There will be no level playing field for businesses or homeowners in Yellowknife if the power corporation's proposed flat rate gets approved.

Let's take a look at some numbers.

In Yellowknife, 800 kilowatt hours of power now costs $144 based on 18 cents per kilowatt hour (KW/h). Compare that to $174 per month if the new flat rate of $23.21 cents per KW/h gets the go-ahead.

In Holman, which enjoys a government subsidy, residents get the first 700 KW/h based on Yellowknife rates. Anything above 700 KW/h, the family pays at a rate of 67.07 cents KW/h, what it costs for diesel powered electricity. So that bill would now be $211.07.

With a flat-rate system, the Holman homeowner would pay the same rate as the Yellowknife homeowner - $174.

As it stands now, the territorial government absorbs much of the high cost to keep the lights on in diesel-powered communities with its territorial power subsidy program, which runs about $7 million per year.

The territorial government is the lone shareholder of the NWT Power Corporation. It is not surprising that at the same time the PUB is deciding whether or not to approve the flat rate, cabinet is reviewing whether to dump the power subsidy program or spread it around to all communities.

Cabinet must be made to understand if the flat rate is approved, the subsidy must be used to make it financially bearable for Yellowknifers. Otherwise we will be taking over from the territorial government and paying the bulk of the costs to power smaller communities using 100 per cent diesel.

That's a pretty sad scenario considering Yellowknife's larger population, highway access and the fact the city is powered by hydro in addition to diesel. Whatever happened to the concept of user pay?

NWT Power is on a public relations campaign to win support for the flat rate in NWT communities, but it probably won't be spending too much time in the capital.

That's understandable since they know Yellowknifers would be getting a raw deal with the flat rate, a double whammy if the subsidy is axed.

Talk to your Yellowknife MLAs and demand they prevent any attempt by the cabinet to download the responsibility for subsidizing smaller NWT communities on to Yellowknifers.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It is a voice of pain, but it is also one of awareness, and it is speaking up on the topic of suicide.

This is a voice which has been kept silent for far too long.

While suicide is, has, and always will be a sensitive subject as long as some among us choose to take their own lives -- the past has shown us trying to deal with the problem in whispered cries behind closed doors is not the answer.

We salute the organizers of the Suicide Prevention Hike in Coral Harbour for having the courage to bring suicide to the forefront of territorial discussions.

Coral has suffered greatly during the past two years due to needless deaths in the community and they are not alone.

Suicide has affected most of us at one time or another.

While it's true the more well-known the individual, the larger the media headlines when this tragedy strikes -- the pain felt by all left behind to wonder why is no less severe.

More effort has to be put into making those who find it difficult to cope more aware of the help available to them in our territory.

Simultaneously, as difficult as it is, those stricken by the pain of a lost loved one have to speak out in order to show the devastation suicide leaves in its wake.

Maybe, just maybe, the more those on the edge are made aware of the pain this desperate act inflicts on the people who loved them most -- the more likely they may be to seek help as an alternative to taking their own lives.

We also applaud the efforts of Hockey Nunavut in trying to use the February telecast of Hockey Day in Canada, which will originate out of Iqaluit, to draw more attention to this social problem.

Every voice willing to speak out helps show Nunavummiut, especially our youth, that no situation is bad enough that it cannot be overcome.

And, should that voice come from someone as famous as Don Cherry -- looked upon by millions of youth in our country as a man who tells it like it is -- the louder the message will ring.

The silence must be broken, and the taboo label removed, if we are to curb this senseless loss of life once and for all.

There are few among us who would not do whatever they could to aid a plea for help.

But first that plea must be heard.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

The 25th anniversary of the Inuvialuit Development Corporation underlines just how much has been achieved in a short period of time.

From transportation to oil field services, the Inuvialuit have secured a foothold in the development of the North.

It's no accident the Inuvialuit have achieved such success here. It's taken strong leadership and some smart business planning to get where they are today.

