Features

Yellowknifers are about to find out what Sandy Lee is made of.

Last week's front page headline shouted Lee's determination to keep the shelter for battered women, Alison McAteer House, open indefinitely.

The public is accustomed to such forceful statements from the Yellowknife MLA in the legislative assembly. As the new minister of Health and Social Services, such a statement carries far greater weight.

When such social crises erupted in the past, the ministers involved always trotted out the usual: "The government is monitoring the situation; we are looking at all our options; there are many competing priorities; all our programs need to be reviewed." Nothing gets done.

Lee's bold statement, however, shows she understands the implications of closing the sole sanctuary in the city for women fleeing violent spouses.

Would it not be a completely refreshing change for cabinet ministers to understand government policies, programs and dollars are there to serve the people? Too often the needs of the people are secondary to ineffective policies, programs and budgets.

In the case of the YWCA's McAteer House, the problem is directly connected with the territorial government. The two organizations are competing in the same shrinking labour pool for qualified people.

But government sets its own wages and, through contracts, largely controls how well groups such as the YWCA can pay their people.

Not surprisingly, government wages and benefits are far more generous. Not surprisingly, the YWCA loses workers to those higher paying government positions, crippling the operation. The result is the government's goal of funding safe havens for women and children is seriously undermined.

The challenge for Lee is to break the tradition of inaction and get the policies, programs and budgets working to achieve the government's goals.

Teenage years can be a minefield, and many Yellowknife youth face additional challenges of abuse, addiction or homelessness.

It's sad but true, but home is not always the safest place for teens.

The SideDoor Youth Centre provides them with an open door and teen-oriented diversions, as well as comfortable couches and people who listen.

The centre's move to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week schedule, with funding from the City of Yellowknife, the Department of Health and Social Services and the Homelessness Coalition, means teens now have a safe place to go at any time of the day or night.

It's not in the nature of troubled adolescents to express gratitude to the people and organizations who help them. So it falls upon the greater community to thank the SideDoor staff and volunteers for reaching out to at-risk youth and helping guide them through some of the most turbulent years of their lives.

It's a smart investment, as today's youth become tomorrow's adults.

There's nothing like a good dose of cold weather to get people in the North antsy.

If the stereotypes about Canadian winters are to be believed everyone hunkers down in their houses with a big pile of wood for their stove and are not seen again until the snow melts. But while some people don't enjoy winter a lot of people welcome it.

Maybe this is something that is unique to the North.

There seems to be a widespread feeling that if winter is going to arrive it might as well hurry up.

If the onset of winter means anything in the Deh Cho it's the dichotomy between freedom and isolation.

On one side are the communities where falling temperatures and water levels lead to ferry closures. In places like Fort Simpson and Wrigley you can drive around your community but unless you are springing for a helicopter ride or a plane ticket you can't go much farther.

On the other side, taking advantage of the winter, are locations like Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake, which finally get the opportunity to have road access to other communities. Sure you can still move in and out of these communities over the rest of the year but there's nothing quite like having a road.

So with winter closing its fingers around the Deh Cho and getting a good, strong grip, part of the population is hoping for cold weather so ice bridges will form while the other part is urging the mercury down so winter roads can be finished.

In how many other places in Canada can you hear people talking about how they hope it will get colder soon and stay that way?

Winter around here is expected to bring snow and cold temperatures in a timely manner.

The first to benefit from winter's snowflakes are the snowmobilers. As soon as there's just enough snow on the ground people are out zipping around. Not wanting to be left behind in the winter activities, this is the time of year that people set up a 24-hour watch on local skating rinks.

While ice for an ice bridge is one thing, ice for a skating rink is almost as important, if not more. With only so many months to pack their favourite winter sports into, hockey players, speed skaters and figure skaters are all eyeing the edge on their skates while curlers can't wait to feel the heft of a rock.

It's the smaller communities that often luck out in this race. With simpler outdoor ice rinks that don't require a whole building to cool to the right temperature, ice is on the ground faster.

Nahanni Butte is a poster child for ice creation this year. With snowmobilers already making their way across the river, a newly-constructed ice rink is drawing out most of the community. With pickup games happening almost every evening, the rink is the place to be right now in Nahanni Butte.

Winter just isn't right in the North without ice. So while the rest of Canada shivers through the onset of winter, Northerners are waiting for colder temperatures and ice with impatient arms.

If you've been to the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex lately, you've probably seen posters advertising an appearance by Rick Mercer.

