Others leave their cats outside to freeze their ears, tails, toes or other body parts.

There is a significant number of pet "owners" who don't seem to give a damn, who don't take full responsibility for their animals.

Pets are a full-time commitment that can last 20 years.

A dog has to be loved. It needs to be walked, bathed, have its shots, groomed and fed.

Cats may seem low maintenance, but that litter box needs to be cleaned regularly. You can't just let your cat roam outdoors either. If it isn't spayed or neutered, kittens will result.

Your neighbours probably don't want a cat crapping in their flower bed.

You may want a pet companion or your children may want one but there's much to think about before you bring that cuddly ball of fur home.

And if you don't want your pet any more, take it to the SPCA who will arrange an adoption.

It may cost you but that's part of the responsibility of owning a pet.

Then the Liquor Licensing Board meets on Feb. 11, it will ponder the nagging issue of special occasion permits.

Increased deposits and waiting periods are the primary issues.

Currently, the Board complains its choices are limited when it tries to punish the permit-holders violating the NWT Liquor Act.

If liquor inspectors or the RCMP happen on the event, they can pull the permit instantly if they discover any wrongdoing. After the fact, however, as the offender's permit has expired, the rules don't exactly apply. The Board can only withhold future permits.

This ludicrous loophole obviously needs to be tightened and good on the Board for trying.

Under the proposed scheme, however, folks seeking a special occasion permit would need to slap down $500. While the proposed solution is a good jump-off point, it isn't the complete answer.

Most groups applying for these permits on a regular basis are non-profit, community support-type bodies. Yes, they'll get the money back -- providing they behave -- but it's a lot of cash for such groups.

The Board would do well to waive the deposit in the case of those group's purchasing permits at least once a year, providing they have a clean record.

Liquor Board Chair John Simpson insists he wants to address this pitfall -- let's hope the other members share his balanced sense of community.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

The war of words is starting to heat up as the Feb. 16 election quickly approaches. One would think there is no shortage of pressing issues facing Nunavut for a would-be premier to build a platform on, even one acclaimed as MLA.

There is the ongoing deficit in the health department to be addressed, a workable vision for education to be conceived, an ever-burgeoning housing crisis to be overcome, a staggering unemployment rate to be lowered, recreational facilities and schools to be built, a decentralization policy draining more than it is giving, and a pressing need for Nunavut to set itself up for a bigger share of resource revenues when its long-hyped mines finally enter into production.

With all that to be tackled during the next four years, any challenger to Premier Paul Okalik's seat has lots to draw upon when it comes to issues that directly affect the majority of Nunavummiut. But, acclaimed Rankin Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley -- who has expressed interest in becoming Nunavut's next premier -- and Iqaluit West (the premier's riding) candidate Doug Workman seem to have different ideas about what really needs to be addressed in Nunavut.

Same bill, act two

Forget all that health, pending deficit and education stuff, let's spend more time and money reopening and further debating Nunavut's new Human Rights Act, the now infamous Bill 12.

Curley has been the more outspoken of the two on the human rights issue, and continues to be preoccupied with Nunavut's homosexual population.

While conceding the gay community deserves the same protection from discrimination as anyone else, Curley wants to revisit the act in an attempt to have marriage defined and same-sex marriages prohibited in Nunavut. Workman, on the other hand, wants to put a watch dog agency in place to ensure Nunavut is upholding the rights defined in the act.

Now, we're not saying there won't ever be a point in time when any and all of these points will warrant further discussion. But, for now, a Human Rights Act is in place that was debated in the legislature for more than a year and we have far more pressing social issues to be addressed than who really wears the pants in anyone's family.

With a deficit situation looming on the horizon, Nunavut's dwindling cash resources have to be utilized to their maximum potential. And that means better schooling for our youth, training initiatives that will lead to lower unemployment in our communities, better health-care programs, more efficient care for our elderly and more housing units for our kids to come home to -- areas that should be the real focus of the upcoming election.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

There are some weeks when the news reflects not only what's happening in a particular community, but is representative of the region, and even the territory as a whole. This past seven days was one of those weeks.

