Brent Reaney
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 06/05) - Finance Minister Floyd Roland says the territory's finances are not in the shape he expected when the budget was tabled in February.

Because of changes to corporate income taxes, as well as a $23-million commitment to clean up Giant Mine, the GNWT's books currently show an $18 million deficit for 2004-05, not the forecast $44 million surplus.

"These are both one-time events that will not affect future years' revenues or expenditures," Roland told the legislative assembly on Friday, May 27.

Good Hope getting better

In addition to the some 25 families who were displaced during the flood in Fort Good Hope, Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya says a number of trappers on the land had their cabins destroyed.

Yakeleya said he believes the maximum amount of compensation in emergency situations to be $4,500 per person, and he wants more discussion about ways to properly compensate those who have lost their possessions. Minister of Community and Municipal Services Michael McLeod says the damage has been assessed at $1 million, not including damage to some of the NWT housing corporation's units.

Trades troubles

While Education Minister Charles says the government is doing all it can to prepare Northern students for skilled trades work, two MLAs remain skeptical.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay and Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee say they know of at least two people who have had trouble getting into apprenticeship programs.

Dent said the government is willing to send students to Alberta.

"The problem we have is, we can't always get people into those courses in Alberta, either," Dent said.

Diavik recently announced it will be providing free flights to a number of its southern tradespeople because there are not enough Northern workers to fill the jobs.

Hook Lake herd health

Tu Nedhe MLA Bobby Villeneuve wants the government to consider moving Fort Resolution's Hook Lake bison herd, regardless of what a series of medical tests shows.

"They want the bison moved, period," Villeneuve said of his constituents outside the assembly. "You can smell the bison droppings all summer and people are just getting fed up with it."

The animals were initially brought from the Hook Lake bison herd near Wood Buffalo Park about nine years ago to protect them from disease.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger said his department would meet with people in Fort Resolution once the test results come back.