Tough luck. That's all we can say after word came out that nearly four kilograms of what police believed to be cocaine turned out to be a white powder that's commonly used to dilute the purity of cocaine.

The idea that police had found such a large stash of cocaine made headlines in Yellowknifer and likely left many people shaking their heads. Almost every week, this newspaper has a story about cocaine being seized or people arrested.

According to the most recent NWT addiction survey, about 3,700 people over the age of 15 said they had tried cocaine or crack cocaine during their lifetime. About 570 people admitted to doing cocaine during the previous year.

RCMP may be red faced with the mixup, but their effort to tackle the illegal drug trade will likely be filled with plenty of ups and downs. This paperwork error should not discourage them or keep people from watching out for illegal activity.

Caught in the middle of all this are Adrian Bilodeau and Faye Grandjambe, arrested at an infamous mobile home in Trails End after a report of a disturbance.

Bilodeau has complained that he's out of his home, but by his own admission he was a poor neighbour, putting parties before a peaceful neighbourhood.

Unfortunately for the pair, this particular home happened to be the same trailer that neighbours have complained about to police for months.

The neighbours suspect drug dealing had been going on at the home for some time and were happy when police finally acted.

The latest victim of raffle fatigue is the First Yellowknife Scout Troop.

Every year, they roll out a boat and sell tickets, raising funds for various endeavours. This year, it's a 2007 trip to England to celebrate the centennial of the Scouting movement.

It's an okay boat that the winner would be happy to hook behind their vehicle and cruise to area lakes, but in nearly four months, the $20 tickets are only one-quarter sold.

Maybe it's time raffle holders got a little more creative. Fewer trips to Edmonton, no more boats, cars or snowmobiles. Here are some ideas:

• A year's worth of weekly $50 gasoline vouchers;
• $1,000 in home heating oil;
• A shinny hockey game at the Multiplex with Jordin Tootoo during next year's all-star break;
• A family pack of bug suits, including one to fit Fido;
• A year's worth of free passes to the dump; or,
• A steak barbecue for you and 25 of your closest friends.

Bottom line is the key to success in selling raffle tickets is to get prizes that get people's atten

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Kivalliq News

Armed with on-the-land skills about as refined as the average Inuit four-year-old, I set out in search of caribou last week. Thousands ­ perhaps tens of thousands ­ of the animals were making their way across the Meliadine River valley, 10-15 kilometres from Rankin Inlet.

I found the caribou within five minutes ­ they were teeming across the gravel road that connects Rankin to the tundra. Cameras in hand, I jumped out of the newspaper's truck and followed my quarry, confident of my place in the food chain.

But I must have done something to make these cud-chewers a little uneasy, because three bulls and a handful of adolescents broke away from the pack and started running towards me.

"Strange," I thought. "How come Š Holy sugar!"

Faced with my first fight or flight situation since Grade 7 ­ the menace then was a 200-pound Grade 8 student with body odour like a trench horse ­ I decided to run. Well, from the caribou's perspective, it probably looked more like a hurried waddle. With two cameras and a photo bag dangling from my neck, my top speed was 'slow.'

In retrospect, I should have jettisoned the gear. But with three sets of velvet-covered antlers bearing down on me, that thought didn't even enter my brain, which by now was running in Homo Habilis mode: don't die.

It seems like the primitive human brain can make some spatial calculations, though. I realized I wasn't going to reach the company truck before the caribou ­ getting closer now, closer still ­ reached me.

But there must be something about a slow-footed, hairless monkey dashing across the tundra that screams out to caribou: 'no immediate threat.'

The lead bull suddenly broke away and sauntered back to the herd. The others followed and the "pursuit" ­ as it will be called in Raven family lore ­ was over. (I suspect it will replace my father's legendary tale of the "three hour-battle against rush-hour traffic.")

Peril passed, I evaluated the situation. Camera Š check. Film Š check. Truck keys ... check. Underpants Š mercifully fine. I also wondered: has anyone in Nunavut ever been killed by a caribou? Probably a few during the last couple of hundred years. Still, it's one of those tragi-comedy deaths that southern newspapers go ga-ga over.

I could see the headline: "Plodding reporter killed by caribou. Believed to be first person killed by herbivore in decades." At least that's ho

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

A lot of us have been hurt by others in the past. Some of us have been affected by family members or friends.

Either way, when someone is hurt by another person, it is a breach of trust.

Trust is an important part of any relationship, whether you have been shunned by your peers or abused by a loved one.

Without a solid foundation of trust, no one can really be relaxed or truly happy.

For a lot of people in this region, relationships with strangers were forced when they were told to leave their homes and gather in the dogmatic education centres that were residential schools.

Schools like this were integral to the assimilation of aboriginal languages and culture in the region.

Fortunately, as hard as they tried, the strength and perseverance of the aboriginal people stayed true.

Children were sent from their homes to live in new communities with strange new people who didn't speak their language.

I cannot imagine the discomfort of being yanked from your mother or separated from a brother or sister for many years on end.

Some were sexually abused during their stay at these schools - by people they were told to trust. People who were supposed to be of a holy nature.

Unspeakable acts were performed and kept silent for years as young children grew into adults - not sure of who to trust or what to believe.

During the reunion here in Inuvik, a man spoke of his abuser, and how he endured his attacks and harassment for years before being set free from the walls of the institution he grew to hate.

Many years later, this man grew into a successful member of our society with the help of his peers and professional assistance.

This man became a guard at a prison here in the Territories, and through karma, was put in the face of his aggressor from years past.

But now, the tables had turned, and the man who once stood tall above the victim was now on his knees.

Let it be known that his retribution was quick, and the man was beaten for his hateful crimes that he performed under the cross.

But now, after years of counselling and healing, our abused friend finds himself still feeling empty.

Maybe beating up his abuser felt good, but it didn't last. The man now says he feels like it didn't help, and he might even feel worse for stooping to a new low.

While I don't think that two wrongs make a right, I still feel for the victim inside him, and how he must have waited for that day since the first time he felt afraid of adults.

The time of sexual abuse has left our society, and it's a damn good thing that we have people who can organize reunions like this one, so people who want to share their experiences with others can do so.

I hope you all found what you were looking for here, and will take that new strength home with you.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Established in 1976, the Nahanni National Park Reserve occupies 4,766-square kilometres of land in the southwest corner of the territories.

Inside the park you will find the South Nahanni River, Virginia Falls, sulphur hot springs, alpine tundra, mountain ranges and forests of spruce and aspen.

The park reserve was named the first United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) site in the world in 1978.

Throw in a few more descriptive words about the beauty of the park and the falls and this could be something found in a tourist book luring people to the North. What would be absent from such a publication, is a rundown of the issues that are swirling around the park and its proposed expansion.

There are more sides to the issues surrounding the park than there are surfaces on a geodesic dome. It is almost impossible to keep all the factions straight.

On one side there is Parks Canada which has had a mandate since 1987 to expand the park. Although there are no boundaries proposed yet, the study area that has been examined is 39,842-square kilometres spread over the Deh Cho and the Sahtu.

The primary reason given for the expansion is the need to protect the entire watershed of the South Nahanni River.

On another side are those who are concerned that an expanded park will shut off valuable mineral, gas and oil resources from future development. Vocal on this position is Senator Nick Sibbeston.

There is also the side populated by everyday people from different backgrounds who would all like to see the watershed protected. Many of these people speak out vehemently against the existence of the Prairie Creek mine within the possible boundary limits.

Prairie Creek mine and its supporters get to inhabit a side all of their own.

Then there are the often maligned tourists who come to visit the park and canoe down the Nahanni. If they are from southern Canada most of them would probably give their eye teeth to have an expanded park like Nahanni close by.

There are also a lot of people who are milling around in the middle without a particular view or with views that are made up of bits and pieces from different factions that may or may not be able to co-exist.

Of course there are many other factions - too numerous to mention -many more may be formed in the near future.

If the animals inhabiting the park and the greater Nahanni ecosystem knew about all the people arguing and contemplating the future of their home they might decide to wait out the battle elsewhere.

The question at hand is, what do people want more and who has the greater pull?

On the conservation side many point out that a bottle of clean water costs more in the store than the same amount of gasoline.

On the development side, people stress that the economic future of the area could be stunted by a larger park and the resources it would put out of reach.

All sides have their points.

The one assurance in this whole conundrum is that no matter what the final decision, the process will be watched carefully by many.

An editing error appeared in the July 10 edition of News/North. In the article "Teacher ordered to pay back $16,000," Suzanne Williamson's name was spelled incorrectly. Also, the Financial Management Board Secretariat is contesting wages for Williamson's parental leave. News/North apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment the errors may have cause.