON--(Marketwire - June 29, 2010) - An investment from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will enable two projects to take place that will bring Dene programming to a broader audience and expand cultural tourism in the North.

The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) today announced CanNor will provide $73,000 that will be disbursed to purchase high-definition equipment for the Native Communications Society in Yellowknife and to hire labour to assist in the planning and environmental assessment phase of the Dawson City Music Festival's "Raise the Roof" project.

"CanNor is proud to support projects that will help create jobs and support cultural tourism in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and help southern Canadians learn more about the Dene people and their culture," said Minister Strahl, who is also Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor of Métis and Non-Status Indians.

"The Dawson City Music Festival is an internationally-acclaimed event that draws performers and visitors from around the world to the Yukon," said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister Responsible for the North and Minister of Health. "The Native Communications Society's partnership with APTN brings the Dene language, traditions and culture to southern audiences, and has the potential to expand its scope." 

"This timely support gives us an amazing opportunity to expand our facilities and increase the scope of our year-round programming", said Tim Jones, the producer of the 2010 Dawson City Music Festival. "The Dawson City Music Festival Association appreciates CanNor's support in our efforts to develop the Dawson City tourist and cultural economies."

"The north is a potential hot bed for high definition productions and as a result of the SINED investment in NCS, the Native Communications Society of the NWT is now at the forefront of the industry in the NWT," says Les L. Carpenter, CEO of NCS. "We can now create projects which will meet or exceed the demands of today's digital medium. As an aboriginal organization, NCS now has the rare opportunity to compete and collaborate with others."

CanNor will provide the following investments:

• $19,000 to the Dawson City Music Festival to plan the renovation and expansion of their installations. The renovations arising from the planning phase are expected to further raise DCMF's capacity to play its key role in the cultural tourism industry of Dawson City. 

• $54,000 to the Native Communications Society to purchase high-definition production equipment to create a new program to be broadcast by APTN about the NWT Dene people in the format used by the majority of television broadcasters. 

These investments are made possible through CanNor's Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program, which focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity building in all three territories.
SINED is one of several economic development programs within CanNor, which is responsible for coordinating and delivering Canada's economic development across the North, and for related policy development, research and advocacy. 

For copies of CanNor news releases, visit: http://www.cannor.gc.ca.

To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit and for more information on Canada's Northern Strategy, visit www.northernstrategy.ca/index-eng.asp.

For more information, please contact

Office of the Honourable Chuck Strahl
Michelle Yao
Press Secretary
819-997-0002
or
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Bonnie Venton Ross
Communications Advisor
867-667-3849
or
2010 Dawson City Music Festival
Tim Jones
Producer
867-993-5584
or
Native Communications Society
Les L. Carpenter
Chief Executive Officer
867-920-2277 ext 333

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Government of #Nunavut should switch to free #OpenOffice software to save money

RT @Northern_Clips: Government of #Nunavut should switch to free
#OpenOffice software to save money
http://ow.ly/23oGD

Trilingual singer/songwriter Elisapie Isaac, Inuit of Salluit, Nunavik at Winnipeg International Jazz Festival

The great communicator http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-06-24/page6090.aspx

Trilingual singer/songwriter Elisapie Isaac brings her unique brand of folk-pop to the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival

Jen Zoratti

Elisapie Isaac is a trilingual folk singer, composer, filmmaker and journalist. She's also easily one of the most interesting people performing at the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival.

Born to an Inuk mother and a Newfoundland father, Isaac was adopted at birth by an Inuit family and raised in the tiny, isolated hamlet of Salluit, Nunavik, which is located on Quebec's Northern coast. In 2000, she headed south to Montreal to pursue her passion for communications, finding success in TV, radio and film. (In 2003, she directed the award-winning National Film Board documentary If The Weather Permits — a thoughtful and moving examination of modern-day Inuit culture.)

Still, music has always been a vital communications tool for Elisapie, who sings and composes in Inuktitut, French and English. Previously known for her work in the Juno-winning duo Taima, Isaac stepped out on her own in 2009 with her solo debut, There Will Be Stars — a strikingly beautiful collection of feminine folk-pop songs that'll make you fall head over heels in love.

Sigh. Is there anything this girl can't do?

Uptown: How were you introduced to music?

Isaac: Music is very weird for me. It's hard for me to describe how music came into my life because I come from a small isolated town. But I loved singing — it was a way for me to express myself. I started singing religious music. Religion was introduced to the Inuit people in the 1920s, and they became Anglican church members (laughs). I'm not religious, but the hymns became part of the culture and part of who I am. Of course, in school I always wanted to sing. I was very shy and introverted in many ways, and music became my tool to let it all out. But I never really took it seriously — it was a way to express myself.

U: What made you take it seriously?

Isaac: When people started saying I had a unique voice. They would say, 'It sounds like Elisapie.' It was a revelation. I'm not one to be always running after things — sometimes I am — but with music I was insecure. I didn't have the guts to say, 'Here I am.' So (my confidence) mostly came from my friends. When I got to Montreal, I wanted to make (singing) part of my artistic approach. That's when I met Alain Auger and we started collaborating and came up with Taima.

U: You recently put out your first solo record. What was that experience like for you?

Isaac: It was great. It was a very personal adventure for me. For me as a human, an artist and a woman, it was a life to another level. My confidence was lifted. It changed my life, and I want to make more. It was a very important process for me.

U: You perform and write in all three of your languages. How do you know which language will most appropriately serve a song?

