#Iqualuit

As you can tell from the sidebar, I may have been a late adopter of Twitter, but it is a journalistic tool that I have embraced fully... even though I just got my glass house shattered.

For a few weeks now, we have been tracking stories with obvious mistakes about Nunavut with the hashtag #Iqualuit. I'm sure you all remember that typo from the Prime Minister's visit here.

Iqaluit means place of many fish. Iqualuit means a particular form of bad personal hygeine that results in a poop odour. Typos about Nunavut match quite nicely with that description, so we tag them #Iqualuit.

Our local National Broadcaster had Nunavut as Nunavet for a few minutes online today, and when it is the local National Broadcaster, the #Iqualuit is even better. Nothing like taking a good shot at your professional friends.

Then, an hour later, the national broadcaster I work for made the same mistake in a Tweet. Nunavet, not Nunavut.... after I had just Tweeted about the others mistake.

As you can imagine, I am now surrounded by the remnants of my glass house. Humility is a lesson I learn over and over and over again.

But, despite that, I still love Twitter. Where else can you crack jokes about having to play the Celtics with Reggie Evans himself? Where else can I get the guys who run Raptors TV to use my suggestions for interviews? Where else can I find out that The Fat Boys are trying to get back together?

I'll clean up a little glass for that.

Want my vote?

Iqaluit City Council holds their election on October 19th, and there are 21 candidates for council, and a 1 on 1 battle for the Mayor's Chain of Office.

This election will generate very little interest outside of the territory, so the odds of me having to report on it are slim, so I feel like I can say what I think and not give off any perception of bias in my work.

I've lived here in Iqaluit for four years, and here is my short multi-part plan about what I would like to see from a City Council. The people who agree to do the most from these notes will be the people getting my vote.

Ahhhhhh, democracy.

1 - Stand in between the hair studio and IBC, and draw a line about 300 meters in any direction. Turn that line into a circle, with a radius of 300 m. What is inside that circle? Some business, some offices, and lots and lots of residential apartments. What isn't there? A park for the many children who live around those parts (the little gym set by Inuksagate doesn't count, the baby is almost 2 and he's outgrown that tiny thing). Look at the pile of construction stuff behind the Navigator... good luck, you usually can't see it because it is covered with children using it as a jungle gym. That part of town needs a park, badly.

2 - From the 4 Corners to the intersection just past Joamie school, that road is a mess. Potholes you could go cave diving in, and very few street lights. With people dodging the potholes and the dim lighting, it is hard to see pedestrians, and there are always lots on that stretch.

3 - We need a pool. Last election, there was a vote on getting a loan to build a great new recreation center. Problem was, only rate-payers (read: home owners, not renters) were allowed to vote. The pool was narrowly defeated. When it is working, go to the pool on a weekend. You will see more kids there from families who rent than kids of home owners. We should have a new pool, and EVERYONE in town deserves a vote on it.

4 - Go out past Driving Force and view our unplanned ad hoc vehicle graveyard. This must go, and there must be measures put in place to make sure that it never happens again. It is an eyesore and an environmental hazard.

5 - Loose dirt is not natural in Nunavut. Go on the land, there is grass everywhere.... just not in town. I would like to see a by-law requiring anyone building anything has to plant grass when they are done, or those awesome purple flowers, or anything to keep the dust down. Contractors should also have to fence in their site if it is too big.

6 - We need a City subsidzed bus system, from Apex to the airport. Nothing fancy, just a bus that goes back and forth, from 8 am to 6 pm.

That is it. Six points. Candidates who come closest to this vision (and offer to build me that bloody park so I don't have to haul the kids up to Joamie School every time they want to hit the slide) will receive one of my 8 votes for City Council.

I'm just happy I have 21 choices for council. Democracy ceases to thrive when people do not participate. They bothered to run, now you get out and vote.

Municipal Planning

Iqaluit has sprung up rather haphazardly over the years. Whenever I look at the layout of our City, I am reminded of a song from my delinquent childhood, City of Mud by the Dead Milkmen.

I love the Dead Milkmen and have since I was 13. I blame them for an entire lifetime of seeking non-conformist music, their early influence led me to Public Enemy and countless other bands that my parents hated.

