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Last week, former Tu Nedhe MLA Bobby Villeneuve wrote News/North disputing the decision to make him repay $76,000 in accommodation allowances.

The massive clawback was imposed after the Conflict of Interest Commissioner investigated Villeneuve's claim he was living in Fort Resolution during much of his time as an MLA between 2003 and 2007.

This entitled him to an annual allowance of $28,000.

However, an audit revealed Villeneuve spent a mere 132 out of 1,316 days there and that his permanent place of residence was actually in Yellowknife, where he spent 862 days.

Tim Mercer, clerk of the legislative assembly, has since said the amount that must be repaid has been recalculated to $85,543, to reflect benefits left out of the initial figure.

Villeneuve argued that the allowance policy does not specify how much time he was supposed to live in Fort Resolution.

Yet the policy states the allowance is to offset costs of maintaining a second residence outside the community in which the MLA "normally and regularly resides."

Villeneuve is correct in saying the policy does not specify a certain number of days. But, even a fifth grader has little difficulty understanding the concepts of "regularly" and "normally." It's a lot more than a tenth of the time.

As an MLA, Villeneuve also received a Northern Living Allowance and a Capital Living allowance. The first is to assist with the cost of living in Fort Resolution which is estimated to be higher than in Yellowknife. For that, Villeneuve received nearly $12,000.

The Capital Living Allowance is to cover costs of maintaining a second residence in Yellowknife, like buying furniture, pots and pans as well as assisting with things like transportation around town. Villeneuve's compensation from that benefit was just under $11,000.

In all, it appears Villeneuve got a lot of money by ignoring a clear policy and then offering up weak arguments when challenged. He paid back $14,000 of that during the 15th Assembly when he finally told the clerk he was living in Yellowknife, but he is trying to escape paying back the rest.

He also insists he was better serving the people of Tu Nedhe by spending most of his time in Yellowknife, where all the action is. We have to ask how someone can honestly say he is representing his people when he spends less than half his time among them?

The truth is Villeneuve let down the people he was trusted to represent, which is probably why he did so poorly in the last election and lost.

He should feel fortunate all that is being asked of him now is to repay money that was not rightfully his to spend.

To prevent similar misunderstandings in the future, the clerk's office should provide MLAs with specific criteria of what is needed to prove residency. Monthly residency reports would be a constant check, just to keep them honest and in compliance.

Nunavummiut have been let down by their government.

An auditor general's report on bungled record keeping at the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation hangs over the GN like a dark cloud.

The Office of the Auditor General found that the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation (NBCC) staff had, at times, released loans to borrowers before they had received approval. Another $15,000 was granted to the same client twice, due to improper documentation.

The credit corporation, considered a lender of last resort for businesses that had been rejected elsewhere, was responsible for $18 million worth of loans during the 2005 - 2006 fiscal year. Yet much data remains missing.

The auditor general's report based on that fiscal year found "a serious breakdown of basic financial controls."

There are times when hindsight makes us all hang our heads in shame. After the fact, we realize things we should have seen coming.

Finance Minister David Simailak alluded to as much when he said, in retrospect, "the government should have overhauled the portfolios of NBCC."

The nagging issue here isn't that Simailak's comments follow the latest highly-critical NBCC audit alone - it's that his remarks come after audits from 2001, 2004 and 2005 also indicated irregularities.

Simailak and his predecessor, Kelvin Ng, must bear responsibility for not having acted to clean up this unacceptable mess sooner.

Only now, under glaring scrutiny, has the government decided to do something. Loans have been frozen, the GN's Standing Committee on Government Operations and Accountability will look into the matter, an interim NBCC board has been named and, most importantly, the deplorable affair has been turned over to the RCMP for investigation.

The territorial government is between a proverbial rock and a hard place on some hot-button issues of the day.

Nunavut's shortage of nurses, for example, is explained away by politicians who point to similar problems across the country.

The rising cost of gasoline is the fault of rising international oil prices.

The ongoing absence of a devolution agreement can be blamed on the federal government, who has not yet come to the table for negotiations.

There is, however, no way to brush off the latest NBCC audit, nowhere to point fingers.

Our territorial government must admit it didn't do enough to prevent this fiasco, to create a proper system of checks and balances.

On this count, the government has out-and-out failed the people.

While printing stories involving scandal, sex and drugs is a sure-fire way to sell papers, reading stories that close with a happy ending can be a welcome change of pace.

There is nothing but good feelings coming from a recent initiative at Deh Gah school in Fort Providence that's highlighted in this week's paper.

With the opening of the Zhahti Koe Public Library, Fort Providence now has a facility that is open to all community members. Everyone is welcome to come in, sign up for a library card and take home some books to read.

Having access to a public library gives people a chance to increase their literacy skills and to simply foster a love for reading and learning.

With books for all ages, everyone in the community can potentially benefit from the new library. In addition to the books, a mom and tots program and the elders' book drive are designed to assist specific members of the public.

Staff from NWT Public Library Services culled the collection removing old books and filled the shelves with new material before the library opened its doors. In essence, the students are getting a brand new facility.

Students have also gained a place to relax and be surrounded by books. Two couches in the library are sure to see a lot of use both right after school and in the evenings.

Even if a child isn't old enough to read yet they can go and listen to a talking book on one of the audio centres that has been set up.

The benefits from this facility don't stop there.

A dozen high school students are reaping rewards from the library.

By working one of 12 shifts available during the weeknights and weekends, students can meet their required volunteer credit. The students are also getting paid, but instead of spending the money on things teenagers like such as new music or nice clothes they've chosen to work towards something larger and more useful.

With their saved wages, the students plan to visit Toronto, taking in both the city sights and touring around colleges.

Does a community project get any better than this?

In Fort Simpson good things are also coming out of one of the local schools.

Students at Bompas elementary school have been working since October to raise $600. The money will be put towards a World Vision program that outfits a classroom full of supplies for a school in a developing country.

While this project will have fewer benefits to the local community than the Fort Providence library, it's teaching the students the good feeling that comes with helping others, even if they are strangers.

Good news stories don't come along everyday but when they do it's great to acknowledge the people who are making a difference in our communities.

We are all aware of tragedies in our community and our region.

Due to bad decisions, we've lost valuable members of our society.

As difficult as it might seem, we should remember the incidents and the pain they have caused us.

We need to preserve the signs of tragedy so we can learn and grow from our experiences.

Just this week, I was driving back into town from the airport, when I came to the curve in the road where a few youth lost control of their truck a year ago.

That accident changed the lives of everyone involved.

As I approached the turn, I applied the brakes and went cautiously through the area.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bent over marker on the side of the road.

In the 13 months since the accident, no one has moved or even straightened the pole.

At first, I wanted the damage repaired after the accident, but as I thought about it, I realized it made me remember to slow down and to drive carefully.

Unwanted feelings

I know that seeing that crooked pole might bring back unwanted feelings for those who were affected by the tragedy, but it should stay as it is, to serve as a reminder that something bad happened there.

Leaving a reminder might bring others to change the way they drive.

One of my southern co-workers showed me some photos of an intersection in a busy city. There were black markers to show that someone had died in that spot.

While some might think of the markings as harsh, they do provoke thought and discussion.

Now anyone who sees those markers will be faced with questions. How safe is this area? Why did people die here? Is there something we can do to ensure that nobody dies here again?

Unfortunately, we could also place those black markers at other locations in Inuvik.

The boat launch would be a fitting place for a marker.

I can't imagine what the families of those accident victims are going through, but I know they want to prevent other families from suffering that kind of pain.

There are a lot of bad things in our lives and oftentimes dwelling on past pain serves no purpose. But if we don't learn from these tragic accidents, then these people died for no reason.

Such reminders might stop others from being dangerously foolish.

Imagine two young boys out on their snow machines at fall freeze-up. The ice isn't thick enough yet, but they feel brave enough to skip across open water.

Just before they start the snowmobile, one of the boys sees a black cross on the nearby power pole.

Instead of being "risky and cool" they go back home and spend the day at the park, or watching a movie.

On a day like Remembrance Day, we gather to remember those who died in wars overseas.

We should also be honouring those souls who left us on our own ground, in our town.

Former Los Angeles Kings goaltending consultant Andy Nowicki didn't say anything the vast majority of hockey fans in Rankin Inlet didn't already know (see story, pages 3 and 7).

Yet, hearing such praise from someone of Nowicki's stature should give many folks in Rankin a true sense of pride over how many recognize the community's passion for the game.

From my own selfish standpoint, it also quiets a few voices around the region who think I pump Rankin's love for the game when I periodically address the sport in this space because I'm a hockey guy.

The part about me being a hockey guy is true, but the part about me having to pump Rankin's love for the game is pure fallacy.

I will admit, however, to being one Rankin resident who stood just a wee bit taller after hearing Nowicki speak about the community and its love affair with the game.

I've been in just about every type of arena imaginable during the past 49 years and, except for a few less amenities and a lot less heat, Rankin can dangle with anyone when it comes to the atmosphere at a hockey game.

I've addressed many benefits this love affair brings to the community in this space, but, make no mistake about it, those benefits stretch beyond the borders of Rankin Inlet.

It's no small feat for any Nunavut community to defeat a Rankin hockey team in any arena.

But it's a huge accomplishment to defeat a Rankin team in its own barn, in front of the most avid hockey fans in the territory.

When a team does so, the victory celebrations are always more animated, and you need a not-so-small stepladder to look many of the players in the eye as they leave the arena with their heads held high.

Being a hockey official, I have absolutely no concern over which team wins a game while it's being played.

Afterwards, however, one would have to be emotionally barren not to smile at the celebration being staged by a group of individuals who came together as a team to slay the dragon in its own den.

Such is the power of sport; to witness the pride, jubilation and self-worth of athletes who overcome the odds to achieve victory.

Equally impressive is to see the level of intensity exhibited when rivals such as Arviat and Rankin clash in any sport, but especially hockey. Regions all across this great nation of ours thrive on such healthy rivalries.

It's the humanity in us that brings entire communities together to celebrate a victory, that spurs us to cheer for the underdog, and that pushes us forward to claim victory over the best that stand in our way.

Rankin's love for hockey fuels that emotion in the Kivalliq.

As one community holds high its claim to be the hockey capital of Northern Canada, six others will vie to be the one to take away their throne - and yet all shake hands and cheer with respect when the games are done.

As with everything in life, true passion turns the ordinary into the memorable.

And, no matter which side of the stands you're cheering from, Rankin's passion for hockey creates memorable moments in the Kivalliq each and every year.

Vicenta Sumcad-Bugg was the organizer of the Ballroom Dance Gala 2007 ("Having a ball," Yellowknifer, Nov. 14). As well, misleading information appeared in the Monday News/North story "Fur flies over Kam Lake kennel." The one-time environmental assessment sample done for the city was taken from Kam Lake, not the dog kennel. Also a one-time sample is insufficient to determine contamination levels, and the $1,000 annual fee proposed for the duration of the 10-year lease would not cover, but rather contribute to, environmental costs.

Northern News Services apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment caused by these errors.