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Stewards of the land NWT News/North - Monday, October 25, 2010
Cheyeanne Paulette, chief of Smith's Landing, said the First Nation decided to stop negotiations with ATCO Power and Trans-Canada Corporation on plans to build a hydro-facility on the Slave River. Band members were against the proposed dam -- which had yet to go through a feasibility study -- because a reservoir required for the project would have caused flooding on reserve land on the Alberta side of Smith's Landing territory. Paulette said the decision was easy as the economic potential of the project did not balance with the potential harm to the land and animal habitat. He went on to say that Smith's Landing has a vision for the river and the land that surrounds it saying, "It will continue to be a home for our people for all time." A clear sense of vision, similar to that of the Smith's Landing people, is key when deciding on future development in the territory. As highly criticized as the Joint Review Panel process was, its goal was to find a common vision and determine how to integrate it into a development plan for a pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley. Unfortunately, the GNWT and the federal government have once again shown how out of touch they are with the people of the NWT in their poor response to the JRP. The territory and Ottawa's stubborn refusal to supply public justification for their recommendations and their choice to reject many of the JRP's recommendations will undermine the common vision the report hoped to establish. By creating controversy and suspicion as to motives, the government put its own goals at risk because aboriginal, environmental and citizen groups along the pipeline route want their interests protected as much as oil companies and governments want their revenues. And while the logic behind the official positions may well be sound, with no discussion, a large measure of public support is jeopardized. People want more transparency from government, not less. Again, where's the vision? Using Smith's Landing's recent decision as a model -- albeit on a much smaller scale -- teaches a valuable lesson; the land is as important as the almighty dollar in the NWT and if companies wishing to work here don't grasp that concept, they will continue to be plagued by public resistance. It's unfortunate our own government fails to grasp such a simple message considering it has been shouted loud and clear for years.
Sober second thought Nunavut News/North - Monday, October 25, 2010 Those who dare to assert themselves as authorities over liquor in our communities are bound to face some angry reactions. And yet they are paid nothing, or very little. In several communities, these caring individuals assemble as part of alcohol education committees, usually once a month. It is their task to determine who is worthy of an alcohol importation permit. They grant the requests based on people's history with alcohol and knowing what other events are planned within the same time frame. A denial of a permit can, on some occasions, lead to nasty confrontations and threats - yet committee members get no financial compensation to offset the hassle. Yes, these people volunteer their time because they want the best for their communities, places where liquor is restricted. But some members are demanding funding. If money were available they could actually fulfil their role of better educating Nunavummiut about the dangers of alcohol and perhaps even take training to offer counselling. In Clyde River, committee members do receive a $50 monthly honorarium. Since April 1 of this year, the committee has survived on just $1,750 in revenues generated through liquor permit application fees. Donna Adams, chair of the GN's task force on revising the Liquor Act, agreed there is a lack of support for alcohol education committees. Well, let's change that. Finance Minister Keith Peterson created the 10-person Liquor Act task force. At great expense, they are travelling to 25 communities across the territory for consultations into March 2011. Obviously, the government considers alcohol abuse a significant problem. Peterson has already mentioned the possibility of substantially increasing fines for bootlegging. He should just do that. Let those who illegally import or sell alcohol pay dearly, and turn that money over to alcohol education committees. Nunavut's rate of severe crime - primarily incidents of violence - was twice as high as any of the provinces in 2009, according to Statistics Canada data released in June of this year. Nunavut and Manitoba were the only places with rising rates of severe crime, and Nunavut had the most killings per capita in the entire country - there have already been half a dozen this year. Police officers have told us many times over that alcohol fuels most violent crime in the territory. It's no secret. Statistics Canada has also shown us that Nunavut ranks second per capita in alcohol sales in Canada, with 31,000 people - a good number of them not even at the legal drinking age - accounting for $5.4 million in alcohol sales last year. A minimum of 10 per cent of those sales - $540,000 - should go to cleaning up the mess those same sales create. To argue otherwise would be a clear-cut case of denial.
Women need transitional home Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 22, 2010
Scott Landry, the co-ordinator of the men's transitional home, reported earlier this month that 14 men have voluntarily moved out of the house and into their own homes since the facility opened last January. That's 14 men who are no longer needing care workers and taxpayers' funds. No doubt even this seemingly modest number will have a big impact in a city as small as Yellowknife. Bailey House is the love child of several government agencies and private and non-profit donors. It took a tremendous amount of co-ordination and co-operation to get the project off the ground. It didn't come without some headaches and red tape, but all the players involved, including the city, territorial and federal governments, and patron donors like Diavik Diamond Mines, knew it was critical that the city provide such a service as soon as possible. But the work is only half complete. The city still awaits a women's transitional home, which has been hindered in recent months by inflexible funding options and the inability of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition to find a suitable location. City council set aside four lots on 54 Street for this purpose last March but it remains unclear whether this site is suitable. The coalition was forced to pass up on the old Kitikmeot boarding home, which required $1.78 million in renovations to bring it up to code. Beyond that, the group may still have been ineligible for funding from the NWT Housing Corporation because the building didn't have individual bathrooms for apartment units. This project has lost a bit of steam. It's time for the funding partners to get together with the homelessness coalition and get the transitional home back on track. We've built a men's transitional home, and a day shelter. A transitional home for women should be no less of a priority.
