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No magic bullet
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, December 4, 2009

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People have come to expect announcements of doom emanating from the Centre for Northern Families, and that's a shame.

Not just because it bolsters the notion that the centre is poorly run, but that people, including governments, come to believe the financial problems facing the emergency shelter really aren't that bad.

It would be a perverse experiment to see just how women and children who use the centre - which accommodates up to 23 women a night - would fare should it close down tomorrow.

Would the territorial government or, for that matter, the YWCA, be able to step in and fill the breach? With temperatures plummeting to -40 C this week, would these people have a place to turn?

Arlene Hache, executive director of the centre, says the shelter, which receives about $900,000 a year in funding from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources, intentionally goes into debt because it's chronically underfunded. The alternative - throwing people out in the street, plus shutting down the daycare, clinic and a host of other programs - would be unacceptable, says Hache.

We have seen recently what some bureaucrats will do when faced with desperate citizens in need of help.

Timothee and Helen Caisse, an elderly couple, both suffering from disabilities and in ill health, spent two nights in the freezing cold in November because officials with Income Security didn't guarantee a damage deposit for public housing with the Yellowknife Housing Authority.

It's hard to imagine Hache, recently inducted into the Order of Canada for her social justice advocacy work, slamming the door on anybody who doesn't have a place to stay, and that's why it's important to keep her and people like her in a position to help others.

The centre is currently $350,000 in the red, of which $200,000 is owed to Revenue Canada, which could close it down and freeze its bank accounts if it chose to do so.

The territorial government has hired a financial planner to help assist the centre assess its financial needs.

That's a good thing. Undoubtedly the centre needs some financial advice, but it could also use some more money.

Sandy Lee, minister of Health and Social Services and no stranger to championing for the underdog in past incarnations as a regular MLA, could start by giving the centre's $30,000 yearly core funding - an amount little changed since 1995 - a substantial boost.

It's either that or leave the downtrodden file with her bureaucrats, and we're not that confident it's a role they wish to have.

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Striking a balance
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, December 10, 2009

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The Dehcho First Nations recently received accolades for its commitment and vision to protect the South Nahanni watershed.

The Boreal Award from the Canadian Boreal Institute will join a growing list of recognitions that Dehcho First Nations (DFN) has received for helping to protect the watershed by working collaboratively to expand the Nahanni National Park Reserve. The expansion has been viewed as an impressive achievement.

The South Nahanni watershed isn't the only area members of DFN would like to see under some sort of protection. Years of work have also gone into getting protection for Edehzhie through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy. The proposed area for Edehzhie covers approximately 25,000 square kilometres, including the Horn Plateau, Horn River, Mills Lake and Willowlake River.

Other areas considered under the Protected Areas Strategy process include the Ka'a'gee Tu area of interest, which covers approximately 9,600 square kilometres around Kakisa, and the Sambaa K'e candidate area around Trout Lake, which encompasses approximately 10,600 square kilometres.

The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation of Wrigley has also done work to get approximately 16,400 square kilometres protected.

In addition to these areas the Dehcho Land Use Plan lays out parts of the region that would receive a degree of protection by limiting the types of development that could take place on them.

In all, a large portion of the Deh Cho is, or could be under some degree of protection. Given concerns about climate change and ecosystem degradation, this protection appears to be a positive step.

Right now, delegates from 192 countries are meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the UN Climate Change Conference. Many of the countries would probably give an arm and a leg to have the kind of pristine wilderness to protect in the name of offsetting global warming that the Deh Cho does.

But we must maintain some perspective. It's wonderful that groups in the Deh Cho want to protect large amounts of land, but the future of both the region's environment and its people must be kept in balance.

The Deh Cho doesn't contain a lot of job opportunities. The economies in most of the region's communities are stagnant. One thing the Deh Cho does have is natural resources. There are probably more resources in the area than anyone has ever accounted for. Few companies are looking to develop the Deh Cho's resources, but the day may come when they will. Protected areas can foster some economic drivers, such as tourism, but resource development holds more promise of jobs.

Conservation is admirable and necessary, but it must always be tempered by the fact that Deh Cho residents need jobs. All conservation decisions must be made with an eye toward the future.

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More answers, please
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, December 10, 2009

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Some students at Samuel Hearne Secondary School got so sick last week that they had to see a doctor. They're blaming their sickness on the presence of diesel fumes. Many stayed home nursing their illness.

The fumes are also being blamed for students dozing off at their desks. The school has been closed several times.

The Beaufort Delta Education Council said so far there's no need for panic and progress is being made. Maybe the progress part is true, but one child being so ill that he or she has to see a doctor is enough of an alarm for me.

The whole community seems to be concerned about the presence of diesel fumes at Samuel Hearne Secondary School. I've heard students and parents complaining about it. Teachers have come to me expressing their concern, and for good reason.

The fumes appear to be coming from the school construction site right beside SHSS. I don't think anyone needs to be reminded about the hazards of inhaling diesel fumes.

Didn't the territorial government foresee a problem like this when it decided to build the town's new super school right beside the old one? Installing new carbon filters and rearranging air exchangers probably won't make the fumes disappear. It doesn't look like the government was very prepared to deal with this problem.

Apart from the obvious health hazards associated with inhaling gas, people are also concerned about loss of classroom time with school cancellations.

School has been reopened the last of couple days, so I guess that means as long as no one smells the fumes, it means there is no danger.

School principal Roman Mahnic issued a letter to parents on Dec. 3 updating them on the problem. In it he wrote that a report from the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) states the school currently meets "acceptable standards for health and safety." The letter goes on to say that "WSCC has indicated that the current levels of contaminants in our school does not pose an immediate health risk to either students or staff."

So how do you explain all the sick kids? That statement doesn't sound in the least bit reassuring, either.

While the proposed super school continues to be built in the next few years, what does that mean for students and teachers? What happens if the solutions the government seems to be scrambling for fail? Who might ultimately pay the price for that?

Some might say I'm blowing the situation out of proportion. But if my son or daughter were enrolled in that school I would be very concerned, to the point that I would want to know students aren't being put at risk at all - because they shouldn't be.

The parties involved here should hold a meeting for concerned parents, students and community members soon to tell them exactly what is being done to fix the problem. People should be reassured that nobody's health is at risk. That doesn't seem to be the case now. At this point that's the respectful and most responsible course of action.

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Clear our sidewalks
Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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A recent meeting focusing on communities that are friendly to seniors highlighted one of Yellowknife's most pervasive problems: mobility in an often heavily snow-covered city.

City councillor David Wind, who attended the forum, said it's hard for older residents to get around in winter.

There is an existing bylaw that requires downtown businesses and residents to clear their sidewalks, however, there is no such bylaw outside the downtown core.

This of course leaves the elderly, the disabled and moms and dads pushing young ones in strollers at a disadvantage should they attempt to walk around areas other than downtown.

Yellowknife is covered in snow for much of the year, so it would make sense to require residents to clear all sidewalks adjacent to their homes.

Such a proposal was defeated in council chambers in January.

With some different faces around the council table since then, now would be the time for our municipal politicians to reconsider the idea.

Seniors, some of whom have taken a tumble on the uneven surfaces around town, have been vocal about the issue.

At the same time, a number of Yellowknifers may not be physically able to clear their own sidewalks due to age or chronic ailments, but exemptions could be made as they are for designated parking. In those few cases, it would be up to the city or the Winter Samaritans -- a volunteer snow clearing group started by Coun. Paul Falvo -- to get the job done. If Yellowknife wants to be friendly to seniors, the disabled and to parents with strollers, it needs to improve winter accessibility.

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Entrepreneurial spirit alive and well
Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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Yellowknife's entrepreneurial spirit is as strong as ever.

The recession did little to discourage business ventures of every description throughout the city, as stories in the business section of this newspaper have shown over the past two weeks. Yellowknifers are not lacking in services, thanks to inspired entrepreneurs who have a nose for opportunity. Among them are Yellowknifers like Darcy Milkowski, whose company offers cleaning services for athletic gear, Barry and Carmen Bessette, who have taken the mantle to keep the M&M meat shop running with an expanded offering of foods.

The Center Ice Plaza, near the big box stores of Range Lake and Frame Lake South, has proven to be a magnet for many new ventures - from busy chef Pierre LePage's new food market, to Lube-X owner Jim Funk, whose Alberta-based express oil change business will shortly open an outlet by the plaza.

City hall must continue to ensure this town is fertile ground for such entrepreneurs. It has done well so far. The only points of contention are looming questions about increasing traffic around the Center Ice Plaza hotspot, and what to do to stop the flight of businesses from the downtown area.

All that is needed to stay the course is good foresight - by city planners as well as our entrepreneurs.

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MLAs playing dangerous game
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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We're all for spending money on programs, traditional or otherwise, that may lead to getting some Nunavummiut off the path to a life of crime.

That's even if we do find the notion that just introducing them to nature will have them stop breaking the law to be somewhat simplistic.

And we would look at a new community learning centre in Iqaluit as a positive development, as long as it's equipped with the type of staff and programming that helps people lead productive lives.

Truth be told, every hamlet could come up with a proposal its leaders believe would help turn some of their residents away from crime and lead them to becoming productive members of their community.

And, as long as we're dealing with truth, chances are a number of the proposals would offer better results than what we've seen in the past decade with land camps and community justice committees.

Crime is continuing to rise at an alarming rate in Nunavut, and that shouldn't be the case if the majority of the grassroots programs already in place were truly operating with any degree of effectiveness, so, by all means, bring on the fresh new proposals.

But there's a problem with all this.

New learning centres and rehabilitation proposals – that may or may not work in the future – have little to do with what the territory is dealing with right now, and that's the powder keg known by most people as the BCC (Baffin Correctional Centre).

In defeating a $300,000 request from the Department of Justice to conduct a study on options for upgrading or replacing the BCC, noncabinet MLAs have decided to spin the chamber and enter into a dangerous game of Russian roulette.

Depending on the day heads are counted, published reports have almost 100 prisoners being held in custody at the BCC: a facility with a mere 66 beds.

Justice Minister Keith Peterson's contention that conditions at the BCC have the potential to lead to violence is in the running for understatement of the year. And for those making snide remarks about jails not being holiday resorts, this is not just about the inmates.

Like it or not, we have a responsibility to provide an adequate, safe environment to our inmates. And Housing Corp. Minister Hunter Tootoo is bang on when he says we also have a responsibility to provide a safe working environment to our corrections employees. And any jail housing one-third more inmates than it was intended for is not a safe environment.

Surely this is common knowledge within our government, when one looks at the record (no pun intended) of a number of our politicians during the past decade.

Maybe it would have been a good idea for Peterson to have had a number of MLAs spend a month, or so, inside the BCC before tabling his request.

Maybe then they'd be more willing to drop their idyllic musings and political posturing over what they consider to be money better spent, and actually base their decisions on reality.

The reality of an outdated and overcrowded facility that's a tragedy waiting to happen!

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Co-operative development
NWT News/North - Monday, December 7, 2009

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If there is one thing Northerners hate, it's being forced to abide to policies driven by the all-powerful denizens of the south -- especially those viewing the nation from the ivory towers that dot skylines of Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

The disconnect between North and south can, at times, be so broad that it is difficult to believe southern and Northern Canada are not different countries divided by a wall preventing communication.

For those reasons, it was with cautious optimism that we read John Kearney's comments in last week's News/North business story "Singing from the same songbook."

Newly elected as president of the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, Kearney, who lives and works in Toronto, stated that aside from improving the NWT's regulatory system, the chamber must work with Northern aboriginal groups to ensure success in the mining sector.

