Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

AIRING THE ISSUES – A small audience turned out Wednesday evening at Baked Café to hear the four federal election candidates (far right).

Audience has intimate exchanges with candidates

“When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

By Aimee O'Connor on October 8, 2015

“When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

It was the first question posed to federal election candidates Wednesday evening at a forum targeted at young voters.

“I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps,” said Conservative candidate Ryan Leef, who did accomplish that aspiration of becoming a conservation officer like his father.

Frank de Jong, the Yukon’s candidate for the Green Party, also wound up in a similar field to his dream as a five-year-old – to become a musician. De Jong became a music teacher.

Liberal candidate Larry Bagnell wanted to become a fireman, and New Democrat Melissa Atkinson simply wanted a career that would enable her to wear high heels.

BYTE Empowering Youth Society organized the forum, with the hope of bringing up issues affecting youth and building voter engagement.

The local organization launched a social media campaign called Yukon Youth Want. It included stopping young people on the street, getting them to write down issues that are important to them on white boards and taking their photos.

BYTE compiled the photos in a Facebook album – with affordable housing topping the list of priorities for youth, along with tuition, careers, transit and environmental investments.

All four of the territory’s candidates were present for the event, though the venue at Baked Café didn’t allow for a particularly large audience – it had the makings of a more intimate conversation with the candidates.

Though some of the forum’s topics had been covered in similar events, the candidates were asked for the first time how they might better telecommunications in the territory.

Atkinson brought up an earlier debate at Yukon College where de Jong was meant to appear via video conferencing but could not due to a prolonged, territory-wide Internet outage.

Moments like that, Atkinson said, are reminders of how important good telecommunications are.

Leef made note that the federal government had implemented a plan called Connecting Canadians to improve Internet services in remote locations – and it bettered services in Old Crow, for example.

Taking it further, an audience member submitted a question pressing the candidates as to whether they would support a de-monopolization of Northwestel Inc.

While it works well in other jurisdictions and provides competition, de Jong said, the small population in rural Yukon might not justify other carriers unless they’re subsidized.

“If there is interest from carriers, I’d support it,” de Jong said.

Leef reminded the audience that there are issues with telecommunications infrastructure in the territory, and to build better infrastructure takes long-term commitment.

Bagnell echoed the issue of infrastructure, noting the need for the territory to have a second fibre-optic link.

Better cell phone coverage is also a priority, Bagnell said, “not just for tourism, but safety too.”

As for de-monopolizing, Leef said, it is “up to CRTC to make rules.”

Northwestel has had its phone rates monitored by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC), Canada’s telecommunications watchdog, since the 1970s.

Two years ago, the company’s Internet rates were called into question by the CRTC.

Last March, the CRTC ordered Northwestel to lower rates for residential low-speed Internet services by 10 to 30 per cent in some communities in the N.W.T. and Yukon.

A final decision regarding wholesale rates is pending.

If adding more carriers is important to Yukoners, Atkinson said, “a new air of change” would accommodate that – namely, if the NDP was to win the Yukon seat.

While the candidates declared their parties values toward child care, housing, missing and murdered indigenous women for the umpteenth time, education costs were also brought up again.

“We understand health is a value ... a human right,” de Jong said.

“Post-secondary should be in that category.”

The Green Party has announced its intent to completely obliterate tuition fees. As well, the Liberal Party has released a large education platform including significant funds for aboriginal students.

On Wednesday, the NDP pledged to give $4.8 billion over eight years toward aboriginal education – on top of its previous promise to begin phasing out interest on student loans, and adding additional student grants to help students who need it most.

As mentioned in prior debates and forums, Leef discussed the need for more students to go into trades.

“Canada has a trade skill shortage,” he said, adding that the jobs are both high paying and high-skilled.

An audience member later submitted a fresh question regarding assisting First Nations populations struggling with addiction and mental health issues.

All the candidates were in support of implementing some form of a mental health strategy.

“Every level of government needs to be responsible,” Leef said, calling mental health a “significant” issue for government.

The candidates will face the last forum for this week, hosted by CBC North at the Coast High Country Inn, at 7:00 this evening.

The Yukon Registered Nurses Association will host an informal question and answer session with the candidates next week.

The final forum before election day, hosted by the Yukon Chamber of Mines, will take place on Oct. 14.

Comments (5)

Up 8 Down 1

Just Say'in on Oct 10, 2015 at 3:19 pm

Geoff is correct. You are not going to get any big players to come and compete with NWTel. There simple is not enough volume here for one, let alone many. No other company would want to be compelled by law to provide service for every community in the North like NWTel does. It would be not fair at all for others to come north for what little business there is in Whitehorse and Yellowknife and expect NWTel to be forced to do all the communities. As it is now Whitehorse and Yellowknife subsidize the communities as they should, if we want to have service when we drive around.

Up 6 Down 3

FiveYearsOldAllOverAgain on Oct 10, 2015 at 1:51 pm

For all intents and purposes, NWTEL does indeed enjoy a monopoly, irrespective of what any of their employees post on this forum. The people who pay their salaries are wise enough to see through any legal smoke and mirrors that they may throw up in their defence. And , when I was 5 I wanted to be .... fed.

Up 4 Down 8

Sally Wright on Oct 9, 2015 at 10:40 am

When I was 5, I wanted to be a rabbit. It has worked out well, accept I kind of like meat.
So good to see so many engaged in this important election. Get out and vote!

Up 10 Down 2

Geoff Capp on Oct 8, 2015 at 5:25 pm

Northwestel does not have a monopoly by law, only by the fact that competitors aren't interested in losing money to compete here without making tens of millions of dollars in investment. The monopoly ended in 2001, but continues only because of the absence of the same kind of competition that arrived in large cities in 1992 when Unitel went into business.

Up 14 Down 9

Josey Wales on Oct 8, 2015 at 4:21 pm

I can't even remember when I was 5, t'was so long ago now that 5 decades or more have passed and this ol' cowpuncher is still kickin'. I can't say I agree with personal ad attacks and shame on Mr. Leef for doing it. That's ain't no kinda way to lead and I hope youre training as a conservation officer is up to date cos you gonna need new employ soon, oh yeah that won't surprise ol' Josey.

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