Hay River has just received a boost to their housing economy.

The Hay River Town Council recently announced that the community has been given a grant from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for their Housing Acceleration Program. The grant is worth $2 million, and are being put towards a 3-year term with a goal of building 30 new houses over that time.

This program has several strategies that they will be employing to achieve their goal, including:

• Create a development system that supports Additional Dwelling Units,
• Incentivize the development of underused/idle lands, with an emphasis on the development of multi-unit residential,
• Amend bylaws and policies to support development of residential units in the downtown core, with emphasis on multi-unit development,
• Incorporate update floodplain mapping,
• Amend zoning bylaw and policies to promote the development of transitional housing units for vulnerable populations,
• Reduce the carbon footprint of new unit construction, with a preference for multi-unit development,
• Development of a disincentive program to ensure that no vacant units or underdeveloped/idle lands remain within the municipal boundaries,
• Streamline the development process by delegating authorities to staff and exploring technology to support the process,
• Develop an incentive program to encourage infill and increased density in existing residential areas.

In a statement, Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson shared that the Town Council was happy to receive this support, and are excited to continue their efforts to increase the number of safe, diverse, and affordable housing in Hay River.

“This is an important next step to advance key housing initiatives identified in our Community Strategic Housing Plan.”

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A major change is coming to the blood-related cancer services offered in the Territory.

The change? The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority recently announced that hematology-oncology services will be moved to Alberta.

This decision was made by Alberta Cancer Care as a way to ease the burden on NWT services. This change will only affect those who have the extremely specific types of cancer that relate to blood. It does not affect any other form of cancer treatment in the North, such as breast, lung, bowel, among others.

The first phase of this change will come into effect on May 1^st, and will only relate to patients who are not undergoing active treatment at the time. These patients will have their next appointment of bloodwork take place in Alberta. The NWT Cancer Care Team will be in contact with the estimated 40 NWT residents who this change will affect in order to coordinate their treatment plans.

Any patient who is receiving chemotherapy or immunotherapy for blood-related cancers will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine if their treatments will also be transferred to Alberta, and for what length of time.

Additional information can be found by contacting the NTHSSA’s Cancer navigation program at 1-866-313-7989.

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With the warmer weather slowly settling in, the City of Yellowknife is taking the opportunity to spruce things up for the season.

Local non-profit organizations are being given the opportunity to sign up for the city’s Spring Clean-Up program. This program offers up to $550 for local community groups who volunteer to clean up an assigned area of the city while the snow is still melting.

The cleanup will take place from May 11^th to the 25^th, with the deadline to apply coming up on Wednesday, May 8^th at 9:00am. Once all applications are sent in, volunteers will be assigned their areas to clean based on garbage density. The City is aiming to have 58 different areas cleaned up. This means that the areas assigned will increase in size if there are not enough applicants to meet that number.

Only public land will be cleaned, and applicants can receive multiple areas if they request it. Applicants must have at least ten volunteers in their groups, and gloves and bags will be provided.

The applications page can be found by clicking here.

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The services offered by the North Slave Education, Culture and Employment Service Centre, as well as the Employment Standards Office will soon be returning to their original locations.

Both services are based out of the Nova Plaza in Yellowknife. The North Slave ECE Centre will be returning to the building on May 13th, while the Employment Standards Office will be returning on April 29th.

All services through the Nova Plaza were forced to move to secondary locations after a fuel spill took place on January 2^nd, making the building unsuitable for office work.

Until the return to the building is complete, Employment Standards, Income Assistance, and Senior Home Heating Subsidy services are being offered through the 1st Floor of Lahm Ridge Tower located at 4501 50 Avenue in Yellowknife. Meanwhile, Apprenticeship and Labour Market Programs and Early Learning and Child Care services can be accessed on the 2nd Floor of the Joe Tobie Building located at 5020 48 Street.

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The federal government has announced a $5.2 million investment toward the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning to support post-secondary education for First Nations students.

The announcement was made at the Dechinta Centre on April 25th by The Hon. Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, The Hon. Blair, Minister of National Defence, and Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament of the Northwest Territories.

The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning offers seasonal land-based learning programs, known as camps, during the spring, summer, fall, and winter. The program is designed for a small group of students who receive credits from the University of British Columbia (UBC). The program's grade is divided equally into two parts: 50 per cent for land-based skills, such as hide tanning, muskrat trapping, fishnet checking and setting, sewing, and beading, and the remaining 50 per cent for academic studies. Professors from British Columbia, Ontario, and Yukon teach the academic portion of the program for credit. The students are taught about self-governance, self-determination, and Indigenous resurgence for the academic portion. The course is conducted in the wild, in a tent, and includes participation from elders, professors, and students.

Kelsey Wrightson, who serves as the executive director of the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, felt excitement and a sense of responsibility when she heard the announcement. Wrightson says the work they do has a positive impact, and many communities have expressed their readiness for new programming, partnerships, and collaborations. 

The centre is creating a new approach to community-led education, which includes all community members ranging from infants to 90-year-olds. The stories people tell themselves about their capability of pursuing education directly impact their educational pursuits, says Wrightson. When individuals do not see people in their community or family members pursuing education, they are less likely to pursue it themselves. However, this can be changed. Over the past five years, more than 180 students have participated in this post-secondary education program. 

Kylie LeSage is the outreach coordinator for the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning. She participated in the program through UBC in 2018 and graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree using those credits. 

 "It connected me back with the land and Yellowknife," says LeSage. "I was able to come back home and learn from my elders." 

