Move the day shelterYellowknifer - Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Imagine being a homeless person who struggles with alcohol addiction.
Imagine having one option as a place to stay warm in winter, one place with easy access to a bathroom, one place that gives access to health services, one place where there is a kitchen area to prepare meals - the day shelter.
Imagine this day shelter happens to be located a stone's throw from a liquor store, like the one downtown. Our homeless community, many of whom struggle with addiction every day, have a literal trigger sitting 100 feet from the stoop where they access shelter and services. There is no way it's possible this setup can be conducive to living a healthy, sober life.
The community sees the consequences of such convenient access to liquor on the streets of downtown every single day. The residents of the Northern Heights condo building across the road on 49 Street recently held a meeting, expressing concerns about the amount of fighting, shouting and public intoxication in the neighbourhood and how it affects their standard of living and property values.
Coun. Adrian Bell is absolutely right in his request to see the day shelter moved. There probably isn't a worse spot than where it is located right now - nobody is benefiting from this location. The day shelter's clients don't benefit and neither does the neighbourhood, the greater community, visitors to Yellowknife or liquor store staff. Admitting this is not crass, insensitive not-in-my-backyard thinking - it is simply acknowledging an obvious problem and being sensitive to how access to liquor has a detrimental affect on homeless people in the community. Now that the contract for the day shelter is coming up, the city, GNWT and NWT Disabilities Council have an opportunity to come up with a better location.
A place that is convenient for people who depend on it, a place that perhaps offers as convenient access to services as the current location offers to booze.
While the well of resources our society could be providing for the homeless really has no depth, if a simple change in scenery gives even one day shelter resident the leg up he or she needs to fight addiction, the move will be well worth it.
Education minister thrown to the wolvesYellowknifer - Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Two years ago, the territorial government had a great idea to offer junior kindergarten for free to four-year-olds across the territory.
Two years ago, that great idea was sullied after Yellowknife school boards rightfully questioned why their hard-earned surpluses were being clawed back to pay for implementation of the program. It also didn't help that other early-education service providers such as existing preschools, Montessori and Aboriginal Headstart complained they were not consulted about how their programming would be affected by the new initiative.
This is why, two years ago, junior kindergarten implementation was halted in Yellowknife and regional centres in order to identify its flaws and - one would hope - fix those flaws. So why is junior kindergarten on the docket again with even fewer answers to these questions than before?
Presumably, there is a team of bureaucrats behind Education, Culture and Employment Minister Alfred Moses pushing him to move forward with junior kindergarten. By sending him to the public and media with the announcement that junior kindergarten is coming to Yellowknife next year - and no answers about how much it will cost, how it will be paid for and no consultation - these bureaucrats are essentially throwing Moses to the wolves. He is the one who has to answer for the fact that nobody has any idea what's going on.
Rather than obstinately pushing forward on a program before figuring out answers to key questions about how it will work, it would be refreshing to see the department come forward with a fully-baked idea that the community has had input on, so junior kindergarten can move forward without controversy.
More similarities than differencesEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Two very unique, yet very different musical performances, took place during the past few weeks, which stirred emotions in a number of Kivalliqmiut.
And, for the two men the spotlight focused on, the performances were a testimony to the courage of both.
Gord Downie of the rock band, the Tragically Hip, is an iconic figure across most of this great nation.
Diagnosed with the worst form of brain cancer, Downie still managed to head out on tour with his bandmates to promote their most recent album, Man Machine Poem.
The Canadian tour reached its zenith with a final concert in the Hip's hometown, Kingston, Ont.
The performance was shown live across Canada and in many other parts of the world, and is destined to take its place in Canadian folklore.
For tens of millions of people, a question that will remain steadfast during their lifetimes will be, where were you the night ...?
If, indeed, that night in Kingston does prove itself to be Downie's final live performance, the man went out with the love of a nation holding his hand as he wages the biggest battle of his life.
His showmanship, determination, courage and tears -- especially during the rendition of Grace, Too -- will long be remembered by those who tuned into the moment.
It was an incredibly emotional evening in Kingston felt by all inside in the venue, as well as the tens of thousands lining the streets outside.
Ditto the more modest crowd in Arviat, when some of the best musicians of the vibrant local music scene came together to pay tribute to one Mr. Charlie Panigoniak.
