They're mostly young and predominantly men, and when Northerners kill themselves it shows that we're still not doing enough to fight suicide.

One might take relief in the fact that just 10 people took their lives during 2001 -- the same number as in 2000 and fewer than the 16 who did so in 1999 -- but it's a statistic we should never be ready to accept.

What could drive a girl between the ages of 10 and 14 to kill herself?

And there's the case of a 17-year-old male who turned a .22-calibre rifle on himself the day before he was to start a new job. Perhaps the fact he wouldn't be able to get to the job because his snowmobile had broken down drove him over the edge.

News/North had the opportunity to interview a number of young Nunavummiut last year and it was shocking how casually they would talk about suicide.

One teen told how he sat in his bedroom, holding a gun, ready to shoot himself.

Tragic tales.

It remains one of chief coroner Percy Kinney's main concerns.

It must remain at the top of everyone's list of concerns.

We have counsellors and suicide hotlines, but that's not enough to end the despair that has driven so many young Northerners to the brink and beyond.

Most of all, they need hope. We need to prove, through actions as well as words, that there is something to live for, that their lives are worth living.

They need education and jobs, mentors and role models.

We must work to make each suicide the last, and learn from each death what we could have done better.

As the longest- serving minister of Indian affairs and Northern development, Jean Chretien should understand the needs of the North. So here's what we need while he's still in office:

A greater share of the wealth generated by Northern resources.

Action on the federal commitment to hand over more power to Northern governments and First Nations.

Money for highways, schools, hospitals and housing.

Part of Chretien's legacy must be a strong Canadian North, not a collection of territories where the residents live in Third World conditions. We want a helping hand to become more self-sufficient.

It's also the Liberal party's obligation that must not be forgotten as Grit pretenders campaign for the throne.

Beer sells. That's the bottom line.

If Iqaluit's slo-pitch organization made more money selling juice and hot dogs by the side of the road, you could bet your best jewelry they'd be out doing just that. In fact, they have sold raffle tickets and held dinners and dances, yet beer gardens generate the most money. It will help pay for a new ball field and cover cost of travel.

That doesn't mean they're popular with everyone -- Iqaluit continues to grapple with problems created by alcohol. Still, city council has given the go-ahead for another beer garden next weekend. That's largely because there were no problems at the outdoor fundraiser held in July.

What's important is that organizers continue to keep a tight rein on drinking. That means monitoring how much people consume and being prepared to cut someone off before trouble brews. Heavy hands may create hard feelings, but it's the only way to ease fears and convince opponents that beer gardens are safe and can continue.

If the experiment works, council should consider a bylaw to regulate how a beer garden is held. That could include rules to have a third party manage alcohol sales, regulate hours, and perhaps require uniformed commissionaires to stand watch.

People who enjoy the beer gardens must realize they are under a magnifying glass. It's up to them to make sure there are no problems that give opponents the chance to say "I told you so."

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

To pose the question, How low can you possibly go? to a group of young criminals may come across as somewhat rhetorical in nature to a good many people.

However, when one is talking about the repeated break and enters into the Deacon's Cupboard food bank in Rankin Inlet, the question, if nothing else, casts a harsh light on the path being chosen by too many of today's youth.

Crime, by its very nature, leaves a sour taste in the mouth of a community -- not to mention the increased cost in prices the rest of us pay to make up for the losses companies endure. That being said, stealing from those most in need has to rank among the most despicable acts of thievery in any community, no matter what the culprit's age.

On a similar note, more and more people in Rankin are growing increasingly frustrated by the number of ATV thefts in the community.

As in the case reported in this issue, many of these thefts are courtesy of youthful lawbreakers.

Many people have had grave concerns over the effectiveness of police in dealing with young offenders for quite some time now. That leaves but one area of recourse -- the parents.

If more parents are not going to willingly step up and take responsibility for the actions of their children, it could be time for the Nunavut government to look at ways of making that decision for them.

Mandatory parenting workshops, or local counselling sessions with both the adults and child present, could be two ways to start opening channels of effective communication between parents and siblings who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Regular workshops could be set up in communities for parents of these kids to attend. The assigning to, and regulating of, such workshops could be handled by the local justice committees, which, after all, were put in place to come up with alternative ways of dealing with first time and young offenders.

The bottom line is, a system needs to be put in place to encourage more parents to be concerned with the behaviour of their children. If that includes mandatory attendance for those parents who will not, or cannot, discipline or influence their children's behaviour, so be it.

It's time for some parents to realize there's more to being a family than simply living under the same roof.

