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Numbers are part of math lessons in NWT classrooms, and numbers tell parents and teachers that what's going on in the classrooms isn't good enough.

Close to 65 per cent of students were at or above their grade level in English, while the story was a little better in math, where 69 per cent were equal to or better than grade level.

The figures, released a few weeks ago, were pretty well on par with last year. Smaller communities struggled compared to regional centres and students in senior grades fared worse than their younger counterparts.

As well, aboriginal students are only graduating at a rate of about 44 per cent, according to numbers from a few years ago.

In light of the persistently sluggish statistics, the Department of Education's deputy minister, Dan Daniels, told News/North that there will be greater emphasis on early childhood education and literacy programs.

We've heard those things before, and we understand why those are stated objectives.

Daniels also mentioned poor attendance, a common problem, particularly in the communities. This is undoubtedly a legacy of residential schools, which damaged parenting skills but also turned horrified aboriginal people against a formal learning environment because they were torn away from their mothers and fathers, their culture was degraded, their language was banned, their hair was shaved and many were physically or sexually abused.

That experience was not conducive to building trust, and it's going to take generations to establish a sense of confidence.

Schools have been taking some progressive steps by bringing in community members as classroom assistants and by having teachers from the south go through cultural orientation sessions. This helps them, to a degree, grasp the background of the Dene, Metis or Inuvialuit people, depending on the region. Retaining teachers for several years or more would help matters.

One factor Daniels did not mention is the controversial inclusive schooling policy, which leads to students with failing grades advancing with their peers for social reasons.

While those lagging in academics are not supposed to be recognized as having passed into the next grade level, we all know students who were pushed through the system. They may have come out with a diploma in hand, but they had no chance of being accepted into a university or college program in the south.

They were also ill-prepared to take on even the entry-level jobs they could find in their home communities. This does little good, and surely breeds frustration for the student.

We have stated it before and will make the case again - what the NWT school system needs is to hold tightly to academic standards while adjusting the timeline for a complete education to be accomplished.

If some students need an extra year or two to graduate with adequate comprehension of English, math and other literacy skills, so be it. As well, those students will have been exposed to on-the-land programs, having learned to fish and trap, traditional legends and the significance of plants and animals.

These are the young adults we must aim to produce, and we should not be fixated on doing it in a maximum of 13 years.

Every penny counts, and the $11.1 million the federal government recently invested in the Nunavut Arctic College is certainly not chump change, but it's still far from what's truly needed.

Nunavut Arctic College offers basic adult education in addition to its post-secondary and trades courses, and that is where the federal cash injection is aimed. The adult education courses are often referred to as pre-employment training, as it can often lead to first jobs for its participants. This funding, according to college president Mike Shouldice, will help develop and beef up the curriculum as well as expand online and distance education programs.

The investment is a good and necessary one, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's personal visit to announce it raised the profile of a serious issue - the need for adult Nunavummiut who haven't finished their basic education to have the resources to do so. This ties not only into the economy, but addresses one of the main challenges recently identified with decentralization: a lack of qualified candidates to finish government jobs.

Mining and fisheries are two of Nunavut's biggest industries but government is still the territory's main industry by a long shot. Most jobs, especially at the community level, are in the public sector; while this is the case, decentralization is key to bringing income to Nunavummiut. There's an argument that it's inefficient to try and spread GN employment throughout the territory, but if the jobs are staying in Iqaluit and being filled by qualified southerners, why have government headquartered in the North at all? It could just as easily be based in Ottawa, but that's not what we want.

Nunavummiut need jobs, and need, of course, to be involved in the decision-making and governance of the territory. Obviously, education is essential for this to happen.

Our territory's employment rate for 2011 was close to 55.8 per cent, compared to the NWT's 70.7 per cent and Canada's overall 61.8 per cent. Fifty per cent of 20- to 24-year-old Nunavummiut in 2007-2010 did not have a high school diploma and were not in school. Without question, all available resources and encouragement should be given to them to do so, and it looks like Nunavut Arctic College is dedicated to providing this opportunity. Cultural barriers and the dark cloud of residential schools have historically cast a negative light on schools, but that is gradually changing. Inuit language and cultural courses are being taught across the territory, and there's a big push to increase their prevalence.

Now is the time for adults to go back to school.

Nunavut Arctic College operates on around $30 million a year. This $11.1 million injection - over five years - bolsters the bottom line a bit, but imagine what the college could do with $111 million.

Admittedly, that's just a little less than half of the Department of Education's total budget and definitely a lot of money, but with an investment like that, there could be an adult education centre in every community.

It's an investment that would pay dividends.

Most people would accept that territorial court judges ought to be well-compensated.

The four judges of the NWT territorial court bench currently each make more than $233,000 a year. That's a lot of money, but not everyone makes the effort to go to law school.

Reading through the judges' 38-page submission to the NWT Judicial Remuneration Commission, it's clear that they feel they're worth the money - and then some. The judges are asking for an unprecedented 13.6 per cent pay hike this year, which would add $31,745 to their salaries for a grand total of $265,000.

The largest increase the judges have received since the commission was brought to life in 1997 was a lump sum adjustment on April 1, 2004 of 6.2 per cent, plus a 2.4 per cent increase based on inflation -- about $16,000, for a total of $198,979.85.

Their arguments for this latest increase are many: the NWT's crime rate is higher than in other jurisdictions; they must travel long distances to perform circuit court duty in the communities; the cost of living in the NWT is high; and allowable claims in territorial civil court have been raised to $35,000 from $10,000, further increasing their workload.

Most constant is their complaint about how much their salaries have fallen compared to their provincial and territorial counterparts. Their salaries were the highest in the country in 2001 but have since dropped to fifth place. The judges insist their desire to return to the top of the heap isn't "simply based on pride or history." That may be true but we would wager there aren't a whole lot of people asking their bosses for a 13.6 per cent pay hike this year.

The judges argue that the number of cases heard in court rose to 14,292 last year from 6,611 in 2001. The crime rate in the NWT is rising - up six per cent in 2010 from 2009 - but how much of that is from breach of court conditions brought on by interminable delays?

The judges' submission doesn't make any mention of what they've been doing to speed up the glacial pace of the court proceedings over which they preside.

It sure seems slow, and it is a common complaint.

Yellowknifer followed one case during the previous agreement period involving a father accused of injuring his infant son that took three years to wind its way through the court system. And besides, as GNWT lawyer Glen Rutland pointed out, it's not fair to compare workloads to previous years because a fourth judge was added in 2009 to lessen the burden.

Judges can argue their salaries must not be tied to the government fiscal situation all they want lest it appear that their judicial independence has been compromised. But when ordinary people are being offered pay increases far below inflation rates - such as the 3,700 GNWT workers who may go on strike over an offered 0.25 per cent raise this year - or are not getting any increase at all as tough economic times continue, the judges' insistence for an independent consideration of their 13.6 per cent salary demand doesn't seem just -- just greedy.

At the Feb. 25 hearing, commissioner Dave McPherson asked the judges' lawyer, Glenn Tait, whether he thought there might be a "public perception" problem by asking for a 13.6 per cent increase, given many people were "taking a cut."

"Nobody in this territory is taking a cut," Tait replied, seemingly ignoring the NWT's falling employment rate that dropped for the fourth straight month to 68.5 per cent in January.

From our perspective, it seems the judges' benches are getting a little too high to clearly see the little people on the ground.

For me, the Mackenzie Regional Youth Conference is one of the highlights of the school year in the Deh Cho.

It's hard not to be supportive of an event that provides primarily high school students with opportunities that they are in need of. In fact, the region could benefit from having more events of this sort.

There are two primary benefits to the conference. The first is that it gives students an opportunity to try activities they might otherwise not experience. In some cases students are able to build on skills they already have.

Let's be honest. Although teachers and other staff in Deh Cho schools are innovative and do their best, there are geographical factors that limit the number of activities students in the region can participate in. It's hard for a student in Trout Lake or Nahanni Butte to have the same opportunities as a student of the same age in Yellowknife or Edmonton.

The conference briefly removes some of those barriers by bringing together instructors with a range of expertise. Students were able to try their hands at self-defence, silver jewelry making, advanced cross country skiing as well as a variety of other things that are likely not readily available in their home communities.

With eight sessions over two-and-a-half days, students can only get a taste of any one of the topics, but it could be enough to pique their interest and drive them to find ways to continue doing that activity or learn more about that topic.

The conference is also beneficial because it allows students from across the Deh Cho to come together and share experiences. In most Deh Cho communities the peer group for teenagers is small. There simply aren't many people the same age as them.

Events like this one, however, allow everyone in that age group from the region to come together. It's readily apparent that the teens enjoy this opportunity because they quickly leave the group they came with and intermingle with youths from the other communities.

The Mackenzie Regional Youth Conference is a great asset to the region and its high school students. Thomas Simpson School staff should be thanked for organizing the event.

Similar events should be encouraged so youths have every possible opportunity to broaden their horizons.

The month of March is Fraud Prevention Month, spearheaded by the RCMP to raise awareness about a very present threat.

Fraud pops up on our caller ID, in our e-mail inboxes, sometimes it's even at our door. Recently, it's also surfacing on the news, with Elections Canada investigating voters in an Ontario riding who were called and told to go to polls that didn't exist in last year's federal election.

According to the RCMP, fraud-related offences are now thought to be as profitable as drug-related offences, estimated at between $10 and $30 billion annually in Canada – with 80 per cent or more conducted by criminal organizations.

Closer to home, some Inuvik residents have received unsettling phone calls where callers state they are from a service provider and have noticed a virus or security breach on the victim's computer.

Scammers prey on a victim's fear or good will. The elderly are targeted by fraudsters pretending to be grandchildren in need of financial aid. Those who hear that their personal information or computer files are being threatened initially want to do anything in their power to stop this from happening, and the voice on the other end of the line is saying they can help.

However, going to a certain website or giving a caller certain information about your computer is like dusting off the welcome mat and letting a scammer have free rein of your personal and financial information.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the calls about viruses or threats to your computer now account for between 70 and 80 per cent of frauds reported daily, starting back in March 2010. The rise in the complaints relating to the scams mean they are are working and scammers are investing more resources into them.

The majority of fraud can be prevented on the front lines, with the person answering the phone or checking their e-mails and realizing that something doesn't feel right.

Hang up the phone if there is a feeling of doubt, delete the e-mails and report anything suspicious to the police.

Even if it feels rude, it will undoubtedly feel 100 times better than being the victim of a stolen identity, a theft of money, or another scam.

It's not uncommon for government and corporations to only release capital costs of a project. The surprises typically come later, when the project is complete, and the cost of borrowing becomes part of the equation.

Such is the case with the Deh Cho Bridge, which has been pegged at a cost of $192 million for construction, up from the original cost estimate of $55 million, close to a decade ago.

NWT residents now have a former Yellowknifer, who goes by the moniker NorthernRaven, to thank for creating an online "bridge calculator" which extrapolates the numbers so people can get an idea of what the true cost of the bridge will be to taxpayers over the next 35 years.

A permanent span across the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence has been talked about in the Northwest Territories for many years. Some feel strongly about a year-around connection to the south, so that Northerners are not at the mercy of Mother Nature each spring and winter, when ferry service can be interrupted for a few weeks during break-up and freeze-up.

Mining, construction and other activities can be disrupted, not to mention our supply of groceries and our own travels.

But all of that additional convenience for a few weeks a year will come at what cost? NorthernRaven, a computer programmer, said he couldn't find a decent summary of the cost of the Deh Cho Bridge "and got hooked into trying to figure it out."

Among the variables NorthernRaven looks at are the cost of borrowing, the anticipated opening date, estimated annual operating and maintenance costs, cost savings from not running the ferry each summer or constructing an ice road each winter, estimated costs of toll collection and the annual interest cost from construction cost overruns.

Then there is the matter of the estimated cost of borrowing. NorthernRaven projects the total repayable amount over the life of the loan, in 2011 dollars, to be around $297 million, meaning the Government of the NWT will have paid close to $132 million in interest - based on a previous $165 million project estimate - by the time the principal is repaid.

At the end of the day, the researcher projects the estimated final bill for the bridge will be in the neighbourhood of $357.9 million.

A spokesman for the territorial Department of Transportation said he "wouldn't quarrel" with the numbers as presented by NorthernRaven.

Further, Transportation Minister David Ramsay, once a vocal critic of the bridge project prior to becoming a cabinet minister, said NorthernRaven's total projected cost over the next 35 years "doesn't come as a surprise." He equated the bridge project to buying a house, which usually comes with a mortgage in which a bank charges interest.

Obviously, it's too late to turn back now. Construction has progressed to the point that the bridge spans the width of the river.

On the positive side, the bridge has an estimated lifespan of 75 years and the projected opening date of the bridge remains the fall of this year. When it does open, it will likely garner much fanfare and publicity, potentially enticing more tourists to come North to see what makes the territory spectacular.

One of the lessons to be learned from NorthernRaven's infatuation with calculating the full cost of the project is when government and corporations list the estimated capital cost of a project, taxpayers and shareholders will know that number is just a portion of the total amount of money that will need to be paid.

Now let's hope when we go to buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store after this autumn, we're not forced to pay a bridge tax.

OK, so maybe referring to the whole ridiculous affair as Chicken Little meets the Grinch is a bit over the top.

But let's be honest, for the past few years we've been bombarded with the message of impending doom by everyone from the man who would be American president, to a substantial chunk of the scientific community and just about every environmental group on the face of the planet.

Global warming, that is to say climate change, is a man-caused catastrophe in waiting that is on the verge of ending life as we know it on Earth, if not life itself.

The message grew steadily louder during 2011, as the International Polar Year grabbed worldwide headlines. One could scarcely look anywhere without seeing the image of a drowning, or starving, polar bear. And if that weren't enough, grinning killer whales were waiting for the last of the ice cover to melt away, any day now, so they could devour species to extinction, starting with narwhals in Baffin Bay.

It was enough to make one forget 2011 was also International Year of Forests.

Then again, fear of losing our forests is so 1990s.

Anyway, back to the Arctic.

Just when even the most sceptical among us were starting to buy into the fact maybe there is something to all this gloom, doom and despair, came the news the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL) at Eureka will be all but frozen out of action on April 30. PEARL is the little atmospheric research and monitoring station that played a key role in discovering the largest ozone hole ever found over the Arctic this past year.

Apparently the group of university researchers that runs PEARL, known collectively as the Canadian Network for Detection of Atmospheric Change, hasn't been able to come up with the $1.5 million needed to run the station annually.

Most of the finger pointing has been aimed at the feds for pulling the purse strings shut on the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, which provided about threequarters of that $1.5 million.

I'm sure we can all agree the fact the funding ended at about the same time as International Polar Year was but sheer coincidence.

Now, as you may already have learned, at the same time PEARL was being deep-sixed by the feds, University of Toronto climate scientist Richard Peltier was being awarded the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, regarded as our country's premiere science and engineering prize.

I'm sure the good folks at the Canadian Network for Detection of Atmospheric Change are aware part of Peltier's prize is $1 million in research funding spread over the next five years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Peltier's PEARL has a nice ring, don't you think?

So, we have a federal government that cuts funding to a supposedly important research station, at the height of our supposed climate change, as it repeatedly tells the nation of the supposed high importance it places on the Canadian Arctic.

The aroma surrounding that chain of logic makes this a PEARL even Capt. Jack Sparrow would be wary of.

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