The Northwest Passage is melting, and we'd better get used to is. So say the scientists who study ice and climate of the High Arctic.

Visions of massive oil tankers plying the waters between Baffin Bay and the Beaufort alarm environmentalists, while military strategists fret about our inability to properly guard our nation's sovereignty over the North. Are they right to be a worried?

Northern Canada's past has been shaped to a large extent by the Northwest Passage, and there is every reason to believe its future will be, too. History teaches us that change is nothing new to the region.

It was a warming spell in the waters of the Arctic Archipelago some 1,100 years ago that gave whales, seals and walruses the chance to exploit new resources in the Eastern Arctic. Following those prey were the Thule people, the ancestors of today's Inuit.

A cooling climate by the early 1400s, however, put an end to human expansion, including efforts by the Vikings of Greenland, and later frustrating the exploration of the Passage by Europeans. Indeed, it is likely that had their timing not been so bad, the tragic and sometimes heroic efforts of Franklin, Kelso and M'Clintock would have produced a very different history.

Today, change is once again bringing change to the Passage, and many believe that human activity, rather than normal climate cycles, is to blame. It is probably too late to do anything about it other than adapt.

How we respond will determine the fate of Canada's Arctic for generations to come. The best approach is to learn more about those changes. That means generous increases in the paltry research budgets our governments now spend in the North.

Time is running out. The Passage will not wait for us to catch up.

What with the water, the permafrost and the muskeg, it's a challenge to find land suitable for building in the NWT. It's understandable, then, that when Tuktoyaktuk ran out of places to build, the closest location was Reindeer Point -- eight kilometres away.

That's OK for the owners of 10 private homes, who have vehicles and can get to town quickly. For the people forced to live in the 23 public housing units, getting to town is yet another hurdle.

Many don't have cars, and if they can afford a snowmobile, it's only good for part of the year. The rest of the time, they must walk, hitch a ride or pay for taxis to and from downtown. They've been doing it since the 1980s, and it has to stop.

People in public housing have the same needs to get into town as everyone else, but not the means. Government built the public housing. It must find a way to get them to town and back again. That could be a bus or taxi vouchers.

If people in business don't realize when projects are beyond their scope of expertise, it often leads to disaster. A pattern of bad decision-making ensues. Mistakes are covered up by more mistakes until financial ruin results. The opposite is also true.

The community of Rae, therefore, should be totally confident that giving the band its the nod of approval to create a separate corporation to manage its business affairs is the right thing to do.

The band has proven its business savvy. Ten years ago, it had annual budget of $500,000 and was not involved in any business ventures. Today, the band's annual revenue from business ventures has skyrocketed to $30 million.

The latest business move will be a sound investment for the future. And if past history is indicative of the band's business sense, the community can expect big returns.

The people of Iqaluit are on the verge of losing a much-loved community icon: the Arnaitok Arena.

For the last 30-odd years, generations of families have gathered at the arena to visit, compete and express their community spirit and support.

In hamlets across the North, arenas play a vital role encouraging healthy activities and building self-esteem. The Arnaitok Arena's contribution will draw to an end once the glamour of the 2002 Arctic Winter Games subsides.

The arena will close at the end of April because it seems that Mayor John Matthews and his administrators have come to realize how expensive it is to run two arenas.

It's a pity city officials and Iqaluit business owners didn't consider the costs when dumping $4.5 million into the construction of the second ice surface.

The cost of building roads and a functioning sewage system must somehow have seemed less important back then. Or, perhaps the glare of a shiny new arena blinded city movers and shakers to the long-term needs of Iqalungmiut.

Whatever the justification, whatever the reason, the decision was made to forge ahead despite early warning signs that indicated it would be difficult to support two separate arenas.

What it all boils down to is a bad decision. It's as if the supporters of the new arena wanted, at all costs, to impress the hundreds of people scheduled to fly into Iqaluit next month for the Games.

Visitors will surely be impressed, but the people left to pay the ultimate price are the people who reside in the city permanently.

That's not exactly the legacy or the memory Arctic Winter Games' officials had in mind when selling the idea of the new arena.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

You can't help but wonder what Canadian icon Peter Gzowski would have thought listening to some of the comments made this past few weeks following his death.

Indeed, Gzowski championed literacy in Canada for years, from coast to coast to coast, and he had a special place in his heart for Nunavut.

I had the opportunity to break bread and drink a pot of coffee with Gzowski about two years ago when he was visiting Rankin Inlet. During our extended conversation, his love for the North was as evident as his conviction towards literacy.

He knew, and fully understood, how important literacy is to the future development of Nunavut.

I found myself thinking a lot about our time together after his death last month, and the subsequent tributes that filled the airwaves concerning his work on behalf of literacy.

Many of the accolades being heaped upon Gzowski's memory started to ring somewhat hollow amidst the news funding cutbacks were forcing the hamlet of Arviat to step in and try to keep the Bobby Sulik library open in that community -- at least on a part-time basis.

Although everything being said about the man's efforts to improve literacy across the North were true, it was somehow irritating to hear them coming from a government that continues to slash funding from literacy programs.

I remembered how appalled Gzowski was, as I explained to him back then, that the local DEA at the time was still fighting to have the Rankin library open to students during school hours.

A library that was actually housed inside the school.

Believe me when I say the irony was not lost on the man.

Gzowski spoke glowingly during our conversation about the work of Inuit children's author Michael Kusugak. In fact, he actually chastised me for not reading one of Kusugak's books at the time (I believe it had something to do with rocks).

The importance of Inuit youth having role models from their own culture, such as a successful children's book author, was not lost on the man. Far from it.

Gzowski, more than most, fully appreciated the difficulties a fledgling territory such as ours will face.

And, although I'll never know for sure, I can't help but think he'd swap all those accolades in a heartbeat, in exchange for increased funding in our educational system.

Before you can read the books, you have to have access to them. How else will tomorrow's youth be able to read about this cool guy named Peter and how strongly he believed in literacy?

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Seldom in recent times has the Inuvik town council chambers held so many people all at one time.

The occasion was Monday's public meeting on the proposed family centre. More than three dozen people attended, stark contrast to regular meetings of council, where often the only witnesses are media representatives and perhaps one or two town employees.

Staff put in place lots of chairs for the public and even had to rearrange council members' desks to accommodate the crowd.

The turnout was encouraging. That, plus the fact many people spoke up, was also good to see.

The family centre proposal and plebiscite are serious matters impacting upon all the community. Comments and questions from many people can help air the whole issue.

Many good points were raised, whether praising the centre, raising questions about it, or objecting.

Aside from the fact a pool would allow people to take part in a fun activity all year long, it was pointed out that water is good for people to conduct exercises in, especially if they have arthritis or are in rehabilitation.

It was also brought up that the centre would enhance the community and make it more attractive for residents and people thinking about coming to work here.

Those urging caution, and those wanting the centre proposal defeated, have valid points as well. Residents do not want to get stuck with a family centre that costs more to build and operate than projected.

It is to be hoped people consider all their options carefully before casting their votes.

Where there's smoke...

The Town of Inuvik has opened up the possibility of passing a bylaw limiting smoking in public places, at least where children are allowed.

Officials are hoping to get comments from people over the next little while before they proceed further.

Well, now that the word is out, chances are the mayor and councillors will receive an earful.

It's a touchy subject. The rights of smokers wanting to light up in restaurants or other places need to be weighed against non-smokers. Added to this is medical evidence on harm second-hand smoke can cause, and the issue gets touchier still.

Chances are this debate is just beginning.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

The Deh Cho Resource Development Conference set to take place next week isn't premature, if it's interpreted properly.

The conference is not a statement or signal that lands are now available for development in the region, or even in the Fort Simpson area, specifically. That highly-anticipated announcement may come later this year with an interim resource development agreement between the federal government and the Deh Cho First Nations.

No, the conference is intended to be a series of informative and, in all probability, promotional presentations on industry and training. The latter is particularly important. If resource development is going to be increasing in the Deh Cho, then a trained workforce must be prepared to benefit from it. Outside of numerous safety courses, which are important in their own right, there are few training opportunities available for industrial workers within the region at present. That must change.

Some Deh Cho residents have already gained experience through seismic and natural gas field work in Fort Liard. Others require orientation. If this conference helps build a greater understanding of industry and makes training initiatives a reality then it will be worthwhile. A frank reminder to industry that the region's environment and social well-being are paramount won't hurt either.

Bridging the Mackenzie

The idea of a bridge across the Mackenzie is inviting. Although ferry service has improved exponentially during freeze-up and break-up over the past few decades, the down time is extremely frustrating for residents and businesses alike.

The promise of building a span for less than $50 million dollars seems too good to be true, however. These mega-projects rarely come in under budget. Usually there are extenuating circumstances that result in bloated and unforeseen costs.

If the bridge can be built at all, non-commercial users should brace themselves for a toll. Even though it's not proposed it may be inevitable. Progress, and convenience, always come at a price.

Song birds

Congratulations to Ekuinox on their first full-length CD. It's a noteworthy achievement for a hard-working local group with more than their fair share of talent.

The fact that the music is all original makes their feat all the more impressive.

Lyricist Richard Wright offered an interesting perspective on song writing. He suggested that it's better than painting. Once the paint dries, an artist is left with what he or she has created, for better or for worse. A song writer, on the other hand, can rearrange a song several years later, he said. Maybe some artists are trading in their paint brushes now.