Friday, April 15, 2005
Restaurateur Kerrin Patterson will again run the galley in the rustic Old Town cafe, teasing the palates of curious tourists and hungry Yellowknifers.
Caribou, whitefish, char and buffalo, transformed into stroganoff, chowder or burritos, give a distinctly Northern flavour to the Wildcat dining experience.
Since reopening in 1979, the Wildcat has occupied a unique place among the city's dining establishments: a link with Yellowknife's past, a tourist attraction and a summer rendez-vous for Yellowknifers.
Among the several meanings of the Wildcat name are "reckless and financially unsound enterprise," which captures the experience of some of the cafe's operators.
For all the Wildcat's rustic charm, profits have proven elusive, making it difficult to recruit operators. Before city administrators remembered Patterson's name, Mayor Gord Van Tighem suggested they should scour universities for potential operators.
The restaurant business is no place for amateurs. Patterson's food industry experience suggests she knows how to make the cafe profitable. She has operated the Wildcat before and now has a two-year contract in hand. She's already made a success running Kerrin's, a restaurant in the Igloo Inn.
Patterson told Yellowknifer that the Wildcat might be winterized for year-round operation. Here Mayor Van Tighem was properly skeptical. It's difficult to see how that could be done without altering the building's rustic character. Nor should the city be involved in competing against the private sector in the tough times of winter.
But offering a multi-year tenure for the Wildcat does several things. It assures Patterson longer-term security in a project that needs that kind of breathing space so an operator isn't re-inventing the frying pan each year.
And it assures Yellowknifers that one of its best-loved landmarks stays alive and useful.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Before getting to my topic this week, I'd like to make something perfectly clear right from the start.
Those who know me away from the office realize I'm the referee-in-chief (RIC) for Hockey North, covering both Hockey Nunavut and NWT Hockey.
That being said, this column concerns officials involved with all sports in Nunavut, not just hockey.
And, I'm writing this with my editor's hat pressed firmly down around my ears, and my RIC helmet tucked safely away in my kitbag.
I felt a wave of emotions when I read the list of awards given out by Sport Nunavut this past month for the years 2003 and 2004.
Other than a smile crossing my face for Kivalliq youth taking both male and female Athlete of the Year awards for 2004, none of those emotions were positive.
The reason for my dismay? Not one, repeat, not one official from any sport was recognized by Sport Nunavut for the effort they put in every year to help develop Nunavut's various sporting programs.
It's hard enough to attract new officials, let alone have the few who are putting in hundreds of hours every year be completely ignored by our governing body.
In fact, so little is being done to encourage new officials to get involved with the sport of their choice - and to help existing officials further develop their skill level - thousands of dollars are being spent every year on officials from other provinces to help with our tournaments.
The message volunteers, who run virtually every sporting program in Nunavut, always send to their young athletes is to respect the officials in their sport.
However, that same respect has to be shown by the adults in our programs and that includes Sport Nunavut.
What kind of message does it send when amateur officials aren't thought enough of in this territory to have one "awarded" with a $20 plaque or T-shirt every year?
The message it sends is one of total disrespect.
Those involved with sports realize how much the level of play is improved with good officiating.
And the vast majority of parents, whose kids are on the playing field, are more at ease when competent officials provide as safe an environment as the rules of a sport allow for their children to compete in.
Obviously, this is all lost on Sport Nunavut.
While the athletes, coaches and volunteers should always get top billing in any sport, to ignore those who ensure a level playing field is a gross oversight.
It has now been about three weeks since Sport Nunavut promised Kivalliq News an explanation as to why Nunavut's sports officials were overlooked.
And, while taking the time to explain the reasoning behind the decision to ignore their officials would be nice, admitting it was a booboo and correcting the situation would be a lot better.
As it sits right now, Sport Nunavut deserves a gross-misconduct penalty from every official in the territory.
Editorial Comment
Chris Hunsley
Inuvik Drum
"It's all about the kids. It's so great to hear them laugh and give them a place to go. It's wonderful."
Since the moment Inuvik's Family Centre opened, sentiments like these have been heard many times, from many different Inuvik residents.
The countless times elders have said they couldn't have wished more for the kids, have not gone unrecorded by these ears.
The community, council planners, local businesses and designers came together with special effort to build a facility that would seem more likely for a large urban centre or beach-side resort.
Beaufort-Delta residents for generations to come have been given way more than just the resources to be healthy and fit. They will have vivid memories of howling laughter and children's smiles to look back on and cherish.
For this, I say kudos to you all!
This project came about through more than just effort and vision, it required some pretty big personal sacrifices by some pretty special people.
The pool would have been built without their donations, but many of the bells and whistles might be missing now without them.
"For the extras we tried to find extra sources of funding," said Jerry Veltman, Senior Administrative Officer.
Veltman and his wife Antje gave $10,000 to help purchase two chairlifts for the disabled and an aquatic wheelchair.
Longtime resident and businessman Danny Smith lobbed a weighty cheque at the town to the tune of $100,000.
Those are major bucks yet he seemed overjoyed to have been able to sign over the donation.
"The Family Centre is a really positive aspect for the Town of Inuvik," said Smith, who has lived here for 25 years.
Town council puts its sweat and tears into all the programs around the community, be it garbage or paving the streets, he noted.
"They get a lot of negative feedback and it's not always right. Peter and the rest of the council do a great job," Smith said.
Speaking modestly, Smith added that he just wanted to reward them with a little "boost."
All the dollars in that little boost will no doubt go far.
Perhaps the most touching tribute came from the Billingsley family.
The open-spaced foyer with grand mural and flowing walls came courtesy of a $50,000 donation in memory of Doug and Vicky Billingsley, who moved to the community with their family in 1973. Both have now passed on and a plaque near the front entrance explains why the donation was made: "In appreciation to the people of Inuvik for many good times."
The spectacular Playland may not have materialized without the help of Michael Fabijan, whose $20,000 donation went a long way towards the $60,000 cost of the play area.
"A lot more people gave more money than me," he said.
This attitude of dowplaying their contributions to the centre seems to be common among the donors. None of them wanted to make a big deal about their donations or see themselves in the spotlight but how could we simply ignore this amazing thing they've done for their community?
There has to be a way we can express our gratitude.
As I drive by the Family Centre daily and see the parking lot packed with cars and kids with beach towels amidst the falling snow, I can only think, this is exactly the thanks these quiet philanthropists want in return for their generosity.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh cho Drum
Two sides that have had plenty to say about each other finally met face to face last week.
Grand Chief Herb Norwegian acknowledged that it was his first meeting with the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce. He sat down with Chamber members on their turf - their monthly meeting at the Nahanni Inn boardroom - with only his assistant, John Holman, accompanying him.
One might have expected "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" to have started playing when the grand chief walked into the room. Despite a bit of a rocky past, the meeting wasn't all that adversarial, and, really, there was no need for it to be.
What was important was for Chamber members to convey their concerns to the person at the helm of negotiations for a future regional government.
To recap a bit of the history, Chamber presidents Duncan Canvin and Andrew Gaule have, over the past several years, expressed frustration with the lack of economic development in the Deh Cho.
They've openly questioned the Dehcho First Nations' resistance to fostering, if not outright stunting, commerce in the region. The grand chief, although he never met with the Chamber, was obviously aware of the business organization's position.
During a flare-up over big-game hunting last year - an issue that had local charter airlines worried about losing long-term, valued customers - Norwegian took a swipe at the Fort Simpson business community. He said local merchants, who have made plenty of money from First Nations people, should be supporting the Dehcho First Nations (DFN) in its efforts to get maximum benefits from government and industry. For some added colour, for which Norwegian is infamous, he added that local businesspeople should stop "lurking in the coffee shops and talking about (their) withering little bank accounts."
It's unlikely anyone at last Tuesday's meeting had forgotten those words, but the dispute wasn't rehashed. No, it was on to bigger and better things. Chamber member Peter Shaw expressed misgivings over certain elements of a Dene regional government, particularly the prospect of non-aboriginals becoming second-class citizens.
That's the kind of concern that the Dehcho First Nations will likely hear more frequently as it expands its consultations.
Norwegian said DFN representatives received a less-than-enthusiastic response after discussing self-government with Hay River town council.
"They really didn't want anything to do with it," he admitted.
In an interview with News/North, Hay River town councillor Vince McKay referred to the DFN's proposed constitution as racist and discriminatory for the restrictions it places on non-Dene residents.
Dealing with backlash is just one more aspect of becoming a government.
Norwegian reiterated the need for ongoing dialogue and insisted the DFN is trying to be inclusive of others.
Public forums on self-government, when they take place, ought to be firecrackers, explosions of ideas and opinions.
Then the DFN will have to figure out how to best meet the needs of all people without compromising its values.