Changing of the MLA guard Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, December 4, 2015
With Daryl Dolynny's final bid to remain MLA dashed at Monday's recount, it seems appropriate to reflect on what Yellowknife lost and what it stands to gain after voters chose change in last week's territorial election.
Dolynny had a rocky start entering the legislative assembly four years ago but eventually became one of its most ablest speakers. His health-care knowledge will be sorely missed as the GNWT embarks on one of the biggest capital projects in NWT history - the $350-million-plus rebuild of Stanton Territorial Hospital.
The defeat of David Ramsay in Kam Lake removes a champion for resource development at a time when the North needs one most, with the NWT economy floundering and diamond mines contemplating a long and painful exit.
Yellowknife Centre's Robert Hawkins, questionable election shenanigans aside, was the most aggressive prosecutor of the GNWT's tendency toward waste and secrecy during the last term of the legislative assembly.
These are roles, well-suited or otherwise, Yellowknife's new MLAs will have to assume as they get set to be sworn in on Tuesday.
The general consensus is that the city is putting forward a more progressive, environmentally-attuned slate of MLAs since the last election with Julie Green taking over at Yellowknife Centre and Kevin O'Reilly at Frame Lake.
This may be true but the reality of the NWT as a resource-based economy dependent on mining for wealth and jobs is as inescapable as the inconvenient truth that solar panels and windmills are nowhere near capable of replacing diesel to satisfy the territory's energy needs.
A carbon tax could be a good idea if it goes directly toward helping Northerners upgrade their home heating needs with more environmentally-sustainable fuel sources, such as wood pellets boiler but it will be just another burden on top of an endless pile of cost burdens if shovelled into the maw of the NWT Power Corporation.
We hope for a pragmatic approach as MLAs prepare to take their seats at the table.
One area in need of definite improvement is the city's relationship with MLAs. Meetings with Yellowknife MLAs and city council must be scheduled regularly, transparent and on the record if citizens are to have any measure of how effectively our politicians are working with each other and for us at the territorial level.
There have been too many instances of items being foisted on the city: The $30-million obligation to build a new water treatment plant, an unfair demand that our elected city school boards to pay for other communities' junior kindergarten, the repeated failure to fund a 911 emergency number for the city.
That needs to stop if Yellowknife-rs are to be rewarded for changing the MLA guard.
Cantung buy needs second look from new MLAsDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, December 3, 2015
With Cantung Mine closed down save for a handful of maintenance staff, the sale of the mine and NATCL's Mactung property were fairly routine.
In fact, the entire creditor process the company is in the midst of has gone as expected - with the exception of one little surprise.
On Nov. 19, just days before the territorial election was set to end, the GNWT announced it had purchased leasehold interests for Mactung for $4.9 million and that Cantung Mine was now the responsibility of the federal government.
The nice thing about big-ticket items is that, usually, there is a legislative assembly around to question them.
MLAs ask the tough questions required in order to ensure large purchases are in the best interests of the GNWT and its residents.
The government's acquisition of Mactung came as a surprise, and not necessarily a pleasant one.
First of all, there is the question of whether a cabinet that is in the midst of an election should have the power to sign off on spending of this magnitude, at a time when the Northwest Territories' budget belt has already been tightened a few notches.
Currently, they do have that power. Moving forward, MLAs may want to take a second look at that.
There is also the question of who is now responsible for what, in relation to Cantung. A letter from the federal government to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board states the mine is still the property of the GNWT, although it is the responsibility of the federal government.
Likewise, the government has said that shelling out the money for Mactung should help to ensure Cantung passes over to federal responsibility.
Discussion over the mine's upcoming water licence renewal has consistently referred to the threat of leaving the mine on the backs of Mackenzie Valley taxpayers -- that is, the people of the GNWT.
Both NATCL and the federal government have told the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board that denying a new water licence would not be in the interests of residents and could even result in NATCL pulling its token crew of staff from the site.
