Wednesday, March 21, 2001
Give a politician a podium, and they're going to speak.
That's not necessarily a bad thing because it helps us to understand them better.
Coun. Ben McDonald passionately disagrees with the principles behind free trade ("The New World," Yellowknifer March 16). He's welcome to his opinion and has a right to express it.
Now he wants the city to organize a public workshop on globalization and free trade and seems to have the support of the mayor.
Looking at the "big picture" might be fine over coffee at The Diner, but our municipal politicians should focus their attentions on the "little things" like ensuring City Hall is run efficiently. You know, the stuff they were elected to do.
The happy hour isn't over for Yellowknifers, but we are being smarter consumers, literally.
Liquor sales dropped in the capital last year, hinting that the temptation to buy booze at one of the 60 establishments licensed to sell is waning.
And although we have a reputation as party-loving people, we fall in somewhere in the middle on a national scale. In 1999, the NWT and Nunavut ranked seventh among territories and provinces in per capita consumption of alcohol.
So either we're getting tired of waking up with a hangover, or don't want to spend lavishly on a bad habit that gives the territorial government more money to play with.
That's exactly the spirit we need.
Spring, aka the vernal equinox, arrived on schedule this week and it isn't necessary to tunnel under a meter or so of snow to find the evidence.
The signs have been with us for months.
Merchants, ever sensitive to opportunities wrought by such subtle changes, were the first to anticipate the arrival of the new season.
As soon as the Christmas sales were over and the lights and tinsel banished to the warehouse, gardening supplies -- seeds, growing trays, and fertilizers -- appeared in artful displays. Prompted by the subtle suggestion to invest in shiny new tools, members of Yellowknife's community garden collective met to discuss strategy for their approaching time in the sun.
Other retailers picked up the refrain and played their own siren songs of spring.
Ranks of galoshes that dominated shoe racks were marked down and kicked out to make space for troops of translucent mules festooned with floral designs.
Shapeless parkas with space enough for a family of three gave way to flimsy T- shirts in a rainbow of pastel shades. Skis and snowshoes were packed away and shiny new bicycles rolled out.
Under-scoring all those signs were travellers returned from winter holidays with sunburns, bug bites and photos of exotic locations.
The strongest sign of all though, was the storm that howled out of the northwest on the eve of the equinox -- a parting shot from the departing season.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
The unfortunate situation in Chesterfield Inlet concerning Evelyn Autut resulted from a number of different influences.
We agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Keith Best's assertion that a family conference during Autut's health problems would have gone a long way towards curbing the family's anxieties in watching a loved one suffer.
That being said, the situation also casts a harsh light on some of the problems with health care in the Kivalliq region.
We, by no means, wish to downplay the tremendous contribution our nurses make to health care.
Being understaffed and overworked is not a cliche to their profession, it's a reality.
However, as dedicated and professional as they are, nurses are not doctors and, all too often it appears the line between doctor and nurse is blurring in our region.
The Chesterfield incident conjures up memories of last year's situation in Arviat, when a young girl came perilously close to death after being sent home from the local health centre.
That girl was ultimately medevaced to Winnipeg with severe kidney problems which almost claimed her life.
An "investigation" was also conducted into that incident and the same Dr. Keith Best ruled the nurse involved exhibited good clinical practice and sound judgement in her assessment.
While phone consultations are necessary in the North and do enhance our limited medical resources, they are a long way from what Dr. Best refers to as a doctor "eyeballing" a patient.
Best himself admits complications with Autut's health made assessments by phone consultation very difficult for physicians in both Rankin Inlet and Churchill.
We're not disputing that under current conditions, the nurse involved followed proper protocol in doing everything she could to assess Autut's condition.
As, we're sure, the Arviat nurse did last year.
However, neither Dr. Best nor Health Minister Ed Picco can deny in both occasions a much more serious ailment was overlooked which almost claimed a life.
The bare-boned fact of the matter is our health system is overtaxed and under resourced. Period.
And, while we're sympathetic to a point with Picco's dilemma of competition for medical professionals, salary scales, housing, etc., -- we've reached the point where action has to start replacing excuses.
The present boundaries of "good clinical practice" in Nunavut appear to be more geared towards heading off potential lawsuits than ensuring proper care and diagnosis of patients.
