The recent youth gang-style beating of an elder outside of the Gold Range Hotel points to the need for parental intervention long before the criminal justice system becomes involved.

Last week 21-year-old Maria Carlos was convicted of assault and sentenced to two months in jail for her part in the vicious attack.

According to witnesses on June 21, Carlos, aided by a gang of 12 to 15 teenagers, was seen kicking a drunken man in the ribs until he blacked out on 50th Street in front of the Gold Range Hotel.

While the witnesses could not identify the rest of the pack, they did report they believed they were between the ages of 15 and 16.

Where are their parents?

Why are kids this age hanging around the bars in the first place?

While we're busy trying to answer these questions let's not forget how clear it is that this brutal attack is a definite indicator that all is not well on our teen front.

What's also alarming in this case is that the two witnesses, who identified Carlos, testified that they had purposely parked in the Yellowknife Inn parking lot that night to be entertained by the action on the streets.

Thank goodness, these two women had the sense to realize what they were watching was no Sunday night made-for-TV movie and broke up the attack.

In his sentencing Judge Michel Bourassa didn't hesitate to hand Carlos a two-month sentence for her role.

"This pack assault was brutal and it has to be condemned," Bourassa said.

But it's not just the cops and the courts that should be trying to keep this from happening again.

If the parents of these kids don't have the common sense to control their children, then they, too, as Carlos' family, will eventually be facing the music of their children entering the justice system.

There's too much 'wriggle room' in the city budget.

And the politicians have to do something about it.

The 'wriggle room' is the $250,000 budget cushion council allows administration. Simply put, unelected personnel have the authority to change budgeted priorities without council approval.

That's the case with a $180,000 streetsweeper. In its capital budget, council approved $140,000. Administration approved spending nearly 30 per cent more and council only found out about it when it reviewed a quarterly spending report.

The more expensive streetsweeper could be the best buy for the city, but administrators are not the right people to make that decision.

It's council's job.

The elected mayor and councillors must determine if spending $40,000 more is the best use of capital dollars. It could decide to defer the entire expenditure a year, go for the cheaper alternative, or accept administration's reasons why spending more now is best.

The problem starts with designating the $250,000 worth of 'wriggle room' as administration's alone. Instead, council should have the say over when and how to use the money at administration's suggestion.

That's not micro-management. It's good government.

And if Mayor Gord Van Tighem and other members of council don't want the responsibility of ensuring tax money gets the best use possible, they should consider stepping aside come the next election.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

We would be remiss if we didn't take the time to congratulate all those who gave so freely of their time to make last weekend's Jammin' on the Bay music festival a hit.

While its true ticket sales were not what organizers had originally hoped for, the event was nonetheless a resounding success.

Hopefully, the good time had by performers and concert-goers alike -- coupled with the launch of the Kivalliq Kids Fund -- will pave the way for the music festival to become an annual event.

Hamlet should have acted sooner

The firing of Rankin Inlet's fire chief raises a lot of questions.

First and foremost is why the hamlet allowed the situation at the Rankin Inlet Volunteer Fire Brigade to deteriorate to the point where the chief was dismissed.

Make no mistake about it, lives were in peril.

The revelation that more than half the hoses on the community's main fire truck were practically useless should spark nothing short of outrage within the community.

We find it even more mind boggling that monies had been allocated to improve our fire department, and the gear our volunteers use to keep our community safe, and absolutely nothing was done.

Again, this should spark outrage from the community -- and not all of it directed at the outgoing chief.

The fire brigade is critical to the well-being of the community.

What would the hamlet have done if one volunteer firefighter hadn't summoned up the courage to sign an official complaint?

Would they have continued to look the other way until someone finally paid the ultimate price?

The fact of the matter is, the fire and ambulance service were both in a state of chaos until the complaint was signed and the hamlet was forced to act.

The local RCMP are still investigating the misappropriation of funds involving the ambulance service and allegations are rampant -- some substantiated -- that people were being used as ambulance attendants who had no up-to-date first aid or CPR training.

In short, they were not qualified to be ambulance attendants.

