» Archive: North
July 18, 2004
Falling into the sea
Erosion threatens Alaskan villages
A warming climate is bringing expensive and dangerous erosion and floods to Alaskan villages, representatives of several communities recently told federal officials in Anchorage, Alaska.More actual, physical, events, taking place right under our noses while the world's politicians and economists do little more than argue about whether or not human kind has anything at all to do with what is happening, and if so, should they do anything about it."As the calming hand of the ice on the Arctic Ocean grows more fragile, so does our coastline," Barrow Mayor Edith Vorderstrasse told members of a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. "We are at a crossroads. Is it practical to stand and fight our mother ocean or do we surrender and move?"
Fixing the problems by expanding seawalls or relocating entire towns could cost hundreds of millions of dollars for the 213 Alaskan villages at risk. Of these, 184 face flooding and erosion problems, with very serious problems in about 20.
February 28, 2004
Taking advantage of technology
Satellite photos aiding Inuit in hunt
IQALUIT - Inuit in Pond Inlet are using space-age tools help them with hunting at the floe edge – where the ice meets sea water.The European Space Agency's Northern View Floe Edge Information Service, sends updated ice maps of inlets around Lancaster Sound to the community of Pond Inlet.
Pond Inlet resident David Qamaniq says with global warming, Inuit elders are finding it hard to predict the weather and ice conditions.
He says the satellite-based service makes it safer for hunters to travel, showing the location and conditions of the fast, always moving, always dangerous floe edge.
The great Canadian shame
Poor health picture for First Nations and Inuit in Canada
A health report released this week confirms that aboriginal peoples' health is worse than that of Canadians as a whole.As dismal as that is, it's not the end by any means.While they are making some gains, their lives are still on average five to 10 years shorter than those of other Canadians, says a report by Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), an independent organization mandated by Canada's health ministers to provide health information.
The report also notes that Aboriginal people in Canada have higher suicide rates, higher infant mortality rates, three times the rate of diabetes, 16 times the rate of tuberculosis, experience worse social, economic and environmental conditions than those of non-Aboriginal people, have lower average educational levels than non-Aboriginal peoples, experience higher unemployment rates, and have lower average incomes than non-Aboriginal people.
That's a pretty extensive list, but it doesn't end there
At least 33 per cent of First Nations and Inuit, compared to 18 per cent of non-Aboriginal people, live in inadequate, unsuitable or unaffordable housing, according to data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Poor housing has been associated with health problems.At some point the Federal government will be forced to live up to its obligations towards the Aboriginal people of Canada - the only question is, "How many more people have to kill themselves, die of preventable disease, or live out their lives in substandard living conditions before that happens?"
January 25, 2004
From YK to New York, From New York to YK
New York's Newsday recently sent a reporter to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (where I live) to write an article about "real" cold. The writer exaggerates a few things (like the idea that we wear Sorels all the time - he obviously didn't visit the high schools), but his facts are mostly correct. It is fun to be noticed, but the implication that northerners are insane, exotic yokels is a bit tiresome. We might live in a cold place, but we still go ice-fishing, watch the northern lights, and drive SUVs just like New Yorkers do.
The facts and figures in the article come from the Weather Winners website from Environment Canada which rates Canadian communities on various weather-related scales. Apparently, Yellowknife is the extreme weather champ (it was also the only community in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut which was in the competition).
When there is a cold snap in places like Toronto and New York, people often marvel at how hard northern life must be. Frankly, we can take care of ourselves; it's you guys we're worried about. I recently saw TV footage of homeless people on the streets of Toronto - when it was minus 40. Don't you southerners know that temperatures like that can kill people? In the north, we have terrible social problems, but at least we try to look after each other.
January 05, 2004
About time somebody did something
Global warming is killing us too, say Inuit
The Inuit people of Canada and Alaska are launching a human rights case against the Bush administration claiming they face extinction because of global warming.
By repudiating the Kyoto protocol and refusing to cut US carbon dioxide emissions, which make up 25% of the world's total, Washington is violating their human rights, the Inuit claim.
Admittedly the United States is a major [possibly the largest] contributor to the planets pollution problem - but they aren't the only ones by any stretch.
The suit should be extended to every 1st world industrialized nation that doesn't get with the program.
November 01, 2003
Actively oppose gay unions, Nunavut MLAs urge
( CBC North ) - Several Nunavut MLAs are calling on the territorial government to denounce same-sex marriages.They say most people in the territory are opposed to same-sex unions and they want the government to publicly voice its opposition to Ottawa.
Given that the Territory of Nunavut has the highest suicide rate in Canada, high rates of alcoholism, a serious lack of affordable housing, rampent unemployment, and an inadaquate health care system one would think this government could direct its attention in far more productive ways than worrying about whether or not both people standing at the alter or in front of the judge shaved their beards that morning our not.
October 09, 2003
First Inuk in the NHL
Tomorrow night Jordon Tootoo, a 21 year old from Rankin Inlet Nunavut, will step on to the ice with the Nashville Predators..... by doing so he becomes the first Inuk to play professional hockey in the NHL.
A poster promoting the Inuk hockey star as a role model for children in Nunavut was unveiled in Iqaluit on Tuesday, the poster poster is designed to encourage Inuit students to stay in school and set goals.
September 04, 2003
Ottawa may not replace Arctic ambassador
( CBC North ) - Canada's Arctic ambassador is resigning, and there is fear in political circles the position might be eliminated.
Mary Simon was Canada's first Inuk ambassador and one of the founders of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum to address the "common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic."
Abolishing the position or "rolling it up" within one or another existing federal department will not serve to address the needs and concerns of Arctic peoples, it cannot be stressed enough that adequate representation for the Canadian Arctic can only come another northern aboriginal person with a real understanding of northern issues.
September 02, 2003
Round and 'round and 'round we go
The Canadian arctic is rich in natural resources. Recent news articles about new gold and diamond finds in Nunavut prove it, but while some benefit goes to the people of Nunavut through employment at the mines royalty revenue goes to the Federal government.
This could change (and is changing in other Canadian Territories) to see royalty revenue from natural resources go directly to the Nunavut government if the Federal Minister of Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (Robert Nault) was willing to look at a devolution of powers framework - but he is not because (oddly enough) the Territory doesn't generate enough of it's own revenue.
According to Nault
( CBC North ) "In Nunavut, 97 per cent of the money is coming from the federal government,"
That number probably isn't too far off, but could be smaller if, for example, Nunavut received the royalties from natural resources instead of receiving only that portion of them the Federal Government deems fit to send in the form of transfer payments included in that 97% figure.
Nault goes on to state:
"And probably three per cent is coming from the taxes of the federal employees. So it's virtually all federal money."
A statement that Nault should be required to apologize for making.... just before he resigns his portfolio.
There is considerable Territorial revenue generated through employment other than Federal employment, through private sector employment, and through cottage industries and tourism throughout the north. More could be done if the Federal government to allowed Nunavut sufficient authority to do so but at this point it serves Federal interests to keep Nunavut as dependent on them as is possible.
So there we have it, the Federal government will not enter into discussions with the Territorial government on issues that would allow it to become more financially independent because of its current financial dependence.
The perpetuation the myth that the Canadian Arctic is and will remain a complete welfare state shows both insensitivity and poor judgment on the part of the Minister. If these statements are any indicator at all of what dealing with him is like Premier Okalik is correct in saying that change will not come until Nault (and his outdated attitude) is replaced.
August 22, 2003
American drilling for oil in Canadian waters?
Beaufort drilling a U.S. test, says Lang
( CBC North ) - The Yukon's acting premier hopes the federal government can fend off an American oil grab in the so-called disputed zone of the Beaufort Sea.Archie Lang says the U.S. government has asked for expressions of interest for oil drilling in part of the Beaufort Sea also claimed by Canada.
Canada is no stranger to disputes of this nature, the United States also disputes Canada's sovereignty over the Northwest Passage although it is clearly within the boundries of the Canadian Territory of Nunavut.
August 13, 2003
Ask a stupid question.....
"Why should the Inuit be exempt from the licence fees all other Canadians have to pay?" asks Tanis Fiss, director of the Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change for the group.
( CBC North ) - The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is denouncing Nunavut Tunngavik's efforts to see Inuit exempted from the federal firearms registry.The Federation describes itself as a non-partisan organization that acts as a watchdog on government spending and taxation.
The Federation believes that if Inuit are exempt from registering their guns, all Canadians should be.
"Why should the Inuit be exempt from the licence fees all other Canadians have to pay?" asks Tanis Fiss, director of the Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change for the group.
Fiss says she takes exception to the argument that requiring Inuit to register their guns could interfere with their traditional way of life. Fiss says firearms were not used by native Canadians prior to European contact.
Says Fiss:
"We do not feel that based on what your ancestry is or where you happen to live in Canada that you should be granted an exemption over and above other Canadians,"
The only thing is that it's based on a signed contract between the Inuit of Nunavut and the Government of Canada compensating the Inuit of Nunavut for a great many injustices..... including the take over and exploitation of Inuit lands and ill-conceived attempts at cultural assimilation.
The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement specifically grants Inuit in Nunavut the right to harvest "without the imposition of licences or fees", given what Canada gained from the deal (legal ownership of a sufficient amount of land to claim sovereignty over the Arctic) it's not such a big deal now is it?
Maybe if Fiss had bothered to do a little bit of basic research she (and the CTF) could have avoided asking a question with such an obvious answer.
August 12, 2003
Yukon's bishop opposed to gay colleague
( News North ) - Yukon's Anglican bishop says he's disappointed his American counterparts have elected an openly gay bishop.Terry Buckle says the move is wrong and will increase tensions within his church.
The American wing of the church elected a gay man, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire last week.
The bishop of the Yukon diocese, Terry Buckle, says his U.S. counterparts should not have done that.
Given their extensive track records of sexual abuse against aboriginal children within the Canadian residential school system (and many northern communities) a "holier than thou" attitude towards same sex couples coming from either the Anglican or Catholic churches would be laughable were it not quite so sad.
Heat wave hits circumpolar north
( Nunatsiaq News ) - Residents of northern Norway and Finland have been sweltering this summer during one of the hottest seasons on record.
As noted earlier the Canadian Arctic has been facing its own heat wave this summer seeing 30+ degree temperatures not to far south of the Arctic Circle and mid-20's on Baffin Island.
August 06, 2003
Arctic sizzles in summer heat
IQALUIT, Nunavut - The bitter, forbidding Arctic has been downright hot this summer.
Environment Canada has recorded several record-breaking temperatures in Nunavut, including a high of 31.5 C in Baker Lake on July 28 – beating the old record of 29.7 in 1991.Iqaluit has broken two records. On July 29 the temperature hit 26.1 C, breaking the record of 20.8 in 2001. And last Friday the temperature in Nunavut's capital went up to 20.8 C, setting yet another record.
Little is published in the mainstream media about the effects of global warming and climate change in the arctic however those effects can be far more significant than in southern areas. This document (PDF 3.2 Mb) is a transcription of a conference held in Cambridge Bay (Nunavut) March 29-31, 2001. An interesting read from people who are seeing the changes in their daily lives.
August 03, 2003
Monument remembers Inuit who died anonymously in the South
Makivik builds Inuksuk in Quebec City cemetery.
( Nunatsiaq News ) - Sixteen thousand graves pepper Mount Hebron, the 155-year-old cemetery that lies on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, just outside Quebec City. Headstones mark the majority, carved with the name of the deceased, the year they were born, and the year they died.But in the Inuit section of the cemetery, a grassy plot no more than 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, the graves are marked with plain, cedar pickets. No dates or names are engraved on these wooden crosses. Numbers alone distinguish one cross from the next.
This is, unfortunately, far from a unique situation
"There are Inuit graves not just in Quebec City but all across Canada in large cities like Montreal and Hamilton — Inuit people who had been sent to hospital centres or sanitariums for tuberculosis. Often, many died and were buried in the city, in chosen cemeteries, because in those days it was very difficult to bring bodies back to the North," she said.
Little work has been done in identifying the remains of Inuit who died and were buried in the south, and to this day many of their relatives still have little or no idea where their loved ones may be resting.
The practice was simple, those diagnosed with tuberculosis were sent south for treatment, contact with family in the north was non-existent, and if they did not survive they were buried in the south.
Families could go years without news of relatives and often children returned unable to talk to their parents... they had been away from their culture for so long that they had forgotten how to speak Inuktitut. Others found out much later that their relatives had died and that rather than returning the remains to the family the government had arranged for burial in the most expedient and economical way possible - an unmarked grave in the closest cemetery.
Suicide task force begins work
In follow up to Rankin residents Hit the road to combat suicide the Nunavut Suicide task force has begun its work.
The Government of Nunavut's suicide task force will begin community consultations this month. The consultations will run until mid-September and will focus on the issue of suicide, as well as prevention and community healing.During the March session of the legislature, MLAs passed a motion to support the fight against suicide.
And in mid-July, Ed Picco, the minister of health and social services, appointed a task force of youth, elders, healers, educators and justice workers.
August 02, 2003
Rankin residents hit the road to combat suicide
RANKIN INLET, Nunavut - About 50 Rankin Inlet residents are walking to raise awareness about suicide.
The walk began at the hamlet office with a prayer and speeches from the mayor and organizers.The participants will end up 13 kilometres away, at the Elder Cabin in Meliadine Territorial Park. There, they will spend the weekend in workshops and healing sessions.
Tera Tootoo Fotheringham was one of the many who turned out for the walk. Her cousin, Terrence Tootoo, committed suicide a year ago this month.
The suicide rate in Nunavut (Canada's newest Territory) is six times the national average, the same article notes that:
If the Inuit are lucky enough to have a home, they usually are crammed into houses. Only one third of the people living in Nunavut own private dwellings. Most of the owners are not even Inuit. In the small community of Gjoa Haven, families of 15-20 people are living in one house. There are over 15 families like this in Gjoa Haven. They often have to make their beds on the floor or anywhere there is room, and there are many other communities like Gjoa Haven. Home life is an important factor in how the Inuit deal with life.In addition, home life can affect teenagers and adults making them depressed. This is one of the reasons for extremely high rates of substance abuse and suicide. The depression can come from the lack of privacy, space, and ownership. Many of these people do not own the bare minimum. They live in poor conditions and who would not be depressed about that? This is why improving home life in Nunavut is imperative. If we increase the quality of home life in Nunavut, it will in turn help it prosper.
July 28, 2003
Feds agree to delay contentious health forms
In an update to Sign or else....
( CBC North ) - The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is declaring success in its objections to some new forms that the federal health department wants Inuit and First Nations people to sign before they receive some types of medical care.Federal health minister Anne McLellan says she's accepting the group's proposal to delay the deadline on new health consent forms.
The new deadline is March 1, next year. If the government sticks to the new deadline, Inuit and First Nations people would have to sign consent forms in order to receive non-insured health benefits.
ITK has been negotiating with Health Canada for changes to the form and, more recently, a delay in the implementation date.
July 25, 2003
Sign or else: Consent form deadline looms next month
Critics say NIHB form violates privacy rights as well as Nunavut land claim agreement
( Nunatsiaq News ) - Inuit patients in Nunavut have less than five weeks to sign a mandatory form surrendering their right to medical privacy, or run the risk of being denied essential medical care.Called the "NIHB Program Consent Form," the document gives Health Canada bureaucrats — and numerous Health Canada agents and contractors — permission to look at sensitive personal information contained in medical files.
In essence the Federal government is demanding that aboriginal people sign a blanket consent form written in a language they may or may not understand that gives others access to their health care records - or face the loss of medical benefits.
July 23, 2003
The blind leading .......
While same sex couples from south of the border are heading for Ontario to get married the Canadian Arctic is somewhat more reluctant.
( CBC North ) IQALUIT, Nunavut - The Nunavut government is not going to start registering same-sex marriages until the proposed new federal legislation is reviewed by the Supreme Court.
For those following the issue this is not surprising given the views of MLA's like Enoki Irqittuq who is
( Lifesite ) .....taking a strong stand against the inclusion of "equal protection" for homosexuals under human rights legislation being considered by territorial lawmakers."I do want the human rights act for Nunavut, but to recognize lesbian and gay rights, it's absolutely unfathomable," Irqittuq says. "In the South, people are free to do as they wish; for Inuit, I would outright refuse such a provision in the human rights act. It's not our lifestyle."
... and a Premier who believes that
There is no homosexual activity going on in Nunavut's jail
July 17, 2003
No "mad" caribou
( CBC North ) IQALUIT, Nunavut - Nunavut premier, Paul Okalik, is optimistic the U.S. ambassador to Canada will help restore the flow of caribou and muskox products across the U.S. border.Okalik met Monday with Paul Celluci at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. The border has been closed to Canadian exports of beef, caribou, muskox other ruminants since one Alberta cow tested positive for mad cow disease in May.
July 15, 2003
Child welfare changes discussed
Are cultural considerations important?
WHITEHORSE - First Nation leaders in the Yukon are demanding changes to child welfare laws in the territory they say will prevent local children from being sent to families in southern Canada.First Nation kids from the Yukon are sometimes taken outside the territory to live with white foster families. The Assembly of First Nation's Yukon vice-chief, Rick O'Brien, says that robs the children of their cultural identity and it has to stop.
In the 1950's & 1960's the Canadian government worked diligently towards the cultural assimilation of Aboriginal people in the Canadian north. The program saw a self-sufficient way of life "on the land" actively discouraged, traditional beliefs and practices all but stamped out by intolerant missionaries, forced movements of people into community based living, and children taken from their families to attend faith based residential schools - children who (in many cases) returned unable to speak their own language or talk with their relatives, all, of course, in the "best interests" of the people affected.
There are most certainly times when in the best interests of a child it is necessary to remove them from an unsafe/unhealthy home environment - this does not mean it is in that child's best interests to remove them from their culture.
July 13, 2003
Nunavut court sends NTI firearms case to trial
( Nunatsiaq News ) - Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will get its day in court to argue against a federal firearms law that requires Inuit to register hunting weapons, after Justice Robert Kilpatrick rejected a motion by the federal government to dismiss NTI's court action.
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The $1.1 billion Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is one of the most comprehensive settlements ever reached between a state and an aboriginal group anywhere in the world. Section 5.7.26 of the agreement states that Inuit do not have to obtain licenses or pay fees to hunt and fish, it is the position of Nunavut Tunngavik that federal firearms registration and licensing laws violate this.