two seriously hurt in crash in old town€¦ · "we had a good group of cars and bikes that...

Volume 48 Issue 15 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020 $1.00 (.95 + GST)

HubHay RiveR, NoRtHwest teRRitoRies

T H e

A walk a day keeps cabin fever at bay

Sports

Sub on the Hub finds way toreopen

News

Tool truck stirs up town

News

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7 71605 00200 2

"Obviously, the description provided on the self-isolation plan submission wasn't an accurate description of the activity within the NWT."

– GNWT spokesperson Mike Westwick explained how an out-of-territory salesman ended up in Hay River last week, page 6.

Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

With his four-year-old son Lucas along for the ride, Shawn Grandguil-lot took his 1972 Plymouth Duster – featuring an open engine – on a tour of Hay River on May 28 as part of the community's first Cruise Night of vintage and unique vehicles. Read the full story on page 2.

Two seriously hurt in crash in Old Town

Pair extricated from vehicle, medevaced to Edmonton

Going for a cruise

www.hayriverhub.com2 ▼ WeDNeSDay, JuNe 3, 2020

Hay River held its first Cruise Night on May 28 – a parade around the community of vintage and unique vehicles.

About 30 vehicles, along with 10 motorcycles, participated in the cruise and many residents took the opportunity to watch the parade.

Robert Bouchard, one of the organizers of the event, was pleased with the turnout.

"We had a good group of cars and bikes that showed up and then we had a good crowd of people when we went by. Lots of people in their front yards and lots of people down-town," he said. "It was a good event, I thought. I was quite surprised with how many people were there."

The Cruise Night was presented by the same group that has organized the Wally Schumann Sr. Memorial Show and Shine in late July for the past two years.

However, a show and shine is

not expected to happen this year because of the Covid-19 crisis and the Cruise Night was presented in its place in memory of Wally Schu-mann Sr.

"It's the first time we've done it this way," said Bouchard of Cruise Night. "We usually do a show and shine. Because of Covid we're not sure if we're going to be able to host an event like that."

A show and shine is a large out-door event of probably a couple of hundred people, including vehicle

owners and visitors, he noted.Bouchard said that the Cruise

Night is based on similar events in other communities, such as Yellow-knife and Grande Prairie, Alta.

"So this is a concept of just pick-ing a night and just kind of going for a little cruise," he said.

Bouchard added it has not yet been decided if there will be another Cruise Night, although there is some talk about that.

"We'll see how it goes and maybe give everyone more lead time," he

said. "I know there's lots more cars and bikes in town."

The idea for Cruise Night in Hay River originated with Linda Carter, who thanked participants in a Face-book posting.

"The energy and interest was extraordinary," wrote Carter.

"Thank you to all the spectators who came out and braved the cool bite in the air. We do realize that a street or two were missed, but we will catch those streets on the next cruise."

Unique vehicles gather for drive around community

Cruise Night a first for town

On May 28, Hay River held its first Cruise Night of vin-tage and unique vehicles, including this 1969 Thunder-bird owned by Rob-ert Bouchard, one of the organizers of the event.


PAUl [email protected]

WeDNeSDay, JuNe 3, 2020 ▼ 3www.hayriverhub.com

Sub on the Hub returnsDid we get it wrong?Hay River Hub is committed to getting facts

and names right. With that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an error in Hay River Hub, call 874-2802 and ask to speak to an editor, or email [email protected]. We'll get a correction or clarifica-tion in as soon as we can.

Sub on the Hub keeps bouncing back.The Hay River business – which operates

the concession at the Hay River Community Centre – is once again in operation after being closed when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the centre in mid-March.

That was the third time Sub on the Hub has had to recover from a prolonged closure while operating the concession.

It reopened on May 26, but the rest of the Hay River Community Centre remains closed to the public.

The reopening was made possible when the Town of Hay River allowed access to Sub on the Hub through the community hall section of the centre.

Dragon Huang and Michelle Liang, owner/operators of Sub on the Hub, are pleased to reopen the business.

Huang noted they had been closed for almost 70 days.

"So we're very happy to be back in business," he said.

In 2015, Sub on the Hub could not operate for seven months in the Don Stewart Recreation Centre during a strike by the town's unionized workers.

And then the concession could not operate from May 2016 to March 2018 as the old recrea-tion centre was demolished and the new Hay River Community Centre was built.

Huang, the cook and manager of the oper-ation, noted that Sub on the Hub has had the concession for eight years, although unable to enjoy uninterrupted business.

"We're only running for five years or some-thing, not even six years," he said.

Speaking on May 28, just a couple of days

after reopening, Huang said business has been steady, but not busy.

"We're hopeful later on it's going to pick up," he said.

Liang, who is the counterperson at Sub on the Hub, is also anticipating business will pick up.

"I hope so," she said with a laugh.As for what it's like to work in an empty

building, Liang said, "It's easy for us to operate without a lot of interruption."

Sub on the Hub is offering only takeout.

People can phone to place an order and then go pick it up. Or they can order in person and wait outside for it to be prepared.

"Mostly people just phone," said Liang.Huang and Liang appreciate the arrange-

ments by the Town of Hay River to allow Sub on the Hub to reopen.

"We are lucky we have a good town hall to take care of us," said Huang.

The married couple, who are both originally from China, have been in the restaurant busi-ness in Hay River for close to 25 years.


NeWsBriefs

Town allows takeout to restart operations in Community Centre


Dragon Huang, left, and Michelle Liang – owners and operators of Sub on the Hub – are back in business with the concession at the Hay River Com-munity Centre.

Board of revisionhearing on June 12

A date has been set for the board of revision hearing by the Town of Hay River.

The hearing is scheduled for June 12, Sam Mugford, the town's director of finances, told town council during its online meeting on May 26.

"After we come to council for approval of the mill rates then we are in a position where we can send out our tax billings," said Goucher.

Mugford said the current timeline is to have the tax bills in the mail before July 31, meaning Aug. 31 will be the deadline for the early payment discount and taxes will be due Sept. 30.

No weekend updateson Covid-19 testing

With a reduction in testing volume, the GNWT is pausing weekend updates on Covid-19 testing. Testing updates normally reported on Saturdays, Sundays and statu-tory holidays will now be reported on Mon-days, or the day after the statutory holiday falls, according to a May 27 news release.

Testing numbers will be updated every regular workday, however if testing numbers rise considerably, updates will resume seven days a week.

First responders had to use the jaws of life to get a pair of young adults out of a crashed vehicle Monday morning.

According to police at approximately 4:54 a.m., Hay River RCMP received a call about a single motor vehicle collision in Old Town area. The vehicle left the road and hit a power pole and sustained extensive damage. Both occupants of the vehicle were unconscious upon arrival of the RCMP.

"It is very difficult, to know that two young adults are fighting for their life right now. It's a difficult time for the community and our thoughts are with their families and friends," Sgt. Brandon Humbke, Hay River RCMP detachment commander, said in a news release.

The Hay River Fire and Emergency Servi-

ces attended the scene and used jaws-of-life to extract the occupants. Both were transported to Hay River Medical Centre and then were transferred to Edmonton for further treatment of serious, life-threatening conditions.

Hay River RCMP is investigating, according to the same release. An accident reconstruction-ist from NT RCMP Traffic Services attended the scene to assist with the investigation.

"Further analysis will determine if alcohol could have been a contributing factor," police wrote in a news release.

A GoFundMe page has been posted for the injured parties and their families, identified as Jayden Smith and Molly Mandeville on the site. As of Monday afternoon, more than $17,000 of its $20,000 goal had been raised.

– Craig Gilbert

Two extricated after crash in Old Town

Northern News Services


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HubT H e

What's your favourite season of the year?

You Said It!

Sharon Pekok"For me, it is probably the springtime, which is happening right now. Because everything starts all over."

craig kovatch"Spring, hands down. It's my birthday. I can't stand winter. and I really enjoy the warm weather."

Dawna o'Brien"It's summer, because we can sit outside and have dinner and have a nice fire."

Jacky kruger"It's summer in Hay River, because we get to enjoy the best camp-grounds in Canada."

We were pleased to see the GNWT help the Town of Hay River cover the expenses of the recent evacuation of Vale Island.

