Wednesday, June 8, 2005
The troubled firm was sold to Basal Diamonds for $4.5 million, ending a year of uncertainty as the territorial government tried to find a buyer.
Previously, Basal purchased Arslanian Cutting Works after it and Sirius were forced into bankruptcy protection by the territorial government last spring.
While the government has been overly secretive and clumsy in how it handled the Sirius deal, given the fact public money is at stake, there are signs the industry could be stronger than ever.
Basal plans to install automated cutting and polishing machines when Sirius re-opens under a new name, Polar Bear Diamond Factory.
Yellowknifer reported on robotic diamond machines last June. The robots at a Vancouver plant handled 1,500 carats a month, five times the volume of gems cut by 150 workers in four Yellowknife factories.
Robots could give city plants the edge they need to compete against low cost cutting operations in India, Vietnam and other Third World nations.
With Snap Lake under construction, the timing couldn't be better.
Northerners will still be needed to run and maintain the machines. That means jobs and income and, hopefully, a more stable industry.
No one likes to be told what to do, but sometimes we should suck it up and pay attention.
When cars and trucks first got seatbelts, a lot of us thought they were a nuisance. But decades after it became the law, statistics show Canadians overwhelmingly use them.
Wearing seatbelts makes sense. So should wearing life jackets in a boat - any boat, whether it's a 16-foot canoe, aluminum runabout, or a 60-foot lake cruiser.
We'll need it
Having the life preserver wrapped around the boat seat won't help you. We'll need our life "preserved" when we're in the water and in crisis.
Wayne Gzowski knows this. The diver has recovered 45 drowning victims and says most of them were not wearing any kind of life jacket.
"They're black and blue and in the fetal position," Gzowski says.
There's a fine last image for those who survive you.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favour: wear your life jacket. Consider it an "investment" in your life.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Like all Kivallimmiut who still give a damn, I was outraged by the comments made by an unnamed First Air "base manager" in the May 30 edition of Nunavut News/North (Mad about mail).
The flippant, condescending attitude of this person defies logic.
Imagine! "When you can send a letter from Halifax to Resolute Bay in a week for 50 cents..."
Well, that statement certainly gives away the base manager's community of residence - that would be the planet Mars!
Regular mail with a 50 cent stamp rarely, if ever, makes it to any community from outside Nunavut within a week.
Who does this person think they're kidding?
I'm lucky to get a $20 Express Post package delivered from Toronto to Rankin Inlet in a week.
But, of course, like the small print says, between major centres, and Rankin is only a major centre to those of us who call it home.
Apathy rules
Which brings us to this official's other statement, "People are quick to complain about snail mail, but they should think about where the hell they are."
So there you have it. The next time you mail a letter, think about where the hell you are and ask for the special discounted second-class-citizen postage.
Regardless of what this First Air official may think, in this day and age, there is no reason for a simple letter to take upwards of two weeks to travel from Toronto to Nunavut, except for apathy.
And, judging by the remarks made by this individual, we now have a pretty good idea where this apathy rests.
I've said it before in this space and I'll say it again: the only good thing about the postal service in Nunavut is the courteous and friendly service we receive in our local post offices or postal outlets from employees who just happen to be our neighbours.
No right to complain
Basically, this First Air employee's attitude is because we choose to live in the North, we should simply accept whatever level of service is provided to us - no matter how sub-par, apparently - and we have no right to complain.
The example the person gives when explaining the situations in which First Air can bump mail is another prime example of how we're held for ransom in Nunavut.
Shopping by mail via Sears is the example the base manager uses when illustrating how a company will ship goods "the cheapest way they can."
This, in effect, gives the airline the right to hold the package upwards of a full week, if everything in the airline universe doesn't go exactly as planned.
Of course, anyone who shops via mail with Sears, and we all do, has the receipts to show the company certainly doesn't charge Northern residents for the cheapest way possible to ship their items.
Not all good luck
There's at least one part of the statements made in the article by the First Air employee that we tend to agree with, "... we're lucky to have Canada Post."
Yes, we are.
However, based on the comments of this individual, First Air just might be another matter all together.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
The crack dealer who left his stash in the woods to be swept away by the rising water level of the Mackenzie River must be kicking himself this week.
While police will not go public with the exact amount turned in by the civic-minded youth who found the floating stash, the scenario provides an interesting portrait of one's brain on drugs.
Only a fool would think hiding something in the forest so close to the river at spring thaw is a good idea and not consider the risk of having it swept away.
Last year, it was a champion litter bug who dumped a big load of trash by the river bank to get flushed into the Beaufort Sea.
This year it was a "substantial amount" of crack that got sucked away instead.
Oh, the times, they are a changin'.
Nevertheless, that's one less load of the dangerously addictive drug to find it's way into a youngster's hands and the community is way better off for it.
Bravo to the kids and their parents and a special thanks to Mother Nature for making it all possible.
Disability awareness
Hats off to Mayor Peter Clarkson for giving up the use of his legs this Friday afternoon and agreeing to view the world from a different perspective, confined to the seat of a wheelchair.
What a great initiative and one can only hope that more leaders in local government will take the time to give this experiment a try.
Despite the efforts of many offices and shops in town to include wheelchair access at their entrances, many places are still not equipped to deal with the needs of the mobility challenged.
Petroleum show, pipeline summit
While the premier and local leadership have signed on to attend the "Finding Common Ground With the Mackenzie Gas Project" planned for the upcoming Inuvik Petroleum Show, we're still awaiting confirmation that representatives of the federal government will be heading this way.
With the current state of pipeline machinations and the fact that an obvious boon to the Canadian economy is at stake, one would think federal leaders would be more than happy to pencil the event into their respective schedules.
But alas, the continuing threat of a non-confidence vote in Ottawa might just keep the big-wigs chained to their desks for the time being.
It will be interesting to see who will actually show up.
The Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief is tied up with ongoing negotiations in Ottawa, which may also take the Indian Affairs and Northern Development minister out of the equation.
In that case, will the Deputy Premier step in to fill the breach?
Time will tell.
Depending on how things play out, it would be wise for voters to keep in mind Ottawa's attention to this matter the next time the country goes to the polls.
Because, after all, an election could be just around the corner.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Some government departments have been taking flak over the past week.
At least one deserves a round of applause (come on, we can all muster at least a half-hearted clap).
Let's review:
The Department of Transportation was widely criticized by delegates at the Dehcho First Nations' leadership assembly in Fort Liard last week. The atrocious condition of the Liard Trail was the source of their complaints.
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche added his voice to the fray, going after Transportation Minister Michael McLeod in the legislative assembly.
McLeod explained that in spring, the roads need to thaw before any serious repairs can be made. Technically speaking, that is probably a valid response.
Yet it would have been little comfort to anyone driving to or from Fort Liard in May. Motorists can always slow down - turning a three hour trip into four hours - but even travelling at 80 km/h or less, there were a number of spots where the deep ruts and pitted road jostled vehicles like nobody's business. It was ugly, very ugly.
Over to the Department of Health and Social Services. They put a feather in their cap by landing a regional dentist in Fort Simpson. Gradually, and rather quietly, that department has bolstered its Deh Cho staff positions over the past few years and continues to do so. Of course recruiting health professionals remains a real challenge, as it does across the country, if not around the world. The other side of the coin is that Wrigley continues to go without full-time nursing service, something the community has demanded be restored.
Black cloud
Finally, a black cloud continues to follow the Housing Corporation. Numerous homeowners have decried the poor condition of their homes (although many others have remained content).
In this edition of the paper, an individual who lost his home to fire is seeking another house - or at least the supplies - from the corporation.
The president of the Housing Corporation says there is more to the story than meets the eye, but he can't get into details due to client confidentiality.
Honestly, the government often does fight these public battles with one hand tied behind its back. The media should strive to tell both sides of the story, but the bureaucrats are restricted in what they can reveal about a client.
In some cases, government policy desperately needs to be amended or scrapped. Other times, members of the public have abused rights and privileges and somehow still make the government look like the bad guy.
It can be hard to judge when only some of the circumstances are known.
A Dene government will assume control of most of these programs and services in the future. It will be most interesting to see how things change.
Finance Minister Floyd Roland reported to the legislative assembly last week that government losses on Sirius Diamonds totalled $10.7 million. With the sale to Arslanian's owners, $4.5 million will be recovered, for a net loss of $6.2 million. The new owners of Sirius have also agreed to pay a two per cent royalty for the rights to the polar bear trademark for 10 years - worth $2 million by the government's estimate - which may lower the loss further.