Wednesday, June 22, 2005
If you believe the testimony of an admitted crack-cocaine dealer involved in the killing of another dealer, the city drug trade is worth thousands of dollars a day to each seller.
In 2003, 44 people were charged in connection with cocaine in Yellowknife, only five in the rest of the NWT. Cocaine charges in the territories increased 22 per cent from 2002 to 355 complaints and 175 charges in 2003.
We expect the stats from 2004 will be higher.
Meanwhile, $19,832,000 worth of booze was sold in Yellowknife in the last year, up two per cent compared to 2003, despite the fact drinking in bars is down.
Liquor store sales are up, suggesting more home parties. By volume, the amount of booze sold in this city alone was equivalent to about 92 litres for every man, woman and child in Yellowknife.
Almost every day in court you can witness the damage caused by drugs and alcohol: a welder who lost his job due to crack; two women accused of beating up a third woman while a drinking party raged in the same house.
Galvanized by the problems, the Community Wellness Coalition formed in May 2003.
Daily, Yellowknifers volunteer time for Citizens on Patrol, but can't convince council to give them enough money. A sister group, Community Patrol Services, wants to get intoxicated people off the streets and into shelter, but is unable to get insurance.
Meanwhile, the territorial government turns a blind eye to repeated calls for improved addictions treatment in the NWT.
And you have to wonder, if a drug dealer can sell thousands of dollars worth of cocaine each day, why aren't more people being caught and charged by police?
There's a war on our streets and in our homes, fuelled by crack and booze.
Government talks tough. Police step up downtown foot patrols and presence on the street. There has been some improvement but the war continues.
Yellowknifers want more action. It is time for the Wellness Coalition to hold another town hall meeting. They should invite police commanders, federal justice officials and Crown attorneys, all of city council and Yellowknife's MLAs to come and hear people's frustrations.
They have to hear that what's happened so far isn't enough.
We're tired of seeing drug deals in broad daylight. We're tired of Yellowknife's frontier town reputation.
It's time to show the dealers and druggies and boozers that this is our city, not theirs.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Well, valued readers, as you are reading this, I am relaxing on the East Coast with little umbrellas floating in beverage of choice.
Of course, that's only my slightly delusional fantasy of my utopia-like vacation.
I am more likely to be happily chasing my six-year-old grandson around the back yard, as my 14-year-old pooch begins to understand the truth of willing spirit and weak flesh.
I leave the Kivalliq News in the more-than-capable hands of Brent Reaney.
This is Brent's second tour of duty in Nunavut and he's looking forward to six weeks in the Kivalliq.
Trains rolls through Rankin
The Tootoo Train rolled across Rankin Inlet during the past two weeks and, once again, hometown hero Jordin Tootoo did his best to accommodate every request.
Tootoo attended award ceremonies in all three schools, took time to conduct an autograph session for youth at the Rankin arena, and had a smile and a friendly word for everyone he met.
While the NHLPA has taken a beating during the past year in national opinion pools, the association could go a long way in regaining that lost ground by placing the spotlight on the efforts of personalities such as Tootoo, Trevor Linden, Jerome Iginla and Curtis Joseph, among others, in their communities.
Despite the fact the majority of the NHLPA's members have lost touch with reality during the gravy-train ride of the past 10 years, it is refreshing to see players like Tootoo take the time to put a smile on the face of so many people.
It is the type of effort we need to see a lot more of when the NHL begins play again.
One against the crowd
While we can't agree with most of the points made by Coun. Donna Adams this past week concerning the Harry Potter theme for the Rankin Inlet summer day camp, we would defend to our last breath her right for voicing those opinions.
And, we admire her courage in voicing her opinions in front of a large, hostile gathering.
We do not oppose Adams's opinions based on anything to do with religion.
Rather, we disagree with the concept of censorship and the religious community attempting to force its will on the general public at the cost of an individual's right to choose.
The notion parents who allow their children to enjoy the fantasy world of Harry Potter are promoting the use of witchcraft and black magic borders on ludicrous.
They are, in effect, exercising their right to choose in a free-and-democratic society.
The same society that prompts us to applaud Adams's courage in exercising her right to free speech in front of a room full of Potter supporters, when the rest of those opposed to the theme left her alone.
Some might say the irony of the situation is that same courage shown by Adams is one of Harry Potter's most endearing traits!
See you next month.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
The dissolution of the Inuvik Recycling Society was a sad last chapter in a saga illustrating government mismanagement and what can happen when one wears too many hats.
While Barb Armstrong, the last acting president, wanted to celebrate the society's achievements over its five-and-a-half-year history, her disappointment regarding recent events is evident.
She is wife of Albert Bernhardt - owner of AB Salvage and recycling pioneer in the Northwest Territories. Her dedication to Inuvik Recycling Society is clear, although her involvement with Bernhardt's landfill operations often made it difficult to determine who she represented when appearing in a public forum.
As well, many people in town were under the mistaken belief that Albert and Barb were somehow profiting on the recycling operation run by AB Salvage at the dump. This was further muddied by Armstrong's recent attempt to persuade the town to allow a bottle depot at the landfill, something which could have been misinterpreted as a ploy to profit from recent GNWT legislation.
However, anyone who has done any kind of research on the subject of recycling knows that even in the best of times, such operations barely break even. Combine that with Inuvik's distance from any viable marketplace for such items and you can forget about making any coin on selling aluminum or cardboard.
Governments miss the boat: surprised?
With that in mind, one has to consider why on earth the GNWT would offer a bottle recovery depot contract for proposals when it had a logical operation - already up and running - to engage directly.
So the GNWT dropped the ball and the Town of Inuvik had a chance, but failed to pick it up and make a winning play.
Though the town line is that it supports recycling, when its support really counted the town came up with a lame duck excuse: it did not want to compete with private business.
Translation: a bottle depot on town land did not create a level playing field for other businesses interested in the contract. Only one other business expressed any interest.
Before recycling had such a high-profile in Inuvik, all garbage, including glass, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, tetra packs and cardboard was buried in the landfill.
This is the same landfill operated by whomever held that contract issued by the town.
Now that these items are classed as recyclables, the logic that the town can somehow wash its hands of them doesn't really follow. Called garbage and buried: town's department. Called recyclables and separated: not the town's department. A bit confusing. A little like trying to figure out which hat one is wearing and when, and then if it really matters at all.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
A few weeks ago, director George Lucas rolled out what is thought to be the final instalment in his Star Wars saga. As expected, the film is chock full of sensational special effects.
The Deh Cho answer to that pop culture juggernaut came on June 7, when the Bridge Corporation hit the play button on a computer and launched its DVD. The animated footage illustrating how the bridge will be constructed and the way it will look upon completion was a hit. The Bridge Corporation didn't have Lucas' budget, Darth Vader nor Chewbacca, but then again George Lucas' masterpiece lacked lively fiddle music and Dene drumming.
Of course Lucas' creative genius is based on science fiction. The bridge, on the other hand, is supposed to be grounded in reality. There is genuine excitement in Fort Providence over the project. Yet there also seems to be growing cynicism among some observers that it will ever get off the ground. Looking back over 2003 and 2004, there were several false predictions that construction would begin by spring, then summer, then autumn.
Projects of this magnitude often fall behind schedule. The Bridge Corporation has faced hurdles in nailing down permits a a common stumbling block in the NWT. It has been challenged with finalizing an ownership agreement with the territorial government. It has also, most importantly, been conducting consultations and benefits meetings within the community. Ensuring that residents of Fort Providence come out ahead is critical. All of these things are time consuming.
The Bridge Corporation now has a very impressive DVD in hand that can be widely distributed. But the sequel must be to get this show on the road. When the concrete is finally poured, maybe then the Bridge Corporation will make believers of the disbelievers.
May the force be with them.
It's nighttime, but there's still light pouring through the bedroom window.
No matter, you're tired and you start to drift off to sleep only to be jarred by the high-pitched hum of a mosquito's wings. How did that little bugger get in here? More importantly, where did it go?
If you've spent too much time searching the room for the diminutive blood-thirsty terror, well, you're not alone.
There is concern that mosquitoes may bring West Nile Virus to the NWT. But that seems like a long shot compared to the odds that the pesky insects will deprive you of sleep. That's bad enough.
Be gone!