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Yellowknifer: 2007 - The Year in Review
JanuaryA skimpy showJanuary started out with somewhat less than a bang after city hall rang in the new year with a skimpy fireworks show. After just a few short bursts, the fireworks display was over in a matter of minutes. The city paid $5,000 for the fireworks display. "It was a last minute opportunity that we came across," said Grant White, director of community services. Mother of nine, NWT first A Colville Lake mother gave birth to the Northwest Territories' first baby of 2007, a girl weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces. The baby was expected on New Year's Day and she came just as planned. Ann Kochon-Orlias, a mother of nine, gave birth to the little girl at Stanton Territorial Hospital. Six-hundred and forty-seven babies were born in 2006. Man charged in triple homicide A former Yellowknife resident was charged with three counts of first degree murder for a shooting in Cambridge Bay, Jan. 6. Christopher Raymond Bishop, 21, was charged with shooting Keith Atatahak, Dean Costa and Kevin Komaksiut. He was also charged with attempted murder after two others were wounded by gun shots fired from a semi-automatic weapon. The shooting began inside a Cambridge Bay residence that continued outside. Police declined to speculate on why the shooting occurred. Stanton flooded with sick infants "Virtually the entire pediatrics ward is from Nunavut," was the comment from Dr. Michael Young of Stanton Hospital's pediatrics ward, following a large outbreak of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) among several infants from the territory. Twenty or more infants were being kept in the pediatrics ward, with some babies kept in isolation. RSV can cause swelling in a child's nose, throat and lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Fatal plane crash The new year began in tragedy after an Arctic Sunwest plane destined for Blachford Lake Lodge crashed Jan. 3, killing three. Killed aboard the Cessna 185 were Ndilo resident Albert Doctor, 41, Jason Watt, 36 from Trenton Ont., and Patrick Alexander (Lawton), 53, of Eckville Alta. Alfred Tsetta, 40, was the sole survivor of the plane crash. The bones in both of his legs were shattered in the mishap. He was medevaced to an Edmonton hospital for treatment. "He's pretty lucky," said RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich. The plane was reported missing at 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 3. A Hercules search plane from Winnipeg spotted the Cessna about 3.2 kilometres east of the lodge at 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 4. Forty-five minutes later two search and rescue technicians parachuted down to the crash site. Residential school settlement approved The NWT Supreme Court approved a massive settlement package for nearly 80,000 former residential school students. Under the settlement former residential school students will receive $10,000 for the first year spent in residential schools and $3,000 for subsequent years. Total payments average out to about $23,000 per person. Payments for abuse suffered in the schools, however, could go up to $275,000 if proven, and up to $250,000 for a proven loss of income due to harm suffered at a school. "I don't think it's enough because of what we went through," said Margaret Messer, a Yellowknife resident who was in a residential school in Fort Resolution for eight years.
February
Early start to ice road season The ice road used to truck in supplies to NWT diamond mines opened a week ahead of schedule. The Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road opened to long haul traffic Jan. 28. In 2006, the road opened on Feb. 4 to light traffic only, and stayed open for only 42 days. This year's winter road stayed open for 72 days, allowing for a record year of shipping with 10,922 loads going to the NWT's three diamond mines during that time. Catholic school board chair angry at minister Shannon Gullberg, chair of the Yellowknife Catholic school board, pulled no punches when she accused Charles Dent, minister of Education, Culture and Employment, of trying to 'eradicate' Catholic education in the territories after the two failed to agree on renovation plans for St. Joseph school. The school was due for a retrofit in 2008 but the Catholic board wanted the scheduled bumped up to this year due to extensive damage to the school's gymnasium and portable classrooms caused by a fire in 2006. Tensions between the territorial government and the Catholic board had been building since the fall when the territorial government refused to allow Yellowknife Catholic Schools to limit trustee elections to Catholics only. Ndilo double stabbing Two women were were sent to hospital after a stabbing incident in Ndilo. One woman was rushed backed to Yellowknife after her condition deteriorated during a medevac flight to Edmonton. The woman was kept at Stanton Territorial Hospital until her condition stabilized. The RCMP were uncertain about the circumstances surrounding the stabbings at the time. The less severely injured woman refused to cooperate with the RCMP's investigation while the other woman remained unconscious. We know our snow Team NWT took first place at the 29th annual National Snow Sculpture Competition at Winterlude in Ottawa. The team featured Randy Sibbeston, Eli Nasogaluak and John Sabourin. Their first place sculpture, titled Take Time to Dance, featured a polar bear and an outdoorsman dancing in the snow. Snow sculpting veteran Nasogaluak also announced that his days of national sculpting competition were potentially coming to an end. "My goal is to move on to international competition," he said. Compressions galore Members of the Community Emergency Response Team were at Centre Square Mall Feb. 4 to raise awareness about CPR and encourage donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation in a 48-hour CPR-a-thon. The five men took turns performing CPR on dummy Annie, completing 259,000 compressions and 17,280 ventilations during that span. They had earlier hoped to beat the world endurance record for performing continuous CPR but an English team had smashed it the day before with a time of 155.5 hours, so they contented themselves that at least they broke a record in the NWT. Playing tag with caribou The announcement by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael McLeod that caribou tags would be reduced angered big game outfitters and raised questions by some MLAs in the legislative assembly, who worried that the decision would 'kill the outfitting industry'. Tu Nedhe MLA Bobby Villeneuve said the reduction of tags in 2007 and 2008, would be a serious blow to northern businesses. McLeod reduced the number of tags for visiting hunters to 750 from 1,243 the previous year. The 750 was a compromise by McLeod after initially announcing that the number of tags would be reduced to 350 in December, 2006.
