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No quit in Yk
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

After eight fights and close to three hours worth of entertainment at the Yk Arena on Sept. 17, a jubilant Donny Bryan stood alone in a cage surrounded by chain link, shadow boxing.

Some of the fans heading for the exits after the show paused to cheer him on. It was his moment to shine.

While he's no longer active as a pugilist, Bryan, a longtime boxing coach, can now call himself a successful promoter. He and colleagues Darrel Ouellette and Norm Dempster have pulled off something that had eluded Yk for several years: hosting a mixed martial arts card.

Sixteen men competed that night in what some still think of as a barbaric blood sport. While blood did flow in a few matches, there were no serious injuries. There are plenty of rules for the combatants to follow: no eye gouging, no low blows or biting, no kicking or kneeing an opponent's head while they are on the canvas.

What was commonplace on Sept. 17, as it is at nearly all mixed martial arts cards, was two guys slugging it out or one strategically wrestling another into submission, and afterwards shaking hands or embracing in a show of good sportsmanship.

The event attracted an estimated 900 fans to the arena, spectators who were relatively well behaved, not brawling in the aisles or scuffling in the parking lot.

But the night wasn't without its unsettling suspense. Bryan said he was nervous prior to the action because few tickets were sold in advance. Fortunately for him, Ouellette and Dempster, plenty of people showed up at the door.

Despite three past failed attempts by another promoter to bring a similar event to Yk, including one cancelled due to poor ticket sales, many fans in this city won't commit until the last minute.

Planning is already in the works for another bunch of fights in the spring. Let's make it less tense for all involved next time and step up for tickets a little sooner.


Less parking downtown not feasible for families
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The city is attempting to revive downtown and people are listening -- and they are also ready to make themselves heard.

It is commendable for the city to aim to lessen residents' reliance on vehicles and reduce related greenhouse gas emissions. Those decisions have to be practical, though.

At a public meeting to discuss the city's draft general plan on Sept. 19, with close to 25 residents in attendance, the city revealed its plan to develop 346 residences downtown of the additional 1,346 homes needed for the anticipated influx of 3,000 residents over the next 10 years. Part of this development means a potential move to reduce the amount of parking in the downtown area.

Some individuals living downtown may not have qualms about not owning a vehicle and walking to work, but others, like a few in attendance at Monday's meeting, won't be so willing. In particular, families with children need to be able to drive to stores and daycare, especially in this climate.

"Densifying" the downtown, as one city administrator put it, might encourage residents to walk and may entice some businesses to set up shop, but big box stores won't move where there is no parking. The plan to reduce parking downtown must be practical and take the needs of all residents into account or it won't work.


Grassroots efforts deserve our support, gratitude
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The sudden death in the Kivalliq earlier this week will, once again, cast a harsh light on suicide in Nunavut, and many will claim little is being done to combat the problem.

Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, it's been very encouraging to see the positive steps being taken at the community level recently.

Whether it's students on stage in Arviat, hip hop artists brought in to work with our youth, talent shows, community walks, or people looking to earn tickets in Rankin by proclaiming they're not afraid to talk about suicide: the tide is rising against a dark enemy that has taken too many loved ones from us long before their time.

Yes, we still have a long way to go to defeat this demon.

Yes, we're still waiting for a bona fide suicide prevention strategy that truly holds promise, as the action plan kicks into gear this month to cement the initiatives during the next 30 months.

And, yes, we're still constantly reminded of how daunting the challenge is by the ongoing regurgitation of national average statistics and similar numbers of that ilk by the southern media.

But make no mistake about it. Strategy or no strategy, people here are pouring their hearts and souls into this battle to create everything from awareness to a more nurturing environment for the youngest among us.

So many in the Kivalliq have been touched by suicide through the loss of a loved one.

And, the people initiating these baby steps towards defeating this monster are taking a sensitive, and culturally appropriate path in their efforts to unite our region against suicide.

These folks are not high-priced professionals meeting in boardrooms.

They're teachers, guidance counsellors, mental health workers, artists, hamlet workers and many others who live among us every day and want to make a difference.

Many are born and raised here and they all share one thing in common -- they care!

Their path is a rocky one, on which every setback represents the loss of another life in our communities.

And because they work so hard to bring an end to the senseless loss of life, only family and close friends feel the pain of that loss more deeply.

Yet they continue on with their efforts and, for that, they deserve our support, encouragement and respect.

