The Aurora. August 17, 2010. By Svjetlana (Lana) Vrbanic - Finding affordable housing is a major stressor that may put more women at risk for violence in Labrador West. That is the fear, according to Marsha Power-Slade, executive director of Hope Haven, an emergency shelter for women experiencing domestic violence. “We’re at a critical stage in our community with housing, it’s not only affecting people on low income, but people who have very good jobs,” she said.  “Violence is affecting everyone in our community and everyone’s a risk for it.” She noted low-income is a big stressor that puts women at a risk for violence, but now with more people worried about securing a home and sustainability of housing, the stress might put even more women at risk.

Read more: http://www.theaurora.ca/News/2010-08-17/article-1680062/Housing-crunch-causing-stress/1

Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/19/10; 9:17:51 AM – Permalink –   –

The Aurora. August 18, 2010. By Svjetlana (Lana) Vrbanic - With the older generation losing interest, Wabush Teen Centre is trying to draw a younger crowd. According to Wade Coombs, Wabush Teen Centre chair, he’s seeing less and less 15-16-year-olds use the facility and is reaching out to pre-teens, 7-12 years of age, to come and discover a world of fun. He would like them to know there’s a place they  can go where they don’t need to worry about being bullied and where they can be themselves. He would also like their parents to know there’s a safe place for their children to go. “Taking to people from the Labrador City’s youth centre, they’ve come up with the same problems getting things that would interest kids,” said Coombs.  “Some youths say it’s boring, there’s nothing to do.” That’s why he’d like to give kids the choice and let them decide what they should do at the centre.

Read more: http://www.theaurora.ca/Community/2010-08-18/article-1681742/The-place-to-be/1

Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/19/10; 9:13:53 AM – Permalink –   –

Whitehorse Star. August 18, 2010. By Jonathan Russell - Volunteers make Whitehorse’s big events happen. Claude Chabot and Joan Stanton know this. And for their efforts, the two Whitehorse residents were jointly honoured by Cross Country Canada as its Volunteers of the Year. Chabot and Stanton first got news of their nominations last June, during the Cross Country Canada annual general meeting, held in Newfoundland. “I was thrilled when I found out we’d been nominated, quite frankly,” said Chabot, who was recently named executive director for the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club. “It was probably the culmination of a bunch of years of work that we did moving towards the nationals. We thought that we had a really successful event and we did what we wanted to do, which was have something fun for athletes and volunteers. We knew we exhausted everybody,” he laughed, “but that’s O.K., they still had fun.”

Yukon News. July 30, 2010. By Larissa Robyn Johnston - When Jessica Pisarek’s boss came to visit her at her cabin on the Alaska Highway south of Whitehorse, he was surprised to see her chopping wood. “I don’t think he realized that I’m kind of outdoorsy. I’m pretty short and blonde - I think he thought I wasn’t going to survive up here very well,” Pisarek laughed. Soon she’ll share her northern experience with 18 Canada World Youth participants. Nine of them are from communities across Canada and nine are from Ukraine. “I’m really excited for the Canadians to come up to the Yukon because I think it’s such a beautiful, extraordinary place, so unique. I’m so excited to show the Ukrainians the Yukon too.” The organization offers volunteer opportunities to youth in different cultures. The group spends three months in a Canadian town and three months overseas. For the first time since 2003, the organization is coming to Whitehorse. They always wanted to come to the territories, but with the flights being so expensive the nonprofit couldn’t afford it, said Pisarek. “Now we’re back and we hope to be back for the next four years.” Staying in small communities gives the participants an accurate portrayal of Canada, she said. The group, aged 17-20, will volunteer with various organizations in Whitehorse before flying to Ostroh, Ukraine.

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/life/19061/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/9/10; 9:13:14 AM – Permalink –   –

Whitehorse Star. August 5, 2010. By Stephanie Waddell - Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart hopes his finishing touches and the overnight work of painters will get locals thinking about social inclusion. Outside the Java Connection downtown this morning, Hart finished painting the final piece of sidewalk work about social inclusion, part of a government project that’s been underway since the fall of 2009. “We have been working toward a government-wide social inclusion and poverty reduction strategy since last October,” Hart said. “We want to open the dialogue between government and citizens. “To do that, we need to ensure we have a common language and a common understanding of what social exclusion, and inclusion, means.”

Read more: http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/theres-a-vital-social-message-at-your-feet/

Visit the "Inclusion is better" website, at http://inclusion-is-better.ca/ .

Yukon News. August 2, 2010. By John Thompson - Want to help Whitehorse’s homeless, hardcore alcoholics? Forget about another government study, says Judy Lightening, the manager of the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter. “They study these poor people to death. All they need is a bloody place to stay,” she said. “There’s not much to it. If you have no place to live, you drink on the street.” So give them a place to live – where they can drink. It’s a controversial solution that’s bound to provoke criticism. In Seattle, a similar project was dubbed “Bunks for Drunks” by critics who wondered why the state should subsidize destructive behavior. But Seattle now estimates it saves $4 million annually by taking some of the city’s hardest-to-house clients off the circuit between drunk tank, emergency room and temporary shelter. The facility also means there are fewer homeless alcoholics cadging for change downtown, passing out in parks and urinating in alleys. And, not least, the project appears to improve the health of its clients. Many drink less. Some quit the bottle entirely. Wet housing challenges the conventional wisdom that many homeless people choose to sleep on the street, and that quitting drinking is primarily a matter of willpower. It turns out that coping with alcoholism and its attendant ills is a lot easier with a roof over your head.

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/message_in_a_bottle/a_tidy_shelter_keeps_em_clean_and_sober

For more on the Yukon News investigation into alcoholism in the Yukon, titled "Message in a Bottle", go to http://www.yukon-news.com/message_in_a_bottle/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/3/10; 8:39:29 AM – Permalink –   –

Canadian Co-operatives Association - In the spring of 2010, CCA commissioned Ipsos Reid to conduct a national survey measuring Canadians' perceptions and awareness of co-operatives. The survey was commissioned in preparation for the International Year of Co-operatives, which will take place in 2012. CCA will consider the survey results when preparing key messages and planning activities to take place during the International Year. Ipsos Reid's report on the survey results can be found at: http://www.coopscanada.coop/public_html/assets/firefly/files/files/National_survey.pdf

Read more: http://www.coopscanada.coop/en/about_co-operative/Coop_survey

Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/2/10; 2:24:47 PM – Permalink –   –

The Toronto Star. July 31, 2010. By Nick Falvo - You can step over homeless people, but you can’t ignore them. The recession is finally over, but we haven’t seen all of the after-effects, especially when we’re talking about homelessness. And if our political leaders don’t come to terms with this soon, we’ll see a steep rise in homelessness in the near future. The homeless population of a given jurisdiction is typically the last group to see a change after a recession, making homelessness the opposite of the proverbial canary in a mine shaft. After the recession of the early 1990s, Toronto experienced a very significant rise in homelessness. But the increase in homelessness following that recession did not become visible until the 1993-1995 period, several years after the recession had ended. This is because there is a lag effect after a recession. And there is no good reason to believe that the 2008-2009 recession will be any different than the last one in terms of its impact on homelessness.

Read more: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/842175--homeless-tide-sure-to-rise

CBC News. July 20, 2010 - The Inuvik homeless shelter has reopened after closing on Thursday. A coalition of agencies in the community came together to ensure that the shelter stays open, said Inuvik, N.W.T., Mayor Denny Rodgers. Their efforts reopened the shelter just eight hours after it closed. However, Rodgers said the territorial government should help keep the shelter open. "This is not an Inuvik problem specifically, it's a regional problem. We have people in our community from the outlying communities as well," he said.

The Aurora. July 14, 2010. By Svjetlana Vrbanic - The minister responsible for housing visited Labrador West and encountered people affected by skyrocketing prices. Tom Hedderson, minister responsible for the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, was greeted by protesters at the airport. He spoke personally to individuals suffering from high rental prices, had a round tale discussion with community stakeholders, and conferred with Labrador and Wabush town councils during a two-day visit July 6-7.

Read more: http://www.theaurora.ca/News/2010-07-14/article-1566778/Coping-with-the-crunch/1

Posted by Kiri Staples – 7/20/10; 9:06:48 AM – Permalink –   –

CBC News  July 15, 2010.  The homeless shelter in Inuvik, N.W.T., has closed its doors for good, while territorial government officials are working with the town's homeless to find alternatives. The shelter was locked after its overnight clients left at 10 a.m. MT Thursday, as the organization that operated the facility struggles with rising costs. Running the shelter, which was housed in a 20-year-old building, has left the Nihtat Gwich'in Council with a $50,000 annual deficit, despite efforts to cut costs and generate sponsorships, according to band officials. More than 20 people would stay at the shelter on some winter nights, with upwards of five people sleeping in one bedroom. About 10 people stayed at the shelter in the days before it closed down.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/07/15/inuvik-homeless-shelter-closes.html#ixzz0trytmpc5

Nunatsiaq News. June 30, 2010 - Drugs and alcohol and the social damage caused by their abuse affects “all of us,” Edward Itta, mayor of Alaska’s North Slope Borough, told Inuit delegates during a June 30 discussion of health and well-being at the Inuit Circumpolar Council general assembly in Nuuk. Removal of children from their families, language loss, and the introduction of western institutions and nuclear family housing have affected the health and well-being of Inuit around the circumpolar world, said Edna McLean, the president emeritus of the Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska. “Some changes were good, but others were devastating, like the abuse of drugs and alcohol and the loss of intergenerational communication,” said McLean. In Chukotka, many of the region’s Inuit families are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, dependence and alcohol abuse, Elvira Tyunikova of Chukotka said. But ICC has a plan to deal with Inuit health and social problems, said Minnie Grey, a member of ICC-Canada’s health committee. Its members have developed a circumpolar Inuit health strategy to remedy the “stark differences [which] still remain between key health indicators for Inuit and those of the broader national populations” in Russia, Alaska, Greenland and Canada, in such areas as tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, suicide, injuries, family violence, addictions and fetal alcohol syndrome...

