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City hall is being awfully optimistic about Yellowknife's future.

City staff and Metroquest consultants are turning to residents to help plan the city's future. The city envisions that Yellowknife will have a population of 50,000 people in 50 years, with subdivisions sprouting up on Tin Can Hill and by Jackfish Lake.

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One city councillor, David McCann, boldly warns that the city must prepare for high-speed transit so all those future citizens can be ferried about with maximum efficiency. This sounds a lot like the silly idea he had a couple years ago of the city setting aside land so it could build a light-rail train system once the suitable population had been achieved.

In all this fantasy talk about what Yellowknife will be like in 50 years, however, city politicians and their bureaucratic enablers seem to be forgetting about the situation right now, which isn't very good and doesn't promise much for the future.

The rising cost of living continues to outpace the rest of the country - consumer goods were 5.2 per cent more expensive this August than the previous year, according to Statistics Canada. Heating fuel is up 39 per cent over last year; gas at the pump is 60 cents higher per litre; an airline ticket to Edmonton and back averages around $700.

It's a telling sign that despite this city's high income levels and booming resource sector, Yellowknife's population remains stagnant at 18,700. In fact, Statistics Canada reported last year that the NWT was one of only two jurisdictions - the other being Newfoundland and Labrador - to show a decline in population, as was the case the year before that. It's obvious that part of that drop - 0.1 per cent in 2007 - is the result of people leaving Yellowknife, and the reason they're leaving is the city's abysmal cost of living.

On top of that, the territorial government is contemplating a wide range of new taxes and tax increases that, if approved, will send even more residents packing. Plus, Yellowknife citizens can count on paying more for goods when Deh Cho Bridge commercial tolls are passed on to them by way of higher trucking and retail prices.

A better exercise for the city would be to shorten its planning scope to 2020.

The question isn't what sort of future growth to expect but how is this city going to survive. By then, the diamond mines that have proven so vital to our local economy will start to tap out.

The canary in the coal mine is the ballot draw for Phase VII of the Niven Lake subdivision, Oct. 9. Sales there should clear up the crystal ball somewhat. If sales are poor, it'll be gloomy picture indeed.

There aren't many campaign signs to be found around the Deh Cho but the federal election is fast approaching.

On Thursday there were 19 days left until voters go to the polls to choose Canada's next government.

If following politics at a national level isn't something that interests you the impending election might have barely registered in your consciousness. Ottawa is, after all, a long way away and the party leaders don't make a lot of house calls around the Deh Cho.

Candidates in the Western Arctic, however, are making their ways to as many places as possible in the territory before the polling day. While on the election trail every candidate will be explaining their parties' platforms to anyone who's willing to listen.

Most of the points will be broad and apply to changes they'd like to make across the territory. It will be up to voters to ask pointed questions and find out what a party has to offer the Deh Cho.

There are a few areas that candidates should be quizzed about. Near the top of the list is what will their party do, if elected, with regards to the Dehcho Process.

The Dehcho First Nations has been in long-standing negotiations with Canadian government. Deh Cho voters need to know if other parties have considered the Dehcho Process and whether or not they would expedite the negotiations. Also, if re-elected, does the Conservative government have any concrete timelines for how they'll move forward with the process?

Part and parcel with the Dehcho Process is the Dehcho Land Use Plan. Candidates should also know where their party stands on conservation levels for the area.

On the subject of conservation, the Nahanni National Park Reserve is also an issue some people will want to raise. Residents who are concerned about the amount of land that may or may not be included within the park's final boundary will want to direct candidates' attention to that area.

All of those issues, however, are things that won't effect daily life for most residents. Many people want to know what a political party is promising to do for them.

Ideas for how to lower the price of living in the North are something every candidate should have. The Deh Cho isn't exactly a hotbed of economic opportunity and with rising costs many people are feeling the pinch.

Concrete plans, however, instead of vague ideas and half-mumbled promises are what will get candidates the support from the people in Deh Cho.

By questioning candidates about local issues residents can make the federal election more personal. Even if playing 20 questions doesn't inspire more people to vote it will at least keep the candidates on their toes.

No matter what political candidate you support or how many posters you put up outside your house, none of it matters unless you vote.

That's right Inuvik, it's election time again, but now we're looking at a broad campaign for the member of parliament for the NWT.

Now, we have familiar faces and an incumbent looking to continue his work on Parliament Hill.

