The issue was health care. Prime Minister Jean Chretien, in particular, seemed determined to maintain the status quo of per capita funding when Northern medical costs are much higher than southern costs.

After travelling to Ottawa to sit on Chretien's doorstep, the three premiers got $60 million more than anybody expected.

This United North strategy must be carried to the next level. Fentie, Handley and Okalik (until the Nunavut election) must advertise the opportunity of Canada's Northern half, not for Northerners but for all Canadians and the future of the country.

Last May, American Ambassador Paul Cellucci, responding to a question from News/North, ridiculed the notion of Canadian sovereignty of the Northwest Passage, quoting Ronald Reagan. And why not?

The Canadian Army quibbles over equipment to compete in war zones half way around the world. A significant portion of the North not only remains undefended but unacknowledged by an equally significant Canadian population hugging the 49th parallel.

It is just not just about the integrity of Canada's Northern border. There are significant resources in the disputed waters of the Northwest Passage. In the late 1990s, commander of DND Northern Headquarters Col. Pierre Leblanc beat the drum of Canadian Arctic sovereignty. He raised the alarm on the certainty global warming would open the Northwest Passage to international navigation. His was a lone voice but Cellucci's aggressive attitude confirms the Americans will only respect Canada's claims if there is significant commitment on the ground.

The message the three Premiers must carry to Canadians? Northern Canada is the future of North America.

Aboriginal people live from the western border of Yukon to the eastern shore of Nunavut to the frozen oceans we share with Greenland and Russia. Through deals with the federal government, they are providing Canadians a land base of increasingly precious mineral, oil and gas, animal, marine and fresh water resources.

Northerners born here, those who have come here, those who will come here, have accepted the job of protecting and developing Northern resources for all Canadians.

Too often we get the cold shoulder from Southern Canadians who do not recognize the rivers of revenue now beginning to flow south. The flow south will increase and continue for many decades to come, easily into the next century and far beyond.

Premier Handley and the NWT Legislative Assembly will have to take the lead. The NWT is catching the country's attention with our wealth of diamonds. The oil and gas potential has yet to sink in, potential shared by both Nunavut and Yukon. The Mackenzie pipeline will provide proof as solid as Ekati and Diavik diamond profits.

Then the NWT must fight for Nunavut and Yukon. Let us agree that Northern federal royalties be used as Northern development dollars across borders. The more profit, the stronger Canada's North is.

Both the government of Northwest Territories and Nunavut are facing huge deficits. Is this due to overspending? No, it is how far federal financial estimates are off the mark. It is the true price tag for cementing Canada's claim to Northern riches beyond description.

Next summer would be good timing for a Northern summit. We need the premiers, cabinets, MLAs and deputy ministers to sit down and get direction from aboriginal governments, taxpayers, and business.

And to the three premiers, we say forget about decorum when reason fails to convince the ignorant and powerful. As former Premier Stephen Kakfwi demonstrated, when all else fails get mad. It gets people's attention.

There's a job to be done, a message to get out about the United North. The faint of heart need not apply.

When teachers can't find housing, schools may close. It's that simple.

In Fort Resolution, the teacher housing problem has become a crisis. Paul Boucher, vice-chair of the hamlet's district education authority, says Deninu school may close next fall because they're only guaranteed one house for the school's 10 staff.

In Tuktoyaktuk last spring, the Beaufort Delta Divisional Board of Education said it wouldn't fill five vacant positions because it had nowhere for them to live.

Luckily, the board found two houses and a new principal, math/science teacher and others were hired.

Similar problems have been experienced in Fort McPherson, Lutsel K'e, Fort Providence, Fort Liard, Wekweti, and Colville Lake.

A simple solution would be to say the government should resume providing staff housing. But should the government spend millions to give southern professionals modern accommodation when people in communities live in substandard homes?

That's the real issue.

The NWT Housing Corporation's "vision" is to "help communities to become accountable for their own choices and housing."

But even with when the corporation has a $94 million annual budget this year, housing remains one of the territories' biggest social problems.

In 2000, a survey showed 30 per cent of all households in the NWT reported housing problems of some kind.

The lack of housing for teachers is just a symptom of this greater problem.

Communities must get active. Residents must pressure their housing authorities and MLAs. Education councils must work to ensure teachers have somewhere to live.

A new government was sworn into office last week. Premier Joe Handley says social problems remain a government priority and he's pointing the finger straight at Ottawa.

Resource revenue sharing talks must be completed quickly if the NWT is to get on its feet and address its core problems -- housing, education, health care and transportation.

Handley, his new cabinet, the new housing minister and all MLAs must roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Perhaps the Housing Corp. needs a new vision: like ensuring everyone has a place to live.

A couple of months ago in Nunavut News/North, an elder who needed an interpreter to give her answer, said the one big piece of advice she has tried to give to her children and her grandchildren is to not bully or be mean to other children.

This is striking in its simplicity, and very good advice.

No one likes a bully. They come in all shapes and sizes. They work in the offices of the world, bossing people around in a mean and unhelpful way, making life continuously unpleasant for those around them.

This behaviour is going unchecked today in the schools and in the homes.

For thousands of years Inuit survived, raised families, and kept each other in check so that entire communities could thrive. Negative actions and behaviours were not just looked down upon because they were not nice, such behaviours were a threat to survival.

Today, Nunavummiut face many influences and ways of life brought here from around the world that have had both negative and positive effects on life here.

Where once there was a traditional way of life, now there are many choices. Communities are no longer so tightly-knit.

A child can be kind to others. But some children, perhaps raised in a turbulent household where violence is common, can bully and be mean to other children in school these days, and no one would really know.

Unless there were broken bones, a bloody lip, anything to point it out, bullying can go unchallenged.

A teacher in Cape Dorset, a community that has seen more than its share of violent behaviour in recent years, decided enough was enough.

She initiated a no-bullying program, and teaches kids what bullying is and how to stop it.

Funding came from the community's social services office. But the Nunavut government should support no-bullying programs for all schools.

Both schools in Cape Dorset, Sam Pudlat and Peter Pitseolak schools, say the program has made kids nicer. And it is not just for show. The students are going home and talking about the lessons.

This does not just mean a more pleasant school environment. It is a wide-reaching program. In time, these upstanding young people will lead Nunavut. They will run for MLA, or take positions in new Nunavut companies, perhaps starting their own.

The time is now to instill strong values in these young people. One way to do that is to equip them with information about what bullying is and how to fight it in a gentle, yet effective way.

Inuit have many traditions, and one of them is that they never bullied anyone. This way of kindness towards others must continue.

It was passed down from long ago, when survival was everything, and bad behaviour of any sort threatened the very fabric of the community.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It's not that we disagree with the Nunavut Territorial Soccer Association's desire to be more competitive at events like the Arctic Winter Games.

We just disagree with the way the organization is going about it.

The present format of holding a regional trial and then dropping players from the winning team in favour of players from other communities to advance to the territorial trials is emotionally draining on a number of our key resources.

Coaches, parents and the players themselves are all upset when it's time to make the cuts.

In fact, some coaches can't even bring themselves to break the news to young players who have poured their hearts and souls into the team's winning effort, opting instead to have a Sport Nunavut official inform the players on who will be advancing.

The philosophy behind the format is twofold.

Firstly, the reasoning is that major centres such as Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit have a distinct advantage at regional tourneys due to their larger talent pools to draw from.

This, secondly, may prevent talented players in smaller communities from having a legitimate chance at making the territorial squad.

Soccer Nunavut will point to the fact Nunavut won its first soccer game ever at the 2002 AWG as proof that the system works.

Whether one victory is proof of a format working is debatable, and there are other factors to be considered.

Are gains worth the pressure?

First, can Nunavut Soccer speak to the effects losing a trio of teammates has on players advancing and how those picked up are accepted emotionally by the squad?

Second, how does being dropped after winning a regional tourney affect the players left behind? How are they supposed to feel?

And, third, is this kind of emotional pressure worth the gains being made at elitist events?

The solution isn't all that difficult.

If an all-star team, of sorts, is the ultimate goal, hold a regional tournament with players from different communities comprising the teams from the outset.

Then, Soccer Nunavut can have officials on hand to select the best eight players in the tournament to represent the region at the territorial level.

The end result may prove to be even stronger regional squads, and players on community-based teams are spared the emotional upheaval of being told they're not moving on with their friends and teammates.

When all is said and done, if community-based teams remain the norm at regional playdowns, then the sport organization involved should be prepared to simply let the kids play and accept the results.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

Despite the fact Inuvik Twin Lakes and Boot Lake MLAs Roger Allen and Floyd Roland bowed out of the premier's race this week, both were poised to take on some high-profile cabinet positions.

If this comes to pass, it will put Inuvik in a good position to enjoy the perks of having two heavyweights in the 15th legislative assembly. Between Allen and Roland, Inuvik's MLAs could hold down the finance, justice and RWED portfolios.

As the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project is in its developmental stages, there couldn't be a better time to have our MLAs in those positions.

During the race for the Twin Lakes riding, education, alcohol and drug abuse, affordable housing and taking care of the elders topped the list of prevailing issues.

Now, it is our MLAs duty to respond to these concerns and take concrete action in addressing them.

It has been said that there's a lot more to education than books and at the end of November, the Career Technology Studies class at Samuel Hearne Secondary school proved it.

For three days the class' students lived on the land and employed skills they learned in the classroom.

In speaking with CTS students about their experiences, one wonders why a course such as this is not mandatory right across the territories.

Loss of language is generally attributed to the deterioration and ultimate loss of cultural identity. However, if people don't understand the manner in which their culture evolved, and an interest in that is not stimulated, then the rest is moot.

This is why programs like CTS should be the cornerstone to a truly Northern education. Getting kids -- aboriginal and non-aboriginal -- out on the land with the benefit of hands-on guidance from elders is the best way for anyone to gain an appreciation for where they come from or where they live.

I have never lived in a place that throws as many community Christmas feasts as Inuvik. This kind of openness and generosity is a sure sign of the spirit of the town and I am certain that many are appreciative of the efforts of those involved in providing for and hosting these events.

So with each passing Christmas we are reminded of those who are less fortunate than others. This season is no different.

Last week it was reported that the food bank has been experiencing a shortfall in its stock. Being that it is the most crucial time of the year for such an operation to have the resources it needs, any support would be surely appreciated.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

What is wrong with being forced to clean up the mess you've left behind?

Responsible parents teach this concept to their children. Yet in the realm of government and mining -- at least in the NWT -- there has been no such lesson. The only lesson to date has been a hard one left for taxpayers to swallow.

Mining companies come barreling in, build infrastructure, create undesirable and often toxic byproducts, then, just before turning out the lights, these same companies become insolvent, leaving the public to deal with the mess and the cost associated with it.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has finally adopted a policy that should hold existing mines responsible for putting up 100 per cent of reclamation costs during the life of the mine. It's a well-intentioned approach, but in the case of North American Tungsten, it may prove too little, too late. Just as the reclamation security payments are about to kick in, the mine lays off its 200 workers, company executives resign and they mothball the mine as they did in 1986.

So now what? Nobody knows, really.

The $7.9 million that the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board was holding North American Tungsten liable for may never be collected.

Enormous clean-up costs

Reading through the Land and Water Board's review of CanTung reclamation costs, it's obvious why mining companies cannot be allowed to write their own ticket when it comes to environmental clean-up. North American Tungsten proposed that a paltry $1.9 million would be sufficient to make the site clean and safe once again. Compare that to the two independent studies that concluded totals of $10.2 million and $34.4 million would be more realistic.

The Land and Water Board commissioned another environmental consulting firm to assess the aforementioned studies. That firm blended all the figures and came up with the $7.9 million that was attached to North American Tungsten's water licence.

Although nobody seems sure of what will happen from this point forward, the public should fully expect the Land and Water Board to be a bulldog in demanding the reclamation security deposit. There is no way that CanTung mine should be permitted to resume production until the deposit is paid on schedule. In the same vein, the company is sitting on MacTung deposits, which it proclaims as a 25-year, high-grade supply of tungsten. If North American Tungsten should go bankrupt, then it must forfeit that asset.

The company must not be allowed to reinvent itself to take advantage of that asset. Whoever is in line to exploit the MacTung deposits -- should that area ever be mined -- must be made to pay full reclamation costs up front.

Canadian taxpayers may just have to ante up for CanTung's clean-up, but let's be sure to leave past mistakes in the past.