Wednesday, February 14, 2001
Recent federal funding to help Canadian groups launch programs to battle fetal alcohol syndrome is being greeted with relief.
Statistics show at least three babies out of every thousand in Canada are affected by FAS. Here in the North, that number is higher and because there are third-generation Northerners living with FAS, it's obvious additional funding is welcome.
Under the initiative, non-profit or educational groups in the North and throughout Canada have access to up to $100,000 from a $1.7 million fund.
Considering there is no "one-stop shopping" rehabilitation program for victims of FAS in the NWT, this funding will help identify proper programs and services. Then we'll need the money to actually treat people suffering FAS symptoms.
There's a reason why the Northwest Territories has the highest per capita participation in trades training: we're building a territory.
Thanks to the promise of new resource industries, the NWT can see a future where it doesn't rely upon government handouts.
The diamond industry is booming. There's the promise of oil and gas development. We need new roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure.
And we need trained people to help build it all.
Thanks to the NWT's apprenticeship program, 233 Northerners are now getting the training they need to play a meaningful role in building the territory.
They're the seed of a strong, skilled workforce that will build the industry and infrastructure and provide the economic backbone for the future.
The move by St. Pat's high school administration to implement a type of "hall pass" system as a means of curbing absenteeism and lifting the academic probation placed on 156 students is, at first glance, a progressive and conscientious decision.
Last week's student demonstration against the idea, however, indicates that not everyone is happy with the new concept.
The teenage students feel as though they are being treated like small children, not to mention that punishing the entire student body of 539 is not the most effective way to discipline truant students.
Talks between administration and students would be an effective way to settle the unrest and get back to the books.
While tongues wag about the pad size of the new arena and where it should be, hockey players, broomball players, and figure skaters who had been using the Gerry Murphy have shown us the true meaning of sportsmanship.
Skaters had no choice but to abandon their familiar digs, but how they handled the situation is noteworthy. The Murph shutdown left every group using ice in Yellowknife having to work out a time share schedule, halfway into the season, at our only other arena. Tony Burge talked to ice users and said they were "unbelievably co-operative ... nobody got their noses out of joint."
Councillors and citizens would do well to remember those words as the arena saga continues.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Any conclusion on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit traditional knowledge and science) based solely on Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s (NTI) battle with the Department of Sustainable Development would paint quite an alarming picture.
On the surface, we tend to agree with Minister Olayuk Akesuk's assertion that NTI only appears to accept Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) when it supports NTI's point of view.
Akesuk's decision to once again disallow Noah Kadlak's traditional polar bear hunt prompted a stinging verbal attack from NTI president Paul Quassa, who accused the minister of manipulating the elders and "using" them to support his stance.
We doubt very much this would have been the tune sung by Quassa had the elders supported the hunt.
In his original proposal, Kadlak listed no less than 12 Coral Harbour elders and community members who told traditional stories of killing polar bears without the use of a gun or Ski-Doo.
This was, of course, intended to strengthen his proposal by showing he had experienced guidance in conducting a successful hunt.
In fact, one of the names included on Kadlak's original proposal was that of Mikituk Bruce -- one of the same elders who Quassa now says were manipulated by the government into supporting Akesuk's decision.
If the traditional knowledge of our elders is to be used wisely, it cannot be used as a tool and applied unilaterally to further one cause or ambition.
If our elders are to be used as pawns to further our own goals and ambitions, then Quassa is correct when he says IQ will not work.
As the relationship between NTI and the Nunavut Government becomes more adversarial, it does not bode well for the negotiation of a new Nunavut Wildlife Act.
The last thing needed in drawing up a new Wildlife Act is for NTI, the Department of Sustainable Development and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board to become locked in a power struggle.
The battle over Kadlak's proposal has driven a wedge between the three and the heightened rhetoric we've heard over Akesuk's decision will only serve to widen that gap.
The delivery of a solid Wildlife Act by 2003 will benefit all Nunavummiut.
It is time for the three to come together and focus their attention on the common good.
We have no reason to doubt Kadlak's sincerity in his desire to pass on his traditional knowledge and cultural pride to future generations.
