Bowlers Off to National Tourney Relay for Life Being Revived Residents Urged
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NEWS SPORTS POLITICS THE Relay Bowlers for Life off to HUB being national Mandate revived tourney for minister HAY RIVER, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 ● 44rd Year No. 1 ● $1.00 (.95 + GST) ● PM#40012157 Move closes health clinic Residents urged 'to reconsider' using health services unless 'absolutely necessary' until clinic re-opens SHANE MAGEE move dates. The new structure After the health clinic, the [email protected] has birthing suites with tubs departments of rehabilitation, for expectant mothers as well midwifery and administration Hay River's medical clinic as ambulance bays. will move. will close for five days next That means ambulances The final departments to week as the regional health will go inside and a door will make the switch will be emer- authority begins a three- close as the patient is being gency room, laboratory and month move to the recently moved from the vehicle to the X-ray. completed Hay River Regional hospital. The three-month schedule Health Centre. "It's a really exciting time could be sped up depending The medical clinic, at the for us," Griffiths said. on when new radiology equip- corner of Woodland Drive and "The staff are excited but ment arrives. Gaetz Drive, will close Feb. 29 yet a little anxious because it's The health authority has through March 4 as it moves a major change in all of our begun a publicity campaign to across town to the new build- lives and we have a lot of his- let the community know what ing. tory at H.H. Williams – we've is moving when and how ser- During the closure there been here 52 years." vices will be impacted. will be a doctor available for While the move only for- Griffiths said regular non-urgent care at the H.H. mally begins at the end of the updates will be posted to Face- Williams Memorial Hospital, month, she said there's already book, the authority's website, however the health authority been plenty of activity at the provided to media and made is urging residents to "recon- new health centre since Jan. 4. available by calling 876-0313. sider using our health services Staff having been moving The medical clinic build- unless absolutely necessary." furniture, installing equipment ing, once empty, will be turned Anyone needing urgent and testing various alarms and over to the GWNT. care should go to H.H. Wil- equipment. The existing hospital will liams, said Erin Griffiths, the She estimates about 20 still house extended care beds acting CEO of the Hay River to 25 people are there per until an expansion of Wood- Shane Magee/NNSL photo Health and Social Services day. Once the hospital is fully land Manor is complete. Erin Griffiths, acting CEO of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. moved, about 130 people will As well, other uses of the Authority, said staff are excited to move to the new public health clinic. It's one of the first phases work there. facility will continue, such as of a move that will see depart- "Staff have taken the time, the public health unit on the ments setting up shop in the as each department, to estab- ground floor. Social services, new facility. lish patient flow," she said. home care, environmental "We've been planning for "The new foot print of the health, finances and human this move since 2011," Grif- new facility is much different resources will remain at H.H. fiths said, referring to when than H.H. Williams. So how Williams. Griffiths said even- planning for the new building we manage our patients and tually the old facility will be began. how we provide efficient ser- completely emptied, although The building, which cost vice is going to be drastically that's likely to happen over $50 million and is roughly 40 changed in the new building." several years. per cent larger than the exist- She said someone walking "This building will even- ing Woodland Drive build- in off the street will immedi- tually be completely empty. ings, was completed late last ately come to an information We're looking at a two- to year but delays pushed back desk to direct them through three-year process for that to photo courtesy of Hay River Health and Social Services the two previously planned the hospital. take place," she said. Inside the new Hay River Regional Health Centre. photo courtesy of Hay River Health and Social Services The new Hay River Regional Health Centre will be used for some services beginning in March. A phased move from the old hospital is expected to take three months. 2 ▼ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 www.hayriverhub.com www.hayriverhub.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 ▼ 3 Did we get it wrong? Hay River Hub is committed to get- ting facts and names right. With that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an error in Hay River Hub, call 874-6577 and ask to speak to an editor, or e-mail [email protected]. We'll get a correction or clarification in as soon as we can. NEWS Briefs School admission review started: minister The Department of Educa- tion, Culture and Employment is reviewing a directive related to enrolment of students at Ecole Boreal. A 2008 ministerial directive bars non-language rights holders from attending French schools without the education minister's say-so. Those constitutionally entitled to attend French school include Canadian citizens whose parents speak the language, those who have attended French school in the past and those whose first NNSL file photos language is French. Ira Cayen, left, Monique Graham and Marcel Frise race across the Chief Lamalice Complex parking lot on the second day of Commission scolaire franco- K'amba Carnival in 2015. phone president Simon Cloutier said that at one time, Metis stu- dents in Hay River were admitted to the French district on the basis that their ancestors spoke French. Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson pointed to declining enrolment at the school when ask- ing the minister to review the dir- ective. K'amba Carnival "If those numbers continue, Ecole Boreal won't survive," Simp- son said. In May, The Hub reported that since the 2008 directive was made, Ecole Boreale had gone from 115 students to 85, with a drop to 50 in sight if it is not lifted. ready for kick off Education Minister Alfred Moses said the department is reviewing the directive "to see Thirty-fourth incarnation of annual festival if any changes should be con- sidered." dedicated to organizer's late husband He hopes the review will be complete by next year. DIANA YEAGER some adult events and a canteen. from down south called the Magoo [email protected] We made so much on the canteen Crew," she said. Team NWT gets jackets we were able to pay the band back "They do rap dancing, and with wild fur The K'atl'odeeche First Nation's right away and we kept going with address some issues like bullying. The 325 Team NWT athletes carnival is quickly approaching, a talent show and a drum dance," It should be good for the youth." headed to the Arctic Winter Games marking its 34th year. she recalled. The group will be hosting a next month will attend with jacket K'amba Carnival is an annual "It went really well so we decid- youth dance and act as master of hoods lined with NWT wild fur. celebration of the coming spring, ed to do it again next year and find ceremonies for the talent show. The Department of Indus- with a weekend full of traditional a name for it. K'amba in our lan- Tourangeau said a lot of effort try, Tourism and Investment and Dene events such as hand games, guage means ptarmigan." goes into planning the event each Sports North spent $44,000 on the fish eating competitions, talent In its early days, the carnival year but having done it for 34 years, fur, meant to reflect indigenous shows, tea boiling, dog sledding used to have a prince and prin- she and her team are a well-oiled life and tradition, according to a and various sport cess for the event machine. news release. events. ▼ but in recent years "It is a lot of effort and hours but The fur came from the NWT's Diane "The Ookpik the event has had a people help out too," she said. Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Tourangeau, chair- queen as the desig- "I'm trying to recruit some more Program. person of the K'amba festival was nated celebrity. young people because I can't do this The Games run from March 6 Carnival, has been cancelled but Young ladies forever. We also need someone to to 11 in Nuuk, Greenland. organizing the event compete by sell- take over organizing the dog races for 34 years – since we still wanted ing raffle tickets eventually." Athletes receive funds its inception. something to do." and the contestant Tourangeau said the cash prizes "We realized who sells the most for events continue to draw a crowd Two Hay River-born athletes there was nothing is crowned queen of for the carnival each year. have received High Performance Diane going on in town," the year's festivities. "Our community is central, and Athlete Grant, according to a news Tourangeau ▼ said Tourangeau of The queen gets people come in from all over to release. the carnival's begin- adorned in a trad- participate," she said. "It helps that The grant recipients from the nings 34 years ago.