Not so the 2004 territorial budget. It reads like a bad novel, with the same old plot. Some of the characters are different: Floyd Roland is now finance minister, but the message hasn't changed.
The villain is still the federal government, a Scrooge holding the NWT back from reaching its full potential.
Even with the NWT's economy expected to grow eight per cent this year, the government remains in a deficit, this year down to $45 million thanks in part to the fact income, corporate and payroll taxes are going up.
Roland continues Handley's lament about the looming debt wall, how we can't afford to build the roads, schools, clinics and other things needed to support the economic boom.
Every year we fall further behind. Sure, devolution and resource revenue sharing is coming, but there won't be an agreement until at least 2007. And who knows how many ways that money will be shared.
The ironic thing is while MLAs complain about the federal government, MLAs aren't afraid to make sure they're well taken care of. Housing allowances have nearly doubled in three years, going to $30,150 this year.
So instead of feathering their own nests and shouting the same old complaints, MLAs should make Ottawa take notice.
The only way to do that is to borrow and spend. If $100 million is needed to build roads, schools, water systems and clinics -- borrow it.
Ottawa can't ignore the NWT then.
Our young sister territory is speeding ahead of the Northwest Territories legislative assembly by appointing two first-time female MLAs to cabinet.
Levinia Brown is deputy premier, Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, and Leona Aglukkaq is Minister of Finance and Government Leader of the House.
They may be inexperienced on the political scene, but Premier Paul Okalik recognized the importance of a woman's voice in government when he named Brown and Aglukkaq to two of Nunavut's top political postings.
Too bad MLAs in the NWT don't share Nunavut's view. Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee was nominated but not elected to the NWT cabinet. Premier Joe Handley downplayed the lack of women in cabinet.
The NWT should be embarrassed that Nunavut, as a young and emerging territory, is far more progressive.
So you want to attend a drum dancing festival in Gjoa Haven.
Maybe hockey is your thing, and you want to get to Rankin Inlet from Coral Harbour. A girls volleyball team in Gjoa Haven sent out invitations to a tournament, but only two communities responded. Cost of getting there is a big reason why the response was so low.
A man like Silas Aittauq, who in 1975 became the first man to ride from Baker Lake to Gjoa Haven by snowmobile, finds a way to get to where he wants to go.
He deals with the cold and has a wonderful experience.
But not everyone is like Silas.
There are large sports teams, and gangs of art lovers who need to connect with others in far flung communities in this vast, beautiful land.
There are only so many bingos and bake sales that can be held to raise the $6,000 or $8,000 needed to attend that hockey tournament or festival before you start thinking: there has to be a better way.
Now that the Nunavut government is getting re-organized with new departments, Nunavummiut should start making noise about the cost of travelling in the North and set about trying to change the way things are for the better.
Festivals and sporting events are vital to the cultural well being of Nunavut. Traditions shine and are revitalized by all the activity.
Families come together who have been apart for too long.
In a land the size of Nunavut, it can feel as if you will never see your relative in Gjoa Haven if you live in Iqaluit. Not many people can afford the trip right now.
A committee that brings together heads of sporting organizations, arts, government and Northern airlines once or twice a year could be good start.
Sports and arts leaders could attend that meeting and lay out a schedule for government leaders and the airlines to support however they can. The groups can say: this is what we need, this is how many seats we need, this is when we're going, let's make a deal.
Nunavut could lead the way for these types of cultural-sporting travel issues in Canada.
Nunavut could create a travel system that works, one that places like the NWT, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec would want to copy from us to deal with similar woes getting their far-flung people to and from extraordinary cultural and sporting events within their own province safely, and cheaply.
Let's dare to fly high and dream big. Future generations will depend on it.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Well, the 2004 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) are now history, but what an event it was.
The 2004 AWG saw a total of 2,025 athletes and coaches from 10 teams compete in 10 sports.
While the athletes are the stars of the AWG -- and rightly so -- the volunteers are, definitely, the unsung heroes.
The logistics of such a gathering are staggering enough.
But consider, if you will, the pairs of hands required to pull such an event off successfully.
From officials to drivers, receptionists, motor pool dispatchers, cooks, cleaners and dish washers -- the list goes on and on and each and every one did an outstanding job.
That's some grub
During the seven days of events at Wood Buffalo, Alta., a staggering amount of food, by Northern standards, was consumed.
Athletes, coaches, officials and mission staff combined to devour 18,000 litres of milk, 23,000 litres of pop and juice, 31,500 eggs, 16,800 kg of meat, 20,000 kg of cereal, 10,000 kg of potatoes and 6,000 kg of vegetables.
And that's not even counting items like Pizza Pops, pasta and the ever-present sauces, dressings and condiments.
The time and effort put in by those people who cooked, prepared, served and cleaned up afterwards demands a well deserved round of applause.
Trophy deserved
I was fortunate enough this year to be selected as a hockey official for the 2004 AWG and it was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.
Although the demand placed on the hockey refs kept us all pretty busy, I was able to see many familiar faces from Nunavut throughout the week.
And, as the Games progressed, those faces made me increasingly proud to be from Nunavut.
With the exception of, maybe, one hockey game, our athletes displayed an extremely high level of sportsmanship and were an absolute joy to be around.
