Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 15/02) - A Yellowknife delegation to Ottawa showed the federal government that business and government are both on the same side, but received no firm funding commitments, said Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

Eight city and business representatives met with over 20 politicians, policy advisors and executive assistants in the capital earlier this week.

They met with Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Wednesday.

"It moves the GNWT's agenda one step closer to a reality," said Van Tighem, speaking from the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

The Yellowknife team hammered federal decision-makers with one message: what's good for the Northwest Territories is good for all of Canada. The evidence, they argued, is that Northern mines and infrastructure projects employ people from the south -- both directly through fly-in workers and indirectly through the demand for goods they create.

Van Tighem said the delegation met with a warm reception, but received no firm commitments.

"They seem poised to a supportive decision. But as with anything that involves priorities, they're pretty tight-lipped until they've got something they can actually announce," he said.

Van Tighem was joined by Kelly Kaylo from the NWT Chamber of Commerce, Denendeh Development Corporation President John Bekale, NWT Construction Association President Bill Aho, Bellanca Developments General Manager Kelly Hayden, Matco Transportation Systems President Ray Anderson and NWT Chamber Executive Director Maria Mathews.

Their list of meetings included sessions with Finance Minister Paul Martin, House Leader Ralph Goodale and Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs Stephane Dion.

"One of the surprises was how much they know about us. They're all pretty well maintained up to date," said Van Tighem.

"Basically they all lean on the fact that devolution and resource revenue-sharing is something on the table being negotiated," he said. "We've countered (by saying) that could be three years, five years 20 years (away), and the opportunity is now."

One important issue is infrastructure funding for the North.

The Northwest Territories is competing against the Trans-Labrador Highway Project and, Van Tighem said, "the guys that look after Toronto feel that if you fuel the economic engine in Toronto, you fuel the world."

But the Northern cause is being helped along by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which has been pushing the federal government to devote one per cent of all infrastructure money to each province and territory. The remaining 87 per cent would then be delegated on a per capita basis.

One of the objectives for this delegation is to open doors for a subsequent joint trade mission by the business community and GNWT.

But for now, said Van Tighem, "in a nutshell, we're getting our message everywhere possible."