Certainly, we cannot allow a situation to continue where people armed with paintball guns shoot at unsuspecting equestrians, or anybody else for that matter.

Last week's news that a pair of teenage horseriders and their mounts were shot at by masked, camouflaged paintballers at the Sandpits shocked many.

The panicked horse, ridden by 16-year-old Sienna Hart, nearly ran over a two-year-old boy as it stampeded across Highway 3 and into the horses' stables across the road.

Hart herself wondered if she was going to die in a collision with either a car or a low-slung barn door.

What's more astonishing is the fact that an apparent "tournament" was taking place at the time under the supposed supervision of four adults.

Two city councillors are now calling for restrictions on where paintballers can practice their sport.

Right now, paintballers have free reign. In fact, there aren't any rules federally or otherwise governing the purchase and use of paintball guns. The much-maligned Canadian Firearms Act makes no mention of them.

Stores may have their own age-restriction policies on who can buy paintball guns, but according to police, there are no actual rules.

A paintball gun is not a kite or a skateboard or another benign little toy.

Shooting a hard shelled, plastic-coated projectile at up to 90 meters per second, they can puncture eyes and leave a painful welt if shot at unprotected skin.

And in the case of people who aren't participating in "paintballing," encountering people armed with paintball guns and wearing camouflage gear is likely to be a fairly intimidating experience -- even if they don't get shot.

Several things need to happen. Paintballers need to form some sort of association, collect dues, and use them towards paying rent or a lease for a paintballing zone established by the city. Strict club rules should be established and workshops held to make sure participants know how to play safe.

If paintballers want to go blast away at each other out in the woods somewhere outside of city limits, that's fine, but there shouldn't be a free-for-all within the municipality. City council should make sure this happens.

Secondly, lawmakers should consider drafting legislation with mandatory age-limits on purchases, plus a requirement for those under 18 to take courses on how to safely operate paintball guns.

Avid paintballer Jennifer Horton says the people who attacked Hart and her friend are giving paintballers a bad name.

That's why it's especially important that responsible paintballers take the initiative by reporting illegal and irresponsible users and shaming those among them who think it's fun to play shoot-em-up with innocent bystanders.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

There are numerous issues in the Kivalliq that vary wildly from the south in how they're handled.

Some are steeped in culture and tradition, while others rest on the shoulders of history or language.

Infrastructure, or the lack thereof, can affect the way some standards are enforced and programs implemented.

If all of Nunavut's recreational facilities had to be held to the strict standards of many southern locales, many would sit empty.

Even our weather prompts us to do many things quite a bit differently than our southern counterparts.

For all those differences, however, there are many things that should stay consistent across the country, not the least of which is how we treat those who cannot always help themselves.

Unfortunately, there are still too many among us who will not accept the fact that sentiment does not apply strictly to human beings.

Because of their neglect, animals and children are suffering in Rankin Inlet.

You can no more compare a fox terrier to a sled dog than a qamutik to a Ski-Doo.

They are totally different, with precious little in common other than they both get you where you want to go, most of the time.

The vast majority of the dog problem in Rankin does not rest with those who own sled dogs.

The problem stems from irresponsible pet owners and it's time for the hamlet to start getting tough with this particular breed of person.

There have been 11 dogs shot in Rankin during the past few weeks.

That's 11 animals that died because someone decided they weren't worth the effort to feed or house.

Kind of makes you wonder why they wanted a dog in the first place, doesn't it?

Rankin SAO John Hodgson estimates only 30 per cent of the dogs that end up in the pound are claimed by their owners.

We all know what happens to the rest.

We've had one child seriously mauled by a rabid dog this past year and at least two more barely escaped attacks, one at the cost of her shoes to get away.

The time to think about whether you want to own a dog is before you get one.

The trick to making the decision is to realize responsibility, and lots of it comes with being a dog owner.

Your animal is going to need supervision, training, caring, walking and playtime, bathroom breaks if it's an indoor animal, feeding, vaccinations and other medical care, and lots of attention.

If you give your animal all these things, it will give you a lifetime of loyalty, companionship and love.

If you neglect your animal, the community inherits your problem and the animal, ultimately, inherits a bullet to the brain.

A bullet you provided!

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

A spring cleanup at the Inuvik Youth Centre this past weekend proved to be a good time to brainstorm new ideas for the facility.

The centre's chairperson, Martin Landry, wants to develop its backyard.

It seems that the secluded area has become a haven for homeless people and unruly teens looking for a place to hang out and drink.

It is understandable that the homeless don't have a lot of places to go, and people are entitled to do what they want with their lives.

I just don't think the youth of Inuvik need to leave piles of smashed bottles behind a public building.

After the crew of volunteers had sorted through and cleared out the area, the lot didn't look too bad. A bit of landscaping, brush-cutting and maybe some gravel would really change that little area for the better.

Martin had a good point when he said the lot would need to have a fence to keep it clean.

So after a discussion about the feasibility of fencing the backyard, he concluded that the fence would need to be higher than the adjacent utilidor. The high fence would keep people who don't belong in the yard at bay.

While some may not think a tall fence is necessary, keep in mind those people who spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon picking up the shards of discarded Private Stock bottles.

I'm sure they would enjoy the privacy and avoid having to sift through debris and broken glass on a daily basis.

I would like to take this opportunity to send a message to those people who choose to ditch their bottles in the yard behind the youth centre, as well as other locations around town. Dump the left-overs into a recycling bin instead.

Camping season is quickly approaching, and that means people will be piling into the parks that lie just down the highway.

Personally, I can't wait to unfold my tent and try to start a weak fire in one of those fire pits.

I never got the hang of starting those fires, but have not resorted to starting one with gasoline.

But no matter how hard it is to get a campfire going, we all know that cutting down trees is illegal. Just a friendly reminder to bring your own firewood along.

I hope you're all enjoying the barbecue season. I don't have the luxury of firing up the grill myself.

So If you're cooking up a meal and you see me walking by, I wouldn't say no to a burger or two.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

"If you build it they will come."

That is the line that Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, hears coming out of his cornfield in the movie Field of Dreams.

The message from the voice leads Kinsella to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. Other characters in the movie think he is a bit crazy, but he goes ahead and follows his dream.

In the North, a situation with surprisingly similar parallels to the movie is being played out, but instead of the structure in question being a baseball diamond, this time it's a bridge.

The Deh Cho Bridge across the Mackenzie River has become the stuff of dreams in the North, particularly for those living in the Deh Cho. If a Hollywood director was going to make a movie about the project it might be called "Bridge of Dreams."

The idea of a bridge across the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence has captured the imaginations of people for decades. Just looking at the illustration of the possible bridge design is enough to start anyone dreaming of a time when the river break-up and freeze-up wouldn't cut off access to Yellowknife.

But the future of the bridge is being called into question because of rising building costs.

Every estimate seems to be significantly higher than the last.

From those sitting on the Yellowknife side of the conundrum, there might be less of an outcry if the project gets shelved. They are already living in a big city where supplies might run a little low when the ferry is shut down, but products and services are still available. The only major hardship seems to be postponing driving trips to the south for a while.

On the other side of the river, the picture is a bit different.

If the bridge is built, surely people from all of the Deh Cho communities would welcome not being cut off from one of their nearest large centres. It would mean a lot to be able to reach Yellowknife without having to fly.

Of course, most people would still have to find a way out of their own communities that would be cut off by thawing winter roads and ice bridges, but getting onto the main highway system can be small potatoes while on the quest for goods and services when compared to the cost of a full return flight to Yellowknife.

Now, just like many people questioned Kinsella's sanity when he built the baseball diamond in the movie, many people are wondering if maybe the Deh Cho bridge is a bridge too far.

There is no question that the bridge would be nice to have, but how much is it worth?

As the construction price climbs, is there a limit where people would rather deal with break-up and freeze-up instead of seeing money being spent on the bridge?

There is a question that needs to be answered.

Is this a time to follow dreams or to keep heads firmly attached to shoulders and out of the clouds?

Errors appeared in an article appearing in Friday's edition of the Yellowknifer, ("A race against cancer," May 24). The cancer survivors banquet is open to all cancer survivors. Also, Judy Sharp's neck surgery was to move a salivary gland. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the errors.