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It hasn't been an easy trail to travel but the city seems to be taking the right tack in its efforts to make improvements in Old Town.

Yellowknife's premier historic neighbourhood has a lot going for it already. Tourists regularly check out the art galleries, walk up the stairs to Pilot's Monument and wander around Government Dock.

Plans to revitalize the area have been on the city's radar for quite a while and, thankfully, have evolved significantly as a result of input from the many people who live and play there.

Old Town has an eclectic population. Among them are the unique denizens of the Woodyard and houseboating communities who value their privacy and easy access to the water. There are also a variety of businesses with long-time ties to the area ranging from tourism operators, airlines, service providers and retailers.

The views of residents from outside Old Town cannot be dismissed. Many Yellowknifers flock to such events as this past month's successful Long John Jamboree, the Snowking Winter Festival and an assortment of events during the summer months.

It is the public areas where the city can make a difference. We see the waterfront in Old Town as one of the city's most precious resources, one that has not been exploited enough. The city's move to take over Government Dock from the federal government and clean up the area is to be applauded.

But what next? Detailed design concepts have been discussed by hundreds of people who attended public consultation workshops in February to look at plans for tables, chairs, benches and an information kiosk at Government Dock. Plans for Pilot's Monument include a wheelchair-accessible ramp to the summit, a new aviation memorial and a playground. Both landmarks would be connected by a trail.

A farmers market to be located in Old Town this summer is also in the works.

The key to success has been a conciliatory planning process involving all the diverse interests.

Next on the agenda is a presentation of the modified design concepts at a municipal services committee meeting May 6, followed by at least one more public presentation.

Plans for the evolution of Old Town are nearing the end of an admittedly rocky road. We're impressed with how far the vision has evolved and have hope and confidence that the transformation will result in a unique and welcoming waterfront area that is accessible to all.

Performers who desire to make their talent into a business must first climb a mountain of hard work and dive into an ocean of commitment, but Yellowknife artists ready to turn pro don't have to go it alone.

Since 2007, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) has guided performance artists on their journey toward transforming their acts into marketable products through its mentorship program.

By providing personal development training that covers business planning, marketing, promotion and bookkeeping, NACC has helped artists navigate festival circuits, showcase event bookings, and other specialized networking opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Launched by former executive director Ben Nind, the NACC mentorship program has assisted some of the best-known acts in town, including Juno-winning recording artist Leela Gilday, Juno-nominated songwriter Diga, a.k.a. Jesse James Gon, storyteller and instrumentalist Pat Braden, hip-hop artist Aaron "Godson" Hernandez, and actor and playwright Tiffany Ayalik, to name a few.

Current executive director Marie Coderre expanded the mentorship program this winter by opening it up for applications. Depending on the number of applicants, NACC will mentor three artists over a two-year cycle, during which the artists will be provided with their own office space.

While the NACC mentorship program may be a newly-available resource for members of the

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa, one of the most prestigious stages in Canada, is hosting several program alumni as part of its Northern Scene Festival later this month, including all the artists mentioned above.

The gifted performers who regularly entertain Yellowknife residents at pubs, community gatherings, theatre and dance events, and during last month's Snowking Winter Festival should consider the NACC mentorship program if they dream of working as a full-time, professional performer.

An incredible transformation seems to take place after any rational human being gets elected to office.

They seem to lose touch with the real world they so recently inhabited.

And, the higher they go up the political ladder, the further removed they seem to become from common sense.

Spin and deny become the most operative words in their new vocabulary of bureaucratic speak.

They quickly subscribe to the theory that when it comes to things in vogue, the vast majority of folks will accept almost anything at surface value without a second thought.

You know, kind of like when the anti-tobacco lobbyists in Ontario beat the heck out of the fact a full 40 per cent of adults in the province supported hiking the taxes on tobacco products yet again.

That many people couldn't be wrong, could they?

Absolutely not. Unless, of course, you're silly enough to ask the other 60 per cent what they think.

Health ministers frown as finance ministers chortle about the boon to the coffers cigarette tax provides, while retail store after retail store reports no drop in tobacco sales when asked by the media.

The Government of Nunavut (GN) recently crowed a little about a 2.9 per cent drop in the sale of tobacco products between March and November of 2012.

I don't doubt that's true, but I suspect the money is still being spent on tobacco, just not in Nunavut.

That $750,000 the GN claims stayed in the pockets of Nunavummiut is probably closer to $250,000, with the other $500,000 being spent on far cheaper tobacco products from other locales.

The only one who lost out entirely on his cut of the $750,000 is Finance Minister Keith Peterson.

That just happens to be about tobacco, because the ongoing war over the overtaxed legal product continues to be waged in every form of media in North America.

Cigarettes are a huge health risk to those who choose to smoke them and only an idiot would argue otherwise.

But, if Big Brother were to decide to more than double the price of any legal product in Canada used by 25 per cent or more of the population tomorrow, you can bet your bottom dollar a good percentage of folks would do their shopping south of the border, and a large number of 18-wheelers would be rolling down the Trans-Canada full of the product, legal or otherwise.

But denial is a wonderful thing.

It's like implementing a new shipping policy on a select product group, yet not be the least bit curious as to how a major retailer suddenly has the magical ability to see sales drop by about 20 per cent, but still have profits increase by more than 10 per cent without drastically raising prices.

Of course, if that bugged you, you'd be forced to ponder whether any product shipped after its best-before date should still receive a subsidy.

You don't have to be an overly smart head to realize a huge load of lettuce, for example, bound for nowhere but a dump, and shipped under subsidy with outrageously low cargo rates, will be a neat little tax writeoff at year-end.

And if you can use the poundage to boost the percentage of supposed folks better off because of your program -- bonus!

A spin any politician would be proud of!

Over the years, the southern and central portions of the NWT have benefited from the bulk of the NWT's development.

The construction of the Deh Cho Bridge, rich diamond mines, oil and gas development, new construction projects, new roads and road maintenance has meant millions of dollars in jobs and economic spinoffs in the South Slave, Tlicho and Sahtu regions. Unfortunately, the Beaufort Delta has been left to watch and wait from the sidelines.

With the approval of funding for the Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, people in the Northern reaches of the territory have an opportunity to access the hundreds of jobs that will be created during construction. They will also reap the rewards from the economic benefits the road will create - such as cheaper costs of shipping, increased tourism, more opportunities for resource development and alternative travel options.

The construction jobs might not be permanent but increased tourism, higher levels of disposable income and more development activity will lead to more permanent employment options.

This means more money flowing to the community and staying there, always a good combination.

Some MLAs from Yellowknife question whether the cost of the road is justified and if it will balloon out of control as construction progresses. With the lessons learned from the Deh Cho Bridge, we hope the GNWT moves forward responsibly to keep costs under control and to finish the project in a timely fashion. It should also work to ensure as many jobs as possible go to Northern residents.

Spending nearly $300 million on a single project is a hefty price tag but it is also an investment in the future of the Beaufort Delta.

In 2012, approximately 15 per cent of the territory's workforce involved some sort of skilled labour, according to the GNWT Bureau of Statistics.

That translates into approximately 3,000 workers. As the territory works to expand its resource development activity, increase telecommunications technology and improve infrastructure, the need for skilled labour is not expected to decrease.

With that in mind, the federal government's announcement of financial assistance to support apprentices across Canada is welcome news.

Under the grant program, apprentices are eligible for up to $15,000 in assistance during their apprenticeships.

The funds must be matched equally by the federal and territorial governments and the employer, meaning to receive the maximum each must contribute $5,000.

Although the downside is only apprentices in large organizations will benefit from the maximum amount, every little bit helps.

Skilled job training is essential in the NWT. Mining companies stated earlier this year that finding Northerners with the necessary skills to fill their hiring commitments can be difficult.

Developing incentives to attract people to the trades can only help and bringing down the cost of training is never a bad idea.

Cynicism and doubt will continue to surround Nutrition North until the program's workings, from southern warehouses to subsidized retailers, are laid bare for all to see.

Despite the federal government's assertions of Nutrition North's superiority to Food Mail, and retailers' assurances subsidies are being passed along to consumers, people complain prices remain high.

South Baffin MLA Fred Schell raises an interesting point that these subsidies, on top of discounted bulk freight shipments for Nunavut's large grocers - North West Company and Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. - should be enough to drive prices down.

