When Dawson City, Yukon, resident Mike Najman's filling fell out and his tooth broke, he was in a lot of pain. And with no resident dentist in town, he decided he had to take matters into his own hands.

After Thursday’s busy afternoon of celebrations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent his final morning in Iqaluit at the Nunavut legislative assembly and then at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.

Trudeau’s two-day visit was to sign the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement – the “largest land transfer in Canada’s history,” according to his office, giving Nunavut new authority over federal lands in the territory.

Hundreds watched the signing ceremony at the Aqsarniit hotel and on an online webcast.

Friday morning was back to regular business, but also an opportunity for Trudeau and his youngest son, Hadrien, to enjoy some time on the land.

The prime minister’s day started with the signing of a guestbook at the legislative assembly. Similar to the previous day’s devolution agreement signing, Trudeau inked his name in syllabics.

After being greeted by Premier P.J. Akeeagok, the pair toured the legislative assembly chamber and then met in private.

Several MLAs and legislature employees gathered on the walkways above the assembly’s main lobby to snap pictures of Trudeau as he walked in and spoke alongside Akeeagok.

Trudeau reflected on his earliest travels to Iqaluit — called Frobisher Bay at that time — with his father, prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

“My dad brought me up here 50 years ago, and over the past 50 years or so I’ve seen tremendous transformation, changes, strengthening in so many different ways,” Trudeau said.

“Yesterday’s announcement was a huge step for us.”

Both Akeeagok and Trudeau spoke about the significance of the previous day’s events.

“There’s important work ahead of us, but to be sharing the stage with the many elders that were there and incredible youth that were playing yesterday really showed the importance around that,” Akeeagok said.

Trudeau repeated his promise to support Nunavut as it enters a three-year transition period, before devolution takes effect April 1, 2027.

“While we do that, we’re also going to be taking care of other big things, whether it’s continuing our great work on housing … whether it’s talking about sovereignty and protection of the Arctic,” he said.

“We’re really excited.”

After the meetings, the Trudeaus, Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk headed to Sylvia Grinnell Park for a dogsled ride.

Trudeau also stopped at an igloo at the front of the park, where elders showed him how to add chunks of ice to the top of the structure.

“An igloo is not only an important cultural symbol, but it also represents housing and community,” Akeeagok said in an Instagram post.”We hope that the federal government will partner with us to build many more homes in Nunavut.”

The Government of Nunavut asked for more time to show that sensitive information contained in government mail is being protected during changes to delivery in Iqaluit, says the territory’s information and privacy commissioner Graham Steele.

In December, Steele set a Jan. 17 deadline for three GN departments — Finance, Family Services and Human Resources — to assess the risk of privacy breaches and demonstrate how they are acting to prevent them.

That followed complaints from residents late last year regarding the opening of second Canada Post office in Iqaluit.

People were required to change their address from a post office box number to a civic address, which is then associated with a new box number. Several challenges arose, including complaints of substantial delays, confusion and late or mishandled mail.

This week, Steele said the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs wants to put forward a “co-ordinated response” from the GN, rather than three separate departmental responses.

He said the department requested an extension due to its work in preparing for this week’s signing of a devolution agreement between the federal and territorial governments and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

The new deadline is Jan. 24, Steele said.

He said he is unsure what to expect from the “co-ordinated response,” since he wrote separate letters to each department because of the unique types of mail they send.

“Finance runs the database for GN employees, so presumably they’re going to have to someone change the address information for the several thousand GN employees who live in Iqaluit,” said Steele. “That’s not a challenge faced by the other departments.”

Paul Napash, or PaulStar, who's originally from Chisasibi, Que., officially released his album Bring It All Together on Friday. The album features genre-bending sounds drawn from rock, alternative and hip-hop.

Two men who worked for years to help Nunavut stand on its own say witnessing the signing of the devolution agreement with the federal government and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on Thursday was a landmark event.

James Eetoolook, now retired, was a vice-president of NTI for 29 years and one of the original signatories to the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson retired at the end of December after 14 years representing Nunavut. Before that, he was an MLA and premier of the Northwest Territories, which at the time included the land that would become Nunavut.

