1. education
2. school

Volume 21 Issue 38
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
75 CENTS
Heat wave breaks record
Five days of temperatures in the high 20s marks hottest stretch in May
in the 118 years since data began being tracked in Deh Cho
Students throw
feast for Jean
Marie River
Village ponders
offering $68K
tax break for
LKFN member
Territory talks
about highway
fixes ahead
Publication mail
Contract #40012157
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
2 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
community
School transformed into restaurant
Jean Marie River students open up the Lynx Cafe as part of school project
photo courtesy of Louie Norwegian School
Martin Antoine smiles on the job while playing chef at Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River.
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Tthek'ehdeli/
Jean Marie River
Louie Norwegian School
was transformed into a fine
dining destination for an
afternoon when students
opened up the Lynx Cafe as
part of a restaurant project.
Students from grade one
to eight, playing roles from
cook to host and waiter, treated 22 community members to
a full meal.
"I noticed the kids really
enjoy playing
kitchen with
the play toys
we have and I
thought it would
be exciting for
them to maybe
actually do a real restaurant
for their parents and community members," said teacher Brooke Suwala about the
idea's origin.
Suwala helped students
prepare a menu of caesar
salad, chicken noodle soup,
shepherd's pie, lasagna and
apple crumble.
Some of the women in
town volunteered to help out
and made fresh bread to go
with the meal.
In preparation for the restaurant's grand opening, the
children made posters and
decorated the school.
"It looked like a real restaurant," said Suwala.
Students set the tables and
practised beforehand how to
address people, take orders
and make sure customers are
happy.
"It was tiring," admitted Grade 8 student Zaida
Sanguez, who thinks she
might like to be a restaurant
host one day.
Suwala said it was an eyeopening experience for students to learn that real work
is hard.
"After 40 minutes, they're
like, 'I'm tired,' and I'm like,
'Well that's what having a job
is,'" said Suwala.
"It was good for them to
see."
She was impressed with
how seriously students took
the endeavour and how
excited they
were to show
community members
that it was a
real restaurant.
"I think they were successful in that because all
the community members
who came were real pleased
with their experience," said
Suwala.
Students were a bit shy to
serve customers at the start,
she said.
"They were nervous, but
once they got prodded, they
got right into it," said Suwala.
"I had six-year-olds acting
as hosts and servers and they
did a really good job."
Following the success of
the event, Suwala said the
Lynx Cafe might become a
yearly occurrence.
Suwala said it's important
to give students these kind of
experiences.
"At the end of the night we
all sat down and ate together
and I could see how proud the
kids were that they'd done a
good job," she said.
COFFEE
Break
feature news
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015 3
Did we get it wrong?
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that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If
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NEWS
Briefs
Free dumping
in Fort Simpson
for month
Fort Simpson has waived tipping fees for residential garbage
at the dump for the month of
May.
The idea originated with deputy mayor Stella Nadia, who said
some people would be out of
town during the large item pickup days and she didn't want to see
their garbage sit around all year
because of that.
"There are a lot of eyesores
around town," said Nadia at the
last council meeting.
With the community cleanup
earlier this month, she wanted
Fort Simpson to get as full a
spring cleaning as possible.
Councillors voted in favour
of the motion to waive tipping
fees for residential garbage during May.
DFN voice opposition
to fracking
First Nation leaders from the
Dehcho territory have committed
to a fracking ban on traditional
lands.
They met at a leadership meeting in Fort Simpson earlier this
month and passed a resolution
saying fracking will not be permitted anywhere within 215,000
square-kilometres of the Dehcho.
The resolution claims the
GNWT never sought Dehcho
First Nations consent when drafting its hydraulic fracturing regulations.
"Our people feel very strongly
about this issue," stated Grand
Chief Herb Norwegian in a news
release.
"The GNWT needs to respect
the wishes of our people and
respect the laws of the Dehcho."
Career fair to be held
at Deh Gah School
Fort Providence is hosting a
career fair on May 20 at Deh Gah
School.
Education, Culture and
Employment and the Zahti Koe
Friendship Centre are teaming up
to run the fair, which starts at 1
p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m.
Deh Cho Bridge toll
increases this week
As of Friday, May 15, the Deh
Cho Bridge tolls will be increasing by 1.9 per cent.