Eat your free lunch, but not behind closed doors Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 22, 2010 You know politicians have reached the pinnacle of banality when they spend a half hour at a public meeting debating when they should hold said meetings, and whether they will continue receiving a free lunch during those meetings. Councillor Bob Brooks took the weekly Priorities, Policies and Budget committee meeting to a lofty new height last week with his less than time-honoured insistence that getting a free lunch, a working lunch, whatever you will, is not a "perk." We wholeheartedly agree. City councillors put in a lot of time to earn their relatively modest part-time salaries of about $22,000 a year. On top of near weekly meetings, there are a number of other committees that take up a councillor's time, not to mention background reading and the hours required dealing with the concerns of residents. "A sandwich, sometimes with a salad, never any dessert, fruit, vegetables, or milk or juice," seems a small price to pay for their public service. However, we will remind our elected city representatives of Coun. David Wind's warning - also from last week - of taking city business behind closed doors during these meetings, as they recently did with an undisclosed planning matter. Past councils had a history of nudging the door closed because mayor and council don't have to worry about their accountability to voters in a shuttered room. It will ultimately haunt them, however, when they have to answer to voters over unpopular direction and decisions, often drafted and pushed by administrators. Memo for future council committee meetings: Less talk about lunch and more food for thought on city issues.
A little recognition can go a long way Editorial Comment Kassina Ryder Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, October 21, 2010
Although neither of them cured a disease or jumped in front of a moving vehicle to save a wayward baby carriage, their accomplishments significantly affected the day-to-day lives of people in their communities. When most people are faced with a dangerous situation, they do the right thing. Every day we hear about heroes who have risked their lives to save others. But the people who spend each day doing the little things that make our lives better also deserve recognition. While there is no denying the thought of saving someone from a burning building would be a difficult thing to do, sometimes the thought of giving it your all every day can be just as hard. Sometimes it takes a lot to stay motivated. A fire chief in Fort Liard co-operated with the village to ensure every home in the community had a working smoke detector. He also made sure every household that wanted a fire inspection would receive one. This initiative was his own, he thought it up and made sure it happened. Not only did this program help to ensure his community was well prepared when it came to fire safety, his motivation inspired other firefighters in the region. A fellow firefighter nominated him for a merit award, which he was presented with last week. As fire marshal Steve Moss said, "it's always nice to get recognition for things, and it's pretty special when it comes from your peers." A Fort Simpson resident was also recognized this week for her work at the John Tsetso Memorial Library. She will soon be leaving the village and will reside in another community, so villagers decided to present her with an award to appreciate her 10 years of service with the library. Again, her work and dedication earned her the respect of her community, which they made sure they acknowledged before she left. She didn't receive a million-dollar cheque, but she was all smiles when she received a simple plaque and a handshake from the mayor. Maybe this simple gesture will inspire others to do what they can for their communities and maybe not. But the message is simple. Good works come in all shapes and sizes and all should be appreciated.
