"It's almost parallel to the environmental assessment uncertainty that other developers run into," said the mayor after Tasha Stephenson appealed a development permit issued for a hotel/commercial development near Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Sorry Mr. Mayor, but it's not a parallel. The appeal process is to give ordinary folks -- ratepayers, voters -- a chance to question decisions made by their elected representatives. There's nothing wrong with that.
It's when development decisions are driven solely by the almighty dollar when something goes wrong.
That's what seems to be happening now.
There's no question the land where the new Extra Foods now sits was better suited for future hospital expansion. Council could have held onto that property, but chose to go for the money.
When Ptarmigan Court residents challenged a condominium development, the builder ignored a stop-work order and continued to build. Residents' arguments were rejected by the development appeal board, but the city did nothing to enforce its stop-work order, other than issue a paltry $4,000 in fines. Pocket change for a multi-million dollar development.
The appeal board itself revealed flaws in the city's development process last November when it found landscaping requirements spelled out in zoning bylaws weren't being enforced.
And when a development officer signs off on an over-height fence without getting input from the neighbour, as the bylaw specifies, there's something wrong with the process.
Perhaps if more people had come forward a few years ago, we wouldn't have the traffic nightmare in the Wal-Mart-PetroCan-Mark's Work Wearhouse-Tim Hortons-Super 8 block.
Instead of lashing out at citizens who want a say in how their community is being developed, the mayor should look within. The place to start is in the city's development department.
The only chance for public debate under existing rules is in the appeal period. That needs to change. Why can't major projects, like an 81-room hotel/commercial development, come before city council?
A development permit should not be issued to a builder until after citizens have a chance to appeal.
City council must look for ways to increase public discussion about development, not ways to shut it out.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
We have a few words of advice for our six Kivalliq MLAs heading to Iqaluit.
First, if you're offered the position of house speaker, avoid the temptation and politely decline.
Second, remember the people whose vote got you to the capital and don't become invisible in your home riding, even if you end up with a minister-of-the-whatever plaque sitting on your desk.
Former Arviat MLA Kevin O'Brien paid a steep price for accepting the speaker's position.
The title comes with inherent risks to anyone hoping to prolong their political career beyond the current term.
The problem is house speaker translates into house silence when it comes to asking questions when the cameras are rolling because the speaker is not allowed to ask any.
The speaker's role is one of a glorified referee, maintaining decorum and points of order in a high-stakes game of political shinny.
The trade-off to becoming house speaker is that you're supposed to gain the premier's ear behind closed doors to address the concerns of your constituents.
Well, you can have the premier's ear, eye, nose, heck, we'll even throw in a couple of kneecaps -- the fact is, it's hard to keep your constituents' trust when they're not seeing you in action.
Grass under your feet
O'Brien further compounded the problem by taking his territorial role so seriously the good folks of Arviat rarely saw him at all, let alone in action.
Former Rankin Inlet North MLA and multi-ministerial-portfolio holder Jack Anawak made the same mistake early in Nunavut's first government.
Anawak took on so much responsibility at the territorial level, his grassroots support slipped out from under his feet.
Thanks to that old Liberal card tucked safely away in his wallet, we'll never know how he would have fared had he sought re-election.
The popular consensus is he would have lost, however, despite gaining back a good measure of his credibility with his masterful politicking during the Petroleum Products Division fiasco in Rankin.
Out of sight, out of mind
The impact of not maintaining a high rate of visibility in your home riding is further illustrated by just how far O'Brien fell in the election.
In actuality, O'Brien trailed only Baker Lake's Glenn McLean in terms of accomplishments in his community.
McLean, however, proved himself a master at keeping the political and media spotlights shining on the needs of his riding.
Arviat's political wand has now been passed to former mayor David Alagalak.
Hopefully, he will keep it as far away from the throne as possible.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
With the host of issues facing the Northwest Territories, one has to question the wisdom of Senator Nick Sibbeston's renewed push to change the name of the territory.
At the beginning of February, Sibbeston's office mailed out brochures to every household in the NWT, asking residents to come up with a new name for the territory.
