Slicing up the Sourdough

Nunavut is seeing more positive cases of COVID-19 again, with another case announced Thursday in Arviat. That brings the total to 18 active cases in the territory. Contact tracing is ongoing, but all individuals are asymptomatic and are doing well. (Nunavut government)

We mentioned last week how two Vancouverites headed north to Beaver Creek, Yukon so they could skip the line for the COVID-19 vaccination. Well, the couple have been ticketed and charged under the Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act for breaking isolation requirements. Rodney Baker and Ekaterina Baker were charged in Whitehorse on January 21. (Yukon News)

Speaking of Beaver Creek, last weekend two women jumped on a lynx to pull it away from a dog it had tried to attack. Heidi Warren says she and friend Hilary Todd were walking their dogs along a trail when a lynx jumped out and grabbed the dog by its face. Warren then jumped in front of the lynx, grabbed its mouth and pried it open. Luckily, the women and the dog only have minor injuries. (CBC)

The Arctic Inspiration Prize is hosting its annual ceremony this year to showcase the northern finalists who are up for prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. This year, however, they are broadcasting it on TV and online. You can catch it February 19. Some of the applicants include Northern Centre for Justice, Dignity and Leadership, Dene Ahthít’e: Rebuilding the Indigenous Economy in the Dehcho, and the Western Arctic Youth Collective. (Press Release)

Yellowknife city council approved the latest design of a 25-metre eight-lane pool on Monday, complete with an amusement park waterslide. Councilor Robin Williams said not including the slide may lead to residents voting against the project. He also said it could help with attracting tourism in the future. (NNSL)

Nearly 10,000 people are still waiting to find out if they’re eligible for the ‘60s Scoop settlement compensation, 16 months after the application deadline. The $875 million settlement was announced in August 2018, after a class-action suit was filed against the Canadian government. The ‘60s Scoop refers to when the government took tens of thousands of Indigenous children from their families between 1951 and '91, and were made wards of the state or adopted into non-Indigenous families. The public relations firm hired by the federal government told The Tyee in an email that the pandemic and the need to gather more information from applications is to blame for the delay. (The Tyee)

After 57 years, the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous is cutting the “sourdough” out of its name. Festival president Tyson Hickman explains to CBC that there are some negative connotations around the term “sourdough” and Yukon’s colonial history in general. So the board decided to change with the times. (CBC)

A group of Inuit youth is shining a light on life in Nunavut through the podcast, Smoke Break. Hosted by rapper MisterLee Cloutier-Ellsworth, filmmaker Simeonie Kisa-Knickelbein, and comedian Bernard Choquette, the trio talk about identity in their first episode, which aired January 13. However, the group says they plan on talking about a range of subjects and will include guests in future episodes. Smoke Break can be found on most major podcast platforms, with a new episode planned for every Wednesday. (Nunatsiaq)

Local retailers in Nunavut are struggling as more locals order from Amazon. The online company recently opened a pick-up hub in Iqaluit, cutting down shipping times significantly. But the load of orders means less purchases from local retailers. (NNSL)

Most NWT residents know the story of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Fort Simpson in 1987, but the only physical reminder of the visit had been missing for three decades. Well, now the white and yellow flag of Vatican City made its way back to Fort Simpson, after sitting in someone’s basement in Alberta for 30 years. The flag now hangs in Fort Simpson’s Information Centre. (CBC)

UP HERE IN THE NORTH

ELSEWHERE IN THE ARCTIC