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When the city of Calgary passed its public behaviour bylaw in November 2006 - one of the few Canadian cities to have such a bylaw - its stated target were late night revellers getting into fights and trashing the streets after bars closed and after Calgary Flames hockey games.

Opponents of the bylaw argued it would inevitably make homelessness illegal, and result in thousands of tickets being handed out to people who couldn't afford to pay them. Fineable offences include spitting, public urination and defecation, fighting, and inappropriately placing one's feet on public property. Fines range from $50 to $300.

The Calgary Police Service couldn't say who the main recipients of the tickets were during an interview with Calgary newspaper Fast Forward Weekly in 2011. But it did disclose that some 4,869 tickets were handed out in 2010.

Since Yellowknife doesn't have a Red Mile or an NHL sports team it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the intended target is now that the city is proposing a behaviour bylaw of its own. The item was presented during a city council strategic planning session two weeks ago.

While the city doesn't often contend with throngs of late-night partiers, it does have a homeless problem. Constant loitering, aggressive panhandling, and filthy downtown streets from spitting and public urination are reasons why Centre Square Mall closed off its south entrance in 2010.

But how futile would it be to give bylaw officers the power to give these people tickets for public behaviour offences? It's probably a safe assumption that they would be about as successful as the courts and the RCMP have been at mitigating the problem under the Criminal Code. If people thought parking ticket clerks have it rough, wait until the city unleashes its behaviour patrol out into the streets.

City council has made downtown revitalization a priority. Coping with Yellowknife's homeless population poses a very difficult challenge. But it's wasting its time trying to police it.

Emphasizing street and facade revitalization, along with continued advocacy for the expansion of social programs, such as an in-patient rehab clinic, are more productive paths to follow.

A behaviour bylaw can only lead to a ballooning municipal enforcement department no better suited to handling bad behaviour on downtown streets than they are today.

Patience and pain are perfect strangers, which is why injured worker Bruce McMahon does not wish to wait until next spring for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) to review its pain policy.

After breaking six ribs in a fall at work in 2007, the construction worker has suffered from back pain due to a pinched nerve. When the WSCC rejected his application for compensation to cover the cost of expensive pain medication, McMahon appealed to the NWT Human Rights Commission, where a settlement was eventually reached with the WSCC.

McMahon's case points to a crack in the system that needs to be repaired, sooner than later.

The WSCC's Permanent Impairment Rating Guide is presently being reviewed and until that task is complete, the subsequent pain policy review, scheduled for next March, will have to wait, according to commission president Dave Grundy.

While it seems the WSCC is decreasing the number of public complaints from applicants, suggesting the commission achieves far more successes than failures, the lack of consideration given to injured workers suffering from pain disorders requires swift resolution.

McMahon is calling on other injured workers to speak out by contacting their MLAs. Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley is asking for a review of the Workers' Compensation Act.

The WSCC should approach this growing outcry as an opportunity to improve, similar to the way the Department of Education, Culture and Employment vowed to immediately address recommendations by the auditor general of Canada on how to fix problems with the territory's social assistance programs.

Anything less than immediate action would be mean prolonged pain for people such as McMahon.

A heaping helping of Kivalliq kudos are warranted for everyone involved with the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament in Rankin Inlet this past week.

Organizer Adriana Kusugak is bang on when she says the community always steps up to the plate when it comes to supporting a cause.

It really has been a constant source of pride and amazement to me ever since I began calling Rankin home back in 1998.

For the business community, contrary to what some people might think, it's not always easy to simply write a cheque or pull a nice item off a store shelf and donate it to a fundraiser.

Yes, there are more than a few businesses in the Kivalliq that, shall we say, aren't exactly lacking in profits, but even they can experience slow times.

And, just as importantly, they can only say yes so many times.

Smaller and/or newer businesses have a much narrower profit margin to draw from.

Yet, time and time again, they find ways to support the fundraising efforts of worthy causes in our community.

And, I would be remiss if I did not mention our airlines.

As much as we all like to grumble about the cost of our tickets or freight, they also step up to the plate time and time again to provide free passes to be used as raffle or prize items, as well as for celebrity personalities or out-of-town guests and organizers to travel to our community.

They also help out a number of initiatives by shipping donated items to our communities free of charge.

