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For green and glory Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 19, 2010
After all, much of the debate at the most recent international climate change forum in Copenhagen, Denmark in December focused on transferring wealth from richer countries like ours to poorer ones so they could catch up in developing environmentally - friendly technologies.
That, of course, would mean money coming out of our pockets.
We've also heard the call from environmentalists about the need for purchasing carbon credits, and implementing a carbon tax. Former Liberal leader Stephane Dion lost the last federal election largely because he couldn't convince Canadians that his "green shift" plan wouldn't cost taxpayers more money.
Like it or not, going green is intrinsically tied to "how much will it cost?" at the end of the day. People, especially as we are recovering from a recession, are generally not prepared to fork over their hard-earned dollars to combat something as nebulous as climate change.
It's a good thing then that much of the city's community energy plan is not only geared toward reducing greenhouses gases, but generating cash savings as well.
The city is already saving $111,000 a year on heating expenses by converting to a wood pellet boiler system at the pool, curling rink, and the Yk Community Arena, according to the community energy co-ordinator Mark Henry. The city expects to save $319,000 annually by 2014, through the installation of more energy-efficient heating systems, light-emitting diode (LED) lights on streetlights, and a host of other means.
This is all good news, especially since these initiatives were achieved using federal and territorial funds. For this the city should be applauded.
That said, the city has a habit of spending money as quickly as it comes in. Its budget, at $64.6 million this year, has almost doubled since 2000 even though the city's population hasn't grown with it.
City council must be wary of taking on expensive capital schemes that drive up salaries and operational and maintenance costs, all for the promise of a few thousand dollars in energy savings and matching funds from Ottawa.
One of those potential cost drivers is the $32 million plan to tap geothermal heat from Con Mine. The federal government has promised at least $10 million, but city taxpayers are bound to be on the hook for a significant portion of it. Likewise, we should be cautious regarding the city's intentions to "partner" with the NWT Power Corporation to get an early start on hydro expansion at the Snare River dam.
Reducing greenhouse emissions doesn't necessary mean more costs. Indeed, it can actually generate some savings, but council shouldn't be dipping into the red trying to paint the town green.
This complacency is compounded for people who have lived in the same community for all of their lives. It's hard to get excited about something that has always been part of your life.
One of the easiest cures for this type of selective blindness is to spend some time in the company of a new arrival. Sights and events that have lost their lustre for you over time are suddenly seen afresh through the eyes of someone who's never seen or experienced them before.
The recent cadet exchange in Fort Simpson provided a perfect example of this miracle cure. From March 11 to 15, 22 sea cadets from Ajax and Pickering, Ont., visited their army cadet counterparts in the village as part of an inter-provincial exchange. One of the main purposes of the exchange was for cadets from different parts of Canada to interact and experience different ways of life.
It was very interesting to talk to the cadets on the second last day of their exchange and ask what had struck them about Fort Simpson.
For Able Seaman Megan Fairless, one of the differences between the village and Ajax/Pickering was visible at the Beavertail Jamboree community feast. Residents here show a lot of respect to each other, especially in the way they let elders pass first. In her community everyone would just push and shove, she said.
Imagine what it must be like to see a community feast for the first time. It would be nearly impossible to hold a comparable feast in Ajax or Pickering, two adjacent communities with a total population of approximately 200,000 people. As a number of the cadets filed past the table covered with food at the feast they commented that they had never seen so much food in their lives.
The interactions at the Beavertail events were a new experience for Able Seaman Aditya Manipadavu. Everyone seems to know everyone else and it's like a large family, he said. The natural beauty around the village and the winter also struck Manipadavu. There's not this much snow in southern Ontario and you can't walk across the ice on rivers, he said.
A community feast, social interaction, deep snow and frozen rivers are nothing special to the residents of Fort Simpson or any of the other Deh Cho communities. They are things that happen regularly and are met with slight excitement, but certainly not awe. Yet all of these things we take for granted are unique and special.
Small community life in the North, the respect that residents show towards each other and the co-operation that goes into organizing community events is not found everywhere. It's something that should be celebrated and recognized more often.
So the town deserves credit for making that possibility a reality.
The three-day tournament that coincides with the Muskrat Jamboree (hence the name Muskrat Cup) is opened to players in the Delta and doubtless it will lure residents in droves.
But the point of real interest lies in its potential.
There's already a World Pond Hockey championship happening every year in New Brunswick and tournaments featuring ex-NHLers are have almost become commonplace.
What could be more appealing for a pond hockey lover than to play on the famed Mackenzie River in the springtime?
It's an exciting project and it will be interesting to see it grow. How many teams will show up to play next year? What will the town learn from running the tournament this year, and will there be a different approach next year?
Apart from the commercial aspect, there's something so purely elemental about playing the game in the outdoors, unconstrained by body armour. It's where the game developed, and there's simply nothing more refreshing than skating outside on a cold, crisp day.
It will be interesting to see just how players embrace the opportunity, and what kind of dynamic or spirit will be present next weekend. I have a feeling it will a very neat spectacle. Indeed I haven't made my mind up whether I'll actually play in the tournament. Part of me really wants to, but part of me wants to stand on the sidelines and take it all in.
Of course the new centre - which replaces the archaic Aurora Research Institute - will provide a modern place for scientists and researchers to do their work. What I like most about it is that it is designed with the community in mind. With much more space designated for conferences, a library community presentation, a computer lab and classroom-style labs, the idea is to engage people.
Hopefully there will be some encouragement to engage students - elementary students included - with the work that will be done there.
Perhaps some science classes could be held there, coinciding with a visiting researcher. Maybe bring more students out on the land to witness how research is done. With a bright, new facility on the way, it seems to me one of the most exciting possibilities lies in the fresh opportunity it provides to engage youth.
Out of 13 recommendations in the 66-page report, the final one outlines "the most promising way to decrease power rates." This would be by developing large hydro projects that would allow the territory to export power - thereby bringing in more revenue and possibly reducing rates.
So the panel found no obvious way to dramatically reduce the cost of Northern electricity.
NTPC's president and chief executive officer Leon Courneya was pleased by the report, as he said in a prepared statement: "The report makes some recommendations that we'll examine and implement where practical. But overall the report says we're doing a pretty good job."
And that was about all he had to say, ignoring the real problem threatening the corporation's very existence - public relations.
Courneya neglected to mention the panel noted: "The Corporation could learn some lessons about connecting better with those whom it serves. It should, in this Panel's view, be more open and forthcoming on a number of issues, and deal with misunderstandings by the public quickly instead of allowing myths to grow. Increasing power rates, poor publicity about bonus payments, and a failure to counteract negative myths about its efficiency have simply communicated corporate indifference. NTPC has suffered damage to its image."
Doesn't sound like they are doing a "pretty good job" there does it? Northerners tallying up the ever growing list of riders and charges adding to their monthly bills while their consumption remains the same would agree.
What makes good customer relations so essential to the future of the Power Corp is the fact that their customers are also their shareholders. That's because the Government of the Northwest Territories is the only formal shareholder and the minister in charge is elected every four years by ordinary Northerners who rely on and pay for NTPC's power.
It follows that if the customers are unhappy and pressure the politicians to do something, politicians may choose to make big changes simply for the sake of appearing to do something. Those changes may or may not be good for customers and certainly won't be good for the corporation.
Courneya's public statement is text book corporate spin intended to bury the constructive criticism under a thin veneer of self-praise.
Hopefully, the territorial government as the main shareholder will pressure the corporation to implement the specific changes recommended by the panel. The result will be an open and transparent organization that, despite the challenges of producing power in the North, has the confidence of the people it serves.
The panel concluded in clear terms the Power Corporation does not enjoy that confidence now.
I recently had the chance to listen to a rather passionate debate among a small group of people, both Inuit and Caucasian, on what they viewed as the pros and cons of paying elders for interacting with youth outside of their own family circles.
Coming into the school and talking to the kids is gonna cost ya.
Take people on the land and teach them some hunting and survival skills: going to cost you even more.
Got some visiting kids who you'd like to have see a drum dance or whipping demonstration: open up that wallet and it will happen.
I've long had mixed feelings on this particular topic.
On one hand, I'm 100 per cent in favour of skilled elders being paid for their wisdom and talent.
That's especially true when it comes to putting on displays for the benefit of visiting folks from the south.
It's not just a matter of them getting the honour and thrill of seeing these demonstrations done live. They also get to use the photos they take, and footage they record, for numerous applications when they return south, be it personal use with friends and family members, posting on the web, or sharing it in classrooms and meeting halls across the land.
What elders receive is a mere pittance compared to the mileage these folks get out of the demonstrations.
The same can be said for elders who give up their time to participate in cultural camps sponsored by the Kivalliq Inuit Association or entities such as the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre.
These elders have the ability to teach people skills that can save their lives on the land, make them better providers for their families, and change their lives for the better through peace of mind, anger management, and a better understanding of their own culture and tradition.
I don't know how you put an exact price on that kind of ability, but it has to be worth more than a few bucks, wouldn't you agree?
However, when we enter the classroom, things get a little more complicated. Many people, from all walks of life, volunteer time to help with youth programs.
And we can all agree on the importance of knowledge being passed down to our youth by elders.
So, if, in fact, there are elders in Kivalliq communities who won't take part in cultural days unless they're paid, one does have to ponder the message that sends.
