News quiz May 2 | Jails, jobs and the good old hockey game

April showers bring May flowers and news quizzes, too. Let’s roll!

1. A former Nunavut cabinet minister got a new job this week, as executive director of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. Who is it?

A. David Akeeagok
B. Joanna Quassa
C. Pamela Hakongak Gross

2. Nunatsiaq News was awarded one of the highest honours in Canadian journalism last weekend when it received a National Newspaper Award. Which subject did the award-winning entry cover?

A. The severe housing shortage across Nunavut
B. The 50-year anniversary of the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
C. The story behind the signing of the devolution agreement in 2024

3. Iqaluit high school students returned to class this week after being forced to study from home for two weeks. Why was Inuksuk High School temporarily closed?

A. The school’s Wi-Fi connection was damaged.
B. A sewer line was broken.
C. The heating system required repairs.

4. Employees at the Nunavut Women’s Correctional Centre and at the territory’s young offenders facility nearby in Iqaluit were merged into a single staffing unit as of April 1. How come?

A. Advancements in artificial intelligence, or AI, mean less staff is needed.
B. There aren’t enough prisoners to warrant each site having its own staff.
C. It was a cost-cutting measure by the Government of Nunavut.

5. After enduring a boil water advisory for nearly four months plus a damaging power outage, people in Gjoa Haven got a nice pick-me-up when their senior men’s hockey team won a tournament in Yellowknife. What is the team’s name?

A. Gjoa Haven Snowy Owls
B. Gjoa Haven Ptarmigan
C. Gjoa Haven Hungry Bears

Nunavut’s women’s and young offenders jails have merged management, as of April 1. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)

Answers

1. C — Pamela Hakongak Gross, the former deputy premier and minister of education and justice, is the Kitikmeot Inuit Association’s new CEO.
2. B — Nunatsiaq News’ special section examining the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in 1975, and its impact since then, won in the Special Topic — Journalism in a language other than French or English category. The stories were published in Inuktitut and English.
3. B — A broken sewer line that required repairs was the reason Inuksuk High School students had to study from home, using laptops and data sticks for internet access that were provided for them.
4. B — A low number of inmates at both facilities led to the decision to have one staff oversee both sites. In 2024, the women’s jail had just 31 inmates while the Isumaqsunngittukkuvik Young Offenders Facility had seven.
5. A — The Gjoa Haven Snowy Owls not only won the Yellowknife tournament, three weeks later they also triumphed at the Kitikmeot Cup tournament in Taloyoak. Score!