Wednesday, July 29, 1998
What's the differnce between a faulty airbag and a politician? It's easier to recall an airbag. And so it should be. Alarm bells should go off when people, in the name of democracy, start waving petitions demanding resignations.
Petitioning for a resignation every time a politician infuriates a special interest group is not in the best interests of either the electorate or good government.
A petition supercedes the democratic process. At best it is a desperate measure, a condition of desperate times. It would take a massive response to a petition to convince us that it wasn't either frivolous or a reflection of vested interests.
Concerned citizens will proceed with caution.
Canada Post's price increase for packages over 20 kilograms is hitting Northerners where it hurts, but not for long. The post office was forcing customers who were mailing heavier parcels to pay the express rate, while anything under 20 kilograms could still be sent as regular post.
This increase, disguised as a change in service that gets packages to their destinations faster, made no sense to the customer and clearly had a harsher impact on Northerners.
Canada Post is revisiting this issue and has, for the last several months, been working on amendments to these changes that have run deep into the pockets of NWT residents. The revised changes, not nearly as severe, are expected to be in place in several weeks. However, the amended rate doesn't help customers who have already paid the express cost over the last several months (since the increase has been in effect).
The increase amounted to postage service that cost an average of four times as much as before. This is a huge jump that should not have been forced on Northerners who depend on mail service more than most Canadians. Those who live in isolated communities rely on expensive air freight for just about everything.
Northerners know that and one can bet that Canada Post knew that as well, but it went ahead with the increase anyway. While the high cost of sending airmail might explain the price change, it certainly doesn't excuse such an enormous rise.
Dave Craig, Canada Post's acting area manager for the NWT, said that they have changed the rate to make it more fair. "That is being changed because it's not fair to the guy who shows up to mail a package," he said. "People were just dodging the system by getting their friends to mail stuff.... We're trying to get these changes out (to the post offices) as soon as possible."
The amendments include a business rate that can be charged to customers who want to send more than five packages or more than 20 kilograms a day. This means that customers are no longer forced to pay the express rate for boxes weighing more than 20 kilograms. This business rate is, however, still more expensive than regular post.
Canada Post is only doing what it should -- providing fair service to all Canadians. It's encouraging to see them revisit the issue and change the increased rate to be a little more affordable. But the corporation should also reimburse all those customers who have already paid the express rate over the last few months.
When they have admitted their mistake, it would be the proper thing to do. And let's not forget, the business rate is still more expensive than regular mail, which is what was in place prior to the change. A price hike is still a price hike.
Beautiful scenery is a natural resource that abounds in and around Yellowknife. As a commodity, it is important to our economy.
Because it is something that we live with, Yellowknifers tend to take that commodity for granted. We take it for granted, that is, until something catastrophic happens.
This summer it did. The scenery caught fire.
For entrepreneurs who make a living from putting tourists in touch with the wilderness, the forest fires have been an unmitigated disaster. The biologists' chorus of the ecological benefits of fire is no consolation to someone whose lodge or camp is swathed in wreaths of choking smoke.
Worse, once the fire has been extinguished and the smoke has cleared, the once-pristine wilderness view will resemble nothing more than a giant ashtray. It will be another few years before the scenery becomes marketable again.
The damage that forest fires inflict on the tourism-based economy are considerable. The entire city benefits directly from the money that visitors spend and, indirectly, from the money the tourism industry spends in servicing its clients.
That's why we have to pay attention when lodge and camp owners call for help when their businesses are hit with natural disasters.
Entrepreneurs can't expect to be completely shielded from risk nor should the public be held responsible for the private sector's problems.
On the other hand, fostering tourism is in everybody's best interest. When the smoke clears, the public sector will have to look long and hard at the setbacks the tourist industry has suffered.
Low-interest loans and a program of bridge financing could help tour operators survive lean years due to the fire or make alternative arrangements for their businesses.
Keeping tourism healthy is good for everybody.
The numbers aren't in yet on tourists coming to Yellowknife but those stopping in at the Northern Frontier Regional Visitors Centre are down by half.
This is surprising and difficult to understand. Centre staff offer top service and the building is an excellent showcase for what the region has to offer. Good product, good service -- that leaves location and marketing as two potential problems.
While the building would be better located on Great Slave Lake, the Frame Lake site is not without merit.
It seems the centre is really suffering from what plagues the NWT tourism industry overall -- lack of marketing. Northern tourism may have the best product and service in the world but if we don't tell the world, it will remain the secret of the few.
Let's face it. Yellowknife is just about the last place in the continent you'd expect to come across a home-grown rap band. But that's what we have in the form of Unonymous.
Taj Johnson and Aaron Henderson have demonstrated that the possibilities are endless, if you just put your mind to it. Their performance at this year's Folk on the Rocks festival drew scores of appreciative fans and blew away any cultural cobwebs that might have been hanging around.
Rap isn't for everyone, but it is proof positive that this town hasn't run out of ideas. At least, not just yet.