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GNWT shamed into respecting human rights
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Up until recently, the territorial government has ignored a dilemma regarding the human rights of women going through the court system in Yellowknife.

For years it has been routine practice for the Justice Department to house women awaiting court appearances in RCMP cells if they haven't been sent to the women's correctional facility in Fort Smith. This is because there is no proper place in Yellowknife for these women to stay. There is the North Slave Correctional Centre but the department insisted only men could be housed there.

RCMP cells are much less hospitable than regular jail and are not meant for long stays. Prisoners are not given pillows or regular showers. The lights are kept on 24 hours per day. There is no music, television or books. Prisoners are not allowed to call anybody but their lawyer.

This problem has come to fore on numerous occasions. In 2008, Yellowknifer reported an Inuvik woman was held in RCMP cells for 17 days, in conditions her lawyer Hugh Latimer regarded as "disgusting."

Last spring, a woman was held in cells for five days and only given one shower.

This February, a woman was lodged in RCMP cells for 12 days, prompting her lawyer to argue her human rights had been violated.

Justice Robert Gorin agreed, finding in his ruling the practice of housing female prisoners in RCMP cells is a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Previously, the territorial government has argued making room for women at the North Slave Correctional Centre wouldn't be possible because it would require expensive renovations. After Gorin's judgment, it turns out officials only had to make changes that were "organizational in nature with re-purposing of specific space," according to a Department of Justice spokesperson.

It's wonderful the government has taken measures to solve this problem but galling that it took a judge's assessment that the practice violated charter rights to do it. Why did it take such a big, public push to get bureaucrats on the right track? Why did they hide behind arguments that change is expensive before they were prompted to come up with a better solution?

It shouldn't take a Charter challenge to push the territorial government to respect the human rights of its citizens, especially when all it takes is a little re-organization to make it happen.

Territorial officials might be a little red in the face after this but hopefully it serves as a lesson to make sure their standards meet the Charter of Rights and Freedoms before a judge has to shame them into realizing it.


Significantly cutting Co2 will impoverish the world
Editorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, June 8, 2016
As most regular readers of Kivalliq News realize, I am not an advocate of the current battle against global warming, climate change or whatever the politically-correct term is in any given week.

While there can be no denying Mother Earth is undergoing changes, she has imposed her will upon mankind before under similar claims of gloom, doom and despair.

To me, however, this has always been a case of reading what the environmental warriors plan in their attack upon climate change, researching the effects of said plan, and realizing unless we all want to go back to living in caves or grass huts, the numbers just don't add up.

So, I was keenly interested in getting the high points of Cambridge University electrical engineering professor Michael (M.J.) Kelly's peer-reviewed article on the matter.

And I wasn't surprised to learn Kelly's opinion is that fighting global warming with green energy will impoverish the world.

The bottom line is, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions enough to actually slow global warming by the tiniest bit, would not only greatly reduce living standards around the globe, it would plunge most of it into destitution.

The reason being, of course, fossil fuels have paved the road out of stifling poverty for countless people for hundreds of years.

Kelly further points out the grand plan of developing wind and solar power may actually increase CO2 emissions, which isn't likely to accomplish much in the slowing of global warming.

He also pours a dose of cold reality over those who support the notion of wind-, solar- and biofuel-generated power by mentioning the fact these methods simply don't justify the massive subsidies needed to support them.

We're not talking a relative handful of folks with the wherewithal to go off grid with their sea-can homes or cabins near the woods, we're talking massive cities with massive energy needs.

Kelly dares to ponder how these first-generation renewable-energy projects, as part of the de-carbonization project, have made it so far without being challenged by engineering reality.

Well, in our era of political correctness gone mad, one reason is that anyone who actually speaks out against the madness is either shouted down (if lucky), or shut out of energy and science funding entirely.

No soup for you!

Kelly points out in 2010 wind power alone received $5 billion in subsidies, while solar and wind power receive 326 and 69 times more in subsidies than coal, oil and natural gas per amount of energy generated.

