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Empty seat makes sense Yellowknifer - Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The legislative assembly also recently approved a year of transition pay for outgoing cabinet members, helping them ease back into the work world. As MLA Wendy Bisaro pointed out, there's also letterhead and business cards. All in all, we're talking about more than $100,000 for a temporary fix. On the other hand, Yellowknife's sole MLA on cabinet now is Bob McLeod, which leaves half the territory's population underrepresented. Traditionally, two Yellowknife MLAs sit among the six in cabinet to represent the interests of the city. How effective they are in doing so is questionable. When Yellowknife residents rallied against the proposed merger of education, health and housing boards in late 2008 and into early 2009, McLeod kept quiet, saying he had to "take the government line." Lee, Yk's other cabinet minister at the time, also kept her head down. Come fall, we need two Yellowknife MLAs named to cabinet, and we'd much prefer they be ones who are willing to speak up in the best interests of city residents, not just bowing to cabinet's decree.
Stanton put in a tough spot Yellowknifer - Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Staff at Stanton Territorial Hospital sometimes find themselves having to stomach criticism over the treatment of patients without having their side of the story told publicly. Unlike other government departments that periodically hide behind policy, the health department is handcuffed by privacy legislation and therefore cannot delve into a patient's personal details. Yellowknifer featured a personal account from a psych ward patient on April 8 ("It's like I'm sane and I'm going to leave insane"). He said he feels his freedom of movement within and outside the hospital is inconsistent and staff there are not pleasant in their interaction with him. That is, admittedly, one side of the story. Many of us also know people who have been treated with tremendous care and compassion at Stanton. Doctors and nurses operate under high-stress conditions at times and, at some points, have to manage with critical positions unfilled. With limited space in the hospital and social problems plaguing the North, it seems certain that much demand is put on the mental health ward. The RCMP may occasionally be taken away from other investigations to look for psych patients who wander off, but the police should be understanding in dealing with the hospital. Medical staff, who are not jailers, have to walk a fine line between treating their patients and respecting their patients' rights.
Can good things come in small (nuclear) packages? Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Many people have been discussing nuclear reactors and uranium mining since Japan's brush with disaster, and rightly so. And, arguably, at no point in Nunavut history has nuclear discussion been more relevant than today. Areva Resource's proposed uranium mine near Baker Lake is the lightning rod for the debate, but Kiggavik is but one small piece in a much larger and complicated puzzle. Broken down to its most rudimentary point, people need to be able to afford power to live in Nunavut. And only so much of a household's net income can be allotted to a power bill. People still need to eat, heat their homes, provide for their kids, clothe the family and, heaven forbid, maybe own a vehicle and be able to spend a few dollars a month on recreational activities. That doesn't scratch the surface of mortgage payments, land leases, life, home and property insurance, and the proper maintenance of one's home and/or vehicle. And, all the while, those of us with no government or private pensions to look forward to are expected to also sock enough away in savings, RRSPs or other investments to take care of our golden years. A daunting task, to say the least, and one that's going to become even more difficult if our complete dependency on fossil fuels doesn't end soon. Projected shortfalls in the Qulliq Energy Corp.'s operating budget are downright scary, and that 19.3 per cent rate hike across the board is just the tip of the iceberg if we do remain dependent on fossil fuels to keep our lights on. A number of Nunavut communities pay more than 10 times their southern counterparts for lights to come on when a switch is thrown. And, higher power bills also mean higher prices at the checkout counter of every business in the territory, as they pass on the escalating cost of doing business to their customers. That's the way it works in a capitalist system. Harnessing the power of the wind, water and sun are being looked at as alternative ways to provide cost-effective power in Nunavut, but the chances of any of these methods being realized any time soon are slim at best. Which brings us back to uranium and the possibility of mini-nuclear reactors providing power in Nunavut. Those who support mini-reactors claim their design is safe, they could be put into every Nunavut community, and could save the Government of Nunavut (GN) a ton of money during the coming decades. They claim the average consumer could save as much as 90 per cent from their current power bill. Those who oppose mini-reactors even being built, would vehemently oppose that course being taken by the GN. Of course, it would be left to the average citizen to filter fact from fiction in all the rhetoric that would surely spew from both sides regarding the matter. But, at the end of the day, fuel costs are going to continue to rise dramatically in Nunavut as long as we're dependant on fossil fuels. And, if these mini-reactors could solve that problem, they should be seriously - and thoroughly! - looked at. When it comes to sound alternative choices, Nunavummiut shouldn't be left in the dark on any option.
