Breaking Ice

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Jasmine Bailes grew up in Norman Wells, spending much of her childhood living “out in DOT” with her family—an experience that deeply rooted her connection to the land. Over the years, she had the opportunity to work with Gana River Outfitters as a camp cook, a role that allowed her to live and work closely alongside experienced hunting guides. This hands-on experience not only strengthened her outdoor skills but also deepened her appreciation for the land and those who work on it. Building on that foundation, Jasmine later joined a trip with Black Spruce Education, which introduced her to the world of expeditionary travel and land-based learning. That experience sparked a new passion and ultimately led her to her current role as the Land-Based Programs Intern with Black Spruce. She joined us on the podcast today to talk about her upbringing, her journey so far, and the important work Black Spruce is doing to support and inspire youth across the Sahtú region.
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Find us on:
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instagram @breaking.ice.productions :https://www.instagram.com/breaking.ice.productions/
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Facebook 
Breaking Ice Productions 
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558429497069
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or the web: breakingiceproducitons.com 

Breaking Ice is a podcast that focuses on the life stories of ordinary people. it is an exploration of the North and who ends up there and why. We talk to everyone from anywhere if you are in the North, lets explore who you are and what your story is. 
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The Northern Region of Canada is an unbelievable place. A place that exists outside of the regular day to day understanding of life for most people. It is a place of extremes, from weather, remoteness, beauty, logistics, to costs, community and adventure. This kind of environment does not create soft people. Living & working in the North has given me the great pleasure of meeting and getting to know these extraordinary individuals. On Breaking Ice we will sit down and talk unfiltered with people about their lives, business and passions.

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Nutrition North is a organization that helps make perishable, nutritious food more accessible and more affordable than it otherwise would be to residents of eligible isolated northern communities without year-round surface (road, rail or marine) access. McKinley Winters is their Advisory Board Chairperson and was visiting Norman Wells as a part of the Board performing Community visits. They connected with many of the key players when it comes to food supply here as wells as an event at the legion that the public could attend and where they distributed fresh fruit. I thought it would be interesting to learn about the people behind the program and offered to do an episode with them, and later that night, McKinley and I had the chance to sit down together. McKinley has a fascinating story and was an absolute pleasure to talk to, we covered Nutrition North, his home community and the challenges they face and ended up talking largely about his faith journey and where that is taking him. I want to acknowledge McKinley for his openness and vulnerability during this interview, it was an pleasure to sit down with you and get to know you. Enjoy the Episode!

Find us on:
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instagram @breaking.ice.productions :https://www.instagram.com/breaking.ice.productions/
.
Facebook 
Breaking Ice Productions 
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558429497069
.
or the web: breakingiceproducitons.com 

Breaking Ice is a podcast that focuses on the life stories of ordinary people. it is an exploration of the North and who ends up there and why. We talk to everyone from anywhere if you are in the North, lets explore who you are and what your story is. 
.
The Northern Region of Canada is an unbelievable place. A place that exists outside of the regular day to day understanding of life for most people. It is a place of extremes, from weather, remoteness, beauty, logistics, to costs, community and adventure. This kind of environment does not create soft people. Living & working in the North has given me the great pleasure of meeting and getting to know these extraordinary individuals. On Breaking Ice we will sit down and talk unfiltered with people about their lives, business and passions.

Send us a text

Harold Grinde owns Gana River Outfitters in the Mackenzie Mountains. Early on in his life he was captured by hunting and has worked as a guide all over North-Western Canada which eventually led him to Gana River Outfitters and eventually assuming stewardship and ownership of the Outfit. Gana River Outfitters still hunts on horseback and every year walks their horses into the mountains for the season. I connected with Harold this spring after an early season hunt and we managed to find the time to sit down and talk. It was great to get to know him and learn more about his background and how the outfit works. Enjoy!

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Leon Andrew is a local Elder who needs no introduction if you have spent time in the Sahtú. His heritage is from the Mountain Dené; he spent the first 16 years of his life living on the land. In this episode, he recounts stories from his life, tells legends, and talks about some of the issues facing the North Currently. Thank you, Leon, for taking the time to sit with me; I profoundly enjoyed our conversation.

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Kevin is a friend that I met in the Gym in Norman Wells one evening, we hit it off since then and spoke for around 2 hours that evening. Since then we decided it was a good idea to sit down and make an episode together. We come from different backgrounds but from he same era. This conversation was a ton of fun, we discuss Fitness, how to integrate it into your life and how to find a healthy balance, mental health and the impact that fitness can have on it. We also talked about our upbringing as millennials and how we ended up here in the North.

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I discovered Bryson through his recent post on the Norman Wells Announcements page, where he laid out his intention and the beginnings of The Sahtú Support Association. It piqued my interest, and after connecting on Facebook, we decided to record together. He is just starting this new Journey and intends to follow up with us periodically to provide progress updates. Join us for a peek at what he intends the Sahtú Support Association to become.

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Rebecca is the current Mayor of Yellowknife serving her 2nd term and has taken a leave to run as the Liberal MP for the NWT. We managed to sit down together during her visit to Norman Wells while campaigning in the Sahtú. We discussed her roots, how her family originally came to Yellowknife, and how her career developed from working for KFC to being Mayor of Yellowknife! Overall, it was a great discussion, and we hope you enjoy it as well.

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Kyle Newhook is the Operations Manager for North-Wright Airways. He discovered Norman Wells at the start of his aviation career and basically never looked back. In this episode he tells the story of ending up here, how his perspective of aviation changed by living and working here. It was great to get the chance to talk to Kyle about his life and his interests. Enjoy the episode.

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Last summer, right after I started the podcast, I talked to Drayton about being a guest; he immediately said yes, but his busy season was in full swing. Finally, this week, we had the chance to sit down together. We talked about how he started his business, how it grew and is going, his childhood and how he came to Norman Wells. Through the years I have been here, Drayton has always been a standout community member in my eyes, Motivated, Hardworking, and Honest; it was a pleasure to have the chance to sit down and talk finally.c

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Dennis Rusch lived in Norman Wells for nearly a decade; during that time, he worked as a helicopter pilot. He has since moved to Yellowknife and is now working with Acasta Heliflight. Dennis is an avid hunter, adventurer, and soon-to-be father. We had the opportunity to sit down together while he was back in town recently, and it was a great conversation.