For all that money, in 2015 solar and wind power accounted for only 0.6 and 4.7 per cent respectively of electricity generated in the United States.

Another huge part of the problem are those who rabidly, or mindlessly, support wind and solar power without understanding the methodology or economics involved.

But the court of public opinion can be quite damning without worrying over conclusions such inconvenient truths may uncover.

That is why, as Kelly once so rightly pointed out in a letter to The New York Times, the climate change denier is a myth in the heads of the environmentalists, that seems to prevent them from entering into conversation with anyone who dares to criticize environmentalism.

Fuel for thought!


Cantung spill undermines public trust
Northwest Territories/News North - Monday, June 6, 2016

Mining companies are not expected to follow the old camping maxim about 'leaving no trace' but they should at least try to avoid leaking diesel into the ground or allowing tailings ponds to overflow into rivers.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like North American Tungsten Corporation got the memo before setting up camp along the shores of the Flat River near the Yukon border and at the threshold of Nahanni National Park.

The company was recently scolded by federal inspectors for a slew of spills, leaking of hazardous waste and improperly stored oil drums at its Cantung mine, which ceased operations last year and is now under care and maintenance.

The most egregious example of neglect noted by inspectors was the erosion of structures around the mine's quarry, which led to overflow pouring directly into the river, creating a "noticeable sediment plume." A report on how much sediment leaked into the river has not yet been made publicly available.

The discovery is all the more disturbing as it occurred less than a year after a burst pipe at the mine resulted in 2,000 litres of water and tailings solids spilling into the ground in August.

The good news is the mine has since carried out orders to bring the site up to snuff. It managed to escape paying $100,000 worth of fines that are liable to anyone convicted of contravening the relevant portions of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, with federal inspectors instead opting to issue a stern warning to the Vancouver-based company.

In the grand scheme of things Cantung's flaunting of environmental standards may seem like a drop in the bucket when compared to the 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide buried underneath Yellowknife's Giant Mine - left there for the taxpayer to deal with after its owner Royal Oak went bankrupt in 1999.

That Cantung had been allowed to fall into such a sad state, however, doesn't do much to help perceptions that mining companies are indifferent to the environmental damage they cause and will avoid preventing it if it means saving a buck.

Many mining companies that have operated in the Northwest Territories over the years have performed admirably in carrying out their environmental obligations at the end of mine life. Newmont Mining, owner of Giant Mine's gold mining sister site, Con mine, provides a textbook example of how to implement a closure and cleanup plan for a mine site.

Nonetheless, the overall environmental track record for companies setting up shop in the North is less than stellar. After devolution in 2014 the federal government agreed to take responsibility for 96 sites in the NWT which have been designated as waste sites and need to be cleaned up.

Meanwhile the GNWT, is currently responsible for 13 operational sites throughout the territory including Diavik Diamond Mine, the Deh Cho Bridge and Ekati Diamond Mine. That list also includes Snap Lake Diamond Mine, which entered into a care and maintenance phase after halting production last year. The government also purchased Cantung property Mactung in order to prevent it from being liable for its cleanup.

The sad reality is that the Northwest Territories is shrouded in a cruel paradox. On the one hand it markets itself as Spectacular NWT: a vast expanse of natural beauty with pristine land, water, wildlife and the homeland of the Dene and Inuvialuit people.

On the other, is an economy that requires resource extraction to thrive.

Mining is inherently invasive and will always leave some trace of its activity but so long as rigorous environmental standards are properly enforced there is no reason why mining cannot exist inside an otherwise spectacular environment.

Alas, each time a mine fails and is unable to live up to the high standards imposed upon it by regulatory bodies, the credible of the industry as a whole suffers.


Seize opportunity to fight food insecurity
Nunavut/News North - Monday, June 6, 2016

It is not often that ordinary people are given the opportunity to advise the federal government about how to spend millions of dollars on delivery of such an important part of everyday life.

