Jails are not pleasant places to work.

They're home to sex offenders, people convicted of violent assaults, drug pushers and others who have little respect for authority.

Add in inadequate training for guards, staff shortages, bad management and a philosophical change away from warehousing criminals to rehabilitation and you have the recipe for a human resources nightmare.

That's what happened at North Slave Correctional Centre. In the seven months since the $45 million facility opened, problems have boiled over into near chaos.

Stressed-out guards racked up 599 sick days during that time. They complained to Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay and to Yellowknifer. Their litany of complaints ranged from abusive treatment by inmates to what they saw as an uncaring attitude by management.

In the end, Justice Minister Charles Dent ordered a review of the North Slave and other NWT jails. The document makes some good recommendations: improved reporting of incidents between inmates and staff, regulated hours of work, improved training and human resource policies.

It is, however, only the first step. The report confirms many of the guards' complaints. Now, Dent and his department must follow through on those recommendations.

Without backing away from the goal of rehabilitating offenders, they must train staff to make a more secure facility.

It will take time and it will take money.

Justice has a detailed action plan on how and when it will fix what's broken.

When the MLAs meet again in February, Dent must report to the Legislative Assembly on the progress made toward fulfilling all of the recommendations.

It's sad but true that we find it necessary to repeat ourselves year after year.

If the number of drinking and driving complaints received by police over the past month are any indication, many of you are still not getting the message. In the last two weeks of November and first two weeks of December, RCMP received 19 complaints of driving under the influence.

So, let's spell it out for you: drinking and driving is a D-U-M-B idea. Spending $5 to $10 on a cab ride is worth escaping death, serious injury, killing someone else, a hefty fine and loss of driving privileges.

Use common sense this Christmas and the rest of the year. If you drink, leave the keys in your pocket or purse.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

There are times even the most optimistic among us wonder if society is going in the right direction.

We often hear organizations complain about the fact nobody wants to lend a hand anymore, unless they're being paid for their time.

Sporting and youth-oriented groups are constantly beating the tundra for more people to get involved with their programs.

Family violence is on the rise across the territory and the Qulliq Energy Corp. still can't figure out how to properly add up its numbers.

Yet, every time the darkness tries to black out the light of human kindness, a story reaches your ears that rekindles your faith in the human spirit.

The tale begins

Earlier this year, a man by the name of Marcus Randolph decided to combine a bit of vacation time with a few weeks work in the North.

During the work portion of his Northern experience, the Australian visited an exploration camp near Repulse Bay.

Randolph wanted to take in as much of the local culture as he could and experience the Northern fishing he had heard so much about.

So, he took the opportunity to visit the hamlet and even paid a goodwill visit to Tusarvik school.

As luck would have it, a fishing derby was taking place at the time of Randolph's visit.

What better time for him to try his luck in the pristine Arctic waters?

Randolph turned out to be quite the fisherman, landing a catch good enough to win him $2,200 in the fishing derby.

He was soon on his way home with a good chunk of his expenses covered by his derby win.

A while later, Leonie Aissaoui was sorting through the day's mail for Tusarvik when she noticed an envelope bearing an Australian postmark.

Aissaoui opened up the envelop to find a cheque for $2,200 donated to the school and a warm letter from one Mr. Marcus Randolph.

He explained in his letter that he never felt right about the money, as he hadn't done anything to earn it.

In fact, he had been spending the past while trying to figure out what cause or charity he should give it to.

Then the idea struck him, why not send it home to Repulse?

Filling empty bellies

You see, during his visit to Tusarvik, Randolph was touched deeply by the effort he saw being put into the school's breakfast program.

And, he couldn't stand having all that money from an area where he knew some kids were having a hard time finding enough to eat.

So, Randolph returned the money to the school with one request -- that it be used to put food into the bellies of any hungry children at the school.

To top it all off, he ended the letter by thanking the school's staff for all the good work they are doing.

Our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Randolph on behalf of the kids in Repulse Bay.

And, my personal gratitude to the man for making this Christmas a whole lot brighter!

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

The fire at Samuel Hearne secondary school earlier this year, in which a volunteer firefighter had a portion of his finger severed while battling the blaze, highlighted the need for our growing community to better outfit the brave men and women of our fire department.

Had the department been in possession of a ladder truck capable of reaching the school's gymnasium roof, this unfortunate accident would not have happened.

