Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Instead, some bar operators blame the smoking bylaw for chasing smokers to boozecans - illegal after-hours drinking places in warehouses or private garages - thereby keeping bar profits lower than what they once were.
Even if the surge in boozecans is true, they don't seem to be a place to drink cheaply, reportedly charging $25 to get in and $5 for a beer.
Fact is, if people are scooting off to illegal haunts, it may be because they are bored with the fare at Yellowknife's legal night spots.
If the customer doesn't like it, the customer won't buy it.
Yellowknife once boasted a vibrant live music scene on weekends. Now it's disco-rama at the majority of bars.
Only the Gold Range keeps the spirit alive with a live band. And it has taken steps to make the place sparkle, too. Live theatre is also coming back to the Top Knight, another creative selling point. Bands popped up at Le Frolic over the holidays and there are jam sessions around town.
There are also these two points: It costs a chunk to go out. People are generally seeking a healthier, non-alcoholic life.
The public is a fickle beast. Getting them to come through the door, to stay to enjoy themselves and leave some money for a profit is a daunting task.
These are the challenges bars must confront. The smoking bylaw is here to stay.
Yellowknife's pre-occupation with garbage makes for amusing reading, but up close and underfoot, it's just plain ugly and tempts visitors to conclude that the city is home to a herd of swine.
It's obvious to aurora tourists that there is little to discourage chronic litterers from building on the city's reputation as the trash-obsessed capital of Canada.
"What's wrong with this city?" is the comment passed on by a bed and breakfast owner from one perplexed visitor. Right off the top, there is no enforcement. A city bylaw punishes littering with a maximum fine of $500 for repeat offenders, but who remembers when anyone was charged or fined for a first offence?
Some businesses make an effort to keep their own blocks clean, but where is City Hall on this issue? Many downtown trash bins are over-flowing invitations to foraging ravens. When were the bins last emptied?
Maybe the city's litterers are waiting to hear what the Get Yellowknife Clean Committee has to say before they stop sowing downtown snow banks with food wrappers, styrofoam cups, broken bottles and discarded clothing.
With the problem so obvious, there is no need for City Hall to wait for a committee report. It's not too late for a New Year's resolution: get tough with litterers, put one or even two trash bins in heavy litter areas and empty them often.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
The upcoming federal election is still being viewed as a two-horse race in Nunavut, but one of those steeds may have changed following the all-candidates forum in Iqaluit this past week.
For those who cast their votes based on the issues in Nunavut, New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Bill Riddell was the evening's big winner, with Liberal incumbent Nancy Karetak-Lindell placing a strong second.
Canada goes to the polls on Jan. 23.
All five Nunavut candidates took part in the forum, including Conservative party candidate David Aglukark, the Green party's Feliks Kappi and the Marijuana party's Ed deVries.
Aglukark entered the debate being viewed by many as the biggest threat to Lindell.
However, the Tory candidate skirted many of the issues with his replies and lacked the polish and conviction of his NDP and Liberal counterparts.
There is little doubt, however, that Aglukark will still capture his share of votes from the religious community, simply because the Tories are the only party that may revisit Bill C-38: The Civil Marriage Act (same-sex union), which received royal assent on July 20, 2005.
Riddell announced his candidacy late in the race and has a lot of ground to make up.
However, his poise, confidence and preparedness for the forum helped him make significant gains in closing the gap of popular opinion between he and Lindell.
Riddell shone during most of his replies, and his public admonishment of those who would deny his gay son the same rights they enjoy in Canada was the stuff leaders are made of.
If there was one area of weakness, it was Riddell's response to the rising cost of living in Nunavut.
Studies into future alternative forms of energy and commune living are nice, but Nunavummiut on low or fixed incomes need help now to make ends meet.
While Lindell really didn't tell voters anything they didn't already know, her confidence and experience held her in good stead.
Lindell knew when to speak the party line during her responses and when to bring in the personal touch, still so highly regarded in Nunavut, on territory-specific issues.
If there is one weakness in Lindell's public persona, it is her lack of fire in addressing the platforms of rival parties.
There is no doubt her style of addressing issues without being confrontational is behind the opinion that says Nunavut needs a "stronger" voice in Ottawa.
In short, sometimes a little spice is nice.
We must also point out the excellent performance of political newcomer Kappi during the forum.
Kappi acquitted himself well by understanding the issues, speaking confidently and not being afraid to give his personal opinion on a number of topics.
The articulate young candidate could be one to watch in future elections if he decides to continue on the political trail, especially if that trail leads to territorial politics in Nunavut.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
After watching federal party leaders duke it out in the nationally televised debates, I couldn't help but envy Quebec's position within the federation.
Here's a province that gets sound representation in the House of Commons by the Bloc Quebecois and its leader Gilles Duceppe.
For a long time, Canadians have been hearing about the distinctiveness of Quebec's society and how the rest of the country needs to recognize it as such. This song and dance has been going on so long now that the rest of the country has seemed to accept this 'distinct society' notion as gospel.
Meanwhile, the distinct society that is the Northwest Territories carries on in relative obscurity. For most Canadians, the expression "heading North" means packing up the minivan and driving to Uncle Buck's cabin somewhere way south of 60, yet situated in dense enough forest and beyond the glow of city lights as to lull visitors into thinking they really have come to the land of White Fang and wildcats.
The idea that Quebec is more distinct than anywhere else in the country, the North in particular, is just a load of hogwash. Yet, Quebec has its own federal party that lobbies for its needs and no one else's. It's difficult not to envy those in Quebec come federal election time. If I were living there, I'd probably vote for Duceppe too. So here we are in the Northwest Territories, a landmass on par with Quebec's, but considered a constituency all by itself. Campaigning in this place is not a simple matter of going door-to-door and great expense must be taken by those wishing to make a serious go at winning that single seat. (Quebec has 75 seats).
At the end of the day, we can yell from the tallest building in Yellowknife about how distinct we are here in the North and how Ottawa should listen to us, but the reality is that Ottawa will listen when it wants to and will employ selective hearing when it doesn't.
The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board chair appointment by the feds earlier in the year which ruffled so many feathers was a perfect example of Ottawa taking the selective hearing approach.
So when politicians talk about devolution and how important it is for the NWT and how close it seems we are getting to a deal, one must wonder how close the territory really is if its federal masters won't even consider the territories' chair choices for an environmental review board. The fact that the Western Arctic Liberal incumbent claimed we were days away from a deal just goes to show how gullible the current government thinks residents here are.
But there's natural gas under our feet, which is something the feds are very interested in, what with all the royalties to be had. All the candidates vying for the Western Arctic riding Jan. 23 will make assurances that those revenues will go towards benefitting the North, but it's something we've all heard before.
Talk about the same old song and dance.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
In Fort Simpson the debate surrounding the upcoming liquor plebiscite has raised a timely issue.
One of Chief Keyna Norwegian's concerns with the plebiscite is that it won't reflect the wishes of First Nations' people because many don't vote in village elections. Norwegian even admitted that she hasn't taken part in village elections in the past.
Revelations like this about voters choosing not to participate are not as shocking as they should be. Across the country people have become complacent with low voter turnout at elections, federal or otherwise.
While voting to remove or keep liquor restrictions at a local level and choosing a person to represent the Northwest Territories in Ottawa are two very different things, on Jan. 23 they will coincide.
Village council purposefully chose to hold the liquor plebiscite on the same day as the federal election to take advantage of voters who would already be out.
Maybe the reasoning should have been the other way around.
People in the community clearly have some strong views on the current liquor restrictions. While individuals might never feel the effects of changes made by a new federal government, changes to liquor rationing would be visible daily in the community.
If there are already signs that people won't be turning out to have their say on an issue that could affect them directly, what hope does the federal election have?
In our society there seems to be a growing number of people who feel that the outcome of an election is already fated and their vote won't do anything to change it.
This attitude remains despite recent elections that were closely matched. Take the American election campaign between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000. Or closer to home, remember the 53 votes that separated Ethel Blondin-Andrew from Dennis Bevington in the last federal election.
Imagine how different the past years would have been if more people had exercised their rights to vote in those elections.
People are getting killed for the right to vote in other countries, Fort Simpson Mayor Raymond Michaud pointed out. People in communities across the North should come out to vote, if only for the right to say that they tried to make a difference.
At the risk of sounding like the television ads that run during every election, on Jan. 23 go out and vote. Ensure your voice is heard.
In Friday's Yellowknifer story about the Caribou Carnival board meeting Monday, Jan. 16, Gisele Forget was incorrectly referred to as the acting-president of the Caribou Carnival board. Her position should have read acting vice-president. Yellowknifer regrets the error.
In Friday's Sports Section, a cutline regarding Dawn Moses mistakenly used the pronoun "his." Dawn Moses is a woman. The sentence should have used the word "her." We regret the error and any embarrassment it may have caused.