At present, the city is just another voice. Control rests with federal agencies and the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board.
Offered a motion to seek joint control of the bay with Ottawa, the territorial government and Yellowknives Dene, council decided to study the issue in committee.
That pleased Coun. Bob Brooks, who wound up voting against his own motion: "It achieves the same goal in allowing administration to start some work on it."
Given the city's sorry experience in Yellowknife Bay, some planning and discussion may keep the idea from running aground.
Brooks wants the city to have a say in any shore-front tourism development and revisit a proposal to regulate houseboats.
The city's last attempt to assert control in the bay dissolved into an expensive debacle when the territorial government ruled that Ottawa alone has the last word.
Coun. Alan Woytuik attempted to allay fears of houseboaters by saying no level of government has a taste for another legal battle with people who live on the bay.
"There just doesn't seem to be any level of government taking an active interest in it," he said.
A cautious approach may prove most effective. Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of municipal and community affairs, said the city might get what it wants faster through negotiation than by asking the federal government for title to the bay.
A letter to Ottawa should be enough to settle the question. Any thought of spending money for a legal opinion should be thrown overboard. The bay is federal territory and any legal challenge to that will be another costly failure.
But it wasn't caution that turned council away from the motion; it was the lack of attention to the safety on Yellowknife Bay, increasingly busy with boats, aircraft and floating homes.
While city administrators are researching the question of joint-management, they could also explore whether it makes sense to ask the federal government to appoint a harbour master to oversee activity on Yellowknife Bay.
If the bay can be made safer for all, then city council's latest voyage into regulatory waters will be worthwhile.
Otherwise, councillors should stay on shore where they can plan and regulate to the full limit of their authority.
Editorial Comment
Only time will tell if switching student bodies at Maani Ulujuk middle school (MUI) and Alaittuq High (AHS) in Rankin Inlet was the right call.
On the surface, the District Education Authority's (DEA) logic seems solid in putting Grades 7 through 12 at MUI next year and Grade 5 and 6 students at AHS, soon to be known as Simon Alaittuq school.
A growing student body with the potential to outgrow a school's capacity is a serious issue.
Likewise, the DEA's claim MUI has more facilities for senior students also sounds good at first listen.
However, the DEA's worry that every student eligible for high school will show up next year is wishful thinking at its best.
And, from what we understand, many of the tools at the vaunted MUI facilities are either outdated or broken altogether.
As one student put it, the last time he was at MUI's shop, the only tool working properly was a hammer.
Hardly a ringing endorsement.
However, there is a much bigger force that could come into play here, and one the DEA ignored in its failure to properly involve students in its decision-making process.
Ask any teacher how their time went at a school with non-existent student spirit and we can tell you what their response will be.
And having a large group of students attend a school they don't want to be at is an instant recipe for behavioral problems.
As adults, we've all found ourselves, at one time or another, at a place where we didn't want to be.
You don't have to overly exert yourself to remember the mood you were usually in while there.
DEA gets lucky
Yes, the 2004/05 school year could be an ugly one and, yes, it's a situation the DEA could have totally avoided with (a) a bit more forethought and (b) a lot less attitude.
But, in this case, the DEA will get lucky.
It will get lucky because of the collective maturity of Rankin Inlet's senior students.
While there will be unpleasant incidents related to the switch, overall, we're confident our students will adapt and display the positive spirit Rankin youth are known for in making the best of a less than ideal situation.
Here's hoping when they do, DEA members will give them the credit they deserve, and won't be found behind closed doors whispering that they knew it all the time.
This switch will become successful on the strength of the students' ability to look at the big picture -- not the DEA's shortsightedness in ignoring its most valuable asset while in the decision-making process.
Editorial Comment
By now, everybody should know that this year is the Dempster Highway's 25th anniversary and that several projects and events are in various stages of planning.
The goal of all of this is to promote the event and, more importantly, attract people to visit Inuvik for those oh so juicy tourist dollars.
Moreover, the events are designed to bring out the town's people and, hopefully, strengthen the community's spirit.
However, the problem seems to be that while noble all of this activity may be, perhaps there is too much in the works and efforts could better be combined to bring several of these ideas together.
