The longer the public school board allows the lawsuit against a Yellowknife parent and the local radio station to continue, the less it has to gain if the lawsuit is successful and the more it has to lose if the case is not.
Board chairperson Dan Schofield insisted at last Tuesday's regular meeting that Yk Education District No. 1 board wants to encourage ratepayers to get involved in education issues and that public meetings are good way to do that.
The current lawsuit greatly discourages such participation.
Schofield and his fellow board members must weigh the consequences of allowing the words of the parent and radio station to stand unchallenged against the consequences of frightening parents into silence and jeopardizing the board's own integrity.
As the board's superintendent enjoys the full support of his employer, is still on the job and nobody is questioning his ability to work effectively, the consequences of not going ahead in court are known only to the board and its lawyers.
But to the more than 200 people who signed petitions calling for an end to the lawsuit, the consequences of going ahead with the lawsuit are obvious.
As one speaker indicated at Tuesday's meeting, parents are already intimidated by the board's legal action. No doubt many of the others on the petition don't like the idea of their money going to pay lawyers for something that has absolutely nothing to do with education.
Sometimes well meaning people, such as school board representatives, find themselves in a sticky situation not of their making that causes grief all way round and there's no way out.
This school board has not yet reached the point of no return. In the best interests of Yellowknife parents and the school board that represents them, this lawsuit can and should be stopped.
As for the superintendent at the centre of it all, he should be considering what's best for his employers who happen to be the very people funding the lawsuit and being targeted by it.
In last week's Yellowknifer, columnist Walt Humphries recounted a curious story of a woman who had to dispose of some explosives.
The story begs the question: "Well, how do you get rid of a box of dynamite?"
The answer is to call the fire department.
As it stands today, people who have to throw out hazardous products, such as paint, batteries and used oil, take them to the dump where there is a facility for disposing of them. If it is something dangerous, such as explosives, call the fire department.
In the interests of environmental safety and to encourage people to dispose of toxic and potentially dangerous stuff responsibly, the city should consider designating a couple of days to pick up hazardous waste. Seniors, those without vehicles and the rest of us who need an occasional reminder, would be grateful.
Editorial Comment
Glen Korstrum
Inuvik Drum
Like most people, there have been times in my life when dreams and goals seemed hopelessly unattainable.
The bleakest period was probably after a serious relationship I'd grown comfortable in had ended and I was enduring student loans from heading back to school after realizing an arts degree had not been enough to secure a job.
I remember lying on my bed feeling deep bonds with close friends had loosened thanks to transiency and some neglect.
Time healed that.
Though the future seemed uncertain, I never attempted suicide, thankfully. It would have been a mistake.
I learned I could count on friends. Opening up meant I learned some of the private stresses other friends were dealing with.
There is usually something in everybody's life that could cause anxiety. Knowing you are not alone provides strength, helps you believe in yourself and ends with you accomplishing whatever you set out to do.
New goals and new challenges come from unexpected obstacles.
A 15-year-old committed suicide last week.
This has happened before, both here and elsewhere, but it deserves reflection and consideration that some other people in our community may feel uncertain whether it is worth it to soldier on.
Showing love may be hard for some people who are either busy with work or distracted by recreation.
Sometimes people do not open up because they fear rejection.
But love that fosters independence and faith makes the whole community stronger -- and it may also save lives.
Taxi loophole needs closing
Council was right, or at least consistent, when they rejected Unal Duran's taxi permit application because their own bylaw tied their hands.
As for whether the bylaw, which is currently under review, is justified is another matter.
One loophole needs closing to help get the number of cabs on the streets down to the arbitrary 20 that council decided and that many drivers want. That loophole is allowing people to renew vehicle permits regardless of whether they live in Inuvik.
Owners sometimes fly up to renew the permit and then fly south again. This does no justice to drivers here.
Freezing permits adds job security to those who have staked their lives driving a cab here. Those drivers are part of this community and deserve some sense of stability.
Conversely, the supply-and-demand argument is that the market itself will set the number based on what is viable.
If a driver can't make a living when 30-odd cabs are on the streets, then drivers will leave to make a living elsewhere until the number of cabs falls to the maximum that the market will bear.
That could mean rotation, but drivers who give good service will always maintain a clientele.
It's easier to ascribe labels with some contentious issues than it is with others. A controversial matter in this week's Drum is one of the more difficult issues in which to draw the line.