"Built ourselves a city
And we propped it up with wood
We were drunk when we made it
Hell! We did the best we could"

Not only does it describe how our City is, it gives a plan for the future. It is also a good reminder that the mud season is coming. Read on:

Built ourselves a city
And we made it out of mud
We dried it off this morning
Out there in the desert sun
And we never do no working
Just sit and watch TV
Well, I finally found a city
Full of people just like me

Well we're gonna drag Bruce Springsteen
By his axe through our streets
By the time we're done The Boss
Will look like a side of beef
We've got plans for other wankers
Who might come through our town
Y'know we're going to rid the world
Of those Top-40 clowns
Then we're going to buy some bombs
Just like the big boys have
So don't call us losers
Or you might just make us mad!

Built ourselves a city
And we propped it up with wood
We were drunk when we made it
Hell! We did the best we could
And still we don't do no working
Just sit and watch TV
Well, I finally found a city
Full of people just like me

Someone tried to build a health spa
But we quickly burned it down
'Cause we don't want any healthy people
Ruining our town
Y'know, we used to have a K-Mart
We burnt that sucker too
'Cause they wouldn't let you in
Without a shirt or shoes
And we never paved the roads
We just bought VCR's
When you got good movies
Hell, you don't need any cars

Built ourselves a city
And we call it WiseGuyVille
And we made a few mistakes
Like putting children on the pill
And we never do no working
'Cause we got cable TV
Hell, I finally found a city
Full of people just like me

Someday we'll have a new land
From sea to shining sea
Someday we'll have a country
Full of people just like

I looked high and wide for a video of City of Mud, and no luck. But we do have these, mostly from a reunion show they did in Austin Texas in Nov 2008. Kate, you now have a mission. Kidnap Joe Jack Talcum or Rodney Anonymous when you are in Austin, and make them play Open Mic nights here.:

"If the black guy with the Arab sounding name can become President, then you fuckers have no excuse"


Everyone knows that a burrow Owl lives in the ground, why the hell do you think they call it a burrow owl anyway?"



Punk Rock Girl Sing a Along "Nothin' man, it's stolen"
Plus a special dedication of Tiny Town to Sarah Palin.


Smokin Banana peels in between meals:

Coming in two parts

Wow.... three hours of tape is a whole lot of tape.

So, here is what I did. I broke it into two parts:

Tonight in Part 1 -- lots of Sheutiapik and Okalik, with a dash of Glenn Williams and Madeleine Redfern. Good clips always force their way in.

Tomorrow in Part 2 -- everybody else

Basically, I couldn't get all the candidates into Part 1, and wanted to make sure everyone is in the story.

If you only listened on radio, you missed half of the show. Body language, demeanor and attentiveness go a long way to showing someone's views.

Tonight at 7 EST for our Northern viewers, 6 EST for those in the South. For Express-Vu customers, 7 EST on Channel 270, 6 EST on Channel 269.

I just looked at the line-up for the rest of the show, and it looks like we have a good one tonight (we have a good one every night, some good is just better than other good).

Buffy St. Marie, Chief Phil Fontaine, Part III of our Yellowknife Bureau's fantastic look at NWT Foster Care, an all-aboriginal Junior B hockey team, and why the heck did the Justice in change of the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission quit yesterday?

Tune in, turn on, and save your criticisms until after you have seen both parts ;)

What I asked

I love the AFN for giving me a chance to ask some good questions, and for being all around generally good people.

Also, I am going into the business of concrete steps, as almost question asked for them. Driscoll's Concrete Steps, coming soon to a location near you.

Almost four fours in the building, three for the debate, I have a lot of tape to look at, so with no further delay, here are the qusetions I asked, and of whom:

Iqaluit West: Sheutiapik and Okalik

1 – One of Premier Okalik’s platform planks is taking credit for Nunavut’s “successful” economy. According to Statistics Canada, the average income for a family in Nunavut is 49,270, the Canadian average is 63,866. StatsCan also said that in 2005, two-thirds of Nunavummiut reported not having enough food during the previous year due to lack of money, nearly four times the national average. My question, do you think Nunavut’s economy is doing well, and what can be done to help those who do not benefit from it?

Iqaluit Center: Sageatook, Redfern and Tootoo

2 – The Auditor General of Canada said this of Nunavut government, “"We found numerous cases of non-compliance with Nunavut's financial laws, including seeking the legislative assembly's approval to spend money after it had already been spent.” She also said , “"Current financial management is weak and fragile. Six years after Nunavut's creation, I am surprised how slowly financial management has improved." The report even included a section about the GN titled “A History of Breaking the Rules.” What would you do to make the Government of Nunavut meet it’s basic, legislated, fiscal responsibility to Nunavummiut?

