A new deal that guarantees an improved supply of quality diamonds for the cutting and polishing industry in Yellowknife is very welcome news.

Last week, Yellowknifer reported Arslanian Cutting Works and BHP had an agreement to fix a problem that undermined the company's existence.

It was the same supply problem that put two other companies - Sirius Diamonds and Canadian Dene Diamonds - out of business.

Is the industry out of the woods?

Far from it. The cutting and polishing industry was created largely through the efforts of the territorial government. Put the words (without quotes) "diamonds and polishing" into the search function at the top of this page, and read through the stories from 1997 to the present to get the remarkable history.

But now, the government of Premier Joe Handley has lost all sense of direction. The diamond file is in the hands of Minister Brendan Bell, who is incapable of making a rational statement as to either the industry's promise or problems.

Yellowknife MLA Bill Braden is the only Yellowknife representative to grasp how important the industry is to the city's growth. He has repeatedly called Bell to account, but to no visible effect. It should be remembered that the industry directly benefits Bell's Yellowknife South constituents.

In response to Braden's question on the government's commitment to the cutting and polishing industry, Bell replied that there were other programs such as "small engine mechanics" that required the government's attention as well. We are not kidding here.

BHP officials confirmed Bell played no role in the new deal, despite his earlier promises that he and his department were working on it. In fact, when Bell's office was contacted for comment, he wasn't even aware it had happened.

In case MLAs representing other regions think this is strictly a Yellowknife opportunity, they should understand diamond polishing could be done in Fort Smith or Hay River as easily as Yellowknife.

A few years ago, business people proposed a cutting and polishing plant for Fort Simpson, an idea that deserved far more consideration than it received.

It's clear to anyone who cares, and should be to Premier Handley, the new deal with BHP represents a fresh opportunity for the cutting and polishing industry.

It's also painfully clear, with Bell in charge, that opportunity will simply blow away in the wind.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It's good see Canada Post take the first step in providing an Inuktitut-speaking employee in Rankin Inlet.

Canada Post is advertising for an on-call worker in Rankin who speaks both Inuktitut and English.

On-call workers are used when full-time employees are not available due to sickness, holidays or, on occasion, training.

Many of the past reasons given for not having an Inuktitut-speaking employee in Rankin were valid ones.

But that doesn't change the fact Inuktitut is the main language in Nunavut and the service should be provided.

It's not as good as a full-time job, but the person hired for the on-call position will gain valuable experience and, hopefully, will be able to step in when the day comes that there's staff turnover at the facility.

While there's little doubt media attention played a role in the new job being posted (Posting Its Defense, Kivalliq News, May 10, and Speaking Different Languages, Nunavut News/North, May 8), Canada Post still deserves full marks for proving it does listen to the voice of its customers.

It's not the permanent solution Rankin Mayor Lorne Kusugak has been fighting for the past few years, but it's a compromise and a step forward in relations between the two sides.

The Rankin post office is exactly the type of situation where media coverage benefits the people of a community, but those days may soon come to an end if Joe Public doesn't let his voice be heard.

More and more journalists in Canada and the United States are being pressured by law-enforcement agencies to reveal their sources in major stories.

The latest assault on the freedom of the press is a subpoena to San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams to give testimony before a grand jury on how they obtained leaked testimony from the grand jury in the Barry Bonds steroid scandal.

The string of stories were mainly responsible for the best-selling book, Game of Shadows.

Not exactly life-threatening stuff.

So why should the people of the Kivalliq region care about such things?

Simple. If law enforcement continues to harass journalists into revealing their sources, nobody will talk to reporters who are doing anything deeper than a feature on hamlet days.

There will be nobody left to inform the public of wrongdoing at any level.

Think of every person you know in a position of power, trust or high finance.

Would you have faith in each and every one of them to always do the right thing, should the day ever come they have no fear of being exposed?

The assault on the media is not just an attack on reporters.

It's an outrageous attack on the people's right to know.

This is not a battle the media

cannot win alone. It needs the public's help in sending a clear message to government that such action will not be tolerated.

Make no mistake about it, when it comes to information on wrongdoing, there is nothing golden about silence.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

In the past few weeks, this little town has seen its fair share of drug busts.

I find myself congratulating the RCMP officers of Inuvik, as well as the officers from Yellowknife on a job well done.

