Features

The national discussion over Tasers is an important one.

It's an especially emotional topic in the North as two police officers were brutally shot to death in the last two months.

In Friday's Yellowknifer RCMP Sgt. Victor Steinhammer defended the use of Tasers, confident the jolt from one is not a threat to anyone's health.

We in the North know whenever there is a violent encounter between police and citizens, the outcome can be fatal for either party.

People may well imagine all police are in such great physical shape and trained in hand to hand combat that they should be willing to mix it up street fighting style, but many are not.

And if the public is honest with itself, we'd much rather have a police force that holds a non-confrontational approach higher than television inspired break-a-few-heads law and order. It is safe to say that even if a Taser jolt can never on its own be fatal, it can be a factor if a person's health is borderline and they are suffering the extreme stress that can come with an arrest. It's even safer to say that the health threat of a bullet far exceeds the Taser threat.

That's why the national debate is so important. It doesn't make sense police, who face life and death situations, should lose a valuable law enforcement tool. It does make sense that they should be held accountable if they misuse it.

That judgement, quite rightly, rests with the public.

The Yellowknife Seniors Society has collected 123 signatures on a petition demanding the city enforce its bylaws that require sidewalks in the downtown core to be cleared of snow and ice.

Snowclearing, or the lack of it, is a perennial problem in the city.

When the city opts to clear downtown streets only twice a year, and residential streets only once, there's little motivation for residents and businesses to shovel their walks after every snowfall.

There are benefits to leaving the snow on sidewalks to compact into icy expanses of treacherous footing.

It keeps the fracture clinic busy. It's an effective way of warding off tourism.

It prevents purse snatchers from making fast getaways.

But you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in Yellowknife, young or old, who hasn't slipped and fallen hard on a city street, resulting in a bruise, a sprain, or a broken bone.

Uncleared sidewalks are inconvenient for everyone and downright dangerous for pregnant women, people using wheelchairs and the elderly.

It shouldn't take a petition for the city to warn businesses and homeowners to clear their walks or be billed for a city-managed clean-up.

And it shouldn't take a warning from the city for businesses and homeowners to exercise some courtesy to pedestrians.

The Canadian Rangers embody some of the best qualities of the North including self-sufficiency, on-the-land knowledge, practical problem solving skills and a willingness to help others.

Members of the Trout Lake patrol displayed these qualities while out on a recent field training exercise. Ten members of the patrol camped on the land for five days during the exercise.

Self-sufficiency was easily displayed on the traditional skills day when the female members of the patrol snared five rabbits and the male members returned with a number of chickens and a ptarmigan to supplement their diet.

Practical problem-solving skills were also in demand during the exercise when five of the group's 11 snowmobiles suffered malfunctions.

Repairs that could be made easily while on the land were accomplished and the patrol cut their exercise short a day and returned to the community. The next day some Rangers made the trip back out to recover the broken machines and toboggans.

Canadian Rangers were formerly established as a group in 1947. They are responsible for protecting Canadian sovereignty by reporting unusual activities or sightings, collecting data of significance to the Canadian Forces and conducting surveillance and sovereignty patrols as required.

Members of the Canadian Rangers are a particularly valuable part of Canada's defenses for reasons that most Rangers take for granted.

Simply by growing up in areas that are considered remote to most Canadians, Northerners possess knowledge of their local surroundings that are valuable to the Canadian Forces. This local expertise is put to use giving guidance and advice to the Canadian Forces and providing assistance to search and rescue activities.

In addition to helping the Canadian Forces, Rangers often help younger members of their communities.

The Junior Canadian Ranger program is under the supervision of the Canadian Rangers. The program is designed to give youth the opportunity to participate in a variety of fun activities in a structured setting.

Last month in Fort Providence, Rangers led a group of Junior Rangers from the community and Taloyoak on a bison hunt. The trip gave the youth a chance to learn about each other and about the skill of hunting and skinning a bison.

People join Canadian Ranger patrols for a number of reasons. They might be looking for something fun to do to get them closer to the land or they might see Rangers as one of the few activities available in their communities. People also join so they can use their daily lifestyle to be part of something bigger.

No matter what reason draws a person to the Rangers, their contributions are an important part of keeping our country strong and free.

With another holiday season upon us, we're faced with many emotions.

Being together as a family makes for a lighter mood and everyone can be happy.

