Friday, December 10, 1999
Last week's Yellowknifer story headlined 'Cop abuse', offered a rare glimpse into the daily hazards of being a police officer.
It's stressful enough to go on domestic violence calls, knowing the potential for life threatening situations behind closed doors. But to have to babysit intoxicated people and transport them to safety, all the while being called names or subjected to worse indignities would tax the most mild of temperaments.
Yet the police must resist the temptation to use their legal powers to return the abuses in kind. With all the special days set aside for celebrating various worthy groups in Canada, perhaps we have overlooked the police.
At the very least, give them a smile and a wave, knowing they are on the receiving end of a lot of nastiness the public would prefer not to see.
Yellowknifers seem to be off to a good start this Christmas season when it comes to staying off the hooch and driving.
At two checkstops last week, a total of 400 drivers were pulled over at random, with no arrests for impaired driving.
But these checkstops aren't necessarily an indication the problem isn't out there. Every Tuesday before territorial court there's at least one drunk driving case before the judge.
Then there was the incident last August when five teenagers piled into a car to drive out to a party at Cameron River. Only two lived to tell the tale. It shouldn't take the coroner to tell us what we already know -- drinking and driving don't mix.
So, please if you're tying one on, stay off the road.
The staff at Stanton hospital are beaming over the recent additions to their inventory of state-of-the-art equipment, thanks to some good Northerners -- both corporate and private.
The new CT scan, mammography machine and pediatric surgical equipment were purchased entirely through cash donations from people and corporations around the North who recognized the need.
Gone are the days when we can leave it to governments alone to upgrade our health centres. Hospitals in the south have been running lotteries for decades to maintain technology and new funding sources must be found for the North. Let's hope the fine folks of the North continue their support of good health and good deeds for the sake of us all.
Congratulations and welcome aboard to the 21 people sworn in as Canadian citizens last week.
This country absorbs close to 200,000 immigrants a year. In fact, with the obvious exception of aboriginal peoples, everybody here is an immigrant.
Few immigrants head directly North. Last year, only 63 of the 174,028 immigrants to Canada came to the NWT.
However, one look around the streets of Yellowknife will confirm that the Canadian cultural mosaic is alive and well in the North. Overall, immigrants fuel the economic engine. Their contribution to this country is, by and large, impressive. Last year, 65,000 of the immigrants that arrived were either professionals or technically skilled workers. In the North, experienced diamond cutters are an example of the expertise that we need in order to develop our economy.
Immigration is good news for Canadians. That is why we welcome 21 new Canadians.
Editorial Comment
Daniel MacIsaac
Inuvik Drum
With the election out of the way, new and returning MLAs across the Beaufort Delta and the territory must now get down to the business of putting their campaign platforms into practice.
As Floyd Roland said after his win, this won't be easy. With the territorial surplus having been used up to balance this year's budget, a deficit is looming and hard choices will have to be made. The voters appeared to favour candidates who claimed they have the financial know-how to cope with such a crisis, but demands for more money for areas like health and eduction will remain strong in the coming years.
The MLAs will truly have their work cut out for them trying to carry out this balancing act of satisfying both economic and social needs in the territory. Talk of the benefits coming from increased oil, gas and diamond activity can only be realized if the government continues to negotiate strongly with southern companies and demand the development of secondary industries in the North. Benefits will also come if the government finally makes some headway on its Northern Accord and renegotiating royalties arrangements with Ottawa; this is far easier said than done.
The Beaufort Delta returned its three existing MLAs to office and elected a new one. This result means regional voters expect even better things from their representatives this time around, and for Roger Allen to also make a difference. Good luck to all four, they're going to need it.
Keeping his day job
As for George Roach, he ran a good campaign in Twin Lakes and shouldn't be discouraged by the result of the vote. As he said Monday night, he can at least get back to the business of being a good mayor. There's certainly no shortage of work for him to do on this front either. Like the territory, Inuvik is going to face increased challenges in the coming years but also has the chance to benefit from the renewed interest in gas and oil exploration. Roach can help make a difference and serve the people of Inuvik at least as well as mayor as if he was in Yellowknife.
Spirit of Christmas
Kudos to the organizers and participants in Sunday's Christmas Singalong held at the Igloo Church. The evening brought together the town's various and talented singers and choirs and offered something great for both adults and children alike. Samuel Hearne high school teacher Al Nicholson received the biggest round of applause for his role as director of the Community Choir and increasingly frequent presence as the man behind the piano at all public performances in Inuvik. As someone who is taking off for a southern Canadian Christmas after a solid year North of 60, I was really pleased to get a taste of the Inuvik holiday season before I leave. And, of course, witness Hearne vice- principal Geoff Buerger appear as "nine fat belugas."
