Heritage before rulesYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Walkers don't have to wander too long around Old Town to see the value of a well-preserved history and why we need more historic sites.
Weaver and Devore, Bullocks Bistro, cabins in the Woodyard, the Bank of Toronto on Latham Island - all are among precious reminders of an earlier time in Yellowknife, painting a picture for tourists and newcomers alike.
That is why Yellowknifers should support Spencer Decorby in his efforts to preserve his historic 1940s shack. It was built by Joe Herriman, who once owned Ragged Ass Mine.
The shack now stands on public land on Back Bay. Decorby had placed it there from a few houses away without the required development permit, with plans to fix it up. Having broken development rules, the city wanted the shack out of there.
The city's development appeal board has given him a short reprieve until Feb. 29 to move it.
The city was correct to flag the issue because the rules weren't followed. People cannot simply build or put structures wherever they wish, and one would think Decorby, a project manager for Polar Developments, might have known to get the necessary paperwork.
That said, Decorby is absolutely right when he said "This building is still deserving the care I plan to give it." More than that, the city should want Decorby to give that building the care it needs.
This is especially true after the city renovated the Wildcat Cafe. If it costs taxpayers more than $525,000 to preserve this piece of heritage, city hall should be willing to make some allowances when Decorby decides to do the same of his own accord.
If an exception is to be made, certainly this would be the case to make it. An Old Town landscape devoid of character is not something that benefits anyone.
With Decorby's commitment in mind, either leave the shack where it is or move it back to where it was.
In this instance, the end result for the city is more important than the rules made by the city.
More than hope neededYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The fledgling wellness court is missing a vital component to help offenders get back on their feet: housing.
Wellness court is modelled after a successful program in Whitehorse which offers relatively low-risk offenders an opportunity to serve their sentences outside jail and receive counselling.
Thomas Avery, who pleaded guilty to theft-related offences, had to withdraw from wellness court because he couldn't find suitable housing in Yellowknife.
Judge Robert Gorin noted Avery was between a rock-and-a-hard place. Avery could not be accepted into Bailey House, a transitional housing facility for single men getting back on their feet, because he was in remand at North Slave Correctional Centre.
Bailey House, with its limited number of beds, also requires inmates be assessed by an occupational therapist but Avery could not do so, again because he was in custody.
Lawyer Tony Amoud, who represents people in wellness court, said the program is working, but clients are falling through the cracks because of the lack of stable housing.
Whitehorse does have a facility that acts as a halfway house for its program.
Gorin and Amoud admit Yellowknife is still experiencing growing pains, but are hopeful change is coming.
Hope isn't going to build a halfway house. This is an oversight that needs to be corrected sooner rather than later to give offenders the best chance to re-enter society and avoid falling back into destructive habits.
Active observation opens up the worldEditorial Comment by Michele LeTourneau
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, July 8, 2015
First, a short introduction. I'm Michele LeTourneau, covering for Darrell Greer while he is off on holidays for six weeks. I normally write for Nunavut News/North from Iqaluit. It's a pleasure to be in Rankin Inlet, the first time since visiting here and Coral Harbour in the summer of 1998. I've always wanted to come back. I took the long way round, but here I am.
No less than three stories this week have to do with science.
That Arviat elders are pointing out young people are losing out, perhaps even endangering themselves and others, by not developing their observation skills is not surprising. In a world inundated by the stuff we passively consume, it's easy to forget there's a reality around us that requires our attention.
That's what the Actua Science Camp is all about.
Just after I'd interviewed Shirley Tagalik about all the exciting research going on in Arviat to develop observation skills in youth, I heard the word "observation" loud and clear at the summer science camp in Rankin Inlet.
Actua is a Canadian charitable organization that delivers science, engineering and technology educational programs to more than 200,000 young people in more than 450 communities annually. In the Kivalliq alone, young Actua instructors, excited about science and the world around them, are sharing that gift with youngsters in Rankin Inlet, Arviat (last week), Chesterfield Inlet, Whale Cove (this week), Coral Harbour and Baker Lake (next week).
Instructors Kristen Ungungai-Kownak, entering her second year at Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa, and Amanda Peltier, an energy systems engineering student from Manitoulin Island in Ontario, both remember science camp from when they were young.
Sure, not everyone will make the progression from childhood science camp to science student and science career but that's OK because, as Peltier points out, the kind of observant thinking that science teaches "is useful in everyday life no matter what kind of job you do. It's useful to understand how things work."
And that's just what the Arviat elders are talking about.
One of the activities at the science camp is the "Spot Earl" walk. The children walk around their community, observe their community, and discuss what's happening. They learn to ask questions about what their eyes see.
Another common theme running through these stories is the importance of education. Peltier and Ungungai-Kownak told the campers that they didn't just end up in post-secondary school. They paid attention to their education, carefully choosing their high school course.
One young lady that proves that out is Andrea Phillips, a Baker Lake student fresh out of Grade 11.
Way to go, Andrea. That attention to her education is what got her into the week-long Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba.
And, despite her more or less set plans, her eyes were opened to a whole new field: robotics.
The elders have it right when they advocate for being active thinkers rather than passive consumers.
With education the future is nowNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, July 6, 2015
For the first time in Lutsel K'e history, Grade 12 students have been given the opportunity to study their last year of high school in their home community.
From family, friends and peers to community leaders, almost the entire community came out on graduation day to laud the community's first grads, Tristen Lockhart and Lucas Enzoe, on their accomplishment. They were veritable heroes for a day, for good reason.
Instead of traveling to either Fort Smith or Yellowknife to study their final year, Grade 12 finally came to Lutsel K'e so these two students could learn in the comfort of their own home community. This expansion of curriculum is part of a Department of Education, Culture Employment initiative to equip all schools in the South Slave with the ability to graduate students.
It's a step forward.
The move will help to drive up graduation rates - not only is it more convenient to take Grade 12 at home but watching older youth in the community do well certainly inspires younger students to excel in school as well.
But of course there are trade-offs in expanding Lutsel K'e Dene School to offer Grade 12 rather than letting these students end their educational journey in the territory's population centres.
Community schools simply don't have the same infrastructure as the ones in Yellowknife or Fort Smith. Instead of graduating surrounded by science and computer labs it comes with the territory that smaller community schools have fewer classroom tools. This leaves students with less opportunity to graduate on par with the potential peers they might meet if they ship off to a southern university or Aurora College in Yellowknife after earning their diploma.
This point is not meant to undermine the hard-working Lutsel K'e Dene School staff who are no doubt capable at employing ingenuity to close this gap. In fact, News/North just recently ran a feature on the school's principal, Devin Roberts, who runs an after-school DJ program. Not only is this a creative way to approach music and technology education in one swoop but it's just a cool program that sounds seriously fun and engaging.
That said, ECE could work to expand tele-education along with the number of grade levels NWT's small community schools offer. The Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line is about to give people along the Mackenzie Valley access to faster and cheaper telecommunication tools. Who needs a fully equipped science lab if students might get the opportunity to log into a complex dissection, chat with Chris Hadfield or take a virtual tour of the Royal Canadian Museum in Toronto? Conversely, Northern students could show a classroom in Mexico how to skin a muskrat, drill an ice fishing hole or how to make fur mitts. How cool is that?
The technology to expand the horizons of youth in the communities is arriving, and it's exciting to think about where it could take us.
City council is not charm schoolNunavut/News North - Monday, July 6, 2015
It's a rare opportunity that in a disagreement between multiple people, one has the power to literally shut another up with the press of a button.
It certainly doesn't make for an evenly matched confrontation but Iqaluit Mayor Mary Wilman took advantage of this ability in the latest meeting of city council.
Challenged by Coun. Kenny Bell, the mayor shut off his microphone, removing his opportunity to give any further argument. In fact, she did this multiple times during a back and forth exchange between Bell and Coun. Stephen Mansell.
Interestingly, this debate was over a bylaw that would put a code of conduct in place for councillors that Coun. Terry Dobbin dubbed a "gag order" and Bell argued was targeting himself directly. The code would prevent councillors from speaking to media on any issue without the mayor having first-dibs on commenting, and to largely ensure no statement is publicly issued that could potentially embarrass the city.
