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While many Yellowknife voters couldn't be bothered to get off the couch to exercise their democratic right during the Oct. 3 election, most NWT communities made their voices heard last Monday.

Voter turnout in the capital was an anaemic 34.2 per cent while the rest of the territory seemed more engaged with 60.6 per cent of voters casting a ballot.

Where not a single Yellowknife riding was able to muster more than 40 per cent of the electorate to the polls, only two of the 10 contested community ridings were below 50 per cent. Ridings such as Monfwi and Inuvik Boot Lake had the highest turnout with 86.7 per cent and 83 per cent respectively.

As in past elections, most of the incumbents -- all but one -- were reelected. However, a few of those incumbents shouldn't see their re-election as an endorsement of their past performance but a second chance to prove they can do better.

Thebacha's Michael Miltenberger, who some have called a favourite for the next premier, not only squeaked back into his seat with an eight per cent margin over Peter Martselos, he won with less than 50 per cent of the vote -- only 43 per cent of his riding supported him; more than 77 per cent of Thebacha voters cast a ballot.

In Monfwi, Education Minister Jackson Lafferty edged out Bertha Rabesca Zoe who was hot on his heels all night on Oct. 3. He defeated his challenger by 61 votes - 10 per cent of the constituency - in the most engaged district this election.

Prior to the dropping of the writ this year, the legislative assembly was neck deep in hot-button issues, most of which stirred public dissent.

Devolution and the Wildlife Act were two of the most heated topics of discussion and mostly because the public felt a disconnect from its government.

Many argued public discussion was lacking and the consultation with aboriginal leaders and governments insulting.

Ironically, as much as our MLAs argue the value of consensus government, they seem to fail at trying to work toward agreements beyond the doors of the legislative assembly.

This next assembly has a lot of work ahead of it.

The Wildlife Act must be passed; a devolution deal needs to be forged in consultation with aboriginal governments whose land supplies much of our resource wealth; our regulatory regime must be simplified and long, outstanding board appointments made; and that is on top of the everyday responsibilities of ensuring quality education and health care.

It's time our MLAs learned from the mistakes of the past. If a Wildlife Act can't garner enough support to become law after 10 years of work, something is wrong.

There will be five new faces in the assembly this term and hopefully that will mean fresh ideas and a new way of doing things, a way that includes more respect for the people of the NWT and a willingness to bridge the gap between the GNWT and aboriginal governments.

Our government must stop spinning its wheels and remind itself who it works for and gauge their election report card not just on whether they won, but by their level of support as well.

For most people, bananas and toilet paper aren't exactly the first things that spring to mind when discussing Nunavut's growing business opportunities.

Those commodities were examples, however, provided by Hal Timar, executive director of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, when referring to supplying a future mine in the territory. The 6,000 employees at the Mary River iron ore site are going to need those items and many others. It's an opportunity for Nunavut entrepreneurs to get a piece of the rich pie by positioning themselves to distribute merchandise and services to the booming mining and exploration sector.

There's millions or tens of millions of dollars to be had for those who can capitalize on the needs.

This is the sort of direction that is provided each year through the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference, which was held in Iqaluit Sept. 27 to 29.

It's not just the mining industry that's represented, there are plenty of networking opportunities for artists, traditional food producers, tourism operators and others.

The show is actually struggling with its own success. This year attendance was up 10 per cent from its best previous year, with 400 delegates and 100 exhibitors. It's pretty well as large as Iqaluit can accommodate, according to Timar.

That's just one more challenge to overcome for Nunavut's crafty business minds.

Best known for her heavenly singing, Susan Aglukark used her voice to speak on behalf of students while in Iqaluit Sept. 27.

She advocated a homework program while speaking at a sparsely attended meeting in the capital city that evening. The idea is for volunteers and teachers to gather in a home once each week to give students a safe environment to do their homework. The program is called Kamajiit.