Nutrition North hasn't fixed what was wrong NWT News/North & Nunavut News/North - Monday, April 18, 2011
Instead, on April 1 the price of many healthful perishable foods dropped by an unimpressive five to seven per cent. Many Northerners are finding the overall cost of their groceries has increased, and many no longer have the option of avoiding local retail prices by ordering their own food from southern stores as paperwork headaches are causing those grocers to opt out of the program in droves.
The old Food Mail program wasn't perfect. The same complaints people had about that program - the lack of transparency on the part of retailers and obstacles to personal orders - continue with Nutrition North.
More research should have been done to explain why prices are so high to begin with and that information should be used to fine tune the Food Mail program.
In Yellowknife, a shopper can pick up four litres of milk for $4.99. During the Food Mail era, Canada Post could ship that four litre jug of milk, weighing approximately four kilograms, for 80 cents per kilogram to Norman Wells. That cost about $3.20 for each jug. That brings the price to about $8.19. Keep in mind the shelf price of milk at a Yellowknife store already includes the mark-up for overhead.
But, shoppers in Norman Wells were paying $13.99 for that jug of milk. What was the reason for that extra $7.79 over and above the shipping cost? Is the cost of doing business in remote stores that high? Answer that question and you'd solve the dilemma of high food prices in the North.
In Norman Wells, that same quantity of milk is now $12.49 under Nutrition North Canada, a modest reduction. Pop and chips are still far more affordable.
Back when Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq was running for Nunavut MP in 2008, she campaigned on changing Food Mail. She told News/North, "Where's the subsidy? I don't see the subsidy. I'll use the pineapple as an example. It's bought for $3.39 or something in Yellowknife. By the time it hits the Taloyoak store, it's a $15 pineapple. So where is the subsidy going and how are the stores using that subsidy? I think they owe us an explanation."
They still do. And we're not getting it from Nutrition North.
Part of the hype of the new system was there would be greater accountability on the part of retailers. We hope that is so, but we have not seen it yet. Stores must be forced to show Northern consumers line-by-line the breakdown of product cost -- base price, shipping cost, stocking and overhead mark-up, and profit - on subsidized items. That information is vital to targeting the cause of high food prices and truly making basic staples affordable.
We asked the North West Company for this breakdown. The company wouldn't tell us, saying it was "competitive information."
Food security is at or near the top of the list of pressing social issues in the NWT, Nunavut and in other locations around the world as, we must also acknowledge, global food prices have been climbing steadily over the past several months.
Yet cheaper -- and less nutritious -- food options can lead to obesity, diabetes, rickets, and increase risk factors for some forms of cancer. The federal government has the choice of either investing in Northern nutrition now or paying more over the long term for our health-care bills.
We need a solution. The fact food prices remain a burden on Northern families is a black mark on the reputation of our nation and no government should allow the problem to persist.
With a nod to the growing exodus of merchants leaving the downtown core, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce let it be known last week that Western Arctic candidates will have to support its demand for a rehabilitation centre if they want the chamber's backing in the federal election.
The chamber joins Supreme Court Justice John Vertes and the NWT coroner's office in their pleas for a facility to treat the city's homeless addicts.
A rehab centre may be of some help, but what the chamber fails to acknowledge is the proliferation of big box stores in Yellowknife's suburbs as well as online shopping's devastating effect on smaller city merchants, like those who would typically occupy Centre Square Mall - now largely vacant.
It surely wasn't street people that caused the demise of CD Plus last January.
Problems with downtown drunks and assorted hoodlums have been going on for decades - even when our downtown was economically vibrant - and will almost certainly continue for many more.
From Yellowknifer's perspective - and we certainly have one considering how our newsroom faces a problem-plagued portion of 50 Street - the most immediate deficiency appears to be a lack of enforcement, particularly during daylight hours when businesses are open.
Alcohol and drug abuse, fighting, and urinating in the street is something Yellowknifer staff witness through our office windows almost daily.
It's not that there haven't been efforts made. With territorial government funding, the John Howard Society opened a day shelter on 51 Street in November 2009. As well, there's an established addictions counselling program downtown through the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre. Both of these services help, but the constant parade of petty criminality persists in the downtown core.
This newspaper has suggested before that the RCMP should conduct street patrols on foot and open a storefront location on 50 Street. Such a presence would go a long way to curb crime while assuring downtown shoppers and workers of their peace and safety.
It would also be nice to see a revival of the Citizens on Patrol program, where volunteers report crimes to police.
While a residential treatment centre seems logical, hardcore abusers are not likely going to participate unless ordered to by the courts - and most counsellors will tell you that treating someone against their will is extremely difficult, if not futile.
Repeatedly throwing alcoholics in the drunk tank at the RCMP detachment may not sound compassionate, but the alternative is the situation we have on our streets now, and few people are satisfied with that.
While it may be hard for non-anglers to imagine, there are apparently a large number of fishers in Yellowknife and the surrounding area who have been eyeing the spring grayling run with covetous eyes. While those farther north are still waiting for the ice to melt off their lakes and rivers, anglers in Kakisa are enjoying free-flowing water and hungry grayling that are eager to bite.
While the grayling are safe this year, the fear is that by next year when the Deh Cho Bridge is open Yellowknife anglers won't think twice about driving five hours to Kakisa to cast a line. More anglers will mean more fish out of the water, which will add further stress to the grayling that are already exhausted from their spawning trip.
Some anglers believe the grayling population and future runs could suffer as a result, thereby damaging a world-class fishing site. What's being done to prevent that from happening is a testament to foresight and to the importance of locally driven initiatives.
While most planners linked to the bridge and fishery regulations probably didn't think of Kakisa River when construction on the bridge began, people in Kakisa and fly fishers did. Both groups are doing their parts to protect something that is important to them.
Kakisa has been using the Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management program (AAROM) to develop and fund a customized program that allows them to track aquatic issues such as pressure from sport anglers.
By using the program, Kakisa has already gathered two years worth of data about which types of fish are being taken out of the Kakisa River and the conditions in the river. This data will be supplemented by the creel count that a group of fly fishers have volunteered to undertake. The count will form a picture of what the grayling run looks like before the bridge opens.
The information gathered between these two initiatives will allow both groups to determine if increased access to the site is having a detrimental effect on the grayling and give them a basis to demand changes to better protect the run.
Kakisa River may prove to be a template for how other Deh Cho communities can use available resources and make partnerships in order to protect valued resources.
The sudden closure of the Inuvik Works program last week due to loss of funding, while said to be temporary, will be a blow to those who benefit from it - those who use the program and those who see the benefit.
The program has been running for more than 10 years and has provided support to the community and its residents. Whether it be cleaning up garbage around town or helping with snow removal at an elders home, it was a much-needed service. Not only did it help elders and keep the town clean, it also provided residents - single mothers, low-income families, elders and people with disabilities - with the training or work they needed to live a normal life.
Margaret Gordon, chairperson for the committee overseeing the program, gave the example of one individual in town who benefited from the program. Through training at Inuvik Works, the young man was able to procure employment and become a contributing part of the community - something she said he wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.
Gordon said the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the town, along with the program committee, are working to restructure Inuvik Works to fit back into funding criteria with the hopes of getting it up and running again by summer. It's this effort to refocus the program that proves how important Inuvik Works is to helping those who are marginalized get the support they need to be a contributing part of society.
By refocusing what Inuvik Works does, it will be more successful and help more people in the community. The loss of funding, while it puts a strain on the already successful program and the people it serves, is almost a blessing in disguise. Reinvention sometimes is needed to keep things fresh.
Ultra marathon runner Alicja Barahona completed a 370 kilometre run from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk and back, getting into Inuvik on Sunday at 4 p.m. with about a dozen local runners who completed the final 30 kilometres with her.
The effort that went into raising the money goes to show how dedicated people in the community are to making Inuvik a better place for everyone. It's these kinds of events that show how passionate people are about this town and what they are willing to do to improve the overall quality of life for those who might be falling through the cracks. Kudos to all involved!
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