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As the thermometer reached record-breaking temperatures in Iqaluit, more than 180 people gathered in the city to discuss the effects of climate change.

The Government of Nunavut is expected to release its strategy on dealing with the effects of climate change this fall. It will come not a moment too soon.

This summer, temperatures in Iqaluit have frequently been above 20 C when the normal high is around 12 C.

Altered animal migration patterns, coastal erosion and unpredictable sea ice are among other effects noticed so far by Nunavummiut.

These effects are far from minor. Recently Pangnirtung lost two bridges and access to its municipal facilities due to flooding and erosion. Last week visitors had to be airlifted out of Auyittuq National Park due to dangerous erosion.

Grizzlies are moving north, hungry polar bears are blundering into school picnics, ice road seasons are becoming shorter and the Northwest Passage is becoming increasingly navigable.

It's no longer a question of whether climate change is happening. Now it's a question of what we're going to do about it.

Inuit have had to adapt to many major changes in the past 70 years, changes inflicted from the south over which Inuit had little or no control. Permanent settlements, discs with numbers, residential schools and TB treatment exile have taken their toll on Inuit.

Climate change is another problem spawned largely in the south and Inuit will shoulder the brunt of the impact.

Activist and Nobel prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier has linked climate change with human rights. The change on the land threatens hunting and fishing activities integral to Inuit tradition, and thus the right of Inuit to exist as a distinct and unique culture. Watt-Cloutier encourages Inuit to speak out about the threat climate change poses.

"Culture is not trivial, nor is it window dressing," she told delegates at the symposium.

Besides addressing the effects of climate change on a local level, Nunavummiut must also support global campaigns against the consumption habits that cause climate change. As Watt-Cloutier has proven, when Inuit speak on the world stage, people listen. But listening will no longer suffice, only action will make a difference.

In less than a year, Behchoko residents have had to endure more than 20 intentionally set fires.

The fact no one has yet been injured - let alone killed - is surely a tribute to the skill and dedication of the community's volunteer fire brigade.

Responding to complaints from the public that the youth responsible were acting out of boredom, local leaders have poured financial and human resources into recreation programs ranging from swimming and drum dancing to softball and canoe races.

Still the community burns.

A curfew for youth 16 and under has been in place since the start of the year.

Still the community burns.

Witnesses have come forward to police, but then decline to testify when it matters most.

Still the community burns.

The Community Government of Behchoko has now taken the next step of offering a $2,000 reward to help smoke out the perpetrators of these senseless crimes.

It's a plan that will hopefully work because of one simple fact - the youth involved in these incidents have clearly demonstrated they respect nothing. Not their parents, not their neighbours' safety, not the authorities, not even the community their elders and ancestors helped build.

Someone in their midst is eventually going to realize these are friendships that aren't worth two cents, let alone $2,000, and they'll take the money.

Here's hoping the fire department's perfect record continues until that day comes.

The Commission scolaire francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest may have won its recent court battle, but the real war still needs to be fought.

The French school board successfully sued the GNWT and now a judge has ordered the government to find additional space to ease overcrowding at Ecole Boreal in Hay River.

This is an issue that has proven very divisive at coffee counters around the NWT.

Some people are quick to say, "Yes, children need space to learn, and French is an official Canadian language. Expense be damned - add on to that shiny new school." They can hardly be faulted for putting students' needs first.

On the other side, however, some folks point out there were fewer than 1,000 people here who listed French as their first language in the 2006 census. At the same time more than 5,600 residents listed an aboriginal language as their mother tongue.

"Where is the Mountain Dene language school? When will funding be approved for the Inuvialuktun academy of fine arts? How about a Gwich'in language high school?" this second, much larger group cries out.

No, we're not likely going to see those built any time soon - there simply isn't enough money to go around - and it's a shame.

Unlike French, many of the traditional languages that once flourished in the NWT are dying and may not survive much longer without new speakers. Ecole Boreal was built in 2005 and - thanks in part to the excitement created by having one of the newest schools around - it's already too small.

Who will fight for the other official languages of the NWT before they're relegated to the pages of history books in the French and English schools that will remain?

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.