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Wednesday, July 23, 1997 Don't leave home without it
Dwayne Williams has probably learned his lesson. The former Yellowknifer who found himself in troubled waters last week is safe and sound today thanks to a $140,000 search and rescue effort.
There is no question of making every rescue boater, hiker, aviator or motorist responsible for the cost of their rescue. Neither should everyone travelling to and from Lutselk'e be expected to post a security deposit in the event a rescue is required.
But the Williams incident does suggest that the public purse should come with some strings attached. Williams, for example, had no radio. Neither did he have a useful map and compass with which to navigate aboard.
A Global Positioning System, those handy satellite links that can pinpoint a location to a few metres, would have come in handy as well. All told, proper navigation and communications aids worth no more than $500 could have kept Williams on track and out of danger. Instead, he chose to venture out onto the unpredictable waters of Great Slave Lake with few of the modern tools that no long-distance boater should be without.
To be fair, the East Arm of the lake in summer, dangerous though it can be, is not a vast uncharted wilderness. Help is only a few minutes away by air and Williams probably isn't that different from many of Northern boater who treats such trips as routine.
But just as every responsible motorist is required by law to have working brakes and lights, so should boaters carry the gear necessary to help them out of a tough spot.
Is it unreasonable to ask that anyone who chooses to tackle the vase expanses of a body of water the size of Great Slave Lake without a radio and navigational equipment be held liable for the cost of any search and rescue undertaken to bring them home.
Such a rule might save some money. More importantly, however, it would probably save some lives.
For a little city 700 km north of nowhere, there sure is a lot going on. One of the main reasons events like Caribou Carnival, Festival of the Midnight Sun and, most recently, Folk on the Rocks are such successes is volunteers.
More than 200 people donated their time to make sure that the rest of us had a good time at Folk on the Rocks.
Yellowknife thrives on the work of volunteers. Without those who give so freely of their time and energy this town would have a lot less to offer. So, as we bask in the afterglow of another wonderful weekend, our thanks to those of you that make it happen. It wouldn't be the same without you.
Seldom do you find a team any where in professional, amateur or recreational sports in which a seven-year championship dynasty is carved out of an organized league.
But such was the case right here in the capital city, where the Right Spot Bullets dominated men's ball hockey for seven long years.
However, in hockey, just as in life, all good things must come to an end. The Bullets' dynasty crumbled this season with two straight losses in their quarter-final series against the All Stars.
Congratulations in the highest degree must be passed on to the Bullets for an illustrious run of championships and also to the All Stars for meeting a seven-year challenge.
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