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Layton throws Bevington a bone Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, June 3, 2011
Bevington's enormous Western Arctic win in the federal election last month - his third - was a magnificent victory for the NDP where all around it was painted Tory blue. Sure, the NDP has made historic gains in Quebec, which greatly contributed to the party's newfound status as Official Opposition with 103 seats in the House of Commons, but Bevington has held down the fort against a Conservative tide that has claimed seats from every province and territory except the NWT. His belated re-appointment as critic for Northern Development and nomination as vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development seem a poor prize for a veteran Northern MP who held five other critic portfolios before the election. It's especially curious considering the star treatment continuing to rain down on Nunavut's Leona Aglukkaq, who Prime Minister Stephen Harper re-appointed as health minister. The NDP's Northern Development watchdog role had to be hived from Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan's shadow cabinet responsibilities, who retains Aboriginal Affairs, so that Bevington could have a place in his shadow cabinet. Alas, the news apparently hasn't caught up with the party's website master, where Bevington was nowhere to be found on the list of shadow cabinet appointees yesterday, and Duncan remains critic for Northern Development. By giving Bevington 45.8 per cent of the vote – a four per cent improvement over the last election results, NWT voters were clearly signalling their approval of his performance as an MP. NWT residents are bound to be disappointed by Bevington's diminished role in Layton's 43-member shadow cabinet, which has four more than Harper's actual cabinet. The usual knock on Harper here is that he pays too much attention to Nunavut and not enough on the NWT. In light of Bevington's lowered rank, we have to wonder if the situation would improve if Layton ever becomes prime minister.
Route 51 leads to success Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, June 3, 2011 Students who have strayed from the standard education system have had a place to go to get back on track. It's an Internet-based distance learning program offered by Yk Education District No. 1 called Route 51. But Route 51 developed a major pothole after a recent funding change. The department of education has decided to fund based upon the number of students completing their courses the previous year rather than the number of students who enrolled. This could restrict available spaces. Many of Route 51's students dropped out of high school and others may have had difficulty working in the high school environment. Even by enrolling, they are making progress. To shut them out will defeat the program's purpose. Route 51 has been a success story since it began almost two years ago. At its first anniversary, it had 123 students registered, and a collective 85 credits earned. This past year it had 211 students, and a collective 563 credits earned. That's a remarkable increase. Most of the students are at the Grade 10 level, according to teacher Kirstin Prescott. But 12 students this year have gained enough credits for a high school diploma, or to enrol in post-secondary education. The department of education should be looking at this program as an investment and a safety net for its regular system. Better to build upon success rather than applying accounting templates that undermine the goal of giving youth at risk a shot at furthering their education.
Respect our elders Editorial Comment Roxanna Thompson Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, June 2, 2011
Also known as seniors' or older adult abuse, it's something that just shouldn't exist in our society or any other. That's why it was so disheartening to see that seniors' abuse is enough of a problem in the territory that a workshop on the subject was warranted in Fort Simpson. It's not that the village has a worse problem than anywhere else, but the NWT Seniors' Society, which provided the facilitator for the event, goes wherever it's invited. The numbers, however, are disturbing. The society conducted a survey of 500 people ages 50 and over in 11 NWT communities. Seventy-one per cent of respondents said elders' abuse is a problem in their community. How did it come to this? If there's one segment of the population that should be off limits for abuse, besides children, you would hope it's our elders. After years of hard work and raising children it's nice to think seniors have earned the right to enjoy some peace and happiness in their older years. This, however, is apparently not the situation in many cases. Any type of abuse that can be inflicted on the younger population can also be done to seniors, including financial, physical, emotional and verbal abuse. The abuse can also take the forms of neglect or intimidation and disrespect, among others. The idea of disrespecting elders is one of the key reasons why there shouldn't be seniors' abuse in the territory and why strong efforts to eradicate it should start here. One of the key Dene teachings is respect for elders. If elders are being abused, they certainly aren't being respected. The initiatives proposed at the workshop are good starting points to begin working towards eliminating this problem. Things