Family's fight makes a differenceNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, March 13, 2017
When Hugh Papik died, a long-time friend of his said his death is an example of how racism is impacting the territory's health-care system.
Rosemarie Kuptana, former president of Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, now known as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, was in a residential school with Papik and said she was horrified to learn how he died on Aug. 3, 2016.
The 67-year-old Papik suffered a stroke but his symptoms were dismissed as drunkenness by staff at the Aklavik Health Centre.
"I think that those kinds of incidents still happen because it seems to me that there is such a strong element of racism in the health system, and it's more apparent in some regions than in others," she said at the time. "This whole case raises a lot of questions."
It certainly did. After the case made national headlines, NWT Health Minister Glen Abernethy called for an external review of the incident in an announcement on Aug. 16.
That review was recently completed, with Abernethy saying it will help the government address systemic racism in the territories' health-care system ("Health minister vows to fight 'systemic racism," News/North, March 6).
Some of the report's 16 recommendations, which were made public, are aimed at making sure indigenous people are treated the same as non-indigenous people in the territory, with mandatory cultural training for all health-care workers and new medical protocols for strokes.
Alas, Abernethy told the legislative assembly Feb. 23 there is no firm timetable for implementing the recommendations.
While we are pleased to see that Abernethy travelled to Aklavik to share the report with Papik's family prior to its release, it's Papik's family and friends who are the true heroes in this tragic case, as they spoke out when they determined something wasn't right.
And their case didn't fall on deaf ears, as the media exposure of Papik's case no doubt pushed the minister to call for a review.
However, it appears that more media pressure will have to be applied to make sure the recommendations are indeed implemented - despite there being no firm timetable for doing so - so that the efforts of Papik's loved ones aren't in vain.
MLA's longing for 'wellness' puts taxpayers in a bad spotNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, March 13, 2017
A GNWT cost-cutting budget and departmental amalgamations have seen maybe 100 positions eliminated over the past two years.
Though a small number even the remote potential of being tossed out on the tundra has been hard to handle for many of the 5,000-plus territorial workforce, according to one MLA.
And the Dickensian nightmare of working without a signed contract for almost a year has also placed an emotional burden on GNWT employees.
"As a result, our employees are not feeling good about their relationship with their employer," Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson told the legislative assembly March 7.
The solution? Five paid wellness days spread out across the year to allow employees "to spend more time with their families, hobbies, or self," said Thompson. "To recharge their batteries and return to work rested and enthusiastic about the work they do for the GNWT."
We can't imagine why Thompson would utter such nonsense. And on the day before the GNWT was to return to the bargaining table with the Union of Northern Workers.
Government employees in the NWT generally enjoy healthy salaries with generous vacation, sick, and special leave provisions that by in large put the private sector to shame.
Even if Thompson sides with the union and believes in "wellness days," for him to throw out such a meaty bone just before talks resumed shows disrespect for the collective bargaining process.
And disrespect to the other party in the mix - taxpayers.
School fires a costly cry for helpNunavut/News North - Monday, March 13, 2017
Every kid dreams of what they would do with $1 million. Every adult, too.
The Barenaked Ladies channeled those dreams in If I Had $1,000,000, sharing visions of new houses, Kraft Dinner, and expensive ketchup.
For most Nunavummiut, $1 million is an abstract concept left only for songs and dreams.
But a few young Nunavummiut have literally had millions of dollars in their hands and set it on fire. This month in Kugaaruk, and in 2015 in Cape Dorset, teens are accused of burning down their schools, places where dreams are supposed to be built, not dashed.
Each school will cost more than $30 million to replace. In the case of Cape Dorset, the government had almost no insurance; in Kugaaruk, the government will contribute $10 million to cover its insurance deductible.
Let's dream about what $10 million could buy in Nunavut. At a cost of $500,000 each, new fire trucks for almost every hamlet. Or perhaps night security guards for every school. Surely sprinkler and security systems for every school, and fencing, too.
We dream but Finance Minister Keith Peterson must be losing sleep thinking about how to prevent another insurance claim. Surely next time, the territory's insurer will be asking for an increase in its deductible while charging a higher premium.
But lost in this conversation are the children themselves, the ones who put their communities and territory in a tough spot. What drives a child to set fire to a school?
We can think of many reasons a child may lash out at the physical structure of a school, targeting it for vandalism or destruction. Maybe they're bullied, have difficulty learning, have problems at home, or feel lost due to the effects of colonization. One teen accused in the Cape Dorset fire told a judge the fire was an accident, that the kids were allegedly sniffing gas when the tank ignited but being in that situation - sniffing gas and playing with fire -was no accident.
When it comes to the future of our children, we can't remain focused on the dollars and cents of the situation. We build schools to build futures, and we must rebuild more than just the buildings.
We must rebuild the hope these buildings are designed to represent. We work together as communities to help our young people find light when there is darkness. As we work to secure our physical structures, we must work to protect the spirits of our children.
And, as much as we yearn to buoy the dreams of the young people who hope to graduate in Kugaaruk and Cape Dorset this year, we must remember the hopes and dreams of the young people accused of starting the fires.
What does the future hold for these children whom will carry their transgressions to their graves? Let us focus on helping them heal, for their pain must be greater than we feel at the loss of these schools. If there is anything these children need now, it's love.
We will never forget but we must forgive. It will take work and time but it's in the best interest of all of our young people to do so.
In the meantime, the costly lesson today is that the government must do everything it can to protect the schools.
Energy infrastructure should be a top priority Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 10, 2017
Few things are more important to living in the North than the cost and reliability of power, especially in remote diesel-dependent communities.
The territorial government and NWT Power Corporation are making gains by way of alternate energy installations, such as in Colville Lake where the community is now powered by a hybrid solar and diesel power system.
Further advances in Northern energy infrastructure are crucial in years to come, and should certainly be included in the federal government's stated nation-building mandate.
The prospect of joining the Taltson River hydro-electric power grid to the south has come up again in the context of improving power infrastructure in the North ("Electricity association head calls for fed help with energy infrastructure," Yellowknifer, March 1).
This is a long-standing project that would benefit the North and hopefully, northern power consumers who pay some of the highest power bills in North America.
That is why it is troubling to hear comments from both Liberal MP Michael McLeod and the territorial government that suggest our federal representative in Ottawa and our representatives in the legislative assembly are reading from different playbooks.
In an interview with McLeod about the project, he told Yellowknifer he was unaware whether or not the GNWT has made a formal application to the federal government to fund the Taltson River project.
Yet the Taltson expansion is included in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change, a document which both the territorial and federal governments have signed. A cabinet spokesperson told Yellowknifer this document, from the GNWT's perspective, represents a formal request for funding.
This confusion suggests the GNWT and federal counterparts need to work together more closely to present a common front when it comes to improving energy infrastructure in the North.
As a point of clarification it is important to note that Taltson already generates excess power. It's not like communities connected to the Taltson grid need more power than the dam already generates.
The real benefit would be the prospect of selling excess power to the south. This would not in itself lower the cost of power generation in the North. The return on power sold, however, should be used to subsidize power bills in the NWT.
Taltson represents a clear starting point for making the territory more energy independent - a project that could eventually connect to the North Slave where most of the territory's population lives.
This is something both levels of government should be striving to complete.
A real made-in-the-North success story Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, March 10, 2017
Keeping warm isn't just a matter of comfort in the North, it's a matter of survival.
While synthetic materials, such as Gore-Tex, and natural products like wool are common items in winter clothing, there is still plenty of room for fur as more people recognize wild animal skins can be both sustainable and environmentally-friendly.
Brenda Dragon has been taking advantage of the resurgence in real fur and Northern products with a bit of lateral thinking in producing Aurora Heat natural fur hand and foot warmers. She launched the products a year ago with her mother at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre and now the products are taking off with 38 stores in the NWT, Nunavut and Yukon offering them for sale. They are also available online.
The concept for her warmers are rooted in childhood, she said. Her parents were trappers and there were always scraps of fur, which her mother sewed to make mittens and mukluks for the family.
The fur is great insulator when placed next to the skin, trapping warm air against the body to protect against the cold. Add in that warmers are made with Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Products, this is a completely made-in-the-North business success story, incorporating tradition, practicality and locally-sourced materials to inspire future entrepreneurs.
Cold exposes true Northern resilienceDeh Cho Drum - Thursday, March 9, 2016
March 5 was, by any measure, a frigid start to Beavertail Jamboree celebrations in Fort Simpson.
The wind howled and bit. It was one of those cold, blustery winds that numbed any flesh exposed to the elements for more than a few seconds.
And in the midst of it all, Fort Simpson frolicked.
The last two months have been sad ones for many communities in the region, marked by unexpected deaths and subsequent mourning. Adding to that bleakness is the North's long, dark winter nights.
But the days are getting longer now and the region is preparing for spring. That may not heal the hurt many people are feeling right now but it at least gives them something to look forward to.
March 5 was a prime example of the resilience of Northern people.
Youth in Fort Simpson spent the afternoon at a sliding hill and skating rink, sharing hot chocolate over a fire, heedless of the cold and simply enjoying the afternoon.
Later that night, with the wind still roaring and flurries of snow still coming down, a stoic group of volunteers belonging to Fort Simpson's fire department bundled up and headed to the arbour to set off fireworks.
If a subsequent outpouring of gratitude toward those volunteers on social media is any indication, their willingness to push through the cold temperatures in
order to put on a light show warmed the hearts of children and adults alike.
