The circus has ended...all that's left to do is add up the receipts from 70 hours of bum-numbing testimony.

The hours of committee hearings resulted from Health Minister Jane Groenewegen's complaint that conflict commissioner Carol Roberts was biased.

Jane Groenewegen

Was that complaint, later withdrawn by Groenewegen, along with revelations of secret telephone tapes and "other matters" worth tying up senior government officials?

It could have all been avoided had Groenewegen taken responsibility from the start. By simply reviewing her affairs and removing herself as a director of her company, she could have saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Instead, Premier Stephen Kakfwi had to skip a major speech at an oil and gas conference to testify.

Top bureaucrats waited in the wings to give testimony or provide rulings on issues of law.

A committee of a cabinet minister and four ordinary MLAs had to listen to it all.

And lawyers were paid to make sure everything went properly.

The real value of all the time, effort, and money that has gone into the hearings will be known Oct. 23. That's when the committee tables its report in the Legislature.

They must address some important issues: The first is Groenewegen secretly taping telephone conversations with the conflict commissioner. A very stern message must be sent that third-party taping of telephone conversations is not appropriate.

The second is whether the conflict commissioner should be the one to give advice to ministers on how to avoid conflict.

Perhaps it's time legislators rewrite the conflict law, and the job of dishing out conflict advice be given to MLAs' lawyers. The commissioner's sole job should be to judge conflict.

Finally, with all that Groenewegen has admitted to, MLAs must decide if she should continue to be a minister?

There's more to tourism than chasing polar bears or an adventure to the North Pole.

First and foremost are Nunavummiut. A warm, hospitable people, our culture is fascinating and rich, a treasure for Southerners in search of something more than mast-marketed Mickey Mouse ears.

What 200 passengers from the cruise ships Le Levant and Loffe found when they stopped in Rankin Inlet was a crash course in Kivalliq culture. They went out on the land, learned about traditional tent making and cooking and took in a show of traditional fashions.

It paid off in $9,000 worth of arts-and-crafts sales for the community's artisans.

This is the kind of story that Baker Lake MLA Glenn McLean emphasized as he toured Nunavut, looking for ways to boost the territory's tourism industry.

He'd like to see communities organize a regional arts and crafts festival that could be marketed to cruise ship operators.

Similar ideas are being floated in the Kitikmeot, where the traditional tourism trade -- polar bear hunting -- has been decimated by falling bear populations.

Industry officials say they're hampered by too little money; McLean says the problem is lack of leadership. Whatever's to blame, it's clear that tourism remains a bit player.

It doesn't always have to be that way. Governments, industry and birthright organizations can work together. They have to ensure that everything Nunavut has to offer, from wildlife to breathtaking scenery, a rich culture and world-renowned arts are properly packaged and marketed to cruise companies and tour operators.

With tourism taking a hit at the moment due to fears of terrorist attacks, Nunavut has a chance to plan, train and be ready when people once again start looking for unique holidays.

In 1963, Edward Lorenz, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), described a model of a weather system where the behaviour of the system of equations was sensitively dependent on the initial conditions of the mathematical model.

Known as "chaos theory" and the "butterfly effect" -- the proposition that a butterfly fluttering its wings in Hong Kong can effect the course of a tornado over Texas -- the theory was expanded by social scientists in the 1980s to apply to geopolitical events.

When three planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11, the butterfly fluttered its wings over New York City and Washington and the effects were felt in the air over Yellowknife and Inuvik. Transport Canada moved quickly to impose interim regulations that prohibited Canada Post from carriage of mail over 250 grams -- a little over half a pound -- by air.

There are 47 fly-in communities in the North. Fly-in means just that -- no mail by road. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the impact on communities such as Paulatuuq.

Were there legitimate security concerns? Absolutely. But again we see that a one-size-fits-all reactive solution from Ottawa doesn't necessarily work North of 60.

Transport Canada has since lifted some of those interim conditions and larger parcels are again winging their way across the North on both passenger and cargo planes.

Lorenz's chaos theory postulated that if there were any errors in observing the initial state of the system -- which is inevitable in any real system -- prediction as to the future state of the system was impossible.

It's a lesson Transport Canada may well ponder for next time because there will be a next time.

Canada Post says that keeping all parcels in a storage room for an extra few hours is necessary to ensure the safety of their personnel and packages. Unfortunately, those extra few hours can mean delays of up to several days in many Nunavut communities, thanks to airline schedules.

It's hard to argue with reasonable security measures in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks. But it is just as hard to see how these delays will accomplish anything beyond frustrating both customer and employees of our national mail service.

We urge Canada Post to reconsider these new measures. Nunavummiut rely on the mail more than many of their Southern neighbours, and they deserve efficient and reliable service.

Qikiqtani School Operations in partnership with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board recently produced Marine Mammals of Nunavut. The English-Inuktitut book heads to schools and libraries throughout Nunavut free of charge this month.

An Iqaluit high school teacher raised an interesting point about bilingual books. Not only are Inuktitut text books far and few between. In many cases there is a complete absence when it comes to vital subjects.

It's an embarrassment given an estimated 80 per cent of the population is Inuit, the majority of whom are Inuktitut-speaking. QSO should be commended for its on-going support of cultural and language promotion via books.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Jim Shirley of Rankin Inlet is absolutely right when he says the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 on the United States were on a way of life, not a building. There, more than anywhere else, lies the dilemma.

