Don't break dish dealNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, July 17, 2017
Space appears to be the final frontier for some of Canada's federal government's licensing mandarins, as they ignore the needs of private industry by throwing a force field around their precious, dysfunctional regulatory system.
A multi-million dollar satellite monitoring farm in Inuvik continues to sit idle, as the feds take their sweet time to decide on a licensing application. A process that usually takes a few months in other countries, is looking at a year with no resolution in sight.
The frustrating ordeal has soured applicants' excitement over the promise of starting a satellite industry in a community that is looking for alternatives to the fizzling oil and gas business.
Planet, along with Kongsberg Satellite and New North Networks, has invested $10 million in the private ground station in Inuvik. It had hoped to use the station to track a late July launch of 48 satellites. But then the wonders of space met the impossibly impenetrable and completely lacklustre licensing skills of one federal government department.
As a result, Planet has threatened to pull out of Inuvik if it can't soon get its satellite licence approved.
News/North reminds readers that it was on June 11 when the GNWT marked the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link, designed to help grow and attract the satellite business. The $80-million, 1,154-kilometre fibre line connects High Level, Alta., to Inuvik, and it will extend to Tuktoyaktuk once the all-season road is finished.
The federal department responsible for administering the decade-old Remote Sensing Space Systems Act is the massive Global Affairs Canada, which has three ministers at the helm.
The exasperating situation has caught the attention of the international aerospace industry, after a July 11 story headlined "Planet ground station caught in Canadian regulatory limbo," appeared in SpaceNews.
Mike Safyan, director of launch for Planet, was frank about his frustration dealing with Global Affairs Canada.
"Working with them, to be frank, has been a huge pain," he said. "Their timelines for review have been incredibly frustrating and the whole process has been surprisingly opaque."
Global affairs spokesperson Jocelyn Sweet took some time responding to Inuvik Drum editor Stewart Burnett's request for information.
Painting a bleaker picture for the future of the Inuvik satellite industry - and any similar projects that could seek licensing anywhere in Canada in the near future - is the fact Global Affairs is currently considering the results of an independent review of the act to determine how to best regulate the sector. But Sweet wouldn't or couldn't elaborate on what "considering" means.
McGill University's study this year of the Space Systems Act concluded, in part, "the Global Affairs Canada office in charge of implementing the act as 'underfunded and under-staffed,' and recommending that more resources are required, especially as applications increase."
Inuvik Mayor Jim McDonald told town council he has raised the concerns over the issue with NWT MP Michael McLeod.
If the people of NWT elected McLeod to be part of the new Liberal government, then this absurd bureaucratic logjam is something they would expect him to throw some verbal dynamite on.
If MP McLeod and his brother, NWT Premier Bob McLeod, can't convince the Trudeau government to salvage the Inuvik base station by issuing a simple licence, their political stock won't be only thing failing to lift off.
Territorial arts centre overdueNunavut/News North - Monday, July 17, 2017
As Kiviuq Returns closed out the Alianait Festival on July 3, the show made two things abundantly clear: Nunavut's got talent, and it's about darn time there was a place to showcase it.
Nunavut is the only Canadian jurisdiction without its own dedicated performance arts space. It doesn't have to be that way.
Back in the 1980s, when Nunavut was just a glint in devolution's eye, the Northwest Territories didn't have a performance space either. But after major support from The Globe and Mail drew attention to the issue, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre incorporated in 1981, thanks to contributions from businesses, foundations and individuals from across the country. After more than 30 years, it's still the only fully equipped live performance theatre in the NWT.
Nunavut has one of the richest artistic communities in the country, creating all sorts of groundbreaking kinds of performance. Nunavut is home to cutting edge Canadian performers who are inspiring people around the globe while reawakening traditional stories and art forms and re-imagining them for 2017. That's awesome -- and Nunavummiut deserve a space of their own to shine the spotlight on their community. Northern art and artists are often held up as distinctly 'Canadian' but they shouldn't just be celebrated in the south.
Without an arts centre in Nunavut, the territory is missing out on an opportunity to strengthen ties to the rest of Canada through art. What's more, an artistic centre would provide a reason for other performers to come to Nunavut, which can only strengthen and enrich the artistic landscape here. Art is pivotal to society; it's a way to help make connections, increase understanding and open minds.
A fundraising campaign for a performing arts centre launched on July 1, and Qaggiavuut, the territorial performing arts group, has enlisted the support of centres across the country. Kiviuq Returns heads to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa July 21 and 22, and will hopefully draw attention as well.
This time around, Nunavummiut don't need to wait for The Globe and Mail to get involved. Hopefully the rest of Canada will listen.
