A tale of two P3s Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 17, 2015
Learn from your mistakes - we've all heard it before, yet so often we forget to do just this. As the GNWT ventures into a public-private partnership on the Stanton Territorial Hospital renewal project, this sentiment offers important advice.
The government and subsequently taxpayers have been burned before by a P3 project, with deadlines pushed back and costs inflating far beyond initial projections. Already the forecasted $300-million hospital project has increased from an "upwards of $200 million" estimate in 2011.
And the shovels aren't even in the ground.
What sort of final costs are we looking at when this project is actually completed? Let's not just cross that bridge when we get to it.
And, herein lies the lesson.
Bridges: that one-kilometre-long steel structure that spans the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence, in particular.
The Deh Cho Bridge, a $202-million project the sordid history of which has been well-documented, opened two years late with some final touches still being made. The total cost increased by 367 per cent from the original $55 million estimate.
Let's take stock in that number for a minute.
If history has taught us anything, even an increase of 100 per cent - modest compared to the bridge project - would bring the hospital tab up to $600 million.
This is a frightening number considering awarding the contract to one of three companies vying for the job has been pushed back to the fall - with groundbreaking occurring sometime after this.
The numbers the GNWT is working with today are early estimates, just as the $55-million original estimate for the bridge project was in 2002, followed by a $167-million estimate in 2007.
And at this point, the legislative assembly has pretty-well signed off on the project.
Short of the selection committee refusing all three contract bids, the assembly will be notified of the successful bidder, but not asked for any final say.
It's happening, folks. The P3 is moving forward and we're one of the partners, the one in the crosshairs for the crippling volley of cost overruns.
So, as the road signs that mark zones hampered by costly and long-standing construction projects warn, may we all proceed with caution, if not fear.
Money better spent elsewhere Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 17, 2015
Nobody can fault Ecology North for going after federal money to study the potential consequences to local health during the kind of wildfire season we saw last year.
But what is the value of directing $130,000 worth of taxpayer money - federal or otherwise - toward a problem with no solution?
We can't control the conditions that set the stage for a bad wildfire season; we can't control the costs related to forest fire-fighting; and we can't control the health costs associated with treating those affected by poor air quality. Short of letting it all burn, we're going to foot the bill whatever it turns out to be.
Parsing out the cost of hospital visits thanks to smoke-related poor air quality from the cost of the regular volume of hospital visits has some inherent interest, at least to a university professor looking for a journal publication or a grad student who needs to crank out a masters thesis.
This is an academic study that should be left to those with time and money to spare. Researching workable solutions to the high cost of energy - to both Northerners and the environment - would seem a more fitting tribute to environmental crusader Doug Ritchie's legacy.
Whatever the health-care cost of smoky discomfort during wildfire season, it will disappear in the shadow of the extra cost the GNWT faces in protecting person and property.
Spend money on research that can help Northerners cope with climate change rather than pointing out known correlations between human lungs and smoky fires.
A new low for water managementDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, July 16, 2015
Water levels in the Deh Cho portion of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers are low - and what that means, nobody knows.
Or rather, the people who do know don't appear to be at liberty to explain.
Low water levels could be having a negligible impact on the environment - that is entirely possible.
They could also be having a larger impact than anyone in the Deh Cho is aware of because the people responsible for monitoring the effects are being kept quiet.
In the Deh Cho, there are already widespread concerns over years of drought-like conditions. Elders are watching the riverbeds dry up. Each year, the fish die-off in Kakisa Lake seems a little bit worse.
But nobody seems to know who is responsible for talking about water. The territorial Department of Environment and Natural Resources refers questions on river levels to the Water Survey of Canada, whose scientists can only be reached through Environment Canada. However, the federal department passes the buck back to the GNWT.
Now, current data is available on the Water Survey of Canada's website, except for data from 2014. The available data shows the Mackenzie River, measured at Fort Simpson, a full metre lower than the same date range in 2013, while the Liard River - measured at Fort Liard - is 0.8 metres lower.
Those numbers are probably not shocking to those in the Deh Cho who have watched water levels inch down and who noticed the absence of the usual June surge.
But interpreting that data proves more difficult.
What are the factors involved in low water levels? What creatures might this affect - positively or negatively?
We can only speculate because the government's experts are inaccessible.
At what point, if ever, does a low water level become unsustainable?
Why can we get all the information in the world about raging forest fires but no information at all about the impacts of our low water levels?
Most of us are not experts. We rely on those who are to answer these questions for us.
Further, governments are stewards of natural resources. They hold those resources in trust for the Canadian people. They are supposed to answer to their citizens.
And to be fair, the data is there. But the fact that Canadians cannot access the people they pay to put that data into perspective should have everyone concerned.
The road to sustainabilityInuvik Drum - Thursday, July 16, 2015
The announcement that exploration in the Beaufort Sea has ceased indefinitely is a double-edged sword.
Though it probably does not signal the end of exploratory drilling for oil and gas in the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea area, it certainly is a sobering development in the saga. A lot of people in the Inuvik area are pinning their hopes on that exploration, and the pipeline that will come with it.
But it is well known that petroleum exploration is a fleeting and unstable industry and not well-suited for creating a long-term sustainable economy.
Inuvik is perfectly located for resource development, and current trends show it is poised to become a player in the telecommunications sector. It is a focus that the Town of Inuvik is getting ready to take advantage of. The only problem is that these types of projects provide few jobs, and usually the jobs are also temporary.
There must be an awareness of the need for all of Inuvik's residents to gain from these new opportunities, not just let companies fly in, build and leave. There has to be an understanding that for the community to benefit, everyone must have a role in permanent economic development.
The indigenous community makes up over 60 per cent of the population of Inuvik.
We have all heard the rhetoric from corporations that there is not a large enough pool of skilled labourers in the North. They want people who are willing to practically enslave themselves to their corporate culture of long hours and hard manual labour for good pay but very little job security. One can make good money for a few months out of the year, as long as they are willing to sacrifice their family life, their health and sometimes their very lives.
We are entering a new world when it comes to how we look at work. People are no longer willing to give up their freedom just to get a job. People want to be able to enjoy how they make their livelihood.
Why should the people of the North have give up their culture and traditional ways just to make money? Money is nothing but paper, or in today's reality, nothing but electronic ones and zeroes being transferred across phone lines.
It is no secret that the people of this region love their connection to the land.
Eyes light up at the thought of hunting or fishing or just being out in the wilderness. There is no reason in this new economy that is being created, the people of the North cannot find their own niche.
But it will be a long process. Petroleum, mineral exploitation and satellite dishes are only a stopgap - a means to an end. In order for everyone to get there, new ideas for future employment have to be looked at.
Silence on NorthlandYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 15, 2015
A failure to answer questions about the city's project at the Northland Trailer Park casts a shadow and only sunlight and transparency will remove it.
Just a few years ago, before the city took on the $15.8 million task of replacing the park's sewage system, the old sewage system was more than a decade past its due date and running the risk of condemning the entire area.
It's actually quite reasonable that Northland resident Chris Thorne should be concerned.
The example he cited was that house cats could explore the unsealed pipes, bringing contaminants into the homes of their owners.
If he's completely off the mark, the city should simply say so and explain why the pipes are being left behind.
Failing to respond to that concern, as the city's director of public works and engineering did, helps no one. "I have no comment on this, other than complaints are dealt with immediately when we are aware of them," said Chris Greencorn.
Greencorn was responding to an enquiry from Yellowknifer asking him to confirm whether the city is, as stated in a June 30 e-mail from the condo board to its members, "OK" with leaving the old pipes in the Northland Trailer Park.
This refusal to answer legitimate questions isn't an isolated incident when it comes to questions about Northland, it seems to be the rule. Greencorn previously declined an interview for a May 1 Yellowknifer article to clarify whether the project has remained on budget.
While the Northland residents are on the hook for $15.8 million, taxpayers have to foot the bill for any overruns and therefore have a clear interest in knowing its status.
The city does itself no service by being secretive, nor does it help mayor and councillors running for re-election. In fact, they should be asking these questions and sharing the answers with the voters.
Thorne has a legitimate concern, as do Yellowknifer readers who pay taxes.
The city should open itself up and respond. It's the best thing to do for all parties involved.
Twin Otter still has future in NorthYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 15, 2015
One plane more than any other is synonymous with the maverick spirit of the Canadian wilderness and the North -- the Twin Otter.
The iconic aircraft celebrated a half century of service around the world on July 8 at the Yellowknife airport, with a Viking Air Twin Otter on hand built specifically to mark the occasion.
An adaptable aircraft manufactured by de Havilland, the Twin Otter is designed for short takeoffs and landings on a wide variety of surfaces on either skis, tundra tires or floats, with equal safety and agility.
It started out as a feeder plane for larger airlines to take people to transport hubs, but quickly became indispensable for the pilots and companies that serviced distant settlements, bringing cargo and people to places other aircraft couldn't land
The Twin Otter could continue that long history in a similar capacity in the form of search and rescue. The 440 Transport Squadron has four CC-138s, but they will reach end of life as early as 2018 and a plan to replace them with the Utility Transport Aircraft project has been delayed, according to the Canadian American Strategic Review.
The Twin Otter has proved to be reliable, so the military should keep using these aircraft for future missions. The military often looks for the biggest, most technologically-advanced tools for operations, but for the North they should take note of the ones that were built for this land and have become synonymous with it.
Until a new breed of plane can match the unique features of the Twin Otter, we should stick with what works well.
Women's stories hold lessons for youthEditorial Comment by Michele LeTourneau
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, July 15, 2015
This edition of Kivalliq News features a handful of strong women who noticeably serve as role models, and their stories hold lessons for youth, indeed everyone, in their communities.
Dorothy Tootoo, Yvonne Niego and Sam Kavik are women who have a few qualities in common but, most obviously, they step up. They offer their gifts to their communities.
Tootoo received one of 10 freshly-minted Polar Medals for her dedication to the cadets in Rankin Inlet. In a 2009 interview with Jamie Bell of Nunavut Arctic College - Tootoo is the residence manager at Arctic College, for which she was also recognized - she said, "As an Inuk, a woman and a grandmother, I was deeply concerned about the potential loss of such a valuable program in our community. So I signed up, put myself through boot camp, earned my commission as an officer and I'm proud I did it. Eventually I was asked to take over as commanding officer."
She stepped up when the community was in danger of losing cadets altogether when the previous commanding officer left.
"But we have to ensure our culture, values and ways of life are preserved as well. We're bridging two worlds for a new generation," she said.
Yvonne Niego, who is leaving the RCMP for the Government of Nunavut, also steps up every day. Whether as a mother or an officer, and soon as an assistant deputy minister for the Department of Justice, her life energy is dedicated to ensuring that the good in people is seen and recognized. That's her starting point. But she goes further, recognizing there's a need to bridge cultures.
"It goes back to my reasons for joining ... recognizing the good in people who come here but also recognizing the community values and the good in the community and trying to bridge those," she said.
Sam Kavik, a young woman who has overcome a tragedy, seen past it to the greater role she might play in her community, also expressed a need to be actively involved. In her case she spoke of bridging the barriers among youth, recognizing that in helping young people feel a part of the community, the dismal statistics of drug and alcohol abuse and suicide can be beat.
Niego said of her RCMP career, "Yes, it is demanding. It is challenging."
Her statement speaks to the fact that stepping up is not easy, necessarily.
But rest assured, these three women are likely to tell you that they are ordinary, even though the rest of us hold them in the highest esteem. They care about themselves, and the people who occupy their lives - creating the necessary bridges for the rest of us to cross.
That's an invitation not to be ignored.
Missing dollars could help missing womenNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, July 13, 2015
In its 2014 review on missing and murdered indigenous women, the RCMP can reassure the public that, if nothing else, it's solving crimes.
Police cite an 83 per cent solve rate for indigenous female homicide cases and conclude the overwhelming majority were murdered by somebody known to them.
It is encouraging to see the RCMP seems to have committed to improve its policing in the wake of its own report.
The organization says it will improve its investigative standards, implement mandatory communication schedules with families and incorporate cultural needs while working with victims and their families.
These actions speak directly to concerns raised by Gail Cyr, acting executive director of the Native Women's Association of the NWT, in her response to the report in last week's News/North.
Cyr said the RCMP needs to communicate more frequently with families of missing persons, work harder to solve cases and keep the database of unsolved cases publicly accessible and up to date.
Another key factor, she says, is for RCMP and police to not hang their hats on the stereotype that it is only indigenous men who victimize indigenous women. The 20-year failure of British Columbia police to see similarities dozens of missing women cases from Vancouver's downtown east side in the Robert Pickton case is the ultimate horror story that illustrates how misleading this line of thinking is. Pickton was charged in 2007 with the second degree murder of six women and 20 other charges were stayed.
But RCMP alone can't abate our disproportionate number of missing and murdered indigenous women. Lawmakers need to ask the obvious follow up questions: why is this happening and how can we make it better? There are people working on the puzzle. In April, researchers from the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health and the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Scientists released a study that found women in British Columbia are more likely to be victims of violence if they had a parent who went to residential school.
Residential school is the big bang in Canada's relationship with indigenous people. It left our indigenous community struggling in a universe of drug and alcohol addiction, crime, unemployment, lack of education, loss of traditional culture and mental-health challenges. The shockwaves linger.
It's an expensive and challenging road but, as they say, a pound of prevention is worth a ton of cure. The only way to even begin to heal is to work with indigenous people in order to determine the types of social programming individual communities need - and then make that programming available.
You would think the problem would be finding the funding for programs like these but nope, crazily enough, that's not it.
Last month, CBC reported the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development left one billion dollars - that's billion with a "B" - of money allocated to programming for indigenous people unspent. That's right, the money is there. It's been earmarked. But that billion dollars is sitting just out of reach from the people it is intended to help.
The road to hell isn't paved with good intentions - it's paved with our government's unspent programming dollars.
Happy birthday to a teenage territoryNunavut/News North - Monday, July 13, 2015
In the fast-paced world of 2015, when many young people never experienced the days of going out on the land with only a dog team and a qamutik, knowing only the speed and exhilaration of high-speed snowmobiles and quads, seldom is there a moment to reflect on the passage of time.
Last Thursday, July 9, was a moment to pause and take stock of the state of the territory as people from Kugluktuk to Kugaaruk, from Kinngait to Kangiqliniq and beyond, celebrated Nunavut Day.
It is too easy to focus on the many challenges faced by Nunavummiut -- the ongoing high cost and poor quality of food products, the sad state of public housing, inadequate health-care delivery, the high rate of suicide, the struggle many adults experience in the contradictory pressures of a wage economy and the pleasure of a traditional lifestyle. We could go on about the challenges and struggles.
Keep in mind that July 9 marked the 16th birthday of the formation of the government of Nunavut. Attaining self-government was a monumental achievement on July 9, 1999. This was just the beginning of an enormous task: To establish a system of governance over a small population spread among 25 communities on a land mass of more than two million square kilometres, equal to 20 per cent of the size of Canada.
Members of the Legislative Assembly were elected, a premier appointed, a consensus system of government established and many people hired to create government departments responsible for the delivery of services of territorial responsibility. All of this from scratch.
If one compares the age of the territory to the evolution of a person, Nunavut is just entering its fourth year of life as a teenager. By reflecting for a moment on the level of maturity demonstrated by the average 16-year-old -- and the short passage of time since Nunavummiut realized control of their own destiny -- many will understand there is real cause for celebration on this Nunavut Day.
The economy is growing, the population is increasing and the territorial government is getting better at meeting the needs of the people while capitalizing on opportunities available in a global economy.
Nunavut is getting national and international attention like never before thanks to worldwide exposure through advances in electronic communication and its participation in high-profile conferences and forums.
The three main priorities in 2015 -- education, economic development, and training and employment -- will pave the way for many more successes, now and in the future.
Nunavut's greatest asset is its people, those who embrace the territory as Our Land, rising to the challenges and creating opportunities.
Nunavut is only 16 years old this year, still young by any standard. We are confident that its future is bright as the evolution continues and young people emerge as new leaders of a government working to achieve admirable goals.
