The Fort Resolution Metis Council will hold its annual general assembly on June 20.
The assembly will begin at 6 p.m. in the Antoine Beaulieu Memorial Hall.
- Paul Bickford
Trappers get training
Hunters and trappers participated in fur harvester training workshops in Ulukhaktok on May 15, according to a news release.
Participants learned how to grade sealskin and demonstrators from the Department of Industry Tourism and Investment as well as fur harvesters showed participants how to handle sealskin using traditional tools. They also learned about beaver pelts.
The workshop's goal was to ensure hunters and trappers have the most up-to-date information and skills, which will help make sure their products earn the highest amounts possible at fur auctions.
- Kassina Ryder
Mobile food processing units in the Sahtu
People in the Sahtu will soon be able to take advantage of two mobile fish and meat processing units.
The two units - one for Deline and one for Fort Good Hope - will help address food security issues in the region, said Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) Minister David Ramsay.
This pilot project is a joint initiative between ITI, the Yamoga Land Corporation in Fort Good Hope and the Deline Land Corporation.
- Laura Busch
New medevac landing site
Medevac flights from the NWT began landing at a new facility at Edmonton International Airport on May 14.
The new Air Operations Centre boasts a 3,600-square-metre hangar which is shared by all air ambulances operating in Northern Alberta, including medical helicopters which can transport critically ill or injured patients directly to hospital if necessary. There is also a six-bed patient transition room where emergency medical staff will be on had to assist, ground ambulances on site, and the centre houses the medical dispatch unit for all air ambulances in the region.
From Feb. 21, 2012 to Jan. 31, 2013, 330 NWT patients were medevaced to Edmonton.
- Laura Busch
Fabric landscapes workshop planned
Thebacha/Fort Smith
A fabric landscapes workshop is planned at Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre in Fort Smith.
The workshop will be held on May 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The instructor will be Marie Christine Aubrey.
Participants will learn how to create a hand-sewn piece of art using a variety of fabrics, patterns and colours.
For information on the fee and to register, contact Northern Life Museum. Supplies will be included in the participation fee.
- Paul Bickford
Writers festival hits Fort Smith
Thebacha/Fort Smith
The eighth-annual NorthWords Writers Festival will be holding an event in Fort Smith on May 30.
The special guest will be Sylvia Olsen, a writer and storyteller from British Columbia.
During the day, Olsen will be appearing at a number of locations including Aurora College, Paul William Kaeser High School and Mary Kaeser Library.
On the evening of May 30, she will be telling stories at Mary Kaeser Library, along with Fort Smith storyteller Jim Green and writer Patti-Kay Hamilton, also from Fort Smith.
- Paul Bickford
Goose hunt begins in Paulatuk
Paulatuk
Geese have arrived in Paulatuk and will likely be around until the end of the month, said Josie Green, of the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee.
"The geese are flying right over our heads," said Green. "Everybody is screaming and excited.
"You've got to get out there and get as much as you can, fill your freezer so you can live off good food for the rest of the year. Not store-bought food full of preservatives."
Green said the season typically lasts around two weeks, so the geese are expected to stick around Paulatuk until the end of May or beginning of June.
- Lyndsay Herman
Youth check out college
Tuktoyaktuk
Four students from Mangilaluk School were in Fort Smith for Aurora College's third annual Youth Symposium from May 13 to 16. Sacha Nogasak, Kathleen Nogasak, Aaron Teddy and Theresa Cockney are accompanied by their guidance counsellor Alex Storino.
The symposium is intended to introduce students to post-secondary education and show them what is available at Aurora College.
There are 70 students attending the symposium from 11 communities.
Fellow students from the Beaufort Region include Dennis Illisiak, Patrick Illisiak, Amber Ruben, and Denise Wolki from Angik School, accompanied by the school's science teacher Mike Mansfield.
The Mangilaluk students were expected to return to Tuktoyaktuk on May 16, the day before the school's week-long spring break starts.
- Lyndsay Herman
Victoria Day derby
Ulukhaktok/Holman
Ulukhaktok's annual Victoria Day long-weekend Fishing Derby was set to take place this past weekend.
Registration opened May 14 and closed May 17 at 5 p.m.
All ages were welcome to participate and competitors could choose to either go for day trips or camp for the weekend on any lake they desired.
Those over the age of 17 could win 176 litres of gas, a value of $299.20, for having the highest total weight of their three heaviest fish. They could also win 147 litres of gas, a value of $249.90, for the longest fish and 117 litres of gas, a value of $198.90, for the smallest fish.
Youth and children were able to win $250 for the highest total weight of their three heaviest fish, $225 for the longest fish, and $175 for the smallest fish.
- Lyndsay Herman
Weekend bustle
Paulatuk
There's been no rest on the weekends for Angik School this month. The events started May 3 when the school hosted a Sports Day that was about a lot more than sports. It kicked off with a school-served lunch followed by team activities outdoors. The day ended with a bonfire, roasted marshmallows and hot dogs.
The school also hosted a Mother's Day brunch on May 12 where teachers, RCMP officers and a health nurse cooked homemade beans, scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns for approximately 40 people. Anyone was welcome to attend, but special attention was given to moms, said Luke LeClair, a teacher at Angik School.
LeClair said the school was planning to host a checkers tournament on May 17 and run a ping-pong tournament on either May 24 or 31.
- Lyndsay Herman
Enterprise names interim fire chief
Enterprise
The Hamlet of Enterprise has named an interim fire chief for the next several months while its regular fire chief is out of the community to work for extended periods of time.
At its May 6 meeting, the council named Mayor Michael St. Amour as the interim fire chief to fill in for Craig McMaster, who will be finishing his out-of-town work by September.
St. Amour previously served as fire chief.
- Paul Bickford
Geese empty community
Ikaahuk/Sachs Harbour
After reaching Paulatuk, geese continue on their journey to Sachs Harbour.
The community is almost empty with most people on the land to hunt geese or fish.
"After the White Fox Jamboree (May 3 to 5), it really slows down," said Doreen Carpenter, recreation co-ordinator for the Hamlet of Sachs Harbour.
"The whole community, just about, is out fishing or hunting."
The last of the geese will come through in the first week of June, she said.