Great Slave no pond to play in Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 14, 2017
The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are the only jurisdictions in Canada exempt from boater licensing requirements but that doesn't mean boaters are exempt from being safe.
While a three-hour cruise on Great Slave Lake may be quite enjoyable, a lack of precaution can turn joy into fear in a hurry. And getting marooned on the big lake is a far cry from Gilligan's Island.
Northern waters are cold, deep, full of rocks and prone to unpredictable weather. Survival may not be an option when boaters get themselves in trouble up here.
On June 29, nine people, including three children, were rescued by the RCMP and Yellowknife Coast Guard Auxiliary after their boat became stranded near Wool Bay, just outside Yellowknife Bay. Their 22-foot boat had hit a rock, disabling the motor.
It could have been much worse. Earlier this month, a boater died after going over the side of a boat on Long Lake, proving people don't have to be on Great Slave Lake to find trouble.
And while reefs and other hazards are plentiful on lakes around Yellowknife, navigational aids are few.
The lack of rules and markings is appealing in one sense. Northerners typically enjoy the outdoors unadulterated by the trappings of civilization but this also makes these lakes more dangerous to unwary boaters.
One of the reasons Pleasure Craft Operator Competency cards aren't required is because doing the training to get them is impractical in isolated communities - and that's not going to change, despite the fact that people in the North spend so much time on the water.
But if you can take the training, it's a good idea, regardless of whether you're required to or not. You can also license your boat through Service Canada; it's free and can be transferred to future owners. Having a boat number and information about the craft helps law enforcement and search and rescue identify your boat if things should go sideways on the water.
And it bears repeating to always wear a life jacket and skip the drinks while onboard. Transport Canada estimates that every year, about 200 people die in recreational boating accidents.
Assuming you can locate and put on your PFD in an emergency is asking a lot of your reflexes, especially in cold water, so Transport Canada recommends safety equipment be worn at all times onboard. It is also paramount that people carry with them a means to communicate before heading out from shore.
Cellphones are OK within range of Yellowknife but the best devices people should bring if they don't have radios are SPOT messengers and satellite phones.
Summer can be amazing in the NWT, and spending time on the water can make it even better -- but let's make sure everyone makes it to the autumn.
Using bad to create goodInuvik Drum - Thursday, July 13, 2017
At the community roundtable hosted by the Gwich'in Tribal Council on how to deal with crime and social problems in Inuvik, everyone had a different opinion on the best approach to address the issue.
Some advocated disciplining children more strictly, while others emphasized a compassionate approach. The question of whether or not to challenge drug dealers and bootleggers in court also caused some debate.
One thing could be agreed upon: there is no magic solution.
To an extent, crime and social problems will be present in any community. But Inuvik is likely above that reasonable baseline, which is ultimately spurring the discussions.
Throughout history and different cultures, there is a common denominator that indicates propensity for violence and these sort of ills: poverty.
Specific circumstances are different everywhere, but as a general rule of them, the wealthier nations experience higher standards of living across the board.
Tom Wright mentioned the importance for people to have hope, lest they turn to crime, drugs or even suicide.
In a prosperous economy where opportunities abound, people are much more hopeful. They see how they can improve their lives and pursue their dreams.
A poor economy offers relatively fewer opportunities, and people's outlook on the future becomes grim.
This is taking a general perspective and ignoring individual circumstances that can lead people down unfortunate paths.
With oil prospects drying up in this region, there are few major obvious sources of wealth available in the Beaufort Delta.
Nassim Taleb's book Antifragile provides a relatable concept about using difficult times to improve a system.
"Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness," writes Taleb. "The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better."
He uses a number of metaphors to explain this, including how forest fires breathe new life into the land, even after such initial devastation. Muscle is another example, as it grows from being placed under stress.
Those who survived residential school and became fantastic role models and leaders demonstrate antifragility. The North is filled with people who fed off challenges and used them to grow.
Instead of weathering the storm and hoping for brighter days, Inuvik can use these shocks to improve itself.
Meetings like the one the GTC hosted, groups like 100 People Who Care Inuvik and the ongoing shift in focus to industries such as satellites and tourism demonstrates a community spirit that refuses to turtle up, but address challenges and find new solutions head on.
The flexibility to gain from disorder is the greatest indicator of a community's will for long-term survival.
A national shameYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Around the time the federal government's Canada 150 celebration reached its peak with fireworks, live music and a gigantic rubber duck, the House of Commons released a damning report on suicide rates in Indigenous communities.
The report found Indigenous people face suicide rates three times higher than the general public and among youth, that rate is a whopping six times higher. These numbers have remained shamefully persistent since the 1990s.
The source of this travesty is self-evident. The residential school system ripped children from their families, language and culture, leaving many people abused, uneducated and adrift from their roots and alienated from Canadian culture. When these people went on to have children, many were still struggling with this trauma, which caused higher incidences of substance abuse and mental-health issues, leaving them under-equipped to raise healthy families. When people talk about inter-generational trauma, this is what they are talking about. This phenomenon is at the heart of higher suicide rates among Indigenous people.
Leading up to Canada Day, many people rightfully criticized how tone deaf it is for the federal government to blithely drop a half-billion dollars celebrating a national story while ignoring the more shameful parts of the nation's history that left so many Indigenous people struggling in this quagmire.
Yellowknifer urges territorial and federal leaders to spend some time with this report and follow its recommendations. Yellowknives Dene First Nation Chief Ernest Betsina offers great advice to those who hold the purse strings - he urges leaders to give resources directly to Indigenous communities, where people closest to the problem are. Those at the grassroots level do the hard work and know what is needed to create a robust suicide prevention strategy.
Canada 150 is certainly something to celebrate but it comes with a fraught history from which there are many lessons to be learned. Now that the party is over, it's time to get to work.
Yellowknife's doors are wide openYellowknifer - Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Part of what makes Yellowknife great is its people.
For a remote community hovering around 20,000 residents, the city boasts great diversity which creates an open-minded, cosmopolitan atmosphere.
This is why the territorial government's new immigration strategy is such a great initiative - it builds on what is already one of the positives of living here while helping to solve a labour shortage problem and stagnant population that has plagued the city for years.
The program works like this: in cases where employers are unable to find qualified workers to fill job vacancies, these employers will be able to apply to bring foreign nationals to fill those roles.
The government approved 79 applicants in 2016 and the government hopes to increase this number by 25 per cent per year until 2019. This includes a five-per-cent per year increase in francophone applications.
The territorial government should also heed Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart's advice to focus on family reunification as part of the program. People will find it much more feasible to make the big journey to Canada if they know there is a chance their family might be able to come too.
Families provide support, and can only further increase the local employer pool, so this is a win-win situation.
When it comes to immigration to Yellowknife, the more the merrier.
Last word on Sgt. Pepper Editorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Well, valued readers, as you're reading this, hopefully I'm relaxing on the East Coast and enjoying time with a special gal, my mom.
I will be back in Rankin near the end of August, and look forward to another year at the helm of Kivalliq News.
I'd like to thank all the folks who contacted me about a couple of columns I penned on the remastering of the Beatles wonderful and game-changing album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I thoroughly enjoyed each discussion on the "Fab Four," and was blown away by how many folks were into the Beatles across the Kivalliq (thanks for the most-awesome quote, Mr. Billard) and how much they knew about the boys.
I'd have to write a special edition of Kivalliq News to touch upon every point and question raised to me on Pepper, but there were a few important enough to touch upon the masterpiece one last time.
The biggest point I did not touch on - if you want a long and complete explanation check out Robby Berman's most excellent "Sgt. Pepper's wasn't broken. So they fixed it." -- was why parts of Pepper are so much clearer now and, no, they did not simply raise the volume.
During the Beatles glory days (musically speaking), the music from Rubber Soul, through Revolver and into Pepper, was getting more and more complex.
This created all sorts of problems in the studio, with the biggest being the addition of track over track. This led to one "bounce" (copying a mix of a four-track machine onto another four-track machine) after another, with the sound quality, especially of the drums and basic instruments, getting increasingly thin.
With today's digital wizardry in the studio, it was possible for Giles Martin to synchronize the original recordings and remove all the bouncing effects, and that's why the remixed Pepper sounds deeper, warmer and a whole lot more fun.
As I've mentioned previously, one must always remember the equipment the Beatles were using back in the day, and that they concentrated all their efforts on mono recordings and paid very little attention to the stereo versions of their work.
So, in effect, you cannot look (let alone judge) the Beatles work through the eyes of 2017, and it drives me crazy how many do and then criticize their music.
And, many of those same people can't, for the life of them, understand how classic rock acts that have been around 40 years or more continue to sell so many albums, especially when it concerns new releases.
Yes, every generation has its own sound but the great classic rock bands were from an era when musicians actually had to play their instruments, and play them well.
There were no ways to disguise the music in their day, and they certainly didn't have records out on which the "songs" were stitched together piece by piece from the best performances over 40 takes, usually involving the band's vocalists.
Until Rubber Soul, the Beatles pretty much recorded all of their work live off of the floor. An incredible accomplishment when you appreciate, song by song, the quality of their work.
And many of the classic giants that came up with them were basically doing the same thing until Pepper and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds came along.
It's the little things you have to learn how to enjoy.
See you in August!
