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Canada's auditor general found some concerning deficiencies with the NWT's delivery of child and family services, and fixing those issues should be priority number one for the territorial government.

All of the criticisms are reason for serious concern, from the staggering number of children receiving services - more than 1,000 - to the fact that a large majority of foster homes in the NWT have not been properly screened.

At the heart of the issue is the lack of oversight the programs have received. Ten years between reporting on such a critical service is unacceptable and ultimately creates an atmosphere that puts children at risk in a system that is supposed to protect them. Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy's commitment to rectify that shortcoming is commendable but the department must be held accountable to ensure regular reporting is conducted.

The idea of delegating accountability to enforce and uphold the act to a more regional level, instead of centralizing it in Yellowknife, will go a long way to improving some of the problems. Cutting down on the level of bureaucracy and allowing for more regionally-based decision making will be a big step toward creating a system that caters to the unique needs of each region and community.

Most important will be the recognition that the issue that has led to 266 children in the territory being removed from their homes is systemic and must receive a multi-faceted approach.

Family protection services are reactive by nature, responding to concerns and dangers as they arise. However, other programs offer an avenue for prevention to help keep children in their homes.

Programming must not be designed in isolation and it is vital that the department improves education programs to parents that centre on parenting and coping skills.

A majority of child protection cases involve neglect brought on by a slew of social issues. Such things as poverty, addictions and mental health problems severely damage the health of a family and diminishes the ability for parents to provide quality care. Addictions programs, counselling and employment training targeted specifically to families in need might be a solution worth considering.

Although not mentioned in the report, the legislative assembly's recommendation to better support traditional child-care alternatives - the adoption of children to community or family members - is a good way to ensure children are not separated from family and community supports, which can be emotionally and mentally damaging.

Deline's recent approval of self-government, and its intention to take over family services under the new government it is set to forge, might also serve as a potential model for service delivery in other communities.

Danny Gaudet, Deline's chief negotiator, says the community plans to focus on developing a system that creates an atmosphere where children are never removed from their homes. It is an ambitious idea but he might be right when he says a community-based system would be better equipped to achieve that goal. Deline's idea is to target all the factors that help create strong and healthy families by integrating health care and employment services with things such as recreation. That is a daunting task from a territorial perspective and might be more achievable at the community level.

We look forward to Deline's ideas coming to fruition and possibly creating a model for all of the NWT.

Some recent news items, taken together, provide encouraging signs that more Nunavummiut are discovering the benefits of being sober and are realizing the harmful impact of the excessive use of alcohol and other substances which are used to fuel addictions.

First, residents of three communities made their views known about access to alcohol by physically making a trip to the ballot box and saying "no" to ending a liquor prohibition or liquor restrictions.

There was a relatively high turnout of voters on the question of ending the current system of liquor prohibition in Arviat and the current system of liquor restrictions in Chesterfield Inlet and Kugluktuk, to be replaced with an unrestricted system where only the general liquor laws of Nunavut apply.

The result of the plebiscites on Feb. 24 means the status quo will remain. An impressive 69 per cent of Arviat voters, 509 residents, cast a ballot in favour of keeping the community dry. Sixty per cent of Chesterfield Inlet voters and 56 per cent of Kugluktuk voters got their wish to keep those communities under a restricted system, where a committee reviews liquor orders before they are filled.

It is encouraging to observe that a majority of residents in those communities do not want easier access to booze.

Another encouraging sign is the popularity of a grassroots training program, which provides longtime residents with the ability to offer counselling services.

Nineteen people from seven communities have put their names and their minds forward to do something meaningful to help those within their communities who are suffering from addictions.

They are enrolled in a one-year program called Our Life's Journey: The Inuit Counsellor's Training and Peer Support Program. They are learning addictions counselling skills, the impacts of alcoholism on families, and assessment and intervention techniques. Each phase is made up of 80 to 120 hours of course work, followed by several hours of practical work assignments and a mentorship program.

One Iglulik man enrolled in the program discovered that he had to face some of the things he experienced in the past and, once he was able to do that and got it out of his system, he felt better and is now confident in his ability to help others. What is most encouraging is that he is enthusiastic about going back to Iglulik to share his new-found knowledge with residents.

Young people in schools across Nunavut are taught the facts about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, including tobacco, on a regular basis. Viewpoints are changing, with many youth choosing to live a healthy lifestyle.

It is indeed encouraging that attitudes are changing among the adult population too, as shown by the results of the plebiscites and the popularity of the counsellor training program.

Who can make heads or tails of the newest day shelter fiasco?

Without trying to unravel last week's confounding statements from everyone involved, here's a list of the players: territorial government, Yellowknife Health and Social Service Authority, City of Yellowknife, NWT branch of the John Howard Society and its front-line workers.

It's impossible to determine for certain who is responsible for the day shelter's imminent demise, as people pass the buck, cite irregularities or engage in pathetic moral apprehension.

The purpose of a day shelter is to protect the vulnerable and to reduce their impact on the community. The vulnerable may or may not be inebriated and may or may not be violent. Many are homeless.

What is absolutely certain is that they are not turned away.

Lydia Bardak, executive director for the John Howard Society, has been running the place for four years. She says the majority of the staff working at the shelter are people who were previously homeless or who have struggled with the law. That, in itself, is an accomplishment to be celebrated. As Bardak rightly states, government workers would turn away clients who are intoxicated or rude. There are very, very few skilled professional people who are willing to do the work, she said.

But the work is being done - on a shoestring with very little support.

And, yet, this success story is fraught with failure due to political moralizing and maneuvering. Much of it came from Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins last year, when, for two days in the legislative assembly, he called for new leadership.

If Bardak, under the aegis of the John Howard Society, isn't going to run the shelter, who will? No one but the society has answered requests for proposals in the past - only to be refused the actual contract. Does the health authority believe a magical fairy will step in and do the dirty work no one but Bardak seems willing to do?

Michael Keohane, president of the local John Howard Society, may be in the hot seat for saying it was time for his board to pull the plug, but he's correct. Without the basic infrastructure and financial support, the entire project is a failure. As he said, "It is the collective view of our board that the time has come to realize that we have done all that we can do."

Agreed. The John Howard Society is not responsible for this travesty. They have lent their support via Bardak for four years. The battle is not with the street people they help, but with an asinine government unwilling to descend from its ossified ivory tower.

If the GNWT wants to see better accounting, it should assign a government accountant. Root problems are not the business of the day shelter - those would go to the non-existent treatment centres.

How is it possible to decry the state of city streets due to homeless and broken people, and not step up? How is it possible to complain about people urinating on the streets if you take away their only available toilet? How is it possible to be human and not take responsibility?

And lest anyone consider this a city problem - the city, incidentally, stands by its $50,000 allocation - keep in mind that many homeless people in Yellowknife are from the outlying communities. The GNWT's annual allowance of $250,000 should be increased and made permanent.

Every day the day shelter remains closed will be a shameful reminder of government failure. Every day Bardak has to waste her considerable passion and energy defending herself, other workers, and the day shelter is a travesty.

Fort Providence has become the dog mushing capital of the Deh Cho.

The third annual Dehcho Sled Dog Championships were held in the hamlet from March 7 to 8. The event drew 23 mushers from across the NWT, as well as Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Hamlet residents have come to embrace the event. A number of residents volunteer to help on the race days and many people participate as spectators.

Residents parked their vehicles across from the rallying area beside the Snowshoe Inn where they could watch the dogs being harnessed and attached to their sleds just before the races. As the teams set off people followed in their vehicles to watch the races as they progressed.

The trails have been thoughtfully laid out so spectators can watch the races from start to finish as the teams run beside the Fort Providence access road and Highway 3. And its quite the sight.

At the starting area, the dogs make a cacophony of barking and howls in their excitement to start their race. They clearly know what is coming next.

At the starting line a number of people have to hold each team to keep them in place as the dogs strain and jump forward in their harnesses in their eagerness, but once on the trail the dogs are all business. There is no more barking and yelping, just the sound of the sled skis sliding over the snow and the musher calling out the occasional words of praise or instruction.

The championships and their sister event, the Deh Gah Christmas Sled Dog Fun Race, clearly have a number of benefits for the hamlet. They are a great tourist attraction that could easily be marketed. They already draw additional business to the hamlet because the mushers need food, places to stay and gas.