That was the signal, the kick-off point for a week of annual celebrations in Fort Simpson.
People have been playing sports, facing off over crib boards at the recreation centre and getting ready to feast in true Deh Cho fashion.
Elsewhere in the region, other communities are looking forward to their own celebrations. Nahanni Butte, Sambaa K'e and Fort Liard will all be celebrating the coming spring in a week's time while Fort Providence is gearing up for its Bison Jamboree the following week.
This editorial would be remiss if it did not mention the exceptional efforts of the people who organize these events.
In Fort Simpson, the Beavertail committee put a tremendous amount of time this year into festival deliberations.
Years-old traditions - such as that of holding King, Queen, Prince and Princess contests together - have been altered in favour of a strategy that seems designed to encourage people to participate in the week's many events.
The committee also switched up the jamboree's usual event list, inviting comedy-hypnotist Scott Ward for a March 9 appearance and scheduling new events such as a men's beauty contest to lighten the mood.
Thanks to the people who have given their time toward organizing these festivals - not just in Fort Simpson but across the Deh Cho - people are getting ready to give spring a royal welcome.
Hats off to the Northern spirit.
Living the dreamInuvik Drum - Thursday, March 9, 2016
Ryan McLeod went from high school dropout to living his dream and working on the land for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
In light of the recent discussion on poor secondary school attendance and performance levels, it's hard to find a more relevant example of someone finding success despite early difficulties.
Teenage years are a weird time. People develop at different rates. Not everyone knows what they want to do or can see the value in the mainstream orthodoxy at that stage in their lives.
Many people don't hit their professional peaks until their 40s, 50s and 60s. J.K. Rowling is often cited as not having published her first novel until she was 32.
Although we harp on the bad numbers coming out of the school system here, none of the students should be written off.
I firmly believe everyone can find a place in the world, provided circumstances and their own will allow them to.
We all want to live meaningful lives. Of course, life isn't as easy as wanting things. What's important is that at some point in their lives, people get an opportunity to pursue their interests.
That's how McLeod got his foot in the door with studying char at Rat River.
I was fortunate to get my start in journalism from someone who knew me in little league and offered me a summer internship.
Adults who are already established have tremendous power to mentor and assist youth.
It can't just be left up to the school system to do everything.
The performance numbers are one issue but not the whole story of child development in this region.
Everyone can and should play a role in nurturing the abilities the next generation has and giving them every opportunity to flourish.
One failure doesn't end the book. If it did, none of us would still be here.
Sex assault unit will lead to better casesYellowknifer - Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Sexual assault is widely regarded in Canadian society as one of the most heinous crimes there is.
It's also one of the hardest crimes to prove. Even if there is physical evidence left behind, it is really, really hard to prove a lack of consent.
When these cases make it to open court, the public has the opportunity to track conviction rates. But if a complaint dies in the police station without charges laid, nobody ever knows about it. That is, until Globe and Mail investigative reporter Robyn Doolittle compiled data from across the country on the rates of sexual assault cases deemed unfounded. This term means the investigating officer does not believe there was a crime committed or attempted.
Across Canada, Doolittle found the average rate of cases deemed unfounded to be 19.39 per cent but that number varies wildly, and randomly, in individual communities. Yellowknife, for example, has an unfounded rate of 36 per cent.
This data certainly suggests police could be a doing better job at investigating sexual assault and it's a positive development to see that the RCMP and Department of Justice seem to agree. Nationally, the RCMP is reviewing the system they used between 2010 and 2014 for determining sex assault cases as unfounded to ensure they actually meet the criteria. As well, Yellowknife RCMP are operating under a new policy that will see every unfounded complaint automatically reviewed by a senior officer.
Women's advocate Lynn Brooks proposed another great suggestion to Yellowknifer last week. She believes Yellowknife RCMP should create a dedicated sexual assault unit. Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green agrees with Brooks, and so does Yellowknifer.
RCMP's G Division created a diamond unit in 1998 specifically to combat what was then an anticipated upswing in organized crime and earlier this year created a unit to investigate online child sexual exploitation. If RCMP can launch both of these things, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a specialized unit to deal with sexual assault. As far as crimes go, sex assault is incredibly common, causes lasting -- sometimes debilitating – harm, and much of the time evidence stems from testimony.
As it stands, every person who reports this crime knows the deck is stacked against them when it comes to conviction. Better investigations could lead to better conviction rates, so let's see this happen.
Alcohol program would be useful for YellowknifeYellowknifer - Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Last week, the city saw its federal application to fund a managed alcohol program denied.
This initiative, which is part of the comprehensive action plan to combat homelessness, would see addicted people served small doses of alcohol throughout the day in order to keep people from binging.
The first managed alcohol program in Canada opened in Toronto in 1997. Since then they have mushroomed to communities such as Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria and Sudbury, Ont.
A 2014 Yellowknifer story on Thunder Bay's managed alcohol program, ("I'm lucky this place opened," June 25, 2014), describes the principle of managed alcohol programs as "harm reduction" rather than abstinence.
The Thunder Bay program provides admitted patients two meals per day and six ounces of white wine every 90 minutes.
A doctor also visits residents once per week. Studies show this type of treatment helps stabilize the behaviour of alcoholics, reduces dependence on non-beverage forms of alcohol such as hand-sanitizer and hairspray, and according to participants, creates a sense of community.
Yellowknifer doesn't know why the federal government rejected the city's $500,000 funding request.
But take a walk downtown any day of the week and the bottles of rye and vodka lying everywhere illustrate a real problem that municipal enforcement is not going to fix by simply handing out tickets.
Nobody can force the city's alcohol dependent population into sobriety but the government can give these people a way to manage their addiction.
Hopefully the territorial government will step up, as a managed alcohol program surely is an essential component to alleviating social problems in the city.
Thanks, hockey folksEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, March 8, 2017
By the time you're reading this, I will be about to take to the ice this week to officiate my final senior men's hockey tournament in Rankin Inlet, the inaugural Terence Tootoo Memorial.
At its conclusion, my knees will decide if there's enough left in the tank to help out with a few games in the Powerful Pewees the following week, or if this was the last hurrah.
Either way, it's been one hell of a ride.
I don't mind admitting the eyes were getting a little moist during the presentation made to me by my longtime friend and fellow hockey fanatic, David Clark, prior to the start of the Plate's final game.
When the puck drops for the 2018 Polar Bear Plate, it will be the first one I'm not a part of and I'm still having a little trouble accepting that.
Don't get me wrong, I know it's time to hang them up because my body tells me so. It's the stereotypical situation of the mind is still willing but the body is weak (in this case, knees).
As much as I'm going to miss it, reffing here has provided me with a ton of memories guaranteed to put a smile on my face during my golden years.
I can't say enough about the hockey fans in Rankin Inlet. You folks have made the past 18 years very, very special to me and we've been through a lot together.
I smiled when a couple of people in the crowd started chanting my name in that eerie way fans do, to either show their displeasure or to try and throw an opposing player off his or her game, during David's presentation.
It wasn't that many years ago a Rankin team just wouldn't calm down during a tournament playoff game no matter how many darn penalties I assessed them.
The hometown crowd was getting more and more irate every time I raised my arm to send another Rankin player for a well-deserved timeout.
I knew the Rankin fans know their hockey and were fully aware the penalties were justified, but they just kept coming.
Once it reached the point where there were seven or eight Rankin players in the box, and I had to go over to make sure the timekeeper had everything straight with the expiration of every penalty – slowing the game and bringing a whole lot of unwanted attention to myself – the boos started.
They didn't last all that long. Then, just as I was thinking that wasn't too bad, a handful of fans started that eerie chant using my name.
It quickly spread around the arena until every fan was doing it and every eye in the barn, be it player, fan, coach or fellow zebra, was on me.
It was the weirdest experience of my career and, if I had a highlight reel of said career, you'd appreciate just how impressive that is.
Yet, as weird as it may sound, there was something special about the experience.
It was special in a traditional hockey sense because it was something different, and a whole lot better than having fans throw things at me, including every curse word known to humanity.
It's truly special to be on the ice with the players during big games.
It's a world onto itself, where you had better know what you're talking about when asked a question on the rules or all your hard work building up credibility goes out the window in the wink of an eye.
There are nights you leave the arena wondering what you're doing there in the first place.
And there are other nights when everything goes perfect and you would protect your whistle with your dying breath. Those are ones worth remembering, and the ones that keep bringing you back.
I will never forget the time, in Rankin, when a hockey mom came up to me and said the only time she felt truly comfortable with her son playing was when I was refereeing. I floated home that day.
To all the players who I've had the honour to work with in Rankin and across the Kivalliq, thank you for the excitement and the memories. A special tip of the hat to those who I began officiating when they were in peewee and leave the game with them playing senior men's.
Went by fast, didn't it?
To people like David and Donald Clark, Darrin Nichol, Steve Faulkner, Jim MacDonald, Jim Ramsay, Pujjuut Kusugak (and your dad), Troy Aksalnik, Gleason Uppahuak and so many, many others, thank you for all you do to keep the games going.
Thanks to David Tulugak for all the road trips when we didn't have many refs who would go, and for never taking my meals away from me after we had reffed from 9 a.m. until midnight.
But, especially to the Rankin fans, thank you so very, very much for restoring my faith in the game, and showing me what a true hockey town is all about, tournament after tournament.
You are the best hockey fans in the world and I will miss you almost as much as the game itself.
Almost!
