Wednesday, February 2, 2005
It's already happening. Ingraham Trail residents face it each summer. There's a story in today's Yellowknifer about a pile of household trash dumped by Vee Lake.
Make people pay to get into the dump and the problem will become much worse. People hate to pay for something they consider is already covered by their taxes.
Administration can argue all it wants about how the $10 monthly household fee - soon to be $11 - doesn't cover the costs of operating and closing the dump. We believe it, but before councillors sit down to debate the motion on tipping fees, they should heed Yellowknifer's telephone poll results: 94 per cent of callers are opposed to paying at the dump. Read the letters to the editor. Talk to your neighbours.
And remember this: a $5 admission fee is not a true "user-pay" system. You're only targeting people who drive into the dump to salvage (recycling!) or people delivering the trash themselves, both of which saves the city money. A true user-pay system would make everyone pay for the garbage they create, either by weight or by volume.
The city is discussing such a system, and it could be in place by January 2006. Unfortunately, it won't work either because the city isn't committed to a recycling program that would enable people to reduce their garbage and cut how much they would have to pay.
If the city really needs the money, revisit the solid waste management fee everybody pays and raise it another dollar or two. At least then, everyone will pay the same.
But if council really want to accomplish nothing other than getting people angry, go with the $5 admission.
The outcry against the person or persons who killed six sled dogs and left them at Fiddler's Lagoon should be a wake-up call. Times change. Northern dogs were once mere property to be harnessed to pull sleds. We now have snowmobiles for that.
The only sled pulling these days is recreational or for sport.
Other than that, dogs are pets. As such, they deserve proper care. They don't deserve to be shot in the face and casually tossed away.
Today, we call that cruelty to animals, especially in Yellowknife where dogs, as pets, are almost as much a part of the family as any human member. It's time for the city to catch up to this thinking and pass a bylaw that controls how dogs are euthanized or cremated.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
One wouldn't think there would be too many youth issues being studied in the United Kingdom capable of sending a red flag in Nunavut's direction.
However, research done by London University's Institute of Education shows youth centres being run without proper programming may do more harm than good.
In fact, the research suggests many teenagers would be better off spending their evenings in front of the TV than going to their youth club.
The problem stems from the fact too many youth centres simply provide a place for teenagers to hang out rather than offering any form of constructive programming.
When it comes to the habits of an average teenager on any continent, the study seems to add credence to the adage that idle hands are, indeed, the devil's workshop.
London University's research found that teenagers who spend time in unfocused youth facilities tend to produce poor exam results and are more easily led into a life of crime and drugs.
We tip our hat to the British for getting our attention on the issue, but the conclusion that groups of bored teenagers hanging out together can lead to unacceptable behaviour is hardly earth-shattering news.
That being said, the study does remind us that simply giving youth a place to go is not the answer to curing all their social ills.
Out of sight, out of mind, are hardly words to live by when it comes to positive parenting skills.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) president Paul Kaludjak alluded to the need for more youth centres during NTI's annual general meeting in Rankin Inlet this past year.
Kaludjak scored a bull's-eye when he said these centres should be set up in a way for elders and youth to spend more time together and for youth to take part in constructive programming.
In short, simply opening a building or finding a space available with a few video games and a ping-pong table just doesn't cut it.
Proper planning has to be put into our youth centres and it has to involve input from the youth - that's input, not infinite direction.
While you can't put the fox in charge of the henhouse, you also can't create a scenario where the youth are receiving nothing more than what adults have decided is right for them - another point made by the British study.
Youth centres can be effective, but only when their programming is properly structured.
And that entails proper planning and consultation to put in place a well-balanced program that youth enjoy and are willing to participate in.
The effective youth program run this past summer in Rankin shows these goals can be reached.
However, if adults in any given community aren't willing to put in the effort to help structure their teens' leisure time, they shouldn't be too shocked by how they may choose to spend it.
And we don't need London University to tell us that!
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Second chances. Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. In the case of the woman living with her nine kids in a bachelor apartment, the housing authority is not in the mood to give her another chance to live in one of their public housing units.
However, considering her predicament and the authority's mandate to locate suitable accommodations for people in need, the Inuvik Housing Authority should reevaluate its position in this matter.
In fact, it should be obligated to do this, because after all it's a public institution, presumably designed to help people.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a 10-person family living in a bachelor apartment needs some kind of assistance.
We Canadians are a lucky bunch. Sure, we pay relatively high taxes, but look at all the marvellous public services we get for our toil.
Those who are fortunate enough to never depend on this country's vast array of safety nets can rest easy at night knowing somebody is looking out for the little guy.
Whether or not the little guy is getting any satisfaction is another story altogether.
Which brings to mind my travels in the Far East, where scores of little guys vastly outnumber those fortunate few who look down on the squalor from their shaded villas.
In Third World countries there are no housing authorities, social services or unemployment insurance.
Flip the channel back to the developed world and while there is an under-privileged element - and there always will be no matter how benevolent one's government is - the chances to get ahead are much greater here than for folk in similar situations elsewhere.
And many immigrants to Canada will tell you that's precisely the reason they left their countries to begin a new life here.
In other words, Canada provided them a second chance.
But as it stands for the 10 people - most of them children - crammed into a bachelor apartment in Inuvik, the housing authority is fresh out of second chances.
Our territorial government talks a great game about taking care of the people and fostering future generations, which makes it all the more stunning to discover that nothing can be done to help a family in desperate need of more suitable housing.
How many more families falling into this type of situation is it going to take before something is done?
Though the following sentiment is starting to sound like a broken record, it has to be played again. Communities around the territory are concerned about the socio-economic impacts of the potential pipeline project.
Is all of this concern taking attention away from the current socio-economic ills in the North? Or is everybody just waiting with fingers crossed for the pipeline to solve all the problems?
If the latter is the case, a rude awakening could be in store for the territory, with the little guy once again bearing the brunt.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh cho Drum
Something once so nebulous or intangible as a Deh Cho government is drawing closer to becoming a reality every day.
Make no mistake, there is still a long, long way to go and many decisions to be made. It's a lengthy process and one that will fundamentally affect the lives of everyone in the region.
Granted, it's not like a steaming locomotive barrelling down the tracks. Dehcho First Nations' staff have been gathering input and feedback on elements of a draft constitution. It's gradually taking shape.
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said one of his main concerns is that not enough people are making their views known. Grand Chief Herb Norwegian countered that in addition to community meetings, an information team has been going door to door, "knocking on windows and rattling stove pipes" to get comments.
More public meetings are on the way.
The comments that have already been compiled in the latest draft of the constitution make for some interesting reading. Most of the sources' names have been deleted from the document, allowing for some degree of anonymity.
One person suggests that a trial or probationary period and recall legislation should be in place for all elected or appointed officials.
Another individual recommends stress management and professional development for leaders as today's politicians face a substantial burden.
Because the role of elders has historically been so crucial to the Dene, it is proposed that aged and respected citizens maintain a central presence in a future Deh Cho government. That has caused consternation for some individuals. There is a major question of how an "elder" will be defined.
Select elders are likely going be in a position to nominate or appoint leaders. One person commented that elders may choose their own family members, which isn't fair to others. Another person stated that there are so few elders left in the region that it would be best to hold elections. A few others pointed out that elders generally pass on knowledge accumulated over a long life; they tell of the past rather than prescribe the future, so they shouldn't be involved in politics.
This should provoke lively debates, which is absolutely essential to forming a sound government.
A Deh Cho administration also presents opportunities to override shortcomings of existing federal and territorial legislation. For example, some youth delegates have urged that higher environmental standards should be enacted and companies should post 100 per cent security towards environmental clean-up and reclamation costs.
There are numerous other intriguing sections in the proposed constitution - it's literally history in the making. Although there will be some limitations imposed on non-Deh Cho Dene and Metis to help ensure the preservation of the culture, those who have lived here for a significant period of time will have a chance to have their say.
The City of Yellowknife stands to generate an extra $120,000 in revenue for a total of $300,000 if city council approves the recommended tipping fee schedule (Yellowknifer, Jan. 26, "Rate shock at dump").
As well, Sirius Diamonds interim manager Mike Botha received a request to polish diamonds he believed were from Sierra Leone when he was at Aurora College. Incorrect information was published in Yellowknifer on Jan. 28 ("Dirty diamonds").