Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Jun 27/01) - Despite a promise of answers two months ago the territorial government still hasn't responded to the Rankin Inlet hamlet council's revision of its five year-capital plan.
Ron Roach, the hamlet's senior administrative officer, said council is sitting on its hands waiting for a response from the government's Department of Community Government and Transportation. Meanwhile, the sealift order deadline looms.
"We've received a verbal response from the superintendent ... but not from the head office," he said. "We're sitting here waiting."
In January the hamlet received the department's five-year capital plan for the community.
A month later, the hamlet council released revisions to the capital plan and were promised a response by April. None came.
According to Roach, Rankin Inlet North MLA Jack Anawak was supposed to meet with them last week, but as of Friday at 4 p.m. there was no meeting.
Rankin Inlet south MLA Manitok Thompson, meanwhile, is on holidays.
Shawn Maley, director for the Kivalliq region for Community Governance and Transportation, said the hamlet should get an official response in two weeks.
"I would have liked to see a quicker departmental response," said Maley. "They didn't even get the 'we're working on it.'"
Since separation, the department has been playing catch-up, said Maley.
Roach said one of the hamlet's main priorities is getting community feed-back on relocating the dump.
The hamlet is requesting $50,000 for the review, which the department scheduled for 2004.
The hamlet also wants $100,000 to expand the cemetery, something that isn't even on the department's plan.
For capital projects the hamlet is requesting $1.35 million this year, $1.35 million for 2002-03, $1.59 million for 2003-04, $2 million for 2004-05, and $250,000 for 2005-06.
The department set out $754,000, $1.19 million, $1.362 million, $762,000, and $610,000 for the same time frame.
