The post Planning Items for January 13, 2025 Kingsville Council Meeting appeared first on Kingsville Times.

RNC are seeking the public’s help in a reported hit and run vehicle-pedestrian collision in the capital city region.

Police say an 18-year-old man was struck by a vehicle in the area of Ricketts Road and St. Clare Avenue on December 12.

The vehicle involved failed to stop at the scene. There were no injuries reported.

RNC are seeking any witnesses to the collision or CCTV, dash cam or cell phone footage in the area between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12 to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

PC MLAs representing ridings along the Manitoba–U.S. border have sent a letter urging Premier Wab Kinew and his NDP government to take immediate action against federal cuts that will reduce operating hours at a dozen ports of entry in southern Manitoba in the new year.

“We all know criminals don’t just operate from 9 to 5,” said Turtle Mountain MLA Doyle Piwniuk. “So why isn’t the premier fighting to keep these border crossings open in the evening to deter illegal activity and ensure vital cross-border access and services are maintained for communities near the border?”

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced in November that operating hours at 12 crossings, from Cartwright to Piney, will be reduced starting Jan. 6. These cuts coincide with alarming increases in illegal border activity. In the first ten months of 2024, illegal crossings soared by 14%, according to the CBSA. Additionally, the agency reported seizing 19 illegal weapons from travellers this year, a 73% increase from 2023.

“Border security is already an issue in southern Manitoba, and these cuts will make it worse,” said Borderland MLA Josh Guenter. “We need stronger security measures at the border to stop human traffickers, illegal migrants, and drug smugglers. Our communities deserve to be safe.”

The proposed cuts also threaten the economic and social fabric of Manitoba border communities. Thousands of Manitobans rely on evening access to border crossings for business, essential services, and community events. The free flow of goods and services is critical to southern Manitoba’s economy.

“We’re calling on Wab Kinew to stand up to Ottawa,” said La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth. “The Kinew government must push to restore the hours of operation at these ports of entry and put more boots on the ground to increase border security—not less.”

Manitoba faces a disproportionate share of the CBSA cuts, with one-third of all affected crossings in Canada located in the province. The cuts come amid heightened tensions between Canada and the US, including Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. The NDP government has so far refused calls to strike an all-party committee to address U.S. trade and border security concerns, and the impacts on Manitoba.

“The border is a lifeline for southern Manitoba communities, and it’s the government’s duty to protect it,” said Piwniuk. “If Wab Kinew and the NDP won’t fight for our safety and our economy, we will.”

A NASA spacecraft may have made history on Tuesday, flying closer to the sun than any object sent before.

Gavin McKenna's second goal of the game, scored at 17:31 of the third period, snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted Canada to a 3-2 exhibition win over the Czech Republic on Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

The RNC is seeking information following a vehicle-pedestrian collision earlier this month in St. John’s.

On Dec. 12, just before 10 p.m., an 18-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in the area of Rickett’s Road and St. Clare Avenue. The vehicle failed to stop at the scene of the collision. There were no injuries reported.

The RNC is seeking any witnesses or video footage (CCTV, dash-camera, cell phone) from the area between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Dec. 12.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RNC at 709-729-8000. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Alberta’s top court has dismissed an appeal by a man found guilty of stabbing his estranged wife 17 times.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta says a trial judge made no errors when he convicted Robert Dean Clifford last year of second-degree murder in the death of 31-year-old Nichole Clifford, who also used the last name McKeith.

“This was a very strong circumstantial case,” the court said in its decision released Monday.

The presents are wrapped, the sleigh is prepped, and the reindeer are ready—Santa Claus comes tonight, and VOCM will help you track him.

Head elves at Santa’s workshop tell VOCM News that holiday excitement is at an all time high today as they put the finishing touches on what’s expected to be another magical trip across the globe.

As children anxiously await the joys of Christmas morning, many will want to see just where in the world the big man has already visited.

That’s where the VOCM Santa Tracker comes into play.

With help from NORAD, the tracker will keep everyone up-to-date on Jolly Old Saint Nick’s location.