As parents, we must accept the fact we have an obligation to our children to do the best we can in raising them to make the right choices in life and become productive members of our society. That means being there during the bad times as well as the good -- as painful as that can sometimes be.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

It's back to the drawing board for the Department of Public Works. It's like deja vu all over again for the Inuvik Campus of Aurora College.

I was up here two years ago when the project was bumped from being a P-3 project and now the construction is being bumped again because of this negotiated contract.

The process was flawed from the start by not opening the contract up to bid. These negotiated contracts are fine when the dollars are small and competition is slim, but the college contract is neither of those.

The GNWT has a strict policy for granting a negotiated contract. They are as follows:

- when the goods and services are urgently required.

- when only one party is capable of performing the contract.

- when the contract is an architectural or engineering contract worth not more than $25,000. A $10 million tax-funded project should have gone out to public tender.

Cabinet will bend the rules on negotiated contracts, and it's usually to help a fledgling aboriginal business get started.

The contractor awarded this contract is a joint-venture between Ketza Construction Corporation -- a well-established contractor in Alaska, Yukon and the NWT -- and the Gwich'in Development Corporation. By definition, GSA could be construed as an aboriginal business, but no means are they a fledgling business. Last year, the company had revenues of $3 million and they have access to $30 million in bonding capacity.

GSA construction has a great advantage already through the Business Incentive Plan, which offers local builders a 20 per cent advantage over outside competition. On a $10 million contract, that's about two million reasons why a local company could kill any outside bid. Through allowing outside bids, the government also gets a realistic comparison of what the job is really worth.

As it sits, they have one bid and an estimator crunching numbers on a computer in Yellowknife. Not a fair comparison and not a fair use of tax dollars.

The negotiated contract does little to foster growth of a business if it cannot make that business competitive. If a contractor loses a contract, they need to know how and why their estimation could have been improved. Now, the bid will go out to tender and the GSA will still get it, but the delay will have cost the students a year in a real school and the taxpayers a few more million. Hardly a fair deal for the students, the contractors or the taxpayers.

Happy Valley views

Town council made it pretty clear last week that the seniors development in Happy Valley Campground will not be approved. Seems there was a lot of miscommunication in the proposal stages of this fiasco that could have saved a lot of time, money and hurt feelings if the people knew what they were getting from the start. Council, the Inuvialuit Community Corporation and the seniors all had the impression they were approving a facility with a common room and central meeting area where tourists could visit with elders. What was proposed by the housing corporation was what we'd all feared from the start -- another trademark cracker box housing project.

What was made clear throughout the multiple meetings, is that the Town of Inuvik needs to take a good look at how this town will grow over the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Renewable Resources officer Carl Lafferty issues a timely warning to all Deh Cho residents this week. It's human nature to be curious when a bear is lurking in the neighbourhood. However, the flashing lights on an renewable resources truck are not a signal for the entire neighbourhood to wander over to check out the scene. The opposite applies -- the lights are an indication of danger.

Just as so-called rubberneckers can cause additional wreckage at accident scenes, people who attempt to get a peak at a cornered bear are risking injury and possibly death. Although large and strong creatures, bears are also remarkably swift. Wounded bears pose a severe menace.

Bears that stroll into town looking for food may be out of their element, but we still exercise caution. Equally, Renewable Resources officers who are employed to contend with the threat of a bear should be given the respect and the room they need to do their jobs.

Walking the walk

Kudos to the Fort Simpson Parks and Playground Society for spurring action at what used to be Elephant Park. A similar story of aging and dangerous equipment has been unfolding at a playground in Yellowknife, but the difference is that parents there haven't formed a proactive group. Instead, they have spoken out individually. While condemning government, be it local, territorial or federal, may make people feel better, it often doesn't accomplish much.

When the chips are down, we need concerned citizens to come together with a plan of action, particularly for the sake of local children. Once they demonstrate that they are serious, particularly by donating their time to raising funds, those in a position of power are more likely to sit up and take notice.

It worked in Fort Simpson. The kids' faces prove it.

Grumble, grumble

While complaining about the weather is the unofficial national pastime, we Northerners have a legitimate gripe this summer: we haven't received much warm weather. Mother Nature seems to be playing a cruel joke. Winter was reluctant to loosen its grip as snow fell even in late May. June only warmed up slightly. July brought the occasional hot day (too hot isn't appreciated either, of course) but for the most part, July and August have been a bust.

With leaves turning yellow, an early frost and flocks of geese already making their way south, we can only hope for a late burst of warm weather and something we didn't really get our share of -- summer.