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With a federal election upon us for the third time in five years, Yellowknife voters can hardly complain that our democratic system is lacking.

In spite of this, voter turnout in the last three elections has been inexplicably low - roughly 45 to 56 per cent of registered voters in the NWT compared to 60-65 per cent nationally.

This, in a riding that is at the frontier of Canadian economic development - and a region that is more relevant than ever thanks to the re-emergence of Arctic sovereignty concerns and global warming. More than ever our Western Arctic riding needs a candidate who represents the interests of our people to a federal government 5,000 km away - a government that has, in some ways, shown little understanding of the realities of life here.

A vote here counts for much more than in the rest of the country and Yellowknifers must make the most of it. Consider this: in Alberta, B.C., or Ontario, a member of Parliament commonly represents a population of 120,000, while the NWT's Western Arctic MP represents some 43,000 people - almost half of whom are Yellowknifers.

Only voters in Nunavut, Yukon and tiny P.E.I. proportionately have a greater say at the ballot box.

This election, we are also blessed with a choice of candidates who represent all important facets of society and politics in the city and territory - women and men, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, left, right and green. The scene is set for a good deal of competition which is vital to the democratic process. Fortunately our high voter-to-candidate ratio obliges potential MPs to hear people's needs, concerns and demands more than anywhere else.

It is now our job as citizens to see to it that the right candidate goes to Ottawa. These are not small shoes to fill -- our MP must ensure the rest of the country understands the place we live in. Unlike the rest of Canada, there are no big cities in the territory. Global warming appears to be affecting the North more than anywhere else. Our cost of living is exceptionally high and rising as never before. We need a resource revenue deal. And our population is particularly diverse - half of us are aboriginal, and many of us are recent immigrants to the country.

Make the most of the voice our democratic system has given you. Vote for the individual you feel is best suited to the task of representing Yellowknife and this territory to the rest of the country next Tuesday, Oct. 14.

With the death of Allan Anderson Sr., the village of Fort Simpson lost one of its most prominent citizens.

Talking to people in the community, it becomes apparent that Anderson was highly regarded.

The last Second World War veteran to be laid to rest in the village risked his life for the freedoms we know today and then lived thereafter with the images of war forever etched on his memory. At the memorial service, Mayor Duncan Canvin spoke of his close relationship with Anderson, calling him a friend.

Now the village council has voted to make his wife pay years of back property taxes amounting to $20,000.

There were three bylaws to wipe out property taxes Anderson had not paid on the table Monday evening at the village council meeting.

None passed first reading.

It's sad that a woman who just lost her husband of more than 60 years has to deal with such a financial burden.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I want to know why the money wasn't collected when he was alive.

It couldn't have been that important to the village, since they let it go this long without collecting. Would it have been left uncollected if he had lived for another five years?

Since he has died, the issue has to be dealt with.

It only seems right to swallow the outstanding balance, as substantial as it may be, and move on.

But are they instead going to force Mrs. Anderson to pay the outstanding taxes and take the property from her if she can't pay?

I understand the village council has to collect its taxes.

Councillor Kim Myers didn't seem to like having to vote against it but he said if they didn't, it would set a precedent, opening the door for future cases like this.

Well, I agree with him. It would set a precedent.

But if they commit to collecting property taxes in a timely fashion in future, this could still be a one-time-only deal.

Andrew Livingstone is interim editor of Deh Cho Drum. Roxanna Thompson will return in November.

The Town of Inuvik is trying to determine how much energy we use as a community and I think we should all do our part to help the study.

I'm one of those people who can only tell you how the weather is by looking it up online.

I don't spend an incredible amount of time outdoors outside. Most days, I can be found in front of a TV screen or computer monitor... with the lights on.

I'm no poster boy for energy conservation.

Granted, with all the hype about those energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, I had to stock up - just to be hip, if for no other reason.

I'm sure you could look at the power meter outside my place and it would be spinning like a record player.

For the past few years, I've never had to pay for utilities. It's always been covered by work.

Now, I'm in a different situation and will have to monitor my consumption with a keen eye.

I know I'm not the only one who has been abusing my energy privileges though.

It's about time we all look at what is going on around us and maybe cut down on how much we use.

It's no shock we're all guilty of some sort of over-consumption. Maybe you didn't close a window the night before, or you're used to a toasty house that is always well-heated. Either way, something different has to happen soon.

If we keep using and abusing our power, we could be in a real bind when it comes time to pay those bills.

I'm glad the town is taking the task of hosting a contest to encourage more people to take part in their energy audit.

It's valuable information for a municipal government to have.

If we could all get on board with the town's plan to keep track of our power usage, it would contribute to our overall well-being.

Maybe a contest is the only way to get people to offer their information without a fight.

Some people are reluctant to give out their information but they shouldn't be. Knowing how much you use on a regular basis will give you an idea of how much you can cut it down.

In the end, it's all about helping others. By keeping track of how much energy you've used over the past year, you might be more inclined to shut off your lights or turn down the heat.

The fewer resources we use on a daily basis will ensure we will have those services tomorrow.

Even small things, like only warming up your vehicle in the morning and saving fuel will make it easier for your winter.

It's level-headed ideas like this that almost make us forget about some of the crummy roads in town and lack of proper plowing in some areas like the recreation complex.

To our leaders -- those people who meet almost every night of the week to brainstorm ideas like this one, way to go.

This reporter will do his best to remember to shut down his computer from now on.

It's been entertaining to listen to Nunavut politicians offer their thoughts on why there are so few candidates for the territorial election.

Some say many Nunavummiut can't be bothered running because of the travel involved and the fact they'd have to live in Iqaluit for a portion of the year.

The fiveday period to declare one's candidacy has been called too short. Others point to those barred from running because they didn't file their financial paperwork from the 2004 election.

I could name a riding or two those people might find success in, but I digress.

While there's no doubt it's troubling to see our number of candidates drop almost in half from 2004 (not to mention two MLAs being acclaimed and another riding not getting a single candidate), none of the reasons put forth by the politicians hold water.

Being somewhat of a politics junkie, I promised myself I'd erase my data banks and keep an open mind towards non-party politics when I arrived in the North in 1998.

More than a decade later, I am of the opinion that non-party politics is to good governance as what Pee-wee Herman is to serious theatre.

Can you name one pressing item on a candidate's platform in your riding?

Of course not, because while we have all sorts of pressing items in Nunavut, we're fresh out of platforms.

Non-party politics is all about power and popularity, perceived or real, with a healthy smattering of the number of friends and family members a candidate has in a riding with a small population base.

Strike two in finding more candidates is that the average Nunavummiut can't get their head around the majority of issues pushed by our government in the past nine years.

Ever attend a public meeting in your community by one of the numerous committees touring Nunavut during that time?

In all honesty, did you ever see more than 10 people there not counting those hosting the event?

The truth is many people whisper behind closed doors that it was easier to get funding back in the days of the evil NWT empire, and with the state of the financial world in Canada and the U.S.A. it's only going to get worse.

And, finally, many Nunavummiut now realize that with no party affiliation involved and the territory almost totally dependent on federal transfers, there's only so much gravy you're going to bring to your riding no matter how good an MLA you are.

And that means you're going to be putting up with a whole lot of people knocking on your door and visiting your constituency office with a whole lot of questions and complaints you have no answers for.

Successful new blood in politics is all about support, resources, direction and information, which, oddly enough, all come with party affiliation.

That day may yet come to Nunavut, but not today.

Until then, get to know where those running in your riding stand on the issues important to you and cast your vote accordingly.

Unless, of course, you happen to be related to the other candidate.