Friday, January 19, 2001
The plan by city council to revisit the original proposal for a new arena is doing Yellowknifers a disservice.
First of all, the decision falls on the heels of last spring's complete approval of an arena by city council.
Last April, after years of debate, motions passed and money spent, the former city council voted in favour of building a twin-pad arena next to Sir John Franklin high school. It was a done deal and received the wholehearted support of the public school board.
Now, new councillors, including Dave McCann and Robert Hawkins, want to revisit the original proposal. McCann says now that the city will take over the site of the Yellowknife Correctional Centre, they should wait and put the arena there.
Maybe not a bad idea, but considering the construction at the Sir John site was to start this April, if we go for the YCC site, we'll be waiting at least another three years. Unless we get the inmates to build the new arena while living at YCC, this site won't be available until the new prison is built in 2003. Who can guarantee the territorial government will stick to that timetable?
Meanwhile, the Gerry Murphy arena needs to be replaced this year -- there's no way the fire marshall will approve another extension.
As former councillor Bob Brooks points out in today's Yellowknifer, why not go ahead with a single-pad arena at the Sir John site? This will give us the much needed replacement for the Gerry Murphy arena and save the city the cost of tearing down Akaitcho Hall.
Then, once the jail is vacated, move in and build a third arena there.
Brooks' option is a good one, and considering the clock is ticking, shouldn't be ignored.
Life with diabetes can mean strict controls over diet, daily insulin injections, the prospect of blindness, circulatory problems and the chance a limb may be amputated.
The discovery of insulin by Drs. Banting and Best was hailed as a miracle. Innovative transplant surgery pioneered by University of Alberta scientist Dr. James Shapiro could well be the cure for a disease that affects two million Canadians.
Northerner Bryon Best is one of those Canadians and he was the first to undergo the surgery in March 1999.
But while some may balk at the $200,000 tab picked up by the territorial government, we must think of the benefits.
Someone had to go first; Best was obviously in need. He's as much a pioneer as Shapiro and his diabetes-free life could mean the same for millions more around the world.
Forests of toilet paper and entire paddies of rice have pelted stages around the world since London's Royal Court Theatre mounted the first production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1973.
It bombed on Broadway, but the movie version of Richard O'Brien's play has millions of devotees. Some claim to have seen it thousands of times. They must have, for they know every word of every song. The bizarre twists of its sinuous plot are inscribed on their collective subconscious in lush, red lipstick, but they still queue for midnight showings. It's an excuse to dress outrageously, be just a little crazy.
It takes some jam to mount a play that all but defines cult classic. To Chris Foreman and the cast of Yellowknife's Rocky Horror Picture Show: Break a leg.
One interesting thing about this job is how often I find myself working on two or more stories, without realizing they're closely related to each other.
In last week's issue there's an article about the beading classes taught by Mabel English at Ingamo Hall on a weekly basis.
English said she enjoys passing along an art practised by Gwich'in for generations.
Then, just recently, I dropped in at the conclusion of a workshop on porcupine quilling. This is another traditional Gwich'in art form, only it has not been practised for decades.
That's all changing with that workshop, held also in Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson. The effort is part of the bigger Gwich'in Traditional Clothing Project, in which Delta seamstresses are creating replicas of a 19th century Gwich'in outfit.
Traditions and customs are more than just words or concepts. Much can be gleaned about a group of people by learning about their legends and ways of doing things, like making clothes.
It's like peering into the past.
Furthermore, those involved in the clothing project are literally recreating the past, or at least an important part of it.
Karen Wright-Fraser, who's co-ordinating the clothing project, says her hope is that it will instill in the Gwich'in pride of their heritage.
That pride was already evident last week among the seamstresses who were working with porcupine quills.
Low turnout
A public meeting was held Tuesday on the Town of Inuvik's 2001 budget.
Councillors George Doolittle, Vince Sharpe and Denny Rodgers, as well as Deputy mayor Arlene Hansen and Mayor Peter Clarkson were on hand to answer any questions taxpayers might have.
The only thing was, the council representatives outnumbered the members of the public who showed up. The meeting went ahead anyway, and was interesting and informative.
Afterwards, Clarkson said he wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that only three people came out, though he said that perhaps it was a show of faith in how the council is handling things.
The mayor pointed out, however, that a bigger turnout would have meant more feedback for himself and councillors.
Though it's not exactly bedtime reading, residents are encouraged to drop by Town Hall and pick up a copy of the budget.
That way they can see for themselves how their tax dollars are being spent.
One of the more interesting moments in the meeting occurred when a member of the public asked the mayor and councillors what they would have done if they'd had more money available.
Answers ranged from a year-round pool to more road work.
The community education meeting at Bompas school last week included the usual questions about whether students in the Northwest Territories fare as well as their counterparts in the south. Overall, Thomas Simpson school principal Robert Byatt noted the number of graduates from his school who go on to post-secondary studies is statistically on par with those in the south.
Yet one of the greatest local concerns lies with the "inclusive schooling" policy. That practice means students who are struggling academically, no matter how disruptive in the classroom or how great their learning disabilities, continue to advance in grade levels with their classmates.
Parents of children who are keen and able learners worry that their kids will be hampered by teachers' inability to devote more time to teaching rather than spend so much time with "special needs" students.
That notwithstanding, principals Terry Jaffray and Robert Byatt spoke eloquently on the merits of inclusive schooling during last week's community meeting.
They explained that isolating the students who are already having difficulty in school increases the chances that those students will simply give up and drop out.
Some students are coping with fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol effects. Staying with their peers helps them advance socially and encourages them to remain in school so they can acquire the tools to learn efficiently throughout life, Byatt and Jaffray said.
Byatt also emphasized the importance of support at home. Children who receive reassurance and assistance from their parents have a better chance of succeeding, he said.
Of course, teachers could use some aid of their own. The consensus at the meeting was that special needs assistants are invaluable in the classroom, and more of them are needed. They minimize the disruption by frustrated students and give struggling pupils the extra attention they require.
It's also worth noting that the scarcity of funds in Fort Simpson comes at a time when Echo Dene School in Fort Liard is undertaking a major literacy program.
That program was largely funded by private industry, primarily related to oil and gas development. That's something that doesn't exist in Fort Simpson or any other community in the Deh Cho, but holds promise for the future.
MLA Jim Antoine told the Fort Simpson DEA members and the small audience at last week's meeting that the GNWT is vying to take control of the NWT's natural resources. That would give the GNWT the ability to bolster funding where its necessary, he said.
Whether that funding comes from the territorial government or directly from industry, it's badly needed.
As Echo Dene school principal Harry Kielly pointed out, throwing money at a problem doesn't make it go away. But if that money is spent wisely, it can make a big difference.
Nunavut Sustainable Development Minister Olayuk Akesuk is probably not having too much fun at his job these days.
The ruling of Justice Robert Kilpatrick on a "traditional" polar bear hunt has put Akesuk in a tight spot.
Akesuk is the third minister to deal with this issue and knows the decision made by the first two ministers to deny the hunt was the right one.
When one reads Kilpatrick's decision, it comes across as more of a ruling on contract law, than one on rights and tradition.
Our biggest problem with Kilpatrick's ruling is that it doesn't fit the spirit for which it was intended.
The whole point of the agreement is to protect Inuit hunting rights.
A hunting lineage is drawn from past to present, meant to show Inuit have long depended on their hunting skills for survival.
Basically, the agreement guarantees Inuit a right to harvest, which we totally agree with.
But, we can't buy -- "...an Inuk shall have the right to harvest up to the full level of his or her economic, social and cultural needs..." -- translates into it's OK to go out and kill a polar bear with a spear to collect a fast buck from a southern production company wanting to film the event for no other reason than exploitation in the name of profit.
By ruling the hunt OK, Kilpatrick is also saying the use of an outdated weapon which rarely, if ever, produces a clean kill, constitutes the humane killing of wildlife as contained in Article 5.1.42.
We wonder if Justice Kilpatrick would rule the same way if he were to actually attend the hunt.
We wonder, for that matter, what he would rule if he sat down and talked with the American hunter and experienced Arviat guide who almost lost their encounter with polar bears a little over a year ago. Both were armed with a high-powered rifle.
Finally, while culture and tradition must always be preserved in a historic and practical sense -- Akesuk knows his two predecessors were also worried about how such a hunt would be viewed by a modern society.
And while lawyers for Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. may have won a battle of words in a courtroom, we still have not heard one single way Inuit culture will benefit if a bear is killed with a spear.
We expect we will never know.
If this situation was not a battle to the death, one would almost be tempted to cheer for the bear!