The initiative she is championing never caught the imagination of residents in Cambridge Bay or Rankin Inlet either.

While disheartened, Aglukark, who was raised in Arviat, is not showing signs of giving up on the program.

Persistence and determination can make all the difference in getting it off the ground - that and perhaps a little modification.

Instead of relying on teachers and volunteers - groups that are too few in number and stretched too far already - Aglukark should urge that older students act as mentors for their younger peers. This would give the elder students a sense of accomplishment that could be rewarded with school credits or even a modest honorarium.

It might also encourage a few promising youth to embark on a path to an education career.

"Commuting (by public transit) makes every bit of sense if it's practical" - city councillor Robert Hawkins, May 10, 2002.

The above quote from former city councillor, now thrice-elected Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, illustrates how long city officials have been wringing their hands over the lack of interest from residents in using public transit.

To boost ridership, Hawkins suggested the city offer it for free. That didn't go over well with fellow councillors though, who argued it wouldn't be fair for taxpayers to foot the entire bill, especially when the city was already subsidizing public transit to the tune of $200,000 a year.

Last year, the city's transportation improvement study - included in the city's recently unveiled 2010 draft General Plan - found that bus ridership in the city remained abysmally and consistently low at one per cent for those who commuted to work between 1996 and 2006.

The subsidy, meanwhile, has climbed to $700,000 a year - about 66 per cent of what the city budgets annually for public transit.

Clearly, the city's attempts to promote and encourage bus ridership are not working. It also doesn't make financial sense to operate a transit system that costs $3,684 a year per rider, if we are to use the transportation study's numbers.

This doesn't mean we should abandon public transit but having big, hulking buses lumbering around the city without any passengers is not consistent with city hall's portrayal of Yellowknife as "green city." Not only is it a waste of money, those huge buses are hard on our roads and the diesel fumes they produce can't be good for the environment.

The city ought to ask its contractor, Cardinal Coachlines, about putting smaller, more easy-to-fill buses on the road when it sits down to talk about contract renewal next year.

As for encouraging more ridership, Mayor Gord Van Tighem touches on a good idea with his suggestion that buses should be outfitted with GPS transmitters so riders can track their location online instead of waiting around in the cold for one should it be late. The tracking system could also be extended to automated phone lines or digital signage in bus shelters.

Our cold winters and inability to provide bus service more than every half hour or hour works against our transit system's appeal.

Knowing they don't have to wait when they head out the door to catch the bus will improve rider confidence, and hopefully the number of users will finally start to climb.

The election may be over but campaigning, unbeknownst to some voters, is just beginning.

Our newly elected or acclaimed MLAs, all 19 of them, now have the task of choosing a premier – all behind closed doors. It's up to voters to decide whether it's going to stay that way.

In a story published in News/North last month, readers learned a little bit more about what this process entails and, to be honest, it's not all puppy dogs and rainbows.

One incumbent called it "backroom shenanigans," describing the favours and secret alliances that happen in the weeks leading up to the secret vote for executive council.

"The public never knows what the nature of these discussions are. They're in the best interest of the member, not in the best interest of the public and that's the problem," said Dave Ramsay, who was re-elected in Kam Lake Monday.

Now that democracy has done its part, NWT voters are supposed to sit back and have faith our politicians will keep our best interests at heart once they're in the legislative assembly.

What I say is this: now that the politicians have a few weeks to mull over their vote, let your voice be heard.

Michael Nadli, who beat out Michael McLeod in the Deh Cho riding, and Kevin Menicoche, who beat out Bertha Norwegian in Nahendeh, did a great job at getting out to hear constituents' views in the months leading up to Oct. 3. Give them a call, send them an e-mail – heck, shoot off a fax – and tell them who you think should be steering the government for the next four years.

