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Safety net doesn't offer much assurance Yellowknifer - Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Kevin Todd, the North Slave superintendent of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), insisted last week that the program, which offers the full or partial return of trip deposits to visitors who have booked NWT excursions, had not been cancelled despite a statement on the department's website earlier in the week claiming just that. The statement has since been removed.
Last December Todd sent a letter to outfitters stating the department would no longer be "receptive to claims," but a few days later ITI backtracked on that statement.
The mixed message as to the fate of the program, particularly when caribou outfitters face extinction themselves, can only breed a lack of confidence in the industry.
The GNWT seems to be doing precious little to help this $5 million a year industry.
The suggestion to have clients pay with a credit card, which offers refunds, is a good idea, but, outside of that, ITI also needs to guarantee how much of the tourist's trip deposit will be returned. Providing from "zero to 100" per cent back, as Todd mentioned, offers little peace of mind.
The GNWT has to stop writhing like a fish on a hook. It must make sure outfitters and tourists alike are taken care of, and show it supports hunting and fishing lodges.
Last week an early draft of the city's 10-year plan indicated that in order to pay for everything planned, property taxes in 2010-11 would need to rise by 7.21 per cent.
Yellowknife is a small city with a population that has decreased slightly over several years.
Operating mines within the city limits became a thing of the past in 2003, along with the revenue they brought the city through their taxes.
Yet since then we've built the twin-pad Multiplex arena, the Somba K'e plaza outside city hall, renovated the library and now we're constructing the Fieldhouse. We've prettified one side of 50 Street and are about to move on to the next. There's aging infrastructure such as water and sewer lines to be replaced, streets to be resurfaced, and a landfill that will need expansion in coming years.
Over the past few months, citizens have been decrying the cost of living in this city - something which may well be contributing to the population's stagnation. A tax hike of this magnitude would only make it that much more expensive to live here and may drive some residents away.
Something's got to give. The city has to either reduce its spending or hike taxes. Most of our city councillors have told Yellowknifer they wouldn't support a tax increase of 7.21 per cent.
We're counting on them to reduce the tax hike substantially, and we hope those citizens who think Yellowknife's cost of living is too high will accept the corresponding decrease in grand civic projects.
While there were extenuating circumstances, that does not change the fact the blizzard that ripped through the Kivalliq in late March and early April claimed a life.
I can't say how many difficult stories I've written, now in my 12th year with Kivalliq News, that dealt with someone dying on the land, but there's been far too many.
In fact, one story about someone dying on the land is one too many as far as I'm concerned.
The wildest environment I face every winter can be found at the Rankin arena.
I have absolutely no desire to go out on the land during the winter months because, quite frankly, the thought of it puts the fear of God into me.
From my first week in Rankin Inlet in December 1998, I was amazed at the severity of the Kivalliq climate.
Yes, our winters have been a little warmer the past few years.
Great. Now, if you're not careful or don't know what you're doing out there, it might take a few minutes more to send you to the promised land.
I don't find that a particularly comforting thought, by any means.
I've developed an incredible amount of respect over the years for those who possess the skills necessary to hunt, travel and survive on the land during our winter months, especially the elders.
It's nothing short of mind-boggling to me when I see someone in their 60s, or older, heading out in -30 C temperatures or colder.
They seem to give out awards for just about everything these days and, to me, each and every person who possesses such skills should be recognized for them, as they're truly amazing.
On the other side of the coin, however, are the feelings I get when I see someone taking unnecessary, or just plain stupid, chances during our coldest months.
A young man from Whale Cove got very lucky recently when he tried to make it to Rankin Inlet by machine after his friend had turned back due to bad weather.
He was fortunate to have made it back alive after running into machine problems.
We all know of people who lost their lives trying to make big money bingo games in Rankin, going out to their cabin with light clothes and no gear because they trusted their machine, trying to travel from one community to another, or out on 'short' hunting or fishing trips on their own without emergency supplies.
I've been here long enough to know a great many folks in this region don't need some guy, originally from the south, preaching to them about being careful on the land.
That's especially true when it happens to be a guy who doesn't go out on the land unless it's 10 C or warmer.
But there's an old saying from the south: familiarity breeds contempt.
In other words, you do something long enough and a false sense of security sets in.
A certain late Australian and dangerous animal lover comes to mind, as does a late bear lover.
As impressive as your skills are out on the land, there is precious little room for error in the Arctic environment.
So, by all means, continue to impress me, but, please, let's be careful out there.
Although party politics rule the federal political domain, that is not the philosophy in the NWT. Before Aglukkaq became Nunavut's MP, she was an MLA for Nunavut's Nattilik riding and a GN employee. She knows full well that co-operation is the cornerstone of NWT and Nunavut politics.
The NWT and Nunavut face similar problems to varying degrees and it is vital that they are recognized by Ottawa. Funding and programs are desperately needed to combat the effects of long distance government, shortages in skilled labour, a lack of health care workers and other professionals, and a dire need for improved infrastructure.
When Aglukkaq went to Inuvik she announced much needed funding to help residents of the NWT train for jobs. If the program lives up to its potential, approximately 400 jobs could be created, nearly 100 of them in the health care sector.
All good news. It's too bad our Conservative health minister used the moment to try and demean Bevington's influence in Ottawa, an attempt to politically manoeuvre her party into higher standing here.
Aglukkaq's statement may indeed have the opposite effect. As a minister, when she says she does not work with Bevington, she is ultimately telling the people of the NWT she has no interest in working with them either. Whether the Conservatives like it or not, the NDP MP is the Northwest Territories' representative in Ottawa. He was elected by the people and it is his job to bring the voice of the territory to parliament.
Obviously, the Conservative Party - struggling in the polls - is fighting to improve its public image and win as many seats as possible. The Conservatives have not held a seat in the NWT since the 1980s. Throwing money into rural areas is a good way to attract voters but surprisingly Aglukkaq made a tactical error in her assessment of the hearts and minds of Northerners.
Whether Bevington is doing his job adequately is for the voters to decide. If Aglukkaq wants to improve the Conservatives' image in the NWT she should have demonstrated more respect for its political representative. If she indeed does not have a professional working relationship with Bevington, we suggest she forge one.
Even better, fight for the North in Ottawa. That would further the fortunes of her party far greater than political attacks.
A young boy in Iglulik is no longer among us, due to an accident in the community on April 6.
A sewage truck struck and killed the boy, who, according to police, slid into the street after sliding in his family's driveway.
The RCMP say the driver had no time to react.
It's a tragic situation all around, but it's far, far too common.
There have been several similar deaths across Nunavut over the past decade. It got so bad that in 2005 a coroner's inquest was held to find ways to address the problem. The panel came up with a number of recommendations including safety awareness campaigns and training courses on the safe operation of large vehicles, having helpers accompany sewage and water trucks, improving visibility by keeping snow piles back from roads and better inspections of vehicles.
Those recommendations may have saved lives, but we are still losing pedestrians to accidents, especially children.
Schools must reinforce the dangers posed by vehicles. The basics, such as looking both ways while crossing the street, have to be emphasized. Parents must be sure to explain to their sons and daughters that big trucks can be as dangerous as polar bears or open water.
If adults see children playing on or near roads, they must intervene, escorting the young ones away from those areas.
Truck drivers have to be on high alert as much as possible. While they are human and bound to become distracted at times, the consequences can be fatal and devastating.
We all have a role to play in preventing these tragic accidents. We can't afford to look away or be silent.
There's much to promote when it comes to the Akitsiraq Law School. It graduated 11 students from its first class in 2005. Every one of those grads is now employed in the field of law.
That's nothing short of remarkable.
But there's a thirst to produce even more made-in-Nunavut lawyers. To that end, the law school held an open house on March 27. With 25 seats available in the upcoming offering of the program, there has already been close to 75 people showing interest in signing up, according to Anne Crawford, the program's northern director.
This is promising, but there's a hitch. The next round of homemade lawyers are all waiting on a core funding commitment from the Government of Nunavut. These are future attorneys who may someday represent Nunavut in disputes with Ottawa over self-government, take on international conservation cases or help keep the overburdened territorial criminal justice system moving beyond a snail's pace.
What is the GN waiting for? There's a need for not only more lawyers, but accountants, doctors and engineers. Let's make those sorts of programs happen closer to home as well.
Nunavut's future hinges on it.
Sure, MLAs may have been talking about it since 2007 when former premier Joe Handley's government first approved of the idea for a user-pay system, as Lee claimed last week, but it certainly wasn't on voters' minds when they headed to the polls later that year.
Whether the territorial government opts for a co-payment plan or a program funded by across-the-board taxes, we can be rest assured this wasn't one of Lee's campaign planks in 2007 - a year many had expected would see her finally get into cabinet, and naturally enough, take over the health portfolio which had occupied so much of her attention during two previous terms.
The first anyone outside of government had heard of the need for changes came in December 2008, 14 months after the territorial election.
But elections in this territory are not about issues - they never are. It's after the vote that we find out about these things: the call for board mergers, and the deal that has now saddled the territorial government with $165 million in Deh Cho Bridge debt among them.
Election issues aside, it's mystifying that after so many years studying the extended health care issue, the Department of Health and Social Services still can't tell us how much the new program will cost, or even give us a range. The current program is budgeted at $8.4 million a year.
The department's goal of providing coverage to all NWT residents for non-health care covered costs, such as those for prescription drugs or eyeglasses, may be noble but it's difficult to support it if the GNWT can't tell us how much extending coverage to people above certain income thresholds will cost.
Right now, non-aboriginal seniors and people with certain disabilities don't pay for extended health benefits. Lee wants to change that so that all non-aboriginal residents are covered, and all those who can afford to pay for a portion will. The government claims more than 3,000 people in the NWT currently have no third-party insurance that would cover prescription costs and other expenses outside of health care.
Seniors argue doing so, however, will punish those who are no longer working but use the health system most, while giving people who already have third-party insurance at work an unneeded break through additional coverage.
This is an important debate with good arguments on both sides, but as usual, the government's poor communication leading up to it has torpedoed its chance of winning the public relations war.
Whether or not Lee moves forward and attempts to ram these changes through, her opponents will have won that fight as they did last year when Lee was forced to concede "we screwed up."
And once again, Lee and her government will have no one but themselves to blame.
The village is being pounded by large snowflakes, and huddled inside the front foyer of the community's recreation centre is a group of about 30 people - adults and kids alike - all there for a common purpose: to salute a man they all know as the guy to go to if you want to play or talk Canada's national sport, hockey.
I'm talking about Owen Rowe, of course.
On that Thursday afternoon, the group assembled outside the rec centre to unveil a new message on the building's movable front sign: "Fort Simpson nominates Owen Rowe for RBC Hockey Leader 2010."
Moments after the unveiling, a passing car honked in agreement. The secret was out.
And it was looking a little dicey there for a bit. The two individuals principally responsible for nominating Rowe - Chris Hewitt and Brenda Moreau, both active in Fort Simpson's hockey community - went to great pains to keep the nomination a secret as late as possible.
Moments before the group went to uncover the sign outside, Rowe himself showed up on site, inquiring about all the hullabaloo.
Thanks to some quick thinking, the poker-faced Hewitt convinced Rowe the assembly was being held in Hewitt's honour, and Rowe left, none the wiser. Or perhaps he knew and didn't tell. That would be like Owen, to judge by what Moreau said of him.
"Twenty-five years of work and not even a thank you. He walks away with a smile on his face. It's the same smile that he walks in with," she said.
In small communities like Fort Simpson volunteerism isn't merely a want, it's a need - a huge need that keeps so many social programs, after school activities and evening sports events alive.
Volunteers are, to use a cliche, the lifeblood of any community. The men and women who give of their own time several days a week for soccer, hockey and pretty much every other organized sport under the sun do so without getting paid and, as Moreau suggested about Rowe, without any formal recognition.
The village's nomination of Owen Rowe stands as a reminder that, though these people don't do it for the limelight - because, let's face it, most of the time, there is no limelight to speak of - their efforts must occasionally be cited, if only to encourage other people to pick up a clipboard, permanent marker or hockey stick and volunteer in their community.
Guy Quenneville is the interim editor of Deh Cho Drum. Roxanna Thompson returns later this month.
Lindsay informed me that a small group was gathering at the Legion's cenotaph to hold a wreath ceremony in honour of the occasion.
When I arrived there was no crowd, and of course no military band. In fact the mournful trumpet notes heard throughout the service came from a CD played in Lindsay's truck.
So I stuck around for the entire ceremony and afterwards felt a little proud. No there weren't many there, but people came dressed in uniforms and passages of remembrance were spoken.
I was glad the Legion went to the trouble of holding the event - it would have been a shame if the day ended without formal recognition of that extraordinary anniversary.
More than 600,000 Canadians died during the First World War, which is generally acknowledged as the bloodiest and most brutal of wars. During the three day Vimy Ridge battle, 3,598 Canadian soldiers were killed in 1917 and many more were wounded.
The unknown soldier, buried in Ottawa in a special tomb in front of the National War Museum, was chosen from a cemetery near Vimy Ridge.
Fascinating was the decision to bring Canadian forces together for the first time. They plowed through and succeeded where British and French forces failed before them.
Losing Vimy Ridge meant the Germans had to rethink their defensive strategy, which meant they retreated. It was the beginning of the end.
The accomplishment proved Canada could stand alone as a nation.
Our country's only living link to the First World War was broken in February when veteran John Babcock died. He fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. After the wreath laying ceremony I interviewed the event's organizer Al Rice. He explained the significance of Babcock's death better than I ever could, and in just a few sentences.
"It was a generation passed," Rice said of Babcock's death. "It's important for us to make note of that, to say we're going to carry on with this tradition of remembrance."
That got me thinking about how I often take our country's veterans for granted. I don't reflect nearly enough on the selflessness and courage they showed which led to our freedom, our own sovereign country.
I'm not suggesting that I should hug and kiss every veteran I see. I just think it's worth reflecting on how lucky we are to live in a democratic country and benefit from all the fruit it bears.
So, with the passing of our last First World War veteran, let's hope we will see more people getting out to Remembrance Day ceremonies, showing some significant gesture of appreciation and remembrance.
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