Road to success is paved in resourcesNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, May 4, 2015
The federal government announced last week it has approved a $500-million increase to the territory's debt, which will no doubt give leaders a bit more wriggle room to address infrastructure issues that have plagued the territory for as long as it's existed.
Previous to this announcement Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger predicted the 2015 budget would push the territorial debt to a mere $85.6 million shy of the previous $800-million limit.
The Northwest Territories has a debt ceiling because, unlike provinces, the federal government legislates the amount of debt territories can take on.
Here at home there's a pile of things NWT'ers need. Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche has been crying out for a repaved Highway 7 for years. Speaking of highways, a road up the Mackenzie Valley has been on the long-term government wish list for ages. Whati Chief Alfonz Nitsiza told News/North last week he wants the government to build a road to his community, where Fortune Minerals could be building a rare earth mine in the near future. Apart from roads, several communities are currently asking the government for new schools and health centres.
So looking ahead, what will the GNWT be doing with this $500-million injection?
While Premier Bob McLeod and Miltenberger both say no money has been earmarked to specific projects, they did point to one possibility: a 150-km all-weather road running from Yellowknife to the diamond mines northwest of the city.
Now it would seem reasonable to question why the government, given the freedom to pick any item off the infrastructure wish list, would choose to build a road to a cluster of mines when communities remain under-serviced. But let's take a look at why this might actually be the most essential project on the government's roster.
First, two words: resource revenues. Part of the 2014 devolution agreement gives the NWT a portion of the money mining companies pay for the right to extract minerals. The first year after devolution saw a $40 million resource royalty paycheque. Of that $40 million, the government shared a quarter, or $10 million, with First Nations governments -- that money gets funnelled right back into individual communities. The more resource revenues the NWT rakes in year after year, the more money it has to invest in other infrastructure projects, which in turn make the territory an easier place to live and do business.
Second, the government wouldn't be going it alone. According to Miltenberger, the GNWT is working to reach a deal with mining companies to cover the cost and maintenance of the road to the mines.
Third, the government is responsible for considering the business case for projects it embarks on. When considering new projects, it's prudent for leaders to consider the return on investment if this money is spent. There is a good business case to build a road to the mines, as well as a good business case for a road to Whati - each road would be about 150 km and each would cost a few hundred million dollars to construct. A road all the way up the Mackenzie would benefit the communities situated along the river, but this road would be much longer, thus much more expensive. Plus, these communities aren't as isolated as they would seem: barges can travel up and down the river in summer and the winter road system is in place when it's cold.
It may sound counter-intuitive to prioritize a road to a diamond mine before a road to a communities, but the road to the mines isn't just a road, it's an investment.
Industry must give primary consideration to NunavummiutNunavut/News North - Monday, May 4, 2015
The recent decision to deny approval of Baffinland's application to ship iron ore from its Mary River mine through Milne Inlet year around using icebreakers is a landmark moment.
Other companies wishing to do business in Nunavut should take note.
Baffinland has a long history in Nunavut. It did many things right and a few things wrong in the process of gaining approval for Mary River. Original plans called for construction of a rail line to ship iron ore from a less sensitive location than Milne Inlet, which is prized by the Inuit as a rich traditional fishing and trapping area.
Global economic events changed the company's plans, prompting the change to what was called an early revenue stage. The rail line was to be postponed in favour of using nearby Milne Inlet for loading massive ocean-going freighters with raw materials destined for steel-making smelters.
The early revenue stage gained approval but the year-around shipping was justifiably denied. Its negative impacts on the traditional users of the land are just too much to bear.
That the traditional users of the land must be given primary consideration is also evident in the court action by the hamlet of Clyde River trying to overturn a National Energy Board decision to allow seismic testing in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.
Lawyer Nader Hasan summed up the Inuit position to the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto succinctly.
"The people of Clyde River, the people of Qikiqtani, have never been anti-development or anti-oil," Hasan said in the days after the hearing.
"But the stakes are high for them because the proposed exploration is taking place in their backyard, their kitchen, their supermarket.
"They have to be confident that whatever these companies do is not going to harm their food sources and their food security. They need to be part of the process."
The Inuit of Nunavut have to not just be part of the process, they have to be partners in any project with any company that wants to do business on their land.
That means the people of Nunavut have to stand to benefit from the project, whether it be mining or oil and gas exploration. That can take the form of jobs, training programs, spinoff businesses, beneficiary agreements, a share in profits, a stake in the company or a combination of all the positive aspects industry can offer.
Without primary consideration for Inuit interests, industry must be told that they can look elsewhere to do business.
Hospitals, not jails Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, May 1, 2015
Police have become the primary caregivers for people with mental illnesses. That needs to change.
Tylor Nataway, 24, went on a rampage that caused "thousands of dollars" of damage to Stanton Territorial Hospital, and left a nurse of 25 years terrified, anxious and stressed, according to her victim's impact statement.
Nataway ended up spending 55 days in custody.
This is hardly the best outcome for anyone. Not the nurse, nor Nataway nor the taxpayer.
He went into the hospital seeking help. He left in trouble with the law.
While confrontation is not a forgone conclusion with those with mental illness, it's certainly easy to see why it can happen. Given Nataway's condition, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, it's understandable why he might fly off the handle when giving up a certain level of control -- in a hospital waiting room, for example.
Like many people, Nataway was dealt a bad hand with mental illness. But early intervention can prevent chronic illness. His obsessive-compulsive behaviour manifested in his youth years earlier. He ran up the water bill of his foster home repeatedly washing his clothes and sheets. He wore out four vacuum cleaners. With the right intervention, who's to say how things might have gone differently.
Mental illness will be addressed by society at large one way or another. It is up to us whether that happens in the correctional system or in time to prevent undue hardship for people and their families.
By far the greater challenge may come for those with undiagnosed mental illness, who aren't able to ask for coping mechanisms and might go through life wondering why they feel a need to engage in behaviour that may be criminal or self-destructive.
This must be addressed early on in life so that young people will be able to identify these symptoms in themselves and seek help. That reduces the chances of the problem snowballing into legal complications, increasing the problem exponentially.
There's no magic bullet when it comes to mental illness, but it's better for everyone if it's addressed before it becomes a matter for the police and courts.
City should demand representation Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, May 1, 2015
The city's lawsuit against the territorial government for "fair" representation is missing the mark.
Is there a bias in the legislative assembly skewing toward the communities? Certainly. But a lack of seats isn't necessarily the issue.
Yellowknife occupies seven seats in the assembly. Of those, three are held by cabinet ministers. This should work in our favour, but it doesn't. The reason being: cabinet votes with cabinet and regular members are left to make quorum or accept rejection. Perhaps this was best illustrated when the issue of redrawing electoral boundaries came up last year, and maintaining the current 19 seats - seven in Yellowknife - was affirmed. The city stepped up, requesting a look into the constitutionality of Yellowknife's limited position in the assembly. This request was shot down, perhaps most apparently by Justice Minister David Ramsay, representing the Kam Lake riding.
In a recent Facebook post on the issue, Coun. Cory Vanthuyne points to the city's $30-million water treatment plant currently underway at great cost to taxpayers, saying that better representation could have curbed the GNWT's demand to build the structure, with little financial support given.
But would more seats really change this?
When the Public Health Act requiring the plant's construction was passed in 2009, Yellowknife's four MLAs kept mum, and its three cabinet members were equally silent. Sure, the city has only 37 per cent representation, despite containing half of the territory's population. But it's abundantly clear to many Yellowknifers that adding more seats may not necessarily increase the city's influence in the legislative assembly.
Frack or fictionDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, April 30, 2015
When it comes to resource extraction in the NWT, the territorial government has a responsibility to ensure limited environmental, human and social impacts occur.
And in its most recent public meeting on proposed fracking regulations in Fort Simpson, government officials did little to ease the fears of many residents who are concerned over the short and long-term impacts of the controversial oil and gas extraction method.
In a package of documents provided to the public, the GNWT deems fracking a safe practice, based on projects in Western Canada. Research into best practices in other jurisdictions around the world, and review of existing regulations, along with public input were used to shape the new regulations.
But at no time during the presentation - which felt like lip service - did officials talk about the research it had done to come up with the regulations. People want to know how the government came to the "confident" opinion that the practice can be done safely.