Surely, once in a while, these esteemed folks can volunteer a few hours of their time to pass a tidbit or two of knowledge on to local youths and accept a heartfelt thank you in return?
One would assume every school has a list of elders they contact for such special days.
Would it really be out of line to ask them to, say, provide one volunteer appearance for every four they're paid?
Elders are one of our most valuable human resources, and we should look for opportunities to remunerate them for sharing the knowledge it took a lifetime to amass.
But, at the same time, sharing knowledge shouldn't always be just about the money - and that's another lesson the elders could pass along to our youth.
She said the consensus system may not be the best way to govern the territories and it's "not the most congenial way of getting business done either."
Surely Groenewegen realizes that for every condemnation of consensus government there is an equal or stronger example of how party politics does not serve people well. Politics by its very nature is often a nasty business. While our elected officials are ideally looking out for the best interest of their constituents, they are sometimes trying to bolster their public image at the expense of someone else, and often preoccupied by self gain.
Consensus government should bring government closer to the people. Legislators from each riding are elected based on their merit as individuals, not as members of a political party. As such, they are expected to fight for the will of the people in the communities they represent, instead of having to toe a party line
One reason things may not be working optimally is because our elected leaders spend far too little time in the house of government working for us. From March 11, 2010 until March 11, 2011, MLAs are scheduled to put in a mere 49 days of work in the legislative assembly. That's not enough.
It's not that our neighbours to the south have a better political system, but many provinces and even our federal politicians - Prime Minister Harper's fondness for proroguing Parliament notwithstanding - sit for twice as long, or longer.
Working more would be a good starting point.
The regular MLAs have proven that they can flex their muscle as the "unofficial" opposition. They have acted as the voice of the people and forced the premier and cabinet to regroup on proposed measures like board reform, extended health benefits and additional taxes. The regular MLAs may very well have taken down the premier in February 2009 after accusing him of failing to be open and honest with them, but they got too ambitious and chose instead to try to defeat the entire government. They wound up on the short end of a 10-8 vote. This speaks to another shortfall within the ranks of regular MLAs: Some of them are perceived to be blinded by their desire for a cabinet seat and the prestige and perks that come with it.
Regardless of the form of democracy, there will be scandals and there will be money spent inappropriately. Some governments are more acrimonious than others, some are more productive.
What we need is to ensure our consensus government puts the regions in as strong a position as Yellowknife, and that aboriginal governments are viewed as partners, not subjects of the royal GNWT. The caribou hunting ban fiasco has shown this is not happening.
Fixing the problem is going to take a united will, one that has been almost completely lacking during the first half of the territorial government's four-year term.
Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay had this to say following the messy session in February 2009: "I do think we spent too much time fighting with one another, but we wouldn't be fighting with one another if we spent more time communicating."
The best way to improve communication is to meet face to face, more than 49 days a year.
The 2010 Arctic Winter Games wrapped up this past weekend in Grande Prairie, Alta., and Nunavut had especially strong showings in Arctic Sports, Dene Games, table tennis and wrestling this year. What these sports have in common is that none of them require expensive equipment or facilities. Success is determined only by an athlete's interest, an encouraging coach, and the amount of practice.
Nunavut's athletes have creative ways of getting around the challenges of training in remote communities, the most pressing being the lack of equipment and the lack of opponents.
Kugluktuk table tennis players, including Susie Akana who won silver and bronze ulus, trained with the aid of a Chinese-made machine that made balls fly at superhuman speed.
Arctic Bay's Dene Games team was especially inventive in their training. Coach Thomas Levi had his athletes chiselling holes in the ice using a traditional tuuq to strengthen their fingers - not letting them stop until they got water in the holes. He also had them lifting rocks, and even had them pushing his red truck around with a pole to practise for the pole push game.
All that work paid off when the Inuit-composed team owned the Dene games podium in men's open snow snake – taking the gold, silver and bronze ulus – and took gold in the junior male snow snake.
Of course, winning medals is not what sports are all about. Competitions, be they local, regional, territorial, national and international, provide the motivation to train. But the benefits of regular exercise are wide-ranging and felt year-round.
Through sports, youth learn skills such as co-operation and recovering from mistakes. They practise discipline in following a training schedule. They find out what foods they need to eat to perform at their best. They learn to set achievable goals and to have patience and persistence in pursuing them.
But besides increasing strength, agility and endurance, exercise also reduces stress and improves mood, providing an outlet for the emotions and tensions youth face in their daily lives.
What it boils down to is that participating in a sport or any kind of physical activity keeps kids and adults fit, healthy and happy.
Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in Grande Prairie. We wish you the best of luck in training for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse.
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