Sometimes people forget just how easy they have it.

The services and goods we have available to us today in the Deh Cho would have been unimaginable in the North 100 years ago. The life of Catherine Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux is a wonderful example of the strength and tenacity many people in the region have descended from.

Today, as long as people have the necessary money, people have easy access to a wide array of food and have the ability to travel with ease in little time between destinations, among other things. In Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux's lifetime, 1836 to 1918, things weren't anywhere close to this easy.

She was, by all accounts, a tough woman and she had to be to help provide for her family. She had her own farm and raised cattle for milk and meat.

She was also skilled in bush craft. According to Bob Norwegian, one of her descendents, Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux would snare bears during berry season.

Not liking the taste of bears that had died from being left in a snare, and culturally not allowed to use a gun as a woman, Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux would approach the dying bears and kill them with an axe. It must have been a nerve-wracking and dangerous venture because you never knew if the snare might break and let the bear loose, said Norwegian.

She also knew how to travel. She was skilled with a dog team and would make trips in the dead of winter between Fort Providence and Fort Rae, approximately 150 miles away.

Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux cut trail during those trips, camped along the way and carried mail between the communities, along with other supplies.

Stories of perseverance and survival such as hers are not unique in the North. The conditions in the region could be harsh and people had to learn and use the necessary skills to survive.

A unique thing about Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux is the degree to which her story has been preserved and the way she is still remembered in Fort Providence and by her more widely-spread descendents. The celebration of her life and legacy and her designation as a National Historic Person, which will take place in Fort Providence from Aug. 17 to 19, is a fitting time to reflect not only on her, but also on all of the other people who contributed to the region's history.

There is an incredibly strong history behind the people of the Deh Cho, and that history should be celebrated and not forgotten.

It's summer and there's plenty to do in Inuvik.

There are ball tournaments, fishing, hiking, biking, relaxing in the sun while swatting mosquitoes and apparently breaking into the Inuvik Youth Centre and stealing from the facility.

The Inuvik Youth Centre officially opened June 29. Since then, the centre has had video games, pool balls, PlayStation controllers, food and laptops stolen.

A lot of the expensive items have been returned and the youth centre did receive an apology.

It's a place to go and play some music, watch a movie, play sports or just hang out.

In an ideal world, the Inuvik Youth Centre could be open 24 hours a day. It wouldn't matter if you wanted to hang out at 2 a.m. or 2 p.m.

But we don't live in an ideal world and everybody needs to sleep sometime.

There are youth who depend on the centre and go there whenever it's open.

Every single time there's a break-in, the individuals who use the centre lose a little trust in their community.

There's no money for additional security and even if there was, installing a video camera isn't necessarily the answer.

Having a safe space to hang out with friends loses some of the appeal when you know you're being filmed.

It's sad that a video camera even has to be brought up as a solution to this situation.

That money could go to programs and supplies. Instead, it has to be spent on chains to secure the now-broken door.

Since the beginning of July, there has been a new Inuvik Youth Centre co-ordinator. The centre now has extended drop-in hours and continues to plan activities and programs for youth all over the community.

It's frustrating that there are a few individuals who don't seem to think twice about the impact they have on others.

It becomes easy to lay all the blame on one, two or maybe a few people. It's a lot easier to put the blame on them than it is to find a permanent solution.

Yes, $100 worth of food was stolen and now the fridge is locked at night to prevent it from happening again. But someone was desperate enough to steal food. Hopefully it was actually eaten instead of just stolen for the fun of it.

The centre can't be supervised every minute of every day, but for all it offers youth in the community, it would sure mean a lot if those who are causing these headaches to take a step back and see what they are ruining: a safe haven for Inuvik's youth.

That complaint has continued to persist for years from business owners and residents alike. Yellowknifer has documented, on several occasions, store owners' frustrations that their driving customers have few adequate places to leave their vehicles. That sentiment has been expressed by representatives of Yellowknife Daycare, Sutherland's Drugs, The Book Cellar, Overlander Sports, Northern Images and Shoppers Drug Mart, representing different areas of downtown.

In addition, residents have come forward to complain about the lack of parking near city hall, at one point faulting city vehicles for using public parking spots.

It's clear there's a problem, and the situation could be made worse as the city moves forward with plans to zone downtown areas for more apartments to replace aging and dilapidated buildings. Even now, site preparation is underway for a new government office building on 49 Street.

