Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

In government, the reality is often not as simple as common sense would dictate.

Take Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya's point made in News/North last week, that if the GNWT can afford a $300,000 trade mission to China and Japan, it should not be able to cry poor when asked to provide nurses in Tulita with decent furniture, level floors and vermin-free living quarters.

Unfortunately, government doesn't quite work that way. Even if the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment had decided $300,000 really is too much money to be spending on a junket, there would be many bureaucratic headaches involved in transferring those dollars to the Department of Health and Social Services, allocating it to the Sahtu health authority, and ensuring the housing complex is brought up to standard.

Even if all that was possible, Tulita nurses are unfortunately not the only government workers - and certainly not the only NWT residents - living in sub-par housing.

However, none of this means that common sense should not prevail. Nursing in a small community is a tough job in the best of conditions. The fact that the department has looked into the issue in Tulita and determined it just doesn't have the money to do anything about it right now is shameful, period.

Money didn't seem to be an issue when the GNWT burned $125,000 celebrating the 20th birthday of the legislative assembly in 2013. Probably not much of a mouse problem in that building.

Once again, the big bureaucracy that runs our territory has gotten in the way of doing the right thing, and kudos to Yakeleya for holding their feet to the fire over it.

Cost of the China trip aside though, looking for new business is a good thing and ITI Minister David Ramsay was right to point out that giving face is very important in Chinese and Japanese culture.

The goal of attracting people to immigrate to the Northwest Territories is also worth the trip.

However, as was pointed out in other media earlier this month, if the goal is to attract new residents, the GNWT would be wise to accept the applications of those who already want to move here.

An employee of the Yellowknife English Academy in Zhaoyuan, China, said he tried to help several entrepreneurs apply who wanted to move to the NWT to start up new businesses. However, no one could be found within the GNWT who knew anything about the Entrepreneur Business program that was launched in 2009.

Perhaps this is why the NWT doesn't has its 2,000 new residents yet.

In short, there is nothing wrong with sending a delegation overseas to promote the North. Promoting NWT fur is an excellent endeavor because it could potentially benefit trappers throughout the territory, not just businesspeople from the capital.

However, whether the trip really needed to cost $300,000 in taxpayer money should be thoroughly examined. Also, the government needs to be held accountable and pushed to show measurable results from these ventures.

Without them, it's just another junket.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau impressed the audience at Iqaluit's Nakasuk School Jan. 12, especially one-on-one as he worked the room, speaking individually with many of the 200 or so people in attendance.

People were clearly thrilled to meet him, shake his hand, pose for a photograph and chat briefly before he moved on to the next person.

Trudeau came to Nunavut after spending a few days in the NWT. He makes quite an impression on people personally. He spoke about how he learned to love the North as a young boy on a trip to the NWT with his father, then prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and thought it fitting to bring his son, Xavier, so the youngster could learn about the people of the North, too.

There were crowds of admirers wherever Trudeau went. For many, it was enough that he spoke in generalities about topics impacting Nunavut, that he mentioned in a short speech that the federal government's Nutrition North food subsidy program needs to be rebuilt. We continually hear talk about the problems related to the high cost of food and the inadequacies of the Nutrition North program. The Conservatives have announced some tightening of regulations, but we would love to hear some real solutions to the problem of food insecurity from the Liberal party.

Those who scrutinized Trudeau's visit would be hard pressed to find anything of substance that was said by him in Iqaluit. Oh, there was plenty of criticism levelled at the Conservative government, saying it has completely failed First Nations and Inuit. But he didn't say anything about what he brings to the table.

Most people accepted that the main purpose of his visit was to meet as many people as possible and to learn about the issues affecting Nunavummiut. However, to intelligent voters, his charm and good looks shouldn't be enough for his party's candidate to win in Nunavut. Consider that the candidate in the other corner is an Inuk cabinet minister who has announced literally hundreds of millions of dollars worth of spending on programs, services and assistance in the territory.

