Editorial page

Monday, October 21, 2002
Power Corp. mutiny shows cabinet dysfunction

They may have pulled the plug on the power corporation board, but it's cabinet that's stumbling around in the dark.

A year ago, the government asked NWT Power Corp. board chair Gordon Stewart and his directors to examine the impact of having one power rate for the entire territory.

Even though that's what we have now -- power in every community subsidized by government to Yellowknife rates on the first 700 kilowatt hours of electricity used.

In August, or so we are to believe, cabinet changed its mind and wrote a letter to NTPC's board telling it not to consider a flat-rate structure.

Whether or not that message was clear in the letter depends on who reads it. Cabinet's legal beagles say one thing, Power Corp. lawyers another.

Fired NTPC director Ric Bolivar called the letter "gobbledy-gook," an assessment likely not far from the truth.

Whether or not you agree with the one-rate plan, board directors stuck to their guns, believing it was the right thing to do for NTPC.

Complicating the matter is Joe Handley's role. Right up until Premier Kakfwi ordered the application withdrawn Oct. 8, Handley was behind the board. Then he flip flopped and fired the board for following his instructions.

And why did it take cabinet so long to stop the one-rate application? NTPC filed it Sept. 5, then spent thousands of dollars touring the NWT to sell it to community leaders. Health Minister Michael Miltenberger, in a startling breach of cabinet solidarity, was among the intervenors who wanted to speak to the proposal at the Public Utilities Board hearing.

The flat-rate idea may have been a thinly veiled attempt to get out from under a $7 million -- and rising -- annual power subsidy, but cabinet has shown it's incapable of dealing with NTPC.

Calls for Handley to resign are inconsequential because it's cabinet's inability to provide clear direction that created the mess in the first place.

They may consider it a Crown corporation that operates independently of government, but Kakfwi and his gang seem willing to only let out enough rope for the board to hang itself so public board members could be replaced with government puppets.

We have to wonder if this was the plan all along.

That begs the question whether NTPC should be run according to sound business practices, or if politicians consider it a punching bag to show voters how tough they are in standing up for the little guy?


$21.5 million and counting

So, the bottom line for 85 shattered lives is $21.5 million. All because of one man's 24-year reign of terror in schools around Nunavut.

The NWT government will pay about two-thirds of that amount. The rest will come out of GN coffers.

Although the out-of-court settlement still has to be ratified by GNWT legislators, it's time to help victims of Edward Horne heal and move on.

When you add everything up, the settlement cost, legal fees, and court time, everything else pales in comparison to the cost of human suffering.

The real pay-off will be to ensure that another Horne doesn't abuse another generation of Nunavummiut.

That's an elusive goal, but one educators, parents and government officials must never lose sight of.


Community most valuable resource

Teaching members of communities to be leaders in suicide prevention is a necessity. And that's what the White Stone Youth Suicide Prevention Program is doing.

The program is new to the territory, and it is more about taking action than talking.

It is not just a series of lectures about suicide prevention, where the speakers pack up after their presentation and move on to the next engagement.

People from eight communities now have the tools to help save lives.

They now know the right questions to ask, the actions to take and the numbers to call.

But participants also learned how hard it could be to confront someone about suicide, and just how easy it can be to tell someone isn't feeling right.

It's simple.

Question: What might a person at risk of suicide think or feel about the spirit of belonging? Answer: Alone.

It's complicated.

Question: Are things so bad you are thinking about suicide? Are you thinking about killing yourself?

Overall, the best part of the White Stone program is that when it ends it leaves valuable resources in every community: people. They are can talk to those in pain about suicide, self-esteem, violence.

White Stone has inspired some of the participants to take action. One man from Iqaluit plans to take what he learned and teach awareness courses at the capital's youth centre, The Dome.

For a child to know he or she can speak to someone in their own community and get advice is priceless.

For someone in the community to have the guts to ask if a person is going to kill themselves, is also priceless.

Rates of suicide in Nunavut are the highest in Canada.

Educating the people and making them leaders is the only way to start bringing the numbers down.


Encouraging words from Sport Nunavut

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


It should come as no surprise that we applaud Sport Nunavut's philosophical shift to focus more on grassroots development.

It is encouraging to hear Community Government and Transportation assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley talk about improving available resources to those involved with sport at the grassroots level.

It appears Sport Nunavut is finally getting the message that without the efforts of the volunteers who work their tails off developing, operating and administering local sports, there would be no elite athletes to shine the spotlight on in the future.

We are fortunate in the Kivalliq region to already have a solid core of veteran volunteers active in our communities.

The accomplishments of people such as Donald Clark and Jim MacDonald in Rankin Inlet and Bruce McKitrick in Coral Harbour are impressive.

So, too, are the efforts of Margo Aksalnik with soccer in Rankin, Roy Mullins (Chesterfield Inlet) and Dan Burgess (Arviat) in developing minor hockey programs in their communities.

However, the only way we're going to get more volunteers active in the Kivalliq is to pay more attention at the grassroots level and that has to start at the top.

Every year we hear the same complaints from many of our volunteers -- a lack of equipment, resources, support, organized structure and, most importantly, sporadic at best training opportunities.

It will also be interesting to see how CG&T's discussions unfold on moving Sport Nunavut further away from government influence.

