Wednesday, May 02, 2001
The territorial conflict commissioner has suggested to MLAs that they find a less expensive way to deal with investigations into conflict of interest allegations.
That's a tall order, under the current legislation. It requires the conflict commissioner to refer complaints to a public inquiry if a member is found to be in a conflict that the commissioner deems "significant."
But lessons of the last public inquiry make changes imperative. The inquiry into the affairs of former Premier Don Morin left taxpayers with a bill for $1.7 million - much of it for lawyers who represented some of the witnesses called to testify.
Now the legislature's board of management has asked MLAs to recommend ways to reduce the cost of any future investigation into conflict-of-interest allegations. The implication is that MLAs might have to pay some or all of their legal costs. Finance minister Joe Handley complained to the board that the costs of dealing with a conflict accusation could end a politician's career and force them into bankruptcy.
Are taxpayers supposed to wring their hands in sympathy when legislators insist on trying to harness the wrong end of the horse?
The problem is the legislation that forces a public inquiry. It should be the business of the conflict commissioner to decide whether an MLA is in conflict. If that isn't the business of the commissioner, then what is?
A committee of MLAs should decide whether the conflict is deliberate or the result of an oversight. MLAs could also set the penalty - if any. Assuming that lawyers could be kept out, the process could be less expensive than a public inquiry.
Developing a master plan for Prelude Lake Park near Yellowknife won't be easy.
The six-year plan must find a way to accommodate the growing need for campsites and at the same time consider the 32 cabin owners, the environment and aboriginal groups that have claims to the area.
The largest territorial park in the North Slave region currently offers a day-use area, 63 campsites, walking trails, and a boat launch.
Since 1997, user demand for the campsites and the boat launch at Prelude Lake have increased substantially.
No reservations are allowed and campers are turned away every summer.
Then there's the environment. Cottage owners told Yellowknifer "you can always see the gasoline or oil on the water."
By the boat launch, the rocks are getting slimy with a buildup of residue. It's obvious any expansion there could further harm the environment.
While we appreciate that a master plan won't happen overnight, it's a pity consultants estimate it will take six years before they'll get to the point of boosting the number of campsites, or finding another site.
If developing campgrounds or services at other sites hinge on working it out with the Yellowknives Dene, then let's get on with it.
Considering that the paving of Highway 3 has been accelerated we can only expect the number of Northern-bound tourists to rise.
It would be a shame not to be able to offer the facilities they need.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
With the amount of planning that's gone into the project during the past few years, Rankin Inlet should have one of the best little health centres ever constructed if, and when, the facility ever is completed.
So, we find out from Health Minister Ed Picco there were a few minor oversights in the original functional program, no big deal.
We're sure they're going to be overcome.
And, of course, there's the minor inconvenience of having the Sakku Investment Corp. as a major player in the project.
Sakku hasn't been able to get its financial books done on time to meet the deadline for either of the past two Kivalliq Inuit Association annual general meetings.
And, when those books were finally ready, their biggest impact was to bring a tear to the eyes of KIA president Paul Kaludjak and secretary/treasurer Robert Seeteenak as they watched helplessly while the KIA's surplus turned into a deficit in record time.
But, after numerous board changes and flip flops in the ranks of upper management -- anyone remember when Warwick Wilkinson was Sakku's answer to bad business decisions? -- we're sure the Sakku family is much less dysfunctional these days.
Who knows? Maybe the players in the multi-partnered approach to getting a new health centre built in Rankin Inlet were actually paying attention while the new Arviat Health Centre was being constructed.
Better yet, maybe they were taking notes.
Looking back from a Rankin perspective, it's almost humorous recalling the late Mayor Ralph King and SAO Darren Flynn's worries over the local hire numbers in the early days of construction.
They thought they had problems.
The new Rankin Inlet Health Centre (regional or otherwise) has been on life support since the day it was conceived.
Yet Picco seized the opportunity of the Arviat success to reassure those of us who call Rankin home that we have nothing to worry about.
Site work is going to start on our new health centre this summer. At least that's what he's hoping for.
And construction will start no later than the summer of 2002. At least, that's what he's shooting for.
