Snow-covered sidewalks are a hazard for many people.

There is a bylaw that requires businesses and residents to keep the sidewalks in front of their premises clear of snow but it only applies to the so-called downtown core.

City councillor David Wind wants to expand the definition of the downtown core by one block so that sidewalks will be cleared up to the Aven Manor for seniors walking downtown.

Wind's suggestion is good but why should downtown residents and business be singled out? Is not this an issue of both safety and quality of life? Is not safety and mobility just as important on Frame Lake and Range Lake sidewalks? Why not make all sidewalks subject to the same bylaw?

There might well be some grumbling by homeowners but keeping sidewalks, which are expensive to install and maintain, accessible year-round makes sense.

The city could do it with increased taxes and more grumbling. Isn't the many-hands-make-light-work principle preferable?

For those unable to clear their own sidewalk frontages, perhaps service clubs could do it for fundraising.

We welcome further discussion but leave councillors with the basic question: What good is a sidewalk covered with snow?

Ndilo's Chief Fred Sangris is missing the point.

While his complaint that planes carrying Japanese tourists are buzzing migrating caribou is something that may need further investigation, it does not lessen the need for hard numbers on how many caribou aboriginal hunters are taking.

We know how many caribou big game outfitters and non-aboriginal resident hunters are harvesting -- around 750 and 1,000 animals a year respectively.

What we don't know is how many caribou aboriginal hunters are harvesting, although estimates are much larger than for the previously mentioned groups -- varying anywhere from 5,000 and 20,000 animals a year, according to the territorial government.

That's a loose but potentially very large figure. It's something -- along with all other possible factors, including climate change and development -- that needs proper investigation.

Putting restrictions on non-aboriginal hunters while ignoring the aboriginal hunt will not help the caribou.

We agree with Sangris that aboriginal communities have top priority when it comes to harvesting caribou.

But to say they have no impact on caribou in the age of rifles and snowmobiles is pure fantasy.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Yes indeed, valued readers, it's time to send a few special gifts along to those who have caught our attention during the past year.

And, as always, there's no better place to start than at the top.

To Premier Paul Okalik, we send a stack of flash cards to make his life a little easier.

Hopefully, the cards will prove themselves to be time savers for the premier.

Okalik can simply hold up cards such as "New jail to Rankin Inlet" when he sees Cambridge Bay MLA Keith Peterson headed his way, "And you are?" when Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo is in the mood to chat, and "1-800-LAWYER" for those rare times when NTI president Paul Kaludjak is in the House.

To Peterson, who is always complaining about not being informed, we send a subscription to Kivalliq News.

To Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak, we send a life-sized Canada Post doll that speaks his language.

With the push of a button, the mayor can listen to "Postage Due," "I don't know why your tracking number doesn't work," and "Six weeks from Toronto sounds right to me," spoken in Inuktitut to his heart's content.

To Community and Government Services assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley, we send a Rolodex containing every number he seems to have lost since his promotion.

Maley is allowed to share the Rolodex once a week with his director of community development, Darren Flynn.

To Arviat Mayor Johnny Mamgark, we send his original nomination papers for framing.

The papers turned up under the issues-we've-dealt-with pile following the Kivalliq mayors' meeting in Rankin, although we have no idea how they got there.

To the Northern Transportation Company Ltd., we send a book on Kivalliq winters and a brand new, and very large, ice chisel.

We've sent the chisel directly to Baker Lake to avoid any problems with shipping.

To Cumberland Resources Ltd., which owns and operates the Meadowbank gold project, we send a rare map identifying every secret fishing hole surrounding the community of Baker Lake.

We expect the holes to still be there long after the mine is gone.

To members of the Baker Lake Youth Athletics Association, we send a box of silent cheering towels with "Go Rankin" sewn on one side.

To the group in Coral Harbour who spent an evening calling in reports of strange, glowing objects in the sky, we send a box of silver helmets so no alien may get in your mind.

We've sent the helmet straps to the aliens.

To the Chesterfield Inlet Fishing Derby Committee, we send a copy of the hit movie, We Know What You Did Last Winter.

We also send a ruler with numbers on it and a story book on how deadlines work.

To Finance Minister David Simailak, we send a $2-million cheque on behalf of the territory's smokers, and those who go to work every day.

It comes with a card that reads, "You can always count on us to fix your mistakes."

May these gifts be received in the spirit for which they were intended.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

We all know the holiday season is upon us and that people are coming home for Christmas. What a great time of year, with family and friends gathering and sharing stories of the past four months, and parties to crash.

The holidays are a time for forgiveness, where friends will speak to each other after time apart and old wounds heal even faster. I know I will be attempting to rekindle a few friendships over the next few weeks.

For the older people in town who socialize with their friends and enjoy having a few drinks, there will be many opportunities to do so.

There will be Christmas parties, long weekends with no work and of course, the biggest party night of the year, New Year's Eve.

While you're out with your friends at a raging house party, or at a bar enjoying drinks with a loved one, please remember to leave your vehicle at home.

It's pretty simple to avoid driving. Just take a cab, or arrange for a ride to and from the place you're drinking at.

I'm not only targeting youth here, because I am sure they have had enough of me on their back ranting about every topic in town.

No, this also goes out to the adults who are supposed to be the role models in town - the ones who fill parking lots with their oversized trucks.

Watch yourself. It's common knowledge that RCMP officers step up their traffic patrols during the holiday season. I can already see the glowing red and blue lights reflecting off the post office as the annual check stops are performed.

I know it is cold out and walking never seems like a good option after a rowdy night of partying, but driving yourself home is never an option.

To the parents who are out enjoying themselves: call your kid for a ride home. I'm sure they wouldn't mind breaking up their Halo tournament for a few minutes. Watch out though, they may charge more for the ride than a cab would.

By calling for a ride, you're showing your kid that you are responsible enough to admit you need assistance.

To the youth who will party hardy: call your parents for a ride, or another responsible adult. I'm sure they will respect you enough to wait until the next day to start ragging you out about underage drinking.

But in the midst of the fun and games, remember to take time out to spend time with the younger members of your family. After all, Christmas is all about family.

It's also the most important time of the year for a kid. Make it a memorable one. Don't spend it in the drunk tank.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

It's time for the residents of Fort Simpson to show where they stand on the issue of Dehcho Hall.

The government of the Northwest Territories, after many years of debate, has finally stepped forward and made what they say is the final decision -- the hall will be closed.

After so many years of the closure looming on the horizon this might actually be it. If the government can be held to their word, there will be a brand new building somewhere in downtown Fort Simpson by 2008.

In that sparkling new building there will be offices for all the government departments and agencies who now call Dehcho Hall home, including Education, Culture and Employment; the Dehcho Divisional Education Council and Aurora College. The currently spacious offices that these people now have will probably be reduced to cubicles, but it will be better than nothing.

Those left with nothing will include the John Tsetso Memorial Library, the Fort Simpson Historical Society and the Open Doors Society.

The Historical Society is working towards renovating the rectory and will move its offices there. The Village, which is responsible for the library, will presumably step forward to find it a home.

That leaves the Open Doors Society which will probably be the worst off if the closure happens.

Occupying a fair part of the ground floor of one wing in the hall, the society has large rooms that provide lots of space for children to play and enjoy themselves. The society has been given this space for nothing more than janitorial fees.

The current position of the society sounds like something out of a fairy tale or an utopian world where groups that do nice things for children are rewarded. That fairy tale, however, is starting to look a bit more like a nightmare.

Faced with the possibility of eviction by 2008, Val Gendron, the society's co-ordinator, has gone as far as to say the society might not survive the hall's closure.

With so many children and families in the community benefiting from the program, it would almost be a crime to allow it to die.

On top of all the organizations who will lose their homes, there is also the question of meeting space.

Every third day someone holds a meeting or an event in the hall, according to Nolan Swartzentruber, the superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council which also occupies the building.

All those meetings and events will have to be held somewhere else. This will put pressure on the other facilities in the village.

So what can be done?

Government officials say they've made their choice. It's up to the residents of Fort Simpson to decide if they will accept that choice or go out with a fight and maybe even win the war.

At the last village council meeting on Dec. 4, Coun. Bob Hanna said that the people of Fort Simpson can be very powerful when they stick together.

The time has come for community members to decide if the continued use of Dehcho Hall is something they believe in and want.

A caption appearing with an article in Friday's Yellowknifer contained wrong information (Council briefs, Dec. 15). City councillor David Wind is opposed to giving Cardinal Coachlines more money beyond their original contract with the city. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.