Gender-neutral facilities a reality Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, April 29, 2016
News of the territorial government's plan to install gender-neutral restrooms at Stanton Territorial Hospital is laudable, at least in terms of recognizing the rights of LGBTQ citizens.
These days, it is not unusual to find a third restroom option in large, public facilities. For example, over-sized, private restrooms are routinely available marked for handicap use or for use by someone with a toddler in need of a diaper changing station.
These private facilities are not gender specific, and nobody balks at the extra cost that comes with installing these essentially gender-neutral facilities. They are, simply put, a good idea.
But the new restrooms at Stanton will not be accidentally gender neutral as handicapped facilities are.
They will be designated gender neutral to satisfy the concerns of those who do not feel comfortable in either a male or female facility.
This raises a number of practical considerations, not only for Stanton but for all facilities the public uses.
Adding gender-neutral facilities - if the status quo remains on installing men's and women's washrooms - obviously means more space will be needed for washrooms, which means less room for something else.
Clearly at some point the logistics and cost of multiplying restrooms becomes an issue, as does the public's comprehension of what, exactly, is happening.
Who can use gender-neutral restrooms?
In other words, will using a gender-neutral washroom become the tacit acknowledgment of one's self-exclusion from the male/female dichotomy, or will it simply mean the one facility happened to be more convenient than the other?
As Nicole Garbutt, co-chair of It Gets Better Yellowknife, pointed out, simply adding a gender-neutral option may create a new set of problems. A potential user may feel singled out by choosing the third option, thereby further compounding the isolation that person may already feel.
Maybe a more radical solution is necessary.
Make gender-designated facilities the exception and have the majority of restrooms be unisex with a minority of facilities available for those who feel strongly about preserving the gender specificity of their restrooms.
Another option may be to install several, single-user, non-gender designated facilities in place of male and female restrooms altogether.
Whatever the solution may be, the greater diversity of minds involved in developing it, the more likely a sound solution will be found.
The health authority should be lauded for its attempts to be inclusive but a broad-based public discussion may be necessary on the future of spaces once divided by sex in order to prevent compounding one problem with another while leaving the original problem inadequately addressed.
Canadian Forces need Northern experience Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, April 29, 2016
Large-scale on-the-land training missions such as Operation Nunalivut give the people tasked with protecting the North vital experience and more missions should be encouraged.
The mission took Canadian Armed Forces members from Yellowknife on a tour through Nunavut's High Arctic and gave them a first-hand lesson in the harsh climate of the region.
These missions prepare Canadian Forces members to respond when called into action in the vast landscape of the North, from the High Arctic to the tundra.
While Canadian Forces - of which the Canadian Rangers are a part - may engage in search-and-rescue missions throughout the territory, it is easy to forget they are also the first line of defence for both Canada and the U.S., as both are neighbours with an interest in monitoring what is taking place in the Arctic waters we share.
With the Northwest Passage opening up to more and more traffic, the likelihood of Canadian Forces members from Yellowknife being called to respond to situations in the Arctic becomes greater.
While Canadian Forces have engaged in peacekeeping missions in the Sudan, Haiti and Afghanistan to name a few, protecting Canada's borders has to be the primary objective.
Turn off the lightsDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, April 28, 2016
Anyone who has lived in the North for a winter or two knows how eye-poppingly large utility bills can rack up without caution.
We don't need to be so frugal as to turn off every appliance and light whenever possible - but it helps.
It goes without saying: services that cost a lot further south will cost even more up here.
While it is more important for Northern residents to be aware of their energy usage than their southern counterparts, it helps when the community comes together to celebrate something like Earth Day.
Far from being a silly environmentalist cause, Earth Day is a fun reminder and an opportunity to challenge oneself to find energy-saving tips.
Whether it's swapping out those lights for LEDs or getting outside to enjoy the last weeks of winter, there are always ways to cut back - and even small changes can cut a lot off your power bill at the end of the day.
Even for residents who don't consider themselves to be environmentalists, being energy-aware can have the very practical result of cutting down the amount of money shelled out for bills.
Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson told Deh Cho Drum he's shaved $100 to $150 off his monthly bills by switching to LEDs.
That kind of initiative pays for itself pretty quickly.
For those of us who are not normally energy-conscious, Earth Day also serves as a reminder to turn down the thermostat now that warmer weather has arrived.
