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4TuesdayNovember112014TheNorthernJournalisanindependentnewspapercoveringnewsandeventsinthewesternArcticandnorthernAlberta.2013CCNABLUERIBBONCANADIANCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD2013CMCAAUDITEDTheNorthernJournalispublishedweeklybyCascadePublishingLtd.PrintedatStarPressInc.WainwrightAB.PublisherManagingEditor........................................DonJaque867-872-3000ext.21donnorj.caEditor.........................................................................MeaganWohlberg867-872-3000ext.24newsnorj.caReporter.......................................................................DaliCarmichael867-872-3000ext.25reporternorj.caComptroller.....................................................DixiePenner867-872-3000ext.23dixnorj.caAdvertising867-872-3000ext.26salesnorj.caAdministration............................................JeremyTurcotte867-872-3000ext.26adminnorj.caProductionGraphics...................................SandraJaque867-872-3000ext.22sandranorj.caProductionGraphics..................................PaulBannister867-872-3000ext.27graphicsnorj.caLetterstotheEditorPolicyTheNorthernJournalwelcomesletterstotheeditor.Lettersmustbesignedandincludeaphonenumbersotheauthorcanbeveried.Nameswillbewithheldonrequestinspecialcircumstanceswherethereasonsaredeterminedtobevalid.TheJournalreservestherighttoeditlettersforlengthlibelclarityandtaste.Opinionsexpressedinlettersandcolumnsarenotnecessarilythoseofthepublisheroreditor.AdvertisingDeadlinesDisplayaddeadlineisThursdayat400p.m.ClassiedaddeadlineisThursdayat500p.m.Emailadsnorj.caSubscriptionRatesPricesincludeGST.47.25inFortSmith52.50elsewhereinCanada105intheUSAoverseas164.30.EDITORIALCOLUMNSGNWTabuseoftermpositionsunfairThejuniorkindergartencanhasbeenkickedondowntheroad.Whenfussoverthepo-tentiallossofteachersacrosstheNWTforaprogramfundedoutoflocalbudgetsreachedthepremiersearsthatwasthat.Takingsomuchoutofthesystemtocre-ateamajornewprogramwouldhaveerodedcapacity.Kidsqualityofeducationwouldhavesuffered.Parentswererighttobeupset.Thereisahiddenstorybehindallthisthatisignoredabouttheindividualswhostoodtolosetheirjobs.DozensofteachersinNWTcommunitieswereonthefrontlinesofthedebatevulnerableyetnamelessandun-seen.TheyareintermpositionswithoutpermanentjobstatuswiththeNWTgovern-ment.Anyofthemcouldhavebeenexcisedinordertondmoneyforthejuniorkinder-gartenprogram.Theymusthavebreathedasighofreliefattheprogrampostponement.Thatmeanstheylivethelastquarterofeveryschoolyearwithanaxehangingovertheirheads.Thewaitmustbeinterminabletheirlivesplaguedwithuncertaintyandstress.WhydoestheUnionofNorthernWorkersandtheNWTTeachersAssociationnotadvo-cateonbehalfofthesepeopleJobsecurityafterafairamountofassessmenttimehaslapsedfollowinghiringshouldbenegoti-ated.IsntthatcentraltowhatunionsareforIfanindividualinagovernmenttermpo-sitionfeelstheyshouldbehiredonperma-nentlytheymusttaketheinitiativeandleagrievancewiththeunion.Insodoingtheyriskbeingbrandedatroublemaker-notawisepositiontotakewhenyouaresovul-nerableyourfuturesubjecttothewhimsofyoursuperiors.UndertheCanadianLabourCodeanem-ployeedoesnothavejobsecurityuntilafterthreemonthscontinuedemployment.Addi-tionallyPartIIIoftheCodeprotectsanyonewith12monthscontinuousemploymentfromunjustdismissalunlessacollectiveagree-mentisinvolved.Inthiscasesinceacollec-tiveagreementisinvolvedunjustdismiss-alsareapparentlyallowedlongafterayear.Threemonthsisnotaverylongtimetoas-sessthecompetenceskillsworkethicper-sonalityandotherimportantqualitiesofanewemployee.Sometimesittakesaslongasayearforemployeestoprovethemselves.Ayearshouldbeamplehowever.Teachersandcollegeinstructorsstandbeforestudentswhoconstantlyjudgecompetence.Studentsaretestedregularlyandresultscanbecomparedtopreviousyearsandsystemstandards.Ev-erythingabouttheteacherinstructorjobispredicatedondemonstratingcompetenceinaverypublictransparentway.HowcouldanyonefakebeingagoodteacherformorethanayearIfthatcanhappensomethingisseriouslywrongwiththesystem.Employeeswhosestatusremainstermdonothavetherighttomostbenetspermanentgovernmentemployeesenjoywhichmustsavethegovernmentmoney.Buttheamountispaltrysurelynotthereasonbehindallthis.IsthegovernmentsocallousedthatitputsitsnewemployeesthroughthegrinderforyearsasaminorcostsavingmeasureThatsamegovernmentsaysitisstrivingtorecruitnewNorthernresidents.Acompanyoranagencyisonlyasgoodasitsemployees.Ifateacherorinstructorhasthepatienceunderstandingempathycha-rismaandtenacityneededtoconnectwithstudentsinadditiontobeingorganizedcom-petentandknowledgeableatwhattheyteachthereisnoreasonwhyjobsecuritywithinareasonablelengthoftimeshouldbewithheld.ThegermiestpublicplacesItsbaaack.Althoughthecommoncoldinallitsvari-antformsneverreallygoesawaythereisatrueseasonfortheu-andwereinit.Atheorybehindtheuscold-weatherspreadisthatinthewinterweallspendmoretimeinsidewhereitseasiertopasstheviruspersontoperson.Anotherideaholdsthattheressomethingaboutthevirusthatenablesitsspreadincolddryair.OnethingthatsforcertainColdanduvirusesareairbornetheycanyuptosixfeetthroughtheair.Theycanalsoliveout-sideofthehumanbodyforabout24hours.JosephRubiothedirectorofmicrobiologyatRBthemakersofLysoltoldweather.comthatanytimeyoureoutinpublicitslikelytheresacoldoruviruslurkingonasurfacenearby.Watchoutforthesegerm-ladenhotspotslikegrocerycarthandlesorthesaltandpepperandcondimentbottlesinres-taurants.Anythingalotofpeopletouchisgoingtobedirtyanditisespeciallybadifyoualternatebetweentouchingwhatmul-tipleotherpeoplehavebeenincontactwithalongwithfreshfood.Youcantliveinabubbleyoureal-waysgoingtobeexposedtogermsRu-binosaid.Ourbodieshaveevolvedtohaveafightingchanceinthewaragainstgerms.Wehaveanimmunesystemandaverygoodintactskinthatdoesntallowgermstogothrough.Weredesignedtoliveinaworldfullofgerms.Butevensohesaidtherearestepsyoushouldtaketoavoidgettingsick-washingyourhandsorusinghandsanitizeraftertouchingpub-licobjectsandbeingwaryofcommonlygermyspaces.JeffCrilleyRealNewsPROngoingangstoverthepotentiallossoftheirjobsisunfortunatelynormalfortheseteacherssomeofwhomhavebeenworkingfortheGNWTasprofessionaleducatorsforyears.Tenureasapermanentemployeeiswithheld.Theirfutureisnevercertain.InourinvestigationontheimpactsofthejuniorkindergartenprogramTheJournalwastoldlong-servingtermteachersinstructingessentialeducationprogramswouldnotbecutthattheyareneededandmoneywouldbefoundforthemregardless.IfthatisthecasewhyaretheynotgivenpermanentjobsButwaitthisshouldnotjustbeaboutthoseteachingwhataredeemedessentialsubjects.Awholecategoryofdedicatedemployeeswhoaretermarenotbeingtreatedproperly.ThesameapproachisusedintheAuroraCollegesystem.Itcantakeuptofouryearsbeforeapersonteachingtherenomatterhowqualiedappropriatededicatedandcompetentisgivenapermanentjob.Individualsintermpositionshavetoreapplyfortheirjobseachyearandoftenwaitseveralmonthstondoutiftheywillbere-hired.OngoingangstoverthepotentiallossoftheirjobsisunfortunatelynormalfortheseteacherssomeofwhomhavebeenworkingfortheGNWTasprofes-sionaleducatorsforyears.PhotoDaliCarmichaelFour-yearoldCarolynnFergussonleftandhermotherDanaFergussontakeintherstskateoftheyearatFortSmithsCentennialArenaonNov.9.ThebuildinghasbeenunderrepairsinceablazecauseddamagetotheinsideinMay2013andsofaritseemsthatskatersarehappywiththeirupdatedfacility.