He couldn't be more correct. What many developers from the south fail to remember is they are visitors on this land. Although some land claims agreements remain under negotiation, the aboriginal self-government process enshrines Canada's belief that the North's indigenous populations are the true stewards of the land.

In that vein, it is the responsibility of government, companies and policy advisory groups -- such as the chamber of mines -- to develop the NWT with the approval of aboriginal governments and organizations.

We all recognize the importance mining plays in the Northern economy. But it is essential that the industry be equally supportive of the North's citizens.

Over the years, mining companies have greatly improved their relationships with Northerners, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes bowing to pressure or government policy.

Efforts have been made to train and hire more Northern and specifically aboriginal workers. Also, certain policies - such as work rotations - have been reworked to accommodate traditional lifestyles, allowing employees to continue partaking in culturally-significant activities such as hunting and trapping.

There is still work to do, however. More training to ensure jobs in the NWT and Nunavut go to Northerners is vital; spin-off business contracts must be available to Northern companies; and, using routes and locations approved by the Dene, Inuvialuit and Metis, the continued push by the chamber of mines for added road and port infrastructure is exactly what is needed to ensure maximum benefits for Northern citizens.

By design, mining's sole purpose is to take. If Kearney wants the support of aboriginal governments, he must help generate ideas that will create a legacy long after the mines are depleted and the companies leave.

If the new chamber president is true to his word, he will lobby for a North that will remain economically strong even after the mines are gone. To accomplish that goal, we need a North populated with skilled people and connected by viable transportation infrastructure. Those two ingredients will be essential toward creating job and business opportunities for years to come.

Eyes are trained on Kearney, who will likely be held to a higher standard and face harsher criticism, as he leads a Northern organization from the belly of the south.

He must not disappoint.

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Build harbours for sovereignty
Nunavut News/North - Monday, December 7, 2009

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The latest sovereignty salvo from Ottawa is to rename the Northwest Passage the "Canadian Northwest Passage."

The change was prompted by an Ontario MP, and the motion passed almost unanimously in the House of Commons last week.

However, there was a clause included to recognize a second official name, one in Inuktitut, after Nunavut Tunngavik and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami protested and rightfully insisted that Inuit should be consulted on such issues in their territory.

Ottawa's approach was typical of the simplistic ploys the federal government has been using to assert Canada's claim on the far north, such as the occasional patrol by ship, or flag waving on Ellesmere Island.

To residents of southern Canada, the Northwest Passage - and the Arctic in general for that matter - is a faraway piece of real estate, formidable to traverse and largely unpopulated. It's a big, empty area on the map that needs a Canadian stamp put on it, otherwise no one would know it belongs to us.

In reality, many Canadians call this area home and most of them are Inuit, descended from the people who first trekked its shores and navigated its waters. Year-round there are people on the land, ice and water who are apt to notice when strangers show up.

Remember when that Romanian fellow tried to sneak into Canada by boat from Greenland in 2006? He was lucky to make it to Grise Fiord and was immediately picked up by the RCMP. It was likely that sort of sovereignty-by-presence-of-people that the federal government had in mind when it sent families up to Grise Fiord and Resolute in the 1950s.

So one would think that when the idea of officially naming the passage in the cause of sovereignty came up, Inuit would be the first people to be asked for suggestions.

The fact that federal government consultation with Inuit continues to be an afterthought, given its poor track record in aboriginal affairs in the 20th century, is an insult.

According to Paul Kaludjak, president of NTI, Inuit have long had a name for the Northwest Passage. It's called Tallurutik, which he says means "a woman's chin with tattoos on it," describing how the land, ice and water along the passage look, from a distance, like intricate designs.

Tacking this Inuit name onto the motion is treating Nunavummiut's thoughts and wishes as secondary.

Establishing safe anchorages, docks and harbours in Nunavut's communities - facilities found in abundance in other coastal parts of the country - would do more to ensure Canadian presence in and monitoring of the disputed waterways than any piece of parliamentary paper, no matter how many lofty signatures are on it.