Residents of Fort Simpson will be going to the polls on Oct. 15 with hamlet elections following about two months later.

Sixteen residents have expressed their intention to run for councillor positions while only Sean Whelly is vying for the mayoral seat in the village election. According to the unofficial list, all of the current councillors for Fort Simpson - Celine Antoine, Adolphus Augier, Gus Croatto, Robert Hanna, Marie Lafferty, Ron McCagg, Stella Nadia and Tom Wilson - have plans to run again, but they will be joined by a few fresh faces. Walter Blondin, Larry Campbell, Leah Keats, Dennis Nelner, Renalyn Pascua-Matte, Michael Rowe, Patrick Rowe and Gordon Thompson will also be in the race.

It would be easy to stick with what's familiar and vote for those who ran in the past election but it's important that new candidates are given a chance to be heard.

Residents should educate themselves on the issues, find out what matters most to them and decide which candidate will address the issues best.

That being said, here in Fort Simpson citizens have already shown they're not afraid to vote for the new guy. In 2009, Whelly beat incumbent Duncan Canvin by a landslide. Whelly ran his campaign with the slogan "We can make life better" and promised to address quality of life issues in the village along with smaller local issues.

The same year, the village saw a strong voter turnout. Returning officer Rita Cazon said it was the highest turnout she had seen in Fort Simpson. At that time a total of 359 people out of approximately 850 eligible voters showed up to cast a ballot. That means about 42 per cent of the voting population came out for the village election.

In contrast, that same year, 49 per cent of registered voters showed up to cast a ballot in the Yellowknife election, which was better than the 29 per cent voter turnout the city saw in 2006.

Nonetheless, although Fort Simpson had a good showing in the last village election, there is definitely room for improvement this year.

So residents, let's start researching the issues and getting ready to vote!

Art therapy is used in the elementary school.

Arts and craft activities happen with the Elders Day Program.

The library integrates crafts into reading programs.

There is pride to be taken in something created with your own hands.

Whether it's picking up a pair of knitting needles for the first time and learning through a book or taking a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, creating an object does more for someone than just, well, creating an object.

It's a process, one that only the individual has control over. You don't want the sky to be blue? Fine, paint it magenta, it's your world.

Prevention has been a common theme throughout the week. How can we stop people from vandalizing community resources like the food bank and greenhouse?

How can we stop people from lighting fires?

At the public budget discussion, prevention was brought up more than once. Put more money into schools and less to justice, because you don't need as many justice programs if there are preventative measures in place for the early years.

When Patricia MacAulay, the art therapist at East 3, was talking about the healing powers of art and play, the passion in her voice was clear.

While her sessions are based on referrals and are for elementary school students, everyone can take a lesson in her passion.

The emphasis in art therapy is in creation and exploration, not on creating "good art."

MacAulay herself knew there was more to painting than just creating something to exhibit and sell.

She understands what it can do and what it can mean.

Promoting the arts in youth can teach them about that pride, possibly keep them from destroying someone else's creation years down the road.

The food bank counts as a creation. It was created by volunteers and donations.

Art is another form of prevention. Why let it get to the point where you have to destroy instead of create?

Maybe it's time some of the individuals responsible for the vandalism pick up a paint brush instead of a brick. Strum a few chords on a guitar instead of unleashing the fury of a fire extinguisher over a garden plot. It's likely to be more fun and will probably result in pride.

After more than 50 power outages in Yellowknife since Jan. 1, including the 53rd and 54th disruptions on the weekend, residents are largely still in the dark about why service is so unreliable.

The occasional power outage is something Northerners have to live with, but people are beyond frustrated at the frequency of late having to constantly reset their blinking clocks, reboot computer systems, wondering if their electronics are on the fritz due to the repeated power problems and having to spend extra hours at work due to lost productivity - some tasks simply cannot be left until the next day.

When a Facebook group called "Yellowknifers Want Power... OR MONEY!" was started last week, it quickly grew to more than 600 members. People's posts suggest many residents share a dim view of the power corp.'s requested 25 per cent power rate hike in light of the numerous outages. Many members of the group argue that it is power corp. that owes them compensation for inconsistent service.

Business owners are also speaking out about the impact frequent outages have on their bottom line. Whenever electricity is lost, revenue is lost. Stores lose customers who cannot pay for their desired merchandise. Restaurants cannot provide food for patrons, and some of what was being cooked winds up as waste. Sometimes workers have to be paid overtime due to the power outages.

The NWT Power Corporation and power distribution company Northland Utilities owe ratepayers an explanation as to why outages occur so frequently - ranging from single customer disruptions to citywide blackouts.

The power corp. has recently developed an 18-point action plan to address problems. That was done with the help of outside experts in an effort to improve service. That's a start.

Northland Utilities, on the other hand, continues to rely on existing checks and balances, according to spokesperson Dwayne Morgan. Surely the deteriorating situation calls for Northland to step up its efforts as well.

The top officials at the power corp. are apparently going to shed some light on the issue today. Brendan Bell, chair of the power corp., and Emanuel DaRosa, the utility's president and CEO, called a press conference at Jackfish power plant, scheduled for 10 a.m. The information session is intended "to provide additional information about its plan to increase the reliability of its Yellowknife system," according to a press release issued Monday.

Now that the power providers are in the spotlight, they should take the opportunity to enlighten their customers about precisely how they plan to keep the lights on longer and more.

Michael Miltenberger, minister responsible for the power corp., should also be prepared to discuss the matter publicly so that ratepayers can be confident improvements are in the offing.

Reassurances, it should be noted, will only go so far. There's only one thing that will truly appease Yellowknife residents, and that's reliably keeping the lights on at home and at work.

Regular readers of Kivalliq News know I often take an editorial stance against any form of government abuse, especially when it pertains to a misuse of power.

Ditto the cone of silence when they throw credibility and accountability out the window to deal with an issue behind closed doors, or refuse to explain the reasoning behind an action taken.

The cone of silence is a seed from which abuse of power often grows and, in a country where even access to scientists on the government payroll is being denied, far too many have begun to sprout in Canada during the past decade.

But, still, we're far better off than many countries when it comes to just how far a government will take things to make a point. Or are we?

I must admit, as mad as I was at the time, I forgot all about Bruce Montague of Kenora, Ont., until I read an exceptional piece in Troy Media by Karen Selick this past week, who is the litigation director for the Canadian Constitution Foundation.

Selick's piece was prompted by the smug outrage of many Canadians over the two-year sentence given the Russian group Pussy Riot, following its political panning of government head Vladimir Putin in a Moscow church.

Two years for such a relatively harmless display of protest was a tad heavyhanded for our liking, and we were relieved to know that could never happen in our country.

Well, that's where Mr. Montague comes in.

A mere decade ago, Montague had all the legal documentation necessary to run his arms business, but he wasn't exactly enamoured with this country's Firearm's Act (you remember that!).

He joined a protest group and intentionally let all his documentation, including his firearms acquisition certificate, expire.

By 2003 he had become an illegal business owner ready to challenge the act in court.

In fact, Selick refers to him as the "poster boy" for the protest, which was exactly what he had become.

Montague did just about everything he could think of to have himself charged with violations, but to no avail. Everything that is, but harm, threaten or try to scare anyone, or support violence in any form. He was always peaceful in his protest demonstrations.

Finally, while at a gun show with his 12yearold daughter, he was arrested by six Ontario Provincial Police officers and faced 53 counts on 12 different charges.

He was found guilty on 26, sentenced to 18 months incarceration, 90 days imprisonment in the community and a year's probation all for failing to comply with regulations.

Now Ontario is trying to take away his home because it housed his gunsmith shop. He's been given the option of paying the government $50,000 and keeping his mouth shut about it to keep the house.

And this is a man who never harmed a soul or as much as threatened anyone.

In Nunavut, when so many were upset with the long gun registry, folks often conducted business as usual with unregistered weapons.

Imagine what the authorities could have done if they'd decided to make an example of someone.

Little seeds can grow into big trees very quickly - trees that cause a lot of damage when pushed over on you. That's why we should do all we can to prevent those seeds from growing, when first we notice they've been sown.

There is something wrong in Fort Resolution.

At the beginning of the year residents expressed concern to the health department about the number of cancer deaths in the community. Chief Louis Balsillie put the severity of the problem into perspective last week when he said he was going to a funeral almost every month to mourn the latest person to succumb to cancer.

A recent report by the health department confirms incidences of cancer in Fort Resolution are unusually high, exceeding what would be considered normal by 78 per cent. When tasked with studying the deadly anomaly, the health department paid attention to environmental concerns community members believed were contributing to the cancer rates. Among those concerns were fears associated with the possibility of contaminated drinking water, asbestos exposure and residual radiation from the 1978 crash of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954.

The report noted there were no environmental risk factors that could account for the increased cancer cases. However, the report's findings had Balsillie seeing red and refusing to accept its outcome.

The research found the cancer rates in Fort Resolution might be attributed to lifestyle. Among the factors: smoking is common, there is over-use of alcohol, obesity is an issue for some and participation in cancer screening programs is lower than average.

It's understandable that the news would cause some anger among the people and leaders of the community, but it would be a mistake to completely ignore the findings.

Unfortunately, that is the road Balsillie is choosing to take. He refused to participate in follow-up meetings concerning the report, nor has he read the health department's document.

"We need to put an answer to it, not say that your people smoke too much," he said.

The juxtaposition of those two statements shows that Balsillie is ignoring the facts.

The data is telling. Lung cancer accounted for nearly one-third - 32.7 per cent - of the cancers diagnosed and 95 per cent of those diagnoses were attributed to smoking or second-hand smoke. Eighty-eight per cent of the cancers detected were also said to have alcohol as a factor.

Balsillie might be right about there being other factors involved in the community's cancer rates, but he must admit there is compelling proof that lifestyle is a major contributor that should not be ignored.

As chief he has a responsibility to participate in any dialogue that will help save lives, even if that communication forces people to look at some hard truths. By choosing to ignore the report, he is telling people it's OK to turn a blind eye to their personal risk factors. He also risks losing the chance to be a part of future studies to closer scrutinize possible environmental factors.

There comes a time when people must take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. In the NWT as a whole - not just Fort Resolution - smoking and excessive drinking rates are twice the national average, according to the NWT Bureau of Statistics. It's time to see those stats as the potentially deadly numbers they are.

Balsillie should demonstrate leadership by being part of the solution, which includes supporting the report's recommendations for more public education and prevention strategies.

The report has urged closer surveillance of cancer types and rates in the communities over the next five years, which should help to further clarify the causes and risk factors.

But work must start now to prevent people in Fort Resolution from attending more funerals and part of that work includes taking a long, hard look in the mirror.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," said William Gladstone, prime minister of Great Britain during the 1800s.

Gladstone obviously wasn't referring to Nunavut's court system, but he very well could have been.

There have been instances in our territory when an accused walked into a courtroom on several occasions, each time with a different lawyer. Another accused appeared eight times in court before acquiring legal aid. That's ludicrous and shouldn't be allowed to happen.

There are files backlogged because Crown lawyers face conflicts of interest and must wait for colleagues from the south to jump in, resulting in further lags.

Many issues brought forward in a Nunavut legal services study from a decade ago still need to be addressed today.

There was unanimous agreement from survey participants that there is an unmet need for legal services in Nunavut due to a lack of representation or a lack of quality representation.

There must be clear communication between lawyers and the clients. A court worker's responsibility includes assisting the client to work with the justice system, to understand the situation and their rights. While the onus is on the client to seek representation immediately, those who deliberately drag their feet must be forced to act.

The longer cases crawl through the system, the longer victims remain victimized by the system.

Nunavut needs effective trial processes, not cases lingering for months, or worse, for years.

Search and rescue missions are all too common in Nunavut.

Within the past month, nine caribou hunters from Cape Dorset were in need of supplies from the coast guard; five narwhal hunters had to be plucked from the waters outside of Arctic Bay; three Cape Dorset boaters who capsized after hitting ice were rescued by a passing vessel, but one of those men later died.

There are cases where people find themselves in great danger and need help right away.

This is why those who venture out on the land and water should always have satellite phones and SPOT devices.

But some travellers temporarily stranded by weather, rough waters or ice, could avoid costly search and rescue missions involving coast guard ships or aircraft scrambled from southern Canada.

Workshops should be held in communities to inform and remind residents of how to be ready for the punishing and even deadly features of the Arctic's geography and climate. It is necessary to bring extra medication in case of delay and pack ample food and blankets in case circumstances change.

Too many uneventful trips without exercising adequate foresight lead to complacency, but proper preparation could be the difference between life and death.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.