Spot device: get it, use it Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 10, 2017
Northerners, as group, are a fairly resourceful bunch when out on the land. They have to be to enjoy the outdoors in freezing temperatures and harsh weather.
That said, people can count on their survival skills for only so much when in a jam and cannot call for help.
Last week bore witness to the tragic death of Antoine Betsidea, a 46-year-old father of eight from Behchoko, who perished after becoming separated from his hunting party near MacKay Lake, about 350 km northeast of Yellowknife. Despite a desperate search in blizzard conditions, his body was not found for three days.
It hasn't been confirmed whether Betsidia was carrying some sort of communication device when he went missing but he did not contact would-be rescuers.
Yellowknifer has been peppered with cautionary tales dating back several years about people out on the land without functioning communications equipment, such as a satellite phone or Spot device, that can send GPS co-ordinates to loved ones and police.
Last summer, a cabin owner nearly 100 km east of Yellowknife got turned around when he decided to walk after damaging his ATV on a trail. What followed was a stressful and exhausting 32-hour ordeal - for him and his family. He was saved after climbing a hill and finding just enough reception on his cellphone to call his daughter-in-law.
His ordeal might have been much shorter had he been carrying a Spot or satellite phone, which don't require towers to send transmissions. Having one of these devices (and spare batteries) is not enough; friends and family should know when and where you are venturing into the wilderness.
These devices are affordable. The GNWT and community governments should ensure some are available to be checked out and returned for those who can't buy them. It would be a lot cheaper than calling in search and rescue crews costing tens of thousands of dollars.
The northern wilderness is beautiful but unforgiving. Northerners should never be without a communications device, even if only for a few hours on a short hike from civilization.
Too often, that is the last mistake anybody makes.
Housing First intake tool needs refining Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 10, 2017
No system is perfect but it's best practice to plug the holes early before it starts showing cracks.
Housing First has been hailed as a proactive program that provides the city's homeless with a roof over the heads, even while dealing with severe mental health and addictions issues.
Other models focus on treatment, counselling and training ahead of housing but for many homeless in Yellowknife the immediate concern isn't a need for self-improvement but survival.
That's why it is important to get people off the streets first and deal with some of the health and addictions issues later. Unfortunately, as pointed out by the Yellowknife Women's Society, which runs Housing First, as well as SideDoor Youth Ministries, the vulnerability assessment tool used to prioritize placements for the program tends to favour older clientele over youth who haven't live long enough to experience chronic homelessness.
The assessment also requires candidates to be able to articulate information about themselves to complete the diagnosis - something Denise McKee, executive director of the NWT Disabilities Council, says is not always possible as some candidates are "so off the grid" they cannot communicate their problems.
The tool is helpful but needs to be refined to meet the needs of homeless people in the North. With a few tweaks it can be very useful in getting our society's most vulnerable to a safer situation.
A house dividedDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, February 9, 2016
The legislative assembly of the Northwest Territories has rarely been as divided as it is on the topic of the territorial budget.
Ministers returned to the house Jan. 31 professing the need for fiscal restraint on the heels of an all-cabinet trip to a mining conference in B.C.
That didn't jive well with regular MLAs, some of whom have already grilled cabinet on the expense. It was a rocky start to an assembly that seems to have only grown rockier.
Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson and Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli are united with regular MLAs against the proposed budget.
In a strongly worded budget address, Thompson cited the harmful nature of cabinet solidarity as a barrier to true consensus government.
The need for ministers to work together with regular members was an issue both Thompson and Nadli pointed to.
For Nadli, a sticking point was recent major investments such as the purchase of NTCL assets and the 2015 purchase of Cantung Mine.
Being told the government needs to focus on fiscal restraint doesn't sit well, it seems, when that same government turns around and announces surprise purchases of million-dollar assets.
As Nadli said, a lack of communication and transparency does not bode well for the relationship needed in order for a consensus government to work.
Thompson summed up the budget divide rather well: cabinet cuts are aimed at the eventual funding of "megaprojects" such as hydro expansions, all-weather roads and capital purchases.
The regular members, on the other hand, want strategic investments that meet the needs of constituents and can save the government money in the long run.
Thompson says regular MLAs had "limited success" in their negotiations with cabinet. Nadli says cabinet members aren't putting in a genuine effort to collaborate with MLAs.
From what we've heard from other MLAs so far, regular members generally seem to agree.
The reckoning we are seeing on the floor of the legislative assembly has been a long time coming.
For years, MLAs have criticized the government for not prioritizing the needs of the territory's many small communities.
