Editorial

Let's admit it, Niven Lake has always been a thorn in council's side, from the first phase that let private developers profit while taxpayers shouldered the risk, to the manufactured homes plopped onto lots in Phase VI.

Cartoons

Now, council wants to create a Utopian society in Phase VII with affordable housing, where people walk downtown, choose gardens over cars, and enjoy living within arm's length of their neighbour.

While there's nothing wrong with duplexes, row homes and other mid-density development, some of the decisions being made in council chambers are mind-boggling. In the North, the only housing that fits the financial definition of "affordable" is trailers or manufactured homes. Trailers are not allowed so how affordable can this housing be?

Making driveways optional may play well among principled environmentalists at the next kitchen ceilidh, but to the majority of Yellowknifers it's a sign council's out of touch. If people are paying over $250,000 for a new condominium, the next level of affordable housing, they want to be able to park their vehicle.

People will buy homes with no off-street parking if there's nothing else available. That will only lead to cars, trucks, boats, campers and snowmachines lining the street. What about resale value of homes without parking?

This kind of social engineering may work in large urban centres where transit works and the climate isn't extreme, but it will only drive up the cost of living in Yellowknife. Already, we're seeing an exodus - a population drop of 400 in the NWT in the past year - as people look south for a more affordable place to live.

The present rule requiring off street parking for two vehicles was put in for a reason: to get cars and trucks off streets in order to improve traffic flow and make plowing snow possible.

Councillors have made some positive moves in recent weeks, like beefing up building rules to improve energy efficiency, but they're undermining themselves by making decisions that don't make sense.

As well, councillors must resist any urge to have the city develop Phase VII in order to see their vision of a green neighbourhood come true. Taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for millions in development costs for lots that won't sell. If a developer believes it can create a Utopian neighbourhood, let them do it with their own money, not ours.

CBC scores with new deal

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

Score one for the hockey fans over those who would rather see the CBC broadcast nothing other than news and arts programming.

And, score another for those who were afraid they would lose their regional CBC programming in rural areas if the network lost its flagship broadcast.

Despite the voice of contention in the Canadian Senate, the CBC and the NHL inked a new six-year deal this past month that will see Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) remain with the federally funded national network.

The deal is believed to be worth between $80 to $100 million.

The NHL also extended its partnership south of the border with NBC through next season, with an option for the 2008-09 season.

On the surface, some might wonder what all the kerfuffle was about.

After all, TV shows come and go and in this day of the dollar loyalty is only as thick as the ink on the cheque.

But HNIC on the CBC has become an institution in this country.

There can be little doubt the backlash from millions of viewers would have been significant had the CBC opted not to pursue the agreement due its cost.

The Kivalliq, being a predominately hockey-crazed region, is no different than many other Canadian locales when it comes to the broadcast.

The HNIC crew has developed its broadcast of NHL games into an art form, and Kivalliq hockey fans join the millions of other Canadian puck lovers in looking forward to that perfection every Saturday night and throughout the playoffs.

What other sports show (or any show, period) can you name that knocks Peter Mansbridge and The National to second-banana status?

In fact, the power the broadcast has over so many Canadians almost defies logic, especially during the first intermission when the Coach's Corner segment airs and Don Cherry clears his throat.

The time Cherry is afforded to relay his over-the-top viewpoint to Canadians represents the five quietest minutes of the week in this country.

It seems no matter what's going on in any given home, or at any gathering with a TV within earshot, everything comes to a silent standstill when Cherry begins to speak.

In addition to millions of contented Canadian hockey fans, more than a few CBC employees also breathed a sigh of relief with this past month's announcement and only a few of them work with the HNIC crew.

As much as the idealists among us hate to admit it, public broadcasting cannot survive on arts alone, even when connected to purse strings that originate on Parliament Hill.

But, Kivalliq hockey fans aren't concerning themselves with mundane topics such as advertising revenue, rebroadcast rights and target audiences these days.

Like so many other fans across the nation, they are content in the knowledge that when they turn on their TV every Saturday evening for the next six years, their favourite sports program will be right where they left it.

For them, life is, once again, a big bowl of cherries.

Higher expectations

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, March 30, 2007

We all have responsibilities with our jobs. It's no secret that some jobs expect more from you than others. A lawyer has more on his plate than the Quickstop clerk and so forth.

No matter what your career is, you still need to follow the rules and proper procedures if you want to last long. It's simple really. Do the job properly and you will be rewarded.

This brings me to Wednesday morning. I was at home on my day off when my phone rang. Seems someone I know got a traffic ticket from a by-law officer.

You could say the by-law officer has one of the highest profile jobs in town. People see him in the red truck and put their seat belts on. It's common knowledge that he is out on the road to enforce the rules. I have an incredible amount of respect for him and his work for the community.

So, on that sunny morning, Rory Gordon made an illegal left turn across a lane of traffic into the Eskimo Inn. We all know the manoeuvre of which I speak. You probably did it twice today without even thinking about it.

Rory brings me the traffic ticket, which was issued for March 21, 2006. The year was filled in wrong, which is understandable, I caught myself writing the wrong year a few times. Then I noticed the officer's signature was also missing from the ticket in question. That lit some alerts in my head.

Was this ticket valid if it had the wrong date? Wouldn't the officer have to sign it to prove the authenticity of the fine? Should Rory pay the fine? Would I be able to enjoy my time off? All those questions were running through my head.

It seems that the officer's signature is needed on the ticket, so says SAO Tom Lie. But according to Lie, the by-law officer has the authority to change tickets after they have been handed out.

Rory didn't seem too interested in paying for a ticket that was incorrectly filled out.

The by-law officer has one duty, to uphold the municipal laws written by the town. On any given day that man could write a dozen tickets before stopping for some lunch.

Seems to me that someone who spends his time giving tickets should know how to fill one out correctly. Not to be super-blunt like that, but it's true.

A by-law officer has authority in town over us and our vehicles. He can appear in court cases and has legal accountability. That means we expect his knowledge of the date to be better than the random guy on the street looking for the time.

Some of the most important information on a traffic ticket is the date and authorizing signature. Without those on the paper, it may as well be used in the john as supplemental wipe material.

I hope someone will be accountable for this, because I am sure it's not the first time this has happened.

Yes, the traffic laws need to be respected and obeyed, they are in place for our safety, but at the same time, they should be enforced with some sort of protocol, instead of this "mulligan"-esque behaviour.

We all make mistakes and we are all human. I can forgive and excuse someone for their mistakes so long as they learn from them.

I think the ticket should have been ripped up and the officer should have shrugged it off instead of offering to re-issue the ticket.

Keeping us safe

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, March 30, 2007

On the list of things that residents of the Deh Cho are concerned about a terrorist threat to the Enbridge pipeline probably doesn't rank very high.

Thanks to the recent trend in warmer weather more people are probably worried about being knocked in the head by melting snow sliding off of roofs or slipping on a patch of ice or polished snow.

For communities like Fort Simpson that are located along rivers there is the worry that the upcoming breakup might prove to be the big one that will flood buildings.

Across the Deh Cho people probably worry about vehicle accidents, bank statements and what to have for supper on a daily basis, but not terrorist threats.

Terrorist threats on the whole are, of course, things that need to be taken seriously. The Deh Cho, however, seems to be a world away from any likely terrorist activity.

The Deh Cho certainly isn't in the Middle East where most current terrorist threats are emerging, according to officials who are quoted almost nightly on news broadcasts.

Residents living here thankfully don't have to worry about whether they will encounter a suicide bomber on their next trip to the grocery store or if the car driving past them is carrying a bomb that might explode at any minute. It's also unlikely that anyone will hijack a plane and purposefully crash it into any of our local buildings to make a point.

These are all things to be grateful for.

There is, however, a practical need for the upcoming Operation Narwhal that will take place in both Fort Simpson and Norman Wells.

Although the likelihood of anything like the exercise's scenario of a terrorist threat to the pipeline actually happening may be low, it's comforting in a way to know that someone is considering the option and taking steps to ensure that it could be handled properly.

Few things are worse than having a disaster happen and realizing that no one has the training to address it. With officials from the Canadian Forces and Joint Task Force North running exercises concerning terrorist threats to the pipeline at least they will be more prepared if something did happen.

Really, the pipeline might be one of the most tempting terrorist targets in the Northwest Territories if a terrorist group was really looking to work in the area. Disabling a diamond mine would probably have far less of an effect than shutting down the flow of oil in the Enbridge pipeline or worse yet, creating an environmental disaster with it.

In the midst of all this serious consideration of terrorism, it's nice to know there is still one bit of levity surrounding the whole situation.

It's a bit amusing to think that the military personnel who are coming from Ontario to work in Fort Simpson during Operation Narwhal are concerned about our local bear population. Soldiers are always portrayed in popular culture as being macho and self-secure.

Bears aren't something you would think would faze them.

In the case of a real terrorist threat bears would likely be the least of the soldiers' worries but at the moment it's worth a chuckle.

They do, however, have a point because spring is a higher-risk time for bears. Some might not have had enough to eat before going into hibernation and will be waking up hungry.

While now keeping one wary eye open for suspicious terrorist activity, residents of the Deh Cho would be well-advised to keep the other open for hungry bears.