Let me confirm it now. Yes, it's true.

The cheerful and sarcastic CBC comedian will perform two nights of standup in June as the main headliner at this year's eighth annual Petroleum Show.

So is Inuvik becoming more popular?

Has the petroleum show become big enough to attract "A-List" Canadian talent?

Not exactly.

Rick Mercer is coming to town because council is paying him $50,000.

(I guess once you bring Prime Minister Paul Martin to Canadian Tire on television, your get to charge whatever you like.)

Inuvik Mayor Derek Lindsay - himself a quick-witted comedian, as you all know - thinks it's a good investment.

He said Mercer will bring in more delegates, more attention and attract bigger sponsors.

And since the town's budget for the petroleum show is about $300,000, he it's not disproportionate to spend one sixth on a headliner.

"This will subsidize itself 100 per cent," he said on Nov. 19.

While I am a big fan of Mercer's comedy, I am surprised at the dollar amounts involved.

I mean, $50,000 for two nights? What's being planned for the 50th anniversary, Led Zeppelin?

While I look forward to Mercer's jokes, I think it's important to consider what else $50,000 could buy.

Could we have not paid for an extra recreation co-ordinator or a street cleaner to remove graffiti?

Maybe we could have spent the money on addictions counselling or assistance to local elders.

Whitehorse has some beautiful painted murals, how about one here?

If the petroleum show had to be scaled back a little bit and we hired the North of Normal theatre group instead of Rick Mercer - I think people would understand.

While Mercer will probably be hilarious in June, he'll be back in Toronto before the laughter dies down.

I just hope his appearance will have been worth the money.

- Inuvik Drum editor Dez Loreen is on vacation and will return in early December.

Premier Paul Okalik has become Nunavut's version of the little Dutch boy and he's run out of fingers trying to plug the numerous holes in the territory's political dike.

And more holes seem to appear every day.

Okalik has more than his share of political slugs at his disposal, but they leave a slimy trail on everything they touch and don't have the consistency needed to stem the rising tide of dirty water.

Much like a desperate general trying in vain to prop up his crumbling front lines, Okalik has taken to ordering his reserves to the front in hopes they may somehow figure out a way to close the flood gates left open by a string of bad decisions.

But the most Okalik's captains will be able to do for their general is buy him some time, and time is quickly running out on this government.

Okalik, in addition to being premier and the MLA for Iqaluit West, also holds five different ministerial portfolios.

He simply cannot spread himself any thinner and, behind closed doors, probably came to the realization long ago that he has taken on too much to be effective on all fronts.

So, the premier continues on with his high-stakes game of Risk, moving the director of Nunavut's devolution division, John Lamb, up to replace the former executive assistant to Finance Minister David Simailak, let go after the top blew off the simmering pot of financial goo referred to as the Nunavut Business Credit Corp.

Not a bad move, really, considering Simailak has certainly shown he's in definite need of an extraordinary assistant, and the feds aren't prepared to enter into serious devolution negotiations right now anyway.

Okalik also moved four deputy ministers onto the Credit Corp's board to see if they can work a little magic during the next year to clean up the mess left behind by their predecessors.

Then you have the humour of House Leader Ed Picco jumping to defend embattled Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, as at least two MLAs called for her resignation.

Picco shivers every time Okalik looks in his direction because he has no desire to reclaim his old portfolio of Health minister, so it's far safer for him if Aglukkaq keeps her position.

Equally humorous was Aglukkaq scolding members for hinting that a minister might show a bit of favouritism for their own riding.

Like that's never happened in the history of Canadian politics.

And, of course, while all this plays out, Community and Government Services Minister Levinia Brown keeps her head down and thinks to herself: Been there. Done that.

All that was missing from Iqaluit's political version of Barnum and Bailey this past sitting was an election on the horizon.

Were that the case, Rankin Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley would most certainly have stood in the legislative assembly, flashed his charming smile at Okalik and politely asked, "Ready for our rematch?"

Sadly, being so busy with all his fingers plugging holes in Nunavut's crumbling political dike, the premier wouldn't even have been able to give Curley his reply.

Errors appeared in an article in the Nov. 16 Yellowknifer ("Getting it right with judo"). Robin Ilgok and Keifer Ilgok names were misspelled. Also, incorrect information appeared in Wednesday's Yellowknifer ("Please watch your step," Nov. 21). Sixty-eight per cent of injury related hospitalizations for seniors are the results of falls. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by these errors.