We find it odd that city hall bureaucrats would choose to accept arena advertisements from Molson Breweries without seeking guidance from either the public at large or, at the very least, their employers at city council.

It may very well be that the revenue the ads generate will carry the day. Last year, the city made $11,000 from ads in the arena. As community services director Grant White told us last week, "the beauty of this is it sells itself."

But considering how carefully almost everything else associated with alcohol is handled in the NWT, it doesn't take a doctorate in sociology to know that there is bound to be controversy. It should also be obvious that the city must consider more than just the bottom line when it comes to promoting the consumption of alcohol.

First, no one can deny that there is something a bit strange about billboards in a public venue used primarily by those who are too young to buy the products. There's a reason why alcohol and tobacco ads are tightly regulated -- it is illegal to sell them to children.

Second, children as well as adults are subjected to countless advertising messages every day of their lives.

The decision to give advertisers yet another opportunity to lure potential customers to their products should not be taken lightly.

Third, the Yellowknife Community Arena is a locally owned operation for the benefit of citizens of the city.

It may be that plastering our Zamboni with advertising from city businesses would be more acceptable than national firms based far to the South, most of which have ready access to budgets for a wide variety of media.

Community activists have already raised some of these issues, and so far it looks like there is no consensus on city council over the wisdom of their staff's decision. It is never too late for councillors to review the decision. Whatever conclusion they come to, we have no doubt it will enjoy wider support than one imposed by administration.

Northerners are a hearty bunch. We put up with cold, isolation, lousy roads, high costs and a lot more.

We are not prepared to shoulder the $100 million load to rebuild our highways. According to a study prepared for the NWT-Nunavut Chamber of Mines, an average Yellowknife household would pay an extra $432 annually, even after a higher cost-of-living tax credit.

MLAs who held hearings on a proposed toll that would raise the money heard loud and clear that it's too high a price to pay.

They will likely recommend killing the toll bill when they table a report during the current sitting of the legislature.

That's fine, but now we have to figure out where the money to rebuild our highways is going to come from.

Government must look at new ways of doing business. Take a second look at a Dogrib/Yellowknives Dene proposal to fast-track reconstruction of Highway 3.

It would create jobs and wealth for the two First Nations and give us a better highway, faster than government can afford.

It could be a model for other projects.

And, of course, we must continue to push the federal government to invest in building Northern highways.

It can be said that the best measure of a person's life is the number of people whose lives have been touched along the way. By the hundreds who gathered Saturday to remember educator Terrance Bradley, it's clear he had an impact during 10 years in Yellowknife.

A jolly man, Bradley will long be remembered as someone who did anything for the kids in his school. His tragic death on a local lake only makes his absence that much more difficult to bear.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Anyone hanging around the hamlet office in Rankin Inlet this past week was treated to a moment or two of high adventure.

The hamlet's senior administrative and finance officers had to put away two special promises for safe keeping.

Doesn't sound all that daunting, until one realizes they were promises of artificial ice coming to Rankin and construction on the new health facility starting next summer.

Rumour has it the mayor wasn't in the best of moods and wasn't about to cut any slack because these two promises came from fairly reliable sources. So, the SAO and finance officer were forced to put the two new promises in the same closet space occupied by the old assurances.

Fortunately for the hamlet, the dynamic duo was successful and the room didn't blow from the added pressure on an already spring-loaded geyser of scrap paper.

That being said, Community Government and Transportation does have us convinced that by this time next year, hamlet staff will be making artificial ice at the Rankin arena.

We remain forever hopeful the same will be true with the new health facility. But it's still hope, not conviction.

Hamlet council, however, must be relieved by Kelvin Ng stating on the record that its four-year commitment to the health facility is guaranteed, especially at the bargain-basement price of $350,000.

We don't want to downplay the importance of the money. As was stated previously in Kivalliq News, the two $175,000 instalments give the hamlet the ability to meet the next two of its own debenture payments.

However, there's another side to the guarantee, one that's every bit as valuable. It shows hamlet council (and councils of the past) the Nunavut government does recognize their commitment to having a new health facility.

The guarantee shows that councils of the past four years made the right decision in supporting the project and their efforts did not go unnoticed.

