 |
The newly-elected directors are doing that, but hard feelings linger over how management of the 20-year-old downtown facility spiralled out of control.
That's understandable after what went on. Staff members being fired, parents left in the lurch days before Christmas and questions about the association's financial health are enough to leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth.
What's important now is to understand what led to the crisis.
Re-opening the day care was the first step. The new board must now find out the problems that led to the closure and get the association's finances in order.
Then it will take diligence on the part of the board and hard work by staff to restore the confidence of parents who depend on the day care.
Learning a lesson
An important lesson that can be learned, not only by the Yellowknife Day Care board but volunteer directors of all agencies, is that running a not-for-profit business is serious work.
A board should be made of members who have a range of skills. Foremost is an interest in the operation and a commitment to make it work. Among its members must be those who understand the principles of accounting, people willing to do the fundraising, take notes at meetings and do the board's paperwork.
It also needs a leader who ensures the work gets done.
Most of all, directors must work together toward a common goal and ensure they have the staff to do the day-to-day work, like keeping the books.
Ultimately, the success of any organization rests on the willingness of the community to take an active role. In the case of the day care, it's the parents whose children are enrolled.
A quick reminder to anyone put out by the annual disruption in our ferry service at Fort Providence: we must be careful who we blame.
As you can see in today's Yellowknifer on page A5, some tourists and businesses became a little miffed after the ferry was shut down on Dec. 27.
Unfortunately, the fact is, ice jams are ice jams, and there's little we can do to stop them from upsetting our ferry service while the ice bridge is built.
We commend the folks at marine services that have been keeping the ferry going 24/7 since it went back in the water Wednesday afternoon.
More importantly, until there's a permanent bridge across the Mackenzie River, we really have no one else to blame but Mother Nature herself.
We have to be doing something right if the RCMP's holiday check stops only nabbed one person for impaired driving.
According to Yellowknife RCMP, only one driver out of 1,688 vehicles stopped during the annual roadside checkstops throughout the Christmas season was charged with impaired driving.
This is good news.
It's clear that, more than ever, drivers are realizing the consequences of breaking the law by drinking and driving.
With hefty fines and an automatic one-year driver's licence suspension, and jail time for repeat offenders, tougher rules against drinking and driving are paying off.
Keep it up Yellowknife, it's going to be a long winter.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
With the 2002 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) coming up in March, it's only fitting we begin the new year by focusing on sports.
The development of organized sports in the Kivalliq continues to be a top priority for youth in our region.
There is a renewed sense of optimism across the region with a new director for Sport Nunavut in place in Baker Lake and, of course, the spotlight of the AWG shining on sports in general.
Kivalliq News has extolled the benefits of sports to our region's youth many times in this space.
And with a new minister responsible for Sport Nunavut we are also optimistic about the future.
Manitok Thompson's previous experience with MACA will no doubt be a tremendous benefit to her in managing the affairs of Community Government and Transportation.
But the minister is also well-known for her rah-rah type of personality when it comes to competitions, especially those featuring teams from the Kivalliq.
Although she may not have the same love of hockey as Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Thompson has shown she appreciates the power sporting events have in bringing a community, region or territory together for a common cause.
Thompson also understands the power sports have in creating positive role models for our youth and providing them with further incentives to stay in school.
While we wouldn't hint for a second that Thompson's husband, Tom, has any influence whatsoever on the minister's decision-making, we can't help but feel the fact he's president of Hockey Nunavut will pay dividends to the sporting community some where down the road.
With his experience in sports as a player, official and administrator, Tom's insight could prove itself to be quite valuable to the minister during light conversations over breakfast.
And, hey, as giddy with Christmas spirit and optimism as we are at this time of year, we're even going to overlook Tom's habit of often not being able to see too far past the capital's new arena on this one.
Yes indeed, with a new director and minister responsible for Sport Nunavut in place, the sporting community may be close to believing in Santa Claus once again.
Hopefully, when it's time to look at further developing our sports programs and facilities, our new minister's spirit of giving will more closely resemble that of Santa's than the Grinch.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
Another year has come and gone.
