Editorial page

Wednesday, March 1, 2000

The Ekati example

With so much attention focused on Diavik's difficulties in getting past regulatory roadblocks, it's good to see the success at Ekati.

According to the company, production at Canada's first diamond mine is going along on target, with 225,000 carats of shiny gems produced monthly.

  Clarification

The $230 million figure given for the territorial debt in Wednesday's editorial included debt incurred by crown corporations such as the NWT Power Corporation. According to GNWT Press secretary Judy Langford, the territorial government's accumulated deficit for 1999-2000 is $10 million. If no steps are taken to reduce the debt, in 2000-2001 it would grow to $60 million and for 2001-2002 it would top $159 million.

Also, in an editorial of Feb. 3, regarding City of Yellowknife finances, the $7.5 million figure given for block funding from the territorial government was in fact the total for government transfers to the city. Block funding for the city in 1999 was $5.4 million while the remainder was grants in lieu of taxes.

 

About the only glitch was the need to install a new $2 million crusher to account for different kimberlite conditions.

It all goes to show that with persistence and a strong plan of action, a company can succeed in the North.

Ekati's example will show others that good things are possible, and could help stimulate even more economic growth, something that will be good for all.


Good luck at Games

On a superficial level, sport is about winning and losing. Dig past that, and you will find the true value of teamwork, fair play, dedication, desire and discipline.

The Arctic Winter Games is about all that. For months, even years, athletes of all types work to develop their skills to the point that they win the right to represent the NWT against the best from other Northern regions. It's not easy, but it is rewarding. Even those who do not qualify should look back on their efforts with pride.

To those who depart tomorrow for the Games in Whitehorse, we send a sincere congratulations for earning the right to go and wish you all good luck.

Do your best -- because that's all you can do -- and enjoy the games and all that the event has to offer.


Revenue on ice

Enough of the doom and gloom already. There are still plenty of good reasons to live in Yellowknife.

One of them has to be the lunch-time skate at the Gerry Murphy arena. Better for you than a fast-food burger, noon hour on the ice is a relaxing, sociable way to take a break from the stress of the work day.

And popular? You bet. Experts, beginners and the once accomplished but now rusty all find a place for themselves in the swirl of people rounding the oval for lunch.

Above and beyond the primal urge Canadians feel to race up and down frozen water, some of the appeal of the noon-hour skate is no doubt due to the central location of the Gerry Murphy arena.

As the city plans to meet future recreational needs, proximity to the people must be a consideration.


Arts need focus

The departure from Yellowknife of one of the arts community's most active volunteers, Jodi Woollam, throws into sharp relief the strategic disarray of that group.

When it comes to presenting a united front in order to further the cause of arts in the North, the community more resembles a dysfunctional family than a lobby group.

The arts should be taking a look at their competition for funding, Sport North.

Sport North has successfully focused their needs so that they get the money to get things done.

The arts community in Yellowknife needs to come forward to government as one voice to make the case for the role of arts. Someone will have to take the lead. Without that collective agreement, arts will continue to limp from one grant to another.


Trading places
Editorial Comment
Daniel MacIsaac
Inuvik Drum

While the Russian aboriginal leaders who visited Inuvik last week were looking at us, we were also looking at them. Their mission involved familiarizing themselves with the history, politics and culture of Canada's aboriginal peoples. They also naturally did a lot of comparing and described what life is like in their own country.

A quick comparison makes it clear how far Canada has come in the last century. While the Soviet Union has fallen and a new Russia has emerged, that country is racked by economic depression and war. While Canada's historical treatment of its indigenous peoples has been shameful, progress is at last and at least being made on land claims and self-government.

The North may at times be ignored by Ottawa but that alienation pales by comparison with conditions in northern and north-eastern Russia, where aboriginal groups are often faced with a choice between cultural survival and basic survival.

The initiative, run in part by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and funded by the federal government, to encourage international exchanges and heighten communication and understanding must be applauded.

Storytelling

You hear a lot about the need to listen to elders and to record their history before they, and it, disappears. In that vein, the publication of the family history Jijuu, Who Are My Parents? Where Are They From? is a great success.

Recording family genealogy isn't high-tech or costly, though it is time-consuming and a lot of work, and the Gwich'in Enrolment Board should be commended for its efforts in accomplishing this worthy project. Of course, doing anything in the North costs more than the south, and the Beaufort Delta Education Council should also be recognized for contributing funds that made the book's publication possible.

Hockey night in Inuvik

The IRC Cup generated lots of great hockey over the weekend. Rarely does a local event generate so much participation in Inuvik. The area was packed from the first face-off Friday till the last goal and cup presentation Sunday night. And that was a good thing for both organizers and sponsors alike, as well as the town and the Inuvik Minor Hockey Association, which ran the concession.


