Europe has statues galore. Anyone who has passed through the Vancouver International Airport likely has seen Bill Reid's massive sculpture, The Spirit of Haida Gwaii.

What does the NWT have to show for its artistic heritage? Very little. Most NWT residents who consider themselves artists are dirt poor.

According to the 2006 edition of Opportunities North, 5,400 people call themselves artists. An aboriginal artist makes about $13,000 a year.

So we bet quite a few people put down their chisels, paintbrushes and needles down to listen as Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche introduced a budget policy motion that would require the territorial government designate one per cent of costs in major government projects towards acquisition or incorporation of art into the completed project.

What artist wouldn't drool when you think that could add up to $400,000 for the $40 million cost of the new courthouse proposed for Yellowknife.

It's a grand idea in a territory that puts precious little resources into support for the arts, budgeting $426,000 for the NWT Arts Council this year.

Menicoche's idea is a starting point and let's hope it spurs some discussion in the arts community and among MLAs because it's time to celebrate the talent we have and get more of their works out on public display.

The idea of having police officers patrol on foot is nothing new. Foot patrols help police get to know their community, identify the trouble-makers and good Samaritans alike. This is difficult to accomplish when an officer is sitting behind the wheel of a police cruiser.

Downtown is particularly problematic. Statistics provided by RCMP to Yellowknifer between January and October, 2005, show that's where the majority of crimes take place. Out of 2,524 complaints during this period, 1,551 were reported downtown.

The summer is also when most of the trouble occurs: drugs, public intoxication and assaults.

It was announced last week that RCMP officers won't be alone patrolling downtown. Municipal enforcement officers are also taking to the street.

This is a good move. In 2002, city councillors called for municipal officers to do walking patrols downtown but administration has been slow to pick up on the idea.

This gives bylaw the chance to focus on something the RCMP don't have time for - our littering bylaw. Drugs and drunkenness isn't the only problem downtown. How many times have we seen the streets filled with garbage?

We hope bylaw officers arm themselves with an ample supply of blank citation tickets while on patrol.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Well, valued readers, by the time you're sitting down to read this my family and I will be reunited in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Yes, indeed, it's annual vacation time and, in all likelihood, I'm chasing my grandson around the backyard this very minute.

I still can't figure out, though, if he's getting faster or I'm starting to slow down.

Until my return in July, you will in the more-than-capable hands of Andrew Raven.

Andrew is over from Yellowknife to fill in during my absence, and he's certainly excited about being in the Kivalliq.

Rough policy

Kivalliq pet owners who plan on travelling south this summer should ensure they are fully aware of how Air Canada's new pet policies work.

There's been a lot of hoopla lately surrounding the date of Sept. 18, when small pets will no longer be allowed in the cabin of the plane.

However, the new weight restrictions and additional costs are already in place and they're simply outrageous.

Your dog cannot weigh more than 70 pounds while in its kennel.

I learned my lesson on how the new system works the hard way.

Do not take for granted you can simply pay the difference in weight as you can with baggage, because you can't.

My poor old pooch, in kennel, weighs 78 pounds; a full eight pounds over Air Canada's limit.

The airline informed us the dog would have to be flown through cargo at a cost of about $850.

Needless to say, our 15-year-old Princess will not be going on vacation with us this year.

This has put a real damper on our vacation as, due to her age, she may no longer be with us the next time we go on annual leave.

As well, our furry family member has a crowd of admirers back home who are upset they will probably not get to see her one last time.

Talk about starting vacation with your own little rain cloud. Thanks Air Canada.

The funny part about our situation is that the whole mess started with an ill-informed company rep back in March who passed along some bad information to us.

Thanks for that, too.

And, of course, once I finally understood the ramifications of the airline's new policy and tried to rebook with another airline, I'm told no refunds.

I would be issued with a credit I could use sometime during the next year.

Well, thank you very much for actually allowing me to spend my own money sometime in the future.

The moral to the story is to ensure you fully understand any new "policies" put in place by companies that will affect you.

For me, my measure of revenge will be that I will never purchase another ticket with this airline as long as I live.

My message to them is simple. If you don't want one Greer family member on your airplane, you don't want any of us.

To borrow a line: that's not news, but that, too, is reality!

See you next month and enjoy your summer.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

In the past few weeks, this little town has seen its fair share of drug busts.