Without the ladder truck, firefighters had to employ unsuitable equipment and the result was a preventable injury.

In comparison to a more serious injury or, God forbid, a fatality, the loss of part of a finger was not so bad; a sentiment shared by the firefighter who suffered through the loss.

On the other hand, what a horrible thought, that the situation could have been so much worse. What is it going to take before the fire department is provided with the proper equipment to take on any situations that could arise in town?

All firefighters insist that for tackling fires in buildings higher than two storeys, a ladder truck is necessary. Not only does it allow personnel to fight fires in hard-to-reach places, it also gives those stranded there a better chance to be rescued.

The new Capital Suites on Mackenzie Road, the hotel currently being constructed beside The Finto, as well as the Lakeview and Parkview apartments are all either three storeys or elevated to the equivalent height.

Last winter, overheating boilers were the cause of two fires and as we head into the cold season once again, this scenario could easily replay itself.

Nevertheless, we continue to ask our volunteer fire fighters to step into the breach without the proper equipment.

Whatever motivates somebody to join a volunteer fire department -- whether it be the camaraderie, the desire to help people or a combination of these and possibly other factors -- the common link between all of them is their willingness to lay it on the line to save lives.

If firefighters are ready to go to those lengths to keep us safe, the least we can do is urge those in power to pony up the cash and give generously when the firefighters come looking for a donation to help fund such an endeavour.

According to one senior member of the department, most of the equipment already employed by our firefighters was purchased through donations. While the issue of getting a new ladder truck has been put to town council and there has been some discussion, no action has yet been taken.

The cost of getting a ladder truck could be upwards of $800,000 or even more. A small price to pay if it saves even one life.

There are those who will argue that the town can't afford it right now. I say can the town afford not to get one? Unfortunately, until a ladder truck is secured for the fire department, only time will tell.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Last week's public hearing for Imperial Oil's proposed winter geo-technical project provided the latest in a long string of tense exchanges between representatives of the First Nations and Imperial Oil.

For most of the morning, it was as if a giant amber light hung over the community hall where the hearing was held. By afternoon, Liidlii Kue Chief Keyna Norwegian arrived and, in short order, the light went from amber to red. Fresh from an LKFN meeting the night before, Norwegian obviously heard a resounding message from Fort Simpson band members that the pipeline and its related projects are still a no go. She relayed that position in no uncertain terms to the board and Imperial Oil representatives.

Now, the regulatory board has the authority to run this red light. It may not happen, but theoretically it could. The DIAND minister could also blow right through the stop sign.

Both decision makers have the power to allow the geo-technical project to proceed with conditions in place, but it's hard to imagine how any stipulations could appease either side when the parties are so far apart.

What's puzzling is how we always hear of multi-national corporations' influence in Ottawa.

The perception is that corporate bigwigs have the ear of the ministers. If that is the case, then why has this project been stalled for two winters and now quite possibly a third? Is it that Imperial Oil is strategically biding its time, waiting for a pivotal moment to lean on Ottawa? Or is it that the board and Ottawa can clearly see the First Nations in the Deh Cho are not yet in a position to benefit significantly from the project? Fort Simpson Mayor Raymond Michaud pondered whether the First Nations will continue to be given what essentially amounts to a veto over the winter works program.

Duncan Canvin, a local businessman, openly asked how the actual pipeline project will ever get the OK if this "rinky dink" geo-technical project doesn't go ahead.

The federal government, however unwilling, could answer those questions and solve this dispute. Ottawa could make the Deh Cho an equal partner in a pipeline environmental assessment and work out an equitable resource revenue and royalty sharing deal. That would open the door to the First Nations negotiating access agreements, impact benefits agreements and harvesters' compensation with the pipeline proponents.

Until that happens, we could watch another winter season come and go without any geo-technical work.

Premier Joe Handley came to Fort Simpson on Monday and said everybody wants benefits from the pipeline but sometimes compromise is needed. He emphasized how imperative it is for all groups in the NWT to work together to support the project.

Believe it or not, Dehcho First Nations has also been calling for a single-minded approach to the pipeline all along.

If other regions, the territorial government, the Chambers of Commerce and even industry would get behind DFN's negotiations position with the federal government, maybe then mighty Ottawa would finally bend.

Without that backing from enough other organizations, DFN has turned to the courts as a last resort.