The title of ambassador isn't one that most people think of on a daily basis.

The title brings up images of highly-paid individuals living in fancy consulates, travelling by chauffeured cars and meeting at parties with leaders of other countries.

Raymond Michaud, however, was conscious of being an ambassador this summer. He wasn't an ambassador for Canada to another country, but rather an ambassador for the Deh Cho region to tourists.

Working at Blackstone Territorial Park, Michaud, from Fort Simpson, made it part of his job to present the Deh Cho in the best possible light to visitors. Michaud went above and beyond the call of duty to make every visitors' stop at Blackstone as memorable as possible.

It's easy to see how people working in the tourism industry become a type of ambassador. After all, they have a lot of contact with tourists and as a result become part of the basis on which travellers form their opinion of any given place.

The role of the ambassador, however, can be spread much wider. In a small way everyone who comes in contact with a tourist in the Deh Cho, even if it is just in passing on a sidewalk, is an ambassador for the region.

When put in those terms it sounds like too much responsibility for everyone to have, but in reality it can take just seconds to make a difference. One of the things that visitors to the Deh Cho often talk about is how friendly everyone seems.

They are quite right, the Deh Cho is a very friendly place. That impression, however, can only be fully conveyed if people take the time to engage tourists, even just with a passing smile or a quick hello.

One might ask why it matters at all. It matters because tourism is one area of potential economic growth in the region.

The Deh Cho has a multitude of things to offer, from amazing, unspoiled scenery to untamed waterways to great fishing to on-the-land experiences. One of the region's greatest resources, however, is its people. They are the ones who hold the cultural and historical knowledge of the region that many visitors are looking for.

By consciously thinking of themselves as ambassadors, all residents of the Deh Cho can promote the region they love and call home and hopefully foster some additional economic prosperity along the way.

On Sunday the East 3 gym was packed. It was standing room only as hundreds of people from the community came out to honour Remembrance Day.

Growing up, Remembrance Day seemed like nothing more than a tradition. The world wars seemed so far off for a kid growing up in Canada.

But as time passes and we start losing veterans of those two wars, it becomes even more important to remember them and honour their sacrifices.

I once brought a Second World War veteran into an after-school program to talk to the students. Ranging in ages from 5 to 12, no one expected their attention for more than 15 minutes.

They sat and listened to the veteran for at least an hour, before peppering him with questions, ever patient of the veteran's hearing loss.

It brought the experience a little closer to home for some of them and reinforced why it's important to take the time and remember.

Without exposing the younger ones to explosions and gunfire, it made the experience real. Here is someone they can talk to and learn from.

It shows that sharing and documenting stories is important. It links younger generations to the generations that paved the way for them. It shows them the people they learn about in school are everyday people who make a difference.

By teaching youth about the past, there's hope for a better future, and it's something that can continue way beyond a week at school culminating in the ceremonies on Nov. 11.

It's important to show them that war is something real and is more than a level in the most recent first-person shooter video game.

And it's not just veterans of the two world wars. Remembrance Day has become one day where everyone can take a step back and appreciate everything the current and former Canadian Forces members do for this country.

Inuvik is a perfect example of coming together in remembrance. From the Inuvik Army Cadets to the members of the Royal Canadian Legion, the town was out in force to pay their respects.

Everyone in attendance gave the ceremonies the honour and respect that was deserved and that shows it's still, and always will be, one of the most important days of the year.

There will be no more apprehension about crossing the mighty Mackenzie River come Nov. 30 when leaving Yellowknife to drive south.

It will be a landmark moment when the Deh Cho Bridge is officially opened.

Who will cut the ribbon is being kept under wraps but it's probably safe to assume that Premier Bob McLeod and Transportation Minister Dave Ramsay, once an outspoken critic of the link, will be present, along with representatives of community partners like the Deh Gah Got'ie First Nation, the Fort Providence Metis Council and the Hamlet of Fort Providence.

No representative from the Government of Canada, which contributed not one cent to the $202 million project, ought to be on hand for the ceremony.

The bridge has been a long time coming. The idea of a fixed link across the river was first advanced more than 30 years ago. Critics have said there isn't enough traffic volume to justify a bridge, despite the inconvenience of having to wait for the ice to clear on the river, including the huge chunks that flow out of the big lake, so that the Merv Hardie ferry could resume service. A similar delay sometimes occurs in the winter, when vehicles cannot cross until the ice bridge is constructed.

