Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Enterprise (Oct 28/02) - The mayor of Enterprise said she was shocked and furious when she found out construction was about to start on a visitor reception building in Twin Falls Territorial Park.

Enterprise Mayor Winnie Cadieux - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"Immediately we started burning up the phone lines," says Winnie Cadieux.

She is worried the new reception building, which is in the park's master plan, would undercut Enterprise's Visitor Information Resource Centre, in which the community has invested about $100,000. The two information centres would be about eight kilometres apart.

Council found out on Oct. 16 that the $150,000 project was starting. It was put on hold Oct. 23 by the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Cadieux says council found out when the contractor began looking for supplies in Enterprise.

The council is also concerned by the lack of consultation on the project. It was assured at a meeting with RWED regional staff in February that the project would not go ahead this year.

Coun. Chaal Cadieux says RWED should stop working against the community, and back Enterprise's year-round centre promoting all NWT communities.

"We've got a vision here and we need support."

Coun. Cadieux also wonders why the GNWT wouldn't spend the money in a community, where it would produce local tax revenues.

Bob McLeod, the deputy minister of RWED, says there seems to be some confusion over who the department should consult.

McLeod explains RWED's understanding was the park is in the traditional land use area of the Hay River Dene.

"So we've been consulting with the Hay River Dene Band."

The deputy minister notes the new chief of the K'atlodeeche First Nation also wants to be briefed on the project. "If local people don't want the project to go ahead, we've got other projects," McLeod says.

The deputy minister says consultation concerns may be the result of informal communications and a more formal process may be needed.

"We may have been guilty of verbal discussions and assuming it was consultations," he says.

As for supporting the Enterprise visitor centre, which is housed in a former weigh scale building, he says,

"We don't want to spend money on it, because other communities have indicated they don't want that facility used."

Other communities prefer the territorial visitor centre at the NWT-Alberta border, he adds.