Editorial page

Friday, October 03, 2003
Development rules a toothless tiger

Ptarmigan Road residents discovered in 1997 that you can't fight city hall.

Now a developer has proved you can ignore it -- as long as you're willing to pay the price.

Construction of a 50-unit residential development on 2.37 hectares off Ptarmigan is not a new issue. It came up six years ago when the city went against residents' wishes and rezoned the property.

Only a soft housing market kept that developer from building on the site.

Fast forward to today and the new owner, Nova Builders, is racing against time and the weather to get the $10- million project underway before winter strikes full force.

This time it's not a zoning fight but one in which residents question whether all the city's development rules are being followed.

The city gave Nova the go-ahead Sept. 18. Residents immediately appealed to the development appeal board and a stop work order was issued by the city Sept. 23.

Residents have challenged the permit on several grounds, questioning surface drainage, vehicular access to the site, proximity of development to adjacent residences and several other matters.

They want the city to seek an injunction to stop development until their concerns are dealt with. They say they're willing to go to the NWT Supreme Court if necessary.

A development appeal hearing is set for Oct. 18. People have until Oct. 8 to submit information and new challenges.

Even after being told to stop work, Nova continued to build the first 20 units -- seven of which are already sold. By late last week, $1.5 million had been invested in the site. The company is willing to accept the $500 fine, a penalty that grows by $100 for each day it ignores the stop work order.

The city sits on the sidelines, its development rules being trampled along the way.

Back in 1997, Yellowknifer said residents should have a role in shaping their neighbourhoods. The city can only live up to that principle by standing up to developers who ignore the rules.

Posting paper on a utility pole and levying a minuscule fine isn't tough enough. Current city councillors and candidates for election Oct. 20 must be prepared to toughen penalties for ignoring the development process. Otherwise, all those zoning rules aren't worth the paper they're printed on.


A smart decision

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


Rankin Inlet hamlet council made a smart decision this past week in voting down a motion to open up the local bingo licence lottery.

The next smart move for council is to revisit its bylaw concerning those eligible to enter the lottery.

As it stands, the bylaw determines eligibility by non-profit status.

The problem with that is the number of non-profit organizations that receive considerable funding from other sources.

The spirit of the lottery is intended to provide a vehicle for search and rescue, community radio, recreation, sporting organizations and community outreach providers to raise the funds they need for their operations.

This is particularly important to groups away from the hamlet umbrella.

Most sporting organizations use bingo revenues to host tournaments, develop programs, or cover the registration and travel costs of their players.

To further split the money pool up by adding numerous organizations that, when properly managed, should be on solid financial footing, would erode many of the programs our hamlet youth and athletes depend on.

Thumbs up to hamlet council for this decision.

Missed the mark

It's fine for the Department of Health to state former Rankin Inlet dentist Sonia Autut simply wasn't patient enough to wait for the government to affect change.

But, remember, this is the same department that constantly bemoans the fact it can't entice health care providers, especially those in specialized care, to take up long-term residency in Nunavut.

Autut is exactly the type of individual the GN is looking for and it's allowing her to walk away from the community she's served for almost four years.

The GN has a commitment to the feds to maintain the status quo until the larger health contract negotiations are completed this December.

Fine. But that doesn't stop it from negotiating in good faith with Autut now, to lock up her services early in the new year.

We're not buying the rhetoric over, possibly, having to put the contract out for a public expression of interest.

That homework should have been done long ago.

The bottom line is, the GN has exactly the type of health care professional it's been squawking about for years living right here in Rankin.

Unless the GN can show that her requests have been unreasonable, it should cut through the red tape and simply make it happen.

A hearty thumbs down for way this situation has been handled.


Dangerous divisions

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum


The meeting with self-government negotiators opened a few eyes and answered some questions about this emerging new government here.

While much still needs to be answered in the areas of financing, the political structure and voting rights seem fairly clear.

There will be guaranteed representation from Gwich'in and Inuvialuit which will form half of the council, with four open candidates composing the other half.

Many feel that they should be able to vote for any candidate, but that really waters down the whole purpose of self-government.

The reason for guaranteed representation is self-explanatory; if an aboriginal candidate is campaigning to the masses, that candidate is not necessarily representing the needs of his or her people.

As an exodus of people flow North to take the gas South, aboriginal people here will soon be out-numbered and guaranteed representation by their own population is necessary to protect their interests.

I understand the principles behind that, but the flaw I see in basing any system of government on race, ethnic origin or for that matter religious affiliation is that one day we will all be the same race.

One big happy family

Futurists predict that should humanity survive the next few centuries, we will become a homogenous mix of the world's races.

Looking that far down the road, the lines that divide us are blurred and I don't think people spend enough time looking that far ahead.

Catholics and Protestants, Israelis and Palestinians, Sikhs and Muslims and countless others have spilled oceans of blood over their differences.

If they'd look down that long road ahead I think they might spend more time celebrating their similarities, rather than fighting over their differences.

I understand the inherent right and the reasons for self-government, but I don't like the negative way people are using their differences to build walls between races.

One thing that sticks in my mind from Monday's meeting came from Bob Simpson:

"It's not so much who has the power, but how you share that power."

If this shared power is used to build a better region for all; it will be a great thing. If it's used to build walls of difference, it will be counter-productive and hurt more than help.


Altered atmosphere

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum


Somehow the tune has changed in regards to a potential Mackenzie Valley pipeline over the past year or two.

Hark back to January, 2000 when aboriginal groups from the NWT gathered in Fort Liard and agreed to work together to benefit from a major natural gas pipeline running from Inuvik south into Alberta. At that time, Deh Cho leaders were willing to back the group but with conditions. Outright support hinged on self-government negotiations, then Grand Chief Michael Nadli explained.

Over the few years, pressure was heaped on the DCFN from around the North and from Calgary (perhaps Ottawa too). The Deh Cho, it seemed, wore the black hat in this scenario. Some remained cautiously optimistic, but others talked of gloom and doom if the DCFN didn't come on board. The whole pipeline project could fall apart, alarmists speculated.

Despite the coercion, the Deh Cho steadfastly stuck to their objectives. The remainder of the regions in the NWT along with the Aboriginal Pipeline Group -- the Arctic Resources Corporation (ARC) was still in the picture at that time, too -- and industry were forced to begrudgingly forge ahead without the Deh Cho's participation.

Now it seems we've arrived at a point where the DCFN is no longer viewed as "making or breaking" the pipeline.

Deh Cho at the table

So what has changed? Well, the Aboriginal Pipeline Group has secured its funding for the preliminary study stage. It took quite a while but it was done without the Deh Cho at the table. Obtaining the money was a boon.

Talk of "losing out" to a competing an Alaska-Yukon pipeline has faded. The odds now heavily favour the Mackenzie Valley pipe being built first.

The Mackenzie Gas Project (under the oil and gas consortium led by Imperial Oil) established a presence in three Northern communities, including Fort Simpson. Consequently, there has been an upswing in consultations. There is plenty of talk of jobs and contract opportunities associated with preliminary pipeline work and, later, construction of the pipeline. Yet questions remain about how well prepared the DCFN will be to capitalize on these preliminary opportunities.

Deh Cho communities, like many of their Northern neighbours, continue to be flooded with representatives from oil and gas companies, environmental firms, heavy equipment businesses, helicopter operations, camps, catering companies and others. Most of these business people are interested in forming partnerships, or joint ventures. Many of the First Nations are negotiating and signing on the dotted line for themselves.

Greater royalties

Yet the Deh Cho First Nations' negotiating team hasn't changed its stance in regards to the pipeline. The Deh Cho's chief negotiator, following direction from the region's elected leaders, is still going head-to-head with his federal counterparts, still demanding guarantees of greater royalties for the Deh Cho.

Is a Mackenzie Valley pipeline going to be built? North American demand for natural gas certainly isn't tapering off, nor is the Deh Cho First Nations' demand for an equitable share of the pie.

Interestingly, it is NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi who now is getting media coverage for threatening to halt resource development in the territory if the GNWT doesn't get a share of resource revenues from Ottawa. The only thing that seems to have subsided -- maybe only temporarily -- is the intense pressure for the DCFN to get a deal done immediately.