Accommodate employersYellowknifer - Wednesday, May 18, 2016
The fact that city council is now re-examining the withdrawal of funding that would allow young people with disabilities to attend summer camp just weeks after the city lost a human rights case concerning that is highly coincidental.
The awkward timing will hopefully highlight the difficulties working parents face when trying to find care for their special needs children when school lets out for the summer.
But the problem runs much deeper than not having enough spaces at day camp.
Accommodation in the workplace - be it a public or private entity - has increasingly been promoted through threat of punishment for the past 30 years but with little discussion on the realities employers face when considering potential job candidates who have disabilities or children with special needs.
The treacherous intersection between reality and the law is all too apparent in a recent ruling by the NWT Human Rights Arbitration Panel, which found the city had discriminated against a Yellowknife mother who was forced to quit her job with the city after being unable to find summer care for her son.
Her son is on the autism spectrum and requires a certain level of care that, during the summer months with the existing day camps, wasn't available. After using vacation time, as well as unpaid days off for the summer of 2011, the following year the same option was not available and the employee was told she would have to work evenings and weekends to make up for the time off.
Human rights adjudicator Sheldon Toner agreed that this was not an option for her and is now contemplating a remedy which will presumably include a hefty fine.
The city failed to accommodate the employee, yes but is it reasonable to expect employers alone to bear the extra costs of filling shifts with other staff to alleviate a worker's special scheduling needs? Or for that matter, installing elevators and ramps in order to accommodate an employee?
There must be a recognition that society benefits by having people with disabilities in the workforce but faced with these extra costs and complications, employers - especially those without deep pockets - will simply avoid them.
Just this week, the federal Liberal government announced it is holding consultations on allowing federally regulated employees, such as bank workers and aviation staff, the right to request flexible work arrangements to balance home life through a program called Flex Work. But there is little mention of how the government intends to help these sectors accommodate these new arrangements.
Policies that prevent discrimination are important but without supports to put these policies into action, they risk alienating even more of the workforce because potential employers will simply avoid hiring people they feel will be a headache to accommodate.
Tax breaks and financial support for businesses hiring people in extraordinary situations would help alleviate the burden while closing the window on discrimination. Done right, hiring people with special accommodation needs could be viewed as beneficial to the employer.
The government benefits from productive people. Making it possible for people to work, despite unique requirements, is better for the workplace, the economy and everyone involved.
Policies are a start but policies without remedies are doomed to fail.
The powder kegs of non-existent supportEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, May 18, 2016
It had to happen. A horrible tragedy that, in all probability, could have been prevented.
Our territory has numerous powder kegs that could go off at any time.
Most result from too little money to do anything but make a scratch in Nunavut's mammoth infrastructure needs.
And those needs will continue to grow with our population, as more and more youth turn into adults.
Some wicks burn slowly as the territorial government tries to recruit the needed professionals to fill Nunavut's needs.
As much as some like to complain about too many southerners here now, the fact is not many have any interest in Nunavut at all, let alone commit to living here for any length of time.
For years I truly believed I would wake up one morning, turn on the TV and see images of charred remains being pulled from the Baffin Correction Centre (BCC).
I've felt that way since former Nunavut fire marshal Tony Noakes was let go after refusing to back down from his stance that the BCC was the worst fire-trap he had ever seen back in 2010.
I still have the odd nightmare it could still happen.
Equally disturbing is the almost total lack of mental health professionals in our communities.
And that one caught up to us with the tragedy in Coral Harbour this past week.
For a territory that still talks so much about residential schools and their impact on future generations, not just those who attended them -- and with a suicide rate 10 times the national average -- it's staggering how seemingly little importance is placed on making mental health professionals a top priority.
When one looks at how deprived our communities are just for educators who specialize in students with special needs, one decides not to hold their breath waiting for improvements to non-existent care for people suffering with mental-health issues.
A group from Angutiit Makigiangninga (Men Rising Up) made a trip to meet with men in Baker Lake this past week, and a number of people have completed a Biblical Counselling program in Rankin Inlet during the past year to try and help out.
And bless whatever deity you look to for the efforts of these people, but they need professional help and lots of it.
Trying to help someone who suffered through a deeply troubled childhood, rife with sexual and/or physical abuse, requires long-term commitment.
We have many people among us everyday who struggle with deep-rooted issues.
As hard as they try, they need professional help in order to be able to stay balanced, especially during times when one of life's nastier curve balls comes their way.
Powder kegs burning slowly out of site are often all-too-easy to marginalize.
And, often, those responsible for finally seeing the fuse burn all the way down are victims in their own right.
It is society's obligation to help these people handle the world and be able to live as normal, happy and productive a life as possible.
If we do not produce the resources to help them do so, we let them down and often put themselves and others at risk.
And the community of Coral Harbour was let down in a horrific way this past week.
First thing to understand - it could happen hereNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, May 16, 2016
The morning of May 3 in Fort McMurray was crisp and clear - there was no indication in the sky that a wildfire was burning just a few kilometres southwest of the city.
Fire Chief Darby Allen warned residents that morning to not be complacent. Don't take the beautiful day as evidence there was no threat. Indeed, within hours the fire had roared into city limits and cut off Highway 63, the city's only road access to the south.
Thus began one of Canada's worst natural disasters in recent memory, if not ever. Approximately 15 per cent of the town is destroyed, some 88,000 people are displaced and fire officials warn they might be fighting this fire for months.
The world has now been witness to how a fire the size of two football fields can turn into a worst-case-scenario inferno that bulldozes neighbourhoods, leaving razed houses in its wake with such ferocity it creates its own weather pattern.
Everybody in the NWT should be taking careful notes.
A fire of this magnitude could happen here. Communities in the NWT are vulnerable. The NWT is dry, windy and filled with thousands of square kilometres of fuel for fire.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' fire operations website, every community potentially at risk to wildfires has a Community Wildland Fire Protection Plan in place. The plans assess risk and make recommendations to mitigate it. These plans are actually quite detailed.
They map where each community's high-risk areas are, locations of past fires in the area, what Fire-smarting has been done and assessments on the quality of the work.
For example, a 2012 Lutsel K'e Community Wildland Fire Protection Plan document assesses a fuel break that had been created on the community's east side in the 1980s as "overgrown and ineffective."
Every resident should read their community's corresponding document, learn how much preventative work has been done and pressure community leaders to follow through on all of the recommendations. One thing these plans do not address is evacuation - where to go, who to contact if a fire is approaching, what to do if the road out of town is impassable or if there is no road out of town, in the case of some communities. Evacuations are not leisurely endeavours. It would be valuable to let people know how an evacuation would happen in individual communities so this information is easily available if an emergency were to occur.
Back in Fort McMurray May 11, the fire chief admitted in a press conference he didn't think anything could have prevented the fire that destroyed his city. It is impossible to overestimate how seriously NWT leaders and residents should take this piece of hindsight.
Living in a territory where fires are inevitable, everybody has a role to play.
The territorial government needs to keep Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans up to date and available, municipal governments must heed them like scripture and individuals have a responsibility to do the same on their own property. And, just in case the worst happens, residents need to know what their community's evacuation plan is.
GoSarvaq proves airfares can be more affordableNunavut/News North - Monday, May 16, 2016
It looks like a lot of time, effort and money was for naught May 6 when GoSarvaq president Adamee Itorcheak advised consumers that the new airline would not be able to launch flights on the Iqaluit to Ottawa route as planned.
Consumers were the big winners when the upstart airline first started taking bookings for flights beginning May 20. It was a long time coming since the announcement at the Northern Lights Trade Show in Ottawa Jan. 28, which was met with anticipation of more tourist traffic to Iqaluit and the prospect of Nunavummiut being able to visit the south more affordably.
The original announcement by Sarvaq, which previously offered camp logistics services for mining companies, involved a partnership with Nolinor Aviation, which has eyed the Nunavut market for several years and operates a charter service to Baffinland's Mary River mine. Under the banner Fly Sarvaq, passengers would fly on Nolinor's Boeing 737 aircraft and have a choice of three levels of fares. Introductory fares would be $499 each way.
