Friday, September 22, 2006
Instead of 13 cases a year, 13 cases a month are now being handled by the Restorative Justice Committee in Yellowknife. (Serving communities instead of jail time, Yellowknifer, Friday, Sept. 15)
This is encouraging. It means more youth get a second chance at a life without a criminal record. It may also mean that more city youth are engaging in questionable behaviour.
We use the word questionable because these are not necessarily criminals. They are youth who, like many their age, have made an error in judgment.
For the most part the crimes are petty - shoplifting, a school yard fist fight, break and enters. But there is the potential to escalate into more serious criminal behaviour.
That is where the justice committee comes in. It's more than just a way to save youth from a criminal record. It's a way to save them from themselves. In some cases these usually first-time offenders suffered from a juvenile lapse in judgment, but other cases are drug or alcohol related.
In those cases, youth are directed to seek treatment for the underlying behaviour that led them down the path to breaking the law.
It was disturbing to read comments made by Lydia Bardak, who is with the John Howard Society, a non-profit advocacy group in the city.
Depending on the situation, youth may avoid criminal records through community service and making reparations to their victims. Bardak said there are sometimes difficulties getting youth to meet the terms of their restorative justice agreement.
Apparently, collecting trash or washing away graffiti is beneath some being given the chance to avoid a criminal record.
We don't see why there should be a need to chase these people around to fulfill their obligations under those agreements. They should be jumping at the chance to avoid jail time. A criminal record can make travel to other countries difficult, if not impossible, and limit future job opportunities.
So far the restorative justice program is only open to first time offenders, or those with a limited criminal history.
However, Bardak noted that over the years the crimes being diverted away from the courts have increased in severity.
If this approach is working and young offenders are being permanently diverted from adult criminality, we are all for it. But it should not get to the point where youth are receiving multiple "second chances."
Alternative justice should not be softer justice, just more constructive justice.
Editorial Comment
A few short years ago, I was one of a number of News/North reporters who wrote a series on bullying in the schools and on the playgrounds around the North.
My story looked at what types of bullying were still prevalent in the Kivalliq, what types of kids were targeted and how it seemed to affect them.
A short while after the series ran, a couple of local residents took advantage of a coffee break at an evening meeting to let me know, in no uncertain terms, they were less than impressed with the stories.
We were, as far as they were concerned, making a lot out of nothing.
They believed the story hurt Kivalliq's reputation and considered it a piece of trash journalism which, for some reason, they seemed to think I was quite good at.
These are almost always no-win situations for journalists, who usually rely on the everyone's-entitled-to-their-own-opinion line to get out of a tough spot.
I have, however, been known to speak my mind on occasion and decided to wade in with mt two-cents worth.
The problem with bullying, I remember saying, is that we never see the real effects until years later.
For some kids, situations change as time goes by and they put it all behind them, while others are strong enough to ward off any lasting effects from their experiences.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all kids who are bullied in their youth.
Some are never able to shake the inferiority complex or feeling of alienation brought on by the bullying they suffered.
Others let the hatred fester until it finally spews out in an act of violence so extreme that entire countries are left in shock.
Kimveer Gill, the 25-year-old man who walked into Montreal's Dawson College this past week and opened fire on students and staff, leaving one dead and 19 injured, fell into the latter category.
The tragedy brought back deeply disturbing memories of Dec. 6, 1989, when Marc Lepine walked through L'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and left 14 women dead in the wake of his anger.
Gill turned into the worst-case scenario of bullying victims, having tried to get help a number of times only to be turned away.
Apparently, those he asked for help in battling his rising wave of hatred thought he was making much to do about nothing.
Thankfully, very, very few of those bullied in their youth turn as violent as Gill did this past week.
Many, however, suffer most of their lives from the impact bullying can have on its victims.
It is a dark act, often with dark consequences ahead in life for all involved.
While Gill, a self-proclaimed Angel of Death, may be an extreme example, he is proof of the severe long-term effects bullying can have.
It is an act we must look upon as being totally unacceptable in our society.
And, we must also realize the emotional distress bullying victims feel when they call out for help is quite real - real enough to cause the horror in Montreal this past week.
Editorial Comment
Let's say you owned stocks in a company and the value of those stocks fell 71 per cent in three years.
It's obvious your broker might say "sell now!"
Unfortunately, it seems the NWT's wildlife stocks which represent a sizeable part of many people's food baskets are going the same way.
Two weeks ago, the Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board urged people to stop fishing for char in the Peel, Husky and Rat Rivers.
It turns out the char population in those waterways had declined by 76 per cent in three years.
Last month in Tuktoyaktuk, scientists at the Coastal Zone Conference reported that polar bears are being threatened by global warming.
And now, wildlife boards are saying caribou populations are declining. As a result of the decline, the commercial, sport and non-aboriginal hunt in the Delta was cancelled. More restrictions are expected to come in the near future.
Obviously, this is bad news.
But the point I'd like to raise today is that it's especially bad news on financial terms.
There are plenty of Delta residents who depend on hunting and fishing to fill their pantry.
It's almost a supplement to their income, as steady and reliable as any savings bond.
If a family has $500 to spend on food per month, but has access to caribou for meat, that money can be spent on milk, vegetable and other foods, rather than expensive beef, chicken or pork from the south, all of which is expensive.
Therefore, if the caribou disappear because extinction is forever and all that jazz, it would literally mean millions of dollars lost.
This number could even become billions, if we count generations of the future.
While it might seem crude and capitalistic, I think it's important to consider the financial worth of wild animals.
While caribou are majestic and beautiful animals, they are also fat bags of hundred-dollar bills, slowly walking around.
So, to readers, I say: Think of the money!
What we do now to save these animals will literally pay off in the future.
Let's not kill a goose that lays golden eggs.
- Regular Drum editor Dez Loreen is on vacation
Editorial Comment
With a population of approximately 70 people, Jean Marie River is one of the smaller communities in the Deh Cho.
Even with such a small population, more than 14 people should have been able to attend the band's annual general meeting. Yet it was exactly 14 people who arrived at the community hall on Sept. 16.
Agenda items for the meeting were advertised as being the appointment of two councillors and a sub-chief, as well as the Community Capacity Building Fund and the Gas Tax fund. These seemingly important items failed to be enough of an incentive to draw people from their homes.
The actual attendance at the meeting is even more discouraging when it's examined closely.
None of the four band councillors were present. Chief Stan Sanguez, the band manager and the traditional knowledge co-ordinator, all people you would expect to see at such a meeting, were there, dropping the number of regular band members in attendance down to 11.
Of those 11, at least two took the time to travel to Jean Marie River from the communities they are currently living in. This leaves approximately nine residents of Jean Marie River who decided to attend the meeting.
Arguably the middle of the fall hunt is not the best time to hold a meeting for anything, but the lack of attendance doesn't help the community.
While ideas and concerns were heard from the people who did attend, there weren't enough band members present to provide a good cross section of the population.
The difficulty of meeting the needs of the people is compounded when the people themselves fail to make themselves available to air their concerns.
When members of any community don't attend meetings where decisions could be made that will either positively or negatively affect their lives, the message that comes across is that everything is fine or that they simply don't care enough to come.
It's hard to believe that all of the band members in Jean Marie River except for nine, think that everything in their community is going along swimmingly.
As for not caring enough to come, the 14 people who were at the meeting spent a great deal of time trying to come up with ways to draw people out. Live bands, community feasts, drum dances, door prizes and gas rebates were just some of the ideas put forward.
Luckily, it's not too late for band members who have concerns, questions or ideas to come forward and have their voices heard. They will get a second chance, something that doesn't happen often, when the annual general meeting is held again in early October.
Hopefully, many people will come out to support the community.
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Philippe Morin
Inuvik Drum
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum