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Outfitted for diversity Yellowknifer - Wednesday, February 23, 2011
When not being threatened with prosecution for having the temerity to advertise their hunts - something the GNWT was doing itself months after the initial hunting ban on the Bathurst herd was first announced - outfitters were having the carpet pulled from under them as the government axed the much-touted Tourism Deposit Assurance Program, which offered visitors hope they wouldn't lose their deposits on expensive trips to the NWT should their tourism operator go bust. The unveiling of that scheme was a fiasco by itself as the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment couldn't quite admit the program was being terminated despite issuing a letter to outfitters warning them that it was, and even though the program was listed as dead on the department's website. Alas, recently released documents have shown the department is not entirely heartless when it comes to caribou outfitters who have long depended on the deep pockets of visiting hunters, mainly Americans. The 2009-10 report on financial assistance offered through the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development program, shows some generous contributions toward outfitters. J Group - owner of Peterson's Point Lake Lodge - received $113,000, True North Safaris and Warburton Outfitters received $56,300 and the $50,000, respectively. Outfitters accounted for the lion's share of the $435,865 handed out to Yellowknife entrepreneurs. The money went toward diversifying into other tourism activities, such as fly fishing and eco-tourism. It's unfortunate that tax dollars had to be sunk into these companies but it's better than seeing the one-time bearers of a $5 million industry put out of business. Hopefully, the outfitters will rise to the challenge and show outdoor enthusiasts that the NWT is still a great place to visit, even without the caribou hunting.
Chamber should be energy project watchdogs Yellowknifer - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Leaders of Yellowknife's business community are insistent that companies from the North be given contract opportunities should the city's $60 million downtown district energy system go ahead. That's a reasonable demand from the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, which is expressing "cautious optimism" over the project. To address that sense of caution, the Chamber should marshal its brightest minds and form a committee to oversee the energy project. These business savvy individuals - Yellowknife taxpayers with a vested interest in the community, unlike southern consultants - could ensure city residents are not going to be saddled with something they didn't bargain for. A referendum on the district energy system, which would potentially use a combination of wood pellets and geothermal heat from under Con Mine, is set for March 14. Yellowknifers will be asked to allow the city to borrow up to $49 million to fund the project, which could provide heat for 39 buildings. City hall has acknowledged that borrowing the money is a last resort if no private partners sign on, although it says three parties have expressed interest. Senior administrator Bob Long has also revealed the city will be acting as a guarantor for the project. That means taxpayers will be on the hook if a corporation set up to run the project cannot make debt payments. Ordinary Yellowknife voters may not be versed in economics, but members of the Chamber are. It's in everyone's best interest that experienced, trained businesspeople keep an eye on the finances and blow the whistle should anything troubling arise.
Price too high for risk Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Rankin Inlet rec co-ordinator David Clark was unfairly put into a difficult situation during the Polar Bear Plate juvenile hockey tournament this past weekend. Clark had the unenviable task of suspending the team from Whale Cove when it became known its players were not registered with Hockey Nunavut and, by extension, Hockey Canada - leaving them without insurance. The team was also only able to ice six players and a goaltender for its opening game against Baker Lake. And, it must be noted, the Baker players showed little mercy for the Whale skaters, thumping them at every opportunity on the way to an 8-1 victory. Some of the legal bodychecks delivered by the Baker players were of the thunderous variety, and that would have got worse as the tourney progressed and Whale went up against opponents from Rankin and Arviat. As unpopular as it may have been with some people, Clark was absolutely correct in suspending Whale from the tournament. Whatever the reasons behind it, and regardless of who dropped the puck in getting these players registered, they were participating in a full-contact, high-tempo tournament with no insurance. It can't be stressed enough how dangerous it was for these players to be on the ice without being registered. I include myself in the growing number of people who feel hockey has become an over-regulated sport. However, having young players registered and fully insured against injury is only common sense. The days of going outside the rules and using the excuse of that's how it is in the North are long gone. If adults want to play in an outlaw tournament like some Nunavut communities host, and take their chances, that's their decision. If they want to risk their job and future financial stability to play in a non-sanctioned event where they're at the mercy of lady luck - they're old enough to make that choice, even if they should know better. But minor hockey players have to be cared for because they don't fully realize the risk they're taking, even if some of them think they do. They're young. In their minds they're indestructible and they truly believe it can't happen to them. Add the macho image that accompanies male hockey, and allowing these young players to make that decision is a recipe for disaster. The organizers of the Polar Bear Plate were assured the Whale Cove players were registered when, in fact, they were not. If such actions continue, it's not a question of if some mother's son pays a terrible price, but when. Being properly registered and insured does nothing to prevent injuries. Numerous serious injuries happen on the ice every year in Canada. Injuries that change young people's lives forever. While being properly registered and insured does nothing to ease the risk, it does provide the means to help deal with the cost of injuries. And it also helps those players who do not fully recover to lead better lives in the aftermath of their injury. Hopefully, the Whale of a bad decision we saw in Rankin this past weekend will not repeat itself. The price is too high!
