CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISINGSPECIAL ISSUESONLINE SPORTSOBITUARIESNORTHERN JOBSTENDERS

NNSL Photo/Graphic

NNSL Photo/Graphic
Editorial Cartoons

Subscriber pages
buttonspacer News Desk
buttonspacer Columnists
buttonspacer Editorial
buttonspacer Readers comment
buttonspacer Tenders

Demo pages
Here's a sample of what only subscribers see

Subscribe now
Subscribe to both hardcopy or internet editions of NNSL publications

Advertising
Our print and online advertising information, including contact detail.

Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size


Wanted: a full-time MLA for Nunakput
Northwest Territories/News North - Monday, July 11, 2016

Herbert Nakimayak, the rookie MLA for the far north constituency of Nunakput, is on the defensive after it came to light that he had missed several key meetings and was forced to resign as chair of the standing committee on economic development and environment.

So what was the resident of Paulatuk up to when he wasn't chairing five meetings with his committee? Where was he when he wasn't at nine meetings of the priorities and planning standing committee, six meetings of the standing committee on government operations, one meeting of the standing committee on social development and one legislative assembly sitting?

Well, a lot of Nakimayak's attention is diverted to his job as vice-president for international affairs of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC).

Founded in 1977, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is now a major international non-government organization representing approximately 160,000 Inuit of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia.

The ICC works to help Inuit speak with a united voice on issues of common concern and "combine their energies and talents toward protecting and promoting their way of life," states the group's website.

Clearly, this is a very important organization that does some very good work.

But the legislative assembly is also a very important organization. And it's also one that does some very good work - with your money.

When one enters public life, some sacrifices have to be made. Those include spending less time with family (especially if one represents a rural constituency), being in the public and media spotlight and having to give 100 per cent of your time to serving the people who elected you.

Being an MLA in the NWT is a full-time job. Regular MLAs earn a base salary of $103,851. There are also honorariums for serving as chair of standing committees and allowances for travel and accommodation.

Nakimayak told News/North he's "not concerned" with the suggestion he's shortchanging his constituents by apparently splitting his time between the two jobs.

Nakimayak said about 75 per cent of the committee meetings he missed were due to his work with the ICC. He seemed to be blaming the media somehow for turning his absenteeism into a news story.

Nakimayak needs to recognize that being forced out from chairing a committee in the legislative assembly is no small thing. What would he say if he had been selected to cabinet?

Nakimayak must choose which career he wishes to pursue. He can't be an MLA and hold a senior position with the ICC.


Program should focus on putting people back to work
Nunavut/News North - Monday, July 11, 2016

The Government of Nunavut's numbers on recipients of income assistance are startling.

The statistics show that, at 74 per cent of the hamlet's population, Gjoa Haven has the highest number of people in the territory receiving income assistance. Other communities also have a high percentage of recipients. Taloyoak, Sanikiluaq, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq and Cape Dorset are all above 60 per cent.

Two of the largest communities have the lowest rate -- Rankin Inlet at 18 per cent and Iqaluit at 15 per cent.

The numbers certainly are high. However, keep in mind that the overall numbers don't represent only able-bodied adults who choose not to work or those who are unable to work. Lumped into the income assistance program are five main categories of the government's welfare spending -- the Nunavut child benefit, daycare subsidy, senior citizen's supplementary benefit, senior fuel subsidy and the income assistance program. Of the 14,428 people who received a cheque from the government in 2015, many of them got the money to help with the cost of raising a child or to support seniors who are living on a fixed income.

Although it is unclear how much of the $44.7 million budgeted for the 2016-17 fiscal year will go to people who are capable of working, changes to the system being considered are designed to encourage more people to get jobs without being penalized. There is little incentive for someone to work and save money if their benefits are reduced by the amount of wages they earn or if they do not qualify for income assistance because they have money in the bank.

The greatest improvements in the program can be made in the area of income assistance recipients who are capable of working, have a desire to find gainful employment and are able to leave their communities for training and education.

