Monday, March 05, 2012 – 12:30
CBC North Iqaluit Regional Radio English News
*Lead: Igloolik hunters rescued from drifting ice
2nd: Nunavut has two new judges
3rd: Facebook page credited with boosting Nunavut's economy
4th: GN says it's working on updating energy strategy
5th: Sanikiluaq hunter encounters rabid fox
*Lead: Igloolik hunters rescued from drifting ice
(*Correction: The correct name of the S&R Coordinator is Celestino Uyarak)
Three hunters from Igloolik are safe after being rescued from drifting ice over the weekend. The three men used a satellite phone to call for help after realizing they were drifting away from the floe edge. Local searchers left Igloolik on Saturday evening to try to reach the men. *Celestino Uyarak is a search and rescue coordinator in Igloolik.
"They were about 6 miles off from the floe edge. And we noticed the ice was drifting a bit. So we had to do something. The best option was the airlift. We couldn't use a boat because of the coldness and weather, movement of the waters."
Uyarak says a helicopter used by a mining company was able to come from Hall Beach to rescue the hunters. He says the three men were a bit cold but otherwise in good condition. They had to leave two snowmobiles and all their hunting equipment on the floating ice.
2nd: Nunavut has two new judges
People who work in Nunavut's legal system are preparing for change today. Two new judges to the territory were appointed late Friday afternoon by the federal Justice Minister. Andrew Mahar and Bonnie Tulloch take over their new positions immediately. Peter Harte is a defence lawyer in Cambridge Bay. He says the new judges will help Nunavut's legal system run more smoothly.
"More important than anything else, both of these judges have a terrific work ethic. And Nunavummiut can rest assured they're going to get great service from these new judges."
Andrew Mahar has worked as a defence lawyer in Iqaluit for more than a decade. Before that he practiced law in Yellowknife and was the Director of the Kitikmeot Law Centre in Cambridge Bay. Bonnie Tulloch started working as a Crown prosecutor in Iqaluit in 2004. Before that she worked with the Nunavut Legal Services Board and the Keewatin Legal Services Centre. As judges, Mahar and Tulloch will be based in Iqaluit, which means Nunavut now has six resident judges.
3rd: Facebook page credited with boosting Nunavut's economy
An auction group selling Inuit arts and crafts on Facebook has gone viral. Since it popped up in November, its membership has exploded to well over 7,000. And the page is now being credited with boosting the territory's economy with a little help from the south. Xueying Fan explains.
Liz Fulumeiter (sp) lives near Toronto. She's never been up north. But that hasn't stopped her from splurging on items on Iqaluit Facebook auction bids group.
"I bought a couple of carvings. I've also got some kamiks that I purchased and a hat."
In four short months the page has drawn more than 7,000 members. David Alexander created the group.
"The average normal cost of kamiks were running I'd say my guess is anywhere from low as 200 to 500. And now it's going as high as 1,500 now."
Alexander estimates this drives the wages of seamstresses up more than 50 per cent. And customers like Fulumeiter aren't fretting.
"When you're buying direct from the people who are making them, and it's worth it to support them."
This also supports local business owners. Lori Idlout is the owner of Carvings Nunavut.
"We've definitely seen more interest in items that are usually seen on that page."
She says the group hasn't negatively impacted her store sales - that the market for Inuit art is only growing. Xueying Fan, CBC News, Iqaluit
4th: GN says it's working on updating energy strategy
The Government of Nunavut says it's working on updating its energy strategy, but no one knows when it will be done. At the Legislative Assembly on Friday, some MLAs were urging the government to reduce its reliance on imported gas and diesel. Tagak Curley is the MLA for Rankin Inlet North.
Curley says that with the increasing global demand for oil and rising prices, Nunavummiut will have to pay more for oil and gas in the future. He says the government needs to find efficient solutions.
5th: Sanikiluaq hunter encounters rabid fox
Many Nunavummiut have been reporting rabid foxes around their communities this winter. And it's the same in Sanikiluaq. Moses Apakaq Sr. says he came across two this winter while out hunting. And one got pretty close to him.
He says he was shoveling snow off the end of his fishing net when a fox approached and started to attack him. He hit it with a shovel several times and finally the person he was hunting with shot it. Apakaq says he has heard of a lot of dogs that have been bitten and had to be destroyed.
Is the Search and Rescue team like WISAR? (i.e., a volunteer team?)
ReplyDeleteHi Ade;
ReplyDeleteIt seems similar, they work with the RCMP and are receiving training in ICS but I haven't learned the details yet.