Friday, December 24, 2004
A 2003 survey showed 88 per cent of Yellowknife residents consider recycling important.
Yet, at Monday's budget vote, city council elected to enter 2005 with a recycling program that consists of a few over-stuffed recycling bins scattered about town and a couple of people at the dump to crush bottles, cans and boxes into bales to be shipped south.
The majority of councillors decided that having a waste management co-ordinator wasn't worth the $70,000 the city was paying her. So, with their eyes to the 2.85 per cent tax increase facing ratepayers, they cut the city's recycling program from the neck up.
We have to agree with some councillors who question whether much has been accomplished since a waste co-ordinator was hired two-and-a-half years ago.
Surely by now we ought to be closer to the goal of recycling 14 to 23 per cent of waste going into the dump within five years.
The city estimates the recycling rate will be holding steady at about five per cent up to 2007 - not much different than before hiring the waste co-ordinator.
This poor showing should not give council the excuse to shrug and say they tried, leaving recycling goals unfulfilled.
Mayor Gord Van Tighem says if recycling is going to work, it's going to take some community effort. True, but it will need direction and commitment from City Hall.
When adopted by council in 2001, one of the main criteria of the waste management strategic plan was to educate and raise public awareness. All we've seen is the odd newsletter and a move to stop people from recycling at the dump. The outcry over closing the dump down to the public was heard across the country.
If council was unhappy with the waste co-ordinator's performance, why, instead of scrapping the job all together, wasn't someone with more experience considered as a replacement?
Or did certain anti-recycling councillors purposely engineer the program to fail, as claimed by Coun. Kevin O'Reilly?
So far the private sector is doing a far better job getting recycling off the ground. Clayton Morrell, with his pick-up truck and blue boxes, is servicing more than 1,500 customers after 15 months on the job.
Coun. Mark Heyck asked administration Monday night if they ever thought of polling residents in their annual survey about the willingness to pay for curbside recycling. The answer was no.
It's time we asked.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Yes, valued readers, it's that time of year again.
It's time for our annual Kivalliq Christmas gift list, as we send a little holiday cheer to Nunavut's top personalities.
And what better place to start than the top?
To Premier Paul Okalik, we send one official placement card for the next national gathering of premiers.
The card allows Mr. Okalik one seat of his choice - hopefully in the front row.
To House Speaker Jubie Nutarak, we send a complete set of Employment Insurance claim forms and a Lone Ranger mask.
Based on the track record of former House Speakers, he will eventually need one or the other.
To Arviat MLA David Alagalak, we send one coupon good for a hotline to be installed in the government office of Darren Flynn, just in case Alagalak needs some advice on an exotic vacation destination.
To CG&S assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley, who has an office across the hall from Flynn, we send a building blueprint for him to hang facing Flynn's office.
The map reads: You are there. I'm here, in the much larger office!
Bluesman
To Iqaluit Central MLA Hunter Tootoo, we send a state-of-the-art karaoke machine so he may continue to sing the blues for many years to come.
To Baker Lake MLA and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, David Simailak, we send an instructional video cassette that explains the link between Web sites and tourist attraction.
To Health Minister Levinia Brown, we send a cassette of the things she listed as top priorities for Rankin Inlet during her time as the hamlet's deputy mayor - just to refresh her memory!
To Quttiktuq MLA Levi Barnabas, we send a deluxe edition of the Monopoly board game.
The deluxe version comes complete with an extra large Second Chance card. We hope he uses it well.
Official status
To Education Minister Ed Picco, we send a framed certificate granting him official "Townie" status.
We also send Mr. Picco a copy of How to Make Friends and Influence People, signed by the book's former owner, Baker Lake Coun. Glenn McLean.
And, finally, to McLean, we send a framed 16 x 20 colour photo of the Rankin Inlet Petroleum Products Division building.
The photo is personally autographed by Rankin Mayor Lorne Kusugak and bears the inscription: The premier giveth, and the premier taketh away.
May these gifts be received in the spirit for which they were intended.
Merry Christmas to everyone and our hopes for peace in the new year.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
It was a week of feasts, Christmas concerts and old time dances as the holiday spirit hit Inuvik and the surrounding region.
Parents and family members filled Sir Alexander Mackenzie school's (SAMS) gymnasium for the students' annual concert. The great performances brought back memories from my own school days, as I am sure it did for many in the audience.
SAMS music teacher Aengus Finnan did a marvellous job and much credit must be given to him and other school staff and volunteers who helped make the event a success.
And another big shout out has to go out to the Delta Good Time Band, whose music kept the toes tappin' in the Delta, first at Inuvik's Christmas feast and the following evening at Kitty Hall in Tuktoyaktuk.
As the Tuk drum dancers opted to spend the weekend in Inuvik after performing at our feast and dance, hats off to James Rogers, Aengus Alunik and Charlie Kasook for making the trip down the ice road to play in Tuk. Had they not, Kitty Hall's community feast and dance would have been lacking that vital musical component.
And the people in Tuk showed their appreciation by dancing well into the evening.
For all of you kids out there who think that what you learn in school today will never be of any use in the future, take note.
I used to wonder when square dancing would ever come in handy and so never paid much attention to those Phys. Ed. classes, spinning partners around, do-se-do-ing and the like.
Well, that attitude came back to haunt me this weekend as I had to sit on the sidelines of two old time dances, wishing I hadn't dismissed those dancing lessons back in high school.
That said, the energy created by the dancers and musicians at Inuvik's recreation hall and Tuk's Kitty Hall was satisfying in itself. When the room gets spinning with bodies moving to the sound of old time fiddling, the infectious pulse is hard to ignore.
It was wonderful to see the community spirit here and in Tuktoyaktuk. There's nothing like great food and dancing to lift the spirits, and to see so many elders out taking part says something about the restorative power of music.
So, as we reflect on the past year - with its good and bad - this is the time to focus on the positive.
There is a lot happening in the region and things are only going to get busier as we head into 2005. As the Christmas season tends to make us think about what really matters in life, hopefully we can take some of that holiday cheer into the coming year.
Whatever your plans are for this Christmas, the Inuvik Drum wishes you and yours a safe and happy holidays.
So keep your eyes on the mistletoe and please don't drink and drive, as we want to see all of you safe and sound in 2005.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh cho Drum
For the fortunate among us, the Christmas holidays are a time to feel every bit as blessed as we do at Thanksgiving.
Here in the Deh Cho, we have much for which we can give thanks. Of course there are the presents under the tree, but that's just a start.
Teachers and students rehearsed for weeks to perform cheerful Christmas concerts that put smiles on many a face. Way to go.
In Jean Marie River, relatives attending the school concert received a personalized DVD containing photos of the special student in their lives. The children spent hours arranging the elements of the DVDs and Brian Jaffray, of the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, was up 'til the wee hours of the morning putting the finishing touches on the disks. There were some parents who were really touched by the gift.
A tip of the cap as well to the Friendship Centres in Fort Simpson and Fort Providence. They are bastions of support for many people throughout the year, offering various programming and a drop-in centre for youth. At Christmas, their hamper and food bank programs can make a huge difference in the lives of many.
The same can be said of churches. They quietly help others year round.
No food bank or Christmas hamper program would be successful without donations from individuals. There are numerous generous people in the Deh Cho communities. Frank Letcher, who is featured in this week's Coffee Break would certainly qualify. Can you imagine spending 300-400 hours on a project that you're going to give away? Sure he's retired, but that's still a remarkable gesture.
There are countless other folks who, without fanfare, make the holiday season brighter. Thanks to you all. Even the federal government must have felt the giving spirit by choosing not to sever negotiations with Dehcho First Nations. Instead, Andy Scott, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, reportedly reaffirmed Ottawa's commitment to work through existing differences with the Deh Cho (even if he did push First Nations' leaders to suspend their lawsuit). Perhaps Santa will find a gift in his bag for the minister.
Hands-on learning
The Chariot of Champions contest at Thomas Simpson school was a reminder that trades programs possess great value. Vocations such as carpentry, plumbing, welding, mechanics and others are generally not high profile in the Deh Cho because there's little in the way of designated training facilities in communities.
While it's not practical to suggest that each school should have an industrial arts program, students somehow need to be encouraged to consider trades as career options.
The enthusiasm that the adolescents showed in designing and constructing their cardboard sleds for last week's competition spoke volumes.