Isaac: I thought there was a, how do you say, a formula. But the melody comes before the lyrics, often, and the words and phrasing come after. So it depends on what the melody brings out in me. My language is Inuktitut, but it's hard to find poetry in it. It's a straight-forward language. English, for everyone who loves folk and pop music, it's in its own world. People who write songs love English for that. French is a a very strict and complicated language. but it's also very beautiful. Each has its own meaning and purpose. I'm trilingual every day.

ELISAPIE ISAAC
June 27, 7 p.m., Old Market Square (free show) & 9:30 p.m., Aqua Books

Lac Cinquante Uranium Deposit: Kivalliq Reports Widest & Highest Grade Intercept to Date from Lac Cinquante

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: VantageWire Alert <news@vantagewire.com>
Date: 24 June 2010 10:38
Subject: Kivalliq Reports Widest and Highest Grade Intercept to Date from Lac Cinquante

If you have trouble seeing this e-mail, please click here:
http://www.vantagewire.com/blasts/20100624kiv/


 

Kivalliq Reports Widest and Highest Grade Intercept to Date from Lac Cinquante VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Jun. 24, 2010 -- Kivalliq Energy Corporation (TSX VENTURE:KIV) (the "Company" or "Kivalliq") today announced final assays for its 2010 Phase 1 drill program, totalling 2,375 metres in 13 holes, at the Lac Cinquante Uranium Deposit located in Nunavut, Canada. Ten of the 13 holes intersected significant uranium mineralization. Hole 10-LC-003 had the widest and highest grade drill intercept to date, assaying 0.70% U3O8 over 13.98 metres (estimated true width of 7.69 metres), including 1.22 metres at 4.68% U3O8. In addition, step out hole 10-LC-013 identified a new zone 500 metres west of the deposit, assaying 0.21% U3O8 over 1.96 metres. Phase 1 Drilling Highlights(i) -- Drill Hole 10-LC-003 - 13.98 metres grading 0.70% U3O8 -- including - 1.22 metres grading 4.68% U3O8 -- Drill Hole 10-LC-005 - 2.11 metres grading 2.06% U3O8 -- Drill Hole 10-LC-011 - 2.78 metres grading 0.84% U3O8 -- Drill Hole 10-LC-007 - 1.02 metres grading 2.68% U3O8 -- Drill Hole 10-LC-006 - 0.50 metres grading 2.90% U3O8 (i)Down-hole intercepts "Since Kivalliq's first drill program in 2009, we have an impressive drilling success rate of over 85%," stated John Robins, President & CEO. "Our team has dramatically increased the potential at Lac Cinquante by intersecting uranium mineralization at a new zone 500 metres west along trend from the historic deposit, and by drilling the highest grades and widest intercepts to date within the historic resource area." Phase 1 Overview The Lac Cinquante "main zone" is described as a vein-type uranium deposit occurring within a near vertical alteration/structural zone, over a strike length of one kilometre and extending from surface to a depth of 250 metres. All Phase 1 holes were inclined to the northeast and intersected the Lac Cinquante main zone between 65 and 230 metres depth. To determine geological controls, holes 10-LC-001 through 10-LC-009 focused on 25 metre infill drilling within the eastern portion of the historic resource area. Holes 10-LC-010 through 10-LC-012 were drilled at the western end of the historic resource, along a fence 50 metres west and down plunge of uranium mineralization encountered in holes 09-LC-012 and 09-LC-013 drilled last year. Step-out hole 10-LC-013 was collared 650 metres west of 10-LC-012. This hole tested a geophysical response along trend and has identified a new zone of Lac Cinquante-style mineralization, approximately 500 metres west of the known historic resource area. Assay results for 10 of the 13 Phase 1 drill holes, totalling 2,375 metres, are presented in the Table 1 below. These are best reviewed with the accompanying drill collar information, plan map and drill sections posted at: www.kivalliqenergy.com. Table 1: 2010 Assay Results - Lac Cinquante Drill Program --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2010 Phase 1 Lac Cinquante Drilling Program - Final Results(i) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interval Drill Hole From (m) To (m) (m)(ii) U3O8 % Description --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-002 118.26 118.56 0.30 0.21 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC_003 134.52 148.50 13.98 0.70 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- including 139.78 141.00 1.22 4.68 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-004 164.83 165.20 0.37 0.44 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 180.22 180.52 0.30 0.16 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-005 180.27 182.38 2.11 2.06 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-006 207.72 208.22 0.50 2.90 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-007 169.66 170.68 1.02 2.68 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-009 242.30 242.60 0.30 0.42 East LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-011 170.35 173.23 2.88 0.82 West LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-012 153.00 153.37 0.37 0.90 West LC Main Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-LC-013 104.94 106.90 1.96 0.21 Step out 500m West LC --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) All samples subject to ICP 1 Analysis by SRC in Saskatoon, SK. ICP1 results greater than 1000 ppm uranium subject to SRC U3O8 Assay Full intervals include ICP U analysis in ppm converted to U3O8%. Conversion to U3O8% = ppm x 0.01179% (ii) Drilled interval - true widths are not known. Estimated true widths for the mineralized zones are approximately 76% of the drilled interval widths reported, with the exception of hole 10-LC-003 which is estimated at 55% drilled interval --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click here for contact information Click Here for a Free Real-time Stock Quote on TSX-V: KIV

 

Disclaimer: Vantage Communications Ltd. was paid to distribute this bulletin. Vantage Communications may or may not own securities in this particular company. THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY OR SELL ANY SECURITY! You are on this mailing list because you registered for VantageWire News. Past performance of Companies mentioned does not guarantee future performance. For more information about this service, please contact Vantage Communications Ltd. at 1.800.574.0901 Suite 550 - 666 Burrard St, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P6 This email complies with the US Federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003

Panorama of the Liard River at its confluence with the Mackenzie River

The Liard River at its confluence with the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson NWT, Canada
For more information on Fort Simpson, see http://www.fortsimpson.com/

@Northern_Clips

@Northern_Clips
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor 

#'s Arctic YZF YFB NWT Nunavut Yukon Circumpolar Inuit Aboriginal Indigenous 1stNations
twitter.com/Northern_Clips

North Slave Metis Alliance National Aboriginal Day Concert videos from Somba K’e Park, Yellowknife

The North Slave Metis Alliance brings you the 2010 National Aboriginal Day Fish Fry and Metis, First Nations and Inuit music and dance stage show LIVE from Yellowknife, NWT

Here are the URLs of the archived segments...

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7813748
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7812584
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7812283
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7811936
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7811457
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7811133
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7810644

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
Spécialiste en l'information, communications et  media
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada
Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
E-mail: mediamentorATgmailDOTcom
Website
Twitter Feed on Northern  & First Nations Issues
Twitter Feed on Journalism & Media Issues
Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiens
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective

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Qimmit - the mysterious disappearance of the Inuit’s sled dogs: Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ole Gjerstad <ole.gjerstad@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Subject: Fwd: Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints <misac@socialdoc.net>
Date: Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 7:03 AM
Subject: Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints
To: ole.gjerstad@gmail.com

Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

---

Qimmit - the mysterious disappearance of the Inuit's sled dogs Posted: 19 Jun 2010 08:11 PM PDT Last Friday night, Ole Gjerstad's and Joelie Sanguya's film Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths premiered at the Cinéma Parallèle as part of the Présence autochtone aboriginal film festival. Co-produced by Piksuk Media Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada, the film won the Rigoberta Menchu Second Prize at the 20th First Peoples' Festival Awards. Qimmit ("many dogs") is the story of the seemingly mysterious disappearance of the dog teams in the Inuit communities of the Canadian north in the '50s and '60s, shortly after the Inuit were moved off the land and into communities. The film, sets out to tell the story of "one shock, two truths" as the Inuit and the 'white' authorities totally disagree on what happened. Shot during a Quebec inquiry (for Nunavik, the Quebec Arctic territory) and a "truth commission" for Nunavut (the rest of the Eastern Canadian Arctic) the film is full of emotionally wrenching testimony. For the Inuit, there is no doubt that the authorities, and specifically the police, exterminated the dogs in order to force the aboriginal people to become sedentary. The former constables interviewed for the film denounce these views as lies and fabrication. But the Inuit testimony is very convincing, and the filmmakers wisely see this whole story as an expression of a colonial power relationship. The film is very well made with some stylish and evocative but restrained re-enactments. Ole Gjerstad with Joelie Sanguya on the set of their film 'Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths' I put a few questions to Ole Gjerstad, who also happens to be one of my best friends. What was the greatest difficulty making this film? To convey to an audience in 2010 the colonial reality of the Canadian Arctic forty to fifty years ago. White authority simply took it for granted that they knew what was best for Inuit; Inuit were too intimidated by white authority — as embodied by any white person in their communities — to protest or resist. Things have changed dramatically, but if we cannot get the minds of the audience back to those days it will be very difficult for them to understand how something like this could happen. "One shock, two truths…" but in the end the Inuit version is so much more believable, partly because it's emotional first-person testimony. How to explain that the ex-RCMP have blocked this out? The RCMP produced an internal review, which was conducted much like a police investigation, looking for "proof" and pretty much excluding the context. Add to that the many controversies and scandals that have plagued the RCMP in recent years, and I believe that the top RCMP brass decided the Inuit claims weren't of much consequence. As for the Sûreté du Quebec, which was responsible for the killing of thousands of dogs after they assumed control of Nunavik in 1961, they simply ignored our requests, as did the Quebec government, saying they didn't want to discuss the matter until they heard from the Inuit about settling the claims. I wondered when you say the dogs are back in the lives of the Inuit helping to reconnect with their traditions – it is of course a great thing to say at the end of a film, but is it a reality in many communities? There are dog teams now in nearly all the communities in Nunavut and Nunavik. They're used by Inuit outfitters for tourism, for trophy hunting by foreigners, by others for teaching traditional skills to young Inuit, and simply for pleasure. Nobody depends on the dogs to survive, but their return to the communities have established a visible link to a tradition that was at the heart of Inuit life not so long ago. Last month we filmed a ten-day traditional sled dog race, the Nunavut Quest, for a television series. The enthusiasm and level of interest in all the communities involved leaves me in no doubt that the dogs are like a weapon in Inuit hands to fight against cultural obliteration. Thanks to Tobi Elliott for her help with this blog.

--
Ole Gjerstad
Words & Pictures
Videos Mots et Images
Piksuk Media

514-281-8320

Skype: Ole.Gjerstad

"We lead lives of chaotic improvisations, bawling for peace while plunging recklessly into fresh disorders."
Paraphrased from Edward Abbey.

Bear Warning Sign

Bear Sign
Originally uploaded by Northern Community Radio

Read this bear warning... most appropriate!

