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Friday, February 13, 2004
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100 million reasons to do it right

Just since January 2000, about 100 million cans, bottles and other drink containers have gone into community dumps, been tossed onto roadsides and left in the bush.

What's so significant about that date? That's when then-Finance Minister Joe Handley hinted a bottle deposit system was being considered for the Northwest Territories.

In the four years since then, the idea has been the topic of discussion papers, public consultations, and meetings of legislative committees.

A workable system remains months away as the government awaits yet more public feedback on its proposal. The goal of getting reusable, recyclable drink containers out of the waste stream is a good one.

In the south, deposits have resulted in 90 per cent of containers being returned for refund. What will happen here will depend on how well the system is designed and managed, and how the public buys in to the program.

Several key questions remain, the most important being how efficient a government-run system would really be. Given the years it has taken government to get this far, its commitment to a bottle deposit system remains in question.

But should government be in the bottle collection business in the first place?

Although the proposal mentions "product stewardship," businesses that import, produce and sell drink containers aren't stewards in any sense of the word. They're little more than a tax collector. They bring cans and bottles North, then collect and remit the deposit.

Government is the real steward, responsible for getting those bottles and cans south again.

In the Yukon, the system the NWT is trying to model is successful because government is not involved. Most community depots are volunteer-run, with government paying handling and processing fees and depot allowances.

They recycle 18 million containers annually, recovering up to 93 per cent of all containers imported into the territory. It costs about $2 million a year and the government has a $300,000 environment fund used to encourage recycling efforts by giving youth points for each container they return for refund. Those points are redeemable for merchandise from Yukon merchants.

Although retailers don't take part in the Yukon program, most Canadian provinces require retailers or distributors to accept bottle returns or run the programs themselves.

It's a mistake to not have importers and retailers more involved in the container recovery program. The NWT doesn't have the volunteer base to repeat the Yukon success and government will do as government does -- tie the system up in red tape.

The program is not yet written in stone. MLAs must make their officials rethink the program before consumers start paying and the government starts spending the estimated $39 million that could be collected.


Boys will be boys -- not racists

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


For those of you who may not know, let me say right up front that away from the office I eat, sleep and drink the game of hockey.

And, if you'd like to discuss my views, you can find me at the Rankin arena all this weekend and next, or catch up with me later at any of the remaining hockey tournaments in the Kivalliq region.

Although I now find myself closer to 50 than 40 years of age, I still love the game enough to referee about 80 games or more each year.

So, where am I going with all this?

Well, there's been much discussion the past two weeks on the incident between Columbus Blue Jacket player Tyler Wright and our own Jordin Tootoo.

Not much of the talk has been on whether anyone believes Wright's claim that Tootoo bit his pinky during a scrum along the boards in a recent game.

Rather, the talk has focused on whether Wright is a racist for his remark about how Northerners eat.

Well, I'm here to tell you -- coming from a guy who has spent most of his life around hockey rinks -- players will say anything in the heat of the moment.

I'm not defending the "banter" that often goes down between rivals (especially hard-nosed players), I'm simply stating it's commonplace and rarely racist in nature.

Yes, there have been racist comments made in pro sports, we all know that.

But, we also know Tootoo has received far more publicity that the average rookie and that's not going to endear him to every NHLer.

Wright's remark was more of a reflection on the publicity surrounding Tootoo's heritage, rather than any form of racial slur.

Let's face it, Wright would be lucky to find Rankin Inlet on a map, let alone know anything about our eating habits up here.

The worst I've heard

How far do players take it on the ice? Well, I was recently asked at the arena about the worst I've ever heard and here is my answer.

Those easily offended may want to turn the page.

A young senior mens referee once fell in love with a young woman who did not share his feelings.

She broke up with him and the young ref (who we'll call Jimmy) was quite upset.

Jimmy decided to end it all, filled his bathtub with water, plugged in his portable heater and jumped in.

But, it wasn't to be.

The heater cord wasn't long enough and came out of the socket before he hit the water.

After a bit of a supervised rest, "Jimmy" returned to hockey.

Shortly after, he was working as a linesman and positioned at the blue-line in front of a players bench.

One player leaned in just enough so the young ref could hear him and politely asked, "Hey Jimmy, wanna' good deal on an extension cord?"

A great guy who would never say such a thing away from the rink , the player just couldn't resist the comment at his local arena.

We are not justifying Wright's remarks, as personal taunts really have no place in sports.

However, they do occur, especially in pro hockey, and Wright is guilty of nothing more than poor sportsmanship and bad judgement.

And, we're sure Mr. Tootoo will point out the error of his ways with a little "talk" of his own the next time the two teams meet.


Dark days for smokers

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum


When the Workers Compensation Board's workplace smoking ban comes into effect this May, the territory's smokers will have even fewer places to light up.

Inuvik will soon have its contingent of dedicated smokers, shivering on the streets.

Several weeks ago, when the temperatures dipped to more than 40 below, a trio of smokers huddled around the back entrance of the post office earned my admiration. These guys were the smoking equivalent to what extreme sports enthusiasts are to armchair athletes.

Though May will be a more agreeable month for enjoying a smoke in the great outdoors, I'm worried about my state of mind when the temperatures drop and my recreational puff becomes an adventure in extreme smoking.

While I and smokers around Canada salute the efforts of those who would let nothing stand in the way of having a puff, I can't picture myself going through the same hardship.

So, in an effort to avoid the feelings of animosity towards those whose influence banished me to the windswept Arctic streets for a nicotine fix, I'm opting instead to try and break the habit altogether.

On Feb. 14, I will embark on the "Quit to Win" quest to wean myself from this deadly habit that, besides from all of the harmful chemicals I inhale each time I have a smoke, is becoming harder and harder to enjoy.

Tips for living with denial

These days when I buy smokes, I request a package without the stroke afflicted brain, dead heart or machine-strapped lung disease victim. When one is in denial about the detrimental health consequences smoking presents, staring at an overflowing ashtray or a picture of a wheezing man when enjoying a drag is much, much better.

I pretended to believe this for some time until I was snapped out of my delusion not too long ago.

Despite the blatant "these things can kill you and anyone around you" warnings, I was still buying the darn things. To me, they are the little box of rewards for a job well done, a video well watched and a beer well consumed.

Even as I near the end of writing this piece, I stare lovingly at my cigarettes and think about the brief celebratory moment I'll enjoy while treating myself to a smoke for finishing the week's editorial.

Quit and be a winner or...

So good luck to all of those who have decided to enter the "Quit and Win" contest. It will be a test of one's determination (and how badly one wants the trip for two to Mexico). Statistics indicate that the odds are not favourable for going the distance.

Nevertheless, even taking a break from smoking will be beneficial to your health, so that's a win of sorts.

As for the real winner, keep in mind that two people are allowed 400 cigarettes duty-free when returning from Mexico. So, in the eventual "Quit and Win" winner's non-smoking glory, please don't forget about the ones you left behind; that dying breed.

When I think about all those great smoking moments I'll miss as I venture into the realm of the non-smoker, I console myself with the thought of a holiday I'll take with the money I'm going to save.

At more than $10 for a box of smokes, pack-a-day smokers spend nearly $4,000 each year feeding their addiction.

Then, I think about all the extra time I'll have, previously wasted by thinking about going for a smoke, finally deciding to have one, searching for my smokes, followed by actually going through with smoking. The ridiculousness of it all makes me want to quit right now.

But not before one last smoke...


Prevent the senseless fetal alcohol pitfalls

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Deh Cho Drum


Dozens of experts from across the country are gathering in Fort Simpson this week for a symposium on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a condition that by all rights shouldn't exist.

The disorder is caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol and its severity can vary from minor behavioral problems to physical birth defects and learning disabilities.

The knowledge that alcohol can have a catastrophic effect on a developing fetus is nothing new, but the disorder persists nonetheless. During the last few months I have met a number of people who have FASD and most of them are well acquainted with the legal system.

One man I knew suffered from a relatively mild form of FASD and except for his slight stature, you'd be hard pressed to tell he had the disorder.

He was quick witted, intelligent and amiable, but there was another side to him.

It was this side that had accumulated nearly a dozen criminal convictions and had a hard time understanding it isn't acceptable to vandalize property and swear at people in the mall.

The man drifted from one menial job to another and spent most of his nights at the Salvation Army.

He's in the same frustrating predicament as hundreds of other Northern residents, resigned to a life of despair simply because his mother drank while she was pregnant.

And perhaps that's the most maddening part about FASD.

The disorder is entirely preventable.

It could be wiped off the face of the earth in one generation. But knowing how to do something, and actually doing something are often two entirely different things.

Whose responsibility is it to change the way things are?

Mothers who drink while they're pregnant share some of the blame, but the reality is the territorial government has failed miserably when it comes to treating substance abuse.

The government can hold conferences until it's blue in the face, but it won't make a lick of difference until more money is siphoned into combatting alcohol addiction.

It's borderline scandalous that in a territory of 40,000 people, there is only one drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.

How can we begin to fight FASD if we can't make a dent in alcoholism?