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Fort Simpson’s Unity Store officially re-opens

The Unity Store in Fort Simpson officially re-opened at a new location on Monday. Celine Antoine, Fort Simpson deputy mayor, attended the grand re-opening of the store. The store moved across the street to a larger space that allowed it to expand to include hardware inventory — the move only…


Indigenous language pilot project launched in Délı̨nę

Schools around the NWT are bringing Indigenous languages back into the classroom. Ehtseo Ayha School in Délı̨nę launched its first Indigenous language program in September. Brad Highfield, the school’s acting principal, says he realized the “dire need” to integrate language back into the curriculum after noticing the lack of competency…


Public health emergency extended

The territorial government has extended the public health emergency until Nov. 24. The extension comes as cases of COVID-19 increase across Canada, a press release reads. “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated considerably across Canada in recent weeks as the country’s caseload surged to its highest point in the pandemic.” The…



Former SideDoor building to become temporary day shelter after GNWT declares state of emergency

The state of emergency bypasses municipal bylaws that prevented the location from becoming a day shelter.


The former SideDoor building in downtown Yellowknife will become a temporary day shelter after a local state of emergency was declared. The temporary shelter is needed for the winter months as COVID-19 restrictions limit the amount of people able to use the other day shelter and sobering centre. At a…



As temperatures dip, little progress made on temporary day shelter

The chief public health officer has ruled out using pandemic powers to open a temporary day shelter in Yellowknife. Under the Public Health Act, Dr. Kami Kandola, the chief public health officer, has the authority to take over a building to be used for public health-related matters. However, Dr. Kandola…


MV Lafferty Ferry towed ashore after being stuck for days

The MV Lafferty Ferry and the crew aboard have been brought back to the shore after being stranded for days on the Liard River near Fort Simpson. Greg Hanna, spokesperson for the department of Infrastructure, said in an email the ferry lost power in one engine while being repositioned to…


GNWT announces first phase of new MMIWG action plan

The work plan "isn't the most exciting document", but it's a start, says Caroline Wawzonek, minister responsible for the status of women.


More conversations to come as the  GNWT prepares to redefine the 231 Calls to Justice in the territory. The first phase of the action plan for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) is complete. It’s essentially the plan to develop another plan, says Caroline Wawzonek, minister responsible for…


GNWT says framework coming to boost Indigenous staff levels

In the past year, the GNWT workforce has grown by 500 people. Only 156 of those are Indigenous Aboriginal hires.


The territorial government is working on an Indigenous recruitment and retention framework to try and address an ongoing lack of representation within its workforce. Indigenous staff levels have been around 30 per cent for years. Caroline Wawzonek, minister of Finance, is in charge of human resources. She announced the framework…