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For too long, the Yellowknives Dene community of Ndilo has existed at the edge of Yellowknife with ambiguous status.

It appears to be part of the city, which provides it with most municipal services. But since Yellowknife does not actually own any of the land, paving of its dirt roads is left up to its owners - the Dene - who don't have adequate funds to do so.

For decades, as it turns out, Yellowknife has been given $144,000 yearly from the federal government to provide municipal services to the community. However, that annual sum was based on property assessments that date back to an unknown time, possibly 20 years ago.

Finally, as announced last week, Ndilo's properties will soon get their long overdue assessment, which should result in an increase in federal funding to the city. By extension, this will enable the city to allocate more realistic sums to the community.

From the perspective of Yellowknives Dene, the assessment will give their community the sound argument needed to get the same level of service as the rest of the city. Once completed, Yellowknife and Ndilo will be able to undertake the work needed to ensure no shameful discrepancies -- including paving or a lack thereof -- exist between the aboriginal community and the NWT capital.

It's puzzling that city councillor Kevin Kennedy would suggest taxpayers' money be diverted from plowing city streets, the fire department or, dare we say, even holding the line on taxes, so core grants to community groups can get a boost.

Let's make no mistake, these groups, which include Folk on the Rocks and the SnowKing Winter Festival, provide valuable services to the community.

They're crucial to making Yellowknife an enjoyable place to live but surely even they know that in this time of escalating costs and economic uncertainty, next year is probably not the best one in which to expect a raise.

When presented with this year's gloomy budget draft last week - one which calls for a 4.75 per cent tax hike, marking the fifth straight year of city tax increases - Kennedy's reaction was to wonder what will happen to the $60,000 top-off council approved for the city's $300,000 core grant fund.

When told the increase would violate territorial government rules that state no more than two per cent of the budget can be used for core funding, Kennedy said the city ought to push back against those rules for "restricting us." Like that will get council anywhere.

It's clear Kennedy, who is chair of the city's grant review committee, is more committed to pushing through the committee's agenda than ensuring Yellowknife remains an affordable place to live.

He's going to have to take off those blinders if there's any hope he'll see the big picture.

The hockey season has been going for about a month now in Rankin Inlet, and already Iqaluit has been rumoured to be sending a team to Rankin-hosted tournaments.

There is talk Iqaluit will send a team to the midget territorial, Polar Bear Plate, Avataq Cup senior men's, Challenge Cup junior 'C', Powerful Peewee and new Atoms Championship events.

Regular readers of Kivalliq News will remember the string of events that took the Iqaluit vs Rankin rivalry to new heights this past year.

It began with Iqaluit promising victory at the Avataq Cup and then not even showing up when one or two of its, supposedly, top players couldn't make the trip.

Things escalated when an Iqaluit player then sent an insulting email to Rankin, bashing the local hockey scene with colourful language and promising "the best team Iqaluit ever put together" would kick Rankin's hockey butt at Toonik Tyme.

Rankin, you recall, promptly went to Toonik Tyme and became the first Kivalliq team to win the event.

There was another element of irony added when the Toonik Tyme championship trophy was mistakenly put in among the player's equipment and ended up back in Rankin (what are the odds?).

But, other than the giggles over the ever-increasing amount of egg on Iqaluit's hockey face, why should anyone care if the capital sends its teams to Rankin events?

First, Iqaluit is missing the qamutiik when it comes to fuelling what could be one of the all-time great Nunavut hockey rivalries.

Rankin hockey fans can only imagine the fun they would have had welcoming Iqaluit to the '08 Avataq after its promise of victory.

And, if that wasn't enough to send a shiver down your spine at the arena, we're sure the fond farewell if and when Iqaluit was eliminated would have done the trick.

The second reason is far more rudimentary.

For years Rankin, a community less than half the size of the capital, has raised the money at every age level to send teams to Iqaluit events.

Iqaluit's decades-old whining about the cost of coming to Rankin has grown tired with local hockey fans.

We sincerely hope Iqaluit starts to show the same level of commitment to growing Nunavut hockey as Rankin and, in fact, the entire Kivalliq region has.

If not, it may be time for Rankin teams to realize it's local fans and players who keep bank accounts strong by supporting them so much.

It hardly seems fair for hundreds of Rankin fans who support hockey four times a week, every week, during the season to go without, while the handful of Iqaluit fans who only make their way to the arena during a big event get to see the teams collide.