The recent drug seizures have seemed to make our community happy.

But since I took over this position, every drug-related news release sent by the detachment has involved marijuana.

Yes, it would seem that the sweet leaf has been the primary target in the war on drugs here in the land of the midnight sun.

While I'm sure there are many congratulatory high-fives and handshakes going around the Inuvik detachment, I can't help but wonder when our population will see another crack bust.

You all remember crack, right? The malicious older brother of cocaine.

Last year, this town was rocked by this powerful drug.

In 2006, it almost looks like the crack problem has been eradicated by the power of the police.

Or maybe it has just gone deeper underground, and is not as noticeable.

I don't want to seem like I'm sitting on the fence when it comes to drugs, so I'll say it straight out: crack is a bigger threat to our community than pot ever could be.

Lasse the police dog did a great job cutting off teens from their daily doobies.

I'm sure that town munchie merchants have noticed a down-shift in their midnight snackers who wish to spend all their money on brightly coloured licorice and pop rocks.

I want to know how many shifty, neck-scratching crack addicts were brought into custody?

How many other barricaded doors of crack dealers were kicked in?

I find it hard to believe that our crack problem is over and done with.

This drug is powerfully addictive and doesn't disappear after a couple of busts.

The police can't do it alone, however. We must all be strong enough to stand up to the mighty "rock."

I would die a happy man if I was one of the people who saw crack cocaine disappear for good from Inuvik.

We are developing into a strong and independent community, and crack and other illegal drugs are a black eye on a great track record.

Hopefully as I write this, it wouldn't surprise me if the brave officers at the cop shop are planning their next big crackdown.

If people are so eager to call the police about pot-related crimes, they should also be calling about crack dens.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

It may be one small step for drug dealers, but it's one scary leap for residents of the Deh Cho.

News that RCMP officers arrested Edmonton men for trafficking crack cocaine in Wrigley is scary stuff.

RCMP stated that this is the first time that suspected cocaine traffickers have been charged within the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment area. Police believe that cocaine dealers have travelled into the communities to sell their wares.

Previous instances of cocaine in the communities have stemmed from people bringing it in for their own personal use, said the RCMP.

Any illusion that the Deh Cho was sealed in a protective bubble from hard drug dealers because of geographical location has been shattered.

It can be easy to ignore signs of increasingly scary drugs infiltrating into the communities, but a case like this brings drug dealing into the spotlight.

It would probably keep many people, especially parents, up at night if they knew about all the types of drugs that may already be available in communities or could easily make inroads.

This case illustrates the lengths that drug dealers will go to find a market.

It has to be wondered what kind of a profit you would need to make it financially sound to travel all the way from Edmonton to the Deh Cho to deal drugs.

Frighteningly, someone seems to have thought it was worth their while to make the trip and maybe it was.

It is disturbing to look at the number of people that the RCMP have so far identified as customers. Wrigley is home to fewer than 200 people, so having 14 or 15 members of the population on cocaine is not a happy percentage. Of course there may be even more users that haven't been identified so far.

The RCMP say they suspect the suspects were dealing in other locations in the Northwest Territories. Because their investigation is ongoing they can't go into details, but there is, of course, the possibility that some or all of these other locations are also in the Deh Cho.

There is one bright lining inside of this very dark and stormy cloud.

The fact that it was community members who took the initiative to come forward and provide the RCMP information about the drug activities is commendable.

Everyone needs to play a part in helping to drug-proof their communities.

People who have lived in a community all their lives or for a long time will logically have a better insight into local activities than visiting or temporary RCMP officers.

No one ever wants to be labelled as a snitch or an informant, but sometimes if might be necessary for the sake of the community as a whole.

Of course it is particularly hard if family members are involved and in small, close knit communities this is a likely possibility.

But messages need to be sent to drug dealers and to the youth. They need to know that using drugs is a bad choice and that drugs won't be tolerated in the Deh Cho.

In the June 1 edition of the Deh Cho Drum, the wrong caption was put under MLA Michael McLeod's picture on page four. It is MLA Kevin Menicoche who feels people don't want highway extensions to mines.

An athlete in the ball throw photo in our Wednesday Track and Field coverage was wrongly identified. Pictured was Emmanuel Morakinyo, of Mildred Hall. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.