Refusing to take the hint from a 1996 GNWT telephone survey in which the best alternative those polled could come up with was "Bob", and another attempt by former Premier Stephen Kakfwi that garnered lukewarm support, Sibbeston is giving it another try.
Vested with the responsibility of representing the interests of Canadian citizens, particularly those from the NWT, Sibbeston is appearing to squander his opportunity to highlight the need for more practical reforms with, what for all intents and purposes, is a legacy project.
A legacy project that would cost taxpayers millions of dollars at a time when the territory is staring a potential $70 million deficit in the face. Web sites, stationery, business cards, and tourism literature, just to name a few of the seemingly endless list of things that would need to be altered or replaced in the wake of such an implementation, should make the territories' bureaucrats cringe.
Not to mention the hassles tour operators would have to go through convincing prospective visitors that "Bannockland" -- Sibbeston's idea for a new name made in jest -- was indeed the former Northwest Territories.
Of course, as governments are notorious for doing, the costs involved with implementing such a name-change would be graciously passed on to the taxpayer, in the form, of say, the cost of replacing your licence plates. Here's to hoping it doesn't get to the referendum stage in which the territory will have to pick up some of the tab for something qualifying not so much as the ultimate white elephant, but more of a white woolly mammoth. And those creatures -- bless their hearts -- have become extinct; exactly what should happen to this drive to rename the territory.
To Sibbeston's credit, he has served the territory and his country admirably, pushing for aboriginal rights and better government for Northerners as former MLA and premier. During his tenure in the legislative assembly, the groundwork was laid for the splitting of the territory -- what he refers to as the final "lopping off" of a swath of land that once encompassed much of North America.
For some, the historical significance of the territories' name should be all the more reason to keep it. But, as Sibbeston rightly puts it, "this is it, we're bound as one territory."
So here's an alternative to all of this hullabaloo. Bulk mail each household and government agency a supply of liquid paper and magic markers, with the understanding that it's each citizen's and territorial employee's responsibility to alter the name Northwest Territories to Northwest Territory on all relevant material.
This way, we can avoid the expensive wholesale replacement of all signs, stationary and, our license plates and just white-out the "IES" and pencil in the "Y". Whether this option is seen as a compromise or cop out, I'm keeping my plates.
Pass the liquid paper please.
Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Deh Cho Drum
In early January, spurred by what was undoubtedly a deep concern for the flora and fauna in the area, the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines pushed to have an environmental review of the proposed bridge over the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence.
In all likelihood, construction on the bridge -- which has been delayed more often than a middle aged man's visit to his proctologist -- won't start for at least a year.
A panel of experts from the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Review Board will spend the time deciding whether or not stationary, concrete pillars pose a threat to fish and other marine life in the Providence area.
"Do they expect the fish to bump into the supports or what," asked one of my friends.
The review board also has the authority to examine the socio-economic impact of projects like the bridge, a process that should take all of about two minutes.
The shareholders in the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation (Metis and Dene in Fort Providence area) stand to gain millions over the life of the project.
The construction of the bridge itself, not to mention maintenance and upkeep, will provide dozens of jobs for a community thirsty for employment.
Finally, more Northern residents won't have to suffer through rotten vegetables, spoiled milk and inflated prices for two months of the year.
You'd be hard pressed to find anybody opposed to the bridge, except for the Chamber of Mines.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the chamber's environmental and social concerns were raised after Bridge Corporation officials announced a possible toll on commercial traffic.
The chamber estimates the levy would cost the mines about $1.5 million annually -- or a good day at Ekati.
The fact that the Chamber of Mines used an environmental review process to delay a project that would benefit more than half of the territories' residents is reprehensible.
The review process should safeguard the North's unique ecosystems and its people, not be a tool for furthering corporate interests.
As a taxpayer, it's absolutely maddening to think I'm subsidizing a superfluous review that only delays a project overflowing with benefits.
He's baaaaaack
Derek has returned from his vacation, so don't hesitate to stop by and ask him about it.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me during the last six weeks, especially Herb Norwegian, Val Gendron and Paul Stipdonk in Fort Simpson.
A mahsi cho also to Joanne in Fort Liard, Tannis in Wrigley, Pamela in Nahanni Butte, Anita and Lloyd in Kakisa and Fred in Jean Marie River.