That all changed on Sept. 28, 2007, when an agreement was signed with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to design, construct, finance and operate a 1.045-km cable stay bridge on Highway 3.

Despite the fact the original agreement was abandoned, with the territorial Department of Transportation taking over the project, construction that began in 2008 is finally near completion.

Regardless of the history, the end of the month will mark a turning point for Yellowknife, Behchoko and Fort Providence. No longer will people have to worry about whether the ferry is running or if the ice bridge is operational. Permanent access not only eases peoples' minds about travelling, it also will be of benefit to business, tourism and even Internet service delivery with a new fibre-optic cable spanning the river.

The bridge's technical and financial difficulties will forever remain part of its history. Nonetheless, the Deh Cho Bridge is an impressive structure that will bring certainty to travellers from the North Slave region and to the off-season transport of goods coming to our city.

The fact that people are arguing about which Northern celebrity should be the face of NWT tourism can't be a bad thing for the territory. Ten years ago we had few, if any, options.

We should be using all the celebrities available to us to promote the territory, whether they're born and raised in the territory like "Buffalo" Joe McBryan or cast as a Northerner in a popular TV show like Arctic Air star Adam Beach.

Alex Debogorski, Yellowknife resident and boisterous star of the reality television show Ice Road Truckers, caused a stir last week when he complained in his Yellowknifer column that NWT Tourism was slapping Northerners in the face by selecting Beach to be the poster boy of the organization's tourism campaign.

In 2010, McBryan, owner of Buffalo Airways, upon which reality TV show Ice Pilots NWT is based, criticized the territorial government for not taking advantage of promotional opportunities created by his show. NWT Tourism, a not-for-profit group responsible for marketing tourism in the NWT, seems to get it. That's why it's hitched its star to Adam Beach and Arctic Air.

It certainly couldn't hurt trying to enlist McBryan, Debogorski, and other rising stars North of 60, if it can reasonably be done. The more the merrier, and thank heavens we can say that.

Sooner or later some government somewhere will decide that, as well as it's worked with cigarette smokers, the golden goose is almost cooked and it's time to bring in a ton of cash from somewhere else.

It's equally just as certain those foul souls with an affinity for fast and/or sugary foods will be next in the taxman's crosshairs.

Heck, there's no reason to even change the now triedandtrue method of cashing in on a bad habit.

Start slow, with health professionals sounding the alarm, then have one suggest it's time to start taxing those who carry a few or not so few extra pounds around.

Some would even call it poetic justice, given obesity and its related illnesses have always been the true numberone drain on the Canadian healthcare system.

And there's never been a tax to balance the obesity scales, let alone tip revenues massively in favour of money coming in compared to the cost of health care going out like with smokers.

Throw in the fact, according to the government's own rhetoric, the vast majority of smokers die well before their time, and billions of dollars more are saved on health care, Canada Pension and Old Age Security.

Then, when you look at the fact governments have somehow managed to keep themselves exempt from lawsuits launched against big tobacco companies - despite being their full partner in crime and raking-in more blood money from tobacco than the companies themselves - you have to admit it's good work if you can get it.

With Ontario being one of the top paternal provinces in Canada, it came as no surprise when the Ontario Medical Association was the first out of the gate with the recommendation to its government to start taxing the H-E-double-hockey-sticks out of fatty and sugary foods.

And since, according to yet more government rhetoric, putting gross pictures on cigarette packages led to so many smokers quitting, the good doctors want to follow suit and have photos of diseased, bleeding feet shown on a bag of french fries.

That will have every golden arch gone in no time.

Canada's last truly charismatic leader, Pierre Trudeau, once said, "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

But, today, the bedroom might be the best place for the government.

Maybe it would hit the hay and take a break.

These days, Canada has a toxic mixture of paternal-taxation-politically correct-restriction fever gone mad.

If you're crazy enough to wish someone a Merry Christmas while holding a hamburger and wearing a Montreal Canadiens jacket written only in English, you could be in serious trouble.

Fast food lovers have one advantage, they already know silence is only golden to the government when it fires the first tax salvo at people it plans to ostracize into submission.

They have the chance to protest long and loud after the first shot crosses their bow.

Of course, should they try that particular tactic, they may also want to remember another quote from the duo of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.

"You have the right to free speech - as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it!"

One of the hardest things to do is learn or retain a language you do not use on a daily basis.

Although some Northern communities, such as those in the Tlicho region, have done better keeping their traditional language in daily life - through school programs, within self-government and at home, others have not been as fortunate.

