Editorial

Folks like the sledheads who videotaped themselves chasing caribou across a snow-covered lake give snowmobile riders everywhere a bad name. We hope they're caught and punished because that's the only way people will understand that harassing wildlife is against the law.

Cartoons

It's unclear how much this goes on because the only reason anyone found out was because someone thought the video was "wicked" (good) and posted it on the popular Internet site YouTube. It appears videos like this are popular.

While the Yellowknife clip has been removed from the website, a similar one from Alaska has been viewed 1,869 times.

What people who take part in antics like this don't realize is that they could spoil things for everyone. We all enjoy the ability to get out onto the land with little regulation, but that could change. With caribou populations threatened, what's to stop the Yellowknives Dene from restricting or blocking people's access to the back country?

They have a say on what goes on in their territory and rely on caribou for food.

So instead of strapping a video camera on your helmet and roaring after a herd of caribou, stop and observe these majestic creatures from afar.

That's how you really enjoy the North, by not disturbing it.

Eco-tourism at its best

To a person, the winners of the recent Rock and Ice Ultra race were thrilled with the opportunity to experience the North and challenge themselves at the same time.

The brainchild of Scott Smith, the event featured more than 80 people on skis and snowshoes traversing snow, ice and rock through the land around Yellowknife.

By all accounts, the race was well-organized and efficiently run.

After overcoming a minor dispute, Smith worked with Yellowknives Dene chief Fred Sangris to design a course that challenged the racers and showed off the magnificent scenery and culture that this city has to offer. BHP Billiton is sponsoring the event for two more years.

This year, the company that operates Ekati Diamond Mine provided four diamonds worth more than $28,000 as prizes to the winners.

Congratulations to Scott, his volunteers and the racers.

We hope next year brings bigger and better things.

CBC scores with new deal

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Score one for the hockey fans over those who would rather see the CBC broadcast nothing other than news and arts programming.

And, score another for those who were afraid they would lose their regional CBC programming in rural areas if the network lost its flagship broadcast.

Despite the voice of contention in the Canadian Senate, the CBC and the NHL inked a new six-year deal this past month that will see Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) remain with the federally funded national network.

The deal is believed to be worth between $80 to $100 million.

The NHL also extended its partnership south of the border with NBC through next season, with an option for the 2008-09 season.

On the surface, some might wonder what all the kerfuffle was about.

After all, TV shows come and go and in this day of the dollar loyalty is only as thick as the ink on the cheque.

But HNIC on the CBC has become an institution in this country.

There can be little doubt the backlash from millions of viewers would have been significant had the CBC opted not to pursue the agreement due its cost.

The Kivalliq, being a predominately hockey-crazed region, is no different than many other Canadian locales when it comes to the broadcast.

The HNIC crew has developed its broadcast of NHL games into an art form, and Kivalliq hockey fans join the millions of other Canadian puck lovers in looking forward to that perfection every Saturday night and throughout the playoffs.

What other sports show (or any show, period) can you name that knocks Peter Mansbridge and The National to second-banana status?

In fact, the power the broadcast has over so many Canadians almost defies logic, especially during the first intermission when the Coach's Corner segment airs and Don Cherry clears his throat.

The time Cherry is afforded to relay his over-the-top viewpoint to Canadians represents the five quietest minutes of the week in this country.

It seems no matter what's going on in any given home, or at any gathering with a TV within earshot, everything comes to a silent standstill when Cherry begins to speak.

In addition to millions of contented Canadian hockey fans, more than a few CBC employees also breathed a sigh of relief with this past month's announcement and only a few of them work with the HNIC crew.

As much as the idealists among us hate to admit it, public broadcasting cannot survive on arts alone, even when connected to purse strings that originate on Parliament Hill.

But, Kivalliq hockey fans aren't concerning themselves with mundane topics such as advertising revenue, rebroadcast rights and target audiences these days.

Like so many other fans across the nation, they are content in the knowledge that when they turn on their TV every Saturday evening for the next six years, their favourite sports program will be right where they left it.

For them, life is, once again, a big bowl of cherries.

In search of spring

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum
Friday, April 06, 2007

There I was, standing on top of the sliding hill on Boot Lake, looking far over the Mackenzie River when it dawned on me. This is spring time in the delta.

The sun was rolling over the Richardson Mountains and the sky had an orange glow to it. For that one moment, I was lost in my own thoughts. I felt at peace and really relaxed.

My friends quickly snapped me back to reality with a well-packed snowball to the back. Oh yeah, we were there with a purpose: to bomb down the hill head first without bailing out before reaching the bottom.

Now I will admit that I am not the bravest of souls, especially when it means plowing down this slope. At first I was afraid to jump on the sled, until some little kids ran past me and dove down the hill on their toboggan.

Mind you it was a plastic toboggan that looked like a good safe ride. I remember asking someone next to me about the old toboggans. You know the ones, wooden sleds with strings to hold onto. Those were the days when you could really do some damage.

Another group of kids hit the hill shortly after the first girl had made it all the way to the bottom. These boys seemed more interested in hanging out with the older kids than actually sliding.

Of course we were willing to spend some time wrestling around in the snow and taking turns going down the hill, packed two by two on sleds meant for one person.

One of the kids brought his G.T. racer with him, which was tricked out and modified for what he called "killer fast" speeds. The plastic skis were taken off and only the metal frame touched the snow. This definitely was a machine to be respected. I don't even remember the last time I saw a G.T. that was still intact.

Seeing those kids all playing together with my friends and just letting go for a few hours to laugh and enjoy the sun was nice.

A few days after the sledding adventure I went for a short walk to see the sun. I saw a group of youth playing street hockey in a driveway.

There was a group of 10 kids there. I think some of them may have been sitting out as substitute players. That made the make shift game seem more legitimate and organized. There was no adult in sight, just a bunch of youth out doing what they love, being outdoors.

There must be something in the air during this time of year. The thought of snow melting enough to reveal pavement on the streets and seeing grass growing is enough to thaw the coldest of hearts.

The warm weather can only mean one thing: it's Jamboree time. Ah yes, the sweetest time of the year in our community. The time of year when everyone gathers at the river site to smile and eat doughnuts.

I know I'll be out on a Ski-doo some time during the weekend. I just hope that everyone else will also be responsible enough to stay safe and keep others in mind when you're out bombing around on your snow machine.

This past weekend, someone had a pretty bad spill when their Ski-doo crashed on the river. The fire department was on site, along with many other curious people in vehicles. All that remains of the snowmobile is the hollowed-out metal shell of the frame and engine. It turned the snow a dark colour of brown.

I have confidence that we can make this Jamboree weekend one to remember, so get your big boots on and join the fun!

Edible knowledge

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
Friday, April 06, 2007

While graduations are always a reason to celebrate, the recent graduation of eight women in Nahanni Butte from the Aurora College camp cook program was an especially festive occasion.

Hosting a large community feast with specially-prepared delectable food does a lot to liven up any occasion.

A long line formed as community members came out to enjoy the occasion and the food. People with heavily-laden plates filled all the chairs surrounding the tables that were set up in the meeting room at the band office and spilled out onto the floors of the band office halls and countertops, any place that was available to set a plate of food on.

The feast was a tangible and edible sign of the students' success.

Although the end product seemed simple, the process to get there involved many steps.

The women worked in the kitchen for a week to prepare the wide variety of food that was laid out on tables in the meeting room. Baked goods that could be frozen were made first followed by pies.

The assortment of meat was prepared and cooked ahead of time, ready to be reheated on the big day. Parts of the hors d'oeuvres were also made in advance and later assembled.

In the kitchen during the morning and afternoon before the feast, the students were working together like a well-oiled machine. Everyone had their own tasks to complete and everything seemed to fall into place perfectly, a testament to the planning involved.

The food items prepared spoke to both the roots of the women's cooking experiences and the new avenues they explored. Traditional favourites such as moose roast and bannock shared the same table as orange and pecan stuffed pork loin and peanut chicken curry in wonton cups.

If the merit of any community feast can be partially gauged by the number of people taking home plates of food, the graduation feast was a success. People were taking advantage of the leftovers by making up one or two plates of food covered with tinfoil to snack on later.

These eight women have a lot to be proud of.

The three-month course, like the preparation for the feast, wasn't always easy. Early in the process, staff at the band office were sending out encouragement in Community Clips to support the students who were struggling with converting measurements. Two of the original 10 students weren't able to complete the course.

It's never too late to learn new skills or build on existing ones, as the students in the course have shown. By graduating they've joined the ranks of people in Fort Simpson, Fort Providence and Trout Lake who have taken the course.

Hopefully these women will find continued support in whatever they choose to do. There are many options. Maybe some will find work in a camp kitchen, others might start a baked goods business and others may just make even better meals for their families.

The important thing is that these women started a program and saw it through to completion, learning useful skills in the process.

These eight women should stand as examples for anyone who is thinking about furthering their education. You never know what you might learn.

Corrections

An error appeared in an article in Wednesday's Yellowknifer ("Ol' Packers take 2007 Balsillie Cup," April 4). Patrick Balsillie played hockey for only one year with the Old timers Hockey Association. Also, John G. Balsillie never played for any hockey team. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.