Research by credible scientists and governments indicate environmental impacts of fracking are very real: water contamination, sanded-in wells and air pollution exceeding healthy limits. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested air quality near a drill site in rural Wyoming in 2011, finding it worse than around Los Angeles and nearly double the agency's healthy limit. So could this be the case if hundreds - even thousands - of drill sites are allowed in the territory?
The biggest issue residents had was the potential devastating impact on water in the territory. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation estimates each well, per frack, will require 10.2 million litres to 29.5 million litres of water. However, the U.S. Geological Survey reports the Horn River Shale extraction in northern B.C., which extends into the NWT and is on the territorial government's list of potential fracking sites, uses 59.8 million litres per well. Wells can be fracked multiple times too, which can increase the risk of soil and water contamination due to well degradation.
Almost all residents who spoke, nearly a dozen, said a moratorium should be in place. The legislative assembly debated a motion last year to do just this - but saw only four votes in favour.
If residents don't want fracking in their pristine backyard, they need to make themselves heard. Vote out pro-fracking MLAs, protest, and make it known that fracking should not happen in the Northwest Territories without proper public and aboriginal government consultation. The long-term effects of the practice are not known and before the government rushes into it, the research and pros and cons of fracking must be made public.
Preparing students for the real worldInuvik Drum - Thursday, April 30, 2015
The staff and students at East Three Secondary School are owed some congratulations after an impressive showing at the Territorial Skills Competition last week in Yellowknife.
A team of six students from the school qualified for the competition, with three bringing home medals and others not missing by much.
Of the three students who won medals, two in particular, Karis DeKwant and Kristen Elias, were competing in disciplines and skills that could easily translate into careers in town if they choose to do so.
Elias won a silver in hairdressing, while DeKwant won a silver in baking. Both of those skills are in high demand in Inuvik, which has a distinct shortage of hairstylists and bakers. Tiara Modeste performed admirably in the cooking event.
With the proper resources, these young women could likely set up their own business in town and be successful. They certainly could join existing businesses quite readily.
Amy Badgley, who won gold in photography, recognizes she's in a slightly different situation.
Showing a practicality beyond her years, Badgley realizes that photography will be a challenging and difficult choice to pursue as a career.
"There's no money in it, because everyone has a digital camera," she said wisely.
That's a testament to both common sense, and the way in which the school is preparing its students for life beyond the classroom.
While it remains the dream of many parents for their children to pursue a post-secondary education, either at a college or university, the reality is that such an education no longer offers any guarantee of a well-paying, satisfying career, if it ever did.
Trades, including professions such as baking and hairstyling, offer many more concrete chances for anyone with talent and vision in those fields, and they should be encouraged to move into them if that's their wish, rather than following the conventional path.
Examples such as the Skills Competition contenders are good role models for other students to think a little outside the box.
They also show the value, and good work, the school is doing with its alternative course offerings, such as its food program and cosmetics courses.
School principal Deborah Reid said she isn't too surprised to see the good showing by the students. Elias, she said, had already been turning heads with her styling skills, while Badgley has been demonstrating her photography expertise for more than a year.
These students need to be congratulated by town residents, as does the school.
Clearly, something is being done right at East Three.
Vigilance should be measuredYellowknifer - Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Not everything is a matter of right or wrong. In the case of a child sitting alone in a car that led to the police being called, no one was at fault.
A woman, who's name was not published, told Yellowknifer she was shopping at the Independent Grocer on Old Airport Road last week and left her eight-year-old son in the car. She returned 30 minutes later to learn a security guard had been watching the car and called the RCMP. An officer arrived, asked her a few questions and ran her driver's licence. The woman said she was treated like a criminal and didn't think it was a major concern because her son wanted to stay in the car and she has taught him to "stay put."
This was an embarrassing situation for the mother but thankfully that's all it was. We can't blame anyone for being concerned for this boy's welfare. Violence against children, abandonment and abduction is a sad reality. Police and security did the right thing to check up on the boy and talk to the mother. It may have been uncomfortable for her but it was the police's job to ensure that the child was safe.
The mother's actions were also in the right: she taught her son to obey her instructions, and the boy was old enough that he could get out of the car if there was a problem. What she did was not illegal. Child and Family Services does not set guidelines as to when a child can be left alone, that is up to parents.
Parents are more engaged in their children's lives now than they were a generation ago. There have been many high-profile cases of the fatal consequences of children left unattended. Almost every year there are stories of young children dying in hot cars and more recently, wandering outdoors during freezing conditions.