City bus service, despite some minor alterations in service over the years, continues to cater to only one per cent of the population. It's not the answer. A proposal to create a park-and-ride - whereby motorists park at a central location and then walk or bus the rest of the way to work - and talk of encouraging car pooling gained little traction at a council meeting in February.

Friday marks the cutoff for responses to the downtown parking survey for business owners, available online through the City of Yellowknife. Mayor Gord Van Tighem has acknowledged there is a shortage of on-street parking but has stated there's a surplus of off-street parking. However, those parking stalls are privately owned.

Now is the time to speak up. Every moment put into the downtown parking survey will hopefully lead to fewer moments customers spend circling the block looking for a convenient parking spot.

The Olympics is the grandest stage in all of sports, and Yellowknife cyclist Denise Ramsden was there to share the spotlight.

In the road race on July 29, Ramsden came across the finish line ahead of renowned teammate Clara Hughes, a two-time bronze medallist in cycling in past Olympics, as well as a four-time medallist in speed skating. Ramsden wound up in 27th place to Hughes' 32nd as rain fell in London.

Then Ramsden, 21, managed to finish 19th during the women's time trials on Aug. 1. Of all the active competitive female cyclists in the world, she made the top 20. That's truly remarkable. There were no age brackets, no divisions. She was up against the best of the best in the world, including Hughes, who finished fifth.

"It was awesome," was how Ramsden described her first Olympic experience.

While Ramsden is the first Yellowknifer to compete in the Summer Olympics, this city is producing its share of world-class athletes.

Granted, they ultimately will be drawn south to hone their skills to an elite level, but that's true of competitors from smaller centres around the world.

Ramsden trains with a team based in Indiana. Michael Gilday, a multiple medal winner in World Cup speedskating events, has done his training in Calgary and, more recently, Montreal.

Steven Hodges, an 18-year-old centre, was chosen in the third round by the Florida Panthers in June's NHL entry draft.

Hodges had moved on from Yellowknife's minor hockey league to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League, where he had 46 points in 72 games last season.

There are avenues for athletes in Yellowknife to reach great heights in sport. It may come through high-performance programs or a university scholarship, but guaranteed it will only come through plenty of hard work.

When you grow up in a small, isolated community, there's nothing better than getting out of it once and a while.

There is much to be said about remaining in your home community, and those who choose to live at home for life make up the very spirit of a community. But I encourage every youth reading this to try and get on with Canada World Youth, or an organization like it, and have some adventures like those that are featured in this week's edition of Kivalliq News.

If that doesn't appeal to you, although actually doing it might change your mind, then at least go south for school, or to work or just to travel - not only will you see how other people live, but you will pick up knowledge to bring back home with you.

I grew up in Yellowknife, which is small and isolated in its own right, but I'm sure most Kivalliq News readers would laugh and tell me that I know nothing about small, isolated communities, and rightly so. However, I'm no stranger to not having access to technology and luxuries that are at the tip of many southerners' fingers, and I'm no stranger to seeing the same faces every day and living among people set in their ways of doing things.

I've had the opportunity to travel out of country a bit, to Kenya and Uganda, and to live in Vancouver for a year, and my time outside the North was instrumental in helping me shape my world view.

When going to places like Peru and Africa, one of the first things to happen is one realizes their preconception of the place is entirely wrong. There might be poverty, as one may expect, and there might be social problems, but there are also people trying to come up with solutions, and people who have dedicated their lives to such work - and no matter their troubles, most people keep their heads up and find enjoyment in life.

The same could be said for the program Canada World Youth is offering for the first time in Nunavut. Here's an opportunity for southern Canadians in particular to see a part of the country that stays out of national news unless it's hit by tragedy or an expose is written on its troubles, and to see that the territory is so much more than the sum of its issues. It's a friendly, often exciting place with rich tradition and serious potential to contribute in big ways to both the country's culture and economy.

Travelling somewhere new and diving into a new situation is also the best way to get to know oneself. There might be sketchy, even dangerous, situations, but what better way to see what you're capable of? More often than not, you'll surprise yourself.

Canada World Youth is offering an opportunity that's perfect for a young person from the North. Take advantage of it. Not only will you benefit, but you'll be bringing your new perspective and boosted self-confidence back home to a community you can help grow.

- Tim Edwards is the acting editor of Kivalliq News. Editor Darrell Greer will return in September.

