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It's becoming increasingly clear that the $975,000 the city used to purchase three downtown properties a year ago was not money well spent.

Instaloans fled from its 50 Street location in November after encountering problems with mould, and, of all things, a plague of mice. The exodus occurred seven months after a fuel leak was discovered behind the store, which, because it didn't have full insurance coverage, cost the City of Yellowknife $52,000 to clean up.

Last month, downtown's favourite spot for late-night snacks, Corner Mart, shut its doors - six weeks before its lease expired.

So there we have it, three 50 Street properties - purchased on the backs of city taxpayers - making not a dime in rent or tax revenue a year after they were acquired. The plan - though it remains vague - appears to have been to raze this troubled "Range Street" block and redevelop it with affordable housing.

"That would probably be a good one," said former mayor Gord Van Tighem when asked if the three lots were the likely location for the city-subsidized "eco-housing project" shortly after the city purchased the properties in January 2012. The eco-housing designation is there to emphasize the project's environmentally-friendly features such as shared rooftop gardens and solar panels but at a low cost to potential buyers.

Four months later, however, in a meeting attended by Van Tighem, the eco-housing project task force was told the 24-unit development was now to be built on 48 Street, next door to Boston Pizza.

It's not clear why the city-owned property on 50 Street fell out of favour, although it seems likely the city's inability to convince the owners of the Gold Range and Raven Pub buildings to sell their properties had something to do with it. Who wants to live sandwiched between two rowdy bars? No matter how "eco" the project, or how low the selling price.

The latest plan - at least for the time being - involves tearing down the buildings at a cost of $200,000 and converting the three lots into a "temporary" parking lot.

This begs an important question: how long will this parking lot remain there between two bars and facing a boarded up mall across the street?

City administration says a redevelopment task force will commence a design plan for Range Street in 2014. But given the city's track record to date there is a real danger for inertia to set in while city council is playing developer and trying to figure out what to do with these properties once the bulldozers level them. This one-block stretch of 50 Street was originally scheduled to undergo a "streetscaping" similar to what was completed at the other end of Franklin Avenue in 2009. But it was postponed in 2010 and again last year.

The prudent option for council would be to cut its losses and sell the lots now, even if at a rock-bottom price. Surely there is a developer out there willing to redevelop some downtown lots for cheap, and to council's specifications for downtown renewal, even if a zoning change is required. Developers haven't had any problem revamping other downtown eyesores such as the 52 Street block where the Greenstone building now stands or the Gallery building across the street. This is because, unlike the city, they can't afford to let undeveloped properties sit idle.

The alternative is further dithering while city coffers remain unrewarded by property taxes from its downtown purchases.

Before I took up curling I used to wonder why anyone would want to watch that sport on television.

To be honest, I wonder that about a number of sports, but curling was near the top of the list.

Watching people throw rocks down a sheet of ice while trying to hit other rocks and follow rules that I didn't understand at all was not an appealing prospect.

My appreciation for curling has grown considerably since then during my years in Fort Simpson, although my skill level has sadly not kept pace. Curling, I have discovered since starting to play about four years ago, is a game of great finesse.

Just a little more or less weight or a little more of less handle or spin on a rock and the outcome of a throw will be drastically different.

Trying to attain that level of skill is one of the joys and challenges of curling. Now when I see competitive bonspiels on television, I can appreciate just how skilled those curlers are and how easy they are making something look that is actually quite difficult.

Luckily, one of the other great joys of curling is that each throw can also contain unexpected and sometimes better than you hoped for outcomes.

It is redeeming when, although your skip told you to do one thing with your rock, you accidentally end up doing something completely different, but it turns out to help your team more than the original move would have.

One of the best parts of curling, however, and something you can't get from just watching it on television, is the social aspect.

Winters, as Deh Cho residents know, are long and cold. Curling is a winter sport that offers, at least in Fort Simpson where there is a curling club, an opportunity to get a bit of exercise once a week and visit with fellow curlers.

The Fort Simpson Merchants' Mixed Bonspiel, which was held last weekend, is a great opportunity to see the social aspect of curling in play. It is wonderful to see so many people gathered together having a good time while the temperature hovers around -39 C outside.

If I had options, curling still wouldn't be the thing I'd choose to watch on television, but I now encourage anyone to give it a try. With our long winters there is lots of time for practise.

When you commit to getting a dog you are committing to a lifetime together.

You are taking your canine to be your long-time companion, to feed and to cuddle from adoption day forward for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part.

So before shackling yourself to the old ball and chain you need to really consider if you're ready. Start by doing a little dating. Offer to take care of a friend's dog for a few days or volunteer to foster an animal from the Beaufort Delta Regional SPCA.

If that goes well and you're still gung-ho, then you need to start thinking about homes and having children.

All too often there are dogs running around Inuvik without their owners. This shouldn't be a regular occurrence. It's dangerous and it could land the puppy in the pound.

Thus, new dog owners and current owners need to provide their pet with proper housing. Some residents in town opt to keep their dogs outside but there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing this route, and some owners don't give their pets what they need.

