Stop studying,start helpingNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, November 21, 2016
Health Minister Glen Abernethy made the above proclamation in his introduction to the glossy booklet Mind and Spirit: Promoting Mental Health and Addictions Recovery in the NWT.
As reported last week in News/North ("New addictions plan in works," Nov. 14), that new "strategic framework" highlights issues and ways the GNWT plans to tackle mental health and addictions at a broad level.
Well, Minister Abernethy, we suggest there is no health without real action on mental health. And we have found very little evidence your government - or previous legislative assemblies - have made any substantive headway on that front.
One thing that does impress us is your industrious production of empty, meaningless words that have accompanied countless documents, studies, action plans and reports over the years. Projects that did nothing but line the pockets of consultants, keep bureaucrats busy and give politicians a place to shelve the issue for awhile.
The latest polished tome contains such meaningless passages as:
"The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to supporting the well-being and safety of residents by delivering quality mental health and addictions programs and services ..."
Sounds meaningful, right? Almost downright optimistic. Sure, if not for this passage from October 2015's Report on the Review of Bill 55: The Mental Health Act:
"At the public hearing, Minister (Abernethy) admitted that 'there are gaps in our current mental health system and residents are falling through the cracks; it is clear that change is urgently needed.'"
Or this piece of the same GNWT boilerplate messaging from June 2012, when then-health and social services minister Tom Beaulieu said at the release of A Shared Path Towards Wellness, a three-year action plan to improve mental health and reduce addictions: "We must fight the impact of addictions and promote mental well-being."
The flurry of reports, recommendations and re-assuring language goes as far back as the August 2006 NWT Health and Social Services Action Plan.
At that time, initiatives to deliver "a community-based approach to address addictions and mental health issues to be provided closer to where clients live" had completion dates ranging from 2006 to 2009.
Apparently that failed, as the new Mind and Spirit booklet states: "Many people in the NWT strongly believe that culturally relevant treatment delivered close to home works best."
The GNWT's failure to provide effective mental health and addictions supports over the past decade has resulted in a culture of despair and mistrust. People in need have few options and service providers have few resources.
The last thing that is needed is more studies, action plans, frameworks or conferences. The territory needs firm, decisive action.
But we'll naively hold out hope that our elected leaders and the massive bureaucracy that supports them will find the strength needed to finally get on with it and produce some tangible results for people struggling just to live with themselves.
Even though we've been fooled more than once, we are prepared to take the government at its most latest word.
While a new Mental Health Act is set to be implemented early in the new year, the GNWT will attempt to walk and chew gum at the same time and draft a new plan - detailed in the Mind and Spirit booklet - to address mental health and addictions issues.
This is supposed to numb the stinging criticisms of the government found in the scathing July 2016 Report of the NWT Expert Panel on Mental Health and Addictions. It found the GNWT had indeed done numerous reports and studies over the years on how the system functions but failed to properly follow through on implementing recommendations.
That report also found the system does have the resources needed for the territory's population but it is fragmented, with too many positions that are vacant.
Minister Abernethy had the gall to utter at the time, "I think the answer is clear we definitely have to change some things."
Now the department is working on three "action plans" touching on child and youth mental health, a broader mental health plan, and an addictions recovery plan.
Those will include specific actions or goals.
One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results each time.
It's clear the GNWT has repeatedly promised action on the mental health and addictions file, with precious few results.
What's to believe this latest "strategic framework" isn't just another house of straw?
The result of Tootoo's departure from CabinetNunavut/News North - Monday, November 21, 2016
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled his government's $1.5 billion five-year plan to protect Canada's oceans.
Nunavut's coastline accounts for 67 per cent of Canada's entire coastline, so can the territory expect to see a proportional amount - $1 billion - of that figure spent here to protect our shores? Take a guess.
Details were not revealed at the Nov. 7 announcement in Vancouver but a read of the plan summary give hints about where that money will go.
On the East Coast, money will be provided to improve responses to shipping emergencies. A maritime rescue sub-centre and a research centre specializing in oil spill response will get significant funding. Two new lifeboat stations will open.
On the West Coast, the government will train indigenous people in search-and-rescue and environmental response to spills and other incidents. Vessels capable of towing container ships will be bought to improve response times, and four new lifeboat stations will be built.
On the north coast, the investment is minimal. The North gets a longer icebreaking season, more aerial surveillance, a single seasonal rescue boat station, and up to eight community response boats to respond to emergencies and spills.
