Empty shelves are Canada's shameNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, October 3, 2016
There are about 18 organizations offering meal programs or food bank services in the NWT. And business is brisk in these places. Too brisk for some.
One study in 2014 showed across the three territories, there was a 247 per cent increase in the use of food banks between 2008 and 2014. Nationally, the increase was 24.5 per cent over the same period.
"Across the (NWT), there is a widening gap between those who are prospering and those who are struggling," Food Banks Canada quoted a GNWT study in its HungerCount 2014 report.
"Poverty disproportionately affects vulnerable members of society, including single-parent families, people with low education levels, elders, people with disabilities, and those with addictions or mental health issues. Children in poverty are especially vulnerable when their basic needs are not met," the report states.
The situation for many is dire. And it's also heart-wrenching for those trying to help the needy.
As reported last week in News/North (Sept. 26, "Food bank bare") yet another charity has been forced to make a public plea for help.
The stock at the Inuvik Food Bank is rapidly depleting as the group is on its last legs financially. The food bank's one-time sponsorships and recurring fundraising activities are not keeping up with demand in a community where 10 per cent of its residents show up to make withdrawals of boxed milk, canned stew, eggs, corn flakes, canned tomatoes and tuna.
In the first seven months of 2016, the Inuvik Food Bank has spent a little more than $60,000 but has taken in just over $30,000, said treasurer Margaret Miller.
The organization typically spends around $100,000 per year. The food bank gets no ongoing funding from any governmental sources, with all its money coming from donations and fundraisers.
"Now that the funds aren't there, we are having to cut down considerably," said Miller. "Unless we get some fresh money we won't be able to continue at the rate we're going."
There are many reasons why so many people can't make ends meet. A lack of jobs, expensive housing, shoddy social safety nets, mental and physical disorders or just plain bad luck. But the bottom line is people need to eat.
Nobody should be starving in a country as wealthy as Canada. This should be a no-brainer for the Trudeau government.
Instead of trying to solve the world's problems, our jet-setting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - he of the 'sunny ways' mantra - has an obligation to attend to matters at home first.
But until the feds get moving on this issue, it's up to all of us to help our neighbours out when need be. And the Inuvik Food Bank needs donations of cash or appropriate foodstuffs now.
Alternatives being found to diesel-generated electricityNunavut/News North - Monday, October 3, 2016
A long winter filled with days that have more hours of darkness than light should not be an absolute deterrent to the pursuit of renewable energy alternatives.
Nunavut is too dependent on diesel-fuel generated electricity. Power plants in many communities are already past their best-before date, with potentially catastrophic results if an entire hamlet experiences a power outage at an inopportune time.
One has only to look at what happened in Pangnirtung to realize how vulnerable some hamlets have become on their power plants. Qulliq Energy Corporation crews were scrambled onto early morning flights with backup generators to partially restore power after there was a fire in the electricity generation station. It was months before a chartered heavy-lift helicopter brought in the necessary equipment to get life in the hamlet fully back to normal.
Renewable energy projects, as they exist today, might not have been able to provide enough power to meet the needs of the entire community but it would have been something.
Qulliq is now turning some of its attention to renewable energy options, particularly following a Northern summit on the topic held in Iqaluit Sept. 15 to 17.
There are several options worth pursuing. A pilot project using solar panels on a Qulliq building in Iqaluit is returning encouraging results. Analysis of their performance exceeded expectations. At least one community in Nunavut uses solar panels to run its community freezer during the summer, keeping country food frozen for residents to use later.
Harnessing energy from the wind is another option actively being investigated. A wind mapping study, completed earlier this year, looked at capabilities in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake, Arviat and Sanikiluaq. It will be followed up with installation of wind monitoring equipment. Communities such as Rankin Inlet, where there is wind for days at a time, seem like good prospects for wind turbines, perhaps as large as those used at Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories to offset the cost of diesel fuel.
It is encouraging that, as time passes, the technology used to convert solar and wind energy into electricity is getting better and better while the costs of the infrastructure to capture the energy is dropping.
