The community has one last chance to make the 1998 Caribou Carnival happen.

"As of today the 1998 Caribou Carnival has been cancelled," began McDonald. He said only three people volunteered to serve on the spring carnival's board of directors.

The three decided to advertise a meeting to deal with the need for more directors. The same three people were the only ones to show for the meeting.

"Personally, I think Caribou Carnival 1998 can still happen," McDonald later said. He added that would require volunteers for the board and, given the short amount of preparation time, a scaled back version of the event.

Smoke chamber

Ald. David Ramsay wants city hall smokers to keep their smoke to themselves.

At the conclusion of Monday's regular meeting of council, Ramsay noted a cloud of smoke had sailed out of the small smoking room used by smokers during a 9 p.m. break in the action.

Ramsay wondered aloud how this could be remedied.

"Is there a fan in that room?" he asked.

No.

"There's a door there. Does it shut?"

Problem solved.

Voters getting their money's worth

Good things take time, they say. If the last two council meetings are any indication, the new council is very good.

The first two regular meetings of council, both with full agendas, lasted a total of more than eight hours.

In and out of camera

Committee of the whole rules for going in camera need to be clarified, say some aldermen.

Monday afternoon council went in camera for a while for presentations from the consulting firm that put together the Med-Emerg report on the NWT health-care system, Stanton Regional Health Board and Yellowknife Health and Social Services.

"I just want to make it perfectly clear this isn't at our request," said Ald. Kevin O'Brien just before the public got the boot.

Soon after the start of the presentations, which dealt with the potential transfer of health and social services from the GNWT to the city, council took exception to the request that the doors be closed, saying there was nothing that required it.

The meeting was then re-opened.

Bylaw hiring

Ramsay was also the spoiler of what could have been a one-night approval process for a bylaw officer.

Unanimity is required to give a bylaw the required three readings at one meeting.

But Ramsay said he could not support the hiring of a new bylaw officer.

"I believe we had the resources and individuals in place already, that we didn't need to go outside to hire another person," explained Ramsay. "There's people in bylaw already that could have been promoted."

Because the new officer is slated to start work in a week, a special meeting will likely be held to finalize the bylaw.