But perhaps the most miserly gift to Nunavut will be the creation of the Arctic's own branch of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer organization.
That's right, the plan will bring new jobs to the other coasts but in Nunavut the federal government wants Inuit to be volunteers in protecting the Arctic coast. Correction: they will get a tax credit for their volunteerism.
Here, we see the direct result of MP Hunter Tootoo's departure from cabinet. When Trudeau appointed him Fisheries and Oceans minister, Tootoo was to be the Northern face that "reminded all Canadians that we have three oceans."
Without Tootoo, it seems ours will continue to be the unconsidered ocean.
When the numbers come out, it may be true that former Conservative MP Leona Aglukkaq will have done more for Nunavummiut during Tootoo's years as an independent MP. She was the federal face of the Iqaluit port project and the Pond Inlet small craft harbour. Her backing of the Pangnirtung harbour continues to generate work there in the growing fishing industry.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper promised the Arctic off-shore patrol ships and the Nanisivik Naval Facility. The projects were over-promised but at least some of it is being delivered. They are more serious investments to protect our waters than what Trudeau is proposing.
Each year, more and bigger commercial and cruise ships traverse our waters, and Russia inches closer to our northern border. Climate change is drawing eyes northward, with the exception of, it seems, the eyes of the Liberal government.
Hunter Tootoo may not be in the position Nunavummiut intended but this is a cause he can get behind. Fight for Arctic waters, for sovereignty, and for jobs for Inuit.
If you don't, Mr. Tootoo, the people will in 2019.
Resist temptation to fleece golden goose Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, November 18, 2016
Northern tourism is on the rise. Numbers and dollars spent have been climbing steadily. A 48 per cent spike in aurora tourism over the past two seasons has meant an 11 per cent increase in total visitors to the NWT.
Most of those visitors are arriving via the airport, which means an extra 50,000 people or so passing through the sliding airport doors.
This fledgling success is thanks to intense marketing and hard work by local tourism operators on the international stage, as well as the tireless efforts of NWT Tourism to promote the North on behalf of its more than 200 tourism business members.
GNWT bean counters in the Department of Transportation see the increase in tourist traffic as a golden goose just waiting to be fleeced through airport improvement fees but there are good reasons for the GNWT to hit pause on its rush to dip into the wallet of every passenger coming or going through the airport.
Competition for international tourist dollars is intense. As NWT Tourism executive director Cathie Bolstad pointed out, the territory should be thinking of ways to make Yellowknife more globally competitive as a destination, not more expensive.
The fact is, bureaucrats in the GNWT don't know how fine the line is for international tourists choosing between Yellowknife, Whitehorse or Banff. It's also doubtful the government appreciates how thin the margins are for tourism operators. As Bolstad pointed out, an operator with 10,000 clients will look at an extra $10 or $20 fee on each client as an unwelcome hit to their bottom line or to the saleability of NWT travel packages. It ought to be considered too what kind of effect the airport fee will have on the GNWT's own bottom line. Tourism is growing but flights in the territory nonetheless still mainly cater to business travel. The GNWT is by far the largest sector in the territory, which undoubtedly means most business travel in and out of Yellowknife is on behalf of the GNWT.
Just how much of the $10 million the Department of Transportation expects to be raking in every year will be coming from the GNWT's own travel budget?
The GNWT wants to implement the fee 10 years after completing $11.2 million in renovations at the airport, in part to fund a new round of renovations that would include a reconfigured departure area, passenger gates to the airplanes, and a resurfaced runway. It would also go into a revolving operations and maintenance fund.
The department says the improvements would make the airport more attractive to airlines that might consider putting in a direct flight from Vancouver to further bolster the city's burgeoning tourism industry.
At this stage it remains a dubious proposition, however. A proposal for a $70 million runway extension in 2008 to accommodate larger jets did little to generate excitement in the airline industry. In fact, northern airlines First Air and Canadian North doubted it would have much impact on the tourism industry at all except to increase costs at the airport. If an extended runway can't attract more flights to Yellowknife it seems unlikely a refurbished airport will do the trick either.
Speculation without actual demand is a dangerous game for governments to play. It's too early to tell how much aurora tourism will grow or whether it can be sustained.
The one thing that is certain is the bloom on this blossoming industry is still a delicate flower.
Why threaten it with an airport fee promising uncertain rewards?