Then there is the option of hydroelectric power plants, using water to turn turbines which create the energy to create electricity. Given that all of Nunavut's communities are situated near water, perhaps there are possibilities worth exploring.
Besides cost savings, what is making renewable energy options most attractive is the federal government's desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and Ottawa's growing joint-funding programs to replace fossil-fuel based generation with cleaner technology.
None of this will happen quickly. An agreement on a research project was the biggest accomplishment of the Arctic Renewable Energy Summit last month.
We are confident there will come a time when renewable energy will provide a more affordable, reliable alternative to diesel-generated electricity, even in the dark days of Nunavut winter.
Diamond mines keep giving Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 30, 2016
By the time the Gahcho Kue diamond mine is running at full production early next year, majority owner De Beers Canada expects 530 workers will be in full-time positions along with an additional 630 indirect, mine-related jobs.
Over its expected 12-year lifespan the mine will generate $5.7 billion in wages and revenues within the Northwest Territories alone.
The development and construction of Gahcho Kue between 2006 and 2016 has meant more than $440 million injected into the NWT economy. Last year, during peak construction, the mine supported more than 2,700 jobs in the North.
Construction at Gahcho Kue gave jobs to approximately 200 of the 434 people who lost work when Snap Lake mine ceased production and went into care and maintenance late in 2015. Gahcho Kue has been the most significant bright spot on the North's economic horizon and will remain so for quite some time.
This activity is a much needed boost for the North which has been struggling with stranded mineral resources in an era of sullen commodity markets.
The presence at the opening ceremony by aboriginal leaders from Lutsel K'e, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Tlicho Government, Deninu Ku'e First Nation, the North Slave Metis Alliance and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation demonstrates that De Beers has worked with impacted First Nations to ensure the mine bears financial and social benefits in their communities.
But none of this would mean much if wages made at the mine are spent outside the North.
So it is heartening to hear De Beers CEO Kim Trutter say approximately 45 per cent of mine employees are Northern residents - as of Aug. 30 - with 28 per cent of the total mine workforce being aboriginal.
De Beers has committed to bringing those numbers up even higher. The target agreed upon by the territorial government and De Beers is 55 per cent Northern resident employment, with a priority given to Northern indigenous people.
De Beers has struggled in the past to find northern residents to fill its employee roster at Snap Lake.
De Beers has done its part with the commitment to ensure financial benefits stay in the North.
The onus is on Northern residents and aboriginal communities to make the most of the economic opportunities the mine brings.
This starts with getting jobs already earmarked for Northerners.
JSL a local casualty of global influences Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 30, 2016
The city lost a longtime fixture in the business community last week with the closure of JSL Mechanical.
The business has gone into receivership, putting 19 people out of work. Padlocks were put on the doors at the company's Kam Lake headquarters on Sept. 20.
The news has been a shock to many in the North where the plumbing and heating company has been operating for 45 years. With winter right around the corner and hundreds of furnaces in need of servicing, there is certainly no lack of work.
Indeed, JSL's closure shouldn't be taken as an indicator of a slumping city economy. The fact is, business is hard. The company took a gamble venturing into northern Alberta and paid dearly when the oil and gas sector faltered.
JSL owner Joe Leonardis explained the slide began in December when a company connected to the oil industry in northern Alberta didn't pay up on a $5-million contract. Then the bank called in on a loan the company owed.
While outside influences caused the demise of JSL Mechanical it will have a domino effect beyond lost jobs and taxes. There is now one less option to call when Yellowknifers need their furnaces repaired when temperatures plummet.
This is a sobering reminder that our local economy is not immune to global influences and everyone feels the sting when fortunes change.
Hold your horsesDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, September 29, 2016
Proposed restrictions to the types of animals Fort Simpson residents can have on their residential properties are kicking up a barnyard racket in the village.
On Sept. 19, members of Fort Simpson's village council agreed to pass the preliminary readings of a bylaw to ban farm animals and poultry on lands with a residential zoning.
Although people who already have poultry and farm animals would be allowed to keep what they have, this would mean they couldn't get any more while their land is zoned residential, shooting down any hopes of expanding.
Currently, the village does not have an agricultural zoning. That's something councillors are working to fix as they prepare to re-do their general plan and zoning bylaw.
In the meantime, there's an agricultural gap in the village's bylaws that needs to be filled.
It's important to note the bylaw in question only applies to animals. Vegetable farmers and recreational gardeners won't have their current operations impacted.
Arguably, councillors should seek educated opinions from agriculture enthusiasts in and around the village before casting their final vote on the bylaw in question. There is a lot to be said for promoting food sustainability in the North, and it's possible the bylaw could have been tweaked - taking a more measured approach as opposed to an all-or-nothing approach - before passing through first and second reading. After all, there's a big difference between a large-scale farming operation and a hobby farm.
Bylaws that restrict residents should not be passed haphazardly, or without input from those who are affected.
Luckily, residents of Fort Simpson will get their chance to provide input when the bylaw goes to a public hearing, prior to being passed in third reading.
Given the ruckus this bylaw has stirred up online, the public hearing will hopefully be a lively one. It would be nice to see everyone who is concerned show up to voice their opinions to council.
As the old saying goes, "don't count your chickens before they hatch." Councillors should not expect to push this bylaw through without some blowback from residents, and nor should they discount what those residents have to say. This is not necessarily a case of "village-knows-best" but rather should be taken as an opportunity to learn.
Likewise, residents should not expect the village to simply drop the bylaw. Both sides of the debate need to come together and discuss this openly and honestly - without goading each other with inflammatory rhetoric.
The question that needs to be addressed is a simple one: what restrictions, if any, should be placed upon residential landowners who want farm animals?
All parties have the opportunity to raise the level of debate on this topic. If they do that, there could be a favourable outcome for everyone.
Unfortunate incident an anomalyInuvik Drum - Thursday, September 29, 2016
Brian Kowikchuk's run-in outside the Mad Trapper was an unfortunate incident.
The 25-year-old gay man was allegedly punched and called a homophobic slur while leaving the bar late at night a couple of weeks ago.
We can hope the violence had more to do with intoxication than real intolerance of someone's lifestyle.
Either way, the incident didn't phase Kowikchuk, who used it as an opportunity to confidently bring the issue to public attention.
He could easily have withdrawn and hidden from fear of further action.
But like Kowikchuk said, Inuvik is a warm and welcoming place. What happened was an extreme anomaly in his experience.
That friendly feeling has certainly prevailed in my brief time here.
People have been extremely generous with me and kind in every interaction.
What stands out especially has been the atmosphere at East Three School. I was blown away at the Terry Fox Run assemblies, which were almost sporting event halftime shows in their enthusiasm and energy.
Smiling children in the photos show it, but I've never been in a school with as happy and loving a student body as this.
Students seem to love to hug each other, and there could be little better preventative for future violence than that. I was almost bewildered at the lineup of children waiting to hug the school's mascots at the assemblies.
Kowikchuk mentioned the outpouring of support he received after what happened, too.
I question if there could be a better community to grow up in and feel comfortable being yourself.
Still, it never hurts to continually reinforce the important of nonviolence, and the Take Back the Night march tonight, Sept. 29, is another chance to do so.
Waterfront proposal requires compromiseYellowknifer - Wednesday, September 28, 2016
City hall has stumbled once again in its longstanding desire to establish control over the Latham Island waterfront on Back Bay.
For the past few decades, Yellowknifers, some of whom live on Latham Island and some who do not, have built and made use of docks for their boats and planes on what was known as Commissioner's Land.
This land was ceded to the city which has drawn lines on a map detailing large lots of rather swampy land between the existing developed lots on Morrison Drive and the shore.
The city has visions of public trails on these unoccupied lots that would cut across the access people have traditionally used to get to their docks.
On top of that, the city submitted a proposal to council last week to find some way to take ownership of the docks and then license them to users, either by a very contentious citywide ballot draw or another more sensible system which would give priority to people with established docks.
Some residents whose lots back up against these docks claim dock usage rights are written into the deeds to their homes. Others say they've been maintaining the docks for years, which they argue should afford them right of access.
Considering the years that have gone by, granting current dock owners first rights to a licence is the fairest solution.
However, considering the enormous size of this parcel of public land - 200 metres long - the public deserves some form of access to it. These are not slivers and odds and ends of greenspace at the fringes of people's backyards.
This is valuable public waterfront real estate and the people who have put docks there have no legitimate claim to all of it.
Take a look at the map accompanying this editorial and the size of the lots in question. There's a lot of public land between the docks and people's homes, albeit undeveloped.
A public trail through the area is not unreasonable. This is the norm in many communities where private docks are adjacent to publicly accessible land at the water's edge.
The big issue here - again - is administration's failure to consult with the people most affected while imposing its bureaucratic will on council and the people of Yellowknife.
In fact, the man living on the northernmost lot in this area really highlights this case.
Joe Casaway, by all evidence, lives on land set aside for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. His family has been living on this lot since at least 1941. Despite that, the city treats him like a squatter.
He's watched the city encroach on him by dropping two picnic tables and a garbage can in his backyard.
Meanwhile, he said nobody from the city has consulted with him about these proposed plans for dock licensing or developing a trail in the area.
The moral of the story is, if city council doesn't want angry residents to descend on them to decry city plans in the future, administration has to be ordered to consult and arrive at a reasonable compromise.
This will take time but taking the time is the only way to make sure everybody involved -- whether they are Yellowknives Dene, a property owner with a deed or just somebody who has always taken care of the docks - are dealt with fairly.
Courage to live free of fearEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 28, 2016
There were two main reasons why I packed my bags for the North and left a city, Timmins, Ont., I enjoyed living in almost 20 years ago.
While I'd been mulling over the idea of trying somewhere new for more than a year, the tipping point came when the company I worked for was purchased by the Conrad Black empire.
At the time, I doubted Mr. Black could find Northeastern Ontario on a map.
Yet, I absolutely refused to work for any company owned by the man, who, despite making millions of dollars from their labours, placed the journalist slightly above the cockroach on the evolutionary scale (his words, not mine).
Working in the south had been weighing heavily on my mind because of the if-it-bleeds-it-leads mentality.
That and the fact I happened to be darn good at that type of writing, and was no longer leaving my work at the office.
I was also writing a hard-hitting column at the time that my then publisher was running two times a week.
The column was called "From where I sit," but most in the city referred to it by another title easily figured out by inserting another letter after the 's.'
All the emotions and self-doubt I dealt with at that time came flooding back this past week while scanning Internet headlines on Nunavut's "bomb scare."
Most were terribly sensationalized and painted a picture of terrorism coming to Nunavut, complete with quotes from "terrorized" parents.
The horrible part of this equation is our authorities having to treat these incidents as serious threats.
It's a horrific waste of resources that burns piles of public dollars that are very hard to come by in the North.
On a personal level, it's an awful feeling to sit in front of a keyboard getting ready to give these idiots exactly what they want, which is, of course, their 15 minutes of fame in the national, provincial, territorial, regional and local media.
If we must look at it all within the context of win or lose, they win the moment the authorities have no choice but to close down the area targeted, be it schools, government buildings, airports or whatever.
Their prize for pulling off such an elaborate hoax is to sit gleefully in front of their TV and watch polythene Pams and drama Dicks report oh so earnestly on such a scary story from coast to coast to coast.
As an added bonus, they then get to retire to the device of their choice, access the Internet, and read all the similarly scary headlines across the country.
It's damn maddening that, at this point in time, there seems to be very little we, as a society, can do about it except refuse to live in fear.
We all know there will be times the threat will prove itself to be real, people will die or be badly injured, families, friends and loved ones will be crushed and the country will mourn as one.
That is the reality of the hatred and stupidity that rules today's world.
And those who try to perpetuate the fear with their phoney scares are almost as sinister in their own right as those who actually use explosive devices.
Our only defence is our belief in our way of life and the courage it takes to live free of fear.
So, to all reading this, I say so be it.
Courage shall rule the day!
