For the past 12 years, the department spent about $23,000 a year on an agreement with the City of Yellowknife for the provision of lifeguard services at the popular Long Lake beach.
Last year, the city failed to hire qualified lifeguards and the beach went unsupervised the entire summer. As a result, three young children nearly drowned by a dangerous drop-off area at the beach.
At the time, Phil Lee, RWED's regional supervisor for the North Slave region, said he regretted the situation and acknowledged the department was looking into ways to provide the service.
"Even limited lifeguard service is better than no lifeguard service," Lee said, noting RWED was not concerned about liability because "There are a lot of unsupervised beaches around here."
Now Lee and his department are singing a different tune. Last week it was announced that lifeguard services will no longer be provided at the beach. The department cited a fear of liability in the event of an accident.
So, which is it, Mr. Lee? Where does RWED really stand on this issue? As we stated in an editorial last August, the beach does lie within city boundaries, but it's a territorial park and the GNWT has a responsibility to protect the public.
Mr. Lee, you also told us that you hoped the situation at Long Lake beach last summer would be an anomaly in the history of lifeguard service there.
Why has the safety of our children suddenly become unimportant to your department?
If this beach goes unsupervised, it will just be a matter of time before tragedy strikes.
Parents can keep an eye on their kids, but not many parents are certified lifeguards. What if the parent cannot swim fast enough to get to their child in time? What if the parent can't swim at all?
The territorial government should rethink its commitment to public safety before the summer season begins. They are taking a huge risk in order to save a little money.
If petroleum companies wanted people to stop using their products -- in this case gasoline -- they've succeeded.
High-handed, unfair and greedy are words that can be used to describe the actions of some city stations who, on orders from head office last Friday, bumped price of regular gas by seven cents a litre.
Everyone who watches the news from the south knew an increase was on the way because the price of oil was at record heights -- $41.83 a barrel on Monday.
Still, no-one expected it before the ferry went back into service.
This action fueled Yellowknifers' ire because we know that the gas in those stations' tanks wasn't purchased at that rate.
But instead of just grumbling and groaning as you shell out nearly of $1 a litre, do something about it.
Park your gas-guzzler. Walk to work. Car pool. Ride a bus. Ride a bike. The weather's warming up nicely, thanks. And after a long winter, we can all use the exercise anyway.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Most people have heard the saying about not throwing stones if you live in a glass house.
More often than not, the adage is a warning about chastising others when you, yourself, may have similar problems.
About two months ago, a number of Nunavut's top political personalities were shaking their heads in disgust over the news that a Yellowknife doctor, who was fired from a family practice in the city, had been licensed in the NWT despite knowledge of previous problems in the United States.
It seems the good doctor had a habit of writing himself prescriptions for various narcotic medications.
The doctor had been disciplined in the State of Montana, but the NWT's medical registration board was prevented by law from informing his new employers of the past problems.
The doctor was fired earlier this year amid allegations he breached patient confidentiality.
Nunavut at risk
The potential for the same type of situation is all too real with Nunavut's teaching community.
In far too many cases, Nunavut teacher certification checks are being done after a new educator is hired instead of before.
It will be interesting to see if Minister Ed Picco moves to strengthen Education's screening process, or remains content to simply roll the bones of chance and maintain the status quo.
Should Picco decide to take a closer look at his department's hiring practice, he may decide to act quickly.
Once he begins looking into the situation, it shouldn't take the minister all that long to discover the Department of Education has known for quite some time that the possibility of a 'bad hire' is all too real in Nunavut.
Of course, the Nunavut government is well known for its silence among the ranks -- an understandable development when one considers the constant gag orders passed down to the rank and file from their ruling ministers -- so the information gathering process could take longer than usual (see O'Brien saga for current example).
Warning already given
However, with a deputy minister having already been warned by a former registrar of teachers about the lack of background checks being undertaken on new teachers, we're sure Picco will recognize a more thorough approach to applicant screening soon has to be put in place in our territory.
If not, it's just a matter of time before that 'bad hire' becomes somebody's nightmare.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
As word got out of the collapse of the foyer roof at Samuel Hearne secondary school, just prior to classes starting Wednesday morning, news of the event was soon scrolling across the bottom of the television screen on CNN's broadcast as well as CBC's 24-hour news network.
Though nobody was injured or killed in the falling debris, when the combination of the words 'school,' 'roof' and 'collapse' goes out on the wire, it attracts the media's attention.
On Thursday, reaction from students was mixed. Understandably, the younger ones were pleased with the unexpected holiday yet grimaced in horror at the possibility of an extended school year to make up for lost time. Also understandable.
On the other hand, senior students -- especially those hoping to graduate this year -- were very concerned that the event would hamper their efforts. However, quick action by the Beaufort Delta Education Council and SHSS staff got the Grade 12s back into class, using the shop buildings behind the school as temporary digs.
As for reaction from parents, words such as 'incompetence' were frequently uttered and several people thought that somebody should lose their job for neglecting the snow pile-up on the school roof to the point of its collapse. Again, a very understandable reaction.
However, what was mystifying is that few parents were willing to go on record with their completely warranted disgust for what could have been a tragedy.
"It's a small town and I don't want to rock the boat," was the general sentiment of those who'd rather keep their comments to themselves.
At this point, it is important to remember that this is not an issue of the school team not raising enough money at the bake sale to get to Super Soccer. It is an issue of lack of foresight on the part of officials charged with the maintenance of a public facility used by our community's children.
Fortunately, this apparent shortfall did not result in any injury or death.
Were this to have happened in any other community in the country, you can bet your bottom dollar that its Parent Teacher Organization would be screaming bloody murder for answers.
But, it seems, when this kind of thing happens here many are satisfied with blessing their lucky stars that nobody was hurt, filing a forensic report and, well, moving on.
In this situation, what has to be asked is if it was important enough for the Deputy Premier and Minister of Education Culture and Employment to visit the disaster site promptly and meet with local officials on the matter, isn't it equally important enough for parents to make known their dissatisfaction, as well?
Certainly this does not mean you have go on the record in the Drum. But why not write a letter to your MLA, ECE Ministry or the Department of Public Works?
Just a quick note to let them know that the collapse of your son or daughter's school roof is totally unacceptable.
Because the last thing Inuvik wants is to be headline news for a disaster that was preventable.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
For anyone who was under the illusion that housing isn't a hot issue in Fort Simpson, that illusion was shattered earlier this week.
It's not uncommon for a community meeting to draw anywhere from nobody to 10 people. To have close to 30 residents show up to vent their concerns, as happened on Monday night, was quite a statement in itself.
There are numerous reasons why home owners and tenants are upset, and some of their concerns have inexplicably persisted for years.
In some cases policy is the problem. For example, the Housing Corporation sets clients' mortgage payments by household income. That could be applied fairly, but the way the policy is currently written if there are two teenagers in the home and they both work then the mortgage payment is going to climb. Even though Johnny and Susie aren't pulling in $65,000 a year, their combined minimum wage jobs are going to force Mom and Dad to have to fork over extra money every month. That's ludicrous. There are other such policies that need to be examined and amended.
On the other hand, sometimes clients' expectations are too lofty. Although mortgages are generally undesirable -- at the end of a 20 or 25 year mortgage most home owners will have paid twice the value of their home or more -- the Housing Corporation offers subsidies that can't be found elsewhere and it's more lenient on collections than any bank.
Better money management on the part of some clients is necessary.
When one person at Monday night's meeting complained of the complications arising from being in arrears to the Housing Corporation, Larry Campbell quickly pointed out that if he didn't make his mortgage payment his house would be repossessed. Touche!
Then there's the matter of proper construction by qualified carpenters. Standards, it seems, may have slipped a little on some occasions, and contractors aren't always held accountable. That has to change.
At the same time, home owners must be held responsible for routine maintenance and upkeep. While there's no substitute for quality construction, some problems that creep up are due to neglect over the years.
Another thing that became apparent during the meeting was a breakdown in communication.
There were quite a few members of the public who blamed Housing Corporation officials for misleading them, followed by denials from the Housing Corporation officials. In the absence of a polygraph or truth serum (neither of which is 100 per cent accurate anyway), we're never going to know for sure who said what.
The important thing is that the lines of communication be improved. A housing committee, proposed at Monday's meeting, would be one means of accomplishing that.
Housing Minister Michael McLeod needs to visit Fort Simpson soon.
Nobody in his right mind would want to trade places with McLeod at this point in time. The minister must come armed with answers, and the angry home owners and tenants ought to show up with some realistic suggestions or alternatives to existing problems.
Hovat Construction Ltd. was incorrectly identified as Havat Construction Ltd. ("Food OK, gas is scarce," Yellowknifer, May 12, 2004). Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment this error may have caused.