The news that Yellowknife RCMP spent 4,695 hours responding to 3,756 alcohol related calls last year hardly raised an eyebrow in this newsroom, and probably the public at large.

It's obvious to anyone who strolls downtown on a Friday or Saturday night at closing time that some residents and visitors to the city have serious drinking problems. Sadly, on many days the problem is just as evident at noon.

The NWT Liquor Commission said they have the authority to permanently revoke a drinking establishment's licence and fine them $5,000 for allowing patrons to become intoxicated on the premises, but that never happens.

Usually, the penalty is a temporary licence suspension.

The Liquor Commission also offers a server training program, but taking it is not mandatory for servers.

The least the government can do is reconsider that position. How many times have you been in a bar and seen servers offer drinks to persons who had reached their limit long before?

But that would only be small part of the solution. The RCMP say most of the people they pick up for public drunkenness are from the same group of 40 to 50 habitual alcoholics, most of them street people.

Last month, the Department of Health and Social Services released an alarming report that gave the NWT's only detoxification facility -- the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre in Hay River -- a failing grade.

Problems listed included inadequately trained staff (many recovering alcoholics themselves), low funding, and high repeat client rates.

The NWT has some of the highest alcoholism rates in the country. Almost 29 per cent of the population are heavy drinkers compared the national average of 8.8 per cent. Health and Social Services spends three per cent of its budget -- about $5.31 million -- on addiction.

The question, therefore, is how much money do we want to spend, as a society, on these people to help them get better?

Most of us will remember an immortal line from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A charity group confronts Scrooge to ask him to give donations to the poor, to which he responds, "Are there no prisons? The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full Vigour?"

Perhaps, when we consider our city's drunk and homeless, little has changed in our thinking today.

There is always room and lodging at the RCMP drunk tank, but if we really want to address the North's deplorable alcoholism rates, we'll have to do better than a single treatment centre, staffed by workers who may have problems coping themselves.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It should come as no surprise that we applaud Sport Nunavut's philosophical shift to focus more on grassroots development.

It is encouraging to hear Community Government and Transportation assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley talk about improving available resources to those involved with sport at the grassroots level.

It appears Sport Nunavut is finally getting the message that without the efforts of the volunteers who work their tails off developing, operating and administering local sports, there would be no elite athletes to shine the spotlight on in the future.

We are fortunate in the Kivalliq region to already have a solid core of veteran volunteers active in our communities.

The accomplishments of people such as Donald Clark and Jim MacDonald in Rankin Inlet and Bruce McKitrick in Coral Harbour are impressive.

So, too, are the efforts of Margo Aksalnik with soccer in Rankin, Roy Mullins (Chesterfield Inlet) and Dan Burgess (Arviat) in developing minor hockey programs in their communities.

However, the only way we're going to get more volunteers active in the Kivalliq is to pay more attention at the grassroots level and that has to start at the top.

Every year we hear the same complaints from many of our volunteers -- a lack of equipment, resources, support, organized structure and, most importantly, sporadic at best training opportunities.

It will also be interesting to see how CG&T's discussions unfold on moving Sport Nunavut further away from government influence.

It's been proven in almost every region in our country that provincial and territorial sporting bodies operate more efficiently when they're independent from government bureaucracy.

Make no mistake about it, they still have to be 100 per cent accountable for the funding they receive.

However, sporting decisions are better made by people involved on the front lines of development and that, invariably, takes us back to the grassroots of the matter.

In closing, let us also give an enthusiastic thumbs-up to CG&T's talk about placing a person with strong ties to Nunavut into a mentorship role with the next director of Sport Nunavut.

This is an undertaking which should have been put in place when Sport Nunavut's original director, Patrick Tagoona, stepped down.

To fully develop sports in the North, you have to understand life in the North and eventually, a mentorship program will produce an individual to assume that leadership role.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

The Oct. 3 all-candidates forum was hijacked by a handful of well-meaning but over bearing individuals who should have been shown the door.

The first hour of the meeting was informative and well-managed but it degenerated from there.

The Husky Trailer Park squad peppered the panel with pointed hypothetical questions and then the youth took centre stage.

What will council do about the youth? Oh, the poor youth!

The youth of Inuvik have many more facilities than most communities of this size in Canada and if the youth need more, the youth can get off their butts and do something about it.

Certainly there are a lot of good kids here, but there are also some ill-mannered little reprobates who wile away the evenings by making a spittle skating rink over the bridge on main street.

The kids block traffic there until it's late enough to smash planters and knock garbage cans into the street.

If town council wants to do something for the youth, how about a curfew? Then our bylaw officer can spend his days chasing dogs and his evenings chasing brats.

No, the problems our youth have cannot be solved by municipal, territorial or even federal government people. Our teachers and principals cannot be blamed for the outrageous temperaments of the young people.

Our town has lowered the speed limit to 40 km/h because the youth can't stay off the roads. They have donated a building so youth have a place to go. The town built an arena/fitness centre and will soon have a new swimming pool, but that's not enough for some people.

Parents won't find the recipe for successful child rearing at town hall or even the bingo hall. Try spending some time with your kids in the living room and around the dinner table and you might find that more helpful than pointing fingers at politicians.

Our town council has their hands full with zoning, rezoning, planning and re-planning, but most of the public doesn't understand that because they've never attended a council meeting.

That was another topic that came up at the forum, "Why can't council let us know what's going on?"

The mayor publishes a monthly newsletter, regular reports in the Drum, and notices on the rolling television channel. Heaven forbid you could attend a meeting.

Every other Monday and Wednesday nights there are public meetings in your town hall and lots of empty seats. Council would love to see you there and I could sure use the company.

The next time there's an all-candidates forum, I'd suggest having a couple of the Zoo's bouncers in attendance to keep the questions at one per person and keep the youth at home.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Wearing a camouflaged T-shirt emblazoned with a skull and the word "hardcore," Arthur Lafferty sits down at the kitchen table in his parents' home. He's ready to discuss his completion of the 10-week Canadian Armed Forces' Aboriginal Entry Program and his subsequent enlistment in the military.

From the adjacent living room, a television newscaster informs viewers of the latest political tensions between the United States and Iraq. That precarious situation could have a profound impact on Lafferty's future. If war is declared, and if Canada supports the Americans on the battlefield, Lafferty could be plunged into active duty after he finishes his training. Has that thought crossed his mind?

"Everyday," he says solemnly. "I think I'd go in a heartbeat because it's my job."

It takes courage and conviction to serve one's country, especially if duty entails laying one's life on the line in a hostile environment. A soldier must be well-disciplined to thrive in the military, and even more so to survive combat.

Hopefully Arthur Lafferty never has to dodge a bullet or take shelter from artillery, but it's a risk he says he is willing to take.

Youth achievement

There is an overwhelming theme of accomplishment among young adults in this issue of the Drum -- from Arthur Lafferty's completion of the Armed Forces' Aboriginal Entry Program and pursuit of a military career to the graduation of five Deh Gah school students, each of whom has his or her own dreams and aspirations. Two of the grads, Jamie Lacorne and Brendan Matto, are attending post-secondary school. Another, Tommy Gargan, is interested in welding. Troy Gargan, like Arthur Lafferty, foresees himself in a military uniform. Tanya Steinwand is currently employed as a clerk at the RCMP detachment.

Then there's the story of Fort Simpson's Shannon Swartzentruber, who has realized her goal of becoming a nurse. She said she had a cousin who was a nurse and she always admired her. Equally, Arthur Lafferty looked up to his father, a military veteran. Young people often emulate adults in their lives.

In addressing students, Sharon Firth and Ethel Blondin-Andrew reminded them they can become anything they desire. Firth emphasized that it takes a great deal of hard work to get there.

Indeed it does. Little in life comes without an honest effort.

But having family members and others in the community provide encouragement can sometimes make all the difference. Rarely if ever does a child make it on his or her own. The key to success is support and encouragement.

A caring home environment is a crucial element in fostering a healthy, responsible young adult. Let's not forget that.

A few more dollars

Future stories on local achievement may hinge on the federal and territorial governments supplying more funding for adult and post-secondary students. It's obvious the Fort Providence Local Training Authority is feeling the squeeze. Moral support is one thing, but sometimes help is needed in financially supporting one's self and a family while upgrading.