Home Page

Text size

E-mail this story

Order a classified ad

The community of Fort McPherson is suffering from a bruised reputation after a mob attacked and severely beat the hamlet's bylaw officer.

Steven Black is recovering from a spinal injury and suffered severe pain after close to 20 people reportedly jumped him when he went to check out a party at the boat launch.

The resulting attack required police intervention, the use of pepper spray and landed two community residents under arrest. They're facing charges for assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest.

By his own admission Black got out of his vehicle and was goaded into a fight with one of the men who was later arrested.

The bylaw officer said he was unable to put up with the racial slurs and insults directed at his family - his father is a sergeant with the Fort McPherson RCMP and his mother was the chief administrative officer for the hamlet.

Black handled the situation poorly, he should not have exited his truck when there was an obvious threat to his safety. Although he was not able to call for backup on his radio, he could have driven away and returned to the scene with police assistance.

However, that does not excuse nor condone the actions of the mob. There is no excuse for violence, especially violence of that magnitude.

As a result, Black's family no longer feels safe in McPherson. Their children have been pulled out of school and Black's mother has resigned her position at the hamlet. She intends to leave town with her young ones.

Following the attack and media accounts of the incident, News/North received numerous calls and other media outlets with public forums have been inundated with responses. It is shameful to hear and read comments from so many people who are condoning the attack, blaming the family for what happened.

Even worse was the fact MLA David Krutko stood up in the legislative assembly and insinuated police brutality when the RCMP were forced to break up the attack that quite possibly could have left Black permanently injured or worse. Krutko's comments were irresponsible and could only lead to further division within the community.

A number of factors led to the attack and fault lies on both sides.

The Hamlet of Fort McPherson must learn from the incident and realize better training is needed for the bylaw officer position. It is a level of law enforcement and as such bylaw officers may find themselves in dangerous situations. Black obviously didn't have the training to safely handle such a situation -- and supplying the bylaw officer with a radio to call for backup should be required.

Regardless, there was also no justifiable reason for those few citizens of Fort McPherson to act like a pack of wild dogs.

If they do have a legitimate complaint against Black there are civil and legal ways to address those concerns.

Violence is never the solution.

It's heartening that at least a few people in the federal government are now aware of the challenges facing the Nunavut fishing industry.

Early in June, the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans visited Iqaluit, Pangnirtung, Arctic Bay, Nanisivik, Resolute and Pond Inlet.

The senators were struck by the fact that Nunavut, with its thousands of kilometres of shoreline, does not have a single wharf.

"We all come from fishing communities, all of us, and in every one of those communities we have fishing wharves and infrastructure," observed committee chair William Rompkey.

That's because all those senators come from East Coast provinces, where the government focuses its fishery attention.

Nunavut has made great strides in developing its fishing industry through training, acquiring boats and Inuit crews, but the territory needs the federal government to provide infrastructure and allot quotas from Nunavut waters to Nunavummiut.

We hope the senators who visited Nunavut take what they've learned and shout about it in Ottawa.

The reaction of residential school survivors to the prime minister's apology on June 11 ranged from relief to grief to anger, and complex mixes of all three.

The apology touched on the abuse suffered by children at residential schools, the attempt to wipe out aboriginal culture, and the legacy of abuse and lack of parenting skills.

For some, just the fact the government apologized indicated a shift away from the attitude that aboriginal people and their culture were second-class -- an attitude that spawned the residential school system.

"I felt like I was somebody finally," former Commissioner of Nunavut Peter Irniq told Nunavut News/North last week.

A few words spoken by the prime minister don't change history but they do demonstrate how far the government has come in the last few decades. Yet there is more to be done.

The Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission still lacks an Inuk voice despite repeated requests from Inuit leaders.

That indicates the government is still largely blind to the difference between First Nations and Inuit.

If the apology is to usher in a new era of respect and understanding, the government should start by accommodating the requests of Inuit leaders to make the commission accessible and accountable to Nunavummiut residential school survivors.

The leash for young teenagers in Fort Simpson is getting shortened this summer.

The RCMP detachment in the village plans to actively enforce a bylaw that imposes a curfew for youth under the age of 16. During the summer months anyone under 16 who's outside in a public place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. without a parent or guardian will risk being stopped by a member of the RCMP.

Reactions to this enforcement will likely split along generational lines.

For those to whom the curfew applies, it will seem like an unfair sentence. During the summer when it's still light outside after 11 p.m. and the weather's nice, it takes a lot of will power for anyone who's awake to stay indoors, especially if they're young.

With the sun still shining there's little incentive to stay inside unless you're particularly hooked on video games. A curfew imposed by an outside power will seem like an unfair restriction on summer vacation which is suppose to be a time for indulgences.

While the RCMP aren't vindictive killjoys there will be repercussions for youth found wandering outside. The first offence comes with a free ride home and a written warning that a parent or guardian has to sign outlining the bylaw and further consequences.

With the next offence the bylaw gets more serious by reaching into pocketbooks. With fines ranging from $100 to $300 for the second through to the fourth offence the fines could soon add up.

Adults will probably have a mixed reaction to the enforced bylaw.

Some parents whose youth are found outside after hours won't be fans of the bylaw. The bylaw makes parents and guardians, not the offending youth, responsible for the fines.

Other parents might welcome the bylaw as a way to help keep closer tabs on their teens. If a request for a teenager to stay home after a certain time doesn't work the knowledge that there could be a fine involved will add a little incentive.

The RCMP are certainty hoping that the latter will be the case.

According to members of the detachment the bylaw isn't being enforced as a way to levy fines and increase the village's coffers. It's been offered as a tool for parents to use so they can be more accountable for their young teenagers and keep track of where they are and what they're doing.

It's also hoped the bylaw will curtail some of the activities that can go along with unaccompanied minors including vandalism and underage drinking. Both activities have proven to be issues of the past few summers. So far this spring the high school has already had windows broken over four separate weekends.

As in many things the majority of teenagers in the village are going to have to pay for the mistakes of the few. If, however, the bylaw prevents any youth from being in a position where they could make the wrong decision it will have been worth the enforcement.

While some youth will rightfully feel indignant about having to live with a curfew it's those who will chafe the most that really need the guidance.

During his eight years as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Fred Carmichael showed he's always ready for a fight.

During his speech at the Inuvik Petroleum Show, when he received an award from former Alberta premier Ralph Klein, Carmichael had the audience hanging on every word. He said the aboriginal people of the North need to establish themselves as major players in the development of our home.

Carmichael shared his passion for the North with everyone he encountered during his time as leader of the Gwich'in.

A lot of the work happens behind the scenes, with early morning meetings, conference calls and long-distance calls amounting to a lot of overtime hours.

Work like his is not done on a nine-to-five basis; a job like his doesn't get left at the office.

At the start of a new millennium, Carmichael took his seat as president, taking the reins as advocate for the people of the Gwich'in settlement area.

He helped give our region an identity.

Now, after a late night of ballot counting and calculating, a new president has emerged from a four-way race.

Richard Nerysoo, Inuvik Native Band chief, was chosen as the new leader for the Gwich'in people.

Former vice-president Mary Ann Ross was re-elected.

Now, the two of them have a challenge: to proceed with the pipeline project and get the best deal for the people and the region.

Nerysoo is not a stranger to leadership.

He was elected to the legislative assembly in 1989 as MLA for the Mackenzie Delta.

He was the youngest MLA elected in the NWT.

Nerysoo has also served as NWT premier and as Speaker of the legislative assembly.

After many meetings and conversations with Nerysoo about various topics over the past few years, it's easy to see why he was elected.

He has a strong voice and a genuine interest in the growth of our region.

With the recent opening of the treatment centre on the delta, the Gwich'in are in a prime position to offer help to those who need it.

By helping our people through their problems, we are building a stronger community.

Our region will soon be strong enough for any social issues that might arise.

There are many voices in our town that are not heard.

We will always need those who are willing to stand tall and speak for those who can't.

This is the time to start building for the future.

It's sad there aren't enough young people active in local politics and leadership. Maybe we'll see something on the horizon soon enough, if we stare hard.

If more evidence were needed as to how out of touch the CBC has become with its viewing audience, the recent decision not to renew its agreement to play the ditty that has been the Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) theme song for the past 40 years should just about fit the bill.

The HNIC song was composed by Dolores Claman in 1968.

In its last deal with Claman and Copyright Music and Visuals, the CBC paid a scant $500 per game for using the song.

So, that's the price of Canadiana these days - $500.

I don't buy for one second CBC's claims that its decision had nothing to do with the unsettled lawsuit Claman filed in 2004, which alleges the network was overusing the HNIC theme song.

But, whatever the CBC's reasons, the network - as it did with the Ron McLean fiasco - grossly underestimated the fallout over the decision from Canadians all across this great land of ours.

CTV has secured the rights to the song and will use it for NHL games broadcast on TSN and its French RDS network this coming season.

It will also be used for 2010 Olympic Winter Games coverage from Vancouver.

But that's small consolation for the majority of Canadians who view the song as the unofficial partner to the Canadian national anthem.

The CBC seems determined to bite the hand that feeds it with its continued disrespect for the biggest and most loyal group of watchers it has; those who tune in to HNIC every Saturday night.

The network has seemed obsessed the past few years with doing away with the personalities who helped make HNIC such a huge success - Don Cherry, Ron McLean and play-by-play man Bob Cole.

In fact, it's more than a little ironic Canada's supposed national network doesn't understand the average Canadian's fierce devotion to tradition, let alone the manner in which hockey fans pass on their love of the game to the next generation.

The HNIC theme song is the most recognizable tune in Canadian history, with the vast majority of Canadians able to identify it in about two seconds.

Talk about connection to a product.

The jury is still out on Scott Moore, who took over the top sports job with the CBC when Nancy Lee left for her gig with the Olympics.

But over-skating the puck on the HNIC theme song far outweighs the good he accomplished by getting the Blue Jays and figure skating in the network's stable.

Moore recently claimed CBC Sports turns a profit on its own, but that's primarily driven by HNIC and its six-year deal with the NHL.

The competition is getting stiffer each year and alienating its fan base by dropping the HNIC theme song runs the real risk of viewers turning to other broadcasts.

Hockey fans are no different than anyone else when it comes to loyalty in that it has to be a two-way street.

Claman's then three-year-old melody was the furthest thing from Don McLean's mind when he penned American Pie in 1971.

But for millions of Canadians 37 years later, the CBC's decision to discontinue the HNIC theme song truly was the day the music died.

The wrong photo ran with the caption "Eight in '08" in the June 16 issue. The photo was of the graduation ceremony at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

The wrong photo also ran with the sports story "To catch a lake trout" in the June 9 issue. The trout pictured with Eunice Panigayuk won third prize in the derby.

Nunavut News/North regrets the errors.