Doing a safety audit on the city is long overdue and Mayor Gord Van Tighem has done the unusual -- he took action.

Why the audit wasn't done sooner is best explained by Van Tighem's view that there's no real reason for the audit. It's all about a "perception" raised by union complaints of an unsafe workplace.

We agree the ruckus raised by union representative Norm Smith wasn't credible. The city had just been charged by the Worker's Compensation Board and was vulnerable to that brand of rabble rousing. Smith couldn't back up his claims so why believe him?

That doesn't get the mayor off the hook. Oddly, when speaking of the city's safety record, he neglects to mention Yellowknife firefighters Lt. Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson killed in a small shed fire March 17, 2005. Are they not two city employees killed on the job?

What about figures obtained by Yellowknifer showing city workers here were four times more likely to be injured on the job than cities like Cold lake, Grande Prairie and St. Albert?

Van Tighem wouldn't commit to making the report from the safety audit public. That means if it's bad news, he doesn't want to share it with the voters.

So the safety audit looks like it's more about rolling the dice for some good news on safety in the city, which is really not much of a commitment to safety at all.

If justice has been served through the conviction of pedophile Charles McGee, is not justice denied by delaying the Yellowknife lawyer's sentencing until Oct. 24?

How will the victims of McGee, who admitted in court he was sexually attracted to young girls, feel knowing this once prominent lawyer is walking free within the community.

Usually, sentencing comes swiftly after conviction.

In McGee's case, a pre-sentence report was requested, even though he's still serving a conditional sentence for an indecent assault conviction involving two other girls, a light sentence by any definition for such a crime.

The Crown asked that McGee be jailed until his October sentencing.

The judge ruled otherwise, leaving the court open to the charge of shielding a legal colleague from the full force of the law.

Regard should be made for the innocent. McGee has walked free long enough.

Editorial Comment
Andrew Raven
Kivalliq News

There is a little girl in Whale Cove who could use some help.

A few months ago, she accused her father of sexual assault. The allegations shook her family and the tiny Kivalliq community. But they meant, at least, she would fall under the long, protective arm of the law while the charges are proved to be true or false.

Well, that's how the story is supposed to unfold. Reality - as it developed in a Rankin Inlet courtroom last week - was far different. A series of questionable judicial rulings, confusion between the courts police and mind-boggling parental decisions mean the little girl has been living with her father while he awaits trial.

The sordid mess began when Whale Cove Mounties charged the man, who says he is innocent, with sexual assault. His bail conditions barred him from living at home. That kind of ruling is common sense.

But despite that order, prosecutors revealed during the June 13 court hearing in Rankin Inlet the man had been living at home because of a mix-up involving the court and police. The girl's mother had apparently welcomed the man back into the family home; he had been living with his mother.

Mounties declined to comment on the case because, one officer said, they were not sure what was discussed during the Rankin court session.

Whatever the reason, the girl should not have to face the man she has accused of a serious crime until they meet in court.

But things get worse. Nunavut Court of Justice justice Beverly Browne later ruled the man could, legally, return home during the day and visit the girl, so long as there was another adult around.

The decision is stunning. Crown attorney, Patricia Moise hit the nail on the head when she told Browne: "Who's to know what's going on in the house?"

"The court has the power to protect this (girl)," Moise said.

"We can't turn our backs on the person who came to us seeking protection."

And that should be the paramount concern of justice officials.

The much-repeated mantra of "innocent until proven guilty" is more than dialogue fodder for Law and Order. But that pure-as-the-driven-snow principle needs to balance with the realities of life. Courts often place restrictions on people who haven't been convicted of so much as spitting. Suspects are jailed, forced to fork over bail and placed on strict release conditions.

While living at home with his mother might be a drag, the court should order the Whale Cove man to stay away from his house and his daughter. With his trial six weeks away, those conditions aren't too onerous.

And in a messed-up ending to a messed-up story, the Rankin court hearing came to a forbidding close last week. Clearly confused by the legal wrangling going on a few hundred kilometres away, the man asked: "So I have to stay at my mother's for one more night?" Nope. Not even close.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

It seems like there is a reason to scold the youth on a near weekly basis.

After years and years of being pooled in with other kids who don't have anything better to do with their time than "hang out," I have finally had enough.

I touched on this subject last week, about the soccer nets at Curtis Field.

I choose to spend my time kicking the soccer ball around and having fun with friends.

That doesn't mean I want to spend my first 20 minutes cleaning garbage and re-hooking the nets.

Even though I wasn't the one who had to climb the steel structure, it did look uncomfortable.

Why should the honest recreational soccer players have to deal with this garbage?

I understand that the closest dumpster is all the way across the street, but couldn't you just leave the trash in a small bag?

I don't even know who I am talking to, but if you played ball on Sunday afternoon, and drink Gatorade, we have a problem.

I have to applaud the town workers that moved the nets to make a better playing area.

Kudos to the guys who brought out the orange mesh netting and hung it on that warm Thursday afternoon.

What a beautiful sight - nice green field and cool orange nets.

I guess the field also appeals to kids who choose to climb on the mesh and use it as a hammock.

Now, please parents, teach your children that those nets are there for a purpose and should not be used as junior's jungle gym.

I saw a few kids on the net one day, so I stopped my truck and shooed them away.

I didn't stick around, but I hope they got the message.

We soccer players are a polite crew, but don't cross certain lines.

I encourage all the people in town to scold those youngins that tend to swing on the nets.

If the kids know they can't get away with it, the damage could stop.

Imagine that, a field with perfect nets.

I kicked a nice shot at the net. It was a high-angled kick that could rival the great Pele.

I was sure I would be doing the airplane celebration dance in seconds, yet I found myself running across the street to get the ball.

It went in the net, narrowly missing the crossbar.

Unfortunately, the section of mesh was pulled down and it flew straight through.

Yeah, some of my friends had a good laugh, but it's no laughing matter.

I've seen some big games start off from just a few people practising.

Let's keep active, Inuvik -- just don't do it by climbing all over the soccer nets.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

With the school year drawing to a close across the Deh Cho, a new crop of graduates have come forward.

From high schools and Aurora College, these graduates have come into the world armed with their gathered knowledge and experience.

At graduation ceremonies, one of the stock elements of almost any speech is the fact that students are the future. The effect of this idea is lost after it is heard half a dozen times, but the truth behind it remains.

One item that Governor General Michaelle Jean remarked upon near the end of her visit to Fort Simpson is the desire of the people of the Deh Cho to take destiny into their own hands and have self-government.

Jean rightly pointed out that this goal will create challenges ahead, especially for the youth. In order to have self-government, there needs to be a generation ready for the challenges that it will bring.

Education, as Jean said, will be the key.

The responsibility of ensuring today's youth will be ready falls equally and on all people.

The building blocks need to be laid in the homes.

Again and again, graduating students highlighted the fact that their parents and families played an important role in keeping them in school. Without this support, many said they wouldn't have made it.

For some students, it was just having someone to make sure they actually got out of bed when the alarm clock went off. For others, it was a matter of having someone to remind them why they needed to stay in school and all the future opportunities that would be closed to them if they did not.

In speeches, students also reflected on the importance of teachers who were there through difficult tasks and urged them to keep going.

The broader community also has a role to play in letting students know that education holds a place of importance. This education includes both book learning and also cultural knowledge. Youth will need to balance both in order to lead the way.

There is also a greater responsibility for the community to continually work towards creating a place that more and more youth will want to return to after they travel for education or jobs.

Losing generations to the South or bigger communities only weakens the Deh Cho.

Some people may choose to strengthen the area by furthering their education.

Graduates from Aurora College campuses are a reminder that it is never too late to go back to school. It might be something you dreamed of doing or just a way to upgrade qualifications and obtain a different job.

No matter what lies ahead for recent graduates, hopefully they will be able to take what are currently dreams and make them into a workable reality in the near future for the Deh Cho.

An error occurred in an article in Friday's Yellowknifer, ("Kids pitch for fun," June 30). Arlene English is actually the grandmother of Alexander English. Also, an error appeared in a photo caption for "Somba K'e rocks for daze." Bryce Styan was improperly identified. Also, in last Wednesday's Yellowknifer (Police briefs, June 28), RCMP auxiliary officer Const. Darrell Portz was incorrectly identified as a full member of the RCMP. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the errors.