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Cleaning up after a party is the inevitable flip-side to fun. But unless you want to hop over beer-stained linoleum and crush chips into the carpet with your feet the next day, you need to plan ahead for the cleanup and ensure the resources are available to do so.

But when the party is the excavation of diamonds, the required resources are a bit more lofty than setting aside 45 minutes in the morning after rolling out of bed.

In the case of the Ekati Diamond Mine - the largest mine in the North - Yellowknifer reported last week, those resources are not yet entirely in place.

The amount of clean-up money required is assessed at $263 million, but the Dominion Diamond Corporation, which owns the mine, has provided less than half of that - $127 million - to the federal government, which is the responsible parent of the deal. Should the company go bankrupt or abandon the site, the liability for cleanup is transferred to the federal government.

That is, until April 1.

When the signed devolution agreement snaps into place - poof - the feds relinquish the responsible parent role to the GNWT, along with ultimate financial responsibility.

This is not to presume Dominion won't be a good host and clean up after its own party, but it is crucial MLAs in the legislative assembly becomes hyper-aware of the fine print in the situation it has signed onto.

Due to similar situations in which companies have not provided the full security amount for cleanups, the federal government is on the hook for $8 billion, Yellowknifer reported last week.

Ray Case, assistant deputy minister with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, told Yellowknifer the GNWT is "reviewing the status of these sites and ensuring that the securities ... are in place."

Through devolution, the GNWT takes on immediate responsibility for 12 other developed sites, including Diavik and Snap Lake diamond mines, and the Deh Cho Bridge. Within five years, it will take on the responsibility for an additional 1,000 sites.

Education is critical to understanding any burden this transfer may bring, before it comes into effect. And in the case of Ekati, the $136 million remains a gaping hole that needs to be filled with answers to guarantee it doesn't become the NWT's gaping hole to fill.

Yellowknife's hopes for hosting the Canada Winter Games in 2023 are high and the city is doing the smart thing by calling in experts to have serious discussions about what is expected.

Bringing the games to Yellowknife is an expensive proposition - at least $3 million just to host them, never mind the renovations that would be required to make Ruth Inch Memorial Pool game-ready to host synchronized swimming.

Fortunately, Yellowknife already has some great facilities in the Multiplex Arena and Fieldhouse, built at great expense for a city population that endures more than half a year of winter.

Another issue will be accommodations. There will be hundreds of athletes, coaches and supporters coming to the city. Hotel rooms are often at a premium during the winter, stuffed as they usually are at this time of the year with aurora tourists. Billeting competitors in people's homes is an option the city has used before for other major events, such as the Arctic Winter Games.

The city might as well showcase our excellent facilities and unique Northern character on the national stage - providing the games are planned carefully. Yellowknife doesn't have a wealth of taxpayers to draw on for financial support like past hosts Halifax, Grande Prairie, Alta., and next year's location, Prince George, B.C. But with nine years to go, the hurdles to hosting the games should not prove insurmountable, providing the federal and territorial governments do their part to help out.

Yellowknife certainly deserves the winter games and the spotlight such national attention would bring.

To that end, the Canada Games Council was invited to Yellowknife by city officials to give them a realistic picture of the amount of planning needed to have a successful bid and prepare venues for the games.

It will take a great deal of work and co-ordination to have a successful games, but if done right, it will be a chance to show the nation what Yellowknife is all about and bring with them a much needed boost.

There are a few things that signal the impending end of winter in the Deh Cho.

Longer days when you no longer go to and return from work in the dark are always welcomed. Soon it seems like the dark days of the deep of winter never existed.

Although lengthening hours of sunlight are a reason to celebrate, in the Deh Cho there is something that is even more symbolic of the end of winter- the carnival season.

Spring carnivals are a sign that you have made it through the worst of the winter. Some storms may still be on their way and temperatures may still dip into the -30 Cs or below, but spring is just around the corner.

And what a way to celebrate! Carnivals bring communities together.

The events seem to draw people out of their winter blues and their hibernation. Neighbors you may not have seen in months suddenly appear at crib tournaments or at pancake breakfasts.

The carnivals across the Deh Cho are about having fun, something that can be sorely needed after a long winter. The corporate challenge at the Beavertail Jamboree is a great example. Teams compete in a number of events earning points along the way.

A crowd favourite is the dizzy stick relay. Spectators find no end of amusement in watching competitors who have just spun around and around multiple times suddenly straighten up and try to make their way to a table to collect an egg and spoon for the next portion of the race. It's comic gold as people zig-zag back and forth, unable to walk in a straight line.

In Fort Providence at the Deh Cho Bison Jamboree, the animal calling contest at the talent show can garner a lot of laughs. Some people's earnest moose calls apparently just sound funny, while others go up with a comic intention in mind.

The carnivals are also about supporting community members.

The talent shows are a case in point. Youth often get a boost of confidence after they are applauded no matter how their rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star sounded. At the adult talent shows, it is often the performers who are the most nervous and who sometimes have to stop and start all over again, who get the most enthusiastic applause. Singing a country tunes favorite doesn't hurt either.

So as the carnivals start to roll out across the region, beginning this week in Fort Simpson with the Beavertail Jamboree, be sure to get out and enjoy them. They can be one of the highlights of the year in a community and a reward for toughing out yet another winter.

An opportunity to send a message against bullying came and went without even so much as public whimper in Inuvik last week.

Feb. 26 marked Pink Shirt Day in opposition to bullying.

There were no classes at either East Three Elementary and secondary schools because it was in the midst of professional development days, so no one had a chance to mark it there. East Three Elementary School vice-principal Jason Dayman said the school would have held an event otherwise.

In 2013, Inuvik union officials led by David Bob tried to mark the day by asking school and college students and staff to attend a rally at the GNWT building on Veteran's Way. No one showed up to the rally.

Bob said that's why union officials didn't make plans to mark the day this year. He was disappointed with the failure of last year's rally, although he considers bullying to be a major problem in Inuvik.

Those problems range from the usual school bullying, the kind that anti-bullying programs in the schools try to address, to workplace bullying between adults as well as cyber-bullying.

As I alluded to in a previous column, bullying is all too common here. That can be said of almost any community, but I've heard from multiple sources and seen more than enough of it to know Inuvik has a rather vigorous, if small, segment of bullies.

I believe some of the rage and venom flowing from them is at least partly due to frustration with the local declining economy. But that doesn't excuse any of it, particularly the outright maliciousness that is manifested at times.

Recently, I've been reading an ongoing influx of articles about bullying on the Internet, particularly cyber-bullying, with a great deal of interest. It's particularly fascinating – but not surprising – how the characteristics of cyber-bullies – so-called trolls – align with a "dark tetrad" of personality traits that include sadism and manipulation.

Considering the rather widespread acknowledgement of bullying here and in the NWT – which is why new anti-bullying legislation is in the works for schools – I find it perplexing to think of the outright indifference toward making a statement that bullying won't be tolerated.

I hope that's because Inuvik residents feel they know how to handle the bullies in society, and not because of apathy, but I'm not totally convinced.

Bullying is not something that should be a normal part of growing up, nor is it remotely acceptable in the workplace or in social interactions.

Nor is it really a question of freedom of speech or expression. That's a convenient curtain to hide behind, which makes it appealing to most bullies, who don't like their putrid nastiness brought out into the daylight to be examined.

That's why public days like Pink Shirt Day are important and need to be recognized. That's something to think about for next year.

Eight months after seven-year-old Lodune Shelley drowned at the unsupervised Long Lake Beach, little appears to have been done that promises to actually make the beach safer.

There has been a report - an exhaustive one by the Lifesaving Society of Alberta and the NWT - that chooses, as its first topic of discussion, the timeliness of testing for E.coli bacteria. And last week, the NWT Coroner's Office issued a report on Shelley's death that likewise failed to illuminate on the two main safety issues facing the beach at Fred Henne Territorial Park - the lack of lifeguards and the presence of hazardous deep-water holes that threaten to swallow unwary bathers, especially children who can't swim.

The coroner's report proposes to close the beach to unsupervised children - not an issue in Shelley's death - and otherwise places the onus on the beach-going public to be better "educated" on being safe. Two lonely words - "bottom terrain" - are dedicated to the periodically shifting, underwater holes inside the swimming area perimeter where unsuspecting waders risk treading into depths of six feet or more, with the depth of the surrounding water at less than three feet.

Aside from the scant attention paid to bottom terrain, the coroner's report laughably recommends the Department of Industry, Tourism and Development, which runs the beach at Fred Henne, to inform beach-goers of the dangers of other water hazards, such as wind, temperature and marine life.

The report doesn't speculate on what led to Shelley's drowning, but it's a safe bet it had nothing to do with "marine life." In any event, it can only be hoped that the education of beach-goers on the hazards at Long Lake includes, at the very least, some buoys tied to rocks and placed over these holes so caregivers can at least see if their children are wandering too close to them.

The lack of interest and discussion to date by various bodies about these holes is puzzling. Their aversion to recommending lifeguards is not.

Clearly, no one wants to be held responsible should lifeguards return to Fred Henne after an 11-year absence and another drowning occurs. The territorial government estimates it would cost $120,000 to $150,000 annually to institute a summer lifeguard program at Long Lake - substantially higher than the $21,000 it would've cost in 2004 when the city and GNWT failed to come to an agreement over who would pay it, but presumably a much smaller figure than what would be sought in a negligence lawsuit.

It must be noted that the children who stumbled upon Shelley's lifeless body as it drifted in the water were unable to get anyone's attention when they went screaming back to shore seeking help. Would a professional lifeguard not have picked up on that? It raises the question of whether Shelley could have been saved had he been pulled from the water sooner by a professional trained in CPR.

David Ramsey, the minister responsible for territorial parks - no doubt feeling the conflicting pressures from residents who overwhelmingly want lifeguards to return and bureaucrats warning of liability - uttered his strongest pledge to date last week in the legislative assembly, saying, "If lifeguards at Fred Henne beach is going to make it safer, we'll try our best to put lifeguards there."

It boggles the mind to consider how Long Lake Beach wouldn't be safer with lifeguards. Ramsay promises yet another report on the matter from the Lifesaving Society within a few weeks which will make a recommendation one way or another.

One thing is for sure - with the petition from Shelley's grandfather calling for lifeguards growing by the day, the minister will be in a tough spot with the public should the report find a reason not to hire them.

It's been an interesting few weeks in the Kivalliq, listening to the vastly differing opinions people have on alcohol in our region.

Residents of Arviat and Chesterfield Inlet voted "no" to dropping restrictions on alcohol in their communities.

The results in the two communities really weren't close, especially in Arviat where "no" outnumbered "yes" almost two to one.

That's a huge gap, considering the "yes" side needs at least 60 per cent of the overall vote to carry the day.

In Coral Harbour, all sides have firmly dropped the cone of silence in place - people's right to know be damned - concerning members of the education community allegedly having alcohol in their homes.

I support free speech to the tune of 110 per cent.

I might not agree with what someone is saying, but I will defend to the death their right to say it.

Ditto, the democratic or voting process.

Regardless of how I may feel on a topic, we live in a country where majority rules and, while their voice may be open to scrutiny or debate, it is not open to change.

So state the rules of democracy, and long may that flag wave over this great nation of ours.

All that being said, I am concerned about the fact almost 100 per cent of the attention in Coral has been focused on teachers allegedly having alcohol in their homes and next to nothing is being said over the fact the alcohol was "confiscated" by youth breaking into their homes.

If some teachers did have alcohol in Coral, they should have known better and, no doubt, will be disciplined for their lack of judgement.

But, let's not be throwing rocks if we're living in a glass home of our own.

Breaking and entering into a home is a serious offence, and "they wouldn't have done it if there was no booze there" is a flimsy excuse.

Does the same excuse hold water if a person has a nice stereo or some other fancy electronic device?

The fact they're legal and booze isn't doesn't stand-up as a counter point because break and enter is always an illegal act, no matter what the person was after when they committed the crime.

If these teachers did have booze, let's not heap too much righteous indignation upon them.

There are bootleggers and people who sneak liquor into every dry or restricted community in our region - and we all know it!

If we're going to jump on a pedestal and demand punishment far beyond befitting the crime for these teachers - if they did do anything wrong - let's ask ourselves why.

Are we naive enough to believe bootleggers in our communities don't sell to youth?

Do we believe when someone we know brings booze into a community during a big event, they're giving it to people at actual cost out of the goodness of their hearts?

The majority of people in Coral Harbour don't want liquor in their community.

That is their right and anyone moving to, or visiting, that community, for whatever reasons, should respect that.

But, until we're ready to hold everyone accountable to that standard - friend, foe, acquaintance or stranger - let's not fall into the trap of removing the blindfold and tipping the scales of justice only when it suits our purpose.

That is not our right!

Last week, Debbie DeLancey, the territory's deputy minister of health, told News/North the territorial government must move away from the one-size-fits-all-style when developing health programming.

We agree.

Cultural differences, community dynamics and isolation make planning in the North a challenge. In some cases, those differences are so pronounced that even a regional approach to programming might not be effective.

Knowing that and doing something about it, however, are two different things. Designing and delivering programs for each individual community would be a nearly impossible task.

Impossible, that is, if they were being developed from the top down by the territorial government.

One of the most concerning trends in this year's annual report is the increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections across the territory.

Just prior to the division of Nunavut and the NWT, the rate of STIs was trending downward. Since that time, the trend has been upward. Statistics can be tricky in the sense that awareness means higher levels of reporting, but we would expect to see the rates leveling or dropping. Aside from an encouraging drop in cases between 2008 and 2011, the rates again jumped in 2012.

That is despite some creative programming by the territory, including a Northern-themed condom campaign.

It's obvious something isn't working. Instead of the GNWT throwing money at more awareness, education and prevention programs, it might be time for a different approach.

A good place to look for inspiration is the Tlicho government.

Prior to 2007, the Tlicho region had one of the highest rates of STIs in the territory, about triple the territorial average.

That reality sparked the creation of the Tlicho Healing Wind Project and by 2012 the region had one of the lowest rates of infection in the NWT. Five years to accomplish regionally what the GNWT has not been able to do in 25 years.

The reason is simple. The Healing Wind Projects was developed for the Tlicho people by the Tlicho people. Levels of understanding, engagement and attitude in every NWT community are different and if you do not understand those barriers, you will never design an effective program.

Through community consultation and community engagement, the Tlicho were not only able to understand the contributing factors to poor sexual health - including flaws in traditional language when talking about sex - they were able to devise a strategy that appealed and worked for the Tlicho people.

The danger is looking at that model and thinking the GNWT can replicate it with bureaucrats, politicians and appointed committee members.

What is needed is a direct community approach, initiatives spearheaded by people the community trusts.

One possible solution is creating community health committees, similar to community justice committees, where funding is funneled directly to the community which then comes up with its own strategies.

Unlike justice committees, however, that funding should include salaries - or honorariums - for more than just the co-ordinator to reduce the risk of volunteer burnout.

Perhaps if every community could develop its version of the healing wind project, we would see STI rates fall to at least the Canadian average.

Such an idea could also serve as a pilot project to determine if a similar approach could work with other health issues such as smoking and other addictions.

The preservation of Inuit culture and tradition as it relates to hunting, trapping, language and the arts is vital to Nunavut.

Knowledge has been passed down for hundreds, if not thousands, of years so that generation after generation can learn about what it takes to live and thrive on the land.

In some cases, traditional practices are merged with modern technology to achieve better results. An example of that is snowmobiles being used for hunting rather than dog teams.

Hunters are now encouraged to take SPOT beacons on trips so they can be located readily if stranded in adverse weather conditions. Sometimes, artists use power tools in their carving and achieve the same or a better result than with the use of hand tools alone.

Traditionally, young members of a large family would go to live with an uncle, grandparent or friends. There were no questions asked if an older child wished to live elsewhere for a period of time if they wished. This was done informally.

To some degree, the absence of checks and balances related to what evolved into adoption has continued into the modern age. That perhaps answers questions arising from a 145-page report which criticizes the Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act.

The report, prepared for the federal Department of Justice, takes the Government of Nunavut to task for not conducting safety checks on adoptive homes, not conducting criminal record checks on prospective adoptive parents and not undertaking due diligence on an adopted child's living conditions.

The consultant who prepared the report used four years of data from Nunavut. However, much of the data is based on anecdotal reports and, to us, is questionable. The consultant found cases where Inuit babies, children and teenagers have been sold to unknown individuals under private arrangements. If true, these are allegations of a most serious nature and a matter for intense police investigation.

The title of the report, Service and Capacity Review For Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking in Nunavut, is misleading because it refers only to the vulnerability for the trafficking of children, but not to actual incidents.

The consultant correctly brings to light minimal criminal background checks or assessments in custom adoptions to verify the safety of a child or children. This is a failure by government workers either because of inadequate legislation, a lack of training or a failure to be diligent.

Of great concern is that there is no requirement under the custom adoption process for social workers to conduct a safety check of the home where an adopted child resides.

The government says it is taking action, although slowly, taking into consideration past Inuit practices. It now plans to support adopted children past the age of 19 and is committed to training custom adoption commissioners to understand custom adoption law. It has updated the program training manual and procedures. And it takes into account that custom adoption commissioners are seen by hamlet councils to be highly-trusted people who can make sound choices in their communities.

However, just like a SPOT beacon should be used by hunters, legislation must be improved to reflect modern times and current threats, because preventing harm to a child that is no longer with their parents or family is the desired result.

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