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Federal government must help finance Mackenzie pipeline NWT News/North - Monday, March 21, 2011
Proponents of the $16-billion pipeline say a fiscal agreement with the federal government is imperative to the project's success.
Bob Reid of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group is correct in stating the pipeline is a nation-building project and as such should be high on Canada's list of priorities. Not only will the project open up billions in resource revenue, it will be an economic boon to our Northern communities.
Self-sufficiency in the North hinges on strong economies and construction of the pipeline will help create jobs, expand existing businesses and create new ones.
For decades our territory has made financial investments in anticipation of the pipeline and the ones who have been able to stay in business deserve to see those investments pay off.
Business owners such as Kurt Wainman, owner of Northwind Industries -- an Inuvialuit company -- based in Inuvik, is one such person. Wainman's company began downsizing last year as oil and gas activity dwindled in the Beaufort Delta and the Sahtu. Last year he expressed worry over further pipeline delays, lamenting having to cut back his operations to 15 employees from 100 over the course of a year.
In the early 2000s, new companies, such as Chinook Pipeline Testing (NWT) on the Hay River Reserve, rose up in hopes of capitalizing on pipeline work and have since disappeared.
There are numerous examples of NWT residents putting their faith and their money into the pipeline and now it's the federal government's turn to pony up.
The pipeline is truly a nation-building project; it will create jobs, bring wealth and further solidify our hold on Canada's North.
It's shocking the GNWT has yet to learn from its numerous public relations debacles. From the environment minister flying to Copenhagen for a conference instead of being accountable in person when a caribou hunting ban was enacted to cutting academic scholarships while touting the importance of student achievement, our politicians can't seem to get a handle on how to balance public perception and policy.
Lessons from the past should have played a part in planning this session of the legislative assembly. Approving a significant change to cabinet's transition compensation -- giving cabinet MLAs a full year of pay regardless of time served -- as the assembly is turning off the lights and heading home following a six-week session is poor form.
Considering the fact a majority of jobs in the communities are government related we don't necessarily disagree with the need for a transition allowance. Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley said a full year should be earned, which, under previous rules, was one month for each year served, similar to the private sector rule of thumb.
Perhaps changing to two months for every year of service would have been more prudent.
Most troubling is that a major change involving taxpayer money took up such little time in the house.
Just a few weeks shy of the scheduled start date for Nutrition North Canada, the federal government reinstated foods that were dropped from the food mail subsidy list last October.
The reinstatement is a temporary reprieve, to last until October 2012.
A cynic would say the Conservative government is trying to avoid fallout that might endanger the seat of a high level cabinet minister on the eve of a likely election call. If that is the case, it may be the first time in Canadian history a party has attempted to buy votes with Cheez Whiz and bacon.
But what the flip-flop definitely indicates is that the powers-that-be were listening when Northerners expressed outrage and confusion over the changes.
After all, this sudden turnabout came after weeks of media and political scrutiny of the new program sparked by photos from Arctic Bay showing the skyrocketing prices of items no longer subsidized.
Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan even admitted the initial timeline for implementing Nutrition North Canada changes may have been "overly aggressive." That's about as close to an "oops" as we'll ever get from a senior government minister.
So now there's another year and a half to ease into the changes, for retailers to figure out how to stockpile more goods from sealift and how to reflect shipping subsidies on customer's receipts, and for consumers to figure out how to get the best value for their dollar using the new subsidy system.
But a more gradual transition is no reason not to stay vigilant for price gouging. We need to keep demanding answers and explanations. Communities should keep posting their grocery prices on Iqaluit resident Tony Rose's website to track changes over the longer transition and see if the new varied-by-community shipping subsidy strategy really lowers the cost of healthy perishables - the ultimate test of the new program's worthiness.
The recent suspension of Pangnirtung MLA Adamee Komoartok after he was charged with assault and the removal of Baker Lake Moses Auplaluktuq show this government is continuing its commitment to hold MLAs to a high standard of behaviour.
Last week Komoartok became the second MLA to resign from this assembly. Enuk Pauloosie resigned a year ago after he was suspended in 2009 for being persistently absent and failing to attend committee meetings.
