Features

Call me old-fashioned but I have no desire to own a cell phone.

Some people may find this shocking but I have resisted the idea of having a cell phone, a Blackberry or any of those other palm-sized communications devices that are supposed to make your life easier.

Living in Fort Simpson I was certain I was off the hook as far as cell phones go. Because the village didn't have cell phone service there was no need to own one. This, however, is all changing.

Popping out of my office in Fort Simpson to make a grocery store run on Dec. 5 I was surprised to see a tall tower being erected on the skyline. In a flash I was back to my office for my camera and off to discover what was happening. Little did I know that the tower signalled the end of my cell phone-free existence.

Fort Simpson is now home to a 46-metre high cellular communications tower. Erected for Northwestel Wireless Inc. the tower will deliver their Latitude Wireless service.

If all goes well, by the end of the week customers will be able to get a signal on their cell phones in the village. They will also be able to access a mobile internet service.

I'm all for progress and for giving people in the North access to everything that our southern counterparts have, but this is one southern technology that I'm not overjoyed about.

Imagine driving down the streets of Fort Simpson and seeing every second person behind the wheel of their vehicle holding a cell phone to their ear with their hand or shoulder.

While walking around the village the ringing of cell phones will be everywhere with no escape from some of the more annoying ring tones.

About to hold a meeting? You'd better tell everyone to turn off their cell phones now.

Even coffee at the Nahanni Inn won't be the same when the regulars start breaking off conversations mid-sentence when they have to check to see who's phoning.

To top it all off, parents will also never hear the end of cleverly-crafted requests from their children telling them about how their life will be over if they don't have a cell phone.

This isn't to say, however, that the world is about to end.

There will be some benefits such as increased communication between people and a greater ease of tracking where your family members, especially teenagers, are.

Those who already own a cell phone will also be able to use it as more than a flimsy paperweight while in the village.

Residents of Fort Simpson could realize that you don't know what you have until it's gone or it could be the dawning of a brave new world.

Either way, welcome to the age of cell phones Fort Simpson.

In a fast changing world with new technologies being introduced all the time, it's good to see that the Inuvialuit are keeping up with the times.

Last week, a group of dedicated language teachers, specialists and elders gathered in town to add some new words and terms to the Inuvialuit language.

Everyday items such as the computer keyboard I'm typing this on, the desk I'm leaning on and even the fax machine I ignore are relatively new to the people of this region.

Now, in an effort to bridge the gap that separates traditional life from the modern world, these items are now identified in Inuvialuktun.

It seems that throughout the years, language teachers in the region have had to use some English to explain things to their classes.

It could be confusing, because a few of the people I talked to said they don't know how to respond when a student asks why a word doesn't exist.

According to a linguist from Nunavut, the last gathering like this one was nearly 20 years ago, in Tuktoyaktuk.

One day soon, students of the language will be fully immersed in their culture.

I applaud those people who joined forces to work a few new phrases and words into the Inuvialuit culture. It goes to show that there are people who want to keep traditions alive.

I can only imagine how challenging it will be to integrate the new terms into the daily conversations of those who can speak it, but I've been assured that most Inuvialuktun-speaking people will be able to identify the terms.

These words will fit in nicely with the new curriculum that has been in place for over a year.

It was a wise decision by the language committees to focus on teaching young students useful phrases that will help them carry on conversations with others who know the slang.

Luckily, we have many people in town and in the Beaufort Delta who are still fighting the good fight for tradition.

With teachers such as Rosie Albert out encouraging others to speak the native tongue, we could see even more language teachers in the future.

Without the help of the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre, I don't know how this language update could have become a reality. A lot of hard working people really came through and hosted a week-long workshop that left everyone involved feeling proud.

The hosts of the event said that the new words won't be listed in the dictionary because it would mean re-publishing it, which would be a large feat in itself.

I guess those new words are going to have to spread like every other bit of information in this town, by word of mouth.

When two fire fighters died in a fire in March 2005, Yellowknife's mayor and city council sat silent.

Everything was left to city administration to handle, from the memorials to the denials of responsibility. Then the Workers Compensation Board stepped in to look at what had gone wrong and fix it.

