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Recent controversy over fur fashions and seal hunting is exposing the inherent hypocrisy in the argument against harvesting from the wild.

A clothing store in downtown Vancouver, owned by former Yellowknife resident Jason Overbo, has been under siege by animal rights activists because of his decision to sell Canada Goose and Moose Knuckle parkas. Some of which are trimmed with fur from raccoon dogs - a common fox-like animal found primarily in East Asia.

They ignore the fact that there is a McDonald's restaurant every second block and half the boots walking past the store are made from leather.

If animal rights activists are so offended by people eating meat and harvesting animals for their skins, why aren't they out harassing them?

Likewise, the hysterical reaction to Yellowknife-based and internationally renowned throat singer Tanya Tagaq and her "sealfie" photo of her baby daughter with a freshly harvested seal. Fanatics in the animal rights movements were so offended a petition was started to have her daughter taken away and disgusting Photoshopped images of her baby being butchered were posted on Twitter.

Is this a reasonable response to online depictions of a traditional Inuit harvest?

It is inconceivable how these people can argue against fur and indigenous people taking part in time-honoured hunting practices while tacitly accepting the raising of cattle and pigs specifically for mass slaughter for their meat and leather. When it comes down to it, the difference between domestic agriculture and harvesting animals in the North is one is done on an industrial scale and other is limited to the bullets and sweat equity required to procure them.

A fur fashion show at the SnowKing snow castle held late last month for international dignitaries with the Arctic Council showcased fur and leather from the NWT and Nunavut.

Territorial government officials made the case that these products are a truly sustainable Northern industry.

This fact should be front and centre anytime fur and sealing come under assault from fringe animal rights activists. They are too irrational to understand but this shouldn't be lost on everybody else.

At dinnertime, while Yellowknifers are sitting around tables chowing down on supper, a ringing telephone can be akin to an annoying mosquito buzzing in your ear.

If the phone call is deemed to be an automated survey or a telemarketer, one may be more inclined to the pick-up-and-hang-up reaction, or to just let the phone ring.

But until April 13, just one phrase of advice: pick up the phone.

That's because the City of Yellowknife is conducting a survey through Ipsos Reid to collect your input on what issues are most important to you, what's great about living here, how you feel about the city's performance, and - perhaps most importantly - how you want your elected representatives to spend your tax dollars.

It's not always easy for a municipality to gauge what can be diverse public-opinion, or as a resident, know exactly where to turn if you have a bone to pick. This is that forum - the city is listening to your voice, so use it.

Although we elected our council with trust that they will serve our best interests, the people of Yellowknife remain the kernel around which everything is built around, including public policy.

This survey demonstrates that the voice of the people matters to the city - it is now up to the people to take advantage of the opportunity.

So put down the fork and pick up the phone.

Youth generally aren't given as much credit as they deserve.

If an adult was asked to come up with a list of things that teenagers and older youth think of most, it would probably include things like their friends, plans for the weekend, who is dating who and the latest piece of technology or clothing they really need and how they are going to get it. While youth probably think about all of those things a lot, they also pick up on other, less self-absorbed, topics that are also of interest to their wider community.

The Dehcho First Nations Youth Council is a case in point. Approximately 20 youth ranging in age from 16 to 25 volunteered to give up the bulk of their weekend to learn about topics that even many adults aren't interested in like the Dehcho Land Use Plan, devolution, amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the Dehcho Process negotiations.

The youth did more than just sit there and listen and occasionally look at their cellphones. They absorbed the knowledge and started to think about it critically. The proof is in the sticky-notes stuck to pieces of chart paper around the room.

The youth were asked to give their opinion on a number of timely issues, including whether Dehcho First Nations (DFN) should sign onto devolution. Their answers mirrored the concerns that the region's leadership keep raising. They were also split, like many leaders are, on the right course of action.

Some of the youth in favour of signing on had the following reasoning, "yes, all aboriginal governments should be involved" and "yes I think the Deh Cho should sign up because the Deh Cho would benefit from it and also get a say in management of the GNWT."

At the end of the council, the participants were asked if DFN should revive its youth council. The unanimous answer was yes.

DFN would do well to listen to their input and find a way to create a youth council. Given the necessary background information, youth in the region are clearly capable of forming their own well-thought out opinions and have an interest in doing so.

At every DFN leadership meeting, at least one elder makes the point that everything DFN is doing is for the youth, their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. The youth are the ones that will have the most time to live and deal with the results of the decisions the current leaders make, so it is only right their opinions are sought out and considered as soon as possible.

After a long winter, it's great to see a hint of spring in the air and people enjoying themselves at the Muskrat Jamboree.

We've been fortunate here in Inuvik not to have suffered through as bad a winter as many places in Canada. Where others have frozen, we have enjoyed a strangely mild winter, punctuated with a few bitterly cold periods.

That's allowed and encouraged more people to have more opportunity to get out and enjoy our longest season, and that's been good for almost everyone. I've certainly seen more activity outside this winter than last year's prolonged mini ice age, where we had so many days below -20 C and -30 C it seemed like it would never end.

We're well into my favourite time of the year now, which begins in March and extends through mid-June or so, and I suspect a lot of people probably feel the same way.

Inuvik is a place that enjoys both its sunshine and its snow sports, in a way few others do that don't have the same rare and serendipitous fortune of endless sunny days and snow cover.

That's why I'd like to offer congratulations to the organizing committee of the Muskrat Jamboree for the numerous outdoor activities they offer year after year.

And let's not forget, either, the indoor activities for when we need to warm up.

From the snowmobile races to the honey-bag hockey to the log sawing and the dog sledding, everything went fairly smoothly over the weekend.

It's a colossal undertaking to get this festival running and to keep it running more or less on schedule. I could insert the standard joke about "Inuvik time" here, but it's not really necessary.

I think everyone who takes in even a bit of the jamboree festival also should be stopping the organizers on the street or in the coffee shops or stores around town and thanking them for their efforts.

As with most volunteer activities, it's generally the same core of people year after year that makes this happen, and we tend to take them for granted.

Are there things we could grumble about when it comes to the jamboree? Sure, it's possible to find something. But I heard rather little.

This year's jamboree ran smoothly without the drama that hit parts of it in 2013, particularly the dog sled racing.

So to people like committee chair Liz Gordon, the little dynamo that seemed to be everywhere, thanks on behalf of all of us for a fun time in the spring sunshine.

Two years ago, the territorial government was ordered by the NWT Supreme Court to pay $28-million to either expand or renovate French schools in Yellowknife and Hay River to properly accommodate French students.

The GNWT is appealing that court ruling, with a judgement expected in six to eight months.

In case the appeal fails, the GNWT has proposed a school swap in Hay River and Yellowknife that would see English students moved around among the existing schools, freeing up a school for the French students.

The idea got a thumbs down in Hay River from parents. In Yellowknife, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, suggested Education District No. 1 offer up one of its schools. That idea met with a similar negative reaction, not only from the public school board but from the Commission scolaire francophone.

Two facts are of note. The GNWT has always lost in court when faced with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on matters of French language rights and specifically the right to a French education.

To date, the court has awarded $1.3 million in costs to the Commission scolaire francophone.

Also, between Yk1 and the Commission there are six schools with a combined utilization rate of 57 per cent. The solution that would best serve all Yellowknifers, French and English, would be using these existing buildings.

A school swap would require renovations to satisfy both the court order and the French school board. J.H. Sissons School, for example, is 40 years old and would require a massive retrofit in order to accommodate a full kindergarten to Grade 12

programming.

Although the GNWT has proven powerless in court, it still holds most of the financial cards when dealing with the Yk1 school board. Recall the recent funding cuts to grab board surpluses to pay for junior kindergarten.