It is the responsibility of the members of the legislative assembly to maintain the public's trust and confidence in the legislature.
Once upon a time an MLA in Nunavut could plead guilty to sexual assault, or be found in contravention of the legislature's own Integrity Act for murky financial dealings with government contracts, without risking even a censure. Territorial groups had to lobby hard and demand apologies and/or resignations from MLAs who had committed wrongs.
The current emphasis on upholding standards is a substantial improvement.
When members have not performed their duties or have behaved badly, action has been swift and appropriate. This should become the model for all future assemblies.
The 37-year-old man suffered brain damage and is unable to speak or eat. It's a tragic situation caused by his own hand.
Plagued by a mental disturbance, he was admitted to Stanton Territorial Hospital as a patient on Nov. 4, 2009. At one point he was left unsupervised and fled the hospital. He returned but later ran into the kitchen, where he found a knife and plunged it into his chest two times, damaging his heart and blood flow to his brain.
His mother, Margaret, still has many questions about how such a thing could have happened to her son, a helicopter engineer, while he was in the hospital. In her attempt to find out more about the incident, Margaret has encountered a brick wall. While Stanton did carry out its own internal investigation, it is not sharing any details with this brokenhearted mother, other than to tell her no aspects of existing protocol are being changed. Surely staff at the hospital sympathize with her, but their hands would be tied by directives from their superiors to remain silent and follow policy.
However, Margaret is also tenacious. Refusing to take no for an answer, she took her case to elected members of the territorial government. Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy and Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins took up her cause with fervour in the legislative assembly.
What happened on Nov. 4, 2009 is proof that gaps exist in procedures and protocols at the hospital, Abernethy said.
"Transparency, openness and honesty are required in this situation," he said.
Abernethy said it's imperative that "the system" has learned something from this terrible sequence of events.
We most definitely agree. Until we know what steps will be taken to help prevent a similar occurrence in the future, we shouldn't rest easy, and neither should Health officials. It's up to our MLAs to keep pushing for those answers.
A group of hotel owners and managers in our city have been lobbying for a one per cent room tax that will help them generate money to benefit the promotion of their industry.
There is a dissenting voice coming from the Explorer Hotel, but it's a based on a weak argument. The chief operating officer for the parent company of The Explorer Hotel says the tax would primarily hit NWT residents as tourist from outside the territory only make up a fraction of overall clientele. In addition, Bruce Alton said travellers should not be burdened with extra expenses after an already costly trip to get here.
But it's a one per cent difference!
Is that really going to be the difference for anyone who has already planned a trip that costing them thousands of dollars? Not likely.
On the other hand, it would represent $200,000 to $250,000 in revenue that could be used to market NWT communities, according to the Yellowknife Hotel Association's calculations.
To cast aside the needed promotion would be shortsighted. After the reams of unpopular tax ideas that Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger has mused about publicly, he should not be turning his nose up at one that is a good investment.
If the concerns voiced by artists at a recent conference come true, however, that smell along with the hide itself will become rarer and rarer. The future of traditional crafts in the territory was raised during the Dehcho Artists' Conference held in Fort Simpson from March 9 to 11.
D'Arcy J. Moses, an artist and designer from Wrigley, said he's afraid that with every elder who passes, knowledge about traditional crafts is being lost. For those involved in the crafts, Moses' concerns undoubtedly ring true.
People who want to make anything with hide already know that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find and purchase. Some sewers are turning to commercially tanned hide to fill the gap but it's just not the same.
The shortage of tanned hides will only get worse. Those with the skills to tan are few, and getting older.
The larger problem is that few people in the younger generations are learning how to tan. While some workshops have been held in the Deh Cho to teach the process instructors often report having low turnouts.
The response isn't surprising considering, as a lot of time, patience and muscle is needed to finish a hide.
Other skills are also being lost. Traditional crafts such as porcupine quilling are seen less frequently and even moosehair tufting seems to be practised by only a small group.
So what is the solution? A number of ideas were raised at the conference and they need to be combined together in a multi-pronged approach.
Funding tops the list. If artisans could access micro-loans to purchase supplies like hide they would create a demand which might lead to more people tanning hides.
