'Perfect southern point of view'Yellowknifer - Wednesday, September 13, 2017
It's good to see Premier Bob McLeod show his teeth a little bit.
On Aug. 31, he teamed up with Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna to host a news conference at the legislative assembly.
The overarching theme of the conference couldn't be more milquetoast - the first line of the accompanying news release states the leaders met to discuss "how they are working together" to create better opportunities for Northerners.
Luckily, McLeod cut right through the bureaucratic babble to address two sore spots between Ottawa and the North - a ban on Arctic Ocean offshore drilling and the looming carbon tax.
When asked what McLeod would do if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn't heed his warning that a carbon tax would be devastating to the North, he said: "We can withdraw from the processes. We can not fly the Canadian flag, like (ex-Newfoundland premier) Danny Williams did. We can take the 'true North, strong and free' out of the Canadian national anthem."
McLeod finished up the thought by backing away from these threats, admitting co-operation is the best way forward.
That said, the frustration palpable in his words billowed up again later in the conference when a southern reporter asked McLeod why he's so upset about Trudeau's unilateral ban on offshore drilling in the Arctic, considering there is no work going on there right now anyway.
"I think you really describe yourself with a perfect southern point of view with that question," he told the reporter.
There was a bit of an elephant in the room, in the form of McLeod's brother, NWT MP Michael McLeod, one of Trudeau's 182 Liberal MPs in the House of Commons. After the November 2015 election, there was a theory that the family ties between the legislative assembly and Ottawa would help with co-operation between the two governments. While the Liberal government has been generous with infrastructure funding, it just doesn't seem like Ottawa is listening on other concerns, including the carbon tax.
The reality is, the North is firmly tied to fossil fuels, whether it be through travel between fly-in communities, diesel energy, propane and oil for heating during long winters, gas for long commutes, or the extraction industry, which drives the economy.
Further raising an already sky-high cost of living through a carbon tax will make life in the North financially untenable for some people.
Trudeau's unilateral offshore drilling ban is equally distressing for the North, for the same reason.
These actions are indicative of Ottawa's "perfect southern point of view" that praises environmental ideals while ignoring realities of life the North. Hopefully Premier McLeod keeps up the assertive attitude because the territorial government will never get through to southern leaders without it.
Diamonds are NWT economy's best friendYellowknifer - Wednesday, September 13, 2017
There is no getting around it, at least for the foreseeable future - the Northwest Territories is primarily a mining economy.
This is why it's such a breath of relief to know Dominion Diamond expects Ekati Mine will continue to produce diamonds until 2042. Thanks to a new mining method, the company expects the mine's Fox Deep pit to increase its lifespan by nine years.
This is great news for Tom Hoefer, executive director of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, who explained Ekati's impact on the NWT economy is "hugely" significant.
While there are a number of other mining projects in the works around the territory, such as Fortune Minerals' NICO project outside Whati and the Prairie Creek project in the Deh Cho region, Hoefer said it would take about six of those projects to equal Ekati.
As long as things keep going well for Dominion, it looks like the territorial economy has bought a little more time. Hopefully mining companies keep figuring out ways to get those diamonds out of the ground because they truly are our economy's best friend.
Leafs at pivotal pointEditorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, September 13, 2017
With the new NHL season just a month away, Kivalliq hockey fans, like fans across the country, are hoping for big things from their favourite teams and predicting gloom, doom and despair for their rivals.
For the first time in many-a-long year, a lot of conversation is revolving around the Toronto Maple Leafs, as pundits, fans and arch rivals try to gauge just how good this young hockey club really is.
The Leafs biggest move of the off-season was to bring in aging star Patrick Marleau, who still has some gas in his tank and game in his abilities. Judging by his first few days at training camp, the longtime sniper is quite happy to be a member of the Maple Leafs.
Marleau will provide experience and, hopefully, leadership to the young Leafs. He also still has the wheels to be an effective scorer, especially if he lands on the team's top unit with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Make no mistake, Marleau has done pretty much everything an NHLer can accomplish except see his name engraved on Lord Stanley.
This is, in all likelihood, Marleau's final NHL contract and he wouldn't have signed in Toronto if he didn't believe the Leafs could win the Cup in the next three years, no matter how much money was dangled in front of him.
The Leafs have a number of skilled wingers stuck in the AHL given there's no room at the parent club, so fans have been clamouring for general manager Lou Lamoriello to trade a prized winger and draft picks to land a top-four defenseman for the club.
It makes sense on a number of levels, but this is a pivotal time for the Leafs. They could take advantage of their top three stars still being on entry level contracts and add some top skill at the trade deadline, to go for it all as the Chicago Black Hawks did with young Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane leading the way.
But they could also convince themselves the team is better than it is and then be stuck with the big contracts they brought in along with those of Matthews, Nylander and Mitch Marner, which, in the salary-cap era, could be the kiss of death.
Unless a trade is offered he just can't say no to, Lamoriello is making the right move in waiting to see how the Leafs perform before going all-in on a run to the Cup.
But, rest assured, if Lamoriello and Leafs president Brendan Shanahan like what they see and believe the Leafs are Cup contenders, the money will be spent and the players added to give the young team every chance to bring Stanley back to Toronto.
Who would have thought, just three short years ago, we'd ever be talking about this scenario?
It promises to be one of the most exciting NHL seasons in a long time for all those lovable losers who call themselves Leafs fans.
Rocky democracy better than any dictatorshipNorthwest Territories/News North - Monday, September 11, 2017
Democracy is the best type of government. Period. You disagree? What would you rather have? An absolute monarchy? An oligarchy? Perhaps communism is more your style?
Or how about no government at all in a libertarian state?
Democracy and its variants seem to be the best, as tested over time. It is a natural progression of the human experience. The people, in theory, retain supreme power, but we delegate it to representatives in a central governing body.
Democracy it is not perfect. And it is often not pretty.
Democracy with all of its ugly warts is most alive in smaller NWT communities where voter turnout is typically very high and the politics are local and often personal.
No matter where elections are held, whether in Calgary or Colville Lake, they must be fair and people must believe their vote will be counted. Any whiff of impropriety must be traced to its source and rectified.
It's not unusual to read in the media about allegations of impropriety. A quick search through the News/North files shows several examples of ballot-box brouhahas, from Tsiigehtchic to Fort Liard and from Fort Smith to Behchoko.
As you read in News/North last week, there has been a call to overturn the June 12 election for chief and council due to the irregularities ("Allegations fly over Behchoko election," Sept. 4).
Allegations of drunken voters hardly able to stand, interpreters swaying votes and mismanagement of polling stations initiated a civil lawsuit from runner-up candidate for Behchoko chief Leon Lafferty.
As reported last week, the former Behchoko chief and MLA is asking the NWT Supreme Court to overturn the June 12 election results for chief and council due to the irregularities.
Lafferty was one of five candidates running in election in the community but lost to incumbent Clifford Daniels by a margin of 36 votes, 416 to 380.
Here are some allegations sworn by witnesses: Ballots not being shown to scrutineers; a poll clerk at one polling station left it unattended while helping out at other polling stations; interpreters assisting the elderly and mentally disabled swaying votes by pointing to specific candidate names on the voter card, or assisting with the marking of the voter cards; and that one of the people doing counts was texting during the count.
There has been no response to the suit from the community government of Behchoko. The next court appearance of both parties will take place in the NWT Supreme Court on Sept. 22.
Now that's all pretty spectacular stuff, but also must regarded as allegations until decided on in court. And thankfully, there weren't any complaints of violence or property damage.
The Behchoko, Gameti, Wekweeti and Whati community governments were established in 2005 with the Tlicho Agreement. The composition and role of the community council, eligibility to vote, the duties of the chief, powers of these municipalities are also defined by law. Similar agreements exist for various communities across the NWT.
The good thing is that elections are happening and that people are coming out to vote.
