This is Drowning Prevention Week in Canada. Residents and visitors are urged to practice water safety while boating, fishing and swimming in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

YELLOWKNIFE (July 17, 2013) – The Northwest Territories (NWT) released the 2012 Alberta Achievement Tests (AAT), Functional Grade Levels (FGL), and attendance results today.

AATs are standardized tests that measure student performance in NWT curriculum in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics.  Students in grades 3, 6 and 9 write the tests, which provide a snapshot of a student’s performance on one particular day.

INUVIK (July 17, 2013)— Northern films will be on display as part of the annual Great Northern Arts Festival (GNAF), which is taking place this year from July 12-21^st.

Yellowknife (July 17, 2013) – Minister of Health and Social Services Tom Beaulieu has announced the launch of a website that will provide updates on the mid-life retrofit currently being planned for the Stanton Territorial Hospital. Conceptual plans for the proposed renewal will be available from the website by the fall.

Minister Beaulieu says the process was started three years ago and work has now moved to the final planning stages.  “The planning study will tell us what is needed and what we’re looking at in terms of project scope and costs,” he said.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 16, 2013) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty was asked by his ministerial colleagues to assume the lead role for improving Aboriginal education in Canada during the Council for Ministers of Education (CMEC) meeting held in Iqaluit this month.

Yellowknife (July 16, 2013) – The Yellowknife Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office continues to look for ways to improve its services.

Yellowknife (July 11, 2013) – The Department of Health and Social Services has made the decision to not renew the contract with the Nats’ejee Keh Treatment Centre for the delivery of addictions treatment programs when the current contract expires on September 30, 2013.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 11, 2013) – The deadline to submit an application for a $5,000 scholarship under the Northern Aviation Scholarship program is fast approaching. All applications must be submitted by July 26, 2013 to be considered.

Those who are considering full-time training for a career related to the North’s aviation industry must apply by the deadline to be considered. Applicants who do not have confirmation of acceptance into their planned training program should still apply and submit that confirmation when it is available.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 11, 2013) – Last month, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), in cooperation with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities (NWTAC) and the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories (LGANT), held a workshop that focused on defining roles, responsibilities, and relationships between the three organizations.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 10, 2013) – For one Northwest Territories community this September, being safer while driving will mean music to their ears.