Build all-weather road now Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, December 11, 2015
Last week's De Beers Canada announcement that Snap Lake would immediately cease production was a stark reminder that resource development in the North is a bottom-line driven industry.
Premier Bob McLeod was right to say the territory has seen this before and will survive.
But there are learning points to be taken from the closure of the Snap Lake mine, which will affect so many, so terribly.
Snap Lake had been a marginal mine from the beginning thanks to unexpected ground water problems that kept production below what De Beers had projected. Lowered global diamond prices over the past year added to the strain: what De Beers was able to get out of the ground had become worth even less.
The lesson here is that there is always a tipping point where resource extraction becomes uneconomical and project closures will inevitably follow.
The territorial government cannot do anything about commodity prices but it can do something about improving the odds to ensure Northern projects enjoy better resiliency against fluctuations in the global market.
The GNWT knows all this already. The Department of Transportation proposes an extension of the Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto road in its 25-year transportation strategy released earlier this year. Alas, it may be a day late and a dollar short if this winter's unseasonably mild weather continues.
The GNWT learned all too well the potential for disaster when the winter road to the diamond mines closed in 2006 after only 42 days due to warm weather. Diamond mines were forced to charter expensive, super-sized cargo planes to ship the rest of their supplies. That was before the 2008 global economic meltdown and falling diamond prices. Could the mines survive such a crisis today? It may very well be that we are about to find out.
Instead of immediately addressing the problem 10 years ago our territorial leaders decided regional politics trumped economic bulwarking, and built a $200-million Deh Cho Bridge and now, a $300-million highway connecting Tuktoyaktuk with Inuvik. Neither project invests in long-term economic benefits for the territory. At the end of the day, they will just be expenditures.
Foot dragging on building a road to our resources creates instability in the North. Winter roads are inherently risky ventures, even more so given the state of global warming.
For exploration and mining companies, risk exposure is a critical downside, especially when markets are soft and margins are tight. De Beers was quick to emphasize Gahcho Kue is in no danger but every project has a tipping point. At some intersection of low commodity prices and expense-sheet line items, Gahcho Kue will not be worth doing.
A road to resources would bring down the tipping point for active mines and increase the effectiveness of exploration dollars.
The territory is now being forced into a resource sector lull. The depth of the global commodity market slump is indicated by De Beers majority owner Anglo American's decision to lay off 85,000 workers -- approximately 60 per cent of its workforce -- earlier this week.
What to do while in this global slump? First, build that damn road. Second, empower aboriginal governments in the NWT to develop robust land claim positions so they are in a position to take advantage of the day when commodity pricing returns to levels that stimulate exploration and development.
These are the two most substantial stumbling blocks the territory faces to resource development in the North: resource infrastructure and unsettled land claims. Contrary to insinuations otherwise, there is nothing wrong with our robust and necessary regulatory system.
Now is the time to address both of these issues so the NWT is ready for the market rebound, and ready for a warming North.
Christmas spirit strong among residentsDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, December 10, 2015
Quite often, Christmastime brings out both the best and the worst in shoppers and gift-givers.
Some play the Grinch while others give freely in the pursuit of holiday spirit.
In the Deh Cho, there is no end of goodwill going around this holiday season.
Fort Providence's Paschalina Nadli is one example of this. Nadli devoted months of her time to gathering presents for young people in the remote Northern community of Sachs Harbour.
Another example is Fort Liard's Kathie McLeod, who put her own money and an entire day toward preparing a community feast for more than 200 people.
These are people who do not want anything in return.
They do not want recognition and they are not seeking compensation.
They simply want to uplift their community and territory by giving from the heart.
That level of selflessness is not only commendable but very inspiring to see.
Often, we hear about the bad things happening all around us - stories of greed, spite and crime. But here in the Deh Cho, those stories dim in comparison to the kindnesses of residents such as McLeod and Nadli.
We all have things to be thankful for and there are many more unsung heroes in our communities whose acts of giving do not reach the ears of the media.
As the Christmas season creeps up on us, it would be wonderful if communities could focus on celebrating those heroes who live among us.
Christmas parades, floats and dinners are great but the true meaning of Christmas is the spirit of giving.
Anyone who gives freely of their time and money deserves recognition for keeping the season alive.
That includes not only McLeod and Nadli but everyone who volunteers their time or money for a cause.
This December, there is no end to the ways a single person can help their community. This is the season of Christmas Hampers and open houses. As the Deh Cho is plunged into an increasingly cold winter, it is also a season of great need for vulnerable community members, people without homes and those who are struggling to make ends meet.
Those people are not always visible but they exist nonetheless, often without the hope of a warm Christmas dinner or the ability to buy a special gift for their children or loved ones.
Giving back to the community is as simple as donating to the local friendship centre or food bank, volunteering some time at the soup kitchen or helping out someone in need.
You do not need to feed 200 people or bestow gifts upon an entire community's children to give back. Even feeding one person or giving one gift matters.
Grand gestures, such as those from Nadli and McLeod, are incredibly powerful because they show us how a little goodwill can go such a long way.
As a community, we have the power to make that goodwill go even further.
Remembrance is not enoughInuvik Drum - Thursday, December 3, 2015
There is something inherently troubling in marking a day of remembrance and action on violence against women in a place where it is more common than nearly anywhere else in the country.
There is also something horribly hypocritical in remembering and honouring the 14 women who died on Dec. 6, 1989 at Ecole Polytechnic in Montreal when a gunman rampaged through the school, targeting female students, then leave silent the names of hundreds of aboriginal women and girls who have been killed or are missing.
This is not to say that the day should not be marked. Fourteen women dying only because they were women is tragic and remains so, more than two decades after it happened. There should absolutely be a day to remember them. But calling it a day of action is disingenuous at best in light of the systematic suffering still faced by so many.
At worst, it is a negation of the importance of the lives of hundreds of aboriginal women.
According to the Native Women's Association of Canada, the number of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls in Canada is disproportionately high.
The organization has found that between 2000 and 2008, 10 per cent of all female homicide victims in Canada were of First Nations, Inuit or Metis descent. Aboriginal women, however, only make up three per cent of the female population. The organization estimates that there are close to 600 indigenous women and girls who are missing or have been murdered, but also say that number in all likelihood is much higher.
While domestic violence is an issue across the country, incidences are much higher in the North. It is such an accepted thing that the Deh Cho region has re-elected a twice-convicted offender who wouldn't even have been able to run on account of still being in jail if it weren't for his early release.
For all the talk of taking violence against women seriously, that particular incident is an excellent example of the indifference present at every level, from the court system that let the convicted man serve a fraction of his already-miniscule sentence, to the 173 people who decided it was an acceptable enough crime to vote him back into office.
This inherent acceptance of violence against women is why this conversation needs to be broken wide open and addressed as a priority in the country as a whole, from federal government policies right down to interactions between individuals.
If 14 women in Montreal deserve a day devoted to remembering them, hundreds of indigenous women deserve action to prevent further acts of violence from being perpetuated against them.
Northland a winning hand for cityYellowknifer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The city has turned the corner on the years-long Northland Trailer Park sewage saga and congratulations are in order if the latest figures hold up.
The story of the Northland sewage system is fairly messy. Its infrastructure expired two decades ago. Work started on replacing the system three years ago.
In 2010, residents were stuck in limbo. The crumbling sewer lines underneath their trailers threatened to condemn the whole neighbourhood. The trailers were left virtually unsellable after the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation stopped providing mortgage insurance for the purchase of Northland homes in 2008, leaving a massive disincentive for buyers who would have been forced to provide as much as 25 per cent for a down payment.
For a while, it was unclear who would foot the $15.9-million bill for the repairs, Northland residents or Yellowknife taxpayers.
Once owned by a private company that failed to invest in proper infrastructure maintenance, the trailer park was established as a condominium in 1989 and thus individual homeowners became responsible for the costs of the repairs. In 2010, it was estimated residents would be required to pay $550 a month on top of their mortgages for 15 years, according to the Yellowknife Condominium Corporation No. 8, the board that administers Northland.
That price was too high - they couldn't get financing - so in 2012 the city stepped in.
If the up to $358 a month levy the city negotiated with residents to pay for the repairs seemed too good to be true, then the city's odd stance of refusing to reveal an accounting of costs most of the year added to the suspicion.
The city failed to snuff out rumours of cost overruns heading into this year's municipal election, which risked putting city governance back on the table as a campaign issue.
