Drawing imaginary linesNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, October 12, 2015
One of the fundamental concepts for anybody who chooses to study politics is sovereignty.
Every country on the globe enjoys it. It means national leaders have the right to organize their own government and use their own resources within their own borders however they see fit.
In the case of Canada, the federal government shares governing powers with its provinces and territories and over the years, provinces and territories have fought - and won - a degree of sovereignty over things such lands, resources, water and power generation.
Of course, there are limitations to sovereignty, as illustrated in two News/North stories, today's "Southern reservoir full but Mackenzie runs dry," and "ENR minister calls for Nunavut government to halt caribou hunt after population drop," published Oct. 5. While the post-devolution Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) has inherited jurisdiction over NWT's waters, rivers themselves don't recognize territorial boundaries. This means the territorial government may set a bar for clean water but it doesn't necessarily guarantee the water that flows in will match this standard.
Same with caribou - ENR can ban sport hunting on certain herds but if that herd crosses over to Nunavut, they are in Nunavut's jurisdiction where a number of sport-hunting tags are still available.
This limitation had lead to the rise of a novel tool - the transboundary agreement. Just one year ago, ENR minister Michael Miltenberger entered into a bilateral agreement with Alberta that sets a standard for water that flows into the NWT's ecosystem and if water doesn't meet this standard, territorial government leaders aren't the last to know about it.
"We will no longer read about upstream developments and events in the newspaper," announced Miltenberger to media when the agreement was signed.
Agreements like these between provinces and territories allow individual areas to guard their own sovereignty over resources while acknowledging what happens in one jurisdiction doesn't necessarily stay in that jurisdiction.
There are limitations to this too. In the case of the Bennett dam in B.C. affecting water levels in the NWT, News/North reports in this edition that the NWT is not in a position to enter into an agreement with B.C. because this water flows through Alberta first.
While it's not very well publicized, there has been a board in place to monitor the entire Mackenzie River Basin since 1997. It consists of representatives from B.C., Alberta, NWT, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and the federal government, and it is funded through Environment Canada. It exists for its members to make non-binding recommendations, which means there is some co-operation and knowledge-sharing between these governments on the basin.
Just two weeks ago, Miltenberger appeared in News/North imploring the Nunavut Government to stop issuing hunting tags to caribou herds crossing the border after ENR found numbers are continuing to plummet.
It's encouraging to see Miltenberger is also working to enter into a bilateral agreement with the Government of Nunavut to share information and co-manage these herds.
It's essential the territorial government continues to work at co-operative efforts like these because in a way, the NWT's sovereignty over resources like water and caribou is only as strong as the agreements they strike with others.
No shortage of issues to confront candidatesNunavut/News North - Monday, October 12, 2015
This is a pivotal time for Nunavummiut concerned about the future of the territory, its people and its potential.
At no other time can ordinary people get the attention of those who want to represent them in Ottawa than in the days leading up to the federal election.
Before making the trip to the ballot box on Oct. 19, take the time to press all four candidates about issues that require attention by the federal government, immediately and in years to come.
There is no shortage of major issues starving for attention.
The auditor general slammed the government over the Nutrition North program, making numerous recommendations to ensure that subsidies can be tracked to the consumer. Other than information added to receipts given to customers, not much has happened to improve food insecurity, an issue which impacts everyone. Besides expanding the program to communities not already subsidized, what do the candidates propose to make groceries more affordable and accessible?
Nunavut's dire shortage of adequate housing is another topic of utmost importance. Funding is urgently needed to construct more houses in communities where up to 20 family members live in one three-bedroom house. What can each of the political parties offer towards a meaningful solution to the housing shortage?
Despite federal funding to increase Internet connectivity, Nunavut still falls far behind what is available to computer users in the south, and even in the neighbouring territory of the NWT. Options toward a long-term solution all suggest that fibre optic is the most advantageous response to some Nunavut communities. What do the candidates seeking your vote have to say about ways to improve connectivity, which would result in better education, health-care delivery, commerce and access to wider markets?