The increase is in accordance
with the consumer price index.
A new tolling class of nine or
more axles will also be added.
Commercial vehicles with toll
permits will face charges of $95
to $392 depending on number of
axles, excluding pick-up trucks
and buses.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Dolly Tsetso holds a letter from the Village of Fort Simpson stating its intention to forgive over $68,000 in property taxes and
penalties. She says the process has caused her considerable pain.
Back taxes may be forgiven
Village begins process of settling $71K tax dispute
with DKFN band member
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
A years-long tax dispute in Fort
Simpson is coming to a close after
the village began the process of forgiving more than $68,000 in unpaid
property taxes and penalties for
Dolly Tsetso last week.
Tsetso owes $71,002.60 in back
taxes, of which more than $51,000 is
due to penalties that have accumulated from unpaid property taxes
dating back to 2003. As of this fiscal
year Tsetso owed $16,832.29 in property taxes and another $2,844.56 in
school taxes.
On Monday night, council voted
unanimously in favour of a motion
to draft a bylaw that would forgive
all but the $2,844.56 worth of school
taxes owed by Tsetso.
"This has been plaguing our
community for longer than I care
to remember," said Coun. Ron
McCagg.
"This lady's been through a lot of
grief and a lot of stress.
"We have to find in favour of this
lady. We really do."
Citing a conflict of interest due
to family relations, Mayor Sean
Whelly recused himself while council deliberated.
Tsetso did not pay her taxes since
2003, when she first received a letter from the village stating she was
in arrears, because she believed
her property was on Liidlii Kue
First Nation land and was therefore
exempt from paying property taxes.
She said she had an assurance
from Jim Antoine, the Liidlii Kue
"This was a long process for me,"
First Nation chief at the time, who
she said told her in 1989 that her said Tsetso, holding a letter with the
village's intent to erase the majority
property was on band land.
"When we first got this lot, we of her property taxes and penalties
asked for band land," said Tsetso. in her home.
"There was a lot of grief, mental
"This was not band land. But in that
letter (Jim Antoine, LKFN chief and emotional pain for myself."
at the time) wrote us, he said that's
'Skating on very thin ice'
band land, go ahead and build on it.
Although councillors were all in
So we built on it."
favour of the motion,
The problem, however, was that Antoine
they made it clear that
failed to get all five
Tsetso's case was an
signatures required
exceptional circumstance. They agreed
from the band to officially transfer the land,
the bylaw will have to
said Tsetso.
be worded very clearly in order to prevent
"There was no
other residents from
explanation, no letter
asking their taxes to be
telling me anything
forgiven on unreasonthat was happening,"
Coun. Ron McCagg
able grounds.
she said. "I was not
"We're going to
aware of anything at
review these cases one at a time,"
all."
Tsetso said she was assured the said McCagg. "That's all we can do,
land would be transferred to LKFN and that's why people actually voted
for us."
band lands in 2002.
Deputy mayor Stella Nadia
In 2003, the NWT Housing Corporation relinquished the property's expressed concern that the village
title to the Commissioners land was going to write off the work it
without informing her, said Tsetso. had done on tax arrears files over
That year, the village informed Tset- the last several years, while Coun.
so she owed property taxes.
Laura Keats worried that council
She said she went to the band was "skating on very thin ice" by
office with the letter and was told being lenient with Tsetso.
the band would deal with it.
Nadia suggested that Tsetso
The band didn't, and this process should still pay the $2,844.56 in
repeated itself time and time again school taxes owing to deter residents
over the years, she said. Tsetso then from allowing their taxes from falltook it upon herself to start con- ing into arrears.
tacting people in different levels
"I think she has to be left holding
of government to help resolve her something here to send a message
out to other people that are in this
problem.
"This lady's
been through
a lot of grief
and a lot of
stress."
situation themselves that you have to
clear these things up as soon as they
arise," she said.
In the end council agreed that
was the best way to proceed.
Beth Jumbo, acting senior administrative officer, said Tsetso is trying
to get to the point where she can do
a land swap with the federal government so that her property can be
protected as band land in the future.
At the village meeting, councillors thought the process for Tsetso to
get her land officially swapped could
take more than a year and stipulated
that she would be responsible for any
further property taxes until then.
