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Kam Lake property owners were understandably caught off guard by an average 34 per cent hike in their city taxes, far more than anyone else in the city, business or residential.

When the new property assessments were released in January, city hall assured worried residents a reduction in the mill rate would counter up to an average 40 per cent increase in assessed property value.

"There is no tax increase associated with the general assessment increase because the assessment goes up by 40 per cent (for example), but the other aspect of how we calculate taxes, the mill rate, will go down by 40 per cent," said Carl Bird, the city's director of corporate services.

Property taxes are calculated by taking the assessed value of the property, dividing that by 1,000, and then multiplying that by the mill rate.

Those whose property assessments only went up 40 per cent enjoyed a small tax increase, but Kam Lake's average assessment went up 65 per cent. With the higher mill rate for businesses -the rate by which those in Kam Lake are assessed by - the average tax bill in the neighbourhood rose by 34.63 per cent, according to numbers Coun. Niels Konge received from city staff.

Bird's response?

"First of all, I never specifically addressed Kam Lake itself," he said. "I addressed the general property assessment increase across the city."

Bird may be right, but his words have turned into a lightning rod for Kam Lake property owners who didn't expect to be singled out for gigantic increases.

Bird also says that "recent sales have established a much higher market value in Kam Lake." Yellowknifer confirmed this with Jim Weller, a realtor with Coldwell Banker, who estimated land prices in the industrial park had doubled since the last assessment in 2006.

So on the face of it, land values in Kam Lake are up which is good news for owners. That higher taxes come with more valuable land is not surprising.

The problem is the general property assessment, a costly process according to city hall, was last done seven years ago. Now, without warning, Kam Lake businesses have been hit hard on the bottom line, left with the difficult decision of absorbing the extra cost or passing it on to equally unprepared customers.

We agree with Weller, who said, "The business community wouldn't be as upset as they are today if the increases had been announced in advance and phased in gradually over time."

City administration has greatly damaged its relationship with an essential segment of the city's economy.

Mayor and council should have a discussion about what needs to be done to fix that relationship.

It was a struggle this week to try and determine what I was going to write about for my editorial.

As some of you may know (due to my frequent complaining) I've been suffering a vicious sinus infection all week and it's made everything outside of my head more than a little fuzzy. So it was a struggle, up until last night when I got to experience something I never really thought I'd see - the migration of a caribou herd.

When I moved North from Nova Scotia just over a year ago I started keeping track of my first real "Northern" experiences. The first was when I got off the plane at the Yellowknife airport after about 18 hours of travelling and realized the sun was still up at 11:30 p.m. The second was later that summer while I was driving along a highway just outside the city at near to midnight and the sky suddenly exploded (at least for me it seemed like an explosion) into a dancing flurry of yellow and green Northern lights.

Throw in seeing snow in October, dealing with my first day at -50 C, having to put a sweater on my dog who I never considered a sweater-wearing breed (reserved for chihuahuas being carried in purses, in my mind) and a little bit of ice fishing and you have some of the game-changing moments when it sunk in how different it is up here compared to down home.

Well, the evening of July 10 topped all of that.

As I watched the caribou running across the vast tundra of Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park with their calves following behind them I just started laughing. Yup, I straight out laughed like a kid on Christmas morning. That was the only reaction I could give because I was so amazed that I was standing there, maybe a 15-minute drive away from my office, watching this massive ritual of nature. There were so many of them speckled across the tundra that I sort of just stared at them as one moving organism between attempts to single them out through the lens of my camera.

Another thing that struck me was the way most of the people on the ridge beside me and those lucky ones on their Hondas down closer to the herd were watching, appreciating the animals and taking them in. There were a few people driving back to town with antlers and meat on the front of their machines but I really got the sense that people took what they needed and left the rest to their natural course.

It was, to me, a case of people coming together to admire the herd whether they were there to shoot or not, many people doing so just with cameras, and there was a lot of respect for the caribou among the people I chatted with as we watched.

I spoke with one man who said when he was growing up in Rankin they couldn't experience stuff like this because there were no access roads, but that he always heard stories of the caribou from his mother. I can say that I was happy right along with him that the road was made so the people can enjoy, and not disrupt, the park and all of its treasures.

Now that I've crossed seeing caribou off my list, someone just has to hook me up with some seal meat and get me close enough to a polar bear that I can snap a few quick photos from far, far away with my zoom lens.

As part of its most recent budget, the GNWT has pledged to recruit 2,000 new residents to the territory within five years - a goal Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger remains adamant can be reached on target despite the territory's ongoing population decline.

When political postering is put aside, the NWT's population numbers tell the story. According to first quarter statistics released by the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the NWT had a net loss of 321 people in January and February alone. This puts us on track to lose more than the 521 net population loss for 2013.

Despite the promise of jobs - and high-paying ones at that - it seems southerners are still reluctant to leave the comforts of the south. And those who do journey North tend to leave after a few years.

Also, more and more young Northerners are choosing to make a life for themselves down south rather than return to their home communities.

So, what exactly is causing residents to give up on eking out an existence in the North and move away?

The high cost of living is often a deciding factor for both long-term residents and new recruits. Even with a high government salary, many cannot afford to buy their own home - and for the territory's working poor, paying for both heat and groceries is often a struggle.

Last week, Miltenberger said the territorial government is looking at a variety of ways to make jobs in the Northwest Territories more appealing, including offering debt forgiveness to NWT residents who return north after school, on top of the student loan forgiveness program that already exists for Northern students.

News/North suggests the GNWT look at taking this idea a step further. Why not offer all new university grads in Canada forgiveness on a portion or all of their student loans depending how long they live and work in the Northwest Territories?

For every new Northerner, the federal government increases the health, social and formula financing transfers by almost $30,000 annually.

Perhaps paying off $100,000 in student loans is unreasonable, but help paying off a certain amount of the debt young people often accrue pursuing an education would show the GNWT is serious about wanting both Northerners to get educated, and for educated southerners to not just move to the North for a year or two, but settle here.

With an offer like that, university grads would likely take the idea of moving North much more seriously.

The GNWT would also benefit from recruiting the educated, skilled employees it so desperately needs and the entire territory would benefit from more young people living, working and starting families in the North which adds directly to the NWT's bottom line.

Congratulations to the hamlet council in Clyde River for having the intestinal fortitude to say no to cruise ship visitors.

The move should leave the water in inlets surrounding the hamlet undisturbed for whaling and fishing, two activities needed to fill the community freezers and sustain residents now and through the winter.

There is no reason that every coastal community in Nunavut should throw open its arms to visitors when cruise ships arrive. Pond Inlet, too, has taken a stand on cruise ship visitors, sending a message to those who don't provide economic benefits that they will be charged a landing fee.

Arctic Bay, on the other hand, wants the cruise ships to visit and send their passengers ashore because it is part of the tourism strategy.

There are several sides to the issue. Although the Government of Nunavut's Economic Development and Transportation Department issues outfitter licences to control activities on the land, it has no jurisdiction on the water and no way to influence a cruise ship's sailing itinerary. Cruise ships on the open sea can go where they want. However, that doesn't mean that hamlets will make the effort to play the role as gracious hosts.

There is significant work involved to prepare for international visitors. In many cases, residents dress in their traditional clothing, which is designed for cold Arctic winters, to show off their use of sealskin, caribou hides and decorative beading. That can be especially taxing in the summer months, when warm clothing is not needed. They also put up tables, gather crafts, carvings and other cultural items for sale. Many times, tours of scenic sights in the surrounding area are offered. Sometimes, there are performances by drummers, dancers and throatsingers.

Making such elaborate preparations is a gamble. Sometimes, the cruise ship passengers are respectful and generous. Other times, not so much.

The Association of Arctic Cruise Ship Operators, an international organization, has provided much-needed assistance by providing guidelines for cruise ship passengers who are interested in seeing Nunavut up close and personal. But not all cruise operators are members of the organization and some cruise ships, like The World, are not carrying passengers but is the home of year-round residents who purchase condominiums on board and are less inclined to see sights like tourists would.

Nunavut is not turning its back on an aspect of the economy that is clean and green. There are plenty of coastal communities willing to host visitors.

We recognize Nunavut is a rich tourist destination and encourage cruise ship operators and leaders in communities to open lines of communication so there is less uncertainty.

A fruitful experience for both tourists and hosts is the desired result. However, work on logistics is required for that to be achieved.

The recent case of a young boy dialing the wrong number while trying to call police on his smartphone is yet another example of why the territory needs a 911 emergency phone service.

Stephen Messier, 12, woke up to the sound of a prowler in his bedroom on June 24. He tried to call police but dialed the wrong number - 669-2222 - reaching the fire department instead, who gave him the right number, 669-1111. Police arrived and the suspect was caught but clearly the situation highlights the dangers of having a seven-digit emergency phone system with different numbers for the police and fire department.

Precious seconds can be lost in the confusion trying to dial the numbers, and because they're not universally recognized emergency phone numbers, many people don't know them.

The city's now-defunct 9-1-1 committee and the territorial government spent $47,500 in 2009 on a study trying to figure out the best way to offer emergency service numbers. It was the fifth such study initiated since 1992.

The 2009 report concluded that 9-1-1 should be phased in, starting with the seven largest communities in the NWT representing about 77 per cent of the population. It would have cost $1.2 million annually to maintain. That plan was shot down by Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Rob McLeod, who said GNWT wouldn't get involved unless it could be implemented in all NWT communities, including those that are currently without cellphone service. Another complicating factor was the lack of street numbers in smaller communities.

This, of course, exemplifies the government's extraordinary ability to find ways of not getting anything done. Rather than provide a service that would save lives in most of the territory, it abdicates its responsibilities to the public on cynical and misguided notion of pan-territorial inclusiveness.

As it turns out, setting up a 9-1-1 dispatch is not at all complicated.

Cell service provider Ice Wireless started offering 9-1-1 service to NWT clients in January, using call centres in Sudbury, Ont., and Romania, who reroute emergency calls to the appropriate dispatchers in Yellowknife.

If the GNWT is not willing to set the system up itself, it ought to look at one of these companies to do it. They would certainly be faster getting it done.

Messier's story, fortunately, has a happy outcome. How many times does the government think it can roll the dice with people's lives when seconds count before a tragedy occurs?

A tip of the hat is due for the City of Yellowknife which managed to provide an important public service without ... wait for it ... spending more money.

The public bathrooms and change-rooms at the Somba K'e Civic Plaza have historically spent much more time locked than unlocked - the latter happening almost exclusively during city-run events. But as of a few weeks ago, the city has found a way to make use of its facilities.

In the past, the justification behind the locked doors was two-fold - the cost was too high, and there was a fear vandalism.

But by reallocating resources, the city was able to hire an attendant to clean the washrooms and ensure all flows smoothly during its daily open hours - all without doling out more dough.

Money aside, opening the bathrooms is a good thing: most places have public washrooms and considering the city does too, it only makes sense to use them. People will inevitably have to go, and better they do in washrooms rather than in alleys or behind trees.

But the fact that the city managed this through the rejigging of funds instead of flushing more money down the toilet deserves praise and should serve as an example to future endevours.

It's amazing how much humans complain.

The very act of complaining must be an essential part of the human condition, because how else can you explain why almost everyone is guilty of it at one point or another? In the Deh Cho people latch onto topics to complain about that are often contradictory.

A favourite one is the weather. In the winter it's hard to go a single day, unless you stay locked in your home by yourself or it's unseasonably nice out, without hearing someone complain about the weather.

Usually it is much too cold or it is snowing too much.

Based on the amount of low grade whining and complaining that takes place it would stand to reason that in the summer almost everyone would be incredibly happy. After all, there is not a speck of snow in sight and the arms on thermometers are no where near the freezing mark.

But are people happy? Not really.

Instead we complain about the heat. Either it's too hot or it's too hot and humid or it's too much dry heat.

At the same time rain becomes the new snow. Either there isn't enough rain and we desperately need more of it or when it does fall it always seems to ruin someone's planned outdoor barbecue or backyard party and they wish it would promptly stop.

The only summertime phenomena that people can make a reasonable case for complaining about are the bugs. It's very hard to see the upside of having large chunks taken out of you by bulldogs while mosquitoes leave you with raised, itching bumps and blackflies have you covered with spots of congealing blood.

All the while there are the really tiny bugs that are just a general annoyance, and don't get most people started about hair eaters.

The only good thing to be said is that at least we don't live in an area where mosquitoes carry malaria or other serious diseases.

But really, what are we complaining about? Summer in the Deh Cho is gorgeous.

There are lots of activities to participate in and communities are steps away from outdoor recreational paradises for those who like to boat, fish or camp.

People living in cities in the south travel hours on Fridays in rush hour traffic to get to the kind of scenery that is minutes from most front doors in the Deh Cho.

People need to grab a bug jacket and bug spray, put on sunscreen and lightweight clothes, fill up their water bottles and take advantage of the weather while it lasts. After all, in three months or less we will be back to complaining about the ever shortening hours of daylight and the temperatures that drop even faster.

Winter, as we all know, is coming.

It's been a bad year for tragedies in Inuvik.

From the death of a familiar delta man in a fire last winter to the anguish following the sudden death of Northern icon Robert Alexie Jr., the community has been losing people at a rate that it cannot afford.

Early on the morning of July 6, the community had another loss it could ill afford when a bright and promising young woman lost her life in a car crash. While circumstances differ, the end result doesn't. Suffice to say there likely aren't too many people and families in Inuvik who haven't been touched by her passing, and by the injuries suffered by the other young people, most from well-known families.

The victim of the crash was well remembered at Aurora Campus. She was a straight-A student, a staff member said.

She was hoping to pursue her education further, the staff member said, and had been very active in the student council last year.

That's exactly the type of person we need more of here in Inuvik, particularly those born and raised in town, so her untimely death is a double tragedy that has left her family reeling.

It's not just her immediate family, nor her extended family, which is large, who keenly feels this blow. It was remarkable to see the town so incredibly quiet during the afternoon and evening of July 6.

It was as if time was suspended while people processed and digested the tragedy, and said prayers for the survivors.

At least one of those survivors is apparently still hospitalized in Edmonton with serious injuries.

So far, the RCMP has said speed and alcohol are suspected to be factors in the crash. One man now faces multiple charges.

What is incomprehensible, in any community, is why this continues to happen unabated. Somewhere along the line people need to find a way to break this self-destructive cycle.

I'm not entirely sure how to do that, and I doubt anyone else does. That doesn't mean people can't collectively decide to make a decision and take a long, hard, open and unbiased look at the situation while saying "never again."

The community simply can't afford to lose any more people of the calibre of its latest loss. It has to stop now.

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