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Instead of excitedly dressing up as ghouls, goblins and princesses for a Halloween celebration at school last week, children attending Mildred Hall and a couple of other Yk schools were asked to wear orange and black clothing while being paired with younger or older students for reading and crafts.

A newsletter to parents from NJ Macpherson School advises the Big Buddy Orange and Black Day "allows those who don't celebrate Halloween to continue to be part of the class,and provide a calm and less stressful day for our students."

In the schools' efforts to level the playing field, they seem not to realize they're also robbing these students of some fun.

If this change was made to appease persnickety killjoys or parents with different cultural backgrounds,it's at the expense of traditions and activities most Canadians enjoy, including many who immigrated to this country. No one is going to look back fondly 20 years from now and remember how fun Big Buddy Black and Orange Day was.

We should try to embrace other traditional and cultural practices while not forsaking our own. A single Big Buddy classroom could have been set aside for those students whose parents insist they not participate in wearing costumes and sharing treats.

At least schools here aren't banning Halloween costumes like some have down south.

Still, it's troubling how quickly some educational institutions are willing to throw our long-held traditions under the bus in the name of political correctness.

Just last week a school in Ottawa came under fire after it cancelled a Remembrance Day event rather than allow veterans to bring nonfunctioning weapons and war memorabilia into the school. The school'spolicy is no guns, period, even if used to teach students about the horrors of warfare.

As well-intentioned as these schools may be, it's hard to understand what's harmful about a little bit of history and fun but it's easy to see what we lose without it.

Residents of Northland Trailer Park are justified in demanding an interest-free loan from the territorial government as the solution to their aging and crumbling water and sewer lines.

The cost of replacing the infrastructure is estimated at $18 million, which includes paving.

But now that Mayor Gord Van Tighem and Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro are pushing for this loan, and Premier Bob McLeod may go along with it, we must also recognize that it does come at a cost to taxpayers.

A major bank is likely to charge in the range of 8 per cent annually on a loan. On an $18 million dollar loan, that amounts to $1.4 million in interest during the first year alone. If Northland residents agree to forfeit the paving to shave close to $4 million off the costs, the interest would still stand around $1.1 million for the first year. Depending on the life of the loan, we're talking tens of millions of dollars in interest, all told.

That's a significant amount of money for the GNWT to have tied up for decades to come, and money that won't be invested in other much needed areas.

Yes, there are 258 Northland residences and it would be disastrous should Northland fall apart and its 1,000-plus residents are forced to relocate. Yes, we'd like the payments to be as affordable as possible for homeowners there.

That said, as unfortunate as their circumstances are, we hope those living in Northland appreciate that an interest-free loan would come as a sacrifice by their fellow territorial residents.

It seems these days there's a day or a week or even a month for just about any cause you can think of.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Feb. 4 is World Cancer Day, November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day and the list continues. While all of these causes are significant, one particularly important week lies ahead.

Nov. 14 to 20 is National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW). The week is a time to focus on the harms associated with alcohol, drug, tobacco and gambling addictions.

NAAW is particularly important in the North because, while not everyone is affected by AIDS or lung cancer, there isn't a person in the territory who hasn't been touched in some way by addictions.

Of course, not everyone suffers from addictions, but almost everyone has a family member who has an addiction or a friend or a co-worker or even sees a community member on a regular basis who is struggling with an addiction. There are a lot of people in the North, for a variety of reasons, who have addictions.

NAAW is worthwhile because, for a week, the focus is turned on addictions -- something that it is often just easier to ignore. For one week, community events are held designed specifically to support people with addictions and their families and support groups. Healthy choices are praised during the week and information is disseminated that will hopefully help prevent the younger generations from developing an addiction.

NAAW is all about addictions, but of course it only lasts for a week. Addictions, on the other hand, don't follow calendars. When the week ends, people with addictions keep struggling with them.

To make NAAW more meaningful, the support and understanding that comes forward during the week has to be carried on throughout the rest of the year. Organizations have to continue running events to support families and individuals in making healthy choices and residents have to remain aware of ways they can offer assistance to friends, family members and co-workers.