But, beyond the obvious financial contributions from our business and corporate communities, there's also a true sense of community pride in Rankin when it comes to charity work and fundraising efforts.

No matter what one may think of our fine community, to suggest otherwise would be nothing less than sheer folly.

From the annual RCMP Christmas Hamper Drive, to the Terry Fox Run and numerous other cancer fighting activities, our own Deacon's Cupboard operation, literacy events, families in need, sports teams needing to travel and countless other initiatives throughout the year - Rankin Inlet is second to none when it comes to its generosity and community spirit.

Folks who come to help with fundraising events are treated with courtesy and respect, and our volunteers go out of their way to make sure, as best they can, our guests truly enjoy the Rankin experience.

The sense of pride even manifests itself during preparations, when our hamlet workers go the extra mile to add a touch of pizazz to the mix, as we saw this past week with the creation of the snowy golf course on Williamson Lake.

Fundraising and charity work can never solve all our ills, but they can certainly help make life a little better for a lot of folks.

To see a community take such pride in its efforts is truly inspiring.

The entire Kivalliq region is well-known for its generosity and fundraising efforts, but that little extra touch of personality can often go a long way.

And, in Rankin Inlet, that's par for the course.

Home sweet home is not a reality for many teachers in the NWT, especially in the smaller communities. In a recent report issued by the NWT Teachers' Association, our territory's educators speak out about issues they face: crowded and expensive accommodations; lack of water, furnace malfunctions, broken windows, and unsanitary conditions, to name a few. The absence of concrete housing information to offer potential recruits severely impairs the territory's ability to recruit and retain teaching staff.

Many job offers - 44 per cent of those who responded to the survey according to the report -- are declined because there is a lack of acceptable housing. Inadequate housing also creates stress, which filters into the classroom, affecting job performance.

RCMP officers stationed in small communities have accommodations provided for them. Locum nurses and doctors are provided staff housing for short periods of time through the GNWT. The territorial government was responsible for staff housing up until the 1990s. When it gave up this duty, that is when the housing crisis began to escalate, the report states.

Returning to a government-involved housing program makes sense. Certain standards must be met and accountable oversight needs to be in place.

The GNWT should create a partnership agreement with private business to ensure housing needs are met.

If the government were to cost share the construction of staff housing with a private developer and recuperate the money over time through a return on investment agreement it would provide a construction incentive and free the GNWT from the long-term costs of maintenance and management. Combined with stronger legislation to ensure proper maintenance and building standards and housing would no longer be a barrier to finding and keeping staff. With 97.5 per cent of teachers living in the community in which they work there is a solid business case for such a project as the private owner would be guaranteed tenants. Such a plan might also help free the GNWT of the costs associated with housing temporary health-care staff who might choose to stay longer if suitable accommodations were available.

Through this report, as well as the Department of Education Culture and Employment's review of the territory's education system, and the brave and necessary narratives from the teachers themselves, the GNWT must understand there is a crisis affecting those whose job it is to instill the territory's youth with knowledge. It is an issue that demands immediate action.

The government must listen to the pleas from our territory's educators. An investment in the well-being of teachers through proper housing will in turn invest in higher retention, student success and economic development in communities.

Artists from the NWT have returned home from a tremendous opportunity in the nation's capital to showcase their work. Northern Scene featured music, dance, visual arts, literature, food and fashion from the North from April 25 to May 4. The showcase was part of a series of festivals representing Canada's regions over the past 10 years to highlight artists and work from various regions.

Northern art and culture is something alluring and exotic to southern audiences, and judging by the masses that converged on Ottawa's National Arts Centre it's obviously thirsted for. Two shows put on by drum dancing groups were sold out. There was also an artists' market buzzing with shoppers hoping to get their hands on Northern art.

Media coverage from the event also ensured the stories of talent during the festival spread beyond the art centre's walls. Northern Scene opened Southern eyes to the fascinating ingenuity and craftsmanship of NWT artists. Not only did it show off the traditional pieces of art and performances from this territory, but also placed an important spotlight on the contemporary art that is being created every day.

The success of the festival calls for future events similar in scale for Northern artists to visit outside markets and shine.

We hope last week's article on Emanuel Maktar's efforts to raise awareness and spur discussion about suicide through a Pond Inlet walk will encourage others to follow in his footsteps.