Additionally, they are just fun for the residents to watch.

The two races illustrate how quickly, with the right work, planning and people, a great event can be held in a Deh Cho community. Neither of the races existed three years ago. They are the result of the hard work of the Deh Gah Dog Mushers Club, particularly Danny Beaulieu and Susan Fleck.

Hopefully the races will continue for many years and will keep growing and attracting more mushers, as well as more spectators. The races may even encourage people in other Deh Cho communities to take up dog sled racing.

While it's hard to argue that the introduction of the personal support worker program at the Aurora Campus is anything but good news, it does provide some food for thought.

The question that springs immediately to mind is whether the campus – and the parent college – is providing enough options for education in the Beaufort Delta region and the NWT as a whole.

As Aurora president Jane Arychuk said during a visit to Aklavik recently to recognize college graduates working there, it's a delicate balancing act as to what courses will be in demand, can be funded and will provide reasonable options for employment.

It would be a very interesting exercise to look back and see what program the college once offered that are now only memories. Two that come immediately to mind illustrate what Arychuk said perfectly.

The materials and equipment for both a journalism program and an early childhood education (ECE) program are still in storage at the college. For that matter, so were most of the resources needed to offer the personal support worker (PSW) program.

The PSW program had been offered previously at the campus, before fading away in the face of program adjustments and funding changes. Now, with a demand for personal support workers rising, the college has cleaned the dust off those resources, which is a very practical way of looking at the needs of the region and the employment market.

There's an easy argument to be made that a similar demand exists for early childhood education, particularly in Inuvik.

It would seem the Children First Centre is a logical candidate for putting some pressure on the college to bring that program back. There's room for approximately 30 staff at the centre, and virtually all of them could benefit from such a course. There is currently no way to be certified to work in such a daycare in the NWT at the moment, something that is taken for granted and expected in similar facilities in the south.

It seems that unofficial daycares are beginning to spring up for those who choose not to send their children to Children First, or who perhaps can't afford to. Those workers would likely also welcome such a course, and I feel fairly confident that the parents would also be happy about it.

The journalism program represents the other side of the spectrum. There's currently not enough demand for it in the region, nor the employment prospects, to make it viable to spend resources. That's quite unfortunate, since it would be good to see more suitable NWT residents, particularly from the community, be able to make a successful transition into the business and more importantly, build a sustainable and successful career.

Perhaps it's time for an intensive public discussion and consultation with the college and the communities about what education here should look like. That could be a very valuable conversation.

"Two days of so-called consultation is a sham. Why the rush?"

It's a good question - raised by a constituent of Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro - after Jane Groenewegen, MLA for Hay River South, forwarded a motion that would breach the implicit agreement made when she was voted into office - that she would serve a four-year term in the legislative assembly and no longer.

The push comes from her constituents, claims Groenewegen, but fellow Hay River MLA Robert Bouchard must be speaking to different people because he didn't see it that way at all when he voted against the motion. Nor did neighbouring MLA for the Deh Cho, Michael Nadli.

"I'm incredulous of the timing of this proposal," said Nadli.

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley quoted constituent after constituent criticizing the move, briefly interrupted when Groenewegen tried to stop him on a point of order that was wisely dismissed by Speaker Jackie Jacobson.

Those who are proud of a stance they've taken will typically have a lot to say, while those who are ashamed tend to be silent. Cabinet, including Yellowknife MLAs David Ramsay, Glen Abernethy, and Premier Bob McLeod, was mostly silent during the debate save for the motion's seconder, Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger.

That's the stoney face cabinet displayed as they voted in favour of a motion that potentially awards them another year with a cabinet-sized salary, free from having to face the voters.

Pleas from Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro for cabinet to speak up as individual representatives of their constituents instead of as a voting block went unheeded. This wasn't a vote of confidence toward the government so it boggles the mind how not a single Yellowknife MLA on cabinet could find the courage to speak up and justify their 'yea' vote in the legislative assembly.

Given time to digest the claim that prudence demands a year extension because holding federal, territorial and municipal elections all within the same month is too taxing on voters, some of the actual voters they claim to represent might have agreed.

