Late last week the City of Yellowknife unveiled yet another multi-million dollar development plan.

The Somba K'e civic plaza envisioned for the Frame Lake waterfront was introduced to about 20 members of the public on April 27.

The plans include a public library, a plaza big enough to hold 5,000 people and an 800-seat amphitheatre.

Sure, developing the area near City Hall would be a wonderful beautification effort and create a pleasant environment for citizens and visitors to enjoy -- but at what cost? And how much use could we get from an amphitheatre? Six weeks out of a year at best.

The city has not determined the price tag of the project, only that council has allocated $500,000 for consultation and preliminary construction this year, $1 million for next year, and funds from the city reserve at the rate of $500,000 per year following that.

Also on the city's wishlist are plans for a field house that could cost $13 million, not to mention money still owed on the Multiplex.

This latest plan brings back memories of the Great Slave waterfront development plan. Council has spent 20 years studying, debating and consulting the public on that project. And what results have we seen? Zero.

With all these large-scale development projects in the works, we can't help but wonder where all of this money will come from?

Before committing more taxpayer dollars, mayor and council should take a long hard look at the city's needs, finances and population growth and decide which of these projects is worth pursuing.

Holding public meetings is not enough. A turnout of 20 people out of an 18,000-plus population hardly establishes public will.

In the 2006 Citizens Survey released this week, a majority of Yellowknifers polled by southern firm Ipsos Reid indicated social issues such as affordable housing and substance abuse; and municipal government services such as garbage pickup/litter and recycling as their top concerns. Addressing those problems should be what the city commits to spending money on.

Council needs to do much more consulting to determine where its resources should be allocated. Pleasing one group -- whether it's the arts community, sports enthusiasts, or Friends of Yellowknife Public Library - should be considered with an eye to all Yellowknifers. How will the most benefit?

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak is not about to end his battle with Canada Post to have an Inuktitut-speaking employee at the local post office anytime soon.

Kusugak has lobbied the Crown corporation for a number of years now, and is growing increasingly frustrated over its unwillingness to address the issue.

If a resolution is not found soon, Kusugak may decide to wage the battle on a different front.

He's already wondering out loud about the legalities of a Crown corporation not being able to provide service in the working language of the territory.

Over the years, Canada Post has responded to Kusugak's requests with a number of reasons, including not receiving any complaints about the lack of Inuktitut service, poor past attempts at local hires and the failure of numerous applicants to pass a criminal records check.

Of course, if nobody in the post office speaks Inuktitut, a number of elders could have complained in person and been left to wonder why the employee they were speaking to kept throwing a book of stamps on the counter in front of them.

Verbal complaints aside, the issue is more complex than it seems.

While we support the mayor's stance for Inuktitut service 100 per cent, we also understand the situation Canada Post finds itself in.

And, let's be honest, you only have to look at what's taken place in a number of Nunavut communities this past year to realize Canada Post is a business like any other when it comes to the bottom line.

So, unless one of its current Rankin employees steps aside, it may take a New York lawyer to force the corporation into hiring another worker.

And, we don't think you'll find too many people in the community with complaints about the job performance of the current staff.

They do a good job under trying circumstances.

That being said, Canada Post should also avoid being too judgmental from its perch on-high.

If criminal-record checks of the past were somewhat less than successful, that doesn't mean every Inuktitut-speaking resident of Rankin Inlet is a criminal.

And just because someone sitting at a desk in Iqaluit hasn't been approached by a unilingual person from Rankin with an official complaint, doesn't mean it isn't happening on the local front.

Likewise, ghosts of the past shouldn't be held against the entire community, even if those ghosts made the ill-advised decision to bring their friend "Mary Jane" to work for a visit.

However, we all know how you conduct yourself on the job can impact those who come behind you.

The bottom line here is that local residents deserve the right to conduct business in their own language.

There would be quite the uproar if Canada Post couldn't provide French service in Quebec towns or English in small Alberta communities.

Surely the two sides can put their heads together and come up with a solution that works for everyone.

And, if they try hard enough, maybe they can do it without a law firm's stamp of approval.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

It's been a big week for Inuvialuit.

