Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Air Tindi had the right idea Christmas of 1997. There was a mail strike and the company set up a special charter to bring people in from Deline (Fort Franklin) to shop in Yellowknife stores.
While the venture was not necessarily a roaring financial success, it was one of the few efforts by city business to go the extra mile for communities that look upon Yellowknife as a place to buy goods and services not available to them.
It's a market of at least 17 communities in three regions whose residents must fly to Yellowknife -- over 11,000 potential customers delivered right to our door.
What are we doing to make them feel welcome?
Last September, Canadian North sponsored a 14 member trade mission to Cambridge Bay. Mayor Dave Lovell took part and described the attitude of the people as "really receptive", especially now that Iqaluit has replaced Yellowknife as the big bad capital.
All Yellowknife businesses, from restaurant supply to drycleaning should ask themselves: What do I have to offer people in the communities and how can they get to my business or can my business get to them?
Lovell also believes Yellowknifers have to wake up to other markets such as Rae Edzo (pop. 1,835) and the oil and gas development in Fort Liard which could be the beginning of a much larger development.
City hall personnel have been exploring all of these avenues but unless individual businesses make an effort to appreciate the community market outside of Yellowknife, the city's efforts will be wasted.
Japanese tourism in the city was developed over many years by entrepreneurs who had to cope with cultural and geographical circumstances to achieve the astounding success the city is so proud of today.
Yellowknifers can do the same with customers in the NWT regions and Kitikmeot communities with similar results, if we only try.
The city, in conjunction with the Northern Frontier Visitors Association and RWED, has put together a plan to increase tourism in Yellowknife.
Tourism has long operated in the shadow of more down to earth industries, such as mining. Now, with the closure of Giant and the limited lfe of Con mine, the city is looking beyond the head frame to find other sources of revenue and job creation.
With the focused strategy outlined in the marketing plan, there's a fighting chance tourism will become one of Yellowknife's economic engines.
Right now, tourism is an underexploited resource in Yellowknife. The competition for tourist dollars is stiff, but Yellowknife has a lot to offer, and with a little smart marketing tourism could be a gold mine.
Butting outSir John Franklin student council's move to ban smoking from the school is a progressive sign that this council is putting a high priority on student health.
Acting in response to the city's plan to phase out smoking in all public areas, students plan to have smoking banned from the school grounds by the year 2000.
Sir John's student council vice-president says the most apparent reason is that the huge majority of the student body that smokes hasn't reached the legal age to start the deadly habit in the first place.
Considering two years ago students couldn't get their council interested in butting out, this move is proof that the times are changing.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
The ongoing concerns at Jonah Amitnaaq secondary school in Baker Lake are, indeed, cause for alarm.
Had the light fixture which came tumbling down recently, fallen a mere 10 minutes sooner, our lead story may have been quite tragic.
In addition to falling objects, there are also concerns surrounding the quality of air in the winter and the possible presence of asbestos contamination.
The vast majority of people in Baker seem to agree the school, at 30-plus years, has outlived its usefulness.
Areas where our children's safety, and those of school staff, are at risk are not areas where government should be employing a Band-Aid solution.
The fact a new school for Baker was included in capital plans until it was removed recently is even more disturbing.
What kind of message is our government sending the young students of this school?
That their safety doesn't matter? That they're second-class citizens who should be quite willing to accept they attend an inferior structure for a school?
Not only does this situation affect the kids psychologically as far as their safety is concerned, imagine the struggle school administrators face in trying to create any semblance of school spirit or positive atmosphere.
With the school getting yet another quick fix and clean bill of health -- as was the case three months ago before this recent mishap -- our government is saying it's willing to play a form of Russian Roulette with Baker students.
And, if so, the government had better be prepared to pay a steep price should any injury occur due to these types of problems in the future.
For all the Nunavut Government's rhetoric about the importance of education, it certainly doesn't seem willing to put its money where its mouth is -- even when our children are shown to be at risk.
Our Education, Health and Community Government ministers would be well-advised to take a long, hard look at the Baker Lake situation.
And, with wrangling just getting under way in our capital for the new territorial budget, the time is ripe for the residents of Baker Lake to scream long and loud at their local MLA.
It seems more and more that Baker Lake is paying a steep price for Nunavut and is being constantly overlooked by our new government.
However, it's one thing to be overlooked when it comes to your fair share of government jobs through decentralization, it's quite another when it involves the health, safety and education of your children.
While everyone can understand our Nunavut territorial government trying to run a tight ship budget-wise, surely we draw the line when it comes to the safety of our children.