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Monday, November 8, 2004
Teachers undervalued

Whether it believes it or not, the territorial government is in the housing business.

And through its Market Housing Initiative, the NWT Housing Corporation is profiting off teachers and undermining the quality of education. This year, the corporation bought 22 manufactured homes for $2.6 million and could buy 20 more next year.

In seven small communities, teachers and other government professionals are being charged top-dollar rent to live in the lowest-cost housing available.

Deninu school teacher Kim McNaught pays $1,300 a month in rent for a three-bedroom trailer that's too big for her and her young daughter. Another teacher came to town only to turn tail and leave after finding out the cost of housing.

If someone was to buy that $130,000 trailer and take a 20-year mortgage through a chartered bank, monthly payments could be about $860. Also consider the fact a three-bedroom house in Sherwood Park, Alta. could be rented for $950 a month.

Housing, whether a lack of suitable accommodation or the high cost, is one of the main reasons about 120 of the NWT's 793 teachers leave the North each year.

Sure, teachers are paid good salaries and have plenty of perks, but like nurses or doctors, they need a good reason to stay. Mostly that means a good wage, a nice place to live and the ability to sock money away for the future.

Teachers come here to wind down or start up their careers. They're not going to stay and pay rent higher than they'd pay living close to a big city that offers many more amenities than do Fort Resolution or Tulita.

Faced with a shortage of nurses, the government now pays "special allowances" ranging between $4,500 and $9,000 a year to nurses working in stations around the Territories.

It's time to realize the full cost of teacher turnover is more than the $65,000 the government spends annually on recruiting. There's the expense of moving new teachers North. If it cost $4,000 per teacher, that could amount to $480,000 a year.

The disruption in community schools must also be considered. Students and parents are insulted by the number of southern teachers going through the revolving door.

It erodes trust and makes everyone question the value of education.

The government talks about hiring more home-grown professionals -- doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers -- but without quality education, that's not going to happen.

It starts by valuing teachers who choose to work in NWT hamlets and doing more to keep them here for more than a year or two.


Hamlet dream,nightmare cost

There's something admirable about the spirit of the 112 people who want to create a new permanent settlement called Opingivik near Panniqtuuq.

But it is going to be interesting to see how the cash-strapped Nunavut government will find the money to fund it.

Opingivik represents the kind of back-to-the-land dream more and more people in Nunavut are starting to have, perhaps inspired by the creation of the territory itself.

But establishing Opingivik with even the most basic necessities like a water truck, an SAO, and a water pumphouse isn't going to be cheap.

And the Nunavut government is hardly flush with money.

Chesterfield Inlet is one of Nunavut's smallest hamlets with about 350 people. They buy their own water and sewer trucks using an annual GN subsidy of about $150,000.

That money helps. But a water truck costs $180,000. A sewer vehicle, about $100,000.

Opingivik is an area that many people who now live in Panniqtuuq were moved away from years ago. There are just a few houses and no services.

It's true many of the people who used to live there didn't want to move. They enjoyed the clean water and good hunting in the area that still exists today according to Lypa Pitsiulak and his family who have lived at Opingivik for the last 25 years.

They say that the area is so naturally abundant they can survive with more people. An outpost camp is one thing, a permanent settlement quite another.

They are already talking about a post office and Nunavut Arctic College campus. No matter how clean the water is at Opingivik, for example, they will still need a pumphouse. They will also need a municipal office. Repulse Bay, another small hamlet, just built a new one for $1.5 million.

Chesterfield just bought a small Zamboni -- $109,000.

A fire truck is at least $100,000. And where are you going to house it?

But people still dream.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. said it supports the initiative at Opingivik. But they aren't paying for it.

The government would have to increase its budget for its Municipal Operating Assistance Program. That money would have to come from somewhere.

For a government that is $136 million in debt, it's not realistic right now. Maybe it will be in the future.

The dream doesn't need to die. It needs to be nurtured and developed until financial reality makes it possible.


Burning towards disaster

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


The recent arson attempt at Tusarvik school in Repulse Bay is further proof our youth just aren't getting the message when it comes to the consequences of their actions.

We here at Kivalliq News have to admit we don't understand the logic behind these senseless acts any more than the next person.

Not only do the schools represent hope for a better life in the future for a large number of our young people, they are also the lifeblood of many, many communities.

School gymnasiums are the focal point of sporting events and community gatherings in many hamlets.

As well, most Nunavut schools go above and beyond the call of duty in trying to make space available for a wide variety of activities, both for their student bodies and the community at large.

A number of schools also house offices for people from the medical and dental professions, family and career counsellors, sporting teams and/or organizations and, in some cases, community radio.

Still, the wilful damage persists.

While we, as adults, realize the tremendous financial strain these vindictive acts place upon our territorial government, that particular line of reasoning falls upon deaf ears when it comes to the youth causing the damage.

And, while we respect the efforts of our volunteer firefighters in going into our schools and interacting with the students, maybe it's time for a harsher approach.

Instead of explaining how hoses and breathing apparatus' work, a more graphic approach might help produce the desired effect.

Videos and other visual aids that show what happens to people who don't escape the flames may make some of these kids pause to reflect upon their actions.

