The Department of Language, Culture & Tourism, in collaboration with Carleton University of Toronto, is presenting an Inuttitut Atlas Survey. The purpose of survey is to determine the number and proficiency level of Inuttitut speakers in Nunatsiavut. As well as to gather their thoughts on existing and desired Inuttitut Language Programming in our communities.

We are seeking one Survey Assistant in Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet, and two for Nain.

The applicant(s) must have good oral and written skills, be familiar with survey work, and be comfortable working on a computer and online data website. Bilingual in Inuttitut and English would be an asset.

Duties of Survey Assistant(s):

• Be at the survey location to distribute and collect surveys and consent forms, and answer questions;
• Visit people’s homes to ask them the survey questions;
• Input survey responses into an online website, and
• Sign a confidentiality agreement form

The duration of survey will be from Monday, May 31 to Friday, June 11, 2021. Hours are flexible.

The deadline for applicants is Friday, May 21st, 2021.

Interested applicants can contact Rita-Ann Dicker at rita-ann.dicker@nunatsiavut.com or call 922-2052 or Robyn Martin at robyn.martin@nunatsiavut.com or 922-2051.

OKâlaKatiget Radio contacted each of the communities’ recreational directors.

In Hopedale, Suki Aggek is the Recreation Facility Manager.

She says they have the After School Program from 3-4:45pm, and again from 6-8pm.

In the evenings, they have programs for youth from 6-9:45pm, and at the Nanuk Centre they have their workout room daily from 1-4:45pm, and again from 6-9:45pm.

Pauline Manak of Postville says there is After School Program from 3-4:30pm for grades K-6, and gym nights every night, for ages 0-3, 5-8, 9-11, and 12 and up.

The workout room is also open from 9am-12pm, 1-4:30pm, and 6-9pm.

Barry Andersen of Makkovik says they have no Recreation Director.

Every evening after school until 8:30pm, they have a hang out night, along with video games for kids from Kindergarten to young youth, with a limit of 16 people.

On Monday, they hired on a Supervisor for the arena with duties from sanitizing, to supervising.

In Rigolet, they have no Recreation Director right now, but the only thing they have on the go right now is Bingo.

We will air the Nain’s Recreation activities once it becomes available.

Labrador-Grenfell Health is expanding eligibility criteria for COVID vaccines in the coming days.

Starting Monday, May 17th, people 12 years of age and older will be able to book appointments for COVID vaccines in the Labrador-Grenfell region.

Megan Hudson is the TB Public Health Nurse for the Department of Health and Social Development in Nain.

She says sometime next week there will be consent forms sent home for parents to sign.

In the new few weeks, they will be able to give the Pfizer vaccines to people ages 12-17. The immunization will take place at the Jens Haven Memorial School.

The COVID-19 vaccination appointments are also now available for individuals 60-years-old and older and pregnant women in all health regions in the province.

Qualifying individuals are invited to book an appointment to receive their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Any pregnant women or breastfeeding parent are to call 922-2126 to make an appointment for the vaccine.

If anyone has any questions, please call Megan Hudson at 922-2126 ext. 233.

Effective Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., a special measures order will be in effect, requiring all travellers aged five and older to be tested according to their self-isolation arrangements. This new testing protocol does not apply to essential workers and rotational workers coming from non-outbreak sites in Canada, as they would be subject to their own existing protocols. It will also not apply to any traveller in the province for two days or less, or permanent residents of the communities along the Labrador-Quebec border travelling to communities across the border who have not travelled beyond those communities in the last 14 days.

Asymptomatic travellers who can self-isolate fully away from others are required to be tested once near the end of the 14-day self-isolation period, on days 11, 12, or 13. Fully self-isolating away from others means staying in a separate dwelling (e.g., household, hotel, or rental property) or a completely separate area of the home with a separate bedroom and bathroom and no contact with anyone in the dwelling.

Asymptomatic travellers who cannot fully self-isolate away from others are required to be tested twice during the 14-day self-isolation period – upon arrival on days zero, one or two; and again near the end of the self-isolation period on days 11, 12, or 13. This applies to travellers isolating in a home where others are living, and where there is no separate bedroom and/or bathroom. In this case, the whole household must self-isolate.

There will also be an option for travellers to avail of a test at day seven, eight, or nine. After day seven, household members of the traveller may also avail of testing.

