John Van Dusen
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Journalist, CBC News john.van.dusen@cbc.ca
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Articles by John Van Dusen
Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief blasts N.W.T. gov't for lack of communication after school renovation scrapped
Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty says he is disappointed with the lack of communication from the government of the Northwest Territories after a planned renovation of Chief Jimmy Bruneau School was dropped from the territory's recent capital budget. "If major infrastructure is about to be removed, they should engage the organization or the region. And they didn't do that," Lafferty said. The renovation at the school in Edzo, N.W.T. had been listed in the budget for years.
Colville Lake caribou court challenge begins in N.W.T.
A Northwest Territories judge began to hear arguments Tuesday in a case that centres on treaty rights and the best approach to conserve caribou. Colville Lake — a community of about 161 mostly Dene people and sits north of the Arctic Circle — is challenging a decision by the territory to set a quota on how many caribou hunters can take each year on its traditional territory.
N.W.T. grad rates, grades expected to fall in coming years following COVID-19 challenges Original
A report by the Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment is providing an early glimpse into the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on students. It raises a number of concerns, including declining kindergarten enrolment and negative trends in student well-being and development — and paints a bleak picture moving forward.
Man accused of murder in Yellowknife will have panel of lawyers to pick from after he fires 3 others
A man accused of murder in the death of a 22-year-old woman in Yellowknife will have his pick from a panel of three lawyers to represent him after he fired three others. Devon Larabie is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Breanna Menacho in a Yellowknife apartment in May 2020. Larabie made a brief appearance in Northwest Territories Supreme Court in Yellowknife Friday. The court began to hear what's called a Rowbotham application.
N.W.T. judicial committee reschedules complaint hearing for judge
A council tasked with investigating complaints into Northwest Territories judge Donovan Molloy agreed to adjourn the hearings into allegations of a pattern of intimidating, insulting and belittling behaviour until early 2023. A lawyer representing Molloy at Wednesday's hearing said his client's health concerns prevent him from participating at the moment. Molloy, who is on an indefinite leave of absence, was not at the hearing.
'It's not a way to live:' Cockroaches, mould plague some Yellowknife public housing units
For about two years Kairlyn Wedawin has tried making her apartment in Yellowknife a home but finds herself constantly cleaning to try and get rid of the smell of mould. Then, there are the cockroaches.
Lacrosse Camp Looks To Grow Canada's National Summer Sport In The North
Inside the gym at the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells, N.W.T., four-year-old Maddox Baetz picks up a lacrosse stick for the first time. He is learning a sport that, like for many kids in the North, he has little exposure to. “Basically you get a lacrosse stick and you play lacrosse,” Baetz said during a lunch break Tuesday from the first of what organizers hope to be many lacrosse camps across the North.
Lacrosse camp looks to grow Canada's national summer sport in the North
Inside the gym at the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells, N.W.T., four-year-old Maddox Baetz picks up a lacrosse stick for the first time. He is learning a sport that, like for many kids in the North, he has little exposure to. "Basically you get a lacrosse stick and you play lacrosse," Baetz said during a lunch break Tuesday from the first of what organizers hope to be many lacrosse camps across the North.
N.W.T. pitches smaller, more realistic $328M capital budget | CBC News
The N.W.T. can't spend money fast enough on existing capital projects, so it's revising how it's budgeting them and in some cases pushing timelines back on when they will be completed. A proposed $328-million 2023-24 capital budget was tabled in the legislature Tuesday. The territory's capital budgets have steadily climbed in recent years, but this one reverses course and is more than a third smaller than the previous year's budget of $502 million.
'It brings you strength': non-profit offers supports for Northern medical travellers in Edmonton
'It brings you strength': non-profit offers supports for Northern medical travellers in Edmonton | CBC News Loaded North Goba Care, a non-profit that supports Northwest Territories and Nunavut residents who have to travel to Edmonton for medical appointments, held a couple of events earlier this month.
