Are development rules too stringent?
City administration has drafted a proposal containing more relaxed development rules in an effort to encourage development in Phase VII of the Niven Lake, where only four out of 31 lots have been sold since they entered the market in 2008. If council approves the changes, it would mean developers can build bigger and taller homes. Do more relaxed rules make sense, or would they lead to abuse by unscrupulous developers?
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Are the courts too lenient, inconsistent with domestic abusers?
In last Friday's Yellowknifer there were two stories relating to the sentencing of men convicted of assaulting their spouses. One 42-year-old man, convicted for the third time, was handed a 90-day sentence after terrorizing and repeatedly hitting and biting his wife. In another, a 45-year-old man was sentenced to 14 months in jail after fracturing his wife's skull following a night of drinking and arguing. It was also his third conviction for assaulting his wife. Conversely, a 29-year-old woman was handed six months of probation for assaulting her husband. Are our courts too lenient and inconsistent in handing down sentences in domestic abuse cases?
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Should all old mine sites be cleaned up?
The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs plans to clean up an old mine site this summer at Hidden Lake. The site was razed by a fire in 1998, and now only a scattered amount of litter and tailings remain. This one might not be worth preserving, but should all mine sites be cleaned up? Are there a few out there worth preserving for posterity's sake?
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Are you still going to travel south of the border?
Horror stories continue in the news regarding long lineups, delays, and overbearing security procedures at air terminals for flights heading the U.S. Those headaches came in the wake of a Christmas Day bombing attempt by an Islamic terrorist. Are you still planning on going to the States, or are you making your travel plans elsewhere?
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