Friday, March 3, 2006
Reducing the quota for residential hunters to two from five a year is a reasonable idea.
Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger's decision, however, not to ban hunting on winter roads says this government is willing to appease aboriginal political groups at the expense of caribou herds that have dropped by 85 per cent in some cases.
The winter roads provide an easy gateway for hunters - both non-aboriginal and aboriginal - to locate migrating caribou. The government acknowledges this in its recently submitted Caribou Forever paper.
Faced with opposition from the Yellowknives Dene politicians, Miltenberger backtracked on this measure. The Yellowknives say it would "unjustifiably infringe upon aboriginal and treaty rights."
We fail to see the logic in that. Everyone affected by declining caribou numbers must ask themselves how much must change to reverse that trend.
That's not to say non-aboriginal hunters and big game hunters shouldn't be the first to face restrictions, but aboriginal hunters - as the largest harvesting group have the most at stake, and should play the biggest role to protect caribou.
That hasn't happened yet. Right now, the only real action towards reducing harvest levels is being directed at non-aboriginal hunters, who take fewer than 20 per cent of the annual harvest.
They're also being told they can only hunt bulls from now on, but neither the government nor aboriginal groups are willing to go anywhere near that one with aboriginal hunters.
The government estimates aboriginal hunters take between 5,000 to 8,000 caribou a year, but it's only an estimate because they're not required to purchase tags or report their kills.
Wildlife management boards are recommending a reduced aboriginal harvest for Bluenose and Cape Bathurst herds, but they're only voluntary.
The government also plans to set up monitoring stations so it can get a better idea on how many caribou are being taken.
This is a start, but in order to instil confidence in its efforts, the government must talk plainly with all hunters, not just non-aboriginals, and come up with a plan to ensure harvests are being monitored and controlled.
It's the only responsible thing to do.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
It's fine for the Government of Nunavut (GN) to say it's not interested in revisiting its new staff-housing policy at this time.
And we see the logic in the GN's stance that the policy has only been in place for a few months (September 2005), which isn't nearly long enough for any conclusions on its overall impact on the ranks of government workers.
That being said, we hope the GN plans to closely monitor the situation given the results of a survey among 237 government employees.
We're not surprised the vast majority of those surveyed don't like the policy.
We are, however, surprised by how strong some of the responses are.
Many of the survey respondents stated emphatically they are prepared to leave Nunavut before the new policy affects them.
The policy will see the GN end staff housing in the major centres of Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay, while increasing the rent for staff housing in every other Nunavut community.
The GN points to other areas, such as our Northern neighbours to the west, that adopted such a plan without any significant fallout.
It also maintains the policy will stimulate growth in the private sector and make Nunavut less reliant on federal monies.
The survey, however, points in another direction - one of mass exodus.
The GN is still badly understaffed, and 60 per cent of the respondents saying the policy will force them to leave (17 per cent within the year) is cause for concern.
We know behind closed doors in Iqaluit, government heads are thinking the responses are what you'd expect from employees about to lose a benefit they've become accustomed to.
And there's truth in that.
There are also some MLAs who don't view a mass exodus of southern workers as a completely bad thing.
In their minds, such an exodus would open the door for more Nunavummiut to obtain government jobs.
However, the GN still has to be a working government capable of delivering programs and meeting the needs of its people.
It has to provide proper education and health care to our territory's youth so they may have the tools necessary to keep Nunavut moving forward in the future.
And, the fact no less than 35 per cent of the survey respondents were Inuit, shows it's not just southerners who are threatening to leave.
Maybe the GN has a perk in mind that will act as a balance to the new staff-housing policy.
Or, maybe, the policy was simply ill-conceived to begin with.
To us it's a good policy, but initiated too early in our territory's development.
In short, the GN has nothing to fall back on if the promised exodus does occur.
We can only hope if this doesn't go the way the GN planned, it won't stubbornly dig in its heels and allow its staff-housing policy to drag the territory down.
Economies of scale will be the least of the GN's worries if there's nobody here to tip the scales in its favour!
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
If turning a bunch of converted pipeline employee barracks into low-income housing is the best idea the GNWT braintrust can come up with, it's time to clean house in the legislative assembly.
Too bad the electoral boundaries commission is nearly finished its tour of communities for input, because downsizing the government is the best idea I can come up with. (Come to think of it, NWT residents have until March 7 to submit a written statement regarding the matter, so get your pencils sharpened.)
If the territories were hosting the next Olympic Games, housing issues would be addressed in the wake of the event by a bunch of sweet condos built for visiting athletes and ready for any future occupancy. But instead, we're on the threshold of building a pipeline, so lo' and behold, why not house people in the remaining tin shacks after the construction workforce returns south?
Not only will this idea of converting trailers to "suitable" housing serve to stigmatize their occupants, but this future solution to the ongoing housing problems plaguing the territories will become available somewhere after 2010 - the earliest case scenario for completing the pipeline.
Honestly, it makes you thankful the territory isn't hosting a travelling circus or they'd probably corral low-income qualifiers into the leftover big top tent. Send in the clowns!
I think if I have to hear the phrase "working together" one more time, perhaps I'll puke. At a recent meeting in town (not the electoral one), this particular political-speak was uttered more than a dozen times. And you can bet those doing the uttering weren't talking about the elder in Tsiigehtchic whose house was in danger of being washed onto the frozen Arctic Red River by overflow spilling from a Dempster Highway culvert. (News/North, Feb. 20)
The Department of Transportation (DOT) said it was the housing authority's problem - despite the fact the overflow source was coming from a highway culvert - but in the end, DOT fixed it and billed housing for the work.
But just think if these government departments hadn't decided to "work together" when they did: the home in question could've been floating down the river come breakup.
The electoral boundaries commission says its parameters, in terms of recommending the addition or subtraction of seats in the legislative assembly - already with 19 members - is between 15 and 25.
I say drop the number of MLAs to 15. Then go through each department and clear out the redundant positions. With regional self-government throughout the NWT in various stages of reaching fruition, the last thing the GNWT needs is more politicians.
Judging from the recent culvert controversy, it would appear to some the government can't even fix an overflow problem without stirring up an internal hullabaloo.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Something struck me while I was talking to Yvonne Haist, one of the instructors at the trauma workshop offered this week in Fort Simpson.
Haist commented that she was impressed by the number of resources available in the community for dealing with trauma.
This recognition is something to be proud of, since it comes from a professional who is accustomed to the larger centres in British Columbia.
The resources Haist mentioned are not just programs - they also have a human element.
She stated that there is a lot of strength in the community to help people work through trauma. This points to both the inner strength of those who are suffering, but also to the strength that people have to help them.
It's unfortunate that so many resources, including a workshop, are needed for trauma because it shows that many people are traumatized by events in their lives. But it's also comforting to know that the community stands ready to help those who need assistance.
Someone with an outside perspective like Haist is often able to look at a community and notice strong points that may go unnoticed or taken for granted in daily life. But outsiders can also look in and point out deficiencies.
On Feb. 27, another workshop was offered in Fort Simpson. This session focussed on helping people understand disabilities and the issues that the disabled face.
The message coming from the workshop is that a lot of work is still needed in this area. Many people still have misconceptions and need to be educated about disabilities, said Cecily Hewitt, the executive director for the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Even disabilities that seem reasonably straightforward, like hearing loss, remain surrounded by false information. Hearing loss is often mistaken for senility, said Hewitt.
People also need to understand what it's like to live with a physical disability.
One exercise at the workshop involved oven gloves wrapped in tape. Participants had to wear the gloves while trying to complete simple tasks like taking the lid off a tube of toothpaste, squeezing some paste out and brushing their teeth. They were also asked to brush their hair with a comb.
The purpose of the exercise was to illustrate the frustration of living with a form of limited mobility. It also provided an experience of not being independent and having to ask for help.
In communities, the biggest barrier for people with physical disabilities remains the lack of accessible buildings. Disabled people can be barred from completing tasks and errands that others take for granted because they cannot enter certain buildings.
With the communities showing success in pooling together and creating the resources necessary to help people cope with trauma, maybe the next project should be to meet the needs of those living with disabilities.