Northwest Territories
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State of emergency 1257+:(677(55,725,(6 'Pike' Mike dodging quarantine Volume 74 Issue 47 MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 $.95 (plus GST) They are the champions photo courtesy of Stephanie Parkes The Inuvik East Three Eagles U15 basketball team are Territorial Champions after sweeping the Yellowknife Senior Cager Feb. 27-March 1. L-R: Coach Josie McConnell, Jared Day, Kunal Sharma, Kolsen Church, Mason MacNeil, Hamza Mourtada, AJ Abba, Justin Stewart, Dwayne Raddi and coach Stephanie Parkes. Community Business GOAT hunt: COVID-19 welcomes who is the reports wage greatest from subsidy NWT athlete around NWT hike Territorial government assumes unprecedented powers in fight against COVID-19 by Staff cient to deploy resources to protect residents and "At this time, all residents are urged to follow the recommendation of the head of the Emer- Northern News Services enhance our response to the orders these Orders and all other direction gency Management Organization, Ivan Russell, NWT made by the Chief Public Health and advice from the Chief Public according to the news release. The NWT com- A state of emergency has been declared for Officer." Health Officer." missioner grants additional powers to Chinna the Northwest Territories. This step has been taken to ensure Premier Caroline Cochrane said and those designated by her "to do all acts and The Minister of Municipal and Commun- the Emergency Management Organ- "all levels of government are taking take all necessary proceedings, for the duration ity Affairs (MACA), Paulie Chinna, declared ization (EMO) is better able to sup- this pandemic very seriously. of the order, to deal with an emergency." a territory-wide state of emergency under the port the implementation of the orders "Declaring a state of emergency, Steps already taken by the GNWT to sup- Emergency Management Act to support ongoing efforts to protect public health in the Northwest issued by the Chief Public Health as many other jurisdictions have, port the implementation of the public health Territories Friday morning. The state of emer- Officer to help slow the spread of will help ensure that our officials order include establishing isolation centres and gency will be in effect from "March 24 through COVID-19, and gives the EMO the have all the tools they need to do putting measures in place to receive travellers at April 7." authority to control and direct all PAULIE CHINNA their jobs to protect and care for airports in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River and "This decision does not indicate a significant persons, including the GNWT and residents. We will continue to work Fort Smith, and at ground entry points to secure change in circumstances or an increased risk to public agencies involved in emer- closely with the federal government, borders in Enterprise, Fort Smith, Liard and the people of the Northwest Territories," a press gency management plans or programs under the provinces and territories to ensure coordinated Dempster entry points, according to the GNWT. release read. "The need to declare a state of Emergency Management Act, according to the approaches to the pandemic." Public safety notices related to COVID-19 emergency at this time is to make it more effi- announcement. The state of emergency was declared on are posted on the GNWT website. Publication mail Contract #40012157 "If COVID gets here, it will overwhelm our medical system in about two seconds flat." 7 71605 00200 2 Kimberley Young, the new SAO of Radilih Koe/Fort Good Hope, worries about her community's preparedness, page 13. 2 NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, March 30, 2020 news NEWS/NORTH NWT, Monday, March 30, 2020 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 Ice Lake Rebels star stuck 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. in 'COVID-predicament' NEWS Briefs Liard highway closed "Pike" Mike Harri- Acho Dene Kue/Fort Liard son travelling across The Liard Highway was closed to all traffic the Liard River on the at 5 p.m. March 24. Highway 7 will be closed B.C. side of the border beginning at kilometre 1 and extending to kilo- in 2016. The Ice Lake metre 5. Drivers are advised to use Highway 1 Rebels reality television to enter or leave the territory, which is open for star was forced to turn limited exceptions. "The Commissioner of the Northwest Ter- back this week after ritories has made this order under the Public being unable to cross Highways Act in order to support the order of into the NWT due to the the Chief Public Health Officer respecting travel Highway 7 closure at the into the Northwest Territories required to slow border. the spread of COVID-19 in the Northwest Ter- photo courtesy of Mike Harrision ritories," a news release read. "Drivers are reminded that it is unsafe and illegal to drive on a closed highway. Please obey all traffic signs and barricades." – Craig Gilbert Screening stepped up in Inuvik South Dehcho resident aimed to get home Inuvik Anyone returning to the Beaufort Delta to self-isolate at remote cabin from outside the Northwest Territories will be screened and have to spend 14-days in isolation by Simon Whitehouse Northern News Services in Inuvik. Dehcho The town announced the measures at approxi- "Pike" Mike Harrison, star of reality tele- mately 11:30 a.m. March 23, adding checkpoints vision show Ice Lake Rebels, is learning how are in place both at Mike Zubko Airport and on uncompromising the territorial government is the Dempster Highway. when it comes to its self-isolation directives Anyone who lands at the airport or arrives aimed at returning NWT residents. through the Dempster Highway will first be Harrison is a homesteader and has a ter- screened and required to fill out a self-isolation ritorial land-lease in a cabin at the very small plan and submit it to the NWT government. settlement of Lindberg Landing in the south- Even travellers returning to Tuktoyaktuk, Fort ern Dehcho region near Blackstone Territorial McPherson, Tsiigehtchic, Aklavik, Ulukhaktok, Park, about 150 km from the B.C. border on Paulatuk or Sachs Harbour will be required to Highway 7. self-isolate in Inuvik for the 14-day period. The community is about 300 km from – Eric Bowling Fort Nelson, B.C. across the NWT border – a normal access point for Harrison when he is Airline lays off one-quarter trying to get back home. According to Google Maps, this is roughly a four hour and 21 of workforce photo courtesy of Katrina Nokleby/GNWT minute road trip. A Department of Transportation worker guards Somba K'e/Yellowknife Harrison has spent the last several months the roadblock on Highway Summit Air announced today that 45 employ- travelling on Vancouver Island and Salt 7 after the Dehcho thoroughfare was closed to all but essential traffic. ees will be on "temporary leave" the airline due Spring Island on the west coast of B.C. to the COVID-19-caused economic slowdown. "This is a measure to avoid overwhelming his spot where he is isolated.'" "When I saw Premier Caroline Cochrane health centres in small remote communities, Harrison said he reached out to the office The company, which until Friday had 170 declaring a public health emergency and clos- employees based in Yellowknife, Edmonton and and ensure those exposed to COVID-19 are of Shane Thompson, his MLA, for assistance ing the borders, I was making arrangements close a well-equipped hospital care." but wasn't able to talk to him the morning of Calgary, said Friday the move was necessary to to come home back to my residence " he said. protect the business. March 25. "So I decided to drive." In B.C. when deadline passed "The next step for me? What would be "The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the At the time of Cochrane's announcement, temporary closure or reduced operation of many Because Harrison was still in Fort Nelson great is that I would like to have a campaign Harrison said he was staying in isolation at when the deadline passed, he was in effect put that says 'Pike Mike - Let him into Highway of our customers businesses and operations, St. Mary's Resort on Salt Spring Island and resulting in significant reductions in Summit in what he calls a 'COVID predicament' and 7,'" he said about what he would do next. "I was practising social distancing on his own expected to make a long, 12-hour road trip need to get my people on this and make a Air's revenue and flying hours," Lane Zirnhelt, - staying out of restaurants and avoiding eat- chief operating officer with the Summit Aviation from to Fort St. John and then into Alberta dozen phone calls, send a million emails, ing out, while confining himself to his own and up north toward Highway 1 and Hay leap frog. Group. private suite. – Simon Whitehouse River. It is the closest of the four options for "It is stupid to make Pike Mike go and On March 24, travelling in his 2002 Ford self-isolation which are even further away. quarantine over here when you should just Escape, he jumped on a ferry and drove to Harrison, who is 60-years-old, said having put him in his cabin down there. So maybe NNSL papers online and free Quesnel before arriving in Fort Nelson at to make the trip would likely mean being in someone could meet me at the border and let Northern News Services and Canarctic about 9 p.m.