We see comments like the one Karan Shaner, director of the Justice department's legal section, e-mailed to a colleague: "I understand there are some serious concerns about the way the board conducts itself."
The deputy minister of justice has a drink at one of the bars facing a charge and has a friendly conversation with the owner which tainted everything that followed. The deputy minister then demands to see all the information on two of the cases currently before the board.
The liquor board, with its new "get tough" attitude, tries to press for better training of liquor inspectors to beef up quality of cases they face. They're told by their administrator to not get involved because they must be independent of enforcement.
Finance Minister Floyd Roland meets with liquor board members. They say they shared their concerns with him. Days later, Roland, says no "red flags" were raised during that meeting.
It all ends with a hastily called press conference where Roland and Justice Minister Charles Dent are forced to deny suggestions of political interference.
Nowhere does anyone take issue with the real problem: liquor inspectors are underpaid, poorly trained and, as a result, enforcement of Liquor Act regulations is weak and haphazard.
Look at the now-infamous Top Knight case. What the inspector thought was wine in a glass turned out to be water after a Justice lawyer had a second look at the case. This re-investigation came after the deputy minister's intervention and followed an 18-day suspension slapped on the Right Spot for a similar offence.
After an intoxicated patron fell, hit his head and had to be taken to hospital, LeFrolic faced a possible 45-day licence suspension. It was whittled down to one day although a Justice lawyer described it as "one of the most serious cases in a while."
Still, a suspect charge of overcrowding against the Raven nightclub went ahead despite a lack of evidence: a liquor inspector's ticket showed the number of people in the club to be below the limit. Where were Justice lawyers in this case?
In its zeal, the liquor board blurred the lines by trying to shore up the enforcement process. That's the only "red flag" senior government officials and cabinet ministers saw.
They have ignored the most important issue in this controversy: liquor inspection and enforcement has to be beefed up.
That has to include updating the Liquor Act to reflect how our communities have changed.
The public will no longer tolerate weak-kneed enforcement and neither should the government.
Dent and Roland don't seem to want to take responsibility, so maybe it's time for Premier Joe Handley to step in.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Far be it for us here at Kivalliq News to cast any shadows of apprehension on the long-awaited arrival of high speed Internet services into our community.
However, there is concern that if the new service is overseen by the same Internet service provider (ISP) we have now, it won't be long before fists are pounding on computer desks all over the hamlet once again.
The current Internet system in Rankin Inlet is an overpriced, under-performing vehicle which, to many people (yours truly included), is a necessary evil and a constant source of stress and frustration.
Such is the nature of the beast when it comes to monopolies.
And our situation is further darkened by an ISP that convinces regulatory bodies that it has the best interests of its clients at heart, and is far better suited to meeting their needs than some faceless corporation.
A taxing weekend
My latest exercise in futility with our local Internet was trying to download my tax-preparation program from the retailer's Web site.
At a mind-boggling speed of about 900 bytes per second, my download time was estimated to be about seven hours, give or take an early morning sitcom.
My first three attempts during the weekend afternoon hours got me to about 30 per cent of my goal before the system booted me off -- a rare occurrence, I've been told, and one our server is incapable of.
So, it was off to Plan B -- start the download shortly after midnight.
By about 7 a.m., my download was 92 per cent complete when it happened; a subtle click followed by the connection reset by your peer's message.
Aaurrghhh!!!
Even my Fresh Download program couldn't save the day by going back and picking the download up from where it was severed.
Paying through the nose
What makes similar experiences even more frustrating for many users is the extra "time charges" they incur at mid-month.
What should take 15 minutes lasts an hour. When that ratio is averaged out over a month, many users are dinged big bucks simply because the quality of the service is so poor.
The target date for broadband coming to Rankin is August and the average home user can expect to pay $59.95 a month.
"Power" home users or small business owners can expect to pay $100 per month, while larger users will be looking at $150 to $395 per month.
When all is said and done, we're sure we'll be offered the best deal possible and service second to none with our new broadband.
After all, the ISP will have our best interests at heart.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Of all my acquaintances who relinquished that ugly smoking habit in February, pitching their cigarettes into the trash and swearing off the darn cancer sticks for all time, only one remains. Unfortunately, for the sake of my own health, it is not I.
While a trip for two to Mexico and a lifetime of better health hangs in the balance for those who can remain smoke-free for another month, it's back to the drawing board for those of us who lacked the will power to continue.
Your humble editor was able to last a month before going down in flames and succumbing to the persuasive allure of nicotine and the sweet smell of tobacco. And what a glorious "first" cigarette it was.
Sucking back the cigarettes, one after another, I was feeling liberated from the shackles of the Quit and Win contest. However, it was short-lived.
As the smoke began to fill my apartment following my fourth or fifth cigarette, the guilt kicked in with the realization that I would soon have to begin this entire process again, if I gave a hoot about my health.
This was not the first time I tried to kick the habit and it won't be my last, I'm sure. Sitting in a bar, sipping a beer, I told a friend about how I had fallen off the nicotine wagon as I puffed away.
"You've got to quit when you want to, not when somebody tells you to," he said, offering some kind of consolation, while at the same time implying that I had somehow fallen under the "thought control" methods of the health czars. Now I really felt disappointed in myself.
If I wasn't able to quit simply for the sake of improving my health, then dangling in front of my nose a free trip to Mexico was hardly going to provide enough incentive. Not more than a month's worth, anyways.
And from all of this "quitting for prizes" business, which has sent many seasoned smokers gasping into a smokeless frenzy, I have discovered one thing: that I've become obsessed with quitting. Occupying my thoughts with each cigarette that I stub out are the days ahead when I will no longer be chained to this noxious weed.
Don't eat red meat, don't eat fried food, don't go cycling without a helmet, don't smoke inside, outside or anywhere....
Most would agree that too much of anything is never healthy, making the following new twist on the adage "everything in moderation, (even moderation)" words to live by in these dangerous times when merely glancing at the grease from French fries could cause your heart to seize.
It saddens me to think that some activities, which many derive so much pleasure from, are bad for us -- to the point of singing it from the rooftops.
"Yeah, yeah, we know it's bad for us, but we love it anyways!" I hear a dedicated smoking set shout.
But as Bob Dylan -- a former smoker -- once said, "The times they are a changin'" and if new tastes are not formulated by the masses soon, society runs the risk of smothering itself in a bed of cheeseburgers and secondhand smoke.
Thankfully, the health czars in conjunction with the thought police and insurance companies have ensured that at least we won't go down with the ship whilst enjoying a beer at the pub.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
There are a number of Deh Cho residents who have complaints about their homes built through the NWT Housing Corporation. Leaking basements, excessive moisture and mould seem to be a common bond.
Interestingly, each of the tenants featured in this week's page three story say they know others who are having the same problems. Some of those people have chosen not to publicly state their concerns, for whatever reason. Perhaps most Housing Corporation tenants don't make waves because they are actually content. It's hard to tell.
Housing Corporation homes are not the only ones with mould problems. It's not unusual for private homeowners -- at their own cost, of course -- to have air exchange or ventilation units installed to dehumidify their homes and improve air quality.
To be fair, the Housing Corporation has its own challenges, such as a significant number of clients who are not paying their rent or mortgages. Some clients also damage to their own homes while in a state of intoxication or in a fit of anger.
As well, there are those who have owned their Housing Corporation-built homes for many years, but still expect that every problem should continue to be the Housing Corporation's responsibility. When you buy a car, the warranty doesn't last forever. At some point, the cash is going to have to come from your own pocket.
A home is no different: it's a major investment that requires regular maintenance.
As well, the Housing Corporation does have several appealing programs that serve as incentive for clients to become homeowners, in some cases while heavily subsidized.
But, all that said, it's hard to instill confidence of ownership when some of the Housing Corporation's units are clearly deficient structures. If hundreds of thousands of dollars can be spent on repairs to just one poorly constructed home, wouldn't the government be better off investing money to have a qualified housing inspector visit each site before the client takes possession?
That way the contractor can be held accountable then and there, rather than well after the fact.
Former Housing Corporation president Tom Beaulieu noted that those with mild humidity problems can lessen the accumulation of moisture by using exhaust fans in the bathroom and above the stove. Obviously that's not going to be of much use if the basement leaks or floods.
There have been extenuating circumstances leading to questionable construction of some homes in the NWT. Yet it cannot simply be written off as one of those "only-in-the-North," conundrums.
Although today's Housing Corporation employees have inherited problems from oversights of the past, so have the tenants who have unwittingly moved into the problem homes. They can't be expected to accept anything less than good quality. It's going to cost a bundle to properly fix those places, but that is what needs to be done. Maybe the odd one would be better off bulldozed.
Standards for building houses have to be consistently upheld in the Deh Cho just as they are in Yellowknife or Hay River.
Housing Minister Michael McLeod must follow through on his pledge to step up detailed inspections by qualified tradespersons.