The issue at hand isn't dealt with directly elsewhere in these pages. I'm bringing it up here because it's been something in the back of my mind since completing the assignment. I'm referring to this week's photo spread. The topic, at first blush, is simply that of the new youth drop-in centre opening in Fort Simpson. The teenagers and pre-teens pictured are having a good time. Nobody has any real complaints in the story. So where's the controversy, you ask?
Well, for those who remember the Dec. 10 issue of the Drum, there was a story entitled "Arcade furor... youth centre threatens business, says owner." The article focused on Keybrand arcade owner Keyna Norwegian's argument at village council that local youth surely won't pay to play at her establishment when they can go to the youth drop-in centre for free.
It's hard to argue with that. While speaking to one of the teenagers at the drop-in centre, I asked where she would be otherwise and she said at the arcade.
Certainly, the youth drop-in centre has novelty on its side. It just opened in late December. The arcade, which I did a story on after arriving in July, has been there since the summer.
The youth drop-in centre had been in the works for more than two years now. One councillor contended that arcades have come and gone in the community and a permanent facility was needed for them. Its opening wasn't intended to do any damage to Norwegian's business, he added.
The toughest part for Norwegian will be this initial month while teens are getting a feel for the activities and the environment that the drop-in centre has to offer, as compared to the arcade. As recreation director Scott McAdam pointed out, there are two staff members providing constant supervision at the drop-in centre and some youth won't care for the unwanted attention.
As well, the drop-in centre splits the evening in half so the younger adolescents are welcomed early and older teens are invited to spend later hours. That will always leave some youth heading for the arcade.
Will that be sufficient to keep Norwegian's venture above water? I don't know.
"It's tough to have a business in this town and make ends meet," she told council in December.
There's an article on page 3 about the new Deh Cho Business Development Centre which is encouraging small businesses like Norwegian's. She's offering employment and paying taxes -- that contributes to the local economy. From a business owner's standpoint, Norwegian's reasoning is completely valid.
On the other hand, from a parent's point of view, how can you argue against another facility designed to keep teenagers happily occupied and off the street?
There really doesn't seem to be any good guys or bad guys, just two parties with opposing points of view. Hopefully, kids will be able to take advantage of both facilities as the two find a way to co-exist.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
In the aftermath of the tragedy that shook the tiny Quebec community of Kangiqsualujjuaq, the dignitaries came from far and wide to share the grief of the community's residents.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard and federal Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart all attended the open-air funeral marking the end of life's journey for nine Kangiqsualujjuaq residents, five of whom experienced the joys of life for less than a decade.
But, after the grieving has lessened and the shock has worn off, many people, and not just the residents of Kangiqsualujjuaq, should be feeling another emotion -- anger!
Anger at the Kativak school board which governs education in that region, anger at those in charge who did not raise their voices loud enough to initiate change, and anger at the human characteristic of ignoring warnings until it's far too late and someone has to pay the ultimate price for money to be spent.
What happened in Kangiqsualujjuaq can be looked upon as a symptom of what I think of as the stop-sign syndrome. A busy or dangerous intersection in any town, any region, where the lack of a stop sign creates a game of Russian roulette with people's lives.
Community awareness, residential or advisory groups recognize the danger and lobby for a stop sign to be erected. Bureaucracy, lack of available dollars or manpower or, in some cases, power struggles between elected officials, delay the action until someone is hit by a vehicle and, usually, the stop sign appears. Sadly, it suddenly comes with a much higher price tag.
There were warning signs in Kangiqsualujjuaq several years before the ultimate disaster struck and there were people who tried to heed that warning. In fact, a 1995 report done for the Kativak school board recommended that steel snow barriers be created to stem just such an avalanche which cost nine people their lives.
That same school board had also been lobbied by the community's council to change the layout and move the school and its gymnasium away from the dangers which awaited them at the foot of that now-deadly incline. All to no avail.
Once again, the "it will never happen here" prevailed and, once again, people died. Finally, once again, all we are left with are questions. We, as Northerners, know all too well the unforgiving manner of Mother Nature when we don't listen to her warnings and respect her power.
And, until community leaders everywhere begin to not only listen, but act when such dangers become apparent -- more communities will be destined to have their moments of terror and grief. Maybe someday it will be a community much closer to home. Maybe someday it will be your community.