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4 Tuesday September 2 2014 The Northern Journal is an independent newspaper covering news and events in the western Arctic and northern Alberta. 2013 CCNA BLUE RIBBON CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013 C M C A AUDITED The Northern Journal is published weekly by Cascade Publishing Ltd. Printed at Star Press Inc. Wainwright AB. Publisher................................................................................. Don Jaque 867-872-3000 ext.21 donnorj.ca Editor..................................................................................... Craig Gilbert 867-872-3000 ext.24 newsnorj.ca Reporter....................................................................... Dali Carmichael 867-872-3000 ext.25 reporternorj.ca Comptroller .......................................................Jessica Dell 867-872-3000 ext.23 webnorj.ca Advertising.............................. Heather Foubert Hay River 867-874-4106 adsnorj.ca Administration............................................Jeremy Turcotte 867-872-3000 ext.26 adminnorj.ca Production Manager ......................................Sandra Jaque 867-872-3000 ext.22 sandranorj.ca Graphics........................................................Paul Bannister 867-872-3000 ext.27 graphicsnorj.ca Letters to the Editor Policy The Northern Journal welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and include a phone number so the author can be veried. Names will be withheld on request in special circumstances where the reasons are determined to be valid. The Journal reserves the right to edit letters for length libel clarity and taste. Opinions expressed in letters and columns are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Advertising Deadlines Display ad deadline is Thursday at 400 p.m. Classied ad deadline is Thursday at 500 p.m. Email adsnorj.ca Subscription Rates Prices include GST. 47.25 in Fort Smith 52.50 elsewhere in Canada 105 in the USA overseas 164.30. EDITORIAL READER COMMENT Vote - for a better collective future If you are not happy with the way things are now you should make your vote count for something and maybe then the changes you want will come. InmanyFirstNationcommunitiesthevoter turnoutforfederalelectionsislow.Rockbottom in fact. That has been the case in our Journal reporting in Fort Chipewyan and other small communities in the municipality of Wood Buffalo for decades and the pattern is echoed across the country. It could be apathy or per- haps there is a sense of hopelessness since many indigenous communities are minorities in large ridings. Some First Nations members boycott elections a symbolic act because they do not feel the federal government represents them.Whateverthereasonnotusingyourvote takes away your power in a national process that you are a part of like it or not. When a group of people combine and focus their individual power it can turn into a force to be reckoned with. That is what makes change happen. Elections are a numbers game and in many ridings a small number of votes separates the winner from the second-place nisher. A few hundred votes can make a huge difference. In a case like that every individual vote mat- ters - very much. Elections by design in a democracy offer the possibility of being a time of change. If you are not happy with the way things are run you should make your vote count and maybe then the changes you want will come. First Nation and Inuit Canadians have more reasons to get the vote out than anyone and so much to gain if the right people are elected. In a new campaign the Assembly of First Na- tions AFN came up with the following list part of a call to action. It is enough to make anyone want change. Half of First Nations children in Canada live in poverty. Life expectancy of First Nations citizens is 5-7 years less than other Canadians. 48 per cent of children and youth in foster care are Aboriginal while Aboriginal people make up only 4.3 per cent of the population. There are more than 40000 Aboriginal chil- dren and youth in foster care more than three times the number of children in resi- dential schools at the height of the Indian residential schools system. Secondary school graduation rates are 35 per cent for First Nations students on-reserve compared to 85 per cent graduation rates for other Canadians. There are more than 1200 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Tuberculosis rates are 31 times the national average. Aboriginal people account for 12.2 per cen- tof new HIV infections and 8.9 per cent of those living with HIV. Suicide rates are 5-7 times the national average. Aboriginal individuals account for almost one-quarter of all adults and youth incar- cerated in Canada. 132 First Nations in Canada are currently under boil water advisories. 48 per cent of First Nation water systems are in high or medium risk. 130197 new homes are needed on-reserve to account for population growth and condemnedunitsas well as the 1 in 4 adults living in overcrowded housing and deteriorated units. More than 4300 First Nations citizens remain displaced from their homes due to ooding dating back to 2011. A 2-per-cent federal funding increase cap was put in place in 1996 as a temporary scal restraint measure. It has not been lifted. Since that time the First Nations population has grown at a rate of more than 25 per cent. Federal transfers to provinces over that period have had annual increases of 3 to 6 per cent. ThelistisdetailedintheAFNClosetheGap campaignaimedatmobilizingFirstNationsvot- ers.DetailscanbefoundontheAFNwebsiteand thereisacompellingvideoofGrandChiefPerry Bellegardespeakingonit.Thecampaignpoints out why it is important for all First Nations Ca- nadians to exercise their right to vote and also why it is important for all Canadians to sup- port investment in First Nations communities. Bellegarde and the AFN are right. The quality of life gap between so many indig- enous communities and the rest of Canada is unacceptable and every Canadian knows it. The situation has gone on far too long. A majoreffortisneededtomake change happen. Eachofthethreemajorpoliticalpartiesoffers itssolutions.Ifyoudonotliketheperformance ofthepartyinpowerchoosebetweentheother two. In the weeks ahead listen to the three al- ternatives and judge them. Choose the one you feelwillbethebestandmosttrustedthenvote. The way change will take place is through the commitment and action of many individu- als working together - in the words of Belle- garde for a better collective future. If you are a First Nations or Inuit person or a Cana- dian who cares you need to be a part of that. Please go to the Assembly of First Nations website and check out the Close the Gap campaign httpwww.afn.cauploadsles closing-the-gap.pdf. Inuvik comes through for Vancouver visitors Hello Inuvik Thank you so much to all of you for your support and help in nding our camera that we had lost soon after arriving to Inuvik. Shortly after we discovered our loss we de- cided to lunch at lovely Alestins Caf where tea and the smiles will always be free. Pam and her husband must have realized we were down and started chatting with us. So we decided to share the story about our loss. As soon as we told them Pam reached for her iPhone and posted the information on the Buy and Sell Inuvik website. And then she said encouragingly Dont worry. Inuvik is a community like no other. We take care of each other. You will nd your camera. I just know it. We heard the same mantra from many others. Bryce at Nova Inn told us the very same thing and offered incredible help and encouragement. Many others offered help great smiles and unwavering trust in the com- munity the lady at the post ofce the man- ager at Rexall Drugs the North Mart security man the policeman to mention just a few. Two weeks after we came back home we received a call from Nova Inn informing us that Charlotte found the camera. What a joy We felt as if we won a lottery ticket The saga ended with a happy end. We received our camera back. It still had a memory card with all the memories we stored there while treking the Chilkoot Trail immediately be- fore our trip to the Arctic. Thank you again for your warm hearts open arms and big smiles In the cold Arctic you make your commu- nity the warmest in Canada. Barb and Mike Vancouver BC PhotosRenalynPascua-Matte Art lovers and greenthumbs alike came together at an Industry Tourism and Investment event in Fort Liard on Sept. 5 to celebrate local creative and agricultural initiatives. Throughout the day artists ran workshops where they shared their stylings while regional farmers and environmental groups gave out tips. Above Jade Cambron of Ecology North discusses the benets of composting with a participant. Below Diane Nelson centre runs a workshop on silk painting.