Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Dene politics may delay city's plans
We say morally because the Yellowknives have been watching their land whither away for decades. Major industrial damage has been caused by Giant and Con mines.
There has been a huge influx of people onto their hunting and fishing grounds, land on which Yellowknives members can now be arrested for trespassing.
Economically, the Yellowknives have yet to prosper from the city's wealth and many lag far behind the majority of Yellowknifers in living standards.
The main problem with the Yellowknives getting involved in the multi-million dollar Giant mine clean-up is themselves.
The lack of progress on the Twin Pine Hill resort, the indecision over acquiring the Sand Pits and the absence of input regarding land processes set up by the territorial government indicates the Yellowknives leadership is overwhelmed.
Trying to develop economically while dealing with a territorial army of highly educated, well-paid bureaucrats, not to mention a smaller but similar municipal bureaucracy, is a gargantuan task.
There is a lot of pressure to develop land in and around the city. The Yellowknives best strategy may be to slow the pace as much as their influence allows to focus on their own political development.
The North is constantly looking for medical staff to come to work.
So it was disconcerting to read about Bogdan Yurashchuk in Aug. 3, Yellowknifer. He's a Ukrainian landed immigrant brain surgeon living in Yellowknife. Or at least, he would be a brain surgeon if a bureaucratic "Berlin Wall" called the Canadian Medical Association wasn't shutting him out of the type of practice for which he's trained.
After 10 years here he has given up ever returning to neurosurgery and accepted being a massage therapist as the closest he'll come.
The Canadian Medical Association admits there are at least 1,600 medical profession vacancies in small-population areas like Yellowknife.
Dr. John Morris hires physicians for Stanton Regional Health Authority and would like to hire foreign-trained doctors. "The process is extremely frustrating for both me and the applicants," Morris says.
Add the people of Yellowknife to that list of the frustrated. Bogdan Yurashchuk is a good example of the talent being wasted.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
First off, let me say as much fun as vacation was (and, believe me, it was), it is good to be back in the Kivalliq.
I would like to thank my fill-in editor, Brent Reaney, for doing an outstanding job in my absence.
On a number of fronts, my first two weeks back home featured, unfortunately, more dark news than good.
It is always difficult dealing with an accidental death in the community, and we all hurt inside when a child is seriously injured.
However, in both cases, there is an underlying message of the tragedies that can occur when proper safety measures aren't adhered to.
Earlier this year, the Kivalliq News ran a story on a fox with rabies and the precautions dog owners must take to help keep the virus out of our communities.
The precaution can be summed up nicely in one word - vaccinations.
This edition of the paper outlines - also for the second time this year - what to look for when it comes to the early warning signs of an infected animal.
One of the oldest sayings in the book - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - is still one of the truest.
Keeping an eye on an animal is also very important when you agree to pet sit for a friend or family member out on vacation.
Although you may be taking proper care of the animal, it may have come in contact with the virus before its owner left.
Public service announcements can be distributed in our communities every day, but, if the information they contain is not followed, they are not worth the paper they are printed on or the airwaves they travel across.
It's bad enough to ignore advice that puts adults in peril, but not doing all you can to prevent your animal from becoming infected with rabies puts the children of our community at the greatest risk.
One little girl has all ready paid a horrific price for an infected animal being on the loose, let's not have another child pay the same, or higher, price in the future.
There is also a saying that illustrates why so many accidents happen in the home, and why so many traffic accidents happen close to home.
That saying is: familiarity breeds contempt.
We all tend to become careless in familiar surroundings or while doing what we perceive to be menial or common tasks.
A seatbelt can do as much to save your life while going to the Northern store as it can while driving around Winnipeg.
Yet, in the Peg we buckle up, while at home we travel to and fro without one, or with our helmets sitting on a shelf where they can't do anything to protect us.
The same can be said for life-jackets, whether you're in one fathom of water or 100.
The bottom line is, taking those few extra moments to be safe can often prevent serious injury or worse to yourself and those around you.
Let's all make the effort to keep our community a safe place to be.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Those interested in the goings-on of space shuttle Discovery - currently floating in orbit - will know that a mission is underway to repair the vehicle for safe re-entry into earth's atmosphere.
This past week, astronauts have been attempting to fix problems on the craft's underbelly hoping to avert a disaster similar to the one that destroyed Discovery's sister-ship Columbia in 2003.
For a novice space watcher like myself, the events reminded me of a simple fact concerning most astronauts and their credentials.
Prior to becoming space travellers - perhaps the ultimate in extreme professions - most if not all of them possessed training in another field. Biologists, chemists, doctors and engineers make up the bulk of NASA's contingent of astronauts.
When people talk about the opportunities a pipeline can provide, most are focused on the actual construction and the opportunities for Northern people to learn trades.
However, little is said about other types of work involved in building the pipeline and maintaining it once it is operational.
Not to mention the host of industries not directly associated with oil and gas that will benefit from the spin-offs of the pipeline.
Now what does all this have to do with space travel, I hear some of you asking? On the surface, not very much. But those with a vision of the future, those who subscribe to the notion of continuing education, might be able to see the link.
In addition to career opportunities in the sciences, learning a trade can be a gateway to future studies.
I'm not saying that the guy who welds struts for a pipeline river crossing is automatically going to be the next Neil Armstrong.
On the other hand, dreams are the first step to realizing one's potential. And who's to say that hypothetical welder doesn't have what it takes to become a rocket scientist?
Similar to when the Twin Lakes MLA talks of job opportunities for Northerners, he's not just speaking of people holding shovels for the big oil pharaohs. He's talking about potential careers in science, medicine and engineering - all of which are possibilities for anyone with the determination to see them through.
I was speaking with a local about higher education late one evening over beers.
My friend was a bit frustrated with the idea of paying for the education of people from this region when they may not return here to practice their profession.
"It's a big waste of money," was his position.
That's not an uncommon sentiment but it's not the right way to look at the situation.
The education of one's people, regardless of where they may end up working, is of great importance here. In Inuvik there are people from all corners of the globe working in a variety of fields - all of them ambassadors for their country of origin.
Fast forward a few years and picture an Inuvik where a healthy contingent of aboriginal people are leading environmental assessment teams, practising medicine at the regional hospital or working at any number of highly-skilled professional careers in our town.
Nothing outlandish about this possibility at all. And who knows? Maybe one day the Northwest Territories will boast its first home-grown astronaut.
When that day comes, my guess is nobody will be complaining because that person left the community in pursuit of a dream.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
The people of Fort Liard have never been more caught in the middle.
Two men who want to lead the Acho Dene Koe are locked in a bitter struggle for power. The fallout is crippling the community.
Harry Deneron won the July 14 election by 54 votes. In a community with fewer than 400 eligible voters, that is a substantial margin of victory.
Floyd Bertrand appealed the outcome of the election due to alleged coercion and intimidation of band members.
Rita Cazon, the returning officer, said an appeal board could not be formed because community members were too fearful of repercussions if they took sides.
Cazon consequently issued her own judgment based on written statements by band members. The problem is that Floyd Bertrand collected those statements.
In a case like this, any statements, even if they are signed by the band members themselves, should have been taken by a police officer or a justice of the peace.
It should have been done by somebody impartial, not by another candidate for chief!
In an open letter to band members, chief-elect Harry Deneron and four of the five new (and unofficial) band councillors state: "Our customary laws are unwritten and do not include any appeal process for challenging elections results."
That may have been the way it was done in the past, but it obviously poses a problem today. The Acho Dene Koe First Nation, like others in the North, has adopted democratic elections.
That's a departure from the bygone practice of having elders and designated family members come together to select a tribal chief or a "head man."
Because their method for choosing a leader has changed, the band needs to devise and ratify a written procedure for responding to appeals (or even borrow a workable precedent from another First Nation).
The democratic election process is not foolproof, unfortunately. There is potential for wrongdoing.
Therefore it is crucial to have an independent body that can objectively assess whether election guidelines were followed - even if some or all the members of that body have to come from another community to do it.
The question now is who is going to draft an updated election code? It is probably best left in the hands of a mediator, someone who can get both sides to agree on the rules and regulations.
Then it could be enacted in a closely-monitored election to be held as soon as possible.
Barring that, this big ball of wax could very well be headed to federal court. If that is the case, it could be months before a ruling is made.
In the meantime band members will be left shaking their heads in disbelief.