Pauktuutit Inuit Women’s Association is seeking nominations to join their Board of Directors.

In addition to regular business, Regional Directors will be elected as part of the Annual General Meeting.

Any Inuk woman can nominate a candidate or be nominated for the position of the Board of Directors. Those who nominate a candidate must be from the same region as their nominee and all directors must reside in the region as the nominee in their region they represent.

Pauktuutit is currently seeking nominations from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nunatsiavut, Qikitani North, Nunavut, Kinvalliq, Inuvialuiluit and urban youth.

The Teachers Union says the Tuesdays return to in person learning is too early.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald last week that the benefits of a return to class far outweigh the concerns and while students will be back at their desks Tuesday that does not mean a return to normal.

NLTA President Trent Langdon says the phones at the union’s office has been ringing off the hook and the emails have exploded with teachers who are shocked and disappointed with the decision at this time.

He says members are stressed especially those who have elderly family in their home.

Many today, including the PC Opposition are calling on the authorities to offer a hybrid model in our K- 12 education system, but the CEO of the school board says that has have proven to be significant challenge.

School resumes Tuesday for all students but some parents are worried about children back in class at this time.

School district CEO Tony Stack says they only have a finite number of teachers. He says there is enough teachers available to do both in person and online learning so, they’re focusing on the classroom.

He says while teachers have done a great job on line, they are limitations.

The Provincial Government has confirmed that an Arctic fox killed in the community of Nain has tested positive for rabies. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the positive result in the fox, which had been shot by a resident in early January.

Fox populations are noted to be high this year, and foxes exhibiting unusual behaviour have been reported in areas of Labrador in recent weeks. The last recorded case of rabies in a fox in Labrador was in 2018. There have been no recorded cases of rabies in a fox on the Island since 2003.

Residents are asked to be vigilant and take precautions when encountering animals that are acting in an unusual or aggressive manner. Avoid and report animals exhibiting signs of rabies, including:

• Behaving strangely,
• Staggering,
• Frothing at the mouth,
• Choking, or
• Making unusual noises.

Advice for residents:

• For the best protection of domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, it is advisable to keep pets under control and tethered or penned while outdoors, preferably under supervision. Domestic animals that spend most of their time outdoors should be contained and monitored for changes in behaviour and signs of rabies.
• Vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies.
• Avoid wild animals, particularly foxes and wolves.
• Report all sightings of Arctic foxes.
• Any reports in Nunatsiavut communities should go to the local Conservation Officers.

Any Labrador residents that have been recently bitten or scratched by a fox or dog are advised to contact their Community Clinic to be assessed. Always seek immediate medical treatment if you are in contact with a potentially rabid animal.

Treatment must be started quickly after exposure, as rabies infection is almost always fatal. Wash any bites, scratches or other areas of contact immediately with soap and water.

Information about rabies is available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website.

Some daycare operators say they’re on the brink of collapse, with many having to close for short or extended periods, and with little or no direction from the government department which oversees them.

Gail Sullivan, owner of Happy Times, says they are getting the run-around from the Department of Education, so much so that she’s calling on owners/operators to band together and form an association to act on their behalf.

As an essential service, the health department requires them to close only one week, not so, as the education department has been telling them.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Tom Osborne says he is aware that several childcare centres have had to close due to COVID cases.

He says the closures mirror what’s going on in the community, and haven’t been “alarming.”

However, identified cases have to be handled seriously, resulting in staff, children, and sometimes entire centres closing and isolating.

Meanwhile, Osborne says the rollout of rapid tests to daycares has begun, and centres should receive instructions over the next few days about how to receive them.

There will be some moose meat available for the communities of Nunatsiavut in the near future.

Todd Broomfield is the Director for Renewable Resources for the Nunatsiavut Government.

He says the moose meat has been shipped to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and most of them has been sent to the communities by plane.

Broomfield also adds that the Polar Bear licenses are also available to beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Settlement area.

Click here to find out more.

On Jan. 4, 2021, MHA Lela Evans talked about transportation and health issues were the major concerns, including electricity bills and the vaccine against COVID-19. The province reported one new case which was travel related. With ten active cases, and 374 people had recovered.

On Jan.5, shipments of the first vaccines called Moderna arrived in the province.

Jan. 7, two vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer will arrive to the north coast communities on the 11th of January and 18th to the 22nd.

Jan.8, LGH announced the scheduled dates for vaccines in the 5 Inuit communities.

