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News Briefs: Around the NWT

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Read below to catch up on the latest news briefs from around the Northwest Territories

New public works garage in Behchoko

Behchoko/Rae-Edzo

A new, six-bay water and sewer truck garage opened in Behchoko on Sept. 10. The garage was put in next to the existing four-bay garage, and aims to properly secure and maintain the community’s water distribution and wastewater management vehicles. The Government of Canada put $1,159,000 towards the project from its Small Communities Fund, with Behchoko contributing the final $386,334

– Tim Edwards

Counsellors coming to Deh Cho, Tlicho schools

NWT

Seven child and youth care counsellors will begin working in Tlicho and Deh Cho schools this month. The GNWT plans to introduce 42 full-time counsellors and seven clinical supervisors total to NWT schools over the next four years. The number of counsellors at each school will be based on the number of students enrolled. Schools with less than 75 students will continue to be serviced by a team of travelling counsellors. The initial slate of seven counsellors will be at: Echo Dene School in Fort Liard, Deh Gah School in Fort Providence, Thomas Simpson and Bompas Elementary schools in Fort Simpson, Mezi Community School in Whatı̀ and Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchoko.

– Tim Edwards

No date yet set for Tsiigehtchic liquor vote

Tsiigehtchic/Arctic Red River

Tsiigehtchic senior administrative officer Larry Dalley says he’s still waiting on the Northwest Territories Liquor Board and the deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to set a date for a community plebiscite on whether to remove restrictions on alcohol in the community. On June 11, community members voted 28 out of 47 voting community members  in favour of making Tsiigehtchic, currently dry, an unrestricted community. A plebiscite was supposed to take place within 90 days of that vote.

– Tim Edwards

Indigenous and territorial officials to hold economic symposium

Inuvik

Indigenous and territorial government leaders will hold an economic symposium in Inuvik next month.

Taking place from Oct. 1 to 3, the symposium and will focus on the state of the territory's resource economy and opportunities for development.

The idea for a conference on the economy came out of a December 2017 meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of the Northwest Territories (IGC).

The IGC was born out of NWT's devolution agreement and provides a space for Indigenous and territorial governments to discuss issues related to lands and resource management.

– Sidney Cohen

Nobel Prize nominee to speak at forum

Somba K'e/Yellowknife

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier will give the keynote address at a forum on climate change adaptation hosted by the Northwest Territories Association of Communities.

Watt-Cloutier is an environmental and Indigenous rights advocate who served as Canadian president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council from 1995 to 2002. Her 2017 memoir, The Right to Be Cold, was shortlisted for CBC Canada Reads and the Kobo Emerging Writer prize.

The goal of the Climate Change Forum is to develop community-centred, collaborative strategies for adapting to climate change in the NWT.

Representatives from community, territorial and federal governments, non-governmental organizations and climate change experts will be invited to attend.

The forum will take place in Yellowknife from Oct. 29 to 31.

The event is not open to the public

– Sidney Cohen