Tracy Ann Evans Rice, who works as a Status of Women Coordinator with the Nunatsiavut Government held a 2 day workshop in Goose Bay on the 26th and 27th of February.

She said ten women, from the communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Rigolet, North West River and Goose Bay, participated in this workshop, to learn writing and public speaking skills

She also said a facilitator from Halifax who works with the Canadian Executive Service Organization attended this workshop.

On their first day, they practiced speaking in front of the group, and on the second day, each of the women had to write a proposal or letters.

She added that the purpose of this leadership workshop was for women to strengthen their skills and filling the gaps.

The 26th Makkovik Jamboree will go ahead next week.

We spoke to Linda Pottle, who is the Team Leader for DHSD.

She says it will be at the Council hall and starts at 6pm, on Friday, March 15.

Pottle says the performers will be John Mitchell, Bud Mitchell, Cathy Lane, Brandon Pardy, Sam and Joan Dicker and other singers from Makkovik as well.

She adds she hopes there will be a good turn out that evening.

The Language Program Coordinator is very busy running programs here in Nain.

We spoke with Shirley Jararuse who works with the Nunatsiavut Government.

She is running the Master Apprentice Program, the Inuttitut Café, and is looking for anyone who is experienced with making crafts.

Jararuse said the Master Apprentice Program has a fluent Inuttitut speaker and a non-fluent Inuttitut speaker where they speak/learn nothing but Inuttitut.

She adds that she hopes this could be a way that people can pick up their Inuttitut language.

The Inuttitut Café is a Pilot Project, partnered with Alana John’s.
They meet every Wednesday from 1:30 to 3 to develop their Inuttitut reading skills.

Jararuse is also looking for anyone who would be interested in making items such as silapait, amautet, wooden play uluit, traditional framed seal skin, stuffed toys, etc.

To hear the interview we had with Shirley Jararuse about her programs, click here.

Members of Vale’s Aboriginal affairs department, partnering with the Nunatsiavut government and Innu nation will be visiting your community to give an overview of the

2018 impacts and benefits commitments and highlighting upcoming job opportunities with the Voisey’s bay mine expansion project.

They will be holding information sessions on March 11 2019 for the community of Hopedale, at the NG assembly building from 1-4:30 pm and 7-9pm.

And on March 12 2019 in Nain at the NG administration building from 1-4:30pm and 7-9pm.

There will be refreshments and prizes to be won.

The OK Radio contacted some Nunatsiavut communities to see what they have to offer in their communities freezers.

Here in Nain, we have polar bear meat, moose and char.

In Hopedale and Postville, they have moose and char.

And in Rigolet, they have moose and partridges.

The Community Freezer here in Nain would also like the public to know that they will be closed for the rest of the week as staff will be travelling.

The Tradition and Transition in Partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government and Memorial University would like to get community input about their research on the Survivors of the Okak Flu of 1918 and 1919.

They hired a Genealogist Researcher to gather information about the Okak Family Tree.

We spoke with Patty Way who is the Genealogist researcher.

Way is conducting information about survivors of the Okak Flu.

Her research is about survivors, who they are, or what became of them, and information about the descendants of the survivors today.

She says there were only only 59 survivors of the Okak Spanish Flu.

And out of the 59 survivors, 19 were male and 40 were female.

She is also asking our listening audience for help on finding information about three people.

She needs to find out more information and you may be able to help her.

To find out more about her research, click here.

The annual High School Regional Drama Festival that is scheduled from March 11 to March 14, is kicking off in Happy Valley Goose Bay this evening

Students will be showcasing their talent and performances at the Lawrence O’Brien Art Center this evening from 7pm – 10pm.

Tickets are available at the front door.

We will have more details about the festival once available.

Also. the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Center will also be holding the Labrador Winter Games Concert next Tuesday, March 19.

The 14th Annual Carl Sheppard Ball Hockey Tournament went ahead this past weekend, March 8 & 9, in Postville.

We contacted Jennifer Poole who is the Recreation Director.

She said the tournament was held at the B.L Morrison School on Friday at 11:30 a.m. and the last game ended on Saturday at 7:20pm.

She said due to the weather, no out of town teams could make it in for the tournament, leaving only three local teams to play – The Elders team, the Scott’s team, and Joshua’s team.

Each team had a maximum of four males, four females, and a goaltender. But as there weren’t many teams, there were some teams with a maximum of 7.

The registration fee was $10 per player, and all monies went to next year’s tournament.

The prizes for 1st place, the Elders, were sweatshirts and The prizes for 2nd and 3rd were shirts that went to team Scott and team Joshua.

The top goaltender was Andrew Tuglavina with 22 goals and he won himself a custom made goalie stick.

The prize for male and female MVP were hoodies and went to Monica Flowers with 13 votes for the female and the male MVP was Hanson Jacque with 12 votes.

The most sportsman like female was Samantha Rice, with 6 votes, and the male most sportsman like was Jimmy Goudie, with 5 votes.

Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador are reminded that Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend. At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, clocks should be set one hour ahead.

Daylight savings time was first observed in Canada in 1908. Canada has observed daylight savings for 107 years between 1908 and 2019.

When adjusting clocks, residents are encouraged to take the opportunity to change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Smoke alarms are required to be installed in the following areas of a residence:
• On every level of your home, including the basement;
• In every bedroom; and
• In the hallway or room outside of every bedroom or separate sleeping area.

It is recommended that each dwelling unit or cabin that has a wood, oil or propane fuel-fired appliance also have a carbon monoxide detector installed on each level of the structure.

The Nunatsiavut Government released the 2019-2020 budget on Wednesday, March 6, during the sitting at the Nunatsiavut House of Assembly in Hopedale.

Of the $112, million 450,000 budgeted for 2019-2020 fiscal year, which will begin April 1.

With a total of $58 million is received under the Fiscal Financing Agreement (FFA) which negotiated between the Nunatsiavut Government and the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Finance topics include Housing, Children and Families, Language Culture and Tourism, Food Security, Land and Natural Resources and the Investments in their employees.

To find out about this year’s 2019-2020 Budget, click here.