Tsetso said she does not have an
issue with paying the school taxes
she owes and any future taxes that
may be levied while she is waiting
for the land swap to come into effect.
She said she is in the process of getting a loan from the bank to cover
the school taxes and any further
taxes.
"If it's got anything to do with
school, I don't mind," she said.
Although she is glad that council
is moving ahead on the issue, she
hopes the land swap will be resolved
sooner rather than later.
"I pray to God that this is going
to be over and done with for me
inside of a year," she said. "It's really
taken a toll on me."
Tsetso said she can't see band
members paying taxes.
"They really shouldn't have to,"
she said. "This is our land. This is
ours. We were here long before the
people who are saying, 'Oh you gotta
pay taxes.'"
4 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
news
Gardening fans look ahead
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Sheila Gunderson, left, gives her input as consultants Jerry Bouma and
Markus Weber listen at the agricultural meeting in Fort Simpson on Monday.
Participants were asked to give their vision for local agriculture in the next 10
Agriculture forum hears interest in more
growing opportunities
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Fort Simpson has the summer sunlight required to produce bountiful gardens but
changes will be required to
capitalize on that opportunity.
About a dozen people
showed up to an agricultural
meeting hosted by the GNWT
in conjunction with Serecon
Consulting Group on Monday
night.
Instead of the usual handing out of booklets and long
speeches from government
officials, the meeting was
audience-driven and more of
a forum for ideas from community members.
The question of the night
was what would people like to
see on the agricultural front 10
years from now in Fort Simpson and what barriers stand in
the way.
Rolande
Norwegian
thought there could be a
greenhouse opportunity in
town.
She said the community
could provide local employment to keep the greenhouse
going all year round.
She also wondered about
the village having a green
park with fruit-bearing trees.
"Fort Simpson has the
midnight sunlight," she said.
"Why can't we produce some
beautiful trees?"
Norwegian thought there
could be a business opportunity for someone there.
Val Gendron underwent a
long process to lease a piece of
land to grow potatoes. Initially, it was going to cost her
$600 per year.
"On one hand the government is saying go out and
build gardens," she said. "On
the other I'm like, 'Those are
some very expensive potatoes.'"
Children love to garden
and should have more opportunities to do so, especially
during the school year, she
said.
"My vision for all of Fort
Simpson is if everybody had
a backyard garden," said Gendron. "You don't need that big
of a garden to support your
family."
Renalyn Pascua-Matte
was involved with starting the
community garden in town.
She said the garden does well
even without additives in the
soil.
"My vision is that if we
produce a lot of vegetables
here we don't even have to buy
from the stores," she said.
"I find it healthy because
we don't put any additives
in the soil, and because it's
accessible we end up giving
it away to elders and to other
individuals."
Gardening keeps her sane,
she said, adding that what the
town needs is proper storage
for vegetables. Pascua-Matte
wants to see more workshops
to teach people about gardening.
Markus Weber, consultant with Serecon Consulting
Group, said he had received
lots of suggestions on how
to improve agriculture in the
region as a result of the meeting.
"One thing I've heard from
all of you is you want something different from the status
quo," he said.
Weber and the GNWT are
continuing to solicit feedback
in agricultural meetings across
the territory until May 26.
opinions
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015 5
Tax forgiveness
raises hard
questions
Why is the onus falling on Fort
Simpson taxpayers to fix this lengthy
Forgiving taxes is a sensitive submiscommunication?
ject.
With the complication
Deputy mayor Stella
THE
ISSUE:
of
land
claims, Tsetso’s
Nadia clearly wrestled with
TAX
situation is unique and it
the fairness of forgiving
FORGIVENESS
is understandable how the
Dolly Tsetso’s taxes to the
problem manifested itself.
WE SAY:
tune of $68,000 before
NOTHING IS
We can all empathize,
making her vote.
FAIR
and it’s not a clear case of
And it’s simply not fair
someone disobeying the
that one person might have
law.
her taxes forgiven when
But
as
Nadia
said during the counplenty of other people are struggling,
confused by laws or otherwise in simi- cil meeting, everyone’s situation is
unique.
lar positions.
We could come up
But fairness is a murky
with reasons every
concept, and like in life
person in the country
itself, nothing is fair with
should have tax forgivethe government.
ness.
Councillors were worried
The village was worabout the precedent this
ried about what precedmight set, whether more
ent this might set, but
people would start coming
we should also consider
forward asking for tax forthe message it sends.
giveness now.
STEWART
Is it that the bigCoun. Leah Keats was
ger
someone lets their
BURNETT
right to call this decision
problem get, the higher
treading on thin ice.
likelihood they might get
Tsetso was sure there
had been a mistake all along and the bailed out?
That’s a snub to people who make
taxes charged to her were inapproprisacrifices
to keep on top of their bills
ate and unfair.
and pay off debt.
Tsetso, a Liidlii Kue First Nation
Fort Simpson council has shown
band member, believed the land she
it’s
willing to selectively enforce laws
wanted to build a house on in 1989
depending on who you are and what
was band land and said the chief at
circumstances you have.
the time, Jim Antoine, assured her it
The only way residents can judge
was.
the fairness of that is in the voting
But problems arose in 2003
booth.
when she received a notice from the
villwage that she owed taxes.
It should not have taken 12 years
for the issue to be handled.
DO YOUTH IN THE DEH CHO HAVE A
If this originates from the band’s
WIDE VARIETY OF JOB OPPORTUNerror, why isn’t LKFN helping monetar- ITIES?
No, they must leave the region to pursue
ily?
Northern News Services
many careers.
67%
Wrigley
M ack en
zi e Ri ver
NNSL WEB POLL
Fort Simpson
Nahanni Butte
Fort
Jean Marie Providence
Fort Liard
Yell
River
Trout Lake
Great Slave
Kakisa 3
Lake
Hay River
Yes, there are many careers open to them
in the region.
33%
HAVE YOUR SAY
Should municipal governments ever forgive
property taxes? Go online to www.nnsl.com/
dehcho to vote in this week's poll.
Published Thursdays
2014
WRECKAGE CLEARED UP
Public works crews were busy cleaning up the old site of the Lynx River Crafts
store, which burned down last spring. Mayor Sean Whelly said the Village of
Fort Simpson took on the cost to clean up the site as a favour to Peter Shaw,
owner of the craft store, who had a lengthy career of volunteering for the
village as a coroner and ambulance driver. He said there was some delay in
cleaning up the property, which had become an eyesore, because the village
wanted to let Shaw recover anything he wanted to keep.
DEH CHO OFFICE:
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Website: www.nnsl.com/dehcho
Also read in Fort Liard • Fort Providence • Fort Simpson
Jean Marie River • Nahanni Butte • Trout Lake
Wrigley• Kakisa and occasionally Lynx River
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6 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
news
Heat wave breaks 118-year-old record
Environment Canada says high temperatures are just the beginning
of what is expected to be a hot summer in the NWT
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Cadence Erasmus, left, and Jaicee and Nylaina Tsetso couldn't stand the heat
in Fort Simpson on Tuesday. The community recently broke a 118-year-old record after a five-day heat wave brought temperatures in the high 20s for several
days in a row in the middle of May.
fact
FILE
HOTTEST MAY DAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS
1897-1963
Date
Temperature
May 10, 1924 23.3
May 11, 1912 23.9
May 12, 1912 24.4
May 13, 1924 30.0
May 14, 1924 30.0
1964-2014
Date
Temperature
May 10, 2003 24.4
May 11, 1975 25.0
May 12, 1971 27.8
May 13, 2014 23.9
May 14, 1980 25.7
2015
Date
Temperature
May 10, 2015 26.9
May 11, 2015 27.5
May 12, 2015 28.0
May 13, 2015 27.0
May 14, 2015 27.0
source: Environment Canada
by Stewart Burnett
iod. Two weather stations
in the village have tracked
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson temperatures since 1897. This
A five-day heat wave in year’s May 10, 11 and 12
Fort Simpson has broken a were the hottest in recorded
118-year-old record.
history. The last time temper“It’s one thing to break atures were this high in Fort
a one-day recSimpson was
ord,” said David
August.
Phillips, senior
“Here we
climatologist with
are not even at
Environment
the half point
Canada. “It is
of May,” said
near impossible
Phillips.
to break five days
“It is quite
of records.”
an unusual
Temperatures
bout of weathfrom May 10 to 14
er. I’m not sure
David Phillips
in Fort Simpson
people
are
hovered around
happy about
27 and 28 C.
it or worried
That is more than 10 about it.”
degrees warmer than the
And it’s not the end of the
usual high during this per- heat.
Northern News Services
"It is near
impossible
to break five
days of
records."
“Our models show for
May, June, July and August
we think the northwest of
Canada will be warmer than
normal, even warmer than
last year,” said Phillips.
Warm air from the southern end of the continent is
being pressed down over the
region and raising the temperature.
Phillips said it’s not a
worry right now but if high
temperatures continue and
there is no precipitation, that
could create forest fire hazards.
He called the current climate a “no-weather zone.”
“I often think the weather
you're blessing may be the
weather you're cursing later
on,” he said. “You always
want that balance in nature.”
photo stories
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015 7
A celebration of service
The whole team of volunteer firefighters join for a group shot after awards were handed out.
BALL
Feature
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
The community came out
to celebrate volunteer firefighters with Fort Simpson's first
Fireman's Ball last Saturday
night.
A dimly lit rec centre
hosted an evening of dinner,
awards and dancing for the
Before the ball, volunteer firefighters were busy Thursday night practising by the village golf course.
Roger Pilling, left, fire chief, awards auxiliary firefighter Lee Scobie for 16
years of service, with Travis Wright, assistant fire marshal.
Fort Simpson Volunteer Firefighters Department.
Guests dressed formally
and congratulated local firefighters on their dedication
to service. Ted Grant, owner
of Simpson Air, emceed the
event. The department has a
force of 16 regular and four
auxiliary members.
Ted Grant, owner of Simpson Air, hosted the ball.
Travis Wright, assistant fire marshal, awards Michael Rowe for two years of
service.
8 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
news
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015 9
LOOKING
GOOD WHILE
CLEANING THE
STREETS
Every good working
group needs a media
relations person. Kaden
Nahanni-Kwasney, left,
strikes a pose while
Tyrone Lennie, Elohdie
Fabre-Dimsdale, Gabriella Hardisty-Beaverho,
Lydia Nelner and Mikayla
Lafferty clean the streets
during the community
cleanup.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Road upgrades on the way
Much needed repairs to Highways 1 and 7 expected over the next few years
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Stewart Burnett/NNSLphoto
Pietro de Bastiani, assistant director of planning,
policy and communications with the Department of
Transportation, said Highway 1 and Highway 7 will
see improvements in the next few years. He was
in Fort Simpson during the GNWT's consulting on
transportation meetings.
The Deh Cho's highways
could be getting some much
needed love in the near future.
According to Pietro de Bastiani, assistant director of
planning, policy and communications with the Department of Transportation, Highway 1 and Highway 7 will be
having work done on them
over the next few years.
Along with other representatives of the GNWT, de
Bastiani was in Fort Simpson
recently, talking with community members about the
government's transportation
plans for the region.
During the meeting de Bastiani told residents the government will be repairing drainage issues and problems with
the road's base on Highway 1.
"As we complete those
repairs then we can chipseal
the surface," said de Bastiani,
referring to the alternative to
asphalt paving which is easy
to repair.
Similar improvements will
be made to Highway 7, de Bastiani said, although that road is
built to a lower standard than
Highway 1.
"We're undertaking some
significant work on problematic areas," he said. "Eventually we would be looking at
putting some chipseal surface
on sections of that highway,
but mainly dealing with some
of the base problems on the
highway at this point that
require attention."
During the meeting, audience members expressed concern with a lack of specifics
provided.
"You haven't given us any
timeframe on any of the stuff
that matters to us," Kirby
Groat said at the meeting.
Much of the work hangs on
decisions the new government
will make after the fall elec-
tion, de Bastiani replied.
Current work on Highway
1 and 7 is being done with
federal funding negotiated on
a year-to-year basis.
"It's a substantial amount
of work each year on all of
our main highways," said de
Bastiani without giving a dollar figure.
At the meeting, Groat also
told de Bastiani the work on
Highway 7 was starting at the
wrong end, toward the British
Columbia border and not closer to Fort Simpson. de Bastiani, however, refuted Groat's
claims.
