The Trailbreaker
with Joslyn Oosenbrug

 It's Ski Days in the Northwest Territories!

 And to celebrate, we spent today's show looking at the beauty of cross-country skiing -- through the eyes of a first time skier and a back-country enthusiast. We also got a lesson in why wax matters -- and how to get it just right.

 Let's start with one of our new additions to CBC North, Jane Sponagle.

 Jane grew up on the East coast, and had never strapped on a pair of cross-country skies until she moved here in December.

 Her first attempt last weekend wasn't too successful.

 So this week she went to the Yellowknife Ski Club to get a lesson from Ski North's Karen Johnson.

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 Now if you're already a seasoned skier, and looking for some new trails, why not try backcountry skiing?

 Cathy Allooloo has some help for those of you heading off on your first adventure.

 She's the owner of NARWAL Northern Adventures in Yellowknife. 

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 And whether you're a high performance athlete or a first timer, your ski wax can be one of your biggest helps -- or hinderances.

 To make sure you get it right, we brought in Mike Argue, a coach for the high-performance ski team in Yellowknife, and a former competitve ski racer.

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 A ruling that would have forced Northwestel to divulge the fees it charges competitors to use its telecommunications infrastructure has been put on hold.

 Northwestel owns the only connectivity service linking the North to the South, and other companies have long argued the rates it charges are unfair and unreasonably high.

 Last month, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission ordered Northwestel to explain how it determines pricing for other companies that want to use its information highway.

 Instead, Northwestel has proposed a new service at a lower rate.

 That's not exactly what Dean Proctor was hoping for.

 He's the Chief Development Officer for SSI Micro, the Yellowknife-based company that filed the complaint against Northwestel.

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 As the population of our country ages and costs to our healthcare system increase, something has to give.

 Health care workers across the North and around the world are looking for ways to innovate -- new ideas on ways to do things that could make the system more efficient.

 This morning, Joslyn reached Anne Snowdon, a researcher at Western University who has been looking abroad to find out what we can learn from other countries.

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 According to Census information released this week, the Northwest Territories is the only part of Canada that's population hasn't grown in the last five years.

 As of the 2006 Census, the territory had a population of 41,464. The official count this time was 41,462.

 That's right: we're down by two.

 And we believe we've found that pair ... in the Yukon. 

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 Drug use among teens has come to the fore this week, after a woman in N'Dilo came forward to talk about her daughter's death.

 13-year-old Savannah Mackenzie died in 2010 after taking ecstasy.

 Her mom, Nora, says parents need to talk to their kids about drugs when they're still young.

 The Trailbreaker spoke with two teens from Yellowknife about how they got involved with drugs and the effect it's had on their lives:

 LISTEN (pop up player)  (Please note, we've altered their voices to protect their identities)

 John Bowden says stories like these are all too common.

 For a long time he was the Principal at one of Yellowknife's high schools.

 Now he's a member of the city's Committee for the Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse.

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 There's a new book out that breaks down the history of Canada's Arctic Sovereignty into key players -- from Sir John Franklin and John Rae to John Diefenbaker.

 Peter Piggott is a former Canadian diplomat and aviation historian.

 His book is called "From Far and Wide: A Complete History of Canada's Arctic Sovereignty."

 Joslyn reached him at his home in Ottawa.

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 We love hearing from you -- whether it's by phone, by mail or in person -- on the issues of the day that matter in your community.

 Here's one call we received from Yellowknife, on the federal government's "Tough on Crime" legislation, Bill C-10:

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 The CBC's Paul Moore has been looking into what Bill C-10 will mean for the North.

 Joslyn reached him this morning in our Iqaluit studio.

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 Drew Ann Wake is the former journalist behind a new museum display and website on the Berger Inquiry of the 1970s.

 Now the Education department of the Northwest Territories is hoping to fold her photographs into its new Northern Studies Curriculum.

 Joslyn sat down with Drew Ann and curriculum coordinator John Stewart to find out more.

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 Former Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault joined us this morning with his take on the recent gathering between First Nations leaders and the federal government, and how to move forward from here:

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