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Thirty-one per cent is not good enough.

That's the level at which aboriginal employment within the territorial government has stagnated over the past eight or nine years, according to the GNWT's minister of human resources.

Only 15 per cent of senior management positions are filled by aboriginal people.

Yet Dene, Inuvialuit and Metis are 50 per cent of the NWT's population of 42,637.

Our government leaders are, rightfully, quick to impose hiring targets for Northern mines and cry foul when they are not met. Diavik Diamond Mines, for example, is supposed to strive for 40 per cent aboriginal employment.

The GNWT must not be hypocritical. There are 50 or more aboriginal high school graduates produced in the NWT each year. Scores more graduate from college and university programs.

These educated and capable individuals, although coveted by the private sector as well, should be making more of a dent in the government job pool.

Government hiring in the NWT is still based too much on connections - it's who you know - and unrealistic expectations.

Job descriptions are not written with a view to hiring Northerners, they are concocted out of a rosy vision of dream candidates the calibre of which can only found in large governments down south.

That must change for the sake of fairness, to signal to aboriginal people that they have an equal role to play in the public service.

Volunteer NWT's closure this month is a loss for those involved in community volunteer organizations.

The group was forced to close when federal and municipal funding for volunteer initiatives expired this year.

Volunteer NWT connected volunteer organizations throughout the territory and provided information on training, funding and best practices.

Most local volunteer projects have benefited from Volunteer NWT's expertise in some way - from litter cleanups to services for single-parent families.

The organization was particularly important in that it supported non-profit activities that often rely on a tenuous, mobile population.

Volunteer activities, giving your time to help others, and undertaking projects that bring people together are a true tie that binds communities together.

Voluntary activity, really, is a measure of community's strength.

Yellowknife has shown significant strength in that regard. Just this past weekend, close to 250 people turned out for the Relay for Life, a cancer fundraiser. In March, the Arctic Winter Games were successful due to a few thousand volunteers coming forward.

Volunteer NWT will be missed, but we will forge ahead on the strength and goodwill of our citizens.

The leash for young teenagers in Fort Simpson is getting shortened this summer.

The RCMP detachment in the village plans to actively enforce a bylaw that imposes a curfew for youth under the age of 16. During the summer months anyone under 16 who's outside in a public place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. without a parent or guardian will risk being stopped by a member of the RCMP.

Reactions to this enforcement will likely split along generational lines.

For those to whom the curfew applies, it will seem like an unfair sentence. During the summer when it's still light outside after 11 p.m. and the weather's nice, it takes a lot of will power for anyone who's awake to stay indoors, especially if they're young.

With the sun still shining there's little incentive to stay inside unless you're particularly hooked on video games. A curfew imposed by an outside power will seem like an unfair restriction on summer vacation which is suppose to be a time for indulgences.

While the RCMP aren't vindictive killjoys there will be repercussions for youth found wandering outside. The first offence comes with a free ride home and a written warning that a parent or guardian has to sign outlining the bylaw and further consequences.

With the next offence the bylaw gets more serious by reaching into pocketbooks. With fines ranging from $100 to $300 for the second through to the fourth offence the fines could soon add up.

Adults will probably have a mixed reaction to the enforced bylaw.

Some parents whose youth are found outside after hours won't be fans of the bylaw. The bylaw makes parents and guardians, not the offending youth, responsible for the fines.

Other parents might welcome the bylaw as a way to help keep closer tabs on their teens. If a request for a teenager to stay home after a certain time doesn't work the knowledge that there could be a fine involved will add a little incentive.

The RCMP are certainty hoping that the latter will be the case.

According to members of the detachment the bylaw isn't being enforced as a way to levy fines and increase the village's coffers. It's been offered as a tool for parents to use so they can be more accountable for their young teenagers and keep track of where they are and what they're doing.

It's also hoped the bylaw will curtail some of the activities that can go along with unaccompanied minors including vandalism and underage drinking. Both activities have proven to be issues of the past few summers. So far this spring the high school has already had windows broken over four separate weekends.

As in many things the majority of teenagers in the village are going to have to pay for the mistakes of the few. If, however, the bylaw prevents any youth from being in a position where they could make the wrong decision it will have been worth the enforcement.

While some youth will rightfully feel indignant about having to live with a curfew it's those who will chafe the most that really need the guidance.

During his eight years as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Fred Carmichael showed he's always ready for a fight.

