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Deja-vu. That tingling-at-the-back-of-your-neck feeling that you've lived through this exact scenario before. There is no better way to describe what is currently happening with the debate over electoral boundaries.

Last week, Justice Minister David Ramsay announced his department has decided to ignore city council's request, which would have asked the NWT Supreme Court about the constitutionality of Yellowknife's representation in the legislature through the Legal Questions Act - avoiding a lawsuit.

It seems unlikely that Ramsay should be in need of a history lesson, but just in case let us look back to the GNWT in its younger days, when it was in the middle of divorcing the Eastern Arctic.

An electoral commission was struck to determine how the ridings of the NWT should change in the 1999 territorial election. Those recommendations, which called for more Yellowknife MLAs, were struck down by the legislature in November 1998. MLAs from other communities argued that the capital already held the balance of power, and there was no appetite among their constituents to give Yellowknifers any more than they already had.

Wal-Mart was mentioned as an example of the luxuries available in the city that the smaller hamlets could only dream of.

A public outcry ensued. During a public meeting on Nov. 19, 1998, residents, Yellowknife MLAs and city councillors decided to seek fair representation in court.

An executive committee, later named Friends of Democracy, was struck during that meeting and included then-city councillor Richard Slaven, Metis Local 66 president Bill Enge, Bob MacQuarrie and Fraser Weir. Also on that committee was then-Coun. David Ramsay.

Friends of Democracy won its challenge in the NWT Supreme Court in 1999 and, as a direct result, five new ridings were added to the NWT - three in Yellowknife and one each in Hay River and Inuvik.

Now, Friends of Democracy is back and, along with the city, is musing whether or not to take the issue back to court.

Once again, Yellowknife advocates are pushing for more MLAs to represent the city, which has a little less than half of the territory's population, yet just seven of 19 seats in the assembly.

Yellowknifer welcomes the return of Friends of Democracy as a means to put certain MLAs - who seem more interested in voting themselves in to office for an extra year than listening to the concerns of the people they represent - in check.

This should have been a public process from the beginning. Although the Electoral Boundaries Commission did hold public meetings before presenting its three recommendations to the 17th assembly, it was shortsighted on more issues than the number of Yellowknife MLAs.

It also gave MLAs the option to eliminate the Tu Nedhe riding, lumping the NWT's two Chipewyan communities in with the Dogrib communities of Dettah and Ndilo.

It is unfortunate that so much time, money and energy must be wasted taking this issue back to court. It is more unfortunate that the old tactic of pitting Yellowknife against the communities remains so effective.

There are solutions that would both respect all cultures who call the NWT home and provide Yellowknife with more balanced representation.

Unfortunately, the majority of MLAs do not support these solutions and instead seem doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again while expecting different results.

The public is always being advised to conserve power, but now it is critical to protect the city from outages due to wildfires and lightning strikes.

Outages due to forest fires happened multiple times last week. Five outages caused city-wide blackouts, but were fortunately short-lived inconveniences for most people as they averaged only around 30 minutes each.

NWT Power Corporation (NTPC) spokesperson Pam Coulter said all of the outages were likely caused by smoke and heat from fires that shorted out the lines between the Snare hydroelectric plant and the city. Lightning also damaged generators at the Jackfish plant. With fires raging close to Highway 3 and power lines, Coulter said NTPC cannot send crews to do repairs until it is deemed safe. While she said power supplies have returned to normal, conditions could change and people should try to cut back on power consumption and be prepared if there is another failure.

It's easier for people to cut back on power use during the summer than in winter as there is less need for heat and lights. People can take steps such as using barbecues to cook meals, hang clothes to dry instead of using a dryer, turn off lights when not needed and avoid using dishwashers.

People should also be prepared for longer periods without power in the event of a prolonged outage. Everyone should be ready to fend for themselves for 72 hours, including non-perishable food, water, batteries and medical supplies. They should also have cash on hand and keep gas tanks filled.

A little preparation now will make future outages a minor inconvenience, rather than a major catastrophe.

When I got to see Iqalugaarjuup Territorial Park, and get my first taste of the Nunavut landscape, it was incredible, and I've enjoyed a few little excursions out on the land just to see what I could see (and I promise, Darrell, your car hasn't suffered for it).

However, for the past month and a half while I've been in Rankin Inlet, I've been dying to get out on the water.

On July 19 I got my wish when I was invited to go on a trip to Marble Island under the sound guidance of Harry and Sally Ittinuar. Normally when I'm told to "bundle up," I ignore the warning and show up in whatever's comfortable given the day, but I figured since I am in Nunavut and hadn't been any further than 15 minutes outside of the community, I'd better listen.

And I'm happy I did, because the boat ride over to the island was a cold one. Doable, not miserable, but definitely chilly. Thankfully the Ittinuars had everything we needed to bundle up so even if I had been underprepared, they would have had me covered.

I was happy to just get out on the water, really, not getting much of a chance to do it in Yellowknife and missing it terribly. Even if the boat was fast and the wind was whipping around us, it was still relaxing just to get out there with the sun beating down on us.

The boat ride was nice, but the first glimpses of Marble Island made it pale in comparison. The island is absolutely beautiful, standing out stark white against the blue of Hudson Bay. I had never seen anything like it. The formation of the rocks was normal to me, growing up near enough to Peggy's Cove and the Nova Scotian coast with all of its rocky cliffs, and then of course living in St. John's ... but the white of it was beautiful.

We did the proper thing and got to a part of the island that all of us newcomers could climb onto. I wasn't about to mess with tradition and walk on, plus doing that is just part of the experience. Many other tourists have crawled on before me and I'd seen pictures of it before. Then I got the chance to do it myself.

Next we climbed up over rocks that I, with my short limbs and relative lack of upper body strength, didn't believe I could climb. We stopped to see the spot where the names of explorers had been painted onto the rocks. It is surreal to see them still there.

Throughout the day we hiked for about six hours over various parts of the island, continuously over parts of terrain that made me feel like a mountain goat, including way up to see the sea caves, which again were incredible.

Harry brought us to a point in a cove where we could look down into the crystal clear water to see the remains of a ship, around again to the perfect spot to have a picnic on the shore, and again to Deadman's Island where we visited the graves of those who'd perished there.

I had the sense the whole time that there was something special about this place, something almost spiritual. It's hard to explain, but it is a feeling I carried with me all the way back to Rankin.

For those of you who are stopping into Rankin for a few weeks or even a few days, or those of you who've been here a while and haven't had the chance to get to Marble Island, go.

You won't regret it.

There were some disturbing economic indicators arising from stories in last week's edition.

One is the plummeting property values in Inuvik ("Inuvik housing prices take a fall," July 21, NWT News/North). According to information provided by Coldwell Banker, real estate prices in the community have declined, on average, by 10 to 15 per cent.

Another was the decline in private business in the NWT ("Gov't grows, businesses close," July 21, NWT News/North). A recent NWT Chamber of Commerce survey pointed to rising energy costs, taxation and other expenses, and growth in the number of GNWT employees creating skewed salary expectations as the culprit.

Both issues are related and can be blamed, along with other factors, for the population woes in the NWT.

Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger promised after the last budget to bring 2,000 new residents to the territory in an effort to reverse recent drops in population. Population decline is a major issue in the NWT. The territory's budget contribution from the federal government depends on it and every person is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

With only approximately $1 billion to spend, every cent counts. Unfortunately, advertisements marketing the greatness of the territory and people can experience a high-quality of life is not enough when the government is not meeting its obligations to ensure there are opportunities for everyone.

Government should not compete with business. It's as simple as that. If businesses are failing because they cannot afford to compete with wages paid to an arguably inflated bureaucracy and the government's general labourers, it's a recipe for disaster.

The GNWT, although accounting for nearly half of the territory's jobs, cannot employ everyone. It is not feasible from a budgetary point of view, nor is everyone is qualified for government jobs. That, in part, is where the private sector should be filling the employment gap.

When it doesn't, employment falls, economies shrink and, when combined with energy woes such as those seen in Inuvik where heating costs have jumped due to the loss of natural gas, the results can be dramatic. That is being demonstrated by the collapsing housing market, which does nothing to attract people.

If Miltenberger wants to bring more people North, more must be done. Employment-related tax breaks for businesses must be considered, greater emphasis on economic development and small business, more opportunity for non-resource-based jobs such as in tourism and incentives for young people to migrate North could be explored. Perhaps the latter, as we've suggested previously, could come in the form of a program to help new graduates pay off student loans.

If the territory is only attractive to government workers, it will never see an increase in population, just a revolving door as employees come and go. A long-term, sustainable solution that fosters a burgeoning private sector is what is sorely needed.

Dump fire bigger than Iqaluit's capacity
Nunavut News/North - Monday, July 28, 2014

Perhaps because it has been going on for so long, or perhaps because the smoke doesn't always blow its noxious odour over populated areas consistently, the fire at the Iqaluit dump isn't getting the attention it deserves.

It's an environmental disaster which is spewing toxic particles into the air over a capital city and threatening to pollute a pristine ocean waterway. There is no question that the fire, which has been burning since May 20, must be extinguished soon, and with as little impact on the environment and Iqalummiut as possible.

It is a challenge that is too large for the City of Iqaluit and even too much for the Government of Nunavut.

There have been numerous meetings involving municipal politicians, city employees, the fire chief and an outside consultant which have resulted in proposed plans that have not been carried out. Environment Canada has lent its expertise in the form of advice. The Qikiqtani Medical Association has raised the alarm about the risk to human health as the fire continues to burn.

The estimated price tag to really tackle the fire climbed to $5 million from earlier estimates of $4.5 million, $4 million and $3 million.

The latest plan, approved by city council on July 22, is estimated to cost $2.2 million, plus a contingency fund. Environment Canada has agreed to monitor water runoff in a holding pond for toxicity and potentially help the city decontaminate the water before it flows into Frobisher Bay. The city still needs permission from the territorial government to press forward.

Council made a request to both the territorial and federal governments to help with the cost of bringing in extra manpower and equipment. To date, the city has spent about $68,000 on fighting the fire, has paid a consultant a significant fee for advice and has brought in new rules for residents to follow when disposing of garbage.

At this point in time, there has been an awful lot of talking but very little action to address this environmental nightmare. It is a difficult but not impossible problem to fix. Piling garbage four storeys high on an area the size of a football field, where all sorts of garbage are mixed together to fester, compost and create its own heat is a disaster waiting to happen.

Modern landfill sites separate waste into different streams which are handled with techniques appropriate to the content, including recyclables, electronic waste, paper products and hazardous material.

Given the enormity of the fire now, it is obvious that the problem has grown larger than the City of Iqaluit's capacity, larger even than the ability of the territorial government to respond.

What constitutes a state of emergency? To deal with the problem in a proper manner will require millions of dollars, firefighting experts, heavy equipment, significant manpower and professional leadership.

It is time to go beyond a simple request for help from the federal government. Ottawa needs to get fully involved in the dump fire file sooner rather than later.

The painted scene accurately captures the inside of the Wildcat Cafe. The eatery is populated with coffee-drinkers and servers offering cafe-goers trays of cheese.

The discernible difference from reality is that the customers, created from the mind of Yellowknife artist Nick MacIntosh, are mice.

While this may appear to be a clever portrait celebrating an Old Town icon, to the City of Yellowknife it is an illegal act.

On July 8, MacIntosh was served a surprise. After printing his painting on T-shirts he had hoped to sell around the city - a $2,000 endeavour - the City of Yellowknife sent him a letter threatening legal action unless he surrenders all the shirts "bearing any reference-to or depiction-of the Wildcat Cafe."

Not wanting any trouble, he complied.

Does his depiction do the city a disservice? Would it have tainted the reputation of Yellowknife?

These are questions administration failed to ask the real owners of the copyright - the citizens of Yellowknife - before it forged ahead with a decision that has some people shaking their heads and others shaking their fists.

Understandably so - the city's thoughtless assertion of its copyright was a purely legal decision made without any consideration of its implications.

The city purchased the copyright in the first place to stop former chef Pierre LePage's attempted re-branding of the restaurant as "Le Wildcat" on menus, napkins and T-shirts.

Whereas that was an apt decision in which the city had its fingers on the pulse of the public, this one was not.

As the Wildcat Cafe is pumped fat with $500,000-worth of public funds, the city had a responsibility to take direction from its citizens. And because funnelling the interests of 20,000 people into a decision that pleases the majority can be like trying to corral a bunch of small wild animals, there is an elected council in place to make decisions on the public's behalf.

