David Peterson, the former Ontario premier turned federal devolution negotiator, says the 'time is right.' Supposedly, in two to three years a transfer agreement will be in place that will see the federal government deliver more government responsibilities and resource royalties to the NWT.

Yet, despite Peterson's hints that the NWT is on its way to greater powers, devolution remains a tricky proposition.

The Yukon, which has already signed a devolution agreement with Ottawa, has a powerbase firmly entrenched in its capital, Whitehorse. Nunavut has a largely homogenous population. Both territories have internationally renowned identities to boot.

The NWT, on the other hand, is the last parcel of land in Canada that hasn't been shaped and defined as part of the national mosaic.

We are the incredible shrinking territory, and have been so ever since the federal government began carving up Rupert's Land to make provinces following Confederation.

The various aboriginal self-government agreements in effect or on their way to fruition complicates the matter of devolution. How exactly are government powers and resource royalties going to be divided between the aboriginal governments and the GNWT?

With many aboriginal groups still at the bargaining table it seems unlikely that anyone could answer this question today. It seems premature to suggest we will be ready for a devolution agreement within the next two to three years.

We certainly don't want the Yukon model dumped onto the NWT. They were left with a mere $3 million in royalties. That's a poor return for more jurisdiction over its territory.

What the GNWT and aboriginal groups need far more than increased political responsibility is money -- lots of it. Money for infrastructure, money to kick-start First Nations into organizations ready for the economic development we're now seeing.

If we were to compare the NWT with anything, it would be a ball of lava hurled out of a volcano into the ocean.

It's still steaming and seething, forming into something we're not quite sure of just yet.

When devolution negotiators are talking about a transfer agreement for the NWT we have to wonder. Will it be a blessing or mere murky governmental gobbledygook?

It would be better for Ottawa to create a $100 million Northern development fund that's sustained by royalties from mining and oil and gas development. That would allow the NWT to build its critical infrastructure while the politics of devolution grind away.

Some Canadians took delight recently upon hearing comments made by U.S. Republican Senator Rick Santorum, comparing homosexuality to polygamy and incest.

Typical conservative American bombast, they said. Not even members of the Canadian Alliance party would have the gall to make such remarks in this country.

Yet, as the justice committee on same-sex marriage makes its way around the nation, including a recent visit to Iqaluit, we find views similar to Santorum's are alive and well in this country.

The supposed purpose of this committee is to hear arguments either for or against allowing gays and lesbians the right to marry.

These hearings may be constructed with the best intentions and the most noble motives but when you get down to it, they are really quite insulting.

Essentially, gays have been put on trial, forced to defend their lifestyle and beg for the right afforded to many others.

Allison Brewer, a local member of the lesbian community, said it best when she addressed the committee last week.

"It is a little uncomfortable to have to come hat in hand and ask for something that heterosexuals take for granted," she said.

Not only are they being forced to ask for this right they are also being subjected to brutal slander at the hands of gay bashers. Some of the statements heard during the committee meetings can easily be interpreted as mere petty hate mongering.

The debate should never have come to this. The answer is simple, grant them the legal right to marry.

This wouldn't threaten the various religious institutions who, under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, can say no to same-sex couples on the grounds that it is against their religious beliefs.

Many marriage ceremonies these days are performed under the secular authorities provided by a justice of the peace. Religious institutions will never be forced to defy the dogma of their faiths.

Allowing same-sex marriage doesn't impact the lives of anyone except gays and lesbians who would be granted the privileges heterosexuals have cherished for millennia -- to make the ultimate commitment to a person they love.

You don't have to like the concept, just accept it and think about what you would do if you were subjected to discrimination.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It will be interesting to see what transpires in Baker Lake during its next council meeting later this month.

Cumberland Resources Ltd. is trying to lease a significant parcel of land on the community's east end, near the point.

Cumberland, which owns the Meadowbank gold project, wants the land for a docking facility, fuel storage tanks and a 10,000-square-metre warehouse.

The company has already spent millions on the Meadowbank project.

If all unfolds the way Cumberland projects, it will be mining gold near Baker for more than 10 years.

The project would, obviously, be a tremendous economic boom for the area.

With work already begun on a large drilling program this year, the company wants to get its necessary infrastructure in place quickly.

But Cumberland is going to have to wait for at least another few weeks before finding out if the hamlet will agree to lease the land.

Apparently, nobody informed a number of Baker councillors that explosives are usually involved with large mining operations.

They don't want dynamite or any volatile concoctions stored on the lot, so the motion to approve the lease has been tabled until the next council meeting.

The councillors expressed fear that Cumberland will blow up their fish stocks, if not the community itself.

Council has requested more information before its next sitting, although a date for that meeting hasn't been set.

There is something to be said for a cautious approach. However, we worry Baker's council is not only looking a gift horse in the mouth -- it's running the risk of having it do its grazing elsewhere.

Surely the good councillors in Baker realize there's an inherent amount of danger with any mining operation?

They must also realize the company they're stalling now is the same one they'll be milking for infrastructure money and other benefits when Meadowbank goes into full production.

That's not even mentioning the 200 job opportunities for Kivalliq residents that will become available if the company's projections of having the project open within three years pan out.

Hopefully, council will get the reassurances it requires from Cumberland in short order and allow the company's request to proceed.

When you look at the big picture, there's an incredible amount of benefit stacked up against a minimal amount of risk.

And, there's nothing fishy about that!

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

It's heartening to see the NorthMart doing something to stop the spread of diabetes, but I think it could do a little more, considering it's largely responsible for the problem in Northern communities.

