Now that the Government of the Northwest Territories is finally moving forward with plans to implement a recycling program, it's up to current MLAs to ensure legislation is promptly passed.

The proposed Waste Recovery and Reduction Act is long overdue. The NWT is way behind the rest of Canada in taking action to keep our environment clean.

Each year, 25 million recyclable containers are sold in the NWT. That means each of us are tossing away two recyclable cans or bottles every day into NWT landfills.

A legislative standing committee has projected program costs at $820,000 in the first year and revenues of $1.9 million per year, based on a 75 per cent return.

We think that is unrealistic. Exactly what will it take to ensure NWT residents participate in the recycling program? It's going to take some major public education campaigns and prompt refunds.

We also have no doubt a project of this magnitude will cause many headaches and cost more than expected but it must move ahead.

MLAs must make this legislation a priority. Tomorrow, 80,000 containers go in the trash to remain for our grandchildren to deal with.

For hundreds of people around the territory, a home of their own is something to dream about.

Instead, those 967 people, as of last May, must live with friends and relatives in crowded conditions as they wait for public housing.

Worst off is Arviat where 120 people are on the waiting list. Resolute and Grise Fiord have the shortest lists, with four each.

The Nunavut government is doing what it can and this year is spending $12.2 million to build 48 new public housing units.

It can't shoulder the load alone. The federal government must share some of the burden of housing Nunavummiut. Their consistent underfunding of Northern social needs helped create the problem.

That means coming up with money over and above annual transfer payments.

Hay River is worried its future could be strangled by territorial red tape. The South Slave boom town has run out of industrial land and needs room to grow.

Town council isn't getting much help from the territorial government. Give us an application, MACA says, and we'll see what happens.

Both MACA and Hay River's mayor fear the NWT Metis Nation will stand in the way.

But according to Metis negotiator George Kurszewski, the Metis just want to be treated fairly on any land transfer. The trouble is, when senior governments get involved, things get terribly complicated. Red tape often gets in the way of simple solutions and opportunities are lost along the way.

With the increasing likelihood a natural gas pipeline will be built down the Mackenzie Valley, Hay River must be ready with industrial land.

To take advantage of that opportunity, Hay River must work on a government-to-government basis with the Metis, K'atlodeeche and West Point First Nations to outline growth possibilities. Together, they can plan where industrial land is available, identify room for future residential land and deal with everyone's needs. A healthy Hay River economy means jobs and prosperity for all in the South Slave.

Only then, as a united front, should they go to Yellowknife with land grant application in hand.

That way, objections are resolved and red tape cut away before territorial bureaucrats can get their claws into it.

Last week, News/North reported children as young as eight years old are sniffing gas in Kugaaruk.

Youth centre workers in the community are shaking their heads in despair, blaming part of the problem on the closure of the youth center.

If the facility hadn't been shut down last month, maybe this wouldn't be happening, they said.

But there's more. If the community had enough housing, the hamlet would not have needed the youth and elders centre for people to live in. It's a vicious cycle.

While adults ponder budgets and policies, the children fall out of step in it all. The message that every life is precious, that the young mind needs protecting, is not getting through to these kids.

And it will take more than posters about the dangers of gas sniffing.

Youth centres help, as does proper housing and a good education. But more importantly, it will take the wholesale effort of the entire community, first to acknowledge the problem, then to deal with it under the present circumstances.

Solutions may be a simple as using part of the school for a youth centre or as challenging as the community pooling skills, muscles and money to build one house at a time.

Such leadership and action on the community level would pressure territorial politicians to follow up with some money and solutions of their own.

Gas sniffing is not unique to Kugaaruk but the mayor's honesty is. "The community is screwing up," he said.

Other mayors and community leaders in Nunavut should act together on what is assuredly a common problem.

Well, it certainly is good to be back home in the Kivalliq, once again.

Many thanks to Chris Puglia for filling in for the summer so my family and I could visit our friends and relatives on the East Coast.

I must admit, the first few times I heard my grandson call me "Gampy" felt a little, well, different.

But, I quickly warmed up to it, even though I caught myself thinking on more than one occasion -- life is good, but it's short.

Congratulations are in order for both the traditional athletes from Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet.

Big congrats to Team Rankin for winning the overall title at the 2003 Kivalliq Traditional Summer Games.

And, big congrats to the Chester athletes for their amazing run during the past three years.

For any hamlet to three-peat at the summer games is an impressive feat.

Chester's three years atop the standings shows that great things do, indeed, come in small packages.

We'd also like to congratulate the 15 graduates at Alaittuq high school in Rankin and the four at Victor Sammurtok school in Chester.

Job well done, and the best of luck in all your future undertakings.

I didn't have the chance before going on vacation to congratulate the Team Nunavut junior C players and coaching staff for the wonderful job they did at the Atlantic championships in Yarmouth, N.S.

Not only was the team competitive, the accolades from Nova Scotia were many on the good behaviour and positive attitudes our youth demonstrated during their stay.

Thanks for making us proud, guys.

It's great to see the artificial ice is finally set to arrive in Rankin this year.

The ice holds the promise to boost participation numbers in both hockey and curling, as well as, hopefully, bringing more people out for recreational skating.

Having artificial ice will also allow our region's hard working minor hockey volunteers to bring their various programs on-line with the rest of the country.

In closing, for my first week back, it's nice to finally see work progressing smoothly on our new regional health facility in Rankin.

While it's a long way from being complete (don't want to get too cocky until the doors are finally open), kudos to Finance Minister Kelvin Ng for having the brass to take the necessary steps to get the project moving again.

Let's hope the good work continues.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

There was a mood of respect that hung in Ingamo Hall last Thursday night for the meeting of the Gwich'in candidates, that's quite rare to find in the midst of an election campaign.

While three of the four candidates for chief didn't feel the meeting warranted their attention, the candidates who did show made their presentations with positive, promissory points.

There wasn't the finger-pointing and mud-slinging present at most forums, but calm and respectful submissions from all who spoke.

With the election only a week away, I expected to see more campaigning than there has been, but I suppose some of the candidates are feeling pretty secure about getting elected.

Judging from the turnout at last week's meeting, it seems like there are some voters ready for change in the local government and it's going to be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Regardless, it would be nice to see that mood of respect for others in and out of government carried over into the next Gwich'in government.

Can-do committee

It seems like this new recycling legislation is a go and I know I'm not alone in asking, "What took you so long?"

Ray Massey made some great points to the committee here on Tuesday and I really hope the government listens to the voice of his experience.

Refund laws were talked about here 10 years ago and then just forgotten because of the high costs associated with transporting the recyclables back South.

I have never understood that argument since most barges and trucks going South travel back empty.

It seems to me, transport legislation could go a long way by charging a toll on trucks returning South empty or providing a toll credit to truckers hauling back recyclables.

We all stand to benefit from this legislation and we all should get behind it.

Streets will be cleaner because of it, but that's only the beginning.

People will start to think about throwing things on the ground, regardless of whether or not there is value attached to a container, candy wrapper or chip bag.

Recycling makes people aware of what they are throwing away and will eventually lead to reduction and reuse, but it has to start with an incentive.

When a dozen beer cans all of a sudden represents $1.20, people aren't going to throw that away, but if they do, someone will be sure to pick it up.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Four Deh Cho fire crews came home from British Columbia last week. A few days later three more crews boarded a plane to get into the thick of things.

None of them were stationed in Kelowna, which has been getting the majority of media coverage. Rightly so, it was from that city that 30,000 people had to be evacuated. It was there that million-dollar homes burned to the ground (although the dollar value of the structure isn't so much the issue; a family that lost a $150,000 house is equally devastated, left without the place they know as home).

But the work the Deh Cho crews were doing was no less important to the people of Creston, a town not much bigger than Hay River.

Although fires are combatted in a calculated manner, there is obviously an inherent risk in fighting them. Many studies have been carried out to make fire behaviour better understood, but the fires in southern B.C. have even baffled some of the experts.

Add to that the outbreak of so many fires across the southern portion of the province and an influx of firefighters from around the country, and you have chaos, especially in the early days. These are some of the elements Deh Cho crews were facing as they stepped off the plane.

Despite some harrowing situations, looking back on the ordeal, crew boss Jimmy Deneron described it as good experience for everyone.

The camaraderie amongst firefighters is something that is hard to convey. Similar to a combat unit, they find themselves working shoulder to shoulder in terribly adverse conditions over 12-13 hour shifts. It results in the formation of a strong bond. It's good to know that people from the nearby community of Creston were appreciative of the firefighters' efforts. To approach them and thank the firefighters in the streets and in stores is quite a compliment.

Little did they know that the Fort Simpson crews had only rested for a day before coming to their rescue. They were in Norman Wells for 11 days battling a blaze that threatened that community prior to taking off for B.C.

The Deh Cho hasn't suffered from a severe fire season since the mid-1990s. Due to the lack of local action, Deh Cho fire crews have been available to work elsewhere over the past several years. They've travelled to Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., Ontario and ever the northwestern U.S. to confront raging infernos.

The word that seems to come back with them is that they do an outstanding job, hence they are called upon over and over again.

As fires tend to occur in cycles, our region will likely experience a tinder dry summer with numerous blazes in the next few years. Then we will need every member of the fire crews here at home. And maybe then their southern brethren will be summoned to return a favour.