Friday, July 31, 1998
The story of Seamus Henry and his Dairy Queen is a clear example of the kind of political leadership we are getting from the territorial government.
The Yellowknife South MLA, who is paid more than $89,000 a year to represent the interests of the people living and owning businesses in Frame Lake South, has in fact been working very hard to further his own interests.
Seamus Henry
MLA Henry negotiated a deal that may force city ratepayers to cover the $140,000 cost of installing water and sewers for the Dairy Queen franchise he wants to build.
The deal is such a bad one for the city, Mayor Dave Lovell had to make a rare admission of "goofing up." Councillors have also been objecting to the terrible position they are in, having to approve something they feel is contrary to the interests of the people of Yellowknife.
There is no question Henry has shown himself to be a shrewd businessman and he has absolutely no qualms with problems he is causing at city hall. He just wants the money.
But we have to ask, what kind of MLA is he? When he was negotiating with the city, was he speaking as an MLA or as a private citizen or both? When he goes to bed at night, is he an MLA pondering how to improve the economy of his constituents? Or is he a private businessman devising ways to have his expenses underwritten by the people who elected him?
Having political leadership with a solid business background can make for an efficient government capable of meeting the social needs of its people. Having political leadership that uses business experience to line their own pockets works against good government.
Our present territorial government is dangerously close to being remembered as a corrupt one.
Henry's latest business deal is not helping.
OK, so it doesn't take a genius to see that there's a heck of a lot of construction going on. The city is dishing out $3 million for paving and another $3.4 million for sewer and water-pipe replacement.
Money, despite the inconveniences now, will prove to be well worth the ruckus in the long run. Work along the downtown stretch of Franklin Avenue may be providing the bulk of the upset as crews work around the clock to widen the sidewalks.
The fact that they didn't do this when they added new lanes to the same stretch three years ago is beyond us. In effect, they are ripping apart some fairly decent pavement -- but at least the streets will soon be safer for cyclists, rollerbladers, strollers, wheelchairs, pedestrians, skateboarders and of course, the motorists that use the road.
Erik Watt's Bush Pilot is a example of everything that's right with the Northern arts community. It is at once an ideal tourism draw and a high-quality piece of theatre worthy of repeated viewings.
Stories from the North, of the North, performed and produced by Northerners serve to remind us of who we are and why we choose to live where we do. Visitors and longtimers alike need more such home-grown culture.
With luck, Bush Pilot will be back next summer (it ends its 1998 run Saturday night). But with even more luck, the play will soon be only one of a long list of similar projects that reinforce the spirit of Yellowknife.
Editorial comment
Glen Korstrom
Inuvik Drum
For a private company, Nav Canada is doing its best to be fair to all Canadians.
That is why there are extensive consultations in the North. And to show that the meetings are not simply events to spout rhetoric, decision-makers at the not-for-profit company have already reversed their June judgement to downgrade the Aklavik community aerodome radio station (CARS) to a limited weather information system (LWIS.)
But the real injustice for Northerners will be if Nav Canada's new fee adjustments, done with an intention to be fair, continue and rise after Nov. 1 when planes weighing less than eight metric tonnes are included.
Stiff competition from the arts festival and the Fort Good Hope Dene drummers meant that only a handful of people directly involved in air navigation attended the recent Nav Canada consultation in Inuvik.
Nav Canada should eliminate or greatly diminish cargo fees for Northern planes. The company's aim of distributing fees evenly among users (and having cargo-heavy companies pay their share) indicates a private company attempting to be as compassionate and equitable as a government.
But Northerners should not subsidize Southern business travellers each time they buy milk.
Working to boost the dollar
Some Inuvikmiut have delusions that a low Canadian dollar in contrast to the American currency helps us.
True, the Canadian dollar is strong compared to the Japanese yen and, significantly stronger than the Australian dollar in which mining giant BHP makes most of its profits.
And no doubt there are many American tourists staying longer and spending freer. They tote new Sony camcorders and talk about their wonderful day-trip to Sachs Harbour on a $750 flight.
If our dollar were to be low only for the tourist season, it could help our economy much like when a business has a sale to increase profit through volume sales.
But a low dollar hurts us because our buying power and, by definition, our standard of living drops. Imports cost more and even domestically made products could cost more at home because they are able to fetch more money across the southern border.
That is why it is important to buy Canadian goods -- to support each other.
An attractive business climate needed to boost the dollar is generated by people who accomplish goals by working hard. So, let's be productive.
Sometimes Northerners can be too quick to look to government for help or to use the government as an excuse if project funding falls through.
With the youngest population in Canada, a vibrant NWT could at least make a severe dent in logistical hurdles such as its remoteness and resultant transportation expenses and become self- supporting.
Then, the high national debt and low dollar will take care of themselves.
Editorial comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
For those teenagers who aren't ambitious or fortunate enough to find work, summers are a time to kick back and relax. For two months, they seize the opportunity to soak up the rays, swim, socialize and feel free.
However, after a week or two of the leisurely lifestyle, some teens become increasingly bored. They're apparently in no hurry to go back to school, but they can't quite figure out what to do with themselves. For a minority, that's when getting into mischief, or the temptation to try and avoid getting caught, can become inviting.
I've only been here for about a month now. I haven't been informed of any stories about unruly teens making trouble. Vandalism, from what little I've heard and seen hasn't been a prominent issue at all, at least recently.
Perhaps the number of programs available to youth in the North is starting to provide some alternatives to petty crime. Some of the communities in the Deh Cho have summer recreation programs. In Fort Simpson, Scott McAdam, a tireless worker, is attracting numerous youth with sports day camps that run weekly. Colin McPherson is also running weekly sports camps in Fort Liard.
Okay, these camps cost money. Not every kid's family can afford them. Well, the Friendship Centres in Fort Simpson and Fort Providence offer a wide variety of programs at no cost. Jane Cazon has supervised a marvellous crew of painters in Fort Simpson who have turned close to 30 garbage bins into works of art. There are also periodic evening activities, such as the recent beach bash, which provide a chance for the kids to socialize and let loose a little bit.
Nearly every community in the Deh Cho has a summer student program in place, through which teenagers are gaining valuable job experience.
Near Fort Liard, there's a summer camp in a secluded area on the shores of Fisherman Lake that has been converted into a place where First Nations youth are being submersed in the traditions of their culture.
They're spending two weeks with elders to learn about fishing, rabbit snaring and sewing. They're making birchbark baskets, making camp fires and becoming acquainted with traditional medicines. Most importantly, their picking up their language -- naming plants, trees and fish in Slavey.
Frank Kotchea, social programs co-ordinator, said the camp is being kept as traditional as possible because those skills are being lost. The parents of the participants were very enthusiastic about the idea, Frank says, and the difference in the teenagers after a few days at the camp is phenomenal, Frank says.
I can't wait to see it.