Friday, February 16, 2001
It costs more to live in Yellowknife than a similar city in southern Canada. We accept that.
We're willing to live with the high price of fresh produce, the intermittent road link south during freeze-up and break-up and the other costs of living North of 60.
And we're used to paying more to heat and light our homes during our long winters. In 1998, an average household in Yellowknife spent $2,999 for water, fuel and electricity. The average expenditure in the rest of Canada for the same necessities was $1,521.
| Retraction
Yellowknifer apologizes for a statement in Wednesday's story on the proposed phased twin-pad Yellowknife arena, "The Wait is Over". The article suggested city councillors were not prepared to discuss the Yellowknife Correctional Centre site. The statement was based on an assumption. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment this statement may have made.
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The jump in heating oil prices has exacerbated that difference.
Every time the price of a litre of heating fuel rises by a few cents, you cringe when you touch the thermostat.
Now, the federal government, almost out of the blue, has sent cheques in the mail -- $125 for individuals and $250 for households -- to people who qualify for GST rebates.
Every little bit helps, but when heating fuel sells for 52.7-cents a litre, that rebate only buys 237 litres, less than a quarter of the average-sized (1,100 litre) tank.
It's almost an insult that the federal rebate is the same for people here as it is for people who live on B.C.'s south coast, probably the warmest winter climate in Canada.
We may get a Northern residents' allowance, but that's to make up for the other high costs, not the extraordinary increase in energy prices.
The NWT government seems to understand Northern living.
Even without a multi-billion-dollar surplus, the GNWT has managed to find money for an energy rebate: $320 for householders who pay for their own heating fuel and $150 per household for apartment renters. Again, the rebate is based on income, but that money will go a way to help people pay the bills.
Still, next time the federal government should tie its rebates to the true cost of heating homes in the North.
The public apathy shown at last week's public forum looking into what lies in store for the future of selling liquor in Yellowknife is surprising.
Only eight of the 84 folding chairs set up at the first -- and perhaps only -- forum seeking public input on the future of liquor sales were occupied.
Considering the review is weighing the pros and cons of everything from opening up more outlets to privatizing liquor distribution the way Alberta has, you'd think more people would have taken part.
The good news is, even if you missed the forum, you can still have a say. Surveys were mailed to everyone's household last week. So, if you have an opinion, we suggest you fill them out because once the decisions are made, we will have to live with them.
Thanks to Lori Piro there will be a Caribou Carnival 2001. But do Yellowknifers want a carnival?
The last couple of years would indicate no.
We wait until the final moments for that one brave soldier to step forward and watch as they scramble together the weekend event in less than eight weeks. Then we roam the carnival grounds, and hear the whispers: "Is this it?" "This is boring."
If you can, volunteer this year. If you can't, then show your support by checking out the carnival and telling the volunteers they did a helluva job in such a short time.
Next year, let's give Lady Luck a break and start organizing early enough to guarantee a grand tradition gets even grander.
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
For most pupils, a typical school day consists of sitting through classes, chatting with friends, writing tests and assignments, and maybe extracurricular activities.
They probably pay little thought to the amount of effort put in by their teachers every day, patiently marking tests and conducting classes. The work done by janitors would also largely escape attention.
Then there are those who are truly behind the scenes. They're the ones who work for educational bodies which hire the teachers, and the janitors, and bus drivers, and keep up maintenance to buildings and equipment, and generally do the thousand-and-one-things necessary to keep a school running.
This past weekend the Beaufort-Delta Education Council held a regular council meeting.
It was an interesting event to sit in on, with lots of spirited, informed debate on what's positive within the district, as well as how best to solve problems facing the area.
Much discussion centred around standardized tests conducted last fall which show BDEC students comparing poorly with the rest of the country.
Reaction to the recently released test results ranged from anger to numbness, but a common theme seemed to emerge that something different must be tried to end this trend.
One important step to combat some of the problems highlighted in these tests was the adoption -- complete with applause -- of a proposal to provide a much greater focus over the next three years towards kindergarten and Grade 1 throughout the district.
The program is ambitious and clearly has entailed a lot of planning. It was interesting, however, that while the educators approved the plan, many still argued something else must be done to help improve the quality of education to BDEC students.
Some discussion centred around the importance of the attitudes towards school that children learn at home. It was pointed out that kids don't learn if they don't attend school regularly and their parents don't place a high value on education.
The meeting was also noteworthy in that a new executive was elected. Outgoing chairperson Bob Simpson said the BDEC has had to contend with cuts and other problems in recent years, but that they had also accomplished a great deal.
Simpson stressed the need for the council to continue to exercise regional co-operation, and he was not the only one to describe the benefits of the entire area working together.
Luck is wished to the new executive members, and to the entire council, as it guides this area's education into a new century.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
The Acho Dene Koe First Nation is making a wise decision by conducting a community study related to oil and gas activity.
The effects of having a mammoth industry descend upon a small community should not be understated.
There is no question that job creation has been of great benefit, as have the donations to the community from wealthy oil and gas companies.
But there have been those who have questioned whether the flow of money into Fort Liard has resulted in greater societal woes. These are the sorts of issues that must be examined, as well as any effects on wildlife and any other environmental issues.
Chief and council have sensibly chosen to include all Fort Liard residents in the study. The issue, as Chief Judy Kotchea pointed out, does not affect band members only. Everyone from students to elders is to be asked their opinion.
This winter has been slow in Fort Liard by industry standards. There are fewer jobs than usual.
Part of the reason for that is Paramount Resources Ltd.'s decision to withdraw its applications for land-use permits near Fort Liard and in the Cameron Hills area. That withdrawal came after the Mackenzie Land and Water Board referred the applications to environmental assessment, delaying the decision by months.
The Acho Dene Koe's group of companies was counting on those natural gas projects for revenue and jobs.
Despite that disappointment, and the added pressure it must bring to create additional opportunities to keep people working, chief and council are following through with the study. When elected last year, Kotchea had promised to take a step back and allow the community to gauge the local changes associated with oil and gas.
It's not as if there's a possibility that all oil and gas activity in Fort Liard will ground to a halt. That's not going to happen. The purpose of the study is essentially to find out how it can proceed in everybody's best interest.
As long as the results of that study are analyzed in an objective manner, and recommendations are made based upon the input of the majority, the community should truly be better off for it.
On a related note, the ADK deserve full marks for keeping business and politics separate. The band is currently embroiled in a boundary dispute with the Kaska First Nation in the Yukon. Despite that, they have formed a business deal to purchase a share of a drilling rig with the Kaska. Shane Parrish, general manager of the ADK Group of Companies, said its likely that the two First Nations will continue to collaborate on a number of projects.