Features

While printing stories involving scandal, sex and drugs is a sure-fire way to sell papers, reading stories that close with a happy ending can be a welcome change of pace.

There is nothing but good feelings coming from a recent initiative at Deh Gah school in Fort Providence that's highlighted in this week's paper.

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With the opening of the Zhahti Koe Public Library, Fort Providence now has a facility that is open to all community members. Everyone is welcome to come in, sign up for a library card and take home some books to read.

Having access to a public library gives people a chance to increase their literacy skills and to simply foster a love for reading and learning.

With books for all ages, everyone in the community can potentially benefit from the new library. In addition to the books, a mom and tots program and the elders' book drive are designed to assist specific members of the public.

Staff from NWT Public Library Services culled the collection removing old books and filled the shelves with new material before the library opened its doors. In essence, the students are getting a brand new facility.

Students have also gained a place to relax and be surrounded by books. Two couches in the library are sure to see a lot of use both right after school and in the evenings.

Even if a child isn't old enough to read yet they can go and listen to a talking book on one of the audio centres that has been set up.

The benefits from this facility don't stop there.

A dozen high school students are reaping rewards from the library.

By working one of 12 shifts available during the weeknights and weekends, students can meet their required volunteer credit. The students are also getting paid, but instead of spending the money on things teenagers like such as new music or nice clothes they've chosen to work towards something larger and more useful.

With their saved wages, the students plan to visit Toronto, taking in both the city sights and touring around colleges.

Does a community project get any better than this?

In Fort Simpson good things are also coming out of one of the local schools.

Students at Bompas elementary school have been working since October to raise $600. The money will be put towards a World Vision program that outfits a classroom full of supplies for a school in a developing country.

While this project will have fewer benefits to the local community than the Fort Providence library, it's teaching the students the good feeling that comes with helping others, even if they are strangers.

Good news stories don't come along everyday but when they do it's great to acknowledge the people who are making a difference in our communities.

We are all aware of tragedies in our community and our region.

Due to bad decisions, we've lost valuable members of our society.

As difficult as it might seem, we should remember the incidents and the pain they have caused us.

We need to preserve the signs of tragedy so we can learn and grow from our experiences.

Just this week, I was driving back into town from the airport, when I came to the curve in the road where a few youth lost control of their truck a year ago.

That accident changed the lives of everyone involved.

As I approached the turn, I applied the brakes and went cautiously through the area.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bent over marker on the side of the road.

In the 13 months since the accident, no one has moved or even straightened the pole.

At first, I wanted the damage repaired after the accident, but as I thought about it, I realized it made me remember to slow down and to drive carefully.

Unwanted feelings

I know that seeing that crooked pole might bring back unwanted feelings for those who were affected by the tragedy, but it should stay as it is, to serve as a reminder that something bad happened there.

Leaving a reminder might bring others to change the way they drive.

One of my southern co-workers showed me some photos of an intersection in a busy city. There were black markers to show that someone had died in that spot.

While some might think of the markings as harsh, they do provoke thought and discussion.

Now anyone who sees those markers will be faced with questions. How safe is this area? Why did people die here? Is there something we can do to ensure that nobody dies here again?

Unfortunately, we could also place those black markers at other locations in Inuvik.

The boat launch would be a fitting place for a marker.

I can't imagine what the families of those accident victims are going through, but I know they want to prevent other families from suffering that kind of pain.

There are a lot of bad things in our lives and oftentimes dwelling on past pain serves no purpose. But if we don't learn from these tragic accidents, then these people died for no reason.

Such reminders might stop others from being dangerously foolish.

Imagine two young boys out on their snow machines at fall freeze-up. The ice isn't thick enough yet, but they feel brave enough to skip across open water.

Just before they start the snowmobile, one of the boys sees a black cross on the nearby power pole.

Instead of being "risky and cool" they go back home and spend the day at the park, or watching a movie.

On a day like Remembrance Day, we gather to remember those who died in wars overseas.

We should also be honouring those souls who left us on our own ground, in our town.

Former Los Angeles Kings goaltending consultant Andy Nowicki didn't say anything the vast majority of hockey fans in Rankin Inlet didn't already know (see story, pages 3 and 7).

Yet, hearing such praise from someone of Nowicki's stature should give many folks in Rankin a true sense of pride over how many recognize the community's passion for the game.

From my own selfish standpoint, it also quiets a few voices around the region who think I pump Rankin's love for the game when I periodically address the sport in this space because I'm a hockey guy.

The part about me being a hockey guy is true, but the part about me having to pump Rankin's love for the game is pure fallacy.

I will admit, however, to being one Rankin resident who stood just a wee bit taller after hearing Nowicki speak about the community and its love affair with the game.

I've been in just about every type of arena imaginable during the past 49 years and, except for a few less amenities and a lot less heat, Rankin can dangle with anyone when it comes to the atmosphere at a hockey game.

I've addressed many benefits this love affair brings to the community in this space, but, make no mistake about it, those benefits stretch beyond the borders of Rankin Inlet.

It's no small feat for any Nunavut community to defeat a Rankin hockey team in any arena.

But it's a huge accomplishment to defeat a Rankin team in its own barn, in front of the most avid hockey fans in the territory.

When a team does so, the victory celebrations are always more animated, and you need a not-so-small stepladder to look many of the players in the eye as they leave the arena with their heads held high.

Being a hockey official, I have absolutely no concern over which team wins a game while it's being played.

Afterwards, however, one would have to be emotionally barren not to smile at the celebration being staged by a group of individuals who came together as a team to slay the dragon in its own den.

