January
30, 2004
Christians shouldn't bully others
I am writing this letter on a personal level, with no affiliation, or in support
of any candidates. I hope people can read this with an open mind and the ability
to accept other peoples' views.
There has been a lot of talk lately from candidates, and politicians, about
bringing God into the Government of Nunavut. This frightens me as a person who
does not believe in a God and as a non-Christian. One of the candidates talked
about wanting bring back God and prayers into the school system.
Another who has already been acclaimed states he will seek to amend the Human
Rights Act because he does not agree with the same-sex union issue, which is
not even part of the legislation. That part of the legislation deals with sexual
orientation, not marriage.
But even if it was in the legislation, why should a person force their own
views on another person? Canada is supposed to be a free country, a democracy,
not a church-run state. Not everyone in Nunavut is a Christian or a church-going
person, and not every Christian agrees with each other on what is considered
acceptable to God.
Do these future lawmakers in our territory not realize that people have to
live free from religion, and discrimination? Should they not realize that a
person should not be subjected to other peoples' beliefs?
We live in a multicultural society. We all have different beliefs and customs.
Even within our own Inuit society, we have different customs and practices.
We as Inuit were always free to make our own choices, to live the life we wanted,
without very much retribution, until the federal government and the church came
to our land, and forced to accept their ways. For that we have suffered greatly,
and a lot of death has happened as a result. Families were split, children were
abused, and we lost our ways and independence as a result of being forced off
the land, and forced to assimilate.
Now are we as a people, and a territory going to make that same mistake, if
we allow these so-called Christians to forced their views, and customs on others?
What gives them the right to discriminate, to bully us with their views?
Am I next on the hit-list because I am not a Christian, don't agree with them?
I am going to be subjected to hate and discrimination? I believe in our traditional
religion, the respect for elders, respect for the land and animals, and the
way we name our children, which is a very spiritual part of our life.
We have more urgent things to worry about, such as suicide, housing, poverty,
which is widespread in our communities. We need to work together to regain our
dignity, to regain our freedom, and to try to live the best lives we can as
a human beings.
I mean isn't the goal of politicians to try and make our territory a better
place to live for ourselves and our future generations?
Let me leave you folks with a couple of quotes from a wonderful human being
and Muslim, Muhammed Ali.
"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you down, it's the pebbles
in your shoes."
"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted
30 years of his life."
Robert Aingilliq Tookoome
Iqaluit
January 30, 2004
Why Iqaluit should consult with NTI
Thank you for your coverage, in the Jan. 16 edition of Nunatsiaq News, of Nunavut
Tunngavik Inc.'s letter to the Iqaluit city council concerning the charging
of an excessive rate of interest on property tax arrears by the City of Iqaluit.
However, I would like to point out that NTI did not allege that the city is
violating the Nunavut land claims agreement. Rather, we indicated that under
Article 32 of the NLCA, the city has an obligation to include NTI in the development
of social and cultural policies, and in the design of social and cultural programs
and services, including their method of delivery, in Nunavut.
The setting of interest rates on property tax arrears, which affect Inuit property
owners, is an activity that falls under Article 32. Accordingly, the city should
consult with NTI in a review of the current interest rate.
I would add that Councillor Glenn Williams should know that the presence of
Inuit members on council is insufficient to meet the city's obligation under
Article 32. After his extensive involvement in Nunavut's development, including
working for NTI, he is surely aware that the Clyde River Protocol signed by
the Government of Nunavut with respect to their rights and benefits and to protect
and promote the interests of the Inuit of Nunavut.
NTI has been actively lobbying the federal government to increase the housing
stock in Nunavut, including Iqaluit, to reduce the high level of overcrowding.
The excessively high interest rate charged by the city does nothing to relieve
the overcrowding, but instead, by forcing tax sales, contributes to the problem.
I am pleased that Councillor Williams is not opposed to reducing the interest
rate and he can rest assured that NTI will continue to work with the city to
bring the rate into line with other municipalities in Canada.
Cathy Towtongie
President
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
January 23, 2004
Silence of the lambs: the Nunavut elections
Another election in Nunavut is about to begin, only the second in Nunavut history.
But it leaves me to speculate just how many of us Inuit out there really care
about this process.
We have command of the world's largest cache of minerals and mineral rights.
Keeping that statement in mind, what are Nunavut's biggest concerns and what
can be done about them? These are the questions that should be asked and talked
about amongst ourselves (the voting public) and our representatives in office.