Coverage begins on air at 6 p.m., and will continue throughout the evening until Santa Claus comes to town.

The first seven residents have moved into a new shipping container village in Gatineau aimed at reducing homelessness.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Tens of thousands of homes in Bosnia were without electricity on Tuesday after heavy snow and winds that also brought traffic chaos in neighboring Croatia and Serbia.

In Slovenia, the search for an injured Hungarian hiker missing in the Alps north of the capital, Ljubljana, since Sunday was suspended because of strong winds. Rescuers on Monday reached his female companion and transferred her to safety.

Throughout the Balkans authorities issued travel warnings as snow drifts closed some major routes. Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia banned the movement of heavy vehicles and imposed limited traffic levels on affected roads.

A mountain rescue team used skis early Tuesday to reach a man who was stuck in his car while heading to a hospital for dialysis in central Croatia.

“We brought him there in time,” rescuer Dario Cindric said.

Parts of Bosnia faced a total halt of railway traffic. And Bosnia’s state power company described the situation as “extremely hard” in some areas of the country. Heavy, moist snow brought down distribution lines which were hard to access, it said in a statement.

Northwestern and western Bosnia were hit hardest by the storm. Residents in some areas were left without drinking water, while schools were shut for a second day.

Regional N1 television reported dozens of vehicles were stuck in the snow for 10 hours in western Bosnia overnight before they could continue.

Authorities in the town of Drvar declared an emergency while struggling to clear snow. Municipal council president Jasna Pecanac told local radio that the town was cut off. “Many of our residents are stuck in the snow,” she said.

The Associated Press

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet is contemplating changing the law to grant the government more authority to intervene in labour disputes.

Subscribe now

A Fredericton-area man accused of trafficking in narcotics will return to court in the new year to elect mode of trial and enter pleas.

Joel Douglas Perley, 48, of no fixed address, made an initial appearance in Fredericton provincial court Friday to answer to serious drug allegations.

Read more

More details emerge on arrest of Takoda Christian and female accomplice

The Woodstock Police Force issued a news release, providing further details on the arrest of 19-year-old Takoda Christian and an accomplice.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of the Woodstock man after a violent assault near the Woodstock Legion on Nov. 14.

With the help of the Canadian Border Services Agency, Woodstock Police arrested Christian on Dec. 20, along with a female accomplice, 18-year-old Hannah McGuire, also of Woodstock. The two were apprehended while attempting to cross back into Canada at the Houlton, Maine, border crossing.

Woodstock Police formally charged Christian with aggravated assault. Police charged McGuire with aggravated assault, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

Both were held in custody until their bail hearing in Woodstock Provincial Court on Monday, Dec. 23.

Christian was released with conditions, including house arrest and a no-contact order. He returns to court on Jan. 14 at 9:30 for plea. McGuire was also released with the same conditions and returns to court on Jan. 28 at 9:30 for plea.

The post Woodstock Police make arrests in aggrivated assault case first appeared on River Valley Sun.

The B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled that a law passed by the provincial government to stave off opposition to a supportive housing development in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano is unconstitutional.

The provincial government had adopted the law at the request of the City of Vancouver in 2023 to push through a 12-storey housing development at Arbutus Street, featuring units open to low income residents and users of support services.

I've long been fascinated by Canada's Catholic public schools. How does that work, exactly?

The post When Dartmouth battled Catholic schools appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Every year at Christmas time, The Line runs a series of articles about things we should be thankful for — just like we’re thankful for you. Happy holidays from your friends at The Line.

By: Michael Den Tandt

Since I first read Trevanian’s thriller The Eiger Sanction as a teenager, I’ve wanted to live in a renovated church or barn. The novel features an elegant and deadly assassin, Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, who kills bad men for hire in order to feed his addiction to priceless works of art. Hemlock’s gorgeously appointed, remote hideout, it seemed to 15-year-old me, would be the perfect refuge for an itinerant poet, which is what I wanted to be at the time.

