Friday, January 21, 2000
Volunteers at the Yellowknife food bank had an exhaustive holiday season.
They worked around the clock early in the new year trying to accommodate some 30 families, above their regular client list, who came calling when their income support cheques failed to arrive on time.
Helen Dolan, David King and their six children was one of those families.
Apparently, the family was told their cheque would be delayed two days. Four days later, they'd yet to hear back from income support and they started to panic. Without the $807 the family has been allocated for food each month, they had no choice but to go to the food bank.
Some parents told the food bank they were boiling water just to let their children think there was something to eat.
While it was later found new software at the department was to blame -- it wasn't Y2-K compliant -- and the situation was corrected, this experience raises some serious questions.
Why were these families left without support? What if we didn't have a food bank? Would these families have had to end up in the hospital just to get a meal?
Finally, while income support workers may have worked around the clock to get the cheques issued, people still have to eat. Had the problem persisted and had the food bank not been on the scene, what plans were in place for emergency situations?
If there are no such plans there should be, something the new minister responsible for the program should have in place before the next computer glitch.
And considering the unexpected demand on the Yellowknife food bank, we hope the government replaces the food that went to feed those caught by the department's computer problem.
Otherwise, those unfortunates who don't qualify for income support and depend heavily on the food bank will find the cupboard bare.
What's all the fuss emanating from Ottawa these days?
Talk around the campfire is something about overpaid people benefitting from a government subsidy. Who are they talking about, Peggy Witte and the grants and tax deferrals for Giant Mine?
This is a nation built on government subsidies. From the performing and visual arts to agriculture to massive, allegedly market-driven projects such as GM plants and Bombardier factories, the government and its purse have a presence.
The reasons for government support are many: cultural, heritage, language-parity, job creation, jump-starting a flagging economy, to name a few.
So the NHL, with its questionable management and astronomical salaries, has jumped into the subsidy pool. It's all part of being Canadian.
We would just like to take a moment to congratulate Kam Lake MLA Tony Whitford on being selected Speaker of the House.
The role of speaker requires a knowledge of parliamentary procedure, an amiable sense of fair play and, at times, a patience for due process. The Speaker is the official spokesperson of the Assembly to both authorities and visitors.
The well-known and well-respected Mr. Whitford fills the bill. He has a record of public service that ranges from seven years as an MLA and cabinet minister to Sergeant-at Arms at the legislature to filling in for Santa Claus. With the issues the MLAs are facing during this 14th session, the electorate and the public in general will be well served by Tony Whitford.
Editorial Comment
Daniel MacIsaac
Inuvik Drum
Pat Thomas, Northwest Territories Teachers' Association president, has been making a lot of comments lately about the dangers of "negotiating through the media."
Consequently, she has been reluctant to publicly discuss the ongoing impasse between the territory's striking teachers and the government and their inability to reach an agreement and halt the ongoing job-action. Further, all association members -- including some 400 teachers and principals as well as regional union representatives -- have been directing all inquiries to Thomas herself. She alone speaks for the teachers.
This approach may result in keeping opinions consistent within the association, since only Thomas speaks on the record, but doesn't always help a concerned public understand all the issues surrounding the conflict.
The government and the association struck a tentative agreement in November, which Thomas endorsed and placed before the membership for ratification. The fact that the teachers overwhelmingly defeated that proposal must stand as evidence that they don't always see eye to eye with their association president. Moreover, following last week's information presentation by the government, Thomas commented that the association's interpretation of the numbers didn't agree with that of the government. Seeking clarification of those numbers was part of the reason the association went back to the bargaining table.
That is not to say that it would be responsible or productive for all members of either the association or the government to freely voice their opinions openly all the time. But a little more communication would help.
Just as the situation in the regions differs from that in Yellowknife, so too do the situations among the regions. It could do the teachers' cause some good if at least their regional union representatives were willing to speak about specific local conditions and concerns. It would certainly help the public understand what they are fighting for.
Up in the air
Beaudel Air's certificate suspension is not the end of the world. Dick Laird from Transport Canada was adamant Beaudel has a game plan and seemed confident it soon would be back in the air.
The company naturally fears any adverse publicity that the suspension will bring, but the fact is that it's rumours rather than Beaudel planes that are now flying around Inuvik. Company officials should rest confident that residents only want to understand the truth and will be able to judge the company not just on the current situation but on the reputation it has established over the years.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Jim Antoine made a choice in the best interest of his constituents Monday. He decided not to make another run at premier, but instead to take a cabinet position.
The premiership is a position that would obviously be very attractive and comes with much prestige. Despite having a legitimate shot, he let it pass him by for the sake of his riding.
Logistically, his riding has the greatest number of communities in the NWT. Those communities are separated by many miles. It consumes a substantial amount of time just to visit each of them.
As a cabinet minister, particulary as minister of RWED (should he be named to that post as he hopes), there will still be plenty on his plate. The oil and gas activity in Fort Liard has the southwest corner of the territory hopping. It's a sector that promises to grow throughout the region in the coming years. There's also a forestry industry that can evolve further if well managed. RWED also happens to include tourism under its umbrella. That's an area of economic development that people in the Nahendeh region feel has long been neglected.
These are all among the challenges Antoine faces in addition to balancing the role of the territorial government in the Deh Cho First Nations' self-government negotiations.
The spotlight may not seem as bright without the title of premier, but there will still be plenty of eyes affixed on Antoine's performance over the next four years. With his decision on Monday, he has started off on the right foot.
Stuck in the middle
It is a shame that the teachers' strike has been prolonged due to a lack of progress in negotiations. It's the students who are stuck in the middle and are paying the greatest price as the teachers' association and the territorial government remain at an impasse. Of course, the foremost concern is the students' academic success. Second, it's too bad that the teachers who have been generous enough to act as coaches of sports teams will not be guiding their charges to the AWG territorial playdowns. A decision on their status as coaches had to be made -- so they've been replaced. It was a necessary step to ensure that the student-athletes did not miss out on a great recreational and social opportunity.
Remember, though, this issue undoubtedly tears at the heart of a number of teachers. Some of them have been involved with coaching for years and have a real passion for the game, not to mention a sense of obligation to the students. Yet, a directive from the teachers' association that precludes them from coaching has left them little choice in the matter. They have been directed not to talk to the media about the compromising position with which they are faced or anything else, for that matter.
It's reassuring to know the student-athletes won't be denied their chance to represent the NWT at the Arctic Winter Games. Win or lose, it's a safe bet that some of their biggest supporters and most vocal fans will be those very same teachers who can't be behind the bench.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
A story will often have a lasting impression.
The way a person describes a certain situation or event will conjure up an image which stays with me for quite a while.
Such was the case when Coral Harbour recreation co-ordinator Noel Kaludjak described a situation in his community.
He described the ache in his heart as he watched local kids leaning on the boards in the Coral arena watching their friends play hockey.
Watching because they didn't have gear to play.
As he described his sadness, I could envision those kids.
I could see them as clearly as though I was standing in the Coral Harbour arena myself.
I shared the pain as they watched their friends whip by, faces aglow with the thrill of fun and competition.
I could also see the hopelessness in their eyes, softly glinting with drops of moisture under harsh arena lights.
Sadder still, the scenario is by no means indigenous to Coral.
It is a problem plaguing communities across the Kivalliq.
That is why it was so wonderful to hear the news out of Arviat this past week about the efforts of RCMP Const. Al McLauchlan.
Not only did he bring a plane load of hockey gear to the hamlet, but also baseball gear for the ball program to be started there this summer and a $500 donation.
We here at Kivalliq News are deeply touched by the kindness and generosity shown by McLauchlan and his partners.
The cash, given by an anonymous hockey team, will be used to pay the registration for Arviat's less fortunate kids who want to be part of the coolest game on ice.
The difference these good folks from The Pas, Man., have made upon the lives of these kids cannot be overlooked.
Thanks to their generosity, more of our kids will experience teamwork, the thrill of competition and a renewed sense of belonging.
Acknowledgment must also be given to those in Arviat who have given so generously of their time to form an official Arviat Minor Hockey Association.
Its formation at the community level immediately led to an increase in the number of kids registered to play hockey this season.
The donation of the baseball gear helps the hamlet offer kids something new and exciting this summer.
It's another character-building activity which will keep a number of local youth busy with a constructive hobby this summer.
Hopefully, Arviat can build upon the success shown by Jim Ramsay and a number of dedicated volunteers in a similar venture, Nunavut Little League Baseball, which will be entering its third season in Rankin Inlet this year.
With all the positives involved with this recent development, perhaps the most easily overlooked in all the excitement is the message delivered by McLauchlan's efforts.
It's the fact people do care about our kids in the Kivalliq and are willing to do so much to help improve the quality of their lives.
That, in itself, is a spiritual donation worth its weight in gold.