Personally, I think it is time to put away that age-old argument about lack
of respect between the elders of our communities and our youth. There are bigger
problems we all can work on together, such as health care and education or the
lack there of.
Every year, I hear of kids going down south for a secondary education but failing
miserably for two reasons: lack of socialization skills and the poor standard
of education in the North compared to what is taught in secondary schools in
the South.
Kids are failing the minute they open their books in the South because they
haven't been given the right tools or an even playing field to learn on. Health
care is a big concern and a big business where ever you go in Canada.
My thinking is to educate the people better on health issues before they become
apparent.
Preventative medecine instead of treating a baby with FAS. How do we overcome
all that? By talking to one another, communication, and to take the time out
to educate ourselves on the issues on hand.
The population of Nunavut is roughly 25,000 people. We as a people should take
back our land and our mineral rights and make everyone else pay for doing business
on our land. Saudi Arabia did it. So who's to say Nunavut can't do it?
We, as a people, should set our own agendas in each of our communities and
have a say in what is important to each of us. Whether it's a housing shortage,
or fishing rights, or the lack of education dollars, or substandard health care.
We, as the biggest land mass in Canada, should be leading the way for all of
Canada in the economy, business, culture, and anything else. I am tired of my
people being portrayed as "the nice little Eskimos" who just smile
and nod their heads to things they don't understand.
It is time to end the silence of the lambs and time to take control of our
own futures, because if we don't - someone else will.
Ross Taptuna Tonokahak
Edmonton
January 23, 2004
GN statistics bureau clarifies info-release issue
I would like to clarify an aspect of the article "Statscan flip-flops
and releases Inuit survey results" (Jan. 16).
At no point was there ever any desire by any organization to "identify
details about specific people" from the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey
(APS). The Nunavut Bureau of Statistics would never support this, and Canada's
national Statistics Act forbids it.
What was at issue was whether APS data would be released on StatCan's website
on a community-by-community basis, or just for Nunavut as a whole. There's a
big difference between the two.
For example, the APS tells us that 34% of adult (15 years of age and over)
Inuit in Nunavut used the Internet during the month prior to the survey. That
is a very interesting statistic, and quite possibly of use to organizations
lobbying for better Internet access for Nunavummiut.
But it is also important to look at the differences at the community level.
In this example, we find that 49% of adult Inuit in Iqaluit used the Internet
during the previous month, but only 9% of adult Inuit in Repulse Bay did so.
Community-level data would clearly better inform policy analysis and lobbying
on this issue.
We are grateful that Statistics Canada listened to our arguments, and released
APS data on their website at the community level.
Jack Hicks
Director, Evaluation and Statistics
Government of Nunavut
January 23, 2004
Kugluktuk volleyball tourney a success
The Kugluktuk District Education Authority of which I chair wishes to wholeheartedly
thank all volunteers and organizers of the territorial volleyball tournament
held in Kugluktuk January 10-11, 2004.
The KDEA recognises that sports plays an important role in promoting healthy
lifestyles among youth, and that sports participation often leads to academic
success. Without the large number of coaches, referees, cooks and other volunteers,
the youth involved in this event would not have had this postive expereince.
The KDEA strongly supports parents and other residents of Kugluktuk providing
this type of involvement in the lives of our youth. The KDEA also wishes to
thank all visiting teams and coaches for their very gracious stay in our community.
Everyone - well played and well done!
Alex Buchan
Kugluktuk
January 16, 2004
Northern students
defeated by substance abuse
One thing I've noticed over the years concerns northern students from the communities
entering college programs in bigger cities.
Alcohol and drug abuse is, unfortunately, a very real factor for students with
tremendous potential who lose out and quit their programs. This would include
studies in the nursing and medical fields, as well as others.
We desperately need nurses who are representative of our people, both here
in the Northwest Territories, and in Nunavut, to serve our own people.
I want to strongly urge our governments, colleges and universities to provide
pre-college counselling for students so they can be ready for life in the big
city, where alcohol and drugs are always available.
I've seen students with tremendous potential and capabilities give up because
of problems relating to alcohol and drug use, whether it be themselves or their
spouses. As a population with many young people, we need to look at this risk
much more seriously than we have. We more often come to secondary or higher
education as small young families, and not as singles when compared to the rest
of Canada.
Yellowknife and Iqaluit are young capitals but both, sadly, are very lacking
in providing good alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs for their main
assets - their people!
On the other hand you will find, right now, crack, coke, meths, hallucinatory
drugs, hashish, marijuana and alcohol. It's odd, but true, that Inuit and Dene
are much more susceptible than our western counterparts to alcohol addiction.