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
An official complaint filed against Antoine during the campaign could possibly come back to haunt him. Duncan Canvin, official agent for Paul Gammon, has blown the whistle on some door prizes handed out during an Antoine campaign function. There could be some teeth to this complaint, but it all depends on the outcome of the chief electoral officer's investigation.
Was Antoine really attempting to persuade people to vote one way or another? That's a crucial point that must either be substantiated or dismissed.
Canvin also has the option of withdrawing the complaint. As of Tuesday, the day after the election, he said he was still mulling it over. The principle of the matter is important -- rules are rules, he argued.
On the face of it, it appears that the prize giveaways were not meant to buy votes. They weren't advertised. They were distributed by random draws. It's a customary practice in Fort Simpson. Nobody has stepped forward with allegations of being asked or told to vote for Antoine in exchange for a prize.
Yet it was a definite tactical blunder. The rule is in the Elections Act because bribery has been known to taint elections all over the world. Whether it's traditional in Fort Simpson or not, the giving of any sort of gifts by candidates should be suspended during an election -- at the very least to avoid arousing suspicion, as this incident has done. Alarm bells should have sounded when the idea was first mentioned.
Where does this leave us? If (and that's a big if) Antoine were found guilty he would likely be removed from office. A byelection would have to be held. The winner of that byelection would clearly not be the first choice in the Nahendeh constituency.
Canvin was quick to get the word out when he filed the complaint. Not only did he contact the media, he e-mailed more than 30 people before election day with a strongly-worded message entitled "Something rotten in the Nahendeh." He opened with a references to "deceit" and "lying." Those are serious accusations.
The message also raises the question of how an unregulated medium like electronic mail should be used during a campaign. While not necessarily a violation of the Elections Act, the message was obviously intended to influence voters. It impugned the tactics of one of the candidates with the allegation of buying votes, and that is still unproven.
The chief electoral officer will have to decide if there's any merit to the case. Unless, of course, the complaint is withdrawn and the investigation ceases.
You've got to love politics, don't you?
The territorial election campaign is all over. In Deh Cho, Michael McLeod will be expected to inject some fresh ideas on the political scene. In Nahendeh, Jim Antoine has been granted another four years as MLA by a substantial majority of the electorate. But the book hasn't been closed on the matter quite yet.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
However, that being said, we find it very difficult to support Coral Harbour resident Noah Kadlak's assertion he should be granted a permit by the Department of Sustainable Development to conduct a traditional polar bear hunt.
The first point to be made here is that Sustainable Development Minister Peter Kilabuk is, himself, an accomplished hunter with a great deal of knowledge on the subject.
And, while the official reason of fear for public safety he gave in denying the application is justifiable in its own right, it does not tell the whole story.
We here in the North are about as far removed from the "tree huggers" philosophy as is possible.
But there are limits.
Polar bears were once hunted by spear out of necessity, not choice.
Since the advent of the rifle and, at one time, the high-powered cross bow, the use of a spear to hunt polar bear has become both impractical and unnecessary.
Safety issues aside, for all we here in Nunavut preach about respect for Mother Nature -- have we become that insensitive to allow one of her most glorious creatures to meet with such a needless death?
Kadlak erroneously equates the denial of his request to the refusal to reinstate his rights to practice traditional hunting rights.
No one is denying his right to hunt. It is the manner in which he wishes to hunt being refused.
Kilabuk has exercised some keen foresight in his decision to deny the request.
Knowing Kadlak's plans included the filming of the event, it doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to see some undesirable effects quickly developing.
Just ask many a former seal hunter.
Imagine the rest of the country watching in horror if Kadlak's attempt was not a clean, decisive kill.
The public outcry over images of the once proud bear reeling in agony, dying a painful, horrible and totally unnecessary death.
Kilabuk also realized, should this scenario ever unfold, the ramifications it might have on Nunavut-Ottawa relations.
Not to mention the instantaneous appearance of such organizations as the Greenpeace Foundation on our doorstep.
A point could also be made that a recent occurrence outside Arviat (see story this issue) vividly shows how easily things can go wrong during a polar bear hunt.
Kilabuk denied no traditional hunting rights when he denied Kadlak's application.
What he denied was a method of killing long past its era of acceptance and he should be commended for having the fortitude to make the decision in the face of "cultural" claims by Kadlak.
Hopefully, our minister will have the same fortitude in standing by his decision.
Make no mistake about it, we here at Kivalliq News have always advocated the preservation of Inuit culture and tradition.