It will be a great day in Nunavut when action plans and strategies are in place and start producing positive results.

And it will be a joyous day when this evil is defeated once and for and all.

Sadly, that day is not today.

But, in the meantime, these people will continue to lead the fight at the community level by organizing events, distributing information, heightening awareness and offering hope for a brighter tomorrow.

You cannot find statistics to show how many are still with us today because the efforts of these people somehow reached them in time, but, believe it, they're out there!

And, for that, we should all be eternally grateful.


Shrinking pains
NWT News/North - Monday, September 26, 2011

Confidence in the NWT as a potential job market was shaken once again earlier this month when the Conference Board of Canada forecasted a 2.3 per cent contraction in the territory's economy.

The reduction comes primarily from a decrease in construction projects and the NWT's failure to capitalize on what has been described as a hot commodity market.

Although a reduction in construction spending was not completely unexpected as major government capital projects spurred by millions in stimulus funding wrap up, as a jurisdiction we are falling shamefully behind the Yukon and Nunavut in exploration spending.

Demand globally for rare earth metals, various minerals and the high cost of gold and oil should have companies flocking to our resource-rich territory.

Nunavut's economic growth is being driven by exploration and mining and the simple difference between us and our neighbours to the east is our regulatory system.

To state it simply, the NWT's regulatory system is broken.

Of the 13 regulatory boards in the NWT only two have enough members to form a quorum; the rest await a review to conclude on how their members are appointed so they can begin filling vacancies that have existed for nearly two years.

Back in July, in the Fraser Institute's fifth annual Global Petroleum Survey of industry executives and managers regarding barriers to investment in upstream oil and gas exploration and production, the NWT was ranked 103 out of 136 jurisdictions around the world. That ranking put the territory last in Canada. The federal government promised a regulatory review in July of 2010, when Chuck Strahl was the minister of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, formerly Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

More than a year later and with a new minister at the helm of the department, there has been no movement on regulatory reform in the NWT; Ottawa has failed to approve the members the boards need to operate.

In the meantime, our economy flounders, our reputation among investors and development companies degrades and Northerners are losing out on opportunities for gainful employment.

The GNWT needs to step up and force the federal government into action or it will find itself choked off from development beyond the diamond mines.

While the Yukon and Nunavut have the advantage of settled land claims, we whither.


Until medevac do we part
NWT News/North - Monday, September 26, 2011

When Annie and Donald Inuktalik married, they vowed to support each other no matter what. It's too bad that a GNWT policy overruled that vow and ripped them away from each other in one of Donald's greatest times of need.

Facing a medical emergency, Donald was medevaced from Sachs Harbour to Inuvik and then onto Yellowknife for emergency surgery. Donald was understandably afraid and, unfortunately, the territory's less-than-clear medevac policy provided him with little comfort. His wife, who Donald was relying upon for support and comfort, was denied travel on the medevac, leaving her husband to face his ordeal alone.

When doctors finally decided she should be at his side, extenuating circumstances kept them apart for days and he underwent emergency surgery scared and alone. The situation was detrimental to both Annie's and Donald's emotional health, and put undo stress on the patient.

Medevacs are a fact of life in the NWT, where smaller communities lack the resources of the bigger centres. Anytime a person is taken by ambulance, whether by ground or air, it can be a scary ordeal, regardless of how serious a doctor, nurse or bureaucrat on the other end of a phone hundreds of kilometres away might think.

The health department is reviewing the policy and we hope any new recommendations will ensure medevac patients don't end up away from home and community without family support.


Don't lose any momentum
Nunavut News/North - Monday, September 26, 2011

The release of the territorial suicide prevention action plan on Sept. 12 should be a call to action for all involved, and there should be an overwhelming sense of urgency for everyone working to make it a reality.

The plan is full of worthwhile measures to support and reach out to communities, and initiatives to train people to recognize suicidal behaviour and reach out to those at risk. Among other aspects of the plan, actions such as creating more mental health facilities and hiring more psychiatric staff are invaluable, as are providing suicide prevention training courses at least once a year in the territory, which need to be accessible to every community.

In a territory where there is a youth suicide rate 11 times the national average, this strategy could save lives. To do so, however, no one can relax in the satisfaction that the strategy has made it this far, even if reaching this milestone has been long and arduous.

