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It's no longer about the discovery of new lands. We pretty much have the world mapped out.
More often than not, the only thing we remember is when these self-described explorers fall through the ice, lose a ski, or run out of food.
We roll our eyes, thinking: "We knew it."
But should we be so willing to help these guys at any place and any time?
The latest to challenge the North is British thrill seeker Pen Hadow who hauled a 130 kg sled, unaided, to the Pole from "the Canadian side."
This character made headlines not for risking his life and limb, but because of how dangerous it was to rescue him when his trek was over.
At least Hadow made arrangements to be picked up at the end of his journey. He paid Kenn Borek Air $120,000 to drop him off at Ward Hunt Island and pick him from the pole.
Lucky for Hadow, the Twin Otter pilots were able to land. The ice was breaking up and his food was running out.
It was too dangerous a time to be out on the ice. Kenn Borek's pilots are among the world's best, but they risked their lives picking up an adventurer with more guts than brains.
This incident has the airline asking aloud whether it would ever conduct such a rescue at that time of year again.
Had they not landed, would we have left Hadow to die? Likely not. Almost certainly the Canadian, British or American governments would have flown to the rescue, at taxpayers expense.
It's time to reign in these daredevils. They may believe they're only challenging themselves, but they're putting others' lives at risk as well.
Like the government's demand that prospectors pack in a year's worth of supplies during the Klondike Gold Rush, it's time to hold polar adventurers responsible.
A government, federal or territorial, must make sure thrill seekers have the training, supplies, gear and a way to get there and back before conditions deteriorate.
If not, they should not be allowed in Canada.
All nations throughout the world are entitled to make their own laws. About 500 years ago a lot of European countries rushed over to North American when the new world was discovered.
These Europeans had in mind to make their nations bigger by grabbing more land. Because the greedy power existed, many nations made themselves big problems with wars and so on. It took many years for these new settlers to come over and settle in North America.
When the Europeans came to the new world there were Indians all over the land. They had been there all the time. To the outside people it is not complicated thinking. Some people thought these Indians were entitled to owning the land in their own nation. It was just fair.
The Creator put the Indian people here before the Europeans arrived. When the Europeans started settling in North America they had no respect for Indian people. They didn't recognize them as people who could run their own affairs.
Settlers did not recognize the Indians because there was no formal organization as to how they governed themselves nor any land ownership.
The Indians survived. They made crude weapons, like stone axes and knives, and tools like fish nets with willow bark, and so on. Cloth was made from animal hides. Indians were spread throughout North and South America on the land and they had not come together and invented a proper government for their nation.
Groups of Indians were scattered all over North American many speaking the same language. But they all lived separate and taught their people in their own way, made their own laws in the traditional Indian way, through medicine power to live by.
Indians tried their best to live in peace but there were bound to be some tribes that made enemies here and there.
The Northern Canadian aboriginal people tried to avoid violence and war. A group of elders governed the people and made plans for how to live peacefully and taught the children everyday. The elders taught their people to live as good citizens.
Many accidents and suicides can be prevented, if young people really listened to the teachings of their elders. Too bad a lot of Dene culture and traditional law has been extinguished.
Elders have given up their teachings because the children are going to school. Our traditional law was good, but it's gone now.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Try as it may, the Sakku Investments Corp. just can't seem to keep itself out of financial hot water.
The corporation is the investment arm of the parent Kivalliq Inuit Association.
Sakku is still in final negotiations with the Nunavut government to wrap-up its part in the Rankin Inlet Regional Health Centre fiasco.
While Sakku maintains the negotiations are almost complete, with only a few loose ends to tie up, the fact remains they are still ongoing.
The Nunavut government dropped Sakku from the project last September.
Shortly thereafter, the KIA dismissed the entire Sakku board of directors.
While Sakku works on completing negotiations so the health-centre project can proceed with a new contractor, it will soon be waging financial war on another front.
Former president and CEO Paul Landry has filed a statement of claim against Sakku.
Landry claims he entered into a consulting contract with Sakku, which was to have run from July 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2002.
He claims Sakku agreed to pay him a base amount of $1,000 monthly, a further monthly payment of $5,000, and an hourly fee of $150 to be paid on the 15th and last business day of each month.
The total amount claimed to be still owing on the agreement is $65,464.
KIA president Tongola Sandy has confirmed receipt of Landry's claim, which has been forwarded on to Sakku's legal representative.
Before filing his claim, Landry had requested a public apology from Sakku on how the corporation evaluated his job performance.
The former CEO wanted the apology proofed by himself and his legal counsel before its publication.
Sakku denied the request and Sandy would only say, in his opinion, the matter was always about money.
It will be interesting to see the direction Sakku takes in dealing with Landry's claim.
Either way, it's a messy parting with a former CEO the investment company once hailed as the man who would lead it to financial prosperity.
