Friday, June 22, 2001
The legislature recessed last week and not a moment too soon, if the squabble between David Krutko and the cabinet can be taken as a measure of lawmakers' tempers.
At the height of the storm, the Mackenzie Delta MLA accused Joe Handley of misleading the house. The finance minister demanded an apology. Krutko agreed to "take it back, for the sake of the proceeding."
Not sincere enough, said Premier Stephen Kakfwi. Speaker Tony Whitford declined to judge Krutko's sincerity. Krutko then introduced a motion to censure cabinet. Most declined to vote, but it passed 2-0.
Time to simmer down, boys. This is supposed to be government by consensus, not conflict.
Mining Week is an opportunity to stop and reflect on what the industry means to Yellowknife.
Head frames at Con and Giant mines frame the city and others dot the landscape.
Giant is closed and Con is winding down, but there's more than just gold putting a shine on the industry these days.
Diamonds are the new gem of the Northern economy, with exploration projects topping $119 million last year.
Ekati diamond mine is smashing its projections and NWT diamond producers expect to soon generate 10 per cent of the world's supply.
Add in Diavik and two other possible mines and the North's gem resource totals $35 billion. That will mean a lot of jobs and a lot of new wealth to the two territories.
And there's so much more.
In the Deh Cho, North American Tungsten Corp. is looking to restart the CanTung mine. Around the NWT, other companies are searching for new supplies of gold, zinc and other base metals.
Yellowknife stands to benefit most.
As the largest centre near the mines, we're already home to head offices and a jumping-off point for the winter-road resupply.
The impact of all this effort means more business for everyone, from mining suppliers to bush pilots, grocery stores to clothing outlets.
Mining remains the primary fuel for Yellowknife's economy.
Ndilo could use better roads. No argument there. The only people who benefit from poorly maintained gravel paths are tire manufacturers and auto mechanics specializing in suspension repairs.
But the situation in Ndilo is complicated by the blurry lines of responsibility. The city has some, thanks to the grants paid in lieu of taxes by Ottawa. Whether that warrants opening Otto Drive for another access into Ndilo requires scrutiny.
Public meetings would help, yet there are those in the community who say there is no need for one, arguing a 1995 meeting settled the issue.
We disagree. Much can happen in six years. It is time those who use the road had another chance to discuss the issue in public.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
The person or persons who broke into the Inuvik Community Greenhouse last week made off with $2,500.
They also stole some peace of mind from members of the Community Garden Society of Inuvik, as well as community members in general.
Society co-ordinator Carrie Young was right when she said it's not so much the money, it's the insult. The insult is to Young, and everyone else who's helped the greenhouse launch its second commercial season.
It's taken a lot of planning and hard work to get the greenhouse to where it's at today, and anyone involved must have felt at least a little discouraged to hear someone had taken advantage of their labours.
Fortunately society president Effie McLeod has said that while the theft is disappointing, members will keep on with what they've been doing.
With that attitude hopefully the society can put this theft behind them and still have a productive year.
Taking on a challenge
Efforts are being made to establish another worthwhile group in town.
Greg Stromgren and Linda Eccles are setting up a local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Setting up any society is a challenge, and keeping it going is often quite challenging as well.
But this duo have spotted a need within the community, especially regarding the large number of loose dogs. Whether they end up taking over the running of the pound from the town, or work in partnership with town officials, there's little doubt the Inuvik SPCA could fill a valuable role within the community.
Helmet proposal makes sense
Town council is looking into the possibility of establishing a bylaw to make people wear helmets while riding bicycles, as well as devices like scooters and skateboards.
The move makes sense, especially pertaining to young people, who perhaps won't put on a helmet no matter how many times they're told they can help prevent head injuries.
Enforcing such a bylaw could be a challenge, but once in place for a time, and residents get used to the idea, a lot more people in town will likely be using helmets regularly.
While council debated the issue last week it was said that not many young people in town use helmets. That point was brought home for me last weekend when I went for a half-hour walk, and was hard-pressed to find someone wearing a helmet while biking or skateboarding.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Next week marks the annual Deh Cho Assembly in Kakisa. With people throughout the Mackenzie Valley waiting anxiously for word from the Deh Cho First Nations on a proposed pipeline agreement and with Nahanni Butte pressing for support for a seismic project, there are some ripe issues on the agenda. Hopefully these matters will be dealt with conclusively.
Yet the assembly is more than a series of political and economic affairs discussed around the table. It's an opportunity for the people within the region to catch up with each other, eat together, camp out together and fend off the mosquitoes together. There will be drum dances and an ever-popular talent show. A new arbour is being constructed and it will inevitably be the talk of the first day or two.
During the political discussions some delegates will wander off to have a cigarette on a bench overlooking peaceful Kakisa Lake. They will make small talk, reflect on the nature of the assembly debate (which can be acrimonious at times) or discuss plans for the future.
As the event draws to a close, there will be a sense of urgency to address issues that have been pushed back and to pass resolutions. Whether every item on the agenda is dealt with or not, delegates will close the meetings with a prayer, handshakes and hugs and wishes of safe travel home.
They may leave with a sense of not having accomplished everything they set out to do, but that feeling will be more than matched by the warmth they feel from their relatives, friends and neighbours.
The longest day
Today (June 21) is the longest day of the year. The glorious sunshine will only lessen every day as of tomorrow. Yeah, that's definitely a "glass half empty" way of looking at it. There's still plenty of warm, even scorching hot summer days to be had, cool swims in the pool or the river, vacations, camping, golf and softball, fun with friends and on and on. Perhaps its time for an excursion, such as the one that Jeannine Gaulin and her friends have embarked on, cycling from Fort Simpson to Inuvik. Rest assured, they are not sitting in front of a television right now. Sure, their sense of adventure is not for everyone, but you have to admire their conviction.
Don't just sit there and watch the bulldogs bounce mindlessly off the window, enjoy the next few months, even as the sun rises a little later and sets a little earlier.
Editorial Comment
Jorge Barrera
Kivalliq News
Forty-one new students will walk through the halls of Alaittuq high school next year. The future of Rankin Inlet, the Kivalliq region and Nunavut depends on them.
This is not just another grandiose and meaningless statement that usually accompanies scholastic rights of passage across the country. In the Kivalliq region and Nunavut as a whole, this message is an indisputable fact. Every high school drop-out in this region saps strength from this fledgling territory.
In the majority of Canada, with a higher population density, a drop-out here or there is a ripple in a huge sea. Here, with Nunavut's population of just 28,000, no bigger than a medium-sized town in the south, every drop-out means one person fewer to fill the many government jobs the Nunavut government is scrambling to fill with Inuit.
Every drop-out means one less Inuit doctor, lawyer, carpenter, welder. One less teacher, nurse, dentist.
This part of the country faced a whirlwind of change in the last 50 years. A whole nation went from living off the land to surfing through cyberspace and flipping through the thousand channel universe. The world is suddenly at the doorstep of every home in Repulse Bay, Whale Cove and Rankin Inlet, and with it comes the threat of a cultural dilution.
This was part of the urgency driving the creators of Nunavut. Nunavut is here so Inuit culture perseveres.
But borders on a map do not save a culture. History cannot be reversed, but no one has staked the future and education gives people the tools to shape the future in their own image, to use the evolving world for their own means.
That is the importance of education. And unfortunately a 60 per cent graduation rate (admittedly a generous estimate) in the Kivalliq will not be enough to save a culture in a world rapidly evolving.
That is why Donald Clark, principal of the high school, said he hopes to see all 41 junior high grads make it through high school.
The graduation of 15 high school student last year is good, but not good enough.
The future depends on you, the Grade 8 class of MUI and all Grade eight graduates throughout the Kivalliq.