Skyrocketing land prices, painfully low vacancy rates and a city-wide housing shortage threaten to derail economic growth, Mayor Gord Van Tighem recently told the Chamber of Commerce.

A fair enough assessment but the more we listen to the words coming from City Hall, the more it seems mayor, council, and administration see themselves as the solution, all itching to jump back into the development game.

In his address to the chamber, Van Tighem said a lot of the right things when it comes to developing Yellowknife and opening up new land for housing.

He noted the city doesn't want to get back into the development business, but left the door open, suggesting that could happen if the private sector doesn't come on board.

Already a call for proposals to develop the next three phases of the Niven Lake white elephant went almost nowhere. In response, council immediately started talking about going it alone. As Chamber of Commerce president Dave McPherson told Yellowknifer this week, maybe the project was too big for most developers to tackle.

That's exactly where Van Tighem's challenge for "innovation" and "out of the box thinking" come in.

City planners must move quickly to identify new places to build. They must look at new ways to build. Does every rock have to be blasted, lot levelled or ravine backfilled? Trucked services work on Latham Island; why not elsewhere?

Are there places where we can build up instead of out? Would a young couple wanting their first home be more willing to buy a one- or two-bedroom apartment condo at less than the cost of a 20-year-old mobile home?

Can Niven Lake be broken up into bite-sized pieces to let small, local companies get their piece of the pie, rather than leaving it to large corporations with multi-million-dollar cashflows.

Most of all, the city must create the right climate for private developers to come here: land to build on, low taxes, demand for housing, and a council willing to "think outside the box."

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

While we rarely dedicate this space to any topic or organization for two weeks in a row, we do make exceptions to give credit where credit is due.

We were less than enamoured with both the timing and tone of Kivalliq Inuit Association president Tongola Sandy's call on the Nunavut government to increase the number of Inuit in its workforce earlier this month (It's a time for quality, not quantity, Kivalliq News, Jan. 22).

Rather than answer our criticism with a list of his accomplishments from decades ago, Sandy announced the KIA will now be keeping a much closer eye on the financial dealings of both the Sakku Investment Corp. and Kivalliq Partners in Development.

The two entities, of which the KIA is the mother organization, will now provide the KIA with monthly financial statements.

For this move, we send Sandy an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

For far too long both Sakku and Kivalliq Partners have acted like independent private companies, accountable to no one but themselves.

Sandy and the KIA board of directors made two significant accomplishments with this move.

First, Sandy is serving notice his platform of better financial-management practices and more accountability to Kivalliq beneficiaries was more than simple rhetoric to win himself an election.

Second -- taking for granted it follows through on the promise -- the KIA has put a badly needed fail-safe in place to catch poor decision making at the earliest opportunity.

While the move cannot guarantee every future decision made by its two subsidiaries will be a solid one, the monthly reporting should help ensure any such moves are caught quickly enough to prevent them from turning into financial nightmares.

The KIA has taken its first baby steps under Sandy's leadership towards accepting greater responsibility for everything under its umbrella.

While we're still going to need some convincing, this signals the dawn of a new age of openness and accountability for the KIA, it is a positive first step.

Hopefully, Sandy and his board members will continue their forward progress and not fall victim to the previous administration's habit of taking three steps backwards for every one step ahead.

If so, maybe some of those "future opportunities" the organization spoke of after losing the regional health centre contract will someday materialize.

Only time will tell.

Editorial Comment
Tara Kearsey
Inuvik Drum

The Memorandum of Understanding signed recently between the GNWT and the Gwich'in Tribal Council is a huge step for aboriginal governments in the Northwest Territories.

It promises economic growth for them, guaranteeing 50 per cent of government contracts in the region will be awarded to Gwich'in businesses.

But what about the Inuvialuit? Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development Minister Jim Antoine says the Inuvialuit will receive a percentage of the contracts, but exact details still have to be worked out.

Something isn't right here. Any problems with the agreement should have been identified and addressed before it was signed, sealed and delivered. If there are still some kinks, why didn't the government hold off for a while?

Antoine assures the Inuvialuit will not be left out in the cold, but why should they believe him?

Agreements like this one could bring about tension between these two groups who must work together in communities like Inuvik and Aklavik. There is no reason why the government should favour one over the other.

Antoine must ensure that the Inuvialuit get their fair share of the contracts. And it should be done sooner than later.

A smokin' idea

I applaud town councillors Arlene Hansen and Alfred Moses for their efforts to ban smoking in Inuvik's public buildings and restaurants.

I am a smoker and I would love to quit. I have tried once or twice, but I end up getting so stressed out that I pick it up all over again at the first signs of a craving.

Nicotine is a horrible addiction. It takes twice as long to get rid of a cold or flu, I sometimes feel pain in my chest, I can't really taste food enough to enjoy it any more, I sometimes feel dizzy and light-headed, and then there's the average of $80 a week I spend on smokes.

Just imagine, if I quit for six months I could easily save enough money for an all-inclusive trip to the Bahamas

and a $500 shopping spree. What am I thinking? And I wonder why I'm 26 years old and have never been on a vacation in my life.

I've been thinking very seriously about this for a while. Maybe it's not work that's stressing me out. Maybe it's the nicotine!

If all of Inuvik's public buildings, especially restaurants, were non-smoking establishments, then maybe people like me will realize it's not that hard to quit. So what if I gain a few pounds. I'll exercise more to counteract the weight gain, and keep my mind off the cravings at the same time.

It's definitely time for a smoking ban. Children should be protected from second-hand smoke and they should be taught that smoking is a disgusting habit. It's not fun any more. It's not cool either.

I'm ready to quit. Well, I'm ready to TRY. Are you?

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

What would possess one man to risk his own well-being for the sake of a dog, while other dog owners shirk their responsibilities all together?

The answer to the former question is love and loyalty. It's something that some dog owners feel strongly, and something that dogs return many times over.

The explanation for the latter remains frustratingly elusive. Clearly, some people aren't meant to own dogs, but there's precious little to stop them from having one or more. It seems a shame that a wolf would attack a restrained dog -- one that is cared for and wanted -- as happened in Fort Liard earlier this month. In all likelihood, the odd stray dog is also nabbed and devoured by wolves, it's just that nobody notices, nobody cares.

Most dogs aren't slain by wolves, however, they are killed by the bylaw officer. It's only out of necessity that this situation exists.

Part of the problem is that uncaring dog owners seldom realize the consequences of their irresponsibility. They cast the dog out -- whether it's -35 C or in the summer -- and don't care if they ever see it again.

While they sit at home, drive away to visit relatives or go out to dinner, the last thing on their mind is the fate of the abandoned, innocent pet. After all, puppies are plentiful and another one can be obtained easily when the impulse arises.

It would be impossible to legislate, but one antidote for neglectful pet owners would be to compel them to accompany the bylaw officer to the dump, the execution chamber.

After that bullet pierces their dog's flesh and the animal draws its final breath, those irresponsible owners should have to stand over the carcass and reflect on the needless death. It's a cruel reality they have created.

Shaking and shivering

Just to add another thought to this week's Street Beat, "What's a sign that it's really cold outside," there are some not-so-subtle indicators from one's vehicle.

For starters, when the door of a 2000 model truck creaks like a 1962 model upon being opened, it's cold. Then, while driving down the highway for more than an hour, the cold wind whistles in through the still-frozen mouldings around the door.

Finally, although the heat in the cabin is set at maximum for hours, the truck still strains to pump enough warm air to match the cold that's flowing inside. That's the type of week it was.

In "Get a job, judge tells thief" (Yellowknifer, Jan. 24), the story should have read Pudlat pleaded guilty to break-ins, not Judge Bourassa as reported. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

In a photo on page 12 of the Jan. 22 edition of Yellowknifer (Student raffle raises a bundle), Breanne Grayston was misidentified. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

In the story "She's lucky to be alive," (Yellowknifer, Jan. 8) Gisela Vielhauer said a stranger kept slapping her face to ensure she remained conscious after her car accident. Vielhauer meant to convey the man lightly touched her face.