Many recipients want to reduce their dependency on the program but cannot get out of the cycle because they are not allowed to set aside money for emergencies or to purchase tools to find work in the trades. This rule not only traps them into a life that revolves around income assistance payments, it reduces their self esteem and removes the incentive for them to better themselves.

We congratulate the government for consulting with all the communities in Nunavut by having staff from the Department of Family Services and the Department of Economic Development and Transportation talk to the people and realize how vital the program is for the survival of many people.

The report resulting from last fall's process was tabled in the legislative assembly early last month. It will take some time for the government to consider recommended changes and make the legislative amendments for them to happen.

We would like to see most of the emphasis go toward helping find jobs for those who are able to work. Income assistance should be a temporary hand up for people capable of working, a means to a greater end, not a program that keeps people on the couches waiting for the next cheque to arrive.


Union cries wolf on youth jail job cuts
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, July 8, 2016

The Union of Northern Workers is crying big, bad wolf at the Department of Justice's decision to transfer some staff from the North Slave Young Offenders Facility to the adjacent North Slave Correctional Centre for adults.

The union claims a lack of adequate consultation in the lead up to the decision. Even though it does seem the GNWT included the union in the planning, this is beside the point.

What is at issue is the union's suggestion that the department is making the youth facility less safe by making what appears to be wise and efficient changes in the face of declining youth offender incarceration rates.

In 2005, two years after the youth facility opened, 19 young offenders were being held there.

Since then that number has drastically declined, largely because of changes introduced with the 2012 Youth Criminal Justice Act which brought with it a decrease in youth incarceration rates.

Currently, there are three young offenders housed at the facility. It is not difficult to accept the department's explanation that 25 staff members at the youth facility are not required. Surely the 14 staff who will remain will be plenty when it comes to housing three young offenders. About five vacant positions will be eliminated; the remainder are heading to the much busier adult facility.

The UNW claims the justice department will not be able to run the facility with only 14 staff members, and, aside from increased security concerns, will see the quality of life for inmates decline.

But even Lydia Bardak, NWT executive director for the prisoner advocacy group John Howard Society, calls the move a reasonable one that protects the interests of youth offenders by keeping them in a separate facility and in the North.

It is fiscally unfeasible to maintain a fully staffed facility designed for 25 when only three are being housed there.

The Department of Justice could have recommended closing the facility altogether and sending youth offenders south for incarceration. This would clearly be the poorer option as youth are likely to do better if they are able to stay closer to home.

Such a move would have meant even more lost staff positions.

Instead, the department found a way to keep the youth facility open, while avoiding layoffs by transferring some staff from the youth facility to the adult facility.

Granted, currently vacant positions at the youth facility will not be filled so a net staff loss remains.

Clearly this is what is really bothering the union. Dressing up its complaint as though the department is negligent in its care of young offenders is inappropriate and flies in the face of common sense when one look at the numbers.

The fact is a separate youth facility remains, with 14 staff to accommodate three inmates. If this is good enough for the John Howard Society, then there is little reason for union to cry wolf.


A titanic problem?
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, Jul 7, 2016

At the upcoming July 11 committee of the whole meeting, Fort Simpson's village councillors expect to discuss whether or not to delay a project that will fix drainage issues at the recreation centre in favour of soliciting advice on how to best approach the issue.

It is no secret drainage around the recreation centre is a serious problem that could eventually have catastrophic results for the building unless it is rectified. Already, poor drainage has caused headaches for the curling rink.

However, while time is of the essence and delaying the drainage project an extra year is not ideal, there is no comparison for getting things done right.

At the July 4 regular council meeting, councillors voted to table a decision on delaying the project. That means the decision has been pushed for at least two weeks.

The reasoning behind the decision to table was simple, if slightly contentious: at the upcoming committee of the whole meeting, councillors would be receiving a budget variance report from the village's administration, meaning they would know how much money they have to work with - and, potentially, discuss whether both consultation and the project itself could be done this year, instead of one or the other.

In the words of Mayor Darlene Sibbeston, finding out how much money the village has to work with is just due diligence. It is also a mark of good governance to make decisions when all information is on the table.

Given that the village already has someone in mind to advise them on the project, delaying the decision by two weeks is perfectly acceptable.

Additionally, councillors showed prudence by not rushing the vote.

The reasoning behind that prudence was equally sound: while some councillors felt they could approve the delay and come back to it later if need be, the majority agreed that strategy would send the wrong message to the public.

As one councillor noted, decisions made at the council table are rarely re-visited after a vote is cast.

With the decision delayed, councillors may want to consider another option. At the July 4 regular meeting, Coun. Chuck Blyth asked whether the village had considered postponing another project in the capital plan, in order to ensure both consultation and the drainage project could move forward this year.

That is something that had not previously been considered - but it should be.

While it may be difficult to choose one project over another, it very well could be that there is an aspect of the capital plan that can be delayed without harm.

It is better to do things right than to do them quickly. That holds true for all things, but especially for a project of this magnitude, the ramifications of which may permanently affect the recreation centre.


Non-profit funding dilemma
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, July 7, 2016

It is an unfortunate fact of life that non-profits in this territory depend mainly on government funding to deliver the programming they do.

Overall, this is a good system, because there are services and programming essential to the community being offered at far less than a government -- especially the territorial government -- can possibly manage.

Non-profits put in the hours and take all the risk, relying on volunteer boards to handle things ranging from homeless shelters to youth centres, offering succor and support for people almost literally from cradle to grave.

Their executive directors work for pennies on the dollar, compared to government employees, considering the hours for which they actually get paid, and factoring in the fact they do so with nothing in the way of job security from year to year.

Everything depends on contribution agreements that need to be accounted for and re-upped every spring.

This is far from an ideal situation for many people in the system, but still, overall, it works.

Services are delivered, programs are run, children are not out wreaking havoc and elders have somewhere to go to socialize and keep their traditions alive.

The trouble is that the government, at many levels, is not holding up its end of the bargain.

Two organizations last week announced they would be closing their doors while they wait for someone in either Yellowknife or Ottawa to agree to fund their necessary functions.

Ingamo Hall has suspended programming until its federal funding comes through after the government changed the filing requirements.

The Inuvik Emergency Warming Centre was lucky enough to get a reprieve at the last minute when the manager got word that, with support from members of the Legislative Assembly, funding was on its way.

There are very good reasons why non-profits need to adhere to strict reporting practices when it comes to public money.

As taxpayers, no one would be happy with a system that allowed organizations to fritter away precious dollars with little oversight or consequence.

But the flip side of that -- when organizations hold up their end of the deal -- is that someone on the other side has to respond.

Years of working as a reporter in the NWT have proven to me that trying to find a working government employee to speak to in the summer is something akin to a wild goose chase.

It's annoying when they avoid potentially awkward questions from the press but when people are threatened with being turned out of the only place they can find for a roof over their heads, it's nothing short of a dereliction of their duties.


Don't close the law library
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Congratulations to the territorial government for giving Yellowknife a brand new distinction - it will now be the only provincial or territorial capital to not have a law library.

Because it has been slashed from the budget, members of the public will no longer have this resource if they ever need to navigate the justice system - a daunting task for anybody without a law degree. The library offered up a law librarian who could direct people to a good starting point for research, hard-to-find legal tomes and law-specific subscription-based online websites.

Consequently, lack of access to a law library diminishes the public's ability to defend themselves before the courts.

Say a person feels they've been wrongfully charged or unfairly persecuted by a person, organization or the government. Also, say this person - like most people - can't afford a lawyer. The law library is there for just this type of person.

Justice Minister Louis Sebert cited low attendance and high costs as reasons for the library's closure. Lawyer Sandra MacKenzie told Yellowknifer attendance records might be misleading because not everybody properly signs in and out.

But it doesn't matter whether the place is bustling with law enthusiasts chomping at the bit to get their paws on the newest issue of Canadian Lawyer magazine. What matters is whether one single individual who needed help navigating the legal system had access to the library if they couldn't afford legal advice.

