Health care in the North is different, challenging ... expensive. You only need look at a map to figure out that fact. But if Prime Minister Jean Chretien wants to really learn that lesson, he ought to look at Northern per capita costs, his favourite funding formula.

Jean Chretien's health-care funding snub must be the final insult

In the Northwest Territories, the government spends about $4,700 for every man, woman and child to provide health services. In Nunavut, it's $6,800.

The national average is $1,904.

If Chretien can't see the gap and the reasons for it, he should retire now, not wait until 2004. In Ottawa last week, he chose to put politics ahead of patients.

The prime minister's per capita offer amounted to pennies a day for the NWT, Nunavut and the Yukon.

We join the premiers in putting the blame for ignoring Northern health needs squarely at Chretien's feet.

The premiers walked out when the PM refused to budge. It's too bad premiers of the 10 provinces didn't stand by their NWT, Nunavut and Yukon counterparts and say no as well.

They didn't and now all Northerners must show their frustration.

More talk, cash needed

Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew and Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell have suggested more talks between the federal government and the territories are on the way.

Even Chretien appeared to be softening his stance, telling the House of Commons Thursday he understands that per capita funding doesn't fit Northern realities.

Right now, it's just talk.

We'll believe their words when we see the money.

Premiers Kakfwi, Okalik and Fentie are heroes. They stood up for their constituents.

By walking out on the Prime Minister and provincial premiers, they have sent a strong message: We're not going to take Chretien's continued negligence when lives are at stake.

The cold and wind are a fact of winter life.

Still, every year people go out on the land, unprepared to face these elements. Many lose their lives.

The death of one hunter who failed to pack survival gear should be enough to drive the message home, but it's not.

And it's not just the inexperienced and unwary who die.

Charlie Hokanak was found dead on Dec. 5, 2001, nearly 120 kilometres southeast of Kugluktuk. For 13 days, dozens of searchers combed the land, hoping to find him holed up, awaiting rescue.

He was 58 years old and out on a hunting trip; his death devastated the community. Though he was dressed for the cold weather, he was not travelling with camping gear when he split from his hunting party. Even his experience as a hunter and a member of the Canadian Rangers weren't enough.

On Jan. 23, members of the Kugluktuk search and rescue team arrived in time to save another member of the community. The 42-year-old man was found after his snowmobile broke down about 80 kilometres from where he had been hunting. Police said had searchers not found the man when they did, it would have been too late. He had no food, and no means of melting snow. He had a tent but no poles.

Near Iqaluit more recently, a man went out for a day on the ice of Frobisher Bay, only to get separated from his group and need rescue.

The danger is underscored by the recent death of an Arviat hunter. He had food, a sleeping bag and fuel, but when searchers found him Jan. 31 after days of blizzard, he was dead.

Although it's hard to predict when your snowmobile is going to break down, it's not hard to be prepared.

Pack up your kamotiq. Make sure you have a tent, a stove, warm clothes, food, water, and something to signal people with. You may even consider a GPS or emergency locator beacon, available in many hamlets. If you're going to go out on the land, make sure you have everything you need. Don't go out alone and stay within sight of your travelling companion.

It's the least you can do. Search and rescue teams across the territory do their best whenever they are called. But the devastation each member feels when they arrive too late just can't be imagined. The crews work 24 hours a day and put their lives on the line if they believe it will save a life.

The least you can do is make sure you have what you need to live as long as possible.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Emotions are running high with the government of Nunavut's plans to relocate the Petroleum Products Division (PPD) to Baker Lake from Rankin Inlet.

The economic impact and human toll involved with such a move are obvious.

With so much at stake, it's little wonder Rankin is so upset and Baker's so happy about the move, even if the vast majority of the 13 jobs coming to that community will be filled by Southerners.

However, this decision is simply the latest in a string of similar moves to affect the two communities.

It's as if Baker and Rankin, somewhere along the line, became the favourite targets of the government of the day in reaching quota or decentralization targets.

You have to go back to 1987 when this series of comedic errors began with the arrival of the Department of Health and Social Services in Baker under the GNWT.

All was fine until about eight years later when John Todd decided it was in the region's best interests to move H&SS to Rankin under the guise of strengthening the Kivalliq Regional Health Board -- the results of which have been well documented.

Frowns in Baker, smiles in Rankin.

Not all that long after, then interim commissioner Jack Anawak and former CG&T deputy minister Mike Ferris paid a visit to Baker with the promise of moving the Worker's Compensation Board to the hamlet from Rankin.

Smiles in Baker, frowns in Rankin.

