At the Geoscience Forum recently held at the Explorer Hotel, engineer John Clark explained how he has been spending taxpayers' money.
Mr. Clark has been cleaning up abandoned mine sites in the Slave Geological province.
There are a number of challenges in doing this, not the least of which is the toxic nature of the chemicals and the byproducts of mining that one finds around mine sites.
Mr. Clark has plenty to do because the mines he is cleaning up never had to undergo any kind of environmental impact assessment, nor were they subject to the scrutiny that was imposed on, for instance, BHP.
This unfortunate and costly lesson has been learned at the expense of the environment.
The processes that are in place today are a result of this chapter in the history of Northern mining.
The concern that has been expressed here and elsewhere over the current environmental impact review of the proposed Diavik project is exactly that -- concern over the review.
We look forward to the jobs the Diavik will create. We welcome the boost to the economy that a project the size of Diavik will provide.
However, Diavik is a short term project. The mine has a projected life of 20 to 25 years, give or take a year or two. The people of the North and the environment they rely on will still be here long after Diavik has picked the last diamond out of a kimberlite pipe.
Those are the people who have to be convinced that the process that assesses the environmental impact is being open and forthright.
Not only must the process be thorough and objective, it must be inclusive and complete. On top of that, the process must be understood to meet those requirements. It's a tall order, but, then again, there's a lot at stake.
It used to be close to heresy to consider holding a conference on the North anywhere but the North.
The heavy participation of the Yellowknife business community at the recent Meet the North, Build a Vision conference in Edmonton indicates a change in attitude.
The chip on the shoulder has been replaced by aggressive marketing and a can-do approach. The new diamond activity generated by BHP and Diavik has had an influence, but it still requires frontier resilience to compete with the big players on their own turf.
We look forward to more such conferences although clearly they don't all have to be South of Sixty. Edmontonians and their friendly Mayor Bill Smith are just as welcome here.
If the NWT Housing Corporation wanted to raise its profile, it hit the mark with its new homeowner grants.
As announced last week, $10,000 in free money is available to NWT home buyers, except those people who own a home now. The idea is to tighten up the housing market, estimated to include 250 empty homes.
Especially significant is the absence of a residency requirement which may prove the deciding factor in encouraging BHP employees to move North.
While the program seems a little bizarre, judging from the excited reaction of real estate agents and the home-buying public, the results may justify the means.
With a relatively short shelf-life (program ends March 31, 1999), if any major flaws surface, damage levels will be low. If houses get snapped up and families are lured North, it may be a good deal all round.
Editorial Comment
Marty Brown
Kivalliq News
Christmas is coming, ready or not. Now that the kids are grown and live far away,Christmas isn't as much fun as it used to be. It's a bit of a bother mailing presents all around the world, but I wouldn't miss it.
Funny thing, I still want to buy presents for my kids. So I still do. I was brought up with the attitude that unless it was your birthday or Christmas, giving presents "just because" wasn't done. So, I still give Christmas stockings even if some of the kids are over 30 and one of them is a father of two.
I don't want to buy presents for people who have everything or people who are downsizing. I love giving donations in their names, but must admit they aren't very exciting to get under the tree. But boy, it makes sense.
Christmas was a big deal when the kids were little. We decorated the house the first week of December and left the tree up until the first week of January, although the gingerbread house could be smashed and eaten New Year's Day. The Christmas lights were put up Grey Cup day, usually when it was icy and windy. Then we got smart and left them up all year-round. Saved wear and tear on the marriage, and probably a slight case of hypothermia.
It used to be so much fun when the kids were little. Games and dolls, trains and the year we all remember -- the year of The Hockey Game. An all-day tournament with uncles, grandfathers and dad, and only one kid cried and he wasn't the youngest. Who'd let him forget.
It's not as much fun now, but the grown-up kids are easy to buy for. One wants a ladder and another wants a state-of-the-art medicine cabinet. Maybe a gift certificate at a paint store. No one wants tickets to the symphony, except me.
My sister will be in Africa for Christmas with her husband this year. He was going on business, so she tagged along. And since they probably wouldn't be that way again, they are staying an extra few weeks. They aren't worrying about Christmas -- everyone was e-mailed a card with sound effects. And that's the end of that. That takes guts I'd say.
The man who loves me and helped close up our apartment nearly two years ago and store our treasures, bought a 20-foot recreational vehicle -- complete with shower and oven. (Not together. It's small but not that small.) Last year, we spent four months on the road. Do we need more things? Not likely. Maybe sunscreen for this year's adventure in Mexico. Maybe new shorts and one new T-shirt, but nothing big or useless no matter how much fun. No quilted housecoats, bulky fur coats and no home tools. Small we say to each other -- small and cheap. I must say I have been thinking rollerblades though. They'll fit in the RV, under the couch, I know it.
This year I'll be in Yellowknife, my daughter in Hong Kong with my niece and my brother.
The boys will be in British Columbia.
Excuse me while I leave the office early to wrap and mail some presents. Do you know how much it costs to send presents to Hong Kong?