As the winter weather continues to roll in and the highways get worse it's a good idea for residents to make sure their vehicles are working well and that they are stocked with emergency items in case of an accident.

Travellers should keep blankets, a first aid kit, a flashlight, water and food in their vehicles.

Also, if you have the money, satellite phones are helpful but Department of Transportation spokesperson Earl Blacklock says travellers shouldn't rely on those alone.

"Even a satellite phone can't guarantee that you're going to be able to get reception. Generally, the most important thing is for people to ensure that they are prepared for going off the road, for surviving until somebody is able to provide them assistance," Blacklock said.

There are fewer collisions on the territory's rural roadways than in the communities but they still happen.

According to the latest version of NWT Traffic Collision Facts, there were 20 collisions on Highway 1 in 2010 that left 12 people injured and one person dead. Meanwhile, on the Liard Highway, there were four collisions.

Also, this year, there was a bad accident on the Liard Highway where a minivan collided with a transport truck. The driver of the van was pinned inside the vehicle in -23 C weather. Fortunately, Rowe's construction had a camp nearby.

The workers called the Fort Liard RCMP and also brought a generator and heater to the driver to keep him warm. He was later flown to the Fort Simpson Health Centre and then medevaced in stable condition.

The passenger who was with him during the accident was also taken to the health centre and later released.

The pair were very lucky but not everyone is.

When an accident happens on a remote highway your survival is sometimes not in your own hands but in those of the next traveller.

You have to be prepared to wait minutes or even hours in what ever weather mother nature throws at you.

A blanket, a Band-Aid, a bottle of water could mean the difference between a bearable situation and a bad situation. You make the choice.

'Tis the season for worrying about money while being slammed in the face with constant reminders of how soon the bills will quickly stack up.

We're a week away from Halloween and all the ghoulish and, of course, provocative costumes will be coming out.

It's a good time for a fun tradition, an event to distract everyone from the coming winter and inevitable draining of the grocery store shelves as the ferries close and Inuvik waits for the ice roads.

So it's time for a distraction, a safe distraction, and Halloween is just that. This year, let's try and forget about the ill-conceived tradition of vandalism.

Without vandalism, what better distraction is there than massive amounts of exposed flesh?

No one wants to seem prudish but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. It doesn't seem fair that there are two types of costumes. "I'm a scary/funny something," for men and "I'm a sexy whatever" for women.

Sure, if you're an adult who cares, right? We're all responsible for our own decisions. But what kind of example is that to set for young girls? A lot of whom are already struggling with self-esteem and body image issues.

Someone said she wanted to be a Monster High character, I had no idea what that meant until passing a display of them at North Mart.

For the uninitiated, Monster High is a series of fashion dolls that are based on famous horror characters like Frankenstein and Dracula.

Now, classic horror characters can be great and all but Bela Lugosi never wore a miniskirt, a top with a plunging neckline and platform boots. Well, not in the public eye at least.

It's up to adults to show you don't have to be nearly naked to get your point across.

Looking at it from a practical perspective, we don't exactly have the right weather for revealing clothing this time of year. And it's not even that cold out, yet.

There are enough events happening around Inuvik that no one needs to be out late causing trouble.

Stop by one of the haunted houses or trade candy with your friends after people stop opening their doors to the calls of "trick or treat."

Don't forget, Christmas is coming up and we all know Santa's making his list and checking it twice.

The Canadian military is at risk of developing an image problem in Yellowknife.

When it's not dropping missiles on our golf course or cutting our power lines, it's telling residents, "Sorry, we're too busy training to let you use our runway for emergency medevac flights."

That was pretty much the gist of its answer last week when Yellowknifer asked a spokesperson with Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton why the military would not allow medevac flights to land at its Namao airstrip.

"The impact far outweighs the perceived advantages," a CFB Edmonton spokesperson said, before firing off a list of pure bureaucratic bafflegab to attempt to explain why it can't be done.

Allowing medevac flights to land Namao would "adversely affect" the military's ability to conduct "annual continuation training, maintain basic soldier skills proficiencies, summer reserve training and high readiness training for deployment on international operations."

We must ask, what better opportunity for emergency training is there than to assist civilians with medevac flights? Canadian Forces Base Edmonton is five kilometres closer to the University of Alberta Hospital and eight kilometres closer to the Royal Alexandra Hospital - the two nearest hospitals to Edmonton International Airport, where NWT medevac flights will likely have to go once the City of Edmonton decommissions the downtown Edmonton City Centre Airport. That may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things but as Mayor Gord Van Tighem points out, every minute counts.

Yellowknifers did not say "no" to the Canadian Forces when military officers asked residents here to give up their public spaces, as they did during exercise Arctic Ram last February. So why isn't the military backing us up now? We suspect it's the same condition that affects many a bureaucracy in this country - too busy serving its own ends to remember who they work for, the public.

Low voter turnout at the Oct. 15 school board elections indicates more work needs to be done to streamline the new election format introduced last week.

Less than 30 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the school board elections, which represents the lowest participation rate in recent memory.

Officials with both school boards speculate the low turnout was a result of the new process, in which the school board ballots were issued at polls separate from the municipal election.

Some voters were confused by the new format, and those individuals deserve assurance that their next experience at the ballot box will be more straightforward.

Outgoing Mayor Gord Van Tighem heralds the new format as a success because ballots were counted relatively quickly and pollster volunteers, many of them seniors, were not asked to work late into the evening on election night. He said the two-stream process will remain in the future.

If that is to be the case, the city and school boards should work together to troubleshoot, in an effort to encourage greater voter turnout.

Voting should be as simple possible, and communication is the key.

Next year, voters should be made aware of what to expect well ahead of election day, and the public's input on how to improve the process should be considered.

One change to the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 elections that shouldn't be adopted is the suggestion to reserve a trustee seat for an aboriginal candidate, as proposed by outgoing trustee Reanna Erasmus during a board meeting held earlier this month.

While aboriginal representation should be fully encouraged, reserving a spot on that basis is neither necessary nor beneficial. Erasmus garnered a healthy number of votes in earning her position, and that should remain the way seats around the school board table are filled.

The prospect of NHL hockey this season, especially a full 82-game schedule, is looking dim.

The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) rejected the NHL's latest proposal this past week and countered with three proposals of its own, all variations of the original it submitted a month previously.

Not surprisingly, the NHL threw its hands up in frustration and walked away, yet there is still hope a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will be struck to salvage a part of the 2012-13 season.

Those familiar with the way NHLPA head Donald Fehr conducts business weren't surprised by the rejection of the owners' latest proposal, even with a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues (HRR).

Fehr is an all-or-nothing negotiator, and he's fuelling the players' somewhat misguided belief they "lost" the last round of negotiations when the NHL rolled back salaries and adopted a salary cap.

The fact neither did anything to stem the upward trend of player salaries -- noted by Forbes magazine as the top detriment to franchise values in the NHL -- is immaterial to Fehr's way of thinking.

So, too, is presenting the numbers accurately.

In rejecting the NHL's latest offer, Fehr told the players, taking for granted revenues grow at five per cent a year during the sixyear deal, they would lose $1.65 billion compared to their percentage in the previous CBA.

If league revenues grow to 7.1 per cent, it would grow to $1.776 billion.

What Fehr left out was the fact the players had previously agreed to drop their percentage of HRR from 57 to an average of 53.5 per cent.

Anyone who has ever been involved in negotiations knows once an offer is put on the table, it becomes a given.

So, at the NHLPA's own average number of 53.5 per cent, the difference in what the owners offered them drops to between $110 million to $200 million, depending on growth reaching five or seven per cent, if they grow at all.

And they may not, as fans are getting more and more upset with the money being paid to the players and the constant bickering and mistrust between the two sides.

Fehr is also the man who caused the World Series of baseball to be cancelled for the only time in history, and vehemently opposed drug testing when he was head of the baseball union.

To Mr. Fehr, it's all about the money.

Yet, the two sides are on the top of the same page, at least, in accepting the fact the split of HRR should be near 50-50.

Fehr, of course, is making this look like a huge concession on the part of the players, and wants to ensure their drop from 57 per cent is phased in gradually.

There are other areas of concern, including the NHL's proposed five-year maximum on contract length.

But, if the two sides can figure out how to get to 50-50 in a way that works for both, the rest should be worked out in time to salvage at least part of the season

However, if the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor between the Leafs and Red Wings on Jan. 1, 2013, is cancelled, much of the NHL's desire to make a deal disappears with it.

Hockey-mad Kivalliq fans can join the rest of the country in keeping a close eye on what evolves during the next 10 days, as NHL hockey for the foreseeable future probably hangs in the balance.

Voters in Norman Wells and Fort Smith surged to the polls on Oct. 15. Voter turnout for those two communities was 75.7 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively, and the strongest of the five municipalities to hold elections in the NWT.

Voter interest in Norman Wells was not surprising considering the community's ongoing energy crisis. The next council will be tasked with solving the pressing issue of how to replace natural gas. Mayor Dudley Johnson, who was ousted by challenger Harold McGregor, had an ambitious, yet costly plan on the table to convert the community to a centralized wood pellet boiler system. It was a campaign point he and McGregor differed on substantially. McGregor also took a cooler approach to development in Norman Wells in advance of an anticipated oil and gas exploration boom in the region, saying the town has time to move slowly and do things properly.

Johnson, on the other hand, expressed a sense of urgency to build more housing and be prepared for an increase in population - something McGregor wasn't convinced is going to happen quickly.

McGregor's message must have resonated with voters, as a commanding majority chose him to take the helm of the next council.

Fort Smith, which dealt with a divisive municipal staff strike prior to the election, seemed to cast its votes in reaction to that incident, ousting Mayor Janie Hobart in favour of challenger Brad Brake. Brake's campaign focused, in part, on smoothing over damaged relations at town hall following the strike.

In Inuvik, former premier Floyd Roland will lead the least-changed council - all but one incumbent was re-elected. Energy is a hot topic in Inuvik as the town seeks solutions to its dwindling natural gas supply. Since the solution will likely involve co-operation from all levels of government, Roland might be the best man for the job. He comes to the table with a host of political contacts in the GNWT and the Government of Canada.

In Hay River, residents have been hit hard over the past term by council infighting and the mayor's resignation, which sparked an investigation into the town's finances and contracting practices. If that wasn't enough, residents have endured three tragic killings this year. This combination created a community yearning for change.

Hay River's election attracted 1,200 voters to the polls and with only one incumbent running - Ken Latour dropped out mid-race and Andrew Cassidy threw his hat in for mayor - the community will have a host of new faces offering leadership at the council table. It will be vital that this new council, under Cassidy, who was elected mayor, demonstrates both co-operation and openness not only among each other but also with the community. That is the only way a positive direction for change can be set.

In Fort Simpson, a mix of new and old politicians will convene around the council table. The community will be looking for its civic politicians to address infrastructure issues and lobby the territorial government for improvements to the highway system leading into the community.

Congratulations to all the new and returning members of council, and a kudos to the residents who exercised their democratic duty to help select the people will lead their communities over the next three years.

Although the election is over, those taking office must work to keep their communities informed and conduct themselves in a manner that best serves community members.

Residents also carry an obligation: they must keep a watchful eye, to hold councillors and mayors to the promises that earned their votes.

Though pricey airfare and accommodations can make Nunavut a tough sell as a tourist destination, it is a part of Canada that inspires much fascination from our southern neighbours, and that interest is bankable.

The GN spent $233,000 to bring CTV's Canada AM to Iqaluit for a two-part special in July. Whether that investment results in a spike in tourist traffic to the Arctic is yet to be seen.

Dramatically increased website traffic on both the Nunavut Tourism and GN websites recently, as cited by Economic Development and Transportation deputy minister Robert Long, is a positive indicator, at least.

The Economic Development department estimates a TV advertisement campaign with exposure similar to the Canada AM show would have cost $1 million. This is a good example of the GN taking advantage of a creative and relatively cheap way to market the territory.

For good or ill, people watch a lot of TV. Newfoundland and Labrador has seen a marked boost to tourism which it credits to its Find Yourself ad campaign over the past few years, which features breathtaking shots of pristine landscapes and rural life. According to that province's Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, non-resident visits rose 7.9 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009, with 518,500 visitors - the first time it's broken the half-million mark.

While Nunavut wouldn't realistically be shooting for figures in that range, largely due to the cost of a trip north, the benefits of increased understanding and interest in Nunavut and Inuit culture might be realized outside the territory as well. Inuit arts and crafts are sold in many southern galleries, and piqued interest from smart marketing would surely attract more sales. As well, with more mining in the territory will come more mining executives, board members and shareholders who might want to take advantage of business trips in Nunavut by touring communities and shopping for art.

Though it's unlikely tourism will be a major factor in the territory's economy in the near future, the $233,000 spent on landing Canada AM was a sound risk. Perhaps it will make someone check out the Nunavut art section of a gallery in Montreal, or consider embarking on a cruise through the Northwest Passage, or maybe businesspeople might extend their stay in the territory when they get the chance to fly up on a business trip.

It's also not a bad thing to show off the territory and its culture to Canadians who are all investing in Nunavut with their tax dollars which, through federal transfer payments, pay for most of the territorial budget.

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