Every bit the legend among Inuit and many, many other Canadians, Charlie, suffering in the latter stages of Parkinson's disease, found a way to brave his fear of flying to get to the Arviat concert, and somehow summoned the strength to take to the stage and perform a number of songs during the show.
Many a tear fell in Arviat, as well, as those in attendance fought back the sadness to celebrate Panigoniak the man, and Panigoniak the musical legend.
Downie and the Hip have provided the musical soundtrack to the lives of those who grew up during their heyday, and Panigoniak has done the same for generations of Inuit, and done it all singing in Inuktitut.
While Downie wrote and sang tales of Canadiana, Panigoniak touched on the challenges, joys, triumphs and heartbreaks of living in the North.
His lyrics were felt by many: crystal clear in their meanings and, often, sounding almost like they were written just for them.
Such was the level Panigoniak reached in reading and understanding the pulse of life in the North, and relaying that pulse in a way both familiar and emotional to his many fans.
His affinity for performing for children during the latter part of his career was a heartwarming glimpse of the joy found within the man behind the music.
Though separated by vast distances, different lifestyles and, perhaps, tastes in music, Panigoniak and Downie share far more similarities than differences.
They will both leave behind sparkling musical legacies and too many smiles to count.
And they both touched, in one way or another, everyone who listened to their music.
Doing it the Dene wayNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, September 5, 2016
When is the territorial government going to understand that many people - especially those most vulnerable, with at-risk lifestyles - simply don't trust big government?
The Department of Health and Social Services closed down the territory's sole residential addictions treatment facility three years ago.
The excuse given was that the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre on the Hay River Reserve was operating at about half its capacity and the unionized centre had trouble recruiting and retaining qualified staff.
The centre had offered residential addictions treatment programs for close to 20 years, first under the K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN), then under the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority - in other words, a creature of government. The GNWT took over direct responsibility for the centre in May 2013, and guess what? It closed a few months later.
The most troubling result of the closure is the GNWT decision to ship clients who couldn't be taken by community counselling services to southern facilities in Alberta and British Columbia, far away from the support of family and friends at home.
Robert Bouchard, the MLA for Hay River North at the time, also pointed to the loss of jobs in the area, which he estimated at 12.
"They had no way to re-profile this facility?" He asked.
But now some people do appear to have a way. And it's going to be made in the Dene way. As it should be.
K'atlodeeche residents held a workshop Aug. 16 to 17 to explain the concept and get input on ideas, including from other communities in the NWT.
"What it all boils down to is this statement - the Dene can heal themselves with their own culture," said Beatrice Lepine, a consultant working on the project for the KFN, during the workshop.
The idea is that the Dene Wellness Centre will attract people from communities all over the NWT. And get this - the plan is to make the centre self-sufficient by generating income through fundraising, tuition and accommodation charges. The building of the former treatment centre can house 35 people.
What needs to happen now is for the GNWT to keep its meddling little fingers out of the Dene's plans, save for providing some funding, if requested and as needed. The GNWT also has to show some good faith and negotiate fairly to lease out the former Nats'ejee K'eh centre.
Interestingly, the territorial government has already proclaimed there will be no alcohol and drug addiction treatment in the empty building. So to start, the plans are to have "basic" alcohol and drug awareness programs for youth.
While there clearly needs to be appropriately trained staff to deal with people going through sometimes dicey withdrawal symptoms, the GNWT needs to be ready to let real addiction treatment happen as soon as the new centre believes it is ready.
Addictions treatment is sorely needed in the NWT. Just look at the over-representation of aboriginal offenders in custody. Drugs and alcohol largely drive the crimes. But deep-rooted dissent and decades of resentment toward imposed authority are some of the root causes.
Enter the new centre, which plans to be steeped in Dene culture, offering people four positive outcomes of hope, belonging, meaning and purpose.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the residential school system recommended the NWT establish a healing centre.
The GNWT should help this project move forward as needed. Let the First Nation give it a try. It can't do any worse than the territory did. In fact, it's more than likely the positive results will be astonishing.
Welcome expansion of post-secondary optionsNunavut/News North - Monday, September 5, 2016
It wasn't the announcement that backers of an ambitious standalone, bricks-and-mortar university in Nunavut have been secretly hoping would eventually happen.
However, word from Education Minister Paul Quassa last week that the Government of Nunavut has given its blessing to a partnership between Nunavut Arctic College and the University of Saskatchewan to offer a four-year law degree program is a most welcome small step toward more post-secondary offerings.