Both were impressed by the importance of the moment — and by watching Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sign the document in Inuktitut.

The agreement — the largest land transfer in Canadian history — allows Nunavut to assume control over the vast majority of Crown lands within its boundaries. It’s expected to create jobs and open the door to the potential of millions of dollars flowing into the territory from future resource development.

Eetoolook was asked to be a witness at the signing ceremony, held at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit Hotel, of the signing on behalf of Nunavut.

Interviewed in Inuktitut, he said: “I was happy and excited [about] this agreement we signed. It gives more independence for Nunavummiut in controlling resource development in Nunavut.”

He noted it also gives Nunavut more decision-making power over how the lands can be used and that will have a positive impact on the territory.

“We will have to not wait for Ottawa to make decisions,” said Eetoolook, adding that was the intention right from the start when land-claims negotiations with the federal government got underway.

He called the day “historic.”

Patterson told Nunatsiaq News he thinks of the devolution agreement as “decolonization.”

“It was never appropriate for our lands and resources should be managed remotely from an unaccountable federal minister,” he said.

“This is on the principle, if it is about Nunavut it should be done by Nunavut. And there is nothing more important than our wildlife and our land and resources.”

An important part of the agreement, he said, is that it was signed by NTI as well as the federal and territorial governments.

He said he’s hopeful the agreement will “signal a new era” of co-operation between NTI and the GN.

“It is no secret that there is some tension now in certain areas between NTI and the GN,” Patterson said.

The original vision for Nunavut, he said, was of co-operation and collaboration.

Patterson also called the agreement the “end of a very long journey,” considering he was involved in early devolution negotiations when he was N.W.T. premier in the 1980s.

“For me, it’s progress and concluding a chapter that I was involved in,” he said.

“I was very happy to make the journey here and observe it all.”

As for the event, Patterson said it was “appropriately solemn.”

Solemn in marking the hug step forward for Nunavut and constitutional development, he said. Joyful, he said, “Because it promises a better future for people of Nunavut, who are now going to have an equal voice like every other territory and province in managing their own lands and resources.”

Thursday was the deadline for businesses across the country to pay back the COVID-era CEBA loans, which the federal government provided to small businesses during the pandemic. Yellowknife small business owners say they need more time.

The NWT's Diavik diamond mine says approximately 50,000 litres of diesel has spilled in a storage facility. Rio Tinto said "cleanup and monitoring continue."

Construction of Rankin Inlet’s new elders centre is behind schedule but not over budget, says the Department of Community and Government Services.

The federal government announced earlier this month it is giving $25 million to the long-term care home, a project that is 90 per cent complete.

That money is issued through Infrastructure Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.

In order to be eligible to receive funding through the program, CGS had to identify projects that could be completed by a 2025 deadline, according to department spokesperson Hala Duale.

Now, GN money that had already been allocated to the long-term care home can be spent on other projects, she said in an email.

The $59.35-million project is within budget, she confirmed.

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program supports retrofits and new construction that is green and accessible to “high-needs, underserved communities,” states the program’s website.

The federal government reimburses spending retroactively for projects going back to April 1, 2021, said Caleb Spassov, spokesperson for Infrastructure Canada, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

The remainder of the project’s cost, $34.35 million, is still the GN’s responsibility.

Rankin Inlet’s 24-bed long-term care centre was originally set for completion in 2023.

Duale said construction delays affected the project, but did not provide further details.

She said the project is 90 per cent finished and expected to be complete later this year.

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Uquutaq Society’s plan to build a new low-barrier shelter took another step forward Tuesday when Iqaluit’s planning committee voted unanimously to approve a development permit for it.

A low-barrier shelter does not require users to be sober in order to access services, executive director Laurel McCorriston told the committee during Tuesday’s meeting. However, alcohol consumption will not be allowed on site.

“I know how badly we need a facility like this,” Coun. Kyle Sheppard said. “For our most vulnerable population to have a place like this to go is critically important for our community.”

Uquutaq Society currently operates a high-barrier shelter at building 1077 for people who are not intoxicated, and a low-barrier shelter at building 534.

The current low-barrier shelter can only accommodate 17 people at a time, is over capacity and turns away an average of 50 people a month, said McCorriston.

She added people who are turned away from the high-barrier shelter because they are impaired often turn to the low-barrier shelter, further straining capacity.

The proposed new shelter will be built on two currently empty lots, one of which used to be the location of the country food store.

Uquutaq Society’s plan for a new low-barrier shelter includes 44 shelter beds, plus 13 transitional housing units. The facility would include five eight-bed shelter dorms and two two-bed isolation rooms on the second floor, according to planning documents.

“This provides the widest level of support to the community, but may have impacts on the surrounding uses,” cautioned Samantha Toffolo, the city’s consultant planner.

Coun. Harry Flaherty wanted to know what “disadvantages and challenges” might arise for homeowners and businesses in that area if the shelter is built there.

“What steps have been taken to mitigate that?” he asked.

A neighbour has come forward with concerns, McCorriston said. Discussions are ongoing, but she noted one issue involves shelter users loitering when they go outside to smoke.

McCorriston said the proposed shelter includes an enclosed smoking area, an on-site security guard and continuous perimeter checks which should help mitigate concerns.

“So not only will there be a security guard at the door, but more constant patrols. And this site will be much more highly staffed,” she told committee members on Tuesday.

Security staff will check for weapons, drugs and any other contraband, which would be confiscated if found.

McCorriston noted the current low barrier shelter is scheduled to be demolished in 2025. “That’s what made this project a priority for us,” she said.

In an interview Wednesday, she said the facility will also offer a warming centre operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, something Iqaluit “doesn’t have at the moment.”

The shelter, which is expected to be completed by 2025, already has $17 million in funding from Indigenous Services Canada but is expected to cost approximately $30 million to build. McCorriston said that number could rise depending on the tendering process.

She said Uquutaq Society is seeking multiple additional funding sources, including applications to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s co-investment fund and National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.

Nunavut Housing Corp. has committed $800,000 to the project, she said.

McCorriston said the location was selected because it’s already zoned to allow a shelter and boarding house. She noted the Qikiqtani Inuit Association provided funding for demolition and clearing of the site.

She said the Uquutaq Society plans to hold consultation sessions for the public regarding its plans. As well, it still needs full council approval for a development permit and then a building permit before it start to look for a builder.

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When their home caught fire last week, a Yellowknife family of seven had to work out: what options does this city really have if you need housing in a hurry?

Polar Egg is back. The Hay River company has changed hands, and the new owners say the eggs are just a couple of weeks away from returning to many NWT stores.

New homes are arriving for Kátł’odeeche First Nation residents who lost theirs to floods or fires. The First Nation is also planning a broader housing society.

Fort Smith is still clearing piles of trees cut down to protect the town from fires last year. Remaining logs will be opened up to residents, the mayor said.

In 2021, Behchokǫ̀ Elder Celine Whane described waiting weeks for help with frozen pipes. Three years later, the same thing is happening again.

After a nearly two-year absence, Polar Eggs will soon be back on store shelves in the N.W.T. Matt Vane and Jeff Bisschop of Knutsford Ventures Inc. took ownership of the Polar Eggs farm in Hay River, N.W.T., a year ago, and they're now ready to begin sending out their product.

Nunavut has signed a deal with the federal government that transfers land and resource responsibilities to the territory. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk signed the agreement at a ceremony in Iqaluit this afternoon.

At a ceremony marked by dancing and singing, Nunavut signed an agreement with the federal government on Thursday for what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the largest land transfer in Canada's history. 'Our land, our resources, in the hands of our people,' said Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok.

Canada has signed a final agreement several years in the making with Nunavut to transfer governing power to the territory. Andrew Chang explores the process of devolution and explains what Nunavut gains in the exchange.

Nearly 25 years after Nunavut became a territory, it has signed an agreement with the government of Canada to have the final say over a long list of decisions that were typically made in Ottawa.

The ice at the Iqaluit Curling Club appeared more puddled than pebbled Tuesday.

The city-owned rink is melting away as it prepares to become a temporary TV studio for an upcoming comedy series.