We'll give the senior men's team a pass to defend its Toonik Tyme title, but it's time to draw a line across the ice.

Either the capital sends teams to Rankin events, or the hottest drawing teams in Nunavut don't go to Iqaluit.

It's a tough stance to take, but, until Iqaluit starts to put its pucks where its lips are, it's the right choice.

The money spent to go to Iqaluit could be used to help teams from Pangnirtung, Northern Quebec or Manitoba come and create new rivalries.

Last week the Liidlii Kue First Nation was confronted with a serious issue.

On Nov. 4, a petition with 125 names was dropped off at the band office in Fort Simpson. The petition calls for the removal or the resignation of the chief and the entire council. The number of names on the petition, while not exceptionally large, is enough that this matter needs to be handled professionally and not simply dismissed.

The leadership was scheduled to address the petition during the council meeting on Nov. 12. Concerned members of the band are also being advised they can air their grievances during a membership meeting scheduled for Dec. 3.

Band membership now needs to decide on a course of action. According to the band's election code, if a quorum of 25 per cent of residing voting members vote 60 per cent in favour at a general or special membership meeting it's enough to remove chief and council. Petitioners also have the burden to prove the leadership has violated the band's code of conduct.

Before members decide on this course of action there is at least one item that should temper their decision. That item is the number six.

Six is exactly how many full months Chief Keyna Norwegian and the band council have left in their existing three-year term until the scheduled elections arrive in June 2009. Six months, or half a year, is how long people would have to wait before they can vote for new leadership of the Liidlii Kue First Nation.

Norwegian has close to nine years of experience being part of the leadership of the band. Between 2000 and 2003 she served as the sub-chief. She was elected to her first three-year term as chief in 2003 and voters returned her to the position again on June 15, 2006.

Anyone elected in back to back terms as chief must be doing something right. Now this doesn't mean that Norwegian's time in leadership has been perfect.

Those who created the petition allege Norwegian has been making unilateral decisions without consulting the band council or membership. This might be true and if so it will likely become apparent to more and more people as they investigate the matter for themselves.

Six months, however, is a relatively short amount of time and is certainly much less trouble than a forced leadership change could be. If proper procedures aren't followed members of the current leadership could be given grounds to challenge the matter indefinitely in court. The case of the Salt River First Nation in Fort Smith provides a timely example of how messy a leadership struggle can become.

If Norwegian has done what the creators of the petition claim then it would be far easier to keep a close eye on her for the rest of her term and then make their point heard by electing a new chief in June.

Although waiting for the next election might not feel as satisfying, it would be a responsible and straightforward course of action.

In the province where I grew up, one major chain of grocery stories had outlets that were open 24/7, including Christmas and Labour Day. The only exception was Remembrance Day.

As I write this I can see that at least one business in town couldn't resist opening for holiday hours. While I'm not naming any names, I can say I will be firing off an email to the head of that company as soon as I file this editorial.

There is always essential work that has to go on every day, but I don't see how you can make the argument that retail services are in any way essential, at least not in a 24-hour period. Doing without shopping for a day is the absolute least we can do to remember those who sacrificed everything so we can live in this land of plenty.

Remembrance Day should not be treated like any other holiday. If it falls on a Sunday, we shouldn't be taking Monday off in lieu of the potential day off we missed. Remembrance Day is meant to serve one purpose: to honour those who served and those who died for our freedom.

There isn't a single Canadian citizen who does not owe a debt of gratitude to those who served or are serving this country. There is always a tiny minority of peace activists that decry the so-called glorification of war that takes place on Remembrance Day. They should remember in stating their misguided opinion that thousands of men and women gave their lives so they could be free to voice it.

Their opinion is misguided because I have yet to attend a Remembrance Day service where we are not reminded that there is no glory in war and death. I heard it again today at the service held here in Inuvik. If you were there, I was the one standing near the front, holding a camera and wiping my nose with my sleeve. I'm not ashamed to say that I get a lump in my throat every time I hear In Flanders Fields recited.

I guess as a writer I can't help but think of what was said by the French philosopher Voltaire: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it."

I'm overcome with the thought that people have fought to the death for this right, and I pray that I will never be called upon to defend it in battle.

To those of you who have served or continue to serve our country: thank you.

- Brodie Thomas is interim editor of Inuvik Drum. Dez Loreen will return in two weeks' time.