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Councillors trump administrators
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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It's taken some prodding, but city council has shown lately that it is largely responsive to citizens' demands.

So far this year, council has pulled administration back on course in three areas where the city has been way off target: regulations on housing development, which were too stringent; a proposed parks bylaw that was outrageously restrictive without good reason; and the reopening of a salvage area at the dump - a staple of Yellowknife living which had been closed for several months.

All this begs the question: how much leadership power do the mayor and council actually have?

Administration and council do not appear to be on the same wavelength when it comes to setting policy. Our elected officials have been reacting to administration's directives, which are not in line with the stated policy to encourage development. Fortunately, voters have made themselves heard and council, under mounting pressure, has rethought its stance on placing too much emphasis on aesthetics for new buildings and lots.

There are several messages administration can draw from council's work over the past month. In the case of the salvage area, which had been shut for six months even though city hall repeatedly promised that it would reopen within weeks, the lesson is don't make false promises. Simply tell us why it can't be opened yet. Level with us. Reusing items and salvaging is a cornerstone of living in this city, as proven by our summer-long garage sales and extensive advertisements for used items. Residents showed they're not going to let salvaging quietly fade from memory.

As for detailed restrictions on housing development, what does that have to do with easing the extremely low vacancy rate in this town, encouraging city development, and easing up on the cost of living?

Numerous restrictions on parks use? In meetings, city managers have pointed to intoxicated and unruly individuals harassing staff and misusing indoor facilities like the public library and the Multiplex. That has nothing to do with preventing people from enjoying the great outdoors by keeping them from straying from trails, forbidding them to climb objects or use toboggans and prohibiting them from doing anything that would draw a crowd. That proposed bylaw, as ludicrous as it was, had residents protesting on the lawn of city hall.

An important lesson to be learned is that council should work with administration more closely and give more guidance. Mayor and council must use their weight of authority from voters to ensure administration - and even the territorial government - are acting in the best interest of Yellowknifers as well.

Councillors' work over the past month has shown they are up to the task, and they have the potential to do more for the benefit of all.

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Pop tax just fool's gold
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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While Nunavut Finance Minister Keith Peterson's decision not to tax sugarladen soft drinks has not been good news to some folks, it was refreshing to hear a minister speak openly and honestly about the subject.

The pop tax proposal was put forward by Iqaluit West MLA Paul Okalik as a way to help stem rising diabetes rates in Nunavut, as well as cover health care costs related to obesity.

Okalik contends that implementing a pop tax would help reduce the vast amounts of the beverage being consumed in Nunavut and raise more revenues for the government.

In rejecting the proposal, Peterson said there is no need to impose the tax with Nunavut's balanced budget, and such a move would adversely affect the territory's poorer population.

He then admitted the steep rise in tobacco taxes four years ago has done little, if anything, to lower the number of smokers in Nunavut.

There is no denying the risk those who light up are taking with their own health, but it was refreshing to hear a minister state the only thing the high tax rate on tobacco has done in Nunavut is give the government more money.

Numerous studies show high tobacco taxes are felt most strongly by those who live below the poverty line.

Senior abuse also rises, due to younger smokers demanding money from parents and grandparents to get their tobacco fix.

And those who point to tobacco use as the main drain on the health-care system know full well obesity costs the system more, especially when one takes into account the billions of tax dollars smokers pour into provincial, territorial and federal coffers each year.

That said, there are more than a few people who would welcome a pop tax, and look upon it as a way to help prevent rising diabetes in the territory, and encourage healthy choices among our youth when they reach for something to quench their thirst.

Of course, these are the same people naive enough to believe no one under a certain age can get their hands on caffeine-laden energy drinks because the sign posted in the store says so.

A number of people have also attacked the minister for his comments that a pop tax would actually take food off of people's tables. In their Utopian view of the world, the tax would immediately have people staying away from pop and making healthier choices.

Unfortunately, in the real world, that's nothing more than wishful thinking and Peterson knows it.

Those who point to increased tobacco taxes as the reason the number of smokers has decreased in Canada during the past two decades are simply playing the shell game.

Tobacco use has dropped primarily because of the increase in information on the negative effects of its use, and the educational programs put in our schools.

While the appeal of a quick-fix tax is hard to resist for some, the same educational approach must be taken and maintained to convince our youth to live healthier lifestyles.

Education, information and honesty are the real bars to helping people make better choices.

Tax as a deterrent is nothing more than a few flakes of fool's gold.

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Balm for decades of pain
NWT News/North - Monday, March 22, 2010

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Imagine yourself as a child not being allowed to acknowledge or talk to your own mother and father as they walked down the street.

That was the harsh reality for some residential school students.

Adults who endured such profound hurt are sharing their stories during gatherings like the Journey Home Mission in Deline from March 1 to 5.

Close to 100 residential school survivors attended the Deline meeting.

The abuse started with the removal of children from their homes, taken away from the love, guidance and traditional teachings of their parents. It continued through the dismantling of their First Nations culture and identity: shaving hair, putting on uniforms, changing names and forbidding the use of native tongues.

