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A tax is a tax NWT News/North - Monday, October 11, 2010
Both Minister Michael Miltenberger and Doug Ritchie, program director of Yellowknife-based Ecology North, insist on calling the carbon tax cost neutral. To struggling families in small communities, cost neutral is a made-up bureaucratic term. In practise, the tax will significantly increase the cost of living. Once the tax is applied, NWT families will not magically consume less energy to heat their homes, nor will the cost of healthy food suddenly drop to affordable levels. It will not be cheaper to fly out of our many communities cut off from road access. In fact, businesses have already stated they will have to pass increased fuel costs to their customers -- meaning food, flights and everyday goods and services will cost more. Ritchie, who lives in Yellowknife, stated in a letter to the editor once the tax is implemented people can use tax rebates for energy retrofits to their homes, which will decrease energy costs. That is an easy statement for someone living in Yellowknife where employment is abundant, milk costs $5 instead of $12 and people aren't crammed into deteriorating homes like sardines. In reality, tax rebate dollars will likely go to groceries, clothing and other daily expenses, all of which will cost more due to the tax increase. Evidence has shown households in the communities are already energy conscientious -- they have to be. The NWT power corp. has repeatedly stated that a vast majority -- around 80 per cent -- of homes in the communities limit their power consumption in an effort to keep their rates within the subsidized consumption limit, a conservation measure that works. Without serious improvements to housing, transportation networks and food costs, the carbon tax will not mean less energy consumption, it will merely mean higher costs to families, especially those living outside the major urban centres.
New Mosque a welcome addition NWT News/North - Monday, October 11, 2010 At the end of September, Inuvik welcomed Canada's Northern-most mosque. The structure, shipped from Winnipeg, underwent a harrowing journey, one followed closely by national media. Delayed by road construction, the building almost ended up in the river on at least one occasion. When it finally arrived, it was greeted on the banks of the Mackenzie by Inuvik's Muslim community with an Islamic song of praise. Diversity is one of the defining characteristics of Canada. To see multiple cultures and religions from coast to coast to coast is a testament to our nation's tolerance and acceptance. Aside from a place of worship, Inuvik's mosque serves as an example to other nations and other communities in our country that people of different races and creeds can live in harmony.
Don't penalize Inuit language Nunavut News/North - Monday, October 11, 2010 The Inuit language has a couple of major disadvantages. One can be solved by the government, the other can be solved by the will of Nunavummiut. The first challenge is the expense. The Government of Nunavut passed the Inuit Language Protection Act on Sept. 18, 2008. Among the aims of that legislation is to make the Inuit language more prominent in the territory. That is to be accomplished, in part, by forcing businesses and organizations to post signs in an Inuit language and to serve the public in an Inuit language. These are admirable goals - currently without deadlines, however - to preserve the language. The problem is those objectives will come at great expense to businesses and organizations. Nunavut doesn't have enough qualified interpreters and translators, and the existing ones deserve whatever they can command in compensation for their valuable services. Yet when faced with budgeting for translations, most businesses choose instead to use English, which costs them nothing. Even the government is guilty. Languages commissioner Alexina Kublu chided the GN on Sept. 29 for neglecting Inuit languages. Her report showed that government voicemails, websites and press releases used English foremost while including Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and French only a fraction of the time. To avoid having the same situation occur among territorial businesses in the future, especially small operators with small profit margins, the government ought to cover the bulk of the cost of providing interpretation and translation services. If the GN's funds are too tight, then a strong case should be presented to the federal Canadian Heritage department. The other major issue that hinders Inuit language is the great divide between the use of syllabics (symbols) and Roman orthography - the letters that English-speaking individuals recognize as A to Z. There have been numerous calls for standardization of the way the language is written to help it grow. That would make sense. Roman orthography is the way to go. It's what the younger generation identifies with, and they are the future of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. The common use of letters would allow Inuit across Nunavut to better communicate with each other as well as with the broader Inuit community around the world. An estimated two-thirds of Nunavut's population speaks an Inuit dialect as a first language, a number that is suspected to be in decline. The GN is fostering Inuit language lessons at the elementary school level and is planning to expand that to Grade 12 by 2017. That's a date that some argue is too late, and they're right. Although there is a shortage of Inuit language teachers at the high school level, schools that are able to offer such classes sooner should certainly do so. In the meantime, Kublu, like languages commissioners before her, has urged families to use Inuit languages at home. In a race to shore up a mother tongue that is being jostled by politics and high costs, that is the best advice of all.