Nurse practitioners vital to NWT NWT News/North - Monday, February 21, 2011
According the department, the future of the program will be reassessed in 2012 based on its priorities. Statistics point to a serious need for more physicians in the NWT, a need that nurse practitioners -- who can perform many the same duties as doctors - have the ability to fill. A 2011 report by the Conference Board of Canada's Centre for the North calls the NWT's doctor situation critical - there were 65 physicians in the territory as of the 2006 census, 16 per 10,000 people. On the other hand, the Canadian Nurses Association puts the number of registered nurses per capita in Nunavut and the NWT -- stats are combined -- at the highest in Canada at one for every 62 people as of 2008. Despite that ratio, the NWT still struggles with nursing vacancies around the territory. At present, 50 of the 65 community health nurse positions and 15 of the 25 nurse practitioner positions in the territory are filled, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. With more graduates from Aurora College's bachelor of nursing program every year there is a real opportunity for the GNWT to develop a workforce to fill those vacancies from right here in the territory. Students graduating from Aurora College have already proven their willingness to stay in the North. Of the 14 graduates from the nurse practitioner program since it began in 2009, 12 of them are working in the NWT. For that reason alone it makes sense the nurse practitioner program remain in place as a natural progression to their careers. If we can continue to educate these health care professionals in the North it is more likely they will stay and work in the NWT. The GNWT should do everything it can to fill the vacancies in the health sector with permanent staff. Every vacancy means money spent on expensive locum or agency nurses who do not reside in the NWT; it means communities sometimes go without certain services, and it means patients are not necessarily seeing the same health care provider every time, which can be frustrating. On the bright side, the GNWT has made a real effort in reducing its costs when it comes to agency nurses. In 2009-2010 the department spent $183,000 on agency fees to find southern nurses for various communities on a temporary basis. Instead, the health department is now maintaining its own list of potential locums. By hiring the nurses directly, the department filled positions without paying the agency fees. The result was a savings of close to $168,000 in 2010-2011. That is fiscal responsibility and it's good news. Hopefully, savings such as that will give the nurse practitioner program a fighting chance when the government looks for funds to continue the program in 2012. At the cost of $500,000 a year it seems a small investment for big returns -- more nurses with a connection to and understanding of the NWT, money saved on agency nurse fees and a consistency of care.
Sewage and power fixes urgent Nunavut News/North - Monday, February 21, 2011 Water use inspection reports recently released by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada detail problems across Nunavut with leaking sewage lagoons and dumps improperly storing hazardous waste. The reports often target the Government of Nunavut for the lack of water licensing compliance and for dragging its feet in tackling the bigger cleanups. But the Department of Community and Government Services says it never received copies of the reports from the federal department until after they were released to the media. Indian and Northern Affairs is responsible for enforcing compliance with the regulations, yet its own inspection reports state the same violations persist year after year. This doesn't sound like enforcement. What the inspections do show is that the capacity of Nunavut's dumps and sewage lagoons aren't keeping pace with ever-growing communities - and ones that are increasingly trying to accommodate mineral exploration camps - resulting in leaks, spills and other hazards. The federal government wants industry and resource development to flourish in the North, but that can't happen in communities where power plants and waste management systems are 40 years old and already functioning well beyond capacity, if and when they function at all. The dump at Baker Lake was singled out by an inspector as needing to refuse to take any more waste from exploration and mining camps until the current state of its hazardous waste area is dealt with. Indian and Northern Affairs should consider investing in basic community infrastructure as economic development surges, otherwise future cleanup costs will spiral exponentially and it's likely the feds would wind up paying for that.
