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Friday, August 12, 2005
Bottle depots must be profitable

The territorial government's recycling program is seriously at risk of becoming a laughingstock.

Even with an extra seven months of breathing room, the program is in no better shape than it was in April, with only six communities out of 33 that will have a beverage container depot Nov. 1.

Here in Yellowknife, the lone empty bottle exchange is saying thanks but no thanks. Ted Yaceyko of the Sportsman doesn't think he would make any money if he were to take on the expanded recycling program. Recycling is not just an environmental issue. It must make economic sense to those private contractors who intend to provide it.

The government is alarmed at the lack of interest they are receiving from potential contractors in other communities. Could it be that people have kicked the tires and decided there's not enough air in them to keep them rolling?

The city's decision last spring to up tipping fees at the dump from zero to $65 per tonne for recycled glass figured heavily in Yaceyko's own decision to get out of business.

The territorial government says it has a new contractor to replace him but the city's tipping fees may pose a problem. Obviously they need to make sure the city's agenda matches their own. For its own part, the city should view recycling as an essential service rather than another way to make money. Any profits should be used to keep the private sector involved.


Justice derailed again

A man who admitted to breaking into several Yellowknife businesses got a free pass in court last week when police failed to show up for his trial.

Six officers were involved in questioning the man. On the day set for the trial, one officer was on vacation and another was off getting married. No explanation was offered for the others. Without police evidence, the Crown attorney didn't have a case.

At best, the failure of the police and Crown to co-ordinate their efforts reveals gross incompetence. At worst, it suggests a cavalier disregard for the justice system, victims of crime and taxpayers.

Last month, charges against three men charged in connection with a violent home invasion and robbery were dropped when the victims/witnesses failed to show up in court.

If the shoe was on the other foot, and the accused was absent, the judge would probably have issued a bench warrant and added a charge of failing to appear in court. Unfortunately there is no equivalent penalty for justice officials who go AWOL.

The integrity of the justice system is taking a back seat to the personal lives of police and witnesses. Is that proper justice?


Prevention better than cure

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.


Don't let the cable wash over you

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum


Last Thursday morning, a woman shopping at the News Stand asked one of the clerks working there why the store was still open.

When he said he didn't understand the nature of her question, she blurted out that the Hell's Angels were fast approaching and they had a reputation for destruction.

As rumours of society's modern-day version of the Vikings - 70 odd thundering up the highway on their iron horses to collect unpaid drug debts - grew more outrageous as they sped through the grapevine, I must admit they even sucked me in.

"One of us has to go down the highway to check this out," I told my colleague, who calmly continued typing while insisting the entire story was a pack of nonsense.

But with tales of scrambled helicopters engaged in an aerial search, one could almost sense that the collective ear of Inuvik was pinned to the ground in anticipation of the unmistakable rumbling of motorcycles belching exhaust and noise into the Delta calm.

Word even spread down south, setting in motion a slew of reporters itching for sensational headlines about a battle between bikers and townsfolk.

Regardless of who might be to blame for allegedly establishing a business relationship with such a criminal organization, our collective obsession with television and its over-the-top dramatization of biker gangs and other criminal elements definitely played a role in fuelling recent events.

Visit any community in North America - be it aboriginal, southern-suburbia or uptown cosmopolitan - and you are bound to see kids emulating their favourite rap artists by adorning themselves in the current urban fashion of oversized sports jerseys, baggy pants and turned-sideways ball caps.

I suppose if there's a moral to the story - besides the fact that drug use can make one paranoid - it would be to give that idiot-box a rest once in a while.

Better do it now, though, before the entire cable/satellite-washed world walks the same, talks the same and lives in fear of the same mythological-beasts, in this case a hoard of hairy hellraisers bent on the destruction of a town near you.


Home away from home

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum


First off, the Petitot Gathering was enjoyable.

There are a few summer festivals in the Deh Cho area every year and each has its own feel, its own flavour. The common bond is that people come together and have a good time. No emphasis on politics, no fierce competition, no focus on making money.

That's a nice change of pace.

At the Petitot Gathering - set just off the highway along the Petitot River, 40-odd kilometres from Fort Liard, the nearest community - it was remarkable how human ingenuity permitted conveniences to remain.

Refrigerated trucks brought loads of quality food (chicken, ribs, turkey, salads, fresh fruit, and on and on) to the rather remote location.

A huge generator hummed away, allowing workers in a camp kitchen to turn those raw ingredients into some tasty meals (it should be noted that some traditionalists cooked dry meat and dry fish while others enjoyed stew cooked in a pot over a fire).

That same generator powered a sound system so the emcee and musical guests could entertain the crowd.

Sometimes it's hard not to take these things for granted - so often we have the will and the means to get what we need where we want it, when we want it. It's quite extraordinary. Next up on the festival circuit is the Wrigley Spiritual Gathering. See you there.

Some community leaders are practically in shock because the territorial government announced this week that it is granting "capacity building" money with few strings attached. Remaining a little cynical, they keep waiting for the catch.

The funds come from the first instalment of Northern Strategy money from the federal government. Municipal, First Nations and Metis leaders made it quite clear months ago that the cash should be disbursed to the communities so they can meet their own priorities. It seems the territorial government has paid heed. Is it really too good to be true?

The official word from Environment Canada is that Fort Simpson experienced slightly warmer than average temperatures in July and received less than average rainfall. I'm sure they have their figures right, but it sure seems like it's been an awfully cool and damp summer.

Apparently my recollection of Fort Simpson summers was skewed by last year when we had some very dry months and lengthy stretches of sweating it out.

So far in summer 2005, it seems like there's unstable weather every other day. Throughout the month of July one could look at the horizon and often see thunder clouds approaching.

And there's apparently not much summer remaining. We're still in the early stages of August but yellow leaves are already visible and gaggles of geese have packed their bags and have begun heading south.