Delay increases sufferingYellowknifer - Wednesday, January 18, 2017
For those in the territory counting on implementation of the new Mental Health Act, the gears of government must be grinding painfully slow.
The overhauled act, unveiled in June 2015, promises to essentially streamline mental-health care in the territory.
The admissions process for those with mental-health issues will be easier, paperwork demands lessened, and people receiving care will be able to continue their treatment in their home communities.
Other changes include a provision to require patients take their medication, and an expansion of who can examine and assess patients.
This new tool is intended to help those in smaller communities receive mental-health care.
The new act also includes an expansion of criteria to force a person to get treatment, in an effort to let authorities intervene before a case reaches the point of causing harm.
Last year, Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy set a target date of Jan. 1 for implementation of the act, but that date has now been scratched and indefinitely delayed.
To be realistic, this new Mental Health Act is no magic bullet that will solve the layered, systemic, multi-generational problems that cause mental health issues here in the territory.
The $500,000 in new money to implement the act is a drop in the bucket of what could be spent fighting this problem.
Like any societal issue, addressing mental-health care needs a multi-faceted approach.
But it is an improvement that many people across the territory have said has long been urgently needed.
Because as it is right now, the only real treatment centres we have are the street, the psyche ward and the territory's jails.
And while we all wait for these new legal tools to provide better mental-health care in the territory, costs will continue to mount and people will continue to suffer without help.
Important to raise support for new poolYellowknifer - Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Across the board, for everybody who uses it, this is a unanimous assessment.
So it was wonderful to hear the federal government was willing to put up as much as $12.9 million toward the project.
This federal funding is certainly a welcome contribution, but is only 23 per cent of the $55.9 million the pool has been estimated to cost, as per a 2011 city-funded report.
A $55-million pool would require the city to come up with $42 million of its own money which might explain why administration has opted to work with a $30-million preliminary figure.
Will the pool actually come in for as little as $30 million? Maybe. But no matter what the cost, the city is going to have to put up millions
of dollars of its own money.
A plebiscite is always an option, and might actually be a good thing, because it will create a strong incentive for the municipal government to be clear with the people in terms of funding and planning.
Seeing as a new pool is still in very preliminary stages, the city would be wise to make one concrete decision right now - keep the public closely in the loop and get community users onside.
Violent offenders need not apply!Editorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, January 18, 2017
During the past decade, or so, we've heard a number of voices say we have to start bringing difficult issues out from behind closed doors in Nunavut.
It's time to discuss them openly and honestly, despite the pain that often accompanies them, if we're going to start making a difference in our ongoing battle to overcome some, if not all, of the barriers that yet stand in our way as a territory.
The issue of domestic violence and seeking election in our government has hit the front burner again, being fuelled by the YWCA's efforts in the NWT.
Up for debate is not allowing anyone convicted of domestic violence to run for office for a period of at least five years following their conviction.
First and foremost, it should be made clear that while, yes, the vast majority of domestic-violence victims are women, females are found guilty of the same crime in Canada every year, as well.
And, there is no doubt in this writer's mind, that the vast majority of men who suffer domestic abuse at the hands of a female spouse never report it.
It's an age-old stereotype of it just not being the manly thing to do, despite the fact there are millions of men walking around who really don't have a violent bone in their body.
And, despite what some would have you believe, there are millions more who would never, under any circumstances, raise their hand to a female.
Nunavut has the highest rate of domestic violence in this country.
I, for one, believe our leaders should lead by example, despite the growing number who fall from grace every year.
And, I would support any movement to ban for life, let alone five years, any person convicted of domestic violence, sexual assault or sexual interference from running for office.
We talk and talk and talk in this country, and we take to social media in droves to express our opinions, often in the most verbally inflammatory way.
Yet, at the same time, we're so damn worried about offending anyone, infringing on anyone's rights - real or perceived - or being accused of being this, that or the other thing, that we rarely bring about any significant change.
Unless a conviction gets overturned (it must be stated in good conscience, as people are, at times, wrongly convicted), do we really want anyone convicted of these crimes dictating policy?
Does someone who cannot control their temper enough to refrain from violence, or who cannot accept the fact that you're morally bankrupt the second you strike your spouse, deserve to sit in government and enjoy the perks that come with it?
How about someone who says no really means yes, or who interferes with a minor?
No! And it has nothing to do with democracy and a person's "right" to run for election.
Time and time again we've seen people with questionable pasts get elected, and time and time again we've seen them crash and burn (anyone remember a certain mayor in Toronto?).
We'll never achieve the utopian society some folks dream about.
