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Premier Floyd Roland held a belated press conference late yesterday afternoon to talk about changes to his cabinet since stripping Norman Yakeleya of his ministerial duties last Friday.

Yakeleya's portfolios were removed when it became clear the Sahtu MLA was about to be charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The complaint was laid in March 2007.

The big question here though is what did the premier and other MLAs know before Roland took action?

There's a stench to this sorry situation and the more Roland offers vague responses and hides behind his handlers, the worse the smell grows.

Yesterday he told reporters MLAs were "questioning up and down the halls" as rumours of the sexual assault investigation began to circulate around the legislative assembly. He did not specify when he heard the rumours, which is crucial because Roland named Yakeleya as the minister responsible for youth just a little more than a month ago.

The premier demonstrated a horrendous show of judgment if it turns out that he had known about the allegation but made this appointment anyway.

Roland says at some point he raised the issue with Yakeleya, who assured him he "dealt with his family and the other family and that's it."

Did the premier think of asking the RCMP whether the cabinet minister was under investigation? He says the police never informed him or the government about the investigation but did he or his justice minister even try to confirm it with them?

The way he handles this affair is a matter of public confidence in his government. The very fact that one of his cabinet ministers has been charged with sexually assaulting a young girl -- though it has yet to be proven in court -- is scandalous. The matter would be much more scandalous if it turns out that Roland had known about the allegation for months but chose to keep a lid on it and not act.

The last time a cabinet minister was forced out of office, Joe Handley was at the helm. Handley learned of Henry Zoe's impropriety on a Thursday. Zoe was already in hot water for remarks made about Newfoundlanders and had made a weak apology in the legislative assembly. That night, the premier learned Zoe had done worse than that and fired him the following morning.

Handley didn't publicly say what it was that required Zoe's immediate removal but he took action quickly and decisively, which greatly limited any damage done to his government's reputation by Zoe's misconduct.

How times have changed, sadly.

Roland could've done the same and removed Yakeleya's portfolios and let him explain to the media and constituents why he is no longer a cabinet minister.

The MLAs chose to put him in cabinet but there is no rule saying the premier has to give him a portfolio. But now it's too late and the premier is being dragged into this sorry mess as well. His failure to act earlier, at the very least, makes him appear indifferent and careless.

Roland has often been accused of having a communication problem since taking over 10 months ago. Chalk up this week's duck and dive as one more example to add to the list.

Students and their parents in Ndilo will watch in eager anticipation as the finishing touches are put on the new Kalemi Dene school over the next year.

It's a project they welcome and deserve.

The $9.2 million, 1,300-square-foot building will offer lessons to 125 students starting in September, 2009, if construction remains on pace.

Dene culture will be featured prominently: elders will be invited to share stories and knowledge; crafts like a large birchbark canoe built by students will be on display; the Dene language will be taught. Principal Angela James said tea and bannock will await those who walk through the school's doors daily.

Of course the educational facility will also include modern learning tools like computers and will have a full kitchen.

The Department of Education made the project one of its priorities and it is coming to fruition.

In the spirit of cooperation, we encourage the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation to continue working towards getting another long-awaited project completed: paving the roads in Ndilo.

In late June, the First Nation said it is considering giving the city authority over its roads so asphalt could can be laid, lessening dust in the community.

Getting this accomplished will give young Ndilo students another life lesson: persistence pays off.

Those in the Kivalliq upset over the fact Iqaluit is receiving $12 million to pave its roads need to consider the facts about the project.

The announcement being made by Iqaluit MLAs Paul Okalik, Ed Picco and Hunter Tootoo, as well as Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik, a few months before a territorial election shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone.

Things tend to get done during election years.

The Government of Nunavut (GN) and the City of Iqaluit are hoping to cover the vast majority of the project through the Building Canada Fund (BCF), despite it falling well outside the scope of what those funds can be used for.

The GN hopes to use what it refers to as Clause 17 in its framework agreement with the feds to have the project accepted under the BCF.

Clause 17 is actually a standing federal policy that allows the three territories to bring forward projects which would not be approved from the fund in other jurisdictions.

It's a way of getting permission to use money from a specific fund even though the project doesn't meet its eligibility criteria.

In this scenario, the GN has to show the Iqaluit project is a unique situation to Nunavut - and it is.

In fact, should the feds allow funding from the BCF for the Iqaluit project, it would be further evidence they're finally getting the message that we in the North face unique challenges and can't always meet funding criteria set in the south.

That's a good thing, although the feds may harbour concerns about setting precedent in Iqaluit and opening the flood gates to approving similar projects in communities across the North.

If money from the BCF is denied, Iqaluit will dip into the $12 million provided by the GN for capital projects.

As Nunavut's only tax-based municipality, Iqaluit receives a capital contribution instead of being part of the GN's actual capital plan.

The city can use that contribution in a number of ways; directly towards an infrastructure project or by combining a portion of it with rate-payers' money.

That's the big advantage to being a tax-based municipality - you decide how to use funding on infrastructure and capital projects, not the territorial government.

To date, the GN has received the signed copy of the funding agreement, which gives it the ability to move forward with project approvals.

However, the feds have not reviewed, let alone approved, the Iqaluit project under the BCF.

If approved, the BCF requires a 25 per cent contribution by the GN and/or the City of Iqaluit as a funding partner.

So, in the end, the only thing Kivalliq residents have to be upset about is the unequal amount of funding dollars that seem to be flowing into the capital these days - and that's only if funding through the BCF is approved.

Although, it could be argued, it would have been a smart political move for the GN to kick a few bucks towards the Rankin Inlet paving project, considering the magnitude of the work being done in the capital.

If Iqaluit decides to go ahead using money from the GN's capital contribution, that's between city council and its tax-paying citizens.

The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation and the Nahendeh district office of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are examining ways to meet the housing needs in the community.

According to Chief Darcy E. Moses, access to more funding so people can complete much needed home repairs and the availability of suitable units to house professionals such as teachers, nurses and RCMP officers, are the top concerns.

The change in outlook for housing in Wrigley came quickly. On July 3. I was invited to the community by the chief who wanted to speak about the apparent lack of progress from the Housing Corporation to meet the community's needs.

During the visit a number of people willingly allowed me into their homes so they could point out deficiencies and talk about their experiences with the Housing Corporation. Having written about housing issues before in other Deh Cho communities I thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong.

I was shocked by some of the conditions I'd seen.

Most people who invited me in clearly cared for their homes and took pride in keeping them clean and tidy. These people for whatever reason, financial or otherwise, have been unable to complete necessary repairs on their houses.

Now these repairs aren't superficial things like trim around the floorboards or fresh coats of paint. We're talking about repairs to allow for a level of service that most Canadians take for granted such as running water and functioning indoor plumbing.

One family was living in a house that hasn't had running water for approximately three years since their pipes froze. The hot water tank in the house is also broken so all the water is heated on the stove.

Pointing out deficiencies like these, Moses stated that the people of Wrigley deserve modern housing.

A few short weeks later Moses was feeling much more confident about the housing situation. Discussions with the Housing Corporation were progressing with the two parties examining ways to use community-based initiatives to assist in the delivery of the necessary programs including home repairs.

While the band and the Housing Corporation deserve some credit for apparently improving their working relationship, the focus has been kept on the people who are waiting on the outcome of these discussions.

If community-based initiatives will allow more residents access to the support they need then both parties should devote as much energy as possible to reaching an arrangement.

There are people in Wrigley who need housing solutions and both the band and the Housing Corporation need to work together to fulfil those needs.

After meeting many people I didn't know I knew or haven't seen in nearly a decade, I've become more enlightened about the community and what our town used to be.

This past week was sure a fast-paced one, with community gatherings, meetings and dances to attend.

I had the pleasure of stopping by my aunt's place for a quick second in the middle of her reunion barbecue.

She had amassed a group of former Inuvik students to talk about days past.

Some of the people have been in town for some time and never left, while others left to find their way in life.

After sitting with a few individuals who recalled the shenanigans and tomfoolery they were involved in as schoolkids in the '60s and '70s, I scratch my head trying to figure out where it all went wrong.

The most memorable story I heard that night was one that sounded like it came straight out of an episode of The Simpsons.

Seems a few teens had the gall to take the brass ball from the top of the Diefenbaker memorial in Jim Koe Park.

The ball that was held by the three powers of the region was gone, if only for a few days.

The group responsible for the prank hid the ball and wrote a letter to the paper, with instructions about where to find the ball. Apparently, the ball was recovered within hours of the paper hitting the streets, so the prank ended happily.

I mean, those teens could have tossed that ball into the river, or something more permanent, but they didn't.

Instead, we now have a story to look back and laugh at.

The next day, I was leafing through Dick Hill's history of Inuvik and came across the information about the Diefenbaker memorial.

It read that in the mid-'70s, the statue was defaced and vandalized, and was fixed soon after.

Once I made the connection between the book and what I heard from someone who was there, I got excited.

The first person I talked to was an unnamed MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

After hearing me go off on a tangent about the missing ball and how it was found, this MLA'ish person looked up at me, smiled a grin from ear to ear and simply said it was a good time.

It was then that I put it all together.

This community has been a tightly-knit unit for more years than I've been in existence.

It was an inside job that everyone knew about, and here I was, naive as the day I was born.

Now, those teens have grown into the leaders of our community and upstanding citizens that make our town whole.

What I am curious about is how they let our community fall into the hands of drug-dealing thugs.

These days we can't laugh at the teens doing their thing.

Rather than break into the school and leave behind some large misplaced statue, we have a lot of serious damage.

Somewhere down the line, we stopped being silly and started being malicious. Crack is a problem in our community that I bet even Thomas Berger didn't see coming.

I'm not out to blame the older generations for being so laid back with their kids, but somewhere it all fell off and I don't know if we can pick up the pieces.