While we all appreciate and, to a certain extent, advocate increased security in our country to protect ourselves from terrorist attacks, we must exercise caution and reason when putting policies into effect.

No one at Canada Post, for example, has come forward to explain the logic behind the 36-hour holding period before mail over 250 grams in weight will be put on a passenger plane.

If we're talking terrorist bombs here, one can only hope they're using a cheap timer -- either very loud or only good up to 24 hours (which wouldn't be so great for anyone working at the post office).

As for air cargo requiring a package's content to be clearly labelled, well, that speaks for itself.

Terrorists may think nothing of claiming thousands of lives, but they'd never lie about what was in a package, especially if they have to put it in writing.

Terrorists know they can never win a war the conventional way. But, if they make us alter our lives -- the way we conduct ourselves in our own country -- the terrorists win.

If we have to exchange so many of our rights to feel safe, that we wake up one morning living in a police state -- the terrorists win.

There are no easy answers.

We here, living in the Kivalliq region, were affected by the attacks -- a tightly knit global community indeed.

Maybe the one effect of their attack these terrorists did not count on was the new-found appreciation for our freedom.

We no longer take it for granted.

There are people here in the Kivalliq region who are asking why these attacks should affect us in Nunavut. It's time for these people to take a look around and start appreciating what we have here in Canada and the rest of the free world. And how easily it can be taken away!

These weren't just attacks on Americans, they were attacks on democracy, free enterprise and freedom.

The terrorist attacks in Washington and New York City all too graphicly illustrated the price complacency can command. Freedom is the king of cliches when it comes to not appreciating what you have until it's gone!

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

The battle against cancer rages on.

This is a disease that continues to claim many lives, though certainly doctors and scientists have made a lot of strides over the last few decades in efforts to combat it more effectively.

Delta residents are taking part in this battle, raising funds for cancer research. Many communities took part recently in the 21st annual Terry Fox Run, raising funds and also paying tribute to the Marathon of Hope.

Another example would be the Cops for Cancer event held this past June in Inuvik.

It all goes to show that cancer can be beaten.

Breaking the cycle of violence

Cancer isn't the only thing which spreads sorrow within communities.

Domestic violence is an ongoing issue that often goes unnoticed.

About 40 people helped raise awareness of the issue last week in Inuvik during the Take Back the Night march. Balloons were released high into the sky to symbolize freeing those suffering from abuse. A poignant candlelight vigil was also held.

It was rightly pointed out that children learn from what they see and experience, making the need to break the cycle of domestic violence all the more important.

The event served as a reminder as well that staff at the Inuvik Transition House provide an important safe harbour for women and children throughout the region.

Changing seasons

Though the weather has been quite good as of late, there's no denying that some days there's been a distinct nip in the air. Fall has arrived, and the onset of the white stuff can't be far away now. Another sign of the changing of the seasons is that many groups and organizations are gearing up again after a summer break.

The Midnight Sun Recreation Complex was quite a busy spot last week during community registration. Adults and kids lined up to sign up for a variety of activities, ranging from girl guides to indoor soccer and, of course, the good old hockey game.

It's good that residents have such a variety of activities to take part in. However, it musn't be forgotten that these groups don't spring into being on their own.Volunteers start up these groups and keep them running. It's safe to say anyone interested in helping out would likely be welcomed with open arms by pretty much any such organization. Something to think about as the nights start getting longer.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Understanding the effects of industrial activity on the land is a vital part in deciding whether or not to permit development. With that in mind, the Acho Dene Koe are planning a workshop, scheduled for next month, to make local people more aware of the impacts seismic activity has on the land and animals.

The topic is not only germane to Canadian Forest Oil's proposed seismic project near Fort Liard, but to a potential Mackenzie Valley pipeline. As Acho Dene Koe sub-chief Jim Duntra pointed out, many elders are completely unfamiliar with industrial activity. Therefore it's only natural that they should be apprehensive about its repercussions. In some cases, their concerns are justified, in other circumstances there's really little to fear as impacts are minimal.

There's also a need to continue studying the net result of existing development. A pipeline already runs from Norman Wells to Zama, Alta. What changes, if any, have hunters and trappers observed along that corridor?

Anti-development?

There are those who may be tempted to accuse the Liidli Kue First Nation of being opposed to development. The proof seems irrefutable, after all, as it does send letters of concern pertaining to practically all proposed projects. Chief Rita Cli maintains that the band is simply protecting itself financially if an environmental disaster should occur. If they express opposition, they have a much greater chance of being compensated, she reasoned. In addition, and this is a key point, she said the LKFN understands that most of its letters of concern will not force projects to be cancelled. On the contrary, the majority proceed, but some wind up referred to environmental assessment. That in itself inevitably leads to delays while a more thorough evaluation takes place. Occasionally an impatient company will quash a project due to regulatory hurdles, but most, while frustrated, just accept the setback.

As much as blame can be levelled at the LKFN for constantly raising objections to development, blame can equally be placed on companies that don't plan for the worst case scenario. Until the regulatory regime in the NWT is streamlined or becomes more expedient, those are the conditions everyone has to tolerate.

Team approach

As Tuesday is the "deadline" day for the Drum, it's often a frantic one. However, some of the work was done in advance this week to make time for the Enbridge mock oil spill exercise, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday. The exercise is always a major production, and a fine example of co-ordination and teamwork. Look for photos and more details in next week's edition.