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Corrections officials in the NWT have pegged the aboriginal population in territorial jails at 86 per cent but suggest the true number may be higher.

As the federal government mulls its new tough on crime legislation, there are fears that mandatory jail time and longer sentences will further increase the large numbers of First Nations people behind bars.

NWT Justice Minister Glen Abernethy told the media he held similar concerns and discussed those with Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson back in December.

Following the meeting, Abernethy told the legislative assembly that Ottawa recognizes the unique circumstance in the NWT and will continue to discuss alternative justice options, diversion programs and alternative courts.

It is important Abernethy hold the federal minister to those words. Although jail sentences in the NWT have often been criticized as light, the courts must be allowed to take into account the social issues among the aboriginal population in the territory. Judges must also be mindful of our federal government's role in the destruction of First Nations identity and culture, a major contributor to the social ills that plague our communities.

Northern News Services' reporter Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison concludes her four-part series on the NWT's justice system in this edition of News/North. This instalment focuses on residential schools and how they factor into crime and punishment in the lives of aboriginal people. It's an issue that can spark heated debate but we must continue to recognize the residential school era did more than damage individual students, it harmed generations of an entire society.

Those who attended the schools were deprived of their culture, but more significantly were robbed of the nurturing influence of their parents.

Students who attended the government-run schools were forcefully institutionalized, akin to being jailed for a large part of their childhood.

Once allowed to return home, they were strangers among their own people, lacked the skills passed down from parent to child and did not have the tools to raise their own children. Although taught mathematics and how to read and write, they were robbed of the life-skills education that would allow them to function in society.

Residential school survivors found themselves lost and many turned to drugs and alcohol to cope, which eventually led to crime. Later, their children, nurtured by parents who knew nothing of the concept, suffered the same fate.

Further institutionalizing a population whose suffering began in an institution is not the answer. Early education, parenting programs and cultural programs are what they need early in life to prevent entry into the justice system.

For those who have stumbled into a life of crime, alternative justice programs focusing on education and culture will be more effective than spending more time locked away.

We all have choices and there must be consequences when we break the law and hurt those around us, but we must always remember that some people have grown up in environments where the concepts of right and wrong were skewed.

Unfortunately, when it comes to aboriginal people of Canada, our government created that negative environment and it must not forget its responsibility to deal with the wrongs it caused thousands of children and their children.

The Canadian government as part of the problem must also be part of the solution.

The key to hiring family is keeping bias out of the equation and that requires a good understanding of how damaging a perception of favouritism can be.

In small communities, often entrenched in family ties, it can sometimes be hard to avoid hiring a relative - positions need to be filled. As well, a family member may sometimes be the most qualified candidate.

If a girl or boy is raised in the same household as a businessperson, it's likely they could become familiar with the issues that business faces, and the way that businessperson deals with those issues. A sort of mentorship could happen that would result in the boy or girl having a good grasp of the core concepts of a workplace, and in the small job markets of Nunavut's communities, that could make them the right person for the job.

Where this falters is when hiring in-family becomes nepotism - favouring a family member's job application over that of a more qualified candidate.

Hiring should always happen on the merit of the application. Wherever possible, the people with the family ties should distance themselves from the application process. This should be common sense. It's essential the process not only be fair but appear to be fair to people outside the office.

If the best person for the job isn't hired because of nepotism, not only is it unfair to the person who has worked hard at building a good resume and is trying to break into a small job market, but it is plainly just a bad decision for the organization.

Without the best people on board, the job will not be done the best it can be.

This goes not only for private businesses, but government departments - and it's especially more pertinent in government because it's public money and service quality is on the line.

Nearly one month ago, the Nunavut Human Rights Tribunal heard allegations made by Peter Petaulassie against the Hamlet of Cape Dorset alleging nepotism. A decision was expected to be made by last week, but, as of press time, the tribunal told Nunavut News/North the decision is not yet in.