Later the fantasy evolved into a renovated Niagara Escarpment hay barn. It would feature, I decided in my early 20, a small indoor creek and fountain; a basketball net and court; a library of ancient, rare books; a palm tree; a collection of priceless Japanese swords; and an assortment of super cool gadgets, providing access to all the major international newswires, so I could stay connected to global events by the minute. This would allow me (bear in mind this was late 1980s, pre-internet) to earn my living as a newspaper writer, while taking long, brooding walks across the moors of Grey County with my pair of Irish wolfhounds.

That this fantasy was hugely idiotic did not dissuade me at all. It did recede a bit, however, with the coming of adulthood, the requirements of earning degrees and then actual newspapering, marriage, three children, divorce, career changes, co-parenting said kids for a dozen years and then, wholly unexpectedly, marriage again in 2022 to the woman who is now the North Star of my life, Aly Boltman. It’s been busy. I blame my failure to renovate a barn on this.

Little did I know, when I asked Aly out for lunch in April of 2019, that we’d fall in love and marry; or that we’d do so in our own little church in French River, in northern Ontario. Yet in June of 2022, we did just that. And in June of 2024, working alongside a good friend who is a gifted builder and teacher, I drove the last screw into the new sienna deck that now graces the north and east sides of our renovated chapel — the last piece of a two-year-long restoration project.

It began, as these things do, online. We’d been searching for a cottage on Manitoulin Island for some time, without success. Late one evening, Aly was scanning the real estate listings and up popped a little church, the former St. Thomas Anglican chapel of French River, deconsecrated and put up for sale by the diocese.

Share

Next to it was a historic community cemetery. Aly, who has been engaged in historic building and cemetery preservation since her teens, was immediately intrigued. I was too, of course, albeit for different reasons: Could it be that Aly had somehow found the remote lair of my childhood fantasy? This was mid-COVID, during the real-estate mania. We placed our best offer, relying only on photographs and a video tour. To our enormous surprise, our bid was accepted.

There followed a time of sober re-assessment: Our first visit to the church was in late January. It was bitterly cold. Hymn books, pews, and pulpit stood as they had on the last day of services, pre-COVID. In the little hallway off the sanctuary stood a pail, partly filled with red antifreeze and festooned with the semi-frozen carcasses of a dozen mice. The hydro had been disconnected; the church had never had plumbing, a well, or kitchenette. In the ceiling and small bell tower, thrashing about and growling with extraordinary vigour, were what sounded like a dozen raccoons. “This is nice,” said Aly, hands on her hips.

There isn’t room in a single column to do justice to the extraordinary amount of planning, lifting, hauling, and sheer sweat that followed in the ensuing 24 months. With the benefit of hindsight, we now break it down into eight discreet phases.

Phase one was to get the raccoons out. After several misfires, that required a one-way critter door, lashed into the bell tower with steel mesh; and a network of live traps ringing the cottage like the watchtowers of Ithilien around Mount Doom.

Phase two was a desperate rush of cleaning, painting, and sprucing up for our wedding, on June 19, 2022.

Phase three was the new well and septic system; phase four, kitchen and bathroom; phase five, gutting, wiring, insulation, drywall and paint; phase six, the new floor; phase seven, the new steel roof; and phase eight, the period at the end of the paragraph, the back deck.

At every stage, Aly was a wizard at sourcing and planning, drawing on her years of experience as an auctioneer and antique dealer. We relied heavily on the kindness and generosity of our new neighbours, family, friends, and a few key helpers, one in particular, without whom the project could not have happened. I will concede that there was a moment when, on my knees in the drizzle and mud, scratching at rock with my fingernails to make a level path for a two-by-six, I questioned my life choices.

And it was a vision of a deck that kept me going through it all. As, double-masked, we dragged more than a hundred pounds of dried raccoon shit, dust and hair from the bell tower; as we hauled cupboards, wood, flooring, siding, countertop, fixtures, and furniture down Route 607A in all weather, month after month; as I clumsily popped my drill bit off the head of a drywall screw for what seemed like the thousandth time; as we discovered that replacing rectangular windows with arched windows is more complex than it sounds; and as our kids, family, and friends dangled from safety harnesses high above the forest floor, drilling down the roof, my thoughts went to the day on the deck.