Read more: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/3007102_ICC_develops_circumpolar_Inuit_health_plan/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/30/10; 8:59:52 AM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. June 21, 2010. By Sarah Rogers - A group of Nunavik youth will get to cruise the Arctic this summer as part of the first wellness retreat of its kind. Cruise North plans to host about 70 young Nunavimmiut as part of a two-week retreat next month. The voyage will be filled with workshops aimed to teach “tools to lead a healthy life,” its organizers say. “We’re hoping they’ll take away a sense of adventure,” said Cruise North’s Jason Annahatak, “and a sense of esteem that they’ve accomplished something great.” From July 23 to Aug 6, Makivik Corp. will charter the Lyubov Orlova as a mobile retreat centre for at-risk youth between 14 and 21, along with 40 support staff.

Read more: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/98789_at-risk_youth_get_an_arctic_health_cruise/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/22/10; 8:56:47 AM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. June 21, 2010. By Jane George - The Ilisaqsivik Society, which runs a community-based wellness centre in Clyde River, has received $10,000 from the Kaiser Foundation’s national awards for excellence program. Nunavut’s premier Eva Aariak was on hand June 18 in Ottawa to give the award for “Excellence in Community Programming” to Jake Gearheard, Ilisaqsivik’s executive director, Nina Qillaq, executive co-ordinator for the Ilisaqsivik Society, Gordon Kautuk, co-ordinator of the Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre, a branch of the Ilisaqsivik Society. The Kaiser awards recognize individuals or community groups who have made exceptional contributions in the field of mental health and addictions...

Read more: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/98789_clyde_river_wellness_centre_gets_10000_award/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/22/10; 8:37:29 AM – Permalink –   –

Canada Without Poverty. June 16, 2010. By Rob Rainer - On Wednesday, June 16, 2010, the Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, Tony Martin (NDP), seconded by the Member of Parliament for Chambly-Borduas, Yves Lessard (Bloc Québécois), rose in the House of Commons to introduce Bill C-545 – “An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada”.  This private member’s bill, if passed into law in its current form, would provide a foundation for federal engagement, leadership and accountability for eliminating poverty in Canada.  Key provisions of the bill include the following...

Read more: http://www.cwp-csp.ca/Blog/history-in-the-making-an-act-to-eliminate-poverty-in-canada-introduced-in-the-house-of-commons-june-16-2010

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/18/10; 9:12:30 AM – Permalink –   –

CBC News. June 17, 2010 - Homeless people in the Arctic town of Inuvik, N.W.T., will soon lose the place where many sleep and stay warm, as the local homeless shelter will close next month due to a lack of funds. The shelter is slated to close on July 15, which worries homeless people like Michael Coien, who said he and many others rely on the facility. "I don't think it's right, because a lot of people will be homeless," Coien told CBC News on Wednesday. "Right now there's about 20 people homeless right now. I go there every night, almost." The shelter has been managed by the Nihtat Gwich'in Council in Inuvik, with funding from the Northwest Territories government. In recent months, the shelter had cut staff and reduced its operating hours from 24 hours to 16 hours a day...

Yukon News. June 4, 2010. By Chris Oke - Karen Smith has heard of a lot of innovative ideas to help people struggling with poverty in Uganda. But Michael Jackson might be one of her favourites. On June 18, 2010, Smith will be organizing a tribute night to the King of Pop at Mt. McIntyre. The evening will include karaoke, dancing, a Chinese auction and competitions, including prizes for the best dressed and best Jackson imitation. If you’ve got a stellar moonwalk, this is your chance to put it to good use. The event is a fundraiser for the Hungry Minds Educational Society. The Whitehorse-based NGO helps impoverished people in Uganda by introducing income-generating projects and finding grassroots solutions to the daily hardships...

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/life/18299/

Nunatsiaq News. June 13, 2010 - Parenting, Inuit culture and wellness — these are among the many topics that 140 youth from Nunavik will tackle in Inukjuak during the region’s first youth conference June 21 to 25. Organized by youth for youth, the Qanak conference’s content reflects suggestions received from youth, said Janice Grey, a member of the 10-member steering committee. “Everything we’re covering, it’s because the youth of Nunavik were interested in that and wanted workshops on that,” Grey said. “It’s not like we picked a bunch of issues and decided to have workshops and what people are going to learn about.”

Read more: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/98789_nunavik_youth_to_hold_conference_in_inukjuak/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/14/10; 8:37:29 AM – Permalink –   –

Dignity for All bulletin. June 9, 2010 - Bill C-304, “An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians,” will soon be before the House of Commons. The support of MPs from all parties is required for the passage of this groundbreaking piece of legislation. If passed into law, Bill C-304 would “require the Minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to consult with the provincial and territorial ministers of the Crown responsible for municipal affairs and housing and with representatives of municipalities, Aboriginal communities, non-profit and private sector housing providers and civil society organizations in order to establish a national housing strategy.”

Read more: http://dignityforall.ca/en/newsletter/urgent-pressure-needed-passage-affordable-housing-bill

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/11/10; 11:00:07 AM – Permalink –   –

Yukon News. June 2, 2010. By Larissa Robyn Johnston - It’s no surprise Hunger Awareness Day represents a busy time for the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse. Only 90 minutes into its first distribution day of the month, about 30 hampers were handed out. June 1 was the busiest day volunteers will see in a while because users can only pick up one hamper per month and they usually stop by on the first day, said Tiffanie Tasane, the food bank’s on-call manager. Hunger Awareness Day, which took place Tuesday, is a reminder about how many people are in need of food banks across the country. “It’s a campaign to raise awareness about Canadians and the need for food security,” Tasane said. Last year, 800,000 people in Canada were assisted by these resources, an 18 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the event’s website. This is the biggest year-to-year increase on record...

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/news/18269/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/2/10; 1:17:51 PM – Permalink –   –

The Labradorian. May 31, 2010. By Adam Randell - The Labrador Friendship Centre is getting ready to unveil its first supportive housing units in the community. Happy Valley-Goose Bay has been facing housing shortages, and this is an attempt to help individuals with multiple and complex needs find affordable housing. The centre has recently purchased and renovated a house that will be able to house two individuals with multiple and complex needs. Shaun Maclean, housing development worker with the Labrador Friendship Centre, said an individual with multiple and complex needs is an umbrella term that can include persons facing addictions, poverty, mental illness and other challenges. Mr. Mclean said the individuals will be provided with affordable housing but will also be surrounded by supportive programming catered to the needs of the individual. This programming could include help accruing funding, addictions treatment and counselling.

Read more: http://www.thelabradorian.ca/index.cfm?sid=341688&sc=347

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/31/10; 3:44:51 PM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. May 28, 2010. By Sarah Rogers - Until recently, Eva Gunn didn’t give much thought about how being a woman affects her place in society. But after attending a recent governance training workshop for women in Puvirnituq, Gunn now sees that Nunavik women can bring a lot to their communities and region. “It was a real eye-opener,” said Gunn, who works as a corporate secretary for the Fédération des cooperatives du Nouveau-Québec in Montreal. “There are other women who want to enhance the quality of life for other women and the population as a whole. “And women are essential to our society as decision makers,” she added. “We’re team players, we listen and we’re sensitive.” Female leadership is essential to good governance, said Gunn, who hopes to see more women in Nunavik politics. Gunn was among more than 40 women who gathered in Puvirnituq May 17 for a week-long workshop organized by the Saturviit Inuit Women’s Association of Nunavik...

Read more: http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/89789_nunavik_women_learn_to_flex_their_political_muscle/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/28/10; 8:38:28 AM – Permalink –   –

Yukon News. May 26, 2010. By Vivian Belik - The future of the Sundog Carving Studio is in question after territorial funding for the nonprofit organization was cut off this spring. In November, the organization was given a $145,000 grant from the territory to hire counsellors and carving instructors for its advanced carver program. The understanding was the money would be renewed in April. But that didn’t happen. Now the centre, which uses traditional First Nation carving as a method to build life skills and confidence in youth, is looking at ways to trim its budget. “It means we’re just going to have to cut staff,” said co-owner Andrew Finton. “It’s not good news for us.” Sundog has already taken out ads to rent out the carving studio space. “The landlords have been hounding us to know whether we’ll be around come June,” said Finton. “We haven’t been able to afford to renew our lease.” The Justice Department funnels $345,000 a year towards the Journey Far advanced carver program. This covers the cost of materials and rent as well as a monthly stipend paid to each of the advanced carvers for the work they do. But that leaves little more than $100,000 to pay seven staff for the year-long course, said Finton. With the money they receive now, the group can’t afford a full-time carver. “What school has an instructor come in for one week every six weeks?” said Finton...