Commissioned by CBC, APTN and Netflix and co-created by producers Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, the still untitled series will be filmed inside the rink through the end of July, city spokesperson Kent Driscoll said in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

With no large film production studio in Iqaluit, the curling club was the “best option” for what the production team needs, Driscoll said.

Last month, Iqaluit actresses Anna Lambe and Keira Cooper were cast to play a young mother-daughter duo on the show.

“There are very few facilities in Iqaluit that meet the specific needs of a TV studio, it needs to be wide open with tall ceilings,” Driscoll said.

Aglok MacDonald and Arnaquq-Baril explained to city councillors at a May 23, 2023, meeting what those specific needs are while seeking approval to use the curling club.

Many movies and TV shows build indoor sets such as realistic offices or interiors of houses on soundstages, often on studio lots in Hollywood.

The curling rink will become a soundstage for some of those sets while filming the show’s first season, Aglok MacDonald said.

“We’re building complete standing sets so that we don’t exhaust our community in the same way that we did with The Grizzlies, which was un-homing people often for weeks at a time,” she told council, referring to the 2018 feature film about a lacrosse team set in Kugluktuk.

“We’re going to build our complete, interior houses.… We need time to not only build but design them within the space that we’re shooting in.”

Aglok MacDonald and Arnaquq-Baril acknowledged they were asking a lot by seeking to rent the space for an extended period.

But, they said, the production will economically benefit the community and that a permanent studio would be their home for the second season. Their production company, Red Marrow Media is working with a business partner to develop a permanent studio, but it wasn’t going to be ready in time for the start of the first season’s filming.

They estimated the production could bring $6.5 million to Iqaluit’s economy through the hiring of local actors and crew and for accommodation and training among other expenses, according to the minutes of the city council meeting.

Councillors unanimously voted to rent out the curling rink from Jan. 1 to July 31 this year.

With the city-owned facility being used for the TV show, the lack of an available curling rink was a factor in the Nunavut Curling Association’s decision to withdraw from this year’s Canadian women’s curling championship, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in February in Calgary.

While another factor was that with some players taking a break this year, a complete team couldn’t be assembled.

Iqaluit Curling Club president Peter Van Strien said the loss of the rink meant a new roster of players didn’t have the facility to prepare for the competition.

Van Strien said he hopes the TV show production is a success because it will be good for the community but added it’s unclear where Team Nunavut’s young curlers will train ahead of the Arctic Winter Games being held in Alaska in March.

“They’re going to have a tough time being prepared,” he said. “We’re hoping to set up some sort of training situation, but they’ll have to travel for that sort of thing.”

Driscoll said the Iqaluit Curling Club has never been used as a film production space, but it has hosted other events and served other purposes including during community emergencies.

“When we were distributing bottled water during our water crisis, we used the facility because it had lots of space and could keep the water from freezing,” he said.

“During COVID, the Health Department used it as a location for vaccination clinics. We also used to convert the space into a skateboard park in the summers.”

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American network ABC broadcast from Yellowknife on flagship show Good Morning America as we head toward an aurora-packed solar maximum this year.

His name is Shëth la Mod Kodakin-Gahdële, part of which means "top of the mountain," and he's bringing joy to his Tulita and Łútsël K'é family.

An NWT judge threw out charges against a man accused of driving under the influence of alcohol in Yellowknife after police breached his charter rights.

Hay River hopes to begin building a new water treatment plant some time this decade. But it'll cost more than $20 million, which is money not easily found.

Baby Shëth La, born in Yellowknife on Jan. 3 to a couple from Łutsel K'e, N.W.T., received a traditional name that reflects how big he was at birth.

A Yellowknife man bought a fully electric truck, expecting to install the 80 amp Level 2 charger it came with at his home. Then he found out he'd need to pay $12,000 to upgrade a transformer in his neighbourhood to make it work.

The N.W.T. government says it will replace a broken cable — along with a couple dozen "metal adjustment bars" — on the Deh Cho bridge sometime this summer.

A group of Indigenous leaders and youth from the Yukon will be heading to the other side of the world next week for a cultural exchange in New Zealand.

Inuvik is setting records but snow has barely fallen in other parts of the NWT as water levels across the territory "remain very low."

