Friday, January 26, 2001
The Northwest Territories is poised on the brink of economic salvation, but our feet are still mired in the muck of poor education and social ills.
That's the picture painted by Premier Stephen Kakfwi in his address to the territory last week.
Mixed into his 20 minutes of promises and predictions were pointed challenges to the people of the NWT, especially parents.
"As parents, you must feed your children well, put them to bed early, and encourage them to work hard at school," he said. "You must provide your family with nutritious food and preventive care; together we must stop the abuse of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and together we must all lead safer lifestyles."
By challenging Northerners, Kakfwi has committed the government to ensuring the schools, clinics, teachers and health professionals are in place to help pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
That means ensuring students get the training needed for work in the oil and gas sectors, to really help Northerners get jobs in the private and public sector, to provide in legislation his guarantee that Northern students who graduate from nursing or teaching programs get jobs here at home.
He must also be careful to not turn the GNWT into one big job creation project. While Northerners must be given top priority for work in the civil service, that must not mean creating extra bureaucracy.
The fastest way to kill our burgeoning economy would be to tangle industry in unnecessary red tape and higher taxes to pay for bigger government.
The premier has set out a broad agenda that has raised high expectations.
Let's hope they can be met given current fiscal realities and the ability of people and the willingness of the federal government to pay.
Yellowknife sits atop a potential gold mine in tourism. It's a commodity more enduring than the shiny stuff locked in rock, and with the right attitude, far easier to reach.
That point seems to be lost on Yellowknifers in general and the city's hospitality industry in particular.
Tour operators who bring in thousands of travellers to view the aurora say that few city businesses make an effort to welcome visitors or make their stay enjoyable.
Most winter tourists are Japanese. They are sophisticated travellers with yen to spend and they delight in telling the folks at home about the wonders of the aurora experience. It's unfortunate they can't say the same for their experience in Yellowknife.
The world is not only round but competitive and there are many places from which to view the aurora -- or catch a fish. If we don't strive to make a better impression, tourists will take their gold elsewhere.
Getting a pink slip is an experience we can all do without. It says thanks for your service but you're no longer needed. Here's two weeks' pay. Goodbye.
Sadly, this is the only warning some employees receive as this is all most employers are legally obligated to give.
Last week 10 NWT Power Corp. employees were told they can expect to be laid off by Dec. 31, 2001, but could be placed elsewhere in the corporation.
In response, one employee now says he's "a dead man walking." Another says the layoff "smacks of racism."
We empathize with everyone who received the news but there's 11 months to prepare.
If Power Corp. employees are disheartened, talk to a former Con or Giant mine employee who received a layoff notice that was effective immediately.
It may help put things in perspective.
People choose many ways to quench their thirst for knowledge in this, the information age.
Many spend time at the library. The library now features computers which attract lots of people, especially the young.
However, for a good number of people still, nothing can beat good books to study, partly because of what they contain, and partly because they force readers to clear their minds of a lot of clutter.
Family Literacy Day, being held this Saturday, highlights the value of books to both educate readers and allow for friends and family members to spend valuable time together.
Then there's Aurora College. Many take programs there to start or boost their careers, and as such the college is a valuable resource for the entire region.
An example of that was the graduation last week of nine students from the Bridging Employment Skills Training (BEST) program. The program, put on at the NWT Learning Centre on behalf of Aurora College, covers a broad range of skills needed to enter and succeed in the workforce.
From interviews with some of the BEST grads in Inuvik, and in Tsiigehtchic at the completion of the program there before Christmas, it would seem that just taking and completing the course was a great victory for many.
Programs like BEST can really boost people's confidence.
It should be noted that many people also take part in short-term evening or weekend courses at Aurora College.
Depending on the subject, they might go just to find out if they like a certain topic, and because the classes can be a break from the routine.
Upcoming dance classes are a good example. Participants will get to learn about the rumba and foxtrot. It's likely they'll have a lot of fun along the way, too.
Public Health in Inuvik is also getting into the act over the next few months as it puts on a babysitting course. These students will go over information they need to embark upon a very important, if underrated, job.
There's a lot of emphasis on the need for education nowadays for those wanting good jobs.
There's no question that kind of learning is important, but it's good to see people here also know that learning for the sake of learning is something that will never go out of style.
Camping out
An example of hands on learning would be the land camps put on since the fall by the Inuvik Justice Committee.
Young people get the chance to spend a weekend among their peers, under the guidance of elders and other adults.