If we are to move ahead, we must begin at the roots. Healthy people make healthy
choices. Unhealthy people continue living, more like surviving, in sickness
and as a result, will continue to make unhealthy choices if there is nothing
better to access that can inspire hope for change. This is so basic.
We can no longer allow ourselves to be defeated by a substance by pretending
it isn't there. We can't afford to keep taking two steps forward and one step
back in our dance of life. Things are tough enough as they are.
Providing services and dollars for our students, spouses, children and people
in their communities and their cities, with immediate access as readily available
as the cause, can change the terrible number of suicides and ruined lives, and
will aid in reaching our potential. It's a matter of our people, our lives and
it's a matter of importance. It's also the time for the government to act on
it.
Suzie Napayok
Yellowknife
January 16, 2004
Poor service from
Iqaluit post office
I am tired of poor service from the Iqaluit post office.
I have recently been waiting for a parcel. I expected it on a certain date
and three weeks later it finally shows up in my box. Granted my post office
box number was not on the parcel, but my name, house number, and phone number
were.
Their excuse was that they could not find where it was supposed to go, as the
correct address was not listed on it. So basically, they don't have enough sense
to find me through all the other information that was listed on the parcel.
These days there are a lot of businesses that won't ship to a box number. They
want an actual address location in order to ship. That puts me in a situation
that I have to give my address in a format that the post office cannot understand.
I think it is time that Canada Post require more than high school education
when hiring their staff, as the current staff cannot come to their own conclusions
when trying to find a resident of Iqaluit. I know that Iqaluit has grown in
the last few years but a bunch of monkeys could figure out where to put a lot
of this mail.
Corinne Attagutsiak
Iqaluit
January 16, 2004
Urban Inuit need representation
I would like to know when the urban Inuit women will be represented. Pauktuutit
is supposed to represent all Inuit women in Canada.
How about those of us who live in cities. I have yet to see representation
for the urban Inuit women.
I hope this gets a whole lot of worms out of the can. My daughter lives in
Winnipeg with her children, and I live in Ottawa, and there are a whole lot
of us. I for one would like my daughter to be represented as an Inuk living
in a city.
Urban Inuit need representation.
Janet Komaksiutiksak
Ottawa
January 9, 2004
Sincerest thanks from the Taylor family
Our family has just come through the most trying experience of our lives, watching
our wife, mother and grandmother pass from this world.
Susan Soroseeliktuq Taylor passed away in Ottawa's Civic Hospital on Dec. 21,
2003, after putting up a valiant fight for the previous four weeks. During our
time of family crisis, all through the period of her illness and subsequent
mourning of our loss, so many friends and acquaintances have lent their support
to all of us. It is truly overwhelming.
We would like to thank those kind people for their support and caring, beginning
with the medical staff who did everything humanly possible, both here in Iqaluit
and at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa.
In no particular order, our sincerest thanks and appreciation go to: Drs. Westerhoff
and Huni at Baffin Regional Hospital, all the doctors and nurses of the Intensive
Care Unit at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa, the staff of Rotel, Ottawa, for much-needed
inexpensive accommodation, and Nunavut Tungavik Inc. for travel assistance,
(thanks, Maggie, for the extra effort during your holiday break).
Thanks also to: Greg and Sylvia Healey; Pauline Paton and family; Joanasie
and Mary Akumalik; Pauline Alainga; Sue Smith and Charlene Lavallee; The Watts
family, Paddy and Jose, Shani, Tom and Tina; Pairijait Tigumivik Society; Margaret
Craigie; Hannah Oolayou; Mike and Margaret Gardner; Paul Murphy and Helen Klengenberg;
Joamie Eegeesiak; Paul Suvega; Neevee Hanson and Rev. Daniel Aupalu.
Our sincere apologies to those whose names may have been unintentionally overlooked.
Also, to all those who have approached us and offered their support and condolences,
we thank you all for helping us get through this trying time. Thank you.
From the Taylor family: Jim, Pitseolak, Alex, Donald and Sarah (Reid)
Iqaluit
January 9, 2004
Top 10 dislikes of 2003
10. The fact that a certain individual that is supposed to be working was able
to fake a back injury for the entire year and collect compensation at the taxpayers'
expense, yet he is able to go hunting and fishing on canoe, and now skidoo every
other day. He will probably continue to do so until management puts their foot
down.
9. While we are on the topic of dicks, my vasectomy that went bad and laid
me up for a month would have to make the list.
