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Even when treatment services are located nearby, the choice to end the cycle of substance abuse means an entirely new lifestyle is necessary.
Habits change, social circles transform, new ways of thinking are adopted.
That said, the road to sobriety is even less travelled when the road doesn't even exist.
This is the case in Nunavut where the one and only residential addictions treatment centre closed five years ago.
Since 1998, Nunavummiut seeking rehabilitative help for substance abuse were forced South for detoxification and treatment.
Some clients were lucky enough to receive treatment in Kuujjuaq, Quebec, the only residential centre in Canada that provides counselling services in Inuktitut. Other residents headed to other Southern treatment centres.
What the clients all have in common is that they left behind their families and their loved ones to take on the biggest challenge of their lives in an unknown environment.
We must note though, that local residents were not totally denied access to services following the 1998 closure.
Health Minister Ed Picco devoted considerable time and money to building addictions counselling capacity in hamlets.
However, it is extremely reassuring to hear Picco promise to open a Nunavut-based addictions treatment centre.
Both he and Premier Paul Okalik said the government will open a detox and treatment centre in the territory in 2003.
Picco said the services will be flexible enough to gear programming to the needs of the client. This means residential and counselling services in Inuktitut -- for clients and their families when needed -- will be available. This means the road sobriety will be a little easier to follow.
It seems silly to thank government officials for doing the job we elected them to do.
But when their efforts mean our spouses, our mothers, our uncles, our sons and our sisters get the effective treatment they need, it's time to give the officials our nod of approval.
Well done.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Thirteen women from across the North gathered in Yellokwnife Oct. 30 for what was supposed to be a suicide prevention forum.
What they got was certainly not what was advertised. Some called it a slap in the face, others a rip-off.
It was supposed to be a forum with four speakers but was changed by the organizer at the last minute to a single presenter because of a lack of participants signed up for the event.
That presenter, Tom Rippon, who said he received notice of the change in format, gave the participants handouts they deemed offensive and irrelevant.
The entire event was panned by the women, who had shelled out $500 each. Some paid as much as $5,000 to cover the cost of a trip from the other side of the North.
The company organizing the forum said it faxed notices about the change in plans, but few of those registered apparently received them. The company did not offer refunds before the event, or after the women walked out when they received material with titles such as "Aboriginal Grieving" and "Canada's Bleak North, Fertile Ground for Suicide."
So was it a scam or just a lousy presentation by someone in over their head?
Handing out literature with the phone numbers of Australian help agencies suggests something went wrong. We believe W. Zarchikoff & Associates had good intentions in offering the workshop.
But any way one looks at it, the company didn't deliver on its original promises to help Northerners deal with a desperate problem. The company made wholesale changes and should have given those who signed up the chance to get their money back.
However, there is nothing in place to protect the consumer in a case such as this.
Yes, it is a buyer-beware world, but there should be some safeguards in place. As it is, anyone can call themselves a consultant or workshop facilitator. Tom Rippon called himself "doctor of peace studies."
A Better Business Bureau -- something we don't have established in the North -- is a start. Better still, a national registry, professional association or government regulated accreditation process would help resolve some of the uncertainty. Those who went to the Zarchikoff event hoped to share their newfound knowledge with those who need it in their communities. Instead they were left with bitter memories.
There's a lot of need in this world and people don't need to be victimized when they are only trying to help others.
Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum
The suspension at Frosty's Pub came at a poignant time of year and I sincerely hope all servers will take notice that over-serving alcohol is not only dangerous because of legal ramifications, but because it can be deadly.
I've lived through six winters in the North and each year, I have had to write or read about someone who froze to death, because they were too drunk to get home.
While there are elements in this town who like to point fingers at one person or one establishment, the onus is on everyone to curb this blight and keep our people alive.
If anyone thinks closing Frosty's for a week, a month, or even forever as a method to ending Inuvik's drinking problem, they are delusional.
Pointing fingers from ivory towers and preaching to the converted won't help either. Far too often we turn our heads and step over the problems in our streets everyday.
While bar owners, staff and management are saddled with the legal liability of over-serving the staff are not omni-present. If you see someone who is clearly over the line, it's your ethical obligation to point that out to the staff.
Some have taken the stance that because Frosty's has exotic dancers, the place should be closed by whatever means necessary. A direction of discontent is always an easy way out for those who won't take responsibility.
Boycotts, petitions, and an attempt at a plebiscite have failed to rid the town of the evils of Frosty's Pub.
Truth is, the management there is struggling to gain a market share by the necessary means.
In direct competition with the huge economies of scale within the hotel group that owns the other bars in Inuvik, this business has thrived and provided an alternative, as well as some competition for the town's entertainment dollar.
If people don't want exotic dancing in Inuvik, rather than attack the owners with boycott and petitions, perhaps they should be supporting this business, so they don't have to resort to exotic dancing.
We all have the duty to look out for our own here, and it goes beyond the licensed establishments.
With the holiday season approaching fast, there will be more than a few house parties hosted and the liability of the bar owners is extended just the same in your home.
If you have a guest who's had too much, it is your legal and moral obligation to see that person home safely, but to avoid the problem completely, make sure your guests drink responsibly.
Duck do
The dinner hosted by Ducks Unlimited (DU) gave us all another excuse to put on our Sunday best on a Saturday night and it was a great time for a great cause.
The food and fun made the event worthwhile, but the money raised for DU made it easy to spend a little extra.
I was surprised by the generosity of the crowd, bidding high and spending freely on the raffle tickets. There were a few bargain bids, but overall, I think, it was clear that everyone got caught up in the event, but also that they knew the funds will go to a worthwhile project.
The work done by DU comes at an important time here, when development is opening up and our feathered friends need all the help they can get.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Two new leaders joined the table at the Deh Cho First Nations fall leadership assembly in Fort Providence last week.
Roy Fabian, chief of the Hay River Reserve, and Randy Sibbeston, president of the Fort Simpson Metis Nation, weren't at all reticent. Both expressed serious reservations over a proposed Interim Resource Development Agreement (IRDA) with the federal government. That agreement would provide the Deh Cho with a fraction of royalties from resource development within the region.
The IRDA would be precedent-setting because the federal government has never before granted First Nations a share of resource royalties prior to the signing of a final
land-claims or self-government agreement. However, the percentage of royalties being offered is a trifle. Therefore mixed feelings exist over the IRDA.
Although the Deh Cho has repeatedly gone back to the negotiating table demanding a better deal on the IRDA, the federal government hasn't sweetened the offer.
Chief negotiator Chris Reid said that the lack of unity in Deh Cho is hurting negotiations. Too many communities are pursuing their own oil and gas initiatives, he said. That signals to the federal government that development is in the process of occurring without have to dangle a bigger carrot.
When it comes to an interim resources agreement, there's a growing sense that it's this or nothing. Yet Fabian and Sibbeston certainly don't sound like they're ready to settle for such a small stake. The IRDA was supposed to have been finalized in March. It's now November.
Last week, Deh Cho Grand Chief Michael Nadli made frequent reference to having just eight months remaining in his term. He has already announced he will not be running again. He jokes about establishing his legacy, much the way Jean Chretien is seen to be trying to cement his own.
Nadli has guided the Deh Cho to the signing of the Interim Measures Agreement and the Draft Framework Agreement, key pieces of the self-government puzzle. He has overseen protection efforts for the Horn Plateau and the South Nahanni watershed areas. Last week, with the approval of regional aboriginal leaders, he also signed a boundary agreement with the Dogribs, ending a long-standing dispute.
Nadli said he looks forward to the day when he can say, "The Deh Cho is open for business." If he doesn't get to make that proclamation before the sun sets on his administration, things could take a drastic turn.
At the Deh Cho Assembly next June, a new grand chief will be selected. Reid has declared that his service as chief negotiator will also come to a close at that time. Band elections are scheduled in Fort Simpson and in Fort Providence next summer, too.
With all the turnover, there's bound to be a lag in negotiations.
An IRDA in 2004? Another option all together? A complete breakdown in bargaining?
One thing is certain, for Michael Nadli the clock is ticking.
In last week's edition of News/North, Finance Minister Kelvin Ng was quoted saying the government received 12,000 claims for two-stroke engines.
The government has in fact received 1,200 claims. We apologize for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused.