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Children are left behind
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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Education officials are all aflutter after enduring criticism recently about the territorial government's inclusive schooling policy.

In response, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment held a press conference last week to reinforce its commitment to the policy.

In short, inclusive schooling is a practice that loathes holding back students from the next grade level merely because their marks aren't up to snuff. The preference is to keep students within their own peer group in the hope that those students will improve as they progress through the school system.

The sad reality, however, is that many students graduate without the skill sets needed for for future careers and post-secondary education. Many others, particularly aboriginal students, don't graduate at all.

The NWT Bureau of Statistics reports that as of last year, Grade 9 to 11 are the highest grade levels attained among 35 per cent of aboriginal residents in the territory.

"Many of our students do go uptown to the high schools, but also, many of them end up lost," said Eileen Erasmus, a K'alemi Dene School teacher and recent Prime Minister's Award recipient.

Rubber stamping any student for 12 years and then handing them a certificate and a cap and gown before showing them the door just doesn't work.

The cultural realities of the North should mean that it's OK to take longer to earn a diploma.

The most important thing is that high school graduation means something, and right now, for many it doesn't.

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Restaurants haven't gone up in smoke
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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Ten years ago, despite a considerable hue and cry from some business owners, city council outlawed smoking inside restaurants.

These days it seems almost incomprehensible that lighting a cigarette or cigar would be allowed inside a public building.

However, in 1999, Carlos Gonzales, owner of Our Place restaurant, went to city council as a representative for Yellowknife's restaurateurs to plead against the anti-smoking bylaw. He told city council banning smoking would drive business away and devastate the livelihood of restaurant and bar owners.

The smoking ban didn't have the dreaded effect Gonzales, and other restaurateurs, were worried about.

While some of the names have changed over the years, Yellowknife's bars, pubs and restaurants are often full of patrons enjoying a smoke-free environment. As well, fellow bar patrons and staff are no longer subjected to second-hand smoke. If anything, smoking in restaurants today would drive away customers given the long list of terrible diseases that come from second-hand smoke, including various types of cancer and lung ailments like emphysema.

It turned out to be a wise move, and because of it we can now breathe easier.

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Call for a colour-blind policy
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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We give full marks to Nunavut Health Minister Tagak Curley for doing the right thing in the case of Iqaluit resident Michael Gardener.

For those of you not up to speed on this one, Gardener, 79, is a retired Anglican reverend and Order of Canada member who has lived in Iqaluit since the 1950s.

He had been staying at the Larga Baffin boarding home in Ottawa since January, after escorting his wife for medical treatment.

Like all Baffin Nunavummiut - or so we thought - Gardener had stayed at Larga before on medical travel with no problems.

But this time around, it was decided a non-Inuk could no longer stay at Larga.

Gardener was told to leave and slapped with a $34,000 bill for his time spent there, which was later cut in half to $17,000.

Curley earned our respect this past week for stepping up and publicly announcing Gardener will not have to pay a dime of the bill.

Many Inuit across Nunavut are also to be commended for the outrage they expressed over Gardener's treatment, as are the numerous communities that offered to hold fundraisers to help him pay the bill.

As much as we admire Curley's quick action in dealing with the affair - although it should never have happened in the first place - we can't agree with him that this is not a race issue.

Whether it's our Health department, the federal NonInsured Health Benefits Program or the man in the moon running Larga, when someone is thrown out based on the colour of their skin, it's a race issue.

Former Nunavut commissioner Peter Irniq was also quick to condemn the actions taken against Gardener and applaud Curley for overturning that decision.

He said the action sounded like discrimination against nonInuit to him, which is not the Inuit way.

We'll go along with Mr. Irniq on that one, but not without asking the question: then whose way is it?

How long does one have to live here before they're regarded as Nunavummiut? Twenty years? Fifty years?

Or is the answer you will never be Nunavummiut if you are a non-Inuk?

The initial action against Gardener is exactly the type of narrow-sighted, weak-minded and stupid decision that continues to feed the jaws of racism, decades after it should have disappeared altogether.

Until we have enough homegrown talent to fill the jobs necessary to run an effective territory, we need skilled southern workers to lend us a hand in Nunavut.

It's that old walk-before-you-can-run deal.

But this is exactly the type of decision that can keep good people from coming here and that's not a good thing - even if those who asked Gardener to leave may be cheering the concept.

In fact, a number of message boards on the bumpy Internet highway contained that exact message this past week - don't go there!

The Government of Nunavut had better roll up its sleeves and produce a clearly defined policy in regards to the boarding home issue for medical travel.

And it better be a policy that looks at the care and protection of all Nunavummiut - and not the colour of their skin.

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Privacy act should help, not hinder
NWT News/North - Monday, October 12, 2009

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Should NWT municipal governments be included under territorial access to information legislation?

As is it stands, most municipal governments have very open policies for releasing information to the public.

During council meetings, for example, the only discussions barred from the public domain relate to personnel, finance and legal matters. However, at times, the interpretation of those issues can cause disputes and accusations of secrecy.

That is where having a tool such as the access to information legislation would be useful. Any arguments about interpretation could easily be settled by the access to information officer.

Admittedly, there are definite hazards to applying the act to municipal government.

Cost to taxpayers is one. If a new municipal position is needed, it will mean adding administration costs to already heavily burdened municipal budgets. Training existing staff to handle access to information requests could be difficult, especially in the smaller communities

If municipal officials apply the act where it is not required, it could be difficult to obtain information that was previously easily accessible.

For all of the above reasons, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs would have to get involved in providing training, funding and staffing support to smaller communities

After all, many communities depend upon territorial funding. It's in the interest of the territorial government to ensure the money is spent properly.

An open public process is the best way to keep everyone honest.

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Jetboat Kings
NWT News/North - Monday, October 12, 2009

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Spencer and Russell King are among the best in the world when it comes to jetboat racing. With a host of titles under their belts, competing as far away as New Zealand, they are a true Northern inspiration and an example of the heights Northerners can reach in the national and international competition circuit.

Placing second at an international competition in New Zealand last month can be seen as positive. Although the Kings would have preferred a first place finish, it never hurts to have something to strive for.

Commitment is the driving force behind the King's achievement. Although the Kings have a host of water ways to train on in the NWT, it takes more than practice to achieve at the international level.

Without competing against the best in the world, it is impossible to become the best in the world.

Although Hay River at one time hosted some high caliber competition for its annual jetboat race, it has been a number of years since water levels in the community have permitted that race to go forward.

Without close-to-home competition, the Kings have had to travel far and wide to compete.

It's an expensive endeavor, but the money spent has paid off and we can be proud to have such world-class team to call our own.

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Move capital to Ottawa?
Nunavut News/North - Monday, October 12, 2009

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Ten years ago, Nunavut began with grand dreams of a representative civil service - 85 per cent Inuit - spread out across the territory, bringing jobs to communities without any other major industry, doing its day-to-day business in Inuktitut and living happily ever after.

But that hasn't happened. The still fledging Government of Nunavut is being accused of not serving Nunavummiut.

According to Canada's Auditor General, the government's financial records are in shambles. The housing crisis worsens daily. Too many students are graduating who are not literate in either English or Inuktitut.

Report after report points to lack of staff and disorder in departments as the government's biggest handicap.

In the GN Report Card released this month, some Nunavummiut stated that decentralization isn't working and the current timeline for 85 per cent Inuit in government jobs is far too optimistic.

Jobs in government departments decentralized to the communities are either going unfilled for lack of qualified workers, or are filled by outside workers who then strain the community's housing capacity. Spotty communications infrastructure leads to confusion between decentralized branches of departments and a record-keeping nightmare.

GN employees complain people are being hired for jobs they can't do. Clerks and other workers are being forced to stand in as translators in addition to their other duties and the few staff on duty in each department get snowed under more every day.

Pretty grim picture.

Fortunately, Premier Eva Aariak and her government accept the assessment of performance. They have pledged to do better. That's a healthy reaction to indisputable criticism.

It's much healthier than those calling for an end to decentralization and a halt to the effort to promote Inuit in government departments. These critics would probably prefer the capital of Nunavut was moved to Ottawa, where there is no end of highly-educated and well-paid civil servants to fill all the vacant policy and financial positions.

The fact is, government is the largest single employer and industry in Nunavut. To abandon decentralization for centralization would be to destroy any hope for community economies to grow. Without healthy economies, there will be no opportunities to instil the values of a good education, to upgrade housing, no money to stem the tide of social ills that come with poverty.

The dream of Nunavut was a territory where Inuit could govern themselves. Such a lofty goal comes with a price, often in blood on the ground in other parts of the world. Rather than spilling blood for a cause, patience is required to tackle these problems.

Progress has been made, much is being done right, that no one can deny. Huge problems remain.

Patience is one of the traits that enabled Inuit to survive for thousands of years where no others could. Just as the Government of Nunavut should and will survive for many decades to come into provincehood.

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Biomass energy ideal for NWT
Yellowknifer - Friday, October 9, 2009

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Breaking our reliance on oil, gas and diesel, in favour of wood-powered biomass to generate heat and electricity, as the government's joint committee on climate change suggests, makes good sense. But in a territory with unresolved land claims and complicated regulatory processes, the path to success will take a tremendous collective effort.

According to the committee's recently-released Nordic Biomass Tour Report, which draws lessons from Northern Europe, any step in this direction will decrease the territory's reliance on outside markets for energy, can create jobs and decrease the costs of living.

This goal complements the territory's need to become more self-sufficient and gain greater control over its own resources, and its future.

For this to work, all communities, particularly aboriginal communities, must be on-side. For example, developing wood pellets and other wood products for heat and energy must be developed jointly by First Nations, the government and private enterprise.

The Nordic report was based on observations from Denmark, Sweden and Finland, where members of the climate change committee travelled in the spring to see how they adopted renewable energies like biomass.

Adapting their business models to the NWT will pose challenges but can be done if the will exists. Our hydro power generation is proof of that.