We here at Kivalliq News are sticking to our guns that we won't see one square foot of our health centre built until the expansion of the Iqaluit hospital is complete.
Go ahead, prove us wrong Ed. We dare you!
Editorial Comment
Maria Canton
Inuvik Drum
I've already had several bouts of spring fever this year.
The first came in January when my plane touched down in Yellowknife after a year-and-a-half of reporting in Iqaluit.
Those long Eastern Arctic winters can be killers, and last summer reporting from Rankin Inlet didn't exactly lend itself to suntans and sandals.
But the fever quickly subsided when I re-discovered Yellowknife in January and February means deep freeze.
And then March came roaring into town with gusty winds and sunshine warm enough to melt snow and ice.
Chasing winter all the way, April has brought me Inuvik.
Day one had temperatures of -20 C, but the extended daylight made up the difference. The brilliant sun keeps my fever just below breaking point, always making me think the big melt is here, but just asking me to wait another day, week, month.
I'm told the melt comes fast -- here today, gone tomorrow. Speaking of which, I'll be your newswoman for the next month (just as spring arrives in earnest) while Malcolm is on holidays.
I invite all readers to drop by the office for a coffee, to pick up a paper or share a story idea. And if there's no time for that, give me a call when something is going on, I'll be happy to attend.
Paying homage
A special ceremony will take place soon.
Family members will gather to mark the grave belonging to Mary Snowshoe, a Fort McPherson resident who died in 1967 and was buried in Inuvik.
The family is unaware of which plot belongs to Snowshoe, but that's about to change thanks to the efforts of Bella Kay.
Kay decided a few years ago to pay homage to her great-grandmother, and plans to do so on Mother's Day with help from a town employee, who will guide her to Snowshoe's grave.
Kay is doing this because she believes Snowshoe's descendants, especially the young ones, need to know where they came from.
The efforts of Kay and other family members illustrate how family ties can transcend the years.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
How many students per teacher is too many?
The Department of Education was aiming for an average of 17.5 students for each teacher in the NWT this year.
There are plenty of conflicting pupil/teacher ratio numbers for Bompas Elementary school. The most recent numbers obtained from the school are 8.5 teachers and 160 students. That works out to an average of 18.8 students for every teacher. On the face of it, that doesn't seem too bad.
However, looking at individual classroom numbers reveals something more to consider, even if the Department of Education does not base its pupil/teacher ratio on students in any given classroom.
There was, for a while, a problem at the Kindergarten level with 27 students. After complaints by parents, the class was divided into 11 students in the morning and 14 students in the afternoon. Here are the numbers for the rest of the classrooms at Bompas:
Grade 6: 23 students, Grade 5: 20 students, Grade 3/4: 22 students, Grade 3: 21 students, Grade 2: 26 students, Grade 1: 25 students.
It should be understood that there are times when the classes are divided for various subjects, making the numbers more manageable. There are also times when special needs assistants are available in the classroom to provide valuable support. Yet there are still periods when individual teachers at Bompas school are left to deal with up to 26 students at a time. That's a handful.
Of course, some would quickly point out that it's not uncommon to find classrooms of 30 or more students in the south. Although that may be true, it doesn't make it right.
According to the letter Dehcho Education Council (DEC) chair Allan Landry wrote to the Fort Simpson DEA, the Department of Education has found a few ways to cut back on funding. These practices are typical when one level of government off-loads programs or services to another level of government or a designated board. The funding usually falls short of what is needed, leaving those in charge to make difficult decisions.
The DEC has chosen to dip into its surplus to bolster resources -- making classroom support a top priority -- especially in Fort Simpson. The problem is that, at the rate the surplus is being swallowed up, it will only last another four years. Unless something is done, the real education crisis will begin when that surplus is exhausted.
Nolan Swartzentruber, director of the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, defended the Department's practices, arguing that it allocates funds across the entire NWT in the "most equitable way possible." Any Department surplus at the end of the year is given to the boards, he noted.
What the Department requires, Swartzentruber suggested, is the political will of the government to designate more money towards education. For that to happen, NWT residents, including those in the Deh Cho, will have to make it crystal clear to MLAs that education deserves a bigger piece of the pie.