News quiz Jan. 31 | Stranded belugas, lonely NDPers and one byelection

Well, that was a cold January. Next stop, February — but first, let’s play the quiz!

1. Nunavut reached a milestone in sports this week. What happened?

A. Team Nunavut’s under-18 boys futsal team won gold at the Arctic Winter Games.
B. A second Nunavut-born athlete played for a National Hockey League team, following in the footsteps of Jordin Tootoo.
C. Nunavut curlers won their first game in six years at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

2. Jeremy Tunraluk resigned midway through his term as president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on Jan. 21. When will NTI hold a byelection to select a new leader?

A. March
B. December
C. July

3. Years after it was supposed to open, Nanisivik Naval Facility, about 20 kilometres from Arctic Bay, still has not opened. Which prime minister first announced plans for the facility?

A. Jean Chretien
B. Paul Martin
C. Stephen Harper

4. The federal NDP is scheduled to hold a leadership convention in Winnipeg in March to replace Jagmeet Singh, who was defeated in last April’s election and resigned. Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said she won’t seek the leadership. But which candidate has she endorsed?

A. Avi Lewis
B. Rob Ashton
C. None of the above

5. They’re swimming round and round in a tank more than 1,000 kilometres from Nunavik, but the sad fate of beluga whales stranded at the shuttered Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., caught the interest of Nunavimmiut and Nunavummiut too. What’s the latest on those poor mammals?

A. The federal government conditionally approved their transfer to the United States.
B. Marineland will proceed with its plan to euthanize the whales.
C. They will be transferred to a habitat in Hudson Bay or Ungava Bay.

A group of beluga whales remains in Friendship Cove at the Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., more than a year after the park closed. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

Answers

1. C — Team Nunavut, representing the Iqaluit Curling Club, defeated Prince Edward Island 8-5 at the national women’s curling championship in Mississauga, Ont. The tournament continued through the week.
2. B — After accepting Tunraluk’s resignation, the NTI board decided it would wait 11 months, until December, to hold a byelection. In the meantime, vice-president Paul Irngaut will serve as president. Hopefully, harsh December weather won’t discourage voters from showing up at the polls.
3. C — Nanisivik Naval Facility is the long-overdue political baby of former prime minister Stephen Harper. He announced plans for its creation in 2007.
4. C — None of the above. In fact, Idlout said she doesn’t plan to offer any endorsement in the race to lead the struggling party, which holds just seven seats in the House of Commons.
5. A — This week, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson conditionally approved Marineland’s plan to transfer its remaining belugas and dolphins to facilities in the U.S.