The scramble to save the jobs at Giant Mine has begun. The Canadian Autoworkers Union (CAW) is cobbling together a consortium of interested parties to work out a plan for the future of the mine and its workers.
The CAW met with Yellowknife MLAs, officials from RWED and DIAND, and Liberal member of parliament Ethel Blondin-Andrew. From this a working group will be established to find a way to save the jobs.
City council has put out a nine-point brief outlining what the deal should look like, keeping the workers' and thus the city's, best interests in the fore.
Yellowknife's MLAs told constituents that they didn't have a contingency plan. From figures mentioned by Finance Minister Charles Dent, it appears a counter proposal to Miramar's purchase plan would require $12-13 million.
That's almost as much as the GNWT stands to lose in federal government transfer payments if all the laid-off Giant employees were to leave the North with their families.
What is important to remember in this equation is that PricewaterhouseCooper was appointed receiver by the courts to look after the best interests of the secured creditors. In the case of Giant Mine, Trilon, a financial colossus, is first in line. In a bankruptcy case, employees are not secured creditors.
So the move to save the jobs at Giant is up against time and money.
Royal Oak is bankrupt, the price of gold is low. It is a bit late to start a plan now.
The GNWT and DIAND, if they are to salvage jobs from Giant Mine, should be concentrating on the one aspect where they have real clout -- the estimated $250 million clean-up of arsenic trioxide waste.
Seeing as governments are paying the bill, they should be able to determine how and where the money is spent on the one growth industry to emerge from this fiasco: environmental reclamation.
Do-able solutions that don't cost money...
Catchy phrase. It's about as realistic as offering unicorn hunting in the Sahtu, but it's a catchy phrase.
That's the goal of the Minister's Forum on Health and Social Services making the rounds in the NWT right now -- looking for solutions to problems and ways to enhance health and health care in the NWT without spending any money on it. One of the hallmarks of any society is how well it takes care of those members of society who need assistance to take care of themselves.
Health care, in terms of staffing and staff retention, is already a nightmare in the NWT. Taking the approach of 'no money, we're looking for ideas to make it better,' is simply ridiculous. The problems must be identified, prioritized, then the money must be found for solutions. Anything less is a sham.
Summer Funkfest '99 gathered a diverse crowd of 1,000 to enjoy the considerable talents of local musicians, southern imports and the internationally known Wide Mouth Mason.
The fact that this event was a success indicates Yk concert-goers and music-lovers appreciate live musical performances and are willing to support them. The organizers, who are to be commended for taking an incredible risk, intend to try it again.
Celebrating and nurturing Northern musicians isn't enough. Exposing them to their colleagues from the south increases their musical possibilities, as evidenced by the fact that Wide Mouth Mason left Yellowknife with local hip-hop duo Unonymus Inc's CD to show their label, Warner.
Who knows what may come of it?
Editorial Comment
Daniel MacIsaac
Inuvik Drum
Well, I did it. I have now managed to see all of the communities within the jurisdiction of the Inuvik Drum.
I was very pleased last week when I got the opportunity to cover the commissioner's trip to Paulatuk, Holman, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk. I had feared I wouldn't be able to visit Tuk until the ice road opens this winter and feared I might never get to the islands.
Even though the trip was rather whirlwind, it did provide me with the chance to put some faces to names and to make some altogether new acquaintances. Living and working in the North is no mean feat, and covering such a large tract of land for the paper also has its challenges. Now at least I can say I was there -- if only briefly.
I found the communities extremely welcoming and it was hard to cram all the information I picked up into my short stays. Then there were my impressions. I found the hamlets intriguing, rugged and beautiful -- and they almost made me feel like I'm a softy living down here in Inuvik. Windy Sachs Harbour in particular made me realize the toughness of the people who make their homes out by the ocean. Even Tuk seemed like a warm, tropical land by comparison.
My good luck held up Saturday, since when I returned to Inuvik I was immediately invited by an NWT Power Corp. manager to take an air tour of the Ikhil gas site, the Delta and Aklavik. I got a bird's eye view of the region and can also say that while I haven't yet stopped in at Aklavik, I've flown over it.
I'm aiming to keep up and expand on the contacts I've established. Technology like digital cameras and e-mail will make that easier, but until I'm -- if I'm -- able to travel again, the telephone will remain my source of contact with the surrounding communities. I invite you to use it.
A worthy project
From what I witnessed of Commission Dan Marion's elders' award project, I give it a thumb's up. Marion appears genuinely determined to be an active, outgoing commissioner who will get out and see the territory and be open to ideas and suggestions.
While his post is the territorial equivalent of the largely ceremonial lieutenant-governor in the provinces, he says he want to bring ideas, concerns and suggestions to the government. As an appointed official, there's only so much influence he can and should have in this way. But a former, long-term mayor of Rae-Edzo, he does know a thing or two about municipal politics and his opinions are worth something.
For the time being, however, he appears to be concentrating on encouraging Western Arctic development and culture -- and the elders recognition is a worthy place to begin.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Special people
SUBHEAD: derek neary
TEXT:
At various times in our lives, we meet people who make a lasting impression on us. People who embody admirable traits, exceptional qualities and can relate their thoughts and feelings with great ease. Sandy Chalifoux is one of those people.
As the alcohol and drug counsellor in Fort Liard, he is passionate about his work. With his impressive resume, we are fortunate to have him in the Deh Cho. Despite his extensive credentials, he remains very humble.
After arriving in the community seven months ago, he introduced himself to every household, letting residents know that he's hoping to help anyone who wants to stop drinking or using drugs. He's not there to force them to stop -- there's a difference. It's up to each individual to decide for himself. Those in denial of their addiction are, essentially, wasting his time.
"I'm dealing with a matter of life and death. This is a very serious problem," he says. As evidence of how damaging alcoholism can be to the body, he mentions that he once saw the grossly enlarged liver of someone afflicted with cirrhosis. "Scary" is how he described it.
In essence, Chalifoux is fulfilling a "calling." He has made an enormous sacrifice by temporarily separating from his family, whom he loves dearly, in Edmonton. His residence is decorated with cards from his wife and children and paintings by his daughter. He speaks of them fondly. However, he's unwilling to uproot his children from the environment that they've known as home for so many years, just to have them by his side. Instead, he settles for making daily phone calls and visiting them at every opportunity. It's a conscious choice he's made in order to help others.
The children he sees regularly now are the ones in Fort Liard. He spends a day each week at Echo Dene school. In the morning he talks with children in grades 4 and 5, in the afternoon its grades 6 and 7. The idea is to help educate them about a healthy lifestyle, to make the right choices. It's also an opportunity for students from troubled homes to approach him, seeking support and guidance.
If these youth can be prevented from falling into the trap of alcoholism, they won't have to face the intimidating task of staying off the bottle one day at a time for the rest of their lives. It's a daunting prospect, but not impossible
"I have no fears of drinking -- no one will ever make me sad enough or glad enough to take another drink," says Chalifoux, who gave up the habit 24 years ago. "It's called confidence."
It's encouraging to have examples of such confidence and inspiration in our communities. Continued luck to Sandy Chalifoux in sharing his story with others and instilling in them the confidence to follow his lead.
Fashion file
It's great that a prominent New York fashion designer has an eye on traditional-style clothing made by the Dene. Yet, whether it goes on to become an international hit, the reality of the fashion business is that nothing lasts for long.
Nearly everything trendy is a flavour of the month, or "the season." Of course, it would be terrific for Nats'enelu to prosper immensely from a massive rush on Dene clothing. But most importantly, the company has found a niche within the Northern tourist market and is creating products that have tremendous inherent value right here in this region -- regardless of whether New York knows it or not.
Editorial Comment
Dane Gibson
Kivalliq News
I had an interesting discussion with a friend the other day when the topic of writing editorials came up.
Why is it, she asked, that just because I write for a newspaper I'm granted the right, and space, to blather on about anything I want?
Of course, the little hairs behind my ears stood up as I prepared to defend my right to blather. I'm a journalist. Journalists talk to those 'in-the-know,' we provide insightful community commentary, we're in the eye of the storm. How dare she attack the last institution propping up the peoples' right to free speech!
She responded to my rant by telling me I was full of crap.
This so-called friend thinks sitting in front of a computer 15 minutes before a deadline to write an attack -- without proper research -- on a mining operation, wayward politician, or whatever else catches my fancy, is at best irresponsible, and at worst unfair to those who get attacked.
Thousands of people read the paper each week. After I thought about it awhile, it forced me to ask myself: Who am I? I went to journalism school where they taught me how to assemble words in the right order, but that doesn't make me anything but a professional word assembler.
It's true that we're out there talking to scientists, politicians, doctors, and lawyers, but does that make us experts in their chosen field? I think not. Truth be told, I know a little bit about everything, but not a lot about anything. That's the nature of the newspaper business, small stories, get the facts, in and out.
I had to concede, my friend had some good points. She reminded me that writing for a newspaper has a high degree of responsibility attached to it and that nobody who writes editorials has a voice more important than anyone else's in the public.
My response was that this just happens to be our job. The idea of a column is to take ourselves out of the third person and introduce our ideas, however flawed or brilliant, in our own voices.
If my friend had her way, every paper would be brimming with messages of hope and love. Each paper would remind the public that our future depends on positive thought and active involvement in the community.
It's an area the newspaper business often fails in, hence her frustration. I tend to agree with her on this point, but I'm just one guy.
In the last three weeks, Kivalliq News has received only two letters to the editor. One was a note from a person who wanted to say she was proud of her community, the other was a heartfelt reminder of the pain residential schools have caused in these communities. Hopefully both stimulated meaningful discussion among those who read them.
Every single person who is reading this editorial right now can get a space in the paper. Our policy is to print all letters as long as your name is attached and the content isn't grossly inappropriate.
Public opinion is a powerful thing. This is your community paper, so write us a letter. Don't worry if you're not a professional word assembler -- we can help. Your ideas are just as valid, often more valid, than those expressed by us, the paper people.