"It is not all going on down
near the B.C. border," said de
Bastiani. "There is work going
on closer to Fort Simpson as
well."
He said there is a significant amount of traffic between
Fort Liard and Fort Nelson,
B.C., and part of the Northwest Territories' population
needs access to the British
Columbian community for
medical services among other
things.
"We look at he highway
in its entirety and as we are
able to secure financial resources we go ahead and allocate
those to the areas we can make
the most substantial improvements to the highway," said de
Bastiani.
During the meetings
around the territory, he said he
heard three consistent themes:
improve the current system,
expand winter roads to allweather roads and innovate
service and construction techniques.
"People want improvements to the highway system,
to the winter roads and in most
cases they would like to see
the overall system continue to
improve to help with their own
cost of living to attract tourism
and to open up new business
and economic opportunities,"
said de Bastiani.
River ice breaks on Mother's Day
Northern News Services
Pehdzeh Ki/Wrigley
Students at Chief Julian Yendo School were treated to two
days of sessions in a Take a Kid Gardening program this week.
Students learned how to assemble planter boxes, prepare
soil, plant seeds, identify plants and much more.
In June, six to eight youth will be heading to the Northwest
Territories track and field championships.
Today there's a community barbecue at the school at 5 p.m.
Ice broke on the river on Mother's Day, signalling the start
of spring.
People are getting ready for duck hunting and boating on the
water. Ferry service should start soon.
It's been hot in Wrigley this past week, even hitting 30 C at
one point.
Beaver hunting in full swing
Sambaa K'e/Trout Lake
People have been hunting in the bush for duck and beaver
recently. Fishing has yet to start as the rivers are still flowing
strongly and muddy right now.
Primarily geese, duck, beaver and muskrat are being hunted.
There have been a few bear sightings and people are cautioned about bear safety in the bush.
The fire crew has been training with the recent hot weather.
Temperatures hit 30 C this week.
Almost the whole community came out for a Mother's Day
feast of beaver, ribs and more.
Goalies soccer clinic this weekend
Acho Dene Koe/Fort Liard
Echo Dene School is hosting a goalies soccer clinic for youth
Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
A coach is coming from Yellowknife and registration is open
to any interested youth. Talk to Amy at the hamlet office for
details.
Like the whole region, it's been hot in Fort Liard, with temperatures hitting 27 and 28 C.
Community cleanup on the way
Tthenaago/Nahanni Butte
Nahanni Butte invites the community out to clean up the
town on May 16 starting at 1 p.m.
COMMUNITY Clips
with Stewart Burnett
[email protected]
There will be a volunteer sign-up sheet posted at the band
office.
Gloves, bags and water bottles are being provided by NWT
Power Corp.
The band office will be closed on May 18 for Victoria Day.
The community wishes a happy birthday to Sara Gordon
on May 15.
Time for celebration
Deh Gah Got'ie Koe/Fort Providence
Fort Providence is celebrating a wedding between Violet
Landry and Kevin Wilson on May 16.
The community wishes a happy birthday to Sophie Bonnetrouge on May 19.
alternatives
10 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
STREET talk
In what circumstances should
the village offer residents
property tax forgiveness?
with Stewart Burnett
[email protected]
Valerie Nahanni
"If they kept up with it there
wouldn't be a problem."
Shane Kwasney
"They shouldn't offer forgiveness. You want the services,
you pay the taxes."
Student of the week
Gordon Thompson
"None. Pay your bills. Simple
as that."
ZACHARY TESOU
Rebecca Tsetso
"The village shouldn't ever
offer residents property tax forgiveness."
Lonnie Wright
"They shouldn't offer property
tax forgiveness."
Horoscopes May 14 to 21
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you will have a lot energy this week.
Channel your energy into a project that is especially meaningful to
you and those you love.
TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Nervous energy may leave you feeling
a bit out of sorts, Taurus. Find a way to keep busy so your nerves
don't get the better of you. Invite a friend over.
GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, a friend may be in a bind and
come to you for advice and assistance. Find the right words to heal
any wounds and provide the support this person needs.
CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Changes at home make this an exciting
time for you, Cancer. Enjoy these changes for the excitement they
bring and take some time to reflect on the good things in your life.
LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, resist the urge to offer advice unless
you are asked to do so. You do not need to expend extra energy on
something that is beyond your control and does not concern you.
VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 You may have to use your intuition to
get to the root of a situation, Virgo. Even financial concerns can be
resolved if you go with your gut. Trust a friend to help you out.
LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, make the most of some upcoming
free time. Use the down time to reflect on where you want to be
going forward and what you need to do to get there.
SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, you have a need to keep a
secret, but the excitement is building and making it hard to do so.
Keep in mind the surprise will be that much better if you hold out.
SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, a hectic schedule may
compromise your ability to get together with friends. Although you
may be disappointed, there will be other opportunities.
CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 A visitor needs a little sympathy and
compassion from you this week, Capricorn. His or her situation can
put life in perspective and help calm your own nerves.
AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Plans for a vacation could be hampered by circumstances beyond your control, Aquarius. It may
come down to funds being needed elsewhere. Your time for travel
will come.
PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, some unexpected news is coming your way. Prepare yourself for a change and keep the faith that
the change will be positive.
Kathy Konisenta
"I pay mine in full every year so
I don't know."
Fighting to get
him back
My husband of 10 years is divorcing me. We have three
young children. He says the past two years have been hard on
him because I didn't care about him, which is a lie. I love him. I
have always loved him.
The past two years he's worked 80 hours a week while I was
a stay-at-home mom. He resented working so much to sustain
our lifestyle and I resented him for never being here. He believes
divorce is what he needs to be a better father because he takes
out his anger on the kids.
We never had a conversation about any of this until he decided to leave. I don't know what to do because I know divorce is
never good for children.
He thinks I am using him for his money, but I have been
with him through medical school, residency and now private
practice. I worked the first years of our marriage while he was
in school, so that statement is not true.
We separated 15 months ago. A year ago he filed for divorce
but we are still married. He never gave me a true reason why he
left. Two months ago, I found out he proposed to someone early
last year. The girl is much younger than he is.
He denies it all. However, there's photographic evidence of
the proposal and ring on their wedding website. I don't know
what to believe.
I want our family and I want us. I never wanted separation or
divorce, and I have been fighting to get him back. Since I found
out about the affair and engagement, we have been talking
through texts and trying to figure out what happened to us.
Am I doing the right thing in fighting for him, or should I let
go? Do cheaters always cheat?
Regina
Regina, what he is doing is a cliche: trading in the wife for a
younger model.
Let's look at your last question first. Do cheaters always
cheat?
The problem with staying with a cheater is that cheating
Age: 11
Parents: Fred and Carol Tesou
School: Bompas Elementary School
Teacher's remarks: He's delightful. He's helpful and he's
really good with other kids. Zachary is overall the most
cooperative. We're all trying to get him out of his shell!
Favourite subject: Gym and Math
Book of choice: Calvin & Hobbes
Favourite food: Hamburgers
Hobbies and pastimes: Walking around town
Career aspirations: Zachary hopes to become a lawyer
DIRECT
Answers
with Wayne & Tamara Mitchell
[email protected]
destroys trust. We have a built-in cheater alarm which goes off
whenever we are with someone who has broken faith with us.
This sense has developed over the long course of human history
on the planet. Why? Because dealing with cheaters is a highrisk activity.
He says he resents you for the long hours of work he has put
in. The reality is in his profession he would have put in nearly
the same amount of work with or without you. The amount of
work strikes us as a justification, not a reason. He thinks he is
entitled to a younger woman. He's "earned" it.
You wrote that you've been "trying to figure out what happened to us," but you are talking with a man who is engaged to
another woman. Most likely he wants to calm you to ease his
escape. Should you fight for your marriage? That looks like a
lost cause.
But you do need to fight for your children and for yourself.
What do we suggest? Privately and without warning your husband consulted with a very good, very experienced divorce
attorney.
This is our suggestion of what you will want after a divorce.
1. A home for you and your children.
2. Support sufficient to get your children up to and through
college.
3. Education or retraining for yourself so that when you reenter the job market, you will be in a promising, relatively lucrative field.
Our feeling is he is getting ready to lower the boom on you,
and he is hoping to do it on terms which are favourable to him
and his new bride, regardless of your needs.
A good divorce lawyer can give you guidance and do the
heavy lifting you may be unwilling to do.
