A string of offences, including an assault involving a fork, have landed a Yellowknife man behind bars following a recent sentencing hearing in NWT territorial court.
Chief judge Christine Gagnon sentenced the 58-year-old man, who is not being named to protect the identity of his victim, to 60 days in jail for an assault on his common-law partner.
On June 20, 2017, the man threatened his partner with a fork and said he would "poke her eyes out."
Five days later, he grabbed the woman by the throat and told her to "get out of his life."
The two incidents resulted in one charge but the man plead guilty to a lesser offence.
After his arrest, the man sent a letter to his partner in an attempt to influence her testimony – an act defence lawyer Jay Bran said his client recognized as "stupid."
The man was also sentenced for two additional, separate charges brought forth in court March 21.
All together, the offender received a global sentence of 180 days or six months in jail, but with time already served, he'll only spend 88 days behind bars.
He was also handed a three-year driving ban and will be on probation for 12 months following his release.
– Brendan Burke
Public land lease minimums rising
The cost of leases on land owned by the territorial government is set to change.
On April 1, the minimum annual rent on both territorial land and commissioner's land will be $840, the GNWT told media Monday.
Territorial lands are mostly rural and public land, and are priced using an appraised amount that takes into account market rents and other factors.
Commissioner's lands are typically located in or near communities and are priced using an assessed value determined by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
The previous minimum lease for commissioner's land was $600 and for territorial land it was $150.
These prices were pegged to the consumer price index (CPI) in 1997. The territorial Department of Lands says lease minimums are increasing to bring them in line with the 2016 CPI.
The changes are designed to even out the cost differences between the two different classes of public land in NWT.
Lands administrative fees are also set to rise – most prices will double.
– Sidney Cohen
Nominations sought for disability awareness awards
With the Disability Awareness Recognition Awards set to take place on May 22, the organization that hosts the annual ceremony is looking for nominations.
The NWT Disability Council is calling on residents to submit worthy candidates for a number of awards.
Nominations are being sought for the Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities Award, the NWT Disabilities Council Community Champion Award and the NWT Human Rights Commission Accessibility Award.
The deadline to submit is tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. See: nwtdc.net or contact the NWT Disabilities Council at 867-873-8230.
– Brendan Burke