Here is that thought: Aly and me on a blazing sunny Sunday afternoon, reclining in Muskoka chairs, enjoying the dappled green of the woods and breeze turning the leaves, blackflies and mosquitoes gone for another season; one or more kids, or one or more neighbours, drop in for a visit. And we lounge back there, whiling the afternoon away, sipping a cool drink or two. Later maybe we crack a book, or pick up a guitar. Later still, maybe we fall asleep and doze. And we realize, in that moment, that we made this happen by imagining we could.

Because that’s the crazy thing about dreams: They rarely turn out as you expect. But they do, sometimes, turn out. The secret lair of Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, art expert and assassin for hire? It’s nothing like it, nor will it ever be. It’s been so, so much better than any and all of that.

Give a gift subscription

Michael Den Tandt and Aly Boltman are the owners of Belle Rive Church, in French River, Ontario.

The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]

Tenants of a Kelowna, B.C., subsidized housing building say they feel scattered and forgotten after being displaced earlier this spring due to unsafe conditions in the building from ground settling linked to a UBC Okanagan construction site next door.

As we wrap up another year of independent journalism at rabble.ca, we’re excited to take our community on a journey through some of the best content we’ve shared in 2024. 

From the most compelling episodes of rabble radio to some of our personal favourite columns, to the top stories in Canadian politics and more, join us now on a trip down memory lane before we head full-steam into 2025. 

Best of rabble radio 2024

Last week, we shared an interview which featured clips of interviews over the past year – starting in January when then-Jack Layton Journalism for Change fellow Madison Edward-Wright sat down with Ted Rutland to talk about his research work on anti-Black racism and policing in Montreal and ending with a Louise Smith from Independent Jewish Voices Canada. Solidarity with Palestine conversation with Louise Smith from Independent Jewish Voices Canada on how solidarity with Palestine does not equal antisemitism. 

Also featuring clips from activist and award-winning Cree/Iroquois/French journalist Brandi Morin, Patricia Chong and Karine Ng from the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance, and Joyce Arthur from the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. Listen to “Best of rabble radio 2024” here. 

Best of columns 2024 

In 2024, our expert columnists covered an array of critical issues such as housing and climate change, the disturbing rise of far-right movements across the nation and labour fights happening in and out of Canada. 

From Cathy Crowe’s critique of Canada’s housing policies, to Charlotte Dalwood’s powerful defense of trans rights in Alberta and Judy Rebick’s insights on youth activism for Palestine, rabble.ca remains a vital platform for diverse voices tackling the issues that truly matter.

On Monday, we released our “Best of columns 2024.” Read that piece here.

Off the Hill: The ups and downs of 2024 and lessons for 2025

In our final political panel of the year, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway Don Davies, economist Jim Stanford, activist and writer Clayton Thomas-Müller, activist and professor pk mutch, and rabble’s labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga came together to discuss the top news stories they followed this year – as well as what hopes and goals they have for their work and activism in the new year. Co-hosted, as always, by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.

Watch the full recording of that panel here. 

Still to come…  

In his upcoming note to rabble readers, Nick Seebruch reflects on the highs, lows and pivotal moments of 2024, offering a thoughtful review of the year through the lens of the editor of rabble.ca. From major political events to key social issues, Seebruch will provide an insightful summary of how these stories have shaped our collective narrative. Don’t miss his reflections, coming December 27.

Also, be sure to check out rabble.ca’s annual tradition with parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg’s “A year in Canadian politics” piece on December 30. Nerenberg’s comprehensive analysis will examine the political landscape of 2024, exploring the critical moments and emerging trends that have defined Canadian politics this year. 

Both pieces are essential reading as we look back on a year full of change and challenges, and prepare for what lies ahead in 2025.

Priorities for rabble.ca in 2025… 

These wrap-up pieces are just a taste of the high-quality, independent journalism you’ve come to expect from rabble.ca. But to keep delivering the stories that challenge the status quo and amplify the voices that matter, we need your support.

