When it comes down to the dollars and cents, does it really matter where the funding for public transit comes?

Does it really matter if we subsidize the system through property taxes or some other method?

To some on city council it does. That's why they have sponsored a resolution calling for the NWT Association of Municipalities (NWTAM) to lobby the territorial government to transfer some of taxes it collects from each litre of gasoline to help pay for public transit.

This year, the GNWT is expected to collect $4.3 million from gas sold throughout the territory. That money, among $7.4 million in total fuel taxes - including diesel and aviation fuel - goes directly into general revenue.

Yellowknife's transit system cost has been pegged at $479,000 this year, of which about $200,000 is covered by the users. None comes from the GNWT. Yk taxpayers pick up the entire tab.

Think of it in another way: according to Yk officials, the City of Edmonton pays less for a low-ride, accessible bus thanks to a provincial grant for up to 70 per cent of the total cost than we do for a regular one.

It's understandable, therefore, that the city would propose other funding sources, especially from the senior level of government.

Using revenue from a gas tax seems a sensible thing to do, causing consumers to realize the cost of running an automobile - economically and environmentally.

But this issue is less about reducing our impact on the environment, than getting additional money to subsidize the system.

Getting the support of the NWTAM is a step. As a group, the association can exert some political pressure on the senior government.

Achieving the result - more money for transit - will take a lot more.

City council has to do more than lobby the NWTAM, and be prepared to go to the GNWT about striking a deal to spread transit funding around.

Girls, it's time to move over, as diamonds are proving to be a hospital's best friend, too.

Thanks to BHP Diamonds and Dia Met Minerals, five diamonds now sit in safekeeping awaiting an upcoming raffle by the Stanton Hospital Foundation.

The top prize will get someone a 1.23 carat emerald-cut stone valued at $20,000, $1,000 in cash to set the stone, and a trip to Ekati mine.

The foundation, which hopes to raise $30,000 from its Canada Day raffle will put the money towards much needed hospital equipment at Stanton Regional Hospital.

Better get your tickets. Something tells us they'll be a pretty hot item.

The key to success in doing business in the North lies in the partnerships built by aboriginal groups and southern companies.

Companies that bring together resource development corporations and land-claims groups have shown to combine tried-and-true business experience from the south with the resources and manpower of the North that benefits both partners.

Our Northern workers gain knowledge and experience in business, while everybody involved makes some money from the resource-rich North.

While the goal for business in the North, is to build wealth and the jobs that come with it for Northerners, we must, at least for now, take advantage of the expertise afforded by the southern business community.

Apparently not, because Nolen's Letter from Inuvik series has already caused outrage, led to discussion at town council and inspired several angry letters to Globe editors, which may or not see the light of day.

Think back to that Who song Won't Get Fooled Again. Instead of the government, in this case we're talking about a southerner who spent a few days North of 60 and has succeeded in latching onto every stereotype and cliche that already exists about the Arctic.

Such was the case of last year's Edmonton Journal review of the Gold Range bar in Yellowknife, where the author appeared to have sat down and asked patrons about the worst scenes they'd ever witnessed and then proceeded to present the stories as if they occurred in the course of a typical weekend.

To her credit, Nolen writes well and also succeeds in covering a wide array of subjects and condensing Inuvik's story into a rather small space. She fills that space, however, mainly with second-hand information and way too much emphasis on doughnuts and botulism.

One danger in journalism is lobbing softball questions and coming up with fluff, but another is to take the easy way out - and in this case offer a southern readership pretty much what they expected to see, anyway.

Won't Get Fooled Again? No wonder people can be media-shy around here.

Conference calls

Visitors at last week's Catch the Spirit 2000 business conference seemed pretty happy with what they'd experienced in Inuvik.

The expensive but much-used Midnight Sun Recreation Complex received high marks, along with the organization by Western Arctic Regional Business Services, and the food.

While it's unlikely most visitors would soon return to Inuvik now that they've been here, they'll likely be spreading the word and telling family and friends that they've been north of the Arctic Circle. Given the chance, more conference groups would opt for an arctic adventure over a trip to a small western town.

