It's one of the longest-running legal battles in the North's history. And it is long past time to wrap up the pay-equity dispute between the government of the NWT and the Union of Northern Workers.

Why both sides have continued to wage war after more than 12 years, despite a series of consistent court rulings favouring a liberal interpretation of equal pay for work of equal value, is not a mystery. But the reasons are disappointing.

The GNWT, following the lead of the federal government, appealed every ruling it lost as the case inched through the Human Rights Commission.

The Supreme Court has already ruled against Ottawa, which is now distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to both union and non-union employees. But the GNWT hasn't learned its lesson and continues to fight with the UNW over how much it will cost to make up for years of discriminatory wages.

It now looks like today's politicians are spending more millions on lawyers in hopes of delaying the inevitable until somebody else has to make the hard decision that triggers the much-larger payouts.

Why else would the GNWT ask for Welsh and American witnesses to testify at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal hearings if not as a stalling tactic?

This is not responsible government.

The union, meanwhile, has passed up several chances to settle the issue by refusing government offers. Those offers may not have been ideal, and it's hard to blame a union that has a good chance of winning most of what it wants.

But there is an argument to be made for ending a costly legal drain on the public purse, which is where the wages for government workers come from in the first place.

The images are stark and terrifying ... jets smashing, skyscrapers crashing ... death and destruction on a massive scale.

Images of Tuesday's terrorist strikes against the United States have been burned into our minds. They have shattered, perhaps forever, the illusion of North America's immunity from the violence that plagues so many parts of the world.

It was one of those rare days that you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news.

Even though the murderous acts occurred a continent away in New York and Washington, D.C., the shockwave from the fiery blasts hit close to home.

The horror of the act and the need it created brought us together. Here, the unexpected arrival of 160 passengers and crew aboard a United Airlines Boeing 777 saw an outpouring of help, from the city and social service organizations, businesses and individuals.

It spurred a teen to organize last night's memorial. An angry citizen blasted the territorial government for waiting for an order from the federal Heritage Department before lowering flags in respect of the dead.

The biggest impact was the total shutdown of Northern skies. It was a loud message that our world will no longer be the same, that getting on an airplane will no longer be like hopping on a bus.

What's important is that we learn to live with the new facts of life; that we don't allow our anger to erode the freedoms upon which our society is founded. Do not assume everyone Arabic is evil.

Protect us, yes, but do not oppress in the name of public safety.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

To listen to some people in Baker Lake, you'd almost think the Workers' Compensation Board safety officer, environmental health officer and Kivalliq fire marshal did something wrong by closing the Jonah Amitnaaq school this past week.

Some local District Education Authority members have been singing the blues about the timing of the inspection.

Apparently, the inspection should have been done earlier in the year so repairs could have been made without interrupting classes.

So let's get this straight, shall we?

We have a group of educators entrusted to mould the leaders of tomorrow and a local group of board members who help develop school policies.

We also have the hamlet office and the Department of Public Works involved.

Why would they need to be told the fire extinguishers in a school have to work?

It's not that we don't sympathize with all involved over the age of the Jonah Amitnaaq school.

We're sure a new school can't come soon enough. But rather than simply waiting for 2003 to arrive, it's important to keep the current school a safe, health place for our children.

It doesn't take much to figure out it's probably not a good idea to block emergency exits in a school.

And, when it comes to fuel tanks leaking -- c'mon people!

Do the words fire, explosion and hurt children ring any bells?

Of course, with the emergency lighting out of order, maybe the school's contingency plan called for a fire to be lit in the mechanical room so the students would have enough light to find their way out should an emergency situation arise?

Then again, with the condition of the school's air-exchange unit, we're taking for granted that students would still be conscious and clear-headed enough to exit the school in an emergency situation.

The bottom line is, school staff and maintenance workers shouldn't have to wait for government officials to show up and state the obvious.

By all means, scream long and loud to upgrade classroom conditions and replace older schools with modern buildings.

But, in the meantime, everything possible must be done to ensure the safety of our students.

Surely between teachers, hamlet and DPW workers, someone can take the time.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

It's hard to comprehend the devastation resulting from the terrorist attacks earlier this week on the World Trade Centre in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

It's feared thousands died when the twin buildings making up the World Trade Center were hit by planes and then collapsed.

The loss of life is huge, and the emotional scars inflicted upon family and friends of the victims will be large as well.

Though people here may be far removed geographically from the events unfolding in New York and Washington, such a loss of life touches everyone everywhere.

Every so often an event occurs that tests and defines a people, or a generation. The assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 was one such event. The Challenger explosion in 1986 was another.

No doubt the events of this past Tuesday will not ever be forgotten, and the wounds slow to heal. What remains to be seen is how people will be affected.

For some people, this may create or add to a fear of flying, or in being in tall buildings. Almost everyone, at least in the short term, is bound to feel a little less secure, a little less safe, when they go about their daily business, whether they live in New York, Toronto or Inuvik.

That presumably is one of the objectives of the terrorists who planned this week's events, and other terrorist acts.

But devastating though these events are, people are responding and will continue to respond with acts of compassion for the victims. This is occurring in the U.S. and in Canada in the form of caring for wounded, or indirectly by people donating blood to help with the large demand caused by these events.

Though not able to help directly, thoughts and prayers from Delta residents are with those affected by these acts of terrorism.

These actions, plus a better appreciation of the freedoms people in democratic societies enjoy, will help ensure that the terrorists do not win.

FAS Walk a success

Inuvik hosted its first International FAS Day Walk and Barbecue on Sunday, and it was a big success by all accounts.

At least 300 people took part and perused the information available at the various displays.

The event will serve to raise awareness within the community of fetal alcohol syndrome and its harmful effects.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

The federal government has dealt the Deh Cho First Nations an unexpected blow by declining to negotiate a Mackenzie Valley pipeline. It was an ace up the Deh Cho's sleeve, of sorts, to cast aside the big industry players in favour of dealing directly with the federal government. The only problem is that they hadn't received a commitment from the federal government first.

Federal negotiator Robin Aitken said the two sides have a number of gaps to bridge when it comes to resource revenue sharing in general. Negotiating the terms of a pipeline specifically is not in the plans, he said.

DCFN chief negotiator Chris Reid contended that the federal government's stance will make for more intense negotiating, but he's not giving up hope the parties can reach an accord.

Whether or not that happens will be a pivotal point in negotiations and significant revenues for a future Deh Cho government will be at stake.

Give board credit

The threat of potentially losing the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Board has been magnified by the positive strides the board has made recently. There are now three nursing positions in each Fort Liard and Fort Providence. Fort Liard is finally getting a second social services worker as well.

These are needs that the board, comprising members from each Deh Cho community, has identified as priorities and has acted upon. When the Department of Health and Social Services didn't come through with all the requested funding, the board found the means within its budget to finance one more position. That's the local will and flexibility we don't want to see slip away through centralization.

The con game

In an era when there are countless warnings about fraud, it seems unlikely that so many people could get caught in a scam. There is a very smooth operator out there who sent nine people to Fort Simpson for non-existent work at no cost to himself. He paid nary a bill. It's people like him who make it difficult to trust others, particularly strangers. But the world would be a callous place if we couldn't put our trust in others.

Many people with good hearts, if not poor judgement, find it hard to turn down pleas from those who claim to be in need. It's often those with good intentions who are preyed upon, and it really is a shame.

Terrorist attack

Many of us woke up Tuesday morning to hear the grave news that the United States was in chaos as terrorist attacks struck New York and Washington, D.C. Airports were shut down across the country. Smoke billowed from the World Trade Centre towers after hijacked jets collided with them. The towers later collapsed. Thousands of lives were lost. An explosion occurred at the Pentagon. Government buildings -- icons such as the White House and the Capitol building -- were briskly evacuated. It was like a scene from an action movie, yet it was all too real.

Terrorists, through their reprehensible actions, have sent a message that everyone is vulnerable.