We saw our land claim cheques, although I can imagine that some of us saw them come and go pretty quickly.

It's also the time of year when most families want to be on the land, and a little extra money can mean a lot in the gas tank.

I talked to some people about being on the land at this time of year, just before the roads close and when the sun is out all day.

I hear you can get a lot done during the days, which should be good for those of you who haven't been out to the camps in some time.

This is usually the time of year that I go on the ice road, to enjoy a sunny picnic.

Nothing too extravagant, just me, some friends, a shovel and a grub box full of goodies.

I went to the victim services open house last week, and got to talk to some of the people involved with those services here in town.

The centre offers tons of information about your rights, and what procedures to use following a crime.

Another good service offered to people in the community comes from the Interagency Committee.

After spending a day learning about what they do, I realized that without programs like it, the community would not be in such a good place.

Services like the food bank, suicide hotline and the alternate school were all hatched from people who help with the Interagency Committee.

It's important that we keep programs like that available for the community so we can all grow together.

Growing together is important, too, because that way nobody gets left behind.

Whether it be a fellow student or co-worker, I think we can all band together, and stick through anything.

I don't see any need for high school dropouts because their friends should be there to support them, and give assistance when needed.

I talked with Shane Brewster for a while this week, too.

I think it's great that he stays so involved with the students at the school. That man does wonders for those kids' self esteem.

I remember growing up and hearing him give us advice throughout elementary school.

Seeing him work with those kids that day almost inspired me to have children really soon.

Well, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but I definitely want my kids to have role models like him.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Once again Mother Nature is proving that she has the final word in all matters.

Spring weather is providing drama, excitement, anticipation and entertainment around the Deh Cho.

As much as humans like to think they have a good measure of control over their daily environment, Mother Nature is always standing by, ready to shake that certainty.

As the rivers break up, humans can do little more than watch and hope for the best. In Fort Liard there must have been some tense moments as the water crept up and over the bank, the ball diamond and a road, leading to the evacuation of one house which ended up with a flooded crawl space.

Other communities are still waiting. The date of break up is an innocent thing to place bets on, but humans can make little more than educated guesses that are often flaunted by nature.

With the ice still in place on the Liard River outside Nahanni Butte on Tuesday, some elders said break up is happening later than normal. That will be sure to put some estimates off.

Spring weather controlled by Mother Nature is also wrecking havoc on local roads and highways.

It can be frustrating when events beyond your control derail plans, especially if the plans involved returning home or taking a planned trip.

Road closures may have inconvenienced some people, but a measure of thanks can be given for timing in this case. If the washout on Highway 1 had occurred just a few days later, it might have posed serious problems for the buses filled with soccer players headed from Fort Simpson to Grande Prairie.

Sometimes the weather misfortunes of some turn out to be benefits for others.

A similar case is happening in Alberta, where unusually dry weather is providing a boon for Fort Simpson fire crews who are getting an early start on their seasonal work.

While this is good news for the crews, no one would want to see the situation turned around. After break up is over it will be time to turn our attention to weather patterns and try to discern what nature has in store for us in the upcoming fire season.

A shout of good luck goes out to all the soccer players who are headed out to tournaments over the weekend.

The athletes deserve success after working hard in a variety of areas. Some have battled waking up at what is almost an unheard of hour for teenagers in order to attend practices. Others have put a little extra effort into their school work, so they would be allowed to travel with their team.

It's also great to see players from Deh Cho communities combine with athletes from other areas to make up teams. This is a great example of the co-operative spirit that we can only hope to see more of in the North.

An error appeared in an article in Wednesday's Yellowknifer, ("Student job fund slashed," May 3). The 2006/2007 budget for the North Slave Region is $108,000. The Youth Employment Program's budget for the entire Northwest Territories is $300,000. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment caused by the error.

In the April 27 issue of the Deh Cho Drum the runner in the picture on page seven is identified as Alex Porter. The runner is actually Wesley Hardisty.

In the Fort Simpson council briefs it was reported that council gave Walter Blondin a permit to lease land. The village council only gave support for Blondin's land application. The value of the camp is estimated at $1.8 million.

The Drum apologizes for any confusion these errors may have caused.