The price of gold is in the dumpster, Giant Mine is on the auction block, Miramar's stock is dropping and city council wants to raise taxes.

The good news is that it's summertime. And in Yellowknife that means festival after festival. From Raven Mad Daze we went to the Float Plane Fly-In, followed by the Festival of the Midnight Sun and finally, the flagship of Yellowknife's summer attractions, Folk on the Rocks.

Yellowknife is blessed with people of drive and vision who get these festivals rolling, a corporate community that is prepared to be generous with their resources and an army of volunteers who are willing to get their hands dirty and break a sweat to make sure things come together.

Those of us who plan our summers around the mind-boggling calendar of events owe a large debt of gratitude to the people who take the time and make the effort to make these festivals happen.

The organizers and the volunteers can be proud of the work they put into the festivals.

Corporate sponsors and businesses can be proud of their participation and support.

For the rest of us is the wistful realization, as the sun sets over the final night of Folk on the Rocks, that life is what happens to you in between festivals.

Now is the time to reconsider your resolution to get involved. After all, these festivals are powered by people. There is plenty of room to help and no contribution is too small.

A summer of festivals will not change the price of gold, nor will it lower your tax bill.

On the other hand, watching the kids of the Kugluktuk drummers join a group of maniacally joyful West African musicians on stage to close the show last weekend provided a lesson in how the world should work, and that leaves all of us with something to aim for.

Dettah fisherman David Giroux brings home the huge dilemma facing the fishing industry in the North Slave region.

With local quotas not being met since the 70s, Giroux blames the GNWT for its lack of a marketing plan.

With what the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board is paying ã $.70 per pound, it's next to impossible for Giroux to carry on his father's tradition.

But in Northern grocery stores, cod, halibut and other southern catches are priced far below Northern fish. And that's only noticeable when the store is carrying it.

Surely the NWT Development Corporation can develop a business plan to have Northern fish compete in the Northern market. That would be the first step in reviving the commercial freshwater fishing industry on Great Slave Lake.

NWT Power's attempt to muscle in on Yellowknife's electrical distribution franchise operated by Northland Utilities, comes as no major surprise.

Nunavut is considering its future with the corporation. Our gold mines are on shaky ground. Communities such as Fort Simpson are shopping for cheaper electricity. Inuvik is converting to natural gas. The Power Corp. is under considerable pressure to generate income outside of its traditional business of supplying electricity.

Do Yellowknifers care who distributes the city's electricity? Probably not. They just want the best price and service competition brings. The sole difference between the two companies is NWT Power is Northern-owned while Northlands is not. An important point but not worth paying more for electricity.

I had some idea that the arts festival would be something spectacular, but there was no way I was prepared for what I saw and felt walking into the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex this week.

To start with, the artwork was, simply put, out of this world. I wanted one of everything. For example, there was a raku bowl by Linco Schoenne and my heart broke to leave without it (it had already sold). And the carvings -- dozens of carvers labouring over stone, bone, ivory...beauty in the making.

The paintings, pastels, pottery. How can there be so much beauty in one room? I don't consider myself an art connoisseur, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like and I liked everything.

The people are also worth mentioning. It didn't matter their age, race or gender, they all had at least one thing in common: a love for art-making.

I watched as one artist brought in a large carving. Two people who were also watching looked awestruck, as I'm sure I did.

When they began talking to the artist, I noticed the expression of respect and admiration on their faces.

Many of the viewers wore similar expressions.

To be able to view the exquisite pieces was one thing, but to also be able to see the artists in action added an entirely different dimension to my appreciation of the arts. I could have watched them for hours.

Rounding off the festival are the performances by a myriad of drummers, dancers and singers. They add an aural dimension to an already full experience.

Festival co-ordinators Marilyn Dzaman and Tanya Van Valkenburg deserve a lot of credit for organizing this overwhelming event. They've been working on this for months and here is the product -- a work of art in itself.

Just being there and absorbing the atmosphere of the festival was almost enough. Almost.

Saying goodbye

For those of you who haven't heard, I'm going home.

I know, I know. I just got here. But a job came up at home and I couldn't pass it up. The only reason I'm leaving is to be closer to my family. It has nothing at all to do with this town or the people. Actually, I have enjoyed both very much.

