Today we spoke with Nyssa Mcleod who is running for the Green Party in Labrador.

Mcleod is currently in Vancouver, though she lives in Ottawa.

We asked her why she is running for a seat in Labrador and she says it's because no one in Labrador stepped forward to run and they want to give the people of Labrador the opportunity to vote green.

Mcleod says if elected, her first priority would be to promote green issues, and to implement the Kelowna Accord.

She says she would like to work towards investing in economic development in small communities in Labrador and try to get more funding for the fishing industry.

She says she would make sure to speak with Labradorian's to make sure their voice is heard.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established by the Provincial Government back in 1984.

It was established to stimulate an understanding and an appreciation for the architectural heritage of the province.

The foundation has recently appointed some new board members with a total of 12 representing different regions of the province.

Amos Lyall of North West River sits on the board representing Labrador.

He says the board is appointed to identify culture and history which have not been visible and are really important for Inuit and Innu in Labrador.

They're working on looking into the building structures in the Torngat Mountains District before Europeans arrived.

Lyall says the Foundation has an invaluable source of information for historic restoration, and contributes to the preservation and restoration of buildings of historical significance.

The foundation also designates buildings and other structures as registered heritage structures and provides grants for the purpose of preservations and restorations of such buildings.

Lyall says the foundation also has an educational role, sponsors events, and publishes a newsletter.

Joan Andersen is the Chair of the board, and she says they had their monthly teleconference last night.

She'll be heading to Hopedale on the 24^th of October to meet with the Anglican Minister for his preliminary visit to see if he will be serving as a Moravian Minister in the community.

The board talked about the Inuttitut bible launch, and said they haven't decided yet when this will happen.

During the meeting they discussed the success of the brass band tour and Andersen says it was a thrill to have them.

She says the idea for the tour began when Dr. Tom Gordon had found manuscripts written by the Moravian missionaries dating back over 100 years.

Dr. Gordon then recorded his orchestra at Memorial University playing the music.

They produced a CD from the recording, which he brought to the Board to hear, prior to their tour of coastal Labrador.

Andersen says when it all came together, the elders were very moved by the music.

One of the Makkovik organists was brought to tears because his father had also played for the Moravian church, and he recalled his father playing the same music.

The board is hoping to have the Nain choir recording from 1971 reproduced into a CD as well.

They also hope to make a back-up copy of the Nain Moravian record book.

Andersen would like to thank Dr. Gordon for all he has done for the Moravian church in Labrador, and she hopes he returns again soon.

Carol Gear is the President of the board and she says the directors held a teleconference on Friday, October 3.

She says the Hopedale board member position has been vacant for quite awhile, so the board appointed Ethel Hunter to fill the position.

Gear says six members participated, to get an update from the new Executive Director of the Society, Karen Prentice.

She says they had many agenda items including the Society’s proposal to the Nunatsiavut Government for annual funding for both radio and television programming, and also for staff training.

They discussed holding a contest to name OKâlaKatigêt's new media center.

She says people from Nunatsiavut and Upper Lake Melville can join the contest by submitting an Inuktitut name they think would suit the building.

If submittions are made in English, they will be translated because the building's name will be in Inuktitut.

OKâlaKatigêt AGM will be held in Happy Valley Goose Bay from November 17^th to the 19^th.

So, Gear says if anyone has concerns or ideas regarding the Society, they can submit their thoughts to the board member in their community so they can bring them to the meeting.

She adds that the board decided to have regularly scheduled teleconference on the last Friday of each month so they can keep up to date about what the Society is doing.

Gear concludes by saying they plan to have an opening ceremony for the new media centre at the end of the month.

The agreement is about compensation the Innu if the Lower Churchill Falls is developed in Labrador through which Innu travel inland to live on the lands where their ancestors hunted, trapped and lived off the land.

To get reaction about the tentative deal, we spoke with Elizabeth Penashua of Seshashui.

Penashui is the mother of an Innu leader of Sheshashui who was one of the co-signers of the agreement.

Will McGinnis is the RCMP for Nain detachment.

McGinnis says Judge Joy is presiding this week, Crown Prosecutor is Gordon Baldcoln and Defense Lawyer is Cindy Starkes.

