Wednesday, May 16, 2001
It was built at a time when the Yellowknife economy was headed into the doldrums and now the Niven Lake subdivision is a symbol for all that is wrong about residential housing development in the city.
It looked good on paper, a public-private partnership in which all "shared the risks and rewards" associated with development. It turned out the only ones who had any risk were Yellowknife taxpayers, who last year had to carry the $3.1 million cost of buying out the private partners.
While that money will be recouped as lots are sold -- 14 of 26 available lots have now been purchased -- the development has never caught the imagination of homebuilders and does little to fill the need for middle-income homebuyers.
Niven Lake is a top-end development, with high-priced lots and development guidelines that can only be met by building expensive homes.
Now, the city has recognized that it's incapable of acting as owner and vendor and has enlisted the help of Coldwell Banker Northern Bestsellers in marketing city properties, including Niven Lake.
With the local real estate market heating up thanks to economic growth, we can expect new demand for building lots and new homes.
This presents a tremendous opportunity for the city to get out of real estate development.
They must let Coldwell Banker and the marketplace do their stuff.
That means opening up land for residential development, other than just Niven Lake. That will give developers the green light to build homes and subdivisions and give homebuyers a choice of lots at prices they can afford.
That's the only way development should happen.
It's obvious from last Wednesday's feature in Yellowknifer on the Salvation Army that it has helped thousands of Northerners get back on their feet.
We just need to ask ourselves, where would Yellowknife would be without the organization to realize the role they play in our society is a huge one. Without the 40 beds in the halfway house, where would inmates from across the NWT go on early release? Add the 30-bed emergency shelter, 10 beds for street drunks, the soup kitchen, the food bank, food hamper program, the thrift store, the community care workers and the church services and you've got an extraordinary series of services.
While many of their services are funding through contracts with the GNWT, there's little doubt the Salvation Army's overall efforts removes a tremendous burden from the public purse.
Keep up the good work.
There were balloons by the bundle, happy faces by the bunch and an arena full of merchants more than willing to share all they have with a willing public.
It was the annual Chamber of Commerce Spring Trade Show. For thousands of people, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with the offerings of businesses old and new.
And while they snatched up the free goods, entered the draws, sampled the wares and found out the information they needed, the people mixed and mingled with friends in an atmosphere that was more social than business.
Because that's what Trade Shows do: allow people a chance to find out what they want in one convenient place, and even get out of the rain on a Sunday afternoon.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
You can't blame Kivalliq regional fire marshal Tim Hinds for being more than a little saddened by the results of a fire in Rankin Inlet this past week.
It never ceases to amaze the fire marshal after a fire breaks out in a community and he discovers the victims of the blaze had no insurance on their belongings or property. Yes, with today's high cost of living, personal finances can sometimes be tight, but think about it.
Why risk everything your hard work has paid for just to save a few bucks a month?
Fire insurance is still a relatively cheap proposition, when one stops to consider the possible consequences of being without it.
We all like to think these types of tragedies will never strike us, but the truth of the matter is, sometimes they do. Better to be insured than to risk losing everything you own.
Always thinking big
You have to hand it to Rankin Inlet's Jim Ramsay, when he decides to dream, it's always in technicolour.
Ramsay is currently involved with a mammoth undertaking, trying to launch the Jammin' on the Bay music festival.
Take it from someone who represented bands for a number of years, these types of events take an enormous amount of time, dedication, planning, understanding and negotiating.
Despite some of Ramsay's past accomplishments, there are still some doubting Thomases who don't believe he can pull this one off. Maybe not, but we here at Kivalliq News would never bet against him.
One of Ramsay's biggest strengths is his ability to surround himself with the right people for the right jobs.
His exuberance and confidence quickly rubs off on those around him when working towards a goal such as Jammin' on the Bay.
And, with local personalities such as Louis Taparti, Therese Tungalik, Jim MacDonald, Justin Merritt and Dave Petryshen involved -- along with many others -- Ramsay once again has the right people involved to make his project become a reality.
We're betting that, come the Labour Day weekend, the hills around Rankin Inlet will be alive with the sounds of music.