Trudeau has to demonstrate that he is knowledgeable enough on issues related to Nunavut to offer solutions, a platform, policies specific to the North and ideas for a Nunavut Liberal candidate to advance.

For the Liberal party to make any progress in Nunavut, it should have to come up with some real policies that surpass that of the Conservative government. Trudeau's plan should be better than the alternative before voters are swayed. Some will vote for style. We hope more will vote for style and substance.

The great fear among Yellowknife residents when considering the 2023 Canada Winter Games, is that the city will jump in feet first, costs be damned.

A decision hasn't even been made yet but already the numbers are dancing around like synchronized swimmers without a tune.

Estimates attempting to peg the cost of the games have ranged from $57 million in June, to $52 million in November to $35.8 million earlier this month. That the figures have been trending downward does not relieve the idea that they are being massaged to make them more palatable.

City councillor Niels Konge calls these figures "wild-ass guesses." Considering the cost overruns Yellowknifer has found with other Canada Winter Games events, he may not be far from the mark.

Whitehorse ended up with a $90-million bill when what was said to be a rough estimate pegged the price at $31 million. This year's host, Prince George, B.C., is already $11 million over its $36 million estimate with the opening ceremonies still weeks away.

There's also the matter of the athletes' village -- the cost of which the city says has been subtracted from the total cost by the Games council to give us the $35.8 million figure. The city hopes the territorial government will pay the lion's share of the estimated $23 million cost but the GNWT has not yet confirmed it will be doing so, even though it supports the city's bid for the Games.

There's also big fees to pay before the Canada Winter Games council will even approve the bid.

The Red Deer, Alta., bid for 2019 cost $260,000 to lay the groundwork for technical expertise on renovations and putting together bid documents.

A few hundred thousand dollars has the potential to pack a punch.

The two-year contract for the NWT Disabilities Council to run the Safe Harbour Day Centre, for instance, is $619,400.

With the potential to upgrade the city's sports infrastructure and maybe get some funds from the GNWT to build affordable housing, the 2023 Games is a prospect worth examining, but always with one eye on the costs.

Taxpayers should know exactly what they're paying for and should not be surprised when the time comes to foot the bill.

It's off to the Supreme Court for parents of French students.

The highest court in Canada will soon decide whether to hear a six-year-old case pitting the parents' demands for better schools against the territorial government's insistence that the current facilities are adequate and that it should retain the power to decide who can attend French language schools.

This fight has spilled out into the broader education system as the GNWT - after losing the initial court case in 2012 -- sought a cheaper solution for the French community's needs by attempting to strong-arm Yellowknife Education No. 1 into giving up a school so it could be handed over to the French - all while it was appealing the verdict.

French and English education equality is entrenched in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But watching the Yk1 board trying to placate angry parents as it agonized over which school to hand over to the GNWT provides a stark lesson in how inconvenient equality can be.

It also shows how uncertain the GNWT was that it would win its appeal.

A re-balance of school facilities is still needed, with William McDonald School hovering at a measly 38 per cent utilization rate and the adjacent Ecole Allain St.-Cyr operating 30 students shy of capacity with enrolment of 130.

September 2015 remains the deadline for the 2012 court order, a now-looming and still-in-effect date for the gym and special needs classroom addition, upheld by the appeals court for Allain St.-Cyr. The deadline is presumably what caused a panicked GNWT to ask Yk1 to give up a school before the NWT Court of Appeal had a chance to consider the NWT Supreme Court's 2012 decision.

This opened a tide of uncomfortable debates and in effect painted everyone involved as a bad guy.

Some Yk1 parents cast the French school board as the villain for wanting to take one of their schools.

Incidentally, it did not want a Yk1 school.

Yk1, although missing the GNWT deadline to hand over a school, nonetheless embarked on a yearlong hand-wringing exercise that led it back to the status quo and no hard decisions made whatsoever.

The GNWT, meanwhile, looked like meddlers, trying to play from both sides of the deck.

Nobody wants to be the bad guy, so it's no surprise the GNWT's initiative ended up a debacle.