It helps that Earth Day usually falls on the cusp of the day-night cycle changing. After months of long darkness, spring is the time of year when the days get longer and the nights, thankfully, get shorter.
In Liidlii Kue, residents now have about 16 hours of natural light to enjoy. Those of us who are early risers now enjoy a 6 a.m. sunrise.
Being energy-aware does not need to be a burden - and observing Earth Day can be done in more ways than one. Aside from energy consumption, something as simple as recycling materials can help.
That was evidenced by the Open Sky Creative Society's Earth Day celebration, which included crafts for adults and children using cardboard and some old Parks Canada fleeces.
Sometimes it is worthwhile to take a step back and enjoy the slower pace of life offered by the North - and Earth Day serves as a perfect reminder to do just that.
Good reasons to attend the playInuvik Drum - Thursday, April 21, 2016
A few months ago, we featured a photo from one of the earliest editions of the Drum in our Looking Back feature. It was of a scene from the play H.M.S. Pinafore and, so far, the one that has drawn the most attention.
People told us all about how Knute Hansen starred in the show, how it was so popular that the cast and crew travelled with it to communities that had gyms to put on productions there, too. Fifty years after, that one blurry photo brought back all kinds of memories for our readers.
This is not meant to put pressure on East Three Secondary School's production of The Wizard of Oz this weekend, although I'm sure it would be equal to it. It's just clear that theatre and other artistic pursuits stick with people long after the last curtain comes down.
If attendance at other school functions, like the Christmas concert, is any indicator, there won't be many empty seats.
Still, the ranks of the audience at those kind of things are swollen because nearly every single child is involved and spends some time on stage. The same obviously cannot be said for the upcoming production but not having a child in the play isn't a reason to not go.
We hear a lot about the dearth of arts programming and funding in Northern communities, about how so much more goes to sports, and about how that fails to include many students who are less athletically inclined.
While it may not be Broadway, the high school play is the most ambitious theatrical performance by people in the region and should be treated as such. It is, after all, where many great actors, directors and crew members get their start in the business.
Last year's production of Alice in Wonderland was, by all accounts, a magical experience. Having seen first hand the hard work students and staff have been putting in to this year's effort, I have no doubt the trip to Oz will be equally astounding.
If we want to encourage children, and people in general, to appreciate art, it has to start here.
For those who complain that there isn't enough support for the arts, please put your time and money where your mouth is and get a ticket for this play.
A packed audience can show people with the ability to provide funding for the arts that there is indeed an appetite in the community for theatre, but more importantly, it will show the students on stage that their community supports them.
An indiscriminate killerYellowknifer - Wednesday, April 27, 2016
With fentanyl on the streets both explicitly and cut into other drugs, doing drugs in Yellowknife has become a game of Russian roulette.
As Yellowknifer has explored over the last two weeks through its four-part feature series Killer on the Streets, there is cause for alarm but also reassurances as critical forces throughout the city mobilize in a proactive effort to combat the deadly opioid drug.
We heard from Stephanie McNeely, who injected what she believed was liquid codeine, blacked out, and woke up to a 17-day stint at Stanton Territorial Hospital where she was told, to her surprise, she had high levels of fentanyl in her system. She was also told it stopped her heart for more than a minute on the medevac flight between Fort Resolution and the city. McNeely is one of the lucky ones.
Between 2009 and 2015, five deaths in the territory can be at least partially attributed to the drug that is 100-times more potent than morphine. While this pales in comparison to the toll in Alberta and B.C. -- which is in the hundreds and climbing - Yellowknife can be a delayed reflection of the activities in its southern neighbouring provinces. The powers-that-be, especially the City of Yellowknife, are right in their move to address the issue on the ground floor. Without political motivation or fanfare, the city has equipped its ambulances with Narcan - a drug that reverses the effects of an overdose - and has trained its firefighters, many of whom double as paramedics, on how to use it. Since fentanyl unfurled its tendrils in the city, the Department of Health and Social Services' methadone program - which prescribes the synthetic opioid to addicts to stabilize their lives and curb their addictions - has at least doubled. The department has since padded the service with crisis counselling and mental-health nurses.
While it's up to the federal government to work with China - where powder that makes up the pills in Western Canada most commonly comes from - to stop the importation of the drug, it's up to municipal and territorial powers to keep people alive and informed.
