Wednesday, March 28, 2001
When it was established a little more than two years ago, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board was given responsibility for regulating resource development outside land claim areas.
In recent months, the board took some flak from resource companies for being slow to approve development applications. Chairperson Melody McLeod said the board was on a "steep learning curve" and asked critics for time and patience.
| Clarifications
In Friday's edition of Yellowknifer in the article, "Conference paid off for city," Mayor Gord Van Tighem is wrongly identified as supporting sending a councillor to Japan for next year's winter cities conference. The quote should be attributed to Coun. Ben McDonald. In the same edition, in the article titled "Cold, hard cash", cab driver Sandra Geolenbeck is wrongly identified as working for YK City cabs. She drives for YK Cabs. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment this might have caused.
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The workshop set out some important goals, including reducing conflict, incorporating traditional knowledge, societal and cultural values, and bringing greater consistency and fairness to the regulatory process.
It was an opportunity for directors to hear first hand about stakeholders' concerns and discuss any ideas they might have to improve the way the board deals with resource development applications.
Except for McLeod, directors didn't attend the workshop. Asked to explain his absence, one director said, "nobody would have been able to fit three days into their calendar."
The work of recording stakeholders' discussions and recommendations was left to the board's staff. That saved taxpayers the $200 per diem that is paid to directors when they are on board business.
But it was a wrong decision.
Directors owe it to stakeholders to make every effort to inform themselves on the issues. This was a perfect opportunity and it was fumbled.
Those who are too busy should be replaced with directors who are ready to demonstrate their commitment to this vital process.
It is unclear what happened in Lutsel' Ke to allow a 13-year-old boy to continue preying on young girls after police and social services knew about his first victim.
But what happens now is crucial.
His three victims need help to deal with their traumatic experience. The community needs to learn to prevent a repeat. And the youth who committed these "calculated" crimes needs every resource available while he is behind bars and released.
In less than three years this boy will be back on the streets and he could be your neighbour. Detention will not help the boy, only treatment has a hope. The people responsible for the boy's rehabilitation, both family and government, must do everything possible to ensure he will not re-offend.
No one wants to have to lock up their daughters.
Yellowknife's Wildcat Cafe is one of the city's most famous landmarks.
The cafe's existence is largely due to a group of volunteers known as the Old Stope Society. As Coun. Ben McDonald pointed out, the 20-year experience the society has had with the Cafe represents substantial 'heritage value.'
Now the society is asking the city to pay for some of the Cafe's expenses because the restaurant has been losing money for some years and repairs are needed. After some debate, council has given $20,000 but the city's heritage committee and some councillors are questioning the role of the Old Stope Society.
The more money the city hands over, the less influence the society will have. If they want to carry on the heritage tradition with business considerations remaining secondary, new funding must be found, other than the city.
That's the bottom line.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Baker Lake MLA Glenn McLean is only slightly off the mark with his assertion the Nunavut Government doesn't want to recognize traditional economies.
It's really not so much the NG doesn't want to recognize the traditional aspect of the economy, as it is a case of nearsightedness on the government's part.
The problems faced by the tourism industry in attracting visitors to our region due to a lack of funding is another example of the government refusing to spend money now for future gain.
The money spent on arguing the ill-fated Nunavut time zone alone would have supplied Baker with workable quarries for the next two decades.
If there's one thing the Nunavut Government has proven itself good at, it's forming committees to analyze just about every decision it makes.
No matter how routine an issue, a committee needs to be formed to steer the government in the right direction.
And, we're willing to bet members are paid a tidy little honorarium for sitting on these committees, not to mention travel allowances every time they decide to seek the opinion of average Nunavummiut by visiting their communities.
Maybe, instead of so many travelling road shows, it's time for our government to spend more of its resources on promotion, feasibility studies, research and market development and lobbying groups to better promote all Nunavut has to offer.
The world is not going to come to us if we do not reach out and let it know we are here and, to borrow a line from our capital, open for business.
Elder a class act
The entire Kivalliq Region should take pride in Rankin elder Mariano Aupilardjuk's winning of an Aboriginal Achievement award.
Aupilardjuk is, simply put, a class act.
The elder works tirelessly to promote Inuit culture and, with his knowledge, grace and soft-spoken mannerisms, paints an endearing picture of Nunavut for the rest of the country and beyond to admire.
A former editor of Kivalliq News, Jeff Colbourne, wrote an editorial about the affect meeting Aupilardjuk had on his perception of Inuit culture in the April 30, 1997, edition of the Kivalliq News.
In that piece, Colbourne wrote, "I've never seen anyone so passionate and creative about their culture.
"Aupilardjuk is the epitome of Inuit culture. Everyone can learn something from him, just as I did."
Hopefully, the torch of Aupilardjuk's passion, wisdom and creativity will be passed on to many generations.
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.