Arsenic awareness Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, August 11, 2017
Last week's flip-flop on signage warning about arsenic contamination in area lakes highlights a communications fiasco that began with the release of 30-year-old data on Kam Lake last spring.
Last week, Dr. Andre Corriveau, the NWT's chief public health officer, was forced to endure a very public course correction by his minister Glen Abernethy after the good doctor said erecting signs would be "expensive" and likely to be "defaced or vandalized" or "just fall over in time."
According to the minister, signs have been in the works since the spring. The territorial government will pay for them and the city will post them in four key areas: Kam Lake, Grace Lake, Frame Lake and Jackfish Lake - all bodies of water people may be tempted to swim or fish in if they didn't know any better.
Presumably they will be as sturdily built and as reasonably priced as the handful of signs already dotting the McMahon Frame Lake Trail or Baker Creek informing passerby of the area's fauna and geology.
City councillor Niels Konge told Yellowknifer he doesn't think the lakes need signs "because at some point people need to take the initiative to educate themselves and take care of their own well-being."
This is a marvelously libertarian point of view but doesn't help a person new to town or the tourist from Korea who would never consider reading health advisories on the Department of Heath and Social Services' website before taking a stroll down by the lake.
A few strategically placed signs with clear warning labels is the most responsible way to inform members of the public who may not be aware there is a problem.
The signage flip-flop was an unfortunate misstep in a week where residents were finally given solid information on a number of lakes within city limits, particularly Kam Lake - the subject of a health advisory in April, based on information from 1989, that stated arsenic levels in the lake were more than 50 times higher than the level considered safe for drinking water.
New testing shows the figure has since been halved to 24 times higher than the Canadian guidelines for safe drinking water. It's still an alarming number but the discrepancy suggests the health department would have been better off giving itself a few more months while doing its homework before firing off a health advisory based on out-of-date information.
The department has been playing catch up ever since and in the process has confused and greatly alarmed the public without being able to answer questions - questions concerning bodies of water many people have been living next to and enjoying all their lives.
There is much more to learn about arsenic in city lakes. Hopefully, the health department will learn how to better communicate the new information that it learns.
Food bank support impressive in this environmentInuvik Drum - Thursday, August 10, 2017
The Muslim Welfare Centre spent an extraordinary $120,000 last year funding the Arctic Food Bank.
That act of private charity must be one of, if not the, largest in the region.
Most community group funding here comes through government grants and programs. Grant and proposal writing has become an entire industry itself, with thousands of non-profits and charities vying for pieces of the public purse.
However, there's something more meaningful about individuals opting to fund a certain program with their own money than bureaucrats in government offices choosing which programs to fund with their tax collections.
The people who voluntarily donated to the Muslim Welfare Centre, knowing the money goes to programs like this, have parted with their money because it's a cause they believe in.
It is slightly more hollow to receive a bounty that was forced out of other people's hands.
This is not just semantics, because the incentives behind money circulation matter.
People are naturally generous, but to a logical point.
If the government assumes responsibility for a country's generosity and taxes to the extent needed to attain that power, the incentive for individuals to give plummets.
First of all, they have less money to give. Second, they wonder why they should fund something that the government has said is its job.
Third, the causes the government supports are not necessarily the same causes the people who are paying for them would support.
Peter will naturally use different judgement spending Paul's money than he would his own.
The Muslim Welfare Centre props up organizations like the Arctic Food Bank no doubt because the people who donated believe it is not just a good cause, but something that resonates with them personally and will extend their brand.
It is a mutual benefit: they feel good about themselves, and they get their name out there in a positive light. There's no such thing as selfless acts: people give because it makes them feel good.
But the person who's taxed for someone else to provide charity with that money has no choice in how the money is spent and all the brand payback goes to the government.
This can lead to a crowding out effect, which makes people less likely to be generous if they think the government is already assuming that role.
We can at once support the government's ability to provide funding to underrepresented causes and be wary of the fine line it can cross with regard to incentives.
People's charity does not exist in a vacuum, but is responsive to the ebbs and flows of their environment.
The Muslim Welfare Centre's support is a fantastic example of private charity still alive and well. So are the town's 100 People Who Care Inuvik group and donations businesses have made to the Children First Centre and youth athletics.
Groups like these deserve extra praise in an environment that doesn't always push people to give.
This bird still stuck in ashesYellowknifer - Wednesday, August 9, 2017
The ongoing Phoenix pay mess may seem abstract to some, but one federal employee shared a story last week that illustrates how it's turning lives upside down.
The system was implemented in February 2016 by streamlining all federal pay through an office in Miramichi, N.B. A glitch in the system led to all sorts of pay issues for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. People weren't paid when they should have been, were paid when they shouldn't have been and waited for months to see adjustments to pay for parental leave, overtime, long-term disability and modifications of duties.