As the City of Yellowknife contemplates updates to its development incentives, a prominent residential developer says administrative burdens are the biggest obstacle, not property taxes.

Yellowknife's primary care centre has reopened following a bout of weekend flooding, but will have reduced services until further notice.

Nominations to elect a Makivvik Corp. president are closed, but Nunavimmiut will have to wait until Jan. 15 to learn who will be the official nominees.

The nomination period to run for president of the Nunavik Inuit organization closed at 5 p.m. EST Monday.

Makivvik’s chief returning officer, Phoebe Bentley, said the Inuit organization is reviewing all submissions to determine if they meet the requirements to be officially nominated.

That includes meeting specific Inuktitut language requirements and being a beneficiary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, among other requirements.

Factors such as debt, criminal convictions and conflicts of interest may disqualify someone from being eligible to run.

Bentley told Nunatsiaq News she could not share how many applications were received before results are made official.

For the election, advance polls will be open Jan. 25 and election day is Feb. 1. On both days, voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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A development that could add 437 new apartment-style housing units in Iqaluit is the subject of a public consultation session later this month.

The meeting is a chance for residents to learn more about the developer’s proposal and provide feedback, the City of Iqaluit said in a news release Tuesday.

A draft plan of the proposed building site on Sivumugiaq Street, where a developer wants to build three eight-storey mixed-use residential and commercial towers. (Image courtesy City of Iqaluit).

The development proposal would see three buildings up to eight storeys tall constructed to provide up to an estimated 437 housing units. It would also include a commercial component with a new hardware store.

The proposed building site is along Sivumugiaq Street north of Inuksugait Plaza.

Approval from city council will be required at several stages, including rezoning the property, amending the city’s general plan and development permit approval.

The public meeting will be held Jan. 22 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Cadet Hall, 944 Mivvik St.

City council first heard about the proposal from municipal planning staff in November last year, when councillors unanimously voted to hold public consultations on the project to be built by TBG Construction Ltd.

At that meeting, Deputy Mayor Kim Smith said it’s important to get feedback from the public because the proposal would “drastically change the skyline and look and feel of our city.”

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Yellowknife's downtown Primary Care Centre has reopened with "reduced services until further notice" after a weekend flood.

"This many students winning this many awards is exceptional." Students at École Sir John Franklin High School won 12 of 15 NWT medals for achievement.

Fearon Nelson Steele was charged last year with 13 counts of unauthorized use of a computer and nine counts of mischief in relation to computer data. The Crown entered a stay-of-proceedings in the case on Jan. 3.

A fix for the broken Deh Cho Bridge isn't coming until this summer. The GNWT suspects a metal bar anchoring a cable failed, and will now replace 24 of them.

A company that creates housing for workers in Yellowknife says demand is high and dozens of units are being added at locations across the city.

Why are the territories often left out of Canada-wide reports? We spoke with statisticians about the challenges of collecting and reporting data on the North.

After withdrawing its proposal to extend the Meliadine Gold Mine last month, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. says it hasn’t ruled out possibly submitting a new, different proposal in the future.

On Dec. 19, the company informed federal Northern Affairs Minister Daniel Vandal and the Nunavut Impact Review Board it was withdrawing its proposal, effective immediately.

Kyle Allen, a spokesperson for Vandal’s office, told Nunatsiaq News in an email Monday his office is still preparing a response to the review board concerning Agnico Eagle’s letter of withdrawal.

In 2022, Agnico Eagle submitted a proposal to the review board seeking to add underground mining in two open pits at the Meliadine mine, approximately 25 kilometres northwest of Rankin Inlet.

The company estimated that could extend the operations phase of the mine by 11 years, to 2043 from 2032.

In November, the review board recommended against the proposed mine extension, citing among its concerns the project’s environmental impact, specifically on the Qamanirjuaq caribou herd.

In its letter last month, Agnico Eagle contested that point, stating current monitoring shows the mine is not causing adverse effects on caribou.

In its 50-page letter, Agnico Eagle also disputed other findings in the report that led the board to recommend against the proposal, including topics such as water management, air quality and procedural concerns.

