In many corners of the planet, the last 12 months will be remembered as a year of tragedy.

There was the accident that took the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the passing of the angel of Calcutta, Mother Teresa.

Manitoba and North Dakota suffered through the worst floods of the century and the most powerful El Nino on record wreaked havoc with weather systems from Australia to Alaska. Meanwhile, Indonesia suffocated from the smoke of a thousand forest fires.

In the NWT, things weren't quite as bad. On the plus side, work on the country's first diamond mine is on schedule with a second mine looking like a sure bet.

The territorial deficit is under control, many Nunavut communities are enjoying a building boom, Inuvik laid the groundwork for its own natural gas supply, fisheries grew in the Baffin and the Europeans finally signed a humane-trapping agreement, heading off another fur boycott.

But if there was a common theme in 1997 in the North, it would have to be that of unfinished business.

The process of putting together a new government for Nunavut got bogged down and it now appears that much of the work will have to contracted out to what remains of the NWT bureaucracy. Health and education boards are struggling with dwindling funds and new structures related to division.

Western politicians accomplished even less in the struggle to come up with a new constitution. There was no agreement on a structure for a legislative assembly, let alone a time frame.

The GNWT continued to refuse to recognize court rulings on pay equity for its female employees for much of the year and still hasn't figured out how it will live up to its obligations.

The list goes on. The next 12 months should see all of these issues brought to a close. Patience may be a virtue, but procrastination can be expensive.

It is unfortunate that Farley Mowat, one of Canada's most revered writers, has chosen to take up a cause that hurts the people he was once credited with helping.

Mowat is chastising the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada for not distinguishing Inuit hunters from the commercial seal industry on the east coast.

Of course, that criticism is diminished beside his main point of calling the seal hunt a "holocaust", which is a distortion of Bridgette Bardot proportions, one that predictably drew much international media attention.

Mowat insists with crocodile courage he is on "the side of the angels" and cares not that he may walk alone.

Closer to the truth and true to form, Mowat is on the side of Hollywood, where self-respecting angels fear to tread.

Liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew wants the Supreme Court of Canada to fill the current vacancy on the bench with an aboriginal person.

Presuming the candidate meets the qualifications, aboriginal representation on the Supreme Court is a superb idea. But first and foremost, fairness and impartiality are the hallmarks of justice. An ability and an interest in making decisions based on the law is the role of the Supreme Court.

Whoever is chosen will be expected to act on behalf of all Canadians, regardless of race, creed or color. Let's hope the decision is made with justice in mind.