Whether the hamlet's actions constituted nepotism or not, Petaulassie was well within his rights to challenge what he viewed as nepotism and, in fact, did the right thing in doing so.

In communities where the few qualified candidates are likely connected to someone in a decision-making position, checks need to be in place to make sure nepotism is kept out.

And if it happens, people must challenge the hiring decision. Otherwise nepotism will happen more and more often.

There is no denying that Lloyd Thiessen meant well when he asked the city to install sidewalk ramps so students heading to school can avoid riding bikes on busy Franklin Avenue or Old Airport Road.

His request certainly appears to be in line with city council's vision of a bike and pedestrian-friendly city. In fact, the city has been steadily moving in that direction for years. In this year's budget, $500,000 has been dedicated toward ongoing "streetscaping" efforts on Old Airport Road, which includes a bike path so cyclists don't have to pedal among semi-trailers and pickup trucks while travelling down the street.

But Thiessen's request revealed that riding bicycles as they relate to sidewalks remains a grey area in the consciousness of city council and the public. Thiessen, who holds a seat on the city's Transportation Issues Committee, was one of only a handful of people to make presentations regarding the 2012 city budget last month. He asked council to fund the construction of sidewalk ramps - dropped corners - at five major intersections in the city that would allow cyclists to easily ride from street to sidewalk and vice versa without having to hop a high curb. He said the transportation committee has recommended the city do this back in 2007.

Unfortunately, no one at the budget meeting pointed out that riding bicycles - by anybody - on city sidewalks is illegal and punishable by a $2,000 fine and/or six months in jail.

Like the city's littering bylaw, it's a rule that gets broken regularly but is hardly, if ever, enforced. Most people simply take the practice for granted, particularly children on their way to school.

Still, council would find themselves in a pretty sticky situation should they ignore the rules by building sidewalk ramps with the expressed purpose of making it easier for cyclists to access sidewalks. The city likely wouldn't have much of a leg to stand if it declares an open season on sidewalks and a pedestrian is injured by a 15-year-old ripping along on his BMX, and that pedestrian sues.

It might be a different matter if these ramps were built to allow better sidewalk access for wheelchair users and parents with strollers. Certainly, there are many issues to consider.

It seems reasonable to allow children to ride bicycles on sidewalks if they are accompanied by parents, but it could be dicey to give them free rein without adult supervision.

The rules are all over the map when looking at other cities in North America. Toronto, for instance, allows cyclists to use sidewalks as long as the tire size is 61 centimetres or less. In Vancouver, cyclists are banned from most sidewalks. Council will have to carefully consider what works best for Yellowknife if it was to ever consider changing the rules here.

In his New Year's message David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada, expounded on at topic that is worthy of note.

Johnston called on Canadians to encourage volunteerism and philanthropy. Johnston said that more than 80 per cent of Canadians make some kind of financial donation to a worthy cause every year and some 12 million Canadians spend over two billion hours volunteering.

As Canada approaches its 150th anniversary in 2017, Johnston called on Canadians to imagine a smarter, more caring Canada, where giving in all its forms, including time, talent and altruism, becomes a more integral part of our daily lives -- part of being Canadian.

This message happens to fit perfectly with the main article in this edition of the Drum. On page 3 you can read about how two young women from Fort Simpson each spent six months of 2011 volunteering.

Shannon Cazon and Amber Erasmus both participated in an exchange program run by Canada World Youth. Both women gave of themselves to the communities they called home for half a year.

In Palca, Peru, Erasmus helped make non-electric stoves and fridges out of adobe bricks to help improve the lives of families. In the Uvikiuta Compound in Tanzania, Africa, Cazon helped to improve the public library and teach English to students.

Having returned to Fort Simpson, both women speak about how much their volunteer work meant to the communities they lived in. Their volunteerism, however, not only helped those communities but also led to positive changes in themselves.

Both women have similar messages about how much they learned about themselves during the program and how much they grew as individuals. Erasmus and Cazon's experiences highlight the benefits of having local youths participate in exchange programs such as Canada World Youth or Northern Youth Abroad, but also contain lessons for us to learn here in the Deh Cho.