When communities are very small, things can get personal. We would hope people could refrain from attempting to subvert democracy during the campaign, the voting process, or by making false allegations afterward.
After all, money directed to lawyers in fights over election results is money that won't be helping communities.
Change? Or just different letterhead?Nunavut/News North - Monday, September 11, 2017
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau split the long lamented Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, or INAC, into two separate departments.
Minister Carolyn Bennett became minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, while Trudeau shuffled Health Minister Jane Philpott to minister of Indigenous Services.
Inuit leaders, including Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami's Natan Obed and Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna, welcomed the move, but signalled cautious optimism.
Perhaps this is because Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs sounds awfully close to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Just as that sounded an awful lot like the name before that -- Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Or Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
The name has changed so many times over the years but the difference this time is that Indigenous Services -health care, water, and other community services - will get special attention. Heaven knows Indigenous communities in Canada need it.
Trudeau promises this move signals not only a rebranding of INAC but its death. He promises his government is making a serious push for decolonization through the pending death of the Indian Act. The act's intention was to assimilate Indigenous people in the land now called Canada.
Seven generations after the implementation of that Act, we can see its effects.
Nunavut remains hampered by household crowding, the country's lowest health outcomes, the lowest percentage of high school graduates, and an infrastructure deficit that would require an impossible investment to match national standards. The Conference Board of Canada has shown Nunavut's social outcomes - Indigenous income distribution, poverty, and employment - to be the worst among Canadian provinces and territories.
Remote Northern Ontario reserves such as Kashechewan continue to come to national attention for their perennial struggles dealing with water and health crises.
And last week, the bus company Greyhound said it can't afford to continue servicing the infamous Highway of Tears in northern B.C. If the company pulls out, the First Nations people will be forced to hitch-hike to travel between communities, and leaders fear the move will leave more of their women at risk from predators who have already taken so many.
Colonialism has a long tail, and it will take a great deal of effort and investment to make life easier for Indigenous people in Canada.
Trudeau's decision to split INAC is inspired by a long-overlooked Royal Commission report from 1996, which laid out a roadmap for decolonization. The Toronto Star notes the Chretien government saw implementation as too expensive. But Trudeau has taken the first steps to follow the guidance of that commission.
The commission's report calls for providing Indigenous nations with the land and resources needed to establish self-government, the right to levy taxes, and control over their own social systems, as well as control over who can do what on their lands.
Sound familiar? Nunavut has shown the way, and yet we have so far to go. The federal government needs to be prepared for devolution, major infrastructure investments, and increased funding for health care and poverty reduction.
Trudeau has a long road to building trust but the first signs are promising.
The government now needs to back up its rebranding with actions that make a measurable difference on the ground here and in southern Indigenous communities.
Don't shut out reporters Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 8, 2017
Love it or loathe it, the media plays an important role in democracy: it keeps citizens informed, holds organizations accountable and shines a little light in the darkness.
And when it comes to elections, journalists are there with their smartphones and prying questions, trying to keep them "free and fair."
Two weeks ago, about 50 Yellowknives Dene First Nation members attended the candidates forum for Ndilo chief to hear the three candidates -- Alex Beaulieu, Ernest Betsina and Shirley Tsetta - speak ahead of the then-upcoming Sept. 6 election. Following an opening prayer and a members' vote, all of the media - CBC, Moose FM, Yellowknifer and Native Press - were shown the door.
The journalists had no choice but to respect the request to leave, but there is a lot wrong with this picture. First and foremost, as candidate Tsetta said at the time: a lot of eligible voters weren't able to make the forum and now wouldn't be able to read or hear about it later.
For those who think that's not a big deal, the last race for Ndilo chief was decided by a single vote. In 2013, now-incumbent Betsina defeated Tsetta by 122 votes to 121. Then-acting chief Roy Erasmus Sr. wasn't far behind either with 108 votes. So every vote really does count.
It's understandable there is distrust of media within Indigenous communities, especially non-indigenous media. To that end, Yellowknifer offers its commitment to providing news and information to all its readers, including readers who voted in the Ndilo election.
Our main goal for showing up to the candidates forum in Ndilo was to report on what was said so Yellowknives Dene First Nation members could make well-informed decisions about who they want leading them.
In that spirit, Yellowknifer wishes to congratulate Chief re-elect Ernest Betsina and thank all the candidates for answering questions in the Sept. 1 edition of the newspaper.
The Q&A article allowed the candidates to identify the issues they felt were most important to the community and their plans to address them if elected chief.
All voters need that information, because it helps them decide how to cast their vote. And later, to hold their elected leaders accountable.
X can mark the spot Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, September 8, 2017
The federal government caught up with the territorial government this month -- Canadians can now choose to have either male, female or X on both their NWT government ID and their passport.
This is a stride towards a more open and equal Canada. It's also an example of how the NWT can lead the way.
That said, the fight isn't over and the X isn't always a freedom -- it can open people up to all sorts of problems, especially in countries less tolerant than Canada.
For now, the federal government is urging discretion while traveling, at both the destination and any transit country where the X might be a red flag.
The next step is to pressure the International Civil Aviation Organization, that mandates gender on documents, to remover it completely.
That's what Lane MacIntosh, who is in the process of switching to the X, says is needed -- because the political is personal.
"Not having gender on ID doesn't take anything away from you. But having an identifier that is not correct for me, that affects me," MacIntosh told Yellowknifer.
That is a very good point. The world needs to catch up to Canada.
And Canada has the opportunity now to champion the removal of identifiers that do more harm than good.
Geographic challenges shouldn't stifle ambitionInuvik Drum - Thursday, September 7, 2017
It's likely no surprise to residents of Inuvik that living in the far North can feel isolating at times.
For some NWT communities, the reality is that the only way in and out is by plane.
Luckily for Inuvik, the town is situated on the Dempster Highway, which connects people to Whitehorse and beyond.
In just a few months, Inuvik will also link up with Tuktoyaktuk on the new all-season road.
The world is becoming increasingly connected these days, and that means people are exploring more opportunities beyond their own backyards.
Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact a plane ticket south can cost an arm and a leg.
And for anyone looking to head to university, get involved in sports tournaments, or compete in activities beyond the community level, that can be a major barrier.
So you could forgive 14-year-old Inuvik teen Savannah Elias-Beaulieu for wondering whether she lived too far North to enter the Miss Teen Canada Globe pageant in Toronto this year.
In the end, it turned out she was able to take part, and from Aug. 16 to 27 she competed against 13- to 17-year-old girls from around the country.
Although it cost Elias-Beaulieu a whopping $17,000 to be in the pageant - money she fundraised - it paid off.
She not only won the pageant's audience choice award, but was dubbed the fourth runner-up, meaning she's now headed on to bigger, better things.
In November, she'll represent Canada in a pageant in Honduras - the first time a girl from the NWT has taken part in the international event.
What's important about Elias-Beaulieu's story is she didn't let significant barriers stand in the way of giving her goals a shot - an attitude everyone in Inuvik should be inspired to live by.
As Elias-Beaulieu told the Inuvik Drum, she's wanted to be in pageants since she was a little girl.
Getting out in the world not only gives young residents like her an opportunity to grow and expand their horizons, but it helps put
Inuvik, and the North, on the map.
As Elias-Beaulieu mentioned, she had a chance to showcase her culture during the pageant by wearing her atikluk, polar bear mukluks, a matching headband and ulu earrings during one portion of the event.
She's not the only Inuvik resident putting themselves out there either.
The Inuvik Robotics and Engineering Club has its sights set on starting a territorial competition this year.
The idea is that the winner would move on to compete against teams from other provinces and territories in the future - another opportunity for residents to test themselves, but also show what the territory is made of.
Raising the money to take part in these activities in a small town is no easy feat. There's only so much money to go around and everyone wants a slice of the pie.
But as Elias-Beaulieu's story shows, a little faith and a lot of hard work can make the risk worth the reward.