Our territory recognizes 11 official languages - English, French, Dogrib (Tlicho), Chipewyan, Gwich'in, Inuktitut, Innuinaqtun, North and South Slavey, Inuvialuktun, and Cree.

The strength of each language varies but their importance to culture and identity are the same. Unfortunately, when it comes to support, not all languages are created equal in the eyes of the government, reflected in the level of services offered and the most recent language report issued by the GNWT.

At present, if aboriginal language speakers in the NWT wish to access government material online, in a vast majority of cases they would be unable to do so. Health and Social Services is the only department with online services available in all 11 official languages. The remaining department sites are either accessible only in English or also available in French.

Although French is Canada's second official language, it ranks fourth in the NWT behind English, Tlicho and South Slavey in terms of the number of speakers.

French speakers have challenged the GNWT in court on more than one occasion to increase services available in French, such as the official transcripts of the legislative assembly.

The GNWT has also recently agreed to a new plan to help enhance bilingual French services in the NWT.

If the GNWT plans to continue listing 11 official languages, it should commit to providing equal support to each of them. In its last budget, the GNWT spent $150,000 to improve services in French, yet not a dime in similar spending to improve support to the other nine non-English official languages.

A formula should be worked out by the department to fund languages on a per-capita basis, and more web services - specifically the departments of Justice, Education, Culture and Employment, Transportation, Municipal and Community Affairs and the legislative assembly, should be available in all 11 languages.

That seed money would help create programs to ensure language is passed down to the younger generation.

The Tlicho government has taken preservation of its language into its own hands, offering language immersion programs in its schools and making government information available in the Tlicho language. It's a strategy that has helped maintain its strength with approximately 90 per cent of the population 15 years or older able to converse in Tlicho.

More importantly, it has guaranteed younger Tlicho citizens are learning the language, which is essential to keeping it alive.

That is the most dangerous separation between the state of the Tlicho language and other aboriginal languages across the territory.

Those under the age of 25 who report the ability to speak Tlicho account for 31 per cent of that language's speakers. The next closest is Inuktitut with 23 per cent. Cree comes last with seven per cent.

That means older speakers make up the bulk of most traditional language speakers, which puts languages in danger of dying with its eldest speakers.

While government support is important, communities must also demonstrate a willingness and desire to keep their traditional languages strong. This starts in the home.

People can help by taking the time to pass on traditional language skills to children and speak it at home.

Not only will that exercise build language skills, it will also help foster cultural pride and rebuild aboriginal identity.

The scaling back of the Arctic Winter Games has left people looking for another way, and an option put on the table by the MLA for Rankin Inlet South might be the best route the Games could take.

Lorne Kusugak wants to split the games that can be played in the summer from those that are played in winter, and to have both summer and winter games in staggered years. This would require organizational changes, possibly another committee, and more money in total, but its benefits are clear.

With two events, each would cost less and would have more room to grow. The summer games would require less infrastructure because most, if not all, of the sports it could host - basketball, volleyball, some Dene games - could be played either outside or in school gymnasiums, and the athletes' village could be comprised of tents outside.

Splitting the event in two would make each event easier to organize and easier for Northern communities to host.

Each would need its own fundraising campaign, and more corporate sponsors might be necessary to make the higher total cost feasible, but many Northern companies are good corporate citizens and willing to sign on board with strong events such as the Games. Finding the money might not be hard. Even if it is, it would be worth the effort to avoid the alternative - less athletic opportunities for Northern youth.

Trimming sports from the Games does a disservice to youth. Athletics are fundamentally important, especially in Nunavut. Sports keep youth healthy, inspire confidence, foster friendships, create opportunities for youth to see other parts of the world, the benefits are innumerable.

Kusugak deserves a thumbs up for his creative alternative to downsizing the games, and here's hoping the Arctic Winter Games International Committee and Northern governments take notice.

As Nunavut grows, demand for liquor will grow, and despite the multitude of problems it causes the territory, we're never going to be rid of it. The best thing to do is regulate it as much as possible.

The Government of Nunavut is looking at a report recommending they create a Crown corporation to buy, sell and distribute alcohol through GN-owned retail beer and wine stores throughout the territory. Import permits would be gone, communities would have the final say in whether they get a store, and the profits would go into harm-reduction initiatives. As well, how much a person buys at the liquor store would be regulated.

This would surely take the steam out of bootlegging, as illegal profiteers who have been capitalizing on the slow liquor-ordering system would now have to contend with retail outlets selling at reasonable prices.

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