As if the pressure of dealing with government negotiations and Landry's statement of claim isn't enough, Sakku is also awaiting the results of NTI's look into its track record of performance.
Sakku has proven itself to be resilient in the face of adversity on more than one occasion in the past.
It's beginning to look as if it will have to draw upon that resiliency once again, when the mist finally clears on the latest wave of adversity to crash upon its shores.
Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum
Now that customers of Inuvik Gas Ltd. have started to receive their bills for last month's 45 per cent rate hike, I'm hoping people will be spurred to taking some action against this deplorable and unjustified gouge.
When council first approved this deal with IGL, they did so with blinders on. They may have thought the devil they didn't know would charge less than the devil they did know.
Now the gas company has a lock on the majority of customers through convincing them to convert, IGL sees the opportunity to gouge a free and clear profit for their shareholders at the cost of the very fibre of this small town.
The price of gas is tied to cost of heating fuel, which spiked over the winter, but prices have since dropped.
Kudos to the Town of Inuvik for taking a stand on this issue, but really, they should have spelled out the profit margin from the start, or fought for full regulation of prices by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).
This isn't just about the Town of Inuvik, which will likely be forced to raise taxes. This increase affects all of us.
The first hike hits regular customers through their heating bills. The second hit will come in August, when the upstream provider -- owned by the same greedheads who own IGL -- will hike the price to its largest customer -- our friends at the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
NTPC will suck up the first few months of the increase with the fuel cost subsidy and then we will likely be nailed with a rate rider unlike any seen here before.
That, coupled with the new gas price, will lead us into a winter of discontent that will force people out of this town in droves.
Salaries and wages can't keep up with these exorbitant utility costs and instead of drawing nurses, doctors, teachers and other professionals here, we will see an exodus like never before.
Even if the PUB rules in favour of this pillage, the greedheads will only make a short-term gain, because their customer base will erode and the town will rot from the inside out.
The morality of this grab will defile any efforts made by the education and health and social services boards to recruit and retain their staff and IGL themselves will have a hard time keeping staff.
It costs a lot to live in Inuvik and it's not getting any cheaper.
The costs will go far beyond the gas bill though. When people are pushed to pay more for utilities than they pay for a mortgage, they just won't do it. The soaring costs of life here are out of control and professionals won't come and the ones here won't stay.
If I were a gas customer, I'd withhold that 45 per cent increase and take the payment balance down to IGL in nickels, dimes and pennies to voice my opposition to this rape of our community.
Then I'd call my MLA, Roger Allen at 1-800-661-0784 or Floyd Roland at 777-4693, and write the PUB at: Box 4211, Hay River, NT, X0E 1G1.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
With elections just over the horizon for three First Nations in the Deh Cho, it's time to get to know the candidates. In Fort Simpson, at least, there will be a candidates' forum. This is a prime opportunity to hear each leadership hopeful give a brief blurb on what he or she hopes to accomplish.
This is helpful in making a decision, but it doesn't have to end there.
As a voter, feel free to stop candidates in the street and pose a question. If the individual is too busy, ask him or her to get back to you. Anyone who fails to do so likely isn't worth your vote.
It's imperative to know the people who will form the next chief and council. They will be responsible for some extremely important decisions, especially those relating to development.
Don't rely on what you've heard about a candidate. Ask for yourself.
In a small town, it's common to vote along familial lines. There may be legitimate reasons to do that, but let's hope that the most worthy candidates form the next First Nations governments in the Deh Cho.
Putting out feelers
The slow dance between the business community and the Imperial Oil representatives is fascinating to watch, even from a distance. Local businesspeople naturally want to know how they can benefit most from the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. The pipeline pitchers have been reluctant to make too many commitments at this early stage. Instead they are primarily taking note of all the ambitions and concerns.
While walking on eggshells in hopes of avoiding confrontation with the region's aboriginal political bodies, Imperial Oil and their partners are crunching numbers and keeping a very close eye on market demands.
Most people in the oil and gas industry continue to predict that a Mackenzie Valley pipeline will be built. But before that happens, there are a few very complex social, environmental and economic hurdles to be cleared first.
So that's how you looked
With this edition of the Deh Cho Drum, we begin a new feature, "Looking back at Lapointe Hall."
With permission from the Oblate archives in Edmonton, the Drum will be reprinting a few dozen photos from the school.
The pictures have been on display at Deh Cho Hall -- formerly Lapointe Hall -- for a few years, hanging outside Andy Norwegian's office. They are attention getters. Those passing through periodically stop to look and marvel at how people they know have changed over the years.
Granted, not everyone has positive memories of their years in residential school. The pictures are not meant to pass judgment. They are, nevertheless, interesting artifacts, capturing moments from the past.
For those who haven't been able to see the pictures in their current location, you can now peruse them in these pages.