It also doesn't matter whether the library was coming in $244,000 over budget every year. In the grand scheme of things, $467,000 in operating costs is peanuts. Take into consideration that the GNWT set aside almost $20 million on government travel in the same budget.

It was lawyers making noise in defense of the law library when Yellowknifer reported on its closure but Sebert, a lawyer himself, should think of the territory's regular non-practising citizens when he considers its worth. While he is right that lawyers probably have access to what they need via their law firms' legal databases, the average person doesn't. And it is the average person who needs to have access to a library such as this one the most.


Face-to-face is better than e-mail
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, July 6, 2016

The old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" could be updated for the 21st century to say, "If you can't say anything nice, at least don't write it in an e-mail and forward it to an entire chain of people."

The NWT Federal Liberal Association had the unfortunate experience of seeing their entire colourful discussion that led to the resignation of president John Dalton aired publicly last week. The conversation was started by executive member David Monroe, who introduced a motion via e-mail for Dalton's removal, accusing him of ignoring e-mails and displaying "disgusting misogyny."

While generally membership response was amenable to Dalton's removal, it was Bill Braden who cut to the heart of the issue. He chided his organization's executive for introducing a motion like this via chain e-mail, calling it "bizarre" and suggested the entire executive resign.

"'Chiming' on e-mail is at the very least a demonstration of how undemocratic or dysfunctional our executive is," he wrote.

To be fair, the NWT Liberal Party squabbles don't seem to be having any effect on NWT MP Michael McLeod's performance in Ottawa, which so far appears to be very good.

But, just to save the embarrassment, the organization associated with its elected member of Parliament might want to call a meeting the next time they want to discuss another member's performance.


Implementing curfew requires careful consideration
Editorial Comment by Cody Punter
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Broken windows, stolen guns, people being woken up in the middle the night by intruders. These are not the kinds of things you want happening in your hometown. Unfortunately, in recent weeks there have been rising concerns following a series of late-night disturbances, petty acts of vandalism and a gun theft, which is hopefully an isolated incident.

Things came to a head on June 27 when Coun. Harry Towtongie asked why the "community did not have a curfew." His question was met with support by the mayor and council and now the hamlet is considering implementing one to keep people off the streets late at night.

Now, just to clarify, nothing has been enacted yet. Council has simply asked administration to explore potential options for curfews, with the mayor pledging to talk to other communities to see how they have implemented them. According to Coun. Evan Morrison, Naaujat has a horn that goes off every night to indicate when people need to be off the streets.

Longtime residents of Rankin all say they remember a siren but no one is sure when it stopped. One older man told me the hamlet stopped using it because a woman who had immigrated to Rankin from Europe after the war complained that it reminded her of the bombing raids.

The mayor suggested that there had previously been questions raised over whether forcing children into potentially abusive homes somehow violated their human rights. However, he later explained that council is well within its rights to enforce a curfew.

On the one hand, it is great to see so many children playing outside and enjoying the fresh air at this time of year. But on the other hand, people need to be able to feel safe in their own communities. Just the other day a girl posted on the Rankin Inlet News Facebook group that a man had tried to break into a relative's house.

The fact that the message was shared 34 times, far more than any other post on the page, reaffirms the consensus among the handful of residents I have spoken to - implementing a curfew is an unfortunate but necessary evil.

As council takes this back to the drawing board and tries to figure out what if anything it should do, residents should speak up and have their voices heard.

If a curfew is going to be put into place, how late should it be? Who is going to enforce it? What will the punishment be for breaking it? These are questions that need to be asked if the hamlet decides to go down this road.

It should also be pointed out that while there are certainly lots of younger people out late at night, the RCMP does not currently have any suspects in their ongoing investigation, so it is uncertain who is responsible for the recent vandalism.

Perhaps if people come together and discuss how to make the streets safer at night, a compromise could be met, and a less punitive tack taken.

Because as much as everyone deserves to feel safe, it really would be a shame to tell kids that are outside running around to go back to their Xboxes because of a few bad apples.

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.