March
'We don't want him' Ordering a senior bureaucrat to perform community service for forwarding a racist, sexist e-mail only angered women's groups in the territory. Michael Hurst, director of Industry Canada in Yellowknife, was ordered to perform community service with three NWT women's groups after he was caught sending the e-mail in January, according to the NWT Status of Women Council, the NWT Native Women's Association and the Centre for Northern Families. The e-mail, which was forwarded to Hurst's hockey team, showed pictures of three younger, semi-naked non-aboriginal women next to an older aboriginal woman with the caption, "pick Miss NWT." In a press release, all three groups said they weren't consulted on the community service order, and none was inclined to accept volunteer work from Hurst. The bureaucrat later apologized for sending the e-mail. Parents just say 'no' A public meeting made parents' thoughts clear on a potential school closing for Yk Education District No. 1: a resounding no. At a packed public meeting, March 7 parents and Yk1 board members challenged a letter from Charles Dent, then-minister of Education, Culture and Employment, suggesting Yk1 close one of its schools to make better use of available space. "I don't educate dollars and cents, I educate kids," said Dean MacInnis, principal of Willaim McDonald middle school. "It just doesn't make sense to me, especially considering this could be my daughter." Jewels gone again Owners were shocked when thousands of dollars worth in gold and diamonds were stolen from Eldonn Jewellery - again. Gail and John Probe had owned the store for more than a year without incident but were now facing their second shoplifting in eight days, for a total loss of $23,000. In one incident, an entire tray of 20 rings was stolen, while in another, two bangles were taken, both during normal business hours. At the time, the pair planned to invest around $5,000 in security measures for the store - including security cameras, motion sensor door bells and new locks for all the showcases - to prevent any future incidents. "We don't want to give them the opportunity to get away so easily next time," said John Probe. Caribou harassment hits YouTube Wildlife officials were investigating after a video showing three snowmobilers chasing down a herd of caribou in the NWT wound up on the website YouTube. The two-minute, 22-second video showed the herd at full gallop, as the snowmobilers pursue them throughout the video's duration. Raymond Bourget, senior wildlife officer with the GNWT's Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said chasing caribou for sport is "absolutely illegal." The video was posted by Andre Thibodeau, a network administrator at city hall. He said an acquaintance gave him the video, and that he wasn't there during the incident. The maximum penalty for harassing caribou under the Wildlife Act is a $1,000 fine, a year in jail, or both. Youths destroy homeless couple's tent A homeless couple were shaken up after seeing two teens shooting at their tent behind Tommy Forrest Park with pellet guns, just before it burst into flames. Firefighters responded to a call at the site the evening of March 26, said deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar. "There were two youths present who allegedly shot something at the tent that caused it to ignite," he said. "But it was unclear what it was." The homeless man and woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the youths came out to the site often but with little trouble in the three-and-a-half years they had lived there. "(Most kids) don't bother us and I'm not bothered by them but these kids were wild," said the woman. While investigations were underway, the pair said the fire left them with nothing. "I guess we'll salvage what we can but we just have blankets and no other shelter," the woman said.