Next year, as Canada heads into a federal election, rabble.ca will be an essential source for independent, fact-based journalism that holds power accountable and amplifies diverse voices. Your support ensures we can continue to provide thoughtful, in-depth coverage and analysis that goes beyond the spin of mainstream media, empowering voters with the information they need to make informed decisions.

If you haven’t already, consider supporting rabble.ca during our winter fundraiser by becoming a monthly donor or giving a one-time donation.   

And as always, thank you! 

The post Sharing the news that matters to you, in 2024 and beyond… appeared first on rabble.ca.

Last-minute shoppers will have to fight more than just the crowds if they plan on heading out Christmas Eve throughout New Brunswick.

Two people sustained minor injuries after a collision involving a TTC bus and a car early on Christmas Eve, police say.

Ralph “Boonie” Lethbridge, a well-known man in the Clarenville area, has died at 80 after a battle with cancer. He was known for his acts of kindness and for selling Christmas trees for decades.

REGINA — With colder temperatures arriving and ice beginning to form on waterbodies across the province, the Water Security Agency (WSA) is reminding the public about ice safety.

Ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness and its strength can vary considerably from one area to another. The date that ice becomes safe at a particular site varies from year to year, requiring the verification of the thickness each year as opposed to relying on past experiences.

As a guideline, you need at least 10 centimetres (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to support a heavy truck.

Be aware that any activity on ice has risks and guidelines are provided to help individuals make a decision about whether to venture onto the ice. Thickness is just one consideration when evaluating ice safety. Clear, hard ice is the only ice recommended for travel.

Also, avoid ice that:

• looks slushy;
• has thawed, then froze again;
• is near moving water;
• is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or
• has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.

Ice thickness can be unpredictable and difficult to assess at times. To be sure, always check the ice thickness before you travel on it. 

Canada’s military suppliers were the top recipients of government contracts in 2024, according to a new IJF analysis.

Overall, contracts signed by Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) totalled $13.6 billion, or 64.5 per cent of the total value of all contracts awarded by the federal government in 2024.

LAS VEGAS — A federal grand jury in Texas has indicted Xiaofei “Sophie” Chen, a Chinese national arrested at a Las Vegas casino trade show, for allegedly shipping pill press machines capable of producing up to 24,000 counterfeit tablets laced with fentanyl per hour. If convicted in El Paso federal court, Chen faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

For eight years, Chen allegedly served as a U.S. sales representative for a China-based manufacturer of tableting machines and custom die molds. These machines, capable of mimicking prescription pills like the widely abused “M30” oxycodone tablets, have become central to what authorities describe as a crisis claiming tens of thousands of American lives annually. The Chinese company, which maintained offices in California, specialized in shipping mislabeled equipment—often in disassembled parts—to evade detection and facilitate reassembly after crossing the border. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Kathy McGlone stated that the equipment’s ability to mass-produce counterfeit pills has significantly fueled the fentanyl epidemic.

The indictment comes as President-Elect Donald Trump has pledged to target countries linked to fentanyl production, including China, Mexico, and Canada. Chen’s alleged actions illustrate a shift among China-based traffickers, who increasingly export production equipment to North America rather than finished pills, reducing the risk of seizure and limiting China’s direct exposure in the deadly trade.

“Pill press machines were originally designed for legitimate pharmaceutical purposes, but the opioid crisis has turned them into tools for traffickers,” McGlone wrote in an affidavit supporting the indictment.

Undercover operations were pivotal to the investigation. An agent contacted Chen’s network to purchase two M30 die mold sets and a tableting machine. A contact named “Monica” responded using a Chinese-based phone number, explaining that the molds were sensitive items at risk of confiscation by U.S. Customs. She suggested shipping the machine to a logistics point after DEA approval or dismantling and shipping it in parts to avoid scrutiny. When the undercover agent stated that DEA approval was not possible, Monica assured delivery in two express packages. The agent paid for the purchase using a bitcoin wallet provided by Monica.

Court documents reveal Chen routinely evaded Customs and Border Protection scrutiny by mislabeling shipments as “truck parts” or “sofa covers.” During an April 2023 encounter at Fort Worth International Airport, Chen admitted to McGlone that she had not consistently verified customers’ compliance with DEA regulations, despite being aware of the legal requirements.