Does natural gas have a future?
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum


It's quite clear that the Deh Cho has plenty of what the oil and gas companies want -- namely more natural gas and oil.

Fort Liard has spurred a hotbed of activity. Companies such as Chevron and Ranger Oil have struck massive reserves of natural gas in the area. During an oil and gas information forum in Fort Simpson last week, industry consultant Doug Burch pointed out that the average pool of natural gas in Alberta is one billion cubic feet. In the Northwest Territories, it's closer to half a trillion cubic feet. A significant difference.

Due to depleted reserves in southern Canada and the United States, exploration and development in the Deh Cho is very inviting to these multi-national companies, so long as the demand and price remain relatively high, Burch explained.

There's not much question about the demand, according to the figures presented by Chuck Parker, coordinator of the Mackenzie Valley Planning Project for the GNWT. Canada consumes approximately 2.5-3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) per year. In the United States, that number rises to a whopping 22-25 tcf per year. That demand is expected to jump to 30 tcf annually, according to Parker.

The other factor in oil and gas companies' interest in developing Mackenzie Valley gas is cooperation from First Nations governments. There has been an announcement of collective interest in a pipeline by NWT First Nations, so long as they own a fair share of the pipeline and associated long-term benefits. However, in the Deh Cho the interest in a pipeline is conditional upon advancing self-government negotiations with the federal government. That presents an interesting dilemma when oil and gas companies come knocking at the door from Fort Liard, as they are now.

As noted above, the future is expected to bring an increased demand for oil and natural gas. However, should world supplies fall short, the pressure to find alternative sources of fuel will escalate. In some parts of the world, solar power is growing in popularity due to cost-efficiency. It's also environmentally friendly. Wind power and hydro power are also getting second looks from some countries.

One of the selling points of natural gas, according to Burch and Parker, is that it's a cleaner burning fuel than crude oil. Yet when it comes to emissions, solar power obviously compares favourably to natural gas.

There's no telling how long demand for natural gas will remain strong. There may be plenty of money to be made in the oil and natural gas industries yet, but perhaps not here in the Deh Cho for several years, if ever.

It's inevitable that natural gas will go the way of coal, gradually becoming obsolete as a source of fuel, giving way to newer, cleaner energy. The ever increasing need for cleaner air coupled with rapidly advancing technology makes the useful lifespan of natural gas an unknown factor. Yet others would argue that the government won't be too quick to convert to solar power because the royalties and tax revenues from natural gas are too enticing.

It remains to be seen whether the Deh Cho will prove rich in other desirable energy resources. We do know that there's plenty of sunshine during the summer...


Road to tourism
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


While it still isn't time to hit the streets and start celebrating, this past week's signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Manitoba and Nunavut is a step in the right direction.

The benefits of a cheaper power source are obvious, should feasibility studies come back positive and throw the switch to begin the installation of a line to carry Manitoba power into the Kivalliq.

Even more intriguing is the long-discussed road from northern Manitoba into the region.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and his minister of Highways, Steve Ashton, have made a habit of saying, "If we can put a man on the moon, we should be able to figure out a way to build a road between northern Manitoba and Nunavut," when addressing the situation.

Sounds good on the surface, but most Kivalliq residents know just how many obstacles there are to overcome if we are ever to go for a weekend drive to Thompson or Churchill, Man.

Arguably, the sector with the most to gain from any such road is tourism.

With a Nunavut-wide operating budget of $1.6 million for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, there can be no denying the fact our territorial government is backing Nunavut Tourism.

Just what gain is being made for that money is another matter.

The Kivalliq received the most of the three regions for tourism development, getting a whopping $180,000 of the $417,000 spent Nunavut-wide.

With a full one-third of that being paid out in basic salary for a tourism development co-ordinator, it's time we started seeing some return on our investment.

That's where the road comes in.

Right now, Rankin Inlet and the rest of the Kivalliq would have to be classed as a vacation for the wealthy.

The problem is most of these types of tourists enjoy sunnier climates, and when they do rough it, they only do so surrounded by modern conveniences.

A road linking us with northern Manitoba would not only allow us to tap into its somewhat vibrant tourism market, but would also substantially cut the costs for would-be visitors to get here.

The road may also be enough of a positive development for those employed with Nunavut Tourism to take a more proactive approach to tourism development.

If nothing else, it would be much tougher for bus loads of tourists to sneak through our communities undetected than it seems to be for cruise ships sneaking around our region.

In either event, the road would certainly go a long way towards ensuring Nunavut Tourism's Kivalliq branch has every opportunity to justify the money being tossed in its direction.

And if that means we start to finally see some results, we're all for it.