CFP: "Exploring Ice and Snow in the Cold War," Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany, 27-29 January 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Northern Research Network <research.north@gmail.com>
Date: 16 June 2010 08:11
Subject: CFP: "Exploring Ice and Snow in the Cold War," Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany, 27-29 January 2011
To: research.north@gmail.com

From: H-Environment

Apologies for cross-postings

Call for Papers:

Exploring Ice and Snow in the Cold War

Deutsches Museum

Munich, Germany

27-29 January 2011

The scientific exploration of extreme climatic conditions and hostile environments flourished during the Cold War. In the course of these years of confrontation between East and West, research on 'the cold' served ambivalent purposes. On the one hand, increasing knowledge about extreme climatic conditions seemed to guarantee political power and access to future resources. One the other hand, the very nature of the earth's surface and its characteristics challenged dichotomous ideologies of 'East' and 'West'. Events like the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) structured global efforts to investigate the world as a whole. Spatial images of the 'blue planet' can be seen to be a result of the environmental knowledge gained through earth sciences. As the earth's climate influenced many aspects of human life, culture, and politics, the scientific perception of ice and snow needed to be investigated from different perspectives. Scientific disciplines such as meteorology, geophysics, glaciology and oceanography were part of the exploration of ice and snow.

This workshop is interested in new research projects at the interface of environmental history, military history and the history of science and technology to contribute to the discussion on the scientific perception and constitution of nature in the Cold War.

Applications for any of the following research areas, but also proposals that deal with the workshop's topic from alternative perspectives, are welcome:

Sites of Knowledge
How did military strategy and politics influence concrete research projects and how did this knowledge flow back into society? Are there typical Cold War sciences dealing with ice and snow and which places, sites or laboratories were typical for these endeavours? Which infrastructures were required to explore ice and snow and what role did technology play in the construction of artificial environments?

Knowledge and 'the' Environment – Environmental Knowledge
Did the Cold War foster or inhibit knowledge about the fragility of nature, and which scientific disciplines were involved in this process? When, where and how were issues of pollution addressed? Did knowledge motivated by military and strategic interests also play a part in environmental contexts?

Metaphors, Visions and Narrations
Epistemologically, ice and snow are objects that are shaped through different scientific perspectives and cultural narratives. Which metaphors, visions and narratives are associated with the scientific exploration of extreme climatic conditions during the Cold War?

The workshop "EXPLORING ICE AND SNOW IN THE COLD WAR" is supported by the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich and will take place at the Deutsches Museum in Munich from 27-29 January 2011. Travel and accommodation costs will be met by the organizers. Applications must be written in English. Abstracts (500 words) and a short CV should be submitted by email no later than 30 August 2010 to the following address: kehrt@hsu-hh.de

Organization: Julia Herzberg, Christian Kehrt, Franziska Torma
Visit the website at: http://www.carsoncenter.uni-muenchen.de

For further information on organizational issues, please contact:

Dr. Franziska Torma
Rachel Carson Center
Leopoldstr. 11a
D-80802 Munich
franziska.torma@carsoncenter.lmu.de

Dr. Christian Kehrt
Helmut-Schmidt-Universitaet
Neuere Sozial-, Wirtschafts- und Technikgeschichte
Holstenhofweg 85
D-22043 Hamburg
kehrt@hsu-hh.de

--  via --
Northern Research Network
http://northernresearchnetwork.electrified.ca

"BP has paid $1.8 billion for drilling rights in Canada's sector of the Beaufort Sea"

http://ow.ly/20y7N

Off Canada's shores, at the bottom of the frigid Beaufort Sea, BP too has eyes to develop deep water wells. The company had the temerity recently to tell a Canadian parliamentary committee drilling at the bottom of the Beaufort would be no problem. They say the cold temperatures would actually mitigate the effects of any, highly unlikely, well blowout.

Veteran reporter Dave Lindorff at This Can't Be Happening is dubious of BP's claims. He wonders what would happen to the millions of barrels of oil seeping out of a blowout in the Beaufort when Winter's icy appearance would halt any reclamation operations. Lindorff says;

"BP has paid $1.8 billion for drilling rights in Canada’s sector of the Beaufort Sea, about 150 miles north of the Northwest Territories coastline, an area which global warming has freed of ice in summer months. And it wants to drill there as cheaply as possible. The problem is that a blowout like the one that struck the Deepwater Horizon, if it occurred near the middle or end of summer, would mean it would be impossible for the oil company to drill a relief well until the following summer, because the return of ice floes would make drilling impossible all winter. That would mean an undersea wild well would be left to spew its contents out under the ice for perhaps eight or nine months, where its ecological havoc would be incalculable."

Incalculable describes too the monumental lunacy of the moment; where serial crimes against the environment are not punished but permitted, as the offenders dictate the law to the offended.

And late in: a BP subsidiary has been given the go-ahead to destroy a pristine area of my province, British Columbia in search of coal-bed methane.

Madness.

An eye for art: Young Hay River painter experiments with photography

An eye for art

Young painter experiments with photography  

Some of Micayla's Frozen Eyes photos as a slide show on Flickr

Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 14, 2010

HAY RIVER - Micayla Gammon looks at things a little differently now.

Painter and sketch artist Micayla Gammon, 18, is exploring the creative potential of digital photography. - photos courtesy of Micayla Gammon

Earlier this month the 18-year-old painter and sketch artist participated in a five-day workshop presented by the Frozen Eyes Photography Society at Diamond Jenness School.

Yellowknife instructors Dave Prichard and George Lessard led the workshop for Gammon and almost a dozen other students from May 31 to June 4.

