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The country's best-qualified politicians to speak on the effects of the current global economic crisis are the premiers.

They are more in touch with what is happening on the ground than anyone in Ottawa. This is particularly true for the Northwest Territories.

Provincial premiers know this well, and saw fit to meet in Montreal last week to discuss strategies needed to deal with the crisis.

That meeting is to be followed up with discussions with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Nov. 10.

Premier Floyd Roland chose not to be at the first ministers' meeting. He focused instead on the legislative assembly's final session of the year. He had Quebec Premier Jean Charest inform him on results of the premiers' meeting in Quebec.

In not making it to Montreal, Roland missed a chance to tell other premiers, face to face, what must be done to minimize the impact of the crisis on the NWT.

The territory must make the most of such opportunities and stay the course that previous premiers have set towards building a jurisdiction that can stand up for itself.

For some time now shoppers in Yellowknife have had option to buy reusable bags at stores such as Extra Foods, Co-op and Shoppers Drug Mart.

The bags have become increasingly popular among environmentally-conscious citizens and people who prefer their sturdier nature to flimsy plastic bags.

But the bags come at a cost to shoppers, and the trend hasn't caught on with everyone yet.

Now the GNWT is planning to give 30,000 reusable bags to shoppers in the next few months.

The move can be compared to when the government gave out energy-efficient light bulbs earlier this year.

The bags, like the bulbs, can be thought of as samples or starter kits to help people get moving in the right direction.

India and Kenya have banned plastic bags, and a movement is afoot in Inuvik and Iqaluit to do the same. Some countries, like Ireland, have started charging for them.

When Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op's board of directors discussed putting a mere five cent charge on plastic bags, the idea was shot down by some members who reportedly said they would be "the biggest fools" if they went ahead with it.

But when considering the disregard for the environment, wildlife, local residents and tourists by allowing discarded plastic bags to keep blowing in the wind, the biggest fools are those who choose to take no action at all.

Every town has its longstanding grocery store and TJ's Grocery has been an integral part of the Fort Simpson community for many years. It faces yet another battle for survival.

Sometime next year a new truck stop will be open for business in Fort Simpson. The $4-million project spearheaded by Liidlii Kue First Nations, Trademark and international food service conglomerate Sodexho will provide something new for the community, bringing jobs and money to the area. While this is all fine and dandy there are some issues that need to be addressed.

When the Northerner opened up in Fort Simpson, TJ's experienced strain from having to compete with a corporate grocery store, losing business to the cheaper more complete store. Now, with a company like Sodexho setting up shop in the community, it's going to make things even more difficult for the little guy to compete and the community could see the demise of the lone local grocer.

The two local restaurants will also face a challenge to their current dynamic. With a new restaurant going in at the truck stop, competition increases. In a small community, when a new restaurant is available after having limited options for so long, it's bound to affect the longstanding eateries. I'm not saying competition is bad. The problem lies in the fact the competition isn't coming from a local entrepreneur.

Also, there is a chance workers employed at the 50 man executive camp might come from outside the region.

There are more than a dozen people in Fort Simpson trained and certified to run a camp and catering service like the one being built, but there is a chance this work might not go to them.

All these issues beg the question as to why LKFN didn't look to go into business with a local entrepreneur. Rather than inviting in a faceless corporation to set up shop and suck the local economy dry they could have paired up with someone in the community interested in being a part of the project.

This project is part of LKFN's self-sufficiency initiative to alleviate some of the dependence on federal money.

It's great to see them taking the bull by the horns and creating money making opportunities to improve their current financial state and improve services they offer to their membership, but it's coming at the expense of businesses and people in the community.

It's a David versus Goliath scenario - except David's slingshot isn't going to be as effective as it once was.

Inuvik Town Council is under scrutiny this week as one of their own is accused of writing controversial posts on a national news website.

Comments left on a website forum about the federal election are being attributed to a member of the council.

How are we to know who really made those comments without tracking an IP address and even more techno-babble?

Officials in town council say the comments are all anonymous.

There are two sides to this issue: the people who want the person who wrote the post to be held accountable and the people who think it's been blown out of proportion.

Some are arguing since the member of council is an elected official, anything he or she has to say should be at the mercy of the people.

Others say a person's private life and his or her online opinions are no one else's business and should be separate from the business of the town council.

Regardless of what you think about what was said, town council has enough to do without being distracted with any personal conflict its members have going.

At a recent public meeting hosted by the town, residents of Kingalok Place voiced their need for more services to their aging cul-de-sac.

I'm sure town officials will have lots to do in that park and surrounding road.

Another huge hole we need to address is the vacuum we call our bylaw officer position.

With two postings out for the job and one candidate who isn't in town yet, we need someone to step up and take control of the matter.

There is one person on the town payroll who is certified as a bylaw officer and has the authority to hand out tickets and citations; that man is the fire chief and director of protective services.

Town council should be on top of this, keeping our paid officials on duty and up to snuff.

Anyone who has tried to walk from home to work, would also know about the lack of snow-clearing on walkways.

I talked with one person who urged me to write about the poor state of our roads, so there it is.

I understand the town has contracted out its plowing and snow-clearing duties to local businesses, but the people have concerns.

We can't forget about another headache for the town officials in the parking lot at the rec complex.

I swear those massive holes and jutted crevices almost claimed the truck I drive for work.

Even now, with the freezing temperatures, the parking lot is flooded with water.

I've been told this water is runoff from the hill behind the complex because it was flooding while the pool was empty this past September.

With all these things to deal with, the last thing the council needs is to be shrouded in a controversy like this.

Now, because of the web posts attributed to a councillor, the town is having a closed-door meeting next week to discuss what to do next.

So regardless of who said what and who offended who, the members of town council already have enough to do without picking fights.

It's time to stop blogging anonymous comments on some website and start paying attention to the matters at hand, like the managing of our community.

Like many young men from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, I left home at a tender age to seek my fortune in Ontario.

During the years I spent there, for one reason or another, I often had a significant drive to work.

In fact, for one period, I made the daily trek to Mississauga from Guelph after landing the dream job of my young life.

That is, until the section of the Free Trade Agreement kicked in that allowed the head company in the U.S.A. to send its products to Canada fully assembled.

Goodbye assembly line and dream job, but that's a story for another time.

During my treks across Ontario, I got hooked on a radio bit called The Rest of the Story.

The piece had its roots in the Second World War and became a fixture on ABC Radio networks in 1976. The spot gives you a factual account of a story with a big twist near the end that often blows your mind.

The announcer, Paul Harvey, would always end the piece with, "And now you know the rest of the story."

I'm often reminded of my days listening to The Rest of the Story when folks from Western and Central Canada bemoan what they view as the disproportionate amount of federal dollars that go to the East Coast and Nunavut.

Sometimes I laugh out loud when those complaints come from La Belle Province.

This is a province that's held the threat of separation over the country's head like an axe for decades.

The tip of the separation spear is, of course, the Bloc Quebecois. That party may boast about capturing 50 seats in the recent federal election but it has, for the most part, become irrelevant.

Consider some of the facts compiled by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and keep them in mind the next time you hear someone from Central Canada whining about what we receive in Nunavut.

The Bloc Quebecois raised a paltry $73,704 during the first six months of 2008, but received more than $1.5 million in public financing.

More maddening; for the 18 months between Jan. 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008, the Bloc raised a little more than $500,000, but received almost $6 million in federal allowances, which does include what the Bloc will receive in party and candidate reimbursements for the 2008 election campaign.

Yes, you guessed it, for the past eight years the Bloc has been the party most dependent on public financing to survive.

It's received a staggering $31.8 million in public financing, while only raising $5.7 million from individuals.

That, fellow Nunavummiut, means the Bloc receives 5.6 public dollars for every $1 donated by individuals.

Kind of turns the tummy a bit when you think of all the 50-50 arrangements the Nunavut government has to enter into with the feds in order to get things done, doesn't it?

So, the next time a talking head on the TV or radio tries to lay a guilt trip on you for the money Nunavut gets for housing, education and medical care, feel free to send a raspberry their way.

Because now you know the rest of the story when it comes to unfair funding.