Monday, July 09, 2001
Nurses by the thousands threatened to resign in Nova Scotia unless the government returned their right to strike. Their counterparts on the West Coast have been mired in labour troubles for months. And across the NWT and Nunavut, communities large and small are having trouble finding the right combination of generous salaries and fringe benefits that will draw new nurses north and keep those we have.
It's not a question of "can we compete?" with American and other Canadian hospitals down south who are almost as desperate to fill growing vacancy lists.
We have to compete because we must have nurses. There is no alternative. That means we must be willing to pay whatever it will take.
We also have to work harder to convince nurses who venture here out of curiosity that the North is worth a long-term commitment. That means ensuring our communities have the social and cultural elements demanded by young, energetic and ambitious professionals.
Neither is it a problem we can solve alone. We must work with provincial and federal health departments to ensure that university nursing programs never again suffer the ruthless cuts imposed on them in the last decade. The primary consequence of short-term frugality was too few Canadian graduates entering the profession just when demand rose from an aging population in the south.
The challenges Northern health care administrators face are among the most daunting in government.
But it shouldn't be impossible to draw qualified candidates to positions in the Baffin, Kitikmeot, Deh Cho, Beaufort Delta and Kivalliq -- where nurses often assume rare degrees of responsibility -- and our capital cities, which offer unparalleled combinations of urban and rural life.
Regardless of the costs this task will entail, we can be sure that the costs of failing to meet the challenge will be even higher. And sooner or later, they will be measured in lost lives.
Listen. Do you hear it? The distant rumbling of smokers and civil libertarians preparing to battle anti-smoking bylaws in the North. They jostle to position themselves whenever a Canadian city or town passes a smoke-free bylaw. Smoking is a right, right?
Wrong. When the rights of one group compromises the lives of others, freedom of choice flies out the window.
Look no further than Iqaluit's Baffin Regional Hospital, where Dr. Anna Banerji and colleagues studied 26 Inuit babies with second-hand smoke related illnesses. Her study suggests Baffin Island babies have the highest lung infection rates in Canada.
A dubious distinction indeed.
Babies do not choose to have tubes shoved into fist-sized lungs to help them breathe. Nor do they decide to sit in smoke-filled homes and restaurants.
We, smokers and non-smokers alike, continue to compromise children's health by shrugging off no-smoking bylaws as overkill. The same is true for preventable and crippling illnesses, like fetal alcohol syndrome.
Not only must mothers make healthy choices for their children, so too must partners, family and friends support healthy lifestyle alternatives. This means saying yes to smoke-free bylaws.
Successful smoking cessation initiatives hinge on the on-going marriage of public government and community services.
Ed Picco's Health Department has contributed millions of dollars to anti-tobacco initiatives in the last year. Groups like the Ottawa-based Pauktuutit Inuit's Women's Association asked 53 hamlets across the North to adopt no-smoking bylaws in public places.
Excellent. For history has shown that real progress in the campaign to reduce smoking will require both aggressive public education campaigns and enforceable legislation.
It's said that language is the cornerstone of culture and when that crumbles, so too goes the culture. First Nations are taking steps to preserve and restore their original languages and have begun to realize the huge task before them.
It's not always easy, cool or politically correct to speak the language of your grandfather, but aboriginal groups can look to the NWT French First Language program as a model that's making great strides in the preservation of language.
The flourishing success of the French language schools in Hay River and Yellowknife have held up a gleaming example of the passion, commitment and dedication that's required to secure legacies that lie on the brink.
A handful of dedicated parents and educators faced with limited resources and fierce political opposition have overcome these obstacles to shore-up the cornerstone of their culture. We can all take a lesson from these guardians of their birthright who continue to weave new threads into the old fabric that is the North.
The community of Wha Ti witnessed the benefits reaped when children have access to education in their own communities.
Eight students graduated from Grade 12 in their own small community of 600 people.
Until last year, students from Wha Ti, as others in the North, had to leave home to finish their high school education.
The school's principal, Ted Salmon said accessibility to Grade 12, even has older people talking about going back to school. The graduates' success was further evident through their solid plans for the future. Way to go Wha Ti!
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
Best wishes are bestowed upon the 1st Inuvik Scouts, who are in Prince Edward Island for the 10th Canadian Scout Jamboree. The group has been planning for this trip over the past year, and has sold a lot of popcorn and rounded up many bottles to raise funds.
It's good to see their hard work and dedication pay off. Dave Tyler, Alan Fehr and others who have helped make the trip possible -- and the scouts themselves, of course -- should be congratulated.
Certainly the scouts seemed excited enough about their trip when I last saw them. As well they might be, considering they'll be sharing the site with more than 12,000 other people. And having grown up in P.E.I., I can attest to the fact it is beautiful this time of year.
This may also serve as a reminder of the value of the scout program, with its emphasis on teamwork, discipline and self reliance. These are traits that come in handy later in life.
