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A doggone shame Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 8, 2011
For alas, no amount of red carpet will be enough to cover the prodigious piles of dog feces accumulating on them since the start of last winter. One would think it to be common sense: owner takes his or her dog out for a walk, watches it do its business, and then swiftly picks up the poop and disposes of it. Unfortunately, as several residents commented in Yellowknifer last week, far too much of the stuff is staying on the ground, and that's bad because it makes some otherwise nice places to go for a walk unbearable to tread. Some owners will remain incorrigible, but many others might be coaxed to pick up after their pets if there were a few more incentives. The city provides bags and disposal bins at several sites around town, including the Range Lake Trail, Tin Can Hill and the dog park behind the curling rink. Yet people still don't pick up after their dogs in these locations. Owners should face steeper fines for dog feces infractions. The maximum fine in Yellowknife is currently $2,000, and only one fine was handed out in the past year, according to Mayor Gord Van Tighem. Higher fines would encourage the city to enforce the bylaw. Amounts should also be posted on trails. Ultimately, doggy etiquette is the responsibility of dog owners. Unfortunately, too many are seeing the forest and not the feces below the trees.
On with the show Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 8, 2011 Artists in Yellowknife often complain they're overlooked and underfunded when eyeing the money and attention doled out to sports groups in the city. The formation of a board of directors for the Artist Run Community Centre goes a long way to ensuring artists and musicians are seen and heard. ARCC, as its catchy acronym implies, has served as a life vessel for art shows and musical performances ever since opening its doors in the old Pentecostal Church venue on 49 Street in March. In a city where complaints about a lack of suitable venue space are many, the centre's creation is a welcome one, and bound to compliment other local arts and culture groups such as the Aurora Arts Society and Music NWT. That such a large board to ARCC has been elected - 12 directors - is likely good news. It could be argued that having so many people involved in a voting capacity could make the organization difficult to govern, but others with experience in non-profit groups in Yellowknife would likely say it doesn't hurt to have a board with a large and ready body of volunteers to draw upon. Just ask past members of Caribou Carnival, which died this year from a lack of interest. And interest is key. The NorthWords Writers Festival held this weekend for the sixth straight year, and featuring numerous writers from the North and far beyond, was well-received once again. It goes to show that there is room and a desire in this city for art- and culture-related events. People just have to make them happen, as the ARCC board of directors is resolving to do now.
Enjoy the flight while you can Darrell Greer Kivalliq News - Wednesday, June 8, 2011 The Kivalliq region was abuzz with the news of an NHL franchise returning to Winnipeg this past week. Unless the NHL's board of governors drop the mother of all bombshells later this month and refuse to rubber stamp the sale to True North Sports and Entertainment, the 'Peg is back in the game. Of course, that's taking for granted the team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers is renamed the Jets. To hardcore fans, to call the team anything but the Jets would be sanctimonious. But, like everything else in modern society, it all comes down to cold, hard cash. If True North decides there's more money to be made in merchandising with a new moniker, that's what will happen and fans be damned. In fact, Winnipeg is an interesting case study in terms of fans. While there's no denying the euphoria surrounding the announcement, hockey fans outside of the city are, really, in a tizzy over having the NHL so close. Most are excited over the chance to see their favourite team, superstars such as Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, or Rankin Inlet's own Jordin Tootoo when Nashville comes to town. They have little interest in Winnipeg, itself, and they're not alone. A good number of today's coddled players have no interest in playing in Winnipeg and that's the truth of the matter. As much as we admire them, we can't forget the majority of players have more money in their bank accounts by their mid-20s than most of us, and our children, will see in a lifetime. And, with the ever-lowering age of free agency, they no longer have to play anywhere they don't want to unless they're traded. A growing number of players are disconnected from the very source of their wealth - the fans. They'd rather play in Carolina, Tampa, Florida, Anaheim and, yes, Nashville, where they face far less media scrutiny and can live their lives in relative anonymity. Playing in a Canadian city means the goldfish-bowl syndrome, with players approached for autographs, photos and chit-chat about the game no matter where they go. Throw in Winnipeg's climate and the perceived lack of high-end amenities and, well, you get the picture. It's not the destination of choice for many of these athletes and, as any Edmonton fan can tell you, their wives or girlfriends. It also remains to be seen if Winnipeg can financially support an NHL franchise. Some reports suggest the team will need every fan at every home game to spend about $102 just to break even. Yes, our loonie is a lot stronger now than the just over 60 cents (US) it was at when Winnipeg lost the Jets. But there's no guarantee it will stay at its present level, and the NHL's salary cap floor is far above what the Jets spent back in the days of free spending. Having the NHL back in Winnipeg is a wonderful thing, but it's not a foregone conclusion it will survive there. The NHL really didn't have any other choice. So go cheer for your team, see the stars, whistle loudly for the Tootoo Train and enjoy it while you can. The Jets have been cleared for a safe landing in Winnipeg, but whether they can truly take off from there remains to be seen.
Staggering statistics NWT News/North - Monday, June 6, 2011
As of 2009, youth are trying alcohol and experimenting with illicit drugs at a higher rate compared to studies done in the past, according to statistics put out by the GNWT. Information revealing nearly a quarter of the NWT's youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are dabbling in drugs such as speed, ecstasy, heroin and crack-cocaine, is most alarming. When the previous study was done in 2002, only 16 per cent of youth admitted to using an illicit drug. The trend is obviously moving in the wrong direction; if the current rate of a more than one per cent increase per year holds, drug use and the problems associated with such behaviour will soon reach epidemic and unmanageable proportions. In fact, RCMP, families and our healthcare system currently struggle with the burden of substance abuse in the NWT. Police officers in nearly every NWT community have often been quoted in News/North saying that a vast majority of their calls are associated with substance abuse; domestic assaults, sexual assaults, property crime, theft, fatal accidents and even some murders have been attributed to the offender being drunk or high. In response, many of our communities have implemented liquor restrictions or bans and have repeatedly called for regional addictions treatment centres to add to the services offered by the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre on the Hay River Reserve. Legislation, better treatment resources and stricter enforcement are all fine and well, but intervention to tackle the growing problem of youth substance abuse must begin at home. Parents must not only supervise their children but also educate them of the dangers of substance abuse; there is no shortage of examples of the pain addictions cause in the North. In fact, it is safe to assume most people in our communities have experience with the trauma caused by the abuse of alcohol and drugs, either by a friend, family member or personally. The report goes on to say that those with higher levels of education are less likely to engage in binge drinking and the number of binge drinkers is highest among those without a high school education. Such a correlation suggests that the battle against addiction should begin in kindergarten. Parents must strive to teach their children the importance of education and instill good attendance and learning habits early in life. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment also has a role to play to ensure all our students from the gifted to the at-risk have an equal opportunity to graduate with the skills necessary to carry them into post-secondary education or the work force. As it stands, school attendance and graduation rates, which are among the worst in country, demonstrate our school system and parents have a lot of work to do. More resources given to our schools and funding for early-parenting classes could possibly have better results than more addictions treatment centres.
Lock up the guns Nunavut News/North - Monday, June 6, 2011 Kudos to Fred Schell and the students and staff at Qaqqalik School in Kimmirut for their efforts to deliver gun trigger locks to everyone in the community who asked for them. They may never know how many lives they've saved through such a simple act. In Canada the majority of deaths by firearms are suicides. A small fraction are homicides, and an even smaller fraction are accidents. According to a 2005 Statistics Canada report, in 2002, 816 people died from firearms related injuries in Canada. Four-fifths of these deaths were suicides; 15 per cent were homicides and four per cent were accidents. The report also stated the rate of firearms-related deaths in the territories was nearly four times higher than the Canadian average. To own or buy a firearm, Canadians need a firearms acquisition certificate and to get that, you need to pass a course on firearms safety. These courses are not offered on a regular basis in Nunavut. The courses that have been offered to the general public in the past few years have been the result of a lot of effort by volunteers, who have to arrange to get instructors to their communities. Often demand far exceeds the course's capacity. Meanwhile, guns and ammunition are falling into the wrong hands. A seven-year-old child died in Rankin Inlet in 2005 after he and a friend gained access to guns and ammunition in a hunting cabin on the outskirts of town. The guns used by 18-year-old Qavavau Shaa last October, when he shot from his Cape Dorset home at police officers and randomly until he passed out, belonged to his grandfather. It's also unlikely the guns used by two 15-year-olds, who wandered through the same community a few weeks later firing off shots until one was shot in the torso by a police officer, belonged to them. The commanding officer of RCMP V Division said, after the Cape Dorset incidents, that stationing more officers in communities would do nothing to curb the danger to residents if there is no respect for firearms, or for alcohol. Inuit have the right to keep an unloaded gun at hand when it's needed for safety from wildlife. But when there's not a need for them to be out, by law firearms must be unloaded and then have a lock over the trigger, be locked in a case, locked in a separate room or the gun must be made inoperable by removing the bolt. Firearms safety courses need to be taught regularly in every community in the territory, and initiatives to provide gun locks, like the ones in Kimmirut and Cape Dorset, will save lives in the future.
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.
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