This marks a special time, a time of reflection. It's a chance to look back over what has taken place regarding one's neighbours, and within the Delta, over the past year.
It's useful to spend a little while reflecting, as time has a way of speeding by, seemingly more quickly each year.
One interesting thing about analyzing a certain year is that every person has a different perspective. For some Delta residents, 2001 may have been the year they got married, or graduated, or had their first child. No doubt some people gained great new friends this year, while some also lost friends.
It's hard not to think about the year in terms of how things were before Sept. 11, and afterwards. Though the Delta is a long ways from New York and Washington, people here and all over the world were affected in one way or another by those horrendous events.
Several events in 2001 stand out for me. One would be the Northern Youth Games, held in Inuvik in the first week of March. Athletes from the Delta and the Sahtu displayed some great competition and had a lot of fun along the way.
A big highlight from the year is the first Inuvik Petroleum Show in June. The event itself was highly interesting and was well attended, and it was also interesting to watch the expectancy build up as the conference approached.
The Cops for Cancer event during Midnight Madness was also fun to take in. More than 30 people, adults and children, shaved their heads -- and often their beards -- to raise money for a good cause.
The Great Northern Arts Festival generated lots of excitement in July. It kicked off strong and just seemed to build strength every succeeding day. Assembled for 10 days was an amazing level of talented artists and musicians.
During the summer I also popped by the Inuvik Community Greenhouse on several occasions. Once plants have sprouted there it's a beautiful and peaceful place to spend time at.
A simple reunion of friends in October stands out as well. Rosie Grandjambe of Fort Good Hope and Sara Jane Firth of Fort McPherson had not seen each other for 39 years, and did their best to make up for lost time.
In 2001 I also made a lot of friends and, other than a vacation in the spring, this marked my first full year in Inuvik.
All the best to you in the coming year.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
Another year has come and gone.
It seems as though a disproportionately high number of people passed away within the region in 2001. We will keep cherished memories of the departed, and hopefully remember what they taught us about them and ourselves. Their passing serves as a poignant reminder of how precious life really is, and how we shouldn't take each day for granted.
Of course, 2001 is the year that will largely be remembered for the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Close to 4,000 lives were lost on Sept. 11 as two jumbo jets slammed into the World Trade Centre's twin towers, collapsing them, while another plane hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed into a Pennsylvania field. As far away as we are from "ground zero" -- as the downtown New York city crash site was labelled -- we couldn't escape the around-the-clock news coverage that went on for many days.
The term "global village" takes on even greater meaning during times like this. I even recall a couple of people telling me they went into the bush to get away from it all. Yet they said they found themselves back in front of the television a few days later, wondering about the extent of the devastation and struggling to understand why it happened.
The fall-out from that tragedy promises to extend well into this year and, perhaps, years to come as the war on terrorism wages on.
Another ongoing saga, but one closer to home, is the tortoise known as self-government negotiations. Things continued to plod along in 2001. A high point came in May with the signing of the Interim Measures Agreement and Draft Framework Agreement.
The key now, as far as development is concerned, is a Interim Resource Development Agreement. That should hopefully be negotiated and ratified this year -- no guarantees, of course. Some blame First Nations for the tedious pace of the Deh Cho Process, but the federal government's chief negotiator often acknowledges the frequent time lags in Ottawa. Any significant negotiations point has to wind its way through a massive federal bureaucracy.
Fortunately, Robert Nault, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development will be in Fort Simpson next week.
There's a major sticking point at present with the Deh Cho seeking 50 per cent of royalties from resource development, while the federal government is countering with the Dene/Metis comprehensive claim formula, offering substantially less. It would be encouraging if Nault could bridge that gap in a meaningful way.
When reflecting on the year that was, it's remarkable just how many award winners, fascinating travellers and explorers, strong-willed political leaders and everyday good people comprise the Deh Cho. Because of them 2002 stands to be every bit as fascinating as the one just passed.