When people have asked me about Inuvik, the comment I give most is that it's the most welcoming community I've ever moved to. And that's saying something considering I come from the Maritimes where we're famous for being friendly (I know all my fellow Maritimers in town are nodding their heads in agreement right now). I have never felt so comfortable in such a short period of time.

Many of you may not believe this, but I do wish I wasn't leaving so soon. There are so many things I'll miss out on seeing.

I guess I'll just have to come back someday as a tourist or something.

I look forward to it.

OK, I've got the Wrigley ferry schedule down now.

I had plans to go to Wrigley to cover the Healing and Spiritual Gathering last Friday night, refuel and make the last Liard ferry. From there I'd drive and nap my way to Fort Fitzgerald for the 10 a.m. Treaty Eight centennial ceremony, spend the night in Smith and cover the fastball tourney in Hay River on Sunday.

I was psyched for a good weekend of commando journalism, filled with history, culture and sports, a couple thousand clicks of dirt road driving, but I got slowed down on the other side of the river.

When I got to Wrigley, Chief Tim informed me the last ferry was at 8 p.m.

With a load of work and driving off my mind, I settled down, had some of Billy's barbecued ribs, took some photos and had a great time. The RCMP were kind enough to put me up for the night at the detachment. That's the first time I've ever "asked" to spend the night. Thanks a bunch, Lance and James.

I left early and doddled along the way home, fishing here and there, and I missed the last morning ferry. Oh well, forced into another four hours of fishing and, man, what a view.

Me and the judge

Since I came North, almost everyone I've met has asked me the question, "Any relation to the judge?" Before you ask -- no.

I've sat in Judge Robert Halifax's court a dozen times, but never met the man. I've discussed the judge at length with fellow news types, attorneys, defendants, convicts, politicians, drunks and cab drivers.

Everyone tells me their judge stories and I've come to know a lot about the man, his rulings, his quotes and his initiatives.

Well, last week I finally got to meet his honour during a break in circuit court.

We compared lineage and, as it turns out, he and I both do descend from the same piece of England, but we are not directly related.

As the debate over the Nunavut government's decentralization policy continues to increase in intensity, one of the main reasons prior decentralization attempts in other jurisdictions met with limited success is starting to rear its head.

The problem is an inherent one to any government, but is much more prevalent in smaller territories where the majority of an area's elected MLAs make up cabinet.

Although cabinet members, these representatives are first and foremost MLAs from their respective constituencies. The problem is a translucent one -- no votes from home riding, no job in future.

Thus, the wants and needs of voters from their home ridings are never far from the subconscious thoughts of our individual cabinet members.

Initially, the majority may buy into the government's platform of making decisions to benefit their territory as a whole. But, as the term proceeds and the pressure mounts from their own constituents, they become increasingly aware of the benefits bestowed upon their own political careers by supporting government initiatives which directly benefit their ridings.

For example, if your riding is in Rankin Inlet, you don't have to be overly concerned with what the people of Baker Lake think. When next election comes around, it will be the people of Rankin who will decide if you did a good enough job to be "hired" for a second term.

The same can be said for each and every Kivalliq MLA from Arviat to Repulse Bay.

In fairness to our politicians, it can be difficult to balance the needs of your territory with those of the people from your home community. However, as our first government matures, it will become more and more obvious which MLAs are more focused on looking after their own ridings than making decisions which benefit Nunavut as a whole.

Although every MLA is quick to say they don't want Iqaluit to turn out to be Nunavut's Yellowknife, the capital city has already eclipsed its targeted number of government jobs by a whopping 159 or an additional 36.8 per cent of its original estimate.

The ministerial power Rankin Inlet holds has also seen that hamlet benefit, as 173 jobs have already been confirmed from a projection of 167.5. To date, Baker Lake, with no cabinet representation, has taken the biggest hit, already losing 54 per cent of the 65 government jobs promised it.

For the first time since April 1, some cabinet members and MLAs have come to the startling realization that not all hamlets are equipped, prepared or even minutely ready to handle a large influx of jobs into their communities -- yet another point of decentralization which should have been realized long ago.

The last hope for a truly effective policy may well rest with the newly formed Decentralization Secretariat. If not, there will be more cries of broken promises to come and Nunavut may be facing three years of a fledgling government trying to proceed with one heavy political albatross clamped firmly around its neck.