---

Good-news budget
NWT News/North - Monday, February 8, 2010

---

The GNWT's decision to increase government spending by $92 million will inject cash to boost many Northern priorities.

Cartoons

Spending has increased in education, health care, infrastructure, and there's more than $1.1 million set aside to improve policing. Enhancing service in communities without RCMP detachments or where resources are limited is exactly what is needed.

Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger's comment that the days of the one-person RCMP detachments are over is encouraging. The need to have more than one officer on duty at all times was reinforced by the shooting death of Const. Christopher Worden in Hay River in 2007.

Inconsistent policing, in terms of high turnover and limited resources - has been an issue in small Northern communities. Adding more officers is a good step to rectifying that problem. But, community trust and sensitivity is also needed. To that end, it is time for the GNWT to foster its community constable program and dedicate some of the new funding to hiring local people as auxiliary officers who can act as community liaisons.

On another front, more than $307 million is going to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to improve everything from student achievement to physical fitness. Beginning with early childhood development right up to graduation, the government's investment aims to ensure increased graduation rates territory-wide. Yet, merely graduating more students should not be the ultimate goal. Preparing students for entry into post-secondary education or the workforce should be the measure of success. Graduates need the necessary skills to pursue their career objectives. All schools should be equipped with counselling programs to assist students in choosing high school courses to achieve their goals.

Last week's edition of News/North featured a two-page advertisement listing the numerous trade apprentices working in various NWT communities. The list was impressive and covered a host of disciplines. It is encouraging to see the GNWT is continuing to build on its skilled trades training with a $1-million investment toward apprentice support, Aurora College programming and post-secondary education assistance.

Combined with $22 million worth of capital investments for road upgrades, school replacements and renovations, and other infrastructure programs, this will translate into more jobs and continued employment for many NWT tradespeople. A focus on training to prepare more Northerners for construction of the Mackenzie Valley road extension and the pipeline is also needed. If those projects move forward, Northerners cannot be allowed to miss out on the resulting employment opportunities.

Social spending to combat domestic violence - one of the NWT's most pervasive social problems - shows the government's commitment to supporting Northern families. Additional funding to help existing shelters and money for a pilot project to rehabilitate abusers is a good start to ensuring safety in Northern homes. Future support should come in the form of early-parenting training and family counselling programs.

Health care continues to dominate the NWT's budget - as it does in most jurisdictions. The GNWT's focus on prevention to help curb costs is a good one. However, a clearer picture of how the government plans to promote that plan is needed. Simply saying Northerners must take responsibility for their own health - although accurate - is an idealistic approach to health care.

Setting $425,000 aside to assist the arts - a major source of income in the smaller communities -- demonstrates this budget didn't just focus on the big-ticket items.

However, the government must balance overall program funding with administration costs, like by cutting travel budgets, most of which went up in this budget.

---

Taking one for the team
Nunavut News/North - Monday, February 8, 2010

---

Canada has a lot of polar bears. According to Environment Canada, our country is home to about 15,500 of the world's estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears.

We're the only country that still allows sport hunting of the bears. Communities can sell tags to visiting hunters as long as the visitors are guided by Inuit during the hunt. Nunavummiut derive an economic boost from the money these hunters spend on goods and services.

This influx of cash was hurt by the American ban on the import of polar bear trophies in 2008. Now the Americans are asking the international community to ban polar bear imports worldwide. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will vote on the U.S. proposal at its meeting in Qatar in March.

To ward off the worldwide ban, the onus is on Canada to prove our polar bear populations are sustainable.

In 2009, scientific assessments commissioned by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada indicated that three subpopulations were likely to be increasing (Viscount Melville Sound, M'Clintock Channel, and Gulf of Boothia), three subpopulations were likely to be stable (Davis Strait, Northern Beaufort Sea, and Southern Hudson Bay), six subpopulations were likely to be decreasing (Baffin Bay, Kane Basin, Lancaster Sound, Norwegian Bay, Southern Beaufort Sea, and Western Hudson Bay), and the status of one subpopulation was unknown (Foxe Basin).

The Baffin Bay population is of particular concern because both Greenland and Nunavut harvest from it. It's estimated Greenland takes about 100 bears a year, while Nunavut raised its Baffin Bay hunting quota in 2004 to 105 bears from 64.

However, scientists suggest a total combined quota of 93 would be sustainable and pressure is being put on Nunavut to reduce its quota. The European Union banned the import of bear trophies from the Baffin Bay and Kane Basin populations last year, and as of Jan. 1, Environment Canada is refusing to permit the export of polar bears harvested from the Baffin Bay population. That decision could be reversed if Nunavut decreases its quota.

A temporary decrease in the quota will hurt hunters in Pond Inlet, Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq.

But decreasing the quota is necessary if Nunavut, and Canada, wish to be seen by the world as managing its polar bear populations in a responsible manner. If Nunavut does not lower the Baffin Bay quota, this will bolster the positions of those who wish to ban polar bear imports worldwide, effectively destroying the market.

In order that all other Nunavut communities may continue to benefit from sport hunting, Baffin Bay communities will have to reduce their hunt. Otherwise, once a market is lost, it's terribly difficult to get it back, as the European seal hunt ban proved in 1984.

The Baffin Bay compromise will hurt in the short-term, but in the long-term the reduction will pay off.

---

The empire strikes back
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, February 5, 2010

---

What were the big campaign issues from last fall's municipal election? Affordable housing, and adequate green space were two.

Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars setting up a harbour committee to control Yellowknife Bay? That wasn't a campaign issue.

Residents have hardly been demanding the city spend $200,000 of taxpayers' money to unleash a regulatory frenzy on evil houseboaters clogging up the shore of Jolliffe Island.

The city insists its desire for the eventual creation of a harbour authority - partnered with the Yellowknives Dene and various other government bodies - isn't just about controlling houseboat development. But we wonder if the sting of defeat still lingers at city hall after losing a number of costly lawsuits against the houseboat community a decade ago.

Back then, the city wanted houseboaters to pay property tax. The courts ruled the city has no jurisdiction over the lake bed - that's a federal government responsibility.

As if to legitimize the money city hall has committed, Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl's offered a matching $200,000 gift for the harbour committee, which he chalks up as a "business development opportunity." What business development opportunity? For consultants maybe, no one else.

Should there be some sort of organization governing the houseboating community? Sure. Should they pay property taxes, or some sort of fee in lieu of taxes? Yes.

The problem with this latest adventure by the city is a lack of any guarantee this will benefit the city in anyway whatsoever, and $200,000 is a lot of money to burn on yet another study.

It remains doubtful the city will ever have ownership of the lake bed, and thus the power to impose property taxes on houseboats. It's a sure bet, however, that this will eventually cost taxpayers even more money when city hall bureaucrats insist on conducting safety inspections and demanding building permits on the harbour authority's behalf.

City council has recently had their knuckles rapped over draconian park bylaws and overly cumbersome zoning rules.

Now they appear to have been roped into yet another empire-building scheme by administration. Even Paul Falvo, a former houseboater, voted in favour of it without protest.

It should make houseboaters shudder, and it concerns the city as a whole, because even though houseboaters do not contribute to city coffers through taxes, there is no denying the benefits houseboats bring to local tourism, and as a source of affordable housing. As stated earlier, affordable housing was a goal trumpeted by many city council candidates in the fall election.

Instead of mounting a regulatory assault on houseboaters, the city ought to open a dialogue with them, offering more than a single seat on a 16-member harbour planning committee.

If handled fairly, the city might even get some co-operation on development rules and rates for city services.

It would certainly cost less money and create less acrimony.

---

A cautionary tale
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, February 4, 2010

---

The territorial and federal government's announcement last Friday of their joint support for a study to examine the feasibility of the Mackenzie Valley Highway is a shot in the arm for a much beloved dream.

While many have groaned about another protracted study that won't necessarily end in a concrete action, others see it as a promising move forward.

For decades the idea of an all-weather road up the Mackenzie Valley has been a dream for many residents in the territory including those in the Deh Cho. There is something inherently exciting about the thought of being able to drive up the valley and loop around onto the Dempster Highway. A completed Mackenzie Valley Highway would set a new standard for epic road trips in Canada.

The benefits the road could bring to the Deh Cho can't be underestimated.

An economic study completed by the territorial government last September estimated the jobs the construction and maintenance of the road would create. They included 7,785 one-time jobs and more than 200 long-term jobs. Some of those jobs would unquestionably go to Deh Cho residents if the project moved forward.

Portions of the construction contracts might also go to local companies with the expertise and equipment for road building.

To reach the southern entrance to the highway all traffic would have to go through the Deh Cho. This would mean an increased volume of customers for businesses catering to travellers including gas stations, restaurants, hotels and repair shops.

The key beneficiaries would be Fort Simpson and Wrigley.

Because Fort Simpson already gets a lot of traffic, Wrigley would experience the greatest rise in opportunities. Fuel sales alone would skyrocket as a result of an all-weather highway.

However, the reality check is the three-year study. The study's length coupled with an environmental regulatory process and a search for funds to build the nearly $2 billion road add up to a long wait before the highway is functional.

Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington had a valid point when he said residents don't want a three-year study to bog down potential progress on the highway. The project, however, appears to be moving forward.

Because of the very real benefits the Deh Cho could reap from the highway, leaders and residents in the region need to fully participate in the study and the consultation it will entail. Wherever possible the Deh Cho will need to expedite the study and continue to press the territorial government to prepare for the next steps that will lead to construction.

Now that the highway dream has gained a bit of momentum, the Deh Cho has to make sure it keeps rolling forward right up the valley to Tuktoyaktuk.

---

It takes a community
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, February 4, 2010

---

Samuel Hearne Secondary School deserves credit for trying to implement, in a sense, a new code of conduct for its kids. In the face of some serious issues, especially the constant attendance problems, you have to hand it to the school for trying in some way to deal with the situation.

On Monday, school principal Roman Mahnic met with students of each grade, explaining the basics of the new code. Students are not longer allowed to listen to their iPods during class time, even if their work is finished. They can't have their cell phones in plain sight so teachers can see them. The school also seems to be taking a more collective approach to disciplining students. With each infraction it appears more and more professionals will get involved, whether it be the principal himself, or perhaps outside counsellors.

The idea is to provide students with the support they need to succeed. My sense is that Mahnic really cares about the kids and from what I could see many of the kids are responsive to him. I sat in on the session with the Grade 7 class and they were an alert bunch eager to participate. It's no surprise that they have the highest attendance record of all the grades in the school.

Grade 10 attendance ratio is at 69 per cent, the lowest of all grades in the school.

Sure these new rules might encourage more students to come to school if the desired result is achieved: a better learning environment.

The subject of education came up constantly during the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation all candidates meeting held here last month. I thought Nellie Cournoyea gave a good reason why some kids stop going to school. Basically many of the elementary school students get drawn through the system, sometimes unbeknownst to them, even though they're not working at their grade levels. By the time they reach puberty they start to become more self-conscious of their scholastic inadequacies and they simply stop going to school out of embarrassment or humiliation.

The problem isn't an isolated one. I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that many of these troubled kids come from troubled families. There aren't sufficient or affordable housing for many families in Inuvik and beyond. There isn't enough addictions services for the men and women who desperately need it here. Until the territorial government starts dealing with those problems, then any school code of conduct isn't going to amount to much.

---

Kudos for pushing healthy living
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, February 4, 2010

---

Darelene Burden deserves a pat on the back for following through with her community weight loss program, which is featured in this week's Drum. So far she has 12 residents signed up and counting. Called Inuvik's Biggest Loser, it's an intelligent program that doesn't push fad or crash diets. Instead it pushes gradual weight loss through healthy living, which includes healthy eating, exercise and education. Let's hope the program catches on and is here for the long haul.

---

What does it take?
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, February 3, 2010

---

Timothee and Helen Caisse have finally gotten off the roller coaster ride they've been on courtesy of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) since last November.

First, the seniors were allotted a public housing unit. But Income Security, a division of ECE, neglected to confirm their damage deposit with the Yellowknife Housing Authority. That left them homeless for two days, their belongings outdoors and exposed to freezing rain.

Once they moved in, the Caisses applied for $1,800 compensation from Income Security, an amount Timothee insists wouldn't even cover the cost to replace the furniture, food and electronics ruined by the department's oversight. Income Security gave them $1,000. They appealed for the extra $800.

That appeal went in the Caisses' favour, with the Social Assistance Administrative Review Group granting them the $800.

Then the government appealed to the Social Assistance Appeal Board, and it revoked the compensation.

Timothee protested. Gloria Iatridis, an assistant deputy minister of ECE, and Income Security managers met with him. He threatened to take them to court, and suddenly the department paid up. In addition, further public damage to its reputation through coverage in this newspaper probably dampened ECE's appetite to continue battling over the $800.

Though he and his wife now have the money they asked for, Timothee is far from satisfied due to bureaucratic red tape he had to wade through, followed by the sudden turnabout once the assistant deputy minister got involved. His persistence paid off, but he worries that many elders would have put up with the loss of their possessions rather than take on the government.

He's justified in asking why it should take three months and the intervention of an assistant deputy minister to get the compensation he deserved. The government should be asking the same thing, and take steps to fix the bureaucratic bungling at Income Security that jeopardizes the wellbeing of our territory's most vulnerable citizens.

---

Going to waste
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, February 3, 2010

---

It has been five months since a fire robbed salvagers of access to the dump.

After promises from the city that salvaging will resume soon, the process seems no further along than it was months ago.

In December public works director Dennis Kefalas told Yellowknifer salvaging would likely resume in the new year when the three-cell salvaging area is built.

It is now February and the city is still in the process of buying the materials to build the three-cell area and are waiting on an estimate. From the sounds of it, Yellowknifers will be waiting much longer before they can once again search the dump for discarded treasures.

City councillor Paul Falvo told News/North last week that he has heard from a number of residents dismayed by the amount of time it's taking to re-establish the salvaging area.

As administration continues to drag its feet on the project, it is clear someone at city hall needs to take the lead.

Dump salvaging is a green initiative, so why aren't the "green" city councillors demanding to know why it is taking so long to get salvaging back at the dump?

Where is the outrage over the needless amount of recyclable material being bulldozed because the dump is off-limits to people in search of reusable materials?

If the city was really interested in getting salvaging back up and running it could install a temporary area.

Let's see some leadership from council on this.

---

Singing the Beatles blues
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, February 3, 2010

---

I've been a music fanatic for most of my life.

I've played in bands, and managed both bands and individual recording artists.

In fact, if I had a dime for every song I've heard, people would say, baby you're a rich man.

So, I've always considered myself a little smarter than the average bear when it comes to music and the recording industry in general.

A lot of that has changed, however, with the age of digital and the influx of new terms and abilities ranging from MP3 players to ripping, burning and, the term I like least, copying.

While many people use these new abilities in an honourable fashion, a whole new shady industry has emerged which has me right back in learning mode.

And the lessons aren't cheap!

You couldn't wipe the smile from my face with an electric sander that fine January day when I turned my parcel card in at the post office and received my recently ordered Beatles stereo boxed set.

Beautifully packaged (on the outside), I gleefully went through the disks to make sure each Beatles studio album was there, along with two special past masters CDs and a mini documentary DVD on the making of their studio efforts.

All present and accounted for.

But, alas, this is a very busy time of year for me and enjoying my Beatles collection would have to wait.

And then it happened.

An e-mail arrived directing me to an industry review on the box set, which reported at great length about the infiltration of illegal Chinese bootleg copies.

The article informed me the first way to spot a fake was to look at the Universal Product Code (UPC) near the bottom of the back of the box.

The genuine set should have an anti-piracy stamp near the UPC.

Horror! No stamp!

The second way to tell the phoney is if it has thin red ribbons between the disks, as the authentic set has wider black ribbons.

Double horror!! Red ribbons!!

Finally, the article instructed me to check the back of the Revolver album CD and check the names of the Beatles.

Horror of horrors!!!

Unless the Beatles drummer was named Ringo Start and that incredible singing voice belonged to a guy named Paul McCarin, I had purchased a phoney set.

I can't just let it be, so now I'm in the process of trying to retrieve hundreds of dollars from a music shop - and here's the kicker - from my original hometown in Cape Breton where I purchased the set from.

Since I can't get back, I need help down the long and winding road because I don't have a ticket to ride to get a refund in person.

From the Kivalliq to Newfoundland, and across the universe, pirating music is a crime for good reason.

Too many people think it only affects millionaire musicians and companies that don't need the money anyway.

But it doesn't. It affects thousands of people everyday who lay down hard-earned money for an inferior product.

Maybe things will change when I'm 64, but, for now, when it comes to ordering digital disks over the Internet, I should have known better.