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Northland is crumbling
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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The situation at Northland Trailer Park has been a mess longer than most people can remember.

Its piecemeal evolution into a fully-realized condominium corporation has been wrought with confusion and poor financial management since its incorporation in 1990.

According to the city, it will cost homeowners in the park $12 million to $20 million to replace aging water and sewer pipes and streets - work that should have been done years ago.

Because of the trailer park's condominium status, the city doesn't own the infrastructure there. Northland resident Pearl Benyk had this to say to Yellowknifer about the mess: "There are many people that think this is part of the city and the city needs to fix it. They don't internalize that this is their land, that they're responsible for it."

The condo corp, whose members are the Northland homeowners, is responsible for its upkeep, which is supposed to be funded through the collection of condo fees. Those fees have gradually gone up to $165 a month but six years ago they were merely $65.

To build a reserve fund to address the sorts of infrastructure issues residents are now facing, those years of modest condo fees are obviously a far cry from being enough.

Wade Friesen, the condo board's vice-president, says condo fees were kept low by the trailer park's former majority owner, who sold his trailers in 2000.

Unfortunately, Northland's current homeowners are stuck with the bill, and if they want to keep the pipes from crumbling, they will have to fork over a lot of money - about $82,000 each, according to the city.

While the city has no legal obligation to pay for infrastructure replacement using taxpayers' money, it does have a considerable interest in ensuring Northland residents can make ends meet. City hall has already offered technical assistance.

Financially, the city must also be as flexible as possible by paying for the needed infrastructure for the time being while seeking an affordable, long-term payment plan for Northland homeowners.

As well, the city and the GNWT, prodded by Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro, should explore and tap into all the federal infrastructure funding they possibly can.

Northland is home to 258 trailers and five per cent of the city's population. If its residents were to abandon their trailers and flee the city, such a loss would bring great upheaval.

Trailer park dwellers can't expect the city to provide a bailout, but short of that, we want our council and territorial government to do everything possible to ensure Northland residents hold on to their homes.

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Not enough lawyers to go around
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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Vandalism across the Kivalliq has reached ridiculous levels during the past year.

And with that wanton destruction has come the call from a number of people to reinstate the curfews of the good old days.

To their way of thinking, it worked before and it can work again. Get the younger kids off the streets and in their homes by midnight and most of the vandalism will disappear.

The problem is, however, times have changed and a number of issues stand in the way of a return to the days when kids heard the fire siren and went home.

First off, the attitude among a good number of today's kids has changed significantly since those days.

Do you really think the same kids responsible for smashing windows, damaging vehicles and egging homes are going to run home when the curfew sounds because they're afraid of breaking the law?

Secondly, you have a number of parents who don't seem to mind, or care, that their kids are roaming the streets and up to no good at two in the morning.

Government-backed parental programs and/or workshops would be far more effectual than fire sirens.

Of course, that would require people stepping up with the internal fortitude to enforce parents taking part in said programs, but I digress.

So, we have a number of kids and their less-than-strict parents standing in the way of a successful return to the good old days of a reasonable curfew.

But they, by no means, are not the biggest hurdle.

That dubious distinction belongs to the lawyers of today's modern society, who are quick to tell you curfews go beyond a municipality's legal jurisdiction and pose unreasonable limits on children's rights, no matter how many problems they're causing in our communities.

In fact, no town in Canada has managed to keep its curfew in place when challenged in the courts.

One of our close southern neighbours, Thompson, Man., had its curfew thrown out when a lawyer sued the city in 2007.

Attempts to enact curfews met similar fates in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Well, it shouldn't be. After all, we live in an age when a person can spill coffee on themselves while driving and successfully sue the establishment for not telling them it was hot to begin with!

And, we have parents who sue minor hockey and Little League baseball leagues because their kids aren't selected for all-star teams or named as award winners.

So, why shouldn't the lawyers step up to protect the rights of those kids causing so much emotional and financial damage to their neighbours?

The music group the Eagles quoted William Shakespeare in their song, Get Over It, when, tongue firmly in cheek, they sang, "Let's kill all the lawyers, kill 'em tonight."

Of course, that's not going to happen anytime soon and, unfortunately, neither is our return to the good old days of curfew.

Apparently, people of all races and cultures, who abide by the law and respect the property of others, don't seem to have many of the same rights as those who step outside the system.

There are just not enough live lawyers to go around I suppose.

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Confidentiality rules
NWT News/North - Monday, September 21, 2009

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Premier Floyd Roland's inquiry took an unusual twist in its first week.

Cleverly, the premier and his lawyer diverted attention away from his affair with former committee clerk Patricia Russell. They blamed an unnamed regular MLA who Roland claims was actually the one leaking privileged information from committee meetings.

As one MLA pointed out, it is difficult to believe Russell didn't share confidential information with Roland while they kept their affair secret.

What is equally curious is that no one has demanded the identity of the MLA with loose lips.

