Governments are often guilty of avoiding or muddling issues, especially when they have something to hide.

Nothing better illustrates this than the modern government press release. A typical release consists of several carefully worded but confusing paragraphs. Usually tossed into the mix are several quotes from government officials chosen to make the source sound wise and caring but offering nothing in the way of meaningful information.

On Jan. 16, the territorial government issued a press release entitled "Government of Nunavut supports volunteer participation in AWG programs."

The release went on at length about how the government supports "volunteerism." It gave the impression the government employees would be given paid time off to volunteer for the Arctic Winter Games.

Actually, the policy forced employees to use their holidays if they wanted to volunteer. Only then would the government match that time. A different, internal memo went out explaining the policy to staff. Of course, that release was a lot clearer.

When the Arctic Winter Games Host Society complained about the policy, the government eventually backed down and changed it. But the policy itself is less troubling than the deceptive information strategy. Getting a straight answer from government is becoming increasingly difficult. And self-protecting "communications policies" which forbid employees from talking to the media only add to the problem. News/North asked Janet Foo, director of policy and planning, why the AWG volunteering press release was unclear. She said the intent was to inform the public that the government supports the Games, not to go into all the details.

But it appears the government's true intent was to hide the truth and hope nobody noticed.

When Canada chose universal public medicare in the 1960s over the American free enterprise system, the country made a conscious decision that everyone, regardless of income, should be able to get the health care they need.

Now, however, money troubles have eroded that principle in some areas of Canada, notably Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. There, governments are edging toward a two-tiered system where money can buy care.

So, dependent upon Alberta for high-level medical care, the Northwest Territories risks being pulled down the same path. Only time will tell what impact it has on our citizens.

One thing is for sure; it's a model the NWT cannot afford to follow. With just 42,000 people spread across thousands of square kilometres of Canada's North, there's no money to be made in private health-care.

Premier Stephen Kakfwi recently returned from a premiers conference focusing on health care. His message was that better management and more money from the federal government are the cures for what ails health care.

It's part of the cure. Still necessary is a renewed commitment by all provinces and Ottawa to the principle of universality and a better understanding of the costs of abandoning it. The more leaders like Ralph Klein and Gordon Campbell chip away at the building blocks of medicare, the more precarious the system becomes for us all.

It's time for premiers, especially Kakfwi, to stand up for what's right. It's only a matter of time before Alberta, B.C. and Ontario cast off the national system in favour of their own self-funded, free enterprise-based health care. That will hurt everyone else, making care more expensive and difficult to afford.

That's the message Kakfwi must take to the national stage.

The news that the Gulf Boothia is home to more polar bears than once thought -- about 800 more than 20 years ago, according to recent scientific surveys -- is the best news hunters in the Central Arctic have heard in years.

Next door in the M'Clintock Channel, the opposite is true. Fewer than 300 remain, leaving hunting outfitters in Gjoa Haven without a source of income. But if some of the Boothia surplus could be transferred to Gjoa Haven, it might be possible to salvage the economy.

There are dangers in treating populations of wild animals as commodities that can be traded, however. It will require increased vigilance from wildlife officers, for one. For another, how do you prove a polar bear hide was taken from an animal from one area and not the other?

The same approach applies to whales and other marine mammals. Many species are considered endangered only in some regions, while their cousins in neighbourhood populations are doing fine.

The bowhead whale is a good example. The Beaufort-Bering-Chukchi population from which Alaskans take some 40 whales a year is growing at about three per cent a year and now numbers close to 8,000. The two (or is it three?) Eastern Arctic populations, meanwhile, have failed to rebound from the aggressive whaling of the 18th and 19th centuries, and only a few hundred remain.

Figuring out which populations can sustainably lose even one individual every year or two is a tricky business. We still don't know much about the ecology of the different bowhead populations.

So far, the Boothia polar bears look like good candidates for increased quotas. But everyone must keep in mind that our limited knowledge, plus a warming and unpredictable climate, make wildlife management one of the more difficult tasks facing Northern governments.

For starters, we can't afford to wait another 20 years before we take another survey of the Boothia bears.

Christopher Carson is making the most of a sad situation.

The teacher has started a raffle to raise money to take Deline high school students on a road trip to the Prairies. Carson wants kids to stay in school and hopes the trip will help them understand the opportunities available in the world -- a world that becomes all the more difficult to live in without an education.

He would no doubt have preferred to take the Grade 12 class, but there isn't one. Those students, who should now be looking forward to prom night and graduation, dropped out the last few years.

The graduation rate in the NWT in 2000 was 41 per cent, compared with the national average of 72 per cent. But we should just forget about comparisons with the national average until we fix the problems at home.

In the 1980s, only 50 per cent of high school-aged students were in school in the NWT. That number jumped to 90 per cent in 1997. One of the big problems back then was that high school grades were only offered in major centres.

While that has changed over the years, it is not surprising that children and parents in small communities may not understand the importance of education. It's a relatively new concept for some.

Among the reasons Carson listed for kids dropping out were: taking off in January when the ice road opens with friends or family and leaving in April when the weather warms because it's too nice to stay in a classroom.

Carson should be praised for his plan, but it is one born out of desperation. It should be part of the Department of Education's mandate to meet with parents and children in Northern communities to discuss the benefits of getting an education.

It is obvious from the reasons listed for leaving school that some people in Deline are not getting the message. If this is happening in other places, the department is not delivering the right message.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

There are many teams around the world that are, no doubt, happy the government of Nunavut has very little to do with the rules governing international amateur sporting events

Now, we agree with Minister Manitok Thompson in that you just can't accept anybody who submits an application to attend the Arctic Winter Games. But what is Sport Nunavut doing to tell the difference?

We simply can't buy into the argument that getting defeated by a lopsided margin always destroys an athlete's or a team's desire to excel.

In fact, when you look at scores from early Russian and American hockey teams that went up against Canada in the Olympics and other international events, the logic behind that argument is almost laughable.

By Sport Nunavut's logic, there's an awful lot of female hockey teams around the world who may as well just give it up now.

There's a much bigger issue here than Sport Nunavut's fear of being embarrassed at the international level by someone getting a good old fashioned butt-kicking. It's the mental health of our region's youth!

We applaud Thompson's acknowledgement that the two situations in Coral Harbour (Please see special report on page 9) could have been handled better.

In a region with precious little to offer our youth -- and where the battle against teenage suicide still rages on -- we have to have people on the frontlines sensitive to how they handle certain situations.

It can be a terrible blow to the most emotionally stable among us to walk around with joyous expectations concerning an event and then have the rug ripped out from under your feet so late in the game.

It's never easy weeding out the pretenders from the contenders. But frontline staff should have a strong enough understanding of policies, rules and regulations to be able to address any questionable attempts to attend the AWG when the athletes register, not months later.

There are social implications to almost everything that happens in the Kivalliq, not the least of which are sports.

In closing, some of our sports leaders may want to pay extra attention during the next few major international sporting events to some of the athletes and teams who don't leave with medals.

You may notice some other benefits they take away from the competition -- pride in representing whatever locale they call home, a better understanding of what it takes to be successful and a sense of belonging.

The list of benefits they receive goes on and on. Even the ones who get their butts kicked.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Yet another reminder of the power of words was last weekend's Rabbie Burns Dinner in Inuvik.

Around 90 people, from many different backgrounds, gathered together for just one of many such celebrations held world-wide to honour a man who died more than 200 years ago.

Toasts were made, a meal was enjoyed and people shared a lot of laughs.

It is a remarkable testament not just to the popularity of one writer, but also the ability of words to inspire and otherwise affect people from all walks of life, and in many parts of the world, even centuries after they were first penned.

Family Literacy Week activities are taking place, and are another way to emphasize the need to learn from and be inspired by books.

