What's key to remember is that the site is next to Somba K'e Park. The addition of a high profile public facility -- be it a library, an outdoor ice pad or an indoor skate park -- has the potential to rejuvenate the entire area.
A public place used by all of the community that enhances the Frame Lake waterfront would do wonders for the whole area.
While all of the groups making presentations at a forum last week claim to offer public facilities, most residents would likely challenge that point on at least a couple of the proposals.
Architect Gino Pin's vision of a combination courthouse and Workers' Compensation Board office would top the list of what shouldn't be built there.
While his argument goes that such a facility would be open to the public and play an important part in community life, no child would ever grow up remembering this as their favourite place to go with their parents.
No tourist is going to visit a WCB office or courtroom and rush home to tell their friends all about what a great spot it was for a picnic.
This site is prime Yellowknife waterfront and it belongs to all residents -- not just a few office workers who want a better view when they look out the window over morning coffee.
When this idea came up in April, council flatly rejected the suggestion.
"Thumbs down," said Coun. Alan Woytuik.
"Definitely not an office building," said Coun. Wendy Bisaro.
"I have no interest in a courthouse," said Coun. David McCann.
These sentiments were echoed by all of our elected municipal leaders.
At the same time, Yellowknifer polled our readers and a whopping 87.5 per cent of callers said they didn't want such a facility to go up once Murph comes down.
Council doesn't plan to make a decision until next March, but it would be unacceptable if this ongoing debate suddenly shifted from the public forum.
It must not go to the in-camera seclusion of City Hall's inner-most bowels where all manner of dark dealings can be suggested and considered without fear of reprisal.
This has always been a public space and any talks about its future must be no less public.
Editorial Comment
Lisa Scott
Kivalliq News
In June of this year, hamlet council in Rankin Inlet dreamed up the idea of the Hamlet Beautiful Contest, asking residents to spruce up their yards and try some landscaping.
The concept is great, but the delivery is wanting. Delays and a busy summer pushed the contest to the Labour Day weekend, giving the fall weather a chance to foil it, which it did.
Notices were tacked up around town, but the word obviously didn't get around. Coun. Robert Janes had only three yards to inspect before giving out the $500 first prize.
Despite problems with communication, council should be commended for trying to get rid of garbage and junk in the community.
They are right to worry about what memories visitors might share when they return south. Tourism thrives on cleanliness and beauty, not the detritus from old construction projects and dead cars that fill most yards here.
The problem doesn't stop with tourism either.
It poses a safety issue for children and animals and a health issue for everyone.
As I write, a bloody caribou leg lies outside my building, along with pop cans and other garbage. I watched a child bring a shard of glass to her mouth a couple of weeks ago.
There are garbage bins outside every house in Rankin Inlet. Why doesn't garbage find its way into these bins? It's an easy enough task. If you consume something, you are responsible for its waste.
That obviously isn't the view of the teenager I noticed the other day who threw her slushy cup over her shoulder onto the road.
Respect for the land
There seems to be a detachment of the people to their land. Respect for the land requires proper treatment of it. If Nunavummiut are so concerned about the future of their beautiful Arctic, it's time they took ownership of their houses, yards and communities.
I congratulate Gwen Thirwall Wiebe for winning the hamlet contest and the $500 cash prize. She put effort and thought into fixing up her yard. She and other residents should be proud of the clean and safe environment she has created.
The council says this is going to be an annual event from now on. Maybe it will force more residents to become accountable for the garbage they produce and for the landscape they live in.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
For gas project watchers, all eyes are on Deh Cho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian after he made good on a threat to use the courts as a bargaining tool to try and get what he believes is a fair deal for Dehcho First Nations.
Norwegian's basic argument is that because 40 per cent of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline goes through Deh Cho territory, the Deh Cho should be able to appoint two seats on the seven-seat joint review panel. The panel is charged with evaluating the pipeline application, which includes the Environmental Impact Statement, before making its recommendations on the project's viability to the federal environment minister.
Interesting that we've heard nary a peep from the Sahtu region, where approximately 40 per cent of the proposed pipeline will be built, as well.
Perhaps it's the fact that the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement was signed more than 10 years ago, compared with the Deh Cho land claim and self-government deal that remains in limbo.
While inking a land claim deal for the Deh Cho is important, one has to question the wisdom of a lawsuit against the federal government as a way of hastening this process.
The cold reality
Either there will be a pipeline or there won't be. If one is to be built, the pipeline will require a one kilometre corridor passing through the NWT to Alberta.
Yes, there will be environmental and social implications. However, economic spin-offs could provide a windfall for everyone in the territory. Naysayers will argue that the big financial prizes will only be up for grabs during the pipeline's construction and will peter off as the gas starts flowing.
As for having a say where the corridor will be, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that physical geography combined with the pipeline's destination will limit the nature of its route through the territory.
How much is land worth?
So the big question is: how much is a 1x400 km swath of land worth? Add that to the compensation value for the pipe's impact on the environment -- during both the building and operation phase -- come up with a dollar figure everyone can agree on and cut Norwegian a cheque. Because the best land claim deal in the country and all the self-government one can handle is only as potent as the economic foundation upon which it rests.
In light of recent events, this approach may provide the best pipeline deal the Deh Cho will ever get as it's hard to imagine people scrambling to do related business with leadership that appears difficult to work with.
As noble as standing one's ground in the face of neo-colonialism may appear to some, others will say that old wounds have prompted Norwegian to grind his political axe. And at what expense?
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Jack Handey -- for those familiar with Saturday Night Live -- became renowned for his Deep Thoughts. Here are a few miscellaneous musings that passed through the unsettled mind of your local scribe last week:
-- Finally, the Dehcho First Nations is going to court. Whether you believe that's a good thing or a bad thing, the DFN feels an injustice has been done. It wanted, but was not granted, the power to appoint two members to the seven-member Mackenzie Valley pipeline review panel. The DFN's credibility was arguably starting to take a beating because chiefs have regularly trotted out the threat of court action over the past several years. The DFN was comparable to the boy who cried wolf. Now that has changed. Whether the court case can be won or whether the suit will be withdrawn if and when a compromise is reached, remains to be seen.
-- Fort Providence is, without a doubt, the fly capital of the nation, maybe the world. Many people have expressed such a sentiment because it's the truth. Even in early September, the flies there -- blackflies or sandflies depending on who you ask -- continue to torment every living creature. Even though they have to cope with them on a daily basis, Fort Providence residents haven't become desensitized to the ubiquitous clouds of flies. Everywhere one looks outdoors, there are people waving their arms, muttering "darn flies" (or something stronger) and wearing mosquito netting over their faces.
Scientists gather at the demonstration burn site near Fort Providence in the summer to study fire behaviour. There ought to be a team of scientists trying to figure out what makes these hardy little buggers keep on ticking when their brethren have died off in nearly every other Deh Cho community.
Serious bison problem
-- The bison problem on the highway is a serious one. A warning sign near Fort Providence informs drivers that bison may be on the highway for the next 236 kilometres. That's a heck of a long stretch to remain vigilant but what's the alternative? By letting one's guard down or driving too fast, there's the potential for a collision that isn't going to do the bison or the motorist any good.
While heading to Fort Liard in August, I came upon a large bull who wandered out of the bush and onto the road, several hundred metres in front of my truck. Thankfully, this occurred in broad daylight, so the bison was easy to spot. If it had been dark and I hadn't slowed down, my trajectory would have likely resulted in the vehicle's hood crumpling right into the belly of the beast.
Ouch!