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A crisis of confidence
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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Despite persistent reminders by residents, city hall and Yellowknife's business community that power rates are too high, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation's government-ordered panel report, released earlier this month, had only one suggestion for decreasing power rates.

Out of 13 recommendations in the 66-page report, the final one outlines "the most promising way to decrease power rates." This would be by developing large hydro projects that would allow the territory to export power - thereby bringing in more revenue and possibly reducing rates.

So the panel found no obvious way to dramatically reduce the cost of Northern electricity.

NTPC's president and chief executive officer Leon Courneya was pleased by the report, as he said in a prepared statement: "The report makes some recommendations that we'll examine and implement where practical. But overall the report says we're doing a pretty good job."

And that was about all he had to say, ignoring the real problem threatening the corporation's very existence - public relations.

Courneya neglected to mention the panel noted: "The Corporation could learn some lessons about connecting better with those whom it serves. It should, in this Panel's view, be more open and forthcoming on a number of issues, and deal with misunderstandings by the public quickly instead of allowing myths to grow. Increasing power rates, poor publicity about bonus payments, and a failure to counteract negative myths about its efficiency have simply communicated corporate indifference. NTPC has suffered damage to its image."

Doesn't sound like they are doing a "pretty good job" there does it? Northerners tallying up the ever growing list of riders and charges adding to their monthly bills while their consumption remains the same would agree.

What makes good customer relations so essential to the future of the Power Corp is the fact that their customers are also their shareholders. That's because the Government of the Northwest Territories is the only formal shareholder and the minister in charge is elected every four years by ordinary Northerners who rely on and pay for NTPC's power.

It follows that if the customers are unhappy and pressure the politicians to do something, politicians may choose to make big changes simply for the sake of appearing to do something. Those changes may or may not be good for customers and certainly won't be good for the corporation.

Courneya's public statement is text book corporate spin intended to bury the constructive criticism under a thin veneer of self-praise.

Hopefully, the territorial government as the main shareholder will pressure the corporation to implement the specific changes recommended by the panel. The result will be an open and transparent organization that, despite the challenges of producing power in the North, has the confidence of the people it serves.

The panel concluded in clear terms the Power Corporation does not enjoy that confidence now.

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It shouldn't always be about the money
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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I recently had the chance to listen to a rather passionate debate among a small group of people, both Inuit and Caucasian, on what they viewed as the pros and cons of paying elders for interacting with youth outside of their own family circles.

Coming into the school and talking to the kids is gonna cost ya.

Take people on the land and teach them some hunting and survival skills: going to cost you even more.

Got some visiting kids who you'd like to have see a drum dance or whipping demonstration: open up that wallet and it will happen.

I've long had mixed feelings on this particular topic.

On one hand, I'm 100 per cent in favour of skilled elders being paid for their wisdom and talent.

That's especially true when it comes to putting on displays for the benefit of visiting folks from the south.

It's not just a matter of them getting the honour and thrill of seeing these demonstrations done live. They also get to use the photos they take, and footage they record, for numerous applications when they return south, be it personal use with friends and family members, posting on the web, or sharing it in classrooms and meeting halls across the land.

What elders receive is a mere pittance compared to the mileage these folks get out of the demonstrations.

The same can be said for elders who give up their time to participate in cultural camps sponsored by the Kivalliq Inuit Association or entities such as the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre.

These elders have the ability to teach people skills that can save their lives on the land, make them better providers for their families, and change their lives for the better through peace of mind, anger management, and a better understanding of their own culture and tradition.

I don't know how you put an exact price on that kind of ability, but it has to be worth more than a few bucks, wouldn't you agree?

However, when we enter the classroom, things get a little more complicated. Many people, from all walks of life, volunteer time to help with youth programs.

And we can all agree on the importance of knowledge being passed down to our youth by elders.

So, if, in fact, there are elders in Kivalliq communities who won't take part in cultural days unless they're paid, one does have to ponder the message that sends.

Surely, once in a while, these esteemed folks can volunteer a few hours of their time to pass a tidbit or two of knowledge on to local youths and accept a heartfelt thank you in return?

One would assume every school has a list of elders they contact for such special days.

Would it really be out of line to ask them to, say, provide one volunteer appearance for every four they're paid?

Elders are one of our most valuable human resources, and we should look for opportunities to remunerate them for sharing the knowledge it took a lifetime to amass.

But, at the same time, sharing knowledge shouldn't always be just about the money - and that's another lesson the elders could pass along to our youth.

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49 days is not enough
NWT News/North - Monday, March 15, 2010

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Clearly frustrated, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen offered a tepid critique of consensus government in the legislative assembly earlier this month.

She said the consensus system may not be the best way to govern the territories and it's "not the most congenial way of getting business done either."

Surely Groenewegen realizes that for every condemnation of consensus government there is an equal or stronger example of how party politics does not serve people well. Politics by its very nature is often a nasty business. While our elected officials are ideally looking out for the best interest of their constituents, they are sometimes trying to bolster their public image at the expense of someone else, and often preoccupied by self gain.

Consensus government should bring government closer to the people. Legislators from each riding are elected based on their merit as individuals, not as members of a political party. As such, they are expected to fight for the will of the people in the communities they represent, instead of having to toe a party line

One reason things may not be working optimally is because our elected leaders spend far too little time in the house of government working for us. From March 11, 2010 until March 11, 2011, MLAs are scheduled to put in a mere 49 days of work in the legislative assembly. That's not enough.

It's not that our neighbours to the south have a better political system, but many provinces and even our federal politicians - Prime Minister Harper's fondness for proroguing Parliament notwithstanding - sit for twice as long, or longer.

Working more would be a good starting point.

The regular MLAs have proven that they can flex their muscle as the "unofficial" opposition. They have acted as the voice of the people and forced the premier and cabinet to regroup on proposed measures like board reform, extended health benefits and additional taxes. The regular MLAs may very well have taken down the premier in February 2009 after accusing him of failing to be open and honest with them, but they got too ambitious and chose instead to try to defeat the entire government. They wound up on the short end of a 10-8 vote. This speaks to another shortfall within the ranks of regular MLAs: Some of them are perceived to be blinded by their desire for a cabinet seat and the prestige and perks that come with it.

Regardless of the form of democracy, there will be scandals and there will be money spent inappropriately. Some governments are more acrimonious than others, some are more productive.

What we need is to ensure our consensus government puts the regions in as strong a position as Yellowknife, and that aboriginal governments are viewed as partners, not subjects of the royal GNWT. The caribou hunting ban fiasco has shown this is not happening.

Fixing the problem is going to take a united will, one that has been almost completely lacking during the first half of the territorial government's four-year term.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay had this to say following the messy session in February 2009: "I do think we spent too much time fighting with one another, but we wouldn't be fighting with one another if we spent more time communicating."

The best way to improve communication is to meet face to face, more than 49 days a year.

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The joy of sports
Nunavut News/North - Monday, March 15, 2010

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The 2010 Arctic Winter Games wrapped up this past weekend in Grande Prairie, Alta., and Nunavut had especially strong showings in Arctic Sports, Dene Games, table tennis and wrestling this year. What these sports have in common is that none of them require expensive equipment or facilities. Success is determined only by an athlete's interest, an encouraging coach, and the amount of practice.

Nunavut's athletes have creative ways of getting around the challenges of training in remote communities, the most pressing being the lack of equipment and the lack of opponents.

Kugluktuk table tennis players, including Susie Akana who won silver and bronze ulus, trained with the aid of a Chinese-made machine that made balls fly at superhuman speed.

Arctic Bay's Dene Games team was especially inventive in their training. Coach Thomas Levi had his athletes chiselling holes in the ice using a traditional tuuq to strengthen their fingers - not letting them stop until they got water in the holes. He also had them lifting rocks, and even had them pushing his red truck around with a pole to practise for the pole push game.

All that work paid off when the Inuit-composed team owned the Dene games podium in men's open snow snake – taking the gold, silver and bronze ulus – and took gold in the junior male snow snake.

Of course, winning medals is not what sports are all about. Competitions, be they local, regional, territorial, national and international, provide the motivation to train. But the benefits of regular exercise are wide-ranging and felt year-round.

Through sports, youth learn skills such as co-operation and recovering from mistakes. They practise discipline in following a training schedule. They find out what foods they need to eat to perform at their best. They learn to set achievable goals and to have patience and persistence in pursuing them.

But besides increasing strength, agility and endurance, exercise also reduces stress and improves mood, providing an outlet for the emotions and tensions youth face in their daily lives.

What it boils down to is that participating in a sport or any kind of physical activity keeps kids and adults fit, healthy and happy.

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in Grande Prairie. We wish you the best of luck in training for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse.

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What's the rush?
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 12, 2010

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It's round two in Sandy Lee's attempt to overhaul the territorial government's extended health benefits package for non-aboriginal residents, and once again it's not going well.

The Health and Social Services minister says changes are needed to make the program fairer for all non-aboriginal residents in the territory, but MLAs are questioning the speed at which the government is rushing to make changes to the $8.4 million program, with the date set for Sept. 1.

As before, the issue is mainly about communication. In December 2008 Lee announced changes that would have cut extended health benefits for seniors and people with chronic illnesses whose incomes were above a yet-to-be-determined threshold.

Even though the plan was approved by cabinet in September 2007, it wasn't until Lee's announcement more than a year later that people had any inkling that changes were coming. And worse, the deadline was set for April 1, 2009, a date which caused immediate panic for some seniors and people with disabilities - who were about to lose or receive reduced coverage for prescriptions, eyeglasses, and other items not paid for under regular health care.

In the face of growing criticism and protest, Lee was forced to back down in February of last year.

Now a new plan, one which suggests some non-aboriginal residents will pay a premium or portion of costs so that all non-aboriginal residents can be covered, is in the works. By suggestion, it would appear similar to plans adopted in provinces like Ontario and B.C.

Currently, the territorial government only offers extended benefits to non-aboriginal residents over 60, or with certain chronic illnesses, or with very low incomes. Extended health benefits for Metis and aboriginal residents are paid for by other programs.

The GNWT has not made it clear how many low-income residents are currently without coverage for extended health care benefits. No advocacy group has stepped forward to openly lobby on these people's behalf. Therefore it's hard to gauge the level of need.

At least this time, the health department has issued an information form and questionnaire asking residents for their thoughts on who ought to pay for these benefits and who should be a priority. The health department is also fanning out across the territory to conduct a number of town hall meetings, including one in Yellowknife on April 7.

But as some regular MLAs have pointed out, there's something fishy about the government's newfound desire for public consultation. As Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy put it, the six-month time line for changes is "insane."

This scenario over the last year is reminiscent of the one that played out when the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment dropped a bombshell on full-season campers in Yellowknife two years ago, who were told fees were doubling and the maximum time they could stay at Ingraham Trail campgrounds was being cut in half.

Similar to last year when Lee was facing stiff opposition, parks officials backed off at the last minute, promising to consult campers before making any changes, which they did, and then promptly re-introduced pretty much the same package in 2009.

We can only hope Lee and her department are seriously considering the public's input, and aren't merely going through the motions.

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Sacrificed for the greater good
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, March 11, 2010

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I have somewhat of a ghoulish predilection to reveal.

I really enjoy including in Deh Cho Drum photos of youths participating in harvesting and trapping programs. My preferred photos are ones that show students with some manner of dead animal that they have just extracted from a snare, trap or net.

It sounds strange at first, but photos like those submitted this week from the Chief Julian Yendo School in Wrigley aptly illustrate the reasons behind my fondness for these images. First of all, there are few places in Canada where you can get away with putting a picture of a child with a dead marten or mink or any other animal in a paper.

More importantly, the photos capture the reaction the students have to participating in activities like the Take a Kid Trapping and the Take a Kid Harvesting programs. Joy radiates from the faces of the youths as they pose for photos with whatever animal they have just harvested.

I can think of dozens of photos that I've featured in the Drum, taken either by myself or submitted by others, that show smiling children and teenagers proudly displaying some creature they have just helped catch. Notable mentions include two students from Trout Lake cradling a dead beaver, and a group of preschoolers in Fort Providence gathered around a snared rabbit.

The photos show that students of all ages love participating in on-the-land programs. The reason they like the programs so much probably has less to do directly with the dead animals and more to do with simply connecting with traditional activities outdoors.

The students enjoy going on boat or snowmobile trips to camps where they learn skills that they might not otherwise experience, but ones that have deep connections to their history. Activities include setting and checking traplines, snares and fish nets and properly handling whatever animals they catch.

The programs are important. All students should be allowed to take part them for the cultural lessons they teach. Students learn about what it took to survive on the land in the past and how their ancestors lived. Respect for the land and animals is also instilled.

The programs also show students that even if activities like trapping are no longer a necessary way of life, they can still pursue them as a secondary source of income, or simply because they enjoy it.

Outdoor traditional activities take time away from classroom curriculum studies, but it is time well spent. The photos taken during these events show that students are actively engaged in learning.

Fur-bearing animals in the Deh Cho should tremble in fear, because students in the region would benefit by being out more often in pursuit of them.

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Starting fresh
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, March 11, 2010

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I can't really put my finger on it, but there was something a little moving about the graduation ceremony held at Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre on Friday. The event was held for the 15 Beaufort Delta residents who completed a 10-week community wellness program run through the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in partnership with the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

One of their vital roles will be to act as liaisons between people looking for treatment or counselling and government health programs.

It was a pretty low-key affair, just a small gathering of people there to support their family and friends. I didn't catch the whole thing, but when I arrived, graduates of varying ages, including a mother-daughter couple, seemed genuinely happy and there was a feeling of spirited energy. So I decided to stay a while. I enjoyed the funny, quirky stories some of the graduates told after the ceremony about their fear of dogs and flying. Somehow it suited the mood better than grandiose speeches that seem to dominate these sorts of events.

I happened to talk with one of the graduates, Maria Arey, who seemed especially passionate about trying to help her fellow community members deal with what ails them. In fact she was the one who suggested this week's Street Talk question, which asks what residents would like to see in a wellness program for Inuvik.

While some of the program graduates are IRC employees, Arey is not. She is currently looking for work, and hoping that the group will work together with the Inuvik Interagency Committee to promote wellness in the Inuvik and the Beaufort Delta community.

What's particularly important about this group is that each of them are aboriginal - and who would know about the problems facing their community and the best way to approach them? It will be interesting to see how the graduates are welcomed in the community, and what kind of support they will get. They'll have their work cut out for them.

Hopefully the GNWT will see this as sign to pitch in and put more effort into trying to solve some of the social problems here. Obviously it's a disgrace there isn't a detox centre here, despite the fact residents keep underlining the need for one. The shelter, which isn't big enough to accommodate our homeless population, is barely making ends meet, despite the fact the territorial government funds it.

Having certified wellness workers in Inuvik is a start. Just having a group of people step up and ready to face the problems head on is refreshing in itself. It's good news but there has to be a basic foundation of support and the essential institutions in place for them to be as effective as possible.

One thing seems clear. It's a great opportunity to start afresh and to make wellness a priority in Inuvik and the Delta.