I find myself congratulating the RCMP officers of Inuvik, as well as the officers from Yellowknife on a job well done.

The recent drug seizures have seemed to make our community happy.

But since I took over this position, every drug-related news release sent by the detachment has involved marijuana.

Yes, it would seem that the sweet leaf has been the primary target in the war on drugs here in the land of the midnight sun.

While I'm sure there are many congratulatory high-fives and handshakes going around the Inuvik detachment, I can't help but wonder when our population will see another crack bust.

You all remember crack, right? The malicious older brother of cocaine.

Last year, this town was rocked by this powerful drug.

In 2006, it almost looks like the crack problem has been eradicated by the power of the police.

Or maybe it has just gone deeper underground, and is not as noticeable.

I don't want to seem like I'm sitting on the fence when it comes to drugs, so I'll say it straight out: crack is a bigger threat to our community than pot ever could be.

Lasse the police dog did a great job cutting off teens from their daily doobies.

I'm sure that town munchie merchants have noticed a down-shift in their midnight snackers who wish to spend all their money on brightly coloured licorice and pop rocks.

I want to know how many shifty, neck-scratching crack addicts were brought into custody?

How many other barricaded doors of crack dealers were kicked in?

I find it hard to believe that our crack problem is over and done with.

This drug is powerfully addictive and doesn't disappear after a couple of busts.

The police can't do it alone, however. We must all be strong enough to stand up to the mighty "rock."

I would die a happy man if I was one of the people who saw crack cocaine disappear for good from Inuvik.

We are developing into a strong and independent community, and crack and other illegal drugs are a black eye on a great track record.

Hopefully as I write this, it wouldn't surprise me if the brave officers at the cop shop are planning their next big crackdown.

If people are so eager to call the police about pot-related crimes, they should also be calling about crack dens.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

It may be one small step for drug dealers, but it's one scary leap for residents of the Deh Cho.

News that RCMP officers arrested Edmonton men for trafficking crack cocaine in Wrigley is scary stuff.

RCMP stated that this is the first time that suspected cocaine traffickers have been charged within the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment area. Police believe that cocaine dealers have travelled into the communities to sell their wares.

Previous instances of cocaine in the communities have stemmed from people bringing it in for their own personal use, said the RCMP.

Any illusion that the Deh Cho was sealed in a protective bubble from hard drug dealers because of geographical location has been shattered.

It can be easy to ignore signs of increasingly scary drugs infiltrating into the communities, but a case like this brings drug dealing into the spotlight.

It would probably keep many people, especially parents, up at night if they knew about all the types of drugs that may already be available in communities or could easily make inroads.

This case illustrates the lengths that drug dealers will go to find a market.

It has to be wondered what kind of a profit you would need to make it financially sound to travel all the way from Edmonton to the Deh Cho to deal drugs.

Frighteningly, someone seems to have thought it was worth their while to make the trip and maybe it was.

It is disturbing to look at the number of people that the RCMP have so far identified as customers. Wrigley is home to fewer than 200 people, so having 14 or 15 members of the population on cocaine is not a happy percentage. Of course there may be even more users that haven't been identified so far.

The RCMP say they suspect the suspects were dealing in other locations in the Northwest Territories. Because their investigation is ongoing they can't go into details, but there is, of course, the possibility that some or all of these other locations are also in the Deh Cho.

There is one bright lining inside of this very dark and stormy cloud.

The fact that it was community members who took the initiative to come forward and provide the RCMP information about the drug activities is commendable.

Everyone needs to play a part in helping to drug-proof their communities.

People who have lived in a community all their lives or for a long time will logically have a better insight into local activities than visiting or temporary RCMP officers.

No one ever wants to be labelled as a snitch or an informant, but sometimes if might be necessary for the sake of the community as a whole.

Of course it is particularly hard if family members are involved and in small, close knit communities this is a likely possibility.

But messages need to be sent to drug dealers and to the youth. They need to know that using drugs is a bad choice and that drugs won't be tolerated in the Deh Cho.

In the June 9 Yellowknifer, MLA Michael McLeod was incorrectly identified as Environment and Natural Resources Minister. Michael Miltenberger is the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Also, in Friday's photo feature ("Round em' up," June 9) it is the city's municipal enforcement division that hosted the bike rodeo. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by these errors.