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Lost in the shuffle Yellowknifer - Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It is clear more resources are needed in the NWT for potentially mentally ill individuals who end up before the courts. This is far from the first time a person charged with a crime has been left in a cell awaiting proper mental health care, although the Dettah man's case was complicated by his court order getting lost in the system. Currently anyone in need of a mental health assessment, to determine if they are fit to stand trial or can be criminally held responsible for their actions, must wait in the North Slave Correctional Facility until a bed becomes available in an Alberta hospital, which sometimes takes months. Therefore individuals suffering from serious illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are being penalized even before they are tried. As Lydia Bardak, a social justice advocate with the John Howard Society, points out, jail is not an appropriate place for those suffering mental illness. What is needed is counselling and appropriate care from trained health-care providers. With all the financing the Harper government has invested in crime prevention it would be logical to think some of that federal money could go toward aiding for those in need of psychiatric or mental health treatments. Help now could mean getting to people before they risk committing crimes or getting caught up in the court system. A group home or treatment facility is exactly what the NWT needs.
The rich get richer Wednesday, August 12, 2009 A small group of people will soon analyze whether our next crop of MLAs and ministers should get a raise. The independent commission will likely, at the very least, adjust the $94,331 base salaries to match or, more likely, surpass inflation. Ministers make another $50,000 on top of that. The premier pockets an additional $75,000, before taxes. There are also housing allowances, travel allowances and even entertainment budgets. It all seems so rich, especially when one considers Arlene Hache's words. Hache, executive director with the Centre for Northern Families, pointed out that families on income support receive a mere $5 a day per child to feed their youngsters. That's certainly not enough to purchase nutritious food. Where is the independent commission reviewing that outrageously low sum? It's time our well-paid MLAs demand a thorough review of what income support provides to those in need. Better yet, let's see some of our territorial politicians voluntarily live on income support for at least a week. That would surely bring an eye-opening dose of reality.
Golden boy needs true grit Editorial Comment Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Well, here we are, almost at the midway point of August, and we haven't had a national election this year. We're on a roll. Of course, odds are good we'll be going back to the polls this October, but the worm has definitely turned as to who may lead the way. I've written in this space a number of times that, like him or lump him, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a tough, good old Western boy who doesn't back down from a fight. And, as new Liberal golden boy party leader Michael Ignatieff is learning the hard way, if you decide to take Harper on, you had better be prepared to go all the way and be able to back up your words with action. Pointing out the fact Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt should have lost her sexy government paycheque after her assistant's digital recorder fiasco, and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has had more shields around her during the swine flu breakout than a Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader encounter just doesn't cut it. Don't get me wrong. Both of those Liberal claims are true. But, in the blood sport of federal politics, they amount to nothing more than slight dents in Harper's forged-in-battle armour. Ignatieff made the mistake of putting the prime minister on "budgetary-update probation," while demanding more accountability from the government and the answers to four of the biggest questions facing the nation today - EI reform, stimulus money, the deficit, and the isotope crisis created by the failure of the Chalk River reactor. Of course, he was quick to add, he didn't, necessarily, need those answers right away. Yeesh! Harper declined to answer Ignatieff in any detail on the last three queries, but did agree to meet concerning Employment Insurance. Ignatieff has been saying for months the Liberals don't want another election, they want more co-operation in order to make Parliament work. Well, welcome to Stephen Harper's version of co-operation, Mr. Ignatieff. Would you like the role of Tin Man or Cowardly Lion in the next production of The Wizard of Oz? Ignatieff had better do some reading up on Harper during his summer vacation. He would also be well-advised to find some sandpaper to add to that glossy golden-boy image he brought back to Canada, if the Liberals are to have any chance of swaying public opinion against the Tories this fall. The Tories master plan for their platform in the next federal election calls for the elimination of public funding to political parties, which would have a devastating effect on Harper's competition. It's a tough, bold move, and one with far-reaching ramifications if successful. It remains to be seen if Ignatieff can circle the Liberal wagons and find the type of true grit he needs to instil confidence in his leadership and overthrow the experienced political gunfighter who leads the Tories. If not: well, pilgrim, it's just about time for a return to majority rule in this country anyway.
Ignorance is the real threat NWT News/North - Monday, August 10, 2009 Political science professor Tom Flanagan of the University of Calgary, did just that last month by referring to First Nations as a threat to oil sands expansion.
For an academic, Flanagan shouldn't be so quick to throw around an inflammatory word like "threat." By dictionary definition, threat means "a menace" or someone who poses a harm or danger.
