Yellowknife city council was up to one of its favourite old tricks last week -- going behind closed doors to discuss the public's business.

When councillors showed up July 2 for a meeting to hammer out goals and objectives for the next two years, they decided to go in-camera. The rationale, offered by Coun. Ben McDonald, goes likes this: city hall administrative staff don't feel comfortable giving candid advice to councillors during an open meeting.

"They can discuss issues when it's in-camera, and talk more openly about whether ideas are good or bad," McDonald said.

Let's see if we understand this. Council decides to discuss its goals and objectives for the next two years -- which de facto become Yellowknife's goals and objectives for the next two years -- but shuts the door on the public, their employer? How can that be?

It happens because Section 22 of the NWT Cities, Towns and Villages Act, allows it. An overly broad piece of legislation, it lets council by a two-thirds majority vote of "members present" to close a meeting to the public where "it is of the opinion that to do so is in the public interest."

Other jurisdictions set out strict and specific criteria for councils to hold closed meetings. The Ontario Municipal Act, for instance, allows council to hold a closed meeting only if the subject matter being considered deals with:

• security of the property of the municipality
• personnel matters dealing with identifiable individual employees
• acquisition or sale of land
• labour relations
• litigation or potential litigation and advice subject to solicitor-client privilege

Surely, that would not be too restrictive a criteria for Yellowknife's council to live with. The fundamental principle should be the public's business is done in public. The legislative assembly must amend the Cities, Towns and Villages Act to stop the unnecessary secrecy.

Our condolences go out to the Lust family for the loss of Karl Lust, who died last week at the age of 68.

Lust, originally from Austria, literally worked his way up the ladder at Johnson's building supply store where he started as a cabinetmaker in 1956.

Described as a Northern legend by Ron Kapicki, Lust comes from a breed of working men who leave us with proof independent business can continue to survive amidst the influx of multi-national giants that share our economy.

"I think mainly service is the most important thing to keep the business going, and fair pricing and maybe a little hard work," Lust told Yellowknifer in January.

Hard work to say the least. Lust, who is survived by his wife, Gertrude, daughter Sandra Gellenbeck, and four grandchildren will be missed.

The promise of three recent high school graduates from Yellowknife wanting to practise dentistry in the Northwest Territory has us grinning from ear to ear.

There are currently 42 dentists licensed to practise in the NWT, which has a population of just over 42,000. So we need to do more than just wish good luck and give a pat on the back to Zahrah Adam, Cailey Mercredi and Amy Campbell.

Now is the time for the territorial government to strike a deal with people like these three young women who are facing several years of study and financial burdens.

We need to give them something to come back to; something to work for. Let's not wait until they are saddled with big bills at graduation and forced to move somewhere that offers better benefits and a bigger paycheque.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

As you're reading this, I'm probably lying in a pool of tropical water with a tiny umbrella sticking out of my beverage of choice.

Not!

But I am on vacation. And, I'm actually getting to spend my time right here at home in Rankin Inlet this summer.

While I fully intend to "relax to the max" during the next month, I also intend to spend some time on the land, do a little boating and enjoy some of the many wonderful things here I've been writing about for the past four years.

My more-than-capable replacement for the next month is Nathan VanderKlippe.

An amicable young professional from St. Catharine's, Ont., whose writing I'm sure you're going to fully enjoy during his stay in the Kivalliq.

I will see you all in a month's time.

Gambling with safety

The story in the current edition of the Kivalliq News, Team spirit, really is a story within a story.

On the one hand it's great to witness, once again, how quickly Kivalliq hamlets leap into action to help one of their own when they're in difficulty.

However, on the other side of the coin, you have to shudder over the age of some of the fire trucks in our region -- Whale Cove and Chester in particular.

While Kivalliq regional fire Marshal Tim Hinds did assure us that the Chester fire truck was only inoperative for a short period of time (60 minutes or so) -- the two words that can be added to that statement are, THIS TIME!

It's nice to know the Nunavut government has replacement vehicles for these two hamlets included in its capital plan, even if it is going to take another three years, or so.

Gambling with such out-dated equipment, is, in effect, gambling with people's lives.

As we've said in this space many times in the past, we fully appreciate the length of the list of priorities the Nunavut government must contend with.

That being said, surely areas of safety where people's very lives may hang in the balance deserve to be at the top of any government's to- do list.

One Chesterfield Inlet family has already received compensation for equipment it lost in a fire in that community, although it was never publicly stated that faulty equipment on the truck was to blame.

However, if we continue to depend on emergency vehicles in their third decade of service (hard decades in the Kivalliq), it's only a matter of time before the loss is one of life, rather than possessions.

What level of compensation would we place on that?

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

It's good to see the RCMP are working with visitors to provide a safer holiday and a more effective method of search and rescue.

I just hope the visitors work with the RCMP to make the project work.

Last year, the Inuvik RCMP conducted 54 searches, with 29 of those taking place between July and September.

Many of those searches were unnecessary and took the officers away from other important police work.

People take days, weeks and months saving and planning for adventure vacations on the land and on our waterways, so taking 10 minutes to fill out a simple form seems like an easy thing to do -- especially when your life could depend on it.

A few simple answers to basic questions about where and when the travellers are going can also eliminate exhaustive searching over this vast territory.

Whether you're planning a day trip or a major excursion stop in and see Const. Darryl Chernoff or one of his colleagues; you might save the taxpayers thousands or even save your own skin

Mobile homeless

The owners of 12 mobile homes in Husky Trailer Park have been given notice that services will cease on Aug. 31, 2003.

The town has long been trying to get out from under the property and it looks like they may have found an out this time.

The owners will be given a $5,000 relocation incentive and that should more than cover the cost of moving and even leave something for a down payment on a new parcel of land.

Historically, towns make lousy landlords, and this situation was further compounded by a nasty utilidette that was an accident waiting to happen.

While it appears to be bad news to the 12 trailer owners, the move may actually serve them better, with a new subdivision with reliable services.

As for the surrounding neighbourhood, they will hopefully see the trailer park become a place for their children to play.

It is refreshing to see in a time of boom, that council is trying to reclaim some lost green space.

Nearly imitates death

It was a close call for the Great Northern Arts Festival, that came close to the brink of financial ruin over the winter.

It took some diligent and creative cutting by Darrin White and his staff of two to put together a festival this year.

The staff recycled paper and file folders, White did his own accounting and no doubt they ate a lot of bag lunches to pull this gig off.

The show promises to be all it has been in previous years, but the group at GNAF isn't out of the woods yet.

They need volunteers to help out at the workshops and events, as well as people who will share their homes with visiting artists.

Give a call if you can lend a hand, you'll get a chance to meet some world-class artists and maybe even work a deal on some world-class art.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Time to cash out The numbers were flying fast and furious at last week's Deh Cho Assembly.

The discussion regarding honorariums granted to chiefs and elders raised some eyebrows and dropped some jaws. In December, chiefs voted themselves $300 per day in remuneration for devoting themselves to Deh Cho First Nations' business. In January, they made elder delegates eligible for the same stipend. Remember, travel, accommodations and meals are already covered, the honorariums are gravy.

When a four-day, self-government negotiations workshop was held in Trout Lake last month, a total of 55 DCFN delegates attended. Every delegate expected the honorarium, DCFN executive director Alison de Pelham told the assembly. That would have put a $66,000 price tag on the workshop. Needless to say nobody argued last week to approve shelling out that kind of money. (The Deh Cho Assembly, it's worth noting, was budgeted at $101,000 for all expenses, de Pelham said. The gatherings may be necessary, but they don't come cheap).

It was also revealed that $274,000 of a $765,000 pot of Department of Indian and Northern Affairs funding was paid out in honorariums to chiefs last year.

That led Liidlii Kue First Nations' executive director Rosemary Gill to ask if the leadership's priority is putting money in their own pockets. It was a sharp reprimand, but not out of line in light of the substantial portion of funds that is filtered into honorariums.

Gill wasn't alone in censuring the leaders. Gladys Norwegian, a member of the Tthek'ehdeli First Nation in Jean Marie River, called the $300 per diems "ludicrous." Norwegian said there has been plenty of rhetoric from leaders about making decisions to benefit future generations, yet what was paid out in honorariums could have been used to supplement school programs, directly assisting students.

The leadership endorsed a resolution to have honorarium payments transferred to band councils. Therefore, cheques will no longer be issued with chief's names on them. The band councils will decide what should be done with the money. That's a much more accountable procedure.

With so much money having been doled out for honorariums, it was a pinch last week to find funds for other purposes such as $75,000 for the elders' council and $50,000 to $65,000 for a deputy grand chief position.

Ka'a'gee Tu chief Lloyd Chicot mentioned that the issue of chiefs' salaries should be re-examined. There has been talk of a salary grid, but nothing has come of it so far. It's something that deserves to be implemented.

It's hard to argue against elected leaders being compensated for their hard work.

If the payment comes in the form of a salary approved by band members, it would appear fair. While the payment came in the form of excessive honorariums, it appeared as if the leaders were at the trough.