Laura Dies is surely not the only one shocked to see the tops of her trees drastically cut back beneath overhead power lines.

Many trees in downtown Yellowknife had their tops chopped last week -- some by several metres -- as Northland Utilities made room for higher voltage power lines being strung throughout the city.

Trimming trees is an annual rite of spring almost everywhere in this country, including Yellowknife, so people shouldn't be surprised to see a modest clipping of branches in their yards after the power company drops by.

After all, errant branches can be a safety hazard if allowed to touch power lines.

But we have to wonder, despite the new, higher voltage lines, why this year's trim job was so drastic compared to other years.

Northland says this year is the first it has enforced a rule that trees be kept 2.5 metres away from power lines. That's always been the rule, although the company stopped at only 1.5 metres in previous years.

If Northland was worried about offending homeowners with the pruning job before, the company didn't help itself when finally confronted with the necessity of having to lop off whole limbs. It looks like gigantic bandsaws have sliced their way through people's yards.

It's a lesson in moderation. If trees were cut the way they were suppose to be cut in previous years, this year's results wouldn't seem drastic, and residents wouldn't be left wondering how many years it will take before their trees stop looking like eyesores.

It's time for city councillors to put core funding for community events in perspective. The amount spent on funding for non-profit groups has grown from $182,000 to $300,000 over the past six years - accounting for 0.1 per cent of the budget, as pointed out by Coun. Kevin O'Reilly.

Some councillors want to restrict the amount it currently distributes, while others believe taxpayers are getting good value.

We say taxpayers are getting good value. Distributed among 13 arts, sports and community groups -- including the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, Folk on the Rocks and Caribou Carnival -- $300,000 is not a lot of money. Such events attract visitors and make Yellowknife a better place to live.

Without municipal cash, some of these groups would struggle to survive on volunteers alone, or cease operations altogether.

While we are not enthusiastic supporters of the annual survey the city distributes to determine the satisfaction level of Yellowknifers, a valid purpose would be to find out which events now funded by council the public likes. After all, we suspect councillors generate far more good will for every dollar directed to worthwhile communities events than they do cutting a dollar.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Most of the information contained in the report done by former B.C. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Berger on the Nunavut Lands Claim Agreement came as no surprise to the majority of us who call Nunavut home.

Yet we applaud Berger for not sugar-coating many of the points he raised, especially Nunavut's 75 per cent school dropout rate and the territory's high unemployment.

Berger was bang on with his contention that teaching students entirely in Inuktitut until Grade 4 or 5 and then switching to English does not work.

We strongly endorse his suggestion that both languages should be taught throughout elementary and secondary school.

The fact Inuit only have about 45 per cent of the jobs in the Nunavut government is old news.

However, Berger effectively ties in the need for a revamped education system if that number is going to rise.

The report points out that the well is dry when it comes to Inuit possessing the necessary skills to be hired by the government, especially for above-entry-level positions.

The problem is further convoluted by the fact the government invariably weakens a birthright corporation, badly needed private sector or Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. when it's successful in luring away a skilled Inuit employee from his or her current job.

As we have stated in the past, there is nothing to be gained by the Nunavut government hiring unqualified workers to meet quotas.

At the end of the day, it still has to be a working government to meet the needs of the people.

Berger also correctly points out that while it's bad enough only 25 per cent of our students finish high school, the number who attend post-secondary education is significantly lower.

However, Nunavut's educators and community leaders have been working extremely hard the past few years to show our students there's a big world out there.

And it's a world ripe with opportunity for those with a good education.

Some may think it unfair to dump so much of Nunavut's woes on education.

However, in a territory where the government is the only mega-employer, an effective education system is paramount to success.

It is, without a doubt, the key to Nunavut's future.

As enamoured with Berger's report as we are, the exact opposite is true with Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice's response.

As we predicted, Prentice has been lukewarm to the North, at best, since being appointed.

In his initial response to the report, he was quick to lay education at the feet of the Nunavut government.

Nor was he thrilled about putting more money into Nunavut's education system.

If Prentice decides the feds aren't willing to spend the money necessary for proper education in Nunavut, Berger's report won't be worth the paper it's printed on.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

After 49 years, the Muskrat Jamboree seems to get better and better each year.

Granted I have only been around for the last 23 years, and can only recollect the past dozen or so.

I want to start off by congratulating the jamboree committee for hosting a fun-filled weekend of games, entertainment and laughs.

Once again, Roy Ipana and Gerry Kisoun kept the crowd involved with activities on the ice.

It's always good to hear those two go off on the microphone, because you're sure to chuckle out loud at least once.

The best advice I heard all weekend was from Roy during the harpoon-tossing competition on Sunday afternoon.

"You have to really toss the harpoon. No fruity throws," he said, as the crowd burst out in laughter.

I think it's true, because when you are standing in an 18-foot lund chasing a whale for 40 minutes, you have no time to hesitate. That throw has to count.

I tried to stockpile bags of donuts I bought at the river, but ended up eating them on the way home. I seem to find myself in the same predicament every year at this time.

The spring-time jamborees are a good opportunity to catch up with friends and family from out of town. Nothing beats sharing a donut with a cousin you haven't seen since the ice road opened.

Hopefully we will have good weather for this weekend's festivities in nearby Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk.

Just a shout out for my family in Tuk to warm up your old skandics, because I have an itch to do some much-missed bombing around on the Tuk harbour.

We are now experiencing longer hours of sunlight, which will prove helpful when those power bills come in.

With an increased fuel rider, some Inuvik residents may find themselves paying more every month for the same usage.

Granted most of the residential units in town are subsidized, so I think the businesses in town will be taking most of the flak.

I think it's about time we all started becoming a little more energy efficient, and I'm going to start by replacing all the light bulbs in my apartment with those coiled energy saving ones. That's a better alternative for me than turning off my Xbox. That has to stay on, or I might lose my game progress.

Sure, the power company has to recover any money that has been lost due to escalating fuel costs, but I'm not sure if an increased rider is the way to go.

Maybe it's time for all of us to move away from technology and settle somewhere up the river with a good book near the campfire.

But if I made that change, I might miss the next episode of Family Guy on Sunday night.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

It's that time of the year again when winter road and ice crossing season comes to an end.

The smaller communities in the Deh Cho have already lost their road connections to the outside world, and now it's just a matter of time before the ice crossings also disappear.

Explaining the concept of a bridge of ice to people in the south can be challenging. It's almost as hard as explaining how entire communities can be cut off from road access.

If melting ice bridges disrupt your Easter weekend plans, just remember that this is one of the many things that makes the North unique. If nothing else, it will make for a good story some day if bridges are ever put across the Mackenzie and the Liard Rivers.

Everyone should welcome the new emergency preparedness map for Fort Simpson.

A comprehensive map marking all of the house numbers and locations seems like a logical thing to have.

It's surprising to find out that one didn't exist earlier and emergency personnel ranging from volunteer firefighters to the RCMP had to rely on personal experience or bits of maps.

Of course, in a small community it's easy enough to locate an emergency because there are only so many places to look.

But in the case of a fire or life-threatening situation, everyone knows that every minute counts.

With communities such as Fort Simpson expecting to see increased growth over the next few years, the map will quickly repay the work that went into compiling it.

But if something as logical as a comprehensive map for emergency response has been lacking all this time, it makes you wonder how many other seemingly obvious resources are waiting out there to be created.

It was nice to see Andy Norwegian commended for his 25 years of service in education -- most of them spent helping to ensure the future of South Slavey as a language.

It always feels good to be recognized for your work and 25 years is certainly a long time to stay with any career path.

Even after all this time Norwegian said he still loves what he does and finds the work stimulating. May we all be so lucky.

The trick in life seems to be finding something you like to do that you can incorporate into your job without compromising the reason you liked it in the first place.

This, of course, is often easier said than done.

Most people are not this lucky and use jobs to make a living rather than to further a passion.

If you happen to become one of the lucky ones, make sure you hold onto the position tightly. For those who aren't there yet, never give up the search.

Incorrect dates were given in an article appearing in last Friday's Yellowknifer, ("Romeo and... Winifred?" April 14). The play starts today, April 19, through until April 22. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion caused by the error.