Despite the scandalous history of former Premier Don Morin's administration, he was instrumental in the fight for a secondary diamond industry in the NWT.
By combining the tough-talking talents of Finance Minister John Todd with the negotiating skills of Renewable Resources Minister Stephen Kakfwi, Morin forged a formidable team that filled the void created by slow-moving federal officials.
Realizing the game was well into the fourth quarter, Todd demanded BHP sell a significant portion of rough diamonds to Northern companies. He was prepared to have the GNWT pay market value and if that didn't work, he threatened mule-choking taxation.
The diamond industry tried to dismiss the idea of secondary industries in the North. Todd pushed BHP's board of directors so hard, he damaged his own business credibility and made Kakfwi look like a chap one might reason with.
The result can be seen out at the Yellowknife airport where BHP has its sorting plant. As well, a cutting and polishing plant owned by Sirius Diamonds is set to open in the spring. This is only the beginning. The North needs a guaranteed supply of rough diamonds and the jobs and training must be spread from Fort Smith to Inuvik.
Long-time Northerner Doug Willy is Diavik's point man. He has experience in the mining industry and understands Northern communities. He has been responsible for an unprecedented amount of consultation on the Diavik project and has made hiring Northerners a high priority.
But, being a loyal employee, he also once threatened to walk out of a meeting with DIAND minister Jane Stewart if the subject of the secondary diamond industry was brought up. Now he says Diavik "is open-minded about sales to Northern companies," which indicates some movement.
The feds are going to be no help so it's up to Premier Jim Antoine to ensure the battle continues.
The presentation by RWED Deputy Minister Joe Handley at the Diavik environmental assessment hearings is a very good start.
Handley says 10 companies have diamond sorting and polishing proposals on the table. He's right when he says, "We can't afford to let this opportunity slide by."
Apologies, directed at aboriginal groups, have become very fashionable lately.
It would seem that simply by saying sorry and applying a multi-million dollar band-aid, the government and its various agencies feel they can make up for their past actions and perhaps absolve themselves of their crimes.
Nunavut's police force stated last month that it, too, intends to jump on the band wagon and apologize to the Inuit population for the way it has treated them for the last several decades.
While such an apology is important in that it is an admission of police errors, we can only hope that it is heartfelt and will truly help to repair some of the damage that has been done.
Northern television has had a rough ride in the 1990s.
With the birth of the new Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), which will include Television Northern Canada (TVNC), things should get better.
Canadian cable companies will carry the new network, charging approximately seven million subscribers 15 cents each to pay for aboriginal programming.
That means new money and a larger audience for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation and new life for the television side of the Native Communications Society of the Western Arctic, which is just getting back on its feet after years of turmoil.
We also hope the Nunavut and Western Arctic governments see the new network as a way to get the message out: the new North is the place to come to work and play.
Imagine being a kid and you really, really want to play hockey.
And in Canada, that's not hard to imagine, being that most kids in this country are brought up to eat, sleep and breathe the sport.
But now imagine that you're a kid and you can't play hockey because you don't have the necessary equipment.
Ouch.
Well, many kids in Holman, at least, don't have to worry about that problem anymore, thanks to an equipment drive by Holman RCMP officer Brian Moss and his brother Dave. The people of Holman probably can't thank these guys enough.
Editorial Comment
Glen Korstrum
Inuvik Drum
Marjorie Bain finally got the recognition she deserves.
At a convocation ceremony March 2, Aurora College's cafeteria was filled with friends, family and lots of balloons and other decorations.
A raft of prominent community members praised her hard work and dedication while showing admiration for her choice of careers -- one which does not bring home a lot of money but is fulfilling because of its front-line ability to help those in need.
Bain completed her studies in Saskatchewan and returned home to the Beaufort Delta before the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, affiliated with the University of Regina, could hold its convocation ceremony.
As such, graduation honours were delayed until social work week in Inuvik.
Bain is a role model, not only for Fort McPherson Gwich'in girls but for youth in general.
Attending the packed convocation ceremony were many youth whose exposure to the respect and high regard Bain received through her studies can only motivate them to accomplish more on their own.
With her degree, Bain has become increasingly marketable to work anywhere she wants in Canada. Inuvik is lucky she chose here to provide support.