In other words, this bylaw would shut off Bell's proverbial microphone, as well.
The rules may apply to all councillors but it's hard not to see how heavy-handedly it covers the mouth of one in particular. Bell has, on multiple occasions, criticized the city and brought attention to policy issues, cracks in infrastructure and administrative problems that plague the city.
But isn't that what he was elected to do?
Ruffling feathers is, or at least should be, an important part of politics. Among his colleagues Bell is certainly the one that stirs the pot but this doesn't exactly make him an anarchist.
Mansell cited Bell's "unprofessional behaviour" as a reason why the city needs a code of conduct but this code is not just about manners. It's about silencing dissent in a clumsy effort to prevent embarrassment to the city.
Bell said he has been accused of breaking from policy by bringing to light issues within the city and speaking with the media. Even in the council chambers, Wilman chided Bell about speaking disrespectfully - while silencing his mic - but left Mansell to speak his piece. This validates Bell's concern that final say on this code of conduct is left to the mayor, with no third-party monitoring to ensure objectivity. Who's to say what is respectful and who's to say how an elected city councillor is to act?
Furthermore, what this code of conduct dictates is that these councillors shall represent the city corporate entity but not the residents.
The people elected Bell to his position and they elected him with a voice. Sure, that voice may be louder than some and more defiant than others. But, the fact is, the people have spoken - or does that microphone have an off-button as well?
Easy to get run over by social media bandwagon Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 3, 2015
As the methods in which people get their news and information continues to evolve, so too must newsrooms and journalists.
Social media adds an interesting wrinkle into the fabric of newspaper production in that most people have instant access to an abundance of unfiltered information.
Observing some of the more contentious stories to brew on social media can make journalists feel as though we're horses with a drive to gallop while reins pull us back. But those reins are restraint and they're absolutely crucial. In order to preserve journalistic integrity in representing the truth as best as we can - being fair and balanced and avoiding becoming a platform for somebody to air dirty laundry - we sometimes must watch the social media train pass us by, even as it picks up speed.
But sometimes that train is so loud and flashy and is running right through the centre of the city and we would be remiss to ignore it.
Such was the case with former City of Yellowknife employee Lauren Mercredi's viral Facebook post that accused another city employee of sexual harassment and city employees and administration of ignoring it.
Her post, which she set to 'public' on her Facebook timeline, walked through her side of a story that if taken at face value has grave implications for the city and its handling of serious concerns. Included in the post were pictures of her home and vehicles vandalized with spray-paint, that she suggested were vandalized by the same person who had sexually harassed her.
Within days, the post was shared more than 850 times.
The trouble was, after reaching out to Mercredi multiple times, she declined any further comment including physical proof that corroborated her claims. And the city declined comment, calling it a personnel matter.
Covering the story based solely on her Facebook post would be irresponsible journalism because of the lack of corroboration of serious allegations - but the information was already spreading at a velocity that couldn't be ignored.
It was the popularity of the post along with the fact that city council and administration reacted to it with a meeting that eventually drove us to report on it under the front-page headline "Facebook accusations against city go viral," and the story headline of "City investigates after Facebook post claims sexual harassment."
We followed every thread of the story we could, although most were very short - city: mum; Mercredi: mum; RCMP: mum, although just last week charges related to the vandalism were laid against a youth.
City councillor Bob Brooks commented on Mercredi's Facebook post that he would look into it, after which he didn't attend the city meeting about it because of his day job.
He then deferred to a statement released by deputy mayor Linda Bussey who declined to comment due to the situation being a personnel matter. Coun. Niels Konge told Yellowknifer after the meeting the city's procedures were followed to a 'T'.
Thus, we found our dead end.
Reacting to the murmur of social media is done on a case-by-case basis.
Facebook is becoming just as in-the-public-domain as a person yelling things on the street and its users are just as susceptible to media coverage, should we deem that it is warranted. No doubt, Mercredi was surprised at just how quickly her allegations caught fire but that is the risk of posting provocative messages on Facebook.
Although the related charges do lend some credence to her claims, her story at present remains entirely unsubstantiated. If further threads to this story reveal themselves, we remain committed to our journalistic responsibility of representing the facts to the best of our ability.
