One look at the police blotter or an afternoon sitting in court is enough to convince all but the most wilfully defiant that alcohol and drug abuse is a desperate, chronic problem in the North.
The problem spreads through Northern society like a malignant virus whose symptoms include crime, spousal abuse, families torn apart by violence as well as atrociously destructive public behaviour. On occasion innocent people lose their lives in drunk-driving accidents.
We all pay the price for substance abuse. Those of us lucky enough to avoid the immediate impact of the problem are still affected. Medical problems, policing, court costs, the expense of imprisonment, family and social services must all be included in the price of substance abuse.
As mothers and fathers, as sons and daughters, as brothers and sisters, as friends, we can't afford the turmoil that is currently embroiling Northern Addiction Services.
Substance abuse is not a gender-specific problem. Both men and women and, in fact, boys and girls, can and do succumb. However, there are contiguous issues that are particular to men or women.
Problems surrounding family relationships and spousal abuse can be different for men and women.
Any questions about sexual impropriety or potentially threatening relationships that arise from a co-educational treatment facility can be quickly disposed of by creating separate treatment programs for men and women and housing them in separate facilities.
That answer is an expensive one, admittedly, but not nearly as costly as leaving the problem untreated.
Complaints filed by the Yellowknife Women's Centre must be rigorously examined to clear the air.
Regardless of the outcome of those complaints, plans for separate facilities should be started now.
Let's make sure that this desperate problem doesn't get lost in political wrangling and hidden agendas. We can't afford it.
Waiting for medical attention in emergency rooms is not news -- it happens everywhere.
There aren't too many people who haven't had to wait a few hours in an emergency room -- hoping against hope that they're next on the doctor's list. And while most people understand the true emergencies come first, there are those who make a scene about having to wait.
One thing most people should agree on, however, is that Yellowknifers are luckier than most when it comes to receiving relatively quick, efficient medical attention. People in larger, southern centres frequently wait for hours. And the situation in some Northern communities is no different -- simply because there are no resident doctors.
We would do well to remember this.
The announcement by Ter Hamer on Feb. 17 that he was suspending the operations of the Wade Hamer Hockey School leaves a big hole on the Yellowknife sports scene. In its 10 years of existence, about 3,000 kids have come and gone through the school.
That's a lot of kids. However, a week after the fact, Yellowknifers shouldn't be asking why the school closed but rather what will take it's place.
While Ter Hamer and his school may be gone, the opportunity is there for someone else to jump in and take over. Perhaps they can even run it as a business rather than just a community service.
Overall, it's hard to believe Yellowknife would not support a well-run, well-instructed hockey school, especially if you can get the word out to kids from other NWT communities.
Editorial Comment
Glen Korstrum
Inuvik Drum
With thousands of CBC technicians on strike across Canada, it was with interest that I heard about the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission asking for input from Canadians on CBC programming.
The CRTC radio spots seemed to indicate something was happening in Inuvik, but when I called the toll-free number -- 1-877-249-CRTC -- the woman there assured me the only meetings would be in Vancouver.
If something is happening in town, her not knowing about it is typical of most southerners. When she gave the address in Ottawa where I could send a written submission by March 9 (Secretary General of the CRTC, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0N2) she omitted the street address and assured me it would get there anyway.
Does that mean the CRTC bureaucracy is large enough for its own postal code?
I wouldn't gasp if they were.
But back to CBC: I took a long drive on a frozen road last week and was lucky enough to have chosen the first day of the strike.
That disruption in routine meant programming was all in a tizzy at the CBC and instead of being able to put out something interesting and original for listeners, they simply ran classical music.
So there I was -- winding between narrow channels rimmed with trees and guided by tranquil sounds.
I'm sure the dozens of people who can understand their usual afternoon programming (in another language) were understandably upset, but the strike meant I was listening to CBC and not my cassette deck.
The next day, regional programming returned and all seems pretty much back to normal even though some technicians in Yellowknife are striking.
Positive change dawning
Change is set to touch down on the Inuvik landscape. Grollier Hall is set for demolition imminently.
Like the razing of the old Dave Jones Arena and the conversion into a greenhouse of the old Grollier Hall arena, the removal of the big, red, now-boarded-up building, complete with its large cross, will mark the beginning of a new era in Inuvik.
Projects are starting to mushroom and sprout all over the place.
When the modern-yet-practical-looking proposed Aurora College campus takes its place on the old Grollier site, students will usher in an era where positive memories can outnumber painful ones.
Getting to swing a sledge hammer at former senior boys' supervisor Paul Leroux's office meant Lawrence Norbert's shoulder was a bit sore the next day but no doubt the smashing time he and others had will similarly usher in a new dawn for the region.
Last week, after much talk both in the xxxDrum and on the radio about sexual assault in Tuktoyaktuk, Sgt. Richard Crooks said there was little crime.
This may be an example of how discussion of wrongdoing and coverage of trials train others to behave respectably.
Grollier Hall is an ominous memory of what once was.
And the more people who speak out about sexual abuse by those in positions of authority, the less anyone will be able to claim believably, like Leroux did at his trial, that he just didn't realize at the time that what he was doing was wrong.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
When there are two parties with polar opposite outlooks on issues, the truth often lies somewhere in the middle.
The affairs at the Fort Simpson Health Centre fall under that category. Deh Cho Health and Social Services (DCHSS) management and the regional union representative for the nurses are miles apart on many issues that are affecting nurses who work at the health centre.
On the one hand, Georgina Rolt-Kaiser, UNW's Hay River region vice-president, says the nurses are being run ragged. On the other, Kathy Tsetso, chief executive officer for DCHSS, says the workload is not "overwhelming."
DCHSS provided some statistics at the village council meeting on Feb. 15 that supposedly prove the nurses are not over-burdened by patients. Rolt-Kaiser said she's doubtful those numbers include all the nurses' duties. Tsetso said the nurses were consulted when those statistics were formulated.
There's no question that nursing relief staff is hard to find in the North. According to a recent press release on behalf of the NWT Registered Nurses Association (NWTRNA), the territorial government has reported a 25 per cent vacancy rate in the NWT. Those positions aren't being filled readily. The NWTRNA includes the lack of career development and educational opportunities, decreased benefits and decreased staffing levels as some of the reasons why nurses are leaving the North. Those are issues that have to be addressed by the territorial government.
In the Deh Cho, threats to nurses working in satellite communities have become a problem. Neither the UNW nor DCHSS want that to continue. Both would like the offenders to be charged and dealt with by the penal system. Rightfully so. Nurses have enough stress to deal with, they shouldn't be subjected to threats at all. Kathy Tsetso said a meeting scheduled for next week is to include a facilitator to help address concerns over support staff and the transitional plan, which will encompass all health and social services in the Fort Simpson area (the health clinic, long-term care and social services).
"You don't add more nurses where a need for support staff, like a lab X-ray tech or a clinical (assistant), can relieve some of the duties off the nurse," she said.
Tsetso has repeatedly stated, "We're not trying to undermine the Fort Simpson Health Centre.... It takes time to make it better."
Both the UNW and DCHSS management agree that morale has lapsed at the health centre and that obviously is not a good sign. It seems apparent that there is a huge undertaking under way in the Deh Cho region as health and social services prepares for this overhaul of service delivery. It's unfortunate the nurses and support staff here have been stretched so thin over the past year while the transition was a long ways from being carried out. It appears they are going to have to hang in there a while longer while the necessary human resources are recruited and put to work. One way or another, things are supposedly going to get better soon. Let's hope for their sake, and our own, that proves to be the case.