News quiz March 21 | Dogs race and politicians talk

Another week of headlines has flown by, so fire up the quiz once more. Let’s go!

1. We’ve put Nunavut’s sixth legislative assembly under the microscope here at Nunatsiaq News, scouring Hansard, the official record of what was said in the legislature,  to see what held MLAs’ attention over the past four years. Which issue was discussed more than any other?

A. Nunavut’s foster care system
B. Housing
C. Medical travel

2. One lucky Nunavut community won $50,000 in arena upgrades in a national contest and might still be named a finalist for an even bigger cash prize. Which community is it?

A. Cambridge Bay
B. Rankin Inlet
C. Arviat

3. After being delayed due to harsh weather, the Ivakkak dogsled race got underway this week. Where did the 530-kilometre race start?

A. Quaqtaq
B. Ivujivik
C. Akulivik

4. Call it bites for ballots: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is bringing back its practice of offering grocery vouchers to everyone who shows up to vote in its May 27 presidential byelection. In 2024, the vouchers were for $100 — how much will they be worth this time?

A. $100
B. $125
C. $150

5. Two ships used in the annual sealifts for Nunavut and Nunavik were stranded in dangerous waters this week. Why can’t the vessels, owned by Quebec-based shipping company Desgagnés, be moved?

A. They’re in a war zone.
B. They’re waiting for polar ice to thaw.
C. A disabled ship is blocking the canal they’re waiting to pass through.

The president and general manager of Desgagnés Transarctik Inc. says two of its sealift ships, including the Miena Desgagnés seen here, are currently stranded but everyone on board is safe. (Photo courtesy of Transport Desgagnés)

Answers

1. B — Many issues were discussed by MLAs over the past four years, but none more often than housing and Nunavut’s need for more — and better — accommodations for its people. The topic was raised 7,200 times in the legislature between 2021 and 2025.
2. C — Arviat won the prize in the annual Kraft Hockeyville contest. On Sunday, it learns if it will be a finalist to compete for the grand prize of $250,000 in upgrades and the right to host a National Hockey League preseason game.
3. C — The 24^th edition of the annual race kicked off in Akulivik, with the mushers and their teams headed for the finish line at Quaqtaq.
4. A. — The grocery vouchers will be the same as in December 2024, the first time they were offered — $100. Not everyone loved the idea, but voter turnout rose to 66 per cent in 2024 from 17 per cent in the previous election in 2021.
5. A — They’re stranded in a war zone. The Miena Desgagnés and Rosaire A. Desgagnés are both waiting in the Persian Gulf because Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel.