Editorial

Raven Mad - what's left of it -- will be rolled into the other events Tesar organizes: the Summer Solstice Festival and National Aboriginal Day festivities.

Tesar should be commended for taking on Raven Mad in the first place and running it for as long as she has.

It's the event that everyone expects to see every summer but one that nobody seems willing to take on and make sure it happens.

Downtown streets are closed off and thousands of Yellowknifers ring in the summer under the midnight sun.

Once upon a time, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce used to organize it but the group has slowly distanced itself over the years, perhaps out of fear of offending merchants outside of the downtown core.

The Chamber went from organizing it themselves to contracting it out and has now reached a point where, in the last few years, they've simply relied upon Tesar to pull it together on her own dime and have left it at that.

Tesar, of course, is a business person, and while she hasn't said it outright, it's clear that Raven Mad isn't worth the bother to her.

An editorial in the May 11 edition of Yellowknifer made a comparison to the sorry state Caribou Carnival found itself in when it collapsed in 2003.

Like this year's Raven Mad Daze, it too was relegated to the City Hall parking lot where it seems community events go to die.

But to be reborn as well, of course.

The Caribou carnival sham of 2003 shamed and disgusted enough good people, mayor and council included, to double their efforts to ensure 2004's carnival didn't follow the same path. Caribou Carnival has been going strong ever since.

It is conceivable that if this year's merged Raven Mad turns out to be a complete farce, a similar outpouring of nostalgia and support will follow.

Two weeks ago, Yellowknifer argued it will be up to the community whether Raven Mad survives.

City Hall can't be trusted to do it alone. After the 2003 carnival debacle, the city hired a "community events co-ordinator" to study what we could be done to better ensure the success of the city's community events.

Unfortunately, as with many studies, not much came of it.

A report was submitted and is now collecting dust on a shelf somewhere at City Hall.

The only thing that will save Raven Mad now is a grassroots collective of good folks - appreciated and supported by the city, and corporate sponsors - much like Folk on the Rocks and Caribou Carnival.

If that doesn't happen, Raven Mad Daze is finished. That will be a sad day for Yellowknifers.

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?

Clean up your act

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, May 25, 2007

Melted snow in Inuvik means two things: massive puddles and visible garbage.

Both are an inconvenience for the people in town.

Fortunately for the annual rush of tourists, they only see the tail end of both problems.

By the time Arthur and Agnes Southerner make their way up the mighty Dempster in their RV, we've already cleared most of the garbage from our streets, thanks to town council for giving us the prized initiative to pick up after ourselves.

The annual clean-up rewards those brave souls who don the gloves and pick up year-old trash from the sides of the street and our playgrounds.

Here's a crazy suggestion. How about not throwing your garbage outside?

Like, maybe you should just use a trash bin.

Litter bugs have wreaked havoc in this town once again, with potato chip bags and crushed pop cans peppering our streets and culverts.

I don't know who to blame in this situation. I guess I could start with myself.

I caught myself casually dropping a Quickstop cup on the ground a few weeks ago.

I felt bad and regretted it, but I didn't feel bad enough to pick it up. Yes, I'm an awful person.

The worst part of this whole dirty situation is that people litter every day.

It makes the town look really bad and I don't think the all-day sunlight helps the situation.

Maybe you could hide from the problem in mid-February, but not now.

I totally support the idea of a town cleanup, but I wish it didn't have to be so extreme.

I'm sure that every year the town staff collects tons of trash from our streets.

People won't bother to pick up after themselves, but they are sure willing to pick up trash for some cold hard cash.

Isn't littering a fine-able offence? Can someone get charged for dropping garbage on the road?

I think they should be for sure. I know that I would stop littering if it meant paying money.

How about a posted list of people who litter? Can I post photos in the Drum office window of everyone who has the brass to litter?

Instead of just cleaning house before company comes, we should strive to live in a cleaner environment.

Let's stop with the annual last minute rush and start cleaning in the fall season, too.

Maybe some people will stop their dirty habits, but old habits die hard.

Stop smashing bottles everywhere.

Oh those green bottles, how many times do I have to change the pace of my steps just to avoid you on my daily walk to work?

My beef with broken glass is not just because it's inconvenient. Some innocent little kid might get hurt if they trip or fall off their bike.

Hopefully those people so inclined to litter will take this as a wake up call and not just as criticism for their littering life choice.

There is a sobering fact through all this; tourists pay their money to spend time in our town.

That's right. Hard working people pay large amounts of tender to spend a week here under the midnight sun.

Sweep a sidewalk or pick up some trash, so they don't go home and tell all their friends what slobs we are.

Persistence pays off

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, May 25, 2007

Sometimes persistence helps.

Residents in Wrigley have spent years asking for a permanent RCMP presence in their community.

The community is serviced by the Fort Simpson detachment, but a variety of residents pointed out that this is not the same as having their own, permanent RCMP presence. People noted that the RCMP could help deter crimes and make residents feel safer.

Now, after years of requests, the community of Wrigley is about to get what they have been asking for.

The territorial government has approved the funding for two RCMP positions in Wrigley, Gameti and Sachs Harbour, three of the 13 communities in the territory without a permanent RCMP detachment.

Two RCMP officers are expected to be located and living in Wrigley by the fall. This will certainly be a change for a community that has spent so long time with the RCMP being an over three-hour drive or an hour flight away.

Now that the territorial government has taken this step, the next steps cannot happen quickly enough.

Community members will need to continue to push to ensure that the detachment is made permanent. The officers cannot be officially posted to Wrigley until there is permanent housing and a new detachment building available.

Until then two officers will live in Wrigley but they will be stationed there on a rotational basis. While having two officers is an important step, having the same officers posted for continuous periods of time is also essential.

That will allow those RCMP members to become familiar with the community so a positive relationship can be formed.

Now that the residents of Wrigley have seen their request for RCMP come this far they just have to make sure it goes that little extra distance.

The gift of music

There is little that a group of people or even one person with a dream can't accomplish.

The Kole Crook Fiddle Association is a perfect example of this concept. The association started as an idea between two people to make something positive out of a tragic situation. Although it's hard to make something like the death of a promising, young fiddler like Kole Crook seem positive a group of his friends have done just that.

In the five years since the official beginning of the association it has grown from a few students being taught to fiddle in Wrigley to an organization that spans seven communities.The success of the association has shown what a few volunteers with determination and a joint cause can do.

The association has created a whole generation of young fiddlers.

Young people are learning how to play an instrument, a skill that they will be able to keep for the rest of their lives. They will also gain a number of important side benefits including increased self-confidence, pride in their achievement and the knowledge that they can learn a new skill.

The Kole Crook Fiddle Association is a testament to the fact, that in the North, if there is a will, there's a way.