April
58 days on the Barrens In April, Yellowknifer marked the 40th anniversary of Robert Gauchie's thrilling rescue from a remote Northern lake - 58 days after his plane was forced down. The bush pilot was en route to Yellowknife from Cambridge Bay when bad weather forced him to land not once, but twice - finally putting him near Great Bear Lake, out of fuel and some 300 kilometres off course. After almost two months without fire, proper supplies or human contact, Gauchie was spotted by the pilots of a turbo Beaver and brought to safety, weeks after the search for him had been called off. Mike W. Bryant's retelling of the story would win Best Historical Story in the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association's annual awards. Three fines in 16 hours Yellowknife firefighters were run off their feet the weekend of April 6, as three large fires did $800,000 of damage within 16 hours. Fires struck a home in Northland trailer park, a Kam Lake Road warehouse and Giant Mine in short order, destroying structures and sending several people to hospital for minor injuries. The frantic pace pushed the fire department's full-time and on-call staff to its limit, said deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar. "It's not one shift getting hammered, it's everyone taking a lickin'," said Dewar. "We were just hoping things would settle down." Dewar said it's not unusual to see fires pop up in threes like this. "That's just the way it is sometimes... It'll be quiet then sometimes there's a flurry of activity," he said. "If there's a fire we can usually count on two behind it." A $2,500 pair of shoes Two Yellowknife parents were frustrated with the territorial government after they were denied funding for orthotics to treat their daughter's clubfoot condition. "I have to say, I'm just not happy with Health and Social Services," said Reyhan Sarikaya. "It's been the biggest headache." Clubfoot is a birth defect where the feet and ankles are turned in, making it impossible to plant the foot flat on the ground. It requires early surgical and rehabilitation treatment to prevent long-term disability. The GNWT said it wasn't willing to pay, as clubfoot is a congenital deformity rather than a disease, said deputy minister Warren St. Germaine. "The government doesn't cover all people's medical costs, that's basically the bottom line," he said. RV controversy at Folk Proposed plans for an RV park at the Folk on the Rocks site got a sharp reception during a public meeting in April. After the GNWT's Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment made a presentation on the proposed park, they were met with a prepared statement from Folk president Glen Abernethy, alleging ITI "mislead and manipulated" the society. "This isn't public consultation, this is you telling us what you're going to do," he said. Controversy also erupted over the "crushed glass" (some at the meeting merely called it "garbage") that was dumped at the site as fill - which many on hand were pleased to learn would be removed. Fire destroys home on Borden On the morning of April 20, fire gutted a home at 224 Borden Drive. The raging fire spread quickly, all but eradicating the home and doing more than $275,000 in damage. "It's horrific, somebody's whole home is gone," said neighbour Jennifer Pagonis. Deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar said it didn't take long for firefighters to switch from an "offensive" to a "defensive" mode in the blaze, particularly once the home's roof went up. "When you get into a defensive mode, you've accepted the loss of the structure," he said. Donations aplenty for Bailey House A $91,000 auction and a donated Mercedes-Benz boosted the burgeoning Bailey House transitional home. As construction began, an evening auction raised $91,000 for the Bailey House project, which is meant to serve as a transition home for homeless men - the first of its kind in Yellowknife. An unexpected donation came from Gordon Stewart of Braden Burry Expediting Ltd. as well - his 2001 Mercedes-Benz. "I just really appreciate the work that Diavik and Glenn (Zelinski) and the community are doing on the Bailey House," Stewart said of the donation, which was estimated to have a $22,000 resale value. As the ground was broken for the project on Franklin Avenue, Lydia Bardak, co-chair of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, said there was more to come to build the $5.1 million project. "We'll have more fundraising appeals as the project progresses," she said.
