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It's easy to understand why people may be upset with Premier Bob McLeod's bluntness on devolution. No one likes to be told "take it or leave it," especially when it's coming from a politician. But it's difficult to fault McLeod for being so blunt.

As someone who has been around government for as long as he has, he knows very well that the territory will be back to square one if it were to blink at any of the demands being made concerning the devolution of resources.

The Akaitcho and Deh Cho have never been onside and likely never will be. To have five of seven land claim groups on board as signatories must be viewed as a major accomplishment, and really, about as good as it gets.

A new public opinion poll commissioned by Alternatives North indicates that 73 per cent of the NWT's residents want a public vote on devolution. This is no doubt true. But if the question had been, "Would you like some ice cream?" there probably would have been a similar result. It's hard to imagine many people saying, "no, I don't want a say on devolution."

It's likely fair to say, whether people want a vote or not, most are generally in favour of devolution. In fact, to use Alternatives North's poll, 49 per cent think it's a good deal, 18 per cent thought it would make no difference, and 14 per cent didn't know. Put to a vote, that would be a majority win any day of the week.

MLAs voted 14-2 in the legislative assembly not to hold a plebiscite on devolution last month. If people are truly upset about the way this government is proceeding on devolution the first place to turn is to one's MLA. Only they can stop it.

There is no question that requiring elected officials to disclose how much money they receive in salaries and benefits is a good thing.

However, assertions that the First Nations Transparency Act is overreaching and unjust are worthy of further examination.

A former band councillor of the Yellowknives Dene and the acting chief of Ndilo both object to the new federal government legislation, which will require all First Nations across Canada to make public their consolidated audited financial statements and the remuneration and expenses paid to the chief and councillors beginning with the 2013-2014 fiscal year, which began April 1.

Ottawa says it is reacting to requests from First Nations members who have been unable to find out how much their elected leaders are paid and suspect there has been wrongdoing related to salaries and benefits that in many cases add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Canada is a democratic society and all elected officials, regardless of the level of government in which they serve, should have their salaries and benefits disclosed.

That said, we see it as insulting to First Nations that the transparency act requires them to post all their financial information on the Internet for all to see, when the impetus for the legislation was to make the information available to band members and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

We are also concerned that Ottawa acted like a bully by pushing through the new act, Bill C-27, without consulting the people it will affect.

We are less concerned with Ndilo acting chief Roy Erasmus Sr.'s concern that private companies in competition with the aboriginal-owned Det'on Cho Corporation will gain an advantage by the new rules of disclosure. The act specifically states that band-owned businesses are not required to report and we don't see how a competitor could get detailed proprietary information from the amount of benefits paid to the First Nation by the business.

Certainly this is an imposition by a paternalistic federal government. However, no one is arguing against the public disclosure of how much money is paid to First Nations elected officials. And transparency, by and large, is the whole point of the new legislation.

What does it take to be a good leader?

It's a question that many people have pondered and even more would like to know the answer to.

In the Deh Cho, the most readily identifiable leaders are the ones who have been elected, including First Nation chiefs, Metis presidents and mayors of hamlets and villages.

The support of the people is one of the most self-evident factors of what a good leader requires. That support is needed in order to get leaders elected in the first place and is also needed to keep them there. The Deh Cho, after all, is no stranger to petitions asking for the resignation of chiefs and band councillors.

What it takes to keep the support of the majority of the people, whether they are constituents or band members, is harder to determine. Based on the complaints most commonly heard in the petitions, most important are good lines of communication, transparency and the ability to address pressing issues.

Following this line of thinking, Minnie Letcher, the new chief of Liidlii Kue First Nation, may be on to something in her assertion that people, not politics, are where a leader should focus.

It is easy for leaders to get wrapped up in the larger picture and regional political issues and to forget what is affecting the day-to-day lives of the people who elected them. When that happens, a disconnect grows between the leadership and the people.

But being a good leader isn't just about addressing the right issues and keeping the people happy. In order to do that leaders need to be strong in themselves.

With all of the issues that leaders have to address, the meetings that have to be attended, and the stress that is piled on them, it's is easy for people with titles like mayor, chief and president to become worn down. On more than one occasion leaders in the Deh Cho have had to step down to look after their own health.

Being a leader also means balancing your role with your own needs and staying true to who you are.

The Deh Cho has been fortunate to have had and to currently have many good leaders who have worked for their people. Leaders, however, are not born, but are gradually developed.

As much as leaders need to work for their people, the people in turn need to support their leaders so the best possible future for communities is reached.

I have a pet peeve that I'm about to expand upon.

Last week, after attending a presentation by a Pure North representative, I took a few minutes to ask some of the sparse audience what they thought of the material.

The first person I talked to set the stage for my irritation. She told me "you need to ask my supervisor at the GTC (Gwich'in Tribal Council) if I can talk to you."

I resisted the urge to ask – rather loudly – whether she was joking or not.

I've worked as a journalist for many years now and this is a phenomenon that's crept insidiously into the fabric of nearly every conversation I have with someone who is even remotely connected with government of any form. It didn't used to be like this.

At one time, civil servants would routinely offer me comments without having to check with their bureaucratic overlords and political masters. They might have been cautious about it, and hopefully gave their remarks some "sober second thought," but they weren't muzzled.

Somewhere around 10 or 12 years ago, that began to change.

Free speech went out the window, and power was concentrated in the hands of a few designated spokespeople. Unfortunately, those "talking heads" rarely had a clue about what they were talking about.

I can remember working on a series of stories regarding problems with black bears at the time, and instead of talking directly to the local game wardens who knew what was going on, the process became absurd. Instead, I had to make a long-distance call to a media representative and explain the problem in some detail. The media rep would then call the game warden, talk to them, and then call me back.

I've run into a couple of more examples here in Inuvik in the short time I've been here. While searching for some additional comment on homelessness in the community, I had one senior government staffer tell me she couldn't comment because of government policy. In another instance, after hearing about a local researcher doing a polar bear study, I was told to contact a supervisor in Yellowknife to get permission to talk to her. In other cases, I've successfully jumped through the hoops to do some interviews.

Instead of training their staff to talk effectively to the public and media, governments have taken a control-freak approach to the situation. It's insulting, it's inefficient, it's ludicrous, and it shows a profound lack of trust in the capabilities of front-line staff.

Moreover, I don't understand why so many of those front-line staff have so blithely let it happen. Or, as in the case of the lady at the Pure North meeting, use the policy as a catch-all defence.

I just don't get it.

If anyone needs proof that the city's $975,000 purchase of three 50 Street lots has been nothing short of a disastrous boondoggle, witness city council's decision to bulldoze the buildings and figure out what to do with the vacant land later.

People can chuckle at city councillor Niels Konge's "little bit of communism" remarks, but he is right in principle. Is this why the previous city council authorized the purchase of these properties? So the city can raze them a year later and sandwich a temporary parking lot in between two rowdy bars? That is, if that's what administration decides to do while waiting for the city's smart growth committee to "identify suitable options post-demolition." How much longer will we wait for an answer? And, how much more will taxpayers have to spend on consultants?

These properties were sold to the public as a downtown revitalization effort with former mayor Gord Van Tighem strongly hinting that the entire block of "Range Street" would become home to a low-cost "eco-housing" project once the Raven Pub and Gold Range could be convinced to sell.

Well good luck with that. Neither bar is willing to sell, so where does that leave the city with the properties it actually did purchase? Since we know the eco-housing project will be built on 52 Street, it's quite evident that council doesn't have a clue, nor does anybody else.

Bob Brooks, who chairs the smart growth committee, told Yellowknifer during last fall's election campaign that his key priority during this term will be downtown revitalization. The clock is ticking, Mr. Brooks.

Katie Westoll did a double-take when she saw signs that read "Warning - men working ahead" posted near where a GNWT building is being built on 49 Street earlier this month ("Sign draws complaint," April 10). The signs flout a cherished value that Westoll and her peers have grown up with and that generations of women have fought for -- women have the opportunity and ability to fulfill any career goal they set their mind to.

A construction sign may seem like an insignificant medium without much cultural influence, but the message it sends young people represents a leap backward in the journey toward gender equality.

Clark Builders posted the signs to protect passersby, but the contractor is not responsible for their design and shouldn't be faulted for the chauvinistic wording. Rather, the signs are relics from the past, depicting an attitude that offers no benefit to employers, workers or high school students preparing for the workforce.

Yellowknife and the territory are in need of tradespeople in the construction industry, men and women with a desire to apply their talents to building the North. Students should be encouraged to imagine themselves learning the skills required to master a trade. Construction signs that needlessly omit women erroneously imply that women aren't welcome - or don't exist - in the construction industry.

In fact, women are welcome and they do exist in the industry, including 33 women working as apprentices in various trades around the NWT this spring, according to Skills Canada NWT.

Hopefully a more contemporary sign that reads "Construction ahead" can be found for use at future work sites, which will probably include men and women on the job.

We sympathise with the comments made by Puujjuut Kusugak this past week ("Leave policy for teacher-coaches frustrating," Kivalliq News, April 10).

Kusugak has every right to be frustrated by the indifference emanating from Kivalliq School Operations in Baker Lake in regards to the contributions these individuals make to our youth, and our communities as a whole.

Even more maddening is the fact the more successful the teacher is in the role as a sports coach, the more they're punished for that success.

Weak coaches in any sport who don't develop their athletes to reach, if not eclipse, their full potential are not in high demand, especially when it comes to premiere events.

Good coaches are!

And therein lies the problem with denying travel. Nobody has any qualms about those who volunteer their time to work with our youngest athletes, or in participation programs, where the emphasis is placed solely on fun and participation (and rightly so).

But competitive sport is a whole different ball game.

It requires a higher level of dedication, often has a fair amount of pressure from parents and fans, and places far more demands on the teacher-coaches' time, especially in the area of preparedness.

We've all seen the result when dedicated coaches are denied time to accompany their teams to tournaments.

We've seen 'coaches' behind hockey benches who do nothing more than open the gates during player changes, and 'coaches' on soccer benches, totally disconnected from what's happening in the game before them.

They are, in truth, glorified chaperons, and it's the kids who've put in countless hours during the season who suffer from a true coach's absence.

Nunavummiut take their sports seriously.

Yes, we all want to see our athletes have fun and participate, but we also want to see them do well and win.

There's a lot of community pride involved when individuals or teams bring home medals, ulus and championship trophies. Those who ignore or downplay that aspect are really only kidding themselves.

One suspects they also kid themselves about the amount of personal time our few top coaches dedicate to their athletes and programs.

Good coaches create positive learning environments where youths want to be, and, just as importantly, they teach their athletes pride, self-confidence, teamwork, co-operation and the proper way to handle victory, and defeat, with class.

The benefits these teacher-coaches provide to their athletes far eclipse their triumphs on the hockey rink, soccer pitch, volleyball court or gymnastics floor.

Yes, they help raise school spirit and community pride, but they also make life better for many of our youths by showing them what's possible when they set goals and work hard to achieve them.

They instill a sense of belonging in many of these kids, who are made to feel they're part of something truly special.

If these mammoth contributions aren't properly being taken into consideration by those who draft policy, then maybe it's time they were the ones asked to submit leave applications.

They won't be denied!

Hockey has always been big in the North. There is no shortage of teams from the minor to senior levels throughout the NWT and Nunavut. A multitude of territorial tournaments and competitions down south ranging from regional-level to national-level events have also provided ample opportunity to showcase our hockey talent.

The natural evolution of that hockey fever peaked this year with the creation of the First Air Northern Hockey Challenge.

At the beginning some might have been skeptical about how the new level of hockey would fare considering the distance between teams and the fact they were based in communities with vastly different player pools to choose from. The odds, initially, seemed stacked in the favour of Yellowknife which had three or four times the population to choose its players from compared to Inuvik and Hay River. The fear was the capital city's player-pool advantage would mean an easy road to the finals and regular season play supported that notion as the Yellowknife First Air Flyers finished with a dominating record of six wins, no losses and two ties. However, two of those wins over the Hay River Huskies were decided by one and two goals.

