Western thinking often believes it can solve any problem —
New party. New policy. New philosophy.
But the truth is, most of our problems are self-made.
And under it all is the obsession with progress and prosperity.
Build more roads.
Add more programs.
Bring in outside solutions.
Fly in food. Build clinics. Open colleges.
Since 1999, the Northwest Territories has seen massive development:
Expanded road networks
New colleges and adult learning centers
More health programs and infrastructure
Social support systems, harm reduction policies, housing initiatives
All in the name of opportunity and well-being.
But here’s what the numbers tell us:
Crime Severity Index (CSI): Among the highest in Canada every year — up to 10× the national average (StatsCan)
Alcohol-related hospitalizations: NWT’s rate is 1,412 per 100,000 — nearly 6× the Canadian average (CMHA, 2023)
Suicide: Steadily above national rates since 2000; in 2018, NWT’s suicide rate was over 2× Canada’s average
Violence & family harm: Persistent and high rates of domestic violence, particularly against women and children
Drug-related deaths and hospitalizations: Rising year after year, with territorial rates among Canada’s worst
So what’s going wrong?
We’re often told these problems come from a lack of opportunity or access.
But if that were true, things should be getting better — not worse.
Today, there’s more opportunity than ever.
So why are things falling apart?
Because worldly thinking cannot fix worldly problems.
Worldly thinking is what causes them in the first place.
You can’t solve despair with more services.
You can’t fix brokenness with broadband.
You can’t heal addiction with infrastructure.
You can’t build purpose with policy.
We need more than material answers.
We need meaning.
We need belonging.
We need faith.
We need community that’s rooted in something higher than the world we built.
Until that happens, we’ll keep watching the numbers go up…
And the people fall apart.
