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Monday, January 8, 2007
Looking at stats released by the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, birth rates among teens in NWT are disturbing.
The rate of young mothers aged 15 to 19 is five times higher than the national average and nine times higher for mothers under the age of 15. Although motherhood and more children to bolster our population can be exciting, the trend of higher than average teen pregnancy is a concern.
Kids having kids leads us to wonder if the NWT is doing enough to educate our youth on sex and safe-sex practices. Regardless of how supportive a family or community are of young mothers, that does not negate the physical and psychological risks to both mother and child.
According to Health Canada, infant mortality rates for babies for children born to teen mothers is 60 per cent higher.
Children born to younger mothers are also three times more likely to display conduct or academic disorders.
Aside from the risks to children the social impacts to young mothers are just as severe.
Statistics show that young mothers are more likely to drop out of school, become involved with drugs and alcohol and/or find themselves in trouble with the law.
That's not to say that some young mothers won't go onto lead productive and healthy lives along with their babies, but they will have a tougher time than if they waited until a more mature age.
Education is, of course, the first step to curbing the problem. But, even more importantly is providing recreational, arts and educational enrichment programming in communities that is designed to keep our youth occupied and healthy in both body and mind.
Tired of seeing temporary locum doctors come and go, Hay River town council is desperate.
Desperation fuels creativity, like the town's suggestion to fund someone to go through medical school. The money would come with a provision that the person practise in Hay River for at least five years.
While one doctor isn't enough to serve the entire community of 3,800, such a scholarship could provide much needed stability for medical care.
Becoming a doctor comes with a hefty cost, as it takes about $130,000 to support a student through school. After taking the years of education, the newly minted physicians are sometimes left to pay off thousands of dollars in student loans.
That makes cash a great incentive.
If adopted, this plan isn't a quick fix because it would take years before a young person is qualified to practise medicine. Even with that, such funding may have to be offered again and again in order to keep the flow of physicians coming well into the future.
The terms climate change and global warming carry ominous overtones.
Many leading researchers are pointing to unusual weather events as effects of climate change. Many also consider climate change to be partly or completely caused by ever-increasing industrial gases in our atmosphere. But the link between the two hasn't been established beyond all doubt.
Yet after learning in December that a massive ice shelf, which took thousands of years to form, unexpectedly broke off Ellesmere Island more than a year earlier, some of us couldn't help but ponder how rapidly climate change is occurring, how serious it can get and how much we're the source of the problem with cars, planes, home-heating fuel and factory emissions.
The answer to these questions isn't clear, but the possibilities are troubling.
The American government has now acknowledged that a warming climate is reducing polar bear habitat. Our southern neighbours are on the verge of declaring polar bears a threatened species.
Although the Government of Nunavut has been warning for years of the environmental damage climate change wreaks on the northern landscape, the territorial government insists polar bears are not yet facing extinction.
The GN is, of course, also worried about economic losses from fewer profitable polar bear sport hunts should the bear be considered threatened. Each hunt -- and there were scores of them last year -- is worth roughly $35,000-$45,000 to community economies.
The GN has Environment Canada on its side, at least for now, as that federal department declined to include polar bears under the Species at Risk Act last summer.
Yet the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada was to continue studying the health of polar bear populations. The government's polar bear count, it should be noted, are only carried out every 15 years on individual populations across the territory. Much can change during those intervals.
While thorough monitoring must be stepped up to ensure polar bears don't go the way of the Atlantic cod, Jose Kusugak's comments on the matter from earlier this year still stand. The former president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami said labelling polar bears as threatened won't stop the greenhouse gas emissions suspected to be the source of the problem.
The Americans rejected the Kyoto Protocol and haven't made any commitments to significantly reduce greenhouse gases.
Here in Canada, a new Environment Minister was sworn in on Thursday. We can only remain hopeful much more human energy is applied to the urgent task of reducing the killing effects of oil, gas and coal energy.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Being a regional newspaper in an area as far-reaching as the Kivalliq presents a unique set of challenges.
The increased availability and performance of modern technology has made gathering information from our six communities outside of Rankin Inlet less daunting than when I first arrived in Rankin in 1998.
However, that being said, the technology would be useless if not for the people in each hamlet who take the time to keep me abreast of the happenings in their community.
As such, we like to take a moment at this time every year to acknowledge the efforts of those across the Kivalliq who aid us so much in putting out the quality of newspaper you've come to expect from the Kivalliq News.
Still at the top of my personal thank you list of contributors are Gord Billard in Arviat, Leonie Aissaoui in Repulse Bay, Noel (my hero) Kaludjak in Coral Harbour and our award-winning teacher, Glen Brocklebank, in Chesterfield Inlet.
I've long lost count of how many stirring photographs and great story ideas these four good folks have passed my way during the past six to eight years, or so.
Kudos are also deserved to Lyall Ford and Leo Lareau in Baker Lake who keep me up to speed with athletic events (Leo), as well as artistic happenings and human-interest pieces (Lyall) from our only inland community.
Kukik Baker helps to keep us informed of what the youth in Arviat are up to from time to time, as well as the rising popularity of snowmen in the community the past three years.
Ditto for all those in Arviat who send me great photos from their annual snowmobile races every year.
Staff members at more and more schools across our region are taking the time to highlight the accomplishments of their students every semester.
We deeply appreciate their efforts for -- call it a cliche if you must - today's students are the leaders of tomorrow.
Lest we have you thinking all the help we receive comes from outside of Rankin, there are a number of folks in this community who realize their local editor can't be everywhere all the time.
To that end, I would like to express my personal gratitude to Karen and Doug McLarty, Harold Goobie and staff at Leo Ussak, and Jesse Payne and his staff at Maani Ulujuk high school.
While the news of the week must always be reported in a fair and balanced way, it is the people of the Kivalliq and their stories that make this such a compelling region.
It would be far more difficult for Kivalliq News to tell these stories if not for the folks who take the time to send so much information and so many photos.
Space does not permit me to thank every person by name who has helped me do my job that much better during the past year.
Suffice to say I appreciate every contribution I receive, big or small.
As we start a new year together in the Kivalliq, I look forward to your continued support in helping me tell the many diverse and entertaining stories of the people who call our region home.
And, it is my privilege to do so.
Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Vacations let us unwind for the challenges ahead.
It really doesn't matter what your line of work is, so long as you get a break now and then to recharge your batteries.
Vacations are probably your favourite time of the year and can range in size from a simple day off, to a full blown trip to somewhere tropical.
I know that time off is always enjoyable, whether it be spent with family members, meeting up with friends, spending some time out in the bush or just laying on the couch and watching some rented movies.
I had the great opportunity to stick my head above the cold and breathe some southern air last week.
The trip wouldn't have been complete without rushed shopping, taking in a few good movies in a theatre and having to wake up at 5 a.m. for the shuttle bus to bring me to the airport.
I met a fair number of people over the past few days and a lot of them seemed happy to be with their loved ones.
Yes, vacation time is a great way to relieve stress. The holiday season was great because it gives a moment to reflect on the past year.
I know that I spent some time looking in the reflecting pool. I feel a little wiser going into the new year.
But now, the holiday is over and most of us are back at work, the students will be filing back into the classrooms.
This weekend will be a great time to fully start 2007 with a bang. Of course, I mean the town- sponsored fireworks extravaganza and the Sunrise festival.
Bring your family down to the golf course and bring warm clothing. It should be a show to remember.
Three boys from Inuvik were on the plane with me to Edmonton, where they played in an indoor soccer tournament.
The players went on the trip alone, without the aide of adult supervision. They were well behaved and good ambassadors for the young athletes who travel south for opportunities like this one.
Unfortunately for the boys, their independence was brought to a halt when they were picked up by their coach when they arrived at the Edmonton airport.
The boys had never played on artificial grass before but still contributed to an undefeated streak that won the championship.
Congrats boys, I hope you had as much fun down in the 'big city' as I did.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
It's hard to believe another year has come and gone.
It seems like just a moment ago that 2005 was ending. I've dusted off my crystal ball, which hasn't been used since this time last year. While looking at my previous predictions, I realized I should bring it out more often because it looks like I could have a second calling as a fortune teller.
For the most part my predictions on topics and events that would grab attention in 2006 came true.
At the top of the list was the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. As foreseen, this project occupied a lot of conversation around the region. Almost everyone seemed to speculate on whether the project would go ahead and what it would mean for the Deh Cho.
Discussions on the project reached a peak in May when the Joint Review Panel hearings began to make their way through the area. In every community the main question asked was what benefits will the pipeline bring to the people here. The same question was raised again when the National Energy Board hearings came in October.
In between those two occasions, the pipeline was kept in the spotlight while the Dehcho First Nations looked at how they would respond to the Aboriginal Pipeline Group and the shares that have been set aside for them.
Looking forward into 2007, the pipeline will retain its position as the biggest looming question. Some more solid answers on the pipeline's future will be seen before the end of the new year.
The runner-up in 2007 for the title of Story to Watch will be the Dehcho process. With Dehcho First Nation negotiators having permission to talk about land selection it will be interesting to see if any compromises will be made.
Also as foretold last January, health care has remained an issue in the Deh Cho. During the hearings for the pipeline many people talked about how they would like to see more health care services offered in their community.
Also coming true was the fact that situations relating to the weather and a variety of animals from bison to loose dogs continued.
Variable weather was a hot topic of conversation with some seasons being too hot while others were too cold. Weather also affected things such as transportation, with various areas seeing heavier than usual spring runoffs which closed some roads in May.
Animals also made the news. Two unruly bison had to be destroyed in Fort Providence in July and the village of Fort Simpson temporarily enacted its emergency dog control bylaw in April. It will be no surprise to see events similar to these happen in 2007.
One prediction which proved to be off was on the status of the Mackenzie River bridge.
Work didn't start on the bridge as foreseen. In fact, the bridge has been put on hold due to the rising cost of materials and workers. The hope for a bridge won't, however, be allowed to die in 2007.
The new year will also hold many other surprises that my crystal ball can't see clearly so maybe I won't give up my day job just yet.