Mid-term review a paper tigerNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, October 31, 2016
Regular MLAs in the current 18th Legislative Assembly have voted to have a mid-term review one year from now. That event will includes confidence votes on cabinet ministers by secret ballot.
So next fall, the premier and ministers will make speeches in the House defending their records; explaining what they have done to pursue initiatives laid out in the government's mandate.
Then all MLAs, regular members and cabinet, will vote - in secret, we remind you - on whether they have confidence in a given minister.
But the vote is non-binding. If a minister's performance is found to be lacklustre - by how large a majority we also won't be told - he or she will not automatically be expelled from cabinet. That would take another vote, one on a motion of non-confidence.
So what are we to expect from the mid-term review exercise?
"It's about making sure we are steering the ship in the right direction," says chair of the rules and procedures committee, Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly. "We have the opportunity any day the House is sitting to remove a minister in public. That's not what this mid-term review process is about. It's about making sure we are steering the ship in the right direction. At the end of the day we all have to work together. To have a public vote of confidence ... is not a good way to preserve working relationships."
In other words, while some regular MLAs are frustrated, they don't want to publicly rock the boat in case their attempt to oust a minister fails and they are blackballed when looking for favours or funding for their constituencies.
After the vote, the chair of the review committee will simply state whether the minister has the confidence of the members or not, O'Reilly said.
Then one of three things can happen - because the vote is non-binding - the first option for a minister who has lost the confidence of the House, is to do nothing at all. Or the minister might decide to take the hint, resign his or her portfolio and return to the ranks of regular MLAs.
So even if a minister has lost the confidence of an indeterminate number of unnamed members of the legislature, he or she can simply, stubbornly retain the well-compensated position following the mid-term review and start a power play behind the scenes. Since the vote was secret, all the minister needs to do is ensure a simple majority of all elected members would provide support in case a subsequent motion of non-confidence is made.
This is yet another example of how the NWT's consensus government differs greatly - and not favourably - from the traditional party system seen in the provinces and Yukon Territory.
This is a protect-what-you've-got environment that fosters cabinet secrecy and frustration among the regular MLAs.
So it's no surprise that all 11 regular members voted in favour of the mid-term review, while the seven cabinet ministers, and the premier, abstained.
Government House Leader Glen Abernethy - the only cabinet minister who spoke about the mid-term review report on the day of the vote - said cabinet isn't afraid of being judged.
"We believe that we are already making progress and will have made even more progress by next fall," he said. "We are confident that we could stand on our record collectively as well as individually."
Clearly there are under-performers in cabinet. And there are some bright prospects in the ranks of regular MLAs.
Would a cabinet minister resign if given a bad grade by his or her colleagues? It has been a very rare occurrence. Would a cabinet minister improve his or her performance if given a wake-up call one year from now in a mid-term review? That will remain to be seen.
Home grown police watchdogNunavut/News North - Monday, October 31, 2016
Paul Okalik, MLA for Iqaluit-Sinaa and former Justice minister, is right to question the Ottawa Police Service's ability to fairly investigate incidents involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nunavut.
It's a common practice across Canada to hire an outside force to conduct such investigations. The RCMP can't be expected to investigate its own members, so Ottawa police are called whenever a Nunavut RCMP officer is accused of wrongdoing.
Okalik expressed his concern after a sergeant with the Ottawa police, Chris Hrnchiar, posted comments on Facebook in response to an Ottawa Citizen story about the late Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook after her body was found in the city's Rideau River.
The comments suggested she had either committed suicide, or had gotten drunk and fallen in the river.
It took weeks for Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau to use the word "racist" to describe the comments, instead calling them "inappropriate" or "containing racial undertones," according to Ottawa news outlets.
Pootoogook lived, for most of the past nine years, on Ottawa's streets, and news accounts of her life in Ottawa describe it as rough. But Pootoogook's life had value. Her death deserved respect.
She was an artist whose work was acclaimed for ushering in a new level of artistic respect for the Cape Dorset print shop, where her renowned grandmother Pitseolak Ashoona and mother Napachie Pootoogook created their impressive bodies of work.
These are the people we pay to ensure Nunavummiut are being treated fairly by our RCMP. These are the people who get to decide whether an officer crossed the line when firing a weapon at a suspect or when using force to restrain a prisoner in RCMP cells.