For some, it only got worse with beatings and sexual abuse.

Only in the past few years have there been apologies from the church and the prime minister for the role the federal government played in residential schools.

There have also been lump-sum payments as compensation for the pain and dysfunction the residential school experienced caused.

But money and apologies don't magically erase the legacy of hurt. Not even close.

It may take generations for some families to regain the parenting skills and overcome the addictions formed to mask or dull the pain.

In the meantime, progress can be made through sharing, a principle First Nations have espoused for centuries.

"It was excellent," Deline's Michael Neyelle said of the March gathering. "They should have had this a long time ago and they should have it again."

The people of Deline and every other NWT community should continue to make such meetings a reality. Although the Aboriginal Healing Foundation funding will expire at the end of this month, the federal government has set aside $65.9 million through Health Canada for further support for residential school students over the next two years.

Let's make use of that money for healing purposes.

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Add more band members, add more funding
NWT News/North - Monday, March 22, 2010

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The federal government is finally proposing to recognize the aboriginal status of grandchildren of First Nations women who marry non-aboriginal men.

That announcement came last week, but a year after a B.C. Court of Appeal ruling that compelled the federal government to act.

This may result in 45,000 new members of First Nations around the country.

Of course that comes with an associated cost, as bands will have more members to account for administratively and greater demands on already limited funds.

The federal government has made no assurances that funding to First Nations will be increased accordingly, yet that is exactly what should happen.

Sandra Lockhart, chair of the Public Service Alliance of Canada NWT Aboriginal Peoples Committee, said "By not having the money to go with it, it's strategic in the sense that it has the immense potential to be divisive to the First Nations themselves."

She means increased demands on limited funding sets up people to argue where money should go when there is not enough money to go around. Was this the government's plan?

The courts have put Ottawa in a position to fix a historic wrong. Our federal politicians shouldn't attempt to do it in a way that creates even more problems.

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Heavy duty
Nunavut News/North - Monday, March 22, 2010

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On March 5, residents gathered in Grise Fiord to honour a number of people who had volunteered, and some who continue to volunteer, with the hamlet's community justice committee.

Grise Fiord's committee is losing a few of its longest-serving members and is seeking volunteers to take their place.

Al Hartley, the director of the community justice division of the Department of Justice, acknowledged how difficult it can be to find people willing to serve on such a board within a small community.

"It really takes someone who is very courageous, self-confident and who believes in the good of this to be on the committee," he said.

Also this month, 11 people selected randomly from the communities of Kimmirut and Iqaluit were handed the unenviable task of deciding the fate of a man who admitted he killed a police officer, but swore he hadn't intended to.

When Pingoatuk Kolola shot RCMP Const. Douglas Scott on the night of Nov. 5, 2007, the people of Kimmirut were instrumental in bringing the events to a conclusion without further bloodshed. They warned the other officer to stay indoors. They talked Kolola, who had barricaded himself into his home, into letting them remove his young son from the premises. And then they talked him out of using the gun on himself.

Given the choice of convicting Kolola of first-degree murder or manslaughter, the 11 jurors spent about three and a half days deliberating. At the heart of the issue was whether Kolola had intended to harm Const. Scott - and what the jury decided would affect not only the length of his time locked up in a federal penitentiary down south, but the financial well-being and reputation of his family.

After delivering their verdict of first-degree murder, some of the jurors left the courtroom sobbing.

The verdict brought joy to no one. Even the RCMP and Const. Scott's family's appreciation of justice done was tempered with compassion, acknowledging a family of six has lost their father, and a whole community has been traumatized.

Justice Kilpatrick has asked that counselling be made available to the jurors.

The administration of justice in small communities is not easy. Being asked to pass judgment on their fellow citizens and decide on appropriate punishments - all the while knowing each accused's history and meeting their relatives daily in the community -- can become a moral and emotional burden.

As Hartley stated, those charged with dispensing justice need to be courageous, confident and have faith that what they are doing is for the good of the community.

Those who accept this challenge deserve the thanks of all Nunavummiut and any kind of counselling support they require.

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For green and glory
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 19, 2010

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Citizens can be forgiven for thinking "going green" is code for higher taxes.

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.

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The Deh Cho seen through fresh eyes
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, March 18, 2010

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If you live in one place for long enough, things that once seemed novel and exciting soon become commonplace or are completely overlooked.

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.

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Hear, hear for pond hockey
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, March 18, 2010

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The idea of hosting a 3-on-3 pond hockey tournament on the Mackenzie River is such a good idea. Most people, I'm sure, will wonder, "why didn't I think of that?"

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.

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Research centre a golden opportunity
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, March 18, 2010

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Monday's Western Arctic Research Centre's ground-breaking ceremony provided an illustration of the outstanding results that can be realized when people and governments work together. It also showed that the federal government can move sooner rather than later when pushed, even when those voices come from the vote-starved region of the North.

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.