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Northern plums
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, July 22, 2009

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Should Prime Minister Stephen Harper choose Iqaluit over Yellowknife for his much-touted and Northern-based development agency next month, it could only be viewed as politics over reason.

Last year, Nunavut voters elected a Conservative MP who has become very powerful, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. The NWT chose to re-elect the NDP's Dennis Bevington - a candidate far removed from the Conservatives in power.

It's hard to believe Harper could see any other benefit for putting the Northern Economic Development Agency headquarters in Iqaluit except to offer Aglukkaq a tasty plum for winning the Conservatives their only seat in the territories.

Iqaluit has no road access; has no significant federal presence or office space to accommodate it; and is at the extreme east end of the three territories this agency is supposed to represent.

As a whole, Nunavut has the smallest population of the three territories. Taxpayers will surely be dismayed to note that should the Conservatives place staff and rent space for a new federal department in Iqaluit, it will be doing so in the most expensive place to live and work in the entire country, which rang in with a three per cent hike in the consumer price index over the past year.

We shouldn't forget either which territory will be host to Canada's largest construction project to date in the 21st century, the $16 billion Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

Putting the new agency in Iqaluit would make Minister Aglukkaq the biggest winner. Is that good government?

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Ticket-holders left in the dark
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

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Despite unsatisfactory ticket sales, a lot of people were left disappointed when the Randy Bachman show in Yellowknife was cancelled earlier this month.

There was good reason for calling off the show, but people deserve straight answers on refunds.

Lynn Fowler, manager of the Yellowknife Ravens broomball team - which was going to work the bar and security at the concert as a fundraiser for upcoming tournaments - said when the concert was cancelled, only 362 tickets had been sold for the Multiplex concert.

Sold at $60 each, they were not nearly enough to cover the costs of the concert, so Hay River promoter Garth Mackie, not given much of a choice, cancelled the event.

Though calling off the concert was the ultimate decision, Mackie has done little to provide any details on a refund process. Consequently, hundreds of people are left wondering if and when they will get their money back.

Mackie hasn't issued a press release as promised, which further erodes his credibility.

Many of the inquiries have instead been screened by Fowler, who had nothing to do with ticket sales and who doesn't have an answer about refunds.

Fowler said he thinks Mackie may have had to pay Bachman out of his own pocket, which would make it impossible right now to refund the tickets.

But it would be easier for ticket-holders to be understanding about the cancellation if Mackie would be upfront about the situation.

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Not a big fan of FANS
Editorial Comment
Kassina Ryder
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, July 22, 2009

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The deadline for applying for Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students has passed, and now students are waiting to hear if they have received approval for the program.

But if you aren't a Nunavut Land Claims beneficiary or you didn't attend elementary or high school in Nunavut, be prepared. You will be receiving less than $5,000 a year while you're in school.

Non-beneficiaries who have never attended school in the territory are only eligible for FANS' primary loan during their first year, at a maximum amount of $4,400. This loan is given to students who have lived in Nunavut for three years and it doesn't need to be repaid as long as the student lives in Nunavut for one year following their education.

After that first year is completed, students are then eligible for the secondary loan which must be repaid. The maximum amount for secondary loans is, again, $4,400 for the year.

So basically, if you're not a beneficiary and you never went to school in Nunavut, you're only going to receive $4,400 each year you're in school.

While it's great to not have to pay back the loan from first year, the other loans must be paid back in full. Even in the south, $4,400 is not enough to cover tuition, books, rent, food and other expenses. Also, residents of Nunavut are ineligible to receive student loans from any other province or territory, which means FANS is the only option.

FANS also has a "needs assessed loan" component, which allows you to borrow an additional $165 a week, which helps, but it's still not enough to cover all costs.

Students who attended elementary or high school in Nunavut and beneficiaries get a much better deal. FANS pays to fly those students to and from the city nearest where they will be attending school. They pay for tuition, books, rent, food and other living expenses. They even fly students home for Christmas vacation.

Certainly, beneficiaries are entitled to full FANS benefits, but the question is why shouldn't all students in Nunavut be given the same? If the those benefits are also awarded to people who attended elementary or high school in the territory, why can't they be afforded to all students who plan to work in Nunavut after completing their education?

I can understand the reluctance to pay for a student who is from the south and plans on returning to the south after completing school, but what about people who have lived in Nunavut for years before attending school and plan on returning to the territory to work?

From a personal perspective, I lived in Nunavut for three years before going to Toronto to attend journalism school. I returned to Nunavut every summer to work, and now that I've graduated, I live and work in Nunavut.

I received what I referred to as my "pittance" from FANS each year, which I was fortunate enough to be able to supplement by working at the Children's Group Home in Rankin Inlet during the summers.

Now it's almost time for me to start paying back the money I owe to FANS, and it makes me wonder how many non-beneficiaries can't go to school next year because they can't afford it.

Fans website states that "FANS was established by the Government of Nunavut to ensure that financial need is not a barrier to post-secondary education."

If that's the case, then all Nunavummiut who plan on working in the territory should be eligible.

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Enough to go around
NWT News/North - Monday, July 20, 2009

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The NWT has a unique opportunity to protect vast quantities of its land, water and wildlife.

Unlike many other regions of the country and the world, much of the NWT still boasts untouched wilderness, free from development and human habitation.

The fact the NWT is largely virgin territory allows us the chance to preserve vast and diverse tracts of land without the need to reclaim it from previous industrial damage.

Approximately 10 per cent of the territory is now permanently protected, of which two per cent is open to subsurface development, according to the NWT Protected Area Strategy. There is another 10 per cent of land that is temporarily protected - with varying expiration dates -- while land claims negotiations are ongoing.

The territory has more land protected than any other jurisdiction in Canada - approximately 234,000 square kilometres, including temporarily protected land. However, the future of half that area is uncertain.

In terms of the percentage of land protected, the NWT lags behind even industrial-centric Alberta. Our neighbours to the south rank second only to the Yukon in percentage of land protected while the NWT is sixth in the national ranking.

For years, debates have raged over the health of the NWT ecosystem. Caribou herds are declining in some areas, levels of heavy metals and other pollutants continue to rise and sea ice is melting. Yet we face increasing pressure to exploit our rich deposits of gas and precious metals.

And, despite our geographical isolation, we are not safe from the affects of climate change and from the downstream effects of industrial activity such as the Oil Sands in Fort McMurray, Alta.

Some would argue protecting vast tracts of land and forever cutting it off from potential resource development will serve to relegate the NWT as a have-not jurisdiction with no chance at self-sufficiency or economic growth.

That is a fear tactic which overlooks the economic uncertainty of resource wealth - the so-called "boom and bust" effect -- a lesson provinces such as Alberta have learned during this economic downturn.

This past March, the oil-rich province watched a projected $8-billion surplus - propped up by projected high oil prices -- dissolve into a more than $1-billion deficit, its first deficit in 15 years.

Although protecting lands and waterways is not viewed as a way to generate financial wealth, it is difficult to place a value on lands that serve as habitat for countless species of fauna and flora, not to mention preserving a host of culturally significant areas.

With proper planning, the NWT has the ability to protect significant portions of land while still maintaining its ability to develop significant portions of its huge resource potential.

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Anybody want to be a senator?
Nunavut News/North - Monday, July 20, 2009

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For many Canadians, senators seem irrelevant. Who are they? What do they do all day?

The Senate is technically the upper house in Canada's Parliament, what our first prime minister Sir John A. MacDonald characterized as the chamber of "sober, second thought."

Senators review all legislation passed by the House of Commons, and sit on special committees to investigate how effective legislation and government policies are.

Of the senate's 105 seats, one is designated for Nunavut. It's been vacant since Willie Adams retired last month.

New senators are handpicked by the current prime minister. The qualifications are rather loose: one has to be Canadian citizen, over 30, a resident of the province or territory he or she will be representing, and, bafflingly, own property in that province or territory worth at least $4,000.

That amount hasn't changed since 1867; at the time it was the equivalent of about $200,000. Though acknowledged to be a largely irrelevant qualification now, it's never been abolished. It has only been a problem once, in 1997, with the appointment of a Catholic nun who had taken a vow of poverty. Her Catholic order ended up having to transfer enough property into her name to meet the requirement.

Knowledge of the Canadian political system is not required. Adams himself admitted he was six or seven years on the job before he understood how the government of Canada works.

A senator currently earns $130,400 per year, with an additional $20,000 allowance if he or she lives more than 100 km from Ottawa, another $150,000 is allotted for offices and staff, and 64 free return trips are provided anywhere in Canada that are transferable to family and friends.

Though a mandatory retirement age of 75 was legislated in 1965, senators can voluntarily retire any time after age 55 and receive a pension that's 75 per cent of their annual salary.

The only way senators can lose their jobs is by not showing up for two consecutive sessions, by declaring bankruptcy, by being convicted of treason or any felony, or by ceasing to be qualified.

Basically, a lucky senate appointee hits the jackpot in the Canadian parliamentary version of the win-for-life lottery.

Since senators are not elected, none of us has any say in who will fill Nunavut's seat and live off of Canadian taxpayers for the rest of their life.

This decision is still solely the prime minister's, even though this is something the prime minister's own party has campaigned to change. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office has said an Inuk will likely be appointed, but made no firm commitment. That's all we know.

The next senator for Nunavut could be anybody. So be nice to your property-owning friends over the next few weeks. You never know when you'll need a friend in Ottawa with 64 free round trips a year.

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Low airfares draw people and business north
Yellowknifer - Friday, July 17, 2009

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Because of its distance from Canada's major centres, Yellowknife has been challenged in its attempts to attract workers, tourists and business but that may change now that access to the city is improving by air.

By opening passenger airline service to the NWT capital this year, WestJet has done more than any government policy or Northern-based airline could in drawing people north. In decreasing the cost of travel here with its low-rate fares, WestJet has made the prospect of living in Yellowknife and doing business here more feasible. Ours is a city and a territory that relies on affordable transportation. In providing it, the airline is helping open up the North.

The effect of the discount airline's service to Yellowknife so far - in this exceptional time of economic recession - has been to drive fares down and retain traveller's interest in flying.

Overall passenger traffic at Yellowknife Airport, according to airport manager Steve Loutitt, has increased by only hundreds of people. Loutitt told Yellowknifer, however, that in the context of the economic recession "we would expect passenger volume to go down."

In the midst of the economic downturn, "everyone's talking about declines," said Loutitt, pointing out that other airports have typically experienced declines in passenger traffic on the order of seven to 10 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Such results are a good sign for Yellowknife. Stable passenger numbers now, in a city with an exceptionally high cost of living, and in a time of recession, mean that passenger traffic could very well show great increases once the economy recovers.

Gripe as they may about losing business in the short term, Northern airlines should ultimately benefit from increased passenger traffic into Yellowknife.

As decreased airfares help highlight the NWT capital on the map, Northern airlines can gain by fulfilling their role as passenger carriers throughout the North itself, from the central hub of Yellowknife. Rather than complain, territory-based airlines must make the most of the increased passenger traffic that WestJet's low fares have encouraged.

First Air's Mike Olson told Yellowknifer last week retailers should also be worried about the incursion of a low-cost airline like WestJet because it may encourage residents to take cheap flights south and purchase goods in places like Edmonton. That's a glass-half-empty point of view. There's also an argument to be made that residents who are saving so much money on airfare will have more to spend at various Yellowknife businesses.

Competition should be embraced, not shunned.

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Backyard tourists
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, July 16, 2009

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Deh Cho residents are lucky.

Summer's here and with it has come the annual migration of people who are taking summer vacations. In these economically uncertain times, however, not everyone can afford to escape to far-flung destinations.

But if you live in the Deh Cho you may be in luck. The beauty of living in the region is you don't have to go very far to see and do things people living in southern Canada would have to travel far from home to experience.

Residents of the Deh Cho have a backyard full of vacation destinations whether they just want to get away for a night or the weekend or if a longer stay is in order. We have the luxury of not having to go far to get away from the hustle and bustle of jobs and daily responsibilities.

But living close to these natural wonders often means we take them for granted and are often the last to use them. Two celebrations scheduled for this week will draw attention back to our gems.

The first is a park expansion community celebration that will take place in Fort Simpson on July 16. Dehcho First Nations and Parks Canada are getting together to celebrate the recent expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve.

At the event, members of the public will have the chance to see and possibly meet a number of big name guests from the federal government including Chuck Strahl, the minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, as well as Jim Prentice, the minister of the Environment and Parks Canada.

The celebration in Fort Simpson will hopefully strengthen the fact the Deh Cho has reason to be proud of the expanded park and should take the opportunity to visit it if possible.

Also coming up is a Canada's Parks Day event in Fort Simpson on July 18. This is the 20th anniversary of the day that showcases parks and historical sites across the country.

The size of the park doesn't matter. They can be national, provincial, territorial, regional or community parks. The Deh Cho is home to a range of parks, each with its own attractions and unique features.

If these events aren't enough to rekindle an interest in local parks, lakes, rivers and other great destinations the tourist traffic should be.

The summer season draws tourists to the Deh Cho. They come by plane, truck, car, motorhome and even motorcycle. Tourists are great for drawing attention to aspects of the Deh Cho that long time residents have learned to take for granted.

The fact some tourists brave our roads pulling heavy fifth wheel campers should be enough to prove there are things in the Deh Cho worth exploring.

The summer season is short and nice days this year seem to be in short supply. While the sun's shining residents should take a look around and rediscover what the Deh Cho has to offer.

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We need a detox centre
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, July 16, 2009

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Call me naive, or whatever you want, but I'm still pretty disturbed about encountering the burned remains of a makeshift tent on the afternoon of July 4. The other one sitting right beside it, with a ragged tarpaulin covering a roughly-built frame, was still intact, filled with only a mattress and a pile of garbage.

It's not as if I wasn't aware that homelessness exists in town, but the mess and desperation I encountered there with the firefighters was a shock to my system. It just seemed so fundamentally wrong.

It turns out the two men who were taken from the scene by RCMP officers were living there and left intoxicated. The RCMP investigation suggested they were responsible for the fire, though there was no malicious intent.

So here's two drunk men living out of tent in deplorable conditions. It appears a pretty fitting model to describe a serious problem facing Inuvik currently.

It's no secret drug and alcohol abuse destroys lives. Both are prevalent here. There are few vacancies at the shelter.

I interviewed a nurse in late June who spent several months working at the Inuvik Regional Hospital. He has since moved on to a hospital in Ottawa, but while here he worked mostly in the emergency room, where he said he was shocked by the number of patients he received that incurred injuries while drunk. Many landed there still intoxicated.

His story will be told in the next edition of Inuvik Drum.

Not only did this man say a detox centre is urgently needed for Inuvik, but he also stressed the importance of counselling in the process of healing.

That is, once the individual goes through the initial stages of detox and lands back in the community, he or she is monitored or has a established support group. As it stands now, the closest place for Inuvik residents (and Delta residents for that matter) to get access to detox treatment is Hay River. But what happens when many of them come back? They are just placed back in the same destructive situation. The vicious circle starts again.

This isn't the first time the idea of a detox centre has been thrown around in Inuvik. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation plans to set aside money from the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Impact Fund, if the project ever becomes a reality. The idea of the fund is to offset socio-economic problems that might happen given the foreseen economic boom. They also envision a holistic community approach to healing.

To be sure, a detox centre serving Inuvik and surrounding region wouldn't be cheap, and it would need government funding along with a lot of thought put into how it would work.

First it would take a solid base of concerned citizens to get the ball rolling, which is generally the case in this type of deal.

Anyone who thinks homelessness here is an isolated problem and the fallout from it don't really affect them are only kidding themselves.