Thanks to Volunteers
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City moving visitor's centre to downtown Council approves $125,000 for transition of tourist facility Online first at NNSL.com Gastown looks to expand Volume 49 Issue 84 FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021 75 CENTS ($1.00 outside city) Thanks to volunteers Runner finds ice road ideal for challenge NWT inmates to get vaccine soon Digital NWT wants you to give photo courtesy of Lynda Koe feedback Carla Skauge, left, receives the Al Dusseault Award from Cole Parsons, president of the Yellow- knife Curling Centre, during a break in the action of the Koe Family Boxing Day Bonspiel at the centre late last month. The award is given to a volunteer who helps contribute to the sport at the centre. $1.00 outside Yellowknife Publication mail Contract #40012157 "Jim Taylor is someone we want to support as an artist and is so beloved in this community." 7 71605 00100 5 –NACC's Marie Coderre looks forward to 2021's first live performance, featuring East Coast music, page 6. 2 YELLOWKNIFER, Friday, January 15, 2021 news YELLOWKNIFER, Friday, January 15, 2021 3 Did we get it wrong? Yellowknifer is committed to getting facts and fact FILE names right. With that goes a commitment to acknow- ledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an NWT COVID-19 SITUATION AS OF JAN. 14 error in Yellowknifer, call 873-4031 and ask to speak to an editor, or email [email protected]. We'll get a correction or clarification in as soon as we can. Active cases: 0 Days since first confirmed case: 301 Confirmed cases: 24 Days since last confirmed case: 29 Recovered cases: 24 Common symptoms: Fever, (60 per cent), muscle NEWS Completed tests: 10,495 aches or pain (53 per cent), cough (53 per cent), Briefs Negative tests: 10,459 Scan for the sore throat (33 per cent), diharrhea (13 per cent), latest GNWT seven per cent Man accused of homicide Pending tests: 62 Covid-19 statistics difficulty breathing ( ) makes first court appearance Source: Office of the Chief Public Health Officer A 29-year-old man charged in connec- tion with the death of a person in front of the Yellowknife sobering centre on Jan. 8 made his first territorial court appearance via video City approves $125,000 for from the North Slave Correctional Complex on Thursday. Morin Nitsiza was originally scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday, however Cabin Radio reported that a correc- tional officer told the court he "had a little bit visitor centre transition of an outburst," and "might be going through a few things." Nitsiza is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Feb. 17. When police officers responded to a call on the morning of Jan. 8, RCMP spokesperson Marie York Condon said they found Jerry Akoak unresponsive inside. Nitsiza was later arrested and charged with homicide. – Natalie Pressman Arctic Response offering snowmobile training course From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 23, Arctic Response will be running a City of Yellow- knife snowmobile training course. The course, NNSL file photo open to ages 12 and up, is required for any Centre Square Mall is expected to host a visitors centre as the city is preparing to move the services out of the city individual operating a snowmobile without a hall basement over the coming year. valid drivers license. The course can accom- modate a maximum of 12 students and will run a second training day on Jan 24 if spots New flag-flying policy also puts an end will up. Physical distancing will be imple- mented and participants are asked to wear to foreign national flags at city hall masks and gloves when six feet of space is not possible. The course price is $50 for students by Simon Whitehouse 12-15 and $100 for participants who are 16 Northern News Services and older. Successful candidates will receive City council approved spending $125,000 a City of Yellowknife Snowmobile Safety from the Downtown Improvement Reserve Certificate permitting them to operate a snow- to move visitors information services from mobile within city limits. the basement of city hall to Centre Square – Natalie Pressman Mall, during Monday's regular meeting. In December, council heard a presenta- tion by Kerry Penney, director of economic New ITI funding to help NWT development and strategy, that city adminis- businesses fix financials tration was planning to move the services to NWT entrepreneurs can now apply to the a vacant spot in the mall. Department of Industry, Tourism and Invest- The city is seeking supportive funding ment (ITI) for support on bookkeeping. from the GNWT and the federal govern- In a press release Wednesday, ITI spokes- ment. The municipality is also working with person Drew Williams announced that the Slate Management, which manages a portion Support