Regular MLAs were outraged at the prospect the premier may have had a spy in their midst. So deep was their ire, they lit torches and brandished pitchforks sparking an expensive public inquiry.

At first, the mystery MLA defence looked like a smoke-and-mirrors attempt by the premier to confuse and cast doubt on the complaint against him.

But, in another shocking turn of events, when it came time to show proof of their case, MLAs instead admitted they knew one of their own was sharing confidential information with the premier. Worse, the MLAs had no evidence of Russell's guilt -- aside from an understandable suspicion.

Whatever the verdict regarding Roland's behaviour, MLAs shouldn't allow their mysterious informant colleague to remain unnamed.

They may not have solid proof to back up their suspicions but Roland has said under oath he received information from one of the MLAs.

Innocent MLAs should demand the name the first opportunity in the next sitting of the legislative assembly.

Ultimately, what needs to be addressed is the legislation. Where the premier's alleged actions would be considered a breach of the law, an MLA leaking information is merely breaching employee guidelines.

Rules ought to be applied to cabinet members, the premier and regular MLAs equally.

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Sentence falls terribly short
NWT News/North - Monday, September 21, 2009

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The family of Johnny Dryneck, who was murdered in Behchoko in November 2008 is outraged by the ridiculously lenient one year of probation given to his killer.

The 17-year-old male, who cannot be identified, killed the 38-year-old during a fight inside Our Video Store in Behchoko.

The teen will be under a strict curfew, must attend school, counselling and report to his youth worker. Minor offences have been dealt with more harshly.

Unfortunately Dryneck's family and friends must be reminded of the incident and the lack of justice served every day when they see the teen walking free in the community.

Although sending a teenager to jail for many years at the risk of having him turn into a hardened criminal is not the answer, he should have received, along with the nine months he did in jail, a probation period of several years or more.

If the justice system is looking to create a deterrent, it's going to have to do much better than this.

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Addicted to secrecy
Nunavut News/North - Monday, September 21, 2009

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Recently Iqaluit city council reprimanded one of its own, councillor Jim Little, for repeating something to the RCMP that he had heard during an in-camera session.

Little has defended his breach of confidentiality by the fact that what he reported to the police was a possible crime - what he says was a bribe offered to a council member.

Regardless of whether Little was right or wrong to go to the RCMP, the fact remains that Iqaluit City Council spends an awful lot of time talking things over in secret, suggesting the city overuses in-camera sessions.

In addition to challenging Little's choice to break in-camera rules, we should be taking a hard look at council's apparent addiction to secrecy.

A glance through the minutes of regular meetings over the past year shows council frequently shuts the public and media out of its discussions, spending anywhere from five minutes to over an hour talking behind closed doors during most sessions.

Many other city councils across the country, by comparison, rarely go in-camera, reserving it for standard issues that most municipalities agree merit confidentiality: personnel matters, legal issues and contract negotiations.

Yellowknife's council ended up in court 10 years ago and was censured by a Supreme Court judge because it was conducting too much of its business behind closed doors. Iqaluit's mayor and council should keep this in mind.

The citizens of Iqaluit deserve to know how their representatives came to make decisions - the facts, arguments and reasonings behind them.

We hope it doesn't take a lawsuit to make Iqaluit City Council open up to the public.

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Informed consent
Nunavut News/North - Monday, September 21, 2009

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Iqaluit City Council continues to criticize Qulliq Energy Corporation for what it sees as a lack of consultation on a hydroelectric development at Jaynes Inlet.

Seeing as how Iqaluit will be the main customer of the new hydroelectric plant, consultation is essential.

Choosing the site for the hydro plant took years, and Iqaluit was consulted a number of times along the way.

Given a choice of five potential sites for hydroelectric development, the top recommendation of the project's steering committee was Akulikutaaq/Armshow Long, because it would mean the least environment disturbance. However Qulliq ultimately decided on Jaynes Inlet because it would be roughly $100 million cheaper to develop, half as much as the Armshow Long development.

Qulliq should be prepared to defend this decision to Iqaluit City Council - and make it clear how the city will benefit -- before expecting municipal politicians to approve a letter in support of the project.

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The dump is no ashtray
Yellowknifer - Friday, September 18, 2009

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The Yellowknife landfill is a public place loaded with flammable, volatile waste materials - and yet one of the few sites remaining in the city where smoking is not banned.

Since the town was established, Yellowknifers have known that one person's trash can be another's treasure. It's an economical, common-sense solution to limiting garbage and promoting the reuse of items in a bustling, remote city.

The dump is a place to rummage for salvageable goods, but not a place to discard a lit cigarette butt, which could act as a live fuse and cause costly damage.

A smoking salvager is thought to be the culprit in the 12-hour fire that erupted in the landfill's salvage yard on Sept. 5. The ordeal cost the city at least $100,000 to extinguish and sent huge clouds of black, toxic smoke billowing over the city. These sorts of extreme occurrences also put the lives of emergency personnel in jeopardy.

