But in the North, we do little in moderation. Cost of living is high, our weather extreme. We drink hard. And it shows.

During this holiday season, it's especially important to think about the NWT's drinking problem. There are parties galore, liquor sales are up, and police hit the streets for a Christmas CounterAttack against drinking and driving.

It's a season of excess, so the next time you crack open a beer or pour yourself a rum and eggnog, think about the true cost of our alcohol woes.

- The number of heavy drinkers is growing. The 2002 Alcohol and Drug survey showed 34.1 per cent of current drinkers over age 15 usually consume five or more drinks when they drink. That was a 29.66 per cent increase over the rate in 1996.

- It costs $1,700 a day to dry out at Stanton Territorial Hospital. Annual cost of this medical detox for drug and alcohol abusers is estimated to top $250,000.

- In 2002, the number of drunk driving charges was the highest since 1997. Last year, police in the NWT charged 449 people for various impaired driving offences. That's a far cry from the 1,109 charges in 1991, but 2002 is the second year in a row to show an increase.

- Last year also saw Criminal Code offences hit 13,884. How many of those crimes can be directly linked to alcohol abuse?

- Two of the 16 accidental deaths investigated by the NWT Coroner in 2002 were from ethanol toxicity. Two other deaths, one from cold exposure and one from blunt head trauma, were also alcohol related. Three of nine suicides also involved alcohol last year.

The most important thing to realize is that alcohol abuse is not a police problem. It's a social issue. By the time police get involved, the problem has become extreme.

Yellowknife residents and social agencies have taken some positive steps.

The Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition is working on a 'sobering up station' where people who normally wind up in the drunk tank can sleep it off and connect with alcohol or drug counsellors.

It's an issue that must also be addressed by the territorial government which needs to make the fight against addictions a higher priority.

That will take money for new addictions treatment programs. If that money isn't spent, generations of Northerners will continue to lose years and lives to our ongoing battle with the bottle.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Another year is about to pass us by and what a year it has been.

On the up side, we have seen Jordin Tootoo become the first Inuk to play in the NHL, a number of new schools taking shape in our region and the Rankin Inlet regional health facility finally on the right track.

We have seen new jobs created in our region, and at least two mining projects near Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet appear to be on the fast track to production.

On the down side, we have lost a cornerstone to a strong territorial government with the resignation of Finance Minister Kelvin Ng, and the loss of strong leadership in the Kivalliq with decisions to move on to other undertakings by Rankin North MLA Jack Anawak and Baker MLA Glenn McLean.

We also continue to deal with a number of politicians, organizational heads and community leaders in our region who refuse to accept the fact public scrutiny goes hand in hand with public office and positions of trust.

Many of these individuals seem to have a hard time getting their head around the fact "accountability" does not necessarily equate to wrongdoing.

Hopefully, 2004 will see them finally grow a layer of thicker skin and accept their full job descriptions.

A disturbing trend

There has been one disturbing trend surface in our region that we hope will reverse itself come our next territorial election.

Voter turnout in our December municipal elections was nothing short of pathetic.

Usually, such voter apathy translates into John Q. Public losing faith that his vote is going to make any difference in the big picture.

Only Baker retained its voter turnout of 51 per cent from the 2002 election.

Whale Cove slipped from 71 to 63 per cent, Chesterfield Inlet dropped to 62 from 63.5 per cent, Repulse Bay slid to 51 from 60 per cent, Coral Harbour dropped to 39 from 48.6 per cent, Rankin fell from 50.5 to 36 per cent and the bottom fell out in Arviat, which dropped from 70 to 34 per cent in 2003.

Kivalliq residents would be well advised to realize such low voter turnout allows voting blocks to carry the day for the candidate of their choice, be that from the religious community, union members, family trees or business-backed candidates.

Your vote is your voice. If you choose not to exercise that voice, you are allowing others to dictate the policies you must live by in silence.

Finally, as the last edition of Kivalliq News for 2003, I take this opportunity to send, from our family to yours, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and good health and prosperity in 2004.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

I have always found travelling to different places and learning about different cultures to be a rewarding experience.

That is probably why I find myself in this line of work as it offers me an opportunity to travel and learn.

And I want to underscore the word 'learn', as there seems to be a common misconception that journalists are some omniscient species.

