We could rant on about the mindless vandalism that led Ter Hamer to consider closing the mini-golf course named after his deceased son.

But that would give them too much recognition.

Instead, it's the people who came out to repair the damage who deserve the limelight.

You proved to Ter Hamer, and the rest of Yellowknife, that you do care.

Like most volunteers who act in the aftermath of adversity, you are not seeking publicity or recognition. You just want to do your part, to provide help where it's needed.

Through your good deeds, families will be able to continue to enjoy time putting around the course, and the Wade Hamer Foundation will be able to continue to raise money for its worthy work.

It's an act of kindness that hasn't gone unnoticed.

The city was right to agree to amend the livery licence bylaw, increasing fares for the two taxi companies in town.

Since the last increase to the flag rate two years ago -- it went up to $2.45 -- we've also seen increases in gas prices, the cost of living and vehicle maintenance.

According to the city, since 1998 the consumer price index (inflation) has increased by 2 per cent, the cost of transportation has increased by 3.6 per cent and the cost of regular gas has jumped $0.16 cents per litre.

Raising the flag rate to $2.75 not only makes sense considering all the increases, but it also serves as a way to help keep these local businesses financially viable.

"It just looked like somebody built a really bad brick skyscraper in the middle of the Yellowknife dump." RCMP Sgt. Bill Code on his return after nine months in Kosovo.

Sgt. Bill Code's description of downtown Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is more chilling than a month of -40.

The brutality and chaos Code witnessed, including a police station torture chamber, helped him appreciate the relative harmony we enjoy in Yellowknife. All of us, not only those in the drunk tank, should heed his message - We have it extraordinarily good.

Code, close to retirement, intends to go back to assist the training of the new police force. He's an excellent ambassador for the North and we hope he flies the NWT flag with continued pride, if in fact he does return.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) issued a 2000 Report Card on the impaired driving legislation of Canada's provinces and territories.

The NWT got an F. The highest was British Columbia with a C+.

MADD wants graduated licences restricting drivers due to age, medical condition or past infractions, and more police powers to stop drivers at random and order sobriety tests.

They want tougher penalties for offenders, more victim compensation and increased insurance levels.

At the very least, the NWT should act on these suggestions and bring us up to a C mark for the sake of saving lives and helping the victims of impaired drivers.

Although Mother Nature played a large role in last year's narwhal hunt, which was conducted under rare ice conditions and the presence of killer whales, one should be concerned over the number of narwhal landed, wounded and sunk.

We should also be concerned with the reporting practices of some of the communities involved.

We can take pride in the Kivalliq Region because Repulse Bay's reporting methods were widely hailed as being accurate, honest and provided in the manner in which the hunt was set up.

All parties involved -- from our local HTOs, to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, the Kivalliq Wildlife Management Board and the federal DFO -- have to work together to ensure the catch remains at sustainable numbers.

The first step is making sure all participating communities accurately detail the numbers from their hunt.

Erroneous information could lead to long-term narwhal stock damage.

With Repulse leading the way with its self-imposed 100-narwhal quota, another huge improvement in this year's hunt will be the physical presence of DFO field personnel from its enforcement branch.

While the key here is for all parties to work together and have a viable, long-term sustainable hunt, enforcing rules at an early stage will greatly aid in the implementation of a workable plan.

Fisheries officers are also expected to enforce the section of the Marine Mammals Regulations, which state that no person who kills or wounds a marine mammal shall abandon or discard it (a reasonable effort must be made to retrieve the animal) during this year's hunt.

They are also expected to enforce the stipulation that no person who kills a cetacean or walrus shall waste any edible part of it.

Repulse's move to larger floats to reduce the loss of struck narwhal, and implementing a rule requiring hunters to cache narwhal carcasses for later retrieval are also positive improvements.

Hopefully, the DFO will make good on its promise to conduct another in-depth survey on the narwhal population this August.

With the data collected from the first two hunts, hunter knowledge and scientific input, a sustainable plan should be developed so that the hunt can continue for many years.

That is, as long as everyone involved co-operates and plays by the rules.

Hopefully, every community taking part in narwhal hunting this year will follow Repulse Bay's lead in managing practices.

It's for the good of everyone involved.