Foster families needed Nunavut News/North - Monday, February 21, 2011 There were 288 children in foster care in Nunavut the week of Jan. 21 and many more foster homes are needed, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. Homes are most needed in Iqaluit, and in the other regional centres such as Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet. In the south Baffin region, they are most in need of placements for children under the age of five. The situation is so desperate, the department got $89,000 from Health Canada for a marketing campaign to recruit more foster families in the territory. The more homes that are available, the better the department will be able to match children to an environment that meets their unique needs. There's no question that becoming a foster parent is a daunting challenge. The financial part of the burden is lessened by the per diems paid by the department but otherwise it is essentially a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week volunteer position. It takes a special person committed to giving kids their best start in life to step up to the plate - and the department must see to it that they are completely fit for the task - so the more people who volunteer, the better.
An unfit sentence Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 18, 2011
It actually happened in a Yellowknife territorial courtroom on Feb. 8, and the Crown prosecutor is largely responsible. A 49-year-old man being sentenced for assault causing bodily harm and mischief was disenchanted with his 16-month sentence. The offender wanted at least two years because that would have put him in the Alberta prison system, where he said the programs for inmates are superior to what NWT corrections has to offer. This offender had punched a woman he was drinking with three times in the face. He also did $1,360 worth of damage to a motel door in his fit of rage. The man was not new to the justice system, not at all. He had been convicted 16 times previously for violent crimes. That's an ugly record and one deserving serious punishment. The problem is Judge Bernadette Schmaltz was not even presented the option to put the offender behind bars for much longer than her 16-month sentence. Crown prosecutor Janice Walsh chose to seek a summary conviction instead of an indictable one, which would have entailed a harsher penalty. Schmaltz was puzzled by the move. Walsh offered no explanation in court for her decision. Should she, or any other Crown prosecutor, again be inclined to give a repeat violent offender an easier road, she should at least be prepared to make it clear why.
Nothing wrong with asking questions on Con energy Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 18, 2011 Asking tough questions doesn't necessarily mean one is against the Con Mine Community Energy System. City councillor David Wind isn't, although he did vote against a bylaw Monday that would allow the city - contingent upon voter approval in a referendum March 14 - to borrow up to $49 million to complete the energy project. Wind said he thinks a district heating system for the downtown is good idea and would like to see it proceed, but like this newspaper, he finds too many questions have remained unanswered so far. City hall has put residents in a difficult position: It's asking us to trust the city to borrow an amount equivalent to almost an entire year's budget with our tax dollars as a guarantee of repayment should the project falter. No customers have been signed on yet, nor has a private partner been contracted to help fund and build the project. The city says a referendum is needed in order to obtain a $14.1 million grant from the federal government, but that's to pay for harnessing geothermal energy from Con Mine - something proposed to occur after the city builds an enormous wood pellet-fed heating plant and tears up our streets to lay circulating pipes connected to downtown buildings. The fact the city has pushed Con Mine geothermal onto the sidelines in recent months after originally using it as the project's selling point is a troubling development. For many, that's what made the plan so appealing in the first place. City administrator Bob Long's insistence to the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Tuesday that any agreement with a private partner will be made public is a positive sign, including assurances that Northern companies will be hired to do the work if council asks him. Nonetheless, this project remains an intriguing but nebulous proposition. Whether or not you're in favour of it, now is not the time to stop asking questions.
