Editorial

For both to survive and thrive, we need the territorial government and the festival committee to put aside suspicion and secrecy for the good of the whole community.

The spat over developing an RV park on government land beside the Long Lake festival site has been a tempest in a teapot. Dumped glass? Come on, that's not the issue.

The festival group has lost its parking lot and fears expansion of the campground for motorhomes and fifth-wheel camping trailers into their area. For its part, the territorial parks department is doing exactly what the government always does, plowing ahead without regard for the general public's need to know and understand what's happening.

Surely the two can have a peaceful co-existence and even benefit from their proximity. Campers would love to be able to walk from the motorhome to take in a concert beside the lake. The RV park could even attract more festivalgoers from the south, if the festival does its marketing properly.

There are issues that must be addressed. Can the proposed RV park accommodate up to 100 sites without affecting Folk on the Rocks? Can the parks department arrange for other parking nearby, perhaps at the highways department yard down the road?

A lot of work has to go into the proposed RV park, including a development permit application and perhaps even rezoning. That will allow for public comment and input and provide time for all issues to be resolved. One thing is clear, we don't want to lose an RV park for a festival that's only on three days a year.

Promote, don't study

A renewed focus on transit by the city is welcome, but the goal should be to get more butts on those buses, not line the pockets of yet another consultant.

Surely there have been enough studies on transit, from ridership studies to route reviews over the past few years, that we don't need to spend a federal grant doing it all again. That's what city council seems prepared to do because they see empty buses during non-peak hours.

Heck, even cities like Vancouver and Edmonton sometimes run empty buses. Here's what they should do: spend no more than 20 per cent of the funds to come up with a marketing plan to entice people to ride the bus. Then spend the rest on promotions to get people on buses, like free passes, creating easier to understand schedules, building indestructible bus shelters and other ideas that make riding the bus more attractive. A transit system is never going to break even in Yellowknife, but boosting ridership can be done.

A different view from under the wings

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Wednesday, April 18, 2007

We can all be honest and admit it - bashing the airlines during coffee break, or while taking in a game with a couple of friends at the arena, is like a national sport in the Kivalliq.

And, when one looks at the cost of flying to Winnipeg as compared to, oh let's say, flying to London, England, from Toronto, not all of it is totally unjustified.

Flying is expensive in the North. So is getting cargo moved by air and that's all there is to it.

But, hey, we all work hard for our money and looking at your Visa stub after booking a couple of seats to the Peg can be a shock to the system at times.

And, as long as people are civil, those who work for our Northern airlines understand that and, for the most part, try to keep a smile on their face amid all the grumbling and complaining.

But, there's another side to this particular coin that's not discussed nearly as often as the price of a ticket, or the cost of bringing your home theatre to the Kivalliq.

This past weekend, Kivalliq Air flew health professionals to Rankin Inlet from across the region for further training that can, and will, save lives here.

The same airline has provided badly needed medical equipment to a number of hamlets during the past few years, and does its best to brighten the Christmas season for local families every year. Calm Air also does its share to spread a little Christmas cheer, and sponsors sporting events such as the Calm Air softball tourney.

The airline also tries, within reason, to do what it can to help students, athletes, musicians and artists get to special events.

Canadian North has carved a nice little niche for itself with the annual Santa Run that brings the Jolly Old Elf and hundreds of goodie bags into Rankin and other Northern communities.

The airline's regional manager in Rankin has also been known to go above and beyond the call of duty from time to time to turn frowns upside-down.

Don't believe it? Ask the parents of a devastated young hockey team that was flooding the Rankin terminal with tears a while back when their flight to a Yellowkinfe tourney was weathered out.

Long story short, the kids made the tournament. First Air, as well, has been quietly doing its best to support a number of programs, and has been responsible for at least one Kivalliq team's continued presence at a major sporting event.

We're not trying to put our airlines up on a pedestal and help you forget that you can fly to Charlottetown, P.E.I., from Winnipeg twice for less money than it costs you to fly to the Peg once from here.

However, the next time you're grinding your teeth as you tell your friends about your most recent horror story (and we've all had 'em), we would ask that you de-ice your viewpoint just a tad and take a moment to think about all the good things the airlines do in our region.

It may not even out the bottom line on our own personal balance sheets, but it does make a difference to many people across the Kivalliq on an annual basis.

A time to be with family

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, April 13, 2007

I have a message for people in town who indulge in binge drinking.

Please, all of you adults out there who wish to spend hard-earned money at the bar, keep it reasonable. Have some restraint when you go drinking.

I was out for a drive on Sunday afternoon, just after 12 noon. I drove past the bank and noticed two people staggering drunk in the street. Then a little farther down the road were two more people walking funny.

At first I laughed, thinking about how sad it was, resorting to drinking on a sunny afternoon. Then it dawned on me. This was Easter Sunday!

I had always thought of Easter as a time to be with the family and to share the gifts we have been given.

Some may think I am being harsh to people under the grip of the bottle, but I think I'm on the right path.

The situation in this town regarding alcohol needs to be re-examined carefully.

Liquor has a tight grip on people in the North. For as long as I have known this world, alcohol has been a part of it. Family members, friends and complete strangers have all affected me while they were drunk.

It seems that now we live in an age where it's politically incorrect to make fun of someone's ailments, even if they are self-inflicted.

I thought it worked though, because after being humiliated in a public place, maybe people would take cabs home from the bar.

Drinking isn't the problem. Drinking to excess is. I know. I have been to the other side of the pool and have gone overboard, but I don't have kids to go home to.

Youth look up to older people; role models are important. Come on, people, keep some things under wraps. We all know you drink, but we don't want to see you drunk all the time.

I saw that a local pub was open on Easter Sunday.

Great for business, I'm sure. I drove by a few times and saw a lot of people in the front of the bar. I chuckled to a friend in the vehicle with me, because the bar crowd could rival both the church-goers and the jamboree river crowd.

I also noticed a lot of police activity outside the bar over the weekend.

Good to see that our jamboree could bring in so many more people to party. I think the liquor store should have been closed all weekend as well as the bars.I do understand that alcoholism is serious and that people struggle with their demons. I hope they make it through and can find some control in their lives.

It sounds cliche, but I found some pretty good answers in the church.

Yeah, I said church.

After spending Tuesday morning with Minister Parsons of the Anglican church, I can say that my eyes have been opened a little wider into a life I know nothing about.

I don't want to get preachy and no, I did not get on the religious bandwagon. I just admire what the church is doing now and the message they spread to people in the region.

Be with your families, learn to curb some temptation and move along. Life is too short to spend it stumbling across Mackenzie Road.

Spring traditions

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, April 13, 2007

With temperatures breaking records in Fort Simpson on Easter Day, water has been running down the streets as piles of snow disappear like retreating glaciers.

Streets that were once icy and white are now grey and brown and dotted with large puddles that I've seen a number of children with and without rubber boots taking advantage of.

Spring is a great time of the year.

With the warmer temperatures, people shake off the lethargy of the winter and can be seen strolling up and down the streets of many communities or coming out to take part in events.

Spring is also a time when you can catch up on news, with all the people it seems like you haven't seen since the snow started to fall.

Of course there's a chance that you may have seen these people and just didn't recognize them thanks to the layers of clothes they were wearing. Bundle a person in a large parka, some snow pants, a pair of Sorel boots, a scarf, a furry hat and thick gloves and it's hard to tell who you are looking at some days. Throw in some watery eyes caused by a biting wind or driving snow and you could walk past your best friend and not realize it.

Spring has arrived, hopefully for good, to take care of all this.

Spring in the Deh Cho brings with it a number of things: wet footwear, lighter coats, returning birds and a rise in betting tendencies.

If there is one topic that is sure to start up a conversation at this time of year. it's breakup. All the communities in the Deh Cho live by some body of water that people can keep a close eye on and spend quality time discussing.

Who can resist putting in their two cents about when breakup is likely to happen?

This is where the rise of betting comes in. You don't necessarily have to lay money down, but lots of people use the phrase "I bet" to state when they think the river will start to move.

Making an informed statement on this matter takes a complex series of calculations. You need to be able to factor in a wide range of variables from the weather patterns farther upstream to the local conditions.

Serious thought also has to be given to the type of winter it was. Did the ice form a thick layer to begin with? Was ice formation hampered by any factors like a heavy, insulating layer of snow or a number of thawing periods?

If you want to sound like you're savvy with the latest hot topics you also need to factor in global warming. Are temperatures getting warmer and will this lead to an earlier breakup?

Of course, a lot of the calculation involves guesswork and factoring in personal knowledge from past years. Weather patterns may change leading to a cold snap that could delay breakup or a warm spell could do just the opposite. Conditions might mirror a breakup that happened a few years ago.

Forget about betting on horse races, sports games or online gambling sites, betting on breakup is more challenging and also a fair bit more wholesome.

For added difficulty, side bets can be wagered on when the ice crossings will close and when the ferries will open. If you really want to tempt fate you can add in whether or not this will be the year that a serious flood occurs.

Gazing out at the Mackenzie from Fort Simpson the river's ice is still looking pretty solid, but don't be shy about being among the first to state your predictions.

Let the spring tradition begin.