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It's hard to believe RCMP in the NWT are attempting to justify the use of a stun gun on a 15-year-old girl who was face down in a cell with her hands cuffed behind her back.

That's what happened at the Arctic Tern young offenders facility in Inuvik in March of 2007.

An investigation by the federal Department of Justice - not far removed enough and not viewed as independent by many - found no wrongdoing in the case.

That judgment leaves a lot of unanswered questions, for starters: how can a teenager who has been restrained and placed on her stomach be a significant threat to anyone?

We're glad to see a new investigation is being launched into the incident by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.

Unfortunately the commission's findings are not binding, something that should change.

The commission recently released a report showing that Tasers, designed to discharge up to 50,000 volts, are being used more frequently since their introduction to the RCMP in 2001.

A strong argument can be made that the weapon has a useful place in the police arsenal - if used under the appropriate circumstances.

However, police officers must be trained to use the utmost discretion before subjecting a suspect or prisoner to a debilitating shock that could be lethal.

More accountability and better oversight can only increase the responsible and safe use of stun guns.

That's really what's needed.

At Prime Minister Stephen Harper's behest, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean suspended Parliament on Dec. 4.

It was the right decision.

It will allow a cooling-off period until Jan. 26, when the House of Commons will reconvene. Then we'll see whether the coalition has enough public support and has maintained the will and momentum to remove the governing Conservatives.

The implications for the North would be the loss of a ruling party that has brought Arctic issues to the forefront and put an Inuk in cabinet. Leona Aglukkaq was not just given a junior seat either, she has a prominent role as national health minister.

Harper's government deserves credit for its attention to Arctic sovereignty, proposing a Northern development agency and seeking ways to streamline Northern regulatory systems - although it must achieve a balance whereby Northern input is strong and the environment is protected. Granted there are other areas where progress still stands to be made, such as housing, social issues and devolution (an issue that lagged under the Liberals for many years as well).

Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, although a hard worker and poised for a cabinet seat of his own should the coalition ever realize its goal of forming government, has brought little to the table in way of economic development proposals for the North. Fighting for an increase in Northern Residents Tax Deduction is welcome but it won't do a thing for job creation.

Nature is cruel. There is nowhere on Earth where that lesson is more plain than in the Arctic.

This is an environment where the weather, and one's luck, can change in the blink of an eye.

Last month more than 600 unlucky narwhal were trapped by ice about 17 km from Pond Inlet. There was no way to rescue the whales before they would run out of air holes and drown.

Hunters in the community could have chosen to do nothing, allowing the animals to suffer a lengthy, meaningless death.

But that is not the Inuit way. Instead the community of Pond Inlet committed itself to weeks of arduous labour - 12-hour days spent killing, hauling and processing 629 narwhal - so some good would come from the accident of nature. The doomed narwhal were dispatched as humanely as possible and now there is plentiful meat and maktaaq to be shared for Christmas.

For this the people of Pond Inlet were subject to criticism, harassment and insults from animal rights activists and misguided people who fail to understand the stark realities of life in the North.

In the midst of their errand of mercy, they were forced to defend themselves as best they could in a war of words.

Last week, Pond Inlet residents received the support of two federal cabinet ministers who jointly issued a press release chastizing one of the most outspoken critics of the cull, Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Though it came late in the game, that government statement is evidence that the presence of an Inuk in cabinet can bring Northern concerns to the forefront.

The efforts of the community during this difficult time deserve a round of applause.

Better late than never that two regular MLAs have been granted a seat on a committee tasked with merging public boards responsible for health, housing and education into mega boards for each region in the territory.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay and Tu Nedhe's Tom Beaulieu were invited to join the territorial government's "re-focusing committee" almost two months ago, although the group has only met once since then.

Ramsay says he can't support the merger until he sees some proof that it's a good thing. Hopefully Michael Miltenberger, the cabinet minister who chairs the committee, will take that to heart before final plans for the merger are announced in April. If he hopes to gain any supporters for the merger, Miltenberger must show residents why the merger is so important, particularly in Yellowknife where tax-funded, elected school boards are on the chopping block. Saving money is supposed to be a byproduct of the merger process - just how much we'd like to know - but a clear plan for how the new model would work is essential. Miltenberger's continued insistence that combining boards is a done deal and non-negotiable has only heightened the level of tension among the government, the school boards and the public.

Miltenberger and his committee, which also includes Yellowknife MLA and cabinet minister Bob McLeod, would be well-advised to hold hearings and make their case in public.