However, there are families who might need assistance over the coldest months of the year. Over the last few years, Inuvik has had a strong resource for hungry families: the food bank. Since the program started a few years ago, there have been countless volunteers who have made the food bank a success.

Every year, the Christmas season takes a heavy toll on the workers and clients of the food bank.

This is a chance for the rest of our community to step up and help someone who needs it.

Helping someone else could be the key to Christmas spirit. Like all those old movies that inspired hope in humanity, this could be the shining light we need to bring into 2008.

As a community, we've managed to make something great from what we have in the North.

Our community programs are strong, we have a solid recreation program in place. If we continue to help the food bank the way it needs, we're one step closer to a fully functioning healthy town.

A group of dedicated people have been holding up the food bank for far too long. If we assist them by taking a few shifts, I'm sure they would appreciate it.

In the beginning, the food bank's the hours resembled that of a regular store. Five days a week, with four hours per day to use their services. The only problem was that clients are only allowed to use the food bank once every two weeks.

It left staff members with too many hours and not enough to do.

The Inuvik Works program helped to alleviate the manpower shortage, when it gave the food bank a worker for no cost.

Now the bank is on volunteer hours and is only open one night a week, for two hours.

While I agree that it seems to be more efficient, it may prove difficult for someone who wants to use the food bank's services.

The food bank's annual general meeting was last week, and the program has a few new board members and a new challenge: to grow.

With a new chairperson on the board and some dedicated members of the community, the bank should be back and better than ever.

So before you start planning your Christmas dinner, remember those who might not be able to provide such a feast for their family.

Sharing is the biggest part of the holiday, so be sure to extend your arms out really wide for a few more at the table this year.

The odious stench left behind by the dealings of the Nunavut Business Credit Corp. thickened this past week when Finance Minister David Simailak appeared before the standing committee on government operations and accountability in Iqaluit.

Until proven otherwise, we must take the minister at his word that he knew absolutely nothing about three companies he has an interest in applying for loans to the Credit Corp.

That being said, anyone who has spent any amount of time in the North would have a hard time disagreeing with Cambridge Bay MLA Keith Peterson's contention that it's almost impossible for anyone living here not to know something of this magnitude is taking place, especially when we're talking about millions of dollars.

Two companies Simailak has an interest in, Ilagiiktut Ltd. and Kangiqliniq Development (owned by Ilagiiktut), each received $1 million loans from the Nunavut Business Credit Corp.

A third business the minister has an interest in, the Qamaniqtuuaq Development Corp. in his home community of Baker Lake, was also approved for a $1-million loan by the Credit Corp.

All of this begs the question who, in the Nunavut government, really knows what's going on in their department?

Are we to believe auditor general Sheila Fraser is the only one to have actually examined the books of the Nunavut Business Credit Corp. since it was formed?

Has Simailak himself, during the two times he's been the minister responsible for the Crown corporation, never taken the time to look at its financial documentation and realize this isn't going to look so good when it comes to light?

Former Arviat MLA Kevin O'Brien's lease arrangements with the Nunavut government look almost beneficial when compared to some of what, apparently, was going on with the Credit Corp.

Maybe it's time to give Housing Corp. president Peter Scott a little more responsibility in the capital.

If there's one reason to believe no one in the Nunavut government had any idea about the mess at the Nunavut Business Credit Corp., it's that far too many things are slipping through the cracks with this government.

Accountability has become a bad joke in too many areas of this government and it's time for Nunavummiut to stop putting up with the same old tired punch line.

Ignorance is not an excuse in Nunavut. It's become a standard defence for too many people earning high salaries who are paid for being on top of important issues, not blissfully unaware of them.

A handful of people are more than a little nervous about the RCMP going through the sad state of affairs at the Credit Corp., hoping nothing criminal, whether intentional or not, is uncovered.

But what's truly criminal is that a Crown corporation could ever be allowed to reach this point and mishandle millions of dollars in a territory where people do without so much.

However, those same people have the ability to dole out appropriate justice to those who have not been doing the job they're being paid for.

Their judgment will be handed down on the next election day in Nunavut.

The photo that appeared with the Labour Views column in Wednesday's edition of the Yellowknifer was not of the writer Sonja Boucher.

Also in "When technology means independence," the article stated that Alex Kenny is legally blind, implying he still has sight. Kenny has no vision and is completely blind. Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion caused by the errors.