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Budget good for Yellowknife
Yellowknifer - 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 together
Yellowknifer - 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 success
Editorial 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.


More compassion needed from city over cemetery
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 3, 2017

How awful it must be to see a loved one's headstone knocked over or otherwise vandalized.

Now couple that with the ignominy of finding out about the damage through the media. This is what happened to Bob Wilson, who saw a picture of his father's toppled headstone at Lakeview Cemetery in Yellowknifer last month.

Wilson said he's not upset at anybody in particular but saddened it happened and further saddened the headstone laid on the ground for days before he was made aware of it.

The City of Yellowknife owns and operates Lakeview Cemetery, although individuals buy plots. The damage was initially reported to RCMP, who stated they learned of the damage Jan. 15 and passed the information along to the city.

A city spokesperson declined to say whether officials had reached out to the Wilson family and declined to share the protocol the city has to notify next of kin when something like this happens. The city even refused to clarify information in the city's cemetery bylaw.

At this point, the city has inspired very little confidence that it cares about the families who buy plots at the cemetery it maintains. Yellowknifer was able to discern, through the city's cemetery bylaw, that the city does in fact keep a record for every plot with names and contact information for next of kin but to this day does not know what protocol exists to contact them in the event of damage or vandalism.

There may have been good reason Wilson was not contacted about his father's headstone. Perhaps the information the city has was not up-to-date, or there was a clerical error, or maybe there simply is no protocol and it was an oversight.

But the attitude of the city toward this issue is embarrassing and indefensible.

If an individual, or institution such as Yellowknifer, has questions about protocol regarding maintenance of a city-owned facility such as the cemetery, these questions should be answered. Same goes for questions to clarify a bylaw.

By the way, the question Yellowknifer had regarding the definition of the word "voluntary" is in regard to a clause of the cemetery bylaw that stipulates a $500 "voluntary fine" for defacing a monument.

Yellowknifer still thinks this is a good question and is still interested in hearing an answer.


Teachers win, students lose
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 3, 2017

A number of disturbing decisions emerged from the latest negotiations with NWT teachers, including the school boards in Yellowknife, that ended with the offer of less classroom time for students.

It seems that both parties - government and teachers - agreed money was tight so if the teachers were to get anything to their benefit, it would have to come in another form.

That was where classroom time came in: cut that back and teachers will be happy, all parties at the negotiating table decided.

Once all around the table accepted that idea, the only job was to inform the public. The education department, teachers association and the school boards then geared up their propaganda efforts, producing figures that showed the number of teaching hours in the North was at the high end of the national numbers, that teachers work more than 50 hours a week-plus (based on self-reporting) and there is so much teachers have to do outside the classroom. The reduced hours will make them more effective when they are in the classroom, so the argument goes.

Completely left out of the discussion were parents, those so-called "partners" in educations. Also left out were the MLAs, the ones ultimately responsible for changing the legislation needed to roll back the required hours, legislation their predecessors debated, drafted and voted into law.

But no matter, so long as the teachers get something.

We suggest before the GNWT negotiators and teacher association executives go back to the student trough, they should take a hard look at all those activities that teachers take on outside of the classroom, including "professional development days," not to mention streamlining incomprehensible report cards.

If the workload is still too large, then hire more qualified rather than less qualified teachers.


Open for business
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, February 2, 2016

The Deh Cho region is open for business.

As MLAs gather in Yellowknife for the new sitting of the legislative assembly, and negotiation teams review a report from Ministerial Special Representative Anne Marie Doyle on the Dehcho Process, now is the ideal time for the Deh Cho to open its doors.

And that's just what it's doing. In March, Dehcho First Nations and the Dehcho Economic Corporation will be holding an economic readiness forum in order to promote a wider conversation on business in the Deh Cho.

Among the invitees will be youth, leaders and aboriginal businesses.

According to Dehcho First Nation, the conference aims to "evaluate, educate and strengthen" the business knowledge of communities within the Deh Cho in order to promote sustainable economic opportunities and growth.

What that means is that Dehcho First Nations, facing a year that could hold many unknowns - but most positively the potential lining up of the metaphorical stars for the region, to quote Grand Chief Herb Norwegian - is putting the focus on the future of the region.

Great things happen when leaders and entrepreneurs come together to discuss their future.

And after the last couple years of facing a lagging economy, both in the Northwest Territories and across Canada in general, the timing couldn't be better for a forum of this nature.

It will also follow on the heels of the GNWT's budget, which could include more cuts and consolidation of departments.

In the face of that, any initiative that promotes business is a good thing - even more so if that includes a regional focus and roundtable discussions.

That means business-minded youth have the opportunity to network, and aboriginal business leaders have the opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs. Together, they can find a way forward through tough fiscal times.

The opportunity this forum will give to prospective businesspeople and young businesspeople, to learn from aboriginal economic leaders who have tried-and-true methods of conducting business, is priceless.

But aside from that, business workshops in general are relatively few and far between in the Deh Cho region.

The ones that do happen are, generally, actual courses, which occur with unfortunate infrequency. Businesses are left to their own devices and it's uncommon to see communities actively engage with each other about their economic prospects.

That sometimes means entrepreneurs from small communities such as Sambaa K'e and Nahanni Butte must go their own way without much guidance, unless they search for it.

Having the opportunity to learn from established businesses could be invaluable to the economies of these communities.

And having a collaborative forum where these entrepreneurs can share their ideas and bond with the larger business community is essential to building the economy of the Deh Cho region in general.


We live in a representative democracy
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, February 2, 2016

During the Sunday bar debate at last week's council meetings, Coun. Vince Sharpe opined that the majority had shown its will at the public meeting earlier this month and it was council's job to follow that.

He said council was elected "to do the public's bidding."

But that's not council's role.

We live in a representative democracy at the municipal level, where the majority's will is followed only at elections or in other special circumstances, such as referendums.

We elect people to make decisions on our behalf. There would be no point in electing people if every decision came down to majority will.

For whatever reasons, Inuvik residents thought these seven council members would be the best available representatives of their wishes. Through the election, we hand them the power to make decisions as they best see fit within their scope of jurisdiction.

This doesn't mean we shut up and deal with whatever they do, and it doesn't mean that they can't make decisions based on whatever moral guidance they choose, such as wanting to represent majority will on an issue.

But it is worth the reminder that we nominated these individuals as particularly capable decision makers on their own, and these are the people we want spending their time researching, debating and deciding on the issues of the day.

I also take some issue with the idea that because the seeming majority of the 50 or so people at the town hall meeting opposed Sunday bar openings, this means the majority of Inuvik opposes it.

Fifty people in Inuvik, even being such a small town, is less than two per cent of the population. It is also the less than two per cent who, I would imagine, would be more likely to come out to a town hall to oppose the Sunday bar openings than speak in favour.

That group could well represent the population's stance on the subject, but to conclude that from the town hall takes a large, presumptive leap.

A few councillors suggested that in their personal interactions, the majority of people didn't care much either way about the subject. 

I'd hazard that's the actual majority opinion of Inuvik, as apathy is usually the leading opinion on local political issues. A bar opening on Sundays a few more times isn't exactly a barnburner of a topic.

The definition of democracy often gets confused and debated when things aren't going someone's way.

I'm glad we live in a representative democracy, because a majority vote on every little thing sounds like chaos to me.

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