In the future, the GNWT would be well-advised to sit tight while the court deliberates cases such as this one before causing disruptions.

Dozens of young people gathered this past weekend in Fort Simpson to learn to fiddle.

The musical lessons in Bompas Elementary drew most of the participants, who paid to attend, from communities in the Deh Cho region. They were able to pick up a fiddle and learn from instructors brought in from across the country.

In a small Northern community, having that chance to explore a new musical instrument is fantastic.

The organizers should be commended for their efforts.

Despite a bus from Yellowknife with most of the instructors breaking down en route to the village Friday, they were still able to get here and hold the lessons throughout Saturday.

It was all capped off by a community concert and dance.

The excitement on the faces in the school gym that evening, especially during the dance, was contagious.

Another benefit, as organizer Gerda Hazenberg points out, is that the event builds connections and friendships between people living in various communities.

The event was but one of several held annually, or somewhat more regularly, that make the region special.

It would be easy to slip under a warm blanket and try to hibernate through the winter.

But as the kids and parents who turned out showed, immersing yourself in the culture of the community is better.

From a coffee house, to the jamboree and upcoming sports tournaments, there's lots to do here in the village for those looking for time away from the computer or television.

For those who are younger, there's the Open Doors Society activities, board game night, sports and more.

The wide variety of activities says a lot about the kind of people in the community, about the time they will spend organizing events to keep people busy.

When asking people in the village what they're looking forward to about the rest of winter, almost every answer was about the Beavertail Jamboree, which is held annually in March and features snowmobile races, traditional games, talent shows and more.

That should say something for the organizers.

There are probably few people out there who would argue in favour of littering. If there are, I would hope they're too embarrassed to voice their opinion. Either way, it's a common discussion that we need to continue having.

During this week's public meeting on economic development in Inuvik, the conversation repeatedly reverted back to beautification and cleaning up the community. For those in attendance, seeing litter on the streets of their town is a shame and a crime. Is that small handful of people who showed up for the meeting - public participation and engagement can be left for another editorial - the only ones who see a need for putting a stop to the trash that litters the streets? Probably not.

A quick walk down Mackenzie clearly illustrates the problem and as people talk about ways to improve the local economy, seeing tourism as a major component of that, an appealing, welcoming and clean community is essential.

But, it isn't just for the tourists. As expressed by those at the economic development meeting, this is your community, and chances are you want it to be kept as clean as possible.

So, what are the options? More garbage cans in the downtown area - sure, that might help. A crew of workers to collect litter from the streets - that would be great, if the money was there. Public shaming of those who litter - I'm a fan of this option but others may not be.

The vast majority of the people of Inuvik probably have enough sense to not toss their candy bar wrapper on the sidewalk, and it's unfortunate that their town is polluted by the minority who just don't care enough to find a garbage can.

Some people at the public meeting were in favour of stringent enforcement of laws against littering. This could be a solution, and perhaps more can be proposed once a community conversation with more than just a handful of voices gets started.

The fact is, wanting to clean up the community is not a superficial interest. If people want to see development and growth in the community, and invite others to visit or perhaps work and stay, the amount of community pride that is present here needs to be a little more conspicuous.

A five-minute conversation with most people I've met in town communicated unquestionable pride. It's unfortunate that a walk through town doesn't do the same.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau's recent tour of the North was rich in platitudes and photo ops but his plans for the North, should he return his party to power, remain hidden from view.

Yellowknifer had no problem getting access to him during his visit. Our archives are full of pictures of him holding babies, kissing elders and just being a glowing star of attention in general. No doubt many people in the places he visited --- Inuvik, Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet - can claim the same.

The newspaper was given not one but two interview opportunities with him. Alas, when pressed with questions about what he would do to fix the multitude of problems facing the territory: the untenable cost of living, the failure of Nutrition North, the poor infrastructure, the limitations of natural resource development to maintain economic strength, Trudeau insisted this was a "listening" tour and his party's platform for the North will come at a later date.

Hopefully, that will come before the federal election scheduled for this fall and not after he and his party have been safely ensconced in office.

Frankly, it's not at all satisfying the leader of the number one party in the polls feels the best he can deliver on an election year tour is a promise that he is listening. One would think after running the country for most of the nation's existence, the Liberals would have a better grasp of what the issues are.

Will Trudeau remember the North while battling in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec?

He has certainly proved he is charming, and not at all afraid to press the flesh with voters. This is a refreshing change from the moated security phalanx that accompanies a visit from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Of course, a cynic might suggest Trudeau's prince-among-the-commoners approach might all go out the window should he be elected prime minister. Memory suggests there wasn't much difference - security-wise-- between Harper and former Liberal prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin whenever they came to town.

Trudeau and the Liberals seem to be betting that a charm offensive alone will beat the years of dedicated service provided by New Democrat Dennis Bevington in the NWT and the historic rise of Canada's first Inuk in federal cabinet, Nunavut's Leona Aglukkaq of the Conservative Party.

This strategy may very well work but it would be all the much better if it had some substance. Right now it does not.

Trudeau put on a good show during his visit and he is riding high on the mystique of his father's legacy, but in reality he has yet to prove he has any real grasp of the issues facing Northerners or a concrete plan on how to address them.

The weird world of Beatles dislike
Editorial Comment by Darell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Square dancing rules in the Kivalliq, with country music hot on its heels.

Hip hop, technopop and gangsta rap live on the teenage dance floor, and hard rock, for all intensive purposes, is only found on the headphones and ear buds of the super-cool kids (of all ages!).

It's a Northern, or, at least, a Kivalliq thing.

While all the above styles occupy the bottom rungs on this music fanatic's priority list -- with the exception of hard rock -- there's no denying the joy seen in gyms and halls across the Kivalliq when the square dance is on or the teens are bumping the tunes.

And that's a very, very good thing.

That being said, I've lived in numerous provinces across Canada, and I've met more people in Rankin Inlet who claim they do not like the Beatles than in every other place I've lived combined!

Now, I've often been told by those less-sunny amongst us that no matter how long I live here, I will never be a true Northerner.

That's a discussion for another day, but, if being a true Northerner -- or a true Kivalliqmiut -- means not loving the greatest rock-and-roll band to ever plug in a guitar, then I accept my fate.

I suspect those who say they don't like the Beatles are really people whose anti-mainstream compass has gone completely and utterly mad.

I've known many a musical anti-mainstreamer during my music-loving life.

I listened (with a straight face, I might add) as they told me the Sex Pistols or the Damned were musically superior to the Clash during the heyday of punk music.

They often speak the names of groups such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, the Pixies and Arctic Monkeys in hushed reverence, and they own every song the Smiths ever recorded.

And, of course, they loved Arcade Fire. That is, until they became popular.

But I digress.

It is quite staggering, to this humble scribe, how anyone who professes to like popular music can't find something from the Beatles catalogue that turns their crank.

From the impossible to resist, I Saw Her Standing There, and the jaw-dropping cover of the Phil Medley and Bert Russell-penned Twist and Shout on their first album in 1963 -- through the artistic accomplishments of Rubber Soul and Revolver to the masterpieces of Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles (White Album) and Abbey Road -- the Beatles constantly broke new musical ground while unleashing lyrical and melodic genius upon the world.

Lennon's In My life, Revolution and Nowhere Man; McCartney's Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday and Let It Be; and the songwriting duo's magnum opus, A Day in the Life, will stand forever as pop music classics that changed the musical playing field forever.

Looking at such an impressive list of work, one would think there would be, at least, a healthy portion of acknowledgement and respect dished out for such accomplishments from anyone who claims themselves to be a music lover.

With the exception of Dwight Yoakam, I can't go an hour of country music without leaving the room screaming for mercy, but, I love Johnny Cash.

To deny the man in black would be almost as ludicrous as saying, "I don't like the Beatles."

Nah. Not even close!

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