Greenspace is at the bottom of the city's priority list. For evidence, look no further than a Range Lake neighbourhood where a promised greenspace looks more like a rock quarry than a park.

Families living on Demelt Crescent have had to deal with the rocky eyesore for the past three years. When they bought their lots, they understood it was to be developed into greenspace.

That will happen, says Andrew Morton, the city manager of facilities, but funding may not be available until 2010.

There are serious concerns with this situation, aside from the obvious safety concerns with the many children living nearby.

In many other towns and cities, the development of greenspace to at least a useable state is the responsibility of the developer. They're asked to submit plans and timelines for construction of parks.

This is a logical policy. It ensures that new subdivisions are not left as dusty, rocky eyesores and it provides children living nearby a safe place to play.

If the city doesn't want to do this, at least it should ensure development happens in a timely manner.

Three years or longer is by no means timely.

By the time this greenspace is ready, many of their children may have outgrown its use.

This is unacceptable and leaves residents wondering what they are paying taxes for.

The city must get the project off the wish list and at least level the rocky area so kids can run around.

It is anyone's guess at this point why Ecole St. Joseph school would become a target for what appears to be arson.

But whether it was a foolish prank of idle hands or a deliberate act of destruction, those responsible for the fire at one of Yellowknife's beloved elementary schools must now stand up and account for what happened.

Arson is a serious crime.

If someone deliberately set the fire - and that hasn't been officially determined - the guilty should turn themselves in to police and let the community rest easy that this act will not be repeated at another school.

Likewise, anyone who saw what happened must not be afraid to come forward. It goes beyond childish notions of a teen-aged code of silence.

The magnitude of this fire is far-reaching, it push 100 or more students into temporary classroom space and will cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

On the surface, the kerfuffle emanating out of Iglulik this past week over the comments made by Nunavut's Marijuana Party candidate in the last federal election are laughable.

Ed DeVries proudly announced to Northern media that he acquired a number of carvings and artifacts in his personal collection in exchange for marijuana.

DeVries also indicated a number of people in Iglulik are "potheads."

This has, of course, Iglulik Mayor Paul Quassa and hamlet council outraged.

So, we watch as a war of words erupts between Quassa and DeVries, letting ourselves believe, for entertainment purposes, there's no credibility issue on either side of the ledger.

Quassa even went so far as to say a number of residents want DeVries banned from the community.

Let's all take a deep breath and relax a little (no pun intended).

Here in the Kivalliq, we have to marvel at any community that's so law abiding it's ready to ban a person for ill-advised comments.

While DeVries does owe Iglulik an apology for his remarks, if he can be banned for tasteless remarks, we've got some serious housekeeping to address in the Kivalliq.

The notion of banning DeVries for mere words is, of course, nonsense.

But there's a deeper issue at play here.

One that strikes close to home in the Kivalliq and has none of the inherent humour of a Quassa vs. DeVries debate.

The anger of being labelled as potheads is just a smokescreen (again, no pun intended) for what has really irked some people in Iglulik.

DeVries broke the rules by speaking publicly about something we all know happens in Nunavut, but nobody wants to admit.

I travel a fair amount in Nunavut, and, although I've never been to Iglulik, I've been asked to trade a bottle for a carving in every hamlet I've visited.

Unlike DeVries, however, I have never consented to the exchange.

Whether Quassa cares to believe it or not, the trading of booze and drugs for carvings is a problem in many hamlets.

Iglulik council members would be better served to focus their attentions on how to address the problem, rather than ostracizing DeVries for talking about it in public.

A number of Kivalliq mayors have been wrestling with the problem for years, as have members of the arts community who don't appreciate seeing artwork devalued by such practices.

We don't pretend to have an easy answer to the problem, because there is none.

However, we do know that open discussion, debate and the exchange of ideas is far more effective in addressing problems in the North than silence.

Granted, you would hope for the debate to be initiated in more accredited circles than what we witnessed this past week.

In the meantime, let's not pretend how DeVries claims to have secured a few carvings in his collection doesn't happen in the North.

When you play that game, all your credibility goes up in smoke.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

The way I see things, there are two types of people in our region: the haves and the have nots.

