Friday, February 24, 2006
It wouldn't take much to set it off, especially close to the one-year anniversary of the March 17, 2005 deaths of firefighters Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson.
A testy exchange of letters between fire Chief Mick Beauchamp and firefighter union president Craig Halifax is evidence that all is not right.
While the letters were not intended to be made public, Beauchamp's threat to take legal action against the firefighters' union paints a dismal picture of department morale.
In an interview with Yellowknifer, the chief agrees that communication between management and workers needs to improve.
He, the union, mayor and council must do everything they can to smooth relations because firefighters must work as a team to keep the citizens of Yellowknife safe.
Poor morale can lead to staff turnover and lack of trust in leadership, situations nobody needs in an organization as important as the fire department. Lives are on the line.
The questions in the firefighters' letter about whether their gear meets fire regulations are important ones. They should have been received by the chief with concern, not threats. The city budget states that $30,000 is needed to replace 20 sets of fire gear that are "in poor repair."
The Workers' Compensation Board has said it will investigate firefighter complaints, but how long will it take to get answers to these very serious questions?
How much of this present situation can be tied to the Fyfe/Olson deaths?
At latest report, the WCB's investigation is still not complete, 11 months after the fact. Here's a case where two men died and no action has yet resulted to say why.
While the WCB can take a year to complete its report and make recommendations to the fire department, this is a situation where urgency is critical.
If procedures, training or equipment need to be fixed, that should have happened quickly, not a year or more later. The WCB's bureaucratic approach to the deaths shows a disregard for firefighter safety.
According to the WCB's own bylaws, firefighters have a right to refuse to work if they believe equipment or procedures put their safety in jeopardy.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that because Yellowknife deserves better.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Watching the outrage caused by the Western Standard (a political magazine based in Calgary) publishing the caricatures of Muslim Prophet Muhammad, it's hard to disagree with the publisher's contention that it's a good thing for the world Christians are such an easy-going bunch.
There have been riots around the globe since the cartoons were first seen in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Western publisher Ezra Levant has referred to the cartoons as innocuous, which, if you were to view them on the Internet, you would find an apt description.
Imagine if Levant had put Bryan Adams on the cover dressed as Muhammad.
At the same time, the Western Standard was being accused of distributing hate literature, Rolling Stone magazine featured rapper Kayne West on its cover dressed as Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns.
But, thankfully, Christians are a forgiving lot.
It was a mere 16 years ago when American photographer Andres Serrano took top spot in the Southeastern Centre for Contemporary Art's Awards in the Visual Arts competition for his Piss Christ photo.
The photo featured a small crucifix submerged in a glass of Serrano's urine.
It remains a hotly-debated example of the pros and cons of freedom of expression.
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) supports the right of Canadian media to publish the cartoons.
Its reasoning behind the decision is that the cartoons can provide some of the context needed to explain the riots and shootings that have left many people dead.
However, the CAJ continues to debate the issue and has a number of detractors within its own ranks.
In fact, the CAJ will hold a panel related to the topic at its upcoming national conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this coming May.
The idea is for the panelists to discuss how journalists should balance constitutional rights to freedom of expression, and freedom of the press with ethical responsibilities.
Well, bully for them.
What they should discuss is why so many in the West condone attacks on Christianity, yet frown upon questioning other religions.
Many academics would have you believe this is a complex moral issue.
But, I side with Levant on this one in that if a publication mocks Christ, it may receive a letter to the editor or have its publisher taken out to dinner and asked what can be done to soften his views on Christianity (horrors).
Depict (let alone mock) Muhammad, and in some areas of the world you risk being blown up.
The issue, therefore, is not so complex. It's based on fear.
I applaud Levant for not being scared away from publishing the cartoons, and forgive him for the furore the decision has caused.
That's actually easier to forgive than the job he did as communications advisor to Stockwell Day during Day's short time as leader of the Alliance party.
Now that was a disturbing cartoon.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Sitting through testimony at the Joint Review Panel hearings which kicked off in Inuvik last week, I could not help but think of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's words on the subject of finding the forest through the trees, so to speak.
"As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say there are some things we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know."
The ramifications of constructing the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline fits nicely into Rumsfeld's logic. In terms of known knowns, a pipeline will mean more jobs, more people and more money flowing into communities along the construction corridor. The known unknowns will be the extent of the impacts - both negative and positive - of the "knowns" on these communities and their residents. It could be significant, negligible or somewhere in between.
But lastly, and perhaps most troublesome to anyone with the slightest concern about what will happen when the pipeline comes to town, are the unknown unknowns. You know, the things we don't know, we don't know. And being that we don't know we don't know them, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to prepare.
As for what can be done to lessen the socio-environmental impacts should the pipeline be built, as I've written before, that is the purpose of having these JRP hearings; get everything on the table to be in the best possible position to mitigate any and all negative effects.
Before coming to live in Inuvik, like most others I didn't really have the foggiest idea about gas pipelines, except for the fact that there had to be some connection between the natural gas flowing into my home and its source. That said, what I've been hearing regularly about how the people don't understand what's going to happen with respect to the pipeline doesn't surprise me.
Take your average Joe or Jane living here or there and it's a safe bet that they aren't much concerned about where their tap water comes from, how a faucet works or what was involved in going from say, electric heating to natural gas. And why would they be? As long as things are working, then life can go on. Enter Inuvik and all of a sudden everyone seems surprised/confused/angry that nobody knows what's going on with this pipeline except that there's a lot of lawyers in the community hall talking about gas volumes, fuel processing plants and low, moderate and high magnitudes of disturbances on plants and wildlife.
The only thing for certain at this stage is that there's 10 more months of testimony about pipeline known unknowns on the horizon.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
With the Prairie Creek mine standing ready to start drilling work, thanks to the recently reissued water licence, the spectre of possible environmental dangers will be back in the spotlight for many people.
The mine has long met with opposition on a number of fronts, notably from the residents of Nahanni Butte which is closest to the mine site.
With Canadian Zinc moving forward on the project, the role of the people should now be to act as informed observers.
Both those who agree and those who disagree with the mine should be as well informed as possible.
John Kearney, the chairman of Canadian Zinc, said the company has an open door policy about sharing information on the project. The company has an office in Fort Simpson and is also planning to offer tours of the site during the summer.
Take Canadian Zinc up on their offers.
According to a well known saying, people are afraid of what they don't understand. But uninformed people are also unable to judge if something is going either poorly or well.
Understanding the basic principles and terminology for the mine will be important, especially if it ever reaches full production.
While it's not necessary to become mining experts, a little basic knowledge will probably be useful.
Work this summer at the mine is supposed to include the driving of 400 to 500 metres of new decline and carrying out about 10,000 metres of underground infill drilling. If you don't know what these terms mean, there is no shame in asking for clarification.
Those who are living near the mine have both an obligation and a right to know what is happening in their area.
Being informed will also be an important goal for the people of Fort Simpson in the next few weeks.
With two candidates running for the position of mayor, there is a choice to be made concerning the shape of the village's future.
Serious questions need to be asked about what the residents of Fort Simpson want for their future. Where would residents like to see the village in five or 10 years?
What preparations will be needed if the Mackenzie Valley pipeline reaches construction?
Think about the issues that matter to you and be ready to pose questions to the candidates when the opportunity presents itself.
The election shouldn't turn into a popularity contest or an examination of who has a larger network of connections, but rather be a careful choice about which candidate has the best overall vision for Fort Simpson.
The photo of a snowmobile rider on the front page of Wednesday's Yellowknifer was used for illustrative purposes only and is not linked to any theft of snowmobiles. Yellowknifer regrets any embarrassment or confusion that may have resulted.
As well, the superintendent of Yellowknife Catholic Schools is Kern Von Hagen.
In the Feb. 16 issue of the Deh Cho Drum, the article "Deh Cho mourns a loss" states that Lorayne Menicoche-Moses spoke at Albertine Rodh's funeral. The eulogy was actually delivered by Marie Lafferty. The Drum apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.