And this on more than one occasion.
Bylaw officers have ticketed one driver for speeding on the street.
Municipal enforcement say they "treat snow removal trucks no differently than any other vehicle."
If that means no favourable treatment, that's good. But the city, and Public Works specifically, have to set a higher standard for city workers driving city vehicles.
Speed limits are set for a reason, usually in school zones or congested areas. These massive snow trucks speeding on residential streets put children in unacceptable danger.
Right now, the first speeding ticket is cause for a verbal reprimand, with "progressive discipline" for subsequent offenses.
The in-house policy at Public Works needs to be stiffer. Forget the verbal warning. That can come as a preventive measure in safety seminars on handling heavy equipment and trucks in the city.
In Iqaluit, city workers in city vehicles killed two people. We don't need speeding city employees to cause that kind of grief here.
If the city wants to show how seriously safety is viewed, the "progressive discipline" should begin with the first speeding ticket.
When the producers of the old television series Dallas wanted to bring back a popular actor, they simply wished a year's worth of television shows away.
"It was all a dream" is how they brought Bobby back to life way back in the 1980s.
Like those TV producers, with the success of last weekend's carnival Caribou Carnival, organizers have made the 2003 "Under Construction" event a bad dream.
The efforts of Ellie Sasseville, Lisa Tesar et al culminated in a carnival that will be one to remember.
With new events and old, a fireworks show made more magical by the Northern Lights and glorious weather, the 49th edition is something to build on for next year's golden anniversary.
With continued energy, hard work and fresh volunteers, we hope next year will be even bigger and better.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Take it from an old hack who's been around the block a couple of times -- it's almost always difficult to accurately gauge sincerity when interviewing a talented actor or actress.
Let's be honest, creating illusion is what they do for a living and the best at it attract millions of people to the box office every year.
That being said, this old key puncher walked away from his first meeting with young Iglulik actress Annabella Piugattuk thinking Nunavut has another bona fide role model for our youth to look up to.
Piugattuk likes to use the word "real" a lot in conversation.
It's a good word and one that accurately describes Piugattuk's outlook on life, her love for Inuit culture and, most importantly, her ability for self-evaluation.
In fact, Piugattuk's level of maturity is quite impressive for one still in her teens.
The Iqaluit-born actress doesn't have a whole lot of time for people who use being torn between two cultures as a ready made excuse for failure.
And, for that, we applaud her -- loudly!
Be true to yourself
Piugattuk is quick to trumpet the same message as Susan Aglukark and Jordin Tootoo before her -- work hard and follow your dreams and there are no boundaries to what you can accomplish.
It's refreshing to hear another talented young Inuk tell the youth of our territory that you don't have to sacrifice your Inuit heritage in order to take the best of what today's modern society has to offer.
One doesn't have to be around Piugattuk too long before realizing how much she believes in her culture and the Inuit ability to adapt.
Like Tootoo's, Piugattuk's message is one the Government of Nunavut should grab quickly (let's get the poster-printing presses running) and pass it on to our youth -- take the best both cultures have to offer, be true to your past and yourself and never stop learning.
Success breeds success
As with the rising stars who came before her, we can only hope Piugattuk doesn't lose her way should she choose the casualty-strewn path to Hollywood stardom as her ultimate destination.
In the meantime, Nunavut has another badly needed positive Inuit role model for our youth to look up to and realize they, too, can be successful.
And, make no mistake about it, the more Inuit who become successful, the louder the message of success becomes.
Don't believe it? Get real!
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
Attending the regional science fair this week brought back some fond memories.
I certainly wasn't a science-minded student and enjoyed attending that class in my junior high days almost as much as I despised mathematics (this probably explains my current line of work).
Nevertheless, my dislike of science class contributed greatly to my participation in my junior high school's annual science fair. Sound strange? Read on.
My science teacher's name was Mr. MacKinnon and his free-spirited methods allowed the cunning students to get away with all sorts of chicanery, with little consequences -- or so we thought.
At the beginning of Grade 8, Mr. MacKinnon gave our class a series of assignments to complete, which examined the nature of plant growth. For what seemed like dozens of classroom sessions, my cohorts and I would request to go to "the creek" to collect plant specimens for our "experiment."
What we really did after Mr. MacKinnon waved us on our way was check on our stash of discarded 'girlie' magazines and pretty much lolligag around.
Come report card time, Mr. MacKinnon called a meeting of the creek gang and read the opening sentences of our plant growth projects we submitted, in succession. They were identical!
This translated into an "F" for my first term science grade and barring divine intervention it appeared quite possible that I would have to repeat the year.
That is, unless I entered the science fair. If I were to submit a project to the school's fair, all would be forgiven and I would pass the course.
So there I was a month later in the school gymnasium, amongst the brainy kids of my junior high class, with a science project all my own.
And as I wandered about the room checking out the competition, I noticed that my project was pretty good. Maybe not a winner, mind you, but a nice attempt at exhibiting my grasp of the scientific method.
While this experience didn't inspire me to pursue a career in the sciences, it taught me a valuable lesson as far as my own abilities were concerned.
Each day teachers -- in the Delta and beyond -- engage in the often under-appreciated job of, not only passing on knowledge, but also giving valuable life lessons, like the one I learned as a reformed science failure.
For anyone who took in this year's fair, the quality of the work and the enthusiasm of the students involved says a lot for the quality and enthusiasm of our teachers.
In covering the community I have had the pleasure of meeting several teachers. I have seen some of their efforts in the classroom and outside it as facilitators of numerous after-school activities.
And rarely are the teachers congratulated for a job well done, and the science fair certainly gives cause to acknowledge the region's educators with hardy pats on the back all around.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche says some of his constituents want more cross-cultural training for new government employees.
That hardly seems like an outrageous demand.
It would benefit all newcomers to the North front-line workers in particular to be briefed on local traditions, customs and beliefs.
That said, letıs remember that aboriginal people are obviously not homogeneous. Some believe in cultural practices for different reasons while some no longer follow them at all. Regardless, itıs best for Deh Cho employees to be informed so they know where the differences lie.
While itıs not essential to agree with everything that Deh Cho Dene and Metis think and do, it is wise to respect local customs.
The thrust of a latest Canadian Arctic Contaminants Report is that ³country foods² such as moose, caribou and fish remain healthy dietary choices (see related story in this edition). Not only do these foods possess plenty of nutrients, they are generally lacking any significant levels of contamination. x
There are a few minor exceptions in specific types of fish from certain lakes, but even these arenıt off limits, just restricted to reasonable amounts for consumption.
We must keep the level of contaminants in proper perspective. As the report states, people who smoke cigarettes intake much greater amounts of harmful chemicals than eating a serving of wild game that has trace amounts cadmium.
Besides, there is no end to the studies that continue circulate in the media warning consumers of the latest food-borne dangers. Salmon from fish farms has become controversial because it reputedly contains greater levels of toxins than its wild cousin.
Many store-bought foods have a bad rap for high carbohydrate, high sodium and excessive fat content. Trans-fats have become public enemy number one (other than carbohydrates for those on the Atkinsı diet or its variations). There is growing concern that trans-fats fat that is solid at room temperature because it has been injected with hydrogen, i.e. hydrogenated oils greatly increase the risk of a heart attack. Trans-fats are considered so dangerous that many European countries have outright banned them.
There are also questions about preservatives used in foods. Do they cause cancer? How about artificial sweeteners? Also carcinogens?
Pesticides on our produce will that spark the growth of a tumour?
Well, weıve got to eat something. Keep in mind that most things arenıt harmful in moderation. Enjoy your moose and caribou meat.
An error appeared in Monday's capital edition of News/North (March 29, "Give me a break!"). Yellowknife city councillor Kevin O'Reilly says a decision to sell a parcel of land was made by city council in-camera (behind closed doors) last August, but not to any particular buyer. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion and embarrassment caused by the error.
The Kids Help phone bowl-a-thon held March 20 raised more than $45,000 over the two-day event. Also donating funds was the Great Slave Yacht Club ($1,000) and the Yellowknife Elks Lodge #314 which donated $5,000.
In a Yellowknifer article from March 26, titled "Man pleads guilty to accessory to murder," some readers may have concluded Crown officials dropped a first degree murder charge against Richard Tutin because he agreed to co-operate with justice officials.
A spokesperson for the Crown's office said that was not the case. Also, Crown attorneys did not say they hoped the other three men charged in connection with the murder would be convicted.