However, Agnico Eagle also stated in the letter that it’s not ruling out possibly submitting a different proposal to extend the Meliadine mine in the future.

On Monday, review board executive director Ryan Barry told Nunatsiaq News that since his organization has completed its decision-making responsibilities, it will not respond to Agnico Eagle’s letter unless asked to by Vandal.

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It's official — Whitehorse will host the 2026 Arctic Winter Games, and planning for the big event can now begin.

Some elementary students in Whitehorse are heading back to school after the holidays with something they haven't been able to pack in their lunches before: peanut butter sandwiches.

Without a full team and with Iqaluit’s curling rink currently unavailable, Nunavut withdrew from this year’s Canadian women’s curling championship.

Curling Canada announced Monday that Nunavut won’t compete at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts next month in Calgary.

The 18-team tournament brings together Canada’s top female curlers, with the winning team advancing to compete as Team Canada at a world championship.

It was the players’ decision to withdraw, according to Alison Taylor, who has curled for Nunavut at the last two Scotties tournaments.

Some of her teammates are taking a break from the team this year, she said in an interview.

“A few of us made the decision that this wasn’t the right year; we just don’t have the time and the capacity at this point to prepare adequately,” Taylor said.

“I’m disappointed that there’s no team, but this is an opportunity for us to reset, plan, generate interest and figure out what the next year and a half is going to look like to get us back to the national stage.”

Meanwhile, Iqaluit curlers currently don’t have access to their rink.

Peter Van Strien, president of the Iqaluit Curling Club and a Nunavut Curling Association board member, said the club’s city-owned rink is being rented out to a film production company.

As a consequence, curlers don’t have a place in the community where they can train and prepare for a national competition.

“I think one of the contributing factors would have been that we’re losing access to our rink, we lost it as of yesterday, basically,” Van Strien said on Monday.

“I think it had to be a factor that they weren’t really able to train as a new team leading up to a big event like the Scotties.”

The Scotties tournament will replace Nunavut with another team in the Curling Canada ranking system.

Nunavut has been a participant in the Scotties since 2016, the first year in which all 13 provinces and territories sent teams. Nunavut’s best year was in 2020 when a team skipped by Lori Eddy won two games and lost seven.

In the last three tournaments, teams skipped by Eddy and Brigitte MacPhail went winless in eight games at each event.

Al Cameron, a spokesperson for Curling Canada, said the organization is disappointed Nunavut won’t be at this year’s Scotties because it values the territory’s presence at the tournaments.

“We do take pride in the fact that we have equitable access for all of Canada’s provinces and territories, including Nunavut,” Cameron said in an interview.

“This is a disappointment, but we’ll continue to work with the Nunavut Curling Association to ensure that they do continue to attend all of our national events.”

Teams of young curlers are still set to represent Nunavut at the Arctic Winter Games this March in Alaska; however, questions remain about where they will train leading up to the event.

As well, Nunavut will send a team to the 2024 Montana’s Brier, Canada’s men’s championship, in Regina in March.

Van Strien said the Brier team will have time to prepare in the south and participate in some practice tournaments.

“Despite the last few years, which have been challenging because, you know, COVID and then the closure because of the water crisis and then the short season this year, we’ve had a really great participation and an increase in members,” Taylor said.

“Ultimately, we want to see a number of teams playing down for the Scotties and I think we’ll get there.”

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Clear your snow so municipal workers can remove your trash. That’s the message the City of Iqaluit’s public works department sent to residents in a public service announcement Monday.

Residents and businesses are responsible for clearing a path through the snow to their trash bins, as well as clearing their driveways, so the work can be done safely and quickly.

“Its partway through the snowy season and the snow is starting to pile up a little. If you’re having to clear snow in every bin, it really slows down our garbage pickup,” said City of Iqaluit spokesperson Kent Driscoll.

He said snow must be cleared from on top of the bins and “the path leading to it, as well as the path for the truck to go in.

“And keep in mind if you are on truck water service, you’re responsible for keeping the path clear to the water connection as well.”

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Canada’s Supreme Court is scheduled to decide Thursday whether it will consider an appeal from an Iqaluit lawyer of her own contempt of court acquittal.