It was therefore pleasantly surprising to learn that not only is the project on budget but Northland residents will only be required to pay a levy of $296.87 a month after the city secured a lower interest rate than expected for the loan.
The city also made $300,789.17 off of investments from the money it borrowed for the repairs. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation now says it intends to lift its ban on granting mortgage insurance to Northland homeowners.
Great news all around despite being handled rather strangely by Mayor Mark Heyck and company, who continually sidestepped requests for updates as far back as May of this year.
Whatever the reason the city may have had, it might have been worth keeping residents in the loop to avoid criticism and to reassure taxpayers everything possible is being done to cut costs.
Having said that, the city should be commended for a job well done.
'A' for taking students' futures seriouslyYellowknifer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Yellowknife Catholic Schools is taking a pre-emptive strike to get their students ready for post-secondary education.
The latest advanced placement test scores from St. Patrick High School students paint a dismal and familiar picture. Students in their final year are behind their Alberta counterparts in many areas, with French being the exception. These tests are written by students wishing to go to college or university in another province and most of those will be going to institutions in Alberta, if for no other reason than to study closer to home.
We've heard many examples over the years of how students are a grade behind the national average, leaving them ill-prepared for the realities of studying for a degree or diploma they will need to get their careers started.
St. Pat's and Yellowknife Catholic Schools are taking the right action by weighing options to improve test scores, even though only a handful of students write it each year and one student alone could skew results, compared to thousands in Alberta.
The district is receiving help from southern education bodies with a new data analysis system that will help teachers at St. Pat's determine where students are struggling and pinpoint problems.
More funding, of course, is also a step in the right direction, as board chairperson Simon Taylor asked principal Todd Stewart at the board's Nov. 16 board meeting.
Any and all options should be considered to give our students the skills and confidence to go on to higher education without the worry the years they spent in school were
not enough.
Corps collapse a shameful scenarioEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, December 9, 2015
It was bound to happen.
With so many people refusing to chip in and do their share by volunteering a bit of time to local programming, it was only a matter of time until another youth-orientated program fell by the wayside.
And this one is a whopper.
It is difficult for me to even imagine this community without the 3019 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps Rankin Inlet.
If it wasn't such a horrible feeling to know these kids are on the brink of losing a wonderful program that has benefited hundreds upon hundreds of youths in this community for almost three decades, I'd have to laugh at the irony of the situation.
If I had $10 for every time during the past 17 years I've heard someone talk about how vitally important it is to have more positive programming for our region's kids, I'd have one very large sack of $10 bills.
The list is almost endless: from anti-suicide messages to healthy communities, community wellness, crime prevention, mental health and leadership initiatives just to name a few -- the path to healthy lifestyles for our children is almost always connected to more positive, productive youth programming.
And, the point is also almost always hammered home that not every child in the Kivalliq is into hockey and soccer.
Well, here you have it.
Cadets is one of our most time-proven programs that helps our youth develop skills, shape their personality, improve their self-confidence, take on leadership roles, make friends, develop social abilities, improve their physical and mental health, provide the opportunity to compete and travel and, most importantly, instil a true sense of belonging within them.
And more often than not, the cadet program is the primary extracurricular activity for a good number of these youth.
And now, through absolutely no fault of their own, they stand mere weeks away from having all that taken away from them.
If nobody in this community can find it within themselves during the next several weeks to step up and solidify this once strong corps, can you really blame any of these young people for being bitter and developing an attitude?
They have played by the rules, given it their all, and used the cadet program to better themselves both as individuals and team players.
And now, if nothing changes, their community is about to let them down in a big way!
And, to top it all off, Rankin's 3019 has even led the way in attracting corps elders to bring a strong traditional component to the program.
Corps Commander Dorothy Tootoo was bang on to point out that the small group of people in our community who give so much to sports and other extracurricular activities simply have no time left to give.
It is time for new blood to pitch-in and do their share.
And, Tootoo was also 100 per cent correct is lamenting the fact it's sad to see these youth have to lose their cadet corps for the community to receive a wake-up call.
Should the 3019 RCACC Rankin Inlet indeed have to cease operations this coming year, there is only one emotion our community should feel and that is shame!
Time for MLAs to grow upNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, December 7, 2015
How much is the legislative assembly like high school?
