Monday, October 17, 2005
According to a Statistics Canada report, two-thirds of Nunavut residents say they are going hungry, simply because they cannot afford to buy healthy food.
The federal government already subsidizes the cost of shipping food to remote communities, capping the cost at 80 cents per kilo - the same as everywhere else in the country where the program applies.
Subsidized food shipments cost the federal government $21 million last year, but prices are still too high and people are going hungry and choosing cheaper, less nutritious "junk food" instead of healthy alternatives.
In the past few months, hundreds of Nunavummiut had to be flown to Iqaluit for urgently needed dental surgery. How much of that can be attributed to poor eating habits?
It's time for the federal government to realize that Nunavut is different from the rest of Canada. You can't use a cookie cutter food-mail subsidy here. Some might suggest store prices should be regulated, but you can't expect a private company, in business to make money, to subsidize food costs.
The real answer is for the federal government to increase food mail subsidies so healthy food is at least as affordable as junk food.
Then maybe people will more often reach for an apple and a glass of milk, rather than pop and a bag of chips.
When Quebec pitched the notion of "sovereignty association" a few years ago, most people scoffed.
It was a goofy notion: being separate but still part of the whole, taking the good and leaving the bad.
Sounds a lot like an idea being tossed around Hay River these days.
The district education authority is trying to gain autonomy from the South Slave Divisional Educational Council without actually breaking away.
They tried to do that in 2000, but were turned down by the territorial government.
Under the new plan, the authority would take the $6 million or $7 million the division council gets to fund education in Hay River.
That money would go to pay for school operations plus hiring Hay River's own superintendent of schools, comptroller and other staff.
According to Dave MacDonald, chair of the Hay River educational authority, there's plenty of money to do all that and not raise taxes.
This idea doesn't make a lot of sense. Adding a bunch of bureaucrats, their offices and other overhead without putting more cash into the pot will surely take money out of the classroom. It's simple math.
Everyone wants what's best for Hay River schools, but this isn't the way to do it.
The only way the town will ever get its own autonomous school board is when it can pay its own way with a taxpayer-funded system.
Today, the owner of a $100,000 home in Hay River pays about $352 in school tax.
Compare that to Yellowknife, where the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $563.
Now consider the fact Hay River schools have about 800 students, half as many as Yellowknife Catholic Schools which spends more than $18,000,000 a year to run its three schools.
Do the math and you have to figure Hay River would need about $9 million for school operations annually.
The community's education needs are far different that those of Fort Resolution, Lutsel K'e and even Fort Smith. It's doubtful the territorial government will allow millions of dollars to be stripped away from the rest of the region, damaging the quality of education offered in the smaller communities.
The relationship may be dysfunctional, but as champions of education, people representing the five other communities on the South Slave education council must find a way to work together to meet everyone's needs until Hay River can stand on its own without hurting other communities.
Diamonds. Gold. Gemstones. And that's just the start. Around Nunavut, companies will spend an estimated $200 million exploring the territory in search of minerals this year.
The growth over the past few years has been phenomenal. It has led to Jericho diamond mine, plans to mine gold at Hope Bay and in the Kivalliq. Now that money is pouring in, the trick is making sure that money stays here, in the hands of Nunavummiut.
That requires Nunavummiut to work for these exploration companies and get ready for the mines that will follow, and what's needed most are skilled tradespeople.
If the territorial government wants Nunavummiut to take advantage of this boom, a trade school is the way to go.
There are plans for one in Rankin Inlet, and we hope it happens because instead of hiring southerners who stay a while then leave, trained Northerners will help create an economy that will fuel the territory.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
While all the quick hit news junkies, performing arts and nature lovers are dancing for joy with the return of the CBC's regular workers this week, it must be eating them up inside to know their favourite on-air personalities are back in front of the cameras thanks to sports.
Yup. The CBC is quite willing to go to the wall against the Canadian Media Guild and its own employees.
Heck, it doesn't even mind bringing CFL games into homes in almost eerie silence.
But, when it comes to the network's loyalties to the great game of hockey, that's where it draws the line.
The CBC cares too much about its viewers to deprive them of a Canadian standard - gathering around the tube from coast to coast to coast every Saturday night to watch the pucks fly.
Poppycock.
What the CBC cares about is the gigantic slice of its revenue pie generated by the weekly broadcast of what has become a national institution; Hockey Night in Canada.
One of the amusing things about the CBC has always been that the vast majority of its regular viewers tune out on Saturday evening.
Nope, there will be none of that hockey violence allowed in the homes of the more refined among us.
The mere mention of Don Cherry's name sends a shudder through devoted Alistair Cooke fans everywhere.
And, hey, why choose hockey when you can reach for that personal video collection of the Beachcombers for your entertainment needs?
The problem is, the CBC can give its loyal viewers millions of reasons why it would rather settle a work stoppage than risk the Saturday night hockey crowd feeling at home tuned to another channel.
When it comes right down to it, Canada's hockey fans will drink more beer, eat more Wendy's and drive more trucks this year than the artistic community will in a lifetime.
The CBC knows it and, more importantly, its advertisers know it.
So, good-bye contract workers and hello Mr. Cherry.
We can't help but wonder if Arnold Amber, president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild, just might flash Cherry a quick thumbs up if passing him on a busy street.
Probably not. Unions like to take credit when they win and fire leaders when they lose.
The Kivalliq is no different than the rest of Canada on Saturday nights, with the vast majority of TVs tuned to the hockey broadcast.
And, even the most rambunctious of gatherings turns stone quiet when Cherry and Ron McLean command the airwaves for the weekly edition of Coach's Corner.
Yes, the fact we have local personalities back on the airwaves who know their communities and our Northern culture is important.
And it's good to see people we know personally in our communities back to work.
But, make no mistake about it, the CBC backed off its stance on contract workers to save and protect its biggest revenue earner - and that's hockey!!
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
This week's editorial was going to be about "federal waste" in the form of Volunteer NWT; about free trips and volunteering and who wouldn't want to volunteer for a free trip to Inuvik.
Anyways, I thought about what I had written and about the fact I didn't want to give the impression I was down on volunteering or volunteers.
Then, I thought about Thanksgiving and about how we should think about the positives and then Cindy Cardinal, a homeless woman in the south came on television.
She appeared to be a person suffering from an addiction but regardless, her grim synopsis of the situation was pretty much on target.
The money's out there but it goes toward people's bad habits rather than things like food, was how Cindy summed it up during her 15 seconds of fame.
Then I thought about Inuvik.
When people ask me what I think of Inuvik, I say it's got its problems. I say this because it's true, like it's true for anywhere else in the world. The one thing I know for sure is that the landfill is getting bigger.
What I think of Inuvik's potential
I think the future for Inuvik and the region could be very bright. There are plenty of opportunities if people are willing to make the effort.
What I think of Inuvik if there is no pipeline
We can expect nothing more than the problems that are already here, ones we're already dealing with. Self-government is coming, but don't forget there's no new money coming in - from government at least - and we are still where we were yesterday.
One thing that I know for sure is that whenever a decision is made about the pipeline, the landfill will have gotten a little bit more full.
What I think if there is a pipeline
If it is seen through to completion then say goodbye to status quo because there's going to be more money and the subsequent impacts will be plenty, some positive, others downright negative. There will be more (insert consultant's fee/opportunity for building-capacity initiative here), of course. But that is not necessarily a negative thing.
As for the state of the landfill, its size will most definitely be increasing more rapidly and perhaps others will have to be dug.
Which brings me to Volunteer NWT
Funded by the federal government there are capable people who are members of this organization. The trip to Inuvik could easily be charged to Ottawa as an exercise in building capacity, that wonderful government speak for throwing money at something with the hopes of that action having a positive impact.
In this case the only discernable impact is that everybody got together and bonded. Sounds like fun. However, that should not be the sole reason to spend money.
Now think of all the channels this information generated by boards and all those other handy government instruments has to travel through until a person in Cindy's situation or anybody else who could really benefit from having their "capacity built," actually gets the help they need.
Hey, I hear they shot a bear that wandered into town from the direction of the dump.
Was it looking to volunteer or was it because the dump just keeps getting bigger? What do you think?
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Mining companies and conservation groups rarely see eye to eye.
We saw a prime example of that at last week's public hearings for Canadian Zinc Corporation. Dan O'Rourke, a spokesperson for the mining company, said a major misinformation campaign has been launched against Prairie Creek mine. He later confirmed that he was referring to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).
It's no secret that there's tension between the two parties. Canadian Zinc has gone so far as to attempt to have CPAWS removed as an intervenor from the environmental assessment process. The company was not successful in that regard.
Yes, CPAWS does raise many concerns about the mine. Some people accuse the pro-environment organization of scare tactics. In essence, it boils down to the fact that as long as there is a mine, there is potential for damage to the environment. You can't get around that. If the mine site did not exist, there would be no contaminants in the area; there would be no vehicles transporting hazardous materials; there would be less disturbance to wildlife and vegetation.
A substantial oil spill occurred at the CanTung mine in 2002. Was it catastrophic? No, but it was a reminder that no matter how tightly industry is regulated, accidents will happen. The best we can do is ensure the mining company follows stringent guidelines, posts an environmental damage deposit early and cleans up any mess to the highest standards.
There are those, on the other hand, who see greater benefit from Prairie Creek mine than drawbacks. Fort Simpson Mayor Raymond Michaud is one of them. He has spoken in favour of the hundreds of long-term jobs that the project can bring.
What price do we pay for those jobs? Is noise a legitimate concern?
At one point during last week's hearings, Gabrielle Mackenzie-Scott, chair of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, spoke of the cultural significance of wildlife. She asked several questions about how the company's helicopter flights may distress the nearby animals.
Michaud later retorted that it's getting to the point that someone going into the bush to cut firewood with a chainsaw will be referred to an environmental assessment because of noise issues.
Even if the racket created by industrial machinery isn't a critical factor, we must keep in mind that this is still an early stage of the mine's overall plan. Remember, a drilling program, if fruitful, will inevitably lead to a greater desire to have an all-weather road. How much of an impact will that and the associated traffic have?
We know humans and animals must co-exist.
We also know we need base metals. They have to come from somewhere.
We have to strike a balance, but it seems that defining balance poses the greatest challenge.