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The disparity in the price of gasoline in NWT communities has some motorists angry as they pull up to the pump in Yellowknife, faced with paying $1.38 per litre for regular grade gasoline while our southern neighbours in Hay River were paying only $1.12 last week. The price has since climbed by nine cents.

Mixed with the outrage that the cost has remained high in the capital city for so long is the question, "Why?"

Finding that answer is no easy task because there are so many factors at play.

Included in the price of gasoline is the cost of producing the fuel itself, of course. Then there is federal tax, the GST, which is unfairly applied to the after-tax price, territorial tax, the cost of delivery and a built-in margin of profit for the retailer.

Setting the wholesale price at the refinery gets complicated simply because gasoline is a commodity. Its price is set in part based on the trading price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil on the global market. There are other factors to throw into the murky mix as well, such as the location of the refinery being used to supply communities in the North. When a refinery shuts down for regular maintenance, it is not uncommon for there to be a spike in prices before they gradually come down again.

Some are ready to blame Deh Cho Bridge tolls - which have been in effect for a little more than two months - for keeping the prices high. However, the Department of Transportation insists that those tolls account for only up to half a cent per litre in additional costs.

Gasoline is perceived as a necessity. It keep the wheels of commerce turning because it is a basic ingredient of the transportation industry. Groceries wouldn't get to the stores, the gasoline itself wouldn't be delivered and many goods in the North wouldn't be available if it wasn't for the diesel fuel used to power the vehicles used to transport them. As well, most consumers use gasoline to get to work and back.

That is also why emotions run high when there is a disparity in price, especially when the difference in price is 26 cents per litre. People feel like they are being unfairly targeted. Adding to the frustration is the fact that there is no single entity through which people can vent their anger. Therefore the best place for people to make their opinions known is to their elected officials, who can give those concerns voice in the legislative assembly. That isn't to suggest that Yellowknifer is endorsing government regulation of gasoline prices, as exists in some other jurisdictions, like Nova Scotia. That would surely result in residents of the capital subsidizing gas prices in far northern and remote communities, where prices are much higher than here.

What we do need is for some authority to at least force answers to emerge. In the absence of a competition bureau, the territorial house of government is the obvious place to turn. The problem is that the government is notorious for acting slowly and motorists will spend the interim growling at the pumps and lighter in the wallet.

While we're confident the new Rankin Inlet Healing Centre should, in the long run, prove itself beneficial to the region, it is not without hiccups despite all the back-slapping surrounding its grand opening in Rankin this past month.

The news of construction overruns and staffing difficulties is nothing new to the Kivalliq, nor across Nunavut for that matter, but there are some disturbing trends surfacing at the new facility.

Despite Minister Daniel Shewchuk's assurances to the contrary, word coming out of the healing centre is that not everyone's walking around all smiles and contentment.

Supervisors are putting in far too much time on the job waiting for proper staffing, and a number of the caseworkers and supervisors appear to be less than enthralled by the leadership, or lack thereof, they've seen at the facility to

date.

And, let's be honest, it's never a good thing when your first choice for leader is suspended and investigated for workplace incidents during his first year on the job.

We can't help but wonder if the right message is being sent to the inmates using the titles of warden, and deputy warden, etc., to begin with.

After all, Nunavut's Department of Justice is going out of its way to build the new facility up as a healing centre and downplay the whole "jail" concept.

If that's truly the case, and the message we want to send the inmates, maybe programs co-ordinator and general manager would help make a more positive connection with the inmates.

That's always the problem when you start tinkering with concepts and terminology, and decide you don't have a jail with guards, you have a healing centre with caseworkers.

The same can be said when you guarantee your healing centre will only be home to low- and medium-risk inmates, while knowing full well it will also be home to people on remand.

Even though they've yet to be convicted of a crime, those held on remand are considered high risk.

Many don't want to be in custody to begin with and others aren't exactly looking forward to their day in court.

They are regarded by the system as high risk because there's more likelihood they may try to escape.

In the every day life of the incarcerated, inmates have to be taken out for such things as a dental appointment or a hospital visit, especially in an emergency if, for example, one inmate were to injure another.

Sentenced inmates in low- or medium-risk institutions are almost always escorted by a single guard (caseworker) while someone on remand is escorted by two.

We can't help but wonder, also, if our healing facility is properly prepared if an inmate decides to act more like a criminal than a client being rehabilitated.

If you're too focused on being a healing facility, and downplaying the fact your inmates did break the law to be there, some priorities may slide down the list.

It would be nice to know the healing centre has pepper spray on hand should one inmate try to hurt another and a supervisor intervene.

Jails and healing centres are very different concepts in their practical application, and the people who inhabit them on both sides of the legal line stand to lose the most when decisions are made on concepts rather than reality.

Resource development is vital to the NWT economy. Although tourism, agriculture and small business, to name a few, are worthy investments, combined they will fall well short of the economic power of mineral and oil and gas projects.

Last year, the NWT was hit with a scathing assessment by the Fraser Institute when our territory was ranked last in Canada among global mining and exploration destinations. At the heart of the critique was the territory's regulatory system, which was described as difficult to navigate and too slow to attract investors. Part of the problem is difficulty accessing private lands. In most cases, private lands in the NWT refer to areas with negotiated or interim land claims agreements. In rare cases, it applies to single land owners surrounded by Crown land where land claims are still being negotiated.

To help restore investor confidence, the federal government has come forward with legislation to enact a new surface rights board. In essence, the board will have the power to settle disputes and negotiate access to land where mineral rights have been attained or need to be crossed to reach such areas.

The new board is receiving mixed reviews. Where industry is hailing it as a step forward, opponents view it with fear.

Some First Nations chiefs say it will undermine land claims negotiations and give companies carte blanche to run over privately-owned lands. Considering the history among First Nation groups, Northerners as a whole and the federal government, these concerns are not surprising.

However, the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada insists the board's purpose is to settle land access disputes fairly. Stephen Traynor, a senior adviser with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, said the board will not have the power to supersede land claim agreements, nor any currently established licensing and permitting process.

"This is just about when someone needs access to land that is occupied," he said.

Further, he said not only will the board act under the constraints of land claim agreements, Traynor said a clause in the legislation creates a requirement that the surface rights board act be amended should it fall into conflict with any future settled land claims. Also, in cases where land claims do differ with the surface rights board act, Traynor said the land claim agreement would take precedence.

Although the surface rights board is designed to resolve lengthy disputes between companies and land owners, Traynor assures it will not free developers from their obligation to consult. He said disputes will not be heard by the board if a company has not shown a demonstrable effort to negotiate with the land owner.

As yet, the board's regulations have not been set and Traynor said that will be at least a year-long process after it is passed into law.

If the intent described by Traynor holds true in practice, this new board will help improve the NWT's image as a place to do business, providing investors with a measurable tool to ensure projects begin in a timely fashion. That will mean more resource dollars, more jobs and a stronger NWT, which can benefit everyone.

We all see the need to diversify the territorial economy to lessen our reliance on the development of non-renewable resources, but until that day comes, they will continue to be our bread and butter.

It is up to Northerners to hold government to its promises and ensure that development is conducted fairly, with the highest environmental standards and in a way that maximizes benefits to Northerners.

When art is hung upon a wall, the wall is transformed into a showcase for culture.

The Iqaluit Centennial Public Library's decision to hang youth-made art upon its walls has not only enhanced the atmosphere in its facility, but it's given artistically-inclined youth a venue for public display and shows them a career in art is possible. This is not to say such a path is easy, but one would be hard-pressed to find a better place than Nunavut to give it a go.

Art is among the strongest staples of Northern tourism. Those venturing to, say, Pangnirtung or Cape Dorset often do so with the intention of picking up some of the communities' world-renowned print and carving work. According to a GN study from 2010, the territory's 3,000-artist-strong industry was the cause for $33.4 million to change hands in the territory in a single year. That's no small feat for a remote territory of close to 32,000 people.

Creative support for the industry from groups like the Iqaluit library could help artists further promote their work and make our communities more appealing to residents and southerners.

Justice Robert Kilpatrick has often been the voice of reasoned protest for a better justice system in Nunavut.

The justice department's limited resources are often strained by lawyers' schedules, and numerous cases can face excruciating delays due to vacations. Beyond this, ever-growing piles of paper on lawyers' desks contribute to the backlog.

When trials - or even preliminary hearings - drag on, they put pressure on the court that is tasked with handling all of Nunavut's crime. This task, in a territory whose 28 communities are all fly-in and whose per capita crime rate dwarfs that of most other jurisdictions, is substantial.

Despite these challenges, those accused of crime have rights that cannot be ignored. When those rights are violated, justice is jeopardized.

Last month, Kilpatrick warned lawyers that ongoing delays are causing a manslaughter case to become "stale."

Nunavut's justice minister cannot turn a blind eye to these problems. An analysis of these recurring issues is in order. If these sorts of delays were happening within the health-care system then there would be deaths as a result, and that would not be tolerated.

The same standard must apply to justice.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the $975,000 the city used to purchase three downtown properties a year ago was not money well spent.

Instaloans fled from its 50 Street location in November after encountering problems with mould, and, of all things, a plague of mice. The exodus occurred seven months after a fuel leak was discovered behind the store, which, because it didn't have full insurance coverage, cost the City of Yellowknife $52,000 to clean up.

Last month, downtown's favourite spot for late-night snacks, Corner Mart, shut its doors - six weeks before its lease expired.

So there we have it, three 50 Street properties - purchased on the backs of city taxpayers - making not a dime in rent or tax revenue a year after they were acquired. The plan - though it remains vague - appears to have been to raze this troubled "Range Street" block and redevelop it with affordable housing.

