to PDF version of complete Yellowknifer with article

Transcription

Northern balladeer rediscovered
Gas prices soar
Regular fuel as high as
$1.40 per litre
Super
Soccer
warm-up
in Yk
r
Northwestel
Cable goes
hi-def
r
Idling
law back
before
council
Volume 37 Issue 9
75 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008
Worms eat Yellowknifer
Ecology North holds workshop
breaking down composting
by Herb Mathisen
Northern News Services
Groups of adults lined up eagerly for
worms last Saturday.
More than 50 interested residents
packed into the Northern United Place auditorium for a backyard worm and composting
workshop, put on by Ecology North as part
of their Earth Week series of events.
Shannon Ripley, a program co-ordinator
with Ecology North, led the group through
the basics of composting. To
get started, she said, all one
really needs is a handful or two
of backyard soil. Apparently,
there is enough living in that
small hunk of earth to begin
decomposing organic waste.
She said to start out small and as the
compost heap grows so can waste contributions.
The conditions needed for a good compost are simple.
"The micro-organisms and ourselves are
not much different," said Ripley, adding that
all they need to survive are a good dose of
water and waste, warmth and air.
She said you can start compost in just
about anything by either buying a composter or poking some holes in a container, or
starting a heap.
Once underway, Ripley said you can be
creative with your compost. She said a variety of carbon-rich "browns," such as dried
leaves and wood chips, and nitrogen-rich
"greens," such as fruit scraps and grass clip-
pings, should be layered in the compost to
keep a neutral balance.
Newspapers too can be composted.
Organic waste is reduced in size by one
half once composted, said Ripley, and the
product is usable soil, full of nutrients. The
environmental benefits are that the organic
waste can be reused, instead of sitting idly
in a landfill.
At the end of the presentation, worms
were handed out to attendees.
Barb McDonald was anxious to get her hands on some
worms.
"This is my first time with
worms," she said. "I want to use
them for winter production."
The winter puts a pause to
outdoor composting, as the organisms
freeze solid and are unable to decompose
organic waste. By worm composting indoors
with a Rubbermaid container, Yellowknifers
can compost year-round.
Throughout the workshop, residents
asked questions and shared tips.
Apparently, if an abundance of annoying
fruit flies comes out of worm composting,
a glass of red wine can solve the problem.
The flies are drawn to the drink and drown
in it.
Also, attendees learned about "compost tea." No, it is not some kind of secret
super-organic elixir consumed by only the
most eco-sensitive environmentalists, but
rather a substance-rich water used to feed
house plants. Compost is placed in water
COFFEE
Break
QUOTE: “A path to nowhere.”
Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo
Leah Thomson, 6, works a worm off her finger into the hand of Shannon Ripley, project co-ordinator for Ecology North, at a backyard and worm composting
workshop Saturday.
and nutrients are steeped out, to be shared
back with plants when watering them.
Ripley said in the near future, the city
may adopt a large centralized compost out
at the city landfill, where restaurants and
businesses, as well as residents, could
bring their organic waste. This could provide
a source for soil for a city that depends
largely upon imports from down south.
In large composts, temperatures within
them get high, allowing for more potent
decomposition. Pet waste and even meat
can be broken down when the core temperature of the compost reaches 55 C, said
Ripley.
– Anne Lynagh on boardwalk through Willow Flats. See story, page 8.
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YELLOWKNIFER, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 3
CORRECTION
feature news
An error appeared in an article
in last Wednesday's Yellowknifer
("Scholarship renamed after Laserich," April 16). Only Adlair Aviation's
contribution to the Aviation Career
Development Program is being
renamed in honour of Willie Laserich. Yellowknifer apologizes for any
embarrassment or confusion caused
by the error.
NEWS
Briefs
Yellowknife elder
honoured
Yellowknifer Mable Collinson
is one of four NWT residents who
will be honoured for their volunteer
service at a ceremony in Norman
Wells next week.
Collinson was named by Michael
McLeod, minister of Municipal
and Community Affairs, as this
year's Outstanding Elder volunteer
for the 2008 Outstanding Volunteer Awards. Collinson has been
involved with many events over
the years, including Canada Day,
Senior's Day, and Canada Multicultural Day.
– Mike W. Bryant
Heritage guardians
Are you passionate about
Yellowknife's history and interested
in preserving it?
The city is looking for volunteers to serve on the City Heritage
Committee. The committee, which
meets once a month, was created to
preserve historical Yellowknife sites
and to celebrate the city's heritage.
Interested residents can apply
online at the city's website or send
in a letter of interest to the city clerk
by Friday, May 9.
– Herb Mathisen
New president
The Yellowknife Community
Foundation elected Daryl Dolynny
as its president at an annual general
meeting last week. The pharmacist has lived in Yellowknife since
1992 and is the owner of Shoppers
Drug Mart. He is also a member of
the Rotary Club and coach for the
Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club.
Dolynny is taking over the position from Tom Hall, who has been
president since 2001. Founded in
1991, the Yellowknife Community
Foundation gives away numerous
grants and scholarships worth over
$2 million.
– Cara Loverock
Immunization workshop
The Department of Health and
Social Services is holding a Practicalities of Immunization Workshop
at the Baker Centre today in recognition of National Immunization
Awareness Week, April 20 to 26.
The all-day workshop will feature
guest speakers, and nurse experts
on immunization, Jean Pugnacco of
Alberta and Karen Pilak of British
Columbia.
– Alix McNaught
Have your say:
Do you know anyone who has
moved away because of Yellowknife's litter problem? Have your
say at nnsl.com/yellowknifer. Poll
results will be published in this
Friday's Yellowknifer.
Gold: $913.90
Last week: $929.20
Cara Loverock/ NNSL photo
Marcel Sell takes his van to the pumps at the Co-op gas bar. He is one of many motorists in the city paying a steep price for
gas. "What can you say? It's too high," said Sell of current gas prices.
Gas spikes again
Yellowknife drivers fume over steep price at the pumps
Yellowknifers are feeling the
pinch at the gas pump.
Prices for gas have risen to as
high as $1.40 per litre, compared
to March 2007 when Yellowknifer
reported the highest price as $1.20
per litre.
"It costs too much," said Wes
Mantla as he filled up his large
pick-up truck at Yk Motors. "It's
not fair." At the Co-op gas bar, Cori
Kelso gasped at the $50 price for
filling up her vehicle.
"It's at 1.38. It's a crime," she
said. "It wasn't even full."
Stacy Ogilve was also filling up
her car at the Co-op gas bar and
complained of the steep price.
"It's too high. I don't even look
at the price any more," she said.
"I have to fill up, so I just fill up. I
don't want to know (the price)."
Macerollo said in addition to the
According to Tony Macerollo, price of crude oil the other reason
vice-president of the Canfor the increase in gas
adian Petroleum Products
prices can be attributed
Institute, the increase
to supply and demand
in price is not unique to
in the North American
Yellowknife.
consuming market.
"We're
seeing
He said this time of
unprecedented prices
year would generally
in crude oil costs," said
see an increase in price
Macerollo.
because with summer
"The price for that
on its way, there is an
product is set in world
increase in demand as
markets regardless of
people are driving and
ARA
where you are in the
travelling more often.
world, including Canada.
In the case of
OVEROCK
Everybody in the counYellowknife, which has
try right now is observing
higher gas prices than
REPORTING
record high prices."
most of Canada, the
Crude oil prices are
cost of transporting gas
over US $116 a barrel, compared to to Yk is a factor in the higher price
US $68 in March 2007.
at the pump, Macerollo said.
C
L
FACT:
Retail fuel prices (regular
gasoline) in Canada for April
15, 2008 according to Natural Resources Canada
Calgary: 1.153
Edmonton: 1.120
Vancouver: 1.223
Winnipeg: 1.180
Saint John: 1.141
Ottawa: 1.154
Toronto: 1.152
Montreal: 1.227
Whitehorse: 1.259
Yellowknife: 1.376
Friday in Yellowknifer
'Do you ever see him out
picking up trash?'
City says garbage picker on the job seven days a week,
but people wonder where
news
Homeowner left with cleanup
Mobile home moved
down the street to allow digging up
of contaminated soil
by Cara Loverock
A fuel spill has forced a
homeowner to move her house
as well clean up 150 to 200
litres of fuel.
The mobile home previously at 574 Catalina Dr. is
sitting at the end of the street
on steel beams, while a backhoe tears up the ground about
10 feet deep where it used to
stand, removing contaminated
soil.
Even with a fuel spill this
large, it is up to the homeowner
to take care of the cleanup,
according to Judy McLinton, communications officer
with the GNWT department
of Environment and Natural
Resources (ENR).
"We don't do the cleanup
on any spills. It's whoever is
responsible. How that homeowner is dealing with it, I
don't know," said McLinton.
She said the spill occurred
in February of this year, but
cleanup was not possible until
spring.
She has no idea how much
the cleanup would cost.
"It was a homeowner that
had a fuel leak in her line,"
she said. "She noticed about
150 to 200 litres of fuel ended
up under her home. She had
the leak fixed and right now
they're cleaning up the contaminated soil," said McLinton. "There are regulations
that if something happens
with your fuel tank or fuel
line, homeowners are responsible."
She said the fire department notified ENR who then
went to the site and assessed
it, adding there was a significant amount of fuel leaked
under the home. The depart-
ment informed the owner that
she would have to clean up the
contamination, but McLinton
said as long as it is cleaned
up properly there is no major
concern for the environment.
"The soil is contaminated.
That's a concern, that's why
they have to clean it up," she
said.
The homeowner, who
could not be reached for comment when calls were placed
to the phone number listed for
574 Catalina Dr., will not be
getting any assistance from
the landowners either.
"All we're concerned with
is our water mains and sewer
mains and any other property
damage," said Mike Roi, manager of Yellowknife Condo
Corporation No. 8, which
owns Northland Trailer Park
where the fuel spill is located.
"The corporation is only concerned with their infrastructure."
Roi said the corporation is
not responsible for the cleanup
and as far as he knows the
resident is now residing in an
apartment for the time being.
A back-hoe sits in
front of the lot where
a mobile home once
stood at 574 Catalina
Dr. A leak in the fuel
line spilled roughly 150
litres of fuel under the
home. The homeowner
is having the contaminated soil removed.
news
Amendments to the
vehicle idling bylaw will
be going to city council
for approval following a
municipal services committee meeting Monday
afternoon.
Councillors not idling on bylaw
Vehicle idling bylaw amendment approved to go before council
for 20 minutes when the temperature is above -20 C and
Amendments to the idling where there is no limit on
bylaw that would prohibit idling when the temperature
drivers from idling their dips below that.
vehicles for longer than three
"There is no reason to idle
minutes will be going to city a vehicle for longer than three
council for approval.
minutes if it's above -10 C,"
City council approved he said.
recommendations made by
"There is a collection of
the community energy plan half-truths and truths that we
implementation
need to educate the pubadvisory (CEP) comlic about," he continued,
mittee to amend the
stating that Northerners
bylaw, Monday afterneed to get over their
noon.
idling habits.
The bylaw would
Coun. David Wind
prohibit residents
said the recent spike
Kevin
from idling their
in gas prices should be
Kennedy
vehicles for more
enough of a deterrent to
than three minutes in
prevent residents from
a 60-minute period, unless keeping their vehicles idling.
the temperature fell below
"I view this bylaw really
-10 C.
as an unnecessary intrusion
When the temperature into the rights and privileges
is less than -10 C, vehicles that we have as individuals
would be permitted to idle for in this community to operate
no longer than 15 minutes.
our vehicles," said Wind. "I
Coun. Kevin Kennedy will not be supporting it."
said this is an improvement
Coun. Paul Falvo said he
over the current bylaw, where supports the bylaw but feels
vehicles are permitted to idle more can be done.
by Herb Mathisen
"I view carcinogens,
pollutants and toxins as an
unnecessary intrusion into
the body of my child," said
Falvo.
He said although it may
cause resistance and unhappiness with the public, he has
seen too many people have
to walk through clouds of
vehicle exhaust on downtown
streets with their hands over
their mouths.
No real solution
"I see it as a Band-Aid,
but not a real solution," he
said, adding the city should
put their focus on more positive initiatives, such as public
transit and bicycling promotion.
Councillors were given the
option to choose whether the
15-minute limit would kick in
when the temperature dipped
below -10 C or if it should be
implemented from October
to April.
"One of the guiding principles of any bylaw is to make
sure it is enforceable," said
Coun. Bob Brooks, who had
an issue with tying the bylaw
to temperature.
He said there could be
discrepancies, citing different
temperatures around the city
at any given time.
Manager of Municipal
Enforcement Doug Gillard
said there would be a bit of a
buffer-zone, "so there would
be no doubt the temperature
was below a certain degree."
Coun. Mark Heyck, who
spoke on behalf of the CEP
committee, said the public
would have an easier time
remembering what temperature the bylaw comes into
effect as opposed to which
months of the year.
Coun. Shelagh Montgomery added, "if there is one
thing the residents of Yellowknife know, it's the temperature outside."
She added she would be
in favour of giving out educational tickets to offenders for
the first year of enforcement,
in order to inform the public
about the bylaw and to help
them kick the habit.
Other councillors were
receptive to that suggestion.
Idling offenders will
be fined $40. Some nota-
ble exceptions to the bylaw
are emergency vehicles and
vehicles containing equipment that requires it to be
running.
WHO'S THE MANLIEST
OF THEM ALL?
Does he golf the perfect game? Catch the biggest
fish? Chop more wood than anyone else can? If you
know any Yellowknifers you can consider especially
manly, send us a photo and a story 300 words or less
explaining why he is such a manly guy and we'll publish
it in Yellowknifer.
It can be a brother, a spouse, a son, a friend, no
matter. Yellowknifer will be publishing your stories of
Yellowknife's manliest men until, after which you will
decide who is Yellowknife's manliest man through a
readers' choice poll to be published Friday, June 13,
the week before Father's Day.
