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Positive trend NWT News/North - Monday, August 2, 2010
Although crime rates in the NWT are still significantly higher when compared to the national averages there was a four per cent decline in incidents of crime between 2008 and 2009. The figures are so encouraging government officials have labelled the decrease a trend and are hoping to build on the success. It's always difficult to pinpoint exactly what factors contribute to crime rates. Demographics, according to Sgt. Law Power with RCMP G division, plays a key role. Compared to other jurisdictions the NWT has a much younger population and although Power emphasizes that doesn't mean all young people are criminals he said younger populations are generally more responsible for breaking the law, specifically relating to property and violent offences. Shirley Kemeys-Jones, director of community justice and community policing, attributes the success in crime reduction to community-based crime prevention initiatives and increased enforcement. Power commended the GNWT for its responsiveness to addressing staffing requests from G division, adding the RCMP in the NWT has benefited from some of the highest staffing levels it has seen in years. As of June 24 the department had two vacancies territory-wide - one of which was administrative. However, RCMP staffing and crime prevention programs aside, the most notable factor attributed to the lower crime rate is public participation. Kemeys-Jones said more people are stepping up to report crime. This speaks to a growing recognition from residents that they must take responsibility for the safety of their communities. It is also indicative of a growing positive relationship between members of the community and the RCMP. Power said all police officers stationed in the NWT come voluntarily and are not subjected to mandatory postings, which means officers working here have chosen to work in the North, which often makes them more invested in our communities. Overall, there were 18,279 crimes in our territory reported to police in 2009. That number can surely be reduced even further. The GNWT, the RCMP and the public are on the right track when it comes to addressing the high crime rates in the NWT. Hopefully we will build on this success in the future. In order to do that the government, the police and the general public will need to further strengthen the encouraging signs we have seen lately.
Change needed in High Arctic Nunavut News/North - Monday, August 2, 2010 Getting around Nunavut is always a challenge, but for residents of the High Arctic communities, the situation is worse than most. First of all, it's expensive. And second, residents of High Arctic communities have no guarantee of being able to leave or return when they choose. They are at the mercy of the weather, made worse by the infrequency of the commercial flight schedule. In Grise Fiord, for example, one or two bumped or cancelled flights means travel plans could be delayed up to a week or longer, resulting in missed work, missed school, missed meetings and missed training sessions. Even government-run consultations and workshops touring the territory often have to skip these communities and try again later, sometimes only making it in on their second or third attempt. This inability to participate in the face-to-face opportunities others enjoy makes High Arctic residents essentially second-class citizens in their own territory. An adult round-trip ticket between Grise Fiord and Resolute costs more than $1,000. Flights are scheduled twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays, but can be delayed or cancelled due to weather and the small planes have low weight restrictions, limiting capacity. A subsidy for travel on the existing commercial airline service would reduce the cost of airfare but do nothing to improve the likelihood of being able to fly in or out of these communities. The consultants who wrote the High Arctic Transportation Cost Study recommended option five, in which the government would charter an aircraft to make regular flights between the communities and Iqaluit, where most passenger traffic is headed for government and medical travel. The downside is this would overlap with the current commercial service. The airlines serving the High Arctic say they're doing the best they can, given the small market and the high cost of serving it. They are certainly right in that Grise Fiord, Arctic Bay and Resolute are not Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal - large, bustling cities with enough demand for multiple flights daily between them on competing airlines. That's because the High Arctic communities were established by the federal government for the sake of sovereignty, not logic. They are, in fact, logistical nightmares when it comes to transportation and re-supply. That the communities of Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay have persisted for more than 50 years is a testament to the resourcefulness and determination of the people who live there despite the obstacles stacked against them. Frequent, reliable air service to these communities will never be profitable for a private company. That's why it's essential for the government to step in and help, but in consultation with the airlines whose input has not yet been invited. These changes must be made in a way that does not eliminate airline revenues to the region. A combination of subsidies or vouchers for commercial flights with government-chartered flights to regional hubs is necessary, however, to provide High Arctic residents with the same level of service other Nunavummiut expect.
Common sense safety Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 30, 2010
This number exceeds the total deaths involving cars and snowmobiles in the territory during the same time period, a startling statistic for a population of close to 42,000.
This summer has seen its share of tragedy that could have been avoided and numerous incidents that didn't result in tragedy but easily could have. Colin Lafferty, 44, died July 1 in the waters of Akaitcho Bay near Dettah after the boat he was in capsized in the frigid waters. Lafferty and two other men, all of whom weren't wearing life-jackets, were dumped into the chilly water. Lafferty attempted to swim to shore, but did not make it.
On May 30, Fort Liard resident Isidore Lomen fell out of his boat on the Liard River while in pursuit of a moose. He was also not wearing a life-jacket. His body was found days later.