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Keep shelter well staffed
Yellowknifer - Friday, October 9, 2009

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Next month a long-awaited day shelter is slated to finally open its doors. The scores of Yellowknifers with nowhere to go during the daytime will have a place to keep warm and access programs, telephones and washrooms, which will provide a much needed alternative for homeless people forced to defecate and urinate on the street.

The shelter, to be located on 51 Street, will be doing a lot of good for the community, but conflict should also be anticipated at the site.

Since intoxicated people will be able to stay at the day shelter, along with that usually comes the potential for conflict and violence.

That is not to say people who have been drinking should not be allowed inside. It is welcome news that they will have somewhere to go and, if someone causes a disturbance or becomes angry, they will be in a place that can deal with the situation, rather than on the streets.

There will be two workers on site. However, for the sake of the staff and other people using the facility, the shelter may want to consider keeping on additional staff for security purposes and be able to break up fights if necessary. Of course the RCMP would be called to any such incidents, but what are staff to do while they wait for police to show up? Adding security staff would benefit everyone at the shelter and hopefully keep a bad situation from escalating.

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Seven generations from now
Editorial Comment
Tim Edwards
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, October 8, 2009

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While speaking to grand chief Samuel Gargan over the weekend about the Deh Cho leadership forum in Fort Providence, something he said stuck in my mind after our conversation ended.

He said when reviewing proposals to use land and to develop resources, Dehcho First Nations leaders try to look at how the development will affect the people of the region seven generations down the road, rather considering the development in a fiscal sense. Not in five or 10 years, but seven generations down the line - many, many years into the future.

In seven generations, Gargan said that the year will be 2509.

I've never heard of someone looking at an issue with that much foresight, but in this culture of land grabbing and resource devouring, it makes a lot of sense - especially in the current economic climate.

Many people want quick fixes that will boost the economy. With public concern centered on employment, it's not difficult to envision a social climate where the quality of the economy is placed above ensuring the quality of the land by 2509.

But for the people who call this land home, it's vital that efforts be undertaken to protect the land from the hungry economy. As long as there is food to eat and water to drink, people can survive. This requires a habitat that produces our food and water continues to thrives and remains pristine.

The North is largely undeveloped compared to other parts of Canada, leaving it with much natural beauty that many provinces don't have.

What will the world be like seven generations down the line? Considering the development that has taken place in just the past 50 years, and the exponential advances in technology every year, the world will be a very different place.

Spaceflight became a reality little more than 50 years after the Wright brothers created the first successful, self powered aircraft. Fifty years before that, gliders were just starting to come about.

With population growing globally and the possibility of many people from the south moving up North in the future, much of the natural beauty we see on the long drives between communities could possibly disappear in a few hundred years. It's not an ideal scene for outdoorsmen and harvesters of the North who live off the land.

Of course, in a few hundred years we may not have breathable air or drinkable water either.

It is hard to gauge what society and technology will be like at that point, but if we can be sure that the natural beauty and abundance of wildlife in the North still thrives, then the quality of life may be better than anywhere else in the world.

- Tim Edwards is interim editor of Deh Cho Drum. Roxanna Thompson returns later this month.

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Forum needed more debate
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, October 8, 2009

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Last Wednesday's all-candidates forum left me wanting more.

The attendance was respectable and for the most part the questions posed to the candidates were excellent. The only thing that was missing was a debate and an equal opportunity for councillor candidates to respond to questions from the audience.

The event allowed people to pose questions to three candidates of their choice or allow the moderator to choose participants randomly.

But by following that system, certain candidates were pretty much left out of the dialogue through no fault of their own. For example, Vince Brown got to respond to only one question.

A debate where everyone had a chance to grapple with each other on the issues would have prevented that.

Wednesday's setup made it easy for candidates to simply agree with what the person said before them, which did happen on several occasions and may or may not have been a coincidence.

One of the most interesting moments of the event for me came when Inuvik's Gwich'in Chief Herbert Blake spoke up about Gwich'in people here feeling marginalized by the town.

Candidates responded to the comment and suggested a way to remedy the problem would be to open up a seat on council for the Gwich'in Tribal Council. The idea of designating a seat for Inuvialuit Regional Corporation was discussed as well. Anything that will bring stakeholders in the community together is a good thing, I suppose. And I know this was done in the past until representatives from both governments simply stopped attending town council meetings.

If people want the town to be aware of their concerns, then they must make their voices heard. So as important as it is for the town to be informed of the concerns of the Gwich'in people and to work more in consultation with them, it's equally important for that community's leaders to show up to council to contribute to the town dialogue. That's not currently happening.

Maybe designating a seat for both aboriginal governments is the right thing to do. Maybe it isn't. But I wonder why more Gwich'in people don't just run for council like anybody else whether Inuvialuit, white, black, Islamic, whatever. It seems that in a democracy, a person should be elected on their merits and if someone wants to have a seat on council and the privileges that go along with that, then they should earn that right, not just be handed it.

Overall, the forum was good in the sense that it got people out to have a open discussion with candidates who will form the next council.