Monday, November 15, 1999
When it comes to natural resource development, 1999 has been a banner year for the NWT.
BHP's Ekati mine is meeting expectations, Diavik's $1.5 billion project has been approved, major gas and pipeline projects are under way near Fort Liard and Lupin mine is reopening after the price of gold stabilized at a high enough level to instil some confidence in the future.
This kind of news generates optimism and there should be lots of discussion about the possibilities at the Geoscience Forum in Yellowknife later this month.
NWT Chamber of Chamber general manager Mike Vaydik expects 450 delegates to this year's forum, a good-sized crowd but down from a record 525 the year before. He attributes the lower attendance to the drop in exploration. The figures, while still healthy, tell the story.
In 1996, $183.2 million was spent on exploration in the North. This year the total is expected to be $145 million, just over a 20 per cent drop.
What hasn't declined is the participation of Nunavut delegates, indicating that geology and the mining industry aren't affected by border politics.
A scan of the forum sessions shows there will be broad discussions and information, from the hydrocarbon potential of the Mackenzie Delta to mineral exploration opportunities on northeastern Ellesmere Island.
While the slowdown in exploration has to be a concern, the positive developments of the past few years, and the new attitude of both the territorial governments and aboriginal organizations, means resource development is being recognized as an essential cornerstone of the Northern economy.
It's no longer so much a question of whether development should occur, but how it can be done so Northerners benefit and the environment is protected.
Congratulations to Jane Groenewegen on being acclaimed in the riding of Hay River South.
Clearly her constituents must be content with the way the combative former and future MLA has served them, because no one mounted a campaign to run against her.
Regardless of Groenewegen's fitness for office, it is a sad day for the democratic process when there is no need to hold an election.
In a very real sense, acclamations do not serve the voters. Election campaigns create promises and policy platforms. Based on those, voters can voice their opinions.
Democracy works best against a background of public debate. Hay River South voters will not have the opportunity to participate in that kind of forum.
During the Ice Age, when we were attending school, students caught passing notes were punished by having to read the note aloud. It was a humiliating experience.
While the gesture usually got a few laughs from fellow students, passing notes was regarded as an immature and disrespectful thing to do.
In the tradition of Parliament, notes are passed between members who need to communicate with one another without interrupting the proceedings. It is a time-honoured procedure.
However, using notes to make veiled threats or insinuations is abusing the system. It shows a complete disregard for the principles of public debate that are the foundations of the democratic process.
Health Minister Ed Picco was recently on the receiving end of such a note. Picco chose to make the contents of the note public.
The minister took the high road in this case and seems content to say only that he has talked to the author and the matter is resolved.
His handling of the matter shows a lot more maturity than the person who sent the note.
A similar situation in the NWT in the spring of '98 ended up in a forensics lab for handwriting analysis. The issue was never clearly resolved, even after spending a good deal of time and some taxpayers' money.
When legislators abuse the processes of the legislative assembly, the public grows restless and cynical.
If politicians want the respect of the people they are elected to represent, then they better start behaving in a manner worthy of respect.
Events like this unfairly cast a shadow over all politicians, and the dedicated ones end up defending themselves against the actions of a few.
The clerk of the legislative, John Quirke, is looking at the current process. He shouldn't have to.
Passing anonymous notes belongs in the schoolyard, not the legislature.
Perhaps one of the world's most insidious evils is lip service. It's insulting, it wastes millions of dollars and unfortunately, it's one of the most popular tricks used by our politicians.
That's why this budget tour is such a crucial test of elected leaders in Nunavut.
Sure, it looks good that Finance Minister Kelvin Ng and the rest of his colleagues in the House hit the road to find out what Nunavummiut see as financial priorities. They've said they would try to work as many of those suggestions as possible into the next budget.
But what if the $70,000 trip was merely an expensive, empty promise?
While we can't do anything about it at this moment in time, we can sure keep it in mind next March when the budget is tabled. Our politicians would be wise to remember that.
It's amazing what a few bench presses can do.
Lots of people would guess that lifting weights might pump up your sagging muscles.
But who would have suspected that a set of weightses would have turned around a class in Resolute Bay?
Teacher Neil Campbell looked around and didn't like what he saw: out-of-shape teenagers. He worked out a deal with a local hotel and offered his students credits for participating in a weight-training program.
The students responded with enthusiasm and were rewarded with results. The kids are fit, their self-esteem is in place, they have a positive attitude and they are learning about nutrition.
We admire the practical simplicity of Campbell's approach.
The NWT won't be sending a snowboard team to the Arctic Winter Games this year and that's disappointed a lot of parents and snowboarders.
Once again, the business of sport has reared it's ugly head and both athletes and organizers can write it off as a lesson learned.
A lack of communication over liability insurance thwarted the team's chances of competing for this games, but Sport North assured the boarders they would be entered for 2002.
This comes as little consolation for the boarders who were psyched to compete in Whitehorse, but other teams can take note -- just because they're called games, it doesn't mean it's all play.