Dempster Highway closed to commercial vehicles
Mackenzie Delta
Access to the rest of Canada has been sketchy this last week after the Dempster Highway between Eagle Plains and Fort McPherson was closed over the long weekend on the Yukon side, and rough weather grounded ferry service in Tsiigehtchic.
The highway was first closed over the Labour Day long weekend due to a closure of the Eagle Plains bridge on the Yukon side, according to the NWT Department of Infrastructure. A Sept. 3 update from the Yukon government said the bridge is undergoing emergency repairs and would be closed to vehicles exceeding 12,000 kilograms as well as all commercial traffic. People are advised to not travel and only those caught off guard by the sudden repair work would be allowed to cross. Even when complete, the Yukon government says the repairs are only a temporary solution and further testing will be needed to repair the bridge properly.
Then, on Sept. 5 the NWT Department of Infrastructure announced the Mackenzie River Ferry was closed in the morning due to high winds. It resumed service in the afternoon.
Private grants available for residential school survivors
Canada
An Indigenous-owned design company is taking a stand against generational trauma with a scholarship intended to give a hand up to survivors and their descendants.
Anyone interested in applying for the 49zine residential school survivor and descendants scholarship is asked to write an essay explaining their relationship to the residential school system and how they’re breaking the trauma the system caused. Applications should be emailed to residentialscholarship@49design.com — organizations hoping to support this scholarship are also asked to use this email. The scholarship can be applied to tuition, books, a business plan or anything else that would help the applicant achieve self-actualization.
The financial assistance is funded through sales of 49zine’s ‘orange campaign.’ The current pot is $6,000.
Kids on the land in Teetł’it Zheh
Fort McPherson
Youth from across the Delta attended a three-day workshop of natural literacy, learning on-the-land skills and cultural skills.
The Sept. 3 to 6 weekend culminated in a mitt-making lesson for the youth.
The workshop was put on by the Gwich’in Tribal Council with assistance from the NWT Literacy Council and Hotii ts’eeda.
Adult literacy class coming to small communities
Beaufort Delta
Aurora College is spreading the word that its School of Developmental Studies is resuming adult literacy and basic education classes in a number of communities, including Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Ulukhaktok, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson.
Classes begin Sept. 12. Anyone interested in accessing the program is asked to contact their local community centre for more information. In Tuktoyaktuk, that’s 977-2328, in Aklavik that’s 978-2224, Ulukhaktok is 396-4213, Tsiigehtchic is 953-3036 and Fort McPherson is 952-2551.