A two-student team from Ecole Boreale made an impression at their first debating competition.
The team SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ 17-year-old Grade 12 students Reegan Jungkind and Victoria Tweedie-Pitre SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ attended the French-language Sommet des débats in Edmonton on Feb. 8 and finished fifth out of 12 teams. They won the Rookie Team Award among the students in Grades 10-12. Jungkind said the good showing was surprising and exciting, while Tweedie-Pitre said the team wasn't expecting to win anything at the competition, where legal issues are debated. Other teams came from Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Rusty Blades pay AWG
registration fees

The Rusty Blades Oldtimers Hockey Club made a significant donation to support young athletes from Hay River planning to travel to Whitehorse in March for the Arctic Winter Games (AWG), which were ultimately cancelled because of Covid-19. On Feb. 4, the club presented a cheque to the Sport North Federation for the registration fees of all 25 athletes from Hay River SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ a total of $8,750. The money came from the club's radio bingos. It was the first time that the club had covered the registration fees for Hay River's AWG athletes.

Council rejects closing town hall over lunch

Hay River town council dismissed the idea of closing town hall for an hour over lunch. The recommendation from town administration was discussed on Feb. 10. "It was initially raised as a safety concern that during office hours at lunchtime there's only one person present in the building," said Sam Mugford, the director of finance and administration. Some councillors supported the idea, but most didn't. The Town of Hay River is here to serve the public, said Coun. Keith Dohey. "We can't do that with the doors locked." Mugford noted there was not a financially appropriate way to create a barrier between the public and an employee working over lunch.

Library hosts murder-mystery

For the first time in about a decade, the public library in Hay River hosted a murder-mystery night on Feb. 15. The interactive event SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ during which those attending took on roles as main characters or extras SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ was called Murder at The Juice Joint. Marissa Oteiza, the program librarian at NWT Centennial Library, said about 10 participants got a script and clues, and one played the murderer and another played the victim. Murder at The Juice Joint was found online, and rights and materials were purchased. Participants were encouraged to dress to match a Roaring '20s theme.

Rec Centre gets new names

The Hay River Recreation Centre and some main interior areas received new names. At its Feb. 17 meeting, town council unanimously approved renaming the Rec Centre the Hay River Community Centre for an indefinite term. Inside the building, the new names were the Aurora Ford Arena for a 20-year term, the Hay River Curling Club for a 10-year term, and the Don Stewart Aquatic Centre for the life of the building. Stephane Millette, the director of recreation, said further plans were being looked at for naming other spaces in the complex.

Golf club awarded next Chase the Ace

The Hay River Golf Club was awarded the right to present the next Chase the Ace lottery. The Town of Hay River made that announcement on Feb. 24. "We received two applications for the next Chase the Ace lottery," said Judy Goucher, then the town's senior administrative officer. "One of the submissions did not meet the minimum qualifications to be considered. The other one did, and scored well." Because of Covid-19, the Chase the Ace had not begun by the end of 2020.

Hay Days postponed to 2021

Hay Days was cancelled for 2020. The management committee of the music, arts and cultural festival announced Feb. 25 that it was postponed to 2021. "A number of key management roles were vacated due to personal commitments and several new members have joined the ranks to begin learning the hundreds of tasks involved under each of the committee leads," the announcement stated. The next Hay Days SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ which will be the 10th year of the festival SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ will take place from July 6-10, 2021. The Rotary Club of Hay River Sunrise took over Hay Days in 2017.