Friday, May 11, 2001
Dave Beckwith bowed to public opinion this week and shut down City Watch, ending his 15 minutes of fame.
Turns out that Beckwith, the security company owner who mounted video surveillance cameras in downtown Yellowknife, couldn't stand the glare of the spotlight.
Beckwith can be accused of being overly zealous in his desire to curb late night brawling and vandalism in the city centre, but there is nothing illegal in what he did.
He learned that you can't mess with the public's right to mosey down Franklin Avenue without being spied upon.
It's worth remembering that some politicians like the idea of City Watch, but thought the video vigilante should have asked permission.
One of the challenges for education boards is finding a balance between what we need and what we want.
For the past four years, Yellowknife Education District No. 1 appears to have done the latter, choosing to spend more than it received each year.
Add in "unanticipated utility costs, the Sir John Franklin project as well as more routine administrative over-expenditures" and you have the recipe for this year's budget headaches. The board must now balance its budget by cutting $1.2 million.
This could mean either cutting 17 school-based positions, including 6.5 teaching jobs, going to the territorial government for help, or raising municipal taxes.
There have other suggestions, from an accounting change that would wipe about $400,000 from the books to delaying the demolition of Akaitcho Hall or delaying repairs to J.H. Sissons school's parking lot.
All options need to be examined before teaching positions are cut.
While we all agree our children need the best education we can afford, that can't be accomplished by deficit financing or spending money on frills at the expense of the necessities, such as teachers.
The board is responsible for the public purse. The fact the million dollar deficit came as a surprise indicates spending got out of control.
Now some hard decisions must be made to put the books back in order and board members must be more vigilant in monitoring administration's spending.
The idea of constructing concrete bears to serve as garbage containers thoughout town is one city council should seriously consider.
It was tossed around at an anti-litter meeting last month of concerned citizens.
Following the lead of Toronto, with its fibreglass moose and Calgary, with its cows, many believe constructing these concrete containers will not only encourage people to feed the bears their garbage, but could be a tourism draw and spawn a cottage industry for its creators.
With the owner of McDonald's already committing to pay for the cost of one for his restaurant and MLA Bill Braden suggesting the GNWT cost-share the initiative, so these bears can be installed throughout the NWT, it looks as though these bears could become a reality soon. So what are we waiting for?
Editorial Comment
Maria Canton
Inuvik Drum
Leaving a dinner companion stranded in a restaurant with an extra meal -- and the bill -- doesn't hold well for either party, but the scenario probably isn't too unusual for many a firefighter.
When a triple pager tone sounds, the 24 volunteer firefighters in Inuvik know they have to act, and quickly.
Come to think of it, the dinner hour wouldn't be that bad of a time to get called out to an emergency. If it has to happen, most would likely prefer any time other than 3 a.m. in the dead of winter.
The funny thing is, the volunteers don't complain. They know once they agree (and are accepted) to become part of the team that makes up part of Inuvik's essential services, their time is no longer their own. No one knows when trouble will spark, they just know they must be available in the event that it does.
The local firefighters are an amazing bunch. They all work regular jobs like the rest of us, a lot of them are attached and many more have families. Having a day job and a family is already like having two full-time jobs. Add to that volunteer work that, as I said, decides when you will volunteer, not vice versa, and you have a very busy person.
Even more impressive are the fund-raising efforts that the same bunch of folks invest into the department. Coming up with hundreds of thousands of dollars is no small feat, especially in a town this size. It takes countless hours of hard work pounding the pavement, or in this case, filling the bingo halls.
Any way you slice it, the volunteer fire department does a heck of a lot of work in the community without expecting any recognition for it. Because of them, we can all sleep soundly at night, knowing they are the ones who are willing to get up should duty call.
Good luck to our soccer players
Players from five Inuvik teams will be among some 4,000 youthful soccer players descending on Yellowknife this weekend for the annual Super Soccer tournament. Here's hoping they all do well and we can all be thankful that we're here and not there. Haha.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Next week's Deh Cho First Nations leadership meeting in Fort Simpson may be a pivotal point for the Acho Dene Koe of Fort Liard. Chief Judy Kotchea has concerns with the DCFN's interim self-government agreement. She wasn't willing to spell out the basis for her concerns publicly, but said everything should be on the table at next week's meeting.
Remember, it was two years ago when former Fort Liard chief Harry Deneron and his council has passed a band council resolution to pursue a comprehensive land claim. An official with the Department of Indian Affairs seemed cool to the idea then. He said the federal government tries to avoid dealing with individual community claims, preferring to deal with regions instead. However, Deline is a community in the midst of negotiating its own agreement.
One of the primary issues that divided the Acho Dene and the DCFN in 1999, other than philosophical differences regarding oil and gas development, was the Acho Dene Koe's boundary disputes with the Kaska First Nation in the Yukon and with the Fort Nelson First Nation in British Columbia. Deneron accused the DCFN of not helping out. Grand Chief Michael Nadli said the Acho Dene Koe had been avoiding the DCFN, not seeking assistance.
Now Judy Kotchea is chief, but the traditional lands overlap with the Yukon and B.C. still exists for the Acho Dene, and those areas are not included in the interim agreements. Whether that's Kotchea's only concern remains to be seen.
Will this be the final wedge driven between the DCFN and the Acho Dene Koe? Or will the two parties come to an understanding and shoulder on together? Stay tuned.
Cuts, cuts, cuts
The village of Fort Simpson is unquestionably staring in the face of a drastic funding cut. Chopping $1 million from a community of 1,200 can't help but hurt.
The prospects look grim, but mayor Tom Wilson refuses to say uncle at this point. He maintains that the united front between the municipality, the Liidlii Kue First Nation and the Metis Local will prove formidable enough to make the GNWT see the error of its ways.
If Wilson is wrong, residents of Fort Simpson will inevitably wind up paying much more for services, and a variety of user fees will likely be established. That's already a reality in many communities in the south.
We should remember that we're in this boat because of decisions made by past councils and by MACA (in its role as an "adviser"), and because a community with fewer than 200 rate- payers is in over its head as a tax-based municipality. Although development holds a lot of promise for the future, there's little sign of any quick fixes for the next few years.
Let's hope Wilson, LKFN chief Rita Cli and Metis president Albertine Rodh can together somehow find a way to bail us out before we take on too much water.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
You have to give credit where credit is due and the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) deserves praise for the evolution of its Reclaiming our Sinew concept.
Spearheaded by Bernadette Dean and Lucy Makkigak, the project enjoyed great success when first launched a little more than a year ago in Rankin Inlet. In fact, the response was so overwhelming, the KIA had to find funding to offer an evening sewing class for those in the community with jobs or family obligations preventing them from attending during the day.
When the project started, both Dean and KIA president Paul Kaludjak told Kivalliq News their vision included seeing the program, or a similar variation, branch out to other Kivalliq communities.
Since that time, KIA staff have worked diligently, seeking funding to make that expansion a reality, and Arviat represents the latest chapter in this successful saga.
The program is a winner on a number of different fronts, not the least of which is its ability to help preserve Inuit custom and tradition. But it is its practical side which really pushes the program into the winner's circle.
Being able to produce wearable, comfortable and weather-beating clothing from start to finish in the Arctic is no small feat.
The sheer numbers of people submitting their names to these programs speaks volumes as to their popularity. And, judging by the results we've seen, the instructors hired by the KIA to deliver the programs have done a marvellous job.
It has come as somewhat of a surprise for many of these instructors to find out just how many of our longtime Kivalliq residents knew absolutely nothing about processing seal or caribou skins.
Should Dean, Makkigak and the rest of the KIA staff manage to obtain funding to continue offering and expanding the program, that will soon change.
The Reclaiming our Sinew project is a wonderful concept, one that took a great deal of time and effort to turn into a reality. Those at the KIA responsible for the hundreds of smiling faces of course participants and their family members should have the acknowledgement from our region on a job well done.
They deserve it.
Qujannamiik KIA. Pijariitsiaqpusi.