Legislative assembly briefs
Teachers educated in residential school legacy
Elaine Anselmmi
Northern News Services
Monday, March 16, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Education Minister Jackson Lafferty announced March 5 a significant milestone in recognizing the history of residential schools in the NWT.
"I committed our government to train not just the Northern Studies teachers, but all K-to-12 teachers in the NWT on the history and legacy of residential schools," said Lafferty.
"It has taken us over a year to accomplish this goal and as of Feb. 19 every NWT teacher has participated in an in-service."
Any new teachers coming into the territory will also be trained, Lafferty said.
The initiative was born out of a 2011 Truth and Reconciliation Commission event in Inuvik, where the department vowed to educate all NWT students on the residential school system and its lasting impact.
The Residential Schools Curriculum Resource and training were developed with the oral histories shared by survivors and partners such as Vision of Hope and Health Canada.
MLA proposes snow geese egg harvest
Taking a two-birds-with-one-stone approach, a Yellowknife MLA is recommending a solution to the overpopulation of snow geese on Banks Island and food security in the North.
"Snow geese are overpopulating Banks Island and destroying wildlife habitat," Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley told the legislative assembly March 3.
"Egg harvest can contribute to their control while addressing nutritional deficiencies and cost of living for NWT residents facing food insecurity."
Bromley suggested hiring traditional harvesters in Sachs Harbour to gather a portion of the goose eggs for distribution among NWT communities.
"A million-plus snow geese on Banks Island means about 400,000 nests each spring or about 1.5 million eggs," said Bromley.
"A modest start of five per cent would equal 75,000 or 6,500 dozen goose eggs."
With high food costs in communities, Bromley said these eggs would go a long way.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger said he would consider Bromley's recommendation.
"Now that it’s been raised and the member has provided the history, I will restate my commitment to go back to the department and see what options there are to try to address this issue and look at some of the suggestions and advice provided by the member," said Miltenberger.
Once considered by the department, he said any information on the option of harvesting snow geese eggs or snow gees themselves would be brought forward to the committee.
Jane and the amazing colourfully-beaded moose coat
Dressed in a moose skin jacket with beaded chest panels, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen used her member's statement on the final day of session March 12 to tell the story behind the traditional piece and her collection of handmade coats.
"Each jacket I’ve collected over the years is comprised of materials collected all with their own interest and their own story," said Groenewegen.
"When I’m retired someday I’m going to record all of the components and stories of the artists and how I came to acquire these jackets."
The unique jacket she wore to session was made by elder Sara Lamalice from the K'atlodeeche First Nation, originally constructed for a man. Darcy Moses reworked the jacket for Groenewegen and extra moose hide was added that Fort Good Hope hunter Alexie Chinna carefully skinned, packed and sent to Hay River.
Groenewegen then took the hide to Fort Providence, where Dehcho MLA Michael Nadli's late mother Angelique Nadli tanned it at her spring camp.
Groenewegen spoke about the unique beading styles of the North, listing some of the notable beaders and sewers from the territory.
Groenewegen said, "Someday I hope this collection will be in a museum someplace and I hope that I will have a chance to record all the stories of the wonderful artists and a shout out to all of them today."
Frack talk at assembly
Regulations around hydraulic fracturing are expected in the coming month, and discussion of the controversial process permeated the final week of the fifth session of the legislative assembly.
"We are moving forward with regulations around hydraulic fracturing and we will have the best regulatory response in Canada when it comes to hydraulic fracturing because we believe it can be done safely and soundly here in the Northwest Territories," said David Ramsay, minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
While Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya pressed Ramsay on the resource potential in his region, and regulations around oil and gas that would allow for the industry to develop, Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley was the voice of opposition.
"People are concerned and they have every right to be," Bromley said. "Many people are talking about a moratorium on fracking, but at a very minimum we need to do an environmental assessment on these projects to respond to people’s concerns."
Bromley later tabled a petition with 800 signatures from across the NWT offering a list of concerns focused around the lack of environmental assessment.
Noting the controversy surrounding the process, Yakeleya asked Ramsay, "Are we dealing with the facts rather than the fears?"
Ramsay responded that fracking can and has been done safely in the territory. Not soothed by the response to the ongoing issue, Bromley submitted written questions to Ramsay, involving: the source and amount of water used in the fracking process, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the flaring process and the recipe for the cocktail of chemicals pumped into the ground during the process.