This is actually the re-establishment of a law degree program. The first involved three players -- Nunavut Arctic College, the Akitsiraq Law School Society and the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. It accepted one intake of students in 2001 and had 11 graduates complete the program in 2005. Significantly, the impact of that small crop of lawyers can still be felt in the territory today.
And the Akitsiraq Law School Society never gave up, even after 2010 when the Government of Nunavut turned down a request for $3.57 million, 70 per cent of its core funding over a six-year period.
The society has supported students from Nunavut who wished to pursue studies in the area of law and continued offering limited programs within the legal profession within Nunavut. Although the society is not involved in the new law degree program like it was previously, there has been a welcoming toward the prospect of more made-in-Nunavut lawyers.
Initially, there will be 25 spots available at Nunavut Arctic College, which is seeing success in many of its other post-secondary offerings, including the Nunavut teacher education program.
Having a wide range of options -- and places within the territory for above-average students with high ambitions -- is vital for the higher and higher number of high school graduates coming out of the communities.
Certainly there must be streams for young people to learn a trade, develop life skills and enroll in environmental science or nursing programs. Nunavut must also make room for the engineers, architects and doctors of the future.
The study of law, in particular, is becoming more important as it relates to Inuit and indigenous people. Lawyers will play key roles in the continued implementation of the recommendations made by Justice Murray Sinclair and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
There are already native studies courses required in the first year of most law programs at universities across the country. The University of Saskatchewan recognizes the importance of legally trained indigenous peoples.
Of course, lawyers become judges. What a benefit it will be, to Nunavut and Canada, when an Inuit lawyer will be able to take their traditional knowledge, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit principles, to the courtroom and to the bench.
Be prepared in the bush Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 2, 2016
A possible tragic ending was avoided when experienced outdoorsman Ron Gibeault made his way to a hilltop in the remote wilderness and found cell phone reception 100 kilometres east of Yellowknife.
He was able to call and alert his daughter-in-law to his location and predicament. By the time he was rescued, Gibeault had spent 32 hours in the isolated back country near the Beaulieu River, about halfway to Lutsel K'e as the crow flies.
To briefly recap, Gibeault encountered mechanical problems while on a trail with his ATV near familiar ground. Instead of staying with his vehicle to await rescue he set out for what he thought would be a simple return journey.
He quickly became disorientated and lost. He did not have the basics of back country survival gear with him, not even a compass or GPS.
If a person like Gibeault, who has a lifetime of backwoods experience, could make what he called a "stupid mistake," what does that mean for the rest of us?
The first thing it should mean is that anyone considering an excursion off well-marked trails should do so only with the full understanding that they have essentially put their lives into their own hands.
If nobody knows where a back-country traveller has gone or when the person is expected back, nobody will know to alert authorities of that traveller's absence until it is possibly too late.
Without carrying appropriate outdoor survival gear even a short unexpected stay in the woods can turn into a terrible, trying experience easily avoided with minimal preparation.
Gibeault would be the first to admit he got lucky to find a cell signal so far in the bush but there
are more reliable alternatives to cellphones and luck.
Tracking devices abound that allow for emergency communication via satellite signal and would make it easier for rescuers to make an efficient recovery.
There is no good reason to head into the back country without the resources to sustain oneself in the event of an emergency or extended stay. Further to that, anyone heading out to the bush needs to leave a plan with someone detailing the expected route and what to do if the traveller fails to return on time.
These common sense rules are easy to overlook or disregard but can lead to much unnecessary anxiety or worse if not followed.
Get secret out, North also has summer Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 2, 2016
The days are getting shorter and darker, temperatures are getting colder and leaves are turning. Winter is just around the corner.
Nonetheless, many would assume the beginning of another aurora tourism season is still a few months away. But if one takes a walk around the city streets they may notice throngs of people already amassing at attractions and tourism company buses rolling down the highway.
The number of signatures on the Northern Frontier Visitors centre's guestbook seem to confirm this. Tracy Therrien, the centre's executive director, said while numbers for July are on par with the same month last year, there has been a noticeable bump in August compared to the previous year. Some 2,681 visitors had signed the guest book as of Aug. 19.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, meanwhile, is reporting attendance at North Slave campgrounds are up and more tourists are landing at the Yellowknife airport.