But with the pressure and political clout of tax-paying parents and legal clout of French right-holders, the GNWT has a decision to make: do this the easy way or the hard way.

The easy way is to comply with the order of the Supreme Court, and expand the French school. The hard way is to continue to anger parents and both school boards, lose millions in legal costs and have to expand anyway.

Last weekend saw the conclusion of the Canadian Seniors Curling Championships, with the winning teams of Manitoba and Nova Scotia taking the titles for women's and men's categories respectively.

But know who emerged as a winner in all of this? Yellowknife.

This tourney marked the first time that the city played host to a national curling event such as this, and by all accounts, it was a rousing success. Teams from across the country set up shop in Yellowknife for a week, and showed the Canadian curling community what they had, and made our fair city look that much better in the process.

Most importantly, this event showed the country that Yellowknife is ready to host larger-scale events. While this paper isn't recommending that the city put in a bid for the Olympics any time soon, Yellowknife is more than capable of hosting larger national events. Bigger curling tourneys could be on the table.

And the city is already looking at putting forward a bid for the Canada Winter Games in 2023.

The paramount success of the national senior curling championship, and any future tourneys on the horizon, will show the Canadian sporting community that Yellowknife has arrived and is ready for bigger events. <

While we may still not have reached the level we strive for when it comes to our total ulu count, our Nunavut contingent, once again, represented our territory with pride and dignity at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) in Fairbanks, Alaska.

That could soon prove itself even more important, as goodwill is diminishing with Nuuk, Greenland, not being able to accommodate every AWG sport in 2016 due to a lack of facilities.

The sports of dog mushing, curling, gymnastics, speedskating and figure skating will sit the 2016 Games out in Nuuk.

It looked, originally, as if alternate plans would be struck to see other communities host left-out sports under the AWG banner.

Hockey was also going to be affected by Greenland's lack of facilities, but female and bantam hockey were saved by a special contract worked out by Nuuk's host society, which will see those athletes flown back and forth from their competition in Iqaluit for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The same approach was used when Nunavut and Greenland co-hosted the Games in 2002.

With midget hockey and five other sports left out, a growing voice is asking why Nuuk's host society is so adamant the AWG banner can't be used if other communities put a plan in place to host the sports in question.

Some are asking if it's being done for one sport, why not all?

That's not entirely fair, given the midgets are being left out and peewee hockey was cut from the AWG following the 2004 Games.

If there's any chance of a resolution being found between now and 2016 that would see all sports compete under the AWG banner, the sports originally cut have to speak in a unified voice.

It will serve no purpose to be hitting each other with friendly fire while lobbing verbal grenades at Nuuk's host society.

Everyone can probably agree on the fact midget hockey was left from the 2016 AWG lineup due to the age of political correctness we live in, and no one was going to take the heat for not including female hockey.

But, on the surface, there appears no logical reason to deny any of the five sports cut from Nuuk to not be allowed to compete under the AWG banner if they're willing to put in the time and effort and, most importantly, pick up the cost associated with competing in another locale.

It also sets a dangerous precedent.

Will it be at the AWG international committee or host society's whim which sports will be cut due to facilities and other intangibles?

Will Iqaluit deny cross-country skiing from selecting an alternate site and competing under the AWG banner when Nunavut hosts again in 2020?

It's time for cooler heads to prevail here and all affected parties, with the support of their provincial and territorial governments, to continue to meet on the subject until an acceptable compromise can be worked out.

The last thing we need in Nunavut, is to see our athletic talent pool further drained by frustrated athletes leaving sports they've become disillusioned with due to being denied the chance to compete at the AWG.

Everyone needs goals to chase and dreams to pursue.

The wonderful thing about the Arctic Winter Games is it's never more than two years away.

The 2014 edition finished up March 22, which means there is now less than two years to go before Greenland gets to host the biennial event for the second time. Their first was a joint deal with Iqaluit in 2002.

The next batch of athletes will be gearing up through practice and hard work - except for the dog mushers, gymnasts, figure skaters, curlers, speedskaters and the midget boys hockey players.

These groups of athletes won't be taking part because the host city, Nuuk, either doesn't have the facilities, doesn't have the know-how to pull it off or has the law tying its hands.

Once all avenues to get those sports on the program fell by the wayside, the talk turned to some sort of non-affiliated, multi-sport competition in 2016 to run parallel to the AWG to ensure those who would be missing out would still have the chance to compete.

A wonderful idea - if only people knew what was going on.

A committee, led by the NWT, was going to research and provide options for said competition for the excluded sports. The committee was also going to look at where it would be held.

The committee, made up of people from the NWT, Nunavut, Yukon and Alaska, was asked to report back to their various governments by October of 2013.

It's now April of 2014 and there hasn't even been a whiff.

The argument could be made that there's still time because it's only six sports, not 20 like the regular AWG program has. But it's still six sports and there are schedules, costs, venues, travel arrangements and a whole host of other things to worry about. You can't just tell the contingents to throw something together a few months before and hope for the best.

These sport groups have budgets to worry about, which could be affected if things don't get going. Territorial sport organizations have to plan ahead for each fiscal year and they need some sort of definitive answer in short order so they know what to expect down the road.

Those same organizations will have the threat of athletes leaving to compete in other sports, which could also mean a drop in funding because registration numbers and confirmed programs are two things which are looked at when it comes to funding formulas. They need to be able to dangle some sort of carrot in front of their athletes to entice them to stay.

Needless to say, it's time for an answer and the best time to do it would have been at the 2014 AWG in Fairbanks, Alaska.

It's not too late - yet - but last month was certainly an opportunity lost.

The myriad challenges facing Nunavummiut can sometimes be discouraging.

Houses are overcrowded and in poor condition. Many students do not graduate from high school or, if they do, need upgrading in order to be accepted into universities.

Food insecurity is real. Children go to bed at night feeling hungry. Some people can't afford groceries from the store and rely on family or friends for help.

Others are forced to make a choice between paying a utility bill or buying groceries. Even those who are able to hunt feel the pain. Imagine a hunter knowing a herd of caribou is passing nearby but can't afford to buy the gas and bullets needed to catch them.

Add to that frustration with the knowledge that people in other parts of the world have no idea about the richness that comes with a traditional way of life, complete with plentiful seals, bears, caribou and country food. Inuit have a long tradition of being resourceful and self-sufficient, living off the land and using every bit of the resources that are available.

It is therefore encouraging that territorial government leaders have an understanding of the challenges and are prescribing solutions that are practical, forward thinking and achievable.

Nunavut Commissioner Edna Elias, in the government's speech from the throne in the legislative assembly March 20, outlined the guiding principles for Nunavut's fourth territorial government. It recognizes the territory's youth and dynamics, embraces changes that are coming and suggests that Nunavummiut seize the opportunity to be part of future prosperity.

The theme, Sivumut Abluqta: Stepping Forward Together, promotes a commitment to education, so that people can put themselves on a path to employment and self-reliance.

In fact, self-reliance is an overwhelming message from Premier Peter Taptuna and his government. While the government is committed to improving the delivery of education by updating the Education Act, promoting early childhood education and getting more parents involved in the classroom, it is up to individuals to capitalize on the offerings and make something of themselves. Making improvements to social assistance is also on the agenda with an eye to ensuring that only those who need help receive a hand up.

The territorial government sees opportunities for advancement through partnerships, working constructively with others in a spirit of sustained, active co-operation.

It is possible for progress to be made on many fronts, especially through increased economic activity.

The key to success starts with individual motivation and involves collaboration and co-operation.

Together, Nunavummiut can work to achieve great things and address shortcomings with long-term planning and sustained improvements to education. With hard work and ongoing efforts towards improvement, momentum will turn from feelings of discouragement to the satisfied feeling of achievement and pride of accomplishment.

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