City councillors were astonished to find that smoking is not banned at the site. Now is the time to correct that oversight. The city would do well by starting with a complete ban on smoking on the premises at risk of a hefty fine. While it may be difficult to enforce - like the bylaw pertaining to picking up dog poop - it should be on the books nonetheless.

Placing no-smoking signs at the landfill would be another recommended measure.

The dump fire sparked another concern: the ability for citizens to find out what's going on when an emergency is in progress. Some Yellowknifers have expressed frustration over being left to wonder for hours what was causing the black smoke to waft from the landfill. With the marvels of modern technology, there's little excuse to keep residents in the dark. Councillor Dave McCann suggested a city Twitter account to notify those who regularly check for online Tweets. It's one avenue.

At the very least, the city should have an individual designated to update its website when there's timely and important information to impart.

Yellowknifer updates its website after work hours and on weekends. Someone at city hall can feel free to give our news desk a call. We'll gladly help spread the word.

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Ruining it for everyone
Editorial Comment
Tim Edwards
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, September 17, 2009

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The problem with underage ATV operation in Fort Simpson was brought up in a village council meeting last week. Members of the community told Mayor Duncan Canvin and councillor Bob Hanna that they'd seen reckless ATV driving committed by those too young to legally drive.

Claims were made that kids had been speeding on to the main road without stopping to check for traffic or pedestrians, and creating dangerous situations for the general public.

Growing up in the North - though in Yellowknife and not Fort Simpson - I have seen underage ATV driving all my life and have done it myself, though with older folk who taught me how to drive.

It seems to be tolerated in most communities I have been to, but, as with anything, when someone abuses unspoken privileges such as this in public areas, people notice and these privileges become issues. These issues get discussed and privileges get taken away.

No one obeys all the rules all the time, and in some situations people feel they have to break them for moral reasons - but when people do, I'd like to hope they would be cautious about it. If you break the rules, don't forget why the rules are in place - in terms of underage ATV driving, if you're going to do it at least try not to be a hazard to the public.

Whether underage people are allowed to drive is decided by how much they can be trusted. Some parents have complete faith in their child and let them drive, and sometimes this faith is well-placed. Most of the time, though, it is not.

Kids may try to show off to their friends or they just might not know how to properly operate the machine - but neither is an excuse for bad driving. Blowing through stop signs or intersections without even looking, or narrowly avoiding pedestrians while speeding down the slow streets of Fort Simpson is unacceptable. Such cases not only put the child and their parents at legal risk - they also put members of the community at physical risk.

Kids can't buy ATVs, so the vehicles must belong to older persons. To those who let kids drive their vehicle, be very aware of what you're getting them and yourself into.

The bylaw states that parents can be held liable for their child's actions on an ATV, and if there is a death to someone in the community or damage to property involved, you could lose your money, friends, ATV, and your child.

This law is in place for a reason, and if broken, consequences could be tragic.

Editor Roxanna Thompson returns in October.

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Give credit where it's due
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, September 17, 2009

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There was something dignified and fitting about the Inuvik Volunteer Fire Department's National Firefighters Memorial Day ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Most of the firefighters showed up to the quiet ceremony and there was only a small gathering there to witness the event - which not many people knew about, as it was scheduled late.

A few prayers were spoken and a few minutes of silence were devoted to firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Members then filed into the hall where finger foods and conversation were shared.

You could feel a subtle sense of camaraderie among the group, which deputy fire chief Rick Lindsay speaks of in this week's story on the event.

In my few years as a reporter, I have covered several fires and firefighters' events like this one. I've always held a lot of respect for the majority of volunteer firefighters that I have met. Obviously my point of view stems from the fact that they're willing to put their lives on the line for their fellow residents at any time of the day. Think of the countless fires they've responded to this summer.

I can't think of a higher contribution to community than that.

But most of these people are the type that just love to help and are usually volunteers in so many other ways in the community.

I got to thinking about this two days after Friday's National Firefighters Memorial Day when I arrived at the Demolition Derby. There were several firefighters there hosing the demolition pit down, ensuring conditions for the drivers were perfect and keeping a watch over the entire event. It's just an example of other ways the fire department helps out in the community.

It also got me thinking that nobody can deny the importance of what they do, but a lot of us can't deny that they're often taken for granted.

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The nominations are in
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, September 17, 2009

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There's a healthy number of candidates vying for a seat on town council this year and Mayor Derek Lindsay has a formidable opponent in Denny Rodgers, who is the only other resident vying to become Inuvik's next mayor.

The town is trying to schedule an all-candidates forum in the next few weeks, an event which will prove to be more than a tad interesting.

Apart from the seven incumbent councillor candidates, the list contains a number of residents who could bring a lot of passion, business sense and some wisdom to the table. I've always believed the roots of a democratic society start at the community governance level.

In the next few editions we will devote space to candidate profiles, which we hope will be useful to readers as they decide how to vote. More than that, we hope that residents will take the time to get to know each candidate for themselves, then vote. And then maybe attend a few council meetings afterwards.