After years of debate, false starts, wasted money, plebiscites and plenty of frustration, it looks as if Yellowknifers may finally get their new arena.

The preferred site is on vacant land near Sir John Franklin, St. Patrick and Weledeh school, which makes it a very practical choice, having the added benefit of being downtown.

The history of the arena is as rocky as it is long and city council should learn from past mistakes.

First of all, now that the site has been identified, council should stick with it. Further debate could begin another spiral into indecision.

Secondly, and more importantly, don't bite off more than the ratepayers want to chew. In the last vote, ratepayers made it clear they do not want to spend $10 million dollars. Right now the immediate need is to replace Gerry Murphy Arena. That can be done at a price the city can afford.

Discussion of a second pad threatens the first and to push it through for double the price 'for the good of all' will hurt the next time the city comes to the ratepayers with a legitimate need to borrow funds.

Thirdly, cost overruns. Public confidence in the city administration has been damaged over the past decade, not so much due to the day to day operations as for over spending and empire building.

Inuvik suffered major cost overruns on its new arena and it could happen here if some one isn't watching the dollars.

One of the biggest arena boosters in town, Ter Hamer, is backing the new package. The Wade Hamer Foundation, which he heads, has already donated $10,000. No doubt Hamer, who has been full steam ahead to get a new arena for over a decade, pledged the money in hopes of cementing the process thus far.

One thing is certain, Yellowknifers do not want to be debating whether to have a new arena for the next ten years. The time is now.

Council, if it proceeds carefully, is in a position to make it happen.

The decision to appoint an arbitrator for the Diavik lease agreement will avoid costly, drawn-out court cases.

We don't need tax dollars churned up in a courtroom every time somebody spills their coffee on the barrens.

The environmental nightmares left behind by previous Northern mines have left us cautious of any new development, but we cannot exclude industry forever nor leave it unchecked.

The mistakes learned from the past have educated us for the future of industry in the North and we're all for negotiation before arbitration and arbitration before litigation.

Last weekend's election at the Northern Territories Federation of Labour resulted in new blood taking over the helm of the labour movement.

Long-time Yellowknifer and Union of Northern Workers membership secretary Bob Haywood won the post of president over Giant Mine worker Wayne Campbell.

In the past, the North's mining sector has often had strong representation in the federation.

Haywood has never worked in the mining industry.

But keep in mind, the federation is an umbrella organization representing both unionized and non-unionized workers in the NWT and Nunavut. The latest election reflects the fact that the North's unions are not just about mining.

Tootoo has already verbally agreed to accept a full athletic scholarship to Fairbanks College in Fairbanks, Alaska, next year.

Not only will Tootoo receive an excellent college education during the next four years, the full scholarship means he won't be looking at owing tens of thousands of dollars in student loans upon graduating.

And, to make the deal even sweeter, more and more professional scouts now make arenas where U.S. collegiate hockey is played regular stops on their hectic schedules.

Tootoo's case vividly illustrates the advantages of combining hockey with education.

He still has ample time and opportunity to carve a career for himself in professional hockey if that's what he chooses to do.

Should anything prevent him from obtaining that goal, he will still have a solid post-secondary education to fall back on.

We have no doubt there are plenty of young hockey players in Nunavut who are every bit as capable of achieving what Tootoo has.

In order for our Kivalliq youth to make the best of these opportunities, we need longer hockey seasons, more training and certification for our coaches, referees and volunteers.

If we put these cornerstones in place, Tootoo could very well be the first of many eager Kivalliq students to walk the campus of American or Canadian university in the not-too-distant future.

Promising start

Rankin Inlet's Peter Tatty, new chair of the Sakku Investments Corp. board, is off to a promising start.

The decision by the Sakku board to go outside its membership and hire a full-time president is, indeed, a good one.

Tatty brings a successful 25-year Kivalliq business career to his new position and a firm grasp of how a corporation should function.

He talks as though openness and accountability are more than mere words, which is a refreshing change of pace.

Once a solid president is in place with a proven track record in business investment and development, Sakku Investments Corp. just might be able to improve its somewhat less than impressive performance of the past few years.

It will interesting to see how Sakku progresses during next month's open meeting in Rankin Inlet and to hear more on how Tatty intends to ensure the often troubled investment firm stays on course to solid investments for the Kivalliq Inuit Association and the region's beneficiaries.