Wayne & Tamara
If you have any questions or comments for Wayne or Tamara, please
forward e-mail to [email protected] or write to Wayne &
Tamara Mitchell, Station A, Box 2820, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R1
sports & recreation
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015 11
FORT
SIMPSON
STORM
THE PITCH
IN GRANDE
PRAIRIE
Thomas Simpson Secondary School soccer
players gather for a
photo. They recently
participated in a tournament in Grande Prairie,
Alta.
photo courtesy of Caitlin Jaffray
Players prepare for tourney
Team seeking funding for trip to Native American Basketball Invitational in Arizona
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
NWT
Aboriginal hoopsters from
the Deh Cho and around the
territory are attending the
Native American Basketball
Invitational this summer, but
high travel costs mean the
team needs financial support.
That's why Neil Barry,
coach and teacher at Thomas
Simpson Secondary School, is
trying to crowd fund some of
the cost online.
"It's an amazing experience," said Barry, who has
taken four teams to the Phoenix tournament in the past.
"It really changes lives I
think. It has a very positive
influence on the young people
we take. The other side of that
though is it's a very expensive
trip to go all the way from the
Northwest Territories to Phoenix, Arizona, especially when
you have athletes from fly-in
communities."
The tournament will cost
between $25,000 and $30,000
to attend, he said.
"It's a pretty full-service
tournament," said Barry, pointing out that it involves not only
basketball games but motivational speakers, cultural components and a career fair.
"One of the aims of the
tournament is to encourage
First Nations youth to go onto
post-secondary education and
careers after high school. The
theme running throughout is
pursuing your goals and having
positive role models," he said.
Grade 11 Fort Simpson student Tyler Lafferty has been to
the Native American Basketball Invitational in the past.
He admitted his first trip to
the tournament, which features
teams from the United States
and elsewhere, was tough.
"I was nervous of playing
people from other countries,"
said Lafferty. "I was scared a
little bit but as time went on
I started getting to know my
teammates better and it was
lots of fun."
He said the key to beat
bigger players is to "run the
floor," meaning making a lot
of passes instead of dribbling
up the court and looking for
players in open positions.
"I think we'll do a lot better this year," said Lafferty.
"We've got more skilled and
bigger players."
The team will be made up
of four players from Fort Simpson, five from Inuvik, three
from Yellowknife and one
from Deline.
Barry wants to make sure
everyone can make it and he's
using crowd funding to help
with that.
"What we don't rase online
the players will have to pay for
out of pocket," said Barry. "I'm
hoping I don't have to exclude
anyone because of that – I
never have – but it's becoming
more expensive."
The team is scheduled to
leave the territory June 26 and
arrive back July 6.
Barry's fundraiser can be
found by going to Gofundme's
website.
SPORTS CARD
SPEEDSKATING
AGE: 11
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Grade 11 student Tyler Lafferty from Fort Simpson is gearing up for the Native
American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona, this summer. The key to
winning this year will be running the floor, he said.
JAMIE
DENEYOUA-NAHANNI
Jamie Deneyoua-Nahanni is a fast
speedskater who enjoys the tournament aspect of the sport. She has
been speedskating for three years and
has had the opportunity to compete
in Yellowknife. The hardest part of the
sport for her is doing all 15 laps on the
rink.
12 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 14, 2015
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EMPLOYMENT, LEGAL
NOTICES & TENDERS
Whatsit?
Leanne Sanguez was the winner
for the April 23rd Whatsit.
It was hockey skates.
Guess Whatsit this week
and you could WIN a prize!
+,325.QHH5HSODFHPHQW"
&23'RUDUWKULWLFFRQGLWLRQV"
7KH 'LVDELOLW\ 7D[ &UHGLW
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Entries must be received within 10 days
of this publication date:
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Fax: (867) 695-3766, or drop them off at the Drum Office
in Ft. Simpson, or by mail: WHATSIT, Deh Cho Drum,
Box 435, Ft. Simpson, NT X0E 0N0
(No phone calls please)
The following information is required:
My guess is____________________________________
Name_________________________________________
Daytime phone no. ______________________________
Mailing address ________________________________
_____________________________________________
Name & date of publication _______________________
Fort Simpson
05/14/15
REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE.