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Outfitters must adapt
NWT News/North - Monday, January 18, 2010

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Whether big game hunting outfitters agree with the government's decision to restrict, and in some areas, ban caribou hunting has essentially become a moot point.

A number of aboriginal groups are either solidly behind the move or are not expressing opposition to it. The Dene and Metis who have been challenging the restrictions are fighting for aboriginal harvesting rights, not for commercial hunts.

So for outfitters to dwell on the past will only ensure their businesses' extinction.

It's undeniable that sport hunting for caribou is big money in the NWT -- contributing approximately $4 million to our economy annually and supplies a handful of jobs for local guides. But, as with any natural resource when not managed properly, supplies run dry. When that happens, the financial ramifications should be outweighed by the environmental concerns.

Policy is in place. Although outfitters do have the democratic right to protest or even sue the government if they believe the GNWT's decision-making is flawed and based on inaccurate information, standing on the soapbox in the meantime will not save their businesses.

Programs have been put in place to assist outfitters in marketing themselves for alternative big-game hunts or eco-tourism ventures.

We also encourage the government to maintain its insurance program that offers compensation to clients who pay deposits to outfitting businesses that may go bankrupt.

It could be argued that those programs alone are not enough, do not offer enough money and will never compensate for government policy that takes away a profitable area of business.

But outfitters cannot blame all their financial woes on the government.

Big-game hunting is becoming a risky business. Growing environmental pressure has eliminated a number of markets for various Northern animals.

The U.S. market for polar bear hunts was destroyed when our southern neighbours banned the imports of polar bear parts. Financial gain among seal hunts has diminished since the European Union banned the import of parts harvested by commercial hunters.

The caribou hunting restrictions are the latest blow to outfitters, but no one can say the writing wasn't on the wall.

For nearly five years, report after report has foreshadowed the need to strengthen caribou management policies. Outfitters were not oblivious to this fact and led a campaign to refute many of those reports knowing they threatened their businesses.

Good business sense should have dictated that while the outfitters fought to save their franchises, they should have also begun strategizing alternative business models.

Ecotourism is not a stable industry, especially with environmental crusaders who don't want anyone to tread on preserved lands, but it is still an industry with much potential, especially in North with its vast amount of untouched wilderness.

It's time the government and the outfitters began working together. The NWT needs money generated by tourism and the jobs provided by businesses such as the outfitters. The outfitters need to find ways to survive and need government support to make the transition.

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Follow the rules
Nunavut News/North - Monday, January 18, 2010

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In 2008 Uravan Minerals Inc., a uranium mining company, moved garbage, construction materials and barrels of fuel from its Garry Lake location to a site at Sand Lake for which it had no land-use permit or water licence.

This wasn't discovered by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) until August 2009, when an inspector visiting the site found close to 1,000 litres of fuel had leaked onto the tundra from 13 of the barrels. He ordered the company to clean up the site by Sept. 30, 2009, but Uravan has applied for and received an extension to May 2010.

Uravan's CEO Larry Lahusen acknowledged the violation of regulations in an e-mail to INAC but stated it was done without "malicious or flagrant intent." No charges have been laid and no fines have been imposed.

It can be argued that Nunavut's regulatory regime is slow and complex, making it difficult for mining companies to attain all the required paperwork while still developing their projects in a timely and cost-effective manner. Balancing the demands of investors versus the demands of land claim beneficiaries is certainly a tricky magic act.

However, polluting land without even having permission to be there is not the way to foster a good working relationship with Nunavummiut.

Furthermore, the ability of a company to pollute land without having permission to be there and yet not be charged or fined by INAC sends other mining firms the message that this is an acceptable way of doing business in the North, which it is not.

If this business can ignore the rules, and regulatory bodies fail to censure it properly, what confidence can Nunavummiut have that land, water and wildlife will be protected in the face of increased mineral exploration?

It's incumbent on companies keen to harness Nunavut's mineral resources to prove they will respect the land and its people, and that means following the rules.

Careless actions such as Uravan's will make it difficult for other companies to gain the trust of Nunavummiut, but not impossible. We must pay close attention to mining activities and stay informed about potential projects by attending the many public forums companies hold as part of the regulatory process. After all, we have the most at stake in what projects are approved and how they are carried out.

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The 'Mis-Handley Bridge'
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 15, 2010

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The Deh Cho Bridge is now without a builder and confidence ebbs even further that this project will be completed within its $165 million budget.

Four piers in the Mackenzie River are all that is to be seen of the bridge so far - four of eight pillars upon which to lay the structure. New Brunswick's ATCON Construction, hired to build the 1 km span, was recently removed from the project, unable to complete construction for the agreed upon cost.

The project, run by the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation in Fort Providence, carried a $55 million price tag in 2002. Those days are long gone.

A new contractor must be in place by March 1 if construction is to be finished by fall 2011, which is already a year behind schedule.

Increased costs are a growing concern as the rising expense will surely be absorbed by Yellowknife residents. Commercial trucks transporting goods to our city will undoubtedly face rising tolls and those costs will be passed on to customers.

So those of us who need to drive in and out of the NWT during freeze-up and break-up - representing about a month of every year - will enjoy the luxury of crossing an expensive bridge that is costing all of us more money at the grocery store all year round.

We can thank former premier Joe Handley for signing off on this project, giving amateur bridge builders a chance to learn the craft on our dime. The mis-steps have been painful, especially getting the project underway before even having approval on the design.

Yellowknife city council should step up and make it clear that any additional costs will not be tolerated because we're the ones who will suffer.

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Soldier deaths not just numbers
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, January 15, 2010

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Lt. Andrew Richard Nuttall's connection to Yellowknife may be fleeting but his death reminds us nonetheless that there are real people serving in Afghanistan.

These people are not just mere statistics, part of a growing number as it were of unfamiliar faces and names that every so often appear in the evening news and newspapers as our nation pays a brief tribute to sacrifices made and deaths mourned.

These soldiers have roots in many places in Canada, and it's inevitable as the body count in Afghanistan rises that some of these deaths will make an impact, even here in Yellowknife where the war in Afghanistan could not seem any further away.

Nuttall lived in Yellowknife for three years in the early 1990s. He went to St. Patrick High School from grades six through eight, and was a member of the city's local air cadet regiment.

It's safe to say our nation's involvement in Afghanistan is a controversial one. Is it right that Canadian soldiers are fighting there?

The most recent controversy over Afghan detainees, and our military and government's involvement with this issue, has inflamed things even more.

But let us not forget our soldiers because, truly, some of them will now only live in our memories.

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Community spirit needs a boost
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, January 14, 2010

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Young talents of two very different kinds were on display in Fort Simpson over the weekend.

In the recreation centre and gym at Thomas Simpson School, 11 basketball teams showed off their athletic skills on the court while competing for the division titles in the Wolfpack Invitational.

Next door, Bompas Elementary School was filled to the brim with young fiddlers attending the Kole Crook Fiddle Association's annual fiddle jamboree.

The amount of work that goes into organizing and hosting events like these never fails to impress me. Volunteers put in countless hours for these events to ensure that everything ran smoothly.

During the tournament almost all of the basketball games started on schedule. Teams knew where they had to be and when. They were well fed and housed in the meanwhile. At the jamboree the most was made of every day as 106 fiddlers rotated between lessons, snacks, meals and recreation time.

Such well-run events reflect positively on the village and should increase overall community pride. It's a pity, therefore, that more people didn't witness them.

On Saturday, the main day of the basketball tournament, the crowds in the recreation centre were small. Actually calling them crowds is generous, they were more like small groups.

Athletes from the teams that were waiting for their next game occupied most of the chairs and the stands in the rec centre. The adults who were present were primarily coaches, along with a few teachers and a very small number of parents.

Even during the final game in the senior boys' division when the Fort Simpson Wolfpack was battling the Tulita T-Wolves for their first chance to win the home tournament the hometown crowd was noticeably scarce.

The story was the same over at the fiddle jamboree, where the participants put on a community concert on Saturday night. Again, very few people took in the event.

In both cases residents were missing something worth watching. Basketball isn't soccer, the darling sport of the Deh Cho, but it still provides some fast past action and nail biting endings. There is also only one basketball tournament a year in the village. Hearing more than 106 fiddlers playing together also isn't an opportunity that comes around every day.

These events deserved more community support in the form of fans and audiences. Volunteers put a lot of effort into organizing the events and young athletes and musicians put their skills on the line. Both were events that Fort Simpson can be proud of hosting and more people should have been present to illustrate this.

Luckily there is no shortage of upcoming activities that residents can chose to display their community spirit at. It would be great to see large hometown crowds cheer on the Fort Simpson hockey teams in upcoming tournaments.

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The waiting game
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, January 14, 2010

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No one can argue that 2009 was a challenging year economically for Inuvik. Many here having been pinning their hopes and dreams on the Mackenzie Gas project, hoping for reassurance that it might become a reality with a start up construction date coming sooner rather than later.

The joint review panel's long-overdue report on the Mackenzie Gas Project came as welcome news since its members expressed support for the pipeline.

Now the real decisions must be made to determine whether there's a real demand for Arctic natural gas and whether the federal government is willing to shell out mega dollars to make it happen.

In his discussion with council Monday night, Dennis Bevington, Western Arctic MP, said the ultimate decision to go ahead with the project rests with the companies involved. That's true ... to an extent. I bet the stakeholder companies won't budge until they see what the federal government's current position on the project is, especially with recent reports saying that its interest is waning.

How much money is the federal government willing to pour into the project? The people of Inuvik and the rest of the North deserve to know that answer soon. At least we'll know if the government is committed to the project.

Otherwise it's a waste of time talking about infrastructure upgrades and impact funds if the will isn't truly there.

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Travel blues
Editorial Comment
Andrew Rankin
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, January 14, 2010

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This isn't really a rant, rather a complaint, about my experience travelling with Canadian North over the holidays.

I recall my first trip to Inuvik this time last year when I was served a lovely meal of salmon - a little extravagant, I thought, but perhaps not in view of the cost of the ticket.

Fast forward to December 2009 when I flew to Edmonton using the same airline. With a stopover in Yellowknife I travelled from about 2 to 7 p.m. without a meal. Like mice we were served pretzels and cheese and crackers. Is it me, or should an airline be required to serve its customers a complimentary basic meal during meal hours?

I flew back from Edmonton with the same airline at 8 a.m. I was offered cookies instead of a breakfast. This time I showed up with a full stomach. People will argue that that's the sort of treatment you get flying these days. Maybe so. But Canadian North flights are pretty expensive. Fine if the airline is cutting costs, just add a few bucks onto my ticket. Nobody likes to be dumped off at an airport starving.

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Olympic jet set
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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Another out-of-territory event, another planeload of MLAs spending our money with reckless abandon.

There will be six MLAs - at a cost of $25,000 - heading to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., next month.

To do what? To "have a presence," according to Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro. It's a vague response.

Bisaro was a lot clearer 10 months ago when she was thundering with outrage upon learning the territorial government was spending $2.5 million for an NWT presence at the Olympics.

And how could we be shocked that serial junket participant Mackenzie Delta MLA David Krutko is on this trip? Maybe he wants to see if the mountains are shrinking down in B.C., since he claims the Mackenzie Mountains are receding in his home riding.

But this is all par for the course. Last month, the government shovelled out $86,000 to send five MLAs and two bureaucrats to a United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, our politicians had no official standing but yet felt it necessary to attend so they could "observe."

MLAs are equally mealy-mouthed about their yearly jaunts to far-flung countries to attend Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conferences to teach the world about consensus government, an overwhelming success we're sure.

Sending the premier, and maybe Tourism Minister Bob McLeod, to the Olympics makes sense. Sending four other MLAs - when a worthy group of athletes and cultural delegates will already represent our interests - just proves once again our legislators really don't care what the public thinks of their perks.

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Leave development to experts
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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The proposed residential development on School Draw Avenue, on the outskirts of Tin Can Hill, is a good compromise for a city in need of more housing and residents concerned with losing their highly-valued green space.

The trail through Tin Can Hill, popular among dog owners and joggers, will be left for Yellowknifers to enjoy, while the city will benefit from additional housing and parking.

Mission Ventures, a private developer based in British Columbia, will head up the task of building 81-units, a mix of town-homes, apartments and condos.

We can't afford to have any more development tripped up by the same restrictions that have plagued the Engle Business District and Niven Lake Phase VII, locations where the city has sunk millions of dollars in public money. That investment has yet to pay off as lots in those areas are extremely slow to sell. Council is faced with a choice of crossing its fingers and waiting it out, revising building bylaws that make construction unappealing, or lowering the price of the lots.

Private developers are willing to risk their own money to meet market demands.

With all the issues city hall has had in the real estate game, they should stay out of development and leave the job to professional developers.

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More jerks than journalists
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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The darkest hour for sports reporting in North America was the day thousands of young reporters decided they were no longer sports writers, they were sports journalists.

To me, the term sports journalist rivals gentlemen's hockey as the biggest oxymoron of all time, but I digress.

Once this new breed of sports reporter decided they were journalists, they quickly fell victim to the trap of self-importance.

It didn't matter if they ever actually played, coached or officiated the games they covered, they were sports journalists now and that came with a self-imposed right to know more than everyone else.

It also brought with it the style of reporting we see all over the airwaves today, where getting dirt on an athlete's personal life means more than writing on any championship he or she may have won on the playing field.

It's amazing Tiger Woods had enough strength to swing a golf club, now that his growing number of extramarital affairs is being reported on a daily basis.

But even worse than the muck raking these sports journalists gleefully indulge themselves in, is their penchant for criticizing everything for the sake of criticism itself.

All under the guise of probing journalism.

No better example can be found than the incessant whining over the state of hockey in this country.

Not that many years ago, these talking heads boldly proclaimed many countries had surpassed Canada as the world's hockey power.

We had to learn to play the European game and stop acting like a bunch of Red Bull-fuelled goons or our game would pass us by forever.

Then, of course, came five straight world junior championships.

As this year's tourney unfolded in Saskatchewan, these same journalists bemoaned the fact Canada was almost invincible at the event.

What must the world think of us, as we trounce lesser opponents and proclaim during post-game interviews that we can still play even better?

The world juniors has become predictable and boring they proclaimed, and it's unfair for Canada to host it so often.

How can those poor foreign boys hope to compete when they're forced to play in front of such rabid hockey fans here in Canada?

That lasted until an excellent American team played a great game and captured the junior championship this past week.

Suddenly, those same sports journalists pulled their heads out of Tiger Woods's garbage long enough to realize the American women's team has been handling our Canadian gals pretty well the past couple of years, and the Canadian men's team didn't win a medal of any colour at the 2006 Olympics.

So now the talking heads are building up the pressure on our two Canadian hockey teams to strike gold at the 2010 Games in Vancouver or all will be lost, yet again.

Thankfully, the outcome at the Games isn't as predictable as the content of their snivelling, or there would be no reason to watch, let alone care.

But, it does go to show you a jerk can be just as comfortable with their boots under a keyboard as someone else's bed.