In most communities where there is a Northern or NorthMart store, there is also a Quick Stop serving up greasy glop that fills young tummies with empty calories and loads of fat.

Try and find something healthy on the menu at any Quick Stop and the best you'll come up with is some grated cabbage saturated in a slippery sauce.

We can't blame the store for selling what people want, but what choice are they given?

Instead of partnering with KFC and Pizza Hut, maybe The North West Company should look to partnering with Subway and Tim Hortons instead.

Granted, coffee and donuts do not make for a nutritious meal, but the franchise does offer healthy lunch choices like soup and sandwiches.

People will eat fast food because it is just that -- fast.

With mom and dad both working, it's much more convenient to place an order than to do the shopping, cooking and cleaning afterward.

Responsible corporate citizenship is more than offering points to buy things for kids to break while deep in the depths of a sugar jag.

It's about offering affordable food and a choice to grease and sugar.

Of course it's not all about choice either.

More juice please

I was at a movie at SAMs school last year and walked right up to the juice machine to buy a drink while the line to the pop machine was 15 kids long.

Parents need to encourage their kids to drink milk and natural juice instead of pop and sweetened punches.

Reduce that choice at home and exclude the choice when dining out.

Mayor Peter Clarkson made a good point during the reception at NorthMart last weekend:

"When the chocolate bar and chip section is bigger than the produce section you know there's something wrong."

Fort Smith's Jack Van Camp brings up some excellent points in his letter and, spelling mistakes aside, I'd generously grade him and his silent partner with a big red C+ for his effort.

He's right about the bloated bureaucracy at the NWT Power Corp.

In preparation for their intervention on the most recent rate hike, the Association of Municipalities for Fair Power Rates requested a cost estimate for administering 200 separate rates to 41,000 residents and the NTPC declined to offer that information. The proposal alone from the power corporation required a 1,000-page explanation of why they need to suck more money from us.

It's obvious the corporation was bloated even before division, but when cuts were proposed, cabinet stepped in to stop layoffs.

Van Camp is right about the smoke and mirrors, but the smoke is coming from Yellowknife -- not Hay River.

Joe Handley, the minster responsible for the power corp., is in favour of a single rate, but "cabinet" is opposed.

OK ... cabinet, huh? So let's examine just who in cabinet would be opposed and for what reasons:

Premier Stephen Kakfwi represents the Sahtu, where residents pay some of the highest power rates in the territory. Vince Steen represents Nunakput residents, who pay the highest rates, Jim Antoine represents Nahendeh, which is all served by diesel generated power. Roger Allen serves Inuvik Twin Lakes.

So that leaves only Michael Miltenberger, who serves Thebacha (Fort Smith), and Jake Ootes in Yellowknife who represent hydro-based communities on cabinet.

Certainly these two votes aren't enough to sway cabinet against levelized power rates, so we have to believe there is some other motivation at work here.

Something that stinks of political paybacks lurking below the surface here and I don't think we should have to tolerate this kind of action from an assembly who, from the start, have been touting their "openness and accountability" like some badge of courage.

Recorded phone calls, conflict of interest charges levelled and dropped, ministers demoted and members promoted, lawyers and assistants given golden handshakes, I know I'm not alone in wondering just how "open and accountable" this government has been.

The way this government has carried on, I think we can all speculate to where the smoke is really coming from, but I'd like to see a recorded vote on just who is in favour of flat rate power and who isn't -- and I'd like to see it before the next election.

Government feel they can fetter away the rest of their term without making a move on this, with the excuse that they're awaiting a report from the energy secretariat.

I say we can't wait that long.

We, the share holders of this Crown corporation should demand accountability from this board of directors and find out what really happened to the flat rate proposal.

I have my suspicions that should the real truth be known, many from this government wouldn't make it through the term, never mind an election.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

The level of effort and involvement that is required for each team to attend Super Soccer in Yellowknife is remarkable.

Each team needs committed players, a dedicated coach (or two), parents to act as chaperons and, just as importantly, the funds to get there.

The volunteers who do the fundraising may not be front and centre when the Super Soccer banners are unfurled and hoisted, but they are an integral cog in the wheel.

For the young players, of course, winning is a joy. Losing is a lesson learned -- although it's not always easy to take.

Those disappointments are tempered by the social aspects of the trip: the teamwork, the bonding, the chance to see and do things in NWT's capital and the opportunity to meet other people from around the territory.

Super Soccer lasts just a few days but the players talk about it months in advance and for many days, if not weeks, afterwards. They'll reflect on it fondly, at least some aspects of it, for the rest of their lives.

That checkered ball represents so much more than a simple game.

On a side note, I talked to coach Shane Thompson at length about his team's Super Soccer championship. During the course of the conversation, he never once mentioned his pact with his players.

His daughter Jackie, however, was quick to point out that Shane provided some incentive by agreeing to have his hair dyed fluorescent pink if the team brought home the banner.

So, will it just be the hair or the moustache too?

When close to 200 bags of garbage are picked up around Fort Simpson, it really says something about the disgusting accumulation of litter.

We can show a little more pride in our communities by trying to keep the streets and yards clean on a year-round basis. Even better, for those who treat the world as their ashtray or their personal wastebasket, why not hold on to your wrappers, cans or bottles until they can be disposed of in a garbage can?

It's true that some waste is biodegradable but that's no excuse to toss it on the ground.

Somebody else has to look at it, smell it or step in it until it disappears.

Let's put litter where it belongs.

A story in last week's News/North headlined "The right to safety" stated that any company conducting business in the North for more than eight days has to register with the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It should have said 10 days.