A fast runner has captivated the world. The first-ever Inuktitut-language feature film has played to rapt audiences in Cannes, Toronto and everywhere in between, winning accolades and prestige.

Odd, though, how success seems to breed indifference at Nunavut's Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.

CLEY refuses to give a dime to Igloolik Isuma, the company that created Atanarjuat. Isuma is a private company, you see, and when you're a private company, CLEY doesn't pay.

Isuma is left in the unenviable position of having to scrape together the cash to attend festivals, promote its film and secure distribution deals. All because CLEY is not in the business of supporting business.

Laudable principles notwithstanding, bureaucratic inflexibility is hardly the way to support Inuit culture at home, across Canada or around the world.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Atanarjuat is a cultural landmark, for both Nunavummiut and the rest of Canada. Shot entirely in Iglulik, Atanarjuat does a superb job of showcasing Inuit language and culture. It is unlikely you would find another jurisdiction in Canada that would treat an industry so shabbily.

Isuma's co-founder, Norman Cohn, rightly pointed out last week in News/North that several other provinces provide tax credits and assistance through film development corporations. "They're very happy to see you," Cohn said.

As was Iglulik. Even a relatively low-budget production can do wonders for a community. Atanarjuat, for example, poured $1.5 million into the community.

We fear it may never happen again. Why should Isuma, or another cultural visionary, bother with the hassle?

It's good news for the North that the Fur Council of Canada has announced the fur trade is booming across the country. This resurgence in the industry is due to both the introduction of the humane trap system and marketing efforts which have made people realize that when you buy fur products, you support a traditional way of life for many Canadians.

However, before we in the North start jumping up and down with joy, we have to realize we have a major hurdle ahead.

Just ask Fort Simpson designer and clothing manufacturer Darcy Moses. He was recently quoted as saying that he's running out of materials due to the fact that there's simply not enough tanned hides available.

Because of the high demand for his Northern-made creations he's faced with little option but to consider sending his hides down south to be commercially prepared.

That's a shame.

The problem we see is though the expertise is here the fact remains traditionally tanned hides take time and the women who are involved in the craft are mainly producing these products for their own families.

What's worse is there is not very much interest from our young people in learning the art of tanning.

What are we waiting for? If the need is there, now is the time to ensure local training programs are put in place.

Hunters and Trappers' associations and first nations should waste no time in investing some of their resources in some training programs.

Investing in this art is something that will not only provide local employment, but will keep one of the North's biggest traditions from going the way of the extinction list.

Effie Blake's death from tuberculosis last fall sent shockwaves through the territory.

Family members and the general public alike wondered how the disease that has killed so many in the past could go undetected. Health officials scrambled to discover what went wrong.

Turns out the system designed to watch for TB cases broke down.

It's reassuring that the system is working in Fort Simpson. There, positive tests among elementary and secondary school students have been met with swift response.

Health officials are working to ensure there isn't an active, undiagnosed case of tuberculosis in the community.

It's the kind of vigilance that must continue.

Health-care officials across Canada are busy with something called National Addictions Awareness Week. You may have seen the News/North supplement in last week's edition -- the one with a young man tied to a bottle on the cover.

The image is appropriate, but it doesn't fully capture the wide range of addictions that enslave Nunavummiut. Alcoholism is only one part of a big problem, one that society has never been able to handle properly.

A recent study of smoking habits, for example, shows that Northerners between the ages of 12 and 14 smoke at three times the rate of their Southern counterparts. We have made it illegal to sell cigarettes to youths, but what support programs are available to help them quit once they get addicted to the nicotine?

And what about caffeine? It's not as deadly a drug, but the number of addicts in Nunavut is certainly measured in the thousands.

Then there are the habits that have nothing to do with drugs, but can still result in anti-social or destructive behavior. Ever tried to get a 12-year-old Playstation junkie to put down the controls?

The truth is some addictions are worse than others. For starters, making something illegal isn't always the answer. It is possible for many addicts to live normal, otherwise healthy lives, so long as their fix is administered regularly and in a safe environment.

The key to managing both harmless and destructive addictions is to treat them as health -- not criminal -- challenges, and evaluate each problem separately.

If we choose to make an addictive substance legal, support programs must be available for those who become hooked. If we choose to make a drug illegal, we should have a reasonable hope of controlling access to it. Otherwise, we only make matters worse.

The take-home message: blanket approaches to addiction are doomed to failure.

Northwest Territories MLAs took a small step forward in the interest of safety earlier this month when the legislative assembly amended the Motor Vehicles Act to restrict the practice of passengers riding in the bed of pick-up trucks.

Common sense might well tell anyone this is not a safe practice, but MLAs from remote communities argued there are transportation issues of practicality involved in allowing passengers to ride in the back of pick-ups.

Chief coroner Percy Kinney urged MLAs to ban the practice outright. Politicians instead chose to fashion a compromise whereby municipal councils can pass a bylaw expressly overriding the new prohibition in the Motor Vehicles Act -- effectively allowing it to continue.

It's not ideal and it doesn't go far enough, but the new legislation is a start that recognizes the competing interests at stake in the North.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

OK. We know it's tough, but try to shake off the shock of a Rankin Inlet MLA actually lobbying publicly to bring something to the community.

