Friday, December 22, 2000
Although you have lots of deserving boys and girls on your gift list this year, we hope you don't forget Yellowknife.
Our wish list isn't really long, but the items on it are pretty important.
In your flights over the city, we're sure you've noticed the fact that Yellowknife is located on the shore of Great Slave Lake. In the winter, it's a big sheet of white ice, but in the summer, it's a glorious blue, just beautiful.
Unfortunately we have yet to take advantage of it. That's why waterfront development tops our list. We've studied it and studied it but nothing firm has yet to be accomplished. Hope to find a finalized development plan in our stocking soon.
We've already begun to feel the pinch of the tight housing market. We need more housing, and, Santa, we hope you know of a developer who sees the opportunity here for low-cost housing.
Another item on our list is a bridge across the Mackenzie. We don't have a sleigh and eight magic reindeer to pull it through the sky. We have to rely on roads for the bulk of our goods and the annual interruptions in ferry service will begin to limit our economic expansion.
Rising gold prices would be a good gift, too. It would make our Northern mines more profitable and may make it worthwhile to get more miners underground at Giant.
Perhaps you could get DIAND to remember that we need millions of dollars to clean up the mess left behind at Giant and Discovery mines.
We also want to say thanks for the early Christmas present: giving members of council the ability to stand up to administration to demand spending cuts.
Most of all, we hope you can ensure all residents of Yellowknife have a safe, happy Christmas, and a 2001 that brings the economic boom we all expect.
Alcohol flows freely at this time of year in office parties, bars and homes.
It is the fuel of gaiety and the source for the rivers of tears that flow for the victims of drinking drivers who get behind the wheel when they've had "one too many."
Repeat offenders do some of the worst damage. Large fines, lengthy driving bans, even jail terms don't seem to register.
Some jurisdictions are fitting the cars of banned drivers with locks that prevent them from driving when they have been drinking.
That sounds like a stop-gap measure.
It's time to consider lifetime bans. It's extreme, but it may be the only way to penetrate the fog.
And in the meantime, we must all do our best to keep drunks away from behind the wheel.
Ecole St. Joseph is overcrowded although the principal says programs are not affected because the teachers are working 150 per cent.
But at that rate, how much longer can teachers continue to provide all students -- especially those with special needs -- with appropriate tools for learning.
Too many students and too few teachers and support staff is a territory-wide problem.
A report released last week reinforces the point that there are too many kids in NWT classrooms, and that 31 per cent of students who require some type of educational support are not getting it.
Let's give the teachers what they need so they can in turn give our children what they need -- an education.
In the case of large classes, that means extra space and more teachers, and for students who need extra help, additional staff.
Few things can get people into the Christmas mood faster than the lights and decorations splattered liberally over trees and homes.
This time of year, lights and decorations on the outside of buildings are especially welcome to area residents, since the sun will not reappear until next month.
When darkness rules the land most of the time, the variety of different coloured lights, arranged in a multitude of shapes and themes, are a welcome sight.
Inuvik's annual Christmas Light Up Contest is under way. Awards will be given to the top four finishers in the categories of home and commercial/institutional.
However, the real winners will be all those who've taken the time to decorate their homes for the holiday season, as well as those who partake of this joyful feast for the eyes.
Incidentally, Brian Desjardins, tourism co-ordinator for the town, hopes to make the decorating contest a bigger affair to draw tourists to the area.
It's an idea with a lot of merit, as it would bring give the town added exposure, as well as provide financial benefits to the community.
A special gift
Several students at Chief Niditchie school in Tsiigehtchic got an early Christmas present last week.
The group completed the one-month BEST (Bridging Employment Skills Training) program. The program, developed by Aurora College and oil and gas industry reps, was modified to teach the students basic life skills such as communication and first aid.
The course also gave participants a special gift, self confidence, plus the knowledge that many opportunities await those who work hard and prepare for them.
This was illustrated poignantly by one teen, who said taking BEST has made her think that perhaps becoming a teacher is not, after all, an unreachable goal.
Gaining the ability to determine one's own destiny, whether as an individual or as a group, is among the most precious gifts of all.
Silent night
How time flies. It's been six whole months since my arrival in Inuvik.
It's been a busy time, between trying to keep track of what's happening, and just trying to get to know everybody and settle in.
I must say everyone has been extremely helpful, offering plenty of help with stories and even suggesting some stories that could be written.
I look forward to the new year, and in the meantime, on behalf of myself and The Drum, may you all have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
STAN: Editorial Despite the nay-sayers who scorn Christmas for becoming too commercialized, the spirit of the season is still very much alive.
Although there may be too much emphasis on materialism, the gift of giving is the focus of many Deh Cho programs.
Need an example? How about the Deh Cho Friendship Centre's Christmas hamper program; the annual Metis sponsored Children's Christmas party; Digaa Enterprises' yearly donation of a turkey or a ham to each family in Fort Providence and shoeboxes of gifts put together by students at Deh Gah school for those in need around the world. There are many other examples.
Yes, it was unfortunate that there were no presents for the elders at this year's elders' Christmas dinner. Even so, Deh Cho Health and Social Services staff should not be vilified. Although CEO Kathy Tsetso is taking full responsibility for dropping the ball, the gifts have always been a bonus. Ideally, the community would have been given a chance ahead of time to pick up the slack, but it didn't happen.
Next year hopefully everyone can chip in.
In the meantime, Marguerite Brown and some other Fort Simpson residents have each contributed to a collection to buy presents.
The staff of DCHSS, it should be noted, contributed personally to hampers for the community. As well, the Liidlii Kue First Nation is offering gift certificates to seniors so they can purchase something they need.
For those who wish to do something truly special for the elders, drop in and spend some time with them. Invite them to dinner. Having company and someone to listen to their stories means as much to them as anything money could buy.
The story from Fort Liard about chilly students on cold days is one that would resonate in any Deh Cho community throughout the winter.
In the North, some argue that temperatures in the -40 C range is an inadequate benchmark. During a harsh winter, students' performance would be hindered to a great degree due to the numerous school cancellations. Others maintain that frostbite is an unacceptable risk to take for sending dawdling or inappropriately dressed children to school for a morning or afternoon.
The indoor/outdoor recess issue should be settled by setting a mark in the -30s that doesn't pose a risk during the 15 minutes the students are burning off energy.
It's not uncommon for school to be cancelled due to cold weather, and yet still see children outside playing in the frigid temperatures. Echo Dene school principal Harry Kielly passed along an anecdotal account that's worth keeping in mind: Last Tuesday he called the airport to find out the temperature, as he routinely does on cold days.
He was told it was -36 C. Therefore, school went ahead as planned. It was later discovered a mistake was made and it was actually -46 C. Despite that, attendance was highest on Tuesday morning than any other morning last week.
Merry Christmas everyone!
It is good to hear our Kivalliq RCMP members stand up and defend the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.
From what we can gather from all the squawking on the other side of the border, some Americans are upset because DARE isn't perfect.
There actually might be some kids who graduate from a DARE program and still end up taking drugs, drinking, or smoking cigarettes.
Every substance abuse program has its successes and its failures.
We have a sneaking suspicion many of the people casting doubts on the DARE program have a financial stake involved (DARE programs in highly populated areas can be very expensive to run) or just don't like to see police in schools, period.
Most people in the Kivalliq know someone who struggles against substance abuse on a daily basis.
We know the importance of educating our youth early against drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
Are we always going to be successful?
No. Only a fool would think so.
But we are making progress and programs like DARE are helping in our struggle.
Kids in our region who have been exposed to DARE speak highly of the program and our police are to be commended for the job they do in delivering the program in our schools.
Election win
There were more than a few people in our region who thought Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) president Paul Kaludjak's five-year run as KIA head was going to end on Dec. 11.
And there were valid reasons for such thoughts.
The truth of the matter, however, is that few of the storms Kaludjak weathered during the past few years were of his doing.
Through all the controversy surrounding the Sakku Investment Corp. and Kivalliq Partners in Development in the past year -- Kaludjak guided the KIA through some murky waters.
Kaludjak is deserving of his third term.
If he has a weakness, it is the unwavering loyalty he sometimes gives to those who don't deserve it.
In short, Kaludjak has a habit of trying to help people who are in over their head and he doesn't always know when to let go.
A nobel trait, but not always in his best interests.
It would be interesting to see what Kaludjak could accomplish if the other branches of the KIA were to come up to his standards.
Maybe this term.