Her degree also symbolizes how she has been able to overcome problems many face in life -- such as alcoholism -- to accomplish her goals and come out strong and steady.
If there are future times when adversity strikes, she will have her degree to look to for inspiration and as a visible symbol that she can realize her ambitions.
Others can similarly look to her as an example of how hard work eventually pays off.
Traditional sports worth trying
Despite what seems like a continuous hum of activity, few weekends in Inuvik offer the opportunity for regional bonding and unity that the IRC Native Hockey tournament did this past weekend.
Since this is my first year in Inuvik, I didn't realize its magnitude until I saw the Midnight Sun parking lot jammed with cars.
Once inside, I could see how many people had made the trip to cheer on their team -- as far away as Deline and what turned out to be the mighty Chiefs.
Now the regional sport focus switches to traditional area sports such as Arctic sports and Dene games.
The symposium at Aurora College this weekend is timely in how it is followed the next week by the Winter Regional Games.
This weekend visitors from Baffin to Yukon will discuss and explore in a more formal and procedural way the intricacies of the sport with the aim to leave a lasting legacy of educational resources for Arctic sports, Dene games and Inuit wrestling.
I was fortunate enough to be in Yellowknife for the last Arctic Winter Games, and Arctic sports and Dene games topped my list of sports to see.
Though I heard Arctic sports such as the "knuckle hop" dubbed "stupidity contests" by some who wondered why anyone would want to cross the room on their knuckles, the sport evolved from historical necessity to instill stamina and toughness in hunters.
Arctic sports such as the airplane were made more traditional at the 1998 games than previous contests. Assistants held the fingertips of competitors instead of the wrists -- and the tips of toes instead of the ankles.
That way maintaining an outstretched position took far more strength than previous games.
Finally, one Arctic sport the NWT and all other teams lagged behind the Russians in at the Arctic Winter Games was sledge jumping.
The Russian world record holder jumped several hundred sledges as a gym full of people chanted the numbers -- much like fans chanting down the final seconds of close games at the Midnight Sun Arena this weekend.
Symposiums such as the one this weekend can only serve to excite area youth to various sport possibilities.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
I guess it could be seen as a burden of the job to have to lug around a camera practically everywhere I go. But the truth of the matter is that, for the most part, I enjoy the photography aspect of being a reporter.
Take Monday for example. I missed out on a golden opportunity, and I'm still kicking myself for it because I was so close to snapping a hilarious shot. As I was driving along main street in Fort Simpson I had to slow down for a dog trotting along in front of me (not highly unusual so far). As I pulled around the dog, I noticed a whole loaf of bread in his mouth. He was heading away from the vicinity of the Northern store, so I'm assuming part of somebody's grocery order fell out of the bag and he snatched it up.
Since I had the camera bag on the passenger's seat, I pulled into Thomas Simpson school's parking lot, quickly changed lenses and hoped to meet the dog head on. Well, he was in quite a hurry to get home to reap the benefits of his good fortune. When he saw me coming across the street, he broke into a full-out run and the only picture left would have been of his backside.
Oh well. Even though I didn't capture the moment on film, I had to laugh as I headed back to the truck.
There will be many chances to get some entertaining pictures over the next month or so. With community carnivals taking place all over the Deh Cho region, it's really a question of how much film I can process in a week.
I'm thoroughly looking forward to Beavertail Jamboree this week. Events like the corporate challenge, traditional games and snowmobile races are sure to provide a wealth of candid shots.
This past weekend was full of sports action with broomball territorials. Pictorially, I wish I could devote a few pages to the event to do it justice. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of the few organizers and they deserve plenty of credit.
When it comes to photography, a few people have asked me about the type of camera I use, the things I look for when I shoot and how they can get better pictures. Before going any further, I have to say that I still have a lot to learn about photography myself, and there are a number of people in this area who take better pictures than I do.
Even so, the first thing I would recommend to most people is to get as close as possible to the subject of the photo. It's pretty basic, but it's not always easy to remember at the time, especially when a cute opportunity presents itself and your first instinct is to reach for the camera and quickly snap away before it's too late. Another hindrance is those popular disposable cameras that don't lend themselves to nice, tight shots. Rather, things often look OK through the viewfinder but tend to look minuscule when you get the prints. So, a camera with a zoom lens is also very handy.
I hope to see you out at the community carnivals -- camera in hand.