The Yukon's education department says it's going to roll out a student outcome strategy in September, six years after the auditor general of Canada told the territory it needed one.

The death of a man whose body was found this week in the area where Puvirnituq Snow Festival events are happening appears to have been accidental, police say.

Events were disrupted Wednesday morning by the discovery of the body, apparently by visitors who came to Puvirnituq for the five-day festival.

At the time, Nunavik police said all possibilities were being considered while their investigation was ongoing.

Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu, a spokesperson for Sûreté du Québec, said investigators from the provincial police force arrived in Puvirnituq Wednesday night after being called earlier in the day.

“It’s still under investigation, but it appears to be an accidental death,” he said in French by text Thursday morning.

The body was discovered in the same place where 200 ice sculptors and community members had gathered Monday for the start of the festival. By Thursday morning, the yellow police tape used to cordon off the area had been removed.

Snow festival events that were put on hold Wednesday resumed Thursday, including a dogsled race scheduled for 10 a.m.

The body found was that of a man in his 40s, Nunavik Police Service deputy Chief Jean-François Morin said. The man’s identity has not been released.

In a report this week, PwC said that the current cash is expected to run out by mid to late April, with site operations, program management and emergency work costing far more than initially estimated. It also said it has extensive work planned into the fall. 

There appears to be a fire at Sunridge Apartments in Yellowknife. Emergency vehicles are on scene and heavy smoke could be seen billowing from the building on Thursday afternoon.

A fire has broken out at Yellowknife's Sunridge Apartments, a residential complex near the city's downtown. Follow the latest developments.

Writer Sarah Swan visits the Far North Photo Festival, a biennial showcase of visual storytellers that has taken over the walls of Snowking’s fortress.

Two Inuit artists are among this year’s Juno Award nominees, with two nominations each.

Salluit recording artist Elisapie is nominated for Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Album of the Year for her fourth studio album, Inuktitut, released in 2023.

The same album earned Elisapie the 2024 Juno in the Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year category.

Classical soprano Deantha Edmunds of St. John’s, N.L., who bills herself as Canada’s first classically trained Inuk singer, is nominated for Classical Composition of the Year for her original 2024 song Angmalukisaa, and Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble category, for her 2024 album Alikeness, recorded with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.

Elisapie is also scheduled to perform at this year’s Juno Awards, being held at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on Sunday evening.

Iqaluit city council is considering a new bylaw that would add support for local businesses to the criteria the municipality considers in its purchasing process.

At their meeting Tuesday night, city councillors looked over the draft of a procurement bylaw which, if approved, would repeal and replace the current bylaw which has been in place since 2023.

The city wants to move away from simply showing preference to the lowest–priced bids when it purchases goods or services, finance director Peter Tumilty told councillors.

“The ‘best value’ was a concept trying to incorporate quality experience and not necessarily just the lowest price, because you may not always get the best results,” Tumilty said in response to a question from Coun. Sam Tilley.

Tilley noted some projects might benefit from a more experienced contractor and that “low cost isn’t necessarily in the city’s best interest.”

The current bylaw includes a brief description of “best value” as “the optimal balance of high quality and financial terms.”

The draft bylaw councillors reviewed Tuesday expands on that term.

It states that “best value” means the “purchase represents the greatest overall benefit to the City of Iqaluit by considering the most advantageous combination of price, quality, and support for local and Inuit businesses — not solely determined by the lowest price but by evaluating multiple factors.”

The draft bylaw also says “preference will be given to local suppliers throughout all aspects of procurement process within the city.”

Local suppliers are defined as people with Iqaluit business licences and who operate within the city’s boundaries.

Tilley asked several questions Tuesday, clarifying details such as how the bylaw reflects territorial law. He suggested a few changes as well as including a dispute-resolution process.

Councillors deferred approval of the bylaw on second reading so that changes can be made.

Tilley, who drew on his experience working in procurement with the Government of Nunavut, told reporters after the meeting that he likes what he saw in the bylaw but that it needs some edits.

