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For more than four decades circumpolar nations have been gathering every two years to showcase and celebrate their athletics and cultures.

As Team NWT enters the final week of preparation for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, the anticipation is mounting. From March 4 to 10, all eyes will be on our athletes and performers, not only to revel in their performances but to see how they serve as ambassadors to their home communities and territory.

In 2010, following the games in Grande Prairie, Alta., Team NWT returned home laden with 107 ulus -- 31 gold, 28 silver and 48 bronze -- good enough for a third overall finish.

This year many athletes will strive to improve on that record, hoping to don an ulu during the award ceremonies. As exciting as victory is, officials at Sport North will not be measuring success in medals, but in team conduct -- sportsmanship being a more valuable currency than the reward for a top-three placement.

With that in mind, Doug Rentmeister, executive director with Sport North, has his sights set on this year's Hodgson Trophy, which goes to the contingent "whose athletes best exemplify the ideals of fair play and team spirit," according to the Arctic Winter Games website.

Since the inception of the award in 1978, Team NWT has won the honour twice, in 1992 and 1996.

Another measure of success has nothing to do with our performance at the events, but how well the team represents the demographics of the NWT.

In past years, Team NWT has successfully promoted more community involvement at the games. While the 21 communities represented at the games this year is fewer than in 2010, Rentmeister said the level of involvement from each community is significantly higher.

Whereas communities were sending one or two athletes to past games, Rentmeister said communities such as Fort McPherson and Deline have "tremendous" representation this year.

News/North looks forward to following Team NWT in Whitehorse and we salute the efforts of coaches, athletes, chaperons, volunteers and organizers whom have all made the event possible. The games have been and will continue to be a great way to promote and encourage sport participation in the NWT.

We also are encouraged by Sport North's plans to begin the selection process earlier. An earlier start date provides more opportunity for community athletes to travel to this prestigious event. Rentmeister said the goal, which is largely dependent on funding, will be to begin preparations for the next games as soon as these games end. Getting into more communities earlier will go a long way to not only increase representation but provide a goal for veteran and novice athletes alike to work toward.

During the week of the Arctic Winter Games, Northern News Services will be providing daily coverage of both Team NWT and Team Nunavut.

A lack of sports infrastructure in many communities might make Nunavummiut the natural underdogs in the fast-approaching Arctic Winter Games, but, in sport as much as anything else, ingenuity and heart trump all.

In 2006 in Alaska, Nunavut brought home 75 uluit. In 2008 in Yellowknife that figure went down to 67 medals and in 2010 in Grande Prairie, Alta., it dropped to 49.

Although Nunavut's athletes brought home fewer medals in 2010 than the previous games, that says nothing of our chances this year.

Even if we don't blow by the rest of the North in the medal count, as long as everyone is striving to meet personal bests, we'll have reason to celebrate.

In 2010, our competitors won uluit in ice hockey, many wrestling categories, in even more table tennis categories as well as numerous Arctic games.

Look at the Dene games team from Arctic Bay - the only such team from Nunavut - which started in 2004 and, in 2010, brought home gold, silver and bronze medals after facing teams from places like the NWT, where Dene games are more commonly practised.

When Nunavut's athletes put their minds to it, and put in that effort to master something that might be new to them, they will eventually get there.

There are some fantastic teams from Nunavut heading to Whitehorse next week, and there will be some great opponents from around the circumpolar world there waiting to take them on.

There will also be opportunities to explore Whitehorse and make new friends.

We want the athletes, coaches and parents to know that Nunavut News/North and indeed the territory, stand behind you no matter what medals are brought home.

We've seen the effort the teams have put forward to get this far, and no matter how many medals are earned, that progress can't be erased. It can only be built upon.

It surely must seem odd to some supporters of the Yellowknife Catholic school district that its board of trustees would risk so much to remove two of its most-liked and senior employees during an election year and as ratepayers are deciding which schools to support with their tax dollars.

It's a question we've asked ourselves. As our editorial on Jan. 27 pointed out, the board's penchant for controversy in recent years has hurt both its bottom line and enrolment numbers.

Although chair Mary Vane alluded to the board's dilemma with reporters afterwards, she didn't offer an explanation to the nearly 300 people who filled the St. Joseph School gymnasium Jan. 18. They wanted to know why the trustees intended to dismiss superintendent Claudia Parker and Johnnie Bowden, the Catholic district's assistant superintendent of learning and former long-time principal of St. Patrick High School.

The lack of information explains why even after the board backed down on three motions to terminate Bowden's contract and not renew Parker's, trustees found themselves backed into a corner yet again at last week's board meeting. Some people in attendance Feb. 15, including former Catholic board trustee John Dalton, called on Vane and vice-chair Gerda Hazenberg to resign.

Dalton's indignation has been well-documented but we wonder how much thought he and others who have been voicing their outrage as of late have given as to why the Catholic school board would go through all this grief to wind up in a worse position than it was at the start of this mess?

