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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 12d

Maybe. I've only ever lived in the Northwest Territories so I don't know a whole lot about southern Canada's needs versus ours.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 12d

Man. When I moved here I got a little mailbox down the end of the street. That was an upgrade on the last place, where all the mail went to the grocery store for pickup.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 12d

So... some people in this country still have door-to-door mail delivery?

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 18d

Yeah, maybe you're right. Oddly, though, the same broadcaster needed a reference for someone else last year and for that one, the regular human being who'd be hiring them (who I didn't know) just phoned me up. I guess things changed.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 18d

(In both cases, the people I was being asked about are amazing human beings. These references were not hard and I hope they get hired. But the process seemed designed to be minimally useful to the actual person who'll be managing them.)

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 18d

1. I can't imagine being an employer and not actually being on the call to hear from people about someone you're thinking of hiring.

2. They don't even tell me what position these people are applying for! Isn't that... quite crucial to knowing if they'll be a good fit for it?

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · 18d

Twice this week, a major broadcaster has asked me to provide a reference for someone by having a third-party company reach me. The first time it was a call. This time it's just a form that goes back to the "automated reference" third party. Maybe everyone does this? How soulless and useless.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Jun 25

Unless you're sleeping at William Mac school, no need to worry. It's not a YK-wide issue (the city's water is tested all the time).

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Jun 23

Put another way: If they're prepared to try it for a heckin' mushroom story, what else are they prepared to try to have edited – or working frightfully hard to phrase carefully – that might be less ridiculously benign?

Not impressed. Leave your poor employee alone, too.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Jun 23

I debated whether to share this, I'm sure everyone's only following orders etc. However, it troubles me that Parks Canada saw a good chance of successfully getting a newsroom to stealth-remove the word "heck" in a story about fungi.

There are boundaries. Big ol' boundaries. For very good reasons.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Jun 23

If the quote had been "I'm gonna get me some mother-f**kin' mushrooms," we might have paused pre-publication. Maybe. (Maybe not.)

In 2025, some poor Parks Canada employee trying to promote a mushroom-spotting event is presumably now dealing with a menacing phone call over the phrase "heck, yeah."

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Jun 23

Parks Canada just called to ask if we can delete the word "heck" from an article in which an employee, promoting a mushroom-spotting contest, says: "I had an opportunity arise to create my own project. I was like, heck yeah, it’s gonna be mushrooms.”

That request is not going to fly.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · May 22

Importantly, Aurora College's board (not the GNWT) decided to close the community learning centres. The GNWT appears to have been as surprised as anyone and has since been working out how to fill that gap.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · May 13

Our top story in the morning is going to be a hot breakfast program in Fort Good Hope because if the top story most days was about some kids getting a quality breakfast, the world would be a better place.

Shoutout to Jaydon Kakfwi in Fort Good Hope.

Jaydon Kakfwi in his breakfast program's kitchen in Fort Good Hope last week.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · May 10

We are the kind of broadcast institution that finds itself embroiled in outhouse-related drama at trade shows. I don't know why we're like this.

Cabin Radio @cabinradio.ca · May 10

Cabin Radio built a broadcast studio inside an outhouse for Yellowknife's spring trade show. And then a very Cabin Radio thing happened.

Cabin Radio in extraordinary outhouse coincidence

Cabin Radio built a broadcast studio inside an outhouse for Yellowknife's spring trade show. And then a very Cabin Radio thing happened.

cabinradio.ca

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 30

Think I found the tipping point.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 30

Can confirm. We're receiving some money from this but aren't on the list, presumably because we only just had confirmation a day or two ago.

Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 30

Left my laptop recording a healthcare briefing. Went to cover another story. Came back to see – from the transcript summary – that YouTube abandoned the briefing in favour of wall-to-wall Bob Ross.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 28

First-time voters, right here.

LIVE from 6pm MT: Cabin Radio’s Reasonably Calm Election Special. All the results nationwide, detailed NWT coverage, better music than anyone else.

cabinradio.ca/live

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 25

Come talk to Cabin Radio about this if you have the time!

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 24

The Yukon *might* actually have some polling data. The Yukon Party commissioned a Leger poll in Feb. The results I've seen were focused on territorial politics but I suppose it's possible that there was a federal question tucked in there.

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 24

Ironically, the reality of these maps is: nobody in the Northwest Territories knows what’s up. There’s no polling here. The only reason the NWT is red is because that’s what happened in 2021.

(Source: I run a newsroom here and have spent the past few weeks talking with polling firms about this.)

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Reposted by Ollie Williams

Cabin Radio @cabinradio.ca · Apr 20

Spring breakup 2025: Updates as we get them

We have begun tracking the 2025 spring river ice breakup season in the Northwest Territories. Bookmark this page for regular updates from various sources.

Spring breakup 2025: Updates as we get them

We have begun tracking the 2025 spring river ice breakup season in the Northwest Territories. Bookmark this page for regular updates from various sources.

cabinradio.ca

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Ollie Williams @ollienwt.bsky.social · Apr 11

He would pick up at least 10% of the vote locally. We love an independent candidate.

Cabin Radio @cabinradio.ca · Apr 11

Why Yellowknife has Conan the Barbarian election signs

"Crush our enemies. See them driven before us. Stronger representation for women." Here's why Conan the Barbarian election signs have appeared in Yellowknife.

Why Yellowknife has Conan the Barbarian election signs

"Crush our enemies. See them driven before us. Stronger representation for women." Here's why Conan the Barbarian election signs have appeared in Yellowknife.

cabinradio.ca

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Reposted by Ollie Williams

Cabin Radio @cabinradio.ca · Apr 11

‘Resurgent’ fur trade brushes off tariff turbulence

Many industries are bracing for the impact of US tariffs. Key people in Canada's fur trade say broader uncertainty hasn't dampened the interest of US buyers.

‘Resurgent’ fur trade brushes off tariff turbulence

Many industries are bracing for the impact of US tariffs. Key people in Canada's fur trade say broader uncertainty hasn't dampened the interest of US buyers.

cabinradio.ca

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