1. education
2. school

Retroactive raise
Village employees get back pay as part of new three-year contract negotiated by UNW
Volume 21 Issue 39
75 CENTS
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015
Golf season
underway at
Seven Spruce
Deh Cho
students
represent
at youth
parliament
Summertime
means
bubble time
Jazz duo
dazzles in
Simpson
New SAO
lands in Jean
Marie River
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Layla Cli blows an amazing bubble during a hot day at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson on Tuesday.
Publication mail
Contract #40012157
community
2 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
Student wins minister's award
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photos
Lucas Tate, E'tonda Arden and Patrick Tate all went to Tulita to show off their heritage fair projects.
Bompas youth impress at heritage fair in Tulita
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Deh
Cho
students
impressed judges at the
heritage fair in Tulita
earlier
this
month.
Four students from Bompas Elementary School were
chosen as regional winners
in the heritage fair competition, earning them a trip to
the territorial show in Tulita.
Abigail Pascua-Matte, a
Grade 6 student at Bompas,
won the minister's award
for her project on the his-
tory of Bompas Hall.
"I didn't actually think
I would win the Deh Cho
award," said Pascua-Matte
after
returning
home.
"I was kind of surprised and pretty happy."
The award came with a certificate and a new tablet.
Pascua-Matte said she learned
a lot about Bompas Hall and
its founder, Bishop Bompas.
"He liked children and the
native people," she said.
The NWT Heritage Fairs
Society coordinates the event,
whose purpose is to encour-
age young people in the territory to explore and share the
histories of their family and
community.
A total of 30 projects were
chosen to represent the regions
of Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Tlicho, Yellowknife District #1,
Deh Cho and Nunavut.
"The heritage fair is an
opportunity for students to
share and discover the rich
heritage we have in the Northwest Territories," stated Minister of Education, Culture
and Employment Jackson
Lafferty in a news release.
"I'm always impressed by the
creativity and effort of our
students."
Brothers Patrick and Lucas
Tate also attended the fair in
Tulita.
Lucas did his project on
farming and said the event was
a chance to meet new people.
"A lot of our relatives are
into farming and gardening,
and we also play board games
about farming," said Tate.
Patrick did his project on St. Patrick's Day
because he has family origins in Northern Ireland.
"Also because my name is
Patrick," he added with a smile.
He said it was interesting to
be in Tulita, which is even
smaller than Fort Simpson.
"It
only
has
about
four streets," he said.
He and Lucas enjoyed
playing basketball during
their time off from the fair.
E'tonda Arden did her
project on her grandfather, who was a traveller.
"I didn't know that he walked
500 kilometres," she said.
Bompas Principal Kelley Andrews-Klein said
the students were wellbehaved and were good representatives of the school.
"The kids presented really
well and all the judges said it
was a tough decision," she said.
"The minister's award
is based on a project that
shows Northern heritage
and (Pascua-Matte's) was
the strongest in that area."
She
said
Tulita
was
very
welcoming.
Besides the contest, students participated in a variety
of events, including traditional games.
Abigail Pascua-Matte won the minister's award for
the Deh Cho region for her heritage fair project. She
researched the history of Bompas Hall.
feature news
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NEWS
Briefs
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 3
Deh Cho youth
go to parliament
Heat wave
continues
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
After a week of record-breaking
high temperatures, Fort Simpson
likely will not see any reprieve in
the coming days.
David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada,
said the normal high for this time
of year is 17 degrees. However,
temperatures have hit the mid-to
high-20s since May 10, dipping
down only briefly on May 15
and 16. Warm temperatures are
expected to continue until at least
May 25.
"It's quite likely this will come
out to be the warmest May ever in
more than 100 years of records for
Fort Simpson," Phillips said.
National parks
open for summer
Deh Cho
The camping season officially began last weekend as campgrounds opened in the Deh Cho
region, with the exception of the
Blackstone Territorial Park campground, which is expected to open
May 20.
The Department of Industry,
Tourism and Investment said more
than 24,000 campers used territorial campgrounds last year.
Missing man yet
to be found
Deh Gah Got'ie Koe/
Fort Providence
The search goes on for Delmer
Bonnetrouge, a Deh Gah Got'ie
Koe man who went missing in
April.
Last week, Fort Providence
RCMP searched two specific areas
north of the hamlet with the assistance of helicopters.
Cpl. Brent MacDonald confirmed on Tuesday that the searches were unsuccessful.
Bonnetrouge has not been in
touch with his family since April
21 and currently has a warrant out
for his arrest for a missed court
date on April 15.
Court records have shown he
was charged in January 2014 with
child luring, sexual assault and
sexual interference.
Celebrating
tourism
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Tourism week is coming up and
Fort Simpson's visitor information
centre is holding a Friday afternoon barbeque on June 5.
The barbeque is free and runs
from noon until 3 p.m.
According to the government,
the tourism industry contributed
$132.5 million in visitor revenue
to the Northwest Territories economy last year and attracted 90,000
visitors worldwide.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Sylvia Pascua-Matte, Grade 10 student at Thomas Simpson Secondary School, attended this year's youth parliament in
Yellowknife. She thinks more students should apply for the opportunity.
Students take part in mock legislative assembly
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Somba K'e/Yellowknife
Two Deh Cho students got a
taste of what it's like to live a day
in the life of a professional politician at a mock youth parliament
in Yellowknife earlier this month.
"I thought it was going to be
pretty lame and a lot of work,"
admitted Leah Baptiste, a Grade
9 student in Fort Providence.
"But I had a really good time."
Youth from across the territory acted
as MLAs or ministers and had to
draft up statements to read in front of
their peers — and on live TV — in the
legislative assembly in Yellowknife.
"I was shaking and I drank like
five cups of water in the first hour
of the chamber," laughed Baptiste.
Her statement was on the lack of mental health services in the territory.
"I mentioned the lack of mental point but then I realized I really
health services and how many liked the idea of working in parliatreatment centres are in the terri- ment and government," said Baptiste.
tory and how improper some of The desire to help people is what
the services are," said Baptiste. drew her interest to government.
"I think I would
A debate arose in
like to be an
the chamber at one
MLA," she said.
point about whether
Sylvia Pascuamore mental health
Matte, a Grade 10
workers should be
student from Fort
placed in schools.
"We had a long talk
Simpson, made
about that motion,"
her motion on the
said
Baptiste.
territory's EducaThe
countertion Renewal plan.
argument was that
"It's important
this would take
to me," she said.
Sylvia Pascua-Matte
"I feel like they
funding away from
sports and extrashould bring recognition to what's
curricular activities.
Baptiste argued in favour of happening in my community."
the motion and her side won.
Pascua-Matte
isn't
new
"I wanted to be a lawyer at some to public speaking but pre-
"You're never
going to have
people 100 per
cent happy all
the time."
senting in the chamber was still
a nerve-racking experience for her.
She's the daughter of Renalyn Pascua-Matte, a village
councillor in Fort Simpson.
"You're never going to have people
100 per cent happy all the time," she
said about what she's learned from her
mom. "You have to make hard decisions that have long-lasting impacts
on the community. It's a hard job."
Seeing her mom gives her a
different perspective on politics.
"It gives me more of an inside
look," said Pascua-Matte. "I am
somewhat intrigued by it, but I
would have to think very hard if
I wanted to do this as a career."
She said few people applied
for the program this year and recommends more do in the future.
"It's an experience that really opens
you up," she said.
news
4 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
Village looks for new building
Moving ahead with one-option list for relocation
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
The Village of Fort
Simpson has a one-option
list for a new municipal affairs office location.
"That's the way that I'm
looking at it right now," said
Deputy Mayor Stella Nadia
about the village entertaining
only one option for relocation.
Municipal affairs are currently conducted in the Village Information Centre,
but the town hopes to move
into a currently nonexistent
building in the field across
from Parks Canada next year.
Nogha Enterprises is looking to build an office complex in that field, and Mayor
Sean Whelly thinks some
of the consideration for that
hinges on the village signing
on as one of the big leasers.
At a special council
meeting last week, the village drafted a resolution to
offer its current building to
the Department of Industry,
Tourism and Investment (ITI)
and move into the Nogha
building in March 2016.
Nadia expressed concern
at the meeting that the village should look into more
options for its new home.
"I would like to see
others," she said later.
"When this becomes public,
I would like to see if there's
other interest out there."
Whelly also expressed interest in having other options
come forward, particularly now that the issue is
becoming more public.
"I think the councillors
were saying that from all
that they were aware of this
was the best space, so they're
just sort of proceeding on the
assumption that either that will
work for them or there are no
other viable options," he said.
He said Nogha asked the
village to become a leaser.
"We're evaluating their proposal on its own but we don't
see any other alternatives that
would cover off (the things we
need to have)," said Whelly.
The village's resolution
includes creating a steering committee of councillors to meet with the
Nogha group and iron out
some of the village's concerns about what it needs.
Reasons for moving to the
new space include better parking, a more professional office
space and allowing the tourism part of the current building to operate uninterrupted.
The village estimates that
moving into the new office
space would cost an extra
$10,000 per year plus $20,000
in one-time moving expenses.
"Could that be slightly optimistic? It's possible,"
said
Whelly.
On the other hand, he said,
increased taxes from the new
office building could offset
some of that cost.
Part of the village's hope is
that the new building would
attract more territorial government workers to the village.
Whelly also cited closer collaboration with Liidlii Kue
First Nation as a benefit of the
new building.
The band might lease
space in the building and that
would help the two government organizations come closer together as a band-village
union looms on the horizon.
Whelly wants ITI to operate the Village Information Centre as a full tourism resource for the region.
Nothing is set in stone
yet, and all of these decisions hang on each other.
Nogha is waiting for its
financing and lease commitments to get in place
and the village is waiting
to find out if ITI will take
over the information centre.
"We can't make a commitment until we know what's
happening with (the Village
Information Centre)," said
Whelly.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Fort Simpson Mayor Sean Whelly said housing municipal affairs in the Village
Information Centre was never meant to be permanent. The village is looking to
move into a new building next year.
opinions
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 5
Youth can bring
unique ideas to
political stage
Some exceptional youth go so
against the grain they are seen as
Few places are as ripe for a
troubled students and underachievcareer in professional politics as
ers through their school years.
the Northwest Territories.
This is a tragedy,
Between the high ratio
but everyone eventually
of politicians to citizens
THE ISSUE: realizes the real world is a
and the flow of free
YOUTH IN
whole new ball game.
money from Ottawa, govPOLITICS
In youth parliament
ernment in the North is a
this
year,
students spoke
booming industry.
WE SAY:
at
length
about
current
Students at youth parLOTS OF
liament in Yellowknife had OPPORTUNITY issues and goals of the
territorial government.
a glimpse into the life of a
But youth are beings
member of the legislative
of a new generation. They have
assembly this month.
a lot more to offer than the conThey got to draft statements,
tinuation of current programs and
debate motions in the chamber
enforcement of the
and talk to reporters
status quo.
afterward.
Sylvia Pascua-Matte,
Typically, good stua Grade 10 student
dents go to these sort of
from Fort Simpson who
events, ones who speak
attended youth parliawell in class and are conment, said not many
fident presenting in front
students signed up for
of a crowd.
the program.
Those students are
She thinks more
impressive. Some speak
STEWART
should.
so professionally, even
She's right. Youth
using the right buzzwords, BURNETT
should eat up any
that they could step into
chance they get to see
a government office
the
inner
workings
of government,
today and nothing would seem off.
no matter how staged and sanitized
But politics needs more than
the event is.
the good students. It needs the
Soon it will be their turn for real,
black sheep, the rabble-rousers, the
and they'll get to call the shots.
troublemakers.
One of the great benefits of a
free democracy is being able to
capture the whimsical, idealistic,
creative, progressive spirit of young
people.
SHOULD MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS
School teaches youth to act a
certain way, fall in line and give the EVER FORGIVE PROPERTY TAXES?
"right" answers.
Yes, there are certain circumstances that
make it legitimate to forgive someone's
That works for a career in martaxes.
keting, but being a good politician
goes far beyond public relations
50%
skills.
It's not easy to go against the
grain in school.
No, everyone should have to play by the
Northern News Services
NNSL WEB POLL
same rules.
Fort Simpson
Nahanni Butte
Fort
Jean Marie Providence
Fort Liard
Yell
River
Trout Lake
Great Slave
Kakisa 3
Lake
Hay River
50%
HAVE YOUR SAY
Are you enjoying the heatwave?
Go online to www.nnsl.com/dehcho to vote in
this week's poll.
Published Thursdays
2014
SEALING THE DEAL
Fort Simpson Mayor Sean Whelly, left, signs a funding deal while Michael
Mageean, regional superintendent with the Department of Industry, Tourism
and Investment, looks on. They gathered last week to announce a $500,000
funding deal split evenly between the GNWT and CanNor, with the Village of
Fort Simpson receiving $150,000 for a variety of tourism-related projects, the
Fort Simpson Historical Society will receive $150,000, while Liidlii Kue First
Nation will receive $200,000 for tourism related initiatives.
DEH CHO OFFICE:
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6 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
photo stories
Jazz legends light up Simpson
MUSIC
Feature
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Jazz legends and motherdaughter duo Jackie and Kim
Richardson brought down the
house last Thursday in Fort
Simpson.
They were joined by Shannon Gaye, a percussionist and
vocalist from Vancouver, and
Kristian Alexandrov, a pianist
from Bulgaria.
The Bompas Elementary
School gym was packed, with
nearby classrooms having to
be raided for chairs to accommodate the crowd.
The award-winning pair
performed for almost two
hours straight including jazz
renditions of Gnarles Barkley's
"Crazy" and Bobby McFerrin's
"Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Audience members were
pulled on stage for a few songs
toward the end of the night,
which finished with a standing
ovation.
Kim, left, and Jackie Richardson perform at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson.
Kim Richardson claps to the beat.
Wilson Dimsdale, left, is put on the hot seat as Jackie Richardson dedicates an adoring "Handyman" tribute to him.
photo stories
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 7
Some local singers were brought on stage for one of the final songs. Kim Richardson, left, Sheila Gunderson, Jackie Richardson, Silene Hebert, Sharon Herring,
Shannon Gaye.
Kristian Alexandrov plays the piano.
Kim Richardson belts out a tune with mom Jackie
Richardson standing behind her.
Shannon Gaye performs with a smile.
A full crowd came out for the jazz performance.
8 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
news
VILLAGE-WIDE
SPRING
CLEANING
Workers help load a big
piece of fencing into a
truck during a recent
spring cleanup in Fort
Simpson.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
New SAO looks forward to role
Michael Rudkin getting used
to seeing trees again after
years in Nunavut
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Tthek'ehdeli
/Jean Marie River
After spending more than
three years working in Nunavut, Michael Rudkin is glad
to see trees again.
Rudkin was recently hired
to be the senior administrative officer for the Jean Marie
River First Nation.
"Never take anything for
granted," said Rudkin, who
spent five years working in
Alberta before stints in Pond
Inlet and Gjoa Haven.
"Things are done differently in the North than
the south. You can't bring
a southern mentality to the
North. You've got to adapt to
situations in the community."
This is Rudkin's first job
in the Northwest Territories,
but his experience in Nunavut
has helped teach him how to
get results in the North.
"You have your good and
bad no matter where you go,"
he said.
"I've learned a lot as far as
working in a cross-cultural
environment in small remote
communities and being able
to deal with things as they
come up."
Things are more structured in the south, he said,
whereas there's a different
way of looking at things in
the North.
"You can't say what you
did in the south, even though
you might have the same position, might necessarily work
(in the North)," said Rudkin.
"You have to adapt to the
way of the people you're with,
the traditions they're used to
having."
One of the main goals he
has is working on good governance. To that end, Rudkin jumped into the action
quickly and made his way to
Hay River for the Northwest
Territories Association of
Communities conference and
another workshop and strategic planning session two
weeks ago.
"(Good governance) is
just making sure everybody's
aware of what they are, what
their roles and responsibilities
are within those and making
sure we follow them so the
community has the best representation and services we
can provide," he said.
Though Jean Marie River
is a small community, it's
not as isolated as Rudkin has
become used to.
"The benefit to Jean Marie
is I can drive in and drive
out – I don't have to get on a
plane," he said.
So far, Rudkin said it
seems like a good community.
"I look forward to working with the community," said
Rudkin.
"Hopefully we can work
well together and I can help
the community prosper.
news
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 9
7.75 per cent raise for village
employees over three years
Village employee Stephanie Cudmore is happy
with her union's new
agreement. The Village
of Fort Simpson and
Union of Northern Workers agreed to terms on a
three-year deal.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Union, village agree to retroactive increase in new three-year contract
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Unionized government
workers in Fort Simpson
are getting a retroactive
raise thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement.
The village and the Union
of Northern Workers agreed
to terms and ratified a threeyear contract that will take
effect from 2014 to 2016.
Seventeen municipal workers
will see 2.25 per cent raises
per year, starting retroactively from 2014. They will see
that salary bump for three
years, for a total of 7.75 per
cent over that time period.
The 2.25 per cent annual
bump will also apply to
vacation travel assistance
and northern allowance.
"We're pretty happy with
the deal," said Stephanie Cud-
more, village employee and
one of the negotiators for the
union. "It was definitely a lot
of negotiating. Each side of
the table had different ideas.
At the end of the day both
parties unanimously agreed
to the tentative agreement."
It took almost halfway
through the deal's lifespan
to get it done, but Cudmore
attributed that more to scheduling conflicts than any
major holdup in bargaining.
The village spent $1.08
million last year on
wages
and
benefits.
Mayor Sean Whelly
said the 2.25 per cent
raise
is
manageable.
"We're quite aware of our
financial situation and an extra
$25,000 per year is workable,"
he said, using rough figures.
The deal has finer details,
such as reducing the amount
of necessary hours worked
for casual employees to be
counted as full time from 650
hours in four months to 625.
"They didn't want the village to use the casual positions to get around hiring
full-time staff if the job
required it," said Whelly.
"That's agreeable. In those
cases we would want to see
that kind of job turn into
a full-time position anyway."
He said many things come
into play when bargaining
a new contract: the state of
the economy, projected village revenue over the next
few years, stability of the
tax base, inflation and competition with the GNWT.
"Both sides try to sell a
story to each other, but in
the end reasonableness is
what we're looking for," said
Whelly.
Student art gallery lights up the night
Northern News Services
Tthek'ehdeli/Jean Marie River
Students at Louie Norwegian school hosted a nighttime art
gallery on May 20 in the gymnasium. The gallery was open
from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
On May 25, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will run a community garden workshop from 5 to 8 p.m.
The regular meeting of the District Education Authority will
go ahead on May 26 starting at 6 p.m.
Bison management meeting
on Tuesday
Tthenaago/Nahanni Butte
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will
be sending representatives to the gymnasium for 10 a.m. on
May 26 to hold a meeting on bison management.
The community is also wishing a Happy Birthday to Landon
Konisenta, who will be turning nine on Sunday.
Flea market-style sale returns
Deh Gah Got'ie Koe/Fort Providence
Spring Fling 2015 is all set to take off on June 13 in the
Snowshoe Inn parking lot. This will be the second year in a row
the event has been held. It starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m.
Table rentals are free and can be reserved by messaging Linda
Croft or Don't Shoe The Bag Lady on Facebook.
The school gymnasium is now holding Adult Open
Gym Nights every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. for everyone
18 years of age and older.
Beautifying the community
Acho Dene Koe/Fort Liard
Echo Dene School is holding its Community Cleanup on
May 22 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Youth from all grades will be out
filling garbage bags.
Principal William Gowans said the event is a partnership
between the hamlet and the school as well as an effort to
beautify a few blocks of Fort Liard, and noted the event helps
to build "civic responsibility."
Bags and gloves will be provided by the hamlet, which will
COMMUNITY Clips
with April Hudson
dehchodrum@nnsl.com
also contribute $2 per filled bag to the school.
The school is also getting ready for the Hay River Track
Meet taking place in the first week of June.
Thursday is an all-day sport day for the school, so classes
will be shut down and kids will participate in various competitions.
alternatives
10 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
STREET talk
Why should youth
take an interest in politics?
with Stewart Burnett
dehchodrum@nnsl.com
Heather Atkins-Desjarlais
"Because it surrounds you in
your everyday life."
Bernice Gargan
"So they could have a stronger
voice and keep up the traditions of former good leaders."
Student of the week
Arthur Lafferty
"Because it's important to have
a voice. If you don't vote, you
don't have a right to speak up
against what's going on."
LEKASHA TESOU
Aaron McNab
"They are the future. They
need to understand how to
get involved and bring about
change."
Elaine Palson
"The more young people are
involved, the more they can
influence decisions and create
change in the world."
Horoscopes May 21 to 28
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, your sign pulls back this week and
you may focus more on the artistic or spiritual. It can be a highly
intuitive time of self-reflection for you.
TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, if you have been backtracking
over past decisions, it's time to look at things again with a clear
perspective -- even if that means you need some advice from a
third party.
GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you achieve some financial stability this week and enjoy the opportunity to breathe easy. Don't go
overboard, but reward yourself for your financial discipline.
CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 There is much career energy coming
your way, Cancer. You may find yourself with more job offers than
you ever thought to entertain. This is not a time to sit back and let
things slide.
LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Beauty and balance are brought into your
life, Leo. Use the opportunity to brighten up your space with some
decorating or a welcome change of scenery.
VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, you may have more energy than
you know what to do with this week. Find a way to funnel it into a
creative or worthwhile endeavor, like volunteer work.
LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Relationships will be a major high point
for you this week, Libra. Every friendship or romance you have is
irresistible and compelling at the present time.
SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, your health and career continue to be your top priorities. You have a sense of urgency to get
in better shape. It may be possible to combine your goals.
SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 You are beyond magnetic this
week, Sagittarius. If someone didn't want to be your friend before,
they certainly do now. Expect to be swarmed with attention.
CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, others describe you as
feisty and fun this week. With boundless energy, you bring your
own party to each and every situation. Enjoy the rush.
AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Communication doesn't seem to be
coming easily for you, Aquarius. You know what you want and can't
voice it successfully. Take some time to plan what you want to say.
PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, a major financial event is on the
horizon, but you're not sure if it is a windfall or a burden. Only time
will tell.
Kulwant Khosa
"For the betterment of society."
Age: 9
Parents: Fred and Carol Tesou
School: Bompas Elementary School
Teacher's remarks: Lekasha is an excellent student and
a good listener in class. She is a hard worker and completes her work all of the time. She is very respectful to
others. I have enjoyed teaching her.
Favourite subject: Drawing
Book of choice: Dork Diaries
Favourite food: Apples
Hobbies and pastimes: Drawing and playing outside
Career aspirations: Become an artist
Bride chooses mom
for walk down aisle
I am a follower of your articles because I think that you give
honest answers to the questions given to you.
My daughter, who is 30, is to be married next year. She is
living in New Zealand, our homeland. I am her dad and have
lived in Perth, Australia, for eight years. Her mom lives in Canada. We were married for 17 years and have been divorced for a
long time.
Recently my ex-wife was with my daughter organizing the
wedding in New Zealand. Then I received an e-mail from my
daughter saying that she wanted her mom to walk her up the
aisle at her wedding.
I sent her an e-mail telling her how I felt – hurt and not
respected. I explained how I had supported her through her
upbringing as did her mother. Her mom is a very good mother.
I suggested that her mom and I both walk her up the aisle but I
have had no reply from my daughter since then.
In the future, I will decide if I go and be one of the crowd or
stand my ground, only willing to attend if I am part of the wedding party.
What are your thoughts on this matter?
Grant
Grant, in general the wedding day belongs to the bride, and
to a lesser extent, the groom.
Your daughter is making a public declaration and display
that she is picking her mother over you. You don't need to participate in that. You don't need to be a party in that. You don't
need to be the doormat in that.
The best way to handle it is this: tell your daughter the
choice is hers, but "with your mom walking you down the aisle,
my presence at the wedding will be awkward, so I won't be
attending. There will be too many questions in the guests' minds
DIRECT
Answers
with Wayne & Tamara Mitchell
confidential@nnsl.com
over why I am there but not walking you down the aisle."
Instead of the day belonging to the bride and groom, now the
wedding will be about why her dad didn't walk her down the
aisle. This situation is rife with even more problems. Are you
in the wedding photos or not in the photos? Do you sit at the
family table or not at the family table? Do you give a toast or
not give a toast? Will her first dance be with her mom?
There won't be one awkward moment, there will be a series
of awkward moments. Just as your daughter gets to make this
decision, so you get to make a decision that you won't be the
focal point of an awkward situation of your daughter's devising.
All the decisions we make have consequences. That is her consequence. You decide not to attend the wedding and not to be
the subject of speculation or ridicule.
Your daughter is calling everything about your presence into
question. The wedding day is not a day for paybacks. It's your
daughter's right to have her mom walk her down the aisle. It is
not her right to decide on your reaction to it or to make you a
party to it.
Wayne & Tamara
If you have any questions or comments for Wayne or Tamara, please
forward e-mail to confidential@nnsl.com or write to Wayne &
Tamara Mitchell, Station A, Box 2820, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R1
community
DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 11
Spruced up Seven Spruce
open for summer season
New and improved Fort Simpson golf course opens early thanks to warm weather
by Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson
Hot temperatures helped
open the golf season early
and it's been off to a running start at Seven Spruce
Golf Course in Fort Simpson.
"The course is good,"
said Travis Wright during
a round on Victoria Day.
"The grass is coming in pretty
nice. The temperature's been
perfect for golf. No bugs!"
Allison
Anderson,
clubhouse manager, said
the course has been busy
since opening on May 9.
"We have a beautiful
course," said Anderson. "We've
been doing a lot of work to
the course over the last year."
A committed team of
volunteers and groundskeepers
have
helped
remove excess brush on the
course, aiding visibility.
"We have bears that
come down, a lot of wildlife, so they've been taking
out a lot of the brush so that
we can see," said Ander-
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
Allison Anderson, clubhouse manager at Seven
Spruce Golf Course in Fort Simpson, said people
of the Deh Cho love their golf. The course opened
a little bit early this year and has received visibility
improvements.
son. "They've been doing
a lot of work to this place
and getting it all up to par."
Seven Spruce is known
for big tournaments in the
summer, including the Kingland and Canadian Zinc
events, and is well-liked
among residents and tourists.
"It's been full force since
we've opened," said Anderson.
"It's always been that
way though. People in Fort
Simpson love their golf."
On a relatively chilly
and windy Saturday last
week, she estimated there
were at least 35 players out.
Not much is different on the inside of the
clubhouse this year, but
big changes are coming.
The club is working on
renovations inside the clubhouse, including new windows and replacing some
of the floor that is rotting.
The club will be looking
to the territorial government
for funding to help with that.
"(Players) really like the
improvements that have
been done," said Anderson.
"But there is still lots more
that needs to be done. We're
hoping to get it up to par in
the next year or two."
Kristen Campbell lines up her shot. She was enjoying the hot Victoria Day at
Seven Spruce Golf Course.
SPORTS CARD
SOCCER
AGE: 9
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
BAND OFFICE GETS A FACELIFT
Kirk Minoza was busy redoing the facia on the Liidlii Kue First Nation building in
Fort Simpson at the beginning of the month.
KADEN
NAHANNI-KWASNEY
Kaden plays forward in soccer and likes
kicking the ball really hard. Passing is his
best skill on the field. He hopes to play
in some big soccer tournaments in the
future.
12 DEH CHO DRUM, Thursday, May 21, 2015
DEH CHO MARKETPLACE
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Whatsit?
Cora Saunders was the winner
for the April 30th Whatsit.
It was pancakes.
Guess Whatsit this week
and you could WIN a prize!
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