Monday, October 2, 2006
But, that is what has happened in the case of the Territorial Treatment Centre for troubled youth. The centre is to be moved from Yellowknife to the former Dene K'onia Young Offenders Facility site in Hay River.
Michael Miltenberger was quoted in News/North, Sept. 25, saying suggestions that the young offender facility could be demolished and rebuilt for $3 million - same amount as planned renovations - were "somewhat optimistic."
Ballooning building costs should be no surprise to the GNWT. Three years ago the government watched as the costs for the North Slave Correctional Facility shot to $50 million from $40 million. The proposed Deh Cho Bridge went from initial estimates of $60 million to $140 million and is now "on hold."
Was the GNWT being naive? Or, were the budgets purposefully low in the hopes of practising the "easier to get forgiveness than permission" approach to construction when costs began to run over?
Either way, not taking the time to look at the project logically, and trusting obviously outdated, or poorly drawn-up tender packages, is going to cost taxpayers even more money.
Industry-rich NWT cannot downplay the importance of the necessary infrastructure needed to support the operations.
The recent transportation/logistics conference in Hay River was an opportunity for those involved in transporting goods discuss transportation challenges and options for the future.
One of the challenges is the proposed Mackenzie natural gas pipeline. Over four years, the builders will have to move 900,000 tonnes of equipment, supplies and fuel. It would move north on 12,000 truckloads each year, and seven trains of 120 cars a week and 12 to 14 barges will ply the river each week.
Ask barrenland diamond mines the challenge of moving goods in a changing climate. This year, a warm winter resulted in 40 per cent of mine supplies being left in Yellowknife. It all had to be flown up, at a cost of millions.
A Hay River company is considering using a blimp to fly fuel.
It's time for governments to seriously discuss how to develop the basic road infrastructure needed to accommodate the growing number of heavy-duty vehicles laden with supplies travelling throughout the North - like a Mackenzie Valley highway.
Then, industry and government can work together to determine the best way to move forward in developing new methods of transportation, be it air, barge, road or rail.
Cape Dorset has proven that the best way to get recreation funding is to have a master of paperwork on your side.
The community's recreation director, Cheryl Constantineau, filed 33 requests for funding for a new youth centre. It's a good thing she used to work as a paralegal. Otherwise, what is now the youth centre building might still be an under-used curling club. You shouldn't have to be a legal professional to bring funding to your community. Recreation directors are generally not sought for their skill with paperwork. They are hired for their training and passion for keeping kids occupied.
Just how much funding are Nunavut communities missing out on due to poor paperwork skills?
The need for more facilities for the territory's rapidly growing youth population is clear. What is truly needed is more support from the Government of Nunavut.
If the government were to have a position dedicated to helping hamlets apply for funding, how many more youth centres could be built? One government employee with a knack for paperwork could open a world of funding possibilities.
Let recreation people worry about the kids. Let the bureaucrats worry about the paperwork.
Decentralization is a fancy word for "spreading jobs and services around."
Years ago, the Government of Nunavut made a commitment to stop situating all of its offices in Iqaluit. Some communities have benefitted from that, others are still waiting rather impatiently.
Clyde River is no longer holding its breath. Last week it was announced that the Piqqusilirivvik school, or Inuit cultural school, will be head-quartered in that small Baffin community. In a surprise move, the government also announced that satellite campuses will be located in Iglulik and Baker Lake. This is a wise decision that's inclusive of some other Inuktitut dialects, one of the concerns mentioned when the idea of a cultural school was proposed.
It will also allow students to benefit from elders and other learned people in each community. In addition, Baker Lake is home to the Inuit Heritage Centre, which should complement the traditional curriculum to be emphasized at the cultural school.
Unfortunately, there's no Kitikmeot representation in the project.
The government must make a concerted effort to ensure that the Kitikmeot region and the Innuinaqtun language are reflected in what should be a training facility that makes all Inuit proud.
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
I was reading a book called 'Alcoholism: Reducing your risk' the other day, which is available at the Inuvik Centennial library.
One section spoke about teenagers and how they are more emotional than adults.
"For a variety of reasons - some biological, some social, some developmental - adolescents tend to over respond emotionally to normal stress.
"Their first response to problems is an emotional one.
"That's what makes them so impulsive, exhibiting behaviour which is sometimes incomprehensible to adults," it read.
I mention this quote because it's something the NWT's Department of Health and Social Services clearly understands.
On Sept. 21, the department's mock car crash - held for the teenage students of Samuel Hearne secondary school - was a violent emotional spectacle, which used both theatre and real pictures to tell the truth.
Consider the things students saw: Pictures of crash victims' faces, a dead body wrapped in a shroud, a funeral procession and a live patient - Barry Cook, a talented actor by the way - who faked a spine injury and squirted fake blood over firefighters from a stomach wound.
Later, as students visited the hospital's emergency room, Dr. Cam Macleod showed various tools and told anecdotes about collapsed lungs and chest-plates cracked open like lobster tails.
Well done, sir!
Like many in attendance, I couldn't help but feel effected - and perhaps a bit queasy - with the realization I was hearing the truth.
While it's easy to read statistics about car crashes and young people, it's important for teachers to make that emotional punch connect.
It is for this reason - the presentation of facts as undeniably real as a morgue table - that programs like this are a great idea.
Sometimes, the best way to teach young people is not through the mind, but the stomach.
- Regular Drum editor Dez Loreen is on vacation and will be back next week.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Work is something that almost everyone gets to experience in their lifetime.
In our society where money is the key to buying necessary goods and services, holding down a job is a primary means of obtaining the funds you need to live. Like everything else in the world, however, the way in which people look at work is constantly changing.
In this employment market of fast changing opportunities, company loyalty isn't what it used to be. People no longer necessarily stay with the same company or organization for the whole of their working careers.
In light of this, recognition is deserved for those employees who commit their talents and resources to dedicated service. Some people with these traits were awarded over the past two weeks for their service to the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Around the Deh Cho people were recognized for the jobs that they face daily after rising out of bed. Some of the amounts of service were quite amazing.
The 35 years of service given by Alex Gargan and Diane Edwards in the Department of Public Works and Deh Cho Health and Social Services respectively are no simple matters.
Thirty-five years is a long time to stick with anything. It's an even longer time to move through and still enjoy the work that you are doing as both Gargan and Edwards say they do. The lengths of time worked by a number of the employees for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are also more impressive than they seem on the surface. Many of the people are members of fire crews. Because the crews only work approximately four months a year they've actually returned to the same job for a minimum of 15 years in order to have their time add up to the five years that has been recorded.
People who choose to stay with the same employer for these lengths of time might become even rarer in the near future. Business analysts continue to speculate about the constant need for skilled workers especially in the trades. Many tradespeople are already in short supply.
With more development occurring daily in Alberta and the possibility of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline, workers may find even more options for the resources they have to offer.
A look at the work force around the North is enough to show Canadians are willing to move to where they can find work. The same glance shows that Northerners are just as willing to move because many travel south for employment.
With so many opportunities on the horizon both employers and employees will need to be prepared for the conditions of the employment market to come. The power might soon be even more strongly in the worker's corner.
I'm travelling home to Ontario this week to be with my family for Thanksgiving. Jessica Gray will be reporting for the paper over the next three weeks.
In the Sept. 11 issue of News/North, it was incorrectly reported that Mayor Peter Martselos of Fort Smith was acclaimed to the post in 2003. In fact, he was elected in a two-person race. Martselos was acclaimed mayor in 2000.