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Monday, November 20, 2006
He argued that retracting the money would lead to a decline in already fragile aboriginal languages.
It's difficult to imagine how money that has been sitting in the bank for four years was doing anything to improve the state of aboriginal languages.
Instead of jumping on the Conservative bashing bandwagon, Bevington should have asked why this money was never used.
With the serious plight of Aboriginal languages in the North and the constant lip service from advocacy groups and educators of the need to save them, it's difficult to comprehend why this valuable resource went unused. This was not chump change: $120 million could have gone a long way to introducing new resources and developing curriculum to revitalize Aboriginal cultures by strengthening traditional languages.
It's time to stop talking about making changes for the better and begin actually implementing them.
With all the needs in the North and the rest of the country, how can the federal government be expected to allow large sums of money to sit and never be utilized.
"If it weren't for Sister Sutherland, I don't know what I'd do."
Those simple, but powerful words from Marlene Bourke, a Fort Smith resident who uses a wheelchair to get around, are a tribute to a woman who has been a beacon of light in the South Slave community for years.
The praise for Sister Sutherland comes after the 80-year-old nun "retired" from the presidency of the Fort Smith Society for Disabled Persons. She helped found the group in 1989 and continued to lead its efforts until just recently.
She left the society to spend more time working with the Catholic parish, which has not had a resident priest since May.
Stepping aside from the society likely won't be the end of Sutherland's efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities or helping others around the community. People like her don't ever really retire, they just continue doing good deeds while others are in the spotlight.
Her service to the community may go hand-in-hand with her calling to serve God, but she is a shining example about how to help your community be a better place.
Thanks, Sister Sutherland.
The Nunavut Electoral Boundaries Commission is recommending up to four new seats in Nunavut's legislature.
If approved, that would bring the number of MLAs up to 23 from 19 for a territory with close to 30,000 people.
It is up to the current group of legislators to act on these recommendations.
If they are wise, they will reject the call for their political ranks to swell, or at least limit the additions to as few as possible.
Not surprisingly, residents of some communities want better representation.
Some argue that they are paired with other communities that don't share their interests: the existing Kimmirut and Cape Dorset combination and the Repulse Bay and Kugaaruk mismatch would be prime examples.
But there are no perfect combinations, and granting an MLA for each Nunavut community - some of which only have a few hundred people - is untenable; even the boundaries commission reached that conclusion in the report it released two weeks ago.
Taking a peek back at the 1997 electoral boundaries commission report - drafted only a few years prior to Nunavut's separation from the Northwest Territories - there was a documented expression of common concern from the public: it was too costly to have a large number of elected representatives.
That still holds true today.
The cost of adding a single MLA runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover salary, travel expenses, constituency costs and other expenditures. So the sum for bringing in four more MLAs would probably be about a million dollars worth of additional rhetoric.
There are so many places that money could be better spent. Just in the past few months, we've had poignant reminders of the need for new and repaired recreational facilities, a home for the disabled and assistance for the women's shelter. How about extra dollars for nurses and doctors and law enforcement? That is also needed.
Nunavut has a consensus-style government. The independent MLAs are supposed to work together for the good of the territory. In this case, they should agree to concentrate on devolution, a process that will give Nunavummiut access to resource dollars and take over some federal powers.
There is no recouping the money already spent on the Nunavut Electoral Boundaries Commission, which criss-crossed the territory holding numerous consultations. But it's not too late to prevent throwing dollars away on a few new voices in the legislature.
They would only be crying for a greater share of the existing pot, which will only shrink by their very presence.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
People across the Kivalliq gathered this past week to pay their respects to those who have sacrificed to keep this great nation free.
With the threat of terrorism a constant companion today, Remembrance Day ceremonies have been somewhat rejuvenated of late.
Fewer and fewer empty seats are visible when communities come together on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Some scribes like to use impressive-sounding and somewhat foreboding words such as phenomenon to describe this change of events, but that is hardly the case.
When one looks at it objectively, our country's new-found respect for the men and women of our Canadian Forces is quite logical.
The malaise that appeared to surround Remembrance Day by the dawn of a new millennium was the result of a country unthreatened.
With the demise of the Cold War, Canadians were comfortable with our nation's position on the global landscape.
There were no real wars we had to concern ourselves with any more.
Most of the fighting being done by our Canadian Forces was for modern equipment, a better pay scale, a military structure they could actually understand and an end to the rash of base closures across the country.
Slowly, but surely, that came to an end and places such as Cyprus, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia, El Salvador, Cambodia, Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq, Iran, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan suddenly seemed much closer to home.
The last threads of our security blanket were ripped away forever on the fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Canadians, for the most part, no longer take their freedom and safety for granted.
This, in itself, has contributed to the resurgence of respect surrounding most Remembrance Day ceremonies.
And, it has also brought about a higher level of awareness concerning our Canadian Forces members involved in UN or NATO peacekeeping missions abroad.
Many now realize that while it will always be important to remember the fallen heroes of the past, our men and women of today's Canadian Forces are no less deserving of that same respect.
Every year, the number of Canadians who die trying to keep peace on foreign soil continues to rise.
All too often in the past, their sacrifices were lost in the war of words over whether they should have been there to begin with.
Canada is highly regarded on the international stage for its ability to remain a middle-power country that does not wish to extend its borders at the cost of others.
Yet, we live in a time when those same borders must be protected, and sometimes that protection begins in places difficult to pronounce.
Thankfully, most in our country now realize it is just as important to honour those who bar the doors of oppression today, as it is to remember those who defeated freedom's enemies of the past.
They pay a huge price for one day's worth of respect!
Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
There I was, sitting in an audience of high school students and faculty at Samuel Hearne.
We were all gathered in the gym for a Remembrance Day assembly.
It was all fairly routine - students sang their songs, read their poems and performed a skit for their peers.
The school had also invited veteran Fred Church and Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland to speak to the students.
Church's words were those of sincerity and valour.
When Roland spoke, he reached out to the students on their own front.
In what started as a sure-fire speech about what our grandparents died for, Roland spun the whole room around by talking about the significance of a war simulation game.
That's right, video games. He spoke our jive lingo!
"Playing war games gives you a good idea of what the veterans went through in the Second World War," said Roland.
With a speech that name-dropped the XBOX 360, and playing online over XBOX live, you would think that our MLA has spent a lot of his own time fighting virtual wars from the trenches of his living room.
I have to commend the man on his choice of approach. I don't think he would discuss video games with the veterans at the Legion.
He saved that nugget for the perfect audience.
I looked around the gym at all of the young gamers in the crowd who were nodding their heads, remembering some of the simulated battles they had played.
Regardless of what you may think, many of these games I speak of are incredibly accurate portrayals of World War II, and I'm sure veterans would confirm that.
Roland's speech shows that there are people out there who are reaching out to youth in ways they can understand, that relate to their experiences.
Successful role models like Roland are a good example of what is possible for the youth of tomorrow.
Remembrance Day is a time for us to reflect on soldiers who died in the two world wars, and overseas in more recent conflicts.
I want to commend those veterans in town who shared their stories with youth this past week.
I also want to thank the people who organized the local events this past week, for reminding us all, lest we forget.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Congratulations are in order for Kayla Betsaka, Kyra Tanche and Bhreagh Ingarfield of Nahanni Butte.
For three girls from a small community in the Northwest Territories that most people in Canada probably couldn't find on a map to win a national award is a considerable achievement.
The magnitude of the accomplishment is increased by the fact that the nomination for the award came from someone that none of the girls seem to know. Having a family or community member nominate you for an award is one thing but having a stranger from a different territory nominate you is quite another.
An example can be taken from the girls who are happily willing to give up time during their week to look after animals that might otherwise be mistreated or abandoned.
Not everyone has to be an animal hero, but there are plenty of causes in every community that could use a helping hand.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
The Christmas season won't be quite the same in Fort Simpson without the Metis Christmas party.
As with most things relating to Christmas, the party was primarily designed for the children. There are very few children who don't enjoy getting a Christmas present a few days before the actual big day.
But Marie Lafferty, the president of the Metis Nation, had a point when she noted that the presents themselves might not be missed since most families can afford gifts for their children.
What might be missed more is the event itself. It was a time when families and children could come together, share in the holiday spirit and participate in fun activities. Last year's celebrations, which were purposefully designed with the whole family in mind, included cookie decorating, craft making and pinata breaking. The Open Doors Society helped with the programming.
The event filled the recreation centre with the shrill screams and giggles of small children and the quieter reaction of their parents.
It's unfortunate that the Metis Nation no longer has the funding for the event, but $15,000 is notably a lot of money to put forward every year. Hopefully a new, and less expensive, alternative to the Christmas party will be found. One option could be a party without the presents. Before the elaborate gifts were given out last year, there was still lots of fun to be had at the party.
Those in the community who are disappointed to think that a 12- year tradition is about to be broken should step forward to help come up with new ideas to keep the Christmas spirit rolling in Fort Simpson.
Incorrect information appeared in the Nov. 6 issue of News/North.
In an photo feature about Fort McPherson's indoor hockey, Dustin Snowshoe's name was misspelled.
News/North apologizes for any embarrassment or inconvenience caused by the error.