In the latest crackdown, 30 law officers hauled off 35 and seized flats of beer and a few grams of crack. The partiers were slapped with liquor and drug offences.
The sweep was made in response to repeated complaints from business owners about drug and alcohol abuse, broken glass and trash, brawling and lawless vandalism.
Insp. Paul Richards, the always quotable spokesperson for the RCMP, said "we needed to deliver concentrated enforcement as part of our overall strategy to combat substance abuse in the city."
Like most of those who work on the lower end of 50th Street, Loc Nguyen welcomed the attention from police and the Liquor Licencing Board.
As the owner of one of the few alcohol-free outposts in the neighbourhood, Nguyen deals day and night with the children running wild in the streets.
Angela Fardella applauded police for hauling in the drug dealers. As co-owner of the Gold Range hotel and bar, she sees them supplying drugs to children as young as 12 every day.
Nguyen and Fardella noticed an immediate improvement. But it was short-lived. A day later, the drug dealers were back in the alleys and so were their teenaged clients.
As Nguyen observed, "the key to fixing the problem will be keeping up the pressure." Richards promised "further operations. We'll keep doing things like this." Thanks, inspector, but no thanks.
Cleaning up downtown will take more than one-night sweeps pumped up with silly names like Operation Hydra.
The problem requires the full attention of police.
Every night -- not just once every few months.
Police should also get out of their patrol cars and patrol regularly on foot as well.
That requires direction and money. RCMP are under contract to provide police service to the city and the territory.
If they need to be told what to do, city hall and the territorial justice minister should get on it.
There is no time like the present for voters to ask candidates in the civic and territorial elections what they will do clean up the streets.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Anyone with the slightest bit of insight into the personality of Jordin Tootoo was not surprised by his decision to dedicate his first NHL game to his brother, Terence.
Before his death, Terence was one of Jordin's biggest fans, and the two siblings spent as much time together as possible.
Jordin and Terence enjoyed almost hero status during their time together with the OCN Blizzard in The Pas, Man., where 'Keep your hands off our Tootoos,' was the fans' rallying cry.
The dedication to his brother is the latest example of why Jordin is cementing his reputation as an all-around class act.
Jordin is the subject of a poster campaign launched by the Nunavut government aimed at encouraging Nunavut youth to stay in school and follow their dreams.
The amount of time he has dedicated to visiting Nunavut schools during the past few years has been impressive, to say the least.
For all the glory that can accompany it, the life of a professional hockey player is a difficult one.
Time off to spend with friends and family, and simply to relax after a gruelling schedule, is closely guarded by many professional athletes.
Jordin is among the select few who take the time to live up to what they, themselves, see as an obligation to the youth of their respective areas.
Feel good story
Al Muir of the sports-collectibles magazine, the Beckett Hockey Collector, hit the nail right on the head when he said Jordin is that rare breed of professional athlete who fans feel good about idolizing.
The press coverage he has received as a fourth round NHL draft pick is unprecedented.
The elements of his story drive sports journalists into a feeding frenzy.
His coming from a small Arctic hamlet in Nunavut, entering minor hockey on natural and outdoor ice, leaving home to pursue his career, defying all odds in realizing his dream to become the first Inuk to play in the NHL, and overcoming personal tragedy combine to produce one of the true feel-good stories of the year.
Jordin's willingness to embrace his role-model status and do what he can to help young Inuit develop the self-confidence to follow their own goals and dreams is but the icing on the cake to this remarkable story.
He is, truly, an ambassador we here in Nunavut can all be proud of.
And, as remarked on by former NHLer and current TV analyst for Nashville Predators games, Terry Crisp, during the broadcast of Jordin's first NHL game -- someday a movie is going to be made about this young man's life.
We can't help but wonder who Jordin would pick to play himself.
Whomever it is, he'll have big skates to fill.
Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum
From the outside looking in, Delta Daze seemed to go off without a hitch -- as it always does -- but looking from the inside out this time, I saw a bit of the immense effort put in by the volunteers.
Hit with the loss of about half their full-time members, the Lions are left with a handful of now very weary members, as are most of the service clubs in town.
While we rarely see the work these clubs do to raise the money that funds everything from computers to hearing aids, we sure would miss it if it was gone.
As funding is cut to programs across the board and across the country, it's these clubs which pick up the slack with their bingos and bake sales, but they don't just happen. They really need help out there.
We all live better from the work they do, but we all tend to take it for granted too.
Time for volunteering, not TV
Granted, our lives are busy ones. Most households have two working parents and single moms and dads struggle just to get by.
It's not easy to get out to regular meetings, but we can all seem to find time to waste in front of the TV.
Rolling off the couch has never been easy for me at the end of a work day, but I've managed to make the effort lately to get to a couple Lions meetings and hope to make it to a few more.
I never feel very good about changing the channel 200 times, but with volunteering, I've always been able to walk away feeling like I put a little back into something that I normally just take from.
In this job I've seen a lot of volunteers. They're usually hidden behind an over-sized novelty cheque, washing cars or sitting on a committee of some sort that would go un-noticed to most of the general public, but not to me.
I've grown to rely on the work these folks to help fill these pages with good news -- something we're often criticized of never having enough of.
The way I see it, if people want more good news in this paper, they should get out there and make some.
Whether it's with Scouts, the Legion or the Ladies' Auxiliary, there are people like you needed out there and they'll make you feel a lot better for your spare time than Oprah or Red Green ever has.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Ten candidates for mayor and council submitted responses to some topical questions in this newspaper. Six others are conspicuous by their absence.
A candidates' forum seems unlikely. It would have to be hastily arranged because the election is Monday. That is unfortunate because such a forum is an ideal way for residents to interact with candidates.
It's too bad there was no opportunity for public discourse in Fort Simpson's municipal election, other than citizens approaching candidates individually.
The questions posed in the Drum are by no means exhaustive, but timely. Those running for mayor and council would have had to set aside some time to compose their responses thoughtfully. It's OK to admit one doesn't have all the answers; nobody expects candidates to know it all.
Obviously some of the contenders forgot or couldn't be bothered with the interrogative exercise. Regardless, any of them could have drafted their own pamphlets or flyers introducing themselves and their stance on the issues. They could have mailed them out to everyone, gone door to door and delivered them in person, or dropped them off in key locations around town.
So it appears some council hopefuls did nothing other than allow their names to stand upon nomination. That lack of initiative doesn't instill confidence that they will devote the extra time demanded of responsible councillors.
Maybe those people are banking on their reputation or the support of family and friends to push them over the top in the vote count.
In a small community like Fort Simpson, they are probably right, that's quite possibly all they will have to do to be elected.
That's too bad.
It doesn't give unfamiliar voters a chance to hear their opinions on municipal issues.
Some people in Fort Simpson will be standing at the ballot box on Monday marking X's next to the names of those they know best. In other cases, they will avoid voting for incumbents who they do not want returned to council.
If there was a failing of the past council, it was that they didn't communicate well with citizens. There were few public meetings, few chances for the average person to ask questions or state concerns. There were few mail-outs explaining why policy was set as it was.
The new assemblage of councillors -- some of whom may earn a seat without even having publicly outlined their stance on issues -- must be cautious not to repeat that same mistake.
Keeping the public as informed and as engaged as possible is essential.
A photo caption in Yellowknifer Oct. 15 incorrectly referred to Yellowknife public school district superintendent Judith Knapp. We apologize for any confusion or embarrassment.