The town and local businesses should continue their beautification efforts and turn Inuvik into a cleanliness-conscious town. As for the visitors most consistent praise, that was happily applied to Inuvik's hospitality and openness: things that appear to come naturally.

In an attempt to entice representatives from the oil and gas industry, Kakfwi dangled a few statistics that don't reflect well on the NWT. For example, he revealed that 80 cents on every dollar of capital construction in the NWT oil and gas industry goes south, mostly to Alberta.

He has to walk a tightrope, trying to make capital ventures in the North sound lucrative to attract support from southern businesses; support needed to help their burgeoning Northern counterparts grow. Yet he can't make too many promises as home-grown Northern enterprises will be fighting for as much of the pie as they can handle.

Economic development is imperative for the NWT and its government, which has an ominous deficit looming and a budget to be tabled in June. Resource royalties are being touted as the yellow brick road to prosperity. The other statistic that Kakfwi alluded to - one that has been often cited over the past few years - is that the federal government currently absorbs 95 per cent of resource revenues.

In this region, the Deh Cho First Nations are pursuing a self-government process that is unparalleled in the NWT. The GNWT's role in that process has been questioned, particularly on two fronts: does the territorial government expect to have a share of resource revenue, and will they recognize a Deh Cho government as the primary government in the region?

Those questions were apparently presented to the government in writing in November, but a detailed response still awaits, according to DCFN chief negotiator Chris Reid.

When the Drum contacted GNWT negotiator Bob Patterson last week and asked those two questions point blank, he responded, "We're working hard to clarify where we are with subject matters ... At the present time we're still working on it."

Reid didn't mince words on what the GNWT can expect in terms of resource royalties, saying that "they have no legal or legitimate interest of any kind." That doesn't absolutely rule out that the Deh Cho will see fit to negotiate a percentage, however slight, of resource revenues for the poverty-stricken territorial government.

It's obvious the GNWT is relying heavily on the prospect of reaping a portion of those royalties. In his speech Monday, Kakfwi confirmed that, and said sharing Northern benefits with governments and Northern peoples "is central to our vision."

If and when the Deh Cho does form a regional public government and if they assume jurisdiction over services such as education and health - formerly delivered by the GNWT - they will obviously require and demand the lion's share of royalties. The details of such an agreement will undoubtedly be hammered out carefully to reflect the transition period when the responsibility for the services is being shared by both governments.

With those details hanging in the balance, the answers from the GNWT will have to come sooner or later.

The movement afoot to bring artificial ice to Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay and Sanikiluaq might actually succeed this time around.

There's been co-operation on all fronts to make this happen, and lowering standards for artificial ice surfaces makes sense in a number of ways.

In Rankin, with the age and condition of the arena, the sand-based proposal is a fiscally-responsible compromise.

The proposal means the local hockey and skating season would greatly increase, providing more recreation time and a better developmental and training period for our young athletes.

It would be nice to see how our midget team might do in the Hay River tourney next year if it were actually able to practise once or twice before playing.

Anawak has long been in favour of seeing artificial ice put into his home riding, but could not justify the $1-million price tag without having at least a workable plan for a regional centre in his back pocket to take to cabinet.

Now, taking for granted Rankin submits a solid proposal, he can go to cabinet with an alternative that shows a spirit of co-operation, makes economic sense and accomplishes the original goal of having an artificial ice surface in the Kivalliq.

There is no doubt by going with the sand proposal that the door has been opened for naysayers to claim the community is settling for a second-rate surface.

What those voices fail to realize is, it was not so long ago that a great number of artificial ice surfaces in communities across Canada were sand-based or bottomed.

Properly installed and maintained with Rankin's climate - global warming or not - a sand-based surface would deliver a solid sheet of ice for many years and give a solid return on a $300,000 investment.

If nothing else, judging by Anawak's comments concerning the issue, the message is finally being heard in the capital that sports are far more than simple games.

If not, here's hoping Anawak delivers the message loud and clear when he presents the proposals to cabinet.

Anawak has said the proposals are a good idea. It remains to be seen just how hard he'll push to turn the idea into reality.