Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 18/99) - Five native groups have been granted intervenor status in the electoral boundaries court challenge.

The Dene Nation, Metis Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, Lutsel K'e Dene Band and Sahtu Secretariat will be heard collectively as an intervenor in the case.

Last Friday the organizations asked NWT Supreme Court Justice John Vertes to grant them intervenor status in the court challenge of a territorial government decision to have the new western territory inherit existing electoral boundaries.

The challenge was launched Dec. 9 by Friends of Democracy, a group of municipal politicians and city residents. The group is arguing boundaries should be redrawn to provide more equal representation in the new western assembly.

With intervenor status -- essentially a voice in the case -- the native groups will argue in support of the territorial government's decision.

On Friday Justice Vertes scheduled the case to be heard on Mar. 1.

Intervenors were an issue that arose at a Friends meeting yesterday, but the focus of the gathering was fund-raising.

"We'll be putting on the big push over the next two weeks ... because we need to feed the lawyers," said the group's president, Robert Slaven. "It's nice that you can go to the courts to get your rights protected, but you do need the money for it."

Slaven said so far the group has raised between $3,000 and $4,000 from individuals, plus the $25,000 the city has provided. The estimated cost of mounting the challenge is $100,000.

Council's support for the challenge is not unanimous. Coun. Kevin O'Reilly has consistently opposed the city's involvement, saying it is not a municipal matter and questioning whether the city has the authority to give $25,000 to the cause.

"My position hasn't changed," said O'Reilly yesterday.

In response to his questions and those of lawyer Charles McGee, who made a presentation to council on behalf of two residents opposed to the city's involvement in the case, the city has sought a legal opinion on the grant.

Clerk Tim Mercer said city lawyers believe the city was well within its authority to make the grant.