We must remember that the announcement of a suicide prevention strategy in itself is not going to help someone feeling alone and needing help, but the actions promised in the strategy definitely can.

More than 20 people have committed suicide so far this year in Nunavut. Without action at the community level - not behind-the-scenes, bureaucratic changes, but actions visible and accessible to Nunavummiut - it's going to be difficult to prevent more senseless and needless deaths.

The GN, RCMP, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Embrace Life Council deserve praise for bringing the strategy this far. The release of the action plan was a step forward, but we cannot afford to lose any of that momentum.


On seals, Europeans just don't get it
Nunavut News/North - Monday, September 26, 2011

Another blow has been struck to the Inuit challenge to reverse a seal ban adopted by Europe more than two years ago.

Earlier this month, the European General Court tossed out an attempt by Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit to reverse the ban. The dismissal was on technical grounds.

Another similar legal challenge is still before the court, but efforts ought to be ramped up by Inuit leaders to build upon deals in alternative countries, particularly in Asia.

The Europeans, it seems, won't be convinced that seals are hunted humanely in Canada, and a murky exemption for certain seal products from Inuit is not viewed as effective when the seal market in the continent is essentially shut down to the rest of our country.

People in Spain continue to enjoy their bullfights and their counterparts in France savour fois gras - the livers of ducks and geese fattened through force feeding of the birds - while continuing to hold a harsh view of Canadian seal hunts.

In addition to repeatedly trying to overcome the entrenched European hypocrisy and ignorance on the subject of sealing, ambassadors from Nunavut and Canada should be actively engaging markets in China and Japan. An announcement came from Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated in January that a deal was signed to ship edible sealing products from Canada to China. That was only a start. Let's pursue more initiatives like that one.


Development also means jobs
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 23, 2011

For those who frequent the area, it would seem a shame to venture past Drybones Bay on Great Slave Lake one day and see a giant mining operation being carved into the shore.

It would be even more of an affront if one were a member of the Yellowknives Dene, who have been hunting, fishing and dwelling in the area for centuries. The area is in the heart of Akaitcho territory, to which the Yellowknives belong.

Boat into Drybones, past the scarred and burnt shoreline to the east - courtesy of an errant fire caused by an employee working for exploration company Snowfield Development four years ago - and you'll find a huge cross. Here and there are moose hunters' shacks, and islands dotted with well-used campsites - some of them surely as old as the gnarled trees clinging to the rocks around them.

The area is also potentially rich in diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes.

The pipe discovered in the Lac de Gras area by Chuck Fipke 20 years ago proved to be a godsend to the NWT economy. The three diamond mines that and subsequent discoveries produced are still employing hundreds of Northerners to this day.

Last week, the Mackenzie Valley Impact Review Board held a public hearing to air concerns over the proposal of another diamond exploration project - this one owned by Encore Renaissance Resources, a junior exploration company with projects all over western North America. It owns 21 exploration claims in and around Drybones Bay.

The project is undergoing a second assessment. Members of the Yellowknives and Metis have spoken largely against the project and the federal government's seemingly permissive attitude toward development in Akaitcho lands while land claims remains unresolved.

"They are supposed to be managing this land on our behalf, not in spite of us," said Sheryl Grieve, manager of the environment for the North Slave Metis Alliance.

Ndilo Chief Ted Tsetta said he would like to see development postponed across the entire Akaitcho territory for the time-being.

"Let's give Mother Earth a chance to heal," he told the board.

While Drybones Bay is a sacred site, to make the entire region off limits would severely limit employment opportunities.

We have to ask, what happened to the pact Tsetta and other Akaitcho chiefs signed with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines two months ago?

Why wouldn't the Akaitcho press the federal government for an Interim Resource Development Agreement similar to the Deh Cho have? This would allow for some benefits from development in addition to jobs until a final land claim is hammered out.

It was jobs that held up paving of roads in Ndilo this summer while Tsetta and the Det'on Cho Development Corporation sought assurances that community members would be employed for the project. The memorandum of understanding with the mining chamber, meanwhile, was supposed to provide confidence to investors and ensure Akaitcho band members that exploration companies would consult them before developing on their lands.

Drybones Bay may very well not be suitable for development but the message sent by Tsetta to exploration companies last week was that the Akaitcho territory remains closed to business.

With a land claim that could take many years, that's not going to be helpful in securing jobs in the interim.


