Predictions are "scary things" when it comes to ice bridge closures, say department of transportation officials.

While Yellowknifer agrees, we can make one prediction -- too many people who know better forget the Mackenzie River ice bridge goes out every spring. Caught up in the headlong pace of their day to day business, people still make doomed plans to drive out or neglect to make that extra large order to beef up their inventory or supplies until the ferry is in.

With that in mind, Yellowknifer encourages transportation officials to blow the whistle early and loud on the ice bridge closure.

They may not win any points on predicting a date (leave that to the office pools) but they'll prevent a lot of frustration, not to mention expense, by raising public awareness about one our least fun annual events.

And the children shall lead...

They can not really be considered children any more, but the teens who make up the local chapter of Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD) are leading by example.

In a region where drinking and driving is 2.5 times higher than the national average, someone has to champion the cause and raise awareness. That's why SADD's plan to host a national conference next year is to be commended.

From March 22-25, 2001, up to 500 delegates will gather in Yellowknife, bringing with them a burst of teenage energy that could reinvigorate their peers and even older generations to new levels of awareness of the true depth of the problem of drinking and driving and its consequences.

Stellar studentWe'd like to offer some high praise to Yellowknife's Michael Demko -- a student at Sir John Franklin high school -- who was recently awarded the Governor General's Academic Medal for receiving the highest grade point average.

The stellar student was not all that impressed by the award, but this modest young man completed his final year with all his marks reaching into the high 90 percentile -- a feat that and student or educator will tell you takes a lot of hard work.

We are quick to honour our athletes and artists, so it's refreshing to see Sir John honouring this type of achievement as well. Congratulations.

We would like to take time out from the usual griping and sniping on the editorial page to make mention of Mary Beauchamp, who is stepping down after 34 years of service in the field of health and social services.

Beauchamp started in 1966 as a case worker and worked her way up to co-ordinator of child welfare in 1990.

She has spent a lot of time reuniting families separated by adoption.

More than three decades of working at the same place is almost unheard of these days.

That those 34 years were dedicated to making others' lives better is more than admirable.

Her years of selfless service to the community make us all grateful, and at the same time, gives us pause to look at our own lives and the depth of our own commitment to making this world a better place.

"I must say I'm impressed with you Floyd," she said. "You're good at keeping people on track ... especially when the ministers themselves have their hands tied."

Allen was reacting to recent positive reports of Roland's performance, along with that of former finance minister Charles Dent and tenacious Mackenzie Delta MLA David Krutko, of keeping the new government on its toes.

That performance has been good to see, since it followed on the heels of Roland's failed bid for the premiership and his subsequent exile from cabinet.

Roland responded to Allen's remarks by saying in many ways it is easier to operate in the legislature without the constraints of a cabinet portfolio and having to present a united government front to the assembly and the electorate. He added that in many ways Inuvik has the best of both worlds in that it's represented by both a minister and an "opposition" regular member.

It's good to see Roland place this positive spin on his ousting from cabinet and good to see what appears to be continued cordial relations between him and Roger Allen. Of course, in this assembly, there are still more regular members to provide ammunition against the government, limited only by the growing debt and cash-constraint problem. Still, let's hope Roland continues to provide positive criticism in the assembly, and that together with Allen, provides good representation for Inuvik.

Whose job is it?

The ongoing efforts to create a co-ordinated beautification strategy for Inuvik has led many to question exactly who is or should be responsible for keeping the community clean.

There's little doubt it's up to elected town officials to set policy and then enforce it, but exactly what proportion the town should be paying is still being debated.

The town is also considering bringing in a consultant to assist long-term planning. That's not a bad idea if it does produce an enforceable strategy that everyone can live with, though costs should be closely watched. Territorial archives are filled with needs-assessment studies and evaluations that don't get turned into reality.

So far, there seems little chance of that happening because the beautification committee is moving along nicely. Spring is nearly on us, however, and there's much to be done and decided. The town should watch its expenses and plans should ensure that business and residents be responsible for their own backyards -- and for their own expenses.

Informal polling has stressed that individuals be accountable for their own actions. Hopefully the beautification committee's inclusive approach will have the effect of making these wishes reality.

That's a considerable burden for a detachment which has jurisdiction over three communities -- Wrigley roughly 215 kilometres away and Jean Marie River approximately 125 kilometres away.

