In a booming territory crying out for qualified workers, it's no wonder foreign nationals are looking to find their pot of gold in the NWT.

Yellowknife courts have seen their fair share of immigration charges in recent weeks, with a city business and two individuals facing the latest charges. And it's going to get worse.

Correction An editorial in Wednesday's edition of Yellowknifer incorrectly referred to the defeat of a territorial bill shortening the hunting licence wait period for new residents. In fact, the bill is at second reading and under committee review.

To economic refugees looking for a better life, the boom that has hit Canada's North must look mighty enticing. Many bring with them a strong work ethic driven by a desire to get ahead, and have the education and skills employers want.

The temptation to hire those people must be overwhelming -- especially in cases of compassion. Businesses must resist those temptations.

In many editorials and news stories, Yellowknifer has acknowledged the shortcomings of the NWT labour force. The finger of blame must be pointed directly at governments for failing to provide the education and training Northerners need to fill the jobs we have.

Even so, businesses must be wary of whom they hire because the law doesn't account for need. Check the person's social insurance number, talk with their references and pay attention to the work history listed on the resume.

That doesn't mean businesses should sit back and accept the situation. Far from it.

While large corporations are notorious for lobbying governments on everything from tax breaks to loan guarantees, mom and pop operations aren't always heard. They're too busy running their stores and making do with few workers who may not have the skills needed for the job.

By speaking out, individually and collectively, their voice for more training initiatives might be heard.

It's always refreshing to hear a story like that of Cheryl Watt and Gary Hamilton. The one-time Yellowknife roommates are now in love. Now living in Calgary, they're preparing for an August 2002 wedding thanks to a chance meeting through a classified ad.

That they met through a newspaper ad is not unusual, but how their relationship developed is so typical of life's little curveballs.

The more Cheryl pushed Gary away, first as a roommate and later as would-be suitor, the more he pushed back. Eventually they clicked.

Is there a moral to their story? Probably not. Unless it's just to take life as it comes and be prepared for the unexpected.

More tourists are visiting Yellowknife than ever before.

That, of course, is very good news. But it's perhaps not the whole story.

As of June 30, there were 400 more visits to the Northern Frontier Visitor's Centre than for the same period last year. Not bad at all considering when the Northern summer begins up here. There are also naysayers.

Bill Tait, of Raven Tours, says his company has seen a decline for at least 10 years and this year is one of the worst on record. Tait says the city needs to improve its marketing strategy.

There are big questions to chase big dollars: does Yellowknife want to see itself as a destination point, or would it prefer to be part of a larger Northwest Territories tourism strategy based on more and better roads? How much should Yellowknife rely on summer tourism versus winter tourism?

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Multiple efforts are being made on several fronts to make Inuvik a more vibrant and attractive place to live five to 10 years down the road. A big project under way for some time has reached the draft stage, namely the Community Revitalization Vision Plan.

The draft plan is the latest move by the town toward deciding what can and should be done that will enhance the community. Some of the proposals touch upon areas the town is already addressing, such as cleaning up litter and disposing of garbage better.

Other proposals include planting trees and shrubs at Jim Koe Park and along the downtown. And while all the proposals are to be reviewed by town officials, the plan nevertheless offers an interesting glimpse into what Inuvik might look like before long.

Doing their part

Speaking of garbage, the recycling program appears to be taking off. For about two months now Inuvik residents have been able to put some recyclable products into clear bags, and the results are starting to show up at the town dump.

Garbage is truly one of those things to which the adage "out of sight, out of mind" applies. What is often not realized is that the more material that can be diverted from the dump, the better.

Recycling materials benefits the environment and extends the lives of landfills, thus saving municipalities money and benefiting all residents. That should be borne in mind when putting recyclable materials in those clear bags.

Getting tourists' attention

A concerted effort is starting in order to attract more tourists. The NWT Arctic Tourism Association is receiving funds from the territorial government, plus the Canadian Tourism Commission.

The move is long overdue, according to Dennis Zimmermann. When the Inuvik resident was elected to the association board last fall, he said the NWT wasn't on the map when it comes to international tourist destinations.

Now Zimmermann says the increased marketing budget will allow the NWT to at least get back in the game -- even if only from the sidelines.

This development should end up bringing more tourists, and their welcome dollars, to the Inuvik region. The fact the town is working hard to improve its appearance should also serve to attract tourists, and please residents at the same time.

Editorial Comment
Dave Sullivan
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

There are some parallels between efforts to revive Fort Simpson's economy now and a community-based effort in October 1995.

There are some differences too; mainly that 1995 looked at the entire Deh Cho region while this year's effort is more focussed on Fort Simpson.

Both efforts got started by breaking into small groups at public meetings and brainstorming. A flipchart at each table with at least four bright colours of markers are standard at these gatherings.

Sometimes well-paid facilitators who organize the meetings go all out, providing markers that smell like strawberries, blueberries and oranges.

A classic line from the 1995 effort, called The Deh Cho Means Business, is the observation that "participants saw business development as one of the cornerstones of the future economy."

The most interesting part of that report is the ranking of priorities. Education and healing came out on top, ahead of more direct economic matters like natural resources, technology and tourism development.

Comments from groups in these public brainstorming sessions are usually similar and general in nature. That can be frustrating to the well-meaning citizens who participate.

If the community didn't go through the exercise though, the entire effort would be subject to criticism right from the starting gate. It would give an opening for critics to charge that the public was not consulted.

Community economic development is an elusive beast. The best thing that can happen from the latest effort is a realization that people can sometimes take charge of their economic destiny. Except in Fort Simpson, there is a lot of frustration on that point. Things seem at a standstill because of politics.

It is easy to believe that aboriginal political leaders are being indecisive and even incompetent because of economic opportunities they have let pass by, except perhaps in Fort Liard.

But when you tune out the static and listen more closely to these leaders, a consistent message is coming through despite some divided opinions among constituents.

Because they are thinking over a much longer time frame than anyone has before, potential investors don't get it. Depending on your point of view, the political gridlock that will probably remain for another decade is a short-term thing. Not nearly as important as the future of the land and its resources.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Those of you who saw me covering the cruise ship visits to our hamlet this past week are probably wondering why none of the pictures are in the paper.

Well, 28-degree heat and some bad luck conspired against me. To make a long story short, I was in the dark room working on my film when I suddenly realized I could see my hands (not a good thing).

The adhesive tape had let go on the top covering to my darkroom window and three rolls of film were toast. Burnt toast.

My sincerest apologies to all those who worked so hard to make the tourists' visit a success. Monday's afternoon on the land was a beautiful spectacle and one that deserved the centre spread of this paper.

Not the way we do it

I received two letters to the editor this past week, one from Whale Cove and one from Repulse Bay. The two letters had one thing in common, their authors wished to remain anonymous.

The one from Repulse, in particular, was a fine read, claiming to have the inside scoop on clandestine operations within a certain airline company.

Come to think of it, the two letters have another thing in common -- neither will ever appear inside the pages of Kivalliq News. Why? Because every letter to the editor to appear in our newspaper must be signed and verified.

The Repulse author was quick to point out another Northern publication often runs unsigned letters. That may very well be, but we don't and the reasons are simple enough.

First, if you believe in something strongly enough, you should have no problem attaching your name to it. That's the whole idea in expressing your opinion in a public forum.

Anyone can say whatever they wish (truth or otherwise) if they don't have to worry about anyone knowing who they are.

The second is a matter of integrity on our own part. Because the authors of all the letters we publish are identified, Kivalliq News has never, nor will it ever, be accused of expressing an editorial opinion under the guise of a submitted letter.

When we express our opinion, we do so openly and honestly. It's only fair to expect we'd hold our letter writers to the same standards.