Although Gammon is an experienced visual artist, it was her first introduction to professional digital photography equipment and techniques.

"There is so much that I never knew was involved in photography," Gammon said. "We went over the operation of the camera, manual and automatic, and we learned about the history of cameras as they developed over the years. For the first few days we just ran around taking pictures. I'm learning that you can take thousands of pictures and only a couple of them are really good."

Gammon began painting and drawing as a young child growing up on an acreage near Stoney Plain, Alberta. Her family moved to Hay River two years ago.

"She has been interested in art since she was very very small," said Gammon's mom, Nancy Gammon. "She practiced and tried and drew and drew and we gave her lots of opportunities to experiment with different things and she has enjoyed it and excelled at it."

As a self-taught painter and home-schooled student, Gammon immersed herself in the work of master artists from centuries past, and studied paintings by American illustrator Norman Rockwell, Ontario naturalist Robert Bateman, and German pop artist Sebastian Kruger.

"Part of the reason why I enjoy art and taught myself so easily was because I wasn't comparing myself to anybody," she said. "I didn't have that much pressure around me. I was free to enjoy life."

In her paintings and sketches, Gammon communicates through realism. She paints wildlife, from raccoons to tigers, sketches portraits in pencil and charcoal, and composes detailed Northern landscapes in acrylic and watercolour.

In her photos, however, she explores abstraction, experimenting with angles and textures

"It's a fun way to express the way I see life," she said. "I love taking what I see and trying to put a different interpretation on it. I find it's a whole lot easier with photography to say something in an image without words. It's not so much about snapping the shot – it's about what your mind is seeing. People can see it and they can immediately understand it. It creates an emotional impression, not so much an intellectual one."

During the Frozen Eyes workshop, Gammon focused her gaze on machine parts, huskies, and trash, and aimed her lens skyward to capture the contours of tall trees and buildings against the clouds.

She and the other students also documented the NWT Track and Field Championships and shot images to submit to a GNWT anti-drug poster campaign next fall.

"It (was) a great week to learn," she said.

Last week Gammon picked up a paintbrush again and joined Diamond Jenness art teacher Karen Gelderman to work on a 24-foot mural to be installed later this year at Aurora College. The mural features the Hay River landscape, including the bush, river and lake.

"Micayla is quite an artist in her own right," Gelderman said. "She is self taught and has been doing a lot of interesting work on her own. Photography fits well with that."

Gammon plans to work on several new paintings this summer. She hopes to hold a solo exhibit at the Hay River Centennial Library later this year.

Instructors with the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society will host a workshop in Fort Liard this summer and are discussing plans to visit Tlicho communities and present workshops in Yellowknife, as well.

@Northern_Clips Twitter stats for the last week

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
Spécialiste en l'information, communications et  media
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada
Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
E-mail: mediamentorATgmailDOTcom
Website
Twitter Feed on Northern  & First Nations Issues
Twitter Feed on Journalism & Media Issues
Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiens
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective

Chat themediamentor

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Twittercounter <sam@twittercounter.com>
Date: 16 June 2010 09:05
Subject: Your Twitter stats for the last week (week 23)

Hi @Northern_Clips These are your Twitter stats from the last week. Follow the activity of your Twitter account on twittercounter.com

Followers 264 Growth this week 5 Prediction next week 265 See more stats and predictions on twittercounter.com

Media Advisory: 15th Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, June 22 and 23, 2010

Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne

16 juin 2010 06h04 HE

Avis aux médias : XVe Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne à Yellowknife, Territoires du Nord-Ouest, les 22 et 23 juin 2010

YELLOWKNIFE, TERRITOIRES DU NORD-OUEST--(Marketwire - 16 juin 2010) - Les ministres des gouvernements fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux responsables de la francophonie canadienne participeront à la XV^e Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne, qui se tiendra les 22 et 23 juin 2010 à l'Hôtel Explorer de Yellowknife.

Conférence des ministres responsables de la francophonie canadienne

L'honorable Jackson Lafferty, ministre de l'Éducation, de la Culture et de la Formation des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, coprésidera cette rencontre avec M^me Shelly Glover, secrétaire parlementaire pour les Langues officielles et députée de Saint Boniface, au nom de l'honorable James Moore, ministre du Patrimoine canadien et des Langues officielles.

Durant les deux jours de la conférence, les ministres discuteront notamment de l'état du développement économique en matière de francophonie canadienne, des réalisations au chapitre de la place du français pendant les Jeux olympiques et paralympiques d'hiver de 2010, de l'immigration francophone ainsi que de l'état de la mise en œuvre des projets de formation en français dans le domaine de la justice.

Invitation aux médias à la conférence de Serge Bouchard

Les médias sont invités à se joindre aux ministres afin de participer à la conférence de M. Serge Bouchard, précédant le début des travaux de la Conférence, soit de 10 h 30 à midi, le 22 juin 2010, à l'Hôtel Explorer de Yellowknife.

L'exposé présenté par M. Bouchard portera sur le thème « Francophonie et langues autochtones au Canada : d'hier à demain » et sera suivi d'un échange avec les ministres. En guise d'ouverture de la Conférence, M. René Fumoleau, raconteur, fera le récit de l'une de ses chroniques.

Anthropologue et spécialiste des questions amérindiennes, M. Bouchard est également reconnu en tant que communicateur. Homme de radio, il anime Les chemins de travers et De remarquables oubliés à la Première Chaîne de Radio-Canada. Il participe également à de nombreux documentaires et émissions de télévision.

Deux périodes de cinq minutes seront accordées aux médias pour la prise d'images :

1. le 22 juin, à 15 h 30, à l'ouverture des assises ministérielles à l'Hôtel Explorer;
2. le 23 juin, à 8 h 30, au moment de la photographie officielle des ministres à l'Hôtel Explorer.

Conférence de presse

À l'issue de la Conférence, les coprésidents, accompagnés des ministres des autres provinces et territoires, tiendront une conférence de presse qui sera suivie d'une période de questions.

CONFÉRENCE DE PRESSE

Date : Le mercredi 23 juin 2010

Heure : 15 h 15

Lieu : Hôtel Explorer

Créée en 1994, la Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne est le seul forum intergouvernemental qui regroupe les ministres fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux responsables de la francophonie canadienne. La Conférence œuvre à une francophonie ouverte, dynamique et diversifiée qui contribue et participe pleinement à l'essor de la société canadienne.

Renseignements :

Gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest
France Benoit
867-873-80349
Cell. : 867-445-3492
france_benoit@gov.nt.ca
ou
Patrimoine canadien
Relations avec les médias
819-994-9101/1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
ou
Cabinet du ministre du Patrimoine canadien
et des Langues officielles
Matthew Deacon, Attaché de presse
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca

Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie

Jun 16, 2010 06:01 ET

Media Advisory: 15th Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, June 22 and 23, 2010

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES--(Marketwire - June 16, 2010) - Federal, provincial, and territorial government ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie will participate in the 15^th Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, which will take place on June 22 and 23 at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife.

Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Canadian Francophonie

The Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Northwest Territories Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, will co-chair the meeting with Shelly Glover, Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface), on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

During the two-day meeting, Ministers will discuss such matters as the state of economic development of the Canadian Francophonie, achievements regarding the use of French at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Francophone immigration, and progress on implementing French training projects in the field of justice.

Invitation to the media to attend conference by Serge Bouchard

Media representatives are invited to join the ministers at a lecture by Serge Bouchard before the Conference starts its work, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon on June 22, 2010, at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife.

Mr. Bouchard will speak on the theme "The Francophonie and Aboriginal languages in Canada: from past to future." His talk will be followed by a discussion with the ministers. For the opening of the Conference, storyteller René Fumoleau will present one of his tales.

An anthropologist and specialist on Aboriginal issues, Mr. Bouchard is also well known as a communicator. A radio personality, he hosts Les chemins de travers and De remarquables oubliés on Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne. He also contributes to many documentaries and television programs.

Two five-minute photo sessions will be provided to the media:

1. June 22 at 3:30 p.m. at the opening of the ministers' meetings at the Explorer Hotel; and
2. June 23 at 8:30 a.m. during the ministers' official photo session at the Explorer Hotel.

Press conference

After the close of the Conference, the co-chairs, accompanied by the ministers of other provinces and territories, will hold a press conference followed by a question period.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Time: 3:15 p.m.

Place: Explorer Hotel

The Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, created in 1994, is the only intergovernmental forum that is made up of federal, provincial, and territorial ministers who are responsible for the Canadian Francophonie. The Conference works for an open, dynamic, and diverse Francophonie that contributes to and participates fully in the growth of Canadian society.

For more information, please contact

Government of the Northwest Territories
Ashley Green
867-920-3059
ashley_green@gov.nt.ca
or
Canadian Heritage
Media Relations
819-994-9101/1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
or
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
Matthew Deacon, Press Secretary
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
Spécialiste en l'information, communications et  media
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada
Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
E-mail: mediamentorATgmailDOTcom
Website
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Member:
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Yukon invests $668,000 in 23 arts organizations

RT @Northern_Clips: RT @YukonGovernment: #Yukon invests $668,000 in 23 arts organizations- full list here: http://ow.ly/1XI7c #art #artists

FOR RELEASE     #10-105
June 10, 2010

Yukon government invests in arts organizations

WHITEHORSE – The Yukon government is pleased to invest $668,000 in support of twenty-three organizations dedicated to the growth of literary, visual and performing arts in the territory.

"The Yukon government believes that strong arts programming promotes artistic growth, encourages community involvement, and contributes to the economic well-being of Yukon," Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor said. "By providing annual operating funds, we are supporting a wide array of festivals, exhibitions, performances, and other arts activities that animate our communities throughout the year, which also provide employment and build capacity in the cultural sector."

The Arts Operating Fund provides operational support for non-profit societies engaged in arts activities that have a territory-wide or high calibre impact. There are two components to the Fund: one provides operational support for ongoing and year round activities; the other supports ongoing annual projects. Applications are accepted once a year on February 15 and are adjudicated by the Yukon Arts Advisory Council.

With a mandate to develop and produce professional theatre with an emphasis on aboriginal artists and underrepresented voices, Gwaandak Theatre Society achieves the goals of the fund by prioritizing artists as the centre of operations; by involving communities outside of Whitehorse; and by focusing on First Nation access and involvement. The society's plans for 2010-11 include new theatre productions, playwright mentorship, and capacity building. 

"Gwaandak Theatre is thrilled with this core funding," said the society's co-artistic director Patti Flather. "It helps us to develop and present new works of theatre from First Nation and northern artists, offer challenging roles for theatre artists and engage audiences. Our upcoming play readings celebrating aboriginal playwrights and performers at the Old Fire Hall this summer are just one of several initiatives we're looking forward to sharing with Yukoners and visitors."