Go to www.nnsl.com and click on Yellowknifer (or go
directly to www.nnsl.com/yellowknifer) for details. The
winner will get $200 to take Yellowknife's Manliest Man
to a restaurant of their choice and another $200 will go
to a charity of their choice.
POLICE
Briefs
with Cara Loverock
Drunk driving charges
FLYING NEMO
Chelsey Himmelman, 4,
out with her dad Mike,
in the background, runs
to get her Finding Nemo
kite airborne Sunday
afternoon. The three,
who were out flying kites
for just the second time
this spring, had Back Bay
entirely to themselves.
"It's such a beautiful
day," said Mike Himmelman, of their "ultimate
backyard."
Two people are facing court dates for charges of getting
behind the wheel while drunk last week.
The first was a 31-year-old Yellowknife man pulled over by
police early in the morning last Wednesday.
"He was actually charged with refusing to provide a breath
sample," said RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich. The second
was a 71-year-old man from Whati. Police say the man was
found drunk in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle.
"This person will be charged, I believe it's for care and
control of the vehicle," said Dreilich.
"Which is, they weren't actually driving at the time, but
they were in the driver's seat and had the means and the ability," said Dreilich.
Assault reported at Hilltop
A 21-year-old woman reported being assaulted by her
22-year-old boyfriend Saturday, receiving injuries to her face.
RCMP answered the call at 6:10 a.m. at Hilltop Apartments.
The woman received treatment from ambulance personnel.
"I don't believe (her injuries) were serious," said RCMP
Const. Roxanne Dreilich, adding the man was taken into custody without incident.
False alarm
A charge is pending against a 22-year-old Ndilo man after a
fire alarm was pulled at Norseman Apartments Thursday.
According to Dreilich, the man became angry after he was
asked to leave the building around 2:30 a.m.
The man left but didn't do so quietly.
"He had been asked to leave the apartment building and
was upset by that and pulled the fire alarm," said Dreilich.
She said she wasn't sure if alcohol was a factor. The man
faces a charge of causing a false alarm of fire.
opinions
Yellowknifer is published by Northern News Services Limited, 5108 50th Street, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories • PUBLISHER: Jack (Sig) Sigvaldason • GENERAL MANAGER: Michael Scott • MANAGING EDITOR: Bruce Valpy
STREET
TALK
with Alix McNaught
"If you could have
any superpower,
what would it be?"
Shannon
Ripley
"Snap my
fingers
and all the
organic
materials in
the garbage
would end
up going in
the compost
pile."
After standing guard outside the Stuart M. Hodgson building throughout the
long winter months, a no parking sign takes a much-needed rest in the fast
receding snow.
Helena
Tobie
"To morph
into something."
Yk Views
with Alix McNaught
editorial
Treatment centre long overdue
Jasmine
Sangris
"I want to
fly or read
minds."
SideDoor proposal of year-long program deserves support
Jessica
Young
"Time travel
– forwards
and backwards."
Curtis
Beaulieu
"Reverse
time."
Katherine
Mackenzie
"Be in two
places at one
time – spring
is a pretty
busy time."
Archie Tsetta, a 35-year-old man jury, tasked with finding ways to
with a chronic alcohol abuse prob- prevent such deaths in the future,
lem, died in July 2002, a month issued a number of recommenafter falling unconscious in the dations, including re-establishing
a long-term residential facility for
RCMP drunk tank.
His death was attributed to a medical and social detoxification in
Yellowknife.
head injury likely incurred
The director of the
before he was picked up
THE
ISSUE:
Salvation Army testified
by police – his long-term
at the inquest that the
excessive drinking had Addiction
28-day programs offered
affected his balance and treatment
at Hay River and in the
made him prone to falls.
south were not long
Then chief coroner WE SAY:
Long
time
enough to help addicts
Percy Kinney criticized the
establish a new pattern of
"revolving door" experi- coming
coping skills, and did not
enced by addicts in the
city. They would be picked up by the offer long-term support.
The Yellowknife area had a longpolice for public intoxication, then
kept in custody until they sobered er-term residential addictions treatup, then released, only to become ment centre – Somba K'e Healing
Lodge in Dettah – but its doors were
intoxicated again.
"We're not doing anything about shut.
Now SideDoor Youth Ministry is
the core of the problem. We're
doing something about being drunk proposing to establish a drug and
on the street but we're not doing alcohol rehabilitation centre to proanything about why they are drunk vide a year-long residential program
for teens and adults aged 16 and
on the street," said Kinney.
Tsetta's family said he had up.
Overcoming addiction is not just
once quit drinking for a month but
relapsed due to peer pressure and a matter of deciding one day to stop
drinking or doing drugs.
lack of support.
People need support during their
The following year a coroner's
detox phase, and then they need
the time and the guidance to reconstruct themselves into people who
can survive life's ups and downs
without turning to chemical relief.
The fact that SideDoor's proposed
centre with Teen Challenge would be
Christian faith-based may raise eyebrows, but Garry Hubert, SideDoor
executive director, has said being
Christian will not be a prerequisite
for being admitted to the program.
Faith of any kind helps people get
through crises by meditation, reflection, finding purpose to life's trials
and reasons to stay healthy.
Hubert says Teen Challenge is
willing to pay half the costs of building the centre, and SideDoor plans
to fundraise the rest.
But as we learned with Somba
K'e Healing Lodge, building a centre
is only half the battle.
Like overcoming addiction, helping people overcome addiction is
not just a matter of deciding one
day to build a healing centre.
Providing effective help requires
a long-term commitment of financial and community support, and it
shouldn't require another alcoholrelated death to get that.
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PAGE
9
news
Boardwalk brouhaha
CITY COUNCIL
Briefs
Residents of Lundquist Road in Old Town voiced concerns boardwalk, which will lead to a look-out point at the end of the with Herb Mathisen
over the next phase of the Rotary Centennial Park boardwalk wetlands at the shoreline, should also lead to Lundquist Road
expansion into the Willow Flats wetland area.
to allow tourists to "continue the down through Old Town."
"I'm concerned that the walkway does not take into conGilday said: "it would be a real enhancement for our comThe report also recommended the majority of bike racks go
sideration water flow in and out of this area," said Anne munity."
to schools in order to get more young people riding in the hopes
Lynagh, referring to storm water run-off.
As it is right now, Lynagh called it "a path to they will continue as they grow older.
"We certainly don't want the wet lands to dry up.
nowhere."
"I don't think there is anything here that is prohibitively
That's why it's a nature preserve," she said.
Councillors were receptive to continuing the path to expensive or unsuitable," said Coun. Kevin Kennedy of the
Grant White assured residents there would be sufOld Town.
report, although he did recommend the city look at sharing
ficient space between the boardwalk support beams to
"I fully expect we will be able to tie it into Lundquist costs with schools and businesses on bike racks.
allow water to flow between them.
at some point," said Coun. Bob Brooks.
"The city is waiting for final approval of the grant," said
Lynagh voiced other worries: That the boardwalk
The park is joint effort between the city and the Grant White, director of Community Services.
Doug
would lead to increased traffic and more litter in the
Yellowknife Rotary Club.
area, and the type of gravel used for the walking path Ritchie
The city is buying all the materials for the boardwalk
was too large and not compacted enough for easy
and the Rotary Club is providing the labour and project
walking.
supervision.
"The gravel is hilarious," said Lynagh.
RCMP Sgt. Ken Cooper told city council Monday that
"They have this nice path with the big gravel," she said, addregular weekend downtown foot patrols will be coming that people are forced to walk on lumber beams bordering
mencing shortly.
the trail or on the grass beside it.
Coun. Bob Brooks was happy to hear that and
Coun. Shelagh Montgomery echoed those concerns.
Ecology North's Doug Ritchie made a presentation to
asked Cooper whether bike patrols would be starting
She said the gravel made it hard for people to get to the city council Monday afternoon, outlining what should be
up as well.
boardwalk for people in wheelchairs or walkers.
done with a potential $100,000 grant from the Depart"I don't know about the bike patrols," said Cooper,
"A park like this should never be developed if it's inaccess- ment of Municipal and Community Affairs to spend on
adding
there is a five-day course officers must go
ible in the first place," she said. "If these inaccessibility issues bicycling initiatives in the city.
Bob
through
to begin patrols.
could be remedied, I'd be in support of this."
The final report, carried out by Ecology North's trans- Brooks
"I
thought
you never forgot how to ride a bike?"
David Gilday, another Lundquist Road resident, said the portation issues committee, recommended the $100,000
asked Brooks.
be divided into $55,000 for new bike racks, $30,000 to bike
Cooper said that it takes five days to learn how to ride a bike
route improvements and signs and $15,000 going toward bike the RCMP way.
riding promotion.
Const. Roxanne Dreilich added the bike patrol course is
"There is a huge interest in cycling in Yellowknife," said quite extensive. "Officers are required to take the full course,"
Ritchie, who pointed out that bike theft was one of the main she said. "As far as the resources go, and time wise, it's quite
deterrents keeping people from riding to work and school. The tight."
$55,000 put forth for bike racks would bring in newer designs
She said municipal enforcement also does patrols, which
which would make theft more difficult.
may include bylaw officers on bikes.
Learning to bike
the RCMP way
Better bike racks
would encourage riders
Please keep Yellowknife’s streets clean … put garbage in its place.
opinions
The best kept secret
in Yellowknife
As an energy advisor
for Arctic Energy Alliance
(AEA), I have been frequently
surprised to discover how little known the EnerGuide for
Houses (EGH) program is.
This is truly an opportunDaniel Gillis is a civil engineer and enerity not to be missed!
gy advisor with Arctic Energy Alliance
In a nutshell, here's how
the program works: you call
AEA to make an appointment with one of our
upgrades. And there's even better news: the
qualified energy advisors.
territorial government will match the federal
On the appointed day, he or she will arrive
grants, for a total of up to $10,000 for your
at your home with a package of information
home improvement costs.
about home efficiency, and after answering
Your advisor can tell you just how much
any questions you may have, will proceed to
money you'll be saving for each home
do an energy efficiency assessment of your
improvement you make.
home.
In most cases, your annual savings will be
This will include taking some measurein the thousands of dollars.
ments, assessing doors and windows, and conWouldn't it be great to start next winter
ducting a blower door test.
knowing that you'll be warmer and more comThis test determines how 'leaky' your home fortable, and spend less on heating than ever
is, and how often the air in your home is
before.
exchanged with the outside air.
To find out how to get this paid for by your
Within a few weeks, you will receive a full friendly government, you can call Mike Stuhec
report on the energy efficiency of your home,
at the Arctic Energy Alliance.
and best of all, a list of all the grants you will
Mike's favourite saying is:
receive from the federal government to pay for
"You can never have too much insulation."
GUEST
Comment
Disappointed
with gun editorial
From: Joe Lapka,
Yellowknife, NWT
Secondly, I am simply astounded that the
author first stipulates that the boys faced no
charges, meaning they did nothing legally
wrong, yet some kind of ban seems to be in
order.
This most certainly is not a Northern attitude. It smacks of something
bred in a big city such as
Toronto.
While the statement
"M16s and handguns serve
no other purpose than to kill
people" barely deserves a
response, I'm sure the police
will be glad to know what the "editor" of the
local paper thinks their sidearms are for. Up
until now, I believe they thought they served
a defensive purpose.
To say I am a bit disappointed with the
editorial "guns aren't toys" would be an
understatement.
First off, as a long time
Yellowknifer myself, I know
the editorial does not express
the opinion of everybody at
Northern News Services.
This would make it the
opinion of an individual, and
as such, I wonder why they
chose not to add their name and "editorial
comment."
I wonder if I can have my name put in the
paper as "disappointed reader."
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news
'Lazy' dog owner drives over pet
NWT SPCA seek bylaw against walking dogs by driving alongside them
by Cara Loverock
A dog that had been rescued
and found a home in Yellowknife was killed recently when
its owner walked it by driving
alongside it on the highway
near Fiddler's Lagoon.
The dog was killed when
the vehicle ran over it.
The not-uncommon practice of running a dog and driving with it beside the car has
the NWT SPCA concerned
for the safety of dogs.
"It does happen all the
time," said Robin Weber,
vice-president of the NWT
SPCA. "At least once a year
I hear about it. Usually at the
sand pits it happens, Vee Lake
Road, on the ice road. This is
the first time I've heard of it
happening on the highway.
"How do you watch the
road and your dog at the same
time? There's no way."
The NWT SPCA has
launched a campaign against
the practice. There are posters
available for download from
the NWT SPCA website with
the phrase "Do not run dogs
beside vehicles."
"It's a totally preventable
tragedy," said Weber. "There's
no excuse for doing this.
People are just too lazy to get
out of their vehicles and walk
their dogs."
Weber said as far as she
knows the dog owner wasn't
charged and there are no
bylaws in place prohibiting
people from running dogs
beside vehicles.
She said the SPCA would
like to see people who do this
charged and is looking into
whether or not a bylaw could
be introduced.
"Hopefully we can educate
other people and have this not
happen again," said Weber.
image courtesy of the NWT SPCA
The NWT SPCA has created this poster to warn people of the danger of driving
while their dog is walked beside their vehicle.
news
Cooking
for dogs
Students donate bake sale
proceeds to animal shelter
by Alix McNaught
Students at St. Joseph
school donated $700 to Great
Slave Animal Hospital last
Thursday.
Grade 5/6 teacher Steve
MacFadyen's English class
raised the money through
a one-day bake sale at the
school, as part of a community
support project.
According to the class,
their $700 set a new school
record.
"The rest of St. Joe's bought
a lot of baked goods," said
MacFadyen.
Made by students and parents, the peanut-free brownies, haystacks, cookies, muffins and Rice Krispies squares
were snapped up quickly.
Class
representatives
polled students to determine
which community program to
support and decided upon the
Great Slave Animal Hospital's
shelter.
"We decided to raise money
for them, because we all like
to help animals, and it would
be a good choice," said student
Sarah Mailman.
Good for the community
"They wanted to do something good for the community,
and they decided they would
like to donate to the animal
shelter," said MacFadyen, adding that students are familiar
with the problem of people
buying and then returning animals.