like an elders' group would provide seniors with a forum to voice their concerns and share information with each other. Support, however, will have to come from the whole community. If people turn a blind eye or avoid looking at situations too closely because it makes them uncomfortable and they don't think it's their place to interfere, it's the same as giving abusers permission to continue what they're doing. Abusers need to know that people have noticed their actions and that it's not a behaviour that's accepted within our communities. People also need to reach out to the affected elders and let them know that what they're experiencing isn't acceptable and that there are ways to stand up against their abusers. What it will all come down to in the end is what type of a society people want to live in. If they want elder abuse to be part of it, they can let things continue as they are. Otherwise people need to step forward and support elders in order to be a force for change. It's about time Editorial Comment Samantha Stokell Inuvik Drum - Thursday, June 2, 2011
The new name will be Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. About time, don't you think, to get rid of the outdated "Indian" title of this federal department? "Indian" often referred to First Nation communities only, while aboriginal is inclusive of both the Metis and Inuit people as well as First Nations. It follows the trend of this current government to make amends with the indigenous populations of Canada, but raises a lot more questions. With whom did they consult on the new name? Why not First Nation, Metis and Inuit Affairs, which better represents the populations within Canada? Is it because Aboriginal Affairs is less of a mouthful? What does this change actually signify? Will any changes actually happen, or does the government hope that with a simple name change all issues, problems and concerns will disappear just like the outdated term? According to the INAC website, the change in name won't affect the mandate of the department, but will "better reflect the scope of the Minister's responsibilities with respect to First Nations, Inuit and Metis. It is also in keeping with practices of the department as, in recent years, the responsibilities of the department have expanded to include and better serve First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples." In its own explanation, the department doesn't use the term aboriginal, instead choosing to identify each group by their names, recognizing and acknowledging each group and their differences in the process. Why not reflect that in the department title? Reaction from leaders within the First Nation communities hasn't been fully in favour of the change either. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo wants to ensure change happens beyond the name. Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee, who represents the Anishinabek Nation in Ontario stated that he is not aboriginal, but Anishinabek. Most concerns sit with how the name change will affect treaty rights. The Indian Act, Status Indians, and Indian Treaties all retain the old name. While "Indian" is not a preferred term, it does hold significance and carry weight in terms of rights – status Indians have different benefits than non-status Indians. Will this change from Indian to aboriginal have an effect on that? And could that effect even be for the better and benefit the non-status Indians who don't have a home band? While questions remain, it is a move in the right direction... although imagine the cost to change business cards, signs, websites, envelopes and letterhead. The cost of political correctness? Let's not even go there.
Creativity can trump downtown dirt Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The coffin nails driving into downtown are Internet shopping and cheaper airfares in his mind. A third nail -- the arrival of box stores like The Brick and Staples -- was pointed out by Richard Truscott, the visiting director of provincial affairs for the Canadian Federation of Business in Alberta. It takes more than three nails to close a coffin lid shut, however. Yellowknifers can take it upon themselves to bring well-established franchises North to provide services and products not currently available, and a box store doesn't have to be looked at as preying on the local economy. It can contribute much to Yellowknife through good corporate citizenship and an influx of cash, with a Northerner at the helm. Sure, box stores bring with them competitive prices that threaten small businesses selling similar items, but Truscott was correct in saying small businesses can stay alive by building strong customer service relationships, and focusing on niche markets rather than the broad retail strategies adopted by chain stores. Weavor and Devore, a Yellowknife institution and family-run store since 1936, exemplifies the small business advantage that emphasizes customer service and local expertise in their market. Sutherland's Drugs is another survivor built on its strengths as a quality service provider. These stores demonstrate how successful a business can be anywhere in the city if it can execute a customer service advantage and develop specialized markets. These same strategies can be employed against Internet shopping and the allure of trips south to places like the West Edmonton Mall. It'll just take a bit of creativity and entrepreneurship.
Help speeds its way to a great need Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 When there's a will, there's a way. After a presentation last week from the NWT SPCA requesting land for a new shelter, city administration assessed the situation, crunched numbers and came back hours later offering the helping hand the SPCA was waiting for. It's an affordable payment plan unanimously supported by council: one lot in the Engle Business District worth $200,500 plus GST, for which the SPCA will be responsible to pay a 15 per cent deposit and the remainder of the cost to be paid over a 15-year term. City council and administration have shown they are of the same mind as hundreds of community members and businesses who donated thousands of dollars to the cause over the past few months, pushing through a speedy resolution that provides land for the SPCA - the crucial building block to get the project moving. Council's action was warranted and the quick response from administration made it happen. It's a giant leap for the organization, which has had the vision for the much-needed facility since late last year when it entered a national competition from Aviva Canada and acquired $300,000 to get the project off the ground. The numbers don't lie. In the past six months the NWT SPCA rescued upwards of 90 dogs. Whether the animals find a home in the NWT or are given shelter, food and care before finding a home elsewhere, the tireless efforts of the SPCA board and volunteers will soon continue helping animals in a new, spacious and affordable building.
The boots and slipper left behind Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Someone will have big shoes to fill this fall. Before stepping down on May 30 after a 10-year run, Sheila Fraser had become one of the most popular auditor generals in history. Fraser is best known for blowing the lid off of the Liberal sponsorship scandal in Quebec about seven years ago, when her office discovered up to $100 million of the $250 million available in the federal sponsorship program was given to Crown corporations and advertising firms for doing, well, pretty much nothing. The straighttalking, hardhitting financial watchdog took on all comers when it came to wrongdoing, and was directly responsible for exposing the misdeeds of former privacy commissioner George Radwanski and integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet. Known for her balanced approach and fairness as much as her nononsense style, Fraser chastized the Liberal's longgun registry in a 2002 report, which, for all intents and purposes, placed a noose around the registry it was never able to shake. In fact, during the past decade, a long list of people have thanked their lucky stars the office of the auditor general has no power to punish fiscally irresponsible government bodies. Fraser was a familiar name to the Government of Nunavut (GN), with a solid reputation for giving credit when due, but pulling no punches on shortcomings. While many in the GN feared her visits to Iqaluit and the reports she tabled, they often produced results. She slammed the Nunavut Business Credit Corp. in 2007 for its dismal performance and refused to budge until this past April, when she gave the corporation a clean audit and credit for doing a "remarkable" job. I admired Fraser for her thoroughness and courage. Regular readers of Kivalliq News know how much this humble scribe deplores the coneofsilence approach used by Nunavut power-brokers. Too many of our leaders talk about transparency and accountability in public while hammering out deals, policies and impact agreements in secrecy, with the best interests of their own particular organization well ahead of those of average Nunavummiut and/or Inuit beneficiaries. Getting the simplest of answers from the GN often takes countless hours of dogging ministers who, shall we say, frown upon anyone else answering questions, even if it happens to be in their particular field of expertise. Fraser has stated quite emphatically the auditor general's office must maintain its independence to effectively fulfil its mandate. And she has hollered long and loud when documents were denied her office. In short, matters of national security aside (and that didn't even wash when it came to documents on obtaining military helicopters), she often advocated the public's right to know as staunchly as any member of the fourth estate. It was that connection to the everyday citizen, coupled with her honesty and tenacity, that endeared her to the Canadian public. While finance ministers leave a trail of new shoes in the wake of their budgets, Fraser left a pair of combat boots and a glass slipper in hers. Hopefully, her successor will know how, and when, to wear the boots, and never let the clock strike 12 on her slipper of independence.
A parting shot NWT News/North - Monday, May 30, 2011
He largely has himself to blame, and he admits it, at least in part. The premier has announced he won't be seeking re-election when NWT voters go to the polls on Oct. 3. That decision - which could always be reversed before the nomination period closes -- has opened the debate on how Roland, 49, will be remembered as government leader, and as a politician. He first came to the legislative assembly to represent his riding of Inuvik Boot Lake in 1995. He was the hard-working automotive mechanic that most people felt they could relate to, someone who had been a town councillor, chair of the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee, a hockey player and a minor hockey coach. He was re-elected in 1999. In 2003, he was acclaimed, and he went on to become deputy premier, minister of Finance, Health and Public Works under Premier Joe Handley. It was in the final few days of Handley's reign that Roland was among those to sign off on the Deh Cho Bridge project, which would come back to haunt him after he was again returned to the legislative assembly by acclamation in 2007 and was chosen by his peers as premier. Details of the troubled and costly bridge agreement began to emerge that were not previously clear. Regular MLAs also complained that they were excluded from discussing a financial bailout for Discovery Air and they weren't told about the supplementary health benefits program. Roland survived a subsequent non-confidence vote by a narrow 10-8 margin. Then came the affair with a legislative assembly clerk - one who was involved with key meetings among regular MLAs. That resulted in a public inquiry that found Roland had violated the NWT Conflict of Interest Act, but he wasn't impeached because the adjudicator ruled that the premier erred "in good faith." A tearful apology from Roland, whose shattered family life had become public knowledge, followed. Bleak days indeed. He could have quit. He didn't. Instead, he became focused on getting a devolution deal rolling - an agreement that would give the NWT province-like powers, with greater control over resources and a share of royalties from oil, gas and mining. In January of this year, Roland succeeded in signing a devolution agreement-in-principle with Ottawa. The deal angered many First Nations who said they were not included in negotiating its contents, although it should be noted that the Inuvialuit and NWT Metis Nation applauded the agreement. "It's not the best deal, but this has been in the works for - if you look at the days of the Northern Accord - almost 30 years," Roland said at the time. Roland is right. Several premiers before him strove to accomplish what he has, but they failed. He will leave office with a feather in his cap. What remains to be determined, in 10 or 20 years, is whether Roland will be a hero or a goat. Will the NWT be in a better position or worse because of his devolution bargaining? What we do know is he moved devolution beyond just a bunch of talk. Nobody else can say that.
Back in cabinet Nunavut News/North - Monday, May 30, 2011 Leona Aglukkaq's appointment to a senior cabinet portfolio in October 2008 came as a surprise. Her re-appointment this month did not. On May 18, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he was keeping Nunavut's MP as minister of health and adding a new title to her portfolio - minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor). She was also Canada's representative at the recent Arctic Council meeting in Nuuk, Greenland - a task usually taken on by the minister of foreign affairs. This is an indication the prime minister approves of her performance. In 2008, the rookie MP became the first Inuk to hold a senior cabinet position. But far from merely being a puppet repeating Conservative party lines, she has managed to push some of Nunavut's concerns on many issues to the front burner while deftly steering the Health ministry through the H1N1 crisis. The federal government has defended seal hunters from international criticism, created CanNor and put its headquarters in Iqaluit, committed money to fighting tuberculosis and promoted mental health, and finally endorsed the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, Ottawa remains stubbornly deaf to Inuit concerns on issues such as seismic testing, resource mapping and development and their effects on wildlife and the environment, and despite a few temporary Band-Aids applied during its rollout, the unpopular Nutrition North Canada program remains unchanged. We hope Aglukkaq will continue to be an effective advocate for Nunavut even if it means taking her own cabinet to task on those issues where Nunavummiut and Ottawa disagree.
Stalking the elusive tourist Nunavut News/North - Monday, May 30, 2011 Joavee Alivaktuk, co-instructor of Nunavut Arctic College's revamped guiding and outfitting course, last week called guiding a "dying occupation." In the past, guides were highly experienced hunters providing advice to adventurers, explorers and people whose jobs took them on the land. As this generation of guides gets older, there aren't many younger folk with the experience to take their place. However, the new breed of tourist requires a different skill set from their guides. On-the-land experience is still crucial but also necessary are customer service, communication and cross-cultural skills to anticipate guests' expectations. Most of today's tourists are not hardened adventurers or endurance athletes. They want to experience the thrill of wilderness and adventure while staying warm and well-fed, and can be as helpless as infants when it comes to outdoors skills. And they ask questions - a lot of questions - that may try the patience of a saint. However they can pay, and pay well, for such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and customer satisfaction is critical for the success of Nunavut's fledgling tourism industry, because they will tell everyone they know, and complete strangers via the Internet, about their trip. Future guides need the best preparation they can get to take advantage of this undeveloped resource.
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