To not do so would only reaffirm suspicions that this government is too afraid of the people to converse with them directly.

The city recently flew Dennis Fletcher, transit expert for Toronto-based Entra Consultants, into Yellowknife for a one-on-one session with councillors regarding the floundering transit system.

Fletcher, while riding the bus in town, saw first-hand one of the system's flaws when he noticed bus drivers skipping parts of routes because "nobody ever stops there."

Along with pointing out obvious issues such as this, Fletcher told city council it would need to spend from $0 to about $560,000 to improve the bus system.

Perhaps a few thousand of these dollars could have been saved had the city not flown him up just to point out what any Yellowknifer could have observed - that the service needs some fixing and it will probably cost a small fortune. How many studies does city hall need to do to understand this?

The city has been coughing up money to analyze the bus service for well over a year.

Replacing some of the old model buses - which are never filled anyway - with smaller, more fuel-efficient buses would be a sensible first step.

The number of buses on the road could then be reduced during non-peak hours and routes amended according to demand.

To encourage demand, the city should offer more days of free rides, especially during cold winter months.

Expanding service into Niven Lake and Kam Lake makes sense, but trimming costs and fixing the existing service ought to be done soon, without yet another study.

When I found out that there was a curling clinic being held in Fort Simpson I knew that I had to go.

Curling is a sport that my family in the south has been urging me to pick up for awhile. "There's lots of winter up there, you should try it out," my mother repeatedly tells me despite the fact that she doesn't curl.

With her voice in my head urging me on I showed up at the Fort Simpson Curling Club on Friday night ready to give it a go in spite of my lack of basic athletic skills. I, however, wasn't alone. Another nine adults, both men and women, came to learn.

The general skill level between all of us wasn't enough to equal what a professional curler has. For many, like me, it was their first time curling, while others were coming back to the sport after a few years away.

Out on the ice we all had to practise the sliding movement you use to walk around on the ice before even starting to learn how to slide and throw a rock. While trying to imitate the stance of professional or at least experienced curlers a lot of us wobbled and generally toppled sideways on the ice.

Some people improved quickly but it was still looking pretty grim even before we tried throwing the stones, expecting them to stop at designated places on the other end of the ice.

Despite all the difficulties faced, including muscles a lot of us knew would be sore the next day, everyone seemed to have fun.

It was that high level of enjoyment compared to our low level of skills that illustrates why people do and why more people should join sports.

In the Deh Cho, it seems that adult sports are less about the activity itself and more about socializing. Sure some people are competitive and winning always brings a good feeling but even those athletes would be hard pressed to deny that they enjoy the camaraderie of hanging out with their teammates.

Sports are a great way to get active and stay physically healthy but they're also a good way to stay social.

In the Deh Cho, winters are long and dark. People tend to retreat into their warm homes and when you do meet people outside they're normally so bundled against the cold all you see are their eyes and all you hear are a few muffled sentences through their scarves.

In the Deh Cho there's no shortage of winter activities that people can join both in Fort Simpson and in all of the other communities.

Hockey is one of the most popular options and is a great team sport.

In many communities, if you want to get outside there are trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and friends could set times to go out together. Depending on your location other options include figure skating, fitness classes, badminton, darts and broomball to name a few. In Fort Simpson the curling club is also looking for new members.

Starting a new sport can be intimidating but people shouldn't let that stop them from joining and opening up new social circles.

It used to be that bingos were a community event that would bring in people from all over, just for a chance at the jackpot.

In the last 10 years, the face of our favourite pastime has changed. Gone are the days of piling into a crowded hall, waiting in line for peel-back Nevada tickets, all the while inhaling second-hand smoke.

Those were the days, when you'd sit too close to the person next to you, armed with good luck charms and the coloured dauber of choice.

Yelling "Bingo!" was a high honour that would be shared and jeered by the others in attendance at the game.

With the aid of technology, a new way to play brought us closer to our television sets and away from the crowded bingo hall.

Of course, the fall of the bingo hall could also be attributed to the laws about smoking cigarettes in public places as well.

Without the luxury of lighting up in front of their cards, people seemed to favour being in the comfort of their own home instead.

I've been to some home-games where a group of people will gather and sit on the floor, with a slab of plywood or stiff cardboard to post their cards on.

People love the chance at the big money and there is no doubt it's still a strong social event.

Over the years, it started becoming apparent that this town loved bingo and wanted every chance to play it, even if it meant there was a bingo being held every night.

After talking with Mayor Derek Lindsay about the introducing the Wednesday night bingo ban in 2004, it seemed like the community found it's break from the grip of bingo.

