Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 19/99) - Two high-level managers at CBC North have been accused of conflict of interest.

Regional director Marie Wilson and executive producer Diane Lonergan have been named in a formal complaint lodged with Sheila Copps, minister of Canadian Heritage.

In the complaint, former NWT resident Frances Widdowson alleges that CBC North has provided many years of sub-standard programming plagued by political interference.

The political interference charge partially stems from Wilson's marriage to Stephen Kakfwi, territorial minister of Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development (RWED).

Also cited is the controversial airing of a profile on Jack Anawak the day before he stepped down as Interim Commissioner of Nunavut and announced he would run as a candidate in the upcoming Nunavut election.

"There will be an action on it," said Canadian Heritage spokesperson Jacques Carisse.

The complaint was passed on to the culture development branch of Canadian Heritage, where it will be assessed.

Widdowson based her complaint on anonymous postings on the political discussion board of Iqaluit's Internet service provider, Nunanet. While living in the NWT, Widdowson worked for RWED when Kakfwi was the minister. Widdowson's contract was not renewed after she went public with her objections over the government's traditional knowledge policy.

"One generally doesn't want to go forward with some kind of complaint based upon anonymous allegations," admitted Widdowson.

"But it was apparent to me from reading the posting, that one came from CBC -- a CBC site. It was obviously from someone who worked with CBC. And then from the responses that were coming forth, obviously people had types of information, inside information, which would be basically impossible for anyone to have."

"Any allegations regarding conflict of interest for any of our staff at CBC is taken very seriously," says Cathie Bolstad, program marketing director with CBC North, speaking on behalf of Wilson and Lonergan.

"This one is no different. In this particular case though -- because the allegation is made at the senior level of our Northern region -- this complaint is being handled outside of our region by the corporation, and at the corporate level."

According to CBC's public affairs office, Harold Redekopp and Alex Frame, vice-presidents of English television and radio respectively, are looking into the allegation.

Widdowson said she has also received three anonymous letters -- in CBC envelopes -- and an e-mail from a former CBC employee, which offer more detail about the events that led to the original complaints of conflict of interest.