A new website. A technology pilot project. "I voted" stickers in Indigenous languages. Here's what Elections NWT is working on ahead of the next election.

The NWT government says its websites are being redesigned to organize information "around themes, topics and tasks" instead of by department, division or unit.

Cabin Radio has a new Facebook page, designed to help NWT residents who rely on Facebook keep in touch with the news – despite Meta's best efforts.

A year after the Department of Family Services announced investigations into “critical incidents” at a group home in Chesterfield Inlet, it’s still not clear what caused the deaths of two residents and the hospitalization of another.

But a third-party review into the quality of care offered at the Naja Isabelle Medical Home provided to the Department of Family Services on Jan. 12, 2024, gives some details of “deficiencies” found at the time in the medical care provided by staff at the home.

The review, prepared by Knowledge Council Inc., lists several problems at the facility but does not specifically refer to the critical incidents announced on Feb. 16, 2024, that spurred the investigation.

Naja Isabelle Medical Home was a residence for children and adults with specialized medical needs, run by Pimakslirvik Corp. since 2004.

A 12-year-old resident of the home died Jan. 6, 2024, and a 19-year-old resident died Oct. 17, 2023, after they were hospitalized, along with a third resident. It’s not clear when the residents were hospitalized.

The Knowledge Council review commenced on Dec. 7, 2023, and reflects information provided to investigators as of 5 p.m. on Dec. 20, 2023.

It included 26 recommendations to improve service at the group home, but the Government of Nunavut declined to renew its contract with Pimakslirvik after it expired March 31, 2024.

The review found, among other things, evidence of “delayed access to medical care and inappropriate medical interventions for respiratory issues when health conditions were escalating.”

“There is evidence that when a resident was in an acute medical crisis, the medical provider failed to follow its own policy to contact the community health centre and transport the resident immediately.”

It also points out that nurses were “prohibited” from taking residents in need of medical care to the health centre without authorization from the director of care, and that these delays resulted in “several” medevacs in 2023.

The review also found concerns with the handling and dispensing of medications.

“Employees were re-using single-use syringes by washing or steaming [them] in the microwave,” it said.

Syringes were pre-filled with medication, but not properly labeled; the narcotics cupboard was unlocked; narcotics counts were being conducted by one nurse when two were required; and there was no internet access at Naja Isabelle, which meant staff could not look up medications.

“We also found a critical incident report which noted that the wrong medication was administered to a child,” the review said.

The most recent incident report investigators found was dated Aug. 31, 2023. Some incident reports were missing information and it appears there were times when they were not filled out at all.

“When we reviewed the medevacs in 2023, we found no evidence of a corresponding incident report in the resident’s chart or corresponding binder,” the review said.

An asphyxiation risk is also highlighted in the report, which notes residents using a feeding tube did not have their heads elevated 35 to 45 degrees.

Staff retention and training appeared to have caused issues as well at the group home. The return rate for nurses was found to be “extremely low,” while the reliability of activity aides was “inconsistent.”

There were also issues with leadership.

“We also learned that it is a common practice for managers to ignore and walk away from nursing staff when they ask questions,” the review said.

“We heard reports of physical and emotional confrontations between Inuit staff and staff from the south.”

As part of the government’s service contract with Pimakslirvik, the Department of Health and Social Services was required to review the facility annually.

But investigators found that in the entire 21-year history of the home, there were only two annual reviews: One in April 2002 and another in November 2011.

Investigators found evidence that a review was initiated in 2021, but could not determine whether it was completed.

It also found no evidence the Department of Family Services had ever conducted an annual review.

Marc Ippiak, CEO of Pimakslirvik Corp., said “I have no comment at all” when reached by Nunatsiaq News.

Nunatsiaq News contacted the Nunavut RCMP on Feb. 11 for an update on the criminal investigation and was told that police “needed time” to determine its status.

Nunatsiaq News also contacted the Department of Family Services for an interview with Minister Margaret Nakashuk or anybody with the department, regarding the report’s findings.

“Family Services respectfully declines to comment or be interviewed on this matter,” said Tina Rose, a spokesperson with the department.

In a few weeks, NTPC will take over as Hay River’s power distributor. When that happens, the power corporation will have to pay an interim rate of $48,500 monthly to Naka Power for use of the Hay River transmission power line.

Raven ReCentre is complaining to the Yukon's ombudsman, saying the territorial government excluded the non-profit from a contract for processing some of the territory's recyclables, "without notice or consultation." 

Booking travel in the North isn’t always straightforward, but a new travel agency in Fort Smith, N.W.T., hopes to change that and potentially improve medical travel across the territory.

This will be the last Scotties before Kerry Galusha retires. We spoke with her about Team NWT's recent big win, competing with her daughter and what's next.

The federal and Yukon governments on Tuesday announced new funding to build a new two-storey facility for Biathlon Yukon at the organization's training site on Grey Mountain in Whitehorse. 

Dozens of Iqalummiut came together Tuesday night to watch the Season 1 finale of North of North, the TV comedy that was filmed in Iqaluit last year.

Some fans of the Nunavut-based series attended a live streaming hosted by Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, while others converged across town at Nunavut Brewing Co. for a viewing party later in the evening.

Longtime Arviat actor Vinnie Karetak attends the screening of episode eight of “North of North” at Nunavut Brewing Co. Tuesday in Iqaluit. (Photo by Daron Letts)

Set in the fictionalized hamlet of Ice Cove, North of North follows the ambitions and struggles of a strong young Inuk woman named Siaja, played by Iqaluit actor Anna Lambe.

All of the more than 30 patrons at NuBrew fell silent around 9 p.m. as bar manager Lovjeet, who goes by one name, switched off Scotties Tournament of Hearts curling on the TVs to reveal North of North’s opening credits.

The calm lasted only about 90 seconds until a dry quip by Lambe’s character earned a chorus of belly laughs around the room. More laughter, empathetic “aaws” and shocked “oohs” emanated from the audience throughout the rest of the 24-minute episode.

“The atmosphere in the tap room was incredible. The audience, which included a diverse mix of ages and backgrounds, seemed to connect deeply with the show’s themes,” said Lovjeet.

“Having lived in Nunavut for the past three years, I found it resonated with me on many levels.”

Arviat actor and filmmaker Vinnie Karetak, who plays Jeffrey in the series, attended the NuBrew screening along with fellow actor Jessica Pearce, who appeared in earlier episodes.

Although Karetak did not speak any lines in the finale, a subtle eye roll by his character late in the show earned some of the loudest laughter and applause of the evening.

Karetak lauded the filmmakers and their script.

“It’s Inuit humour and it’s a universal drama,” Karetak said.

“It’s uniquely northern, but also understandable to a broad audience. It brings out the truer issues that people deal with. It’s very strong that way.”

The series was co-created by Nunavut filmmakers Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril. It airs on CBC and APTN and will be streamed globally on Netflix this spring.

The first season featured eight episodes. The season ender was titled Bad Influences. There is no word yet as to whether a second season will be filmed.

Karetak speculated that the potential for a second season is contingent on its reception on Netflix, which “holds the majority of the purse.”

Co-commissioned by CBC and Netflix in association with APTN, North of North is produced by Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment.

Brenda T'Seleie-Pierrot, who helps run a three-bedroom safe home that serves women and children fleeing family violence in the Sahtu region, said the changes are unfair and will be detrimental to many children in her community.

A report into the death of a passenger struck and killed by a helicopter’s tail rotor in Nunavut last year calls for more vigilance around helicopter “danger areas.”

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada — the federal agency that investigates aviation, marine and rail accidents — released its report on an incident on Akimiski Island, one of Nunavut’s southernmost points in James Bay.

On April 21, 2024, a pilot with Heli Explore Inc. was operating an Aerospatiale AS350 BA helicopter, flying a series of flights from Attiwapiskat, Ont., to hunting camps around the northern Ontario community and on Akimiski Island, the report said.

Akimiski Island is one of Nunavut’s southernmost points, located in James Bay. (Image created by Jeff Pelletier via Datawrapper)

The pilot had his commercial helicopter licence, a valid medical clearance and more than 2,000 hours of experience.

Around 5:05 p.m., the pilot departed the Attiwapiskat airport with a passenger and gear for a flight to a camp on Akimiski Island. After a 15-minute flight, they landed outside of the camp and were greeted by a snowmobiler.

With the helicopter still on, the pilot eventually signalled to the snowmobiler that he could approach the helicopter, and to the passenger that he could disembark. The snowmobiler and passenger began unloading gear from the helicopter’s storage compartments.

The passenger was moving toward the back and under the boom of the helicopter when he was struck and killed by the spinning tail rotor. The snowmobiler had tried to warn him not to move that way. The impact dislodged the tail’s gearbox and the pilot turned off the engine.

The passenger did not receive a safety briefing on the day of the flight, the safety board said. However, the passenger had flown aboard helicopters “numerous” times and should have known to stay away from the rear.

It also wasn’t clear if the passenger had reviewed a safety card, which highlights some of the helicopter’s danger areas. However, the word “danger” was marked in the area of the tail rotor.

After the incident, Heli Explore Inc. began providing passengers with more helicopter safety information, the report said. As well, its pilots now shut down the engines for the loading and unloading of passengers and gear.

“Pilots are reminded to ensure that all passengers and ground personnel are briefed on and understand the hazards of helicopter danger areas, especially the tail rotor, when moving about a helicopter with its engines running and rotors turning,” the transportation safety board report said.

Heli Explore Inc. did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

There are two high-profile Arctic-focused events planned for Ottawa on May 13.

The Arctic Inspiration Prize award ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. that day at Rogers Centre Ottawa, while Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s Tapiriit, an annual social event hosted by the national organization representing Inuit in Canada, will be held starting at 6 p.m. at the National Arts Centre.

The gala features Inuit country food from the four regions of Inuit Nunangat and musical performances throughout the night.

Nominations for the Arctic Inspiration Prize awards close Feb. 24.

It includes a million-dollar prize, up to four prizes of up to $500,000 each, and up to seven youth prizes of up to $100,000 each.

The Yukon government says about 19 million litres of toxic water has escaped a containment pond at Eagle Gold mine which has been leaking since December, adding to ongoing contamination from June's catastrophic heap leach failure.

A member of Iqaluit’s legal community is Nunavut’s newest judge.

Mark Mossey has been appointed as a judge of the Nunavut Court of Justice, federal Justice Minister Arif Virani announced Tuesday.

Mossey’s appointment fills a vacancy created last year when Chief Justice Susan Cooper was promoted to Nunavut’s top judicial position, following the retirement of Neil Sharkey.

“I wish Justice Mossey every success as he takes on his new role,” Virani said in a statement.

“I am confident he will serve the people of Nunavut well as a member of the Nunavut Court of Justice.”

Mossey, who has been a member of Nunavut’s bar since 2010, declined an interview request about his appointment.

He has served Nunavut’s court as the executive legal officer in the Office of the Chief Justice. Before that, he was a poverty and civil lawyer with Maliganik Tukisiniarvik Legal Services and a law teacher in Iqaluit.

Since 2024, Mossey has represented Nunavut and served as second vice-president of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. He was also called as a member of the Ontario Bar in 2004.

Mossey is known in Iqaluit’s hockey community, and has served as a member of the Iqaluit Amateur Hockey Association board.

A date for a public swearing-in ceremony has not been announced.

Fort Smith's pool faces a months-long closure that the town attributes to damage during power outages. Residents, especially seniors, are already missing it.

Heidi Wiebe didn't see a single scorpion in the wild on her 12-day trip to Costa Rica. On her return to Yellowknife, she found one – or rather, it found her.

Hamza El Ghazlani and Yassine Riahi proposed starting a chocolate shop as a joke. Their handmade chocolate is now in an increasing number of Yellowknife stores.

After they feature at the Oscars in Hollywood, a collection of short animated films will have a cooler screening in Yellowknife. Here's the Frozen Dog lineup.

The NWT's Collège Nordique Francophone is working to launch two new programs: a diploma in public relations and a business administration practices certificate.

The City of Iqaluit is advising Inuit residents that federal government funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative will expire soon.

That means a food voucher program, which aims to ensure Inuit children’s social, economic and medical needs are met through vouchers distributed to families, is set to end March 31.

“Any remaining balances after this date will be forfeited back to the program. No exemptions or extensions will be granted beyond this date,” the city said in a public service announcement Tuesday.

In Iqaluit, Northmart, Arctic Ventures, Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik and D. J. Specialities are taking part in the program. Inuit wishing to transfer their accounts to a different store must do so by Feb. 20, the announcement said.

The city also asked Inuit residents to ensure no remaining funds are left unused at a store after transferring accounts.

The Inuit Child First Initiative is funded by Indigenous Services Canada.

Announced last October, it provides $500 per month to parents of any Inuk child under 18 years old to cover the cost of food and an additional $250 for children age four and under for items like baby formula or diapers.

Iqaluit city council approved the funding Oct. 9 and budgeted $5.4 million for the program.

Other hamlets such as Naujaat, Rankin Inlet, Arviat and Pangnirtung have also implemented their own versions of the food voucher program over the past year.

With the uncertainty around the future of Inuit Child First Initiative funding, the City of Iqaluit incorporated ending the program on March 31 into its planning.

Representatives for the federal government have been asked numerous times whether the initiative will be extended beyond March 31. With Parliament prorogued until March 24, government officials have repeatedly said any extension is contingent on a parliamentary vote.

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout has called on the government to extend the program. On Feb. 3, she wrote an open letter to Nunavut’s mayors highlighting their concerns about the termination of the program.

Arctic telecommunications leaders say Starlink is a partner, not a competitor, in providing internet service to northern Canada.

A panel of four experts in telecommunications service for Nunavik, Nunavut and Northwest Territories discussed their work Tuesday at the Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa.

“Starlink is our partner … we are not competing with Starlink” to serve Nunavut, said Dean Proctor, chief development officer at SSi Canada, an Arctic telecommunications provider.

He said Starlink’s service comes at a higher cost than what SSi offers. While Starlink is able to provide higher-speed internet than SSi, it might not be suitable for everyone either due to the price or the size of the satellite dish Starlink requires.

“We are able to drop down to a lower price point,” Proctor said.

“We are not in the same game as Starlink, we are meant to provide a service to Nunavummiut without a contract, with no credit checks, and take it as much as you need it,” he said.

SSi Canada, along with Kativik Regional Government’s Taamani Internet, uses Starlink in some instances to provide some services to clients.

Paul Brunet, left, president of Great White North, and Dean Proctor, chief development officer for SSi Canada, take part in a panel discussion on telecommunications Tuesday at the Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference in Ottawa. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

Dan Pellerin, KRG’s senior telecommunications adviser, said it is currently using low-latency satellites from SpaceX and Starlink to serve parts of Nunavik that are still waiting to be connected to fibre optic service. This includes the Ungava Bay communities and Kuujjuaq, which are set to have their connections completed by 2026.

In December, KRG deployed sphere-shaped Starlink terminals to temporarily bring high-speed internet access to Ungava Bay communities, according to a KRG post on social media.

Kuujjuaq, Aupaluk, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangirsuk, Quaqtaq and Tasiujaq received their own package.

“When fibre is in and it’s useful and affordable to us, we will certainly be using that for our backbone” service to those areas, said Proctor.

During the panel discussion, an audience member asked about the validity of Starlink as a partner, saying that if Arctic telecommunications carriers serve as the middle person between the service and the client, why would Starlink not want to “pull the rug” and provide the service directly.

“[They] operate all around the world with their 7,000-and-some active satellites covering the entire Earth right now,” Proctor said of Starlink. “They need to keep those occupied to make certain that Starlink continues to survive. They have been very good partners.”

Curtis Shaw, president of Northwestel, and Paul Brunet, president of Great White North, an internet service firm based in Timmins, Ont. that covers Northern Ontario and Nunavut, also took part in the panel discussion.

The trade show, which opened Monday, runs until Thursday.

The head of Canada's national Inuit organization is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in to save a program that helps fund services for Inuit kids.

Police in Inuvik asked for the public's help in finding a 32-year-old reported missing on Monday. Lance Briere has reportedly not been seen since February 8.

A lack of snow along a dangerous stretch of trail has led organizers of the world's most famous sled dog race to move the start of the Iditarod farther north.

With Canadian pride running high in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, Nunavut’s economic development and transportation minister says he’s proud to be a “flagpole” the Canadian government planted in the Arctic to support its claim of Arctic sovereignty.

“I’m one of the proudest Canadian flagpoles that we can be,” David Akeeagok said Monday night in a speech kicking off the Aqsarniit Trade show and Conference in Ottawa.

Akeeagok, who grew up in Grise Fiord, said he’s the son of Inuit who were relocated to Canada’s northernmost community. Adults who were moved there and to Resolute Bay “suffered immensely,” he said, but their children — the second generation — were “richer” and “more knowledgeable” for growing up there.

Aqsarniit is a four-day business conference that includes sessions on using digital tools to develop an Inuit workforce, improving telecommunications connectivity in the North, and addressing housing challenges.

Akeeagok said in his speech it’s important for Canadians to be proud and stick together.

“Let’s invest in each other and build it so we are much stronger as a country,” he said.

The minister also addressed Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canada and possibly even take over the country.

“These past few months, especially this month, it’s been very trying as Canadians as we’ve been thought of as more a resource-rich land that can be taken, and taken for granted [by] our southern [neighbours].”

He pointed out that Premier P.J. Akeeagok, who was in the audience, had been in Washington, D.C. last week with other heads of provincial and territorial governments, making the case to American officials for free trade between Canada and the United States.

Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51^st American state “is not just a joke,” David Akeeagok said.

Calling the opportunities in front of northern businesses “vast,” he encouraged the trade show crowd to spend the week discussing entrepreneurship, infrastructure investment and natural resource development.

“We can foster sustainable growth while ensuring development remains rooted in Inuit values and priorities,” he said.

The Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference is jointly organized by the Baffin Region Chamber of Commerce and Makivvik, the Inuit rights-holding organization in Nunavik.

The two organizations came together last year to organize an event to replace the Northern Lights trade show, which traditionally ran every other year since 2008 in Ottawa or Montreal.

Northern Lights was cancelled last year over a dispute between the Baffin business organization and its long-standing partner, the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce. They disagreed over the involvement of the NunatuKavut Community Council, a group in Labrador that claims to be Inuit but is not recognized by other Inuit organizations.

Akeeagok said it was “iffy” whether there would even be a trade show this year.

Wearing a sealskin vest he told the crowd his wife made, Akeeagok encouraged trade show visitors to open their wallets and support the Inuit artists whose work will be on display and for sale. A marketplace inside the Rogers Centre in downtown Ottawa, where the trade is taking place, is part of the event.

“How beautiful a sealskin can turn into something that makes us look really good,” he said.

The federal government has chipped in funding for a new 17-unit supportive housing facility in downtown Whitehorse, across the street from the existing emergency shelter.

A housing shortage in Nunavik is impacting teacher recruitment, employee retention and education directly, compromising student chances for academic success, says a representative for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the region’s school board.

Several Nunavik organizations, including the school board, met with the Quebec government Feb. 3 at the Kuujjuaq Northern Village auditorium to discuss the housing shortage in the region.

“The housing shortage in Nunavik affects the entire population and has a huge impact on the education sector,” said Harriet Keleutak, director general for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in a statement sent to Nunatsiaq News.

She said difficult choices must be made when it comes to recruiting employees, such as asking them to share housing with colleagues, cutting certain services or keeping positions vacant.

This, Keleutak said, contributes to inequalities.

For example, a full-time student support position in Kuujjuaq cannot be filled this year due to the lack of housing.

“These [inequalities] have persisted since the creation of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq,” Keleutak said.

A 2017 report by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples of Canada says the housing crisis affects students, too.

Students can experience a lack of sleep and inability to do homework due to inadequate space at home, which can cause them to fall behind in their studies.

Keleutak said the issues cited in the 2017 report are still relevant today.

“When all the rooms in a house are shared by several residents belonging to multiple generations, it is difficult, if not impossible, to isolate oneself to study or do homework,” she said.

“If one of the residents of the house goes through a difficult time or faces health problems, all residents are affected.”

According to information provided by Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the school board manages more than 400 housing units. It houses employees recruited from outside the region, or employees from Nunavik hired to work in another community.

As of January, the board is in need of 150 more units to compensate for the shortage.

“This reality is specific to the education sector in Nunavik and it has significant budgetary consequences for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq,” said Jeannie Dupuis, assistant director general for the school board, in an email statement.

“Not only do we have to build infrastructure on an ongoing basis, but we must also maintain a large housing stock in an isolated environment where equipment, expertise and materials are not readily available.”

The minimum cost to build a housing unit is $2.2 million, said the statement from Kativik Ilisarniliriniq. The school board typically groups housing units together to minimize the cost, which is why they mainly build four-plexes to house employees.

This means the board’s current need of 150 units would require an estimated $330 million to build.

The school board also has a maintenance backlog of $292.4 million as of the end of the 2023-24 school year, said the statement.

Quebec’s education ministry provides $30 million a year for building repairs.

At that rate it will take 10 years to reduce this maintenance backlog to zero, without accounting for the expected wear and tear incurred over that time.

The provincial education ministry launched an investigation in February 2024 into Kativik Ilisarniliriniq’s governance administration after the school board lamented $26 million in debt its leadership said at the time was caused by inadequate funding.

The school board’s council of commissioners last met in December where they were briefed by the education ministry about a completed version of the report. They requested more time for analysis, pending receipt of the Inuktitut version.

In March, the commissioners are set to have a follow-up meeting to discuss the recommendations, according to meeting highlights published on Kativik Ilisarniliriniq’s website.

A major Yellowknife landlord told MLAs it spends large sums on repairs while writing off tenant debt. One of its tenants described rent increases of nearly 15%.

"We are part of a Team Canada approach that is very unified." Here's what NWT Premier RJ Simpson took away from his trip to Washington, DC.

The NWT has a fund intended to ensure future generations of northerners benefit from resource projects. A former MLA says it needs to be managed differently.

Shelters say cutting a training fund is not in residents' best interest. The NWT's health minister says the cash funded in-person meetings that can move online.

Most lumber sold in the Yukon is trucked up from places like Alberta and British Columbia. Ulrich Trachsel, the owner of Ibex Valley Wood Products, said that doesn't work for him — the costs to the environment and climate are too great.