For example, the other day a person asked me why the heck I was here, as a journalist, if I didn't know anything about the region's land and its people. It must be noted that this person just assumed that I knew nothing after I asked a question about settlement areas.

And to be fair, that assumption was nearly correct. But, as any newcomer should endeavour to do, I'm getting to know Inuvik and, because of the nature of my work, I'm sure to become acquainted with the area faster than other first-timers.

To do this, however, I must ask questions -- as ridiculous as these questions may sound to some, it is one of the methods in which to learn about this place where I now live, and to do my job.

Now, if I did know everything that really would be some bonafide White Man magic. I could just sit in my office all the live-long day and write glorious stories about what I was already aware of. (Come to think of it, I could simply bet the wad on the next Super Bowl and retire).

For the record, I'm from Southern Ontario, a place where the Northwest Territories is seen more as a concept rather than an actual place.

Similar to those Americans who believe that all Canadians live in iglus and ski to work, many folks in my hometown would have trouble locating Inuvik on a map, much less identify the ethnicity of the aboriginal people who call this place their ancestral home.

A few years back, I would've fallen into that same category -- hence the reason for coming to live in the North.

When I inform friends back home that in Inuvik the vehicle of choice is a pick-up truck and that I can get the 11 herbs and spices across the road from my office, the enthusiasm in their voices tends to drop off as hopes of hearing tales of dogsledding down main street and other such Jack London-inspired visions fade.

I began my sojourn in the North a little more than a year ago, arriving in Fort Smith to work at the local paper there. Each day since then, I've felt privileged to be living in the territories and, to me, it is Canada's best kept secret. It is a converging point for diverse cultures, landscapes and wildlife.

More importantly though, it is home to many interesting people who have many interesting stories to tell. And while I've had the opportunity to hear a few, I'm always keen to hear another and I look forward to the chance.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

Those two words have surely been uttered thousands of times in the Deh Cho over the past five years, especially pertaining to the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

Well, there was finally some movement on the capacity building front over the past week. Nogha Engineering and Environmental Services Ltd. got the ball rolling by offering a week-long training program -- six days of which were devoted to practical learning. Twelve men from Fort Simpson, Wrigley and Nahanni Butte were introduced to surveying, drilling and soil sampling.

It's true, it was just a taste of the occupations. The trainees worked with engineers, they didn't become certified, but it's a starting point. There was plenty of enthusiasm and commitment during that short span. The participants have been encouraged to pursue a technology diploma, perhaps work six months and then go to school for six months. Some may do just that, others may be content to work as helpers to those who are fully qualified.

Either way, while many of us are at a loss to define anything "geo-technical," these individuals cannot only explain it, they can roll up their sleeves and do it, at least the basics.

Of course, that training program is far from being the only example of capacity building in the Deh Cho. In essence, capacity building is education and training for local people so they can advance on the career track. By that definition, the graduates from Aurora College's three-month programs (also featured in this issue of the Drum) have also broadened their skill set.

Season's greetings

No bombs obliterating buildings and killing people, no sporadic gunfire and no land mines to worry about.

These aren't images that one associates with Christmas, but they are the reality for some unfortunate people around the world during the holidays.

Christmas isn't Thanksgiving or Remembrance Day, but it is a poignant time of the year to reflect on why we should be grateful for our lives here in Canada. That said, our country, like every other nation, has its problems: people living in abject poverty or just scraping by on minimum wage, those with addictions, others whose physical or mental health is failing.

For those who have lost a loved one over the past year, this Christmas won't be the most joyous of occasions, understandably.

If reaching out to someone on the other side of the globe seems too distant -- many students have done it through Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes -- there are likely people in your own neighbourhood who are down on their luck.

Whether you can write a cheque, donate some food or old clothes or old toys, there are plenty of ways to help. Maybe volunteering to help an event is more appealing. Extending an invitation to others to come and visit during the holidays may brighten their Christmas. It may prove more worthy than any merchandise wrapped in glossy paper.

To all readers of the Deh Cho Drum, we wish you the best of the season.

Crown prosecutor Sandra Aitken was improperly identified in the story, "Drunk streetracer pleads guilty," (Yellowknifer, Friday, Dec. 19).

Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion this error may have caused.