And, we have to give credit where credit is due. Rankin South-Whale Cove MLA Manitok Thompson's argument is well researched, accurate and compelling. In short, the boisterous housing minister's contention that Rankin is the ideal spot for an Inuit Heritage Centre is right on the mark.

And that's without Rankin having to stoop to playing the decentralization card.

Even without mentioning how much this community has lost to decentralization while gaining precious little in return -- Rankin is the best choice for a new heritage centre.

Now, if Culture, Language, Elders and Youth Minister Peter Kattuk would just show the fortitude to make the proper decision without consulting every single person in Nunavut with an opinion -- we'd already be $300,000 along the way to a new centre.

Furthermore, taking for granted Thompson's peeking over Sustainable Development's financial fence is correct, we already have half a million reasons why we should combine a heritage and visitors centre in Rankin.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as are Thompson's valid assertions of Rankin being the geographical and cultural centre of Nunavut.

The bigger picture is that Thompson's plan would set a standard that up to now has been unspeakable, if not unthinkable, in these parts. Imagine, were Sustainable Development and CLEY actually to get together and work something out to make the Rankin project doable. We'd actually have a group of Nunavut ministers getting together and coming up with a workable plan to benefit Rankin Inlet. We can almost hear the Rankin North MLA pounding on the door of inclusion.

Or was that the door of acceptance at Repulse Bay?

No matter, Thompson is absolutely right on this one. Rankin Inlet is the best location for an Inuit Heritage Centre.

And, we shouldn't have to spend $300,000 for no other reason than to, once again, give the bray of opinion the chance to topple the voice of reason. Unfortunately, that seems to be the Nunavut way. At least, whenever the Kivalliq is involved.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Exactly 83 years ago this past Sunday, at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns fell silent as the First World War came to an end.

That date and time came to mark an annual occasion for people to gather together and remember those who risked their lives for the freedom of this and other countries. The bravery and sacrifices made by soldiers in the Second World War, the Korean conflict, a UN police action, the Gulf War, and in various UN peacekeeping missions are also honoured.

Many people gathered in Inuvik on Sunday to honour those who fought to keep Canadians free. Poppies were worn, wreaths laid, words spoken, and silence observed.

Probably for many people, this Remembrance Day holds special meaning, falling as it did on the two-month anniversary of the September 11 terrorist acts in the United States.

If the assassination which started the First World War was the shot heard around the world, then Sept. 11 was the day the world stood still.

The effects of that day are still being felt, both in terms of people's sense of security, and the war raging in Afghanistan.

Though this country has taken part in wars and UN enforcement actions in recent years, the Gulf War in 1991 and Kosovo in 1999, this war on terrorism is affecting people on a far more personal level. This is true even in the Delta, which is a long ways from New York or Afghanistan.

So thoughts now are not just on the bravery and sacrifices of the past, but also the present and near future.

To bring it home even more, a former Inuvik resident -- Cmdr. James Heath -- is captain of the HMCS Vancouver, which is heading for the Persian Gulf as part of the war on terrorism. Our thoughts are with him and his crew and family.

Whether the year is 1914, 1939 or 2001, serving in a war zone is not an easy thing. Thoughts of their friends and family back home mingle with their duty and orders to be vigilant, or to prepare for a coming battle -- a battle which might be their last.

Though those who have made sacrifices on our behalf, and those who do so today, can not be fully thanked, at least Remembrance Day allows us to show we do remember, and that we are prepared to carry the torch, as Canadian poet-soldier-doctor Lieut.-Col. John McCrae beseeched us In Flanders Fields.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Forgive Fort Simpson residents for being cynical.

Judging by the low turnouts at the Fort Simpson community development plan workshops, not too many people were putting stock in the initiative. Even among those who did show up there were skeptics.

Maybe some people didn't get involved because they are already satisfied with their life in Fort Simpson. Others may not be planning to live here long enough to worry about the community's future. The majority, however, seem to be tired of talking about what they would like to see take place. They know from experience that little has come from all the talk.

As Tom Wilson said at Thursday evening's workshop, it's been a long time since there has been any real growth or excitement over development in Fort Simpson.

Wilson, who wasn't ostensibly wearing his mayor's hat at the time, suggested that 20 action plans need to be completed and a succession of favourable outcomes must occur in order to build momentum. Then, and only then, will people begin to believe that something is really happening.

If there's a small collection of post-workshop volunteers who are willing to work towards some initial goals, so much the better. One would hope for at least that much after spending $50,000 on the entire consultation process. That money, it should be noted, was provided by two territorial government departments and a federal government department.

One of the obstacles identified through the second workshop is an over-reliance on government, which weakens personal responsibility. That's a fair enough statement as long as it's also acknowledged that the political climate in this region is still largely hampering development. While we shouldn't expect government to do everything for us, we do need clear parameters in which to foster business and industry. Those parameters don't exist because the Deh Cho Process hasn't yet advanced to that stage. Whether we like it or not, much hinges on self-government progress.

That's not to say nothing can be done in the interim. The Deh Cho First Nations recently formed an economic development corporation. Planning and training for future development could begin presently. There may also be some smaller ventures that could be taken on at the community level that don't interfere with the Deh Cho Process.

Whatever it might be, it just needs to get done. Communication is important, but endless talk is empty.