'Motherhood & Apple Pie': Libs' North Plan Panned
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'Motherhood & apple pie': Libs' North plan panned But MP Michael McLeod defends his Liberal govt’s new Northern policy 1257+:(677(55,725,(6 #NWTVotes2019 Candidate profiles start this edition Volume 74 Issue 20 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 $.95 (plus GST) Community Hot handgames tournament in K’atlodeeche New NWT children's book A Bee Bumped Into My Head! aims to teach valuable lesson Our beautiful North Our popular photo contest continues this Joseph Whane of Wekweeti drums at the annual handgames tournament week. See the NNSL hosted by K’atlodeeche First Nation from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. For story and Facebook page for a photos, please see inside. chance to win $100 photo Bickford/NNSL Paul Publication mail Contract #40012157 "There are very few other industries that have invested as much as the mineral industry has into our social health as a territory." 7 71605 00200 2 – Renée Comeau, executive director of the NWT Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to the editor, page 9. 2 NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, September 16, 2019 news/feature NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, September 16, 2019 3 Did we get it wrong? News/North is committed to getting facts and names right. With that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an error in News/North, call (867) 873-4031 and ask to speak to an editor, or email editorial@ nnsl.com. We'll get a correction or clarification in as soon as we can. NEWS Briefs Feds invest in forward operating base Inuvik Ottawa will spend $150 million over five years to extend the Inuvik Airport runway by 3,000 feet and to install landing improvements, the federal government announced recently in Yellowknife. The funding will allow the airport to sup- port more military aircraft, as the airport cur- rently acts as an operating base for the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is also NORAD's for- ward operating location. Airport investments will also help tourism The project isn't to be tendered until 2020, DARREN HARDISTY and is still in early planning stages, but is Jet boat trip from Fort Simpson to Little Doctor Lake. You can only jet boat to little Doctor Lake once a year from mid-June expected to be complete by 2026. to the beginning of July. One of the best boating trips I’ve been on. So much to see and fun rivers to navigate, Mahsicho. – Nick Pearce RCMP seize liquor bound for Fort McPherson, Tuk Fort McPherson Fort McPherson RCMP seized 144 bottles of Our beautiful North liquor bound for the community late last week. Submit entries via Facebook messenger to our NNSL.com page each week by 4 p.m. Thursday and we'll post the contest- After Mounties caught wind of the large shipment heading into the community, which ants each Friday on our Facebook page. The photo with the most votes at the end of the week's voting will receive $100. restricts alcohol under the NWT Liquor Act, This week's winner is Laverna Goose Klengenberg, congratulations! officers executed a search warrant in a vehicle on Aug. 30, and the booze, in various amounts, was seized, stated an RCMP news release. In addition, a large haul of bootlegged alco- hol nearly made its way into Tuktoyaktuk on Sept. 6 before RCMP intercepted the shipment, arresting a driver under the territory’s Liquor Act. Following a tip from the public, Tuktoyak- tuk RCMP stopped a vehicle on the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway as it was entering the community on Sept. 6., stated in a news release. – Brendan Burke Candidates' forum organized for Sept. 19 in Hay River Hay River An all-candidates' forum for the upcoming territorial election will be held in Hay River on Sept. 19. The two candidates for Hay River South – incumbent Wally Schumann and challenger Rocky Simpson – have accepted invitations. R.J. Simpson, who was acclaimed to return as MLA for Hay River North, has also agreed to come to the forum to answer questions. Invitations have also been extended to the two candidates in the Deh Cho district – incum- L AVERNA GOOSE KLENGENBErg bent Michael Nadli and challenger Ronald Bon- "Keeping watch at Look-out Hill in Ulukhaktok, NT. My husband Ross is in the picture." netrouge. The forum will be live-streamed on Face- book. The doors will open for the event at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Community Hall. – Paul Bickford R.J. Simpson eyes premier's chair Hay River Now that he has been acclaimed as the MLA for Hay River North, R.J. Simpson has another election on his mind. Simpson will seek to be chosen premier of the Northwest Territories when MLAs gather after the Oct. 1 election to select a new cabinet. "I'm