To initial or not to initial the Dogrib Treaty 11 land claim this Wednesday in Wha Ti.

That's the choice facing the territorial government.

Akaitcho Treaty 8 chiefs have begged the government not to initial the claim.

Dogrib have claimed as part of their traditional use area roughly 230,000 square kilometres of land the Akaitcho claim is their's.

The huge swath of land extends from Boundary Creek all the way into the Barren Lands to Artillery Lake.

The area includes the diamond-rich lands around the Ekati Diamond mine and the under -construction diamond mines of Diavik and De Beers.

Akaitcho Treaty 8, which also claims to have treaty rights to these lands, is in the midst of negotiating a framework agreement based on keeping their treaty rights.

In May, after getting nowhere with the Dogrib on settling this boundary issue, Akaitcho leaders launched a court action against the federal government to stop the claim. Now in a last-ditch effort, they are asking the territorial government not to sign.

The question that must be asked is: Is it ethical for MLAs to support the final steps of the Dogrib Final Agreement without a settlement to the boundary issue?

We don't think so.

The long history of this conflict speaks for itself. The Dogrib, having the clear advantage of being first off the mark to draw a new map, have made little effort to negotiate.

On the other hand, the federal government has created the situation for its own ends -- another land claim feather in its barren cap.

But it's also clear if the initialling of this agreement goes ahead, the end result could well make it impossible for the Treaty 8 claim to ever see the light of day.

The GNWT must not ignore this reality.

If it refuses to initial, they will put the necessary pressure on the Dogrib to sit down with their neighbours and resolve this boundary once and for all.

There are times when we must hold the government accountable for their action or lack thereof.

And then there are times when we, as citizens, must step up to the plate and take the lead in developing our own programs, initiatives and businesses.

Consider the desperate need for a steady supply of seal skins in Nunavut to better understand the government's role in the marketplace.

Iqaluit seamstress Rannva Simonsen called on the territorial government recently to do something about the lack of skins available for sewers in the territory.

Under what's called the fur price program, the Department of Sustainable Development already plays a critical role in Nunavut's seal skin industry.

Wildlife officers pay hunters for skins and when the pelts are sold at auction, the remaining profits are given to the hunters. The program ensures seal harvesters have a steady source of income to buy bullets and gasoline so they can continue to hunt.

It also means hunters are paid for their work and can support their families in a traditional and sustainable manner. Because the international fur market is thriving, all the pelts hunters sell to the government go at auction for high prices. While this is good for hunters, it isn't good for sewers. It means Simonsen has to get her skins from Norway or Greenland -- unless she goes to the auctions and competes against international buyers.

The end result is that Simonsen's products do not bear 100 per cent made in Nunavut logos.

She could buy the skins from hunters and send them South for tanning herself, but the process takes months. Simonsen, who is trying to establish her sewing and design business, says she just doesn't have the time.

At what point does government responsibility end and private sector action begin? When there is demand for a product on the market, and profit margins for the business owners will be realized, is it up to the business owners or politicians and bureaucrats to meet the needs? The answer is simple. Meeting the demands of the marketplace is a matter for entrepreneurs like Simonsen. The government does their part by making financial support available.

The rest is up to those in the private sector who have the foresight or the need to invest in such goods and services.

Step in the right direction

Environment

Today, Prime Minister Jean Chretien is scheduled to address the "Earth Summit" in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He is widely expected to promise Canada will ratify the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, if not immediately, then soon. Alberta and the oil industry aren't happy Canada is preparing to live up to its international commitment, but just about everyone else is. Which is why last week's news that the Nunavut Power Corp. is adopting some environmentally friendly technology -- designed to make use of waste heat from its oil burners -- is so timely. All the evidence suggests that weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is not only good for the planet, but good for our bottom lines, too. Using the new equipment, just two Panniqtuuq schools will save 160,000 litres of oil a year. It's a small step on a long road, but an important one nonetheless.

We urge Nunavut Power to stay on track.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Full marks must be given to Rankin Inlet hamlet council for its decision to hold off on surplus spending and look into the possibility of hiring a project officer.

In these tight fiscal times, competition for any project holding the promise of jobs is intense.

Hamlet senior administrator Ron Roach is bang on when he says being able to financially contribute to a project aids greatly in securing it for a community.

So too, does being properly prepared when it comes time to make your pitch to any level of government.

Final costs, labour analysis, material acquisition, time frames and planning modules are all key components to a successful pitch by any municipality.

However, as positive a step as council's decision is, there's still a joker in the deck that might work against it.

And that's the Nunavut government's habit of striking a standing committee on any given project.

You just know there will be such travelling road shows formed to visit almost every community in the territory to seek its opinion on both the proposed Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre and any correctional facility that may be constructed.