Jane, who spoke to Yellowknifer last week, saw a number of these problems happen at once. Yellowknifer didn't use Jane's real name, as her department warned telling her extraordinary story to the media could be a conflict with the government's code of ethics.
Her daughter died suddenly in December. In April, her nurse practitioner advised she go on disability leave to deal with the grief. In the meantime, the Phoenix pay system continued to pay her despite the fact she was on leave, while the record of employment she needed to apply for disability pay took months to arrive - and when it did, it was wrong. She had no choice but to use the money she was mistakenly being paid in order to make ends meet.
In mid-July the pay stopped coming and there was still no word on when her disability pay would kick in. Jane needed money to pay her mortgage and nowhere to draw that money from.
Now, she sits in a precarious position where she has no money coming in and a Damocles Sword hanging over her head if the feds decide to recoup what has been mistakenly paid to her.
Jane is one of 228,000 people across Canada struggling with pay issues like this. For her, and everybody else with stories like hers, the federal government must commit the resources to rectify the situation without compounding damage that's already been done.
Relay for Life too lucrative to cancelYellowknifer - Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Last August, the Canadian Cancer Society closed its Yellowknife office. The society believes it can serve residents better through social media than with a physical presence.
Unfortunately, this means there is nobody left in town to organize annual fundraisers such as Relay for Life and Daffodil Month. So this year, the community missed these events.
Relay for Life, which has been a mainstay in the community since 2003, usually generates more than $100,000. This is an astounding amount of money for about 20,000 Yellowknife residents to raise.
It's hard to believe the Canadian Cancer Society will drum up enough support to match this without an office in town. Not only that, but these events shine a greater spotlight on real cancer survivors and their families. A Facebook page just doesn't have the same impact.
The Canadian Cancer Society does good work through funding cancer research, prevention strategies and helping those suffering with cancer. Without a human face and boots on the ground, the society is not going to be as effective as it would be. Perhaps it doesn't need to fund a full office, but keeping one full-time person around to organize Relay for Life - an event that so many people in the city love and support - is an investment that will pay back.
Training saves livesEditorial Comment by April Hudson
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, August 9, 2017
There's an old, racist stereotype about the 'drunken Indian.'
You all know of it. Some of you will have experienced it first-hand: that assumption by some people that if you belong to an Indigenous group, you have a drinking problem.
I heard that stereotype make the rounds when I was a child growing up in Whitehorse.
You would think that 20 years later, things might have changed — that society had progressed, and people are aware of how harmful such ideas are.
But those old stereotypes still circulate and they still influence the way Indigenous people are treated.
That much is clear after a coroner's inquest into the 2012 death of Paul Kayuryuk in Baker Lake.
Paul died under tragic circumstances, and although his death was ruled natural causes, it was very, very preventable.
All it takes is a read through the verdict from the coroner's jury, which held its inquest in late July, to see how badly the RCMP failed Paul.
I have to include a caveat here. Many, if not most, RCMP officers genuinely care about their communities. The ones I have known or been acquainted with have all done their absolute best to fulfill their job.
Sadly, sometimes the system fails. Reading between the lines of the coroner's inquest, which is a fact-finding exercise, it becomes clear policy was not followed in Paul's case. In fact, there were many failures in this case, from the assumption Paul was intoxicated to the delay in getting him medical attention.
Testimony during the inquiry, posted to social media by Paul's niece Karen Kabloona, references foam coming from his mouth, vomiting and incontinence while he was being held in cells.
Yet it took an entire night and the following morning for him to be transferred to the health centre.
That's a harrowing thing for me, who did not know Paul personally, to hear. I can only imagine how it felt for his family.
The coroner's inquest did the one thing it could: it recommended changes. Most of those changes relate to training of RCMP officers and civilian guards, education and a tightening-up of policy.
Such training can save lives. That includes very basic, common-sense training that encourages officers to -in the words of the jury's verdict -"challenge assumptions about alcohol use and intoxication in Inuit communities."
It's sad that those myths still exist, that people might assume intoxication before they consider the possibility of a medical emergency.
Unfortunately, the road to societal progress is often built on tragedies like this. Circumstances such as Paul's force us to look at the bigger picture and see just how much work still needs to be done to root out racism wherever it is found.
Hopefully, this is a wake-up call. It's past time for us as a society to destroy those assumptions once and for all. That would be the best thing to come out of this inquest.
Communication key for RCMP
Northwest Territories/News North - Monday, August 7, 2017
The RCMP needs to channel Blondie and call Indigenous communities. And First Nations need to answer.
That was the takeaway after Chief Frieda Martselos of Salt River First Nation in Fort Smith laid into the territory's top cop while discussing relations between First Nations and the RCMP during the 47th Dene National Assembly.
"I'm extremely disappointed in the RCMP because they did not do their job," she said, referring to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Martselos argued that if only the RCMP had treated Indigenous women like any other Canadian, maybe so many of them wouldn't be dead.
The stumbling point? Communication. Martselos said she felt there was a lack of understanding, accountability and transparency.
