Human rights ruling is about dignityYellowknifer - Wednesday, January 25, 2017
In September of last year, Elizabeth Portman won a Human Rights Adjudication Panel decision against the city which charged users of its accessible transit system more than users of regular city buses.
Portman, who has multiple sclerosis, was awarded more than $8,000 - a reimbursement of the amount of money she had payed over what a regular transit user would pay between the dates of Feb. 12, 2014 and Dec. 1, 2015. Buried in the panel decision is a statement one would hope Yellowknife's city administration takes time to think about.
"(The city's) not making this service available to (Portman) at the same rate as the regular service made her feel like a lesser person," stated the decision. "As a result it affected her self-respect and dignity."
Unfortunately, the city didn't give this line much thought because the fare structure continued to be unfair, causing Portman to bring the city before the human-rights panel again last month.
Now, the panel has ordered the city to reimburse these unfair charges to all users of accessible public transit. Getting dinged twice in two years for discriminating against people with disabilities indicates there is a lack of understanding within city bureaucracy of what fair accessibility means.
It's pretty simple: The city has a responsibility to make sure its infrastructure is accessible to all Yellowknifers. When looking at the fares to use this infrastructure, one should not be able to tell the difference between who has a disability and who doesn't.
This isn't just about money. This case is about dignity and self-respect. The city now has another chance to think about the impacts having a discriminatory fee structure has on its residents.
Hopefully, administrators will heed the message and avoid getting hauled in front of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel for a third time, causing even more expense and embarrassment.
Explore the amazing Northwest TerritoriesYellowknifer - Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The number of people using territorial campsites has reached the highest levels since 2003, according to Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
In total, 29,158 people camped out overnight in NWT parks last year. These soaring numbers have consequences for Yellowknifers as most of these campers are staying at Fred Henne Territorial Park.
So anybody interested in a stay-cation this summer might be dealing with a bit of a bottleneck.
But hopeful happy campers shouldn't fret. The department has offered some pretty good advice: Why not explore some of the other campgrounds across the territory, where numbers sagged last year?
Within driving distance of Yellowknife are the beautiful Lady Evelyn Falls, Twin Falls Gorge, Sambaa Deh Territorial Park and Little Buffalo River Falls Territorial Park, to name a few campgrounds. Some of these places are a pretty good day's road trip away, which makes for the perfect weekend getaway.
Consider taking this sage advice and, instead of staying at same-old Fred Henne park, head off the beaten track to see some of the more remote wonders this spectacular territory has to offer.
Final hurrah nears for grand old lady as tournies beginEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Well, once again, it's that time of year in the Kivalliq for the hockey-crazed among us.
The official start of the Kivalliq tournament season was scheduled to launch in Arviat last weekend with the annual Jon Lindell Memorial (JLM) Calm Air Cup, quickly followed by the Arctic Atoms in Rankin Inlet this coming weekend.
During the next two months, fans will pack arenas, especially in Rankin Inlet, for numerous tournaments, featuring the Powerful Peewees, Polar Bear Plate, Terence Tootoo Memorial, midget territorial in Arviat, senior men's in Coral and Kivalliq Cup old-timers in Baker Lake.
The Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association has been renewing its efforts to launch a regional bantam tournament, with bantam being the only age class without its own tournament in the region.
Naujaat usually brings the puck madness to a close with its Arctic Circle Cup senior men's event, and a rotating all-ages female championship also takes its turn being hosted by a Kivalliq community.
The 2017 Challenge Cup junior 'C' championship is scheduled for Iqaluit this time around.
With time running out on the grand old lady on the hill in Rankin, with the new arena finally looking like it's going to become reality, it's now more important than ever for hockey fans in the region to show their class while cheering for their favourite teams.
If ever there was a barn that deserved to go out with dignity, it's the Rankin Inlet arena.
I have long lost count of the number of incredible hockey games I have both been a part of on the ice and watched from the stands in that cold, old barn.
And every time I think I've reached the pinnacle of how good a game can be in our region, another one comes along that's even better.
Yes, there have been moments in other barns.
I will never forget the overtime image of Amaujaq Lindell, playing for the family team in the JLM, the Karetakers, with his glove on the top of his head, looking up to the rafters in Arviat after Rankin goalie James Merritt robbed him of a sure goal with an incredible glove save.
I also will never forget two Arviat players in Whale Cove, diving to try and stop a deflected puck from slowly sliding across the goal-line in overtime in the championship game, only to come up a half-second short.