Statistics from the 2010 intake indicate the community impact of arts in Yukon: 732 events provided programming and entertainment to the 57,751 in attendance. These events were supported by 1,708 volunteers contributing 51,638 volunteer hours. Groups spent $976,301 on artistic expenses and $920,854 on production costs, with administration expenditures a relatively low $373,632. Support from the Yukon government helped arts organizations leverage $1,638,901 in earned revenue and fundraising.

For more information about arts funding visit www.tc.gov.yk.ca.

-30-

See backgrounder and photo below.

Contact:
Emily Younker Cabinet Communications 867-633-7961 emily.younker@gov.yk.ca	Heather LeDuc Communications, Tourism & Culture 867-667-5318 heather.leDuc@gov.yk.ca

 
List of Arts Operating Fund recipients for 2010-2011

Guild Society	$92,000
Nakai Theatre Ensemble	$66,000
Yukon Arts Society	$50,000
Yukon Film Society	$45,000
Dawson City Music Festival Association	$45,000
Whitehorse Concerts	$35,000
Frostbite Music Society	$32,000
Yukon Bluegrass Music Society for the 2011 Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival and Music Camp	$30,000
Northern Lights School of Dance	$27,500
Junction Arts and Music Society (JAM)	$27,500
Breakdancing Yukon Society	$25,000
Community Choir of Whitehorse	$25,000
Extremely Moving Youth Society	$25,000
Jazz Yukon	$24,500
Gwaandak Theatre Society	$22,000
All-City Band Society	$20,000
Longest Night Society	$20,000
Blue Feather Music Society for the Blue Feather Music Festival	$15,500
Association franco-yukonnaise for the 2010-11 arts presentation season	$15,000
Rotary Club of Whitehorse for the Yukon Rotary Music Festival	$10,000
Skookum Jim Friendship Centre for the Folklore Show	$7,000
Village of Mayo for the Mayo Arts Festival	$5,000
Northern Fibres Guild	$4,000
Total	$668,000

Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor attends a performance by the Gwandaak Theatre, an Arts Operating Fund recipient. Performer Winluck Wong, co-artistic directors Leonard Linklater and Patti Flather, and writer and performer Jude Wong stand with the minister for the photo.

Yellowknife homeless face double standard

Yellowknife homeless face double standard

Tales from the dump
with Walt Humphries
Friday, June 11, 2010
NNSL [full text]

Previous columns 

"The measure of a society is how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable members." Mahatma Gandhi is credited with saying this, but variations of it have been used throughout history by quite a number of humanitarians, philosophers, spiritual leaders and yes, even a few politicians. It is a quotation that I think should be emblazoned on government buildings, especial those where politicians hang out.

We have homeless people living in Yellowknife and it would appear that we have a lot of them. Many of them don't want to live in shelters, so they set up camps in the bush. If these camps get reported to the city, they send a crew out to clean them up. If they are discovered on the grounds of the legislative assembly, they also get destroyed during their yearly clean up.

So, in effect the homeless are also made campless. This does nothing to solve the problem and I am sure it creates a very real problem or burden for them until they can re-establish their camps elsewhere in the city. There is a rather startling irony to this. In the bush outside of Yellowknife people are building rural camps, cabins, cottages and even homes, wherever they want to and no one is stopping them or imposing any rules. Meanwhile, a homeless person in Yellowknife who sets up a small bush camp is under constant threat of having it cleaned up.

So, why are recreationalists allowed to do whatever they want but homeless people aren't? There seems to be a double standard here. Also, every time I go to the dump I see no end of wood and building materials being bulldozed and buried. Why isn't this material being saved and salvaged, to built proper camps and cabins for the homeless? There is enough stuff being thrown away to even build some houses to tackle the housing shortage in the North. It seems that we aren't being very creative or imaginative when it comes to solving problems here in the North.

Like a lot of people who work in mineral exploration, I have spent a good portion of my life living in tents in the bush with no running water or electricity. Its not bad, if you are set up properly for it. A tent frame, with a floor is even better and easier to keep clean. To me, a nice cozy bush cabin is great and in many ways I sometimes think I would rather be there than here. At least there I don't have to listen to sirens and people yelling and screaming at night. So, there really is no reason why we can't take a radically new approach to our homeless people and the housing problem, except for the political will to do it. Properly built and maintained camps would be a whole lot better than some of the squalid makeshift shelters I have seen people living in, inside this, our capital city.

Next time our MLAs are packing for one of their international junkets at taxpayer expense, whether it be kibitzing in Copenhagen, feasting in Fiji or chilling in China, maybe they could spare a few moments to contemplate the lives of their less fortunate constituents, the homeless people living here in Yellowknife.

A couple of years ago there was a debate going on because some street people were using the alleys and greenspaces around town as washrooms. They still are. At the time, I offered a few sensible solutions. The simplest one, would be to put a few port-a-potties around town. That would be a quick, easy and cost-effective solution.

Next, they could pass a rule that every government building, including city hall and the legislature, should have one washroom open to the public and that would of course include the homeless or street people. Taxpayers pay for those buildings so why shouldn't at least one washroom be available for those that need it.

I find it mind boggling that here it is in 2010 and people, citizens of our territory, are forced into using alleys and greenspaces for washrooms and have to live rough in the bush because they are homeless. Something is seriously wrong with this picture and it is time we changed the picture with some practical and creative solutions.

Seek and ye shall find - the answers at our dump.

• Walt Humphries is a well-known Yellowknife artist and prospector

NWT Fire season starts with a bang

Fire season starts with a bang

By SAMANTHA STOKELL, SRJ Reporter

•  Fri, Jun 11, 2010

In the first month of fire season, the Northwest Territories has already experienced more fires than all of last season due to extremely dry conditions.
Since May 1, a total of 54 fires have burned over 6,000 hectares across the territory. Last year there were only 39 fires in the NWT.

"There are definitely more fires at this time than in a normal season," said Mike Gravel, territorial duty officer for the NWT. "The north is currently in high danger of fires, but in the south a number of fires died down because of the rain."

In Alberta, where fire season starts a month earlier than the NWT, 753 fires have burned over 1,800 hectares across the province. Most burned around Calgary and Lac La Biche.

Near Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan, 12 fires have burned only six hectares and the area currently faces no threat from fires. The danger rating for the Fort Chipewyan area has changed to moderate due to precipitation from the previous weekend.

In the NWT, lightning causes 90 per cent of all fires. The forest management office monitors all lightning strikes in the territory. Fire crews then survey the general area of the strike to see if a fire might or has started.

"Right now we're dealing with the aftermath of a lightning bust," Gravel said. "It's better to fight when the fire is small. The quicker we get there the more effective we can be."

Forest management also has satellite imaging that registers heat on the ground and shows where fires burn or have burned.

Thirty-one crews with 10 helicopters and four tankers work across the territory. Gravel said these are enough for the current situation.

Right now, 22 fires are being monitored, with 22 being fought, mostly around Yellowknife, Behchoko and Whati. Monitored fires burn in areas with no threat to valued properties, such as cabins or communities.

As for the 10 per cent of other fires not caused by lightning, Gravel asks that people take extra precautions when starting fires on the land.

"If people can keep their fires small and make sure it's out, then we don't have to concentrate on person-caused fires, then the rest of our job is simpler," Gravel said.

New Issue: The Northern Review, Number 32 (Spring 2010)

New Issue Available: The Northern Review, Number 32 (Spring 2010)

The Spring 2010 issue of The Northern Review, a multidisciplinary journal of the arts and social sciences of the North, is now available. Book reviews, article abstracts, and a table of contents are available on the journal website at: http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/review

Articles

The True Northwest Passage: Explorers in Anglo-Canadian Nationalist Narratives, by Janice Cavell

Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Damage in Northern Native Communities: A Practical School-Based Approach, by Steven Jacquier, Judith Kleinfeld & David Gilliam

The Historical Roots of a Frontier Alcohol Culture: Alaska and Northern Canada, by Mary Ehrlander

Alaska Highway Mythology: Bulldozers to RVs, by Laura Pitkanen

Humble Dreams: An Historical Perspective on Yukon Agriculture Since 1846, by Sally Robinson

Book Reviews

Jen Hill, White Horizon: The Arctic in the Nineteenth-Century British Imagination. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008. Reviewed by Janice Cavell.

Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer, Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North. Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2008. Reviewed by Douglas Clark.

Ed Struzik, The Big Thaw: Travels in the Melting North. Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 2009. Reviewed by Ross Coen.

Lennard Sillanpää, Awakening Siberia. From Marginalization to Self-Determination: The Small Indigenous Nations of Northern Russia on the Eve of the Millennium. Helsinki: University of Helsinki, 2008. Reviewed by William J. Couch.

Jerry McBeath, Matthew Berman, Jonathan Rosenberg & Mary F. Ehrlander, The Political Economy of Oil in Alaska: Multinationals vs. the State. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. Reviewed by Richard A. Fineberg.

Karim Aly-Kassam, Biocultural Diversity and Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Human Ecology in the Arctic. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2009. Reviewed by Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox.

Sonja Luehrmann, Alutiiq Villages Under Russian and U.S. Rule. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2008. Reviewed by Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell.

Françoise Noël, Family and Community Life in Northeastern Ontario: The Interwar Years. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press 2009. Reviewed by Peter V. Krats.

Gary Holthaus, Learning Native Wisdom: What Traditional Cultures Teach Us About Subsistence, Sustainability, and Spirituality. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2008. Reviewed by S. Craig Gerlach and Philip A. Loring.

T. Kue Young and Peter Bjerregaard (eds.), Health Transitions in Arctic Populations. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Reviewed by Darlene Perkins.

Frances Abele, Thomas J. Courchene, F. Leslie Seidle & France St-Hilaire (eds.), Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada's North. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy and McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009. Reviewed by Jonathan Peyton.

Robert C. Paehlke, Some Like It Cold: The Politics of Climate Change in Canada. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2008. Reviewed by Jerald Sabin.

Hans M. Carlson, Home is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008. Reviewed by John Sandlos.

Jessica M. Shadian and Monica Tennberg (eds.), Legacies and Change in Polar Sciences: Historical, Legal and Political Reflections on the International Polar Year. Farnham, UK: Ashgate, 2009. Reviewed by Adam M. Sowards.

John L. Steckley, White Lies about the Inuit. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2008. Reviewed by Frank Tester.

Dawn Martin-Hill, The Lubicon Lake Nation: Indigenous Knowledge and Power. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Reviewed by Clinton N. Westman.

The Northern Review is published by Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Contact:

Deanna McLeod
Managing Editor, The Northern Review
Yukon College, PO Box 2799, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 5K4
T 867.668.8861 F 867.668.8805
dmcleod@yukoncollege.yk.ca
http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/review

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