Chen’s arrest at a Las Vegas casino trade show on October 29 followed months of surveillance. Authorities tracked her arrival from China at Los Angeles International Airport on October 15, where she entered the United States on a valid visa.

“The defendant allegedly sold equipment enabling the production of lethal counterfeit pills,” said Katrina W. Berger, Executive Associate Director of HSI. “We are committed to dismantling these networks wherever they operate.”

In a statement on the case, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that fentanyl overdoses claimed approximately 107,000 American lives in 2023, making the drug the leading cause of death for individuals aged 18 to 49.

“The fentanyl epidemic has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives, and this case reflects the department’s unwavering commitment to prosecuting every level of the deadly fentanyl supply chain,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

Israeli troops forced the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and many patients, some of them on foot, arrived at another hospital miles away in Gaza City, the territory's health ministry said on Tuesday.

A 60-year-old St. John’s man has been arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police over a stabbing in a St. Alban’s home that happened over the weekend. He was already on parole and had escaped police custody almost a month ago.

Nunatsiaq News reporter Jeff Pelletier (File photo)

Covering politics is one of my favourite parts of this job, especially at the Nunavut legislative assembly.

I follow with great interest the issues that regular MLAs speak on, what questions they ask, and what answers they get from Premier P.J. Akeeagok and cabinet.

Heading into Nov. 4 felt like any other legislature day.

At least, until item 14 on the agenda — notices of motions — came up.

Aivilik MLA Solomon Malliki rose to inform the house that on Nov. 6 he would table a motion to remove Akeeagok as premier.

We were taken aback in the media box. All of a sudden, our story filing plans changed. We needed to hear from Malliki about why he wanted to oust the premier, and to hear Akeeagok’s reaction to a looming challenge of his leadership.

Both men took questions. Malliki accused Akeeagok of not providing transparency. Akeeagok said he has been transparent, and touted his government’s accomplishments.

With the quotes I needed, it was time to file.

Unfortunately for me, the legislative assembly internet and my cell data were slow. But I was still able to call my editor and dictate a story to him over the phone. It was a throwback to a time before cellphones and Wi-Fi, when reporters sometimes called their editors from pay phones to dictate a breaking news story.

After my story was published, I headed into Nov. 5 with this upcoming leadership challenge story at the top of my mind — so much so that I found myself barely looking at news about the U.S. presidential election, also happening that day.

I wrote another story based on a question I asked every MLA about how they planned to vote on Malliki’s motion the next day. I sent emails to each MLA, but only two responded.

I also stood at the door to the chamber and asked, “Any thoughts about tomorrow’s vote?” to as many MLAs as I could as they entered for that day’s sitting. I was mostly ignored or told “no comment.”

Malliki said he was still determined in his position. Akeeagok, in a more softened tone than I’m used to hearing from him, told me he was proud of his record as premier.

Then came Nov. 6. I had no idea how things were about to unfold. There were more reporters on site than usual, ready for whatever was next.

At 1:30 p.m., it was show time.

I quickly wrote quotes as members spoke to Malliki’s motion. In my notebook, I kept score on how members were speaking: favourable of the premier, unfavourable, or unclear.

In the end, the motion was defeated 10-8. Akeeagok survived. A united cabinet was joined by three regular MLAs who voted to keep the premier in office.

Accompanied by his family, Akeeagok told reporters he was “thankful” to have survived the day. His tone was one of relief. Malliki did not comment.

Tensions cooled the next day, as MLAs united to pay tribute to retiring clerk John Quirke.

I have been lucky to cover several important stories this year. I witnessed history as the Nunavut devolution agreement was signed in January, I was in the courtroom in February when Karima Manji pleaded guilty to defrauding Inuit organizations, and other times throughout the year I found myself driving from one end of Iqaluit to another to witness emergencies the fire department or RCMP were responding to.

Overall, though, Nunavut politics fascinates me most. That’s why a three-day political showdown was the story I most loved to tell in 2024.