Friday, March 17, 2000
Last week's brutal stabbing of a shelter worker at the downtown Home for the Homeless was out of the ordinary for Yellowknife.
Chris Green, a supervisor at the home, was held at knifepoint for almost three hours before being stabbed five times by a crazed man who broke into the centre.
A man from Fort MacPherson, who now faces several charges including attempted murder, was obviously mentally unbalanced at the time, and is clearly in need of help.
Because of this incident, the NWT Housing Corporation, the major funding agent for the shelter, is ordering the place closed as of April 1.
The corporation claims the guidelines for the shelter -- they state anyone who stays there must be a resident of Yellowknife and on social assistance -- weren't being followed.
But is closing the shelter the right thing to do? After all, since first opening in October 1998, it has housed countless men and (women) with no trouble.
So what if one of the current residents -- an Inuit graduate of Iqaluit's Nunatta College here looking for work -- isn't on social assistance? He's here, hopeful of landing a job and we can be grateful that Ernie Glowach and the centre took him in.
Is the NWT Housing Corporation so busy dotting its I's and crossing its T's to not realize we have a real crisis on our hands? Instead of tossing nine people out on the streets, laying off two people and stamping the file "closed", why not try and help fix things?
It's clear the centre, despite the lack of by-the-book procedures, was serving the community. Just think where this dangerous offender might have ended up if the centre wasn't there in the first place.
Karen Hoeft at the Salvation Army has organized a group of organizations to deal with the homeless issue. We suggest the Housing Corp. offers up a representative. It's the least they can do.
The so-called Northern Union of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut will not remain strong without some powerful forces pulling it apart.
We have in common a unbalanced financial relationship with Ottawa. Unlike the provinces, our futures are determined more by federal funding than the profit of our brains and sweat.
However, with skyrocketing oil prices and renewed interest in natural gas and pipelines, the territories, especially Yukon and the NWT are in direct competition.
Already Yukon government leader Piers McDonald has referred to a "dogfight" over a $6 billion pipeline, extolling the merits of an Alaska Highway route over the Mackenzie Valley route. The Yukon government has reportedly hired Ottawa lobbyists.
With an estimated 1,200 jobs at stake and untold royalties, the NWT must not be lulled by a false sense of camaraderie. Harding called it a dogfight. The NWT had better sharpen its pencils and its teeth.
You may remember Dennis Allen as an actor in the film The Herd and as the director of a short film screened at the Far North Film festival.
His latest film, called Someplace Better, will be screened at NACC next Friday. Shot in the North, starring Northerners, it is a Northern story told by Northerners.
It isn't the first, nor, we hope, will it be the last home-grown movie. But it is reassuring that in this era of trans-border culture, 500 channels and satellite dishes, the North still has its storytellers.
Editorial Comment
Daniel MacIsaac
Inuvik Drum
By all accounts, the 2000 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse was a success.
Nunavut made its sporting debut as a territory and team, and the NWT squad finished in second place behind the strong Alaskans and ahead of their Canadian and Russian rivals.
Local athletes, including Jordan Baxter, Christine Wright and Lloyd Lamouelle, came through with some outstanding performances and all the participants got the chance to compete at the highest level.
Phillip Jacobson and the Tuk boys came through in arctic sports, McPherson's snowshoers helped earn a silver ulu and rising Aklavik badminton star Janesta McLeod took home a bronze.
As mission staffer Theresa Ross said last week, it was fascinating to watch the athletes as they progressed through their local, regional and territorial competitions in order to get to Whitehorse.
Congratulations to them and to those who competed at all the levels along the way.
Coming together
The Drum office has not been immune to the recent spate of break-ins around town.
Two weekends ago, an intruder entered the office after hours and tried to make off with some relatively inexpensive equipment.
Thanks, however, to a vigilant neighbour and a quick response by the RCMP and Const. Darrell Robertson, the would-be thief was apprehended as he was walking out the door.
The reasons for youth crime are many and varied, but boredom is cited as the most common. That's sad, especially considering the efforts being made by scores of organizations and individuals around town to offer a range of positive, alternative activities including sports, cultural events and academics.
Let's hope that getting caught and convicted of a relatively minor offence will serve as a wake-up call to the young offender in this case and deter him from going on to commit more serious crimes.