Yes, such images can be quite disturbing, especially among our more sensitive youth.

That being said, arson is a dangerous business that often produces tragic results.

As long as youth keep lighting fires at Nunavut schools, they're playing a game of arson roulette that, sooner or later, is going to produce deadly results.

One of these nights, a firefighter, ambulance attendant, police officer or an innocent person simply in the wrong place at the wrong time is going to pay dearly for the striking of a match by a wayward youth.

It's time for our youth to turn on their receivers and get the message that this type of behaviour has to stop.

If the only road to that conclusion must wind from the pits of their stomachs to the back of their minds and result in the loss of a few lunches, so be it.

The bottom line is we must do whatever it takes to get the message across.


Development money tree

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum


The NWT Business Development Fund paid out more than $1 million last year, filling 137 requests for financial assistance for various endeavours.

In Canada, the tradition of government grants and funding to private citizens and organizations is as long as the grant sources are numerous.

To the seasoned grant proposal writer, the ability to live entirely from grant money is an achievable feat, not just an idealistic fantasy.

That said, with the territorial government in financial difficulty, one might wonder why the requests for business development funding are not more closely scrutinized. Savvy grant proposal writers need to be matched by equally skilled grant distributors.

In some instances, money was given to companies closing shop. An accountant I'm not, but when a company closes down, isn't giving that company free "development" money to aid in that process a sort of oxymoron? Nothing developing here except an empty storefront.

While the criteria for receiving money includes bailing a business out of financial difficulty, a business development fund should not be paying for poor business decisions.

Funding of artistic projects was also another category that the business development fund was big on throwing money at. A carving studio here, a record production there. Perhaps it should be noted that while supporting the territories' artistic community is vital, until the carvings and CDs start selling, such ventures are not businesses. Not to mention that there are already several other avenues for such funding to be had.

Serious limitations on the procurement of business development funding must be implemented. A person putting together a business plan should not be a reason to dole out $5,000.

Last time I checked, a prospective entrepreneur puts his or her own time and resources into formulating a business plan, then heads to the bank to find financing. And when one's plan reaches the stage of hitting a bank up for money, then would be the opportune time for a $5,000 or a $10,000 cheque to come rolling in.

Feasibility studies should fall into this questionable "business plan" category, as well.

Checking up on grant recipients' progress should also be built into a new policy for the business development fund. If a person or organization did not come through with what they requested the funding for, all or a portion of that funding should be paid back.

It is amazing how up-in-arms everybody got when an MLA made a questionable housing allowance claim to the tune of $10,000, but nobody seems to mind when the government throws $13,000 at a business that wants to hire an accountant to conduct a financial review. Anywhere else in the country that "accounting review" cost would be swallowed by the company hiring the accountant.

But until any changes are made, the only course of action would be to get your pencils sharpened for the next season of business development funding fun. I've got a great idea for selling snow to tourists that might be worth a few thousand bucks.


The root of all evil

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum


Money issues could become the Dehcho First Nations' (DFN) Achilles' heel.

There would appear to be a sizeable windfall on the horizon with self-government agreements and resource development (presumably in a controlled fashion). How all that coin will be divided is anybody's guess.

Anyway, that remains a ways into the future. In the meantime, a formula has been agreed upon to disburse funds through the newly-created Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program (ASEP). It's a relatively small pot of money -- $413,698 for the region this year, to be exact -- designated for oil and gas training programs.

It would take too much space to explain the complicated formula here, but suffice it to say that there was some grumbling at last week's leadership meeting in Fort Simpson about who's getting what. Now, to be fair, not everyone was up in arms. It was primarily Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Keyna Norwegian who was upset. She expressed dismay at the $44,256 allotted to her band. That's not nearly enough, she said. Then, Norwegian opened an old wound by stating that the smaller Deh Cho communities seem to benefit most from the formula, if only for the simple reason that they are smaller.

West Point Chief Karen Felker responded that formulas should hinge on community needs, rather than on a per capita basis.

It didn't turn into a prolonged debate as it has in the past, but leaders from the smaller communities have made it clear that they often feel short-changed when the bucks are being doled out.

Behind the scenes, some people have also expressed concern about the one-quarter ASEP share that will remain with the DFN office to cover administrative and program start-up expenses. Again, to be fair, few of the leaders at the table had any problem with the regional office's portion. Yet some folks apparently view the Deh Cho office as gradually becoming a bloated bureaucracy, reflecting most other governments. Alternatively, one could look at it as the creation of jobs one way or the other. Keyna Norwegian remains adamant that her band is not getting what it's due. She wanted budgeting and fund allocation procedures to be revamped, but received no support from her fellow chiefs at last week's leadership meeting.

When a dispute occurred over inclusion in the pipeline working group, Norwegian said things are too contentious and should be dealt with behind closed doors. She said the Deh Cho should continue to project an image of solidarity, especially to industry. There are indeed some rifts, as may be expected among 13 member organizations.

Fort Providence Metis delegate Richard Lafferty's response to Norwegian should be duly noted. He said contentious discussions are unfortunate, "but it only helps us grow." As for holding closed meetings, he argued that the Dehcho Process is a public process, and it proves that leaders can work through issues even while under fire.