And, unless Picco comes up with a way to attract more doctors and increase our nurses-to-patients ratio, it's only a matter of time before a bereaved family tests the validity of the good clinical practice guidelines in a court of law.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
School books aren't collecting as much dust as usual.
At least, not those belonging to students within the area governed by the Beaufort Delta Education Council.
The BDEC has decreed that all its schools develop policies so that homework is assigned to all students, every day. Their directive, passed last June and reiterated in October, took effect at the beginning of January.
This may sound to many kids like their worst nightmare come true, but the policy is actually a positive one. Nothing can reinforce what's covered in class like doing work in that area that evening.
There can be fewer distractions at home, plus students are better able to take the time it takes to go through material until they really know it.
This holds true whether the assignment is 50 math sums, or 50 pages to read.
If it means cutting down a bit on the amount of television watched or video games played, the sacrifice will be worth it the next morning, when students head back to class armed with a better and fresh understanding of yesterday's lessons.
Local educators express support for the policy and report that implementation has gone smoothly for the most part.
To put it another way, practice makes perfect. A fellow by the name of Wayne Gretzky would probably agree with that, as would many other people who became successful at something because they worked long and hard at it.
Darts and drummers
A good example of practice paying off would have to be Vince Schlachter.
Over the weekend Schlachter placed first among men at the 2001 NWT Territorial Dart Playdowns.
Very impressive, especially considering Schlachter finished 33rd at last year's event, and has only played the sport for three years.
Schlachter explained that he accomplished this feat partly through steady practice over the past few months. So steady, in fact, that he's worn down a spot in the carpet where he practices.
The carpet may be slightly the worse for wear, but hard work helped Schlachter score a bull's eye of sorts.
Congrats are extended to Schlachter, as well as the other men and women who earned the right to represent the NWT at the dart nationals in Edmonton this June.
Incidently, last Friday's opening ceremonies were quite entertaining. All the different communities represented marched in, complete with banners. They were assisted by members of the 2749 (Signals) Inuvik Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps.
And kudos to the Inuvik Drummers and Dancers for putting on a performance.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Another Beaver Tail Jamboree has come and gone, but what a week it was.
The talent shows are always a lot of fun. A few of the competitors admitted how nervous they were performing in front of a large crowd. It's a common fear, but they worked up the nerve to overcome it.
The "most unusual talent" is always a crowd pleaser. Mary Jane Nayally and Nick Sibbeston had people roaring and applauding over their Slavey songs. What is it about George Jones' tunes that lend themselves so well to the Dene language?
The Dene hand games were a great addition this year. The concept of the game is rather simple, but the drumming, movements and facial expressions make them delightful to watch. Hopefully, hand games continue to build momentum in the region and become a regular feature at carnivals.
The weather was a little chilly over the weekend, but there have been much colder Beaver Tail Jamborees. Maybe because it's considered a spring carnival, Mother Nature insists on reminding us that we shouldn't be celebrating another season too prematurely.
Nobody went hungry during the week. There was plenty of food to go around at the pancake breakfasts, free lunches and the community feast.
The snowmobile races are always another highlight of the carnival. The high speeds, wild jumps and the element of danger are the core of what excites racing fans of all kinds. With paramedics, volunteer firefighters at the ready, the prospect of a serious injury is existent, but, fortunately, didn't come to pass over the weekend.
There are lesser injuries with which almost all snow cross riders have to contend. After absorbing the impact of landing from heights of a metre or higher, their backs, knees and arms take a bit of a beating.
The races attract more experienced riders from Hay River, Yellowknife and B.C. They have an advantage with "souped up" machines, which run faster than an average model. They also have many races under their belts, so they know many ways to give themselves an edge.
Some riders from the Deh Cho are apparently talking about starting up a racing circuit within the region. A series of races would be held over the winter (with a point system) to try to even the playing field a little bit.
Troy Bradbury said some local riders get discouraged by the disadvantages they face against these experienced racers. The prospect of spending a lot of money to enhance their snowmobiles isn't something some people want or can afford to do, either. However, he said he tries to look at it as a learning experience. By watching them in action and talking to them, there are plenty of tips to be gleaned.
There were legions of volunteers who made all of the aforementioned events possible. Hats off to them.