Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

When death strikes a family it is a difficult time and funeral arrangements are often stressful and emotional ordeals.

In NWT communities that stress can at times be compounded by the fact many communities do not have appropriate facilities to handle the bodies of the recently deceased.

Recently our sister paper, Nunavut News/North, published an article involving people who were concerned about the fact many communities were storing the recently deceased in garages and community freezers -- at times placing dead loved ones next to food caches.

Many of our smaller Northern communities lack a lot of amenities afforded to central hubs such as Yellowknife and Hay River. While fast food restaurants, box stores and even roads aren't necessities, there are some services that should be considered essential.

The death of a loved one is an emotional time and people want the comfort of knowing the bodies of their parents, grandparents, siblings and friends are treated with dignity and care.

Although we are sure that community officials endeavour to treat bodies with care and sensitivity, it is easy to understand how these alternative storage sites might seem callous.

In Norman Wells, Mayor Dudley Johnson says the community invested in two port-a-morgues - chilled, coffin-like units designed to prevent bodies from decomposing. Providing a place specifically designed for bodies restores a sense of respect and also alleviates concerns of sanitation, especially when bodies are kept near food stores.

One website for port-a-morgues lists the products at around $6,000 for a two-body unit. It seems a small price to pay. Communities should push the GNWT and the federal government to provide a program for purchasing such units for municipalities without funeral services.

The topic of electing our premier comes to the forefront of discussions every territorial election. Views differ and, at times, the debate is contentious and heated, especially when discussion turns to what a system with an elected premier would look like.

In the end, it comes down to democracy and accountability and which system would better serve those two sacred trusts. With that in mind, it is definitely an issue worth exploring. The interest in the public realm should highlight the need to bring those discussions into the legislative assembly. Dismissing it to simply stick with the status quo is a mistake. Research and public consultation is needed to answer the question definitively.

Put this question to your new or returning MLA: how should consensus government be changed so that a premier can be elected by the public?

Unless the GN forks more than $50,000, the motivation and ambition of 13 Nunavummiut who want to graduate from college will go ignored.

The environmental technology program offered through Nunavut Arctic College in Pond Inlet is currently without funding.

Baffinland, an exploration company that sold the massive Mary River iron ore deposit south of Pond Inlet earlier this year, has put an offer on the table to provide half the cost of the $100,000 program if the college can find another source of funding. One would think the territorial government would jump at a chance to provide 13 keen students in Pond Inlet with the college education they seek - $50,000 is not a huge price to pay.

For that matter, this should be on the radar of Nunavut MP Leona Algukkaq, minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. The amount of money needed to allow the program to proceed is less than the price of a high-end pickup truck.

In a territory where interest in education is low, and high school drop-out rates hover near an astounding 75 per cent, it's shameful the government wouldn't step in to make sure a successful program survives.

An idea shared by circumpolar police chiefs may be a perfect fit to help Nunavut deal with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, and poor living conditions - and all it would take is the odd meeting.

During the police chief meeting in Iqaluit last month, police Chief Dale McFee from Prince Albert, Sask., said his force brings together government health and social services officials, housing, and bylaw representatives, among other agencies, to discuss the various social problems affecting them. McFee said the results have been positive, seven months into the program.

Nunavut RCMP Chief Supt. Steve McVarnock said he hopes to establish the same sort of meetings in the territory.

To do this, he'll need support from the Department of Health and Social Services, the housing corp. and the municipal governments, and there is no reason for these agencies not to jump on board.

These groups deal with many of the same problems, and all have different perspectives on social issues as they all play unique but vital roles in dealing with them.

The knowledge they get from each other would undoubtedly give them a better picture of the addictions and mental health issues, among others, that can lead to violence, but these meetings could also help various professionals get to know each other, as it is no secret the territory has high turnover.

Setting aside a few hours a month to share perspectives and talk about issues would do some good for these agencies. Communication and co-operation invariably lead to good things.

It's understandable to feel like travelling by plane is unsafe with the latest air tragedy to strike Yellowknife last week.

Five Yellowknife residents have lost their lives in a little more than a month - all members of the city's small but vibrant airline industry. Several more have been injured.

That sort of pain and loss is difficult to absorb for a city this size.

Many people would have known someone on the First Air flight that crashed in Resolute Aug. 20, killing 12, or the two pilots of the Arctic Sunwest Twin Otter who, despite the best efforts of those on the ground to save them, did not survive last week's crash in Old Town.

That both accidents occurred so close to civilization, within minutes of their intended destinations, heightens our anxieties and intensifies our fears.

Indeed it's a miracle more people weren't hurt in the Arctic Sunwest crash, which, whether by pure chance or some last second heroics from the pilots, smashed into the ground between two buildings on a busy McDonald Drive.