of Entrepreneurs and Economic of the building. Development (SEED) Program, will grant up Coun. Stacie Smith, who is also a down- to $7,500 for businesses that require assistance town business owner, said that the move will with bookkeeping or financial statements to be positive but that she believes others in the advance economic recovery. business community will need to get behind A total of $400,000 of funding is available the idea. for the initiative. The department advised that "I think having the visitor centre (there) the program will remain in effect until March will draw people but (it) will take more than 31, 2021 or until all of the allocated funding is the Centre Square Mall's involvement, and spent. Businesses who have already received there will have to be other merchants to take federal assistance for professional bookkeep- part in that," she said. ing services are not eligible. "Having that centre but not other mer- – Natalie Pressman chants that want to be in downtown area," will make the project a challenge, she said. Last month, Smith asked for a progress Public library seeks submissions NNSL file photo report from city staff on the development for short story contest of downtown revitalization but she was still Foreign flags will no longer be raised at city hall a new policy was passed The Yellowknife Public Library (YPL) is waiting for an update as of earlier this week. Monday at council. encouraging residents of all ages to flex their "I want to see how much progress was writing muscles and submit a short story by actually made and have the city be account- to providing improved services to tourists develop a policy that would provide clearer Jan. 31. able for the projects that we would do with and our tourism industry, we believe it guidelines on whether foreign flags should Stories of between 250 and 2,000 words revitalization," she said. will contribute to the city's revitalization be raised at city hall, when flags should will be considered for a chance to win a Drew Williams, assistant director of of the downtown core and support business be flown at half-mast and in what circum- "writer themed package" for children, teen and strategic communications with the GNWT development in this area." stances official proclamations should be adult age categories. Department of Industry, Tourism and Invest- Williams said the city has asked for issued. Anyone having a hard time getting started ment, said this week that the territorial gov- additional funds to help with a move into the The four-page policy document includes can ask the library for a prompt and receive a ernment remains supportive of the project mall and that a possible arrangement is still changes such as prohibiting the flying of for- "story starter" first line. Interested residents and has committed $161,000 for help with being negotiated. eign national flags at city hall and that proc- can call or email the YPL at 867-920-5642 or operations. City council officially passed its flags lamation requests will no long be accepted. [email protected] to participate. "We've been working with the city and proclamations policy during Monday's The city has stated that the policy will be – Natalie Pressman throughout this planning and decision-mak- regular meeting. put on its website to provide residents with ing process," Williams said. "In addition Early last year, the city asked city staff to full details. 4 YELLOWKNIFER, Friday, January 15, 2021 news Water intake line targeted for 2024 completion City seeks remaining $8.6 million of $34.5-million project by Simon Whitehouse For now, the municipality's por- Northern News Services tion of the money is tentatively A $34.5-million, multi-year sub- planned to come from the city's marine water intake pipeline project capital fund. is on track to be completed by 2024, The city has retained a pro- or possibly sooner, as the city con- ject management team to oversee tinues pre-design engineering work. engineering, planning, mapping and In Budget 2021, the city approved design of a pipeline replacement this a second year of $1 million in cap- year. The engineering could take ital funding toward the project. two to three years and that work Another $1 million is expected alone is estimated to cost close to $3 in each of 2022 and 2023, leading million, which represents 10-15 per to construction in the winter of cent of the overall project, Green- 2024-25. corn noted. Last July, the City of Yellowknife The project is slated for con- and the federal government formal- struction in 2024 but Greencorn ized a contribution agreement that said that's a "conservative estimate." will see the Government of Canada If the engineering goes smoothly, putting close to $26 million, or 75 the line could be under construction per cent, toward replacing the eight- by 2023, he added.