by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 03/97) - If you live anywhere north of say, Enterprise, you probably spend a large chunk of your paycheque in the local grocery store.

A random survey carried out by News/North last week found the discrepancy between northern and southern NWT prices really hasn't changed that much over the last five years.

People in places such as Clyde River, Gjoa Haven and Grise Fiord are paying roughly twice as much as what those in Enterprise pay for the same produce.

And those in Iqaluit, Inuvik and Rankin Inlet are paying roughly one-and-a-half times as much, if not more.

Those on the most southerly islands of snow and ice in our jurisdiction -- Sanikiluaq residents -- also pay about twice as much compared with their more northerly, but less remote, neighbors in Enterprise.

That community's secret to cheap grocery prices is the local Independent Cash and Carry that transports bulk brand-name products north, directly up the highway from a warehouse in Edmonton.

Those in Grise Fiord don't have the luxury of an all-weather highway. In fact the northernmost community in the NWT missed part of its annual sealift this year and ended up with a huge fly-in bill that threatened to see their prices rise even higher.

Doug Beiers, a seven-year Grise Fiord resident and manager of its Co-op, said prices there don't reflect that bill because the GNWT reluctantly subsidized the airlift. Insurance will, hopefully, cover the rest.

But he said it's not just shipping that jacks up Northern prices through the roof.

"There's secondary losses too, like handling, loss of items and damaged goods, most of which can't be covered by insurance," said Beiers.

If he were to buy insurance for heavy, inexpensive products such as produce, he'd end up losing money in the long run because insurance is paid for by the kilogram.

However, he does insure the lighter, more expensive products -- because it's worth his while.

"And the other thing is, on any invoice of say 40 items, there's probably two of them that don't even get here. I can't really insure for that, because again, it would cost too much in the long run."

But while Beiers does notice southern prices being lower, he contends that regular prices in the south aren't that much different from his -- it's just southern sale prices that really blows his mind.

"I keep getting surprised at how low they're willing to put their prices down south when they have a sale -- that's when I really notice the price difference," he said.