In fact, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada went so far as to tell the board a renewed licence would "increase the likelihood that the site will not become a burden on the taxpayers of the Mackenzie Valley and Canada."
Therefore, if the board decides not to renew the mine's licence, taxpayers can expect to shoulder the burden of the mine.
Residents deserve to be assured they won't be paying out the nose at a future date to cover required remediation and other costs at the abandoned Cantung mine site.
Additionally, in purchasing Mactung, the territorial government has failed to assure NWT residents of the merits of that spending.
The government may indeed have done what it did with the best interests of the NWT people at heart. However, from here it looks like one last big purchase to sate the big-spending appetites of territorial officials.
Warming centre opens its doorsInuvik Drum - Thursday, December 3, 2015
No one deserves to die in a snowbank.
This is the foundational principle on which Inuvik's Emergency Warming Station has been built, and truly, it is needed. Every year there are stories about people dying from exposure somewhere in the territory; now those at risk will have a place to go, at least in Inuvik.
The centre is, however, just one piece of the overall puzzle that includes the homeless shelter, community counselling, and a multitude of other organizations -- not least of whom are the RCMP whose drunk tank often serves as a makeshift emergency warming station when all else fails. It's not about having one organization swoop in and solve all the problems. Everyone knows that is never a long-term solution. Instead, it's about having a spectrum of resources better equipped to handle the panoply of issues faced by those struggling in the community. The centre will fill a gap in services for the winter months when that gap most needs to be filled.
As excellent and commendable as that is, there is room for more. The centre's proponents have spoken about the difficulty of shutting down and having to re-open every year and the challenging logistics of getting the shelter up and running every fall. In an ideal world, there would be a way to stay open in the summer with a modified mandate to run some programs and in general provide services for people trying to break the cycle of addiction.
Such a plan would see the breaking of another cycle as well, one that sees hopes rise every winter when the centre opens and then fall to nothing when it has to close again. It would be lovely if many mental-health issues and crippling addictions could be addressed and cured in a single season but that is rarely possible in real life.
If the new territorial government is serious about the health of the people it serves -- all the people -- it will fund groups like the centre so they can stay open all year and provide a solid base on which people can build their recoveries. As expensive as that may be, healthy people living healthier lives cost the system less in the long run.
For now, the warming centre's Nov. 30 opening is in response to an emergency. In the future, it shouldn't have to take an emergency.
Gaping hole in city's recycling strategyYellowknifer - Wednesday, December 2, 2015
There is a huge discrepancy when it comes to recycling in Yellowknife, mainly between those who live in apartments and those who live in detached houses.
Yellowknifers living in houses are restricted to two bags of garbage a week, although they can buy additional tags from city hall for $1.50 each.
For many families to keep to that two-bag limit, they must separate out their plastics, refundable bottles and cardboard and cart it all off to the recycle bins around town regularly.
As the city rolls out its new compost collection in many sections of the city, home dwellers must also separate their food scraps and put them in small compost bins for the city to pick up.
For these folks, there is no limit to the bags they can put in a large green bin supplied by the city, beyond what the ravens would be able to get at should the top not be closed properly. The bins can take more than two bags but a certain amount of recycling with plastics and cardboard, etc. is still necessary to keep the volume of garbage down to allowable limits for delivery to the dump by the city.
Apartment dwellers, 40 percent of households in Yellowknife, don't have to do any of that. They can drop one bag or 50 of totally unseparated garbage into their garbage chutes or dumpsters.
That's a shame because it costs the same to dispose of whether it's coming from an apartment dweller or a homeowner -- historically $150 for every cubic metre -- and takes up precious space in the landfill.
Now the city is trying to get apartment buildings on board with compost collection. With a 2007 landfill audit showing 26 per cent of waste to be compost material, this promises to save a bigger bite of landfill space.