Most Nunavimmiut have seen sky-high prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, meat products that are less than attractive and essential items such as diapers and toilet paper that easily chew up a large portion of an average consumer's grocery budget.

Nunavut's grocery stores play an essential role in small communities, as sometimes the sole source of food but also as an employer and a supporter and sponsor of many community events. The grocery store also receives subsidies from the federal government's Nutrition North program, money that is supposed to lower the cost of health, nutritious food products for consumers in remote, isolated communities.

The Liberal government is now making good on one of its election promises, to review the Nutrition North program, increase the level of funding, expand it into more communities in Canada and determine how the program can keep pace with the growing and constant need for affordable nutritious food.

Food insecurity is an enormous issue in Nunavut and study after study has documented evidence that adults in crowded living conditions will often skip meals so younger family members can eat. We've seen photographs of prices on grocery store shelves that give new meaning to the term "sticker shock."

We've seen residents and supporters of Leesee Papatsie's Feeding My Family movement holding placards on the street in protest of high food prices.

We've seen residents of southern Canada join the Helping Our Northern Neighbours Facebook page by the hundreds and commit to shipping boxes of groceries and essential items to needy families in Nunavut.

We've read the Household Food Insecurity In Canada report which concluded that an astounding 45.2 per cent of Nunavut households are in a state of food insecurity. And we've reported about the auditor general's report which found that there is no way to accurately determine if the Nutrition North program is lowering the actual cost of nutritious food for consumers.

The high cost of food does not just have a physical impact on Nunavummiut.

There is also an emotional and psychological impact as parents worry about their ability to put food on the table, as children go to bed hungry at night and as consumers are faced with making the difficult choice between paying their bills or purchasing groceries.

There are many reasons why people must make their voices heard during a public engagement process which began last week and is set to continue throughout June and into the summer. The Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs is gathering input from retailers, suppliers, transportation companies, organizations representing indigenous people, municipal and territorial governments, experts on food security and Northern infrastructure, and residents.

We hope opinions from consumers are among the loudest voices and that the federal government gets the message that the program isn't working and significant changes must be made.


Cabin leases good for territory
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, June 3, 2016

As early as next spring there could be a new recreation management plan in place designed to guide the GNWT as it considers how best to balance land use issues concerning lands designated as "Yellowknife periphery."

In particular, this includes land accessed off the Ingraham Trail.

Any special interest group, land lease-holder, mineral rights holder, trapper or even just the average outdoor enthusiast has a vested interest in how this plan is developed. This recreation management plan process will be one of the most closely scrutinized undertakings of the GNWT over the next year, and rightfully so.

Of particular interest is the possibility of new cabin leases up for grabs at the end of the consultation period.

There are many reasons why more cabin leases are a good idea.

First, there is incredible demand for recreational property as witnessed last year when 913 people paid $100 to enter a lottery for 22 available cabin leases on the Ingraham Trail.

Being able to get out of the city and onto the land is a big part of the attraction of living in the North. If the GNWT can show there are opportunities to move north and have a city lifestyle with back-country weekends, it just might slow our ebbing population and make Yellowknife a more attractive destination.

Land leases will generate tax revenue for the government at very little if any extra cost, while discouraging squatter settlements at the same time.

On the other hand, expanding cabin leases and etching out land-use plans on the traditional lands of the Akaitcho Dene (and the Yellowknives Dene in particular), Tlicho and Metis people may leave one wondering who the real squatters are if legitimate consultation with aboriginal groups is not the first priority.

This land use plan under development is expected to be completed by spring of 2017. It would be a shame if all the work over the next year were to come to naught thanks to a lack of consultation with First Nations and the subsequent social and legal fallout. It would make sense to make the Yellowknives the beneficiary of GNWT earnings on cabin leases.

The government has said aboriginal governments have been "invited to participate" in the development of this plan.

Every effort must be made to ensure this invitation is more than just lip service.


