There is no denying the importance of preserving and revitalizing aboriginal languages in the NWT. There is so much history attached to every word and if languages are lost, then so is that knowledge and unique cultural heritage. More than that, knowing one's own language enhances social cohesion, self-esteem and personal identity.

For these reasons and many more we cannot stand around and let aboriginal languages die. That said, the GNWT has taken great steps to ensure it doesn't happen.

Last year the GNWT brought together leaders, elders, youth and educators from across the Deh Cho region to discuss ways to improve educational achievements among aboriginal youth. Part of the forum addressed aboriginal languages in schools.

Participants suggested that schools need to communicate that it is OK to speak the Dene language, language and culture should be connected through hands-on activities, that community members should be included in the process, and technology should be embraced to improve teaching of the language.

According to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the recommendations from that forum helped guide the aboriginal student achievement education plan. Within the plan, 23 action items have been identified and are now being completed, initiated or still require funding.

A number of other initiatives and funding opportunities exist to encourage the revitalization of aboriginal languages in the NWT.

The GNWT is doing enough to keep aboriginal languages alive. I think the government needs to finish carrying out the goals that have been identified and continue the programs already in place. But the rest of the job ultimately falls to the community.

The education system cannot be alone in preserving aboriginal languages.

According to the 2011 Statistics Canada report on aboriginal languages in Canada, 213,500 people reported an aboriginal mother tongue while nearly 213,400 people reported speaking an aboriginal language most often or regularly at home. This indicates the importance of being able to practise speaking a language at home.

As the old adage says, if you don't use it you lose it. This idea was echoed in the suggestions made during the Deh Cho education forum.

Youth said they needed community members to speak to them in Slavey and suggested it would be a good idea for there to be weekly community gatherings with storytelling in Slavey, hand games and opportunities to cook traditional foods. If communities want to see aboriginal languages flourish, they need to do more hands-on work, because currently the GNWT is doing its part.

It's been a few days since the body of the late Paulousie Ittungna was found behind the Midnight Sun Complex.

There has been an outpouring of grief from the community. But with the grief came empathy. The true spirit of a community going through troubled times became apparent.

In a short time, the community mobilized to make sure Ittungna's loved ones know they have the community's support.

A luncheon, pancake breakfast and 50/50 draws are just some of the events being organized to raise money for Ittungna's funeral expenses. One morning of selling 50/50 tickets raised more than $1,000, with a few people saying they wouldn't want to claim their share, they would just donate it back.

Family members need to fly in and funeral arrangements made. And through all these arrangements, people are still grieving.

People may talk about all the problems in the North, but those people have never seen how one person can affect so many people in such a short time.

There aren't enough words to describe who Ittungna was to the people who knew and loved him and how he will be remembered.

A gifted athlete with the best music always ready to go, Kings of Leon and LMFAO being two recent favourites according to one of his friends. After calling shotgun for a car ride, Ittungna would plug in his iPad, always loaded with fresh beats and tunes, his friend recalled earlier this week.

He is being remembered as someone who never judged people and who didn't have a bad bone in his body.

He couldn't say no to any sporting opportunity and came back from the Arctic Winter Games without a single piece of Team NWT gear because he traded NWT garments for souvenirs from other teams.

Losing someone at any age and for any reason is hard. But this community is sharing stories and focusing on good memories together.

Through sharing memories, people support each other and gain strength for the days ahead. It won't be easy, but if anyone can come together, Inuvik can.

The Centre for Northern Families has lost a driving force with the resignation of executive director Arlene Hache.

Hache, a co-founder of the centre which opened its doors in 1990, has led the facility through successes and weathered many challenges for more than 20 years.

She has long been a strong proponent of social activism in the community. She was inspirational in launching and sustaining valuable services such as shelter for women fleeing violence; a community centre operating a variety of programs from daycare to prenatal classes; a medical clinic; and youth and mental health programs that are open to the community.

Hache has led the centre through financial distress, and fought for more funding from the GNWT. Last year, a consultant hired by the GNWT to carry out a financial review of the Centre for Northern Families did not finish the job because the centre denied him access to its general accounting information - instead he was provided with responses to specific financial questions by shelter staff.

Hache knew the centre's services were essential to women in the North and that it was worth the battle to keep the doors open. She put the needs of the centre's clients at the forefront instead of putting the priority on satisfying the accountants.

She has developed a space where women and children can get a better grasp on life, feel strong and start to rebuild a healthy life for themselves. It is through this dedication to the cause that Hache earned an NWT Wise Woman Award, membership with the Order of Canada and a Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal. As she departs to pursue a masters degree in leadership - something that will only sharpen skills Hache already has - the Centre for Northern Families will forge on under new management. It must maintain a safe haven for its clients and help the most disadvantaged people regain control of their lives.

Although Hache is leaving one role in the community, she will continue to be a mentor, a mother and an advocate for women's rights and we wish her luck in her future endeavors.

Anyone who owns a vehicle in Yellowknife is well accustomed to the sometimes mind-numbingly long wait times they must endure at the motor vehicle licensing office.

Long waits are inevitable with close to 18,700 vehicle registrations, not to mention 3,000 driver's licence renewals, all being funneled through three kiosks at the Laing Building issuing office on Franklin Avenue each year. It's such an inconvenience that the Department of Transportation has added a page on its website showing drivers how long they can expect to wait at any given time during the day. This is in addition to the estimated queue times people see when they walk into the licensing office itself.

News that the territorial government is contemplating a plan that would make some of these services just a mouse click away is bound to be sweet music to the ears of motorists everywhere in this city. It really is about time since most vehicle licensing services are going online elsewhere in Canada.

Getting a driver's licence will obviously require people to continue showing up in person but there is no need to be waiting in the office every time a person needs a vehicle or trailer registered. It should be as simple as filling out a form on the Internet and waiting for the registration card to appear in the mail. This is the way many routine government transactions are heading, such as obtaining a birth certificate or a firearms acquisition certificate after completing the required course.

Some people may balk at the dwindling levels of face-to-face customer service at government departments now that many of them are heading to the Internet. That said, few are going to miss the long waits at the motor vehicle office.

"The more you tighten your grip, the more of us will slip through your fingers."

It's hard to believe it's been 35 years since Princess Leia spat that famous line to Darth Vader in the original Star Wars release.

Yet, it rings as true today towards wouldbe oppressors as it did all those years ago.

Today, as more and more democratic governments tighten their grip on information they decide the public doesn't need to know, slowly, but surely, the demand for transparency and accountability is growing.

The Government of Nunavut (GN) began on a positive note where openness and accountability are concerned, and, for the first few years under former premier Paul Okalik, the GN hid very little of its business from the eyes of Nunavummiut.

But it wasn't long before our politicians realized their lives were a lot easier when they conducted their affairs behind closed doors.

In fact, the GN caught on to the concept of the coneofsilence approach in almost record time.

That was one southern approach that didn't require any form of madeinNunavut branding.

Our leaders were quick to understand the less people knew about what was going on, the less explaining they had to do in public.

Of course, that led to a few years of some of our politicians getting a little carried away with the idea, which led to criminal charges, conflicts of interest and the always popular minister-without-portfolio title.

Now our ministers resign when they don't get their own way and we only have the odd case of one of them not being able to tell the difference between public office and personal holdings.

They still guard their information closely, but that's more to keep nests feathered than anything else.

Nunavut, like the rest of the free world, spends vast amounts of money on programs nobody has a clue about.

Our committees often have committees, and the vast majority of the public has no idea what they do or what benefits, if any, they produce.

We send low-risk offenders to the elders and their committee members, but no one knows how many reoffend.

Various studies in Canada and the United States are showing the majority of social programs have sunk to the point where they only help those who administer them.

Data keeping is almost non-existent and, when evident, is compiled by those whose jobs depend upon it.

Much has been written on that ironic little quirk recently.

We have already seen the start of funding cuts by the feds and they're only going to go deeper in the coming years.

It's imperative the GN makes future program-funding decisions based on effectiveness that's supported by accurately-compiled data.

Social programs have to benefit those they're aimed at, not those administering them.

There are going to be some tough funding choices ahead for the GN and, if all Nunavummiut are to grow and prosper, clear pictures have to be painted of programs actually producing positive results.

The GN can paint those pictures behind closed doors if it likes, as long as they're put out for public display before the cheques are cashed.

Since the early 1970s when fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) was recognized by the medical community, awareness of the harm caused by consuming alcohol during pregnancy has been growing.

Today, very few remain unaware of the psychological, physical and intellectual harm liquor can cause a fetus and the development of the child into adulthood.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to say how many people in the NWT have some form of FASD because it is difficult to diagnose and it is not necessary for health professionals to report confirmed diagnoses. However, anecdotal evidence from health and justice professionals suggests that FASD stats in the NWT exceed the Canadian average of nine of every 1,000 births. The high rate of addiction in the NWT would also support that hypothesis.

Battling addictions is the obvious first step, and something the GNWT has been working at for decades. This is why suggestions made in the legislative assembly last week to have addiction treatment centres, possibly located in Yellowknife and the Beaufort Delta, are worth looking into.

Beyond our continuing fight against alcoholism, the GNWT must begin to fully understand the extent of the FASD problem and that means tracking the number of people who are diagnosed.

Knowing the numbers will allow us to tailor programs to not only support children born with the disorder but identify where awareness and support programs would be most effective.

Programs to support children with FASD are vital, not only to their future, but for the good of the community as a whole.

A GNWT report titled FASD in NWT Corrections points to a study conducted in Seattle in 1996. It found that nearly all children with FASD experienced issues that negatively affect broader society. For example, 60 per cent of those with FASD found themselves in trouble with the law; 50 per cent were jailed or institutionalized; 30 per cent had substance abuse issues; 80 per cent were unable to live independently and had difficulty with employment.

A recent series published in News/North featured adults living with FASD who are participating in an assisted living and employment program that helps overcome barriers associated with FASD impediments. Such programs help keep people out of the justice system, which not only saves tax dollars but prevents the unfortunate circumstance of criminalizing behaviour caused by a disability. The key is introducing a routine and stable environment that people with FASD can live in productively.

Unfortunately, Yellowknife has the only comprehensive FASD support program in the territory. What is needed are more programs of a similar nature that will allow people to stay close to personal support networks.

For that to be a possibility, however, we need to get a handle on the extent of the problem, and that means reliable and current statistics.

We urge the GNWT to make reporting of FASD diagnoses mandatory - because diagnoses are hard to make accurately, that would include cases where FASD is suspected. Only with a better understanding of the extent of the problem can we justify spending an appropriate amount of tax money to combat the issue.

Almost every edition of Nunavut News/North contains at least one story involving firearms, and they usually follow one of two themes: a successful hunt or the arrest of a troubled individual.

Firearms are necessary in the territory for hunting, and there are many capable handlers of these weapons who pass along their knowledge to their children or grandchildren. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the proper guidance, not everyone is fully aware of the danger of the tool, and not every firearm is kept locked up and away from ammunition.

There were 73 calls for service to the RCMP "with firearms implications" between the beginning of January and Sept. 5 of this year. Among those incidents was the use of a firearm in committing a sexual assault, seven instances of pointing a firearm, five calls were for discharging a firearm with intent and 17 were careless use of a firearm. In some of those cases, police were targeted.

There are several issues at play, the primary one being mental health and the lack of resources to effectively tackle that problem.

Not everyone who comes in contact with a firearm fully understands the dangers posed by the device.

The Canadian Firearms Safety Course, taught to those seeking a firearms possession and acquisition licence, is mostly common sense - ask anyone who's taken the course. However, it is full of essential knowledge regarding the safe handling of these tools. It reinforces muzzle control through both written and practical aspects, and repeats the mantra that the end of that barrel can mean death, and must never, even when unloaded, be pointed in the direction of a human.

Why not teach this in schools? It's not a new concept, and if any place in Canada should have this as part of its school curriculum, Nunavut, with its hunting culture, is it.

The safety course won't do anything to alleviate the housing crunch, and it won't do anything to help heal the mental health issues. Perhaps, though, it might make a troubled person aware of the gravity of the instrument. Perhaps it will increase the practice of using gun locks and keeping guns and ammunition stored separately and out of sight. These precautions can sometimes provide enough time for an angered person searching for a gun to calm down, or for someone else to see what's going on and intervene.

Guns will be a part of life in Nunavut for many years to come, so let's make sure safety practices are just as prevalent as the firearms.

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