Well my wish for some spring corn was granted yesterday

The fresh food shipment arrived very early, very unusual. So I purchased some corn and it is now fermenting away nicely in one of my brew buckets. Should be some nice bio-fuel just in time for the ski doo season.
Just kidding on the bio-fuel, corn whisky anyone, just kidding on the whisky.

The corn was sweet and fresh to the pallet, not like the moldy tasting corn we have had over the winter, whether it was spring corn or not does not seem to matter if it tastes fresh.

Following along with the alcohol ban or not to ban or let’s just keep talking about what we intend to do story.

First Minister Tony Andersen of NG was interviewed yesterday by Mitch White of CKOK. The whole interview was on the substance abuse report that NG seems to be struggling with, plus some meetings NG held recently with provincial departments and airlines.
It sounded to me Minister Andersen was more relaxed and comfortable at CKOK than he sounded at CBC HV-GB. That may have to do with being in a nice new building or perhaps the fact than the ventilation/air exchanger is now working in the new building-way cooler up in those airtight studios now sure.
Or it could have nothing to do with the new building.

Back to the subject at hand; with more time and less questions being fired at him Tony managed to get his message out in a more understandable manner. The message has little to no substance yet he did get it out.
It has no substance because it is the same message that NG has been putting out for too long. I.e. more consultation, more meetings, deflecting the processes and accountability to other entities.

Tony sounded very forceful and it was repeated often; that is the NG is very committed and determined to deal with the drug and alcohol problems on the coast.

One thing that was highlighted from his CBC interview was that it is not the intent to have a total ban on the sale of alcohol, or the total ban of the flow of alcohol into the communities. It is more about the control of the flow at the moment.
Also emphasized was; NG expects all other groups to be onside in these attempts, whatever that may turn out to be.

There was no mention of getting to the core of why many people drink and take drugs.
No mention of starting up grass roots programs like getting to the kids in their own environment [on the streets], no mention of establishing a safe place staffed by people who can relate to the kids, or rather the kids can relate too.
All the recreational facilities in the world will not get most of these disenfranchised kids to participate. Recreation facilities are good, but they do not deal with the hard core area of society, the real target groups.

No mention of finding a way to get people to start talking openly about why? IMO this is fundamental in dealing with people’s pain, whether it is race based, economics based, relationship based, whatever.
Now I would not expect people to reveal publicly all of their dark personal secrets if they so choose. But talking about the basics is essential.

There is a lot more can be done in treatment services in the area of mental and substance abuse too. Minister Andersen mentioned that according to many who have been there the treatment centre in North West River is not working for many people. There is little to no follow up programs when clients return home. Grass roots again, when will they get it?

All there seems is a plan to discuss the issues [further] in the NG assembly and the community government.

If, as we are told, the community governments have power to pass by-laws in this area why have they not gotten to that stage already?

Now it seems obvious that any restrictions on the flow from outside will not have much of an effect on the bootlegging trade, it may slow it down, make it more expensive.
It will force people to resort to other substances like home brew, after shave, scope and the like.
There are just too many complexities and nuances involved in trying to police the flow from outside under the present federal and provincial laws.
That is unless all the communities are declared dry by NG and the community governments, and I’m sure not many people [especially politicians who want to be re elected] would touch that with a forty foot pole.

So it would seem that the control has to come from within the communities. Maybe have an entity that has the power to restrict numbers of bottles across the board. Then they would have to have the power [and the chutzpah] to either restrict further, or an out-right ban, on people who are in the courts and convicted on substance abuse related charges.
Then you have to deal with the sale of alcohol at the hotel, plus the sale of beer at the retail outlets [who already have self imposed restrictions].
Then there is the drugs.

This is getting too long and the surface has just been scratched.
I do not mean to be overly critical of Tony Andersen and the people in the governments, just a little, that is where the buck stops I believe.

The criticism would be less if they could find a way to be more open and inclusive, and have something of substance [no pun intended] to say in shorter time frames.

The evenings have cooled down a bit, in the low minuses last couple of nights, days not too bad from 5 to 10 c. The ice is still in the harbor but a decent out wind may open things up.