Late Hours
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Feb 28/01) - MLAs will be burning the midnight oil as the legislative session starts to run past its normally appointed 6 p.m. quitting time.
Clerk David Hamilton says the extra hours are the product of "trying to get through six weeks of work in three weeks of sitting."
The legislature continues sitting until MLAs take a three-week spring break starting March 7.
Ministers to meet
NWT Finance Minister Joe Handley will be sitting down with his federal counterpart Sunday, albeit briefly.
Paul Martin is flying into Yellowknife as he continues his mission of meeting with all provincial and territorial finance ministers.
Handley says that the hour-long meeting will provide him with the opportunity to discuss revenue sharing, the formula financing agreement and raising the province's $300-million debt wall.
A nice weekend
In her member's statement on Monday, Health Minister Jane Groenewegen told legislators that "most of what we do here in the House is covered by the media to some extent."
How she spent her weekend, the minister said, was one of those rare items left uncovered by the media.
Perhaps to make up for this, Groenewegen told MLAs that she'd attended the annual banquet of the Hay River Chamber of Commerce, congratulated the incoming president and thanked the outgoing president.
Following the presentation of the Citizen of the Year award to "volunteer extraordinaire" Guy Turvey, Groenewegen had occasion to chat with the mayor.
Later in the weekend, the minister said she cooked a meal and entertained friends, and went to church on Sunday.
Speaker Tony Whitford thanked Groenewegen and remarked that it sounded like she had, "a very relaxing weekend."
New winter road open for business
Transportation Minister Vince Steen informed the House that his department officially opened the new winter road linking Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake.
The new road is the first addition to the winter road system since 1985.
In his minister's statement, Steen hailed the opening as "a good example of local initiative and co-operation amongst community groups."
The winter road was built by the Behdzi Ahda First Nation with $195,000 from the department of transportation.
Another $100,000 each in cash or the equivalent in equipment and labour was committed by Paramount Resources and Canadian Natural Resources.
The two companies are conducting seismic testing in the region.
The road will remain open until March 31, weather permitting.
