Monday, February 14, 2000
Premier Kakfwi's comment coming out of the recent meeting of Canada's premiers about the need "to make this country a better place to live" is a telling one.
Canada is a great place to live and part of what has made it so is our universal health care system, however, coming to grips with the federal deficit has resulted in its erosion.
What's needed is a long-term federal commitment to restore the system. Doctors and nurses know that. With one doctor for every 1,200 people, patients and their families in the North certainly know it. Premiers have added a strong message of their own.
We will find out if the federal government was listening when it releases its budget Feb. 28.
First Nation members gathered in the capital recently to discuss community justice. Delegates weighed alternatives to traditional courts, punishments and jails.
Justice, like any other aspect of a modern society, must continually evolve to meet the changing needs of the people.
As taxpayers are about to foot the multi-million dollar bill on a bigger jail in Yellowknife, we have to realize things aren't working the way they are.
Surely the answer lies not in bigger jails, but rather reducing the number of people in them. While community-based justice programs may well deliver more understanding and equitable sentences for crimes committed, the real answer is in unravelling the knot of economic and social issues that foster crime in the first place.
Part of self-government will certainly be the administration of justice, but as importantly will be addressing the social problems that impede the development of a truly just society.
The Smith's Landing First Nation, along with the province of Alberta and the federal government resntly put on a demonstration of cutting through all the hot air to make a deal.
After only a year in business, the newly formed band has already ratified an Agreement in Principle to settle its outstanding land claim.
According to Department of Indian Affairs officials, "all done their homework" to get these negotiations through.
While all three sides may have indeed been well prepared, another key ingredient to successful deal-making is the will to get matters settled.
The 172-member Fort Fitzgerald band secured a strong legacy for themselves and DIAND can put another checkmark on their list of things to resolve with Treaty 8 signatories.
Bands still working towards a settlement, including the Salt River First Nation across the line in Fort Smith, should be looking at the spirit all three parties brought to the table with an eye toward reaching their own agreements as quickly as possible.
The Government of Nunavut should be ashamed of itself. In power for almost 11 months, they've continued to put aside crucial improvements to Gjoa Haven's water supply system.
The result? The residents in the community are now forced to deal with drinking water that is infested by a species of chlorine-resistant larvae called bloodworms.
Trouble first arose when the town's water reservoir was unable to meet the demand of the constantly growing population.
While an expansion brim, a four-mile pipeline and a stronger pump all allowed residents to continue to turn on their taps, they were all expensive, short-term Band-aid solutions that are failing before the hamlet's eyes.
Let us not however, cast all the blame upon the newly elected representatives.
Surely the former legislative body -- the GNWT -- must be forced to shoulder the lion's share of condemnation.
For 20 years, said mayor Michael Angotittauraq Sr., the Government of the Northwest Territories knocked the Kitikmeot hamlet's ailing water supply system off the top of their priority list.
They remedied the predicament on the surface by throwing a few dollars at the hamlet, but in the end, the money went down the drain because the problem wasn't solved properly the first time around.
Angotittauraq's frustration and impatience are understandable -- particularly when it is known that the community is on the brink of another boom in population because government plans to decentralize jobs.
The current MLAs might not have caused the bad situation to grow worse, but the reality is that it is up to the GN to do something to remedy the situation.
It's time for them to ante up and include a new water reservoir in Gjoa Haven's capital funding. To do any less would be irresponsible and unforgivably negligent of the Government of Nunavut.
Inuit culture is treasured because it is unique. It is the culmination of clever solutions to the problems of surviving in a severe climate that offers limited natural resources.
The iglu and the qayaq are icons of ingenuity and resourcefulness that belie a remarkable and often unappreciated sophistication.
However, little matches the ulu for sheer genius. It is a remarkable tool. A skilled user can clean a fish and split wood with the same ulu. Not many devices in a modern kitchen can match that for ingenuity.
The ulu is a model of efficiency. Designed with the handle directly over the cutting edge, it takes less force than a conventional knife to slice through something.
The ulu merits a serious study, as well a place in the Great Ideas Hall of Fame.
It is easy to understand why the hamlet councillors in Fort Providence have issued recommendations to try and reduce the risk of the ice crossing near their community.
Their spirit of road safety is nobly motivated. However, it seems to be a sad aspect of human nature that people are willing to take needless risks on the road.
The leaders in Providence were responding to the recent near-catastrophe when a double-trailer tanker went through the ice. The truck was at least 50,000 kilograms over the load limit.
Despite signs, laws and public service campaigns people still speed, drive drunk, don't use seat belts and ignore road signs. Creating awareness of safety is important, but there is no stopping a fool from making choices.