During his speech at the Inuvik Petroleum Show, when he received an award from former Alberta premier Ralph Klein, Carmichael had the audience hanging on every word. He said the aboriginal people of the North need to establish themselves as major players in the development of our home.

Carmichael shared his passion for the North with everyone he encountered during his time as leader of the Gwich'in.

A lot of the work happens behind the scenes, with early morning meetings, conference calls and long-distance calls amounting to a lot of overtime hours.

Work like his is not done on a nine-to-five basis; a job like his doesn't get left at the office.

At the start of a new millennium, Carmichael took his seat as president, taking the reins as advocate for the people of the Gwich'in settlement area.

He helped give our region an identity.

Now, after a late night of ballot counting and calculating, a new president has emerged from a four-way race.

Richard Nerysoo, Inuvik Native Band chief, was chosen as the new leader for the Gwich'in people.

Former vice-president Mary Ann Ross was re-elected.

Now, the two of them have a challenge: to proceed with the pipeline project and get the best deal for the people and the region.

Nerysoo is not a stranger to leadership.

He was elected to the legislative assembly in 1989 as MLA for the Mackenzie Delta.

He was the youngest MLA elected in the NWT.

Nerysoo has also served as NWT premier and as Speaker of the legislative assembly.

After many meetings and conversations with Nerysoo about various topics over the past few years, it's easy to see why he was elected.

He has a strong voice and a genuine interest in the growth of our region.

With the recent opening of the treatment centre on the delta, the Gwich'in are in a prime position to offer help to those who need it.

By helping our people through their problems, we are building a stronger community.

Our region will soon be strong enough for any social issues that might arise.

There are many voices in our town that are not heard.

We will always need those who are willing to stand tall and speak for those who can't.

This is the time to start building for the future.

It's sad there aren't enough young people active in local politics and leadership. Maybe we'll see something on the horizon soon enough, if we stare hard.

If more evidence were needed as to how out of touch the CBC has become with its viewing audience, the recent decision not to renew its agreement to play the ditty that has been the Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) theme song for the past 40 years should just about fit the bill.

The HNIC song was composed by Dolores Claman in 1968.

In its last deal with Claman and Copyright Music and Visuals, the CBC paid a scant $500 per game for using the song.

So, that's the price of Canadiana these days - $500.

I don't buy for one second CBC's claims that its decision had nothing to do with the unsettled lawsuit Claman filed in 2004, which alleges the network was overusing the HNIC theme song.

But, whatever the CBC's reasons, the network - as it did with the Ron McLean fiasco - grossly underestimated the fallout over the decision from Canadians all across this great land of ours.

CTV has secured the rights to the song and will use it for NHL games broadcast on TSN and its French RDS network this coming season.

It will also be used for 2010 Olympic Winter Games coverage from Vancouver.

But that's small consolation for the majority of Canadians who view the song as the unofficial partner to the Canadian national anthem.

The CBC seems determined to bite the hand that feeds it with its continued disrespect for the biggest and most loyal group of watchers it has; those who tune in to HNIC every Saturday night.

The network has seemed obsessed the past few years with doing away with the personalities who helped make HNIC such a huge success - Don Cherry, Ron McLean and play-by-play man Bob Cole.

In fact, it's more than a little ironic Canada's supposed national network doesn't understand the average Canadian's fierce devotion to tradition, let alone the manner in which hockey fans pass on their love of the game to the next generation.

The HNIC theme song is the most recognizable tune in Canadian history, with the vast majority of Canadians able to identify it in about two seconds.

Talk about connection to a product.

The jury is still out on Scott Moore, who took over the top sports job with the CBC when Nancy Lee left for her gig with the Olympics.

But over-skating the puck on the HNIC theme song far outweighs the good he accomplished by getting the Blue Jays and figure skating in the network's stable.

Moore recently claimed CBC Sports turns a profit on its own, but that's primarily driven by HNIC and its six-year deal with the NHL.

The competition is getting stiffer each year and alienating its fan base by dropping the HNIC theme song runs the real risk of viewers turning to other broadcasts.

Hockey fans are no different than anyone else when it comes to loyalty in that it has to be a two-way street.

Claman's then three-year-old melody was the furthest thing from Don McLean's mind when he penned American Pie in 1971.

But for millions of Canadians 37 years later, the CBC's decision to discontinue the HNIC theme song truly was the day the music died.