Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

Order classified ad

The results of last week's federal election bode well for the NWT. Although our elected NDP MP is not aligned with Canada's ruling party, Dennis Bevington has a proven track record for speaking up for our territory's needs.

We encourage Bevington, a hard-working politician, to continue fighting for more infrastructure funding, a devolution deal and a further increase to the Northern Residents Tax Deduction.

The NDP and the Conservatives often clash on policy, however when it comes to the North, Bevington could not have asked for a better leader in Ottawa to move forward on economic development North of 60.

In March, the Conservative government announced its Northern Strategy which included a 10 per cent increase to the Northern Residents Tax Deduction. The Conservatives are also committed to improving Northern sovereignty, which they have demonstrated over the past few years, and resource development.

Bevington must now prove he was honest when he said he would do what was best for the North and not simply for his party.

By working with the Conservatives, the Western Arctic MP may help the NWT advance the Mackenzie Gas Project, which is buried under a heap of regulatory red tape. The federal government is in a position to hasten that process, in consultation with Northern leaders, without ignoring environmental concerns.

While cultural, language and literacy issues cannot be overlooked, the NWT must press hard for a resource revenue deal. Bevington should pick up the sword where our territorial leaders continue to flounder and help create a strong and economically vibrant North.

The GNWT should be ashamed of the fact Aklavik was at risk of losing three of its teachers due to inadequate housing. That's one-third of its educators.

Those teachers were handed eviction notices by Black Mountain Realty citing the company could no longer afford the upkeep on its housing units. Fortunately the company has come forward with alternative accommodations.

Repeatedly the GNWT has said it will not be getting back into the housing business. Yet, on more than one occasion, teachers have left the territory because of inadequate housing.

If the GNWT believes that providing housing is not in its, or taxpayers', best interest then here is an opportunity for our government to work with a community business to provide needed housing for teachers.

We're tired of hearing stories of teachers who love working in the North forced to leave because of poor living conditions.

It's time for our territorial leaders to acknowledge that to educate our Northern youth we need good teachers who are willing to stay in the territory for an extended period of time.

Since we can't expect our teachers to sleep in their classrooms they need quality housing where they can feel safe and comfortable.

The GNWT ignores this reality to our detriment.

The late 1960s to 80s were a dangerous time to be a kid in Nunavut. Those who weren't sent off to residential schools with their legacies of physical and sexual abuse faced the same risks in their home communities.

One example is the notorious case of Ed Horne, a teacher employed by the Government of the NWT. Working in several Eastern Arctic communities including Sanikiluaq and Cape Dorset he was convicted of sexually abusing children in his care between 1978 to 1983.

Eighty of Horne's victims took the GNWT to court and won a $20 million settlement in 2002.

Last month, four more lawsuits were launched against the GNWT and/or the federal government by victims of pedophiles. These molesters were employed as teachers, and in one case, as a social worker.

The suits allege the government is liable in part for the sexual abuse suffered by victims of these three pedophiles employed in positions of authority, because the government may not have been properly screening people hired to work with children in Nunavut communities prior to hiring, or properly supervising them while on the job.

As the plaintiffs' lawyer Geoffrey Budden observed, "For a fairly small place, there seemed to be a lot of child molesters in positions of authority in those years."

Some may question the plaintiffs' motives in bringing forward these lawsuits, in one case nearly 40 years after the abuse took place. But the point of a civil lawsuit, besides drawing monetary damages, is make government and private citizens accountable for their actions.

In one of the four cases, a man employed as a social worker in Sanikiluaq had two earlier convictions for gross indecency and indecent assault. Either the government knew of the convictions and hired him anyway, or an adequate background check was not done. And this happened between 1984 and 1986, after the Horne debacle.

The Government of Nunavut, so far sitting on the sidelines, should be ready to come to the defence of its citizens should the GNWT attack their credibility, the way the NWT government did in the last civil suit involving Horne.

Counsel for the government have until Oct. 25 to respond to the latest suits. We hope the victims get their day in court.

My dad always told me it was a big mistake for the provincial government in New Brunswick to remove technical and trade classes from the school system. They'll pay for it in the future when we don't have enough people to fix our cars, build our houses and fix our plumbing he would say. As much as I hate admitting my father is right - he is.

There is a serious national concern about the lack of tradespeople and in the North it's an issue multiplied by 10. It's obvious in Yellowknife there is a shortage when you can't make an appointment to get your plumbing fixed until a week after you call. It has to be much worse in the smaller communities.

The baby boom generation is getting older and there is a mass exodus towards retirement. If the territorial government starts to think ahead, they can prepare the youth in the North to take advantage of career opportunities available in the trades industry and rebuild the dwindling workforce.

Youth in the Deh Cho would benefit from early exposure to trades. It opens the door to more opportunities after high school. Instead of working low-paying jobs or being dependent on the system or on their parents, trades work will give them discipline and a desire to contribute to their community.

It's important for kids to have every opportunity available when they choose a career path. Not all students learn the same way. Not everyone is meant to go to university. Some people are intellectually savvy and some are technically savvy. Students deserve to have access to every career opportunity so they can make an informed decision on the best option for their future.

By investing money into trades and technology education at a younger age, everyone wins. The territory wins because it trains a whole new workforce and keeps its residents from leaving for better jobs.

Communities of the North benefit because they get the tradespeople they need to keep their community functioning. Northern businesses will save money because they won't have to fly in a tradesperson to do a specific job for them.

If the government doesn't take action soon, it could take a long time for them to get their toilet fixed.

Andrew Livingstone is the interim editor of Deh Cho Drum. Roxanna Thompson will return in November.

When are we going to see some real enforcement on our streets and maybe a bylaw officer to take down some of the stupid people who hog our roads with their tired antics?

As soon as the first big snowfall of the year came down, I knew we were in for another season of showboaters.

The only problem is, the show-offs aren't limited to staying on their beefed up Ski-Doos.

Just this afternoon at around 4:30 I took a drive for a photo opportunity at Ingamo Hall.

As I approached Samuel Hearne on Kingmingya road, a white pickup truck slid into the road from Berger Street.

This clown thought it would be cool to slide his back end across the street and try to straighten himself out before the next turn.

Right there, in front of the high school, in the middle of the day. I remember looking to the left of the driver and seeing a young boy who could have been 10 years old.

He was walking by and looked like he approved of his actions.

I couldn't believe it, this man slides a corner, almost loses control and passes by a kid while doing it? What are we teaching the young people of this community?

Is stunting going to get you anywhere except a hospital bed? I'm not one to wish bad things on people, but that person needs to be stopped.

I've been behind the wheel since I was fifteen, learning to drive from my grandfather. The week I turned sixteen, I had my license. On my first attempt.

I'm not trying to brag, but I'm a confident and safe driver who knows the rules of the road.

I wish we had some serious driving lessons being taught in this community, because without a strong education, how are the idiots who are out spinning their tires going to learn?

Call me angry, but I really got upset when I saw this person skid past the school with no regard for the safety of others.

But, with all the open-water skipping with snow machines and racing that happens in this town, I don't think anyone really cares about the safety of those daredevils.

How is it justified?

"Oh, I could have died, but at least that girl will drink with me tonight?"

In a town that is suffering a supposed syphilis outbreak, I wouldn't be so hot to get dirty if I was that guy.

This town does not need another death on its hands due to the irresponsibility of people who are dumb and crazy enough to put their lives at risk.

If all our kids have to look up to are a bunch of gas-guzzling idiots who risk it all for a good show, we need to start looking for new role models.

If you're out on the streets and you see some clown sliding around with his back end out, call the cops before they hit someone.

I'm confident that we can get past this season without any unnecessary deaths or collisions.

I have a friend whose favourite saying revolves around it being a sad day when the Government of Canada stopped allowing everyone to wear six-shooters in public.

To his way of thinking, a few wrongful deaths a year were a small price to pay for petty criminals thinking twice about entering private property, and most people keeping their insults to themselves unless they were prepared to back them up.

Barbaric? Yes. Draconian? Absolutely.

But these days the worm has completely turned in the opposite direction.

Now it's the criminals walking around with the hardware, while average citizens are scared to do anything lest they end up in more trouble than the lawbreakers.

Now, even though we have our share of violent deaths in the North, we're not talking about bad guys running around with guns and knives.

But, as anyone living in fear of having their possessions stolen in Rankin Inlet these days can tell you, these criminals are not breaking into buildings with their bare hands.

They're walking around the hamlet with crowbars, pry bar, iron claws; all manners of tools of the criminal trade.

That's why, as much as we'd all like to see those responsible for the Rankin crime wave get theirs, we have to wait for the police to apprehend them and hope the courts hand down a significant sentence when they do.

The RCMP, the municipality and our business leaders are absolutely correct when they warn against vigilante justice.

The problem with taking on anyone who has broken into your dwelling is that if they decide to fight, it's not going to be a fair one.

And, again, they're the ones hiding the steel bars under their jackets.

A crowbar can do an awful lot of damage when it comes in contact with its intended target and, in this case, we're not talking doors or deadbolts here.

We're all frustrated by these robberies and, let's be honest, many of us have lost faith in our judicial system.

When someone can be found guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in this territory and not spend a day behind bars, how much time can we expect these thieves to receive if they're ever apprehended?

Still, there's no tolerance for vigilante justice in today's society, at least not by law enforcement and the courts.

But those with information about the break and enters in Rankin have no excuse for not informing the RCMP.

This is your town being dragged down. Honest people in need suffer when the food bank is closed due to the breaks, and it's your recreation programs that will suffer as the hamlet continues to lose money in robberies and repairs.

It will be money coming out of your pocket when local businesses raise prices to recoup their losses.

Shawn Maley hit the nail right on the head when he said a message has to be sent to show this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in Rankin.

Every day these thugs are on the street everyone is in danger, so let's all do our part.

It's time to take back our town.