May
Battle of the boards May was a difficult month for two of Yellowknife's school boards, as Charles Dent, minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, continued to push Yellowknife Education District No. 1 to close down a school and lease it to Yellowknife Catholic Schools. Dent held a meeting at Northern United Place May 3, trying to convince parents it was the best thing to do. Parents who showed up, however, showed growing frustration with Dent's move. One parent said, "making the two boards try to fight that out seems like divide and conquer to me." Trade show draw stirs complaints The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce received a half dozen complaints following the organization's annual spring trade show, from people who believed they won a trip from Astar Resorts. The company was collecting names and addresses under the pretence of raffling a trip to the Bahamas or Florida. Astar later used the information for balloting time shares. In two cases, people had supplied their VISA information and one person was charged $900 for incidental charges. While the company didn't do anything illegal, the RCMP issued a general warning nevertheless. NWT gets first francophone graduates Five students who graduated from Ecole Allain St. Cyr were the first to graduate from an NWT francophone school. With full francophone education a recent development in the NWT, the tiny graduating class was big news for the Francophone community. To encourage students to stick it out with a French education, each graduate received bursaries up to $3,500 for post-secondary education, depending how long they had been at the school. Hit and run victim speaks out A 50-year old woman who fell victim to a hit-and-run accident April 18 spoke out against the person responsible for landing her in hospital. She remembered seeing the driver get out of her car and stare at her, not doing a thing. Zoom Boom loader breaks through Prelude A 27,000-pound Zoom Boom loader owned by a Yellowknife construction company broke through the ice at Prelude Lake on May 6. The loader was on its way to retrieve a one-tonne truck that got stuck earlier in the day. The loader fell through the ice after the operator drilled a pile of holes into the ice to try and winch it out, according to one witness who said, "what Doycon did - it's so stupid." Kam Lake armed standoff A standoff between the RCMP and a 16-year-old youth in Kam Lake May 10 ended peacefully. The RCMP's Emergency Response Team went out after a youth barricaded himself under a trailer on Curry Drive. With residents trapped inside the trailer while waiting for the standoff to end, a female negotiator was able to get the youth to surrender to police in under a minute. She asked him to come out and he shouted, "okay." Chiefs tell premier to go back to Saskatchewan Akaitcho chiefs called on then premier Joe Handley to resign after he signed an agreement-in-principle on resource revenue sharing without their participation. Four chiefs held a press conference May 16 to express their frustration with the premier for signing the agreement with leaders of the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Sahtu and NWT Metis without inviting the Akaitcho chiefs. "Handley does not speak for the Akaitcho Nation, he's not welcome (in Weledeh) anymore," said Yellowknives Chief Peter Liske. "He should go back to Saskatchewan where he came from." Raven Mad Daze falters After 30 years of late-night partying on Franklin Avenue, the organizer of Raven Mad Daze announced the event would be merged with the Summer Solstice Festival. Lisa Tesar said staff suffered verbal and physical abuse in the past while trying to get vendors to clean up their sites. The event was rescheduled to take place June 20 at Somba K'e Park and City Hall parking lot. Judge rules against Catholic school board The Supreme Court of the NWT rejected an attempt by the Catholic school board to ban non-Catholics from running for the board. Chief Justice Ted Richard ruled that Section 93 of the Constitution Act, which protects the rights and privileges of denominational schools, does not apply in the NWT. The school board brought the matter before the courts after the city ruled against their attempt to declare two board candidates ineligible because they were not Catholic.
June
TB testing sweeps Yk June began with tuberculosis testing for many of Yellowknife's homeless, shelter workers and enforcement officers after health officials in the city discovered a man with an infectious case of the disease in town. "It was a few hundred people who had to be followed," said Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Andre Corriveau of the incident. The man had stayed at the Salvation Army homeless shelter, and had also been in police custody a few times prior to diagnosis, coming into close contact with several people. Corriveau described close contact as living in the same house as someone or sharing the same breathing space for more than four hours. At the time, the man had been sent to an Edmonton hospital for further treatment. Fire raises concerns The June 2 house fire that consumed a duplex at 87 Morrison Drive left the neighbourhood wondering how well the Yellowknife Fire Department was equipped to handle fires on Latham Island. Fire trucks arriving on the scene became stuck in a snarl of other vehicles as residents and the curious on Latham's narrow one-way streets crowded in for a look. At one point witnesses watched the firefighters run out of water while their pumper truck was trapped behind a line-up of cars. Fire department officials said that by the time the fire was discovered, there was nothing that could have been done to save the house, and their equipment was sufficient. Plane makes dramatic landing A Canadian North pilot pulled off a flawless landing of a Dash 8 twin-engined turbo-prop that had failed to deploy its nose gear. The June 5 flight left Gjoa Haven, headed for Cambridge Bay, and upon descent into the Nunavut hamlet, indicator lights had come on alerting the pilot to landing gear problems. The pilot made the decision to fly to Yellowknife, where emergency ground support capabilities were much larger. At around 7 p.m. that evening, the plane circled the Yellowknife airport once and came down with the nose skidding on the tarmac. All eight people on board exited safely. "The pilot did an excellent job. It went very, very well," said Fire Chief Reid Douglas. Shorty remembered The death of long-time Yellownifer Clarence "Shorty" Brown had the city pausing to remember the man who had made hockey and mining history in town, and considered all of Yellowknife to be his family. Brown, 77, flipped burgers at a staff appreciation day for a company he helped found and died of a heart attack the next day. Brown was remembered for being a perpetual supporter of hockey in Yellowknife. A rink at the Multiplex arena bears his name. A celebration of his life was held on June 15 at the Arctic Sunwest hangar. RV park on hold The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) had to put its plans for a proposed RV park on hold for a year to consider all the concerns raised by the community. ITI held a June 12 public forum on the park, which was scheduled to be built next to the Folk on the Rocks site, and 50 people attended to weigh in on the development. Supporters of the annual music festival worried that the park may encroach upon the festival grounds. 40 years as capital Yellowknife celebrated 40 years as the capital of the NWT at the city's annual community barbecue on Sunday, June 17. The event was marked with a performance from the Sir John Franklin Jazz Band and the city handed out prizes to people who answered trivia question about Yellowknife. There were also games for kids, burgers for all, and a giant cake in honour of the event, as well as a free diamond for the winner of a draw for people who were born in 1975, the year the city became the territory's capital.
July
Strip bar patron remembered Yellowknife's lone strip bar took care of the funeral arrangements for one of their own, when their regular patron and maintenance man, Dewaine Dutkowski, died in June. Harley's staff and customers attended the service for Dutkowski that was held in the bar itself, and arrangements were made for the establishment's original brass pole to adorn his headstone. Dutkowski, also known affectionately as "Perv," was a well-liked fixture at Harley's, and was sadly missed by many of the employees and regulars of the bar. Motorcycle dealer rides in Polar Tech owner Gord Olson signed the paperwork in early July 2007 to bring a Harley Davidson motorcycle dealership to Yellowknife. The deal would mean he was the first to sell the bikes in the NWT. He also now holds the distinction of owning the Northern-most Harley dealership in the world. Olson said he had been dreaming of the day for about three years, but had made a serious play at bringing Harleys to town after Polar Tech moved to a spacious location in the Kam Lake industrial park. Boys missing after boat trip The families of two teenage boys rallied around search efforts after the two went missing during an ill-fated boat trip on the weekend of July 4. Michael Luzny, 18, and Randy Leisk, 15, had been at a camp at Old Fort Rae operated by Grant and Bertha Blondin when they reportedly took a small motorboat and travelled to Rae on the North Arm of Great Slave Lake. They were seeking supplies with a third youth on board when the boat ran out of gas. After a night marooned on an island, the youths paddled the boat out into the North Arm. Unable to reach Old Fort Rae, Leisk and Luzny attempted to swim to shore. The bodies of the boys were recovered less than two weeks after they disappeared. The incident raised many questions about the camp they had been attending. Six years for Wong Former Right Spot bar owner Ken Wong was sentenced to six years in prison for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking ring in Yellowknife. The trafficking organization was busted in the fall of 2005 by undercover RCMP officers as part of a takedown called "Project Gunship." Wong had been at the centre of the ring. Wong was convicted of trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. Sentencing judge Ted Richard turned down a joint sentencing submission for five years by Crown and defence lawyers to give Wong the harsher six-year sentence and nearly $500,000 in fines. Wong later successfully appealed the sentence and had it reduced to five years. Plans for civic plaza unveiled The City of Yellowknife finally released finished plans for the vacated lot next to city hall. The site was previously occupied by the Gerry Murphy Arena, which was demolished in 2004 after it was condemned by the NWT fire marshal. Construction of the new civic plaza was broken into three phases, which are all expected to be completed by 2009. The plaza design includes an open-air amphitheatre, areas for public art, a zamboni hut to service the ice on Frame Lake, and huge expanses of trees and greenery for public enjoyment.
