Vale NL in partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government and Innu Nation are holding winter Shipping Meetings in Nain, Natuashish, and Hopedale.

These meetings are to review the 2018 shipping Season and provide an update on plans for 2019.

The first one was held in Nain Monday evening, January 7, 2019, at the Nunatsiavut Government Administration Building boardroom.

Meetings also happened in Natuashish last evening at the Mushuau Innu School.

Today January 9, 2019, they will be held in Hopedale at the Nunatsiavut Government Assembly Building at 7pm.

OK Radio was at the NG building here in Nain to record the meeting that was held Monday evening.

To hear the audio of what updates Vale NL has for the year 2019, click HERE.

The audio will only be in English.

The preparation for the Young Men’s Traditional Festival Day has started in Nain.

Gabriel Suarak and Abele Ikkusek will be the AngajukKat for this year.

He says there are 13 boys who turned 15 that are eligible to join this year’s festival.

Suarak says that they will be holding their first Young Men’s Day meeting today at 3:30pm, Tuesday, January 8 at the Jeremias Sillitt Community Center.

Suarak and Ikkusek add that they hope to see the young men at their meeting today.

Also in Hopedale the Young Men’s and Girls Traditional Festival Day is set for the end of January.

So, anyone interested in joining their day can contact Gabriel Suarak or Abele Ikkusek in Nain, and the contact person in Hopedale is Augusta Tuglavina.

OKâlaKatiget radio contacted the north coast communities to see how the ice conditions are like in their communities.

Ian Winters is the Conservation Officer for Hopedale.

He says the harbour has been frozen for three weeks and the bays have been frozen for about ten days.

Winters adds people are travelling on the ice for hunting and wooding in his community.

In Makkovik, Barry Andersen is the AngajukKâk of the Inuit Community Government.

He said the water was frozen up in the Bay last week but due to high winds the ice had broken up outside the harbour that same week.

The residents were going to Postville by snowmobiles through the inside run.

And people have been going wooding.

Ok radio hope to get more information on the ice conditions from the other communities once they’re available.

Vale NL in partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government and Innu Nation are holding winter shipping meetings in Nain, Natuashish, and Hopedale.

These meetings are to review the 2018 shipping season and provide an update on plans for 2019.

The first one was held in Nain last evening, January 7, 2019, at the Nunatsiavut Government Administration Building boardroom.

Meetings will continue today in Natuashish at 7pm at the Mushuau Innu School.

On January 9, 2019, they will be held in Hopedale at the Nunatsiavut Government Assembly Building at 7pm.

OK Radio was at the NG building here in Nain to record the meeting that was held last evening.

Tune into AtjiKangitut tomorrow when we air the audio of what updates Vale NL has for the year 2019.

The Nain Inuit Community Government has a lot of work and issues they are currently dealing from 2018 to this New Year 2019.

Joe Dicker is the AngajukKak.

He says they are waiting for a joint approval on funds for water and sewer from the Province and Labrador Affairs, Community Enhancement Employment Program has been going well for some residents who are need of more hours to qualify for their Employment Insurance Benefits, other issues is the pumps at Trouser Lake, (Tassialuk), land lots, repairs at the Husky Centre and the Fire Hall, and looking for trail maker workers.

To hear Dicker discuss more details on these issues, click HERE.

The Nain Inuit community government put out six positions for Trail markers for the upcoming winter trail.
They are looking to hire four people to mark the trail between the communities of Nain and Natuashish.
And two people to maintain the trail, and four people to pull up the markers once the season is over.
Requirements are applicants must have extensive knowledge of the land and sea ice between Nain and Natuashish, must be reliable, and must own a Kamutik and a snowmobile in good working order with provisions to mount a 12-volt adapter for a GPS.
Rate of pay is $15.50 per hour plus $50 per day for rental of snowmobile and Kamutik.
If required, an extra $20 for the snowmobile/Kamutik rental if overnight trip.
Duties as followed are to paint and prepare markers, make storage boxes for safety equipment, place markers on trail, make weekly inspections of the trail and replace markers if necessary, and to provide weekly written reports to the NICG.
Any interested applicants can apply in writing to the town manager on or before January 17 2019.

The Annual Nalujuit Night will take place Sunday January 6, 2019 in front of the Nunatsiavut Government building along with the National Film Board.

Joan Dicker is the organizer for the event.

She says Nain CARE along with the NFB will be handing out treats for children and the NFB will be filming around town about Nalujuit night.
Dicker says that the brass band is also to be expected down there.
She also added that people to arrive down by the NG building before 7pm, as they will start at 7pm.

Torngat Fish Producers Cooperative believes that there is a valuable asset in the waters in Nain that’s has gone off unfished since 2006.

Torngat Fish Producers Cooperative wants to but scallops from fish harvesters more than a decade after interest in the fishery dried up.

The group conducted a survey in the fall to show potential harvesters the stock is still off the coast of Nain and Makkovik and remains healthy.

Keith Watts is the General Manager of Torngat Fisheries.

He believes scallops strengthen the overall fishery in Nunatsiavut and wish people had never stopped taking them from the sea.

Watts says” we’ve never given up on the scallop, it’s just that people didn’t want to fish it.

Before the survey took 800 pounds of Icelandic scallops from the water, the species had not been fished since 2006.

He says, the inshore shrimp and snowcrab fishery was more stable at the time, and people didn’t have the need to move up north to fish for a living.

Watts says with only two or three commercial boats located in Nunatsiavut it created a major problem for the cooperative. The capacity for fishers with vessels is almost nil on the north coast.

He added they are hopeful that they may re-start the scallop fishery in Nain this summer. Ok radio hopes to do interview with Watts whenever the phonelines are back in order to do interviews from out of town. Story courtesy from CBC.ca.

Nalujuit night is Sunday night and some Nunatsiavut communities celebrate this special occasion.
This was an interview we had with Hulda Fox that was aired on January 5th, 2015.
Hulda Fox is a resident of Makkovik.
She says she organizes this event and gets help from the Nalujuks.
Fox says it turned out good, but it was really cold.
She says the Nalujuks go to houses and give out presents.
To hear more on the Nalujuit Night celebrations with Hulda Fox click HERE.

The IlinniaKatigennik Show will be back on air January 15, 2019 for the New Year.

The Inuktitut Show is aired on Tuesdays from 3-4pm on OKâlaKatiget radio in partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government Cultural department.

Once again, the first show of the new year is going to be on January 15, 2019.

If you have any questions, you can call the OK Society office at 922-2896.