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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.

When death strikes a family it is a difficult time and funeral arrangements are often stressful and emotional ordeals.

In NWT communities that stress can at times be compounded by the fact many communities do not have appropriate facilities to handle the bodies of the recently deceased.

Recently our sister paper, Nunavut News/North, published an article involving people who were concerned about the fact many communities were storing the recently deceased in garages and community freezers -- at times placing dead loved ones next to food caches.

Many of our smaller Northern communities lack a lot of amenities afforded to central hubs such as Yellowknife and Hay River. While fast food restaurants, box stores and even roads aren't necessities, there are some services that should be considered essential.

The death of a loved one is an emotional time and people want the comfort of knowing the bodies of their parents, grandparents, siblings and friends are treated with dignity and care.

Although we are sure that community officials endeavour to treat bodies with care and sensitivity, it is easy to understand how these alternative storage sites might seem callous.

In Norman Wells, Mayor Dudley Johnson says the community invested in two port-a-morgues - chilled, coffin-like units designed to prevent bodies from decomposing. Providing a place specifically designed for bodies restores a sense of respect and also alleviates concerns of sanitation, especially when bodies are kept near food stores.

One website for port-a-morgues lists the products at around $6,000 for a two-body unit. It seems a small price to pay. Communities should push the GNWT and the federal government to provide a program for purchasing such units for municipalities without funeral services.

The topic of electing our premier comes to the forefront of discussions every territorial election. Views differ and, at times, the debate is contentious and heated, especially when discussion turns to what a system with an elected premier would look like.

In the end, it comes down to democracy and accountability and which system would better serve those two sacred trusts. With that in mind, it is definitely an issue worth exploring. The interest in the public realm should highlight the need to bring those discussions into the legislative assembly. Dismissing it to simply stick with the status quo is a mistake. Research and public consultation is needed to answer the question definitively.

Put this question to your new or returning MLA: how should consensus government be changed so that a premier can be elected by the public?

Unless the GN forks more than $50,000, the motivation and ambition of 13 Nunavummiut who want to graduate from college will go ignored.

The environmental technology program offered through Nunavut Arctic College in Pond Inlet is currently without funding.

Baffinland, an exploration company that sold the massive Mary River iron ore deposit south of Pond Inlet earlier this year, has put an offer on the table to provide half the cost of the $100,000 program if the college can find another source of funding. One would think the territorial government would jump at a chance to provide 13 keen students in Pond Inlet with the college education they seek - $50,000 is not a huge price to pay.

For that matter, this should be on the radar of Nunavut MP Leona Algukkaq, minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. The amount of money needed to allow the program to proceed is less than the price of a high-end pickup truck.

In a territory where interest in education is low, and high school drop-out rates hover near an astounding 75 per cent, it's shameful the government wouldn't step in to make sure a successful program survives.

An idea shared by circumpolar police chiefs may be a perfect fit to help Nunavut deal with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, and poor living conditions - and all it would take is the odd meeting.

During the police chief meeting in Iqaluit last month, police Chief Dale McFee from Prince Albert, Sask., said his force brings together government health and social services officials, housing, and bylaw representatives, among other agencies, to discuss the various social problems affecting them. McFee said the results have been positive, seven months into the program.

Nunavut RCMP Chief Supt. Steve McVarnock said he hopes to establish the same sort of meetings in the territory.

To do this, he'll need support from the Department of Health and Social Services, the housing corp. and the municipal governments, and there is no reason for these agencies not to jump on board.

These groups deal with many of the same problems, and all have different perspectives on social issues as they all play unique but vital roles in dealing with them.

The knowledge they get from each other would undoubtedly give them a better picture of the addictions and mental health issues, among others, that can lead to violence, but these meetings could also help various professionals get to know each other, as it is no secret the territory has high turnover.

Setting aside a few hours a month to share perspectives and talk about issues would do some good for these agencies. Communication and co-operation invariably lead to good things.

It's understandable to feel like travelling by plane is unsafe with the latest air tragedy to strike Yellowknife last week.

Five Yellowknife residents have lost their lives in a little more than a month - all members of the city's small but vibrant airline industry. Several more have been injured.

That sort of pain and loss is difficult to absorb for a city this size.

Many people would have known someone on the First Air flight that crashed in Resolute Aug. 20, killing 12, or the two pilots of the Arctic Sunwest Twin Otter who, despite the best efforts of those on the ground to save them, did not survive last week's crash in Old Town.

That both accidents occurred so close to civilization, within minutes of their intended destinations, heightens our anxieties and intensifies our fears.

Indeed it's a miracle more people weren't hurt in the Arctic Sunwest crash, which, whether by pure chance or some last second heroics from the pilots, smashed into the ground between two buildings on a busy McDonald Drive.

But if anyone is concerned about airline safety in the North, and particularly whether floatplanes should be landing and taking off next to heavily populated areas like Old Town, they haven't brought those concerns to Yellowknifer.

Statistics show that air travel in the North is tremendously safe. According to a Statistics Canada report from 2009, Yellowknife has one of the 50 busiest air centres in Canada with 315,000 people getting on an aircraft or deplaning here every year. In 2010, close to 39,000 flights departed or landed here.

That so few accidents occur over our skies is a testament to the professionalism and dedication toward safety undertaken by our Northern air carriers on a daily basis.

Sadly, accidents do happen and will continue to happen. Air travel is a Northern necessity and always will be. Yet as reliable as Northern air travel is, it will never be 100 per cent safe.

We are left with two certainties after last week: the people on the ground, including Matthew Grogono of and Allan Shortt, who dodged downed power lines to pull people out of the still smoking wreckage, are heroes.

The second is that it will take time for this city's wounds to heal.

While that healing takes place, planes will continue to roar into the horizon, as they have done for decades to help build the city we know today.

Most learning in today's school system happens in classrooms.

Students sit at desk or tables and learn the standard curriculum of math, social sciences and language arts. To see youth really draw in knowledge, however, the place to be is at culture camps.

The recent culture camp for Wrigley kids is a case in point. For five days, 11 youths from Wrigley lived and learned at Fish Lake alongside 17 adults.

When it comes to having a conducive atmosphere for learning, you couldn't ask for better than Fish Lake. The lake itself is beautiful and right in front of the campsite there is a pebble beach.

Moving inland, the forest floor is springy underfoot and the McPherson tents the students stayed in were nestled between trees. The location exuded tranquility and calmness.

As for the subject matter, the normal school subjects weren't on the schedule. The youth, however, were learning. Every day they were picking up new knowledge about snaring, fishing, canoeing and living off the land.

Many students, when questioned by parents about what they did that day at school, respond with short answers that more or less say nothing much. At the camp, however, youths were able to list off their favourite activities and what they learned while doing them.

One student talked about learning how to clean fish by watching her grandmother, one of the elders at the camp, while another spoke of picking cranberries and then making jam. These and the other activities students learn about at the camps all have important cultural ties. The camps are classrooms for the transmission and continuation of cultural traditions.

Traditionally, children would have learned such skills and knowledge from family members or relatives. Today, however, many parents are either lacking the skills themselves or don't have the opportunity to take their children onto the land to pass them on.

Culture camps need to be supported because they are filling an important role in keeping this knowledge alive. As Albert Moses pointed out, many of the students respond in such a way to culture camps that you know they'll want to come back onto the land themselves when they are older. The camps allow community members to pass on knowledge such as where the best places to set fish nets in the winter are and the youths will be able to draw on that knowledge in the future.

Those who organize the camps deserve praise. The camps aren't easy to arrange and require meticulous planning if everything is to go off smoothly.

With the right support from communities, schools and parents, however, culture camps will continue to teach the Deh Cho's youth the knowledge that will ground them in the region, their history and their culture.

What people thinking of voting in an election want more than anything else are solutions.

Politicians know this and take advantage at times; that's where the oft-neglected election promises come into play. "We know this is a problem. We will solve it this way," the politicians say over and over again.

While the solutions don't always come into play, there is one good thing about these so-called promises. They show creativity and the ability to recognize problems and think about the next step. Sometimes it doesn't matter if the promises aren't made. The fact these politician-hopefuls have taken a stand on a certain issue, put thought into it and suggested a solution is very appealing.

What is not appealing, however, is the repetition of issues without these election promises or potential solutions. Everyone in Inuvik knows homelessness, mental health and addictions, education and the economy are problems here and throughout the territory. But what are these candidates going to do about it?

Where are the solutions? If we, the constituents, are going to elect any of these candidates into the legislative assembly, don't we deserve to know how they will solve these issues?

Some ideas have been bandied about in both interviews with the Inuvik Drum, a question-and-answer session at the Aurora College learning centre and the forum at the college as well.

Paul Voudrach has suggested creating a step between the homeless shelter and the NWT Housing Corporation for people ready to take that leap to independence.

Alfred Moses mentioned placing a mental health and addictions counsellor within the homeless shelter to help those living there.

Grant Gowans has an eye on education and wants to help move forward on the Children's First Society to create that much-needed early childhood education centre.

Chris Larocque wants to keep the economy moving with projects such as the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the fibre-optic link.

Next week, Inuvik Boot Lake will have a new MLA – one of these four men.

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