Toronto has an airport through which hundreds of thousands of people travel each day, either on the start of a flight, ending a trip or just connecting to the next leg of their destination.
The corresponding daily number for Yellowknife's mighty airport is in the low single-thousands, if that.
It's curious that the federal Department of Transportation wants to increase Yellowknife's "similarity" to major southern airports by demanding a $10,000 annual fee per company for a taxi stand at the airport. That's about $320 for each cabbie.
In Toronto, an airport cab ride can set you back $60 for a one-way ride. In Yellowknife we'd spend about $10 to get home. And as we said above, there is a flood of humanity every day in Toronto.
It's no wonder hacks are threatening to boycott the airport if the fee is pushed through. A Toronto cabbie could knock off the $320 fee in five fares. It would take a Yellowknife driver 32 trips to do the same.
Even without the fee, cabbies say sitting at the airport is not worth the wait.
That alone should tell the bureaucrats in Ottawa they are driving in the ditch on this one.
It has become clear there are some creative problem-solvers at Diavik Diamond Mines.
Faced with a cash crunch and a two-year wait before the second $4 million ice pad would go in at the Multiplex, city leaders have inked a possible deal with the diamond giant that will likely get the rink done later this year.
It's a creative solution because Diavik isn't paying for the project -- though it is offering $50,000 cash and $150,000 in administration and engineering services. Instead, the company is advancing the city the money and taking over as project manager.
The corporate benefactor, an experienced arena builder thanks to a similar effort in Kugluktuk, should be able to reduce the cost of the second Multiplex ice surface thanks to strong buying power and in-house know-how.
Given the outside-the-box approach to making this arena a reality, it is most fitting it will carry the name of Shorty Brown.
An Order of Canada recipient, Brown has found many a creative solution to the problems inherent in the minor hockey programs of the North.
It would have been nice to see the entire Multiplex stand in tribute to his fine examples of Northern heart and accomplishment -- as indicated by the vast majority of Yellowknifer readers last year -- but for now the second ice pad will do nicely.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
We here at Kivalliq News have outlined our policy on letters to the editor many times in this space.
Quite simply, a letter must be signed to be published.
Basically, if you have an opinion you deem important enough to be published in a newspaper, it should also be important enough for you to put your name to.
So, letters we receive with no name or contact number for verification never see the light of day.
All that being said, we received a letter and an accompanying document this past week which has us more than a little concerned.
The unsigned letter accuses the Kivalliq News of reprimanding the people of Arviat for not voting for former MLA Kevin O'Brien.
We challenge the letter writer to produce any copy of the Kivalliq News endorsing O'Brien as a candidate of choice in the territorial election.
In fact, our publisher has strict rules against such endorsement, so we suggest the letter writer read the article in question a little more carefully the second time around.
The letter also went on to insinuate Inuit voters have zero tolerance for politicians who break the law.
Considering Nunavut's original house speaker was re-elected as an MLA this past election and the well-documented past of Nanulik's former MLA, we beg to differ.
In light of these facts, we can only assume the letter writer meant zero tolerance for white politicians in Nunavut.
As distasteful as the writer's character attack on O'Brien was, it was not the reason for our concern.
Also included was a copy of the actual RCMP ticket issued to O'Brien this past summer for the unlawful possession of alcohol in a prohibited area, namely Arviat.
The author also faxed us a copy of O'Brien's receipt from the Nunavut Court of Justice for the $215 fine he paid for the offence.
We can't help but wonder what other information he or she has been taking from, we assume, court files, and who else they're passing the information along to.
We shudder to think this could be a court employee, in a position of trust, accessing this documentation to further their own agenda.
Our problem is not with the fact O'Brien broke the law, was convicted and fined.
Such information is a matter of public record for those so inclined to keep up with such things.
However, in this modern age, identity theft and fraudulent financial transactions are all too real.
Original police tickets and/or files often contain personal information such as a full address, driver's licence number, date of birth and, depending on the matter, a social insurance number.
Our poison pen writer could cause significant damage to a person should they persist in leaking such documentation.
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.