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Wildlife Act recognizes priorities NWT News/North - Monday, August 9, 2010
However, the GNWT might have found a solution to avoiding similar controversies in the future.
The legislative assembly's new proposed Wildlife Act has specifically addressed how the government will deal with aboriginal groups in terms of wildlife issues. Not only is there a clear and defined method for consultation - through the use of co-management boards -- between the GNWT and First Nations, the act also demonstrates a recognition of traditional rights.
Aboriginal rights to hunt, barter and trade have been incorporated into the act, along with an understanding land claims agreements will supersede the act. The age limit for young hunters has been lowered, which will mean young aboriginals will now be able to participate in traditional hunts sooner. Not only will that assist in reviving aboriginal culture but, as hunter Jimmy Kalinek said, it will also allow more time to teach youths how to hunt properly.
If the final act keeps with the intent of what is included in the proposed legislation, and if the government acts accordingly, we commend the GNWT for listening to what people have been saying in regards to managing wildlife and putting together a law that will work for everyone.
Travelling in remote areas of the Arctic is not for the ill-prepared.
Every year search and rescue is dispatched to find lost travellers, and some of those rescues have tragic ends.
Even the happy outcomes come at great cost to taxpayers when search planes and ground personnel are mobilized.
Both lives and money can be saved if people take a few simple steps to ensure they travel safely. Most important is to ensure you travel prepared.
That means training for trips that will require physical endurance, filing a trip plan and travelling with the proper gear.
Included in necessary gear should be some kind of tracking or alert device that notifies authorities or friends where you are.
The government should consider a policy whereby those who fail to carry such a device be potentially liable for the cost of search and rescue.
Nobody wants people to perish while enjoying the wilds of the NWT, but neither does anybody want to pick up the tab when others needlessly cause a costly search to ensue due to being unprepared.
The Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio celebrated its 40th anniversary this summer, making it one of Nunavut's success stories.
Weaving was introduced to Nunavut's arts and crafts skill-set relatively recently but it has become an art in which Nunavummiut excel. Since its beginning in 1969, the studio's weavers have established a global reputation for producing finely crafted works of art.
The women of Pangnirtung transferred their legendary sewing skills to the art of weaving. There is also an emphasis on co-operation, an Inuit value, with teams of anywhere from three to seven weavers seated side by side at a loom, collaborating with an artist whose design has been transferred to the warp threads.
The Pangnirtung studio is also one of only a handful of weaving studios in the world that can produce large-size tapestries on commission. Its works adorn the walls of Nunavut's legislative assembly, and weavers recently completed a much-lauded commission for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Besides creating employment and bringing income to the Baffin community for four decades, the tapestries featuring colourful scenes of Nunavut life become prized possessions on display around the world - creating recognition and admiration of Inuit ingenuity.
It takes months to painstakingly weave individual lengths of coloured woolen yarn through the cotton warp threads until the final image appears - a testament to the beautiful things that can result when a group of people work together with patience and persistence towards a common goal.
In an era of entertainment on demand, many people lose interest when their efforts don't produce instant results. But as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, youths of the community helped weave a 180-foot band that was tied around the studio in a bow. We hope they picked up a few life lessons in addition to craft skills, because Nunavut needs a new generation that can commit to investing time into weaving a bright future for their territory.
Recently wilderness consultant Wes Werbowy reported he had warded off an attack from a polar bear that had poked its head into his tent by punching the bear in the nose.
Werbowy said he had no other choice because the bear was standing on his gun at the time, and he was forced to think fast or risk becoming a midnight snack. However, punching a polar bear in the nose was very risky.
We have to recommend avoiding hand-to-hand combat with Arctic wildlife if at all possible. They tend to have the size advantage, and come with bigger claws and teeth.
And to the impressionable kids out there who think Werbowy's adventure was awesomely cool: please don't run out and clothesline a caribou or put a muskox in a headlock. These are not good ideas.
Stay alert on the land and stay safe.
With the tightened security comes the expectation that security authorities thoroughly keep track of all passengers and items screened, as well as other activities within the airport, via video or other surveillance records.
The experience of at least one Yellowknifer shows this city's airport falls short of a clean record on this. Sean Ivens still does not know who took his son's $600 iPhone from the airport screening area on June 29, where it was left just before his son got on the plane, and disappeared within 10 minutes. Ivens said telephone records from Bell show the phone was used several times by an unknown person in Yellowknife within an hour of its loss.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), which is responsible for screening passengers in Canadian airports, told Yellowknifer it closed its investigation of the matter last month. The agency would not say what the results of that investigation are, and Ivens has not been informed of any of this since he submitted a complaint to CATSA, one day after the incident.
This case suggests airport authorities - though vigilant about what makes it onto flights - are unconcerned about following up with passengers who have legitimate complaints.
CATSA should provide answers on this to Ivens, at the very least. Answers are needed to reassure the public that airport security is up to the level passengers expect it to be. Just as importantly, authorities must remember that people passing through screening areas are not simply sheep to be counted and examined.
It's hard to comprehend why people still drink and drive. In 2006, there were 2,889 people killed and 199,337 people injured in Canadian incidents where the driver had been drinking, according to Statistics Canada.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates in 2007, of the 359,310 individuals injured in motor vehicle crashes, 73,120 of them were injured in impaired driving crashes. That's roughly an astounding 200 people a day.
Yet, people continue to get behind the wheel and put their lives, along with the safety of innocent bystanders, on the line. On May 28 an intoxicated Yellowknife woman smashed into the back of a school bus at 8 a.m., injuring one child.
The 23-year-old woman was given four months house arrest for her stupidity. She's lucky the incident didn't result in more serious injuries or death.
Not only are lives on the line, but so are jobs, personal relationships and money. A woman recently convicted of impaired driving told the court she will likely lose her job because she needs her driver's licence to fulfil her duties. If you choose to drink and drive then you must suffer the consequences of your actions if you're convicted.
Drinking and driving happens all too often in the NWT. The courts are full of similar incidents, almost on a daily basis. If you are drinking, don't drive. Walk, call a cab or catch a ride with a designated driver. It may be mildly inconvenient or cost a little money, but it's a small price to pay for preserving your life and those around you.
Water covered in an oily sheen when it should be clear and clean is one. Another is shorelines and riverbanks their grasses and vegetation coated in a layer of dark oil.
The most disturbing image, however, is of birds with slicked down feathers futilely flapping their wings when they should effortlessly be able to take flight.
The first came from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that began gushing oil following an explosion on April 22.
Misgivings about what can happen when the containment of oil goes wrong were compounded last week when approximately 19,500 barrels of crude oil escaped from one of Enbridge Inc.'s pipelines in the state of Michigan on July 26. The oil entered the Kalamazoo River where clean-up efforts are underway.
While the BP disaster seemed far away and of little consequence to the Deh Cho, primarily because the region doesn't have any deep sea drilling rigs, the Michigan incident hits much closer to home. Enbridge Pipelines (NW) Inc. is a longstanding member of the business community in the Deh Cho.
The company operates an 870 kilometre pipeline that starts in Norman Wells, runs past Wrigley, Fort Simpson and the Mackenzie River before heading to Zama, Alta.
Seeing a local company associated with an oil spill is bound to give anyone pause. If a spill can happen on an Enbridge line and pollute the Kalamazoo River what's to stop it from happening on the Mackenzie?
The answer and extra measures to make sure it doesn't happen may be implemented once the cause of the Michigan incident is determined. So far Enbridge has proven itself to be a responsible and community minded organization in the Deh Cho. Undoubtedly in light of the recent spill the, company will be going to extra lengths to reassure the communities along its pipeline route.
The annual oil spill exercise, which coincidentally took place outside of Fort Simpson just two days after things went wrong in Michigan, is one visible sign that if the worst was to happen Enbridge is well-versed in containment measures.
So what will the aftermath of the Michigan incident look like? For the Deh Cho, especially communities like Fort Simpson and Wrigley, new consideration will be given to the pipeline that to this point has often been forgotten or overlooked.
We already know aboriginal people have made their homes in the Beaufort Delta for centuries, and now, according to the maternal results of a DNA study conducted throughout the region last summer, we know that Inuvialuit and Gwich'in residents still bear a strong genetic resemblance to their ancestors indigenous to the land. This suggests that, unsurprisingly, people of the same culture have stayed in one place long enough to continue passing on an undivided, unmistakable biological code to future generations. Many of the amenities that first attracted settlers to the region - prime hunting and fishing spots and a pristine landscape - no doubt continue to lure tourists here today.
But what makes them stay?
The answer to that question could be the key to economic success for the Inuvik region and for the territory as a whole. It's an answer the GNWT is still trying to fully grasp with its Tourism 2010 Plan. The plan, launched five years ago, was to make the tourism industry more valuable by investing in tourism services such as fishing, outdoor adventure and hunting - but that can only be a first step. Though tourism pulls in more than $100 million a year and makes up more than two per cent of NWT's total economy, it's not enough to simply get people to visit. They need to live here, work here and, ideally, raise families here. If they don't, community workforces - including Inuvik's - will suffer. The GNWT has released statistics showing the territory is in the middle of a population decline and a labour shortage. Even if every current NWT resident was trained and working, there still wouldn't be enough workers to meet the demand.
For Inuvik, which is a regional centre and a gateway to the NWT's higher Arctic communities, tourism spending is particularly important and fair regional allocation should be one of the GNWT's priorities if and when it reviews its Tourism 2010 Plan. Already our town depends heavily on visitors coming to big events including the Great Northern Arts Festival, the Northern Games, the Inuvik Petroleum Show and, potentially, the End of the Road Music Festival.
It's particularly important for the community to rally around those events and get involved in hopes of keeping our local tourism industry strong, both to attract more visitors and new residents who may someday join different branches of Inuvik's family tree.
