Wednesday, September 27, 2006
On some nights, the Centre for Northern Families looks like a Third World rooming house; up to 30 women and children crammed into a space built for nine.
The most vulnerable in our community are forced to sleep shoulder-to-shoulder on padded mats or face returning to abusive relationships.
Unfortunately, there is little political will to find money for the plight of abused women, despite rhetoric from MLAs.
Instead, government wants to sink $40 million into a new Yellowknife courthouse and $200 million into a plan to turn 1,200 pipeline construction camp units into homes five or six years from now.
How difficult would it be for politicians to carve a little more than $1 million out of a $1 billion annual budget? Probably not very hard, but chances of it happening are slim.
The destitute don't carry much political clout.
Perhaps MLAs should be invited to spend a night in the shelter, just to understand the need.
Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington's stand on the federal gun registry is a welcome departure from the position taken by his predecessor Liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew.
When the Conservative government puts forward a motion to kill the registry, Bevington says he will vote with them even though his mostly-urban NDP party are in favour of keeping it.
During her time as our MP, Blondin-Andrew lamely argued that she had no choice but to support it because she was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government that created the registry.
The registry is hugely unpopular in the North, where firearms are viewed as essential hunting and survival tools in most communities.
It didn't help that the federal government botched the implementation of the program here. Three months before the Jan. 1, 2003 registration deadline, the firearms offices in Yellowknife and Hay River closed, leaving gun owners scrambling. The program is no less confusing and unworkable today. A firearms office was eventually opened in Yellowknife, nearly two years after it closed, staffed by a lone officer tucked away in a far corner of the Greenstone Building with an unlisted phone number and zero public profile.
Federal legislation must be workable not just in large southern cities, but in the North as well. It appears Bevington recognizes that, and that's why he is giving the firearms registry the thumbs down. We give him a thumbs up.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Full marks to the Rankin Inlet Hamlet Council and its recreation committee for paring down the number of bingo games in the community.
A number of socially-minded organizations have expressed concerns during the past few years over the number of games and, perhaps more damaging, the large cash prizes being offered.
We have stated the importance of bingo to local fundraising efforts many times in this space.
It is a necessary way of raising revenues, with the vast majority of the money going to youth, sports, non-profit groups and important community organizations.
Under the new guidelines, there will now be two bingo games every second week, instead of the usual three games per week.
Does the move totally address the problem of people spending money they can't afford to lose and their families going without as a result? No.
However, it is a small step in a positive direction.
Not only does the move erase 24 games annually, it also shows council members are listening to concerns being voiced by the community.
And, we're sure, the fact we have a municipal election coming up in three short months didn't play that much of a role in the decision.
The naysayers are all ready being heard, saying the move doesn't do enough to address the problem of gambling in the community.
But, exactly how much of the onus on controlling gambling in Rankin falls on hamlet council?
Kitchen poker games have never been more popular across Canada, and we can't expect council members to be running around town keeping tally sheets and disposable income charts. Neither can we expect council to ignore the monetary needs of the hamlet, or the worthwhile entities that rely on bingo revenue to survive.
Ultimately, the responsibility of how much money is being spent on gambling rests with the individual.
We are not being flippant, cold-hearted or ignorant of the power of gambling addiction to control people's lives.
It is an addiction like any other; powerful and difficult to break.
That being said, there is only so much council, church groups, outreach programs and caring citizens can do.
The first step is for a gambling addict to admit he or she has a problem.
Even then, they still have to want help and possess the internal fortitude to seek it out.
If you're placing bets or buying bingo cards and Nevada tickets with money you know is meant for groceries, clothes for your kids, utility bills or any other area that's necessary for the comfort and well-being of your family, you have problem.
Help is out there and, as evidenced by council's decision, there are people in the community who care.
But, ultimately, the decision to reach back into your wallet or purse is yours. You must take responsibility for your actions and seek help for your problem.
If not, we'll give you big odds on where your story will end.
Big odds indeed!
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.