EA work starts at former NTCL properties
The GNWT began environmental assessment work at properties once owned by the defunct Northern Transportation Company (NTCL).
Adjacent to Poison Graphics on the Mackenzie Highway near the intersection with 107 Street, the properties were transferred to the town in 2019. The Department of Infrastructure said it planned to conduct the assessment before creating a remediation plan. A budget hadn’t been established.
Dene Nation delivers
A new show home that was a deliberate step up - or two - from a mobile home was delivered to Kátł’odeeche First Nation by the Dene Nation for display in August.
The one-bedroom rapid modular unit was built to cost about $150,000, a prototype developed by Eagle Building of Grande Prairie, Alta. in conjunction with the Dene Nation. It featured triple-paned argon windows, solid maple flooring and stainless steel appliances.
“We collected many ideas” from Dene communities, the company’s Kirk Fowler said, “but some of the more common things were water pipes freezing and poor insulation.”
Going once, going twice, going … nowhere
The Mackenzie Place highrise failed to attract a single bid at a municipal tax auction Aug. 11.
Its owner, Harry Satdeo, owes $392,000 in back taxes. He was surprised no one bid on the building and wrote an open letter to Premier Caroline Cochrane criticizing the GNWT for failing to address the housing crunch in Hay River.
Bear spotted in Old Town
Bear sightings were up in 2021, according to some Old Town residents.
“There has been a lot of bear activity this summer and I’m not sure if it is because of the wetness in the bush and that they’re foraging for food,” Deborah Stanley said after seeing one on Cameron Crescent Aug. 15. The town asked residents to bear-proof their garbage in a bulletin issued the next day.
Man charged with impaired driving
A 37-year-old man was charged with impaired driving after a Dodge Caravan was ditched near the intersection of Highway 1 and the entrance to the Hay River airport around midnight Aug. 7.
The driver was treated for minor injuries at hospital.
Covid-19 exposure prompts emergency in KFN
A person infected with Covid-19 attended a “small” gathering in Kátł’odeeche First Nation, motivating the band to declare a local emergency.
“We are not sure if it is the Delta variant and all people who were at the gathering are isolating,” Chief April Martel said. The band banned visits to the community and said socialization within should be strictly avoided.
Clubs share Chase the Ace
The Hay River ski and golf clubs joined forces to present a united front for philanthropists. It was announced in August that both groups would benefit from the popular Chase the Ace fundraising lottery.
The two clubs had never run the Chase the Ace, and became the first organizers to put it online.