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There is a great irony in Ndilo's lack of paved roads, one that is evident when viewing the neighbourhood next to it.

A drive through Latham Island starts on paved streets lined with $500,000 homes but that sight ends abruptly the moment one enters Ndilo. Once you crest the hill dividing Ndilo and Old Town, most of the luxury homes disappear and the pavement turns to dirt.

This has not gone unnoticed by the Yellowknives Dene who live in Ndilo. They have long complained that they feel like second-class citizens even though they were the first to call the Yellowknife area home. The pavement/dirt divide between Old Town and Ndilo certainly does much to fuel that perspective.

The point was driven home last week during the aboriginal National Day of Action when Ndilo residents erected a blockade and asked people driving into the community for donations to pay for paving. It was a symbolic protest. Only a few hundred dollars were collected; millions more will be needed to finish the job.

Ndilo residents don't pay property taxes to the city. Instead, the federal government, through the Department of Public Works, pays a grant to the city in lieu of taxes.

Department officials could not be reached for comment by press time but according to Ndilo chief Fred Sangris, the grant is approximately $400,000 a year.

From that amount, the city is expected to provide services such as snow-clearing and ambulances. It's hard to imagine how $400,000 would cover much beyond that.

Through Treaty 8, the federal government has a fiduciary responsibility for Ndilo's upkeep. The city has moral responsibility to the Yellowknives, especially in light of the prosperity reaped from their backyard.

One way or the other, it's time to pave the roads. Never mind that Yellowknives residents don't pay property taxes. We're on their property and have enjoyed their hospitality for decades.

A joint paving project by the feds and the city would go a long way to bettering relations and removing the stigma that exists now.

Paving Ndilo is not an unreasonable request if we're willing to pave the Ingraham Trail for diamond mines and cottagers.

Once again, the bureaucrats who manage NWT's parks have invited bad public relations while apparently trying do to the right thing.

The latest victim is Jennifer Jesso, who was unfortunate enough to be billed $110 in reservation fees for a campsite at Prelude Lake the day before Industry, Tourism and Investment decided to lower the rates unannounced.

If Jesso had reserved the campsite on May 15 instead of May 14 she would have only been charged $55 in booking fees.

The department's answer to her plight? After calling her a cherry picker for booking all 11 of her nights on a Saturday, regional superintendent Kevin Todd says she's out of luck.

His logic is: One, she must pay the maximum rate - as of May 14, $10 for each night - because Saturday night falls on the weekend and that's prime time camping, and two, prices change all the time so if she missed the boat, that's tough luck.

That message is probably as welcome among campers as a plague of mosquitoes.

On Saturday the golf season officially started in Fort Simpson.

More than 38 golfers took to the course to participate in the opening day tournament on the Seven Spruce Golf Course. Mixed in amongst those 38 players was myself.

Now when it comes to playing sports - any sport - I'll be the first to admit that it's not really my cup of tea. High on the list of sports I was sure I'd never play is golf.

It's not like I have anything against golf, it's just that all my conceptions about golf were previously based on watching the sport on television.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who, after watching part of a golf tournament on television because there was nothing else on, has decided it's a strong contender for the title of the most boring sport in the world.

Watching a middle aged man hit a small white ball across a patch of green grass isn't exactly titillating stuff.

Despite all of these preconceived notions I grudgingly accepted an invitation to play in the tournament. To my surprise I had a fantastic time at the event and learned some lessons along the way.

Golf isn't as hard as it looks.

It's a startling statement and one that will have real golfers shaking their heads but it's true to a point. Being a proficient golfer is difficult and takes a lot of dedicated practise but starting to golf doesn't require anything more than a set of clubs and a place to play a round.

To prepare for my debut on the course I took the precaution of going to ladies' night on Thursday where Sheila Pollard was kind enough to give me a few basic pointers. Two hours of learning to hold a club and swing it properly didn't make me Tiger Woods but at least I could hit the ball most of the time.

Armed with just these basic skills I was able to contribute to my team during the tournament. It helped that there wasn't much pressure.

Playing in the tournament I discovered that, aside from the serious golfers, the event is really just an excuse for friends to gather and spend an afternoon together.

As people arrived for the tournament they were actually excited to get going, not because there were big prizes to be won, because there weren't any, but because they enjoy being outdoors with friends.

Watching golf balls fly across fairways on television doesn't capture what it's like to be on the fairway .

If the weather's nice and the bugs are scarce, golf is a great way to enjoy some fresh air and time outdoors while getting a bit of physical activity.

Before I picked up a club for the first time people warned me that it's easy to get addicted to golf. Hit a ball well once and you'll want to do it again I was told. While I'm not at that stage yet I think anyone who's the least bit curious about golf should give it a try.

From the outside golf looks like an imposing sport designed for a select few but here in the North it's not.

If there's anywhere to try this sport it would be in the North where the courses are beautiful and the pressure is kept to a minimum.

So, here we are.

June has begun and the river has broken the winter ice.

The boats are in the water, part of Duck Lake Road is flooded and summer is dawning.

Oh those familiar summer sounds: the birds waking up too early, the flowing of the river and of course, the cracking of a few baseball bats.

With the help of a few local businesses and the motivation of more than a few dozen baseball players, Inuvik will have a summer activity for everyone.

Slo-pitch baseball has always been a part of our community, with late-night games being fuelled by the midnight sun.

With the construction of the new schools underway, Curtis Field has seen better days.

Even though the hard-core soccer players are still out every night just to kick the ball around, there isn't room for much of anything in that area.

It was announced last year that the Curtis Field baseball diamond would be out of commission for a few years during construction of the new school.

After the completion of the new learning facility, Sir Alexander Mackenzie is scheduled to be torn down, making room for a proposed recreation hub: a large field that would house a concrete skate park, tennis courts, two soccer fields and both baseball diamonds.

It will be a great place to bring the family on the weekend, or just a place to play hard with a group of friends.

Since we are years away from that, the immediate future of local baseball came into question.

Most players were ready to accept a summer in town without slo-pitch.

That was of course, until Vince Sharpe was challenged to do something about it.

Not being a man to back down from a challenge like that, Sharpe took it upon himself to bring the idea of a temporary park to town council and to rally the troops.

Now, with the help of local businessmen, the plan is to start working on the site as soon as possible.

Every year, hundreds of people in town enjoy baseball, whether it be from the stands, the dugout or the outfield.

Inuvik loves baseball and it shows.

Every season, the local association plays host to newcomers to the game and returning veterans.

Out-of-town players come in to face off against the best in the Beaufort Delta in weekend-long tournaments.

I have childhood memories of watching the game and waiting for a pop-fly over the backstop, so some lucky kid like me could grab the ball and be a part of the game.

Granted, I often prefer to play my sports through the visual simulation of my PlayStation 3, but slo-pitch is baseball made accessible for anyone.

The combination of speed, agility and accuracy in the sport is a good way to keep yourself fit.

Nunavut's female population should be outraged over the resignation of Qulliit Status of Women Council president Donna Olsen-Hakongak this past month.

Olson-Hakongak decided to step down after receiving an e-mail from a superior warning her about speaking out against the Government of Nunavut (GN).

Olson-Hakongak has been a government employee for more than two decades and her appointment as council president was approved by cabinet this past March.

To put in bluntly, this situation stinks.

Olson-Hakongak, a human resources employee, has been openly critical in the past about people with criminal records in powerful positions in Nunavut, and that includes current Human Resources Minister Levi Barnabas.

Barnabas has claimed ignorance of the e-mail sent from a superior to Olson-Hakongak, but, even if true, that's no excuse to sit idly by while people are being strong-armed into silence.

And don't be naive enough for one second to think this is an isolated case.

The GN has been acting like a cheap gangster with this type of behaviour for years now.

A number of GN employees who cared enough to be board members or municipal councillors have been warned away from their positions by this over-sensitive Soprano family pretending to have every Nunavummiut's best interests in mind.

The GN has become so averse to criticism that the vast majority of its employees are scared to comment publicly on anything and it's openly hostile to anyone who dares suggest change is in order.

In fact, its sensitivity to criticism has transcended laughable to almost dangerous and irresponsible behaviour.

And, to top it all off, the GN's archaic attitude towards our female population during the past year has bordered on disdain.

Kitchen and bedroom, eh boys (wink, wink)?

The GN has three things going for it right now — big paycheques, great benefits and absolute power in keeping people from speaking their minds for fear of reprisal.

Is this the vision for Nunavut?

Is this what all the previous talk about openness and accountability was all about -- don't question or criticize and, most importantly, do as we say, not as we do?

The members of this government are obviously convinced Nunavut is so bereft of talent they have absolutely no worries about re-election.

What else possibly explains such totalitarian behaviour in an election year?

If that's the case, there may be more than a few members due for a rude awakening come election day.

The GN might be able to bully what it perceives to be mere commoners into silence now, but, come election day, those same commoners will be handed a rather large bullhorn in the form of a ballot and pencil to make their voices heard loud and clear.

And maybe enough of them will realize this type of government behaviour is totally unacceptable.

If so, the voters can make themselves accountable to the current members by getting the door for them on their way out.