Such is the power of sport; to witness the pride, jubilation and self-worth of athletes who overcome the odds to achieve victory.

Equally impressive is to see the level of intensity exhibited when rivals such as Arviat and Rankin clash in any sport, but especially hockey. Regions all across this great nation of ours thrive on such healthy rivalries.

It's the humanity in us that brings entire communities together to celebrate a victory, that spurs us to cheer for the underdog, and that pushes us forward to claim victory over the best that stand in our way.

Rankin's love for hockey fuels that emotion in the Kivalliq.

As one community holds high its claim to be the hockey capital of Northern Canada, six others will vie to be the one to take away their throne - and yet all shake hands and cheer with respect when the games are done.

As with everything in life, true passion turns the ordinary into the memorable.

And, no matter which side of the stands you're cheering from, Rankin's passion for hockey creates memorable moments in the Kivalliq each and every year.

Democracy is a fundamental part of Canadian life. It's a value Canadians have chosen to fight and die for more than once.

Democracy is dependant upon maintaining our rights and freedoms, but how far do we need to go to protect those rights?

A good example is the court ruling overturning the recent election for Hay River town council.

We commend Hay River resident Wayne Keefe for bringing the election irregularities to the surface. His court challenge revealed serious breaches in election procedure, such as candidate scrutineers counting ballots, unsigned nomination papers, a ballot box opened prematurely and a lack of a mobile voting station.

Most importantly, the court ruling identified a lack of adequate training for returning officers and has recommended the GNWT and the municipality improve on training for election officials.

However, after more than a year of service, Hay River councillors should not have lost their seats. If declaring the council election invalid was the only course open to the courts, the councillors with the top votes from the previous election should have been reappointed.

Holding a second election is going to cost Hay River in excess of $100,000. For a community of under 4,000 people, such an unexpected hit to the budget is significant and could be put to better use.

The interruption to council business also comes at a time when councillors should be in budget deliberations.

A Fort Smith couple's win of $11 million in Lotto 6/49 has people asking if vendors should be allowed to purchase tickets at their own stores.

An investigation revealed no wrongdoing on the part of Barkley and Ann Heron. The ticket was bought by Barkley at his store - The Rapid Corner Store - in Fort Smith.

In most contests, rules stipulate that employees directly involved with the distribution of tickets, and their families, are not allowed to enter.

Remember the Ontario lottery scandal where a retailer cheated a customer out of their winnings?

To ensure fairness or even just the perception of fairness, it seems prudent to change the policy regarding who is eligible to purchase tickets.

A simple rule prohibiting retailers from buying lottery tickets in their own stores would go a long way.

The Western Canada Lottery Corporation states that ticket purchases are very secure. As the scandal in Ontario has proven, cheating the system is not impossible.

It should also be recognized that the lottery corporations are in a conflict of interest when it comes to maintaining the integrity of their product. Revealing cheating by employees would undermine the integrity of the draws. How many corporations sweep internal scandals under the carpet to protect their good reputations?

We are in no way implying that the Heron's winnings are not legitimate, but for the sake of people's peace of mind, it is time to review how and to whom tickets are sold.

A horrific crime was committed in Kimmirut last week.

Someone shot an RCMP Const. Douglas Scott in the head, killing him, as he was responding to a call of an impaired driver.

Just the thought sends shudders down the spine.

Many people across the country are learning about the tragedy from afar: newspaper, radio and television reporters are converging on the tiny community, broadcasting images throughout Canada.

The 400 residents who are accustomed to a quiet must be absolutely overwhelmed by the intense media scrutiny.

Simply put, they never asked for this tragedy. Regardless, they have to cope. They must endure.

Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, the association many Canadians are going to have with Kimmirut will be a negative one, one of a remote, Northern community where a police officer's life was ended by a heinous act.

This too was true for Cape Dorset in 2001. That's when Const. Jurgen Seewald fell victim to a shotgun blast from Salomonie Jaw. In 2004, Jaw was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury.

That murder has not been forgotten, nor should it be, but only the passage of years has allowed attention to return to Cape Dorset's other qualities, primarily its rich artistic talent. That community, it so happens, has been anointed the artistic capital of Canada because it has the most artisans per capita.

With that in mind, we encourage others to keep in mind that Kimmirut isn't solely a site of tragedy.

It's a place that fostered carving luminaries like Davidee Itulu, Iola Ikkidulak and Simata Pitsiulak. It's the home of the Soper House Gallery, which houses an array of amazing carvings. The community has produced a 125-page guide profiling its accomplished and up-and-coming artists.

Kimmirut is where elders like Eliyah and Jeannie Padluq reside. They possess a vast knowledge of the land, the history and the culture.

The Pujualuissait Committee operates in Kimmirut. It has helped residents find healthy alternatives to alcoholism, a problem that plagues most Northern communities.

As well, the Kimmirut area is becoming renowned for its gems, particularly its sapphires.

It's geological formation - a community hemmed in by rocks along a bay - has made it known as "the heel" in Inuktitut. It's a place that visitors are getting to see more and more as cruise travel to the North increases.

These are just some of the things we know about Kimmirut, some of the same things that many previous RCMP officers have discovered.

We also know that the sorrowful family of the accused has expressed its condolences to Const. Scott's family. The police have, in turn, offered their moral support to the suspect's family.

There are many victims in this unthinkable misfortune, and we hope the waves of sympathy gradually give way to a newfound sense of trust and respect on all sides.