Yellowknife (June 02/03) - The Sport North Federation is ready to walk out on the implementation process of a new NWT sports and recreation governing body.

"We are still going with the implementation process because if we aren't at the table then we can't have our say," Abe Theil, president of the Sport North board of directors, said on Tuesday.

But if the board of directors feels that Vince Steen, the minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, is not addressing the federation's concerns, they will walk out.

"We think it would be unfortunate if they walked away from the process. Sport North was an active participant in process. We are disappointed there was no support at the AGM," said Debbie DeLancey, MACA deputy minister.

The members of Sport North, the territorial sports organizations (TSOs), gave the board of directors this mandate during their annual general meeting May 17 and 18.

The TSOs fear the new board will act as a cash grab and there won't be any money for the sports organizations themselves.

"The concern that we have is that the new board is adding another layer of bureaucracy to sports in the NWT," said Theil.

But MACA feels otherwise.

"We are not there to spend more money on administration. We are not there to take money from sports and recreation programs. Our hope is that eventually there is a reduction in administrative cost," said DeLancey.

With the new board coming along, TSO's are worried there won't be enough money coming their way.

"We can't do more with less. Sports organizations are already fundraising 80 per cent of their budget," said Doug Rentmeister, executive director of Sport North.

Money is available for sports in the North but members say the problem is getting it to the territorial sports organizations.

"We're struggling with a lack of money. I can't comprehend all that money that is floating here and we can't channel it to the TSOs," Tom Makepeace from softball said during the AGM.

TSOs say that the result of all that is that sports in the NWT is grossly underfunded.

"Our budget has been eroded and with this new board now responsible for these dollars less will be available to the volunteers," said Rentmeister.

Concern over lack of communication and information as well as a feeling of not being appreciated has also led the federation to this point.

"We don't feel that either these assertions are true. We've worked with Sport North from the beginning of the implementation process," said DeLancey.

Eighteen months ago MACA put forward an initial draft on the creation of a new board.

"There was a great outcry. There were more questions than answers raised in the draft," said Theil.

The government established an implementation committee to work the details of how this board will work.

Sport North is one of five groups represented on the committee.

The other groups are the Aboriginal Sports Circle, the Mackenzie Recreation Association, NWT Parks and Recreation and the GNWT.

"That's one of the concerns. The membership participation is not an equitable distribution. It is more centred on the recreation side than sports," said Theil.

The government is looking to have the new board in place by April 1.

"Individual partners want this done properly and not rushed, that it is done right. We are not hung up on April 1," said Theil.

However, the final decision rests in the minister's hands.

"The buck stops at the minister's desk at the end of the day," said Ian Legaree, who was at the Sport North AGM on behalf of MACA to answer questions on the process.