The beneficiaries support in the leadership and key personnel have brought the Inuvialuit unparalleled success in business.

Much more than today's success, the group of companies have secured a legacy for future beneficiaries that will go far beyond the reserves of oil and gas in the ground.

The diversification of the corporation will ensure a long-lasting future for the Inuvialuit and their initiatives have served as a shining example to other original peoples in the North and in Canada.

The Dogribs have followed the lead of the Inuvialuit and are reaping the benefits in very successful partnerships in hydro-electricity and in the mining industry.

Congratulations on the first 25 years in business, I'm sure the next 25 will be even better.

Vicious dogs, vicious owners

Monday's dog attack here punctuates the badly needed dog control legislation required in this town.

In July, a girl was attacked by a pit bull and nothing was done. Now it's dog bites dog, but it's obvious their needs to be some rules in place.

One has to question the motivation of someone requiring one of these short-haired killers in the Arctic.

If a guard dog is needed, a husky is more than adequate. If a pet is needed again a husky makes a great pet.

For the owners of these attack dogs, it's not a question of having a pet or a guardian, it's more of a power trip.

Of course, there are cases of other breeds attacking unprovoked, but the pit bull has sparked more legislation and controversy across the country than any other breed.

It really makes one wonder about the people who witnesses say sicced their pit bulls on the Lindsays' chained dog.

Something needs to be done about this type of behaviour, and a start is putting the dogs down.

Having a killer dog is equivalent to having a lethal weapon and we have all kinds of laws, licenses and restrictions surrounding them. Why should it be any different for killer dogs?

I think it would be very easy to legislate a dangerous dog bylaw here that bans pit bulls outright and places heavy liability on the owners of Rottweilers and Dobermans too.

I know if I was sitting on council, I'd sleep a lot better knowing I did all I could to prevent another dog attack in town.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Does Fort Simpson Coun. Pat Rowe, now a former councillor after resigning on Monday night, deserve a formal letter of apology from village council?

The councillors couldn't come to agreement on that issue. (Rowe, it should be noted, has not requested an apology). Whether they decide to send a letter expressing regret or not, there are a couple of lessons to be learned from his incident (see Fort Simpson Village Council briefs in this issue for background).

A conflict of interest arises when council is dealing with a matter that represents potential personal gain for a councillor.

Legislation guiding councillors makes it clear that each councillor is responsible to declare conflict of interest for himself or herself. Rowe exercised his judgement on Sept. 3 when he left the room while council briefly discussed and basically expressed no interest in a garbage truck he could make available for rental.

Things took a turn for the worse from there. Rowe felt he would not be in conflict by subsequently debating and voting on the purchase of a 1990 garbage truck from Toronto. Council effectively took that choice away from him by never inviting him back into the room. In retrospect, most councillors concur that a mistake was made.

On a related note, the NWT's legislation fails to spell out how a councillor should proceed when excused. Village councillors have made a practice of leaving the room, and the door has remained open. Coun. Jim Villeneuve pointed out on Monday that there's nothing preventing an excused councillor from simply taking a seat in the gallery.

He's right, but to avoid any possibility of influence, councillors should continue the practice of exiting the room. If there's potential for lengthy debate, all the better if the councillor ascends the nearby flight of stairs and waits until his or her name is called to return. Simply for the sake of propriety, that's better than standing just outside the door.

Any councillor who chooses to sit in the gallery could be accused of staring at or intimidating a colleague or two. Let's face it, councillors sometimes have to make difficult decisions. Hopefully, they set friendships aside when voting. There's no need for added pressure by having the councillor in conflict present in the very room.

Another issue is whether the council chambers door should be closed when an excused councillor steps out of the room. By doing so, any member of the public who happens to come along at that time could easily get the impression that it's an

in camera meeting -- door is closed therefore public is not welcome.

So keep the door open, and excused councillors keep your distance.