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In today's Yellowknife, the problem is a lack of places to live. We have executives making $50,000-plus a year who live from couch to couch for months at a time waiting for an apartment. Further, because of the lack of rent controls, those who are lucky enough to have rental units are barely making it from paycheque to paycheque because of the climbing rents.
This is not only worrisome for those who come up here to work but it is starting to affect the school system. Teachers, all set to sign on the dotted line, are thinking twice about moving here. Their reason is simple: it's too expensive.
With the women's centre, which has eight beds, currently taking in up to 25 women on any given night, and the Salvation Army bursting at the seams with workers who have nowhere to live, the problem is clear.
The $700,000 in federal funds granted the Yellowknife homeless coalition is a start toward helping the city's habitual homeless population.
The work, and the responsibility, cannot end there because the problem doesn't end there.
The city, First Nations and territorial governments must work together to free up land for single family homes, manufactured home parks, row houses and apartment blocks.
Look at tax breaks for developers and innovative housing solutions.
Most of all, quit talking and take action.
There are all sorts of statistical mumbo-jumbo to track a buck's bang.
But there's a simpler way to explain the importance of plunking a $10, $20 or $50 bill on the counter of a Yellowknife retailer. You're helping your neighbours pay their mortgage, put their child through university, and buy groceries.
It's that simple, no matter whether it's Christmas or next June.
Think about that next time you order a toy, book or clothes online or jump on a plane to Edmonton to hit the mall.
J.K. Rowling has cast a spell worldwide that should never be broken: her four books have inspired millions, both young and old, to read.
This should be welcome news in the NWT, where a report by the literacy council estimates half the population reads and writes below the national average.
To improve the lives of those with literacy problems, the GNWT in February announced a $2 million, five-year strategy.
That money would buy thousands of Harry Potter books. And a well-placed source confirms Northerners are into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Quidditch, potions and spells.
Deborah Bruser from the Yellowknife Public Library says Rowling's books have done wonders in getting children interested in reading again. Now that's magic.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
One has to shake one's head in bewilderment listening to reports of Kivalliq addictions workers who don't want to leave home to receive training in Cambridge Bay.
Worse, they're not alone.
Time and time again we seem to be listening to, or reading about, somebody whining over the fact they have to leave home for a little while to get an education. It seems a year or two away from their friends and loved ones is just too steep a price to pay for a career.
At the same time, some would have us believe public outrage erupts every time another report is issued showing more non-Inuit than Inuit working in any given department or administration. This, apparently, is even more true when we're talking about mid- and upper-management positions.
Unless we're advocating the hiring of people based strictly on their appearance, let's not lose sight of the fact people have to be able to actually do the job they're hired for. The only way to do that is to get an education and, nine times out of 10, that means leaving home.
This is not to say we're not making progress. The announcement this past week in the legislative assembly that Ulaajuk school in Pond Inlet is the first in Nunavut to have an all-Inuit teaching staff is great news.
But triumphs like Ulaajuk school are still too rare to start celebrating. We cannot sit at home and wait for the world to come knocking at our door. Life simply does not work like that.
It just doesn't make economic sense for Nunavut Arctic College, the territorial government, or any other institution to pay an instructor to go into each and every Nunavut community to train one or two students.
It all comes down to choices.
Today's modular systems in education have the ability to dramatically reduce the amount of time a student is away from home at one stretch.
Those who want to better themselves should be willing to make a sacrifice or two along the way, and their closest family members should be there to support them.
This is even more true when one considers how much good they will do in the community when their training is done.
Antiquated excuses or crutches can, themselves, be looked upon as addictions. They keep people from bettering themselves, much the same way as drug and alcohol abuse do.
The positions are out there, as are the training opportunities. If we don't move to get them, somebody else will and then it will be time for yet another report on the imbalance of the Nunavut workforce.
Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum
It's beginning to look, and feel, a lot like Christmas.
For much of the past few weeks the trees in and around Inuvik have looked festive, with plenty of snow and ice clinging to them like icicles on a Christmas tree.
Christmas lights and decorations have started springing up around town, adding to the festive air.
The really short days now are also a sure reminder that the end of the year is fast approaching, with plans already well under way to greet the sun's return early in the new year with the Sunrise Festival.
Spirits were high over the weekend at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school, as the annual Christmas Craft and Bake Sale was held. The hundreds of people who dropped by had plenty of items to examine, including a wide range of beautiful arts and crafts, and lots of tasty treats.
Doubtless the event was also a chance for people to meet up with old friends not seen for some time.
Hopefully the true Christmas spirit of caring and friendship will not be forgotten over the next few weeks in all the preparations leading up to the big day.
Speaking of which, the Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 8 in Inuvik promises to be a lot of fun.
Leaving a lasting impression
Over the last week or so children and adults have been leaving their mark on a section of floor soon to be covered up within the IDC building.
That part of the floor is to be covered up, so the impressions will in effect act as a unique time capsule.
It was fun to watch people dip their hands in paint, find a spot, and then press their hands on the floor and sign their name for the sake of posterity.
Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I too got my hands into paint and made my mark near a corner.
It is neat to take part in a time capsule project, as in effect it provides a snapshot of a single day, or month. When that floor is uncovered years down the road, the story of how those marks came to be made, and the people who made them, can be told again.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson
If a petition calling for the chief and some councillors to resign in Fort Liard is really gaining momentum, it has to come to a head at some point.
The issues will have to be fleshed out at a community meeting, unless the chief and council unexpectedly decide to resign on the spot.
It's hard to say if those who have signed the petition are a minority or a silent majority. If nothing consequential happens in the meantime, we'll find out when the current council's term expires within the next six months. If they're not re-elected then obviously something is lacking.
There are some residents who have thrived under the current regime -- working hard, getting ahead. Others have begrudgingly accepted lower-paying positions, resenting that "outsiders" are moving in and making much more money.
Is it political interference that keeps some individuals from climbing the ladder? Or is it a lack of ambition, an unwillingness to make a substantial sacrifice by returning to school for a number of years? In some cases, the requisite education and training and are mandatory for safety reasons; in other cases it's to ensure the company remains economically robust.
These issues have to be addressed with an open mind.
Easy to be a critic
Have you ever noticed that no elected leader or council can ever make a wise decision?
That's not true, of course, but to listen to some people you might start to believe it. There are those who love nothing more than to sit back and make blanket statements about their local councils being incompetent and irresponsible. Many of the critics don't attend council meetings and don't know the issues intimately. Some of those same people confront and berate leaders and councillors publicly.
The strange thing about it is even after substantial turnover following an election, it doesn't take long before the next council is also branded as inept.
Remember, chiefs, mayors and councillors are everyday people. They decide to get involved in local politics to make a difference. They devote hours of their time to try and better their communities for a paltry sum.
Remember too that we elected these people.
Who can't take potshots at elected officials? Better yet, what does that really accomplish?
No, councils don't always make the right decisions. They should most certainly be scrutinized. Yet constantly bashing elected officials for all of life's problems gets us nowhere.
The Lions Club was spelled incorrectly in the Nov. 28 edition of Yellowknifer. Also, Leading Seaman Maranda MacGougan was incorrectly identified as Master Seaman Louis Beaudet in a Nov. 14 article on HMCS Yellowknife.
Further, in last Wednesday's Business section it was incorrectly reported that Diavik's Lac de Gras dike was complete.
In fact the dike is only half finished. Also, there will be 50 people working at the mine-site over Christmas maintaining necessary operations.
Yellowknifer apologizes for these errors and any inconvenience they may have caused.