Training was found lacking and the city was ordered to hire more personnel and spend $300,000 over 10 years to ensure the city met safety and training standards.

That's clear evidence the fire department has been mismanaged for years, all in the name of managing city administration's larger budget.

That is why it is so important city council heeds the opinion of outgoing fire chief Reid Douglas. Douglas told Yellowknifer staffing levels are best determined by city council.

So when city officials present the case against more firefighters, council must remember the budget motive behind the argument and a dismal track record.

Firefighters who face the flames presented figures that contradict those of the administration. Council should demand to know which figures stand up.

As chief apologist for administration, Mayor Gord Van Tighem should be left out of the debate.

His slippery contention that administration figures on response times were not supposed to be taken as fact but rather as goals, reveals a reckless disregard for the safety of firefighters and their department's capabilities.

Council must not allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated. When it comes to fire fighting, mismanagement costs lives.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins' proposal for a territorial arts and cultural achievement award is worth considering.

Three years after the territorial government launched its NWT Arts Strategy, the territories' music and art scene remains a scattering of unknown, poorly paid artists and musicians despite some promising talent that deserves recognition.

The territorial government is one of the better arts funders in the country, second behind the Yukon, but still artists and performers continue to look south for any official recognition, which in their business, is an important path to success. Has the territorial government recognized the success of award winning artists? Bill Nasogaluak, a highly regarded sculptor and artist, fled Yellowknife for Toronto after years of neglect here.

Throwing money at the arts doesn't help if there isn't a corresponding buzz.

Other cities and provinces down south regularly throw annual gala dinner and award shows to help boost the profile of their arts communities. An official award from the territorial government looks good on a resume and will help attract corporate sponsors.

Without regional support and recognition its very difficult to make it nationally, as we've long known when it comes to our arts community.

Unfortunately, Hawkins' award idea was met with a "will get back to my department" by Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty.

Minister Lafferty, if you are not going to show artists any money, at least show them some love, in the shape of a NWT Arts Award.

The holiday season is almost upon us and that means it's time to send out a komatiq full of Christmas cheer to those most deserving of our attention, and we're feeling particularly generous this year.

To Repulse Bay Mayor Johnny Tagornak we send a sealskin umbrella and Jose Kusugak's 10 tips to better hockey announcing to help him during his weekend in the timekeepers bench for the next Arctic Circle Cup.

Both the umbrella and tip No. 4 - don't stand under the melting snow - should keep the mayor from becoming all wet once again.

To Education Minister Ed Picco, who has been known to refer to himself as the political Muffin Man because he keeps popping up (we're not going there), we send his very own Pillsbury Doughboy doll.

To remind himself of how Nunavut reacted to the last Education Act tabled in the legislative assembly, the minister simply has to gently poke his new doll in the belly.

We also send Picco a get-out-of-Paul's-jail-free card, just in case the Health minister portfolio becomes vacant again.

To Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak we send the Harry Potter collection so he may properly prepare for the next territorial election.

But, just to keep things balanced, we've also sent his private phone number to every anti-witchcraft zealot in Nunavut.

To Baker Lake Mayor David Aksawnee we send a ton of respect for his comments on barge orders to his community this past year.

We also send the mayor the biggest set of luggage we can find, because that's the only way he'll get his own cargo into Baker next year.

To Baker's Peter Tapatai we send the darkest pair of sunglasses we can find, as we wouldn't want all that glitter to harm his eyes.

To Iqaluit MLA Hunter Tootoo we send a new copy of How to Make Friends and Influence People because he obviously misplaced the last copy we sent him.

To a certain female country singer we send an urban myth: If you play a country record backwards, you can get back your house, car, dog, boyfriend and dignity.

To Finance Minister David Simailak we send our apologies, as the list of things needed was just too darn big.

To Community and Government Services assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley - who once returned a Rolodex we sent - we send a limited supply of grandma's honey nuggets for the cabin, treasured by bears the world over.

To community-development director Darren Flynn we send our best wishes and a tip to play nice in 2008, as someone has just enough of grandma's honey nuggets to blaze a trail to his cabin from their own.

May these gifts be received in the spirit for which they were intended.