The 16^th Annual Billy Quak Memorial Ball Hockey Tournament will take place in Makkovik from February 7^th to the 9^th.

This tournament is Co-Ed.

John Andersen is the Recreation Director.

Andersen says there are quite a number of teams traveling to Makkovik for the tournament.

Hopedale and Postville will be attending as well as a team from Nain and Natuashish.

This adds to the 5 other teams from Makkovik.

Andersen says t-shirts will be awarded to 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners.

As well sweatshirts will be awarded to top goal tender and to Most Valuable Player for both Female and Male.

The season to hunt polar bears opened on February 1^st.

James Goudie is Wildlife Manager for Nunatsiavut Government.

He says the issuing of licenses was delayed a bit but the licences are now on the way from the Provincial Government.

And that they should be distributed to Nunatsiavut Towns by the end of the week.

Goudie adds that he attended an Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge conference in Halifax last week.

This conference was attended by aboriginal groups in Atlantic Canada and government departments such as Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada and Environment Canada.

Discussions centered around how Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge can be incorporated into research practices.

He says that Nunatsiavut Government is a leader on this issue because it already has a research protocol relating to this.

The Newfoundland & Labrador Chamber of Mineral Resources Inc. is visiting the Nunatsiavut Towns starting today.

Jerry O’Connell is the Executive Director of the Chamber.

He says companies like Iron Ore Canada and Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company are making the trip to speak with  Nunatsiavut residents.

O’Connell says eighteen people will arrive on a Twin Otter in Nain this afternoon.

One or two representatives from seven different companies represented by the Chamber are making the trip.

He says residents of the Nunatsiavut Towns will be informed what the explorations companies did during their 2007 explorations and what they would like to do during  2008.

O’Connell says he’ll be one of many others to answer any questions about radiation and Uranium mining.

Or any questions related to mineral exploration posed to the companies.