Wednesday, February 9, 2005
For well over 20 years the Gallery was the mainstay for bar hoppers, dancers, pool players and friends meeting for a drink after work.
In the days when live music was in most city bars, many musicians got their first taste of an audience on stage at the Gallery.
Many Yellowknifers met their spouses there. Doubtless there were a few divorces along with the groundwork for a few families.
Many Yellowknifers had their first legal drink in the Gallery and partied on until jobs, kids and mortgages clipped their wings.
The owners closed the Gallery with little fuss.
Perhaps running a business amid fierce competition for customers after the smoking ban made them forget what memories people have of the place. Yellowknifers, even if they hadn't been in there for many years, might have welcomed the chance to go back in time to savour some smoky memories.
Other bars have opened and closed in town, but few with as much history as the Gallery. Yellowknifer marks the demise of a city landmark and invites anyone who ever stopped at the Gallery for a cold beer to recall some of those memories and smile.
We were relieved last fall when former Yellowknife mayor Pat McMahon stepped up to become president of the Caribou Carnival organizing committee. It looked like the city's largest festival would be guaranteed a second year of success with a captain at the helm who brought credibility and organizing skills.
McMahon's stepping down last week due to "personal and business commitments" was a casualty to efforts to put on a big show for the carnival's 50th anniversary, but it takes more than a captain to run a ship. There are fewer than 45 days until the weekend extravaganza. There are others who can put on McMahon's captain's hat, or who can share hat-wearing duties.
Yellowknife expects nothing less for its golden winter celebration.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
The fact Team Baffin may not compete for the 2005 junior "C" Challenge Cup in Rankin Inlet next month due to the lack of a coach is almost incomprehensible.
The junior "C" program has enjoyed tremendous success during its first two years of existence.
The players have enjoyed competing for the Cup in Nunavut and travelling east to vie for the Atlantic-Northern junior "C" championship.
Fans in Rankin and Iqaluit have been treated to some extremely entertaining action and players in the lower ranks of minor hockey have been given something to work towards as they grow older.
In fact, with the Kitikmeot announcing it will be challenging for the title this year, this should have been the Challenge Cup's finest hour to date.
This is not even to mention the fact Hockey Nunavut may get the nod to host the 2007 Atlantic-Northern championship, which would be an historic day for Northern hockey.
But, as is often the case with any activity in Nunavut that doesn't pay a stipend, the lack of people willing to give of their time is threatening to undermine the accomplishments of a handful of volunteers during the past few years.
What does it take to get more Nunavummiut interested in helping out with these programs?
This is the territorial capital we're talking about, and not one adult has the wherewithal to step up and help out with a successful hockey program?
Let's fast-forward the clock a bit and assume no coach is found and Team Baffin does not manage to compete.
Could anyone really blame those 21 young men for walking around with a chip on their shoulders when nobody cared enough about them to help with their program?
It is getting increasingly difficult to keep a straight face when government or Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. leaders state publicly that we need more for our youth to do.
The first thing these leaders need to do is find enough people who care that their youth have little or nothing to do.
Of course, every time they offer $100 a day, free meals and an airline ticket to the host community, they get all sorts of people willing to meet and talk about the problems facing our youth.
The trouble is, these same people pull a disappearing act that would make David Copperfield proud when they return to their own communities.
Hockey is but one sport and the dilemma facing Team Baffin is but one example of the dire shortage of volunteers in Nunavut.
However, all Nunavummiut should be embarrassed if the youth on this team are denied the opportunity to compete due to the lack of one single adult willing to volunteer their time and help out.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
All around the region there are buildings of historical significance in various states of disrepair.
In Tsiigehtchic, efforts are currently underway to get the Catholic Church there recognized as an historic site. Thus far $10,000 has been provided to research other buildings of historical importance in the hamlet for potentially similar status.
In Aklavik, the old Catholic church ‚ still a beautiful structure ‚ no longer hosts parishioners. The door is nailed shut and its history is largely unknown to visitors left outside in the cold to ponder the past significance of such a place.
Just down the road the old Aklavik Museum's doors are wide open and snow drifts collect around and inside the entrance.
Drive to Fort McPherson and have a look around there. Broken down buildings ‚ some more than a century old ‚ are plentiful.
The time for Lucy Adams cabin, built in the '40s just outside Inuvik, is running out. Already sitting precariously on the edge of an eroding shoreline, it is predicted the sod roof structure will fall into the river this spring.
While having a particular building declared an historic site is one step towards preservation of the region's and the territory's architectural history, that status does not provide for upkeep.
What the territory needs is to establish some kind of fund for the maintenance of these places.
It's true that tourists visiting the North come for the wide open spaces and regional flora and fauna. It is also true that among these tourists exists an element that gets very excited when they see some tangible evidence of the past.
Unfortunately, the line between historical site and surplus infrastructure can be blurry, as in the case of Sir Alexander Mackenzie school (SAMS). This majestic wooden structure could face the wrecking ball when the GNWT and District Education Authority finally settle on a plan to replace the aging elementary school.
Along with Ingamo Hall and the Igloo Church, SAMS school is synonymous with the Inuvik landscape. Upon my arrival in town, it was the first building I took particular notice of and after spending so much time there covering various events, I've fallen in love with the place.
Many will agree that when it goes, something will be sorely missing from Inuvik. Which is why something needs to be done to preserve what remains in terms of the land's architectural history and protect threatened landmarks.
Similar to preserving language, there will be no immediate recoup of any investment made to tackle the job of protecting heritage buildings. The pay off will come from the pride beautification and preservation, particularly of historic sites, can give to a community's residents. The other spin off will be a more satisfied tourist who returns home with a little more than just tales from around the campfire.
Enhancing Northern tourism means showcasing the culture of Northern communities and that includes preserving historic sites.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh cho Drum
It seems we spend a lot of time lately trying to identify the potential impacts of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline.
It's difficult to pinpoint them all, of course. Nobody will know the full extent of pipeline "side effects" until the project comes to fruition, but we can't let that stop us from trying to be as prepared as possible.
Among the anticipated "infrastructure" impacts is the onslaught of heavy truck traffic. Flatbeds, tankers and tractor-trailers will be coming and going at a rate never before experienced in the Deh Cho. It's been pointed out that all those heavy trucks will erode roads and highways, which are already in poor condition compared to many other areas of Canada. There's been talk of forcing the oil and gas companies to ante up for repairs and maintenance of our highways.
It doesn't seem too much to ask.
There are other consequences of having so much heavy traffic on the road, and that's the hazard it poses to other drivers. The series of accidents on Highway 3 over the weekend is a prime example. The big trucks kick up a lot of powdery winter snow, making it temporarily impossible for oncoming drivers to see. Heaven forbid getting stuck behind one of the big trucks because the whiteout conditions are horrendous.
Drivers following these enormous workhorse vehicles are often itching to pass, and therefore sometimes get closer to the semi than they should. That's a life-jeopardizing move.
Realistically, unless the truck diver heads into a roadside pull-out (which is rare because they're on tight schedules), there's nothing for drivers to do other than slow down, grin and bear it.
This is something that Deh Cho motorists will be facing on a regular basis if and when the pipeline is built. The truck traffic here will resemble that of northern Alberta and B.C., if not heavier at times.
Unfortunately we don't have paved highways in some cases.
Who among us hasn't experienced the rear end of the vehicle swinging wildly after hitting a pitted section of dirt road commonly known as "washboard," even at speeds below the posted limits? Let's hope none of us is in the precarious situation of having that experience when a huge flatbed truck with a 20-tonne load is coming in the other direction.
The pipeline can bring some short-term jobs that will pay well. It can provide lucrative business opportunities. The project can also prompt benefits such as expanded cell phone coverage.
What it won't do is make our roads safer. That's something we'll be reminded of every time we climb behind the wheel and head out on the highway.
In the "boom" years ahead, we're going to need the Department of Transportation to be more vigilant than ever in keeping the roads as clear and smooth as possible.