NWT chief coroner Percy Kinney is right to push the issue of establishing an underwater search and rescue unit in Yellowknife.
He's right when he says it is a "disaster waiting to happen." As stated by a councillor in a previous story on the same issue, Yellowknife is a city surrounded by six lakes. It's hard to believe there are no underwater rescue capabilities already.
What is the city waiting for? A report? That's all fine and dandy, but meanwhile, spring is fast-approaching, and with it, the danger of someone going through the ice.
A lot of good a report will do then.
There's a great deal of celebratory cheer about to touch down in Yellowknife over the next week.
With the coming of the 44th Caribou Carnival, residents can expect one of the biggest and best outdoor carnivals ever.
Considering all the bad news we've faced over the winter -- between the strikes and businesses closing -- this carnival couldn't come at a better time.
Complete with fireworks, outdoor games, and snowmobile races, the carnival will also serve as a primer for next week's celebration of the new Western Territory, where... yes, again, there will be a huge fireworks display. And the celebrations won't stop there.
When mushers compete in this weekend's Canadian Championship Dog Derby, they'll be one step closer to breaking into the international arena. The dog derby is being given World Cup status by the NWT Dog Sledding Association.
This would open the door for Northern mushers to compete on the international circuit in places like Spain and Germany. More importantly, it will bring them closer to their goal of having dog mushing recognized as an Olympic sport.
To help sanction the event, president of the International Federation of Sled-dog Sports Tim White will be in town to get the ball rolling.
Carol Beck, president of the NWT association, doesn't mince words when she says the Dog Derby was chosen because "It's a well-organized race, definitely one of the best I've ever been to."
We couldn't agree more. See you at the races.
It was a great myth while it lasted.
You know, the one about Japanese couples flocking to Yellowknife to conceive a child under the magical influence of the northern lights.
One of the city's tour operators, Sieji Suzuki, now tells us it's not so, instead labelling it nothing more than a "Canadian myth".
Northerners hardly have to fabricate myths linking fertility rites to the northern lights. Birth rates in the NWT (22.8 per 1000) are twice the Canadian average (11.9 per 1000).
So while the love connection with the lights is real, we linked it to the wrong people. Think about that the next time you stand transfixed by the blazing waves in the night sky. The figures tell the story.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
There can be no doubt whoever was responsible for destroying the igloo in Rankin Inlet this month, that so many in the hamlet put their efforts into constructing, deserves a good swift kick in the butt, politically correct to say or not.
The igloo was the idea of a group of elders in the community and was to serve both as a cultural-education tool and as the centrepiece for our Nunavut Day celebrations.
The folks at the Community Wellness Centre put in a great deal of effort to help fund the project and it was refreshing to see so many school-aged kids want to join in and help construct the igloo under the elders' direction.
Plans were already in place to raise some extra monies by having people enjoy the igloo experience and spend a few bucks for the opportunity to sleep overnight in the structure.
A week ago Monday would have seen the first group of kids arrive to learn some cultural education from the elders in the igloo, including wonderful stories of days gone bye.
As April 1 rolled around, the igloo would have been a beautiful cultural statement into how much has changed in such a remarkably short period of time and a pleasant reminder of a lifestyle now past. Plans were also in place to hold a number of Inuit games at the site which, no doubt, would have provided hours of fun and enjoyment for kids of all ages.
However, all that being said, the thrashing of the igloo did not come as a complete surprise and many people in community stated publicly they expected it would happen.
But, and it's a big but, there can be absolutely no credence lent to the rumblings from some quarters that this was a strike at Inuit culture. Such hate mongering accomplishes nothing and serves no purpose other than to attempt to use the incident as a means of furthering the personal agendas of those who will always have an axe to grind with someone.
The smashing of the igloo was the random act of youthful destruction, period. This is not an attempt to diminish the wrongdoing or downplay its effects in any way. There are many angry and disappointed people in the community and rightfully so.
However, this was the act of youth with too much time on its hands and probably the result of an 'I dare you,' not a political statement by an anti-cultural organization bent on destroying the memory of the old way of life. Such thoughts deserve to be put in the garbage with the rest of the trash.
Full marks to those in the hamlet who quickly jumped to the forefront of efforts to rebuild the igloo so we may have our cultural reminder and centrepiece come April 1.
For those who destroyed the igloo, they would be best served to remember the fear of being exposed they're feeling right now the next time the urge to destroy something creeps upon them and take some pride in the efforts of their community.