The case of the RCMP officer accused of using "excessive force" - knocking out and breaking the leg of a young man he was arresting - is very troubling.

The public knew nothing about it until March 2005 when Judge Brian Bruser dismissed the charges against the young man, saying he had been attacked by police in the October 2004 incident. Apparently, the RCMP knew nothing about it either, not until Yellowknifer broke the story in early April.

Police investigated the case for the next four months. In August 2005, the file was sent to a federal Crown prosecutor in Whitehorse for a decision on whether to lay charges against the officer.

The Whitehorse office took almost six months before releasing a decision that severely compromises the administration of justice.

They said that while there was enough evidence to lay criminal charges against the officer, it might not be in the "public interest" to do so.

So with a stroke of the pen they declared knocking an innocent citizen unconscious and breaking his leg was not a serious matter.

At the same time they smeared the reputation of an RCMP officer who has been charged with nothing and never had the facts of the case heard in court before a judge.

The Whitehorse Crown did offer up a remedy of restorative justice but that would involve the officer admitting his guilt and the victim accepting an apology. Yellowknifer was told the officer thinks he did nothing wrong and that the apparent victim has not agreed to anything in the matter.

This restorative justice process is to be held Feb. 23, yet the Yellowknife Community Justice Committee, the body designated to hear such cases, has not been asked to involve itself in the matter.

As a straightforward assault case rarely creates such confusion, we can only conclude the Crown and RCMP are involved in damage control.

Aside from whatever damage may have occurred on the street, major damage has been done to the administration of justice and the integrity of the RCMP.

Time Justice Canada stepped in to do real damage control by putting the case where it should have gone in the first place - before a judge.

It's entirely in the public interest to either charge the officer or exonerate him.

There can be no middle ground.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

The Kivalliq News has learned the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association (RIMHA) has asked the Western Canada Lottery Corp. to conduct a full audit/investigation into the money it feels is missing from the percentage of sales it received from the lottery booth at the local Northern store.

The RIMHA walked away from its lottery licence on Jan. 31 and the lottery booth has remained closed since then.

Minor hockey president Justin Merritt has stated on the record that he feels the organization is missing at least $10,000 from its percentage of revenues generated by sales of lottery tickets.

Merritt also issued an open public invitation to any organization or government agency to audit the books of the minor hockey association.

Hopefully, when an audit is conducted, any mistake will be found and nobody will be taken to task for the missing money.

However, if the money was misappropriated, the person(s) responsible should be held accountable.

The news the RIMHA is pursuing the matter is good news, indeed.

It's time organizations in our region start standing up and demanding answers when money is found to be missing.

The Kivalliq News has also learned a leading regional organization is investigating the possible misappropriation of money in its chain of operations.

We will continue to monitor the situation and report on it if, and when, charges are laid or any official action is announced.

As we've stated in the past, far too much money is going unaccounted for in our region and it's time for more organizations and individuals to stand up and put a stop to it.

It's in everyone's best interests for this practice to be halted once and for all.

While on the subject of the RIMHA, its board members deserve a thumbs up for the effort they put in during the midget territorial event earlier this month.

All controversy aside, the tournament was one of the most well-run hockey events in Rankin in quite some time.

The arena crew also did its part in cleaning the ice promptly to allow the vast majority of games to start on time, and the players' area was kept free of fan traffic for the entire weekend.

From what we've been told, things went just as smoothly during the territorial volleyball tournament held the same weekend.

The Rankin adult recreational hockey committee also deserves a mention of note for putting a policy in place to reduce the number of liquor-related incidents in the community during the annual Avataq Memorial tournament this coming week.

Visiting teams will be asked to put up a $500 security deposit.

The money will be returned if none of the players run afoul of the law during the weekend, but will remain in the community if a visiting player is housed for an evening by the local detachment of the RCMP.

The team will also be asked not to bring the offending player back to the next Avataq tournament.

It's a smart move (although we'd like to see the deposit a little higher) and one other communities should look at adopting when they host similar adult tournaments.

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

On Valentine's Day, the Joint Review Panel (JRP) hearings on the Mackenzie Gas Project kick off in Inuvik, but don't expect a lot of love going around.

Different from the National Energy Board hearings, the JRP will hear evidence about the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline.

Understandably, there are many concerns about the pipeline with respect to both the environment and what effects the influx of workers and more cash will have on the North, which is already trying to deal with its fair share of social ills.

Ask somebody on the street their opinion about the pipeline and the reaction is usually mixed.

Most seem to understand that more jobs and a bustling economy will come and that it's a good thing. However, most of these people maintain valid concerns about wildlife and people. And this is what makes the JRP so important.

With half a billion federal dollars earmarked for dealing with socio-economic impacts of the pipeline, it would be prudent to have an idea where to channel this funding in the event that the project gets the go-ahead.

Ever notice that many of those - people and organizations - dead-set against the pipeline have little or nothing to gain regardless of whether or not the project happens? The irony here is that while their reasoning is caged in some kind of environmental or social altruism, they don't seem to care that others could lose out on jobs and educational opportunities if the entire thing were scrapped.

It's a very similar mentality to those protesting something like the seal hunt. Of course these creatures are cute and furry and nobody wants to see one clubbed over the head, but it's the person at the other end of the club whose livelihood could be at stake because some television celebrity can't handle the brutal realities.

So it's good to keep in mind that if the pipeline gets scuttled, the Sierra Club or Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society won't turn up the next day with offers of employment.

It was such a pleasure to meet with the teenager featured in the Coffee Break (page 2) this week and hear how his time spent in corrections helped change his outlook on life and put him on a path towards achieving his goals. Now that's taking some responsibility. I wish him all the best.

There's so much potential in the young people of Inuvik and it's disheartening to witness kids wasting theirs by not attending school and/or getting into trouble with the law.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

As you read this paper, do you know where your dog is?

If you don't own a dog you can rest easy, but those who do should hopefully be able to immediately pin-point the location of their pet.

Long-standing concerns about potentially dangerous roaming dogs were voiced this week by residents in Wild Rose Acres in Fort Simpson.

While there is probably no need to panic about Cujo-like packs of canines causing havoc and striking terror into the hearts of the multitudes, there is a faint warning bell that should be listened to.

Dogs may be man's best friend, but situations happen regularly where dogs turn on humans.

No one ever wants to assume the worst about their own pet. It's hard to contemplate a canine who's considered a member of the family doing something violent, but it can happen. And it's not just the so called "dangerous breeds" that need to be watched.

Like a young child, if left to their own devices, even the best of dogs can get into mischief.

There's also something to be said about peer pressure.

The confidence of a dominant dog might give courage to an otherwise timid pet.

The simple fact is dogs should not be given the chance to cause an accident.

It's hard to say what could set an animal off. Even after 10,000 to 14,000 years of domestication, dogs still possess some of their original primal urges.

Basic precautions should be taken to ensure that the Deh Cho Drum never has to contain a report about a serious dog attack.

The onus is on pet owners to create a system that works for them, so their dog can have a measure of freedom and fresh air while still being controlled. This could involve a leash, a fenced-in yard, or even staying with the dog while it's outside.

The responsibility shouldn't be left to bylaw officers who are often only alerted after something has gone wrong.

Keeping a close eye on a dog's location is important for the animal's safety as much as that of humans. It's hard to protect a pet from accidents with vehicles or other animals if you don't know where they are.

Even if a dog is unlikely to be aggressive, owners need to be sensitive to the fact that dogs make some people nervous.

Others simply don't like dogs. Even dog lovers are generally cautious when meeting an unfamiliar canine.

A bit of time and planning is all it would take to ensure that man's best friends keep their titles.