All of Canada is mourning the loss of one man who knew well the power of words, Peter Gzowski. The former host of CBC Radio's Morningside died Jan. 24, and was a big promoter of literacy.

I was fortunate enough to meet Gzowski once. I interviewed him briefly while he was in Yellowknife about two years ago, holding one of his golf tournaments.

I recall Gzowski spoke quite softly, and that it felt weird to be interviewing someone who has himself conducted so many interviews of his own.

Vote looming

Information packages are being made available this week on the proposed family centre for Inuvik.

Ratepayers are to be asked shortly whether or not the town should borrow up to $5 million to build the centre, which would include an year round pool, among other facilities.

The plebiscite takes place Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Inuvik Centennial Library.

A public meeting takes place on the centre proposal and the plebiscite this coming Monday in council chambers, starting at 7 p.m. It is to be hoped both this meeting and the plebiscite will feature plenty of participation. To proceed or not with this project is one of the most important decisions residents will make this year, and the more people who have their say and cast their vote on this matter, the better.

Good luck to athletes

A number of Arctic Winter Games territorials take place this weekend, including juvenile male and female soccer, and Pee Wee hockey, in Inuvik, plus snowshoeing in Fort McPherson.

The best of luck is wished to all athletes taking part.

Curling up a storm

The Dave McLeod rink out of Aklavik swept to success over the weekend, winning the "A" qualifier in the NWT Curling Association's Men's Playdowns. Now they'll see if they can advance to the national championships.

Curling can provide plenty of exercise and enjoyment. This is true whether it's a low-key game between friends or a truly competitive match.

Congratulations are extended to the McLeod rink, as well as the best of luck as they seek to advance further.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Thirty-two dollars a month is not a lot of money. That's all that some tenants in Fort Providence -- those with no income -- were asked to pay for their public housing units.

Some have apparently spent years taking advantage of the roof over their heads without paying a cent. The consequent evictions are most unfortunate and, undoubtedly, very disheartening for the seven Fort Providence Housing Association board members to have to enforce. After all, the board members are also community members and maybe even neighbours to those in question.

Allen Bouvier, manager of the Fort Providence Housing Authority, said that since such drastic action has been taken, other tenants with outstanding rent have begun to make payments.

Housing comes at a cost. In the case of public housing, the costs aren't even covered by those who pay rent. Tenants must make rental payments a priority just like buying groceries. There are so many others waiting to be granted a public housing unit -- and willing to pay rent -- that those who can't meet their commitment must face the consequences.

Incidentally, although there is still a demand for housing in Fort Providence, the trend is not towards building any more social housing units, rather its towards home ownership, according to Bouvier. Plans are in the works to have local businesses involved in constructing multi-dwelling units like "four-plexes" or "six-plexes," he said.

A different view

It's interesting for a Fort Simpson resident to be in Fort Liard and hear the people there talk about how slow things are this winter. Last year was apparently fairly slow by their standards as well. Comparatively speaking, the oil and gas industry and related seismic activity were brisk two and three years ago.

Regardless, walking into the bustling 210-person Beaver base camp just outside Fort Liard is, in itself, unlike anything found in Fort Simpson. The board found on the wall just inside the front entrance to the camp kitchen is speckled with names in erasable marker, indicating who is assigned to what room at camp. A majority of those names belong residents from a variety of Deh Cho communities. The rest are workers from the south.

There are also a number of Deh Cho residents employed at the two drill rigs at Bovie Lake.

If, in the future, each Deh Cho community dives headlong into its own economic development initiatives, how could this region of approximately 3,000 people possibly muster the workforce to take advantage of all the jobs? It couldn't.

The CanTung Mine has taken on a few Deh Cho employees. If and when the Prairie Creek Mine goes into production it will also provide more jobs.

Although jobs are only one part of the economic equation, it's an important part. Therefore it would be in the best interest of local people to carefully pace development over the long term.