Time to break from tug-of-warDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, July 2, 2015
During the Dehcho Annual Assembly from June 24 to 26, it became apparent that many communities who are a part of the Dehcho Process are disheartened by what they see as a downloading of responsibility from the federal government to the GNWT.
The assembly drafted a motion to take a hiatus from the Dehcho Process altogether. That motion has yet to be voted on but will likely be determined next week. It follows months of rocky negotiations between the Dehcho First Nations and the territorial and federal governments, in which talks broke down completely before shakily resuming earlier in June.
One can hardly blame participating First Nations for considering calling a halt to the entire process until federal and territorial elections finish and the political landscape potentially changes. Over the course of the process, the government has proved itself unwilling to compromise.
At times, the negotiations hardly seemed amicable at all, with the First Nations staving off a strong-armed agreement with the only tool they have: delay.
It reflects badly on the government to dig in its heels and refuse to budge on a negotiation process that has been going on for so long.
It does not help that the process is unique to the Dehcho - a region that already has a treaty. This comprehensive claims process cannot be negotiated in the same way as other jurisdictions without a treaty.
The issues go deep. The Dehcho originally rejected the comprehensive claims process in 1996, refuting the idea that they could only select a certain amount of surface rights and less subsurface rights.
With the original treaty having been made with the Crown, some members of the Dehcho Process also feel process negotiations should not even involve the Canadian government, but rather should be with the Queen.
Whether or not that is the case, currently the federal government has taken the lead. It was an even more bitter pill to swallow, then, when they offloaded that responsibility to the GNWT during devolution.
All parties need to get back to the original intent of the Dehcho Process, but none more so than the federal and provincial governments. The Dehcho First Nations, like all nations, deserve to be dealt with in good faith and in a respectful manner.
Airing grievences anonymouslyInuvik Drum - Thursday, July 2, 2015
Earlier this week, I came across Inuvik Confessions - a Facebook page where residents are invited to submit their thoughts anonymously. With more than 1,000 followers, my curiosity was piqued. I wondered where the idea came from and what the attraction was since people seem to visit the page religiously. When I tracked down its elusive administrator, I got my answer.
"I wanted a place for the people of Inuvik to anonymously let their opinions and confessions out without being attacked," they told me. "A place for them to say things they wouldn't say in real life ... and the confessions came rolling in."
Those familiar with the page will know it is simultaneously shocking, amusing, heartbreaking and inspirational. It is a electronic psyche, updating every few hours.
This trend of "confessional media" has taken off in the last few years. Popular blog Thought Catalogue receives personal articles on a variety of topics and calls itself "a raw document" of human experience. Its motto? "All thinking is relevant."
Some have argued this desire to publicize the private - to expose ourselves and others - is evidence of a degenerating and narcissistic society, but the concept itself isn't new.
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under a thick layer of volcanic ash, the communities were perfectly preserved at moment of impact. What historians found when they excavated the site were hundreds of phrases written onto the walls of town buildings.
Scanning through a database of the graffiti, the etchings are far removed from the musings of Cicero and Plutarch - instead, they lament on unrequited love, poor sanitation, lousy inn service, rotten food and sexual trysts - and Rome was said to be the height of Western civilization.
Media platforms like Inuvik Confessions may not be an intellectual debate on political reform, but in this way, they are perhaps more valuable. Instead, it is a fluid record of thoughts, feelings and everyday occurrences - insight into what makes a community tick, what they value, what they fear, what they love moment to moment - and that contains more potential for change than any doctoral thesis.
We are moving away from looking at history through the lens of the "great man" and instead placing emphasis on the individual experience. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court made the decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide and some will no doubt argue this could not have happened without the crushing force of today's social media campaigns - more specifically, the thousands of stories shared online by couples pushing for change.
Studies have shown people dedicate 15 times more of their attention to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter than traditional news channels. Our opinions are driven by what goes "viral" and we get information from what our peers share.
Inuvik Confessions may be a micro-community and its content questionable, but those idiosyncrasies are part of a much larger purpose: writing the first draft of local history, one Facebook post at a time.