When the city makes such potentially contentious decisions without consulting the people or their representatives, it does us all a disservice. While the city does indeed have a responsibility to ensure the people's copyright is used properly, its responsibility is to the citizens of Yellowknife above any law-book or knee-jerk reaction.

The RCMP should be commended for putting officers on bikes, as should the officers who volunteered to take the required training.

The move goes a long way toward dispelling public safety fears in areas less accessible to cars and trucks -- such as the McMahon Frame Lake Trail.

While police, city administration and citizens have said fears directed toward the area are overblown, those who are fearful find this of little comfort.

Rather than face an uphill battle trying to convince would-be trail-walkers otherwise, it is far better to show that the area is safe by having police regularly patrol on bikes.

The problem is that it is a bit late in the season.

In mid-July, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Marc Coulombe said the number of officers trained for bike patrols could triple over the next month.

At that time, the trained officers will have missed the opportunity to put their skills to use during the peak summer period which includes both Canada Day and Aboriginal Day and those who might make more use of the trail will have missed out on using the trail during that time as well.

On the other hand, bike cops will be ready to hit the trail and other more remote areas of the city in full force next summer.

We hope they do, putting their new-found skills to good use.

The centre is unlike anything in any other community in the region. Even Fort Simpson, with its larger population, doesn't have a centre of that calibre.

Most communities are lucky to have a few pieces of exercise equipment, if any at all. Fort Providence has a dedicated room in its recreation centre that is filled with brand new equipment.

The fitness centre will certainly be an asset for the community and will hopefully be well-used and afforded the proper level of appreciation. The improved centre was made possible through the community's involvement in a three-year pilot project.

Deh Gah School, the hamlet, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Sports Canada are collaborating to discover if having a physical literacy co-ordinator in the school will result in the students being more physically active on a daily basis. Both the hamlet and the school used a portion of the funding they've received to purchase new equipment for the centre.

Patrick Kippax, the school's physical literacy co-ordinator, said he's already seen changes in the broader community. People are becoming more conscious about the importance of being more physically active and healthy, he said. There is a lot of interest from residents about being able to use the new centre.

The increased level of awareness is likely not limited to Fort Providence. On a daily basis people are bombarded with information in the media about the increasingly dire straits of the population's general health in Canada.

People aren't as active as they should be, they don't eat the food that is best for them and levels of obesity, diabetes and other health problems are on the rise. The question is, what actions are people willing to take to reverse the trends?

Not every community can be like Fort Providence and be chosen as the site for a physical fitness pilot project. Without additional funding many communities don't have the resources to purchase fitness equipment.

What residents can do is make healthy living and physical fitness a priority in their community and insist that their local government provide support in any way possible. That can include applying for grants to purchase new equipment or directing recreation staff to create fitness programs that appeal to a broader range of people.

Fort Providence has a leg up with its improved fitness centre, but other Deh Cho communities can follow different routes to also support healthy-living goals.

The question of homelessness in Inuvik continues to be a pressing one, and one of the main issues is how to assist that population during the day.

There's no argument there's a lack of things to do and places to go for the homeless during the day. That makes them more visible as they travel from place to place, often in groups, particularly during the endless days of summer.

The shelter stepped up in the last month or so to tackle that question with a bold move to try operating 24 hours a day four days a week.

So far, the test appears to be going well. Staff at the shelter report a fair bit of use during the day, and it also gives them a chance to provide more services for their clients.

Many of those clients are looking to get back into housing of some kind and need help with the government paperwork to do so, said shelter staff. That means they can become easily frustrated trying to properly fill out the forms and go from office to office to get things accomplished.

During the daytime, shelter staff now have the chance to render that assistance during the regular working hours of the government offices, and that's invaluable.

The main stumbling block to opening the shelter for longer hours is paying for it but, so far, a few tweaks to the budget and staff scheduling to reduce or eliminate overtime is making it feasible to keep it open four days a week.

Currently, though, the food budget is literally being eaten up as the shelter serves up to three meals a day to the people staying there.

It's clear the staff and board members would like nothing better than to turn it into a full 24/7 operation to better help the people they serve, but the funding just isn't there.

That makes it key for either the government to step in with more funding, and/or for community members to step up with more donations, whether it be cash, food, in-kind or volunteer assistance.

Currently, the shelter might well be the only one in the NWT offering this kind of service.

It's a step in the right direction, one the community needs to be aware of and fully support.

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