There was much talk about funding for more small craft harbours just as the writ was dropped, with Pond Inlet and Iqaluit on the list for infrastructure projects. Now is the time for candidates to commit to these much-needed projects, should they be elected.
Many other issues need urgent attention. Justice Murray Sinclair's recommendations resulting from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's work require attention by the next federal government.
Ottawa also has a role to play in the implementation of the recommendations by the chief coroner's inquest into the high rate of suicide in the territory.
The three main political parties each have strong candidates in Nunavut.
It is not enough to just vote in this election. Of more importance is to hear promises from the candidates on the issues that are most important to the individual voter. Those who are elected can then be held accountable to their promises.
Become informed, then cast your ballot on Oct. 19.
A $200 shot of inequality Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 9, 2015
Did Yellowknife just travel back in time?
If any indication is the bizarrely inequitable fact that the Department of Health and Social Services - via the Yellowknife Health And Social Services Authority - is charging parents of boys but not girls to get vaccinated against a cancer-causing viral infection spread by sexual activity, then yes, yes it has.
Parents of Grade 5 students received a letter late last month informing them of an opportunity to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV) and that it is free for girls and $200 for boys.
One can only fathom the thinking behind this.
Is it the idealistic notion that every single female who engages in sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex will be vaccinated and therefore protect her partner? With the vaccine being voluntary, there is a spectrum of reasons that may cause a person to opt out.
Maybe it's the archaic assumption that males don't engage in sexual activity with other males. How will the department protect this undeniable demographic?
And what about the low-income families who can barely afford a bag of groceries, let alone $200 to protect their son from something that quite possibly won't affect him for years? It doesn't mean they don't want to protect their children - but anybody who can't afford to meet their families' basic needs cannot be expected to dole out this kind of money for a possible future threat. Not providing an equal benefit between the sexes is indefensible and the meager reason provided by the department - that it "will continue to monitor the experience in other jurisdictions" - is inexcusable.
It's unacceptable the health department is nestled into its cozy armchair justifying its inaction by waiting for a status quo to emerge from the rest of country. So far, British Columbia, Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia offer the HPV vaccine for free - to every child, regardless of their sex.
One is only left to wonder.
When the territory's health system becomes strained in the future due to an influx of cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus and throats - all which can be caused by HPV - health department officials will have to accept a lot of the blame themselves.
Exodus is lost cash for the North Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 9, 2015
What if, instead of imagining care for seniors as a chore, a duty, a burden that must be fulfilled, society pictured our elders as significant economic contributors?
In that light, it's no longer a matter of whether our territory can afford to care for seniors. It's a question of whether the territory can afford to do without them.
We will put it this way, using a very conservative figure because in many cases it would be much higher: each senior couple who leave the North represents $100,000 heading south with them - about $70,000 in lost transfer payments from the federal government and the rest in money they would be spending in the territory if they were still living here.
That's not chump change. The exodus of six senior couples would represent the amount of federal funding received for the Hope's Haven youth shelter. We will repeat: this is money fleeing the territory and now being spent down south.
Yet, to show our appreciation for seniors the territory asks these would-be life-long Yellowknifers to tough it out on housing waiting lists that are six or seven years long. This is the current state in the city even though the over-60 population is expected to triple by 2031.
The campaign to staunch the exodus must accelerate. Stephen Jackson, the incoming CEO for Avens, says the lack of beds and homes for seniors is his top priority as he takes the reins from his very vocal predecessor Jeff Renaud. He should be given every possible support from the territorial government, the city and the public.
The failure to date to address seniors' housing needs demonstrates not just a lack of compassion but a lack of foresight that recognizes losing seniors to the south hurts us in the pocketbook as well.
Northern treatment for Northern needsDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, October 8, 2015
On Sept. 25, Deh Gah Got'ie Koe Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge sent an e-mail endorsing concerns from K'atlodeeche First Nation about the territorial government's failure to fund a detox centre.
In that e-mail, Bonnetrouge called for a full inquiry to determine why the GNWT Cabinet is steadfast in its decision to deny the centre's funding.