At this point, the well is poisoned.
It doesn't take much Internet searching to find a history of racism among police forces across Canada. Who can people trust to do this work?
One option might be Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, a civilian body designed to act as watchdog when such complaints are made against Ontario Provincial Police. But a 2007 ombudsman report found a clear pro-police bias, with investigations seen through "blue-coloured glasses." A Toronto Star report found there were only 16 convictions resulting from 3,400 investigations and only three officers went to jail.
So what option can Okalik get people to support? A truly Northern one.
Nunavut may not have enough people for its own special investigations unit, as Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia have. Ontario's SIU consists of 85 staffers. For the number of incidents in Nunavut and the number of people who live here, it would be impossible to sustain such a force.
But perhaps it's time for a unit that is pan-territorial and self-contained in the territories. A small force, a team of civilians with legal experience, hired for their impartiality, yes, but also to reflect the cultures that make up the North.
The territories have Inuit police. They need Inuit watchdogs. And we bet the First Nations in the Western Arctic will want the same for themselves.
Even if it takes 20 years, it's an idea worth investigating.
Battle of facts get GNWT and Northland nowhere Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 28, 2016
Could Northland Utilities and parent company ATCO join forces with the territorial government to bring down power rates for everyone in the Northwest Territories?
Given how the GNWT stubbornly refuses to sit down with Northland or ATCO to discuss such a solution, NWT ratepayers may never find out.
That power for smaller communities is being subsidized has been a hot topic in the legislative assembly recently but it should come as no surprise.
As with many public goods in the North, there are few if any viable economic models for their existence in small isolated communities.
The cost of providing power to a remote community cannot reasonably be expected to be covered by a relative handful of households.
Instead, the GNWT subsidizes the real cost of power in the communities by subsidizing the first 1,000 kilowatt hours per month during the winter to the Yellowknife rate - currently 23.7 cents per kilowatt hour - and the first 600 kilowatt hours in summer when the days are longer.
It needs to be pointed out that this is by no means a one-way street. Yellowknife and other North Slave power consumers received a nearly $50-million subsidy over the last two years to cover the cost of more expensive diesel-generated electricity after low water levels impeded hydro production on the Snare River.
Subsidized power is the simple reality of Northern living and if seen in proper focus, is a testament to the North's co-operative way of living. It is the Northern way.
What is disturbing is the GNWT's continued unwillingness to sit down with Northland and parent company ATCO to discuss the cost of power delivery in the North.
In ATCO the GNWT has access to the experience of a $19-billion corporation with approximately 8,000 employees involved in all aspects of the energy sector.
But the GNWT's refusal to hear what Northland and ATCO have to say is well-established. In May, 2015, the GNWT commissioned a report on restructuring the territory's electrical industry. Northland offered to provide input based on its roughly 60 years of experience in the North but cabinet brusquely declined the offer.
More recently, at different times over the past year Northland Utilities, Denendeh Investments, and ATCO have invited the GNWT to sit down and figure out a way forward on power delivery and power rates in the North. The GNWT has refused all overtures to co-operation.
Instead, the government seems hell-bent on finding its own way forward.
The GNWT should work with the private sector - Northland Utilities and ATCO -- and its considerable experience to bring power rates down in Yellowknife and across the North.
Downtown part of national fabric Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, October 28, 2016
Every community has its hidden history, the kind only friends and family share among themselves. Funny or weird stories about people they knew, local legends and little-known moments in a community's history.
Rarely do these stories get recorded in books or newspapers as many people feel they are not important. However, one national project is aiming to get those stories on record before they fade into the ether of time.
Tale of a Town has been travelling the country over the past three years gathering stories on community downtowns. It has been collecting stories about this city's centre since late September, which were offered in a multimedia presentation at Centre Square Mall on Oct. 14 and 15. The idea, said its proponent Charles Ketchabaw, came from watching big box stores move into his downtown Toronto neighbourhood and pushing the smaller stores out. This project is to celebrate the living memories of downtowns everywhere.
Like many downtown cores, Yellowknife's has changed as the city grew and developed. It too has not been immune to change as big business moved in and the city expanded outwards. Projects such as this one help keep memories alive of downtown and the people who helped build it. Local and national historians are also provided valuable information they may not have had without them.
Communities no priority for GNWTDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, October 27, 2016
In the wake of job losses in Wrigley, thanks to Pehdzeh Ki Contractors Ltd. being passed over for a highway maintenance contract, the GNWT was lukewarm, if not outright chilly, in it's response.
On Oct. 18, Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson went to bat for the small community in the legislative assembly, where he asked Transportation Minister Wally Schumann to commit to meeting with leaders from Wrigley to address their concerns on this and other transportation-related matters.
Five times, Thompson asked. And five times, Schumann refused, saying he would only commit to a phone call - despite insistence from unidentified members of the assembly, according to Hansard documents, that Schumann commit to a face-to-face meeting.
Nothing could send a louder, clearer message to the small communities in the Deh Cho that their struggles and concerns don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
All the cabinet rhetoric about understanding the challenges faced by rural areas of the Northwest Territories has, at this point, been rendered moot by the manner of Schumann's refusal.
And Thompson's fear that the needs of smaller communities in the territory aren't being properly represented in cabinet has been confirmed.
Job losses in small communities are no quibbling matter. Five to seven jobs lost in Wrigley means, in effect, up to five per cent of its population may have been put out of work. If that happened anywhere else - even Fort Simpson, for example - the outcry would be long and loud.
Without doubt, the job of a minister is a busy one. If Schumann is so busy he cannot travel to the Deh Cho, perhaps Wrigley's leaders could consider meeting with him in Yellowknife.
This isn't just about the highway maintenance contract. One priority the assembly is mandated to push for is funding for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which could have a transformative effect on Wrigley.
Wrigley is not a one-topic community where transportation is concerned. As Thompson told Schumann, transportation is in fact the biggest issue he heard about during his stop in Wrigley.
The GNWT needs to move quickly to rectify this situation if it wants to be seen as sincere about the wellbeing of communities like Wrigley.
Otherwise, the government is providing proof that it is all talk and no action on issues that matter most to its constituents.
Education is a lifelong pursuitInuvik Drum - Thursday, October 27, 2016
People will always learn best when they are genuinely interested in a subject and driving their own educational experience.
That's why I'm glad to hear the approach of the Inuvik Youth Centre, which seeks to not just kill time after school, but to engage youth in activities they both enjoy and can learn from. The two don't have to be opposed.
A basic bike repair workshop seems perfect considering many Northerners' love of bike riding, something I've noticed in Fort Simpson, Iqaluit and here in Inuvik.
Those handy-person skills are in demand today, and being able to take on basic bike repairs and to be able to work with basic hand tools will put anyone ahead in life.
Similarly, the baking group teaches vital cooking skills. We know food security is a top issue in the North, and few things go as far toward addressing food security as knowing how to prepare food for yourself.
I didn't learn those skills until my mid-20s. Because of that, my diet was poor as was my ability to budget. Eating out, or getting take-out, is far more expensive than cooking for oneself.
I've never retained what I learned in school unless I was interested in the subject. People learn differently, but I relate to those who learn by doing and following their own lead.
It's good to have varying methods of education in town.
It's good to have the book-smarts classes, the leadership classes and the youth centre's hands-on activities.
Education is simply a part of life, not something you do in blocks. The more we can occupy youths' time with things they are interested in and let them educate themselves, the better.
With any luck, they won't take until they're 25 years old to become brave enough to turn on the oven.
It's just a crosswalkYellowknifer - Wednesday, October 26, 2016
It would be funny if it weren't so alarming.
In the legislative assembly last week, Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne requested Transportation Minister Wally Schumann ask that shoulder lines be painted and an illuminated crosswalk be erected on a section of Highway 4 near Niven Lake.
He said the road is becoming a real safety issue for pedestrians with new developments springing up in the area.
As far as requests go, Vanthuyne's was simple, straightforward and cheap to fulfill, especially considering how ministers are so often grilled on complicated issues ranging from homelessness to potential job cuts.
MLAs are constantly competing to make sure their regions' priorities are represented, giving wish lists for major infrastructure investments across all 33 communities. That's their job. This makes Vanthuyne's request a minister's dream question.