However, some parents take their involvement to the extreme -- cases such as one unfolding in Maryland, U.S., where police have been called twice to look in on a family after their two children, aged six and 10, walked to a park without an adult.
There has to be a balance, as seen in Yellowknife's case. Asking questions may have inconvenienced a mother but it's never wrong to ask.
This city runs on volunteersYellowknifer - Wednesday, April 29, 2015
April 12 to 18 was National Volunteer Week - celebrating the men and women who offer up their time, free of charge, to hold a whole slew of positions that keep the city functioning. Not only functioning but thriving.
Volunteers are the people who allow underfunded social services to continue important work.
They are the people who stand at the doors of arts events, to let the show go on. They are the people who sit on various service boards across the city, offering input and guidance to the organizations that we benefit from every day. They are also so many more things than this.
A 2010 Statistics Canada study - Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating - suggested rates of volunteerism across the country were lowest in the NWT, with 37 per cent of people over the age of 15 donating their time - on par only with Quebec. In Nunavut, this number was slightly higher at 41 per cent, and in the Yukon, 49 per cent. Saskatchewan took the volunteer cake, with 58 per cent. The negative statistics are hard to believe in a city where there are countless organizations with volunteers are the core. More likely, Stats Canada's count was incomplete as its NWT population survey was in 2001 when it missed 3,000 people.
Although, while volunteer efforts are conspicuous, so are callouts for new people to fill vacant roles.
Following a week of recognizing volunteers, perhaps this is something to consider.
The fact is, any day, of any week, of any month, the work of a volunteer has likely contributed to your day. Remember that. Appreciate that. Maybe even go a step further and volunteer your own time.
Celebrate the power of musicEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, April 29, 2015
This coming Monday, May 4, marks a wonderful day in Canada.
The day is dedicated to music education and -- once you get past the irony of art programs taking some of the biggest budget cuts of the past decade -- it can be a wonderful salute to budding creativity.
Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik (MUI) in Rankin Inlet will join the rest of the nation in celebrating Music Monday and, if you're able, it's an event well worth the effort to take in.
I attended most of the 2014 event at MUI and was blown away by much of what I heard, and saw, while there.
The musical talent exhibited by many who took to the stage was quite pleasing to both the ears and the soul.
And to say the music performed during the afternoon was an eclectic mix, would be to make the understatement of the school year.
But it was the atmosphere of pure exuberance and joyfulness that was most impressive.
The MUI gym that afternoon was gripped in the moment of pure musical magic.
Every generation has its own music or "sound."
And, chances are fairly high anyone who spent their adolescence cruising to classic rock, sneering to punk, crooning to country and western or shaking their tail feathers to disco aren't going to "get" gangsta rock, thrash metal, hip hop or European techno music.
Well, OK, maybe the mom and dad disco generation find some common ground with an electro house dance mix because of the seemingly non-ending, nerve destroying and nausea inducing looped beats, but that's really about it.
But at the school level, it's all about discovery and creativity.
Most take musical education to mean learning to play an instrument, either in the schooled sense of reading and writing music and understanding the units of time and how they're emphasized in a piece of music, or the street method, especially with rock guitarists, who, basically, give up their teenage years to learn by ear and bleed their fingers raw until they're the badest string bender in town.
But give a group of 10-year-old girls a popular song and tell them to come up with a routine, and you'll often see an incredible display of fun, frolic and unbridled enthusiasm, even if they're only miming the song's video or the artist's concert performance.
And surprises sometimes leave you grinning foolishly in appreciation.
Which is what I did at MUI when a young man quietly took to the stage and then rocked out the gym to the strains of Guns and Roses' Paradise City, or the young fellow who held his own in a pickin'-and-a-grinnin' session with a teacher.
Music Monday is not a recital, nor is it any form of musical test or measuring stick of talent.
It is a celebration of music and the joy it brings to the majority of the more than 35-million who call Canada home.
And it is a celebration of innocence -- of allowing something to jiggle your tush and excite your spirit without truly understanding, or caring, why.
Music programs do, in fact, shape many young lives, but the thought of millions of Canadians enjoying music at the same time is, by itself, reason to celebrate.
Join the celebration on May 4, as chances are you'll be glad that you did.