Of course, there were adjustments to the hosting schedule of the bingo games and growing pains were felt by those community groups who depended on that extra game a week.

Inuvik remains bingo-free for two nights of the week, Sunday and Wednesday.

That Wednesday night spot will prove valuable for any community group looking to host a meeting without the distraction and low turnout from a high-stakes jackpot.

Back when our middle-of-the-week bingo games were still on, the Ladies Auxiliary held the games, for many years. When the night was taken away, I can imagine it caused them a bit of stress.

Now, as always, the Ladies Auxiliary is taking another one for the team, this time by giving up three months of their weekly bingo time slots, to be awarded to another deserving group.

That is what bingo is all about, the generosity. Despite what some might say about the tight hold of gambling addictions, the game of bingo has been a good thing for a lot of people in our town.

Sports teams, various community groups and our youth all benefit from those games.

Not to mention the winners of those gigantic jackpots. They're the happiest participants of all.

The most time I spent in family hall during those old bingos was running in to see my grandma, hoping she'd win some door prize to bring home for me.

Last week the territorial government and the NWT's three diamond mining giants - BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and De Beers Canada - announced their commitment in writing "to attract skilled workers and their families to become residents of the Northwest Territories."

Their agreement includes a number of cost-saving measures for the mining companies, such as having employees share flights and joint agreements with Aurora College, rather than separate programs.

There was also a commitment to train and hire locally. This is an important point as it was revealed in the legislative assembly in October that more than 3,000 mining employees routinely fly in and out of the territory, taking more than $300 million out with them every year.

Unfortunately, the memorandum of understanding ignores a major barrier to living in the NWT: housing.

Low vacancy rates and extraordinary housing prices make flying in/out an obvious option for workers and the companies that employ them. The government must ensure affordable housing is available for workers.

Otherwise such agreements amount to nothing more than vague promises that will do nothing to retain a skilled workforce ready to build the NWT.

The Yk Chamber of Commerce has suggested a $10,000 grant for new and existing residents to use towards a mortgage, forgivable after five years for newcomers.

This would generate more property tax and income taxes. The government should act on this idea to encourage workers to put down roots here.

My how the worm has turned.

I have written a number of times that minority governments do not last long in this country, but seven weeks is a whole different animal.

Little did federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty realize when he delivered his fiscal update this past month that he could be firing the first salvo in a string of political attacks that could rip this country apart.

And how ironic is it that Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the man who tried to team with NDP leader Jack Layton to topple former prime minister Paul Martin in 2004, now faces a similar dilemma brought on by the formation of the NDPLiberal coalition backed by the Bloc Quebecois.

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean's decision to suspend Parliament until Jan. 26 has a number of far-reaching ramifications, at the heart of which is democracy itself.

Yes, Canadians voted in 163 members of the NDP, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois combined this past election, but each of those parties had fewer seats than the 143 Tories who were elected.

The coalition taking over the governance of this country would not be democracy's finest hour.

The scariest issue of all concerning this stomach-churning change of events, is how quickly the focus shifted to the separatist movement.

This whole situation could, quite rapidly, evolve into an emotionally charged battle of English versus French.

The Bloc promised to keep separation off the table for 18 months in its support of the coalition, but this is politics we're talking about.

The Liberals were aghast when Harper struck his deal with Layton to try and oust Martin, but look who's leading the charge now.

So how much faith can we really put into words, especially from a party that once believed the ethnic vote struck down its attempts to become a separate nation?

The problems facing the North have become very, very small potatoes right now, no matter how this shakes out during the next seven weeks.

The coalition, which would comprise six NDP and 18 Liberals in a 24-member cabinet, would not be a good thing for this nation.

Central Canada would be in crisis, the West would be outraged, the East confused (still) and the North irrelevant should it come to pass.

Unfortunately, the chances of Harper waking up to realize he has to work with Parliament in a minority government before the Tories table their federal budget on Jan. 27 are slim.

That would leave the only alternative being a call for yet another federal election.

As costly and distasteful as that may be to many Canadians, it would give us a chance to vote knowing it was a battle between a Tory majority or coalition rule.

If the rhetoric between the parties doesn't change quickly, this situation has the potential to turn very ugly and deeply divide Canada.

In fact, the Tories' blunder with its fiscal update in November may prove itself to be the biggest weapon handed Quebec's separatist movement since the Meech Lake Accord.

If ever there was a time this country needed a shot fired over someone's bow to stop the lunacy, it's now.

Where's Brian Tobin when you really need him?