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Cigarillos have become trendy among Canadian youth - and Yellowknife is no exception. The same size and shape as cigarettes, they come in sweet, fruity flavours and have catchy names.

The Alberta/NWT division of the Canadian Cancer Society's (CCS) latest campaign aims to turn people - particularly young smokers - away from cigarillos.

One brand of cigarillos, Prime Time, is sold individually, retailing at less than $2 per cigarillo. With the low price, plus packaging that somehow escaped Health Canada's warning signs, they are an attractive alternative for youth who don't want to - or can't afford - an entire pack of cigarettes.

Qui Phon, owner of Reddi-Mart on 50 Street, said the cigarillos are kept behind the curtain with all other tobacco products. She said as far as she knows, youth haven't been into the shop looking for them.

But somehow these products - which come with no warnings - are still making their way into the hands of under-aged Yellowknifers.

Now, these youth aren't stupid.

They know the risks involved with smoking. But with a product like Prime Time cigarillos, packaged like candy and as cheap to buy, it's easy to underestimate the risks involved.

Why are there large, graphic images of cancerous lungs and rotten teeth on packages of cigarettes but nothing visible on cigarillo packages?

Health Canada needs to treat all tobacco products equally and ensure prominent warning labels appear where they are needed - on ALL cancer causing tobacco products.

Even if one doesn't believe in climate change, it's hard to imagine even the most gas-guzzling of drivers will continue running their vehicles needlessly for hours at a time after all the carbon-neutral talk.

There are two reasons for that: First, the horrible shock last year when gas pump prices in Yellowknife pushed past $1.60 a litre.

Secondly, because of city council's efforts to beef up the city's idling bylaw.

Even if some drivers disagree with council, people are bound to think before letting their vehicle sit there and belch away their hard-earned dollars.

Coun. Kevin Kennedy recently asked municipal enforcement whether it was possible to attach information about greenhouse gas emissions and idling impacts to warnings bylaw officers tack onto idling vehicles. Such information will probably do more to reduce idling than the threat of tickets.

It remains to seen how issuing fines will result in compliance when it's -40 C. Enforcement will not be easy. How many people have been fined for littering under the littering bylaw? We do expect more drivers will avoid wasting gas when it's say, only -20 C.

Kennedy complains that the warnings look too much like parking citations. That's not a bad thing. People will be grateful to discover it's just a warning. That will encourage them to take note they were caught idling. To avoid a real in ticket in future, they had best to turn that ignition off.

It's not often we use this space for a little told-you-so, but in this case we're willing to make an exception.

It was only a few short years ago I wrote in this space that it wouldn't be long before the Northwest Passage became a viable - and ultra-lucrative - shipping lane, which would add as much value to our tundra turf as the riches in gas, oil and minerals believed to be under us.

A day was coming when sabres would rattle and hard-hitting questions would arise concerning Canada's claim to the Arctic.

The number of readers took the time to guffaw at my notion on the passage, while even more let me know the international community recognizes Canada's claim to the Arctic and its waters.

Today, federal Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon tells us our Arctic sovereignty is under no threat, even if some guy named President George W. Bush took a swipe at our claim as one of his final acts as leader of the most powerful military nation on the planet.

Then there's the European Union, which certainly hasn't been acting like it recognizes, let alone supports Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic lately.

Our friendly neighbours to the south have long felt the Northwest Passage is open to all, and they've been eyeballing energy resources in the Arctic for just as long.

Now Mr. Bush wants to see the States increase its presence in the North.

But no worries, says Cannon, because the good old U.S.A. still asks for permission before entering our waters.

Then again, vampires have to wait for an invitation to enter a home too.

The European Union shares the U.S.A.'s opinion on the passage and wants access to Arctic resources decided by agencies, not by anything so mundane as simply living here.

But there's still nothing to worry about, as we're going to have a sit down and lay out the what's-what with the U.S.A., Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark and a big cuddly bear named Russia which isn't in hibernation anymore.

And, don't forget, it wasn't all that long ago we sailed out to a couple of little frozen islands in warships way more powerful than the average American canoe and brazenly planted our Canadian flag (that ought to show them, eh?).

The feds have to stop the wishful thinking and step up Canada's efforts to protect our Arctic sovereignty, both with an increased military presence and by investing more in Nunavut and the NWT.

In case the feds haven't noticed lately, our world is in resource, economic and political turmoil these days. Simply having a relative few thousand of us hearty souls living in the neighbourhood just won't cut it anymore.

We need to get bigger and stronger in the North, and we need stronger industrial ties to the south - and we need them soon. If not, the annual sealift may take on a whole different meaning.

And we may have difficulty understanding our new Northern kinsfolk, what with their European accents, southern drawls and all.

Maybe it's time for the feds to seriously rattle that around for a while.

Growing awareness of the Commission for Public Complaints - the civilian body that investigates the RCMP - is causing more complaints to be filed against Canada's police force.

That is not a knock against the RCMP, it is a kudos to the commission for getting the word out. Obviously, civilian complaints against the RCMP have to be investigated to the same high standards the RCMP apply to cases in which they are not involved, including the presumption of innocence.