Yes, First Nations have raised concerns about the real and considerable impacts of the enormous oil sands development in Alberta. Water levels in the Athabaska River, for example, have been under enormous strain because of the growing needs of oil and gas companies. The Alberta government actually had to order the companies to cut back their consumption from the river earlier this year as it was depleted to a level considered alarming.
In 2006, a year of high production, oil sands projects required twice the amount of water - 359 million cubic metres - as used by the entire city of Calgary.
In addition, it was initially reported this year that hundreds of ducks died in toxic sludge at one oil sands site. It was later revealed that close to 1,600 of the birds perished.
The real threat here is obvious: the oil sands are a means of incredible wealth, but also pose a worrisome danger to the ecology.
Aboriginal people have every right to oppose development that fails to involve them and harms the environment.
That doesn't make them a threat. Instead it proves what many First Nations people have said all along: they are the true stewards of the land.
A game of poker; rock, paper, scissors; rolling dice.
These games of chance are fine pastimes, but none of them is a way to choose a leader.
As hard as it is to believe, Fort Good Hope's chief was decided July 20 by having his name drawn from a box.
It was permitted because it's actually in the election code.
Arthur Tobac was the lucky winner of the draw, beating Ron Pierrot, despite the fact that both men each received 64 votes from band members. Can you imagine if the same tie-breaking formula were applied at the Assembly of First Nations' election for national chief three days later in Calgary?
It would have rightfully been described as a mockery. Instead, delegates in Calgary endured runoff election after runoff election until a new leader was finally decided on the eighth ballot. The process took close to 24 hours of voting.
"This is a very small effort when it compares to the plight of our people and what our people go through every single day," said Shawn Atleo in the midst of the voting.
Atleo went on to triumph.
It's clear that the community must amend its election act to remove the element of chance from the selection of a leader, and all communities would be wise to follow suit.
Voters deserve better.
Nunavut offers challenges in policing not found anywhere else in Canada.
The new commander of V Division, Steve McVarnock, knows this and he has a number of proposals to try and alleviate some of the major issues.
The biggest is the lack of connection between officers from the south, who are posted to Northern detachments for brief stints, and the communities they serve.
The history of RCMP as agents of the federal government in the North and recent acts of violence against RCMP officers in the territory have created a deep divide between communities and the men and women sent there to enforce the law.
McVarnock believes the current two-year length of a Mountie's term in Nunavut makes it difficult for officers to develop a strong relationship with the people they serve.
The short timeframe of the current tours of duty means that by the time an officer has learned the layout, culture and characters of a community, enabling him or her to perform their duties most effectively, it's time to go.
And no matter how committed or gregarious the officer, or how many hotdogs they serve up, communities are understandably reluctant to invest in a bond with a worker who will be replaced in a matter of months.
A posting longer than two years, paired with a financial incentive for longer stays, would hopefully reduce turnover among officers.
In recent years, the RCMP has focused on recruiting more Inuit into the regular force, with some success.
But for many Nunavummiut interested in careers in law enforcement, the prospect of being posted far from home is unattractive.
McVarnock's proposal to reintroduce the special constable program is another idea worth looking at. In the past, special constables acted as bridges between a community and the RCMP detachment, using their knowledge of language, culture and logistics to help officers perform their duties.
Special constables, though not receiving all the training and benefits of a regular RCMP member, remained in their home communities and provided some continuity in the detachment amid the ever-changing roster of officers.
So it seems the new V Division commander has good ideas to address the issues of Northern policing and is already moving to implement them. He is off to Ottawa this week to discuss restoring the special constable program nationwide.
We wish him well and support his efforts to improve relations between Nunavut's RCMP detachments and their communities.
Chamber President Patrick Doyle told Yellowknifer last week that the chamber is concerned "there's a lack of vision for economic development."
He charged that council is spending too much on consultants for projects aiming to promote energy efficiency, a clean environment and increased recreational facilities. The price tag for these initiatives, he stated, is high.
Council has indeed done little to promote business, but this is, at least partly, a product of our democratic process. Environment, recreation and social concerns are what voters put highest on their list of priorities in the last election for city council. Business interests were not.
Was it that too few business-minded individuals ran for office?
Council has made solid headway on priorities like the fieldhouse, homelessness and its social plan, but the economic recession has changed the landscape. Our real cost of living must not be permitted to increase. Citizens, even those who are not pro-business, should not welcome further tax increases. A higher cost of living threatens to reduce our population base which will lead to even higher taxes and less services.
Yellowknife remains a city where government dominates as the primary employer, and this shows little promise for a territory whose stated objective is "devolution" - namely, to reduce its reliance on Ottawa and the rest of the country. Economic development and increased business activity are the only way to achieve this stated goal.