"That would probably be a good one," said former mayor Gord Van Tighem when asked if the three lots were the likely location for the city-subsidized "eco-housing project" shortly after the city purchased the properties in January 2012. The eco-housing designation is there to emphasize the project's environmentally-friendly features such as shared rooftop gardens and solar panels but at a low cost to potential buyers.

Four months later, however, in a meeting attended by Van Tighem, the eco-housing project task force was told the 24-unit development was now to be built on 48 Street, next door to Boston Pizza.

It's not clear why the city-owned property on 50 Street fell out of favour, although it seems likely the city's inability to convince the owners of the Gold Range and Raven Pub buildings to sell their properties had something to do with it. Who wants to live sandwiched between two rowdy bars? No matter how "eco" the project, or how low the selling price.

The latest plan - at least for the time being - involves tearing down the buildings at a cost of $200,000 and converting the three lots into a "temporary" parking lot.

This begs an important question: how long will this parking lot remain there between two bars and facing a boarded up mall across the street?

City administration says a redevelopment task force will commence a design plan for Range Street in 2014. But given the city's track record to date there is a real danger for inertia to set in while city council is playing developer and trying to figure out what to do with these properties once the bulldozers level them. This one-block stretch of 50 Street was originally scheduled to undergo a "streetscaping" similar to what was completed at the other end of Franklin Avenue in 2009. But it was postponed in 2010 and again last year.

The prudent option for council would be to cut its losses and sell the lots now, even if at a rock-bottom price. Surely there is a developer out there willing to redevelop some downtown lots for cheap, and to council's specifications for downtown renewal, even if a zoning change is required. Developers haven't had any problem revamping other downtown eyesores such as the 52 Street block where the Greenstone building now stands or the Gallery building across the street. This is because, unlike the city, they can't afford to let undeveloped properties sit idle.

The alternative is further dithering while city coffers remain unrewarded by property taxes from its downtown purchases.

Before I took up curling I used to wonder why anyone would want to watch that sport on television.

To be honest, I wonder that about a number of sports, but curling was near the top of the list.

Watching people throw rocks down a sheet of ice while trying to hit other rocks and follow rules that I didn't understand at all was not an appealing prospect.

My appreciation for curling has grown considerably since then during my years in Fort Simpson, although my skill level has sadly not kept pace. Curling, I have discovered since starting to play about four years ago, is a game of great finesse.

Just a little more or less weight or a little more of less handle or spin on a rock and the outcome of a throw will be drastically different.

Trying to attain that level of skill is one of the joys and challenges of curling. Now when I see competitive bonspiels on television, I can appreciate just how skilled those curlers are and how easy they are making something look that is actually quite difficult.

Luckily, one of the other great joys of curling is that each throw can also contain unexpected and sometimes better than you hoped for outcomes.

It is redeeming when, although your skip told you to do one thing with your rock, you accidentally end up doing something completely different, but it turns out to help your team more than the original move would have.

One of the best parts of curling, however, and something you can't get from just watching it on television, is the social aspect.

Winters, as Deh Cho residents know, are long and cold. Curling is a winter sport that offers, at least in Fort Simpson where there is a curling club, an opportunity to get a bit of exercise once a week and visit with fellow curlers.

The Fort Simpson Merchants' Mixed Bonspiel, which was held last weekend, is a great opportunity to see the social aspect of curling in play. It is wonderful to see so many people gathered together having a good time while the temperature hovers around -39 C outside.

If I had options, curling still wouldn't be the thing I'd choose to watch on television, but I now encourage anyone to give it a try. With our long winters there is lots of time for practise.

When you commit to getting a dog you are committing to a lifetime together.

You are taking your canine to be your long-time companion, to feed and to cuddle from adoption day forward for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part.

So before shackling yourself to the old ball and chain you need to really consider if you're ready. Start by doing a little dating. Offer to take care of a friend's dog for a few days or volunteer to foster an animal from the Beaufort Delta Regional SPCA.

If that goes well and you're still gung-ho, then you need to start thinking about homes and having children.

All too often there are dogs running around Inuvik without their owners. This shouldn't be a regular occurrence. It's dangerous and it could land the puppy in the pound.

Thus, new dog owners and current owners need to provide their pet with proper housing. Some residents in town opt to keep their dogs outside but there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing this route, and some owners don't give their pets what they need.

If your dog is going to live outside it should have a place for sleeping and a big enough area to run around in. The dog should not be left chained up for long periods of time because it can lead to injuries. The animal also needs to have protection from the elements and extreme temperatures.

Hydration is another issue for dogs living outside. In the winter you can't just stick a bowl of water out there because it will freeze. Instead, owners need to provide animals with something like small frozen blocks of soup.

Moreover, outside dogs need attention just like those living indoors. Owners need to make time for the animal and ensure it doesn't become bored or lonely. How would you feel if someone stuck you in a cage and left you there?

Strays are a big problem in the North and owners need to do their part not to add to it. So if you aren't ready for puppies, then do as Bob Barker says and "help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered."

Every dog deserves a loving home, so do some thinking before committing.

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