While the lower fares were resoundingly welcomed, Itorcheak told reporters his motivation was also to create opportunities for people within the territory, through jobs and training.
The plan evolved over the course of the next several months, with the name changed to GoSarvaq and the company structured as a reseller and using aircraft from Flair instead of Nolinor.
Details aside, both Canadian North and First Air were watching closely and planning their own strategy. When about 200 customers booked $499 seats on the first day they were offered by Go Sarvaq, suddenly the price for a seat on Canadian North and First Air dropped to $399.
When Canadian North launched a seat sale offering one-way fares for $299, consumers reacted by cancelling their GoSarvaq bookings to take advantage of the discount fare.
The price cutting was too much for GoSarvaq.
There are a couple of positives to take away from GoSarvaq's experience. It showed consumers that lower airfares on the Iqaluit to Ottawa route are possible. And it gave other airlines a greater understanding of what they will face in the event they try to enter the Nunavut market.
Rest assured other airlines are observing and analyzing what happened with GoSarvaq.
Perhaps all the time, effort and money invested in the venture hasn't been wasted. There is value in knowing how a competitor will react and, in a free enterprise business environment, the consumer has the right to spend their money wherever they want.
By virtue of the codeshare agreement between First Air and Canadian North, now being reviewed by the competition bureau, the route is back in the hands of a monopoly and prices will go back up when the seat sale ends. However, lines have been drawn and the route has been shown to be lucrative. We wouldn't be surprised to see competition in the market again. Consumers deserve a lower-priced option.
Power status quo must end Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, May 13, 2016
If the recent 12 per cent power rate increase application made by NWT Power Corporation is approved, ratepayers will, by 2018-19, be paying 40 per cent more for power than they were in 2012.
That's how these seemingly small, incremental increases add up over time, with previous rate hikes essentially compounded by any new rate formula.
The rate increase is not yet a foregone conclusion. The application will face a review process, including public briefings, over the coming weeks.
Already, the NWT Association of Communities has made its position clear. The apparently endless rate increases are drive up the cost of living, which hurts individuals, businesses and communities.
No one can fault the association for letting out a battle cry against the inexorable rise in the cost of living but Northerners don't yet know the details of power corp.'s application.
It may be the rate hike is entirely justified by costs the power supplier is facing. If that turns out to be the case, any lobbying to avoid the rate increase will be futile.
The real danger here is that the politicians again sniff an opportunity to play the good guy and dole out another $50 million or so to alleviate the impact of the power hike increase on Betty and Joe Ratepayer.
If the power hike is justified, the public and the GNWT need to face up to the prospect of ever-increasing power costs so long as the status quo is maintained.
The band-aid solution of protecting ratepayers by spending their tax dollars on power rate subsidies is futile and stupid. If the territory is going to spend tax dollars to combat the ever rising cost of energy in the North, it should be spending that money on alternative energy solutions, such as more hydro plants, wind, solar and even nuclear technology.
Imagine what could have been done in this area had the $49 million spent the past two years on subsidizing diesel due to low water levels in the Snare hydro system been applied in this direction instead.
Clearly there is no end in sight to the demand for more money from power corp. Whether or not the demand is justified is beside the point. As long as the territory is tied to the cost of diesel for its energy, it will always face energy cost insecurity.
If ratepayers seek a long-term solution to being tied to the cost of diesel, they must let the politicians and the GNWT know they demand concrete, alternative energy solutions.
At the same time, ratepayers must recognize power bill payouts by the GNWT are not sustainable. It's likely going to cost more for power in the future. Spending money on subsidies instead of innovation is merely throwing good money after bad.
Census participation a civic duty Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, May 13, 2016
Residents filling out their census forms may never get a bucket of medals, an honourary title or a certificate of appreciation but this should not take away from their contributions to the territory.
The act is important for all Canadian residents but Northerners especially can have a particularly powerful impact because every person counted brings $36,000 in annual funding from the federal government.
Consider that the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation's annual gala that brought in almost $130,000 in December. That amount includes proceeds from 260 attendees, auctions and donations from sponsors.
To bring in around the same amount of money, four people would have to be counted in the census.
As well, public policy planning depends on information from the census. In order to be sure there are enough medical professionals, educators and other public services available for Northerners, planners must have an idea how many residents are in the North, their ages and what their needs are.
All residents must do to lend a hand is fill out the census in accordance with the law.
The official deadline has already passed - May 10 - but residents have been told they still have time to fill out their forms. It is not too late to do what is right and good for the North.
Let wildlife beDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, May 12, 2016
Tales from the south of people feeding bears and other wildlife often leave Northerners shaking their heads.
Those who have spent any amount of time in the North know wildlife is to be respected and kept at a distance, allowed to go about its business in peace.
That is because wildlife is just that: wild. Moose, bear, elk -- the species does not matter. Each can be dangerous to humans who disturb them in their natural environment.
Lately, a moose has been hanging around Fort Simpson.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources suspects she is a pregnant cow.
The moose has elicited some sympathy from community members because of her tick-laden condition which has turned parts of her hide white and caused some of her hair to fall out.
Now, she is suspected to be in the midst of, if not finished, birthing her calf.
It is more important than ever to let the creature be, especially in her vulnerable condition.
Most residents know not to approach a wild animal -- and not to go crashing through the bush to get a picture of a calving moose.
Yet there have been reports of some people doing just that.
For the safety of everyone, human and animal alike, steering clear is the best option available. Signs have been erected by wildlife officers warning people of the area the moose has been spotted. It is just good common sense to be careful in that area.
The moose is not here as a sideshow. She is not here to be gawked at, sought out or harried. She is here to find a safe place to drop her calf.
She doesn't know whether the intentions of someone trying to take a photo of her are good or nefarious but her instincts will be either flight or fight -- which could have bad consequences for the person intruding on her space.
Nothing good can come out of lingering around the moose and trying to catch a glimpse of it. This is an animal that is in a rather fragile state right now. Both tick-ridden and either pregnant or with a newborn calf, she is liable to charge anyone who gets too close -- accidentally or otherwise.
If it were any other creature, such as a bear, it would be left alone if for no other reason than because people know a bear attack is nothing to trifle with.
We should be affording this moose the same courtesy by letting her rest peacefully before moving on her way.
There's a river under ice roadInuvik Drum - Thursday, May 12, 2016
Along with the gorgeous spring weather for all to enjoy -- before the bugs come out in full force and drive people back to long sleeves and screened in porches -- comes something far less pleasant.
All the garbage dumped everywhere in town and subsequently ploughed away and buried in the snow has resurfaced, making for a less-than-attractive eyesore. And while the general detritus about town is bad enough, the junk that has been left on the ice road is something else.
The municipality sponsors a community-wide clean-up in which non-profit groups and sports clubs can earn some extra cash by taking on a section of town, but -- for obvious reasons -- no such thing exists for the river.
Government agencies are responsible for getting the garbage off the road before break-up and while they have by all accounts been responsive to larger items like trucks and drums, there is no way they can get all the smaller items thrown from cars or shed from snowmobiles throughout the season.
People who live here may take them for granted as a simple fact of life in the North, but in the grand scheme of things, ice roads are special. They are built on functioning ecosystems used by creatures and people alike in other seasons, and the damage done during the winter doesn't slip away into the ether when the ice melts.
The melt, furthermore, is hardly a surprise. It's not like it doesn't happen every year, bringing with it a slurry of outrage about the rubbish left behind, and a resulting flurry of last-minute action to clean it up before it causes damage to the Mackenzie River.
Of course, the easy solution to this is to just not dump trash on the ice road in the first place, but alas, this seems like a forlorn hope. There is no reason to not expect people to dispose of their garbage responsibly, and yet there are clearly residents who don't think it worth their while to make the trip to the dump or even just to keep their trash in the truck with them until they get to a garbage can.
What they fail to realize, however, is that all those public service announcements people saw for decades about pollution coming back to haunt them is more true here than anywhere.
What goes around, comes around.
