Yellowknife (Mar 29/04) - Reaction by many Northern leaders to last Tuesday's federal budget sounded like the refrain from a Rolling Stones song: You can't always get what you want.

The first budget of the Paul Martin regime promised millions of dollars to help clean up contaminated sites across the North; made good on a pledge to increase funding for health care and aboriginal training programs; and offered a big tax break for municipalities.

While most territorial leaders were pleased with the over-all tenor of the budget, they cautioned more could still be done to beef up social programs in the North.

"There was a fair bit of money dedicated to the North. But we would like to have more direct control over some of the funds," said Premier Joe Handley, Tuesday.

While Handley was pleased with recognition given to the NWT -- "I've see budgets that ignored the North entirely", he said -- the premier was hoping to see more money pumped into health care and housing.

Included in this year's budget is $60 million for health care services in the three territories, but Handley said the NWT's portion won't be enough the cover the territories' rising health care costs.

Tuesday's budget also promised more money -- $75 million dollars over the next three years -- to help speed up environmental assessments, including the one for the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

"That is certainly a step in the right direction," said Bob Reid, president of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group.

Reid said the money is badly needed to help the dozen or so government boards wade through the volumes of documents expected to be filed in June by the prospective pipeline builders.

"Right now, resources would be stretched to meet the needs of a project this size," he said.

Reid said he would like to have seen more money for aboriginal groups involved in pipeline negotiations, but he said that money could be made available in the future.

The 2004 budget also promised municipalities across Canada a $7.5 billion GST rebate over 10 years, a measure that will save the city of Yellowknife about $500,000 per year, said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

Other NWT municipalities also stand to benefit from the deal, which will allow them to claim 100 per cent of the money they spend on the GST, up from just over 50 per cent this year.

But Van Tighem will wait for the cash.

"We don't want to count our chickens before they hatch," he quipped.

Van Tighem hoped some of the nearly $90 million earmarked for economic development in the North would go towards improving the roads in and around Yellowknife -- especially Highway 3 -- and renovations to the city's airport.

The budget fails to address the "shameful conditions" in which some aboriginals live, said the NWT chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

"We're were somewhat disappointed (with this budget) in terms of First Nations issues," said Bill Erasmus.

In particular, more funds are needed to beef up the territorial housing authority, which "isn't working," said Erasmus.

Despite the shortcomings, Erasmus was encouraged by funding dedicated to cleaning up contaminated sites and $25 million slated to help aboriginals in urban centres.