According to an article on hypothermia in Scientific American, a person can survive in 5 C water for up to 20 minutes before the muscles get weak, the person begins to lose co-ordination and strength, which happens because blood moves away from the extremities and toward the centre, or core, of the body.
The GNWT issued a press release yesterday reminding people to wear life-jackets, a reminder that should not be needed. Life-jackets might be uncomfortable, visually unappealing and make a hot day feel even hotter but common sense must prevail when going out on the water. Like wearing a seat belt when driving, boaters should always wear life-jackets.
Earl Blacklock, spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, said family must not allow their loved ones to "get on the boat until they have their life-jackets on." He also said boaters must refrain from alcohol consumption, a significant reason for many of the boating deaths in the NWT over the last decade.
One 2009 study reported the drowning rate in the North is five to 10 times higher than the national average.
The NWT and Nunavut are the only jurisdictions in Canada that don't require a boating licence or mandatory safety training for boat operation. Indeed, forcing NWT residents to get a licence and complete safety courses will be met with much resistance if the government ever decided to legislate it - but what else can the government do?
People continue to die on the waters because they are not acting safely. While many people do take safety precautions, concern over the small number who defy common sense may eventually force the government to impose safety testing and licensing.
By comparison, putting on a life-jacket is so much easier.
As surely as if it was written in bold, black letters on a billboard the fence says, "Stay out, we mean it." The eight feet of chain link fence held up by posts encased in concrete and topped with three strands of barbwire that point menacingly out at the village certainly makes a statement.
There are those in the village who think that it's too much of a statement, that the fence which now encloses the department's Fort Simpson compound is an over reaction. The real issue is not that the department erected the fence but that the staff believed it was necessary and they were probably right. Let's review the facts.
Starting in January and lasting into the spring the department's office was the target of five break-ins while its warehouse was hit three times. For the damage caused to office doors and gun lockers alone the department was being put out approximately $10,000 for some of the incidents.
The break-ins show the department's security was lax but it doesn't mean that it was inviting in or deserving of the incidents.
In some ways the more troubling issue from a safety, if not a monetary standpoint is the foot traffic that passes through the department's yard. Walking is a popular mode of transportation for some in the village and well-established footpaths are used to get between certain areas. The compound happens to be in the route of two of these paths.
Walking certainly isn't a crime but the yard is a high traffic area with large truck and trailers driving through regularly. Adults are adept at dodging traffic but children often aren't and a lot of the pedestrians are young.
During the construction of the fence one child, between the ages of four to five, had to be escorted from the yard when they was discovered playing there with a toy and a puppy. Cases like that one happen regularly, said Carl Lafferty, the department's regional superintendent
In addition to walking through the yard youths, with time on their hands and little else to do, are often drawn to the activity and equipment in the compound. The chance of having important and expensive equipment, including gear used to fight forest fires, tampered with worries the department's staff.
The response to all of these issues is the fence.
The fence isn't just there for the department's safety, it's helping to secure the safety of the village and the region.
So far this summer there have been at least three water rescues just outside of Inuvik alone requiring the expertise of local volunteers, the resources of police and, in Conley's case, the assistance of Canada's National Search and Rescue Program.
Fortunately, none of those three incidents resulted in any serious injuries and no one in Inuvik has drowned this year, though town residents are not strangers to the kind of grief that bubbles up after the river claims the life of a loved one.
Earlier this month, for example, friends and family marked the first anniversary of the death of 14-year-old Burton Keevik, who drowned in the Mackenzie River's east channel July 6 of last year. According to the most recent NWT Coroner's report, six NWT residents were confirmed to have drowned in 2008. It happens all too often and is almost always preventable.
Every year, police and organizations such as the Lifesaving Society of Alberta/NWT run public awareness campaigns, harping on the importance of wearing life-jackets, planning routes and packing proper supplies. But every year, people forget to wear life-jackets, get lost and run out of fuel or food. It happens, even to experienced travellers. And when it does, families despair, search parties form, and, when deemed necessary, Hercules aircraft fly to the rescue. Whether or not they make it on time is another issue. Regardless, taxpayers are still on the hook for upwards of $80,000 per Northern Herc trip - a fact that often preoccupies callous minds while some unfortunate traveller, whether a local hunter or a southern adventurer, finds himself hanging in the balance between life and death.
In an attempt to cut down on the occurrences of such dangerous, time-consuming and expensive mishaps, the Inuvik RCMP has begun recommending all travellers carry some type of reliable communication device in case of emergency while travelling, favouring portable GPS gadgets that can deliver an SOS message and the individual's exact geographical co-ordinates with the push of a button.
Some may decry the use of this technology as breeding laziness or ignorance among inexperienced travellers - certainly, it's not the traditional way. Older generations never had digital devices to tell them which way to turn or who to call for help. They had to learn how to survive on the land and become completely self-sufficient.
Self-sufficiency is an admirable and worthwhile goal and wilderness training can prove invaluable. But in an emergency situation when your life may be at stake - even if you think it could never happen to you - do what you can to prevent any kind of foreseeable disaster; if not for your own peace of mind, then for those you may leave behind.
Katie May is interim editor of Inuvik Drum. Andrew Rankin will return in September.
That may change as the City of Yellowknife is moving towards acquiring the property. Mayor Gord Van Tighem said last week that a draft bylaw will go before a committee of council in early September.
That may come as a relief to some as the area has become a de facto dump, a place where some residents leave old vehicles, equipment and construction materials without having to worry about storage or parking fees of any kind.
Enforcement is essentially a joke as that responsibility has long lied with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Burlington, Ont., office, which oversees departmental property. The last thing on the minds of bureaucrats thousands of kilometres from here is whether people in Yellowknife are obeying all the rules at the dock.
By taking control of the dock, the city would be in a position to impose fees. While this will upset some, so long as dialogue takes place and the costs are within reason, everyone should accept that you cannot have something for nothing.
The city could not only make sure the law is upheld, it could access federal dollars through a national small craft harbour fund.
This sounds promising, but for longtime Yellowknifers, the decades of missed opportunities for waterfront development in the best interest of the public is not easy to overlook.
The area around the former Bartam Trailer Court is a prime example. Residents who occupied the mobile homes along that School Draw Avenue location had the land sold from underneath them by the city in the late 1980s.
There was much talk of what to do with the site, with many city dwellers adamant that a boat launch and public access be the top priority. Yet that never happened.
Instead there were years of debate and battles with developer Mike Mrdjenovich, who wanted to build a seniors complex on the site.
Decades later, what do we have now? Nothing to show for it. Sadly, the city is still at loggerheads with Mrdjenovich over the same property, taking him to task over a fence that violates a bylaw. What a shame.
At least we're fortunate to have the boardwalk and gravel trail around Rotary Park nearby. Otherwise there would be nothing to show despite the passage of many years.
A Community Waterfront Plan has been on a shelf collecting dust for ages.
City council, due to its three-year elected terms, suffers from short-term vision despite its 50-year visioning plan. That's counter to what the government dock and the waterfront need.
The job is best left to a designated authority created to serve the public's will well into the future. Harbour commission, anyone?
To truly appreciate just how perilous Canada's claim to Arctic sovereignty may prove itself to be, the work of historian Shelagh Grant is mandatory reading.
The fact of the matter is, almost every shift in claim to the Arctic has come about either by climate change or advances in technology.
To cut to the chase, the easier it is to access valuable resources in the Arctic - whether that be the furs of yesteryear or the natural resources of tomorrow - the more players try to stake their claims to the riches.
The latest player to enter the race for Arctic riches is China, which is in the process of building the world's largest icebreaker and has also requested observer status at the Arctic Council.
There can be no doubt China is preparing itself to cash in on any Arctic treasure that becomes available.
And, the further fact of the matter is, the majority of the world views Arctic waterways as international waters, and that includes our big brother to the south.
The Americans view the waters of the Northwest Passage, in particular, as uncontrolled and free to travel.
Grant has stated on the record Canada has little chance of backing its claim to sovereignty if we don't start putting more armed patrol ships and icebreakers in the Arctic immediately.
The feds also need to construct a deep-sea port as soon as possible, and show the world it can enforce its own regulations and control foreign shipping in Canadian waters.
In short, the time has come for Canada to flex some muscle and show we're ready to back up our claims of sovereignty with action.
Many, who call the Arctic home, are going about their lives completely oblivious to the all-too-real danger brewing just outside what we claim to be our Arctic borders.
To them, denial is a wonderful thing.
But if waterways continue to open and natural-resource riches are discovered, the stakes will continue to rise in this most perilous game of Arctic claims poker.
And there are precious few, if any, allies to be found at this particular table.
Countries are holding quiet (read secret) meetings concerning Arctic sovereignty on an almost monthly basis.
Unless Canada steps up its claim to sovereignty quickly, it is only a matter of time before a major power decides to run a gambit to gain an advantage in fulfilling its own self-interests.
And, believe it or not, right now we fit the bill as the proverbial sacrificial pawn in such a move.
Make no mistake. These are dangerous times for those of us who call the Arctic home, especially if our fellow Canadians in Quebec or Ontario decide defending our sovereignty isn't worth the price tag that comes with it.
In addition to her strong message to the Canadian government, Grant also sends one directly to the majority of our Arctic populace when she states the importance of having Inuit directly involved in any international discussions on the future of the Arctic.
She's sending out a chilly warning of what could easily come to pass in our own backyard.
The alarm is sounding. Is anybody listening - hard enough?
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