Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Word last week that someone wants to build something at the airport that may not fit airport rules had councillors all a-twitter and Yellowknifer headlines screaming "Secret airport request..."
While some might complain that newspapers love to exaggerate, the real issue is that Yellowknifers are totally in the dark on what's happening in their neighbourhoods, and city council feels compelled by legislation not to discuss development applications.
Under the Territorial Planning Act, development permits are secret until they are approved. If zoning is met - and the rules governing land around the airport are muddy at best - a bureaucrat can give the go-ahead to development without it ever being subject to public review. Only after a permit is approved does the public have any right to appeal. That window is only open for two weeks.
That's just bad planning.
It has created conflicts and frustrated developers and citizens alike. Does anyone remember the fights over condominium development off Ptarmigan Road or the hotel-cum-apartment beside Stanton Territorial Hospital, or Niven Lake phase six?
All became major sore points when people objected to development, after work began. At least one developer ignored a stop-work order and continued to build, even though the permit was under appeal.
Rather than wringing their hands over secret permit requests, councillors should demand the territorial government change the legislation.
First of all, permit applications should be made public as soon as possible. This is our city, not some secret society.
We suggest permits receive interim approval from a development officer - a first-reading if you will. However, no work should commence until after a public review period, say one month long with appropriate provisions for notifying members of the public.
This wouldn't change everything. Yellowknifer will still have blaring headlines and councillors will find lots of things to get worked up about. Secret development wouldn't be one of them.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
There's a storm cloud brewing over the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) and, when all is said and done, it might prove itself to be a good thing.
Simply put, the costs associated with running the Games are spiralling out of control.
The 2006 AWG are being held from March 5-11 in the Kenai-Soldotna area of Alaska.
The operations budget for the Games has reached $5.3 million and growing.
In fact, an additional $500,000 had to be funnelled to the Games through a defense appropriation bill passed by the U.S. Congress this past month.
The explanation for the late addition to the bill was to provide communications and security at the Games.
The addition was spearheaded by Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens and drew flak from a number of watchdog groups who viewed the move as unnecessary and excessive spending.
The 2006 AWG will feature 1,900 athletes and cultural performers, along with another 800 "special guests."
This does not include mission staff accompanying our athletes, nor does it include the vast majority of bureaucrats who will make the trip to Alaska on public money.
Through all of this, there are two distinct voices growing noticeably louder during the past year.
One states the obvious in that the Games have become too expensive for cash-starved areas to compete in, and are no longer economically viable to host.
The second voice is more dramatic, saying the AWG have outlived their usefulness and should be put back on the shelf.
The AWG bring far too many positives into the lives of Northern youth to be discontinued altogether.
However, the cost must be scaled back and the first place to start is in the area of government personalities and "special guests."
Attending the AWG is an expected perk for far too many government officials who serve no useful purpose at the event.
It would be far better for the areas involved to look at cutting down those numbers, rather than saving money at the expense of the athletes themselves, as was done two years ago when the hockey peewees were dropped from the lineup.
Host committees also have to avoid the temptation of comparing the AWG to the Canada Summer or Winter Games.
There is no comparison other than the athletic competition itself, and even that is a stretch when you consider the AWG came about through the frustration of Northern leaders watching their athletes get thumped by those in the South.
The vast majority of the South has too many advantages in numerous areas for us to try and compete at their level.
Sad? Maybe. Frustrating? Absolutely, but true nonetheless.
The AWG have come a long way since the original event was held in Yellowknife in 1970 and they must continue.
But, for that to happen, sound financial practises must rule the day and excessive spending trimmed before public opinion turns against the event.
Maybe the return of the 2008 AWG to Yellowknife will see the launching of a popular new event: Dump the bureaucrat.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
It was nowhere near as heated as the recent nationally televised debates between federal party leaders.
Monday evening's Western Arctic candidates debate in Inuvik was merely a rehash of the top dogs going at it.
Liberal Ethel Blondin-Andrew stood by her party's record (the fiscally responsible Paul Martin version, not the corruption-laden Chretien one), Richard Edjericon pointed to all the things a Conservative government would accomplish that the Liberals couldn't or didn't, and Dennis Bevington flogged the NDP party-line of standing up for the little guy.
Substitute a passionate but green Green Party Candidate Alexandre Beaudin for the humourless Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Quebecois) and the only real difference between ours and the national debates was levity rather than tension.
Beaudin may not bring any experience to the table, but credit must be given for the man's convictions. With nothing to lose, Beaudin was the only candidate of the four who appeared to be speaking from the heart, rather than from notes recited out of a party manifesto. This kind of passion is a rare thing in federal politics these days and even Blondin-Andrew - a 17-year federal political veteran - noticed the positive reception Beaudin was getting for many of his answers. So much so, she expressed her appreciation for his participation in her closing remarks.
Unfortunately, Beaudin's character and the strength of his convictions - however naive they may seem in our pragmatic world - will not change the state of this country's political system overnight, if at all.
So what is a voter to do in these troubled times when many resign themselves to supporting the devil they know, rather than going with the one they don't? Actually getting out and voting would be a decent enough start, because those who don't have absolutely no right to complain about the government they end up with.
And regardless of who wins the Western Arctic seat next Monday, or which party may form the next government, people will still put their pants on one leg at a time come Tuesday morning and the sky will not fall if there's a changing of the guard. Even if the Green Party were to miraculously win the Western Arctic riding, it is still just one seat in a sea of 308.
The real kicker is which party forms the government and the question on many people's minds is whether or not the country will end up with a second minority government serving. It's a difficult scenario to digest and could very well bring us another federal election this time next year, God forbid.
However, an even more bitter pill to swallow is the fact that the candidate who seemed to resonate most with those who attended Monday's debate doesn't have a hope in hell of winning. Is this an indictment of our political process? Probably not, but it's certainly an indication of what this country's three major parties have to offer us, or the lack thereof.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
What is it about discussions over money that can turn even the most amicable relationships between people into heated battles with hidden pitfalls?
This week, attention in Fort Simpson was drawn back towards how to use the community's share of the Community Capacity Building Fund.
The fund, to bring everyone up to date, was announced by Premier Joe Handley in August.
As part of the federal government's Northern Strategy, it consists of $35 million to be distributed among all communities in the Northwest Territories.
Each community receives a base of $606,000 and an additional per capita allocation. In Fort Simpson's case this works out to $1,050,000.
There are four strings attached to the money. It has to be spent on community infrastructure and capacity building, a proposal for use of the money has to be submitted by Nov. 1, 2006 and there are only three years to spend the funds.
The difficult stipulation is that any agreement on how to use the funding has to be shared by all governing bodies in the community.
Anyone who's ever had to make a decision on how to spend money knows how difficult it can be. If you're making the decision as part of a family the difficulty of the process multiplies.
Fort Simpson is like a family with three parents and an incredible number of children. Liidlii Kue First Nation, Fort Simpson Metis Nation and the village all want to do what they think is best for their "children," but reconciling the three opinions is proving to be difficult.
With the Tri-Council still waiting to meet and make some concrete decisions there is the worry that the services of an outside negotiator will become necessary.
Premier Handley said the money was distributed to the communities because local leaders are always asking for more control.
This process is a test for how future, maybe more important, agreements will be handled. In the broad scheme of things $1 million isn't a lot of money.
It will certainly be interesting to watch how things unfold.
Congratulations are in order for everyone who participated in the Arctic Winter Games territorial trails between Jan. 11 and 14.
Even those athletes who didn't make the cut should be proud. Making it to the trials is an achievement in itself requiring hard work, dedication and spirit.
Recognition is also due to all of the people who volunteer their time as coaches or just as supportive parents to help make the goals of the youth possible.
In Fort Simpson one of the positive stories coming out of the soccer trials is the attitude of the players on the Mackenzie region junior team. It was heartening to see the girls rally after their disappointing loss to provide support and cheer on the intermediate team. Nicely done.