As the premier, house speaker, RWED and MACA ministers descended on the Mackenzie Delta to touch base with the region's leadership, a conversation with Premier Joe Handley brought home the enormous amount of work the 15th Legislative Assembly has put on its plate.

Devolution and formula-finance negotiations with Ottawa, as well as hammering out the Beaufort-Delta Self-Government Agreement are all complex endeavours begging the question: will there be any room for dessert?

Community challenges

On the menu for Inuvik are a host of issues that seem as daunting as the task ahead for the GNWT.

This year, the community will have to look long and hard for solutions to the dismal behaviour of some of its youth and the substance-abuse problem that often feeds the former.

While Handley did not make a commitment to provide Inuvik with a much-needed treatment centre, he did offer this challenge: show him that numbers warrant such a facility and put together a solid plan of operation were the community to get one and he would seriously consider the matter. Though short of any guarantee, his offer is better than nothing at all and I am certain there are committed and capable people up to this task.

Being concerned about social ills is the first phase. The next step is to come up with potential solutions. However, the hardest part of all will be taking that leap of faith by putting any remedy to the test.

A special community forum held at Ingamo Hall Tuesday, attended by members of the RCMP, NWT Commissioner Glenna Hansen, IRC Chair Nellie Cournoyea, APG Chair Fred Carmichael and concerned community members from around the region, provided a brainstorming venue to come up with ways in which to deal with the negative impact alcohol abuse is having in the Delta communities.

Also at the meeting was Yellowknife RCMP Superintendent Pat McCloskey, who expressed his and the force's commitment to work with the communities to break this debilitating cycle.

Commissioner Hansen said she was honoured to take part in the forum and expressed her desire to visit the various communities to further the discussion.

Suggestions made at the forum for dealing with the issue ranged from banishment to forced treatment for those whose drinking continually poses a problem in a community. And while there are problems with either solution, whichever combination of approaches are taken, implementation is key because having good intentions just doesn't cut it.

Take responsibility

Take, for example, the presentation made by aboriginal AIDS activist Trevor Stratton at Ingamo Hall Monday.

HIV positive and living with full-blown AIDS, Stratton travels to aboriginal communities around Canada to tell his story with the point being to get youth to take responsibility for their own health and well-being, especially when it comes to practising safe sex.

Stratton's talk was enlightening and in his words, "puts a face on a completely preventable disease."

Unfortunately, only a half-dozen or so people came out to listen to him. This is the kind of thing all secondary school kids should be forced to hear, whether they are interested or not.

And if organizations are going to put in the effort to arrange something this worthwhile again, more attention should be made in the future to ensure that message gets through to those for whom it is intended.

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Deh Cho Drum

With each passing day, the prospect of winter work for the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline gets more and more remote.

Imperial Oil and the rest of the companies involved in the project offered the Liidlii Kue First Nation a total of $12,000 in return for permission to carry out the work, which is essentially soil testing and geological surveys at this point.

Similar offers --which band council member Dennis Nelner described as an "insult"-- were made to other communities along the Mackenzie Valley.

While the $12,000 doesn't amount to much more than pocket change, Imperial Oil did offer 12 of the 14 winter work contracts to communities along the Mackenzie Valley.

Outwardly, it doesn't seem like a horrible offer but the LKFN and the Pipeline Working Group have Imperial Oil firmly strapped over a barrel and are playing hardball, multinational-corporation style.

Most of the surveying and soil testing is easier to do in the winter, so an environmental review could postpone the project until next year, to the ire of Imperial Oil.

For years, companies and governments have appropriated resources from traditional aboriginal lands, successfully out manoeuvring the local authorities.

Now the situation is reversed and the LKFN is deftly using bureaucracy to get the best deal possible for its people.

It's a tactic any major corporation would be proud of.