When I say that, I mean there are people who have their sense of culture and tradition and those who don't. You can tell which group these people fall into by the way they act, the way they present themselves, or their mannerisms.

Normally, those people who strongly identify with their traditions tend to be older, and were products of an older society. Granted, there are younger people who also are aware of who they are, and what is important when it comes to their heritage.

These people can be found at whaling camps, out at old-time dances, and can be seen around town sporting their traditional wear.

I saw a lot of people like that this past weekend at the Gwich'in gathering. People were talking and laughing in their language, and eating soup and sharing stories of past gatherings.

For every person who is still in touch with their past, there might be two or three people who just don't get it. Maybe they passed up the chance to go out on the land because they got a promotion in their job, or maybe a Caribbean cruise sounded more appealing.

I can totally relate with the people who have strayed from the pack of cultural do-gooders, because I am a product of a different culture. I'm like one of those brown eggs who was put in a different carton, and was raised, well, white.

I know that I have family in the outlying communities, and I know that there are about 40 people in Tuktoyaktuk who would be glad to spend time sharing their stories with me about the first time they saw a ship pull into the bay.

As a kid, I was always around a group of people who preferred to stay in town, and play soccer, rent video games and watch television.

I've never reached out to my cultural roots, and I see more and more people around me who have done the same. You know who you are, wearing a du-rag and blasting the new 50 Cent song from your car stereo.

I cannot say that my culture was stolen from me, or that some bureaucratic fat cats came and bought me out for an I-pod. I willingly gave up my rights to being traditional when I bleached my hair for the first time.

Some people were taken from their homes many years ago, faced many hardships and maybe forgot their language in the process of assimilation.

Those people are now parents, or even grandparents. I'm speaking of the younger generation that chose the cartoon heroes Thundercats over Super Shamou.

As a young person who has not embraced every aspect of his culture, I have to admit that I had fun at the Gwich'in gathering this weekend.

I was tapping my toes to the beats of the drum, and I had some traditional eats too. (Yes, they were just donuts.) I guess I'm thanking the co-ordinators for showing close-minded people like me that everyone is treated the same at these gatherings, and fun can be had by anyone.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Stepping into public office is much like willingly stepping under a microscope.

In smaller communities, like those in the Deh Cho, it's hard to keep anything private for very long. And for public officials, that scrutiny gets turned up a notch higher. They become like the ant under the magnifying glass, but instead of a child holding the handle, every member of the community has a hand on it. And just like an ant when the sun comes out sometimes it can get hot under the lens.

People in positions of authority are always under the scrutiny of the public eye. Details of their private lives are more readily known than those of the average person and their decisions are analyzed and criticised. They are also often held to higher standards of accountability.

This level of scrutiny extends across a wide variety of positions from chiefs to band councillors, and even to teachers and RCMP officers.Are these higher standards fair?Arguably, yes they are.

These jobs and others like them are positions of trust and come with heavy responsibility. Members of the general public need to feel comfortable that those they look to for help, leadership and guidance are reliable to give that assistance.

It's human nature to view someone differently and look at their competency in a different manner after you learn something about them that you find questionable.

Activities that may be shrugged off as common occurrences in the general public take on a whole different light when the person in question holds an important office. The poster case for this is, of course, the former president of the U.S., Bill Clinton.

While extra-marital affairs are probably a daily occurrence for many in his country, the case of Clinton showed us that if you try it as a president you are bound to be held accountable. The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal also showed that the public will make up its own mind while the courts may reach a different conclusion. In all cases in Canada, people are innocent until proven guilty. This, however, will not erase the stain that is caused the moment charges are laid against a person. Guilty or innocent, it never makes a good impression. These higher standards are, however, there for a reason -- even if they often prove to be hard to follow.

When something happens and someone falls short, important decisions need to be made about how serious the incident was and the degree to which it will alter their effectiveness as a leader. Appropriate steps must be taken from there.

But while we stand around holding the magnifying glass we should all remember that no one is perfect. While much time is spent looking at the faults of others, the attention should also occasionally be reversed.

In the Aug. 2 Yellowknifer story City champ defeated, the names should have read Jeremy Olson and Nic Olson. We apologize for any confusion or embarrassment.