 |
These people were marginalized -- ignored by some, written off by many. Some suggest it's due, in part, to routine racism.
As downtown Yellowknife changed, the problem came into clearer focus. People moved into expensive condominiums and the city drafted beautification and revitalization plans.
For RCMP, the problem is overwhelming, soaking up precious officer patrol time.
Many of these so-called street drunks sought out the drunk tank and jail as a warm place to sleep when the city's drop-in shelters were full. The number of people seeking shelter at the Salvation Army has quadrupled in recent years.
But it took Archie Tsetta's preventable death last year to wake everyone to the fact that alcohol abuse is not a criminal problem.
Police took the first step by hosting meetings with downtown businesses and the public. From that effort came the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition.
It also resulted in a fact-finding mission to Anchorage, Alaska, by police and justice officials.
Yellowknifer reporter Jennifer McPhee went along, and documented how this other Northern city coped with a problem like ours. Noticeably absent were representatives from health and social services, agencies that will undoubtedly bear the financial brunt of any new programs or services here in Yellowknife.
Anchorage found success, not by increasing the number of cops on the beat, but by taking the problem largely out of police hands.
That city established a safety net, including a sobering-up station where counsellors offered chronic alcoholics and drug abusers a hand up.
For many, a hand up and somewhere to go is all that's needed to make the difference.
It will take time, effort and money. Police have started the process and have committed to seeing it through. The wellness coalition will play an important role bringing together the various groups, government departments and services that offer support and programs.
Together they can make the best use of existing resources to create plans and apply for money for new programs from city, territorial, federal and aboriginal governments.
City and territorial governments must now join the effort. They hold the purse strings that are critical to success.
Downtown revitalization is more than new murals, benches and bike racks. It's also about welcoming marginalized people back into the fold.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Well, valued readers, my family and I leave this Friday for our first break away from the Kivalliq in two years.
And, while there are many friends and personalities here I will definitely miss during the next two months -- it's going to be great to spend some time with our grandson (who won't know us from Adam when we arrive), devour mass quantities of East Coast lobster and, of course, relax around the barbecue with a few pops.
I leave the Kivalliq News in the more-than-capable hands of Chris Puglia in my absence.
I'm sure you will enjoy his stories and opinion pieces on current topics.
A huge heart-felt thank you to all those who have contributed to the newspaper during the past two years, especially you folks outside of Rankin.
Please keep those photos and stories coming, for it's people right here in our region who make our newspaper so interesting to read. People like you!
The right decision
Thumbs up to Rankin Inlet hamlet council on sole sourcing the contract to install artificial ice this year.
There have been some concerns expressed about employing this approach.
At least two hamlet councillors wanted the contract to go out to public tender, but that would have been a bad move on the hamlet's part.
To the best of our knowledge, there are no companies in Rankin qualified to install artificial ice.
Should a local company have won the tender, it would have only turned around and subcontracted a Southern firm for the project anyway.
This would have put council in the unenviable position of paying a local company, probably more than 20 per cent of the total cost, for, basically, acting as the middle man to secure the actual contractor.
Or, even worse, hamlet council could have ended up with a scenario on its hands where a local company decided to undertake a project it had no experience at.
In all probability, this would have resulted in more problems than the hamlet started out with.
The bottom line is, the installation of artificial ice is a highly specialized and technical endeavour.
You need someone qualified and experienced to get it up and running. Amonia Master has agreed, as part of the process, to include training local staff in operation and maintenance as part of the contract.
Rankin Inlet has been waiting long enough for its long-promised artificial ice surface. Council made a wise decision in helping to ensure that the project will be complete and the ice ready when the money's spent.
See you in August!
Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum
Now that customers of Inuvik Gas Ltd. have started to receive their bills for last month's 45 per cent rate hike, I'm hoping people will be spurred to taking some action against this deplorable and unjustified gouge.
When council first approved this deal with IGL, they did so with blinders on. They may have thought the devil they didn't know would charge less than the devil they did know.
Now the gas company has a lock on the majority of customers through convincing them to convert, IGL sees the opportunity to gouge a free and clear profit for their shareholders at the cost of the very fibre of this small town.
The price of gas is tied to cost of heating fuel, which spiked over the winter, but prices have since dropped.
Kudos to the Town of Inuvik for taking a stand on this issue, but really, they should have spelled out the profit margin from the start, or fought for full regulation of prices by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).
This isn't just about the Town of Inuvik, which will likely be forced to raise taxes. This increase affects all of us.
The first hike hits regular customers through their heating bills. The second hit will come in August, when the upstream provider -- owned by the same greedheads who own IGL -- will hike the price to its largest customer -- our friends at the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
NTPC will suck up the first few months of the increase with the fuel cost subsidy and then we will likely be nailed with a rate rider unlike any seen here before.
That, coupled with the new gas price, will lead us into a winter of discontent that will force people out of this town in droves.
Salaries and wages can't keep up with these exorbitant utility costs and instead of drawing nurses, doctors, teachers and other professionals here, we will see an exodus like never before.
Even if the PUB rules in favour of this pillage, the greedheads will only make a short-term gain, because their customer base will erode and the town will rot from the inside out.
The morality of this grab will defile any efforts made by the education and health and social services boards to recruit and retain their staff and IGL themselves will have a hard time keeping staff.
It costs a lot to live in Inuvik and it's not getting any cheaper.
The costs will go far beyond the gas bill though. When people are pushed to pay more for utilities than they pay for a mortgage, they just won't do it. The soaring costs of life here are out of control and professionals won't come and the ones here won't stay.
If I were a gas customer, I'd withhold that 45 per cent increase and take the payment balance down to IGL in nickels, dimes and pennies to voice my opposition to this rape of our community.
Then I'd call my MLA, Roger Allen at 1-800-661-0784 or Floyd Roland at 777-4693, and write the PUB at: Box 4211, Hay River, NT, X0E 1G1.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
With elections just over the horizon for three First Nations in the Deh Cho, it's time to get to know the candidates. In Fort Simpson, at least, there will be a candidates' forum. This is a prime opportunity to hear each leadership hopeful give a brief blurb on what he or she hopes to accomplish.
This is helpful in making a decision, but it doesn't have to end there.
As a voter, feel free to stop candidates in the street and pose a question. If the individual is too busy, ask him or her to get back to you. Anyone who fails to do so likely isn't worth your vote.
It's imperative to know the people who will form the next chief and council. They will be responsible for some extremely important decisions, especially those relating to development.
Don't rely on what you've heard about a candidate. Ask for yourself.
In a small town, it's common to vote along familial lines. There may be legitimate reasons to do that, but let's hope that the most worthy candidates form the next First Nations governments in the Deh Cho.
Putting out feelers
The slow dance between the business community and the Imperial Oil representatives is fascinating to watch, even from a distance. Local businesspeople naturally want to know how they can benefit most from the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. The pipeline pitchers have been reluctant to make too many commitments at this early stage. Instead they are primarily taking note of all the ambitions and concerns.
While walking on eggshells in hopes of avoiding confrontation with the region's aboriginal political bodies, Imperial Oil and their partners are crunching numbers and keeping a very close eye on market demands.
Most people in the oil and gas industry continue to predict that a Mackenzie Valley pipeline will be built. But before that happens, there are a few very complex social, environmental and economic hurdles to be cleared first.
So that's how you looked
With this edition of the Deh Cho Drum, we begin a new feature, "Looking back at Lapointe Hall."
With permission from the Oblate archives in Edmonton, the Drum will be reprinting a few dozen photos from the school.
The pictures have been on display at Deh Cho Hall -- formerly Lapointe Hall -- for a few years, hanging outside Andy Norwegian's office. They are attention getters. Those passing through periodically stop to look and marvel at how people they know have changed over the years.
Granted, not everyone has positive memories of their years in residential school. The pictures are not meant to pass judgment. They are, nevertheless, interesting artifacts, capturing moments from the past.
For those who haven't been able to see the pictures in their current location, you can now peruse them in these pages.
Due to editing errors, incorrect information appeared in last Friday's Yellowknifer. There are 27 airports in the NWT, not 29 (Off the beaten flight path, page 11). Also, the group of people from Whitehorse who travelled to Anchorage recently did so because of an inquest in Whitehorse, not Yellowknife (Sifting through solutions, page 22).
Yellowknifer apologizes for the errors.