He says there are 30-40 people that has to be heard this week.

McGinnis says the charges range from assault, break and enter and theft.

He adds that the next court circuit will be 1^st week of November.

Marjorie Flowers is the Team Leader with Nunatsiavut's Department of Health and Social Development (or DHSD).

She says the Legacy of Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that is trying to help residential schools survivors heal and share their experiences with the rest of Canada.

Flowers says the talks in Hopedale were all documented by a camera crew from the Legacy of Hope Foundation, and the video will eventually be presented all across the North.

The Foundation is partnering with the Nunatsiavut Government and plans to visit all the communities with residential schools survivors.

We spoke with Melva Williams who works with Rigolet's ICG.

She says the twelve-week program to extend their much appraised boardwalk has been lengthened to Burner Cove point.

And right now, they are in there final week cleaning up.

She says the Strathcona Building's exterior is near completion and work on the interior will continue afterwards.

The ICG and the Rigolet Heritage Society are still searching for money from other agencies to complete the project.

After they get the money and the interior of the building is complete, she says the Heritage Society will begin setting up displays in the building.

First, they'll focus on three themes including Inuit and Settlers History, the history of the old Hudson's Bay Company in town and the time period when the Army Base was located in Rigolet during the last World War.

Williams continues by telling us about a Sealskin Pilot Project that is about to start up soon.

She says they're using funds from the Voisey's Bay trust fund royalties to set up the project in the old Torngat Fisheries Plant.

She says they're just waiting to receive two table defleshers from the manufacturer.

Once received, Williams says the manufacturer will train eight people on how to use the defleshers.

After the training, they will hire on four people from the training, one being a supervisor, and the other three being pelt cleaners.

She says this year's sealskin pilot project will provide four workers with 420 hours of work.

From this work, they hope to send 200 pelts to the North Bay Fur Auctioneers to be auctioned off and then reimbursed the pelt cleaners for their work after the pelts have been sold.

No date has been set yet as to when the project will begin, but Williams says first the training and hiring.

She says they've just hired six people to make Nain beautiful again by conducting their fall clean-up.

Erikson says construction of the new subdivision is just about complete, and the contractors are now putting in new valve chambers like the one that was placed next to the intersection by David Dicker's house.

She says new windows and shingles for the roof will replace the old ones at the community hall.

And the money they received a couple of years ago for the arena is finally being used to construct an extension on to the Husky Center to house the Zamboni and also provide storage space for the recreation division.

Erickson says they are just about to start the first faze of the Trouser Lake water supply project.

She says they have the money to start the surveying and pre-engineering design within the next couple of weeks.

Erikson says the tender is up this afternoon for a new loader, and they should hopefully receive it before the end of the shipping season.

Woodwards Group has applied to replace the residential trailer where a Woodward's employee lives with a new one, and put it by the gas station.

However, the Inuit Community Government currently does not allow residential development in any industrial zone.

Erikson says the town will go through a public hearings process to decide on Woodward's application to locate the trailer in an industrial zone.

On October 21st, Erikson says they will hold another regular council meeting, and as always, it is open to the public.

It was the launch of the Inuit Health Survey in Nunatsiavut and the gym was packed with local residents, the crew from the Amundsen and lots of children.

Though it was the beginning for Nunatsiavut, for the crew of the ship Nunatsiavut marks the end of their two year journey across all northern regions of Canada.

OK Society attended the event last night at the school and we spoke with Helga Saundny-Unterberger.

She is the Project Manager for the Inuit Health Survey 2008.

Unterberger says now that the survey is coming to the end she is tired, but excited about all the information they've collected and what it will mean for Inuit.

So stay tuned to AtjiKangitut to listen to the sounds from last night's event at the school, and also to hear more about the journey the health survey has made and what will happen once all the information is collected.

Here is part of a transcription from our interview last evening:

Helga Saundny-Unterburger speaks about the Inuit Health Survey: ...It is an enormous undertaking, because of distances, the different regions, the logistics of the project, getting it all organized and on paper it is one thing, but then translating that... I think the success can be and should be attributed to the many many people in the communities that participated. All our local community research assistants and land team members who made it absolutely possible. Without land team members the surveys wouldn't take place. The ship is kinda going from community to community, and all of the participants are processed on the ship. However, without the community help, this wouldn't have taken place, and so...really the back bone of the survey are land team members and all the community people that have been so involved in getting the participants ready, and getting the communities ready for the survey.

Karen: From the beginning, how did this idea start out even, I mean you are from Montreal...

Saundny-Unterburger: Yes

Karen: and you're from McGill University, that's where the idea came from to go up to the north, across Inuit regions and get information, where did this idea come from?

Saundny-Unterburger: Ah, in 2004, the first part of the Inuit Health Survey took place in Inuvik. Laval University and Dr. Eric Dewailly...so that was the first part. Then Grace Egeland decided to do a similar survey, but doing it across all regions. Individual communities have been surveyed by different researchers, but nobody has ever done a research that would cover all three regions of Inuit. Then Canada, the international polar year program came along, so 2007-2008 were designated as international polar year, so now that was the time to write a grand proposal to do the health survey in three regions of the Artic...and so and we submitted a proposal, it was successful and now we have to actually plan it, and we have to translate it from paper into reality. And so in 2007, the Amundsen covered 18 communities in nunavut, and now in 2008, in august and beginning of September, 6th of august and 4th of September, Inuvialuit settlement region was covered and the remaining communities of Nunavut. And now we are getting to the last part here in Nunatsiavut. The last six coastal communities will be covered and then the health survey data collection will be completed.

Karen: Why did you feel it was so necessary to do a health survey across the north?

Saundny-Unterburger: I think if you look at the literature unfortunately, the health of Inuit is not as good as the health of other Canadians. And also I think health care, the availability of health care is not the same. And the communities are in transition. I think it is important to see if some of the modern diseases can be avoided. Inuit never had diabetes, or heart disease. But now these diseases are starting to appear in the population and it would be nice to be able to slow down the progression or even prevent it so hopefully that is what the health survey will cover.

Karen: So, it’s been over 2 years and it’s all coming to an end, how to you feel now?

Saundny-Unterburger: Um, tired. But it has been an absolutely wonderful experience and hopefully something good will come out of it. Hopefully in the end when all the data is analyzed That health agencies across the county will have policies in place that indeed something will change, if indeed that is what is found with the study.

A protest is taking place between the Jens Haven Memorial Primary School and the Post office in Nain today.

The purpose for the protest is that there are many concerned parents about the heating problem in that school, which has been going on for too long.

The lower grade students from kindergarten to grade 3 who attend are and have been even getting sick from the heat.

There is just nothing else that has been done to rectify the problem or anyone who's been contacted that have responded to the case.

Susan Webb is the Inuktitut Vice-principal of the primary.

She says over the years since the school was built in 1999, she has written letters to former Labrador school Board Executive Directors of Education about the heating problem, but nothing has ever been done.

She says the dead heat in the school cannot get down to a regular degree or changed, whether the day is warm or cool or on a cold day.

The dead heat of 32 degrees is where the thermostat stays and this has been causing children to get sick, and they always have a big headache and have no energy to concentrate in their work in class.

Webb says the heat problem was first happening in the classes upstairs but now the teachers are even feeling the heat downstairs.

So this is why concerned parents will be at the protest when the Minister of Education, Joan Burke and Minister of the House of Assembly, or MHA ,Patty Pottle arrive town today at 3pm.

The Provincial Minister of Natural Resources, Kathy Dunderdale announced new energy initiatives for the north coast this morning in Happy-Valley Goose Bay.

She's on a plane on her way to Nain now.

Once Dunderdale gets to Nain we will speak with her about these new initiatives.

In the meantime, we spoke with Tracy Barron, the Director of Communications for the provincial government.

She says the Provincial government is spending $500,000 to conduct an alternative energy study and an energy efficiency community pilot project in coastal Labrador communities.

So far, the communities involved in the survey from the north coast include Hopedale, Makkovik and Nain.

They haven't chosen the community that will be involved in the pilot project.

Minister Dunderdale is due to arrive in Nain at 3 pm today, and we'll speak to the Minister then, so stay tuned.

So Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro will be shutting off the power in Nain tomorrow from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

This is to transfer the main power supply from the primary source to the two mobile generators.

We spoke with Dawn Dalley, Manager of Corporate Communication with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro in St. John's.

She says after the transfer to the mobiles, they will be repairing the engine that had caught a fire and the repairs will most likely last the whole winter season.

Dalley also mentioned that another mobile generator is being sent up from Port Hope Simpson, and that it should be here and hooked up with the others within the next couple of weeks.

In case of future emergency power failure, she says the two generators in the plant that still work, will be used only if the mobiles fail.

Dalley says the cause of the fire was the fuel line to the primer pump failed.

She says its believed that it was due to the fuel line chaffing, and with the high pressure within the line caused it to break open and it sprayed onto the engine and caught a fire.

So the power will go out in Nain tomorrow from 3-5 pm.

The community of Makkovik has been nominated for this years Tidy Towns Competition.

Their Inuit Community Governments Town Manager and AngajukKak will be leaving for Corner Brook this Thursday in hopes that the Town of Makkovik will win.

We spoke with the Town Manager Terry Rice this morning, and he says their ICG would like to thank the town of Makkovik for their support in making the town's cleanliness happen.

He says they also have a four and a half week Community Enhancement Program happening that used to be known as the Job Creation Program.

This is to clean up the Brook Area past the town dump.

Rice says once the workers get their hours for unemployment, they will be laid off, and this program was funded by the Provincial Government.

He says they were approved to purchase a new John Deere 544 series front-end loader, with money coming from the Nunatsiavut Government.

Rice added that the front-end loader in is the process of being shipped from the factory in St. John's, and they hope to receive it within four to five weeks time, or before the end of shipping season.

He concluded that if anyone would like to see what the Tidy Towns Competition is about, the official website is www.recreationnl.com/tidytown

Phyllis Artiss is the NDP candidate and she will be in Nain for the next few days.

Artiss says she spoke with eight people about her candidacy and what the NDP could do to ensure more residents of Labrador came forward as candidates, especially more women.

She says residents raised issues such as the need for more safe and affordable housing, permanent jobs with benefits and affordable wholesale foods.

They also talked about affordable transportation within Labrador and elsewhere, childcare and the urgent need for a seniors housing complex in Nain.

Health care for all ages was also a priority issue.

Artiss talked about the NDP proposals to address these issues, and says the meeting overall went really well.

This afternoon, we will be airing OK radio's interview with Artiss about her platform and her ideas for the upcoming election.

So stay tuned at 2:30 today on AtjiKangitut.

Lacy Lewis of St. John's is also one of the candidates running in the October 14^th Federal Election on the Progressive Conservative side.

Apparently, she could not make it to the north coast communities during her campaign in Labrador.

So, what she did was send information on her platform to each community, including why and how she would like to help the people if elected.

Lewis mentions youth, transportation and education and people's concerns are what her first priorities would be.

So stay tuned because after we hear from the NDP candidate, we will hear PC candidate Lacy Lewis tell us about more about why she is running, and how she wants to help Labrador.

It will be their 25^th Anniversary.

We spoke with David Penner who is the Executive Director of the centre to find out about this important moment.

He says the opening ceremonies will commence at 2:00 pm.

And the day will consist of an opening prayer spoken in Inuktitut, followed by some speeches from guest speakers.

He says some guests include the provincial NDP leader Lorianne Michael, a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary representative the local Royal Bank manager.

Penner says two long time serving employees: Myrtle Blanchard and Margret McKenzie will be receiving recognition awards.

Entertainment will be hosted by two local Aboriginal drum groups.

These groups are the First Nations Drummers, and an Inuit drum group called Pitsatuninga Nuetatteit, meaning the strength of the drum.

Penner concluded that the food to be served will be traditional First Nations and Inuit foods.

The quarry site at Ten Mile Bay will be shutting down on October 10^th and than the equipment will be winterized.

Brian Vincent is the general manager.

He says a total of 350 cubic meters of anorthasite has been produced this year.

But they had hoped to produce a lot more.

He says unfortunately they ran into some bad or cracked areas of rock on the hill.

