UP HERE IN THE NORTH 

The Yukon will be starting to gradually peel back COVID-19 restrictions in the territory this weekend, provided case counts go down. If it goes ahead, indoor sports and recreation programs for youth will be allowed to have 25 people or 50 percent of venue capacity—whichever is less. (Yukon News)

Eighteen-year-old Liam Gill, a member of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation in Fort Simpson, NWT, is officially joining the Canadian snowboarding team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Gill is taking the place of snowboarder Derek Livingston who had to drop out due to an injury. (CBC)

The Iqaluit Elders Home has officially reopened. The facility closed last May amid a COVID-19 outbreak and renovations. Four elders were sent to a home in Ottawa, while two others were sent elsewhere in Nunavut. Now, they will return to Iqaluit. (Nunatsiaq News)

The Northern Animal Health Initiative (NAHI) has just received $3 million from Veterinarians Without Borders, allowing the non-profit to provide more services in communities across the NWT and Nunavut for the next six years. Since starting in 2019, NAHI has administered more than 630 vaccinations, spayed and neutered nearly 200 animals, and hosted a number of temporary clinics. Now, that’s “paw”-some! (Cabin Radio)

The iconic Yukon Arctic Ultra is back on and under way. Racers from around the world are trying their hand at one of three distances: 42-kilometres, 160-kilometres or 480-kilometres. Organizers say it’s great to have the race running again after COVID-19 shut it down last year. (CBC)

The Yukon’s Chinese community is getting ready to ring in the Lunar New Year—albeit with some pandemic-friendly changes. With the typical banquet and performances at Whitehorse’s Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre off limits, residents are turning to movies, food, and games in their own homes to celebrate one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. (CBC)

Pan Arctic Inuit Logistics, an Inuit-owned corporation, has won a $592-million contract from the federal government to operate the North Warning System, a radar network across the Arctic used to signal impending attacks or emergencies. The contract is expected to bring new employment opportunities to Inuit living in Canada’s Far North. (Nunatsiaq News) 

Want to know how much snow the City of Whitehorse has removed from streets and sidewalks this year? Just visit one of the 11 snow dumps piled around the city. With Whitehorse experiencing record snowfall this year, removal crews have already dumped an estimated 200,000 cubic metres. It’s “snow” much! (Whitehorse Daily Star)

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Diamond Jenness Secondary School in the southern NWT community of Hay River. There are currently 989 active cases across the territory. (Cabin Radio)

A new country food processing plant in Inuvik is giving Inuvialuit the chance to try everything from whale sausage, to muskox steak, to fish jerky—even beaver bacon. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation started it last August as a way to fight food insecurity, provide jobs, and reconnect communities with traditional harvests. So far, it’s getting rave reviews! (CBC)

Two Yellowknifers were voted the “people’s choice” in a recent international snow carving contest in Sweden’s northernmost town. Niki Mckenzie and Kris Schlagintweit clinched one of two prizes in the Kiruna Snow Festival with their sculpture of the Māori goddess Whaitiri. Congratulations! (Cabin Radio)

A new suspension bridge is being planned for the only road in Alaska’s Denali National Park—an area that has become incredibly dangerous as permafrost thaw leads to frequent landslides. Park officials hope the project will make the road safer for visitors. The estimated cost of construction is $91 million. (Arctic Today)

Sweden will start lifting the bulk of its COVID-19 restrictions next Wednesday, with limits around performances, restaurants and sporting events being scrapped. The government says the decision was motivated by “high vaccination rates” and improved knowledge of the Omicron variant. (Eye on the Arctic) 

And the Arctic Council has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by four Norwegian MPs, who say they believe the institution is an example of “exceptional cooperation” between the eight Arctic states. The official winner will be announced in March. (High North News)