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/news/18160/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/27/10; 4:11:51 PM – Permalink –   –

Whitehorse Star. May 18, 2010 - There are many community groups and volunteers that help make the annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay a successful event. In turn, the Bike Relay pumps about $13,000 into the coffers of groups from Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Haines, Alaska. Over the last four years, the event organizers have had a policy of providing honorariums for checkpoint groups and for other groups that provide expertise for the race. From set-up to the finish line, there are non-profit groups looking after all aspects of the event...

Read more: http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/bike-relay-supports-community-groups/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/19/10; 8:50:40 AM – Permalink –   –

What's Up Yukon. May 13, 2010. By Darrell Hookey - It's been four months since an earthquake ravaged the already-desperate country, Haiti. The world responded swiftly and compassionately. But Yukon high school students know that assistance is still needed. Together, from the three high schools, they are called Yukon Friends of Haiti (YFH) and they want to raise money to help. “We need to support Haitian amputees and Haitian children,” says Morgan Wienberg, a Grade 12 student at F.H. Collins Secondary School. “They lived through the devastation of  of the earthquake, but it takes six months to get prosthetic limbs, plus there's the expense of it.”

Read more: http://whatsupyukon.com/index.php/2010-05-12-00-25-10.html

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/14/10; 9:45:42 AM – Permalink –   –

City of Whitehorse. On Wednesday, April 21, 2010, during National Volunteer Week, City Council hosted a reception to recognize volunteers who have contributed many hours to community organizations throughout the City.  From those nominated, Elinore Frederickson was selected by City Council as the City's "2009 Volunteer of the Year". Elinore was nominated by Learning Disabilities Association of the Yukon (LDAY).  She was instrumental in LDAY's early years, writing policies, procedures and job descriptions that guided the organization as it evolved.  She has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to bring learning disabilities out of the shadows.  She has been supported along the way by many others who worked with her, but for years she was the driving force that got things happening and brought recognition to people with learning disabilities. She has spent many years educating judges, doctors, social workers, educators and anyone else who would listen, about learning disabilities.  She has visited people in their homes, put on workshops, continually advocating for individuals with learning disabilities.  She found professionals willing to serve on advisory committees.  She is most proud of bringing advocacy for parents into the school system.

Posted by Valoree Walker – 5/13/10; 1:58:27 PM – Permalink –   –

The Aurora.  May 4, 2010. By Svjetlana Vrbanic.- Stories of utter heartbreak were shared at the Labrador West health care forum April 22. Members of the community came out in droves to express their concerns to Jerome Kennedy, provincial Minister of Health and Community Services. The Scout Lodge in Labrador City reached capacity with 500 people, and according to Lab. City mayor Janice Barnes, 250 more people waited outside tuning into what was being said on their car radio frequencies. In his opening statements, Kennedy expressed meeting with the Mitchell family last November affected him deeply, which is when he made a commitment to hold a forum in the New Year. After meeting with the Perry family before the forum, he said he came to realize health is very emotional and something that affects everyone on a daily basis...

Read more: http://www.theaurora.ca/index.cfm?sid=338601&sc=298

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/13/10; 1:45:28 PM – Permalink –   –

Yukon News.  May 12, 2010. By Vivian Belik  - Kate SingingStone has had her fill of run down, unsafe rental units. SingingStone just moved out of an illegal basement suite with black mould that she lived in for more than a year. “After being in the house for a couple of hours I would start getting stuffed up,” she said. “When I finally moved out I realized how much better I could breathe.” Privacy was another issue. “Whenever the landlord decided to go on a 3 a.m. bender there she was at my door,” said the 53-year-old who lived just beneath her landlord. “She figured it was her place and that she could come in whenever she wanted.” SingingStone is one of many in Whitehorse who can’t afford decent housing. Last week the Yukon Bureau of Statistics and the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition wrapped up a month-long survey of Yukoners living in inadequate housing. Two thousand questionnaires were circulated. When SingingStone noticed the questionnaires being handed out at the Victoria Faulkner Centre a few weeks ago, she took the opportunity to warn the women sitting near her to be vigilant against slum landlords...

Read more: http://www.yukon-news.com/news/18020/

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/13/10; 1:23:49 PM – Permalink –   –

CBC News. April 30, 2010 - A Montreal researcher is studying the true value of food banks and soup kitchens in fast-growing northern centres such as Iqaluit, where more people are using the services. An average of 70 people a day used the Iqaluit food bank on food-delivery days last year, up from an average of 39 people in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of people using the Iqaluit soup kitchen has doubled since it opened in a new, central building last fall. "Down at the old soup kitchen, 30 to 35 people would be a full load for the day," said Jerry Peet, a longtime volunteer at the soup kitchen. "Here, we're getting anywhere between 55 and 70 people everyday"...

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/04/30/north-food-banks.html

Posted by Kiri Staples – 5/6/10; 1:54:36 PM – Permalink –   –

Carleton University Newsroom, Ottawa. April 16, 2010 - The words “true north strong and free” have a lot of meaning for Carleton University Professor Frances Abele. She has been involved with northern research for more than two decades and is currently participating in a research project on the social economy in the North. Abele was one of 10 recipients of this year’s Carleton Research Achievement Awards. The recipients were recently honoured as part of Carleton’s Research Days celebration. A professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration and director of research for the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation, Abele says her latest research project “creates an unprecedented opportunity to recognize and understand the part of the northern economy where most people live –the economies of small and large communities, in rural areas and in northern cities. We are studying, in part, in how the community economies have responded to the activities of very large corporations and large governments.” As part of Research Days at Carleton, the School of Public Policy and Administration launched a documentary-based educational resource, Staking The Claim: Dreams, Democracy and Canadian Inuit. Abele was involved as a valuable resource with this project. Last year, she co-edited a pathbreaking book on Canada’s North entitled Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada’s North through the Institute for Research on Public Policy. She has written extensively on federal northern policy looking at topics such as improving northern administration, employment and training programs for Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories and the relationship between non-renewable resource development, political development and social well-being. She has also been actively involved in the design and implementation of Carleton’s Certificate in Nunavut Public Service Studies, offered in Nunavut. Abele is a former president of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, a non-governmental organization with 39 member universities and colleges, including Carleton. Abele says her research and activities have helped her conclude that “a new northern policy strategy should focus more clearly on the future well-being of northerners and their communities and ensure they have greater control over their own destinies.” Research Days at Carleton is a month-long celebration of the outstanding and world-changing work by our innovative researchers that ends April 19. Carleton is staging public lectures, conferences, films and project demonstrations to give the public an opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of our research. Discoveries at Carleton are making a significant contribution to our country and the world. With more than 850 research projects underway, $84 million in research funding, 24 Canada research chairs and myriad public- and private-sector partnerships, Carleton is making its mark in fields as diverse as digital media, health, the environment and sustainability, and globalization.

CBC News. April 12, 2010 - The Yukon could set a national example by trying new ways to eliminate poverty, a Conservative senator said Friday at a symposium in Whitehorse.  Sen. Hugh Segal, who has been advocating the use of guaranteed income supplements to help lift Canadians out of poverty, said the Yukon is a small enough jurisdiction to try out such an idea.  Speaking at the Yukon government's Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction symposium on Friday, Segal said most good ideas — such as universal health care — began in smaller jurisdictions before being adopted elsewhere. "Good things start in the provinces. Good ideas go to Ottawa to find a place to die," Segal told symposium delegates.  "If it's going to start, it's going to start in a province or territory that says, 'We can do this,' and probably you can lever Ottawa into being a partner because they won't have a better idea," he added. Former NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin agreed with Segal, adding that the Yukon's self-governing First Nations could lead the way.  "You know who could do it tomorrow? Every First Nation. They have the jurisdiction, they have the funding," McLaughlin said.

Yukon News. April 9, 2010. By Michael Dougherty - ......Poverty, the lack of affordable housing, inadequate education, physical or mental disabilities, unemployment and a host of other factors can exclude an individual and those that depend on them from full participation in the benefits of our society. How do we make it easier to include them? Over the last two days a forum and symposium have been held focusing on social inclusion and poverty reduction. In hosting these the Yukon government seeks to develop a strategy that “will focus on ensuring government programs and services are working together to pave the way for a more inclusive Yukon society.” We must all know by now that building a more equitable society where societal benefits are spread widely means a healthier society. Less poverty, less violence, less marginalization and less crime ultimately lowers health-care costs, saves on justice and law enforcement bills and generally achieves the laudable goal of a more productive, secure population. Social exclusion comes with high costs. Social inclusion offers us the potential of a much richer Yukon in all senses. For more information on what others are saying and doing to promote these goals here and across the country have a look at the online links in the Yukon Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Strategy newsletter at http://www.abetteryukon.ca/localnews.php.

