Norman Wells is in the news a lot lately. Everything is running fine. Personalities in the town council must be the problem; we still have the best town in the most beautiful spot in the whole Northwest Territories. We just need a good road so that people can come visit us.

We have had a very unusual fall with beautiful weather for the last two months. First thing I do every morning is open my front door to check and thank the Lord for the good weather.

I see the Chamber of Commerce had a meeting in Yellowknife; the small business week conference discussed the present and future of mining in Canada with a very important speaker Dr. Brian Lee Crowley. He was one of about a dozen presenters. Our damn isolation, if we had a road we could have driven to these important and informative meetings in Yellowknife. Everything was and is decided on in Yellowknife.

Also, I see in the same paper the Mine Training Society announced receiving $7.4 million from the federal government skills partnership fund. The fund will help up to 1,000 natives, including women and youth, to receive training in the mining industry.

Well, we in the Sahtu better wake up the leaders to access some of this money and start training for jobs. We must also encourage prospecting in the Sahtu. We need mines for jobs. We must take advantage of our huge territory. You all know immigrants are coming into Canada by the thousands and they need land. So, all you proud Aboriginals in the Sahtu SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ Wake Up. It looks like the Aboriginals in the regions in and around Yellowknife realize mining is the future and are going to train with the help of federal money.

Well, we in the Sahtu had better do the same. It is time to encourage mining in the Sahtu before it's too late. We must open up our territory to the world. Get involved in the government of the Northwest Territories.

I was glancing through the paper; the News North puts out information on businesses of every type in the NWT and Nunavut. Very Interesting. What we need in Nunavut and the MacKenzie river region is mobility; more highways and roads. Nunavut should get the government to extend the highways from Yellowknife region to the Beaufort Sea in the summer. Then, have ships and in the winter build the ice roads. Just a thought. Nothing is impossible as they say.

Time to think of winter roads. Can you imagine, the Sahtu region is the only region that needs ice roads now Tuktoyaktuk has a real highway. All I have to say is: every past territorial minister, MLA, including federal MPs, should hang their heads in shame. I really mean that. My goodness, we have been waiting since the 1960s. We have the manpower, lots of gravel, etc. In reality, we cannot blame only the governments SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ we, the people should have pushed them. We should have had a one track mind SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ build the highway.

See you and take care.