They won't be gone before Christmas, but Akaitcho leaders are talking about "ridding the land" of squatters.

The new territorial government isn't offering much comfort. Joe Handley, one of the declared candidates for premier, and an Ingraham Trail resident, has no sympathy for those without leases.

Annette McRobert, the lands director at Indian and Northern Affairs, offered bleak assurance to the squatters: few have been evicted from Crown land, and those have required several years.

That assurance may not be worth much these days, given the mood of First Nations leaders, who must be consulted on leases. Perhaps the easiest way to rid the land of squatters is to make them an offer they can't refuse: leases negotiated at current market rates.

The cost of leasing Crown land for recreational use is a bargain -- 10 per cent of the assessed value, or a minimum of $150 a year. But that's under the current regime.

When Akaitcho assumes ownership, they may raise the price substantially, which as owners they have every right to do.

Down south they call them 'greenspaces.' Up here we'd be tempted to call them 'grey spaces.' Or red, or off-white or whatever colour predominates Yellowknife's rocky outcroppings.

These spaces are as much about what makes Yellowknife special as the Old Town waterfront or high times at the Gold Range Hotel.

If we're not careful, we may lose the best of our grey spaces to flat spaces. Downtown is already a bad example of urban planning.

The best we can do is spindly trees planted in pavement.

City Hall's development appeal board recently flogged city council for not requesting landscaping plans as part of its development permit process.

The over-all zoning bylaw -- the bible the city uses to determine what can be built and where -- has rules about landscaping, but the appeal board noted several instances when permits were issued without a landscaping plan.

Another example is near Kam Lake. Residents on nearby Hordal Road are worried about losing a buffer zone to benefit construction on Deh Cho Boulevard.

That kind of defeats the purpose of a buffer zone. When the city puts one in, we don't expect to see it disappear as soon as a developer comes knocking at City Hall to build something.

If we're not careful, we'll be looking at our grey spaces in a museum. Grab a rock, councillors. Give it a hug and don't let go.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

The debate on homosexuality and same-sex marriage is sure to be turned up a notch with federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's Dec. 3 - 6 visit to Iqaluit.

Cauchon has been championing same-sex marriages on the national stage, and his visit to Iqaluit is being viewed by many as an attempt to pressure Nunavut into accepting the registration of same-sex marriages.

His visit will be an emotional one.

Premier Paul Okalik has already received correspondence from Rev. Andrew P. Atagotaaluk, the Anglican Church of Canada's Bishop of the Arctic.

Same-sex marriage has sparked fierce debate across Canada and it has done the same in Nunavut.

So intense has been the rhetoric surrounding the issue, Tagak Curley of Rankin Inlet is making noises of returning to the political circle to wage war on Nunavut's homosexual community.

And, it doesn't end there.

Rankin North MLA Jack Anawak is being bashed in some corners for having the courage to stand up and state that there are gay Inuit.

Anawak was defending the words sexual orientation being included in our new Human Rights Act.

In plain, simple language -- Anawak (and the other members who voted in favour of Bill 12) was saying you cannot deny a person basic human rights because of their sexual orientation.

An ugly situation

Let me give you an example of how such discrimination feels.

About three years ago at the Yellowknife arena, in front of about 200 witnesses (a number of whom were from Rankin Inlet and Coral Harbour), I was told by an Inuit gentleman that I shouldn't be allowed to live in Rankin.

Why? Because I am white (some would say more of a light brown, but I digress).

I had never felt such rage. It quickly escalated into an ugly situation, as most discriminatory or racist encounters tend to do.

Know the difference

I will not get into my personal feelings on same-sex marriages, other than to say I am a Christian.

However, there is a vast difference between same-sex marriages and basic rights.

We can only hope those who oppose Cauchon's visit to Iqaluit can separate the two issues.

How one feels about same-sex marriage is an emotional, deeply personal issue based primarily on one's religious beliefs. Human rights issues are not.

My family and I have lived in Nunavut for five years and consider Rankin our home.

And, as long as they live within the boundaries of the law, we welcome anyone as neighbours regardless of their race, religion, culture or sexual orientation.

In simple language -- we try to treat others as we would have them treat us.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

Since I arrived in the territory more than a year ago, whenever the topic of politics came up, there was never a shortage of praise for the consensus-style of government the Northwest Territories embraces.

With the absence of political parties and the resulting partisan politics, the political process moved much more smoothly and agreeably, many would say. Even the very word 'consensus' suggests such an atmosphere.

In theory, another plus is the members' freedom to vote with their conscience in the legislature, without being beholden to toeing the "party line". Admittedly, it all sounds very utopian.

However, when it comes to selecting a premier, the legislative waters become cloudy. While it is done by secret ballot, among elected members of the legislature, the establishment of support for one candidate or another undoubtably plays a role in future cabinet postings. The allegiances formed during this period of lobbying can and, more likely than not, does spill over into subsequent sessions.

And what the voters are left with is a defacto-party system where those who don't toe the line risk being left on the sidelines. Hardly a 'consensus' style of government.

The inimitable Premier Stephen Kakfwi proved this a few years ago when he warned MLA Michael Miltenberger to 'get with the program' or risk alienating his Thebacha riding.

Unfortunate for Kakfwi that his advice to Miltenberger became a matter of public record, but telling nonetheless of how the business of territorial politics works in the NWT.

Granted, there are bigger fish to fry in the upcoming 15th Legislative Assembly than revamping the system of government. And as far as possible premiers go, Inuvik is sitting in a good position to have one of its own in top spot for the next four years. Both Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland and Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Roger Allen have declared their candidacy for the premier's office, joining Weledeh MLA Joe Handley in the race.

Nevertheless, with Prime Minister-in-waiting Paul Martin talking parliamentary reform, now is as good a time as any to stimulate discussion on whether or not the territory's own system could use some revamping.

For starters, MLAs should not be allowed to declare their candidacy for premier until the election is completed and all of the MLAs determined. The system as it is can offer an unfair advantage to incumbent MLAs attempting to maintain their seats. Why vote for candidate (y) when candidate (x) has previously worked with a potential premier?

Barring the introduction of political parties, a second general election for premier might be an option to allow for the people to elect their leader. This way offers the potential for a more legitimate consensus style of government as MLAs would have to work with the people's choice, rather than that of the power-players in Yellowknife.

However, some argue that were such a scenario to exist, the number of voters in Yellowknife would almost certainly assure a candidate from the capital an unfair advantage. And those in the outlying communities certainly don't want to encourage further 'centralization' of government.

To get around this concern, perhaps a second round of voting in each riding could take place, in which constituents would empower their MLA to cast his or her vote for a premier candidate.

While no system of government is perfect, there is certainly room for improvement in the territory.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

As we are in the midst of National Addictions Awareness Week, some relevant thoughts come to mind. First off, a tip of the (cowboy) hat to Gilbert Fantasque for having the courage to speak publicly about his battle with the bottle. The article can be found in this week's News/North addictions supplement.

Outside of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, some people don't care to discuss their demons. Their decision is to be respected.

However, it is valuable to have people candidly reflect on how detrimental addictions can be and how to seek help. To Gilbert's credit, he is not only is working towards his ninth year of sobriety, he has made a point of helping elders with various chores. He's also willing to offer moral support to others who find themselves mired in the same sorry predicament in which he found himself earlier in his life. There are profiles of others in the Addictions Supplement who are also prepared to reach out to others, but the key is that each addict must want that help.

On another note, there's periodical criticism of Deh Cho Health and Social Services when nursing shortages arise. In Fort Providence, there was only one nurse on staff for several weeks. It was a temporary situation, but it's a sore point for the community. At the same time, the Deh Gah Got'ie First Nation's drug and alcohol worker position sat vacant for two months, and is only expected to be filled this week. Just as having one nurse instead of three is unacceptable, so is failing to provide a service as crucial as addictions counselling.

It's also worth mentioning that Deh Cho Health and Social Services is planning to have a couple of mental health specialists working in the region soon. That's been a long time coming, and it should be a welcome relief to the region's alcohol and drug counsellors and social workers.

Finally, sometimes it seems that the purpose of NAA week is to draw attention to alcoholism, the effects of which are highly visible. Let's remember that people can be addicted to many things: food or dieting, gambling, drugs (including prescriptions), smoking and so on. Each is destructive in its own way. National Addictions Awareness Week is about recognition of all these conditions. The battle against them and the toll they take on people and their loved ones goes on year round.

A picture in Friday's Yellowknifer was incorrectly sub titled: SPCA member Robin Weber walks her dog. The picture was actually Caitlin Yakabuski and her dog Penny.