Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

Getting hit in the pocketbook is clearly an effective way to get a business owner's attention.

Case in point is management at Sam's Monkey Tree Pub, who were fined $5,000 and couldn't serve booze for nine days because their liquor licence was suspended. We don't know what not serving alcohol for more than a week cost the pub, but it was probably quite significant. The offence? Getting caught by a liquor regulation enforcement officer with allowing an intoxicated person to remain on the premises.

This was not the first time Sam's Monkey Tree had been in hot water with liquor inspectors. In October 2010 it was charged after Mounties acting on an anonymous tip testified that a doorman was drunk on the job. That charge was later tossed out after it was appealed to the Supreme Court, although a charge of allowing an intoxicated person to remain on the premises was upheld.

Other licensed establishments in Yellowknife have been hit with charges, fines and licence suspensions following random checks by liquor inspectors. The Black Knight Pub was charged for the first time in 15 years of doing business after inspectors found a person who had been attending a memorial for a plane crash victim last October was clearly intoxicated, swaying, burping, gagging and involuntarily closing his eyes. The pub didn't contest the charges and ended up being fined $750 by the NWT Liquor Licensing Board.

Given the history, it is understandable that there is some tension between bar owners and liquor inspectors. This came to a head last week in a meeting called by Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins after several business operators brought concerns to him about how liquor laws are being enforced.

There was a wide range of views at the table. Representatives from the Black Knight, Sam's Monkey Tree, the Elks Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the liquor commission's enforcement co-ordinator, the deputy minister of Finance, which oversees liquor licensing and enforcement, and Yellowknife MLAs Wendy Bisaro and Daryl Dolynny all attended the meeting at Northern United Place.

Some said there is a communication gap between pub owners and liquor inspectors.

Chamber of Commerce executive director Tim Doyle, who had a representative at the meeting, is hopeful the relationship between liquor sellers and regulators will improve over time. A desire was expressed to hold more meetings in the future.

We're pleased to see a positive outcome from the initial meeting. The Chamber has committed to help form a hospitality committee made up of representatives of the bar, hotel and restaurant industry. The plan is to create policy and work with regulators.

We question whether contracted liquor enforcement officers are adequately trained and wonder why some licensed establishments are targeted for frequent inspections based on their history of infractions.

We applaud efforts to improve the dialogue between liquor sellers and regulators. But we'd also like to see proactive measures undertaken to protect the safety of patrons in licensed establishments.

Given that the NWT Liquor Commission has a mandate to actively and continuously promote the responsible use of alcohol, its inspectors should be encouraged to not only enforce liquor legislation but also help to educate bar staff about their roles and responsibilities.

In turn, bar and restaurant owners need to be diligent about training their staff to ensure patrons consume alcohol responsibly and have an enjoyable experience.

The liquor commission offers a free voluntary training course for bar staff, which covers such things as recognizing intoxication, identifying minors, serving responsibly and managing crowds. And each licensed establishment is given a handbook which outlines its responsibilities under the liquor act and regulations.

In short, instead of being quick to using the stick of enforcement, perhaps using the carrot of education, for inspectors and bar staff alike, might be a more effective way to protect patrons and prevent more costly penalties to the hospitality industry for liquor infractions.

I stare blankly at the screen wondering how anyone believes these ridiculous claims during the vast majority of, supposedly clever, TV commercials that attempt to erode the ability to reason from our thought process.

Yet every now and then, I must admit, one comes along which is truly masterful in its delivery.

Not only is it entertaining, and often worthy of a chuckle or two, but it also gives you pause for thought.

One of my all-time favourite TV commercials is a pitch for a particular brand of potato chip.

It begins, filmed rather closely, with two Inuit out on the land for a day of ice fishing.

Casually, one produces a bag of potato chips and begins to munch happily away, savouring every bite, as the other looks on with obvious longing.

Finally, he works up enough courage to ask his friend if he could have one of the potato chips.

