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City council accomplished Monday what no council has been able to do since 2004: pass a budget without a tax increase.

Our newly elected council did not take Yellowknifer's advice and ask the territorial government for an extension until the end of January - and council could have made a strong argument considering that the legislative assembly moved up its budget date following the territorial election in 2011.

Nonetheless council, unlike its predecessors over the past several years, spared itself the embarrassment of endorsing endlessly escalating wish lists from administration with hardly a murmur of protest.

Last year, council conducted its line-by-line reading of the budget for all of one evening. This year it carried on for three nights. Some city councillors pledged during the fall municipal election to try and eliminate a tax increase, and successfully found fat to trim in the $74.6-million draft budget.

Cutting administration's $325,000 request for automatic vehicle location devices to monitor city vehicles was a logical choice, as was the $100,000 for the beautification project at the landfill.

But council's job at budget time, of course, isn't merely about making cuts. It's about running the city efficiently and establishing priorities. Council increased the amount of yearly funding the downtown day shelter receives to $50,000 but is playing a game of chicken with the GNWT by insisting that the territorial government matches it. The deteriorating condition of downtown was arguably the biggest issue in this year's municipal election, and the continued survival of the day shelter is crucial to downtown's well-being.

On this item, with so much extraneous baggage remaining in the budget, council could have gone even further in its financial support for the day shelter. Did $150,000 worth of key fobs at city hall really need to stay in? Is this "one-stop shopping customer service" concept at city hall - budgeted at $200,000, which includes security cameras in client rooms keeping a watchful eye over members of the public - really going to save any money or city hall staff from aggravation?

Spending rose to an estimated $64.2 million last year from $34.8 million in 2000. Property tax revenue has increased by $9.3 million during that time, and that's not including user fees and service charges. Staff numbers have gone up to 202 in this budget from 167 in 2000. The population of Yellowknife, meanwhile, according to the NWT Bureau of Statistics has barely increased by 2,000 people, and has been largely stagnant over the last nine years at around 19,700. Many businesses are cutting back, not growing. Inflation alone cannot account for the growth in spending at city hall.

This council, most of whom are new, has taken some good first steps to pull back the reins on city hall spending. But as Coun. Adrian Bell points out, the cuts made last week were only the "low-hanging fruit."

Council shouldn't wait for the yearly wish list to come in before deciding where cuts, or increases, need to be made.

There should be a new approach to the departmental requests. Rather than dreaming of the newest technology to apply to civic planning, department directors should be encouraged to find efficiencies in their existing budgets and apply savings to more cost-cutting innovation.

Some of this may come with Bell and Coun. Cory Vanthyne's request for a third-party review of finances for individual departments.

The trick will be deciphering between legitimate departmental needs and the avalanche of dream projects that have worn out more than one council over the years.

There was no great celebration or fanfare, but on Dec. 1 the ownership of Fort of the Forks, a grocery and convenience store in Fort Simpson, changed and Landmark Grocery was born.

For many, the ownership and name change will barely warrant a comment because for now not much else has changed about the business. What is more significant, however, is that Fort of the Forks, now Landmark Grocery, exists at all.

Food, primarily the troubles around obtaining it, is a major topic in the North and rightfully so because it touches on people's daily lives. It's a major problem if you don't have access to food or can't afford groceries.

The Deh Cho, on the whole, is luckily in a much better place when it comes to food compared to many other regions of the North. For example, we are able, for the most part, to shake our heads when we hear stories of exorbitantly priced watermelons and other goods in remote Nunavut communities and be thankful that isn't us.

Almost every Deh Cho community has a store where residents are able to buy staple items. Some communities, such as Fort Simpson, Fort Liard and Fort Providence, are fortunate enough to have more than one store, which gives residents options.

There are, however, still problems.

Grocery prices are not as low as people would like and definitely not as low as the prices that can be found for comparable goods in southern cities. Most of the difference can be traced to the realities of transportation costs, but it doesn't make the effects any easier to deal with.

The prices mean that people are forced to make choices about what they can afford to eat, often leaning towards less nutritious food. In some cases, people have to make do with very little food, something that is particularly difficult to deal with during the holidays.

That is why residents of Fort Simpson should be grateful they have local options when it comes to purchasing food. Regardless of its name or ownership, Landmark Grocery means competition.

This competition should be encouraged because hopefully it will mean competitive prices between the grocery stores in the village. At the very least, having two grocery stores and a convenience store will give residents a wider selection of goods to choose from, something that is not the luxury of every Deh Cho community.

East 3 is currently working on an incredible project, which gives students in grades 7, 8 and 9 the opportunity to get their First Aid certification at no cost to them.

The Grade 7 students have received the training and in the new year so will students in grades 8 and 9. But it shouldn't end there. This should be a territory-wide initiative.

During the First Aid course, participants are taught how to conduct CPR and how to care for a person throughout medical emergencies such as allergic reactions, loss of a finger, burns or heart attacks.

These skills are extremely important given that schools in the territory teach students to hunt, trap, fish and perform other on-the-land activities. These activities have dangers inherent to them, and when out in remote areas, help is often not close by. With First Aid education and experience delivering CPR, youth will be better prepared for any emergencies that arise, and more likely to handle such situations calmly. In some situations, this knowledge might mean the difference between life and death.

The training could also be applied closer to home. In the case of the Grade 7 students, for instance, the instructor helped prepare them by conducting simulations in which the youth were walking down the street and happened upon somebody in trouble. They then had to act out how they would respond, according to their training.

Despite the obvious benefits to having First Aid training, some might argue that the price tag is too high and the youth won't be engaged enough for it to be worthwhile. But I would disagree.

You can't put a price on safety, and in most communities I'm sure it would be easy to find a business or two that is willing to back such a wonderful initiative, just like ConocoPhillips and the Inuvik fire department did here.

As for the teens being engaged in the course, one needs only to look at the students who took the course at the fire hall on Dec. 6. Some were a little shy about it while others really got into the training, but at the end of the day it was clear all had retained the knowledge taught during the course.

That said, the certificate does need to be renewed after three years, but renewal courses are generally cheaper than the first one. The knowledge itself is more important than a piece of paper, anyways.

While Emergency Medical Services are still the people to call during a medical emergency, those in trouble will likely fair much better if they're in the hands of someone trained in First Aid as they wait for professional help to arrive.

Yellowknife can't count on a huge event like last year's royal visit by Prince William and Kate Middleton to boost the number of visitors and keep a vital tourism industry humming.

In fact, an official with NWT Tourism acknowledges that the number of visitors to our city in 2011 was pretty much unchanged from the previous year, despite the royal visit and lots of publicity from TV shows that feature Yellowknife and the North, including Ice Pilots NWT, Ice Road Truckers and Arctic Air.

Instead, we suggest NWT Tourism and tour operators should focus more attention on attracting other conferences to the city. November's Geoscience Forum drew more than 800 people to Yellowknife and a couple thousand delegates and their family members were here this past summer for the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) conference.

Although the Geoscience Forum is an annual event that builds on the success of each previous year, the meeting of the country's doctors was a one-off event for Yellowknife. The 2013 Energy and Mine Minister's Conference is bringing an estimated 300 delegates plus family members to Yellowknife next August. However, more needs to be done to attract visitors and, once they're here, engage them in unique adventures so they go home with stories to share with friends and family, who may also wish to come North to experience the things Yellowknifers love about this place.

The number of visitors to Yellowknife has hovered around the 65,000 mark for the last couple of years. We shudder to think what the number would be without the CMA conference and the royal visit.

NWT Tourism is putting many of its eggs into the Arctic Air basket, signing actor Adam Beach as its official spokesperson and buying television advertising for its Spectacular NWT campaign, which are shown before, during and after Arctic Air episodes. Is much more needed? We think so.

We see a need to sharpen the focus beyond broad marketing campaigns. Let's build on the success of events like the Geoscience Forum and the CMA by inviting other professional associations and businesses to hold an annual meeting in the city. We have much to offer.

Charities have a hard time when the economy struggles and there is no reason to believe Yellowknife is out of the doldrums yet.

The tough slog being experienced by the Yellowknife Salvation Army in trying to fill Christmas hamper orders this year is indicative of this ongoing situation. More people are in need of hampers but less money is coming in, according to program co-ordinator Stacey Van Metre.

Just last month Statistics Canada reported a 5.1 per cent decline in the NWT's gross domestic product - the only jurisdiction in Canada to experience a drop. There is no sign the NWT economy is out of the woods yet.

Fortunately, there are still some big hearts beating in Yellowknife, starting with staff at city hall. The City of Yellowknife Employee Food Drive managed to collect a literal tonne of food last year, and city staff aim for the same success this year.

Despite these noble efforts, Statistics Canada reports the NWT is one of the least charitable jurisdictions in Canada with an average of $290 per donor being handed out each year. In Nunavut the average is $470.

Let us prove these statistics wrong. Why not purchase one less present this Christmas and make a donation to a group like the Salvation Army instead? We would certainly all be merrier for it.

Kudos to the Kivalliq schools that are involved with anti-bullying programs.

Make no mistake about it, there is only one word to describe those who downplay the potential impact of bullying, or think the targets of bullies just have to grow up, and that word is wrong!

In fact, with the Internet and social media being so prevalent today, no generation has ever been so susceptible to the damage caused by bullies.

Cyber-bullying is insidious by its very nature.

Name calling can be typed, vicious rumours spread and deeply personal information spread with relative anonymity.

There's a reason no self-respecting newspaper publishes the names of people the police may be looking into for a myriad of reasons on any given day.

And that's the stigma that can get attached to the person, sometimes for life.

Police look into people every single day and the majority of it ends up in the infamous File 13 wastebasket.

But, once a person's name is attached to something socially unacceptable, there will always be people more than willing to believe the worst, whether that person is exonerated or not.

It's hard enough for an adult to handle the baggage that comes with that, let alone the still developing and often fragile mental and emotional states of youth.

Those who can't remember just how real the pressures of teenage life can be either led very sheltered lives or have convenient memories.

Most impressive in the Kivalliq's rally against bullying is the increasing number of students who are buying into the movement.

That says a lot about the collective quality of our youth, when they can find the strength to break free from the shackles of the outdated stereotyping of the tattle-tale, and the pack mentality of those who shroud cruelty beneath a cloak of supposed cool.

We all know the problems we face in the Kivalliq, and we all know we have kids - darn good kids - who walk a razor-thin line on a daily basis.

Whether some among us choose to downplay its impact or not, bullying can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back and that's another reason why it's so insidious in its nature.

The teens who are taking on leadership roles and trying to lead by example are to be commended for their courage, intelligence and sensibilities.

Much of what they're learning in rallying against bullies may be born of modern technique, but underneath that glitzy surface is a healthy dose of inuuqatigiitsiarniq, as they respect others and help care for those being bullied.

Yet, as impressive as many of these youths are showing themselves to be, they can't do it alone.

The emphasis is squarely on adult shoulders for appropriate action to be taken and support given to those trying to make a difference.

The kids are being given the tools needed to empower themselves against bullying, and a growing number of them are taking on the role.

They are tackling a problem in their schools they can do something about and, for that, they deserve support.

And they also deserve something the bully will never know - respect!

Sometimes resistance really is futile. And harmful.

That's the reality that should be starting to sink in for First Nations refusing to participate in a NWT devolution agreement in principle.

Former premier Floyd Roland signed a framework deal in January 2011 to transfer federal powers over resources and land management from the federal government. He invited First Nations to be partners.

The Inuvialuit and Northwest Territory Metis Nation signed on, but other First Nations opposed it.

Then the Sahtu had a change of heart and became a partner.

The Gwich'in were so offended that they filed a lawsuit. However, the Gwich'in people elected new leadership, Bob McLeod became territorial premier and the lawsuit was withdrawn. The group actually threw its support behind the devolution agreement, which would grant the territory $65 million annually to run transferred programs.

The deal will also result in 50 per cent of resource revenue being turned over from the federal government to the territorial government. Half of that 50 per cent will go to aboriginal groups in the NWT, an estimated $2 million to $3 million per year each - for now. Further development projects could raise that figure dramatically

On the outside, by choice, are the Tlicho, Deh Cho and Akaitcho. The latter two groups do not have a settled land claim.

Deh Cho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, like his predecessor Samuel Gargan, has been vocal in his opposition to the devolution agreement in principle. Norwegian and Gargan view the deal as a means of empowering the GNWT.

"If we're not careful and we're not moving in the same direction, the whole devolution thing could turn into the devil's solution and I think we need to be very careful about that," Norwegian told his fellow chiefs at a Dene Nations assembly in Dettah late last month. "The devil's in the details. And we have to be very careful and very clear on what it is that we're looking at."

In January 2011, Gargan made a comparison between the devolution deal and the revolution that overthrew the government in Egypt. He said the situations were no different.

Of course the difference was, and still is, the ability to participate in decision-making. Citizens of countries ruled by despotic regimes have no say in governance. The Dehcho First Nations, like all aboriginal groups, is welcome to help craft a final devolution deal.

A better comparison for Norwegian to ponder is when Dehcho First Nations took a similar stance during negotiations on the proposed pipeline from Norman Wells to Zama. Alta. in the mid-1980s. The result of doing nothing then was the pipeline was built anyway, as we see it today.

Where are the revenues or other benefits for the Deh Cho from the oil flowing over Deh Cho land? There are none, as former Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jim Antoine pointed out recently. Were any lessons learned from that failed leadership? Apparently not. Antoine is the only Deh Cho leader advising co-operation on the devolution deal.

The same thing happened with the present Mackenzie Valley pipeline proposal. The Dehcho leadership refused to participate and instead filed lawsuits to stop it, frustrating aboriginal neighbours and potential partners with an eye to economic development for their people. The Dehcho, sensing they could not stop the project's momentum, wound up dropping the lawsuits and taking $31.5 million from the federal government in 2005 in return for a commitment not to launch any further court action.

Norwegian is right, the devil is in the details with devolution. For that reason, Dehcho, Akaitcho and Tlicho leaders will be in a better position to understand those details and to modify them by being part of the devolution negotiations process.

Refusing to participate again is futile and robs their people of a chance to become financially and politically self-sufficient.

Another potential tragedy has been averted due to the dedication and bravery of search and rescue personnel, as two Arviat hunters were found safe after a 24-hour search in -30 C temperatures late last month.

In this case, the search didn't have to happen.

These Arviat hunters were experienced and properly prepared to withstand the harsh conditions. However, they were late and their worried community had no course of action other than to rally a search during the tempestuous weather, which lasted an entire day.

What was really missing in this scenario was a SPOT Messenger, a GPS device costing in all about $200 in the first year and much less after that to have a satellite connection.

The SPOT would have given the Arviat hunters the option of sending, with the press of a button, one of three messages via satellite to any number of people and offices: 1. A message saying they were fine and showing exactly where they were on an Internet map. 2. A message asking friends to come, showing on an Internet map exactly where to find them. 3: A message that is sent to the Canadian Coast Guard or RCMP showing exactly where they are and saying come right away for an emergency situation.

A search and rescue database being piloted in Nunavut will identify the primary causes of its searches, and detail of how much time and effort is put in. Every year thousands of hours of volunteer time are spent on searches and the costs once added up are sure to be huge.

The time and money spent on searches could be saved by hunters, no matter how experienced or prepared, by grabbing one of the 20 SPOT devices available in each of Nunavut's communities, through local search and rescue groups or at hamlet offices.

Even if you're prepared to weather the most tumultuous of storms for days on end, your friends, family and community will be worried about you if you're late coming home. Every time you go out on the land, things beyond your control can happen. Bring a SPOT device - you'll save everyone a lot of time, money and, perhaps, heartache.

With the injection of $150,000 into airport security in a few Nunavut communities, the Government of Nunavut has taken a much-needed step toward keeping airplane travel safe.

Canadian North planes were broken into five times over two years in Pond Inlet. Residents didn't appreciate bad apples giving their community a bad name and the company was losing money. It was obvious Nunavut airports needed to be made more secure.

This new money is going to Pond Inlet, Cape Dorset, Iglulik, Arviat and Hall Beach, for things such as surveillance cameras and security guards. Though this doesn't cover all airports that may need the cash, it is an important step in the right direction. Airplane travel, so vital in Nunavut, must be kept safe.

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