Volunteering at any age is important.

Volunteers give so much to the communities they serve. Without volunteers Deh Cho communities wouldn't have winter carnivals, art festivals, sports teams and events, cadets or Girl Guide groups, just to name a few examples. The region would be a far less interesting place without volunteers.

Volunteering also comes with benefits for the people who choose to do it. They get to give something back to their community, interact with different people and have the knowledge that they've helped others.

As 2012 starts, we should all take up David Johnston's challenge and volunteer a bit more. The Deh Cho will be an even better place to live as a result.

When you're from Inuvik, or start calling the place home, it's near impossible to avoid questions about what the town is like.

How cold is it? How dark is it? Did you have seal and polar bear for Christmas? What do you wear when you go outside?

These questions are pretty easy to answer, but the hardest one I find is, "What is Inuvik like?"

I had always considered my Canadian history and geography lessons in school to be pretty comprehensive – that is, until I actually came up here and realized I knew next to nothing.

That's why, when Flat Stanley arrived in the mail last month, I was determined to show him everything the North had to offer.

For those of you who never read the book in school, Flat Stanley is the story of a young boy who, after being flattened by a bulletin board, visits his friends by mail.

The tradition now, often as part of a class project, is to send off your own Flat Stanley to somewhere far away and exotic, and have him return home with photos and souvenirs.

My eight-year-old sister, who attends school south of Vancouver, was put to the task of mailing off Stanley – and this is how he came to arrive in my post office box in Inuvik.

For weeks I brought the cardboard cutout with me everywhere. Stanley went to the ski club, the swimming pool, the curling rink and the arena, the river and the bush. He even went to Stanton's to pose with expensive milk.

What I found was the hardest part of playing tour guide was knowing that however many pictures I took, I would never be able to convey how the people here in town come to be your family.

I sent my eight-year-old sister a pair of miniature mukluks for Stanley, as well as some caribou buttons and a certificate saying he passed the Arctic Circle, but I couldn't send her that caribou smell you so often experience when visiting a new home, or any of the corn meal dust that fills the air during a square dance.

The best I could do were some photos and souvenirs – but that's still more of a Northern education than I ever got.

There is no question that the move by the Stanton Territorial Health Authority to go 100 per cent tobacco-free and ban smoking on all hospital property effective Feb. 14 is a politically correct initiative.

There is something wrong with seeing patients wearing parkas over their hospital gowns huddled outside the doors to get their nicotine fix. Then there is the question of patients in the psychiatric ward who tie up valuable hospital staff time because they required an escort to go outside for a cigarette. In some cases, the escort is needed to ensure the patient does not leave the hospital property because they are deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others.

Stanton is just one of numerous hospitals across Canada to ban smoking anywhere on its property, rather than providing a designated smoking area several metres from entrance doors or fresh-air vents.

But there are several unique facts that makes the Yellowknife hospital different than others.

The NWT has one of the highest rates of tobacco use in the country. Statistics suggest that 36 per cent of residents in the NWT smoke, twice the national average.

Another unique factor is the climate. Forcing patients to leave the hospital property in order to smoke a cigarette could result in sick people going into the woods behind the hospital, or across the parking lot in sub-zero temperatures. Besides the obvious negative affects of smoking, exposure to the cold can't be a healthy thing.

And there is no doubt that some patients, visitors and even some staff members who are addicted to nicotine will still sneak a smoke on hospital grounds and risk being caught by security.

That said, as the largest health-care facility in the NWT, Stanton has a responsibility to make a strong statement against smoking. Health authority CEO Kay Lewis said, "We are doing a great job at treating diseases caused by tobacco, but what are we doing to prevent them? The new policy sends a clear message that tobacco use has no place in an institution dedicated to healing."

Recognizing the highly addictive nature of nicotine, Stanton is offering nicotine replacement therapy products to patients and encourages them to tackle their addictions.

Despite the high number of smokers in the North, and the frigid temperatures during winter months, Stanton's initiative is really about promoting healthy living.

And even smokers will agree that tobacco use is harmful to people's health.

It appeared to be a Merry Christmas in Yellowknife indeed. Retailers, including those selling large ticket items such as snowmobiles, are reporting heavy sales in the lead-up to Christmas.

"We haven't seen this type of enthusiasm since 08/09," said Gord Olson, owner of Polar Tech Recreation, one of Yellowknifer's main snowmobile dealers.

Whether last month's shopping spree is a sign the recession is over or that Yellowknifers are just tired of waiting for it to end and are spending in spite of it, the shopping spree is further proof that Yellowknife is still a good place to do business and spend money.

It's hard to imagine someone buying a $14,000 snow machine in Yellowknife if they weren't confident they will get good service for it.

And even with the proliferation of online shopping, Yellowknife merchants can count on people being leery of using such long-distance services, especially as Christmas drew closer and lineups at the post office grew longer.

A recent Ipsos Reid survey reported that 2011 - despite all sorts of turmoil going on outside our borders - was a good year among 74 per cent of Canadians polled. No doubt some of that optimism can be found here, and has made its way under our Christmas trees.

Yellowknifers might not feel so generous after the holiday hangover has passed and the bills start showing up in the mail, but we hope shopping local is more than just a Christmas tradition.

With the dawn of a new year comes the hope of prosperity for Nunavut in 2012.

Here in the Kivalliq hope runs high for the Meliadine Gold Project in Rankin Inlet to move closer to reality, and for Arviat tourism to take a giant leap forward in attracting clients to the beauty of the community and its surrounding areas.

Many eyes are also on the continued mineral exploration near Baker Lake, and the ongoing efforts of Areva Resources to, one day, have the Kiggavik Project accepted and become a uranium ore mining and milling operation near Baker.

The new year will also see the long-awaited healing centre/correctional facility open in Rankin, while lobbying efforts continue in Coral Harbour to have a healing and counselling facility approved for that community.

On the flip side, many folks will have their attention fixed firmly on Nunavut's capital for signs of another territorial election being called in 2012.

The majority of Nunavummiut will also be watching the capital for signs of the Government of Nunavut finally getting its financial house in order, and hoping we can get through 2012 without any elected officials finding themselves in legal hot water.

Many eyes in the region will also be cast in the direction of the Kivalliq Inuit Association, where new blood was voted in this past month with the election of David Ningeongan as president.

It was a bold move by Kivalliq beneficiaries, who felt it was time for new ideas and a fresh perspective, and we sincerely hope Ningeongan is up for the challenge.

Hopes are also high for Nunavut entries at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) in Whitehorse, Yukon.

A number of sports employed different approaches to selecting their AWG teams this time around, and only time will tell if their decisions bear fruit in the form of an increased number of Ulus brought home by our athletes.

Also, on the sporting front, Rankin will be hard pressed in 2012 to match the success of the 2011 First Air Avataq Cup senior men's hockey championship.

Arviat is facing a number of challenges concerning its Jon Lindell Memorial (JLM) senior men's hockey championship, as well.

The community's hockey program was delayed by equipment problems during an upgrade to the local arena, pushing the date of the JLM back a month from its original start date of Jan. 19.

The organizing committee is hoping to use the incredible success enjoyed at the 2011 JLM to attract more communities to this year's event.

Hopefully, the unforeseen problems at the arena won't scuttle their chances of success.

Personally, I'm into my 14th year at the helm of Kivalliq News and look forward to serving the region for another year.

As always, I'm extremely indebted to those in the communities outside of Rankin who take the time to send me photos and keep me up to speed on what's happening in their towns.

I look forward to growing our relationship in 2012 and keeping the Kivalliq News a publication the majority of folks in the region are proud to call their own.

Best wishes of success and prosperity to one and all for the upcoming year.

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