Education is also a key point. Consumers need to learn more about what goes into making a traditional moccasin and other crafts so they don't question the sometimes-high prices.
Students need to begin learning the traditional skills at an early age. Many schools and organizations already promote this process and should be encouraged to continue.
Students need to be excited by the crafts, which could be achieved by drawing aspects of modern culture into projects such as non-traditional bead designs on moccasins.
A future without the smell of traditionally-tanned moosehide would be a dull one, and while it won't happen soon steps need to be taken to ensure it can't happen at all.
Last week I went on my first Arctic hunt - for rabbits that is. Now this story starts off plain enough, but ends up like an awkward "I Love Lucy" episode starring me.
I have never hunted hare and jumped at the opportunity when a friend invited me out. I grew up on the land and have shot rifles and whatnot, so an air rifle was no big deal. The week before, I proudly pranced to the Environment and Natural Resources office to get my small games licence and when I passed a rabbit pelt in the craft section of NorthMart I thought to myself, I will have my own soon - first mistake.
The second mistake came shortly after, but since I was still oblivious to the first mistake, no intuitive alarm bells rang when I borrowed a pair of snowshoes approximately the size of a men's size 11 boot. This, I have discovered, though gargantuan compared to my men's size 4, is wee in the world of snowshoes.
Regardless, I set off with craft ideals of mitten-making and wee little snowshoes strapped to my feet.
We drove quite a ways out of town, parked and geared up as I blissfully made my third mistake. Note: When snowshoeing with wee snowshoes, do not attempt to bring along a roughly 20-pound backpack of camera gear.
About three or four metres from the road I could feel the snow getting softer, and then I went through. Still hopeful that it was only a soft drift I carried on but after about 20 minutes (and only four feet) later, I realized bunny hunting for me was now a cardio struggle, consisting of loud trudging and having to take photos from well out of range.
After sinking through what felt like the 6,452,004 time, I retired to observer status.
"Oh, there's one." I would whisper to my friend knowing full well I could not get close enough in time. Then I'd watch his big shoes dance across the surface and "thwack!"
The comical nature of the evening and the much needed workout kept me in good spirits still.
As we drove home, I was kindly offered a bunny all for myself.
This made my night, now I could still make rabbit adobo, a favourite Filipino stew I know and, of course, a pair of fancy, furry mittens.
This was a lovely ending to a funny day until I unlocked the door to my apartment, walked in, looked around and realized I was holding a hare in a bag and missing an entire chapter of how one ends up with rabbit hide and bunny stew.
A plan not quite thought through, yet again.
Well I'll leave the rest of this story up to the imagination, mostly not to horrify readers with the uncouth carving techniques I posses. The happy ending is that I have a lovely adobo in my fridge.
Now, if anyone knows how to turn a frozen hide into mittens, please give me a call.
Despite assurances from many councillors, the Yes We Con lawn signs, and the propaganda machine from city hall, voters rejected the city's proposal Monday to borrow up to $49 million to fund a district energy plan to heat 39 buildings downtown.
Why, council may ask. It's because what voters wanted was leadership, solid research and ready answers. What they got instead were pom-pom waving cheerleaders trying to achieve green energy glory with a "trust us" attitude.
Indeed, when Yellowknifer asked Mayor Gord Van Tighem and council to identify the risks and benefits of the project - posted on our district energy web page at www.nnsl.com/ykdistrictenergy.html - only Couns. Amanda Mallon and David Wind spent much time identifying any risks. Meanwhile Couns. Mark Heyck, Shelagh Montgomery, Bob Brooks, argued the main risk would be if the city did not proceed with the project.
No matter how much proponents insisted the public was amply informed, there was an awful lot of blind faith behind this project.
Council could have stopped this vote from taking place. They should have recognized the dubiousness of the proposal they were asking residents to vote on, that by asking the city be allowed to borrow such an enormous amount of money while insisting on keeping potential partners a secret was perceived as arrogant by many residents. Imagine the difference it may have made if the private partners had been at the town hall table proclaiming their confidence and commitment.
Tying the referendum to the federal government's promise of $14.1 million to fund geothermal energy from Con Mine while the viability of that plan remains an uncertainty was also a mistake. The geothermal stage would only come, if at all, after the wood-pellet based district energy system is in place. That muddied the waters.
But council and city administration should not lose heart. One thing seems clear, most people like the idea, especially if it involves obtaining geothermal energy from Con Mine to heat the downtown core. Many also recognize that Yellowknife is vulnerable to fluctuating fuel prices that are bound to threaten the city's future prosperity should they rise with no alternative source of energy in sight.
Now that the city knows what residents expect before they are willing to fully support this project, it shouldn't be an overwhelming task to begin anew. Much of the groundwork has already been laid, and it should not be allowed to go to waste.
The city has made mistakes with this proposal but there is no denying it is a grand vision with great potential. Even if geothermal proves unworkable, a district heating system using a combination of wood pellets and oil still has potential.
If the business case is as solid as the city claims, there should be little problem finding a private firm to help make it a reality under terms that Yellowknifers can accept.
As for the federal government's carrot-on-a-stick, it's unimaginable that it would take the $14.1 million grant off the table for geothermal if there was a district heating system to plug it into - even if it comes a little further down the road.
Monday's no vote may be disheartening to some but by no means should it signal the death of the idea, just a change in plans.
Maybe it's only members of the Government of Nunavut who don't realize the vast majority of things run downhill.
And, just maybe, an ever-growing number of people in this exclusive group during the past 12 years have simply never been told it's a good idea to practice what you preach, if you want to be taken seriously.
It's reached the point where you accept one of these improbable explanations, or you start asking tough questions on just how shallow our leadership pool truly is in Nunavut.
Let's be brutally honest about this.
The behaviour of a staggering number of our politicians and territorial leaders since the creation of Nunavut has transcended embarrassing into the world of dark and disturbing.
What are we to take from the language directed at a female by our former premier, to the growing number of sexual and physical assault charges and convictions levied against a GN Speaker of the House, minister or MLA during the past 12 years?
Do the actions of these politicians reflect how the majority of Nunavut males view their female counterparts?
And what do we make of the seemingly endless headlines concerning another of our leaders in trouble with alcohol?
Throw in the leaders and politicians who left their positions under a shroud of financial scrutiny, and you have an ominous picture on Nunavut's canvas.
What message is this behaviour sending our impressionable youth?
How can parents, educators and front-line workers convince youth to abstain from alcohol and not commit violent acts, when so many of those entrusted with drafting the policies that will shape their future engage in the exact behaviour and lifestyle they're being told to avoid?
We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in this territory to bring people together to discuss and analyze issues to death.
We have education authorities, a liquor review task force, alcohol awareness and education committees, wellness committees, elders' committees, youth committees, justice committees, drum-dance committees -- you name the committee and chances are good Nunavut has it.
In fact if there's one thing in Nunavut we're darn good at, it's discussing things.
It's when the talk is done and it's time for action to replace words that the runners fall off the qamutiik.
Maybe too many of our committees, commissions, task forces and whatever other fancy names we can think of to give them are aimed in the wrong direction.
And, maybe, when it comes to theories on good governance, too many of our leaders mistakenly view "do as I say, not as I do" as an acceptable approach.
When it comes right down to it, talk is cheap!
It's time for everyone elected to the GN to spend a lot less time talking and a whole lot more time leading by example.
Nobody's perfect, but, then again, the record of many of our politicians and territorial leaders since April 1, 1999, is far from that lofty standard.
We've reached the point where simply acceptable would be embraced with open arms.
Corrections Wrong information appeared in the March 14 story "A year off with pay for cabinet ministers." Michael McLeod has been in the legislative assembly for more than 12 years. A sentence in a story on the Slave River monitoring program, should have read: There is no published evidence that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals (from the mines) are filtering through the Athabasca delta and into the Slave River. Errors also appeared in the March 14 editorial. The Deh Cho bridge is pegged at $182 million and MLA Dave Ramsay predicted the final cost of the project will exceed $200 million. As well, the GNWT said cabinet proceeded with construction of the bridge on the advice of the Department of Transportation. News/North apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment caused by these errors.
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