“A few definitions in the bylaw just need to be tweaked a bit,” he said.

“Other than that, it’s a great bylaw.”

Even with the extension of Inuit Child First Initiative funding, there is still uncertainty around the future of programs that depend on it.

“There were tears amongst health-care providers when they heard about the end of this program,” said Dr. Sindu Govindapillai, director of Qupanuaq, which uses the Inuit Child First Initiative money to fund local programs in Nunavut’s Qikiqtaaluk Region.

She indicated that its food voucher program, which provides a $500 food voucher per child under 18 to Inuit families and an additional $250 for any child under age four, has been especially impactful.

“We heard from some child protection workers that up to 90 per cent of their calls before the hamlet food voucher program were for food,” Govindapillai said.

The Inuit Child First Initiative is a funding program that runs in parallel to the Jordan’s Principle program. It funds health, education and social programs for Inuit children and youth. All funding related to Inuit Child First expires March 31.

The future of Inuit Child First Initiative was in limbo until earlier this month when Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced a one-year extension of the program.

Anandasangaree stressed during his announcement that the extension still needs parliamentary approval, however.

With a snap federal election called, that approval, if it happens at all, will come sometime after the election slated for April 28.

Over the past five years, the federal government has spent $367.5 million on the Inuit Child First Initiative. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said on March 21 that $121.7 million would be allocated for a 2025-26 one time extension, pending approval.

With an extension will come new guidelines and restrictions. Previously, a hamlet could register all of its children and youths as a group to be eligible. New restrictions require each child to be individually registered.

For Igloolik, that means staff are scrambling to register 1,008 children, said Carolyn Tapardjuk, food security co-ordinator with the Hamlet of Igloolik.

Even if the new requirements are met, the future of the food voucher program specifically is not certain.

Funding to continue the program has not been announced, even though Govindapillai said she has asked several times for clarification.

“The best-case scenario we’re looking at [is] there’s a delay. So the program stops for however long, until the government makes a decision to look at these and to approve them, and then the worst-case scenario is that they’re all ending,” Govindapillai said.

“But there’s no scenario I can see where on April 1 all the hamlet food voucher programs continue seamlessly.”

Nunatsiaq News requested an interview with a representative for Indigenous Services Canada, but that request was declined.

“We are not able to confirm when parliamentary approval will be obtained for the renewed funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative,” Carolane Gratton, spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, said in email on Wednesday.

While many celebrated the federal government's renewal of the Inuit Child First Initiative, some still worry that a vital program for kids in Nunavut is at risk of shutting down. 

A 17-year-old boy reported missing in Iqaluit on Tuesday by his family has been found safe.

RCMP confirmed the update Thursday morning in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

Iqaluit Coun. Simon Nattaq included a clear message in a meandering speech to RCMP Tuesday evening: I can get you fired.

“I have numbers in my pocket,” Nattaq said in Inuktitut through an interpreter during Tuesday night’s council meeting.

“I will be able to report certain RCMP members that are not serving like I expect and they can be removed.”

Nattaq offered the warning as part of a lengthy comment after RCMP updated council on crime and police activity statistics for the months of January and February in Iqaluit.

Nattaq did not provide names in his account of an interaction with police he said happened when he called them to his house. The incident was “not recent,” he said.

“I was asked, ‘Do you want to leave?’” Nattaq said. “That’s what I was told, even though I called for another person to be held. They asked if I wanted to leave the community. I don’t want to hear that again.”

Sgt. Zhivka Ivanova offered Nattaq an apology for his experience and told him that every officer in Iqaluit is there to serve and protect.

She told Nattaq she couldn’t comment on his experience because she didn’t have the details.

“But I can tell you there are processes for that if you wish to come in and discuss further,” she said. “My door for sure is always open.”

People can file official complaints about RCMP through the police public complaints process. Nunavut RCMP’s handling of complaints has recently come under fire.

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission released a report in November describing years-long backlogs of complaints and a higher than average rate of withdrawn complaints.

