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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Just two weeks after starting the position, Yellowknife City Manager John Collin has tendered his resignation from the City of Yellowknife.

A release from the city Tuesday morning says Collin resigned for personal reasons. Collin, a former city manager of Saint John, New Brunswick, and a 35-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, began his tenure on April 9.

He was hired to address financial issues, foster growth, and develop initiatives to address modern city concerns.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty expressed her best wishes for Collin and announced that the council will determine the next steps to fill the position. An interim city manager will be appointed by May 13, which is also Collin's last day in the post.

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The City of Yellowknife is implementing various strategies to assure wildfire readiness. KPMG has been contracted to conduct an after-action assessment for the city's 2023 wildfire response, and its interim report is due to the city's staff by May 6.

The consulting firm is scheduled to deliver its interim findings to the city on May 13, and the final report is due on July 1. Meanwhile, the city has been working on an emergency evacuation plan and training personnel with the incident command system (ICS) I-100 and ICS I-200. All those working in the emergency operations centre will undergo a two-day training session before the summer, with a one-day rehearsal planned to ensure smooth operations. 

Between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. on April 27, the Yellowknife Community Arena will be the location of a public wildfire preparedness information centre hosted by the city and GNWT. During this open house, the public will receive important information about wildfire preparedness, which will be repeated to a degree at the trade show on May 11 at the City of Yellowknife booth including handouts. 

In addition, the city is introducing a web page as part of its communications initiative. The website will be live for the trade show. It will enable individuals to access all necessary information in a single location. Using drop-down subheadings will facilitate navigation. Principal categories will be displayed on the right-hand side to facilitate users' rapid navigation to the desired section. It will also include a link to the government website and information regarding air quality.

The city is also considering implementing a push system on the website in which individuals voluntarily subscribe to a distribution list to receive communications from the city regarding emergencies or critical circumstances. Additionally, social media will be leveraged. Ongoing refinement of the communications strategy will guarantee that residents are consistently informed and engaged.

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Yellowknife RCMP are currently investigating a shooting that took place over the weekend.

On Sunday, April 21^st, around 3:15 am, officers were informed of a shooting that took place on 52^nd Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man who had been shot, and had him transported to the hospital. His injuries were serious, but he has since been listed as being in stable condition.

The investigation is ongoing, though no arrests have been made at this time. Anyone who may have surveillance footage of the area is asked to send it to the RCMP to assist them in this matter. They are looking for any footage of the Bison Apartments and Bison Estates area from 2:00 to 4:00 am.

Anyone who may have any other information about this case can call the RCMP at 669-1111.

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A Yellowknife burlesque artist is set to be honoured for their work on a national stage.

As the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of burlesque art, the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas keeps a storied collection of costumes, props, and stories of the performers.

Every year, they give out the Sparkly Devil Memorial Scholarship. This reward aims to encourage a strong relationship between newer burlesque performers, and the ones who came before them. Those who receive the award are chosen for their commitment to the art of burlesque, and their willingness to guide newer performers as they make their first steps.

This year, the scholarship is going to Yellowknife’s Stella Gams, who shared how she was able to get into burlesque in the first place.

“2008 is when I first started exploring the art. My husband and I on our honeymoon cruise, we met a whole bunch of burlesque stars, which kind of ignited things. Then in 2009, Jennifer Knowlan and Krystal Thompson had a Veen launch for the Do It Up magazine, and they wanted to have burlesque. I was so excited, I was like “sign me up!” I have a lot of experience with performance and dance. I’ve been teaching dance and performing for thirty years, though not in this particular art form.”

Stella explained that even though she didn’t have access to today’s resources in costuming and community, she was still excited to join, and signed herself up for two performances. As she continued to explore the burlesque scene, she made friends with the performers who would later startup Yellowknife's Brrrlesque group. While Stella herself wasn't a founder of the group, she did help bring the neo-burlesque scene to Yellowknife.

Stella was chosen for their role in creating and leading Yellowknife’s diverse burlesque community, and her commitment in improving both herself and her colleagues.

Stella shared what the art of burlesque has come to mean to her.

“There’s always people behind you, and you want to pave that way for the artistry, the comraderie. Burlesque is an incredible art form, that is probably one of the most open and supportive communities out there. You can do a classic piece in burlesque, you can do a weird number, there are cabaret elements to it, there are drag kings and queens involved in the burlesque scene. It’s very inclusive.”

Stella will be receiving a full pass to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender, and free admission to all classes of the Finishing School.

Stella gave a special thanks to those who have supported her over the years, and who have come to be her “weirdo fans,” as she lovingly called them. She added that there will be a special fundraising event coming up on Saturday, May 11^th.

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A local theatre group will soon be giving Yellowknife a welcome taste of one of music's most beloved Southern Belle's

Ptarmigan Ptheatrics, a non-profit group that works to promote musical theatre in the community, is getting ready to put on a performance of 9 to 5, a musical stage adaptation of the classic 1980 comedy starring Dolly Parton. The story is set in the 1970's and focuses on three women who are looking to get some revenge on their sexist, egotistical, bigoted boss.

Katie Hall, who is directing the Ptarmigan's production, said that the show gives audiences a look into the office culture of 1979, and how women were treated in that setting and time.

Despite being set over forty years in the past, Katie feels that the messages of the story are still relevant to today.

"Especially when you consider intersectionality in the workplace as well. The story doesn't super explicitly touch on it, but I think that it's still very prevalent in the writing and in the way that our cast kind of approaches it. We're obviously in a very different wave of feminism now, but when the story was written back in the 70's, they were looking at women through that wave of feminism era, and I think now, when we're thinking about how we can treat women with respect in the workplace, there's just so many more layers to it, and I think that's why it kind of rings true today."

Shaelah Buckley, one of the actors in the show, added on to that with her own inciteful interpretation of the story.

"I think we've chatted a bit in the space that, I think Dolly Parton's work has always been like this, where there's this idea of there's no wrong way to be a woman, but no matter how you exist as a woman in this world, supporting other women is so important."

Both Katie and Shaelah reported that rehearsals have been going well, and the cast feels very confident in putting on the performance.

The show will be held on Friday, April 26th at 7:30pm at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. Tickets are available on the NACC website.

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With less than 90 days until the North’s most popular music festival, Folk on the Rocks has revealed their second wave of artists who will be in attendance.

The first wave was announced on Friday, March 22^nd, and the third wave is scheduled to be announced on May 17^th.

Here are the newly announced artists;

ALADEAN KHEROUFI:

Coming from an Algerian background, Aladean has skills with multiple instruments, and has also been a songwriter, arranger, producer, recordist, and a DJ. His music is described as being full of varying emotions, but with an optimistic edge.

AURORA FIDDLE SOCIETY:

A Yellowknife fiddle group that performs all across the North Slave region.

BABE CORNER:

A relatively new group, Babe Corner released their debut LP in 2023. They have proven to be unafraid of competition, and are quickly becoming one of Canada’s fastest growing indie groups.

BEATRICE DEER:

Coming from Montreal, Beatrice fills her music with deeply personal emotions born from her half-Inuk, half-Mohawk heritage. She has seven studio albums to her name, with her latest full of traditional Inuit children’s songs.

BEGONIA:

A JUNO nomination, two Polaris Prize nominations, multiple number 1 songs, and named as one of NPR’s “Artists You Need to Know.” These are some of the accolades achieved by Begonia. Some of her recent music touches on topics of sexuality, self-discovery, acceptance, and empowerment.

BOOGEY THE BEAT:

With a well established history of collaboration with other artists, Boogey excels at boosting the sounds of his friends and colleagues. He makes use of a strong percussive beats and drums, adding in vocals and other instruments as he goes along.

CLEREL:

Beginning as a local performance in Montreal, Clerel Djamen has since used his voice and guitar to create an EP with Japanese-Canadian guitarist Kento Kataoka in 2019. More recently, Clerel has released a digital 45 and a Francophone project, and appeared as a contestant on the Canadian version of The Voice.

GINALINA:

Over her career, Ginalina has managed to claim nominations for four JUNOs and 5 Canadian Folk Awards. Her signature is family folk music, as well as children’s books that celebrate family, nature, community, and culture.

GNARWHAL:

A four-piece rock band that weaves in touches of fuzz rock and progressive metal. Getting their start right here in Yellowknife, the band is credited with helping to restart interest in heavy music across the Territory. Their self-titled debut album helped to earn them a nomination for the 2023 Western Canadian Music Award.

HALEY BLAIS:

With addicting tunes that are both humorous and defiant, Haley has amassed over 20 million streams on online platforms around the world, and has even sold out entire venues in the US and UK.

MATTIE LEON:

A skilled guitarist and pianist, Mattie is always brushing up on those skills to keep himself sharp. Coming from Hamilton, Ontario, he is inspired by the songwriting styles of the sixties and seventies, giving a nostalgic twist to his new sound.

NIX & MENNO:

Best friends since childhood, Nix and Menno discovered similar tastes in music, and ended up teaching each other new skills and practices. For almost thirty years, the two have performed in more than twenty countries, earning several songs in Top Ten positions on Singles lists.

NORTHERN MOSAIC NETWORK:

An NWT staple, the Northern Mosaic Network is putting together a Performing Arts & Queer Justice Camp with Folk on the Rocks. The camp will see two Canadian artists, one from the NWT, teaching their skills to young and aspiring artists, while also discussing issues that currently affect LGBT youths.

SKYE WALLACE:

Drawing inspiration from multiple rock foundations, Skye’s work makes her talent undeniable. With music filled with self-introspection, Skye guides her audience through her own process of owning her past mistakes.

TANYA SNOW:

A Yellowknife singer and writer from Ranklin Inlet, her throat singing began when she was in her late teens, and she has kept those skills sharp ever since. She will be performing alongside Al Be and Andrea Bettger, the trio improvising with other instruments along the way.

THE DANDY LIONS:

A Yellowknife based folk music group.

TROUBLESOME 96:

A Zimbabwe native now living in Yellowknife, Troublesome 96 has an unmatched love for music, and has lived his whole life taking in every part of the human experience that he can. He hopes that his music will inspire and empower others to follow their own dreams.

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