According to student
Joseph Russell, they picked
the animal shelter "because
there's a lot of animals that we
wanted to help because they
might have felt hurt because
they were alone."
"We came up with the idea
and then we made posters all
over the school," said student
Victoria Rankin.
Roxanne Gravel, the
administrative supervisor at
Great Slave Animal Hospital,
came to MacFadyen's classroom to receive the money
students had raised.
Grade 6 student Dylan Van Wyck presents Roxanne Gravel, administrative supervisor at Great Slave
Animal Hospital, with the money his class raised.
After student Dylan Van
Wyck presented her with the
basket of money, the rest of the
class surrounded her, asking a
barrage of questions about her
favourite animals, breeds and
whether she had any pets of
her own.
"I had no idea that a classroom would be raising money
for our pound animals," said
Gravel. "That's awesome, it
will be put to good use, down
to the very last penny,"
MacFadyen had been in
communication with the shelter and heard about animals in
need of operations.
"The students are quite
happy to know it can be used
in that regard," he said.
"There were a lot of animals that needed surgery and
it was too expensive," said
Russell. "I think it's gonna be
used for the dog that might
need surgery."
"It would go to every single
pound animal that we have
right now," Gravel said. "Hay
River is doing its own moneyraising for a dog that they sent
up, Hope, the one that's been
in the newspaper with the skin
condition. So we'll just use this
for surgery and treatment to
any other pound dog that we
have. We only have one pound
cat right now, so it's all going
to go towards the dogs."
in-depth
What
happened
to Ted
Wesley?
Northern balladeer sold 70,000
records during the 1970s and then
quietly disappeared
by Mike W. Bryant
Thirty years ago, a man
named Ted Wesley was the
North's favourite singing son.
The Long, Dusty Road,
a song from his third album
titled North of Canada, was for
weeks a hit on national radio.
In 1977, Murray MacLaughlin barely edged him out for a
Juno award for Country Male
Vocalist of the Year.
All told he had sold some
70,000 records. Not bad for
a guy who's usual gig was at
the Hoist Room in downtown
Yellowknife, renamed several
times since and now called
Surly Bob's.
Another feather in Wesley's
toque came when he dreamed
up the Folk on the Rocks music
festival, now in its 28th year.
His impact on the North's
music scene was profound.
Few here have risen as high
as he did but after one final
performance at Folk on the
Rocks in 1982 he quietly disappeared. He hasn't played in
Yellowknife since.
"He really did seem to drop
out of the public eye," says fan
Bob Stewart, who last November launched a website, www.
peace.ca/tedwesley.htm, begging the question: Whatever
happened to Ted Wesley?
Stewart never saw Wesley
perform but he does own his
three albums, purchased after
his arrival in Yellowknife in
1982.
Those records – the last two
recorded for the now defunct
Boot Records, which released
many of Stompin' Tom Connors earlier records – exist
only on vinyl and have been
out of print for years. Stewart
compares Wesley to Gordon
Lightfoot and maritime legend
Stan Rogers.
"This music is too good to
let disappear from memory,"
says Stewart. "When I started
the website I didn't even know
NNSL file photo
Born in Zambia to Polish parents and off to Canada at age nine, Wesley moved North in 1961. His first
album, Straight North, was released in 1972.
if Ted was still alive or not,"
says Stewart.
"There's still some people
out there wondering what happened to him."
In fact, Wesley is very much
alive and well. Yellowknifer
found Wesley living peacefully
with his wife of 47 years, Leslie, in Fort McMurray, Alta.
They share a house with
their daughter Nahanni – who
besides the river, shares her
name with a song on Wesley's
second album Blackflies and
Mosquitoes – her husband and
their two children.
Wesley still plays music
albeit in a more low key manner than he once did.
For the past few years the
63-year-old has been operating a giant excavator in the tar
patch outside of town.
'Really big sand box'
That's what I like to do,"
says Wesley. "I play with these
massive toys in a really big
sand box."
Wesley was a miner before
he became a singer.
In 1961, at age 16, he ventured North from Edmonton to
work at Discovery Mine.
He lied about his age to get
the job, and lied again when
he took another job working
underground at Giant Mine
and to play hockey for the
mine's team, the Giant Grizzlies.
One had to be 21-years old
to work underground in those
days, and hockey was an entry
point for many young workers
in Yellowknife if they could
show that they could handle
a puck and compete in the
city's ultra-competitive hockey
league.
While Wesley had talent on
ice, his musical skills were still
in their infancy.
"My brother bought a guitar
just before I came to Yellowknife and I ended up stealing it
from him," Wesley recalls.
"I grabbed it on my way out
the door. I don't think he knew
it was gone."
It wasn't long before Wesley
met Leslie working the ticket
booth at an Elk's Hall dance,
herself the daughter of a Giant
miner.
The couple were married and began singing duets
together and competing in talent contests.
Please see Canada's, page 13
in-depth
Canada's songs
What, from page 13
After meeting Andy Steen,
a young man from Inuvik
residing at Akaitcho Hall, they
formed a group, calling themselves the Tundra Folk.
"We tried to be different,"
says Wesley. "Instead of doing
the same thing everybody else
was doing, we started doing a
bunch of research. We wanted
to do Canadian songs. There
was a shortage of them, short
of singing East Coast type
songs."
In 1967, the Tundra Folk
were invited to take part in
a series of concerts up the
Mackenzie Valley and into the
High Arctic to mark Canada's
centennial.
It wasn't long before Wesley
became acquainted with Bob
Ruzicka, known as "The Singing Dentist," who, true to his
moniker, practised dentistry by
day in Inuvik and other North-
1.
2.
3.
TED WESLEY DISCOGRAPHY:
Pic 1. Straight North
Damon Records,
1972
Pic 2. Blackflies and
Mosquitoes
Boot Records, 1973
Pic 3. North of Canada
Boot Records, 1976
ern towns and sang his songs
on a CBC radio by night.
Ruzicka is a Canadian
music legend in his own
right. His first album, What
the World's All About, produced two top-10 hits in 1972.
He went on to record several
major label albums, and wrote
songs for such Canadian singing stars as Valdy and Anne
Murray.
Ruzicka was given credit for most of the songs on
Wesley's first album, 1972's
Straight North, which included
fan favourite The Ballad of
Muk Tuk Annie. The song was
later re-recorded by Stompin'
Tom Connors for his album
Stompin' Tom Meets Muk Tuk
Annie.
"He wrote that song while
I was in the studio (in Edmonton)," says Wesley. "He went to
the can and wrote it down on
some toilet paper. It was a huge
success."
Wesley and others say Ruzicka settled in B.C. but Yellowknifer couldn't find him.
The album release party
for Straight North was held in
the Hoist Room and featured
a slide show of photographs
taken by author and Catholic
missionary Rene Fumoleau.
The guest list included a who's
who of Northern bigwigs and
politicians.
For the next album, 1973's
Blackflies and Mosquitoes,
Wesley borrowed more songs
from Ruzicka and included
another songwriter in the mix,
Wilf Bean.
Wesley says he got in touch
with Bean after his songs were
recommended to him by Nellie Cournoyea, who would go
on to become premier of the
Northwest Territories.
Bean was an employee
of the Department of Indian
and Northern Affairs living
in Kugluktuk and Cambridge
Bay before taking work with
the Indian Brotherhood.
It was during the lead up
to the Berger Inquiry and the
Dene were beginning to assert
their rights to the land.
Protest songs
All the songs Wesley
recorded dealt with Northern
people and places but some
also harboured a vein of protest, including Ruzicka's James
Bay Hydro-Electric Power Play
and Bean's Pipeline Promises.
"That decade in the North
was an incredibly transformative experience," says Bean,
who now resides in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.
"It was a time to be writing. I was lucky to be there
at the right time, and I think
with Ted's music, people were
looking for some expression
and artistic commentary from
the North."
Though Bean penned four
songs for the Blackflies album
and almost all the songs on
North of Canada, he says he
only met Wesley a handful of
times.
Wesley wrote songs as well
but recorded only a couple co-
written with friend and backup player Doug Leonard.
"I didn't need them," says
Wesley.
In 1976, he released his
third and biggest album yet,
North of Canada. Musicians
for the album, recorded in
Toronto, included Lightfoot's
guitar player Red Shea.
A Yellowknife favourite was the Ballad of Chuck
McAvoy. Written by Wesley's
bandmate Frank Ferguson,
the song retells the story of
the famed lost bush pilot, who
by then had been missing for
more than 20 years. The Long,
Dusty Road, written by Bean,
meanwhile, started getting a
lot of airplay.
"We were on a trip to
B.C. and the song came on
the radio," recalls Leslie, who
spent many a late night packing LPs to meet the demand
from listeners requesting her
husband's records.
"The DJ said this is a great
song, we play it a lot and have
a lot a calls about it. We'd
sure like to talk to Ted Wesley
sometime,” she says. "So we
hopped the ferry and went our
way across to Victoria, walked
into the radio station and asked
for the DJ. Ted said, 'How
do you do? I'm Ted Wesley. I
heard you wanted to talk to
me."
His musical success continued to grow.
He was invited to perform
his songs on several TV shows,
and hit the stage at the Pacific
Colosseum in Vancouver. He
quit his job at Giant and started a small taxi company in
Yellowknife.
He was touring lots, playing as far away as Alert and
Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Folk on the Rocks
takes shape
After performing a festival in Faro, Yukon, Wesley
thought Yellowknife could use
a similar event.
With Leslie and his sisterin-law and manager Heather
Pritchard – who organized the
first Arctic Winter Games in
1970 – plans for a Yellowknife
summer music festival started
to take shape.
It was 1979 and CBC
wanted to celebrate the July
1 festivities by showcasing
events from across the country. Yellowknife, with its midnight sun, would be shown last.
Frame Lake's McNiven Beach
was chosen for the event.
"We wanted to call it Stage
on the Rocks but we couldn't
house too many people (at
McNiven Beach) so that's when
we actually moved it to Long
Lake," says Wesley.
"That was basically the formation of Folk on the Rocks."
Wesley went on to perform
at the first three Folk on the
Rocks festivals, which officially launched under that name
in 1980.
But Wesley's Yellowknife
playing days were coming to
an end. In 1981, he left the city
and took a job at Polaris Mine
photo courtesy of Ted Wesley
Ted Wesley still plays music in his new home of
Fort McMurray. The 63-year-old is contemplating
a re-release of his albums plus some new songs
as well.
Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo
Bob Stewart has been a fan of Ted Wesley's
music for over 20 years. He launched a website
seeking information on the recording artist last
November.
on Little Cornwallis Island,
Nunavut. Leslie and the kids
went to B.C.
He came back to Yellowknife in 1982 to play Folk
on the Rocks, bringing with
him a group, the Little Walrus
Band, that he had formed up
at the mine. But though he
passed through Yellowknife
many times over the years on
his way to and from the mine,
his playing days in the city
were over.
"I think a big transition for
me was that I quit smoking
and a lot of my gigs were in
the Hoist Room, and playing
in bars where everybody else
smoked," says Wesley. "I had
to quit because of my health. I
was smoking almost two packs
a day. I just couldn't take it any
more so I ended up quitting
and getting a regular job."
Wesley worked at the mine
in weeks-longs shifts in relative isolation for 22 years until
it closed in 2003.
He still continues to play
music. One of the guys he jams
with used to play in BachmanTurner Overdrive, says Wesley.
He says he would love to
play in Yellowknife again, perhaps for next year's Folk on the
Rocks. As for re-releasing the
old albums, something is in
the works.
"We've been talking about
that the last couple years but
life keeps getting in the way,"
says Wesley. "When this thing
with Bob Stewart came up, we
were like, 'holy moly, we got to
do something about it now.'"
To hear Wesley's songs go
to www.peace.ca/tedwesley.
htm.
one
PLEASURE
“I think everyone should go to college and get a degree and then spend six months
as a bartender and six months as a cabdriver. Then they would really be educated.”
– Al McGuire
with Amanda Vaughan
Stirred, not shaken
1.
Bartenders bring the party in Yellowknife
O
ne thousand years ago, no one spent
eight hours a day at a computer,
nobody wrote consultant, administrative assistant, electrician or snow plow
driver in the occupation box of government
forms, or even filled out government forms
for that matter.
But at the turn of the first millennium,
someone was tending the bar.
Down at the Monkey Tree, Brian
Couvrette (pic 1) hasn't been tending bar for
a millennium, in fact he's only been doing
it for about six months. He said he likes the
extra money he can make in only a couple
weekend nights, and he finds the Range
Lake Road pub a good place to work.
"It isn't a rough crowd that we get here,"
he said.
But really, that's all about perspective.
Toni Enns (pic 2) has been slinging drinks
at The Raven Pub for eight years, and the
pub's prominent standing in a notorious
patch of town doesn't really make the place
that crazy in her opinion.
"About 80 per cent of our crowd is regulars, so it's pretty routine here," she said.
Though she did say that after eight years
of working in a bar, nothing surprises you.
"Well, this surprises me," she laughed,
referring to her interview with Pleasure
Zone.
Enns can't imagine being anywhere other
than behind the bar, where she said the
fast pace makes time fly, and the parade of
faces never stops.
2.
"I am such a people person," she said.
Meanwhile, Le Frolic was alive with the
smooth music of Rick Poltaruk and the Relics (Mike Hilchey, Howard McKay and Gary
Tees). It turns out that the regular barman is
a little too shy for his 15 seconds of fame,
so instead it was sometimes-bartender
Isabelle Levis, also a server, who talked
bar with me. While she likes both jobs,
she loves the customer relationships you
develop behind the bar.
"At a table, it's harder to have a real conversation with a customer," she said.
The upscale restaurant doesn't tend to
attract the overly-intoxicated, however she
said one gentleman surprised the bar by
ringing the brass bell by the door.
"I don't think he realized he had to buy
Please see Workin', page 15
pleasure zone
3.
Workin' at the club
Stirred, from page 14
everyone a round when he did that," she
laughed.
An expert in relaxation, Stuart York (pic
4) was "holding down" the bar at the Black
Knight, where everyone knows your name
(or at least York does, after seven years in
the biz and four at the Black Knight.)
The pub gets all kinds of customers,
which is fine with him, as he said one of the
fascinating parts of his job is being able to
watch all the people.
"You get really good at reading people.
You can tell when they walk in if they are
there scanning for tail or to meet friends
and things like that," he said.
And those looking for that "special someone" in the pub will frequently try their hand
at the bar. York said he's met his fair share
of ladies in the job.
"This job makes you automatically 35 per
cent hotter than anyone else in the bar," he
said, to the amusement of nearby patrons.
The job seems to have also scored him
his fiancee, the always-smiling BK server,
Ashley Zwicker.
Also loving the parade of interesting
people is Lana Ford (pic 3), right, with
fellow bartender Shawna Martel) of The
Prestige. Ford has been in the biz for 13
years, and said she likes helping people
unwind.
"You see people from all different backgrounds. It's fun to see people relax their
inhibitions. Alcohol makes everyone a bit
sillier, and I don't look at them differently for
it," she said.
Her patrons include teachers, doctors,
politicians and the like and she said she
isn't there to judge folks for cutting loose a
bit. She's worked a few bars in Yellowknife,
but likes the Franklin Avenue club's atmosphere.
"It's got a big city night club feel," she
said.
4.
pleasure zone
Kung fu movie rule #23: Don't eat out
FILM
REVIEW
with Amanda Vaughan
Michael
Angarano
stars as Jason
Tripitikas, an
American teen
obsessed with
kung fu who
ends up in an
alternate
universe on an
adventure with
the likes of Jet Li
and Jackie Chan.
Forbidden Kingdom brings
kung fu cliches with style
and humour
F
orbidden Kingdom is ... well, it's a kung fu movie.
That might seem vague, but given the tendency for
the genre to adhere to some basic tenets, it's a pretty
telling thing. It is through and through, to the last letter, the
greatest form of kung fu movie, the kind with sorcerous plotlines, delightful wire work, shiny costumes, and a montage
where a student learns the secrets of the martial arts from
a master (or two, in this case.)
The story is, well, more than a little ridiculous, but I
would have been daft to expect anything else from a flick
with Jackie Chan in it. Basically, a kung fu movie-obsessed
kid from Boston gets sucked into an alternate universe
where he has to free the imprisoned Monkey King with a
fighting staff he finds in a pawn shop in Boston's Chinatown.
See? I told you it was ridiculous. It doesn't stop there.
The immortal Monkey King was turned to stone by the also
immortal Jade Warlord of the Jade Army. Those marauders
have been raping and pillaging harmless townspeople in
this alternate universe for 500 years, as its citizens wait for
someone to bring back the Monkey King's staff so he can
wallop the Jade Warlord.
Enter Mr. Chan as the drunken kung fu master, Jet Li
as the silent monk and Yifei Liu as the orphaned Golden
Sparrow, and what you have is a team of colourful kung fu
heroes intent on helping poor Jason from Boston (Michael
Angarano) return the Monkey King's staff.
There are certain things one expects from this kind of
movie: expertly choreographed fighting, and a healthy dose
of silliness. Forbidden Kingdom delivers those key points,
and supplements them with some really nice bonuses
such as lush, beautiful sets and costumes and a sense of
humour that pokes a little fun at itself.
The fight scenes are beautiful to behold, like smooth,
murderous dancing with lots of flowing outfits, sneaky
weapons and even a deadly white wig. Chan and Li are
nothing less than the pros we expect, two guys who have
dedicated their lives to making audiences go home from
photo courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment
theatres dreaming of flying jump kicks.
If you aren't in the mood for kung fu, you might not
appreciate the over-the-top plot or the formulaic pattern this
movie follows, but then I don't think the people who made
this film were aiming to change anyone's life.
If you are in the mood for kung fu, then you want to
know what my favorite part was? In a martial arts movie,
one of the gravest mistakes you can make is eating in a
restaurant. Especially one with lofted upper levels, multiple
staircases and plenty of windows, because it's only a matter of time before at least 150 identically-dressed bad guys
pour through windows, over railings and let me tell you, they
aren't coming for your hot pot.
Sure enough, I giggled with child-like glee as Jackie Chan
kicked, punched and whacked away the tide of Jade Army
peons after eating his dinner. He sent them flying down
the stairs, through the walls and into support beams, and
when it looked like he'd downed the last one, in true kung
fu movie style, there was a moment's pause before 30 more
showed up at the door, eager for a butt-kicking.
If that makes you laugh, then by all means, check this
one out.
Reel deal
Hollywood Video lists the top 10 DVD rentals
1. Juno
2. Alien vs. Predator:
Requiem
3. In The Name Of The
King
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Before The Devils
6. Lars And The Real Girl
7. Lions For Lambs
8. Walk Hard: The Dewey
Cox Story
9. Water Horse
10. Kite Runner
Top tracks
Top 10 CDs from CD Plus
1. Various Artists – Juno
Soundtrack
2. Leona Lewis – Spirit
3. Theory of a Deadman
– Scars and Souvenirs
4. City and Colour – Bring
Me Your Love
5. Rihanna – Good Girl
Gone Bad
6. Chris Brown – Exclusive
7. Various Artists – Much
Dance 2008
8. Thrice – Alchemy Index
Volumes 3 and 4
9. John Fogerty – Revival
10. Jack Johnson – Sleep
Through The Static
More than
just answering
the phone
A receptionist’s eye view
“It’s a bit of learning. Once you understand it,
“You know, a job grows on you and when
ADMINISTRATIVE
DAY
then it’s not bad,” she said. “Back home I didn’t
you’re at it so long, it’s a part of your life. I
Margaret Kendall has been a receptionist for
have a computer system, so for me it was like,
would recommend it for anybody that’d want to
6x215
most of her working life, and it’s not as simple a wow, but I learned
it.”
do it,” she said.
job as some people may assume.
Kendall came to the job with a lot of dental
What she would not recommend, however, is
“Being a receptionist is not just answering
knowledge.
She knowsCOLOR
all of the codes used by
putting plastic into dental sterilizer.
FULL
the phone,” she said. “It is a lot of work. It is a
dentists to indicate areas of the mouth, parts of
Kendall once put one of the small mirrors
By Alix McNaught
lot of challenges. It is a lot of paperwork, and
you’re dealing with the public all day long, and
that’s exactly what it’s all about. For me it is,
anyways.”
Kendall has worked at the Great Slave Dental
Clinic for the past nine months; before that, she
was a receptionist with the Dental Association in
Newfoundland for 23 years.
“My mom worked with a dentist for 25 years,
and actually, at one point in time when she got
sick, they asked me would I go in,” she recalled.
“I went there to pull charts, to file charts, to call
in patients, and I ended up training and they kept
me full time, so that’s how I started.
“Being a receptionist, you are the face of the
clinic to all clients or patients that come in, so
your job is to be an outstanding receptionist to
your patients and be able to help them the best
way you can.”
In addition to handling appointments and
confirmations, Kendall also deals with patients’
insurance claims and paperwork.
Everything is entered into computer systems
now, which Kendall says has made her job much
easier than when she used to do everything
manually. She did, however, have to learn to use
the computers first.
Michelle Huxley
You are wonderful to work with!
You are one of the best!
the tooth and conditions.
“You’ve got to know the quadrants of your
mouth, you’ve got to know where each quadrant
is,” said Kendall, indicating on her face where
each of the four quadrants are located.
Kendall has assisted dentists in the past, but is
now a full-time receptionist.
“It’s nice when you meet a lot of nice people
and being able just to help that person. You get
people calling and they’re in pain and you’re
able to get them in. You know, it’s all for your
patients, right?”
Coming from a town with a population of
1,500, she was used to knowing everyone and
found it difficult not knowing patients’ names
when she began at Great Slave Dental Clinic.
“I was very excited the first day that somebody came in and I actually knew them. It felt
good,” she said.
“The worst thing is the days when you’re
stressed, even when it’s just paperwork, or
sometimes you get a client that’s not happy and
you have to deal with that, but you’ve always
got to remember, your patient is always right.
You always let them have their say.”
In spite of the tougher moments, Kendall is
happy where she is.
In recognition of Yellowknife Catholic Schools Central
Services Support Staff who go above and beyond.
May you continue to let
your spirit shine!
From the YCS Senior Leadership Team
dentists use to look inside people’s mouths
inside the sterilizer. Unlike most mirrors, which
have metal backings and handles, this one was
plastic. She came back from lunch that day to a
bit of a surprise.
“The mirror was still there, but the handle just
went bzzt,” she said, indicating that the plastic
had shrunk to half its size. Kendall has kept the
shrivelled mirror as a souvenir to this day.
Above: Margaret Kendall provides receptionist
services at Great Slave Dental Clinic, and
says the job entails a great deal of paperwork.
Sally Hammer
Our appreciation for all your
hard work, day in and day out
thank you!
Colleen Ingram
You are wonderful to work with!
You are one of the best!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Kim Poulter
Stacy Ogilvie
For all you do for us and
our customers,
Thank you
18 yellowknifer, Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Yellowknifer, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 19
ADMINISTRATIVE DAY
6x215
FULL COLOR
ADMINISTRATIVE DAY
6x215
FULL COLOR
photo stories
Grade 12 Samuel Hearne
secondary school student Matthew Dyck of
Inuvik competes in the
graphic design segment
of the competition, where
he created a magazine
cover, logo and inside
spread for a tattooing
magazine.
Skills in practice
T
he 10th annual territorial Skills Canada Competition took place in
Yellowknife last week.
Students from across the
territory competed in everything from carpentry and aesthetics to workplace safety and
graphic design.
In the hairstyling category,
heads with wigs were set up on
tripods for competitors to work
with. In the morning, they cut
and styled the hair into their
own creations, and in the afternoon, created fancy hairdo's.
Workplace safety competitors wrote a test, gave an oral
presentation and then provided
safety assessments of office
and construction worksites,
focusing on hazards and the
likelihood of their occurring.
An open obstacle course
was set up for students to try
their hands at electrical work,
hairstyling, automotive and
plumbing skills.
Department of Education,
Culture and Employment volunteers Mary Panegyuk-Coady
and Annie Esteban amused
themselves by taking a turn
at the electrical component of
the obstacle course. Esteban
St. Pat's student Peter Boggis focuses on his
workplace safety evaluation during the Skills Canada Competition. Boggis, a Grade 12 student who
has won the gold medal in this category before,
was identifying potential hazards, their severity
and probability.
defeated Panegyuk-Coady,
who suspected Esteban had
been practising.
In addition to the Skills
Canada events, job fair booths
were also set up.
Students not competing in
the events had the opportunity
to speak with representatives
from the RCMP, CBC, NorthwesTel and De Beers, among
others.
St. Patrick student
Elena Blechert, left, gives
student Brittany Myles
a "basic manicure" and
waits for Myles's nail polish to dry. Massage beds,
the next station, lay waiting to girls' left.
Grade 9 St. Pat's student Max Pilling demonstrates his expertise at changing a tire as part of
an un-judged obstacle course.
STUDENT
Feature
by Alix McNaught
WINNERS:
2008 Skills Canada NWT winners:
Bronze – Greg Crews (Yellowknife)
Aesthetics - Secondary
Gold – Tiffany Gerstel (Yellowknife)
Silver – Elana Blechert (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Alanna Menard (Yellowknife)
Electrical Wiring – Post-secondary
Gold – Steve Charlo (Yellowknife)
Silver – Nick Davis (Hay River)
Bronze – Jesse Maillou (Yellowknife)
Auto Service - Secondary
Gold – Keenan Miller (Yellowknife)
Graphic Design - Secondary
Gold - Tyler Heal (Yellowknife)
Silver – Kyra Tanche (Fort Simpson)
Bronze – Charlene Gargan (Fort Simpson)
Auto Service - Post-secondary
Gold - Richard Kent (Yellowknife)
Silver – Ben Nason (Hay River)
Baking - Secondary
Gold – Michaelis Hurst (Yellowknife)
Silver – Emily Stang (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Stephen Allison (Fort Smith)
Carpentry - Secondary
Gold - Brett Properzi (Yellowknife)
Carpentry - Post-secondary
Gold – Rick Davis (Hay River)
Silver – Mike McCloskey (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Colter Freund (Fort Smith)
Cooking - Secondary
Gold – Jeffrey Lindaya (Yellowknife)
Silver – Katrina Heimbach (Yellowknife)
Hairstyling - Secondary
Gold – Victoria Williams (Yellowknife)
Silver – Tiara Bernhardt (Inuvik)
Bronze – Ashley Blake (Inuvik)
Heavy Equipment - Post-secondary
Gold – Kevin McLeod (Yellowknife)
Silver – Eugene Duval (Hay River)
Bronze – Tommy Tinqui (Behchoko)
Plumbing - Post-secondary
(Northwest Territories)
Gold – Adam McIvor (Yellowknife)
Silver – Joseph Putulik-Paulette (Fort
Smith)
(Nunavut)
Gold – Travis Mannik
Small Powered Equipment - Secondary
Gold – Patrick Sampson-Morin (Yellowknife)
Silver – Tyler Pond (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Dustin Maring-Blake (Inuvik)
TV and Video Production - Secondary
Gold - Chris Aitken and Ian MacDougall
(Yellowknife)
Silver – Cordel Corothers and Anika
Sparling (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Natasha Petten and Julie Hintz
(Yellowknife)
Welding - Secondary
Gold – Steven Oliver (Yellowknife)
Silver – Chris Mailloux-Schreder (Yellowknife)
Bronze – Terrance Campbell (Fort Smith)
Welding - Post-secondary
Gold – Adrian Gherghe (Yellowknife)
Silver – David Briltz (Fort Smith)
Workplace Safety - Junior
Gold – Narek Khachatryan (Yellowknife)
Workplace Safety - Secondary
Gold - Peter Boggis (Yellowknife)
Grade 8 Weledeh student, Da-Nerek Khachatryan,
inspects scaffolding for safety hazards.

to PDF version of complete Yellowknifer with article

Transcription

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