COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women and girls across Canada. As gender-based violence rates rise, now more than ever it is important community organizations can provide vital resources.

From education to safe housing alternatives, community organizations like the Nain Transition House and Hope Haven offer these life changing resources and tools to gender-based violence victims in Labrador.

Their dedication to supporting victims while educating the greater community impacts is why our government invested over $600 000 to the Phase II Gender-based Violence Fund for Labrador groups.

These funds are allocated directly to the organizations to support operational costs, staffing and other needs necessary to their good work in our communities.

ORGANIZATION: FUNDING:
Hope Haven Inc.: $35,000
Libra House; Libra House Stage II: $100,000
Natuashish Women’s Shelter and Safe House: $225,000
Nain Transition House: $30,000
Kirkina House: $225,000

To further support women and girls across Canada disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the federal government opened the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund.

This $100 million fund will invest in projects that help women and girls recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19. With this approach, the federal government is partnering with community leaders on a local level to implement a strong, direct approach to combatting COVID-19’s impact on women and girls.

The Call for Proposals is now open until March 25, 2021. Interested applicants can review the program and application at cfc-swc.gc.ca.

Whether it’s support programs for gender-based violence victims or empowering women and girls on a local level, our government remains committed to helping the workers who dedicate themselves every day to more equal and just society.

The Community Freezer of Nain will not be doing deliveries today, Thursday, March 18, 2021, for the Chicken and Fish.

The staff at the Community Freezer is busy preparing for the upcoming Give Away of the Caribou and Musk Ox.

Carla Pamak is the Inuit Research Advisor for Nunatsiavut Government.

Tomorrow morning Friday, March 19, 2021 they will begin delivering the Caribou and Musk Ox to the Beneficiaries of Nain.

Pamak says today they are preparing on figuring out the deliveries for the Beneficiaries and says that they will only deliver Caribou and Musk Ox.

Depending on how busy they will be tomorrow, they may or may not deliver Chicken and Fish to the community.

Starting next week sometimes they will re-open to the public.

The Postville Inuit Community Government is preparing to distribute caribou meat to the beneficiary residents of Postville.

The Caribou will be delivered to your household sometime this evening.

Community freezers in each of the five Nunatsiavut Inuit communities, as well as in Upper Lake Melville, will soon have a supply of caribou and muskox meat to distribute to Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement.

Through an arrangement with Kivalliq Arctic Foods in Ranklin Inlet, Nunavut, the Nunatsiavut Government managed to secure about 4,000 kilograms of caribou and 3,000 kilograms of muskox.

The shipment arrived in Happy Valley-Goose Bay late Tuesday evening via a Canadian North chartered aircraft from Rankin Inlet.

“With the ban in place on harvesting George River caribou, we began exploring opportunities to secure meat for Labrador Inuit from other herds throughout the country,” notes Lands and Natural Resource Minister Greg Flowers.

“Earlier this year we were successful in our efforts, and in the coming days and weeks many of our people will enjoy a meal of caribou for the first time in years.

While Muskox is not one of our traditional country foods, it is extremely healthy to eat, and I am sure it will be very much appreciated by Beneficiaries.”

The OKâlakatiget Radio contacted the Jeremias Sillitt Community Centre.

Lisa Ivany is the Recreation Director with the Nain Inuit Community Government.

The fitness room will be open from 9am-12pm and 1pm-5pm with a maximum of 10 persons at a time.

After school program is open to 15 children that are already registered.

The arena will be open today March 18, 2021 for bubbles.

Hockey will re-open only for people that are registered (bubble)

Public skating is open for family members only.

She says if there is any interest in opening JS the weekend they will open.

The province went Alert Level 3 on March 13th, 2021.

OKâlaKatiget Radio got a hold of the Inuit Communities Governments to see what changes have been made since changing alert levels.

The Nain Inuit Community Government are back to full staff started on Monday March 15, 2021.

Joe Dicker is the AngajukKâk of Nain.

The Radio bingo and seniors bingo are available for the community of Nain.

He also adds that the JS Center is now open to the public with a maximum of 10 persons at a time.

Marjorie Flowers is the AngajukKâk of Hopedale.

She says that there is a slight change in the town of Hopedale in their ICG.

They are open to the public now, but you need an appointment set up first.

Flowers also says they have a couple recreational activities open now.

Click here to hear more from AngajukKâk Dicker and AngajukKâk Flowers on their ICG operations.

The Illusuak in Nain is opening its doors to the public.

Joan Dicker is the Manager for the building and she says that the Café at the Illusuak can now be used to sit in and eat with 20 people at a time.

The exhibit area is also open for anyone but for 10 people at a time.

She also adds that the Seniors Tea Social will resume starting on Friday, March 19th, 2021 and this is held in the Theatre area from 1:30 to 3:30.

Dicker says that all guidelines and restrictions has to be followed, social distancing, wearing a mask and sanitizing.

Moderna Inc. has begun dosing patients in a mid-to-late-stage study of its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, in children aged six months to less than 12 years, the company said on Tuesday.

The study will assess the safety and effectiveness of two doses of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart and intends to enroll about 6,750 children in the United States and Canada.

The vaccine has already been authorized for emergency use in Americans who are aged 18 and older.

In a separate study which began in December, Moderna is also testing mRNA-1273 in adolescents between 12 and 18 years old.

The latest study is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

The Recreation Department in Nain has been gathering wood for the Senior’s Radio Bingo for tomorrow.

Mary Maggo is the Assistant Recreation Director at the Jeremias Sillitt Community Centre.

She says there are 4 harvesters in total, they have 4 loads of wood gathered from burnt woods so far.

The harvesters rotate to gather wood, so two have left again this morning.

Maggo adds that any senior 65 years and older who would like to play bingo can call the Jeremias Sillitt Center to have your name put on the list for a bingo card.

There will be 10 games played and each prize will contain some wood.

SmartICE is expanding to Rigolet, Makkovik, and Postville.

Rex Holwell Jr. is the Northern Production Lead.

He says that he will be travelling to other parts of the coast hopefully this month.

He did his Smart Kamutik run in around Nain and adds that the thickness of the ice is now about two feet thick.

Holwell adds that he will be travelling to Nain Bay today as there have been people travelling for ice fishing.

Today, Wednesday, March 17th, Newfoundland and Labrador has no new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

There are 36 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

The regional breakdown of the 36 active cases is as follows:

• Eastern Health – 36
• Central Health – 0
• Labrador-Grenfell Health – 0
• Western Health – 0

There have been 9 new recoveries in the Eastern Health region. This means 967 people have recovered.

There are two people in the hospital. Both are in intensive care and to date, 120,946 people have been tested.