If it has done anything, the Jane Groenewegen conflict case has opened a window on the inner workings of NWT politics.

Self-interest comes before the public good. Let's examine the fallout of the case:

A cabinet minister's failure to understand the ethical problem with secretly taping a third-party telephone conversation forced her to resign.

Senior officials involved in the affair are reprimanded and MLAs demand they be fired. The conflict commissioner is told to quit or be fired by the very politicians she was hired to guide through the maze of conflict law. Now, in the face of a non-confidence motion, the premier is reviewing his political future.

What began as a minor breach of the conflict of interest rules escalated into a situation where bad judgment and questionable ethics were demonstrated at the highest levels.

When is it going to end? The premier's resignation ... a new cabinet ... a general election?

Perhaps it's not just Stephen Kakfwi who should be thinking long and hard about what is to happen in the days ahead, but all MLAs.

Instability is dangerous to an economy already threatened by global turmoil. We need leadership, continuity and a government committed to putting the good of the territory ahead of personal politics.

The real way to restore people's confidence in our government is to get to work on the problems we face.

More recrimination and resignations will only make matters worse. The political knives now being sharpened for Kakfwi will be waiting for his successor. Is that supposed to restore public confidence?

Jane Groenewegen has admitted her wrongdoing and resigned from cabinet. She's still an MLA.

Isn't a very public reprimand for a high level bureaucrat equal to losing a cabinet post?

A letter to the assembly from principle secretary John Bayly and chief of staff Lynda Sorensen acknowledging their actions were wrong and won't be repeated might also be appropriate.

The postal worker who was forced to wait a full week before learning the package he or she had handled earlier this month at the airport sorting plant wasn't carrying anthrax must be terribly relieved.

The worker was kept under medical observation while the GNWT's chief medical officer scrambled with Air Canada officials to sort out why the package was held up at security in Edmonton en route to a lab in Winnipeg.

It turns out the mysterious powder was harmless. The fact that there was confusion over labelling on the part of NWT health officials, which led to shipping delays, raises some important questions.

The fact that other provinces have reported bouts of "red tape" in similar scares makes it mandatory that a simplified system be immediately put in place.

After all, what if it did turn out to be anthrax? This postal worker, who wasn't being treated with antibiotics while we waited for lab results, might not have been so lucky.

Politicians, not studies, are blocking the way to a new health-care system in the Northwest Territories.

The latest in expensive health-care studies is the Cuff report. Costing $500,000, it has been called embarrassing and confusing by MLAs yet no viable alternatives are offered.

The territorial government has already spent close to a million dollars on health-care studies -- including the Cuff report -- since last February.

Study after study is a symptom of indecision. Changing our system is going to require political courage. The people have called for action. Now the politicians must deliver.

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

The murder of Keith Blair has sent a ripple of fear throughout the community.

The Mackenzie Hotel night clerk was found dead the morning of Oct. 17, and while details are still sketchy as the investigation continues, his death is being treated as a homicide.

Thankfully, such an act is rare in this area. But this incident is likely to make a lot of people feel a little less secure, at least for the next little while.

It will be especially difficult for those who worked with Blair, as well as his friends and family.

It is to be hoped that the person or persons responsible for this shocking act are brought to justice, and quickly.

Chance encounter heart-warming

It's not often a reporter gets to cover a gem of a story like the one involving Rosie Grandjambe and Sara Jane Firth.

The two women bumped into each other at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, after not having seen each other, or hearing from each other, for 39 years.

Though their reunion was brief, they promised to keep in touch from now on.

This chance encounter is perhaps all the more special and noteworthy nowadays, as the world needs some heart-warming stories in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath.

Special entertainment

A good time was had by all those who turned out last Saturday for Fiddler's Roost, a jam session by local musicians.

The idea behind Fiddler's Roost is for everyone within the circle to have a chance to shine, and accompany other musicians when they wish.

The result is some beautiful singing and instrument playing, and a soothing way to wile away an afternoon. After all, while large concerts are nice, few things can beat a concert held in a small place, with a small audience and intimate atmosphere.

Here's hoping Fiddler's Roost becomes an established weekend event in the months ahead.

While on the subject of music, congratulations are extended to the members of Delta Flood, who recently launched their debut, self-titled CD.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

The village's sewage treatment plant was once heralded by former mayor Norm Prevost as cutting-edge technology. That was the primary association with the $1.8-million project in its early phases in 1999.

Prevost boasted over the plant at the NWT Waste Water Association annual general meeting, the NWT Association of Municipalities annual general meeting and at a Deh Cho First Nations leadership assembly. He told delegates the water coming from the sewage treatment plant would be so clean that a person could actually drink it (to which delegates usually replied, "You can have the first cup.").

Unfortunately, the promise of top-of-the-line technology has been overshadowed by a legal debacle. Over the past two years, there have been endless disputes and four claims of lien filed against the plant.

Now the situation is about to go before the court. It certainly won't be resolved soon as the legal process is tedious, but at least the result will be conclusive.

When people flush their toilets in Fort Simpson, naturally, their first feeling will still be, "What a relief." Unfortunately, their second thoughts will likely be of all the legal bills piling up with the sludge at the other end.

Power potential from the river

Like other regions in the NWT, the Deh Cho has the option to cash in on hydro energy production from the Mackenzie River. The question is how much is too much, and how little can be viable?

If a mega-project were constructed, such as a dam or an ambitious run-of-the-river turbine system, there's potential for flooding.

Petr Cizek, land-use planner for the Deh Cho First Nations, noted that more than 30 per cent of Deh Cho traditional land-use activities occur within one kilometre of the Mackenzie River. The tracts of land along the river generally contain the richest soil, the largest timber and are teeming with wildlife. He also pointed out that the Mackenzie's tributaries are spawning areas.

So if a smaller project were considered, would it still be economically feasible? Even if it generates enough surplus power to sell a percentage, is there a market for it? How would it be conveyed? More analysis is needed.