Participants are likely to learn lots from such an experience.
There's been some rather glum reports about the world's environment in international news this week.
First we hear that scientists believe that global warming is occurring at a quicker rate than initially predicted. Now we can expect an increase of up to 5 C over the next century, they warn. Of course, the culprit is largely greenhouse gases, for the most part, human-made emissions.
Then there's a report of a massive oil spill from a tanker off the Galapagos Islands, a tiny chain located in the Pacific Ocean belonging to Ecuador. One of the world's most fertile habitats for birds and aquatic life gets a fresh coat of oil. Great.
Locally, it seems we have no such worries. Sure, we're having a warmer winter than usual, but global warming still sounds like a foreign concept.
The truth of the matter is that global warming will affect all of us, including those who leave our vehicles idling for lengthy periods (an hour or more is not that uncommon despite the soaring price of fuel -- all for the convenience of being warm in a cold climate).
We can all do our part
The same holds true for recycling and waste management. There seems to be a great deal of cynicism about the usefulness of the planned March waste management conference in Fort Simpson.
If we go into it with a defeatist attitude instead of an open mind then little will be accomplished. Yes, the costs of revamping our waste disposal system will be high, but the cost of ignoring the problem will be even higher.
This land we live on, the air we breath and the water we drink, these are the most precious resources on this planet -- not the oil, gas or minerals. The latter can be great assets and represent
much-needed employment opportunities and enormous wealth and if well managed.
Yet the riches they provide will never surpass the basic needs we require to sustain life.
As one hotel owner pointed out, beyond the issue of a proposed five per cent hotel tax, tourism still holds awesome potential to be the NWT's biggest draw. If we handle things properly, after the drive for oil, gas and minerals subsides, there should remain beautiful landscapes, clear rivers and an abundance of wildlife. With the right marketing, that could keep the territory thriving for a long, long time.
Serious risk
It was nice to see the good people of Fort Providence again last week. However, it was disheartening to see so many residents, adults and children alike, riding snowmobiles without helmets. With snowmobile-related deaths in Fort Good Hope last year and a tragic loss of life in Nahanni Butte two years ago, it's a wonder why anyone would take such an unnecessary risk.
The territorial government is considering a helmet law, just like the seatbelt law. It should be a welcomed measure.
Whether you're a sports fan or not, you can't help but feel the buzz in Rankin Inlet and the rest of the region these days.
This past Wednesday and Thursday, many folks in Rankin noticed the Hockey Night in Canada film crew busy at work.
The crew, especially announcer Chris Cuthbert and associate producer Paul Barsanti, were very approachable and took the time to talk a little hockey with many in the hamlet.
Local hockey fans are already gearing up for next month's Polar Bear Plate junior C tourney, which promises to be a real barn burner.
But, the biggest buzz of all centres around the visit of hockey's Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup.
Many folks in the six Kivalliq hamlets outside of Rankin are making plans to come to town for the hockey tournament, so they can see the Cup up close and personal.
A group of about 24 from Baker Lake plan to snowmobile to Rankin for the occasion.
Reports from the communities of the six confirmed tourney participants (Rankin, Iqaluit, Baker Lake, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay and Hall Beach) indicate the Stanley Cup is pretty much the centre of conversation these days.
Such is the power of sports to bring people together, increase community spirit and, perhaps most importantly, open the doors of opportunity for our youth.
This is a message the Nunavut Government should be hearing loud and clear.
While there can be no denying there are many pressing issues of importance in Nunavut right now, improving sporting venues in our fledgling territory and creating more opportunities for our youth has to start moving up the NG's priority list.
And we're not talking simply riding the glory train of elitist events such as next year's Arctic Winter Games and helping to put a second sheet of artificial ice in the capital to accommodate the games.
The NG should be doing as much as it possibly can to promote the growth of sports in all our communities.
As we've heard from police officers, educators at every level, hamlet leaders and youth leaders both locally and on the national scene -- sports helps to develop our youth's character and leadership skills, produces role models, provides secondary education opportunities and gives them something to look forward to as they struggle with today's pressures of adolescence.
If any of our Nunavut politicians still need convincing as to the positive attributes sports can bestow upon a community and its youth, maybe they should contemplate a trip to Rankin Inlet next month for the Polar Bear Plate tourney and the Stanley Cup's visit.
If seeing truly is believing, we guarantee them an eyeful of happiness and excitement.