Iqaluit East: Peter, Williams and Ariak

3 – Iqaluit is growing rapidly. Overcrowding is a huge issue here in the capital. So is crime, between the now frequent notices from RCMP of untreated violent criminals choosing to live in Iqaluit, to the Nunavut wide fact that a person is 12 times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault here, compared to the rest of the Canada. The RCMP are paid to police this community, yet haven’t delivered a report to City Council in eight months. Since you are all running to represent Iqaluit, what concrete steps would you take to make Iqaluit safer, healthier and all in all a better place to live?

Political Free For All

For Iqaluit based voters, we have an interesting proposition for you. At 7:30 Monday night at the always accomadating Francophone Center, there will be an All Iqaluit Canadidates Forum.

The questions will be provided by local journalists, three of whom you can see right here:


Photo (as well as my bad ass new header photo) Courtesy of Kate Nova

Would you want to face off against a panel like that? I guess that the candidates do.

My question for you, dear readers, is: What do you want me to ask them about?

I'm never at a shortage for questions, but I am interested in what you would ask them. When you spend too much looking at the small strokes, sometimes the bigger picture can get blurry.

I get three questions, and the other two clowns in that picture each get two. I have a pretty good idea what my first one will be, but I have all weekend to come up with bulletproof questions that can not be ignored, talked around or otherwise politicked. Help a brother out.

Come on down. Monday, Francophone Center. 7:30 PM. Punch and Pie

EDITOR'S NOTE: There likely will not be punch and pie.

Good eats

Tuesday night is the new Friday in Iqaluit. Italian buffet at The Water's Edge, all you can eat for $35. There is even a chef on the buffet line to do up custom pasta for you, along with all the lazagna, Italian sausage, and tasty tasty chocolate cake you can eat.

As for the real Friday, Jack Layton -- and presumbably his moustache -- are coming to Iqaluit to tell us all about The New Strong. All I know for sure, I know who I'm talking to on Friday.

That's two leaders so far. Mr. Dion has been here twice previously, but I wonder if he'll make a third trip.

If Elizabeth May makes it up here, I would like to know why the Green Party logo looks so much like the British Petroleum logo. Think I'm crazy, look here:





Spooky, huh?

Here's to the new boss

just like the old boss:



The old Kamotiq was ugly.... this one looks like new ugly.

Check out Nunatsiaq News today here for the full story.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, and should wait to see it before making judgement.... but it looks damn ugly to me.

Planespotting Iqaluit

I have started a second blog, with a very specific purpose.

Planespotting Iqaluit

I have a curious mind and a window on the runway, I'm watching planes like people watch birds. It won't be half as entertaining as this, unless you are some kid of aviation buff, or are waiting to track the secret CIA planes we all know land here.

Keep an eye out on it, it may be good by the time I get some more photos.

We Made Holly Laugh

Last night, at long last, the network aired our "Year in Review" story from Iqaluit. You can find it here for a brief time, until the link becomes unstable:

http://www.aptn.ca/streaming/index.php?wmv=wednesday/six

Last item of the show.

We were so damn charming we made our anchor laugh. It was very cold outside.

Don't ask me, I just work here

OK, so it isn't quite as bad as that, but I am the worst resource for Inuktitut you can find.

Statcounter has taught me that most of the hits on my blog are coming from people searching out words in Inuktitut. I pick up what I can, but listening to me is dangerous.

I offer you this example:

My brother-in-common-law was ready to slap me for a particularly bad bit of Inuktitut. Over time, he has gone from listing the reasons he has to shoot me to listing the reasons he has NOT to shoot me, so that is progress.

The word for uncle is OOH-NACK. The word for poop is AAH-NACK. I was telling my step-son to go see his Uncle, and his girls kept laughing at me as he grew more frustrated. I was calling him Poop instead of Uncle. The kids thought it was great, he was less amused.

Another example:

Iqaluit means "place of many fishes". The southern audience says it ICK-CAL-EH-WIT. The Inuit is more like ICK-QUAL-AH-WEET. You need to get your guttural Inuktitut Q in there.

The southern way of saying it means "a shitty, dirty, asshole". It is a butt possessed by someone with very poor personal hygeine. Subtle difference in pronounciation, but a big deal in how you say things.

So, I present you this, all you Googlers out there:

http://www.livingdictionary.com/main.jsp

This is what the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth sends you too, so I'm going to go with them.