Then there's the additional time to digest the volumes of information gathered. This is further convoluted by the fact every suggestion, no matter how outlandish, seems to warrant discussion.

We can't help but wonder how many ministers remember the proposal put to them in the Siniktarvik Hotel a few years back to build a giant warehouse to hold each and every carving produced by Nunavut artists that the government should be buying.

If memory serves us, that particular gem was discussed for almost an hour. Even more disconcerting is that this mining of public opinion is undertaken by a government comprised of a number of ministers who issue gag orders to their underlings when it comes to fielding questions from the media. The chances of Rankin Inlet actually landing any of these projects will get better if council ultimately decides to hold off on surplus spending and hire a project officer.

However, the hamlet does not have a good track record when it comes to public opinion.

A number of the most vocal, and influential, individuals who rallied public opinion against Rankin being selected as Nunavut's capital now live in capital cities elsewhere.

Who has the keys to the warehouse?

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

Stellar sweeper Kudos to town council for ponying up the dough to get the new street sweeper.

That piece of gear will go a long way towards improving tourism here and the health of the people too.

The machine will save the town the expense and delays they were having by contracting the service out, and it will also get a cleaner street with this machine.

As well, with gravel becoming a premium product here, the purchase couldn't have come at a better time.

Is the caller there?

I never know who's going to be on the other end of the line when I pick up the phone in the Drum office.

Often it's the regular calls for advertising and other newspaper business, but sometimes I get into some pretty lively discussions here.

I fielded a couple of angry calls over my last week's rant over the college contract and the campground issue.

While most would dread taking these calls, I actually enjoy getting them.

I need to hear other opinions as it helps me understand these issues better.

This is your paper and I can't formulate an educated opinion without input from you.

If people don't comment or call back, I have no way of knowing their side of the story, and I can't print rumours.

As a new guy in the community I can't sit here and type out the right answer to every issue that faces this part of the world, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I sugar-coated every editorial either.

The purpose of an editorial comment is not necessarily to be right, it's written to inspire debate on issues that need to be debated.

I've got a pretty thick skin and big enough shoulders to take the criticism, but it's also in the reader's best interest that I dish it out as well.

Keep those nasty calls and letters coming, but I'd appreciate some good ones now and then too!

C'mon summer!

Sure felt good to get out and suck up some of that warm Delta sun during the slo-pitch tourney held last weekend.

I don't think I'm alone in thinking we were kind of cheated out of a summer this year.

We did get some hot weather during the arts festival, but that was almost too warm to appreciate.

This is a bittersweet time of year; the kids returning to school and people ending their summer vacations.

And we all know what's just around the corner, but this time of year has got to be the best.

After the cool snap, most of the bugs have disappeared, the leaves are turning and the temperature has been perfect to get out for some fishing.

Let's all cross our fingers and toes for a nice, long Indian Summer!

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

It's been a tumultuous few weeks for a couple of chiefs in Deh Cho.

Pehdzeh Ki Chief Percy Hardisty, less than a year into his term, was unceremoniously removed from office on Aug. 12 while he was in Edmonton on medical leave. Acho Dene Koe Chief Floyd Bertrand, only elected three months ago, has apparently been the subject of a much-rumoured petition calling for him to step down.

Interestingly, both of these chiefs had a solid majority of the vote in their electoral victories.

Neither of the aforementioned circumstances are ground-breaking precedents. Between being ousted and resigning, it's been quite some time since a Wrigley chief has completed a full term. In Liard, petitions have become commonplace. Bertrand's two most recent predecessors, Judy Kotchea and Harry Deneron, were, by way of petition, also called upon to renounce their seats.

Somehow this conflict must all get sorted out. As with the Liberal party on a national level, when infighting and squabbling come to the fore, there are many other important issues that consequently do not get addressed. It's counter-productive.

Should evidence of corruption or illegal activities ever surface among chief and council, of course action should be taken immediately. Otherwise band members should think long and hard before they attempt to disrupt the affairs of their own local government.

The Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation in Kakisa offers a shining example. There, Lloyd Chicot has served as chief for over a decade and was given another mandate by the elders in May. Granted, it's a tight-knit community of fewer than 50 people, but band member Margaret Leishman -- whose father, Phillip Simba, was a long-time chief in Fort Providence and Kakisa -- had the following pearl of wisdom to offer on the issue of leadership:

"If you continue changing leaders nothing will get done."

Keeping chiefs and band councillors accountable is one thing, but needlessly creating instability is something else.

Building knowledge

For the cynical, last week's gathering in the Deh Cho First Nations' boardroom was yet just another oil and gas workshop. It has been suggested more than once that workshops have become an industry in themselves in the North.

On the other hand, since the political provisions to open the door to development aren't yet agreeable to the Deh Cho First Nations, why not spend the interim educating people about the oil and gas industry? Informed decisions emanate from workshops such as the one held last week.