August
Councillor wants anti-spitting bylaw Saliva was on the tips of everyone's tongues in August in a non-literal sense. City councillor Paul Falvo started talking about an anti-spitting bylaw to help control downtown displays of loogies and phlegm. The bylaw received criticism from other city councillors who said it would be almost impossible to enforce such a rule. New Dettah hall under way Construction started on a new $3.5 million community complex in Dettah Aug. 3. The 12,000 square-foot facility would house 13 administrative offices and an archive room, along with a new community hall. The project was funded by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Two bears killed in one weekend August was a hot month for bear sightings, as a poor berry season forced a number of sub-adult bears to wander into the city. In one weekend alone, one bear was killed while eating garbage at Matonabee and Gitzel while another was killed in Dettah. A third bear was captured Aug. 29 near the Con Mine area and relocated. Family of seven forced to live at camp site A woman and her six children were forced to live at Fred Henne Park while waiting for housing in Yellowknife. While Eileen Koe had a place to stay in Dettah, she was told by the Yellowknife Housing Authority she could not stay there while waiting for Yellowknife housing. Not wanting to give up her place on the list, Koe moved her family into a canvas tent at the camp site. After the story ran Aug. 17, a Yellowknife family loaned her a trailer. She was moved into transitional housing the next month. Police investigate Edutec Montessori The Edutec Montessori school was forced to shut down Aug. 15 after a complaint was made against the school. The Department of Education, Culture, and Employment asked the school to shut down, saying child endangerment was a concern. A separate ECE investigation later cleared the school, but as most of the board members resigned, the school never re-opened. The board had only recently taken control of Edutec from its founder Raymond Grant. Grant later accused the department of a conspiracy, saying they closed down the school because other schools were complaining that Edutec's prices were too low. Man jailed for trafficking drywall dust A 50-year-old man was convicted of trafficking an illegal substance after he was caught selling crumbled drywall to two undercover police officers in March. The man pleaded guilty in Territorial Court Aug. 28 to selling what he claimed to be an eight-ball of cocaine for $240 to two undercover police officers at Caribou Carnival. The man's lawyer tried to ask for a conditional sentence, saying the crime was by nature pathetic and that the accused was obviously not a sophisticated dealer. Handley gets $200,000 for China trip The territorial government made a surprising announcement that it would be sending then premier Joe Handley and other representatives on a trade and tourism mission to China in September. The legislative assembly approved a total of $200,000 for the trip, although several MLAs attempted to pass a motion to cut $100,00 in funding that was granted through a supplementary acquisitions bill. Dettah gets new chief Yellowknives Dene Chief Peter Liske was ousted in an election Aug. 7 by long-time band councillor Edward Sangris. Sangris received 94 votes compared to Liske's 88. Liske lost the election after announcing during one of debate that he would enter an alcohol rehabilitation program program if he were elected. The story later appeared on the Jay Leno show during the late night program's headlines section. conspiracy, saying they closed down the school because other schools were complaining that Edutec's prices were too low.
September
Last accused in 'Project Gunship' sentenced The last person accused of organized drug trafficking charges, during 'Project Gunship' was sentenced Sept. 18, Philip Mullins receivedto three years in jail for conspiring to traffic cocaine, and two years for trafficking marijuana. Other major players were sentenced in July. Injured man ignored on sidewalk A 19-year old man was left lying for 20 minutes on the sidewalk Aug. 28, after he collapsed on Borden Drive because of a burst ulcer in his stomach. Chris Hammerberg expressed disappointment that he was ignored for so long when he clearly needed help. "I can't believe that the drugs and alcohol have gotten so bad in this town that people can't tell a medical emergency from a drunken bum," said Hammerberg. Jack Layton in town NDP leader Jack Layton made a visit to Yellowknife during a tour of the North the last week of August. After his tour, Layton said the federal government needs to give more to the North. "It's a partnership that's not working well right now. It's out of balance," Layton told the Yellowknifer. Mystery graffiti Bellanca building renovations turned up graffiti underneath the siding on its exterior dating back to 1973, which read "Go Esks Cup '73' West." Mickey Brown, whose late husband Clarence "Shorty" Brown founded Bellanca Developments, said she remembered workers painting the building just prior to a Grey Cup match between Edmonton and Ottawa. She said workers from Carlson Contractors painted the graffitti as they were waiting for the siding to arrive. Candidate taunted with sexual remarks Weledeh candidate Carol Morin's campaign slogan, "I get it," was tossed back in her face after a group of men drove past her campaign headquarters screaming out at her, "we'll give it to you." The incident was just one of a number of harassing incidents for Morin. One woman called her threatening to write derogatory comments on her website. Morin's signs were also vandalized and marked over with sexual comments. Fellow MLA candidate Sue Glowach also reported that several of her signs were vandalized. MLA candidates accuse others of "secret slate" Some Yellowknife MLA hopefuls complained that other candidates were secretly trying to bring party politics into the North. The accusations came after four candidates confirmed they had attended workshops held by the Canadian Labour Congress, a group closely associated with the NDP. While those candidates all denied being associated with any party, Yellowknife Centre incumbent Robert Hawkins accused them of "bringing party politics through the back door." School board chairs step down Yellowknife lost two school board chairs in the same month after Terry Brookes, chair of Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Shannon Gullberg, chair of Yellowknife Catholic schools, both stepped down. Brookes was forced out after he was told by his employer, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, that his role as chair put him in a conflict of interest. Brookes had served as chair since the previous November, and wasn't given a clear explanation as to where the conflict arose. Gullberg stepped down when she moved to Alberta after her husband took a job there.
October
19-year-old wins $1 million A Set for Life Scratch and Win ticket turned out to be worth a million to Matt Murray. The 19-year-old bought four tickets from the Wink's convenience store on Forrest Drive. His friend Tamara Mackie scratched the first one and joked that he had just won $10,000 before discarding it. But after scratching the second ticket she discovered he was a winner for real - a $1 million one. Murray flew to St. Albert, Alta. to accept a giant novelty cheque and a real cheque from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation a few days later. Election results There were some tight races among MLA candidates for seats in the 16th legislative assembly. Only six of the 19 MLAs elected were new to the job, including Yellowknife South's Bob McLeod, Frame Lake's Wendy Bisaro, Glen Abernethy from Great Slave, and Weledeh's Bob Bromley. Tom Beaulieu from Tu Nedhe and Jackie Jacobson in Nunakput were the new faces coming in ahead of incumbents in ridings outside of Yellowknife. The elected incumbents were Paul Delorey, Jane Groenewegen, Robert McLeod, Dave Ramsay, David Krutko, Jackson Lafferty, Kevin Menicoche, Michael Miltenberger, Sandy Lee, Michael McLeod, Norman Yakeleya, Floyd Roland and Robert Hawkins. An unofficial tally by Elections NWT counted 12,914 votes for a voter turnout of 66.75 per cent. House arrest for bingo bandit Roy Desjarlais pleaded guilty to theft after stealing over $50,000 from the Community Television Society. He was acting as treasurer at the time of the theft. The former public schools trustee also pleaded guilty to knowingly using forged documents. Between January 2005 and October 2006, Desjarlais stole money by forging the second signature required on more than 24 cheques. He was sentenced to 12 months house arrest. Boy bags caribou with bow Devon Allooloo, an 11-year-old Yellowknifer, may be the youngest hunter on record to kill a caribou with a bow and arrow, according to Glenn Hisey, records keeper for the prestigious bowhunting society the Pope and Gun Club. Allooloo shot a bull caribou in the heart at Thonokied Lake Sept. 15. Allooloo said he may have had a bit of extra luck, as the arrow was given to him by Michele Leqve, known as the first woman to kill a polar bear with a bow. RCMP officer killed RCMP Const. Christopher John Worden, 30, was shot and killed while responding to a request for police assistance at a Hay River residence in the early morning hours of Oct. 6. After dispatch lost radio contact with Worden, other officers were summoned to the scene at Woodland Avenue where Worden's body was found around 8 a.m. in a small wooded area. Worden was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Emrah Bulatci, 23, was later charged with first-degree murder following a six-day manhunt that led officers to a residence in Edmonton, Alta. He is in custody at the North Slave Correctional Facility awaiting a court date. MLA candidate cries foul Failed MLA candidate for Yellowknife Centre Ben McDonald filed a 14-page complaint with Elections NWT, arguing 250 voters in his riding did not provide proper documentation to prove their voting eligibility. He also suggested that agents working for winner Robert Hawkins coerced immigrant voters to vote for their candidate before entering the polling station. Elections NWT is still investigating the complaint.
