Wednesday, December 20, 2000
Until connected by road to the rest of the territory, isolated Dogrib communities will be little more than they are today.
Now, they are small and isolated, with few opportunities for investment or business development. Only in the winter can people drive in and out of Wha Ti (Lac La Marte) and Gameti (Rae Lakes). Tourism opportunities are only available to fly-in clients. High food prices reflect what it costs to get it there.
The people who call places like Wha Ti, Gameti and Wekweti (Snare Lakes) home have trouble finding work while the rest of the NWT booms.
The territorial government could change all that -- by building a road.
Because of all the economic development tools at its disposal, roads are the most important.
The road envisioned by the Dogrib would lead to their communities, the diamond mines and the rest of the mineral rich Slave province.
They're afraid the new all-weather road that's planned will lead through Yellowknife instead.
Residents and businesses of the NWT capital should be concerned, too.
Improving transportation links to the Dogrib region will open up opportunities for economic development that will last far longer than the diamond mines.
People from Wha Ti, Gameti and Wekweti will be able to share in the boom we all expect is on the horizon and share their wealth with Yellowknife merchants.
We will continue to be the NWT's main supply centre -- the infrastructure is already here and we're only an hour by road from Rae, the likely junction for any road North. Of course that road needs to be fixed as well.
By building a road through the Dogrib region, the government would do more than improve access to the mines: it would help spread economic wealth and build a stronger territory.
And that includes a Yellowknife which would continue to be the hub of a thriving NWT.
Yellowknife city councillor Ben McDonald appears to have learned a lesson about spending taxpayers' money on big trips.
Last spring, McDonald was one of six councillors to junket off to Halifax, N.S., despite rumblings about the cost.
Last fall, with hundreds of Giant miners losing their jobs and social agencies being told their was no money for funding, he went to a conference in PEI.
There was a public outcry, but McDonald said that allowing reaction to guide decisions "boils down to taking some form of action or in this case inaction, out of fear."
He's off to another conference in January, but this time he only wants taxpayers to cover his flight from Ontario, where he will be on private business, to Quebec and his registration fee.
Apparently McDonald has changed his tune and no longer dismisses the public concerns about spending on these trips. All councillors would do well to follow his lead.
A five-year-old's close call with a bus near Ecole St. Joseph school last week gives us reason for concern.
Hanna Latour was struck after she crossed Woolgar Ave. An investigation is in progress, but the absense of a sidewalk gives us a pretty good idea about why this accident happened.
The city says it has larger priorities than a sidewalk. That's the wrong answer. If this is a route to school it should be made as safe as possible.
Children will be at risk until then. If there is another accident, the next victim may not be be so lucky.
It is good to hear our Kivalliq RCMP members stand up and defend the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.
From what we can gather from all the squawking on the other side of the border, some Americans are upset because DARE isn't perfect.
There actually might be some kids who graduate from a DARE program and still end up taking drugs, drinking, or smoking cigarettes.
Every substance abuse program has its successes and its failures.
We have a sneaking suspicion many of the people casting doubts on the DARE program have a financial stake involved (DARE programs in highly populated areas can be very expensive to run) or just don't like to see police in schools, period.
Most people in the Kivalliq know someone who struggles against substance abuse on a daily basis.
We know the importance of educating our youth early against drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
Are we always going to be successful?
No. Only a fool would think so.
But we are making progress and programs like DARE are helping in our struggle.
Kids in our region who have been exposed to DARE speak highly of the program and our police are to be commended for the job they do in delivering the program in our schools.
Election win
There were more than a few people in our region who thought Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) president Paul Kaludjak's five-year run as KIA head was going to end on Dec. 11.
And there were valid reasons for such thoughts.
The truth of the matter, however, is that few of the storms Kaludjak weathered during the past few years were of his doing.
Through all the controversy surrounding the Sakku Investment Corp. and Kivalliq Partners in Development in the past year -- Kaludjak guided the KIA through some murky waters.
Kaludjak is deserving of his third term.
If he has a weakness, it is the unwavering loyalty he sometimes gives to those who don't deserve it.
In short, Kaludjak has a habit of trying to help people who are in over their head and he doesn't always know when to let go.
A nobel trait, but not always in his best interests.
It would be interesting to see what Kaludjak could accomplish if the other branches of the KIA were to come up to his standards.
Maybe this term.