Many hands make a big differenceDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, November 17, 2016
As a group of people and organizations in Fort Simpson collaborate on a week of healing, sharing and giving, their efforts serve as an important reminder of the supports we have in the village for people who are hurting and dealing with trauma.
National Addictions Awareness Week shines a spotlight into the darkness of drug and alcohol addiction.
The week of events is thanks to the combined efforts of numerous groups - Liidlii Kue First Nation, the village, the Department of Health and Social Services, RCMP, the Deh Cho Friendship Centre, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Early Childhood Intervention, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Catholic and Pentecostal churches.
Its focus seems to be on promoting wellness with sharing circles almost every evening and many family events.
The fact that so many different groups, including levels of government, are working together is telling of the amount of healing that has already taken place over the years in our community and
how that has fostered the desire to help others.
The week kicked off on Nov. 13 with a church service in the morning and a feast and drum dance in the evening.
There was standing room only at the drum dance, with dozens of people taking to the empty floor in the centre of the community hall to dance in a circle.
It gave people an opportunity to connect with each other and to share smiles and warm food.
Likewise, an RCMP barbecue on Nov. 15 saw a lengthy lineup of people in front of the recreation centre, conversing with each other despite the cold.
A line from a TED Talk by author Johann Hari comes to mind: "The opposite of addiction is connection."
And what better way to connect with each other than through a week of community-building events?
As the week draws to a close, there are still several events left to go.
But wellness isn't a one-week issue. It's something that needs to be pursued and promoted year-round if we hope to heal those of us who are suffering through addictions.
Luckily, the people who are involved in hosting this week often work for wellness around the clock.
Part of the journey to wellness includes sharing the burden and struggle people are going through. Once that initial barrier is broken down, there are many people in the community who want to help in whatever way they can.
They realize that many hands make light work, and that's one of the reasons why Fort Simpson's interagency committee works so well.
Hopefully, this week will serve as a reminder to those of us who don't always reach out to our fellow community members of the good that can come from doing so.
Gas deposits everywhere but not a drop to burnInuvik Drum - Thursday, November 17, 2016
Underground gas deposits surround Inuvik in such abundance that methane bubbles up to the surface of some lakes, yet the town imports fuel from the south.
It is beyond unfortunate that a community can be so plentiful in resources but so unable to take advantage of them.
But under the circumstances, it's understandable.
Petroleum resources are very expensive to tap into in the first place, even more so in an Arctic environment. This doesn't even take into account the drop in the price of oil from record highs of more than $140 a barrel in 2008 to its current $47 a barrel.
It's hard, if not impossible, to justify a mega project like the Mackenzie pipeline under the current economic circumstances.
Mayor Jim McDonald thinks the pipeline's prospects are a distant hope at this point.
Though understandable, that's a shame, because projects like this are nation-building opportunities.
For the North to survive not just on its own, but to find its role in Canada and the globe, it needs to capitalize on its assets.
Efforts to promote sealskin across the world do just that, as do the successful diamond and other mining operations in the North.
For the nearer-term option, developing a gas-to-liquids project to meet the region's needs sounds more possible.
Either way, the economic lesson here is resources don't make you wealthy. What contributes to wealth is the ability to harvest or extract them, and use them in an efficient manner. This extends from natural resources to human labour and beyond. The gas in the ground is not worth anything, and neither is the idle worker, speaking in economic terms.
The Northern lights aren't worth anything in themselves, yet a flourishing tourism industry centred on the aurora borealis draws visitors and their dollars from Japan and across the world to the North.
From unemployment to natural resources, the North needs to turn its unproductive assets into wealth-building ones. That's a big job, with many organizations involved and many unique issues making it a complicated endeavour, but it's the only way toward self-sustainability and a more independent North.
Hopefully, there's a path for Inuvik to capitalize on its own resources soon, at least the ones so plentiful they bubble on the lakes.
New Day should see another dayYellowknifer - Wednesday, November 16, 2016
When a regular MLA with personal experience, his colleagues and various community members descend upon legislative assembly to defend a program in threat of shutting down, cabinet is wise to take heed.
This is what happened Nov. 2 as MLAs debated a motion to extend A New Day, a pilot healing program for men who have acted violently toward loved ones. The program, run by Tree of Peace Friendship Centre with funding through the Department of Justice, has offered free counselling services since 2012. On Dec. 31, that funding is set to dry up while the Department of Justice carries out a review of the program. This means A New Day is set to end at the end of the year - at least temporarily.
Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli went through the program himself after he was convicted of assault causing bodily harm last year. He was the one to table the motion and used the opportunity to describe how he has personally benefited from the program.
Mackenzie Delta MLA Frederick Blake Jr. and Hay River North MLA R. J. Simpson also used question period to ask Justice Minister Louis Sebert about A New Day's future - and this is where things got interesting.
Blake asked about how much money was available for the program. Sebert said he wasn't sure.
Sebert then denied A New Day services are offered twice a month for people awaiting court proceedings, prompting Simpson to retort the minister should "check his facts." MLAs even heckled Sebert at points over his ignorance about the program, shouting, "Wrong!" in response to what they believed to be inaccurate information.
There is no doubt Sebert is a busy man but considering he knew he would be answering questions about A New Day last Wednesday, why wouldn't he do his research so at least he'd be prepared for them?
There is plenty of evidence to support the notion A New Day is an effective, valuable program. And it's well known the NWT is the second worst jurisdiction in Canada when it comes to family violence. Logically, the GNWT should be doing anything it can to preserve programming that helps mitigate this problem.
It boggles the mind that the minister would consider sitting on his hands rather than work to keep A New Day going.
A good path to language revitalizationYellowknifer - Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Indigenous languages are dying, we know this.
As older generations die, taking their language with them, young indigenous people are much more likely to learn English as a first language across the country. This has led to certain languages, such as Gwich'in, whittled down to just a couple hundred fluent speakers.
This is why it is so good to see Sir John Franklin High School add the Weledeh dialect to its language programming. Because it is a pilot program, Grade 9 students will be the only beneficiaries at first but the school hopes to expantd the classes to Grades 10, 11 and 12 as well.
Learning a second language is already a basic part of high-school curriculum so why shouldn't the Department of Education, Culture and Development, which recognizes 11 official languages, offer indigenous language programming for interested students from kindergarten to graduation?
The only way to keep languages alive is to pass it down generations, so it's encouraging to see Yellowknife Education District No. 1 step up to the plate.
Bullies, moral superiority paved the way for president-elect TrumpEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The reason the media, and those on the left, never saw Donald Trump's victory coming can be chalked up to their own morally-superior attitudes.
The voice that carried president-elect Trump to power is that of the lower middle class - working-class people who have been ignored for years and have become totally disillusioned with the system.
It was funny to see some quarters try to pass off Trump's victory on rich white people, using a baseline of $50,000 annual income.
Please!
Many of these families have Mom and Dad each working 40 hours a week and wondering, for the most part, why they're still living paycheque to paycheque.
And, all the while, many of them still have the threat of losing their home or, at least, taking out another 20-year mortgage should interest rates rise.
Why was Trump such a lightning rod for so many millions of people?
He gave them a voice.
For the past 15 years those on the left have been nothing short of bullies.
If you didn't agree with what they were saying, you were a bigot or a racist.
There were no constructive talks, point or counter-point discussions.
The only points made by the left were: they are morally superior, knew how the world should work and would play the race card against anyone opposed to their views.
Trump allowed the rest of the people to vote for change, without personally being labelled a racist, and they took advantage of it.
It's mind-numbing to see the left has learned nothing from what just happened.
Not supporting globalization doesn't make anyone a racist.
Globalization, at this particular point in time, is not being bought into around the world.
A few short weeks ago the left was screaming bloody blue murder over Trump's hesitancy to come right out and say he would accept the election results, win or lose.
Now it's trying to stage demonstrations against his upcoming presidency.
The left has had its way for far too long.
Pulling on the lion's tail was so easy under the guises of racism and privilege.
You didn't need arguments or facts, just labels, and the whole thing became the same type of joke the establishment viewed Trump to be.
Then, this past week, the lion turned and bared its claws and Trump became the president-elect.
Now, we have would-be leaders of the Tories right here in Canada publicly stating they like what happened in the States, and the same thing should happen here.
Could you imagine anyone stating they want to ensure immigrants embrace Canadian values without a Trump victory?
People want jobs that allow them to care properly for their families, affordable health care, and to know they haven't been forgotten by their own country.
The media and the left tirelessly promoted Trump as a monster, and now they have to deal with the monster they created.
But if they continue to spew self-righteous indignation, all of us on this side of the world are in for some troubled times ahead.
