Monday, February 26, 2001
Tuberculosis, a disease that ravaged the North is back: now tearing apart our confidence in the health care system.
Fifty years ago, tuberculosis killed hundreds in the NWT and Nunavut. Last year, there were 24 confirmed cases in the NWT. And one death.
| Correction
In last week's edition of News/North, the Kitikmeot Employment & Training Partners were misidentified. In the same article, it was stated that KETP was funding training for a Cambridge Bay youth. That was also incorrect. DICAN funded the training.
Furthermore, Douglas Mohammed said he was compiling his resume. The comments were incorrectly attributed to Sean Peterson of KETP. Finally, in a separate article, Sean Peterson was misidentified as Sean Patterson. News/North apologizes for any embarrassment or inconvenience this may have caused.
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What we know is cause for alarm.
Blake languished in hospital for weeks before the TB that eventually killed her was diagnosed.
The incident spurred the ministry of health to launch a quiet review of how our doctors, nurses and health administrators deal with TB.
Recommendations in the report by Alberta specialist Dr. Anne Fanning were released Friday. (Story on A4)
They indicate the system developed to handle with TB isn't working.
Staff turnover, lack of time, money and training are all problems.
But Fanning's 26 points raise as many questions as they answer.
Thankfully, Health Minister Jane Groenewegen has ordered chief coroner Percy Kinney to do his own investigation. Now we must now look to Kinney's review to show us where the system broke down.
Although Blake's case doesn't meet his criteria for review, Kinney should undertake a public inquest.
Witnesses need to be called to testify; evidence must be uncovered.
It's a process that's designed to prescribe a cure, not lay blame.
The health department can put all the "systems" in place that it wants. Only a point-by-point breakdown of why Effie Blake died will satisfy the public's concern.
The recent wave of resignations washing over Fort Smith is a symptom of an unhealthy situation.
Health Minister Jane Groenewegen has called the South Slave community a "potential trouble spot" and added they "can't afford to lose any physicians there."
Her statements coupled with the high-profile resignations of the board's CEO and a director will erode confidence in the board and administration and will ultimately result in questions about the quality of care by the people of Fort Smith.
The territorial health department has stepped in with an interim administrator. The real solution must come from the remaining board members who must act in the best interests of the people they serve.
That means hiring competent, qualified staff and letting them to their job.
The call comes in: domestic dispute, one person may be carrying a weapon. Police officers respond immediately.
Well, that's how it works on TV and probably in most communities and cities around the country.
But if that call had come from Resolute Bay, the odds are pretty good only one officer could have responded.
Last year in the Nunavut, 100 RCMP officers in various detachments worked alone the equivalent of 2,380 days.
The RCMP have talked to the Department of Justice about getting more officers, but the department doesn't see that as priority.
Funny, you would think keeping our officers and communities safe would be high on a list of priorities.
We're lucky here in the North.
Though the hardships are many and the road ahead is a rough, unpaved one, the creativity and talent of Nunavummiut is unmistakable.
One must only look to the North Baffin community of Pond Inlet for proof.
At Ulaajuk school, nine of the 11 full-time teachers are published authors. Between them, they've published 20 books.
That's a remarkable accomplishment that's offering encouragement to youth in the hamlet. One young student has already committed himself to writing his own story, a feat that speaks volumes for the part the published teachers play as excellent and effective role models. Their work as writers promotes literacy in Inuktitut and English and boosts Inuit culture in the classroom. It also opens up a new world to the students, showing them it is possible to write and turn the craft into a career.
That benefits everyone.
The writers -- both the practised and the up and coming -- all got a shot of encouragement recently when Canadian author John Ralston Saul paid the community a visit. In town to work on a book, Saul spent a great deal of time mingling with community members both in the schools and out on the land.
He met with his fellow writers, an event that allowed everyone to share their commonalities and workshop their ideas. It surely would have been as beneficial, if not more so, for Saul as it was for the local writers.
And, even if no creative works come out of Pond Inlet following Saul's visit, the writers no doubt were inspired and heartened to meet with one of their own.
Indeed, we are lucky in Nunavut. We call the likes of Tuqqasie Killiktee, Carmen Kyak and Joanne Nutarak our neighbours.
We should take a moment to reflect on all that their efforts with a pen and paper brings to our lives. We should all celebrate Northern authors.
The government commitment of $2 million a year for three years for an early childhood development program couldn't come at a better time.
The focus on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE) is especially important. By offering funding and training for eight pilot sites in the NWT, proper screening and preventative programs will for be established.
This funding comes at a time when Northerners are starting to realize the true devastation caused by the alcohol abuse that pervades the territory.
Too many children suffer as a result and we all end up paying for the problems caused by FAS and FAE.
It is a devastating problem for the NWT and now, with some money put to good use, we can address the needs of kids with FAS/FAE and educate women that drinking while pregnant is unacceptable.
It looks like the cabbies and the Town of Iqaluit may be on their way to patching things up.
Last word was a fare increase might be in the picture by Feb. 27.
Although a raise from $3.75 to $4.50 might be tough to swallow if service is poor, not all the public concerns expressed over the past weeks were on the mark.
Some members of the public said cabbies are often associated with underhanded activity such as bootlegging. That should not be poor-service-related unless the passenger is actually in the market and not able to find the right brand of gin.
Furthermore, that is a police issue more than it is a Town issue.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
Congratulations are due to the Samuel Hearne Wolverines.
Over the weekend they captured the 14-and-under girls banner at the NWT Senior Cager basketball tournament in Hay River.
Monday afternoon the Wolverines were proudly on hand during a school assembly as their banner was hoisted high up a wall in the gym.
The triumph is all the more special because it's the first territorial team banner for the school since 1998.
I wasn't able to be there when the banner took its proper position, but I did catch up with the girls Monday at noon. They were still excited by their victory but, at the same time, they seemed quite worn out from their tournament.
Many sported assorted bumps and bruises acquired during their quest.
Coach Geoff Buerger couldn't praise his team enough, and said another team effort on behalf of parents and others within the community was key to their victory.
His comments highlight an important aspect of sports, in that a lot of the work is done prior to the start of the match.
Whether it be driving kids to yet another practice or tournament, or hosting dinners or other events to raise funds, many people can lend a helping hand for athletes.
What's also significant is that Buerger said his players acted like true ambassadors for the community. A positive attitude is supposed to be what sports is all about.
Most students may consider school a drag, at least some of the time, but later in life they will look back and treasure the good times they had during what in many ways is a magical time, when almost anything seems possible.
This week the Wolverines girls basketball team members added a special memory for themselves, and their schoolmates, to cherish for years to come.
Tackling bullies
Of course, not everything about school days is positive. Bullies can spoil the day for many a student. But steps are being taken to combat the problem here.
A Bully Prevention Workshop was held over the weekend. Part of its focus was to help local officials implement anti-bullying programs in both schools.
Students will deliver the programs, and organizers are right to conclude that young people might be more prone to pay attention when one of their own is involved in something like this.
For too long, society has just accepted the fact that bullies can be found most anywhere, and that not much can be done about it.
Activities like this workshop are designed to make people realize that the issue can not and should not be ignored, and that -- more importantly -- people can make a real difference if they try to solve the problem.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Bompas school's initiative to address bullying is definitely needed.
Bullying exists in all schools, to greater and lesser extents. It can be extremely serious, sometimes tragic. A number of bullying incidents resulting in suicide have been featured in the news over the past year.
Quite often children say or do the most touching things. But who knows what possesses children to torment other children? Sometimes it stems from their home environment, sometimes not.
My parents never terrorized me, yet I sure made life hell for my younger sister at times. At school, I was occasionally targeted by bullies, but I picked on other kids too.
As an adult, I can't really justify that behaviour. I'm certainly not proud of it.
However, I now have a greater capacity to empathize with others. I try very hard to put myself in "someone else's shoes," trying to imagine how he or she feels. Younger children often lack that ability, but they will gradually develop it. Therefore an explanation should accompany any command to stop exhibiting harmful behaviours.
When we're young, we need adults, particularly parents, to reinforce what is right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable. Until children cultivate the values and judgment required to truly understand the consequences of their actions, parents and teachers have to be children's guides.
It's also good to see that encouraging and rewarding positive behaviours at Bompas school are being treated as important as putting a halt to negative ones.
Healthy living
There have been a number of recreational sports tournaments in the Deh Cho over the past month and a few more to come over the next few weeks.
While taking in some of the action at the NWT Senior Men's Hockey Championships in Fort Simpson over the weekend, one of the officials (who wasn't working the game) told me he thought the arena was kept remarkably clean and the tournament itself was very well organized. He said the same was true of the
Kingland Open hockey tournament in Fort Providence last week.
Sometimes we overlook how meaningful recreational activities can be in our lives. Thankfully, we have hard-working staff members, teachers and numerous volunteers who pull together to make events like hockey tournaments, ski meets, badminton tournaments and soccer tournaments unqualified successes.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Kivalliq News would like to add our voice to those commending the work of volunteers this week, especially with the Girl Guides of Canada organization.
Keewatin Area Commissioner, Carla Kolysher, is bang on when she says Guiding leaders play an important role in the community.
These women give their time to provide positive activities for our community's young girls and are positive role models for these girls to look up to.
In helping to mould the characters of today's youth, they are helping to shape the leaders of tomorrow and for that they are to be commended.
Time for action
It is good to hear the Rankin Inlet Housing Association (RIHA) is getting tough with those tenants in serious arrears with their rent.
In all fairness, however, the RIHA must absorb some of the blame for today's outstanding rental accounts due to its past history of slow action and looking the other way while arrears accumulated.
Any business is acting irresponsibly when it allows clients to fall more than $10,000 in arrears.
However, that being said, the change in the RIHA's attitude is a welcome one.
Much has been said during the past two years on the severe housing shortage in our region.
It is extremely frustrating for those on a public housing waiting list, who are willing to pull their weight, to go without while they know rental arrears are piling up in a number of households.
While there are those who view the public housing rental scale as unfair, the fact of the matter is, when one looks seriously at the cost of running a household in the Kivalliq, public housing is still a good deal.
And, no matter where you live, your rent or mortgage has to be paid or the ugly word of eviction will not be far behind.
Take a bow
A big thumbs up this week to the large number of volunteers who worked so hard to make the Polar Bear Plate junior C hockey tournament a reality.
Two thumbs up to Hockey North president Jim Ramsay who probably wouldn't want to know how many hours he spent bringing the tourney together.
And, while Ramsay may have a few more grey hairs these days, he should take great pride in knowing he beat the odds to bring a truly remarkable event to Rankin, which benefitted so many of our region and territory's youth.
Take a bow Mr. Ramsay, you deserve it.