Maktar, who lost his two older brothers to suicide, told Nunavut News/North that talking about the issue is very important, and that people can't just let their feelings turn dark in quietude when someone they love takes their own life ("Action against tragic problem," May 6). He's right.

First, let's look at it by the numbers. As of last summer there had been 379 suicides since 1999 in this territory of approximately 33,588 people. The age range of that group - 313 males, 66 females - went from 62 down to 12 years old. If we extrapolate, Nunavut's average of 29 suicides per year, per 33,588 people, would be 86 suicides per 100,000 people. Canada's national average is 11 suicides per 100,000 people.

Statistically, the problem is staggering. Looking at the human effects paints an even tougher picture.

The pall of grief after a suicide can wreak havoc on a community. Family and friends are distraught, sometimes irreconcilable. Acquaintances or even friends of friends, if not grieving directly for the victim, are grieving for those they love who are in pain. When considering the population numbers, it usually means entire communities suffer from these tragic death. It takes a while for someone to even wrap their mind around what happened, and then there is the battle to try and shake free of the darkness of it.

All the while, it's so hard to talk about. Such discussions are fraught with questions of why someone would take their life, and with guilt - almost always misplaced - at not having helped prevent the death.

Feelings of guilt, longing, depression and loneliness that arise from a loved one's death - self-inflicted or otherwise - are too heavy a burden to bear alone. The same can be said of bad feelings born from abuse, relationship troubles, or personal struggles with addiction, among other issues prevalent in the North.

Those struggling with depression or loss should talk to friends or family. If that's not a resource they can tap into, or if they want to talk to a professional, they can call the help-phone lines that are available to Nunavummiut.

Walks such as Maktar's and events organized by the Embrace Life Council are the perfect places to go for support. They're opportunities to be open for the day, to have these discussions and to see that those struggling are not alone. As famed fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was known to say, "There is nothing new under the sun" - other people have climbed out of the dark places one visits when depressed, or when they've lost someone to suicide. If you're there right now, seek these people out and use their road maps to healing. It won't necessarily be easy, but it's worth it. The cycle of suicide, loss, depression and more suicide can and must be broken.

If you need to talk to someone, the number for the Nunavut Kamatsaiqtut Help Line is 1-800-265-3333, and the number for the Kids Help Phone is 1-800-668-6868.

There are some obvious practical limitations to donating organs in the Northwest Territories.

Our tiny population precludes us from having a donor pool of much significance. The territory's isolation from other population centres in the country is another hindering factor.

Nonetheless, that doesn't mean we must check ourselves out of the equation altogether. Nor should we rely entirely on the generosity of southern donors when we or our loved ones are in desperate need of a replacement organ, such as a new heart, liver, or lungs.

According to the Department of Health and Social Services, it is possible to have deceased persons from the Northwest Territories flown down to Edmonton to have their organs harvested for donations. This has happened before but not for many years, says one official.

Perhaps what's needed is a little more incentive from the territorial government to educate Northerners that while we may be far away from harvesting facilities, as long as we have medevac flights, organ donations are possible.

Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny has been advocating for organ donor stickers on NWT driver's licences. While the decision to donate organs is still ultimately up to the families of the deceased, having a person's declared desire to donate their organs on something as universal as a driver's licence would be a powerful incentive for families and doctors to try and fulfil that wish.

Of course, for such a program to succeed requires a willing public to participate. Likely few people think about the importance of filling out organ donor cards until they themselves or a loved one are in need. The families featured in last Friday's Yellowknifer ("Waiting to live") show there is a need, made no less urgent by our territory's small population.

What happens to us after we die is not something most people wish to contemplate. But with a little more forward thinking and some public education, a day may come when NWT organ donors can make a difference. For a desperate family in need, it only takes one.

Last year, a report released by Avens - a Community for Seniors - called on private investors to develop more seniors housing in the city.

With the news that Granite Ventures is constructing a four-storey, 26-unit condominium complex for seniors in the area of 50 Avenue that already caters to seniors housing, such as Aven Manor and Northern United Place, it appears the call has been answered.

Greg Littlefair, the company's director, says the project will be the first of its kind in the city, being both affordable and green, while catering exclusively to residents 50 years old and older.

