NORTHERN WILDFLOWER: Overcoming the fear of change
My computer is on the brink right now with a frozen space bar and a sticky delete button so while I wait for my new computer to be delivered, I have to write by...
A MOUNTAIN VIEW: The Adaka Cultural Festival!
Friends, it certainly was a joy to attend the Adaka Cultural Festival (June 28 and July 4) in Whitehorse.
In collaboration with all municipal, local, territorial governments and First Nations the 150 artists enjoyed a...
EDITORIAL: What is going on at the landfill?
It’s likely you yourself have gone through the sacred motions of separating paper from plastic and glass and metal.
You’ve probably painstakingly rinsed the jars and cans before making a pilgrimage down to one of...
FOOD BANK JOURNAL: Quest for charitable status
Small service organizations like the YK Food Bank are common in most cities across Canada. They are created when a group or individual sees a need and does something to address it.
Depending on the...
EDITORIAL: NWT should lead the way on plastic
If you’ve ever been concerned about plastics in our rivers, lakes and oceans you might be familiar with the infamous statement by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “By 2050, plastic in the oceans will outweigh...
Sports Talk: Could muay Thai work in Yellowknife? Why not?
There's been traditional boxing, complete with the Queensbury rules, in town before. There's been mixed-martial arts in town before. Both have been well-received in large part because they're well-known. I've covered major events here...
The downtown core – not a cannabis store – is the real issue here
When it comes to having a cannabis retail store here in Inuvik, the concern that I've heard from several community members revolves around the potential of a weed business setting up shop in the...
Open passage of prosperity
It was a bit more than a couple of years ago when I found myself in a little hot water with some others in this up-and-down industry for suggesting climate change may not necessarily...
GREENING THE NORTH: Watercycle curbs thirst around town
If you think back to Grade 10 biology the water cycle described the movement of water from the atmosphere, to the ground, followed its travels across continents and down rivers to the ocean where...
On the Dene law of being happy
Editor's note: Catherine Lafferty is writing a series of columns on the Dene laws. This week's installment is on the ninth of the nine laws, which is: "Be Happy At All Times."
Some days I...
EDITORIAL: Canada, we turn to you
Today marks another Canada Day, and much like the rest of the country, most of our 33 designated communities will be celebrating the birth of Canada in one form or another.
Pancake breakfasts, parades large...
TALES FROM THE DUMP: Thoughts on a baffling idiom
“There is more then one way to skin a cat.”
This is one of those baffling English expressions that a lot of people use but no one seems sure about. Why you would want to...
Recent grads have paved way for the future
I've been to a few graduation ceremonies in the past, but none were as emotional and memorable as the one that I recently went to in Tuktoyaktuk on June 20.
The 2019 graduating class at...
FOOD BANK JOURNAL: Even volunteering a little helps a lot
It’s a pretty common scene in Yellowknife: you meet someone new and get to chatting. At some point in the conversation you learn that your new friend volunteers for Folk on the Rocks, sits...
TALES FROM THE DUMP: A magical myth about litter
Summertime is a magical time in the North, so here is a tale of magic, myth and legend.
It is the story of Larry or maybe it will be Laverne, the litter person, who was...
GREENING THE NORTH: Northerners can lead fight against plastic waste
Ecology North is excited to be offering Yellowknifer readers a bi-monthly column that will highlight topical environmental issues, events, and propose constructive solutions to environmental issues in the North.
We are excited about this...
LABOUR VIEWS: Celebrating 50 years in the North
by Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers
This is an important year for the labour movement in the Northwest Territories as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Union of Northern Workers.
Back...
TALES FROM THE DUMP: Let the gas pass
If thou farteth in public and people mock you or pretend disdain, hold your head proudly and loudly proclaim that you are just exercising your constitutional right. And if its not a constitutional right,...
The Missing and Murdered in Canada; Northwords reflections
Friends, of course there is much to celebrate on yet another National Indigenous Peoples Day, with so many other countries not even making an attempt to recognize its first citizens.
Yet the fact remains that...
There’s nothing wrong with showing Pride
There was a lot going on in Inuvik this past weekend. It was especially busy for the kids in the community, who were able to pick from a variety of outdoor, youth-oriented events to...
CODY PUNTER: Travelling to places unknown from the comfort of home
After a long week at a work, most of us spend our Friday afternoons looking forward to some kind of escape. At this time of year, most families turn to the land to get...
FOOD BANK JOURNAL: Yellowknifers step up when called
The YK Food Bank exists because we have a desperate need in our community. Every month, hundreds of single adults and families look to us to supplement their grocery budgets, and the numbers are...
Pass on the teachings
Editor’s note: Catherine Lafferty is writing a series of columns on the Dene laws. This week’s installment is on the eighth of the nine laws, which is: "Pass on the Teachings."
Whenever I visit my relatives...
Living the solution
For this week's special edition, I was tasked with profiling three different organizations who will be participating in the town's Arctic Development Expo from June 10 to 12.
I had interesting conversations with representatives from...
A MOUNTAIN VIEW: Them old ghosts
Friends, it's good to hear that some of my old schoolmates and relatives are now due to finally set the record straight on a few long-overdue matters.
A recent issue of News/North tells the story...
EDITORIAL: Marking Inuvialuit Day
June 5 will mark the 35th anniversary of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, when control over lands and resources returned to the Inuvialuit people.
Northerners celebrate the day as one of the major milestones of the...
What does it mean to be Inuvialuit?
Over the course of working on this issue, I spoke to several Inuvialuit community members in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. I had different set of questions for each individual that I talked to, but there...
FISHIN’ TECHNICIAN: The family that fishes together
Well, the boys could go fishing on one condition.
Mason was not allowed to go to sleep, not even for one minute. Otherwise, mommy wasn’t getting any sleep that night. Such are the bargains of...
Let’s talk weed
When I sat down with Dez Loreen to discuss his upcoming stoner-comedy film, I was a little surprised at how open he was to sharing his cannabis use with me on record.
It was obvious...
EDITORIAL: An arsenic cautionary tale
Well, that’s a relief.
A long-awaited study into the health impacts of arsenic at Giant Mine reveals that, at least as it concerns Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilo’s current populations, those impacts appear to be minimal....