Kate Ortenzie is a student at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Ortenzie has a project for mapping all the different critters in the sea that is important to people.
Sea creatures she studies are mussels, wrinkles, sea urchins, clams, etc.
Ortenzie just finished her studies in Nain, and she is onto other communities along the coast of Labrador.
Click here to hear Ortenzie speak about her project on our AtjiKangitut Show today.
Youth from Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville, and Happy Valley Goose Bay attended the first Youth trip to the Torngat Mountains National Base camp.
Keryn Andersen, Michael Mitsuk and Kim Oliver have been planning and preparing this trip for the youth since late April.
We spoke with Josephine Jararuse who was one of the youths who attended the youth trip.
Jararuse says there was herself, Freeman Jararuse from Hopedale, Abby Ford from Makkovik along with Hannah Gear and Billie Andersen, and from Postville was Kylie Kautjasiak and from Upper Lake Melville was Monica Allen.
Youth aged 13-30, keep an eye out for programs like this during the spring and summer.
These gatherings will happen yearly, and we aim to have youth from every community for the next time.
Click here to find out more about Josephines trip up to the Base camp.
On August 19 at approximately 2:30 p.m., the M/V Keewatin, a tugboat, was
transferring fuel onboard near the main dock in Nain when a fuel spillage occurred.
The crew deployed a boom to contain the fuel, and the incident was reported to the Canadian Coast Guard.
While the Nunatsiavut Government doesn’t have formal jurisdiction over the matter, staff with the Department of Lands and Natural Resources have been working with the appropriate authorities to better understand and document the spill.
They have interviewed the vessel’s crew, gathered evidence-based photography and input from community members, and are continuing to gather water and fish samples from the affected area.
Any additional information is welcome.
For more information you can contact Janice Goudie the Communications Assistant.
By email at: Janice.Goudie@nunatsiavut.com or you can call her office (709) 896-8582.
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting leading indigenous-led conservation initiatives.
On August 18, the Honorable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced $825,000 over three years to Makivvik Corporation to support the development of two new Guardians Programs, which will provide and Inuit presence in Torngat Mountains National Park to deter illegal activities, and provide Nunavik Inuit beneficiaries the opportunity to spend time in the park, stay at Torngat Mountains Basecamp and Research station and connect with the lands and the people.
The announcement follows Minister Guilbeault’s trip into Torngat Mountains National Park from August 15 to 18, where he met with representatives from the Nunatsiavut Government and of the Makivvik Corporation Parks Canada, along with the Labrador Inuit and Nunavik Inuit, have been co-managing Torngat Mountains National Park since it was established in 2005.
Since 2018, the Government of Canada has supported over 170 Guardians initiatives, which have contributed to the development of capacity and employment in Indigenous communities across the country.
In 2021, the federal government increased funding in support of Guardian Initiatives to $100 million with a goal of supporting 1,000 Guardian Initiatives nationwide.
Parks Canada received up to $61.7 million from Budget 2021 for Indigenous Guardian Programs at Parks Canada administered places. As part of this new initiative, Parks Canada is working with Indigenous partners to enhance existing programs and aims to co-create between 30 and 35 new Indigenous Guardian Programs at Parks Canada administered places by 2025-2026.
Parks Canada is currently working with Indigenous partners to determine the location of the new Guardian Programs by 2026. Preliminary discussions are also taking place with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative regarding collaborative support mechanisms for communities under the Guardian Program administered by Parks Canada.
Parks Canada and Indigenous people work together to develop interpretive materials and activities at national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas to foster a better understanding of Indigenous perspectives, cultures, and traditions.
For further information: Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, Kaitlin.power@ec.gc.ca; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 855-862-1812, pc.media@pc.gc.ca
The 2023 Business Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program is now accepting applications for energy efficiency retrofits for businesses.
We spoke with Evan Casper who is the Program Analyst – Atlantic Region.
He says the program is available to registered Inuit business owners who are beneficiaries in the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area, meet the requirements of the program, and operate in the Inuit Communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet.