Sadly, it's just not in our (human) nature.
However, we can better define and enforce our accepted parameters, and the top is as good a place to start as any.
Life is often about choices, and those choices are supposed to have far-reaching consequences.
If ever there was a time when we need morally upstanding leaders, it's now.
And setting the bar high for those who make the rules the rest of us have to live by, would be one giant step in the right direction.
More health cash vitalNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, January 16, 2017
To maintain future health spending, Premier Bob McLeod has warned his government may have to slash funding in other departments in order to compensate for federal cuts to the usual increase in Canada Health Transfer payments.
According to Finance Canada, the territory will receive $45 million in Canada Health Transfer funds in the 2017-18 fiscal year, up $1 million from this fiscal year.
But that's not enough to maintain the NWT's " unsustainable" spending on Northern health care, McLeod said in an interview Dec. 21.
"I guess a decision will have to be made whether we take money from other programs to pay for health care," McLeod said
So what is the average person supposed to do with that information? The eternal squabbling over health-care funding in this country is really enough to make a person feel queasy.
Does McLeod expect citizens to petition his brother, NWT Liberal MP Michael McLeod? Are we supposed to organize rallies in front of the MP's office? Perhaps start an e-mail campaign directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office?
While any of the above might help, our premier and his government must be prepared to do the heavy lifting in this battle.
There certainly shouldn't be anything but improvements to our health-care system in the North. As for cuts to other departments - maybe education, or justice, or public works? - no way, Bob.
The premier and cabinet are in the midst of a self-imposed quest for $150 million in savings or additional revenues from increased efficiencies.
Before any cuts are made to programs - if the feds can't be convinced to pony up more cash for health care - we expect an honest effort to be made find those new savings/revenues.
But before we get to that point, there is always the chance the Trudeau government will move off its insistence to cut transfer payment increases to three from six per cent.
We do applaud McLeod for joining several other provinces an territories in standing firmly against the Trudeau government's plan. A handful of jurisdictions folded after initially taking a united stand against the federal government after a unfruitful meeting in Ottawa Dec. 19
However, we hope the premier has sharpened his argument since that December News/North interview, when he couldn't provide a specific figure as to what the territory needs from Ottawa.
"We want to see more funding," he said then.
A child can make a stronger argument when debating his parents about his weekly allowance. He must attach a dollar figure if he expects Ottawa to take the request seriously.
McLeod is certainly between a rock and a hard place. But that's when we expect him to really put his shoulder into the push-back against Ottawa.
Or, he must stare down the unions and find savings in GNWT offices before any front-line staff or services are cut.
Sesquicentennial a super waste of moneyNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, January 16, 2017
Spending for Canada's 150th birthday party has been ballooning out of control since the Liberals took over a program they derided while in opposition.
The theme has also changed to a multicultural celebration from one with a more militaristic/historic theme.
The largest share of the money for the sesquicentennial - $300-million - is being delivered by regional development agencies, including the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency for the three territories.
That money is earmarked to renovate, expand or improve "community and cultural infrastructure."
Ironically, that might mean fixing up some infrastructure built 50 years ago for the centennial celebrations.
Meanwhile, the Canada 150 Fund, run by Canadian Heritage, is spending $180 million on projects ranging from small and local - plenty of fireworks displays already happened, such New Year's Eve in Hay River - to national cross-country tours.
As the Globe and Mail reported, the Harper Conservatives wanted celebrations to emphasize Canada as "strong, proud and free," while the Liberals have redrawn the event to target diversity, reconciliation with indigenous peoples, the environment and youth.
So while the Trudeau government argues with the provinces and territories over heath-care funding, it's more than happy to grab the reins of what is (now) a fabulous opportunity to drive its agenda into every region of Canada under the guise of celebrating the country's
sesquicentennial.
The money being squandered for this phony year-long party could have been much better spent, perhaps even on health care.
Faster, cheaper Internet possible with innovationNunavut/News North - Monday, January 16, 2017
There's an old saying, that when it comes to service, you have three options: fast, good, and cheap. You get to pick two.
But when it comes to Internet service in Nunavut, you're not likely to get any of them.
We've always wondered why, to date, there hasn't been a way for Internet service providers to cache -i.e. store on their own servers - websites and content such as video, so that the end user doesn't have to get that data from the southern side of a satellite connection.
Keep the most popular YouTube videos and software updates on a server in Iqaluit. Consider that Windows 10 requires a four gigabyte download, while the latest update for Apple computers requires a 5GB download. Mobile app updates, too, are too often larger than 100 megabytes, and most users need to make such updates every few days. Why does this data have to squeeze through the satellite more than once?