The territorial government could do more. We heard about how Alberta has created a website to inform everybody about fentanyl and how B.C. has made Narcan available without a prescription. When asked if the GNWT has similar plans, a health department spokesperson tells Yellowknifer it is monitoring other jurisdictions. Today we read about the disappearing act that is the prescription drug monitoring program which seemed ready to kick off two years ago but is nowhere to be found today. As doctors say fentanyl addiction often starts as prescribed medication, this lack of programming is a jab to the efforts to curb addiction.
Some efforts deserve applause, others need coaxing to be improved but one thing is certain: fentanyl is in Yellowknife and it is an indiscriminate killer.
Volunteers at heart of communityYellowknifer - Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Much of what people enjoy about community life depends on those who are willing to donate their time and effort to make things happen.
This is no less true in Yellowknife, where a number of residents were recognized earlier this month for their volunteer efforts at a city-hosted event held at the Multiplex arena. Kirby Marshall, founder of the True North Rotary Club, received the Rotary Club Award for his work founding the group's second Yellowknife chapter with an emphasis on volunteering time over cash donations.
Marshall came up with the idea because there were many people who wanted to help but couldn't afford to donate much money to Rotary's other branch. The two branches work together to come up with community projects, generate funding and perform hands-on work, such as sanitizing the Food Rescue facility, cleaning the women's shelter and running an annual soup event in front of the downtown post office.
Having a dedicated body of volunteers is not only in the best interest of those they help directly but the community as a whole, for strengthening community spirit and lending vibrancy in ways that are not always readily apparent but have a major impact on community well-being.
Innovative thinkers create new groups and events that bolster the community's sense of identity and add to the city's colourful history. Marshall was among many to be honoured for the time they put in to make services available, including the Yellowknife Community Foundation, MS Society and Ecology North.
Not only do these groups offer services and supports at low cost or even for free, they also help residents understand and promote the city's history. All of these events and services would be dead in the water if not for the commitment of an army of people who wish to give back to the community and make it a more vibrant place to live.
Lessons learned, answers soughtEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Upon being transferred to Rankin Inlet in December 1998, I promised myself I would not carry any preconceived notions to the Kivalliq with me.
I vowed to keep an open mind during my year in Rankin (I kind of undershot the mark on that one) and decide upon things based on what I learned through experience.
Almost 18 years later, and I have come to a couple of conclusions when it comes to the entities that make the big decisions in Nunavut.
First on my list, I have very little faith in the effectiveness of non-party politics, nor do I see the system improving over time.
I see decentralization as one of the most colossal wastes of money I've witnessed in my lifetime, and, with each passing year, that gets even more impressive.
My most painful lesson in Rankin -- taking into account I've considered it my home for many years now -- is the realization that with some people, I will never truly be seen as being from here.
Equally maddening, although thankfully a lot fewer in number, are those who not only don't believe in the public's right to know, but also prioritize which answers to give based on who is asking the question.
I convince myself the prioritizing is done on the who's really from here angle, rather than other differences.
Boards, such as the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) board members, are a necessary evil.
Boards, when functioning at least adequately, keep greed, power and ego in check, and have the collective ability to see the big picture.
Conversely, they can slow things down to a crawl or make critical mistakes if they border on being dysfunctional.
However, those who head powerful organizations like the KIA should bring their own vision to the position.
They should also realize blanket comments with little substance to back them mean very little.
I read with great interest a letter sent to the media on March 3, penned by KIA president David Ningeongan.
In it, Mr. Ningeongan expressed the KIA's surprise and disappointment at the Government of Nunavut (GN) reversing its position on exploration and the protection of caribou calving grounds.
The letter made some good points and expanded the focus from core calving grounds to include post calving migration routes, and caribou water crossing areas.
For the past month I have been patiently trying to speak to the KIA president to get him to expound upon his comments, especially in regards to the role he sees the KIA in and how that stacks-up against what the GN and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. may be thinking on the subject.
Judging by the tone of the letter, this is a very important topic for almost everyone in the region and one most people would want more information on.
The last I heard, Mr. Ningeongan was still waiting on the KIA board's approval to speak to the topic.
Seriously? A month to get permission?
One can't help but wonder how long deciding decaf or regular takes them in the morning.
If Mr. Ningeongan's thoughts are heated enough to cause a month's delay for permission, it would be a heck of an interview.
Then again, there's also that whole boards-functioning-adequately thing!