Travellers can arrange for testing by completing the online self-assessment and referral form available here anytime, up to seven days before their arrival in the province.

While there is no evidence that there is wide-spread community transmission in the region, there has been spread among contacts. Given this, and the fact that these are variant strains which spread quickly and easily, a Special Measures

This will give Public Health the ability to carry out their investigation and conduct community wide testing in the area, while reducing the risk of onward transmission and spread. These measures will be re-evaluated in one week.

The Nunatsiavut Government’s Wildlife Department is collecting geese samples again this year.

Joseph Townley is the Wildlife Stewardship Facilitator in Happy Valley Goose-Bay.

Townley says in partnership with Torngat Secretariat and Environment Climate Change Canada, they would like to get a better understanding of where exactly these smaller geese are coming from and what the population is.

He adds that they are asking harvesters to collect the head, feathers from the tail and the left wing of a goose.

Click here to find out more.

There are 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday, with the majority related to travel and the remainder close contacts of previously known cases, according to the province’s top doctor.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald also reported six more recoveries, meaning the province has 81 active cases as of Wednesday’s pandemic update.

One person is in hospital due to the virus, with 137,037 people having been tested to date.

There were 15 new cases of the virus Tuesday, including one confirmed case at Belanger Memorial School in the Codroy Valley on Newfoundland’s west coast.

As of Tuesday’s update, there are 77 active cases in Newfoundland and Labrador.

By Monday, the province also passed a milestone of 200,000 people who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Memorial University of Newfoundland will be hosting an online workshop through Nexus Center.

Nick Welch of MUN is the organizer, and hey says that “The pandemic, technology, and language revitalization has been affected life worldwide on an unprecedented scale.

Endangered languages have been faced with additional threats as the disease has sickened elder fluent speakers, closed language classes, and disrupted everyday life in language communities.

At the same time, the rapid development and growth of remote working, teaching and learning technology has provided opportunities and tools that can be applied to revitalization efforts as the world emerges from the pandemic.

This same remote technology can connect communities in new ways, allowing ideas and resources to be shared.

Tomorrow on Thursday, May 13, 2021, Welch will be hosting an online workshop through the Nexus Centre at Memorial University on this topic.

invited speakers are from Indigenous communities and academia.

They will give 30-minute talks on topics related to using the technology driven by the pandemic to further language documentation and revitalization.

Along with these talks, a panel discussion will address the application of this technology in Indigenous communities.

Indigenous language community members and Memorial University faculty, staff and students are invited to attend this workshop.

To register you can email nexus@mun.ca.

The 14th Annual George Lane Dart Tournament will be going ahead this weekend.

Jill Nitsman is the organizer of the dart tournament.

She says that there are 11 teams registered with 2 male and 2 female team members.

The prizes for 1st place will be $2000, 2nd place $1000, and 3rd place $500.

The dart tournament will start on Friday, May 14 at 6pm and ending on Saturday, May 15.

Nitsman adds that they hope to have the tournament earlier next year so teams from other communities can participate.

The Postville Inuit Community Government is looking to see if there is an interest from the residents of Postville to receive a blue recycling box.

Recycling in town would include plastic beverage containers like pop and water bottles, juice jugs, juice pouches, yogurt drink bottles, plastic flower pots, plastic food containers and bottles for example mayonnaise, ketchup, and peanut butter and honey.

Plastic household cleaner bottles for example glass cleaners, multi-purpose solutions, laundry detergent, windshield wash, plastic toiletry bottles, for example dish soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, body wash, over the counter medication, plastic trays and clamshells like baked goods, fruit and sandwiches, plastic tub and lids for example butter, sour cream, yogurt and cream tubs.

The following will not be recycled, bags, bottle caps, bubble envelopes and bubble wrap, candy and granola bar wrappers, CD and DVD cases, chips and snack bags, cutlery, individual condiment packages, plastic wrap and baggies, and straws.

If you are interested in receiving a blue box, please contact the PICG at 479-9830 during the hours of 8:30am to 12pm and from 1-4pm.

The Youth Outreach and the Culture Department are partnering up for a Youth and Elder circle starting this week.

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 13 from 1 to 4pm at the Youth Centre, they will be doing some painting and making some panitsiak.

This will be for ages 13-30, and they can take 7 youth.

Any youth interested in this program can call Crystal Allen-Webb at 922-1458.