In the meantime, thanks must go to both the neighbour and the police for their efforts to nip that problem in the bud.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
While many people were out enjoying the Beavertail Jamboree last weekend, negotiators from the Deh Cho First Nations (DCFN) and the federal government were continuing self-government talks at the negotiating table in Fort Simpson.
Anyone who wanted to stop by and listen in on the discussions was free to do so as the Deh Cho Process is an open process, DCFN chief negotiator Chris Reid noted. As a matter of fact, the two sides have tossed around the idea of having the negotiations broadcasted via television, radio or even the Internet to keep people as up to date as possible.
So far, all the negotiating sessions have taken place in the Deh Cho, and there's no reason why that shouldn't continue, according to Reid and DIAND chief negotiator Robin Aitken.
"I'm glad we're meeting in the Deh Cho communities. That's where we should be meeting," Aitken said.
The two sides are pushing the envelope in terms of self-government talks on a regional level. For that reason they have had to be creative to work within existing legislation, which is an absolute must as dictated by the federal government. Aitken pointed out that it naturally takes a little longer to progress when creativity is brought into the fold. Each side has to report back to its respective delegates, explain the innovative approaches and foster support. As well, new ideas are necessary because there's not a lot of agreement around the country when it comes to defining self-government.
Self-government is somewhat of a vague concept and it does make some people, particularly municipal and territorial government employees, a little apprehensive. However, one of the things Reid was clear on was that the transition to a local, public government won't result in people losing their jobs.
He said the areas of health and social services will be retain the same standards that exist now, if not even higher. A transition period will be necessary to turn over these services, he acknowledged. However, he reiterated that the shifting balance of jurisdiction and law-making in those and other areas won't result in a lack of job security.
One of the most interesting aspects of the whole negotiating process is the contentious land ownership issue. Although it's at the heart of the matter, the negotiations could feasibly be concluded without ever clearly defining who actually owns the land. The Deh Cho First Nations are determined to follow a land-management approach rather than selling their aboriginal title to the land. They don't recognize the federal government as landlord, and at the same time, the federal government -- as much as they claim to recognize the First Nations as the indigenous peoples of Canada -- aren't ready to sign everything over to them.
The negotiating process, although it moves at a snail's pace, has been an interesting one so far. It's open for all to observe, and is literally history in the making.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
A big thumbs up to Whale Cove Mayor Stanley Adjuk and the rest of hamlet council for jumping in and saving the Inuglak School Breakfast program.
It has been well documented in a number of creditable studies that hungry students have trouble concentrating on their studies.
Adjuk and council members showed good judgement in donating the $6,000 to keep the breakfast program running and at least 35 kids fed in the mornings.
The decision also sent a strong message to the youth of Whale Cove that the adults in their hamlet do care about their well-being and the level of education they receive.
Secrecy bad idea
The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) receives a thumbs down for the shroud of secrecy it's placed around its recent financial problems.
If, as KIA president Paul Kaludjak says, the 15 board members replaced at Sakku Investments Ltd. and Kivalliq Partners in Development was business as usual, we can't understand why the KIA has been so slow in releasing the names of outgoing members, despite assurances to the contrary.And if the financial situation is nothing serious, why the refusal to release any numbers or show how the current deficit occurred?
The KIA has to realize it's using beneficiary money in its dealings. The beneficiaries have the right to know where the organization ran into financial problems and the media has the right to ask and receive a proper reply.
Give them a break
A big thumbs down to our territorial sporting organizations for not being able to find a way to help the Whale Cove old-timers hockey club get to the Kivalliq Cup.
The cup is a big event in the Kivalliq, eagerly anticipated by the host community and players in all seven hamlets.
Not only did travel costs of more than $300 per player keep the team away, but by not participating this month, Whale Cove is not allowed to host the event next year.
Surely, the local airlines and sports organizations could have worked out something to allow Whale to participate. Take a back seat to the almighty dollar gentlemen.
Parents praised
A huge thumbs up to the hockey parents across the Kivalliq for taking the time to help out minor hockey organizers.
Whether it be coaching, refereeing, helping lace up skates and equipment or just offering moral support, your efforts don't go unnoticed or unappreciated.
More parents should be encouraged to take part in helping their children develop as athletes and grow as people at local arenas.
You won't be disappointed and you just might find your time spent there to be a whole lot of fun.