But they are looking at a better production area next summer, and the plan is they'll have two crews working in two different places.

Vincent says some of that 350 cubic meters of rock will be shipped to their market in Italy, while some be shipped to a new market in Bay Como, Sept. Iles., for a very first time in Canada.

He says the operation of the Hopedale stone plant have shut down.

This is because the diamond wire saw they used had broken down, and a part for it had to be ordered from England.

That part is expected to arrive in two weeks, but by then it will be too cold to operate the saw outside.

Vincent says it was a good summer, and that 200 slabs of anorthasite rock was produced at the plant.

The slabs will also be shipped out to St. John's on their barge, and to be sold during this fall and the winter.

He says there are big plans for the stone plant in 2009, because they'll have a second saw to use and two polishers to make more slabs.

Their plan is to have the plant operating throughout the year from then on.

In other LIDC news, Vincent says the Post Sawmill in Postville is shipping some wood out to be sold in two other north coast communities.

He says this is a good idea for the residents in Nain and Hopedale because the wood can be sold to the seniors and some people who are disabled and can't get firewood on their own.

Vincent says a deal was made through Nunatsiavut Government's Trust Fund, to ship up cords of wood on the Astron, and the Community councils can distribute them.

He says LIDC is also looking at purchasing a stone crusher that they can use in each of the north coast communities from Nain to Rigolet.

More plans include beginning construction of homes, airports and roads, first talking with each AngajukKak in the towns to find out what project work they'll have for next year.

Vincent says the next board of directors meeting for the LIDC is scheduled for November 12.

Yesterday afternoon, OKalaKatiget sat down with Constable Jim Woodrow to find out more about the new enforcement rules.

Woodrow says there have been too many complaints of people driving without a drivers license from the Nunatsiavut Government and the general public.

To see if other Nunatsiavut communities are enforcing the licence rule, we spoke with Hopedale, Rigolet and Makkovik's RCMP Detachments.

Corporal Howard Fitzpatrick in Hopedale says Hopedale's detachment is just beginning to enforce valid driver's licenses, just like Nain.

In Makkovik, the RCMP are ensuring drivers have their vehicle insured, registered and licensed.

Corporal Jason Learning of Makkovik's detachment says this was a decision to be fair to everyone of the town, also to be safe surrounding legality with the Highway Traffic Act.

He adds that all-terrain-vehicle owners and drivers must be registered and insured as well.

Learning says they began enforcing these rules in 2007.

The RCMP in Makkovik also control's Postville's laws and enforcement.

The town of Rigolet has yet to enforce the rules says Dwayne Noel who is the team leader with the RCMP there.

He says they are going to meet with the town and its Nunatsiavut Government representatives to decide what will happen.

Noel says they should know by next week if they will begin enforcing the same rules.

Stay tuned to today's AtjiKangitut Show to hear Nain's Constable Jim Woodrow explain how the regulations will begin to be enforced surrounding driver licenses.

Have you seen the map of Labrador in the new Aliant Phone book?

What do you think?

Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and Port Hope Simpson are missing from the map.

But Davis Inlet and a place called a Natuk are included on the map.

Overall, the map is extremely out of date and inaccurate.

A company called Rand McNally, produced the map so we contacted Nancy Sekharan works with customer service at the companies office in Ontario.

She says she can't find out where they got the information for the out-dated map.

Sekharan says their cartographers made the town maps of Happy Valley Goose Bay and Labrador City from scratch.

After checking in with the mapping department at the company, she says they now realize there are problems with the map, and it will be updated before it's printed again.

The Aliant phone books are brand new, so that won't be for at least another year.

We spoke with Doug Blake who is Nunatsiavut Government's Deputy Minister for the Department of Lands and Resources.

He couldn't believe the mistakes in the map and says if they had had asked, Nunatsiavut or the Province could have provided the company with an up-to-date and accurate map.

Blake says the Province just sent him an updated map including Labrador Inuit Lands, so he doesn't know why they wouldn't have contacted the Province for this information.

Brenda Reid is the Manager of Communications and Public Affairs with Aliant.

She says she had no idea there was inaccuracies in the map but that they will look into it and get back to us.