In the past weeks, we have heard all sorts of new regulations for our voting process.

The powers-that-be decided all voters across the country should provide photo identification at the polls to prevent voter fraud.

Preventing voter fraud is a horrible excuse for this regulation.

Some I have spoken to are claiming it's about controlling who gets elected.

While it all sounds like a plot for a lazy movie about conspiracy theories, the issue raises questions.

With many people in the NWT living their lives in smaller communities with reduced services, one has to wonder if they will have problems voting.

I just logged onto the Elections Canada website and it tells me people living in the Western Arctic riding have three options to vote.

The first choice is to bring in a piece of government-issued ID with a photo on it, like your driver's licence.

The second choice would be to bring two pieces of non-photo ID which prove your identity and residence. That includes a power bill or health care card.

The third and final option for those of us up North who want to vote is to swear an oath and be vouched for by someone in the community who is on the voters' list in your polling division. That person needs to provide ID as well.

If there was ever a way to reduce the number of Northern voters, I think this is it.

People I know don't like voting but they do it anyways. They go into the polling station, check in with the clerk and mark their ballot.

From what I can see, all the new regulations will do is deter people - sending them back home to search for power bills or a neighbour to vouch for them. How many will bother to return to the polling station?

I'm glad the people of the region were at least given this brief window to get their affairs in order.

By that, I mean they have some time to rifle through their belongings to find enough paperwork to vote.

It's going to be interesting to see the numbers once the dust settles on this October election.

I hope Elections Canada is doing everything it possibly can to inform people in remote communities about the changes to the voting system.

What about the people who don't have any ID or don't have any utilities in their name?

I don't think there is enough time to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and fill out forms to get a suitable ID before then.

Maybe the best solution is to sign up for a power bill, if only to have your name on file.

What we need to remember is this: no matter what obstacles are put in our way, we need to vote.

Read the notices and be prepared to prove who you are on voting day.

A good turnout by remote voters could sway the decision away from bigger centres like Yellowknife.

The most recent sitting of Nunavut's legislative assembly should have closed out on a high note this past week with the passage of Bill 7 - the Inuit Language Protection Act - and members gearing up to file their candidacy this week for the upcoming territorial elections.

But it was simply not to be as, once again, Nunavut's version of the political Soprano family just couldn't keep from shooting themselves in the foot with outrageous statements.

The upcoming election held the promise of diverting the public's attention away from the Soprano's performance of the past year, which included the usual legal troubles, gag orders, bullying tactics against those who would dare criticize them, public apologies and numerous incidents of embarrassing behaviour on the part of a number of family members.

Missing, yet again, was a sense of acceptance that elected politicians must adhere to the rules and laws governing their positions, no matter what their cultural background.

It was astonishing to hear Hudson Bay MLA Peter Kattuk vote against accepting Integrity Commissioner Norman Pickell's report sanctioning Baker Lake MLA David Simailak for his conduct while a cabinet minister.

Pickell ruled Simailak had repeatedly violated Nunavut's Integrity Act while minister of Economic Development and Finance between 2005 and 2007 in connection to his private business interests.

Kattuk claimed the report and sanctions do not conform with traditional Inuit values.

Admitting your mistake, apologizing and making restitution for your actions do not conform to Inuit values?

We certainly look forward to having Mr. Kattuk explain that one to us.

Equally outrageous was Rankin North MLA Tagak Curley's notion that science should be thrown out the window and only Inuit Qaujiniajatuqangit (IQ) used in determining the strength of wildlife numbers in Nunavut.

The contention was a blight on what was otherwise a fairly solid year for Curley in the assembly.

Science and traditional Inuit knowledge have to learn to work together to protect wildlife resources.

Currently, science finds itself in an adversarial position with hunters and numerous Inuit organizations concerning wildlife conservation practices.

However, to insinuate IQ holds all the answers and needs little or no input from modern science parallels Russian claims they invented pizza (and just about everything else) during the days of the Cold War.

Surely our legislative assembly, as a whole, realizes the importance of modern science in preserving our precious wildlife numbers.

And, surely our politicians realize the best approach in ensuring we sustain those numbers is through complete co-operation between science and IQ?

While it remains to be seen what Nunavummiut will have to say come election day, surely many voters will have had enough of what has emanated from Iqaluit during the government's past term and that voice will speak of change.

Too much of what has come from the capital during this government's past term would turn Nunavut green, if we could only figure out how to get it in bags and spread it properly.