We applaud the hamlet's overdue removal of the former chief and the request for funding for professional firefighters and a chief.

However, the hamlet waited far too long to remove the former chief.

Hamlet council should demand failsafes are put in place to ensure such a comedy of errors that could lead to the loss of lives in our community never repeats itself.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Civil debate seemed to be the norm during the 18th annual general assembly of the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

About 60 delegates and many onlookers trooped into the Aurora College gym day after day for four days (one more day than originally planned).

There was a lot to talk about. Certainly much was said about the need for, and plans in the works for, economic development -- especially pertaining to oil and gas.

A real sense of optimism was in the air, as the Gwich'in seem poised to take some big steps forward in their journey towards economic self sufficiency.

Delegates raised concerns about possible future directions the Gwich'in people could take. More than once the need to retain links to the land, and teach young people the ways of their ancestors, was spoken of, often with passion.

In keeping with that theme, delegates passed a motion in support of efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, thus trying to protect the Porcupine caribou.

Young people were not forgotten at the assembly either, though some youth delegates argued they are indeed forgotten the rest of the time in their communities.

One of the most poignant moments of the four-day event was when a youth delegate gave an emotional speech, imploring those present to assist the young people and elders in his community.

The need for unity was stressed again and again during the assembly, and it appears more than just lip service was paid to the concept. Delegates treated each other with respect, both during debates and after.

The GTC has undergone a lot of changes in the past year. The group's development corporation has been set up as a business, for one thing, and the four chiefs have assumed a more direct role in the management process.

More challenges face the GTC and beneficiaries in the coming year, as self government negotiations continue on, and the Gwich'in assume a 51 per cent share in a new company whose purpose is to provide oil and other oilfield services in the Gwich'in Settlement Area.

As the assembly drew to a close it seemed perhaps the Gwich'in were more ready than before to face the challenges before them, as they seek to help all their people share in the opportunities and wealth available.

This year's annual assembly has come and gone, but the memories it instilled in those who attended shall remain.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

It's only been good fortune that has kept somebody from perishing in a fire in Fort Providence or Wrigley over the past few months. With a shortage of volunteers, those communities are ill-equipped to deal with a house fire.

Making things more desperate, the water pump on Wrigley's only fire truck hasn't been operating properly for months. Somebody has to act fast, whether it's the GNWT or the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation. Lives are at stake.

Because there's been no major fire, there's been no sense of panic. The gravity of the situation hasn't hit home. But there surely would be an outcry if an individual, or worse, an entire family, died in a blaze.

Hopefully the warehouse fire in Fort Providence opened some eyes. With only six trained firefighters in a community of over 700 hundred people, a catastrophe is in the offing. As occurred Saturday, there's bound to be occasions when two or three of those six volunteers are away from the community or unable to respond.

With no meetings, training or practice taking place, how can firefighters be expected to combat a fire in an organized and effective fashion? The dependable few who remain on the department simply cannot spare a few minutes after arriving at the fire scene to talk things over and formulate a plan.

The other problem is that when there are so few volunteers, burnout quickly becomes an issue. If a heavy burden is placed on a person's shoulders for too long, he or she will likely walk away.

Communication necessary

It appears there has been a severe breakdown in communication in Fort Providence. Although the fire department has been deteriorating over the past year, nobody took notice or sounded the alarm. Either somebody dropped the ball or the message, as important as it is, simply never got through. There have been three changes in municipal leadership within the past six months. That lack of continuity probably hasn't helped matters.

In Wrigley, things are just as bad, if not worse. With only four reliable firefighters showing up for training, the community is in dire straits. Fire Chief Ed ten Brinke should be given credit for attempting to recruit youth in a supporting role.

Enough can't be said about the importance of proper training. Average people on the street may mean well when the try to jump in and help, but without a thorough background, they only put themselves at risk, if not others.

The cost of honorariums for the firefighters may have to be weighed. If a plea for help goes unheard, perhaps it is time to offer some compensation for an invaluable service. After all, lives will undoubtedly be lost if nothing is done.