The man continues to munch slowly, lost deep in thought, before softly responding, "Well, if I give one to you, I'd have to give one to everybody."

At that point the camera moves back, unveiling the vast Northern landscape surrounding the two solitary figures sitting at their fishing holes.

Companies can often face the same dilemma, only under more realistic circumstances.

On the one hand, they want to support a worthy cause and may even appreciate being recognized publicly for their good will.

But, on the other, they fear if others find out the deal they gave one organization or event, then they, too, would expect the same preferred treatment.

And nowhere is that more true than in isolated areas where something like air travel transcends convenience to the level of mandatory status.

But, in these fiscally-challenged times, credit should be given to those doing their best to help, whether it furthers their own corporate agenda or not.

During the past few years, our airlines have really stepped up their efforts to help Kivalliq youth compete at sporting events, especially hockey and its small mountain of associated equipment.

And, as some of you may have noticed, there are those who regard me as a bit of a hockey guy, with more than a passing interest in what happens at our Kivalliq arenas.

I'm also a big believer in growing local, regional and territorial programs and events before worrying about competing (read getting your behind kicked) at prestigious tourneys in other provinces.

We've all had days when we walk around grumbling after purchasing our ticket to travel south.

But air travel in the North is expensive, and these companies are under no obligation to help anyone, when it comes right down to it.

Yet, they've been constantly helping our youth attend tournaments and other events around the Kivalliq, and have taken up sponsorship of most of our major tourneys.

They may not be able to help everybody, but they have helped many.

Food for thought the next time you're upset over having to pay more for your potato chips.

Sometimes, they really can't afford to give one to everybody.

Before Bob McLeod was elected premier, the 17th legislative assembly held a meeting with aboriginal leaders in Dettah.

The intent: to mend the relationships between the GNWT and aboriginal leaders and their communities. Prior to the gathering, those relationships were described to be at an all-time low.

McLeod and his cabinet have been demonstrating their commitment to reaching out to aboriginal groups. A series of meetings over the past month with the Tlicho, Gwich'in and Beaufort Delta Regional Council are evidence of the GNWT's resolve to re-establish lines of communication.

Speaking with News/North last week, McLeod said approximately 13 more meetings are planned with aboriginal governments and communities.

The discussions span the usual topics -- health care, education, devolution and employment, to name a few -- but the goal of the government's territory-wide tour might change the face of intergovernmental relations between the GNWT and aboriginal governments.

McLeod said a follow-up meeting to the initial gathering in Dettah is planned once the GNWT has concluded its latest round of consultations. When that happens, McLeod said a government policy -- the "aboriginal engagement strategy" -- will begin to take shape. An idea born during the first Dettah gathering, the strategy would outline a protocol for consulting with aboriginal governments and communities.

McLeod said the intent is for the government to be as open and transparent as possible, a commitment he said extends beyond communication at the government level and to the community level as well. It is here the yet-to-be-drafted aboriginal engagement strategy will truly be tested.

Although it is vital the GNWT communicate and negotiate with aboriginal governments -- because it ought to recognize aboriginal groups' authority and rights to self-determination -- it is equally essential the general population is kept in the know.

In the past, that disconnect has contributed to serious problems. For example, in 2009, the announcement of the GNWT's ban on caribou hunting caught aboriginal hunters and residents by surprise, despite assertions from the territorial government that Tlicho and Akaitcho leaders had been consulted.

If the general population is kept in the loop, those types of situations will hopefully be avoided in the future. McLeod said the lines of communication will be a two-way street between the GNWT and aboriginal leaders. We encourage whatever protocols are hammered out will call for well-detailed information to be put into the hands of the general public in a timely fashion.

The government's efforts are encouraging and demonstrate a recognition that effective governance of the NWT will be achieved through a partnership between the legislative assembly and aboriginal governments, a move that is welcome sooner than later.

So far, Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq has managed to stay in the news for the right reasons.

She came out of last year's federal election with high expectations given past successes from her previous term, and the higher-echelon status she enjoys as health minister. She has kept the momentum rolling into 2012.

The recent announcement of $2.2 million in federal funding for fisheries training is another example, as were things like last year's announcement of $4.2 million over two years to help the GN hire much-needed additional judges and lawyers, and, at the community level, announcements such as $30.2 million for a utilidor system in Resolute.

Being the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency certainly helps attach her name to projects that bring opportunities to Nunavummiut, and it's fair to say she recognizes that economic development plays a key role in bettering the lives of Northerners.

Yet there are still glaring areas where she hasn't made much of a dent - namely, housing and healthcare.

Nunavut obviously has different needs than other territories and the provinces, and many of those needs are very pressing. Premier Eva Aariak recently stated the territory is in need of critical health infrastructure investment, and pointed out Nunavut's medical problems themselves are unique - tuberculosis rates are the highest in Canada, for instance. Also, the prevalence of health issues that crossover into social problems, like alcoholism and mental health, are all too common in the North and require urgent treatment from the federal government.

Given the Tory toe-the-party-line gag order on its MPs, most Nunavummiut will not know the extent to which Aglukkaq fights for these issues in Parliament's backrooms.

We urge our MP to maintain her focus on advances in Nunavut's fishing and mining industries, as these things will improve lives in the long run, but also remember that the territory needs to soon see better and more plentiful housing and a strengthened healthcare system.

That's a daunting task, but one that we're more and more confident she can prove capable of fulfilling.

Trustees with Yellowknife Catholic Schools best curb their penchant for high-stakes drama lest they lose even more pupils and tax dollars.

The latest dust-up over the school board's attempt to dismiss two of its most popular employees, superintendent Claudia Parker and assistant superintendent Johnnie Bowden - who together represent 59 years of service - mercifully came to an end last week. The longtime educators still have their jobs, and protesters went home from the school board meeting happy, if not a little confused as to why the board wanted to get rid of them in the first place.

There have been other Catholic school board controversies: its refusal to allow Gardasil vaccinations of female students for the HPV virus -- a sexually-transmitted infection - and its attempt to keep non-Catholics off its democratically-elected board. The fallout from those decisions has lingered, with very damaging effects.

We have been pointing this out over the last few years because there is clearly something at work here. Up until six years ago, the Catholic school district was quietly laying down surplus budgets and raking in an increasingly larger proportion of tax support from residents compared to its rival, Yellowknife Education District No. 1.

Catholic schools were seen by many parents as superior to their public school counterparts, never mind the religion. And clearly religion didn't matter to many because 40 per cent of Yellowknife Catholic Schools' students were non-Catholic.

What mattered most to parents, as it still does today, is that their children get a quality education while attending state-of-the-art facilities, staffed with competent and professional educators.

Yellowknife Catholic Schools, by most accounts, still provides an excellent academic environment but so does Yk1, especially now that public school trustees have overcome the board infighting and administrative turmoil that used to plague that district.

What did change the Catholic district's fortunes was the disastrous religious crusade the board launched prior to the 2006 municipal election.

Suddenly, religion was an issue where previously it was not. Attempting to keep non-Catholics off the board may have played well to the hardcore faithful but not with other Yellowknifers who had two school districts to choose from when deciding where to send their kids or put their taxes.

The French school board offers a third option for a smaller number of city dwellers.

The Catholic school district's tax support - 44.5 per cent in 2006 - dropped to 40.2 by 2010. Student enrolment is also dropping - 1,556 in 2006; 1,314 in 2010.

Administration blames the decline on a sluggish economy but it's surely not the only reason the Catholic district has had its troubles.

Religion may not have played any part in this latest debacle with Parker and Bowden, but the board's poor handling of the situation showed it is out of touch with rank-and-file Catholic school supporters and reinforces the perception of a board of trustees behaving recklessly.

Privacy rules likely prevented the board from explaining its position to the hundreds of angry protesters who showed up for last week's public meeting at St. Joseph School. Still, the board did a poor job of explaining even that.

Whatever the reason, if the trustees' wish was to make for an interesting election season this fall, they surely have accomplished their goal.

It's that time of winter again in the Deh Cho, the season when there seems to be at least one tournament if not two every weekend.

The Wolfpack Invitational Basketball Tournament got things rolling from Jan. 6 to 7 followed by the Fort Simpson Men's Recreational Hockey Tournament last weekend. Coming up is the Fort Simpson Merchant's Mixed Bonspiel this weekend followed by the Scott McAdam Badminton Tournament and the Kingland Ford Hockey Tournament on successive weekends in February. Later that month, soccer will take the stage with two separate tournaments in Fort Simpson.

All of these tournaments are important to the region for a number of reasons. Their most obvious role is to provide a venue for local athletes to test their skills.

It's fine for a hockey or soccer team to practice in their own community and potentially play against another local team, but it's not until they come up against competition from another community that they can really gauge their skills. Regional tournaments allow teams to take stock of where they are really at and look at the areas where they can improve.

Although tournaments exist for the purpose of creating competition in a sport that is really just one small portion of what they do.

During the Wolfpack Invitational Basketball Tournament Geoff Buerger, the coach for the Hay River senior team and the principal of Diamond Jenness Secondary School said the tournament allows athletes to meet old friends every year. Michael Vandell, the captain of the Fort Providence Bulls, made a very similar comment at the hockey tournament. Vandell said one of the things he enjoys about the event is seeing all the boys again, "it's like a hockey family."

Sports tournaments play an important role in creating ties between communities as athletes from different places come together, compete and form friendships. When the same teams and players come to a tournament, often enough the event takes on the feel of a family or class reunion.

While the tournaments are important for the athletes, they are equally important for the communities they take place in. Tournaments give residents a chance to see some live sport action during a season when there's not much else to do. The tournaments also create fundraising opportunities for groups and economic spinoffs for local businesses.

Sports tournaments are clearly important events for a number of reasons, both related to and independent of the sports competition itself. Residents need to continue to step forward and volunteer at these events to ensure communities continue to benefit from them.

There is never a lack of things to do in Inuvik. As an added bonus, most activities in town serve a greater purpose – raising money for a school field trip, a new children's centre or youth sports programs.

This town has an incredible knack for fundraising, with organizations knowing what event will go over well and effective ways to communicate the message of their event.

This past weekend, Samuel Hearne Secondary School students and teachers put together a successful Kids' Carnival. Money raised will now go to the high school's sports teams.

Many Donations

Local businesses gave funds or in-kind donations to the Cafe on Mackenzie for its stocking contest leading up to Christmas. Everything raised through that initiative is being distributed among the youth groups in town such as minor hockey as well as the high school's impending trip to Ethiopia.

Another class trip will receive funds in the near future through A Night in Paris next weekend. The money raised through a dinner, dance and auction will support the Sir Alexander Mackenzie School grades 5 and 6 French immersion classes trip to Quebec.

One important project that garnered the help of the community at large is the Children's First Centre.

At a recent Town of Inuvik committee of the whole meeting, Peter Clarkson of the construction committee said community members have been fundraising for this project for the past 10 years. People of Inuvik have invested more than a decade of hard work making this centre a reality.

The Town of Inuvik budgeted a contribution of $2.3 million, businesses from the community and surrounding area have donated both funds and materials for construction, which has all assisted in pushing the project forward. All of these efforts have left the Children First Society with its final push of raising about $1.5 million to meet its goal.

When it comes to fundraising, every little bit helps. It's the individual donor who makes the difference in community development efforts.

A history of consistent giving creates a foundation for strong organizations and there is comfort in knowing the support of the community is backing up these essential projects 100 per cent.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.