Wider consultation needed
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, June 2, 2016

Much has been said about the all-season road the GNWT wants to build between Wrigley and Norman Wells.

The expensive project is still on the block for funding from the federal government, although no word is yet forthcoming about whether it will be Infrastructure Canada's project of choice.

The project has been touted as the only shovel-ready project in the territory, which is widely considered to be a point in its favour.

Recently, during a speech at the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce's annual general meeting, Transportation Minister Wally Schumann urged community members and proponents of the business community to write to the federal government in support of the project.

Schumann said there are other regions putting intense pressure on the federal government to dip into its pots of infrastructure money.

The idea behind that was, if the Deh Cho makes enough noise, it will set the project apart from countless others that are vying for government dollars.

However, one of the most crucial voices is missing from the discussion: that of Wrigley itself.

One Wrigley woman felt strongly enough about the issue this month that she left a message for the Deh Cho Drum, although she did not leave her name.

That woman said something quite obvious but which has often been forgotten as discussion on the project progresses: the biggest impact of this road will probably be felt in Wrigley itself. She questioned why presentations would be made to the Fort Simpson business community asking for support, instead of being made to Wrigley directly.

To be fair, the business community of Fort Simpson has a lot to gain, potentially, should the road receive funding. All-season access instead of winter-only access could mean new businesses arise and old businesses expand.

But Fort Simpson has no more to gain than any other community affected by the road.

It is members of Pehdzeh Ki First Nation who should be lobbying the government for this road -- if they feel it is worthwhile. That does not mean other communities in the Deh Cho should be silent. However, businesses in Fort Simpson could be supporting voices, instead of being the loudest in the room.

But in order for that to happen, the businesses of Wrigley need to speak for themselves. If they did so, they would give extra punch to the territorial government's case.

In any case, if Schumann is serious about getting people to speak up in favour of the road, and to write their MP about it, he should be telling that to everyone instead of just one community. And Wrigley should be the first one the territory goes to, instead of having to read about the GNWT's wishes in their local paper.


Speaking out about students
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, June 2, 2016

This week's Inuvik Drum has its fair share of education stories. While it may seem overkill to some, they cover a wide range of issues - from the good and uplifting, to the bad and the ugly - that are fundamental to the future of Inuvik's youth and the community at large.

With stories about science projects, graduation and attendance, the Drum spent a lot of time at East Three recently. The subjects were, however, entirely worthy of coverage.

The graduation ceremony May 28 was all about the support of the community and how a strong network helps get students to that stage. In a trick of good timing -- or perhaps poor timing, depending on where you stand -- officials also spoke out about the need to help the students who would not be similarly celebrated.

Small towns in general and the North in particular are rife with underlying problems. Everybody knows about them, everybody talks about them, but they are rarely brought to public discussion and debate. School attendance is one of those issues.

It's nothing new that high school students aren't going to class when the weather warms up and the end of term is in sight. This problem is hardly unique to the Beaufort Delta or even the North, but it does sting more here, where the burden of history and other current challenges are so great.

High school, no matter how much we celebrate its completion, is about learning skills that will be essential later on in life. Of course people can get work and live their lives without completing Grade 12, but for the vast majority of jobs, it's the most basic requirement. Whether further academic pursuit or workplace training is the goal afterward doesn't matter.

So while we may be covering school stories, they are also more broadly community stories. What goes on in that school truly affects the town in so many ways, not least in that the students are hardly a separate segment of the population, whose challenges and achievements are somehow less deserving of attention.

A community is only as strong as its young people, who are so often the focus of speeches and promises on the part of people in leadership positions. Clearly those promises are not being upheld because more than 60 per cent of senior high students are falling through the cracks.

If it takes a village to raise a child, then we have to accept that the failings of these students are the failure of the community.

So as we celebrate the dozen or so graduates -- or rather, those leaving high school with a piece of paper and pride in their accomplishment -- we also need to remember the dozens more who, as a result of their own choices and myriad other factors, weren't there.

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