City hall in Yellowknife is a mix of business and politics. The trick is to keep the two apart as much as possible while still responding to both.

The furore over the attempted sale of the former Bartam Trailer Park site is a good example of what happens when politics are ignored in favour of what appears to be a sound business move.

City council was responsible for encouraging developers to put together a proposal for buying the site.

After deciding against selling the site, they apologized to the one developer - Mike Mrdjenovich - who put in a bid because it was obvious the public didn't want Bartam sold.

Mrdjenovich was angry and his cry of shoddy treatment at the hands of city hall hit some nerves around town, especially among people unhappy with the city.

When Bellanca Developments, the city's second largest taxpayer, added its voice to city hall critics, it came like a lion's roar.

Bellanca has been sitting on 10 acres of downtown land since 1978 that it appears unable to either sell or develop and they laid the blame at city hall's steps.

Gordon Wilson, Bellanca's Edmonton-based general manager, finds city administration is hell to deal with, killing ideas left and right.

Yet, Bellanca has developed over $65 million of property in Yellowknife, so something must work right at city hall.

The crux of the matter appears to be the 10-acres of unsold, undeveloped land. Wilson is on the record saying the restrictions of the Capital Area Development Scheme are not a problem, city hall is.

He also said if city hall would swap a million dollars worth of land that Bellanca can't sell for a million dollars worth of city land that will sell, the company would be happy.

Question is would the ratepayers be happy? Would it be good business? Would it be good politics?

These are questions the next mayor and council must decide.

Keeping developers happy is desirable. Doing what is best for Yellowknifers is essential.

The founding of NORD, the Northern Organization for Responsible Development, raises some important questions in the area of diamond development.

NORD is made up of Yellowknife business people who are planning to lobby in favour of more development in the North. One of their biggest concerns is the length of time it's taking for a decision on BHP's application to develop three additional kimberlite pipes.

NORD claims such decisions are "more difficult than they need to be." While NORD's mandate may be a good one, we disagree that this 'hold up' is an unnecessary one.

The Akaitcho people claim their impact benefit agreement with BHP only covers the five existing pipes and wants Ottawa to support their bid in a new agreement before these pipes get the go-ahead.

NORD, which appears to have no aboriginal businesses on side, should consider the Akaitcho people's concerns as valid ones. Otherwise, until this has been resolved, NORD may become known as the Northern Organization for Rapid Development.

It was an excellent choice for Sport North to memorialize Yellowknife's Mary Beth Miller by naming the NWT Female Athlete of the Year Award in her honour.

Mary Beth personified the spirit of sport in the North and was a dominant part of any team she played on and any sport she competed in.

The annual award will remind us all of her achievements and that memory will spur future generations to achieve Mary Beth's level of excellence in and out of the world of sport.

When she won the award in 1999, Mary Beth was thrilled with the honour. Passing the memory of her motivation on year-after-year, will serve as a fine remembrance and a fitting tribute to the athlete and the woman.

A number of topics were discussed at last week's Town of Inuvik Municipal Election 2000 Forum.

Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the issues raised by the candidates themselves, or in questions raised by members of the audience, had to do directly or indirectly with how council will handle the future growth of the community.

And though that would be important for any community at any time, the issue is particularly vital here, with Inuvik expected to experience a sharp increase in population, if the anticipated oil and gas development boom does develop.

Concerns were raised about properly maintaining the existing roads and other infrastructure in town. Certainly this task will become even bigger, and more important, should the town grow quickly.

As one candidate said, the next few years could be interesting for the town and for council.

In any event, the forum itself was interesting. It lasted three hours, with candidates answering about 20 questions from the audience. Though the turnout wasn't heavy, with slightly more than 50 people present, it was noted that other meetings were being held that night too.

Certainly enough people were present to indicate a strong interest in the election and, perhaps more encouragingly, there were indications that after the election many people will be watching the new council closely, and may offer concerns or advice as needed.

It's doubtful any of the candidates would disagree with the need for input from the community at any time.

Donating time

A plea for volunteers has been issued recently by both the Inuvik Minor Hockey Association and the Inuvik Speed Skating Club.

Karen Polakoff related that it's been hard for her Speed Skating Club, and for many others, to get volunteers, and noted that with just one other instructor, it makes it difficult to run sessions, and just to run the club in general.

Meanwhile, minor hockey president Charlie Villeneuve has also expressed a desire for more helping hands. He pointed out, however, that many parents whose children are taking part will volunteer their time. What Villeneuve is really looking for is more coaches.

Sometimes it can be forgotten that often the most precious commodity is time. That can be especially true if it's time donated to an event, or activity, that's not only worthwhile but fulfilling.

But of course it's also true that time can only be spread so far. Work and other commitments probably have a lot to do with these expressed shortages of helpers. Nonetheless, as winter sports prepare to kick into high gear, hopefully some people who have a bit of time on their hands, and who feel they've got something to contribute to an organization, will go scouting around to see if anyone is interested.

They probably won't have to look too far.

Nats'enelu is like a Formula 1 car racing at top speed with a great driver but no pit crew.

D'Arcy Moses has done wonders for Fort Simpson's Dene fashion design business. Nats'enelu and its staff have come a long way over the past three years. The trade show in Japan in March, awarded through the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Affairs, will be another milestone for the business. Remember, it was just last year that a Donna Karan representative was here to purchase Dene garments for display in New York.

Of course, Moses would be the first to tell you that he hasn't done it on his own. Many Fort Simpson residents helped to lay the groundwork for the enterprise. Members of the Nats'enelu Society, which preceded the business, were instrumental in giving direction to the project.

But as the years have gone by, interest seems to have waned. Nats'enelu may no longer be in vogue locally, but it is still attracting plenty of attention from the fashion world. Moses, with assistance from the Department of Economic Development, has been handling the business deals, marketing and financial details.

It's the local input that is missing, except that from Martina Norwegian and Barb Tsetso. A lack of local participation could also affect the business in another way. There could be legal ramifications if a board isn't in place.

If Deh Cho Dene customs and traditions are to be preserved, a few volunteers are going to have step forward and build momentum. The business is flourishing, but the Dene values are still needed.

Down the tailpipe

We all shake our heads as we pull up to the pumps and routinely pay a few extra dollars to cover the rising cost of gas. It's a burden, but not as heavy as that carried by those who rely greatly on fuel to make their living.

Albert Norwegian, of Fort Providence, is talking about returning to the trapline this winter. There's no shame in that. Yet it's unfortunate that a hard-working individual who is doing his best to provide for his family could be priced out of business.

Like Pat Rowe in Fort Simpson, Norwegian has a number of expenses to consider, his insurance, blown tires, repairs to the truck. Although he is a journeyman mechanic who fixes his vehicles whenever he can, special tools and equipment are sometimes required. His work ethic isn't in question. He stocks his semi-truck using a loader but unloads by hand, not an easy task.

Cutting out a niche is sometimes a real challenge. Getting squeezed out once you've become established must be hard to swallow.

It's further proof that diversification is an invaluable quality in today's workforce, even in small Northern communities.

Most people can tell you Rome wasn't built in a day.

The funny part is, many of those same people expect immediate results when it comes to programs in our territory.

While there can be no denying our region has fallen a bit behind the Baffin and Kitikmeot in some areas -- most noticeably on the investment front -- we are holding our own on others.

It is just now that some initiatives of the past year are starting to look like they may bear fruit.

Like everything else in life, successful business ventures take time.

Some people in our region have been whispering for the past eight months that various trade missions to Manitoba have been nothing but free trips for the privileged and have produced no results.

The Nunavut Government, led by the Department of Stainable Development, has always advocated trade missions.

And while the approach may not always be perfect, it is starting to produce results.

The seeds to the taxidermy course being taught in Coral Harbour were planted during such a trade mission.

In fact, many seeds revolving around sustainable resources, hunting and tourism were planted during those meetings and they are starting to grow.

Arviat is benefitting from agreements for both caribou and polar bear hunting.

Coral holds the promise of bringing $100,000 a year into the local economy from hunting alone and Repulse Bay is not far behind.

This is not even scratching the surface of spin-off industry such as taxidermy, equipment manufacturing and eco-tourism.

Slowly but surely these operations are coming into being. And slow and steady is the right way to proceed.

It is certainly not inconceivable that within five to 10 years, our region alone could boast a multi-million dollar industry around hunting and tourism.

Having local people trained to support these ventures will increase the benefit to Kivalliq communities even more.

The Nunavut Government deserves straight "A's" for recognizing that for us to succeed, Manitoba has to be a strong partner.

That dedication to creating a strong partnership with our provincial neighbour will pay much larger dividends as time goes by.

Every step forward is a step in the right direction and many of our first steps began during trade missions.