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Residents across the North received some welcome news last week that the office of the auditor general of Canada will conduct a performance audit on Nutrition North.

We have been hearing rumblings for a while that the announcement was coming after six MPs passed a motion in Parliament last June asking for the federal watchdog to get involved. The pressure was mounting on the issue ever since the legislative assemblies all three territories passed motions asking that an audit be conducted.

While political calls for action are important, we suggest awareness of the issue grew for many people when the lobby group Feeding My Family united with one voice and became vocal about food insecurity and the high cost of groceries in the North.

Its Facebook posts - showing a two-kilogram head of cabbage priced at $28.52, green peppers priced at $10.25 each, 24 500-ml bottles of water for $104.99 and a two-kilogram package of cooked crispy chicken at the store in Arctic Bay for $64.99 - really got some tongues wagging.

Prominent news coverage sparked discussion and people across Canada and around the world expressed outrage about the prices that are being charged for food in the North.

The price of shipping items such as cabbage and other healthy food products is supposed to be subsidized by the Nutrition North program, which came in effect on April 1, 2011. In reality, the program resulted in only a small drop in prices on some items. There was an average drop of eight per cent in the cost of a standard Northern food basket over an 18-month period.

Nutrition North is supposed to be able to lower the price of food by negotiating lower freight rates with transportation companies, primarily airlines, with the savings passed on to consumers. But observers say that somewhere along the line, between the food wholesaler in the south, the retailer in the North and the consumer, the intended result of the program is not being achieved.

We're confident, based on other audits conducted by the auditor general, that the final report will shed some light on the shortcomings of the program as it is currently being operated.

The only problem is the length of time between now and when changes might be realized.

It isn't until the fall of 2014 that the auditor general expects to release its findings.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, which administers the program, is aware of the audit and has stated that there will be no changes planned in the near future.

People in the North, in the meantime, should encourage policy-makers and retailers to find other ways to lower the cost of food.

Hungry families need relief from high grocery prices sooner rather than later. Any measures that can be taken, either at a political level or from the grassroots, will be welcome while the audit is being undertaken.

Ah, Old Town.

In many ways, the neighbourhood is Yellowknife's last gasp at preserving the pioneering spirit that built this city. It is a place where it's still difficult to walk around without running into at least three people you know, where you can haul your own water, chop your own wood and then kick back after a hard day's work and play some tunes with a few good friends.

The pride Old Towners take in their community was on full display last weekend for the 2013 edition of the Ramble and Ride festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival aims to display the unique character and culture that only exists in the oldest part of Yellowknife.

So, what is it exactly that makes Old Town unique? It's the squatter shacks interspersed between the mini-mansions, the picturesque houseboat community, and the high percentage of artists and free thinkers who choose to call the area their home. Above all, it's the freedom to do what you want when you want to do it.

What would Yellowknife be without Old Town? Just another cookie-cutter small city - but one that's farther away and more expensive to live in than most others. Despite all the griping and grumbling about "water squatters" and tax avoiders, any newcomer or tourist who wants to experience the unique culture of the North is inevitably pointed down the hill.

It's a tall order to display all that in a single weekend festival, but this year's organizers and volunteers managed to pull it off.

The weather finally co-operated and the sunny skies and hot days boosted attendance over previous years as hundreds filtered through to take in the live performances and art displays.

Highlights from the weekend included an expanded artists' market, which was particularly well-attended on Saturday, the many musicians and storytellers who put on stellar performances and interactive displays that allowed ramblers to try their hand at crafting. For example, Dene elder Sarah Cleary set up shop in the Gallery of the Midnight Sun both days and invited anyone who looked interested to pull up a chair and start beading while she entertained them with tales of growing up in the bush.

There were a few gaps. After all the consultation and work the city has put into Government Dock in the past year, the area sat inexplicably abandoned for the entire weekend.

On Saturday, there was a distinct lack of food for sale, especially near the artists' market, although the three neighbourhood restaurants were all open. However, people came prepared with barbecues the following day to try and fill the void left behind by the absence of Yellowknife's food trucks.

And that, for us, is what Old Town culture - and Northern culture, really - is all about: people helping each other out, inviting the stranger roaming by to come participate, and simply getting out there and taking in the sights and sounds that make this place unique.

Education – it's a hot-button topic in the territory.

The contentious nature of discussions about education and the education system rise from a number of factors, the first being that education is mostly about youth.

Everyone, especially parents, want to see youth succeed at school. Educational success is seen as an indicator for future career and personal successes.

When students aren't doing well, parents and community members start looking for places to put the blame. This often happens if students have to upgrade before qualifying for a college or university program.

The education system is also a touchy issue because of the history residential schools have left in the territory. While the parents of current students may not have attended residential schools, their parents and grandparents did. The collective memory of how education was addressed in the past can often colour attitudes toward it today.

Education is also a hot topic because in the NWT, there is a lot of talk about bridging the gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students. There seems to be divisive lines between the education being received by youth in larger centres and those in the smaller communities where most students are aboriginal.

Although education can be a hard topic to tackle, it is important to keep it in the limelight. Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche is doing this by drawing attention to the lack of upward trajectory in student academic success as seen through the results of the Alberta Achievement Tests and functional grade levels. Menicoche is calling on Jackson Lafferty, the minister of education, to make positive changes that will result in improved student performance.

The reply from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is that a review of the education system is underway and that Lafferty is well aware of the lack of progress in the test results. The fact that the department is already looking at ways to better support students and their learning, doesn't diminish Menicoche's call for action.

It is only by continually pressing for an improved education system and by keeping parents and community members engaged and informed about the development of that system, that positive changes will be made.

The youth in the Deh Cho and the rest of the territory are, after all, the future of the NWT. It is only right that community leaders should be advocating for the best possible education for them.

Sometimes there is no substitute for traditional knowledge.

I was reminded quite plainly of how we haven't improved on Northern knowledge despite the best efforts of the scientific approach by a couple of recent events.

The first was at the Arctic Market three weeks ago where, totally on impulse, I purchased a lightweight hooded pullover with a pleasing design from Brenda Jerome, one of the venders there.

I mention her not to plug her business or her skills, which are considerable, but instead to praise her astute comment.

I've been complaining about the bugs most of the summer, which many, many people have heard – likely too often. At the time I bought the pullover, I was actually looking for something for my wife, who has a fondness for purple. I was hoping to make arrangements to have something made for her when I spotted the light cotton pullover I would impulsively buy.

Jerome and another vender, Alice Kimiksana, assured me I would find the garment more than useful to keep the sun off and help keep the insects away. I liked the colour, fit and design and decided to give it a try.

I generally use the typical bug jacket and pants to help ward off the insects, with a distinct lack of success I might add. I've been bitten repeatedly right through the jacket, although the pants have been more successful. So I was ready to give the pullover a whirl, but had certain doubts as to its effectiveness.

Much to my surprised delight, the pullover has been wildly successful for me. I haven't been bitten through it, and it's immensely comfortable.

A week later, I was back at the market wearing the pullover, much to Jerome's satisfaction. She smiled when I started raving about how well it worked.

"See," she said without a trace of smugness. "We know something about what works in the North."

That got me thinking about just how right she is.

Another conversation, this time with paddling guru and boat-builder Kevin Floyd, reinforced the point.

He's been busy the last few years recreating the traditional kayak designs used for generations here in the Mackenzie Delta.

Floyd has nothing but high praise for the craft he's painstakingly reconstructed, saying nothing in the mass-produced lines of manufactured boats can compare.

The traditional boats are more agile, more stable and faster, he said, all factors in making them superbly adapted to conditions in the North and the most practical crafts imaginable.

That's something to ponder in a time where less and less emphasis is put on learning from the past.

Sometimes, things really were better in the good old days.

This past week, a release from Statistics Canada revealed some startling information about both Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories - the territory has the highest crime severity rate in the country, and it's going up as most of the country has been going down.

Yellowknife ranked fourth in the country for its crime severity index, a statistic that weighs the severity of reported crimes in such a manner where it eliminates a high reportage of crime, something prone to happen in a city with a relatively high police presence, such as ours.

The report came at the same time as two sexual assaults in the early hours of July 30, with both incidents happening within hours of each other. One incident saw an individual break into someone's home, and the other occurred on the McMahon-Frame Lake Trail.

On our Facebook page, when we asked whether people felt safe on the trail, we received a generally negative response, with one woman saying she keeps her keys handy when she walks on the trail so that she can use them in self-defense. Others suggest better lighting, emergency phones and security cameras.

Such measures are used by many universities and colleges in the south, especially on campuses that have seen a high rate of sexual assaults. Getting rid of dark walking paths and providing a direct line to police is a good way to start.

Last Thursday evening, the RCMP held its semi-regular Take Back the Night event, where officers made their presence felt in the downtown core, especially toward the closing of bars. Knowing that police officers are there and ready to help if need be is a welcome sign.

Lydia Bardak, executive director of the John Howard Society in Yellowknife, said last week that many crimes in town start with alcohol, which takes away the filter of an individual, and often leads them to do things they otherwise wouldn't.

Insp. Frank Gallagher of the RCMP agreed that alcoholism leads to problems in the city.

A reactive policy isn't the way to go, because if the criminal justice system just puts people in jail following a crime and doesn't address the situations that led to it happening in the first place, it is just setting the stage for a vicious cycle of crime.

Various studies, including from the Sentencing Advisory Council in Victoria, Australia, the British Ministry of Justice and Wayne State University in Detroit have shown that those who are imprisoned are more likely to recommit crimes upon their release if proper rehabilitation measures aren't in place.

There needs be a proactive stance on crimes by all levels of government, working to stop them before they happen. Investments in programs to help curb alcoholism and other addictions will ensure individuals receive the help they need before they turn to crime. Make sure parts of town are modified for people to feel safe, perhaps with the addition of lighting or emergency telephones which can deter crimes from happening in the first place, or in the worst scenario, provide an immediate vehicle for a call for help.

It's about time! That was the response from a majority of people across the Kivalliq upon learning auditor general Michael Ferguson in Ottawa had agreed to review the federal Nutrition North program this past month.

The Tories have stubbornly dug in their heels in support of the program, which has been under almost constant attack since being implemented in 2011.

And the backlash hasn't just been from the Kivalliq, or from across Nunavut for that matter.

All three territories have voiced their concerns over the program, and all asked for its complete review.

The review won't be quick. Its final conclusions aren't expected to be released until the fall of next year.

I've been against Nutrition North for a number of reasons, all well-documented in this space over the years.

The program allows our major retailers to negotiate downright ridiculous freight rates with our Northern airlines, benefits vegetarians (lots of them in the North) while penalizing meat eaters, and, most importantly, is neither culturally sensitive nor in tune with the financial reality many Nunavummiut face while trying to feed their families.

The feds crow about an "average" eight per cent drop -- based on prices gleaned from registered retailers (giggle) -- for a standard Northern food basket over a staggering 18-month period.

Meanwhile, it's been estimated no less than 75 per cent of Inuit preschoolers live in food-insecure homes, about half our youths aged 11 to 15 sometimes go to bed hungry, and a staggering 66 per cent of Inuit parents sometimes run out of food and can't afford more. Can you say serious disconnect?

We're guessing none of those parents are in the upper echelon of our major retailer's shareholders.

Another issue I have with Nutrition North, and one shared by many, is those who defend it often make it sound like I'm a liar.

Now a single man, and with my children having grown, I have an advantage over those struggling to put food on the table for families.

Yet facts are facts, and I don't like being made to feel I'm full of hooey.

The fact of the matter is my ex-wife and I, under the old food mail program, ate healthier for almost the same price it costs me to shop locally in Rankin Inlet today.

There's something basically wrong with that, no matter what Mr. Harper's we-know-what's-best-for-you spin doctors would have you believe.

The truth of the matter is you're getting more lip action from their rhetoric than you'll ever get from the food savings Nutrition North brings your way.

The feds have no real idea of how the subsidies are being passed on to consumers, especially when teamed with the far lower cargo rates the retailers enjoy now compared to when Nutrition North was first launched.

Heck, I'd even bet $10 (about half a pork chop) they have no way of even knowing how much of all the subsidized plants and roughage shipped to our communities even escapes the dump to make it to a family dinner table.

If knowledge truly is power, when it comes to Nutrition North, the feds don't have enough to light a soon-to-be mandatory energy-efficient bulb.

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