going to put my name forward for pre- mier," he said on Sept. 6, after the nomination period closed for the coming election. Wally Schumann, a cabinet minister and incumbent MLA for Hay River South, has not ruled out a bid to become premier if he is re-elected to the next Legislative Assembly. But first, he must be re-elected, having been challenged by R.J. Simpson's father, Rocky SHANNON ALLERSTON Simpson. Looking for ripe cranberries at Prosperous Lake, near BILL BENNETT: WINNER – Paul Bickford Yellowknife Beautiful Bison near Fort Providence 4 NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, September 16, 2019 Our beautiful North JONATHAN AntOINE MAXINE NOrwEGIAN GILBErt ALIKAMIK Fort Simpson. "This picture is of the Sambaa Deh Falls, also closest Gilbert Alikamik: Ulukhaktok. Seal skin washing. to Fort Simpson." news NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, September 16, 2019 5 Federal Northern plan drops MP-hopefuls say long-awaited policy framework is too little, too late by Tim Edwards and research. Northern News Services • Face the effects of climate NWT change and support healthy Incumbent Liberal NWT MP ecosystems. Michael McLeod says the Liberal • Ensure the North and its cit- government’s new Northern policy izens are defended. plan is a living document, made col- • Restore Canada's place as an laboratively, that provides the tools international Arctic leader. for quick action if his party is re- • Advance reconciliation elected to lead. and improve relationships His NDP and Green competitors between Indigenous and non- in the riding say it’s too little, too Indigenous peoples. late. News/North did not hear back "This document wasn't intended from Conservative candidate Yanik to have all the programs and all of the D’Aigle, or members of his team, by investment that is going to be required press time. down the road," said McLeod. "This "We didn't want it to be like the is a policy framework, which is the one that was developed by the pre- document that sets out the procedures vious government," said McLeod, and the goals, which would be used citing the Conservative’s Northern for further discussions and further policy under then-prime minister decision-making." NNSL file photo Stephen Harper, which was more NDP candidate Mary Beckett said One aspect of the Liberal government’s new Northern policy plan is to invest in energy, trans- heavily focussed on sovereignty and this document falls short of those military. parameters. portation and communications infrastructure. Pictured is the Northland Utilities station at Jean "We wanted to have the document "They haven't got any specifics Marie River. capture what (territorial and Indigen- in it anywhere yet," said Beckett. "If ous) governments were saying. And I you're talking about strategic plan- don't believe that this government solve them, and no sense of priori- realizing they got elected as a protest think it's done that." ning, we're looking at the 10-year has enough strength and intention to tization," said Falvo. vote; so, they’re scrambling to show The document sets up working plan, but what are our one-year, two- back this up in a reasonable period "In fact, the only priority evident they did something," said Falvo, add- groups, partnerships with Indigen- year, three-year goals and what are of time with specific action steps is a low one: If the Liberals are ser- ing the Greens will soon release their ous governments, and a forum to our specific steps? And we don't have attached to budget lines with money ious about the North, if Northerners Arctic platform. discussion, as well as eight overall any budget attached." that will be released in the near are important to them, we would have McLeod said the late release of priorities: Beckett said she sees nothing term." seen this during their mandate, when the Liberal government’s new North- • To nurture healthy families wrong with the document’s priorities Green candidate Paul Falvo said there was time to implement it." ern policy plan was due, in part, to a and communities. themselves, but that they’re so vague that this document’s release "shows Falvo compared the release of this shuffling of ministers. • Invest in energy, transpor- that hardly anyone could argue with that the North is low on the Liberal document, one day before parliament He said there were also disagree- tation and communications them. list." dissolved on Sept. 11, to the govern- ment over some of the report’s con- infrastructure. "I cannot criticize anything that's "I’d say it’s a lofty and laudable ment declaring a climate emergency tents among some of the govern- • Create jobs, foster innovation in the document because it's mother- restatement of issues that Northern- and buying the Trans Mountain Pipe- ment’s partners in drafting it, so the and grow economies.