As my cranky neighbour once said in the summer of 1989, after watching me carry grass clippings the length of my driveway to a trash bucket, "Bring the bucket to you. Work smarter not harder."
The following is a perfect example of working harder and not smarter in regard to the Dempster celebrations.
Thanks to the efforts of two individuals, a compiled book of Dempster Highway tales, poems, anecdotes and songs should be ready in time for the festivities.
And across town at RWED, there appears to be a similar idea in the works regarding a publication of a brief Dempster Highway history to be accompanied with some personal stories about its construction.
Why in the world aren't these two efforts combined to make "Dempster Highway Tales" the best darn book ever published in the territory?
With RWED behind a good idea such as the one already underway, how can it go wrong?
Instead, both will inevitably go it alone and the unfortunate result will likely be a couple of publications that may have improved ten-fold if heads were working together instead of separately.
Need another example?
The End of the Road Music Festival is slated for the end of August (27-29). On Aug. 21, RWED is planning a community feast and "big" musical entertainment flown in from down south.
According to an official from Inuvik's RWED office, the notion to combine the music fest with RWED's plans to fly in a band was suggested to the town.
Unfortunately, the two bodies were unable to come to an agreement about dates (for gosh sakes they are only a week apart!) and so RWED's feast and entertainment will go ahead as planned, as will the music fest. Separately!
Is it just me, or does this sound plain ridiculous?
For a festival that is in desperate need of any kind of support, turning down RWED's offer for the sake of a week's worth of "poor timing" is akin to shooting oneself in the foot.
And as for RWED, a government body that is supposed to help "develop economies" -- both local and regional -- one would think that they could've seen it the same way as the town. After all, a successful music festival is sure to bring in the bucks this year, and in years to come.
If that's not aiding economic development, then I'm a monkey's uncle.
Editorial Comment
Mayor Dianne Gonet's message about the drug and alcohol problem in Fort Liard will hopefully spur some people to be part of the solution.
Unfortunately, her words will almost certainly raise the hackles of those who automatically get defensive about the issue. Her intention is not to portray Fort Liard as a town full of drunks and drug addicts. Nobody is saying that Fort Liard is unique in its struggle against bootleggers and dope dealers. That is a common problem across the NWT and throughout many communities in Canada.
What Gonet is trying to communicate is that there is an addictions problem and something must be done about it.
It's certainly not the first time that an attempt has been made to put a dent in the alcohol and drug trade. Several public meetings have been held in Fort Liard over the past few years to rally residents. Unfortunately, despite an initial burst of support, few of the previously formed action groups have had any staying power. The Citizens on Patrol initiative started last year quickly fizzled when residents realized that they would have to testify against bootleggers and drug dealers in court.
So what's a leader or concerned citizen to do? Quit trying? No, at some point momentum will build, a catalyst will be found to unite those who want to take back their community.
Maybe the Community Action Committee will be it.
Forms of pollution
Unquestionably the sludge-like oil that coated the ground and vegetation around the ruptured oil tank in Fort Simpson in late April was appalling. However, it should be noted that an Environment Canada official only had praise for the local clean-up effort in the hours following the spill.
The employees and volunteers kept the thick oil in check and mopped up a significant amount of it.
As well, to keep things in perspective but not to downplay the incident, let's say that the spill amounted to 5,000 litres, the high side of the estimate. Seeing as the majority of people in the Deh Cho drive pickup trucks, it's safe to say that a usual fill-up at the gas station is around 50 litres. So it would only take 100 trucks consuming that amount of gas (maybe a week's worth of driving?) to equate to the volume of oil that leaked out of the storage tank, most of which was recovered.
The difference, obviously, is that gasoline is heavily refined and when its byproduct comes out our tailpipes it is absorbed into the atmosphere where we don't see it. Our consciences are only "clean" because after all that driving, there are no plants coated in a tar-like substance that we can see.
The moral of the story isn't that we should all throw away our car keys, but just to keep in mind that we're contributing to pollution in various ways on a daily basis.
An error appeared in Wednesday's article, "Hotel now apartments," (Yellowknifer, May 5). Mike Mrdjenovich is no longer the owner of Nova Construction. The company he now owns that is currently building an apartment complex on Old Airport Road is called Nova Builders. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment this error may have caused.
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum