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YellowkniferContacts All papers, offices and departments. Phone, Fax and e-mail numbers Distributed in Northwest Territories and Nunavut Canada |
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Time is ripe for tourism promotion Yellowknifer - Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Yellowknife's hotels have good reason to support the tax. Amounting to one to two per cent of a guest's nightly bill, revenues raised from it will go towards promoting the territory as a tourist destination at an ideal time.
Flights to Yellowknife are at their lowest, most affordable. The economy, globally and locally, has just emerged from a recession; and this country is, after all, marketed abroad as a country of winter, wild outdoors, and highly valued aboriginal art. Moreover, Canada's reputation as a destination for Northern recreation has hit a high this year with the recent Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, complete with an inukshuk logo, a uniquely Northern emblem, to headline it all.
Done well and in a timely fashion, advertising would capitalize on all these advantages.
As visitors to the NWT and tourist spending actually declined from 2008 to 2009, it makes sense for hotels to favour the tax as an investment in new business. The key question now is how to promote the NWT. Ads must do more than highlight fishing and northern lights. The territory's parks, festivals, recreational events and aboriginal culture must be also be promoted and the city and other communities must be equipped and ready to deliver.
If the tax is in fact an investment, it must deliver good returns. Otherwise it will just be another tax which no one needs.
Fred Henne is the largest and busiest campground near Yellowknife. Aside from its proximity to the city, one of the other reasons for its popularity is its amenities such as a large beach, a boat launch, kitchen shelters and showers.
For years, the GNWT has been attempting to woo Yellowknife residents to campgrounds farther down the Ingraham Trail -- Prelude Lake and Reid Lake -- in order to free up Fred Henne campground spots for visitors to the city.
It has tried the stick, hiking campground fees and tinkering with long-term camping lotteries. Now comes the carrot: the promise of flush toilets and solar-powered showers at Prelude Lake and Reid Lake by 2011.
You can argue that camping is supposed to be roughing it in the bush. You can argue that the point of camping is to get away from civilized amenities and be self-sufficient on the land. But that style of camping is available a short trek in virtually any direction from town.
People who use the territorial campgrounds do so because they're looking for a wilderness getaway with a measure of comfort. They want to relax, not test their mettle against the challenges of nature. In short, they want flush toilets and showers.
With hamlet days looming on the horizon for Kivalliq communities, the debate over what constitutes an appropriate prize for the various events is starting to pick up once again.
There are many in the region who subscribe to the theory that bigger is always better when it comes to prizes to be won - but is it, really?
The problem with the debate - which is the same problem with many Northern debates - is that many people who don't agree with that particular theory are afraid to speak up publicly.
After all, you don't want to be the one who puts the kibosh to free airline tickets, $15,000 bingo jackpots, or $500 prizes for making it across the community hall with a pop can hanging from your butt cheeks, now do you?
The question resting at the centre of the debate is; at what point do the prizes make the events overly competitive at the cost of family fun?
And, like it or not, it's a legitimate question.
The idea of these celebrations is to end the winter blues, welcome the arrival of spring, bring the community together, promote participation and a healthy lifestyle, and provide families with the chance to have some quality time together while enjoying some good old-fashioned fun.
However, too often the success of a community's celebration is judged on the amount of money, or size of the prizes, paid out to the winners of the various contests.
If you have any doubt about that, just ask any rec co-ordinator who has had his or her ears turned red by the diatribe of unhappy prize-winning campers.
Now we're not saying give away sticks of chewing gum, but do we really need prizes big enough to have people do almost anything to win?
Can we not get together as a community and enjoy some fun-filled-times together without the promise of a free flight to Winnipeg?
How much is a cake decorated to look like a toilet with a chocolate log on the inside (use your imagination for that one) really worth?
Maybe it's time for a few communities to promote the family and community aspects of the celebrations a whole lot more, lower the value of the prizes and see how the people respond.
Or, maybe a hamlet could have 50 per cent of each cash prize donated to a charity or non-profit organization of the winner's choice.
So, for example, someone wins $250 for a particular event and they keep $125 and donate the other $125 to the local food bank.
They win a little money, along with having some great family time together, and a worthwhile community entity also benefits.
That would certainly be one way to promote the community-spirit angle.
We can all agree it's a sad commentary if the only way we can coax people out to take part in our hamlet day celebrations is by offering mammoth prizes.
Surely we can come up with ways to put enough in the pockets of our participants to keep them happy without ruining the spirit of these events.
After all, hamlet days are supposed to be for the benefit of communities, not individuals.
Following the Joint Review Panel's report, Alternatives North - a Yellowknife social justice group - said it was concerned that many Northerners would not be job ready by the time ground-work on the pipeline begins.
Although another setback in the often-delayed pipeline is not welcome news for those who have been banking on the mega project, there may be a silver lining. The NWT now has more time to get Northerners employment ready for the $16.2 billion project.
Training more tradespeople is a win-win situation for the NWT. Maximizing the number of Northerners qualified to work on the pipeline will ensure that a fair portion of labour costs for the project remain in NWT communities.
Also, whether the pipeline goes ahead in 2013 or later, more tradespeople can only be a positive for the North. Major construction projects in the Arctic too often rely on southern workers, essentially funnelling money away from those in the North who could dearly use high-paying jobs.
The federal government cannot squander the remaining time either. Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl must ensure his promise to create efficiencies in the Northern regulatory system is reflected in the National Energy Board's dealings with the pipeline's final hearings. Let's ensure the NEB process is thorough but stays on schedule. If the economics of the Mackenzie pipeline do improve substantially - natural gas prices could rebound - then the regulatory quagmire won't sink the project.
Negotiations with the holdout First Nations must also continue with the goal to have all agreements in place well before Imperial Oil's 2013 objective.
Let's use this time to truly get ourselves ready.
The GNWT made a sound $800,000 investment in Northern House - the pan-territorial pavilion in Vancouver showcasing Canada's North during the Winter Olympics.
Northern House was the most popular non-sports venue in the city, by many accounts. With more than 170,000 total visitors - quadruple the population of the NWT - Northern House surpassed expectations and provided exposure for Northern culture, arts, tourism and business.
Aside from the influx of visitors, who, at times, lined up for blocks, Northern House also received valuable local, national and international media attention.
Now, the question is how will it all pay off?
It is vital the GNWT develop a small but efficient team tasked with exploiting the contacts and opportunities generated in Vancouver to develop money-making opportunities for the NWT.
This could turn out to be the North's gold medal of the Games.
Recently many Nunavummiut joined hands to show their support for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and the programs its funding had created in their communities.
In 1998, the foundation was given $350 million by the federal government and tasked with helping Canada's aboriginal peoples find ways to heal from the traumas of mental, physical, and sexual abuse suffered in Indian Residential Schools, and their repercussions - depression, alcoholism, violence, poverty, suicide, weakening of cultural skills and parenting skills. The goal was to help those suffering and stop the destructive cycle from being passed on to future generations.
The programs in Nunavut funded by the healing foundation commonly provide counselling, training in cultural skills, on-the-land trips, and events bringing together elders and youth. They also provide employment - full-time, part-time and seasonal - for scores of Nunavummiut.
However, all the community-based programs that have sprouted over the past decade now face a struggle to survive as the foundation's funding ends on Wednesday.
To be fair, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation's mandate was 11 years, and had already been extended once.
But it was optimistic in the first place to think 11 years of programming would be sufficient to heal the multi-generational pain created by residential schools.
Contained in the healing foundation's 2009 annual report is a plea to government for assurance that some kind of healing programs will be available in communities when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission visits.
Those who choose to speak to the commissioners will need support both before and after their testimony. Talking about their experiences will reawaken painful memories and reopen wounds.
That it would throw healing programs into upheaval at this delicate time shows that despite all the progress made in the past 15 years, Ottawa still doesn't get it.
The federal government has allotted $65.9 million to respond to ongoing residential school mental and emotional trauma through Health Canada over the next two years, but it remains to be seen if that money will be channelled to the programs established by the healing foundation funding.
It would be wasteful to dismantle programs that are already running and working, and they are a bargain if one considers the toll of doing nothing, both on a humanitarian and economic scale.
The healing foundation spent about $40 million a year nationwide supporting 134 community-run programs. Compare that to the $94 million Nunavut alone plans to spend on running its Department of Justice in 2010-2011.
Let's choose healing over further punishment.
In the spring of 1992 Stanton Hospital was faced with a terrible crisis when complaints about its abortion procedures went public.
The complaints, initially involving 14 women, were brought forward by the NWT Status of Women Council, who accused doctors of performing abortions without giving them painkillers or anesthetic.
The hospital's response? Well, everything is done by the book around here, so go away. But then suddenly the number of complainants swelled to more than 80, and international headlines appeared portraying Stanton doctors and hospital staff as cruel and racist; the kind who would put aboriginal women through painful operations to educate them on the errors of their ways.
The more the hospital muddled its way through the problem, the deeper into the muck it sank, until before long the health minister of the day, Tony Whitford, found himself taking the fall and handed his job over to Premier Nellie Cournoyea.
Perhaps Lee thinks her chances are better than Whitford's, and in the end, people won't really care what happened to some poor kid who ate three month's worth of Effexor - a drug even the maker describes as potentially dangerous without supervision - and then died.
Ditto for Stanton CEO Kay Lewis, who says she won't read the March 11 coroner's report unless handed specific instructions by the health department. It's unfathomable that a hospital CEO would not be interested in recommendations coming from the NWT Coroner's office, particularly when they call into question the way the hospital administers prescription drugs to mentally unstable patients.
While true both chief coroner Garth Eggenberger and deputy coroner Cathy Menard are but just laypersons, their observations don't come lightly or without considerable research. If Lewis isn't worried about blowing them off, how would she handle a complaint from a patient or from the family of a patient using this drug?
And for Lee to not step up and assure the public that her department is taking the issue seriously, it is yet another sign she can't handle any pressure beyond appearing for photo-ops.
More than two weeks have gone by since the coroner's report has been issued, and her department has yet to respond.
One young man has died after consuming Effexor. Eggenberger also wonders if the death of another, Philip MacNeil, is linked to its use. As well, a 32-year-old Yellowknife man died after overdosing on Effexor in 2006, although it was ruled as accidental.
Eggenberger wants to see changes to the Mental Health Act, changes that seem reasonable given the circumstances.
The hospital and the health department won't be able to hide from this forever.
Across the region, individuals and existing business are always on the lookout for opportunities. These opportunities range from putting in bids for locally-based projects to identifying gaps in services and developing a product to meet the need.
In Fort Simpson, the most recent evidence of this entrepreneurial drive was in the opening of the Mackenzie Rest Inn. Owner Lois Martin and manager Reg Bellefontaine saw the potential for a bed and breakfast in a house and overcame 10 years of renovations to make it happen. That's a sign of dedication to a project.
In the Deh Cho, business ideas range from the small scale to sizes that defy belief. For years the idea of a bridge across the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence was just that - an idea, a dream.
It took a lot of work and a lot of effort, but through the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation the Deh Gah Got'ie First Nation and the Fort Providence Metis Council, the dream became a project that was officially launched in August 2007.
The bridge, however, is an example that not all enterprising projects come to a successful end for those who start them. The territorial government has stepped in and has taken over the management of the project, removing the corporation from that role.
Although the community's future involvement in the project is still being sorted out, Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge still sees the benefit of having participated in the endeavour.
"The project is quite complex and because of that, there was a big huge learning curve for the leadership and the community," he said.
Bonnetrouge admits that even he had a lot to learn throughout the project - one of the key aspects of any entrepreneurial undertaking. Not all start-up businesses and projects run successfully, but they always provide a learning experience - sometimes an unforgiving one - for those involved.
Entrepreneurs, whether they have plans for small business or structures that will span a river, are crucial to the Deh Cho's economic health.
Unlike some regions in the North, the Deh Cho can't count on big-ticket natural resource development projects to secure middle to long-term economic stability and growth.
Some are still holding out hope for the Mackenzie Gas Project and the spinoffs it will bring, but until then the Deh Cho has to make it on its own economically.
It's only by trying new ventures, seeing what works and what doesn't and hopefully surviving financially to learn from any mistakes that the economic viability of the Deh Cho will expand.
The plans still have to be ratified by councillors and there still has to be some systematic procedure developed to ensure that both plans are respected. By that I mean both documents aren't filed in a corner somewhere and everyone just resorts back to the status quo.
Until both plans are given the OK by council, they won't be made public. So I haven't had a chance yet to look through them. But I do know that a lot of work and money went into producing both of them. Consultants were hired, public forums were scheduled, drafts have been written, all in an effort to come up with plans that would make sense for Inuvik and its residents.
What's important to note is that both plans had to have been completed in order for the town to qualify for federal gas tax revenues. It doesn't appear that there are any real or significant consequences for the town if it doesn't meet some of the goals outlined in both documents. So maybe this is just another toothless bureaucratic process meant to appear as though work is being done on both fronts, when really no one is expecting much to happen. It would be disappointing if nothing good comes of all the time and energy spent.
Although I have yet to see detailed drafts, I do have an idea of the topics dealt with in both. Some are of great interest. For example in the energy plan there's mention of setting stricter energy efficiency standards for new buildings in Inuvik as well as encouraging new retro-fits for older buildings. Another topic centres on a particularly hot issue: developing a local energy supply.
Being somewhat related plans, some ideas are bound to overlap. A sustainability plan means what it says -- to keep the community going in the healthiest, productive and progressive manner. A lot of people believe that such a plan should take heed of traditional knowledge, and show respect for the environment and culture.
Both documents in themselves are stagnant. It will be interesting to see whether residents will be interested enough to work with the town and each other to try to ensure that some of the goals outlined in both documents are pursued. Obviously government spending is a must, too. But without the communities continued participation, the whole thing is a waste of time.
The plans come at an interesting time in Inuvik - when the pipeline project is foreseen. Now is as good a time as any to act. With institutions such as Arctic Energy Alliance and a soon-to-be brand spanking new Aurora Research Institute right at our fingertips, there's plenty of opportunity to move forward. But there must be a will to do so.
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