Read more: http://yukon-news.com/opinions/columns/17585/

Yukon Health and Social Services News Release. March 23, 2010. For Release # 10-044 
WHITEHORSE – Senator Hugh Segal will be one of the keynote speakers at an April 9 symposium where interested Yukoners will gather to discuss reduction of poverty and social inclusion in Yukon. The symposium is the first of two, planned by the Office of Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction, which was established by Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart last October. It follows a day of workshops in which frontline government and non-government workers who help Yukoners, join members of the public to discuss how to improve access to government services, and break down the barriers preventing some Yukoners from fully participating in Yukon society. “Health and Social Services was tasked with leading the work on the strategy,” Hart said. “Working with our governmental and non-governmental colleagues, we will develop a carefully thought-out plan that will guide us for years to come, a plan that will result in a better Yukon for all Yukoners.” The theme of the symposium, to be held at the Gold Rush Inn, is “Bridges and Barriers.” It will feature panel discussions and speeches by special guests including Segal, B.C. Provincial Court Judge Marion Buller Bennett, and Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Andy Nieman. The symposium is one tool the Office of Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction will use in reaching its goal of creating a Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Strategy by March 31, 2011. A follow-up symposium is slated for fall 2010. For more information on the Yukon Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Strategy, including the symposium, visit www.abetteryukon.com.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/1/10; 1:48:48 PM – Permalink –   –

CBC News. Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Inuit leaders in Nunavik are pleading with the federal government to step up efforts to build social housing to fill skyrocketing demand for safe, healthy homes in the North. Nearly 49 per cent or one in two Inuit in the northern region live in an overcrowded home, threatening the health and safety of hundreds of people, said Pita Aaatami, Makivik president. This problem that we are living with would never be tolerated in the south," he said Wednesday after meeting with Quebec politicians in the province's capital. "We have been crying wolf for years, but governments only find temporary solutions. Now we are in crisis." Overcrowding can also exacerbate mental health problems and domestic violence, according to the federal health agency.  Children in particular are vulnerable in overcrowded housing because they carry higher risks of contracting communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. Inuit children in Nunavik are hospitalized for respiratory illnesses almost more often than any others in the world, according to Health Canada statistics. This week, the federal and Quebec governments announced the renewal of a five-year deal for 300 social housing units in Nunavik. That won't be enough, Aatami said. The communities need about 1,000 lodgings to accommodate growing populations due to booming birth rates, he said

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/03/18/quebec-inuit-housing-shortage.html#ixzz0lIPs8Dti.

Yukon News.  March 10, 2010 . By Al Pope - According to a report from the Public Health Agency of Canada, First Nation Canadians are 31 times more likely to contract tuberculosis than nonnatives. Shocking as this figure is, it’s far worse for Inuits, at a factor of 186. TB, once a deadly scourge all over the world, is completely preventable. A single factor makes it hard to control: poverty. If there is one thing that Canada’s aboriginal communities have plenty of, it’s substandard, overcrowded, mouldy houses where only disease can prosper. The figures on TB are consistent with other bleak statistics that face indigenous Canadians. A 1995 federal commission found evidence that suicide occurs in aboriginal communities at three times the national average, asserting that these figures “underestimate the total picture” because at least 25 per cent of accidental deaths are really unreported suicides. Similar statistics are available for crime, alcoholism, drug addiction, incarceration - in fact, all of the ails of poverty. While there are other factors at play in the terrible inequities between indigenous and settler communities - residential school syndrome, for instance - the most glaring difference is that our communities are rich and their’s are poor. The solution to poverty in indigenous communities is not simple. Employment opportunities are few in remote areas, high transportation costs make everything more expensive and access to education is much more difficult. It’s common to hear that you can’t solve these problems simply by throwing money at them. But consider what happened recently when a large portion of the settler community was threatened with a plunge into poverty. Facing massive unemployment in cities that depend on the auto industry, the government of Canada threw $4 billion in emergency loans at the big car companies, not to save them from bankruptcy, but to keep them from moving all their factories to the US. During the past year, the federal government has spent $30 billion on an economic stimulus package designed to prevent settler communities from falling into unemployment and poverty. We all know that this was not $30 billion we happened to have lying around. We had to borrow it, and now we have to pay it back. The fact that even the deficit warriors of the Canadian Conservative party were willing to plunge the country into unprecedented debt in an attempt to control the so-called financial meltdown is indicative of the fact that we are not immune to the plight of our aboriginal neighbours.

Read more at http://yukon-news.com/opinions/columns/17143/

Nunatsiaq Online NEWS: Nunavut. February 05, 2010. By Jim Bell - An eye on the future: Premier Eva Aariak, in a speech given Feb. 5 at a speakers' forum held in conjunction with this weekend's meeting in Iqaluit of G7 finance ministers, said that by 2030, she envisions a Nunavut where all residents understand the Inuit language, where no one lives in poverty, and where all residents prosper within an economy driven by resource development and the marketing of Inuit cultural production in film, music, literature, art, music, and fashion. "By 2030, no child or family in Nunavut will go hungry," Aariak said. In just 20 years, the people of Nunavut will enjoy a secure culture, a prosperous economy and liberation from poverty, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak said Feb. 5, in a vision statement aimed at reporters and government officials visiting Iqaluit for this weekend’s G7 finance minister’s meeting. “If this were 2030, everyone would understand what I just said,” Aariak declared after reading the first sentences of her speech in Inuktitut. She said that in 20 years, her government envisions numerous professional development opportunities for those who are “well-educated in the Inuit language,” including doctors, nurses, engineers and other professionals. She also foresees a thriving Inuit culture and language, with a healthy level of cultural production that would include films, books, magazines and art work produced by Inuit.“I anticipate going to see Inuktitut films, books, magazines… will walk the streets of Montreal and will be amazed by all the parkas on sale that are made in Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Taloyoak,” Aariak said. At the same time, she said Nunavut will have created a social safety net strong enough to have banished poverty from the territory. “By 2030, no child or family in Nunavut will go hungry,” Aariak said, likely referring to research data from the Qanuippitali health survey that revealed the existence of widespread malnutrition among Nunavut families, especially pregnant women and children. And she signaled that poverty reduction and early child health will be a priority for the current territorial government.

“A child’s history is usually written in the first months and years of this life…as a society and as a government, we recognize this,” she said. After the speech, Aariak said her government is still working on developing the anti-poverty strategy that MLAs agreed to in principle this past fall, following the release of the Qanukkaniq report card.....


Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/1/10; 12:50:28 PM – Permalink –   –

Six provinces across Canada have already created anti-poverty strategies, and the House of Commons recently passed a motion calling for the federal government to develop an immediate plan for the reduction of poverty. Across Canada nearly one in ten people live in poverty, according to a 2007 Statistics Canada report. That number includes more than half a million children.  Ontario's strategy was heralded during the press conference, for creating a target of reducing children living in poverty by 25 per cent in five years. Ontario's strategy calls for increased investment in early child education strategies, showing the diverse range of government departments needed to combat poverty.  The group, organized by Alternatives North, features partners including such diverse views as the YWCA Yellownife, the Native Women's Association, the Roman Catholic diocese and the NWT Literacy Council.  They tried to present their gift to the legislature on Dec. 16, but were refused entrance by the Sergeant-at-Arms on his interpretation it was a 'partisan activity.'  MLA for Frame Lake Wendy Bisaro accepted the gift on behalf of the government, but she had to do so outside the legislature.

 CBC News. February 9th, 2010 - The Yukon Housing Corp. is doing an adequate job, but it's still not meeting the housing needs of many Yukoners, said federal Auditor General Sheila Fraser. Releasing her audit of the housing corporation Tuesday in Whitehorse, Fraser said waiting lists for housing show its housing supply does not meet the demand. "It has not carried out adequate analysis of the need for and supply of social housing in the territory, particularly in Whitehorse," Fraser's audit report states in part."Further, the corporation lacks integrated housing strategies, which increases the risk that new housing projects will not address the real needs in the Yukon." The Yukon Housing Corp. administers a total of 679 housing units across the Yukon, including 532 social housing units and 147 staff housing units.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/02/09/yukon-housing-audit.html#ixzz0fAhzkIEu

Yukon News. Feb. 3, 2010. By Vivian Belik - Crime Prevention Yukon officially closed its doors Monday, handing its leftover cash to six Whitehorse nonprofits. The organization, which operated since 1995, hit several roadblocks last year when Yukon Justice discontinued a large portion of its project funding and the group couldn’t recruit enough board members.  Holding back tears, treasurer Marlene Koppang addressed representatives from the Youth of Today Society, the Whitehorse Food Bank, the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon, the Citizens on Patrol and the Yukon Women’s Transition Home. “This is really sad for me, but I’m happy for these other organizations,” said Koppang, handing over $10,000 cheques to each group. A sixth group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which shared an office with the organization, also received a donation of furniture and office supplies. “We had high hopes, lots of things could have come of (Crime Prevention Yukon),” said Wayne Belcaen of Citizens on Patrol. “Someone up there (in the Yukon government) didn’t see eye-to-eye with us......

Read more: http://yukon-news.com/news/16574/

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Whitehorse Star. February 2, 2010. Stephanie Waddell - Even after formally disbanding Crime Prevention Yukon last year, the organization is continuing its efforts to make the community a better, crime-free place. On Monday afternoon at city hall, Marlene Koppang, the former Crime Prevention Yukon director and treasurer, handed out five cheques of $10,000 each to local organizations. The money represents most of the cash left over in Crime Prevention Yukon’s account. Koppang teared up as she prepared to present the cheques to the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society, Youth of Today Society, Citizens On Patrol, the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon (FASSY) and the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse. “This is really sad for me and a lot of people,” Koppang said. Crime Prevention Yukon was a wonderful organization that did many good things with other projects, she said. The organization was in the process of setting up new Neighbourhood Watch programs, before it shut down last year due to funding issues and a lack of enough board members. Under the organization’s bylaws, any remaining funds are to be distributed among registered Yukon societies that have similar mandates to Crime Prevention Yukon. After several sessions around the table, looking at a long list of local organizations worthy of the dollars, members settled on six. While the five listed above were given cheques out of the remaining $62,000 in the account, Crime Prevention Yukon also donated its office equipment and furniture to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which sold it off with the funding going to that organization. Koppang noted that while the cash could have been doled out among many more groups, members of the former board opted to keep the number of groups lower so the cash could have more of an impact for them. “That was hard,” she said of choosing which groups would get the money. As she pointed out, many of the organizations selected work with youth, which was a focus for Crime Prevention Yukon. The funding for the Youth of Today Society has been designated specifically for Angel’s Nest. Other organizations like FASSY and the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society also offer programming for youth, while others assist in preventing crime. Upon receiving their cheques, a number of representatives with the various organizations noted how they hope to prevent crime with the funding boost. The food bank’s Stephen Robertson said he hopes the funding can help alleviate crime because one of the causes of crime is often poverty. Wayne Balcaen of Citizens On Patrol, meanwhile, noted the good work Crime Prevention Yukon did over the years, and argued it’s sad that the “powers that be” had allowed the organization to dissolve. He then issued an invite to any of those persons in power to join him during one of his patrols with the Citizens On Patrol so he can show them what they’ve missed in permitting Crime Prevention Yukon’s demise. Following the formal presentation, Barb McInerney, the executive director of the Kaushee’s Place transition home, told reporters the team at the transition home will look first at how to best spend the $10,000. This time of year can be very busy for the home, she explained. The team will first look at how many donations came in over Christmas, then decide how to best stretch out the additional income over the next three months.....

CBC News. November 3, 2009 - A Yellowknife women's shelter could shut down due to a deficit, and officials blame the problem in part on underfunding by the Northwest Territories government.A group from the Centre for Northern Families went to the N.W.T. legislature on Monday to seek more core funding for the facility, but there is no guarantee any additional assistance is on the way. The centre, which houses about 20 women who are homeless or escaping family violence, faces a total deficit of more than $400,000. About half of that amount is owed to Revenue Canada. Executive director Arlene Haché told CBC News the deficit stems from a number of rising operating costs......

Monday December 8th, 2009 -  Hon. Peter Taptuna. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to inform the members of this House of an important meeting that took place here in Iqaluit on November 25-27th; the Nunavut Summit on Social Economy.This meeting brought together representatives from Co-Operatives, development corporations, Inuit organizations, society and volunteer organizations from across the territory. There are more than 300 of these types of organizations in Nunavut performing important work in our communities and delivering vital services that neither the government or private or profit sector are able to provide. The summit explored the research currently being undertaken on the social economy in Nunavut, the issues and challenges facing those who work in the sector and the role of public policy in supporting social enterprises.The Nunavut Summit on Social Economy was hosted by the Nunavut Economic Forum, the Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada, and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network. I am told, Mr. Speaker, that the summit was a great success and I congratulate all the participants for the work they are doing to raise awareness for the important role these organizations play in our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

CBC News. Thursday, October 8, 2009 - Canadian researchers say they hope to improve relations between mining companies and nearby communities with a study now underway on the social and economic legacies of now-defunct mines in the North. The project, called Abandoned Mines in Northern Canada, is looking at the social and economic effects that mines have had on northern communities — such as the defunct Giant gold mine near Yellowknife and the decommissioned lead-zinc mine at Pine Point, near Hay River, N.W.T. — as well as the lingering effects of the mines after they closed. Arn Keeling, a geography professor and member of the research team from Memorial University in St. John's, N.L., suggested Pine Point illustrated the hard feelings many people have about old mines in their midst. "They kept mentioning the Pine Point mine … and talking about what the impacts, both the environmental impacts and social impacts, of the coming of that mine in the 1960s," Keeling told CBC News. "Local communities didn't feel that they benefited from the mine and, in fact, had to live with all of the problems that were left behind."......

SIKU News  29.09.09   http://www.sikunews.com/art.html?artid=7004&catid=4 ; Elders and single parents with more than three children among the most affected. Nunavik households in northern Quebec are up to three times more likely to live in poverty than people in southern Quebec, says new research from Gerard Duhaime, a Université Laval sociologist. As a way of improving conditions, Nunavik-wide public forums should develop and adopt an anti-poverty strategy for the region, Duhaime suggested during a recent presentation to the Kativik Regional Government council meeting in Kuujjuaq, reports nunatsiaqonline.ca  Duhaime’s research examined poverty as an economic condition, that is, when a household can’t get the goods and services it needs, and, as a result, has a lower standard of living than the norm. Duhaime found poverty affects 20 to 30 per cent of households in Nunavik, with elders and single parents with more than three children among the most affected. Similar levels of poverty can be found in some poor neighourhoods in Montreal, he noted. “What is perhaps unique about Nunavik is the scope of certain conditions of poverty, such as the low level of education, the proportion of household budgets dedicated to food, the proportion of single-parent households, the high rate of unemployment, the statistically lower remuneration paid to Inuit compared with non-Inuit, the demographic structure, and so on,” Duhaime says in his report "Poverty in Nunavik: state of knowledge." Duhaime suggests that increasing income is “a necessary element in the fight against poverty in Nunavik” and that old age assistance and social assistance programs must be improved. That’s because remaining above the poverty line in Nunavik takes a much higher household income than in the rest of Quebec— $39,260 for a family of four instead of $27,264. More research is needed to see whether the poor in Nunavik are deprived of food, clothing, transportation, standard consumer goods and appropriate housing conditions, and why, Duhaime told the KRG councillors. There’s no famine in Nunavik and women aren’t systematically prevented from getting an education, as is the case in many third world countries. And some assistance programs are also already in place. But Dumaine said tackling poverty in Nunavik needs a more coherent and concerted effort. To this end, he told councillors he has received $250,000 in federal research money to continue the research and start the consultation process on poverty in Nunavik.

Carleton University News. June 2nd, 2009 - Masters student Jen Alsop has won scholarship from Arctic Co-operatives. The $2500 award will go towards funding the month she’ll be spending in Repulse Bay, Nunavut this summer, which is in coordination with the Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada (SERNNoCA) in efforts to map out the social economy of the north. Congratulations.
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CBC News. July 30, 2009 - A national youth program is returning to Canada's North, sending young volunteers to all three territories and beyond. Since 1977, Katimavik has been sent participants aged 17 to 21 to communities across Canada, where they volunteer at non-profit organizations, gain leadership skills, and learn more about the country. But it's been years since Katimavik has dispatched anyone north of 60. It's now starting to expand northward again, said Christian Durand, a spokesman for the organization. "We will be in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, a community called Chisasibi near James Bay [in northern Quebec], as well as three communities in Labrador," he told CBC News.....

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, August 18th, 2009 - David Yetman envisions a time when “Yaffling” will be as common as “Googling.” As the manager of knowledge mobilization at the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Yetman specializes in connecting researchers to the community, with the goal of benefiting society. Yaffle is one example of the results of these endeavours. The unique search engine and online resource was created by the Centre to enable users to search through the summaries of more than 1,000 Memorial research projects—written in lay terms—and profiles of over 400 researchers, categorized by expertise and geographic region. Yaffle also includes a tool for community members to propose collaborative research projects with appropriate university experts. According to Yetman, this matchmaking feature is what sets Yaffle apart from other sites...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/20/09; 3:23:50 PM – Permalink –   –

Pam Morrissey, The Aurora. August 17, 2009 - It's been a busy summer for Gateway Labrador. Jason Ste. Marie, chair of the interpretation centre, and Patsy Ralph, vice-chair, said they weren't expecting to see many tourists come through the doors at the Gateway this summer because of the IOC shutdown (and people leaving for vacation), but have been pleasantly surprised by high numbers. "We had a couple of tour groups, the visitation to the centre was high, Fermont sent down a couple of tours, the store was very busy, so things were really moving," Ralph pointed out. "A lot of people go to the centre to get information and we're happy about that." ....

Volunteer Yukon Press Release. Aug. 12, 2009 - The Yukon Volunteer Bureau has changed its name to Volunteer Yukon/Bénévoles Yukon; however, elements of the former logo have been retained to ensure easy recognition. Francophone Yukoners can now receive services in French. A new volunteer and volunteer opportunities database is being debuted via the website. The website address has been changed to www.volunteeryukon.ca. When the organization’s federal funding was cut in 2007, it was difficult for VY to continue providing services, but with a 2008 contribution from the Northern Strategy Trust Fund, it has since resumed full operations...