It was the right thing to do.The town is expecting

$40,000 in assistance after submitting a bill to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA).

It appears that funding is a formality, as there has been agreement between the two sides that the GNWT should cover most of the cost based on its guidelines.

That's because of the extra-ordinary circumstances for the evacuation caused by the Covid-19 crisis and the fact that each household needed separate accommodations, including some hotel rooms in Yellowknife.

It is encouraging to see the two levels of government work together somewhat seamlessly on that issue.

We don't know what dis-cussions took place behind the scenes, but publicly at least it seemed the fund-ing arrangement went fairly smoothly.

We are left wondering why some of the other funding issues – let's call them irri-tants – between the town and

the GNWT cannot be settled in such a logical and prompt manner.

Take, for instance, the still-pending request for disaster assistance that the town sub-mitted to the GNWT last year.

It is well known that the town spent a bushel of money on a month-long fire at the landfill in March of last year.

The last estimates we heard were that the town spent about a cool $1 mil-lion on the fire, most of it on

environmental testing. However, the town's insur-ance would only

cover $100,000 for direct firefighting.

Hence, the GNWT was asked for disaster assistance.

Publicly, there has been the sound of crickets from the GNWT since last year on the request.

A couple of weeks ago, The Hub asked MACA about the request and we were told that the submission is currently "under consideration" and the department expects to be able to communicate with the town in the "near future."

Of course, that does not mean anything, really. What does the "near future" mean?

still, we are going to be hopeful and think that the GNWT will do the right thing and help the town with the

expenses for the landfill fire.But that is only one of the

financial problems between the town and the GNWT.

Perhaps the longest run-ning has been the town providing and paying for highway rescue outside of its boundaries, a job that should obviously be done or fully paid for by the GNWT.

The issue was recently mentioned once again when town council approved buying a new ambulance. The muni-cipality needs to maintain two ambulances partly because it provides highway rescue.

That funding problem has been around for years and there are no obvious signs

that it will ever be corrected by the GNWT.

That may also be the case with the continuing under-funding of Hay River and some other communities.

We hope that the GNWT will soon set about solving all those issues.

In the meantime, we will celebrate the financial sup-port for the evacuation as a positive step.

The GNWT can keep head-ing in the right direction by approving disaster assistance to help pay for the landfill fire.

We hope "near future" means weeks or a couple of months for a positive response.

Dump fire support next in line

eDITORIAl

Northern News Services

NNSL file photo

The Town of Hay River is still awaiting a response from the GNWT on a request for disaster assistance to help cover the expenses of the landfill fire in March of last year.


Return of the Mac: tools truck creates a stir

In a border crossing described as a misunderstanding, a travelling salesman from Alberta recently entered the NWT and his presence caused a stir in Hay River.

Some people were surprised and upset to see a Mac Tools vehicle in the community considering the border restrictions imposed because of the Covid-19 crisis.

The GNWT's Compliance Enforcement Taskforce was made aware of the presence of the truck and contacted the salesman, but he had already decided to depart the NWT voluntarily.

"I told them I was going to leave," said Andrew Driedger of La Crete, Alta. "I said I'll leave before it gets into too big of an uproar."

Driedger had been denied entry onto a property at one stop in Hay River and his presence in town was being dis-cussed on Facebook.

"Once social media gets going, where does it stop?" he said.

Facebook comments from community residents described the presence of the salesman from Alberta in a number of ways – unbelievable, an insult and some people chose colour-ful terms.

Driedger had applied for and received permission from the GNWT to cross the border.

"Then I went to the border and gave them a copy of my letter and they phoned the health link once more and every-thing was 100 per cent," he said. "I got the go-ahead to go, so off I went."

Driedger entered the NWT on May 26 and travelled to Fort Smith and Hay River, before heading back to Alberta on May 28.

Mike Westwick, manager of communications for the Covid-19 response with the Department of Health and Social Services, described the incident as a misunderstanding in the way the salesman described himself when applying for

permission to enter the NWT."It's a clear case of misunderstanding," Westwick said.

"There was no malice here on either side and I think that our Compliance Enforcement Taskforce took the appropriate action as soon as the situation was brought to their attention. It all ended well."