But ramming through a motion only four days after it was introduced by the legislative assembly's two longest serving MLAs - Jane Groenewegen and Michael Miltenberger, who will reach their maximum pension level if the election is pushed back a year - is terrible optics. It will only feed a cynical view that once in the legislative assembly, and especially after getting into cabinet, job number one for MLAs is to take care of themselves.

Devolution is coming to the Northwest Territories, but this latest stunt has done nothing to make people believe they're getting better government.

The tiny house movement is the latest fad in real estate right now as people seek to reduce the high cost of housing and better utilize their properties by building secondary homes on them.

Tiny houses are nothing new to Yellowknife. Anyone who has strolled through certain quarters of Old Town will recognize that they have been long established in places like Peace River Flats and the Woodyard. City council approval would merely legitimize a building tradition dating back to the first prospectors who built shacks on the shore of Yellowknife Bay.

The city's recent proposal to eliminate minimum floor space will make it easier for developers and residents to build and sell these mini dwellings, with the hope of giving people more options to purchase real estate, or allow property owners to build a smaller detached dwelling and rent it out.

Not everyone wants to buy a 3,000-square-foot home. These tiny houses, which can be 500 square feet or less, will appeal to people who want a starter home that can be expanded as the need requires.

But council should be wary of extending this scheme to apartment builders. With Yellowknife's rental vacancy rate at less than four per cent it doesn't take much to imagine landlords building closet-sized apartments and renting them out for the same hyper-expensive prices they charge right now.

What matters when council contemplates tiny houses is how they help the little guy, not fat cat, super-sized property managers.

Difficult topics divide people, and they can sure lead to strange situations.

I loudly applauded Liberal MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell for supporting Bill C-38 in 2005.

The Civil Marriage Act made Canada the fourth country in the entire world to legalize same sex marriage.

I backed Lindell's stance on my beliefs of equality and human rights.

It was not an easy decision for me.

Although I have little to no use for the church, I am Christian and those beliefs trump all others.

But not this time.

I do not 'support' homosexuality, nor do I have anything against it.

In fact, every gay person I've known in my life has been a solid person who respected my heterosexuality and who I'd have as a friend and neighbour any time.

And, I snicker at the claims of homosexuality leading to total sexual deviancy almost as hard as I snicker at the claim of marijuana leading straight to heroin.

That being said, homosexuality is a very difficult topic for many people, enlightened or otherwise.

And it constantly finds itself in the cross-hairs of haters, fanatics and zealots.

For that reason alone -- but among many others -- we should be able to find it within ourselves to transcend tolerance and arrive at acceptance.

If the word "judge" is to be used at all, it should only be in whether an individual is a nice person or a total idiot.

We heterosexuals have our share of both.

And, to top it all off, we live in the greatest country in the world where, most of the time, democracy rules.

But that's our nation.

Bill C-38 received Royal Assent on July 20, 2005.

We would have been very upset if Russia had started picking events in Canada the rest of the year and protesting our decision on the grounds of their beliefs.

That's why no one should be upset by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Cathy Towtongie praising an Iqaluit councillor for speaking out against having a rainbow flag flying over city hall during the Sochi Olympics.

If you, like Mr. Paul Okalik, want to wear a gay pride necktie (whatever that is), by all means do so.

That's an individual statement and, no offense to Mr. Okalik, sometimes a cover can disguise the true contents of a book.

When our leaders start taking it upon themselves to raise flags in support of any issue, we're sticking our noses in another nation's business and crossing dangerous lines.

I am Christian, but I am not about to fly to Tehran and start converting people.

The immediate, and expected, attacks on Towtongie for her comments arrived, of course, and included words such as prejudice and hate.

There's a strong possibility Towtongie's thoughts on the matter differ greatly from my own, but she was still right in what she said.

Passing Bill C-38 back in 2005 was a no-brainer for this country, but that does not give us the right to inflict our will upon a nation that may not share our views on sexual orientation.

To do so makes a mockery of the acceptance we profess to have for others.

I hope, like our big brother to the south, we haven't become so aggressive in promoting our own beliefs that we no longer understand that simple truth?

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