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Excitement among hockey fans has been building across the North for weeks and now it is Yellowknife's turn to get caught up in the action.

The Northern Hockey Challenge, which is a grassroots effort to form a Northern hockey league with teams in the NWT, Nunavut and Nunavik, Que., is coming to the Yk Arena on Friday and Saturday night with games against Inuvik.

Judging from the action last week in Inuvik and Kuujjuaq, this is fast-paced, action-packed hockey featuring all the fan favourites - hard checking, power plays, timeouts and even one instance of a team pulling the goalie in the final minutes to get an extra man on the ice. Arenas in the communities have hosted hundreds of fans in the first few games of the schedule, home-and-home stands which ended with each team winning one game. Inuvik took the opener 7-5 and Hay River won the second game 3-1 in the Roy "Sugloo" Ipana Memorial Arena in Inuvik. In Kuujjuaq, the home team posted a 15-5 victory over Iqaluit in its opener but dropped a 5-4 decision in the following night's rematch.

The Yellowknife First Air Flyers will be sporting the colours of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. The uniforms are actually a tribute to a mid-80s rec hockey team that used to play in Yellowknife.

That's where the retro trend ends, however. The Northern Hockey Challenge Facebook page is active with almost 8,000 page views in the first weekend. And those with a Twitter account can follow the action through short updates posted several times per period.

What better way to sum it up than by quoting this online comment: "Series all tied up with Iqaluit and Hay River both winning their games last night! What a great weekend of hockey! Thanks everyone for coming out to cheer on your team. Stay tuned for more great end-to-end Northern Hockey Challenge action next weekend!"

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. for both games. See you there!

Yellowknife is the premier gateway to one of world's leading natural attractions in the aurora borealis, and the city should take further advantage of this brilliant phenomenon.

Japanese tourists have shown thousands of people are willing to travel across the globe to experience the Northern lights from the boreal forest.

Aurora viewing remains a vibrant industry, having rebounded to 6,776 tourists in 2010-11 from a low of 5,460 visitors in 2008-09, according to Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment statistics.

This season - considered to be most active in the solar cycle that feeds the Northern lights - aurora tourists from Japan often occupy more than half of the 50 seats in the nightly Air Canada Jazz flights from Calgary.

Recent initiatives to attract tourists from China and fresh discussions about reaching out to European travellers could help further strengthen and expand the industry.

An information session held here earlier this month by B.C.-based company Fraserway RV offered creative ideas for making Yellowknife more attractive for German, Austrian and Swiss tourism markets, such as by creating a network of recreational vehicle tour options between Calgary, Yellowknife and Whitehorse.

Tourism and parks director Richard Zieba said making Yellowknife a hub for European RV tours could help attract direct flights from Switzerland's Edelweiss Air to our city.

Whitehorse attracts direct Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt, Germany, which should give Yellowknife tour operators a sense of what is possible, especially given the fact that Yellowknife offers the best aurora viewing opportunities in the world.

Businesses and government should work together to make the sky the limit when it comes to aurora tourism.

This past weekend a number of important hockey games were played in Arviat, Inuvik and Kuujjauq, Nunavik.

Arviat hosted its annual Jon Lindell Memorial senior men's event, while Inuvik played host to Hay River and Kuujjuaq hosted Iqaluit in the new Northern Hockey Challenge.

At the same time, the Arctic Atoms tourney was being held in Rankin.

Two of the three senior events shared an alarming point.

Both the tournament in Arviat and the games in Kuujjuaq were officiated by southern officials.

The Arviat games were called by three refs from Manitoba, while the games in Northern Quebec were called by three from Montreal.

Both were by necessity, not design nor preference.

The fact hockey is surging in popularity across the North is a wonderful thing.

The game is helping more and more people of all ages stay physically active, instilling a sense of teamwork in numerous youth and injecting many communities with pure excitement.

Hockey is also bringing extra revenue into the hamlets hosting the events, and many of those benefitting from that have little or no involvement with the game.