Nunavut's athletes and coaches were friendly to everyone they met and were the darlings of the region for most of the week.
It really was quite impressive to see a small army of good-will ambassadors improving Nunavut's image everywhere they went.
Being from Rankin Inlet or not, I can look any person in the eye and say in all honesty that the 2004 Hodgson Trophy went to the right recipients.
The Nunavut flag has rarely waved brighter or more proudly than it did over the Wood Buffalo Region this month.
All Nunavummiut should be proud of the example set by our participants.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
The NWT Liquor Licensing Board sent a strong message Tuesday with its ruling to suspend Frosty's licence for an unprecedented three months.
The territories' bars best clean up their acts or harsh action as that rendered against Frosty's will be the order of the day.
But it is good to keep in mind that while Frosty's is no stranger to liquor board hearings, in this instance the establishment was somewhat a victim of circumstance.
Had two men not attacked two other men in Frosty's parking lot, this entire matter would never have come before the board.
The liquor board would argue that had Frosty's denied entrance to these fellows, none of this would have happened. Touche.
But in Frosty's defense, the bartender on duty at the time of the incident acted in a responsible manner (serving them liquor aside).
After the altercation between the men erupted, she ejected one party while allowing the other to stay for a time. This action was intended to prevent what eventually took place.
Unfortunately, the two attackers waited outside and their subsequent actions -- one man was stabbed and another was assaulted -- resulted in criminal charges.
For Frosty's, the fallout was an investigation carried out with the aid of statements taken by the police and the help of a liquor inspector from Hay River sent here to look into the bar's role in the events.
Parties were intoxicated
From statements given by witnesses and the accused, it was determined that all parties involved were heavily intoxicated at the time.
It was noted that Frosty's served those individuals even though they were drunk, and Tuesday, the liquor board penalized the establishment for its negligence.
Though not trying to excuse bar owners or bar staff for failing to uphold the Liquor Act, one would be hard pressed not to find intoxicated customers come closing time in any bar in the country.
But like the police officer who cannot give every speeding motorist a ticket, neither can the liquor board be everywhere at all times.
Which brings us to the role of the customer in all of this hullabaloo.
Bar or liquor store customers who stagger down the streets after imbibing are not charged for public drunkenness.
Rather, the police -- playing the role of coddling parent for these bumbling adults -- take them to a safe place to sober up before releasing them back into the streets. What a wonderful world.
And those who don't get picked up by the RCMP often end up starting trouble, the gang who got Frosty's shut down for three months did. Not to mention the fact the courts are clogged because of what, for all intents and purposes, is out of control drinking.
At the end of the day, it comes down to drinking responsibly and the results when people do the complete opposite.
Closing Frosty's for three months may make a point, but it is not going to solve the problem of alcohol abuse in this or any community.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Sitting in on the foster parents workshop this past weekend was a reminder of how much of a sacrifice these giving people make.
Can you imagine receiving a call from a desperate-sounding social worker looking for somewhere to place a child as that very youngster is screaming and crying in the background?
That's not the way it always plays out -- social workers don't normally sound stressed out, but they are human, of course.
By saying yes, foster parents are often unsure whether the child's stay will be hours, days, weeks or months. In some cases, the placement lasts for many years. Yet it was made clear at the workshop that opening your door to a foster child is a decision that should only be made when conditions are favourable in your own home and lifestyle.
After all, the child is in need of stability and support above all else.
Pat Strus, a board member with the NWT Foster Families Coalition, said she considers foster parents to be the salt of the earth.
It's hard to argue with that.
As the snow flies
Watching snowmobile racers whip around the course at break-neck speeds is definitely gripping entertainment.
It is part of the offerings at the Beavertail Jamboree every year.
Virtually all of the winners in the high-powered classes are from outside of Fort Simpson. There are local people who quietly express their dismay that racing enthusiasts from Yellowknife, Hay River and elsewhere are coming to town and gobbling up the majority of the prize money.
Deh Cho residents are generally at a huge competitive disadvantage. A number of the racers from Yellowknife and Hay River have spent years travelling from one event to another. Their experience is hard to match. Some also have corporate sponsors, allowing them to spend big bucks fine tuning their sleds.
The other side of the coin, as race organizer Troy Bradbury pointed out, is that these racers come into Fort Simpson and not only win cash, they spend money.
Sometimes plenty of it.
They occupy motel rooms, purchase meals, gasoline and other commodities.
There's definitely a trade-off.
It's not to say that Fort Simpson competitors don't stand a chance whatsoever.
Seven Fort Simpson racers finished in the top three -- two of them did it twice.
That's a total of nine prize-winning placements out of a total of 53. Is that too few?
Well, there was a sportsman category this year, designed specifically for entry-level racers. Bradbury said he promoted it locally in hopes of attracting Fort Simpson racers specifically, but none entered.
It's time to drop the checkered flag on this debate.
It was reported in the Yellowknifer article "WCB reduces employer subsidies" on March 17 that the average unsubsidised contribution rate for employers to the Workers Compensation Board was $1.91 per $100 of payroll. This is incorrect.
$1.91 is the average subsidised rate for 2004. The average subsidised rate in 2003 was $1.60.