Time after time, MLAs question cabinet members on a lack of communication and consultation.
Cabinet needs to take a hard look at its approach to consensus government. While that's happening, cabinet members should also take a look at their own spending and weigh that against the pressing needs of the rest of the territory.
Proper consultation takes into account the needs of everyone. And while cabinet members may have a tough job prioritizing social and fiscal needs against a bottom line that's not as high as anyone would like, that is in fact the job they signed up for.
Cabinet members clearly need to stop pretending to consult and instead need to actually listen to the other elected members of the assembly. They need to put words into actions and show regular MLAs they do indeed have the best interests of everyone at heart.
Life experience wanted, no training necessaryInuvik Drum - Thursday, February 9, 2016
During our talk about the potential Beaufort Delta Detox Centre, one thing Joey Amos said that resonated with me is not all the staff should need to be certified with whatever the government requirements are these days.
Instead, some can be people who are from here and have overcome addiction themselves.
In my opinion, the best life skills coaches are the ones who have been where the client is and can empathize with them.
This struck true for me growing up in speech therapy. Why would I take the advice of a speech therapist who doesn't stutter? You might have read a book about it and know all the terms and can repeat the list of advice you were taught, but I don't think you have any idea.
Maybe that's teenage angst, but I think education is a far more complex topic than just attendance at formal institutions. Who knows more, the person who walked that path, or the person who read a book about walking that path?
I think there's a place in the world for all types of education, and what's appropriate varies wildly depending on which field we're talking about. I want my doctor to have gone to school, not just be someone who's had a lot of surgeries.
In recent years, the bubble of post-secondary education and credential requirements has more and more began to seem like a racket.
Almost every industry has become pay-for-entry, with the government mandating certain credentials are needed for certain job types and the only way to get them is to go to a government-mandated education centre.
The same market-strangling, and therefore price-increasing phenomenon is apparent all over society, notably in the taxi business, where Uber has now upset the apple cart.
Industries usually lobby for this, because current players are grandfathered in, it strangles the marketplace to new entrants and it puts up a barrier to competition, so prices can remain elevated.
Everyone wins, except the consumer.
This relationship is getting more and more stressed as knowledge decentralizes and formal institutions lose relevance in the modern world.
For some of these softer fields such as addictions counselling, I say forget the credentials.
I don't know if the castle guards would allow it, but in my opinion, someone from Inuvik who has overcome addiction is an infinitely better counsellor than some 25-year-old recent graduate from the south who knows all the book smarts but not a lick of what it's like being addicted in the North.
Budget good for YellowknifeYellowknifer - Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Now this is a budget. It was a surprise last week to see a number of items people have been asking for - things the territorial leaders have recently insisted are not on their radar - magically get funding.
Finally, the territory is going to get 911. There is $616,000 set aside for implementation, which is scheduled to happen at some point during the next 14 months. This is a key development.
The city witnessed last year the cost of not having 911 - a fire destroyed Fitzgerald Carpeting and the person who tried to call the fire department resorted to actually driving to the fire hall in person because he didn't have an emergency number handy.
Whether 911 would have saved the structure is something we'll never know but it's absolutely true that in emergencies, seconds matter.
The two-year fight over junior kindergarten might be finally over. The territorial government announced Friday it would find the money to fully fund the program, which has experienced a fitful start over funding debates, although questions do remain.
What's more, the budget includes $520,000 for a sobering centre, which will give the city's homeless population a safe place to sober up.
It's hard to think of a time Yellowknife has fared so well in the budget - it's almost as if this is an election year.
Leading up to the budget, a group of regular MLAs, including several from Yellowknife, held a news conference to announce they opposed some of its spending proposals and brought up the possibility of blocking its passage if they can't come to an agreement. The group wants to eliminate job cuts that would affect programs and services and are hoping to see money go toward small-business incentives and mental health-care, among other things.
It looks like, so far, the budget is a document of compromise. While it's encouraging to see the MLAs put up a united front to make themselves heard, Yellowknifer worries they might be at loggerheads over too little.
There are still three and a half weeks left in the budget sitting. That's plenty of time to work with cabinet and find more room to compromise.
But regular MLAs shouldn't be afraid to take a moment and consider the fact they have achieved some early successes.
It would be positive to see some compromise on the other side of legislative assembly as well.
The value of coming togetherYellowknifer - Wednesday,February 8, 2017
When gunshots rang out Jan. 29 in a Quebec City mosque, all of Canada heard them.
