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Features
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Friday, July 13, 2007 Burning question
But the image of fire hoses running dry of water and questions about why water was not pumped from Great Slave Lake has people talking. Yellowknifer editors have spent the past few weeks interviewing Fire Chief Reid Douglas and his deputies and firefighters across the country. From these discussions, it is clear firefighting is a very technical profession. Equipment, staff, response time and water supply all come together to create a fire protection service. Chief Reid and his deputies have now gone on the record as being completely confident with the resources supplied to them by the city. Deputy Chief Darcy Hernblad has also told council the fire department does not require anything in terms of resources. While administration may be well satisfied with the Chief's assessment, we hope Yellowknife residents and city councillors go further with their questions. Is it possible Chief Douglas is playing the role of the good soldier, reluctant to be critical of his bosses at city hall, sympathetic to budget restraints. Yellowknife firefighters we have spoken with show far less satisfaction with the water supply issue and staffing and equipment. While it's expected the rank and file will have different views than fire hall management, the rank and file should not be ignored by councillors collecting information. One firefighter of 35 years Yellowknifer spoke with, Lorne West, is a captain with the Surrey fire department. He's also 6th District Vice President with the International Association of Firefighters representing Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Yukon. West said the standard for a fire hall the size of Yellowknife's would be three water tankers for a "low risk" industrial area like Kam Lake and four or five tankers for a "high risk" residential area such as Old Town and Latham Island. West has been to Yellowknife and said his first impression was that the fire hall lacked resources for a town this size. At the same time, he mentioned he had worked with Chief Douglas in the past and had great respect for his abilities and experience. To the credit of the Fire Department and City Hall, there will be a town hall meeting on fire protection for off-hydrant areas this coming Tuesday. But whatever the turnout to a summer meeting on such complex issues, we hope that City Council understands they must take the lead role in establishing what are our fire hall needs, not based upon meeting budgets but on risk and acceptable standards. The foam capability is only available on one pumper and it has had a mechanical problem for about six weeks. The other pumper doesn't have that capability, which calls into question the fire department's ability to meet the standards of 900 liters per minute for two hours as set out in the Fire Underwriters Survey. These are the people who set the risk for 85 per cent of Canada's municipalities which, of course, affects insurance rates. Councillors should be asking about the city's fire rating. What is it and when was it last done? What if two fires break out at different places in the non-hydrant areas? That what happened that Saturday on Latham Island, except it happened scant hours apart. Would more tankers help? While studies on the city's pay levels and what is going into our garbage may be worth the paper they are written upon, perhaps a study on Yellowknife's fire protection services would save lives, if not lower insurance rates.
What to do about bullying
Editorial Comment Roxanna Thompson Deh Cho Drum Thursday, July 12, 2007 Starting from a young age, children can show an incredible capacity for cruelty towards each other. This antisocial behaviour can take on a variety of forms and one of them is bullying. In movies and on television shows, bullying is often portrayed in a jovial manner. Kids with thick-framed glasses and slicked back hair are often picked on by their more lumbering classmates. Common forms of bullying in those circumstances include loss of lunches and lunch money, being shoved into lockers, wedgies and even being hung from coathooks on doors. Bullying can look cute on the silver screen but dealing with it in real life is a different story. Recently a group of parents and concerned community members joined together in Fort Simpson to develop a shared approach that can be used throughout the community to reduce bullying. The committee members are choosing to tread on precarious ground. On one side there are parents who likely don't want to hear that their child is a bully. No one wants to think badly about their children and most parents will avoid or deny evidence that offers proof. On the other side are parents whose children are being bullied. Many are already on edge because their child is going through something that they'd like to protect them from. The school system and teachers are often stuck in the middle. Because youth spend so much time in school it's almost inevitable that some sort of bullying will take place. Children then get upset leading to parents getting upset and teachers receive criticism from both sides. It's no wonder that schools are viewed as dealing with the issue poorly. Another dark side of bullying is the question of what people are being bullied about. If race is at the bottom of most of the taunts then things get even messier. Parents will break into groups along racial lines and accuse the other side of having intolerant children who are out of control. All this leads to is hard feelings all around, closed doors of communication and children who aren't sure what message they should be listening to. The people who have joined the committee in Fort Simpson, however, are on to something. They recognize that bullying happens around the world and that admitting it doesn't make Fort Simpson a bad place to live. They also know that pretending bullying doesn't happen won't make it go away. The members also realize that bullying isn't something that stops the second children and youth leave the schoolyard. Bullying can go on anywhere and is caused by a variety of situations. By taking a holistic view, the committee has a shot at creating a plan that could actually work to deter bullying. What it will come down to is what the rest of the community really wants. If adults, teenagers and children alike want to put an end to bullying and can put aside their differences, then progress will be made. If hackles stay raised then the status quo will continue. Respect for the dead
Editorial Comment Dez Loreen Inuvik News Thursday, July 12, 2007 No doubt by now you've all heard about the cemetery restoration project being done by the Town of Inuvik. While this is a controversial issue, I feel it's important that this work be done. The site we chose to be the final resting place for many of our loved ones is not stable and is in dire need of attention. There are drainage issues and that affects us every year. The snow melts and leaves a lot of water that wasn't moving anywhere. I was through the site last week and saw the remnants of the water runoff. It was a small puddle that will soon be gone. An area that runs parallel with the graves was recently dug up and a new culvert is now in place. Signs like that steel culvert re-affirm that the town office is working hard to fix the problems and should be commended for its work. The mayor says that the grave markers will be replaced in the exact spots they came from, with the aid of GPS and surveying technology. It is important that the town office be aware that they are walking on spiritual ground. Many people and many religious beliefs hold respect for the deceased in high regard. I know that the crews don't mean any disrespect to those whose graves they are working around. I know that they are simply doing a job that needs doing. At the same time, I expect that people who are working in the cemetery should treat every cross and grave marker with the same dignity that they would a person. Those markers are what we use to remember those loved ones who aren't with us anymore. The process of the work includes moving and replacing the old crosses with new ones. But the sight of old crosses left in a pile by the side of the shed was wrenching. Families placed those crosses in order to honour someone's memory. I doubt they'd appreciate seeing their loved one's name in the dirt. My two grandparents are buried in that cemetery beside each other. Our family put hard work into those graves. We did it during a difficult time in our lives and I feel that it helped as part of the grieving process. I know that there are a lot of people reading this who aren't from here and don't have family buried in that cemetery. But I hope you understand the importance of being respectful. During a town council meeting on Monday night, a man came forward with his concerns to share with our councillors. He told them that he was shocked to see his daughter's grave without a marker. "I know you mean well and your hearts are in the right places, but what's done is done," he said. He also saw the pile of crosses that were on the side of the cemetery. It's a sensitive issue and I know that people have been up in arms about this. After talking with members of town council, I can tell you they are sincere in their actions. They want the best for our community, including our deceased. Remember that though it might not look too appealing now, soon the cemetery will be one we can all be proud of.
Good politics start with respect
Editorial Comment Christine Grimard Kivalliq News Wednesday, July 11, 2007 As many of you have likely read, MLA for Rankin Inlet North Tagak Curley has joined Lynda Gunn, the CEO of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities and the mayor of Iqaluit Elisapee Sheutiapik in asking for the Premier's resignation. This comes after Premier Paul Okalik was overheard calling the CEO of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities a "f—ing bitch," at the Expo Labrador 2007 Conference and Trade Exhibition. Okalik has since apologized both in writing and on the phone to Gunn. That Okalik apologized can be recognized and appreciated. However, the fact that Nunavut's most prominent government figure is confident enough to make these comments in the first place should not be tolerated. These kinds of comments are a strong sign of disrespect for women. The only reassuring words I can offer to Gunn are that this kind of behaviour by male leaders is disgustingly accepted at the national level. In 1985, Member of Parliament Sheila Copps was told by a Conservative MP, "just quiet down baby," in response to a question. In 1990 she was called a "slut" by Tory MP Bill Kempling and a "bitch" by Reform MP Ian McCelland. Yes, but that was a long time ago, you may say, surely federal politics have improved by now. I wish this were the case. When Belinda Stronach crossed the floor in 2005, politicians once again fell to demeaning, sexist comments. Provincial MP Bob Runciman told a Toronto radio station that, "She sort of defined herself as something of a dipstick, an attractive one, but still a dipstick." Alberta MLA Tony Abbott accused Stronach of "whoring herself out for power." Most publicized, were comments allegedly made by fellow MP Peter MacKay referring to Stronach as a dog. Important to note is that none of these backwards, demeaning comments led to the resignation of any of these male politicians. Is this just how politics goes? Is childish behaviour tolerated across the board? While sexist behaviour might be, accepting insults as part of political life isn't. Remember Liberal MP Carolyn Parish was expelled from the caucus after stepping on a George Bush doll during a televised comedy skit. Why wasn't anyone calling for the resignation of those other overtly sexist politicians? One look at parliament and you'll understand why. Full of white, male lawyers, Canada stands 47th in the world for female representation in Parliament. That's below Uganda, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq. While Canada boasts having one female Prime Minister, remember Kim Campbell was not elected into the job, but took the position after the resignation of Brian Mulroney. This country has yet to have a woman elected as Prime Minister. The Liberal party has never elected a woman leader and the Conservative party hasn't seen one since Kim Campbell. It's time to stand up and make a point. Women are half of this country's population, but only one fifth of its political representation. This will never change as long as we let the old boys club get away with comments like this. - Darrell Greer, the regular editor of the Kivalliq News, returns July 16.
Corrections An error appeared in the news briefs of Wednesday's Yellowknifer ("Sue Glowach to run in Yellowknife Centre," July 11). Glowach has taken a leave of absence from her position with the territorial government Department of the Executive. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.
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