Fingers shouldn't be pointed locally, regionally or territorially; everyone is simply working with what they've been handed.

Apparently, there's been a failure at the federal level to recognize that supply hasn't been meeting demand, or, more likely, cutbacks have made meeting that demand difficult.

Now there's a push to get cadets through the training depot in Regina to fill a number of voids around the country. In the meantime, our local police officers are expected to carry out an already stressful job with even less back-up. That's not a healthy situation.

Showing the way

Three days in a person's life may or may not be enough to change the way he or she behaves or thinks about things, but it's a chance worth taking. With that, the 2000 Mackenzie Youth Leadership Conference offered students a wide array of workshops from art to self-esteem and making choices.

One of the most popular figures at the event was traditional dancer and public speaker Travis Dugas. He was already well known to a number of the students through their previous trips to Edmonton for the annual Dreamcatcher's Conference.

The youth were clearly very comfortable with Dugas, who conducted his Creative and Positive Problem Solving workshops in a relaxed fashion at John Tsetso Memorial Library. Beyond his worldliness, his commanding appearance, his relatively young age (he's 30 years old), and the uplifting message that he passed on to students, he went the extra mile for the students. On Friday after his last session, he realized that the 14 students in his workshop had no more seminars for the day. Rather than dismiss them, he easily convinced them to stay and play charades.

Many of the students exclaimed, "I can't do that," as they came to the front of the room to act out the subject card. Dugas pointed out that despite their initial lack of assurance, each of them successfully completed the task.

As accommodating as Dugas was entertainer Paul Isaak, who captivated many students with his juggling act. Isaak was constantly in demand during his three-day stint in Fort Simpson. He seems to have inspired a generation of jugglers in the Deh Cho as he handed out three coloured balls to students and gave them the knowledge to get them started.

One facilitator remarked that it was refreshing to see the teachers taking part in the workshops. It wasn't a chance for the teachers to get the students off their hands while they ducked into the staff room. Many of the facilitators participate in public speaking engagements and workshops because they don't want to see today's youth make the same mistakes they made. That's admirable. Just as admirable is the reason they were invited here in the first place -- it's because our local community leaders wish the best for the youth.

They care.

The RCMP have been policing the North for more than a century and many paid the supreme price in bringing the nation's laws to the North. Equally gratifying is seeing the RCMP honour its special constables.

In the early to mid-1900s, the contributions of special constables to regular members were immense.

The special constables taught members land and survival skills, familiarized them with direction, and literally provided them with the clothes on their back to survive the harshest climates. Without the help of these constables, the RCMP presence in the North may have been short-lived.

It will be gratifying for family members of Baker Lake's Ooyoumuk to hear his name called during the ceremony and receive the respect and acknowledgement for his contributions to the RCMP. Acknowledgement he so richly deserves.

Stand his ground

Hopefully, Sustainable Development Minister Peter Kilabuk is not going to be scared off by a little Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) sabre rattling.

The minister made the right decision when he denied Coral Harbour hunter Noah Kadlak's request to conduct a traditional polar bear hunt using a spear.The remarks of NTI president Paul Quassa that Inuit have the right to hunt, fish and trap in Nunavut using "any method" is more than a little disconcerting.

Where is the line drawn by that wording? Quassa himself acknowledges the minister has the right to overrule any Nunavut Wildlife Management Board decision that is in violation of existing Wildlife Acts. There are numerous "methods" of hunting, fishing and trapping outlawed by the Wildlife Act.

Not to be lost in all the hullabaloo over this case is the fact that going to court is expensive. Surely we have better ways to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars in our new territory than fighting over one man's right to make a buck by plunging a spear into an animal's innards.

Quassa can talk about documenting the kill for future generations to see "how it used to be done" all he wants.

The bottom line here is this hunter wants to conduct this spectacle for his own personal financial gain. Period.We have yet to hear one tangible way the Inuit cause will be furthered by the taking of one bear's life with a spear.

Job well done

Congratulations to David Webster and the Baker Lake Inuit Heritage Centre for the latest collection of works it has obtained.

The Inuit Heritage Centre is constantly upgrading its collection and reputation.An excellent effort is being put forth by Webster and his associates in Baker and they should be recognized for their work in preserving Inuit culture, history and tradition.