Friday, March 23, 2001
Military matters are far down the list of Canadian priorities but the environment is in the top five.
That's why we must heed Col. Pierre Leblanc's warning that Canada will be unable to control who or what travels the Northwest Passage if it becomes passable due to rising temperatures.
Before retiring, Col. Leblanc commanded the Canadian Forces Northern Area from 1995 to 2000. His replacement, Col. Kevin McLeod, doesn't dispute there is a need to respond to changing times, and being the good soldier, he defends the status quo as acceptable.
But we know the armed forces budget has been cut beyond the bone into the marrow and $12 million might build a Northern school but it cannot begin to come to terms with the largest undefended border in the world.
Canadians do not want oil tankers or nuclear waste plying Arctic waters. Having experienced the glacial swiftness of the federal government to respond to Northern issues, we should follow Col. Leblanc's lead and help raise the alarm.
Peter Martin's vacation nightmare in Quebec is a wake-up call for all.
Included with your sunscreen, ski boots, and swim wear, should be written guidelines from the Department of Health about medical coverage outside the NWT.
In the Martin's case, the bills were piling up after Peter's ski accident, but who was going to pay was initially a medical mix-up.
This story has a happy ending: Peter will recover, the GNWT will cover his two-week medical costs, and the GNWT, along with Canadian North, helped Peter and his wife with airfare.
Don't wait until after the fact to learn the rules. It could turn out to be a costly mistake for you and fellow taxpayers.
It's nice to see businesses like Diavik Diamond Mines taking an interest in Yellowknife's young people.
Thanks to Diavik, along with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the City of Yellowknife and the Side Door Youth Centre, 10 youth are now able to get some on-the-job training while they renovate the new Side Door youth centre.
The $40,000 in-kind donation Diavik has coughed up for the project will include offering on-the-scene trade instructors who will train these youth during the six months it will take to renovate the old Mine Rescue Building.
Not only do projects like these keep kids off the street and allow them to learn and earn their way, but they provide our youth with a sample of what type of work is out there in the real world.
It's Yellowknife's time to shine in the national spotlight as 300 teens gather for the Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving conference.
They're here at the initiative of a motivated, dedicated group of Yellowknife youths belonging to Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).
And while the conference delegates spend four days (March 22-25) talking about the problem of drinking and driving, Yellowknife's SADD members can rightfully hold their heads up with pride. Not only have they succeeded in raising the funds and getting the community behind their efforts to host this important event, they are once again showing their peers and adults that young people can make a difference.
To the delegates we say welcome. To their Yellowknife hosts, we say well done.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
Policies used here regarding aboriginal peoples may someday be implemented in Russia.
At least, that could happen if one Russian senator has his way.
Ilya Rozenblyum, a member of Russia's Federation Council, visited Inuvik recently as part of a delegation involved in an international exchange program.
The officials, who also visited Yellowknife before journeying to Ottawa, wanted to see how people in Canada's North live.
Rozenblyum was particularly interested in how aboriginals in the area are faring compared to their counterparts in Russia. There, the Small Numbered Peoples are interspersed throughout Russia's north, and their economic condition has become even worse since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Rozenblyum would like to change that, and said creating agencies comparable to the Inuvialuit Development Corporation might be part of the solution.
The senator said Moscow must do something other than hand its Small Numbered Peoples just enough money to survive, but not enough to build upon. Rozenblyum also admitted that changing the system would not be easy.
The senator's sentiments are a reminder that some things, like economic hardship and inequality, are universal.
Stress management
Some students at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school are learning from visitors.
Cpl. Jeff Hurry and Cpl. Tim Beland of the Inuvik RCMP are guiding Grade 5 students through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.
Students are covering topics like what causes stress, and how taking alcohol or drugs can interfere with one's ability to cope.
Such knowledge could serve the students well in the near future, and getting to interact with Mounties in class will probably benefit them too.
A spirited bunch
Last week's cold weather didn't stop local residents from having some laughs.
It was Spirit Week at Samuel Hearne, with lots of activities taking place. The Snow Queen pageant was a fun affair. Also a treat to take in was the Hearne-a-Palooza, which featured several different acts performing a variety of activities, right from singing to drama games.
St. Patrick's Day inspired lots of entertainment. SAMS held a kids carnival, and a dinner was held at the small family hall. That event featured good food, traditional music and dancing.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Aboriginal Pipeline Group representative Doug Cardinal suggests that American politicians' support for the Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline route is shortsighted.
Although that route would temporarily provide more jobs and spinoffs for Americans, it would more expensive to build. According to a study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute, the Alaska Highway route would cost an estimated $2.5 billion more than a Mackenzie Valley pipeline with a link to Alaska's Prudhoe Bay.
Producer groups eye profitability very carefully, Cardinal noted.
Fellow APG representative Harry Deneron agrees that it's the producer groups that the Aboriginal Pipeline Group must woo. They are the ones with the expertise and experience, and they will ultimately be the ones getting the gas to market.
Cardinal suggested that the proactive approach taken by the NWT's First Nations will play in their favour, whereas most Yukon and Alaskan First Nations have not been adequately consulted.
If the Alaska Highway route overcomes its obstacles and gets approvals, the consensus seems to be that the NWT won't lose out entirely. The Mackenzie Delta has nearly six trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven natural gas reserves. Another 53 tcf are estimated to exist in the Delta area, according to Cardinal. There are also gas-rich lands around Colville Lake, Norman Wells, Cameron Hills, north of Wrigley and Fort Liard, he noted. Therefore, there is potential for many pipeline tie-ins.
Cardinal is confident that both pipelines will ultimately be needed as the American's reliance on natural gas is already enormous and continues to grow at a rate of roughly two per cent per year.
In the meantime, one lingering concern seems to be that the Mackenzie Valley route could be delayed if the Alaska Highway route gets the green light first. Not only would there be a shortage of labour, and possibly equipment, there is a question of how much gas prices would be devalued when Alaska's Prudhoe Bay gas reaches the market. It might be a temporary drop, but there are other huge off-shore natural gas developments that will also be on-stream in the coming years, feeding the expanding demand for natural gas. Nobody really knows how the price may fluctuate.
If it comes down to a battle of wills between the producer groups and politicians, it will be most interesting to see the outcome of this issue -- an issue that will greatly impact upon the NWT's future.
Far and away
There has been a recurring theme in a number of stories over the past few weeks, that being the importance of education and travel. Senator Nick Sibbeston, a university graduate, has criss-crossed this country from one end to the other on numerous occasions.
Last week, Fort Smith's Joe Dragon, another university graduate, spoke of the importance of academia and journeying abroad.
Robert Loe, a high school student from Fort Liard, also got a taste of international exposure while attending the Youth of the Americas conference in Quebec City earlier this month.
It's not all a pretty picture, but there is plenty to be gained by learning first hand what this world of ours' has to offer. And, as Dragon pointed out, you can always come home again when you feel the need.
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.