Editorial Comment
Maria Canton
Inuvik Drum
Leaving a dinner companion stranded in a restaurant with an extra meal -- and the bill -- doesn't hold well for either party, but the scenario probably isn't too unusual for many a firefighter.
When a triple pager tone sounds, the 24 volunteer firefighters in Inuvik know they have to act, and quickly.
Come to think of it, the dinner hour wouldn't be that bad of a time to get called out to an emergency. If it has to happen, most would likely prefer any time other than 3 a.m. in the dead of winter.
The funny thing is, the volunteers don't complain. They know once they agree (and are accepted) to become part of the team that makes up part of Inuvik's essential services, their time is no longer their own. No one knows when trouble will spark, they just know they must be available in the event that it does.
The local firefighters are an amazing bunch. They all work regular jobs like the rest of us, a lot of them are attached and many more have families. Having a day job and a family is already like having two full-time jobs. Add to that volunteer work that, as I said, decides when you will volunteer, not vice versa, and you have a very busy person.
Even more impressive are the fund-raising efforts that the same bunch of folks invest into the department. Coming up with hundreds of thousands of dollars is no small feat, especially in a town this size. It takes countless hours of hard work pounding the pavement, or in this case, filling the bingo halls.
Any way you slice it, the volunteer fire department does a heck of a lot of work in the community without expecting any recognition for it. Because of them, we can all sleep soundly at night, knowing they are the ones who are willing to get up should duty call.
Good luck to our soccer players
Players from five Inuvik teams will be among some 4,000 youthful soccer players descending on Yellowknife this weekend for the annual Super Soccer tournament. Here's hoping they all do well and we can all be thankful that we're here and not there. Haha.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Next week's Deh Cho First Nations leadership meeting in Fort Simpson may be a pivotal point for the Acho Dene Koe of Fort Liard. Chief Judy Kotchea has concerns with the DCFN's interim self-government agreement. She wasn't willing to spell out the basis for her concerns publicly, but said everything should be on the table at next week's meeting.
Remember, it was two years ago when former Fort Liard chief Harry Deneron and his council has passed a band council resolution to pursue a comprehensive land claim. An official with the Department of Indian Affairs seemed cool to the idea then. He said the federal government tries to avoid dealing with individual community claims, preferring to deal with regions instead. However, Deline is a community in the midst of negotiating its own agreement.
One of the primary issues that divided the Acho Dene and the DCFN in 1999, other than philosophical differences regarding oil and gas development, was the Acho Dene Koe's boundary disputes with the Kaska First Nation in the Yukon and with the Fort Nelson First Nation in British Columbia. Deneron accused the DCFN of not helping out. Grand Chief Michael Nadli said the Acho Dene Koe had been avoiding the DCFN, not seeking assistance.
Now Judy Kotchea is chief, but the traditional lands overlap with the Yukon and B.C. still exists for the Acho Dene, and those areas are not included in the interim agreements. Whether that's Kotchea's only concern remains to be seen.
Will this be the final wedge driven between the DCFN and the Acho Dene Koe? Or will the two parties come to an understanding and shoulder on together? Stay tuned.
Cuts, cuts, cuts
The village of Fort Simpson is unquestionably staring in the face of a drastic funding cut. Chopping $1 million from a community of 1,200 can't help but hurt.
The prospects look grim, but mayor Tom Wilson refuses to say uncle at this point. He maintains that the united front between the municipality, the Liidlii Kue First Nation and the Metis Local will prove formidable enough to make the GNWT see the error of its ways.
If Wilson is wrong, residents of Fort Simpson will inevitably wind up paying much more for services, and a variety of user fees will likely be established. That's already a reality in many communities in the south.
We should remember that we're in this boat because of decisions made by past councils and by MACA (in its role as an "adviser"), and because a community with fewer than 200 rate- payers is in over its head as a tax-based municipality. Although development holds a lot of promise for the future, there's little sign of any quick fixes for the next few years.
Let's hope Wilson, LKFN chief Rita Cli and Metis president Albertine Rodh can together somehow find a way to bail us out before we take on too much water.