Jan.11, it was an historic day for the first dose of vaccine was administered to elder Willie Ford of Makkovik and John Andersen of the Inuit Community Government, which AngajukKak Barry Andersen witnessed.

Jan. 12 the first vaccine was administered in Rigolet.

Jan.13, nominations for the Canadian Constituency closed today.
The first vaccines was administered in the towns of Hopedale and Postville. MHA for Torngat Mountains, Lela Evans, along with Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie was in Nain this week.

Jan. 20, unusual mild temperatures occurred in north coast communities.

Jan.21, a polar bear had to be put down in the Makkovik area for breaking in several cabins before the hunt starts in February.

Jan.22, the thickness of the ice near Nain was a foot and a half according to Rex Holwell Jr, Lead of SmartICE. Nunatsiavut Government congratulates respected Inuit Elders Jean Crane of Goose Bay and Nellie Winters of Makkovik. There were 6 candidates for the Canadian Constituency, they were Zippie Nochasak, Darlene Gear-White, and Susan Onalik.

On Jan.23rd, the NL upcoming provincial election nominations closed and the people nominated were Lela Evans for PC, Patricia Johnson NDP and Devon Ryan Liberals.

Jan.25 is the traditional Young Mens Day in Nain, there were 11 new young men who joined for the first time.

Jan.26, the Nunatsiavut Government was accepting applications under the home repair program.

Jan.27, Family Literacy takes place on this day to raise awareness about the importance of reading, this began in 1999. Bell Let’s Talk was started in 2010 and the Nain DHSD supported this year. Vale NL was in Nain and Hopedale to discuss the winter shipping.

On Jan. 31st, the online Makkovik Auction fundraised $50,579.00.

Due to current COVID-19 situation, the TaKuaKautik staff will be doing deliveries for January with deliveries only.

Please make an order for a food bag by Monday, January 24th, 2022.

Orders can be made by placing your name in the box at the Post Office, commenting on the TaKuaKautik – Nain Food Bank Facebook page, or by inboxing one of the food bank volunteers.

Please drop off bags by Sunday, January 23rd in the yellow bin on food bank steps.

Give away deliveries – Jan 27 starting at 6pm.

Public Health is making changes to a number of isolation requirements to coincide with the return to school.

As of Monday, January 24th, if a school-age child is a close contact of a case who doesn’t live in the same household, and they are not fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms, they can return to school but must isolate when not at school for 10 days.

If that same child’s close contact is someone in their household, they are considered a high risk contact and must fully isolate for 10 days before returning to school.

The guidance for those who are fully vaccinated is similar.

Anyone who is fully vaccinated, asymptomatic, and is a close contact of someone outside their household can proceed to work or school, but must isolate the rest of the time for five days. Public Health says there are high-risk situations where these rules will not apply, such as those who work with vulnerable people.

People who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic who are close contacts of someone in their home must fully isolate for seven days before returning to work or school.

There are no changes in isolation requirements for anyone with symptoms.

People who live in the same household are considered high-risk even if the confirmed case is isolating away from everyone else. This also includes sexual partners and couples who don’t live together.

Meanwhile, isolation requirements have also been changed for travellers entering the province, effective today.

They will still be given five rapid tests upon arrival, but can leave isolation after two negative tests taken 24 hours apart. However, they must continue testing for the other 3 days after leaving isolation.

Starting on Saturday, January 22, Labrador-Grenfell Health is offering second dose vaccine clinics for children aged 5 to 11 years. These vaccine clinics are by appointment only (no walk-ins), with both day and evening appointments available (Monday to Saturday). Times may vary depending on your community/health facility.

To book a second dose COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, please visit www.lghealth.ca/vaccine or call 1-833-960-3643.

Important Reminders:

• Please check your aftercare sheet to determine when your child is eligible to receive a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• There must be at least 2 weeks (14 days) between receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and any other vaccine (e.g. flu shot or school vaccines).

Even after getting a vaccine or booster, it’s important to continue to follow all public health guidelines to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your communities.

Wear a mask, keep a safe distance of 2 metres from others, stay home and call 811 if you feel sick.

K-12 students, teachers and staff will return to in-person classes on Tuesday, January 25. There will be no classes on Monday, January 24 as educators return to their schools to prepare for the transition back to in-class instruction.

With the move back to in-person learning on January 25, rapid self-tests should be used on Saturday, January 22 and on Tuesday, January 25 before heading into school. Guidance on how to use these tests and review results can be found at gov.nl.ca.