Although the Catholic school board hasn't been discussing these personnel matters in public, there is no evidence to suggest anything untoward is going on at all. The board may very well have had a good reason to want a change in administrative leadership but privacy rules prevent them from discussing the issue openly.

Board members surely did not run in the last election for great personal benefit. The board chair receives an annual honorarium of close to $10,000 a year; trustees get $7,500. In this city, a trustee is essentially a volunteer position.

The board should have handled this situation better but the fact that none of the seven board members have broken ranks on this issue tells us something about the seriousness of their resolve - albeit they buckled under relentless pressure from the public.

Vane herself said board members knew the issue would cause a "heartfelt impact."

Last week, Vane told Dalton and another protester, Dan Stockton, she would send them letters to answer to some of their questions. These answers may or may not work their way into the public sphere.

One thing is for sure, to have the chair and vice-chair, or the entire board resign as Dalton demanded at the Jan. 18 meeting, won't improve the governance of Yellowknife Catholic Schools from now until October's municipal election.

Perhaps Dalton and others unhappy with the way the board is being run feel they can do a better job. If so, they should allow their names to stand for a school board seat this fall.

The conclusion of a judicial review has added another layer to a complex situation unfolding in the southwestern portion of the Deh Cho.

Those who have been following the developments will be familiar with some of the basic details of the story. Back in July of 2008, Acho Dene Koe First Nation (ADK) in Fort Liard signed a framework agreement with the federal government allowing the First Nation to negotiate its own lands claim apart from the Dehcho Process.

The Nahanni Butte and Sambaa K'e Dene Bands raised concerns because the traditional lands of the three First Nations overlap. The two bands, who joined together to negotiate the issue, said it would be impossible for ADK to receive the settlement area Canada had offered including surface and sub-surface rights to 6,474 square kilometres, without infringing on some of their traditional lands.

Negotiations between the ADK and Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte to settle the issue between themselves soon broke down. Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte maintained that ADK didn't want to negotiate with them, a point that ADK denied.

For its part, ADK said the boundary of the traditional lands it had established couldn't be changed because it was created by community elders. The issue was further complicated by potential future usage of the land in question.

ADK has always been more favourable to oil and gas development, while Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake have sought to have portions of the overlapping land designated as protected areas through the Dehcho Process.

The issue moved into the courts last November when the Nahanni Butte and Sambaa K'e Dene Bands filed an application for judicial review of a decision by the minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada not to consult with them, despite a request for consultation, until after a an-agreement-in-principle was signed with ADK. Now a federal justice has ruled that Canada was indeed in the wrong and that the two bands must be consulted before an agreement is signed.

The ruling will undoubtedly put some of Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte's fears to rest but will do little to improve relations with ADK who will see their negotiations towards an agreement delayed as a result.

In a region where land and culture are intertwined and there is a lot at stake for all of the parties, it's unlikely that there will be a happy ending to this situation. No matter what consultation takes place and what final result emerges, at least one and possibly all of the parties will be upset and dissatisfied at the end.

The conclusion of the judicial review is a step forward but it will be a long, arduous path before the overlap situation is settled.

For an event as big as the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Cup, it is heartening to hear that the jam-packed hockey weekend went off without a hitch.

There were no brawls off the ice, and none too dirty on it. Security was present to extinguish any scuffles, and, if there were any, they subsided as quickly as they developed.

The RCMP said there were the same amount of incidents as a regular weekend, just with a few more people in town.

The growth in population was noticeable, from the colourful spread of trucks in the Midnight Sun Complex parking lot to tables filled at the Mackenzie Hotel for Sunday brunch.

This tournament was a great example of how successful the region can be when everyone supports their neighbouring towns.

People of all ages could be seen in the stands – older women and men in colourful parkas and little babies miraculously sleeping in their mothers' arms through the din of hundreds of people from all over the Beaufort Delta cheering on their teams.

The interesting circumstance at this particular hockey tournament was the synthesis of all the teams. A father from Tuktoyaktuk watched his son play for Northwind – Inuvik's champions. Family members would be rooting for cousins playing one against the other. The camaraderie and intermingling of all the communities involved was powerfully apparent.

The borders of a community in the Beaufort Delta do not end where the hamlet's or town's boundaries do.

Families spread throughout the region, making a hockey tournament such as the IRC Cup only aggressive when it came to skills on the ice, and the contest of clanging and cheering from the stands.

Tournaments sometimes bring out the worst in players and fans alike – emotions run wild when the stakes are high.

This past weekend, however, was more of a reunion of friends and family, a time for sharp skills to take to the ice and affable competition to spice things up.

This year's IRC Cup proved good, clean fun is possible at a major sporting championship thanks to the athletes, the fans and the organizers.

Outside of one mishap involving a Griffon helicopter clipping high-voltage power lines from the Snare hydro generating station there is a lot to consider regarding the presence of the Armed Forces in the Northwest Territories for Exercise Arctic Ram.

The incident that plunged the city of Yellowknife into darkness for two hours during the evening of Feb. 13 and fortunately did not result in loss of life among the chopper's three occupants, has generated many a conversation around town.

But the exercise entails so much more. Based in a large encampment at the Sand Pits outside of Yellowknife, the 17-day operation which ends Feb. 26 involves about 1,500 personnel operating in a 300-kilometre area that stretches to Gameti.

The Northern deployment has been a long time coming for the Canadian military, whose resources have been stretched thin in recent years with the conflict in Afghanistan, including the deployment of four Canadian ships to the Persian Gulf, plus humanitarian missions in Haiti and other parts of the world.

This is the largest Northern exercise of its type since 1987 and is very important as a demonstration of Canada's Arctic sovereignty.

The Harper government has made the North a priority area and the exercise is vital to ensure troops and equipment can operate in sub-zero temperatures.

Exercise Arctic Ram is essential to test the readiness of Canadian Forces to operate in the North. And, although the military caused an inconvenient power outage, it also demonstrated the vulnerability of Yellowknife's infrastructure.

It is our sincere hope that the objectives of the exercise are realized and that the Armed Forces return to the North again to maintain preparedness and continue to establish Canada's sovereignty.

Women and their children who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless need our support to escape the street and pursue healthy, productive lives.

Thankfully, last week Housing Minister Robert C. McLeod announced $2.3 million in funding for the planned Betty House women's transitional home, a YWCA-run facility being designed to provide refuge, support services and training programs for women and their children who lack stable shelter or who are trying to rebuild their lives after fleeing violence. There are plans for six spots for single women and 18 spaces for women with children.

The GNWT's contribution, along with funds previously committed by the federal government and BHP Billiton, brings the amount raised to almost two-thirds of the estimated price tag, which is upwards of $6 million.

The territorial government was right to commit substantial funding to the project, which will help ease some of the responsibilities borne by Yellowknife. In addition to having the highest population in the territory by a considerable margin, the capital attracts many people from other communities, including some individuals and families who require special resources and support to thrive.

While MLAs celebrated McLeod's funding announcement, Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins and Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro identified a lack of consultation between cabinet and regular members on the issue. Projects such as Betty House require co-operation from all levels of our community, and cabinet should heed the call for increased consultation.

Imagine being told a great story of Toronto being burned to the ground, and the glow from the American cities of Washington, D.C., and Buffalo, N.Y., being engulfed in flames bright enough to bathe the horizon in an amber neon of destruction.

Detroit surrenders to an invading force without firing a single shot, and a handful of naval vessels bring a powerful fleet of warships to its knees.

Obviously a work of fiction -- you might think right from the get-go -- and probably the latest Hollywood blockbuster on marauding alien invaders or the ultimate armageddon of the world via nuclear warfare.

And, if the story does have any actual basis in fact, it is, no doubt, loosely interpreted by Tinseltown screenwriters who place far more emphasis on dramatic effect than any historical reference.

If the person then goes on to tell you the story also features Canada kicking military butt and emerging the victor against impossible odds, you'd probably be rolling around on your carpet caught up in fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Imagine, then, the surprise to learn not only is the tale totally based in fact, it actually happened right here in our country 200 years ago.

It is known as the War of 1812.

The federal government is going big on the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which directly led to the birth of our nation and is looked upon by many historians as being just as significant in that birth as our nation's ultimate Confederation in 1867. True, we were still under British rule at the time, Toronto was known as York, and the vast majority of those who defended Upper Canada (Ontario) were recent American immigrants, but it was the 1812-1814 conflict that provided the spark of a true Canadian identity.

The English were at war with Napoleon Bonaparte at the time, and it was their decision to intercept American ships as part of a blockade against Europe that led to the Americans declaring war.

At the time, former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson remarked that the conquest of Canada will be a mere matter of marching.

Long walk!

History is often more dramatic than the work of the world's best fiction writers, which is one reason why a good book will almost always trump a great movie.

It's astounding to realize at the outset of the mostly forgotten war, one of its still recognizable heroes, Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, was in command of a mere 1,200 British troops and a handful of Canadian settlers and First Nations combatants.

Standing against them was a nation of more than seven million.

It might also surprise a few people to know one of the true Canadian heroines from the War of 1812 was none other than Laura Secord.

Secord warned the British of a coming American attack that led to their huge victory over the Americans at the Battle of Beaver Dams.

We have the privilege of living in the most wonderful country in the world, and we owe a great deal to a host of long-forgotten names who answered the call to arms 200 years ago.

A riveting tale on the process of a nation's birth that, hopefully, will rise to prominence once again through bicentennial activities.

A sweet story, indeed!

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