But there's still more to be done to get apartment and condo dwellers on board. Some buildings have recycling bins in the garbage chute rooms. That's a good idea on the part of responsible landlords. The territorial government's bottle deposit program helps as well. The easier it is to do the right thing, the more likely the right thing will be done.
A public relations campaign targeting both apartment dwellers and landlords could encourage more recycling. People generally understand the benefits but may not think of it during their day to day lives without easy options.
Aside from helping to keep the planet cleaner, the costs of not recycling also go the bottom line. Extra space in the landfill is expected to cost the city $3.5 million next year. That money could be used to cut down on taxes, service fees or add to the services available in the city. That's something all Yellowknifers can get behind.
If the stick won't work in this situation, perhaps the carrot will.
It was 55 years ago today...Editorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Other than anteing-up for a number of hockey pools each year and taking a seat at the odd local poker tournament, I'm not much of a betting man.
And I'm starting to wonder if, just maybe, my lifelong allegiance to Toronto's professional sports teams has disabled my ability to spot a sure thing when it's staring me in the face.
I received, which is always the case when it comes to anything concerning the Fab Four, more than a little correspondence a couple of months back after penning a piece for the birthday of the Beatles' John Lennon (The day the music died, Oct. 14, Kivalliq News).
During one exchange, the subject of the re-release of the Beatles 1 album came up.
My antagonist was certain the issue would flop, given the fact the 1 album had just been remastered as a new release a scant four years ago.
I knew, however, this issue had two things going for it, and I should have jumped at the offer of two-to-one odds on a friendly wager on whether the album would chart or not.
Beatles enthusiasts (present company included) are a loyal bunch who salivate at the idea of "new" material from the Fab Four.
The 1 album was reissued in numerous formats, including the 1+ deluxe edition which included a remixed, not remastered, edition of the compilation album, along with two blu-rays of Beatles videos.
The promotional pieces - music videos decades before the term was even coined - have been painstakingly restored by an 18-person team of film-and-video technicians and restoration artists assembled by Apple Corps.
Many of the videos were released commercially for the first time on the two dics.
The Beatles 1 contains 27 of their greatest hits, and the latest version features new stereo, DTS HD and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound mixes of the album.
And, speaking as a proud owner of the deluxe edition, both the video collection and remixed audio tracks are stunning.
Had I taken the proposed bet, I would have taken great glee in sending out an e-mail trumpeting the fact the Beatles 1 re-entered the charts at number one in Japan (weekly chart), number six in the U.S.A. (Billboard 200), number five in the United Kingdom (U.K. Charts Co.), number 18 in Sweden (Topplistan) and number six in Ireland (weekly chart).
Not bad for an album of music originally recorded more than half-a-century ago.
The one silver lining in the dark cloud that was the Beatles breakup - still at the height of their creativity as witnessed by Abby Road - is that the group is forever immortalized as a still young and vibrant collective.
But their legacy as a live band has always been shaded due to the combination of incessant screaming that defined Beatlemania, and the equipment of the day during the decade the group reigned supreme over the world of popular music.
As technology improves, however, that, too, may soon be remedied, as Apple and Universal continue to work on restoring the pinnacle of the group's live performances - The Beatles at Shea!
When the day comes that jewel of all jewels is finally released, I will cover all bets from those who believe the material has become too old to chart across the (musical) universe.
Cabinet's $4.5-million parting giftNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, November 30, 2015
With all the excitement of the territorial election, it might be easy to forget about the $4.5 million in spending the 17th assembly's cabinet approved in the 11th hour of its own existence.
A mere three days before voters were to cast ballots on a new government, cabinet, which had all but completely dissolved, decided to acquire the mineral rights to an area rich in tungsten called the Mactung property just over the NWT border in the Yukon.
The reason for the purchase is complicated. Essentially, North American Tungsten Corporation Limited (NATCL) is going through the court process of declaring bankruptcy. Part of this process has been the abandonment of its Cantung tungsten mine, located in the Deh Cho. Since nobody wants to buy the mine, it will become a remediation project. Now, it should be the GNWT's responsibility to pay for this remediation after devolution but there is a clause in the devolution agreement which gives the GNWT a five-year transitional period where it can revert this responsibility back to the feds.
To help Ottawa pay for remediation, the territorial government must also hand over any collateral (cash or securities) it has collected from NATCL to ensure proper cleanup of Cantung. Here lies the catch: the GNWT is also mandated to pursue all "reasonable" ways to maximize the value of these securities before handing them over.
So how does the Mactung property fall in to this? It was posted as a security against the Cantung mine's water licence. Because both the federal government and the GNWT were disappointed in the bids received on the property, the GNWT decided a reasonable way to maximize the value of this security was to pay $4.5 million for it now in the hopes the price of tungsten will rebound so it can be sold for more, later.
Of course, the GNWT's definition of reasonable might differ from the public's. Is it reasonable, for example, for cabinet to invoke an emergency tool to approve spending on a mineral stake after the 17th assembly's mandate is over? Is it reasonable for the territorial government to use this emergency tool to do something unprecedented in its own history? Is it reasonable for the territorial government to use taxpayers' money to take a risk on a volatile commodity? Is it reasonable for the government to approve millions in spending without public debate?
We say multi-million-dollar purchases, barring an emergency of life and limb that would require it, are not acceptable at the close of an election campaign.
When voters went to the polls on Nov. 23, they unseated two ministers and six regular members. While they likely didn't have Mactung on their minds when they voted for change, there is no doubt that when the government does things like this it only serves to erode the public's trust.
Now that the 18th assembly has been saddled with a housewarming gift of tungsten, the new members have an opportunity to take this as their first lesson in the value of transparent governance.
Pivotal moment for language in educationNunavut/News North - Monday, November 30, 2015
No one said it was going to be easy.
For the Government of Nunavut to achieve its ambitious goal of delivering bilingual English and Inuktut school education in one of the Inuktut languages requires greater effort than expected.
There are numerous barriers to making that dream a reality. There is a shortage of bilingual teachers who are able to instruct in both English and Inuktut languages. There are some courses which do not lend themselves well to being taught in an Inuktut language. And a majority of school-aged children speak English in the hallways and playgrounds, although many of them speak and respond to an Inuktut language at home.
Now there are recommendations from the Special Committee to Review the Education Act that are suggesting that a single language of instruction model be adopted.
Nunavut Language Commissioner Sandra Inutiq's initial assessment is that a person reading the report is required to interpret its meaning by reading between the lines, so to speak.
On one hand the report quotes the Inuit Language Protection Act, which prescribes that Inuktut-language education is a right in Nunavut.
On the other hand, the report quotes the requirements of the Education Act and Hickes stated that "the special committee wishes to emphasize that the delivery of an education system is too important to be driven primarily by the political idealism."
There are those who see the report as setting the groundwork for further degradation of Inuit culture and language if politicians accept that the education system should move toward English-only instruction.
We see similarities to past struggles by francophones to protect the French language and culture. Of course, the French language is flourishing in Canada and is protected by legislation. Languages are also protected by legislation in Nunavut and the government has a commitment to provide for their ongoing use.
Realistically, students can receive instruction in both languages, particularly if bilingual instruction starts at an early age.
As time goes on, events force the language to evolve, in oral and written form. Through natural progression, one or two dialects within the Inuktut family of languages will become dominant and decisions will be made -- as have already been proposed -- to standardize a written system, which seems to be leaning toward Roman orthography over syllabics.
Ultimately, it is the users of the language who should have the greatest ability to decide its future. That's why we're encouraging all those interested -- not just organizations representing Inuit -- to let their feelings be known before the politicians consider the matter again.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to see school children learn, achieve and advance through the grades until they graduate with the ability to either get a job or further their education at a higher level.