And the cops? Agreed.
"Our organization is not perfect. I know that," replied Chief Supt. Jamie Zettler, commanding officer of the RCMP's G Division, to Martselos statements.
It's not like there isn't a road map on how to do this better. Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus pointed to the Public Safety Protocol Agreement, which the Dene Nation and the RCMP signed in 2013, as proof that better relationships are possible. The protocol he said helped the RCMP work with the Indigenous community, which is good for everyone. And it comes down to something as simple as the RCMP knowing who to call -- a representative within the First Nation ready to work with them to make everyone safer.
So it's understood that better communications make for better policing, which makes communities safer and more equitable. It's understood that communities working with the RCMP, instead of feeling the cops are the bad guys, means that people are more likely to report crimes when they happen, and seek help when they need it.
The NWT has the second highest rate of police-reported family violence in the country, behind only Nunavut. But that's only taking into account incidents that are actually reported -- hard enough in any community but doubly so in the NWT. Of the 33 communities in the territory, 11 do not have an RCMP detachment.
Which is a problem if you're looking for help, especially if you're a woman.
In 2015, the NWT had Canada's largest increase in the rate of reported family-related physical and sexual assault, up by five per cent. And Indigenous women? Are nearly three times more likely to be violently victimized than their non-Indigenous counterparts, according to Status of Women Canada.
Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge of Deh Gha Got'ie First Nation in Fort Providence told the assembly it's important to encourage more recruitment of young people to join the RCMP.
"We want them to join a high-integrity, respectful agency like the RCMP," he said.
And the territory needs more Indigenous people in uniform. Diversity and representation matters. Auxiliary officers in every community, acting as community delegates, would help to build a bridge between the RCMP and Indigenous communities.
As others at the Dene assembly mentioned, opening the lines of communication is a good first step, but it cannot be the last. Up next in the roster needs to be more education for the RCMP about Indigenous cultures, which should include going on the land with school groups and attending workshops on the residential school system offered by the GNWT to educators.
This will give police a better understanding of the historical background that underplays what happens today, as well as letting people in the community interact with the police in a positive way.
Most people only interact with the RCMP when something bad has happened -- and from the RCMP side, they spend a lot dealing with people at their very worst. Better communication is a good first step in showing up and acknowledging there is a problem, and putting those first bricks together to build that bridge to something better.
Once that happens, it's up to individuals, whether in the community or in uniform, to walk over it.
Buy-in is good business
Nunavut/News North - Monday, August 7, 2017
It was a real-life example of David vs. Goliath, pitting the small High Arctic community of Clyde River in a fight against big oil and the Canadian government.
It's hard to believe the years-long battle is over and Clyde River took down these giants. Last month's Supreme Court victory declaring that Clyde River was not fairly consulted before the National Energy Board approved seismic testing in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait proves that one should never underestimate a determined underdog.
Much credit goes to former mayor Jerry Natanine and his community for pursuing this fight to the end. And the fight was won with financial backing from Greenpeace, which hadn't exactly endeared itself to Inuit with its decades-long efforts to destroy the sealing industry. Their support at the Supreme Court is a show of good faith but time will tell whether the partnership changes the Inuit view of Greenpeace.
We have yet to see the Nunavut government comment on the judgement but we can guess how former oil man Premier Peter Taptuna feels about the situation.
On one hand, the premier must view as good news the fact Inuit must be properly consulted on decisions that could affect Inuit rights, and Senator Dennis Patterson says the decision supports Nunavut's devolution efforts.
On the other hand, Taptuna is pro-development, and has made no effort to hide that resource extraction is his preferred way to bolster Nunavut's economy. Any barrier to development will be seen as a barrier to jobs for Nunavummiut.
But Natanine has emphasized all along that he is not anti-development. The fight against seismic testing is not a fight against development. It's a fight against unilateral decisions from on high. It's an effort to ensure progress benefits the people living where development takes place.
In the end, consultation works best when it results in buy-in from the communities that will be affected long after mining companies leave. Working to get that buy-in is smart business. One has only to look at Sabina's Back River mine in the Kitikmeot region, which was recently given a second look after initially being denied by the Nunavut Impact Review Board. The board subsequently reversed its decision.
Affected communities bought into the project, arguing it would bring jobs while making reasonable efforts to protect wildlife.
The proponents of seismic testing in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait, to their credit, held off on testing during the appeal, despite no requirement to do so. That's smart business, too, if they ever try to argue for testing again.
But they'll need to do much more than get community support for seismic testing.
There is enough evidence to suggest that shooting off extremely loud sonic blasts underwater is damaging and potentially deadly for the wildlife Inuit communities rely upon.
The seismic proponents may have lost this fight because of the lack of consultation. But if they come back for round two, they'll not only need to do a better job of consulting Inuit, they'll also have to work to achieve buy-in.
Proving seismic testing won't hurt marine life is the only way that will happen.