It's been proven in almost every region in our country that provincial and territorial sporting bodies operate more efficiently when they're independent from government bureaucracy.

Make no mistake about it, they still have to be 100 per cent accountable for the funding they receive.

However, sporting decisions are better made by people involved on the front lines of development and that, invariably, takes us back to the grassroots of the matter.

In closing, let us also give an enthusiastic thumbs-up to CG&T's talk about placing a person with strong ties to Nunavut into a mentorship role with the next director of Sport Nunavut.

This is an undertaking which should have been put in place when Sport Nunavut's original director, Patrick Tagoona, stepped down.

To fully develop sports in the North, you have to understand life in the North and eventually, a mentorship program will produce an individual to assume that leadership role.


A night at the forum

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum


The Oct. 3 all-candidates forum was hijacked by a handful of well-meaning but over bearing individuals who should have been shown the door.

The first hour of the meeting was informative and well-managed but it degenerated from there.

The Husky Trailer Park squad peppered the panel with pointed hypothetical questions and then the youth took centre stage.

What will council do about the youth? Oh, the poor youth!

The youth of Inuvik have many more facilities than most communities of this size in Canada and if the youth need more, the youth can get off their butts and do something about it.

Certainly there are a lot of good kids here, but there are also some ill-mannered little reprobates who wile away the evenings by making a spittle skating rink over the bridge on main street.

The kids block traffic there until it's late enough to smash planters and knock garbage cans into the street.

If town council wants to do something for the youth, how about a curfew? Then our bylaw officer can spend his days chasing dogs and his evenings chasing brats.

No, the problems our youth have cannot be solved by municipal, territorial or even federal government people. Our teachers and principals cannot be blamed for the outrageous temperaments of the young people.

Our town has lowered the speed limit to 40 km/h because the youth can't stay off the roads. They have donated a building so youth have a place to go. The town built an arena/fitness centre and will soon have a new swimming pool, but that's not enough for some people.

Parents won't find the recipe for successful child rearing at town hall or even the bingo hall. Try spending some time with your kids in the living room and around the dinner table and you might find that more helpful than pointing fingers at politicians.

Our town council has their hands full with zoning, rezoning, planning and re-planning, but most of the public doesn't understand that because they've never attended a council meeting.

That was another topic that came up at the forum, "Why can't council let us know what's going on?"

The mayor publishes a monthly newsletter, regular reports in the Drum, and notices on the rolling television channel. Heaven forbid you could attend a meeting.

Every other Monday and Wednesday nights there are public meetings in your town hall and lots of empty seats. Council would love to see you there and I could sure use the company.

The next time there's an all-candidates forum, I'd suggest having a couple of the Zoo's bouncers in attendance to keep the questions at one per person and keep the youth at home.


Resolute decision

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum


Wearing a camouflaged T-shirt emblazoned with a skull and the word "hardcore," Arthur Lafferty sits down at the kitchen table in his parents' home. He's ready to discuss his completion of the 10-week Canadian Armed Forces' Aboriginal Entry Program and his subsequent enlistment in the military.

From the adjacent living room, a television newscaster informs viewers of the latest political tensions between the United States and Iraq. That precarious situation could have a profound impact on Lafferty's future. If war is declared, and if Canada supports the Americans on the battlefield, Lafferty could be plunged into active duty after he finishes his training. Has that thought crossed his mind?

"Everyday," he says solemnly. "I think I'd go in a heartbeat because it's my job."

It takes courage and conviction to serve one's country, especially if duty entails laying one's life on the line in a hostile environment. A soldier must be well-disciplined to thrive in the military, and even more so to survive combat.

Hopefully Arthur Lafferty never has to dodge a bullet or take shelter from artillery, but it's a risk he says he is willing to take.

Youth achievement

There is an overwhelming theme of accomplishment among young adults in this issue of the Drum -- from Arthur Lafferty's completion of the Armed Forces' Aboriginal Entry Program and pursuit of a military career to the graduation of five Deh Gah school students, each of whom has his or her own dreams and aspirations. Two of the grads, Jamie Lacorne and Brendan Matto, are attending post-secondary school. Another, Tommy Gargan, is interested in welding. Troy Gargan, like Arthur Lafferty, foresees himself in a military uniform. Tanya Steinwand is currently employed as a clerk at the RCMP detachment.

Then there's the story of Fort Simpson's Shannon Swartzentruber, who has realized her goal of becoming a nurse. She said she had a cousin who was a nurse and she always admired her. Equally, Arthur Lafferty looked up to his father, a military veteran. Young people often emulate adults in their lives.

In addressing students, Sharon Firth and Ethel Blondin-Andrew reminded them they can become anything they desire. Firth emphasized that it takes a great deal of hard work to get there.

Indeed it does. Little in life comes without an honest effort.

But having family members and others in the community provide encouragement can sometimes make all the difference. Rarely if ever does a child make it on his or her own. The key to success is support and encouragement.

A caring home environment is a crucial element in fostering a healthy, responsible young adult. Let's not forget that.

A few more dollars

Future stories on local achievement may hinge on the federal and territorial governments supplying more funding for adult and post-secondary students. It's obvious the Fort Providence Local Training Authority is feeling the squeeze. Moral support is one thing, but sometimes help is needed in financially supporting one's self and a family while upgrading.