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Suicide is an epidemic plaguing Northern communities.

It's twice as prevalent here in the territory as it is nationally, according to the NWT Department of Health.

A 2007 report from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation states that although Canadian rates have been on the decline, suicide rates among the aboriginal population continues to climb.

The Canadian Mental Health Association also puts forth some bleak statistics: suicide is the second leading cause of death among Canadians aged 10 to 24.

It's clearly an epidemic that is hitting our Northern communities and young people hard.

Finding ways to talk about this disturbing subject is the only way to combat its devastating effects. However, that may be easier said than done.

In the North, southern counselling methods may not be working. In response to three suicide deaths in Lutsel K'e, Tu Nedhe MLA Tom Beaulieu has made a call for culturally-sensitive counsellors.

His stance is that non-native southern counsellors may not understand Northern and aboriginal lifestyles and communication models well enough to recognize when someone is at risk.

The stats seem to back up this claim and the current practice of hiring staff and then providing them with cultural-sensitivity training may be contributing to the problem.

Beaulieu said people in the communities stop seeking counselling when language and cultural barriers have prevented residents from effectively communicating their feelings to counsellors.

If an individual is at risk of suicide, the worst possible scenario is an environment where that person feels cut off from support.

A difficulty hiring counsellors with cultural training is not an excuse residents of the NWT should continue to accept.

Suicide is so common an issue in the North that it is difficult finding a person who isn't related or personally connected to someone who has taken their own lives. The GNWT must find creative solutions to this insidious problem.

Recruiting counselling staff for Northern communities is difficult -- a truth that spans most professions.

What we need are homegrown counsellors attending programs designed at tackling Northern suicide rates.

But mental health programs have to be supplemented by other outlets to help people feel needed and valued.

We must work towards more jobs, more recreational opportunities and increased standards of living, all essential to reducing these needless and tragic deaths.

One of the touted objectives of the Status of Women Council is to encourage discussion and expression of opinion by residents of Nunavut on issues affecting the status of women.

How ridiculous it is then that the Nunavut government forced Donna Olsen-Hakongak, the council's president, to resign for speaking out against the election of Joe Otokiak as president of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.

Otokiak was elected while serving a suspended sentence for assault, and has previous convictions for assaults against women.

Olsen-Hakongak happens to work for the Nunavut government's Department of Human Resources. She resigned after receiving a warning from her superiors for having criticized the government.

Minister of the department, Levi Barnabas, himself a convicted sex offender, defended the government's actions in the legislative assembly, saying that more caution should be used in making appointments to boards.

This is a time for Leona Aglukkaq, minister responsible for women, to make a stand. The government must not attempt to muzzle those who are advocating on behalf of others. She should say as much, and lead by example.

According to the auditor general, the operation of the Nunavut Housing Corporation is comparable to most of its available housing: incomplete and/or out-of-date.

The only difference is that the Housing Corp has vacancies - job vacancies, that is.

In addition to reporting that the Housing Corp. has 23 positions vacant, the auditor general found shoddy record keeping on public housing applicants and maintenance of units.

The report also found that the territory is falling behind on its own housing goals. In 2007, more than 1,200 people were on the waiting list for public housing. But of 96 public housing units slated to be built during the summer of 2007, only 20 were completed.

That makes the territory's goal of building 725 units by 2010 seem farfetched.

Homes that are overcrowded and in poor condition fuel many of the problems plaguing Nunavut: physical and mental illness, addictions, low graduation rates, abuse, and violence.

The Nunavut government has many goals such as training and hiring more Inuit, preserving language and culture, and caring for elders. But housing should be the number one priority. The other goals will be impeded if Nunavummiut are without safe, healthy homes.

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.