A premier and six cabinet positions need to be filled. Before the election, Michael Miltenberger, Jackson Lafferty and the three McLeods occupied these roles. Perhaps the most important appointment for voters in Deh Cho and Nahendeh is the minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Before the writ dropped on Sept. 4, Robert McLeod was overseeing the government's shelter policy review – an in-depth look at the state of housing in the NWT coupled with some proposed changes to the current program.

He was acclaimed in the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes on Monday and is heading into his second full term in the legislative assembly.

During the election campaign, housing was at the forefront in both Deh Cho and Nahendeh. Each candidate expressed a need for change, but the fact is the minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation holds most of the cards and the premier steers the ship.

We have no way of knowing who our MLAs choose for that important role and whether or not subsequent cabinet posts are traded for votes.

With in-house campaigns heating up, now is the time to change that.

Congratulations to all four candidates who ran in the Inuvik Boot Lake riding.

What a close election between Chris Larocque and Alfred Moses, with Moses coming out the winner by only five votes.

Grant Gowans and Paul Voudrach did not receive as many votes, but they deserve respect and acknowledgement for their efforts.

Living in Yellowknife likely hurt Inuvik-born Gowans, but he showed he knew the community and the issues and could put in the work. If he moved to Inuvik now and ran again in four years, who knows how the outcome would look.

Voudrach is also "from away," having lived most of his life in Tuktoyaktuk, except the past four years spent in Inuvik. He showed much passion and had some excellent ideas for homelessness and mental health addictions.

While Larocque may have had the lead coming into the election as Inuvik's deputy mayor, Moses slowly and surely pulled enough support around him to take the lead.

Moses may have benefited from the ennui of political and economic talk supplied by Larocque. Moses stimulated enough people to believe in his passion. By focusing on social issues and the health of the people and an eventual healthy economy, Moses appealed to both sides of the political spectrum.

To lose by five votes cannot be a good feeling and Larocque is likely thinking many should-haves and could-haves, but he definitely tried as hard.

One more fact to note is that all candidates campaigned in a fair and respectful manner, which may have been boring for the newspaper business, but was nice to see in reality.

Well done, gentlemen. You can rest easy that you worked hard and are respected.

Family violence awareness

From Oct. 2 to 7, organizations around Inuvik will work to increase awareness about family violence.

The territorial Family Violence Awareness Week has a theme this year to call on men to not only stop violence but to stand up against it. What a brilliant focus. Instead of alienating the men and focusing on the women, hopefully men, women and children can work together to stop abuse.

While women do need to know about safety plans, ways out and how to avoid situations in the first place, men need to know they are not all blamed and they can do a lot to stop gender violence.

The NWT Status of Women Council created a top-10 list of things men can do. These ideas include approaching the subject as a men's issue; don't remain silent if a male friend is abusing his partner; look inward and question your own feelings; and teach young boys to respect women.

Hopefully by looking at the problem of family violence from all sides, a solution can be found.

The campaigning is over, the votes have been counted and six winners are celebrating their electoral victories in Yellowknife as of Monday night.

Yellowknifer would first of all like to thank all 18 candidates who stood for election to represent our city in the 17th legislative assembly. It takes courage and a great deal of sacrifice to run for public office. Incumbents must defend their record; challengers must put aside their private lives and find a way to convince voters they're a better pick. It's not an easy task for anybody, and for that we applaud you.

But while the winners celebrate, we want to direct our seven MLAs, elected and acclaimed, to the task at hand, for there is much needed to be done in the four years ahead.

Yellowknife MLAs should waste no time voicing their support for a two per cent hotel occupancy levy, as recommended by the Yellowknife Hotel Association. The money this tax would provide would go toward the establishment of a convention bureau to boost Yellowknife as place for various groups to hold their conferences. The city will need every dime it can get in tourism dollars as we face the prospect of a double-dip recession.

Our Yellowknife MLAs also need to aggressively lobby the federal government for help to replace aging infrastructure in Northland Trailer Park, where close to 1,100 people live.

