Drop by almost any home in Nunavut, and you'll likely be walking in to what looks like a family reunion.

Eight, 10, 12 or more people, crammed together in a three-bedroom home. But it's not a reunion. They all live there.

"Sometimes we fight in my place... when there's too many people or it's noisy."

That's the reality Matta Par deals with in Cape Dorset. She lives with eight other people in a four-bedroom home, and shares a room with her two children.

A recent study revealed Cape Dorset boasts an overcrowding rate seven times higher than the national average.

But that's the reality in Nunavut. Overcrowding is present in every community, and it's only getting worse.

In Iglulik, the mayor figures the hamlet could use 100 new housing units. The population there is about 1,300.

There are 145 public units in Taloyoak. The average number of people living in each unit is seven or eight. The homes are built to house two adults and three children.

If you do the math, Taloyoak could use an extra 60 homes. Nothing will be built this summer, but a five-plex and a two-plex are coming on the barge this summer and they'll be built next year.

The senior administrative officer there says they'd be happy to get 25-30 new units in the near future, but is somewhat resigned.

"The government doesn't have the money," he says.

And the federal government isn't helping much.

Sure the $200 million announced recently will help, but not much. The asking price for a three-bedroom home in Cambridge Bay is $200,000. In Iqaluit, the average cost of a house is $330,000.

At a very conservative territorial average cost per of $200,000, the federal money will cover 1,000. If we say each community needs about 50 homes, that still leaves the territory 300 homes short.

Granted most of the money will be used for three-plexes and five-plexes, but it's still inadequate. These 1,000 homes won't be all built in one year, and won't come close to cover repairs to older homes.

And by the time these homes are built, the rapidly growing population and the wear and tear on existing houses will mean more houses will be needed.

Overcrowding is the most pressing matter that needs to be addressed in the territory.

All the education worries, health problems and social ills - like suicide, alcohol abuse and spousal abuse have all been linked to the housing shortage.

This has to change. Nunavut needs a housing plan that will see overcrowding disappear in the next 10 years. Until that happens, the territorial government isn't taking the well-being of its people seriously.

For weeks, cabinet ministers David Krutko and Charles Dent have been peppered with questions about a pair of controversial housing programs.

In Hay River, there's a scandal over seniors with substantial assets living in rent-free housing meant for low-income elders.

And Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee has hammered away at the government over a $220 million plan to convert 830 pipeline housing units into residences throughout the Northwest Territories.

Both are cases of the government trying to do a good thing in housing.

First of all, the seniors living in the Hay River housing have done nothing wrong by following the rules.

These rules, however, must be changed so that low income homes go to low income people.

It isn't right to sell off homes and businesses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, to put that money in the bank and live off the taxpayer. It means more money must be found to house those truly in need.

In reaction to the obvious flaw in the program, Dent, minister of the department that provides social assistance, says all programs are under review and nothing is expected to change for at least six months.

Dent should change his ministry to the department of studies, because that's all he does - study problems. The fact taxpayers' money is being misspent doesn't concern him.

That example of mismanagement and poor ministerial attitude makes people nervous when even more money is at stake such as in the pipeline housing plan.

The proposed ATCO Novel home was on display in Inuvik during the recent Petroleum Show. It looks great and could solve the NWT's housing crisis.

But it's going to be up to the bureaucrats to ensure the program works.

The government intends to sell some of the units on the almost non-existent real estate market in small NWT communities. That's going to require a professional marketing strategy, one that's made more difficult because buyers may find their next door neighbour obtained an identical home through a government support program.

Then there's the technical end. Converting the trailers from pipeline work camps to homes and preparing lots in the communities is a huge job. Any delays that leave the trailers parked unoccupied at the mercy of vandals and the weather will devalue their worth.

Acknowledging the problems and planning solutions could make this a grand accomplishment for present and future governments.

But the lack of leadership and bureaucratic bungling we've seen in the seniors housing program could just as easily make this government and its pipeline houses the butt of jokes well into the next decade.

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Kivalliq News

The Government of Nunavut and its medical contractor did more than look a gift horse in the mouth last month in refusing to renew the contract of the Kivalliq's longest serving doctor.

They kicked that horse - popular family physician James Wiens - square between the legs and in the process jeopardized the health of all Kivalliq residents.

Wiens, based in Rankin Inlet, was told three weeks ago he would not receive a new contract when his short-term deal expired June 16, cutting the complement of full-time doctors in the region down to two.

In an area starved for medical professionals, the decision is mind-boggling.

Wiens spent four-plus years in the Kivalliq, twice the tenure of the next closest active doctor. The 45-year-old Manitoban is also well liked in Rankin, where he joined community members on the land and in the dance hall.

But here's the real kicker: Wiens was ready to stay in the North indefinitely.

"I have never seen that before," said Rankin Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley.

Wiens, who plans to spend the summer in a remote northern British Columbia cabin, was never given a reason for his dismissal.

Adding fuel to the smouldering fire, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq refused to discuss the situation publicly and the Northern Medical Unit - the University of Manitoba wing under contract to provide doctors to the Kivalliq - did not return a phone message seeking comment.

The people of the Kivalliq, who see more new doctors than Toronto-area country clubs, deserve to know why Wiens was handed his walking papers.

More than that, they are entitled to the best medical care possible. While doctors in the region are by all accounts excellent, study after study has shown that a turnstile approach to staffing medical positions hurts patients. According to the Canadian Medical Association, continuity of care results in less emergency room visits, fewer medical errors and lower health care costs.

For fans of irony, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba - the contractor that declined to renew Wiens' contract - highlighted the importance of doctor-patient familiarity on its website.

"Continuity of care is an integral part of family medicine," the website reads. "Continuity favourably influences health care outcomes and patient and medical staff satisfaction."

Uh-huh... Meanwhile, Kivalliq residents are left scratching their heads and pining for the medical godsend that once was.

"We finally have a doctor who has embraced the community and the spirit within it," Rankin mayor Lorne Kusugak said last week.

Well, he's partially right.

Thanks to what looks like a short-sighted decision, we HAD that doctor.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

We've come a long way, baby.

In my 23 years in Inuvik, I have seen many different kinds of celebrations.

People gather to remember our soldiers who died during war, to celebrate Canada Day and a variety of other events where food and fun is had.

I'm sure you all enjoyed Aboriginal Day festivities, and filled up on traditional meats.

Hopefully, there was some dry meat left after I arrived. I apologize. I'm weak for the taste of well dried caribou.

I can remember years ago, when gatherings like this came and went, without much planning or preparation.

People would show up at a set time, which was sometimes changed because of a late dance the night before.

Good ol' Delta time, eh? The activities start when the co-ordinator gets up.

Luckily, we have now seemed to crawl out of the darkness, and into a new era where things happen as they are supposed to.

The people who have been responsible for planning the many events we have in town need to be applauded.

A number of individuals tirelessly give their time to ensure the public is having a good time.

If you have ever burned your hand while working a grill at Jim Koe park, I thank you.

If you ever missed your favourite TV show to coach a ball game, then you're in the same boat. Thanks.

Yes, Aboriginal Day is a great day for all people in town.

I see the celebration as a gathering of people without colours and without borders.

Everyone out in a sunny day, looking to enjoy each other's company and maybe eat some free food.

It really goes to show how far Inuvik has really come over the years.

In the past few years, the streets are cleaner, and our quality of life has improved greatly.

People smile on the streets, and, heck, they might even wave back to you if you stick your hand in the air.

As a people, I think we have evolved into a new age, that supersedes any society I can think of.

I remember walking down a street as a little kid, and being intimidated by the number of drunks on the street, or gangs of unruly kids who didn't like the way I acted.

Maybe they just wanted my bike. Who knows?

The main point I want to hit home is that we have all banded together to make Inuvik safe for families.

Our soccer field has grass, now if we only had some nets...

And, oh yeah, a note to all you kids who "use" the soccer nets when they are up.

Those nets are expensive, and are not to be used for hammocks.

If you've ever kicked a ball into the Northmart parking lot, you know how frustrated I am.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Water is something all Deh Cho communities have in common.

Each is located near a body of water, whether it be a river or a lake.

Just as the people in the area are linked by close ties, the water is also linked as it all moves inevitably towards the Mackenzie River -- from which this region gets its name.

The waterways and the water itself have a wide variety of roles.

The water can be welcomed as a provider of leisure activities and transportation routes.

This past weekend, the boat launching points around Fort Simpson, and probably in other communities, were filled with vehicles loading and unloading a variety of boats. People were headed out for a number of reasons including fishing, visits to cabins and pleasure rides.

NWT author Jamie Bastedo is combining both leisure and travel as he makes his way along the Mackenzie River.

Bastedo has been visiting the communities in the Deh Cho along the Mackenzie over the past few weeks as he travels by canoe doing research for an official guide book on the TransCanada Trail in the NWT.

The end product of Bastedo's journey might bring more adventure tourists into Deh Cho communities. In the short term, it is a reminder that the waterways are also a link to the past and the traditional water trails used before the invention of combustion engines and metal hulled boats.

But the water also has a side that residents have learned to watch for cautiously.

This week, Nahanni Butte saw the potentially destructive nature of water as high levels in the rivers created lakes in the community.

Luckily the flooding was not extensive. A few homes had water up to their doorsteps and some uninhabited buildings had water flowing through them.

Residents took this all in stride with good humour, resorting to inventive means of dealing with the water, including canoeing down streets and walking through flooded areas in hipwaders.

People in other communities will be able to relate to the feeling that comes with wondering how high water will rise as they watch it slowly creep up the banks.

With water touching so many aspects of life in the Deh Cho there has to be a recognition that this is a two way street. Water gives us so much and in return we have to ensure that what we are giving back is not harmful.

Many presenters at the Joint Review Panel hearings in Kakisa and Fort Providence remembered this fact. In both communities, the main concern was possible pollution or disruption to the water.

It is good to see people stepping forward and voicing their concerns about the future of something that is so important in the Deh Cho. Probing for answers to unanswered or nagging questions is crucial so informed decisions can be made.

While the possible impacts of large developments must be scrutinized closely, the same diligence should be applied to our own actions.

Everyone has to do their part to ensure that the we can continue to enjoy the water found in abundance in the Deh Cho.

A symbolic walk from Yellowknife to Behchoko/Rae-Edzo which occurred June 7 and 8 was organized by the Victims' Service of the Native Women's Association, in partnership with the Status of Women Council of the NWT. An error appeared in the article "Walk inspires hope for women in the June 19 edition of Yellowknifer. We apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment caused by this error.