"People have been really friendly and co-operative," reports Kimberly Moreside, who has surveyed about 30 households in Yellowknife.

Moreside oversees surveys in Yellowknife and Inuvik, but Fort Simpson, Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet are also being sampled in the first Statistics Canada survey of NWT communities outside of Yellowknife.

The capital's cost-of-living analysis is composed of a random sampling of 300 households. The surveyors must stick to the list of households identified for the sampling.

"Some people say I can't do it -- why don't you take my next-door neighbor," said Moreside. "But we have to talk to them. We have to see if there's any way of interviewing the households on our list."

Which expenses are covered by the hour-long questionnaire?

"Everything," answered Moreside. "Everything you spent your money on in 1997."

Moreside said that can mean delving into some unusual expenses.

"One guy had bought a whole bunch of light bulbs. I asked him why so many, and he mentioned the people living overhead had heavy feet that shook the ballasts and made the bulbs burn out faster."

The results of the survey will be used to calculate adjustments to such things as pensions, wages and support payments.

Critical to getting a true picture of Northern expenses is confidentiality. Detailed spending information is a valuable commodity to organizations such as Revenue Canada, as well as social services and businesses.

"I could go to jail if I sold any of this information," said Moreside.

To safeguard the confidentiality of the survey, questioners swear an oath of secrecy, and last names are never used.

Results of the survey are will be available later this year, said Moreside.