However, the Co-op's Duane Wilson said fuel and government fees must be factored in. How are we, the public, to know if we are paying fair prices to feed our families?

On one hand we have a very business-oriented federal government running the program, and on the other we have corporations that are, of course, out to make money.

Stuck in the middle are the consumers, many of whom are faced with a rotten combination of low employment opportunities and high food costs.

Premier Eva Aariak said the GN is planning a 10-community survey this month to allow the GN to create a clearer picture of food prices and the cost of living. It's unfortunate this won't cover every community, but hopefully it can be used to help shed light on the effect Nutrition North has had on the cost of groceries.

Either the survey is a success and comprehensively evaluates food prices, subsidies and southern bulk prices, settling the question of whether savings are being passed on to the consumer, or there will be more calls for a full audit by Canada's auditor general.

The auditor general's position has proven itself to be an instrument of reason and integrity, and Auditor General Michael Ferguson has shown he is not afraid to ruffle Tory feathers.

If the GN's survey doesn't determine Nutrition North is working, Ferguson must step in to settle the issue once and for all.

The federal budget's inclusion of $100 million for 250 homes proves the territory's housing crisis isn't off Ottawa's radar. The Government of Nunavut says there is a shortfall of between 3,000 and 4,000 homes in the territory and projects each year an additional 90 will be needed.

A portion of $52 million - the amount yet to be determined - allocated for aboriginal health services, with a focus on mental health, is also a sound investment.

In a budget low on frills, the investment should be appreciated.

While it can be argued these are just drops in a nearly-empty bucket, the money has the potential to help more than a few Nunavummiut lead more comfortable lives.

Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq and Prime Minister Stephen Harper should be acknowledged for these investments in a time of austerity. That being said, we must continue to make our voices heard. Nunavut's needs are great and have been compounding over the years. However, the problems can't be fixed overnight and it is going to take a lot more investment to make a real dent in the problem.

No one will ever really know why Air Tindi pilot Matthew Bromley chose to ignore his training Oct. 4, 2011 and fly his doomed plane under visual flight rules in marginal weather.

Toxicology reports showed Bromley was 10 times above the minimum threshold for cannabis impairment the day of the crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says this caused him to make poor decisions during his fatal flight to Lutsel K'e that killed him and passenger Timothy Harris, plus injured two passengers, Bernice Marlowe and Sheldon Catholique.

It's not unreasonable to conclude that some young people - Bromley was 28 - are a little too casual in dismissing the potential dangers of "light" recreational drugs such as marijuana. It's easy to see why they would. People have been talking about decriminalizing marijuana for decades.

But as the safety board's report alludes, smoking pot and flying planes don't mix. Experiments on individuals involved in complex machine-related tasks, such as flying planes, show significant impairment up to 24 hours after a moderate dose of inhaled cannabis, even though they have ceased to be aware they are the under the influence.

As Bromley's family states in their response to the safety report: "Many people who use it simply do not have knowledge of the impairing influence that cannabis can have on personal and professional judgment."

That said, pilots don't need to be on drugs to make mistakes.

Anyone who has read the safety board's report on the Arctic Sunwest crash in Old Town two weeks prior to the Air Tindi accident, or the First Air tragedy that killed 12 people the month before that, know pilots, even in tip-top shape, occasionally fly into tragic circumstances. This is no less true in the North where flights can go from routine to frightening in a hurry.

What ultimately makes the Air Tindi accident even sadder is that had events leading up to the incident been moved up by a few years Bromley may have had the tools on board to avoid the crash, even if he was flying too low. Last year, Transport Canada ordered private and commercial air carriers operating under instrument flight rules to install terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS) on board all planes with a capacity of six or more passenger seats within two years. The Cessna 200B Caravan Bromley was flying had seating for up to 14.

It's a wonder it has taken this long. Airplane maintenance in Canada is second to none with basic inspections occurring every 500 to 800 hours of flight. Yet, in the North dozens of airplanes have been allowed to operate without ground detection devices over some of the most hostile flying conditions in the world.

Some airlines have complained about the cost of installing TAWS - up to $100,000 per plane in some cases - but given the tragedies of 2011, installation of this safety technology will go a long way to restoring passenger confidence in Northern air travel.

Discovery Air, which owns Air Tindi, announced in December 2011 that it was investing $2.2 million to install TAWS on 22 planes. Meanwhile, random drug tests and instrument flight rules for all scheduled flights have also been implemented.

The Air Tindi crash follows a long list of Northern air tragedies. It's likely too much to hope that it will be the last but if Northerners can gain anything from it, it's the hope that air travel is getting safer.

What does it take to keep a language alive?

It's a pertinent question. Around the world, thousands of languages are slipping into obscurity.

Young people aren't learning the languages spoken by their grandparents or parents and as the remaining speakers begin to die, their languages go with them.

If people in the Deh Cho want to avoid that possible future scenario, more aggressive steps will have to be taken. Things are already looking grim.

If a survey was taken of all the students in elementary and high schools in the region the findings would likely show that only a small percentage can speak Dene Zhatie, Slavey, with any degree of fluency. Some students may know a few words and others may be able to understand basic conversations in Dene Zhatie, but few could carry on a prolonged conversation.

It's easy to see why. English has become the predominant language in the region. Almost all of the music, television, movies and Internet content that youth see, hear and read is in English.

English is also almost all they hear at home. Partially as a result of the legacy of residential schools, youth have few people they could speak Dene Zhatie to. Their grandparents or great-grandparents may be the last bastion of the language in their family.

And yes, losing a language is a bad thing. Language and culture are inextricably tied together. If Dene Zhatie died out as a spoken language, it would take a portion of the Deh Cho culture with it.

We Are Speaking the Dene Way, a DVD-ROM, website and now an app created by Anyes Fabre-Dimsdale and the Deh Cho Friendship Centre, is one example of how the Deh Cho can choose to fight back against language loss. The program uses the very technology that is contributing to the loss of Dene Zhatie to help turn the tide.

Children enjoy using computers and tablets so it only makes sense to create digital resources that promote learning the language of the Deh Cho region. Children can use the program at home and at school. Even parents who want to brush up on Dene Zhatie can learn a thing or two.

If people see the value in Dene Zhatie and are willing to fight for it, promote it and create inventive ways to teach it, there is no reason why it can't continue as a strong and vibrant language that is a core part of the identity of the Deh Cho region.

Sometimes when you're out for a walk, humorous things can happen.

Last week, the late evening sunshine proved to be irresistible. I bundled up and worked my way down to the ice road.

I headed north, walking briskly for maybe a couple of kilometres in the -17 C temperature.

For me, bundling up means protecting my airways. I'm extremely prone to bronchitis, but I've dodged it in the two months I've been in Inuvik. Evidently the climate agrees with me.

My facemask of choice is a Cold Avenger, which bears a striking resemblance to a Darth Vader mask. I always enjoy the novelty of the looks it attracts as I walk around town, and it's a good conversation starter.

I had turned around after walking for perhaps 15 or 20 minutes, having worked up a bit of a sweat by then, and headed back.

A young woman driving a snowmobile roared by me suddenly. I didn't think much of it until I noticed she had slammed the brakes on and turned around.

She pulled up beside me and asked if I was all right and where I was going. Baffled, I said I was fine and I had walked from downtown.

"Are you (expletive deleted) kidding?" she asked. "It's too (expletive deleted) cold out here to be walking. I'm (expletive deleted) freezing!"

Coming from a resident of Inuvik, I thought that was a bit of a compliment.

We chatted for another few minutes, and then she roared off again, leaving me to ponder her questions.

I'm not sure which she thought was more baffling, that I was walking, walking that far, or walking in the cold. Maybe it was all of the above.

I've noticed there's a good chunk of the population here that doesn't seem to do a lot of walking. That's unfortunate, since Inuvik is a very walkable community. In fact, it's one of the best I've seen anywhere.

After years of driving, I'm appreciating the chance to walk more. It's a good way to learn my way around and meet people, and it's reducing my mid-section a bit.

I've also noticed something I didn't expect: many people here seem to hibernate through the worst of the winter months. That's understandable in a way, but I was surprised to see it. I've been out in every kind of weather since my arrival, treasuring the chance to experience an Arctic winter.

It would be nice if there were more people to join me.

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