K'atlodeeche First Nation currently has an addiction treatment facility sitting on the reserve - a building that closed in 2013 and thus lost government funding.
Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy has said the NWT currently outsources its addiction treatment to southern facilities across Canada.
In the most recent sitting of the legislature, he pointed out southern treatment facilities offered a wider variety of programming than the NWT was able to offer when the facility on K'atlodeeche First Nation was open.
He also said southern programs cost the territory one-third of what the old facility cost.
While these are all valid points, they also bring up a key issue that has yet to be addressed: there are only, as Abernethy said, about 12 residents in treatment at any one time.
While questioning Abernethy, Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli said it best: we have a huge addiction problem in the North.
With 44,000 people in the NWT, there are more than 12 people per day who need access to the programs offered by a treatment centre.
Add to that people from the other territories and Northern communities who, like those in the NWT, face unique challenges in overcoming their addictions, and the North has more than enough patients to warrant a treatment centre.
A detox centre would also serve to bolster mental health services in the NWT, an issue that shows its severity more and more with each passing day.
If the government is serious about its desire for a healthy population, one not ravaged by the effects of drugs and alcohol, it needs to approach the situation from a different perspective than just looking at numbers.
The benefits of a healthy population make it worthwhile for the GNWT to eat costs associated with running a detox facility - which, in and of itself, should not be aimed at making a profit anyway.
The programming in southern detox centres is designed for its southern clients.
Having a Northern treatment centre is an opportunity to meet specific Northern needs, addressing the effects of inter-generational trauma and the psychological difficulties faced by people in the North.
Until the government changes its tune, initiatives such as the New Mental Health Act, on-the-land programming and community wellness centres will fail to have the support they need to thrive.
Hospital heading back to basicsInuvik Drum - Thursday, October 8, 2015
While there is a lot of jargon and a whole slew of acronyms surrounding the programs implemented by the Inuvik Regional Hospital over the last decade or so, a lot of it comes down to common sense.
Staff at the hospital have been working hard to make the facility the safest it can be for babies and their mothers through initiatives that prevent women from being induced before 41 weeks and encouraging breastfeeding, among other things. The overall focus has been on maintaining a level of health long before getting pregnant that will allow women to carry and give birth more safely and with fewer possible complications.
That is all excellent, but it's a shame it's taking programs with so much jargon and acronyms to get there when it's largely a return to older practices.
One or two generations ago, people didn't have much choice but to breastfeed. Even now, it's a much cheaper option, especially in the smaller communities. Only 50 years ago, fewer people were overweight, which seriously decreased the risk of complications during pregnancies. So, while it's a shame that it's taking a government initiative to get back to what largely worked, it's a positive thing that it is happening at all.
Babies who are breastfed grow up to be healthier and do better in school, said co-chair of the Baby-Friendly Initiative Lesa Semmler this week, but women are often discouraged early on because they don't know what to expect. She said there is this automatic response to turn to the bottle and formula when a baby fails to latch on to a nipple right away but that with a little more coaching and help, they might tough it out a little longer, making it more likely they will succeed in breastfeeding.
Women and families here have the admirable attitude that pregnancy and birth is more of a natural process than a medical one. There are undoubtedly good reasons for this as well as advantages to this outlook, but it can also make women complacent about their own health. It is so important for women to be taking care of themselves, not only in the interest of having healthy babies, but for their own sakes. Once again, if it takes a hospital program to encourage that behaviour, then we should do that.
Justice denied while Bourque partiedYellowknifer - Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Remorse does not mix with a Happy Hour and a top-40 soundtrack.
Roman Bourque, the 6'4, 250-pound athlete who pled guilty to manslaughter in the brutal and senseless 2013 beating death of 5'10, 163-pound Air Tindi employee Emerson Curran, three years his junior, does not appear to be running a campaign to earn the public's compassion nor eventual forgiveness.
While his defence counsel portrayed his client to a packed courtroom as someone who had "done nothing but scrupulously observe (his bail conditions)" between the time he was charged two years ago to his eventual sentencing last week, Yellowknifers know the situation to be otherwise.
Many, many people saw Bourque in violation of court-ordered conditions to refrain from alcohol and establishments where serving alcohol is the main source of revenue - going to a beer garden in Hay River last summer and dancing in Yellowknife bars.
The fact that Bourque broke his bail conditions brazenly, seemingly without any fear of consequences whatsoever, is one of the worst kept secrets in town. These incidents took place months after he admitted to killing Curran while in an intoxicated state.
Bourque, now 25, is clearly not mature enough to understand that the moment he was charged with manslaughter he became a public figure and faced public scrutiny.
His decision to celebrate his reputation as a guy who enjoys partying by displaying nostalgic images of himself sharing laughs with buddies and booze on his Facebook page where anyone could see them, including the victim's family, is further evidence of that.
What's completely incomprehensible is the lack of interest police and the courts have shown in Bourque's partying habits after being charged with manslaughter and then pleading guilty to it. Never mind that Bourque put himself at risk of having another two years in jail added to his sentence for breaching his conditions, why is someone freshly convicted of killing a man with his bare hands free to enter bars to drink and carouse the night away?
His supporters might say he is a great guy, who in the words of Judge Karan Shaner, committed a 'impulsive, stupid, violent" attack in the heat of the moment during an argument at a party. They might say where he went and what he did during the last five months he was free awaiting his sentence is no one else's business.
We say the justice system's lack of interest in Bourque's pre-sentencing status put him and the public at risk and is yet one more shameful, entirely inexplicable episode in a completely avoidable tragedy.
Youth suffer when we refuseEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, October 7, 2015
If it's almost the start of minor hockey season, than it's also time to start the annual hunt for people to step up and help run a program in our community that supports our young people by providing them with a valuable, positive activity.
In fact, it continues to boggle the mind how even a community as hockey-crazy as Rankin Inlet continues to struggle with the same problem year after year.
May whatever God you worship, if any, bless the thousands of fans who take in hockey games in Rankin Inlet every season.
Rankin's grand old barn is known across the North as home to some of the loudest and most-engaged hockey fans on the planet.
And there can be no denying those crowds, especially at tournament time, make every game that much more exciting to be a part of.
I call it fairy dust.
When the fans come in they expect to see two teams on the ice, coaches behind the benches, two or three officials calling the action, someone working the time clock and someone else taking care of the all-important game sheet.
It's common knowledge that shortly before game time a band of fairies shows up to spread their dust around and all these people magically appear.
And if it sounds like I'm being facetious, it's probably because I am.
In no other place in Canada do so few people do so much for the youth and the game than in communities across Nunavut, even Rankin "Hockey Town" Inlet.
It's one thing to not be into a particular sport, or sports at all for that matter.
And there's no law against floating through one's life without having volunteered for anything, or pitching-in to help one single program or project survive or prosper.
But imagine a world without cadets, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Little League Baseball, drama and music clubs, community art programs and hundreds, if not thousands, of other similar programs all with one thing in common.
They're all run by volunteers!
Compounding the situation in our communities is the fact there are so many parents of these kids sitting at home doing nothing, when they could be involved with their lives and making memories that will last a lifetime.
I'll be the first to admit that, thanks to the actions of a very select few of the most despicable people in the world, it's a drag having to submit yourself to a criminal records check and take a seemingly never-ending slew of sensitivity and training courses from Hockey Canada to go on the ice with a small group of young hockey players.
That's the hard truth of the often cold world we live in today.
But in the big picture, it's still a small price to pay for such an important and often uplifting experience.
Here in Rankin, another truth is there's too many people walking around our community who love the Hockey Town moniker.
That is, as long as they don't actually have to do anything to help out.
Some may say volunteering to help out with hockey is not for everybody, and there's truth in that, just as there's truth in saying there can't be nobody willing to volunteer to help out in an entire community.
These are our children and youth playing our game and they need our help.
What say we pitch in and take up the slack?