8. The number of letters to the editor on the gay-lesbian issue. My opinion:
I'm pretty sure you guys and gals are not choosing this lifestyle to piss on
Jesus Christ or because you like to get harassed. Get over it everyone. God
will sort us out later.
7. The numbers of individuals who still, after all the information on FAS,
refuse to stop drinking for a few months while they are pregnant.
6. The amount of money lawyers are making on the self-government battle between
the Kativik School Board and the other organizations that could have gone toward
books and educational material or youth programs.
5. The number of spouses that continue to believe their wives are personal
property that they can slap around whenever they are not in a good mood, or
if they are bitching. This is why doors have hinges. They are made to open,
so you can leave and take time to gather your wits and return when you calm
down.
4. The justice system and how it lacks punishment for youth who steal personal
property such as snowmobiles and four-wheelers, as well as those same individuals
who break and enter and are not punished.
3. The high cost of transport and airfare in and out of the region. The shipping
on many items costs more than the actual cost of the items themselves when purchased.
2. The decision by Makivik executives and board members to take away my right
to represent my children's future as a Makivik executive or board of director
due to my inability to speak fluently in Inuktitut.
1. "Potato" companies that are started by individuals from the South
who team up with a silent Inuit partner in order to access lucrative contracts
in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially when the jobs that can be
done by local Inuit are being lost to imported white individuals from the South.
A company like this has taken away jobs that local cleaners have been doing
for many years.
I feel it is not right for the regional leadership to allow this to happen
in order to save a few headaches or dollars at the expense of Inuit jobs. I'm
sure the southern employees are very nice people and I don't want them to take
this personally, however, Inuit need these jobs as much as you need the income.
A belated merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year to all Inuit
of the North.
Harvey Mesher
Kuujjuaq
January 2, 2004
Nunavut tourist industry needs outside investment
It was no surprise to read your article concerning the neglected tourism industry
(Nov. 28).
Certainly, those so-called operators will need the full support of Nunavut
Tourism if they are serious about moving ahead. But let's look at some realities.
- Considerable capital from outside sources will be required to enable us
to build real hotels, because we currently have inadequate accomodations across
the territory. Some of our current accomodations are substandard in every
way and are unworthy of being called hotels. So how is this capital attracted
and who does what to bring it into Nunavut?
- We don't have enough world-class tourism products anywhere in Nunavut to
justify even one plane-load of wealthy travellers. Before a marketing campaign
is launched, the industry will need to develop many more attractive and well-planned
tourism products. It will also be necessary to develop the human resources
that will be required. Arctic College can't or won't train nurses and other
essential workers, so is it going to be able to assist the tourism sector?
- Extraordinarily high living expenses, poor capacity, lack of interest among
the public, crippling transportation costs, and unrealistic expectations on
the part of some operators are all part of our tourism environment. There
is no way of avoiding this reality - even with a slick, costly marketing campaign.
With a growing financial deficit, is the GN really going to just hand over
the dollars?
- Certainly, the tourism sector is right to expect serious support from the
GN, but at the same time, the GN should have a clear and realistic expectation
for the tourism sector.
- Since the Nunavut territory is based on ethnic identification and the desire
to be isolated from the rest of the planet and located on the fringes of the
developed world, Nunavut and its citizens are largely isolated from the global
community. This contributes to the fact many Nunavummiut do not appreciate
the economic advantages that the industry can produce, let alone the need
for them to actually participate to make the process work.
W. G. Fotheringham
Iqaluit
Iqaluit should crack down on snowmobile drivers
I am writing this letter as a very concerned driver in this town.
I think it is high time that city council, city bylaw, and the RCMP start to
clamp down on the people driving snowmobiles.
I have come very close to four collisions this winter because of snowmobiles
on the road. I am not saying everyone who owns a snowmobile is to blame, but
there are many snowmobile drivers in Iqaluit who think they can go anywhere
they want.
They drive on the wrong side of the road, pass vehicles on the right-hand side,
do not obey the traffic signs, I could go on and on.
Also, the machines that have red headlights should be banned. You don't know
if it's a snowmobile or a tail-light that is coming toward you.
I realize that in the North, snowmobiles are part of a way of life, but this
city was never designed for the number of vehicles that are on the roads, let
alone snowmobiles. There are enough trails around town that they should hardly
ever have to be on the roads. They should be made to follow all traffic laws,
the same as cars and trucks.
I hope you publish this letter, because I am sure I speak for a lot of drivers
in this city.
(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit
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