The NWT's economic outlook for the next decade demonstrates the need to diversify the economy and attract investors to the North.

In 2019, a year after the projected closure of Ekati Diamond Mine and when Diavik Diamond Mine will be at the tail end of operations, the NWT's gross domestic product (GDP) will begin to nosedive, according to projections in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment's latest economic outlook report.

That same report hangs our hopes of economic growth on the launching of Gahcho Kue, Prairie Creek, NICO, Tyhee and Avalon mining projects.

If each of those mines comes on stream on schedule, the GNWT is predicting our GDP will hit a record high of $4.236 billion in 2017. If they fail to enter the production stage, our GDP could plummet to $2.022 billion.

Territorial government figures state oil and mining account for 33 per cent of the NWT's GDP. The public sector finishes a distant second at 12 per cent of GDP.

Ekati, Diavik and Snap Lake, according to their respective websites, employ a combined 1,365 Northerners of the 2,700 employees working on all three sites.

In comparison, if all five of the aforementioned planned mines go forward they would create 1,266 jobs. Not only does that create a deficit in employment, it is very optimistic to assume all of those projects will reach the production stage.

Balancing an economy on non-renewable resources and the volatile commodity market is risky business, especially in a jurisdiction where investor confidence has been shaken by regulatory problems and the high cost of getting products to market.

Proof of that can be seen in the near collapse of the NWT's manufacturing industry. In 2007 it contributed $45.8 million to the economy but was down to $9.3 million last year due to the collapse of the diamond cutting and polishing plants.

Construction, which contributed $380 million to the economy in 2007, fell to $167 million in 2010.

On the bright side, with a few major projects on the horizon, such as the Hay River Health Centre and fire hall, the NWT is seeing a modest rebound in construction. Unfortunately, even at 2007 levels that is only 10 per cent of our GDP.

The question is what has the potential to replace or match the economic output of mining in the NWT? That is a hard question to answer but part of the solution might be more homegrown businesses providing services to Northerners.

Manufacturing wood pellets to support the GNWT's green plan, other forestry products, growing Northern food for Northern markets and enhancing our tourism with improved infrastructure could be part of the answer.

If more of our income can be generated from stable industries the spinoffs could add to our economy in other areas, such as more homes being built, more services and stabilizing or even growing populations in smaller communities.

Our government must get to work on a solid plan to broaden our economy and find solutions that don't leave us constantly praying for the next big mine.

Is drug and alcohol abuse to blame? Is it the transition from being a dry community to allowing alcohol legally into the hamlet? Are there generations of residents who harbour so much anger toward the RCMP that the only answer is to shoot?

There isn't one answer or solution to the serious rash of attacks targeted at RCMP in Kimmirut. But the issues have to come out in the open first, through public talks, before any headway can be made in healing what is so obviously hurt in the hamlet.

Although some individuals go against the grain, having seemingly nowhere else to turn that they act out in rage, it is thankfully not the mindset of the majority of the community.

One brave woman forewarned Kimmirut Mounties that they were in danger on July 28. Ten courageous residents of the hamlet got out of their beds in the early morning hours when they heard the gunshots outside the detachment, and they subdued the individual.

In March, the homes of two RCMP officers in the same community were the targets of shots fired. A resident of the community informed the members of the gunman's location, helping the police and their families move to a safe location.

In 2007, 20-year-old Const. Douglas Scott was shot and killed in Kimmirut. Pingoatuk Kolola was convicted of first-degree murder in that case.

These incidents keep happening.

RCMP can take solace in the fact that the hamlet cares. The community shows it respects the police that serve and protect by coming to their aid.

The police are stationed there and in other communities to keep the peace and ensure safety. If they can't do their job, the community is left to fend for itself, which puts everyone in danger.

Madeleine Redfern, Iqaluit's mayor for the past 20 months, recently announced that she is not running for a second term in the municipal election this October.

It's obvious she'll be missed. Councillors say she led a strong ship, exhibiting pride and passion in the job. The public is also having their say: sending well wishes via the social media sites Redfern has employed as her avenue of direct communication to the city's residents and those beyond Iqaluit's borders. And Redfern, as always, is responding to the individuals.

She has raised the bar when it comes to a transparent, open municipal government. She posted information in real time when citizens of the city were craving immediate news and city updates. She was also accountable, providing responses to queries via Facebook and Twitter.

Whoever takes up the post as next mayor of Iqaluit should follow suit.

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