Mental-health care mazeNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, March 21, 2016
To the east of the NWT, Nunavut's premier Peter Taptuna has declared suicide a crisis in his territory. To the south, a northern Manitoba First Nation has declared a state of emergency after seeing six suicides and 140 attempts in one two-week period in March.
Here at home, it's common knowledge that many people - especially youth - struggle with mental-health issues. According to the most recent NWT Health Status report published in 2011, youth ages 15 to 24 have a suicide rate of 3.9 per cent per 10,000 - the highest of any age group in the territory.
News/North told the story last week of a mother struggling with this very issue in Fort Smith.
She took her daughter to the health centre multiple times because she had begun cutting herself and talking of suicide. It wasn't until she had attempted suicide three times that health-care providers in the community told the family that not only are there community wellness workers and counsellors living in Fort Smith, but youth can be referred to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton for long-term mental-health treatment.
Why is it that nobody told this family about the resources in Fort Smith? Why did she have to be medevaced out three times - much more expensive than a passenger plane ticket for a voluntary in-patient stay - before she was finally referred to an Edmonton hospital?
The health department was purely reactionary in providing health care to this teen. At no point did a health-care worker offer a proactive measure to help this girl - she was repeatedly medevaced and sent home with more prescriptions and higher dosages of existing prescriptions after multiple suicide attempts, despite the fact she gave her mother and nurses at the health centre ample warning that this was something she was planning to do.
While the department is currently working on action plans and strategic frameworks to address youth mental health, there is one solution that seems obvious - create a user-friendly interactive pathfinder that families can browse on the health department website. This pathfinder could display options available to people based on the information they input.
For instance, if somebody is struggling with depression, they can type that in, and if they are in Fort Smith, the website will give them a step-by-step guide to accessing the wellness counsellors in the community. It could also let people know of any programs or services available at municipal and federal levels.
To be fair, there is no jurisdiction in the world that has figured out how to tackle mental-health issues and suicide. If there were, we'd surely be looking to them for blueprints.
But this family decided to share the details of their own experience with the NWT health-care system in order to demonstrate just how hard it can be to get a nurse or doctor to intervene in a meaningful way in this territory when somebody is threatening to hurt themselves.
Not to mince words - the system as it is now is labyrinthine. Let's at least give people a road map.
Sacrificing caribou grounds takes pro-development too farNunavut/News North - Monday, March 21, 2016
An announcement of the Government of Nunavut's change in position on protection of caribou calving grounds not only took those assembled at a Nunavut Planning Commission meeting March 7 by surprise, it generated shock in other quarters.
Objections from the Kivalliq Wildlife Board were quick, with president Stanley Adjuk swiftly sending a letter addressed to all MLAs denouncing the government's new position.
The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board March 16 released its position on the protection of caribou and sensitive caribou habitat, calling for full area protection for caribou calving and post-calving grounds (which include key access corridors leading to and from the calving grounds).
Full area protection includes the prohibition of industrial activities, including mineral, oil and gas exploration and development, construction of transportation infrastructure and related activities, the board stated. This position carries considerable weight, considering that the mandate of the territory's wildlife management board is set out in Article 5 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
Premier Peter Taptuna has made it clear from the time he began his term as leader that he is pro-development. And so he should be. It is his role to help create economic activity in Nunavut, to create jobs for Inuit and other residents, and to send signals to industry that Nunavut is open for business.
That is a position we support and that even his detractors acknowledge. "The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board would first like to state that it is not against responsible industrial development. However, the board is of the view that there must be an appropriate balance between development and protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat," the statement begins.
The quote captures the essence of the issue. It is a balancing act but we believe it is not an unrealistic desire to want both economic development and protected caribou populations.
Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Paul Okalik, soon after resigning from his positions in cabinet, was quick to point out that there is plenty of room within the territory for responsible development.
"According to the plans as they are today, six per cent of the territory makes up about the total calving grounds for caribou in our own territory. That leaves another 94 per cent of the entire territory for development," Okalik said in the legislative assembly.
Taptuna has said that protection of calving grounds would spell the end to consideration of the proposed Manitoba-Kivalliq power project. The Kivalliq Wildlife Board disagrees, saying proponents could apply for exemptions.