The report recommended Nunavut RCMP take into account the territory’s unique circumstances and hire a special constable to review complaints.

It also noted the number of complaints — 75 over four years between 2018 and 2022 — was lower than the national average, which may be attributed to a lack of trust and lack of awareness of the public complaints system.

At the time, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. George Henrie said the RCMP had made several improvements to the system, including hiring a dedicated employee to investigate complaints.

Henrie did not respond immediately on Wednesday when asked whether that role is still filled and what other improvements may have been made since then.

Nunatsiaq News was unable to reach Nattaq via phone or email for further comment.

People can make complaints against the RCMP online, through the mail, or via fax through the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission or by contacting Nunavut RCMP directly.

"We all need to do better." Dozens of caribou have been wasted this winter road season. The killing of pregnant cows, vital to herd strength, is also a concern.

The NWT is recording fewer births and more deaths. It's losing hundreds of people a year to the south. These charts show how immigration changes that picture.

Some of the NWT's top young speed skaters are heading to Canada's youth championships. We sent a reporter to train with them.

Two Yellowknife daycares are launching a fundraising effort that involves adult artists finishing paintings started by children. One key ingredient is needed.

National Inuit women's non-profit Pauktuutit announced Nikki Komaksiutiksak as its new president and chief executive officer.

Saelym DeGrandpré, a 23-year-old woman living in Ottawa, carves makeup brushes out of antlers. She says it's a way to connect with her culture and her ancestors.

Donovan McNeely, 26, pleaded guilty to uttering threats and breaching a no-contact order in N.W.T. Territorial Court on Wednesday.

The NDP party announced on Wednesday that Katherine McCallum will run for Yukon MP in the upcoming federal election set for April 28.

A federal judge in Alaska on Tuesday ruled the Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel seven oil and gas leases that had been issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Yukon NDP says public money has been going to religious instruction in the territory’s Catholic schools, contrary to the terms of a 1962 agreement between the Yukon government and Catholic diocese.

Tim Whiskeychan, a Cree contemporary artist from Waskaganish, flew to Paris this month to teach Cree culture through art with French students.

This year’s Terence Tootoo Memorial hockey tournament was “99 per cent” successful.

That’s according to event co-chair Troy Aksalnik, in a phone interview Wednesday with Nunatsiaq News.

The remaining one per cent involved a heated exchange of words that erupted as Team North and Team Tootoo players shook hands following the A division championship final, which Team Tootoo won 6-4.

Referees ordered two Team North players off the ice following the post-game incident.

The tournament held annually in Rankin Inlet is named to honour the older brother of Jordin Tootoo, the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League. Terence Tootoo, a Rankin Inlet hockey player, died by suicide in 2022.

This year’s games ran from March 12 to 16.

“There were remarks made that were completely inappropriate,” said Jordin Tootoo, addressing the packed arena before honouring players from both teams after the championship game. Video of the game is available on YouTube.

“We take this very seriously. We have to be united — watch out for each other. That’s what community does. That’s what my brother, Terence, would want — not all the B.S. behind the scenes.”

Meanwhile, Rankin Inlet won the B division championship game 5-1 against last year’s winning team, the North Baffin Eskimos, earlier in the evening on March 16.

Thirteen teams from around Nunavut competed in 28 games during this year’s tournament.

“There will be changes made in coming weeks,” Aksalnik said, to avoid a repeat of the incident that marred the final moments of this year’s tournament.

The event ended on a positive note, with Tootoo thanking Aksalnik and all the volunteers, players and fans who otherwise made the event a success.

“I think we can all agree we had a great weekend,” said Tootoo.

Two Yellowknife students were selected as Loran Scholars, a designation billed as being worth more than $100,000 in various forms of support over four years.

A body of a man was found Wednesday morning on the ice where Puvirnituq’s snow festival is taking place, with police saying all possibilities are at play.

Police tape was set up at the exact spot where some 200 sculptors and community members gathered Monday for the start of the five-day Puvirnituq Snow Festival.