Building a future with trades Editorial Comment Roxanna Thompson Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, February 17, 2011
>Electricians and plumbers are just two examples of the many apprenticeship trades available in the territory and throughout the rest of Canada. After a year that's so far been filled with lacklustre news about the state of education in the Deh Cho and the territory apprenticeships have cast a recent bright note. Tyra Moses, an electrical apprentice from Fort Simpson, was honoured on Feb. 11 for earning three awards related to her apprenticeship. They included two Top Mark Awards for receiving the top marks throughout the territory for both electrician level two and three and the Keith Houghton Memorial Award. Moses also made the honour roll for apprentices with grades above 80 per cent along with Byron Blyth, a level 2 electrician and Clifford Antoine, a plumber/gasfitter B, both from Fort Simpson, and Jamie Lacorne-Tanche and Augustine Minoza-Lefoine, who are both carpentry level 1 apprentices from Fort Providence. The performance of these apprentices is quite impressive. Achieving the top mark in the territory in an electrical apprenticeship is no small feat. The success of these apprentices sends a message to students and adults alike across the Deh Cho that when you're mapping out your future education apprenticeships should be considered right alongside colleges and universities. Skilled tradespeople make successful livings for themselves and are important assets to the communities they live in. That's why it's so important to recognize the successes of apprentices and other students continuing their education so people in the broader community can be inspired. As Moses pointed out, there are lots of educational opportunities for people in the North right now, it's just a matter of believing in yourself and taking the steps to make it happen. Liidlii Kue First Nation is on the right path for promoting student success. The band held a breakfast in Moses' honour and presented her with a cheque. It was the first time the band had recognized a student in that way. Across the Deh Cho there are currently 14 registered apprentices in trades ranging from a heavy duty equipment technician to an oil burner mechanic. Not all of the apprentices will do well enough to receive an academic award but each deserves to be recognized for persevering through their training. If more positive attention is drawn to the trades, the Deh Cho will benefit as increased numbers of people register for apprenticeships.
In need of fibre optics Editorial Comment Kira Curtis Inuvik Drum - Thursday, February 17, 2011
He walks in the evening heat down the red clay road that descends along the river valley to where two roads intersect - making it the centre of town. There are few things in Socorro, save chickens and cows, tucked high in the mountain canopies. It is unaffected by the obnoxious parasite that is the December tourism rush. The road washes out in the rainy season, there are few vehicles and even fewer telephone land lines, but as he walks, Vargas reaches into his pocket, flips open his cellphone and calls his girlfriend - in Vancouver. Yes, Vargas can do this easily, because unlike Canada's Arctic, the few hundred people living in Socorro have fibre optics and a 3G network. Now this has been something perplexing me since moving to Inuvik at the beginning of the year, when my 3G version iPhone couldn't use the outdated cellular bandwidth, which is used here today. Bell Canada told me that Inuvik was on the list of places to receive a 3G network, though no date was in sight. Then I read a news release sent out by the GNWT discussing the "feasibility of running a fibre optics cable from the south of the Northwest Territories to Inuvik". My first reaction, of course, was "My, that's brilliant." I mean, think of the communications reliability for emergency services alone, never mind being able to Skype my friend working in Nigeria (something that I can't do reliably at the moment as my Internet runs about as fast as molasses through a straw in winter). But then I was struck with another thought: "Sorry, what? Is this 1998?" I mean I love the resourcefulness that comes from being this geographically remote. I've always loved Albert Einstein's quote, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." And that is so true, today human contact is being lost in the ether of iPhones and game consoles. But some things, especially in communications, have become a standard in how we share, learn and keep in touch. Rarely do we send a letter anymore - though they're personal and tangible, they take too long to arrive. You'd laugh if you saw a messenger riding off on horseback to get taxes off to Ottawa - that is neither timely nor efficient. So how come these fibre optics and 3G networks are still just ideas being discussed and analyzed? They're hemmed and hawed over cautiously like and alien technology. Keeping in mind Canada now works on the newer 4G system from Yellowknife south. Corrections An error appeared in an article in Friday's Yellowknifer ("Budget examination request," Feb. 18). City councillor Mark Heyck said he believes the city's current budgeting system is sufficient because it allows councillors to give input all year long, but there is always room for improvement. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.
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