In light of this issue, there will be many who welcome the recent announcement that users of Meshnet - Iqaluit's community-based Internet service provider -are now able to take advantage of local storage to increase, without additional cost, the video quality of Netflix, a huge bandwidth drain in many Nunavut homes.
According to the developer of the NightShift software, Meshnet will be able to download a movie once for all of its users, and redistribute it on demand from the Iqaluit server. The developer promises huge bandwidth savings for the Meshnet user community.
But it does pose the question: if the promises come to fruition, why can't Nunavut's bigger Internet service providers do the same, and provide a true public service by increasing the speed and quality of the Internet, while reducing data overage costs that are the bane of Nunavummiut.
Despite federal support and territorial government contracts, the cost of broadband remains obscene in Nunavut. Fibre optic appears to be but a dream to speed up the Net, so we are stuck with satellite. If we all have to accept this, we call on the big players to follow in Meshnet's footsteps and make a true difference for average users.
Because for those of us who don't use Meshnet, it's not a demand for better Netflix, although that is a nice side effect. We want Internet service providers to find ways to make every megabyte or gigabyte of data coming through the satellite to count so that we can keep some of our money.
It seems a no-brainer that ISPs would download a popular video once for the community, not once for every user. If a small single community ISP can do it, why can't the big companies?
And to go one step further, if Meshnet can offer unlimited bandwidth over satellite for a fixed rate, why can't they?
It's time to start asking your service provider what they're doing to be responsible with your money and public funds. Innovative solutions exist, and now we all know about one that could make a real difference.
Our money, and our bandwidth quotas, is too precious not to be used to improve essential government services, or just to put more food on the tables of Nunavummiut.
Sebert strikes out on asbestos info Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 13, 2017
The New Year brought an excellent opportunity for transparency minister Louis Sebert to step up to the plate and hit a home run. Instead, he struck out.
Dr. Andre Corriveau, the NWT chief public health officer, has said it would be helpful for the territorial government to make public its list of buildings that contain asbestos. He said this kind of information could be valuable, for example, to firefighters who would then know beforehand if the burning structure they are dealing with contains asbestos and take appropriate precautions.
It could also help avoid situations like in 2012 during renovations at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre where the government was fined $115,000 for failing to ensure workers were not exposed to asbestos.
There have been two deaths since 2012 in the territory linked to past asbestos exposure and 27 claims filed with the NWT and Nunavut Workers' Safety Compensation Commission over the same period. Twenty of those claims originated in Yellowknife.
"There is no safe level of exposure (to asbestos)," Corriveau said.
The GNWT keeps a list of buildings containing friable asbestos, the most dangerous kind, but the Department of Public Works maintains there is no need to make the list public as it would not be "best practice" to simply rely on the list to ensure worker safety.
True, detailed risk assessments on a case-by-case basis are certainly required but to suggest it is not in the public's interest to reveal baseline information on what buildings contain asbestos does nothing to make people safer.
It only reveals a government in panic mode trying to tamp down potential controversy.
Given the record of deaths, claims and fines related to alleged failures to protect workers from asbestos exposure in the NWT, the public could be excused for not taking comfort in the government's decision to keep the information under lock and key.
For a government supposedly intent on transparency this is a glaring contradiction. Despite Yellowknifer seeking comment, Sebert has not yet answered our questions about his role as the government's transparency minister and the decision to withhold information about any asbestos hazard in government buildings. Instead, his handlers lamely insist it's not the minister's job to be a transparency watchdog.
If the GNWT's failure to present a list of public buildings containing asbestos is not something for the transparency minister to comment on, then his post can only be described as transparently vacuous and irrelevant.
Name plates support the arts Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 13, 2017
To paraphrase Beyonce, if you like it, then you should put a name plate on it.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre has been selling gold-plated name plates as a means to raise money for its theatre seats since the 1980s. Once again they are offering the plates as a way for people to give a personalized gift to someone, or a way for businesses to support the organization.
The plates have become a tradition, with many having their own stories as to how and why they were given, according to executive and artistic director Marie Coderre. The plates are engraved according to the buyer's request, then put on the armrest of one of the 313 seats, with donors choosing which one. The tradition continues with plates removed during 2012 renovations that were placed in a collection hanging on the wall.
Buying the name plates is a way for people to literally leave their mark on the arts scene in the city, as well as donate money to an organization that supports artistic endeavours, such as cultural programming and bringing national and international talent to the North. The organization provides more than entertainment for the public, they support performing artists and give the North a home base to grow their own unique brand of expression.
It has been said the arts are a window into the health and vibrancy of a community, so it makes perfect sense for the community to support it beyond buying tickets to shows.
An issue long overdue
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, January 12, 2016
For anyone who has spent time at Fort Simpson's recreation centre or paid attention to how many water lines break during the winter, it's fairly obvious that there is infrastructure work and building maintenance that has been neglected for years.
Thankfully, the recently passed budget for 2017 has one theme at the heart of it: building up Fort Simpson.
In the words of village mayor Darlene Sibbeston, money for infrastructure is "long overdue."
It's true. Councillors have mentioned many times during meetings that some of the village's buildings have not been maintained the way they should be. That's led to fundamental problems such as heating and ventilation at the recreation centre, which this year will be getting an overhaul of its HVAC system.
But that's not the extent of it. The kitchen is being renovated, and eventually - although likely not in 2017 - drainage issues beneath the curling rink may finally be addressed.
That's not to mention the planned construction of an entirely new fitness centre, which will undoubtedly take over some of the activities currently being carried out in the recreation centre.
But the highlight of the budget for this year is really the planned tearing up of Antoine Drive to replace water and sewer mains as well as curb stops.
Much of the water and sewer piping in Fort Simpson is old. Some of it has never been replaced. And each winter, the village pours money into repairing frozen lines.
That's something that fundamentally affects residents and will hopefully improve the quality of life in Fort Simpson once the project is complete.
And speaking of quality of life, one of the most important aspects of Fort Simpson's infrastructure and building maintenance is future follow-ups.
The village council needs to ensure they do not order a one-time fix and then neglect Fort Simpson's infrastructure again.
Not only would that be poor planning, it would also be an unfortunate waste of money and resources.
Councillors should take this opportunity to change the direction council has gone in for many years. Instead of relegating building maintenance to the bottom of the priority list, it's time to take responsibility for the existing infrastructure here in Fort Simpson.
That means having a plan in place to address problems as they crop up, instead of letting maintenance issues spiral out of control.
At the end of the day, the bill for the village will be smaller and buildings will be in better shape.
As the village takes a more responsible approach to infrastructure and maintenance, hopefully it will do the same to its promise transparency - in this case, referring to having recordings available of its meetings.
If councillors can follow through on those issues, 2017 will be a year to remember.
Wise southerners light the way
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, January 12, 2016
You can call them latte liberals or Cadillac conservatives depending on your political perspective, but the phenomenon of the well-off and powerful wishing to instill their virtue through force on the rest of us is common across societies.
When Tom Zubko and town council members talked about southerners overruling Northerners with Premier Justin Trudeau's Christmas surprise to ban offshore drilling in the Arctic ocean, I can bet very strongly, as a former southerner myself, there weren't many people in the south even considering Northerners might feel that way.
To those who grew up in the big cities and went to university and faint at the thought of a chicken being butchered, the compulsion to spread their virtue is natural and unchallenged in their social circles.
Oil is evil - forget about what we use to fuel our lives, what brought us to this incredible level of prosperity, what so many of our products are made of - oil is evil and we must shed ourselves of the barbarism of the past, the barbarism your simple minds cling to like your guns and religion, to steal an Obama quote.
So separated from the sweat that built this nation, for these people, what matters is the virtue signaling. Your social rank is governed by how many of the ideals you verbally uphold - they don't expect actions to mimic words in any of this, mind you - and how forcefully you call them out.
Trudeau, clearly, is among this class and takes great pride in following the latest virtuous trends. It's 2017, after all.
For this ilk, the stroke of a pen and creation of law is what brings change and progress, not the efforts of humankind. Their virtues are then rammed down the throats of the weak. It is a compulsion to control the world, though in their minds it is a more noble endeavour.
Northerners are certainly used to this show of force by now, living in somewhat of a repetitive history of outsiders telling them what's good for them.
But should Inuvik and other northern communities express their upset with Trudeau's actions, it might put the virtuous southerners in a pickle. On one hand, they don't want the oil drilling, but on the other, they want to support anyone they perceive as small and victimized.
With hope, pragmatism might rear its elusive head and something of a meeting in the middle could result.
It's not that all their virtues are wrong or disagreeable, but that the blunt use of force is the wrong way to achieve their goals.
Likely, many Northerners share concerns with Trudeau about the impacts of offshore drilling.
Let's hope all Canadians can be more fully included in future decisions, instead of the elite waving their wands over the rest of us.