However, many legitimate complaints are brought before the commission, such as incidences as the conduct of the officer who Tasered a 15-year-old girl at the Arctic Tern facility in Inuvik.

Whether the action was justified isn't at the core of the debate, although it should be. Instead, we are left fighting for better oversight. We continue to urge legislators to make changes to ensure unbiased investigation into RCMP conduct and procedure.

The solution is simple: Give the commission the power to enforce its recommendations and the jurisdiction to investigate all complaints against the RCMP.

RCMP officers are human. Humans have a natural tendency to protect their own and police forces are very tight organizations. Until the force is using robots to conduct investigations, there will always be a real risk of bias and at the very least the perception of bias.

For the public to trust that complaints have been handled properly, the rulings will have to come from somewhere other than the RCMP.

It is no secret that NWT power rates contribute to the high Northern cost of living. Despite residential subsidies, rates paid by businesses such as grocery stores are passed on to the customer.

In a recent comparison of diesel power rates, Northland Utilities is consistently cheaper than the NWT Power Corp.

The Power Corp. cited a few reasons for the discrepancy including administration costs, more staff - NTPC has a staff member in every community - and aging equipment.

The fact that NTPC provides employment to Northerners is a solid example of benefits to Northerners , but changes have to be made.

One of the reasons increased power rates was the fact usage across the territory fell. So customers trying to exercise environmental and financial responsibility were rewarded with higher utility bills. To add insult to injury the Power Corp. continued to dole out $600,000 in bonuses to executives and senior staff.

Essentially, we are being held hostage by an essential service -- we can't simply stop using power. Additionally, publicly owned utility companies don't have to entice customers and can simply continue to raise rates to meet bloated corporate needs.

The current economic crisis shows that corporate-executive greed has been the downfall of numerous "super-power" businesses. Had companies focused more on serving customers, upgrading infrastructure and operating lean and efficient -- instead of padding executive wallets -- some might not have folded.

The Power Corp. has become a hungry hydra - a beast of many heads - and the NWT cannot afford to continue to feed it at the present rate.

This particular hydra has three hungry heads: One mouth devouring our money through increased rates; the second through increased taxes caused by rising subsidies; and the third when businesses raise product prices to cover rising overhead costs.

Time to cut off a couple of heads.

In the 1950s, the Government of Canada relocated families from northern Quebec and Pond Inlet to several new High Arctic settlements, including Resolute and Grise Fiord.

There were a number of reasons the federal government moved these families. One was the overpopulation and resulting poor hunting around Inukjuaq on the Ungava peninsula. Another was the government's desire to reinforce Canada's sovereignty over the High Arctic islands in the face of competing claims by Norway and Denmark and the presence of the U.S. military.

Families from Inukjuaq, below the 60th parallel, were moved high above the Arctic Circle, accompanied by a few families from Pond Inlet whose task it was to help the more southern Inuit make a living from their new landscape.

In moving these families, government administrators failed to consider that a key to Inuit survival in the Arctic is generations of accumulated knowledge about the land they travel - the landscape and its landmarks, its seasonal fluctuations, and its wildlife.

The government acknowledged the four months of darkness in winter so high above the Arctic Circle but told the Inuit there were plenty of animals to hunt and promised that after a year or two, if they so desired, they could return home.

That was more than 50 years ago.

Now, according to the 2006 census, 141 people call Grise Fiord home. Resolute has a population of 230. Both communities have family connections to Pond Inlet, stemming from the relocation and the return of some residents to their original communities in the late 1980s.

But Unaalik Air recently cancelled direct scheduled flights between Resolute and Pond Inlet. Where travel between the communities used to take about an hour and cost around $500, now people must fly to Iqaluit to catch a connecting flight back to the other community, adding at least eight hours and $1,000 to their trip.

This is a ridiculous situation.

The communities of Grise Fiord and Resolute exist at the behest of the federal government. Their residents cope with conditions harsher than anywhere else in the Canadian Arctic - four months of darkness and temperatures that rarely creep above freezing even in summer - which is why no one chose to live there permanently until the government put them there.

Ausuittuqmiut and Qausuittuqmiut deserve to be able to afford to visit their relatives in Pond and northern Quebec and the federal government should subsidize scheduled flights between the communities. Anything less and the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik should take up the fight for what's right.

City council took its first sensible step towards overhauling its regulations on taxis this past Monday, when they voted to allow the market to determine the number of taxis that work city streets.

Regulating the number of taxis on the streets makes little sense. Even though taxis provide an important public service, it should not be up to the city to run the industry. The city's responsibility is public transit - a bus system that has so far proved to be woefully inadequate to serving the transport needs of Yellowknifers. The city must focus on improving this rather than having to deal with the shenanigans of cab companies and drivers who keep coming back to city council with complaints about how their industry should or should not function.

Recent meetings between city officials, cab drivers and taxi company representatives show that discord exists between the drivers - who claim that earning a living driving cab is becoming too much of a struggle - and taxi companies who appear to want to increase profits for themselves at the expense of drivers. Indeed, deregulating the population of taxis in town would appear to be to the taxi companies' advantage. But if the city transforms the bus system into one more suited to the city and climate, as it should, any negative effects that opening the taxi market could have on quality of service to the public would not be an issue. The public would have the choice between taking a cab across town, or a bus for one-tenth the price.

