Roadblock to informationYellowknifer - Wednesday, September 30, 2015
The NWT's access to information legislation has so many holes in it, it may as well have been written on a block of Swiss cheese.
One would expect Information and Privacy Commissioner Elaine Keenan-Bengts to be able to chew her way through it to get to the truth. Unfortunately, like the legislation she lacks teeth.
It sure seems simple enough to write out the form and slap $25 on the table. An applicant is entitled to a response within 30 days. But then, the response may be a simple "no" if the answer is deemed too embarrassing.
This is not an exaggeration. A government department can deny access to the information requested if what is found within could "impair relations" between the GNWT and the federal government, a band council, municipal councils and organizations negotiating treaties or land claims.
Let's say the Yellowknives Dene suspects the territorial government is giving the First Nation the short end of the stick. The Yellowknives dutifully apply for information they feel is relevant. Let's say that information is damning. The head of the department could say it would "impair relations" between these two levels of government and then hide it from the public eye.
Don't agree with the decision? Appeal to the information and privacy commissioner. She will review the request, and if she feels the department head made the wrong call, well, nothing will happen. She might complain about it in her annual report. Ultimately, there is nothing in the legislation that allows her to force the government to disclose that information. A recommendation is about as much as she can deliver.
The commissioner can point you toward the NWT Supreme Court to appeal, where you can wage a David versus Goliath battle against a GNWT phalanx of $500 an hour lawyers. One would be lucky to walk away from such an undertaking with only a four-figure legal bill.
As written, the current legislation for the most part provides nothing more than a window dressing of accountability, while in practice is a free pass for tight-lipped politicians hoping to keep the egg off their faces. Requests can be denied for up to 15 years.
That's long enough for an MLA to be elected three times over before voters are allowed unfettered access to the truth.
It doesn't have to be this way. Give the commissioner the teeth to make the call and make it stick. Right now, the deck is stacked in favour of the government of the day, people who may not want to see potentially embarrassing information released.
With an election ahead, potential MLAs should be making that case, and voters should be pushing them for it.
Access to information is an important issue to all Northerners and any resistance to accountability is indefensible.
Harper benefits from opponents' poor aimEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Listening to translated debates can often be trying for anyone not dedicated to the issues being discussed.
However, non-French speaking folks who took in the French-language debate between our federal leaders this past week -- or did extensive reading on it the next day -- came away with a better understanding of the issues on the campaign's backstretch.
They also got a clearer picture of those leading their parties to the Oct. 19 election and what, beyond all the rhetoric, they stand for.
This corner says Prime Minister Stephen Harper came away a clear winner in the debate, an opinion seemingly shared by many as the Tories built on their rise in popularity following the debate and are within range of another majority government.
But, oddly enough, it was the other leaders' weaknesses, not Harper's strengths, that gave the prime minister a big night.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe showed anyone with lingering doubts that he is a man out of time leading a party out of touch.
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair showed he's losing focus on what matters to voters by engaging Duceppe in a totally useless debate on the 1995 referendum.
Seriously? Duceppe's attack and Mulcair's temper tantrum showed both men missed the memo that voters have already deemed the Bloc Quebecois as an irreverent party at this point in time.
Elizabeth May would be someone to keep an eye on, if only she wasn't leading a rudderless Green Party.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau missed a glorious chance to be the one true threat to Harper by following the tone of the debate and not taking dead aim at Harper and the Conservatives' past record.
In fact it was the total absence of such a move by the combined leaders that handed the debate to Harper, wrapped with a ribbon of convincing majority blue.
Harper gets full marks for suppressing a giggle as the debate raged over the niqab, which certainly should not be the tipping issue in a federal election or the province of Quebec.
Trudeau was obviously trying to change his image of a chippy young leader not yet ready for prime time by taking a more restrained approach, trying to keep the focus on his plan to cut taxes for the middle class and spend billions on infrastructure in an attempt to stimulate the Canadian economy.
Some suggest his weakness in the French language, as opposed to his strength in English, contributed to the non-factor image his style depicted in the debate.
That may be, but had Trudeau and the other three leaders made the Tory record the centre of attention in the debate, rather than Mulcair because of the NDP's strength in Quebec, the political forecast for the October election might look a little different today.
Harper entered the debate with a bull's-eye begging to be hit by picking away at the failed programs and Senate scandal that has dogged the Tories for so long.
But the savvy politician surveyed the political battlefield, donned his camouflage, and turned a potential Waterloo into a V-Day celebration for the Tories.
The failure of the other parties to recognize, let alone hit, Harper's weak spots in the debate may well prove the difference in the Tories returning to power with a majority government on Oct. 19.
New Mental Health Act not stuck in timeNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, September 28, 2015
For the first time in 30 years, the territorial government is in the midst of an overhaul of its Mental Health Act and a provision in the new act guarantees it will never sit dormant for a generation again.
This is a key aspect of the new legislation to keep in mind now that the standing committee on social programs has heard what people across the territory think about it.
There were a variety of concerns and all were valid. One woman in Inuvik lamented there is nothing in the new legislation specifically for young people. Speaking at the committee hearing, she spoke of a text she had received from a girl who refused to attend - she said she didn't want to go because she felt her attendance wouldn't make a difference. In response, committee chair Alfred Moses agreed other jurisdictions have developed mental-health action plans aimed specifically at youth but the Northwest Territories has yet to get with the program.
Many want to see cultural components added to the new legislation. It's a sentiment Moses acknowledged had been brought up in every single community.
Others want more services in their home communities. The family of Timothy Henderson, a Yellowknife teen who committed suicide after seeking treatment and being discharged against his will, wants a better standard of care for those who ask for help.
The amended act, as it stands, includes three major features: it establishes a review board to hear patient complaints, mandates the creation of community-based aftercare programming and requires the legislative assembly to review the act every five years.
This, in essence, turns the Mental Health Act into a living document, which can be re-assessed and improved as best practices in mental-health care evolve.
Mental health might be the single biggest issue facing Northerners. They suffer the highest rate of suicides in the country, they are hard hit by alcohol and drug abuse and although nobody keeps stats on FASD rates, it's common knowledge the North is disproportionately affected.
It's a given the territorial government is not going to be able to deliver a perfect Mental Health Act by the end of this government, if ever. But the built-in five-year review system ensures the effectiveness of provisions in the act will be constantly measured against their intended benefits.
It also ensures the new-and-improved Mental Health Act won't sit, preserved in amber, until lawmakers get around to it again.
Instead of receiving an overhaul once per generation, the legislation is set to receive tune-ups on a regular basis, which is, in itself, an improvement.
Fishery alliance deserves support from governmentNunavut/News North - Monday, September 28, 2015
As most every fishing boat captain will tell you, time is money.
That's why it is so distressing that the Arctic Fishery Alliance's vessel Kiviuq I was denied fuel in the High Arctic again this season. Without the ability to refuel, the vessel and crew had to suspend exploratory fishery operations and steam to Resolute, where great efforts were made by citizens to build a temporary deep water port and pump 35,000 litres of fuel to the ship.
At least the Kiviuq I was able to stay in Nunavut waters this season. Last year, after being denied fuel, the ship went to Greenland to refill its fuel tanks, a six-day detour. In 2013, the ship was fortunate enough to get fuel from a Danish tanker which had been refuelling a Canadian Coast Guard vessel off the coast of Nanisivik.
The fishery alliance is vital toward making economic diversification a reality in Nunavut and has far-reaching implications for employment of residents from several High Arctic communities, including many who have completed fisheries-specific training at the Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium. The alliance, a partnership between Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord, Qikiqtarjuaq and Resolute Bay, is making efforts to open areas for harvesting shrimp and whelk, both commercially attractive, to add to the ongoing turbot, halibut and cod fishery. The 100-foot steel fishing vessel conducts exploratory fisheries and completes baseline ecosystem studies with the intention to convince Fisheries and Oceans Canada to open areas for harvesting and, as a result, employ more people in the fishing industry.
Time spent seeking a source of fuel cuts directly into time spent gathering data, collecting samples and actively fishing.
The ship's captain attempted to make arrangements in advance of the annual sojourn, knowing the vessel uses about 1,500 litres a day and needs to refuel twice in the High Arctic each year. The plan was to have an independently-owned tanker truck refuel the ship from Nanisivik but construction activity there prevented it from happening.
That's when the alliance turned to Plan B, to refuel from Arctic Bay since Grise Fiord is already iced in. That's when the Petroleum Products Division of the territorial government denied their request for fuel, although the mayor of Arctic Bay understands the valuable contribution the 100 per cent Inuit-owned company makes to the hamlet, Nunavummiut and the territory.
We understand the sealift delivers fuel to isolated High Arctic communities once a year and that the supply must last in order to run the power plants which provide electricity to essential services. Anything that can potentially jeopardize the fuel supply in communities must be avoided.
However, with lots of lead time and an understanding that the Kiviuq I will continue is essential work again next year, hopefully arrangements can be made with the Petroleum Products Division so the vessel can refuel in the High Arctic next season.
Federal campaigners ignore Yellowknife Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 25, 2015
In less than four weeks you'll be asked to cast your vote for the NWT's next federal representative in Ottawa.
So far, none of our aspiring candidates have stepped forward with a concrete notion of what their leadership will mean for Yellowknifers.
Yellowknife is the economic hub of the North, yet no candidate has made any specific statement about what he will do for the city.
Liberal hopeful Michael McLeod has suggested dredging the Hay River harbour and a road to Whati.
Conservative candidate Floyd Roland was there when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in Hay River an elected Conservative government would finish chip-sealing about 68 km of gravel road to Fort Smith.
These are both great ideas but what do they do for Yellowknife's growth, sustainability or affordability?
NDP candidate Dennis Bevington has at least promised to work on an increase to the Northern Tax Deduction although his party's leader, Thomas Mulcair, promises only that the deduction will keep "pace with the needs of Northern residents and with inflation" in a letter sent to Premier Bob McLeod.
The vagueness of that statement should disturb every Yellowknifer specifically for what it does not say. It does not say the deduction will increase.
Residents have given a lot. Take the Deh Cho Bridge. Yellowknifers are paying for that bridge every time they purchase something in the city thanks to toll costs built into their purchases.
They are essentially on the hook for every dollar that went into it, unless one believes toll costs are not being passed on to consumers here.
No doubt, the bridge is a great convenience. It's also a magnificent piece of national -- federal -- infrastructure bought and eventually to be paid for largely by Yellowknifers.
A thriving Yellowknife means a thriving NWT but nobody is saying anything about what they will do for Yellowknife and Yellowknifers specifically.
It's not a taboo subject. Out with it already.
With fewer than four weeks left in the federal campaign, now is not the time for party platitudes and spongy news releases crafted by some over-paid public relations hack sipping a latte in a downtown Ottawa Starbucks who probably thinks Yellowknife is in the Yukon anyway.
Yellowknifers need to know what each candidate has in mind for the city. If a candidate has nothing specific in mind, he is as out of touch with the reality up here as any party leader who refuses to visit this city to raise his party's profile during this election.
Elections draw many optionsDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, September 24, 2015
There are few things worse, in our modern Canadian political landscape than seeing candidates run unchallenged during elections.
It can be disheartening for residents and leaders alike.
Luckily, this year in the Deh Cho, such political disinterest is nowhere to be found.
Already, three individuals have announced they will be offering their candidacy for the territorial riding of Nahendeh, the nominations for which have not opened yet.
There are rumours of others considering putting their names in, as well.
As for municipal elections, this year's village election in Fort Simpson will see a total of 22 individuals running, three of those for mayor.
That means there is more than double the number of people running for council as there are positions to fill.
Additionally, 13 people will be vying for six positions on the district educational authority, a far cry from the seven nominees who entered in 2012.
The list will not, of course, be finalized until after press time, and candidates have 48 hours to pull out and voters 72 hours to challenge a candidate once the deadline passes.
However, it seems unlikely many will pull their names from the list, especially not after taking the steps required to get on the nominations list to begin with.
In less-engaged communities, some might question the wisdom of having so many candidates.
After all, 22 people are a lot to keep track of. Elsewhere, that many options can lead to indecision and even confusion.
But in a small village like Fort Simpson, many voters already know who the candidates are and what they represent.
Most, if not all, of the candidates are well-known to the community.
Election engagement is important because more candidates means more voters. More voters means a better democratic representation in government for the next few years.
And since municipal governments are the level closest to the people, it is even more important for them to attract a crowd. These are the people who will make the decisions affecting their everyday lives.
It will be interesting to see what level of voter turnout Fort Simpson has when election day rolls around on Oct. 19. One can only hope a majority of people turn out to make their voices heard.
In the meantime, the onus is on candidates - whose primary goal aside from winning should be to have an informed, engaged electorate - to keep the momentum up.
It seems unlikely they will have any trouble achieving that goal.
Lots of ways to help rescue dogsInuvik Drum - Thursday, September 24, 2015
Inuvik has a dog population problem if the bylaw department's reports to town council are anything to go by. It's nothing unique to the town. In fact, the problem in smaller communities is much worse.
There are organizations, namely Arctic Paws and the SPCA in Yellowknife, working to try to mitigate the effects of this dog problem. On the one hand, Arctic Paws is committed to offering spay and neuter clinics, and on the other, SPCA volunteers work hard to move dogs south to the capital and further to find them suitable homes.
Organizing these initiatives can seem daunting and there are amazing people who have stepped forward to do so, making it easy for the general population to leave them to it and refrain from reaching out a hand and volunteering, too. There are, however, a multitude of smaller acts that can make an enormous difference.
The most straightforward way to help is donating money to the organization of your choice.
However people feel about those who surrender their animals, the fact of the matter remains that it is the surrendered animal who needs help and that help costs money. Veterinarian appointments, shots, food, and shelter -- along with the cost of moving dogs around the territory by air and road -- costs money and small donations add up.
In terms of non-monetary ways of helping, assistance can take many forms. Most obviously, volunteering to foster dogs coming from other communities to Inuvik on their way to Yellowknife is a pretty large commitment, even if it's just for one night at a time.
But passing along the message that foster homes are needed, and even talking to neighbours who could make use of the SPCA, where appropriate, are amazingly useful ways to improve the lives of dogs in Inuvik.
It's not news that there is clash between the working sled-dog philosophy that has prevailed in the North since people inhabited the region and the largely Western notion that dogs are a part of the family and should inside homes full time. There is no clear advantage between the two approaches, depending on the breed.
Regardless, there is no excuse for treating any animal poorly or leaving them to fend for themselves.
There are people to whom owners can turn when in need of help and with more help from more people -- no matter how small the action -- that network can expand to save the lives of even more dogs.