Addictions are not going to disappear any time soon but communities can make changes and support programs that will help people with addictions break free of them and perhaps prevent others from developing them.

It would be wonderful if the North could reach a stage where addictions are no longer so prevalent that a whole week needs to be devoted to raise attention about them.

Nov. 13 to 19 will be National Addictions Awareness Week across Canada.

It's a chance to raise awareness on different types of addictions as well as the services available to treat them.

Maybe though, we should take a look at where and how addictions start. According to the NWT Bureau of Statistics, 77 per cent of NWT residents over the age of 15 drink alcohol, 36 per cent of those drink five or more drinks at once; 20.7 per cent use cannabis. An estimated 55.9 per cent of the NWT population 15 years of age and older have experienced some form of harm from a drinker.

There are many other numbers you will likely hear over the next week. The NWT is not in a good situation when it comes to addictions. No one will argue that.

The curious fact is that all the data is for residents over the age of 15. There is no official data for children under the age of 15. Various studies have been done by specific school boards, but for a territorial picture on what the situation is like for youth under 15? Nothing.

It's kind of maddening. It's not like people turn 15 and are handed a pack of cigarettes and alcohol and told to go crazy. Addictions in adults start with experimentation as children and though the Department of Health and Social Services knows the average age for first use is 11 or 12, and that experimentation turns to habit by 13, it has no surveys, no data.

Why is this not being done? Why has the department not taken this on and interviewed the youth while they are starting to experiment?

The GNWT has done a youth tobacco survey in 2009 that looked at the habits of youth between Grade 5 and 9, but what about the other addictions? Alcohol, marijuana, crack, cocaine, ecstasy? Far from giving them ideas, it might just save the government money in the long-term by preventing addictions later in life when they're adults.

If the government is so concerned with helping people overcome their addictions, shouldn't they take a look at where it all starts? More in-depth surveys need to be done in the territory as a whole to get a complete picture on what is happening in youth before the age of 15. Without it, another generation could grow up with addictions.

We have to wonder what kind of example the public school district thinks it set when it asked a city business owner to change his school tax support in return for continued business last year.

The practice sounds inexcusably wrong to us, and fortunately it did not escape the watchful eye of Elaine Keenan Bengts, the information and privacy commissioner for the NWT.

The business owner complained that school superintendent Metro Huculak contacted him in January 2010 to ask "that he allocate some of his school taxes to Yk1 in return for their continued business." In fact, the company was "blacklisted" by Yk1 for some time.

The business owner said the school district shouldn't have had access to his tax information. Further, the details from his tax filings were improperly used against him in a way that threatened his livelihood.

Two weeks after Huculak delivered his "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" message, an employee of the school district called the business owner to ask if he had changed his school tax designation. That Yk1 employee said she had been instructed to take the district's business elsewhere if 100 per cent of the business owner's school taxes continued going to the Catholic system. Talk about strong-arm tactics.

The school superintendent and district employees clearly stepped over the line here.

In her report on the matter, the privacy commissioner advised the school district to undertake seven actions, including an apology to the business owner and training for employees.

Obviously, the publicly funded body of educators fell far short of teaching good values here. We're hoping a lesson was learned and a sincere apology was extended.

A hospital is an expensive machine to keep running, with constant maintenance needed and new technology added to ensure the best possible health care is available to the public.

Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation has raised close to $65,000 toward the chemotherapy and intravenous treatment suite, with the goal of raising $720,000. A chemotherapy and intravenous facility will allow for increased comfort and privacy for patients. That unit saw 1,400 patient visits between 2009 and 2010, so there is a need.

The hospital foundation's last fundraising endeavour resulted in a new digital mammography machine with the price tag of $420,000.

The foundation and the Run For Our Lives committee raised enough money to purchase the machine in October 2010. Forty-seven generous corporations, organizations and individuals made the digital mammography machine a reality, which is allowing women in the North to have more accurate breast exams on a regular basis.

Kay Lewis, Stanton Territorial Hospital Authority CEO, said donations improve the quality of care for patients through new equipment such as a CT scan machine and physiotherapy tools. She said the value of the donations reaches further than the equipment. It allows staff to do their jobs to the best of their ability and improves the hospital's ability to recruit.

Once one campaign ends in success, there is no rest for those planning the next goal as they organize events and get the word out to the public to begin another fundraising cycle. The hospital foundation is again appealing to the community, and the community, through organizations, corporations and individuals, is answering.

It will be interesting to see what effect Rankin Inlet hamlet council's attempt to harness the community's dog problem eventually has.

Under its most recent bylaw, all dogs must be registered and wearing tags, and only two dogs can be owned at one time as pets.

That stipulation was grandfathered for those who already own more than two, but they won't be able to replace any above that number when a dog passes on.

While the bylaw is a step in the right direction, we also need action aimed at those who needlessly abuse our furry friends.

Now, let's make a couple of things clear right from the start.

We're not talking about people having the right to defend themselves against an aggressive dog. Everyone knows Rankin still has a problem with too many loose dogs roaming the community.

I'm a dog lover and have been around, and owned, dogs almost my entire life.

That said, I readily admit to being a tad nervous around loose dogs, especially if they're a fair size or travelling in packs, which is often the case in Rankin.

As far as Rankin has come in its treatment of dogs since I arrived in 1998, there are still far too many people in the community who go out of their way to abuse them every chance they get.

I recently witnessed a neighbour's pet - a small, gentle animal with a wonderful personality - attacked and injured on its owner's property by a band of roving dogs.

At about the same time, a youth in the community took a young puppy while leaving school for lunch break and, for reasons known only to the youth, deliberately hurled it through the air.

The poor creature was on the ground crying in pain when it was reportedly rescued by a teacher.

It had suffered a broken leg and other injuries and had to be flown to Winnipeg for treatment.

The pup was lucky, however, in that its injuries could have been worse, and a pair of local dog lovers cared enough to bear the cost of sending it to a veterinarian.

We understand the dog is now in the home of a loving owner down south.

Hopefully, the traumatic experience hasn't scarred the poor animal for life in so far as how it views and interacts with, supposedly, superior beings. Like so many transplanted southerners, when I first came North 13 years ago, I was under the impression those who owned working dogs were responsible for the animal abuse I had heard so much about here.

I was soon to learn nothing could be further from the truth and the majority of them were, in fact, among the most responsible dog owners in the North. It's the everyday person, young and old, who doesn't seem to understand (or want to understand) owning a pet is a big responsibility.

You are 'paid' for honouring that responsibility by the love, loyalty and happiness the pet brings into your life.

Then there are others, perhaps cruel by nature, who know there are rarely any consequences in the North for brutalizing an animal.

Council should continue its efforts and pass another bylaw, or two, with enough teeth to take a serious bite out of the real problems.

If so, they'll be aimed at the mammals among us of the two-legged variety.

When it was announced Richard Van Camp's novel The Lesser Blessed was to be adapted for the big screen and filmed in the NWT, it created a lot of excitement and opened the doors of opportunity for those with an interest in the film industry.

More than 100 students from schools across the territory auditioned for the film -- one teen from Fort Smith secured a final audition for a lead role -- and a couple aspiring youth filmmakers will shadow the production crews.

Now imagine how many more might have benefited had the film actually been shot in the NWT, where the story is based, instead of moved to Ontario due to budgetary decisions. Unfortunately, despite raising more than $2 million, the production fell $250,000 short of the needed cash to allow filming to take place in Fort Smith.

The missed opportunity once again points to the territory's poor management of the arts as an industry in the NWT. In name, the NWT does have a film commission, but a recent study paid for by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment shows a systemic failure to support the industry.

"The NWT film, video and digital media industry is currently fragmented and there is no co-ordinating body to promote co-operation between members and champion this sector," an excerpt from the 84-page report reads.

According to the report, the industry contributes about $9 million to the NWT economy on an annual basis. Of that, approximately $5 million is in wages.

Of the three Northern territories, the NWT spends the least in terms of program funding to its film commission -- previously a paltry $50,000, now $100,000. Compare that to Nunavut and the Yukon which spent $800,000 and $710,000 respectively. The Yukon Film Commission also has a $560,000 operation and maintenance budget.

Filmmakers in the NWT theoretically have access to substantial funds through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment's Arts Council and Industry, Tourism and Investment's SEED grant; in all, more than $3.5 million.

However, SEED money is designed to support commercial ventures and is notoriously difficult for artists to access. In 2010-11, of the more than $3 million handed out through SEED grants, only $32,000 was available for the film industry. The most significant barrier is that film projects must be the producer's full-time job to qualify.

As for the $500,000 available through the arts council, projects looking to make a profit aren't eligible. Neither of these funding sources would have helped the Lesser Blessed either since it was not being produced by a Northern company, even though many consider it a project that belongs to the North.

Unlike the Yukon and Nunavut, the NWT Film Commission has no stated mandate, is not a stand alone entity and its priorities are clouded by the fact it includes arts and crafts as part of the media it supports.

The GNWT needs to take a serious look at how it supports the arts in the NWT.

A good first step would be to develop a comprehensive arts strategy that would guide program funding to support everything from hobby artists to fledgling filmmakers to promoting large commercial ventures. As it stands, the last arts strategy developed by ITI was done in 2004 and is in serious need of updating.

Aside from creating opportunities in film and television, developing a system to promote such visual arts would also have spinoff benefits in terms of tourism. Each year, countless people visit locations where their favourite movies were filmed, not to mention the possible market for souvenirs.

Interestingly, the Government of the Northwest Territories spent $332,446 on video/film production in 2009-2010, in part developing materials for showing at Northern House during the Vancouver Olympics. This represents a four-fold increase over GNWT expenditures the previous year.

The expenditure proves our government understands the value of film in promoting our economy. Now it's time to show the same level of support for territorial filmmakers and film projects that showcase the NWT.

Two Iglulik hunters are alive after a harrowing night on the water in the ominous sounding Fury and Hecla Strait, northwest of Iglulik.

Tragically, a 34-year-old Canadian Forces airman did not survive an attempt to rescue them on Oct. 27. He died after a parachute jump from a Hercules airplane. The location of the hunters was known because they used an electronic locator device, although weather did complicate the rescue effort - Mother Nature always holds the trump card. Just a few days earlier, five hunters were found safe at a camp southeast of Iqaluit. Spotters in helicopters, flying from two coast guard icebreakers, located the hunters. The men had taken shelter to avoid bad weather. The problem is they did not communicate they were safe and did not require assistance.

A few years ago, the Government of Nunavut distributed 100 emergency beacons to communities across the territory. They are available to be signed out by those making trips out on the land. Are you using them?

The first priority on any trip is safety. We all want our loved ones to return in good condition from their hunts or snowmobile trips.

Modern SPOT locator devices will inform others of your location and can relay messages of whether you are in distress or need supplies.

These $170 gadgets can prevent large-scale ground and aerial searches, which can cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars if aircraft and personnel have to be scrambled from Ontario, Manitoba or Nova Scotia. These electronic marvels can literally be the difference between life and death - your own or that of a family member or a soldier who courageously goes looking for you in perilous conditions. Don't allow it to be a needless search, or needless loss of life.

What some call a racial slur for Inuit was recently in national headlines - the word "Eskimo" popped up on a Saskatchewan Conservative politician David Anderson's website, prompting a backlash from some regarding the use of the word, but after the video was taken down the question still remains: Is it OK to say Eskimo?

Some Alaskan Inuit call themselves Eskimos, and the term is still in common use in the U.S. and among many southern Canadians. The Eskimo Inn still stands in Inuvik and many football fans cheer on the Edmonton Eskimos CFL team each year.

Despite its position in the common lexicon, many Inuit in Nunavut consider the term Eskimo a racial slur and its use a sign of ignorance. The video on Anderson's website was decried by Mary Simon of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

A few years ago, a viral music video, "Don't Call Me Eskimo" by Arctic Bay rappers Northerners With Attitude, offered thought-provoking views on modern Inuit life and dismissed the term Eskimo along with other archaic stereotypes about the North.

Though Inuit is generally acknowledged as the politically correct term in the North, the GN, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq were silent as the video linked by Anderson permeated national news. It's time for Nunavut's leaders to take a stance on this divisive issue.

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