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January 7, 2005
The top 10 news stories of 2004
NUNATSIAQ NEWS
- Prime Minister Paul Martin's northern strategy: For the first time in nearly
50 years, a Canadian prime minister takes a strong interest in northern Canada
and acts on it. For the people of Nunavut, this may be best piece of news
to come our way since April 1, 1999.
- The Arctic Council's ACIA report: This massive collection of data proves
beyond any doubt that the Arctic is warming faster than any other part of
the planet.
- The Nunavut Power Corporation: The numerous blunders that Sheila Fraser,
the auditor general of Canada, exposed in her latest report are now getting
fixed. But reaction to the power corporation's recent rate proposals reveals
a fatal weakness in Nunavut's fragile economy: our near total dependence on
fossil fuels that we can't afford to pay for.
- Nunavut's rising crime rate, and the justice system's struggle to cope
with it: This issue came to a head in September, when a violent offender,
just released from BCC, sexually assaulted four women in their homes in Cambridge
Bay. The community's probation officer, who already manages 84 cases, was
not told about the man's release. Neither was the RCMP.
- The Kativik School Board gives up its opposition to Nunavik's regional
- government talks: Nunavik's let's-make-a-deal approach to Quebec City is
vindicated, and the region's political and bureaucratic elite is now free
to strike a deal that will permanently embed their region within the borders
of Quebec, in exchange for an elected assembly and a bit more autonomy.
- Ottawa approves the Tahera Diamond Corp.'s Jericho mine: A real economic
development project, sparked by private sector investment rather than government
handouts, arrives in Nunavut.
- The Baffin Fisheries Coalition: The surprising degree of opposition to
the BFC inside Nunavut shows that fisheries development is about more than
just getting a fair share of quota from DFO - it's also about Nunavut politics.
- The near-collapse of local government in Kugluktuk: Kugluktuk's financial
and administrative woes echo complaints that many other muncipalities have
been making for years.
- Harbir Boparai's racism allegations: The former GN employee's allegations
aren't yet proven - but the scandal already reveals widespread blundering
at the highest levels of the territorial government.
- Tough new smoking rules: The WCB's total ban on workplace smoking, combined
with the Tobacco Act, adds up to improved public health in Nunavut.
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