While the Inuvik Delta Stars was the weakest of the three teams, it managed to stay close in its games against Hay River, and even came away with a tie against the Huskies one night.

The success of the Northern Hockey Challenge can be gauged three ways. The first is the fact the players and coaches involved all commented on the calibre of play and professionalism in which the event was handled. Second, fans packed arenas to cheer on their home squads and rivalries were developed adding to the excitement. Third, and probably most important, was the fact the calibre of play improved throughout the eight-game season.

While clearly the favourites in the Western Division final, Yellowknife's road to the championship game was not the cakewalk some expected, despite the Huskies going down two games to start the best-of-five series.

The team demonstrated grit and heart to battle back keeping the series alive by defeating Yellowknife in its own rink before bringing the series back to Hay River. Another victory meant an all-deciding game five that packed the Hay River arena. That final game was a fast-paced duel decided by an early overtime goal by the Flyers.

With the final between the Flyers and either Rankin Inlet or Iqaluit still to come, we can safely deem the first season a success and predict the calibre of play to only improve.

Sponsor First Air took a gamble when it decided to come on board. For the North's devoted hockey fans, First Air scored a hat trick.

It might have been an error but the recent accidental pricing of a head of romaine lettuce in Paulatuk has once again highlighted the predicament Northerners face when it comes to food security. Although the $11 price was a mistake, the correct price of $8 for some leafy greens doesn't come as much of a relief. In Yellowknife the same product would sell for approximately $2.

Nutrition North, despite the government's continued claims of success, has done little to make food affordable in our most remote communities. What many government talking heads seem not to grasp is that cheaper-than-before does not necessarily translate into equitable or affordable. Unfortunately, and understandably due to our location, we continue to rely on the south and southern-based businesses seeking to make a profit for our food.

It's time to find ways to cut those strings and release ourselves from the merciless whims of profiteers.

The best way to achieve that goal is to begin providing our own food. Agriculture can and does work in the North. A potato farm in Norman Wells that manages to sell its produce for cheaper than what it is shipped in for is proof of that.

Perhaps with the help of the newly-established Northern Farm Training Institute an opportunity to establish commercial greenhouses across the territory will present itself. Such a prospect be a welcome one and help with more than just food costs. It will also mean a jobs for the construction industry during the building phase and then employment for communities involved to staff the operation.

We can't wait for government to solve a problem it obviously cares little about; it's time we grow our own solutions.

When checking your news feed or updating your profile on Facebook, you run the risk of making information public you might not want certain people to see, or seeing something you don't want to see.

Last week, former Arctic Bay mayor Niore Iqalukjuak urged hamlet residents to be careful when posting about recent deaths before the deceased's family had all been notified ("Finding out through Facebook," April 8). The risk here, which also confronts newspaper reporters when reporting on deaths, is that someone might find out a loved one has died in a sudden, perhaps insensitive manner. Hearing the news from a trusted individual, who can then comfort the person in their grief, is a healthier way for this to happen.

The caution one must use on the web extends further, however. What one might post in high school, be it pictures containing drugs and alcohol or crude status updates, might be visible to potential employers, potential friends or family - anyone with internet access.

Individuals in Canada and abroad have found themselves in trouble with the law for posts perceived as threats. An Ottawa man was brought to court by the Canada Revenue Agency in 2010 over whether he was a business's employee, as he stated in his tax returns, or self-employed, as his Facebook profile declared.

It's important to understand your social media privacy settings and be conservative with what you post on the Internet, lest you hurt someone inadvertently or have a post come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

As Nunavut heads toward a territorial election this fall, 27 unsuccessful candidates from 2008's election are barred from running because they did not submit fully complete campaign donation disclosures.

Such disclosures are critical to maintaining honest, transparent politics. Although it may be a case of candidates not wanting to file tedious paperwork for an election they didn't win, rather than malicious attempts at concealing who was feeding their purse, it's rightly a black mark on their records.

The names are public and were printed in last week's Nunavut News/North ("Candidates barred from next election," April 8).

If they decide to run in the 2017 territorial election, when they will once again be eligible, voters should question them on this incident.

At root could be either maliciousness or laziness. Neither are qualities the public should expect from someone running for office.

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