But if anyone is concerned about airline safety in the North, and particularly whether floatplanes should be landing and taking off next to heavily populated areas like Old Town, they haven't brought those concerns to Yellowknifer.

Statistics show that air travel in the North is tremendously safe. According to a Statistics Canada report from 2009, Yellowknife has one of the 50 busiest air centres in Canada with 315,000 people getting on an aircraft or deplaning here every year. In 2010, close to 39,000 flights departed or landed here.

That so few accidents occur over our skies is a testament to the professionalism and dedication toward safety undertaken by our Northern air carriers on a daily basis.

Sadly, accidents do happen and will continue to happen. Air travel is a Northern necessity and always will be. Yet as reliable as Northern air travel is, it will never be 100 per cent safe.

We are left with two certainties after last week: the people on the ground, including Matthew Grogono of and Allan Shortt, who dodged downed power lines to pull people out of the still smoking wreckage, are heroes.

The second is that it will take time for this city's wounds to heal.

While that healing takes place, planes will continue to roar into the horizon, as they have done for decades to help build the city we know today.

Most learning in today's school system happens in classrooms.

Students sit at desk or tables and learn the standard curriculum of math, social sciences and language arts. To see youth really draw in knowledge, however, the place to be is at culture camps.

The recent culture camp for Wrigley kids is a case in point. For five days, 11 youths from Wrigley lived and learned at Fish Lake alongside 17 adults.

When it comes to having a conducive atmosphere for learning, you couldn't ask for better than Fish Lake. The lake itself is beautiful and right in front of the campsite there is a pebble beach.

Moving inland, the forest floor is springy underfoot and the McPherson tents the students stayed in were nestled between trees. The location exuded tranquility and calmness.

As for the subject matter, the normal school subjects weren't on the schedule. The youth, however, were learning. Every day they were picking up new knowledge about snaring, fishing, canoeing and living off the land.

Many students, when questioned by parents about what they did that day at school, respond with short answers that more or less say nothing much. At the camp, however, youths were able to list off their favourite activities and what they learned while doing them.

One student talked about learning how to clean fish by watching her grandmother, one of the elders at the camp, while another spoke of picking cranberries and then making jam. These and the other activities students learn about at the camps all have important cultural ties. The camps are classrooms for the transmission and continuation of cultural traditions.

Traditionally, children would have learned such skills and knowledge from family members or relatives. Today, however, many parents are either lacking the skills themselves or don't have the opportunity to take their children onto the land to pass them on.

Culture camps need to be supported because they are filling an important role in keeping this knowledge alive. As Albert Moses pointed out, many of the students respond in such a way to culture camps that you know they'll want to come back onto the land themselves when they are older. The camps allow community members to pass on knowledge such as where the best places to set fish nets in the winter are and the youths will be able to draw on that knowledge in the future.

Those who organize the camps deserve praise. The camps aren't easy to arrange and require meticulous planning if everything is to go off smoothly.

With the right support from communities, schools and parents, however, culture camps will continue to teach the Deh Cho's youth the knowledge that will ground them in the region, their history and their culture.

What people thinking of voting in an election want more than anything else are solutions.

Politicians know this and take advantage at times; that's where the oft-neglected election promises come into play. "We know this is a problem. We will solve it this way," the politicians say over and over again.

While the solutions don't always come into play, there is one good thing about these so-called promises. They show creativity and the ability to recognize problems and think about the next step. Sometimes it doesn't matter if the promises aren't made. The fact these politician-hopefuls have taken a stand on a certain issue, put thought into it and suggested a solution is very appealing.

What is not appealing, however, is the repetition of issues without these election promises or potential solutions. Everyone in Inuvik knows homelessness, mental health and addictions, education and the economy are problems here and throughout the territory. But what are these candidates going to do about it?

Where are the solutions? If we, the constituents, are going to elect any of these candidates into the legislative assembly, don't we deserve to know how they will solve these issues?

Some ideas have been bandied about in both interviews with the Inuvik Drum, a question-and-answer session at the Aurora College learning centre and the forum at the college as well.

Paul Voudrach has suggested creating a step between the homeless shelter and the NWT Housing Corporation for people ready to take that leap to independence.

Alfred Moses mentioned placing a mental health and addictions counsellor within the homeless shelter to help those living there.

Grant Gowans has an eye on education and wants to help move forward on the Children's First Society to create that much-needed early childhood education centre.

Chris Larocque wants to keep the economy moving with projects such as the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the fibre-optic link.

Next week, Inuvik Boot Lake will have a new MLA – one of these four men.

After eight fights and close to three hours worth of entertainment at the Yk Arena on Sept. 17, a jubilant Donny Bryan stood alone in a cage surrounded by chain link, shadow boxing.

Some of the fans heading for the exits after the show paused to cheer him on. It was his moment to shine.

While he's no longer active as a pugilist, Bryan, a longtime boxing coach, can now call himself a successful promoter. He and colleagues Darrel Ouellette and Norm Dempster have pulled off something that had eluded Yk for several years: hosting a mixed martial arts card.

Sixteen men competed that night in what some still think of as a barbaric blood sport. While blood did flow in a few matches, there were no serious injuries. There are plenty of rules for the combatants to follow: no eye gouging, no low blows or biting, no kicking or kneeing an opponent's head while they are on the canvas.

What was commonplace on Sept. 17, as it is at nearly all mixed martial arts cards, was two guys slugging it out or one strategically wrestling another into submission, and afterwards shaking hands or embracing in a show of good sportsmanship.

The event attracted an estimated 900 fans to the arena, spectators who were relatively well behaved, not brawling in the aisles or scuffling in the parking lot.

But the night wasn't without its unsettling suspense. Bryan said he was nervous prior to the action because few tickets were sold in advance. Fortunately for him, Ouellette and Dempster, plenty of people showed up at the door.

Despite three past failed attempts by another promoter to bring a similar event to Yk, including one cancelled due to poor ticket sales, many fans in this city won't commit until the last minute.

Planning is already in the works for another bunch of fights in the spring. Let's make it less tense for all involved next time and step up for tickets a little sooner.

The city is attempting to revive downtown and people are listening -- and they are also ready to make themselves heard.

It is commendable for the city to aim to lessen residents' reliance on vehicles and reduce related greenhouse gas emissions. Those decisions have to be practical, though.

At a public meeting to discuss the city's draft general plan on Sept. 19, with close to 25 residents in attendance, the city revealed its plan to develop 346 residences downtown of the additional 1,346 homes needed for the anticipated influx of 3,000 residents over the next 10 years. Part of this development means a potential move to reduce the amount of parking in the downtown area.

Some individuals living downtown may not have qualms about not owning a vehicle and walking to work, but others, like a few in attendance at Monday's meeting, won't be so willing. In particular, families with children need to be able to drive to stores and daycare, especially in this climate.

"Densifying" the downtown, as one city administrator put it, might encourage residents to walk and may entice some businesses to set up shop, but big box stores won't move where there is no parking. The plan to reduce parking downtown must be practical and take the needs of all residents into account or it won't work.

The sudden death in the Kivalliq earlier this week will, once again, cast a harsh light on suicide in Nunavut, and many will claim little is being done to combat the problem.

Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, it's been very encouraging to see the positive steps being taken at the community level recently.

Whether it's students on stage in Arviat, hip hop artists brought in to work with our youth, talent shows, community walks, or people looking to earn tickets in Rankin by proclaiming they're not afraid to talk about suicide: the tide is rising against a dark enemy that has taken too many loved ones from us long before their time.

Yes, we still have a long way to go to defeat this demon.

Yes, we're still waiting for a bona fide suicide prevention strategy that truly holds promise, as the action plan kicks into gear this month to cement the initiatives during the next 30 months.

And, yes, we're still constantly reminded of how daunting the challenge is by the ongoing regurgitation of national average statistics and similar numbers of that ilk by the southern media.

But make no mistake about it. Strategy or no strategy, people here are pouring their hearts and souls into this battle to create everything from awareness to a more nurturing environment for the youngest among us.

So many in the Kivalliq have been touched by suicide through the loss of a loved one.

And, the people initiating these baby steps towards defeating this monster are taking a sensitive, and culturally appropriate path in their efforts to unite our region against suicide.

These folks are not high-priced professionals meeting in boardrooms.

They're teachers, guidance counsellors, mental health workers, artists, hamlet workers and many others who live among us every day and want to make a difference.

Many are born and raised here and they all share one thing in common -- they care!

Their path is a rocky one, on which every setback represents the loss of another life in our communities.

And because they work so hard to bring an end to the senseless loss of life, only family and close friends feel the pain of that loss more deeply.

Yet they continue on with their efforts and, for that, they deserve our support, encouragement and respect.

It will be a great day in Nunavut when action plans and strategies are in place and start producing positive results.

And it will be a joyous day when this evil is defeated once and for and all.

Sadly, that day is not today.

But, in the meantime, these people will continue to lead the fight at the community level by organizing events, distributing information, heightening awareness and offering hope for a brighter tomorrow.

You cannot find statistics to show how many are still with us today because the efforts of these people somehow reached them in time, but, believe it, they're out there!

And, for that, we should all be eternally grateful.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.