Rankin Inlet’s hamlet council has several passionate members.
In the past, the council has talked about needing to promote and celebrate our town’s hockey scene more. They’ve talked about needing more public awareness and messaging around drinking and driving.
Coun. Megan Pizzo-Lyall advocated for a state of emergency last week, and Coun. Michael Shouldice emphasized the need for council to clearly outline its priorities and then aggressively pursue them. That means more than sending a letter and waiting a few months to see what happens.
What the hamlet needs, and what more and more organizations are realizing they need, is a communications officer.
Communications professionals centre their work around the public messaging of their organization and being the connection between the people and their government. They also serve a valuable role in improving internal communications. They take the weight of communications off people who should probably be too busy to deal with them – the recreation coordinators, the senior administrative officers, the community wellness workers. They help the mayor and council members pursue their objectives by creating campaigns around their goals. They are force multipliers who communicate and promote the organization’s good work and priorities.
As mentioned at the last council meeting, Rankin needs to deal with the beer and wine store as a community. With a communications officer, that person could create a campaign to deliver consistent public messaging, on social media and on bulletin boards, perhaps even in-person town halls, to stir up people’s civic pride for their hometown and encourage action beyond what the hamlet can do.
Currently, that megaphone for Rankin needs doesn’t seem to be coming from anywhere specifically, though there are more than several strong voices in the community. There is a tremendous amount of good work being done and passionate community members, but no one person dedicated to advocating for Rankin.
But, it might not only be the store
All of the social issues related to supposedly increased drinking in the community seem to be attributed to the beer and wine store.
Though its timing may suggest that, it also occurred during the most messed-up period in recent history with the pandemic. Coming out of that, the world feels changed. The phenomenon of “quiet quitting” and increased hopelessness seem to be manifesting in flakier dealings, destituteness and something of a breakdown in Canadian society and elsewhere. People are less reliable, few want to work, money feels hard to keep and good days seem far away.
Because of that, I would guess that many of these social ills may have worsened regardless of the store. As was mentioned during the Aug. 14 council meeting, if there are any limits put on the store, then the RCMP’s statistics should narrow down exactly its effect on those.
ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ Hᒻᒪᓚᑯ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐱᔪᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖃᖅᑐᑦ.
ᐊᑐᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᒥ, ᑲᑎᒪᔨᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᓚᐅᕐᒪᑕ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᖁᔨᓪᓕᑎᒃ ᒪᓂᓴᐃᓂᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑕᐅᓂᖅ Hᐊᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᖏ. ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᖁᔨᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᐱᕚᓕᖁᔨᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᑲᑕᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᖓᔮᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐃᖏᕋᔭᒃᑐᑦ.
ᑲᑎᓴᔨ ᒥᑭᓐ ᐱᓱ-ᓚᐃᔪ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑐᐊᕕᕐᓇᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᔪᐊᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᕐᒥ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᔨ ᒪᐃᑯ ᓱᑎᔅ ᑕᐅᑐᖑᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᑦ ᓯᕗᒻᒧᐊᑦᑎᐊᓕᖁᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᓄᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᓗᓂᔾᔪᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᕕᒃᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᔪᒪᓂᖃᓕᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐱᓪᓗᒍ ᑎᑎᖃᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᔪᐃᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑕᕿᓂᖅ ᑕᕿᓄᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᔪᒪᓪᓗᒍ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔ.
Hᐊᒻᒪᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᖏᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᒥᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᔨᕈᓱᓕᕐᔪᒥᖁᔨᔪᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖃᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒥᒃ.
ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᒋᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓱᖑᖕᒪᑕ ᐱᔨᑎᕋᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᖃᑎᒋᑎᑎᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒐᕙᒪᖓᑦ. ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᖏᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᕗᑦ ᐊᕿᓱᐃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᒃᑯᑦ. ᐱᓕᕆᓱᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕿᐊᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖅᓴᖃᓂᒃᑲᒥ. - ᐱᖑᖅᑐᓕᕆᔩᑦ, Hᐊᒻᒪᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᖓᑦ, ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᖏᑎᑦᑎᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨᑦ. ᐃᑲᔪᓱᖑᖕᒪᑕ ᒪᐃᔭᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᒋᐊᖁᔨᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᒥᓂ ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᓪᓗᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᑯᒋᓗᓂᔾᔪᒃ ᑎᒥᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖏᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᖏᓪᓗ.
ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑭᖑᓪᓕᕐᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ. ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᐅᓕᒪᓄᑦ ᑲᒪᔭᕆᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᕋᓗᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᒥᐊᓗᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕈᐊᐃᓐᓂᑖᕐᕕᒃ . ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑎᔨᖃᓕᕐᓗᓂ, ᑐᓴᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨᐅᕙᒡᓗᓂ ᑭᓱᓂᒪᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᖕᓂᑦ , ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓂᕋᕐᓂ ᑎᑎᖃᓂᒃ, ᐱᖑᐊᕐᕕᒥᓪᓘᓐᓂᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖃᓕᖁᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᑯᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒃ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᖅᑕᒥᓂᒃ Hᐊᒻᒪᓚᒃᑯᑦ.
ᒪᓇᐅᔪᖅ, ᑐᓴᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᓇᒧᖓᐅᖁᔨᖏᒻᒪᑦ, ᐅᓄᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᖃᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥ. ᐱᓕᕆᕐᔪᐊᖅᑐᖃᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔪᒪᓂᖃᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓂᖅ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᐅᓄᑦ.
ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᓂᐅᕕᕐᕕᑐᐊᖑᔭᖁᖏᑦᑐᖅ
ᐃᓄᖃᑎᒥ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᖃᑎᒋᖕᓂᖅ ᐃᒥᐊᓗᒃᑕᖃᓗᐊᕋᓗᖕᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥ ᐃᒥᐊᓗᒃᑖᕐᕕᒃ ᐱᔾᔪᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ.
ᐱᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᑐᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᓇᒪᓇᖏᑦᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᕙᖕᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅᑕᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᐊᓂᒍᕐᒪᑦ, ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ. ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ ‘’ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᖏᑦᑐᒃᑯᑦ’’ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓄᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᔪᒪᓗᐊᕈᓐᓂᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᒪᓂ ᓄᖃᖓᖅᖢᓂ. ᑭᓇᐅᔭᑭᒃᓴᕐᓂᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓂᕈᓗᔭᖅ. ᐱᔪᒪᓗᐊᖏᑦᑐᑦ, ᐅᓄᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᖃᓇᐃᔭᕈᒪᔪᑦ, ᑭᓇᐅᔭᖅ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᖅᖢᓂ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᖕᓂᖅ ᐅᖓᓯᖁᔨᔪᖅ.
ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᔪᕈᑎᓕᖕᓄᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᔪᓐᓃᖅᐸᓪᓕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅᒧ ᓇᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓂᐅᕕᕐᕕᖕᓂ. ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᒌᓯ 14 ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓄᑦ, ᑭᒡᓕᖃᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᒃᐸᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᒥᐊᓗᖕᓂᑦ, ᐸᓕᓯᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᑲᑐᖅᐸᓕᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ.