Yellowknife city council took the right direction Monday night when it chose the path of planning for a new library in a new location, rather than keeping the existing library in Centre Square Mall.

While an argument can be made in larger urban centres for satellite library locations in malls, communities normally choose to have a stand-alone, dedicated building for their main branch.

A city's library is far more than a repository of books. It is a public trust for the enlightenment of all its citizens.

A report produced for the City of Yellowknife by Calgary's Library Planning Consultants, suggests the $4.88-million cost of building a new stand-alone library would be marginally higher than the $4.61 million cost of keeping the current location for 20 more years. That's only if the city sells the mall location, valued at $2.95 million.

Right now, the city pays $205,000 per year in condo fees at the mall -- and that's only the tip of the iceberg for what's been a boondoggle with taxpayers' money for the last 11 years.

The city began leasing the current location in 1991 for $452,000 per year, with the option to buy it for one dollar after five years. In 1994, when the former mall owner threatened to declare bankruptcy, the city leased it for another three years. In 1997, Yellowknife borrowed $3.5 million to buy the location outright.

We've paid almost twice over for the current library fiasco. Whether we choose the grounds at Mildred Hall school, the Gerry Murphy arena site or somewhere else, it's time to move on -- literally.

The bad news in the city's aurora tourism industry is the drop in Japanese visitors after September 11.

The good news is the growing Japanese community in town, numbering almost 100 strong. These are people who came to work as guides for local tour companies and choose to make Yellowknife their home for most of the year.

Obviously, they see what makes the North special. They are willing to suffer the -20 spring weather and summer hordes of mosquitos to enjoy the land, lights and people.

Who better to help sell Yellowknife to the rest of the world?

We want to acknowledge the contribution of Bernie Bauhaus as our Caribou Carnival president during a very turbulent year.

It is important to have a steady hand at the helm during a storm. Despite the regular trials of mounting a major festival with volunteers, suffering the cold weather, and doing damage control on the split decision on the queens last year, Bauhaus has remained calm.

The latest problem to surface was a decision to alter the way the carnival button raffle was held.

Changes were made this year that weren't well communicated to the public and that undermines the integrity of future carnival raffles. It was an honest mistake with the best of intentions.

All we can say to outgoing president Bauhaus is thanks. To the incoming president we say tread softly on carnival traditions, they've been almost 50 years in the making.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

You can't blame Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors for feeling like they're between a rock and a hard place.

Council has been painted as being responsible for some of the delays in construction of a regional health facility in Rankin. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The hamlet has bent over backwards time and time again to accommodate the wishes of both the Sakku Investments Corp. and the Nunavut government. That trend continued last week with the granting to Sakku of a right-to-occupy permit to clear snow, survey and sink pilings into the health facility lot.

The hamlet has assurances from Community Government and Transportation that it will not be held liable for contravening its own bylaw, which states all development permits must go through a 14-day waiting period.

The time is for a notice of development to be posted in the hamlet to give residents a chance to voice any concerns they may have.

Council's decision is a smart one, enabling work to finally proceed on the long-awaited project. At the same time, it does nothing to diminish council's position on the final lease agreement -- and that is the key point for the hamlet.

The land comes with a price tag of no less than $350,000, payable to the hamlet of Rankin Inlet. The lot is held in reserve for the health facility, regardless of who the ultimate lease holder turns out to be.

Council is positioning itself carefully so it doesn't get caught in negotiations between Sakku and the territorial government.

The original council motion was for the lot to be designated for the development of a health facility. It did not grant preferential treatment towards any development company. The final title holder will negotiate their lease agreement with the hamlet.

This is a significant point, since it doesn't put the government in a position of having to pay fair market value on the lot should it eventually be the lease holder. It also clears the way for the government and Sakku to work out a development deal beneficial to both, without either party having a market value advantage in the final negotiations.

This is especially important to the government, which was criticized by the auditor general for entering into long-term lease agreements with development companies.

Hamlet council can now sit back and wait for the two sides to strike a deal while development proceeds. Neutrality is the best position for the hamlet to adopt during these proceedings.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

I have to tip my Pendleton to the fortitude of the first novelist from Fort McPhoo.

Robert Alexie is a guy who wrote for the sake of the story; because the words that mattered flowed from his heart, to his veins to his brain to the pages -- pages that were printed by one of the country's most respected book publishers.

What's more, he did it without a government grant, a scholarship or a bursary. He told the story because that's what great storytellers do.

Before the book, he wrote for those who knew him; his friends, family and even politicians. Those who read him, inspired him and that was enough of a grant to him.

Now he writes for the world.

I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading his work, but meeting the man, I know it came straight from his heart.

I hope like hell Alexie makes a pile of money off this book and inspires every other would-be writer out in the Delta to do the same. Good luck on this one and the even more for the next one Robert!

Muskrat love

Last week's rant ran a little long and I never had space to tell you how much I enjoyed the Muskrat Jamboree.

It was a great time, despite what the blizzard threw at us.

Huddled inside the recreation centre kinda brought the town a little closer and I think that's what we all needed anyway -- some time to rub elbows with the people you've missed all winter.

Sunday and Monday were a little kinder and the organizers never skipped a beat, catching right up with all the activities that couldn't be done indoors.

While I got my butt kicked in the log sawing, it sure gave me a greater appreciation for this dense Delta timber. I have a whole year to train for next year and I intend to give that MLA a run for his money.

Recycled romance

There's something sweet out at the dump that's gonna draw more honey bees than ravens. It was my sincere pleasure to meet Inuvik's newest newlyweds last week.

This work often mires us in the weight of our world of politics, cops, courts and other social disasters, but meeting folks like Barb and Albert really keeps me in the game.

You can see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices, that true love has found a home at the landfill.

I couldn't help but get misty when I saw those work-mittened hands slip together, when they thought they were alone, and when I watched them kiss, even when they knew they weren't.

Thanks for sharing that sweet love of the land and love for each other, kids. You give us all reassurance that true love exists.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Courage comes in many forms.

Baring the most excruciating details of your life in hopes of affecting change - that would definitely qualify as courage. That's exactly what Stan Sanguez has done.

The husband, father and chief of the tiny community of Jean Marie River has stepped forward with a poignant personal account of the devastating effects his addictions have had on him and those around him.

It's a powerful story, at times heartbreaking, but with a potentially happy ending. It won't be easy, though. Sanguez has taken the first crucial steps toward sobriety by admitting he has a problem and seeking help. But it's 28 days of treatment versus 32 years of habitually drinking to excess.

The road to recovery is long and full of temptation. Many people have started out on that journey only to go astray, others continue to press ahead, never looking back.

It's with great sorrow that we observe people lost to addictions: eyes glazed, gait unsteady, babbling incoherently. Sometimes it leads to violence, sometimes to death.

We feel powerless to help these people. Their requests usually sink them deeper in their dependency: a loan, more alcohol, a place to stay.

Then, once in a while, someone finds the wherewithal to fight back, to take control of his life. He seeks counselling, attends a treatment centre.

It's at these times that we must listen when needed, be morally supportive and offer encouragement.

Stan Sanguez has told his story candidly. It is one of many such stories in the Deh Cho, across the country and around the world. No matter the location, the scars are hideous and the root of the problem must be brought out into the open and vanquished. That won't happen on one's own.

Blending of cultures

It was reassuring to hear elder Leo Norwegian speak of the need for aboriginals and non-aboriginals to have mutual respect and help each other. Addressing delegates at a governance conference in Fort Simpson, Norwegian said there's no desire among aboriginals to return to life in the bush on a permanent basis. He added that there's no need to try to drive non-aboriginal people from the Deh Cho either. Rather, he suggested that the best of both cultures can be united in what will be a future regional Dene public government.

Those are undoubtedly the sort of words that will be welcome by non-aboriginals, some of whom have received mixed messages -- or at least inferred a degree of hostility -- about their presence in an aboriginal homeland.