Applications for this program will be accepted until May 31, 2024.
The program that CLEAResult / Ecofitt is operating in Labrador is called the Isolated Communities Energy Efficiency Program.
This is funded by NL Hydro and includes both residential and commercial energy efficiency programs in towns with diesel power.
Ecofitt won this contract in 2020 and again in 2023, prior to Ecofitt, Summerhill delivered this program to this region.
They are also working in conjunction with the Nunatsiavut Government on their heat pump program to help deliver that program to residents in Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville, Nain and Rigolet.
For more information you can contact Evan Casper by email at: evan.casper@clearesult.com or by phone at 1-709-700-4099.
Air Borealis has a PAL kite festival annual airlines event in St. Johns where the public enjoys an afternoon of kite flying and activities organized by the airlines.
This year they are taking the PAL kite festival to Coastal Labrador and Goose Bay communities and flying kites in support of the Kids Eat Smart Foundation.
From August 22 to 26, children can pick up kites from their respective customer service representatives and IDLP office in Goose-Bay. You can color and fly your kites and tag Air Borealis in your photos for a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift cards.
For every kite Air Borealis distributes, $1 goes towards Kids Eat Smart Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Nunatsiavut Government Archeology Department sent some relocates back to their homeland of Nutak and Hebron this summer.
Families included were Pauline Henoche, Timothy and John Townley, Sarah Ponniuk, Annie Lidd, Helena Kautjasiak, and Ernistina Ittulak.
The relocates were able to visit some of the sites they had grown up in.
The Nain Brass Band was at the Nain wharf to greet them off and played a few tunes.
Click here to find out more about their trip.
Trades NL are committed to providing highly trained, diverse, safe and highly productive working tradespersons to the Newfoundland and Labrador Building and Construction industry by fostering pride and professionalism in the trades through training for life-long career opportunities.
We spoke with Scott Hudson, the Employment Outreach Officer based in HVGB.
Trades Newfoundland and Labrador will be traveling to hold their open houses along the coast to offer employment support.
Trades NL is an umbrella labor organization which promotes and coordinates the interests of 14 building and construction trades unions and their international affiliates operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Trades NL, through its affiliates, represents thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans working to build prosperity in their province.
Hudson says they will be traveling to Nain on October 25 and 26th to hold their Community Session.
For more information you can contact Scott Hudson by calling his office at (709) 896-0158 or by email at: shudson@tradesnl.com
The 2023 Business Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program is now accepting applications for energy efficiency retrofits for businesses.
We spoke with Evan Casper who is the Program Analyst – Atlantic Region.
He says the program is available to registered Inuit business owners who are beneficiaries in the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area, meet the requirements of the program, and operate in the Inuit Communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet.
Applications for this program will be accepted until May 31, 2024.
The program that CLEAResult / Ecofitt is operating in Labrador is called the Isolated Communities Energy Efficiency Program.
This is funded by NL Hydro and includes both residential and commercial energy efficiency programs in towns with diesel power.
Ecofitt won this contract in 2020 and again in 2023, prior to Ecofitt, Summerhill delivered this program to this region.
They are also working in conjunction with the Nunatsiavut Government on their heat pump program to help deliver that program to residents in Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville, Nain and Rigolet.
For more information you can contact Evan Casper by email at: evan.casper@clearesult.com or by phone at 1-709-700-4099.
Air Borealis has a PAL kite festival annual airlines event in St. Johns where the public enjoys an afternoon of kite flying and activities organized by the airlines.
This year they are taking the PAL kite festival to Coastal Labrador and Goose Bay communities and flying kites in support of the Kids Eat Smart Foundation.
From August 22 to 26, children can pick up kites from their respective customer service representatives and IDLP office in Goose-Bay. You can color and fly your kites and tag Air Borealis in your photos for a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift cards.
For every kite Air Borealis distributes, $1 goes towards Kids Eat Smart Newfoundland and Labrador.