The attack, allegedly committed by a Laval University political science student with extreme right-wing and white nationalist views, took six lives and injured five more.
The attack was germinated by hate but has instead sewn a wave of tolerance and love across the nation.
In Yellowknife, some 150 people stopped by the city's Islamic centre to hold a vigil and express support for the Muslim community here. The importance of solidarity in times like this is more than symbolic. It strengthens the fabric of our community.
Quebec City imam Hassan Guillet gave a eulogy at the memorial for the victims last week. It's worth the time to read it in its entirety but this excerpt is great advice on how to move forward:
"We should start changing words into actions. We should build on this tragedy," he said.
"God gave us a lemon. Let's make lemonade out of that. Let's make lemonade. Let's build on this negative and have a positive."
Yellowknife did that last week in response to the tragedy in Quebec and it was beautiful to see.
Now, let's continue to take Guillet's advice and make sure all of the city's residents know they are welcome here, they are safe and they are supported.
Classic artists can still inspire artistic successEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, February 8, 2017
I had an interesting discussion with a couple of folks this past week about the importance of classic rock artists still doing their thing, despite their advanced age.
It's a multi-layered process, depending on whether one is looking through the eyes of a fan, a critic, or, in some cases, a combination of both.
Classic rock, for the most part, trails only hoedown fiddle music in the Kivalliq, in terms of popularity.
Even square dancing, on a day-to-day basis, can't compete with classic sounds or a smoking hot fiddle player in this region.
There can be no arguing the fact, when one looks at sales numbers, a substantial market still exists for the artists of yesteryear.
And you also have their influence on young artists still honing their craft, and learning the importance of melody, structure, arrangement and lyrical content.
It's hard to believe groups like Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eminem are inching ever closer to having the classic tag around their collective necks.
However, the true classic brand is the trademark of groups that got their start in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.
Anyone who doubts a group comprised of guys all pushing, or past, the age of 70 can still be relevant, or deliver a strong rock performance, need look no further than a copy of the Rolling Stones recent concert in Cuba.
And while they're at it, they can grab the Stones' latest studio album of classic blues tracks.
Yes, junior, those old guys still know how to rock.
There's an element of nostalgia involved with it, of course, but so what?
One of the coolest things about attending these concerts, or watching them on your favourite electronic device, is the multi-generational composition of their audiences.
As long as they still deliver the musical goods, they introduce whole new generations to their music with every tour and that, valued readers, is a very, very good thing.
There are more collaborative efforts between artists these days than we've seen in quite awhile, and a number of Nunavut artists often employ that approach with their craft.
Musical genres can often come together to create special pieces of musical artistry; from Nazareth's still-scorching-after-all-these-years rendition of Joni Mitchell's This Flight Tonight, through RUN-DMC's take on Aerosmith's Walk This Way, and the Clash's version of the '60s staple, I Fought The Law, to East Coast legend Matt Minglewood's heart-wrenching ballad, The Patriot's Song, which was actually nicked from an Irish poet.
These, and many more like them, are artistic templates for modern collaborative artists smart enough to pay attention.
That can ring especially true for anyone fusing aspects of traditional Inuit music with stylings as far ranging as hip hop, techno pop, rock, folk and country.
The wheel doesn't have to be reinvented, just restyled into something fresh and alive.
For one of the original examples of taking an established musical style and making it your own - in sticking with our Rolling Stones theme - go back to the Stones' Voodoo Lounge and prepare to have your senses heightened.
The works of classic artists are a virtual treasure trove of musical approaches that, with a pinch of talent, can broaden the sonic horizon of any collaborative artist and help provide them with a blueprint to success. The notes are still playing, they just need to be transcribed with a little pizazz!
GNWT not a class act
Northwest Territories/News North - Monday, February 6, 2017
When a re-tooled territory-wide junior kindergarten program was rolled out late last year, officials said it would would act as a support for children whose family life might not be ideal.
The optional free daycare for four-year-old children run in NWT schools would also expose youngsters to the education system at an earlier age. In theory, if the concept of school was presented younger tykes, perhaps they might decide to attend more regularly as they progress through the grades.
They might even choose to stay around long enough to get a diploma - really the most basic requirement if one wants to live and work in the way of traditional western society.
News/North's editorial board has supported the concept of junior kindergarten, provided the school boards were funded properly to implement it.
So that's why we're more than a bit puzzled at the GNWT's decision to offer up the option of reducing teaching time in some NWT schools by up to 100 hours a year. That could total a whole year of instruction gone from K-12 if implemented across the board.
The classroom hour reduction proposal was part of the teacher's union's four-year collective agreement with the GNWT, which was ratified in September.
Schools across the territory and Yellowknife Education District No. 1 can reduce classroom instruction time by a maximum 100 hours a year over a three-year period.
It certainly looks like the GNWT's Department of Education, Culture and Employment bent over backwards to placate the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association for this one. And in doing so, the government showed it really has no consistent vision or well-crafted policy for education.
On one hand, it's really important for the GNWT to get kids away from potentially poor living conditions and reverse the negativity about education held by parents or grandparents who might lump in the thought of classrooms with their own experiences in the residential school system.
But then it's just peachy to kick the older kids out of class - placing a lot of stress on working parents especially - in order to placate the teacher's union with time off for its members.
Oh, wait a minute.
"These redirected hours are not days off," Shannon Barnett-Aikman, director of education for the Tlicho Community Services Agency, said at a media conference Jan. 23. "These hours are to be used in the school for what we are calling embedded or structured time."
The 100 hours of 'embedded or structured time' allegedly give teachers more time to work on lesson plans, gain professional development and complete other school activities while students are not in the classroom.
How much more professional development do teachers need?
And where are the children and teens when they are not in the classroom? Many will be in those same negative environments the GNWT wanted to get them away from when they were four years old. It just makes no sense whatsoever.
Teachers already are being more than comfortably paid for jobs that come with extended periods out of the classroom. Take summers, Christmas break and spring break for example - at least three months paid vacation.
And while it's tough to attract and retain educators in many smaller communities in the NWT, we don't think this extra perk will do much to address that.
It is just a bad concession made by a government that is known for laying down when it comes to contract talks across all sectors.
What a sorry lesson we've learned about our elected officials.
Ratepayers stuck in deep end
Nunavut/News North - Monday, February 6, 2017
In its first weekend, Iqaluit's aquatic centre became the capital city's beating heart.
The foot traffic to the centre is astounding, with 4,000 visits in its first weekend. Young people can finally hang out in a supervised, fun, safe building downtown. Elders have a place to spend time with friends and family. It's a place of health and fun for everyone who visits.
There have been bumps along the way, with people being turned away due to over-capacity, and some mechanical issues to cope with in the early days. It's also logical to wonder whether many of Iqaluit's youth will be able to afford regular visits - the cost is $6 per swim for teens and $4 for children - but if the weekend lineups are any indication, this pool has been needed for a long time.
Sadly, the territory has not contributed more than a token amount to the $40 million aquatic centre. The city itself is on the hook for almost the entire cost, with the federal government putting in an even $4 million, which is going against interest payments.
Most federally-funded projects require the territory to inject 25 to 50 per cent of the funding but that did not happen with the pool.
The territory put in $130,000, plus some administrative support in transferring $4 million of federal funding into the city's bank account. Despite this, Nunavut's minister of Community and Government Services attended the opening to be thanked for the territory's contribution.
The pittance is a short-sighted lack of support by Premier Peter Taptuna and his government.
The aquatic centre is a major piece of infrastructure for Iqaluit, yet the government ignored its value for anyone who visits Iqaluit, including those from the communities. That value was an argument for a $300 million airport, into which the territory is pouring $68.7 million.
The aquatic centre is a piece of health infrastructure that encourages physical health but also supports mental health for those who use it. The design also encourages a healthy community by providing a meeting place for a wide cross-section of residents young and old, ratepayers or not.
The aquatic centre is also a place for youth, especially, who clearly needed a space to call theirs. Adults had access to gyms and arenas but this new hub goes further than any other facility in in the city to draw youth out of their homes. It's a place that encourages healthy living, reduces boredom, and increases personal security.
Until it opened, these were concepts known to those who believed in the project. Recreation director Amy Elgersma gets credit, as do the city councils and staff who worked to make it a reality. MPs Leona Aglukkaq and Hunter Tootoo get credit for garnering federal support. Most of all, Iqaluit ratepayers and supporters get the credit for putting the massive financial burden on their own backs.
It's apparent this is not a project the Taptuna government believed in.
But if the government wants to be known as one that supports infrastructure, health, and youth, it will have to do more than it has.
Taptuna and his colleagues can make an immediate impact with their support. Might we recommend providing subsidies for young people who can't afford to visit the aquatic centre, making an annual commitment to provide swim passes to at-risk youth?
On the other hand, we don't think the city would turn down some post-opening infrastructure funding. With the city signing a 20-year mortgage this week, you have some time to think about it.