Dehcho First Nations to draft its own land code after decades of talks with federal, territorial gov'ts Original
Dehcho First Nations says it's tired of waiting for the federal and territorial governments to recognize the Dehcho people's authority over their land and resources — so it's creating its own rules laying out how they can be used. Grand Chief of the Dehcho First Nations Kenneth Cayen says he hopes the land code will bring clarity to a longstanding issue.
'The opportunities are endless': Tłı̨chǫ Highway opens, marking a new chapter for Whatì, N.W.T.
The Chief of Whatì, N.W.T., will soon do something he's never been able to do until today — get in a car and drive to Yellowknife on a road that's open year-round. "As soon as they remove that barricade, I'll be on the Whatì highway," said Alfonz Nitsiza. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, that barricade came down, and the largely fly-in community located about 164 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife is a fly-in community no more.
The future of the Ekati diamond mine may be underwater
With the years ticking down on the future of two of the Northwest Territories's biggest mines, one owner says the life expectancy may be increased through the use of a new technology to the North - underwater remote mining. An aerial view of the Ekati mine, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. The president of the company that owns the mine said Wednesday its future may be as an underwater mine, thanks to new technology.
More closures likely at Stanton, says union rep, as N.W.T. health minister responds to nurses' letter
On Monday, the Northwest Territories’ health authority announced the hospital’s obstetrics unit will be temporarily shutting down due to staffing challenges. Tina Drew, the president of Local 11 North Great Slave Region of the Union of Northern Workers, expects others will follow. Yellowknife's Stanton Territorial Hospital in a file photo. The N.W.T.'s health minister responded to a letter from nurses on Monday.
School buses return to Inuvik after more than 2 decades
School buses return to Inuvik after more than 2 decades | CBC News Loaded North·New The Nihtat Gwich’in Council recently purchased two school buses after it received funding back in March through two federal funds. They start operating Monday, as students return to in-person learning at Inuvik's East Three Elementary and Secondary schools.
Rio Tinto becomes sole owner of Diavik Diamond Mine Original
Rio Tinto becomes sole owner of Diavik Diamond Mine | CBC News Loaded North·New Rio Tinto announced Thursday it has completed a transaction to acquire Dominion Diamond Mine’s 40 per cent share of Diavik Diamond Mine, located about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. Diavik scheduled to shut down in 2025 John Van Dusen · CBC News · Posted: Nov 18, 2021 2:06 PM CT | Last Updated: 17 minutes ago The Diavik Diamond Mine in a file photo from Rio Tinto.
Here's an estimate on much you need to live above the poverty line in Yukon and N.W.T.
A proposed tool to measure the poverty line in the Yukon and Northwest Territories shows large discrepancies between regions in the two territories and the rest of Canada. A file photo of Fort Good Hope, N.W.T. The community in the territory's Sahtu region is the most expensive place to live in either N.W.T. or Yukon, according to a proposed measurement tool by Statistics Canada.
Where's the money? N.W.T. nurses lay out demands in letter to MLAs
N.W.T. nurses say they have not been properly compensated during the pandemic and want the territorial government to do something about it — but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife on Aug. 21, 2021. In a letter to MLAs, nurses called for more compensation.
This former N.W.T. civil servant says he told Jean Chrétien about abuse in residential schools in 1972 | CBC News
A former civil servant in the Northwest Territories says he personally told former prime minister Jean Chrétien about abuses in residential schools during a trip by the then-minister of Indian Affairs to the N.W.T. in 1972. Jean Chrétien at the community hall in Fort Rae (Behchokǫ̀) after the opening of the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School. Father Pochat and Chief Joe Sangris are seated to his left.
No student left behind after Aurora College's transformation, says it president
The team leading Aurora College’s transformation into a polytechnic university says once completed, it will provide opportunities for Northwest Territories residents in every community to access post-secondary education.
Łutsël K'é's chief says 1st COVID-19 case confirmed in community
Łutsël K'é's chief says 1st COVID-19 case confirmed in community | CBC News Loaded North·New The chief of the Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories says the fly-in community of about 300 people has its first case of COVID-19.
Diamond in the rough: Yellowknife-based diamond company looks to succeed where others have failed
Diamonds de Canada recently became an Approved NWT Diamond Manufacturer, the second company to do so in the territory after Almod Diamonds. The designation allows companies to access rough diamonds directly from mines operating in the territory. Diamonds de Canada uses an automated cutting and shaping system, according to a release from the government of the Northwest Territories.
'Our children are going to remember the sea of orange': Yellowknife marks July 1 with march
Hundreds of Yellowknifers clad in orange marched through the streets Thursday in recognition of the children that died in residential schools. Hundreds turned out to march through the streets of Yellowknife July 1. (John Van Dusen/CBC News) WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing. Hundreds of Yellowknifers clad in orange marched through the streets Thursday in recognition of the children that died in residential schools.
Police investigating 'suspicious fire' at Catholic church in Yellowknife
The fire is the latest in a string of church fires throughout Canada following the discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked burial sites of children's remains adjacent to a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. The shattered remains of the window from where the fire apparently started at St. Patrick Co-Cathedral in Yellowknife. The fire, the latest in a string of fires at churches throughout Canada, is being treated as suspicious.
A jacket, slippers and Treaty 11: Tłı̨chǫ seamstresses create historic garments to mark 100 years
A museum exhibit coming to The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife next month will commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 11. Tłı̨chǫ seamstress Georgina Frankie sewed a replica of a jacket chiefs were given as part of the Treaty 11 agreement 100 years ago. It will be part of a museum exhibit at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre in Yellowknife to mark 100 years since the treaty was signed.
'It feels like coercion': Yellowknife family spends nearly a month isolating
The mother of two children who attend N.J. Macpherson School in Yellowknife is speaking out after another parent came forward describing similar frustrations of a communication breakdown between families and health officials surrounding isolation requirements. From left to right, Jason, John, Sawyer and Nikki Tews-Friesen. The family has been isolating since the beginning of May.
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine clinics held in Yellowknife schools
Students across Yellowknife are one step closer to being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after pop-up Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination clinics were held in schools Wednesday. Northwest Territories began administering the Pfizer vaccine to youth aged 12 - 17 this month, but this was the first time that clinics were held in schools specifically for students in that age range.
Dehcho feels flood's ripple effects: mail, groceries, banking unavailable
Fort Simpson is a hub for the Dehcho, offering services that are not available in other communities in the region, like Nahanni Butte, N.W.T. An aerial photo shows flooding on the island in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., posted to the Fort-Simpson-Bulletin Facebook page on May 9, 2021.
N.W.T. wants to transform its commercial fishing industry. It needs the fishers first
This month, the territory’s department of Industry, Tourism and Investment issued a request for proposals for a marketing strategy to “assist in the transformation of the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery to a market-driven fishery.” Shawn Buckley is a third-generation fisherman from Hay River, N.W.T. "The fish plant doesn't change anything. The fact is, there's the same amount of fish out on the lake with the same amount of people," he says.
Co-accused testifies in Hay River murder trial
A key witness in the murder trial of a Hay River, N.W.T., man says James George Thomas was the one who suggested robbing Alexander Norwegian the night Norwegian died in December 2017. James George Thomas's trail is expected to last for five weeks in Yellowknife. (Walter Strong/CBC) A key witness in the murder trial of a Hay River, N.W.T., man testified that the accused, James George Thomas, was the one who suggested robbing Alexander Norwegian the night Norwegian died in December 2017.
8 days or 14? Here's what changes to N.W.T.'s self-isolation rules mean for territorial residents
If you’re fully vaccinated against COVD-19, and have travelled outside of the N.W.T. but have not left Canada, you can now potentially shorten your isolation period from 14 to 8 days. Here's how. The territory has shut its border to non-residents, with some exceptions, amid COVID-19 concerns.