Quite a celebration
The trip by the scouts is actually a timely reminder of just how vast this country is. They are going to a place literally thousands of miles from home, yet they'll still be within Canada. There's not many other countries where such a situation could occur.
Earlier this week Canada turned 134 years old, and people celebrated that fact within the Mackenzie Delta and across this great land. Here in Inuvik the celebrations went well, even if the temperature was a little on the nippy side.
Lots of people took part in or viewed the parade, as well as the games and festivities afterwards.
The cake was good, too, as I can personally attest to.
Quite a journey
Another indication of the vastness of this country, as well as the character shown by its residents, was an event which got under way Tuesday. Arvid Loewen of Winnipeg set off from Inuvik on his 18-day, 7,200-kilometre bicycle trip to Point Pelee, Ont., the most southerly part of Canada.
Loewen is raising funds for charity, but this ultra-marathoner also confesses he loves a challenge and likes having to push himself. The event holds special meaning for Loewen because one of the groups he is benefiting, the Mennonite Central Committee, helped his own parents decades ago. Loewen said it was nice to be able to give something back to MCC. May Loewen have a safe journey.
Editorial Comment
Jorge Barrera
Kivalliq News
Fireworks exploded in the starry nights of southern Canada on Sunday, the whole country united beneath the delirium of nationalistic zeal. But not one firework popped in the Kivalliq, or in all of Nunavut. The summer sky is different here, and Canada Day falls with a certain bit of irony in the land of the Inuit.
Canada Day: a celebration of Canada's existence. What does it mean up here?
Because of Canada, Inuit were forced off the land, forced into communities at the whim of government experiments. Culture and language faced eradication during the middle of the last century. Up until 30 years ago Inuit had dog tags with numbers instead of last names.
The creation of Canada meant the near destruction of Inuit cultures for the sake of the new one, and only now is there a half-hearted attempt by the federal government to help rejuvenate that which they tried to destroy. But it is the year 2001.
True, the creation of Nunavut is a miracle because not an ounce of blood was shed and an indigenous people retained control of lands they lost. That could only happen in Canada.
That is but one bright light against the dark smears of sins this country has committed against Inuit.
The conflict between Inuit culture and Canadian culture is part of history. And history creates the essence of identity.
Many Inuit walked bitter paths to get to Nunavut. Life is better now. Canada conceded to the Inuit the right to self-determination and that now offers a broad blanket of stability to the everyday lives of people in the Kivalliq. Health care is free, school is free, being in Canada is not such a bad thing. Time marches on.
But things are different here, the sky is just the most obvious example. To forget those differences, historically and today, is to lose the diversity that makes Canada so unique. And if that disappears, all that's left is a shell of a country and Canada Day becomes nothing but an empty celebration.
The vast spectrum of colours that make up the Canadian tapestry will disappear and the rest of the country will be left with nothing more than the reds, oranges and blues of their fireworks.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
First Nations, other local governments in the Deh Cho and the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce should hold North American Tungsten Corporation to its word on providing economic development opportunities. With the mine site located on the NWT side of the border, but the road supplying the mine routed through the Yukon, local leaders must see to it that a sufficient number of jobs and contracts are put on the table, rather than quietly allowing them to waltz down the road to the Yukon. The GNWT should be prepared to step in and asserts its influence as well.
Although the CanTung mine had been in operation from the 1960s through the 1980s, a different political and business dynamic exists today. The Acho Dene Koe group of companies, for example, has plenty more to offer than the Fort Liard band ever could have 20 or 30 years ago. They are seeking catering, heavy equipment and air charter deals with North American Tungsten. They should be given every chance to reach an equitable agreement to provide those services, nothing less.
Shortages hurt us all
It's promising to see that a decision has been made to add another member to the RCMP detachment in Fort Liard, bolstering the staff to four. What Mayor Joanne Deneron says is true, even though it was supposed to have been a three-member detachment it is rarely at full capacity. Someone is usually on a course or taking some time off. That's not just the case in Fort Liard, but with practically every detachment.
We rely greatly on the RCMP's presence. These men and women can be called upon to make life and death decisions at a moment's notice. With such gravity involved, we'd be much better off having someone rested making those decisions rather than someone who has been run ragged for weeks on end.
Dave's filling in
If you've noticed that I'm travelling in tandem this week it's because Northern News Services reporter Dave Sullivan is in town. Dave, who arrived in Yellowknife on Monday, will be taking the reins here at the Drum while Val and I are on vacation.
He had only been here a few hours when he jumped on the details of the lightning strike that occurred in Fort Simpson last week. Mother Nature's power is simply awesome. We can only be grateful that nobody was killed or injured by the intense charge. Please feel free to stop by the office, say hello to Dave, and pass along any story ideas you may have.
We'll see you again in August.