Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Of that we have no doubt. He's popular with fellow politicians in the NWT and across the country. He gets kudos from citizens for his folksy style. He's plain-spoken and champions the city every chance he gets.
Van Tighem is so popular, it seems, that no-one is ready to stand up against him in an election. He has been acclaimed as mayor for his third term, after also going unopposed in 2003.
The only time he's had to go before voters was during his first campaign. In October 2000, Van Tighem won by 200 votes over Bob Brooks, and a big margin over incumbent Dave Lovell.
It's a shame there won't be an election because the public debate of issues is important to the functioning of city hall.
But for everything good this one-time bank manager has done during the past six years, there's one glaring black mark on his record: handling of the deaths of two city firefighters in March 2005.
For nearly a year the silence from City Council on the issue of firefighter safety was deafening.
A city report on fire hall safety was quietly ignored. Rank-and-file firefighters seethed with frustration as nothing was done to address the very serious question of why two firefighters -- one very experienced, the other a month into his career -- died fighting a shed fire.
The Workers' Compensation Board investigated the deaths, but that took 11 months to complete. When the dozen safety orders were issued, it took months more before most of the orders were addressed.
Then, when charges were filed against the city, former fire C Mick Beauchamp and Deputy Chief Darcy Hernblad, Van Tighem vowed that a vote on how the city would plead to those charges would come in public.
The city's decision to plead not guilty was made behind closed doors without even a recorded vote. Now city taxpayers face hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and potential fines as a result.
The mayor must carry the brunt of this criticism because he is in charge. He sets council direction and tone.
It's curious that there will be no election for public school board trustees. After all, it was just in January 2005 that the board faced a parent revolt over lack of consultation on a proposal to turn Ecole J.H. Sissons into a French-immersion only school. Perhaps parents believe the board learned its lesson.
This civic election also brings departure of some incumbents. Councillors Kevin O'Reilly, Alan Woytuik and Wendy Bisaro have decided not to seek re-election. As well, Yk No. 1 trustees Keith Scott and Lavona Clark have stepped aside. They deserve thanks for their service to the community. Their knowledge and years of experience will be missed.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
It was case of good news, bad news for fur trappers in the Kivalliq this past week, as the battle over seal hunting continues to wage in many parts of the globe.
The latest salvo fired by those who endorse banning the hunt came from European lawmakers who demanded the European Union ban seal products in Europe this past week.
The good news for Kivalliq trappers is that Canada's biggest market for sealskins, Norway, is not a European Union member.
The second piece of good news is that two of the more outspoken European critics of seal hunting, Sweden's Carl Schlyter and Britain's Caroline Lucas, suggested skins from a traditional Inuit hunt should be exempted from the ban.
That being said, it's obvious most people outside the North still lump traditional seal hunting in with the Atlantic seal hunt, which has received tonnes of bad publicity for the past three decades.
The second piece of bad news is that a good many people among the ranks of those opposed to seal hunting are militant in their thinking and have an all-or-nothing mentality.
To these folks a ban should be total, period.
The problem is further compounded by the fact there is precious little, if anything, in the world of economics that can match the impact of the publicity campaign launched by groups that want the seal hunt banned.
We've all seen them - big-eyed, gorgeous little baby seals getting their brains beat out by overzealous hunters on the East Coast.
It's tug-on-the-heart-strings fodder for those in the south who don't understand how vastly different traditional seal hunting is in the Arctic. And, it's incredibly effective.
However, effective as these groups may be, the Nunavut government and our top Inuit organizations have to become more vigilant in their efforts to sway public opinion in the territory's favour.
In fact, one group that has made tiny inroads during the past few years in the battle for public opinion are the instructors and students in the Ottawa-based Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) program.
NS students and staff have had several exchanges with seal-hunt protesters on Capitol Hill.
And, they made enough of an impact that a few protesters actually put down their signs and went home.
While only a few were that enlightened, inroads were made in terms of fostering a better understanding as to the importance of the traditional hunt to Inuit.
The Nunavut government and our top Inuit organizations have the resources to make a much-greater impact on the international scene.
But it can't be an infrequent approach. We need to work hard at getting the information out on the value and importance of the traditional seal hunt to Inuit.
Only through better understanding will the traditional hunt be permitted to survive.
Unless, of course, somebody can teach a codfish how to talk.
Then we'd finally have an effective means of exposing the true nature of those cute little seals.
Editorial Comment
Philippe Morin
Inuvik Drum
It's hard to discuss Inuvik's recent crime spree without seeming to exaggerate.
In the last two months, RCMP say there have been 35 break-ins and even more acts of vandalism.
That's an average of nearly one break-in every two days since July 1.
What's more, the damage caused by thieves and vandals is extremely serious.
Since July 1, people have smashed a library window, stolen thousands of dollars from Rapid Travel, poured bleach over school carpets, ransacked the community greenhouse and nearly set fire to downtown buildings.
In one case, they stole a laptop computer and smashed it against a tree.
It's also believed they've thrown bicycles in the river and stolen alcohol from the Legion.
Incredibly, the list goes on.
But now, as RCMP prepare to lay charges against some very young people - not as young as nine or 10 as reported by the CBC, but definitely under 18 - some people are starting to justify these crimes.
I am hearing talk about "boredom" being responsible, or disenfranchised youth having "nothing else to do."
This is outrageous!
While it's true the accused might have been be young and bored, people are too quick to forgive. These are not dalliances, like writing a name in wet cement.
They are acts of selfishness, committed by people who take pleasure in others' suffering. The number of crimes involved - if they were indeed committed by a "core group" of youth, as the RCMP claim - makes the situation especially contemptible.
In blaming "boredom" for crimes like these, people are wrong on two counts.
Firstly, they are blaming the community - the real victims here - for creating the vandals. This says the perpetrators aren't really responsible, since anyone might have done the same.
Not true. Most people have morals, which would prevent them from breaking someone else's windows or stealing.
Secondly, blaming the crimes on "boredom" excuses them as joyful sprees.
Tell that to volunteers at the community greenhouse, who've seen their careful work smashed for no reason.
As business leaders and volunteers are still cleaning up messes left by vandals, it is wrong to blame the community for creating vandal youth.
Though the destruction might have been spurred from boredom, it was the product of mean, callous and overwhelmingly selfish people, who are responsible for their own actions.
Some might feel sympathy for the vandals. I certainly don't.
- Philippe Morin is filling in while regular Drum editor Dez Loreen is on vacation.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Sitting in constituency meetings held by MLAs or MPs is always an enlightening experience.
People sit in chairs, sometimes clustered around tables, and often drink coffee and snack on items like doughnuts, cheese, salami and crackers while airing their opinions and asking questions. The meetings provide a good sense of the concerns of the community, or at least the concerns of the people who attend.
What is often striking about these meetings is that the same topics or concerns are raised over and over even during different parts of the year.
The state of roads is almost a guaranteed topic that will occupy a fair amount of time. Residents talk about the different areas on the roads that are currently riddled by the most potholes. They also ask when more money will be put into road infrastructure.
At the recent constituency meeting held in Fort Simpson with Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington and Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche, residents also questioned when Highway 1 will be extended north beyond Wrigley.
Concerns about roads are almost as much of a given as death and taxes. Not surprisingly, taxes were also an issue brought up during the meeting.
Residents had questions and concerns about both the Northern Living Deduction, GST and excise taxes.
Although many of the same concerns are heard at consecutive meetings there is some cause for optimism.
Many of the issues are slightly different each time they are raised, suggesting that some aspects of the problems have been fixed.
In the case of GST, now that the rate of taxation has been dropped a percentage point different concerns about taxes such as the increase of the excise tax are being discussed.
As for roads, the areas that people state need repairs are generally changing. Raising issues in a public forum must have some effect because changes often follow shortly afterwards.
While some problems never seem to go away or change at all they might just be the ones that will take longer to fix. But if people keep diligently airing the issues at least they will be hard to ignore.
It's encouraging to see youth taking advantage of opportunities to broaden their horizons.
In Fort Providence Rachel Constant and AJ Nadli have recently returned from six weeks in Botswana, Africa with the Northern Youth Abroad program.
Both youth agree that the experience changed the way they look at their lives and their plans for the future.
Northern youth have a lot to share with other cultures and people around the world, but also a lot to learn from them.
They should be encouraged to apply for every opportunity and program that presents itself. Someone will be chosen for these adventures and the chances of being that person improve dramatically if you just take the time to apply.
A condolence wish in the Sept. 6 edition of the Tea Talk column stated, "Our condolences are going out to the Adams family on the recent loss of Eddie Sandy."
It should have read Eddie Adams.
The Kivalliq News apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment the error may have caused.