Wednesday, December 13, 2000
It's to Mayor Gord Van Tighem's credit that he acknowledges his friends. All too often, people in public life turn away from those who brought them to the dance.
Not that the mayor is in debt to Ray and Gabrielle Decorbe, the owners of a company that is suing the city for an alleged loss of opportunity to develop a property it owns.
The Decorbes donated office space to the mayor's election campaign and he attended a meeting at which city administrators provided councillors with an overview of the legal action.
Coun. Dave Ramsay argued the mayor was in a potential conflict of interest. A legal opinion said he was not, but the mayor wisely decided to remove himself from any future discussion of the suit.
In public life, appearances can mean as much as remembering who your friends are.
The temporary hiring of three social workers for Yellowknife is like throwing a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.
The three new workers, who will boost the number of Yellowknife workers to 11, have only been hired for three-month terms.
This measure follows the UNW's public outcry last month. They said unmanageable workloads and child safety concerns are leaving workers scrambling. Their alarm was confirmed by the Child Welfare League of Canada, whose in-depth study suggested that 22 additional workers were needed in the NWT, particularly in Yellowknife. Al Woods, CEO of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Board agrees it's a short-term solution but says the board wants to conduct its own "in-depth review of the situation."
Why? Surely the word of the workers and the study, paid for by the GNWT, are enough evidence of a real crisis brewing. brewing.
When Nunavut decided to go its own way, the future of power generation in the NWT was thrown into question.
To the territorial government, answering those concerns appears to mean a new coat of paint and a longer leash.
A recent government study proposes that the new NWT Power Corporation expand into fuel and natural gas distribution and selling power to the south to generate new revenue for the GNWT. At the same time, the Power Corp. would enjoy a newly streamlined regulatory process, including getting rid of the Public Utilities Board Act which sets rates and conditions designed to benefit the public first and foremost.
Doing that, the study suggests, will make the corporation strong.
But is a strong monopoly with a great degree of freedom to operate without direct government control good for the people and for the future of the NWT?
The new Power Corp. would diminish the public's control not only over power rates but decisions about infrastructure, public priorities, basically our future.
If the Power Corp. was privatized, at least accountability and efficiencies might be achieved through competition. But keeping the Power Corp. a monopoly while at the same time freeing it from public accountability does not change the status quo, it entrenches its worst features.
Likewise, giving the corporation a monopoly on natural gas distribution before it's even available in the NWT does not say "we're open for business."
It says the North likes monopolies.
Jim Ramsay and the Hockey North staff should be commended for their efforts in improving the Nunavut hockey scene.
If the Stanley Cup does arrive in Rankin Inlet, that alone would be accomplishment enough to warrant this space.
But as glorious as having Lord Stanley visit our region would be, it takes a back seat to the real accomplishments of Hockey North -- improving the hockey environment for our youth and showing what can be done through effort and determination.
The creation of a junior C program in the North is of tremendous value to our hockey playing youth.
Not only will it increase the level of competition, it will also attract scouts to our region.
And with scouts comes opportunity, both athletic and academic.
Another valuable plus to the program is that it gives bantam- and midget-aged players something to strive for.
No longer are they restricted to the recreation leagues of their various communities.
The biggest plus of them all, however, transcends sports into overall accomplishment.
Hockey North is showing what can be done with courage and dedication to a specific goal.
Lacking even the basics of artificial ice in any Nunavut community, save the capital, Hockey North is initiating a program which shows the sky is often the limit when action and conviction replace words.
We wish them well in their endeavour.
Life and death
The fatality in Baker Lake during last week's blizzard was a tragic event, but it was also another needless death in Kivalliq annals.
When living in one of the most unforgiving climates in the world, being properly prepared is often the difference between life and death.
Even the most menial of tasks can have grave consequences when proper care and caution are not taken.
We urge residents to exercise caution this winter.
Take nothing for granted when venturing out into inclement weather, or when bad weather has been forecast for your area.
If you must go out, dress properly, and tell someone where you're going, when you are leaving, the route you're taking and when you expect to arrive.
The few minutes it takes to exercise caution may save your life.
One death is too many.