We are having a hard time understanding why Taptuna is expending political capital on these issues.
With initial estimates of more than $900 million, and better options to solve the territory's electricity generation problem available, a hydro line to the Kivalliq region from Manitoba has a slim chance of ever going forward.
Likewise, proposing the sacrifice of cherished caribou, a hallmark of traditional lifestyles, for industrial interests, when so much other land is available, does more harm than good.
Silver lining in death of headframe Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 18, 2016
Make not doubt about it, Con Mine's Robertson Headframe is an iconic piece of the Yellowknife skyline. Visible from many kilometres away from all points on the compass the headframe stands as a marker for Yellowknife itself.
Soon boaters, pilots, snowmobilers and snowshoers will have to rely solely on compass and GPS to make their way back into the city from Yellowknife Bay, as most do already. Like most pieces of recently retired industrial infrastructure the headframe, though striking from afar, is essentially industrial scrap metal.
Unless some benevolent millionaire is going to step up to the plate and cover the costs associated with reclaiming and preserving the headframe as an historical artifact -- and none are forthcoming -- people should not bemoan the loss of the headframe too greatly.
Iconic, yes. A work of art? Definitely not. It needs a new paint job, the roof is leaking, and its single-purpose nature limits its usability as something other than an enormous marker in the sky.
Its destruction is part of the land reclamation plan for the mine site and it seems nothing will prevent that plan from being carried through to its completion.
This is, in at least one way, a good thing. That Con Mine would go through its productive life cycle with its owners seeing complete land reclamation through to the end is how mining should be carried out in the North and everywhere.
Its toppling will be a sad reminder that Yellowknife's gold mining roots are fast become a blip in our collective rear view mirror but its razing is a moment to celebrate as well - what the mine didn't become. No monumental environmental and financial disaster that severely impacted the well-being and trust of First Nations in the surrounding area.
Yellowknife was built on mining and it would serve us well to remember that. But Yellowknife's future is not tied to the headframe, and holding on too dearly to what has past no matter the cost was never in anyone's interest.
Police can't build trust by shielding bad apples Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 18, 2016
Justice may be blind but the trust people have in their police force should not be.
That trust appears to have been broken in the case of former Yellowknife RCMP officer Chris Kosmenko, who, according to a report with the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, lied to gain entry to a family's home he had no legal right to enter.
Kosmenko told social services there were unsupervised children in a home after arguing with the father of a teenage boy he was seeking to arrest. The father wouldn't let the officer into the home, saying the boy was not there, which, according to the report, was true. The officer, acting in disbelief or simply out of spite, called social services to report that children were alone in the home and possibly in danger even though another officer could see an adult was present through a window.
The family sued for the invasion into their privacy, eventually settling for $24,000 in damages.
Whether the officer was ever disciplined for this flagrant abuse of power the public apparently will never know. That's because the RCMP refuse to provide any information on the case of any kind. We do know, from the family's lawyer, that Kosmenko has since been promoted to corporal and is now serving in Calgary.
This is not a mere personnel matter. Police officers are public figures by the simple fact that they have been entrusted with powers ordinary citizens do not enjoy. When that power is abused by individual officers the RCMP has a duty to explain what happened and what steps are being taken to ensure it doesn't happen again.
As city defence lawyer Peter Harte notes, RCMP officers in the North by and large perform their duties admirably well. He was addressing a Statistics Canada survey that found NWT residents are less trustful of police than their southern counterparts.
Alas, the RCMP's choice to close ranks around a few bad apples risks sabotaging its efforts to rebuild that trust.
Home-built solutionDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, March 17, 2016
What's to be done about the Northwest Territories' housing crisis?
Across the territory, there are 800 people on the waitlist for public housing. According to Caroline Cochrane, the minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, all those people are homeless.
In an effort to curb some of that figure, the NWT Housing Corporation has been hiring companies to import modular homes from elsewhere in Canada.
While those companies doing the importing are from the North, the homes themselves are pre-built elsewhere instead of being constructed in the North.
That, according to Cochrane, is because importing allows the government to save money.
However, some MLAs see modular homes as having an unacceptable impact on the economy.
A lack of consultation with communities has only added fuel to the fire.
Now, Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson is determined to hear what the region has to say on modular homes.
Thompson pushed the issue in the legislative assembly on March 3, and has since been in contact with some of the leaders in the Nahendeh to get their input on the situation.
He feels importing modular homes undermines local economies. In the legislature, Cochrane said importing modular homes costs the government 30 per cent less than constructing stick-built homes would. It seems clear that when it comes to the North, it is always cheaper to import.
That's because the cost of bringing in materials and hiring builders to construct homes locally will likely always be higher than bringing in pre-built homes.
Additionally, the NWT's current economic situation can lead to short-term thinking. It prompts the government to put on blinders and in that respect short-term cost reductions can look very attractive.
However, Thompson is right that the long-term impacts of importing homes could harm the NWT's economy.
The fact that the North needs homes is indisputable. But alongside that, it needs jobs, some economic presence for workers to take advantage of, some method for the 800 people who are currently homeless to get their feet under them. By allowing construction of stick-built homes at a higher cost, the government would provide a much-needed stimulant to the economy. The effects of that would go far and beyond the current economic slump.
A little extra money toward home-built solutions is not the worst idea. Despite tight economic times, nothing stimulates an economy like an increase in jobs. The effects will not be seen right away but in the end the NWT would emerge stronger, with small communities that are stable.
One can only hope the government will heed that feedback and consider alternative solutions.
Now is the time for assessmentInuvik Drum - Thursday, March 17, 2016
The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation sent a letter to six federal departments last week calling for a Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment, essentially a massive and comprehensive version of what companies have to do before they're granted permits to develop land and water resources.
Now, as a reporter, I'm generally skeptical of buzzwords like capacity building, knowledge-based and strategic.
While bureaucracy is certainly better than utter chaos, the process can be clunky, long and expensive, paying already-overpaid government employers for moving paper around. That being said, despite being replete with its own buzzwords, the assessment proposed by the IRC is a different beast.
The argument presented by the various game councils, community corporations and IRC chair Duane Smith is there are gaps in the current knowledge that need to be filled and that there appears to be an appetite at the federal level to work more closely with indigenous peoples in the Arctic to develop it responsibly. The letter also presents the case for doing it now, while industrial activity is virtually non-existent in the area.
This last bit is perhaps the aspect of this plan that makes the most sense. In Germany's family-owned business system, when times get tough, they don't lay off workers and close up shop. Instead the owners invest their own money -- they keep people on to clean up the factory and they implement training programs. When the economy picks back up again, they are ready to hit the ground running, with happy, better-trained workers who feel some loyalty to the company.
Obviously there is not a perfect correlation here, but the parallels are interesting. A Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment would likely employ a lot of people on many levels -- from government scientists to the people hired to take them out on the land.
It would contribute to the bank of knowledge about the region that could then be accessed by anyone looking to work in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, which would be valuable to everyone.
Doing it while industrial activity is quiet not only makes practical sense, it makes -- dare I say it -- strategic sense because those doing the studies wouldn't be rushed or directed by any specific oversight.
Bureaucracy may largely be a make-work project, which can be problematic for jurisdictions looking to cut ballooning costs. But this proposal is the best kind of make-work initiative for people on the ground and, in this case, on the water, too.
Avens must be part of bed shortage solutionYellowknifer - Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The territory is facing a shortage of beds for people who require around-the-clock care and the territorial government seems to be throwing its arms up and whispering 'crisis' - but so far, not much else.
This is odd considering Avens - the non-profit organization that houses seniors with a variety of needs - literally has a gaping hole in the ground and is in the market for a partner to create a new building with enough long-term care beds to meet the projected need by half.
While the GNWT has an obligation to consider all options for both taxpayers and the senior citizens and others who will make up this projected 123-bed shortage in the city, Avens is the most logical and viable partner in the equation.
The seniors societies of both the city and the territory presented the case against for-profit care to MLAs earlier this month. This is distinct from Avens, which is a not-for-profit organization. Despite the objections of a for-profit model being put on the table, and the fact the GNWT via Health Minister Glen Abernethy has committed to looking at all options in filling the shortfall, no private operator has expressed interest.
When all options are considered, what will likely emerge on top is Avens. As its CEO Stephen Jackson told Yellowknifer last week, "We have the experience. We have the passion," citing the organization's 30-years of experience operating in the territory.
