Convincing people to take the bus has long been a struggle for City Hall.

Yellowknife's bus service has improved considerably over the years through better schedules and routes.

Past surveys of bus riders show a high degree of satisfaction, and yet while ridership has slowly climbed over the last three years, the system remains far from successful. It's still hovering around eight rides per capita a year.

Why so many guards? Why do the lineups always seem so long? Why, why, why?

In 1994, the city's bus service recovered 64 per cent of its costs through transit fares but the rate quickly dropped down below the 40 per cent range, and has lingered there ever since. It costs city taxpayers $783,000 a year. Fuel costs and wage demands will only cause that subsidy to rise.

Desperate to drive down the subsidy, the city is considering a money-making scheme used by other cities: advertising on buses.

The city proposes to charge from $450 to $1,750 a month -- depending on the size -- to put advertisements on the sides of buses, plus $40 a month for interior card ads.

Money made would go towards subsidizing the cost of providing transit service. Unfortunately, even if all four buses had the full $1,750 a month for a year, it would only generate $84,000 a year at most.

The real way to pay down the subsidy is to get more riders on board.

Once a year, Ecology North promotes riding the bus as part of a Clean Air Day promotion.

That's not enough.

If the city is serious about transit, it has to do more than sell rolling billboards.

Two years ago a Yellowknifer editorial proposed the following ideas:

• Increase incentives for frequent users. Instead of one free ride for every 10, try two free rides for every 15 paid.
• Hold a lottery. The city could give out one free monthly bus pass to one of the people who bought one.
• Mail out free ride coupons.
• Hold an annual week-long ride-the-bus campaign during which "bus attendants" are on each bus during peak times to hand out juice and cookies to riders.

Surely there are other ways to get more people riding.

If council chooses to go ahead with the rolling billboards, one of the advertised messages should be an encouragement for people to park their cars and jump on the bus.

Please don't stop there, however, because selling ads is just one part of a campaign to raise the profile of the city transit system and get butts on buses.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It is encouraging to see teachers and staff at so many schools across the Kivalliq becoming more interactive with the communities they serve.

The more open the lines of communication between educators and the community, the more fruitful the exchange of information and ideas will become.

For the most part, long gone are the days when teachers could only be found at the school.

And, while there have always been Kivalliq teachers involved with activities outside school curriculum, these days that has become the definitive rule, not the exception.

As Nunavut continues to develop its educational system, success will ride on the ability of elected officials, bureaucrats, educators and administrators to strike an effective balance between traditional knowledge, trades training and those old standbys, reading, writing and arithmetic.

That balance can only be found in a curriculum set up to meet the needs of today's society and workforce, combined with effective elements of traditional knowledge geared towards cultural sensitivity, language preservation and the skills necessary to be successful in Canada's harshest climate.

We'll be the first to admit that it sounds a lot easier than it is, especially with the lack of one accepted dialogue as the language of instruction that would bring the costs of resource materials within the realm of possibility.

That being said, the first step in striking that balance is mutual respect between the parties involved.

And that's one area growing leaps and bounds in the Kivalliq as school staff members get more involved with their communities.

Yes, we still have an area or two where some people are having a hard time letting go of that us-versus-them mentality, but those areas are rapidly dwindling in number.

Being active in the community equates to getting to know your town and the people who call it home.

And, oddly enough, those people include District Education Authority members, youth leaders, elders and vast numbers of parents with youth in the school system.

There is no doubt many a great idea has been born in formal settings.

But, to borrow a line from our neighbours, Nunavut is a distinct society with distinct cultural needs.

The more those needs are understood, the easier they are to meet, and that begins with knowing the people around you.

There are few, if any, areas that open the lines of communication better than mutual respect.

While professional respect can certainly be garnered in the workplace, the respect of one's neighbour is a totally different matter.

People talk differently and share more with those they consider a friend or neighbour.

The community involvement we're seeing from so many of our educators will, eventually, break down barriers and increase the level of understanding between them and those they teach.

Relationships forged in the community pay big dividends in our classrooms.

And those dividends lead to both a healthier education system and healthier communities.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

From what I can see in my social circles, people may be done with cigarette smoking altogether. I think it's about time we all got on the same page.

We live in a town with so many youth who smoke cigarettes, that it's all too routine to be harassed for a loose smoke on the street.

Our territorial government finally got a clue and has banned display and advertisement of tobacco products.

That means that I can now walk into the Newsstand without seeing their wall of death, the stacks upon stacks of dirt sticks that you call cigarettes, waiting to be sold to the majority of people in town.

In a press release from the government, it states that our lovely territory has twice the national average of smokers. This is just embarrassing and dangerous.

Now for the hard part for those of us in this town who choose not to give in to the crippling weakness of tobacco. We are given the task of converting the masses.

Call your friends, convince someone to put down the pack of smokes. It will be hard, but we know it's worth the trouble.

I'm happy to say that though I tried smoking, I did not get hooked like so many in my generation.

For those of you who are probably smoking right now, why not just lose the habit for a day? How about an hour? The first smoke you pass up is the first step to quitting.

Since I never had to quit, I admit I don't fully understand the difficulties.

Over-the-counter aids will not replace will power. You have to want to quit, so don't try just because your friends are quitting. Being a sheep is what got you in this terrible mess.

Nicotine is in your system and you are dependent on the drug. Just stay strong and remember to keep yourself motivated. Having positive family support is also important. Tell your siblings or children about your choice to quit.

Those of you who want to keep smoking, please do it privately.

It was your choice to smoke, but it's also our choice not to. Secondhand smoke is dangerous. Why expose me to that? Go light up outside.

We've already kicked smoking out of our restaurants and our bars. Now we've put our foot down once again and forced the displays out of our stores.

Remember this, young ones look up to the older generation. Don't be responsible for yet another smoker in Inuvik. Tell younger ones about the dangers, let them make informed decisions.

I am happy now because my little sister can walk into a store and not see any cigarettes. Looking at her group of friends, I am sure they will avoid the nasty habit altogether. What a future we could be looking at.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

There seems to be a uncanny truth in the theory that people who live in an area never appreciate its attractions as much as those living elsewhere.

A person can live for years, maybe all of her life, near a spectacular piece of scenery or an event and never get around to seeing it. Meanwhile people from halfway across the country or the world will go to great lengths and expenses just to get there.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how or why this happens.

Maybe people count on the fact that they'll get there one day and that day hasn't arrived yet, or maybe they've heard about the place or event so often that it seems commonplace.

Last week 29 people from Fort Simpson and Nahanni Butte learned during a workshop about how to act as ambassadors for the region and provide higher levels of customer service. They certainly have a lot that they can be ambassadors for in the Deh Cho.

As workshop instructor Phyllis Radchenko said, when tourists arrive in a community and inquire about the kinds of things they can do, the answer should be, "How much time do you have?"

Usually the question of what there is to do catches me off guard and all I get out is "ummmmm," but clearly that's not the right answer.

Every community in the Deh Cho has something to offer. There are scenic points like the Nahanni National Park Reserve, Virginia Falls and the Mackenzie River. There are also festivals and events like the Open Sky Festival and Mackenzie Days.

Handmade crafts are always a welcome souvenir and gift. The Deh Cho is full of talented artisans who do beautiful work with a variety of natural products like moosehair and porcupine quills.

The whole area also has Dene cultures and traditions that many visitors have never learned about and find fascinating.

These, however, are just the most obvious draws. Radchenko mentioned how her husband is delighted to now live in the Northwest Territories and wants to visit the Deh Cho because a number of important migratory bird paths cross through the area. As a birder, he can't wait to come with his binoculars.

I'd never thought of bird-watching as one of the Deh Cho's draws and many long-term residents might not have either, so goodness knows what other tourist draws are waiting to be marketed.

With so many things going for it, the Deh Cho needs little help to attract higher tourism numbers. Things as simple as a smile can go a long way, said Radchenko.

So the next time you see a tourist -- you know, someone you've never seen before who may look a little lost or in awe -- just smile and nod hello.

With continued uncertainty over future economic developments such as the Mackenzie gas pipeline, tourism seems like a more sure bet. The attractions aren't going anywhere and can only be enhanced. All that remains is for everyone to brag more and work what we've got.