Anecdotal evidence suggests tourists are starting to come in late summer to take advantage of the brief window where the aurora can be viewed without having to put on a snowsuit.
Other activities, such as fishing, can be undertaken without having to endure the nuisance of early summer mosquitoes.
Tourism operators are already capitalizing on this "extra" aurora season.
City hall and the territorial government should as well, by promoting the milder aurora season of late summer and fall. People here already know there is more to the North than snow, dogsleds and long, dark nights but how well is that known outside the territory?
Ceremony spotlights success of youthDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, September 1, 2016
Last week, seven young men and women graduated from Fort Providence's Deh Gah School, to all the usual fanfare and ceremony.
Christina Bonnetrouge, Jade Bonnetrouge, Kelsey Bonnetrouge, Delaney Vandell, Derrick Vandell, Mikaela Vandell and Brandon Thom - as so many graduates before them - donned caps and robes and celebrated their accomplishment with their families, friends and mentors.
They listened to speeches from local leaders, their principal and valedictorian, and had a grand march of sorts with their escorts following the receiving of their scrolls.
But for all its similarities, the graduation ceremony in Fort Providence is not quite like graduation ceremonies elsewhere in the country - in part due to its small nature and in part due to its encompassing of tradition.
This year, same as last year, graduates sat in a semi-circle around a fur rug, by which an elder from the community completed a smudging ceremony.
The ceremony is a close, intimate affair and the graduates are literally the centre of it, surrounded and supported by the rest of the community. They are individually involved and come away with wise words from the elders.
Such a ceremony - and so many successful graduates - speaks wonders for Fort Providence and the youth who live there.
Despite of all the break-ins and crime the community has seen over the past couple years, every year its school produces more shining stars who had the fortitude to finish Grade 12 and claim their degrees.
These people will go on to shape not just Fort Providence but the Northwest Territories as a whole. There is vital truth to the idea that these are the future leaders of the community, territory and country.
Last year, the school had about 150 students from Grade one to 12.
Now, five per cent of those students are getting ready to move on.
All of Fort Providence, and indeed all of the Deh Cho, should be celebrating this accomplishment with these students - especially given youth from the community are in the rather unique position of shouldering much of the blame for the hamlet's crime levels.
With so much frustration, anger and fear from community members who have been victim to those crime levels, it is more important than ever to celebrate the success of these graduates.
A community is only truly healthy when all members of the community are healthy. And although healing can take a long time and many different forms, it is vitally important to acknowledge the positivity that comes from accomplishments such as graduating.
Hopefully, people will take that opportunity to see the good instead of just the bad.
Grief impacts the communityInuvik Drum - Thursday, September 1, 2016
Death in a small town, like life, is a community affair. So too is often the grief that follows.
Every culture on the planet has some sort of public mourning tradition, a kind of performance of grief that has evolved to help those in pain categorize, compartmentalize and control their suffering.
Victorian Englishwomen had a full protocol for mourning, including how many ruffles a person could wear following a given number of weeks after a specific kind of relative died. Some Scottish traditions dictate a woman be paid to wail the lament at the funeral.
Whether these cultural mechanisms work to curtail what is at its core an intensely personal and individual process is up for debate. Good people know there is no proper way to grieve, no timeline for when the chasm left in the soul after a loss is supposed to be spanned, no fail-safe method for recovery. It is what it is and it takes the time it takes.
What we do know is that a death, particularly a tragic and public one, affects more than the immediate family, although they of course bear the brunt of the trauma.
Sasha Larocque-Firth's death in 2014 was both tragic and public. Its cause is at the root of so many tragedies -- both public and private -- in this community. Drunk driving as a symptom of a wider disease of rampant alcohol abuse is hardly news, even when its most drastic consequences are newsworthy.
The wider community, even if they didn't know Sasha personally, can see themselves and their loved ones reflected in her. Maybe this is the point of collective mourning. People take to social media to vent the feelings they repress in real life, to seek the solace of a shared experience and perhaps -- in some cases -- claim some of the attention for themselves and their own struggles. Maybe we haven't come as far from professional wailers as we might like to think.
Justice Andrew Mahar noted that typically a sentencing decision in a case of this magnitude would take time, sometimes even months, but that in this case, it would not be fair to the families of all involved. The number of people in the courtroom was testament to just how many of those families there are. Maybe now, along with grief, there can be some closure. And maybe after that there can be some healing.