Nor will I ever forget one of those players trying to hide the tear sliding down his cheek, after playing his heart out and coming oh so close.
But the memories in the grand old lady in Rankin are vivid and many.
I have watched 10-year-old boys play like men in double overtime, players put their team on their back and carry them to a championship, refusing to lose, goalies for a team being outshot five to one make incredible save after incredible save, refusing to bend, and rivalries play out far, far above what many in the south think the level of hockey should be here.
And through the vast majority of the (figuratively speaking) hours of highlight-reel film going through my head, the almost ear-shattering din of the Rankin crowd is a constant companion.
I've been in many a nicer, more modern arena than Rankin's in my day, but, NHL barns aside, I've never been in one anywhere near as special.
I have a folder of photographs taken in the Rankin arena during the past 18-plus years, and I know there will be numerous times in my old age I will thumb through them and relive the memories.
And, as tournament season begins and the grand old lady nears her final hurrah, I'm equally sure there's at least one more awesome memory awaiting me at the top of that hill.
She hasn't disappointed me yet...
Justin Trudeau: ColonialistNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, January 23, 2017
There is absolutely no need for a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling in Canada's North.
In fact, the move by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to impose a ban on any new activity - there aren't any sites in operation now in the Beaufort Sea - simply tramples on desires of communities such as Inuvik to eventually reverse their declining fortunes.
In fact, for Trudeau and his Liberal government to callously ignore the new way of life in the North dredges up comparisons to the way the feds once strode through the region imposing their will on inhabitants.
Yes, there is only way to look at Trudeau's move to demonstrate solidarity with now-departed United States President Barack Obama: Slapping a drilling ban on the Arctic - without any consultation with stakeholders - is just outright appalling.
We wonder if NWT Liberal MP Michael McLeod was even informed of Trudeau's decision, or did he hear about it through the media? We invite MP McLeod to publicly defend his government's move and explain how it will improve life for people living in the NWT. No, not the ideals of career environmentalists but the lives of common folks looking to forge a real living in the North.
The push back from the ban is starting to develop. You'll read a report in this week's News/North about how the Town of Inuvik, Nihtat Gwich'in Council and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation are angered by Trudeau's move ("Arctic forces join to reject drilling ban").
"We were taken aback," Duane Smith, president of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is quoted as saying. "We were not consulted in any meaningful way on the matter."
Smith said he was told by the minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada about the move shortly before it was announced to the public.
Stewart Burnett, editor of Inuvik Drum, wrote a column on the issue re-published in News/North ("Wise southerners light the way," Jan. 16.)
Following the tongue-in-cheek headline, Burnett decried the drilling ban imposed by "latte liberals" and the "compulsion to spread their virtue."
"Northerners are certainly used to this show of force by now, living in somewhat of a repetitive history of outsiders telling them what's good for them."
In this week's News/North, Nunavut News/North editor Casey Lessard shares that territory's concerns over the ban, ("Trudeau's green crusade shows lack of respect.")
Writes Lessard: "Trudeau's siding with Obama is a smoke-and-mirrors trick that enhances his green credentials while cloaking the same old colonial attitude carried by governments past."
Indeed. The fact the Canadian version of the indefinite U.S. ban can be reviewed every five years clearly shows Trudeau was all ego on this move - either drilling in Arctic waters is too risky to the environment or it isn't? Half-measures avail you nothing, Mr. Trudeau. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper showed much more interest in, and sensitivity to, the needs of the North.
What good has it done for the NWT to have sent a Liberal MP to Ottawa?
During the 2015 federal election, Trudeau visited the NWT and spoke of the Liberal Party's "real plan to grow our Northern economy."
Since being elected prime minister, we have not seen hide nor hair of Trudeau in these parts.
So we're simply left with these originally vapid and now just plain empty words from his party's platform: "Canada's North is a vast and beautiful part of the world, home to a rich culture and tremendous economic potential."
We can only hope Trudeau and his government - the territories don't even rank having a voice in cabinet - won't further hobble the economic pursuits of people in the North.
Lives are on the lineNunavut/News North - Monday, January 23, 2017
This month, Iqaluit Coun. Joanasie Akumalik called on council to protect the lives of homeless people in the city.
It's an important message, and he's chosen the right venue.
Iqaluit city council needs to better support the men who rely on the men's homeless shelter.
