Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, September 26, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife has taken another hit in the media.

An opinion piece in the University of Alberta newspaper The Gateway on Sept. 11 paints an unflattering picture of the NWT capital.

Paul Beaton and his son Angus show The Gateway article by Paul Owen, which had some choice words for Yellowknife. - Cara Loverock /NNSL Photo

"Let's be clear about one thing here: even in the beginning of September, Yellowknife is a pretty shitty place to be," managing editor Paul Owen wrote.

Yellowknife resident Paul Beaton was dismayed when he read the sports editorial, which addressed the Edmonton Oilers' rookie camp being held in Yellowknife.

"It's disgusting," said Beaton, an assistant store manager. "He's saying it's a shitty place to be ... and basically he has no idea how many people from Yellowknife go down specifically to see the Oilers ... it just creates a terrible impression of the city overall"

Owen, the author of the article, is originally from Iqaluit and has been to Yellowknife a number of times. He said that his article was written purely in the context of a sports perspective and that anyone reading more into it is misunderstanding his commentary.

"I was speaking more to an Oilers ownership standpoint making the wrong decision; not because Yellowknife is necessarily a bad place, but because it's a bad place for an NHL team to go," Owen explained.

He said his point was that many NHL players don't want to play, and therefore live, in northern cities when they could be based in warmer climates, like Anaheim and Tampa Bay.

"I think Edmonton has a lot of problems on its own attracting players. And I don't think, especially due to things like the weather, I don't think saying, 'Hey, we'll take you up to the Arctic, or near enough to the Arctic,' is going to get rid of that stereotype of what it's like to play in Edmonton," said Owen.

His criticism also stems from the fact that, from his perspective, taking the rookie camp to Saskatoon, with its larger population, would have been a wiser move to market the team to potential fans and attract more buyers for merchandise.

The article also refers to the Oilers as choosing to, "put their young recruits in one of the most remote and inconsequential cities in the country."

Owen maintains that everything he wrote needs to be read in a sports-related context, but also acknowledges that some strong words were used.

"I certainly didn't choose the words I did thinking 'Everyone's going to be OK with this and everyone's going to agree with me,'" he said.

It was only several days earlier that the Edmonton Sun published an editorial cartoon deriding Yellowknife.

Beaton, originally from Cape Breton Island, has been a proud citizen of Yellowknife for two years, and in the North for four. He maintains that The Gateway article went too far in its criticism, arguing that the rookies were treated exceptionally well during their stay here.

"I think mister needs to learn a lot about writing before he wades into that pool again," said Beaton.