Locking the price in for an equity lease agreement for the past four years was the right thing for council to do for its community.

Thankfully, all councillors involved can now breathe a sigh of relief that doing the right thing won't come back and blow up in the hamlet's face.

And, according to Ng, they'll soon have it in writing.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Frustration could easily be sensed at last weekend's regular council meeting of the Beaufort Delta Education Council.

The topic was teachers, namely how to attract new ones and how to keep those the board has now.

Though the recommendation being discussed was an early recruitment proposal, the issue which generated the most debate was housing, and the lack thereof, within the region.

It's an issue that has popped up before, at previous BDEC meetings and other times. On this occasion it could be sensed that officials are tired of having to raise the issue, as they discussed the high turnover rate -- 50 per cent -- the board had to deal with this year.

Also brought up was the large amount of time eaten up within each community by having to conduct such a large number of interviews just for teachers, never mind the other workers the board hires, such as program support teachers or custodians.

It was stated, quite correctly, that the current situation detracts from the board's mandate, which is to provide quality education for its students.

Having more longer term teachers allows for more continuity within the system, plus it would help free up local district education authority members, who may conduct three or more interviews to fill one position, only after time had been spent finding a batch of potential candidates.

Board officials are correct in saying that not having a sufficient supply of affordable, decent housing puts them at a disadvantage with other boards. And while some teachers do come and stay and put up with housing that's less than ideal -- for which they should be commended -- it's hardly fair or reasonable to expect them to do so, now or in the future.

It's a big problem with no easy solution. Nevertheless, the issue has been raised again. It remains to be seen whether the territorial government, or private industry, answers the call.

Fire Prevention Week a success

Last week was Fire Prevention Week.

It serves a useful purpose by reminding people of the dangers of fire and the benefits of prevention.

Local events went well, including the open house at the fire hall, where hot dogs were gobbled by the hundreds.

Correction

There was a reporting error in the "Council Briefs" (Inuvik Drum, Oct. 4). Ulu Welding is buying 60 Industrial Rd. from the Town of Inuvik. The Drum apologizes for the error.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Every night we witness more incidents of terrorism and anthrax scares on the television screen. We hear about the bombing of Afghanistan and more troops being sent off to fight the war against terrorism.

While the potential for someone we know to be affected by those actions is remote, it's still real. Nevertheless, the whole affair seems rather distant. If we turn off the TV, the problem is out of sight, out of mind -- at least for a while.

The same can't be said when tragedies strike so close to home; when people we know and care about are suddenly taken from us. No, these aren't acts of war or extremists trying to further their cause, these are unfortunate and untimely events -- a plane crash, a helicopter crash, sudden deaths -- that jolt us out of our complacency and make us ponder the fragility of life.

Some people who we might see in the street, stop and talk to, share a laugh with, they're gone. Harder still is to know there are family members who shared so much more and now have to let go. They have to learn to live without someone who was an integral part of their lives.

It's never an easy process, yet we all have to go through it sometime. The best we can do is to offer our support to those who are dealing with overwhelming grief; to let them know that, in many ways, we share their sorrow but together we'll get through these grievous times.

The postponement of the Deh Cho First Nations leadership assembly in Fort Providence was the right thing to do in the face of such a tragedy in Fort Liard. It would have been hard to concentrate on political matters after something so upsetting had occurred.

However, the matters for discussion at the leadership table are far from trivial. One of the topics on the agenda was the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Remember, the people returning to Fort Liard had just attended an Aboriginal Pipeline Group signing ceremony in Ndilo. It was an important issue for them.

With that said, the about face by the Liidlii Kue First Nation -- to support the APG's memorandum of understanding -- is quite a surprising development. If the Hay River Reserve also decides to sign the MOU, and with Fort Liard already onside, then three of the four largest communities in the Deh Cho would be in support. There's new leadership in Wrigley to consider, so it's hard to say where they will stand.

The Deh Cho First Nations office is supposed to reflect the will of the region. Will the majority of communities back the APG in the future? If so, will the DCFN executive recognize that change in posture?

Grand Chief Michael Nadli has mentioned that there are other companies coming forward with worthy proposals. What about those companies? Have they entered the scene too late?

These questions will all have to be answered in the coming months.