If your dog is going to live outside it should have a place for sleeping and a big enough area to run around in. The dog should not be left chained up for long periods of time because it can lead to injuries. The animal also needs to have protection from the elements and extreme temperatures.

Hydration is another issue for dogs living outside. In the winter you can't just stick a bowl of water out there because it will freeze. Instead, owners need to provide animals with something like small frozen blocks of soup.

Moreover, outside dogs need attention just like those living indoors. Owners need to make time for the animal and ensure it doesn't become bored or lonely. How would you feel if someone stuck you in a cage and left you there?

Strays are a big problem in the North and owners need to do their part not to add to it. So if you aren't ready for puppies, then do as Bob Barker says and "help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered."

Every dog deserves a loving home, so do some thinking before committing.

Excitement among hockey fans has been building across the North for weeks and now it is Yellowknife's turn to get caught up in the action.

The Northern Hockey Challenge, which is a grassroots effort to form a Northern hockey league with teams in the NWT, Nunavut and Nunavik, Que., is coming to the Yk Arena on Friday and Saturday night with games against Inuvik.

Judging from the action last week in Inuvik and Kuujjuaq, this is fast-paced, action-packed hockey featuring all the fan favourites - hard checking, power plays, timeouts and even one instance of a team pulling the goalie in the final minutes to get an extra man on the ice. Arenas in the communities have hosted hundreds of fans in the first few games of the schedule, home-and-home stands which ended with each team winning one game. Inuvik took the opener 7-5 and Hay River won the second game 3-1 in the Roy "Sugloo" Ipana Memorial Arena in Inuvik. In Kuujjuaq, the home team posted a 15-5 victory over Iqaluit in its opener but dropped a 5-4 decision in the following night's rematch.

The Yellowknife First Air Flyers will be sporting the colours of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. The uniforms are actually a tribute to a mid-80s rec hockey team that used to play in Yellowknife.

That's where the retro trend ends, however. The Northern Hockey Challenge Facebook page is active with almost 8,000 page views in the first weekend. And those with a Twitter account can follow the action through short updates posted several times per period.

What better way to sum it up than by quoting this online comment: "Series all tied up with Iqaluit and Hay River both winning their games last night! What a great weekend of hockey! Thanks everyone for coming out to cheer on your team. Stay tuned for more great end-to-end Northern Hockey Challenge action next weekend!"

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. for both games. See you there!

Yellowknife is the premier gateway to one of world's leading natural attractions in the aurora borealis, and the city should take further advantage of this brilliant phenomenon.

Japanese tourists have shown thousands of people are willing to travel across the globe to experience the Northern lights from the boreal forest.

Aurora viewing remains a vibrant industry, having rebounded to 6,776 tourists in 2010-11 from a low of 5,460 visitors in 2008-09, according to Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment statistics.

This season - considered to be most active in the solar cycle that feeds the Northern lights - aurora tourists from Japan often occupy more than half of the 50 seats in the nightly Air Canada Jazz flights from Calgary.

Recent initiatives to attract tourists from China and fresh discussions about reaching out to European travellers could help further strengthen and expand the industry.

An information session held here earlier this month by B.C.-based company Fraserway RV offered creative ideas for making Yellowknife more attractive for German, Austrian and Swiss tourism markets, such as by creating a network of recreational vehicle tour options between Calgary, Yellowknife and Whitehorse.

Tourism and parks director Richard Zieba said making Yellowknife a hub for European RV tours could help attract direct flights from Switzerland's Edelweiss Air to our city.

Whitehorse attracts direct Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt, Germany, which should give Yellowknife tour operators a sense of what is possible, especially given the fact that Yellowknife offers the best aurora viewing opportunities in the world.

Businesses and government should work together to make the sky the limit when it comes to aurora tourism.

This past weekend a number of important hockey games were played in Arviat, Inuvik and Kuujjauq, Nunavik.

Arviat hosted its annual Jon Lindell Memorial senior men's event, while Inuvik played host to Hay River and Kuujjuaq hosted Iqaluit in the new Northern Hockey Challenge.

At the same time, the Arctic Atoms tourney was being held in Rankin.

Two of the three senior events shared an alarming point.

Both the tournament in Arviat and the games in Kuujjuaq were officiated by southern officials.

The Arviat games were called by three refs from Manitoba, while the games in Northern Quebec were called by three from Montreal.

Both were by necessity, not design nor preference.

The fact hockey is surging in popularity across the North is a wonderful thing.

The game is helping more and more people of all ages stay physically active, instilling a sense of teamwork in numerous youth and injecting many communities with pure excitement.

Hockey is also bringing extra revenue into the hamlets hosting the events, and many of those benefitting from that have little or no involvement with the game.

On the downside is the fact the increasing number of events has already far eclipsed the number of officials able to call the games, especially in Nunavut.

Believe it or not, the hockey crazy Kivalliq has but three full-time (as in only reffing, not playing) officials.

They are yours truly, Max MacDonald and Damian MacInnis, all of Rankin Inlet.

MacInnis had to journey East for awhile and is unavailable for the vast majority of the hockey season.

Two players in Rankin, Donald Clark and David Clark, are certified and ref games when they're not playing, coaching, selecting teams or organizing tournaments.

There is no longer a certified official in the Kivalliq outside of Rankin.

I've been around this wonderful game for half a century now and I can tell you, whether you want to believe it or not, solid officiating is absolutely necessary for good hockey to be played.

But we've reached the point where playing the games at all is in danger, let alone solid officiating or top-level hockey.

Right now, either tens of thousands of dollars are spent during tournament season to bring outside officials in or the games don't get played.

Simple as that.

It's past time for our territorial and branch organizations to push officiating needs a lot higher on their priority lists.

It's great to spend money to bring coaches in to help increase the skill level of our youths, and to put smiles on faces with fun days and other similar events, but, without refs, our kids have to go south to truly learn to play the game in the proper manner.

More people have to step up and train to become officials or the momentum the game's built in the past decade will come to a screeching halt.

In fact, for the situation to reach the level it's at is reason to hand out a number of gross misconducts to all who have stood idly by and done nothing to help!

In Nunavut, hockey officials truly have become the Rodney Dangerfields of the hockey world.

If all goes according to plan, preliminary work for the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk all-season highway could begin this winter.

That is good news for the Beaufort Delta, which will reap the benefits of a year-round link to the Dempster Highway.

Not only will it be a boost for tourism, the road will also help reduce freight costs, create jobs and potentially open the area to more economic development.

It is essential the GNWT move quickly and efficiently on this project to avoid the same costly mistakes it made during the construction of the Deh Cho Bridge.

When the road was first announced its estimated cost was approximately $200 million, with $150 million coming from the federal government. Since then, the estimated costs have climbed to between $250 million and $300 million.

As costs rise, the viability of the project decreases, especially if the 25/75 per cent funding split with the federal government is not maintained.

Project expenditures will not decrease as years pass. If construction is delayed too long, a price tag of half a billion dollars can be expected.

Once the environmental assessment and cost estimate report are released, which the GNWT states should happen before the end of the month, work must commence. With 85 per cent of the design work completed, preliminary work on the ground should begin as soon as possible.

The GNWT has often lamented the fact it is hard pressed to fill the demand for capital projects in the territory due to its financial situation. This should be more reason to complete the road quickly. The more dollars needed for the Inuvik to Tuk Highway in the future, the fewer that will be available for other much-needed projects.

More than 300 children are in the care of social services in the NWT.

Unfortunately, with only 241 eligible foster homes, finding homes in a child's community can be a challenge. The solution isn't an easy one and comes down to more than simply recruiting more suitable foster parents. Retention is also an issue.

The Foster Family Coalition is calling on the GNWT to review its foster child program with an emphasis on improving training and bringing the system's standards into line with other Canadian jurisdictions.

The first priority should be providing families with training that will help them deal with the challenges of fostering. Equipping them with those vital tools will help ensure children are not moving from home to home when problems arise. Reviewing the territory's compensation policy, which has not been updated in a decade, according to coalition president Pat Strus, is also essential.

Investing in better training and benefits for foster families is essential. Providing children with a safe, healthy and positive place to grow up will save the government money in the long run.

The alternative is spending the money in the legal system. That's the high cost to communities when uncared for children turn to drugs, alcohol and other associated crime.

There is no shortage of hockey in the North, but the newly-crafted pan-territorial championship is adding a new dimension to the sport.

Nunavut communities have their own teams and championships, and there are some regional and territorial tournaments as well, all of which are essential to the development of top-notch players in the North. These events give youth an outlet to focus their energy and a venue to prove themselves in competition.

That said, the Northern Hockey Challenge could add an even greater degree of prestige to the game in the North, especially if it gets the league status it aims to acquire. For established players, it's a reward for their dedication to playing the sport in the North. For youth, it's something to aim for.

Of course, it's never wise to count one's chickens before they hatch. The tournament just kicked off this past weekend and we'll see how this season plays out. It has the ingredients it needs to be a success, however, especially considering the sport's popularity.

First Air deserves praise for backing the event. The company states it will be remove barriers for teams to travel, and that's usually one of the biggest issues in bringing teams together for events like this in the North.

It's this kind of corporate citizenship, with a savvy eye for what could benefit the territories, that endears a company to its clientele.

The organizers have done their part to make this happen. The athletes will be doing their part to provide the action. Now it's time for Nunavummiut to show their support in the stands by holding signs and cheering the players on.

With food availability and affordability being pressing issues in Nunavut, it's worth applauding Kivalliq Arctic Foods' approach to donations.

Many companies will sponsor events around Nunavut with financial support, and are thus recognized as a partner or are advertised in conjunction with the event. This type of promotion is win-win for all involved and without it many events might not happen.

Kivalliq Arctic Foods, however, has taken a different approach to giving back, though one that's perhaps less visible. It is a country food business, so it is working with organizations around the territory to provide the delicious and nutritious food to those who can't afford it.

The company deserves accolades for this approach, and for its decision not to charge shipping costs on the country food packs it sells to families. A bit of compassion from business goes a long way in making the territory a more appealing place to live for the less fortunate.

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