Hopefully, the only real similarity is the four-year terms they serve with their colleagues. But MLAs actually have another special privilege that seems to exist under the assumption that if it didn't they would act like teenagers. This is the secrecy of the process by which MLAs pick the premier, Speaker and cabinet.
While the process has opened up a bit over the years -- it's no longer the papal enclave legislative assembly clerk Tim Mercer jokingly described for News/North in the Nov. 30 story "Pros and cons of secret ballot" -- the public still does not know who individual MLAs will elect to these positions.
The reason? Making the vote public could "open the door to intimidation," according to Mercer.
In fact, Mercer goes on to describe high school-esque cliques of "minister classes," if the votes were to be made public. What could happen, he warns, is one MLA selected for cabinet who got seven votes could turn to another minister and say, "I got more votes than you" as an argument for being a more "legitimate" member of cabinet.
There is also the idea that MLAs won't be able to handle the pressure of choosing the person they feel is fittest for the job. MLAs, warn Mercer, might be intimidated into voting a certain way by their peers.
Yes, these are actual adults we are talking about and not schoolyard scruffians in short pants.
Rather than acting like adults who favour an open, accountable system, MLAs, over time, have kept alive a tradition of selecting cabinet by secret ballot on the assumption those elected to run the territory will intimidate and lord their votes over their peers.
The thing is, it doesn't have to be this way. If the new group of MLAs decide to make their votes public later this month when they choose their premier, Speaker and cabinet, they can.
By doing so, they can make themselves fully accountable to their constituents by publicly naming those they feel will best take on these responsibilities and at the same time, consciously make the choice not to degrade themselves - or let themselves be degraded - to the level of schoolyard bullying.
They say sunshine is the best disinfectant.
This is an appropriate saying, because as many teenagers turn into full-fledged adults, concerns about peer pressure tend to fade, replaced by other, more grown-up concerns - which literally include finding the best disinfectant.
Inuit artists show they have a voiceNunavut/News North - Monday, December 7, 2015
Inuit art and culture has cache in southern Canada.
Although Montreal filmmaker Dominic Gagnon tells southern media he has never visited Northern Canada, he seems to have attempted to cash in on it.
The controversy surrounding Gagnon's 2015 film Of the North - a 74-minute collection of amateur online videos, set in part to music recorded by Inuit artists used without their consent - has brought the filmmaker more publicity than his art ever has.
The film features clips of people who appear intoxicated and other footage some viewers have described as demeaning, including nudity, interspersed with images of Nunavut's industry and landscape.
A group of Inuit artists have described the film as a parade of racist stereotypes. Festival organizers defended their decision to show Of the North, claiming it offered "a critical discourse on colonialism."
Colonialism - an unequal relationship in which a dominant power from another region exploits and steals from an indigenous population - was indeed at play here.
No outreach was done to involve the Inuit community, which numbered 900 in Montreal as of the 2011 census, and the filmmaker has said he did not consult with any Inuit in the making of his film.
"We should have provided a better forum for conversation about this work to ensure an inclusive and respectful space for everyone to express their point of view on the film," the festival organizers stated in a news release issued late last month after the controversy raged online and echoed through the Northern and national press.
Inuit artists have made Gagnon's video collage into a public debate, defending their home, their people, their culture and their intellectual property admirably.
Juno-winning recording artist Tanya Tagaq condemned Gagnon's film as disgusting and offensive on social media and in interviews, threatening legal action.
Rather than stand behind his work like any great artist would, Gagnon deferred to the Cambridge Bay throatsinger's criticism by agreeing to erase her music from Of the North's soundtrack.
"I'm thrilled to report that my music is being removed from that lowbrow film and will never appear in it again," Tagaq tweeted on Nov. 26.
Southern news reports suggest another film festival pulled the film from its program over concerns the filmmaker used recordings without permission.
Distributor Videographe has suspended promotion and circulation of the film and Gagnon removes the work by Tagaq and one other artist.
The filmmaker has told southern media that he plans to remove all clips that pose a copyright problem, replacing the footage with blackness and silence even if it means transforming it into 74-minutes of image-less silence.
Ironic, given the fact that the reaction of Inuit critics to Of the North have proven themselves to be anything but invisible and far from silent.