Credit where it's due Editorial Comment Andrew Rankin Inuvik Drum - Thursday, October 21, 2010
But to the NWT Power Corp.'s credit, officials seemed to pinpoint the problem to two distribution lines. The company agreed to fix broken electronic devices and pay for the equipment that couldn't be fixed. The following Monday extra staff were brought on board to deal with the claims. That's a reasonable approach to the problem. The all-day blackout on Sept. 28 was a pain for many. For a few hours people had no choice but to interact with each other. To our knowledge nobody died and some people were a little uncomfortable for a while. Stuff like this happens from time to time. To be fair the power corp. does a reasonable job maintaining electricity in this community. Whether its rates are fair or if the company is doing enough to reduce power generation costs or customer costs is another story. One that has been hotly debated. The power corp. has been transparent about what went wrong over those few weeks. Mike Bradshaw, spokesperson for the corporation, came out and said it was a total system failure. You can't get any more blatant than that. Yes, basic questions need to be asked. How could both the primary power producing plant break down and the back up diesel plant collapse at the same time? Shouldn't regular maintenance prevent something like this from happening? But those questions will seemingly be answered by an independent engineering company that the power corp., to its credit, hired to do an investigation to find out what went wrong with the electricity system. Bradshaw will present the report to town council at Wednesday's regular meeting. Residents can attend that meeting or participate in a public meeting the next day, on Thursday at 7 p.m. Bradshaw will attend the meeting with the review in hand so the public can see it and ask questions. Both occasions would be an ideal time to ask town officials about Inuvik's emergency response plan. What plan does the town have if there's is an extended black out in January? What should town residents do if something like this happens again? Where do they go? But it will be interesting to see just how many people show up and what sort of questions they ask. As far as how the power corp. officials have conducted themselves on this one, they've done a pretty good job. Intent to offend Yellowknifer - Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Somebody saw fit to do that earlier this month. Doing so isn't a crime, but it is unacceptable in our society. Muslims consider depicting the prophet blasphemous, and their views should be respected, providing they don't infringe on anyone else. Many residents of our city do not practise religion, but they do practise tolerance of other people's beliefs, which is not only a basic courtesy, it is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section two of the charter states citizens are granted the right to practise their religion without prejudice. The charter also gives people freedom of expression, but the act of putting up this poster, downloaded from the Internet, was done with a malicious motive - it is not a great approach to expressing one's opinion. Muslims have the right to worship in peace and not be persecuted for their belief system, just like Christians, Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses or anybody else. The incident has sparked a flurry of comments on media websites and blogs. While some public statements have endorsed tolerance of religion and disdain for the aforementioned provocative act, there are many disturbing and anonymous posts screaming of outright bigotry toward Muslims and their faith. Yellowknife, rich in diversity and culture, prides itself on being a tolerant and accepting community, regardless of race, religion or creed. We encourage residents to continue down this positive path and work to prevent a recurrence of an incident like the one at the Yellowknife mosque earlier this month. Tolerance and education are the route to eliminating fear and ignorance, and make for a more healthy community.
Welcome to Yellow-nice Yellowknifer - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 One person's video, recently posted on YouTube, in which a supposedly helpful individual takes potshots at the city's restaurants and residents while talking to a tourist, caused a flurry of people to rush to the city's defence. The computer animated video is critical of service and costs at local establishments, pokes fun at houseboaters and transplanted Newfoundlanders, and refers disparagingly to those suffering from addictions. While we should never take ourselves too seriously - laughter is, after all, the best medicine - it does cost a lot of money to run a business in our remote city, entry-level staff are hard to find and keep, and there are many complicated reasons for people with dysfunctions. People having difficulty coping, of course, exist in every city and town. On the other hand, Yellowknifers are generous, known for donating time and money to charitable causes. The environment is, in many ways, beautiful and there is plenty to do outdoors and indoors. These things become more evident the longer you live here. The person who created the cynical YouTube video might want to take time for a little self-reflection as he or she chose to devote time to poking fun at the city when he or she could have been out volunteering to make Yellowknife an even better place to live.
Communication a key to season's success Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 If you play them all, you'll lose it all. That's a phrase (some would say warning) coaches of many team sports are aware of, especially those involved with the game of hockey. With a new season ready to go in Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit - and waiting on Mother Nature in the rest of Nunavut - it's also a dilemma a number of territorial coaches will face this year. In fact, the past few years have seen coaches reprimanded for shortening their benches in the heat of a playoff or tournament game. Parents, you see, don't like it when their kids don't get to play as much as the others. A complaint to their local minor hockey association soon follows and, except in the rarest of cases, the coach who made the decision to shorten their bench takes a fall. The reason behind shortening one's bench is, of course, winning. During playoff and tournament games, it's a common practice across Canada for coaches to only use their top six forwards and four defencemen in the late going. Just as common is the argument all kids should play equally, even if that means losing the big game. The key to avoiding confrontation is the same as it is in many facets of life - proper communication. In house leagues, just-for-fun setups and lower levels of hockey, every kid should receive an equal amount of ice time in every game. After all, it's all about having fun at that level and every parent pays the same amount in annual fees for their child to play. The same can be said for special tournaments held to promote participation, not championship glory. But when the kids enter higher levels of hockey, or play in prestigious events, the puck begins to flip. You would have a hard time convincing a coach at a territorial championship or the Polar Bear Plate event, to cite two examples, that their 17th and 18th best players should play as much as their stars in the big game. It's just not going to happen the vast majority of the time. That's why the onus is on our minor hockey associations to get the message out to parents and coaches alike before an event happens. It's far better in these situations for hockey reps to be proactive and save everyone a ton of grief, including themselves. For lower levels and participation events, coaches should teach the skills of the game and let the kids have fun. Winning and losing in those situations should never become their main focus. Let the kids play and have fun, and most hockey moms and dads will be just as happy as their children. At higher levels of Nunavut hockey, winning is as important as it is anywhere else in Canada. Players often practise all year for one or two events they want to win, and that's the simple truth of the matter. In those situations, coaches should make the decisions they believe will result in victory. From coaches and players to minor hockey reps and parents, communication is a key to ensuring everyone has a fun-filled and productive hockey season.
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