Judge issues publication ban in Hay River murder trial
Details of a murder trial involving a Hay River, N.W.T., man will remain under a publication ban for at least the next 10 months, an N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice ordered Monday. N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice Andrew Mahar ordered the publication ban Monday in a Yellowknife courtroom. (Chantal Dubuc/CBC) Details of a murder trial involving a Hay River, N.W.T., man will remain under a publication ban for at least the next 10 months, an N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice ordered Monday.
Online Tłı̨chǫ language class see enrolment rise during pandemic
The students are an eclectic group, including newcomers to Yellowknife, government workers and expectant mothers looking to pass the language on to their children. Georgina Franki has been a Tlicho language instructor at Collège Nordique for three years. (John Van Dusen/CBC News) Inside Yellowknife's Collège Nordique, Georgina Franki sits in front of a computer screen teaching a virtual language class to a group of students.
Enterprise mayor, councillor resign
The N.W.T. hamlet's mayor resigned last week in a shroud of mystery, just a few months into his mandate and just a month after one of the hamlet's councillors stepped down. Enterprise is known as "the gateway to the N.W.T." due to its close proximity to the Alberta border. Its estimated population in 2018 was 131. The mayor of Enterprise, N.W.T., resigned last week, just a few months into his mandate.
MLAs push N.W.T. premier, cabinet for details on post-pandemic economic recovery plan
Some N.W.T. MLAs called for more details on the territorial government's post-pandemic recovery plan as the legislative assembly resumed sitting on Wednesday. The N.W.T. Legislative Assembly resumed sitting for the winter session on Wednesday. (Mario De Ciccio/Radio-Canada) A pair of N.W.T. MLAs called for more details on the territorial government's post-pandemic recovery plan as the legislative assembly resumed sitting on Wednesday.
Yellowknife immigration consultant files defence, countersues former client
A Yellowknife immigration consultant allegedly told his Chinese client that if he purchased $1 million worth of shares of Fortune Minerals Ltd., the mining company would offer him a job and help him immigrate to the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife immigration consultant Liang Chen and his former client, Shengtang Wang, are suing each other after their business relationship fell apart.
Frozen in time: Yellowknife artist preserves snowflakes, repurposes them into jewelry
It wasn’t until Dalhai Vela was in her 30s that she experienced her first snowfall. It started an obsession that led her to come up with a process of capturing and preserving them, then using a single frozen flake to create jewelry. Dalhai Vela creates sterling silver jewelry pieces out of snowflakes she captures and preserves. (John Van Dusen/CBC) It wasn't until Dalhai Vela was in her 30s that she experienced her first snowfall.
How 3 friends transformed this frozen Yellowknife lake into a 'winter wonderland'
© John Van Dusen/CBC News Matt Mossman, Stu Impett and Rudolph Swanepoel have spent countless hours grooming Yellowknife's Range Lake for the whole neighbourhood to enjoy. Stu Impett circles the perimeter of a frozen Range Lake in his pickup truck equipped with a snowplow, clearing a recent snowfall off a more than two kilometre-long skate path. Meanwhile, Matt Mossman glides around on the inside track with his snowmobile, laying down one of two trails for cross-country skiers.
Yellowknife businessman suing immigration consultant for $375K
A lawsuit filed by a Yellowknife businessman claims the person who helped him immigrate to the city never returned a $50,000 deposit and owes him another $75,000 for breaching a currency exchange contract. None of the claims have been proven in court. A statement of claim filed on Nov.
Yellowknife immigration consultant ordered to pay $185K to former client
A Chinese woman with aspirations of becoming a permanent Canadian resident and opening a high-end gift shop in Yellowknife was awarded $185,000 in damages by a Northwest Territories judge on Friday. The windows of the rental unit inside Centre Square Mall in Yellowknife, where Jie Qiao planned to open a gift shop, are covered up. The woman, who moved to Yellowknife from China in early 2019 to seek permanent residency, invested $300,000 to support her application.
'I'm happy they complied:' Yellowknives Dene chief says agreement reached with houseboaters | CBC News
The Yellowknives Dene First Nation says it has reached an agreement with several houseboaters who anchored on the nation's side of Yellowknife Bay without its permission. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation took no issue with the houseboats pictured here in Yellowknife Bay, but wanted a handful of them that were anchored on the opposite shore off its territory.
N.W.T. wolf cull 'inhumane and unnecessary,' says Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation
The Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation says a proposed wolf cull put forward by the Northwest Territories and Tłı̨chǫ governments to protect two declining caribou herds is "both inhumane and unnecessary." A proposed plan calls for killing 60 to 80 per cent of wolves that prey on the Bathurst and Bluenose East caribou herds every year for the next four years.
Yellowknife state of emergency 'essential' to help homeless, says advocate
Friday’s declaration will allow the Northwest Territories government to acquire a downtown building owned by the city and convert it into a temporary shelter. The idea was previously rejected by Yellowknife city council over fears from surrounding businesses. Michael Fatt at the Yellowknife day shelter in November 2019. Fatt advocates for the city's homeless and runs an employment program to help people find work. (Kate Kyle/CBC) Michael Fatt knows first hand what it's like to have nowhere to sleep.
N.W.T. Education Department reveals action plan in response to 2020 audit Original
The Northwest Territories’ Department of Education is contemplating creating an Indigenous language instructor employment plan to ensure the territory has the next generation of language teachers. Students head back to class at Weledeh Catholic School in Yellowknife in August. The territories' Education Department is making several proposals in response to a federal audit.
Gov't survey highlights hidden homelessness in Nunavut Original
A survey of 328 homes across four Nunavut communities paints a familiar story — many are severely overcrowded and hundreds of adults and children experience homelessness. The hamlet of Gjoa Haven was one of four surveyed by Nunavut's Department of Family Services in 2018. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press) A survey of more than 320 homes across four Nunavut communities paints a familiar story — many are severely overcrowded and hundreds of adults and children experience homelessness.
Residential school survivor calls for a historical site in the North
A residential school survivor in the Northwest Territories is welcoming a decision to designate two residential schools as national historic sites and hopes similar action will be taken for one in the North. This monument names about 300 children who died at Sacred Heart Mission school in Fort Providence, N.W.T., one of nearly three dozen residential schools in the territories.
This Indigenous group in N.W.T. is celebrating 15 years of self-governance
Tłı̨chǫ celebrated 15 years of its government's existence this week. The outdoor gathering in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T., was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The six-man canoe race ended in a tight finish along the shore. (John Van Dusen/CBC) People gathered in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T., this week to celebrate 15 years of the Tłı̨chǫ Government's existence — but celebrations looked a little different this year due to the pandemic.
N.W.T. credit rating under pressure from pandemic, declining diamond industry
The review by Moody's does not announce any changes to the territory’s Aa1 rating and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. But it does lay out a number of factors pressuring the territory. An aerial view of the Ekati diamond mine, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the diamond industry particularly hard, and that's putting pressure on the N.W.T.'s credit rating, according to a review released Wednesday.
How should the N.W.T. gov't spend its money? The territory wants your feedback
Raise taxes or cut services – it's one of the areas the N.W.T. government wants your feedback on after launching online budget dialogue sessions. N.W.T. Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek will lead a series of online discussions this month with residents interested in learning more about the territory's budget and what they would like to see prioritized. (Mario De Ciccio/Radio-Canada) Raise taxes or cut services – it's one of the areas the N.W.T. government wants your feedback on.
Not calling out racism 'is killing us,' Yellowknife mom says Original
A Yellowknife mother of three young boys says watching George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for his life while dying under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer last month, was a stark reminder about the reason why we need to talk about racism, even if it’s an uncomfortable discussion. 'As a mother, you don't want to take their innocence away from them too soon. But you want them to be aware of the world as it is so they'll be safe,' says Inemesit Graham, a Yellowknife mother of three.
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