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If it's not broke, don't fix it. But when our territory is so plagued with issues that time and again residents have called out for change, it is time to act.

That is exactly what the territorial government is doing in its proactive, if not shocking, announcement of axing its funding of the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre, the NWT's only residential addictions treatment facility, as of Sept. 30.

Current treatment programs in the territory have been under fire for years. In a report released by the health department in 2002, titled A State of Emergency ... Evaluation of Addictions Services in the NWT, it doesn't mince words by stating, "90 per cent of community addictions programs indicated dissatisfaction with the scope of services offered by Nats'ejee K'eh" and that, "the current system of addictions services, as structured, has failed the residents of the Northwest Territories."

The government has failed time and again to produce a functioning, successful addictions program for the territory that is culturally relevant for the diversity of its residents.

The numbers don't lie: 43 per cent of residents surveyed in the most recent survey from 2009 said they typically consume five or more drinks on one occasion. This is an increase from 34 per cent in 1996 and almost four times the national average.

Violence against women is nine times higher in the NWT than the rest of Canada, according to Statistics Canada, and while this can't be solely attributed to the influence of alcohol and addictions, if there's a fire burning, that's the smoke.

By walking away from the treatment centre, a 30-bed facility for adults that has recently been sitting at 50 per cent capacity, the government is admitting this isn't working. For those who need residential treatment, they will be referred to facilities in Alberta and British Columbia, an expensive and not-as-effective solution as getting help at home, but something that is hopefully to be used as a short-term solution.

Health care is expensive and only in a perfect world can all programs and services be offered in every community. In the most recent budget, $1.15 million was earmarked for the government's mental health and addictions action plan launched in 2012. But even that was not enough as members of the legislative assembly brought forward a motion for more money to be invested and for more to be done. The GNWT then allocated an additional $1.145 million in March 2013.

Many have cried out against the decision to close the treatment centre because of the lost jobs and the withdrawal of residential addictions treatment in the NWT. However, there would have also been fingers pointed if things continued on as they were, with money being invested in the status quo that hasn't seen progress, but has instead worsened.

Health and Social Services Minister Tom Beaulieu is listening to the people. The report developed by the Minister's Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness states the top priority from residents throughout the NWT is community-based and operated on-the-land programming. While the report states residential treatment centres are important, it continued hearing that the land heals and that aboriginal culture and spirituality close to the support network of family and friends must be a component of programs to fight addictions that plague the people of this territory.

The government could have trudged along doing more consultations, calling for more reports, and spent more than $2 million in the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre for another year. But the decision to act, to pool resources on what residents want, is a commitment to do better.

The government is now in uncharted waters and the onus is on it to produce results. Those results have to happen fast. The centre is closed by the end of September, leaving a little more than two months for programs to be put in place.

This has to be done responsibly and with urgency, as many Northerners and their families are depending on the help.

First, it was a helicopter window that was damaged at the Pangnirtung Airport on June 28.

Then, on July 9, a small plane in Pangnirtung was broken into and some equipment was stolen, including a GPS device and safety flares.

It may seem like petty theft and minor vandalism, but these two incidents are serious and have far-reaching consequences.

And, unfortunately, the two incidents in Pangnirtung are not alone. A similar situation happened in Pond Inlet last year, which resulted in Nunavut Airports paying the cost of a night-time security guard to patrol the tarmac after Canadian North's Dash-8 aircraft were broken into four times in a two-year period. Items stolen included cans of pop and hand sanitizer.

Although the cost of the stolen items, and even the price of a new helicopter window, may be relatively small, the result of the crimes is significant. The six-passenger Bell 206LRE Long Ranger was stuck on the ground for several days, meaning not only could it not fulfill its contracted trip, but more importantly, it was unavailable for search and rescue missions the company is often called upon for assistance.

Aviation services are vital to Nunavut communities. They are a life line for residents who require all sorts of goods to be sent via aircraft to their isolated and challenging part of the world.

Threats to the security of aircraft are taken seriously. In the case of Pond Inlet, Canadian North considered changing its schedule so aircraft would not be parked overnight, an inconvenience for passengers who want to fly to Iqaluit in the morning and catch connecting flights south.

Nunavut Airports has taken the initiative to install security cameras at several airports at a cost of $50,000 to $60,000 each. More are being installed next month.

Damage to aircraft at airports also impacts the community as a whole, something the mayor of Pond Inlet was concerned about in May of last year.

One of the responses in that community is to be commended. Following a community meeting, the mayor and deputy mayor went to Ulaajuk Elementary School and Nasivvik High School to emphasize that vandalism doesn't pay. The community took the position that it wanted to change attitudes about damaging aircraft and the dangers involved.

Meanwhile, a call by the senior administrative officer in Pangnirtung to put a new fence around the airport was answered. Repairs to the fence will be done, as well as improvements to outdoor lights to enhance security.

However, we are concerned it may not be feasible for all communities in Nunavut to receive that kind of expensive solution.

Building fences and hiring security guards may be necessary in some communities, but one strategy that must be included is an ongoing effort to make people aware that damaging aircraft only hurts the wider community.

If airlines are forced to reduce service, or aircraft are unavailable for rescue missions because of acts of vandalism, the entire community suffers.

The beloved Yellowknife dump is a popular destination for many residents, whether it be to purge household detritus, drop off compostables, empty recycling bins or browse for salvage. Sometimes, Sunday is the only day of the week hardworking folks can make the trip.

It's on their behalf that Coun. Bob Brooks turned his nose up last week at the suggestion by facility superintendent Peter Houweling, and echoed by solid waste management committee chair Rebecca Alty, to close the dump on Sundays from Sept. 3 to April 3 in order to staunch an almost $25,000 annual deficit. The lost day would be offset, Houweling suggested, by keeping the dump open an extra 15 minutes per day throughout the rest of the week.

Houweling said the dump loses that amount by opening on Sundays, largely due to double overtime paid to unionized staff. Most of the Sunday losses accrue from fall to spring. By comparison, he pointed to more than $30,000 in revenue collected on Saturdays.

This penny-pinching math should be scrapped, however, given that residents are already doing their part by paying $9 tipping fees, up from no fees in 2005, and homeowners are paying a $16.50 solid waste levy every month, up from $10 in 2005. Meanwhile, the city is asking residents to help make waste collection more efficient after it reduced the bag limit for garbage pick-up to two bags from three last year.

If households are expected to separate organic matter for compost, recyclables and waste to help the environment and cut municipal costs, while paying substantial fees to the city for collection and disposal, dump services should remain as accessible as possible.

A compromise by Brooks to reduce hours on Saturdays and Sundays may be acceptable, but reducing dump hours is a slippery slope that should be entertained cautiously. Besides, if the dump is collecting revenue on Saturdays, why reduce hours?

If the prospect of reduced winter Sunday hours is palatable to taxpayers, then the city should proceed gently. However, the dump should remain open seven days a week all year for public convenience, and because the public is paying for this access, instead of shutting down service for the day to beautify the bottom line.

Last week, the city decided to cut the length of time it will allow the Yellowknife Slopitch Association to serve beer at its events. The change reduces the hours of beer gardens to 8 p.m. instead of 10 p.m.

Sparking the change were issues raised over time concerning unruly behaviour occurring during the beer gardens that were causing a disturbance.

Just as bars are responsible for their patrons potentially being a problem, so should the organizers of the beer gardens at these sorts of events.

The city's ball diamonds are in the middle of residential areas, meaning that the rights of the neighbourhood should be taken into consideration. Remember, the people that live in the homes nearby may not want to revel in the celebrations as well.

A quick social media search of the Suds Cup brings up images of alcohol-fueled revelry, which is all fine and fun when kept contained. A bar keeps the party within its doors, so beer gardens should be expected to do the same, with proper controls in place by organizers to ensure ensuing partying is done in a respectful manner.

In the end, the beer garden hours were shortened. With some advertisements reading "all day beer gardens," the loss of a couple of hours doesn't kill the fundraising potential granted by a liquor licence but it does serve as a strong warning.

If future softball events keep the party within the diamond and respect their neighbours, then there shouldn't be any more penalizing changes. But if the complaints continue and nothing is done, don't be surprised if future events become dry.

Bison, may be fun for tourists to look at, but they don't make good neighbours.

Once again, some residents and hamlet officials in Fort Liard are complaining and raising concerns about the presence of bison in the community. The litany of bison causes damage, including trampled lawns, broken trees, destroyed gardens and damaged vehicles, among others things.

There are also concerns these large animals could eventually seriously injure a human, potentially one of the community's youth who are known to harass the animals from time to time.

These complaints are nothing new. In fact, some residents say the problem goes back as far as the creation of the Nahanni wood bison population, 33 years ago. The population was established in 1980 when 28 wood bison from Elk Island National Park were released near Nahanni Butte.

The numbers were buoyed by a total of 71 imported bison, released in 1989 and 1998. The population has been holding stable in recent years, with an estimated 400 animals as of March 2011.

It's easy to understand the frustration of Fort Liard residents. Anyone who has ever seen a bison up close or driven past one on an NWT highway knows how large they can be.

By virtue of their sheer immense size and habits, they damage things wherever they go. Anyone who watched their carefully-planted trees snapped off at the base by a bison with an itch or saw their garden trampled and eaten would be upset.

The problem is that, short of destroying all the bison or encircling Fort Liard with a very sturdy wall, neither of which are very practical ideas, the issue won't be going away. In fact, if the size of the herd increases, it may well get worse.

What's needed is some better coping strategies.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) needs to devote more resources to deterring bison from entering the hamlet and herding them out as quickly as possible. This could involve the hiring of more staff and the creation of a dedicated bison hotline that could be called whenever an animal is spotted.

The department should also assist residents in building barriers that would help keep bison away from more sensitive areas such as gardens. As for residents, unfortunately there is little they can do except continue to press for more assistance from ENR, call ENR staff whenever bison are spotted in the community and resign themselves to the fact that the bison and the damage they create will never fully go away.

It was fascinating to watch and compare the Dene National Assembly held in town last week and contrast it to the typical provincial and federal adversarial style of government.

Without the antics, partisanship and opposition for the sake of opposition, the Dene assembly saw some thoughtful and respectful debate, all of it done in a civil, polite manner.

It's an incredible contrast to what political junkies see regularly at other levels of government, particularly the federal level, where the volume of noise always seem to top thinking and intellectual sparring.

At first glance, a deliberation like the Dene assembly might seem dull by comparison, and it certainly seemed to move a little more slowly. Still, it was a breath of fresh air.

I had a very interesting conversation with Inuvik Tribal Council Chief Herbert Blake about that on the last day of the assembly.

"This must look really interesting to you," he said. "And thank you for making an effort at attending the assembly events. It's been noticed."

I explained to him that as a political junkie, with two degrees in political science, it was an eyeopener for me to watch this. As a student, I learned virtually nothing about government in the North, and had wrongly assumed it was fairly comparable to the standard Canadian model.

I had never really been aware of how the NWT works with a consensus government, much less of the importance of the various aboriginal governments.

I was certainly appreciative of the respect that the various chiefs treated each other with during the assembly.

National Chief Bill Erasmus had to deliver a low admonishment during one session I attended regarding stopping background conversations while a speaker had the floor. Occasionally, he would remind speakers and presenters to keep their comments as short as possible in the interest of finishing on time.

That, however, was the extent of the "bad behaviour" I saw. In general, while the assembly was informal, the members treated each other with great respect and dignity that seems wholly out of place in the political sphere these days.

However, I think it's also what more people want to see. The deliberations were much like what the Canadian Senate is supposed to provide, that being sober second thought. That's something lacking most of the time in both the provincial and federal legislatures.

Several federal politicians were also on hand for the proceedings,

I was idly tempted to ask them if they were learning anything about how a government that values civility could operate, but decided not to stir that pot because it's likely pointless.

Still, it would be nice if they took some of those lessons back to work with them.

When it comes to Aurora College's housing policy, only a lawyer employed by the territorial Department of Justice could declare with a straight face there is no blatant discrimination against Yellowknife students.

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro raised the issue of unfairness in the legislative assembly during the spring session. Constituents were telling her that Yellowknife students were put at the bottom of the list for scarce college housing.

Consider the top item on the list of the grounds for discrimination enshrined in the NWT Human Rights Act: race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, and nationality.

Then consider the specifics of the Student Accommodations Evaluation Procedures that determines which students get subsidized housing.

We will refer to a nursing student because Bisaro did, but the policies apply to Yellowknife students for any program. Bear with us, it's complicated.

There are four categories: Category one puts NWT applicants at the top of the housing list for a priority program, such as nursing, who live in communities outside Yellowknife.

Second on the list are NWT applicants from outside Yellowknife not in a priority program.

Third on the list are applicants from outside Yellowknife who could take a priority program, not including nursing, in their community.

Fourth on the list are applicants outside Yellowknife for a non-priority program that is offered in their home community, or applicants for a non-priority program who are not an NWT resident.

Students from Yellowknife are mentioned in category three and four, labelled as "in-town residents." Before they can get even temporary housing, Yellowknife students must present "extenuating circumstances" which Aurora College president Jane Arychuk made clear doesn't include an inability to afford housing. Worse, and more indefensible, each reference to Yellowknife students is followed by brackets containing the warning their housing needs are only (to be considered on a yearly, case by case basis).

That means the policy-chosen students, even those from outside the NWT, once accepted are guaranteed housing for the life of their program. Yellowknife students, if granted housing, are not. They must reapply each year and could be out on the street in year two, three or four, presuming they get housing for the first year, which they probably won't.

If this is not discrimination based upon place of origin, what is it? Gross unfairness? Bureaucratic blindness? Political bias?

That Arychuk defends such a policy suggests more a desire to toe the government line rather than providing proper access to higher education for all Northerners, regardless of where they live. Her comment that the circumstance of Yellowknife students being unable the afford the city's high rent scale is "the same for every student in the world" is simply short-sighted.

Aside from the fact that $300,000 trailers are unique to the Yellowknife housing market, southern colleges, universities and their government masters generally provide subsidized housing for students. There are more than 1,000 students attending Aurora College, with 64 housing units reserved for out-of-town students, a pitiful amount. Arychuk should be fighting to increase housing options for all students, not defending a deeply flawed policy and accepting a dismal lack of housing.

We hope Bisaro continues the battle on behalf of Yellowknife students and we encourage other Yellowknife MLAs to jump in. Committed politicians can change bad government policy.

Past Yellowknifer editorials have vigorously supported a new, expanded stand-alone campus for Aurora College. How strong will the support of Yellowknifers be in the face of such obvious discrimination?

In August a luxury cruise ship will be dropping anchor near Arviat and hundreds of tourists will be brought to land to visit.

The first group is set to arrive Aug. 23, followed by a second group on Aug. 27.

On each visit, about 130 guests are expected to take in the sights.

The ship's arrival will bring temporary jobs for some and potential sales for artists.

Residents are certain to bring home a few extra dollars from the experience, but at this point there is no telling exactly how much Arviat will benefit.

If the trips go well for both parties it would be a great validation for the community's ecotourism initiative, which was implemented a few years ago.

However, Pond Inlet's community economic development officer has a cautionary tale about the business.

Colin Saunders told News/North that visitors started spending less in his community following the economic downturn.

There was a time when it wasn't unusual to have tourists drop $40,000 on goods in Pond Inlet in just a few hours.

The visitors they get these days, however, are usually retirees who have saved every nickel and dime to pay for the cruise.

As a result, they are more stingy with their spending money.

Furthermore, other communities have reported fluctuations in the number of visits from cruise ships each year.

For instance, in 2011 Cambridge Bay was expecting fewer ships after companies sent ships to Kugluktuk and Gjoa Haven instead.

For these reasons, Arviat needs to ensure that it puts on the best presentation possible.

Fortunately, Olivia Tagalik, the hamlet's tourism co-ordinator, has already planned a schedule for the participants so everyone should be well prepared.

However, the community needs to also consider ways to distinguish Arviat from the other Northern stops.

The first visitors to the community will have already been to more than a dozen spots.

They will have seen and bought lots of carvings, jewelry, clothing and paintings. This means they're less likely to be in the souvenir-buying mode. If they are going to purchase something it may be because it's unique.

At this point, they will also have taken in a variety of cultures and sights.

The best way to make them remember Arviat is to make them feel a part of the community.

Connect to them through a personal story or by sharing the significance of an area.

People want to be able to hold up a picture and say something more than just, "this is one of the residents" or, "this an inukshuk."

They want something meaningful to share.

• Miranda Scotland is interim editor of Kivalliq News while editor Darrell Greer is on vacation

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