GNWT tax bombNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, April 25, 2016
The territorial government has thrown a wrench into its ongoing land claim negotiations with the Acho Dene Koe First Nation by dropping a $1.6 million tax bomb on its band members.
Chief Harry Deneron was joined by several other members of the First Nation in speaking out against tax bills sent to residents a few weeks ago.
The First Nation says it was told the tax is a service charge for improvements to property. The GNWT sent a list of talking points to News/North on April 22 under the headline "Property tax arrears in Fort Liard, insisting that Treaties 8 and 11 do not provide property tax exemptions but it does not explain why people are getting these enormous bills now.
The accusations being leveled against the government are fairly serious. The chief says band members have never had to pay taxes before. Now some of them are facing bills for as much as $76,000, according to Deneron, with the chief himself saying that he owes $67,000.
As if the taxes weren't already enough of a surprise, Deneron said the band has been told land could not be selected as part of the land claim agreement until the overdue bills are paid.
Given that the government isn't bothering to publicly respond to the tax crisis it created all we can do at this point is speculate.
So why come for the money now given that land claims are still being negotiated? Could it be because the government is hurting for cash? Or is it trying to blackmail the Acho Dene Koe First Nation into coughing up money before it agrees to proceed with negotiations? Regardless of the motivation with land claims yet to be finalized the question remains: does the government currently have the authority to tax the Acho Dene Koe? The GNWT says it does in its unattributed memo from April 22. If that's the case then the government should explain why.
This isn't the first time the territorial government has been accused of coming to the negotiating table in bad faith.
Last year, Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian called out Premier Bob McLeod for threatening to break off negotiations with the First Nation over its land claim. Although McLeod denied this was the case, calling out the First Nation for being "the boy who cried wolf," Norwegian was able to produce a letter from the premier proving that he had done just that.
At the height of the Cold War, American President Dwight Eisenhower responded to the threat of a nuclear attack at the hands of the Soviets by calmly stating that "I don't believe responsible people should indulge in anything remotely considered ultimatums or threats."
If it turns out that the territorial government has told Acho Dene Koe band members it must pay taxes in order to gain an upper hand at the negotiating table, it would cause irreparable damage to the land claim process.
It would also expose a pattern of irresponsible behaviour which could have wide reaching implications for land claims negotiations with other First Nations.
Seize opportunities to explore outside worldNunavut/News North - Monday, April 25, 2016
"You don't know what you've got till it's gone" may be the lyrics to the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi. But the phrase also holds true for the many youth who have left Nunavut on an adventure and returned.
Again and again we have heard stories from young people who have returned to a place and have opened their eyes after living what they thought was a bleak existence.
It's as if they never before realized the vast beauty of their home community, the wonders of country food, the familiar support from friends and family and the opportunities that surround them in the richness of Inuit culture and traditions.
Filled with the knowledge of the wonders of modern technology and previously unheard of access to the entire world through the Internet, today's teenagers have at their fingertips the ability to communicate about their unique place on this planet, the skills and expertise they possess and the contributions they can make.
There are several programs which offer opportunities for young people to leave their home communities and explore.
The Ayalik Fund, established by David and Laurie Pelly in the aftermath of the sudden death of their beloved son in 2014, is a very new program with impressive intentions. Right at the outset, young people selected to participate are told why they get to go on a trip outside Nunavut -- to assist them with personal growth, to increase their self esteem and to have challenging and rewarding experiences.
Just the process of persevering through some of life's many challenges often results in one of the greatest rewards of all - the knowledge and confidence that a person can get through the obstacles and triumph.
The support from the Ayalik Fund helped two youth participate in a Rocky Mountain expedition with Outward Bound, which turned out to be a life-changing experience.
One teenager who participated was known for skipping school and not applying himself to his studies. Upon his return, he became a good student, became involved in his community and even signed up to a mentorship program so he can use his newfound knowledge and experience to help other young people.
Another program, Northern Youth Abroad, offers a chance for Nunavut youth to live and work in another community in southern Canada after completed preparatory courses in Ottawa.
The North West Company sponsors a youth leadership program which rewards nominated young people for being role models, volunteering and being active in their communities.
School counsellors have a wealth of information about opportunities for youth to get involved in programs and activities.
Being a part of sports teams or other organized groups, like the cadet corps, also opens up opportunities for youth to expand their horizons.
We encourage young people to seek out opportunities to expose themselves to the rest of the world as a way to help themselves and their home communities.
