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Friday, October 6, 2006
No bottle for baby

It's unlikely any mother would fill a baby's bottle with vodka.

Such an outrageous act would be unforgivable - deemed child abuse.

Unfortunately, too many Northern women continue to consume alcohol while they're pregnant.

As a result, many children face the life-long sentence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

According to statistics from B.C., it costs $1.5 million to care for a person with FASD. An estimated 14 per cent of women consume alcohol when they're pregnant.

Government knows the problem. Efforts have included warning labels on every bottle of booze sold in the NWT and public education campaigns.

Health Minister Michael Miltenberger says more action is on its way.

We recommend training for bartenders and servers, including how to not serve alcohol to obviously pregnant women in bars; an intense, ongoing education campaign aimed at women and men, like the successful Butthead effort that seems to be convincing young people to stay away from cigarettes; introducing a segment on drinking and pregnancy in high school health classes.

The key, however, is that any action plan has to have an effective, hard-hitting message to stop drinking expectant mothers in their tracks.

Unborn children deserve a fighting chance in an already difficult world without the burden of health consequences brought on by mom's alcohol abuse.


Don't shelve computer program

Computers for Schools is a government-led feel good story that doesn't feel so good any more now that Industry Canada is thinking about shelving the program.

Begun in 1993, volunteers with the program have collected and repaired more than 650,000 computers from both the public and private sector to re-distribute to schools across the country.

This year, 450 of the computers went to NWT schools. About 25 per cent of all computers in public schools come from this program for about $65 each.

The high price of shipping alone can make acquiring computers - particularly for smaller communities - extremely expensive for NWT schools.

With help from First Air, however, schools can have computers shipped to their doorstep free of charge.

Besides giving schools a break, the program also prevents otherwise functioning computers from winding up in landfills.

The federal government isn't the only funder of this program but they are the ones who lead it.

If they pull out, others - private businesses and municipal governments - will surely follow.

Last week, the federal government made it clear it intends to cut costs and save taxpayers money by slashing a $1 billion worth of programs.

It appears to us that taxpayers won't be saving much at all if they're now going to be asked to pay full price for their children's school computers.


Literacy cuts another slap in the face

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News


It will be interesting to hear if Premier Paul Okalik or any of our top Inuit leaders jump up to defend Prime Minister Stephen Harper, once again, in the wake of the most recent federal announcement concerning Northern Canada.

If so, it will hard to keep a straight face as they proclaim their ill-fated belief that a positive working relationship between the feds and Nunavut is still possible.

It's time to smell the coffee and admit the only aboriginals this federal government cares about are First Nations.

The latest slap in the face came with the fed's unexpected announcement of huge cuts to literacy programs.

Unless a different source of funding can be found - highly unlikely at best - the cuts will end two of the Nunavut Literacy Council's main programs, resulting in the termination of six staff members.

But that's just a start.

The cuts will also mean the end of three literacy programs being delivered by Nunavut Arctic College.

This announcement shows us Harper's government, with Jim Prentice at the helm of Northern Development, has neither the time nor the ambition to worry about helping to create a skilled workforce in Nunavut.

Hit hardest by these cuts are those of working-class age, doomed to subsistence living and social-assistance cheques without the opportunity to improve their literacy and job skills.

The timing of this announcement is horrendous and amounts to Harper giving Prentice permission to dip his hand in a cold bucket of water before delivering the slap.

Not only do the cuts come shortly after Inuit were shown to have the lowest English literacy rate in Canada, they come at almost the exact same time as Prentice's own Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) study shows Inuit to have the lowest quality of life in the country.

We can only hope Premier Okalik had no idea the announcement was coming this past week when he crawled up on the soap box to advocate the hiring of more Inuit by Nunavut's private sector.

As hard working as the Inuit Okalik spoke about may be, acquiring literacy and job skills remains paramount to their success.

Or, maybe, Inuit in our territory who, for whatever reasons, were left behind in their formal education are being told they aren't all that important in the grand scheme of things.

The message we're hearing is too bad.

You had your opportunity. There will be no second chance for you lot.

Another message is ringing louder with almost every month this government is in power: the love affair between the federal government and the North was a Liberal thing.

Well, we have a thing of our own for Prentice.

Instead of cutting programs that hold the promise of improving the quality of life in Nunavut, how about using the INAC study for what it was intended?

How about using the results to show southern Canada there is no giant gravy train dropping off boatloads of prosperity in Nunavut?

Maybe then opportunity can be provided instead of taken away.

Hey, we'll even wait until Prentice is finished dealing with matrimonial property rights on reserves to get back to us.


Your vote is important

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum


Vote or die. A simple phrase that was initiated by a famous rap singer in America a few years ago, for their Presidential election.

Of course voting is not a matter of life and death, but some could argue that it comes close. I know a lot of people who take voting really seriously.

Some of you may not know this, but we are given extra influence with our current voting situation. In a community with a population of roughly 3,500 people and nearly 1,000 registered voters, you really only need the support of a few hundred people to win. Even the underdog has a chance.

I have been a registered voter since the last mayoral election, when the Clarkson regime came on top. It was back then when I saw the light and the importance of my vote.

Some of you may not be on the voters list, (which can be found in stores all around town). If you have not already voted in the advance poll, I suggest you drag yourself into that booth on Oct. 16.

Think of your vote as a chance to have some control over the community. I have been on the streets this week preaching the importance of the vote.

A common argument that I have come across in my recent campaign for a good voter turn-out is that there are no 'good' choices. That neither candidate is good enough.

I don't mean to be blunt, but these candidates are the only option. At least for the next few years before another election is called.

There is no excuse to miss out on the vote. I think this election has the potential to have the largest voter turn out in the history of this community.

If you choose to stay at home on election day and not vote, you have officially given up your right to bitch about anything the new mayor will do.

One person can make a difference. If you strongly oppose one candidate, then really the best course of action is to vote for someone else. Don't leave your vote for the next person in line.

Being informed about a vote is important as well. I want to briefly touch on a few of the ideas brought forward by some of the candidates.

Youth violence and vandalism was one of the hotter topics for the candidates at a recent public forum.

One council hopeful said he would like to see the RCMP increase their patrols by going door to door, to keep the peace.

Another candidate wanted more done to address the town's crack problem. After a public meeting that was held last year, he wants to see results.

A citizen patrol was also brought up as a crime-fighting solution.

Having a patrol would mean paying more people to roam the street and keep an eye on the youth, no matter what they're doing.


Treasures found in reading

Editorial Comment
Jessica Gray
Deh Cho Drum


I was asked to read to a Grade 6 class today as part of Bompas Elementary's participation in NWT Literacy week, which runs Oct. 1 to 7.

I have to say, I'm honoured. This comes even though I know I'm only standing-in for the errant Deh Cho editor Roxanna Thompson, who recently left for a much-needed vacation (and who also just celebrated her birthday over the weekend).

I guess the reason I'm so excited is because I get a chance to share something I love to do as part of my profession as well as outside the office.

In my childhood, whether I wondered how high I could stack turtles thanks to Dr. Seuss, or laughed as the paper-bag princess found out her prince-charming-to-be wasn't so charming after all with Robert Munsch, reading gave me something I couldn't do without - my imagination.

And this, something so many of us take for granted or even dismiss as we get older, is a gift no child should be without (even if it spawns an imaginary friend or two).

A good imagination can make the most of a mundane car ride that just won't end, but more importantly it can allow you to dream of all the wonderful things you'd love to accomplish as you become an adult.

Many of my most prized childhood memories involve one book or another.

In fact, many of my high school lunches were spent in my school's library where I would search endlessly for new books to devour.

But my love of books and the written word were not things I learned in school.

These things were taught at home, where stories were used to impart things like tradition, values, and love, not to mention a good sense of humour.

I got a chance to speak to author Jacqueline Guest at John Tsetso Memorial Library Sept. 26 before she addressed many assembled children and parents.

She told me, "Take 15 to 20 minutes anytime of the day and give the child your undivided attention."

Guest said parents or guardians have to do more than just read stories, it's a time to discuss what was written and talk about how it applies to the child.

Most importantly she made sure I knew, "Reading is not just something you do at school."

And that's all there is to it.

It's as easy as taking out 15 to 20 minutes in a day, a time when no one will interrupt, to get your child hooked on reading like I was, something I continued to do as I grew. Because, believe me, there aren't many kids who don't want that kind of attention.

Now, to figure out what I'm going to read during my 15 minutes of fame. Perhaps some Harry Potter, hmmmm.

- Jessica Gray will be covering for Roxanna Thompson until the end of October.


Correction

A photo of bylaw officer Duane DeBastien incorrectly identified him as RCMP Staff Sgt. Sidney Gray in the Sept. 21 edition of Inuvik Drum (Thieves with Wheels, page 7).

Also, the Youth of the week's parents were misnamed. Lesli Kisoun's mother is Melissa, while her nanny is Shirley.

In the Sept. 28 issue of the Drum, Marlo Allen's name was misspelled (Marching against violence, page 7), and Shania Kasook was mistakenly identified as her daughter.

It should also be noted that the Inuvik Transitional Shelter has harbored 74 people this year, and is not currently helping this many people.

The Drum apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment these errors may have caused.