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Justice Louise Charbonneau of the NWT Supreme Court declared a mistrial last week in the case involving former Inuvik teacher Hughes Latour, charged with sexual touching and encouraging sexual touching of a person under the age of 16. The mistrial was called for lack of jurors because only two of the random 1,200-person pool were French speakers.

As a right-holder under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the accused has the right to a French trial.

In fact, in May 2012, Latour was convicted in an English-language trial on separate charges of assault and forcible confinement of his then-17-year-old girlfriend, but Justice Charbonneau overturned that conviction because Latour had not been properly informed of his right to a trial in French. A new trial on those charges has yet to be scheduled.

The situation was exacerbated in court last week when Crown prosecutor Marc Lecorre suggested, in a last-ditch effort, that someone should be charged with going out into the city and finding bystanders and residents to fill the vacant jury spots. This is the same prosecutor that told Yellowknifer in January 2013, that last week's trial was expected to last up to five days and would be conducted in French.

This case was not a surprise - to the NWT Department of Justice, the Crown or the court. If the justice department, the Crown, the court and French right-holders can rise to the occasion when it comes to the education of the children of French right-holders here in Yellowknife, they should be capable of rising to the occasion when it comes to fulfilling their responsibilities in fair judicial processes for the accused.

The Department of Justice must find a way to ensure a French jury can be selected here in the territory. In B.C., accused French-speakers also have the right to a trial in French. The province has a discreet French-speaking juror list. In fact, French-speaking British Columbians are encouraged to contact the government and have their names transferred from the usual database to the French speakers' database.

Census numbers from 2011 indicate that there are 810 people - 4.3 per cent of the city's population - in Yellowknife who claim French as their mother tongue. The NWT Department of Justice, knowing it had court proceedings ahead requiring French jurors, should have created a list months ago.

Last week, the store known until recently as the downtown Extra Foods reopened following a short closure and weeks of headaches to those having to shop there during renovations.

Bare shelves were filled with product, the produce section expanded with more fresh fruits and vegetables on offer and new freezers to replace the overfilled open-top ones. Now known as Glen's Your Independent Grocer, the location is the first of two major revitalization projects in Yellowknife by Canadian grocery giant Loblaws.

And Loblaws isn't the only business revamping and expanding their stores here in Yellowknife. The Canadian Tire on Old Airport Road is in the middle of an expansion that will see its site grow by nearly 50 per cent. The company is also planning to bring SportChek to town, and there's even the possibility of a gas bar.

These business expansions and revamps show their faith in Yellowknife as a viable place to set up shop. These companies are investing thousands if not millions of dollars into making their locations better for consumers - the type of consumer that Canadian Tire CEO Stephen Wetmore referred to as "extremely loyal."

Other businesses should take heed at the example set by Loblaws and Canadian Tire - it's worth investing in business in Yellowknife.

Should all go according to plan and Prime Minister Stephen Harper lands in Rankin Inlet today, Aug. 21, there's little doubt he'll be happy to have escaped the capital to visit the North.

Over the past few months, Harper has been under intense media scrutiny over questionable spending gone mad in the capital.

It's reached the point where auditor general Keith Ferguson intends to review the travel and office expenses of each and every Canadian senator.

Leading the way in this political version of the Keystone Cops gone bad are star performers senators Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin, ably backed by the supporting cast of senators Mac Harb (a Liberal, at least) and Patrick Brazeau (currently suspended for being charged, but not yet convicted, of sexual assault).

Duffy earned rave reviews for his performance as a nomadic, slightly-confused Senate appointee who couldn't recall where he called home for the majority of the year.

Wallin delivered the performance of the year, and has been nominated for the coveted duplicate cheque award for her portrayal of a time-travelling pseudo-intellectual who loves to visit her condo in The Big Smoke and figures what's a year or two's difference on an electronic calendar for an expense claim between friends?

In fairness to Duffy, he did pay back $90,000 of his rather questionable expenses, although that was only after Harper's former chief of staff Nigel Wright helped him out of a financial jam by writing a cheque for, well, $90,000.

There's no word on whether current chief of staff Ray Novak (the former University of Western Ontario's president for the Reform party -- wink, wink) was doing any online banking when Wallin paid a little more than $38,000 back on the $121,000 she owes in travel expenses.

Of course, the silence is understandable, given Harper's director of communications, Andrew MacDougall, gave his notice this past week, and will be leaving for a job in jolly old England this coming September with a London-based strategic communications firm.

Harper has averaged about one director of communications per year since 2006.

The prime minister has tried to play the strong silent type through this murky production, denying any knowledge of the cheque issued to Duffy and defending Wallin's overall travel claims, which he claimed to have personally reviewed.

But, make no mistake about it, Harper's credibility has taken a major hit among the vast majority of Canadians.

His cone-of-silence approach to governance, devoid of openness or accountability, is catching up to him.

The Government of Nunavut has long admired the cone-of-silence model, gagging many frontline workers from speaking on the record.

One can only hope our politicians are paying attention as the Tory cone melts away to expose the seedy underbelly which always accompanies those who believe they operate above reproach.

But, with an election on the horizon, most of them will be too busy working deals and plotting strategy for re-election behind closed doors to take any notice or learn from the Tory mistakes.

Which means, shortly after Oct. 28: meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

And that's a wrap.

The sweet smell that hangs in the thick, smokey air throughout the summer is a constant reminder that forest fires are still going strong and our territory's firefighters are hard at work monitoring some and fighting others.

This year, there have been more than 200 forest fires and the dry, windy conditions don't seem to be letting up any time soon. Unfortunately, fire crews have been tied up with preventable forest fires on top of their already-busy workload.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) has logged more than 12 person-caused fires so far this fire season. Last year, the department spent nearly $1 million on fighting 25 person-caused fires. That is a little less than $40,000 per fire burning a hole in taxpayers' wallets.

This type of irresponsibility wasn't always a problem in the NWT, but has become more common. According to the department's 2009/10 business plan, it states, "until recently person-caused fires have historically not been of concern in the NWT. This has begun to change over the past two to three years with increased development activity on the landscape." The report adds there were 20 person-caused forest fires in 2006-07 and 31 in 2007-08.

There are enforcement measures in place to deter people from this type of behaviour. According to the Forest Protection Act, if a person leaves a fire before it is extinguished, they can be fined between $25 and $1,000 and imprisoned for 30 days to two years. If a fire is started when there is a campfire ban or open burning prohibition and results in a wildfire, the act states a person could be fined up to $10,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs, which is only fair.

It only takes a little bit of time to ensure campfires are out. Doing so could save department resources, property, and even lives. These fires, started by people, are usually set close to communities, creating a risk to areas where people live.

The department is busy enough dealing with naturally-caused forest fires, from such sources as lightning, without adding preventable forest fires to the list of things to do. Residents of the territory must exercise caution when enjoying the outdoors.

Although school textbooks are still hidden away for the summer for some students, youth in Fort Good Hope recently enjoyed reading and learning concepts through a literacy camp.

It was the first of its kind in the community. The three-week camp offered by the Frontier College was designed to promote literacy through stories read aloud to campers, reading, following recipes and cooking as well.

The camp was extremely popular, with approximately 30 youths aged five to 12 attended the event at Chief T'Selehye School every weekday.

There was also a waiting list of youth hoping to join in if there was space available. The camp organizer, Fort Good Hope's Lael Kronick, said she hopes the camp will run next year maybe with an extra so more youth can take part.

Hopefully this is the case. A camp that focuses on literacy, and places youth in a fun and educational environment in the summer, will create a better transition back to school.

Recent Alberta Achievement Tests and functional grade levels results scream that more needs to be done in the NWT education system.

Creating a positive association with school through these summer camps might give youth the initiative to attend class more regularly, and help create a stronger academic foundation.

The price of Inuit art on the national and international markets reached monumental proportions recently.

A world record for Inuit art sold at auction was set last year at Waddington's auction house in Toronto when The Migration, a sculpture created in the 1970s by the late Inuit artist Joe Talirunili, was sold for $290,000.

The sculpture depicts an incident in which the artist and 40 other Inuit became trapped on an ice floe while searching for new hunting grounds. They used seal skin, wood and rope from their komatiks to construct a boat called an umiak. When the ice melted, the group paddled to safety. The sculpture, made of carved stone, wooden paddles and a sail, is an impressive piece of art. It is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and is part of a series of sculptures called Joe Boats which were inspired by the traumatic experience by the artist, who died in 1976. Other sculptures in the series have also sold for six figures but were originally sold by the artist in the 1970s for between $400 and $600.

The sale of Talirunili's art renewed a call for federal legislation which would require a portion of the proceeds of the resale to go to the artist or, in this case, the descendants of the artist. A law in 59 countries requires a royalty payment to be made to the artist, much in the same way a musician receives a royalty payment every time a recording is played on the radio or sold in a permanent format.

The need for legislation is greater, we suggest, because at least 40 per cent of the population of Nunavut identifies as a visual artist and much of the work by Inuit artists - including paintings, carvings, prints and wall hangings - increase in value over time. It is also important because much of the art is created in remote communities, where it is sold for modest amounts of money and then resold in southern markets for significantly more.

The Government of Nunavut endorsed the proposal, made by NDP MP Pierre Nantel, his party's heritage critic, last spring. It is also backed by the Canadian Artists' Representation le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) and Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Quebec (RAAV).

Referred to as the Artist's Resale Right in Canada, the proposal is for an amendment to be made to the Copyright Act so that a portion of the proceeds of Inuit art sold for more than $1,000 at auction or in another official capacity would benefit the creator of the art.

Realistically, it could be months or even years before such legislation winds its way through channels in Ottawa.

However, the benefits it could provide Nunavut artists is real, simply because it would allow Inuit artists to earn a reasonable living and benefit from the creation of their art over time.

There has been enough talk on this issue. It is time for action to be taken. In the absence of legislation, we urge auction houses and other resellers of Inuit art to begin sharing the money with the artists voluntarily because it is the right thing to do.

For many people, issues surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community can be confusing. For the layperson, it can be difficult to understand what the issues are, especially considering the movement has evolved so much over the years. It's no longer, and arguably never was, about the relatively-simple concept of same-sex relationships and their equality under the law and in society.

It has grown to encompass the somewhat more philosophical debate of gender identity which forces people to transcend what their eyes and social upbringing might tell them. We understand it is frustrating for those who might have been born physically as one sex but view themselves as another gender to be constantly referred to by the wrong pronoun. All we can suggest is patience. To many, these are ideas and concepts that are still being learned, and in some cases, still struggling to be accepted.

Even here at Yellowknifer, we are presented with the challenge of whether to use, and even how to best use, gender-neutral pronouns. It's a debate worth having and the challenge is being respectful while still presenting information in a way that people will readily understand.

These are just a few of the reasons events such as NWT Pride are so important. Pride events raise awareness in a fun and non-threatening atmosphere and demonstrates that we are all the same - regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

This year's Pride events show that though there is still ground to cover, Yellowknifers are supportive of ensuring the LGBTQ community feels supported and included as demonstrated by the attendance and the numerous generous donations the event received from individuals and businesses. Extending beyond general community support, Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, the Union of Northern Workers, the United Church, Mayor Mark Heyck, territorial MLAs and a few other leaders in the community also showed their support for Pride.

If there was one hiccup, it was the complaint from Pride organizers that the city was unable to donate to the cause. The issue wasn't a lack of will by the city, but because NWT Pride is an unregistered non-profit which disqualifies it from city funding. The city's policy is sound. It must put limits on where money goes and it makes sense that unregistered groups would not qualify for taxpayers' dollars.

Fortunately, the solution is simple. NWT Pride should register, which would open the organization to more funding.

The success of NWT Pride aside, the fight for equality and protection of human rights is everyone's responsibility, 365 days a year.

It's great to see Dehcho First Nations (DFN) having working sessions in which members are getting their hands dirty with the Dehcho Process draft agreement-in-principle.

At countless meetings, chiefs and Metis leaders have asked DFN to provide more information about the Dehcho Process to members. Many members, they argue, don't know much about the process and what DFN is working toward. If members aren't informed, DFN will run into opposition when it brings the final agreement to the people for approval.

This series of four sessions, while only involving a small portion of the Deh Cho's population, is a positive step toward building up a base of residents who are very familiar with the agreement-in-principle. Gaining that level of familiarity is no easy feat.

The agreement, still being negotiated, already fills 209 pages with technical language. It's hardly a New York Times bestseller that people can't put down once they start reading.

The agreement, however, is of critical importance. If the Dehcho Process reaches a successful conclusion, the agreement-in-principle will lay out a detailed groundwork for the final agreement that will outline all of the Dehcho governments' rights and responsibilities over everything from wildlife harvesting to education.

The participants in the first working session learned, as they read through seven chapters clause by clause, the use of a different word can alter how the agreement will be interpreted and implemented in the long run. As a result, it's important that as many Deh Cho residents as possible read and understand as much of the agreement-in-principle as possible so they can provide their own unique insight into the document and what it will create.

Additionally, the day may come when DFN asks its membership to decide if they want to accept the agreement-in-principle. DFN bears a responsibility to make sure residents are informed, but equally, the onus is on residents to seek out that information and learn about the future being shaped for them.

The more questions Deh Cho residents ask and the more they learn about the Dehcho Process and the agreement-in-principle, the brighter the future will be for the region.

I'm viewing the end of the gardening season with an odd mix of regret, satisfaction and envy.

While my garden plot hasn't come close to producing the $1,000 of produce that Inuvik Community Greenhouse members claim can be grown in a good season, I've been fairly happy with what it has produced.

I'm working on my second crop of potatoes, spinach and lettuce right now. The first yielded some reasonable salad mix, enough for several bags I would normally have bought at the local grocery stores such as NorthMart, so there's been a savings right there.

The potatoes were a little more disappointing. Someone had advised me to either remove the flowers or harvest the tubers when the flowers appeared. I did neither, and wound up with a small number of baby potatoes and only two baking-sized ones. That's called learning from experience.

I also managed to harvest a few radishes, but there was room for improvement as well.

My green beans, though, are delicious ... to the point where none of them have made it home yet. They just taste so much better raw than cooked.

The tomatoes are coming along well, but not yet ready to eat, and I have hopes for the zucchinis.

All in all, it's been a learning process, and I'm delighted just to have been able to eat something I've grown myself. I've said it before, but normally the only vegetation I can't kill are dandelions and my lawn. You know, the things I'd be happy to do without most days.

Trust me to be the person who has to come to the Arctic to have a semi-successful garden.

With the growing season drawing to a close, I've begun contemplating whether I'd do it all again. I haven't settled on a definitive answer to that yet.

I'm more bitten by the gardening bug then I ever expected to be. That's why I'm definitely leaning toward trying it again.

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