Not with a bang, but with a whimper - that was the sad demise of lifeguards at Long Lake.

The city first kicked sand in the public's face in 2003, leaving people to "swim at their own risk" because it claimed to be unable to find lifeguards to do the job. So, for the first time in 12 years, the lifeguard towers were empty. That was the beginning of the end.

This year both the city and territorial parks department have washed their hands of the issue. Mayor Gord Van Tighem is again bemoaning the lack of people to keep watch over the beach. A spokesperson for the territorial government's parks department says the city stopped hiring lifeguards in 2003.

Neither statement is totally accurate.

In 2004, there were plenty of people to do the job, but this time around, it was parks that suffered cold feet.

It seems that there was a liability risk whether or not there were lifeguards keeping an eye on swimmers. Perhaps seeing a chance to transfer a few measly bucks into some other area, the $23,000 given to the city annually by NWT Parks to pay for lifeguards disappeared into some budgetary black hole.

Yellowknifers can count their lucky stars that no one has died during the past three summers.

Three young children likely would have drowned at the lake in the summer of 2003 if it weren't for a pair of 11-year-old girls who rushed to the rescue.

Last year and so far this summer, we have been lucky, but that luck won't last forever.

According to the Lifesaving Society of Canada, 36 per cent of all drownings take place in a lake or pond. Lack of supervision is one of the leading causes of drowning death of children younger than five - 17 per cent of whom die in lakes.

Parents are ultimately responsible for the safety of their children at the beach.

It's not so easy when you put a parent or older sibling with two, three, four or more excited toddlers on a beach full of dozens of other children. You can't keep an eye on everyone at all times. It only takes a few seconds for trouble to come up.

And how many parents or teens know CPR or can perform mouth-to-mouth?

The beach at Long Lake is a public facility, maintained with public money. In that respect, it's just like Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, where the city must have lifeguards on duty or it will not open.

And consider this: in June, when Yellowknifer interviewed a 21-year-old pool lifeguard, she said she has saved 18 people from dangerous situations during six years patrolling the deck.

It's time the parks department and City Hall brought lifeguards back to Long Lake.

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Kivalliq News

Armed with on-the-land skills about as refined as the average Inuit four-year-old, I set out in search of caribou last week. Thousands ­ perhaps tens of thousands ­ of the animals were making their way across the Meliadine River valley, 10-15 kilometres from Rankin Inlet.

I found the caribou within five minutes ­ they were teeming across the gravel road that connects Rankin to the tundra. Cameras in hand, I jumped out of the newspaper's truck and followed my quarry, confident of my place in the food chain.

But I must have done something to make these cud-chewers a little uneasy, because three bulls and a handful of adolescents broke away from the pack and started running towards me.

"Strange," I thought. "How come Š Holy sugar!"

Faced with my first fight or flight situation since Grade 7 ­ the menace then was a 200-pound Grade 8 student with body odour like a trench horse ­ I decided to run. Well, from the caribou's perspective, it probably looked more like a hurried waddle. With two cameras and a photo bag dangling from my neck, my top speed was 'slow.'

In retrospect, I should have jettisoned the gear. But with three sets of velvet-covered antlers bearing down on me, that thought didn't even enter my brain, which by now was running in Homo Habilis mode: don't die.

It seems like the primitive human brain can make some spatial calculations, though. I realized I wasn't going to reach the company truck before the caribou ­ getting closer now, closer still ­ reached me.

But there must be something about a slow-footed, hairless monkey dashing across the tundra that screams out to caribou: 'no immediate threat.'

The lead bull suddenly broke away and sauntered back to the herd. The others followed and the "pursuit" ­ as it will be called in Raven family lore ­ was over. (I suspect it will replace my father's legendary tale of the "three hour-battle against rush-hour traffic.")

Peril passed, I evaluated the situation. Camera Š check. Film Š check. Truck keys ... check. Underpants Š mercifully fine. I also wondered: has anyone in Nunavut ever been killed by a caribou? Probably a few during the last couple of hundred years. Still, it's one of those tragi-comedy deaths that southern newspapers go ga-ga over.

I could see the headline: "Plodding reporter killed by caribou. Believed to be first person killed by herbivore in decades." At least that's ho

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

The main message I have to deliver to my readers today, is the word of sharing.

I don't mean that I want you to go out and give money, or forfeit half of your worldly possessions to your neighbour.

I'm not here to preach; I just want to make our community as nice as possible. While walking through the arts festival earlier this week, I saw a man and his son looking at some carvings.

I talked with them for a bit, and learned about some nice looking pieces. They were talking about different styles, and how the art has been changing. It was nice to be a part of the exchange, because it made me reflect on the things around me.

I think the arts festival is a great place for learning, regardless of age or walk of life. I saw artists giving workshops, and passing on their knowledge to interested people who would stop and talk with them as they worked on their latest projects.

Various discussions took place, about the many techniques one can have with a paint brush, from short, brisk stokes, to dabbles with a worn out brush to give a painting an "air brushed" look.

While some people may think that sharing your success in art could be classified information, I say it should be open to all. Let anyone know how, so if they choose to become active in the craft, they have a good idea of where to start.

I also saw that television personality Dennis Allen was on hand to share his wisdom with whomever wanted to sit down and listen. After working with this guy for just over a year I can say that I learned a lot from him.

Whether it be shooting tips with a digital video camera, or writing tips, and how to properly outline a 24-minute TV program, I could always count on his explanations.

One thing about Dennis' teaching, is that he never complicates his words by jumbling some useless jargon when he's telling you about something.

His workshop was a great opportunity for regular people who do not work in the broadcast industry to pick up a video camera and shoot.

I don't mean the kind of video camera that you learned about at your cousin's wedding, when your uncle told you that nobody else could work it. These machines that Dennis uses on a daily basis are top of the line equipment.

I know because I was in the thick of it all for two years, and when I left, I still had no clue about what half of the knobs were for, and my white balances were off on more than half of the raw footage I took. I thank Dennis for his patience as well.

For those of you lucky people who were in the workshop, now you have a taste of the biz, and what comes with the territory - working late nights and sharing workspaces with other people.

We need more venues like the arts festival, so more and more people can become involved in pastimes that they enjoy.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

It's great to see the large number of people who took the emergency firefighter course in both Fort Simpson and Fort Liard.

With most of the participants being between the ages of 18-24, these young people gained additional skills that could open new doors or job opportunities for them.

They are also now qualified to help fight forest fires if the need ever arises.

Even more encouraging is the number of women who took the course. In Fort Simpson four of the nine participants were female.

From the outside, fire crews can seem like a male-dominated environment so it's positive to see women who are willing to move into the field.

Besides developing new skills and probably getting a boost for their self-esteem, these young women paved the way for even more to follow.

It's been more than 40 years since the women's liberation movement in Canada swept the nation in the 1960s and '70s. While women have come a long way, their journey is not yet over.

October is women's history month in Canada, an event that has been celebrated since 1992. This year the focus is on aboriginal women and their journey forward.

The goal is to make people across Canada more aware of aboriginal women's contributions to their country, communities and families. Organizers also hope to promote an understanding of the unique realities and challenges that aboriginal women face in their lives.

In the Deh Cho, women occupy many positions of power. There are women chiefs, council members, Metis presidents, health care workers, entrepreneurs and professionals.

But it's not just the women with fancy titles who are powerful in communities.

Many families are kept together by women who work hard to care for children and the household - contributions that often go unseen.

Women are also important in preserving many aspects of the culture in the Deh Cho. Women carry traditional knowledge about a variety of subjects and ensure that traditional crafting skills are passed on to the next generation.

Women are even branching into different cultural areas that have been traditionally seen as the domain of men. A few months ago a group of women in Fort Providence gathered together to learn how to make and use drums.

Across the Deh Cho it's time to recognize the contributions that women make to communities and the quality of life. There is no need to wait for October to arrive. Women provide examples daily that are worthy of praise.

As the younger generation of women move forward it's important that they know about the people in whose footsteps they are following so they can both appreciate the ground that has been covered and break new trails moving forward.

Whether they are taking emergency firefighter training courses or making drums, women in the Deh Cho have clearly shown that nothing is beyond their grasp.

A photo of a car wash that appeared in Yellowknifer on June 30 contained incorrect information. Members of Calvary Community Church are going to Nicaragua in December. Yellowknifer apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment the error may have caused.

In the July 13 issue of the Deh Cho Drum, "Travelling Duo" Bryce Hardisty-Phillips' last names were reversed. The Drum apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.