Ticket to luxury Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 8, 2010
Last year, the Speaker of the legislative assembly was positively indignant over a critical editorial. "I've seen how most of the world lives, and it's not exotic," he wrote in a letter to the editor published in Yellowknifer April 24. He must have better luck escaping the compound walls of his hotel, unlike his travel mate to last month's Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro. She had to rely on photos handed to her by other delegates to show her what life was like in those un-exotic parts of Nairobi. That didn't stop Bisaro from drawing lame comparisons between poverty in Kenya and social problems in the Northwest Territories in a subsequent interview with this newspaper. But after visiting her posh hotel's website, where room prices range from US$259 to $609 a night, we can understand why she may have preferred to stay within the confines of the Fairmont the Norfolk during her stay in Nairobi. "All guest rooms are luxuriously furnished, have plush carpeting and deep velour soft furnishings," the website boasts, before inviting browsers to check out photos of the colonial era hotel's six restaurants (one of them is in a pool), its 18-hole golf course, and the spa and health club. Take a look at the photos accompanying this editorial; there's more at www.fairmont.com/norfolkhotel. Bisaro cast herself as a waste cutter and anti-poverty advocate when she began her term in the legislative assembly three years ago. In February she introduced an anti-poverty motion that her legislative colleagues supported. She also railed against the $2.5 million the territorial government set aside to attend the Winter Olympics, and demanded the government do more to address the cost of living. So, when it comes to poverty, she has said the right things. Yet when there's a perk to be had, like this parliamentary conference, it appears Bisaro will gladly jump on board with the rest of the MLAs who attend these trips. Is there anything about another nation's governance that one cannot learn through Internet research these days? There's no need to dole out close to $30,000 for two MLAs to bask in opulence overseas. What message does Bisaro think she and her other colleagues in the legislative assembly send when they tell us to tighten our belts and propose we pay a carbon tax while they go jet-setting around the world? Who cares if they have deemed us worthy enough after all these years to finally submit a report on these silly trips. Please, will someone among them finally acknowledge that these excursions to glad-hand with Third World kleptocracies is waste of their time and our money.
Transparency makes for easy reading Editorial Comment Kassina Ryder Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, October 7, 2010
However, after spending a week reporting in the Northwest Territories, I've realized just how different the two territories are in terms of covering the news. Many government departments in Nunavut seem to have orientation processes that include terrifying new employees about what will happen if they speak to the media without authorization. Teachers and other kind-hearted individuals who take pictures at school events can be a community newspaper's bread and butter. You can imagine my horror when I started calling schools last fall only to have the newly hired crop of teachers tell me they were very sorry, but they weren't allowed to speak to me about the bake sale. So, the bake sale (or school dance or fundraiser) didn't get covered that week. This was during the H1N1 outbreak, and teachers had received direction that they were not to speak to reporters. But the message that bake sales were OK to talk about, but H1N1 wasn't, got lost along the way. But here in the NWT, I wrote a story about Family Violence Awareness Week for this edition of the paper. When I realized I would have to call the Department of Health and Social Services to speak with a frontline worker, my journalistic heart sank. I prepared myself for a long, hard slog through the department's communications department. Where I come from, you have a better chance of meeting the Pope than actually speaking with a social worker or a nurse in a community. But I picked up the phone and spoke with the head of the department, who then passed my information along to the person I needed to speak with. About half an hour later, the phone rang. The person I needed to speak with had called me back! As I wiped tears of gratitude from my eyes with one hand and jotted down notes with the other, I wondered how something that would have almost been a battle in one territory, can be so simple in another. Is it the fact that Nunavut is younger? Is it the crippling shortage of resources and workers in government departments? And while I'm sure reporting in the NWT won't be all roses, I do know one thing. I could get used to this. Kassina Ryder is acting editor of Deh Cho Drum. Roxanna Thompson will return later this month.
We need Healthy Foods? Editorial Comment Andrew Rankin Inuvik Drum - Thursday, October 7, 2010
The non-profit organization, which was based in Inuvik for the last few years, showed real progress in getting people to eat healthier. Its mandate was to both conduct research about the eating habits of at-risk aboriginal residents and, at the same time, encourage them to live healthier. The power of the program laid in its simplicity. Employees in Inuvik went out to stores and special events with healthy food samples. They approached people armed with the knowledge to explain what they were eating. People responded. As evidence of its success, the program spread into Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, Cambridge Bay and Taloyoak, Nunavut. Thanks to a bunch of funding from the territorial government, the program showed signs of progress. The program appeared to stick to its simple and practical philosophy. Community Residents were hired to go out and work with individuals and families. The Drum found out first-hand how this method was making a positive difference. People, for example, were consuming diet pop instead of regular and some families switched to 1 per cent milk from homogenized. Not earth-shattering results but progress nonetheless. The other positive about the program was its emphasis on promoting healthy country foods and getting people to make subtle but significant changes to their diet. Employees in Tuk ran a summer muktuk-making workshop. Traditional recipes were freely distributed. The activities encouraged healthy living while respecting cultural practises. Studies showed that in most of the participating communities progress was being made. If things needed to be changed up, employees would go back to the community for solutions. That progress has been stalled. Without notice, the territorial government withdrew its funding for the program. The sudden and unannounced move provided no opportunity for residents to argue against the government's decision. The GNWT didn't provide much of a reason why it decided to end its support of the program. That's particularly concerning since Healthy Foods North appeared to be a great start in the challenge to try to control abnormally high obesity and diabetes rates in the North. The territorial government hasn't come up with an alternative plan to compliment the work Healthy Foods has achieved across the North, which is a kind of an insult to the professionals and concerned resident who have done their part to make a difference. Without a plan, one can surmise that a certain section of our population isn't really a priority for the government. Perhaps it thinks the problem will take care of itself. The government talks about the need to make its residents healthier. But the GNWT can't ignore two major problems facts: that produce prices are way too high for many large families and many wouldn't eat enough of it no matter the cost. At least Healthy Foods North seemed to be facing the problem head-on. Now that it's gone, it's anybody's guess what will happen next. Sale of land good move Yellowknifer - Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Falck family has used a portion of the Brock Drive extension to park their car, put up a basketball net and build a garden - similar to what four previous owners of the home next to the road have also done. Some neighbours in the area are against the sale of the land, claiming there are safety issues with traffic congestion -- although city officials said no accidents have been reported there -- and the potential loss of access to a walking path to the waterfront. The city's plan is to sell a 32 metre by 5.2 metre section of the land to the Falcks at fair market value. Most importantly, council will rezone the other portion as a nature preservation to protect access to the path. While a few councillors are not happy with the decision, they are right in saying it's the best solution available. By selling the land the city is only making official what has been happening for years. From one corner of the city to the other, residents have been using municipal property to store possessions such as cars, snowmobiles, equipment and even garbage. If complaints like this one continue to be raised, it might not be long before city officials start confronting other residents on using property without permission, and the outcome may not be the same as in this case.
