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The meeting is Monday. The topics are important: Giant Mine cleanup and non-existent federal support for Northern infrastructure needs.
What else can Blondin-Andrew offer other than the Liberal Party line?
She will tell us why we should be thankful for a $20 million commitment to our $133 million infrastructure need.
And what can she offer but lame excuses as to why DIAND officials can't be bothered to attend meetings to deal with Yellowknife's biggest environmental problem?
Council appears so sure a public discussion will be fruitless, they want to hold the meeting behind closed doors.
Don't do it. You will do yourselves and your constituents a disservice.
It's time we held the Western Arctic MP accountable for the government's unwillingness to recognize Northern needs. It's time for tough questions and real answers.
Yes she's a member of cabinet, even if a junior one, but just look to junior DIAND minister Stephen Owen for an example.
He chose to leave the House of Commons rather than vote on a Reform Party motion to authorize secret-ballot elections for committee chairs.
Owen said he couldn't vote for the motion because it would breach cabinet solidarity, but couldn't vote against it because he supports the principle.
He may be a rookie MP from Vancouver, but Owen understands when it's time to stand up for what you believe.
This is Blondin-Andrew's opportunity.
She needs to stand up for her constituents' needs, not further her political career.
Letting her go behind closed doors will only let her and the federal government off the hook.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
We can only hope officials at the various levels of government are listening when Cumberland Resources Ltd.'s interim president Kerry Curtis says having trained workers at the ready will help the company maximize local hires when the Meadowbank gold project begins production.
And, it's beginning to look more and more like Meadowbank will be in production in a few short years.
Gold prices have inched back up over the $300 US mark and many foreign governments have stopped selling off their gold reserves.
These facts combine to cast a strong ray of optimism on Meadowbank.
So, as well, do the continued positive drilling results and the discovery of the new PDF deposit this year.
Curtis is correct when he says people are more inclined to seek out skills training once a mine is actually in production.
Residents of Baker Lake and neighbouring Kivalliq hamlets will, no doubt, be inspired by the new money floating around their communities when Meadowbank starts producing.
Why wait?
Baker MLA Glenn McLean has been quite vocal during the past two years in his attempts to get the Nunavut government proactive in developing a trained local workforce before Meadowbank goes into production.
The training task is made easier by the fact the majority of the mining at Meadowbank will be open-pit.
And, while all forms of mining require a highly skilled workforce, open-pit mining relies more heavily on machine operators than the more comprehensive set of skills required by those who earn their living deep underground.
Twelve to 18 months goes by quickly.
This time frame is, most likely, the last window of opportunity for training programs to be initiated to meet the job demands of Meadowbank once it starts production.
There are only so many labour and cook positions the company can come up with for local hires if there's no skilled workforce in place from which it can hire.
The Government of Nunavut cannot afford to miss the economic boat on this opportunity, and must proceed on the assumption Meadowbank will be in production shortly.
If not, it will only be two short years before, once again, the cries go up that Southern workers are making all the big bucks at a project right in our backyard -- and once again, a golden opportunity will have been missed.
Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum
The suspension at Frosty's Pub came at a poignant time of year and I sincerely hope all servers will take notice that over-serving alcohol is not only dangerous because of legal ramifications, but because it can be deadly.
I've lived through six winters in the North and each year, I have had to write or read about someone who froze to death, because they were too drunk to get home.
While there are elements in this town who like to point fingers at one person or one establishment, the onus is on everyone to curb this blight and keep our people alive.
If anyone thinks closing Frosty's for a week, a month, or even forever as a method to ending Inuvik's drinking problem, they are delusional.
Pointing fingers from ivory towers and preaching to the converted won't help either. Far too often we turn our heads and step over the problems in our streets everyday.
While bar owners, staff and management are saddled with the legal liability of over-serving the staff are not omni-present. If you see someone who is clearly over the line, it's your ethical obligation to point that out to the staff.
Some have taken the stance that because Frosty's has exotic dancers, the place should be closed by whatever means necessary. A direction of discontent is always an easy way out for those who won't take responsibility.
Boycotts, petitions, and an attempt at a plebiscite have failed to rid the town of the evils of Frosty's Pub.
Truth is, the management there is struggling to gain a market share by the necessary means.
In direct competition with the huge economies of scale within the hotel group that owns the other bars in Inuvik, this business has thrived and provided an alternative, as well as some competition for the town's entertainment dollar.
If people don't want exotic dancing in Inuvik, rather than attack the owners with boycott and petitions, perhaps they should be supporting this business, so they don't have to resort to exotic dancing.
We all have the duty to look out for our own here, and it goes beyond the licensed establishments.
With the holiday season approaching fast, there will be more than a few house parties hosted and the liability of the bar owners is extended just the same in your home.
If you have a guest who's had too much, it is your legal and moral obligation to see that person home safely, but to avoid the problem completely, make sure your guests drink responsibly.
Duck do
The dinner hosted by Ducks Unlimited (DU) gave us all another excuse to put on our Sunday best on a Saturday night and it was a great time for a great cause.
The food and fun made the event worthwhile, but the money raised for DU made it easy to spend a little extra.
I was surprised by the generosity of the crowd, bidding high and spending freely on the raffle tickets. There were a few bargain bids, but overall, I think, it was clear that everyone got caught up in the event, but also that they knew the funds will go to a worthwhile project.
The work done by DU comes at an important time here, when development is opening up and our feathered friends need all the help they can get.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Two new leaders joined the table at the Deh Cho First Nations fall leadership assembly in Fort Providence last week.
Roy Fabian, chief of the Hay River Reserve, and Randy Sibbeston, president of the Fort Simpson Metis Nation, weren't at all reticent. Both expressed serious reservations over a proposed Interim Resource Development Agreement (IRDA) with the federal government. That agreement would provide the Deh Cho with a fraction of royalties from resource development within the region.
The IRDA would be precedent-setting because the federal government has never before granted First Nations a share of resource royalties prior to the signing of a final
land-claims or self-government agreement. However, the percentage of royalties being offered is a trifle. Therefore mixed feelings exist over the IRDA.
Although the Deh Cho has repeatedly gone back to the negotiating table demanding a better deal on the IRDA, the federal government hasn't sweetened the offer.
Chief negotiator Chris Reid said that the lack of unity in Deh Cho is hurting negotiations. Too many communities are pursuing their own oil and gas initiatives, he said. That signals to the federal government that development is in the process of occurring without have to dangle a bigger carrot.
When it comes to an interim resources agreement, there's a growing sense that it's this or nothing. Yet Fabian and Sibbeston certainly don't sound like they're ready to settle for such a small stake. The IRDA was supposed to have been finalized in March. It's now November.
Last week, Deh Cho Grand Chief Michael Nadli made frequent reference to having just eight months remaining in his term. He has already announced he will not be running again. He jokes about establishing his legacy, much the way Jean Chretien is seen to be trying to cement his own.
Nadli has guided the Deh Cho to the signing of the Interim Measures Agreement and the Draft Framework Agreement, key pieces of the self-government puzzle. He has overseen protection efforts for the Horn Plateau and the South Nahanni watershed areas. Last week, with the approval of regional aboriginal leaders, he also signed a boundary agreement with the Dogribs, ending a long-standing dispute.
Nadli said he looks forward to the day when he can say, "The Deh Cho is open for business." If he doesn't get to make that proclamation before the sun sets on his administration, things could take a drastic turn.
At the Deh Cho Assembly next June, a new grand chief will be selected. Reid has declared that his service as chief negotiator will also come to a close at that time. Band elections are scheduled in Fort Simpson and in Fort Providence next summer, too.
With all the turnover, there's bound to be a lag in negotiations.
An IRDA in 2004? Another option all together? A complete breakdown in bargaining?
One thing is certain, for Michael Nadli the clock is ticking.