Granted, taxi service is an indispensable service in a city where cold winters show no mercy to petrol-fuelled vehicles. Residents need a prompt, reliable transportation service.

Focused rules must be established - ones that ensure the public can expect decent service from the two cab companies, and that cab-driving will be maintained as a viable profession run by drivers who measure up to high standards.

The city's proposals for its new bylaw on taxis appear to be in keeping with these goals. These include criminal checks restricting drivers with criminal convictions, having taxis use uniform colours, and importantly, restricting the number of licences an individual can possess.

A next important move, one which city council has yet to consider, will be to deregulate taxi fares. If the market can decide how many taxis can operate on our roads, it can also decide fares - which have been another source of discord among cabbies. It should be up to cab companies to set rates that Yellowknifers are ready to pay, and up to cabbies to decide how much their companies must charge to keep their profession viable.

For part of an afternoon students in Kakisa were hockey stars.

On Jan. 12 all six students at the Kakisa Lake school bundled up against the cold and went outside to play a game of street hockey. Staff from the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the Northwest Territories organized the game as part of their Fun on Ice program.

The program is delivered around the territory in communities that don't have indoor ice rinks. Usually the afternoon hockey game is played on an outdoor rink but in Kakisa, where mechanical difficulties have delayed flooding of the rink, they had to resort to using a snow-covered street.

Despite the lack of ice the students were, by all accounts, delighted to be outside playing hockey. From the oldest to the youngest, all of the students picked up a hockey stick and focused on the game.

The students' enthusiasm is a great reminder that a lack of infrastructure doesn't mean that residents of smaller communities can't enjoy the same sports that are available in larger centres. In the Deh Cho all it takes is a bit of determination and the will to make it happen.

Streets and outdoor rinks are places where youth and adults alike have a chance to get excited about a game of hockey, a sport that so many people enjoy.

It doesn't mean, however, that it will be easy.

Shovelling snow off of an outdoor rink is hard work and temperatures are always colder outdoors than in an enclosed arena.

The effort, however, is worth it.

The Fun on Ice program has also demonstrated that sports are a great way to get families involved in an activity together. The evening hockey games that are held as part of the program are a big hit in communities.

Seeing parents out playing with their children is really neat, according to Greg Hopf, the assistant director of the Sports Circle.

The program has shown that if adults make the effort to set up sports facilities, like outdoor rinks, the youth will come. The chance to play with family and community members adds even more of a draw.

Although all adults would likely prefer to play hockey in an indoor rink, the basic tenants of the sport are what have to be kept in mind.

Hockey doesn't have to be about fancy gear, professional teams, year-round ice or even about winning, although the occasional victory can be nice. At its basic level hockey is just an excuse to have fun, wear off some energy and engage in some friendly competition.

Only three communities in the Deh Cho have indoor ice rinks but every community has the chance to engage in winter sports like hockey - to the benefit of all residents.

Years ago, Inuvik used to have two airports. The in-town airport would service the smaller planes that fly to the outlying communities.

That space, located near the East Channel of the Mackenzie River was also a good spot to hold a fireworks display.

For years, the people of Inuvik would gather at the site, huddled around bonfires, waiting for the sky to light up with red, blue, green and other bright colours.

Since then, the location for the fireworks display has changed. I've been to a demonstration on Twin Lakes, the river and the old airport.

Most recently, the town moved the show to its current venue at the golf course.

While I can see the merit of moving the event to a location that is easier to access by vehicle and is a great open space, it makes it hard for those families on the west end of town who don't have a vehicle.

These cold days can wreak havoc on someone who is outside without proper winter gear on.

I saw a lot of well-dressed people while I was out snapping photos of the fireworks.

It was hard to tell who I was talking to because of the heavy bundles of scarves, hats and hoods.

I felt unprepared, because it seemed like it was only a few minutes before I was cowering back into the warmth of a running vehicle.

One argument I heard over the last week was the current location isn't level with the rest of the town, making it harder for people to see the show from their homes.

In previous locations, the show could be seen from anywhere in town.

Now the show can be seen from parts of the community, but the visibility can be blocked by tall buildings.

After leaving this year's event, I could still hear the cracking and screaming of the fireworks as they exploded in the night sky.

For safety reasons, I see why the new location works so well, because it gives the technicians enough space between them and the audience, in case something goes wrong.

It's better to be safe than sorry in that type of situation. It also works out because the types of fireworks being used are best seen from a distance.

It looks like over the years, the people that organize the event saw the need for a larger area, like the golf course.

It may be a hassle for those people who walked out to see the show, but at least the bonfires were huge.

The Inuvik volunteer fire department needs to be thanked for another successful Sunrise Festival.

Without their support and hard work, none of it would be possible.

Looking around the fire that night, I was envious of the firefighters, because they had the best gear for the cold.

In the end, it was a good gathering with many smiling faces. It didn't seem to matter that this year's event was back to the regular budget; it was enjoyed by all.