Housing at forefront
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, September 22, 2011

If there's one issue that's being pushed to the forefront of this territorial election, it's housing.

All of the candidates in the Deh Cho and the Nahendeh ridings spoke about housing when asked what they rank as the primary issues for their constituents. Michael McLeod and Michael Nadli in the Deh Cho and Kevin Menicoche and Bertha Norwegian in the Nahendeh all seem to agree the current policies of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation need to be changed.

Most of the four candidates are also in agreement that one of the primary problems is the corporation's policy that makes rental rates proportional to income. Where the candidates vary is their proposed solutions to this problem.

If elected, McLeod said he'd call for a review of the corporation's programs. Nadli spoke of a similar course of action but took it one step further, suggesting a task force examine the housing situation in the North.

In the Nahendeh, Menicoche is advocating reverting the corporation to a territorial government department so MLAs can have more oversight and input into it. Norwegian, on the other hand, suggested giving residents who obtain a job a one-year grace period to become financially secure before their rents are raised. She also suggested the cost of rent be reduced.

In the communities, leaders have their own suggestions. When asked what the most important issue facing their communities is, Chief Fred Tesou, Chief Stan Sanguez and Chief Dolphus Jumbo all agreed that it's housing.

In Trout Lake, Jumbo said residents in communities closer to the highway might be able to meet costs of living including rental rates, but that it's harder in Trout Lake because of transportation costs. He'd like to see the successful Nahendeh MLA work on changing the policy on how rent levels are set, giving special consideration to isolated communities such as Trout Lake.

In Jean Marie River, Sanguez is in favour of a rent-to-own solution so residents can make payments toward a house regardless of their income.

Clearly, there's no shortage of ideas on how to address the issue of housing. However, where does that leave residents of the two constituencies who are paying rent on units and either barely or failing to make ends meet? Voters will have to take a hard look at the candidates' plans to address housing and question them on the exact details and their willingness to incorporate suggestions from the communities.

On Oct. 3, voters will have to keep those answers in mind as they head to the polls. It won't end there, however, residents will have to keep tabs on their MLAs to ensure they follow through on their promises.

Housing is a basic necessity, one that all of the people in the territory should have ready access to.


Where's the meat?
Editorial Comment
Samantha Stokell
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, September 22, 2011

As my first territorial election loomed, consensus politics seemed noble.

Without the party politics, there is likely no bickering. MLAs can represent their own interests – the voices of the communities will be heard loud and clear, without the mass message of a party clouding a candidate's character.

But, it's not really working out that way. The candidates for Inuvik Boot Lake are all well-researched and informed about ways to make improvements or benefit the community, but it's hard to choose a candidate when they are all concerned about the same issues.

If there were party politics, you could elect a candidate based on which one represents your concerns best. There would be no concern of the election being simply a popularity contest if a candidate chose a party and based themselves on those issues. Then, voters would know where the potential MLAs stood.

But then, this is always where my complete endorsement of party politics falters – do you elect someone who represents what you stand for or someone who is competent and could get results? Ideally, candidates would both represent you and be competent.

In Inuvik Boot Lake, it's getting harder and harder to determine the differences between the candidates. Without all-candidates forums, it's difficult to know which candidate would be deserving of your vote. This election seems to be fairly ho-hum, with no real defining message or issue getting batted around.

Where is the passion, I ask? What are the issues that get the candidates' hearts pumping? Why do they want to get elected? Why do they want to institute change for their community? I can't tell if it's the candidates or a lack of forums to discuss the issues publicly that is resulting in this lack-lustre election run.

As for Inuvik Twin Lakes, if party politics were in play, the other half of Inuvik would have a chance to vote. As it is, those 567 voters (94.21 per cent voter turnout) won't get to elect their MLA. Isn't democracy the right to elect your leaders? How is it democracy to have seats acclaimed? I'm not saying that Robert C. McLeod isn't right for the job, just that it would be nice to have him elected.

The only all-candidates forum in Inuvik will be on Sept. 30 and organized by the Chamber of Commerce. That's only a few days before the election on Oct. 3 and candidates will have to find the passion then to convince voters they're the man for the job.

For those who already know who they're voting for, visit the voting station on Mackenzie Road. Eligible voters can mark the ballot from Sept. 21 until Oct. 1. If you don't have time to vote on Oct. 3, take the time between now and then to have your voice heard. Do it for your neighbours in Inuvik Twin Lakes.

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