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After 30 years in business, it's time now to look at expanding the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre with the same vigour and enthusiasm the community demonstrated more than three decades ago.

It was in the Jan. 5, 1983, edition of Yellowknifer where a column from NACC called on citizens to offer financial support to a project that would see the old Sir John Franklin High School gym turn into a 320-seat theatre.

"It's not an impossible dream. After about three years of work, the NACC society now has: an architect's donated services; GNWT's commitment to pay the operating costs; an agreement in principle with the school; and around $700,000, raised largely in the south with the help of the Globe and Mail -- enough to make a start on the actual conversion," reads the column.

With the co-operation of the school, government and national fundraising, champagne was flowing at the centre's opening in May the following year.

But today, the conversation has changed, with executive director Marie Coderre calling on city council to restore $15,000 in core funding cut from its budget. Nickels and dimes compared to those efforts 30 years ago.

Maybe it's time to think bigger.

Having achieved that dream once considered impossible by some, and having achieved it in a lasting, meaningful way, where the organization is operating with a surplus the second year in a row and keeps its seats filled in the downtown theatre, it is once again time for the city, territory, their citizens and arts community to come together and build a new venue separate from the school, one that would further encourage cultural tourism and promote the performing arts.

Already, a unique opportunity has presented itself.

A 20 per cent condo fee hike that has raised the Yellowknife Public Library expenses by $53,000 has already prompted council to consider a new standalone library.

What if it also housed a new theatre?

Is that an impossible dream? Maybe. But look what NACC accomplished in three years back in the 1980s.

With the right enthusiasm and willingness to dream, where might we be three years from now?

Imagine putting out job ads for a vacant position, getting responses and hiring a qualified candidate.

Then once that person arrives from down south, they spend only several hours in the community before packing up and heading back for the airport.

That's the position the Dehcho Health and Social Services authority managers found themselves in late last year.

Having not even gone to work, the person decided to leave.

It's an extreme example of how hard it can sometimes be to recruit skilled employees and keep them on the payroll in an isolated, Northern, part of the country.

Authority CEO Donna Allan said sometimes people apply not understanding the realities of living in the North.

The regional healthcare provider has about seven vacancies, which Allan said is concerning because it means the level of care expected may not be able to be delivered.

The authority has put plans in place to continue service while the positions are filled.

As a recent arrival to the village, I think I can lend my experience to help explain why someone might want to cut and run so soon after arriving, especially as winter sets in.

There can be a shock for someone moving to the community

who is more used to being able

to jump in a vehicle and drive to a city an hour away.

That was my experience when I arrived in Fort Simpson at the end of October.

As the ferry was pulled out, my world shrank to the village limits.

It felt very isolating, especially arriving knowing not a soul in the community.

But as I went to work covering community events I met some of the wonderful people that make up village life.

Everyone was welcoming, telling me about various ways to get involved in the community and meet people.

While small communities like Fort Providence and Fort Simpson may not have all the amenities of similar sized communities in the south, what I've experienced so far is that they have strong social ties.

If the village, and region, are going to attract new people and keep them, residents need to make sure newcomers are welcome and shown the ropes.

Photo opportunities make me uncomfortable. As part of my job, taking photographs at opportune moments is necessary, yet I still find it slightly nauseating. They feel staged. A bit awkward. And, generally, at least one of the parties in the photo has a motive. But, maybe that's just me being cynical.

Without bringing platforms and voter intentions into the conversation, I have to say that I was genuinely impressed with Justin Trudeau during his visit to Inuvik. As the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Trudeau is in line to possibly be the next prime minister of this country, but made sitting down and shaking hands with members of the community a priority. Seriously. I'm quite sure he shook hands and chatted with every single person who attended A Taste of Inuvik, and took photos with the vast majority of them.

Did these photo ops make me uncomfortable? Not all of them. Most of the shots were taken at the request of the parties other than Trudeau, but he enthusiastically obliged. Chances are a number of these photos have already been splattered across every social media site.

Here's what makes me uncomfortable. That moment when what started as just a handshake leads to a prolonged handshake, possibly a hug and then a conversation in which a thoughtful smile is plastered across either party's face as a photographer, or numerous photographers (myself and other media included) spot the photogenic moment and start snapping away.

Were there moments during Trudeau's stopover in which those opportune moments to kiss the proverbial baby came up? Yes, there were. But, the difference is that isn't all there was. He struck up conversations with community members ranging from youth to elders. His son joined in on an impromptu game of keep-away with local kids in the gymnasium. He took part in a community dance where he shuffled away from being in the front position to blend more into the crowd (not easy for someone who is much taller in person than he appears on TV). His team headed out in the night to take in a viewing of the Northern Lights. In other words, there were genuine moments.

Granted, there is a requisite number of photo ops for every politician when touring a new place, and I'm sure he accumulated some, but I appreciated that during Trudeau's visit to Inuvik there seemed to be a real intention to get to know the people, the place and the issues - not just those that photograph well.

Telecommunications giant Bell Mobility must be hoping the third time is the charm after striking out yet again in its attempt to prove there is nothing wrong in charging for a service while providing none.

On Jan. 7, the NWT Court of Appeal upheld a 2013 NWT Supreme Court victory for James Anderson and son Samuel Anderson and their $6-million class action lawsuit that sought to reimburse customers for a 75-cent 9-1-1 fee charged to monthly phone bills even though the emergency phone service doesn't exist in the Northwest Territories.

Bell told Yellowknifer last week it was still reviewing the latest decision but if the wealth of metaphors in the appeal ruling were any hint - i.e., 9-1-1 fee was like showing a starving person a photograph of a turkey dinner and then "charging him or her for the turkey dinner" - it seems likely Bell would not fair well appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada either.

If the company is at all concerned about its public image - particularly among Northerners - it will soon recognize it has been thoroughly routed in this David vs. Goliath court fight, and seek to make amends.

As the Andersons aren't interested in money, except perhaps their legal costs, Yellowknifer suggests Bell should make a bold counter move bound to generate some positive press for a change. Instead of wasting time tracking down thousands of customers owed tens of dollars for unfairly charged 9-1-1 fees, Bell ought to pledge that money toward building 9-1-1 service in the North.

It's being going on 15 years since former NWT chief coroner Percy Kinney recommended a 9-1-1 service be set up in Yellowknife. This came following the death of Freda Hope, who froze to death after her snowmobile crashed through thin ice on Prosperous Lake in December 2000.

A driver assisting her common-law husband tried to call for an ambulance but "garbled" communications with emergency workers led them to the wrong scene. Many people to this day don't know the number because while 9-1-1 is near universal, the suffixes 1-1-1-1 (for police) and 2-2-2-2 (for fire and ambulance) are not.

A good place to start would be the system recently approved for the Yukon. Last December, the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission offered a green light, with conditions, an application for the territorial government's "auto select" emergency response system.

Residents and visitors in the Yukon will soon be able to dial 9-1-1 anywhere in the territory and be routed to an automated system in Whitehorse that allows people to choose which emergency service they need by pressing a button to direct their call. The old seven-digit system is also still in place. This is part of a broader plan to expand 9-1-1 service to the entire territory within two years.

Why the NWT remains shackled to its outdated and confusing emergency phone system is due in large part to politicians and police who lack the will to implement it.

Deep-pocketed Bell would go a long way to rehabilitate itself in the public eye by leading the way. Do that, and the government will follow.

Leafs must tear it down - now!
Editorial Comment by Darell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, January 14, 2015

In the often hilarious, sometimes stinging rivalry between Leafs and Habs fans in the Kivalliq, there's no doubt Montreal fans have the upper hand right now.

And they've been having a field day since Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle's firing this past week.

Personally, I have died a thousand hockey deaths since Toronto last hoisted the Cup in the 1966-67 season.

And, while I will remain a proud member of Leafs Nation for the rest of my days, I am under no delusions about this current edition of the Leafs squad.

In short, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan can watch his players as closely as he'd like during the remainder of the season, but, in truth, this team is broken.

Phil Kessel takes far more blame for the Leafs woes than he deserves, but he is like Patrick Kane without Jonathan Toews or Jamie Benn without Tyler Seguin.

And, since true number one centres and complimentary top three wingers aren't within the Leaf's grasp, it's time to deal one of the NHL's premiere snipers while his trade value is high.

Kessel's a prime example of why the Leafs are flawed.

They have too many players good at only one thing.

Some put up decent points, like Tyler Bozak and James Van Riemsdyk, but, like Kessel, are almost worthless in their own end of the ice.

Others, such as Leo Komarov, Mike Santorelli and Richard Panik, are defensively responsible, but would rarely tally 35 goals in a season if you added their totals together.

David Clarkson and Dion Phaneuf represent two of the worst contracts in the NHL, and only general manager Dave Nonis sees the game-changing abilities in Jake Gardiner.

The Leafs could, conceivably, make the playoffs and even sneak past the first round if goalie Jonathan Bernier stood on his head, but, as much as it kills me to say it, that's the most one can hope for with this bunch.

Leafs faithful have been waiting 48 years for another Cup, and they would gladly wait five more if they saw a true rebuild in progress.

From now until the NHL's March 2 trade deadline, if Shanahan truly is the Leafs messiah, he'll oversee the trading of their top five to seven players for solid prospects and top draft picks.

That will require the club swallowing half the contractual value of Phaneuf and Clarkson, but, hey, it's not like they can't afford it.

This year's entry draft features two generational players, plus another half-dozen top-six prospects, and the Leafs would be well-advised to sit in the best possible position for the draft lottery they can.

The Leafs have players who can help put a number of the NHL's top teams over the top in the playoffs, and now's the time for the team to cash in its chips and start playing at a different table.

The media in Toronto is brutal, and it's one of the least desirable places to play for the majority of the NHL's top free agent talent.

Either way the Leafs go, Kivalliq Habs fans are going to have the upper hand for the next five years.

Listening to their taunts will be a lot easier to take if the Leafs finally realize the only way to the top for them is to build from within.

Those of us trapped in crazy Leafs Nation can only hope, for once, that's not too much to ask.

The precipitous decline in barrenground caribou numbers is fast becoming a crisis, not only in the territory, but just about everywhere on the planet where people depend on caribou for their livelihood.

Yet a clear explanation on what exactly is happening to them remains frustratingly out of reach.

Considering how important caribou are to the people of the North, and how long the question of whether emergency conservation measures are needed to save barrenground caribou, it is surprising – some might say deeply disappointing – what little is known about why the herds are in trouble.

Some still question whether caribou herds are really crashing, and whether the population numbers provided by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) are merely inaccurate.

An independent peer review released in May 2009 by the Alberta Research Council found the department's methodology in conducting herd counts to be more or less sound, stating, "The existing data did not reveal any evidence that the observed decline in some herds is an artifact of neglect or intent by ENR biologists."

In other words, the way in which the GNWT surveys caribou populations – by taking aerial photographs of calving grounds, counting how many caribou appear and extrapolating that information into an overall population for individual herds – is not a problem.

While some inconsistencies in the time of year herds were counted were noted, the study authors ultimately agreed with the department that the Bathurst, Bluenose-East, Bluenose-West and Cape Bathurst herds are in decline, and that conservation efforts were warranted for those herds.

News/North believes the caribou populations are crashing. Not only because ENR says so, but because barrenground caribou are also disappearing in Nunavut, Nunavik and elsewhere.

Something is clearly going on. So, what is it?

People use buzzwords such as "climate change" to explain away their demise. But if that's the case, where are the bodies on the ground? If caribou were dropping dead like bees, it only makes sense that someone would have found a pile or two of their carcasses by now.

Mining activity is also being blamed. It is true the winter road from Yellowknife to the diamond mines cuts through caribou migration routes. It is also true that winter roads and other highways put hunters at an easy reach when caribou wander close to the roadways. But, again, where is the data? Where is the information from collared caribou that show caribou are avoiding mine sites and roadways?

Also being blamed are the hunters. On the surface, over-harvesting makes sense. There would be no carcasses left on the land – at least if proper harvesting practices are being followed. There is currently no way to know for sure how many caribou are harvested in the NWT each year – nor are there intergovernmental agreements in place on many of the herds to create a final tally for those animals that migrate over borders throughout the year.

However, upon deeper inspection it cannot be as simple a fix as limiting the caribou harvest – even if everyone bought into that idea. Caribou are still disappearing at an alarming rate in regions outside of the territory.

This is where traditional knowledge can hopefully fill in the many gaps left by the scientific knowledge about barrenground caribou. Time and time again, TK has been proven right. So, when people such as Dettah Chief Ed Sangris say the Bathurst herd has joined up with the Beverly and Ahiak herd, that needs to be investigated.

What is needed is an intensive research process that looks at all the possibilities of what could be killing off barrenground caribou. For this, the territory needs federal and even international help. Detailed satellite data is needed, not just photos taken out of the window of an airplane. People are needed to sit and listen to elders talk about the caribou.

Only once all that information is gathered together in the same place can the mystery of what is happening to the caribou be solved.

To hopefully help spread some of the traditional knowledge that has so far been overshadowed by scientific evidence, News/North is going to begin intensely exploring the issue by talking to as many elders and people who spend time on the land as we can. If you or someone you know can help us in this endeavour, please get in touch.

So many questions remain about what is happening to the caribou and, frankly, the answers so far are unsatisfactory.

It is perhaps fitting for a former school teacher to face some tests of his own.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is on his Northern tour this week and plans to be in Iqaluit Jan. 12 and 13.

His visit to Nunavut follows two stops in the NWT, the first at the Sunrise Festival in Inuvik and the second a series of appearances, including a fundraising dinner in the capital, Yellowknife.

The issues of public concern in Nunavut, of course, are quite different than those in the neighbouring territory, which completed its negotiations toward the devolution of powers to the territorial government from Ottawa with an agreement last April.

Nunavut is in the early days of its own process to take over stewardship of land and water resources from the federal government with Premier Peter Taptuna's recent announcement of the appointment of negotiators.

On the other hand, Nunavut is far more open for business than its neighbour to the west. Its regulatory process is clearly defined and big projects are actively operating or in development.

We'd like to hear Trudeau's thoughts on the need for more resource development, considering his opposition in 2005 to a $100-million zinc mine proposed for the NWT he argued would poison the pristine Nahanni River, which flows through a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Nunavut has a couple of areas of concern in regards to the relationship between Inuit wishing to continue a traditional lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping versus big international business interests. Seismic testing approved by the National Energy Board in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait is being opposed by the hamlet of Clyde River and supporters.

And the Mary River iron ore mine project is changing with Baffinland now wanting to ramp up its schedule for shipping from Milne Inlet.

Voters want to know Trudeau's thoughts on how resource development can work to the greatest benefit of the Inuit, not on the backs of the Inuit.

Nunavummiut have two public opportunities to see Trudeau in action. It is in their best interest to become informed about the views of the major political parties over the course of the next few months, including the credentials of individual candidates as they emerge.

The process of learning and gathering the information needed to make an informed decision in October, begins now.

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