Carleton Univeristy, Susan Hickman. June 8, 2009 - Community-based institutions such as church groups, seniors' organizations, sports associations and Aboriginal networks are the glue that hold a Northern community together, according to Carleton graduate Jerry Sabin.  And the development of this "social economy," as researchers refer to these types of organizations, is understudied in the North, he says. After earning a bachelor of public affairs and policy management in 2007, Sabin, 23, went on to pursue the field of public administration. Now, as he graduates with his master's, he is heading off to the edge of the Arctic to examine the development of social economy institutions in Yellowknife...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/12/09; 4:19:55 PM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. Aug. 11, 2009 - After a year in the wilderness, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities hopes to get back on its feet with an annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay at the end of the month. The organization, which has been foundering since last fall, after the departure of former CEO Lynda Gunn, and later, two other staff vacancies, has an AGM scheduled for Aug. 25 to 27. “In general, the theme [of the meeting] is rebuilding the organization,” said office administrator Abraham Tagalik...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/12/09; 10:24:16 AM – Permalink –   –

Kivalliq News Online. August 5, 2009 - Jen Alsop, a graduate student from Carleton University, is heading to Repulse Bay in August to conduct a study on the role of the Naujat Co-op store in the community.She will be talking to other businesses in Repulse Bay and will be interviewing community members who would like to volunteer. The interviews will be done in either English or Inuktitut. Interpreters will be on hand for the interviews. Alsop will also be talking to other businesses to document socio-economic activity in the community and will write a report based on her findings.

Nunatsiaq News. August 2, 2009. More than 60 youth, members of the annual Students-on-Ice cruise to the Arctic, descended on Kuujjuaq July 31 before beginning their two-week trip along the coast of Baffin Island. Students on Ice is an organization that offers educational expeditions to the Antarctic and the Arctic. In Kuujjuaq, the students walked around the community, with local youth as guides...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 8/3/09; 1:14:52 PM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. July 16, 2009. The Saturviit Nunavik Inuit Women’s Association is looking for members to join the organization. The fledgling association recently sent brochures to every household in Nunavik, inviting all Inuit women to become members, by faxing in a membership form included in the brochure. Saturviit wants to focus their work on seven areas, including family harmony, positive parenting, education and language, healing and children’s safety...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 7/16/09; 9:02:35 AM – Permalink –   –

Chuck Tobin, Whitehorse Star. July 15, 2009. The Yukon Trappers’ Association is in deep trouble financially, and Yukon first nations are being asked to do anything they can to help. Larry Barrett of the Carcross-Tagish First Nation told aboriginal leaders from across the territory Tuesday that the situation is desperate. Barrett was among those first nation trappers who founded the association decades ago with renowned trapper Alex Van Bibber and others. He left it in the 1970s to work on the land claims movement but returned as a member last fall. But it was only at the association’s annual general meeting last month that he learned the non-profit society is $75,000 in debt and without any means of paying its rent, he said in his address to the annual general assembly of the Council of Yukon First Nations...
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CBC News. July 14, 2009. Questions are being raised about a recent change in governance at Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, a national Inuit women's association, that has left its president without a paid job. Rhoda Innuksuk, who had been working part-time as Pauktuutit's interim president since January 2008, said the group's board of directors recently decided that her position would no longer be paid....

Jane George, Nunatsiaq News. July 14, 2009. Yellowknife - About half of Nunavut’s children aged three to five don’t get enough food to eat,  according to information gathered during the 2007-08 Qanuippitali Inuit health survey.This means that in Nunavut, young children experience hunger at a rate 10 times greater than children in the rest of Canada, according to the survey’s findings, which were discussed at this week’s International Congress of Circumpolar Health in Yellowknife. In addition to its broad look at the health of Nunavummiut aged 18 and older, the Qanuippitali health survey examined 388 randomly chosen children from 16 Nunavut communities.From information received during personal interviews, researchers found that more than one in two of these young children experience what is called “food insecurity,” which means they lack food to a greater or lesser extent...

Pam Morrissey, The Aurora. Tuesday July 7, 2009. Labrador City is taking the money it earmarked for the local tourism corporation and giving it to Gateway Labrador. In the June 30 council meeting, Coun. Peter Reccord, chair of the finance and administration committee, recommended council give the $4,500 grant budgeted for tourism promotion to Gateway Labrador since the interpretation centre had replaced the Labrador West Tourism Corporation as the designated Visitor Information Centre for the region...
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Andrew Rankinm, Northern News Services. June 1, 2009. Alana Mero recalls the feeling of pure satisfaction she felt in helping to build a children's park a few years ago. As a member of the Parks and Recreation board, she realized all the parks were on the east side of town and most of the kids lived on the west, so she and her colleagues did something about it. They got council's blessing for a west side park, and sat down with a group of youngsters to get their wish list. "They wanted benches so their mothers could watch them and swings for babies. I was so amazed to hear that. But they were so sincere," Mero said with a laugh. Since arriving in Inuvik 11 years ago she's been devoted to local youth, especially the Children First Society that's she's been working with to fundraise for a new child development centre. Mero was honoured on May 22 with the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Award. She was given $500 to donate to a charity of her choice - and she appropriately turned it over to the Children First Society...
Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/19/09; 9:36:22 AM – Permalink –   –

John Bird, Nunatsiaq News. June 19, 2009. Hunter Tootoo's office is scrambling for emergency funds to keep Iqaluit's Oqota men's shelter open after June 30, when the Salvation Army withdraws its services. Otherwise, the shelter's 18 to 20 regular residents may find themselves absolutely homeless, instead of having a warm, dry bunk bed in one of three rooms housing half a dozen or so men each. At least three of those men are community elders. Many deal with mental illness or addiction issues. The SA has run the Oqota shelter for several years, but Major Fred Waters, area commander for the Salvation Army's Prairie and Northern Territories Division, said he had given the government and the landlord notice that they will have to close it and terminate the lease by the end of this month......
Posted by Kiri Staples – 6/19/09; 8:54:06 AM – Permalink –   –

CBC News, Monday May 25, 2009  Yellowknife will have a new homeless shelter later this year, providing a place for men and women to gather in the daytime when overnight shelters are closed. Slated to open this fall as a three-year pilot project, the daytime shelter would serve as an alternative to downtown public buildings such as shopping malls and the library, where many homeless people go to stay warm. Officials with the Northwest Territories government, the City of Yellowknife and BHP Billiton jointly announced more than $550,000 in funding for the day shelter at a news conference Monday. The N.W.T. Health and Social Services Department is providing most of the funding, $375,000 over the life of the pilot project, while BHP Billiton is committing $150,000. As well as providing shelter, the facility will offer support to people struggling with addictions and a washroom for people who don't have any other place to go during the day...

CBC News, Thursday, May 28, 2009  Raven Recycling of Whitehorse is receiving a $320,000 cash infusion over two years from the Yukon government, so that the non-profit organization can cope with a loss in revenue caused by the slumping economy. Environment Minister Elaine Taylor announced the new funding Thursday. The money will go towards boosting people's participation in recycling and environmental awareness, she said. Raven Recycling officials say the money will help address revenue losses the group experienced due to a downturn in commodity prices. "We would not be able to continue to offer recycling services in the Yukon if it weren't for this support. So it's crucial for us and for the entire Yukon population," board member Jacqueline Bedard told reporters in Whitehorse on Thursday. Raven Recycling is projecting total revenues this year of $260,000, compared to the $625,000 it generated two years ago....

Yukon News. May 1, 2009. By James Munson - Poverty in the Yukon is difficult to measure because it’s often hidden. But on the opening day of the Yukon’s first food bank provided a clue to extent of the problem. Within the wood enclosure inside the former Legion Hall on Alexander Street, one corner was still piled with bags waiting to be picked up by single people looking to fill their cupboards. Opposite that pile, the family bag corner was empty. The food bank had only been opened for four hours. “The family bags are all gone,” said Julie Menard, the food bank’s manager. “We thought today we’d have more single people, but we (actually) got six families.” At least 15 people used the facility on its first day, said Menard.“Today we had people coming from the communities,” she said. “As far as Mayo and Haines Junction.” Poverty in the Yukon stays under the radar because of social reasons, says Menard, one of the Anti-Poverty Coalition’s co-chairs.“A lot of the poverty is (hidden),” she said. “Because it’s cold and people live with other friends and people live in vans. They stay at their sister’s place.” Whitehorse’s privileged class also has its own brand of ignorance. Statistically, Whitehorse residents receive very high wages because territorial and federal government jobs pay well. But that makes it harder for those people to realize that there’s a subclass in town. “It’s really expensive living in the North,” said Menard. “Both parents have to work if there’s children. Even most of the people I know live with roommates.” “In Whitehorse, it’s so separated,” she said. “We have these big salaries and then we have the low-income Superstore workers and other poor workers.”“They don’t get bonuses.” The food bank has been a dream in the minds of Whitehorse social activists for the last several years. But once the ball got rolling, anti-poverty groups and businesses seemed an easy match. Yukon Energy donated $10,000 in cash and a refitted van to help with transportation, and Northwestel stepped up with free phone service. It took a certain amount of momentum to get people to believe it could happen, said Ross Findlater, the 70-year-old retired social worker who founded the Anti-Poverty Coalition in 1996. That critical mass was achieved at the coalition’s annual general meeting held in May 2006 in the United Church basement, he said.The movement began to ferment from that meeting, which was attended by politicians, social activists and people dealing with poverty. The coalition was able to get funding for a feasibility study after the meeting, said Findlater, and a report on a food bank plan was released in late 2007. For years, discussions and survey revealed that low-income earners in Whitehorse considered food security one of the hardest struggles to deal with, especially when children were involved, said Findlater.The coalition was the driver behind the food bank idea, an attempt to bring Whitehorse in league with other provincial and territorial capitals in the country, which all have food banks.........

Media Relations, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Whitehorse, Yukon. April 23, 2009 - The Government of Canada is helping the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) deliver economic and environmental benefits to the region through three projects. John Duncan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (INAC) and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, made the announcement today. "These projects support economic development while also contributing to our understanding of the Yukon's unique environment," said Mr. Duncan. "Economic development and environmental protection are key components of our Government's Northern Strategy."Through Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED), the YCS has received more than $187,000 for three projects............This announcement reinforces the Government's work to advance an integrated Northern Strategy that focuses on exercising Canada's Arctic sovereignty, protecting the North's environmental heritage, promoting social and economic development and improving and devolving northern governance.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 5/12/09; 8:37:58 AM – Permalink –   –

Nunatsiaq News. April 10, 2009. By Emanuel Lowl, Special to Nunatsiaq News -  “The issue is so desperate for solutions” The man responsible for Nunavik's housing service says the region is in a state of crisis. According to Andy Moorhouse, president of the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau, by this summer more than 1,000 additional homes will be needed to lodge all residents properly.But current government construction plans are doomed to fall far short of the demand.Currently, between 50 and 60 new houses are built each year. The region needs at least 140 new units a year just to keep up with population growth."The issue is so desperate for solutions that the frustration is being passed on to all of our staff," Moorhouse told Makivik's annual general meeting in Inukjuak.An anonymous point system determines who gets available shelter first. It is designed to head off accusations of favouritism.Nevertheless, angry Nunavimmiut who want roofs over their heads routinely put pressure on local housing staff.Long waits for maintenance also inflame people's moods, said Moorhouse, who complains that he too has had to wait for repairs to be completed on his home.Chronic damage to houses causes a domino effect that is leading to a steady deterioration of the condition of many buildings.The region has at best 30 full time staff to keep up with necessary repairs to more than 2,000 houses. It is estimated that one maintenance worker is required for every 60 units.....
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/23/09; 10:30:45 AM – Permalink –   –

CBC News.  April 14, 2009 - The federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department says it hopes to complete an extensive review soon of its food mail program, which subsidizes the costs of shipping nutritious food to isolated northern communities. The department is looking at the efficiency of the program, which cost the federal government almost $50 million to run last year.  The review is examining aspects of the program such as purchases, transportation, logistics and economic impacts, review team director Marc-Andre Poisson told CBC News.  Poisson added that the team is also evaluating options such as the distribution of traditional "country" foods and community greenhouses. "We have a team that was in place here for part of the last year, and we also hired several consultation firms [to do] various studies looking at different impacts," Poisson said.  The review team has completed the research phase, and Poisson said it's putting together all of the information.

Ottawa, Ontario. Marketwire. April 8, 2009 - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, reported today on the concrete steps taken as a result of Canada's Economic Action Plan. "With the measures we have taken up to now, our government is effectively responding to the short- and long-term challenges facing Aboriginal and Northern Canadians during these uncertain economic times. We are committed to ensuring that Aboriginal and Northern Canadians play an even greater role in the Canadian economy now and in the future. The $1.9 billion in investments being made with this Action Plan will go a long way to making this happen" said Minister Strahl..Canada's Economic Action Plan invests $515 million over the next two years for "ready-to-go" First Nations community infrastructure projects. This investment focuses on three priority areas: schools, water and critical community services. .....
Measures are also being put in place in the North to protect and secure Canada's sovereignty and create more economic opportunities. These include the $50 million over five years to support economic development in the North through the creation of a new northern economic development agency for the North and $90 million over five years for the renewal of the Strategic Initiative for Northern Economic Development.
The Economic Action Plan also includes crucial support for Northern research infrastructure. A $2-million feasibility study has started that will establish preliminary cost and design needs for the new High Arctic Research Station and evaluate the three potential locations for the station announced earlier by the Minister: Cambridge Bay, Pond Inlet and Resolute. The Minister also announced 20 recipients of the $85-million fund to upgrade key Arctic research facilities. These upgrades will ensure a strong research network is in place to support the new High Arctic Research Station and advance both social and economic goals for Northerners through scientific, technological and indigenous knowledge. Canada's Economic Action Plan also provides $200 million over two years to support the renovation and construction of new social housing units in the territories. Nunavut, where the need for new social housing is greatest, will be allotted $100 million.....

Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/9/09; 12:01:09 PM – Permalink –   –

The Canadian Press. April 2, 2009. By Bob Weber. Iqaluit, Nunavut - The cab driver has been up from Ottawa for a couple of weeks and he likes his new home in the capital of Nunavut just fine. Mostly. "Everybody's so warm and friendly,"..."But at night, this place just flips." As the good feelings from the new territory's 10th anniversary dissipate with the last bowl of caribou stew served at Wednesday's celebratory feast, Nunavut is left again to face the facts. The Inuit the territory was created to serve remain sick. Infant mortality, a standard gauge of child health, is three times the national average. Adult Inuit die an average of 15 years before their fellow Canadians and their life expectancy is actually declining. They remain poor. The median income of Nunavut residents isn't that different from the Canadian figure, but a closer look reveals a disturbing discrepancy. The average non-Inuit income in the territory is about $50,000; the average Inuit income is just $13,000. They're still poorly housed. The number of people per household is 50 per cent higher than elsewhere in Canada, in houses that are both smaller and older. And - the dark undercurrent that has the cabbie worried - they have become disturbingly violent. Some of that violence is turned inwards. Nunavut's suicide rate is 11 times the national average. But some of the crime is not. "Social violence is clogging up the courts," said Chris Debicki, director of legal aid for the Baffin and High Arctic region. "In the five years I've been here, there's been a steady increase in crime. There's been a steady increase in violent crime, and I wouldn't say things are getting better." Iqaluit, with about 7,000 residents, had 968 assaults in 2008 and 937 the previous year. The territory's rate of sexual assault in 2007 was 10 times the Canadian rate. Most victims, said Debicki, are women, often wives. But many are girls and boys, some of whom pass the violence along. "With my clients - with very, very few exceptions - these individuals can provide me with details of sexual violence committed against them. Now we see two or three generations in a straight line who are both victims and have now become victimizers." Debicki cautions that Nunavut's crime rates aren't that different from those in the northern regions of the southern provinces. "I don't think there's anything intrinsic in Inuit culture that leads to family violence." But today's Inuit - especially young men - face unique challenges that are tearing some apart, said Natan Obed, director of social development for Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which oversees the Nunavut land claim. On one hand, they are expected to be true to their culture, at home on the land and familiar with the skills their elders took a lifetime to learn. On the other, they are expected to succeed in offices and job sites with southern standards. "There's unrealistic expectations being generated," he said. "A young person has to be both a competent Inuk and a competent member of the new society. Both are full-time occupations." Inuit education doesn't prepare them for either. A 2006 report by retired justice Thomas Berger found that Nunavut schools graduate students fluent in neither English nor Inuktitut."You're, again, another failure," said Obed. "There's this focus on the shortcoming or the imperfections of young people." Being poor and living in a shabby, overcrowded house doesn't help. Add that to the lingering trauma of being forced off the land into communities, the relocation of entire groups of people and the medical evacuations of large numbers of Inuit in the 1960s and '70s who never returned. They were flown south, especially for treatment of tuberculosis, and never came back to their homes. Many died and their families to this day don't know where they're buried. The result is people who are confused, frustrated and angry.

INAC > News Room > New releases - Whitehorse, Yukon (January 16, 2009) - The Government of Canada is funding feasibility studies for enhanced recycling in the Yukon and planning for a green Small Materials Recycling Facility for Raven Recycling. The announcement was made by the Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians.Our Government is helping develop healthier, sustainable communities, in the North and across Canada.  This project enhances Yukons recycling capacity which means a a greener Northern environment and improved economic opportunities for Yukoners, said Minister Toews. Im proud that our Government continues to create important economic opportunities for Northerners. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has allocated $249,000 through the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program towards feasibility studies to determine the most effective ways to expand the current recycling collection system. The studies will include a transportation collection system from rural communities to Whitehorse and the potential capacity of a Materials Recovery Facility. The funding will also provide support to the development of an Integrated Design Plan for a new green building for Raven, including an automated sorting machine for recyclable material. Joy Snyder, Executive Director of Raven Recycling, said Raven is currently hampered by an inefficient building layout and antiquated processing facilities that limit its capacity. Building and processing inefficiencies limit the amount of resources that can be diverted from the waste stream, Snyder said. This funding will improve Ravens recycling capacity, and help us create a sustainable business solution.This project addresses a number of issues related to reducing the carbon footprint. Raven Recycling recognizes that there are opportunities to divert more waste from the municipal landfill if a facility capable of capturing more of the waste and selling it for profit was created. The presence of a high-grade, green recycling facility improves the quality of life for northerners and protects the environment by reducing waste and contaminants diverted to landfills. This project may be expanded into other communities, creating new and sustainable job opportunities and providing income to communities through recycling revenues.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 4/8/09; 11:22:51 AM – Permalink –   –

