A click of a computer mouse has stirred up a controversy that has a federal official hunkered down, a government department hiding behind a wall of secrecy and plenty of people calling for the official's head.

First of all, everyone must consider if they have ever giggled at a joke that poked fun at another race, religion or gender. That would be most of us.

From that perspective, is it fair to ask for Michael Hurst to be fired? He's the Industry Canada official accused of forwarding an e-mail containing a racist, sexist photo to a number of people, using his federal government e-mail.

His act was one of bad judgment, and for that he's been the subject of national media attention. He's suffered, but has yet to do the most important thing: issue a public apology.

Industry Canada is investigating the incident, but will say nothing because it's a personnel matter. It ceased being a private issue when the story made national headlines.

If the department keeps silent with no public statement, it will only perpetuate the feeling that the old boys club is alive an well.

In such situations, acknowledgement of a mistake is more important than punishment. A public apology will settle this matter once and for all, and make civil servants high and low think twice about forwarding a questionable e-mail.

Know the rules before you build.

Sean Kollee and his partner Jennifer Morin built a secondary suite in their Niven Lake home, only to find they can't rent it because it doesn't have sprinklers.

Under Yellowknife's building code, sprinklers are mandatory for two-family and multi-family dwellings, including homes with rental suites.

That regulation was upheld by city council after the couple appealed a building inspector's decision to not approve the suite.

Kollee's argument was that Alberta doesn't require sprinklers in rental suites, and it isn't called for in the National Building Code.

While it's probably a safe suite, the city must stand by its rules. To change regulations ad hoc would undermine the authority of the city's own building inspector.

Council says the bylaw is up for review this year. That's the chance for everyone who takes issue with the sprinkler rule to speak out.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Every so often, we all find ourselves in a situation where we may be too close to a situation to render a truly unbiased opinion.

We may be guilty of looking through rose-coloured glasses, have a personal stake in an outcome, or be wishing so hard for something to be successful that we only see what we want to.

In every case, the seeds of doubt start growing and you find yourself wondering if you're really getting a clear picture.

I found myself struggling with my own perception of the Rankin Inlet Recreational Hockey League earlier this year.

As many of you realize, I am a Level 4 official and spend as much time at arenas between November and April as I possibly can.

However, I am first and foremost a journalist, and one who's been known to express an opinion from time to time that doesn't exactly win me any popularity contests.

Yet, whether people agree with my opinions is not something I spend a great deal of time worrying about.

In fact, the idea behind most of what I write in this space is to get people to think for themselves and form their own opinions.

I have very little use for fence sitters, as I've always found them to be chronic complainers who rarely take a stance on anything.

You can find the page with the word abstain dog-eared in each and every one of their dictionaries.

As a journalist, I found myself worrying if I may have painted too glowing of a picture in a few of the news stories and editorials on Rankin hockey that bore my name during the past few months.

Hockey is one of the few things with the power to sneak a pair of rose-coloured glasses over my eyes if I'm not careful.

So, a shudder of excitement and apprehension went through me this past week when I saw Andy Nowicki in the crowd for the league's second playoff game.

The former Los Angeles Kings goaltending coach was weathered in Rankin on his way to Baker Lake to deliver a hockey clinic.

I made sure the opportunity presented itself later that evening, and again the next afternoon, to speak with Andy and get his impressions on the game.

As hopeful as I was, he still managed to blow me away when he said the game was comparable to the best adult recreational hockey he sees when travelling across the country each year.

He also spoke at great length about other benefits he saw in the community resulting from its strong sports program.

To say his words put my mind at ease would be the understatement of the year.

When your professional credibility can ride on every sentence you write, you tend to take the words quite seriously.

And, as important as words of encouragement are from those around you, sometimes you need the viewpoint of someone outside the box to validate your own perspective.

In this case it happened to be hockey, but the same rings true for many topics near and dear to your heart.

Personally, I'm just happy to report my rose-coloured glasses are still safely tucked away in my retirement drawer where I left them.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

I want to know what the police of Inuvik are doing to protect us from crime and violence.

A man is in hospital because he was stabbed by a youth on Saturday morning. I don't know the details of the incident yet, but it is becoming obvious that we have a crisis on our hands.

Last year our town was plagued by rash after rash of break-ins and vandalism. We found out that it was a group of kids who were being helped by an adult.

People in this town don't seem to care about the police or the law. That is becoming more and more apparent by the volume of calls the RCMP have been getting.

But now, why aren't the boys in blue responding to these calls? Why do victims of break-ins have to wait days before they get a response from the Inuvik RCMP?

Since I became editor of the Inuvik Drum, people have been coming to me with their beefs with the police.

I know a guy who had some expensive property stolen from right in front of his house, a motorbike that could easily be identified.

The person stole it because they knew they could get away with it. They took the risk because they knew all they'd get was a slap on the wrist.

Hopefully someone in the RCMP detachment will read this column and spend more time on the street tonight. Go on patrol and spread that authority where it counts. I don't want to be afraid of the cops; I just want to respect them again.

A person on the street said it best: the crack dealers and vandals are still going strong; it seems like all the cops want to do is spend their resources busting pot dealers.

I was talking to the manager of a store that was broken into recently. The guy said he knew who broke into his store less than 10 hours after the fact, but the RCMP have still not done anything. He even supplied the kids' names to the cops. Maybe they will call him back now.

I am also a victim of theft. Someone came in to my office and stole my portable Playstation. The police have no leads yet, but they assured me over a month ago that they were on the case. Hmmm...

My issue may be with the state of our laws and how we handle our criminals, but police need to enforce the weak laws that are in place.

If the crooks aren't taking our prosecution system seriously, why should we? I don't think the good people of Inuvik deserve to be punked like this.

Youth don't get punished for their crimes and they keep being bad apples. Adults who are now grown-up criminals can't stay out of jail.

Maybe we should make their jail time less inviting. People who have spent time in the slammer tell me they haven't eaten that well in years. They get to read, work out and yes, play video games.

Why can't I play my video game? Oh yeah, because I obey the law.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Wrigley is without a chief again.

The resignation of Chief Tim Lennie from the position marks the third leadership change in just over 12 months.

The revolving door of leadership in Wrigley perhaps says less about that community than it does about the other communities in the Deh Cho. It is, in fact, a credit to the region that more communities are not stuck in this unfortunate position.

Speaking to the leaders gathered at the Dehcho First Nations' special leadership meeting in Fort Simpson, Lennie offered some insight into the role of chief.

"This is not a thankful job. We all know that," he said.

Later Lennie said that he admires other leaders, especially those in small communities for their strength.

Being a chief or a president cannot be an easy job.

Lennie cited exhaustion as his primary reason for leaving leadership and he's not the first to do so. Although he remained in the position, Chief Eric Betsaka of Nahanni Butte recently almost hung up his hat for the same reason.

Both stated that they were looking forward to a bit more personal time and being with their families.

As a leader, especially in a small community, all residents become your extended family. While juggling the needs of a biological family can be difficult in itself, keeping the proverbial balls in the air for a community full of family members is that much trickier.

To add to the confusion, many of the community members are probably blood relations to the leader in the first place. As a result a delicate tightrope walk has to be maintained. Non-family members and members of different family branches are bound to be watching for any real or imagined signs of favouritism.

In smaller communities there is also the added burden of lack of human resources. Often there are fewer people than there are jobs needing completion and leaders are ultimately held responsible for the result.

When all the responsibilities are looked at together, it's amazing that anyone wants to be a chief or president in the first place.

But in the end much of the credit for long-lasting leaders can be given to those they are leading.

A leader is suppose to act as a spokesperson and champion for their people. If they aren't representing the people's wishes their rule becomes a dictatorship.

In return for hopefully sound guidance and leadership those who are being led also have a number responsibilities to fulfil.

While leaders are often criticized, providing constructive criticism is more helpful than other forms. The occasional bit of praise never hurts either.

Providing direction for chosen leaders is also important. Without the people to act as a compass, leaders often don't know where they should be heading.

By working together leaders and community members can help ensure mutually beneficial stability.

Last Friday's Yellowknifer incorrectly identified two students who participated in a teleconference lesson with a scientist from the Canadian Space Agency ("Space lessons from afar Feb. 2). The two students depicted are Alice Storrie 10, and Liam Cameron, 10. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the error.