The shelter serves marginalized men - many of whom are unwelcome elsewhere due to mental health issues or recent incarceration - but the shelter is hobbled in its ability to do so by city regulations that require the men to leave the shelter throughout the day.
This is in contrast with the women's shelters, which correctly allow clients to remain indoors rather than face the elements.
It may be true that some of these men are able to find work during the day, but too many are left to find a daytime hangout space, when they could be taking part in mental health and employment support activities similar to the ones offered to clients at the city's two women's shelters.
We understand that the city has limited resources, and that the territory needs to help, too.
The city is unable to free up more land for more homes because it doesn't have the infrastructure money for more roads, water, or sewer lines.
This lack of progress impedes the ability to ease thehousing crunch experienced by many who seek refuge in the capital city.
Those living on couches or floors, with family and friends, across Nunavut know the need for progress in this regard.
But those pushed to the periphery of society, who have nowhere else to turn for help but the shelters, need special attention.
They are souls ready to be lost.
Two years ago, we witnessed the Christmas fire that killed a man living in a beach shack.
The December death of Jake Angurasuk -last seen at the shelter, his body was found weeks later 10 kilometres outside of Iqaluit -is only the latest tragedy that could have been prevented with a serious effort from our community.
They were both preventable.
People should be asking why the city still does not permit the shelter from staying open during the day.
What is the GN doing to provide the mental health care too many of these men need but go without?
Where is the execution of innovative ideas, such as a sea can compound to house these men, even in the short term until something better is in place?
Why is a three-bedroom shelter housing 22 men, which costs a charity $8,000 in rent each month, only open at night?
Jake Angurasuk's life mattered.
Lives are on the line.
It's time for each of us to consider what we can do to help and to get decision makers to act.
Hospital will shelter homeless regardless Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 20, 2017
As second vice-president of the Union of Northern Workers, Marie Buchanan's concern for worker safety following the hospital's decision to allow the homeless to warm up and spend the night in the hospital lobby is understandable.
It's her job to look out for workers rights, but that vigilance must always be balanced with the labour movement's general compassion for the well-being of all, especially those most disadvantaged in society.
Hospital administration demonstrated that compassion when it quietly took steps last year to open the hospital lobby at night to those in need of shelter from the cold. Security keeps an eye on the lobby, and a set of rules define how the lobby is to be used and how that privilege could be revoked if the rules are broken.
So far, both the union and hospital administration report no official complaints regarding the sympathetic policy.
It seems all involved have found a way to balance workplace safety with compassion for others.
As Union local 11 president Frank Walsh said, none of those who escape Yellowknife's cold nights every dreamed of waking up homeless one day needing shelter from the cold. Hospital staff, administration, the union and security should be commended for the humanity they have shown.
While it's true the hospital lobby is not a long-term solution for homeless in need of shelter during frigid winter nights, it does take some pressure off the hospital's emergency department.
As hospital staff know only too well, the emergency department can also be used to escape the cold. This is a potentially more disruptive situation with valuable emergency resources directed toward individuals who really just need a warm place to spend a few hours or the night.
The hospital will always be a place of refuge and last resort for the homeless. The current practice where they can come through the front doors and quietly settle in so long as they are non-disruptive and abide by the rules is a much better solution than having those same individuals arrive by way of the emergency department.
Parents: let your voices ring Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 20, 2017
On Jan. 24 Yellowknife Education District No. 1 is holding a town hall meeting to discuss with parents how the planned roll-out of junior kindergarten will affect services.
The big question is how the board will fund their share of the program now that the GNWT has said it will be going ahead.
A promise of some funding to boards - $2 million of the overall $5.1 million - is a marked improvement over the GNWT offering no funding and telling boards to use their accumulated surpluses.
The board has already been made clear there will be some unspecified cuts to other school programs to fund junior kindergarten but the
program is coming no matter what.
Now is the time for the board to figure out how to avoid that, as they wait for confirmation of the number of students they will have enrolled next year.
Superintendent Metro Huculak estimates up to 145 junior kindergarten students may be added to the public district enrollment.
How the government money will be allocated will hinge on how many students each board receives.
Both the public and Catholic school boards administrations in Yellowknife have been very well funded for a good number of years. As with all organizations, bureaucracies especially, there will be a calculated and determined effort to maintain what they have. This will shape their arguments and their presentation of 'facts' and options.
It is up to the elected board members and parents to send their respective school administrations a firm message - no cuts until there has been a serious effort to find efficiencies and forgo some professional luxuries.
The success of junior kindergarten will benefit teachers and parents as much as students.
It's up to the boards the ensure that success.
Funding hits the markDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, January 19, 2016
The Northwest Territories received a welcome surprise on Jan. 16 when the federal government announced it would be providing millions of dollars in targeted funding to the territory's health-care system.
In total, $36.1 million will be making its way North for health care in all three territories over a span of 10 years.
In the Northwest Territories, that includes $7.4 million for home care infrastructure and $6.1 million for mental health initiatives.
The money was secured nearly a month ago, on Dec. 19, as part of a new agreement for health care funding with the federal government.
Any money in support of health care - especially mental health care - is money well-spent.
And this particular chunk comes with two expectations: that children and youth will receive better access to mental health care, and that the number of patients in-hospital can be reduced by treating some at home or in their respective communities.
For the Northwest Territories, home care and mental health care are two very important issues families in small communities struggle with.
And more and more, the mental well-being of youth is emerging as an issue that needs to be addressed.
Hopefully, the territorial government will not be shortsighted where this funding is concerned, given the litany of problems plaguing smaller communities in the Northwest Territories.
Chief among these mental health problems are suicides, crime rates, drug and alcohol addiction and homelessness. Although none of these problems are specific to the youth, they all have a foothold in the youth population of many communities in the Deh Cho. A healthy youth population means a healthy future for the territory as those youth grow into adults.
The money for mental health care needs to be put into programs for youth in small communities. That includes addressing the strain of isolation, intergenerational trauma and re-connecting aboriginal youth with their culture and heritage.
Some of that money could be best used on developing school programs to address these things, while the rest would be best put into community programming.
As for home care, there are plenty of patients in the Deh Cho who would be relieved to not have to fly to Yellowknife just to receive a shot or be given a handful of pills. The stress medical travel puts on patients and their families should not be underestimated, especially if it seems like a frivolous matter.
But before any of these problems are resolved, the Deh Cho and Nahendeh electoral districts are going to need some strong representation from MLAs Michael Nadli and Shane Thompson in the legislative assembly to ensure some of that money comes south of Yellowknife.
Nadli and Thompson need to convince the territorial government that money given to smaller communities is money well-spent. Instead of having funding trickle out of Yellowknife, this particular chunk is best used directly in the territory's other communities.
Smaller communities cannot be left out of this funding. Any initiatives used under this funding must not be centralized to Yellowknife but instead need to be offered to each community - with the most remote ones getting top priority.
Reliving past might not prepare for futureInuvik Drum - Thursday, January 19, 2016
As an ideal, language and culture revitalization are unarguably good things.
But some things sound better as ideals than they are in reality, and chasing a warm, fuzzy nostalgia for the past can impact and limit one's future if due care is not taken.
I found this an especially interesting subject in Nunavut, where the government is pushing very hard to keep Inuktitut alive and even expand its influence in public schools and places.
It certainly sounds nice. It's a beautiful language, gives you a window into the past, and is tied closely to the culture of Inuit people.
Younger generations have the Internet nowadays and a very English-centric Western world, so naturally they have much more exposure to English than their native language, leading to the old ways dying out.
As nice as the old ways are, we also have to recognize that the world changes, and we have to change with it.
What I'm saying is more true for Nunavut, where in my experience the command of English is rather poor overall, compared to Inuvik.
It's clear that in Nunavut an inability to communicate in English limits Inuit people's job prospects. If they don't learn to speak and write English to a decent standard, they are basically confined to working in Nunavut, likely for the government.
By far the most professionally successful Inuit, the ones who have taken up high positions in government or represent youth councils, or who have become doctors, lawyers or engineers, all have a superb command of English.
Look at any job posting in North America, and it's obvious learning English to a high standard is critical for career development.
Now, there are certainly some career paths where knowing a native aboriginal language would be beneficial. These would likely be in cultural tourism and very local programming. But these jobs don't exist on a wide scale.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a beautiful culture alive. It becomes misguided only if it impacts your ability to succeed in the future.
English might not be sexy, but it sure is useful. Government-funded education in Canada must be focused on excellent communication skills in the modern world's ubiquitous language.
Keeping culture alive is a good thing, but it comes with the challenge of balancing the old with the new. Traditional skills at the expense of modern ones could hurt a young person's prospects. But putting the work in to develop both is a noble and worthwhile goal.
There is always a place to honour, nurture and celebrate our history. The only requisite is it does not come at the expense of our future.
