Monday, September 25, 2006
The legacy of the North's majestic caribou herds has now fallen on the shoulders of today's generation. Is everyone up for the challenge?
The rapid, steady decline of the herds can no longer be ignored.
Consider this -- according to this year's barren-ground caribou herd survey, the Cape Bathurst herd has dropped to a mere 1,800. That's down from 2,400 in 2005 and 17,500 in 1992.
The Bluenose-West herd now rests at 18,000, down more than 2,000 from just last year, while the Bluenose-East herd sits at 66,200 -- down 37,000 from a year 2000 survey.
The Bathurst herd is 58,000 animals smaller now than it was three years ago.
Something bad is happening out on our vast land and it's about time someone found out what is causing this mass disappearance.
Conservation measures have been implemented by the territorial government and regional wildlife groups, including reducing caribou tags for resident harvesters from five to two and closing all hunting except for aboriginal subsistence harvesters in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
But considering that there are tens of thousands fewer caribou roaming the Territories than there were a mere decade ago, there is not a moment to spare in determining the reason for the drastic decline.
Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger has said the next step may be monitoring and counting the aboriginal hunt.
This is a necessary step to providing an answer and possible solution to the dwindling numbers.
Right now, we don't know how many caribou are being harvested to fill bellies around the territories. Monitoring the hunt will give wildlife officials a count and help them better understand why the herds are declining so rapidly.
It could also provide jobs. Hunt monitors should be hired from the affected communities.
It's unlikely hunters would object to a neighbour doing the count.
As well, the wisdom of our elders and their respect and knowledge of the North's fragile resources must also come to the forefront in future discussions about the issue.
The last century is full of examples of problems which could have been prevented if only insight and good judgment were applied.
The North need not turn into a wasteland devoid of awe-inspiring caribou if affirmative action and positive steps are taken to ensure their survival in the fragile ecosystem.
Children commonly conjure images of frightening creatures or some other terrifying presence lying in wait under the bed or in the closet.
As parents, we comfort our children and assure them they are safe. We explain to them that such creatures or ghosts don't exist.
The unfortunate reality, however, is that there are indeed people who act like monsters in this world. Monsters like paedophile Ed Horne, who sexually abuse innocent children.
In 2000, Horne, a teacher, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of horrific exploitation of children between the ages of seven and 12 in three Nunavut communities. Another 52 sexual offence charges were withheld by the prosecution. The crimes occurred between 1973 and 1982. It landed Horne in jail for five years. By 2002, 82 men were awarded a $21.5 million settlement by the governments of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, Horne's former employer. The governments were very forthright in the way they handled the case, seeking quick resolution outside the courts.
Turn the calendar ahead four years and another group of complainants against Horne has ballooned to 73. This time the territorial governments have, incredibly, opted for a strict defence. They absolutely deny any blame. In this case, the governments are now claiming that Horne's alleged offenses took place in a house that he rented. Therefore, they contend, he was not their responsibility.
They have even gone so far as to claim that some of the alleged victims over age 14 consented to sex with Horne. If there is a kernel of truth to that theory, it would still be reprehensible for a teacher -- an authority figure -- to take advantage of a pupil in a sexual manner.
One may wonder why it has taken so long for these latest alleged victims to come forward. Their lawyer, Geoffrey Budden, attributes this to a deep-seated mistrust of the justice system and the prospect of gruelling cross-examinations by government attorneys.
While Budden doesn't deny that financial compensation may be a motivating factor, he said many of the alleged victims want access to counselling services. If the emotional damage the victims have suffered can be fixed, minimizing damage to their children and grandchildren, then treatment is essential.
The government has a right to screen the plaintiffs. The complainants are sent for a psychological assessment and can be questioned under oath by lawyers prior to trial.
So for the government to attempt a complete about-face in the way it is dealing with these plaintiffs is beyond callous, it's diabolical.
The government has accepted responsibility for letting the monster loose but now it's claiming the monster didn't commit atrocities against children on government time.
That's a monstrous defence, one only Horne himself might appreciate.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
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
Philippe Morin
Inuvik Drum
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
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
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.
Due to an editing error last week in Cece Hodgson-McCauley's column, dates of pipeline meetings were mistakenly changed to read 2006 when they actually occurred in 2005. News/North apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.