(Nunatsiaq News, March 13, 2009 - Jane George)
Leaders from Nunavik, Ottawa and Quebec City vowed once again last week in Montreal to build more new housing, improve services and cut the cost of living in Nunavik....
Also sealed on March 6 was a deal that would see the $3.8 million renovation of an existing building in Kangiqsualujjuaq, so it can be transformed into a "multifunctional accommodation centre." This centre will include 11 housing units for elders, five units for people with disabilities, common areas equipped with kitchens, and two adapted transition units for people recovering from illnesses, awaiting renovations to their homes or who are victims of violence.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 3/20/09; 2:10:20 PM – Permalink –   –

(Jane George,  Nunatsiaq News  February 27, 2009)  KUUJJUAQ - A whack of new social housing units likely lie in store for Nunavik.A meeting of Nunavik's regional organizations on Feb. 27 in Kuujjuaq is expected to pave the way for the announcement of a multi-million-dollar package of deals at a news conference March 6 in Montreal, according to information from the Kativik Regional Government in Kuujjuaq. A social housing deal, which will involve the federal and provincial governments as well as Makivik Corp., could be worth as much as $230 million over five to 10 years. This figure represents about the cost of 900 social housing units, which are needed to meet Nunavik's current housing shortage and fulfill the governments' obligations under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. An amount specifically earmarked for social housing for Nunavik was not included in the last federal budget. The Hudson Bay community of Puvirnituq is also expected to get the word that it will receive $12 million from Ottawa's airport capital program....
Posted by Valoree Walker – 3/20/09; 2:10:12 PM – Permalink –   –

(Whitehorse Star, February 13, 2009 - by Justine Davidson)  There is not enough money, not enough bodies and not enough support from government to keep Crime Prevention Yukon running, its board and staff members said today. The board of directors of the non-profit society made the decision to dissolve the organization last month. It took out an ad in today’s newspaper to announce the end of its 14-year mission to reduce crime in the territory through education, community involvement and cooperation, stating: “Prolonged limited funding opportunities and a lack of collaborative support, as well as human capacity issues and bleak expectation of future opportunities have led the board ... to decide to cease operations.” The society has done its fair share of education and community building over the past decade and a half, through projects like the Vital Communities Program, and the summer and winter youth activity and leadership programs it runs every year. But as the society enters its final weeks of operation, it appears cooperation from the Yukon government and government agencies was not forthcoming. “We have tried to get core funding especially from the Yukon government,” and from all levels of government,” Koppang said. “I don’t think even the federal government seems to be too concerned about crime at the moment.”The one level of government that was consistently supportive was the City of Whitehorse, she added. Because the society received no core funding, money guaranteed over the course of its life, staff at Crime Prevention Yukon (CPY) were constantly applying for funds for their next project. “Most of the time they require you to come up with something new,” CPY executive director Ryn Bunicich said today. “So even if you have a successful program, you have to come up with something else, you have to reinvent the wheel every time....But money hasn’t been the society’s only source of angst.  Both Koppang and Bunicich cited a lack of participation from the RCMP as part of the problem. The police stopped sharing crime statistics with the society, and the public, in 2004. That decision falls in line with the government’s overall attitude around crime, Bunicich said... People power was another problem.......

Posted by Valoree Walker – 3/20/09; 2:09:19 PM – Permalink –   –

(CBC News Friday, February 6, 2009) -- Statistics Canada staff were in Nunavut this week to present some worrying findings about the social conditions of Inuit in the territory from the 2006 census. This week's visit marked the first time analysts with the federal agency have visited Nunavut to share their data. They met with about 60 representatives from various government and Inuit agencies. "We know that Inuit in Nunavut live in some of the most crowded conditions in the country," Heather Tait, a Statistics Canada analyst who works with social and aboriginal statistics, told CBC News in an interview. "In 2006, about 39 per cent of Inuit in Nunavut lived in crowded conditions, compared to about three per cent for the total population in Canada." Much of that overcrowding resulted from extended families living together, Tait said, adding that it may explain why about 75 per cent of Inuit children had someone nearby to help them understand traditional culture and history....

CBC News (Monday, February 2, 2009) -- Territorial housing ministers from the northern territories say new money for social housing promised in the federal budget is just part of the government's long-term investment in the North.  Ministers from Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon met in Iqaluit on Friday, in part to discuss the federal government's promised $200-million infusion for social housing.  The funding, to be spent over two years, would include $50 million each for the Yukon and the N.W.T., and $100 million for Nunavut, where upwards of 3,300 new social housing units are needed to relieve chornic overcrowding."While there's housing issues across Canada, ours in the North are fairly unique," Michael McLeod, minister responsible for the N.W.T. Housing Corp., told reporters at Friday's meeting. "The dollars that were provided by the federal government is certainly welcoming, although in order to provide for the long haul, we need to be able to depend on a steady stream of funding."....

Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 1:20:47 PM – Permalink –   –

(January 29, 2009) -- Habitat for Humanity and Yukon Housing Corporation are joining forces to build a new multi-family project in downtown Whitehorse. "Yukon Housing and Habitat share the same goal of affordable housing," said Jim Kenyon, Minister responsible for YHC. "By working together on this project, we're creating an opportunity for families who wouldn't have achieved homeownership otherwise." Construction on this SuperGreen multi-family unit is expected to begin in spring 2009. The home will be built by volunteers, homeowners, and businesses with cost-reduced or donated materials. Yukon Housing Corporation purchased the lot at 810 Wheeler Street from Natalie Stinson on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. The corporation is also providing assistance with design, and with the additional costs of constructing the home to its new, highly energy efficient SuperGreen standards....

Habitat for Humanity is an independent, non-profit, housing program dedicated to the elimination of poverty housing by building homes in partnership with families in need. The mandate of Habitat is to provide simple, decent, affordable housing to those who would not qualify or be able to afford a conventional mortgage. The Habitat program is about home ownership, a long-term solution designed to break the poverty cycle.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 1:20:36 PM – Permalink –   –

(By Genesee Keevil,  Yukon News, January 19, 2009)  -- Just before Christmas, Blood Ties Four Directions Centre got the boot. The support agency for those struggling with HIV AIDS and hepatitis C had rented office space in the Yukon Inn complex for the last six years. But in December, executive director Patricia Bacon was told her lease would not be renewed. Her office was part of a larger rental agreement with a client who wanted a big chunk of the Yukon Inn complex. “I guess, having one renter for a whole lot of space is better than a bunch of broken-up spaces,” said Bacon. “So, at the beginning of December we found out we’d have to move by the end of January,” she said....

(Whitehorse Star, January 20, 2009) - The construction of a new affordable housing unit where the notorious 810 Wheeler St. drug house used to be will go ahead with the participation of Yukon College, it was announced today. The construction of a new affordable housing unit where the notorious 810 Wheeler St. drug house used to be will go ahead with the participation of Yukon College, it was announced today. “We’re going to have a needy family, or needy families, who are going to have a home, the students are going to be engaged in an exciting project and learning skills ... (and very) importantly, we’re going to be expanding green technology that will benefit all of Yukon and all of the North,“ said college president Terry Weninger....
Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 1:15:58 PM – Permalink –   –

(By Genesee Keevil,  Yukon News, December 12, 2008) -- Hundreds of hungry Yukoners who have struggled without a food bank for years may finally get a chance to start filling their plates. In April, Whitehorse’s first full-service food bank is scheduled to open its doors at the Legion Hall on Alexander Street. “A society is only as strong as it treats its least-fortunate citizens,” said Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell, attending a Food Bank Society of Whitehorse news conference on Thursday. “It’s up to us to make sure no one falls through the cracks.”....
Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 1:12:07 PM – Permalink –   –

(CBC News, January 6, 2009) -- Groups battling homelessness in Canada's North say their priority in 2009 is specifically to help more women and children in need of shelter. The Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, which opened the Bailey House transitional facility for men in late 2008, says it plans to address the needs of homeless women and children this year. "The next community plan included women ... so that is our next priority," coalition co-chair Sandra Turner told CBC News. "We have until the end of March to identify a project that we can use about $390,000 that we have still within the community plan for women and children." Turner said the coalition plans to deliver a report card on homelessness this spring. It is also working on acquiring some new property, which could lead to more beds as early as this summer. In Nunavut, the YWCA and the Baffin Regional Agvvik Society announced last week they will form a partnership on April 1 — to be called YWCA Agvvik Nunavut — and work on opening Sivumut, a 12-bed homeless shelter for women in Iqaluit. The Baffin Regional Agvvik Society currently operates the Qimaavik women's shelter in nearby Apex, which has 21 beds. In the Yukon, the Youth of Today Society has been working on establishing a homeless youth shelter in Whitehorse, to be called Angel's Nest.
Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 1:06:36 PM – Permalink –   –

(CBC News, January 27, 2009) -- Hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to flow to Canada's North as a result of Tuesday's federal budget, with money promised for projects ranging from much-needed public housing to a High Arctic research station. As part of the $40-billion economic stimulus plan unveiled in Ottawa on Tuesday by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, $200 million will flow over two years to social housing units to be built and renovated across the three northern territories. "The Yukon and Northwest Territories will receive $50 million each, while the remaining $100 million will be allocated to Nunavut, where the need for new social housing is greatest," the budget document reads in part. The dedicated funding will be administered through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp....
Posted by Valoree Walker – 2/4/09; 11:19:05 AM – Permalink –   –