She also mentioned that the program is inclusive of families. One of the most significant barriers to delivering university courses is that people cannot find childcare and have to leave. When students are invited to attend, they can bring their children who can participate in the children and youth program. So, they are learning alongside their parents. 

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Two Indigenous youth from the NWT will soon be part of a tv show that celebrates Indigenous stories.

The 13-episode show is called Warrior Up! It is a documentary series that highlights Indigenous youths who work to help improve their communities. The show is hosted by three young, Indigenous actors, Joshua Odjick, Anna Lambe, and Joel Oulette.

The fourth episode of the show will feature the two Yellowknife youths, Cole Clark, and Dyaln Hope. Clark uses his experience in sports to help teach and guide other youths at Yellowknife’s Home Base. Hope performs as a rapper under the name DYLN, using his music to share his love of northern life, and has even performed at Folk on the Rocks.

The show will be premiering on Saturday, May 11^th.

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As ice continues to melt across the Territory and the days grow warmer, Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson believes that her community won’t face the same challenges they have in the last few years.

In regards to the possibility of once again facing fires this year, Mayor Jameson had this to say.

“I’m very confident that we’re in a good place. I don’t think that there is a huge threat to our community. Like I’ve said before, there’s a whole bunch of hectares that stand between us and what’s coming at us, and there’s a lake on the other side.”

“We’re not going to see what we saw last year, that’s for sure. Should there be fires that come at the community, I’m totally confident that we’ll be able to defend the community from them.”

As for water levels, and the possibility of facing more floods, Mayor Jameson isn’t too worried about that either.

“As for water, there is no water. Ice jamming is always a possibility, however, with how much water, there just isn’t any in the basin, and there isn’t any here. Our lake is at record lows.”

Jameson stated that she’s feeling cautiously optimistic on both fronts.

When asked if there is anything that Hay River residents can do to help keep the community as safe as possible, Jameson said that firesmarting homes is likely the best option, as well as making sure vehicles have at least half a tank of gas in them, should the need ever arise.

While she restated her confidence that Hay River will have a nice, quiet year, she reiterated that residents should still be ready and prepared.

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The GNWT has managed to come to a new collective agreement with the Northwest Territories Teacher’s Association.

Retroactively effective on August 1^st, 2023, the agreement gives teachers a salary increase of five percent, with an additional three percent increase on August 1^st of this year, and four percent increase the following year.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to help guide the practice in the event of teacher absence.

Negotiations for this agreement began on April 18^th, 2023, and came to an end on March 1^st, when the agreement was made. The teachers agreed to the deal on April 17^th, and it was officially ratified the next day.

In a statement, Caitlin Cleveland, the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, said that “This collaborative effort to reach an agreement guarantees stability and security for NWT educators, enabling them to support our shared goal of improving student learning in the territory. The Government of the Northwest Territories values the dedication of NWT educational staff and remains committed to providing them with the supports they need to thrive in their important roles. By reaching a fair agreement, this deal will benefit educators and all stakeholders in the territory’s education system.”

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Aurora College has just launched a new five-year project that they will be working on with help from BGC Engineering.

With the goal of tackling some of the more unique transportation challenges in the North, the project will be looking to improve the safety and reliability of northern transport services. It will also be helped along with some funding from the federal government’s National Trade Corridors Fund.

The project will be gathering data from various geohazard data sources, which will be turned into actionable knowledge on how network reliability and transportation infrastructure can be improved. Historical data will also be incorporated into the project, which is expected to help plan for future challenges, particularly climate change.

Along with BGC Engineering, Aurora College is working with the GNWT and the University of British Columbia on the project. The hope is that it will help improve the day-to-day lives of northern communities while boosting their economic performances and opportunities by allowing greater access to affordable goods.

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Members of the 20^th Legislative Assembly’s Accountability and Oversight Committee recently gathered to hear of the updates that the GNWT has made to the NWT Emergency Plans since last year.

This was the first time the Emergency Plan has been updated since 2018. The update officially began in winter of 2022, but as the emergency situation evolved in 2023, it was put on hold as the GNWT was forced to respond. The update project was re-started in the fall of 2023, and was taking input from every GNWT department based on the lessons they learned and the feedback they received from the public.

The updated plan makes sure that assistance is given to community and regional authorities once they have exhausted all other possibilities, making sure that the Territory is looking out for itself one stage at a time. The Plan is also establishing methods of coordination and planning frameworks that can affect all or part of the NWT. It makes sure that Regional and Territorial Emergency Management Operations are working together and assigning the proper responsibilities.

As mentioned, the GNWT has also emphasized that there are roles that individual residents and families can play to help aid in these prevention efforts. It is recommended that residents make sure they have a household emergency plan, maintain an emergency kit, and do their best to protect their property and obtain insurance if they can.

The update works to clarify the roles that local authorities have over their respective areas, and does the same for Indigenous governments. In any areas where Indigenous governments are not responsible for these matters, they are encouraged to work alongside local authorities to help with Emergency Management Operations and community support.

Clearer language has been developed in regards to the definitions of activation levels. “Monitoring” is considered to be when information is being shared pertaining to a potential emergency. “Partial Activation” is when there is limited or targeted responses taking place with multi-agency coordination. “Full Activation” is for multi-jurisdictional response to a large scale event.

The report on the update also mentions that more opportunities are on the way for the public to share their comments and feedback on the NWT’s emergency management framework.

In preparation for the 2024 high-risk season, the GNWT has been reviewing their internal operating procedures, and has been conducting training for the Incident Command System with Emergency Management Operations personnel on the regional and territorial levels, senior GNWT staff, Cabinet members, and MLAs.

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