The Nain Youth Centre provides a safe, supportive drop-in space for youth.

With many different programs and outings for youth between the ages of 13-30 years.

Crystal Allen is the Youth Outreach Worker.

She says they are looking for 4 youth to take part in the Kayak outing this Saturday, July 24, 2021, with Noah Nochasak.

Allen says any youth who are interested in this kayak outing can contact her.

Youth must fill out a waiver and have it returned before Saturday.

She adds that this afternoon, Maria Merkuratsuk will be holding a storytelling at the youth center from 1-4pm.

Toast and tea will be available for youth during the storytelling.

One of our Radio crew members will be there to record some stories.

For more information, you can contact Youth Outreach Worker Crystal by calling her office at 922-1692 or by email at crystal.allen@nunatsiavut.com

Tune in to todays Teen Rockers show to hear the recorded from the story telling with Maria Merkuratsuk.

The TaKuaKautik Food Bank will be going ahead next week, Thursday, July 29, 2021.

The giveaway will be from 6-8 pm at the Warehouse.

If you did not receive a bag in June but need a bag now, please provide your name to Brenda Jararuse.

If you have Food Bank bags, please return them to the yellow container on the steps at the Warehouse.

You must wear a mask during pick-ups.

The fishery in both Nain and Makkovik have been busy and are going well so far.

Deidi Kohlmeister the Supervisor for the Nain Fish plant.

She says a total of 5,719 lbs of char have been landed, as well as a total of 10,265 lbs of green scallops, and 135 lbs scallop meats.

Kohlmeister says they have one shift on the go and 28 employees are working.

She adds that there are 7 commercial char fishermen that smoked char are now for sale at $16.50 a pound and scallop at $19.00 a pound.

Meanwhile at the Makkovik fish plant, Angel Chaulk is the Clerk.

She says a total of 241,210 lbs of snow crab have been landed, there are 25 employees including 8 summer students, and two crab boats are out fishing and two boats are tied up.

She adds that while they wait on the boats, so many employees called in to start a secondary on crab.

After weeks of increases, the regulated price of gasoline is down today.

Gas is down by nearly a cent and a half a litre (1.4).

Diesel is also down by one and a half cents. Furnace and stove oils are both down by 1.23 cents a litre.

Propane is up by half a cent.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says Newfoundland and Labrador’s mask mandate could change by mid-August.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s top doctor says she may lift mandatory masking rules by mid-August, as long as at least half the population is fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Chief Medical of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said the mandate could be revised two weeks after 50 per cent of the eligible population receives a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The province expects to hit that goal next week, according to Fitzgerald.

Under the revised rules, Fitzgerald said, masks would not be mandatory in most public spaces, provided COVID-19 epidemiology across the province and country remains in its current place.

Non-medical masks have been mandatory in indoor public spaces since Aug. 24, 2020.

“This can only happen if we get our vaccination rates where we need to be. And this is where we need everyone to step up,” Fitzgerald said. “We all have to work together to make sure our loved ones are protected, our communities are protected, and to get back to normal.”

If the mask mandate is lifted, Fitzgerald said, it will be lifted for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. However, she said there would still be some places where masking is required like in long-term care homes. And masking will remain recommended, she said.

“If you’re in a situation where you don’t know everybody’s vaccination status, if you’re not fully vaccinated, if you’re around a lot of people you don’t know, then certainly we would recommend wearing a mask in those situations,” Fitzgerald said.

Story courtesy of CBC news.

The Nain Microgrid project right now remains in the engineering end of a development stage.

Nick Mercer is the Regional Energy Coordinator for the Nunatsiavut Government.

He says he is hopeful that they will have the environmental permits in place for the construction of the wind turbines this fall or early winter to proceed with construction for next summer.

Mercer adds that they are gonna have to extend the road to top of the hill where the wind turbines are going to be.

We will be speaking with Nick Mercer later in the AtjiKangitut program to find out more.

Many people look forward to the summer days to celebrate different festivities on the North Coast, but this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, all the festivals are cancelled.

The regulations put in place by the chief medical examiner, says that there cannot be more than 50 people at a gathering with physical distancing maintained.

There have been some festival cancellations due to the pandemic along the North Coast.

The organizers for the festivals in their respected communities have been following the regulations and the precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

In Postville, it would have been the 21st annual Fun in the Sun Festival, but is cancelled.

The 36th annual Beach Festival in North West River is cancelled.

Residents in Rigolet will not be celebrating their 24th annual Salmon Festival this year.

The Makkovik residents will not be celebrating their annual festival this year as it would have been the 31st annual Makkovik Trout Festival.

And the Tusannituk Music Festival in Nain will not go ahead this year as it would have been the 3rd annual event.

The 2021 High Efficiency Woodstove Replacement Program is a one-time program, open to residents of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet, who are beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement who meet the requirements of the program.

It is open to all households that meet the program requirements and make less than $100,000 a year will receive a high efficiency woodstove for free. All costs covered by the program.

Households that meet the program requirements and make more than $100,000 are still able to qualify for a woodstove but will need to pay 25% of the stove and installation costs.

For an application, please contact your local Community Liaison Officer:

In Nain – Rutie Dicker at 922-2942 ext. 222 or email her at rutie.dicker@nunatsiavut.com.

In Hopedale – Ethel Hunter at 933-3777 ext. 231 or email her at ethel.hunter@nunatsiavut.com.

In Makkovik – Carol Gear at 923-2365 ext. 201 or email her at carol.gear@nunatsiavut.com.

In Postville – Betty Vincent at 479-9880 ext. 221 or email her at betty.vincent@nuntsiavut.com.

In Rigolet – Paula McLean Sheppard at 479-3383 ext. 206, or you can email her at paula.mclean-sheppard@nunatsiavut.com.

Reminder that this month is the last month to submit your applications, can be sent to woodstoved@nunatsiavut.com.

One of our OKâlaKatiget Radio staff contacted each of the coastal communities to see what they have to offer.

In the Nain community freezer, they have seal, char, chicken, and black bear meat.

In Hopedale, they have bison, chicken, scallops, and moose meat.

In Postville, they have char.

Makkovik community freezer has char.

In Rigolet, they have blade steak, boneless pork loin chops, pork chops with bones, and cod fillets. There is to be one item per household.

The Hebron Selection Committee voted for the family of 3 to attend the Hebron Family Archaeology Project on Friday, July 16, 2021 and the vote went 1st and 2nd choice.

Lena Onalik, the Archeologist for the Nunatsiavut Government, is hosting this project for the first time this year.

She says Thomas Tuglavina of Hopedale has accepted the opportunity to travel to Hebron; he will be taking his two nieces, Rachel Saunders and Nancy Barfoot.

Rutie Lampe will be DHSD support and Maria Merkuratsuk will be bear monitor.

Onalik says it has been a learning process and feels very humbled to have been working with the committee for this project. She would also like to thank Michelle Davies for starting this project.

Due to Transport Canada regulations, they are not able to travel by boat this year, so in collaboration with Lands and Tourism division of NG, they were able to secure plane charter to Basecamp and helicopter to Hebron from August 7-14, 2021.