In addition, Yk MLAs must ask themselves why people here don't come out to vote. Turnout at the polls in Yellowknife this election was a dreadful 34 per cent - 23 points lower than last time, which was bad enough.

Many voters here clearly don't see any point voting in the territorial election. If Yellowknife-based MLAs hope to remain relevant with voters they must address this problem among themselves and with their colleagues outside the city where voter turnout is less of a problem. That might include a review of our consensus style government to ensure its working for everybody in the Northwest Territories.

Our government has a clean slate; our newly elected MLAs ought to make the best of it and waste no time getting started on the full workload ahead.

Bears wandering into Yellowknife and its outskirts is simply a reality.

If they find a food source, they'll stick around or return, and if that food source is leftovers at a campsite or garbage near a neighbourhood, that puts campers and residents at risk.

A mother bear and three cubs were killed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources near Prelude Lake in August, and bureaucrats put some of the blame on Prelude Lake residents for leaving garbage out and drawing in the bears.

A Prelude Lake resident, in turn, sent a photo to Yellowknifer showing several bags of garbage laying unattended in Prelude Lake Territorial Park, which is owned by the GNWT.

The North Slave regional superintendent for government parks said that instance was due to a particularly busy day, but a picture is worth 1,000 well-crafted denials. We all must be vigilant in making sure bears aren't enticed by garbage, which increases the odds that they become "nuisance" animals that must be killed.

That means the government must pressure park managers to keep parks maintained, and make sure proper garbage disposal methods are well-advertised.

It also means Prelude Lake residents must make sure they and their neighbours never leave food or garbage laying around. Their lives, as well as those of the bears, are on the line.

Like so many other things in life, education holds the key to empowering youth to stop being afraid of bullies.

Kudos to the teachers at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik (MUI) who are training with the Canadian Red Cross RespectED program this week.

Bullying can often be one of the more overlooked problems plaguing the youth of a community.

The reasons are varied, but one that continues to persist is the ill-guided perception that those who allow themselves to be bullied by others are somehow at fault.

The silly old-school thought still lingers that they are weak, lack courage or are just plain weird.

Even the bullies themselves, in far too many communities, aren't really looked upon as having serious behavioural problems.

People who don't - or who don't want to - understand the true nature of bullying, often regard bullies as simply being rough kids who are sometimes a little too aggressive or rambunctious for their own good.

However, in the vast majority of cases, nothing could be further from the truth.

Bullying often represents the first downward steps on a dark path leading to very ugly places.

Studies have shown youth, especially boys, identified as bullies in middle school are four times as likely as other youth their own age to have more than one criminal conviction by age 24.

They are far more likely to get involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour such as fighting, vandalism, truancy, dropping out of school, drug and alcohol abuse and smoking.

Bullies, at that age, usually exhibit a number of characteristics that are often recognized by anyone trying to discern if there's a deeper problem lurking beneath that overly-rambunctious attitude.

They often lack any genuine concern for others, have a strong need to dominate and quickly become enraged.

Bullies almost always pick on youth who are not as physically strong as them, and often intimidate others or commit acts of physical aggression.

They are also often aggressive and defiant when dealing with adults.

Kids who are being bullied often see themselves as living in a true nightmare.

They can be afraid to go to school and, when there, avoid spending time outside at recess or even being alone in a washroom or a hallway.

In fact, bullying can cause children to experience fear, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, physical illness, and in some cases even suicidal thoughts.

Here in the North, far too often their pain leads them to more than just thoughts.

Hopefully, the initiative started at MUI will give the youth in our community who need it, a way to fight back against those who cause pain for no other reason than because they can.

Bullying is a growing - yet, curiously enough, often hidden - problem in the Kivalliq.

In fact, truth be told, it's a problem most of our students know far more about than many of our adults.

Maybe this latest initiative at the community level will help others cast a light on the dark path of the bully, and brighten their own lives in the process.

Now that's a path worth taking.

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