November
No more zeros Yellowknife Catholic Schools introduced a new system of grading. The school board decided to implement the system of assessment that would no longer assign zeros to students who fail to complete assignments or lower grades for bad behaviour. YCS Superintendent Kern Von Hagen said not all parents were happy about the new system. "The concern was we weren't going to prepare students for the real world," said Von Hagen. The intent behind the new system, according to the school board, is to give kids a chance to turn things around during the year, even if they had been struggling with work earlier. Firefighters back in budget The union representing Yellowknife firefighters was upset after two firefighter positions were cut from the 2008 draft city budget. The two full-time firefighters would have increased the number of regular firefighters at the fire hall to 22, not including the chief and three deputy chiefs. Craig Halifax, president of the International Association of Firefighters local 2890, said he was concerned that there is not enough staff poses a safety risk. "The two positions (for 2008) would have been of limited help, but at least it was something," said Halifax. After the outcry, city council put the two firefighter postions back into the budget during budget deliberations the following month. Boy beaten by group of youths An 11-year-old boy was assaulted by a group of five youths in broad daylight. The boy was walking home from an after-school volleyball practice when he was passed by the group of youths. They attacked him from behind, threw him to the ground, kicking and punching him in the head and body. Parents Paula and Rene Bauhaus, who did not want their son's name published, said they had only recently allowed their son to walk to school alone. "The attitude that boys will be boys and aggression is OK, it's not right," said Rene. The parents said they were trying to help their son cope with a traumatizing event. RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich said there was an ongoing investigation. Yellowknife-based soldier honoured Canadian Forces soldier Sgt. Robert Stevens was honoured for his life-saving actions in Afghanistan. Now stationed in Yellowknife, Stevens was in Afghanistan on a six-month tour when he received a call to help U.S. Special Forces under fire and in danger of being overrun by Taliban forces. He was given the Commander's Commendation award, something he was very humbled by. "It was kind of a surprise to me," said Stevens. "I don't really know what to say." Described as "a Canadian hero" by General Rick Hillier, Stevens will be in Yellowknife for the next three years working with the Canadian Rangers. Death of outlaw pilot One of the North's most memorable pilots, Adolph William "Willy" Laserich, died from heart failure at the age of 75. Laserich was often in trouble with the federal air transport authorities, but was much loved by the northern communities he served. He launched Adlair Aviation in 1982 and it is still in operation today in Yellowknife and Cambridge Bay. Laserich's children carry on the tradition of working in the aviation field, with his son Paul running the Yellowknife operation of Adlair and another son Rene operating out of Cambridge Bay. "He was a pioneer. Loved life and loved flying," said son Paul.
December
Yellowknife's 'fish lady' dies Nancy Buckley, often called the "fish lady," died Dec. 4 while out collecting fish at Whitebeach Point on the North Arm of Great Slave Lake. She was 46. She could often be found selling fish on the shore of Great Slave Lake or on the streets of Yellowknife out of the back of her truck. Buckley came north from Ottawa almost 30 years ago. City caps taxis City council voted to put a temporary freeze on issuing licences to new taxis after drivers complained that there were too many cars and they couldn't make a living. Drivers and council were divided on the issue—the mayor had to break a 4-4 tie vote to pass the moratorium in until September 2008. The city plans to use the time to gather information on the industry and the best course of action. Alberta man dies near Discovery Mine The search for the body of an Alberta man who died after the truck he was in broke through the ice was called off until spring after the RCMP found the vehicle but couldn't locate a body. Jaxon Smith, 27, from Wetaskawin, Alta., was in the truck on Giauque Lake near the Discovery Mine site with two other men. They managed to escape as the SUV sank, walking to safety and building a fire to keep from developing hypothermia. No homework angers parents An Edmonton principal gave a presentation on a new grading system adopted by Yellowknife Catholic Schools in the fall, expressing his beliefs that children should not be assigned homework or receive zeroes for incomplete assignments. Dale Skoreyko, who has been an educator for 17 years, argued that bad marks diminish kids' confidence and said teaching methods such as timed exams and spelling tests were impractical. City raises taxes Council adopted the 2008 budget, sealing a tax increase of 2.98 per cent. It marked the fourth year in a row that property taxes, which provide the bulk of the general revenues of the city, have gone up. Councillors also added two firefighter positions set to start in July 2008 after repeated calls from the firefighters union to do so, which contributed to a higher-than-expected tax hike. Lawsuit filed against Bell Mobility A Yellowknife man filed a $6-million class action lawsuit against Bell Mobility for charging monthly for 911, a service not available in the Northwest Territories. If successful, the $6 million would be divided amongst all of Bell's customers in Canada who pay 75 cents a month. City loses fire chief Fire chief Reid Douglas left Yellowknife's fire department to take a new post as deputy chief at the Winnipeg fire department. Douglas served about a year in Yellowknife before deciding to return to his roots - he began his career in Winnipeg and much of his family lives there.
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