Katie May is interim editor of Inuvik Drum. Andrew Rankin will return in September.
Word came in July that the cost had ballooned to $61.2 million - almost double. If you listened hard enough, you could probably hear some jaws hitting the floor.
There seems to be two schools of thought forming around this project.
Councillor Mark Heyck defended the project, even at its much higher price, by pointing out the new figure includes geothermal heat for a greater number of buildings in the city's downtown area, 39 compared to the previous 20.
Heyck also argued some people fixate too much on the money.
"We tend to focus on the dollars and the economic side of it, but there's a huge environmental benefit to proceeding with a project like this as well."
Mayor Gord Van Tighem was much more pragmatic. He spoke of studying the cost and the return, and then deciding whether the project made sense, both environmentally and economically. He put affordability at the forefront of the discussion, which is most responsible.
Those comments are in line with the way Mark Henry, the city's energy co-ordinator, couched the project earlier this year. He said the geothermal initiative would be like a stand-alone business, one which must have more revenue than expenses.
While all the numbers have not been finalized, we do know the federal government has committed no less than $10 million and no more than $20 million towards the project.
Even at the highest end, $20 million out of $61.2 million still leaves a daunting amount for a city of 19,000 to pay down, especially a city with a new fieldhouse, a relatively new Multiplex and a growing number of water and sewer projects to undertake, not to mention the need for a new water treatment plant.
Of course, $61.2 million by no means represents the final cost, either. That figure could rise yet again as more number crunching is done.
Let's not forget the Deh Cho Bridge, which started out with a price tag of $55 million about a decade ago, but now stands at $182 million.
Same goes for the proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline, which for many years carried a $7 billion estimate, but that number then jumped to $16.2 billion.
The governments that approve such legacy projects rightfully are haunted or applauded for those decisions forevermore.
While we would dearly love to rid ourselves of dirty fossil fuels and drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we must take affordable steps towards that goal.
If a solid and foolproof case cannot be made for geothermal heat, then it's best to keep a lid on it for now.
So, here we are, barely into the month of August, and hockey talk has been rampant around the Kivalliq the past few weeks.
Most of the talk has focused on the free agent contract of Ilya Kovalchuk and what it could mean for the NHL going forward.
Many were baffled by the NHL rejecting Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102-million deal with the New Jersey Devils, in view of similar deals given to Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger, Rick DiPietro and others.
In fact, most agree nothing prohibits a multi-year, front-end-loaded contract in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NHL and the NHLPA.
That being said, most also agree the signing is outside the spirit of the agreement and is viewed by the vast majority of hockey followers as a CBA loophole.
Few people blink an eye at the actual value of the contract, as the money being earned by a large percentage of NHLers these days is beyond the average person's conception.
To those who live in the real world, $40 million, $70 million or $102 million are just abstract numbers.
The truth is we have no comprehension of what it's like to earn that kind of money.
What the millions of hockey fans in Canada do know, is the storm clouds are brewing for yet another labour stoppage following the 2011-12 NHL season.
And the sick feeling in the pits of their stomachs comes from not knowing if the game can withstand another labour war.
With the NHLPA wanting Donald Fehr as its next executive director -- the man who kept a salary cap out of Major League Baseball for 23 years and makes Bob Goodenow look like a teddy bear in comparison - the wagons are already being circled on both sides.
Former NHL goalie Glen ("Read my lips. The players will never accept a salary cap.") Healy is already on the air beating the drum for the abolition of the salary cap.
The decision by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to reject Kovalchuk's contract, and force the NHLPA to take it before an arbitrator, is a shot across the bow of the NHLPA.
The NHL knows in Donald Fehr something wicked this way comes, and it's sending a message to the NHLPA that it's still very much prepared to continue the fight against escalating player salaries.
In short, the most acrimonious labour-management relationship in the history of pro sports is about to get nasty once again.
For those who love the pro game, there's nothing to do but enjoy the next two seasons and prepare for the inevitable war of words that will escalate as the end of the current CBA draws near.
And, while we can all hope against hope for cooler heads to prevail, and for the two sides to realize another labour stoppage may ruin the NHL forever, history is not on our side.
For as it was following the N.Y. Rangers Stanley Cup win in 1993-94, the NHL is shining brightly with a stable of young stars, an exciting product and a spiking popularity.
So you can leave it to the league and the NHLPA to quickly unveil a new slogan for the near future - Beware: dark days ahead!
Corrections A basketball player development camp at Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife is scheduled for Aug. 20 to 21. Incorrect information appeared in the Aug. 4 edition of Yellowknifer. As well, incorrect information appeared in the Aug. 2 edition of News/North. The story "RCMP bust illegal shipment of liquor in Tuk" should have stated that a 47-year-old woman was charged under the community's liquor restrictions. She was accused of trying to bring in 11 extra bottles of liquor over the limit. A court date is set for Aug. 25 if the woman doesn't pay the $500 fine beforehand. We apologize for the errors.
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