Editorial

If Carmen Tees is invited to move into a new apartment complex built specially for people with disabilities, she should be allowed to bring her cat Sadie along.

The apartment owner, Yellowknife Housing Corporation, has a no-pet policy, but it has waived the rule in the past for Tees and others.

By most accounts, Tees is a responsible pet owner who keeps a clean house despite the challenges of living with multiple sclerosis and other ailments that limit her mobility.

Her present apartment has been adapted to meet most of her needs, from accessible bathroom to lower cupboards and a ramp. Even so, she's unable to get her scooter in and out and moving into the newly built units would improve her quality of life.

That shouldn't come at the cost of her cat. Tees loves Sadie and says the cat has been a great companion through the painful debilitation of MS. While there are some folks who shouldn't be allowed pets in public housing because they don't take care of their animals, Tees doesn't seem to be one of them.

The no-pet policy must be applied with an even hand and plenty of common sense and understanding.

Welcome to the Wildcat

Not every restaurant in Canada has a replica of itself enshrined at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Only the Wildcat Cafe can claim that distinction.

There's a reason for that. The museum explains the Cafe's significance as being due to the need of Northern pioneers for "places where they could meet to exchange information and stories."

But the Wildcat looms large in our mythology, if only because it is one of Yellowknife's few surviving remnants of its bush pilot/prospector camp beginnings.

It was nearly demolished in the 1970s. It survived for two reasons: because the volunteers of the Old Stope Association cared enough to save it, and because it found a new life serving up food to a new generation of Northerners.

Chef Pierre LePage of Le Frolic and L'Heritage says he's excited to have the chance to add another season's worth of stories to the Wildcat's lengthy and colourful history.

We're sure it will be another summer of strangers from all over Canada and the world sharing a bench and some good food, telling each other some true stories and a few tall tales.

That's been happening there since 1937.

Hatred cannot defeat hate

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

I was anything but surprised by the reaction of many people when news of a published article condemning aboriginals in Canada made the rounds earlier this month.

Unfortunately, that also applies to some of the posted responses.

The op-ed piece was penned by former Canadian editor Bob Verdun and published in the Barbados newspaper, the Nation, where he now resides.

For those of you who still haven't read the article, Google its title -- The Human Race: Reparation repercussions -- and you'll be whisked along your way.

First, a little background on the author.

Verdun was, at one time, one of Canada's truly hard-core independent publishers.

He garnered his reputation on writing scathing, if not always totally fair, editorials and his newspaper was a take-no-prisoners publication that put bad news and controversy above all else.

But, the Independent was also a voice for the people of Elmira, Ont., which kept a close eye on politicians and other community leaders.

Verdun wrote with a poison pen most of the time and took most of the credit for his weekly causing the demise of his immediate competition, the 91-year-old Signet.

Verdun is less than flattering to aboriginals in his repercussions article, which comes across as a poor attempt to make himself relevant again.

Sadly, there are more than a few who agree with his comments and those of some who responded.

Those who know me personally realize I'm about as split down the middle on the whole aboriginal-white man issue as a person can get.

I am often captivated while reading or listening to well-prepared, thorough and articulate stances on both sides.

And I abhor racism, no matter whose lips or pen it escapes from.

So, we have an outlandish article that, at its best, is offensive and filled with unsubstantiated claims.

At its worst, especially when read by sympathetic eyes, it can be classed as racist, and a compelling argument could be made as to it being hate mongering at its ugliest.

That being said, two wrongs do not make a right and some of the responses from the aboriginal community have been no less offensive.

One such response included a hateful term I've heard for the second time this year when it stated, "Canada has committed genocide against natives."

As a Canadian of any colour, I am deeply offended by such remarks that do nothing but keep the wheels of racism turning for those who feed off such garbage.

Only a fool would ignore the fact there have been terrible mistakes made concerning aboriginals in Canada, but genocide is not a term to be used lightly.

As unforgivable as it was, would you compare a residential school to Auschwitz? How about Canadian history as compared to Rwanda?

There is nothing gained by using racism against itself, except to keep the fires of hate burning behind the walls of separation.

It is a sad day for us all when a column as demeaning as Verdun's can still be published.

It is a sadder day still when it is met with the same type of remarks, just hurled in the opposite direction by those who hate a different colour.

Will we ever learn?

Skipping school is stupid

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, May 18, 2007

I am getting sick and tired of kids who skip school.

Each day, dozens of youth are on the streets during the day with nothing to do but linger like so many cigarette butts discarded on the sidewalk.

Parents need to instill some accountability and self-respect in those kids who choose to skip class. I understand that some parents might not know their kid is out on the streets in the middle of the day, but I am concerned about those parents who are aware of their children's activity and choose not to act on it.

Be strong with the youth and they will be strong in the end. I want to know what happened to the old adage 'tough love'.

I still remember the days of the willow switch and the metre stick. Luckily I was a little young to be struck in school, but I remember the principle of the action.

Society has changed to the point of what seems like no return.

Somewhere between the past generations, parents have given all control to their kids.

Any sort of child abuse is unacceptable, but there must be some way to get through to the youth.

If you don't properly discipline your kid and teach them about responsibility, they become a burden to other people in the community.

Every week we here at the Inuvik Drum deal with kids who are skipping school. I've heard it all, from "School is out," to "My mom said I could skip if I think it's boring."

I saw one mother bust her daughter for skipping school last week to sell newspapers. Talk about a priceless moment. I think the girl tried to hide behind a car.

Children are our future and we should prepare them for what challenges lie ahead.

While sleeping in and skipping school may seem comfortable to those students who miss class habitually, it will not help them in the years to come. Unless you want to leave school forever and live off mom and dad for the rest of your life, you need to learn some responsibility.

Take it from someone who recently had to adjust to the "real world" of employment and deadlines. The earlier you learn these important life lessons, the better off you will be and the happier your bosses will be in turn.

As a community we need to stay together, like a pack of wolves. Since we are not nomadic and we have settled in an area, we can't just leave our weak behind. They stay with us and poison the rest of the pack with temptations.

Those who wish to stay at home during the day will soon be faced with a sobering fact: the school won't let you skip. That's right, Samuel Hearne has had enough.

Miss enough school and you'll get warnings. Your parents will get letters and hopefully those will not fall on deaf ears. Sooner than later, you'll be kicked out for the rest of the semester.

Wow, what a bad situation. Being kicked out of school for missing too many classes. I know many people have had to come back and repeat courses because they didn't want to miss out on an education.

Missing school is not excusable. If you don't agree with the schedule and curriculum, then move to another jurisdiction. The times are set for your benefit. Your teachers have to get up even earlier. They seem to do fine.

Maybe if you're sitting in the classroom you'll be less likely to end up picking up butts from under Northmart.

A guiding hand

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, May 18, 2007

There's nothing like the death of a teenager to cover a community in a dark pall.

Although every death is mourned, the death of a young person is especially hard on a community because there's a sense that a future has been lost. The matter is only made worse if more than one young person has their life cut short.

After such a death things are never quite the same. At graduations and special gatherings their absence always leaves an empty space.

No one wants to see a young person die, so it only makes sense to take pre-emptive steps to help ensure it doesn't happen.

The death of a local teenager is something that Robert Byatt, the principal of Thomas Simpson school, worries will happen as a result of unchecked drinking by minors and young adults.

The issue of underage drinking was raised in Fort Simpson in relation to a recent increase in crimes by youth in the village. Members of the RCMP and Byatt both point to alcohol and underage drinking as contributing factors to this problem.

This isn't the first time that the issue of underage drinking has been raised in the village.

In October, Byatt sounded the alarm about the number of underage people, including some as young as 12 and 13, who were drinking over the summer. At the time RCMP Sgt. Cliff McKay said underage drinking has been a consistent problem in the village.

The continued excessive drinking is behind the recent increase in crime, said McKay.

While it's easy to become alarmed by the joint spectres of underage drinking, crime by youth and possible serious accidents resulting in death, some perspective is needed.

The teens in Fort Simpson haven't reinvented the wheel when it comes to underage drinking and the things it can lead to. Drinking by minors can probably be found across the communities in the Deh Cho, the North and undoubtedly the rest of Canada and beyond.

Drinking is almost seen as a rite of passage in modern Western culture and there are few who don't try it out before they are legally able to do so.

It's also important to point out that not every teenager is an underage drinker.

Some may never do it, some may do it once or every once in a while. Also, not all youth that drink will end up committing crimes or putting lives in danger.

But in a community that can now see one of the effects of underage drinking, the question that needs to be asked is what can be done to prevent a tragedy.

Every time this issue is raised it always seems to come back to the same two answers - cutting off the flow of alcohol, and parental guidance.

While cutting off the flow of alcohol sounds like the best plan, teens will always be able to find alcohol if they really want it.

So it falls on parents and the broader community to set guidelines for what constitutes acceptable drinking practices until wisdom and experience temper young age.

Everyone was a teenager once and can remember what it was like to experiment with alcohol, make mistakes and learn from them.

A supportive environment and guidelines can help ensure that youth can make their mistakes and still have the chance to learn from them.