The Nunavut Court of Appeal ruled in June it did not have jurisdiction to void Justice Paul Bychok’s January 2023 judgment, which acquitted Crown lawyer Emma Baasch of contempt of court but found she failed in her ethical duties to the court.

Bychok heard the case in December 2022. Reading from a written judgment after a short hearing, he called Baasch’s actions a “direct and public insult to the integrity of the Nunavut Court of Justice.”

The contempt of court citation stems from the July 2022 arrest of a man at Iqaluit’s courthouse, just before his assault trial was set to begin.

Bychok, who was to preside over the trial, cited Baasch and RCMP Cpl. Andrew Kerstens over the arrest. He said the two interfered with the court’s duties that day.

Baasch argued she merely provided Kerstens with legal advice.

In his December 2022 ruling, Bychok also acquitted Kerstens of contempt of court.

In her application to the Supreme Court, Baasch argues the Nunavut appeals court judges made a legal error when they concluded they could not hear an appeal from a person on his or her own acquittal.

Her application goes on to say Bychok’s ruling effectively convicted Baasch of “several alleged ethical breaches” which she has been required to report to the Nunavut Law Society.

That creates a “serious, ongoing risk” to Baasch’s ability to practise law, according to the application, because any attempt to dispute Bychok’s findings “may be seen as a collateral attack on a decision that is final, given the Nunavut Court of Appeals decision.”

The application warns that the power to cite for contempt is capable of being a “tool of oppression” unless procedure is followed in a way that is “rigorously” fair.

“The trial judge acted as complainant, prosecutor and judge,” the Supreme Court application reads.

“The judge refused to particularize the conduct said to constitute contempt, denying Ms. Baasch a fair hearing. The fact that her alleged misconduct stems from the provision of legal advice is unprecedented and extraordinary. After a very short trial, the judge read a judgment that had been written in advance of the hearing.”

No contempt hearing should be conducted as this one was, states the application.

Baasch’s lawyer, Robert Frater, declined comment for this story.

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After experiencing high sodium content in its drinking water for nearly a decade, the hamlet of Sanikiluaq plans to construct a new water treatment facility.

Deputy Mayor Emily Kattuk said the treatment plant will be a reverse-osmosis facility able to filter out the high amounts of salt from the community’s water supply.

Kattuk described the hamlet’s water source as yellow-ish and salty to whoever attempts use it without an osmosis unit, which are common in most homes in Sanikiluaq.

Funding for the facility includes $22.2 million from the federal government and $7.4 million from the Government of Nunavut. Those amounts were announced last week in Iqaluit by federal Infrastructure Minister Sean Fraser and Nunavut Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie.

High sodium levels have plagued Sanikiluaq’s water supply since the community discovered the issue in 2016.

Since then, each home has needed to be equipped with a reverse-osmosis purification unit. Over time, high salt consumption can cause adverse health effects on people with weakened immune systems, such as infants, elders or people with high blood pressure.

Kattuk said she did not yet know the timeline for construction of the facility, and said the hamlet will have more information when a new senior administrative officer joins the office next month.

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The City of Whitehorse has granted mineral exploration company Gladiator Metals permission to drill in an area near Mount Sima and Copper Haul Road. 

Students in Nunavik were in school Monday after Quebec public-sector unions reached what they’re calling an agreement in principle with the provincial government late last month.

Union groups representing a combined 420,000 education, health care and social services workers across the province staged several temporary strikes late last year, resulting in 11 days of school closures.

The work stoppages were to demand a new contract with Quebec that would include annual increases tied to inflation rates.

Four union groups calling themselves the common front — the Quebec Labour Congress, Confederation of National Trade Unions, Quebec Federation of Labour, and the Alliance of professional and technical health and social services personnel — reached a tentative deal with the provincial government Dec. 28.

According to a report from the Canadian Press on Monday, union members are expected to vote by Feb. 19 on an agreement in principle that includes salary hikes of 17.4 per cent over five years and improvements to group insurance, vacation and retirement programs.

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People in some N.W.T. communities are pleased to see some colder weather this week, after what's been an unusually mild winter so far. That includes Łutsël Kʼé, where people often rely on winter ice travel.