Westwick explained the salesman described himself as a supply chain trucker in his application, which is a category that can obtain special permission to cross into the NWT for 36 hours without having to self-isolate.

"Obviously, the description provided on the self-isolation plan submission wasn't an accurate description of the activity within the NWT," he said.

Westwick said such misunderstandings happen, especially when dealing with new processes.

There will be a review of the incident.The presence of the travelling salesman in Hay River was

raised in the Legislative Assembly on May 28.Hay River South MLA Rocky Simpson cited it as one

example of concerns about border security on Highway 1."I was informed this individual was from Alberta and

entered the NWT as an essential service," he said. "In Hay River, we have businesses that sell tools. We have a retailer that has his own truck filled with tools that is sitting at home because he is following our rules."

The MLA said the people of Hay River and the South Slave want answers on the level and quality of security the territorial government is delivering at the border.

Health and Social Services Minister Diane Thom said she found the incident cited by Simpson to be "very disturbing," and she committed to looking into the matter.


GNWT official calls border crossing a misunderstanding

photo sourced from Facebook

This Mac Tools truck from Alberta caused a bit of a stir when it recently appeared in Hay River.


There are dedicated walkers and then there are Marilyn Marshall and Maryann Willows.

The two Hay River friends walk every day, unless there's some good reason not to do so.

And not just a walk around the block, but a six-kilometre jaunt in the afternoon or after supper.

"We've been consistently walking for three years, I guess," said Mar-shall. "We try to every day."

Last year, they didn't walk on weekends, she noted. "But now we do."

Willows agreed it's seven days a week of walking, if they can.

"But for sure Monday to Friday," she said.

And the walking buddies have a particular route – on Miron Drive from Bob McMeekin Chamber Park to the Homesteaders and back, which is a six-kilometre roundtrip.

"It takes us about an hour and 10 minutes," said Willows, adding that is at a steady walk. "We try to keep up a fairly good pace."

She noted some people go for walks and it's more chitchat than walking.

There are a number of reasons why they like taking that section of Miron Drive, which is also popular with many other walkers.

First of all, Marshall noted there's not much traffic.

And Willows said there's less chance of running into a bear than on a wooded trail elsewhere in the community.

"I feel safer here," she said.Marshall also said she feels safer

from bears, noting there's always some traffic on Highway 2, which runs parallel to Miron Drive.

They have never run into a bear there.

While she is walking on Miron Drive, Marshall may also be virtually completing a walking challenge from another continent.

She explained there are hundreds of such challenges on the internet.

"They're called virtual walks and they're all over the world," she said, "and you can sign up for them."

Recently, she finished the Eng-lish Channel walk and the Inca Trail

walk and she's planning to do other virtual walks based in New Zealand and Australia and Hadrian's Wall in northern England.

Many of the virtual walks are actual events that people would nor-mally run, Marshall explained. "But because of Covid-19 they're all online, so anybody can sign up all over the world. They never existed before."

The virtual walks do come at a cost, because they are fundraisers for organizations.

Participants receive things like

T-shirts or medals, but Marshall usu-ally just opts for a medal, along with a certificate.

After finishing the Inca Trail walk, she's actually considering tak-ing it one step further.

"Now that I did this, I'm thinking that I really want to do the Inca Trail," she said. "I think I'm going to put this on my bucket list."

While she may be walking a vir-tual event, Marshall is still focused on Miron Drive and walking with Willows.

"I find it's better with a friend because it seems to go by so much faster," Marshall said. "Because all we do is talk."

Willows noted that walking with a friend provides incentive to keep going.

"Because you don't want to dis-appoint the other person," she said.

Aside from the exercise and health benefits of walking, Marshall offered one more reason why she and Wil-lows walk so often: "The thing is, once you stop, it is so hard to get back into it."

HubspORTsOut for a walk, every day


Marilyn Marshall and Maryann Willows dedicated to exercising on Miron Drive


Marilyn Marshall, left, and Maryann Willows are dedicated walkers in Hay River. They're fol-lowing their favourite route: Miron Drive from the Bob McMeekin Chamber Park to the Home-steaders and back.

two seriously hurt in crash in old town€¦ · "we had a good group of cars and bikes that...

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