Inconnu's resurgence a grand development Yellowknifer - Wednesday, October 6, 2010 After decades of scarce inconnu catches in Yellowknife Bay, they have begun to reappear in our waters. The species began to drop off in the 1940s and '50s, at the same time Con mine, and later Giant, was in full-swing. The inconnu were once very plentiful in the Yellowknife River before disappearing, according to former Yellowknives Dene Chief Fred Sangris. Since the closure of the city's two gold mines there has been a comeback not only of inconnu, but other fish species in Yellowknife Bay, including lake trout and Arctic grayling. It seems likely the operation of the gold mines had something to do with the vanishing of these species. As Sangris points out, many Dene believe there is a correlation between the underground blasting that was going on at the mines and the disappearance of inconnu. It is food for thought, just as pollution from Giant was surely a culprit in a decades-long interruption in the grayling run in Baker Creek, which was restored when that body of water was cleaned up. It's clear that resource development can do harm to ecosystems. That is not to say that developing resources should be cast aside, but with a growing body of scientific data and the recognition of aboriginal traditional knowledge, we can and should do a much better job of monitoring the environment.
No excuses when being healthy is made easy Editorial Comment Erika Sherk Kivalliq News - Wednesday, October 6, 2010 It's closer to Halloween than New Year's, but it's still a good time to look oneself in the mirror and own up to the fact that it's time to get healthy. This could mean a major overhaul - start exercising, substitute water and fruit for the pop and chips on your shelf, quit smoking once and for all - or maybe just take a small step in the right direction. In Rankin Inlet, all kinds of factors are conspiring to make it easier to approach that sometimes scary decision to start working to feel healthy and fit. The grocery store has brought in all kinds of new fruits and vegetables - part of its new Healthy Eating campaign. Aerobics has just started a new season in the Leo Ussak Elementary School gym. It's three times a week and all you have to do is motivate yourself to get there. Once you arrive, Adriana Kusugak will have you sweating and strengthening like nobody's business. It's one measly hour but even if you go just once a week, it will start making a difference. One attendee has - with the aid of a healthy diet - lost over 50 pounds in the last year by showing up to aerobics three times a week. Yin yoga just started up on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the same gym, and to those who think yoga is a load of new-age stretching and chanting, it's actually an incredible workout that strengthens and stretches and generally makes one feel like a million bucks - and there's no reason to feel intimidated. The people attending these classes are a whole range of ages and sizes and if you've got a T-shirt and sweatpants, then you've got the clothes. Exercise classes in the south can be an intimidating show of 20-something experts clad in matching spandex running through routines complex enough to make the average person's mind spin. Up here, however, it's inclusive. This, of course, means there are no excuses! There are plenty of health problems in Nunavut and many can be attributed to bad eating and little exercise and the obesity that comes with that combo. Diabetes, heart failure, cavities and rotting teeth, high blood pressure - these are not nice things to have. It's a choice. You can put in a bit of effort and make a few sacrifices. The payoff is feeling great, avoiding many major illnesses, and lengthening your life. Doesn't that seem like a good deal? Even just walking is excellent exercise. Put your headphones on and hit the road for half and hour, just one morning, and see how you feel. Bet you'll get hooked. Keep this in mind; studies have been done which prove exercise is more effective than anti-depressant drugs. "We now have evidence to support the claim that exercise is related to positive mental health as indicated by relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety," is the message of one study by Arizona University. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem." How can anyone resist?
Corrections An Oct. 4, 2010, News/North article incorrectly stated the Town of Hay River recently hired its first full-time fire chief. In fact, the town previously had one other full-time fire chief. The late George Gray was a full-time fire chief in the mid-1970s.
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