We hope that the territorial government has finished trying to whitewash the $1.7 million Morin Inquiry.
Cabinet recently paid $47,000 for a consultant to review the inquiry's final report. The purpose was to scrutinize bureaucrats involved in the Lahm Ridge Tower lease that made Premier Morin's friends richer.
This comes from Premier Morin's final hours in the legislative assembly when guilty parties attempted to shield themselves by defending the bureaucracy. However, the bureaucracy was never under suspicion of anything but following orders.
Of course, if the report is correct and all procedures were followed, no conflict occurred. That means Morin's cabinet colleagues lacked the guts to stand by an innocent man.
Either way, no amount whitewash will obliterate the stink of corruption.
The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) has recently considered on moving some jobs from Hull, Que., to the North.
DIAND has been surveying its employees to see how they would feel about relocating North of 60.
These 20 or so jobs are currently filled by people who have moaned and groaned about having to move in with the people they work for.
According to the survey, the Quebec bureaucrats expressed 'angst' and 'cynicism' about leaving La Belle Province.
With any luck, the Northophobics will decide to stay in the city by the trough and the positions will be filled by Northerners, as they should be.
As these jobs are primarily in the northern and land claim sectors of DIAND, it would make good sense to move them where they would do the most good.
Someone working in the land claim division might be better informed if they actually lived near the people affected.
As well, in the spirit of decentralization, let's hope they plan on moving a few of these positions around the NWT.
These 20 jobs won't make a lot of difference in a city the size of the capitol, but would be a welcome infusion of cash to Inuvik, Hay River, or Smith, to name a few.
With the chance to do some good for our smaller communities and possibly speed up some land claims, we're hoping Jane Stewart sees the logic and reason in decentralizing these jobs.
At the very least, Stewart has an opportunity to put the N back in DIAND and fulfilling historical obligations to the I at the same time.
The Nunavut justice system has made its point loud and clear with the recent sentencing of Iqaluit businessman, Claude Caza, 65. That message is simple -- criminal activities committed by fraud artists are not to be tolerated in Nunavut society.
Caza, who had already spent 13 months in prison following his arrest for drug trafficking and fraud, was ordered last week to spend three-and-a-half years in jail as well as pay a total of $570,000 in fines.
The long-time owner of the Snack restaurant, admitted to trafficking almost a half a million dollars worth of narcotics and to committing fraud.
Caza pleaded guilty to two of the seven drug and arson-related charges, including the insurance fraud charge which was committed when he is said to have burned down his popular restaurant.
The more than three-year investigation led to the arrests of 28 individuals involved in a drug ring to which Iqaluit's Caza, has now been confirmed as a key player, a crackdown police referred to as a "major disruption to a significant drug distribution network."
While we applaud Winnipeg's Justice Brenda Keyser for the stiff sentencing and fines -- she ordered Caza to pay a total of $570,000 -- $170,000 of which will go towards repaying the insurance company -- we also shouldn't forget that such a conviction couldn't have taken place without the concerted efforts of the RCMP in Iqaluit, Pangnirtung and three southern locations. While Caza's conviction is a start, the community of Iqaluit, like all Northern communities, is far becoming free of the very criminal and illegal activities surrounding the drug trade. But at least this is a start.
The community of Tsiigehtchic's recent efforts to
offer some much-needed comfort to war-torn children of Kosovo is an act to be commended.
The community rallied together to organize the purchase and distribution of 2,004 brand new teddy bears that are now en route to these unfortunate kids, many orphaned by the atrocities taking place in their homeland.
Elwood Johnson, senior official at the hamlet, should also be saluted for coming up with the idea. Johnson was quick to get a deal through the Hudson's Bay Company who agreed to pay for the shipping to World Vision. While one cannot fathom the horrific times still facing these children, at least there'll be a little comfort coming from afar.
Before applauding the extinction of education, health and social services boards, it's important to remember the original purpose of such bodies.
In this first year of the Nunavut government, it's not difficult to imagine how the Government of the NWT operated before boards came into existence.
Administering such critical services from a central office always means standardization. Standardization is essential for efficiency but too often leads to huge emphasis being placed on following established procedure at the expense of understanding the unique needs of different regions. That can cost as much money, if not more than efficiencies save.
Bureaucrats in Yellowknife, no matter how well-intentioned, consistently failed to grasp the requirements of people of an entirely different culture hundreds of miles away in the east.
Boards bridged the distance by establishing local control over how health dollars should be best spent, based upon their knowledge of their home communities.
Now the central office has come home to Nunavut. Rather than a board of people appointed from regional communities deciding important expenditures, it will be bureaucrats in Iqaluit advising and taking orders from their minister.
Community education and health committees are expected to go to their MLAs if there are problems and the MLAs are expected to go to the minister.
Is this a better system?
As far as we know now, it appears to be a cheaper system to the tune of $4 million and that is the main attraction for the government.
The challenge for the cabinet will be to ensure the centralization of power in Iqaluit does not lead to the head office mentality that ignores the differences between Keewatin, Kitikmeot and Baffin.
If the government remembers the lessons of Yellowknife, they should be able to avoid repeating history. Otherwise, the call for regional boards may well return.
Editorial Comment
Paula White
Inuvik Drum
OK. By now you've probably noticed there's a new Drum editor.
Yep. It's me.
I've been here just over a week now. And already I've met more people than I can count. Some have introduced themselves, some I have introduced myself to and some automatically knew who I was.
Of course, carrying around a camera bag is a great hint. But still, I've been surprised more than once by someone saying, "Hey. You're the new Drum editor aren't you?"
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I was, after all, brought up in a small town, so I know how quickly news spreads around (most of the time, it beats the local paper by miles). But it can still catch you off guard.
Of the people I've met so far, some have been here for years, such as Mayor George Roach (who, as it turns out, knew an uncle of mine who lived here in the early 1980s), and some have been here, like me, for just a few days, such as new director of finance Jerry Veltman. Either way, everyone has been extremely helpful and nice, and I appreciate it very much.
It's never easy to move to a new place. Especially when you don't know anyone in town. It is especially difficult, I think, moving to a small town as opposed to a large city.
In a city, most of the population are strangers. In a small town, most everyone knows everyone else. The new guy keeps the title of "new" until the next new guy comes along.
No. It's not easy to leave behind family and friends. Incidentally, this isn't the first time I've picked up and moved to a new town. So far, though, it is shaping up to be one of the easier moves I've made. Like I said, people have been especially helpful and nice. Already I'm adjusting and am quickly settling in here, getting to know the people and the workings of the town. There's only one thing I've had trouble with so far. In fact, it's keeping me up nights. What is it, you ask?
You guessed it. It's the sun.
I can't sleep. At midnight it feels like it's 8 p.m. Come 2 or 3 a.m., I'm still wide awake, or just getting to sleep. And then I'm waking up about five or six hours later, because the sun is quite strong at that time of the morning. So I'd appreciate any tips that anyone might have that will help me get to sleep earlier.
I'd really, really appreciate it.
Another thing that has made it easier for me to move North, and this is probably true for countless other newcomers as well, is the fact that the North seems to be a fairly transient place, with people leaving town all the time or just arriving.
This means that most everybody knows what it's like to be the "new guy" and as a result, they go easy on you.
Aside from that, people tell me I couldn't have come at a better time, with spring right around the corner and break-up about to take place. I hear Inuvik is breathtaking in the summer time. I can't wait to get my first glimpse of the Mackenzie River (de-iced, I mean).
So what's in store for the Drum, you ask? You likely won't notice too much of a difference. One thing I would love to see is more columnists. There are so many things to write about -- sports, computers, education, health, gardening. Feel free, either way, to stop in and chat. I'm always open to new ideas.
Anyway, I guess I should end by telling you a bit about myself. This is my first time North, as many of you have probably already guessed. I was in Yellowknife for five months before coming to Inuvik. Originally, I am from Saint John, N.B., and I'm told I am joining quite a large number of fellow Maritimers already living here in Inuvik.
That's about it. Not much to tell. Once again, my thanks for making my first week a good one.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Can the Acho Dene Koe and the Deh Cho First Nations come to terms in order to go into self-government negotiations as a cohesive region?
It seems that Acho Dene Koe Chief Harry Deneron left the door open, if only just a crack, on that possibility, at the Territorial Leadership Meeting last week. Yet, it would have to occur on his terms and those of Acho Dene Koe leadership. Those conditions will not be met easily.
Deneron circulated a memorandum with a list of conditions upon which re-unification would have to be based. The Deh Cho First Nations will be examining them in the near future, but to ratify them verbatim would put them under extreme pressure.
At the outset, Deneron's frustration seems justified. His reasons: having training funding terminated, not receiving assistance in traditional land disputes, and the DCFN achieving quorum and making decisions without representation from the Acho Dene Koe.
He also wants to see the territorial government included in self-government negotiations whereas the DCFN had been reluctant to do so. However, they are now re-examining that issue.
Deneron said the two sides have been trying to accommodate each other since he was elected chief in 1975.
"We try not to step on each others toes and that's getting us nowhere," he said. "Nowadays when a community does something different, there's a negative impact."
He was quite defensive of Fort Liard's venture into the oil and gas industry. There seemed no need to be. Most of the other leaders praised the community's choice to exploit its resources, benefit economically and create numerous jobs. No one was openly critical of it, with the possible exception of Chief Pat Martel of the Hay River Reserve. Like many others, he emphasized that it's essential to listen to the elders -- in this case how they used the land rather than how to extract dollars from it. With no elders from Fort Liard at the table to voice their opinions, no one could be sure of their perspective on local affairs.
Regardless, DCFN Grand Chief Michael Nadli said abortion of the oil and gas activity was not an ultimatum for the Acho Dene Koe if they wanted to return to full status with the DCFN.
As for negotiations for a land claim or self-government, Deneron seems determined to make headway where nobody else ever has. He's vows that he will make the federal government change its mind about dealing with his community individually. He said they have the Delgamuukw court case as precedent. Yet at one point during the discussions, he had also advised the DCFN not to be too reliant upon Delgamuukw because such decisions can be overturned in court.
He also said they could choose to shut down the oil and gas industry in the Fort Liard area and the federal government would thereby lose its royalties. Yet he also acknowledged that his own people would suffer because all of their training in the oil and gas industry and its spin-off fields would be rendered pointless. Not only that, but the oil and gas companies would undoubtedly be furious after having spent millions of dollars in exploration and be forced to go home empty-handed. They may chose to never return.
There are some difficult decisions to be made. For everyone to be working as a collective, both the DCFN and the Acho Dene Koe will have to make compromises.
In the end, it may come down to who needs who more.