The body found was that of a man in his 40s, said Nunavik Police Service deputy Chief Jean-François Morin.

Police were called to the scene at around 6 a.m.

“All hypotheses are being studied at the moment,” said Morin in a French email.

Nunavik police have called upon the Sureté du Québec’s crimes against the person division, which is on its way to Puvirnituq.

The death was reported at the Inuulitsivik Health Centre, said Sureté du Québec spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.

He said circumstances of the event are still “nebulous,” which is why the investigation division was called in. A coroner has also been assigned to the case.

Beaulieu said he wouldn’t share any further details.

Dogsled racing and igloo building activities scheduled for the snow festival on Wednesday have been cancelled, but the events planned for the evening inside Satuumavik gymnasium will go on as scheduled.

Outdoor activities are expected to resume Thursday.

Nunavut Sen. Nancy Karetak-Lindell has joined the Independent Senators Group, a move she says aligns with her approach to parliamentary work and representation for the North.

Formed in 2016, it’s the largest group in the Senate and operates independently of political parties. Karetak-Lindell’s joining brings the total number of group members to 42.

In total, there are 105 representatives in the Senate.

“I feel this is the group that has the same philosophy as mine,” Karetak-Lindell said Tuesday in a news release issued by the senators’ group. “Being the only senator for a given northern territory, you count on colleagues to support you in having your voice heard.”

Karetak-Lindell, who is from Arviat, was appointed to the Senate on Dec. 19, succeeding former senator Dennis Patterson who retired in December 2023.  She previously made history in 1997 as a Liberal MP — the first female MP for the Eastern Arctic, and the first representative for the new Nunavut riding.

Due to the prorogation of Parliament in January and its subsequent dissolution for the April 28 federal election, Karetak-Lindell has yet to be officially sworn into office.

The NWT government confirmed the means it will use to end the territory's customized carbon tax and set out the consequences residents can expect.

Iqaluit Coun. Sam Tilley says he is healed and more motivated than ever to serve the community following his return from treatment for alcohol use.

Tilley made his return to city council Tuesday night after taking part in a two-month program in British Columbia.

“I speak to you today not just as a councillor, but as a person who has faced struggle, stood at a crossroads and made the choice to fight for my future,” Tilley said in a statement to councillors.

He described the past few months as “deeply personal” and “transformative,” as he has worked to address his addictions, trauma and mental health issues.

“By acknowledging and treating these struggles, I gained an understanding of resilience, compassion, and strength — qualities I believe are essential in serving our community,” he said.

Tilley used his statement to speak to others in Iqaluit who might be struggling with mental health and addiction. His message is: you are not alone.

“I stand as proof that change is possible, healing is possible, strength is possible, and if my journey can inspire even one person to take that first step to reach out, to believe that there is hope, then every struggle has been worth it,” he said.

“Let us come together as a community, remove stigmas, support one another, and build a healthier, more compassionate city for everyone.”

Tilley’s statement was met with applause.

Councillors Simon Nattaq and Amber Aglukark followed with statements of their own praising Tilley for his recovery.

“As an Inuk man, your journey is not just personal, it’s powerful and inspiring for everyone who is watching,” Aglukark said, mentioning that she has known Tilley since they grew up together in Arviat.

“You’ve demonstrated that true healing is possible, and in doing so, you are leading by example.”

Mayor Solomon Awa also praised Tilley for his progress.

“The things that we go through cannot change unless we rise up and change them,” he said.

Tilley, who is in his second term on council, spoke with reporters after the meeting. He described the program he attended as three years’ worth of treatment done over nine weeks.

He spoke of being surrounded by the tall trees of Vancouver Island, and the “healing” opportunity when he was given a blanket in a ceremony led by members of the Saanich First Nations.

He said he has a “clear mindset” and a positive outlook on the future as he remains committed to serving on city council.

“The people that voted for me — and not just who voted for me, but the people of Iqaluit — need to know these kinds of things,” Tilley said when asked about going public about his treatment.

“I felt obligated to do it for them. Not just for them, but for myself.”