Monday, June 5, 2006
High school graduation is an important rite of passage into adulthood.
This brings with it many things, among them being held accountable for our decisions and responsible for the choices we make.
So what does it say if we celebrate the transition by saying it's okay to not hold these would-be adults responsible for meeting graduation requirements.
Some Fort Smith parents and even education minister Charles Dent suggested that students who don't meet minimum standards should have been able to take part in the school's "grad" ceremony. Ten students were deemed ineligible for the May 25th event and were given an extension to improve their marks but weren't able to do so.
The parents argued that even though their children didn't have high enough marks at the deadline, they could still pass if they do well on final exams.
That's true, but the ceremony is meant to celebrate successful completion of high school, so it's not right to include students who may not meet minimum standards.
We have to ask why Education Minister Dent undermined the district education authority and the high school principal by suggesting the rules weren't fair. Dent should have stood behind them.
The graduation ceremony needs to be rescheduled to the end of June or later in the summer, after final exams are complete and once it's known who will receive diplomas. As well, holding the ceremony at the end of May is a distraction when students should be buckling down to prepare for finals.
It's a classic case of putting ceremony ahead of accomplishment, a poor example to set for students.
The Dene Nation has become a hollow organization in desperate need of renewed purpose.
National Chief Noeline Villebrun was full of good intentions when first elected. She has been haunted by the legacy of former chief Bill Erasmus and has failed to put the organization on solid financial footing.
She's had enough and won't seek re-election. It's clear the Dene Nation has lost its relevance.
NWT First Nations are now establishing their own governments. The Aboriginal Summit has seized upon the Dene Nation's role of representing the NWT's collective First Nations. Bill Erasmus never gave up the Northern seat at the Assembly of First Nations and will seek to legitimize his position through a vote at the Dene Assembly.
When Dene gather in Hay River this July, they need to set their national organization back on the right path, with a strong, effective leader who can be their outspoken advocate. Without a clear mandate, the Dene Nation will continue to stumble and eventually dissolve.
We can all cheer the demise of the ill-fated gun registry, that Inuit-rights-ignoring money pit the Liberals introduced when they were in power.
The idea may have been noble to southern Canadians, but the method of implementing a registry for rifles across Canada was a mess.
By gutting, and virtually scrapping, the program, the Conservatives should be applauded, at least by Nunavummiut.
Northerners have no need for this registry.
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement specifies the right for Inuit to hunt. That right was upheld in court and the registry was never enforced here. In the Western Arctic, the registry hampered treaty-enshrined hunting rights by making it harder to buy ammunition.
Now let's change the focus onto programs that will help Nunavut, like housing and better access to nutritious foods.
Hunters breathed a sigh of relief last month when Greenland lifted its ban on Canadian sealskins.
The island's home rule government implemented the ban in January, citing hunting practises off Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a strange decision, given Greenland is home to Inuit who depend on the seal hunt just like their Nunavut cousins.
Inuit don't club seals to death, and they use all parts of the seal for food and clothing and to sell for cash.
Government officials did well by going to Greenland to talk about the ban shortly after it was implemented, but obviously the lines of communications were down.
Like Andre Tautu, president of the Aqigiq hunters and trappers organization in Chesterfield Inlet, said "we should be trading between Greenland and Canada."
Specifically, Nunavut needs a trade strategy with Greenland so such a ban doesn't include the territory.
We are basically cousins, so let's treat each other accordingly.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
There are numerous issues in the Kivalliq that vary wildly from the south in how they're handled.
Some are steeped in culture and tradition, while others rest on the shoulders of history or language.
Infrastructure, or the lack thereof, can affect the way some standards are enforced and programs implemented.
If all of Nunavut's recreational facilities had to be held to the strict standards of many southern locales, many would sit empty.
Even our weather prompts us to do many things quite a bit differently than our southern counterparts.
For all those differences, however, there are many things that should stay consistent across the country, not the least of which is how we treat those who cannot always help themselves.
Unfortunately, there are still too many among us who will not accept the fact that sentiment does not apply strictly to human beings.
Because of their neglect, animals and children are suffering in Rankin Inlet.
You can no more compare a fox terrier to a sled dog than a qamutik to a Ski-Doo.
They are totally different, with precious little in common other than they both get you where you want to go, most of the time.
The vast majority of the dog problem in Rankin does not rest with those who own sled dogs.
The problem stems from irresponsible pet owners and it's time for the hamlet to start getting tough with this particular breed of person.
There have been 11 dogs shot in Rankin during the past few weeks.
That's 11 animals that died because someone decided they weren't worth the effort to feed or house.
Kind of makes you wonder why they wanted a dog in the first place, doesn't it?
Rankin SAO John Hodgson estimates only 30 per cent of the dogs that end up in the pound are claimed by their owners.
We all know what happens to the rest.
We've had one child seriously mauled by a rabid dog this past year and at least two more barely escaped attacks, one at the cost of her shoes to get away.
The time to think about whether you want to own a dog is before you get one.
The trick to making the decision is to realize responsibility, and lots of it comes with being a dog owner.
Your animal is going to need supervision, training, caring, walking and playtime, bathroom breaks if it's an indoor animal, feeding, vaccinations and other medical care, and lots of attention.
If you give your animal all these things, it will give you a lifetime of loyalty, companionship and love.
If you neglect your animal, the community inherits your problem and the animal, ultimately, inherits a bullet to the brain.
A bullet you provided!
Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
After spending some time at our humble skatepark on Sunday afternoon, it became apparent to me that our youth have a dilemma.
Please bear with me as I try to get my point across to some of the older people in town who don't use the park.
See, I feel that the skatepark is like a flower. Years ago, the powers that be decided that the voices of Inuvik's youth could not be ignored any longer, and a few large ramps were built.
I see that as a seed being planted and I am sure everyone out there with a green thumb knows what that’s all about.
Those ramps were then supposed to blossom into a beautiful flower, a park, that would deter kids from thrashing decks outside the drug store and other downtown locales.
Just planting the seed is not enough, though. Water and care are also needed. Once a plant grows out of its pot, you need to move it into a bigger pot.
Since moving the skatepark is not an option, why not improve on it?
I talked to some skaters who were about to head over to the park. They had a bright green metal rail in tow, and said it was to “trick off of.”
Making their own rail was necessary because currently there is nothing adequate to grind on. They suggested that the town put in a simple concrete fun box, or pyramid, to allow them to pull some radical tricks. A concrete fun box wouldn't be too expensive or hard to install.
I responded to their idea with cynicism in my voice. I reminded them that a similar box had already been made out of wood.
They pointed at the deteriorating box, which was partially smashed and looked unstable. It was no wonder they made their own rail.
I understand what you might be thinking, about how the youth are going to vandalize anything good in this town. You may ask: "Why should we give them something else to break?"
Well, I think adding new and fun elements to the skatepark would increase its usage.
I see kids that are bored with the ramps we have now. I also see that we have some very unskilled kids in this town who consider themselves “taggers” - spraypainting their names and numbers all over the park in a dull red paint.
It's kids like those that need the wake-up call, not the future role models who are out there getting active and teaching younger kids new tricks.
But if you must, here are a few pointers to the kids who choose to paint their logos all over the park: Don't write your name. It makes you look bad, and your parents even worse; Learn how to spell. For the sake of those of us who have to live with your stupid tag, we should at least be able to read it; Get colour co-ordinated. If you need to paint your name and favourite number on the park ramp, do it multi-coloured. It will look a lot better; Use some style, and get a plan first. Paint like that is permanent until the art class paints over it.
I bet if your tag looked cool, they would keep it there.
Just use your head and if you see anyone painting the park, tell them to make sure it looks nice.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Have you heard about too many proposed projects lately?
Are you having a hard time keeping facts and numbers straight in your head?
Do you find yourself dreading announcements stating that yet another group is coming into your community to give a presentation or an information session?
If you are exhibiting one of more of these symptoms, you may be coming down with a nasty case of consultation overload.
The concept of consultation overload, as the name suggests, is rather self- explanatory. It's used to describe the idea that people are being asked to consider and give input on too many projects and developments.
It's easy to see how people could catch the symptoms of overload.
Calendars quickly become full if you write down all the groups who are making presentations. Some weeks it reaches a point where a person could probably get a free, but not very nutritious supper, every weeknight because most groups provide snacks.
And the term consultation overload is not just a layman's concept. It was actually used by one of the presenters at the mineral exploration session held during the week in Fort Simpson. The session, oddly enough, was only attended by two people.
But is there a cure for consultation overload?
Maybe not and it's likely that more and more of the population will contract it over time.
Just imagine, if the future development boom that people keep alluding to actually occurs there may not be enough time for all the necessary consultations. Some day we may look back fondly and long for this time.
An interesting part of human behaviour was illustrated in Fort Providence during the visit of a young black bear.
Although accounts may be slightly exaggerated, allegedly everyone in the community came out to watch the bear that was in a field in town.
The renewable resources officer had to use her loud speaker to warn people to stay back from the animal. Similar situations have happened in the past in Fort Simpson where wandering bears have attracted too much human attention.
The attraction of joining a crowd that is watching a bear is probably closely linked to the same factors that make people slow down and gawk at accident scenes or come out to watch buildings on fire.
Almost everyone has been guilty of this behaviour at one point. You know it's probably not the right thing to do, but it's almost impossible to stop yourself. There is something about humans and their curiosity which draws them to accidents and things like bears that might actually prove to be dangerous.
If people stopped to think about it long enough, they might realize sometimes their curiosity puts them in a degree of danger.
Let's just hope that no one ever gets hurt or killed like the proverbial cat, from the human instinct to be curious.
We should try to remember to give professionals the room they need to do their jobs in these situations.
An error appeared in Nunavut News/North on May 22. Paper Game winner Kristin Nutarasungnik was incorrectly identified. News/North apologizes for the error.