Did you see the whirlwind? That was Prime Minister Jean Chretien as he buzzed through Yellowknife. He jetted in, mixed and mingled with city Grits, spent some time with western and Northern MPs and talked to Premier Stephen Kakfwi.

Then he was off again.

It was all over in less than 18 hours -- a particularly unsatisfying visit by a man who showed great interest in the North when he was minister of Northern affairs during the 1970s.

It wasn't nearly long enough for Chretien to get a feel for the new North. The prime minister, cabinet members and MPs on hand for the caucus meeting may have heard about the problems we face, but talk isn't enough.

Sure, there's the promise of new wealth from oil and gas. But it's soured by a lack of roads, and education and inadequate health and social services.

To be fair, the prime minister wasn't here to negotiate the future of the NWT, but what he saw in Yellowknife isn't representative of the need. The city enjoys a robust economy, but the rest of the territory faces the neverending problems of alcohol abuse and other social ills.

At the very least, we hope the caucus meeting helped introduce ordinary MPs to our piece of the country. Let's hope they can now understand why we need better highways, why a per capita grant that may be OK for the rest of Canada doesn't stretch far enough across the North.

And let's hope our MP, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, can keep up the behind-the-scenes work to get those MPs and cabinet ministers, and especially Chretien, back here on a regular basis.

They need to do more than sit in a comfortable meeting room at the Explorer Hotel. They need to drive Highway 3. They need to visit a health centre in Paulatuuq. And they need to talk to average folks.

There's a image of the ideal suburban front yard in our collective consciousness. It includes a glistening green lawn, one that's free of weeds and cut close enough for a round of miniature golf.

It's also an image that makes little sense on the northern fringes of the Canadian Shield, with our typically scarce rainfall (2001 excepted) and relatively thin soils. Yet many a Yellowknifer takes great pride in overcoming the ecological obstacles that stand in the way of a decent lawn.

Chief among the tools at their disposal are herbicides that make hand-weeding obsolete and pesticides that effectively eliminate a great many inconvenient forms of life that are incompatible with the cherished lawnscape.

The problem is those chemicals also tend to be toxic to larger species, including the owners of those lawns and their children. It is difficult to justify the deliberate introduction of such poisons to our environment in the absence of a serious economic or health need. Cosmetic lawn application simply doesn't meet those criteria.

Has life become so hectic and the demands on our time become so extreme that homeowners can't find a few hours a month to pull weeds from their lawns by hand? Any experienced gardener can attest that weed-pulling can be a therapeutic and rewarding practice, one that keeps you in touch with the natural world.

The city should consider banning the cosmetic use of these chemicals by both public and private properties.

And for those who still prefer the quick-and-easy solution to life's problems, may we respectively suggest a rock garden?

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

I found it more than a little interesting to listen to the Kataujaq Society's director, Evelyn Thordarson, make reference to the fact the society is here to bring families together, not tear them apart.

Her need to stress that point is no doubt brought on by the fact the society operates the Safe Shelter for Battered Women in Rankin Inlet.

For the past three years I have covered the society's annual picnic, attended its annual fundraising auction and visited its day-care centre numerous times.

Now the society has been instrumental in launching an early childhood program in the hamlet.

With all the good I've seen the Kataujaq Society do, I find it almost mind-boggling that its director would feel obligated to point out its main focus is to bring families together.

So, what is it about being the one entity in the region to operate a safe shelter that prompts such a referral to self-justification?

The hard part to swallow is that it's a stigma. One which suggests that by offering a safe haven for abused women and/or their children, you are somehow contributing to the breakup of a family.

In this day and age, the twisted logic of such thinking is reprehensible and it is sad to realize an organization which does so much to better its community still feels the need to justify itself.

Since opening the doors to its day care more than 20 years ago, the Kataujaq Society has been caring for people of all ages in the Kivalliq region.

To bring hope to those who often feel hopeless and afford them a new opportunity at happiness is to be commended, not subjected to draconian standards from a time when "obey" was still part of a women's wedding vows.

The Kataujaq Society convinced this reporter years ago that it's main focus is to bring families together.

And, by offering an alternative to violence, that is exactly what it does -- for violence, in any form, does not merit standing within the family structure.

Caring for and educating children, counselling those who may require a helping hand along the way and offering an alternative to abuse -- it certainly sounds to us like the Kataujaq Society is focused on the family unit!

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

The Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board is raising the alarm about what it calls a housing crunch within town. The board is having trouble attracting people here, due to a dearth of affordable housing.

Citing examples of rising rents, which also serves to encourage current employees to leave town, board official Deborah Mcleod states that while the Inuvik Regional Hospital continues to offer quality care, that could change down the road. As Dr. Braam de Klerk told town council last week, prospective board employees don't want to pay Vancouver rents in Inuvik.

Given the increased oil and gas exploration in the area, perhaps such a housing issue was inevitable, as the housing supply has not been keeping up with increased demand.

Certainly the oil and gas boom, if it comes or is indeed already underway, will be good news for the town and the region. But it must not be forgotten that all residents need to share in the benefits.

If the high cost of housing causes the health board more problems, then all residents will suffer. That is also true regarding other employers in town, who may now or in the future have staffing problems.

Every time someone decides not to seek employment in Inuvik, or leaves town, because they can find more affordable housing in another location, then everyone loses. It's time all parties involved started working on a solution.

Preserving the past

Modern technology is being put to use at the Inuvik Centennial Library to help preserve the past.

Memorial programs (funeral bulletins) are being scanned in to help ensure people from the area are remembered. This also serves a second purpose, in that people can have copies made.

The Curtis Merrill Slide Collection is also being scanned in, helping preserve images taken around the time of Inuvik's birth.

The past belongs to everyone, and yet bits and pieces of it can easily be lost forever. Efforts like those at the library help keep the past alive and accessible to those in modern times, and in the future.

In its own way, the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre is also helping preserve the past. The centre has helped bring about a revised edition of the Siglit dictionary in efforts to preserve the Inuvialuktun language, and get more people speaking it.

Revised editions of the other two dialects are to be done as well.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Finding out that three out of four retailers in Fort Simpson sold cigarettes to youths on a single occasion doesn't come as much of a shock, but a disappointment nonetheless.

With many cashiers being youths themselves, there is overwhelming peer pressure involved. Adults, on the other hand, should easily be able to put their foot down. They must have a fairly good idea who is under 18 in a small community. If there's any uncertainty, a request for identification is all that's needed.

The fines for committing the crime can be substantial. The retail owners will now be even more aware of that, and it is their responsibility to make sure it's crystal-clear to their employees as well.

Parents can't be let off the hook entirely, either. Whether they are smokers themselves or not, parents must do their best to explain the dangers of smoking to their children. Of course, it's not easy to keep cigarettes out of the hands of 15- or 16-year-olds. Many get them from their older "friends," which is also illegal.

Remember, the GNWT's "Smoke Alarm" report released earlier this year revealed that the smoking rate among youths in the NWT is among the highest in Canada. Sixty per cent of 12- to 14-year-olds in the NWT reported that they have smoked, compared with only 22 per cent nationally. That indicates a real problem.

This was the first time a compliance check was conducted in the village. The next time may come with harsher penalties. Don't let anyone say they weren't forewarned.

Paving the way

We've returned well rested from vacation. The warm greetings of "Welcome home" from the friendly people here are always appreciated.

Immediately noticeable was the progress made along main street in Fort Simpson. The aggravating delays in the road work had become the source of many jokes and cynical remarks over the years, but by the time this is published, a large stretch of 100 Street will have actually been paved. Plenty of other streets in Fort Simpson will remain full of ruts and potholes -- a topic of conversation only surpassed by the weather.

Having driven the crowded highways and city streets in the Vancouver area over the past few weeks, it will be a pleasure to be cruising along the smooth blacktop in Fort Simpson without the chronic stop-and-go traffic and the related choking emissions found in the big cities down south.