Hi from Edmonton, on my eye check up. I'm very happy - doctor says I will have very healthy eyes for many more years - so, watch out!

Had a very pleasant trip, I must compliment Canadian North on their flight attendants, so pleasant and helpful, the only puzzle to me is why aren't there more local beautiful aboriginal women in those positions? A great way to see the world and meet people, are they too shy?

While in Edmonton, I paid a visit to Dave and Mary Jones - all you old timers from Aklavik and Inuvik must remember them, they are not doing that well health-wise, time catches up with everyone. Glad I had that visit.

Went on my usual envying expedition while in Edmonton! To shops and grocery stores - fresh juicy produce, cheap, cheap, cheap, a friend said they paid as cheap as $3.35 for four litres of milk! In Norman Wells that's $19.00 - a wonder children are not running around with crooked bones! Oh well, the road is coming they say! So is Kingdom Come!

I stopped over in Yellowknife, saw George Tuccaro - I wished him well and told him I know he will do us proud and we expect him to keep on giving us good music! But I said, as much as I love George, after your four-year term is complete, I hope that position is history. We need a Queen's representative like a hole in the head!

I told him about our dear friend Dan Norris - when he was in that job - I was in his office once and he said, I'll show you what I do most of the time? He had piles of cards on his desk - he signs cards for this and that, eh tough his job was a joke! Australia did or is going to get rid of the Queen's Representative - cut her apron strings! Costing too damn much money - pomposity's time has passed.

By the way, the old timers must remember when Edmonton had only one airport! Right in the centre of the city, we all used to land there coming from the North, to see the bright lights, as we used to say!

Well, they built the international airport about 40 miles south, close to Leduc, which costs us an arm and a leg to get there to catch our plane, and that small airport in the city is used for small planes and helicopters, etc. Well, our NWT air medevacs also land at that small airport which is located close to the Royal Alex Hospital, easy access for critical patients - well, we all heard that they want to close that little airport and move everything to the international airport - which won't be good for us in the territory - especially for the very critical patients - too far from hospital and emergencies, plus the traffic, etc. So you good people in the North better talk to the health departments and your minister and write letters to the city of Edmonton - do not close the municipal airport and somebody could die before they reach the hospital, right?

Hey, I see Nunavut News/North reports that Nunavut wants a doctor for each community. Now residency positions may draw new doctors North? Well, it may happen? They have their own federal Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

They could get immigrant doctors who are plentiful, but they are too busy driving taxis! GNWT should be more vocal about immigration with the feds - they must make health their number one priority by upgrading immigrant doctors to Canadian standards, if our territorial and Nunavut MLAs weren't such wimps, together, as a force they can find a way to force the federal government's hand!

In the Sahtu region - we finally became a stand-alone region in 2004 - we have our health administration in Norman Wells, but no hide nor hair of the doctor in residence they promised. We have different doctors fly in here and there so keep wishing Nunavut!