Blog

This is an exciting week for a lover of Canadian children’s books, a proud mom, and a very thankful daughter. It’s TD Canadian Children’s Book Week, May 6-13, and then Mother’s Day is on Sunday. TD Canadian Children’s Book Week celebrates the amazing work of Canadian authors. The many talented children’s authors in Canada make it hard to pick my favourites. My mom nurtured my love of Canadian… Read more.

We want photos of your child (aged 0-6 years) reading a book. Your photo will help promote the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. We've teamed up with the Yellowknife Public Library to encourage all NWT families to read 1000 Books Before Kindergarten. We know the brains of babies develop fast during the first years of life. You can help that brain development by reading books with your… Read more.

I am passionate about physical literacy. Physical literacy is for all ages, skills, and abilities. It allows people to actively participate in their communities and with their families, as well as keep healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physical literacy can be defined as “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility… Read more.

Last week was such an inspiration! The elders at the Indigenous Languages Network Gathering in Yellowknife made statements such as: "The gift of our language is very powerful" and "It's all in our hearts" and "There's a magic to it." For the fourth year, the NWT Literacy Council has brought together the coordinators of the Indigenous language communities. They share information about their work… Read more.

I was reminded again of the power of personal stories last week. I listened to four women from Kenya, the Philippines, Iran and India tell their stories of coming to Canada at a conference in Calgary. Some were fleeing from persecution in their country. Others wanted to make a better life for their children. Some were highly skilled workers who came for employment for themselves or their spouse.… Read more.

It has long been a dream of CBC broadcasters and many people in the North to preserve the rich collection of content we have in Indigenous languages. CBC is now embarking on this project. It is a project ‘of the heart’. Our Indigenous language collection represents a living record of the languages and cultures of the North. The preservation and restoration of the collection speaks to the mandate… Read more.

What do health and wellness and literacy have to do with each other? A lot! Research shows that people with higher levels of literacy and essential skills are generally healthier and live longer. They are better able to communicate with health care providers, navigate the health care system, and have fewer medication errors. They tend to have higher incomes and are able to maintain an active,… Read more.

Parents, educators, politicians and community members are looking for ideas to get NWT children on the right track for their education. One of the most-often asked questions I get from parents and early childhood educators is how to give children a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Since parents are their children’s first teachers, I usually suggest activities that they can easily do… Read more.

We are celebrating NWT Indigenous Languages Month during the month of March. To help support NWT Indigenous languages, we launched a social media campaign called #MyLanguageMatters. We hope to engage and challenge people across the NWT to speak their Indigenous language. You can take part by uploading your video on social media. Here’s how it works: Introduce yourself using your Indigenous… Read more.

Happy International Women’s Day on March 8! For me, International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the opportunities I have available to me — I can attend university, I can vote, I can buy a house, and I can do all these things wearing pants (if I want to) — and to celebrate the women that helped make these things possible. But it’s also a day to ask questions. Questions such as: Why do women,… Read more.