Unfortunately for Baker, it was then determined the benefit of such a move was far outweighed by the damage it would cause to Rankin and the employees of WCB.

No, the WCB was in Rankin to stay.

Frowns in Baker, smiles in Rankin.

Today, a feasibility study is being conducted on moving the WCB to Pannituuq.

A little salt for that wound in Rankin and Baker?

Rankin, on the other hand, is still smarting from being told the move of Nunavut Arctic College HQ to Arviat (changed from Rankin during the 1999 Apex retreat) would be decentralization's only negative impact on the community.

Smiles in Arviat, frowns in Rankin, giggles in Baker.

However, while Baker giggles, the City of Iqaluit continues to howl with laughter at the GN's decentralization policies.

To date, a mere 195 government positions have been moved from Iqaluit to six Nunavut communities.

Conversely, there are still 253 government positions to be filled in Iqaluit (as of Sept. 30, 2002).

He who laughs last, does indeed laugh best.

Editorial Comment
Tara Kearsey
Inuvik Drum

New Year's resolutions are more than a month old if they aren't already a distant memory.

Non-Smoking Awareness Week is history. The Quit and Win contest has come and gone.

Yet some people in the Deh Cho continue to fight the battle against cigarettes. For that reason, the Drum will be profiling smokers and ex-smokers over the next few weeks. You'll read about those who have kicked the habit, those who are struggling and those who have all but given up.

Maybe their stories will offer some insight and inspiration.

Margaret Thom makes an excellent point: when it comes to formal support groups in small Northern communities, they are practically non-existent. Yet that doesn't mean there's no help to be found. There are always plenty of people who have shared the same experience. Sometimes just knowing that you're not alone in your struggles is enough to give one that needed boost. A listening ear can also make a world of difference.

Smokers are fewer today than in the past. There's a move afoot to ban smoking in public establishments. Secondhand smoke is a major issue. An Ontario waitress who had worked in a smoking establishments for close to 40 years was awarded worker's compensation in a court case in October. The waitress has lung cancer and her doctor blamed it directly on secondhand smoke. If that's the direction the courts continue to take, it's little wonder that smokers would be banished when they want to light up.

The territorial government has its own proposed legislation to prohibit smoking in public buildings and work places. Fort Simpson village council had also been wrestling with a bylaw to forbid smoking in all municipal buildings. That debate ended on Monday evening when the bylaw was scrapped on third reading.

The issue isn't going away, however. While there are more people choosing not to smoke, there are those who still light up. Their rights and the rights of others will invariably continue to clash.

Mystery man

The story of Tiele Stowhase certainly is an unusual one. It's rare when a complete stranger can touch the lives of others in such a profound way. It will be most interesting to see what the Department of Immigration uncovers in its investigation of his background.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

What would possess one man to risk his own well-being for the sake of a dog, while other dog owners shirk their responsibilities all together?

The answer to the former question is love and loyalty. It's something that some dog owners feel strongly, and something that dogs return many times over.

The explanation for the latter remains frustratingly elusive. Clearly, some people aren't meant to own dogs, but there's precious little to stop them from having one or more. It seems a shame that a wolf would attack a restrained dog -- one that is cared for and wanted -- as happened in Fort Liard earlier this month. In all likelihood, the odd stray dog is also nabbed and devoured by wolves, it's just that nobody notices, nobody cares.

Most dogs aren't slain by wolves, however, they are killed by the bylaw officer. It's only out of necessity that this situation exists.

Part of the problem is that uncaring dog owners seldom realize the consequences of their irresponsibility. They cast the dog out -- whether it's -35 C or in the summer -- and don't care if they ever see it again.

While they sit at home, drive away to visit relatives or go out to dinner, the last thing on their mind is the fate of the abandoned, innocent pet. After all, puppies are plentiful and another one can be obtained easily when the impulse arises.

It would be impossible to legislate, but one antidote for neglectful pet owners would be to compel them to accompany the bylaw officer to the dump, the execution chamber.

After that bullet pierces their dog's flesh and the animal draws its final breath, those irresponsible owners should have to stand over the carcass and reflect on the needless death. It's a cruel reality they have created.

Shaking and shivering

Just to add another thought to this week's Street Beat, "What's a sign that it's really cold outside," there are some not-so-subtle indicators from one's vehicle.

For starters, when the door of a 2000 model truck creaks like a 1962 model upon being opened, it's cold. Then, while driving down the highway for more than an hour, the cold wind whistles in through the still-frozen mouldings around the door.

Finally, although the heat in the cabin is set at maximum for hours, the truck still strains to pump enough warm air to match the cold that's flowing inside. That's the type of week it was.