On the downside is the fact the increasing number of events has already far eclipsed the number of officials able to call the games, especially in Nunavut.

Believe it or not, the hockey crazy Kivalliq has but three full-time (as in only reffing, not playing) officials.

They are yours truly, Max MacDonald and Damian MacInnis, all of Rankin Inlet.

MacInnis had to journey East for awhile and is unavailable for the vast majority of the hockey season.

Two players in Rankin, Donald Clark and David Clark, are certified and ref games when they're not playing, coaching, selecting teams or organizing tournaments.

There is no longer a certified official in the Kivalliq outside of Rankin.

I've been around this wonderful game for half a century now and I can tell you, whether you want to believe it or not, solid officiating is absolutely necessary for good hockey to be played.

But we've reached the point where playing the games at all is in danger, let alone solid officiating or top-level hockey.

Right now, either tens of thousands of dollars are spent during tournament season to bring outside officials in or the games don't get played.

Simple as that.

It's past time for our territorial and branch organizations to push officiating needs a lot higher on their priority lists.

It's great to spend money to bring coaches in to help increase the skill level of our youths, and to put smiles on faces with fun days and other similar events, but, without refs, our kids have to go south to truly learn to play the game in the proper manner.

More people have to step up and train to become officials or the momentum the game's built in the past decade will come to a screeching halt.

In fact, for the situation to reach the level it's at is reason to hand out a number of gross misconducts to all who have stood idly by and done nothing to help!

In Nunavut, hockey officials truly have become the Rodney Dangerfields of the hockey world.

If all goes according to plan, preliminary work for the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk all-season highway could begin this winter.

That is good news for the Beaufort Delta, which will reap the benefits of a year-round link to the Dempster Highway.

Not only will it be a boost for tourism, the road will also help reduce freight costs, create jobs and potentially open the area to more economic development.

It is essential the GNWT move quickly and efficiently on this project to avoid the same costly mistakes it made during the construction of the Deh Cho Bridge.

When the road was first announced its estimated cost was approximately $200 million, with $150 million coming from the federal government. Since then, the estimated costs have climbed to between $250 million and $300 million.

As costs rise, the viability of the project decreases, especially if the 25/75 per cent funding split with the federal government is not maintained.

Project expenditures will not decrease as years pass. If construction is delayed too long, a price tag of half a billion dollars can be expected.

Once the environmental assessment and cost estimate report are released, which the GNWT states should happen before the end of the month, work must commence. With 85 per cent of the design work completed, preliminary work on the ground should begin as soon as possible.

The GNWT has often lamented the fact it is hard pressed to fill the demand for capital projects in the territory due to its financial situation. This should be more reason to complete the road quickly. The more dollars needed for the Inuvik to Tuk Highway in the future, the fewer that will be available for other much-needed projects.

More than 300 children are in the care of social services in the NWT.

Unfortunately, with only 241 eligible foster homes, finding homes in a child's community can be a challenge. The solution isn't an easy one and comes down to more than simply recruiting more suitable foster parents. Retention is also an issue.

The Foster Family Coalition is calling on the GNWT to review its foster child program with an emphasis on improving training and bringing the system's standards into line with other Canadian jurisdictions.

The first priority should be providing families with training that will help them deal with the challenges of fostering. Equipping them with those vital tools will help ensure children are not moving from home to home when problems arise. Reviewing the territory's compensation policy, which has not been updated in a decade, according to coalition president Pat Strus, is also essential.

Investing in better training and benefits for foster families is essential. Providing children with a safe, healthy and positive place to grow up will save the government money in the long run.

The alternative is spending the money in the legal system. That's the high cost to communities when uncared for children turn to drugs, alcohol and other associated crime.

There is no shortage of hockey in the North, but the newly-crafted pan-territorial championship is adding a new dimension to the sport.

Nunavut communities have their own teams and championships, and there are some regional and territorial tournaments as well, all of which are essential to the development of top-notch players in the North. These events give youth an outlet to focus their energy and a venue to prove themselves in competition.