He wants a crosswalk on a busy road, and all Schumann had to say is, "We will do this," because the answer is so obvious and easy.
Instead, he claimed a crosswalk will require a traffic study and consultation.
"We have to include everybody," he told Vanthuyne about the crosswalk deliberation process.
"We're not going to exclude everybody. We have to involve everybody in this process and make sure it's done in a fair and equitable manner and everyone has an opportunity to have input."
The stretch of road in question is fast becoming a busy pedestrian area.
Aside from the Niven Lake neighbourhood, it boasts a visitor's centre, legislative assembly, museum and now a new hotel.
The need for a crosswalk really seems like a no-brainer.
Mayor Mark Heyck agrees. He told Yellowknifer the area needs safety improvements and doesn't know why the territorial government isn't doing it.
The Department of Transportation really just needs to start painting some crosswalk lines and erecting crossing light posts.
Because crying for the need for consultation over something as simple as a crosswalk doesn't instill confidence the territorial government has a get-things-done attitude.
In fact, our leaders stalling on something so simple as a crosswalk creates an image they're scared to lead.
A harbinger of a good economyYellowknifer - Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Yellowknife is open for business.
This message is what the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce wants to send and it looks like it is being heard.
Evidence is in the announcement that all 36 lots in the City of Yellowknife's new Engle Business District sold out in July, and the city plans to expand on the district in two more phases.
The popularity of these lots is most likely due to perks offered by the city, such as a declining seven-year property tax abatement for those who were willing to make the move.
It's encouraging to see the city is willing to offer incentives to bring people in, because once they are here the hope is they will want to stay.
These incentives are bringing new businesses such as Alberta's Enerchem International Inc., which has been approved in Engle Business District's Phase 2.
And of course, the more businesses bring their operations here, the more employment there will be and the better off people will become.
Clearly, incentives along these lines seem to be working, so hopefully residents can look forward to seeing more of them.
Straight A's for local campEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Most regular readers of Kivalliq News know I'm a "hockey guy."
As such, they probably realize it would be quite easy for me to rave about the hockey camp held in Rankin Inlet this past week based solely on its content. I've admired the season opener hockey camp since its debut three seasons ago. On top of the list for my admiration is the literacy (personal development) component.
Because, for me and millions like me, hockey is much more than a game.
It helps develop young personalities, teaches the concept of teamwork, working together toward a common goal, being gracious in defeat as well as victory, and always regarding the team, the family, as the number-one priority.
The personal development modules taught by Adriana Kusugak also challenge young minds to think for themselves and introduces the concept that individuality does not have to be sacrificed in the name of teamwork.
This is an extremely important ability in an age when the systematic approach to the game can often stifle creativity.
Close behind personal development is the mentorship aspect of the camp. It is, as off-ice instructor Pujjuut Kusugak alluded to, an awesome feeling to see players who have gone through the local system giving back to a program that taught them so much and gave them so many hours of fun and competition.
For those who continue on and, one day, become local minor-hockey coaches, it is an invaluable opportunity to learn at their own pace with instructors they know and respect and develop a more thorough understanding of the game and the different variables that come into play.
The on-ice and off-ice components complement each other in delivering a complete picture of the dedication necessary to advance in the sport.
And, while the structure may seem like common sense on the surface, keeping it fun in the early stages and slowly advancing toward competitiveness is a concept that eludes many minor coaches these days.
All these aspects of the camp are more than enough for this old(er) hack to gush over in an opinion piece.
But, there's one more element to the camp that truly sets my hockey spirit soaring.
With regards to Andy Nowicki and a few other great instructors I've met in Rankin over the years, the best part of the camp is that it's a true example of Kivalliq.
Yes, there are many excellent hockey camps across Canada, and a number of them come with hefty price tags.
The Rankin camp, in my opinion, can compete with most of them in its complete approach to encouraging youth to have fun playing, while teaching the skills they need to improve their on-ice skills.
Not all young hockey players want to make the top teams or devote their young lives to advancing in the sport.
For them it's all about having fun while playing a game they love.
The Rankin camp treats those youths no differently than the ones who dream of one day hoisting the Stanley Cup.
And that approach, derived from being a local operation, is the beauty within the beast some people would have you believe the game is.
May it never change!
