The implications of the proposed $7 billion Mackenzie Gas Project are as big as the North.

It promises jobs, resource revenue and new prosperity.

That's why it takes guts to stand up to multi-billion dollar corporations who seem to be offering everything the NWT desires.

But were it not for Dehcho First Nations, former premier Stephen Kakfwi and Sahtu leaders, the pipeline could have turned into a white elephant, returning a short-term boom in exchange for just a few long-term jobs.

The Aboriginal Pipeline Group will own one-third of the pipe, but it would have been saddled with billions in construction debt that would need to be repaid before there was a return to communities.

So far we've seen little backbone from the territorial government. Even though Premier Joe Handley has said there won't be a pipeline without a resource revenue agreement, our elected leaders seem content with whatever Ottawa wants to negotiate with pipeline proponents.

The federal government appears to have offered reduced royalties to improve "fiscal certainty" for the producers.

Whether or not that will leave the Northwest Territories short-changed when a resource revenue sharing agreement is finally reached remains to be seen.

While Sahtu communities have reached impact benefit agreements with Imperial Oil and its partners, the Dehcho remains a hold-out.

Without a settled land claim, this group of First Nations is fighting for both the federal government and petroleum companies' recognition of ownership to traditional lands.

It's a tough trail to walk down and one that will win the Dehcho First Nations more enemies than friends. They must stand up for what they believe is right - the best deal possible for Dehcho beneficiaries.

So far, the more resource development that occurs, the poorer we get.

Small wooden posts have been popping up around Iqaluit, telling pedestrians and drivers where to go and how to park.

We have one question for city council members: What were you thinking?

The city hired a southern consultant, then spent $300,000 on almost 300 posts. These posts mark crosswalks, sidewalks and parking spaces.

Drivers will now have to back up into parking spaces along the main street.

The idea is to make it easier to get out of the spaces and back onto the street. It makes it a bit more cumbersome though to get in the space during rush hour, or rush 10 minutes.

Most people have yet to understand what all these posts mean, and we doubt if they ever will.

This money would have been better spent fixing the Arctic Winter Games Arena.

For most of us running a sewage plant is far from a glamorous job.

Not for Billy Qaqasiq. It took a lot of hard work, determination and ingenuity to get Qaqasiq where he is today.

With just a Grade 6 education, Qaqasiq took it upon himself to learn advanced chemistry, physics and mathematics, difficult subjects for anyone.

But Qaqasiq was driven. He was on his way to becoming the chief operator of Pangnirtung's mechanical sewage treatment plant.

He did it, and he is being rewarded for his efforts. He is a director on the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Water and Wastewater Association, a board mostly made up of engineers.

He received an excellence award from the Environmental Operations Certification Program, which covers the NWT, Yukon, British Columbia and is making a gradual progression towards Nunavut.

All this because Qaqasiq was ready and willing to take on a challenge.

It is people like Qaqasiq who prove that lacking academic credentials shouldn't stop Inuit from attempting a great many more jobs than they are given the opportunity to tackle.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Other than personnel issues such as job performance and related matters, I have always loathed the ability of governments to go in camera (behind closed doors) to discuss topics.

That is especially true with issues affecting people in the community and depriving them of their right to know why decisions were made.

And don't think in-camera sessions aren't a double-edged sword, because they most certainly are.

There are times in-camera sessions protect the reputations of those involved with questionable decisions, but there are also times when they cast shadows of suspicion over members of the community.

The bottom line is that human nature dictates we all draw our own conclusions based on the information we are given, even if that information is more than a little limited on any given subject.

Rankin hamlet council's decision to take over the local search-and-rescue (SAR) committee's finances and bingo operations is a perfect example of just such a case.

Why did it happen? What irregularities showed up on the audit?

Were the members simply lacking in bookkeeping and record-keeping skills, or were they taking money meant to help save lives and spending it on themselves?

Coun. Janes let it slip that SAR members were paying each other honorariums, but he didn't say for what. If you take for granted the committee agreed on the concept of paying out honorariums from bingo revenues, you're also accepting the fact not a single SAR member cared enough to find out if that was allowed.

Did the committee have other sources of revenue that would allow it to pay honorariums for attending SAR meetings?

Was it just honorariums that created the "irregularities" or were there other things going on?

While nothing stops me from tracking down a SAR member who may not understand they don't have to answer questions about a matter council dealt with in camera, that's not the style of journalism I choose to employ, nor is it the point of this piece.

This is the third committee we've reported on during the past few years with "irregularities" in the way they handled their finances.

And, while we appreciate the fact council is trying to address the problem on one level, the community should have the right to know what's going on in these situations.

We've stated many times that there's a dark side to the amount of bingo revenues raised in the Kivalliq.

When money raised through bingo is being spent in irregular ways, the scale tips towards the negative side of fundraising through gambling.

And, dealing with such matters behind closed doors does nothing more than cast a serious shadow of doubt over the validity of every entity in the community that raises money through bingo and Nevada sales.

It also sends a message to people in the community who support these groups: You have no right to know where your money went.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

National Addictions Awareness Week has almost passed and with it the host of "just say no" messages and warnings against the dangers of drug use.

In addition to the tales of addiction tragedy, there are the success stories of people who've found a different path from that of drug dependency.

For one Deh Cho region chief arrested recently for marijuana possession, it was particularly bad timing, what with the addictions week on the horizon. However, despite how one feels about pot smoking, some credit has to be given to this chief for speaking frankly of his medicinal use of cannabis (he denied the possession charge though).

The fact is, millions of people smoke marijuana, grass, reefer, tokes, dope, or whatever terminology one prefers. Come to think of it, this old guy my friends and I hung out with during our university days - mainly for his high-grade marijuana - used to get mad when we called marijuana dope. He said dope was what heroin junkies "back in his day" and he was no junky.

Like alcohol, marijuana is a drug, that when used in moderation brings the feeling of relaxation. After a hard day at work, some would say there's nothing better than unwinding with a few cold ones. For others it could be a joint, or simply a relaxing cigarette after dinner. With the onslaught of public service announcements about the negative impacts of smoking, drinking and drug use, people should be aware by now of the inherent dangers of all drugs.

Fact: when used recklessly and without moderation each and every drug can lead to disaster. For anti-drug zealots on one side of the debate, each drug they say is a "gateway" for harder drugs; alcohol is a "gateway" for pot and pot a "gateway" for cocaine and so on.

This thinking provides the catalyst for demonizing all "drug" use, even Johnny six-pack's and his band of merrymakers. At the opposite extreme, there are those advocating the legalization of all drugs and in Vancouver this attitude has manifested itself in the form of nurses supervising heroin use in a "safe injection site."

History shows that societies which employ one extreme set of guiding principles never stay stable for long, at least without a tremendous amount of hardship. So it would be silly to think that either clamping down on marijuana or conversely turning things into a drug-free-for-all would solve any problems, particularly those Northern residents face as they pertain to drug and alcohol abuse.

In the Northwest Territories, apart from alcohol abuse (emphasis on abuse), crack cocaine has become the scourge of communities. But just as nobody sensibly relaxes after a hard day at work by pounding a 26er of vodka or drinking a dozen beers, nobody is relaxing with a couple hits from the crack pipe. Crack cocaine, which the experts say can make one an addict after one try, is something that keeps people up for hours and days on end and there's nothing relaxing about that.

So while the police and communities can make their best efforts to stem the drug tide, until people start taking some responsibility for themselves and make better lifestyle choices, this addiction vortex many unfortunately find themselves in will continue and crack cocaine will pave the way for the next drug epidemic. Sad but true.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

After years of professing to being open to innovation, the federal government is essentially offering Dehcho First Nations the same old song and dance.

First Nations and Metis in the Deh Cho have said from the start of self-government negotiations that they would settle for nothing less than having control over all the lands in this region. Federal negotiator Robin Aitken, who handled the Deh Cho file up until last year, told delegates on a few occasions that his superiors in Ottawa were uncomfortable with such an unconventional approach. But Aitken said then-Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault was willing to explore it anyway.

Many Deh Cho delegates remained highly suspicious of the federal government. They openly stated that Canada, rather than developing ways to put a true land-management regime in the hands of aboriginal people, was merely looking for new terminology to hoodwink the First Nations into a comprehensive claim.

Without making any commitment or promises, Aitken reassured the delegates that Ottawa was not trying to fool anybody. Maybe that was true at the time, but, despite a few unprecedented interim agreements, it turns out that the naysayers were right.

The new federal negotiator came to the table in Fort Providence on Nov. 16 with proposed terms for self-government agreement in principle that are almost identical to everything else Ottawa has signed to date. It would entail land selection - having First Nations choose plots of land from which they could benefit through industrial development. For the left over land, the balance of power may very well rest with the federal government.

It's a far cry from what the Deh Cho has been seeking. There were skeptics who claimed all along that the federal government would never accommodate the Deh Cho's demands. That's because if Ottawa set a precedent with the Deh Cho agreement, then all the other First Nations across Canada with settled land claims would expect the same or similar provisions.

Yet the government looked poised to possibly venture that far under Nault's tenure. Of course Nault was made DIAND minister by Jean Chretien. He was shown the door by Chretien's successor, Paul Martin, who could only muster a minority government. Maybe that's when Ottawa lost its gumption.

And here we are with another federal election in the offing. The years of delays - in fairness, some of the hold-ups have been caused by the Deh Cho - have placed immense pressure squarely on Dehcho First Nations. Unity among the 13 member organizations has been a challenge to maintain. Now, as other regions edge closer to signing access and benefits agreements for a Mackenzie Valley pipeline and as Deh Cho communities themselves enter more and more business arrangements, the question is whether there will be any solidarity left as the Deh Cho responds to a federal offer that so clearly misses the mark.

The negotiations aren't over, but at this juncture it has certainly taken a turn for the worse.

An error appeared in an article in last week's News/North, ("Inuvialuit jobs at Calgary Zoo," Nov. 21). The correct year for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Olympics is 2010. News/North apologizes for any confusion caused by the error.