Clearly this kind of housing is needed in this city where residents are staying longer and living longer. According to the Avens report, the city's population of residents 60 years and older will grow to 16.2 per cent by 2025 from seven per cent in 2010, which translates into a projected 3,725 seniors living in a city of nearly 23,000.

Already, we're seeing wait times for seniors housing that are far too unacceptable. Earlier this year, Maureen "Squeak" Hall told of waiting nine years before finally being accepted into an apartment at Avens.

Long-time Yellowknife resident Theresa Crane's wish to get into a home with assisted living arrangements went unfulfilled. She died before an opening could be found.

Keeping seniors in Yellowknife adds to a vibrant community. Granite Ventures' new project will help make that possible.

In February, the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy advisory panel came to Fort Simpson.

During two sessions, approximately 36 residents, many part of the business community, discussed what is lacking and what is working for Fort Simpson's economy. One of the topics that was raised is how to develop and promote entrepreneurship in the village and the region. Many participants in the meetings agreed entrepreneurs are needed to create new businesses that would complement and support the region's economy. Most participants were also uncertain about how a sense of entrepreneurship could be developed.

A perfect answer was on display at Thomas Simpson School on May 6. A ceremony was held at the school to officially launch the Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program.

The program's goals include teaching aboriginal youth about business and entrepreneurship and encouraging them to complete their high school education and go on to post-secondary studies. For the Grade 11 portion of the program, which the school has been offering since January, students are challenged to develop an idea for a business.

With the help of a mentor and the program workbook, the students then work through all the stages of planning necessary for that business until they are ready to write a business plan.

The entrepreneurial business ideas that have emerged from the class are first rate. They include a hair salon, an expediting company to move people and goods and a business that caters to renting boats and ATVs to tourists. Dalton Simba, a student from Kakisa, is writing his business plan about opening a clothing store that would sell brand-name clothes. Simba, however, is also already considering opening a paintball business in his home community after he graduates. Having visited with tourists who stop at the local park, he knows there is a demand.

The Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program is proving that entrepreneurial values can be instilled in the younger generations in the Deh Cho. If programs like this one continue to receive support in the Deh Cho's schools through mentorship by community members and sponsorship, the economic future of the region will be bright indeed.

In a few years, the students who participate in the program could become the next business leaders in the communities across the region.

If you were looking for evidence that Inuvik's energy crisis has gotten out of hand, look no further than the famous Igloo Church.

In an interview last week, parish council spokesperson Doug Robertson spoke at length of how the church is struggling to keep up with heating bills that have jumped to an average of $3,400 a month from $2,000. That's not exactly a tenable financial position for any organization to be in.

Robertson said he's heard rumours the other Inuvik churches are experiencing similar problems. While they hadn't returned calls to the Inuvik Drum by press deadline, there's no reason to think their situation is much different.

It's been a long, cold winter and spring has yet to fully set in. If religious organizations are staggering under the yoke of paying that much to heat their buildings, it's not difficult to imagine how business and residential customers are also suffering.

It's a ridiculous situation for the town to be in. As has been reported repeatedly, Inuvik and the Beaufort Delta region are swimming in natural gas reserves.

What many Inuvik residents find frustrating, and I have to agree with them, is that these reserves aren't being utilized because it's not "financially and economically feasible."

Why can't a bit of humanity play in? In a region that has given years of oil supply, it is easy for residents to become cynical when their quality of life seems to be a non-issue as companies and government jockey for a profitable solution.

Gas companies have the right to make profits and face pressure from shareholders to do so. As well, the regulatory process for resource development in the North is notoriously complex. What we need is decisive action from the territorial government to encourage oil and gas activity in the region, through streamlining the regulatory process. It was the territorial government, after all, which encouraged Inuvik residents to sign on to natural gas in the first place, in the late 1990s.

Some people scoff at the cost of building the permanent road to Tuktoyaktuk, or the proposed construction of a Mackenzie Valley highway, but that's short-sighted thinking. As one of the consultants on the Mackenzie Valley fibre link project put it, sometimes projects make better social and human sense than economic or financial sense.

The same thing applies to the energy woes here in Inuvik and the Mackenzie Delta. The cost of living is getting way too high. Our business and government leaders must step up to the plate to bring the costs of heat in this Arctic community down to an acceptable level or we risk losing residents.

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