That said, the Northern Hockey Challenge could add an even greater degree of prestige to the game in the North, especially if it gets the league status it aims to acquire. For established players, it's a reward for their dedication to playing the sport in the North. For youth, it's something to aim for.

Of course, it's never wise to count one's chickens before they hatch. The tournament just kicked off this past weekend and we'll see how this season plays out. It has the ingredients it needs to be a success, however, especially considering the sport's popularity.

First Air deserves praise for backing the event. The company states it will be remove barriers for teams to travel, and that's usually one of the biggest issues in bringing teams together for events like this in the North.

It's this kind of corporate citizenship, with a savvy eye for what could benefit the territories, that endears a company to its clientele.

The organizers have done their part to make this happen. The athletes will be doing their part to provide the action. Now it's time for Nunavummiut to show their support in the stands by holding signs and cheering the players on.

With food availability and affordability being pressing issues in Nunavut, it's worth applauding Kivalliq Arctic Foods' approach to donations.

Many companies will sponsor events around Nunavut with financial support, and are thus recognized as a partner or are advertised in conjunction with the event. This type of promotion is win-win for all involved and without it many events might not happen.

Kivalliq Arctic Foods, however, has taken a different approach to giving back, though one that's perhaps less visible. It is a country food business, so it is working with organizations around the territory to provide the delicious and nutritious food to those who can't afford it.

The company deserves accolades for this approach, and for its decision not to charge shipping costs on the country food packs it sells to families. A bit of compassion from business goes a long way in making the territory a more appealing place to live for the less fortunate.

Lots of promises are made by candidates during an election campaign.

Last fall's municipal election was no different but we are happy to report more than a few of them have been kept.

High on almost every candidate's list, including those who got elected, was a pledge to improve communications at city hall.

This happened almost immediately, certainly from Yellowknifer's perspective. City hall department heads are once again free to speak, reporters' requests for information are answered promptly and there appears to be a greater understanding that the press has a key role to play in getting information out and gathering public reaction.

Most important to this relationship is recognizing the difference between a news story and an editorial. News stories that appear throughout the paper are to inform and engage readers by presenting the facts and different views from people who care.

Sometimes readers come to Yellowknifer with a complaint about city policy or direction and, providing it is reasonable, we will go to city administration or council for answers. We aim to present both sides fairly and accurately, with some background to add perspective.

Editorials that run in this space are entirely different. An editorial is based upon an opinion formed by our editorial board. Facts are used to support a position, which may be either strong criticism or healthy praise. But it is still an opinion and anybody is free to take an opposing view through a guest column or letter to the editor, which by the way, are often the most read items in our pages.

Let us add a few more facts to support our position on various election promises.

When told of administration's halt to the practice of offering free parking passes to visitors, many candidates promised to restore those parking passes. The day after being sworn in, Mayor Mark Heyck delivered them personally to the NWT Tourism annual general meeting at the Explorer Hotel.

There were also promises that city hall personnel issues would be looked at as a first order of business, and evidence of that promise being fulfilled came with the departure of city manager Bob Long in November, 2012.

In addition, the proposed geothermal project was a fiasco, a classic case of a good idea gone bad, badly damaging city administration's credibility. As promised, that grand plan has been taken off the table and replaced with a scaled-down district energy project connecting government buildings.

The contentious move to put in a floatplane dock on Latham Island last year floundered on the rocks of poor communications and flawed consultations, further aggravated by the city manager's floatplane parked nearby, seemingly thumbing his nose at everyone. Now council is backing off in favour of improving both communications and consultation with local residents before making a decision.

Is this new openness with media and the public the result of a honeymoon syndrome, soon to end as all honeymoons do? We hope not.

It serves each city councillor to have as much public discussion as possible about all the issues so they have a good sense of the direction the public wishes them to go. Then people will vote for them again.

City hall administration may act with the best interests of modern municipal operations but in the end, it is there to serve the people as directed by city council. As we saw with the geothermal debate, city administration's expertise and conclusions are better tested when the public, some of whom are extremely knowledgeable, have a chance to ask questions and demand answers.

Yellowknifer will do its part to keep readers informed, and we look forward a lively and productive three years for city council.

The times they are a changing in the Deh Cho.

NorthwesTel announced last week that it will be bringing 3G wireless Internet service to 25 communities across the territory before the end of 2014. Included are six communities in the Deh Cho that currently don't have any form of cellphone service, including Jean Marie River, Trout Lake, Fort Providence, Kakisa, Wrigley and Nahanni Butte.

Clearly a number of benefits will result from this service. Residents of those communities will have the option of owning and using the newest smartphones as well as other wireless devices, such as tablets that will fully function as soon as the 3G service is turned on in their community.

It will mean that residents and visitors to the communities will be able to make calls and access the Internet within the coverage area. Practical applications for this include being able to call for help in the case of an emergency or reassure relatives that you have arrived safely when travelling.

There will also be increased opportunities to use social media, whether it is to organize events or to promote local businesses. In classrooms, devices such as tablets and the Internet resources they can access will become another learning tool.

Many people in the region will undoubtedly be overjoyed to get cellphone service. Things, however, will never be quite the same.

The beauty of cellphones is that you are never out of touch so long as you can get a signal. This is also one of the technology's drawbacks.

If you own a cellphone, you are accessible all of the time, unless you turn it off or leave it at home. No longer are phone calls something you do while at home. Suddenly you can be reached while in the grocery store or while watching your child's soccer game or wherever you happen to be when your phone rings.

The distraction ability that cellphones and other devices have for children should also not be underestimated. As soon as the devices work in the communities, and as soon as youths can convince their parents to purchase one for them, they will be huddled over it for untold hours.

Technology and services that are available in most of the rest of Canada are making inroads into the Deh Cho and will be pervasive by the dawn of 2015. There will be a multitude of benefits, but there will also be changes that will subtlety affect life in the region.

In a few years, people will both wonder how they ever lived without cellphone service and be nostalgic about when they did.

Since coming into office, Mayor Floyd Roland has focused on expanding tourism in Inuvik in an attempt to diversify and stabilize Inuvik's economy.

Roland is looking at ways to increase not only the number of leisure travellers to Inuvik but also business travellers. He wants the town to become a place southerners think of when planning conferences.

If made wisely, investment into Inuvik’s tourism industry could have a significant impact on the area. As an indicator of the industry's worth, NWT Tourism has a budget of only $2.5 million, yet visitors contribute approximately $100 million to the territory's economy each year.

At the same time, the town needs to be cautious given that return on this investment is not guaranteed and a number of factors can come into play to affect how many tourists come to town.

According to NWT Tourism, in 2011 visitor numbers to the territory decreased by four per cent due to occurrences such as a global economic recession; the NWT sport hunting sector, gutted by a ban on hunting caribou spurred by a perilously low population; federal passport and visa requirements; and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, where many of our tourists originate.

As well, Inuvik faces a huge hurdle in establishing this industry: the high cost of transportation. No doubt more people would be willing to travel here if airline tickets from Yellowknife to Inuvik didn't cost about $1,000 return, not to mention costs to get to Yellowknife from the south.

I have friends and family in Ontario who would love to visit the North but as soon as I tell them the cost of flights they immediately put the brakes on the idea – my mother included. That said, Roland has been looking into negotiating rates with the airlines.

In the meantime, however, the town should look at further promoting the Dempster Highway. Inuvik could work with other communities along the route to create an annual festival of sorts to raise awareness and encourage people to make the trip.

Inuvik should also look at ways to further embrace technology. Economic development manager Jackie Challis has done a wonderful job operating the InuvikSunFest Twitter account but the town could still expand on its social media presence.

Inuvik should look at having a fresh video created to showcase the area. Perhaps make a contest out of it by having local residents create videos and post them on YouTube. A prize could then be given to the clip with the most views after a month’s time. It would give the area greater exposure for very little cost.

In short, the town should focus on making wise investments in tourism while continuing to diversify the economy in other ways.

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