Plus, it seems, Avens can do it cheaper.
Abernethy told the legislative assembly it costs $130,000 per bed annually to operate a long-term care facility but Gord Van Tighem, chairperson of the Avens board of directors, said the organization operates below what the government or other organizations would in providing a similar service, although he did not offer specific numbers.
It's good the government's antennas have twigged to the projected shortfall in beds, which is expected to happen in 10 years. And it's good an experienced partner with the skills and expertise to fill the shortfall already exists in Avens.
Greatest gender deficit is elected womenYellowknifer - Wednesday, March 16, 2016
There is a fine line between hiring someone based on gender parity and strictly on qualifications.
This debate is being played out as a new commissioner is being sought out for the NWT. George Tuccaro's five-year term ends in May and there has been plenty of discussion over whether the next one should be a woman.
Former Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro's name was mentioned as a replacement but she was quick to say no, insisting she is retired. She added that while she would like to see a female commissioner, one should not be chosen "just because she's a female." We tend to agree. The more the government makes choices based on identity, the fewer choices it is has in staffing positions with strong and able people.
That said there are many women in the NWT who would make great commissioners.
A Facebook post by Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green generated the names of 48 women, including well-known figures, such as Gail Cyr, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Jane Groenewegen, Sharon Firth and Nellie Cournoyea.
Needless to say, there are plenty of good candidates in the territory - both men and women - to fill this mainly ceremonial role.
The greatest gender deficit remains among our elected leaders, including the legislative assembly, where once again only two out of 19 MLAs elected last fall were women. That's something all Northerners should be thinking about next election.
The magic behind the musicEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Regular readers of Kivalliq News realize this old scribe has a tremendous affection for a rock-and-roll band known as the Beatles.
In the Kivalliq, it burns me no end how many dismiss the group these days due solely to Paul McCartney's stance on seal hunting and well, any other form of killing an animal to produce meat for supper.
But that is the personal opinion of Macca (McCartney's nickname), and has nothing to do with the Beatles collective.
First and foremost for me is my love for their music, which changed the popular music scene forever.
And I could fill this edition with stories on the number of firsts the four lads were responsible for.
The stories would range from their dealings with record labels, their techniques in the studio, to George Harrison being the grandfather of "music-cares" fundraisers such as Live Aid and Farm Aid with his Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.
The Beatles were the perfect storm of happenstance, from the musical genius of Macca and John Lennon to the brooding undertones of Harrison and the play-exactly-what-the-song-needs drumming of Ritchie Snare (Ringo Starr).
But, make no mistake about it, the eye of the musical storm was their producer, the late George Martin.
The happenstance of fate that brought The Beatles to Martin and the Parlophone label is music legend, as is his ability to translate what McCartney and Lennon -- who had no formal training to be able to express their ideas in musical terms -- heard in their heads into musical reality.
While McCartney at least, could suggest sounds from numerous sources, Lennon's genius was far more abstract, and he often spoke of the sounds in his head in terms of colours, emotions, sensations and dreamscape-like progressions.
Lennon would tell Martin he wanted a song to sound like an orange or, in the case of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, he wanted to be able to "smell the sawdust on the floor" (The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions).
Lennon -- who Martin referred to as an "aural Salvador Dali" -- also held little regard for the "laws" of music and relied on his producer's genius to make the musically impossible, possible.
Arguably, the most well known example of Lennon's technical indifference (some would say insanity) came during the recording of one of his best-loved efforts, Strawberry Fields Forever.
Lennon was torn between two different arrangements of the tune, one being a little too brash for what he heard in his head, and the other a little too lush with its cascading string section.
To Lennon, the answer was obvious. He'd have Martin splice the two versions together and, voila, an instant musical masterpiece!
Of course, it was of no concern to Lennon that the two versions were recorded in different tempos and keys!
With the help of longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Martin created his own brand of studio magic and pulled it off.
If you listen to the song closely today, you can still hear the splice at about the one-minute mark of the song.
The music world lost a true legend with the passing of Martin, 90, this past week and, like millions of others, I lost one of the main architects to the soundtrack to my life.
Somehow, "Thank you George," just doesn't cut it.