This should be a territory of opportunity, and as the capital city, Yellowknife stands to gain from all business activities. There is no excuse for this city to miss out on exploration and mining for rare earth minerals, and no excuse for it to let the diamond-cutting industry flounder. Industry is not the enemy, as social activists all too often would have us believe. Corporations are employers and contributors to society, and must be worked with to forge a prosperous future for the city.
Council's next step must be to make the city more amenable to business and entrepreneurs, with reasonable property taxes and services. It must show that we want investment, particularly for new technologies and resources that show promise for the future.
If the current council is not up to these challenges, new councillors better suited to the task must be elected. And we as citizens will have our chance to do so in October's municipal elections.
So a few cheers always go up when the Department of Transportation announces any infrastructure project that brings the chipsealed surfaces of highways 1 and 7 closer to becoming a reality. The latest project that's out for tender, an additional 70 km of chipseal starting at the junctions of Highway 1 and 3 and stretching back towards Fort Simpson, is bound to excite some motorists.
There's a thrill that comes with driving over new chipseal where an often bumpy gravel road used to be. But visions of breaking new speed records from Fort Simpson to Fort Providence aside, it's hard to overestimate the importance of highway improvement projects in the Deh Cho.
Highways and roads play an incredibly important role in the region because of the great distances between communities. Without the highway system, Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Jean Marie River, Fort Providence and Kakisa would be fly-in communities, something that residents of Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake know all about.
The importance of the highways to everyday life is evident from the frequency with which they are raised in conversation. Drive between any Deh Cho community and the first people you meet are bound to ask how the roads were. Comparisons between road conditions can keep two people chatting for a long time.
Highways and roads are important and consequently, so is their upkeep. This was aptly illustrated last year when the Liard Trail was closed multiple times after it turned into a veritable bog, which trapped a few motorists.
Even after the highway reopened, tourist traffic to Fort Liard was lower than it should have been for that time in the summer. Tales of poor road conditions were quick to spread.
At the time questions were raised about the initial construction of the road and whether or not the bog-like conditions were the result of early problems in the highway's base. Road construction and improvement projects are important, but so is doing it right the first time.
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the Deh Cho who's opposed to a road improvement project, as long as it's done well. If a newly chipsealed surface quickly develops potholes, motorists are fast to comment that the road was better off in its gravel state.
Although the complete chipsealing of Highways 1 and 7 can't come soon enough, the focus first has to be turned to reconstructing all the necessary portions of the highway and ensuring surfaces will hold. Done properly, the chipsealed connection will become the Deh Cho's yellow brick road, allowing more tourists and greater ease of travel for residents.
I heeded those words of advice, but after a few visits I realized there was nothing really to worry about. Of the times I have been there, I could count on one hand the number of people that have been visibly intoxicated. Those individuals were quickly escorted out. I don't know whether the Trapper is a magnet for violence, but I have never witnessed any of it. The live bands that play there on the weekend are very good and have a knack for getting people on the dance floor and facilitating a good time.
A bar is a bar, and most people who visit have a drink. Some people drink a lot. So you can probably see where I'm going with this.
By now most residents know that the Trapper was shut down by the Liquor Licensing Board from July 21 to 27 because someone was caught drunk in the establishment while drinking a beer. A police officer and auxiliary officer spotted the man, gave notice to the bar, and a NWT Liquor Licensing Board hearing in Inuvik was set. After that the penalty was handed down, which also included a $2,000 fine. The bar was closed last May for two days and fined $500 after a police officer found a man drunk and unsupervised at the bar.
There's no doubt that these infractions are worthy of a penalty. But consider how much money the owner lost while closed in July - up into the tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention employee layoffs. Think of the costs associated with transporting a lawyer and liquor licensing board members to Inuvik to hold a hearing.
Maybe you'll argue that the Trapper is a repeat offender and deserves to be penalized a little more harshly, which was the case here. But considering the infractions, it's a fine line to walk. The officers who caught the man in the latter incident arrived at the bar at about 1:30 a.m., a half hour before closing time.
There's a possibility that the individual felt fine when he ordered a drink and then halfway through it, he felt the effects of the alcohol consumed. Maybe something was put in his drink. Maybe he was on medication and the mixture caused a violent reaction. Of course these are all hypothetical situations, but it does speak to just how difficult a rule like this is to enforce.
In a case such as this perhaps a different approach is in order. Maybe fines should be issued and after say the fourth or fifth infraction a hearing would scheduled.
It's serious business, no doubt. No doubt it's also a hard rule to enforce but closing a liquor establishment for six days seems a little excessive for finding someone intoxicated while having a drink in a bar.
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