However, there are ways he can accomplish his goal without dividing our leadership and costing our territory thousands of dollars in legal fees and man hours.
It is time to lay the bear to rest. No spear required.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
Lots of young, local athletes were sharpening their skills over the weekend.
A volleyball clinic was held at Aurora College as part of efforts to select athletes for the Aboriginal Sports Circle high performance camp in Winnipeg. Players were also trying out for the NWT's Canada Summer Games volleyball team.
But that wasn't the only clinic in town. Many basketball buffs took part in a Player Development Clinic.
Putting that camp on was Jason Dayman, who's in charge of player development for the NWT Basketball Association.
Turnout was slight at the Saturday evening segment of the camp at Samuel Hearne Secondary school. However, that didn't stop Dayman and players from engaging in some practise and one or two fun games.
It was fun to sit back and watch the action for a while. The games and drills were an interesting combination of zany fun and instruction.
The experience was all the more enjoyable, in that meeting up with Dayman again was kind of a blast from the past for me.
Dayman, now phys ed instructor at the school in Deline, recently graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He played for several years with the St. F.X. X-Men basketball team, and I covered him and his team while a sports reporter in Nova Scotia not that long ago.
Interestingly, Dayman said one thing he teaches is the importance of teamwork and fair play. He pointed out these are skills that come in handy off the court as well.
Dayman also touched upon an important point by talking about how basketball (and other sports), aside from providing physical benefits, can give young people something constructive and fun to do.
How best to spend
Early this week the Committee on Governance and Economic Development was in town to hear peoples' reactions about Bill 13 (the Hotel Room Tax Act).
One interesting theme which popped up during the evening was how best to use the funds raised by the tax to promote tourism in the NWT.
Proposals from the presenters included putting all the money into marketing the NWT as a whole, in hopes of catching the attention of potential visitors worldwide.
Another idea put forth was to have the money raised in the Inuvik region sent back here to promote the area, as well as fund local projects.
No doubt this debate will resume in earnest if the bill passes third and final reading in the assembly.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Self-government and land claims negotiations are all the more complex when territorial overlap issues are thrown into the mix.
Such is the case with the Dogrib First Nation. Its negotiators are striving to reach a final land claims agreement by the end of March and then formally endorse the deal by summer. There are still a number of outstanding issues they must address, among them is a border with the Deh Cho First Nations (DCFN).
A few members of the Dogrib First Nation and the Deh Cho First Nation still use the Horn Plateau for hunting and trapping today as their ancestors did in the past.
After two years of negotiations, there's still been no agreement that each side is willing to ratify. One idea already put forward is that of a buffer zone, where a tract of land would be shared by the two First Nations groups. Although it seems to be a feasible compromise, for some reason, it was not ultimately endorsed.
Last February a meeting in Fort Simpson held promise as a procedural document was drafted to resolve the squabble. There was talking of forming a working group to put the issue to rest.
Still, they're no farther today.
Perhaps it's time to reconsider the buffer zone proposal. There's a great deal of land out there and it's only reasonable that the two sides should be able to share it for hunting and trapping purposes.
The issue of development in the area may be a non-issue if the DCFN is successful in making the Horn Plateau a protected area.
There are obviously arguments to be had over a lack of consultation, or interference with trap lines, but those could easily be resolved with the will of the parties involved.
In the bigger picture, with all that's at stake in land claims and self government -- and with both First Nations groups attempting to get the best deal possible from the federal and territorial governments -- it would be a shame to see things hampered by a relatively petty dispute by two long-time neighbours sharing a common culture.
A good living
This is Apprenticeship Week in the NWT. It's a means of learning in the classroom and on the job, and provides a realistic alternative to those who aren't planning to spend four or more years in a university setting.
Beyond simply being available to the public, some the NWT's apprenticeship programs, as Roger Tremblay can attest, are first-class operations. Quality instruction, plenty of individual attention and top-of-the-line tools and equipment convinced Tremblay that the heavy duty mechanics program is second to none.
With growing interest in oil and gas in the region, apprenticeship is one route to a secure livelihood.