Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 19/99) - A proposal to switch Monday noon-hour committee meetings to the morning was roundly criticized by council.

Coun. Bob Brooks said the proposed 9 a.m. start would cut too heavily into councillors' day jobs and limit the public's ability to participate.

"You're probably going to hear a fairly loud cry from the public, saying 'Your meetings are inaccessible.'"

The reason for the proposed change was to save the $10,000 the city says it costs to cater lunches for staff, council and others attending the meetings.

Brooks recommended brown bagging it.

Coun. Blake Lyons added that the committee meetings gave residents a chance to address council in a less formal and less threatening setting than council meetings. He said that opportunity should be protected.

Moving the meetings to the morning might also reduce the number of people willing or able to serve on council, said Coun. Alan Woytuik.

"Then that means we're back into meals," said Mayor Dave Lovell.

"Do we actually have to serve lunch?" asked Coun. Dave McCann.

Senior administrator Max Hall said not serving lunch could be time consuming for staff.

"I would rather sandwiches put out at lunch than have staff leave for lunch at 1 p.m." said Hall.

"So which councillors are going to bring two lunches?" asked Lyons, jokingly.

Waterfront lease

The city will likely be applying to the territorial government to lease waterfront property in Old Town.

A city committee on Tuesday recommended council proceed with a bylaw to lease the lands. One series of three lots are located on either side of the municipal boat launch.

The remainder include waterfront property at and adjacent to Sail North.

In a report to council, city staff indicated leasing the property would allow the city to deal more efficiently with issues and proposals concerning the land.

A new approach

Yellowknife and the North can benefit from lessons in the use of new information technology being learned by other governments.

That was one of the messages Coun. Ben McDonald relayed to council in an extensive report on his attendance at a "smart communities" conference last month in Summerside, P.E.I.

McDonald suggested one of the things the NWT could learn from is a recent "knowledge assessment" the U.S. National Academy of Sciences is preparing as part of an overall strategic plan for the P.E.I. government.

"We should look at (the knowledge assessment) as a way of expanding, and possibly refocussing the economic development process the GNWT now has under way," suggested McDonald.

"The way the GNWT process is structured, and the people and organizations which are driving it, seem likely to come up with "more of the same" type of recommendations (although I hope I'm wrong)."

Yellowknife and Hay River have been shortlisted for funding under a federal program to promote use of new technology in Canadian communities.

McDonald chaired the working group of representatives of public, private and non-profit organizations that put together the funding application.