Editorial

What are 20,000 Yellowknifers to think of the Government of the Northwest Territories' decision to ignore the 40th anniversary of their city as the capital of the NWT?

Mayor Gord Van Tighem issued the invitation to Premier Joe Handley to participate in the celebration of Yellowknife becoming territorial capital in 1967, expecting an enthusiastic response.

Instead, we have a government spokesperson responding with a "Thanks but no thanks," issuing the incomprehensible opinion that while event might be of historical significance to Yellowknife, it's not to the rest of the Territories.

Van Tighem is understandably unhappy with that attitude and we have to wonder what's behind it.

Is Premier Handley signaling his intent not to run in Yellowknife in the next election? Does political hostility toward the Territories' largest population base run so deep? Why are all seven of Yellowknife's MLAs, three of whom sit in cabinet, silent on the idea of celebrating the heritage of their home and capital city?

The latter may well be so and we call upon the leadership of the legislative assembly to rethink their government's decision.

The 32 other NWT communities from Fort Smith to Inuvik are perfectly justified fighting tooth and nail to ensure they get fair share of government spending and jobs.

But who, with an ounce of common sense, would argue there is any better choice for a capital than Yellowknife?

We have the strongest economy, best services, a central location, and a long tradition of offering hospitality to people from points North and South.

To the rest of Canada, Yellowknife is the face of the NWT. That's why the territorial government should be stepping in to ensure the diversity of our peoples is front and center in any event of this magnitude.

It must be recognized that Yellowknife is also the North's largest aboriginal community.

The government's own figures show there are over 4,300 aboriginal Yellowknifers.

That's why there should be dancers and drummers, fiddlers and jiggers, artists and performers, handgames and storytellers from every territory - Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Sahtu, Deh Cho, Tlicho, Akaitcho.

How can we hope unify a territory for what is essentially a national event if we pander to political rivalry? Will the premier and cabinet have the same attitude when it comes to the Arctic Winter Games, because they're in Yellowknife?

The issue should have been raised at the last sitting of the assembly and debated vigorously. We cannot for a moment imagine that territorial MLAs, no matter where they hail from, would turn their back on celebrating the capital of their Territories.

Nunavut officials need to be protected before it's too late

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

After years of moving in the right direction, respect for hockey officials took a big step backwards this season.

There's no doubt at the start of the year, some of the frustration aimed at officials was the result of Hockey Canada's new standard of officiating, which closely resembles that of the NHL.

The hooking, clutching and grabbing of years past are gone forever, and interfering with those in pursuit of the puck is also called much more frequently.

However, many of the hockey players in Nunavut, especially in the Kivalliq, adapted remarkably well to the new rule emphasis and standard of officiating.

In fact, they adapted far quicker than most officials thought entering the season.

So, blaming the new standard for the increase in abuse towards officials rings a little on the hollow side.

In Rankin Inlet, the executive of the most successful adult recreational league in the North showed the good sense to adopt a suspension system for players who got personal with their remarks to the officials.

The move did not totally address the problem, however, as was seen during the Avataq Memorial tourney when an official left the ice after incurring more verbal abuse than he could take.

It has been especially disheartening this year when players who also coach or officiate themselves have been involved with such behaviour.

While their dedication to the game in different capacities is admirable, they, among all others, should realize the damage done when officials are abused by players.

The damage is threefold, the least of which being the high attrition rate among officials who don't return the following year.

Even more damaging - especially in areas where large crowds at games are the norm, not the exception - is that would-be officials who witness the abuse immediately lose their desire to become hockey referees.

Nunavut has a perilously low number of certified hockey officials.

If those numbers continue to drop the territory's entire hockey program will be at risk, and we're closer to that point than many people care to admit right now.

However, the biggest impact the abuse has is reserved for those playing minor hockey, especially when the abuse comes from a player who the kids may look up to.

Abuse of officials in minor hockey is parallel to domestic violence and the family unit in that both are where the cycle begins.

Minor hockey players, who see their role models abuse officials, get it in their head that this type of behaviour is acceptable.

And, in many cases, they continue that behaviour as they progress to higher age brackets of hockey, thus perpetuating the cycle of abuse to the point where it remains a problem on a yearly basis.

Nunavut hockey cannot afford to allow the abuse of officials to continue.

It's time for our hockey associations and league executives to increase the penalties for such infractions to, once again, make it clear to players of all ages that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

It's our game. Let's work together to protect it.

A stronger Internet presence

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, March 23, 2007

The Internet is something else. I spend more than the lion's share of my time browsing web sites and posting messages to my friends on Bebo.

Among the streaming episodes of The Simpsons and bootleg versions of theatrical releases, you can find some technical information about Inuvik and the surrounding area.

I'm concerned that the people of Inuvik are not being adequately represented. I think we're being lost on the Internet in a growing pile of scraggly-bearded travellers and touristas.

In a quick Google search, I found two pages of results that all pointed to "official" sites and information posted by many organizations in the region.

Among those results were blogs and web-journals by people who experienced only 72 hours of sun and did not get to enjoy the spring time ice break-up.

What I did not find nearly enough of was local blogs. Yeah those long diary-esque rantings of people who want to keep their friends informed of the latest news.

Where are all the people from Inuvik who post their thoughts and photos of life in Inuvik? I want to see some more from the inside of Northern life. I have had enough of the "outsider" perspective.

Sure we live differently here and maybe your friends back home want to hear about how cold it is, or how much more you pay for vegetables now.

I think a few blogs or websites about the traditional life would fare well on the world wide web.

One day I would love to search for "Rachel Reindeer camp" and see tons of photos and comments from local people who spend weeks upon weeks on the land.

Students at Sir Alex have been on the land and I want to read about it.

Websites like Bebo or Facebook are now even easier to use, which should open the door to a new generation of bloggers.

With the information age taking off and soaring, isolation is becoming a thing of the past in Inuvik. We are all connected to the south via e-mail and teleconferencing.

I complained a few weeks ago about not having top-notch theatrical movies in town. Well, if you're willing to gather around a computer monitor, there are places to find those flicks. Just be prepared to watch the guy in front of the camera get up for popcorn now and then. I am not advocating bootlegging movies, nor am I endorsing the irresponsible use of said websites.

The most important thing to remember when uploading your photos and information is to be respectful and responsible.

Last year, a video was uploaded to a bebo page, which in turn was spread around like butter on a warm piece of bannock.

Some people got in trouble for the incident, which stresses the point, ask for permission before uploading images of anybody.

I saw David Musselwhite offering his photos online of hockey and scenes around Inuvik. I think it's a great idea for someone with ties to the community to promote the region.

With the Muskrat Jamboree just around the corner, I think someone should take some initiative and post some videos of the long weekend.

Maybe seeing Roy Ipana tell some of his jokes on Bebo will increase our winter tourism for next season.

Braving the winter roads

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, March 23, 2007

I'd like to send a tip of the hat out to all those people who drive winter roads on a regular basis, particularly the residents of Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte.

I had my first proper winter road experience last week while driving to Trout Lake to attend their Ndu Tah spring carnival.

Heading down the winter road, I learned about the meaning of bumpy and tested the range of my truck's shocks. Even at my cautious speed ranging between 30 and 60 km/h, I often wondered if my truck might bounce into the snow banks lining the road.

Added challenges were thrown in when I met up with transport trucks hauling loads of gravel to the community. Squeezing past those things doesn't look possible when you are staring one down and is just as tricky when you actually attempt it.

Arriving in Trout Lake three hours later, a popular question was how I had found the road. Not wanting to sound like the Southerner that I am, I cautiously commented that it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be.

This was evidently the right answer as almost every person responded that yes, the road was in rather good shape.

One person even commented that maybe they should have brought the gravel trucks in earlier because they'd done such a great job of flattening out the road.

Although I'd love to drive to Trout Lake again, the idea that the road I drove was in a smooth state fills me with a fair bit of trepidation.

The people who drive those roads as part of their everyday lives in the winter deserve a great deal of admiration and maybe even a discount on shocks.

Although to some people looking in from the outside, the Deh Cho must seem like a sleepy little backwater, there is always something happening in the area.

Meetings and workshops occur on a constant basis and people are regularly travelling to attend sessions in places like Yellowknife.

A recent example is the regional product development workshop in Fort Simpson hosted by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The goal of the workshop was to bring together people with interests in tourism to discuss what is going well in the sector, what needs to be worked on and how changes can be made. Gerd Fricke, the regional superintendent of Industry, Tourism and Investment, made a valid point that relates to many of these types of workshops and meetings.

Speaking about product development, Fricke said that ideas for change and development have to come from the community because community members will be the driving forces behind any products.

This is something important for all meeting-goers to remember.

Getting ideas and suggestions is a wonderful thing, but they need to be put through a filter to sort out what will work best for individual communities.